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Tag: Paul Menard

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Jeff Byrd 500 at Bristol

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Jeff Byrd 500 at Bristol

    From remembering one of race fans’ best friends to the beating and banging on the track, racing at Bristol Motor Speedway is always one of the favorite destinations on the NASCAR circuit.  Here is what is surprising and not surprising for this weekend’s Jeff Byrd 500.Barry Albert

    Surprising:  One of the biggest surprises happened before Billy Ray Cyrus sang the National Anthem and Jeff Byrd’s family gave the command to start the engines in his memory. NASCAR and Goodyear had to make a command decision, replacing the tires for the race.

    Unfortunately, the original tires did not rubber up the track and in fact disintegrated instead. So, new tires were quickly ordered up from North Carolina and delivered just in time for practice and the race, necessitating a competition caution at Lap 50.

    Not Surprising:  In spite of the booing from the crowd when his signature song “Rowdy Busch” was played during driver introductions, it was not surprising at all to see the broom in the hand of winner Kyle Busch at race end. This was Busch’s fifth win in a row at Bristol and he swept both the Nationwide and Cup races for the weekend.

    Busch dedicated his 20th victory in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition to Toyota and all affected by the recent earthquake in Japan. The driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota also made history, tying driver Speedy Thompson for 33rd on the career victories list.

    “This M&Ms Camry was awesome today,” Busch said. “Also, our thoughts and prayers go to the Toyota folks and all those in Japan.”

    “You’ve got to be patient and sometimes you’ve got to go for it,” Busch continued. “Our guys won this race in the pits coming out first on that last stop.”

    Surprising: Paul Menard continues to lead the charge for Richard Childress Racing, in spite of being the ‘new kid on the block.’ The driver of the bright yellow No. 27 CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet even took the lead at Bristol at lap 20, positioning himself at the front for the first time in his career at Bristol.

    Menard finished fifth in the race, also advancing his position in the point standings to fifth.

    “I had a fast race car all weekend,” Menard said. “What’s cool is we’ve been to four different race tracks and we’ve had strong runs at all four. We’re just having a lot of fun right now.”

    Not Surprising:  It was not surprising that if Carl Edwards was not celebrating a win with a back flip, he was sitting right there yet again in the runner up position. Behind the wheel of his No. 99 Scotts EZSeed Ford, Edwards admitted that he simply could not catch his Phoenix rival Kyle Busch.

    “It was exciting,” Edwards said. “I thought I could get to him at the end and rough him up a little bit and maybe get by him, but his car took off.”

    “It was a good race at Bristol,” Edwards continued. “Kyle did a good job. Our team did a good job. We’ve got to thank all the fans and we appreciate them coming out and supporting us.”

    Surprising:  Matt Kenseth actually had a great run at Bristol and was even somewhat effusive, particularly for the usually dry driver of the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford. Kenseth finished fourth in the race and jumped to 13th in the point standings.

    “We had a lot of fun out there racing today and got lucky and got the right lane on the restarts a few times,” Kenseth said. “It took all day but we finally were able to make some adjustments that had the Crown Royal Black Fusion pretty decent.”

    Not Surprising:  To no one’s amazement, it does indeed seem that five time champ Jimmie Johnson has figured out Bristol Motor Speedway. And it was certainly not surprising to see the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet lead laps and get a great finish out of ‘Thunder Valley’.

    While Johnson first had to overcome the driver introduction song picked out for him by Brian Vickers, the “Thong Song” of all things, the reigning champion recovered his dignity with a third place finish. Johnson also jumped five spots in the points, currently sitting in the seventh spot.

    “Oddly enough, clean air is important here and that was kind of it,” Johnson said. “It came down to that last pit stop and we didn’t get out of the pits first. So, it was the rest of us racing for second, third and fourth.”

    Surprising:  It was a bit surprising to see two drivers, Trevor Bayne and Jeff Gordon, both winners in the young 2011 season, struggle so mightily at Bristol Motor Speedway. After starting in the seventh spot, Gordon just could not get comfortable in his No. 24 Pepsi Max Chevrolet, finally bringing it home in the 14th spot.

    Trevor Bayne, one of Gordon’s biggest fans and the Daytona 500 winner, had a miserable day at his home track. Bayne was involved in the wreck that brought out the first caution flag of the day and never recovered, finishing 34th in his Wood Brothers Chevrolet.

    Not Surprising: NASCAR’s favorite driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. just keeps rolling along. In spite of a speeding penalty and with the encouragement of his ever optimistic crew chief Steve Letarte, Junior bounced back to finish 11th, just missing out on his third top-10 finish in a row.

    The NASCAR circuit will now trek back across the country to Fontana, California. Drivers will compete in the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, March 27th, with the broadcasts set for  3:00 PM ET on FOX and MRN.

  • Paul Menard’s Hauler Driver Jeff Icenhour Struts His Stuff on Vegas Strip

    Paul Menard’s Hauler Driver Jeff Icenhour Struts His Stuff on Vegas Strip

    One of the traditions of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway race weekend is the hauler parade right down the Las Vegas strip. Participating this year was Jeff Icenhour, hauler driver for Paul Menard’s No. 27 Menard’s Chevrolet, with whom I had the pleasure of riding with for the parade.

    Icenhour, a 43 year old from North Carolina, has been driving haulers for over ten years. He got his start after a connection made via his son turned into the opportunity of a lifetime.

    [media-credit name=”Photo by Gary Buchanan” align=”alignright” width=”246″][/media-credit]”A guy that used to be with the 32 car, my son and his son played football together,” Icenhour said. “So, I just stayed on to him until he helped me out.”

    Icenhour comes by his trucking skills naturally.  Much of his family has been in the trucking business and Icenhour even got his father involved, who is currently driving for the No. 43 team.

    “I started doing it before my dad,” Icenhour said. “I got my dad into it.”

    While he and his father share the trucking passion, Icenhour acknowledges that the lifestyle has his challenges. This is especially true since he has a wife and two sons at home as well.

    “It’s hard,” Icenhour said. “I have a wonderful wife. I couldn’t do it without her. She’s supportive so that’s great.”

    “My kids think it’s cool,” Icenhour continued. “They miss me and I miss them, but they still think it’s cool.”

    Icenhour, who is nicknamed ‘Cowboy” due to his passion for horses and his constantly-worn cowboy boots, is also feeling very fortunate to now be with Richard Childress Racing, a deal which came about for the 2011 season for he and his driver Paul Menard.

    “I am very fortunate to be here with Richard Childress Racing,” Icenhour said.  “I like Richard Childress quite a bit.”

    Icenhour is also fond of his driver, Paul Menard.

    “Paul’s pretty cool,” Icenhour said. “He’s not the high maintenance driver. He does it because he likes it and he doesn’t get caught up in it.”

    “From the time he came into Nationwide, I always liked that kid and pulled for him,” Icenhour said of his driver. “There was something I liked about him from the first time I saw him. He’s in some good equipment now so he will do well.”

    Although devoted to his driver, Icenhour has seen his share of ups and downs in his hauler driving career. Prior to coming to RCR, Icenhour drove for Evernham Motorsports and then Richard Petty Motorsports.

    Given his most recent employment, Icenhour knows the vagaries of being part of a race team.

    “Nothing is guaranteed in this business,” Icenhour said. “There is no such thing as job security. If they get rid of my driver or crew chief, I might be gone too.”

    While there may not be job security, the life of a hauler driver is most certainly varied, in addition to being demanding. Icenhour describes his role as not only having to be a great driver, getting some of his team’s most valuable assets to the track, but also as a jack of all trades, particularly once he arrives at the track.

    “You’re the gopher,” Icenhour said. “And sometimes the babysitter. It’s also my responsibility to make sure the boys eat and get fed.  Overall, I just look after them.”

    Icenhour has been hard at work since last weekend’s race.  He did not even get to return home in between, instead driving the hauler directly from Phoenix to Las Vegas.

    The day before the hauler parade, Icenhour spent most of the day getting his rig in tip top shape for the fans along the parade route to enjoy.

    “We got here Tuesday and Wednesday, we came out and polished on our trucks,” Icenhour said. ” I polished all the wheels and all the aluminum. That took pretty much all day.”

    Icenhour and the rest of the hauler drivers were in fine form as they took to the Las Vegas strip. Waving at the crowds along the way, the driver of the No. 27 hauler was only too happy to oblige with honking his horn as requested, much to the delight of the cheering fans.

    “Sometimes it’s a little aggravating,” Icenhour said of the parade, feeling especially sorry for those in traffic, inconvenienced by the parade. “But we need fans and we need to do whatever we can do to put fans in the seats.  If this helps, I’ll do whatever I can.”

    After driving down the length of the entire Vegas strip, engaging all of the race fans, Icenhour made the turn onto the interstate, along with the other haulers, to head toward the race track.  After pulling in ever so carefully and parking just inches away from Clint Bowyer’s hauler, Icenhour jumped out of his rig to start unloading his tool box.

    “We take turns and help each other unloading,” Icenhour said. “It may not be your teammates but we all help out.”

    “A lot of these hauler drivers, we’re like family,” Icenhour said of his hauler compatriots. “If one breaks down, someone will stop and make sure everything is cool. We help one another a great deal.”

    After stifling a bit of a yawn, surviving the hauler parade and the intricate parking in the NASCAR garage, Icenhour was ready to start fulfilling his duties at the race track.  He summed up his hauler driver experience as being his ‘dream job.’

    “You have to like it to do this,” Icenhour said. “It’s hard but it’s a good life. I am very fortunate to be here, I really am. This is the best job I’ve ever had.”

  • Kurt Busch Wins First Gatorade Duel; Bill Elliott and JJ Yeley Race Into the Show

    Kurt Busch Wins First Gatorade Duel; Bill Elliott and JJ Yeley Race Into the Show

    On a balmy Thursday afternoon in the heart of NASCAR racing, Kurt Busch went two for two at Daytona, wining  the first of two Gatorade Duel races after his Bud Shootout victory.   JJ Yeley, who had to race his way into the show, did just that, along with veteran driver Bill Elliott.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”238″][/media-credit]”This is just an incredible  Speed Weeks,” Busch said.  “I just don’t want it to end.  We just keep doing everything right and it’s just amazing to be able to do this, find the right drafting partners out there to make it happen.”

    “This is sweet,” Busch continued.  “It’s amazing what partnerships can do out on the race track.  When two guys can think the same way without saying a word, things are going to happen for those two guys.”

    Busch also paid tribute to young driver Regan Smith, in the No. 78 for Furniture Row Racing, who successfully pushed not only Busch to victory but many of the other drivers who were in the lead throughout the race.  Busch also gave credit to Brad Keselowski, his teammate with whom he has tested and who he  hopes to partner with  in the race on Sunday.

    Bill Elliott, who has been having a very good weekend so far between his own performance and the signing of his son Chase by Hendrick Motor Sports, also raced his way in on time.  Given that, Michael Waltrip, Daytona 500 winner from ten years ago, has a guaranteed starting spot in this special anniversary year.

    “Coming in today we had a little bit of a cushion,” Elliott said.  “But the key thing is when you get two really good cars working together, they’re going to be hard to beat.  This is the same thing you’re going to see Sunday.”

    JJ Yeley, driver of the No. 46 Red Line Oil Chevrolet, also raced his way onto NASCAR’s biggest stage.  The driver, who had to have surgery to fuse his neck just last fall, was thrilled to have made the show.

    “It’s awesome,” Yeley said.  “I’ve never had to make the race on my own without being locked in.  The stress that comes with not being locked in is tough and to know we had a lot of help out there, especially with Marcos Ambrose, we got where we needed to be.”

    From the drop of the green flag, the race mirrored the Bud Shootout, with drivers almost immediately finding a partner and buddying up.  Further back in the field, the drivers raced as a pack, at least for a bit,  until finding their ideal mate.

    Ryan Newman was the first driver to have problems early in the race, getting a nudge and going for a spin.  Newman was able to recover, however, and ended the race in the tenth position.

    While the duos found their speed together, some swapping back and forth was indeed needed to keep the engines cool, just as NASCAR had intended.  Also interesting in this first true race on the new surface at Daytona was the fact that no teams had to take tires, most pitting for their sole stop to take fuel only.

    The only other caution came late in the race for Michael McDowell, the driver of the No. 66  MRO HP Racing Toyota.  McDowell’s chances at a place in the Daytona 500 expired in a huge puff of smoke, forcing a green white checkered finish.

    But when the green flag flew for the final laps of the race, Busch, being pushed by Smith, emerged as the front runner, taking the checkered flag.  With his win in the first Duel race, Busch will now move up into the pole position with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. having to go to the back of the field due to a practice wreck.

    “It’s just going to be one of those moments in time that I’ll remember for a long time, leading the field to green,” Busch said.  “I’ll just make sure to massage my calf so I don’t cramp up with Regan Smith behind me.”

    With Kurt Busch as victor, Regan Smith, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top five finishers.  Juan Pablo Montoya finished sixth, AJ Allmendinger finished seventh, and Mark Martin, Paul Menard and Ryan Newman completed the top ten in the first Duel race.