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Tag: Richmond International Raceway

  • Travis Pastrana says Richmond ‘a really good place to start’

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”222″][/media-credit]Travis Pastrana is finally here.

    This weekend at the Richmond International Raceway Pastrana won’t be sitting in the grandstands watching others race, waving the green flag to start the Sprint Cup Series race or talking about when he plans to be behind the wheel.

    No, Friday night Pastrana will finally make his long awaited Nationwide Series debut. Driving the No. 99 Boost Mobile Toyota and thanks to an alliance with RAB Racing, he’ll be locked into the event.

    “We’re really excited,” said Pastrana last week. “We had a lot of support coming into NASCAR through Samsung, Boost Mobile, KMC and a lot of other sponsors that were from motocross background and had kind of planned on exiting the stage of motocross with the freestyle X-Games and switching over full-time to NASCAR,

    “Unfortunately, everyone pretty much knows with the ankle, I was unable to compete last year. So we started the whole process over again with Matt Crafton [served as a driver coach for Pastrana] and were really fortunate that the sponsors – Samsung, Boost Mobile and KMC – have stuck with me and agreed to do the same amount of races they agreed to do last year which is huge for me.

    “And pretty much a second chance to do the best we can. Starting with Richmond, which is close to my house, and race as we did last year, and the K&N Series, and we also will do it this year on the Thursday before the Nationwide debut, it’s a really good place to start.”

    Back in late 2010 Pastrana and Michael Waltrip Racing announced a partnership and the formation of Pastrana-Waltrip Racing. The deal would put Pastrana in seven NNS races in 2011 and then move to 20 this season.

    But a broken ankle during the X-Games in July of 2011 when Pastrana attempted a corked 720, right before his scheduled NNS debut. The injury forced the X-Games gold medalist to put his plans on hold and the waiting game began.

    Pastrana had hoped to make his debut in March at Phoenix but it was again pushed back as he continued to heal. Now though, he’s ready to go and put to good use all the learning and studying he’s done from the sidelines the last year.

    “For me, the biggest thing is trying to get out there,” said Pastrana on his long awaited debut. “It’s good that the interest has done away a little bit for me. It allows me to come in and focus on racing. But at the same time, it’s still NASCAR is 24/7 with everything else.

    “All I want to do is drive my car and be in the car. We’ve gone across a lot of media, and frankly, I’m tired of talking about it, I know the media’s tired of talking about it. And all the drivers are like, geez are you getting out here or not?

    “That ankle was horrible. But I’m finally getting started. I won’t know a lot of answers until I’m getting in the cars. So looking forward to this race.”

    How many races Pastrana runs this season is still to be determined. He still needs to be approved at certain tracks, but there’s no denying that he’s ready to race as much as he can.

    And don’t count on his ankle holding him back, saying that he’s been doing physical therapy and that while the ankle isn’t 100 percent for walking he’s 100 percent for driving. No worries for racing he says.

    Which is why on Friday night he plans to be as aggressive as he can. While he doesn’t want to crash or make a fool of himself, Pastrana doesn’t hide the fact that his goal is to finish on the lead lap.

    “If I end up crashing in the first quarter of the race, (A) I didn’t learn anything this round and (B) all the critics that have been saying I’m going to crash out all the time are going to be right,” Pastrana said.

    “So that first round is going to be even more stress going into the next one. I just hope I don’t hit a wall, don’t hit anybody else, don’t make anybody upset and hopefully we can end up on a lead lap and I think it will be a really strong goal for me.”

  • Michael Annett Is Flying High Yet Under the Radar

    Michael Annett Is Flying High Yet Under the Radar

    [media-credit name=”Photo Credit: Phil Cavali” align=”alignright” width=”172″][/media-credit]At Texas Motor Speedway, Michael Annett scored his second top-10 and fifth top-15 finish in just six races with his new team, Richard Petty Motorsports. And with that good run, he officially moved up two spots to fifth in the Nationwide Series point standings.

    Yet, as high as the young driver of the No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang is flying early in the season, he still is very much under the radar in a series dominated by the likes of veteran Elliott Sadler, reigning champ Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., up and comer Austin Dillon, and Danica Patrick.

    “To me, that’s how I’ve lived my whole life,” Annett said. “Even when I played hockey growing up, I never did anything outlandish.”

    “I was just the guy that got the job done,” Annett continued. “That’s pretty much my M.O. and how it’s been for me in my racing career.”

    Although flying under the radar so far this season, the new Richard Petty Motorsports driver has had some impressive initial success, especially with his recent run at Texas. Annett finished ninth, rebounding from running into a lapped car and taking advantage of the lights going out at the speedway.

    “We probably could have won the race if I hadn’t run into a lapped car,” Annett said. “But I loved it when the lights went out because we were overheating and getting ready to pit.”

    “So, I liked that the lights brought out the caution,” Annett continued. “The whole night was about overcoming adversity, so to come out ninth and to see the guys faces with a top ten finish, it was cool.”

    Annett also contributes his early success at Richard Petty Motorsports with the team’s affiliation with Roush Fenway Racing, particularly in light of their driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. winning last year’s Nationwide championship.

    “I think the success started with what Roush Fenway built last year with the championship and the relationship we have with them,” Annett said. “That partnership is huge.”

    “At Texas, we unloaded and we were close but we were still missing a little bit,” Annett continued. “To be able to go and talk to the No. 6 team and use some things they found, it’s just a huge advantage to us.”

    In spite of early success at Richard Petty Motorsports, the reality for Annett was that he had to make a difficult  transition rather abruptly when his former team, Rusty Wallace Racing, shut down at the end of last year due to lack of sponsorship.

    “It was definitely tough, very unfortunate and a testament to the economic times,” Annett said of the demise of his former team. “They couldn’t find a sponsor for Steven (Wallace) with 5-Hour Energy leaving.”

    “Rusty said he didn’t want to do it out of his pocket,” Annett continued. “So, the month before Daytona, they announced they were shutting down and we had to go find a place to race.”

    Fortunately for Annett his long-time sponsor, Pilot Flying J, stuck with him and gave him the opportunity to seek out another team. He was especially pleased when Richard Petty Motorsports ended up being one of the teams interested in him.

    “I’m definitely blessed to have Pilot as a partner that I’ve had since I’ve started racing,” Annett said. “That enabled me to go to other teams and when I went to Richard Petty Motorsports, it just felt right.”

    “It felt like a family, listening to Richard (Petty),” Annett continued. “He and I saw eye to eye on everything and it felt right.”

    Annett said it hit him how fortunate he was to be with Richard Petty Motorsports when he and the team went out for their first race together at Daytona in the Drive4COPD 300.

    “It’s funny,” Annett said. “It didn’t hit home to me until Daytona when Richard (Petty) was standing on one side and Dale Inman on the other side, both giving me pointers before I got into the car.”

    “And all I could think was ‘this is crazy,’ Annett said. “I’ve ridden on the plane with Richard and talked to him and the best way to put it is that I’m blessed. It’s pretty cool.”

    The other ‘cool’ discovery for this low-key driver was his new crew chief at Richard Petty Motorsports, Philippe Lopez.

    “I had no idea about Philippe Lopez before this season started,” Annett said. “His name got brought up and I didn’t know a thing about him.”

    “When I asked around, there is always somebody who doesn’t like somebody, but not one person had anything bad to say about Philippe,” Annett continued. “That’s pretty cool.”

    “From Daytona to now, there hasn’t been one mechanical problem and his confidence on the radio is huge,” Annett said. “It’s been a really good relationship.”

    After his strong run at Texas with his new crew chief and team, Annett will have another off-weekend before heading to Richmond International Raceway next weekend for the NASCAR Nationwide Series 250.

    “Richmond is one of those tracks that I’ve struggled at,” Annett said. “But each time, we go back, I get better.”

    “I think I finished 11th or 12th last time so if I crack the top-10, I know that we’ll have had a good race,” Annett continued. “At Richmond, if you get the right car, you can come out of there with a top-5 or a win.”

    Yet even with his impressive start to the season and in spite of having total upheaval in his team, the young driver is not one often mentioned in the Nationwide Series discourse.

    “I don’t mind it, but I worry more about the guys on the team because I want them to get the credit they deserve,” Annett said. “I was hoping that at Daytona when Dale Jarrett started talking about me that would be the start of things.”

    “But I’ve fallen back into my old ways of just getting my job done, under the radar,” Annett continued. “But where we finish and the results will show themselves.”

    “And if they want to talk about us, they will,” Annett said. “My guys still know I’m driving my butt off for them and they’re doing the same back to me.”

  • Matty’s Picks: Geico 400 Vol. 18 – Chicago – September 18, 2011

    Matty’s Picks: Geico 400 Vol. 18 – Chicago – September 18, 2011

    I will tell you up front that this will be a rather brief Matty’s Picks as there is really nothing exciting to write about at Chicagoland Speedway.

    [media-credit name=”chicagolandspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”123″][/media-credit]Chicago marks the start of the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup, and NASCAR couldn’t have picked a more boring race to start what is supposed to be the most exciting part of the season. Even the race at Kentucky Speedway earlier this year will prove to be more exciting than the race this weekend at Chicagoland because at least at Kentucky there was the parking situation to talk about.

    The fall season marks the toughest time during the NASCAR Sprint Cup season for viewer ratings, because of competing with the National Football League for viewers on Sunday afternoons. Placing another cookie-cutter style track with few passes and strung-out racing is no way to compete with the NFL.

    Enough with my rant about The Chase schedule, onto some picks…

    Richmond Recap

    Bad, bad, bad. I had two picks last week that really hit the toilet bowl in the last race of the 2011 regular season.

    Clint Bowyer, my Winner Pick, may have had the car to beat last Saturday night but got tangled up in an accident just nine laps into the 400-lap stanza. Bowyer had a very fast Chevrolet Impala in qualifying, sealing up fifth-place on the starting grid, but as everyone knows pointing the wrong the way on the racetrack is not the way you win races.

    Bowyer restarted 34th after the caution (which he caused) on lap 20 and I had a glimmer of hope as the Richard Childress Racing driver quickly moved into the top-15 by lap 60, top-10 by lap 70 and back into the top-5 by lap 100.

    Clint Bowyer might have been the hottest driver on the track last Saturday (in a literal sense), as he reported his in-car air conditioner had quit just 10-laps in, and the “Helping Hands” crew was forced to continue shoveling water and ice packs thru the window of the No. 33 car.

    Bowyer ran in the top-15 for another 125 laps before crew chief Shane Wilson realized the No. 33 was losing ground to the leaders and called his driver to the pits under the green. This strategy to be off-sequence to the leaders would backfire just seven laps later when the caution flag flew, forcing Bowyer a lap down to the leader and in the 20th position.

    The No. 33 car would linger around the top-15 the remainder of the race, but fought a loose condition, eventually taking the checkered flag in the 22nd position, sealing me up a poor finish for a Winner Pick.
    I will not bore you with the recap for Marcos Ambrose, because you would be here all night reading about each incident he was involved in. My Dark Horse pick, faired just one position better than Bowyer, finishing the Wonderful Pistachios 400 finishing in 21st position.

    Marcos Ambrose tried to make the most out of a rough night, after starting from the 33rd spot, and finding himself involved in a handful of on-track incidents. And just by coincidence, Ambrose was involved in the same wreck my Winner Pick, Clint Bowyer was involved in just 9-laps into Saturday night’s race.

    This was just the start of Ambrose’s troubles with the wall and other cars. Ambrose was involved in at least two other incidents before the half way point and at least one other during the second half of the race.

    He was a lap down basically the entire race, and never really gave me the hopes of making a Dark Horse win pick. With his 21st place finish, Ambrose did crack the top 20 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers points, but gained me nothing in my Dark Horse picks.

    Chicago Picks

    Winner Pick

    Well, I have to get my mandatory once-a-month Kyle Busch pick in, and with just one race to go after Chicago in the month of September, let’s make it this week.

    Like most tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, Kyle Busch has visited Victory Lane at Chicago, but never with Chase points riding on the line. In July 2008, Rowdy started on the pole at Chicagoland Speedway because of qualifying being rained out, and would pass Jimmie Johnson on the final restart for his first and only win at the track.

    Also unlike most tracks on the schedule, Kyle does not average a top-10 finish at Chicago. His average finish at the cookie-cutter in Joliet is 13.5, and his only top-10’s are actually top-5’s. He has finished 17th and 33rd respectively in the past two seasons at Chicago, but is eager to set the high mark in The Chase.

    Kyle is the guy most are pointing at to knock Jimmie Johnson off his championship course, and in order to do that he must WIN. I’d say the first race of the 2011 Chase is the time to do it.

    Dark Horse Pick

    I’ve made it a point to not pick two “Chasers” each week, and will start off this week with a driver who really could use a win for his NASCAR legacy.

    A win for Mark Martin in these final ten races this year would mean the world to the 52-year old. He is coming off a top-10 last week at Richmond and does have a history of finding the front at Chicagoland Speedway.

    Mark Martin etched his name in the history books at Chicagoland Speedway in July 2009 when he won the LifeLock.com 400, a race that was run at night. He led the race 4 times for a total of 195 laps, a complete domination of the rest of the 43-car field. The July win marked his 4th victory in 19 races during the 2009 season, the season he would be ranked first going into the final ten races of the season. 3

    Mark Martin was 3rd in the first practice of the day, and his average finish in the ten races run at Chicagoland Speedway is 12.8, slightly better than my Winner Pick’s.

    Not many folks are looking at Mark Martin for a win this week; hopefully I’ve opened your eyes to that possibility.

    That’s all for this week and as always…You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

  • Stephen Leicht Makes the Most of Richmond Opportunity

    Stephen Leicht Makes the Most of Richmond Opportunity

    After being out of a race car for two years, Stephen Leicht got the opportunity of a lifetime to slide behind the wheel of the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet for Tommy Baldwin Racing at Richmond this past weekend.

    [media-credit name=”Photo Credit: prweb.com ” align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]And the young driver took full advantage of it, staying out of trouble, finishing the race right behind Chase contender Matt Kenseth, and taking the checkered flag in the 24th position.

    “That was a great night for us,” Leicht said. “I was very proud of the entire Golden Corral TBR team.”

    “We weren’t very good when we unloaded and in practice on Friday,” Leicht continued. “We completely aborted the first set up we had in and completely changed the race car.”

    Leicht admitted that not only did his team work hard on the car, but he also had to work hard on himself particularly as he had not been in a race car for over two years.

    “We got it driving good and then jumped up a little bit on the speed charts in the second practice,” Leicht said. “Part of it was me not being in a car for two years and part of it was the race car. But all in all, the team did a great job all weekend and I thought we ran pretty well in the race.”

    After being away from the sport, Leicht experienced many emotions when the command to start engines was given under the lights at Richmond, ranging from relief to anxiety to intense focus and just trying to have fun.

    “It was relieving to be back in the car,” Leicht said. “I’ve spent a lot of time preparing myself and you’re always anxious the first time back in a race car.”

    “You want to be smooth and fast and do well but at the same time, you’ve got to be cautious because you haven’t been in a car in a while,” Leicht continued. “But the guys gave me such a great race car, that it really was easy to focus on what I was doing. And racing with some of the best in the world was a lot of fun.”

    “I thought I’d be really nervous but to be quite honest, I was so focused,” Leicht said. “The car was locked in the points so that gave me the opportunity to just race.”

    “Knowing that going in, I tried not to get nervous and just focus,” Leicht continued. “I was very surprised that I was able to do that.”

    Leicht said that the opportunity to drive the Tommy Baldwin Racing No. 36 came about three months ago, after a conversation with the team owner.

    “I’ve known Tommy (Baldwin) since back in our Yates days in 2006 and 2007,” Leicht said. “Basically, I had some sponsorship opportunities coming up and he was working on some stuff as well.”

    “He said, ‘Let’s go do some testing and we’ll see how that goes,’ Leicht continued. “Things just clicked and we got to go to Richmond.”

    Leicht admitted that he faced many challenges in the 54th Annual Wonderful Pistachios 400. One major challenge was getting the car to handle on short runs in addition to the long runs, as well as handling his own physical reaction to being behind the wheel.

    “For us, we had two biggest challenges, one was that our race cars just would not go on re-starts,” Leicht said. “We definitely have to work on our shorter run package.”

    “Personally, my biggest struggle was that my body was not used to all the heat in the race cars for that long of a race,” Leicht continued. “It’s a different world out there and you definitely have to be in shape. I got pretty dehydrated in the race. But all in all I thought everything went great.”

    Leicht said that another major challenge for him was balancing racing hard for himself while also respecting the drivers in the Chase, as well as those trying to make the Chase. And he was definitely cognizant of the beating and banging that went along with that.

    “I believe I came on the radio about 50 laps into the race and asked if they always wrecked that much,” Leicht said with a chuckle. “There was a lot going on and I was dodging a lot of stuff out there.”

    “You want to do great as a team and as a driver and for your sponsors, but at the same time with me not running for points and the team not being in the Chase, we had to be respectful of the ones trying to make the Chase and the ones locked into the Chase,” Leicht continued. “It definitely changes the game plan a little bit.”

    “But all in all, I think we were able to balance the two well,” Leicht said. “I was very pleased with the outcome.”

    With the Richmond race in his rear view mirror, Leicht is now focused on the upcoming race at Chicago in which he plans to start and park for Tommy Baldwin Racing. After that, there are no further formal plans in the work.

    “I’m not sure about anything else at this point,” Leicht said. “We’re just focused on trying to make the race at Chicago this weekend and you never know, there could be an opportunity for getting some more laps in this year.”

    “I just know that we’re focused on what we’ve got going on sponsorship-wise for next year,” Leicht continued. “Our goal for next year is full-time racing, myself and (Dave) Blaney.”

    “That would be awesome because Blaney is a great guy and a great driver and it would be awesome to be teammates with him.”

    Although Leicht’s focus is now on continuing his Cup career, he has a long history in racing, starting at the young age of six in go karts. And for Leicht, racing was his savior as far as keeping him out of trouble.

    “It was my parents’ way of keeping me out of trouble,” Leicht said. “I was kind of a bad little kid but I loved to race so much that my parents told me if I stayed out of trouble, they would allow me to race.”

    “It didn’t take long and I was winning a bunch of races, Leicht continued. “Then it became more than a hobby and became a passion of mine. And I’ve been doing it ever since. I can’t get enough of it.”

    When asked what one word would best describe him as a racer at this stage in his career, Leicht said simply, “Determined.”

    He then shared a caveat to the determination, that of being very grateful and very proud.

    “I’m very proud of the TBR organization,” Leicht said. “And I can’t thank Tommy Baldwin enough for this opportunity.”

     

  • Paying Tribute to 9/11: NASCAR, Richmond International Raceway and the Fans Get it Right

    Paying Tribute to 9/11: NASCAR, Richmond International Raceway and the Fans Get it Right

    On Saturday, Sept. 1oth, I spent my entire day at Richmond International Raceway. I literally went from tailgate to trackside, something that I’d never done before, something that I’d never even thought to attempt. It’s always been one or the other, fan or journalist, but never both. I generally make the trek from Washington DC to Richmond on my own and do my job from the confines of the media center and infield. I have not seen a race from the stands or mingled in the crowd in over three years.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”228″][/media-credit]This weekend was different though, as we all know, this race fell on the same weekend of the tenth anniversary of 9/11. For many this was more than just your average race day, this was a time to also reflect and pay tribute to those we lost in those terrible attacks a decade ago. So, when several of my coworkers expressed interest in going to the race, I changed my normal routine to give them the best race day experience they could hope for.  For many of them this would be their first experience with NASCAR. I wanted them to be hooked, to feel what I felt at my first race, I wanted them to want to come back for more. 

    We arrived at the track at 10am and staked our ground by parking six vehicles to form a virtual square. In the center we set up tents, tarps, tables, chairs and grills. We strategically placed the coolers, cranked up the CD player and even hooked up a flat-screen TV complete with a DirecTv dish in the back of an SUV to catch some College football before heading into the track. The perfect setup for the ultimate tailgating party. There were 16 of us in total. We varied in age, gender and race to form a perfect little melting pot. You see, we are more than just mere coworkers, we are also great friends. Anyone who has had the opportunity to attend a race knows that you may come with the friends you know, but you leave a race with even more. A NASCAR race is the perfect setting to hang out with thousands of the closest friends you never knew you had. 

    We ate until we felt that it was impossible to take another bite and then we ate some more. We played cornhole and ladder-ball. Some relived their college days by playing competitive Flip Cup and Beer Pong. Some watched Virginia Tech beat East Carolina from the bumper of a Chevy Trailblazer, while others laid in the sun, just soaking it all in. We mingled and met new people. We shared our stories with them and they with us. After several hours of hanging out next to our crazy brood, a gentleman with his own large group of friends finally mustered up the courage to ask just how in the world a group like us came to be at a NASCAR race together. “I don’t mean this to sound rude or disrespectful by any means, but I’ve been trying to figure out what your connection is with each other other,” he said. “I’m looking at you and you’re from all walks of life, it is an interesting combination of people you’ve got here.” I hadn’t given it any thought until he said something, but by looking at us we did look a bit like a United Colors of Benneton ad. 

    I told him that we all worked together. He questioned what it was that we could possibly do that would accommodate all of the varying personality types. I explained that we were all healthcare providers that worked in the Emergency Department in the suburbs of the Washington DC metropolitan area. It’s funny when you say that to someone because you can actually see when the light comes on, that moment that it suddenly makes sense. The moment that they think “Oh man, they work in the ER, that explains the craziness!” It’s true, one has to be a little crazy to do the jobs that we do. We’re made up of Nurses, Paramedics EMTs, Registration Clerks and medical school students. In any other world, in any other profession who knows if we would have made a friendship connection, but in our world it just makes sense.

    We know what it’s like to see the worst of the worst. We all had our own 9/11 stories to tell, what we went through and experienced not only from a personal point of view but from a medical one as well. Many of us waited on that day in 2001 to help victims that would never arrive. We share a unique perspective of that day. We were at the track this weekend not only to watch what would turn out to be one of the best races of the year but to commemorate an anniversary of a day that everything changed and will never be forgotten. A day that for many of us was the worst day of our lives.

    I listened to countless stories on Saturday of where people were, what they were doing and how they reacted. Sometimes you can’t remember what you ate for breakfast but everybody vividly remembers exactly where they were ten years ago today. On Friday I listened to drivers being asked the same question, each of them had a story to tell, each of them a little different than the next. It is easy to forget at times that NASCAR drivers are “people too.” Their larger than life personas that play out on our television screens weekly affect our way of thinking, but under their flashy firesuits and fast cars there is someone that we can genuinely relate to. Our so-called racecar driving heroes have heroes too. 

    On the last race of the regular season, on a night that sets the Chase and makes for huge headlines in the sporting world, drivers respectively took a backseat to the memory of the 343 New York firefighters who lost their lives, not in the name of heroics, but simply because they were “doing their jobs,” to the 184 souls killed at the Pentagon, to the 33 passengers and seven crew members on Flight 93 who bravely gave their own lives in an attempt to stop the hijackers from crashing into another building, to all 2977 innocent lives lost and to to the families left behind and to the servicemen who fight everyday for our freedom and protection.

    NASCAR not only said “I will,” they united and delivered. Then asked the question, “Will you?”

    As I made my way from the parking lot to the infield before the start of the race and was handed a tiny American Flag, I knew the answer to that question. I along with over 100,000 others that night at the track said a resounding “Yes!” The pre-race ceremony was like none I’d ever witnessed before. It was emotional and gracious. Crowds cheered when former Mayor Mayor Giuliani appeared on the video scoring tower screens to offer his appreciation, tears were shed as New York City police officer Daniel Rodriguez sang “God Bless America” and respect was given to wounded warriors, USMC Corporal Todd Nicely and US Army Specialist Brendan Marrocco led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Flags waved in unison in the stands as fans and broadcasters paused for a moment of silence between laps nine and eleven. It was patriotism at it’s finest. 

    I left the track at 1am, some 15 hours after I arrived. Exhaustion was beginning to set in as I made my way to my car. Something on the ground caught my eye, a cutout of a yellow star mixed in with celebratory confetti that littered the infield. I instinctively picked it up and was holding it in my hand when it occurred to me that it was now officially Sept. 11th. I reflected for a moment on the events of the day, the race had been one heck of a wild ride, arguably one of the best of the season, but it was more than that. Richmond International Raceway, NASCAR and the fans got it right on a day, 10 years ago that was filled with such wrong.

    NASCAR will never forget and neither shall we.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Richmond Wonderful Pistachios 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Richmond Wonderful Pistachios 400

    [media-credit name=”Ted Seminara” align=”alignright” width=”231″][/media-credit]With tributes to the troops, America and to all lost on September 11th, NASCAR’s finest took to the Richmond International Raceway to determine the twelve who will Chase for the Championship. Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 54th annual Wonderful Pistachios 400.

    Surprising:  The unhappiness of this driver with his car at the beginning of the race contrasted starkly with his surprisingly overwhelming joy and happiness in Victory Lane. And yet even in victory, the winner of the race stopped to pay tribute to those who serve and to the country, as well as to his mother on her birthday.

    Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet, claimed his fourth victory of the 2011 season and his second victory in 22 races at Richmond, locking him into a tie for the top seed in the Chase.

    “This is pretty awesome,” Harvick said as he climbed out of the car to cheers and spraying of the sponsor’s product. “First thing I want to do is thank all of our troops for everything they do for us. This is a special weekend.”

    “And I want to say ‘happy birthday’ to my mom tomorrow,” Harvick continued. “This is just a great night and a great weekend.”

    Not Surprising:  Although getting in by the skin of their teeth, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Denny Hamlin overcame problems during the race to finish seventh, sixteenth, and ninth respectively, establishing their places in the Chase, ninth, tenth and twelfth respectively.

    “I’m probably most proud of the fact that we’ve had six opportunities to be in the Chase and we’ve made it five out of the six,” Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, said. “We’re able to sit up here tonight and say we’ve made this thing.”

    “I wouldn’t have predicted it halfway through the year with the way our season was going, but real appreciative of our guys who kept their heads up and kept working really hard.”

    “Well we just kept working and trying to fix the car,” Dale Earnhardt, Jr. said of his No. 88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet. “We were tore up pretty bad in the front end and was just really loose in. We worked on it and worked on it and fought for everything we could.”

    “It was an unbelievable comeback,” Hamlin, behind the wheel of the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota. “This car really is destroyed and it’s amazing how fast we got this car considering the circumstances.”

    “We were just able to motor up through there.”

    Surprising:  Although Richmond is a short track and tempers traditionally run hot, it was surprising the intensity of the feelings between one-time champion Kurt Busch and five-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who managed to find one another yet again to bring out the eleventh caution of the race.

    “We raced down into Turn One and I locked up the left front trying to avoid him,” Busch, driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, said of Johnson. “When he came back to us, you could see it coming.”

    “That’s not something you see from Jimmie Johnson every day,” Busch continued. “So I know we’re in his head.”

    “He’s got to learn to race,” Busch said. “He’s been able to beat guys the last five years just by out driving them just what he has for equipment.”

    “I’m going to beat him fair and square with my Penske Dodge.”

    “I got run over going into (Turn) One,” Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/Power of Pride Chevrolet, said after the race. “If you’re going to spin me out, I’m going to spin you out.”

    “It’s just part of it,” Johnson continued. “I’m sure I’ll go find him and talk to him and he’ll run his mouth and we’ll go from there.”

    “I’ve worked very hard to not have any contact with him,” Johnson said. “I made a move to break the draft and I didn’t touch his car.”

    “He instigated it and ran into the side of me,” Johnson continued. “If he can stop running into my Lowe’s Chevrolet, everything will be just fine.”

    Busch finished fifth in the race and, in stark contrast, Johnson finished 31st. Johnson, however, now becomes the only driver to qualify for each of the eight Chase competitions, from 2004 to 2010.

    Johnson is seeded sixth in the Chase and Busch is ironically right behind him in the seventh spot.

    Not Surprising:  In contrast to the hot tempers, three drivers in particular remained calm, cool and collected to not only finish the race with top ten finishes, but secure their places firmly in the Chase.

    Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Kellogg’s/Cheez-It Ford, almost caught winner Kevin Harvick in the final laps of the race, settling instead for a second place finish. This was Edwards’ seventh top-10 finish in 15 races at Richmond and his 17th top -10 finish this season.

    “Well, once I get over the frustration of not winning this thing, I am going to be really excited about how fast our team is,” Edwards said. “We really turned things around tonight.”

    “That is the best we have run on a short track in years,” Edwards continued. “That was huge. I had a good time and I am ready to go get this Chase on.”

    Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, was bitten by the final caution to score a third place finish. This was, however, Gordon’s 24th top-10 finish in 38 races at Richmond.

    “That definitely did not fall our way, but that was a great battle,” Gordon said. “That was fun.”

    “This team has got me excited and they’re on fire,” Gordon continued. “To be up there to take the lead and have a shot at winning that thing was awesome. We’re very excited.”

    And Kyle Busch, behind the wheel of his No. 18 M&Ms Toyota, decked out in a red, white and blue 9/11 tribute paint scheme, scored a sixth place finish after recovering from losing a lap due to a loose wheel.

    “It was just a hard-fought battle tonight, and certainly we had to battle through more adversity than we would have like to,” Busch said. “But that’s what’s going to make us better.”

    “We fought through everything it seemed,” Busch continued. “It was fun to drive that thing.”

    Surprising:  Red Bull Racing had a surprisingly bad day, with Kasey Kahne, behind the wheel of the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota, wrecking twice, once with a tire going down and once into his own teammate Brian Vickers, behind the wheel of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, as a result of contact with Marcos Ambrose.

    “I just know I started to turn when the 83 hit me hard,” Kahne said. “It was a weird deal.”

    Vickers had an even stronger reaction, expressing his anger both on and off the track at Ambrose. Although speculation had it that Vickers had been parked by NASCAR, he ended up spending a great deal of time on pit road attempting to repair the car before visiting the NASCAR hauler after the race.

    Not Surprising:  It was not surprising that several drivers just out of the top twelve came oh, so close to making their Chase dreams a possibility.

    A.J. Allmendinger, behind the wheel of the No. 43 Best Buy Ford, had a great run, finishing 11th. Yet he still came up short, remaining in the 13th position in the point standings.

    Clint Bowyer, driving the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet, also gave it his best college try, only to finish 22nd after a difficult run, including losing his air conditioning ten laps into the race and tangling with fellow competitor David Ragan, also trying to  make the Chase in his No. 6 UPS ‘We Love Logistics’ Ford.

    “I got under David and I didn’t get any room left and spun myself out,” Bowyer said. “I drove as hard as I could and gambled and did what we could to try to win the race.”

    “Nothing’s gone our way since Charlotte half way through our season,” Bowyer continued. “There’s always next year.”

    Surprising:  Stephen Leicht, in only his second career race, had a good run for the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet. Although Leicht finished 24th, he was in contention throughout, demonstrating that his time away from the sport has not hurt his abilities behind the wheel.

    Not Surprising:  Brad Keselowski, again showing that he is NASCAR’s hottest driver, brought the Blue Deuce to the checkered flag in the 12th position. ‘Kes’ has now cemented his place firmly in the Chase seeded 11th.

    “We just didn’t give up,” Keselowski said. “We got a little momentum going.”

    “When the Chase comes you’ve got to out-finish what you have for a car and we’re doing that,” Keselowski continued. “It’s Chase time and we’ve got the Blue Deuce in it.”

  • As Expected, Earnhardt Jr., Stewart and Hamlin All Make the Chase, But Went Through Hell to Get There

    As Expected, Earnhardt Jr., Stewart and Hamlin All Make the Chase, But Went Through Hell to Get There

    The day started off well, beautiful blue sunny skies complimented an emotional tribute to the tenth anniversary of 9/11, which included a planned moment of silence from laps nine through 11 to honor the victims, survivors and those who served in response to the attacks. Danny Rodriguez, the “singing New York City policeman sang “God Bless America, the 29th Infantry Division Band played the National Anthem and R. Lee Ermey, retired US Marine, Actor and Wonderful Pistachios spokesman gave the command, “Drivers let’s get crackin! Drivers, start your engines!”

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”230″][/media-credit]The cars rolled off the track at 7:46 pm and Wonderful Pistachios 400 began with three warm-up laps behind the pace car before Pole Sitter, David Reutimann brought the field to green. That’s where things started to get a little weird. Jaime McMurray quickly took over the lead, followed by Jimmie Johnson who then stole Reuity’s second place position.

    Then came lap two where all hell just broke loose and never stopped.

    The first caution of the night flew on lap two after Andy Lally got into the wall. No one hit pit road except Mike Bliss because well, the race just started ¾ miles earlier. McMurray led the field to green on lap six, with Johnson, Reutimann, Mark Martin and Clint Bowyer rounding up the top-five.

    And then bam, another caution just two laps later after Bowyer and Reutimann got together in turn four, spinning Bowyer’s No. 33 Chevy and collecting Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Scott Speed , Robby Gordon,  Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr. Casey Mears, Marcos Ambrose, , David Gilliland and Travis Kvapil.

    Seriously? Seriously! Two of the three hopefuls to make the Chase involved in a wreck! Gasps could be heard track wide as hearts immediately sank and speculation began. Could NASCAR’s most popular driver Earnhardt Jr. and his crew bandage his broken racecar enough to get him a 20th place finish? How about Richmond’s hometown boy Hamlin? Did he even stand a chance or we’re all hopes dashed at that very moment?

    Both drivers took to pit road on lap 12. Hamlin for front and left sided damage, Earnhardt Jr. for serious front-end damage. Junior was back on pit road on lap 13, as were Kenseth, Truex and Mears. On lap 14 Hamlin went a lap down for an extended pit stop.

    Lap 15 saw crash victims, Earnhardt Jr., Kenseth, Truex and Bowyer back on pit road for repair. Lap 16 brought Kenseth back again and Hamlin with his hood up; possibly dashing his chances of making the Chase.  Lap 17 brought back Earnhardt Jr. and Kenseth and Hamlin once more on lap 18.

    The green flag flew on lap 19 with McMurray in the lead, only to be taken over by Johnson on lap 20, but Kasey Kahne shook things up after a hard hit in turn two bringing out caution number three. The green flag waved four laps later with Johnson leading the pack.

    Yellow flag number four flew on lap 37 after Earnhardt Jr. got into the back of Marco Ambrose, crashing him in the backstretch. Hamlin was the “lucky dog” putting the No. 11 Toyota back on the lead lap. At lap 40 both Ambrose and Hamlin were on pit road. Johnson once again led the field to green on lap 43.

    Lap 51 brought out the fifth caution of the night and ended Kahne’s night after wrecking into the outside and inside wall. Kahne was three-wide with teammate Brian Vickers and Ambrose when Kahne and Vickers got together.  Vickers expressed his displeasure with Ambrose on lap 53 by intentionally wrecking him under caution by slamming Ambrose’s No .9 Ford and blocking his entrance to pit road with his No. 83 Toyota. Vickers is told by NASCAR to park his Red Bull machine in the garage until further notice.

     

    Kenseth stayed out on the track and took the lead on lap 61 before the restart. Lap 69 brought an unexpected pit stop for Kyle Busch, who thought he had a loose wheel, putting him a lap down and in the 33rd position.  Harvick took over the lead position on lap 73 and by lap 93 was closing in on a 28th place Earnhardt Jr, about to put the No. 88 Chevy a lap down. Three laps later Harvick made that happen.

    On lap 103 Tony Stewart quietly clinched his place in the Chase by riding in the 13th position. Earnhardt Jr. sits in 10th place but just 12 points ahead of Keselowski. Mike Bliss brings of the yellow flag for the sixth time on lap 116, nailing the wall in turn two after a tire goes down.

    Vickers returned to the track on lap 120 after sitting in the garage for 68 laps. Harvick led the green flag restart on lap 122. Earnhardt Jr. delivered some earlier payback to Travis Kvapil on lap 152 sending him into the wall in turn two and bringing out the seventh caution of the evening. NASCAR deems Earnhardt Jr. responsible for the accident and did not grant him the free pass to get back onto the lead lap.

    New leader Greg Biffle led the field to green on lap 160 but of course that was short lived because in just two short laps later as Harvick was passing the Biff on the frontstretch, you guessed it another caution! Landon Cassill spun on the frontstretch and the yellow flag flew for the eighth time. Earnhardt Jr. is the “lucky dog” for the second time. Harvick led the pack out again on lap 168.

    History repeated itself again and again. Caution came out again on lap 172 as Paul Menard made hard contact with the wall and sent to the garage, ending his hopes to make the Chase. In a separate incident on the same lap, Regan Smith spun out but was able to keep it off the wall. Lap 185 we saw yellow again for the 10th time as Johnson spun in turn two after making contact with Kurt Busch. Montoya’s No. 42 Chevy was also involved.

    Harvick once again led the field to green on lap 190 with Edwards in second, looking for a dog fight and overtook the lead on lap 201. By lap 224 it was looking a little bleak for Earnhardt Jr. has he rode in the 24th position and Keselowski took over the second spot, threatening to move from his Wild Card place in the Chase to a legit top 10, which in effect would have ended Earnhardt’s chances of making the Chase.

    Edwards in the meantime is pecking off drivers one by one, putting Ambrose a lap down at 237 and Earnhardt Jr. down again at 242. But hey, guess what? Another caution came out on lap 246, number 11, after Johnson and Kurt Busch got together again in turn two. Busch spun out, Johnson hit the wall and sent the No. 48 Chevy to the garage. Earnhardt Jr. got lucky for the third time and got the free pass to get back on the lead lap. Green flag flew on lap 253 with Edwards in the lead.

    And then something magical happened, the race made it 30 laps without incident, but on lap 284 Jeff Burton spun in turn three, slamming into the wall. It happened again on lap 296 for the 13th time as it’s Ambrose’s turn to take a spin. On lap 297 Joey Logano’s engine blew, forcing him to the garage. Edwards lead the field again on lap 301 as the race went green.

    Eight laps later, yep, another caution, we’re up to 14 folks! Reutimann sustained heavy damage after contact with Bowyer and sending him into the wall. Lap 313 Edwards led the field again. Feels a little like “Groundhog Day” doesn’t it?  Harvick stole the lead from Edwards on lap 314 and it went down hill from there for him as he started to slip back in the pack and then on lap 355 was told that he would be ten laps short on fuel.

    Harvick fights to keep the lead as Jeff Gordon makes a hard charge for first place on lap 366. Gordon makes the pass on lap 378 and took over the lead. Earnhardt Jr. went a lap down at 381…again. Just when we thought we’d make it to the end without another caution…surprise! Caution 15 came out on lap 384 as Menard, who returned to the track on lap 254, 79 laps down, spun on the frontstretch and with that, Earnhardt Jr. got lucky once again with the free pass.

    Harvick won the race off of pit road, with Edwards, Gordon and Kyle Busch holding up the rear. Harvick held Edwards off to the finish line and won this emotional, roller coaster of a race in what felt like a fairy tale ending, everything fell into place exactly as predicted. Despite the many hardships that each of the drivers endured during the Wonderful Pistachios 400, some more than other; Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin made the Sprint Cup Chase and we all lived happily ever after.

    Earnhardt Jr. moved up to 17th position at lap 327, enough to lock him into the Chase.

    Unofficial Race Results
    Wonderful Pistachios 400, Richmond International Raceway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/race.php?race=26
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 7 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 48
    2 8 99 Carl Edwards Ford 43
    3 17 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 42
    4 20 6 David Ragan Ford 40
    5 11 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 40
    6 13 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 39
    7 22 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 37
    8 18 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 36
    9 28 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 35
    10 4 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 34
    11 9 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 33
    12 19 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 32
    13 14 16 Greg Biffle Ford 32
    14 2 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 31
    15 10 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 29
    16 27 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 28
    17 30 13 Casey Mears Toyota 27
    18 23 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 26
    19 34 135 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 25
    20 32 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 24
    21 33 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 23
    22 5 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 22
    23 25 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 22
    24 40 36 Stephen Leicht Chevrolet 20
    25 21 51 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 0
    26 1 0 David Reutimann Toyota 18
    27 36 34 David Gilliland Ford 17
    28 35 38 Travis Kvapil Ford 0
    29 6 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 15
    30 29 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 14
    31 3 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 14
    32 38 71 Andy Lally * Ford 12
    33 24 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 11
    34 15 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 10
    35 16 20 Joey Logano Toyota 9
    36 42 32 Mike Bliss Ford 0
    37 37 7 Robby Gordon Dodge 7
    38 12 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 6
    39 31 66 Michael McDowell Toyota 5
    40 26 30 David Stremme Chevrolet 4
    41 39 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 0
    42 43 55 J.J. Yeley Ford 2
    43 41 46 Scott Speed Ford 0
  • Kyle Busch Steals a Nationwide Win from Edwards in the Virginia 529 College Savings 250

    Kyle Busch Steals a Nationwide Win from Edwards in the Virginia 529 College Savings 250

    The Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Raceway Friday night was pretty much Carl Edwards’ for the taking, after dominating most of the race. The fateful blow came when Edwards lost three positions during the final round of pit stops under caution.

    [media-credit name=”Ted Seminara” align=”alignright” width=”242″][/media-credit]Kyle Busch won his 51st Nationwide race of his career, his eighth this season in 19 starts by edging Edwards out at the finish line by just .696 seconds., followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Truex and Kenny Wallace rounding out the Top-five.

    “Carl was certainly really, really god there, and I thought at first we were probably a third- or fourth-place car, and then kind of worked on it and made it a second- or third-place car,” Busch said. “We were keeping up with Carl, and then, on that final pit stop, my guys really put the pressure on, knowing how quick they’d been on pit road all night — and they did it once again.

    “We were able to get off first, and I think Carl came off fourth, so when we had the restart there, he got mired up in traffic there, and that gave us some room to get out … [crew chief] Jason [Ratcliff] and these guys made some awesome adjustments all night, making the car a little bit better — just be able to make it a little more drivable. Every run we got closer, and then, there on that last run, we had track position and a good car.”

    The battle between Edwards and Busch started on lap three as the two battled for second place behind race leader Brad Keselowski. By lap seven Edwards took over the lead and left the other drivers in his dust.

    The first caution flew at lap 65 after Black Koch spun on the frontstretch after a nudge from Aric Amirola. Edwards resumed his lead on lap 79 as the green flag restarted the race. Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Trevor Bayne and Steve Wallace rolled out 2nd through fifth respectively.

    The second caution waved on the very same lap of the restart as Keselowski brushed the wall, followed by a crash in turns three and four between Kevin Harvick and Jason Leffler.

    Busch took the lead coming off pit road on lap 85 with Edwards behind in second place. Edwards took back his lead position on lap 87. Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne takes the second position from Busch on lap 114 and has his sights on Edwards.

    The yellow flag flew for the third time after Danica Patrick locked up her breaks heading into turn three and spinning Keselowski in the process. The race restarted on lap 143 only to have the caution flag thrown again on the same lap for the second time in the race after Brian Scott and Michael Annett crash in turns three and four. Scott’s car was turned by Amirola, who proved to be none to pleased and attempted to make his way towards Amirola’s car before being retained by a NASCAR official.

    Busch retook the lead off of pit road on lap 153, followed once again by a second place Edwards. Just six laps later the yellow flag flew for the fifth time after Eric McClure hot the wall. Busch reigned supreme by taking the lead from Edwards once again on lap 170 but Edwards would not go quietly and reclaimed his number one spot on lap 175.

    Kevin Harvick slammed Tevor Bayne, crashing him on the backstretch bring out the race’s sixth caution on lap 209. Busch once again exited pit road in the lead on lap 220, Edwards however exits fourth behind Stenhouse Jr. and Truex. With just 30 laps to go, Edwards would have to give it everything he got to try to regain his lead.

    Edwards’ hard charge looked promising as he moved into the top three by lap 226. By lap 235, he dove under Stenhouse Jr. in turn two to move into the second position. It looked as if Edwards would catch Busch as the margin between them whittled down to about eighth tenth of a second by lap 239, but in the end Edwards’ car would not sustain the power to propel him to the finish line first.

    Busch celebrated in victory lane, scoring his 51st Nationwide Series win, extending the driver’s own record for the most in the division’s history. All eyes should be on Busch for the Sprint Cup race Saturday night. He won it last year and is a favorite to sweep the weekend at RIR.

     

    Unofficial Race Results
    Virginia 529 College Savings 250, Richmond International Raceway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/n2s/race.php?race=27
    =========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 3 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 0
    2 2 60 Carl Edwards Ford 0
    3 6 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 41
    4 10 20 Ryan Truex * Toyota 40
    5 5 9 Kenny Wallace Toyota 39
    6 8 2 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 38
    7 16 88 Aric Almirola Chevrolet 37
    8 17 32 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet 36
    9 22 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 35
    10 15 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 34
    11 26 62 Michael Annett Toyota 33
    12 18 19 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 32
    13 14 70 David Stremme Chevrolet 0
    14 28 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 31
    15 24 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 29
    16 7 66 Steve Wallace Toyota 28
    17 38 15 Timmy Hill * Ford 27
    18 32 7 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 26
    19 1 22 Brad Keselowski Dodge 0
    20 13 33 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 0
    21 37 28 Derrike Cope Chevrolet 23
    22 39 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Chevrolet 22
    23 40 52 Kevin Lepage Chevrolet 21
    24 41 89 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 20
    25 42 39 Luis Martinez Jr. Ford 19
    26 27 30 Ricky Carmichael Chevrolet 0
    27 35 81 Blake Koch * Dodge 17
    28 4 16 Trevor Bayne Ford 16
    29 11 38 Jason Leffler Chevrolet 15
    30 20 14 Eric McClure Chevrolet 14
    31 9 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 0
    32 12 11 Brian Scott Toyota 12
    33 21 40 Josh Wise Chevrolet 11
    34 25 141 Johnny Chapman Chevrolet 10
    35 30 171 Matthew Carter Ford 9
    36 23 44 Jeff Green Chevrolet 8
    37 36 175 Carl Long Ford 7
    38 43 142 Tim Andrews Chevrolet 6
    39 34 248 Dennis Setzer Chevrolet 5
    40 19 49 Mark Green Chevrolet 4
    41 31 103 Scott Riggs Chevrolet 3
    42 33 146 Chase Miller Chevrolet 2
    43 29 147 Brian Keselowski Chevrolet 0
  • Matty’s Picks: Wonderful Pistachios 400 Vol. 17 – Richmond – September 10, 2011

    Matty’s Picks: Wonderful Pistachios 400 Vol. 17 – Richmond – September 10, 2011

    [media-credit id=18 align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]It all comes down to this! The regular season will officially come to a close and the post-season will officially begin after the dust settles Saturday Night.

    Officially, nine of 12 tickets to this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup have been given out, with a record 14 drivers still in the hunt for one of the three remaining spots in The Chase. Previously, the most drivers mathematically eligible for one of the unclaimed spots in The Chase for the Sprint Cup heading into Richmond was seven, dating back to 2005.

    If you’re wondering if your driver has a guaranteed spot on The Chase stage, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, and Ryan Newman are all guaranteed spots in the Top-10 for the first race of the 2011 Chase. These drivers will also receive bonus points in The Chase for their winning efforts during the first 26 races of the season.

    The other driver who has a guarantee from NASCAR to put his toys in the box this year is Brad Keselowski. Keselowski has made his position known by way of his three wins on the season, two of which coming in the last five races. In the words of my high school wrestling coach, “Matty, it’s not always about being good all the time, but being good at the RIGHT time.” Keselowski has been on a roll heading into The Chase, finishing outside the top-three just once in the past five races.

    Atlanta Recap

    Rain, Rain, Go Away! was the tune sang last week in Atlanta, after the Sprint Cup race had to be postponed from Sunday evening until Tuesday morning. At a racetrack known for close finishes, the race Tuesday was nothing short of what was expected out of a race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

    My winner pick fought diligently to take the lead about ¾ through the race, but fell a half-second short of victory to race-winner Jeff Gordon on lap 325. Jimmie Johnson rolled off the starting grid in 17th place on Tuesday, and threw the book at his car in an effort to make it drive better.

    “The first two runs the car was pretty bad. And Chad made some great adjustments on pit road to get the car in the track to where I could carry any speed in and through the center and then use the throttle off. Before that I was on ice and couldn’t drive the car” said Johnson following his runner-up finish.

    Johnson was even in the lead with 50 to go, but finally surrendered the lead to a charging Jeff Gordon, who really had the car to beat on Tuesday Afternoon. Still, I can not complain about a second-place finish following my blunder just two weeks ago at Bristol.

    My Dark Horse pick handed me my worst finish of the year on Tuesday. A 36th place finish was what I had to show for a Dark Horse pick last week due to an accident involving Juan Montoya and my pick, Clint Bowyer on lap 243.

    Bowyer earned his career-best starting position for the race Tuesday morning by laying down an absolutely flawless lap on Saturday, good enough to start second. For the majority of the first half of the race, Bowyer was a staple in the Top-10, but after contact with Montoya on lap 243, Bowyer found himself waiting in the garage while the “Helping Hands” pit crew worked diligently to get the No. 33 Chevrolet back in racing order.

    Bowyer had this to say about the incident with Montoya: “We had a really good Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet today and got wrecked by another competitor who was racing stupid and not showing any patience. It sounds like we are going to have to win next week to make the Chase for (the NASCAR Sprint Cup) and we run well in Richmond. We had a top-10 car this weekend and I expect us to have one in Richmond. This team isn’t going down without a fight.”

    Richmond Picks

    This week, I will do something I’ve yet to do this season with Matty’s picks…pick a driver two weeks in a row. I might get some backlash for doing it, but its really the right thing to do this week.

    Winner Pick

    My winner pick this week was my Dark Horse last week and is the guy to beat this week not only because of his history at RIR, but for the passion he will be driving with on Saturday night.

    Clint Bowyer stands on the outside looking in on The Chase for the Sprint Cup now in 14th place heading into the race Saturday Night. He lost two spots with his finish last week at Atlanta and is hungry to show that he deserves to race for the Sprint Cup this year. He needs to win Saturday night to make the last 10 races meaningful this season, and needs help (not in a positive way) from Denny Hamlin if he has any chance of making The Chase.

    6th place seems to be Bowyer’s favorite finishing spot the past few years at RIR, with three 6th place finishes in the past four races at the track. He did have the opportunity to visit Victory Lane at Richmond in May of 2009, and boasts a 9.5 average finish at RIR.

    Bowyer may be a ringer pick for the race Saturday night, and judging by his practice speeds earlier today, he will make things interesting not only in the 400-lap race, but for the last few covenanted spots in The Chase.

    Dark Horse Pick

    My Dark Horse pick is also a guy who needs a win plus some help from other drivers to make the 2011 Chase field. Marcos Ambrose has one win this year already, and sits just outside the Top-20 in points in 21st position.

    In order to be a part of the Chase field, Marcos Ambrose would have to win the Wonderful Pistachios 400 Saturday Night, but also enter the Top-20 in the points standings to seal up the second and final Wild Card spot this season.

    Now, the driver sitting 20th in points seems to be little to no threat to win Saturday night, as he has yet to finish any better than 16th at the D-shaped short-track, a positive statistic for Ambrose. Marcos Ambrose sits seven points behind Menard in 21st, but a win out of him and an average finish from Paul Menard would give him enough of a points gain to end up in a Wild Card spot for The Chase.

    Ambrose is hungry to show he belongs among NASCAR’s elite with a spot in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup. He does have two Top-10’s at Richmond, including a 5th-place finish last year in this exact race. I know it may seem like a real long-shot, but I’ve seen stranger things happen…

    This wraps up the regular season for Matty’s Picks, but stay tuned next week for my thoughts on the start of the Chase and my picks for Chicagoland.

    Until Next Time…You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

  • Jeff Gordon’s Quiet Healing Impact on 9/11 Children

    Jeff Gordon’s Quiet Healing Impact on 9/11 Children

    [media-credit id=18 align=”alignright” width=”223″][/media-credit]Ten years ago this race weekend, terrorists attacked the United States resulting in loss of life at the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and on Flight 93 that went down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

    For thousands of families, their fathers or mothers or sisters or brothers never came home that day. But for the children who lost their parents, September 11th took away the most important people in their lives.

    Because of the magnitude of loss in New Jersey, a family serving agency began a therapeutic healing arts program to help children in their community who had lost their parents in the terrorist attacks.

    And in one particular healing arts group, primarily comprised of boys, it was soon determined that another bond outside of 9/11 bound them together, their lost fathers’ love of NASCAR racing.

    It was also discovered that the dads who had been killed in the Twin Towers all fancied one particular driver, four-time champion Jeff Gordon, as their favorite NASCAR driver.

    With this information and the connection established, the healing art professionals decided that one of their healing projects would be to have the young boys build pine wood derby race cars in memory of their dads and to honor their love of racing.

    The group worked diligently on their race cars, crafting them and decorating them, many with the No. 24 displayed prominently, as well as plenty of Gordon-like flames. And as they worked, the boys wondered if there might be any way that they could share their projects with their favorite driver, or better yet, get his autograph on their race cars.

    Gordon’s Foundation, then the Jeff Gordon Foundation, was contacted and agreed that they would do their best to get the race cars autographed, turning them around quickly before the first set of holidays that the children would endure without their fathers. The boys packed up their newly-built race cars, with a few notes to share their meaning, and mailed them off to the Jeff Gordon Foundation offices.

    In just a few weeks, a package arrived for the group. It was filled not only with races cars bearing Jeff Gordon’s autograph, but also notes to the children and other memorabilia from the NASCAR champion.

    Gordon’s healing impact on this particular group of children devastated by September 11th, 2001 was palpable. They raced their autographed pine wood derby cars in their fathers’ memories and enjoyed them as special mementos and memories throughout the holiday season.

    “I don’t think there is anybody in this country that will ever forget where they were and what that experience was like on 9/11,” Gordon said. “Just remembering the devastation and those that were lost, especially as much time as I spend in NYC, having a greater appreciation of the impact that it has had.”

    “I sat there I shock like so many others did that day.”

    As the days, weeks and months passed, the children grew and learned and healed. And they began to think of some way that they could repay the kindness of one NASCAR driver.

    When they learned that Gordon and his wife Ingrid Vandebosch became parents themselves, they crafted a special memory box for Gordon’s daughter Ella Sofia. It was presented to the champion at one of his appearances in New York City.

    “Now our world that we live in takes on a whole new responsibility in meaning and pride,” Gordon said. “We want to show how strong we truly are and how this experience has not only made us come together and be a tighter and stronger group and to go out there and show the rest of the world why we’re proud to be Americans.”

    This year, on the tenth anniversary of this tragedy that shook the country, Jeff Gordon will be racing his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger/Chase Card Services Chevrolet at Richmond International Raceway. Gordon has already secured his place in the Chase and also in history, with his 85th career win in the sport last weekend at Atlanta.

    But there is no doubt that a group of now young men will be carefully watching as the four-time champion takes to the track for the 400 laps of Richmond racing. And they may just have their own special race cars by their sides, remembering the quiet healing impact of one NASCAR driver.