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Tag: Roush Fenway Racing

  • Pocono 400 Review: Logano Tames the Triangle

    [media-credit id=43 align=”alignright” width=”268″][/media-credit]After starting on the pole on Sunday, Joey Logano claimed his second Cup win in 125 starts. The Joe Gibbs Driver broke a 104 race win-less streak to become the youngest driver to win at Pocono, at 22 years and seven days old. This is crew chief Jason Ratcliff’s first Cup win of his career and the No. 20 team became the 10th different winner of 2012.

    “You work so hard to do this, and them teaming me up with Jason has been an awesome experience,” Logano said. “We’ve been growing together a lot lately and able to make our cars better. To get a victory, it meant so much, and pulling the Home Depot car into victory lane at a Sprint Cup race and winning it the right way was just an amazing, amazing feeling that you can’t replicate and you can’t explain what it means.”

     

    Earnhardt Oh So Close to Victory

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. earned his Cup-best 11th top-10 finish of 2012, taking over second in points. Earnhardt led 36 laps on the 2.5 mile track and looked as if he would break the 4 year win-less drought looming over his head.

    The driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet was leading with 35 laps remaining when a caution flag flew, leaving his crew chief Steve Letarte with a tough decision to make. If the race went green from that point on, Earnhardt would have been about five laps short on fuel. With this information, the team pitted twice in the remaining 35 laps to guarantee they would make it on fuel.

    “We had a really, really good car,” Earnhardt said. “That was fun. That was the funnest car I’ve had all year and the best car I’ve had at Pocono in a long, long time. So, I’m just really trying not to be too upset about it because we did a lot of good things today and we’ve got a lot to look forward to.”

    Although the team did make it on fuel, Earnhardt’s domination throughout the race ended with an eighth place finish. Earnhardt now resides in second position in standings, just 10 points behind leader Matt Kenseth.

     

    Controversy Over Pit Road Penalties

    The talk of the race surrounded the outstanding amount of infractions that occurred on pit road. There were 22 speeding penalties, the most in documented infraction history since 2006. Travis Kvapil was penalized four times for speeding on exit; David Reutimann was penalized three times – two for exiting and one entering; Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski, AJ Allmendinger were each penalized twice.

    Many drivers blamed the scoring timers on pit road for the speeding penalties. However, according to NASCAR’s vice president of competition, the problem was with the drivers.

    “This track’s gone under a lot of reconfiguration since last year,” Robin Pemberton said after the race. “It’s a brand new pit road, all brand new loops, positions have been changed since last year. Sections were smaller than they were last year throughout pit road and, actually, the last section is a little bit bigger.”

    Brad Keselowski, who finished in 18th position after the penalties, had a different opinion on the infractions.

    “It was obvious that the section had some kind of issue because I know both times I got busted I was under the limit with my tools that I have available,” said Keselowski. “I was consistent down pit road, so if I was speeding in that sector, I would have been speeding in the others — but it didn’t show that. I think there’s plenty of evidence to show that there is something wrong with that section timing.”

    Johnson, who fell back to 22nd after the penalties, rebounded to finish in fourth position.

     

    Quicken Loans 400 Predictions

    [media-credit name=”NASCAR.com” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]This weekend we head to Michigan International Speedway and all eyes will be on the No. 88 team where they captured their first and only point’s win for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008. After dominating most of the race at Pocono and finishing in the top 10 for the 11th time this season, expectations are high for the Cup veteran. Along with his win four years ago at this track, Earnhardt has four top-5 and eight top-10 finishes at Michigan and is looking to drive to victory lane once again.

    Denny Hamlin is another driver who knows how to get the job done at MIS. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has two wins at this track, with five top-5 and seven top-10 finishes. Hamlin is currently fourth in Cup standings and has two wins so far this season.

    Kevin Harvick is another driver to keep an eye on, with one win in 2010 and seven top 10 finishes. Harvick resides in sixth position in points, 53 points behind the leader. The Richard Childress Racing driver has yet to win a race this season, but has been very consistent with three top-5 and seven top-10 finishes.

    Carl Edwards is itching to get his first win of the season, and MIS may be the track that he drives to victory lane at. The Roush Fenway Racing driver has impressive stats here, with two wins, nine top-5 and 12 top-10 finishes. Edwards is also looking to break into the top 10 in points, sitting in 11th position, 100 points behind leader and teammate Kenseth.

     

    All quotes via NASCAR.com.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Dover

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Dover

    [media-credit name=”Tammyrae Benscoter” align=”alignright” width=”260″][/media-credit]Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson dominated atDover, leading 289 laps, including the final 76, to win for the second time this year and capture his seventh victory at the Monster Mile. Johnson is fifth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 33 behind Greg Biffle.

    “I got a great start when we went green for the last time,” Johnson said, “and we left Kevin Harvick and the Jimmy Johns No. 29 in our wake. What’s the difference in ‘Jimmie Johnson’ and ‘Jimmy Johns?’ Three letters….’W-I-N.’

    “You may have seen wearing a multi-colored wig to promote Madagascar 3. Many sports fans see a colored wig and expect to see a ‘John 3:16’ sign. Not in this case. However, you may see a ‘Johnson 6:12’ sign, after a capture my sixth Cup title this year.”

    2. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished third in the Fed Ex 400, posting his eight top-10 result of the year. He has not finished outside the top 11th since a 16th atCalifornia and now trails Greg Biffle by only a single point in the standings.

    “Jimmie Johnson certainly was dominant,” Kenseth said, “even while wearing a silly wig. The funny thing is, he made everyone else look like a clown.”

    3. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt finished fourth in the Fed Ex 400 atDoveron a stellar day for Hendrick Motorsports, as Jimmie Johnson’s win led the way for three HMS cars in the top 10. Earnhardt is now third in the point standings, ten behind Greg Biffle.

    “Doesn’t Jimmie look cool in a wig?” Earnhardt said. “If a narrow win is said to be by a ‘hair,’ then Jimmie’s margin of victory over Kevin Harvick must have been by a ‘wig.’

    “I can’t say I’m not jealous, because after 142 races without a win, I’m dying to ‘wig out’ myself.”

    4. Greg Biffle: Biffle finished 11th in the Fed Ex 400, just missing his ninth top-10 of the year. He narrowly remained atop the Sprint Cup point standings, ahead of Roush Fenway teammate Matt Kenseth by a single point.

    “Never underestimate the value of a single point,” Biffle said. “Carl Edwards never will.

    “I’m hanging on to the points lead by a thread. And, as Kurt Busch has said on countless occasions, “I sure hope I don’t lose it.”

    5. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin led two early laps at Dover, but struggled with handling issues before coming home 18th. He dropped one place in the point standings to fourth, 22 out of first place.

    “Jimmie Johnson’s win was historic,” Hamlin said. “His sevenDoverwins tied him with Richard Petty and Bobby Allison. It was truly one for the books. And speaking of ‘books,’ just call Johnson the ‘Librarian,’ because he checked out on everyone.”

    6. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex finished a solid yet disappointing seventh atDover, posting his eighth top-10 result of the year. He remained sixth in the point standings, 45 out of first.

    “Jimmie Johnson whipped the field easily,” Truex said. “His lead was so big, he was able to celebrate early. I think that’s called a ‘whoopee cushion.’”

    7. Kevin Harvick: Harvick took the runner-up spot atDoverafter Jimmie Johnson ran away from the No. 29 Jimmy Johns Chevy on the final restart with 31 laps to go. It was Harvick’s second runner-up finish of the year as he continues to search for the season’s first win.

    “Close, but no cigar,” Harvick said. “But no worries. As an expectant father, I can at least expect one cigar this season.”

    8. Kyle Busch: Busch’s engine expired on lap 205, sending the No. 18 M&M’s Toyotato the garage with a 29th in the Fed Ex 400. Busch fell one place to 9th in the point standings, where he is 80 behind Greg Biffle.

    “What can you say?” Busch said. “I say the same thing about engine failure that my brother Kurt says about his emotions: ‘I have no control over it.’ Kurt is truly psychotic. His car number shouldn’t be ’51;’ it should be ‘5150.’”

    9. Tony Stewart: Stewart was collected in a lap 10 wreck that involved 12 cars and left his No. 14 Chevrolet with considerable damage. He limped home with a 25th-place finish and is now eighth in the point standings, 79 out of first.

    “Kurt Busch has been suspended for one race,” Stewart said. “And deservedly so. NASCAR had no recourse but to punish him. Kurt forced their hand, just like he did mine when I punched him.”

    10. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer led a strong Michael Waltrip Racing charge at Dover, finishing fifth, as teammates Martin Truex, Jr. and Mark Martin finished 7th and 14th, respectively. Bowyer improved two places to 10th in the Sprint Cup point standings, where he is 81 out of first.

    “You probably saw Ryan Newman nearly run over one of my crewmen,” Bowyer said. “And that was the only time during the race that the words ‘That was close!’ were uttered. It was a scary moment, almost as scary as Jimmie Johnson’s dominance.”

  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Passionate About Racing, Points Battling and Singing

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”234″][/media-credit]Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has many passions, from sporting his Nationwide championship belt buckle from last year to racing hard in his No. 6 Cargill Beef Ford against the likes of Elliott Sadler and Austin Dillon for the points lead in this year’s Nationwide season.

    But who knew that he had another secret passion?

    “I really like to sing,” Stenhouse said. “I sing a lot, but I’m not really good at it.”

    “I like country music,” Stenhouse continued. “I know a lot of lyrics but I can’t get them to come out the right way.”

    “I karaoke to myself in the cars, but not on the stage or in front of anybody.”

    Unfortunately, the young Roush Fenway Racing superstar did not have much to sing about after last weekend’s race in Charlotte. He finished the History 300 in the 26th position after suffering mechanical problems.

    “You’ll have those bad races,” Stenhouse said philosophically. “We started out the season with a bad race at Daytona and then we had nine good races after that, with the worst finish being sixth.”

    “We kind of had a stumble last week,” Stenhouse continued. “Charlotte, I feel like normally I would be disappointed and look at the bad things that happened.”

    “But I feel like we got to look at the positives, in that we were really fast and we were able to learn some stuff when we got back out,” Stenhouse said. “Our guys changed a transmission and drive shaft in twenty green flag laps.”

    “So, all in all, there were a lot of things that were really good about our day and one little bad thing in that we didn’t get the result that we felt we could have.”

    Stenhouse also credits his ability to put things behind him as a major saving grace in the midst of his racing passion. Although he admitted that he does give himself just a little bit of time to brood after a bad session.

    “You put it behind you and go on,” Stenhouse said. “You have to take one race at a time, especially because it is a long season.”

    “The way I generally look at things is that I reflect on it for a day and then move on,” Stenhouse continued. “So, Sunday, I thought about it and Monday I was thinking about Dover.”

    Stenhouse Jr. is also pretty passionate about points racing, especially since it is with his nemesis Elliott Sadler, driver of the No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet. He currently has a 13 point advantage over Sadler in the point standings.

    “We always want to outrun him,” Stenhouse said of Sadler. “We want to be the highest finishing Nationwide guy each week.”

    “We want to win every week and beat all the Cup guys,” Stenhouse continued. “We’ve done it this year at the companion races and that always feels a little better.”

    “We’re focused on beating everybody, not just the 2 though,” Stenhouse said. “Like I said, when we race, we’re both going to be right there.”

    Stenhouse Jr. also acknowledged that he might not just be racing the No. 2 car exclusively for the championship. One other challenger may well be Austin Dillon, in the No. 3 American Ethanol/New Holland Chevrolet, racing for his grandfather on the Richard Childress team.

    “He’s definitely there every week, running really strong and really consistent, like we knew he would,” Stenhouse said of Dillon. “He’s really good and has a lot of seat time and has run a lot of these race tracks.”

    “He’s in really good equipment and has someone to learn from like Elliott,” Stenhouse continued. “I think he’s going to be there all year.”

    “Right now, everybody’s talking about Elliott and me but Austin is not that far out,” Stenhouse said. “One bad race for us or for Elliot and I and he is right there in it.”

    “It will be a tough battle all year.”

    Stenhouse Jr. will next unleash his racing and points battling passion on the Monster Mile, a track where he has not quite had the finishes that he would have liked.

    “Dover’s been good to us but we haven’t been the best,” Stenhouse said. “We’ve been really fast in practice but kind of missed it in the race.”

    “We’ve had some good luck and finished in the top-five,” Stenhouse continued. “This race last year, we were probably an eighth place car and finished fourth after the wreck coming to the front straightaway.”

    “There’s things we need to do to get better,” Stenhouse said. “It’s a fun race track and I really enjoy it.”

    “There’s  a lot of things you can do like move your car around or change your line on the race track to improve your car,” Stenhouse continued. “We’ve led laps here, just not at the right time.”

    Stenhouse Jr. is not, however, as passionate about racing on the concrete. But he also realizes that everything that challenges him at the Monster Mile affect the other drivers as well.

    “We’ve struggled a little bit on the concrete,” Stenhouse said. “We’ve been decent at Bristol and at Dover, but just haven’t been really, really great.”

    “The concrete creates some challenges as far as the seams and the expansion joints so it gets a little rough,” Stenhouse continued. “But I like tracks that are a little rough that makes it fun and really challenging.”

    “The way I look at it is that it’s the same race track for everybody so it really doesn’t matter,” Stenhouse said. “If it’s a problem for one, it’s a problem for everybody.”

    Stenhouse’s final passion was fulfilled prior to his ever setting foot on the track at Dover. He got to participate in the local golf tournament raising money for autism awareness.

    “I don’t have any family members or anything like that with autism but I was able to play in the Drive for Autism golf tournament and had a lot of fun doing it,” Stenhouse said. “It was my first time there and to meet all the kids and to try to find a cure, it was really cool to be a part of it.”

    “It was a great atmosphere and I won’t miss it ever again.”

     

  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr. continues to improve and impress

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. continues to improve and impress

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”227″][/media-credit]In a sport that’s constantly changing, one thing’s starting to remain the same. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is dominating the Nationwide Series.

    The defending champion and current point leader has been setting the pace early in the season. Picking up where he left off in 2011 and had it not been for a last lap crash in Daytona while racing for the win, Stenhouse might be even further ahead.

    Before Saturday’s History 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway he was sitting pretty with nine top 10 finishes in 10 races. In the last nine races Stenhouse hadn’t finished outside the top six.

    It’s what’s helped him storm into victory lane three times, including his third consecutive at Iowa to remain undefeated, quickly quieting the talks of Elliott Sadler’s hot start and championship hopes. If anyone wants to win races and the big trophy, they’ll have to go through the Mississippi native.

    What an incredible rise for Stenhouse, whose story has been well documented. In the car, crashing the car, out of the car and then boom, it suddenly clicked. Once back in the car it was as if a different driver was behind the wheel.

    A 16th place point finish in 2010 and Rookie of the Year honors to winner and champion the following year. Now he’s looking to become the first driver since Martin Truex Jr. in 2004-2005 to win back-to-back titles.

    As the season continues to progress, Stenhouse continues to improve. He’s constantly thinking and thinking like a veteran, wondering how the team could get better. While leading two weeks ago in Iowa he seemed to be upset when telling crew chief Mike Kelley that something had to be done about the grille opening.

    His No. 6 Ford Fusion was running hot even in clean air. However, Kelley said that Stenhouse had what he had and they’d have to deal with. No, said a calm Stenhouse, for future reference to be worked on back at the shop.

    Team owner Jack Roush has long made smart decisions for his company. It’s why he’s won so many races and championships across the three national series. But pairing Stenhouse with the veteran Kelley will prove to be one of his best.

    Kelley has an impressive resume of his own, working with many different Roush drivers and finding victory lane with a few of them. He’s the perfect fit for the young Stenhouse, who never fails to mention how he keeps him calm, cool and collected.

    Reining him back in when he gets too far ahead of himself, refocusing him on what needs his attention. Every driver needs that voice in their ear, the person who knows exactly what to say and when to say. Stenhouse has plenty of that on his team, from spotter Mike Calinoff high atop the roof, who continues to coach him every week to Kelley, making the calls atop the pit box.

    The belief and confidence they have in each other has become a major part in their success. When Kelley sings Stenhouse’s praises and how he’ll become a superstar in the sport, he genuinely believes in his driver.

    The longer the two are together the more they’ll accomplish. There’s plenty of racing left in 2012, yet it’s never too early to start talking about the future. Stenhouse’s will be bright and regardless if he wins his second NNS title this season, a case could be made that he should be going Cup race next season.

    Of course sponsorship will determine his plans. It almost kept Stenhouse from defending his NNS title this year but Roush stayed committed to getting him on track. Now he needs to find a way to not only keep him with his organization but keep him racing and moving forward.

    The worst thing would be for Stenhouse to stall out and not climb up the ladder, as he should be. Clearly talented enough to win it’s a shame that a company hasn’t come along and attached themselves to Stenhouse for the long haul.

    Bass Pro Shops has done so with Austin Dillon and OneMain Financial has to Elliott Sadler. And if there is ever such a thing as the complete package or a sponsors dream, wouldn’t Stenhouse fit that bill?

    Winner? Becoming a regular occurrence. Champion? Didn’t take long to knock that off the list. Decent reputation? So far so good, he hasn’t gotten into a fight with anyone or become famous for his radio highlights.

    And Stenhouse continues to soar in popularity with the fans and there are no tougher critics than the fans. But Stenhouse has a lot of support.

    It could be because he’s the ultimate success story or the fact that he can go toe-to-toe with the Sprint Cup drivers. Either way Stenhouse lets everyone know that he’s a contender on a weekly basis.

    Just further proof of how far Stenhouse has already come. When things started to go wrong in the past, he openly admitted to letting it bother him during the race and how he would be unable to let it go. Refocusing and earning finishes they were capable of became difficult.

    Now though, Stenhouse uses every opportunity to learn, filing information away for later. Thinking smarter, acting smarter and becoming a dangerous threat. Pushing the car to its limit but never crossing the line. Battling back to win even when he felt the car wasn’t good enough or needed too many adjustments.

    Kurt Busch, 2004 NSCS champion, said after Iowa that Stenhouse was getting really good. Many others have echoed the same sentiment, most likely after Stenhouse has gotten the best of them. Mark Martin did as much early this year in Las Vegas, calling it a beat down.

    And so, Stenhouse continues to beat down those who doubted him. Those who try to dethrone him. But he’s the real deal and continues to show that he’s going to be in this sport for a while to come. This time two years ago, that didn’t seem likely or realistic for Stenhouse.

    So for all those still on the fence about him, still searching for a driver to root for or just want to see one of the little guys to succeed, no better time to start paying attention. Because Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s story is one that continues to be written and it’s one that will go down as one of the best in NASCAR history.

  • Edwards ‘passed a lot of cars’ while rallying for Charlotte top-10

    Edwards ‘passed a lot of cars’ while rallying for Charlotte top-10

    [media-credit id=38 align=”alignright” width=”242″][/media-credit]Carl Edwards was plenty thankful that Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway was the longest race of the year.

    Edwards and his No. 99 Fastenal team had to use that time to battle back from an early pit road miscue. In what could have been one hot, long and frustrating night, Edwards and company stayed calm, cool and collected to come back and finish ninth. It wasn’t lost on Edwards afterwards just how far he had come.

    “We passed a lot of cars,” he said. “I don’t know how many cars we passed, but we passed a bunch of them. I thought Greg [Biffle, teammate] was gonna get the win for Fastenal, that would have been really neat, but we struggled. We had that loose wheel. I think Matt [Kenseth, teammate] had a loose as well, so we’ll have to figure out what was going on there.

    “And then at the end I got in a line of cars and everybody’s cars were pretty fast so it was hard to make up any ground. I thought we had a shot at winning early in the race because we were really fast. We had a lot of troops here and a lot of folks being honored and hopefully we put on a good show for them.”

    If anything Edwards put on a show for his team and fans. After pitting on lap 149 for a loose wheel he fell one lap down and ran 33rd. With caution flags few and far between, Edwards was unable to find himself in the lucky dog position until right before halfway.

    While he would never make it to the lead, Edwards found himself back in contention with 100 laps to go. But as he watched Biffle lead the most laps, Edwards fought to find the right balance for his car. Yet, he continued to march through the field and into the top-10.

    “Truly, I don’t think anymore passed more cars,” said Edwards about his progress under green flag conditions. “We went from 28th to somewhere around 12th and then went all the way back to 32nd or 33rd, and then got all the way back up to ninth. People say we can’t pass, we can pass but we needed 700 miles or 800 miles.”

    But the race’s 600 miles were just enough. Kasey Kahne earned his first win of the season, something Edwards said was hard earned. He on the other hand is still searching for his first win since Las Vegas in March of 2011.

    Sunday night was a good run for the team, who are trying to not let the disappointment of last year’s Chase loss hang over their heads. Some call it the second place curse, and when comparing how Edwards ran in 2011 to how he’s currently running, there might be something to it.

    He’s not as dominant as he once was. But he’s not as bad as he could be. There’s just still room for improvement. All three Roush-Fenway cars finished in the top 10 on Sunday and Edwards saw how fast his teammates were and how fast he should be. It makes his finish “hard to swallow.”

    Even more so since Biffle and Kenseth have already won races this season and sit first and second in points. According to Edwards they need to figure out how to make his car go that fast.

    Edwards remains 10th in points after picking up his eighth top-10 finish of the season. Edwards will take it but he wants more. The strength of his team was tested during the year’s longest race, and they passed with flying colors.

    Now it’s a matter of closing the deal and there will be plenty of opportunities ahead. Edwards has won at each of the next three tracks on the schedule.

    “I was pleased with one or two runs in the middle of that race,” Edwards said when asked if he was happy. “I thought, ‘OK, this is it. We’re back to top form here,’ and then for some reason at the end the balance wasn’t as good, so I think we have some things to work on.

    “But our whole Roush Fenway team showed a lot of strength. I think the Fords taking the front row in qualifying was great. Greg led the most laps, it appeared to me. Every time I looked at the scoreboard I was jealous of him, but I hope we can go to Dover and get that win.

    “There couldn’t be a better track coming up than Dover.”

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Darlington

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Darlington

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished sixth at Darlington, posting his seventh top 10 of the year. He is second in the Sprint Cup point standings, and now trails leader Greg Biffle by two points.

    “Once again,” Kenseth said, “the cowardly actions of Kurt Busch have overshadowed an exciting and historic night at Darlington. Bojangles picked the right race to sponsor. They’re a lot like Kurt Busch—they both specialize in ‘chicken.’”

    2. Greg Biffle: Biffle started on the pole at Darlington, and dominated the first third of the race before handling issues arose due to changing track conditions. He maintained the lead in the points position and leads Matt Kenseth by two.

    “I’ve held the points lead for a long time,” Biffle said. “And I plan on battling to keep it. Say what you will about me, but don’t compare me to Kurt Busch, because I won’t go down without a fight.”

    3. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin led 56 laps in the Southern 500, and sped by Tony Stewart on the final restart to claim the runner-up spot to Jimmie Johnson. Hamlin held on to fourth in the point standings and is 17 behind Greg Biffle.

    “I had my firesuit signed by the great Cale Yarborough,” Hamlin said. “Now I can say I’m just like Jimmie Johnson: I’ve got the name of a Sprint Cup champion on my suit.”

    4. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson led a race-high 134 laps in the Southern 500 and controlled the final third of the race. After speeding away on the final restart, Johnson had his first win of the season, as well as Hendrick Motorsports’ 200th win.

    “In addition to giving Rick Hendrick his 200th win,” Johnson said, “I also broke a 16-race winless streak with the victory. That’s called ‘killing two birds with one stone.’ This year, it seems I’m the only driver at Hendrick capable of ‘throwing’ a stone.”

    5. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt finished 17th at Darlington, his first finish outside the top 10 in seven races. He remained third in the Sprint Cup point standings, 14 out of first.

    “Congratulations to all at Hendrick Motorsports on their 200th win,” Earnhardt said. “I can call myself part of a winning team for the first time in years.”

    6. Tony Stewart: Stewart battled back from clutch troubles to compete for the win at Darlington. But a sub par restart on the green-white-checkered finished relegated him to a solid third-place finish. He is seventh in the point standings, 42 out of first.

    “Indeed,” Stewart said, “we had serious clutch problems. That pales in comparison to the plight of Carl Edwards. He experienced ‘clutch’ problems in all ten races of the Chase last year.

    “I hear the teams of Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch had to be separated after the race. If I were feuding with Busch, everyone knows the only things needing separation would be my hand and Kurt’s face.”

    7. Martin Truex, Jr.: After struggling at Richmond and Talladega, Truex rebounded with a fifth in the Bojangles’ Southern 500, posting his fourth top-5 result of the year. He is tied for fifth in the point standings, 39 out of first.

    “Michael Waltrip said Darlington Raceway is probably the most intimidating track on the NASCAR circuit,” Truex said. “But hearing that said in Waltrip’s silky, effeminate voice quelled my trepidations. Michael puts the ‘lady’ in ‘Lady In Black.’

    “’The Lady In Black’ wasn’t the only lady in Darlington. Danica Patrick was there. She’s ‘The Lady In Red,’ after finishing six laps in the hole.”

    8. Kyle Busch: Busch recorded his third consecutive top-4 finish, posting a fourth at Darlington. After a slow start to the season, Busch is up to ninth in the point standings, where he trails Greg Biffle by 62.

    “I may be the hottest driver in NASCAR right now,” Busch said, “but I doubt anyone’s aware of that. I know it seems impossible, but a Busch brother can do something quietly.

    “My older and less-wiser brother Kurt was involved in a confrontation with Ryan Newman’s team after Kurt spun his tires through Newman’s pit stall.

    Newman attributed Kurt’s actions to a ‘chemical imbalance.’ That’s an astute observation. Kurt often loses his balance, often after being slapped in the face.”

    9. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished seventh in the Southern 500, earning his seventh top-10 result of the year. He is now 10th in the point standings, 74 out of first.

    “Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth are 1-2 in the point standings,” Edwards said, “while good old Cousin Carl well behind in seventh. I guess that makes me a ‘distant’ cousin.”

    10. Kevin Harvick: Harvick was not a factor at Darlington, finishing 16th in the Bojangles’ Southern 500. Harvick has only two top 10’s in the last five races, and hasn’t won since September of 2011.

    “I don’t know who’s more ‘due,’” Harvick said. “Me or my wife. I just know I bitch less about it.

    “In any case, Darlington is one tough track. Not only is it hard to drive there, it’s near impossible to get your hands on a Busch brother there as well. Whether they finish the race or not, the Kyle and Kurt are always classified in the race results as ‘running.’”

  • Matt Kenseth ‘I was just too stupid’ at the end of Talladega

    Matt Kenseth ‘I was just too stupid’ at the end of Talladega

    [media-credit name=”Simon Scoggins” align=”alignright” width=”223″][/media-credit]Matt Kenseth was highly critical of himself following his third place finish Sunday in the Aaron’s 499 at the Talladega Superspeedway. After leading the most laps, 78 of 194, and leading with just two laps to go in a green-white-checkered finish, it was he and he alone the reason his team wasn’t in Victory Lane.

    “I think we had the wining car, really just didn’t have the winning driver,” Kenseth explained afterwards. “On the last restart, Greg [Biffle] and I got hooked together like Daytona, of all the cars I raced around today, Greg was really pushing me fast.

    “Got clear in front of the 2 [Brad Keselowski] and Kyle [Busch], as soon as we became clear, wasn’t long after that I looked forward for a second, when I looked back Greg and I were separated, those guys were already outside him.

    “With nobody behind him, lost his speed. With me not paying attention, keeping us hooked up, just cost us a shot at the win; cost Greg a shot at the win. Just didn’t do a very good job of managing where he was on that last restart.”

    Kenseth and Biffle had gotten a clean start and shot away from the field as they looked to settle the race amongst themselves. It was the plan they carried over from Daytona when the two ran first and second for much of the Daytona 500.

    That’s how most of Sunday played out as well. The Roush Fenway teammates ganging up on the field and showing their plate power. Had Kenseth been able to pull off the win he would have gone 2-0 on the season in restrictor plate races.

    And he would have ended his 0-24 Talladega streak, but it wasn’t meant to be. The two-car tandem of Keselowski pushed by Busch flew past the unhooked Kenseth and Biffle as they headed for the white flag. Keselowski went on to score the win, Busch finished second.

    It’s what Kenseth feared would end up happening. After dominating the event he knew a victory wasn’t in the bag, not a restrictor plate track. Anything can happen, things can change quickly and a late race restart didn’t help his cause.

    “I worry about it all the time because I can only see the first couple cars behind me,” said Kenseth. “Bunch of people bail out of that lane, you don’t get in front of that lane, even if you have one of the fastest cars like I though we did, you can get beat easily.

    “You could see that at the end. I think if I would have done a better job of managing, stayed on his front bumper, I think we would have run first and second. You’re always worried at these places because you only have so much control.”

    But enough control for Kenseth to take the blame. Having added a second Daytona 500 win earlier this season and another strong performance on Sunday, the Wisconsin native has shown he’s quite the plate racer and a driver who should be watched.

    Whenever trouble broke out he was either in front of it or made his way through it. And when his car looked too damaged to be fast, he proved it to be otherwise. For as fast as his No. 17 Best Buy Ford Fusion was, it didn’t escape Talladega unscathed.

    He ran the second half of the race with a crack and dent in the right front fender and a crack in the post behind the window net. They just weren’t enough to slow him down.

    Kenseth was right there at the end, just as he has been from the start of the season. The 2003 Cup Series champion has been knocking on the door for another title, showing speed, patience and consistency every weekend.

    Sending a silent message that he and his Roush team are going to be contenders. It was just unfortunate for Kenseth that on some Sunday’s the fastest car doesn’t always win.

    “I wasn’t too fast, I was just too stupid I guess at the end to keep a win,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of things that happened there and at Daytona in the 150s and the 500. I didn’t worry about the guy attached behind me because if he had two or three guys in the lane, he could push me out far enough where and tandem couldn’t beat us.

    “I kind of had that same strategy today. If I get pushed away, I think we’ll be okay. If they would have stayed behind them until we got to turn three, we still would have been okay. When they bailed out, it made Greg’s car go slower and he lost his momentum and he couldn’t stay sealed up to me. I should have watched the mirror and managed that a drug the brake a little better.

    “Earlier when Greg was behind me, he could push me hard, almost spin me out. On the restart everybody kind of pushes each other, stays in line for a little bit. I was hoping that bottom, once we got in front of those two, I was hoping all four of us would be locked together, at least until we got to max speed but that just didn’t happen and I didn’t watch it close enough.”

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Kansas

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Kansas

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Greg Biffle: Biffle posted his sixth top-10 finish of the year with a fifth in the STP 400 at Kansas Motor Speedway. He maintained the lead in the Sprint Cup point standings, and now leads Martin Truex, Jr. by 15.

    “Whereas I got a cowboy hat and a pair of six-shooters for winning at Texas,” Biffle said, “Denny Hamlin received a pair of ruby red slippers, which I’m sure he tapped together and said ‘There’s no place like Homestead…to blow a points lead and hence the 2010 Sprint Cup title.’”

    2. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex led 173 of 267 laps at Kansas, but lost the lead to Denny Hamlin with 31 to go and held on for second, earning his fifth consecutive top-10 finish. He jumped two places in the point standings to second, and trails Greg Biffle by 15.

    “I made a few desperation moves to pass Hamlin at the end,” Truex said. “But what better time to say ‘banzai’ than while driving a Toyota and attempting to pass another?

    “I’m in negotiations to renew my contract with Michael Waltrip Racing. That means I get to sit at a table and talk numbers with Michael. Therein lies the secret to being around Michael—someone has to pay me to do it.”

    3. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson followed up his runner-up finish at Texas with a third in the STP 400 at Kansas, scoring his fourth top 5 of the year. He improved one spot in the point standings to seventh, and now trails Greg Biffle by 37.

    “In the Hendrick Motorsports garage,” Johnson said, “there’s a lot of talk about streaks. Hendrick has been sitting on 199 wins for awhile now. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has a 137-race winless streak. The way things are going, it’s a toss-up as to who gets to 200 first.”

    “As you probably couldn’t help but notice, the Lowe’s No. 48 Chevy sported the ‘Mountain Green’ color. That was a color made popular by two 1960’s iconic products, muscle cars and ugly toilets.”

    4. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished fourth in the STP 400, taking his fifth top-5 result of the year. He is now third in the point standings, 17 behind Roush Fenway teammate Greg Biffle.

    “After two cautions at Texas,” Kenseth said, “there were only three at Kansas. That means, in both cases, that the winner’s speed was above average, while the racing itself was below average. As such, electronic fuel injection is no longer the hot topic of discussion—instead, it’s cruise control.”

    5. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Still seeking his first win in 136 races, Earnhardt came up short but finished with a solid seventh at Kansas. In eight races this year, he hasn’t finished lower than 15th, and is now fourth in the point standings, 21 out of first.

    “You probably heard me profess that I think I’m the best driver in NASCAR,” Earnhardt said. “It remains to be seen who’s more motivated by that statement—me, or the ten drivers that actually are better than me.

    6. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin slipped by Martin Truex, Jr. with 31 laps to go and sailed to his second win of the year, taking the STP 400 at Kansas Motor Speedway. Hamlin improved one place to fifth in the point standings, 23 behind Greg Biffle.

    “This No. 11 Fed Ex team has a ton of momentum,” Hamlin said. “You could say we’re like a ‘freight’ train. Let’s just hope our 2011 troubles don’t rear it heads, because we were much like a train then as well, in that it often took more than one engine to get anywhere.”

    7. Kevin Harvick: Harvick started second at Kansas and powered to a sixth-place finish, leading the charge for Richard Childress Racing. He is now sixth in the point standings, 25 out of first.

    “The No. 29 Rheem Chevrolet was good,” Harvick said, “but not good enough. We were anything but ‘Rheem-arkable.’ As wordplay goes, that one should be ‘pun-ishable by death.

    “But my disappointment with a sixth-place finish is a clear indication that I expect better from myself. I’m the ultimate ‘expectant’ father.”

    8. Carl Edwards: Edwards, in the No. 99 Aflac Ford, joined Roush Fenway teammates Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle in the top 10, with a ninth at Kansas, his fifth top-10 result of the year. Edwards is now ninth in the point standings, 61 out of first.

    “Sunday was a strong day for the Roush Fenway collective,” Edwards said. “All three of us in the top 10? That’s the first time we’ve done anything together in a long time.

    “I must say, it’s tough for me to see myself behind Biffle and Kenseth in the point standings. Kenseth is sponsored by EcoBoost; what I need is an ego boost.”

    9. Tony Stewart: Stewart came home 13th at Kansas, the last car on the lead lap after a long day of handling issues. He is now eighth in the point standings, 47 out of first.

    “That’s two straight finishes outside the top 10,” Stewart said. “Despite our troubles, it’s no time to make any rash decisions, which should come as a relief to my crew chief, Steve Addington.

     

    10. Kyle Busch: Busch finished 10th at Kansas as Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin won the STP 400. It was only Busch’s third top-10 result of the year, but it season turnaround could be in order at Richmond, where Busch has three wins.

    “Hamlin’s making headlines,” Busch said, “and, in what’s is a complete mystery to me, for all the right reasons. I just haven’t been the same this year. Joe Gibbs said he wouldn’t mind seeing the ‘old’ Kyle Busch or the ‘new’ Kyle Busch, or, for that matter, ‘any’ Kyle Busch.”

  • Michael Annett Is Flying High Yet Under the Radar

    Michael Annett Is Flying High Yet Under the Radar

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Greg Biffle Snaps Winless Streak at Texas Motor Speedway

    Greg Biffle Snaps Winless Streak at Texas Motor Speedway

    [media-credit name=”Nigel Kinrade/Autostock” align=”alignright” width=”301″][/media-credit]So far this year Greg Biffle had done everything right, except win. That all changed on Saturday night as he led 90 laps on his way to winning the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

    “I’ll tell you what, I could say it’s about time, but hard work pays off still today, and that’s what this is about,” Biffle says. “The team and Matt Puccia putting together the guys he has, the engine shop, how hard they’ve worked on the fuel injection and the engines and all that.  I am just thankful to get the opportunity to drive these cars as fast as they are.  We knew it was a matter of time we were going to win one of these things.  We’ve been running so good.  We had great pit stops, we’ve had good cars.  Vegas we were off a little bit, and that ate at us a little bit because that’s a good track for us.  So we came here and really focused on our car to get it driving the best we could.”

    The 17th win of his career allowed Biffle to end a 49-race winless streak that dated back to October 3, 2010 when he won at Kansas Speedway.

    With 30 laps to go, Biffle was able to catch Jimmie Johnson in traffic and pass him for the lead.

    “I’ll tell you what, catching the 48 car at the end, I had to dig deep,” Biffle comments. “It was all I had to be able to get to him, and it seemed like when I got to him it was too easy.  I don’t know if he used up his tires or the traffic — he had trouble, I think a little bit of trouble in traffic.  That’s when I could close in on him.  But over all it was a good night for us.”

    Johnson would come home to finish second despite getting into the wall with 15 to go for his fifth top five of 2012 after leading 156 laps.

    “I wish we could have won,” Johnson says. “We were in contention, had a great race car.  Pit stops were just amazing all night long.  Car was great.  You know, at the end the 16 — really probably the last two or three runs the 16 and I were pretty equal, run pretty similar lap times, and right before the last pit stop I got caught in some traffic, he got to me and came out of the pits and was pacing him and had a second half lead and then we caught traffic, some guys were multiple laps down that didn’t show much respect to myself, the leader, and before I know it 16 was there on the side of me and got by.”

    Mark Martin would finish third to continue the hot streak that Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) has been on early this season.

    “I am just so proud of MWR and all the people there and the teamwork that they have shown there starting with Martin Truex, Jr., who has put so much work into getting the program where it was when we started the season and everybody combined,” he says. “They really have a lot of great people there with great attitude, great teamwork, and man, have I got one awesome crew chief in Rodney Childers.  This is so much fun and such an incredible privilege to drive a race car at this point in my career, to be able to drive a race car for a team like that and in a hot rod like that.

    “I could see the leader the whole race, and at times we could gain — when we were at our very best we were making some gains on the leaders, and when we were at our worst we were falling back some, and most of the time we could kind of maintain pace.  We don’t have much more work to do, and we can get up there and be battling for the win.  So I’m really proud of the guys.  We’ve made improvements on our racer every race that we’ve got to run together, so Rodney and I are starting to figure some things out in the car that I like for the long haul.  So it’s working well.”

    Jeff Gordon would finish fourth followed by Matt Kenseth in fifth. Pole sitter Martin Truex Jr. finished sixth, followed by Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    The race was the quickest in Texas Motor Speedway history with an average speed of 160.577 and had the fewest cautions ever with two for 10 laps. The first was for Trevor Bayne getting into the wall, while the second was for debris.

    Following the win, Biffle leads Kenseth and Earnhardt Jr. by 19 points in the Sprint Cup Series Points Standings heading into Kansas Speedway.

     

    Full Rundown:

    1. Greg Biffle
    2. Jimmie Johnson
    3. Mark Martin
    4. Jeff Gordon
    5. Matt Kenseth
    6. Martin Truex Jr.
    7. Kasey Kahne
    8. Carl Edwards
    9. Kevin Harvick
    10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
    11. Kyle Busch
    12. Denny Hamlin
    13. Kurt Busch
    14. Jamie McMurray
    15. AJ Allmendinger
    16. Juan Pablo Montoya
    17. Clint Bowyer
    18. Paul Menard
    19. Joey Logano
    20. Marcos Ambrose
    21. Ryan Newman
    22. Aric Almirola
    23. Regan Smith
    24. Tony Stewart
    25. Casey Mears
    26. David Reutimann
    27. Bobby Labonte
    28. Trevor Bayne
    29. Jeff Burton
    30. Landon Cassill
    31. David Gilliland
    32. Reed Sorenson
    33. JJ Yeley
    34. Tony Raines
    35. David Ragan
    36. Brad Keselowski
    37. Dave Blaney
    38. Travis Kvapil
    39. Josh Wise
    40. Mike Bliss
    41. Michael McDowell
    42. Scott Riggs
    43. Scott Speed