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  • Crunching The Numbers: Watkins Glen

    Crunching The Numbers: Watkins Glen

    After some exciting races at Pocono Raceway and Iowa Speedway last weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series head north for some road course racing at Watkins Glen International, the always entertaining 2.45 mile road course in Upstate New York. This weekend will mark the second road course race for both series after the Sprint Cup Series visited Sonoma Raceway and the Nationwide Series was at Road America back in June.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Cheez-It 355 at the Glen

    As the Sprint Cup Series heads into Watkins Glen for the second road course race of the year, the Race to the Chase is also heating up with only five races remaining until the Chase begins and several drivers still in contention for those coveted spots. There are several drivers, including some in Chase contention who always run well at this track, so this race should be a fight from beginning to end as we get one step closer to finalizing the field for the Chase.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Marcos Ambrose 5 2 5 5 0 46 13.2 2.0
    Brad Keselowski 3 0 2 2 0 39 16.0 8.0
    Kyle Busch 8 1 3 7 1 159 7.4 9.0
    AJ Allmendinger 4 0 1 2 0 8 15.2 9.0
    Carl Edwards 8 0 3 5 1 1 12.5 9.4
    Kevin Harvick 12 1 2 6 0 29 13.2 13.1
    Jimmie Johnson 11 0 4 6 1 11 6.2 13.2
    Martin Truex Jr. 7 0 2 4 0 0 18.7 13.7
    Jeff Gordon 20 4 6 9 2 233 9.4 14.8
    Juan Pablo Montoya 6 1 2 4 1 81 10.3 15.0

    Who To Watch: After winning at Watkins Glen in the past two seasons, the driver who runs best at the track is none other than road course ace Marcos Ambrose, whose stellar Watkins Glen career includes the two wins, five top fives, five top tens, 46 laps led, and an average finish of 2.0 in five starts. The lowest that Ambrose has ever finished is third, so the road to victory on Sunday will have to go through Ambrose.

    Tony Stewart falls in second statistically at this track and is undoubtedly one of the best at Watkins Glen with five wins, but unfortunately Stewart will be missing the race Sunday due to a broken leg that he suffered in a Sprint Car wreck on Monday night.

    With Stewart out, the next driver in line statistically is Brad Keselowski, who has finished second to Ambrose the last two years, and in three starts has the two top fives, two top tens, 39 laps led, and an average finish of 8.0.

    Others who run well at the road course include: Kyle Busch, who has one win, three top fives, seven top tens, one pole, 159 laps led, and an average finish of 9.0 in eight starts; A.J. Allmendinger, who won the Nationwide Series race at Road America in June, with one top five, two top tens, eight laps led, and an average finish of 9.0 in four starts; and Carl Edwards, with three top fives, five top tens, one pole, one lap led, and an average finish of 9.4 in eight starts.

    The others in the top ten statistically (Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Juan Pablo Montoya) will also be strong contenders for the win this weekend. 

    NASCAR Nationwide Series – Zippo 200 at the Glen

    This weekend at Watkins Glen marks the second of three road course races this season for the Nationwide Series with a date at Mid-Ohio awaiting the drivers next weekend. With the points lead swapping between Austin Dillon, Sam Hornish Jr., and Regan Smith over the past few weeks, the unpredictability that is Watkins Glen is sure to shake up the points standings once again.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Brad Keselowski 4 0 2 4 0 44 7.8 5.2
    Nelson Piquet Jr. 1 0 0 1 0 0 10.0 7.0
    Kyle Busch 6 0 4 5 0 90 7.2 9.3
    Kasey Kahne 2 0 0 1 0 0 6.5 10.0
    Brian Scott 3 0 0 1 0 0 16.7 12.3
    Joey Logano 5 0 2 3 0 8 8.4 13.4
    Elliott Sadler 4 0 0 1 0 0 13.0 14.8
    Michael Annett 4 0 0 0 0 0 26.2 17.2
    Justin Allgaier 4 0 0 1 0 1 17.0 18.0
    Trevor Bayne 2 0 0 1 0 0 15.0 19.0

    Who To Watch: While Brad Keselowski has been a runner-up on the Sprint Cup side statistically, he takes one step up in the Nationwide Series at Watkins Glen with the best statistics of the drivers entered on Saturday. In four starts, Keselowski has two top fives, four top tens, 44 laps led, and an average finish of 5.2.

    Next is Nelson Piquet, Jr., who has a Nationwide Series road course win at Road America and in his lone Watkins Glen start in 2010 finished in seventh. Piquet’s road course skills are likely to have him in contention for the win.

    Others who run well at the track include: Kyle Busch, with four top fives, five top tens, 90 laps led, and an average finish of 9.3 in five starts; Kasey Kahne, with one top ten and an average finish of 10.0 in two starts; Brian Scott, with one top ten and an average finish of 12.3 in three starts; and Joey Logano, who will be driving a special No. 48 Ford this weekend, with two top fives, three top tens, eight laps led, and an average finish of 13.4 in five starts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Statements Below…

    ESPN on Losing NASCAR TV Rights

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

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

    Turner Sports on Losing NASCAR TV Rights

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

    Brian France on New TV Deal With NBC

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

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

  • Qualifying in NASCAR Needs To Change

    Qualifying in NASCAR Needs To Change

    At Daytona, I sat and watched Cup qualifying for a couple hours. I watched each car get up to speed, run their two laps and then pull to the apron while the next car exited pit road. It’s a procedure repeated 43 times every weekend and it is, for lack of a better term, boring. Qualifying has stayed the same in NASCAR forever so I can understand the reluctance to alter it but a change needs to happen. NASCAR is going in the right direction with the elimination of the top 35 rule and group qualifying at road courses but they need to take it further than that.

    When I watch Formula 1, V8 Supercars and even Indycar qualifying; I am on the edge of my seat the whole time and refuse to move until the session is over. Qualifying in NASCAR usually lacks drama, excitement and fails to keep most fans interested the whole time but it doesn’t have to be that way. The three formats used by the series’ I listed above are always wild and produce unexpected moments with the occasional controversy. NASCAR has plenty of options to make qualifying better; they just need to pick one or create their own, unique version. The complete abatement of the current format should be the course of action taken by NASCAR and here are a few ideas that would be good replacements…

    Heat races. If NASCAR wants to keep to their roots, then heat races would be the way to go and I’m sure a large contingent of fans would be in favor of this. It’s used by almost every regional racing series around the country and is also used to set the starting lineup for stock car racing’s biggest event; the Daytona 500. If we already use it for our biggest race, then why not implement it in the other 35? It would be a sensational addition the weekend and would help the teams get better prepared for the big show. Indycar has begun using it a bit this year and from what I saw, fans really enjoyed watching them. I’m sure you’d have a lot of people tuning in to see it and regional racing series already have proof that it would be successful. I’m fairly confident that a qualifying format that has been used for over half a century and draws crowds close to that of the ones that show up for the race itself works.

    My second idea would be to copy Formula 1 to an extent. They have a knockout style of qualifying where there are three sessions with cars eliminated along the way until just 10 remain. Those 10 fight it out for the pole in a thrilling 10 minute session where the top spot isn’t decided until the final seconds. NASCAR could have 31st on back eliminated in Q1, 11th to 30th eliminated in Q2 and have the 10 fastest cars battle for the pole in Q3. That would definitely create some much needed excitement! Imagine Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson swapping the top spot as the clocks gets closer to zero. Each driver pushes harder and harder every lap as they try to outdo each other while their water temp rises and their tires wear out. They push the car to the absolute edge just trying to gain a couple more hundredths.  That is until a mistake is made and someone ends up going to a backup car or a slower car gets in the way causing some controversy and hurt feelings before the big race even starts!

    My third idea is a simple one…10 minutes. Every car on the track at the same time. Best time wins pole. Go. You want to talk about a crazy qualifying session; imagine something like that at Bristol or Talladega! This volatile format would have drivers taking risks and making imprudent decisions resulting in 10 minutes of  utter chaos and pure drama. There would be one more rule regarding all three of these ideas which would make them even more breathtaking to watch. There would be points on the line. Not a lot of points but just enough to make everybody from Jimmie Johnson to David Ragan want them. Something like five points for pole, three for 2nd and one for 3rd. Just throw some points in front of these drivers and watch the intensity level rise instantly.

    NASCAR could only gain from intensifying qualifying. They and the track would make more money, fans would have something to get excited about other than the race itself and it would create stories throughout the weekend that would help to hype up the event. An exciting qualifying format would help to bolster TV ratings as well. Next weekend, we will all patiently watch one car at a time go out for a couple laps, listen to the media ask the drivers the same questions as always regarding how it felt out there and if they left anything on the table while I sit here anxiously waiting for the next drama filled qualifying session in F1, Indycar and V8 Supercars. NASCAR is usually the first to do something in the racing world while the rest see it work and follow suit. In this situation, it’s time that NASCAR did the following.

  • Making the Most of A Second Chance

    Making the Most of A Second Chance

    AJ Allmendinger’s story is an amazing one; something Hollywood movies are made of and I firmly believe that there is so much more to this impressive resurgence that has yet to come to fruition. AJ comes from an open wheel background and made his name known in CART. Since that debut in the 2004 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, AJ has been forced to endure some fairly dark days and also enjoy a few unbelievable ones.

    Before joining the big leagues, he won championships in the International Kart Federation, Barber Dodge Pro Series and in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship. AJ found little success in his first two seasons racing CART, but all that changed when he joined forces with Gerry Forsythe in preparation for 2006. He won his first race in just his 5th start with the team and went on a tear winning three races in succession. He went on to win five races that year and finishing 3rd in the standings to Justin Wilson and Sebastian Bourdais. During the year, he also made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (CWTS) debut at Loudon finishing a respectable 13th which he followed up with an impressive 5th at Talladega.

    He was pushed up the ranks by Red Bull way too fast in my opinion and after just three CWTS starts, he found himself in Cup. The new team and rookie driver AJ Allmendinger obviously struggled in 2007 with a best finish of 15th in 17 starts. He also made a few appearances in Nationwide and Trucks that year nearly winning a Truck event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. After failing to make a handful of races early on in 2008, he was temporarily replaced by Mike Skinner to help teach him. It worked very well as his results immediately improved posting his first career top 10 finish at the Cup level in the Brickyard 400. The team released him towards the end of the year though; a move that confused many people and didn’t make much sense. In 2009, he raced full-time for what is now known as Richard Petty Motorsports. He started his tenure with the team off very well finishing 3rd in his first ever Daytona 500. Only three other drivers in history have performed so well in their first race at the legendary track.

    2009 was a decent year for AJ but 2010 was even better winning his first pole at Phoenix and bringing home a solid top 20 points finish. In 2011, he continued to improve and most saw his first Cup victory just over the horizon. A top 15 points finish and 10 top 10’s made it his best season to date and unfortunately, his last full-time season for the foreseeable future. Roger Penske saw something in AJ and put him behind the wheel of his No.22 for the 2012 season; a life changing year for the young racecar driver.

    Prior to the season commencing, he took part in the 24 Hours of Daytona having an epic battle with sports car legend Allan McNish late in the going. Over the radio, McNish was told to keep harassing Allmendinger who would crumble under the pressure. Well, Allan got alongside him and AJ’s NASCAR senses must have kicked in as he proceeded to door slam the Scottish driver at 150mph around the high banks of Daytona International Speedway. Allmendninger won the race and shocked the racing world; a race that would solidify him as a truly talented racecar driver and gain him credence among his fellow competitors. He looked one of the best road racing has to offer in the eyes and he did not blink. A large contingent of fans and media members believed he would finally win and maybe even make the chase in his first year with Penske. Allmendinger nearly won Martinsville finishing a career best 2nd to Ryan Newman but his promising Cup career came to a grinding halt on July 7th, 2012.

    Photo Credit:Simon Scoggins
    Photo Credit: Simon Scoggins

    He failed a drug test due to an imprudent decision and was indefinitely suspended from competition by NASCAR. The positive test results were due to him unknowingly taking Adderall; an amphetamine used to treat ADHD that a friend told him was an energy pill. He was subsequently released from Penske Racing and he then went through NASCAR’s Road to Recovery program resulting in the complete abatement of his ban from competition. He made his return at Charlotte in October finishing 24th for Phoenix Racing. He’s run a handful of Cup races since then for the team with his best race coming at Phoenix earlier this year ending the race 11th. He will also make five starts for JTG in 2013 sharing the ride with Bobby Labonte.

    Roger Penske refused to give up on AJ and put him in an Indycar for select races this year. He blew the world away in the Indy 500 leading 23 laps and finishing 7th. The only thing stopping him from snagging a potential victory was when his seat belt unfastened itself half-way through the event and he was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop. The very next week at Belle Isle, he was knocked right back down by the humbling sport of auto racing crashing heavily in both  duel races before he even completed a lap.

    His next start for Roger came at Road America in the NASCAR Nationwide Series; his first race in that division in nearly five years. The morning of the race, he tweeted that he dreamed he won the event and he actually ended up winning the pole for the race a few hours later. He raced hard, battled fiercely and found himself in contention in the closing laps as he tried to hang on after a barrage of late race cautions. Both sides were beaten and battered but he was still pushing…that is until Billy Johnson knocked him off the road and took the lead sending AJ back to 5th or 6th. It didn’t rattle him though as he immediately began taking positions back aggressively. He muscled his way up to 3rd and set his sights on Johnson. In a remarkable show of talent and tenacity, he drove from 3rd to the back bumper of Johnson in one corner sending him off the track and out of way. AJ Allmendinger would not be denied and in the end, he took the war scarred No.22 to victory lane! It was his first win ever in NASCAR and quite an emotional one at at that.

    With the fans roaring and Twitter blowing up, AJ didn’t waste any time thanking the man that made this day possible; Roger Penske. We thank you too Roger for giving this phenomenal young talent another chance. AJ Allmendinger is a very rare breed; not too many drivers are capable of winning in open wheel, sports cars and stock cars. I believe we will see him in a full-time Cup car in the future and we will certainly see him in victory lane again.

    He did more than win a race at Road America; he made a powerful statement. He made it known to the world that he is here to stay and isn’t going anywhere. He will not back down, he will persevere and he will succeed. He’s revived a career that seemed doomed less than a year ago and with help from the very man that was forced to fire him nonetheless. We should all respect this man very much not only for the raw skill he possesses but for his determination and against all odds; he is still living the NASCAR dream.

  • Dinger Dominates at Road America!

    Dinger Dominates at Road America!

    AJ Alimendinger “Dinger” won the fourth Annual NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) Johnsonville Sausage 200 Presented by Menards at Road America.  This is Alimendinger’s first career win in NASCAR.

    Justin Allgaier, Parker Kligerman, Owen Kelly and Sam Hornish Jr rounded out the top 5.

    Alimendinger won the pole early Saturday morning for his first career pole in the NNS in nine starts. Dinger lead the first lap and pit strategy already was in the works. Alex Bowman, Trevor Bayne and some others came in on lap-1 to top off the fuel.

    The first caution waved when the No.18 of Michael McDowell stopped on the racetrack in turn-5. He was one of the favorites in this race.  Only three of the front runners came in to pit as everybody has a different strategy.

    They went back to green on lap 6 with Dinger still leading and McDowell headed to the garage. Dinger got his tires locked up and went into the grass and Billy Johnson took advantage and got the lead from him. Kelly took second while Dinger went back to the third spot.

    The top-3 all came in on lap 15 and got four tires and fuel and when all of them were leaving pit road, the caution came out for the No.53 of Andrew Ranger. Ranger stopped on the racetrack and had to get towed in which resulted in the caution to be waved. This is a good break for Johnson and Austin Dillon since they both had speeding penalty and have to come back to pit road. Sadler and others that have not pitted, went in and got their pit stops completed. During the caution, Brian Vickers is called back to pit road for a missing lug nut.

    We went back to green on lap 19 after a long caution flag due to drivers figuring out where they should be starting for the restart. Nelson Piquet Jr wheel hopped into the corner and ran into the back of Brian Scott and just smashed the front of his car.

    Caution came out on lap 30 when the driver in second place, Kelly, stopped in turn-5. He was another front runner who had a great shot at winning. He ran out of fuel and he got fuel before the pace car got back to the pit lane so he did not lose a lap.  Most everybody came in except for Hornish Jr. which stayed out due to getting a bonus point for the point race.

    They went back to green with 17 laps to go and Dinger took back the lead with Smith right behind him. Hornish Jr. went in right as the green flag waved but then got a speeding penalty so it did not work out for Hornish.

    The caution waved when the No.32 of Kyle Larson was involved in two incidents. He went hot into the turn and got into the No.5 of Johnny O’ Connell and then spun trying to avoid the No.21 of Brendan Gaughan.

    The caution waved again when the 75 of Kenny Habul got loose and got into the grass and put debris on the racetrack.  Back to green and Dinger got into the No.16 of Johnson and Johnson got loose, Dinger got around him. Dinger had a pretty big lead but the No.51 of Jeremy Clements smacked the tire barriers and the caution waved with five laps to go.

    Green flag waved with four laps to go and Dinger leading. They restarted cleanly but in turn 5, Kligerman got loose and smacked into Kelly which smacked the No.7 car of Smith who bumped the No.16 of Johnson. That was not the caution though. The caution was for the No.26 of John Young who stopped between turns 5 and 6.

    Green flag waved with two to go with this being the first GWC. Dinger had a good lead and was pulling away but Kelly spun out Annett and Larson got into Kelly. Papis also spun in turns 7 and 8. This will be the No.2 green-white-checkers now.

    Dinger led the field to the second and he pulled away and had enough fuel to win his first career race in NASCAR.  Max Papis slaps Johnson, who still had his helmet on to receive the slap.

    Start position in parentheses)

    1. (1) A J Allmendinger, Ford, 55 laps, 150 rating, 0 points, $59,325.

    2. (4) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 55, 103.2, 43, $43,225.

    3. (3) Parker Kligerman, Toyota, 55, 89.1, 42, $33,925.

    4. (2) Owen Kelly, Toyota, 55, 126.8, 41, $28,275.

    5. (8) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 55, 108.4, 40, $23,775.

    6. (9) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 55, 94.4, 38, $23,425.

    7. (13) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 55, 101, 37, $21,825.

    8. (17) Cole Whitt, Toyota, 55, 90.4, 36, $20,100.

    9. (22) Elliott Sadler, Toyota, 55, 87.9, 35, $20,825.

    10. (14) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 55, 80, 34, $20,775.

    11. (26) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 55, 73.8, 0, $13,475.

    12. (12) Johnny O’Connell, Chevrolet, 55, 92.2, 32, $19,400.

    13. (31) Mike Wallace, Chevrolet, 55, 68.7, 31, $19,300.

    14. (29) James Buescher, Chevrolet, 55, 58.9, 0, $13,175.

    15. (7) Billy Johnson, Ford, 55, 113.3, 30, $18,575.

    16. (19) Travis Pastrana, Ford, 55, 71.1, 28, $19,025.

    17. (10) Max Papis, Chevrolet, 55, 88.3, 27, $18,925.

    18. (28) Kenny Habul, Toyota, 55, 52.8, 26, $12,825.

    19. (25) Stanton Barrett, Ford, 55, 54.3, 25, $18,750.

    20. (18) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 55, 71.3, 24, $19,375.

    21. (6) Nelson Piquet Jr., Chevrolet, 55, 80.5, 23, $18,625.

    22. (37) Kevin O’Connell, Chevrolet, 55, 38.3, 22, $18,585.

    23. (24) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 55, 61, 21, $18,550.

    24. (15) Alex Bowman, Toyota, 55, 49.2, 20, $18,490.

    25. (40) Dexter Stacey, Ford, 55, 37.2, 19, $12,895.

    26. (32) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Ford, 55, 44.4, 18, $18,385.

    27. (35) Eric McClure, Toyota, 55, 40.5, 17, $18,350.

    28. (34) John Young, Dodge, 55, 51.7, 16, $12,320.

    29. (21) Andrew Ranger, Dodge, 55, 60.2, 15, $12,285.

    30. (11) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 55, 63.7, 14, $18,540.

    31. (27) Kyle Kelley, Chevrolet, 54, 54.4, 13, $18,195.

    32. (16) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 54, 90.9, 12, $18,150.

    33. (23) Mike Bliss, Toyota, overheating, 53, 64.8, 11, $18,120.

    34. (5) Michael McDowell, Toyota, 52, 58.3, 0, $18,100.

    35. (20) Michael Annett, Ford, accident, 50, 66.7, 9, $18,068.

    36. (38) Derek White, Toyota, oil leak, 37, 30.9, 8, $17,255.

    37. (33) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 31, 37, 7, $17,235.

    38. (39) Tony Raines, Toyota, rear gear, 20, 28.7, 6, $11,216.

    39. (30) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, engine, 7, 30.3, 5, $11,075.

    40. (36) Jeff Green, Toyota, brakes, 2, 29.2, 4, $10,975.

     

  • BREAKING NEWS: Jason Leffler Killed in Sprint Car Crash

    BREAKING NEWS: Jason Leffler Killed in Sprint Car Crash

    SWEDESBORO, N.J., June 12 – Jason Leffler, who has driven in all three of NASCAR’s touring series, died as the result of a crash at the Bridgeport Speedway while competing in a 410 Sprint car event.

    NASCAR, in a statement said, “NASCAR extends its thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies to the family of Jason Leffler who passed away earlier this evening. For more than a decade, Jason was a fierce competitor in our sport and he will be missed.”

    Reports indicated that Leffler was running in second place during a qualifying heat race when his car flipped several times down the front straight.

    The track cancelled all further events for the evening after the crash as State Police arrived.

     

     

  • A Conversation with Jeremy Clements

    A Conversation with Jeremy Clements

    I spent a few minutes with Jeremy Clements Friday afternoon before the Nationwide Series race at Darlington Raceway. Arriving a few minutes early, I sat down to wait and noticed the crew working on his No. 51 Chevrolet in the garage. I was not surprised when one of the crew members turned out to be Jeremy.

    When you drive for a family owned team, everyone has to do their part. Each week is a struggle. Winnings are usually poured right back into the car in a never ending battle to keep the car on the track every week.

    Jeremy scored a ninth place finish at Talladega Superspeedway last Saturday, earning his first top-10 this season. It was a tremendous result for a team that prides itself on achieving the most with limited resources.

    “It’s been a rough year,” he told me. “We’ve had motors fail and parts failures. We’ve been involved in wrecks where we got wrecked by another driver so it was good to go to Talladega and get a top ten. It made us remember how good it feels to get a good finish. It was an energy boost. It revitalized us.”

    We continued the interview, talking about everything from racing to music to pets and more.

    Do you prefer old school or new school racing?

    “I’m a dirt track driver. I come from the dirt late model world. I like the short tracks like Bristol and Richmond. I love Darlington so I’d say old school for sure.”

    Are you a cat person or dog person?

    “Definitely dogs; I’ve always had a dog. I have a cocker spaniel named Abbey right now. She’s nine years old.”

    Do you listen to country music or rock and roll?

    “Rock and roll; I’m not a country man at all, don’t really like it. I’m a hard rock guy. I like Evans Blue, Three Days Grace, Pop Evil, stuff like that.”

    Would you rather go hunting or fishing?

    “I’m not into hunting and I haven’t fished in years. I don’t have one particular hobby. I like all kinds of things. I like movies and I like playing sports. I’m pretty good at basketball; anything active. I love going to the lake and getting on the tube and the Jet Ski. I love going to amusement parks and riding roller coasters.”

    Would you rather go to the beach or to the mountains?

    “I like both. I went to the mountains this past year in October and then went on a cruise in January. We went to the beaches at some of the islands we stopped at. I love them both.”

    I couldn’t believe he didn’t have a preference so he finally went with “beach in the summertime and mountains in winter.”

    Do you prefer football, basketball or baseball?

    “I keep up with football and basketball more than I do baseball but I love going to a baseball game. I’ve been to see the Cardinals, in St. Louis, the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago White Sox and the Atlanta Braves. I love going to baseball games lives but don’t really like watching it on TV. I keep up with football, mostly professional. But being from South Carolina I keep up with Clemson and the Gamecocks but I’m more of a Tigers fan.”

    My last question brought us back to racing.

    What has been the proudest moment of your career?

    “I look back to when I raced ARCA and we won at Nashville and absolutely dominated the race. We beat a lot of top notch teams like Ganassi and Roush. That was really fulfilling for me. There were only four guys on the crew that weekend, including myself, and knowing what we did it with, which was barely nothing; it was cool.”

    Be sure to like the Jeremy Clements Racing Facebook page and follow them on Twitter @JCR_Clements51 for a chance to win the ‘Fan of the Week’ contest.  The winner will have their name displayed on his car in the next race. The contest alternates each week between Facebook and Twitter.

  • Sprint Cup Drivers Invading the Nationwide Series; Is it Okay?

    Sprint Cup Drivers Invading the Nationwide Series; Is it Okay?

    Recently, I’ve had a few discussions with race fans via Twitter regarding the amount of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) drivers racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS). This is a debate that is certainty not new to NASCAR and in fact, it is the reason officials decided to mandate that each driver must declare at the start of each season which division they wish to be given points toward the championship in. The point was to let Nationwide regulars win the Nationwide title and to hopefully discourage some Cup drivers to double dip. Well, 16 of the drivers that raced in the NNS event at Texas are also participating in the Cup race so those rules obviously haven’t discouraged them.

    Should NASCAR put further rules in place to either limit or completely stop these drivers that love to pull double duty? If they decided to implement such rules regarding this issue, there really isn’t much they can do that isn’t beyond reason. They could simply tell Cup drivers that they are not allowed to race in any division other than the NSCS and that would eradicate the “problem” instantly. I put the word problem in quotations because I don’t personally see it as an issue whiles a large contingent of race fans do. I look at it this way, what better way for the Nationwide regulars to learn than to be racing the best guys in the sport? The reason why fans are getting so incensed by the Cup guys this year unlike 2012 is because Kyle Busch has won 4 out of the last 5 races aggravating a bunch of people. Sure, no one likes to see one guy dominate but if you eliminate the Cup guys, you will probably have a Nationwide guy  like Austin Dillon dominate instead.

    I don’t have a problem with our superstars racing on the Nationwide side but I do have a slight issue with Cup teams fielding Nationwide teams just so they can put Cup guys in them. I think it’s a waste for the best teams in NASCAR to field Nationwide cars and not even give the guys trying to work their way up a chance to drive them. I have to give major kudos to Jack Roush because if you look at his driver lineup at Texas, you would see that they were all up and comers instead of Cup guys. I’d love to see a JGR team fielding Parker Kligerman and Alex Bowman instead of Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth. NSCS drivers double dipping may good for ticket sales except for when Kyle Busch has wins almost every race in dominating fashion. Here is a solution; put Busch in Robby Benton’s #99 and we’ll see if he can parlay that into a victory. He will still be fast but at least the Nationwide regulars might have a fighting chance against these titans of the sport and a small team would get the opportunity to have some major talent wheel their racecar.

    I’d love it if NASCAR told all the Cup guys that they were only permitted to drive cars for teams that don’t run in the NSCS. NASCAR can still let the Cup teams field Nationwide ones but only allow them to hire Nationwide regulars as their drivers. I know that this is a crazy idea that in reality would never happen but it’s cool to think about the possibility of it. Anyway, back to reality….. Denying Cup drivers the right to race in NNS isn’t right in my opinion. When a Nationwide regular wins a race these days, they get noticed a lot more than they would if they weren’t racing against Busch, Keselowski and Harvick. It gives a NNS victory more credibility when you beat the best the sport has to offer.

    The only reason why this issue has even been brought back up is because Kyle Busch is back to his old form and winning races left and right. The people against Cup drivers racing in Nationwide say that in F1 and Indycar, you don’t see the superstars racing in Indy lights in GP2. That is a very good point but how many people truly watch those forms of racing? Indy Lights only has about 9 drivers and is on the verge of collapse. Spice the field up with Franchitti and Hinchcliffe and I guarantee you that it will help.

    You can’t tell these guys what they can and can’t race in. NASCAR tried a long time ago to tell drivers that they couldn’t race in anything that wasn’t NASCAR sanctioned and it caused a lot of trouble. In fact, they indirectly took the 1950 title from Lee Petty after taking 809pts way from him part-way through the year for breaking the rule. They also permanently banned future HOF’er Curtis Turner for the same infraction as Petty. The fact of the matter is that these guys are racers and they love to race. They don’t care if it’s Nationwide, a USAC Sprint car or some Late Model event in the middle of nowhere. All they want to do is drive and you can’t blame them for that; it’s in their blood.

  • Marcos Ambrose Confident in Chances For First Oval Win at Martinsville

    Marcos Ambrose Confident in Chances For First Oval Win at Martinsville

    There is no doubt that Marcos Ambrose is one of the best road course racers in the world but as he enters his 5th full time year in the NSCS, he is still searching for that illusive oval track win. Marcos has been fast at the ovals throughout his career but in a sport where everything needs to go your way in order to win, luck has not been in the Aussie’s favor. His best result at an oval was 3rd at Bristol, 2009 and Dover, 2011. With a 15x Martinsville winner as his car owner and a front row starting position, the odds seem to be swaying in a more friendly direction for Marcos this weekend.

    The Australian born racer won the V8 Supercar title twice in just four years before he made the tough decision to leave his home in search of the NASCAR dream. He started his NASCAR career in the CWTS winning a pole and posting four top 10’s. In 2007, he moved to Nationwide  and finished a solid 8th in points posting one top 5 and six top 10’s. The following year, he won his first NASCAR sanctioned race at Watkins Glen which is an event he went on to win three years in a row.

    In 2009, he found himself with a full time Cup ride driving for JTG-Daugherty Racing and had a decent rookie season finishing 18th in the standings with four top 5’s and seven top 10’s. In 2010 at Sonoma, he was just a few laps away from his first ever NSCS victory before he made a blunder that instantly silenced the cheers of all his fans. In a shocking and heartbreaking turn of events, he stalled the car under caution costing him many positions and ultimately, the victory as he scrambled to get the car refired.

    Marcos finally won his first race at the Cup level at Watkins Glen in 2011 and again in 2012 where he was part of one of the most spectacular last laps in NASCAR history. Ambrose can certainty wheel a race car and he strongly believes that he can parlay this 2nd place qualifying effort into a victory this weekend. He was quoted saying in the media center, “I feel good about our race on Sunday, the car has been on a rail since we got here.” Winning at an oval would be such a monumental moment for him and seeing that he is all but guaranteed to win at least one of the road courses on the schedule unless something unforeseen happens, those two victories could easily secure him a WC catapulting him into the chase.

    Winning a bunch of road course races is nice but that’s not why Ambrose traveled around 10,000 miles leaving everything he’s ever known behind. He came to America to battle for wins every week and to one day be a legitimate championship threat in NASCAR. He has the car, he has the talent and just needs the right set of circumstances thrown his way and he can finally finish what he set out to accomplish so many years ago.

  • Dr. Lapchick Starts Diversity Rehab with Jeremy Clements

    Dr. Lapchick Starts Diversity Rehab with Jeremy Clements

    Early next week, Dr. Richard Lapchick, Founder and Director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, will begin his diversity rehabilitation with NASCAR driver Jeremy Clements.

    The 28-year-old NASCAR Nationwide Series driver was suspended by the sanctioning body for an “intolerable and insensitive remark” during an MTV interview before the Nationwide race at Daytona. He was remanded to rehabilitation with Dr. Lapchick as part of his recovery program.

    Delray Rehab, located in Delray Beach, FL, offers outpatient treatment using specialized therapies created for sustainable health and recovery and is dedicated to helping anyone that is suffering from alcohol and drug addiction and mental health issues in a compassionate and welcoming environment.

    So, who is this Dr. Lapchick who will work with Clements and how did he become such a passionate expert in racial diversity in sports?

    “It started pretty young,” Lapchick said. “My dad was a coach of the Knicks and as a five year old I looked outside my bedroom window and saw my father’s image swinging from a tree and overheard calls meant for him calling him all kinds of racial obscenities.”

    “So, I was drawn to civil rights since I was a teenager,” Lapchick continued. “I went to graduate school and wrote my doctoral dissertation on how South Africa used sports as part of its foreign policy and then went on to found the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports at the University of Central Florida.”

    “I learned that sports were a powerful platform to communicate about important social issues such as racism and sexism,” Lapchick said. “I think you can use the sports platform to talk about any social issue but that was the beginning.”

    Lapchick may be working with Clements for the first time but he is no stranger to working with the sport of NASCAR on diversity initiatives. In fact, his association with the sport goes all the way back to 1997 when he met with NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France.

    “When I moved to Orlando in 1997, I called on various sports leaders in the area and obviously Brian France was on that list,” Lapchick said. “I didn’t know NASCAR very well at that point and had only seen a few races on television.”

    “When I met Brian France, he had done his homework and told me that he wanted NASCAR to look like America,” Lapchick said. “For some reason, I totally believed that he genuinely meant that not just because I was in the room.”

    “Every dealing that I’ve had with NASCAR over these years has reinforced that,” Lapchick continued. “Brian asked me to be on the Diversity Council and appointed Magic Johnson and myself as Co-Chairs.”

    “The turning point for NASCAR was when they hired Marcus Jadotte about six years ago,” Lapchick said. “We started talking about the diversity management training that we did and we ended up doing five consecutive years of training every NASCAR employee.”

    “No other sport or entire industry has done it more than once,” Lapchick continued. “NASCAR is really trying to make a difference in changing the culture.”

    “The Drive for Diversity program has started to move things forward and has made women and people of color more comfortable in the sport.”

    So, how exactly will Dr. Lapchick work specifically with Jeremy Clements during his diversity rehabilitation?

    “It will be educational to a large degree,” Lapchick said. “We will try to make him feel comfortable and safe.”

    “Obviously he is in a difficult position right now,” Lapchick continued. “I’ll spend the first hour with him next Monday and then our team, that has done the diversity training for many sports, will meet with him for three hours.”

    “We’ll take him through some exercises as we would do with anyone,” Lapchick said. “We’ll make it interactive and make him feel safe that he can say things that are important to him and to share feedback on those things.”

    “We did this once before for NASCAR with a crew chief in 2009 and it was a positive experience,” Lapchick continued. “We’re anticipating that this will be as well.”

    Lapchick admits that the length of the diversity education will be totally dependent on Clements.

    “We’re also open, as is NASCAR, if we feel at the end of this that there is an ongoing need, we will recommend that,” Lapchick said. “With the crew chief we worked with, he was so open with the session that we didn’t think that additional time was necessary.”

    “So, we will see how Monday goes and are open to ongoing discussions if needed.”

    Given the Clements remark and suspension, is Lapchick concerned about the status of diversity in NASCAR?

    “I think they are where the NBA was when David Stern became Commissioner,” Lapchick said. “In terms of the decision makers, there is representation of diversity in the leadership area.”

    “But on the track, they are significantly further behind than the NBA or NFL in the 1980s,” Lapchick continued. “That will take time to catch up there.”

    “But with who is in the pipeline in the Drive for Diversity program and their level of talent, I do see the possibility of more and more women and people of color in the sport,” Lapchick said. “And with Danica Patrick now in the sport she will inspire a whole lot of young girls to consider racing a car as a possibility.”

    “I do see the progress,” Lapchick continued. “We do Racial and Gender report cards for the leagues and for various sports.”

    “Now, they use that as a benchmark and leverage with their teams so that they can move to a better grade and build momentum,” Lapchick said. “That helps me want to stay doing what I’m doing.”

    Lapchick was also impressed with some of the other drivers, especially those with a large fan base the likes of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon, speak out and support the NASCAR diversity policy.

    “I think that was really important for the fans and other drivers to hear that these influential leaders on the track were willing to speak out and say what some would consider risky,” Lapchick said. “There are people who are pushing back on the fact that Jeremy was suspended.”

    “But much to NASCAR’s credit, they decided that there is a zero tolerance policy about racism,” Lapchick continued. “The reaction of the drivers in the sport is important.”

    While Lapchick is prepared to meet with Clements next week, he is currently engrossed in another social justice effort. He is at present assisting with rebuilding efforts in Long Island as the New York area recovers from Hurricane Sandy.

    “It really started with New Orleans,” Lapchick said. “I was really disappointed and angry at the response after the storm.”

    “We formed the organization that this week went to Long Island to help,” Lapchick continued. “Along with my diversity work, that has been most one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done.”