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  • NASCAR is Flirting With Disaster With New Qualifying Format at Talladega

    NASCAR is Flirting With Disaster With New Qualifying Format at Talladega

    So far this season, group qualifying has captured the attention of NASCAR fans. Television ratings are up during qualifying from a year ago and fans in general seem to like the new format. For most weekends qualifying has been really entertaining and fun to watch.

    The exception to that would be qualifying at restrictor plate tracks in the 2014 season. Group qualifying was crazy at both Talladega in April and Daytona in July. The teams employed numerous gimmicks and several different strategies played out during the sessions that caused various issues. After Daytona in July, NASCAR made some changes and as teams prepare for this weekend’s Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, there will be a new format for qualifying.

    Robin Pemberton, NASCAR senior vice president of competition and racing development, explained the reason for the new format, saying, “This revision in national series qualifying at Talladega should be more exciting for our fans. It will feature a more accelerated pace, provide greater opportunity for team strategy to come into play and it should more closely resemble actual racing conditions.”

    Qualifying for the Geico 500 will consist of three rounds. In the first round the field will be split into two groups and each group will have five minutes apiece to qualify. That means the 46 entries for Sunday’s race will be broken up into two 23 car packs during qualifying. The 24 drivers that post the fastest single lap speed from either of the two first round groups will advance to the second round. The remaining drivers’ starting positions will be based on their best speed as posted in the first round of qualifying, in descending order.

    After a 10 minute break, the second round will begin and all times will be reset. The drivers will have five minutes to qualify and the 12 with the fastest single lap speed will advance to the third and final round. The remaining drivers will occupy starting positions 13-24, based on their best speed as posted in the second round of qualifying, in descending order.

    After a five minute break, the final round will begin and all times will be reset. The fastest single lap speed will then determine positions 1-12, in descending order.

    This type of qualifying at Talladega, particularly in round one with 23 cars on the track at one time, is where NASCAR is flirting with disaster.

    Part of the reason why NASCAR made changes to the qualifying format was due to safety. Several drivers were making desperation moves to prevent other drivers from having great laps. Those moves will continue, especially during group two qualifying of round one, as drivers will have a better idea as to who will make the race and who won’t. I predict a lot of blocking and craziness will go on during the second group of first round.

    With that being said is, it worth it? Is having a group qualifying session at the restrictor plate tracks worth tearing up a lot of racecars, just because NASCAR fans want an exciting format? Many team owners will have to face a financial burden just because fans want to be entertained. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racecars cost more than they ever have and a wreck puts that financial burden on the owners, not NASCAR. Not only that but so much of Saturday’s qualifying session will be out of the teams and drivers’ control.

    It’s hard to control how fast you go in the draft and with only five minutes to lay down a fast time, teams will get desperate especially in the second group of round one of qualifying. Teams that are not in the race could make last second efforts to either cut off a driver or cause a huge wreck while trying to get a fast time in qualifying. Some teams may not have a backup and may be forced to go home due to the wreck.

    I have no problem trying to create excitement in qualifying for the plate tracks. Qualifying for these races has always been boring and never caused people to be on the edge of their seats. However, let’s not hurt the teams by doing it. Teams should have some control over their speeds in qualifying and control over whether or not their cars will get torn up in the process.

     

     

  • Harvick Takes Pole for the Hollywood Casino 400

    Harvick Takes Pole for the Hollywood Casino 400

    Kevin Harvick took the Coors Light Pole Award for the Hollywood Casino 400 with a speed of 197.621 mph or 27.325 seconds It is his third pole in a row at Kansas Speedway. The pole was Harvick’s eighth of the season and his 21st top-10 start in 2014.

    Harvick also set a new track qualifing record of 197.773 mph in the second round. It broke the previoius track record of 194.252 mph which was his own track record.  It was the ninth track qualifying record for Chevrolet in 2014.

    “I’m just really proud of everybody on our Budweiser team. We’ve been dealt some bad luck throughout the year, but it hasn’t fazed them in continuing to work on the cars and the speed. The first three weeks we have led a bunch of laps and qualified well. Last week had them covered and a valve stem got knocked off by a lugnut. Keep doing the things that you are doing and that luck will all come full circle and as long as the cars continue to be fast that stuff all comes back to you. Hopefully it peaks at the right time,” stated Harvick.

    The outside front row starting spot belongs to Brian Vickers. It is his ninth top-10 start of 2014 and his fourth in  11 races at Kansas Speedway.

    “It’s fast — wow. A 27.50 second lap around here, that was a fun lap. All the guys on this team did an awesome job with the car. That was probably the best setup race car on the race track. You’re not going to get through the corners any faster than that. I was really proud of the guys. Hopefully we can take that and take it into the race,” Vickers said post qualifying.

    Aric Almirola will start on the second row in third position after being eliminated from the Chase last week at Dover.

    “That was really important for us,” he noted. “Even though we are out of it we still want to compete like we are in the Chase; prove we are capable of doing it and prove it to ourselves and everyone else out there. This is exactly how we need to do that. We need a good run Sunday. We still have a lot to race for. We can get as high as fifth in points and that should be our goal, to get as high in points as we can.”

    Joey Logano, who will start in fourth, was happy with his qualifying effort.

    “That was faster than we were in practice, so that is good,” he explained. “Overall it is a good starting spot. Fourth is good. The outside lane is good to be in. We will try to move up from there and make sure we make good use of that good starting spot. That is important. Track position is important here and qualifying is one of the most important things of the weekend here and I am glad we were able to capitalize and get a good starting spot.”

    The Hollywood Casino 400 will be televised on ESPN Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.

    The final starting order is as follows:

    1) Kevin Harvick

    2) Brian Vickers

    3) Aric Almirola

    4) Joey Logano

    5) Jeff Gordon

    6) Brad Keselowski

    7_ Kyle Busch

    8) Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    9) Tony Sewart

    10) Kasey Kahne

    11) Greg Biffle

    12) Carl Edwards

    13) Paul Menard

    14) Jamie McMurray

    15) Martin Truex Jr.

    16) Austin Dillion

    17) Ryan Newman

    18) Kyle Larson

    19) Clint Bowyer

    20) AJ Allmendinger

    21) Justin Allgaier

    22) Marcos Ambrose

    23) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    24) Kurt Busch

    25) Denny Hamlin

    26) Casey Mears

    27) Matt Kenseth

    28) Michael McDowell

    29) Danica Patrick

    30) Reed Sorenson

    31) David Gilliland

    32) Jimmie Johnson

    33) Alex Bowman

    34) Josh Wise

    35) Landon Cassill

    36) Michael Annett

    37) David Tagan

    38) JJ Yeley

    39) Cole Whitt

    40) Timmy Hill

    41) Mike Bliss

    42) Joey Gase

    43) Mike Wallace

  • Matt Kenseth Wins the Pole for the Auto Club 400 at Fontana

    Matt Kenseth Wins the Pole for the Auto Club 400 at Fontana

    Kenseth conquered Knockout Qualifying and drove his No. 20 Dollar General Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to first place at Auto Club Speedway, earning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Coors Light Pole Award with a speed of 187.315 mph. It was his 12th career pole and his first pole at this track.

    When asked the importance of track position, Kenseth responded by saying, “Track position is important everywhere. This is probably one of the best tracks we go to though, as far as passing.” He continued saying, “There’s a lot of options here, this place is really wide. It’s very challenging as a driver but very fun as well.”

    His car was consistently fast all day in practice and qualifying. Kenseth was scored fourth quickest in the first elimination round, second in the next round and captured the top qualifying spot in the final round.

    Notable drivers that did not advance to the second round include McMurray, Kahne and Danica Patrick who qualified 25th, 26th and 27th. Those not advancing to the final round include Denny Hamlin (13), Kyle Busch (14), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (15), Ryan Newman (16) and Kurt Busch (17).

    Brad Keselowski will start on the outside pole for the Auto Club 400, his fourth consecutive start on the front row.

    “We’ve got a lot of great momentum going,” he said, “so we’ve got to keep it up. Obviously qualifying up front is always fun and always a great start to the weekend. But there’s more to be done in the race.”

    Jimmie Johnson, Harvick, Bowyer, Gordon and Logano will begin in positions three through seven respectively. Rounding out the top twelve are Marcos Ambrose, Edwards, Stewart, rookie Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr.

    The Auto Club 400 race will consist of 200 laps/400 miles. It will be televised on FOX with race coverage beginning Sunday at 3:00 pm. The green flag is scheduled to drop at approximately 3:18 pm.

    The complete starting lineup for the Auto Club 400:

    Position No. Driver Sponsor
    1 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota
    2 2 Brad Keselowski Wurth Ford
    3 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Spring is Calling Chevrolet
    4 4 Kevin Harvick Jimmy John’s Chevrolet
    5 15 Clint Bowyer PEAK Toyota
    6 24 Jeff Gordon Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet
    7 22 Joey Logano AAA Southern California Ford
    8 9 Marcos Ambrose DeWalt Ford
    9 99 Carl Edwards Subway Ford
    10 14 Tony Stewart Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet
    11 42 Kyle Larson Target Chevrolet
    12 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Chevrolet
    13 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota
    14 18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota
    15 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard Chevrolet
    16 31 Ryan Newman Caterpillar Chevrolet
    17 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet
    18 47 AJ Allmendinger Charter Chevrolet
    19 55 Brian Vickers TreatMyClot.com/Aaron’s Toyota
    20 3 Austin Dillon # Cheerios Chevrolet
    21 43 Aric Almirola Farmland Ford
    22 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford EcoBoost Ford
    23 7 Michael Annett # Pilot/Flying J Chevrolet
    24 16 Greg Biffle 3M Aerospace Ford
    25 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s Chevrolet
    26 5 Kasey Kahne Time Warner Cable Chevrolet
    27 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy/Get Found Chevrolet
    28 51 Justin Allgaier # Brandt Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
    29 38 David Gilliland Love’s Travel Stops Ford
    30 27 Matt Crafton (i) Duracell/Menards Chevrolet
    31 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet
    32 30 Parker Kligerman # Swan Energy Toyota
    33 35 David Reutimann MDS Transport Ford
    34 26 Cole Whitt # Swan Energy Toyota
    35 32 Travis Kvapil SK Hand Tools Ford
    36 36 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet
    37 33 Brian Scott (i) Whitetail Chevrolet
    38 98 Josh Wise Trench Shoring Company Chevrolet
    39 23 Alex Bowman # Dr.Pepper Toyota
    40 83 Ryan Truex # Borla Exhaust Toyota
    41 34 David Ragan Taco Bell Ford
    42 66 Joe Nemechek (i) Land Castle Title Toyota
    43 40 Landon Cassill (i) CRC Brakleen/FiberLock Chevrolet

     

    #  Rookie

    (i) Ineligible for Driver Points

  • Matt Kenseth Earns Pole Position for Auto Club 400

    Matt Kenseth Earns Pole Position for Auto Club 400

    Matt Kenseth and Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) won the pole for this Sunday’s Auto Club 400. It is the 2003 series champion’s 12th career pole and his first at this speedway. For JGR, it will be their 74th time leading the field to the green flag. Brad Keselowski will start alongside; the fourth week in succession that he’s qualified 2nd or higher. The first three positions are all held by former champions, with five-time Auto Club Speedway winner Jimmie Johnson starting 3rd.

    ROUND 1

    Round 1 went on without any incidents, but certainly wasn’t void of on-track action. With just 35 seconds left in the 25 minute session, Carl Edwards booted Roush-Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle out of the top 12. Biffle responded in dramatic fashion by jumping from 25th to 17th as the clock ran out. Jamie McMurray was the unfortunate driver knocked out by Biffle’s final run at the top 24.

    ROUND 2

    With a handful of minutes remaining in Round 2, JGR teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin sat on the bubble. Both failed to hang on and were displaced by Ford rivals Marcos Ambrose and Carl Edwards. Kyle attempted to fight his way back into the final twelve but nearly ended up finding the wall instead. ROTY contender Michael Annett was a new face in Round 2, and ultimately placed 23rd; the best starting position of his young career.

    ROUND 3

    Gordon, Kenseth, Larson, Johnson, Bowyer, Edwards, Logano, Harvick, Stewart, Keselowski, Ambrose, & Truex Jr. were the twelve lucky drivers that gained entry into the final round of qualifying. Kevin Harvick led for the majority of the five minute session but with just 90 seconds left, he was dethroned by Matt Kenseth. As the red flag flew and the timer struck zero, Carl Edwards looked to, for the third time today, make a last ditch effort to steal the show once again.

    He did indeed steal the show, but for all the wrong reasons. He rocketed through the final corner in the green, faster than Kenseth, but pushed too hard and caught the wall with the right side. He will instead start 9th. Front row ace Brad Keselowski was the final driver to post a time and ended up just four hundredths off the top, officially placing 2nd. Keselowski, Logano, and Johnson are the only three drivers to make it into the pole-decider round of every knock-out qualifying session in 2014.

    Complete Starting Lineup

    1.) Matt Kenseth #20
    2.) Brad Keselowski #2
    3.) Jimmie Johnson #48
    4.) Kevin Harvick #4
    5.) Clint Bowyer #15
    6.) Jeff Gordon #24
    7.) Joey Logano #22
    8.) Marcos Ambrose #9
    9.) Carl Edwards #99
    10.) Tony Stewart #14
    11.) Kyle Larson #42
    12.) Martin Truex Jr. #78
    13.) Denny Hamlin #11
    14.) Kyle Busch #18
    15.) Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88
    16.) Ryan Newman #31
    17.) Kurt Busch #41
    18.) A.J. Allmendinger #47
    19.) Brian Vickers #55
    20.) Austin Dillon #3
    21.) Aric Almirola #43
    22.) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17
    23.) Michael Annett #7
    24.) Greg Biffle #16
    25.) Jamie McMurray #1
    26.) Kasey Kahne #5
    27.) Danica Patrick #10
    28.) Justin Allgaier #51
    29.) David Gilliland #38
    30.) Matt Crafton (Paul Menard win run race) #27
    31.) Casey Mears #13
    32.) Parker Kligerman #30
    33.) David Reutimann #35
    34.) Cole Whitt #26
    35.) Travis Kvapil #32
    36.) Reed Sorenson #36
    37.) Brian Scott #33
    38.) Josh Wise #98
    39.) Ryan Truex #83
    40.) Alex Bowman #23
    41.) David Ragan #34
    42.) Joe Nemechek #66
    43.) Landon Cassill #40
    (No DNQ’s)
  • Ryan Newman Snags Sylvania 300 Pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway!

    Ryan Newman Snags Sylvania 300 Pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway!

    Flat-track ace Ryan Newman stole the show in Cup qualifying with a blistering lap of 27.904 seconds….a new track record! Kasey Kahne will accompany Ryan on the front row with another pair of Chevy’s taking up row 2 with Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch. Martin Truex Jr. was the highest qualifying non-chaser in 5th and Carl Edwards has the worst starting spot among chasers in 26th.

    Ryan Newman now has 51 NASCAR Sprint Cup poles; seven of which have come at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He’s won here three times here and a fourth win is definitely a possibility Sunday (or Monday pending Mother Nature’s plans…). Ryan is well known for his ability to muscle a car around flat tracks like Loudon, Indianapolis, Martinsville and Phoenix. In fact, his last four Cup victories dating back to 2010 have all come at tracks with little-to-no banking.

    Chasers Starting Position

    Ryan Newman (1st)

    Kasey Kahne (2nd)

    Jeff Gordon (3rd)

    Kurt Busch (4th)

    Joey Logano (6th)

    Kevin Harvick (8th)

    Matt Kenseth (9th)

    Greg Biffle (10th)

    Jimmie Johnson (11th)

    Kyle Busch (12th)

    Clint Bowyer (16th)

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. (17th)

    Carl Edwards (26th)

    In qualifying, there was one major incident and that involved Josh Wise who was attempting to make his 4th career start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It appears he broke a right front shock coming out of turn four which sent him barreling into the outside wall. He emerged from the car alright but his Ford Fusion wasn’t so lucky; he’ll start last and in a back-up car.

    Brian Vickers wanted to focus on his efforts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series today so veteran racer Kenny Wallace got the opportunity to qualify the Aaron’s Dream Machine; he clocked in 29th but Brian will have to start at the rear of the field Sunday. He started 13th earlier this year when he won this race. Michael McDowell will be piloting the No.51 this weekend, Bobby Labonte is back in the No.47 and Kevin Swindell starts 33rd in his NSCS debut for Swan Racing. Scroll down to see the complete starting lineup for the 17th Annual Sylvania 300!

    1.) Ryan Newman

    2.) Kasey Kahne

    3.) Jeff Gordon

    4.) Kurt Busch

    5.) Martin Truex Jr.

    6.) Joey Logano

    7.) Paul Menard

    8.) Kevin Harvick

    9.) Matt Kenseth

    10.) Greg Biffle

    11.) Jimmie Johnson

    12.) Kyle Busch

    13.) Aric Almirola

    14.) Denny Hamlin

    15.) Juan Pablo Montoya

    16.) Clint Bowyer

    17.) Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    18.) Mark Martin

    19.) David Ragan

    20.) Brad Keselowski

    21.) Danica Patrick

    22.) Marcos Ambrose

    23.) Jamie McMurray

    24.) David Gilliland

    25.) Jeff Burton

    26.) Carl Edwards

    27.) Michael McDowell

    28.) Bobby Labonte

    29.) Kenny Wallace

    30.) Travis Kvapil

    31.) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    32.) Landon Cassill

    33.) Kevin Swindell

    34.) Casey Mears

    35.) David Reutimann

    36.) Joe Nemechek

    37.) JJ Yeley

    38.) Dave Blaney

    39.) Tony Rains

    40.) Scott Riggs

    41.) Johnny Sauter

    42.) Timmy Hill

    43.) Josh Wise

  • Marcos Ambrose Shatters Watkins Glen Track Record

    Marcos Ambrose Shatters Watkins Glen Track Record

    Marcos Ambrose has won the last two Sprint Cup races at Watkins Glen and he will start his run at a third consecutive victory from the pole with Michael Waltrip Racing’s Clint Bowyer 2nd. Marcos seems untouchable at this track and a pole to kick off his pursuit for his third win in as many years at this historic race track is very bad news for the competition. This was the second time NASCAR utilized group qualifying at the Sprint Cup level and it went very well only producing one incident which was Brian Keselowski’s spin early in the session.Jamie McMurray held the pole position for a bit before the final two groups took to the track. Clint Bowyer knocked him from the top spot but he was no match for the Aussie ace who took the pole with ease leaving the rest of the drivers in his group to battle for 2nd on back. Ambrose didn’t just post the fastest time though, he broke the track record that was set last year. This is the 12th track record to fall in 2013 which can be accredited to the introduction of these new Gen-6 cars.

    There was also a couple of surprises towards the front of the field in the form of AJ Allmendinger and Michael McDowell who qualified 4th and 12th in cars that are usually run 20th or worse. Max Papis is the interim driver of the No.14 while Tony Stewart recovers after breaking his leg in a Sprint Car crash and the weekend has been a struggle for him so far. Just like when Vickers/Martin substituted for Hamlin earlier this year, it takes a while to get used to the car and how everything works within the team.

    The Cheez-It 355 can be seen on ABC at 1pm est. Sunday. The full lineup can be seen below…

    1 9 Marcos Ambrose Stanley/CTC Jumpstart Ford 128.241 68.777
    2 15 Clint Bowyer PEAK/Duck Dynasty Toyota 127.958 68.929
    3 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota 127.462 69.197
    4 47 A.J. Allmendinger Scott Products Toyota 127.433 69.213
    5 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota 127.400 69.231
    6 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s/Monopoly Chevy 127.374 69.245
    7 27 Paul Menard Menards/Splash Chevy 127.146 69.369
    8 2 Brad Keselowski (PC1) Miller Lite Ford 127.141 69.372
    9 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 127.111 69.388
    10 20 Matt Kenseth (PC4) Home Depot Husky Toyota 127.038 69.428
    11 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevy 126.932 69.486
    12 35 Michael McDowell Dockside Logistics Ford 126.823 69.546
    13 78 Kurt Busch (PC3) Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevy 126.813 69.551
    14 39 Ryan Newman Haas Automation 30th Anniversary Chevy 126.766 69.577
    15 55 Brian Vickers Toyota Camry 30th Anniversary Toyota 126.515 69.715
    16 99 Carl Edwards Kellogg’s/Cheez-It Ford 126.464 69.743
    17 16 Greg Biffle 3M/811 Ford 126.377 69.791
    18 48 Jimmie Johnson (PC2) Lowe’s Chevy 126.357 69.802
    19 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Insurance Chevy 126.321 69.822
    20 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota 126.209 69.884
    21 38 David Gilliland Long John Silver’s Ford 126.124 69.931
    22 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevy 126.086 69.952
    23 51 Owen Kelly Phoenix Construction Chevy 126.011 69.994
    24 33 Ron Fellows Canadian Tire Chevy 125.924 70.042
    25 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard Chevy 125.876 70.069
    26 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevy 125.711 70.161
    27 32 Boris Said U.S. Chrome Ford 125.707 70.163
    28 24 Jeff Gordon (PC5) Drive to End Hunger Chevy 125.591 70.228
    29 14 Max Papis (i) Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevy 125.589 70.229
    30 13 Casey Mears GEICO Ford 124.890 70.622
    31 34 David Ragan Taco Bell Ford 124.848 70.646
    32 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford 124.793 70.677
    33 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. # Best Buy Ford 124.576 70.800
    34 36 Victor Gonzalez Jr. Mobil 1/IMCA Chevy 123.878 71.199
    35 10 Danica Patrick # GoDaddy Chevy 123.750 71.273
    36 83 David Reutimann Burger King/Dr.Pepper Toyota 123.708 71.297
    37 19 Alex Kennedy Media Master Toyota 123.687 71.309
    38 93 Travis Kvapil Burger King/Dr.Pepper Toyota 123.637 71.338
    39 30 David Stremme Genny Light Toyota 123.157 71.616
    40 7 Dave Blaney Chevy 123.095 71.652
    41 40 Landon Cassill (i) Interstate Moving Services Chevy 122.004 72.293
    42 87 Tomy Drissi The Counselor Toyota 120.295 73.320
    43 52 Brian Keselowski Star Coach Race Tours Toyota 118.924 74.165

     

  • 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.

  • Kahne captures the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 pole at Talladega

    Kahne captures the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 pole at Talladega

    [media-credit id=100 align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Hendrick Motorsports driver, Kasey Kahne turns the fast lap of 191.455 mph, to edge out Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) driver Ryan Newman by only .061 sec. to score the pole for Sunday’s Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500. This was Kahne’s third pole of the season.

    “It was a great way to start the weekend. We had a good car yesterday in practice, felt good in the draft, felt good around Jeff Gordon, we were pushing each other and stuff. Things are good so far. It would be great to start first; I have never qualified first at one of these tracks.” Kahne said just after turning the lap.

    This is the 32-year-old driver’s first career pole award at Talladega Superspeedway and first at any restrictor plate track.

    “It’s my first pole at this track and at this type of a race track so it feels pretty good. We have tried for a long time to win one here and this shows how awesome that car is thanks to Hendrickcars.com and Chevrolet and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports we have some fast cars this weekend.” Kahne said.

    Kahne comes into the race sixth in points, 32 points behind leader Brad Keselowski who will start 22nd on Sunday.

    Chase contenders Clint Bowyer, Tony Stewart, and Greg Biffle round out the top five.

    “I’m blown away, shocked that we were top-three. Very, very proud of (Brian) Pattie (crew chief) and everybody on our 5-hour ENERGY Toyota with the support of the Avon Foundation and everything we’ve got going on. We haven’t been qualifying very good on these restrictor-plate tracks and today it caught me off guard.” Bowyer said of his qualifying run.

    Chase contender Jeff Gordon just missed the top five and will start sixth.

    “It was a solid lap and effort. This team always does such an amazing job in coming to the restrictor plate tracks. Obviously, being on the pole last time we were here we were hoping to be there again, but this late draw and the wind you just can’t ever tell what is going to happen. We didn’t get the pole, but it’s still up there where we need to be.” Gordon said.

    Travis Kvapil, who led the first practice session and one of only two drivers to break the 200 mph mark, will start 36th. A team member confirmed that the No.93 BK Racing Burger King car wasn’t good by itself, but runs well in the draft.

    Other notables – Matt Kenseth starts 15th, Jimmie Johnson will start 17th, Kevin Harvick will take the green in 21st.

    “I was just real disappointed in the speed. Honestly, you don’t know if you run a 49-flat or 51-flat, you can’t tell in qualifying, but I was just disappointed in the speed.” Kenseth said.

    Starting Lineup
    Good Sam 500, Talladega Superspeedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/qual.php?race=30
    ===========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Speed Time
    ===========================================
    1 5 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 191.455 50.017
    2 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 191.145 50.098
    3 15 Clint Bowyer Toyota 191.119 50.105
    4 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 190.993 50.138
    5 16 Greg Biffle Ford 190.955 50.148
    6 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 190.848 50.176
    7 99 Carl Edwards Ford 190.784 50.193
    8 21 Trevor Bayne Ford 190.727 50.208
    9 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 190.662 50.225
    10 22 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 190.628 50.234
    11 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota 190.465 50.277
    12 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 190.427 50.287
    13 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 190.419 50.289
    14 20 Joey Logano Toyota 190.393 50.296
    15 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 190.37 50.302
    16 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 190.332 50.312
    17 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 190.298 50.321
    18 43 Aric Almirola Ford 190.298 50.321
    19 13 Casey Mears Ford 190.177 50.353
    20 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 190.17 50.355
    21 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 190.113 50.37
    22 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 189.778 50.459
    23 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 189.748 50.467
    24 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 189.74 50.469
    25 34 David Ragan Ford 189.616 50.502
    26 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 189.552 50.519
    27 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 189.38 50.565
    28 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 189.316 50.582
    29 51 Kurt Busch Chevrolet 189.025 50.66
    30 30 David Stremme Toyota 188.947 50.681
    31 32 Terry Labonte Ford 188.794 50.722
    32 38 David Gilliland Ford 188.727 50.74
    33 26 Josh Wise* Ford 188.649 50.761
    34 98 Michael McDowell Ford 188.638 50.764
    35 97 Timmy Hill Toyota 188.326 50.848
    36 93 Travis Kvapil Toyota 188.296 50.856
    37 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 188.001 50.936
    38 83 Landon Cassill Toyota 187.986 50.94
    39 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 187.46 51.083
    40 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 186.991 51.211
    41 10 David Reutimann Chevrolet 186.783 51.268
    42 33 Cole Whitt Chevrolet 186.289 51.404
    43 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Chevrolet 185.942 51.5
  • Dillon takes NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole at Talladega

    Dillon takes NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole at Talladega

    [media-credit id=100 align=”alignright” width=”186″][/media-credit]Ty Dillon came to Talladega Superspeedway with just a one point advantage over James Buescher in the series standings. If the twenty year old rookie driver is under any pressure, he isn’t showing it. Dillon took the top starting spot for Saturday’s Fred’s 250 powered by Coca-Cola with a lap of 177.291 mph. It was his third career pole in just twenty one starts in the series.

    Dillon is following in the footsteps of his older brother and making a name for himself in the series with an eye locked on one day piloting a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car for his grandfather, team owner Richard Childress (RCR).

    Jason White, driver of the No.23 Gunbroker.com Ford will start second, Buescher third, Aric Almirola fourth and Cale Gale starts fifth.

    Kurt Busch had to settle for the sixth starting spot after leading the final practice session.

    “I’m more of a rookie than all of the rest of these guys when it comes to the draft, because they’ve been doing it the last few years. The last time I did a restrictor plate truck race was back in 2000. It’s been a while.” Busch said.

    Other notables: Championship contender Timothy Peters and recent series winner Nelson Piquet Jr. will start eighth and fourteenth respectively.

    “It is handling good. We unloaded our Tundra and it was really good. We drafted just a little bit to save our equipment and that will give us a good solid starting position and as long as we can complete 94 laps we’ll be alright.” Peters said.

    The green flag will drop on the Fred’s 250 powered by Coca-Cola at 3:00pm Saturday.

    Starting Lineup
    fred’s 250, Talladega Superspeedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/truckseries/qual.php?race=18
    ===========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Speed Time
    ===========================================
    1 3 Ty Dillon* Chevrolet 177.291 54.013
    2 23 Jason White Ford 176.617 54.219
    3 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 176.598 54.225
    4 5 Aric Almirola Ford 176.246 54.333
    5 33 Cale Gale* Chevrolet 176.165 54.358
    6 18 Kurt Busch Toyota 175.684 54.507
    7 11 Todd Bodine Toyota 175.404 54.594
    8 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 175.394 54.597
    9 7 Parker Kligerman Toyota 175.343 54.613
    10 9 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 175.211 54.654
    11 22 Joey Coulter Chevrolet 175.199 54.658
    12 84 Chris Fontaine Chevrolet 175 54.72
    13 6 Justin Lofton Chevrolet 174.971 54.729
    14 30 Nelson Piquet Jr. Chevrolet 174.955 54.734
    15 99 Bryan Silas* Ford 174.831 54.773
    16 2 Tim George Jr. Chevrolet 174.751 54.798
    17 81 David Starr Toyota 174.592 54.848
    18 9 John Wes Townley* Toyota 174.576 54.853
    19 29 Ryan Blaney Ram 174.277 54.947
    20 220 Rick Crawford Toyota 174.16 54.984
    21 32 Miguel Paludo Chevrolet 174.134 54.992
    22 168 Clay Greenfield Ram 173.765 55.109
    23 151 German Quiroga Toyota 173.743 55.116
    24 1 Donnie Neuenberger Chevrolet 173.412 55.221
    25 88 Matt Crafton Toyota 172.737 55.437
    26 174 Mike Harmon Chevrolet 172.64 55.468
    27 27 Cole Whitt Chevrolet 172.351 55.561
    28 225 Brandon Knupp Chevrolet 172.274 55.586
    29 13 Johnny Sauter Toyota 172.004 55.673
    30 176 Ryan Hackett Ford 171.97 55.684
    31 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet 171.217 55.929
    32 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 171.162 55.947
    33 8 Ross Chastain* Toyota 170.616 56.126
    34 7 Johnny Chapman+ Toyota 168.684 56.769
    35 93 Chris Jones+ Chevrolet 164.063 58.368
    36 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb Ram 171.407 55.867
  • Daytona: Changes, Domination, and a New Star

    Daytona: Changes, Domination, and a New Star

    As the NASCAR Sprint Cup season begins, there has been change after change. The new surface of Daytona International Speedway has given the teams a smoother track with more grip than ever before. It also created the new popular custom of pairing up with another car to gain speed. In practice, the two-car drafts achieved speed in excess of 200 mph, and in the Bud Shootout exhibition race, speeds were recorded as high at 207 mph. You just knew something had to be changed before the Daytona 500.

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Sunday evening, NASCAR introduced what they called two technical changes. Frontal openings that cool the engine were reduced in size and the pressure release valve on the water system is to be set at 33 pounds per square inch. The intent is to make it impossible for cars to stay in prolonged, close drafting. Thus, the high speeds seen in the two-car drafting will be lowered.

    Many fans found the racing in the Budweiser Shootout to be exciting, but it had its drawbacks. It made it nearly impossible for one car to pull out and slingshot past even its drafting partner and it created the necessity for a “dancing partner” to be competitive. That has always been the case, but the practice favored multi-car teams and made the field less competitive from first to last place. Regardless of the praise from the media covering the race, it was less than what people expect from the Daytona experience. Practice and the Gatorade Duels will be the first indication of whether or not the rules change will accomplish what NASCAR is trying to do…

    ***

    I’ve been watching this whole Dale Earnhardt love fest signifying the 10th anniversary of his death at the speedway, and I have to admit I’m a bit perplexed. There is no doubt that Earnhardt was special and I loved to watch him race, but it seems that concentrating on his death a decade later is a little much. I found it interesting that his son is finding it hard to deal with now. On an ESPN interview shown today, he admits that he doesn’t dwell on that sad Sunday in 2001, and that he was sure that his father would have a problem with it. It’s almost like NASCAR, in hard times, is reaching for anything that will create interest in today’s less than attractive product. If you have to use a tragic event to do it, well, why not?

    It was also announced that there will be a “silent lap,” which will be Lap 3 and have asked fans to hold up three fingers during that lap. That’s almost the same scenario we saw ten years ago. Judging by the number of Earnhardt flags and stickers on campers at the tracks today, it will be a popular thing to do, but it cannot take away from what we saw today in qualifying—complete domination from one organization and once manufacturer. If NASCAR wants to boost interest, that’s where to start, but I realize that they can’t do anything about a team being better than everyone else. It’s up to the other teams to catch up.

    ***

    The most pleasant surprise of qualifying today was the performance of Trevor Bayne in the Wood Brothers Ford. Bayne flirted with the pole on his run and initially wound up third before he was bumped back to fourth at the end of the day. Some forget that Bayne is a 19-year old rookie and the Woods have been struggling the last few years. Who knows how he’ll race, but if his performance at Texas last season is any indication, he’s going to only get better. It’s good to see a team that has the longevity of the Wood family perform like this. It’s enough to make me forget that Hendrick and RCR Chevrolets have dominated Speedweeks so far, and anyone in a Toyota is out to lunch in speed.

    ***

    Another driver to watch in the Gatorade Duels is Chevrolet driver Bill Elliott in the No. 09 Phoenix Racing entry. Although he only qualified 17th, he has Hendrick power under the hood and engineering help from the front row owner. Match that with Elliott’s experience at this track, and Awesome Bill might have a really good day. That would be special for everyone.