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Tag: Talladega

  • Wallace’s victory should and will always be considered valid

    Wallace’s victory should and will always be considered valid

    When NASCAR faithful talk about Dale Earnhardt Sr., several things come to mind. The black No. 3, seven championships, 76 points wins, the mustache, The Intimidator…also the 1998 Daytona 500 winner.

    Dale Sr.’s Daytona 500 struggles were well documented and in many ways came to define his career as much as his other successes did. There was the 1990 500, the 1993 500, the 1997 500, and others that played into his Daytona 500 campaign before he finally won in 1998. Leading the field when the caution flew on the 198th lap out of the scheduled 200, Dale Sr. crossed the line to the praise and joy of all in the NASCAR nation.

    But if Dale Sr. can cross the finish line and score his first Daytona 500 win under caution, why can’t Bubba Wallace’s first career win be considered just as valid?

    It isn’t an ideal situation when a race is called early. Drivers are left wondering if they had more on the table in order to score the checkered but ultimately, in the NASCAR record books it still counts as a win. Drivers still get the trophy and points. And there’s no shame to it; Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Kurt Busch have all won shortened events, as have Ryan Newman, and Joey Logano.

    Why should Wallace’s victory in the YellaWood 500 be any different? If Dale Sr.’s victory is revered as one of the biggest moments in NASCAR history, or Edwards’s 2016 Texas win looked back on as an end of an era, why shouldn’t Wallace get the credit for his win?

    Of course, there are those who are iffy on shortened wins. Justin Haley got his first Cup win in a shortened event due to rain when he won at Daytona in 2019. He didn’t get it on speed but on strategy. Same for Chris Buescher at Pocono in 2016, and ditto for David Reutimann at Charlotte in 2009. For that matter, the same can be said for Logano’s first career win at New Hampshire in ’09 as well. It’s easy to see why it’s tempting to put an asterisk by a shortened win when faced with that list of races.

    But like Dale Sr. in 1998, Wallace had a strong car at Talladega. He’s an efficient plate race, with three top-fives at Daytona and several strong runs at Talladega including a stage win in the spring. On Monday he ran a patient race, running near the front before putting his car into the lead five laps from the finish. It wasn’t a dominant performance like Dale Sr.’s 1998 Daytona run, but it was evident that Wallace had a potential winning car.

    It wasn’t a full race, sadly, but in the end, it was past the halfway point. Any way it gets painted, a win is a win. Just ask Michael Waltrip, who earned his second Daytona 500 win in 2003 after the race was called after 109 of 200 laps. The trophy, check, and credit is still awarded to the driver leading when the race is called.

    Social media warriors can still cry about NASCAR rigging the race and how they feel that Wallace didn’t warrant the win but ultimately it’s sour grapes. Wallace did battle, he played the game, and in the end, he was in the right place at the right time when the race was called. That was enough for Wallace and his 23XI Racing crew to break through and earn the title of NASCAR Cup Series winners.

    It’s a time for celebration, not negativity. Wallace’s win was the first for a black driver since 1963, and with that being said it’s a time for celebration for the sport for that matter. So to those who call themselves fans yet sneer and detract from Wallace’s win, it’s time they evaluate what they truly want out of this sport for themselves.

  • The Final Word – If only all races were like Talladega

    The Final Word – If only all races were like Talladega

    For the third time this season, NASCAR presented a race worth watching. I am not talking about those good ole boys and girls who have the sport in their blood, who love it, cannot live without it no matter what it looks like. I am talking about those who demand an entertaining three-hour experience if they are going to spend the time to take it all in. Talladega delivered.

    This is what drew people to NASCAR in the first place. They did not know a Fonty Flock from a Smokey Yunick, but they knew what they liked. Tons of action, lots of speed, disaster possibly just around the corner, watching guys doing things we could never pull off on our best day, or even contemplate on our drunkest. On Sunday, Talladega delivered.

    Back in the day, we talked about boys who went by the names of Petty, Roberts, Yarborough, Allison, Earnhardt, Gordon, and Stewart, to name a select few. Today, we once again talk about an Elliott, as the son of Bill from Dawsonville took the prize in the end. Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, and Ryan Preece led three Chevrolets across the line as, for once, the manufacturers made it known they wanted to win. They wanted their representatives to work together to make that happen. Limit what you do for the Ford and Toyota guys. Win one for the Camaro. In the end, thanks to some fine wheelmen and good fortune, Talladega delivered.

    It was a day when sometimes they got too close to the line, and what you would expect would happen at 200 mph at close quarters did happen. Kevin Harvick lasted just 10 laps. Denny Hamlin survived 80. Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer were running at the end, but their odds of winning were about the same as your own. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was front and center most of the day but wrecked by the end. If you were looking for fireworks, Talladega delivered.

    Were the FOX announcers great, keeping you informed and entertained? They did not have to be. The race, the actual event, kept us watching all on its own. Sure, we could talk once more about what changes FOX should make, and what NBC did last season, but we’ve flogged that horse past the point of what the SPCA or even Rodrigo Duterte could tolerate. You wanted a race, you got a race. Talladega delivered.

    Daytona. Bristol. Talladega. Ten races, but only three that kept the viewing public glued to their seats, even if they were nowhere to be seen at that track in Tennessee a few weeks back. To be honest, I was so focused on the race, I could not tell you how many empty seats there might have been in the wilds of Alabama. If they could not or would not make the effort to take this one in, that would have been a shame. Talladega delivered.

    Next week, they are in Dover. The Monster Mile they call it. It has been around for 50 years. Miles the Monster, holding a full sized Cup car up in the air, has been there since 2008. The last time the Cup boys visited there was last October. The winner, the youngest ever to do so at the venue, was one Chase Elliott. Will Dover bring us the same kind of experience as we enjoyed this past weekend? Hell no. Few tracks deliver like Talladega can.

  • The Final Word – Bristol, we have a problem

    The Final Word – Bristol, we have a problem

    Bristol is not Las Vegas, Phoenix, Fort Worth or Charlotte. There are reasons to go to the Virginia-Tennessee border. The country is beautiful. On Sunday, it appears a lot of people were taking in the scenery. They sure in hell were not at the race track.

    NASCAR is in serious trouble. Sure, we have commented on the dropping ratings and crowds for years. The pretty people who once made it the thing to be part of have all disappeared and even the sponsors rarely do anything special in their commercials as they did a decade or more ago. We knew things were not great. Then we saw the grandstands at Bristol on Sunday.

    They were “optimizing the stadium configuration for the spring race only” the track folks announced, taking “a more frontstretch and backstretch approach.” That was their way of explaining why not a single soul was sitting in the large stretches at either end of the facility. Not a soul. No doubt the buses arrived to take the sight seers out on their tour and off they went. Not a candy wrapper to be found.

    “To create a more energetic atmosphere” was what was to be enjoyed by the token few left behind. I can smell the bovine excrement from here. In a stadium that is built for 146,000 fans, only an estimated 38,000 bothered to show up for the prizes and to be revved up during the cautions and stage breaks. When one of your most iconic tracks, one that can be counted on to serve up some great action, looks as abandoned as North Wilkesboro, you have a problem. An Apollo 13 kind of problem.

    Sometimes a race can be highly entertaining. Daytona was. Bristol was. Everything in between was not. They actually sucked. I wager that the “action” presented in Atlanta, Las Vegas, Phoenix, California, Martinsville, and Texas earned the sport not one single new fan. Not one. Instead, they probably sent a few more former fans packing. When they quit turning out at a track like Bristol, disaster looms on the horizon.

    Want a quick easy fix? How about announcers who entertain you in a fashion the race is not. NBC finally got it, with the style of broadcasting delivered by Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Rick Allen and company keeping us tuned in just to hear what those boys and girls might say. On FOX, their style depends on the race being worth to watch, as their commentary does not provide a diversion for when it is not. Thus far, six of the eight have not.

    Now, take that NBC-style commentary with his broadcasters who might tell you what is happening, who might make you think, who certainly will make you laugh, and pipe it through as a channel on the scanners worn by those in the crowd. I am sure it would add to the experience a whole lot more than massive sections of empty seats and a few prizes. If they can not fix the racing, at least fix the experience.

    After 15 years of watching the sport closely, of commenting on it weekly, it simply became a chore for me. I am not the only one. Next year, NASCAR once again attacks its own tradition. For 11 seasons (2004-2014) they moved the Southern 500 out of its usual Labor Day spot. They even dropped the Southern 500 moniker for a time. When they finally returned to tradition, we thought they might have learned something. They did not. Next season, the former Firecracker 400 July race at Daytona moves to the fall, to be replaced by the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. The track at Indy is iconic, the NASCAR racing there is always horrid. Almost unwatchable,

    They keep saying the current schedule is stagnant. Who in hell are “they?” Are “they” people who actually go to the races, who are continuing family traditions with an annual trek to Daytona in the summer on their own dime? I sincerely doubt it. The tracks are not stagnant. The dates are not stagnant. The damn racing experience and the television commentary are what is stagnant. If you want to do something, fix that.

    Next week it is Richmond. Not bad. Two weeks after that, it is Talladega. Always great. After the shock we got at Bristol, I just hope they have enough fans left to fill at least half of the seats. I am taking nothing for granted.

  • Hot 20 of the NASCAR season that was

    Hot 20 of the NASCAR season that was

    Another season has come and gone, along with a few more drivers and fans, to be honest. However, there are some things I have noticed that are on the positive side, though not all would agree.

    I like stage racing. I was not sure to start with, but I like it now. It helps chronicle who mattered early and it informs us as to who mattered throughout. It even tells us who won, and it rewards that winner is a meaningful way.

    As a traditionalist, I was dead set against the playoffs. I have changed my mind. Logically, it makes no sense to have the pretenders still on the same competitive field as the contenders. Yet, it has not much affected the action, other than for one understandably upset Matt Kenseth. In this snowflake influenced world of ours, sometimes vengeance can still be had.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. was not missed on the track due to his excellence in the NBC broadcast booth alongside Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Rick Allen and a very stout track-side team. They were entertaining, informative, and sounded like they were excited being there. That is all it takes, but it took a long, long time for some to figure that out. I am not sure FOX has yet.

    NASCAR boss man Brian France left the scene in August after being tagged with charges of aggravated driving while intoxicated and criminal possession of a controlled substance. Replaced by his uncle, I think most think that was a positive step. At least Jim France bothers to show up at the track every week.

    The France family is looking to fold its 13 track International Speedway Corp., which includes Darlington, Daytona, Martinsville and Talladega, into a merger with NASCAR itself. One can speculate as to the reasons, be it to lay out “a more unified strategic approach”, as Jim France says, or to package it all up for sale. Time will tell.

    Sometime over the past decade, the “How bad have you got it” mantra went out the window, along with the fans they were asking. Most of the races this season had a dip in ratings, with at least 26 being seen as having their worst of the past decade, if not of all time. Most of the celebrities are gone, we produce fewer gear heads these days, and the good ole boys and girls like Bo, Luke, and Daisy have been replaced in society by those who know more about tissues than issues.

    It appears Jamie McMurray is leaving the driver’s seat, at least on a full-time basis. Kurt Busch could be his replacement with Chip Ganassi. Kenseth is set to step back from even doing that after spelling off Trevor Bayne. Ryan Newman will take their place at Roush-Fenway, with newcomer Daniel Hemric taking his former ride with Richard Childress. Furniture Row is now gone, as Martin Truex Jr. heads over to Joe Gibbs, bumping Daniel Suarez possibly over to replace the elder Busch at Stewart-Haas. A.J. Allmendinger will be without a ride, giving up his seat to rookie Ryan Preece. Kasey Kahne has called it a career, and the 17-year combination of Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus comes to an end.

    Changes. Some we like, some we will not, at least to start with. Will fans come back in droves? Nope. Why should they? Give them a reason, give them entertainment, give them a reason to care.

    All they have to do is figure out what that is. Over the course of the past decade, they have not.

    1. JOEY LOGANO – 5040 POINTS (3 Wins)
    This is not “fake news.” Logano is a deserving, even if not an overly popular, champion.

    2. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 5035 POINTS (4 Wins)
    If we could ignore the facts for our own biases…but we can not. Now he is off to join the Coach.

    3. KEVIN HARVICK – 5034 POINTS (8 Wins)
    If he could win all those he dominated for a period of time, he would have gone double figures.

    4. KYLE BUSCH – 5033 POINTS (8 Wins)
    Great seasons can be spoiled by the uncertainty of a playoff. Case in point…

    5. ARIC ALMIROLA – 2354 POINTS (1 Win)
    Not everyone is moving on. Then again, he was one of those movers not so long ago.

    6. CHASE ELLIOTT – 2350 POINTS (3 Wins)
    The future of Hendrick has already arrived.

    7. KURT BUSCH – 2350 POINTS (1 Win)
    If he wants to race Indy, his rumored new boss might have a few options open to him.

    8. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2343 POINTS (3 Wins)
    “I’m going to say it again. I did not intentionally spin out that driver, Mr. Suarez.”

    9. KYLE LARSON – 2299 POINTS
    If your business is named “Hi-Line”, I have a marketing opportunity for you.

    10. RYAN BLANEY – 2298 POINTS (1 Win)
    Like Chase, he is one of the positives NASCAR can showcase for the future.

    11. DENNY HAMLIN – 2285 POINTS
    As with Johnson, a years-long streak of wins in a season comes to an end.

    12. CLINT BOWYER – 2272 POINTS (2 Wins)
    Light-hearted and funny. Plus, if you ever find yourself in a ditch, he has connections.

    13. AUSTIN DILLON – 2245 POINTS (1 Win)
    That win was nice, but the iconic number was not so iconic after Daytona.

    14. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2242 POINTS
    The marriage with Chad lasted longer than a vast majority of Hollywood relationships.

    15. ERIK JONES – 2220 POINTS (1 Win)
    At 22, That Jones Boy is making Joe Gibbs feel pretty good about the future.

    16. ALEX BOWMAN – 2204 POINTS
    Driving a car once driven by an Earnhardt is not an easy act to follow.

    17. RYAN NEWMAN – 769 POINTS
    Off to become one of the guys over at the House that Jack built. Maybe even his bodyguard.

    18. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 701 POINTS
    After five years, the storyline changed in 2018, along with a downturn in performance

    19. PAUL MENARD – 692 POINTS
    Will be around as long as a certain home improvement company markets its wares on a stock car.

    20. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 683 POINTS
    If this marks the end of the line, he finishes it up among those who mattered.

  • Hot 20 – Martinsville and it is getting late, as those who matter are now down to eight

    Hot 20 – Martinsville and it is getting late, as those who matter are now down to eight

    Then there were eight, as the surviving championship contenders take to the track this weekend at Martinsville. It is damn near over, but that overweight soprano has yet to warble, so we have a few notes to wait for between now and Homestead.

    First, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick are bound to be among the final four. Probably. Maybe. If they manage to record Top Ten finishes this Sunday, as well as at Texas and Phoenix, add a few stage points, then all will be fine. If. A blown engine. A failed part. A wreck. Now, that could change everything. Not much wiggle room, but those two boys have more than anyone.

    Martin Truex Jr. is our defending champion on a team about to become a ghost after this season. He is 23 points to the good. That is almost enough for a free pass…for one race…almost.

    We have been waiting to see which of the new generation would firmly put his foot down and emerge as a true star of the future. Chase Elliott has provided us with the answer. In claiming two of the past three, he is the gent in that final transfer spot. It is not by much. Three points. Three points can come and go in a lap.

    Three hounds are chasing the fox. Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, and Kurt Busch are tied for fifth. For them, everything will be a big thing. Qualifying. Stage points. Finishes. Everything.

    Finally, there is Aric Almirola. There are no more Talladega experiences coming up. No teammates to take him down the yellow brick road. This week, especially, he is on his own. As he comes in nine points out, he has to prove he belongs in this company. This week. Next week. The following week. If he can do that, he will truly deserve to be in the hunt in mid-November at Homestead.

    The third round of the playoffs begins this Sunday at Martinsville with eight men out to lay a claim on a championship.

    1. KYLE BUSCH – 4055 POINTS (7 Wins)
    The Big Three…

    2. KEVIN HARVICK – 4054 POINTS (7 Wins)
    …remain the Top Three…

    3. MARTIN TRUEX, JR. – 4038 POINTS (4 Wins)
    …but will there be room for all three when they arrive at Homestead?

    4. CHASE ELLIOTT – 4018 POINTS (3 Wins)
    Three wins in his last 11 starts mean the lad has finally arrived and is a contender.

    5. CLINT BOWYER – 4015 POINTS (2 Wins)
    Just four spots remain to be in that final run for the championship…

    6. JOEY LOGANO – 4015 POINTS (1 Win)
    …but should a couple of the boys down here claim a win…

    7. KURT BUSCH – 4015 POINTS (1 Win)
    …then all bets are off.

    8. ARIC ALMIROLA – 4006 POINTS (1 Win)
    Almirola will not be among them. I love Talladega, but it is not a true indicator of what is to come.

    9. RYAN BLANEY – 2212 POINTS (1 Win)
    Had a good day last week, but as things turned out he needed to sweep the stages or win.

    10. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2194 POINTS (3 Wins)
    To be a Top Ten ranked driver these days one has to win, though sometimes three is not enough.

    11. KYLE LARSON – 2178 POINTS
    Even a Top Three finish proved too little too late for some.

    12. DENNY HAMLIN – 2159 POINTS
    A Fistful of Dollars and a Handful of Martinsville wins. It is never too late to be a winner.

    13. AUSTIN DILLON – 2150 POINTS (1 Win)
    Do you remember Daytona in February? Me neither.

    14. ERIK JONES – 2148 POINTS (1 Win)
    Jones is in a Toyota, one of the few who are. How does that bode for 2019?

    15. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2148 POINTS
    Here is hoping for a 10th and final Jimmie-Chad Martinsville celebration.

    16. ALEX BOWMAN – 2144 POINTS
    Bowman drives a bowtie. Am I the only one seeing the advertising potential of this?

    17. RYAN NEWMAN – 663 POINTS
    Newman drives a bowtie. Next season, it will be a blue oval. At least it is not a Toyota.

    18. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 632 POINTS
    No sweat working with Stenhouse, but driving is an entirely different matter for Kasey Kahne.

    19. PAUL MENARD – 630 POINTS
    There was a Menard sighting at Kansas, but that ended in the middle of the second stage.

    20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 627 POINTS
    Former crew chief Scott Graves will join Newman with Roush next season.

  • Hot 20 – If viewership tanked for Talladega, imagine what the ratings for Kansas will be

    Hot 20 – If viewership tanked for Talladega, imagine what the ratings for Kansas will be

    Talladega was a ratings bust. Talladega. For fans who follow the sport, those four Stewart-Haas cars up front, doing what they had to do all day long, was something to behold. For those who simply tune in to watch incredible action, they had to wait for the final 20 laps for the payoff. However, they had to have tuned in to witness either. They did not even bother. That is troublesome.

    Now, we have Kansas coming up on Sunday. Kansas. Winning the Hollywood Casino 400 will not exactly mean anything more than finishing first at some generically named Cup event that no one will remember in a few weeks. It has the marquee value of actress Lecy Goranson headlining a major Hollywood production. None. In fact, Charlotte’s roval and Talladega were the last events of the season able to stand on their own. Do not expect anyone new to watch these final four races. Zip.

    NBC did its part. Bringing Dale Earnhardt Jr. into the mix along with Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Rick Allen and the rest of the talented crew finally gave us a broadcast that is interesting to tune to watch on its own. If you want to learn stuff, they can educate. Maybe it is the audience that has changed, that has become dimwitted, unable to focus, unable or unwilling to learn, complaining about the stupidest things for the stupidest of reasons. Maybe.

    Then again, old-time fans have been thinking that for years. Maybe decades. Stock cars are no longer stock. The champion is no longer determined by being the best over the season. The playoff concept was introduced. Stage points. Selling out tradition (the brief termination of the Southern 500, the Firecracker 400, the World 600) in favor of commercialization. Maybe both NASCAR and what today constitutes many of its potential fans, the society as a whole, has changed to the point the sport is unable to keep them in the seats or sitting in front of their televisions. Maybe too many would rather let someone else do their driving, or some artificial intelligence, than sitting behind the wheel of a car themselves to enjoy the experience of hitting the open road. Maybe.

    If you are not a fan, a follower of the action, someone who would love to have the talent to be able to hit the track themselves, maybe you just do not get it. I feel the same way about soccer and basketball. At least I have some ideas as to changes that might interest me in the former. Get rid of the off-side rule, push penalty shots much further back than just 12 yards out, and banning the effeminate diving by grown men hitting the ground over nothing more than a fart might give me some reason to watch the action. Unfortunately, I am fresh out of ideas as to what NASCAR needs to do to attract former and future fans back to their venues and telecasts. If the potential of mayhem on every lap does not do it, I do not know what will.

    I know Kansas, on its own, is not part of the answer. What is?

    1. ARIC ALMIROLA – ROUND WIN – 3087 Pts – 1 Win
    I wish to thank my teammates for all of their support.

    2. CHASE ELLIOTT – ROUND WIN – 3066 Pts – 2 Wins
    Kansas is next, but he is already preparing for Martinsville, Texas, and Phoenix.

    3. KEVIN HARVICK – 3128 POINTS – 7 Wins
    Put the pedal to the metal but he needed a chance to coast for a few laps.

    4. KYLE BUSCH – 3111 POINTS – 7 Wins
    Was in self-preservation mode until the end, when they finally got him.

    5. JOEY LOGANO – 3104 POINTS – 1 Win
    If he should pick up some stage points and a decent finish, he should be fine.

    6. KURT BUSCH – 3095 POINTS – 1 Win
    I loved the Talladega finish but as for Kurt, not so much.

    7. CLINT BOWYER – 3086 POINTS – 2 Wins
    Roar that engine and click those ruby red slippers as the lad is back in Kansas.

    8. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 3083 POINTS – 4 Wins
    How he wound up above the cut off line had a lot to do with fuel…or lack of it for others.

    9. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 3065 POINTS – 3 Wins
    Those three wins mean nothing coming to Sunday. A fourth would be very, very nice.

    10. RYAN BLANEY – 3061 POINTS – 1 Win
    A very bad day for Bowyer or Truex would be helpful…not wishing bad on anyone, but…

    11. KYLE LARSON – 3047 POINTS
    Being creative with repairs cost Larson 10 points. Now he is in Bowman country.

    12. ALEX BOWMAN – 3015 POINTS
    A win by Bowman this Sunday would top even what Almirola managed to do last weekend.

    13. DENNY HAMLIN – 2136 POINTS
    Being the best of the rest is his remaining goal.

    14. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2128 POINTS
    Jimmie and Chad are down to four races to extend that string of seasons with at least one win.

    15. AUSTIN DILLON – 2124 POINTS – 1 Win
    Some ran out of gas on Sunday. Dillon’s quest ran out of gas a few weeks ago.

    16. ERIK JONES – 2108 POINTS – 1 Win
    We need the likes of Jones and 17-year old Hailie Deegan to become future marquee attractions.

    17. RYAN NEWMAN – 641 POINTS
    Had a better season than some, but hopes for better yet with Roush in 2019.

    18. PAUL MENARD – 619 POINTS
    Returned from two laps down to record a Top Ten at Talladega.

    19. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 615 POINTS
    Third best last week as some of the season’s also-rans finished their runs in lofty positions.

    20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 614 POINTS
    Ranked 20th last season. Ranked 20th this season. If nothing else, the lad is consistent.

  • The Final Word – I know I’m late, but can I make my Talladega prediction now?

    The Final Word – I know I’m late, but can I make my Talladega prediction now?

    If only I could time travel. Going back a few days, I could have been able to pin-point exactly what one needed to do to win at Talladega on Sunday.

    1. Drive a Ford.

    2. Work for Tony Stewart and Gene Haas.

    3. Save fuel.

    4. Do not lead until after the final turn.

    It would not work next year, with the new rules packages coming in. However, last Sunday, it would have been spot on.

    As it turned out, only 14 drivers mattered. If they were not behind the wheel of a blue oval, they did not stand a chance. Of the 193 laps they eventually ran, only nine were led by someone in another make of car, five of those by William Byron in a Chevy.

    If you were working for Stewart-Haas, you were among the Top Four all day long. Those four led the opening two segments, actually running far beyond anyone else especially over the opening 55 laps.

    A lot of cars ran out of fuel coming to the green flag as they embarked on over-time. Kevin Harvick was among them, as that SHR entry wound up in 28th. Kurt Busch ran out of petrol while leading coming out of Turn Four in sight of the finish line. He wound up 14th.

    Between them, Harvick and the elder Busch led 154 laps. Not a place to be if you wanted to save on fuel. Now, sitting third and fourth, especially on that final run to glory, paid dividends. Aric Almirola was fourth for most of the day, moved to third when it counted, and crossed the line ahead of team-mate Clint Bowyer for the victory. Almirola’s win locked him into the next round of the playoffs, along with Harvick and Dover winner Chase Elliott. Kyle Busch is a sneeze away from being there himself, while his brother and Joey Logano are not a lock, but both are still 30 to the good. As for the hopes for six others, it all hinges on what happens next Sunday at Kansas.

    It was one of the most impressive team races in NASCAR history. All four Stewart-Haas entries were disciplined. They opened up spots for their team-mates on re-starts, stayed tight together up front, and stayed that way right to the end. No one could touch them. They tried, but as veterans Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. pointed out from the broadcast booth what the rest had to do to challenge as the laps counted down, the boys on the track seemed to toss away those opportunities on every turn.

    Next Sunday, Byron has to win to advance. Kyle Larson is 26 points out. Ryan Blaney is 22 away. Brad Keselowski finds himself 18 on the outside, behind Martin Truex, Jr. and 21 in Bowyer’s rear view. Not an impossible gap, but not an easy one to see disappear.

    Hope is not buoyed for the rest by the knowledge that the most recent winners at Kansas were named either Harvick or Truex the past four visits there, or the guy before that was Kyle Busch. Logano won it twice prior to that, sandwiching Jimmie Johnson’s third win at the venue. The seven time champion has just four more chances to win one final time with Chad Knaus on his pit box before the pair end their race day alliance at the end of the season. Together they have won at least once every season since 2002.

    If a contender does not do it this upcoming weekend, I think a Johnson and Knaus celebration would be a fan favorite. I would love to tell you how it ends but, alas, that time traveler thing has not worked out for me. If it had, I would have gotten extremely rich betting against the polls a couple of years ago.

  • Hot 20 – Not everyone loves Talladega, but not everyone is normal

    Hot 20 – Not everyone loves Talladega, but not everyone is normal

    Talladega. Do you need any more incentive to watch the action this Sunday? It is Talladega, dammit!

    Flying around in aircraft formation inches apart at 200 mph. That would be good enough to force me into the Depends, especially if I were in the passenger seat. It is a track that causes skid marks to appear everywhere. One wobble, one mistake, and a whole bunch of folks find themselves in a world of hurt. It does not have to happen. Just the threat that it could, on each and every lap, is enough to watch, to wonder, and to marvel at the skills of the boys going round and round.

    Just the nature of the beast allows almost all to hold out hope that victory could be their own, legends and no frill competitors alike. Many of the greatest names in the sport have won at least three times there. Bobby Allison. Brad Keselowski. Buddy Baker. Cale Yarborough, Dale Earnhardt. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Darrell Waltrip. Davey Allison. David Pearson. Jeff Gordon. Joey Logano. How sweet it would be to be included among those names.

    More than a few have had that honor over the past 50 years. The big names boycotted the first race in 1969. Too dangerous, they said. It gave Richard Brickhouse his lone Cup victory. Peter Hamilton had four career wins, two with his sweep in 1970. James Hylton won twice during his career, including the summer of 1972. Dick Brooks claimed his one and only a year later. Same track, same solitary milestone for Lonnie Pond, Ron Bouchard and Phil Parsons.

    Talladega is a track that plays no favorites. A legend or a no name can claim victory, and both can expect one hell of a ride at any time on any corner for any reason. To you, an Elliott could just mean a boy who once played with a funny looking alien fellow and ate Reese’s Pieces. Or a Busch is just a cold beer. Or someone named Kyle must mean a chap who does rap (never heard of the guy, personally). None of that would detract from your Talladega experience.

    If you base your television viewing on how many times it causes you to exclaim “Holy Crap!”, might I suggest Talladega.

    1. CHASE ELLIOTT – 1 ROUND WIN (3056 Pts – 2 Wins)
    It is time for Bill to remove the training wheels. The boy no longer needs them.

    2. KEVIN HARVICK – 3101 POINTS (7 Wins)
    Harvick just hired my 85-year old mother-in-law to join his pit crew. She starts Sunday.

    3. KYLE BUSCH – 3096 POINTS (7 Wins)
    The knob is gone next year and, no, I am not referring to the driver.

    4. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 3069 POINTS (4 Wins)
    Along with Blaney, the Most Popular Driver contenders include him and the names listed above.

    5. JOEY LOGANO – 3064 POINTS (1 Win)
    Lately, he has been a Top Five guy at Talladega, and that is something he would like to continue.

    6. KURT BUSCH – 3054 POINTS (1 Win)
    Surviving the Roval and Talladega is not an easy thing to do, but here is hoping.

    7. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 3054 POINTS (3 Wins)
    Almirola’s drive to Victory Lane took a detour into Keselowski…and stopped there.

    8. RYAN BLANEY – 3043 POINTS (1 Win)
    Blaney’s Roval win was no accident, but it sure was assisted by one.

    9. ARIC ALMIROLA – 3033 POINTS
    Can he bounce back after Dover wreck? Sure, he bounced off Keselowski, didn’t he?

    10. CLINT BOWYER – 3033 POINTS (2 Wins)
    Feels sick about ruining the day for Almirola. Feels even sicker about ruining his own.

    11. KYLE LARSON – 3031 POINTS
    Good luck and determination got him here, but he will need more than that to continue.

    12. ALEX BOWMAN – 3009 POINTS
    Sometimes you do not want anything to do with Aric and Brad. Not a damn thing.

    13. AUSTIN DILLON – 2101 POINTS (1 Win)
    Avoid a wreck and he just might finish…but that has not happened at Talladega for a while.

    14. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2098 POINTS
    I am loaning Jimmie my 2008 Chrysler Pacifica so he can at least get his parade laps in.

    15. DENNY HAMLIN – 2094 POINTS
    The way he is driving he obviously does not know he has been eliminated from contention.

    16. ERIK JONES – 2079 POINTS (1 Win)
    “How cool would it be to own this cardboard cutout of me in your house?” Not for a grown man.

    17. RYAN NEWMAN – 629 POINTS
    Just killin’ time.

    18. DANIEL SUAREZ – 593 POINTS
    About losing his ride, “When you don’t have anything good to say, it’s better not to say anything.”

    19. PAUL MENARD – 591 POINTS
    Some drivers worry about such things as sponsorship. I wonder if Paul understands why?

    20. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 581 POINTS
    At the moment, he is having a better season than McMurray. Hey, at least it is something.

  • The Final Word – As they were counting chickens at Dover, fate ordered up a few omelets

    The Final Word – As they were counting chickens at Dover, fate ordered up a few omelets

    Do not count your chickens before they hatch. That was the lesson we got in Dover on Sunday. A lot of things can happen between the time the egg emerges from the backside of the hen to when that little pecker bursts from the shell. A lot of bad things.

    You might have a metal part with the resilience of cheap plastic before you even get started. You might have a little knob not registering what the little knob is supposed to be accomplishing. You might have a visit to the pits turn into something that rhymes with pits. You might bounce off a wall or a competitor. Yes sir, a lot of bad things can happen.

    Jimmie Johnson started the race in the garage. Under the pace laps, he had a lower ball joint failure at 45 miles per hour. The car you use to take Grandma out for a nice Sunday drive would last longer than what Johnson was in. Bad part or bad mechanic? It damn near made what happened the previous week at the Roval seem totally irrelevant.

    Kyle Busch started on the pole and ran point the opening fifteen laps. He tried to make some adjustments to the track bar using a little knob in the car. It registered nothing on his dash. It seemed to register nothing as to what he wanted adjusted. Eighth place seemed more than he deserved in the end.

    Kevin Harvick owned this race. He took over from Rowdy and won the opening stage. He was untouchable in the middle frame. His valve stem was touchable when the car went down off the jack while the lug nuts were still being tightened. Gone went the stem, back came the car, back a lap down he went. Sixth was the best he could do after that. The pits is where Harvick’s hopes seem to die all to often.

    Aric Almirola looked good among the replacements up front. So did Brad Keselowski. As did Clint Bowyer. Then Bowyer got a flat. Six laps later, something broke in front and his car got broken up along the wall. 35th place is not where he belonged.

    With just a handful of laps left Almirola and Keselowski gave up the challenge. Aric rubbed the wall, that caused him to rub Keselowski, who then rubbed out Alex Bowman, who finished 28th.

    Into over-time we went, and for the second time in his career it was Chase Elliott giving the fans a thrill as he brought it home in front and took his golden ticket to the Round of Eight. An early birthday gift to his dad. “KyB” and Happy could lock their way in if Talladega is kind to them. At the other end of the spectrum, Bowman is left with two races and 34 points to make up to make it. He won’t. Kyle Larson (12th) is a dozen out, while Bowyer and Almirola (13th) each are ten points in the rearview mirror of Ryan Blaney (11th).

    In front of them all looms the 2.66-mile experience known as Talladega. Nobody is out at the hen house doing a statistical survey just yet. Maybe they might do a tally heading to Kansas, but the whirlwind to watch out for right now is the one about to roar in to Alabama this Sunday.

  • Hot 20 – The Big Three still remain the biggest obstacles for the rest as they hit Dover

    Hot 20 – The Big Three still remain the biggest obstacles for the rest as they hit Dover

    On to Dover this Sunday, and down to a dozen championship contenders. Once again, as we enter the second round of eliminations, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick look solid. So does Martin Truex Jr. Not so for everyone else.

    Just ask Aric Almirola and Kyle Larson. If Jimmie Johnson had not wrecked coming to the line and if Jeffrey Earnhardt did not sit idle for as long as he did just shy of it, one of them would have been out. Both lads came into Charlotte between 17 and 23 points to the good, and it almost was not enough.

    As for Johnson, he said that, after sleeping on it, he still thought he made the right decision to try to challenge Truex for the win last Sunday. I might disagree, but I am not a well decorated former race car championship winner, so what do I know? Well, if you research why George Custer did what he did at the Little Big Horn, you can see the logic behind his actions. Sadly, the result is all we remember, both for ole George and Jimmie.

    The Monster Mile is not exactly one of my favorite venues. On the positive side, the NBC crew is my absolute favorite broadcast team. I do believe those boys and girls can make me watch a soccer game. Okay, as Maury would say, “that was a lie.” Still, it should make for an entertaining broadcast as we begin the round that takes us from Dover, to Talladega, to Kansas.

    Let the fun continue.

    1. KYLE BUSCH – 3055 POINTS (7 Wins)
    “I guess all of us are just stupid” when it came to that late wreck. He was far from alone.

    2. KEVIN HARVICK – 3050 POINTS (7 Wins)
    If having a dud day means finishing ninth, being a dud sometimes is not bad at all.

    3. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 3038 POINTS (4 Wins)
    Sure, he lost his bid for a win, but Johnson lost his bid for a championship.

    4. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 3025 POINTS (3 Wins)
    Believes the 2019 rules package will equate into closer racing. We shall see. We shall see.

    5. CLINT BOWYER – 3015 POINTS (2 Wins)
    One outsider who moved to the inside was not tempted to gamble it all away for a win.

    6. JOEY LOGANO – 3014 POINTS (1 Win)
    Todd Gordon to his driver, “Brad led the army off the cliff” after the late race pileup in Turn 1.

    7. KURT BUSCH – 3014 POINTS (1 Win)
    Took the pole, finished fifth, avoided being part of Brad’s army. A good day, all in all.

    8. RYAN BLANEY – 3013 POINTS (1 Win)
    I want to thank Jimmie Johnson for all he did FOR me…and TO Martin Truex Jr.

    9. CHASE ELLIOTT – 3008 POINTS (1 Win)
    If the new rules package allows the cream to rise, he should like the changes just fine.

    10. KYLE LARSON – 3006 POINTS
    Next, his pit crew will turn water into wine after just raising that car from the dead.

    11. ARIC ALMIROLA – 3001 POINTS
    Thanks, Jimmie. I might not have gotten here without you.

    12. ALEX BOWMAN – 3000 POINTS
    Started last Sunday a point above the bubble, only to now sit 13 points under the bubble.

    13. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2097 POINTS
    A bridge…or maybe a chicane…too far.

    14. AUSTIN DILLON – 2066 POINTS (1 Win)
    Literally went to the wall to keep his playoff hopes alive…but that is what ended them.

    15. DENNY HAMLIN – 2053 POINTS
    Super sorry I ran into the back of your car, Erik.

    16. ERIK JONES – 2041 POINTS (1 Win)
    “What the [expletive] are teammates even for?”

    17. RYAN NEWMAN – 609 POINTS
    Meanwhile, at the kiddie’s table…

    18. PAUL MENARD – 570 POINTS
    Has not had a good past couple of weeks, and it is doubtful things will get any better at Dover.

    19. DANIEL SUAREZ – 566 POINTS
    Still searching for a landing spot and Dover has so far been very, very good to him.

    20. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 553 POINTS
    Anyone want to hire a Top 20 NASCAR driver for next season?

    21. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 553 POINTS
    I guess this is the week for tie-breakers.