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  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Martinsville

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Martinsville

    [media-credit name=”Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Tony Stewart: Stewart salvaged a solid seventh-place finish at Martinsville after a wild finish scrambled the finishing order and gave Stewart’s teammate Ryan Newman the win. Stewart moved up one place into a tie for third in the Sprint Cup point standings, and trails Greg Biffle by 12.

    “Some people would say Ryan ‘bullied’ his way to the win,” Stewart said. “Those people would all share the last name ‘Logano.’

    “I guess you could say Ryan stole the win. He took the win right out from under the noses of Hendrick Motorsports. As a result of Ryan’s win, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson should visit Outback Steakhouse, Ryan’s sponsor, and get a free Bloomin’ Onion. Let me reiterate: it’s free, so they won’t have to steal it.”

    2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr: Earnhardt made a risky move to pit during a caution with three laps to go, but the move paid off after a disastrous restart for Hendrick teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. When the dust settled, Ryan Newman had stolen the win, and Earnhardt had a third, his third top-5 finish of the year.

    “Hendrick cars were running 1-2-3 with two laps to go,” Earnhardt said. “Hendrick’s 200th victory was so close, we could smell it. Oddly enough, it smelled like a Bloomin’ Onion from Outback Steakhouse.

    3. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth posted his third top-5 finish of the year with a fourth in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville. He is now tied for third in the point standings, 12 behind Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle.

    “Recklessness caused pure chaos at Martinsville,” Kenseth said, “which led to an amazing finish. What’s more amazing? The fact that I used ‘recklessness,’ ‘chaos,’ and ‘Martinsville’ in a sentence, and didn’t mention Brian Vickers.”

    4. Greg Biffle: Biffle maintained the Sprint Cup points lead with a 13th-place finish at Martinsville, one lap down. He holds a six-point lead over the hard-charging Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who finished third.

    “David Reutimann was clearly driving the ‘Car Of Tomorrow,’” Biffle said, “because at that rate of speed, it would have been Monday before he completed 500 laps.”

    5. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson’s epic duel with Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon was interrupted two laps from the end by the stalled No. 10 car of David Reutimann, which forced the race’s penultimate caution. On the ensuing restart, Johnson and Gordon spun after Clint Bowyer’s dive to the bottom, assisted by a bump from Ryan Newman, caused short-track chaos. Johnson limped home with a 12th-place finish.

    “Newman got lucky,” Johnson said, “and I can live with that. As my five Sprint Cup titles can attest, I’d rather be good than lucky. But give Newman credit. For someone with no neck, he sure did stick his out.”

    6. Kevin Harvick: Harvick started second on the grid at Martinsville and led 21 early laps before his day went sour. He finished 19th, two laps down, and tumbled one spot in the point standings into a tie for third.

    “We totally missed the setup on the No. 29 ‘Budweiser Is Back’ Chevrolet,” Harvick said. “As a result, my pit crew sent me out on the track with half-hearted encouragement, saying ‘This Dud’s For You.’ I can’t thank them enough, so I won’t thank them at all.”

    7. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex posted his fourth top-10 finish of the year with a fifth in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500. He jumped two places in the point standings into a tie for third, 12 behind Greg Biffle.

    “Between David Reutimann, Clint Bowyer, and Ryan Newman,” Truex said, “it was an April fools day to remember. Apparently, Auto Club Speedway wasn’t the only appearance the Three Stooges made.”

    8. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer’s dash to the inside on a late restart, helped by a bump from Ryan Newman, initiated a crash that wiped out Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon from contention. Bowyer spun as well in the melee, but recovered to finish 10th, and now sits ninth in the point standings, 34 out of first.

    “I had fresh tires,” Bowyer said, “so I knew I could get a good jump on Gordon and Johnson on the restart. I had ‘grip;’ they had ‘gripes.’ But don’t blame me. I was trying to win. David Reutimann? I’m not sure what he was doing? I don’t know why he chose to park on the track. My guess? It’s Martinsville, and that was the only spot available.”

    9. Jeff Gordon: Looking for a win to boost a lackluster season, Gordon saw a near-victory ripped from his grasp after a caution for David Reutimann’s stalled car led to the restart that wrecked Gordon. Gordon took the lead after stalking Jimmie Johnson for 50 laps, and was poised to give Hendrick Motorsports its 200th win.

    “Obviously,” Gordon said, “Reutimann has a mistaken idea of ‘start and park.’ He was, quite literally, out for a Sunday drive.

    “I understand Reutimann was trying to score as many points as possible to keep that No. 10 car in the top 35, so Danica Patrick can run her allotted races. Heck, why not just let Patrick race at Martinsville. That way, we know any caution caused by the No. 10 would have been a legitimate one.”

    10. Ryan Newman: Newman plowed his way to the front on a restart with two laps to go, leaving the Hendrick Motorsports duo of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson in his wake. Newman held off A.J. Allmendinger on the final green-white-checkered finish to secure his first win of the season, and Stewart-Haas Racing’s third.

    “Hopefully,” Newman said, “I haven’t burned any bridges with the Hendrick camp. After all, they do provide us with engines. So, I don’t mind them giving me horsepower, but I do mind them giving me grief. Joke of the day: How is Stewart Haas Racing different from Hendrick Motorsports? Stewart Haas can win with Hendrick engines.”

  • Stewart-Haas Racing Finds Success Early in the Season

    Stewart-Haas Racing Finds Success Early in the Season

    [media-credit id=24 align=”alignright” width=”226″][/media-credit]Early in the season, all eyes are on Tony Stewart and his Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) team following the late domination last year and so far this year. At Martinsville this past weekend, Newman added to the win column to give SHR their third win in the first six races.

    “The strength overall for Stewart-Haas, it’s a two-mile racetrack and a half-mile racetrack, and Stewart already won on a mile-and-a-half racetrack,” Newman says. “So we have a good strong start to the season when it comes to looking at the racetracks and the places that we race at, and that makes a difference. Some guys are only capable of winning at certain racetracks and we have proved that Stewart-Haas is capable of a lot.”

    For Newman’s crew chief Tony Gibson, it is all about having solid equipment each week.

    “We know we are working hard as a company to make sure both these cars are as close as we can get, other than what the two different drivers need, little things,” he says. “We have everything there we need to win every week. It’s hard to win every week, but we have got the equipment and the drivers to do it. We just have to execute and make sure it happens.”

    One of the benefits that helps SHR is both Stewart and Newman are good at a variety of tracks. In Newman’s 16 career victories, he has won at 11 different tracks.

    “I have got some tracks I like better than others, but there’s not a track out there that I dislike,” Newman says. “That just goes to show you when it comes to my stats, I’m a contender at a lot of racetracks and that’s — I think the best I’ve ever run in the championship is sixth, but just goes to show if we get the right situation and package together for the last ten, with the difference and versatility in the racetracks, we’ll be in good shape. I look forward to it.  We just have to keep our nose to the grindstone.  This is a great step in the right direction but ultimately this is just one small steppingstone and we have to build a pretty nice sidewalk.”

    Meanwhile, Stewart has won at a variety of tracks, too, from road courses to short tracks and mile-and-a-halves. This year, Stewart won at both mile-and-a-halves, Las Vegas Speedway and Auto Club Speedway. These two wins come after winning five of the final 10 races last season on the way to winning the championship.

    “To go through an offseason and pick it back up and to have some pretty big personnel changes in the middle of all that so, it’s pretty big right now,” Stewart says. “You know the hard part is that you just don’t want it to end, you want it to stay like this.”

    Even with winning the championship, Stewart fired crew chief Darian Grubb and hired Steve Addington to take his place. Despite having the run to the title, Stewart felt that communication wasn’t there with Grubb as they struggled the majority of the year.

    As people focusing towards this year’s chase, many people are looking at the win column early this year to see who will be in the Chase come September. Newman says for him, he just worries about being consistent.

    “I think our team is definitely a Top-10 contending team,” he says. “We have proved that the first six races of the season or whatever we are at now.  If we have to, then we do.  But if we have to, and it’s tough to say because of what Stewart went through last year if you have to; usually if you have to do that, my point is, you’re not a championship-contending team. So I would rather much rely on how strong we are each and every week than rely back on a win or multiple wins to get into the Chase.”

    Newman’s crew chief Tony Gibson thinks that Newman and team can put together a good solid run into and throughout the Chase this year.

    “We know we can do it; we have said it time and time again, the equipment is there and everything we need to do to win,” he says. “We just have to put it in place and execute.  We have struggled a little bit at that.  We had 27 and a half great races last year and we failed in the Chase.  We didn’t run as good as we needed to run, and Stewart took off like a ball of fire.

    “It was disappointing for us — he’s still on fire.  It’s disappointing for us because we know we have the same equipment and we know we should be winning those races, too.  It puts pressure on us and makes us work harder and think, why aren’t we winning, and they are winning.”

  • Lap by Lap: Goody’s Fast Relief 500 won by Ryan Newman

    Lap by Lap: Goody’s Fast Relief 500 won by Ryan Newman

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”100″][/media-credit]Ryan Newman survived the pair of Green-White-Checkered finishes at Martinsville Speedway to score the 16th victory of his career.

    Green flag

    Lap 1 Kevin Harvick leads lap over Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer and Ryan Newman.

    Lap 5 Jeff Gordon passes Brad Keselowski for sixth

    Lap 7 Gordon passes Newman for fifth

    Lap 11 Bowyer and Gordon pass Hamlin for third

    Lap 16 Harvick leads Kahne, Bowyer, Gordon, Hamlin, Keselowski, Newman, Kyle Busch, Paul Menard and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    Lap 16 Gordon passes Bowyer for third

    Lap 17 Keselowski passes Hamlin for fifth

    Lap 18 Newman passes Hamlin for sixth as Earnhardt Jr. passes Menard for ninth

    Lap 20 Harvick leads Kahne, Gordon, Bowyer, Keselowski, Newman, Hamlin, Busch, Earnhardt Jr., Menard

    Lap 23 Gordon takes the lead from Harvick

    Lap 28 Gordon leads Harvick, Bowyer, Keselowski, Kahne, Newman, Hamlin, Earnhardt Jr., Busch and Martin Truex Jr.

    Lap 60 Kurt Busch to pit road with a flat tire

    Lap 68 Hamln passes Harvick

    Lap 69 Gordon leads Keselowski, Bowyer, Kahne, Hamlin, Harvick, Newman, Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch and Jeff Burton

    Lap 88 Gordon leads Keselowski, Kahne, Bowyer, Hamlin, Newman, Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Burton, Harvick

    Lap 95 Hamlin passes Bowyer for fourth

    Lap 98 Caution Kyle Busch into the wall due to a broken rear track bar. Pit stops…..Gordon leads Hamlin off pit road. Gordon chooses to start on the inside….Two penalties: Newman too fast entering, Johnson too fast exiting

    Lap 105 Restart as Gordon keeps the lead over Hamlin though turn one.

    Lap 111 Gordon leads Hamlin, Kahne, Bowyer, Keselowski, Truex, Burton, Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart.

    Lap 114 Kahne passes Hamlin for second

    Lap 121 Gordon leads Kahne, Hamlin, Bowyer, Burton, Truex, Earnhardt Jr., Keselowski, Kenseth and Stewart

    Lap 159 Gordon leads Hamlin, Bowyer, Earnhardt Jr., Kahne, Burton, Truex, Keselowski, Stewart, Kenseth

    Lap 169 Keselowski passes Truex for seventh

    Lap 173 Earnhardt Jr. passes Bowyer for third

    Lap 177 Kenseth passes Stewart for ninth

    Lap 179 Kahne passes Bowyer

    Lap 180 Gordon leads Hamlin, Earnhardt Jr., Kahne, Bowyer, Burton, Keselowski, Truex, Kenseth, Stewart

    Lap 189 Keselowski passes Burton for sixth

    Lap 220 Gordon leads Earnhardt Jr., Hamlin, Kahne, Bowyer, Kenseth, Keselowski, Almirola, Stewart, Johnson

    Lap 221 Bobby Labonte hits pit road

    Lap 223 Kahne passes Hamlin for third

    Lap 225 Harvick and Truex pit

    Lap 229 Earnhardt Jr. passes Gordon for the lead

    Lap 230 Kahne. A.J. Allmendinger and Joey Logano pit

    Lap 233 Earnhardt Jr., Edwards, Greg Biffle, Regan Smith and Gordon pit, handing the lead to Hamlin

    Lap 235 Marco Ambrose, Hamlin, Johnson and Edwards pit, handing the lead to Bowyer

    Lap 237 Bowyer, Rains, Keselowski, Hermie Sadler and Kenseth pit, handing the lead to Almirola.

    Lap 239 Almirola pits, handing the lead to Gordon.

    Caution Lap 245 Dave Blaney goes for a spin. Kahne goes behind the wall due to a motor issue. Some lead lap cars pit, others decide to stay out.

    Restart Lap 255 as Gordon pulls the lead early over Earnhardt Jr.

    Lap 260 Gordon leads Earnhardt Jr., Bowyer, Kenseth, Keselowski, Hamlin, Johnson, Truex, Almirola, Stewart

    Lap 262 Bowyer passes Earnhardt Jr. for second

    Caution Lap 264 Juan Pablo Montoya hits the inside wall after contact from Ken Schrader. Newman gets the lucky dog.

    Restart Lap 272

    Lap 275 Gordon leads Bowyer, Earnhardt Jr., Keselowski, Kenseth, Hamlin, Johnson, Truex, Stewart and Allmendinger

    Lap 280 Hamlin and Johnson both pass Kenseth

    Lap 281 Stewart passes Truex for eighth

    Lap 287 Johnson passes Hamlin

    Lap 289 Johnson passes Keselowski

    Lap 290 Gordon leads Bowyer, Earnhardt Jr., Johnson, Keselowski, Hamlin, Kenseth, Stewart, Truex and Allmendinger

    Lap 300 Allmendinger and Almirola pass Truex

    Lap 310 Gordon leads Bowyer, Johnson, Earnhardt Jr., Keselowski, Hamlin, Kenseth, Stewart, Allmendinger and Almirola.

    Lap 314 Johnson passes Bowyer for second

    Caution Lap 316 Kahne blows up…..Gordon leads Johnson, Bowyer, Earnhardt Jr., Keselowski, Hamlin, Kenseth, Stewart, Allmendinger and Almirola….Keselowski too fast in the pits

    Restart Lap 328

    Lap 333 Gordon leads Johnson, Earnhardt Jr., Hamlin, Bowyer, Kenseth, Stewart, Almirola, Allmendinger and Truex

    Lap 340 Hamlin passes Earnhardt Jr. for third

    Lap 348 Bowyer passes Earnhardt Jr. for fourth

    Lap 355 Earnhardt Jr. passes Bowyer for fourth

    Lap 356 Johnson passes Gordon for the lead

    Lap 357 Johnson leads Gordon, Hamlin, Earnhardt Jr., Bowyer, Kenseth, Stewart, Almirola, Newman and Allmendinger

    Caution Lap 361 Travis Kvapil spins. Edwards gets the lucky dog…..All of the leaders pit……Hamlin leads Gordon, Johnson and Stewart off pit road

    Restart Lap 368 and Hamlin leads Gordon off of turn two

    128 to go Hamlin leads Johnson, Gordon, Kenseth, Bowyer, Newman, Stewart, Truex, Earnhardt Jr., Allmendinger

    122 to go Bowyer passes Kenseth for fourth

    112 to go Hamlin leads Johnson, Gordon, Bowyer, Newman, Kenseth, Earnhardt Jr., Keselowski, Truex and Stewart

    107 to go Johnson passes Hamlin for the lead, Gordon also passes Hamlin.

    103 to go Johnson leads Gordon, Hamlin, Bowyer, Newman, Keselowski, Kenseth, Earnhardt Jr., Truex, Biffle

    101 to go Bowyer passes Hamlin for third

    99 to go Earnhardt Jr. passes Kenseth

    89 to go Truex passes Kenseth; Allmendinger passes Biffle; Keselowski passes Newman

    88 to go Johnson leads Gordon, Bowyer, Hamlin, Keselowski, Newman, Earnhardt Jr., Truex, Kenseth, Allmendinger

    81 to go Earnhardt Jr. passes Newman

    75 to go Keselowski passes Hamlin

    72 to go Earnhardt Jr. passes Hamlin

    68 to go Newman passes Hamlin

    67 to go Johnson leads Gordon, Bowyer, Keselowski, Earnhardt Jr., Newman, Hamlin, Truex, Kenseth, Allmendinger

    63 to go Kenseth passes Truex for eighth

    52 to go Earnhardt Jr. passes Keselowski for fourth

    50 to go Johnson leads Gordon, Bowyer, Earnhardt Jr., Keselowski, Newman, Hamlin, Kenseth, Truex, Allmendinger

    44 to go Earnhardt Jr. passes Bowyer for third

    40 to go Allmendinger passes Truex for ninth

    36 to go Johnson leads Gordon, Earnhardt Jr., Bowyer, Keselowski, Newman, Hamlin, Kenseth, Allmendinger and Almirola

    20 to go Kenseth passes Hamlin for seventh

    15 to go Allmendinger passes Hamlin for eighth

    3 to go Gordon and Johnson side-by-side for the lead as the caution comes up for Reuitmann being stalled. Stewart gest the lucky dog.

    Green-White-Checkered…..Gordon and Johnson stay out as everybody else pits.

    Restart……..Bowyer took Gordon and Johnson three-wide, sending all three for a spin……Keselowski just ran out of fuel while running third

    Restart…….Newman and Allmendinger are side-by-side for the lead.

    Ryan Newman wins over Allmendinger and Earnhardt Jr.

  • Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 7 Martinsville Speedway – Goody’s Fast Relief 500 – April 1, 2012

    Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 7 Martinsville Speedway – Goody’s Fast Relief 500 – April 1, 2012

    [media-credit name=”Matt LaFlair” align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]Under the gun with a very important deadline this week, Matty’s Picks will be very brief and uneventful, much like last week’s Auto Club 400.

    Last week was another dismal performance for me picking winners, much like this week’s winner pick’s start to the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. I picked Matt Kenseth as my winner pick last week because of the domination of the Ford FR9 engines early this season, but again I was let down. Kenseth finished the 112 lap sprint 17th, and I received zero points for my efforts.

    My Dark Horse finished in the top-10 and without my stat book in front of me I can not tell you exactly how many times that has happened this year. I picked Martin Truex Jr. last week as my Dark Horse, but he is steadily working his way into the ranks of not qualifying as a Dark Horse. At any rate, he scored an 8th place finish last week, keeping him inside the top-5 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings.

    Martinsville Picks

    Everyone knows the history of the paper-clip in Southern Virginia, so I don’t need to re-iterate how excited I am to watch all 500 laps tomorrow afternoon. It’s probably the only true short-track left on the circuit, and the race Sunday is surely going to be one of the more exciting stanzas of the season.

    Winner Pick

    He’s off to a slow start this season but I’m thinking his luck is about to turn around. Sitting in 25th place in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Standings, Jeff Gordon needs to get his act together quickly as we’re almost a quarter of the way to the start of the 2012 Chase for the Sprint Cup. He’s been the guy to beat all weekend at Martinsville Speedway, winning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Final Practice by two-tenths of a second. When you’re talking a flat short -track, two-tenths is an eternity. He’ll start 9th tomorrow, and in order for the Drive to End Hunger team to be in the big dance at the end of the season, Jeff Gordon has to turn his luck around soon.

    Dark Horse Pick

    This one might be a long shot this week, but in order to win big, you have to bet big. Kurt Busch is another guy that if he didn’t have bad luck this season, he wouldn’t have any at all. He’s starting way back in the field, and will need the combination of solid pit strategy, a good race car, and a bit of lady luck this weekend in Martinsville to come up with a solid finish. The paper-clip in Southern Virginia has not been the kindest of places for Busch historically, with an average finish of just 20.8. One of his 7 career short-track wins has come at Martinsville, but he’s got a tall task ahead of him if he’s to leave Old Dominion with a solid finish.

    That’s it for this week, and until next time…You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

  • Kahne captures the pole at Martinsville

    Kahne captures the pole at Martinsville

    [media-credit id=5 align=”alignright” width=”234″][/media-credit]Following Sprint Cup qualifying, Kasey Kahne won the pole for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. This marks Kahne’s 24th career Coors Light Pole Award and his first pole at Martinsville.

    “It was a really solid lap,” he says. “The team did a good job yesterday.  We didn’t have the most speed yesterday but I felt like the car was balanced really well.  I felt pretty stable going around the track. It was the same in qualifying today.  It was a good lap.  First pole here for myself.  It’s a tough track to qualify.  It’s a tough track to race, always has been one of my tougher ones over the years.  I’m glad we can start up front and have a great pit stall in that number one stall.  I think that helps throughout the whole race with track position.  Hopefully we will have a solid day tomorrow.  That is what we need to do.  We have had great Friday and Saturday’s and just haven’t put together a Sunday yet.”

    Kahne drove a lap of 19.496 seconds, to beat Kevin Harvick by 16 hundredths of a second.

    “The guys have done a great job this weekend,” Harvick says. “The track conditions have changed a lot since the beginning of practice until where we are now.  Obviously the race conditions are where we will have to take a little bit of a guess like we did for qualifying based on the rubber being on the track from yesterday.  They have done a good job and I just slipped the tires off both corners a little bit but all-in-all they have stepped the program up this year.”

    Four-time Martinsville Speedway winner Denny Hamlin qualified third with a lap of 19.521 seconds.

    “We didn’t really show a lot of good qualifying speed or really front end speed of a long run yesterday,” he says. “That’s good for us to be that close and after only a couple laps. I feel like once the race gets into a groove and gets going — things get strung out, I think we’ll be pretty good.”

    Clint Bowyer and Ryan Newman rounded out the top five.

    Brian Vickers, making his second start of the season, starts sixth. He is followed by Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, seven-time Martinsville winner Jeff Gordon and Joey Logano. Six-time Martinsville winner Jimmie Johnson qualified 22nd while points leader Greg Biffle is 26th.

    Tony Raines was disqualified from the starting field after his car was found to be too low in post-qualifying inspection. That moved J.J. Yeley into the 43-car field.

    Starting Lineup
    Goody’s Fast Relief 500, Martinsville Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/qual.php?race=6
    ===========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Speed Time
    ===========================================
    1 5 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 97.128 19.496
    2 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 97.048 19.512
    3 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 97.003 19.521
    4 15 Clint Bowyer Toyota 97.003 19.521
    5 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 96.988 19.524
    6 55 Brian Vickers Toyota 96.765 19.569
    7 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 96.751 19.572
    8 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 96.745 19.573
    9 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 96.731 19.576
    10 20 Joey Logano Toyota 96.706 19.581
    11 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 96.701 19.582
    12 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 96.627 19.597
    13 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 96.583 19.606
    14 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 96.43 19.637
    15 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 96.322 19.659
    16 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 96.215 19.681
    17 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 96.2 19.684
    18 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 96.18 19.688
    19 43 Aric Almirola Ford 96.049 19.715
    20 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 96.049 19.715
    21 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 95.971 19.731
    22 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 95.854 19.755
    23 98 Michael McDowell Ford 95.849 19.756
    24 34 David Ragan Ford 95.83 19.76
    25 13 Casey Mears Ford 95.796 19.767
    26 16 Greg Biffle Ford 95.743 19.778
    27 22 AJ Allmendinger Dodge 95.738 19.779
    28 99 Carl Edwards Ford 95.607 19.806
    29 10 David Reutimann Chevrolet 95.607 19.806
    30 26 Josh Wise* Ford 95.583 19.811
    31 83 Landon Cassill Toyota 95.511 19.826
    32 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 95.477 19.833
    33 23 Scott Riggs Chevrolet 95.352 19.859
    34 93 Travis Kvapil Toyota 95.347 19.86
    35 74 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet 95.223 19.886
    36 32 Ken Schrader Ford 95.127 19.906
    37 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 94.936 19.946
    38 38 David Gilliland Ford 94.78 19.979
    39 30 David Stremme Toyota 94.609 20.015
    40 51 Kurt Busch Chevrolet 94.566 20.024
    41 33 Hermie Sadler Chevrolet 94.486 20.041
    42 36 Dave Blaney+ Chevrolet 93.18 20.322
    43 249 J.J. Yeley Toyota 93.212 20.315
  • NASCAR’s West Coast Marketing Team Leader Manny Poveda Reaching Diverse Fan Bases

    NASCAR’s West Coast Marketing Team Leader Manny Poveda Reaching Diverse Fan Bases

    [media-credit id=50 align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]NASCAR’s West Coast swing came to a very surprising and a very promising end on Sunday at the conclusion of the Auto Club 400 in Fontana, California. The three race sequence which also included stops at Phoenix Raceway, and Las Vegas Motor Speedway could be looked upon as a big success, and a victory for the sport as far as the attendance numbers are concerned.

    Auto Club Speedway which has had its problems filling the stands in the past, along with being criticized by the fans as a track that should be taken off the schedule, because they feel it is one of the less exciting races on the schedule.

    But after arriving at the track and watching fan after fan fill the stands even though there was a threat of rain in the forecast, it was great to see that NASCAR racing hasn’t lost its appeal in the Southern California market even though one the more popular short tracks in the Nation closed its gates in January.

    Because of a solid marketing effort by Manny Poveda, who is NASCAR’s Consumer Marketing Manager for the West Coast, and his team the attendance at all three tracks was able to compete with the one of the more popular tracks on the schedule, and that being Bristol the following weekend.

    Marketing has always been the backbone for any business to survive, and the same can be said for any sport which includes NASCAR. It takes a strong and persistent marketing team to push the sport into areas that have never been reached before, in order to boost the ratings and help the sport flourish.

    “We are doing more consumer marketing and letting sports fans know that NASCAR is around and that the MLB and the NBA and the rest are not the only sport in town,” said Poveda during the recent Daytona 500 viewing party at ESPN Zone located in Downtown Disney.

    Poveda also added that, “Throughout the year we do a lot of events where we bring out show cars and displays where people can get up close and personal to the cars and take pictures.”

    Reaching out to the different fan bases, along with reaching out to the wide range of demographics in view of the fact that fans of all ages enjoy watching these weekend warriors do battle on a weekly basis is one of a few tasks the marketing team pursues.

    Poveda, along with Josh Avila who works at Auto Club Speedway as the Hispanic Marketing & Communications Manager, and Mario Cobian who is the CEO at Pochteca Media began to reach out to the Hispanic community when NASCAR gave Poveda the go ahead to pursue this ethnic group.

    Diversity in the sport has come a long way since the early days, when the majority of the drivers were southern bred men whose ancestors were tied in with moonshining during the prohibition era. Another trend that is becoming popular are the drivers from the different motorsports series who are seeking to expand their driving skills by competing for seats in this lucrative series, that at one time were for occupied by drivers who came up through the lower level developmental series.

    NASCAR as we see it today is a business along with being a form of entertainment for all ages and ethnic groups to enjoy, and it’s no wonder the governing body has chosen to reach out to the Hispanic community since their fan base is expanding at an incredible rate.

    Poveda being Hispanic himself noticed the trend, and with his vast knowledge in marketing decided to tap into the market and work together with NASCAR to bring this fan base to the sport.

    “NASCAR is shooting for different ethnic groups including the Hispanic market and pushing the Hispanic awareness. We are in our fourth season and it’s going good, and we have a five to six year working plan that will reach the different parts of the marketing world, it’s a process and we know we will get there, “said Poveda when talking about NASCAR’s long term plan.

    Poveda also added that, “Brian France and Mike Helton are 100% behind us and they are the ones who brought up the idea and knows our initiative, and he knows the Hispanic fans are out there and it’s up to us to get them educated. They see them at the race track and know they wear the Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, and the Carl Edwards jackets and not just the Juan Montoya merchandise.”

    Poveda finished with, “The idea is to get them to the track so they can experience and get familiar with the sport and hopefully they become a fan.”

    To see how diverse the fan base has become and how popular racing in the NASCAR has become among the Hispanic community, look no further than this weekend’s K&N East Series race at Greenville Pickens Speedway.

    There are six Hispanics in the field, which will include Sergio Pena-Colombia, Bryan Ortiz-Puerto Rico, Jorge Arteaga-Mexico, Jorge Contreras Jr.-Mexico, Daniel Suarez-Mexico, Carlos Ianconelli-Brazil, along with Duarte Ferriera from Angola, and Australian Scott Saunders.

    Whether it be having a NASCAR viewing party such as the one that was put together for the Daytona 500 at ESPN Zone in Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California, or setting up a display booth for one of the many charity foundations to promote the sport.

    The marketing team is reaping the fruits of success by reaching out and bringing a broader and more diverse fan base to the sport, along with a new breed of drivers from different countries that are willing to spend their hard earned money to compete in this great sport of ours.

  • Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 6 Auto Club Speedway – Auto Club 400 – March 25, 2012

    Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 6 Auto Club Speedway – Auto Club 400 – March 25, 2012

    [media-credit name=”autoclubspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]Back to the west coast we go this weekend for the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway.  It’s a place that I really can’t speak on the history of racing there, probably because its not a race that I can say I watch intently each year.  Following the addition of a second NASCAR weekend in 2004, Auto Club Speedway has experienced some intense scrutiny amongst the racing community with the intense attendance problems the racetrack has experienced.

    Attendance at the track has dropped by as much as 20,000 fans, nearly 1/4th of the facility’s capacity, since the 2004-2010 two-race stretch, and with the weather forecast for tomorrow, I’m not sure this year will be any better for the racetrack.

    After catching some of yesterday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice and qualifying sessions, I’m starting to think Auto Club may actually be developing some character. Watching the drivers wrestle their buggies around the 2-mile D-shaped oval makes me think tomorrow’s (or Monday’s) Auto Club 400 may be a bit more exciting than  usual. The aging racing surface at Auto Club Speedway  has left teams searching for grip and lifting their cars off the asphalt to clear the roller-coaster of bumps though the corners at Fontana.

    Bristol Recap

    If it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have any at all after these first 5 races of the 2012 season. Bristol was fun for my first time as a member of the NASCAR media, but I am seeing why there are concerns about the racing in Thunder Valley . 200 caution-less laps at Bristol was unheard of prior to the track’s reconfiguration and addition of progressive banking in 2007. Last week’s Food City 500 produced a stretch of 220 laps without a caution, a stretch of racing facing scrutiny inside the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage:

    “I feel like the old-style track brought what the fans want to see, and whether it’s what the car owners want to see or the drivers, and whether you’ve got to run into each other or you don’t, the old-style racing was more to the appeal of the fans.” said Kevin Harvick, “Any time you run 200 laps at Bristol with no cautions, it’s going to get boring fast in my opinion.”

    I can remember a few of my first trips to Bristol Motor Speedway when there were 10,000 race fans in front of the backstretch grandstands looking for their ticket into the Last Great Coliseum. This year, I traveled to BMS with a group of fans that ended up buying tickets for $20 each for their Food City 500 seats. The NASCAR stat sheet said there was 102,000 fans in the grandstands last week, but to me, we were lucky if the bull ring in Thunder Valley was half-full.

    On the other end of the spectrum, you’ve got a guy that might have a bit of a biased opinion of the racing surface in Thunder Valley, but no matter what, I tend to agree with his opinion. The final 20-25 laps last week at Bristol Motor Speedway were some of the most exciting laps I’ve had the privilege of seeing in-person. Each time Brad Keselowski and Matt Kenseth circled the .533-mile high-banks of the final stretch of the race last week, they traded paint, running positions, and created a show for the 80,000’ish fans in attendance.

    “I’m very biased, I know,” Keselowski said. “But to me this was one of the best Bristol races I’ve ever seen. We ran side by side for 20 laps. There was some good beating and batting, some wrecking. … I don’t know what’s better than that, short of a 30-car wreck every week.”

    It was great to watch if you can appreciate hard racing, and don’t care about the wrecks, but a forgetful race if you’re the ones that like to see multiple crashes each week. To me, a half-empty bull ring will be what we get each trip to Tennessee until the track is returned to its old configuration. With the gloves-off beating and banging racing style NASCAR is trying to return to, ruining the Mecca of all rough racetracks is a step in the opposite direction.

    Oh, forgot to touch on my picks from last week;

    Winner pick – Kyle Busch was caught up in the day’s only multi-car accident on lap 25. He returned to the race in his battered Wrigley Doublemint Toyota and finished 32nd.

    Dark Horse Pick – Joey Logano, started 9th and never really made a surge towards the front. Finished two laps down in 16th.

    Auto Club 400 Picks

    I’m almost scared to pick anyone this week, but once I hit rock-bottom, there will be nowhere to go but up. Hopefully I hit rock-bottom last week at Bristol, and I can get back into the habit of looking like I know what I’m talking about.

    Winner Pick

    The Ford FR9 engines have been unbelievably strong thus far this season, and Fontana is a track that having a strong engine will put you in Gatorade Victory Lane. A history of winning at Auto Club Speedway also helps my Winner Pick’s case this week having 3 wins already at the 2-mile oval.

    Matt Kenseth has been on fire thus far this year, setting the high mark after winning his second Daytona 500 a month ago. He was just short of winning last week at Bristol Motor Speedway last week, and is a 7 to 1 favorite for the win this week. He will start 15th when the green-flag files at Fontana (whenever that may be) but was second in yesterday’s practice session and is currently shown in 8th in Happy Hour.

    The FR9’s have been great this season, and Kenseth has the car he needs to bring it home this week.

    Dark Horse Pick

    Toyota Racing Development’s headquarters happen to be located in Southern California, nearby Fontana, CA in Costa Mesa. TRD wants nothing other than a win at its home track and with one shot to do it in 2012, rest asured the Toyota teams will be pulling out all the stops this weekend.

    A guy that has been on a role in a way that flies a bit under-the-radar is Martin Truex Jr. In his last 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Starts (dating back to Talladega last October), Truex has scored 6 top-10’s, including a third-place finish last week at Bristol. He’s lead the charge along with Clint Bowyer for Michael Waltrip Racing, sitting 4th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Standings.

    Truex will start 13th, but was 9th fastest in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Final Practice and the top 3 starters for the Auto Club 400 will be making the start in Toyota Camrys.

    An FR9 and a TRD Camry are my picks for this week, and be sure to stop back next week for my Martinsville picks. Until next week… you stay classy NASCAR NATION!

  • Hendrick Motorsports Wins Appeal, Erases Points Penalty and Suspensions

    Hendrick Motorsports Wins Appeal, Erases Points Penalty and Suspensions

    [media-credit name=”Ed Coombs” align=”alignright” width=”216″][/media-credit]On March 20th, Chief Appellate Officer John Middlebrook heard the appeal from Hendrick Motorsports and adjusted the penalties.

    On opening day of inspection at Daytona International Speedway on February 17th, the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team was assessed penalties after NASCAR deemed the c-posts to be illegal.  According to NASCAR, they broke Section 12-1 of the NASCAR Rule Book “Actions detrimental to stock car racing;”, Section 12-4(J): “Any determination by NASCAR Officials that the Race Equipment used in the Event does not conform to NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20 of the NASCAR Rule Book, or has not been approved by NASCAR prior to the Event;”, and Section 20-2.1(E): “If in the judgment of NASCAR Officials, any part or component of the car not previously approved by NASCAR that has been installed or modified to enhance aerodynamic performance, will not be permitted: Unapproved car body modifications”.

    After hearing Hendrick Motorsports’ appeal, Middlebrook erased the 25 owner point penalty assessed to car owner Jeff Gordon, the 25 driver point penalty assessed to Jimmie Johnson, the six week suspension to crew chief Chad Knaus and the six week suspension to car chief Ron Malec. The $100,000 fine penalty to Knaus remains in place along with the probation till May 9th for both Knaus and Malec.

    “I’m glad this is over,” team owner Rick Hendrick says. “I would have liked to have the fine gone too because there was no reason for any kind of penalty.”

    One of the arguments that Hendrick argued was that NASCAR didn’t give them a chance to work on the c-posts while at least three other teams were allowed to. Hendrick added that his team won the appeal as they had everything documented. They had a NASCAR official say that the c-posts were correct in a previous inspection and three sworn affidavits saying the c-posts were never touched on Johnson’s car from Talladega last year to Daytona this year.

    “There was no ill intent on our part,” Hendrick says. “We felt by the rulebook we were approved. By the rulebook the car was legal.”

    Hendrick Motorsports felt that they had a good appeal going in as NASCAR determined the car was illegal before being put under templates.

    “The templates were never actually put on the car,” Knaus said during his media appearance at Phoenix International Raceway. “It was a visual inspection at that point. We never even got the opportunity to actually present that under templates. It is unfortunate, there is a bit of subjectiveness to it and that is why we are going through the appeal.”

    Knaus said that would be brought up during the appeal, saying they would, “just have to talk about it at that point. NASCAR does a good job; they have a good set-up structure and a good set of standards that are in black and white, some areas that are not.”

    Knaus is relieved that it is over, feeling vindicated to a degree, but wishes the fine was also erased. He adds that he was torn up and shocked at the penalty as the car was inside the rules, saying, “We were 100 percent compliant with the rules.”

    A lot of people felt the penalties were directed towards the No. 48 team due to their reputation. Knaus says that he’s not worried about his reputation, but the personal digs did hurt.

    NASCAR says that they will respect the ruling that Middlebrook has delivered.

    “We believe in this process,” NASCAR spokesperson Kerry Tharp says. “I don’t think we made any mistakes. Our inspection process speaks for itself. It has worked very, very well in the garage for many years and it will work for many years to come.”

    Now with the points given back and with the No. 48 team now sittings 11th in points, 36 behind Greg Biffle, Knaus is ready to get on with the season.

    “I’m stoked,” he says. “I’m excited. I can’t wait to get to Fontana.”

  • Ryan Newman Quietly Having Good Season in Owner’s Shadow

    Ryan Newman Quietly Having Good Season in Owner’s Shadow

    [media-credit id=24 align=”alignright” width=”226″][/media-credit]While the spotlight may be on Tony Stewart, his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Ryan Newman is quietly having a good season so far as he sits 12th in points.

    “We didn’t have the car that we had at Daytona last year but at Phoenix, I put ourselves in a bad situation by crashing the primary car,” he says. “Then we got crashed going for fifth in the race with 50-some laps to go. I think our cars have been good. We’ve got the monkey off our back, so to speak, at Vegas with a lucky chance to get up there in fourth and with the No. 17 (Matt Kenseth) and the No. 5 (Kasey Kahne) having their situation.

    At the end of the 500 laps at Bristol Motor Speedway, Newman came home in the 12th position to match his spot in points.

    “I’m just really proud of the guys,” he says. “They’ve worked really hard. It’s obviously been a very hectic start to the season with some rain delays and west coast trips and things like that. But they’ve done an excellent job.”

    While teams are continuing to look for advantage, NASCAR has thoughts of closing that up by releasing the EFI data to race teams. Newman says that in the past, it’s been easy for NASCAR to keep it simple and old school.

    “The EFI opens up a lot of doors,” he says. “They’ve given us a couple of channels to be able to review when it comes to brake-pressure and throttle position. It’s nice to see those things to compare, but like you said; it does have a catch-22 side to it and that’s the fact that if it is a secret, then it’s no longer; and if it is an advantage, it may not be anymore.”

    Newman says that drivers can look at the data to see the differences, but putting it to practical use, it may not be as easy.

    “I can look at Tony Stewart’s curve and try to match it and I can’t do it with my race car or with the line I’m running or whatever,” he says. “It’s not so much as simple as that as it is as it is that it just gives us an idea of what to maybe change or try at different race tracks. And obviously, that’s going to change as we go into the second race after we can look at some data; it’s all new to us right now. So, it’s an interesting perspective on a change when it comes to technology.”

    As Newman heads to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, it will be another chance to emerge from the boss’ shadow. It won’t be easy as Newman’s average finish at California is 14.4. However, Newman may choose to keep himself hidden as that way it gives him the chance to sneak up and pounce on the competition.

  • Brad Keselowski: Car is best car I’ve ever had in Cup

    Brad Keselowski: Car is best car I’ve ever had in Cup

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”213″][/media-credit]On Saturday, Brad Keselowski tweeted “Cup car for 2morrow is best car i’ve ever had in cup.” Many questioned Keselowski’s attitude in approaching that, saying it was cocky, or could jinx him.

    “I’m always mindful of jinxing it,” he said after the Bristol race when asked. “I felt it was the best car we ever had.  I just say what I think is real.  If I think it’s the best car I ever had, I’ll tell them.  If I think I have a s*** box, I’ll tell (Crew Chief) Paul (Wolfe), You got to fix this.  Some people appreciate that and respect it.  Other people make a big deal and say, You’re being negative, you’re being cocky.  How about just being truthful?”

    In the end, Keselowski was being truthful as he led 232 laps on his way to winning his second race in a row at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    For Keselowski, it was a really good day at a track that he really likes.

    “I love Bristol and Bristol loves me,” he says. “It’s a great track that really demands a hundred percent out of a driver and out of a team.  Today my team certainly delivered.  You could probably argue whether or not I did (smiling).  But it was good. Great pit stops.  Had a little bit of damage early on in the race, got it fixed.  Nobody panicked.  It’s tough racing that requires so much discipline mixed in with some aggression obviously.”

    The win wasn’t easy for the Penske Racing team as they were involved in a wreck early on lap 24 that was triggered when Kasey Kahne cut across Regan Smith’s bumper.

    “I certainly ran into the back of the 78 car,” Keselowski comments. “Then as Kasey spun down the track, barely nudged him, as well. Just a bit of contact there, enough to certainly do some damage.”

    For the second win in a row, it was with a different car than the car used last season. Crew Chief Paul Wolfe says that’s a key as they don’t rest, always trying to build quicker racecars.

    “There was no way we could bring back the same racecar and setup we won with in the fall and expect the same result,” Wolfe says.

    Keselowski had also come back to Bristol with something to prove. After playing the pit road speeding lines to his advantage last year, critics were saying it was the only reason that he won.

    “I do enjoy the challenge, for sure,” he says of proving people wrong. “That’s what I like about racing in general. I tell this all the time. Racing’s the one thing – Paul (Wolfe) could probably get a pretty good laugh out of this – is the one thing that makes me get up in the morning.  That’s how I know it’s special.  Maybe not on his timeline, but I still get up earlier than noon.  I may get up at 9 a.m.  That’s because it’s special.  I love the challenge, I love the fight that you have to put up, the man versus machine or man with machine, against other machines and men.  It’s cool as hell to me.

    “When somebody challenges me, whether it’s fans, media, other drivers, I think that I have the desire beforehand, but it helps me focus in for sure.  Of course, it means nothing if you don’t have a great team that you’re surrounded by.  I feel very fortunate to have that as well.”

    A win at Bristol means a lot to Keselowski as he says this is a track that only champions seem to win at.

    “I think it speaks volumes for this track and what it means to your career,” he says. “There’s other places that perhaps have a little more prestige, and I said that last year as well, but this place defines a race team.”

    He adds that each aspect of the weekend really tests a team in how they are able to deal with the elements.

    “I think the teams that come out on top, whether it’s driver or whatever, I think they show that they’ve got what it takes to overcome adversity,” he continues. “To win championships, you have to be able to overcome adversity.  I think it’s very much a defining racetrack in that sense.”

    For Keselowski, he attests his experience from running the Nationwide Series as being an important contributor to being successful at the Sprint Cup level.

    “I was very fortunate, and I know I was very fortunate, when I got the ride to drive for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the Nationwide Series,” he says. “I spent two seasons in that series as a partial Cup competitor and full-time Nationwide competitor. During that time span, I was very fortunate to race with some of the best.  I don’t think we’ve seen a system that’s existed like that in decades past.”

    He says that racing against Sprint Cup competitors in the series allowed him to grow as a driver.

    “It obviously frustrates me a little bit when I take some heat, any Cup driver takes some heat from the press, media, fans, whatever, about running the Nationwide Series, because it’s really a character builder,” he continues. “If you can run well over there, you can come here and get the job done. That series helped me build a lot of character.  It helped me learn in a smaller spotlight.  I feel like when I got over here that the learning process was a lot quicker.  It just came down to getting with the right team that I gelled with and that believed in me.”

    Keselowski’s popularity has exploded this year virtue of what he has been able to do with social media. At Daytona International Speedway under the red flag, he tweeted a picture from inside the racecar. After he won at Bristol, he attempted to send a picture from victory lane, that showed up a little late.

    “It’s something I thought would be really cool to do, for sure,” he says. “Certainly in our generation, timeliness is of extreme importance. I’d like to see that process obviously get a little bit faster, and the right people are working on it to make it happen.”

    Moving forward beyond Bristol, Keselowski is looking success this season, hoping his team can deliver more strong cars this season.

    “I’ve said pre-season this year that the goal here at Penske Racing is to win a Sprint Cup championship,” he says. “That’s where we’re all pushing. One win certainly doesn’t achieve that, but it’s a great step. I know I’m committed to it.”