Tag: sprint cup series

GoDaddy to End Sponsorship of Danica Patrick’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Car in 2016

Phil Bienert, chief marketing officer for GoDaddy, issued a statement Wednesday, confirming that GoDaddy will not renew its primary sponsorship of Danica Patrick’s Sprint Cup Car which expires at the end of the current season.

“We love Danica and all she does to empower and inspire people, especially women, which is why we are working to keep her in the GoDaddy family,” Bienert said. “We have the utmost respect for Stewart-Haas Racing, and they’ve been phenomenal partners. In fact, NASCAR has been a tremendous domestic platform to help us achieve an 81 percent aided brand awareness domestically, but at this stage; we need a range of marketing assets that reach a more globally-diverse set of customers. The fact Danica is having a record-setting season makes it tough to leave this motorsports sponsorship, without a doubt.”

Patrick has been a spokesperson for GoDaddy since 2007. GoDaddy began its NASCAR participation as an associate sponsor with Patrick in 2007, moving to full-time sponsorship in 2010 as she began a limited schedule in the NASCAR Nationwide (now XFINITY) Series with JR Motorsports.

“GoDaddy has been an incredible partner for a very long time and our brands have really grown up together,” Patrick said in a statement. “It’s pretty cool, from a marketing perspective, that we helped GoDaddy build such strong brand awareness here in the U.S. I’m excited to work with GoDaddy on a personal level moving forward, but will miss having their bright green color on my racecar next year. At the same time, this is a new opportunity for a brand to pair with me and Stewart-Haas Racing and achieve the kind of growth we experienced with GoDaddy.”

Patrick is in her third full season in the Sprint Cup Series and in the final year of her contract with Stewart-Haas Racing. She is currently 16th in the points standings with two top-10 finishes this season.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s executive vice president, Brett Frood, issued a statement, concerning the announcement, saying, “GoDaddy has been an outstanding partner since joining our race team in 2012. They helped us grow from the two-car team we were at the beginning of 2012 to the four-car team we are today. Along the way, their business has grown exponentially, proving our relationship to be mutually beneficial. We value all of our partnerships and take great pride in seeing GoDaddy’s association with Danica Patrick and Stewart-Haas Racing serve as a springboard for their global marketing strategy.”

“Our organization has been fortunate to have committed corporate partners, a focused and dedicated employee base, and drivers capable of translating these tools to on-track success. It is our intent,” he continued, “to continue raising our performance bar with all four Stewart-Haas Racing teams and delivering results to our constituents now and in the future. With Danica, we see a driver with unparalleled resolve and tenacity. She is an individual who transcends the sport and we look forward to fostering new partnerships for her and the No. 10 team.”

Patrick was upbeat about the situation posting the following on her Twitter page.

April 29, 2015
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished second to Stewart-Haas teammate Kurt Busch at Richmond, as Harvick scored the runner-up spot for the fifth time this season.

“Kurt deserved the win,” Harvick said. “He was by far the best car in the field, and everyone knew it. Kurt proved that his girlfriend isn’t the only thing he can ‘throttle.’

“I was honored at the White House on Tuesday. Basically, President Obama and I discussed aerodynamics. We both think spoilers are important; I just prefer the ‘right wing’ to the ‘left wing.’”

2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson started 36th and worked his way inside the top 10 quickly on his way to a third in the Toyota Owners 400. It was Johnson’s fifth top-5 result of the year, and he is fourth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 58 behind Kevin Harvick.

“I hear Harvick visited the White House,” Johnson said. “I’ve been there and done that, several times. Trust me, I know what it’s like to be surrounded by security. Usually, it’s when Chad Knaus is running ‘secret service’ on the No. 48 in the garage.”

3. Joey Logano: Logano dominated early at Richmond, starting from the pole and leading the first 94 laps on his way to a fifth-place finish.

“They call me ‘Sliced Bread,’” Logano said. “Just a few short weeks ago, they called Kurt Busch ‘Toast.’”

4. Kurt Busch: Busch was the class of the field for much of Sunday’s race at Richmond, leading 291 laps on his way to the win, his first in 35 races. The victory likely qualifies Busch for the Chase for the Cup field.

“The No. 41 Stewart-Haas Chevy handled great,” Busch said. “Finally, we can talk about my car’s suspension, and not mine.”

5. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished a disappointing 17th at Richmond after dropping a cylinder on lap 254.

“When you mention ‘No. 2’ and ‘dropped a cylinder’ in the same sentence,” Keselowski said, “you can assume your day has ‘gone to pot.’

“Kurt Busch just made the Chase field. Now, let’s see if Kyle Busch can. Brian France said he may grant Kyle a waiver when he returns to racing, meaning Kyle could make the Chase with a win despite not being in the top 30 in points. Let’s not automatically assume Kyle will win and make the field. If we assume, Kyle could make an ass out of you and me.”

6. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex posted his eighth top-10 finish of the year with a 10th in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond.

“Chevrolets took the top four spots at Richmond,” Truex said, “while the best Toyota finish was Matt Kenseth in seventh. I think we know who the Toyota ‘owners’ really are —–it’s the Chevy’s.

“Did you see that pit road fire in the Xfinity Series? Luckily, NASCAR safety officials put that fire out using their ‘Xtinguish Series.’”

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt finished 14th at Richmond, the only Hendrick Motorsports driver outside the top 10. He is eighth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 86 out of first.

“I had a dust up with Tony Stewart with 40 laps to go,” Earnhardt said. “I blame Tony and Tony blames me. Tony couldn’t get his car restarted after the wreck, and he was not happy. Apparently, the old adage ‘Where there’s Smoke, there’s ‘fire’’ is not true.”

8. Matt Kenseth: One week after winning at Bristol, Kenseth finished seventh in the Toyota Owners 400, his fifth top 10 of the year.

“Kurt Busch drove an impressive race,” Kenseth said. “Even with Kevin Harvick stalking him, he didn’t fold. I guess Kurt is right—-he didn’t choke.”

9. Kasey Kahne: Kahne joined Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson (third) and Jeff Gordon (eight) in the top 10 with a sixth at Richmond.

“It was overall a solid day for HMS,” Kahne said. “If not for Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr. would have joined us in the top 10. But I think Junior’s willing to let it slide. The last thing Tony needs is a guilt trip.”

10. Jamie McMurray: McMurray led four laps and finished fourth at Richmond, scoring his second top five of the year. He is ninth in the points standings, 93 out of first.

“Kurt Busch was just too fast for anyone to catch,” McMurray said. “Much like his former girlfriend, you could say Kurt was ‘on a mission.’”

April 28, 2015
Chase Elliott Meets Expectations in Second Sprint Cup Start but is Looking for More

If never being satisfied is the key to success, Chase Elliott is well on his way to becoming a competitive driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series when he replaces Jeff Gordon at Hendrick Motorsports next year.

The reigning XFINITY Series champion made his second cup start at Richmond International Raceway in the rain-delayed Toyota Owners 400 Sunday, earning an encouraging 16th place finish in his No. 25 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet. It was especially satisfying after a 38th place result at Martinsville Speedway in his first Cup start a month ago.

Elliott raced his way up to 11th twice during the race, but his car struggled on short runs. He acknowledged that he could have done a better job of relaying information to his team.

“Guys made good adjustments for qualifying to get us in the show,” he said “and our car today had great long-run speed. Unfortunately, these races never ran to the long run. It’s always going to be a short run to the finish, and I didn’t tell them to do the right things for that last stop to run a short run. Lesson learned, and we’ll try to get better for the next one.”

While Elliott said he was uncertain why the end results of the two races were so dramatically different, he assumed some of the blame for the disappointing finish at Martinsville, saying, “I wish I had an answer for you. I don’t really know. You know, like I said, I felt like at Martinsville, too, we had a good car. I didn’t do my job like I needed to there, and got us in a wreck 60 laps into the race, and that’s not the thing to do.”

He was able to stay out of harm’s way at Richmond and felt like the team “put together a solid race,” explaining, “Fortunately we were able to run laps today, able to stay on the lead lap and battle really hard, especially towards the end of those long runs, and to race with some good cars. I think that’s something our team should be proud of.”

But like all racers, Elliott is searching for more.

“You always get greedy and want more,” he admitted, “and we certainly had a great car really today, and I thought we were battling right there on the edge of that top 10 there at points, and we had great speed, as I said, on the longer runs.”

Elliott’s third Sprint Cup Race is scheduled for Charlotte Motor Speedway next month where he hopes to turn lessons learned into even better finishes.

April 26, 2015
Richmond Sprint Cup Preview – Strategy, Milestones and More

It sounds simple. If you want to win a race, the best place to begin is in front. But in reality, starting from the pole doesn’t necessarily translate into winning the race…unless you’re racing at Richmond International Raceway. The statistics below tell the story.

Winning Strategy:

1) If you want to win at RIR the best strategy is to win the Coors Light Pole Award. There have been 117 Sprint Cup races at RIR and 23 of those were won by drivers from the pole starting position.

There are four active drivers who have done just that; Kasey Kahne did it in 2005, Jimmie Johnson in 2007, Kyle Busch in 2010 and Brad Keselowski in the fall race last year.

2) The second best way to win is to begin on the front row where 13 races have been won by drivers starting in second place. Combine those two numbers and 36 (30.7 percent) of the Sprint Cup races at RIR have been won by front row starters.

3) The third best way to win is to qualify in the top-ten. Ninety-one of those 117 (77.7 percent) races were won by drivers in the top-ten starting positions.

Clint Bowyer has the distinction of winning at RIR after starting deepest in the field, 31^st, in 2008.

Milestones:

As Jeff Gordon heads to Richmond he is on the verge of reaching another significant milestone in an already storied career. Gordon has led 24,778 laps during his Sprint Cup career. If he can add 222 laps to that total, he will become the sixth driver in NSCS history to lead 25,000 laps.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will make his 550^th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at the Toyota Owners 400 Saturday night. He is 30^th on the all-time NSCS starts list. Earnhardt, along with Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart, leads all active drivers in wins at RIR; with three victories (Kyle Busch has four wins but is currently inactive). Although his last win at Richmond was in 2006, it remains one of his favorite tracks and could prove to be the impetus Earnhardt needs to capture his first win of the season.

Paul Menard is 14th in the standings and needs a win to secure his position in the Chase. He’ll make his 300th NSCS start this weekend at Richmond. All Richard Childress Racing entries will feature decals to honor the memory of Richard “Bob” “Poncho” Myers, who passed away April 16. He was the brother of longtime RCR employee, Danny “Chocolate” Myers.

Defending Cup champion, Kevin Harvick, shows no intention of slowing down this year. With two wins and seven top 10s, he leads the Chase standings. He has also led 950 laps in 2015 and is 50 away from becoming the eighth driver in series history to lead 1000 laps or more in the first nine races of a season. Harvick has led laps in every race this season, with the exception of Daytona, averaging 118.75 laps led per race.

Firsts – Now Chand Then:

Chase Elliott has a full weekend coming up at Richmond as he competes for the first time in both the XFINITY and Sprint Cup Series races. As an added incentive, Elliott gets a second chance to impress in his second Cup start. His NSCS debut at Martinsville in March resulted in a disappointing 38th place finish, 73 laps down, after contact with another car and the loss of his power steering sent Elliott behind the wall for extensive repairs.

The first NSCS race at RIR was April 19, 1953 and was won by Lee Petty.

Buck Baker won the inaugural pole award at RIR in 1953 with a speed of 48.465 mph.

The first race under permanent lights was held on September 7, 1991.

The first season when both races at RIR were night races was in 1999.

Tony Stewart (1999) and Kasey Kahne (2005) each captured their first NSCS career win at Richmond. A victory for Stewart could kick start a dismal season and provide the momentum to propel him into Chase contention.

By the Numbers:

Top 10 Driver Ratings at Richmond –

110.7 – Denny Hamlin – Leads all active drivers with an average finishing position of 10.412

110.3 – Kevin Harvick – Series-best Average Running Position of 7.5

109.8 – Kyle Busch – Four wins at RIR

99.6 – Clint Bowyer – Two wins, four top fives, 10 top 10s

99.3 – Jeff Gordon – Leads all active drivers with 18 top five-finishes

94.0 – Tony Stewart – Won at RIR in his second appearance

92.5 – Ryan Newman – One win, six top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole

91.6 – Brad Keselowski – One win, two top fives, four top 10s; one pole

91.5 – Kurt Busch – One win, five top fives, 10 top 10s

89.1 – Carl Edwards – One win, four top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole

The Toyota Owners 400 Sprint Cup race will be televised on FOX Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.

April 22, 2015
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Bristol

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick led 184 laps at Bristol, but his fortunes turned dramatically when he crashed into David Ragan’s spinning No. 18 car. Harvick finished 38th, 43 laps down, ending his streak of seven consecutive top-10 finishes this season.

“Jimmie Johnson started that wreck,” Harvick said. “That wasn’t the only one. Let’s just say his Sprint Cup titles aren’t the only reason they call Jimmie ‘Six Time.’”

2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson survived numerous incidents at Bristol to pull out an unlikely runner-up result in the Food City 500.

“I was involved in quite a few spins,” Johnson said, “and those spins affected several other drivers. Put it this way: there were a lot of drivers looking at me ‘sideways.’”

3. Joey Logano: Logano’s day at Thunder Valley soured early when a wreck by teammate Brad Keselowski damaged the No. 22 Ford. Logano eventually finished 40th, 59 laps down.

“That wreck knocked us both out of contention,” Logano said, “and knocked our relationship into contention.”

4. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski started second at Bristol and ran into early trouble when he lost control on lap 18 and slammed the wall, collecting Penske Racing teammate Joey Logano. Both Penske cars suffered extensive damage; Keselowski finished 35th while Logano finished 40th.

“I’m not sure what happened,” Keselowski said. “Usually, when I take a hard right like that, I expect Denny Hamlin to be in the way, not the wall.”

“My good buddy Kyle Busch is out of his wheelchair. He’ll probably be racing this summer, and I expect Kyle to be back better than ever. I bet you he’ll be doing 195 miles per hour in the No. 18 at Daytona in July, or the same down some residential area in Moore County, North Carolina in a street car.”

5. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished a disappointing 29th in the Food City 500, the first time he’s finished out of the top 10 this season.

“Kurt Busch looked strong,” Truex said, “until he decided to pit late in the race. Then he rear-ended Carl Edwards. That just killed Kurt’s chances. That’s why he’s known as the ‘Stewart-Haas-assin.’”

6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt finished 16th at Bristol, as Hendrick teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon took second and third, respectively. Earnhardt is sixth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 73 behind Kevin Harvick.

“From start to finish,” Earnhardt said, “Sunday’s race lasted nine hours. Most NASCAR races only seem to last that long.”

7. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth started on the pole in the Food City 500 and took the win, earning his first win of the season and a spot in the Chase For The Sprint Cup. Kenseth pulled away from Jimmie Johnson to capture his first win since the 2013 season.

“It’s been a tough year for Joe Gibbs Racing,” Kenseth said. “Kyle Busch has a gimpy ankle, Denny Hamlin has a bum neck, and Carl Edwards has a knucklehead.

“I must admit I was surprised when Kurt Busch pitted from the lead with 25 laps to go. Of course, it’s not like I’m the only person to question a decision made by Kurt.”

8. Kasey Kahne: Kahne was a victim of a late pileup triggered when Carl Edwards got loose racing side by side with Jeff Gordon. Kahne finished 37th, the worst result among Hendrick Motorsports drivers.

“Have you seen Kyle Busch lately?” Kahne said. “You know, Kyle used to drive the No. 5 car for Hendrick. His condition now should remind him of his final days at HMS, because he’s ‘got the boot.’”

9. Jeff Gordon: Gordon battled back from a loose wheel that set him back two laps to finish a solid third at Bristol. Gordon started second on the green-white-checkered finish but was no match for Matt Kenseth, who restarted on the preferred outside line.

“Unlike me,” Gordon said, “Kenseth has no intentions of retiring. Me? I’ve done enough in this business to call it a career. Four Sprint Cup titles and more money than I know what to do with. So I quit this rich.”

10. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin was running fifth when neck spasms forced him from the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on lap 22 during the race’s first rain delay. JGR developmental driver Erik Jones took over and finished 26th.

“That’s some neck ‘restraint,’ something even a HANS device would be proud of,” Hamlin said.

April 22, 2015
Matt Kenseth Wins Epic Bristol Battle

April 19, 2015, Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

BRISTOL, Tenn. — In a race delayed and interrupted by rain, and ended in overtime, Matt Kenseth broke a drought of more than a year’s standing in Sunday’s Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes at Bristol Motor Speedway.

In a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race that went 11 laps past its scheduled distance of 500 laps — making it the longest race in the history of the 0.533-mile short track — Kenseth crossed the finish line 0.287 seconds ahead of Jimmie Johnson, who recovered from a succession of issues to claim the runner-up finish.

Kenseth, who inherited the top spot when Kurt Busch pitted from the lead under the ninth caution on Lap 477, stayed out front the rest of the way. He was three car lengths ahead of third-place finisher Jeff Gordon when Carl Edwards got loose underneath Gordon’s No. 24 Chevrolet and ignited the wreck that brought out caution No. 11 and demolished Busch’s Chevy in the process.

After a brief delay because of a late shower, a far cry from the 3-hour, 58-minute hiatus that came after the first 22 laps, Kenseth pulled away on a green-white-checkered-flag restart and was unchallenged to the finish, as Johnson got past Gordon for second.

The victory was Kenseth’s fourth at Bristol, his most at any track, and the 32nd of his career. Kenseth broke a 51-race winless streak dating to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September 2013. The win all but locks up Kenseth’s spot in the Chase.

“It feels good to be back here,” Kenseth said, sitting at the dais for the winner’s press conference. “Really, honestly, it does, it wears on you a little bit. We had such a good 2013 (seven victories), we came a little short of the ultimate prize there, but we had such a great season, and last year there were some races we had some chances to win and just things wouldn’t line up for us.

“We just couldn’t get it to happen. Tonight was kind of the opposite. Everything worked out. We had a good car on the short run, not so good on the last 40 or 50 laps of the run, and we had all them cautions and short runs at the end that really benefited us.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ran fourth, followed by Ryan Newman. Danica Patrick was ninth, recording her second top-10 of the year and the sixth of her career, breaking a tie with Janet Guthrie for most ever by a female driver.

Johnson’s second-place finish was an adventure. The driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet survived two wrecks and a lost lap (which he regained as the highest scored lapped car under caution for debris on Lap 344).

Johnson first sustained damage when Kurt Busch’s car twitched underneath him in Turn 3 and sent Johnson’s Chevrolet spinning.

“Yeah, the first half of the race or first third of the race I was behind the 24 (Gordon), and we just worked our way up through the field and things went pretty smoothly,” said Johnson, who started 28th after a lackluster qualifying effort. “I had a very fast race car and felt like we were going to have a strong night. And then one of the restarts midway through the race, the 41 (Busch) — I don’t know what happened — but he lost control, got into me.

“I went into the outside wall in Turn 3, and a caution came out. We had a fair amount of damage to the right rear quarter panel. I didn’t think I hit that hard, but after I got out of the race car and saw the damage, no wonder it didn’t drive very good after that, and we needed two or three pit stops to get the quarter panel pushed back down so there was some sideforce on the back of the car on corner entry and once we did that, we weren’t as good as we were at the start of the race but still very competitive.

“(Crew chief) Chad (Knaus) called for two (tires) late in the race. That picked us up a few more spots, and then I think the last two restarts I was in the outside lane, and that helped me out quite a bit. Wild night, but glad to get it in.”

If Kenseth’s winless streak ended, so did the productive streaks of three other drivers. Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. all had posted top 10s in each of the first seven Cup races this season, but all three drivers had major issues on Sunday.

Logano slammed into Penske teammate Brad Keselowski after Keselowski lost control on a slick track on Lap 18. After extensive repairs, Logano finished 40th.

Truex’s Chevrolet experienced a bad vibration, then a loose wheel. He finished 29th, seven laps down.

Harvick was unable to avoid the wrecked car of David Ragan after contact between Johnson and Jeb Burton started a melee on lap 310. Harvick, who led 184 laps before the accident, spent 43 laps in the garage for repairs and came home 38th.

Nevertheless, Harvick, Logano and Truex hold the top three positions in the series standings. Harvick leads Logano by 30 points and Truex by 33. Johnson is fourth, 56 points back.

April 19, 2015

Matt Kenseth Wins Coors Light Pole at Bristol

April 17, 2015, Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

BRISTOL, Tenn.—If history repeats itself on Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway, Matt Kenseth won’t have a problem with it.

The last time Kenseth won a pole at the high-banked .533-mile short track—back in 2005—he followed with a victory in the race.

In Friday’s time trials at Thunder Valley, with a lap at 128.632 mph (14.917 seconds) Kenseth earned the 14th Coors Light Pole Award of his career, his second at Bristol and his first of the season.

And that’s a good omen for a driver who hasn’t won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race since his seven-victory debut season with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2013.

Kenseth edged two-time Bristol winner Brad Keselowski (128.442 mph) for the top starting spot by .022 seconds. Carl Edwards (128.322 mph) qualified third, his best effort of the season so far, and reigning series champion Kevin Harvick (128.211 mph) will start fourth in Sunday’s Food City 500to Support Steve Byrnes (1 p.m. on FOX).

Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano (who was fastest in each of the first two rounds of knockout qualifying), Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne earned the fifth through eighth spots on the grid, as all of the top eight qualifiers are former Bristol winners.

“We need to be able to go out and win races,” Kenseth said. “Last year and so far this year haven’t been particularly great for JGR. I think we’ve had two wins that weren’t plate races in the last year and a half as a company.

“So, obviously, as a company, we’ve got to get running better. … We’ve just got to keep working on it, and I’ve certainly got to be better. I need to do a better job, and I know that. I work at getting better every week, and I have, I think, since the first day I came into this sport.”

If Kenseth is to capitalize on his pole position, his team will have to improve the handling of the No. 20 Toyota in race trim.

“You have to be able to stay on your tires for a long time,” the 2003 series champion said. “You have to have good balance at the end of the run. You have to be pretty fast at the beginning of the run so you don’t give up spots on restarts—it is hard to pass later the run.

“I wasn’t really thrilled with the way my car drove in race trim (in practice) today, but in qualifying trim it would run a fast lap. So I certainly think we’ve got some work to do (in Saturday’s practice).”

So does Jimmie Johnson. Last week’s Texas winner didn’t survive the first elimination in qualifying and will start 28th in Sunday’s race. In fact, Kahne was the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to advance to the final round in Friday’s time trials.

David Ragan continued his solid effort in relief of injured Kyle Busch, qualifying 11th in the No. 18 JGR Camry.

Note: Brendan Gaughan and Ron Hornaday Jr. failed to make the 43-car field.

Complete Starting Lineup:

POS.	CAR #	DRIVER	SPONSOR	BEST SPEED	BEST TIME	BEHIND
1	20	Matt Kenseth	Dollar General	128.63	14.917	Leader
2	2	Brad Keselowski	Miller Lite	128.44	14.939	0.022
3	19	Carl Edwards	COMCAST BUSINESS	128.32	14.953	0.036
4	4	Kevin Harvick	Jimmy John’s/ Budweiser	128.21	14.966	0.049
5	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Freight	127.42	15.059	0.142
6	22	Joey Logano	AutoTrader	127.32	15.071	0.154
7	41	Kurt Busch	Haas Automation	126.87	15.124	0.207
8	5	Kasey Kahne	Great Clips	126.83	15.129	0.212
9	27	Paul Menard	Sylvania / Menards	126.83	15.129	0.212
10	1	Jamie McMurray	McDonald’s	126.61	15.155	0.238
11	18	David Ragan	Snickers Extreme	126.44	15.176	0.259
12	3	Austin Dillon	Dow	126.26	15.197	0.28
13	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr	MOUNTAIN DEW DEWSHINE	127.08	15.099	0.182
14	42	Kyle Larson	Target	127.07	15.1	0.183
15	51	Justin Allgaier	Auto Owners Insurance	126.56	15.161	0.244
16	78	Martin Truex Jr	Furniture Row/Visser Precision	126.5	15.168	0.251
17	40	Landon Cassill	TBA	126.43	15.177	0.26
18	31	Ryan Newman	WIX	126.09	15.218	0.301
19	95	Michael McDowell	Thrivent Financial	125.95	15.235	0.318
20	47	AJ Allmendinger	Bush’s Beans	125.94	15.236	0.319
21	14	Tony Stewart	Bass Pro Shops / Mobil 1	125.83	15.249	0.332
22	83	Matt DiBenedetto	Dustless Blasting	125.8	15.253	0.336
23	24	Jeff Gordon	3M	125.61	15.276	0.359
24	55	Brett Moffitt	Aaron’s Dream Machine	125.2	15.326	0.409
25	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr	Zest Ford Fusion	126.38	15.183	0.266
26	10	Danica Patrick	GoDaddy	126.33	15.189	0.272
27	13	Casey Mears	No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS	126.3	15.192	0.275
28	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe’s	126.15	15.211	0.294
29	23	J.J. Yeley	Dr. Pepper “I’m a Pepper”	126.05	15.223	0.306
30	43	Aric Almirola	Smithfield	125.82	15.25	0.333
31	6	Trevor Bayne	Advocare Ford Fusion	125.8	15.253	0.336
32	38	David Gilliland	MDS Transport	125.63	15.274	0.357
33	16	Greg Biffle	Ortho Ford Fusion	125.55	15.283	0.366
34	26	Jeb Burton	MaximFantasySports.com	125.51	15.288	0.371
35	98	Josh Wise	Phil Parsons Racing	125.45	15.295	0.378
36	46	Michael Annett	Pilot Flying J	125.16	15.331	0.414
37	15	Clint Bowyer	5-Hour Energy	125.02	15.348	0.431
38	34	Chris Buescher	CSX / Play It Safe	125.02	15.348	0.431
39	9	Sam Hornish Jr	Nature Blast	124.94	15.358	0.441
40	7	Alex Bowman	TBA	124.56	15.405	0.488
41	32	Mike Bliss	KEEN PARTS/VISONE RV	124.13	15.458	0.541
42	35	Cole Whitt	Tweaker Energy Shots	124.05	15.468	0.551
43	33	Alex Kennedy	Media Cast	123.61	15.523	0.606

April 17, 2015

NASCAR Racing Schedule for Bristol Motor Speedway

The racing action continues this weekend as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series head to Bristol Motor Speedway. The Camping World Truck Series is off but will return May 8 at Kansas.

All times Eastern.

Friday, April 17:

On Track:

Noon-1:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series practice – FOX Sports 1
1:30 -2:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series practice – FOX Sports 1
3-4:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series final practice – FOX Sports 1
4:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FOX Sports 1

Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

10:30 a.m. Darrell Wallace Jr.
10:45 a.m: Darrell Waltrip
11:15 a.m.: Matt Kenseth
4 p.m.: Jimmie Johnson
5:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Post Qualifying Press Conference – Time Approximate

Saturday, April 18:

On Track:

8:30-9:25 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series practice – FOX Sports 1
9:45 a.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FOX Sports 1
11:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series final practice – FOX Sports 1
1:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 – FOX Sports 1 (300 laps, 159.9 miles) (Scheduled Green Flag: 1:46 p.m. – Time Approximate)

Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

12:45 p.m.: Kyle Larson and Rico Abreu
3:15 p.m.: XFINITY Series Post Race Press Conference – Time Approximate

Sunday, April 19:

On Track:

1 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up to Cancer – FOX (500 laps, 266.5 miles) (Scheduled Green Flag: 1:13 p.m. – Time Approximate)

Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

9:45 a.m.: Brad Keselowski
4 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Post Race Press Conference – Time Approximate

April 17, 2015
NASCAR Champions Featuring Bobby Isaac

Cup Champion: 1970
Born: August 1, 1932
Died: August 14, 1977
Hometown: Catawba, North Carolina
Career: 1961-1976

Premier Series Stats:
Starts: 309
Wins: 37
Poles: 49

Bobby Isaac possessed the one attribute that all NASCAR drivers crave. He was quite simply; fast. In 1969, he captured the record for most poles in a single season with 19. That record still stands today. In fact, only 38 drivers have achieved 19 or more poles throughout their entire career.

Isaac is probably one of the least known NASCAR Champions. Often described as a loner and reluctant to give interviews, he was most comfortable behind the wheel of a race car.

He was the second youngest of nine children and his father died when he was six. The kids were left to take care of the farm and themselves while their mother found work in town and Isaac eventually quit school at the age of 13. Three years later his mother passed away. Many of the details surrounding his young life vary depending upon who you ask. But most will agree that his life changed when he first set eyes on a race track and that track was Hickory Motor Speedway, otherwise known as “America’s most famous short track.”

He was around 19 or 20 when he decided that he wanted to become a race car driver and he began competing and winning in other peoples’ cars at the local dirt tracks. Isaac became part of a group of racers including NASCAR Hall of Famers (NHOF) David Pearson, Ned Jarrett and Richard Petty who frequented the same tracks.

Pearson had seen Isaac around and introduced himself at one such track in Cowpens, South Carolina.

“He was hard to talk to,” Pearson said. He wouldn’t talk to nobody. He was kind of quiet and everything. I just more or less made him talk to me. I liked him and we became real close friends.”

Isaac spoke about those early days saying, “One time I drove 200 miles to drive a fellow’s modified car with $4 in my pocket. I figured that I’d have enough to buy gas to get down there and eat a hot dog before the race. The gas was $3, but I had to put two quarts of oil in my car so I was broke when I left town. When the feature started my stomach was not only growling but I didn’t have enough gas to get back home. I drove that car as hard as I could and won. I had to win!”

Isaac was making his mark on the dirt track circuit but what he really wanted was to move up to the NASCAR Grand National Series (now Sprint Cup Series). But that required money he didn’t have so he began looking for someone to finance him.

Unfortunately, while Isaac was becoming known as a fierce and successful competitor he was also gaining a reputation as a hot head. If he felt someone had raced him unfairly, he would settle the dispute with his fists off the track or by running a driver off the track during a race.

It has been said that Isaac was one of the most fined drivers in NASCAR history. Although there are no records to back up this claim, his temper is well documented. It soon became a battle of wills; Isaac would get in a fight and NASCAR would fine him. The more he fought, the higher the fine.

The story goes that finally NASCAR had enough and Pat Purcell, the executive manager of NASCAR at the time, laid down the law.

“Racing doesn’t need you,” Purcell said, “but it’s up to you to decide if you need racing. Racing is going to get along without you unless you change your ways and learn to use your head instead of your fists. Now it’s up to you.”

Isaac took the advice to heart and later began to golf, which started off as a way to exercise, but became a way to let off steam.

‘I’m taking my temper out on the course now,” he explained, “not on the race track. That’s no place to get mad. There’s a difference. You break a golf club, you can always replace it.”

The turning point in Isaac’s career came when he got a phone call from the famed crew chief and mechanic, Harry Hyde. K&K Insurance, owned by Nord and Teddi Krauskopf, was financing a team and they wanted Isaac as their driver. The plan was to run 12 races in 1967 with the goal of winning a championship in a few years.

In 1968, he ran his first full season in the Grand National Series and finished second in the series standings to David Pearson. In 1969 his 19 poles and career-high 17 wins earned him a sixth place ranking at season’s end.

The 1969 season also featured what Isaac called his most satisfying victory, even more so than his 1970 Championship. It came at the last race of the year at the two-mile Texas World Speedway in College Station, Texas. It was the track’s inaugural race, the Texas 500, and NHOF nominee Buddy Baker had the win in sight after leading 150 laps. But Baker crashed during caution as he was apparently trying to read the pit board with only 21 laps remaining. Isaac grabbed the win, leading the last 19 laps.

It was Isaac’s 20^th victory but his first win at a track larger than one mile.

“We won a lot of short-track races, but we couldn’t pull it all together on the big tracks until the last race of the season at Texas. That win was my biggest moment in racing,” Isaac told Greg Fielden for “NASCAR: The Complete History.”

In 1970, Isaac won the Cup championship scoring 11 wins, 13 poles and 32 top-fives in his No. 71 K&K Insurance Dodge Charger Daytona.

“Winning the championship gave me personal satisfaction, but I’d rank it second to the Texas win,” Isaac said. “The way I look at it, it took me seven years to win a superspeedway race and only three years to win the championship.”

He later came to appreciate the significance of his championship. Isaac appeared in a documentary called “Once upon a Wheel,” hosted by Paul Newman. It was filmed in 1971 and various drivers were asked why they chose to race.

“This has been a life-long ambition for me since I’ve been in racing, to be the Grand National Champion,” Isaac replied. “I had a lot of good friends that was the champion years before me and I like when we’re standing around to feel that I’m as good as they was. They was the world’s champion and I’m the world’s champion.”

Isaac’s claim to fame did not end there. In September 1971, he took his Dodge to the Bonneville Salt Flats and set 28 world-class records in one day. Many of those records still stand today.

In 1972 Isaac walked away from the K&K Insurance team amid problems between owner Krauskopf and NASCAR over rule changes. Those issues led to Krauskopf boycotting some races while Isaac sat on the sidelines. He was also unhappy to learn that the team had agreed to run a second car with Buddy Baker, feeling that it would unfairly divide their resources. More than anything, Isaac just wanted to race every week but he remained appreciative of all the opportunities he had been given by Krauskopf.

“They were awfully good to me. I can’t say anything bad about Nord or Harry. They did what they thought they had to do,” he emphasized. “I won more races in two years than most drivers have in a career.”

Isaac continued racing until 1976, but he never won another NASCAR race after leaving the K&K Insurance team. His final race was at Hickory Motor Speedway on August 13, 1977. With 10 laps to go, Isaac pitted. He asked for a relief driver and took a few steps after leaving his car, but suddenly collapsed.

Dr. Jerry Punch, a veteran ABC/ESPN broadcaster, was a second-year medical student at the time and was in the announcer’s booth that night.

“It was a typical Isaac race, smooth and consistent,” said Punch. “But with about 40 laps to go, he got very erratic. After driving all over the track, Isaac pulled into the pits with 10 laps to go. It looked like a case of heat prostration.”

“They took him to Catawba Memorial Hospital in Hickory,” Punch continued. “When I walked in, they had Bobby on one of the tables. He still had his fire suit on, but it was unzipped, and he had his sleeves tied around his waist. And he told me, ‘That old car just drove so hard tonight. My arms just ache.’”

As Isaac was being examined in the X-ray room, he went into cardiac arrest and the doctors were unable to revive him. He was only 45 years old at the time of his death.

Isaac had a short but impressive career. His quiet demeanor off the track was in stark contrast to the intensity with which he drove a race car. A man of few words, he let his actions on the track do his talking for him.

Accomplishments:

1970 – Driver of the Year Award from the National Motorsports Press Association
1979 – Inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame
1996 – Inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame
1998 – Named One of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers
2012 – Nominee to NASCAR Hall of Fame

Credits:

Dr. Jerry Punch quotes http://www.caranddriver.com/features/aero-warrior-the-death-of-isaac-page-1

Bobby Isaac, David Pearson and Pat Purcell quotes: “Bobby Isaac: NASCAR’s First Modern Champion” by Steve Lehto

April 14, 2015
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Texas

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished second at Texas, earning his ninth runner-up finish in his last 10 races. He leads the Sprint Cup points standings by 26 over Joey Logano.

“Jimmie Johnson and I have won four of seven races this season,” Harvick said. “Johnson’s win at Texas supports the notion that the Sprint Cup championship is a two-man battle, and I ‘seconded’ that.

“I visited The Masters on Thursday in support of my friend Scott Harvey, who’s an amateur. I took my Stewart-Haas Chevy with me. Every time Scott hit a shot, I said ‘4!’”

2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson took the lead for good with 14 laps to go, passing Kevin Harvick and Jamie McMurray, to win the Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

“Nothing’s more satisfying that putting on a cowboy hat and firing off a few rounds from a six-shooter,” Johnson said. “It’s a feeling that’s hard to describe unless you’re Kurt Busch, who would no doubt say he felt like an ‘assassin.’ And he knows.

“But I’m not a big fan of ten-gallon hats. I prefer my volume measured in ‘Cups,’ and seven is the quantity I’m looking for.”

3. Joey Logano: Logano led 19 laps and finished fourth in the Duck Commander 500, posting his third top-five result of the season.

“Kurt Busch won his second pole of the season,” Logano said. “In Kurt’s world, winning the pole again is known as getting ‘reinstated’ to the first starting spot.”

4. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski joined Penske Racing teammate Joey Logano, who finished fourth, in the top five with a fifth in the Duck Commander 500.

“It was a very uneventful race,” Keselowski said. “Unlike November’s race in Texas, nothing happened. Call it a ‘ho humdinger.’ Even the boredom was Texas-sized. Had the race last November been called the Duck Commander 500, maybe it would have done me some good. With all the shoves and punches flying at me then, a ‘duck’ call surely would have helped.”

5. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished ninth in the Duck Commander 500, giving him six top 10’s in the season’s first seven races. He stands third in the points standings, 50 behind Kevin Harvick.

“There’s another ‘Junior’ making news,” Truex said. “Apparently, Danica Patrick would say ‘yes’ if Ricky Stenhouse Jr. would propose. That puts Ricky in a truly awkward predicament. Now, it seems both Patrick and Stenhouse are in ‘no-win’ situations.”

6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt came home third on a strong day for Hendrick Motorsports, which placed four drivers in the top seven. Earnhardt is seventh is the points standings, 93 out of first.

“Rick Hendrick couldn’t be happier,” Earnhardt said. “Unlike a Richard Childress Racing tire, Rick’s ego is fully inflated.

7. Kasey Kahne: Kahne finished eighth in the Duck Commander 500 after starting fourth and leading six laps.

“Did you see Michael Waltrip standing atop Texas Motor Speedway’s giant video monitor?” Kahne said. “Michael looked a little wobbly up there, but then again, when has Michael ever been that sure of his ‘orientation.’”

8. Jeff Gordon: Gordon finished seventh at Texas as all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers finished in the top seven.

“I really wanted to win in Texas,” Gordon said. “That would have been the perfect going away present. As it was, Jimmie Johnson won ‘going away.’”

9. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished 11th at Texas, one spot behind Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Carl Edwards in 10th. Hamlin is seventh in the points standings.

“This race was called the ‘NRA 500’ in 2013,” Hamlin said. “That was a scary day, especially for the No. 42 Target car.

“Michael Waltrip dropped a taco on my car before the race. It wasn’t a big deal to me. It’s one thing to have hot sauce on your Toyota; it’s another to have hot sauce in your Toyota. Michael did; it was called ‘jet fuel.’”

10. Jamie McMurray: McMurray finished sixth in the Duck Commander 500, scoring his third top-10 finish of the year.

“Wow!” McMurray said. “There were stars of the ‘Duck Dynasty’ show in Victory Lane. I really would have loved to win this race so I could have met the one and only Willie Robertson. That way, the ‘McDaddy’ could have met the ‘Quack Daddy.’”

April 14, 2015