Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: Nationwide

  • How To Improve The Nationwide Series

    How To Improve The Nationwide Series

    How can NASCAR turn the yawn fest that has become Nationwide Series Racing into something the fans will enjoy again?  My twitter and Facebook time lines both blow up when Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Kasey Kahne, or even Matt Kenseth take the lead at any point in the race.  It quickly becomes a stream of “Anybody but……(fill in Cup Regulars name here).

    For the longest time I defended allowing the cup regulars racing in the lower series, mainly because my favorite driver was still doing it from time to time and ran well in that series at points.  I even defended it more when NASCAR made the rule that drivers had to declare which series they were going to race for a championship in before the season really began.

    The excuse that I often used was, “Well it helps the track promoters out by getting butts in the seats to see their favorite drivers one more time during the race weekend.”  Granted this was back before the Cup regulars truly dominated the lower series.  Would they win often? Yes, but they would not go on an eight race winning streak, or in the case of this year’s races, winning sixteen of twenty-one races, or a winning percentage of 1.3125 percent of the time.  Now, honestly it is keeping people OUT of the seats more than it is putting butts in seats.

    I have also heard and understand the argument that having the Cup drivers in the lower series gives the lower series guys a chance to see what they will be up against when they get into the Cup series.  For the longest time, I really didn’t have a comeback for this statement, now I do.  While the younger driver may learn something about driver etiquette on the track, they are not learning anything else for the most part.  The Cup cars are not the same cars the Nationwide series cars are, and therefore the driver in the NNS isn’t learning very much that will help them once they graduate into the Cup series.  About the only thing it shows them is that if they want to be successful in the Cup series they will need to land at a top tier team or their hopes of challenging for a win each week is out the window.

    The cars in the Nationwide series are great, they look incredible on T.V. and on the track. They afford for some nice side by side racing.  Only when the cars that are being raced aren’t from an over funded team with an over talented driver, holding off someone who is simply trying to get a handle on the series.  I could actually understand a lower talented Cup driver trying to get extra seat time to try and improve their performance for their main sponsor on Sunday.  Take Bliss, Blaney, Stremme, or any other driver, hell even take Danica and put her in the Nationwide series and allow them more seat time to improve the racing on Sunday, and I would get it much better than I do these days.

    These days unless the series is split like it is this weekend with the Cup cars in Michigan and the Nationwide cars in Ohio; it basically takes a catastrophic incident or failure by the Cup regulars team or car for the Nationwide series drivers to even stand a chance to win the race.  Which is what leads to my timeline being blown up with people changing the channel, going to the pool, or horror of all horrors heading to the store or mall to get some last minute shopping done.

    My solution is a relatively simple and painless one to implement and simply builds upon the declaring which series a driver is running for a championship.  Limit the number of starts that a Cup regular can have in the lower series, to five.  Which would mean that the track promoters would still be able to promote the fact that Dale Earnhardt Jr will be running both Daytona and Talladega races, without stacking the deck at the races against the Nationwide drivers.  It would allow the drivers like Kyle Busch, and Brad Keselowski to race the Nationwide and Camping World Series trucks, but on a limited basis.  Let’s just call it the Mark Martin schedule for simplification purposes.

    Let’s face facts, drivers in the Cup series retire, where will that leave fans that still love the sport but don’t have a driver to root for?  In my case I know that in the next year to two my driver Jeff Burton will be retiring.  I have followed Jeff’s career since I attended my first Cup race and Jeff won for the first time in Texas.  I know that I will have to find someone else to root for week in and week out.  Are there drivers suitable enough for me to start cheering for already in the Cup series?  Of course there are, but I do not want to have to repeat this cycle in another five to ten years.  I would much rather have a driver that I can cheer for week in and week out in the Trucks or Nationwide series, see him or her grow into the next series and root for them when they finally reach the Cup series.

    Can I realistically do that now? Yes, but I honestly do not get to “KNOW” the driver these days in the lower series.  The main focus by main stream media is either how well the cup drivers or doing, or when things are going wrong for them, how badly things are going.  I will gladly put a large portion of the blame for the Cup regulars doing double duty on the shoulders of main stream media since it is these same media members that focus so greatly on the Cup drivers.  Aside from Kyle Busch I honestly do not think that the other regular drivers would run as many races, of course this isn’t taking into account sponsorship obligations, as they do now if they weren’t almost guaranteed almost unfettered T.V. time each week.  Kyle is the lone amalgam in this situation; he in a lot of ways is the same as Tony Stewart.

    Tony is a racers racer, and so is Kyle.  They both see seating behind the wheel of a vehicle and trying to get something out of it that no one else can as therapeutic.  It is their weekend golf game, or shooting hoops with the guys.  The difference is this, while Tony does it in a series that doesn’t directly impact the potential for up and coming drivers; Kyle almost relishes in the fact that he is potentially holding back a future driver in the Cup series.

    With the limited number of races it would be an excuse for people like Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Mark Martin and Kyle Busch to actually MENTOR potential drivers on a weekly basis.  Especially when you take into account that two of the five drivers I named own a lower series team.  To mentor someone, means teaching not showing someone how to do something, allowing them to fail in their own unique way, and being there to pat them on the back when they succeed.  It does not mean, “Step out of my way, let me show you how this is done, and oh by the way don’t even THINK about passing me late to steal a victory away from me,”

    We worry about the future of the NASCAR sport, and trying to fix so many things that are wrong with it, how about we start looking at what truly IS the future of the sport in the lower series and attempt to give them something to hope for on their own?

  • Austin Dillon Wins Kentucky

    Austin Dillon Wins Kentucky

    [media-credit name=”Adam Lovelace” align=”alignright” width=”236″][/media-credit]Sparta, KY- Friday night Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 again saw Victory Lane but this time it was young driver Austin Dillon who it to Victory Lane for the first time in his Nationwide Series career.

    “Dale would be proud,” Childress said. “I know he would.”

    Dillon had also failed post race inspection because to wedge jack bolt backed out. He was fined six driver points and was knocked down to second in points. Crew Chief Danny Stockman Jr was fined $10,000 and placed on probation until December 31st. Morgan Shepard was fined six owner points. Car chief Robert Strmiska has also been placed on probation until December 31st. None of that spoiled the celebration.

    “I love running the 3. It’s fun. It pushes me each and every week to give 110 percent’” Dillon said. “That’s what our guys do and I think that has something to do with the number. Not many people have a special number that pushes them. We can say that we have a number that has pressure behind that makes us run good each and every week.”
    The slanted No. 3 will most likely never appear in Cup again.

    “I look at the 3 as a family,” Childress said. “I drove it. I didn’t do near as good as these drivers did. It’s special because you have so many fans that want to see the 3, and then you have some that question running the 3. I wouldn’t let anyone else other than an Earnhardt or a Dillon drive the 3.”

    The last time the No. 3 went to victory lane in the Nationwide Series was July 2010when it was driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr.

  • Congrats to Boywer, But There Were Better Races

    Congrats to Boywer, But There Were Better Races

    [media-credit name=”SpeedwayMedia.com” align=”alignright” width=”236″][/media-credit]I almost hate to write what I am about to put on this site. It’s blasphemy in many ways, but I don’t think I am the only one who feels this way. Saturday was a great racing day. We saw what I consider great racing. After the Nationwide Series race at Road America where the story lines were so great and the racing was so great, I moved over to NBC when it finally quit raining, to watch a real IndyCar race. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t watch that series much, but there was nothing else to do, so I watched. I learned a lot.

    Like the Nationwide Series race, the race at Kansas was good. There was lots of action and though they didn’t have fenders.  These drivers wanted to win and when that happens, you get some dust-ups. In that series that’s a dangerous proposition, but it didn’t seem to matter. Points be damned, they were going for the win or the good finish. Then Sunday came and we saw a completely different philosophy.

    I’ll just say that the Chase has always been one of those ideas that I not only don’t agree with it, but one that goes against everything I believe about racing.  It’s a system that tries to emulate stick and ball sports and that is foreign to me. That said, so much was said about certain drivers “who just wanted to finish in the Top-15 or Top-20” in this race.  It was if they were trying to avoid the bad finish.  The only problem was that these were the stars—point leader Matt Kenseth and others.  How fun is that? No such talk at Road America and Kansas.

    The Road America Nationwide race was wide open on the four-mile course and the racing was good. The race at Kansas was “Little Bristol,” with drivers going for it.  As strange as it may seem, the open wheel circuit might have another fan. Forgive me.

    What we saw was three drivers who weren’t at the top of the standings going for it at Sonoma. Clint Bowyer was on point all day, Kurt Busch was driving for pride, and Martin Truex, Jr. just wanted to win a race. In the meantime, Jimmie Johnson, Kenseth, Biffle, and others just wanted to get out of there with little damage. The almighty points got in the way.

    Bravo, Clint Bowyer!  No one deserves success as much as he does.  He’s a great driver and goes for it in every race.  I love it.  So much pressure is on these drivers to make the Chase that those in contention are so timid in the races leading up to the final ten that we don’t see the kind of action we should see.

    The mantra seems to be, “Let’s get through this and hopefully we’ll still hold our points position.”  For a guy like Kenseth, who doesn’t have sponsorship for the full season (how in the name of all that’s holy can some backmarkers get full sponsorship and a former champ has to struggle to make every race financially?) it’s called survival.  No wonder he’s supposedly looking at Joe Gibbs Racing and Penske for a ride next season. You have to do what you have to do.

    It doesn’t mean I have to like it, though. In today’s Cup race, I saw so much give and take that it made me sick. I’ll be the first to admit that I hate road racing. These cars are not suited for a road course and for some reason we continue to run there.

    Regardless it’s going to always be a part of the schedule. It just seems that all the racing is controlled by the almighty points system and the sponsor’s pressure to make the Chase.  It’s a flawed system, but what we have.  Maybe someone will wake up in the future.

  • Ryan Blaney all set for Nationwide Series debut

    Ryan Blaney all set for Nationwide Series debut

    By the end of last year, the opportunity to run a half dozen Nationwide races during the 2012 season began to take shape and running those races will likely play a big factor in what becomes of Ryan Blaney’s racing career.

    [media-credit name=”Robert Lahser – charlotteobserver.com” align=”alignright” width=”197″][/media-credit]The spotlight will grow on him as he races in the K&N Pro Series East race at Richmond International Speedway on April 26th.  Which will certainly be an advantage to Blaney who will be making his Nationwide Series debut the following day.

    “Yeah, it’s going to be a big advantage racing the day before.  I raced in the K&N series last year, it was my first race in K&N, and I really like the track.  It’s one of my favorite racetracks that we run at.  I think they’re around the same time we’ll be racing Nationwide at K&N.”

    “So it gives you a good concept of what the track will do from day to night.  What it will do later in the race. Where you might get an idea where the groove might move to.”

    “That’s why all the Cup drivers, a lot of them run Nationwide Series the day before, so they can get a feel of what the track’s going to do later in the race.  So it’s going to be a big help for me, a big learning experience to see what will help us out later in the race.”

    The 18-year old racer will also get a big helping hand from his father who happens to be the 1995 World of Outlaws champion and Sprint Cup Series driver, Dave Blaney.

    “He’s always been really good at that racetrack (Richmond), so it will be really good being able to talk to him and relate what he feels from what I feel. We can definitely try things that we think will be better that he tells me. So it’s going to be a giant help both ways there.”

    He will also be able to turn another racer in the family, his uncle Dale and says that it is a big plus being a third generation race car driver.

    “You’ve just got so many people you can ask about what they see and they’ve got the racers intellect. We kind of think alike, all racers kind of think alike. So it’s definitely a big help that I’ve got somebody that thinks like that and they’re really close to me that I can talk to them always. I think from my uncles and my dad I think it’s kind of a hereditary thing, race cars and all that. We definitely think alike. I’ve picked up the instincts and all that stuff from my dad, uncle and grandpa.”

    However, the only disadvantage that he sees is not living up to what they’ve already done.

    “If anything, that kind of motivates me to make them — maybe to make me be better than they are and to achieve more. So I really see it as kind of motivates me to be just like them or be better.”

    In addition to racing in six Nationwide events for Tommy Baldwin Racing in the No. 36 SealWrap Repair Tape Chevrolet beginning next weekend, he is also in the midst of a six race run in the K&N Pro Series wheeling the family-owned DB Racing No. 10 SealWrap Repair/Heavy Duty Industrial Service car.

    His first race in that car this season resulted in an impressive runner-up finish at Bristol last month.

    The Nationwide Series races he is scheduled to run in are as follows:

    April 27th – Richmond International Raceway

    May 11th – Darlington Raceway

    June 29th – Kentucky Speedway

    July 28th – Indianapolis Motor Speedway

    August 24th – Bristol Motor Speedway

    October 12th – Charlotte Motor Speedway

    Ryan feels ready and prepared for next weekend.

    “We’ve done a lot of stuff.  We ran our normal late models and ran a handful of K&N races and ran a handful of ARCA races and did really good in them.  So I think that we’ve taken our time in making sure we’re ready for this Nationwide debut, and hopefully I am, and we’ll see you here in a couple of weeks.”

    Just like all young drivers, Ryan will have to gain the respect of the veteran drivers. And that will come from him showing that he belongs on the track with them.

    Two of NASCAR’s most successful veteran drivers, Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick have spoken highly of Ryan’s talent.

    “The biggest thing with Ryan is his demeanor. I’ve watched him a couple times and I know he’s had good stuff – not great stuff – to race with and like many of us coming up through the ranks, he has done more with less,” said Harvick.

    Stewart agrees with him.

    “Ryan has a great pedigree – his grandfather, father and uncle are all great race car drivers. He’s been around winners all his life. He’s seen from Day 1 how to do it the right way.”

    And that certainly means a lot to him.

    “I haven’t really talked to them heading up to Richmond.  I’ve just been watching a lot of tapes and trying to learn as much as possible.  I’ll be on the prowl, I guess you could say, next week of talking to drivers about what Richmond’s like and what they think of it.”

    “Yeah, I really can’t wait for it.  I think it will be a really good race, both races I’m in.”

     

  • Kyle Busch Victorious Again at Bristol

    Kyle Busch Victorious Again at Bristol

    [media-credit id=5 align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]
    Busch celebrates Bristol NNS win
    The last time NASCAR was at the Bristol Motor Speedway, back in August of 2010, it was the Kyle Busch show as he swept all three top series races in the same weekend. The spring race at Bristol does not include a Truck series event, so the Nationwide race is the first event. Could this win could be the start of another sweep?

    Following Busch across the line was Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Elliott Sadler (the highest finishing series regular) and Joey Logano in fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Jason Leffler, Brad Keselowski and Aric Almirola.

    The 29th annual Scott’s EZ Seed 300 proved to be another event- filled race after what looked to be a smooth start. Other than a competition caution ordered by NASCAR on lap 25 to change to the new tires provided by Goodyear Saturday morning, the race remained green for 68 laps. It was lap 68 when Robert Richardson Jr. made contact with the outside wall in turn three. The damage to Richardson’s  No. 23 car resulted in lots of fluid across the track which Trevor Bayne found and it forced him into the outside wall. That spelled trouble for his day, as he finished 3 laps down in 19th place.

    The beginning of the race was not without it’s own drama as Jennifer Jo Cobb refused to start the race after being ordered by car owner Rick Russell to ‘start and park’ the car. The car eventually started and parked after 4 laps, but not before the race had reached the 100 lap marker, with the third announced driver for the car.

    The third caution for the day came on lap 183 as reigning Series Champion, Brad Keselowski cut a tire and made contact with the wall in turn 3. The last 100 laps of the race would bring out five more cautions, slowing the pace of the race. The fourth caution came on lap 201 as Aric Almirola spun the 388 car down the front stretch, while just 8 laps later the No. 05 of Willie Allen would crash on the front stretch. Lap 236 saw Bayne and Michael Annett wrecking in turn 2 while on lap 249, Danica Patrick would run into the left rear fender of Ryan Truex. Although Truex would keep control of his car and drive safely away, Patrick went into a spin and collected the outside wall ending her day with a 33rd place finish.

    The win was Busch’s second of 2011 and his third top 10 finish this year. He also lead the most laps with 268, which set an all time record for the Series with 10,045 laps led. This is also Busch’s 45th win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

    Heading to California, Jason Leffler leads the series 2 point ahead of Ricky Stenhouse Jr, with Justin Allgaier, Reed Sorenson and Aric Almirola rounding out the top 5 in points.

  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on the Pole for Scott’s EZ Seed 300

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on the Pole for Scott’s EZ Seed 300

    Carl Edward’s jumped to the provisional pole as he went out 22nd qualifying for Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race with a speed of 125.052 mph. But the idea of Edwards grabbing both poles was short lived.

    [media-credit name=”Joe Dunn” align=”alignright” width=”106″][/media-credit]Two cars later, Edwards’ teammate Trevor Bayne pushed Carl to the outside as he posted a lap of 125.461 mph, .050 seconds faster. A few spots later, it was Jason Leffler hitting the top spot with a speed of 125.939, but the very next car out would be Edwards’ and Bayne’s teammate Stenhouse Jr. who took the top spot for the day with a speed of 126.071 mph. This will be Stenhouse Jr’s second pole of his career, the first one coming at Iowa in 2009. This will be his third top 10 start in 2011 and his third race at Bristol.

    When the qualifying session was complete, Edwards was bumped back to 7th. Start on the outside of the front row will be Leffler, followed by last year’s winner Justin Allgaier, Bayne, and Kyle Busch starting 5th. Rounding out the top 10 will be Elliott Sadler, Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne and Joey Logano.

    Only one car will miss the race, Chris Lawson who crashed during his qualifying run. It should also be noted that these cars did qualify on the tires from yesterday as they had no practice on the new tires.

  • Fourth Turn, A Fan’s Perspective …. Post Season Withdrawal

    Fourth Turn, A Fan’s Perspective …. Post Season Withdrawal

    Well the season has officially ended. The NASCAR Champions banquet has been held and the dishes are done, the smoke has cleared and yes Jimmie really did win it for the 5th time, even if you did have to stay up half the night to see the presentation of the cup. The crew chiefs have all gone back to work making bigger, badder and meaner race cars. The pit crews are in off season strengthening mode. The marketing people are looking for new twists and new angles. The big chiefs are looking for more innovative sponsorship arrangements. And drivers are working out with their children and families. Some are challenging for a new trophy in Fantasy Football. Some are meeting the challenges of new fatherhood.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]But for the fan’s the off season is more of a challenge. For instance, Santa Rick Hendrick gave three of his drivers’ fan contingencies their Christmas gifts early, presumably so he could get back to his normal business routine of playing Santa to his Grandchildren and taking care of business for his employees across the country. Though the act was well meaning, it added to the long, long off season wait for the return to racing. You could almost see him checking off his list. There was a new crew chief for Jeff and Mark and Junior, A new building for Jr. Nation, A new paint job for Jeff’s and Mark’s fans, and a new look and feel for the 5 time champ. That should about do it you could almost hear him chuckle. But oh the horror of the wait Santa H, we have the new toys but can not play with them until February.

    In order to assist his fans in their withdrawal modes, Kevin Harvick made available a few items featuring the new Budweiser 29 Chevrolet. Just in time for your Christmas shopping pleasure and to avoid the need for hospitalization for your favorite NASCAR fan.

    Jeff Gordon saw the need as critical for his fan base and unveiled the new Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet on every major morning TV show. The car, a sharp new Candy Apple Red and Silver Metallic, oozed speed even while it sat still. But one could almost hear the yells at the female anchors who so obviously had no idea what front down force meant and had been schooled about the importance of the Daytona 500 but were obviously not sure when that was.

    NASCAR is trying hard to do their part with updates on the Hall of Fame Inductee’s and Christmas packages at the NASCAR Superstore. The fan council has new TV survey’s to complete and the media has story lines from 2010 to rank. There are the rumors of mid season changes to the COT’s fuel delivery system. The new nose has been unveiled. The determination of Sprint Cup driver participation in the Nationwide Series has yet to be released. And of course there is the new fuel to debate and learn the fine points of.

    But still the fan’s grow restless it’s been 3 weeks since the engines fired. There are cars on GM’s test track in Arizona but we can’t see them, hear them or smell them. Brad Keselowski is in Columbus Ohio to help Nationwide celebrate its champion festival, but we aren’t there. Even Jeff Gluck and Joe Menzer are relatively quiet. The minds of NASCAR fans are searching for a way to fill the void. The chat rooms and message boards are running qualifying lap speeds and still the matrixing has begun.

    Stories are pouring in of new ways that NASCAR fans have found to ease the discomfort of withdrawals from the sport. The rearranging of rooms of memorabilia, holiday pies shaped like the 5 Sprint Cups all bearing the 48 in whipped cream. The holiday Coconut cake that was Amp Green with red 88’s, (they are Christmas colors after all) the Christmas trees that are decorated all in NASCAR and team ornaments, including the one that is all car parts and sheet metal wreaths.

    Which brings us to the David Letterman standard; the top 10 ways you know if you or someone you love is a NASCAR fan in withdraw. *insert drum roll here please*

    10. You go through the chip display to find a bag of Bugles with the 33 Chevrolet on it instead of the new holiday bags.

    9. You get volunteered to take the boys of the family Christmas shopping and you say to your young male shopping companions as you enter the mall, “Boogity, Boogity, Boogity Let’s go shopping boys.”

    8. At a holiday party alternative fuel sources come up in the discussion and you start your opinion with, “Sunoco’s E 15 fuel, partners American Farmers with Speed for the good of the planet and the sport….”

    7. You see an Intimidator Monte Carlo complete with Taz in the parking lot of the grocery store and you stand in awe with tears in your eyes and Whisper ‘It’s a beautiful thing’.

    6. You and your best friend race the motorized carts at Wal-Mart in the Wally World 250 and use your cell phones for in cart cameras.

    5. You nominate the HMS Paint and Body Department for best Artistic presentation at your Alumni Christmas party.

    4. Your date is describing a play from the football game and he says, “He got loose and headed down the field …” And you say “maybe they need to go a round up on his track bar.”

    3. You are waiting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office addressing envelopes and another patient says, Christmas Cards? You shake your head in disbelief and say ‘Daytona 500 party’.

    2.  You are watching a NASCAR race on TV and are very animated when your house mate reminds you this race was run in 1999. You calmly look at them and say “So what’s your point man on any given day anyone can win.”

    And the number one reason you know you are a NASCAR fan in withdraw.

    1. You pull up to a stop light and look to your left and see a Toyota Camry and say to your best friend. I can take it. Watch. Your best friend reminds you that this is a Malibu and you say yeah but I got my Malibu from Rick Hendrick and you both give thumbs up.

    If any of these sounds like your favorite NASCAR fan or even yourself, please don’t panic. Remain calm and remember that the Daytona 500 is in 75 days. The first official test of the season at Daytona on new pavement is December 15th and 16th. So it’s not long and it’s not far. Please be considerate of the safety of others and try to remember, ‘Have at it Boys’ does not carry over to Target at Christmas time.

    Happy Holidays to all!

    *Legal Disclaimer, any resemblance to any party, including the writer of this piece, is purely your imagination. Photo documentation and at least 3 statements of confirmation from at least 3 series champions will be required to verify these acts as factual. No animals, small children, or elderly individuals were injured during the performance of any of the above acts.

    ~~~~~****~~~~~

    Thoughts and prayers to the friends and families to all that we have lost this year, this is a difficult time but know that you are not alone. Continued thoughts and prayers for a speedy and full recovery go out to Shame Hmiel.

    Happy Holidays to all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you had to give every single week, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.