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  • Team Penske Ends Day 3 of the Sprint Cup Media Tour

    Team Penske Ends Day 3 of the Sprint Cup Media Tour

    Day three of the Sprint Media Tour concluded with Team Penske. Penske’s lineup is somewhat different this year. Returning members are 2012 Sprint Cup Champion Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, and Ryan Blaney. Blaney will split his time between the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series in 2014.

    Keselowski, who drives the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion, had a down year in 2013 with only one victory to his credit—the fall race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Climbing back to the top of the charts is Keselowski’s main goal for 2014.

    Dramatic changes were made within the middle ranks of Team Penske when it comes to the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford. The Blue Deuce’s consistent mechanical failures and gaffes on pit road were costly in 2013, enough to keep the 2012 champion from defending his title.

    “We weren’t where we needed to be last year,” said Keselowski. “But we’ve revamped our pit crew and made some changes internally, at the shop, and now it’s up to me as a driver to capitalize on these positive changes.”

    “We had some reliability problems and it just wasn’t as smooth as 2012,” said team owner Roger Penske. “But look, it’s racing and you’re not going to win every year. When it comes to Brad, he’s got it as a driver. He’s been to the top. Now we just have to give him better tools to get there.”

    Car owner Roger Penske knows he has drivers with a great future. Looking down the line at his lineup, The Captain said, “There are three drivers with an average age of 26. That’s the future right there. Our goal as a team is no different than anyone else. We want to be at that head table at the end of the 2014 season.”

    Joey Logano embraces change. His first year in the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford was respectable. He made the Chase and finished eighth, a good finish for a driver learning a new team, but changes in qualifying procedure, as well as the proposed Chase format, were to Logano’s liking.

    “I think it’s great. You’re going to have a Richmond (the last race of the regular season) scenario within the Chase, almost a make it or break it every three races,” said Logano, noting NASCAR’s potential elimination Chase system. “There’s going to be some really desperate drivers taking chances and I think that’s great for the fans. It’s going to add a lot of drama.”

    Ryan Blaney also wants to win a championship. The 20 year old will run 15 Nationwide Series races as well as his truck schedule for Brad Keselowski Racing. He will also make his Cup debut this season in at least two races. He will be running the No. 12 SKF Ford in the Cup Series.

    “It just makes me feel really good to have people trust me to make my first Cup start, and do all these Nationwide races to try and win that Owner’s Championship,” said Blaney. “We’ve really improved our relationship with Ford, across the board, so I’m truly excited to get this season going.”

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Charlotte Bank of America 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Charlotte Bank of America 500

    In the ‘home game’ for NASCAR in the heart of race country, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the 54th annual Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    Surprising:  Who knew that dragging a jack for a lap would result in a victory lap?  That was the case for the driver of the Blue Deuce Brad Keselowski, who finally got his first win under his belt for the season. Keselowski also scored his first ever win in a Ford, as well as his first victory at Charlotte.

    “I thought when we saw the jack under the car I said, ‘Here we go again, not a good night,’ but at the end of the day when it was time to go and we raced the best because it was Brad behind the wheel that made it,” Roger Penske, team owner of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford, said. “It wasn’t a fuel economy run, it was him digging deep and bringing us to victory lane, so it was a great night for us.”

    Not Surprising:  If a crack in the armor exists for five-time champ Jimmie Johnson it would be restarts and the driver of the No. 48 Lowes Dover White Chevrolet had yet another challenge in that regard at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    As a result of a late race caution, Johnson yet again struggled on the final restart, resulting in a fourth place finish.

    “Down in (turns) one and two, just in the dirty air I pushed the No. 5 off into (turn) one,” Johnson said. “He didn’t get the best restart and something to do with that combo got me off the bottom and a couple of cars got into the side of me.”

    “If we could have come out of the pits second and start on the front row, it would have been a much different result for us,” Johnson continued. “But it didn’t happen.”

    “Just lost track position which was unfortunate.”

    As a result of this finish, Johnson sits just four points behind point’s leader Matt Kenseth.

    Surprising:  Speaking of the point’s leader, the third time surprisingly was a charm for championship contender Matt Kenseth.

    “There is a feel that I always look for and when I don’t have it, I can’t go very fast,” the driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota said. “Until the third adjustment, we just couldn’t get it.”

    “Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) found something that really woke it up and made the car happy and made me happy and we were able to start making some ground.”

    Kenseth finished third, maintained his points lead, and posted his 15th top-10 finish in 29 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    Not Surprising:  Past gremlins rearing their ugly heads again cost both Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. their best finishes.

    Busch, driving the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota, suffered loose lug nuts due to a pit road miscommunication and also a fuel pick up issue to finish fifth.

    “We had the same thing in the third Chase race back in 2008,” Busch said of his engine issue. “So it doesn’t surprise me something’s back.”

    “Pretty frustrating,’’ Busch continued. “We should be happy about (fifth), but when it’s time for championship time, that’s not what you need.”

    “We need wins, and we can’t win.’’

    Dale Junior, making his 500th career start, had some sort of vibration in the car that resulted in a 15th place finish in spite of his leading laps during the race.

    “The car just got really tight,” Dale Jr., driver of the No. 88 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet, said. “Something in the set-up moved, but the car was real quick at the start of the race.”

    “It just would not turn at all the last half of the race pretty much,” Junior continued. “We are just kind of trying to figure out what is going on.”

    “We will get it back and figure it out when we get to the shop on Monday.”

    Busch sits fifth in points at 37 points behind leader Kenseth and Junior fell one position to ninth and is now 66 points behind the point’s leader.

    Surprising:  Both Hendrick teammates made surprisingly good decisions in just taking two tires instead of four for the final restart. Kasey Kahne, HMS driver of the No. 5 Quaker State Chevrolet, finished in the runner up position with his two tires and teammate Jeff Gordon, behind the wheel of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet, finished seventh.

    “Yeah, we had a great race,” Kahne said. “I was on two (tires) and I was trying to move around, but I was just a little bit on the tight side with the front end, then I would get loose if I got the front working.”

    “I was doing all I could and felt pretty good, but Brad (Keselowski, winner) made some nice moves and just really had some speed there late in the race and was able to get by me.”

    “It was a solid night,” Gordon said. “It was a great call there to try to make two (tires) work.”

    “Our car was just way too tight to be able to do it and we lost a few more positions than I was hoping,” Gordon continued. “But it was still solid.”

    While Gordon remains in the fourth place in the Chase, 36 points behind the leader, Kahne on the other hand, is in the 13th position, 81 points back and essentially out of contention.

    Not Surprising:   Mark Martin had the most interesting comeback after blowing an engine after just 80 completed laps and spewing fluid all over the track.

    The driver, substituting for Tony Stewart in the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet ended up finishing a disappointing 42nd as a result.

    But when a fan tweeted Martin “@markmartin Should’ve mention this earlier but you should retire,” things got very interesting. In fact, the usually affable driver surprising replied with just four words, tweeting “You should screw yourself,” thus scoring the best comeback of the Charlotte race.

    Surprising:  Speaking of the Stewart-Haas bunch, Ryan Newman salvaged a surprisingly good finish after struggling most of the night. Thanks to a four tire call on the last pit stop, Newman was able to get an eighth place finish for the No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet.

    “We came out of here with a decent finish, but we struggled a little bit tonight,” Newman said. “I just didn’t have the overall speed.”

    “Matt (Borland, crew chief) made the call to take four tires at the end, but we weren’t able to gain spots like I thought we would knowing that a lot of the guys ahead of us took two,” Newman continued. “All in all, it’s good to complain about a top-10 finish, but we expected a little more than that tonight.”

    Not Surprising:  Until his engine blew, young up and coming driver Kyle Larson, making his Cup debut in the No. 51 Target Chevrolet, had a great run going. In fact, he was running in the top ten for a bit, far surpassing many of his more seasoned competitors, including future teammate Jamie McMurray.

    “Obviously, the guy is ready,” Chip Ganassi, team owner said of his 2014 driver. “Some of the smarter people in the sport have said that maybe a Cup car is more like his style than a Nationwide car.”

    “It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened,” Ganassi continued. “Time will tell, but the guy is ready.”

    Surprising:  For one Chase contender, the contest at Charlotte Motor Speedway was all about a battle until the death, well almost.

    “We survived,” Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, said after finishing sixth. “Yeah we got a decent finish, but our car was terrible all night.”

    “The restart went our way there at the end and we were able to get a decent finish out of it.”

    Harvick maintained his third place in the Chase standings, just 29 points, similar to his car number, behind point’s leader Kenseth.

    Not Surprising:  There is at least one driver who is looking forward to the next race at Talladega after finishing 14th in his No. 78Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet.

    “We had an upbeat feeling about tonight after two strong practices on Friday but nothing really materialized for us to make a charge,” Busch said. “It’s disappointing to finish where we did (14th) after having a number of solid runs on the mile-and-a-half’s, including last week’s runner-up finish in Kansas.”

    “Next week we’ll give it another go in the Wonder bread car at Talladega.”

  • AJ Allmendinger Writes Next Chapter with JTG Daugherty Racing

    AJ Allmendinger Writes Next Chapter with JTG Daugherty Racing

    AJ Allmendinger is back at Dover International Speedway in the No. 47 House-Autry Toyota for JTG Daugherty Racing, where he will be full-time in 2014.

    But according to the driver known as the ‘Dinger, this is not a comeback as much as the next chapter that he is writing in his personal and professional story.

    “Whether it’s a comeback or whatever the media wants to make it, for me I just feel very fortunate and lucky,” Allmendinger said from the No. 47 hauler in the infield of the Monster Mile. “In a way, it’s a continuing story that we all write.”

    “Our whole lives are about writing the next chapter until the end of it,” Allmendinger continued. “For me, it’s a new chapter but a completely different chapter.”

    “And for me, it’s all about being a better person.”

    “The values that Tad and Jody (Geschickter, team owners) as a family have and what values Brad (Daugherty, owner) has and what the values are of this race team and how people react to that, that’s what is just good to be around,” Allmendinger said. “It’s great for me to be around because that’s where I’m trying to get to.”

    “It makes it just as a life thing to be able to talk to them,” Allmendinger said. “It’s the same thing that I have with Roger (Penske) being able to call him.”

    “It’s just another chapter and hopefully it leads to another good chapter.”

    Allmendinger also hopes to write his next chapter at Dover International Speedway, affectionately known as the ‘Monster Mile.’ And with a record of three top-ten finishes since 2009, Allmendinger thinks that monster track perfectly suits his driving style.

    “When it comes to an aggressive driving style, this is probably one of the tracks that you can be more aggressive at,” Allmendinger said. “You look at a place like last week at New Hampshire and that’s all finesse.”

    “It’s fast and it’s just enjoyable,” Allmendinger continued. “The hardest thing with this place is that the two ends drive a lot different, especially when it gets hot out because three and four get really tight.”

    “Both ends of the track may look the same but they drive very differently.”

    Allmendinger cited not only the challenge of dealing with the rubber build up on the track, but also the challenge of getting through each lap in setting realistic goals not only for himself but for his race team.

    “It’s really lap by lap, session by session,” Allmendinger said. “The past few years the way the rubber built up would really change the race track after 100 laps.”

    “I don’t know if it will be the same but for me, that’s what makes it fun because you really have to think about how to get around the rubber,” Allmendinger continued. “It changes the line and makes you search around which is also fun.”

    “We’ll see how it plays out with this car and this tire,” Allmendinger said. “I look for anything in the top-20 as a decent day and anything in the top-15 as a good day and top-10 as a great day.”

    While enjoying the opportunity to pilot the No. 47 House-Autry Toyota at Dover, Allmendinger acknowledged that it is a bit of a challenge being in and out of the car as he shares it with Bobby Labonte, who is still recovering from broken ribs due to a cycling accident.

    But he totally agrees with this approach, given his respect and the respect of the team for veteran and champion Labonte.

    “The end of this year, I’m in the car and then out of it,” Allmendinger said. “It’s difficult but it’s the situation as well.”

    “I respect what Tad and Jody and Brad as owners decided,” Allmendinger continued. “They are very loyal to Bobby (Labonte) and what he’s done for the company the last couple years.”

    “I’m OK with that,” Allmendinger said. “Of course, I’d like to be in the car every weekend but at the same point I’m in total agreement that they need to go about it the way that they decided.”

    As Allmendinger writes the new chapter in his career, he is also excited to work with crew chief Brian Burns as they both build the No. 47 team together.

    “It’s just about building that team chemistry between myself and Brian,” Allmendinger said. “As driver/crew chief, he’s still learning me a little bit and I’m still learning him.”

    “He’s relatively new, not even really a year into him being a crew chief,” Allmendinger continued. “So, we’re just learning each other and trying to learn from start to finish of a weekend.”

    Allmendinger also acknowledged that one of the biggest challenges is simply being with a one-car team. And although Kurt Busch has made the Chase in that type of position, Allmendinger feels that situation is totally different from theirs, particularly without the advantage of an alliance.

    “Honestly what the 78 is doing and what Kurt is doing is fantastic to see but it doesn’t affect me either way,” Allmendinger said. “Kurt’s an amazing driver and there is no secret that he can wheel anything.”

    “But they’re in a situation where they have an alliance with RCR and that helps,” Allmendinger continued. “Right now, we’re by ourselves.”

    “But I look at the reason why I came here and I realize it’s not overnight,” Allmendinger continued. “There are lot of good things about this team that we can build on.”

    “You’ve got to have realistic goals,” Allmendinger said. “You look at the team right now and it’s 30th in points.”

    “When you go into next year, you have to start running top 20s and then top-15s and top-tens and slowly progress,” Allmendinger continued. “You cannot expect to go from 30th to first.”

    “The ultimate goal is to be first but it’s going to take time,” Allmendinger said. “It’s a lot of fun to get there and everyone has the same goals and the same passions.”

    “That’s what makes it most exciting.”

    While Allmendinger looks forward to the 2014 season, he also is pleased that for one of the first times in his career, he will actually be able to celebrate an off-season without the angst of looking for a ride.

    “I was joking around telling Tad that this was the first off season I could take a vacation instead of being on my phone, being hey, what am I doing next year?” Allmendinger said. “ It’s been tough through off seasons, whether it’s Red Bull wondering if I would have a ride or RPM not knowing what was going to happen with sponsorship and if there was going to be a team the next year.”

    “All kidding aside, to go into the off-season and really have a goal to be focused on, it gives me confidence and energy to work really hard to be prepared for next year,” Allmendinger continued. “And to be able to work with the team, I just enjoy being here.”

    “We’re doing this for fun and this brings the fun level back,” Allmendinger said. “And that to me is what makes me most excited.”

    Part of Allmendinger’s new chapter is an entirely new outlook on racing and on life in general. And in his new world, he is no longer allowing numbers, whether good or bad, to define himself.

    “You look at the ultimate goal to be a winner but to me it’s about trying to be at your best in life every day,” Allmendinger said. “I used to just look at the end result and the position after my name.”

    “That was the way I determined my life that weekend or that week,” Allmendinger continued. “Unfortunately in this sport, you get those bad finishes next to your name and it just spirals down and I just let that affect me.”

    “I didn’t look at the process just the end result and whether it was a good result or I put everything into it and had a bad result, that result determined what I thought about it,” Allmendinger said. “Now it’s about the process.”

    “My ultimate goal is to say every week that I was mentally prepared and that I knew that I did everything I could,” Allmendinger continued. “As long as we give our best efforts, that’s all you can ask for in life.”

    “That’s more my outlook now,” Allmendinger continued. “Before it never was and I’d let that kill me.”

    “If it was a good race, it made me happy for a week and if it was a bad race, it would keep taking me down the wrong path,” Allmendinger said. “That’s why I say that I just have a better outlook overall and I think that’s what I need to continue.”

    “I feel like for me, I’m in a really good place,” Allmendinger continued. “I’m always trying to be in a better place in this new chapter in my life.”

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Geico 400 at Chicagoland

    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 35th and 37th respectively.

    Even more devastating, Logano lost six positions in the standings to the 12th spot and Junior lost four positions falling to the newly formed 13th 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 11th and Greg Biffle, behind the wheel of the No. 16 Post-It Ford Fusion, finished 16th.

    “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 32nd 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 27th 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.”

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Pure Michigan 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Pure Michigan 400

    Sporting some of the fastest speeds at any track this season, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 44th running of the Pure Michigan 400 in the Irish hills.

    Surprising:  While the driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford did his job in qualifying, scoring the pole position for the race start, it was all about team Penske when the 23 year old Joey Logano took the checkered flag and found his way to Victory Lane at Michigan International Speedway.

    “This was a hard-fought win throughout this whole Penske team,” Logano said. “This 22 team gave me a great Shell Pennzoil Ford that was capable of winning.”

    “This race team did a fabulous job,” Todd Gordon, crew chief, said. “Really proud of this whole team.”

    “As I go back probably 30 years here at the track, this is probably one of the biggest wins,” Roger Penske, team owner, said. “It’s clearly a team effort.”

    This was Logano’s first victory of the 2013 season, his first victory at Michigan International Speedway and his first victory with team Penske Ford.

    Not Surprising:  Because the race was at Michigan, it was not surprising that fuel mileage, tires and track position played critical roles in how the race unfolded.

    In fact, fuel mileage bit one of the sports veterans, who was racing all out for the ‘W’.

    “We were just hoping for one more yellow,” Mark Martin, driver of the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota said, after running out of gas while leading to finish 27th.

    “Just stayed ahead of Joey there, but if he would have slowed down, I could have maybe saved enough,” Martin said. “I had to go that fast just trying to stay in the lead.”

    Tires also played a significant role in the Pure Michigan 400, to which Dale Earnhardt, Jr. could definitely attest.

    “It’s just the tire; we’ve had a lot of problems with,” the driver of the No. 88 National Guard Youth Foundation Chevrolet said after experiencing a right-front tire problem on lap 135. “I think this is the same tire we struggled with the last race.”

    Because of his tire troubles, Junior finished the race in the 36th position and fell one position to seventh in the point standings.

    Track position was also key as is so often the case at Michigan, a point driven home for young substitute driver Austin Dillon, behind the wheel of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for the recuperating Tony Stewart.

    Dillon wrecked early in the race and had to work diligently with crew chief Steve Addington to garner the track position that led to their respectable 14th place finish.

    “Definitely scared myself at the beginning as it was too early to be wrecking out there,” Dillon said. “Luckily we had saved enough car where we could work on it and get some track position.”

    “Steve made some great calls on track position and them guys did a great job.”

    Surprising:  In addition to Austin Dillon’s comeback, Clint Bowyer made a surprisingly good comeback to finish 5th in his No. 15 5-hour Energy Toyota after a first lap spin. Bowyer was the highest finishing Toyota and the only Toyota in the top ten at the finish of the Pure Michigan 400. And while Bowyer struggled, he took great pride in his ability to bounce back from the adversity.

    “Man, what a long day,” Bowyer said. “Beats the hell out of me how I recovered to finish fifth.”

    “Spinning out on the first lap I’m like – I couldn’t figure it out,” Bowyer continued. “Hard fought battle.”

    “Those days are what wins championships.”

    Bowyer took over second in the point standing and is 41 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

    Not Surprising:  But for a tricky restart, the driver known as the ‘Closer’ almost closed the deal in the Irish hills of Michigan. Kevin Harvick, piloting the No. 29 Rheem Chevrolet, finished second, his 10th top-10 finish at MIS and his 12th top-10 finish in 2013.

    “I just mistimed the last restart there,” Harvick said. “I had to check up and that allowed the No. 22 to kind of make it three-wide and get under me and then we had to fight back from there.”

    “But all in all it was a good day.”

    Surprising:  The points leader and five-time champ had a surprisingly challenging day at Michigan, having to drive through the field in his back up car due to a practice lap wreck. Although he looked strong and even led two laps, Jimmie Johnson experienced engine failure and ended up his day finishing 40th in his No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet.

    “The engine broke there,” Johnson said. “When we came in for a green flag pit stop, something started then it definitely dropped a cylinder.”

    “This track is hard on engines,” Johnson continued. “Days like today am thankful for the big points lead and the bonus points in the Chase.”

    “We’ll dust ourselves off and go on to next week.”

    Not Surprising:   Kurt Busch, who after the race reportedly received an offer to driver for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, proved the caliber of his driving abilities and the value of his team with a third place finish. This was Busch’s ninth top-10 finish in 26 races at MIS and the good finish moved him up two spots to ninth in the point standings.

    “To be in position and run well, to post a top-three finish, just got to thank the guys,” the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet said after the race. “Furniture Row is acting like a big-time player right now.”

    “We had a little bit of weaknesses here and there but overall, we keep positing good results and it’s very satisfying.”

    Surprising:  Paul Menard, driver of the No. 27 NIBCO/Menards Chevrolet, surprisingly scored his first top five of the season.

    “We really needed a good run,” Menard said. “We have been crashing a lot.”

    “We had a good car all weekend.”

    Not Surprising:  Jeff Burton, who has been running better and better as the season progresses, finished top-10 in his No. 31 Cheerios Chevrolet. And even with that, Burton ended up both happy and disappointed.

    “It’s good to be disappointed with eighth,” Burton said. “That is a good thing.”

    “That’s a step in the right direction, no drama, got what we deserved and we will go on.”

    Surprising:  Marcos Ambrose had a surprising bump up into the top-10 finishing order after a tough run at Watkins Glen, finishing sixth in his No. 9 Dewalt Ford.

    “We ran in the top-10 for a lot of the day and it was a better day for us,” Ambrose said. “I am proud of Drew (Blickensderfer, crew chief) for calling a great race.”

    “He got us up there with track position and we were able to hold on.”

    Not Surprising:  There was no surprise in seeing Greg Biffle, who is usually strong at Michigan, finish in the ninth position in his No. 16 3M Ford. And according to the Biff, he would have done even better had it not been for some problems in the pits.

    “We bumped the No. 2 coming out of the pits in that scramble at the end and hurt the left front fender,” Biffle said. “That was really tough for us.”

    The next race will be tough for all of the drivers as they head to the beating and banging at Bristol Motor Speedway under the Saturday night lights.

  • Making the Most of A Second Chance

    Making the Most of A Second Chance

    AJ Allmendinger’s story is an amazing one; something Hollywood movies are made of and I firmly believe that there is so much more to this impressive resurgence that has yet to come to fruition. AJ comes from an open wheel background and made his name known in CART. Since that debut in the 2004 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, AJ has been forced to endure some fairly dark days and also enjoy a few unbelievable ones.

    Before joining the big leagues, he won championships in the International Kart Federation, Barber Dodge Pro Series and in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship. AJ found little success in his first two seasons racing CART, but all that changed when he joined forces with Gerry Forsythe in preparation for 2006. He won his first race in just his 5th start with the team and went on a tear winning three races in succession. He went on to win five races that year and finishing 3rd in the standings to Justin Wilson and Sebastian Bourdais. During the year, he also made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (CWTS) debut at Loudon finishing a respectable 13th which he followed up with an impressive 5th at Talladega.

    He was pushed up the ranks by Red Bull way too fast in my opinion and after just three CWTS starts, he found himself in Cup. The new team and rookie driver AJ Allmendinger obviously struggled in 2007 with a best finish of 15th in 17 starts. He also made a few appearances in Nationwide and Trucks that year nearly winning a Truck event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. After failing to make a handful of races early on in 2008, he was temporarily replaced by Mike Skinner to help teach him. It worked very well as his results immediately improved posting his first career top 10 finish at the Cup level in the Brickyard 400. The team released him towards the end of the year though; a move that confused many people and didn’t make much sense. In 2009, he raced full-time for what is now known as Richard Petty Motorsports. He started his tenure with the team off very well finishing 3rd in his first ever Daytona 500. Only three other drivers in history have performed so well in their first race at the legendary track.

    2009 was a decent year for AJ but 2010 was even better winning his first pole at Phoenix and bringing home a solid top 20 points finish. In 2011, he continued to improve and most saw his first Cup victory just over the horizon. A top 15 points finish and 10 top 10’s made it his best season to date and unfortunately, his last full-time season for the foreseeable future. Roger Penske saw something in AJ and put him behind the wheel of his No.22 for the 2012 season; a life changing year for the young racecar driver.

    Prior to the season commencing, he took part in the 24 Hours of Daytona having an epic battle with sports car legend Allan McNish late in the going. Over the radio, McNish was told to keep harassing Allmendinger who would crumble under the pressure. Well, Allan got alongside him and AJ’s NASCAR senses must have kicked in as he proceeded to door slam the Scottish driver at 150mph around the high banks of Daytona International Speedway. Allmendninger won the race and shocked the racing world; a race that would solidify him as a truly talented racecar driver and gain him credence among his fellow competitors. He looked one of the best road racing has to offer in the eyes and he did not blink. A large contingent of fans and media members believed he would finally win and maybe even make the chase in his first year with Penske. Allmendinger nearly won Martinsville finishing a career best 2nd to Ryan Newman but his promising Cup career came to a grinding halt on July 7th, 2012.

    Photo Credit:Simon Scoggins
    Photo Credit: Simon Scoggins

    He failed a drug test due to an imprudent decision and was indefinitely suspended from competition by NASCAR. The positive test results were due to him unknowingly taking Adderall; an amphetamine used to treat ADHD that a friend told him was an energy pill. He was subsequently released from Penske Racing and he then went through NASCAR’s Road to Recovery program resulting in the complete abatement of his ban from competition. He made his return at Charlotte in October finishing 24th for Phoenix Racing. He’s run a handful of Cup races since then for the team with his best race coming at Phoenix earlier this year ending the race 11th. He will also make five starts for JTG in 2013 sharing the ride with Bobby Labonte.

    Roger Penske refused to give up on AJ and put him in an Indycar for select races this year. He blew the world away in the Indy 500 leading 23 laps and finishing 7th. The only thing stopping him from snagging a potential victory was when his seat belt unfastened itself half-way through the event and he was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop. The very next week at Belle Isle, he was knocked right back down by the humbling sport of auto racing crashing heavily in both  duel races before he even completed a lap.

    His next start for Roger came at Road America in the NASCAR Nationwide Series; his first race in that division in nearly five years. The morning of the race, he tweeted that he dreamed he won the event and he actually ended up winning the pole for the race a few hours later. He raced hard, battled fiercely and found himself in contention in the closing laps as he tried to hang on after a barrage of late race cautions. Both sides were beaten and battered but he was still pushing…that is until Billy Johnson knocked him off the road and took the lead sending AJ back to 5th or 6th. It didn’t rattle him though as he immediately began taking positions back aggressively. He muscled his way up to 3rd and set his sights on Johnson. In a remarkable show of talent and tenacity, he drove from 3rd to the back bumper of Johnson in one corner sending him off the track and out of way. AJ Allmendinger would not be denied and in the end, he took the war scarred No.22 to victory lane! It was his first win ever in NASCAR and quite an emotional one at at that.

    With the fans roaring and Twitter blowing up, AJ didn’t waste any time thanking the man that made this day possible; Roger Penske. We thank you too Roger for giving this phenomenal young talent another chance. AJ Allmendinger is a very rare breed; not too many drivers are capable of winning in open wheel, sports cars and stock cars. I believe we will see him in a full-time Cup car in the future and we will certainly see him in victory lane again.

    He did more than win a race at Road America; he made a powerful statement. He made it known to the world that he is here to stay and isn’t going anywhere. He will not back down, he will persevere and he will succeed. He’s revived a career that seemed doomed less than a year ago and with help from the very man that was forced to fire him nonetheless. We should all respect this man very much not only for the raw skill he possesses but for his determination and against all odds; he is still living the NASCAR dream.

  • For Joey Logano, Monster Mile Nationwide Win Feels Like the First Time

    For Joey Logano, Monster Mile Nationwide Win Feels Like the First Time

    While Joey Logano’s victory in the Nationwide race at Dover was his third straight Dover win, the driver of the No. 22 Hertz Ford for Penske Racing was fixated on firsts instead.

    “There were a lot of firsts for me today,” Logano said in the media center after the race. “Winning for Hertz, winning for the No. 22 Nationwide team, and winning for Ford were all firsts.”

    “And finally and most importantly, winning for Roger (Penske, team owner) was a first,” Logano continued. “That’s the coolest part of this win.”

    “There is a huge list of great race car drivers that have won for Roger Penske,” Logano said. “It’s cool to have my name put on that list too.”

    In spite of battling Cup drivers Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne, both of whom had cars good enough to contend for the win, Logano was confident that he had  Miles the Monster under his control.

    “This is one of those race tracks that I feel like I know what it takes to win and what I need in a race car,” Logano said. “I was able to get Jeremy (Bullins, crew chief) the feedback he needed to give that car to me.”

    Logano admitted that he didn’t quite have that confidence, however, the night before the race.

    “Last night, I felt like we still weren’t there,” Logano said. “We had decent speed in our car but I felt like we were a second place car and not quite good enough to win.”

    “Jeremy and all the 22 team did a great job changing about everything on it,” Logano continued. “They got the car a little bit better.”

    In the end, the race was won in the pits by a gutsy call from the crew chief according to Logano.

    “Really the winning call was on that last pit stop,” Logano said. “Jeremy made an audible and decided to do two tires to beat out a lot of those guys.”

    “To give us that track position was the biggest thing.”

    Crew chief Jeremy Bullins could not agree more with his driver and race winner.

    “Obviously he’s really good here to win three in a row at any track,” Bullins said. “He obviously knows how to get around here.”

    “And he’s right,” Bullins continued. “We changed just about everything.”

    “I thought we were better today but wasn’t sure if we were good enough to win,” Bullins said. “We went back and forth in track position.”

    “In the end we were racing the 5 and the 54, who had been up front all day,” Bullins continued. “As soon as we saw they were taking four, we called it off and took two.”

    “The guys did a good job.”

    Logano may have had another first in mind, that of beating that 54 car, driven by fellow Cup competitor Kyle Busch.

    “It feels good, especially since this year he (Kyle Busch) has been winning everything,” Logano said. “To finally beat that 54 car, that was the team I worked with for the last seven years or so since my Nationwide debut really felt good.”

    “To beat them means a lot to me after they have been winning so much this year,” Logano continued. “I wanted to beat them really bad and to get here in Victory Lane, you have to beat everyone.”

    “They had a strong car again today but my man Jeremy made the right call for us.”

    The victory was also Logano’s 19th in 114 NASCAR Nationwide Series races and his fourth top-10 finish for the season.

    Following closely behind Logano was Brian Vickers in the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Vickers finished second and had the best finish of his season to date.

    “The guys did a good job,” Vickers said. “But we just needed a little bit more right, one spot more right.”

    “Obviously we wanted to get a win and get this Dollar General in Victory Lane,” Vickers continued. “But we were able to give $1.63 million dollars to Autism Speaks from the customers and Dollar General.”

    “It’s phenomenal for them,” Vickers said. “And to show their generosity for a top-10 finish today, all Dollar General customers get 10 percent off on Monday.”

    Vickers also credited his crew chief with gutsy calls on the pit box, just as Logano had done with his crew chief.

    “That was a great call on Kevin’s (Kidd, crew chief) part,” Vickers said. “It was a last minute call and it was one thousand percent the right call to keep track position.”

    “We were close to even with Logano there at the end of the race,” Vickers continued. “He was probably a little better on the short run and we were a little bit better on the long run.”

    Vickers admitted that he was “pleased but not satisfied” with his runner up status.

    “On one hand, I’m very excited – it was a great points day for the Dollar General team,” Vickers said. “But on the other hand – we wanted to win.”

    “We were so close.”

    This was Vickers fifth top-10 finish in six races at the Monster Mile. It was his sixth top-10 finish of the season.

    Another Cup regular, Matt Kenseth, rounded out the top three in the 32nd annual 5-Hour Energy 200. Kenseth posted his 11th top-10 finish in 19 races at Dover International Speedway.

    “We had a decent GameStop Toyota and made it better there at the end,” Kenseth said. “Got two tires and was able to make up some ground.”

    “I stalled it one time coming out of the pits and so we got ourselves behind,” Kenseth continued. “So, it was just hard to come back from that.”

    Even though he was disappointed, Kenseth did have some fun at the Monster Mile.

    “It was fun to go out and get 200 laps,” Kenseth said. “We were ten laps away from getting a win.”

    “So that was fun.”

    Trevor Bayne also had a decent day behind the wheel of the No. 6 Ford Ecoboost Mustang, finishing fourth. And he too accomplished that top-5 finish with a gutsy call in the pits.

    “Yeah, that two-tire stop got us in the game there,” Bayne said. “We needed that to get some track position.”

    “I was really proud of these guys and the car that they gave me,” Bayne continued. “We have had some bad runs but now we got a couple good ones in a row and we need to keep it going.”

    “Top-fives are what we gotta knock out every weekend and eventually that will lead to Victory Lane.”

    Kyle Busch, who had been so strong in his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing for much of the race, did pull off a fifth place finish. Unfortunately for him, pit strategy did not play to his favor, ruining a possible Dover sweep.

    “It was a great race car,” Busch said simply. “Just real unfortunate that I messed up pit strategy there, you know.”

    “Got us too far back,” Busch continued. “I tried to make some big moves there and a couple of them worked.”

    “But a couple of them didn’t,” Busch said. “It is what it is.”

    Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 32 Vizio/Hulu Chevrolet, was the top finishing rookie, scoring the tenth spot.

    “We started out the first half of the race good through one and two,” Larson said. “We were really good there at the end but we lost a spot or two on every pit stop.”

    “Track position was key today,” Larson continued. “Three top-10s in a row is great and I’m looking forward to Iowa.”

     

  • NASCAR BTS: Jason Trinchere’s Journey From Racer to Penske Engineer

    NASCAR BTS: Jason Trinchere’s Journey From Racer to Penske Engineer

    Many racers realize along the way that another career may be awaiting them other than being behind the wheel.  This week’s edition of NASCAR BTS goes behind the scenes with Jason Trinchere to learn more about his journey from short-track racer to design engineer at Penske Racing.

    Trinchere started his racing journey early, in fact from the time of his birth. And, as with so many racers, his father also was involved in the sport.

    “Ever since the time I was born, there was a race car or a go kart in our garage,” Trinchere said. “My dad started racing when he was in high school.”

    “When I was born, he stopped driving and became a car owner,” Trinchere continued. “So, he always had cars around the whole time I was growing up.”

    Trinchere caught the racing bug from his father and set off in go karts. Initially it was just for fun but the competition soon drew him in, hook, line and sinker.

    “When I was about ten or eleven years old, he sold his modified team and we started racing go karts,” Trinchere said. “It was mainly just for fun but then we started racing competitively.”

    “We had fun, raced dirt and had three championships,” Trinchere continued. “Then we started racing in the dirt asphalt division in the early ‘90s.”

    “So, I started driving those and that was the whole time I was in high school,” Trinchere said. “I didn’t even have my driver’s license when I started racing.”

    Although he loved being behind the wheel of a race car, Trinchere also enjoyed the mechanical and engineering side of the sport.

    “My dad was an auto mechanic so I learned that side of the business from him,” Trinchere said. “When I was in high school, I took machine shop in Vo Tech so I could make a lot of the components for our race cars.”

    “I wasn’t’ too sure of what I wanted to do and I was thinking of coming to the NASCAR Tech School but was concerned it was more for people not involved in racing,” Trinchere continued. “My dad talked me into studying engineering since I was the kid sitting at home playing with erector sets all the time.”

    After high school graduation, Trinchere had to make a critical decision about going to college and also what to do about his racing career. Ironically, he initially wanted to follow the path of his now team owner at Penske Racing.

    “When I came out of school, I wanted to go to Lehigh to follow in the footsteps of Roger Penske but the reality of how much college costs set in,” Trinchere said. “So, I went to community college to do my electives and take their associates classes in engineering.”

    “Then I transferred to Penn State Harrisburg campus,” Trinchere continued. “It was far enough to experience college life but close enough to home to go there and race.”

    Trinchere also happened to find his soul mate in the racing business.

    “When I went to college, I didn’t have the time to race in one place, so I started going to upstate New York and raced at Oswego and all different kinds of tracks,” Trinchere said. “At that time, when I was finishing college, my girlfriend (who is my wife now) was also involved in racing as her dad raced at Selinsgrove Speedway in Pennsylvania.”

    “So, imagine that, I met my wife through racing as well.”

    Trinchere and his wife decided that they needed to consider heading south to Charlotte and the heart of racing country to make both of their dreams come true.

    “I got a phone call from Dave McCarty, who at that time was the crew chief at Spears Motorsports for David Starr,” Trinchere said. “So, I followed up on that opportunity and he liked the fact that I was a racer with a degree in engineering.”

    “Being a Truck team, they didn’t want to hire a Cup engineer because a kid coming out of college was much cheaper,” Trinchere continued with a chuckle. “We moved down, bought a house (the same one we are living in now) and went racing.”

    “I worked at Spears and the next year Aric Almirola came in as the driver,” Trinchere continued. “I learned a lot there with David Starr, Aric Almirola and Dennis Setzer.”

    “It was a very small team with about twelve employees,” Trinchere said. “It was a neat opportunity to go to a little team and run against the big boys and do well.”

    “That made me feel good.”

    Trinchere left Spears to go to CJN Racing with Jason Keller as the driver. But shortly thereafter, he headed to DEI where he stayed even through the merger with Chip Ganassi Racing.

    “I went to DEI to be the Nationwide engineer when they ran a car, which was only part-time,” Trinchere said. “We had Trevor Bayne and Jesus Hernandez as the drivers.”

    “I was also support engineer for the 01 Cup car when Regan Smith was driving it,” Trinchere continued. “Then I switched over to Martin Truex’s car.”

    “It was a very busy year, going to a third of the Cup races and the rest of the East races.”

    “At the end of the season, there were talks and then the merger with Chip Ganassi occurred,” Trinchere said. “Before Homestead they came around and told us what time the meeting was, all but me.”

    “I didn’t know if that was good or bad,” Trinchere continued. “But I learned that people with meetings were let go and people who didn’t have a meeting were being kept.”

    “That was a little bit of a hard time.”

    Post-merger, Trinchere worked for both the 1 and 42 teams.

    “It worked out pretty well working for Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya,” Trinchere said. “I did a program called ‘Dart Fish’ at the track where I would record qualifying runs.”

    “I did that for a year and at the end of the season, the engineering manager asked if I could do anything else to help the team and I was moved over to the design engineering team,” Trinchere continued. “It was fun to have the direct impact of what happened at the track.”

    Trinchere had a very eventful New Year, however, as he was offered and accepted a job at Penske Racing.

    “Within three days of sending my resume in, I had an interview,” Trinchere said. “I’m doing the same stuff as a design engineer.”

    “Their group is a little larger and uses different software but I am working with the 2 and 22, “Trinchere continued. “It’s been exciting but scary changing jobs, especially after five years.”

    “So, this is the next chapter for me.”

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Ford EcoBoost 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Ford EcoBoost 400

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]In a weekend full of champion-crowning, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the NASCAR Sprint Cup season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    Surprising:  For a driver known, as ‘bad’, brash and cocky, there were some surprisingly humble moments from the 28 year old driver who brought Penske Racing its first ever NASCAR championship.

    “It means the world, it really does,” Bradley Aaron Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge and Sprint Cup Champion, said after finishing 15th and securing the ultimate prize. “I’ve got the best team in racing and I’m just so thrilled to be a part of it.”

    “From the top down, Roger Penske, Paul Wolfe, everybody else, the crew guys and my family, that means so much,” Keselowski continued. “You can’t do this sport by yourself no matter how good you are.”

    “My family made incredible sacrifices and I’m just so fortunate to have them around me,” Keselowski said. “Without them, none of this is possible and they deserve way more credit than I do.”

    Keselowski’s parents, who gave up their lives to their son’s racing career, were equally proud and humble in Victory Lane.

    “How many people get to realize this dream?” Bob Keselowski, Brad’s dad and a racer in his own right, said. “There’s a million short track racers out there.”

    “I’m just so blown away.”

    “He has reached the pinnacle of success and I’m so unbelievably proud of my son,” Brad mom’s Kay said. “I’m ecstatic, just ecstatic.”

    “I was holding my breath all race long and praying to God that it would all come together.”

    Not Surprising:  Of course, once the Miller Lite started to flow in celebration of his championship, Keselowski, sporting a good-sized beer glass, returned to his usual self, tweeting from the media center and wise-cracking in fun with all.

    “I’ve got a little bit of a buzz going on right now,” Keselowski said after his victory on the show LIVE on ESPN. “I’ve been drinking for a little bit.”

    After checking his phone and adding about 6,000 new followers on his Twitter account, Keselowski, with 5 wins, 13 top-five and 23 top-ten finishes, discussed how he will now approach being the NASCAR champion.

    “Expect the unexpected,” Keselowski said, with his trademark grin. “That’s my MO, right?”

    And on how being the NASCAR champ might change his life, Keselowski replied, “I’ve always wanted to date a celebrity….but not a Kardashian.”

    And finally, Keselowski revealed his surprising powers of prediction, especially as it related to the points needed to secure the Sprint Cup.

    “I predicted that the champion would need 2400 points to win,” Keselowski said. And that was the exact number of points, 2400 total, that the second driver in history to win the Cup and Nationwide championships had when the checkered flag flew.

    “I feel like the best is yet to come,” Keselowski said as he wrapped up his media availability for the final time of the 2012 season.

    Surprising:  While not surprising to see team owner Rick Hendrick in Victory Lane, it was surprising that he was not there to see his driver Jimmie Johnson crowned six time champion.

    Hendrick instead celebrated his team’s first ever win and the first ever win at Homestead-Miami Speedway for driver Jeff Gordon, commemorating his 20 year partnership with sponsor Dupont in the HMS No. 24 Chevrolet.

    “Yeah, it’s disappointing,” Mr. H. said. “If you let that destroy you, you’ll never be able to win again.”

    “It’s racing,” Hendrick continued. “I’m celebrating Jeff’s win and letting the other deal go.”

    Driver and four-time champion Jeff Gordon might have been surprised to even be in the race, let alone Victory Lane, after his fracas the week before with competitor Clint Bowyer. The four-time champ was able to put the drama behind him, however, to score his 87th career victory and his second win of the 2012 season.

    “This is just huge,” Gordon said. “It’s been an emotional week and a hard one; one of the hardest ones I’ve ever gone through just looking back on my decision.”

    “So to come here and focus on the car with this silver commemorative paint scheme for 20 years of Dupont and to be able to end in Victory Lane, it was just an awesome team effort.”

    Not Surprising:  Even though starting the race behind the leader in the point standings, five-time champion Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus seemed on target to parlay some pit strategy into that coveted six pack.

    But an uncharacteristic lug nut issue and an even more unusual oil leak that proved fatal closed the door on the championship hopes for the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet. And Johnson, not surprisingly, found it a bitter pill to swallow.

    “You know, to be close, it just sucks to be close and not get it,” Johnson said. “Pretty heartbreaking.”

    “We were doing what we needed to and certainly in position to put a lot of pressure on the No. 2 car.”

    “Stuff happens,” Johnson continued. “It’s racing.”

    “I just have to reflect back on an amazing year.”

    Surprising:  Probably the most surprised driver coming out of the Ford EcoBoost 400 was none other than Clint Bowyer. Not only did he finish second in the race to nemesis of the week before Jeff Gordon, but he also scored second place in the point standings in his first season with Michael Waltrip Racing.

    “To be honest, I didn’t even think I could reach second,” the driver of the No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota said of his runner up spot in the points. “That was the goal I’d set.”

    “And I just wanted to catch the 24,” Bowyer said of his runner up race finish. “That was the only what-if that went through my mind at the end.”

    “Probably went through your mind too.”

    “Now I’m going to do whatever I want to do next week.”

    Not Surprising:   As with every end to the season, there were plenty of farewells to be said. Ryan Newman, who finished third in the season finale, bade farewell to the US Army as his sponsor.

    “The US Army Chevrolet, four years strong,” Newman said. “We’re proud to represent them and proud of their support and we wanted to finish on a great note.”

    Another farewell was said by Matt Kenseth, leaving the only race team home that he has ever known with Roush Fenway Racing and moving on to Joe Gibbs Racing.

    “The team really proved that they gave me all they’ve got this season regardless of my plans for the future,” Kenseth said.

    Joey Logano, who leaves Joe Gibbs Racing to partner with new champ Keselowski at Penske Racing, had some interesting words to mark the end of his tenure in the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota.

    “And that’s the way the cookie crumbles,” Logano tweeted. “Thanks to all of @JoeGibbsRacing for 7 great years.”

    The final farewell was most poignant, however, as Dodge won the championship and bid adieu to the sport of NASCAR.

    “It’s been a long run,” Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of the SRT Brand and Senior Vice President of Design at Chrysler Group, said. “I’m still pinching myself.”

    “It’s not bittersweet,” Gilles continued. “If anything, it’s an exclamation point on an effort that’s 11 years in the making.”

    Surprising:  Another Hendrick Chase driver was surprisingly upbeat, particularly since his teammate lost the championship to Keselowski.

    And in spite of missing two races due to a concussion, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was also upbeat about finishing the season with a top-10 in his No. 88 National Guard/Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet.

    “I want to congratulate Brad on his championship,” Junior said. “He’s a buddy of mine and he did everything he had to do to win this thing.”

    “This has been a really good season for me personally,” Dale Junior continued. “I’ve had a blast.”

    “I can’t wait to test the new car and get to Daytona,” Junior said. “It will be a whole new ball game.”

    Not Surprising:  Yet again, Kyle Busch led the most laps in the race and failed to find Victory Lane, instead coming in fourth. In fact, this was the ninth race in a row where the driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota led the most laps and did not win.

    “I think I’ve said it the last five weeks – that’s our year,” Busch said. “It’s just a shame that we were not able to come out here and put it in Victory Lane like we should.”

    “We’ll have to see what we look forward to next year.”

    Surprising:  The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet not only finished ninth but had a surprisingly record-setting day in the process. Kurt Busch scored his third straight top-10 finish, the first time ever that Furniture Row Racing has had three consecutive top-10 finishes.

    “Finishing the season with three straight top-10s and four straight top-15s – you just can’t ask for much more in a short period of time together,” Busch said. “We’ve made a tremendous amount of progress in the last six weeks and that gives us all plenty of confidence heading into the off season.”

    Not Surprising:  The young driver of the infamous No. 43 for Richard Petty Motorsports continued his great streak of race runs, finishing seventh in the season finale.

    “We had a strong car all day,” Almirola said. “That was a great way to go out.”

    “I’m excited about next year,” Almirola continued. “These guys give me great race cars so we’re gonna win races.”

    As the 2012 season comes to a close, here’s to a Happy Thanksgiving, a blessed Christmas and a truly amazing New Year! See you at Daytona in 2013!

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Dover AAA 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Dover AAA 400

    [media-credit id=26 align=”alignright” width=”233″][/media-credit]As all at the Monster Mile mourned the passing of Chris Economaki, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the third Chase race, the 43rd annual AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway.

    Surprising:  While Chevrolet has been dominant at the Monster Mile in the past, particularly with Jimmie Johnson behind the wheel, and Toyota strong in qualifying this race with Denny Hamlin on the pole, it was surprising that neither manufacturer ended up in Victory Lane.

    Instead the lone representative of the Dodge brand took the checkered flag, waved the American flag, and even did a stellar burnout in spite of being almost out of fuel.

    “Dodge has really performed with us,” Roger Penske, the ‘captain’ of the victorious No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Penske team, said. “They committed to us three or four years ago as we became the only team.”

    “The greatest thing we could do would be to bring a championship to Dodge this year,” Penske continued. “At the moment, we represent them.”

    “They’re partners,” Penske said. “We’re going to do our best.”

    Penske’s driver Brad Keselowski not only score the win for Dodge, but also got his first win at the Monster Mile. Even more important, Keselowski grabbed the points lead in the Chase standings and is now five points ahead of Jimmie Johnson.

    Not Surprising:  One driver that had to have a good run in order to even stay with spitting distance of the Chase contenders pulled it off and tamed the monster for a second place finish.

    “I thought it was a solid effort,” Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet, said. “Our car was pretty good right from the start.”

    “It was a great finish to come home second,” Gordon continued. “This is nice to follow up what we had last week.”

    “We’re running good,” Gordon said. “We got seven more weeks to get it done.”

    Surprising:  For a track known as the ‘Monster Mile’, it was surprising that the monster was in the fuel tank and not on the race track itself.

    There were just five cautions total in the race, most for debris, and the final laps were nail biters to see who would make it on fuel rather than who would wreck or have other on-track incidents.

    Even five-time champ Jimmie Johnson, behind the wheel of the No. 48 Lowes/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet, had to back it down because of his fear of running out of Sunoco, finishing fourth instead of first just to be sure about that pesky fuel mileage.

    “Well, for starters, we’re not very good at fuel mileage races,” Johnson said. “So, when I heard that, I’m like, man, we’re in big trouble.”

    “And Chad asked me to start saving fuel,” Johnson continued. “It’s tough; it really is.”

    “I wished we could have raced for it,” Johnson said. “But it is what it is.”

    “You’ve got to be good on all fronts and we did a decent job today.”

    Not Surprising:  They say that races can be won or lost in the pits and that proved true for many drivers trapped a lap down after a cycle of pit stops gone awry with a caution. But for one Chase contender, Kasey Kahne, his entire race was impacted by what happened on pit road.

    “We don’t know why I had to pit the first time, but the car just started shaking really bad,” the driver of the No. 5 Farmer’s Insurance Chevrolet, said. “Right before it did that, we were fast, we finally got our laps back that we lost early and we were coming.”

    Then the No. 5 team made a critical mistake on the stop with a lug nut and Kahne again had to visit pit road, losing track position and precious time.

    “We were sitting really good because we had just pitted and topped off on fuel,” Kahne said. “It’s too bad whatever it was.”

    “We’ll figure it out and hopefully we don’t have it happen again.”

    Kahne finished the race in 15th and fell to sixth position in the point standings, 32 points behind the leader.

    Surprising:  Although the non-Chase Fords fared surprisingly well, with Carl Edwards finishing fifth in his No. 99 Fastenal Ford, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., in his new Ford Cup ride finishing 12th, the Chase Fords of Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth had surprisingly bad days at the Monster Mile.

    In fact, Biffle and Kenseth had such surprisingly bad days, finishing 16th and 35th respectively, that they both fell to the basement in the Chase point standings, facing an incredibly uphill battle to get back into the championship hunt.

    “It’s tough,” Biffle, driver of the No. 16 Scotch-Brite Ford Fusion said, after contending with a loose wheel and having a meltdown of epic proportions on his scanner. “We were in great position, but that really kind of takes us out of the title hunt.”

    “We really needed to finish in the top three here to be a factor, but now we’ll just work on being in the top 10.”

    “In two of three Chase races, something either fell off or broke, so obviously that’s not good,” Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 EcoBoost Ford Fusion, said. “This is probably the worst we’ve run here for as long as I can remember.”

    “From the first lap on the track to the last lap on the track, we were pretty much junk.”

    Not Surprising:   There is no doubt that Kyle Busch, who had yet another great race going, including leading the most laps until fuel mileage concerns forced him to pit road at the race end, has become the modern day racing equivalent of the biblical character Job.

    The driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota just cannot seem to catch a break, whether it is fuel mileage, engine failure or other strange on-track incidents. And, just like Job, Busch has done his share of vociferously and vehemently questioning the racing gods, as well as his team and manufacturer.

    “It’s frustrating,” Dave Rogers, Busch’s crew chief said. “I knew if it came down to a fuel mileage race that we were going to be in trouble.”

    “There was no doubt that we had the fastest car,” Rogers continued. “We played our best cards and we came up short.”

    Surprising:  Denny Hamlin, a physical force behind the wheel at any track, stepped up his mental game for a surprisingly good finish at the Monster Mile. The driver of the No. 11 Fed Ex Office Toyota Camry and pole sitter, finished top-ten, one of his best results at a track that admittedly is not his favorite.

    “Top-10 day on a race track like this and to battle for the win all day – I’m not going to complain,” Hamlin said. “We ran our ass off today.”

    “Like I said, there’s nothing we can’t handle on the race track,” Hamlin continued. “I think our performance today is a testament to where we’re heading.”

    Not Surprising:  Veteran Mark Martin, the ‘Energizer Bunny’ of the Cup Series, just keeps getting it done on the race track whenever he is behind the wheel of the No. 55 Aaron’s 2000th Store, Bronx, NY Toyota. Martin finished 3rd, announcing that, although not part of the Chase, he is still a contender.

    “I don’t know if everybody really noticed or not, but we had a rocket ship, super fast car,” Martin said in the media center after the race. “We were passing cars left and right.”

    “I have a fantastic race team,” Martin continued. “We were just having a blast.”

    Surprising:  In contrast to veteran Martin, three-time and reigning Cup champion Tony Stewart and his race team had a surprisingly challenging day. Smoke finished 20th in his No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet and teammate Ryan Newman, in the No. 39 US Army Chevrolet, finished right behind him in 21st.

    “We just got caught behind the eight-ball there,” Stewart said. “We got a lap down and the next run we pitted, came back out and the No. 36 crashes.”

    “It was just a domino effect,” Smoke continued. “As soon as we’d pit, the caution would come out again.”

    Not Surprising:  In addition to the stellar run of Mark Martin, the other two Michael Waltrip Racing cars, both in Chase contention, had decent, top-10 finishes at the Monster Mile. Martin Truex Jr. finished sixth and teammate Clint Bowyer finished ninth.

    “Well, it wasn’t pretty at the beginning,” Truex Jr., driving the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, said. “But it was pretty damn pretty at the end.”

    “It’s great a great finish for where we started,” Truex continued. “What a crazy day.”

    “When you have days like that, you just have to keep fighting and we kept fighting and came out with a good results.”

    Both Truex and Bowyer advanced two positions a piece in the point standings. Martin Truex Jr. is now eighth in points, 42 behind the leader, and Clint Bowyer is now fourth in points, 25 behind leader Keselowski.

    Surprising:  One racer, making her first start at the Monster Mile, expressed surprising comfort with the concept of a fuel mileage racing, in spite of finishing 38th in her No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet.

    “I’m so used to the concept of fuel mileage racing that I don’t have any problem with it,” Patrick said. “Even at the start of the run I’m saving fuel already and they told me not to.”

    “I was a little slow to start,” Patrick continued. “But we worked our way through it and made it better most every stop.”

    “That is a good starting place for next year when we get here and that is the point of these races.”

    Not Surprising:  While pronouncing the finish ‘decent’, it was not surprising that the crew chief for NASCAR’s most popular driver was not particularly thrilled with the 11th place finish of the No. 88 National Guard/Diet Mount Dew Chevrolet.

    “We had a good car and we are fine with what we had,” Steve Letarte, crew chief for Dale Earnhardt, Jr., said. “To come here and not be good in practice and have a good car and feel like we could run in the top-five – that’s heading in the right direction.”

    “We just need a little luck on our side.”