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  • Greg Erwin to make 350th Cup start as crew chief at Richmond

    Greg Erwin to make 350th Cup start as crew chief at Richmond

    A significant milestone is the making for Greg Erwin, a veteran crew chief who is atop the pit box of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Mustang team driven by 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff contender Matt DiBenedetto. When the green flag waves this upcoming race weekend at Richmond Raceway, Erwin will reach 350 Cup races as a crew chief.

    A native of Hatboro, Pennsylvania, Erwin graduated from Clemson University in 1992 with an engineering degree and he attained a motorsports engineering scholarship the following year in graduate school while volunteering to work with teams that included TriStar Motorsports. In 1995, his career in NASCAR started with Diamond Ridge Motorsports as an engineer while he worked with names like Jeff Green, Steve Grissom and Elliott Sadler. Following the 1995 season, Erwin transitioned to Team SABCO Racing as an engineer, where the team was eventually purchased and expanded by Chip Ganassi in 2001. In 2003, Erwin joined forces with Richard Childress Racing and worked as the team’s seven-post research and development program.

    Entering the 2005 NASCAR Cup Series season, Erwin was promoted to crew chief for Robby Gordon and the No. 7 Robby Gordon Motorsports Chevrolet team. Erwin and Gordon failed to qualify for the 2005 Daytona 500, but they made their first start of the season the following race at Fontana’s California Speedway in February, where Gordon finished 35th due to an engine failure. Erwin and Gordon competed in 23 races throughout the 2005 season, where Gordon achieved one top-five result and two top-10 results before he concluded the season in 37th place in the final standings. The following season, Erwin completed his first full-time season in the Cup Series with Gordon, where he achieved one top-five result and three top-10 results before he finished in 30th place in the final standings.

    For the first 12 races of the 2007 Cup season, Erwin remained with Robby Gordon and Gordon’s No. 7 team. Through the one-third segment of the season, Gordon finished no higher than 15th place. Afterwards, Erwin was named crew chief for the No. 16 Ford team owned by car owner Jack Roush and driven by Greg Biffle for the following race at Dover International Speedway in June. From Dover in June through Dover in September, Erwin and Biffle achieved two top-five results and six top-10 results, though Biffle failed to make the 2007 Playoffs. The following race at Kansas Speedway, Biffle was able to survive on fuel and coast across the finish line to achieve his first victory of the season as Erwin achieved his first Cup win as a crew chief. They went on to achieve two additional top-10 results and conclude the season in 14th place in the final standings.

    In 2008, Erwin served as Biffle’s crew chief in all but one of the entire 36-race schedule (Auto Club Speedway in February). Following a consistent 26-race regular-season stretch, they achieved their first victory of the season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the first Playoff race of the season. They backed it up the following week by winning at Dover. Overall, Erwin achieved two victories, two poles, 12 top-five results and 17 top-10 results with Biffle, who concluded the season in third place in the final standings. Prior to the conclusion of the 2008 Cup season, Erwin surpassed 100 Cup races as a crew chief.

    In 2009, Biffle and Erwin went winless, but they achieved 10 top-five results and 16 top-10 results as Biffle made the Playoffs and concluded the season in seventh place in the final standings. They rebounded the following season by recording two wins, nine top-five results and 19 top-10 results, with Biffle finishing the season in sixth place in the final standings. Following the 2010 season, Erwin surpassed 200 Cup races as a crew chief.

    For the first half of the 2011 Cup season, Erwin remained as Biffle’s crew chief in the Cup circuit, but they only achieved one top-five result and five top-10 results. Following Kentucky Speedway in July, Erwin was replaced by Matt Puccia as Biffle’s crew chief for the remainder of the season. Fortunately, Erwin was then named crew chief for the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford team driven by A.J. Allmendinger for the remainder of the season. In Erwin’s first race with the team at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Allmendinger finished 22nd. Erwin and Allmendinger went on to record six top-10 results for the remainder of the season as Allmendinger finished in 15th place in the final standings.

    Erwin remained as crew chief for the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford team piloted by Aric Almirola. Following the first nine Cup races with Almirola, where he only achieved one top-10 result, Erwin, however, was replaced by veteran Mike Ford.

    For the 2013 season, Erwin was named a full-time crew chief for Penske’s No. 12 Ford Mustang team driven by Sam Hornish Jr. in the NASCAR Xfinity Series as Hornish competed for the series title. Erwin and Hornish made a one-race appearance in the Cup Series at Kansas in April, where Hornish finished 37th due to being involved in a late multi-car accident. Erwin and Hornish went on to finish in second place in the final Xfinity Series standings as they missed the title by three points to Austin Dillon, crew chief Danny Stockton and Richard Childress Racing.

    In 2014, Erwin was named competition director for Team Penske’s Xfinity Series program. Throughout the season, he served as a Cup interim crew chief for Brad Keselowski at Phoenix in March and he worked with Juan Pablo Montoya and the No. 12 Ford team in two Cup races. He spent the 2015 season as an Xfinity crew chief for Penske’s No. 22 Ford Mustang team, where he notched seven victories and recorded Penske’s third consecutive owner’s title with Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Alex Tagliani piloting the No. 22 car throughout the season. The following season, he was named Penske’s Xfinity Series team manager while Brian Wilson served as the No. 22 team’s crew chief. He returned as crew chief for Penske’s No. 22 Ford team in the 2017 Xfinity season.

    In August 2017, Erwin was named crew chief for the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford team and Paul Menard for the 2018 Cup season. In Erwin’s first race with Menard, the combo finished in sixth place in the 2018 Daytona 500 in February. Ultimately, they achieved one pole, one top-five result and seven top-10 results throughout the 36-race schedule as Menard finished in 19th place in the final standings.

    The following season, Erwin and Menard achieved only four top-10 results as Menard concluded his second season with the Wood Brothers Racing in 19th place in the final standings. Earlier in the season, Menard dominated and was in race-winning position in the Clash at Daytona International Speedway in February until contact from eventual winner Jimmie Johnson knocked Menard out of contention as he was involved in a multi-car accident. Following the 2019 season, Erwin surpassed 300 starts as a Cup crew chief.

    This season, Erwin remained as a crew chief for the Wood Brothers Racing team and driver Matt DiBenedetto, who joined the team following Menard’s departure from full-time racing. In Erwin’s first race with DiBenedetto, the combo finished 19th in the 2020 Daytona 500. The following race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, DiBenedetto made a late rally to finish in second place behind Joey Logano. Throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, DiBenedetto achieved two top-five results and seven top-10 results. After finishing in 12th place at Daytona International Speedway in August, DiBenedetto claimed the 16th and final transfer spot to the 2020 Cup Playoffs. DiBenedetto’s accomplishment marked his first Cup postseason appearance as a title contender, Erwin’s third as a title contender and the Wood Brothers Racing’s second as a Playoff team.

    Erwin and DiBenedetto are coming off a 21st-place result in the first Playoff race of this season at Darlington Raceway. They are ranked in 15th place in the Playoff standings and are 17 points below the top-12 cutline to advance to the second round of the 2020 Cup Playoffs.

    Catch crew chief Greg Erwin’s milestone start at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Robby Gordon and Matthew Brabham Dominate at Road America

    Robby Gordon and Matthew Brabham Dominate at Road America

    This weekend Road America provided racing fans a one of a kind experience with the NASCAR Xfinity Series race plus two SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Truck Series events.

    While the Xfinity drivers took advantage of the complete 4-mile, 14-turn road course, the Stadium SUPER Truck Series raced on the front half of Road America with four 36-inch tall aluminum ramps positioned throughout the course. It’s a series unlike any other with 650 horsepower trucks flying through the air as they also race down the track.

    This was the first time the series has competed at Road America. Robby Gordon and Matt Brabham battled for the lead in the closing laps of Round 13 on Friday but Gordon prevailed, taking the victory. Brabham finished second followed by Gavin Harlien, Blade Hildebrand and Aaron Bambach to round out the top five.

    Former NASCAR Cup Series drivers Casey Mears and Greg Biffle delighted the NASCAR crowd, finishing sixth and seventh. Cole Potts, Matt Nolan, Tommy Dawson, Adam Andretti and Jeff Hoffman finished eighth through 12th to complete Round 13.

    Brabham took the top spot Saturday in Round 14, after overtaking Hoffman on the final lap to capture his third win of the season. He leads the series standings by 30 points over Gavin Harlien.

    “Guys like Robbie Gordon have their IndyCar experience racing here and it was great to go head to head with him in race one. It was also pretty cool to be able to race with the NASCAR guys like Casey Mears and Greg Biffle,” Brabham told NBC Sports after the race.

    Cole Potts at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Photo by David Yeazell for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    Biffle finished second in Round 14, followed by Hildebrand, Hoffman and Harlien, who finished third through fifth, respectively. Gordon finished sixth with Bambach, Potts, Andretti, Nolan, Dawson and Mears completing the finishing order.

    “What a blast running the @SSuperTrucks..today was first time back behind the wheel finished 2nd catching the leader on the last lap!! #fun,” Biffle tweeted after the race.

    Casey Mears was also upbeat about the experience, commenting on Twitter, “Had some fun this weekend in @SSuperTrucks at @roadamerica Bummer to get collected is a wreck early in the race today. Buckled the hood and couldn’t see. If you haven’t been to one of these races get to one fast. Crowd reaction was unreal! Thanks @thethrill57 #mearsgang.”

    There are two race weekends remaining in the season at Gold Coast, Australia  Oct. 19-21 and Glen Helen Raceway in California Nov. 30-Dec. 2.

     

  • Crossover Stars Help NASCAR’s Fan Appeal

    Crossover Stars Help NASCAR’s Fan Appeal

    NASCAR needs more crossover stars. It’s a time-honored tradition in the sport to bring in drivers from across the pond (mostly on NASCAR’s dime) and put them in our cars not only to perform but to draw in the fans. This is usually met with success more on the fan side of things, although former F1 drivers Mario Andretti and Juan Pablo Montoya did find a bit of success in NASCAR.

    Lewis Hamilton’s comments to TMZ regarding a foray in NASCAR have been given a bit of levity considering how his 2018 season has gone without a win, not to mention he has yet to finalize any plans beyond 2018. Hamilton has been vocal in the past regarding his love for American motorsports as well as a possible NASCAR venture, and considering he’s the closest thing to a mainstream A-list celebrity the racing world has, it’s easy to imagine the NASCAR brass salivating at the idea of Hamilton in a competitive car at Daytona. It’s not impossible to imagine NASCAR possibly even footing some of the bill to bring him.

    It’s had its pitfalls before, though. Two-time Formula One champion Jim Clark and Ludovico Scarfiotti were entered in the 1967 American 500 at Rockingham. Although Scarfiotti, winner of the 1966 Italian Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1963, did not compete due to his time being disallowed, Clark was able to bring his Holman-Moody Ford up into the top-15 before mechanical failure knocked him out of the race.

    Another Formula One champion, Kimi Raikkonen, competed at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s May 2011 Speedweeks in the Camping World Truck Series race as well as the Nationwide Series race. Raikkonen, the 2007 World Champion (and arguably one of F1’s most enigmatic personalities), drove for Kyle Busch Motorsports in both events, scoring a 15th-place finish in the truck race while finishing four laps down in 27th during the Nationwide race.

    Both instances had a lot of fanfare from across the racing world, and although they ended in less-than-stellar fashions, that hasn’t always been the case. Montoya won three races across the three national touring divisions in NASCAR. Andretti became a Daytona 500 winner for Holman-Moody in 1967. Nelson Piquet Jr. won two truck races and a Nationwide event.

    It’s been more than just an F1-to-NASCAR crossover. In 2017, two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso made his IndyCar debut at the Indianapolis 500, where he piloted an Andretti-Herta Autosport entry to Rookie-of-the-Race honors. Alonso managed to lead several laps and appeared in contention to win before an engine failure sidelined his Honda. The fanfare was so great it even garnered attention in the NASCAR world, where NASCAR-to-IndyCar and vice versa are not uncommon; NASCAR has seen its own Kurt Busch, Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart, and John Andretti make the Indy 500-Coke 600 double multiple times over the years.

    In 2008, on the heels of Formula One standout and Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya winning the 2007 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year with one win, three top-fives, and six top-10s, IndyCar champions Sam Hornish Jr. and Dario Franchitti ventured into NASCAR with hopes of success. They dominated the storylines early in the season as part of the “Open-Wheel Invasion” despite struggling, and Franchitti dropped out halfway through the season while Hornish is now a part-time Xfinity Series competitor with a handful of wins.

    Even Danica Patrick’s move from IndyCar to NASCAR was fruitless overall, although she was one of the faces of the sport and spent her entire career in top-caliber equipment.

    It’d be easy to become jaded at the prospect of a crossover star coming to NASCAR, admittedly so. When has one actually set the sport on fire other than Tony Stewart, the 1997 Indy Racing League champion? Even those who have found success have received it in short bursts. Ultimately, it’s a matter of experience – more seat time means more success unless you’re a racing anomaly like Andretti or Montoya. But the buildup, the hype, the suspense of a driver who may be established elsewhere making the dive into another major motorsport, i.e., NASCAR, is noteworthy to the brass. Fans and media get especially excited, PR people go all out and come race day it’s almost certain that the Next Big Thing has arrived.

    Should NASCAR invest into another crossover star (training, seat time, equipment, so on), it could help bolster attendance and ratings issues, same with IndyCar and F1. The day can and will come when a crossover driver is discovered and happens to truly be the Next Big Thing.

  • New Hampshire Motor Speedway–Did You Know? Playoff Edition

    New Hampshire Motor Speedway–Did You Know? Playoff Edition

    This weekend the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the second playoff race in the Round of 16. Martin Truex Jr. secured his spot in the next round with his win at Chicagoland while Kurt Busch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman are below the cutoff for transfer into the Round of 12.

    But, did you know that Busch and Newman are tied with Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson with the series-most wins among active drivers with three victories each? Kahne has one win at Loudon, three top fives and 10 top 10s. Of the bottom four playoff contenders, Stenhouse Jr. may face the biggest challenge. He has never won at the track and has only two top 10 finishes.

    The top competitors for this weekend’s race also include defending race winner, Kevin Harvick, with the fifth-best driver rating plus 10 top fives, 18 top 10s and one pole. Hamlin, who enters the event with the best driver rating of 104.0, nine top fives and 14 top 10s to go along with his three checkered flags, will be on the hunt for his third victory of the season.

    Three-time Loudon winner, Johnson, hasn’t scored a top-five finish since his win at Dover in June but expect him to shift into high gear as the playoffs continue. He has the second-best driver rating (100.8) at New Hampshire, 10 top fives, 21 top 10s and one pole. Kyle Busch has two wins, nine top fives, 13 top 10s and two poles and the third-best driver rating of 98.8. Brad Keselowski rounds out the top five drivers at the 1.058-mile track. He has the fourth-best driver rating, one win, three poles, six top fives and 10 top 10s.

    But, did you know that the New Hampshire playoff race has never been won by a non-playoff driver? However, five Cup Series drivers have captured their first victory at New Hampshire – Newman (2002), Clint Bowyer (2007), Joey Logano (2009), Robby Gordon (2001) and Joe Nemechek in 1999. This could be good news for driver Chase Elliott who is seeking his first series win.

    While this is only the second race of the playoffs, did you know that two drivers who have won the Loudon playoff race have gone on to win the championship the same year? From 2004-2010, New Hampshire hosted the first playoff race. Kurt Busch drove to victory lane in the opening event and continued on to win the 2004 series title. The track has hosted the second race of the playoffs beginning with the 2011 season. Tony Stewart won a series-record five playoff races in 2011 that included the first two, at Chicagoland and New Hampshire, culminating in his third championship.

    Tune in this weekend as the action heats up and drivers scramble to secure their spot in the next round of the playoffs. The ISM Connect 300 airs on September 24 at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN with radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

    In the meantime, check out the video below as NASCAR icon Tony Stewart wins at New Hampshire on the way to his third championship title in 2011.

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

  • Andy Lally: From Daytona Lone Ranger to Inaugural Kentucky Wannabe

    Andy Lally: From Daytona Lone Ranger to Inaugural Kentucky Wannabe

    Andy Lally, rookie driver of the No. 71 TRG Motorsports Interstate Moving Services Ford, is making an interesting transition, from lone wolf without a dance partner at this past weekend’s Daytona race to Kentucky wannabe, having to qualify in on time for this weekend’s inaugural race.

    [media-credit name=”andylally.com” align=”alignright” width=”222″][/media-credit]Lally started this journey last weekend with his best qualifying effort to date at Daytona, snagging the seventh starting spot between five time champ Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the sport’s most popular driver.

    “This was just a cool little feather in the cap that a small team had come up here and done this,” Lally said. “That was pretty neat.”

    Yet, in spite of the excellent starting position, Lally was quite the lone wolf, at least in the initial portion of the Coke Zero 400.

    “Yes, I did feel like the ‘Lone Ranger’ a little bit, but it was fairly expected,” Lally said.

    “I had spoken to Geoff Bodine before the race about hooking up and getting together,” Lally continued. “But we were starting in seventh and he was back in 35th or so, so it was going to be a little bit of time before we found him.”

    “We just tried to hold on at the front as long as we could.”

    Lally acknowledged that it was easier to hold on at the front more so when the race started and on the restarts when there was a bit of a pack. But that quickly changed when the tandem racers started the two-by-two pairings, causing Lally to struggle.

    “It was kind of like the old days in the big packs until everybody gets hooked up and single file,” Lally said. “It wasn’t easy to hold on after that happened.”

    “I was fighting tooth and nail to do whatever I could to stay in the draft and side draft guys,” Lally continued. “But it was definitely difficult to get off the gas and try to hook up with somebody.”

    “This was my third restrictor plate race so I’ve seen the benefits of the hook up every time,” Lally said. “We struggled on our own for about 20 laps or so but once we hooked up with other cars, we were pretty decent and were able to move up through the field.”

    Lally had particularly good luck when he teamed up with Terry Labonte, who was driving the No. 32 C&J Energy Ford. The Lally/Labonte tandem was so good together that they were able to push their way forward into the top ten at one point in the race.

    “That was not planned,” Lally said of his liaison with Labonte. “That was almost forced by me.”

    “Terry Labonte and Robby Gordon were running together and on the restart they got split up,” Lally continued. “Terry was on the bottom with a bunch of fast cars linked together. When I saw it, I moved to the bottom and drove up behind Terry, smashed him in the rear and started pushing him, whether he wanted me there or not.”

    “I think Terry was a little hesitant at first but after the first few laps, we started going forward and passing cars,” Lally said. “So, then we got a message over the radio from his spotter that he liked the way I was going and he wanted to stay together.”

    “We did that for the next 130 laps and we stayed together as best we could.”

    The tandem did indeed stay together, that is until mayhem ensued at the end of the race during the two green, white, checkered attempts at a finish.

    “Unfortunately, we weren’t in a position to really capitalize on that mayhem at the end of the race,” Lally said. “We had done a long green flag run but the pit stops weren’t what we needed and we lost the lead draft.”

    “And then we went on a long green flag run and the pack pushed by us to put us a lap down,” Lally continued. “If all that havoc had happened one lap prior, we would have been in decent shape.”

    “Once we took the white flag, we knew there was no more advancing of positions, so we just kind of backed off and tip toed through the minefield on the way to the checkered flag, passing battered car after battered car.”

    After finishing 27th, Lally admitted he was ready to put the superspeedway in his lone wolf rear view mirror and head to the first-ever Cup race, the Quaker State 400, at Kentucky Speedway. At that track, he will not be alone as he was at Daytona.

    “We’ve got a track that I’ve never been to,” Lally said. “But for the first time a number of other guys have never been to it either.”

    “A bunch of these guys have done the Truck race or the Nationwide race but from the information I got from the guys who did the tire test, it was fairly similar to Kansas,” Lally continued. “So, I think everybody will unload with their Kansas set up and go from there.”

    Lally is definitely a Kentucky wannabe as he currently sits 36th in owner points, just one position shy of being locked in.

    “Right now getting in the show will be the biggest thing,” Lally said. “It’s going to be a big challenge.”

    “We actually get a test day so we’ll get some laps on the track on Thursday,” Lally continued. “So, we’ll make some adjustments and see what we got for qualifying. We’ve got 48 cars for 43 spots so that’s a challenge.”

    “You’re never not trying to go hard but we’ll do more mock qualifying runs and do more in qualifying trim than race trim,” Lally said. “So, we’ll see.”

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Infineon Toyota Save Mart 350

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Infineon Toyota Save Mart 350

    In a weekend filled with Merlot, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the California wine country, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 23rd annual Toyota/Save Mart 350 Sprint Cup Series race at Infineon Raceway.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”249″][/media-credit]Surprising: Not known for his road racing prowess, the driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge finally notched a road course victory. Kurt Busch did so in dominating fashion, taking the checkered flag and quickly resorting to his backwards victory lap around Infineon Raceway.

    This was Busch’s 23rd Cup win, tying Ricky Rudd for 23rd on the all-time victory list. This was also Busch’s first win since his Coca Cola 600 victory in 2010, breaking a 38 race winless streak.

    “It was an unbelievable set up,” Busch said. “Once we got into the groove with this car, it seemed to get better and better. My cars have never done that before.”

    “That was an awesome handling Dodge,” Busch continued. “After what we’ve been through, we’ve been on a high these last few weeks.”

    Not Surprising:  Road courses often lead to road rages and Sonoma did not fail to deliver. Most drivers were mad at somebody, from Denny Hamlin being ticked at AJ Allmendinger , Joey Logano plowing through Robby Gordon, and Juan Pablo Montoya punting Kasey Kahne, as well as getting into it with Brad Keselowski.

    But the ‘most mad in wine country’ award goes to Brian Vickers, driving the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, and Tony Stewart, behind the wheel of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet. The trouble between the two started early in the race when Smoke leaned on Vickers so hard that he got turned, setting off a major melee.

    Vickers, however, bided his time until late in the race and paid back Stewart in a major way. In fact, Vickers paid Stewart back so dramatically that the latter came to rest with his rear end elevated on one of the tire barriers, causing Stewart’s first ever DNF on a road course.

    “I probably had it coming because I dumped him earlier,” Stewart said of his altercation with Vickers. “It was payback but I dumped him first because he was blocking.”

    “I like Brian but I was complaining about how he’s been racing all year,” Smoke continued. “I don’t care if he was Ryan Newman, I would have dumped him too.”

    “I’m not going to tolerate it,” Stewart said. “They block, they get dumped.”

    “I don’t know why he did it,” Vickers said, explaining his side of the altercation. “I was trying to avoid the 18 (Kyle Busch) and Tony was the least of my concern.”

    “He sowed his oats and he reaped them,” Vickers continued. “Stuff happens.”

    Surprising:  Instead of flitting hither and yon, Carl Edwards surprisingly proved his total focus on the championship by not only forgoing running in the Nationwide race this weekend but by also slugging his way to a third place finish.

    “We were lucky,” Edwards said. “Everything went our way today.”

    “I stayed here for practice,” Edwards continued. “And it all came together for a third place finish, which is great for our points.”

    Edwards, this week piloting the No. 99 Scotts Ortho Ford, posted his third top-10 finish in seven races at Infineon. He also maintained his lead in the Chase standings, now 25 points over second place Kevin Harvick.

    Not Surprising:  In a weekend marked by coming home, celebrating his daughter’s birthday and premiering his appearance as ‘Jeff Gorvette’ in the Cars 2 movie, it was not surprising to see four-time champion Jeff Gordon finish in the runner up position at one of his most loved race tracks.

    The driver of the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet notched his 15th top-10 finish in 19 races at Infineon. It is also Gordon’s sixth top-10 finish in 2011, putting him solidly in Chase contention in the ninth spot in points.

    “It was a struggle,” Gordon admitted. “We really missed the set up at the beginning of this race.”

    “Our car was fast at the end and that felt awesome,” Gordon continued. “To work our way up to second, man, that was amazing.”

    Surprising: For one driver who absolutely abhors road course races, deeming Sonoma “one of my worst tracks,” the race actually did not turn out so badly. Matt Kenseth, behind the wheel of the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford, finished in the top-15.

    Kenseth and his crew chief Jimmy Fennig brought a brand new car to Sonoma, having shaken it down last month at Road America. Kenseth definitely bettered his average finishing position of 22.2 at Sonoma in the past.

    Not Surprising: Unfortunately for Junior nation, their favorite but self-admitted road course hater, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., had reason to continue his bad attitude. The driver of the No. 88 scored his second DNF since October 2009, officially finishing 41st.

    “We was just out there running around and we got part of it,” Junior said, referencing the altercation between Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers on Lap 38. “It banged up the nose and knocked a hole in the radiator.”

    Junior’s engine did indeed expire from the hole in the radiator, which drained the water and caused the engine to blow. Junior also fell from third to seventh in points as a result of his Sonoma woes.

    “I’m not a big fan of the place,” Junior said. “Maybe one of these days.”

    Surprising: One of the Cup drivers not often mentioned in the front of the pack was surprisingly a factor in the latter stages of the Toyota/Save Mart 350. David Gilliland, driver of the No. 34 Taco Bell Ford finished 12th.

    “I am really proud of our team today,” Gilliland said. “We had an issue with second gear toward the end of the race there, so we lost a few spots, but I had a lot of fun running up front all day.”

    “I asked the guys on the radio during the race if there was an award for passing the most cars ‘cause, man, it sure seemed like I was passing cars all day,” Gilliland continued. “It was a great day for our team.”

    Not Surprising: After the gaffe heard round the racing world last year at Infineon when Marcos Ambrose shut off his engine and lost the lead, the driver of the No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion redeemed himself, finishing fifth.

    “I am so proud of my Stanley car and my Stanley team to get a top five out of what could have been a very tough day for me,” Ambrose said. “I want to thank Stanley for putting me in the car and believing in me.”

  • NASCAR Bad Boys: Top Ten Most Fined Sprint Cup Drivers

    NASCAR Bad Boys: Top Ten Most Fined Sprint Cup Drivers

    [media-credit name=”Joe Dunn” align=”aligncenter” width=”225″][/media-credit]

    This weekend’s race at Darlington provided a storyline to the viewer that will be talked about for weeks to come.  It was a simple phrase that we have heard several times throughout the year…..”Boys, have at it!” And that, they did!

    We saw a sucker punch thrown. Overheard a name-calling shouting match between Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick’s team. We listened to rumors of a possible punch during a NASCAR meeting between Juan Pablo Montoya and Ryan Newman.

    We also saw Montoya accidentally get into the back of Johnson while Montoya’s actions were being scrutinized.  We even got to see a runaway car endangering the lives of NASCAR officials and crew members.

    After such an epic event, “Boys have at it!” will have consequences for the first time in 2011.  Those consequences come with a price tag in the form of a penalties.

    Let’s take a look at the Top 10 Most Fined Sprint Cup Drivers…..

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignleft” width=”233″][/media-credit]

    #10. Jeff Gordon, the four-time NASCAR Cup Series winner, finds himself ranked #10 on our most fined list with $126,000 in assessed penalties.

    In 2007, Gordon’s car was found to have a fender flare which created an unfair advantage.  This infraction led to the single highest penalty of $100,000 for the team.

    Good Boy Gordon did manage to lose his temper and decked Jeff Burton after being wrecked at Texas Motor Speedway in 2010.

    Since the two were able to work through their spat, NASCAR did not penalize either driver.

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignleft” width=”255″][/media-credit]

    #9. Car owner/driver and published author, Michael Waltrip and his team have been fined a minimal $140,500 despite some of his crazy antics.

    After initial qualifying for the 2007 Daytona 500,  NASCAR inspectors found evidence in the engine manifold that Waltrip’s team had used an illegal fuel additive.  This became known as the “jet fuel” scandal, costing his team $100,000.

    An inappropriate gesture during a television broadcast in 2005 set him back $10,000.

    [media-credit name=”Motorsports Images and Archives” align=”alignleft” width=”250″][/media-credit] 

    #8.  Kurt Busch, winner of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Championship using the “Chase for the Cup” point system, is a bit of a hothead.  Busch and his team have been levied $156,000 in penalties.

    Tempers flared after some on-track antics between Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart at Dover in 2007.  Busch ran into Stewart’s car on pit road, barely missing the jack man.

    The No. 2 Penske Dodge driver was fined $100,000 for endangering crew members on pit road.

    In another on-track scuffle, Busch bumped Robby Gordon’s car from behind, spinning him out and causing a caution to “allegedly” improve his position.  The bump cost Busch $10,000.

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    #7. Some would say that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a chip off the old block.  Naysayers would argue Jr. has a chip on his shoulder.  With $168,000 in penalties, we will let you decide.

    Dale Jr. took a hit when the COT debuted in 2007.  He and other Hendrick teammates were each fined $100,000 for unapproved modifications.

    2004 was the year of “Poop-gate.”  Earnhardt Jr. was fined $10,000 for using profanity during a live post-race interview.

    When asked about the significance of his fifth victory at Talladega, Jr. replied,  “It don’t mean s— right now. Daddy’s won here 10 times.”

    #6. The No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry driver, Martin Truex Jr. lands on our Top Ten list at no fault of his own.  Crew Chief, Kevin Manion, has garnered a whopping $175,000 in penalties for the Truex Jr. team.

    Manion’s biggest folly came in 2008 when the No. 1 Chevrolet failed a template inspection before the Coke Zero 400. The penalties levied were $100,000 and a six-race suspension.

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    #5. Love him or hate him, Kyle Busch is a force to be reckoned with.  Holding the record for most NASCAR wins in a season between the top three NASCAR series comes with a price…$190,000 in penalties to be exact!

    We have all seen the endless replays of the skirmish between “Rowdy” Busch and Kevin Harvick from this weekend’s race at Darlington.  The tiff cost each driver $25,000 and earned them a four-race probation.

    Kyle is known for his garish antics.  He was recently penalized $25,000 for giving an obscene gesture to a NASCAR official during a live televised race.

    #4. Carl Long holds the record for the single largest penalty handed out by NASCAR at the tune of $200,000.

    What could Carl do to cost his team so much money you ask?

    After making just 23 career Cup starts and not appearing in a points-paying Cup race since 2006, Long felt he could qualifying for the 2008 All-Star Race and the Daytona 500. Preliminary to the All-Star race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Long overheated the engine.  His team made an engine switch.

    Under the NASCAR rules, the bad engine was examined.  It was later determined that the engine exceeded the maximum cubic-inch displacement specifications.

    In layman’s terms, Long was using an engine that was far bigger than NASCAR allows.

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignleft” width=”227″][/media-credit] 

    #3. NASCAR elite driver and five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winner, Jimmie Johnson, has managed to rack up the fines on his way to supremacy.

    Crew Chief, Chad Knaus, aka “Cheating Chad” has earned $202,500 in penalties for the team with his Go Big or Go Home mentality.

    Johnson was fined $10,000 for his role in the “Bottlegate” fiasco when he placed a Lowe’s logo in front of some plastic Powerade bottles after he got out of his car in Pocono Raceway’s Victory Lane.

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignleft” width=”259″][/media-credit] 

    #2. When it comes to drama, Kevin Harvick is where it is at!  Don’t get me wrong….I am a proud firesuit- T-shirt wearing fan who loves the Harvicks!  However, I was surprised to find $236,000 in penalties for all that drama.

    This weekend, Harvick landed a punch on Kyle Busch through an open window net. This netted Harvick with a $25,000 fine and a four-race probation.

    Kevin has on-track altercations involving Joey Logano, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Gregg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jeff Burton.

    In Kevin’s defense…not all of the $236,000 were fines from altercations.  Harvick’s team had issues with aerodynamics, oil and fuel filters, rear suspension and a few other miscellaneous penalties to the tune of $156,000.

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    #1. Yes, you read that correctly!  Robby Gordon takes the cake with an whopping $325,000 in NASCAR penalties.

    This driver/owner has been fined for just about everything thanks to his never-ending supply of crew chiefs.  Most notably, $150,000 for an unapproved front bumper while under the direction of Frank Kerr.

    Robby Gordon remains on probation after an altercation in Las Vegas with Kevin Conway regarding money and pending litigation.

    FAQ:

    What data was used for this article? We used the Jayski penalties posted from 2001-May 10,2011.  All data is assumed under the umbrella of each driver. Article assumes readers will know a driver name, but not a crew member name.

    Example…..If the stated driver’s crew chief was fined $50,000 for unapproved modifications..then that driver’s penalties will reflect that amount.

    Where did we get the data?  http://jayski.com/pages/penalties.htm

    What happens to the money from the penalties? Starting in 2008, all money collected from fines issued to drivers go to the NASCAR Foundation for its charitable initiatives; before, the money collected from driver/crew member penalties are generally placed into the Drivers Points Fund awarded at the end of the season.

  • The Last Word from Las Vegas, where Edwards wins after Tony gets hosed.

    So, what did we learn in Las Vegas?

    Well, we learned that sometimes the best car on the day does not win, leaving the bubbly to second best. We learned that Saturday when Mark Martin found himself in front on the last lap of the Nationwide race after Brad Keselowski found the fence. We learned that Sunday, when Carl Edwards put Tony Stewart behind him for good to win his third over the last five events. It was enough to make Carl flip out.

    [media-credit id=41 align=”alignright” width=”283″][/media-credit]We learned that hoses can get hooked on a car, flipping air wrenches out of the pit box. The resulting penalty moved Stewart from first to outside the top twenty with a hundred laps to go. He got back in front after going for two tires on one stop, but when he needed four the next time out, Edwards went for the pair that left him the victor, with Stewart the runner-up.

    We learned that Edwards better be careful in Bristol. It seems that you win one day, and wind up in the garage early the next. The same fate that awaited Trevor Bayne after Daytona bit Jeff Gordon on Sunday when he cut a tire and discovered the wall. First one week, 36th the next, as those of us old enough remember how the thrill of victory can turn into the agony of defeat. We miss you Jim McKay.

    We learned that Danica Patrick is not just a pretty face. Okay, I did see the Sports Illustrated layout, but I’m talking about her finishing fourth on Saturday. Best finish ever by a woman in one of NASCAR’s top three racing series. The previous best was by Sara Christian, who ran fifth at Pittsburgh in 1949. She ran in seven races over two seasons and never was featured as a pin-up girl to my knowledge.

    We learned that Greg Biffle can get downright sarcastic when things slide into the toilet. No matter how they tried, they just could not dump enough fuel into the car. Biffle even ran out of petrol at one point and sat in the pit box as he tried to refire the beast. He wound up 28th, three laps down. 3-M Post It was his sponsor, “Shove It!” was what probably was on the driver’s mind. Yes, the Biff was miffed on Sunday.

    We learned a few things about Matt Kenseth. After a caution, the 2003 champion took the green flag on Lap 13 only to discover he had a flat. In he came, down he went on the scoring tower, but he came back to claim11th at the end of the day. Good, yes, but what about him nudging young Mr. Bayne into the fence with 50 to go? Just a racing deal my sweet patoot.

    We learned just how much fun it is to watch Kyle Busch drive a race car. He makes like a kamikaze in diving in where angels fear to tread. Sometimes he catches the grass when making a pass and goes for a skid into a wall. Sometimes he cuts a tire and finds the fence. Sometimes he blows up real good. 30th Saturday, 38th Sunday, but damned entertaining.

    We learned that the feud between Robby Gordon and Kevin Conway has been extenzed into this season, as the pair had a dust up over the weekend at the track. Not sure about the actual spark of this one, but Conway says Gordon owes him some cash, while Gordon claims Conway owes him about 30 times as much. It all stems from a sponsorship deal involving that product endorsed by Jimmy Johnson, the former football coach and Survivor…and not the driver. Conway went to the cops over the altercation and Gordon was put on special emergency probation That, as they say, is the long and the short of it. All this tension. Where is Happy Bob when you need him?

    I’ve learned that it is best to quit while you are ahead. For instance, I could ask what one gets when you combine Viagra with Extenze, but this is a racing site and has nothing to do with pole vaulting. Okay, I guess I haven’t learned a damned thing.

    Bristol is next on the dance card, a track where the winner has been a guy named Busch half the time over the past nine years. Kurt has five of them, Kyle four, including three of the past four run there. The defending champ of the spring race is some fellow by the name of Johnson. As the Sprint boys take next Sunday off, the trucks return to Darlington this Saturday night. Enjoy the week.

  • Robby Gordon Gets Physical in the Garage with Kevin Conway

    Robby Gordon Gets Physical in the Garage with Kevin Conway

    This past weekend following qualifying on Friday, it was reported that Robby Gordon and Kevin Conway had an altercation in the garage. At that point, it was reported that Gordon got physical with Conway and a poilice report had been filed.

    Las Vegas police officer Barbara Morgan told the Associated Press that Conway filed a misdemeanor battery complaint and police will interview any possible witnesses before turning the investigation over to the Clark County district attorney in Las Vegas to determine if charges will be filed.

    NASCAR also placed Robby Gordon on immediate NASCAR probation.

    “Robby’s been put on probation – we’ll let everybody know for how long on Tuesday,” NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton told SceneDaily. “This doesn’t give Conway a free pass, either.”

    Since then, Conway has released a statement via stating what happened.

    “I don’t mind stiff competition, but I want to make sure the hard facts are told,” Conway said in his statement. “First and foremost, I love being a part of NASCAR and have worked very hard to earn the privilege of competing in the Sprint Cup Series.

    “On Friday night, Robby Gordon, who has a long history of issues in NASCAR decided to ambush me in the garage area at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, completely unprovoked. Robby even confronted Joe Nemechek, my car owner, on pit road during Cup Series qualifying shoving him and telling him that he was looking for me and going to assault me. We have many witnesses including a crew chief that signed a police report documenting the truth of his physical attack on me.”

    “Situations like this are not good for our sport. It’s one thing if we were racing each other and I wrecked him or he wrecked me, that’s an entirely different situation. It’s very unfortunate that he chose to physically attack me to address his rage. Our fans, sponsors and NASCAR expect and deserve more from our competitors than this bullish, illegal behavior that was displayed by Robby against me.”

    Gordon had told Mike Mulhern that the confrontation was only verbal.

    “He got in my face….and I told him….well, if he wants to go to the police, that’s, well….,” Gordon is quoted.

    The argument comes following a lawsuit that has been followed. Conway says that Gordon owes him $29,000 in race earnings, while Gordon says Conway’s sponsor Extenze still owes him $700,000 for using the car. Both sides have filed lawsuits and are waiting to hear the outcome.

    Gordon has a history of feuding with drivers, but he has never taken it to an extent this extreme. The last time a physical altercation to a point like this was Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick and their tussle in the garage. No charges or probations by NASCAR were set in place that time.

  • Robby Gordon Slapped with Probation for Kevin Conway Altercation

    Robby Gordon Slapped with Probation for Kevin Conway Altercation

    Robby Gordon, driver of the No. 7 Speed Energy Dodge for the team that bears his name, was placed on immediate and indefinite probation today by NASCAR. Gordon apparently had an altercation in the garage area Friday evening with Kevin Conway, another Cup driver with whom Gordon had prior business dealings that went south.

    [media-credit name=”Gary Buchanan ” align=”alignright” width=”214″][/media-credit]In fact, Robby Gordon Motorsports had filed a lawsuit against Extenze, Conway’s primary sponsor, for $690,000 in damages based on the failure to pay their portion of the sponsorship to Gordon after Conway came to race with him to continue his Rookie of the Year run in 2010.

    The disagreement stemmed from the fact that Gordon replaced Conway in the car in order to keep it in the top 35 in the point standings and Extenze refused sponsorship payment based on their contention that they did not approve the driver change.

    While Conway was not named in the lawsuit by Robby Gordon Motorsports, Conway did have a financial stake in the deal.  Conway reaped approximately $116,000 in a percentage of the purse as well as his Rookie of the Year winnings.

    In the midst of Nationwide qualifying and the start of Cup practice, Kerry Tharp of NASCAR made the surprising announcing about Gordon’s probation in the media center this afternoon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    “We met about the situation this morning and reacted accordingly,” Tharp said. “We will continue to look at this situation involving Robby Gordon.”

    “We took emergency action that is stipulated in the rule book for us to be able to react this way and place him on probation.”

    Tharp announced that although Gordon would still be able to compete in this weekend’s race, his probation was indeed indefinite.

    “There is no time frame on it right now,” Tharp said. “It could be revised as we move along but the action we took today, we just placed him on probation, period.”

    Tharp advised that he did not witness the incident so felt that he could not elaborate on it.

    “It was an incident in the garage between him and another driver that took place,” was all that Tharp would confirm.

    Gordon qualified 38th for the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.