Tag: Richard Petty

  • Hot 20 – Pepsi and Coke be Damned…It is the Firecracker 400

    Hot 20 – Pepsi and Coke be Damned…It is the Firecracker 400

    It is the Firecracker 400, stupid.

    The distance run and the sponsors may have changed, but for thirty years the gateway to summer race at Daytona was known as the Firecracker 400 (250 for its first four runs). It might not be as big as the 500 or have the glamour of the Southern 500, but winning this one means something. Its name should mean something as well.

    This was a race won five times by David Pearson. Four times by Cale Yarborough. Multiple winners included Fireball Roberts, Richard Petty, Bobby Allison and A.J. Foyt long before NASCAR and the race track (pretty much one and the same) sold out to Pepsi. They dropped the Firecracker brand and then, less than 20 years later, we discovered why it is so stupid to re-brand a race to please a sponsor. Pepsi was gone, Coca Cola replaced it, and now we have the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola. What bovine excrement that is, and I’m drinking a damn Diet Coke as I type this. Love the taste but I wonder how much it would take me to sell out to become Coke Zero Thornton, Esq., powered by Coca-Cola.

    Then again, unless my wife or my mother gets paid off, I am guessing they would continue calling me by the name they have always done so. As Coke has not paid me a dime, forgive me for being a traditionalist. The Firecracker 400 it is.

    I do not mind change if it betters tradition. I think points earned over an entire season still best recognizes the best over the course of that season, not through a contrived playoff. I think wins should be worth more than they are, like 70 points instead of a maximum of 48. I think this Saturday night’s Coke Zero Firecracker 400 will be one hell of a good race to watch. I think someone working for Rick Hendrick is going to win it. As that is what has happened over the past three events raced there, I see no reason to think it is going to change this weekend.

    Yes, I guess tradition can be a bit of a pain sometimes, especially if you happen to be driving a Ford or a Toyota this Saturday night at Daytona.

    (Based on points, with winners awarded 25 bonus points, rather than 3)

    Pos – Driver – Points – Wins
    1 – Jimmie Johnson – 660 – 3
    2 – Jeff Gordon – 640 – 1
    3 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 638 – 2
    4 – Brad Keselowski – 604 – 2
    5 – Carl Edwards – 580 – 2
    6 – Joey Logano – 563 – 2
    7 – Matt Kenseth – 555 – 0
    8 – Kevin Harvick – 553 – 2
    9 – Kyle Busch – 530 – 1
    10 – Ryan Newman – 514 – 0
    11 – Paul Menard – 488 – 0
    12 – Denny Hamlin – 477 – 1
    13 – Kyle Larson – 474 – 0
    14 – Greg Biffle – 474 – 0
    15 – Clint Bowyer – 473 – 0
    16 – Kasey Kahne – 465 – 0
    17 – Tony Stewart – 460 – 0
    18 – Austin Dillon – 455 – 0
    19 – Brian Vickers – 442 – 0
    20 – Marcos Ambrose – 438 – 0

     

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Richmond Toyota Owners 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Richmond Toyota Owners 400

    At the track which made Chase-altering headlines the last time the Cup Series came to town, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the 60th annual Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

    Surprising: While another racer with two wins has most often been known by this moniker, crew chief Todd Gordon dubbed his own winning driver Joey Logano ‘The Closer’ instead. Not only did Logano close the deal on his first win at Richmond but also closed on a Chase berth with his second win of the 2014 season.

    “Joey does a really good job closing,” Todd Gordon, crew chief, said in the media center after the race. “I think that’s one thing that’s impressed me in the last year and a little bit.”

    “I knew we had a shot at the win and it all kind of lined up for us.”

    “We kind of thought with one win you’re going to be all but locked in, but this really secures you,” the closing 23 year old driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Shell Pennzoil Ford said. “Having a couple wins this early in the season and in two completely different racetracks makes you very confident for the rest of the season.”

    Not Surprising: While Joey Logano punched his card to the Chase, both Marcos Ambrose and Casey Mears punched their tickets for NASCAR’s further review of the punches thrown in the pits at the conclusion of the race.

    In fact, the normally good natured Aussie landed such a punch that Mears acknowledged he was still smarting from the day after the race.

    “He got me good,” Mears said of Ambrose’s punch. “That’s one thing I can say that out of all the NASCAR fights or punches or when you see people swing, usually it’s a lot of fly-swatting.”

    “But he actually connected.”

    Surprising: One of the most surprising aspects of the Richmond race was that tire management issues led to fire management issues, with several drivers going up in flames after tire failures occurred.

    What was even more surprising is that those tire to fire issues happened four consecutive times right around lap 60 on tires.

    One of the most dramatic tire to fire episodes impacted Reed Sorenson, driver of the No. 36 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet, who was pulled out of his burning car by a NASCAR official and a crew member from the No. 5 Kasey Kahne team.

    “Seems like the rubber got to the oil lines and the brake lines and that was what was burning was the oil and the fuel,” Sorenson said. “So I got out of there as quick as I could and to try and not inhale all that smoke.”

    “Definitely not what you want to be inside of.”

    Not Surprising: While Jeff Gordon remained the point’s leader, currently five points ahead of Matt Kenseth, both drivers expressed the same feelings as far as prioritizing wins over position in the point standings.

    “You’re right, I mean, normally I’d be ecstatic with leading the points and where we’re at and consistency, but right now those wins are just so important,” the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet said. “I mean, I’d rather be 12th in points right now with three wins than be leading the points.”

    The driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Husky Toyota echoed Gordon’s sentiments.

    “I’m disappointed I didn’t get the win,” Kenseth said. “I did everything I could do.”

    “I was trying to win the race and at the end of the day I just didn’t get it done.”

    Surprising: Some of the drivers with the highest driver ratings at Richmond International Raceway struggled the most mightily at the short track.

    Denny Hamlin, who had the highest driver rating of 114.8 coming into the race, had an abysmal finish of 22nd after spinning out and being narrowly missed by many in the field.

    Tony Stewart, who came to the race with a driver rating of 96.5, the fifth best, also struggled, finishing 25th, one lap down.

    Two of the other drivers with good driver ratings, Kurt Busch in seventh and Jimmie Johnson in tenth, also had difficult nights finishing 23rd and 32nd respectively.

    “We struggled tonight in the Haas Automation Chevrolet,” Busch said. “The car was loose in, tight in the center and loose off for most of the night.”

    “It was frustrating.”

    “Really thought we had a decent car and was going to run in the top-five, top 10 at the worst,” Johnson said. “Then we had one run where we cut a right-front and the next run another right-front.”

    “That really just kind of put an end to our night.”

    Not Surprising: Martin Truex, Jr. finally tamed the bad racing luck demons with his best result of the season, tenth, in his No. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet.

    “We finally finished one!” Truex said after the race. “Nothing fell out of the sky and hit us. We kept the air in the tires all night.”

    “The biggest thing is finally shaking the bad luck.”

    Surprising: While others may describe him in colorful ways, Kyle Busch had some interesting descriptors for himself after finishing third in the race.

    “That last restart was intense,” the driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota said after finishing third. “I thought that that was a bad call coming in and putting tires on, but man, when we went back green, everybody went fighting for the bottom.”

    “Really crazy the way that ended up and just drove past everybody on the outside like a bad mofo, just getting my job done like I was supposed to, and kind of recovering our day and ended up third,” Busch continued. “Dave (Rogers, crew chief) made a very gutsy call there to come in and put four tires on it and restart 16th and I just was a bad ass and drove the hell out of it.”

    Not Surprising:   After what happened in the fall Richmond race and then what happened at this race, Clint Bowyer no doubt would like to take the track completely off his dance card.

    Instead of doing his own spinning, this time around Bowyer collided with the rookie pole sitter Kyle Larson on the very first lap, sending Larson spinning and sending himself into fiery tire hell.

    “What a bad night,” the driver of the No. 15 AAA Insurance Toyota said after his 43rd place finish. “I was on fire and I really hate that happened with Kyle because I really like him and I’m a big fan of his.”

    “It was just one thing after another and not a very good night.”

    Surprising: Rookie Kyle Larson made a surprising comeback drive after starting from the pole and then having that first-lap incident with Clint Bowyer. The young driver of the No. 42 AXE Peace Chevrolet finished 16th and was yet again the highest finishing rookie of the race.

    Not Surprising: Dale Earnhardt Jr. did his best ‘Frozen’ imitation, substituting ‘Let it Go’ with just ‘Get over It’ in response to all the tempers flaring after the race. Junior himself got over it by bringing his No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet home in the seventh spot.

    “The No. 2 (Brad Keselowski) was mad at the No. 20 (Matt Kenseth) and he slammed on brakes after the checkered and the No. 47 (AJ Allmendinger) ran into the No. 20 and I ran into the No. 20 and I don’t know what that was all about,” Junior said, summing up all the action in the final lap. “You know, get over it.”

    Surprising: AJ Allmendinger celebrated his 200th Cup start in style, with his best finish to date. He brought his No. 47 Bush’s Grillin’ Beans Chevrolet to the checkered flag in sixth place.

    “It was a good race,” the Dinger said. “Just a tough race track.”

    “I was really happy with the car in general.”

    Not Surprising: When all is said and done, NASCAR is a family sport. Thus there was an outpouring of love for the ‘King’ Richard Petty as he returned to the race track for the first time after the passing of his wife Lynda.

    “I just felt like I needed to have a little time on our own so I have been gone for two or three weeks but I am back in the saddle again now,” Petty said. “I am just learning to live all over again.”

    “I am surviving,” Petty continued. “The busier they keep me the better off I will be.

    The ‘King’, along with the rest of the Cup Series will be busy as they travel next to the superspeedway of Talladega for the Aaron’s 499 on Sunday, May 4th.

     

  • Aric Almirola Destined For Richmond Victory; Richard Petty Returns to Racetrack

    Aric Almirola Destined For Richmond Victory; Richard Petty Returns to Racetrack

    Aric Almirola and Trent Owens are determined and destined to win at Richmond International Raceway (RIR) this weekend; especially after it was announced that Richard Petty, team owner of Richard Petty Motorsports, will be returning to the racetrack for the first time since the tragic and unforeseen passing of his wife, Lynda Petty.

    “It’s going to be great to have our leader back at the race track,” Almirola expressed on Wednesday. “He is the name and the face of our company, and all the guys on the race team and myself included look up to him and enjoy having him around at the race track and having him inside hauler and talking to us after practice and getting his perspective on what he sees with other race cars and with our race cars throughout practice.”

    Almirola attended an appearance with Petty in Nashville, Tennessee on Tuesday and he found ‘The Kings’ attitude to be repaired and prepared for Richmond this weekend.

    “I know (Petty is) itching to get back,” Almirola further explained. “You can’t take the racer out of that guy. He’s not going to sit at home and just sit around and do nothing.”

    Owens, who is the nephew of Petty, also is confident that Petty returning will allow everyone at the organization to take a deep breath and refocus on the task at hand, winning.

    “I think it will be good medicine,” Owens said Wednesday. “When something like that happens, you kind of want to hide for a little bit and just get your feelings straight. But he’s been by the shop and been in good spirits, and I think he’s doing very well considering.”

    “We look forward to definitely getting him back to the race track and getting him back into race mode.”

    Now, with the relief of having the boss back, Almirola and crew chief Owens turn their undivided attention to Richmond, where they’ll hope to deliver their first victory of the season, which would undoubtedly be an emotional one – for multiple reasons

    “I always get excited about going to Richmond,” Almirola commented during a press conference held on Wednesday morning. “I like the racetrack a lot, and then besides the racetrack, it’s a big weekend for us with Smithfield Foods headquarters being right there nearby in Richmond, and we get a lot of people come out from Smithfield headquarters, and it’s just a big weekend, and it’s a lot of fun.”

    “The racetrack is where I made my first (NASCAR) Nationwide (Series) start, and I just got a lot of good memories from there, and I’ve always run well it seems like, so I’m excited about going to Richmond this weekend.”

    Almirola, 30, finished eighth last season at Richmond after starting a dismal 34th position- his first top-10 at the difficult speedway.

    “I think I have a really good understanding of what it takes to run good at Richmond, and I’ve had good runs there,” Almirola expressed about his wisdom within Richmond. “You know, last spring we ran pretty good there.  I think we finished in the top 5 or maybe top 10, I’m not sure, and then in the fall race I thought we had an even better car than we had in the spring race, and we had an incident on pit road on a green flag stop that ended up getting a couple laps down and hurt our day.”

    He’s completed in five Nationwide Series races at Richmond finishing a track-best seventh during the 2011 season with JR Motorsports. This weekend, he’s hoping to utilize that running his previous experience at RIR to help drive him into victory lane.

    “Richmond is a place that I actually have a lot of laps at,” Almirola further commented. “The very first time I ever got to drive a truck, it was a two-day test at Richmond back in 2004 and I’ve done a lot of testing there in trucks and Nationwide cars and even Cup cars back when we were allowed to go test, and I made my first Nationwide start there.  I think I’ve run quite a few Nationwide races there, and I’ve made quite a few Cup starts there.”

    Owens, who joined his Uncle Petty’s operation at the beginning of this season, is also expecting a good placing this weekend, despite the demands being a crew chief calls upon throughout the course of this weekend.

    “Really looking forward to (the) race (at Richmond),” Owens commented during the press conference. “Our short track program seems to be in a decent direction this year.  We’ve got some work to do on our mile-and-a-halfs, but really looking forward to getting in front of the Smithfield folks and putting on a good show.”

    “Practice is so tough here, the tires wear out at Richmond but that does provide for good racing.  You really want to be good off the hauler and just kind of work on a few things, maybe mock up some practice changes that duplicate your race stuff.  But practicing during the day, racing at night at a place like Richmond is just so much different.”

    Almirola and Owens are hoping for success in just their ninth race together, however, they also both understand the ultimate achievement isn’t to win, but it’s to help re-boost Petty’s confidence and moral, even in the toughest of moments.

  • Hot 20 – As Jeff Gordon experiences an interesting week, we remember Lynda Petty

    Hot 20 – As Jeff Gordon experiences an interesting week, we remember Lynda Petty

    I guess Jeff Gordon had reason to be somewhat hot this past week. Last Sunday, he came within a Clint Bowyer spin of taking the prize in California. Then, a satirical website came out with a story of Gordon coming out, admitting to dating an openly gay fellow, and “reporting” on the outrage of some fans at the “news.” I guess this comes with being the second prettiest driver in NASCAR, though the fact he has two kids with one of the prettiest spouses in NASCAR should be a hint that happy he may be, gay he is not.

    One thing Gordon is, and that is the best driver in Cup who thus far has yet to register a win this season. Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson are in the ball park. Even though Kevin Harvick may have won at Phoenix he finds his stock plunging. Three races he has looked good, at least the first few chapters, then someone rips out the final few pages to leave him with finishes of 41st, 39th, and 36th. While the official standings might have him sitting fifth, last among those with a victory to their credit, he is nowhere to be found in anybody’s Top 20 finishers when it comes to accumulated points.

    Every method of determining a champion has its critics. While we await reaction to this year’s elimination rounds, most remember that Matt Kenseth won the title in 2003 but fewer remember that Ryan Newman won eight races that year. The points system in place did not really reward him for the effort.  Still, that in no way diminishes Kenseth’s crown or the six Johnson has claimed since the Chase was instituted. It may alter who we think of as being the best over any one campaign, but in the long run the cream always rises to the top.

    Richard Petty may have become the King due to his seven championships and 200 victories, but this week we mourn the loss of his queen.  Lynda and Richard were married in 1959, and it probably is not a coincidence that it was the next year her husband  began to win his first races. While Richard ruled the tracks, it was Lynda who ruled the roost. She was even the family disciplinarian. On that subject, a few years ago she said that you could ask her son “‘Did your daddy ever whip you?’ and he’d say, ‘No, but my mother wailed the daylights out of me.’ ”   She had her causes that she was passionate about, but none were as important to her than her family.  We join with the entire NASCAR family in remembering Lynda Petty.

    If we returned to former days when there was no Chase, if we used today’s points system but winners were rewarded with 69 to 70 points, and we determined our champion over 36 races, this is how our Hot 20 standings would look like as the action heads to Martinsville for this Sunday.

     

     

    Driver

    Races

    Win

    Points

    1

      Carl Edwards

    5

    1

    208

    2

      Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

    5

    1

    207

    3

      Brad Keselowski

    5

    1

    204

    4

      Jeff Gordon

    5

    0

    184

    5

      Kyle Busch

    5

    1

    180

    6

      Matt Kenseth

    5

    0

    179

    7

      Jimmie Johnson

    5

    0

    165

    8

      Ryan Newman

    5

    0

    150

    9

      Austin Dillon

    5

    0

    150

    10

      Joey Logano

    5

    0

    146

    11

      Denny Hamlin

    4

    0

    140

    12

      Jamie McMurray

    5

    0

    138

    13

      Brian Vickers

    5

    0

    137

    14

      Paul Menard

    5

    0

    134

    15

      Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.

    5

    0

    132

    16

      Kyle Larson

    5

    0

    131

    17

      Tony Stewart

    5

    0

    127

    18

      Casey Mears

    5

    0

    126

    19

      Kasey Kahne

    5

    0

    123

    20

      Greg Biffle

    5

    0

    122

    21

      Marcos Ambrose

    5

    0

    122

  • Dale Jr. Daytona Win, Danica Drama, and Kurt Busch Double Down Showcases NASCAR

    Dale Jr. Daytona Win, Danica Drama, and Kurt Busch Double Down Showcases NASCAR

    While NASCAR sometimes struggles to gain the national attention that it so desires, the sport has gotten off to a strong start with three major stories, including Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s big win in the Daytona 500, some Danica Patrick drama, and Kurt Busch’s announcement that he will run the Indy 500 as well as the NASCAR Coke 600, that have garnered publicity in the very young 2014 season.

    The first story that caught the national eye was the victory of NASCAR’s most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., in the biggest race of the season, the Daytona 500. The win was especially noteworthy as Junior, the anointed heir, won on the track where his father not only was so dominant but also where he lost his life thirteen years ago.

    The Dale Jr. Daytona 500 race win was almost picture perfect, with the exception of a six hour plus rain delay. But Junior was not to be deterred and refused to suffer yet again another runner up finish, which he had experienced in three of the previous four Daytona 500 races.

    In fact, after the rain delay, Earnhardt Jr. led a race-high 54 laps, staying up front six times during the race. The win also ended a 55-race losing streak, with the victory coming a decade after his first Daytona 500 win.

    With his trip to Victory Lane, Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored his 20th victory in the Cup Series and joined Bill Elliott, Michael Waltrip, Sterling Marlin, Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson as two-time Daytona 500 winners.

    “Winning this race is the greatest feeling that you could feel in this sport besides accepting the trophy for the championship,” said Earnhardt, after bear hugging every member of his Hendrick Motorsports crew in Victory Lane. “I didn’t know if I’d ever get the chance to feel it again and it feels just as good.”

    “I’ll never take this for granted,” Junior said. “We’re two time Daytona champions.”

    While Junior celebrated with his team and his owner Rick Hendrick, who hitched a ride in his window, to Victory Lane, the fans also went crazy with delight.

    Even Jeff Gordon, four-time champion and veteran Hendrick driver, got into the act of celebrating with his most popular teammate.

    “The world is right right now — Dale Junior just won the Daytona 500,” Gordon said. “That’s a sign it’s going to be a great season.”

    Junior Nation, as his extensive fan base are known, was indeed beside themselves with joy, especially since the win qualified their driver for the championship Chase. And with that pressure off and the confidence at its height, Dale Earnhardt Jr. might have their hopes and dreams of a Cup championship come true.

    “We might be in the Chase — I ain’t going to worry about that,” Earnhardt said. “Trust me, man, we’re going to have a blast this year.”

    As Dale Earnhardt Jr. moved through his national media post-Daytona 500 responsibilities, another story that had also been brewing in the early season took hold, that of the drama surrounding the lone female in the sport, Danica Patrick.

    A major part of the drama began when NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Richard Petty shared his opinion that Patrick could only win a Sprint Cup Series race “if everybody else stayed home.”  Petty added that Patrick gets the attention that she does because of her gender, but added the caveat that that was still good for the sport.

    “This is a female deal that’s driving her,” Petty said. “There’s nothing wrong with that. More fans come out, people are more interested in it. She has helped to draw attention to the sport, which helps everybody in the sport.”

    The drama ratcheted up, however, as Patrick responded to Petty’s allegations.

    “It’s true that there are plenty of people who say bad things about me; I read them,” Patrick countered. “At the end of the day, you get over that stuff and trust that you are doing a good job.”

    “The people that matter the most to me are my team, my sponsors and those little 3-year-old kids that run up to you and want a great big hug and say they want to grow up to be like you. That’s the stuff I really focus on.”

    “More than anything, I love the conversation it creates,” Patrick said. “Across the board, it makes sports interesting. It makes life interesting when people have different perspectives. That’s fine with me. … It really just doesn’t matter. It’s interesting conversation. I’m fortunate I’m in it.”

    Whether the conversation was a distraction or not, Patrick has also had drama in the first two races of the season, crashing out in both the Daytona 500 and the Phoenix race. And she found herself at odds with another racer yet again, this time Justin Allgaier with whom she tussled in last weekend’s race.

    “She was just upset because she got involved in the crash that we had,” Allgaier said. “She said she’s been through this and that she felt like I needed to settle down at that point.”

    “I explained my position on why everything happened. I think she understood where I was coming from. It doesn’t fix either one of our racecars; it doesn’t fix either one of our days.”

    “It’s tough,” Patrick said. “That’s two weeks in a row we’ve had good cars and nothing to show for it.”

    “I’m starting to think if we didn’t have bad luck, we’d have no luck at all.”

    If Danica’s drama does not soon come to an end, perhaps as early as this weekend’s race in Las Vegas, a major headline may just be that she will begin to have trouble even qualifying for the race down the road.

    The final story that has captured national headlines for NASCAR was the recent announcement that Kurt Busch, driver of the No.41 HAAS Automation Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing, will attempt to double down, racing both the Indy 500 and the NASCAR Coca Cola 600, all in the same day.

    Busch will have to qualifying his way in for Andretti Autosport in the Indianapolis 500 and then fly to Charlotte to participate in the longest race of the NASCAR season.

    “I’m a fan of motorsports, a student of motorsports, and I view this as a challenge for myself,” Busch said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Memorial Day weekend, the central focus of all motorsports is Monaco, Indianapolis and Charlotte and this is a tremendous opportunity to be right in the middle of it.”

    “It’s a great opportunity for Kurt and I fully support him,” team owner Tony Stewart said. “He’ll have a lot to learn in a short amount of time, but he has an overwhelming amount of driving talent on his side. He has a great car owner with Michael Andretti, who’s not only an owner, but he’s been a driver too.”

    “Michael has so much to offer Kurt in terms of knowledge and firsthand experience. It really seems like a natural pairing.”

    Busch is also hoping to continue the buzz of the national story with a website that he recently launched, www.kurtbuschdouble.com, that will showcase his efforts to make history.

    “I think this is something that is good for NASCAR, good for IndyCar, good for the fans to get behind and rally feel like they are part of,” Busch said. “There was no social media, or the means for fans to get an in-depth look at what goes into the double when the others tried it. We think we’ve got an opportunity to make people feel like they are part of the experience with me.”

    NASCAR’s new rules also make the Busch double down possible since the driver would just need that one race win to get into the Chase. And with that win, he could afford to miss the start of the Coke 600 and still not hurt himself or his team.

    “As long as we attempt to qualify for every race, we are eligible for the Chase under the new rules,” Busch said. “It’s like you are in New York City, on Broadway, and you look up at all the bright lights — they are clearly pointing to this being the right time to do this. The green light is on.”

    The green light has indeed been switched on for all of these headlines, including Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s win of the Daytona 500, the drama surrounding Danica Patrick, and the doubling down of Kurt Busch in the IndyCar Series and NASCAR on Memorial Day weekend.

    And it will be no doubt interesting and intriguing to see if the season continues to unfold, next in the race in Las Vegas this weekend, with additional storylines that piques the interest of even the most casual race fan across the county.

  • Hot 20 – In search of the Sprint Cup series 2014 driver of the year

    Hot 20 – In search of the Sprint Cup series 2014 driver of the year

    As justly proud I am of my ancestors, there is a downside to not being born a France. I could have a dream, wake in the morning and jot it all down on a napkin, and there is no chance in hell that it could be NASCAR policy by the afternoon. Some might think that a good thing. I think the circuit’s new emphasis on winning is also a good thing.

    Just win baby, and it is a philosophy many of us can agree with. As I do not have to worry about television numbers or game seven moments, abandoning the Chase and adding 22 points to the winner’s total to a maximum of 70 seems just as good a way as any to determine just who was the most successful any given season.

    Unless the champion at the end of the season turns out to be someone most can not accept, the new Chase elimination system will eventually be accepted. I mean, unless wins and wins alone determine who is king, then there has always been room for argument as to whether a champ was worthy or not.

    We think back to 2003 when one race winner Matt Kenseth won the title over eight race winner Ryan Newman. Still, Kenseth won his crown using the same points system that had been in place for more than thirty years. Back in 1973, David Pearson won 11, Richard Petty had six, but the title that year went to single race victor Benny Parsons. No one seems to be arguing about that outcome today.

    As I am not a France, I have no championship to bestow. However, I am interested in what keeping the present points system, but making a win worth between 25 and 28 points more than the runner-up, would have given us over a 36 race, non-Chase, season. The leader might not wind up our champion, but he sure would be my driver of the year.

    Our Hot 20 as we head to Las Vegas are…

    Pos Driver Points

    Wins

    1

    Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

    112

    1

    2

      Kevin Harvick

    101

    1

    3

      Jeff Gordon

    80

    0

    4

      Jimmie Johnson

    78

    0

    5

      Joey Logano

    75

    0

    6

      Kyle Busch

    71

    0

    7

      Matt Kenseth

    70

    0

    8

      Denny Hamlin

    68

    0

    9

      Carl Edwards

    65

    0

    10

      Casey Mears

    64

    0

    11

      Greg Biffle

    64

    0

    12

      Jamie McMurray

    64

    0

    13

      Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.

    63

    0

    14

      Ryan Newman

    60

    0

    15

      Austin Dillon

    56

    0

    16

      Marcos Ambrose

    49

    0

    17

      Kasey Kahne

    47

    0

    18

      Reed Sorenson

    41

    0

    19

      A.J. Allmendinger

    37

    0

    20

      Tony Stewart

    37

    0

  • Richard Petty’s Comments Are Wrong, But Not Extremely Sexist

    Richard Petty’s Comments Are Wrong, But Not Extremely Sexist

    I am not a man that likes to intrude into the issue of sexism, and that includes politics as well. It is an issue that divides the people. However, we are talking about two different generations here. Richard Petty, who won 200 races and seven cup championships in his career said the following when asked if Danica Patrick would ever find victory lane in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:

    “If everybody stayed home. If she’d been a male, nobody would ever know if she’d showed up at a race track.”

    I see some truth to Petty’s comments. Now, before I get tackled and pitchforked by Danica Patrick fans, I want to let you know that I disagree with Petty for the most part, and that I support Danica Patrick 100 percent.

    Richard Petty grew up in an entirely different generation than we have. Therefore, his views will reflect a more traditional look at things. We will endure the same problems when we are Petty’s age. A new generation will come in and they will see our way of life rather peculiar and offensive.

    For example, let’s use Darrell Waltrip. Toward the end of Darrell Waltrip’s career, Waltrip was not running very well. Danica Patrick did not have a terrible year for a rookie, but everyone can use improvement. If Patrick were in Waltrip’s position in 1999, it is conceivable that fans would definitely notice Patrick more than Waltrip. That is the point Petty is trying to make. At this point, Patrick is known for looks more than performance on the race track and if Patrick were a male, it would be a different story. I agree with that. Patrick brings publicity and fans to the track. That is what we need as a growing sport.

    Many people are describing Petty’s comments as an “extremely sexist hyperbole.” NASCAR has been a male-dominated sport and it always will be. On the other hand, NASCAR has changed in many ways. The competition is tighter than ever and this will produce random winners at times. With that being said, Danica Patrick could win a race next season, most likely at a plate track.

    To clear everything up: Were the comments sexist? Yes, by definition. However, it is a very sensitive topic in this generation. So, it should not be a shock that people will take Petty’s comments in a negative light. Petty is a legend in our sport and has earned all the accolades.

    Danica Patrick has also earned accolades. Will Patrick ever win seven cup titles and rack up 200 wins? No, that is very doubtful, but Patrick has made a big investment into enhancing women’s athletics. Growing up, most could still not grasp the thought of a woman wheeling a race car. Then in 2004, Danica Patrick came into the spotlight. It was the next year, in 2005, Patrick became the first woman to lead the Indianapolis 500. Now, it is starting to become a common trend.

    While women like Jennifer Jo Cobb, Shannon Mudro, Johanna Long, and Cassie Gannis are all fine examples of women trying to make their way to the top racing series in America, it is not just racing. Katie Copple, Ashley Schindler, and Kaitlyn Vincie are three candidates to be the first-ever females to announce a NASCAR race. In 2014, this is something that could soon become reality for three very intelligent, determined individuals. Their quest to achieve broadcasting heaven is just as realistic as mine.

  • NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: An Edict From King Richard

    NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: An Edict From King Richard

    Richard Petty comes from a generation that believes honesty is always the best policy. This generation is famous for saying what they mean and meaning what they say. If you ask the King of stock car racing any question in the world his response may not necessarily be what you expected to hear, but you can count on the fact that it will be double dipped in honesty.

    Such was the case back on February 10th when Richard Petty was making a personal appearance, north of our border, at the Canadian Motorsports Expo in Toronto.

    During a scheduled Q & A session, covered by the “Toronto Star Wheels.ca” and “Raceline Radio,” the King was asked if he thought driver Danica Patrick was capable of winning a NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Without a seconds worth of hesitation Petty quipped, “Only if everybody else stayed home.”

    Anyone who has ever met Richard Petty already knows that this comment was not intended to be mean spirited. It was an honest answer to an honest question as well as another moment from the say what you mean and mean what you say generation.

    Taking the issue to a more positive light, Petty did concede that Patrick’s presence in NASCAR Sprint Cup racing has created a positive impact on the sport and further commented.

    “If she had been a male, nobody would ever know if she’d showed up at a race track. This is a female thing that’s driving her. There’s nothing wrong with that because it’s good public relations. More fans come out; people are more interested in it. She has helped draw attention to the sport, which helps everybody in the sport.”

    Petty also conceded that the sport has changed tremendously over the years and NASCAR is no longer just about the racing. From NASCAR’s inception, back in the late 1940’s, to the early 1970’s, the racing was absolutely at the forefront. It was a proverbial case of man and machine being pushed to the limit to earn the right to visit victory lane. It was also a time when many of the top tier NASCAR teams, such as Petty Enterprises, were financially supported by America’s big three automakers.

    However, the wind of change blew in the 1970’s and the concept of placing a corporate logo on the hood of a race car became mandatory. With that came the necessary process of the driver becoming involved with sponsor promotions, team public relations and personal appearances at race tracks to help ticket sales, along with the endless stream of press interviews.

    The fact of the matter was that all of a sudden NASCAR driver’s commitments out of the car had practically overtaken their commitment to performance levels while inside of the car.

    During his appearance in Toronto, Petty pointed out that the element of promoting the sports has moved to the forefront and said “the first thing you know is that the race is secondary, because all the rest of it is build up, build up, build up.”

    The King even compared modern day NASCAR Sprint Cup racing to the NFL’s Super Bowl saying “it was a little more exciting watching the buildup than watching the game. The game just happened to break out in the middle of a good party. We’re not quite that far along but in order for us to do what we need to do on race day, the sponsorship and the fan stuff, we have to do all this other stuff.”

    As many NASCAR fans are aware, this is not the first time someone named Petty publicly questioned Danica Patrick’s ability to win a race. Kyle Petty, former Sprint Cup driver turned television analyst, took the lady driver to task on national television in June of last year. Kyle Petty, like his famous father, is someone else who will always give an honest answer to any question.

    Kyle Petty conceded that Danica Patrick is one of the most recognizable names in NASCAR racing and referred to her as a “marketing machine, someone who’s a hot commodity and rightfully so. I have to problem with that-more power to her,” he said.

    Then, he tackled the issue of Patrick’s win potential in the Sprint Cup Series by saying, “Danica Patrick has been the perfect example of somebody who can qualify better than what she runs. She can go fast, but she can’t race. I think she’s come a long way, but she’s still not a race car driver and I don’t think she’s ever going to be a race car driver.”

    Responding to that criticism, Patrick at first said she didn’t care what Kyle Petty thinks and then later thanked him for providing her with some additional “personal motivation.”

    That now brings the question full circle. Can Danica Patrick win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series? Many observers of the sport will say the Petty’s are correct and we should not expect to see her parking a race car in victory lane.

    Yet, you almost have to at least concede to the possibility. After all, NASCAR racing is a sport that often provides late race surprises. The upcoming Daytona 500 is a perfect example.

    Last year, at Daytona, Danica Patrick made NASCAR history by becoming the first female to win a Sprint Cup pole. She spent much of the great American race running in the top ten and finished eighth.

    Pessimists will be quick to point out that the 2013 Daytona 500 was the only top ten finish that Patrick scored during her rookie Cup season. Optimists will say that she clearly displayed a flair for Daytona style restrictor plate racing and is more than capable of being the next driver to pull off a last lap Daytona surprise.

    If that unexpected win comes to pass, then expect to see King Richard Petty, complete with his famous grin, arriving at victory lane to shake her hand.

  • Ryan Truex’s New Cup Ride ‘Definitely a Surprise’

    Ryan Truex’s New Cup Ride ‘Definitely a Surprise’

    While Ryan Truex was thrilled about landing a full-time Cup ride in the No. 83 Toyota with BK Racing, he was also just plain taken by surprise by the opportunity that developed a month before the start of the 2014 season.

    “They had kind of been looking at bringing in younger drivers for a little while now,” Truex said. “Ron Devine (team owner) has always talked to me at the race track.”

    “They needed a driver for the off season to go test with them and luckily I was available,” Truex continued. “And it just snowballed from there to where we are now.”

    “I’m pinching myself a little bit,” Truex sad. “I don’t think it has fully set in yet.”

    “It has definitely been a surprise.”

    Prior to receiving the offer from BK Racing, Truex has been working with team Petty to trying to find funding to run some Nationwide races on a part-time basis.

    “So, this deal just came out of left field,” Truex said. “That’s usually what happens though and was a nice surprise.”

    “Everything worked, the stars all aligned and now we’ve got thirty days to get ready and the season starts.”

    Truex is stepping into the already formed 93 team, complete with crew chief Dale Ferguson, who we just recently met at the Daytona test.

    “So, I’m just basically stepping in,” Truex said. “Those guys all know each other and they know the system and how everything works.”

    “They’re just kind of plugging me in.”

    “I just met Dale a few weeks ago before the Daytona test,” Truex continued. “We seemed to get along pretty well and everybody on the team gets along really well.”

    “We gelled well and going forward I think it will be a good combination,” Truex said. “Dale knows the ins and outs of the team and the cars so it should be a pretty easy transition.”

    Truex is not only looking forward to having a full-time Cup ride but also to working with his teammate Alex Bowman, as well as competing in one of the most competitive rookie classes in recent history.

    “I think it will be good because Alex and I know each other a little bit and we’ve raced each other in Nationwide,” Truex said. “We’re both young and we’re both rookies.”

    “We’re eager to go out and do the things we need to do to be successful,” Truex continued. “We both have the same mindset.”

    “So, we should be able to feed off each other and make each other better.”

    “I think it’s the biggest rookie class since 2001,” Truex said. “The best thing about it is that everyone in it is a proven winner.”

    “And they’ve all climbed their way to the top, shown that they deserve to be there and they have done a great job in every kind of race car,” Truex continued. “I think it will be a battle until the end.”

    “There are some really heavy hitters in there, like Austin Dillon,” Truex said. “I think he will definitely be the point that we’ll all base ourselves off of.”

    “I think it will be really competitive.”

    While Truex is optimistic about the upcoming year, he is also realistic in his expectations going into the 2014 season.

    “BK Racing is still a young team in Sprint Cup,” Truex said. “They’ve gone through the growing pains and they know what they have to do to be successful.”

    “They are putting the right people and pieces in place to do it,” Truex continued. “I don’t see any reason why we can’t go out, run all the laps, stay on the lead lap and get a top-25 finish.”

    “If we do all that and don’t make any mistakes, there is no reason why we can’t do that.”

    While Truex is now experiencing the ‘high’ of a full-time Cup ride, he also has known the struggles of coming up through the ranks, from K&N East Champion to being a brand new rookie again.

    “The past few years, even just running part-time and struggling to find funding, it’s been pretty frustrating,” Truex said. “But you can’t let any negative thoughts set in.”

    “You’ve got to keep fighting for it and stay optimistic,” Truex continued. “I think it will be the same mindset this year.”

    “Every team has ups and downs and it’s the good teams and good drivers that can pull through,” Truex said. “You have to realize your mistakes and improve from them.”

    “That will be the biggest thing for me this year,” Truex continued. “You’ve got to have the right mindset and execute.”

    So, what will the youngest Truex brother think when he gets the chance to be on the sport’s biggest stage in the first race of the season, the Daytona 500?

    “That’s a good question,” Truex said. “I haven’t even thought about it.”

    “It still hasn’t set in yet that I’m running full-time,” Truex continued. “Places like Daytona and racing in the Daytona 500 with all that history and with people like Earnhardt and Petty, it’s pretty crazy.”

    “And it’s pretty crazy just to think that I’ve made it this far,” Truex said. “Driving in the Sprint Cup Series has been a goal since I started racing, and to start this next chapter with BK Racing makes it extra special.”

    “I am very excited for this opportunity.”

  • Dakoda Armstrong Sees New Ride as ‘Greatest Opportunity’

    Dakoda Armstrong Sees New Ride as ‘Greatest Opportunity’

    Twenty-two year old former Truck Series driver Dakoda Armstrong has been tapped by the ‘King’ to drive the iconic No. 43 Ford Mustang full-time in the Nationwide Series. And for Armstrong, he sums up his new ride simply as the ‘greatest opportunity.’

    “Obviously, the iconic number has so much behind it that it would be impossible to live up to the expectations of that,” Armstrong said. “But the fact of knowing that I’m going to be able to run a full season is the greatest opportunity, especially with Richard Petty Motorsports.”

    “I’m very excited and really ready to get going on it and get everything working.”

    As with so much in the sport of NASCAR, Armstrong acknowledged that the deal with RPM came about quickly.

    “One thing in this sport, stuff happens overnight,” Armstrong said. “We were looking for a deal where we could do as much racing as we could.”

    “This deal opened up with Michael Annett leaving and it just worked out perfectly.”

    Armstrong is grateful to not only Richard Petty Motorsports for the opportunity but is also thankful to his sponsor, Winfield, for stepping up to the next level with him.

    “Winfield came on board all this year and helped us out in the Truck Series,” Armstrong said. “They are really, really new to the NASCAR scene but everything they’ve done, they have done a great job with, being able to activate the sponsorship and making sure it’s not just a car and a number.”

    “I think it’s going to be a great fit and our sponsor is really happy to be on board and have that No. 43.”

    Winfield, a Land O’Lakes Company, is a natural fit for Armstrong because of the young driver’s farming background.

    “We deal with them a lot on our family-owned farm so that is how we got in touch with them,” Armstrong said. “It’s all worked out on a local level, then a national level, and now on this new NASCAR level.”

    “They are really excited and I’m really excited for this year and to be able to slap the No. 43 on with their logos puts a big smile on their faces.”

    Although Armstrong will be the new kid on the block, he will have continuity with his crew chief, Philippe Lopez, and the team at the shop and at track.

    “Everyone at the shop, which I’ve just recently met, were already there,” Armstrong said. “Philippe is going to be our crew chief and he has been the crew chief for the last couple of years with the Annett deal.”

    “He’s staying there and I don’t think anyone has left,” Armstrong continued. “So, it’s going to be a team that’s ready to go, which should be good.”

    Armstrong acknowledged that it will take some time for the team, crew chief and himself to gel. But he has every confidence that will occur, especially when they get to their first race together.

    “I’m still learning everybody and they are still learning me,” Armstrong said. “We’re all trying to figure it out.”

    “Once we get to Daytona we’ll be together and ready to go for the season.”

    One of the greatest opportunities that Armstrong has enjoyed so far since the announcement of his No. 43 ride is getting to spend some quality time with the big boss Richard Petty.

    “I’ve talked to him a few times that I’ve been there,” Armstrong said. “He’s just so humble and just like a normal guy that you forget when you’re talking to him that he is the ‘King’.

    “It’s kind of surreal,” Armstrong continued. “He’s told me some stories and how different racing is nowadays. So, that’s pretty cool.”

    The ‘King’ is equally impressed with his new young driver.

    “Dakoda will help us continue the success of our No. 43 Nationwide Series program,” Richard Petty said.  “Dakoda is a driver who has grown up in the sport and has paid his dues.”

    “He has proven himself at every level and we will now give him the tools he needs to be successful in the Nationwide Series and believe he can win races for us.”

    So, what is Armstrong doing in the off-season to prepare himself for the next leap in his career? Why racing of course.

    “I’m actually at Pensacola to do the Snowball Derby right now,” Armstrong said. “I’ve never run a late model in a big race like this.”

    “I did one race when I was 16 years old, so it’s been awhile,” Armstrong continued. “I don’t really know how these things drive so I’m just going to go out and have a lot of fun and a good time.”

    After he finishes his Snowball Derby racing, Armstrong plans to head home to the farm and family in Indiana before he starts the hectic race season.

    “I think I’ll get to see my family a little bit for the holidays,” Armstrong said. “Anytime you can get home to Indiana, I want to and try to.”

    “Definitely after New Year’s I want to really get focused, go to the shop and get ready for the season.”

    An important part of getting ready for the new race season for Armstrong, however, has been taking at least a moment or two to reflect on his good fortune in securing this new ride for a full race season.

    “A month ago, I really didn’t know what would happen,” Armstrong said. “I thought we would just do a partial deal.”

    “Being able to compete for points and being there each and every week is a great benefit,” Armstrong continued. “We’re going to have to make sure that we’re competitive and getting better every week.”

    “One thing about this sport is that you can’t win every week but you can get better each time and that’s what we have to work on.”

    So, what does this new ride really mean to the young driver taking the next step in his career?

    “In one word, other than to be boring and just say like it’s awesome or exciting, I’d have to say it’s the greatest opportunity,” Armstrong said. “Nowadays in this sport, you never know what’s going to happen.”

    “There are so many people looking in from the outside that to have a ride and know I’m doing something full-time for this team is great,” Armstrong continued. “It’s something I’m really excited about.”

    “And now we just have to get ready for Daytona and have some fun.”