Tag: Richard Childress Racing

  • Chocolate Myers Reflects on his Favorite Rockingham Speedway Memories

    Chocolate Myers Reflects on his Favorite Rockingham Speedway Memories

    ChocolateMyersDuring the Classic 3 Champion race weekend at Rockingham Speedway, I was able to spend a few minutes speaking with Danny “Chocolate” Myers, legendary gas man for Dale Earnhardt. Myers was there to wave the green flag and give the command to start engines for the inaugural running of the three championship races.

    I asked him to share some of his favorite memories of “The Rock.”

    Myers talked about winning championships under the old points system and why he thinks today’s Chase format is better.

    “A lot of people want to talk about the Chase and how it used to be. I absolutely love it the way it used to be but what we got going today, I think, is better than it ever was.”  He continued, saying, “I’ll give you a great example.”

    “We came down to this racetrack. I think we had Rockingham, then Atlanta, and maybe somewhere else, I can’t remember exactly. But when they dropped the green flag here, the Winston people put the banner up and we were the champions.”

    “So the next two races were just races, the championship had already been decided.”

    Rockingham Speedway is home to a lifetime of cherished memories for Myers.

    “This is a place where I’ve been coming all of my life,” he recalled fondly. “ It’s not that far from home. Before I worked for Richard Childress Racing, I came to Rockingham to watch qualifying and watch racing. It’s just a special place and it always has been.”

    “It means a lot to be able to come down here, participate and be a part of it today.”

    “To come here and win a championship at this place plus we won four pit crew championships in a row right here; that’s pretty daggum special. We’re the only ones that have been able to do that.  This is a special place.”

    Myers also praised owner Andy Hillenburg for his efforts in bringing NASCAR racing back to Rockingham Speedway.

    “This place is a wonderful and a beautiful track. It hasn’t always been like this. When we used to race down here before the garage was built, we’ve been snowed out and rained out; it was absolutely unbelievable. What Andy has been able to do with it now, to keep it up, is a job itself.”

    NASCAR Racing will return to Rockingham Speedway April 14, 2013, with the Camping World Truck Series event. Please visit the website http://rockinghamspeedway.com/ for more information.

     

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Chicagoland

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Chicagoland

    [media-credit name=”Noel Lanier” align=”alignright” width=”247″][/media-credit]Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski won the Geico 400, taking round 1 of the Chase For The Cup after holding off Jimmie Johnson at Chicagoland. Keselowski leads the point standings, three ahead of Johnson.

    “I’m aiming to be Roger Penske’s first Sprint Cup champion,” Keselowski said. “Nothing beats flying the checkered flag, except the ‘Jolly Roger.’

    “This could be the making of a great rivalry with Johnson. I took it to him; now I want to take it from him.”

    2. Jimmie Johnson: After starting from the pole, Johnson led a race-high 172 laps but couldn’t close the deal at Chicagoland, finishing second to Brad Keselowski’s late rush. Johnson now trails Keselowski by three in the Sprint Cup point standings.

    “Keselowski’s win had the makings of a ‘statement’ victory,” Johnson said. “Luckily for me, Keselowski doesn’t make statements, he makes ‘tweets.’ Kes has hundreds of thousands of followers; I’m not one of them. I only follow two people—Richard Petty and dale Earnhardt.”

    3. Tony Stewart: Stewart overcame a poor qualifying effort (29th), as well as an extra pit stop to correct a vibration, to finish a solid sixth in the Geico 400, a solid start to his defense of the 2011 Sprint Cup title. He trails Brad Keselowski by eight in the point standings.

    “The vibration was a potentially disastrous situation,” Stewart said, “but we handled it like champions. You could say we were ‘shaken, not stirred.”

    4. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin ran out of fuel late in the Geico 400, turning a likely top-10 finish into a 16th. The result dropped him from the top spot in the point standings to a tie for fourth, 15 behind Brad Keselowski.

    “What’s the bigger miscalculation?” Hamlin asked. “Me running out of gas, or people predicting me to come through when the pressure’s on? I had to make a late stop to ‘top off.’ For that reason, I’m ‘off the top.’”

    5. Kasey Kahne: Kahne finished third in the Geico 400, and leaped five spots in the point standings to fourth, where he is 15 points out of the lead.

    “I think my competitors are aware that I’ll be around until the end,” Kahne said. “Despite leaving a number of racing teams in my career, I think it’s apparent that I won’t ‘go away easily.’”

    6. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer led six laps at Chicagoland on his way to a tenth-place finish. He is now 15 points out of first in the point standings.

    “We could have used a dose of 5-Hour Energy,” Bowyer said, “because that was a ‘ho-hum’ finish.”

    7. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt qualified fourth, but started at the back of the field after an engine change, and salvaged a solid eighth in the Geico 400. He is 17 points behind Brad Keselowski in the point standings.

    “I guess it’s time I show what I’m made of,” Earnhardt said. “You’d think the name alone would be enough, but I guess I have to prove it as much on the track as I do in the merchandise trailers.”

    8. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex posted his 15th top-10 finish of the year with a ninth at Chicagoland, but made up little ground to the Chasers in front of him. He is now ninth in the point standings, 21 out of first.

    “I need a win,” Truex said. “In other words, I need to get going. NASCAR just reinstated A.J. Allmendinger, so maybe he can recommend a good ‘stimulant’ to get me going.”

    9. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished 18th, one lap down to the leaders, after a broken shock ruined his quest for a victory run at Chicagoland. He

    “We’re certainly disappointed in our shock failure,” Kenseth said. “Such a finish is tough to swallow, and even harder to absorb.”

    10. Greg Biffle: Biffle finished 13th, tops among Roush Fenway’s three car team. After leading the point standings for much of the year, it was a disappointing start to the Chase for the 3M team.

    “We certainly weren’t on our game,” Biffle said. “I guess you could say for the start of the Chase we were ‘off and running.’”

  • Radio Chatter Sparks Discussion on Team Orders

    Radio Chatter Sparks Discussion on Team Orders

    [media-credit name=”Kyle Ocker” align=”alignright” width=”232″][/media-credit]As the laps dwindled down in Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway, teams and fans alike were brought to the attention of suspicious radio communication between Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing (RCR) Chevrolet and crew chief Danny Stockman.

    In a close battle with teammate and championship competitor, Elliott Sadler, Dillon was radioed by his crew chief to “not help” the No. 2 of Sadler. While some took this comment as a usual thought of any racer, many are looking deeper into why it may have been said.

    Sadler, who is reportedly leaving for Joe Gibbs Racing after the 2012 season, believes there are no hard feelings within the organization.

    “I don’t think so – I don’t know what that means,” Sadler said. “We share really good notes. We always have.”

    A heavy focus has been made on Dillon and his grandfather-turned-team owner’s heavy influence on his team and racing career. Following today’s comments, the amount of input his grandfather has on his grandson’s championship run in the Nationwide Series is questioned by many and what lengths could be taken to assure he is in the hunt without having to fend off a soon to be leaving teammate.

    “We’re one big happy family,” says Stockman, following his realization of the amount of discussion brought on by the comments.

    While it may simply be a miscommunication, from the fans’ point of view, it reopens the question of whether or not team orders can come into play in the final races counting down to the crowning of a new champion.

    Are team orders alive in NASCAR, or is it still any driver for himself? That’s for teams to decide and for fans to debate about.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Atlanta

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Atlanta

    [media-credit name=”Credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”220″][/media-credit]Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin beat Martin Truex, Jr. out of the pits on the race’s final caution, and then held off Jeff Gordon to win the AdvoCare 500. Hamlin’s fourth win of the year will give him the top seed in the Chase in two weeks, barring a win at Richmond by Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, or Brad Keselowski.

    “I kept Gordon out of the winner’s circle,” Hamlin said, “which may have put Kyle Busch in the Chase. You may think I’m doing Kyle a favor. Not so. In fact, I’m doing myself a favor, by letting a driver in the Chase who has no chance of winning the Cup.”

    2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson sparked a wreck with 56 laps to go when he made contact with Sam Hornish, Jr. sent Johnson into the wall. The No. 48 Lowe’s Chevy spun sideways and was slammed by Newman’s No. 39. Johnson finished 34th, 58 laps down.

    “I guess I didn’t see Hornish,” Johnson said. “That’s probably because he’s been ‘invisible’ since coming to NASCAR from Indy cars.”

    3. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished third at Atlanta with his tenth top-5 finish of the year. He is now sixth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 48 out of first, and by virtue of his three wins, will start no worse than second in the Chase.

    “Joey Logano will be my new teammate in 2013,” Keselowski said. “If he’s anything like me, and nothing like A.J. Allmendinger, then he won’t take anything from anybody.”

    4. Greg Biffle: Biffle started on the front row at Atlanta, but struggled with handling issues for much of the night and finished 15th. He still leads the point standings with one more race before the Chase For The Cup field is set.

    “I’m just happy to still be on top in the point standings,” Biffle said. “Even if it’s for just one more week, I still have more ‘staying power’ than some of my Roush Fenway teammates. If it’s not Matt Kenseth telling us he’s going somewhere, it’s Carl Edwards telling us he’s not going somewhere. For the Chase, it seems, none of us are going anywhere.”

    5. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt surged on the green-white-checkered finish at Atlanta, taking seventh in the AdvoCare 500. He moved up one spot to second in the point standings, where he trails Greg Biffle by eight.

    “They say once the Chase begins,” Earnhardt said, “the ‘cream rises to the top.’ Does that explain why I’ll tumble down the standings when the points are reset?”

    6. Tony Stewart: Stewart struggled at Atlanta, running two laps down for much of the race before finishing 22nd, one lap down to the leaders. Stewart has not finished better than 19th in the last four races, and is tenth in the Chase, 18 points ahead of Kasey Kahne.

    “As you know,” Stewart said, “I’m losing Office Depot as a primary sponsor. Whereas the No. 14 has been ‘Office Depot’d’ for many years, it’s now being ‘Office Deposed.’ It seems that sponsorships, like helmets, are going ‘Mobil.’”

    7. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth led the Roush Fenway charge at Atlanta, finishing ninth for his 15th top-10 of the year. He is third in the point standings, 21 out of first.

    “Tony Stewart said there is no ill will between us from the Bristol helmet toss,” Kenseth said. “Considering Stewart’s history of holding grudges, I’m skeptical when he says ‘We’re cool.’

    “I’m finally able to officially announce my signing with Joe Gibbs Racing. It’s not like it was a secret, so I was quite taken aback by all the questions ‘thrown’ at me at the press conference.”

    8. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex hopes for his first win of the year crumbled when Jamie McMurray slammed the wall with five laps to go. Truex was edged out of the ensuing pit stop by Denny Hamlin, and eventually finished fourth. He is fifth in the point standings, and unless he wins at Richmond on Saturday, will start at the bottom of the Chase field.

    “I, along with NAPA, signed on for another three years with Michael Waltrip Racing,” Truex said. “Now, I think I’d rather ‘dot the eyes’ of McMurray as opposed to those of the contracts.”

    9. Kevin Harvick: Harvick led 101 laps, second to Denny Hamlin’s 105, and finished fifth, his first top-5 result since a second at Dover. Harvick is ninth in the point standings, 72 out of first.

    “A water bottle may have cost me the win in Saturday’s Nationwide race,” Harvick said. “I only wish the explanation for my lack of Sprint Cup wins could be explained as easily.”

    10. Kyle Busch: Busch kept his Chase hopes alive, with help from Joe Gibbs teammate Denny Hamlin, with a sixth in the AdvoCare 500. Hamlin’s win prevented Jeff Gordon from an all-important second victory, thereby allowing Busch to maintain a wildcard spot.

    “If anyone deserves to be a ‘wild card,’” Busch said, “it’s me, although the ‘old’ Kyle Busch was wilder and more of a card than the ‘current’ Kyle Busch. Strangely enough, for once, people are encouraging me to ‘go wild.’”

  • Joey Coulter’s Dream Comes True with First Ever Truck Win at Pocono

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”219″][/media-credit]With his mother Susan screaming “Burn out time” and “Oh, I love Pocono,” Joey Coulter’s dream of winning a race came true.

    The driver of the No. 22 RCR/darrellgwynnfoundation.com Chevrolet got his first win in the 3rd annual Pocono Mountains 125 and the first win ever in his Truck Series career.

    Coulter is the ninth different winner this season to visit Victory Lane and the fourth different first-time winner of 2012.

    “It feels amazing and there’s no way to describe it,” Coulter said. “I just can’t thank everyone enough for the opportunity. I can’t thank them enough for sticking behind me.”

    “It’s a dream come true,” Coulter continued. “Call me in three days when it finally hits me.”

    Coulter acknowledged that his racing has always included his family and that indeed his mom was even more excited than he was.

    “For us, it’s always been a family event,” Coulter said. “They’ve been the ones to help me get here.”

    “To have them at the race track every weekend is a huge part of my career.”

    Coulter’s mother Susan echoed the family pride in her son’s racing career and his first trip to Victory Lane.

    “I am so proud of him,” Susan Coulter said of her winning son. “He’s worked so hard for this since he was 8 years old.”

    “He did this one himself,” Susan Coulter continued. “We have the best team in the world. I’m so happy.

    While Coulter’s family was ecstatic, team owner Richard Childress was equally proud of his young driver. And he also revealed that Coulter, in his opinion, is ready to go to the next level in the sport.

    “Joey’s had a really fast truck for the last two years and misfortunes would take him out of the winner’s circle,” Childress said. “I’m really happy for his family and for the whole Coulter team.”

    “We’re talking about running in the Nationwide Series with him next year,” Childress continued. “Sponsorship is the key to putting it together.”

    An important part of that Coulter RCR team has been crew chief Harold Holly. Coulter fully credits Holly with “teaching him how to drive” when they first started together in the ARCA Series.

    “This is as big as any of ‘em win-wise,” Holly said of the win. “We have such a strong support group.”

    “I’m tickled to death.”

    James Buescher, piloting the No. 31 Koike Aronson/Ransome Chevrolet, finished second. This was his second top-10 finish in three races at Pocono and his seventh top-10 finish for the season.

    “The Chevy was decent but we were tight all day long,” Buescher said. “Just couldn’t get it to turn on exit on any corner.”

    “I was just trying to keep up with Nelson and stayed out to lead a lap,” Buescher continued. “The truck was good but it wasn’t the fastest truck out there.”

    “We’ll just dust it off, take it to Michigan and try to get back to it.”

    Probably the most disappointed racer when the checkered flag flew was Nelson Piquet Jr., who sat on the pole and was by far the dominant truck for most of the race. Piquet Jr. finished third, scoring his first top-10 finish in two races at the ‘Tricky Triangle.”

    “I don’t know what to say,” Piquet Jr. said. “There’s only one word that can describe it and that’s frustration.”

    “The last restart was a bit of a problem,” Piquet continued. “It’s a shame.”

    “It was another race that we could have won.”

    Piquet Jr. was also involved with one of the more dramatic moments of the race when he and veteran Todd Bodine tangled, with Bodine getting the worst end or it, including a trip to the infield care center.

    After exiting his race truck, Bodine hurled his helmet in the direction of Piquet, Jr.

    “Nelson didn’t get a good run off two and I pulled down to start drafting,” Bodine said. “I should have known better not to trust Nelson to do the right thing, just move over and side draft with me.”

    “You watch tomorrow in the Cup race and you’ll see it a million times,” Bodine continued. “I know Nelson feels like he owes me one, from Kansas I think.”

    “We had a great truck,” Bodine said. “It’s a shame that ignorance has to take you out of the race.”

    Without a doubt, Piquet Jr. had a different take on the incident.

    “His spotter should have told him that I was behind him,” Piquet Jr. said. “There’s nothing I could have done.”

    “The move he did was inexperienced,” Piquet continued. “With all the experience he has, there’s no explanation.”

    “Not much to say,” Piquet said. “I couldn’t have done anything else.”

    Ty Dillon, driving the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet, was the highest finishing rookie driver. Dillon, teammate to race winner Joey Coulter, finished in the sixth spot.

    “I’m kind of disappointed,” Dillon said. “I made a rookie mistake on the first lap that really put us behind.”

    “I’m so proud of my teammate Joey Coulter though,” Dillon said. “That was awesome. I’m really happy for Joey. He’s put his time in.”

    Dillon was most excited about gaining some points in the championship standings. He is now just eight points behind leader Timothy Peters.

    “We’ve got some good momentum coming,” Dillon said. “I think we’ve found something.”

    “We’re second, only 8 points out,” Dillon continued. “And we’ll keep trucking.”

    Matt Crafton, in the No. 88 Jeld Wen/Menards Toyota, finished fourth and Danny Hamlin, driving the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 18 GNC Live Well/M&Ms Toyota rounded out the top five.

    “The power of those guys in front of us was big,” Hamlin said. “We just didn’t have a great handling truck.”

    “Hopefully now I can give them a little bit of feedback for what I feel like this program needs to work on.”

    Unofficial Race Results
    Pocono Mountains 125, Pocono Raceway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/truckseries/race.php?race=11
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 4 22 Joey Coulter Chevrolet 47
    2 5 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 43
    3 1 30 Nelson Piquet Jr. Chevrolet 43
    4 9 88 Matt Crafton Toyota 40
    5 16 18 Denny Hamlin Toyota 0
    6 2 3 Ty Dillon * Chevrolet 38
    7 17 29 Parker Kligerman Ram 37
    8 11 9 John Wes Townley * Toyota 36
    9 35 6 Justin Lofton Chevrolet 35
    10 20 8 Ross Chastain * Toyota 34
    11 14 23 Jason White Ford 34
    12 18 98 Dakoda Armstrong * Toyota 32
    13 3 32 Miguel Paludo Chevrolet 31
    14 15 33 Cale Gale * Chevrolet 30
    15 6 2 Tim George Jr. Chevrolet 29
    16 25 27 C E Falk Chevrolet 28
    17 19 99 Bryan Silas * Ford 27
    18 23 84 Chris Fontaine Chevrolet 26
    19 10 9 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 25
    20 34 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet 24
    21 32 159 Kyle Martel Chevrolet 0
    22 8 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 23
    23 27 28 Wes Burton Chevrolet 21
    24 7 5 Paulie Harraka * Ford 20
    25 30 282 Sean Corr Ford 19
    26 12 11 Todd Bodine Toyota 18
    27 13 13 Johnny Sauter Toyota 17
    28 21 93 Dennis Setzer Chevrolet 16
    29 26 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 15
    30 31 225 Brandon Knupp Chevrolet 0
    31 22 7 Jeff Agnew Toyota 13
    32 29 174 Scott Riggs Chevrolet 0
    33 36 175 Adam Edwards Chevrolet 11
    34 28 38 Chris Jones Chevrolet 10
    35 33 0 Chris Lafferty Ram 9
    36 24 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb Ram 8
  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Indianapolis

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Indianapolis

    [media-credit name=”Adam Lovelace” align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson led 99 of 160 laps at Indianapolis, powering to the win in the Brickyard 400, his fourth career Brickyard triumph. He remained fourth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 27 behind Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

    “That’s ties me with Jeff Gordon for most Brickyard wins,” Johnson said. “And I’m getting awfully cozy with the bricks. One more win at Indy, and they’ll have to start calling me the ‘Brick-layer.’ And much like a brick, my championship aspirations have been ‘solidified’ in concrete.”

    2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt posted his ninth top-5 finish of the year with a fourth at Indianapolis, and ascended to the top of the point standings. He leads Matt Kenseth by 14 as the series heads to Pocono for Sunday’s Pennsylvania 400.

    “It’s great o finally be atop the point standings,” Earnhardt said. “To quote Jeremy Mayfield, ‘I can’t get any higher.’

    “Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about A.J. Allmendinger’s ‘A’ sample and ‘B’ sample. But let me tell you about some other samples that, like Allmendinger’s, always turn out positive. Those are the urine tests of the people of Junior Nation, whose ‘E’ samples never fail.”

    3. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished 35th in the Brickyard 400 after getting caught up in a late accident that left him 28 laps down. He fell out of the Sprint Cup points lead and now trails Dale Earnhardt, Jr. by 14.

    “I was wiped out by Joey Logano,” Kenseth said, “whom I may very well be replacing at Joe Gibbs Racing next year. On both subjects, Logano’s driving skill and my impending move to JGR, I’ll hold my tongue. ‘Mum’s the word.’ Or, in Logano’s case, ‘Dad’s the word.’”

    4. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin started on pole at Indianapolis, leading 27 laps before finishing sixth, his 11th top-10 of the year. He remained fifth in the point standings, 64 out of first.

    “As a driver who’s never won a Sprint Cup championship,” Hamlin said, “I guess starting on pole is as close as I can come to saying I ‘went out on top.’

    “But not having won since April, I’m primed for another win. And I’m always solid in the Poconos. I’m no Dale Earnhardt, Jr., but you could say I’m ‘Mountain Due.’”

    5. Tony Stewart: Stewart finished a solid 10th at Indianapolis, his 10th top-10 finish of the season. He is eighth in the point standings, 79 out of first.

    “The Chase is shaping up to be a battle between Jimmie Johnson and myself,” Stewart said. “There are eight championship titles between us. It will be a battle of epic proportions. And I’m sure this is one time when Jimmie doesn’t mind being categorized as a ‘heavyweight’ along with me.”

    6. Greg Biffle: Biffle was the lone bright spot for Roush Fenway Racing in the Brickyard 400, finishing third while teammates Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth finished 29th and 35th, respectively. Biffle held on to third in the point standings, and trails Dale Earnhardt, Jr. by 22.

    “Kenseth may be leaving Roush Fenway,” Biffle said, “but Edwards is staying. Jack Roush isn’t the only one who believes Edwards is ‘going nowhere.’”

    7. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski led 22 laps at Indianapolis and finished ninth, one day after winning the Nationwide Indiana 250. He is ninth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 82 out of first.

    “Thanks to NASCAR for penalizing Elliot Sadler on the final restart Saturday,” Keselowski said. “Apparently, NASCAR supports my use of Twitter and social media, because they gave me one more follower.”

    8. Kyle Busch: Busch finished a distant second to Jimmie Johnson, posting his sixth top-5 finish of the year. Busch’s runner-up result boosted his Chase hopes as he moved up two places in the point standings to 11th.

    “Jimmie Johnson opened up a four second lead on me,” Busch said. “Take it from someone who knows what it’s like to go insanely fast: the only way I could have caught Johnson was with a blue light.”

    9. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished 13th in the Brickyard 400 and still remains winless on the year. He is sixth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 78 out of first.

    “Fatherhood has put life into perspective for me,” Harvick said. “I’m calmer, more grounded, and less ornery. Trust me, everyone’s praying that the Busch brothers’ parents get grandchildren soon.”

    10. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex finished a solid eighth at Indianapolis, posting his 10th top-10 result of the year. He is tied for sixth in the point standings and trails Dale Earnhardt, Jr. by 78.

    “Congratulations to Dale Earnhardt, Jr.,” Truex said. “I know he’s spent years trying to live up to his dad. And I think he’s on the way with the No. 1 spot in the points. Finally, Junior’s got seniority.”

  • Brendan Gaughan knows he beat himself out of Truck Series win in Chicago

    Brendan Gaughan knows he beat himself out of Truck Series win in Chicago

    [media-credit name=”Dan Sanger” align=”alignright” width=”244″][/media-credit]Had the suggestion or opportunity arisen for Brendan Gaughan to run a limited schedule the last few years, he would have shrugged it off.

    Attempting to win races and contend for the championship was his main focus. Regardless of which team he was driving for or what series he was competing in. Then last December, after Gaughan finished 12th in the Camping World Truck Series points but only had one top five, a deal to run a limited schedule was presented again.

    This time Gaughan wisely accepted the offer. Richard Childress Racing was willing to put him behind the wheel of both a truck and Nationwide Series car. Looking to be competitive again and instead of driving for teams who bought equipment from RCR, the best option was just to drive for them.

    Saturday night in Chicago that decision nearly paid off. Gaughan dominated the American Ethanol 225 only to come up short on a green-white-checkered finish. He had been leading the restart previous before spinning his tires and handing the win to James Buescher.

    Afterwards Gaughan understood how teammate Kevin Harvick and other drivers felt after a bitter defeat. Watching Harvick with a mad and angry look on his face after finishing second, something Gaughan would normally have been ecstatic about. Not Saturday night.

    “Tonight Richard Childress, Gere Kennon [crew chief] and all the guys at the RCR shop gave me a South Point Chevrolet that was capable of taking us to Victory Lane,” said Gaughan. “There was no truck out there that was going to beat it, unless we beat ourselves. And I did. I spun my tires on the second to last restart, I gave an opening and that’s what you can’t do.

    “I got lucky that we had one more restart and I got to restart in fourth on the outside which is where I wanted to be. Was able to get back to second on the last lap. I’m still just very upset, Richard Childress has given me a great opportunity and second place looks like it would be fantastic but not when you have a truck that good.”

    Sitting in the lead on a restart with nine laps to go, Gaughan’s mistake took him from first to fifth. The final caution, on lap 145, set up a green-white-checkered finish but he was only able to grab two more spots. Buescher, who led just six laps, won the race after going two laps down early.

    During that time Gaughan led 83 of the events 150 laps. The fastest truck doesn’t always win and Gaughan, who hasn’t won since 2003, had the field covered and looked headed for what would have been an emotional win. The 2012 season is his second chance, an opportunity to get back on top and show that he can compete full-time given the right circumstances.

    “The only opportunity to get in equipment this good was to do that,” said Gaughan of his limited schedule. “I had five weeks off, this is after a five week layoff, I haven’t been in a racecar and it’s very odd for me when you spend your whole racing every week and the only layoff you have is the winter before you get to Daytona.”

    Gaughan found himself watching the races at home and going to the shop to see someone else’s seat in a car that he drives too. Everything about the decision Gaughan made, even knowing it was the best one, leaves him with an odd feeling from time to time. His performance though, was anything but odd as he reminded everyone he still knows how to dominate races.

    “In order to get in this caliber equipment, as great caliber as Richard Childress builds, the only way to do it was to take it part time,” he said. “He’s always said if I can show we can do, he’s going to try to give me an opportunity to go full-time if I can show it.

    “Second place may be able to show it, when the trucks that good I still sit here and got to kick myself. Now I remember why you get that sourpuss look on your face when you finish second. I’d be up here in tears for second place the last bunch of years with Bryan Berry and all. Now with these guys it’s like, man, being second place and being that good you just kind of shake your head.”

    But he says, “It was a great decision. I’ve run every race in the top five, top 10 except two. I can’t knock that, we’ve just to keep doing that and I’ll keep putting myself in this position and we’ll finish it off.”

    Following the NNS at Chicago on Sunday, Gaughan will again sit at home and watch as the series heads to Indianapolis. He’ll be back behind the wheel at Iowa the first week of August, then Montreal two weeks after that. The next time he’s in a truck will be at Bristol on August 22.

  • Max Papis Creates New Role in NASCAR with Dillon Brothers

    Max Papis Creates New Role in NASCAR with Dillon Brothers

    [media-credit name=”Gary Buchanan” align=”alignright” width=”164″][/media-credit]Massimiliano Papis, best known to NASCAR fans as Max, has a great racing resume, from the 24 Hours of Le Mans to Formula One, Champ Car and NASCAR.

    But for Papis, the best part of his career has just begun as he forges a new role in the sport, that of coach for young up and coming drivers Austin and Ty Dillon.

     “First of all, it’s a great opportunity to be involved with RCR Racing, working with people like Richard Childress and everyone involved there,” Papis said. ““I was talking to Mike Dillon in the winter time about what I could do besides driving for the team.”

    “We were talking about the fact that in every kind of sport, everyone always had a coach, but in racing, for whatever reason, people don’t really have a coach,” Papis continued. “So, I told them I would love to work with both Ty and Austin to develop them, on the road course and on the others.”

    “We started slowly and here we are now being kind of like the big brother/tutor of both of them.”

    One thing that Papis is adamant about, however, is that there really is no such thing as the Dillon brothers. In his eyes, they are two distinct individuals and that is how Papis approaches his work with them.

    “First of all, the things that I tell people that it doesn’t exist, the Dillon brothers,” Papis said. “It’s Ty Dillon, with his own personality, his own goals and his own way of being and the same for Austin Dillon, with his own goals, way of being and personality.”

    “They happen to be that both are race car drivers with RCR but I want, and they want, to be seen like their own individuals,” Papis continued. “That stands on everything I do with them.”

    “We work out on separate times,” Papis said. “We spend time together analyzing the races, all of that in a separate way.”

    “When it’s important to learn from each other, we have time together,” Papis continued. “But obviously I work with them as two different individuals.”

    While many may see the role of coach as more motivational or inspirational, Papis takes a completely analytical approach to his coaching of both Ty and Austin Dillon.

    “I put lots of studies behind it and I really apply myself to this coaching part,” Papis said. “Coaching, first of all, does not mean teaching someone to speak.”

    “What I do with them is helping them to speed up the process of being who they want to be and being the leaders that they want to be,” Papis continued. “That goes from physical training to the mental approach to the races to knowing how to say certain things and how to react to certain situations.”

    “I want them to raise up to 42 years of age because they are competing with people that have that amount of experience.”

    Papis is also analytical when it comes to coaching both Austin and Ty Dillon on their physical fitness, consulting with professionals and utilizing fitness equipment both on and off the track.

    “Obviously fitness is one of the biggest parts of the sport,” Papis said. “Jimmie Johnson didn’t win five championships in a row sitting on the couch.”

    “Austin and Ty are very different individuals with different athletic backgrounds,” Papis continued. “At the beginning of the year, we made a physical fitness test for both Ty and Austin to understand how big their motor is.”

    “Once we learn how big their motor is, then we work a program around that for strength and conditioning and endurance,” Papis said.” We have an agreement with Polar Electronics, a leading company with heart rate monitors.”

    “So, every single training session we do with both Ty and Austin, we record their heart rate in the races at the beginning of the year so we learn how many RPMs their engine works as I like to say,” Papis continued. “And we try to work around that to improve their fitness in general.”

    “This is a very technical, analytical and methodical approach,” Papis said. “It’s not just let’s lift some weights and go.”

    Papis has already seen this regimented physical fitness approach pay off, with increases in stamina and endurance for Austin in particular when he ran two series races in one weekend.

    “This year, when Austin ran Nationwide and Cup in Michigan on the same weekend and he came out of the car and gave me a high-five because he was tired as he was supposed to, but he still had some energy to go,” Papis said. “I feel that even if we’ve been working for months, we are starting to see the results on the physical side.”

    Papis is equally as dedicated, however, to this methodical approach on the mental side of his drivers’ development.

    “I use exactly the same approach both on the mental side as the physical side,” Papis said. “One example is that we’ve been working on the tone of voice we use when we open the radio and talk to the crew chief.”

    “We’ve been working on the importance of what you say, when you say it and what words do you use,” Papis continued. “Not that you don’t be yourself, but I ask if they want to be the guy that opens the radio and everybody laughs at you or do you want to be the guy that opens the radio that inspires pride and motivates the crew to go extra because of the tone of voice and words.”

    Papis fully realized the fruits of his coaching labors when Austin Dillon went to Victory Lane for the first time in the Nationwide race at Kentucky just a few weeks ago.

    “I have never felt in my entire career that I would have been happy to see someone else winning,” Papis said. “I know that people say that I’m emotional, but I very well know how to control myself.”

    “But I really felt that when Austin won that race that a part of me won it too.”

    “The way that Austin made me feel and the appreciation I got made me understand that I’m making a difference,” Papis continued. “I had opportunity to go to Victory Lane by other friends but I never felt I belonged there but this time, I walked there without thinking because I knew that I belonged there.”

    “I had tears in my eyes when I made my Daytona 500 and I had tears in my eyes when I went to the Victory Lane.”

    Papis admits that he is in this new role of coach for the long term. And he has definite goals for his two protégés in the sport.

    “I have a long-term goal with Austin and Ty,” Papis said. “Obviously with Ty, it is a little longer process because he is a younger person and he is in the beginning of his career.”

    “I know everyone looks at them like experts and like they should win all the races,” Papis continued. “But I remember when I was 20 years old and when I was 22 years old and I couldn’t even polish their shoes.”

    “I like to feel that I am the person that can tell them what their father and their grandpa would like to tell them but can’t because they are their parent and grandparent,” Papis said.

    “And I told Austin that I will not be satisfied and I will continue to help him all the way until I will sit in the winner’s circle when he is a Cup champion.”

    “He doesn’t need to prove anything to me but I want to show everyone who says that he is there because he is the son of Mike Dillon or the grandkid of Richard Childress that is not the truth,” Papis continued. “He’s there because he’s a bad ass like Ty.”

    “They really deserve their positions.”

    However satisfying his work has been and will be, Papis is most proud of the new role of coach that he is creating in the world of NASCAR. And his greatest achievement will be continuing to share his vast knowledge with both Austin and Ty Dillon as they forge their own paths in stock car racing.

    “I feel in one way that I’m creating a new position in the sport,” Papis said. “It’s pretty unique and I wish that I had me on my side when I grew up in racing.”

    “I had great people but I had to learn a lot of things on my own skin,” Papis continued. “And that’s why maybe I took a little longer to achieve my own goals and it’s still taking a little bit more of my time.”

    “My happiness will be that we get to see what I learned at 42 years of age into Austin and Ty and 22 and 20 years of age,” Papis said. “I love them like they are the younger brothers to me.”

    “I know that I’m working to keep a certain distance  as their coach, but at the same time I allow myself to give them a hug from time to time because I really love them a lot.”

  • Paul Menard: NASCAR’s Quiet Contender

    Paul Menard: NASCAR’s Quiet Contender

    [media-credit name=”Harold Hinson Photography” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]With the championship Chase looming and all the talk focusing on other drivers like Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards potentially scrapping their way in, one driver, Paul Menard, sits quietly in contention.

    The driver of the No. 27 Duracell/Menards Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing has 507 points accrued in the Chase standings and currently is back 169 points from leader Matt Kenseth.

    So, why no spot light on this quiet contender?

    “It really doesn’t matter to me,” Menard said with a wry smile. “I’m not out here to make noise.”

    “I’m just out here to do the best job I can.”

    And, in spite of admitting there may just be a wilder side in addition to his quiet side, Menard is all business when it comes to racing.

    “There’s a wild and crazy side like there is to everybody,” Menard said. “But when we’re at the race track, we have a job to do and that’s my number one priority.”

    “Seven days a week, that’s my number one priority and I’m even more focused starting Thursday night through race day on Sunday night,” Menard continued. “There’s so much riding on these races and so many people that put so much into the cars and making the whole deal happen.”

    “You feel bad if you don’t do your part and make something happen.”

    Menard is definitely trying to make something happen at the track and in the Chase. But, like so many other drivers, he realizes that he needs at least one win, and maybe more, to have a realistic chance.

    “We’re a long ways out of tenth,” Menard said. “We don’t have any wins and those other guys do.”

    “We need to win at least a race and if we stay where we’re at, we might be OK,” Menard continued. “But we’d be even better with a few wins.”

    “So, we have to get a little bit more aggressive and try and make something happen.”

    While Menard focuses on one race at a time, he cannot quite get that Chase out of his mind. In fact, he has been cogitating about it all since the off-season.

    “In the big picture, you are always thinking about the Chase,” Menard said. “That’s what we’ve been thinking of since last August and throughout the off-season.”

    “But you do have to take it one race at a time and not think too far ahead,” Menard continued. “You have to go out every weekend and do the best job you can.”

    “If you lose focus of your week to week, you might lose track of the big picture too,” Menard said. “We take it week by week and try to make something happen.”

    One of those races where Menard was trying to make something happen was last weekend at Daytona. In spite of a late race wreck and several trips to his pits for repairs, Menard still managed to quietly pull of a top-15 finish.

    “I don’t know,” Menard said. “I’m not a real big fan of that type of racing just because you have to manage your temperatures so much and you have to position yourself at the end.”

    “We were sitting in a pretty good spot winding down,” Menard continued. “It was five laps to go and we had kind of a run.”

    “I probably should have taken it but decided it was still too early,” Menard said. “And the next lap, we got wrecked.”

    “So, it was just one of those deals that was kind of frustrating,” Menard continued. “Anytime you have 43 cars that close together three-wide around a fairly narrow track, bad things happen.”

    Menard has also been quietly busy since Daytona, testing the past few days at Nashville. And surprisingly, this driver really enjoyed it.

    “We tested at Nashville this past week,” Menard said. “We were just trying to develop ideas and areas to get better in the future. It was nothing specific but a lot of things in general.”

    “Any day in a race car is a good day for me,” Menard continued. “I’m a big fan of testing and wish we’d do it more often.”

    “The problem is that we don’t have enough people to do it on a regular basis,” Menard said. “We have to take a lot of our road guys and that takes away from the shop effort and burns them out.”

    “For me, it’s easy because I like testing.”

    From Daytona to Nashville, Menard will test his skills this race weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. And while Menard is fond of the ‘Magic Mile’ it has not been magical as far as great finishes for the quiet driver.

    “It’s a fun track to drive,” Menard said. “If you can get your car working just a little bit better than the other guy on the bottom and keep that drive off, that’s how you make passes.”

    “The fast line is higher and the passing line is kind of lower, which is opposite for a lot of tracks.”

    Menard will be quietly tackling NHMS with Chassis No. 349. This particular No. 27 Chevrolet chassis was last used at Martinsville in April.

    “New Hampshire is very similar to Martinsville, but just a lot bigger,” Menard said. “It’s a stretched out Martinsville.”

    “The same principal applies though,” Menard continued. “You use a lot of brakes. There are very tight corners and long straightaways.”

    Although the chassis that he is using from Martinsville finished 26th there, Menard is hoping it will be better at New Hampshire, where his best finish has been 20th in the September 2011 race.

    “This has been a horrible track for us in the race,” Menard said. “We’ve qualified well but we’ve had horrible finishes.”

    “Without a doubt, we want to improve on 20th,” Menard continued. “If we come through with a top-10, I’d be pretty happy.”

    Menard acknowledges that many factors play a part in racing in the ‘Granite State.’ So, he and his team are keeping a careful eye on weather and on mechanical problems as well.

    “Weather a lot of times comes into play up here,” Menard said. “You practice under one condition and race under another.”

    “That makes it difficult to be able to predict what the track’s going to do,” Menard continued. “That’s bit us in the past.”

    “We’ve had some brake issues in the past and some other things happen over the year,” Menard said. “So, if we don’t have brake problems, knock on wood, and the weather’s going to stay consistent, we should have a good run.”

    “I like this track,” Menard continued. “It hasn’t been good to me but I’ve run well in the Nationwide car and contended for wins.”

    “I feel like I know how to get around the track and it’s time to put 301 laps together,” Menard said with quiet confidence. “That’s the difficulty every week and we just haven’t done it here….yet.”

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Daytona

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Daytona

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”246″][/media-credit]Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Tony Stewart: Stewart zoomed past the Roush Fenway duo of Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle to win the Coke Zero 400, Stewart’s fourth Coke Zero win and 18th overall at Daytona. Stewart started 40th and slowly but surely worked his way to the front as the night wore on.

    “I hit all my marks,” Stewart said, “and I’ve never failed a drug test. You could say ‘I’ve minded my P’s and cues.”

    “I knew I had to separate the Kenseth-Biffle tandem, and I did so. Apparently, Joe Gibbs isn’t the only one able to split up Roush Fenway teammates.”

    2. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth started on the pole at Daytona and nearly held on for the wire-to-wire finish. But Tony Stewart’s last-lap pass spoiled Kenseth’s ambitions, although he held on for the runner-up spot and extended his points lead to 25 over Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

    “Tony ran a heck of a race,” Kenseth said. “Apparently, A.J. Allmendinger isn’t the only one ‘Smoking’ in NASCAR.”

    3. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt was in position to dash for the win at Daytona, but a final-lap crash sent him spinning, where he slammed the wall. He was able to guide his damaged No. 88 across the line in 15th and remained second in the Sprint Cup point standings, 25 behind Matt Kenseth.

    “It’s certainly not the first time I’ve hit a wall,” Earnhardt said. “I hit one after winning at Michigan in 2008, and felt the effects for nearly four years.”

    4. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson was bumped from behind while attempting to enter pit road on lap 125. His No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet slammed the Turn 4 wall and Johnson finished 36th, his third super-speedway DNF this year.

    “It appears I’m cursed on superspeedways,” Johnson said. “Therefore, I curse at superspeedways.

    “Speaking of ‘cursing,’ A.J. Allmendinger had to utter a few after getting busted by NASCAR. I would never make that mistake. Not because I’m a prude, but because I‘d never want to be the subject of the headline ‘Highs And Lowe’s.’”

    5. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin was running third with eight laps to go when he got loose entering Turn 1 and triggered a wreck involving 14 cars. Hamlin’s No. 11 Fed Ex Toyota returned to the track after extensive repairs and finished 25th, four laps down. Hamlin fell two places to seventh in the points standings, 92 out of first.

    “I may drive a Toyota,” Hamlin said, “but I don’t think anyone ordered ‘Japanese take out.’ At Fed Ex, regardless of the circumstances, we deliver. Hopefully, affected drivers can forgive me. I surely don’t want to hear other drivers whispering about my supposed lack of driving skills. I already have back problems; I certainly don’t need ‘behind the back’ problems.”

    6. Greg Biffle: Biffle led 35 laps at Daytona and was pushing Matt Kenseth on the final lap before Tony Stewart, with help from Kasey Kahne, disrupted the Roush Fenway draft and took the win. Biffle then turned down on Kevin Harvick and started a huge pileup as Stewart hurtled towards the finish. Biffle finished 21st and is third in the point standings, 44 behind Kenseth.

    “I’m sure a lot of drivers are unhappy with me,” Biffle said. “My lane change was a lot like Kenseth’s team change—I still can’t tell you where I was going.”

    7. Brad Keselowski: Keselowki finished eighth in the Coke Zero 400, following up his Kentucky win with a solid top-10 result. He is ninth in the point standings, 103 out of first.

    “As you’ve probably heard,” Keselowski said, “my Penske teammate A.J. Allmendinger was suspended for failing a drug test. That’s too bad. I like communicating on Twitter, with 140 characters. It’s seems A.J. likes communicating with ‘4:20’ characters.”

    “But I can’t discuss A.J.’s situation, despite my burning desire to talk it up on Twitter. Roger Penske told me the same thing he told A.J.—‘pipe down.’”

    8. Kevin Harvick: Harvick was caught up in a final lap wreck that likely cost him a top-10 finish, which would have been his first since a second at Dover on June 3rd. Harvick is sixth in the point standings, 90 behind Matt Kenseth.

    “How is DeLana Harvick like A.J. Allmendinger?” Harvick said. “Her urine test turned up positive as well.

    “I used to drive the Shell/Pennzoil-sponsored car. Not once did I ever have an ‘intake’ problem.”

    9. Carl Edwards: Edwards broke a five-race slump with his first top-10 result since a ninth at Charlotte, finishing sixth in the Coke Zero 400. He is now 11th in the point standings, 34 ahead of Paul Menard in 13th.

    “Despite my first top 10 in six races,” Edwards said, “Daytona left me with an empty feeling inside. How, of all people, could I find any enjoyment in a race won by Tony Stewart in Florida in which a Roush Fenway driver finished second? If I didn’t know better, I’d say this was Homestead in 2011.”

    10. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex finished 17th at Daytona, limping to the finish after getting sucked in to a last-lap crash. Truex now sits seventh in the point standings, 92 out of first.

    “Notable casualties in Daytona wrecks included me, Dale Earnhardt, and Juan Montoya,” Truex said. “In other words, two ‘Juniors’ and a ‘Senor.’”