Tag: Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Hot 20 over the Chase Eight – Good just isn’t good enough when great is what it takes in the Chase

Grading the Sprint Cup Rides – 2013 Third Term Report

Average a Top Ten finish and you are doing good. Very good. Yet, good is not good enough when it comes to the Chase. Such is the case when there are those who are running great.

Over the past eight Chase events, Jimmie Johnson is averaging better than a fifth place finish. Matt Kenseth has a couple of wins and an average result of just over sixth place. Mere mortals can not compete against that, at least not until someone develops clay feet and returns to earth. If there is any Kryptonite out there, it better turn up at Phoenix and/or Homestead if it is going to do any good for those who have been, well, just good.

Kevin Harvick has been damn good in the Chase. In fact, he would be considered great if not for those other two boys. Dale Earnhardt Jr has done better than a tenth place average. If not for that damn engine blowing up in Chicago.

Ordinarily, during the opening 26 races of the season, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, and Clint Bowyer would have been very pleased. If this had been their first eight, and not their last, they would have thought themselves walking in tall cotton. Even Jamie McMurray and Jeff Burton, both outside the ten best in the Chase events, would have had cause for optimism. Unfortunately for them, this is the time of year when good just is not good enough. Not even very good cuts the mustard.

So, unless bad things happen to good…er…great people at the top of the leader board, there are just two names being considered for etching onto the trophy. Then again, if Junior, Kyle, and Jeff can find themselves outside the Top 30 in a race, there is always a chance that great over eight might not be good enough, either. That is why we will be watching the action from Phoenix on Sunday and why Harvick is still optimistic he could yet leave Homestead, well, happy.

	Driver	Wins	T-5	T-10	Points	Ave. Finish	Best	Worst
1	Jimmie Johnson	2	6	7	330	4.87	1	13
2	Matt Kenseth	2	5	6	320	6.12	1 (x2)	20
3	Kevin Harvick	1	2	6	296	7.75	1	20
4	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	0	3	6	280	9.75	2	35
5	Kyle Busch	0	5	5	278	10.12	2	34
6	Jeff Gordon	1	3	5	273	11.00	1	38
7	Clint Bowyer	0	1	5	273	10.50	3	17
8	Greg Biffle	0	1	3	266	11.12	3	16 (x2)
9	Joey Logano	0	3	3	248	13.62	3 (x2)	37
10	Brad Keselowski	1	2	4	248	14.00	1	37
11	Kurt Busch	0	2	2	246	13.37	2	21
12	Jamie McMurray	1	2	3	245	14.00	1	31
13	Martin Truex, Jr.	0	0	2	231	15.25	8	22
14	Jeff Burton	0	0	1	230	15.62	8	24
15	Ryan Newman	0	0	5	224	16.62	8 (x2)	38
16	Carl Edwards	0	1	3	220	17.00	5	37
17	Paul Menard	0	1	2	218	16.75	4	24
18	Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.	0	1	2	211	17.75	3	31
19	Kasey Kahne	0	2	2	209	18.37	2	37
20	Denny Hamlin	0	0	3	204	18.62	7 (x2)	38

November 6, 2013

NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Talladega

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth survived to finish 20th at Talladega, seven spots behind Jimmie Johnson. Kenseth’s four point lead became a four point deficit to Jimmie Johnson in the standings.

“I drove like I was expecting the ‘big one,’” Kenseth said, “and it never came. So the fans weren’t the only ones upset that there wasn’t a big crash. I guess I should have been more aggressive. If I’ve been faulted for being anything, it’s too ‘laid back.’”

2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished 13th in the Camping World RV Sales 500 at Talladega, leading a race-high 47 laps to earn two crucial bonus points. He took over the lead in the points, and holds a four-point edge over Matt Kenseth.

“I was playing ‘catch’ with points-leader Kenseth,” Johnson said, “and I ‘overthrew’ him.”

3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick, in the No. 29 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet, took 12th at Talladega and is fourth in the Sprint Cup points standings, tied with Kyle Busch 26 points out of first.

“This is the only way I can possibly share space with Kyle Busch,” Harvick said.

“That was one of the least exciting Talladega races, despite the fact that cars were topping out at near 200 miles per hour. I guess that’s why they call it ‘full bore.’”

4. Kyle Busch: Busch posted his second consecutive top-5 finish, taking fifth at Talladega. He is tied for third in the points standings, 26 out of first.

“I’m back in the championship hunt,” Busch said. “But if I don’t have a good finish at Martinsville, I’ll likely be done. The last time I was ‘officially eliminated,’ I was taken off the road by a state trooper in North Carolina.”

5. Jeff Gordon: Gordon led 19 laps at Talladega and finished 14th at Talladega, rendering unable to make up ground in the Sprint Cup points standings. He is now fifth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 34 behind Jimmie Johnson.

“Jimmie’s got the lead,” Gordon said. “Let’s see if he can hold it. With Martinsville up next, history says he can. He’s won eight races there, rewarded with a grandfather clock for each victory. It’s just further proof that the 5-time Cup champ’s greatness is measure in ‘times.’”

6. Kurt Busch: Busch came home 18th at Talladega and is now ninth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 61 out of first.

“We had Wonder Bread on the No. 78 Chevrolet,” Busch said. “As if you needed more proof that I’m as white bread as they come.”

7. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer finished tenth at Talladega, his first top-10 finish since a tenth at Dover. He is eighth in the points standings, 57 out of first.

“Kudos to 5-Hour Energy for their contribution to NASCAR,” Bowyer said. “Like its name states, 5-Hour Energy will stay with you for awhile, which is more than I can say about some of Michael Waltrip’s other sponsors.”

8. Greg Biffle: Biffle finished 11th in the Roush Fenway Racing No. 16 Ford, while teammate Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. took third. Biffle is seventh in the points standings, 53 behind Jimmie Johnson.

“That was a great run by Stenhouse,” Biffle said. “He finished 30 places better than his girlfriend Danica Patrick. Contrary to popular belief, Danica is the one who is ‘whipped.’”

9. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Running second on the final lap, Earnhardt’s bid for victory at Talladega ended when the caution flew on the final lap, allowing Jamie McMurray to coast to victory. Earnhardt’s second was the best result among Chase drivers, and moved him up to sixth in the points standings.

“I’ve made second a habit at Talladega,” Earnhardt said. “And speaking of ‘habits,’ I’ve got as many wins this year as that lady wearing the habit—none.”

10. Ryan Newman: Newman started 17th and finished ninth at Talladega, earning his 16th top 10 of the year.

“That was the most incident-free race at Talladega I’ve ever seen,” Newman said. “Take it from me, that race was turned upside down.”

October 22, 2013
Surprising and Not Surprising: Talladega Camping World RV Sales 500

In a race where the spotters sound like auctioneers as they guide their drivers around the track and where anything from chess-like strategy to last lap mayhem can happen, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 45^th annual Camping World RV Sales 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Surprising: While many drivers and crew chiefs alike assessed the race as ‘uneventful’, with only three cautions, no major multi-car wrecks and primarily single-file racing in the last laps, a few drivers at least might take exception to that viewpoint.

In one international incident, Marcos Ambrose lost control of his vehicle on lap 78 and took out Juan Pablo Montoya in the process.

“The Target Chevrolet was pretty good to be honest,” Montoya said. “We were running two-wide so it was comfortable.”

“We started running three-wide and the spotter told me ‘get out’ and I backed up going into the tri-oval and the next thing I know, I just saw out the corner of my eye somebody coming towards me and that was it.”

Even more dramatic, however, was the white flag lap crash where Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made contact with Austin Dillon, driver the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart Haas Racing, sending the latter airborne.

“The No. 17 had a little bit of a run and I tried to go with him and came back across and hooked me,” Dillon said. “What a wild ride.”

“Who needs skydiving?”

Not Surprising: There are times at a race track when even the trophy is not the most important thing in Victory Lane and not surprisingly, this was the case for the lucky winner who wound up in Victory Lane.

Jamie McMurray, driver of the No. 1 Cessna Auburn University Chevrolet, not only ended his 108-race winless streak but, as he had always dreamed, he celebrated in Victory Lane with his family, including wife Christy and his two children Carter and Hazel.

“Well, that was — I mean, that’s top two or three moments of my life, to get to experience that with them,” McMurray said. “I don’t know if you guys heard, but I rent a space from Matt Kenseth to keep my go-karts and stuff in at his shop.”

“So I was out in the front where they have some office space, and he’s got pictures hanging inside and there was a picture of Matt and Katie and Grace and Kaylin, and I think it was Dover Victory Lane, and I remember seeing how excited Kaylin was,” McMurray continued. “I went home and told Christy, I hope that we get to have that moment.”

“That’s really special — especially having a little boy who is into Lightning McQueen and racing in general,” McMurray said. “Yeah, to get to have that with my family is really cool.”

This was McMurray’s first win of the season, his second victory at Talladega, and his seventh victory in 398 Cup races.

Surprising: Dale Earnhardt Jr. was surprisingly upbeat in spite of not having his dream of snagging that elusive first win of the season come true. The driver of the No. 88 Mountain Dew/Xbox One Chevrolet was a bridesmaid in the runner up position yet again.

“It wasn’t the best run in the world,” Dale Junior said. “It wasn’t what I dreamed it would be, all those last few laps.”

“But it was a good enough run I think to get up to his (McMurray’s) quarter panel and get beside him.”

“Really happy with the way the car ran and it was good to run up front, good to lead,” Earnhardt Jr. continued. “We’ve really struggled this season with being competitive, and to drive up through there and do that like we did today, and it felt great.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored his 14^th top-10 finish in 28 races at ‘Dega and posted his 18^th top-10 finish of the 2013 season.

Not Surprising: In spite of a punishing Truck race the night before, Kyle Busch not surprisingly proved again that he was the redemption story of the race weekend. The driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota bounced back after missing his pit box to get his lap back and finish fifth.

And although he had some harsh words on his radio after getting blocked out of his pit box by none other than race winner Jamie McMurray, Busch was giving all the glory to God at the end of the race.

“Our M&M’s Halloween Camry ran great all day,” said Busch, who earned his fourth top-five finish in 18 starts at Talladega, including his April 2008 win at the 2.66-mile oval. “It was fun to finish one of these things.”

“It’s God’s grace that allows us to finish one of these, and we appreciate it today, especially coming home with another top-five.”

Busch also redeemed himself in the point standings, moving up two positions to reclaim the third spot, just 26 points behind the leader.

Surprising: Talladega proved a surprising dichotomy for the two primary Rookie of the Year contenders. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished third while his primary ROTY competitor Danica Patrick finished 33^rd after having a pit road calamity.

“I thought the racing was great all day,” Stenhouse, driver of the No. 17 Nationwide Insurance Ford, said. “We were two, three, and four wide for a long time.”

“For our Nationwide Insurance team we were solid all day, in the top-10 a lot of the day and led a few laps, which was good for us.”

On the other hand, while Danica Patrick had been also running toward the front of the pack, her good day was ruined by an error on pit road during a green flag stop where she missed her pit stall and then incurred a speeding penalty to boot.

“We just didn’t communicate well on that final pit stop,” the driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Breast Cancer Awareness Chevrolet said. “We were on the high side and couldn’t get down to where we needed to be to pit.”

“It’s disappointing and none of us feel good about it.”

Not Surprising: David Ragan and David Gilliland, both of whom have proven that they can drive at the superspeedways as evidenced by their one, two finish in the spring race at ‘Dega, not surprisingly fared well again in the fall affair.

Ragan, behind the wheel of the No. 34 SaferCar.gov Ford, finished sixth, with his teammate Gilliland, driving the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford, right behind him in the seventh spot.

“We had a chance to win the race, took the white flag in seventh or eighth and kind of had a good plan,” Ragan said. “But the caution came out so we got a top-10 finish and that’s a good thing for our Front Row Motorsports team.”

“David and I worked together for a good part of the race and we were in position,” Gilliland said. “And then the caution came out on the last lap.”

“Thankfully, we weren’t part of it and we were able to get a top-10 finish and a clean car to take home.”

Surprising: Paul Menard, driver of the No. 27 Menards Duracell Chevrolet, surprisingly bettered his Talladega statistics by finishing fourth. This was Menard’s only finish inside the top-10 at Talladega in fifteen starts there other than a runner-up finish in 2008.

“At the start of the race, we took off and the car drove really good,” Menard said. “We drove to the front and kind of hung out in the top-10 all day long.”

“We could make the middle groove work to gain spots and then get to the outside,” Menard continued. “Ultimately the outside lane kind of won out over the long run.”

Not Surprising: Channeling his best Ricky Bobby from the movie ‘Talladega Nights”, Kurt Busch exemplified the notion that ‘if you’re not first, you’re last’ or at least 18^th, which is where he finished in his No. 78 Wonder Bread car.

“Restrictor plate racing is all about being in the right place at the right time,” Busch said. “We were in the right place for the majority of the race, but when it counted at the end, we weren’t there.”

“It’s disappointing because our Wonder Bread Chevy was fast and to finish 18th didn’t do us justice,” Busch continued. “I tried to make something happen, but couldn’t get there.”

Busch fell two spots in the Chase standings, from seventh to ninth, now 61 points behind the leader.

Surprising: At a track where handling usually does not matter, Matt Kenseth surprisingly struggled with an ill handling race car that set him back tremendously during the midsection of the race. Kenseth never quite fully recovered, finishing 20^th and losing the championship points lead to Jimmie Johnson.

“It was really bizarre — typically, handling is a non-issue here and we just got so loose I couldn’t even hang on to it,” the driver of the No. 20 Let’s Do This Home Depot Toyota said. “I pretty much had to run in the back for two runs which was disappointing.”

“We finally got it fixed that last run, but we only had 20 laps to get back up there,” Kenseth continued. “I really needed to be up there like we were early and feel like I was controlling the race more — the lanes and the runs and all that and I could never get back to there.”

Not Surprising: While Jimmie Johnson may also have not had the race that he envisioned, his 13^th place finish was better than Kenseth’s run. And after surviving Talladega, which was his goal, the five-time champ now has Martinsville, one of his best tracks, in his sights.

“You know I feel that the races forward now are up to where the competitors go earn it,” the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet said. “You don’t have this luck issue that can take place at plate tracks.”

“So I am happy to have the points lead and we went through a lot of work to get there,” Johnson continued. “We just go racing from here.”

“Martinsville has been good to us in the past, but we’ve got to go there and race,” Johnson said. “We will make sure that we get buttoned up and ready to go to that paperclip and see what we can do.”

“It’s just going to be a dogfight to the end.”

October 21, 2013

Brad KESELOWSKI

Juan Pablo MONTOYA

Jamie MCMURRAY

Brian VICKERS

Paul MENARD

This grading system is pretty basic. Top 10’s, with extra consideration given for wins and Top 5’s, can help you earn an A+. Keep it in the Top 20 each race and that is worth a B. Just by finishing 30^th each time out and that would still get you a C-. Less than that is a failure; a failure to compete, a failure to get noticed.

Grade: A

The top students have been to joy to have in class, even though Jimmie did cost himself an A+ by playing hookey in the weeks leading to the Chase. We are hopeful Kyle continues his stellar work through the final part of the year, though he has had trouble in the past. Matt has really hit the books as of late, and could wind up class valedictorian if he continues his progress. Carl once again is near the head of the class, but time will tell if can charge to the front to finally be number one.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
48	Jimmie JOHNSON	4	11	17	21	25
18	Kyle BUSCH	4	13	17	20	22
20	Matt KENSETH	7	8	15	21	24
99	Carl EDWARDS	2	8	14	24	26

Grade: A-

Kevin has been in the top half of the class pretty much the entire year and only twice has the dog eaten his homework. Clint is usually a very popular boy, but for some reason I detect that many of his classmates do not want him to wind up at the head of the class this year.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
29	Kevin HARVICK	2	7	14	25	25
15	Clint BOWYER	0	8	14	24	26

Grade: B+

Kurt, who usually does not play well with others, has some cheering for him. It will be interesting how he works with his new friends when class resumes next year. Kasey had some trouble last week, as did little Joey a week earlier. Dale is once again a very popular boy while Ryan has had some issues to work through, but seems to have replaced former friends with some new ones for next year. Martin has had some problems as well due to the company he keeps, and I am not sure how that will work out. Greg remains a solid student, with Mark helping Tony since he hurt his leg. Meanwhile, Jeff needed some help near the end of the term, though I am not sure it will be enough for him to realize his dreams by the end of the school year.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
78	Kurt BUSCH	0	9	14	20	23
5	Kasey KAHNE	2	8	11	18	20
22	Joey LOGANO	1	8	14	19	23
88	Dale EARNHARDT, Jr	0	5	15	21	24
39	Ryan NEWMAN	1	6	13	21	22
56	Martin TRUEX, Jr	1	6	12	21	23
16	Greg BIFFLE	1	4	11	23	24
14	Tony STEWART	1	5	10	19	27
24	Jeff GORDON	0	5	13	21	22

Grade: B

It has been a disappointing year for some students. Brad has stumbled a bit since being last year’s valedictorian. Juan Pablo plans to transfer out of our school next year, returning to where he had previously enjoyed very good grades. His friend Jamie will remain with us, and has hopes of improving his status next year. Mark has been busy, first helping Brian earlier this year and now Tony. I am expecting good things when Brian returns full-time next year. Along with Paul, they might not make the honor roll this year, but these boys have done enough work to show they belong here.

Grade: B-

Aric has shown signs that we might expect better things ahead for him. Jeff, as always, was expecting more. As he leaves us a year early, we will miss this well spoken young man.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
43	Aric ALMIROLA	0	1	5	22	24
31	Jeff BURTON	0	2	6	17	23

Grade: C+

Marcos and Ricky have been okay, though not great. They both manage to get their work done, but I still would like to see better things from them before the year is out.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
9	Marcos AMBROSE	0	0	5	19	23
17	Ricky STENHOUSE, Jr	0	0	2	20	25

Grade: C

I do not know what to say about Denny. I know he was hurt earlier in the year, but he has not been his old self since he returned. It appears he would just as soon end the year, go on vacation, and start afresh next year.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
11	Denny HAMLIN	0	3	6	12	19

Grade: C-

Casey is not quite ready to compete with the big boys just yet, but I have been pleased with his progress. I am interested to see how he might do next year. I will miss Bobby, though he has had another disappointing year. Some seem happy with Danica’s progress, but I feel we should expect more by this time. She is blessed with so much more than a lot of the other students. David did succeed on the subject of Alabama geography, with some help from his close friend, the other David, but neither are quite there yet. As for A.J., who sometimes goes by Regan or Austin or, just last week, by Michael, might make some real progress once he figures out who he really is.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
13	Casey MEARS	0	0	1	9	23
47	Bobby LABONTE	0	0	1	8	21
10	Danica PATRICK	0	0	1	6	23
34	David RAGAN	1	1	1	4	21
38	David GILLILAND	0	1	1	5	20
51	A.J. ALLMENDINGER	0	0	2	7	18

Grade: F

To be honest, I am not sure why these boys are even in my class. Both Dave and Travis, I am sure, would do so much better at Nationwide High. What can you say about J.J. (other than he enjoyed Daytona seven months ago), David S. (who just isn’t the same boy the past two weeks), David R. or Timmy? No, really. What can you say about them? Well, I’ve seen worse. I feel bad for Trevor, as I think if he would attend class more often he might be able to pull in a better grade than this. However, to be fair, of the nine assignments he has done, none have been much to write home about. As for Landon, things just don’t seem to work out. He and Tony R. have done most of the assignments for Austin, which is too bad as the young fellow has done so much better on the two he has written on his own. There are other students who drop in from time to time, but I have reserved my remarks for those who have tried to attend class at least nine times this year. God bless Scott, Michael, Joe, and Mike, but if the school board ever considers reducing class size, they make a good argument. To be honest, they usually do not stick around long enough to become a nuisance. The sad thing is, all four have ability but you never get to see it.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
7	Dave BLANEY	0	0	0	2	18
93	Travis KVAPIL	0	0	0	4	15
36	J.J. YELEY	0	0	1	2	14
30	David STREMME	0	0	0	4	13
83	David REUTIMANN	0	0	0	1	14
32	Timmy HILL	0	0	0	2	12
21	Trevor BAYNE	0	0	0	4	8
40	Landon CASSILL	0	0	0	4	8
33	Austin DILLON	0	0	0	2	12
95	Scott SPEED	0	0	1	1	3
98	Michael MCDOWELL	0	0	1	1	2
87	Joe NEMECHEK	0	0	0	0	3
19	Mike BLISS	0	0	0	0	1

September 24, 2013

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Talks About His Rookie NSCS Season

Following the opening Cup practice of the weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, I spoke with ROTY contender and 2-time Nationwide champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. regarding his rookie season. The past few weeks, Ricky has turned a corner winning the pole at Atlanta before ripping off back-to-back top ten finishes. There is no doubting this guy’s ability and it’s only a matter of time before his true potential at the Cup level is fully realized.

Talk first about the transition from Nationwide to Cup and the challenges you face as you try to adapt to the Gen-6 car.

The biggest thing is obviously the horsepower. Having the Gen-6 cars being implemented this year at the same time I’m coming in; I thought (that) was a great time because everyone’s still learning. We haven’t really been as fast at Roush-Fenway as a whole as we wanted and we’re trying to figure this car out as a race team. Driving wise, it’s a big difference. There’s a lot more brake that you got to use and you can’t just jump right back into the gas with all that extra horsepower. It’s been a challenge trying to figure that out. One of the biggest things about Cup is that we always practice at the worst time of the day and then race at a completely opposite (time). In Nationwide, you practice early in the morning; the temperatures are a little cooler and then we race at night. With the Cup cars, we practice dead in the middle of the day so that transition from practice to the race is something I’ve been trying to figure out as well. There’s a lot of factors that go into learning these cars and we’re starting to figure it out.

Every driver has their particular style of driving and how they want their cars setup; how do you like your cars to feel?

Yeah, I like mine loose. I hate when our car doesn’t turn. If you listened on our radio, you would find that out. (chuckles) I like my cars to turn…I feel like when the car’s too tight with my driving style of driving (which is) really hard and aggressive, there’s nothing you can do but slow down to get the car to turn. When it’s a little looser, you can still drive it hard and try to get it to tighten up the harder you drive it so I enjoy a loose racecar.

Going into this season, what were your expectations and have you met them?

No, we have not met them. We wanted to be top 15 team in points.I think we can get maybe an 18th, 17th or something before the year’s up. We feel like we should have more top 10’s by now. I would like to be running top 10 consistently by now…we’ve done it the past few weeks but we still got to get that speed consistently every week. We’ve led laps which is a positive; we wanted to lead laps this year at some point but we just haven’t been able to finish the races off like we want to. We’ve been fast at the beginning of some races; had some bad luck when we have been fast but yeah, we definitely want some more top 10’s before the end of the year…we thought we’d have quite a few by now.

The past few weeks, you’ve been doing a lot better. You got that pole and two top 10’s so what’s changed?

Just getting more comfortable. The guys are working really hard and Scott (Graves) and the guys are making really good calls at the end of these races to keep our track position. I’m not the only rookie here; Scott is a new crew chief so he’s learning as well. At the beginning of the year, we had a lot of times at the end of these races where we tried to make these cars better and we would never make them better and we’d still be behind a lot of guys on the restarts. Staying out and keeping our track position has been one of the best things but you still got to have a decent racecar to do that. I think our cars have been getting a little better and I’m getting more comfortable as well.

How close do you think you are to that first win…do you think you might be able to get it before the end of the year?

That would be nice…if we can carry this momentum that we got going to some of these mile and a half race tracks like Charlotte, Kansas, and Texas; I feel like those are going to be our best shots at it. You know, Talladega we were really fast and we led laps there earlier in the year so if we can carry some momentum into those race tracks, keep making our cars better and I keep getting better as a driver; those would be our best shots.

As you try to adapt to these cars, which driver has been the biggest help to you?

The teammates are great help. Obviously, I can look at their data and see what they’re doing and how they’re driving the cars. Kevin Harvick has been another good one that has really reached out and helped me; especially at some of the tracks that I haven’t been to like Sears Point or Infinion…(Sonoma)…yeah, Sonoma or whatever it is. He’s (Harvick) raced with me in Nationwide so he knows my tendencies (in Nationwide) and he knows that they won’t exactly work over here. He’s been a big help as well.

You know, as a rookie, sometimes the veterans pick on you so has anyone given you a hard time this year?

Nah….everybody’s been pretty good. Some of them that I haven’t raced with; they’ll get a little madder than others like if I don’t give them enough room or whatever but everybody’s been pretty good. I haven’t really had any issues.

I asked this to Eric McClure this a few weeks ago and got a pretty funny response (Ricky chuckles) and I’ve asked a couple other drivers it and gotten some interesting answers so I thought I might ask you…what’s the strangest fan encounter you’ve ever had?

Mine hasn’t been too bad or at least from what I can remember. Normally, you’d remember something like that. Umm…I signed a guys forehead once; that was kind of weird because I don’t know why you would want someone’s signature on your forehead. (chuckles) That’s probably been the weirdest thing. It’s always a little different….sometimes they’ll show you pictures of their room and they’ll have pictures all over the place but it takes die-hard fans like that to keep our sport going.

At just 25 years old, Ricky has an incredible future ahead of him. He’s got a solid ride with a top tier organization and he will most likely be a chase contender within the next couple of years. He only has two top 10’s in his rookie season but wasn’t there some other new guy a few years back who in his first full-time season, only finished inside the top 10 twice driving for a top level team just like Ricky? I think he is a Nationwide champion too actually. Oh yeah! He’s that guy we call Brad Keselowski…the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion.

September 24, 2013
Surprising and Not Surprising: Geico 400 at Chicagoland

After a wild week of penalties, shakeups to the Chase line up, and a lengthy rain delay to boot, here is what else was surprising and not surprising in the first race of the Chase, the Geico 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

Surprising: While it was surprising that the race was run in its entirety, albeit into the wee hours of the night, the biggest surprise was the impact of the change from day to night on the engines, forcing two of the Chasers right into the basement of the standings as a result.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, and Joey Logano, behind the wheel of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford for Penske Racing, both had catastrophic engine failures, finishing 35^th and 37^th respectively.

Even more devastating, Logano lost six positions in the standings to the 12^th spot and Junior lost four positions falling to the newly formed 13^th Chase position. Both are not only in the basement spots in the standings but also over 50 points behind leader Matt Kenseth.

“I’m pretty angry,” Logano said after dropping out of the race. “That was such a fast race car but unfortunately the motor blew up.”

“It is a bummer to have it in the Chase when you are running for a championship,” Logano continued. “It just wasn’t our day I guess.”

“I’m not really sure if it was motor or transmission, but it has got us sitting on the sidelines,” Junior said. “Something broke there in the motor.”

“It’s tough,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “It’s going to be really hard to win a championship this far behind.”

Not Surprising: Coach and team owner Joe Gibbs not surprisingly reacted as a proud papa when it came time to visit one of his drivers in Victory Lane and the other in the runner up role.

JGR racer Matt Kenseth scored his first ever win at Chicagoland and his career best sixth win for the season while Kyle Busch missed the weekend sweep by just one position, bringing his JGR Toyota home in the second spot.

“We won the race tonight,” Gibbs said. “We were one and two there.”

“My wife probably said it best, she said it’s like having babies, they’re all great,” Gibbs continued. “That’s the way you feel about it.”

Surprising: Two future Stewart Haas Racing teammates and yes, lame duck Chase contenders both, had a surprisingly good battle going between the two of them late in the race, with Kevin Harvick finishing third and Kurt Busch finishing fourth.

“Yeah we had a lot of fun,” the driver of the No. 29 Budweiser Designate a Driver Chevrolet, said. “Came up a couple short, but a good day.”

“Yeah, we had a battle with Harvick and we brought our Chevy home in fourth,” Kurt Busch said. “Top fives are what it’s all about in the Chase so one down and nine to go.”

Not Surprising: He’s back……After a four-week downward spiral of twentieth place finishes or worse, Jimmie Johnson and team No. 48 got their mojo back, finishing top-five and representing the Hendrick Motorsports in the third position in the Chase standings, just eleven points behind the leader.

Even more impressive, although not surprising, the No. 48 bunch had to overcome two problematic episodes on pit road to regain their forward momentum.

“From a jack failing to a call on pit road for a lug nut that was not supposedly on, and a variety of issues, it was a great comeback,” Johnson said. “We wanted to finish better of course, but we’re very proud of all the hard work from Hendrick Motorsports, Chad Knaus, and this No. 48 Lowe’s race team.”

“We’re off to a good start.”

Surprising: Apparently a little off-track action was all that was needed to score another surprising top-10 finish, at least for Rookie of the Year contender Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

“We started the race and thought we were in big trouble,” Stenhouse Jr. said. “Luckily after the rain delay, it kind of helped our car turn a little bit better and we were able to get an eighth place finish.”

“Yes, we went to Sonic,” Stenhouse Jr. continued, describing his drive-through rain delay adventure. “Gave me a little bit of energy.”

“Took a nap and really played it out well.”

Not Surprising: For someone who came to the Chase party a bit late and who also may have been up a bit past his veteran bedtime, Jeff Gordon was not only wired after his sixth place finish, but he looked like he could actually run another race or two.

“Well, that was an incredible accomplishment,” the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, said after his top ten finish which propelled him into the seventh spot in the Chase standings. “It just shows how much fight this team has in them.”

“Can’t wait to get to this next race,” Gordon continued. “Where is it? Loudon? We’re ready!”

Surprising: Although not in the Chase, the reigning champ had a surprisingly good run, scoring the highest finish for the Ford Camp at Chicagoland. Brad Keselowski, driver of the Blue Deuce, took the checkered flag in the seventh position.

“I think we were probably a top-five car,” Keselowski said. “I don’t know if I had anything for the 20 or 18.”

“It was hard to tell because we never got a shot to find out.”

Not Surprising: In addition to Logano’s engine failure, the other Ford Chasers did not fare well either. Carl Edwards, in the No. 99 Fastenal Ford, finished 11^th and Greg Biffle, behind the wheel of the No. 16 Post-It Ford Fusion, finished 16^th.

“There are a couple of things I wish I could take back,” Edwards said. “We were just missing something at this style of race track.”

“That was a rough night,” Biffle said. “We had major issues.”

“That wasn’t our best night.”

Surprising: Young up and coming driver Cole Whitt had a surprisingly fiery Cup debut for Swan Racing. His No. 30 Swan Racing/Lean 1 Toyota, had an engine failure that resulted in quite the fire ball.

“It just jumped out of gear on the front stretch and blew up,” Whitt said. “It’s not the debut I was looking for at Swan Racing but I look forward to continuing to work with them.”

Not Surprising: After a cut tire resulted in a 32^nd place finish, it was not surprising that Juan Pablo Montoya announced that he would be ending his NASCAR career at the end of the 2013 season and heading back to the IndyCar Series.

Montoya will be racing for the Captain, Roger Penske, joining teammates Will Power and Helio Castroneves back in the open wheel ranks.

“I’m really excited,” JPM said. “If you really dream of any ideal position for a driver, and you could say, you could race for Penske, I think that would be No. 1.”

“And you know ‑‑ when I heard and it was announced that I wasn’t going to be in the 42 car next year, my No. 1 choice was going to be in a winning car,” Montoya continued. “I really want to be in a winning car.”

Surprising: In spite of spinning twice, Justin Allgaier loved every minute of his 27^th place run in his Cup debut with Phoenix Racing in the No. 51 Brandt Chevrolet.

“There have been a lot of drivers who have come through and raced in the sport’s top tier,” Allgaier said. “For me, it’s a cool feeling to know my name will go on that list of drivers to run a Sprint Cup Series race.”

“There are so many names of guys that I looked up to and respected,” Allgaier continued. “I’m excited to get there.”

Not Surprising: In spite of the rain delay, with the red flag lasting five hours, ten minutes and 21 seconds, at least one driver recognized that the fans were the real heroes at Chicagoland Speedway.

“Matt (Borland, crew chief) and the guys were able to discuss strategy with the break we had, and they made some good adjustments once we went back racing,” Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet said. “I’m glad we were able to get the whole race in.”

“And I’ve got to thank the fans that stuck it out to see the finish.”

September 17, 2013
Surprising and Not Surprising: Richmond Federated Auto Parts 400

With everything on the line as far as Chase berths, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 56^th annual Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

Surprising: The very technology that attracts fans to the sport because of how up close and personal they can be with their drivers and teams, including in-car audio and race scanners, was surprisingly what doomed Michael Waltrip Racing at Richmond.

After the race, the in-car audio and video of Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota, seemingly indicated that his late race spin, which sent his teammate Martin Truex, Jr. into the Chase, may not have been so accidental.

To complicate matters, the audio of the race scanner chatter between MWR driver Brian Vickers and his spotter Ty Norris also seemed to indicate some shenanigans about pitting to allow Truex Jr. into the Chase as well.

In a surprising Monday after the race weekend press conference, NASCAR announced significant penalties to address these issues which they deemed detrimental to the sport, including points penalties, the largest monetary fine ever imposed, and the indefinite suspension of key MWR leader Ty Norris.

Even more surprising, because of the reduction in the points, Martin Truex Jr. was moved out of the Chase and Ryan Newman was placed into the Chase.

“Based upon our review of Saturday night’s race at Richmond, it is our determination that the MWR organization attempted to manipulate the outcome of the race,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. “As the sport’s sanctioning body, it is our responsibility to ensure there is a fair and level playing field for all of our competitors and this action today reflects our commitment to that.”

Not Surprising: While the major issues with MWR may have been surprising, it was not surprising that the last race of the regular season yet again involved a restart controversy. And this time it involved the ultimate race winner Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Frosted Flakes Ford.

“What happened on that last restart is Paul (Menard) had two tires,” Edwards said. “I knew he was going to be at a big disadvantage with grip.”

“He took off and I waited until he went to go,” Edwards continued. “As we were going, his car actually touched my door.”

“I heard his engine speed up and he spun the tires,” Edwards said. “At that point, I really had no choice.”

Edwards scored his 21^st win in the Cup Series, his second victory of the season and his first win at Richmond. He is now seeded fifth in the Chase, just nine points behind the leader.

Surprising: Jimmie Johnson, fresh off the birth of his second daughter Lydia, continued his slump, finishing outside the top 25 for the fourth straight race. Johnson’s previous worst slump was three straight finishes of 36^th or worse in August 2004.

Johnson endured mechanical problems and a late-race spin to finish 40^th at Richmond in his No. 48 Lowes/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet. In spite of his struggles, he is still seeded second in the Chase, just three points behind the leader.

“Yeah, that was a tough night,” Johnson said. “Just a bummer we ended the regular season like we did.”

“We will go to Chicago and get this Chase started off on the right foot.”

Not Surprising: The current lame duck drivers had positive results when it came time to decide the Chase, with one making history, one solidly in, and the third catapulting in thanks to the MWR penalties.

Kurt Busch, current driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Beautyrest Chevrolet who will be moving to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, made history by finishing second at Richmond and taking his one-car team into the Chase. He is seeded 10^th in the Chase standings at present, 15 points behind the leader.

“It’s an amazing feeling to go up against these big teams and to put a little lone Chevrolet from Colorado into the Chase against the big boys,” Busch said. “This feels incredible.”

Kevin Harvick, who has run consistently all season and will also move to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014 along with Kurt Busch, closed the deal on his Chase berth, finishing the race in 11^th and taking the fourth seed position in the Chase, just nine out of first.

“We’re as good as we’ve ever been over the years,” the driver of the No 29 Budweiser Chevrolet said. “Hopefully we can take our team and get better over the next few weeks.”

Ryan Newman, the other lame duck driver, who just confirmed that he will be leaving Stewart-Haas Racing for Richard Childress Racing in 2014, ended up in the Chase after NASCAR levied its decision regarding Martin Truex Jr.

“I am proud that NASCAR took a stand with respect to what went on Saturday night at Richmond,” Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet, said. “I know it was a tough decision to make.”

“With that being said, myself, Matt Borland (crew chief) and this entire No. 39 team are looking forward to competing for the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.”

Surprising: Roush Fenway had a surprisingly good night at and after the Richmond race, locking up two of its drivers in the Chase and having its rookie driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. score a top-10 finish.

This was the tenth time in ten seasons that Roush Fenway Racing has placed multiple teams into playoff contention. The event also marked the seventh time that RFR driver Carl Edwards made the Chase in his career.

Roush Fenway Racing has achieved another milestone, that of placing five of ten entries inside the Chase since 2005, including both Carl Edwards and teammate Greg Biffle.

“As I look at the racetracks in front of us in the Chase, I think that we’ve got more momentum than we’ve ever had as we look at it going forward,” team owner Jack Roush declared.

Not Surprising: The ever understated Matt Kenseth not only made the Chase with his ‘new’ team Joe Gibbs Racing but is seeded in the top dog position of P1, with all the other contenders literally chasing him for the championship.

Kenseth, behind the wheel of the No. 20 Home Depot Husky Toyota, finished sixth at Richmond.

“We ended up finishing the night decent,” Kenseth said. “The last couple cautions fell our way and the last restart fell our way.”

“I feel good going to Chicago – it will be alright.”

Surprising: Considered a short track, it was surprising that there was not one caution caused by anything other than debris or a single car incident at RIR under the lights.

In fact, the first one hundred laps of the race were completely caution free and there were only five yellow flags for a total of 29 laps.

Not Surprising: The disappointment, not surprisingly, of two past champions was absolutely palpable after seeing their Chase hopes disappear.

Both reigning champ Brad Keselowski and four-time champion Jeff Gordon failed to make the Chase for 2013. Keselowski finished in 17^th and Gordon finished 8^th in the final race before the Chase.

“I don’t really have any emotions right now,” Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford. “We weren’t good enough to make it and we didn’t.”

“That is the reality.”

“It’s disappointing to miss it that close,” Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, said after barely missing the Chase. “I love the effort this team put in.”

Surprising: Two drivers who made it into the Chase were surprisingly disappointed after their Richmond run. Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 American Heritage Chocolate Toyota, and Kasey Kahne, behind the wheel of the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet, were both unhappy after their 19^th and 14^th place finishes respectively.

“We made it I guess,” Busch said. “We’ll just have to work and lay all the pieces out and see what needs to be better.”

“So I’m not pleased with where we’re at,” Kahne said. “But I’m still very confident and feel that going into the Chase it’s a clean sheet of paper for everybody, and we’re going to be where we need to.”

“People can speculate and wonder all week long, but I really look forward to getting to Chicago and showing people what this team has in it.”

Not Surprising: Ironman Mark Martin, substitute driver for the recuperating Tony Stewart, not surprisingly brought home the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet for his first-ever top-10 performance in that race car.

“Really proud of all the guys on this Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 team,” Martin said. “They improved the car throughout the race and made some great calls.”

“We got our first top-10 together,” Martin continued. “We’ll take that and build on it.”

September 10, 2013
Matty’s Picks 2013 – Race 25 Advocare 500 – Atlanta Motor Speedway – September 1, 2013

This week the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to a fast, wide track this week at Atlanta Motor Speedway, with the two twins in the series to Atlanta being Charlotte and Texas with the familiar 24 degrees of banking in the corners and 5 degrees on the straightaway’s.

It is fast, but it’s really known for producing some of the closest finishes in NASCAR History, including that first career win for Kevin Harvick over Jeff Gordon just a couple weeks after Dale Earnhardt’s death in 2001. That famous finish, 0.006 of a second margin of victory between the two Chevy’s.

The Advocare 500 is a long race, 325 laps totaling 501 miles and there have been 105 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Atlanta since the first race there in 1960 so a ton of data to pull from this week to make my picks.

As far as qualifying goes this week, for once we’re not looking at the pole as being the most proficient starting position like most other circuits we visit each year. Believe it or not the 5th starting position has produced more Atlanta winners than any other starting position spot at 15 race-winners all-time starting from that 5th spot.

26 of the 105 races all-time have been won from the front row, 60 of the 105 have been won from the top 5 starting spots, and 83 of the 105 races ever at Atlanta Motor Speedway have been won from a top-10 starting position. Making a good lap yesterday in qualifying is very important, even more so recently with 19 of the last 20 races, the last 16 in a row, have been won from the top 11 starting spots.

Atlanta Picks

On Thursday when I previewed Sunday’s Advocare 500 with Greg on the Prime Sports Network, my picks were spread among 6 drivers, but have now been pared down to a winner pick and a dark horse based on the results of qualifying. A few guys I had picked to take home the crown on Sunday night could not put it all together Friday evening to start in those coveted top 10 starting spots, so I’ve scratched them off the list.
Two-time Atlanta winner and seven-time winner on the three twins (Atlanta, Charlotte, and Texas), Kasey Kahne split my number two spot on Thursday with the 2001 Spring Atlanta winner mentioned previously, Kevin Harvick. Well, both of which have qualified outside the top-10 spots, Kahne in 18th and Harvick in 30th so I’ve scratched those guys off my list this week.

As for my 4th pick, Brian Vickers, he came out and qualified 22nd so again, can’t go with him this week.

That leaves 3 guys from my preview Thursday with Greg that I still like for wins this week at Atlanta.

Winner Pick

This is a pick which I felt confident in on Thursday and solidified my confidence in him by qualifying 10th on Friday. Jimmie Johnson was the last guy to sweep the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Atlanta in 2007 which notched his second and third wins at the Hampton, Ga racetrack. It is really tough to not like Jimmie’s numbers at Atlanta because he leads the series in Average finish at 11.0, Average Running Position, Driver Rating at 108.3, Average Green Flag Speed, and Laps inside the top 15, so that’s 4 of the 6 loop categories, the other two, Fastest Laps and Quality Passes, Johnson second in both.

Here are my thoughts on Jimmie Johnson’s mentality going into this weekend’s Advocare 500. Matt Kenseth won last week at Bristol, so now Jimmie Johnson is not the top dog in the Chase anymore, so he’s got something to shoot for. I can’t go against the outstanding numbers this week, I have to go with Jimmie as my Winner and Top pick this week.

Dark Horse Pick

I had a few guys on Thursday who would have qualified as Dark Horses to win on Sunday. We’ve thrown Vickers out, so that still leaves two more picks which I consider solid sleeper picks this week.

The first is the guy sitting on the pole this weekend, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. He won the Nationwide series race here last season and finished 3rd in his rookie Nationwide season in 2011. He has never raced at Atlanta in the Cup series so not much to go off except what he’s done at Texas and Charlotte so far this season. He finished 40th at Texas so we’ll throw that out, but in Speedweeks in Charlotte, he finished 2nd in the NASCAR Sprint Showdown, qualifying for the All-Star race and hung around the big boys for a 16th place finish. In the longest race of the year, Stenhouse managed to stay out of trouble and finish 14th after starting 30th, so I like that he’s put his Ford on the front row for tomorrow night’s race.

The other guy I had penciled in for a Dark Horse win was Martin Truex Jr., broken wrist and all. Truex has managed to qualify his Toyota in 7th, a solid spot considering last year’s race-winner started from the 7th position.

Truex has gotten progressively better since his first 2 starts at Atlanta where he finished 40th and 37th and the last 3 races have shown a bit of hope for Truex at Atlanta as he was 4th last season after starting 28th.

What I like about Truex this week is that he’s finished 9th or better in all the Intermediate Tri-Ovals this season, (including Kansas and Las Vegas) most notably his runner up finish he had at Texas back in April when he led 142 laps. Truex is showing a bit more promise not only at Atlanta recently but this year on the tri-ovals, he is going to split my Dark Horse pick this week with Rick Stenhouse Jr.

That’s all for this week, and be sure to stay tuned the next couple weeks as we roll on to the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup, so until we head to the last regular-season race of the year…..You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

August 31, 2013
Surprising and Not Surprising: Pocono Go.Bowling.com 400

At a track known as tricky, with a bowling sponsor for its second race of the season, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 40^th annual GoBowling.com 400, at Pocono Raceway.

Surprising: Probably most surprising about the Pocono race weekend was what followed shortly thereafter, with top-ten finisher Tony Stewart flipping in a sprint car accident at Southern Iowa Speedway, which resulted in a fractured leg.

This was eerily and scarily ironic after joking with the media during his Pocono availability about his sprint car racing escapades, including a flip prior to the Pocono race.

Stewart had to undergo surgery and because of the break of both his tibia and fibula, Stewart Haas Racing announced that Max Papis will pilot Smoke’s Cup ride at the Glen.

Not Surprising: In a Pocono race weekend where the victors in both the ARCA and Truck Series were determined on restarts, it was not surprising that the winner of the Cup race Kasey Kahne also made it to the checkered flag thanks to a restart.

“I about gave it away,” the driver of the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet said after scoring his second win of the season, as well as his second victory at Pocono. “I spun the tires a little bit and Jeff (Gordon) got a great jump and Kurt (Busch) pushed me all the way to Turn 1, which really helped.”

“And then I had one opportunity,” Kahne continued. “It was either go for it and make it work or not.”

“It was a great race.”

Surprising: A pair of birthday boys, Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch scored surprisingly good finishes on their special days. The driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet and the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet finished second and third respectively.

“It’s funny how our emotions go up and down in this sport,” Gordon said. “Before the race, if you told me that I’d finish second, I’d say that was a great birthday gift.”

“I’m disappointed that we didn’t get this win.”

“This was a phenomenal run today,” Busch said. “Right now, we’re getting the job done.”

“So, I’m happy for this finish and this team and just the job we’re doing.”

Not Surprising: The vibration plaguing Dale Earnhardt Jr. continued to be a hot topic, with the driver of the No. 88 National Guard Youth Foundation Chevrolet discussing it even after his top five finish.

“Well, we changed every part on the car but the engine,” Junior said. “We got it to the point where we could drive it.”

“I felt good coming in here and thought we might win the race, but we came up a little short.”

Surprising: Timmy Hill was the surprising Rookie of the Race after finishing 27^th in his No. 32 Oxy Water Ford. ROTY competitors Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Danica Patrick both had troubles on the track, with Stenhouse Jr. crashing on the very first lap and Patrick bringing out the seventh caution of the day in a tangle with Travis Kvapil, Paul Menard and Jeff Burton. Stenhouse Jr. finished 34^th and Patrick finished 35^th.

“It’s not the way we wanted to start the day,” Stenhouse Jr. said. “I was kind of hoping everyone would stay in line but it didn’t play out like that.”

“We were just having a steady race and a good race, and it was over,” Patrick said. “We were competitive and we were making good calls in the pits.”

“Everything was going; it just happens.”

Not Surprising: Even with a tire issue and a resulting crash that was so hard it knocked a spark plug wire off, Jimmie Johnson managed to finish the race, in which he had started on the pole with a new track record, in the 13^th position.

And even with all the challenges of the day, the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Planes Chevrolet managed to increase his points lead to 77 over second place Clint Bowyer.

“My day kept needing to be re-calibrated,” Johnson said. “I really felt like we had a shot to win, unfortunately blew a tire off of Turn On and ended those hopes there.”

“We salvaged a very nice finish though.”

Surprising: Contrary to all the Bloomin’ Onion fans, driver Ryan Newman was surprisingly unhappy with his fourth place finish in his No. 39 Haas Automation 30^th Anniversary Chevrolet.

“It’s a good run but not as good as it could have been,” Newman said. “Just a horrible day in the pits for us.”

“We have to get that figured out.”

Not Surprising: Having come into the Pocono weekend with high hopes for not only a good finish but also making the Chase, there was no one, not surprisingly, more frustrated with being caught up in a wreck not of his doing than Jeff Burton.

The driver of the No. 31 FXI Gutterclear 365 Chevrolet was so upset that he put a nice sized dent in the roof of his car after pounding it royally after getting caught up in the Danica Patrick, Paul Menard and Travis Kvapil mess.

“By the time I got there, they were wrecked,” Burton said. “We had a good car but we just kept getting in trouble.”

“It’s just kind of how the year’s going.”

Surprising: Although teammates and the highest finishing Fords, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano had surprisingly different views on the challenge of the restarts.

“We caught that one yellow at the worst possible time with 50 or 60 to go and pitted for four and we were going to be okay but then we caught another yellow which killed our strategy,” the driver of the No. 2 Redd’s Apple Ale proclaimed. “Damn, we were just a little bit short.”

“Those restarts helped us,” the driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford said. “The cautions at the end helped us make up what we lost.”

“It’s kind of funny how it worked out.”

Not Surprising: Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Peanut Butter Toyota, was the highest finishing Toyota, ending the race in the eighth position.

“We were just a little bit off today,” Busch said. “It seemed like we could get going good on restarts and it would drive well for a few laps, then we couldn’t keep up as well on the long run.”

“That’s about all we had with our M&M’s Peanut Butter Camry,” Busch continued. “We were able to get a top-10 out of a day where we were just a little behind.”

August 7, 2013
Surprising and Not Surprising: Samuel Deeds 400 at the Brickyard

At one of the most historic tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup venue, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the 20^th running of the Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 at the Brickyard Powered by BigMachineRecords.com.

Surprising: It is not often that Chad Knaus, one of the best crew chiefs in the business, gets outfoxed, however he surprisingly did at the Brickyard by none other than Matt Borland who won his first race since being reunited with driver Ryan Newman.

Borland made the gutsy two-tire call with just eleven laps left in the race to score the kissing of the bricks for his driver and the team of the No. 39 Quicken Loans/The Smurfs Chevrolet.

“Matt Borland just made an awesome call,” Newman said. “I have won more races with him on old tires and out of gas than I have with four tires and the best car.”

This was the first win of the season for soon to be unemployed driver Newman and the first win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for his team, Stewart-Haas Racing.

“It’s just a fantastic day,” Borland said. “This is Ryan’s hometown and the Brickyard is the Brickyard.”

“We were finally able to get everything right on race day.”

Not Surprising: Five-time champ Jimmie Johnson was disappointed but not surprisingly gracious in defeat. And the driver of the No. 48 Lowes/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet did not even throw anyone under the bus in the process.

“Second is never fun especially at the Brickyard,” Johnson said. “Bummed out with that, but stuff happens.”

“I believe the No. 39 took two (tires) as well where we took four (tires),” Johnson continued. “I don’t fault the call by any means.”

“We win as a team we lose as a team, it’s just how it is.”

Surprising: Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, was the highest finishing Camry, taking the checkered flag in the fifth spot. But even with that good run, Kenseth admitted that he had nothing for the surprisingly fast two-some of Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson.

“They were way faster than us and they were up there pretty far,” Kenseth said. “Jimmie went by me so quick that I thought he was going to suck the numbers off the doors.”

“Ryan had a really fast car,” Kenseth continued. “We had a top-10 car most of the day, but I couldn’t run with those guys.”

Not Surprising: Hendrick horsepower ruled the day at the Brickyard, with six of the drivers in the top-ten having that power under their hood. One of those drivers, Kasey Kahne even credited team Hendrick power in the engine of his No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet with his third place run.

“We had a really fast Great Clips Chevrolet,” Kahne said. “Great Hendrick horsepower was key.”

Not surprisingly and not coincidentally, Hendrick Motorsports also just named engine whiz Doug Duchardt as their new Executive Vice President and General Manager, effective immediately.

“Doug has led by example from his first day with us,” Mr. H. said “He understands the importance of relationships and has helped promote a culture of teamwork and communication.”

Surprising: Dale Earnhardt Jr. pulled off a surprisingly good finish, in fact a sixth place finish, in spite of troubles on and off the race track. The driver of the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet battled a loose wheel at the start of the race and troubles with the car running at the end of the race, as well as coping with the loss of his uncle Randy Earnhardt, whose death Junior learned of while at the track.

“The car was shaking real bad,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “Steve (Letarte, crew chief) is a good strategist and we ended up alright.”

“Randy was always there,” Junior said of his uncle who passed away. “It is just very, very sad but I am glad his suffering is over with.”

“I loved him dearly and will miss him a lot.”

Not Surprising: Kurt Busch has been running so well as of late that, not surprisingly, he was distressed with a top-15 finish. The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Beautyrest Chevrolet finished the race in the 14^th position, which was exactly where he stood in the point standings when the race was over.

“The 14^th place finish is unacceptable,” Busch said. “We’ve accomplished a lot thus far this season, but one area we need to improve upon is finishing strong.”

“No question we have to run better than we did today if we want to get into the top-10,” Busch continued. “We need to have strong finishes in the next six races.”

Surprising: Brad Keselowski was the biggest Indy loser, falling four spots in the point standings to 13^th with his 21^st place finish in his No. 2 Miller Lite Ford.

“That was definitely not the day we wanted,” Keselowski said. “We weren’t a 21^st place car.”

“It is just the way things worked out,” Keselowski continued. “That has been the story of the year.”

Not Surprising: With a hard fought battle, Jeff Gordon bounced back into the top ten in the point standings with his top ten finish in his No. 24 Pepsi Max Chevrolet at the Brickyard.

“You had to fight extremely hard in this race,” Gordon said. “It was just pit strategy and speed in the car and traffic.”

“It was not easy I can tell you that.”

Surprising: There is a surprisingly tight Sunoco Rookie of the Year battle going on at present, with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. leading by just nine points over Danica Patrick in the ROTY standings.

Patrick, however, did not help her case with her 30^th place finish at the Brickyard, although her ROTY competitor Stenhouse Jr. did not fare much better, finishing 25^th.

“We tried something, it just didn’t work, and that’s that,” Patrick said. “It just was what it was.”

“It would have been nice to have a better day than this and be able to march forward,” Patrick continued. “We just didn’t and that’s just all there is to it.”

Not Surprising: With the lack of passing on the track, it was not surprising that many were calling for some changes, including driver Carl Edwards, who finished 13^th in his No. 99 Fastenal Ford Fusion.

“When you rely on down force and your car is going 200 mph and everything has to be perfect and there is a car up there in front of you that disrupts that air, it just becomes difficult,” Edwards said. “I don’t know that there is a fundamental problem with the car but I would be really curious to see what no front splitter and a really tiny rear spoiler would do.”

“I think it would allow Goodyear to make a tire that is softer so it would fall off more and I think you would see those great races.”

July 31, 2013