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Tag: Richard Childress Racing

  • The Players – The Best Teams’ 2018 Lineup in NASCAR Cup

    The Players – The Best Teams’ 2018 Lineup in NASCAR Cup

    It’s only a short time until the annual Media Tour at the Hall of Fame in Charlotte. We will learn a lot there, but a couple things are obvious. There will be 24 major teams running next year (10 Fords, nine Chevrolets, and five Toyotas). Each camp has stars in their lineup, but Toyota’s dominance of the 2017 season (with only six competitive cars) is favored. Let’s look at each team’s lineup.

    Chevrolet has the four Hendrick Motorsports cars. HMS fell on hard times last year despite their dominance for several years. Jimmie Johnson will be back in the Lowe’s Camaro. You read that right. The older SS they have fun the last few years is no longer being manufactured, so a change had to be made. Besides, finding a dealer with a Chevy SS was about as hard as finding a needle in a haystack anyway. After Johnson, the rest of the team will be made up of a group of youngsters. Chase Elliott is back, this time taking his father’s No. 9, William Byron, in the 24, and Alex Bowman in the 88. Of this team, only Johnson has ever won a Cup race. You might call this a rebuilding year for HMS.

    Richard Childress Racing will field the 31 for Ryan Newman, the 3 for Austin Dillon, and the 27, with the driver rumored to be Brennan Poole, but nothing has been announced. Both Newman and Dillon won races last year.

    Chip Ganassi Racing will feature Kyle Larson in the 42, coming off an excellent season. Jamie McMurray will be back in the No. 1 Chevrolet.

    Ford will field one more competitive car in 2018. Team Penske has expanded to three cars with Brad Keselowski in the No. 2 and Joey Logano in the No.22 Fords. Ryan Blaney, who earned his first victory in 2017 with the Wood Brothers will pilot the No. 12 Ford. The team’s alliance with the Wood Brothers continues with Paul Menard taking over the driving chores. Penske bought a charter for the No. 12 from Roush Fenway Racing, meaning the No. 16 is not coming back. The Charter was leased to the No. 37 JTG Daugherty team last year.

    Roush Fenway will see their improved team have the same driver lineup. Trevor Bayne in the No. 6 and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. in the No. 17. Stenhouse won two restrictor plate races in 2017 and Bayne won the Daytona 500 in 2011.

    Stewart-Haas Racing will see it’s lineup jumbled somewhat. The Ford team will have Aric Almirola move over from the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 and drive the No. 10, formerly driven by Danica Patrick. Otherwise, things stay the same with 2017 Final Four driver Kevin Harvick in the No.4, Clint Bowyer in the 14, and Kurt Busch in the 41.

    Toyota saw its field go down a car this year. The Joe Gibbs Racing stable will have the 11 with Denny Hamlin, the 19 with Daniel Suarez, the 18 with Kyle Busch, and Erik Jones, who raced for Furniture Row Racing in 2017 in the No. 20. Much like Team Penske does with the Wood Brothers, Furniture Row and 2017 champ Martin Truex, Jr. will field the 78 Toyota. Furniture Row did not have sponsorship for the No. 77 car, so Toyota’s stable goes from six to five for 2018

    These are the teams that I predict will land in victory lane in 2018. Oh, we may get a surprise winner, but these 24 teams will battle race in and race out for the checkers. We will know more in a couple of weeks when the teams meet with the media in Charlotte, but this how I see it now. A big hole was left in the sport with the retirements of Dale Earnhardt Jr, Danica Patrick and Matt Kenseth at the end of the year. How many will stay away from the sport because these drivers are not in the lineup? Time will tell.

  • Austin Dillon Puts the No. 3 Back in Victory Lane at Charlotte

    Austin Dillon Puts the No. 3 Back in Victory Lane at Charlotte

    CONCORD, N.C. — Austin Dillon scored his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career win at Charlotte Motor Speedway, taking the legendary Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet back to Victory Lane.

    Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson was leading the Coca-Cola 600 but with two laps to go, he ran out of gas, handing off the lead to Dillon. Dillon was also running on fumes with Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch closing fast, but, as it turned out, he had just enough for those final two laps.

    Dillon is the 10th driver to post their first Cup Series win at Charlotte joining David Pearson (5/28/1961), Buddy Baker (10/15/1967), Charlie Glotzbach (10/20/1968), Jeff Gordon ( 5/29/94), Bobby Labonte  (5/28/1995), Matt Kenseth ( 5/28/2000), Jamie McMurray (10/13/2002), Casey Mears ( 5/27/2007) and David Reutimann (5/25/2009).

    Dillon was ecstatic but said, “It hasn’t sunk in truthfully. I’m just so proud of all the effort that all these guys put in. I really feel like I have the best team and the best pit crew. I have no doubt in them.

    “My grandfather has done everything he can to give us the best we can get. Sometimes I feel like we’re the small team out there trying to get everything we can. Tonight proved that 600-mile race when it came down to it, we had everything we needed. It just feels amazing.”

    Dillon’s grandfather and team owner Richard Childress was almost as thrilled as Dillon and spoke about the emotional impact of seeing the No. 3 car claim the checkered flag in NASCAR’s premier series. Dale Earnhardt won his last race in the No. 3 on Oct. 15, 2000, at Talladega. After Earnhardt’s death in 2001, Childress decided to retire the number from Cup Series competition. It wasn’t until Dillon’s first full season in the series, in 2014, that the No. 3 was brought out of retirement.

    “I’m so proud…it’s just unbelievable,” he said. “Having my grandson just made it that much more special. I know Dale is up there smiling down because he would want this win, he’d want to see it with Austin.”

    “I didn’t want to put just anyone in the 3 car. I probably never would have brought it back. We kept the number with NASCAR throughout the whole time. We ended up, when the opportunity was there, to put Austin back in it. He started in the Truck Series. He won races there. He won races in the XFINITY with it. Ty has won with it.

    “Today is special. Here in Charlotte, on Memorial Day, such a special day for all the people that have gave so much to this country for us all to be here tonight. To be able to enjoy what we’re doing, I’m just honored to be here.

    Dillon also gave special credit for the win to his crew chief, Justin Alexander, who made the tough call not to pit when all but eight drivers (including Dillon) headed to pit road on Lap 368. This was Alexander’s first race as crew chief for the No. 3 team, replacing Richard “Slugger” Labbe, who had been with Dillon since mid-2015.

    Alexander discussed his decision, saying, “We had a good car all race. We run top 10 all race. Austin did a heck of a job, the whole team did. We were right there in position on that last stop when the caution came out. We were two or three laps short. Just right in that window where you have the option to stretch it, but there’s a risk with that. You give up a little track position early on trying to stretch it on fuel.

    “We got good fuel mileage all day. It really didn’t make much sense to do anything but that. He didn’t really have to back off that much. We didn’t give up that many spots on the racetrack doing it. I think we were around 10th when we started saving.

    Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch won Stage 1 of the Coca-Cola 600 and finished in the runner-up position, followed by Martin Truex Jr. in third. Truex won Stage 2 and led a race-high 233 laps, leading the most laps in the Coca-Cola 600 for the straight year.  He clearly had the dominant car but lost the race when Dillon’s fuel strategy paid off with a trip to Victory Lane.

    Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin (winner of Stage 3) rounded out the top five, giving the JGR team three drivers in the top five but still searching for their first win this season.

    Race contenders Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski exited the race early after getting caught up in the first caution of the night. On Lap 20 the No.  33 car of Jeffrey Earnhardt suffered a mechanical failure which left debris and fluid on the track. Elliot, who was running fifth, slowed to avoid the fluid but was hit by Keselowski who slid into the back of Elliott’s No. 24 car.

    “Somebody broke and there was just oil everywhere and I couldn’t turn,” Keselowski said of the incident.”

    The 400-lap race was red-flagged during the second segment due to heavy rain and the threat of lightning which resulted in a one hour, 39 minutes and 56 seconds delay. There were nine cautions for 53 laps during the event.

    Truex leads the points standings followed by Kyle Larson (-5), Brad Keselowski (-82), Kevin Harvick (-103) and Kyle Busch (-102). Check the link below for the complete driver standings.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

    Driver Standings

    Coca-Cola 600 Race Results:

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Coca-Cola-600-Results-C1712_UNOFFRES.pdf” title=”Coca Cola 600 Results C1712_UNOFFRES”]

     

  • Newman’s Win Shows Old Guard Still Strong

    Newman’s Win Shows Old Guard Still Strong

    It’s odd identifying Ryan Newman with the old guard in NASCAR today. It does not seem that long ago that he and Jimmie Johnson were vying for the 2002 Rookie of the Year award, with Newman fresh off of a stellar limited campaign in 2001. Newman was set to be the top dog for Penske Racing then, with many certain that he’d bring them a Winston Cup championship.

    Well, it’s 2017, Winston Cup is now the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Penske Racing is now Team Penske, and Newman is now a Richard Childress Racing driver who hasn’t been claiming poles or wins like he once did, way back in 2003. But as of March 19, 2017, he’s still proving that he can win and take NASCAR’s young blood to task, as he held off a Kyle Larson (who so happens to be having a stellar stretch in his No. 42) to win the Good Sam 500 at Phoenix Raceway.

    Since joining RCR in 2014, Newman has made the playoffs a couple of times (2014, 2015), with his ’14 effort culminating in a narrow championship miss, finishing second to Kevin Harvick in the standings. But he went winless that year, the next year, and the year after in 2016. Although he’s no stranger to Victory Lane with 18 wins under his belt (including the 2008 Daytona 500), his runner-up points finish was only his third top-10 points effort since 2009.

    That said, it’s easy to count Newman out in this day and age when compared to a driver like Larson, whose 2017 finishes in four races are 12th, second, second, second (compared to Newman’s 2017 stats of 21st, 35th, 17th, and first). Or a driver like Joey Logano, for that matter, whose 2017 stats are sixth, sixth, sixth, and 31st (a late-race crash at Phoenix negated a pole and 82 laps led).

    With a winless drought broken at 127 races, the win is huge for him and crew chief Luke Lambert, who made the call Sunday to stay out on old tires.

    “It’s sweet for so many reasons. I said that when I won the Brickyard. I said that when I won at Daytona. This has been the longest drought I’ve ever been in. Even in Phoenix, the runners up suck,” said Newman. “It’s just a hard-fought race, a hard-fought battle, a hard-fought four years. I got to thank Richard and Judy, everybody at RCR, ECR, for not only giving me the opportunity to drive the racecar but giving me a racecar that’s in contention to win a race.”

    On that note, when it comes to the old guard, there are few teams that are as old school as RCR. Winless since Phoenix in the Fall of 2013, RCR has been around since 1969. With 106 Cup wins to their credit, Sunday’s win indeed was a step in a direction that the championship organization was more used to.

    It’s been a long hard road for both Newman and RCR in the meanwhile, and understandably, many were quick to write them off. They hadn’t won. They weren’t contending and dominating like they once were. With guys like Larson, Logano and Chase Elliott coming along, we’ll be seeing more of them and less of guys like Newman.

    Those were arguments that we’ve made throughout Newman’s drought, but if the win yesterday proved anything, it’s that the old guard isn’t ready to move out of the way just yet.

     

  • Ty Dillon Driving Geico No. 13 IN 2017

    Ty Dillon Driving Geico No. 13 IN 2017

    Ty Dillon to Pilot Germain Racing’s No. 13 Entry in the Nascar Sprint Cup Series

     Mooresville, NC (November 28, 2016) – Beginning in 2017, Ty Dillon will take over full-time driving duties of the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Germain Racing. Dillon follows Casey Mears, a seasoned veteran who, over the last six years, has helped build Germain Racing’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series program into a viable organization that has garnered the respect and attention of NASCAR’s elite.

    The 24-year old Dillon has made 17 starts in the Sprint Cup Series for several different teams, including Circle Sport/Leavine Family Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing. He scored a career-best sixth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in May 2016 while serving as a relief driver for Tony Stewart.

    “I have been preparing for this next step in my career for several years,” Dillon said. “With my experience in the Camping World Truck Series and XFINITY Series, I am ready to drive full-time in the Sprint Cup Series. I want to thank Bob Germain and the entire Germain Racing organization for giving me this opportunity. It will be an honor to represent a brand and sponsor like GEICO which has played such a significant role in the sport for so many years.”

    Germain Racing notched two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championships and two top-10 points finishes in the NASCAR XFINITY Series before making the jump to the nation’s top racing series. Since the inception of their Sprint Cup Series program in 2009, the team has established itself as an accomplished restrictor-plate program, while also achieving success at the series’ road course events. With the switch to Chevrolet and the addition of Richard Childress Racing as a technical partner in 2014, they have experienced improvement at the challenging intermediate tracks. Team owner, Bob Germain, aims to continue making progress in the coming years.

    “First of all, I want to thank Casey Mears for everything he’s done for our race team over the past six years,” Germain said. “He’s been an integral part of our growth and a great representative for GEICO and our many partners. Bringing Ty onboard is an exciting opportunity for us and we are committed to giving him all the resources he needs to reach his full potential. He’s a very talented driver and first class young man. I’m looking forward to working with him, as well as expanding our relationship with RCR.”

    RCR’s partnership with Germain Racing includes technology sharing, research and development, and engineering under the Chevrolet banner. Germain Racing will also continue to utilize the highly reliable and powerful engines from ECR Engines.

    “Ty has done an exceptional job for us at RCR in every series he has raced in,” said RCR Chairman and CEO, Richard Childress. “He has won races at each level and competed for championships every year. Ty is a passionate driver and has shown that he is ready for the highest level of stock car racing. I’m proud of him and I am confident he will succeed. I have a lot of respect for Bob Germain and the organization he has built, and I know he and Ty will be successful together. I also look forward to Ty’s continued involvement in RCR’s XFINITY Series program.”

    Please visit www.GEICO.com to learn about how you can save money on more than just auto insurance.

    To learn more about the GEICO Racing program, please visit: www.caseymearsracing.com

    You can also follow GEICO Racing on Twitter: www.twitter.com/geicoracing

    To learn more about Duracell, please visit: www.duracell.com

    To learn more about Germain Racing, please visit: www.germainracing.com

  • Four Gears: Chris Buescher, crew chief swaps, road courses and ‘ringers’

    Four Gears: Chris Buescher, crew chief swaps, road courses and ‘ringers’

    Time to cycle through the transmission for this week’s edition of Four Gears.

    This week, our staff takes a look at some of the hot topics in the world of NASCAR. We discuss Chris Buescher getting into the Chase, ponder if Hendrick Motorsports should make some crew chief swaps, move a road course into the Chase and wonder if the bygone days of the “road course ringers” are a good thing or a bad thing for NASCAR.

    FIRST GEAR: Chris Buescher enters this weekend six points behind 30th in points. After his shocking win at Pocono, can the driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford get into the top 30 and steal a spot in the 2016 Chase?

    On the one hand, I want to lean towards no because their performance has been no better than a 27.8 average finish. On the other hand, given Chris Buescher’s relationship with Jack Roush, perhaps Roush Fenway Racing and the folks at Ford Performance might step in to ensure that he makes the Chase. I think, for this week, the jury is out. — Tucker White

    Absolutely. Chris Buescher is the most underrated rookie in the Sprint Cup Series right now, and although he hasn’t had the results that Ryan Blaney or Chase Elliott has he’s made the most of his Front Row Motorsports equipment. He’s good on his equipment as well as with his equipment, and keep in mind he’s no slouch on road courses, having won at Mid-Ohio in 2014. — Joseph Shelton

    If Roush is going to be providing more support to the team after that win, they should be in the top 30 by a comfortable margin. — Michael Finley

    SECOND GEAR: Paul Menard has had a down year in general, but Richard Childress Racing changed his crew chief last week and Menard responded by being fast all weekend. Save for a third at Indianapolis due to a late charge by Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports has struggled ever since Sonoma. With Darian Grubb waiting in the wings at HMS, should Hendrick hit the panic button and make some crew chief changes or should any possible changes wait until the end of the year?

    I think it worked at Richard Childress Racing because they’ve been up on performance this year. Hendrick Motorsports is just down right now. Regardless of whatever is plaguing HMS all of a sudden this season, I have my doubts that swapping crew chiefs mid-season will make that much of a difference. —  Tucker White

    Maybe making the changes at year’s end would be the best, and it’ll have to be something more than Crew Chiefs. Maybe some key faculty changes as well. HMS also had a down year in 2000, winning only four races, but after making appropriate changes they took home the 2001 championship. Following what they did all those years ago could help. — Joseph Shelton

    Yes, they should reunite Greg Ives with Chase Elliott and Alan Gustafson with Jeff Gordon, then replace Keith Rodden with Grubb for Kahne. It’s obvious the 5 team needs a shake-up, and Ives worked so well with Elliott in the XFINITY Series they would be better together. — Michael Finley

    THIRD GEAR: Entering Watkins Glen weekend, the track president has projected a record crowd for a race that has arguably put on some of the best races of the past few years. Should NASCAR move this race into the Chase or is it better not to mess with perfection?

    I’ve been pushing for a road course in the Chase for years. I know we only run it two times a year, but if Talladega can be in the Chase, which isn’t my way of saying it shouldn’t be in the Chase, there’s no reason we can’t have a road course in the Chase. — Tucker White

    A thousand times yes. Road course racing defines the true spirit of NASCAR, and Watkins Glen never fails to put on an excellent show. It should be in the Chase as well. We try to determine the season champion by using the Chase; NASCAR should recognize that an over-saturation of cookie cutter racetracks isn’t an accurate way to determine a champion. Add a road course! — Joseph Shelton

    It should be moved to between Bristol and Darlington so that the regular season ends on a strong note with four really good racetracks. — Michael Finley

    FOURTH GEAR: With only one road course “ringer” in the field this week (Boris Said in the No. 32 Ford), it seems the days of road course specialists are at best numbered. Is this good or bad for the sport?

    Perhaps I’m not the best to speak on this because I came into this sport long after the days when the series regulars started to out-perform the road course “ringers,” but I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing for NASCAR because I believe it truly speaks to the talent of the drivers in NASCAR. It shows they’re capable of more than just turning left for three hours. They can also drive the cars left and right on road courses with muscle and technique. These are traits of a true road course racer and it speaks volumes on just how great the drivers in this sport are. — Tucker White

    I loved the days of road course ringers, especially Boris Said. But now that the days of road ringers are about gone, it is good for the sport. Those guys who make the field week in and week out, are the focus of the sport and the focus should be on them and their talent on the track, no matter if the track is a road course or a short track. — Joseph Shelton

    It’s a bad thing because the ringers ensured there would be some different guys near the front rather than the same old, same old. It created a variety that wasn’t available at other tracks and made both road course races more special — Michael Finley

    Please join us again next week and become a part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts in the comment section below.

  • The View from my Recliner — Just before the Brickyard

    The View from my Recliner — Just before the Brickyard

    I am writing this in anticipation of missing the Brickyard 400 live because I will be returning home from a wedding. My DVR better not let me down.

    Some thoughts before the green is dropped tomorrow.

    The piece on NBCSN with Tony Stewart reading letters from Robin Miller, Greg Zippadelli, Eddie Jarvis and his dad should be a great piece to watch. If the preview of the story is just a touch of what you will see, it should be a great five minutes on the pre-race show.

    You would think by watching promos for the Brickyard that Jeff Gordon was the only person running at Indy. Smart move on NBCSN to use a Fox Sports commentator as your promo. It should be interesting to see how Gordon fares in the 88 car.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s concussion-like symptoms kept him out of the car at New Hampshire and will keep him out at Indy and Pocono; the future is still to be determined. I think the decision on Earnhardt’s part to skip races to get healthy is the right move. He has a life to live and if he isn’t 100 percent physically in a race car, going 200 mph can cause further issues as he moves forward in life, possibly hurt another driver and cost him more than a chance at a championship. Smart move Jr.

    Richard Childress said this week that he is getting closer to solidifying his driver line-up for next year. My prediction is that he brings the charter that belongs to Circle Sport-Levine Family racing back to RCR and puts Ty Dillon into a fourth RCR entry. I think Childress values what Ryan Newman brings to the team and will keep him in a car. The RCR ride for Paul Menard is the best ride that he and his family can buy and Austin Dillon is going nowhere.

    It is nice to see Roush Fenway Racing getting back to where they were during the days of when Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards ran for them. Jack Roush is a legend of the sport and you weren’t going to keep him and his team down forever. He went young with drivers and will continue to improve as his drivers grow with experience.

    The truck race at Eldora was the best race all season in all three NASCAR national touring series. Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and Bobby Pierce put on a great show in the front of the field and throughout the race, you could see three and four wide at times trying to get a position. It was the most exciting race of the season and I am already looking forward to next year’s truck race.

    Five predictions going forward:

    1. Tony Stewart wins the Brickyard 400 to solidify his spot in the Chase and add to his final season.
    2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not make the Chase and because of that, he might not run for an extended period of time.
    3. Ryan Blaney will make the Chase.
    4. William Byron will be announced as a Joe Gibbs Racing XFINITY Driver in 2017.
    5. Kevin Harvick’s pit crew will be outstanding going forward. Last week’s public tongue lashing will solidify the over the wall guys because they know their jobs are on the line.

    Enjoy the Brickyard and we’ll talk next time with the View from My Recliner.

  • NASCAR BTS: Kalahari Resorts Goes NASCAR Racing

    NASCAR BTS: Kalahari Resorts Goes NASCAR Racing

    Sometimes sponsor and NASCAR relationships just click, which was definitely the case when Kalahari Resorts in the Pocono Mountains decided to sponsor the Richard Childress Racing No. 31 Chevrolet of Ryan Newman.

    Come Behind the Scenes this week to learn just how this relationship developed and came together quickly in the Pocono Mountains.

    “We could not be more excited to partner with Richard Childress Racing to sponsor Ryan Newman’s No. 31 Chevrolet to bring the spirit of Africa to the Pocono Raceway,” Todd Nelson, owner, Kalahari Resorts and Conventions, said. “The Pocono Mountains have been incredibly welcoming and we continue to find new ways to partner with and support the area.”

    Don Pleau, General Manager, Kalahari Resorts and Conventions, could not agree more with his boss as far as the excitement of Kalahari coming on board with Richard Childress Racing for the Pocono race weekend.

    “The Nelson family are the sole proprietors of the Kalahari property,” Pleau said. “It’s a family-owned business and they like to be involved in the community, whatever happens to be prevalent in the area.”

    “The ‘Tricky Triangle’ is right around the corner and the Nelson and Igdalsky families at Pocono have sparked a relationship and they have become good friends.”

    “Mr. Nelson was introduced to Richard Childress several years ago by Dave Moyer, who is the guy who is doing all the new building earth work on the site here at Kalahari. So, Mr. Nelson and Mr. Childress sparked a relationship and then introduced him to Ryan Newman.”

    “And now we’ve got the Kalahari elephant on the No. 31 car.”

    The Kalahari sponsorship will not only celebrate the resort itself, with its many indoor and outdoor waterpark attractions but will also showcase the resort’s upcoming anniversary in the area.

    “The resort is coming up on its first birthday on July 1st, which will be the first anniversary of the opening of this property,” Pleau said. “We have two sister properties, one in Sandusky that is eleven years old and one in Wisconsin, the flagship property, that is sixteen years old.”

    “So, we’re just coming up on our first anniversary and the second wing is going to open in less than 300 days. We have 457 current rooms and we’re adding 520 more rooms.”

    “With that, we’ll be America’s largest waterpark. We currently hold that title in Sandusky but we’ll move that to Pennsylvania. We’re also adding four more restaurants as well. We’re basically doubling the size of the resort.”

    Pleau’s favorite attraction at Kalahari is most likely the favorite one for many of the resort’s guests, both young and old alike.

    “My favorite attraction would definitely by the FlowRider, an attraction in the waterpark where you can actually surf,” Pleau said. “Most people do it on their bellies, like me, but the really good guys can surf while they are standing up.  Lessons are available and we actually open the park early and extend the park hours to give lessons.”

    “We also have mermaid and merman lessons that we do as well. That’s really neat because there is a tail that you put on and you swim around like a mermaid or merman. That is very popular as well.”

    Pleau is not only passionate about his work at Kalahari, having been with the company for over four years, but he is passionate about racing as well.

    “I started with Kalahari in Wisconsin as the Food and Beverage Director and I was part of the team that opened this property here in the Poconos as the Corporate Food and Beverage Director,” Pleau said. “At the end of the summer, the Nelsons asked me if I wanted to stay on and become the General Manager and I said ‘Why not?’ My kids are both in college and so we’re empty nesters.”

    “So, we were up for the opportunity and now we are happy PA residents”

    “In addition to my work, I’ve been a racing fanatic for a long time,” Pleau continued. “I grew up in California and my parents were open wheel fans. So, we started watching racing when I was little.”

    “I’ve been a NASCAR fan for a long time. It’s just great to be so close to the track here. We’re hosting the BK Racing team for the weekend, which is great. I got to meet Matt DiBenedetto. And Rodney Childers and his family have enjoyed the park, as has Austin Dillon.”

    “Any opportunity I have to enjoy racing, I do,” Pleau said. “I normally root for the No. 4 car of Kevin Harvick, but this weekend I love the No. 31 car of Ryan Newman with that Kalahari elephant on the hood.”

    For more information about the Kalahari Resort, call 1-877-KALAHARI (525-2427) or visit www.KalahariResorts.com.

     

  • The View from my Recliner

    The View from my Recliner

    It’s Pocono week and I can tell you from experience, the infield at Pocono rivals Talladega for the things you can see and learn.

    One Pocono race, you saw porn on a big screen and a Chevy Vega and Ford Pinto chained axle to axle with a fire pit in the middle in the ultimate game of tug of war. I have witnessed a deer cross the track and a streaker on the track. Boy, there are some memories at Pocono.

    Since they dropped the racing from 500 miles to 400 miles at Pocono, it has drastically improved. I can’t explain why, but eliminating those extra 100 miles changed the way the drivers attack the track.

    It has been a little while since I wrote my column due to technical issues, but everything is ironed out and we’re all ready to set the world on fire with some predictions for the second half of the regular season.

    Prediction 1: This is from my heart probably not my head, but Tony Stewart will win a race and make the Chase. The best chance for Smoke to earn his win is at Daytona or the two road courses.

    Prediction 2: Keith Rodden will not finish the season as Kasey Kahne’s crew chief. Kasey Kahne has not run consistently well for the past three years. Rookie Chase Elliott is regularly running around the top-10 and Kahne is ranging from 15th to 20th. Hendrick Motorsports has a Cup-winning crew chief in the organization in Darian Grubb who could get right on the box and change the culture of the team.

    Prediction 3: NASCAR will make the right call with the rules package for Michigan and Kentucky and will change the rules and use that package for the rest of the season. The racing was fantastic for the All-Star race and NASCAR will try to re-create that racing.

    Prediction 4: Ty Dillon will be announced as the new driver of the No. 31 car. Kevin Harvick said before leaving RCR that those kids will get everything. It is a shame because Ryan Newman is a talented racer but you can see that he isn’t getting the best RCR equipment.

    Prediction 5: Joe Gibbs Racing will announce that Aarons will sponsor Matt Kenseth in 2017. Kenseth’s dry humor will be great for the Aarons commercials and hopefully, get Michael Waltrip off of my television.

    Kudos to Mike Joy who made sure during the Fox broadcast to seamlessly work in the names of the fallen on the windshields and the stories behind them throughout the race. It wasn’t forced and the way he told their stories was heartfelt.

    Enjoy the racing at Pocono and I’ll be back next week with the View from my Recliner.

  • Blake Koch’s Consistency Could Lead to Stronger Finishes

    Blake Koch’s Consistency Could Lead to Stronger Finishes

    Since making his Xfinity Series debut in 2009, Blake Koch hasn’t exactly set the NASCAR garage on fire. As a matter of fact, until 2016 he had been considered more of a journeyman driver, just there to fill the seat when the situation called for it. But despite running a full 2015 with TriStar Motorsports and having a few promising runs, LeafFilter (Koch’s sponsor) owner Matt Kaulig left TriStar Motorsports at the end of the season and formed his own team, Kaulig Racing, with Richard Childress Racing assistance. He landed Koch as his driver, and 2016 has seen the 30-year-old driver grow exponentially behind the wheel.

    How much has Koch grown? After eight events he holds two top-10s and sits 13th in points. He’s had the speed in his No. 11 Camaro, as shown at Bristol where he posted the fastest speed in practice. He’s been steady in qualifying, where he has yet to qualify outside the top-25 and has a season-high qualifying effort of eighth at Fontana. In the season opener at Daytona, he started and finished ninth, cementing that things were indeed changing for him and the LeafFilter crew.

    He’s a solid guy with a new, decent team and loyal sponsorship that has stuck with him since 2014. A power-based win is out of the question for the crew thanks to the dominance of Cup drivers in XFINITY, but don’t count out places like Road America, where he led with six laps to go last year before being sidelined by a faulty battery. For that matter, don’t count out any of the short tracks this season, as Koch has had strong runs this season at Bristol and Richmond, the latter of which he finished a career-best eighth.

    FORT WORTH, TEXAS - APRIL 08: Jeb Burton, driver of the #43 J. Streicher Ford, and Blake Koch, driver of the #11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, have an on track incident during the NASCAR XFINITY Series O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 8, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
    FORT WORTH, TEXAS – APRIL 08, 2016: Jeb Burton, driver of the No. 43 J. Streicher Ford, and Blake Koch, driver of the No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, have an on-track incident during the NASCAR XFINITY Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

    Kaulig Racing is a small team, and as with all new teams, there will be hiccups. At Texas, fellow competitor Jeb Burton cut a tire and was drilled by Koch’s No. 11. Issues at Bristol relegated Koch to his worst finish of the year, 37th. He’s only gotten three lead lap finishes this year. Of course, there are struggles for a team currently trying to find their place in the sport.

    But look at his 2015 season after three races. Not a single lead-lap finish and not a finish better than 19th. As a matter of fact, for the entire 2015 season, Koch had only five lead-lap finishes, with only three of them on road courses. It’s a given, Koch is doing more with his new team in 2016 than anything that was ever done at TriStar Motorsports.

    Koch’s best chance for success is now, and there’s no argument that he’ll make the most of his opportunity. With RCR assistance and the full backing of the Kaulig group, Koch will set a number of career-highs before the season wraps up in November.

     

  • Downforce Package Could Lead to Chase Berth for Austin Dillon

    Downforce Package Could Lead to Chase Berth for Austin Dillon

    The introduction of the low downforce package in 2016 could lead to a Chase berth for Austin Dillon. It’s a premature assessment but one that’s not without merit.

    Dillon is clearly in the midst of his best season start in his Sprint Cup career. His rookie year of 2014 and his sophomore year of 2015 were both disappointing but with this new low downforce setup, he’s done well since finishing ninth at Daytona International Speedway (an event that didn’t use the low downforce package).

    Sure, he finished 11th at Atlanta. But with a fifth-place run at Vegas and another ninth-place run at Phoenix, and now a pole at Fontana, Dillon could finally be marking his spot as a Sprint Cup contender. It’s been said that this new downforce package reminds drivers of dirt racing, and keep in mind that Dillon cut his teeth on dirt. He’s been comfortable with the new package, unsurprisingly enough, and with it drivers are finally in control of their own destinies on the track.

    This could be an omen of what the rest of the season holds. NASCAR is facing a boon with this new low downforce package,  and considering it’s going to basically be a season staple, the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team could finally have a chance to shine on the track. There could even be a win in the numbers, maybe two. It’s hard to argue against them. If in doubt, check out Sunday’s race at Fontana.

    Both Austin and his brother Ty catch a lot of flack for being the grandsons of Richard Childress. In their position, it’s all but guaranteed that they received a lifetime of assistance to become NASCAR stars. But that doesn’t change the fact that they’re both extremely talented drivers who happen to be very good at taking care of their cars and, at least, being consistent.

    In Austin’s case, that consistency has paid off with this season’s start, and if he keeps at it, it will continue to pay off. He’s got good tracks coming up including Kansas, Charlotte and Michigan, and a few not-so-good tracks that he will probably thrive at, like Texas. This is a different driver of the No. 3 that the sport is seeing in 2016.

    With Slugger Labbe on top of the pit box and Dillon behind the wheel, it’s looking like it would be tough to be against that RCR No. 3 in 2016, and it’s a promise that Dillon will prove that he belongs in the Sprint Cup Series and in the Chase come September.