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Surprising and Not Surprising: Homestead Ford 400

In a championship battle between two drivers separated by a mere three points going into the race, it was no surprise that Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Aflac Ford and Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, participated in a battle of epic proportions that did not end until the checkered flag flew.

[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the final race of the 2011 season, the 13^th annual running of the Ford 400 from Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Surprising: While NASCAR Chairman Brian France wanted a ‘Game 7’ moment, it was most surprising that this race was not only that, but also an amazing story of comeback, guts and determination.

From a hole in the grille to a fuel mileage gamble, several rain delays, and pit problems causing him to have to pass over 116 cars, Tony Stewart seemingly battled every element known to man to win the race, his 44^th in 464 Cup races, as well as the championship.

Stewart actually tied in championship points with Edwards, 2403 to be exact, but won the tie-breaker due to his five wins. Doing just what he needed to do, Stewart, principal of Stewart-Haas Racing, became just the second owner/driver since Alan Kulwicki in 1992 to score the coveted championship.

Stewart is the seventh champ to win the season finale in his championship run. This was Smoke’s third championship, the others coming in 2002 and 2005.

Stewart also becomes the ninth driver to win three or more championships, joining drivers Darrell Waltrip, Lee Petty and Cale Yarborough, all of whom are Hall of Famers or nominees for the Hall.

“I felt like when we took the white flag, that I could do what I needed to do,” Stewart said. “To be able to fight our way up there, what a dream come true.”

“As far as the owner’s side, it was more important to me to get Gene (Haas) that championship,” Stewart continued. “That’s a big deal in this sport. I’m so proud that we were able to get him up on that stage.”

“I’m in awe,” team owner Gene Haas said of his driver. “I think Tony proved he’s the greatest driver in the world today.”

Not Surprising: Although exuding total class, as well as being the first person to congratulate the race winner and champion, it was not surprising that there was no one at Homestead more disappointed than Carl Edwards in coming up short for the Cup.

Yet even in defeat, Edwards was able to at least be a bit philosophical through his disappointment.

“It’s difficult but to put it in perspective, I plan to be here next year and the next year,” Edwards said. “I just appreciate having this opportunity. I feel like I became a better racer through this.”

“This was a very mentally tough thing, from Tony’s win at Martinsville until now,” Edwards continued. “I’ll be tougher next time too. I learned a lot.”

This second place finish was Edwards’ seventh top-10 in eight races at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It was also his 26^th top-10 finish in 2011, proving that he earned the title of ‘Mr. Consistency’ throughout the season.

Surprising: At a track far from his hometown of Mayetta, New Jersey, it was surprising to see just how well Martin Truex, Jr. ran at Homestead, Florida.

The driver of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota not only scored the outside pole to begin the race, but finished a strong third in the Ford 400. This was Truex’s fifth top-10 finish in seven races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“It’s a lot of fun when you can run like that,” Truex, Jr. said. “Just proud of everybody for sticking together.”

“I’m looking forward to next year,” Truex Jr. continued. “It’s going to be fun.”

“Everyone here has put such effort into making our cars better,” Truex, Jr. said. “We’ve had a pretty good season and have had fast race cars.”

“If we can take care of a lot of little things this winter, hopefully we will have three cars capable of winning races week in and week out.”

Not Surprising: Matt Kenseth, who has been ultra-steady all season long, did not disappoint and not surprisingly scored a fourth place finish in his No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion in this year’s race finale.

“It was a good run for us in spite of hitting the wall early,” Kenseth said. “We did all that stuff, we just didn’t have the grip and speed they had.”

“I thought it was Carl’s, to be honest with you,” Kenseth said of his teammate’s championship battle. “He had tires and Tony didn’t, but he just couldn’t quite catch him.”

Surprising: Jeff Burton, admittedly running some experimental set ups in his No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, scored a surprising top-10 finish. Even more surprising, Burton achieved his goal of claiming 20^th in the point standings.

“Everyone is working on next year and everybody’s experimenting a little bit,” Burton said. “We’ve done a lot of testing the second half of the year with the 31 car. Really feel like we’ve moved the ball forward.”

“We had a tight battle for 20^th in points,” Burton continued. “I know that doesn’t sound like much but it means something to us. We had a tight battle for bragging rights.”

Not Surprising: While Brad Keselowski’s Cinderella story did not result in a championship, to no one’s surprise, last year’s Nationwide champ finished fifth in points, in spite of his 20^th place finish at Homestead.

“I don’t think anyone really expected that out of us, but I never stopped believing that we could be, you know, a contender and have a lot of fun and do well as a team,” the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger said. “I think we’ve got a lot to build off of.”

“We’ll work on it, build off it too,” Keselowski continued. “I’m real proud of the effort for the whole team.”

Surprising: Since Jeff Gordon, behind the wheel of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger, seemed to be on a down-hill slide at Chase-end, it was surprising that he was able to bounce back for a top-five run. His finish also propelled him three positions up in the point standings to the eighth spot.

“It was a great day, a top-five, a great year,” Gordon said. “We had three wins, got number 85, and came up short in the Chase, but we look forward to next year and battling it out for the Sprint Cup.”

As a champion himself, Gordon also had nothing but praise for NASCAR’s newest king.

“Congratulations to Tony Stewart, my gosh, what an amazing run he had in these final ten races,” Gordon said. “He has done some incredible things in his career but I’m guessing that this one is going to top them all.”

“He did it in a fashion that everybody dreams of doing.”

Not Surprising: Kasey Kahne, winner of last weekend’s race at Phoenix, continued his good run, finishing seventh for the last time in the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota Camry. Kahne will now take all his marbles and head to Hendrick Motorsports for the 2012 season, replacing Mark Martin.

“I think we had the best car there those couple runs before the final run,” Kahne said. “We were flying. It felt really good and then we just got tight in that final run.”

“It was crazy,” Kahne said of the race and the championship battle. “That’s as close as a championship can be, will ever be. Those two guys both deserve to be champions if you ask me.”

Surprising: While both Busch brothers, Kurt and Kyle, have experienced some troubles both on and off the track this season, it was surprising to see just how far they fell, finishing eleventh and twelfth in the points standings respectively.

Kyle Busch, behind the wheel of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota, not the M&Ms Toyota due to his bad behavior with Ron Hornaday in the Truck race two weeks ago, showed moments of brilliance in the race finale. Busch, however, then faded to finish well back in the back in pack in the 23^rd spot.

Big brother Kurt Busch, driving the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger, had troubles early in the Homestead race when on Lap 4, something broke in the engine. He officially finished 34^th.

“I’ve never been so disappointed in my life,” Kurt Busch said. “I think I missed a race once my rookie year and this almost tops that.”

Not Surprising: As exciting as the 2011 season has been, including the race finale and championship, it is not surprising that all good things must come to an end. In addition to the close of Jimmie Johnson’s reign as champion, other goodbyes, including David Reutimann leaving Michael Waltrip Racing, as well as Red Bull Racing pulling out of the sport, need to be said.

“It’s been a good five years,” Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, said of his run with the team. “We had some ups and downs. The only goal we didn’t accomplish was the championship.”

“I want to thank everyone at Red Bull, Toyota and all the guys for their hard work through the years,” Vickers continued. “This is it.”

“It’s disappointing,” David Reutimann, driver for the final time of the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, said. “I love my guys. A lot of these guys have been with me since the Truck Series and have come up with me.”

“I’m going to miss them,” Rooty continued. “It’s certainly a lot more bitter than it is sweet for sure.”

“We think we had a motor problem,” Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet, said. “I started getting some warning signs in the way to the pits.”

“We had a fast car but I worked my way up and was having some fun,” Johnson, who finished 32^nd, continued. “Sad way to end the season but it’s racing and we’ll come back next year.”

Speaking of next year, it is most surprising just how quickly this 2011 season has flown. Yet it is not surprising that testing at Daytona and Speedweeks is literally just around the corner.

So, until 2012 brings us all back together at the track, happy holidays and God bless!

November 21, 2011
Smoke Rises

Congratulations to the man called Smoke. He set out on a journey 10 weeks ago that he himself said his team was not ready for. He gave himself no chance to win. But through the head games there was a fire burning deep behind those eyes. A fire that betrayed a passion that could not be denied. You may beat me but I will run you balls to the wall keep it from happening. And indeed in the final race he did exactly that passing 118 cars during the final race. But when the checkers waved it was the 14 across the stripe first. The points they ended in a tie. But the tie breaker was wins and that left Smoke sitting on top of the hill as the King of the mountain once again.

[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]In all honesty it was a hard fought battle. Carl Edwards fought hard, raced hard and played fair and showed all the attributes of a champion. He in fact did not lose the championship. Points wise he tied with Smoke. But Smoke won more races than Edwards. Consistency brought him to the dance. But victories sent him home alone. Congratulations to Carl on being a great racer, and a great champion. For teaching his children and all of ours that there is more to winning than getting the trophy and there is more to being a champion than finishing first.

Darian Grubb gambled big time today. He rolled the dice and he took the chance. He bet that gas mileage would win the race. He was wrong. But he won the gamble none the less. He won because his risk paid off in spades when the caution waved for rain and Carl Edwards was still behind Tony Stewart on the restart. The rain gave them enough caution laps that both contenders could go the distance. It was now down to grit and guts and who could handle the pressure without a mistake on the track the best.

For 40 laps, two of the best drivers of our time ran just as hard and just as fast as they could possibly drive. Their focus on one another and their own cars. The crowd in the stands held their breath. The people at home held their breath. Could Smoke over come a day of mishaps to hold on to that top spot? Would Carl’s engine hold on when three of his teammates had lost theirs? Even the crew chiefs were feeding information. Bob Osborne radioed to Edwards, I know you are doing everything you can man but we really need that spot. You have to pass the 14. He tried. He ran so hard and so close to the wall that he should have taken paint off of it. But everything he gained Smoke took back the next lap. It became obvious that it was going to take a catastrophic failure of some sort for the 99 to catch and pass the 14.

When the white flag flew neither slowed down. Four corners and a straight away and half later, Anthony Wayne Stewart proved to the world why he is considered one of the top-10 drivers in the world today. Smoke won his 5th race of the chase and tied Edwards in points and won the tie breaker to become the Sprint Cup Series Champion for 2011.

Stewart joins an elite group of three champions to ever win the championship as an owner driver. He joins Richard Petty and Alan Kulwicki in holding the highest position in his sport while also writing the checks to pay the bills. Stewart took the championship in just his 3rd full year as an owner.

Stewart’s trophy cabinet is as diverse as any in the sport today. With wins in World of Outlaw Sprint Cars, Silver crown cars, USAC dirt stock cars, Indy cars, IROC cars and NASCAR Stock Cars. This is Stewart’s third NASCAR Championship with his previous cups coming from 2001 and 2006.

With his first owner/driver championship, Stewart fulfilled a promise to his hero A.J. Foyt by bringing the 14 back to victory lane and into the champions circle.

As the glitter and confetti settle in the steadily falling rain, I think it is important to note that this is the first time since 1975 and the modern day points system that we have ever had to use the tie breaker. I think it is also important to note that Edwards did everything he had to do to win the championship. He lead the most laps. He sat on the pole. He just finished 2nd. But noting that I think it is just as important to make note of the class and grace in which he accepted finishing 2nd. He did nothing to detract from the victory of the 14 team. Instead he said simply “we got beat. But we will use this to build on and come back stronger next year.” The true attitude of a champion showed twice tonight.

The 2011 season has drawn to a close. The only things left are banquets with new and different stuffed chicken somethings and creamed spinach oh and seeing who Smoke’s date will be this time. It’s sad in a way. But we can look at it this way the Daytona 500 is in 98 days.

~~~~~ **** ~~~~~

Congratulations to Austin Dillion our 2011 CWTS champion and his RCR team.

Congratulations to Ricky Stenhouse Jr. our NNS Champion and his Roush Fenway Racing team.

Congratulations to Tony Stewart our 2011 Sprint Cup Series Champion and his Stewart Haas Racing team.

That said, to all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.

November 20, 2011
Matty’s Picks: Vol. 28 – Homestead-Miami – November 20, 2011

[media-credit name=”miamihomesteadspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”254″][/media-credit]It all comes down to this, one race, three points, one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion. 65,000+ will be on hand Sunday Evening to witness the battle between two-time Sprint Cup Series Champion, Tony Stewart, and number-one contender for the title, Carl Edwards.

Both men have visited Victory Lane twice in their driving careers, so the tale of the tape sets the stage for an exciting finale this Sunday. The stats speak for themselves this week, with both drivers having success at Homestead-Miami Speedway:

Stewart
2 – Wins (1999,2000)
3 – Top-5’s
6 – Top-10’s
12.4 – Average Finish
3206 – Laps Completed (Most of any driver)

Edwards
2 – Wins (2008,2010)
4 – Top-5’s
6 – Top-10’s
5.7 – Average Finish
441 – Laps Led (Most of any driver)

Stewart has run all 12 races at Homestead, whereas Edwards has only participated in 7 of the season finales at the track.

This is the first year that I can remember that The Chase for the Sprint Cup will not come down to Jimmie Johnson NOT finishing the race in 43rd to clinch the title spot. Although Carl Edwards has not won a race during this 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup, the new points system has done what it was designed to do, and that’s create a battle until the final lap of the final race of the season.

I personally do not understand how a guy that has won 4 of the last 11 races does not hold a commanding lead heading into this final race of the 2011 Sprint Cup season, but the “Shootout to the finish” that NASCAR fans have hoped for, has finally become a reality. I am not the kind of person that rewards mediocrity and have often been doted with a “checkers or wreckers” mentality, but I am a bit excited to see this title battle come down to two extremely talented drivers.

I will be following the first portion of the race on Sunday from a perch high above a little-known Whitetail feeding ground via Twitter updates on Sunday Afternoon (so Mikey, remind me to have a full battery in my cell-phone heading to my tree-stand for night watch).

Phoenix Recap

Not a very good Winner Pick for me last week in Jimmie Johnson, wielding an un-traditional paint scheme on the No.48 Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet last week. Its been a rough go of it for Johnson in this 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup, and just when I thought he was due for a win, I was wrong.

Johnson started 16th last Sunday, and used pit strategy to climb as high as 8th within the first 100 laps. But with little rubber down on the new racing surface at Phoenix International Raceway, fresh tires became a hot commodity as the race wore on. The early, two-tire stop proved to be detrimental to Johnson’s push to the front, as he told his team his car was “scary loose” just before the midway point in the Kobalt Tools 500.

The crew worked the rest of the race to tighten Johnson’s car up, but only managed to sneak his way back to a 14th place finish.

My Dark Horse pick last week, Jeff Burton, finished better than my Winner Pick for the first time since the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte last month. It just so happens that my Winner Pick for that race in Charlotte was Jimmie Johnson, and my Dark Horse for that race was last-week’s race winner, Kasey Kahne. Also interesting that my Dark Horse pick last week finished in the exact same position (4th) as Kahne did in October at Charlotte, the last time I picked Johnson as my Winner Pick. Now I’m rambling on…..lay off Uncle Ed.

Anyway, my Dark Horse was a solid pick for me last week, and if it wasn’t for the willpower of Cousin Carl Edwards, I would have netted myself a Top-3 Dark Horse Pick last week at Phoenix. Yet again, had Carl Edwards not passed Jeff Burton in the closing laps of the Kobalt Tools 500 last week, we wouldn’t have such a close margin between first and second in points heading into this weekend’s grand finale.

Homestead-Miami Picks

Due to Mother Nature, I have nothing to go off of making my final picks of the season this week, as rain has delayed all on-track activities this afternoon in Miami.

Winner Pick

I have a gut feeling that the winner of Sunday’s race is going also be the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, but I will make it fun and not go with one of the two guys in the battle for the championship this year.

“The Closer” is the guy I’m picking to win this Sunday at Homestead, against my better judgment. Kevin Harvick sits 51-points behind Carl Edwards in Sprint Cup Series points standings, and also yields a rather impressive history at Homestead.

Despite not ever visiting Victory Lane at Homestead, Harvick boasts a rather impressive average finish of 7.9 at the 1.5-mile oval. He also has five Top-5’s and eight Top-10’s at Homestead, completing all but one lap of 10 races he’s started in South Florida.

It’s Harvick I’m going with this week just to make this column remotely interesting, so watch for the Budweiser to be flowing in Victory Lane this week.

Dark Horse Pick

The 16th place driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ points standings is A.J. Allmendinger. The guy I’m looking at to mix up the Top-10 this week at Homestead is A.J. Allmendinger. He’s coming off a 6th-place finish last week at Phoenix, falling just one spot short of his season-best.

Allmendinger has finished in the Top-10, four times in this 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup, with two coming in the last two weeks. His short history at Homestead-Miami Speedway has included a 5th, a 10th, and an 11th-place finish, most notably last year starting and finishing in the 5th position. Possibly his most impressive run at the 1.5-mile oval in South Florida was in 2008 when he started dead last on the grid and drove his way all the way to an 11th-place finish.

Bonus Pick: Who Wins the Championship?

It’s Stewart that wins the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup on Sunday…

I think that consistency will run out for Carl Edwards this weekend, and Stewart will prevail in the end. He’s been untouchable the past 11 races, and I don’t see anything changing this weekend.

If Stewart can manage to find the point early, he controls his own destiny. The worst thing that can happen for Smoke is for Edwards to get out front and for Stewart to play catch-up the remainder of the race. Edwards has been lucky up to this point, and I think it runs out this weekend with Smoke claiming his 3rd NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship.

That’s it for this grand finale this weekend, and stay tuned next week for my 2011 Season Wrap-Up of Matty’s Picks.

Until Next Time…You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

November 18, 2011
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Phoenix

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Carl Edwards: Edwards chased Kasey Kahne to the finish at Phoenix, but had to settle for the runner-up spot in the Kobalt Tools 500. Edwards remained on top in the Sprint Cup point standings and will take a three-point lead over Tony Stewart to Homestead.

“I would say the Sprint Cup championship is mine too lose,” Edwards said. “That would be inaccurate. It’s not mine to lose; it’s Jimmie Johnson’s. Jimmie had a great run; unfortunately, it’s slowed to a ‘walk.’

“I could win the Cup without a single victory in the Chase. If that happens, I expect NASCAR to react quickly, and hire meth-head Jeremy Mayfield as a consultant, his job being to ‘tweak’ the Chase points system.”

2. Tony Stewart: Stewart led 160 of 312 laps at Phoenix, but had to pit for fuel with 18 laps to go. He worked his way back to the front and finished third, right behind points leader Carl Edwards in second, to stay three points behind. The Sprint Cup championship will be decided next Sunday at Homestead.

“You’ve got me,” Stewart said, “with four wins in the Chase, against Edwards, with not a single win in the Chase. How am I not in the lead, and how am I three points down? How has Edwards pulled that off. I’m mystified. In any case, the Chase For The Cup comes down to ‘Smoke’ versus ‘Smoke And Mirrors.’

3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished an uninspired 19^th at Phoenix, and remained third in the point standings, 51 behind Carl Edwards.

“I’m out of the running for the Cup,” Harvick said. “That’s no surprise, because I’ve been driving like it for nine races.

“But with nothing to race for, I can finally take care of some unfinished business. That would be wrecking Kyle Busch and finally gaining vengeance for the incident in Darlington. Alas, no one cares anymore, especially Busch.”

4. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson came home 14^th at Phoenix and improved one spot to fifth in the point standings. He now trails Carl Edwards by 68.

“I’m finally giving up the crown,” Johnson said. “So, expect a ‘reign-out’ at Homestead. To Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards, I say ‘May the best man win.’ But since I’ve been eliminated from Cup contention, that won’t happen. So, ‘May the next best man win.’”

5. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished 18^th in the Kobalt Tools 500, his third straight finish outside the top 17. He improved one spot to fourth in the point standings and is now 68 out of first.

“Expect me to be a fixture in the Chase for years to come,” Keselowski said. “I like what we’re doing at Penske Racing. Despite my young age of 27, I feel like my presence alone has raised the maturity level immensely at Penske. Between Busch and I, it seems he’s the ‘baby’ of the duo.”

6. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth started on the pole at Phoenix and was dominant early before Brian Vickers wrecked him on lap 177. Kenseth finished 34^th and is now sixth in the point standings, 70 out of first.

“Somebody give Vickers at mirror,” Kenseth said, “because he better ‘watch himself’ at Homestead.”

7. Kurt Busch: Busch led 57 laps at Phoenix but ran into trouble on lap 279 when came down pit road for a splash of fuel but was tagged for speeding. Forced to serve a pass-through penalty, Busch’s chances at the win were done, and he eventually finished 22^nd, one lap down.

“I was ‘officially’ eliminated from Cup contention twice in one race,” Busch said. “Of course, there’s no one to blame but myself, so I’ll blame everyone but myself.”

8. Kasey Kahne: Kahne captured his first win since 2009, snapping an 81-race winless streak by outrunning Carl Edwards to the line at Phoenix.

“I’ll hate to see Red Bull out of NASCAR,” Kahne said. “That’s a sentiment shared by everyone in the garage, except for Matt Kenseth. Brian Vickers will soon drive off into the sunset. And when I say ‘into’ the sunset, I mean it literally, because Vickers will probably hit it.”

9. Jeff Gordon: Snake bitten first by handling problems, then brake issues, Gordon finished 32^nd at Phoenix and was officially eliminated from Sprint Cup title contention. He is now 11^th in the point standings, 112 out of first.

“It’s been a season I’d like to forget,” Gordon said. “Unfortunately, at my age, and even as a four-time champion, now the ‘seasons to forget’ far outnumber the ‘season’s to remember.’”

10. Kyle Busch: Busch started from the back at Phoenix after an engine change, but his slide continued when his engine blew on lap 188. Busch finished 36^th and is 12^th in the point standings, 135 out of first.

“We suspected we may have engine troubles,” Busch said. “And we were right. Like my sponsor, my engine gave up on me.

“I may be last in the standings, but I can also be ‘first,’ to admit that my anger issues need addressing. I think it wise that I should ‘seek counseling’ for my issues, before my issues force me to ‘seek counsel.’”

November 15, 2011
Surprising and Not Surprising: Kobalt Tools 500

With NASCAR traveling to the ‘Valley of the Sun’ for the next to the last race of the season, it was no surprise that the reconfigured race track was soaked instead with liquid sunshine. Yet, the track dried, veteran racer Adrian Fernandez uttered the four most famous words in racing, and the green flag waved as scheduled.

[media-credit id=40 align=”alignright” width=”221″][/media-credit]Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 24^th running of the Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Surprising: While it was no surprise that PIR was new and improved, with brand new pavement as well as a new track layout, it was surprising to see the new faces that showed up in Victory Lane this weekend.

From the Nationwide race with Sam Hornish Jr. scoring his first ever NASCAR win to young Ryan Blaney, son of Dave Blaney, notching the ‘W’ in the K&N Pro Series West finale, PIR definitely had some fresh-faced winners.

But most surprising was Cup winner Kasey Kahne, scoring his first win since 2009, his first victory of the 2011 season, and his first victory ever at Phoenix International Raceway. Kahne’s victory came in his next to the last ride in his No. 4 Red Bull Toyota.

“It feels great to get a win for Red Bull and get a win in the 4 car,” Kahne said. “To win a race at this level, as competitive as everything is right now, for myself, to see how happy all the pit crew guys were, the guys preparing the race cars at Red Bull, it was pretty cool.”

“Makes you feel pretty good to be a part of that.”

Not Surprising: To no one’s surprise, Carl Edwards, behind the wheel of the No. 99 Aflac Ford, and his championship Chase nemesis Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, stalked each other all race long, finishing second and third respectively.

And not surprisingly, thanks to that close finish, the championship will be decided at the final race of the season in Homestead, Florida. Edwards is currently just three points ahead of Smoke going into Ford Championship weekend, one of the closest margins between first and second in the Chase in NASCAR Sprint Cup history.

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s a dead heat going in there,” Stewart said of the upcoming Homestead weekend. “We just got to do our job like we’ve been doing.”

“I’m still pumped up,” Smoke continued. “I want to go to Homestead tomorrow and start. I want tomorrow to be Friday. I’m excited about it and ready to go.”

“Yeah, Homestead is going to be a lot of fun,” Edwards said. “I really enjoy racing there.”

“The cool thing about Homestead, you’re going to be able to move around, pass, and not get hung up as badly in traffic as you can at other racetracks,” Edwards continued. “I don’t think there’s a better place to go than Homestead to fight for this championship.”

Surprising: After Phoenix, with only those two drivers remaining in contention for the championship, it is indeed surprising that five-time champion Jimmie Johnson will not be six-time champ.

Johnson, behind the wheel this weekend of a black No. 48 Lowe’s Kobalt Tools Chevrolet, finished 14^th in the race and sits currently in the fifth position in points, 68 points out of first and officially out of contention.

“Yeah, I’m definitely disappointed that we won’t be able to go to Homestead and race for our sixth, but that’s motorsports,” Johnson said. “It’s a very tough business.”

“What we did over the last five years was absolutely spectacular,” Johnson continued. “What we did over the last five years is abnormal. Now we’ll get a taste of normalcy.”

Also surprisingly, Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammates, especially Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. also had difficulty in the ‘Valley of the Sun.’ The driver of the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet fared especially poorly, struggling with brake problems to finish 32^nd.

“We weren’t good when we got here,” Gordon said. “We were fighting and battling but then the brake problem happened and that pretty much ruined our day.”

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., in the No. 88 Retro Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard, also struggled and finished 24^th.

“We pitted and got caught with the caution and lost a couple of laps and just never got a chance to get it back,” Junior said. “We missed it. We didn’t hit it.”

Not Surprising: As bad as Hendrick Motorsports team members fared, it was no surprise that the other half of the Stewart Haas Racing duo fared well. Ryan Newman, with his No. 39 US Army Veteran’s Day Tribute car covered with pictures of vets, finished top-five yet again.

“The guys on the US Army Chevrolet, with the Veteran’s Day special paint scheme, that was an amazing comeback for us to come from 30^th to fifth,” Newman said. “I’m really proud of that.”

Surprising: Although the two tangled at Martinsville, it was surprising to see the feud continue between Brian Vickers, soon to be out of work with his No. 83 Red Bull Toyota team exiting the sport next week, and Matt Kenseth, race pole sitter, who was looking for a good run in his No. 17 Crown Royal Ford.

“My two year old could watch that and know it was intentional,” Kenseth said of his wreck with Vickers. “It was real pre-meditated.”

“I don’t understand what happened,” Vickers said of his Kenseth encounter. “He just stopped on the straight-away.”

“He wrecked me at Martinsville,” Vickers continued. “He got wrecked here. He just lifted halfway down the back stretch. I’ll count that one.”

Kenseth finished a miserable34th, dropping two positions to sixth in the point standings. Vickers soldiered on for a 23^rd place finish, languishing in the 25^th position in the points.

Not Surprising: Having had the most miserable week leading up to the race, from being parked to losing his sponsor for the last two races, it was not surprising that Kyle Busch’s most miserable weekend continued.

Busch had to start the race from the back of the field due to engine troubles caused by human error. He managed to work his way up through the pack, only to have the engine of his No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota expire on Lap 214.

“It’s just devastating,” Busch said. “To go through turmoil like this, all you can do is group together and pull through it and try to persevere and move on.”

“Catastrophic engine failure,” Busch continued. “It’s terrible to have one in a weekend, let alone two in a weekend.”

“It’s certainly a tough few weeks and all we can do is look forward to next week at Homestead.”

Surprising: It was surprising to see another crew swap during the race, this time for AJ Allmendinger, whose pit crew let him down during a stop, most likely costing the driver of the No. 43 Wix Filters Ford, a race win.

Allmendinger’s crew was swapped out for the crew of David Ragan, another Ford driver who was not in the hunt, helping the Dinger to a top-five finish.

“We were losing four or five spots on a stop,” Allmendinger said. “You can’t do that and win a race and those guys are pretty good.”

“Thanks to the 6 guys, our Ford teammates coming over and pitting the last two stops,” Dinger said. “They did a good job.”

Not Surprising: To no one’s surprise, Allmendinger’s Richard Petty Motorsports teammate Marcos Ambrose also had a good run at PIR. The driver of the No. 9 DeWalt Ford finished a respectable eighth.

“We had a good car today,” the Aussie said. “We were solid all day long. It bodes even better for the first half of next season.”

Surprising: Since Jeff Burton has had a fairly difficult 2011 season, it was a bit surprising to see the driver of the No. 31 Caterpillar Global Mining Chevrolet end up with a fourth place finish. The top-five finishing driver hopes that the turnaround will continue right into the 2012 season.

“The Caterpillar Chevrolet was good, really, all day,” Burton said. “When things are tough, you find out what people are made of. My group has just kept digging and kept their heads up.”

“Nobody has quit on this team, not once,” Burton continued. “I’m real proud of that.”

“We’ve run really well the last month and hopefully we will build some momentum going into next year.”

Not Surprising: With no ride secured for next year, it was not surprising to see David Reutimann, ousted driver of the No. 00 TUMS Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing, drive his guts out for a seventh place finish in the next to the last race of the season.

“We qualified in the top-10 and we were able to stay up there all day long,” Rooty said. “I’m proud of the crew guys for the job they did today. They really stuck with me.”

“This is a great group of guys, probably one of the best in the garage and they’ve been with me a long time,” Reutimann continued. “We have one more week together and I want to go out on a high note at Homestead.”

November 14, 2011
Matty’s Picks: Vol. 27 – Phoenix – November 13, 2011

Two races to go in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup, and this week we head to a track that may be the biggest juggernaut of them all, Phoenix International Raceway. After an extensive facelift this summer, PIR will prove to be a handful for the 43 drivers that take the green flag on Sunday.

[media-credit name=”phoenixinternationalspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]A year ago, International Speedway Corporation and the Avondale City Council announced the plans for a $100 long-term improvement for PIR. The plans included a $15 million dollar repaving project (the track’s first since 1990) and the construction of a new media center. Along with the new pavement came a reconfiguration of the famed “dogleg”, a widening of the front stretch to 62 feet, addition of concrete to the pit stalls, as well as progressive banking in the turns.

The dogleg renovations included; pushing the corner out by 95 feet, changing the radius of the backstretch bump to 500 feet, and adding progressive banking to the dogleg from 10-11 degrees. The corners of PIR are now progressively banked from 10-11 degrees in turns one and two, and from 8-9 degrees in turns three and four. The new track has been described almost as a “rollercoaster-like drive” due to the elevation changes as the drivers dip down into the dogleg, rises on exit, and dives back down into turn number three.

Passing has been a bit of controversy in PIR’s new surface’s short history, as many drivers are finding it difficult to find grip outside the one loosely held together groove. PIR has made numerous attempts to foster passing on the new surface including “tons of laps” by driving schools on soft tires.

After a testing session just yesterday at PIR, Elliot Sadler expressed his concerns about the new surface and the racing this weekend, “I actually got to the 82 (Reed Sorenson) that was about a half a second of a lap slower than I was. I really couldn’t do anything with him. I didn’t want to make a move, definitely on the outside, to make a pass.”

Defending NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion, Brad Keselowski also weighed in on the underdeveloped second groove following Thursdays test session: “It found me and I found it. We weren’t looking for each other. It’s just very, very slick. There’s just a lack of stability.”

This weekend’s Kobalt Tools 500 may or may not prove to be exciting to watch, especially if Kyle Busch ends up in Victory Lane. (Joke’s on you M&M’s)

Texas Recap

It was the Texas Shootout that everyone was looking for last weekend in the Lone Star State, and the guys in the noontime dual couldn’t have been any more storybook.

Carl Edwards entered the AAA Texas 500 with the championship points lead, and also left with the lead, only a bit slimmer margin over race-winner Tony Stewart. We’ll cut to lap 265 when Edwards and Stewart restarted side by side on the front row following the final caution of the race. Stewart felt confident in holding off a late race surge from Edwards, should he overtake the No. 99 on the restart.

Stewart’s scenario played out on the final restart, resulting in my Winner Pick being the first to suck in the fumes left behind by the No. 14 Chevrolet on his way to his fourth victory of the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Edwards spoke after his runner-up finish last Sunday: “Tony (Stewart) and those guys stepped it up and I’m proud of my guys for hanging on and for still having the point lead,” Edwards said. “At the end of the day, we’re going to the final two races. Although we would have loved to have won today in our Aflac Fusion, to be three points ahead and then to have the third and fourth-place guys farther behind, it looks like it’s truly going to come down to Tony and I, and that’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to get pretty exciting and I’m just glad Tony and I are out there and we can race for this thing.”

Marcos Ambrose, last week’s Dark Horse pick, was on the right track to score a Top-10 going into the final restart, but struggled throughout the last 70’ish laps to find grip. A two-tire call late in the race was the call from Crew Chief Todd Parrott, a call that would not sit well with the Tasmanian’s race car.

As the lights came on at Texas Motor Speedway last Sunday, a group of cars moved up in the running order, and a group of cars began to fall in the running order, struggling to find grip on the 1.5-mile quad oval. Unfortunately for me, Marcos Ambrose was in the group of cars struggling to keep pace with the front-runners.

It wasn’t for lack of effort that Ambrose finished in 11th as he raced his way all the way up from 26th on Lap 302, but for the third straight week I end the weekend without any Dark Horse points.

Phoenix Picks

Dark Horse Pick

I’ll start with my Dark Horse pick this week, as I feel fairly certain that most of my readers may not think of this guy to actually in this weekend at PIR, until you see the practice speeds posted from earlier today. He came close to a win last week, but lost his gamble on fuel strategy late in the race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Oddly enough, Jeff Burton was the fastest car on the track last month in the Goodyear and EFI testing session at PIR. 36 teams took to the track on October 4th, and Jeff Burton was on-track for 125 laps. He was fastest on the speed charts during that testing session, and coincidentally was fastest earlier today during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice.

It’s not really fair to use previous finishes for my defense of this pick because of the recent transformation of Phoenix International Raceway, so the data I have collected and referenced has come post-new-dogleg era of PIR. On the second day of testing back in October, Burton ran another 120 laps in his RCR Chevrolet, peaking out at 136.747 MPH on the speed charts. For his efforts, Burton was awarded 6th place on the leaderboard out of 35 teams.

This is the first time I’ve picked Burton for any pick this season, and I’m hoping a new face to Matty’s picks will bring me some late-season luck.

Winner Pick

This marks my 6th time picking Jimmie Johnson as a Winner Pick this season, right on par with his winning percentage across the past 5 seasons at Hendrick Motorsports. I’m beginning to wonder if I am slowly becoming a closet Jimmie Johnson bandwagon’eer at this point, but all I have to do is point to past finishes at PIR to justify my pick this week. An average career finish of 4.8 at PIR has me exited this week, even though I said earlier I would NOT use prior finishes as justification for a pick…

If there’s one guy that can adapt to change, its Jimmie Johnson, as he showed in his two days of testing at PIR back in October. At the end of Day 1 testing, the No. 48 Lowe’s team was shown 10th on the speed charts after running 85 laps. Chad Knaus went back to the drawing board with the top of the charts on his mind. Though Johnson did not reach the top of the speed charts on the second day of testing, he did manage to find another 8-tenths of a second around PIR on Day 2 of testing. Those 8-tenths were good enough for Johnson to be shown second on the board.

The only thing that has me nervous about this pick is Johnson’s less than impressive speeds earlier today in Sprint Cup Practice. The No. 48 Car was shown 33rd best after the first practice today, and qualifying that far back in the field could prove to be no-man’s land come Sunday afternoon.

That’s all for this week, stay tuned next week for the 2011 season finale in South Florida.

Until Next Time…You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

November 11, 2011
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Texas

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Tony Stewart: Stewart out dueled Carl Edwards at Texas, holding off his championship rival to win the AAA Texas 500. Stewart led 173 laps on the day, and now trails Edwards by only three points in the Sprint Cup standings.

[media-credit name=”Mike Holloway” align=”alignright” width=”261″][/media-credit]“Last week I said Edwards should be worried,” Stewart said. “This week, tell him ‘I’m coming.’ He knows where I’m going, and I do, as well, because I’ve ‘been there before.’

“As I’ve said before, I don’t care about second. Second place is for losers. Or is it? I’ve won four races in the Chase, yet I’m only second in the points. Apparently, second place isn’t for losers.”

2. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished second at Texas to Tony Stewart, as the two battled over the last third of the AAA Texas 500. Edwards’ eight-point lead in the point standings was trimmed by five, and now he leads Stewart by only three.

“Who says you need to win races to win a championship?” Edwards said. “Certainly not the NASCAR rule book. So far, Stewart has been ‘great’ in four races. I’ve been ‘good’ in eight. So far, so ‘good.’ If I win the Cup without a victory, I’ll endorse the headline ‘My Goodness! Edwards Wins Cup.’”

3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished 13^th at Texas, and remained third in the point standings. He now trails Carl Edwards by 33 with two races left in the Chase.

“Kyle Busch took stupidity to a new level,” Harvick said, “for the third or fourth time this year. Despite having over 100 wins in NASCAR competition, he’s still ‘lost it’ more than he’s won. In Texas, NASCAR decided his fate for him. Call it a ‘parking lot.’ As they say, ‘M&M’s melt in your hands, Kyle Busch sits on his.”

4. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished fourth in the Texas AAA 500, posting his fourth top-5 result of the Chase. He moved up to fourth in the point standings and now trails Carl Edwards by 38.

“Kyle Busch is in a class by himself,” Kenseth said. “That is, anger management class.”

5. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski struggled at Texas, finishing a lap down on his way to a 24^th. He fell one spot to fifth in the point standings where he is 49 out of first.

“I’m not counting myself out yet,” Keselowski said. “Anything’s possible. That is, anything’s possible….with Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers both in the field.”

6. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished 14^th at Texas and remained sixth in the point standings. He is 55 out of first, and will be Sprint Cup champion for only two more weeks.

“So, will it be Carl Edwards or Tony Stewart as next Sprint Cup champion?” Johnson said. “If Creedence Clearwater Revival made that query, they would surely say, ‘And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the reign? CCR rules. RCR doesn’t.

“I’m going to say something that I haven’t had to say in half a decade. And that’s ‘It just wasn’t my year.’”

7. Jeff Gordon: Gordon posted his second straight top-10 finish, coming home sixth at Texas after a third at Martinsville. He improved two spots to eighth in the point standings, 81 out of first.

“Much like a Kyle Busch apology,” Gordon said, “it’s ‘too little, too late.’ If he continues to go rogue, so will his sponsors.”

8. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt finished seventh at Texas and climbed to seventh in the point standings. He trails Carl Edwards by 79 points.

“I didn’t make the Chase last year,” Earnhardt said, “so this year would have to be considered an improvement. I went from the ‘outside looking in’ to the ‘inside looking in.’”

9. Kurt Busch: Busch finished 30^th at Texas, two laps down, and fell one spot to ninth in the point standings. He trails Carl Edwards by 87.

“What’s that continuous high-pitched sound heard on the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil radio frequency?” Busch said. “I don’t know, but it sounds like a ‘whine.’”

10. Kyle Busch: Busch was banned from Sunday’s Cup race after blatantly wrecking Ron Hornaday under caution in Friday’s trucks race. Busch retaliated after the two trucks made contact when they went three-wide to navigate around a slower truck. Busch is now 100 points out of first in the Sprint Cup standings and has been officially eliminated from championship contention.

“If I had it to do over,” Busch said, “I’d do it differently. By that, I’m referring to my career, and not Friday’s truck race.”

November 8, 2011
Surprising and Not Surprising: AAA Texas 500

When the green flag flew on the seventh annual running of the AAA Texas 500, it seemed almost as an afterthought to a difficult week, with the passing of patriarch Russ Wallace, the plane crash injuring Rick and Linda Hendrick, and of course the parking of Kyle Busch after his detrimental on-track actions during the Truck race.

[media-credit name=”Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”272″][/media-credit]Yet, when the checkered flag finally flew at Texas Motor Speedway, there were some surprising, as well as not so surprising, moments from the third to the last race of the 2011 season.

Surprising: After back to back wins, it was surprising to see that even Smoke was a bit overcome, albeit by the intensity of the race, emotion and the heat of Victory Lane.

“This is for the Wallace family,” Stewart said after getting out of his car. “And for Mr. Hendrick and his wife. And I had a buddy that passed away when we were at Charlotte and I didn’t want to forget him.”

Yet even with splashing some water on his face, Smoke still had to take a seat in Victory Lane, while those around him fanned him with their Stetson hats to allow him to catch his breath.

Tony Stewart, however, bounced back quickly. He then donned the traditional black hat and took some shots with the guns in celebration of scoring his 43^rd career victory, his fourth win of the season, and his second victory at Texas.

Stewart also re-affirmed that his sights are firmly set on winning that coveted Cup championship. With his race win, Smoke is now just three points behind leader Carl Edwards.

“I don’t think we have to say anything,” Stewart said, unlike last week where he talked some smack in Victory Lane. “Our performance speaks for itself.”

“Do not count us out of this thing,” Stewart said. “We did everything we needed to do today.”

Not Surprising: Roush Fenway Racing did not disappoint or surprise at the mile-and-a-half track where they have been so dominant all season. RFR had three of their drivers in the top five, with Carl Edwards in second, Matt Kenseth in fourth, and pole sitter Greg Biffle in fifth.

The team combined to lead 124 laps at Texas Motor Speedway, with Edwards leading 14, Kenseth leading 87 and Biffle leading 23. Even David Ragan, whose future remains uncertain, finished in the 12^th position.

“I’m proud of our guys today,” Edwards, behind the wheel of the No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion said. “We wanted to beat Tony and pad the lead, but we are still the point’s leader.”

This was Edwards’ sixth top-10 finish in 14 races at Texas Motor Speedway. It is his 24^th top-10 finish to date in the 2011 season.

Greg Biffle, behind the wheel of the No. 16 Ford Fusion, started from the pole to bring his car home for a top-five finish.

“We had a pretty good car,” Biffle said. “The last pit stop, I slid through the box and that probably cost me a third-place finish or a couple of spots anyway. We fought hard and came back.”

“It’s hard to be disappointed when you run in the top five,” teammate Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion, said. “I wish we could have performed a little better, but that’s all we had.”

“This has always been a pretty good track for our organization.”

Surprising: It was a bit surprising to see how current Michael Waltrip Racing driver Martin Truex, Jr. did, finishing eighth in his No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, in spite of the big changes announced for the MWR organization prior to the race.

“I am really proud of my entire NAPA team today,” Truex Jr. said. “The NAPA Know How pit crew was on it.”

“We are moving in the right direction and I appreciate all the work MWR is doing to get us in contention.”

Not Surprising: After learning that he was no longer a member of the MWR team after the 2011 season, it was no surprise that the woes on the track continued for driver David Reutimann. The driver of the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine finished 22^nd.

“It was very difficult,” team owner Michael Waltrip said of his decision to let Reutimann go. “I love David. He’s a great man and he’s always been there to do anything I needed him to do.”

“I know it was hard for David to get the news,” Waltrip continued. “I’m thankful that he drove for me for so long.”

Surprising: After such a Cinderella run, Brad Keselowski’s championship hopes have all but gone up in smoke. The driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge had a very difficult day at Texas, finishing 24^th.

“Just a tough night,” Keselowski said. “We couldn’t get the speed out of our car that we needed and fought all day for track position.”

“We lost the handling on the car right in the middle part of the race and adjustments were made to make it better and it just made it worse,” Keselowski continued. “It was unfortunate.”

Not Surprising: One driver who continues to make noise, however, was AJ Allmendinger, who scored another top-10 in his No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion for Richard Petty Motorsports.

“That was probably the most comfortable I’ve ever felt on a mile-and-a-half, especially one like this,” Dinger said. “It was fun.”

“From the start we were just passing cars and making good adjustments,” Allmendinger continued. “It was a good fight to 10^th but overall, and more importantly, that’s something to build on.”

Surprising: It was a bit surprising to see that Brian Vickers’ intense driving style carried over from Martinsville to Texas. On lap 201, the driver of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota assisted with bringing out the second caution by tussling with Juan Pablo Montoya and Geoffrey Bodine.

“Stupid Vickers ran over a lapped car,” came over JPM’s radio, summing up yet another tough day at the office for ‘The Sheriff’, who finished 21^st.

Not Surprising: Kasey Kahne continued his string of top-10 finishes, scoring the third spot in his No. 4 Red Bull Toyota. This was Kahne’s fourth top-10 in 15 races at Texas Motor Speedway.

“We were really close,” Kahne said of his almost-winning run. “I wanted to win really bad today.”

“It was a great race for us,” Kahne continued. “This has been our best time the whole season.”

Surprising: Taking the wheel of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry from sidelined Kyle Busch, Michael McDowell surprisingly was not able to capitalize on his prime opportunity. Even with Busch looking on atop the pit box, McDowell could not get his car dialed in and finished 33^rd.

“We obviously were hoping for more and were hoping for a big day,” McDowell said. “But that wasn’t meant to be.”

“Gave it all I had and we just struggled pretty much all day long.”

Not Surprising: McDowell was not the only JGR driver to struggle at Texas Motor Speedway. Joey Logano, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota, blew an engine on Lap 262, and Denny Hamlin, behind the wheel of the No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota, struggled all day, finishing 20^th.

“We just fought an ill-handling car all day,” Hamlin said. “It’s probably one of the worst that we’ve had in a long time.”

“We’ll have to go back to the shop and look at it,” Dave Rogers, crew chief for the No. 18, said of the entire team’s performance. “This tire at this track is pretty tricky. You have to dare to lean on it and it’s not comfortable getting in the corner.”

“We have to look at it for sure.”

Surprising: Although not mathematically eliminated, it still seems surprising to think that, without some sort of miracle, Jimmie Johnson will not be on the championship banquet stage this year. With his struggling performance at Texas, including a spin through the grass on Lap 240, the driver of the No. 48 MyLowes Chevrolet, managed to finish fourteenth and is now back 55 points to the Chase leader.

“I fought a loose race car all night long and I lost it,” Johnson said. “And I think sliding through the grass did some damage.”

“It didn’t really drive good after that.”

Not Surprising: With a sixth place run in his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, it was not surprising that it felt like a win to driver Jeff Gordon.

“We moved up right away,” Gordon said. “I thought we had a car that could compete for the win but when the sun went down, it changed for us and we lost a little bit there at the end.”

“Compared to the way we ran here earlier in the year, it is almost like a win for us.”

November 7, 2011
Confidence A Double Sided Coin

A long time ago, the short track ace and 89 Winston Cup Champion Rusty Wallace made the statement, “It’s not cocky if you can get it done. It’s confident.” Then there was the standard that was attributed to Dale Earnhardt, “When the green flag drops the BS stops.” Both come down to one thing, if you can do what you say you can do you are speaking from a position of confidence not arrogance. Tony Stewart has proven over the last 8 weeks that he is confident and can back up what he says.

[media-credit name=”Mike Holloway” align=”alignright” width=”232″][/media-credit]Confidence turned around Tony Stewart’s season and made him a serious contender being only 3 points out of the chase lead. But confidence can be a bad thing in excess. This weekend we saw that as well with Kyle Busch who was parked for the weekend after the Camping World Truck Race in which he retaliated and drove Ron Hornaday into the outside Safer Barrier, destroying both trucks. When asked if he was concerned about NASCAR parking him or removing him from the competition on Saturday and Sunday he said he wasn’t concerned and didn’t care.

On Saturday morning, when NASCAR handed down it’s decision to maintain his parked status through this weekend, he seemed more concerned and to care a great deal more. Busch issued a letter of apology to his fans, the drivers, the team, and ownership for his actions. He watched the race from atop of the pit box and seemed to be seriously depressed and contrite. Although, he has granted no interviews or made any statements other than the letter of apology that he issued Saturday night, the emotion was all over his face.

The question was asked by many of why Kyle Busch and not Carl Edwards. The answer came from Mike Helton in the form of history. Kyle had already been placed on probation this year for similar aggressive driving. And basically they found the line for have at it boys. That was the limit and he went past it.

The real victim this weekend was Ron Hornaday. If you take yourself out. If you make a mistake or the engine blows and you are taken out of the championship hunt it’s difficult but you can swallow it. When you are taken out for a normal racing incident that has to be gut wrenching.

I think that the one thing that we are missing here is the probability of contributing factors to the incident. The length of the season is a primary factor. Sprint Cup drivers compete for 10 months out of the year. That is longer than a woman carries a baby. And if you ask any one who has had that honor, they will tell you that it is an exhausting experience. The drivers are fatigued simply by the length of the season. When you add the stress of the chase and the PR commitments that go with it you have compounded the issue yet again. It comes down to one common factor, they are tired. We all know that people deal with tired differently. Kyle is known to be short tempered and aggressive. He had gotten himself together and showed himself worthy of his championship contention until 3 weeks before the end of the season and after 4 weeks of being involved in wrecks. He snapped. What he did was very very wrong.

NASCAR’s action was very appropriate. But the solution maybe not in parking him but looking at the cause. Obviously the young man’s temper is a part of it. But the schedule and pressure of the chase also have to be considered as a part of that.

Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards are obviously handling the stress and long schedule much better. Leaving Texas the Championship race is separated by 3 points going into the “new” Phoenix. Stewart has proved that he and his team are worthy contenders and capable of taking Carl Edwards to the very line in Homestead. Stewarts dominating performance at Texas left little doubt that Smoke intends to sit at the front table in Las Vegas. Carl Edwards left no doubt that he has the same intention.

Perhaps the chase contender performance that slipped through the cracks was that of the 88 of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt struggled all day but stayed solidly in the top 20 all race. Finally, crew chief Steve Letarte hit the nail on the head on the next to last caution and Earnhardt flew through the field into the top ten. The final stop of the race came under green and Earnhardt’s crew redeemed themselves for earlier chase race failures getting him out and picking up one spot when all the stops shook out. The 88 finished 7^th and moved up to 7^th in the points. He made his move quietly and without fan fare. But the last 2 weeks have shown the Earnhardt that JRNation had hoped to see from the beginning of the chase.

The 48 of Jimmie Johnson continued to struggle eliminating themselves from any possibility of recovering for the 6^th championship in a row. Johnson who spun the 48 off of turn 4 late in the race and then received a commitment cone violation for driving straight to his pit stall rather than going around the track finished a hard fought 14^th while maintaining 6^th in the points 24 points ahead of team mate Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The race itself was a long drawn out follow the leader affair. No different than the spring race at Texas. But it’s hard to pan the race with a promoter like Eddie Gossage. Gossage put on an incredible show. From the infield rodeo to the incredible black hat 6 shooter display in victory lane. Without a doubt Eddie Gossage has stepped up and into the role of the most theatrical and entertaining promoter in all of racing.

With that in mind, the racing on the track was unexciting. But the activities that surrounded it made it difficult not to enjoy the weekend even from afar.

Confidence is a powerful thing. Whether it’s positive or negative it is the attitude that will carry us through on top or leave us flat and defeated. Talent will carry you a very long way. It will smooth ruffled feathers. It will open difficult doors. But the one thing that talent can’t over come is a negative attitude. But nothing lasts forever, and attitudes change, when they do confidence reigns and talented young men become Championship contenders.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * * * * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Congratulations to Kevin Harvick on his victory in the Camping World Truck Series and his victory as in the car owners points in that series.

Congratulations to Trevor Bayne on his first Nationwide Series victory.

Congratulations to Tony Stewart on his second consecutive victory in the Sprint Cup Series.

To all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.

November 7, 2011
Where Is the Excitement?

There is more excitement on the NASCAR scene than I’ve seen for ages. We have a real championship battle and enough drama to make the daily soap operas cringe in fear, but yet there doesn’t seem to be any buzz about this final run. And I wonder why. It mystifies me.

[media-credit name=”Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”221″][/media-credit]Tony Stewart has moved to within three points of a third championship, coming from a position that can only be described as futile. He’s won four of the eight races in the Chase and still people seem unmoved for some reason. I thought the excitement of someone else, anyone winning a NASCAR championship would be exciting to fans, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Far from it. Maybe it’s the participants.

If you took a poll of NASCAR fans, I suspect most would vote for their favorite to be Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, and maybe even Kevin Harvick. Unfortunately, none of those guys are going to win this year. Jimmie Johnson, the guy who has won the last five championships, might even get a few votes, just because. Instead, we have Carl Edwards in the lead, if only by a minimal margin fighting the “great bully,” Tony Stewart. Both are great drivers and worthy of a championship. In fact, Stewart is a two-time Sprint Cup champion and Edwards has won the Nationwide championship. So, what’s the problem?

Maybe it has to do with the whole system. Stewart languished far to the back of the standings until the Chase started. Finally, he caught fire while Edwards used consistency, the reason the points systems has worked forever, to stay at the top of the charts. Edwards has only one win, something that is really strange considering the equipment he has, and yet despite a better average finish and overall performance, is struggling to hold on. While the favorites have been good, they find themselves hopelessly out of the running to an also-ran during the regular season and a guy who just finishes in the top five for most of the season. Kind of like the year Matt Kenseth won the championship with one win. It’s just not fan inspiring. Yes the St. Louis Cardinals won the MLB championship with the same scenario, but that is baseball and not racing. For years, racing has been based on track championships and those always took a season and crowed the champion and not over the last 10 races. Pulling NASCAR into that system is only going to be problematic.

I find it exciting. We have a horse race with the bully Stewart telling Edwards to watch his back and making it come true. We have the consistent Edwards coming close, but falling prey to the NASCAR rule about bonus points, which I’ve always thought was stupid and not productive, And the fight is on.

With two races to go, it’s anyone’s championship, and like those Cardinals, it appears that only a bad day by Stewart will decide the championship. The Texas Rangers had those bad days, and it’s only a bad day from either Stewart or Edwards that will decide the championship.

***

Kyle Busch was parked by NASCAR for taking the truck of Ron Hornaday, Jr. out during a caution during a caution flag on Friday night. Busch was also banned from participating in the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races on Saturday and Sunday. Regardless of how fans felt about this turn of events, it robbed Busch of any chance of finishing other than last in the Chase. Many feel that is justice, and maybe they are right. The bigger issue is Busch’s future with Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. Sponsors have been patient with Busch over the years, but will this be the last straw? Time will tell, but this writer’s opinion is that this might have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.

November 7, 2011