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  • Jeff Gordon Weathers Storm to Win Pennsylvania 400

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”241″][/media-credit]In a race delayed by rain at the start and then called later for severe thunderstorms, one driver weathered the storms to collect his first victory of the season.

    Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, won the rain-shortened race, with torrential rain, blinding wind, thunder and lightning heralding his official celebration.

    The win tops an action-packed weekend for the Hendrick Motorsports driver, who earlier collected the Heisman Trophy Humanitarian Award and celebrated his 41st birthday. Crew chief Alan Gustafson also celebrated his birthday on race day.

    This was Gordon’s 86th victory in 674 Cup races and he is third on the all-time series wins list. But sweeter still is that this is Gordon’s first win of the season and his ninth top-10 finish in 2012.

    Although wild weather this weekend, Pocono Raceway has been smooth sailing for Gordon. This is his sixth victory at the ‘Tricky Triangle’ and he is now the sole proprietor of the all-time Pocono win list.

    With the victory, Gordon moves to second in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup wild card standings.

    “Pocono has been a special place for us,” Gordon said. “It’s been an interesting year to say the least.”

    “We’ve had some trying times,” Gordon continued. “We’ve had cars capable of winning and things didn’t go our way, so to see this race unfold the way it did certainly makes up for those would have, could have, should haves.”

    “Today we got the win and it’s nice to know that things can still go our way.”

    What meant the most to Gordon, however, was that his family, his wife Ingrid Vandebosch and children Ella and Leo, were there to celebrate with him.

    “With the wind, rain and lightning, I was so excited to have all my family here,” Gordon said. “I didn’t care if Victory Lane was in a shed.”

    “That experience means more to me than anything else.”

    “Obviously that was a great day for us,” Alan Gustafson, crew chief, said. “We didn’t have the fastest car but we did have a good enough car to get a win. It all worked out our way.”

    Along with Gordon in the first wild card position is now teammate Kasey Kahne. The driver of the No. 5 Farmer’s Insurance Chevrolet finished in the runner up spot, even with a flat right rear tire and some miscues in the pits.

    This was Kahne’s sixth top-10 finish in 18 races at Pocono and his 11th top-10 finish for the season.

    “We had a great car,” Kahne said. “The Hendrick power is something else here on these straightaways.”

    “I made a mistake on pit road, slid over the hose, and it cost us a lot of time and a couple of positions,” Kahne continued. “Jeff got a little better restart and got in front of me when the field wrecked in front of us and he won the race.”

    “And we came in second,” Kahne said. “It was a solid day for us car-wise.”

    New Jersey native Martin Truex Jr., in the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, posted his fifth top-10 finish in 14 races at Pocono. He scored the third place finish in the 39th Annual Pennsylvania 400.

    Truex Jr. commented that the weather was a ‘monsoon’ and that he had to move quickly through his post-race media obligations.

    “Newman told me ‘one word answers’ because he’s waiting on me and we’ve got to go,’ Truex Jr. said. “It was a good race for NAPA Toyota.”

    “Once we got going out there, we were the fastest car on the track,” Truex Jr. continued. “Obviously we got a little bit lucky because a lot of those guys wrecked.”

    “All in all a good day for us.”

    Storms brewed for the Busch brothers, both of whom had close encounters with the wall. Kyle Busch, driving the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota, brought out the first caution on Lap 20 and brother Kurt, behind the wheel of the No. 51 Phoenix Construction Services Chevrolet, brought out the second caution on Lap 87.

    While Kurt Busch was whisked away without comment from the infield care center after his hard hit, Kyle Busch had plenty to share as his team worked feverishly on his car to get him back on the track.

    “We just blew out the rear brake rotors – – disintegrated it and then blew out the rear caliper after that,” Kyle Busch said. “Getting down into Turn One with a three-wheel brake is about the worst situation you can have as a race car driver.”

    “I kept trying to pump it to keep feeding pressure to the rest of the three wheels to keep it off the fence, but just couldn’t do it,” Busch continued. “I hate it for all of these guys. We had a really fast race car today.”

    Busch admitted that this did nothing but hurt him in the point standings. And he knows that a win will be a necessity going forward.

    “We’re obviously not going to make the top-10 so if we get a win great we’ll make the Chase,” Busch said. “If not, we’ll probably miss it.”

    Points leader Dale Earnhardt, Jr. also had a stormy day at the ‘Tricky Triangle.’  The driver of the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet lost a transmission and finished 32nd.

    “We didn’t have third or fourth gear, so we had to change the transmission,” Junior said. “After qualifying it was fine, but when the race started it was a bit of a vibration and started missing some shifts.”

    “We had a good run going,” Junior continued. “I’m sorry to all the guys at the shop and I hope we get a win for one of our cars.”

    The other major drama of the race occurred in the waning laps just before the storms hit. On Lap 92, the race leaders got into one another, causing a wreck that involved Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton and Jimmie Johnson.

    “Well on that last restart, Turn One actually widened out pretty good and we took off,” Kenseth, driving the No. 17 Zest Ford, said. “The 2 didn’t get going and I had a pretty good gap so I crossed the line and was going to pull behind Jimmie (Johnson) and when I pulled down to go behind him I got a little draft and actually pulled up to his door.”

    “So, I decided to race him through there and we went off into One and I could hear his pipes,” Kenseth continued. “I wasn’t sure he lifted. He drove in really, really far and spun out underneath me and I got wrecked.”

    “You don’t mind if something happens it is just a bummer when it takes you out after you are running top three all day and finish 22nd or wherever we are,” Kenseth said. “That is very disappointing and it is hard to look at the bright spot in that.”

    Rounding out the top-five finishers in the Pennsylvania 400 were Brad Keselowski, in the No. 2 Miller Lite Doge, who finished fourth, and Tony Stewart, in the No. 14 Office Depot Back to School Chevrolet, who finished fifth.

    Unofficial Race Results
    Pennsylvania 400, Pocono Raceway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/race.php?race=21
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 27 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 47
    2 4 5 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 43
    3 15 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 41
    4 31 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 41
    5 28 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 39
    6 9 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 38
    7 17 99 Carl Edwards Ford 37
    8 19 15 Clint Bowyer Toyota 36
    9 11 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 35
    10 5 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 34
    11 3 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 33
    12 18 55 Mark Martin Toyota 32
    13 14 20 Joey Logano Toyota 31
    14 10 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 32
    15 12 16 Greg Biffle Ford 29
    16 25 22 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 0
    17 21 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 27
    18 16 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 27
    19 13 43 Aric Almirola Ford 25
    20 1 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 25
    21 26 38 David Gilliland Ford 23
    22 23 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 22
    23 7 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 22
    24 24 10 David Reutimann Chevrolet 20
    25 37 93 Travis Kvapil Toyota 19
    26 22 83 Landon Cassill Toyota 18
    27 39 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 17
    28 32 34 David Ragan Ford 16
    29 2 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 16
    30 6 51 Kurt Busch Chevrolet 15
    31 41 32 Jason White Ford 0
    32 8 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 13
    33 20 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 11
    34 36 30 David Stremme Toyota 10
    35 29 13 Casey Mears Ford 9
    36 38 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 0
    37 34 26 Josh Wise * Ford 7
    38 42 36 Tony Raines Chevrolet 6
    39 30 119 Mike Bliss Toyota 0
    40 35 37 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 4
    41 43 98 Mike Skinner Ford 0
    42 40 191 Reed Sorenson Ford 0
    43 33 23 Scott Riggs Chevrolet 1
  • Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 19 Pocono Raceway – Pennsylvania 400 – August 5, 2012

    Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 19 Pocono Raceway – Pennsylvania 400 – August 5, 2012

    Well, what can I say other than it’s been a month since you’ve heard from me. Since my last edition of Matty’s picks, AJ Allmendinger has been suspended indefinitely, Kasey Kahne has slid into the number one ‘wild card’ spot, Jimmie Johnson won his fourth Brickyard 400, and Dale Jr has taken the points lead. I didn’t miss much did I?

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a guy who started the season with two major feats to tackle, one being his four-year winless streak, the other, a Sprint Cup Championship. With the first of the two monkeys in Jr’s closet being taken care of in June, there’s just one left to conquer. Earnhardt hadn’t occupied the No. 1 points position since September of 2004, until his 4th place finish last week at the Brickyard vaulted him into garage stall number two. Dale Jr. has had a consistent season thus far, and keeping his streak of solid finishes alive is the goal for the No. 88 team in these coming five weeks.

    Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team flexed their muscles last week in Indianapolis in Johnson’s fourth win at the yard of bricks, but also joined the short list of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers with three wins in this 2012 season. Reigning Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Brad Keselowski are the other two drivers visiting Victory Lane, three times this season. Since his fourth place finish at Pocono back in June’s Pocono 400, Johnson has one victory, four top-fives, and six top-tens, truly morphing into championship form. The summer time is when Jimmie tends to flex his muscles, and the heat of the summer is where we’re at.

    The ‘wild card’ race is shaping up to be as big of a craps shoot as ever, and these last five races before the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins have become must-wins for drivers sitting 11th through 20th in the points standings. Kasey Kahne sits in the top ‘wild card’ spot with his two wins, and Kyle Busch sits in the second of the two ‘wild card’ spots, after a tie-breaker with Ryan Newman and Joey Logano, who visited Victory Lane after our first trip to the Tricky Triangle back in June. Time is ticking for 2012 non-winners Carl Edwards who played a major role in last year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, currently 12th in points, and Jeff Gordon, currently 15th in points, a five time winner at Pocono. Drivers with their hopes riding on snagging a win in these last five races will surely be dicing it out this weekend in the Keystone State.

    Following two samples testing positive for banned substances, indefinite suspension from NASCAR, and near silence from the public eye, AJ Allmendinger found himself officially unemployed on Wednesday. Penske Racing announced on Wednesday that Allmendinger would no longer be a part of their organization following his failing of a random NASCAR drug test before last month’s race at Daytona, and a face-to-face meeting with team owner Roger Penske. Allmendinger must complete NASCAR’s ‘Road to Recovery’ program before there is any chance of being reinstated, giving no timeline for the possibility of return to the sport.

    Pocono Picks

    Now that I’ve recapped the last month of NASCAR Sprint cup action in just over 500 words, I can get going on my picks for this week’s Pennsylvania 400. Much to my surprise, June’s Pocono 400 was not nearly as uneventful as I had projected. With the new racing surface facilitating a glimpse of passing opportunities , the pit road timing line fiasco, and the race being shortened from the traditional 500-mile mark to 400, I found the Pocono 400 moderately tolerable to watch. Though the weather in Long Pond, Pa is not looking great for tomorrow’s Pennsylvania 400, I am hopeful the race will go on as scheduled and these summer story lines live up to their hype.

    Winner Pick

    Its got to be Denny Hamlin this week in Pocono…

    He’s one of the most decorated drivers to come out of Pocono Raceway with four wins, eight top-fives, and nine top-tens, after just thirteen starts at the Tricky Triangle. Pocono has been one of Hamlin’s best tracks since his rookie sweep of the two races in Eastern Pennsylvania back in the 2006 season, and his practice speeds from yesterday were certainly good enough to throw him to the top of the list of favorites for the win tomorrow afternoon. Fast forwarding to his most recent six starts at Pocono, Hamlin has an average finish of 17.50, a stat Hamlin is eager to boost with a solid finish this weekend. He’s a flat track specialist, and looks to join Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, and Brad Keselowski as drivers with three wins on the season.

    Dark Horse Pick

    Mark Martin is a guy little talked about around the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage after taking his shortened schedule this season. He is not to be overlooked this weekend in Long Pond as he leads active drivers in both top-fives (20) and top-tens (34) in an unprecedented 51 starts at Pocono. Looking back to June’s Pocono 400, Martin lost the lead to eventual race-winner, Joey Logano, late in the race and earned his seventh runner-up finish in his storied NASCAR history. His average finish at Pocono in the last three years is 12.67, after failing to crack the top ten in both races at the Tricky Triangle last season. Martin is motivated to improve on his second place finish back in June, but has some work on his hands hovering around tenth place during both practice sessions yesterday at Pocono.

    That’s all for this week, and be sure to stay tuned next week for my 20th or so consecutive trip to the road course located in the Finger Lakes of Central New York for live updates all weekend. I look forward to sharing another great race at Watkins Glen International with the great group of folks that make the trip each year to the 2.45-mile tyrant.

    Until the wheels turn right…You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Brickyard 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Brickyard 400

    [media-credit name=”Dan Sanger” align=”alignright” width=”254″][/media-credit]At one of the most storied tracks on not just the NASCAR schedule but the motor sports circuit overall, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 19th Annual Crown Royal Presents the Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard.

    Surprising:  It was surprising that the emerging points leader after the race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway enhanced his proud team owner’s sleep habits.

    Hendrick Motor Sports principal Rick Hendrick had just one thing to say about his driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who assumed the coveted lead by 14 points after a fourth place finish at the Brickyard.

    “I will be able to sleep better tonight,” Mr. H. said simply after the race. His HMS driver has not led the point standings since September of 2004 after the race at New Hampshire.

    Junior echoed his team owner’s sentiments of pride, while reiterating that he not only wants, but needs more wins to keep that top spot.

    “I’m proud of that because it says a lot about our body of work,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “I have felt that way about our position in points all season long.”

    “But we need to win more races,” Junior continued. “If we want to win the championship, we have to.”

    “We’d like to step it up just a little bit more.”

    Not Surprising:  While making history with his fourth Brickyard win and tying teammate Jeff Gordon and idols Al Unser, A.J. Foyt and Rick Mears for four victories, it was not surprising to see this driver’s  little girl Genevieve steal the show during the post-race ceremonies.

    Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet, simply could not convince his daughter to kiss those hot, gritty bricks in spite of his intense coaxing.

    “I don’t really think she knew what was going on,” Johnson said. “The asphalt was pretty hot, so she got her hands down on it and I think that scared her.”

    “She’s a very cautious girl and that is going against everything we’re trying to teach her,” Johnson continued. “She just wasn’t in to it.”

    Surprising:  It was most surprising that the second place finisher was so ecstatic about his finish that he wanted to do his own ‘victory’ burnout after the race.

    Kyle Busch, behind the wheel of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota, posted his career best finish at the Brickyard and his best finish of the season since his third place finish at Charlotte in May.

    “It feels so good to actually run well and finish well,” Busch said. “We’ve been needed to do this for so long.”

    “It felt like a win to us,” Busch continued. “I wanted to do a burnout, but I’ll save that for when we really do collect the checkered flag.”

    Not Surprising:  Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford, proved one NASCAR adage true, that loose is fast. Biff came in third, his sixth top-10 finish in ten races at Indy.

    “We were pretty loose all day long,” Biffle said. “It was unfortunate we were that free and we couldn’t fix it.”

    “We were too loose to get it done so we came in third.”

    Surprising:  With a great qualifying run, an outside pole starting position and a brand new crew chief in Chad Norris on the box, it looked like nothing could derail Carl Edwards from finally pulling out a decent finish and a good day in the points race for the Chase.

    But a surprising mechanical problem forced the driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford to go laps down early in the race and finish 29th.

    “We didn’t know what was wrong with the engine and we were kind of points racing but also racing for the win,” Edwards said. “We stayed out there with seven cylinders or so and then got caught up on pit road again and went another lap down.”

    “That was pretty much the death knell for the whole thing.”

    Not Surprising:   As is so often the case, being at the back of the pack leads to trouble. And that’s just what Matt Kenseth experienced on lap 134 when Joey Logano lost control, slid into Trevor Bayne, Bobby Labonte and ultimately Kenseth.

    “The farther that we went back, the dumber people drove,” Kenseth said after exiting his fiery No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford. “You could see it was just a matter of time before the wreck happened.”

    Kenseth finished the race in the 35th position and, not surprisingly as a result, fell to second in the point standings.

    Surprising:  Jeff Gordon surprisingly has not posted a top-3 finish in his last 23 races and he continued the longest stretch of his career in that mode with a fifth place finish at Indy.

    “I’m pretty disappointed really,” the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet said. “It’s always nice to finish in the top five but at this point in the season, I feel like it was a little bit of a missed opportunity.”

    Not Surprising:  So much uncertainty continued to reign for the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Penske race team, even at the Brickyard. Although Sam Hornish, Jr. was still behind the wheel, finishing 16th, the cloud of the A.J. Allmendinger indefinite suspension for the failed drug test continued to hang over the proceedings.

    “There are so many questions,” Roger Penske, team owner said after the drivers’ meeting at Indy. “Our phone is ringing off the hook with people who are interested in the ride in the No. 22.”

    Penske has since made the decision to release Allmendinger as their driver and have named Hornish Jr. the driver for the remainder of the 2012 season.

    Surprising:  Only one driver could compare the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway to a junk yard but Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet, did just that, at least when it came to his 13th place car.

    “We were junk all weekend,” Harvick said. “No matter if we were turning left or going straight.”

    “That pretty much summed up today.”

    Not Surprising:  Stewart Haas racers Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman showed their Midwestern pride by scoring top-10 finishes at the Brickyard.

    Stewart, who qualified his No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot in the 28th position, rallied to finish tenth and teammate Newman, in the No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet, finished seventh.

    “We just were a little bit tight in the center of the corner and that’s kind of what we fought all day,” Smoke said. “So, I was proud of the gains we made.”

    “I’m from the Midwest and so is Quicken Loans so it was nice to get a top-10 finish,” Newman said. “We just didn’t have quite the speed we needed.”

    This was Newman’s sixth top-10 finish of the season and his second top-10 finish in 12 starts at the Brickyard.

    The Cup Series will next take on the ‘Tricky Triangle’ at Pocono Raceway.

     

  • Stewart Rules at Ohsweken!

    Stewart Rules at Ohsweken!

    [media-credit name=”Bill Oldroyd” align=”alignright” width=”265″][/media-credit]The day started out rainy and cloudy at Ohsweken Speedway, but the closer race time got the clearer the skies became. Until at the close of the draw for qualifying positions, the skies were clear and the temperature was in the 70’s and the chances of rain had disappeared. There was a promise in the air. An excitement among those who had waited a whole year for these two days. The man who had won his first World of Outlaws race a year ago was back in town. He had come from the back to win the A Main in 360 Sprint Car competition on Monday night. What would tonight hold? Would he take another Outlaw victory and start his path towards another record setting end of the year again? Only the night would tell.

    The qualifying process at the  high-banked, 3/8-mile oval brought anticipation. With the cooler temperatures the engines would make more horsepower. More horsepower translates to more speed. But could they use that speed on the 3/8 mile track. The track record of 12.047 seconds was established by Kraig Kinser on July 30, 2010, and early hot lap speeds were way off of that pace. Qualifying speeds would continue to drop as the track became slower as the night progressed. Quick Time was set by Kraig Kinser with a lap of 13.511 seconds or 99.92 mph. Second fast time would go to Tony Stewart who turned a lap of 13.874 seconds  or 97.40 mph with a broken top wing panel. As qualifying progressed times slowed leaving some notable names to the back of the inversion. Names like Sammy Swindell, Joey Saldana, and Cody Darrah.

    The heat races were very quick and event free, with the cream rising to the top of the barrell. Heat number one would see Cody Darrah lead all 8 laps to defeat Bill Rose, Lucas Wolfe, Kraig Kinser and track owner Glen Styres. Darrah and Rose would transfer to the Dash as would Kraig Kinser based on his Quick Time of the evening.

    The second heat race would be a hard core affair with some of the staunchest racing of the pre main show. Sunday’s winner Donny Schatz would come home ahead of Joey Saldana, James McFadden, Tony Stewart and Chris Steele. Schatz, Saldana and Stewart would advance to the dash. Stewart filling the remaining time spot.

    The third heat would see a dominating performance by Sammy Swindell as he held off Chad Kemenah, Kerry Madsen, Dustin Daggett, Michael Parent. Swindell and Kemenah would advance to the Dash.

    The final heat would see first surprise of the evening. Jessica Zemken held off a hard charging Craig Dollansky for the victory. Dollansky would hold off a strong side by side challenge from 20 time World of Outlaw Champion Steve Kinser and Tom Huppenen would hold off Shane Ross for the final A Main transfer spot. Zemken and Dollansky would finish out the Dash field.

    The Last Chance Showdown saw a field of local competitors putting on a whale of a show for the final four A Main positions. The race was won by Jamie Collard with Travis Cunningham, Keith Dempster and Dain Naida following him to the A Main.

    The Dash was a taste of what was to come. The inversion of 4 was drawn putting Bill Rose on the pole and to his outside Craig Dollansky. Neither driver would lead a single lap as third place starter Tony Stewart would take the lead out of 2 and never look back. Stewart would lead all 8 laps of the dash to take the pole holding off Craig Dollansky and Donny Schatz.

    The big show was set to go. The 30 laps $10,000 to win A Main came out of the gate like the thoroughbreds that were running it. Tony Stewart would take the lead into one and set sail. Dollansky would close to within a car length in traffic but Stewart would pull away. Stewart ran the thin cushion in 3 and 4. and the middle of the track in 1 and 2. On lap 5 Stewart would have a close call with a lap car and have to jump on the binders nearly hitting it from behind. Dollansky closed right on his rear bumper but Stewart pulled him down the front stretch and again stretched his lead to over a second. All the 2 while with Donny Schatz was challenging for the 2nd spot. In Schatz’s  mirror was team mate Steve Kinser who would go three wide for third with Kraig Kinser and Schatz with The King of the Outlaws coming out on the top. When the white flag waved Stewart was safely a half a second in front of Craig Dollansky but Steve Kinser was right there to challenge for 2nd. When the checkers waved and the dust settled it would be Dollansky coming home in second place with Steve Kinser, Kraig Kinser and Donny Schatz the top 5.

    This was Stewart’s 3rd sprint car win in as many races and his second of the week. It was also the second year in a row that Stewart had claimed the World of Outlaws race at Ohsweken. His victory last year he credited for propelling him to his 3rd Sprint Cup Championship. If that is the case his competition in the asphalt series best be putting on their big boy pants cause Smoke is coming.

    Today, was full of difficulties for the World of Outlaws staff. The broadcast equipment wouldn’t broadcast so the fans were without the voice of one of the best broadcasters in the business Johnny Gibson. They worked tirelessly to get the broadcast going in time for the A Main. It showed a lot. It showed a lot about the staff of the Outlaws and their commitment to the people that they entertain and call fans and friends. It said a lot about their dedication to the sport and the jobs they do. But what spoke the loudest was the silence. Without the voice of Johnny Gibson and just the timing and scoring loop the competition was just numbers. It became black and white and a life very different than what the public is use to. It became obvious that the old saying of you don’t know what you have until it’s gone is true. And without Johnny Gibson the Outlaws were missing a star competitor. A man who races every lap from the booth just like drivers do in the cars. A man whose dedication to the sport and the drivers is second to none. A man’s whose talents and gifts light up all of our lives every race.

    It was not much different than the way a young man started a long time ago in Indiana. Not much money but a whole lot of talent and desire. He worked his way into people’s hearts he gained their respect and he took their breath away. That young man went on to accomplish big things, an Indy car championship, 3 Nascar Championships, USAC Silver crown championships. But as one sits at the dirt track having watched him work his magic and display his skills, it becomes painfully obvious that the world of dirt didn’t know what it had until it was gone. Thankfully, Tony Stewart will always call the dirt home, and so far he has continued to find ways to come back and visit.

    ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

    Qualifying Results: 1) Kraig Kinser, 13.511 Seconds 2)Tony Stewart, 3) Dustin Daggett, 4) Steve Kinser, 5) Lucas Wolfe, 6) James McFadden, 7) Kerry Madsen, 8) Craig Dollansky, 9) Bill Rose, 10) Donny Schatz. 11) Chad Kemenah, 12) Tom Huppenen, 13) Cody Darrah, 14) JoeyVSaldana, 15) Sammy Swindell, 16) Jessica Zemken,17) Glenn Styres, 18) Jamie Collard, 19) Kyle Patrick, 20) Shane Ross.21) Travis Cunningham, 22) Keith Dempster, 23) Mitch Brown, 24) Dain Naida, 25) Mikey Kruchka, 26) Chris Steele, 27) Michael Parent, 28) Dave Dykstra, 29) Jamie Turner, 30) Havard Daniels. 31) Stevin Goldner, 32) Chris Durand, 33) Stan Zanchin.

    First Heat Results: ‎1. Cody Darrah, 2. Bill Rose, 3. Lucas Wolfe, 4. Kraig Kinser, 5. Glenn Styres, 6. Travis Cunningham, 7. Jamie Turner, 8. Mike Kruchka, 9. Stan Zanchin

    Second Heat Results: ‎1. Donny Schatz, 2. Joey Saldana, 3. James McFadden, 4.  Tony Stewart, 5. Chris Steele, 6. Jamie Collard, 7. Keith Dempster, 8. Harvard Daniels

    Third Heat Results: ‎1. Sammy Swindell, 2. Chad Kemenah, 3. Kerry Madsen, 4. Dustin Daggett, 5. Michael Parent, 6. Mitch Brown, 7. Kyle Patrick, 8. Stevin Goldner

    Fourth Heat Results: ‎1. Jessica Zemken, 2. Craig Dollansky, 3. Steve  Kinser, 4. Tom Huppenen, 5. Shane Ross, 6. Dania Naida, 7. Chris Durand, 8. Dave Dykstra

    Last Chance Showdown Results: ‎1. Jamie Collard, 2. Travis Cunningham, 3. Keith Dempster, 4. Dain Naida, 5. Mitch Brown, 6. Jamie Turner, 7. Kyle Patrick, 8. Havard Daniels, 9. Stan Zanchin, 10. Mikey Kruchka, 11. Dave Dykstra, 12. Stevin Goldner, 13. Chris Durand

    Dash Results: ‎1. Tony Stewart, 2. Craig Dollansky, 3. Donny Schatz, 4. Kraig Kinser, 5. Cody Darrah, 6. Bill Rose, 7. Chad Kemenah, 8. Sammy Swindell, 9. Jessica Zemken, 10. Joey Saldana

    A Main Results: ‎1. Tony Stewart 2. Craig Dollansky 3. Steve Kinser 4. Kraig Kinser 5. Donny Schatz 6. Cody Darrah 7. Chad Kemenah 8. Sammy Swindell 9. Kerry Madsen 10. Michael Parent (Hard Charger) 11. Lucas Wolfe 12. Jessica Zemken 13. Tom Happenen 14. Dustin Daggett 15. Chris Steele 16. Jamie Collard 17. Travis Cunningham 18. Shane Ross 19. Joey Saldana 20. James McFadden 21. Glenn Styres 22. Keith Dempster 23. Bill Rose 24. Dain Naida

    World of Outlaws Point Standings.

    Pos. Driver Total Diff Wins Top 5’s Top 10’s QT
    1 Craig Dollansky 6205 0 6 23 33 8
    2 Steve Kinser 6191 -14 3 21 34 0
    3 Sammy Swindell 6154 -51 8 19 31 7
    4 Donny Schatz 6150 -55 4 17 36 0
    5 Joey Saldana 6130 -75 5 16 32 6
    6 Kraig Kinser 6059 -146 4 17 32 5
    7 Cody Darrah 5771 -434 1 13 22 2
    8 Kerry Madsen 5733 -472 3 8 23 1
    9 Chad Kemenah 5685 -520 2 8 22 2
    10 Lucas Wolfe 5396 -809 0 5 15 1
    11 Bill Rose 4920 -1285 0 0 8 0
    12 Jason Sides 4006 -2199 0 11 18 0
    13 Daryn Pittman 2462 -3743 0 6 13 1
    14 Danny Lasoski 2356 -3849 1 5 8 0
    15 David Gravel 2310 -3895 0 7 9 4
    16 Tim Kaeding 2301 -3904 3 5 10 0
    17 Paul McMahan 2221 -3984 1 2 3 0
    18 Jac Haudenschild 2054 -4151 0 1 2 0
    19 Austen Wheatley 1818 -4387 0 0 2 0
    20 Brad Sweet 1779 -4426 1 5 8 1
  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Indianapolis

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Indianapolis

    [media-credit name=”Adam Lovelace” align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson led 99 of 160 laps at Indianapolis, powering to the win in the Brickyard 400, his fourth career Brickyard triumph. He remained fourth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 27 behind Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

    “That’s ties me with Jeff Gordon for most Brickyard wins,” Johnson said. “And I’m getting awfully cozy with the bricks. One more win at Indy, and they’ll have to start calling me the ‘Brick-layer.’ And much like a brick, my championship aspirations have been ‘solidified’ in concrete.”

    2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt posted his ninth top-5 finish of the year with a fourth at Indianapolis, and ascended to the top of the point standings. He leads Matt Kenseth by 14 as the series heads to Pocono for Sunday’s Pennsylvania 400.

    “It’s great o finally be atop the point standings,” Earnhardt said. “To quote Jeremy Mayfield, ‘I can’t get any higher.’

    “Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about A.J. Allmendinger’s ‘A’ sample and ‘B’ sample. But let me tell you about some other samples that, like Allmendinger’s, always turn out positive. Those are the urine tests of the people of Junior Nation, whose ‘E’ samples never fail.”

    3. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished 35th in the Brickyard 400 after getting caught up in a late accident that left him 28 laps down. He fell out of the Sprint Cup points lead and now trails Dale Earnhardt, Jr. by 14.

    “I was wiped out by Joey Logano,” Kenseth said, “whom I may very well be replacing at Joe Gibbs Racing next year. On both subjects, Logano’s driving skill and my impending move to JGR, I’ll hold my tongue. ‘Mum’s the word.’ Or, in Logano’s case, ‘Dad’s the word.’”

    4. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin started on pole at Indianapolis, leading 27 laps before finishing sixth, his 11th top-10 of the year. He remained fifth in the point standings, 64 out of first.

    “As a driver who’s never won a Sprint Cup championship,” Hamlin said, “I guess starting on pole is as close as I can come to saying I ‘went out on top.’

    “But not having won since April, I’m primed for another win. And I’m always solid in the Poconos. I’m no Dale Earnhardt, Jr., but you could say I’m ‘Mountain Due.’”

    5. Tony Stewart: Stewart finished a solid 10th at Indianapolis, his 10th top-10 finish of the season. He is eighth in the point standings, 79 out of first.

    “The Chase is shaping up to be a battle between Jimmie Johnson and myself,” Stewart said. “There are eight championship titles between us. It will be a battle of epic proportions. And I’m sure this is one time when Jimmie doesn’t mind being categorized as a ‘heavyweight’ along with me.”

    6. Greg Biffle: Biffle was the lone bright spot for Roush Fenway Racing in the Brickyard 400, finishing third while teammates Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth finished 29th and 35th, respectively. Biffle held on to third in the point standings, and trails Dale Earnhardt, Jr. by 22.

    “Kenseth may be leaving Roush Fenway,” Biffle said, “but Edwards is staying. Jack Roush isn’t the only one who believes Edwards is ‘going nowhere.’”

    7. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski led 22 laps at Indianapolis and finished ninth, one day after winning the Nationwide Indiana 250. He is ninth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 82 out of first.

    “Thanks to NASCAR for penalizing Elliot Sadler on the final restart Saturday,” Keselowski said. “Apparently, NASCAR supports my use of Twitter and social media, because they gave me one more follower.”

    8. Kyle Busch: Busch finished a distant second to Jimmie Johnson, posting his sixth top-5 finish of the year. Busch’s runner-up result boosted his Chase hopes as he moved up two places in the point standings to 11th.

    “Jimmie Johnson opened up a four second lead on me,” Busch said. “Take it from someone who knows what it’s like to go insanely fast: the only way I could have caught Johnson was with a blue light.”

    9. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished 13th in the Brickyard 400 and still remains winless on the year. He is sixth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 78 out of first.

    “Fatherhood has put life into perspective for me,” Harvick said. “I’m calmer, more grounded, and less ornery. Trust me, everyone’s praying that the Busch brothers’ parents get grandchildren soon.”

    10. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex finished a solid eighth at Indianapolis, posting his 10th top-10 result of the year. He is tied for sixth in the point standings and trails Dale Earnhardt, Jr. by 78.

    “Congratulations to Dale Earnhardt, Jr.,” Truex said. “I know he’s spent years trying to live up to his dad. And I think he’s on the way with the No. 1 spot in the points. Finally, Junior’s got seniority.”

  • Darrah Takes Summer Nationals In Front of Hometown Crowd

    Darrah Takes Summer Nationals In Front of Hometown Crowd

    [media-credit name=”Willams Grove Speedway” align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]This years Summer Nationals at Willams Grove Speedway didn’t start off well; the two night event was rained out on Friday, leaving just the Saturday night duel between the Outlaws and the Posse. And what a duel it turned out to be.

    Williams Grove Speedway is a half-mile race track located in Williams Grove, between Mechanicsburg and Dillsburg in Pennsylvania. It opened in 1939, and hosted Championship races from 1949 to 1959 named the “Indianapolis Sweepstakes”, contested by a small field of the best Champ Car racers. Many notable drivers have raced here, including A. J. Foyt and Mario Andretti. Williams Grove Speedway is a semi-banked, oval. The track record of 16.140 seconds was established by Brian Paulus on April 26, 2002.

    Steve Kinser has won at “the Grove” 38 times and Sammy Swindell and Donny Schatz have each won 15 times. The man with the most wins all time is Fast Freddy Rahmer with 81 wins. But tonight’s winner wasn’t among the legends of the World of Outlaws, instead he was last years Rookie of the Year, Kasey Kahne Racing’s, Cody Darrah who is from Mechanicsburg Pennsylvania. The emotional Darrah dedicated the win to his grandparents who have been suffering hard times lately. But Darrah proved himself more than just a race winner tonight however, when he jumped from his car on a red flag to help fellow driver Craig Dollansky from his burning car after Dollansky flipped down the back stretch causing a fuel fire to break out around and under the car, instead he proved himself as a champion of men not just race car drivers. A great testament to the 23 year old driver.

    The very eventful night started out relatively calm with close qualifying throughout the pack. The top 20 qualifiers were separated by only .140 seconds. The entire field was only separated by 1.191 seconds. Quick Time would go to the Posse with Greg Hodnett turning a lap of 16.745 seconds. Second would be Alan Kreitz Jr. Third, Craig Dollansky, Joey Saldana and Daryn Pittman would round out the top 5.

    The heat races were relatively calm as well. The first heat was a Posse victory for Adam Wilt who held off a hard charging Jason Sides, Daryn Pittman, Greg Hodnett and Tyler Walker. The Outlaws were down 2 nothing for the night. But they weren’t done yet.

    The second heat race would see Kraig Kinser pull out and pull away from a fast and charging Tony Stewart to take the win. Stevie Smith would come home 3rd with Alan Kreitz and Lucas Wolfe in hot pursuit. The Outlaws were on the board but former Outlaw champion Danny Lasoski would have to run the B Main.

    The third heat would find Cody Darrah swimming amongst the Posse sharks. But Darrah would take the checkers over Danny Holtgraver, Craig Dollansky, Danny Dietrich and Steve Kinser. This heat would relegate 4 time champion Donny Schatz to the C Main after an uncharacteristically poor qualifying effort.

    The fourth and final heat would see Sammy Swindell hold off the strongest challenge of the Posse to take the win with Gerald McIntyre Jr, Joey Saldana, Fred Rahmer and Lance Dewease rounding out the top five. Another big name from the Outlaws was relegated to the B when Kerry Madsen finished 7th and failed to transfer to the A.

    The Outlaws were leading the game 3 to 2. But the rest of the night would be a hard fought battle to come home on top of the Nationals.

    The C Main went to the Posse with Chad Layton coming home ahead of a struggling Donny Schatz. Schatz at numerous times was able to pull even with Layton but just couldn’t make the pass on the narrow fast clay surface. Their battle would carry on into the B Main where Layton would finish 12th ahead of Schatz’s 13th. The B would be won by former Outlaws Champion Danny Lasoski but he would be up to his wing in Posse with the closest Outlaw finisher coming home 4th in Chad Kemenah. Alan Krimes and Cory Haas would finish 2nd and 3rd.

    The Dash was a hard fought battle with 5 drivers representing the Outlaws and 5 representing the Posse. The Posse would come out on top but the race would be foretelling of the night to come. Sammy Swindell would have trouble early in and finish 10th. Tony Stewart couldn’t find a way around Adam Wilt and finished where he started in 8th. Cody Darrah did everything shy of use his wing to fly and still finished 2nd to Gerald McIntrye Jr.  The night was beginning to shape up as a track position night. But then again, the night was not over and the Outlaws still had more than a few tricks up their sleeves.

    When the A Main rolled off, it did so with 4 provisional spots bringing the car count for the event to 28. Donny Schatz and Kerry Madsen would take provisionals from the World of Outlaws. While Ryan Smith and Chad Layton would take provisionals from Willams Grove Speedway. Chad Kemenah would break a magneto on the car during the pace laps causing the car to cut off and not refire. He retired before the green. Danny Dietrich would be the next out with contact with the wall, he was followed by Danny Holtgraver. Fred Rahmer would be the next Posse member to retire after flipping wildly in turns 3 and 4, Rahmer would climb from the car and walk away. Lance Dewease would drop out at the same time due to a misunderstanding of the rules. Dewease would pull into the rear pit area and pull his car nose first to the trailer signaling to the Outlaws officials that he was done for the evening as he did not stop at the work area. Dewease was not allowed to return to the competition. Stevie Smith would be the next casualty flipping his car in turn 1. Smith climbed out of the car but was done for the evening. Daryn Pittman and Danny Lasoski would fall victim to engine failures as would Gerald McIntyre who started the race on the pole. The most scarey incident of the evening came late in the race when Craig Dollansky returned to the track after flipping in 4 and again flipped the car on the back straightaway causing a fuel fire to surround the car. With a red flag on the track, Cody Darrah quickly exited his car and ran to the assistance of Dollansky and helped him from the car. The car flipped so hard that part of the front suspension was imbedded into the track. Dollansky was unhurt. The final victim of the evening was Don Kreitz whose engine let go just 4 laps from the end of the race.

    The attrition left just 17 cars on the track. One of those was Kerry Madsen who had very methodically worked his way into the top 10. Madsen would finish 9th and get the hard charger of the night award after starting dead last on the field. And it was well deserved, the fast narrow track was difficult and almost impossible to pass on. So much so that with 18 laps to go the Outlaws determined that all restarts from that point on would be single file restarts rather than the traditional double file restarts. A decision that played to Cody Darrah’s hand. Darrah set sail on the final caution and never looked back. The challenge would never be for the lead but for second. Jason Sides and Greg Hodnett would exchange slides and come side by side but Hodnett could never make it all the way around Sides for the second spot. The Outlaws would take the night over the Posse 5 to 4. The finishing order would find 6 Outlaws 3 Posse and 1 Sprint Cup Champion in the top 10.

    Willams Grove has a reputation of launching the very best young sprint car drivers in the world. They lived up to that reputation tonight. Cody Darrah is a former track champion at The Grove. As a matter of fact this was his 50th win at his home track. And if winning before his home town crowd wasn’t enough Darrah announced that Kasey Kahne Racing has signed a sponsor for his effort that up to this point had been funded out of pocket by Kasey Kahne. That announcement to come soon.

    Racing is a field of dreams. Sometimes they are dreams that come true. Sometimes they are nightmares. Sometimes they are just the reassurance that with all the bad things that are going on in the world we are still free to pursue our passions, whether they be winning at The Grove or writing about the race itself.

    ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    Qualifying results:

    ‎1) Greg Hodnett 2) Don Kreitz Jr. 3) Craig Dollansky 4) Joey Saldana 5) Daryn Pittman 6) Stevie Smith 7) Danny Dietrich 8) Fred Rahmer 9) Jason Sides 10) Kraig Kinser 11) Cody Darrah 12) Gerald McIntyre Jr. 13) Adam Wilt 14) Tony Stewart 15) Danny Holtgraver 16) Sammy Swindell 17) Tyler Walker 18) Danny Lasoski 19) Alan Krimes 20) Lance Dewase 21) Cory Haas 22) Lucas Wolfe 23) Steve Kinser 24) Brian Monteith 25) Chad Kemenah 26) Jim Seigel 27) Logan Schuchart 28) Kerry Madsen 29) Tim Kaeding 30) Steve Buckwalter 31) Davey Sammons 32) Nicole Bower 33) Danny Esh 34) Curt Michael 35) Donny Schatz 36) Chad Layton 37) Michael Ruttkamp 38) Aaron Ott 39) Mike Erdley 40) Brent Marks 41) Frank Cozze 42) Tim Glatfelter 43) Ryan Smith 44) Derek Sell 45) Bill Rose

    Heat Race 1 Results: ‎1) Adam Wilt 2) Jason Sides 3) Daryn Pittman 4) Greg Hodnett 5) Tyler Walker 6) Cory Haas 7) Chad Kemenah 8) Doug Esh 9) Tim Kaeding 10) Michael Ruttkamp 11) Frank Cozze (DNS) 12 Bill Rose (DNS)

    Heat Race 2 Results: ‎1) Kraig Kinser 2) Tony Stewart 3) Stevie Smith 4) Don Kreitz Jr 5) Lucas Wolfe 6) Danny Lasoski. 7) Steve Buckwalter 8) Curt Michael 9) Aaron Ott 10) Jim Siegel 11) Tim Glatfelter

    Heat Race 3 Results: ‎1) Cody Darrah 2) Danny Holtgraver 3) Craig Dollansky 4) Danny Dietrich 5) Steve Kinser 6) Donny Schatz 7) Alan Krimes 8) Logan Schuchart 9) Ryan Smith 10) Mike Erdley 11) Davey Sammons

    Heat Race 4 Results: ‎1) Sammy Swindell 2) Gerald McIntyre 3) Joey Saldana 4) Fred Rahmer 5) Lance Dewease 6) Brian Montieth 7) Kerry Madsen 8) Chad Layton 9) Brent Marks 10) Nicole Bower 11) Derek Sell

    C Main Results: ) Chad Layton 2) Donny Schatz 3) Michael Ruttkamp 4) Brent Marks 5) Tim Glatfelter 6) Ryan Smith 7) Frank Cozze 8) Derek Sell (DNS) 9) Bill Rose (DNS)

    Dash Results: ‎1) Gerald McIntyre 2) Cody Darrah 3) Kraig Kinser 4) Jason Sides 5) Greg Hodnett 6) Don Kreitz Jr 7) Adam Wilt 8) Tony Stewart 9) Danny Holtgraver 10) Sammy Swindell

    B Main Results: ‎1) Danny Lasoski 2) Alan Krimes 3) Cory Haas 4) Chad Kemenah 5) Jim Siegel 6) Tim Kaeding 7) Logan Schuchart 8) Davey Sammons 9) Doug Esh 10) Steve Buckwalter 11) Kerry Madsen 12) Chad Layton 13) Donny Schatz 14) Nicole Bower 15) Chad Michael 16) Brian Montieth.

    A Main Results: ‎1) Cody Darrah 2) Jason Sides 3) Greg Hodnett 4) Kraig Kinser 5) Adam Wilt 6) Lucas Wolfe 7) Steve Kinser 8) Tony Stewart 9) Kerry Madsen 10) Cory Haas 11) Donny Schatz 12) Chad Layton 13) Joey Saldana 14) Tyler Walker 15) Sammy Swindell 16) Alan Krimes 17) Ryan Smith 18) Don Krietz 19) Craig Dollansky 20) Gerald McIntyre Jr. 21) Danny Lasoski 22) Daryn Pittman 23) Stevie Smith 24) Fred Rahmer 25) Lance Dewease 26) Danny Holtgraver 27) Danny Dietrich 28) Chad Kemenah.

    KSE Hard Charger Award went to Kerry Madsen.
    The $10,000 Goodyear tire mid point bonus for the driver leading the points at the half way point of the season went to Steve Kinser.

    The top 15 in points following the Willam’s Grove Race:

    Pos. Driver Total Diff Wins Top 5’s Top 10’s QT
    1 Steve Kinser 5513 0 3 18 31 0
    2 Donny Schatz 5472 -41 3 15 32 0
    3 Craig Dollansky 5467 -46 5 18 28 6
    4 Sammy Swindell 5465 -48 7 17 27 8
    5 Joey Saldana 5437 -76 4 13 28 6
    6 Kraig Kinser 5377 -136 4 15 29 3
    7 Kerry Madsen 5086 -427 3 8 20 1
    8 Cody Darrah 5075 -438 1 10 17 2
    9 Chad Kemenah 5031 -482 2 8 18 2
    10 Lucas Wolfe 4727 -786 0 4 12 0
    11 Bill Rose 4300 -1213 0 0 6 0
    12 Jason Sides 3878 -1635 0 11 18 0
    13 Danny Lasoski 2356 -3157 1 5 8 0
    14 Daryn Pittman 2312 -3201 0 5 12 1
    15 David Gravel 2310 -3203 0 7 9 4

     

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Lenox Industrial Tools 301

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Lenox Industrial Tools 301

    [media-credit name=”Kirk Schroll” align=”alignright” width=”242″][/media-credit]While not surprising that conversation still swirled around A.J. Allmendinger and his failed drug test, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the 20th running of the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

    Surprising:  Race winning crew chiefs do not usually look at getting a manicure as part of their post-race celebratory plans. But Kenny Francis, crew chief for the winning No. 5 Farmer’s Insurance Chevrolet driven by Kasey Kahne, may have to do just that.

    “I bit off all my fingernails,” Francis said, after watching the battle between his driver and a hard-charging Denny Hamlin. “At least I have two weeks for them to grow back.”

    “Yeah, from the pit box, we had a pretty good car all day,” Francis continued. “Fortunately we were able to finish it off and outrun him to the finish.”

    This was the No. 5 team’s second victory for car owner Linda Hendrick and the first ever trip to Victory Lane for driver Kasey Kahne at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

    Not Surprising:  As in all relationships, one of the biggest issues causing trouble is the failure to communicate. Not surprisingly, a failure to communicate, in this case between driver and crew chief, actually cost the No. 11 team a chance to win at the ‘Magic Mile’.

    “We made our bed by taking those four tires,” Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota, said. “Darian (Grubb, crew chief) wanted to take two (tires) – I told him I just needed tires and that was it.”

    “He took it that I needed four tires,” Hamlin continued. “It was just a little miscommunication that turned into a second-place finish.”

    Hamlin, who started from the third spot, was the highest finishing Toyota driver and led five times for a race-high 150 laps of the 301 mile race.

    Surprising:  It was a matter of surprising seconds that both helped and hurt one race team at New Hampshire this weekend. Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota, scored the pole position for the race by just 0.003 seconds.

    Timing, however, came back to bite him when he sped by seconds on pit road and never really recovered. Busch, after leading 65 laps, finished the race in the 16th position.

    “It was a tough day for the Interstate Batteries Toyota,” Dave Rogers, crew chief, said. “We got caught speeding the first run there – that wasn’t Kyle’s fault.”

    “We calculate the RPM we’re supposed to run,” Rogers continued. “Gave Kyle the wrong number and he sped and that got us behind from the beginning.”

    “Then we were trying to play catch-up all day long.”

    Not Surprising:  When it comes to flat, shorter tracks, it is not surprising that talk turns to tire wear. And some drivers, particularly four-time champion Jeff Gordon, had some thoughts to share on this issue after the race.

    “Yeah, I’m really disappointed in today,” Gordon, who finished sixth in the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet, said. “This tire, I tell you, Goodyear has got to go back to the drawing board.”

    “They came here with a new tire and it is not a very good tire,” Gordon continued. “I think they know it and I’m hoping that they can come up with something a little bit better than this.”

    Surprising:  At a track where he once was dominant, and in fact led every lap for one race, it was surprising to see Jeff Burton run so poorly. The driver of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet had problems on pit road, went down a lap and finished 21st.

    “We had a pit road incident early in the race that really set us back,” Burton said. “We had a top-12 car throughout the day, but couldn’t get a caution when we needed it.”

    “The speed was there but those long green-flag runs hurt us trying to get that lap back.”

    Not Surprising:  Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who should definitely be known as ‘Mr. Consistent’, kept up his stretch of consecutive laps finished and pulled off another good run at New Hampshire.

    The driver of the No. 88 National Guard/Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet finished fourth in the race and is now just 16 points behind Chase standing leader Matt Kenseth.

    “We’re running strong,” Dale Junior said. “I’m really happy with how many points we’re gaining every week and what we’re doing consistently.”

    “We’ve found speed and improved.”

    Surprising:  One driver who desperately needed a good run to stay in championship contention had a surprisingly difficult day.  Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford Fusion, finished 18th and remained stuck in the 11 position in points, with no wins to his credit.

    Edwards finished so poorly that another surprise occurred after the race. Crew chief Bob Osborne was replaced by Chad Norris, who has been with Roush Fenway Racing since 2005 and has led the team’s research and development efforts since 2011.

    “Our commitment to winning a championship with the No. 99 in 2012 has not waivered,” Jack Roush, team owner said. “I’m committed to providing the resources to Carl and to his team to do that.”

    “This restructuring of Bob’s role and the introduction of Chad Norris as the crew chief for the No. 99 will put us in the best possible position for these final seven races before the Chase begins.”

    Not Surprising:   No one could blame new father Kevin Harvick for not only focusing on the race but also having baby Keelan on his mind. The driver of the No. 29 Rheem Chevrolet finished eighth after battling handling issues throughout the race.

    “I’m really proud of the entire Rheem crew and the effort they put in today, but we couldn’t figure out the right set up to get out front,” Harvick said. “We finished about where we should have.”

    “I’m looking forward to the off weekend,” Harvick continued. “It couldn’t have come at a better time and it will be great to spend time at home with my wife and newborn son.”

    Surprising:    It is not often when you hear a driver admit to struggling mightily with a particular issue on his race car. But Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M/Post-It Ford Fusion did just that, in spite of finishing ninth and being the highest Ford finisher of the New Hampshire race.

    “I’m a terrible driver when it comes to taking care of the brakes,” Biff said. “It’s got to be me because we’ve done everything under the sun, but about halfway through I lost my brakes and that’s about all I could do.”

    “Off the green, it would come back and haul like crazy, but then I just had to keep giving it up,” Biffle continued. “It was just a case of brakes.”

    Not Surprising:  Michael Waltrip Racing continues to be synonymous with good runs, with all three of the team cars in the top-15 in the running order.

    Clint Bowyer, driving the No. 15 5-hour Energy Toyota, was up on the wheel and finished third, while Martin Truex Jr. finished 11th and Brian Vickers finished 15th.

    “All in all, it was a good weekend for our 5-hour Energy Toyota,” Bowyer said. “It was a good way to get things turned around.”

    “After the last two weeks of getting wrecked, it felt good to get a good finish.”

    Surprising:  Although it was hot at the track where the driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet has won before, Tony Stewart surprisingly struggled, finishing 12th in contrast to his second place finish last year.

    “We just had no grip out there,” Stewart said. “Steve (Addington, crew chief) made one last change there at the end, and it definitely helped.”

    “We were finally able to make up some ground.”

    Not Surprising:  There was no magic for the Earnhardt Ganassi Race team at the ‘Magic Mile’.  Jamie McMurray, behind the wheel of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Allstate Chevrolet, finished 20th and his teammate Juan Pablo Montoya, driving the N. 42 Degree Chevrolet, finished 25th.

    “To tell you the truth, today was rough,” Montoya said. “We struggled all weekend.”

    “Today was a tough day for our Bass Pro Shops team,” McMurray reiterated. “We battled some handling issues early on in the race but we never gave up and brought home a lead lap finish.”

    The Sprint Cup Series has its last off weekend next week before the dash to the end of the season. The next race on the schedule will be on July 29th at the Brickyard.

     

  • Danica’s chances at Indianapolis

    Danica’s chances at Indianapolis

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignleft” width=”265″]Danica Patrick[/media-credit]Danica may not compete in the IZOD IndyCar Series anymore but she still has a shot to win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year.  On July 28th the Nationwide series will take to the famous 2.5 mile track for the first time in history with the running of the Indy 250.

    With the race forthcoming, Danica is excited to get back to a track that she has tremendous past experiences with.

    “Part of me definitely feels it is one of the home tracks for me,” Danica says in speaking to SI.com.  “If anything my love for that track and my feelings about it are what is going to make the big difference because it puts me in a good mood right off the bat.”

    Danica is certainly not the first IndyCar driver to switch to the NASCAR circuit, former open-wheel stars coming to IMS in stock cars have had a variety of success and Danica looks to continue that trend.

    “The amount of laps that I’ve run around there definitely helped me about the small details about the track surface and things like that. I think it will help for those things,” Patrick states.

    The success that other open-wheel racers have had at the Brickyard in a stock car leave great anticipation for what the driver of the #7 GoDaddy Chevrolet Impala can accomplish at the track.  Former 1997 IRL Champion and Indiana native Tony Stewart has won the Sprint Cup race at Indianapolis in 2005 and 2007.

    2000 Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya had the car to beat and dominated the majority of the race in 2009 only to be caught speeding on pit road with just 35 laps to go.  The penalty issued by NASCAR cost him a victory and produced a heated rant on his radio afterwards.  The next year saw Montoya continue his early-race dominance at the track.  Though, in the form of an ill-advised call for four tires in a late race pit stop, Montoya again saw his chance at winning fade fast.

    Contrary to the generality of open-wheel racers converting to stock cars and struggling for many seasons to come, Indianapolis may prove to be an exception to the observed principle.

    With former open-wheel racing stars earning success at Indianapolis in NASCAR, one must wonder the degree of success Patrick can attain at the legendary track.  Will the inaugural race at Indy for the NASCAR Nationwide Series produce another magical moment at the Brickyard?

  • Saldana survives Friday the 13th to win at Eldora

    Saldana survives Friday the 13th to win at Eldora

    [media-credit id=30 align=”alignright” width=”265″][/media-credit]Forty eight 410 sprint cars showed up to compete in the Knight before the Royal with the World of Outlaws at Eldora. From the very beginning it was obvious this wasn’t going to be a typical night of racing. The first oddity occurred when the internet connection for the sanctioning body went down about an hour before the event was to begin. It left them for the most part without communication and the ability to update fans not in attendance. The strangeness would continue on into the evening with Sammy Swindell losing his steering wheel in his hands while lining up for a restart. Cody Darrah’s belts coming loose during a caution. Jac Haudenschild losing his steering and turning hard left into Tony Stewart and eliminating both cars from the event. Friday the 13th effected the night in many ways and none of them superstitions.

    The quick time of the evening was set by David Gravel with a lap of 13.343 seconds around the high banked oval. Three competitors, Brad Sweet, Dale Blaney, Justin Henderson, would turn the exact same lap time of 13.512 and their order would be determined by the speed of their first lap. The top ten qualifiers were only separated by .169 seconds and the entire field was only separated by 2.252 seconds and the slowest times posted came from competitors making their first trip to Eldora Speedway.

    The heat races were literally stacked with talent on top of talent. Just to advance from the heat race was a feat of extreme skill and patience. The first heat race was won by Dale Blaney with Tim Kaeding literally sitting on his back bumper to advance to the dash. David Gravel, Greg Wilson and Paul McMahan would advance to the A Main as well.

    Heat number 2 would see Sammy Swindell dominate over Justin Henderson, Cody Darrah, Stevie Smith and Kerry Madsen. It would also offer the first foreshadowing of the evening with co owner of first in the points, Tony Stewart Racing’s Donny Schatz finishing outside the transfer spot in 6th. The 4 time series champion was relegated to the B Main but he wouldn’t be alone.

    Danny Lasoski would literally walk the dog on the field in his new Zemco racing 1Z ride beating Brian Brown, Kraig Kinser, Steve Kinser, Bill Rose. But it would send 2 more big names to the B Main in Tony Stewart and Daryn Pittman.

    The final heat race was a hard charging and heavily contested race between Joey Saldana and Craig Dollansky with Saldana finishing on top, also transferring would be Jim Nier, Jason Sides, and Brad Sweet. But 3 more big names were sent to the B Main, Lucas Wolfe, Jac Haudenschild, and Chad Kemenah.

    The C Main was clearly a race of desperation transferring only 2 to the Last Chance Showdown of the B Main. The original lineup called for the C to be a 12 car show but when Cap Henry and Rick Fraley were forced to scratch for the evening, the 10 car field that took the green was clearly geared up and ready to do whatever they needed to do to make the big show. Brian Paulus and Dustin Daggett would easily transfer to the Last Chance Showdown.

    The B Main was as tough a field as you will ever see on a dirt track in any series anywhere in the country. When Randy Hannagan and Tony Stewart lead them to the green they didn’t even make a lap before there was a three car tangle between Logan Schuchart, Chad Blonde, and Sam Hafertepe Jr. The heavy damage to Hafertepe’s car would relegate him to a back up for the Kings Royal if he has one to pull. Blonde was questionable as to whether he had frame damage as well and he stated, “We don’t have a back up so if we can’t fix it we are headed home.” 5 laps in Randy Hannagan dropped a rod through the bottom of the motor and went up in a cloud of blue smoke his evening officially over. The engine damage he reported after winning the 360 feature later in the evening would run him right about $15,000. From that point on it was Seek and Slide around the high banks of Eldora and when the dust settled it would be the Steel City Outlaw, Tim Shaffer leading the Rushville Rocket, Tony Stewart to the line. Also transferring to the A Main was The Wild Child, Jac Haudenschild and The Rough Rider, Tyler Walker. Needing a provisional to get into the A Main if they were to run it were, Donny Schatz, Lucas Wolfe, Daryn Pittman, and Chad Kemenah.

    When the A Main took the track the only provisional in the field belonged to Donny Schatz who would be slated in the 25th spot but would actually start the race in the 24th spot when Tony Stewart choose to start at the rear of the field. Joey Saldana jumped out to an early lead at the green and was pulling away from the field when Tim Kaeding spun on lap 9 to bring out the caution. After a quickie yellow the race resumed but only briefly because on Lap 11 a 5 car pile up with Tyler Walker, Kerry Madsen, Jim Nier, Brad Sweet and Bill Rose would bring out the red flag. The only car able to return to the race was Bill Rose. The other 4 were damaged beyond repair in the 2 minute allotted work time. Madsen will need to go to a back up car as will Brad Sweet for the Kings Royal on Saturday night. As the red was lifted and the yellow came out. Sammy Swindell spun on the front stretch. Upon investigation by the series officials his steering wheel had come off in his hands as he attempted to line up. The strange incident relegated Sammy to the back of the pack. At the same time Kraig Kinser entered the work area with a flat Right Rear tire and Cody Darrah stopped in front of a track official to get assistance because his safety belts had come loose in the car. When the green finally flew again it wouldn’t fly for long. Jac Haudenschild would break something in the steering of his car and turn left right into the path of an at speed Tony Stewart causing a very hard impact and ending both of their nights at lap 13. The race would go green again and remain green this time until the final lap. Joey Saldana would lead all the way with serious challenges from Greg Wilson who started the night in 20th and ended up 2nd. On lap 30 the yellow would come out after the first 4 cars had taken the checkered flag when Jason Sides blew a Left rear tire and Kraig Kinser would blow a Left Rear tire and turn the car sideways at the line. The rest of the top 5 would be Dale Blaney, Craig Dollansky, and Brian Brown in his first time at Eldora in a 410 Sprint car. The KSE Hard Charger would go to Greg Wilson. And Steve Kinser would take over the point lead going into the Kings Royal.

    Through all it’s bizarre twists and turns and it’s even stranger occurrences. Eldora lived up to her reputation of being hard core and unforgiving. She has her favorite sons. And winning there once doesn’t make you one of them as Chad Kemenah found out. But she is loyal to a fault. Loyal to her fans. She treated the near sell out crowd to one of the best nights of Outlaw racing in the season thus far. She was fast. She was challenging and she was demanding. But when Joey Saldana’s small sons stepped up to the podium to share in their dad’s excitement you could feel her smile. For all of his struggles this year and all of the struggles he has had at Eldora in the past tonight she gifted him with a memory that won’t soon fade. Joey Saldana went home the champion of the Knight before the Royal. And he went home a hero in the only eyes that truly matter, the eyes that never see him as anything else, his sons.

    _________________________________________________________________________________________________

     

    Heat Race 1 Results: ‎1) Dale Blaney 2) Tim Kaeding 3) David Gravel 4) Greg Wilson 5) Paul McMahan 6) Tyler Walker 7) Randy Hannagan 8) Trey Starks 9) Dustin Daggett 10) Chad Blonde 11) Cap Henry 12) Kory Crabtree

     

    Heat Race 2 Results: ‎1) Sammy Swindell 2) Justin Henderson 3) Cody Darrah 4) Stevie Smith 5) Kerry Madsen 6) Donny Schatz 7) Tim Shaffer 8) Sam Hafertepe Jr 9) Bryan Sebbetto 10) Wes Glumphy 12) Dallas Hewitt

     

    Heat Race 3 Results: ‎1) Danny Lasoski 2) Brian Brown 3) Kraig Kinser 4) Steve Kinser 5) Bill Rose 6) Daryn Pittman 7) Tony Stewart 8) Sheldon Haudenschild 9) Logan Schuchart 10) Scott Hall 11) Adam Wilt 12) Chuck Waddell

     

    Heat Race 4 Results: ‎1) Joey Saldana 2) Craig Dollansky 3) Jim Nier 4) Jason Sides 5) Brad Sweet 6) Jac Haudenschild 7) Chad Kemenah 8) Lucas Wolfe 9) Todd Kane 10) Joey McGarah 11) Randy Meyers 12) Rick Fraley (DNS)

     

    C Main Results: ‎1) Brian Paulus 2) Dustin Daggett 3) Adam Wilt 4) Kory Crabtree 5) Joey McGaruh 6) Wes McGlumphy 7) Chuck Waddell 8) Dallas Hewitt 9) Scott Hall 10) Randy Meyers Cap Henry and Rick Fraley scratched from the event but were scheduled to start 11th and 12th respectatively.

     

    Dash Results: Inversion was an 8. ‎1) Joey Saldana 2) Dale Blaney 3) Sammy Swindell 4) Craig Dollansky 5) Justin Henderson 6) Brian Brown 7) Tim Kaeding 8) Danny Lasoski 9) Stevie Smith 10) David Gravel

     

    B Main Results: ‎1) Tim Shaffer 2) Tony Stewart 3) Jac Haudenschild 4) Tyler Walker 5) Trey Starks 6) Bryan Sebbetto 7) Donny Schatz 8) Lucas Wolfe 9) Brian Paulus 10) Daryn Pittman 11) Chad Kemenah 12) Sheldon Haudenschild 13) Dustin Daggett 14) Todd Kane 15) Randy Hannagan 16) Sam Hafertepe Jr 17) Chad Blonde 18) Logan Schuchart

     

    A Main Results: ‎1) Joey Saldana 2) Greg Wilson 3) Dale Blaney 4) Craig Dollansky 5) Brian Brown 6) Tim Shaffer 7) Justin Henderson 8) Stevie Smith 9) Tim Kaeding 10) Steve Kinser 11) Sammy Swindell 12) Donny Schatz 13) David Gravel 14) Kraig Kinser 15) Jason Sides 16) Cody Darrah 17) Bill Rose 18) Paul McMahan 19) Jac Haudenschild 20) Tony Stewart 21) Brad Sweet 22) Kerry Madsen 23) Tyler Walker 24) Jim Nier 25) Danny Lasoski.

  • Eddie D’Hondt, Jeff Gordon’s Spotter, Sees a Team on the Verge

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”168″][/media-credit]While Eddie D’Hondt has done just about everything in his career, from racing modifieds in the Northeast to spotting for four-time champion Jeff Gordon, he is absolutely sure of one thing.

    D’Hondt is firmly convinced that the No. 24 team is on the verge of taking the checkered flag and, once that occurs, that there will be other wins to follow.

    “We’ve had some awful good races and we’re so close and on the verge of busting out,” D’Hondt said. “Working with Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and getting to know Jeff (Gordon) more and more has been very rewarding.”

    “Once we finally have our day, it will all come together.”

    D’Hondt brings years of racing experience to the spotter’s stand for team 24. He has worked for drivers the likes of Tony Stewart, Kenny Wallace and Bill Elliott, as well as owning his own Nationwide team with Tommy Baldwin and working for Yates Racing.

    “Since I left Yates, I’ve been pretty much spotting for teams,” D’Hondt said. “I’ve worked for Kyle Busch the last year and a half and now Jeff Gordon.”

    “So, that’s my journey.”

    Because of his diversified background, on and off the track, D’Hondt feels that he brings multiple characteristics to the spotter’s stand. But he credits his time behind the wheel as the key to effective spotting from the sky.

    “I think having been a driver helps me understand a little bit of the driver’s aspect of it and understanding the cars,” D’Hondt said. “I stay on top of that as best I can.”

    “A lot of spotters were drivers at one point so it helps.”

    D’Hondt also acknowledges that his spotting style varies, depending both on the type of track and on the type of driver.

    “It may vary for sure,” D’Hondt said. “At a speedway race, the driver and spotter talk a lot more.”

    “Here at New Hampshire, it’s more the crew chief than me talking,” D’Hondt continued. “I also spot for Justin Allgaier in the Nationwide Series and Miguel Paludo in the Truck Series, so whatever feedback, like tire wear or other trends, I’ll bring it to their attention.”

    In his career, D’Hondt has seen many changes in the role of the spotter. And that evolution has kept him constantly busy on the stand, with breaks in the action being few and far between.

    “The evolution of the spotter has changed over the last few years,” D’Hondt said. “It used to be when a caution came out, you could take a drink or relax a little bit.”

    “Now, there’s a lot more action,” D’Hondt continued. “We’re looking for cars coming around so we don’t hit them or looking for problems in the pit stalls. Pit road is tight and cars are coming at the last second.”

    Because of all this action, D’Hondt advises preparation for each and every race is key. And once the race starts, focus is all important, especially with juggling multiple radios as well as seeing the activities on track.

    “Two hours before a race, I’ll go up and start getting into my mental mode,” D’Hondt said. “Once the race starts, you could blow a bomb up next to me and I would never notice.”

    “I have five radios on, so I’m listening to a tremendous amount of things,” D’Hondt continued. “I listen to the race broadcast, NASCAR, myself, and I have a digital radio when the crew chief talks to me.”

    “So, it’s pretty dizzying,” D’Hondt said. “But that’s all just part of me being able to give information when it’s applicable or warranted.”

    Of course, because spotters are human too, there are other preparations that have to occur before they came atop the stand.

    “There’s a lot of goofy stuff we have to do to prepare for a race, like make sure we got to the bathroom before it starts,” D’Hondt said. “Like at the Charlotte 600, you’ve better have gone because there’s no time once you’re up there.”

    “I generally won’t drink anything two hours before a race,” D’Hondt continued “Once the race starts, I’ll take a drink every once in awhile.”

    “I also chew gum to keep my mouth going,” D’Hondt said. “The only time we’ll eat anything is in between practices because that’s a decent enough break.”

    One of the more recent challenges that spotters like D’Hondt have had to face is the ever changing paint schemes on their drivers’ cars. This played special havoc for D’Hondt last weekend at Daytona when driver Jeff Gordon was in the black Pepsi Max race car.

    “We had a black car at a dark race track last Saturday and when the wrecks started happening and there’s smoke, it’s really hard,” D’Hondt said. “You just have to feel your way through it.”

    “It’s almost a sixth sense.”

    “I come early and walk around the garages to make sure I know what the sponsors are and whose car number is whose because a lot of times, Jeff will ask,” D’Hondt continued. “So that’s part of my job.”

    While many consider the role of spotter as glamorous and exciting, D’Hondt affirms the most serious aspect of the job.

    “It’s got its glamorous side to it,” D’Hondt said. “But at times, it can be pretty intense.”

    “It’s our job to keep the drivers safe first and foremost.”

    While safety is supreme, spotters also play important roles as information givers, as well as cheerleaders and encouragers. And of course, that balance depends greatly on the driver, his tenure in the sport and his own expertise behind the wheel.

    “Sometimes I feel like cheerleading might be a good thing, but there are other times when you just have to let them concentrate and do their jobs,” D’Hondt said. “So, there’s a little bit of a fine line there.”

    “I think it depends on the driver,” D’Hondt said. “With Jeff, as a four-time champion, I don’t have to tell him much.”

    “With a second year driver in the Truck Series, he still has a lot to learn,” D’Hondt continued. “I can say, in the right moment, a lot to help him.”

    Of all the drivers he has worked with, D’Hondt expresses highest admiration for his current driver and four-time champion.

    “Jeff has been there, done that and he knows,” D’Hondt said. “So, I talk a whole lot less when it comes to Jeff.”

    “I’ve worked with a lot of drivers with tenure in our sport, but Jeff Gordon to me is the consummate professional,” D’Hondt continued. “He amazes me how he never gets rattled, never takes his anger out on his guys and is just very professional.”

    “I like that and I like to carry myself the same way.”

    With D’Hondt atop the spotters’ stand and Jeff Gordon behind the wheel, this spotter knows it is just a matter of time until he, his team and driver finally reach Victory Lane. And with one win will no doubt come others as well.

    “We’ve had a pretty rough year, not because we haven’t had fast cars or cars capable of winning,” D’Hondt said. “I feel like once we win our first race, it won’t be our last.”

    “I feel like now, we’re in a pretty good rhythm,” D’Hondt continued. “And having won in the past, I know I will never lose sight of what winning will mean.”