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  • Busch and Keselowski Trying to “Cash-In” on their Previous Success at Kentucky

    Busch and Keselowski Trying to “Cash-In” on their Previous Success at Kentucky

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, KY this weekend for races in all of NASCAR’S top three touring series.  Kentucky has hosted each of these series in past years beginning with the Camping World Truck Series in 2000 and most recently the Sprint Cup Series in 2011.

    Saturday’s Sprint Cup Series race, the Quaker State 400, will be the third Sprint Cup Series race ever held in the Blue Grass State.  The Cup Series inaugural race at Kentucky Speedway was the 2011 Quaker State 400.  Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Kyle Busch, claimed victory of the historical event.

    Success is no stranger to Busch at Kentucky.  He has experience racing at Kentucky Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and the ARCA Racing Series.  He has been to victory lane four times, once from each series.

    When asked if he can put his finger on why he has been so good at Kentucky in all divisions, Busch said, “I can’t actually, but I can remember going there for the first time back in 2003 and it was my second-ever ARCA race and first time on a 1.5 mile oval.  It was a big deal, and it was a fast racetrack and I ended up winning that weekend.  I had to do some maneuvering around Frank Kimmel to win.  It wasn’t easy.  But since then, going there in Nationwide and being fast there every time, and going back to race when Sprint Cup didn’t have a date, yet, just getting your feet wet for when that opportunity came when Sprint Cup did go there.  When we went with the Cup car, we were fast right when we unloaded.  Dave Rogers was my crew chief and he had won there several times as a Nationwide crew chief prior to that and had a lot of notes to understand what it took to get around Kentucky, and we ended up winning the first Cup race there.”

    Busch is running races in all three NASCAR divisions this weekend.  His No. 51 ToyotaCare Toyota had a third place finish in the Camping World Truck Series Thursday night, and he finished fifth in the Nationwide Series Feed the Children 300 on Friday night.  The Quaker State 400 will be Busch’s third race of the weekend.  He will be starting in fourth position Saturday night in his No. 18 Doublemint Toyota.

    Last year’s winner of the Quaker State 400, Brad Keselowski, is also running all three NASCAR division races this weekend.  The weekend has proven to be successful for Keselowski thus far with the first two races already completed.  He earned a second place finish Thursday night in the Camping World Truck Series UNOH 225, and won the Nationwide Series Feed the Children 300 Friday night after the race was called for rain.  Keselowksi’s Miller Lite Ford will be starting the final race of the weekend in eighth position.

    When asked why Kentucky fits him well, Keselowski responded, “I think one of the things I like about Kentucky is that it is one of the few tracks that I have always felt kind of heads up to the field.  I guess to elaborate on that, it is my fourth year in the Sprint Cup and in some ways it feels like I have been here forever and in some ways it feels like I haven’t.  When you go to tracks like Texas and Atlanta and places like that where there are a fair amount of drivers with more experience that I do, I always feel like I am that one little step behind.  Here at Kentucky there is no driver that has more experience than me.  We are on an even footing all the way.  In fact, if anything, I feel like I might be slightly up because I have a couple more Nationwide starts and so forth.  I think that leads to some of my comfort here.”

    Being the first two drivers to win a Cup series race at Kentucky and being the only two drivers to enter all three races this weekend, Busch and Keselowski will have their final chance to “cash-in” on their previous success and extra track exposure Saturday night with the 2013 Quaker State 400.

     

  • Quaker State 400 Quick Facts Preview

    Quaker State 400 Quick Facts Preview

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to the Blue Grass State this weekend for the seventeenth race of the 2013 points season, the Quaker State 400, held on Saturday June 29th at Kentucky Speedway.

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series have had Kentucky on their race schedule since 2000 and 2001, respectively.

    This weekend marks the Sprint Cup Series third race at this one and a half mile oval track.

    Forty three cars will take the green Saturday night for the fourth night race so far this points season.

    Driver of the No. 18 Doublemint Toyota, Kyle Busch, was the inaugural winner at Kentucky claiming victory of the 2011 Quaker State 400.

    Busch has racing experience at Kentucky Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and the ARCA Racing Series.

    Busch’s success at Kentucky includes one win in each of those stock car racing divisions.

    In his two Cup Series starts at Kentucky, Busch has one victory and two top-10 finishes.  He holds the record for most laps led with 243 laps.

    The runner up for most laps led, who also has one win and two top-10 finishes at Kentucky is Penske Racing driver, Brad Keselowski.

    Keselowksi was winner of Friday night’s rain shortened Feed the Children 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

    Other drivers that typically run well at Kentucky,   who are tied with Busch and Keselowski for most top-10 finishes are Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Matt Kenseth.

    Along with his two top-10 finishes Johnson has led a total of 21 laps at Kentucky.

    Drivers will take the green for the 2013 Quaker State 400 Saturday night at 7:30 pm at Kentucky Speedway.

  • Matty’s Picks 2013 – Vol. 14 Quaker State 400 – Kentucky Speedway – June 29, 2013

    Matty’s Picks 2013 – Vol. 14 Quaker State 400 – Kentucky Speedway – June 29, 2013

    To the Bluegrass State we go this week for just the 3rd time in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history. Kentucky was the race which took away one of the two races at Atlanta Motor Speedway back in 2011. Kentucky is a relatively new track, unlike some of the storied tracks like Martinsville Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Daytona, and Bristol Motor Speedway, really a baby on the list of tracks. It’s 13 years old now and has hosted NASCAR events since 2001, mainly Nationwide and Truck series events, but this is one of just a few weekends where the trucks, Nationwide, and Cup guys are at the same place all in the same weekend. The track is located smack dab in the middle of Louisville and Cincinnati – about an hour away from each, located just off of I-71 in Sparta, Kentucky.

    As far as the track itself, it might be the cookie-cutter of all cookie cutters. With just 14 degrees of banking in the corners, it’s the flattest of any of the 1.5 mile tri-ovals on the schedule. Both 400-mile races have produced a total of 10 cautions in the two years of races, so it’s not my favorite stop on the schedule, but it is a night race which always add a certain element of excitement for any race.

    I had the opportunity to cover the inaugural Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway in 2011, and was impressed with everything but the parking situation at the track. It’s a fantastic facility and another one of Bruton Smith’s gems.

    Sonoma Recap

    I’m not sure how many folks had Martin Truex Jr. on their list of potential race winners last week at Sonoma, but what a shot in the arm that win was for Truex, the No. 56 team, and Michael Waltrip Racing as a whole. A 200+ race drought was snapped last week with Truex’s second career victory, and the win couldn’t come at a better time as we make the downturn towards Richmond in September. The win lifted Truex to 10th in points and with the Wild Card race heating up amongst guys like Brad Kesolowski, Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart – 4 of the big hitters on the tour – the win really boosts Truex’s chances of making the Chase in a couple months.

    As for my picks, Juan ran out of gas after racing in the top 5 all day, and Jamie McMurray suffered a flat tire on lap 74 of 110 and finished 25th…the story of my season so far.

    Kentucky Picks

    Winner Pick
    One can not go to Kentucky Speedway without looking at Kyle Busch as the true front-runner for the win on Saturday night. It was a tough week for Kyle at Sonoma last week, and he certainly had a lot to say about it on Twitter following the race last Sunday. I pulled out the popcorn for the entertainment Sunday night as folks poked the bear without knowing we were headed to the place where Kyle has led over 45% of the laps ever run, leads the series in average running position at 3.6, has set a series-high fast laps at 92, and also leads the series in Driver Rating at an incredible 133.0. Kyle has won in every major stock car series at Kentucky Speedway including the Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and the ARCA series, and will roll off 4th tonight when the green flag drops. He was fast in both practices as expected, and will be the guy to watch later this evening.

    Dark Horse Pick

    On Thursday, I picked Joey Logano as my dark horse guy this week, and it’s a pick which looks even better after the cars have hit the track and the starting grid has been set. Logano will start 11th tonight at Kentucky, and was in the top 20 in both practice sessions earlier in the day on Friday. He’s a solid sleeper pick this week because of his three-straight NASCAR Nationwide Series Victories from 2008 to 2010, and has put himself in position for a solid finish by starting tonight’s Quaker State 400 just outside the Top-10.

    That’s all for this week, so until we put the plates on for the 3rd time this season…..You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

  • Track surface a hot topic at Kentucky

    Track surface a hot topic at Kentucky

    Kentucky Motor Speedway has only been on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule for three years. The 1.5 mile speedway, however, has been in operation since 2000. As with any racetrack, the racing surface ages and changes due to environmental factors such as weather.

    This weekend the track’s surface became a hot topic in the garage area. Drivers were commenting on the condition and “raceability” of the speedway nestled in northern Kentucky.

    The most recent winner on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Martin Truex Jr. asked about the bumps at Kentucky replied saying, “The bumps, yes – it’s so rough. So difficult with these cars to get them working. We’re on bump stops. The splitter is very close to the ground in these cars.” continuing, “It’s kind of a fun to be able to do that. Definitely a cool place to race, for sure. Very, very challenging obviously. It’s a good place to race – I enjoy it.”

    Truex was also asked if there could be more passing than in previous years. Truex commented, “That’s directly related to the banking on the track, the bumps on the track, There’s just not a lot of grip up high. Right now today, if you got out of the black it was pretty treacherous.”

    Truex also had the same opinion of many other drivers, that he would not want it re-paved. “You hate to even say the word re-pave. I hate to say it because I’m not a big fan of re-paves.”

    Richard Childress Racing driver, Kevin Harvick, who was fastest in first practice on Friday, was asked if had noticed any change in the surface this year. Harvick replied, “No, the track surface is pretty consistent. This is just a really rough race track. There is nothing wrong with the race track; it is just rough. We’d rather see a rough race track than a re-paved race track. I don’t feel that we had much difference from last year.”

    Harvick’s Budweiser team used one of the four test permitted by NASCAR to test here at Kentucky, and was probably a major factor in the speed the team showed here on Friday. Harvick pointed out the reason he believes the decided to test here saying, “This one doesn’t really fall into much (comparing with other tracks) but we hadn’t run very well here, so I think that was probably why they decided to come here.”

    Another point of discussion has been turn three and how hard it is to get into that corner without having a problem. Harvick said, “Turn three is just really flat getting into the corner, so you kind of drive into the banking and it progressively gets a little bit more as you come off of the corner. It’s really flat there, and you are carrying a lot of speed. You just wind up being loose into the corner for the most part. As you go through the weekend that will be the toughest part to navigate for sure.”

    Many times we see the tracks with rougher surfaces and less grip produce better racing. When tracks are re-paved they are smooth and have a lot of grip. That leads to one groove racing. Ideally, we could see a fantastic race at Kentucky if we couple the rough surface with a tire that falls off a lot during a fuel run.

    When lap times fall off one to two seconds during a run, a driver must move around, try different grooves in search for grip. This tends to lead to teams being on different strategies, and drivers having to “get up on the wheel” and drive. Some cars are falling back, while others with new tires are coming to the front. In these situations, the drivers ability comes into play much more, putting more emphasis on talent and less on aerodynamic downforce.

    All of these factors are a recipe for a much more exciting race. The Quaker State 400 will go green Saturday night at 7:30pm local time.

  • Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 18 Daytona International Speedway – Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola – July 7, 2012

    Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 18 Daytona International Speedway – Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola – July 7, 2012

    The 2012 Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola marks the traditional halfway point in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, and this season is shaping up to be nothing less than exciting. Thirteen different drivers have visited Victory Lane in the first 17 points races (Tony Stewart, Brad Kesolowski, Jimmie Johnson, and Denny Hamlin being the repeat winners thus far) making this season a complete craps shoot in picking winners. I’ve had a blast watching the drama each week, and am looking forward to what the second half of this 2012 season will bring. It will be a mad dash to The Chase, and an even bigger fiasco to claim the Champion’s trophy.

    The site for Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola needs no introduction. It’s the same 2.5 mile superspeedway we’ve grown so accustomed to, but it’s the racing style which has changed the face of Daytona International Speedway (or Juan Montoya if you remember February’s Daytona 500). Sorry but I had to throw a jet-dryer comment in here. The thing that shocks me still about the whole jet-dryer incident in February is Tide received 2-3 hours of free advertising from the jet fuel cleanup, and still they do not show up as a primary sponsor in the Sprint Cup Series. Come on Tide! Get back into NASCAR!

    That’s my rant for this week, on to Kentucky’s Recap…

    Kentucky Recap

    It was another so so weekend in the Bluegrass State last week, as has been the story of my season here with Matty’s Picks. I guess the only thing to do is keep on trucking towards the top, and eventually I will end up with the 1-2 punch I’ve been searching for all season.

    My Winner Pick was the defending champion of the Quaker State 400, and Kyle Busch looked like he would make it back-to-back wins in Sparta early on. Rowdy wasted no time in showing he was the guy to beat in the No. 18 M&M’s Red, White & Blue Toyota by taking the point position on the opening lap. He was the alpha male for 116 laps in the first half of the race, but minor contact with the wall on lap 130 would cause the No. 18 to slip out of the top 5. The contact was the first of a slew of issues that fell upon the M&M’s camp throughout the remaining 80 laps. During the final third of the Quaker State 400, Kyle Busch would experience a broken rear shock, an empty fuel tank, and a flat tire, but still managed to climb from 18th on the final green flag run to finish 10th.

    A tough night it was for my Dark Horse last week in Kentucky… From the start of the race, Kurt Bush fought a car that was at its worse for the entire weekend. Making the connection from practice to race conditions has been a struggle for the No. 51 Chevrolet all season and this disconnect was violently apparent last week in Kentucky. Busch’s car was so bad in the early stages of the Quaker State 400, he slipped from his 14th-place starting spot to 22nd in just the first 15 laps. The crew continued to throw adjustments to the Phoenix Racing Chevy all night, until the straw that broke the camel’s back fell on lap 206 when Ryan Newman lost an engine and covered the racing surface in oil. Busch fell victim to the oil and slapped the outside wall, successfully ending my hopes of a 1-2 punch by the Busch Brothers. Kurt Busch managed to limp his damaged chariot home in 19th.

    Daytona Picks

    As I glance over practice speeds for the 54th Annual Coke Zero 400, I see one thing… I HAVE NO IDEA WHO TO PICK THIS WEEK! The cars look to be so evenly matched this week, it’s tough to pinpoint two guys who appear to be on the road to victory.

    Winner Pick

    It’s Jamie McMurray that I am rolling the dice with this week. He’s got some history behind him this week in the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/NRA Museum Chevrolet, and some solid practice speeds to boot. In the first of two practice sessions at Daytona yesterday, McMurray had the best 10 Consecutive Lap Average at a speed of 196.909mph. He’s also claimed victory 4-times in his career at Daytona or Talladega, but has had a rather ‘lumpy’ start to his 2012 campaign.

    McMurray hasn’t finished better than 7th this year, and you’ve got to look all the way back to March’s Food City 500 to pick up that stat. McMurray sits just inside the top 20 in points and desperately needs a win to have an shot at one of the two ‘Wild Card’ bids for the 2012 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Being fastest in final practice will certainly turn some heads around the garage area this weekend.

    Dark Horse Pick

    There aren’t too many dark horses when it comes to racing on Superspeedways because quite honestly, anything can happen. I like the way Chevy’s engines have performed thus far this year, and with temperatures expected to hover around 90 degrees around race time Saturday night, performing well under the heat is pivotal to claiming victory. Having help from teammates is also an important part of taking the checkered at Daytona.

    A guy that has both of these this weekend in Florida is Paul Menard. Looking at his last 3 races at Daytona, he’s finished 6th, 9th, and 8th respectively. Last year’s racing at Daytona and Talladega gave fans the two-car tango, and Menard rode the coat tails of teammate Kevin Harvick to his solid top-10 finishes. This February’s Daytona 500 was a hybrid of the two-car tango and pack racing, and Menard managed to work his way from 37th to finish in the top-10 following ‘the fire heard round the world’. Keep an eye on Menard on Saturday night as he might just have a shot at taking home is second career victory.

    That’s all for this week, so until we hit New England… You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Quaker State 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Quaker State 400

    [media-credit name=”Adam Lovelace” align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]Racing, rather than traffic, ruled the day at the second annual running of the Quaker State 400. Here is what was surprising and not so surprising from Kentucky Speedway.

    Surprising:  It was surprising the odds that Brad Keselowski played to get to Victory Lane. He finished No. 1 in the Quaker State 400 in the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge to score his No.3 win for the 2012 season.

    Keselowski, in a back-up car after a practice accident with Juan Pablo Montoya, scored his first ever win at Kentucky.

    “Who’d have figured my best finish would have came in the hardest race but that just shows the importance of teamwork,” Keselowski said. “The group of guys that I have on this Miller Lite Dodge, they’re just bad asses.”

    “They put together a back-up car from last year in the hundred degree heat in an hour’s time,” Keselowski continued. “And that’s what got us to Victory lane today and I’m proud of these guys for it, damn proud of ‘em.”

    “I think that sums it up.”

    Not Surprising:  Penske Racing’s other car, with A.J. Allmendinger behind the wheel, also beat the odds at Kentucky. The ‘Dinger brought the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge home in the ninth position, in spite of running out of gas on the last lap.

    “I was happy with the way most of the day went, especially around here because I haven’t been good around here,” Allmendinger said. “A lot of the credit goes to Brad helping me out. He’s obviously really good.”

    “But for a track that I’m not very good at, that I really struggle at and tough conditions, running inside the top 10 for pretty much all of the day and getting a ninth out of it, which I’d like to have been a little bit better, but it’s something to build on.”

    Surprising:  Stewart Haas Racing had a surprisingly bad day in the Blue Grass State. Tony Stewart, in the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, had ignition problems early in the race which led to his 32nd place finish.

    With that dismal finish, Smoke became NASCAR’s biggest loser, dropping four positions to ninth position in the point standings.

    Teammate Ryan Newman, behind the wheel of the No. 39 Tornados Chevrolet, finished 34th after blowing his engine and careening into the wall. Although Newman was not physically hurt, his psyche took a hit with his second DNF of the season.

    Not Surprising:  On the flip side, Hendrick Motorsports had a fabulous day at Kentucky Speedway, with Kasey Kahne finishing second, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fourth, Jeff Gordon fifth, and Jimmie Johnson sixth.

    This was Kahne’s first top-10 finish in two races at Kentucky and his eighth top-10 finish of the season.

    “Well, we had a really good Quaker State Chevrolet,” Kahne said. “We had to pass a ton of cars and came up a little short.”

    “But the team was awesome.”

    Kahne’s HMS teammate and four time champ Jeff Gordon echoed his sentiments.

    “It was a pretty flawless night for our Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet,” Jeff Gordon said. “I was pretty excited that we came home with a fifth place finish, battling up front like we did.”

    Surprising:  After three straight engine issues in a row and a smack against the wall at Kentucky, Kyle Busch, who was dominant early in the race, finished with a surprising top-10.

    “It was definitely not any fun – not as much fun as we were having early on,” Busch said. “We just had to persevere and try to get through it the best we could.”

    “So, tough night again for these M&M’s guys,” Busch continued. “We salvaged a heck of a finish for what all we had to go through.”

    Not Surprising:   Every race, even in the heart of horse country, has its share of drivers unhappy with one another. And this race was no exception, with drivers Joey Logano and Ryan Newman getting into it.

    “I’m not really sure what’s going on with the boy in that No. 20 car,” Newman said. “He’s got a few things to learn and I’m going to have to be the one who teaches him.”

    Surprising:  Matt Kenseth’s announcement that he would leave Roush Fenway Racing at the end of the season for pastures unknown had surprisingly no effect on him on the track. Kenseth, in his No. 17 Fifth Third Ford Fusion finished 7th and maintained his points lead in the Chase standings.

    “It was a huge struggle for us tonight,” Kenseth said. “I am happy to finish seventh for as big of a struggle as it was.”

    Not Surprising:  Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota, announced via Twitter prior to the race that he would be staying on with Joe Gibbs Racing and, to no one’s surprise, finished third in the Quaker State 400.

    This was Hamlin’s first top-10 finish in two races at Kentucky Speedway.

    “Our car was really strong,” Hamlin said. “I’m proud of this FedEx team. We needed a finish and that was my first priority on that last run.”

    “Anybody that follows me on Twitter – I like to give them the information first,” Hamlin continued. “A proud moment for us and Joe Gibbs Racing to sign an extension and know where we’re going to be for the foreseeable future.”

    “Hopefully we’ll win a championship together.”

    Surprising:  Forget the consistent points racing, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has a surprising new attitude – he just wants to win. Junior, behind the wheel of the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet, finished fourth, however, still had his Michigan win of two weeks ago on his mind.

    “It was really fun,” Junior said of his top-5 at Kentucky. “But we’re just ready to win.”

    “I really had fun winning the other week,” Junior continued. “I’m ready to get back to Victory Lane. I ain’t going to be as patient this time.”

    Not Surprising:  Martin Truex Jr., in the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, continued to fly the flag for Michael Waltrip Racing, finishing eighth.

    “We weren’t very good all night,” Truex Jr. said. “We had a good finish – – I guess.”

    “We were just really tight all night and we couldn’t do anything to fix it.”

    Surprising:  Carl Edwards and company made a rare mistake on pit road, having to come for a splash of gas to finish the race. The No. 99 UPS Ford Fusion took the checkered flag in the 20th position at race end.

    “We had a pretty good car at the end,” Edwards said. “Bob (Osborne) called me onto pit road.”

    “He knew we should have pitted that last time but I was already so far around that cone that I just didn’t feel right cutting across traffic and slamming the splitter down to make it to pit road.”

    “We were put in a box,” Edwards continued. “I am real frustrated. We need to get this in gear.”

    Not Surprising:  After a 21st place finish, it is not surprising to lose positions in the point standings. And Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 American Red Cross Ford Fusion, did just that, falling to the fourth spot in the Chase.

    “We qualified a little better this year than we did last year but the end result was the same,” Biff said. “We were off a little bit and just couldn’t get a handle on it.”

    The Cup Series next travels to Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero 400 for another Saturday night of racing under the lights