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  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Kansas Hollywood Casino 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Kansas Hollywood Casino 400

    With the wind whipping as is so typical in the land of Toto and Aunty Em, the fourth race in the Chase, the 11th Annual Hollywood Casino 400, was run at the 1.5 mile paved tri-oval that is Kansas Speedway.  Here is what was surprising and not so surprising from the 267 laps, 400.5 mile race.

    [media-credit id=2 align=”alignright” width=”231″][/media-credit]Surprising:  It has been a bit surprising just how much the race winner has seemingly been toying with not only the media, but the race fans. At the beginning of the Chase, five-time champion Jimmie Johnson had fallen from eighth to tenth in the point standings, particularly due to his 18th place finish at Loudon.

    At that point, many media pundits had begun to write off the chances for a sixth consecutive championship, especially since the tension seemed to be mounting between the driver of the No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet and his crew chief Chad Knaus.

    Yet Jimmie Johnson again proved that he still has what it takes by scoring his 55th career victory and his 20th career victory in the Chase, the latter being the most ever, tying him with Rusty Wallace for eighth on the all-time wins list.

    And, yes, ‘old five time’ has yet again made his way toward the top of the leader board, up two positions to third, just four points out of the coveted top spot.

    “I told you not to count him out,” Hendrick Motorsport teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. said. “I think the media made a big deal out of the runs he was having and they were a long ways out of the lead in the points.”

    “But that’s a great race team,” Junior continued. “You don’t win five in a row on luck, you know? You don’t just trip over the championship trophy; you do it because you’re great.”

    “And they’ll win the championship this year if anybody doesn’t get going.”

    Not Surprising:  Although most often it is the female fan base flirting with this driver, Kasey Kahne, behind the wheel of the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota for the remaining races of the season before heading to Hendrick Motorsports next year, continues to flirt with a race win.

    To no one’s surprise, Kahne finished second, scoring his third top-10 finish in nine races at Kansas, as well as his 10th top-10 finish in 2011.

    “The biggest thing to me would be to leave on a good note,” Kahne said. “There are a lot of people there working really hard and unsure about maybe their future and where they’re going to work next year, and they’re still putting everything they have into our race cars each week.”

    “That’s pretty awesome on their part.”

    Surprising:  In addition to the wind, there was also a good deal of smoke, of all sorts, in Kansas City. The driver known as ‘Smoke’, was instead the cause of some, smoking his tires on a pit stop, causing him to not only slide wildly through his box but also lose eight positions on the track.

    Tony Stewart, piloting his No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, finished the race in the 15th position and fell four positions to seventh in the Chase standings.

    ‘Smoke’ immediately admitted his error, telling his team that his foot had accidentally hit the accelerator when he was trying to brake. But the uncharacteristic error caused the driver to come out as the last car on the lead lap, relegating him to a less-than-stellar finish.

    Another surprising bit of smoke at Kansas was the one that erupted on lap 265 when four-time champ Jeff Gordon’s engine expired. The driver of the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet, who looked strong all race long, finished 34th, dropping him to tenth in the point standings, 47 points out of first.

    “I started seeing smoke inside the car,” Gordon said. “We had a really bad restart and got shuffled back.”

    “Our day was pretty much over and we were going to finish maybe 15th or something,” Gordon continued. “I started to smell burning oil and saw the oil temp start to come up.”

    “I felt like it was just a matter of time before it blew up.”

    Not Surprising:  Although actually gaining one position in the point standings, from tenth to ninth, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., driver of the HMS No. 88 National Guard/Amp Energy Chevrolet, to no one’s surprise now seems to be focusing more on race wins than a championship.

    “I just want to win a race,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “It’s a goal of mine right now to just go out there and win.”

    “Man, if we could do that, that would really, no matter what happened in the Chase, I think we’d be real happy with our season.”

    Surprising:  While loose and tight are most often descriptors for action on the track, it is surprising that those words also apply to Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch.

    On one hand, the driver of the No. 2 Blue Deuce seems to be looser than loose, finishing third in the Kansas race. This was Keselowski’s second top-10 finish in four races at Kansas Speedway.

    And that top-5 finish moved the driver up two spots to fourth in the Chase, just eleven points behind the leader.

    “This year, it seems like as a group, we’re just clicking,” Keselowski said. “We’re doing a good job of maximizing our day and taking care of everything that’s in our control.”

    “I’m really proud of our team for doing that.”

    On the flip side, Keselowski’s teammate Kurt Busch just seems tight, tight, tight behind the wheel of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Dodge. Busch managed to finish 13th, but still lost two spots in the Chase standings to the sixth position.

    “We got behind in qualifying and had to start 17th,” Busch said. “We ran from 15th to 20th most of the day and caught a break; we got the lucky dog to get back on the lead lap.”

    “We were still a top-10 car when the green-white-checker came out but just couldn’t hold on to a top 10,” Busch continued. “The fresher tires got us.”

    Not Surprising:   There were at least two ‘come back kids’ that surprised no one. The first was the driver of the No. 99 Alfac Ford, Carl Edwards, who rallied from a too-aggressive set up prior to the race, relegating him to needing to be the ‘lucky dog’ to finish fifth.

    With that top-five finish, Edwards scored the points lead, just one point over second place Kevin Harvick.

    “I cannot believe we finished fifth,” Edwards said. “It feels like a win.”

    “That’s the best we’ve done with the worst,” Edwards continued. “I just cannot believe from the way the day started to finish like that is spectacular.”

    The other ‘comeback kid’ was Greg Biffle. Although not in the Chase, the driver of the No. 16 Sherwin-Williams Ford and pole sitter for the race, rallied back from a pit road speeding penalty to finish eighth.

    “Our car wasn’t that good,” Biffle said. “I don’t know what happened with the speeding on pit road.”

    “That was stupid,” Biffle said. “My car just wasn’t that good in traffic, which is where I got hurt there at the end.”

    Surprising:  There was a surprising rash of drivers missing driver introductions prior to the Hollywood Casino 400. A.J. Allmendinger, David Reutimann and Reed Sorenson all had to move to the back of the field for the start of the race due to their absence at the pre-race intros.

    Allmendinger, driver of the No. 43 Best Buy Ford, finished the best of the group at 25th. Reutimann, behind the wheel of the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, finished 35th and Sorenson, who had lost his Turner Motorsports Nationwide ride, finished 38th in his No. 7 SPEED Energy/MAPEI/Menards Dodge Cup ride.

    Not Surprising:  With his career decided, it was not surprising that the driver of the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing finished top-10. Prior to the race festivities, Bowyer confirmed that he will move in 2012 to the Michael Waltrip Racing stables.

    “All in all, it wasn’t a bad day,” Bowyer said. “That’s the last time I’ll be able to run here with these cars.”

    “Hopefully, we’ll get one next time.”

    Surprising:  Hendrick Motorsports is surprisingly close to scoring a record of its own thanks to driver Johnson taking the checkered flag. HMS is just shy of their 200th win, which would put them squarely behind Richard Petty Motorsports with 268 all-time wins.

    Not Surprising: To no one’s surprise, again thanks to Johnson’s win, Chevrolet clinched their 35th Cup manufacturer’s championship, assuming a Chevrolet will start each of the final six races.

  • Move Over Boys, It’s Time for Fans to Have at It

    Move Over Boys, It’s Time for Fans to Have at It

    While the action has been intense on the track all season long with ‘boys have at it’, double-file restarts and the most intense battle for the Chase still to be played out, NASCAR fans will soon have the opportunity during Champion’s week to ‘have at it’ themselves with their favorite drivers , unfiltered, in Las Vegas.

    [media-credit name=”Photo Credit: nascar.com” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]NASCAR’s wildly successful ‘After the Lap’ event will be repeated for the third year at the Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Vegas. Tickets for the December 1st opportunity to ‘have at it’ with the champ and Chase contenders are officially now on sale by visiting www.nascarafterthelap.com.

    “It’s one of our favorite events,” Norris Scott, Vice President of Partnership Marketing and Business Solutions for NASCAR said. “It’s 3,000 fans packed into the Hard Rock getting an hour or even more of unfiltered access to the drivers.”

    “At this point, they have their helmets off, the champion has been decided and it’s a lot of fun,” Scott continued. “There’s a large Q&A session with the fans and Jamie Little hosts it to keep it all going.”

    “What I like about it most is the drivers are just having fun up on stage with the fans and with each other,” Norris said. “We’re glad to be continuing this.”

    Last year’s event definitely lived up to the ‘unfiltered’ status that Scott described. But, according to Scott, that is exactly what makes the event so special and unique.

    “There were some really funny moments,” Scott said. “One of the questions to Tony Stewart was ‘If you were on a reality show, which one would you want to be on.’ He went through all of the reasons he wouldn’t want to be on one but then ended up saying it would be ‘The Bachelor,’ much to the delight of the fans.”

    “Clint Bowyer was talking about the green room and about how all the guys were changing into more comfortable clothes and he was busting Kyle Busch for wearing green underwear, asking him what that was all about.”

    “Unfiltered is the best way to describe it,” Scott said. “They’re just so good and so comfortable up there and the fans love it.”

    Do Scott and the NASCAR leadership ever worry that the fans may cross the line or get out of hand a bit with their questions?

    “They’re respectful but I’m not going to lie to you,” Scott said candidly. “There were a few moments last year where we wondered where this was going to go. But Jamie Little is a great host and keeps it in line.”

    Last year, one of the Vegas headliners, Carrot Top, made a special appearance, adding another unique element to the event. This year will be no different with Bill Engvall, best known from The Blue Collar Comedy Tour, making his own cameo appearance.

    “He is pretty funny and he will spice it up a little bit,” Scott said. “When I tell people about the event, I really have a tough time finding another sports league as a comparable event to this.”

    “ There’s no doubt that others have a Q&A for fans but I can’t think of another event where the top 12, including the champion of the sport, are in a venue allowing fans to ask these raw questions to them and them answering them on the spot,” Scott continued. “It’s really unique and special for us.”

    Another unique aspect to this year’s event will be that all proceeds, $20 per ticket, will benefit the NASCAR Foundation, particularly programs helping children.

    “That’s a new element this year,” Scott said. “In prior years, it’s been free but this year all the event proceeds will go to the NASCAR Foundation. The Foundation has a new focus on kids and children’s initiatives so the money will go through that.”

    The ‘After the Lap’ event, while special and unique, is just one of the many events planned for Champion’s Week.

    “Prior to the NASCAR ‘After the Lap’ event, the drivers are doing their drive around on the Strip, doing burnouts and then they pull into the Hard Rock,” Scott said. “There is the Coca Cola Fan Zone and the drivers sign autographs. That builds on the excitement before the drivers get into the Hard Rock.”

    “Sprint will also have their Sprint Experience there,” Scott continued. “They are bringing a smaller version of what they bring to the track each week outside the Hard Rock.”

    One of the sport’s other major partners, Ford, will be further sweetening the fans ‘have at it’ experience with their unique ‘Send Me to Vegas Sweepstakes.”

    “One of the unique things about Ford is not only is there the ‘Send me to Vegas Sweepstakes’ where fans can not only go to ‘After the Lap’ but also a chance to win a 2012 Ford Explorer,” Scott said. “Ford is bringing a lot to the table in terms of supporting the event as well as making it pretty memorable for one lucky fan.”

    Scott affirmed that Las Vegas is the perfect place to hold all of the Championship events, from the banquet to the burnouts on the Strip to the Hard Rock event. Last year, close to 20,000 fans lined the streets and the ‘After the Lap’ event was sold out with 3,000 fans in attendance, as it is expected to be again this year.

    “Las Vegas has been a great city to work with,” Scott said. “Vegas is very quickly become a packed week in terms of events for the fans.”

    “Being on the Strip, with the lights and the casinos, it is pretty awesome.”

     

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Dover AAA 400

    In spite of the monstrously cloudy skies that yielded a bit of drizzle throughout the race, every lap of the AAA 400 was completed at Dover International Speedway. Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the track affectionately known as the ‘Monster Mile.’

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”223″][/media-credit]Surprising:  It was surprising that a ‘Polish Victory Lap’ rather than a back flip capped the finish of the Cup race on the concrete. Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Dodge, surprisingly scored his first ever victory at the ‘Monster Mile.”

    “It was just a perfect execution with making the car better during the race,” Busch said. “To win in a Sprint Cup race in the Chase, this is what it’s all about.”

    “We knew that the 22 was a good car,” Travis Geisler, Director of Competition, Penske Racing, said. “It was a great day.”

    Not Surprising:  Although not a winner as he was in the Nationwide race the previous day, Carl Edwards, to no one’s surprise, finished a solid top-five. The driver of the No. 99 Aflac Ford rebounded from a pit road speeding penalty to finish third, which was good enough to keep him tied atop the leader board in the Chase point standings.

    “It was a great day, other than that feeling I had when I ruined it there on pit road,” Edwards said sheepishly. “We were very, very fortunate.”

    “As frustrated as I am with myself for messing that up, I’m really, really grateful for the give that was given to us with that caution and the ability to come back up there.”

    Surprising:  It was surprising to see a not-so-happy Harvick in the media center after the race, especially after assuming the top spot in the Chase standings. The driver of the No. 29 Rheem Chasing the Cure Chevrolet is now officially tied with Edwards but claims the top spot due to his higher number of wins.

    After finishing tenth, Harvick seemed subdued and perhaps even a bit exhausted in the media center, complaining at one point about the flash of the photographers’ bulbs bothering his eyes.

    “We circled this one as a place to come to overcome some things and the guys did a good job today,” Harvick said. “All in all it was okay.”

    Not Surprising:  To no one’s surprise, old ‘Five Time’ is back, even taunting the media after the race a bit, asking if he was still considered out of contention for his sixth consecutive championship with his third place finish at Dover.

    Jimmie Johnson, behind the wheel of his familiar No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet, also seems to have reconciled well with his crew chief Chad Knaus, at least from the improved politeness during the radio chatter.

    “It was a great day for us, to lead that many laps and to have great stops on pit road across the board,” Johnson said. “I wish that we could be one spot better but I just did not get two good restarts that the end of that thing and cost myself.”

    Surprising:  Although Tony Stewart predicted that Dover was not his best track, it was surprising just how badly both he and his teammate Ryan Newman ran at the ‘Monster Mile.”

    The driver and team owner of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet finished 25th, with his teammate behind the wheel of the No. 39 US Army ROTC Chevrolet finishing just ahead of him in 23rd.

    “Even when we got the balance half-way decent, it didn’t have speed,” Smoke said. “So, we just missed it.”

    Stewart’s crew chief, Darian Grubb, echoed his driver’s sentiments exactly.

    “The biggest thing is just that we don’t have the concrete tracks figured out,” Grubb said. “At Bristol and Dover, we’ve just struggled for three years now with Tony there.”

    Sounding very much like his teammate, Newman also seconded theme of totally missing the set up.

    “We just didn’t have it right all weekend,” Newman said. “We tried a number of adjustments and pit strategies but nothing seemed to work in our favor.”

    “We just have to put this weekend behind us and move on.”

    Not Surprising:   It is not surprising that A J Allmendinger, driver of the No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion, just keeps rolling along with solid finishes. In fact, not only did the ‘Dinger finish with a top-10, but so did his Richard Petty Motorsports teammate Marcos Ambrose in the No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion.

    “It was a solid day,” Allmendinger said. “Obviously, we want to try to win but at least we were there all day.”

    “We’ve been bashed up pretty good the last month, so it’s just good to come back with a solid day,” Ambrose said. “I’m proud of the team. They’ve stood by me after a tough month.”

    Surprising:  In a surprising version of ‘Chasers Gone Bad’, at least three of the drivers in contention had monstrously bad days.

    Brad Keselowski, who had been wearing the Cinderella slipper, took a bit of a stumble at Dover International Speedway. After battling a power steering problem, the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge came in 20th.

    “I finally caught the back end of the field, but when I got up to the rear of a car, I couldn’t do anything, couldn’t get around them,” Keselowski said. “It’s frustrating. I think we were good enough to get a solid run out of it but ended up 20th.”

    “That’s the way it goes.”

    With his tough finish, Keselowski fell three spots in the Chase standings to the sixth position.

    Dale Earnhardt, Jr., driving the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet, also battled mechanical issues, in his case a broken sway bar. Then towards the end of the race, he had a loose wheel, which caused him to finish 24th, two laps down to the race winner.

    “That’s racin’,” Junior said. “That’s all I can say. I’ve had a lot of shit happen to me over the years, good and bad. I’ve just kinda got to roll with the punches.”

    Dale Junior fell two positions in the point standings to the 10th position.

    Junior’s teammate Jeff Gordon also struggled all day long in his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet. Starting from the 34th position, Gordon rallied to finish 12th, however, fell four positions in the point standings to ninth.

    “Yeah, that’s been a struggle for us here at this track this year,” Gordon said. “It started off good and we worked our way forward pretty quick from the 34th starting position, but once we got up there I made some mistakes and we just didn’t have it on the restarts.”

    Not Surprising:  Quiet Kenseth continued his Cup quest with a top-5 finish at the ‘Monster Mile.”  The driver of the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion maintained his seventh place in the Chase standings, just 14 points out of first.

    Not surprisingly, Kenseth claimed “We got lucky.”

    “We had a pretty solid day,” Kenseth continued. “We were able to lead a little bit. There were times in the race when we were pretty dominant.”

    “I was hoping for a little better at times, but it’s important to get a good finish every week.”

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Dover

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Dover

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished third at Dover, leading 116 of 400 laps, and gained a share of the Sprint Cup point standings. Edwards is tied with Kevin Harvick atop the standings, with a nine point lead over Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart.

    “Luckily,” Edwards said, “I don’t do a back flip for third place finishes. And, judging by Saturday’s result, I don’t do back flips for wins, either. It used to be called a ‘somersault;’ with the change of season, it’s now called a ‘fall.’”

    2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson held off Carl Edwards in the closing laps in the AAA 400 to take the runner-up spot at Dover. Johnson vaulted five spots in the point standings to fifth and is 13 out of first.

    “Many though my slow start in the Chase indicated that I was ‘going nowhere,’” Johnson said. “Well, they were right, because this strong finish indicates that I’m ‘not going anywhere.”

    [media-credit id=26 align=”alignright” width=”203″][/media-credit]3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished tenth in the AAA 400, a solid effort considering Dover is not one of his strongest tracks. He did, however, move in to a tie in the points lead with Carl Edwards, with a nine point lead on Tony Stewart in second.

    “It’s great to be on top in the Sprint Cup point standings,” Harvick said. “But the issue with leading is one that is much akin to Clint Bowyer’s future with Richard Childress Racing—staying there.”

    4. Kurt Busch: Busch left Jimmie Johnson after a late restart and cruised to the win in the AAA 400, his second win of the year and first of the Chase. Busch climbed from ninth to third in the point standings, and trails co-leaders Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick by ninth.

    “It’s doubly satisfying to pass Johnson for the win,” Busch said. “I know ‘slaps in the face,’ and that had to feel like one to Johnson.

    “My win certainly tightens up the point standing in the Chase For The Cup. My brother knows all too well that when you put a Busch brother out front, things get ‘tight,’ particularly Kyle’s nerves.”

    5. Tony Stewart: After two wins to start the Chase, Stewart’s luck ran out at Dover, where handling issues left him in an early hole from which he couldn’t escape. He finished 25th, two laps down, and fell out of the Sprint Cup points lead.

    “I guess winning three races in a row was too much to expect,” Stewart said. “Otherwise, I may have ran away with the Sprint Cup title. In this case, the third time was the charm for 11 other Chase drivers. But ‘winning three’ isn’t easy; that’s something I’ve spent the last ten years learning.”

    6. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth, who won at Dover in May, took fifth in the AAA 400, collecting his eighth top-5 result of the year. He remained sixth in the point standings, where only 19 points separate the top nine drivers.

    “We took two tires on the final pit stop in May,” Kenseth said. “We took four this time. Suffice it to say we were ‘dis-May-ed’ with our finish.

    “My esteemed teammate Carl Edwards is tied for the lead in the point standings with his esteemed arch-nemesis Kevin Harvick. That makes for an interesting situation, and I, like most others, can’t wait to see which one ‘chokes’ first.”

    7. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished a disappointing 20th at Dover, amazingly his first finish outside the top 12 since a 35th at New Hampshire in July. He fell three places in the point standings to sixth, and trails the leaders by 14.

    “We had a good car until our power steering failed,” Keselowski said. “You could say we were ‘cursed’ by mechanical issues, which is definitely not the first time the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge has been ‘cursed.’ Heck, Kurt Busch used to drive this car.”

    8. Jeff Gordon: Gordon qualified 34th at Dover, and with track position at a premium, could only manage a 12th-place finish. He fell four places to ninth in the point standings, and is 19 out of first.

    “We’ve dug ourselves a hole,” Gordon said. “That’s not as bad as my Hendrick teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. He dug himself a grave.”

    9. Kyle Busch: Busch bounced back from two sub-par finishes to start the Chase with a sixth at Dover, his 17th top-10 finish of the season. He eighth in the point standings,15 points out of the lead.

    “A sixth-place finish is encouraging,” Busch said, “but knowing you started the Chase with the lead just three short weeks ago is discouraging. But I’ve got my head up. I understand Denny Hamlin has employed a sports psychologist to improve his attitude. Many people say I need psychological help. My supporters say I don’t need psychological help, just an evaluation. Anyway, if a sports psychologist could tell me anything, he’d likely say ‘You’re still in the driver’s seat.’ And I would likely reply, ‘I’m paying you for this?’”

    10. Ryan Newman: Newman finished 23rd, two laps down, after ongoing handling issues left his No. 39 Stewart-Haas Chevy with little grip and poor handling. He is now 11th in the Sprint Cup point standings, 41 out of first.

    “Our performance is upsetting,” Newman said. “And I think it showed on my face. Anyone could see that I was ‘drivin’ and (c)Ryan.’

    “I’m declaring myself a non-factor in the Chase. And if things work out for me like they did for Tony Stewart, I’ll be back in the thick of things after winning at Kansas and Charlotte.”

  • Matty’s Picks Vol. 20 – Dover – AAA 400 – October 2, 2011

    Matty’s Picks Vol. 20 – Dover – AAA 400 – October 2, 2011

    The Monster-Mile! Dover International Speedway is one of my favorite tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, so yes I will watch the race this Sunday for the first time in three weeks.

    [media-credit name=”doverspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”254″][/media-credit]A short 6-hour trek from where I grew up, Dover has been a popular destination for vacations of my family and friends. Dover’s high concrete banking offers endless passing potential, high speeds, and even a spot to pay for your trip in the casino located along the backstretch of the 1-mile concrete oval.

    I was lucky enough, two years ago, to have the opportunity to ride shotgun in a two-seater, NASCAR Stock Car around the high-banks of Dover International Speedway. Monster Driving School offered members of the media complementary rides in the two-seater stock cars at the Monster Mile, and in turn gave me the utmost respect for stock car drivers. The experience is one that I will never forget and made my interest level in NASCAR go from insane to outright ridiculous.

    Now for anyone out there that thinks the 43 guys that strap into the 750-horsepower stock cars each week are not actual athletes, THINK AGAIN. I had the opportunity to take 8-laps around the Monster Mile, and I will tell you I had all I could do to walk straight when I climbed out of the car. The exuberant amount of adrenaline I had flowing through my veins that day was the only thing aiding my head to stay straight and remotely close to my body. I have the utmost respect for those guys now after just 8-laps, I can’t fathom the physical strain 3.5 hours of petal to the metal action puts on a driver’s body.

    So if you’re one of those people who think NASCAR isn’t a sport, I challenge you to climb into one of those 750-horsepower stock cars and THEN see what you think.

    Loudon Recap

    If I had fifty-cents for every time one of my picks ran out of gas in the past two weeks, I would have enough for one double cheeseburger at McDonalds. (My roommates’ favorite snack in college)

    It was another terrible week for me in New England last week (even though I got my revenge by my Bills taking it to Tom Brady and the Patriots last week), marking my worst combined total finish in the 19 editions of Matty’s Picks.

    Ryan Newman was my winner pick last week, and yes I did make the pick before the dramatic qualifying session that ensued last week, resulting with Newman starting on the pole for last Sunday’s Sylvania 300.

    Newman led the following 62 laps, when a miscue on pit-road sent him back in the field, never to reach the lead again. The bad news continued to roll in for Newman when he cut a tire down late in the race while running in the top-10 with just five laps remaining. The catastrophe cost Newman an imminent top-10 finish, and a boost in the points standings as well. Instead, the misfortune caused Newman to drop from 8th to 12th in points.

    Newman spoke earlier this week about his misfortune in the first two races of The Chase “The results have not equaled the performances for our team at the past two races,” said Newman. “We’ve put ourselves in a hole, but the good news is that we still have eight races to go to make up the difference. We’ve been known for our comebacks and the way we fight through adversity. One thing you always hear from our Soldiers is that you never quit and you complete the mission. That’s what this Army race team has done and will always continue to do.”

    As for my Dark Horse pick, Clint Bowyer was poised to win the race Sunday but his gas tank did not agree with him winning the race.

    After starting 11th, Bowyer wasted no time in breaking into the top 10 and was shown in 8th-place around the midway point in the race. It was at that time when crew chief Shane Wilson came over the radio and told Bowyer to save as much fuel as he could for the end of the race.

    Bowyer flexed his muscles after a round of pit-stops near lap 250 when he took the lead, conserving fuel all the way. He was ahead of race-winner Tony Stewart by half a second when his engine was finally starved of fuel with just three laps remaining. Bowyer’s day ended on pit-road with a 26th-place result and he was short when speaking with the media following the race “It’s just not our year. I’m proud of this team. What a great car. It just didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to.”

    Even Stewart had sympathy for fellow Chevy driver Clint Bowyer following his win last Sunday “I know exactly what that feels like. I know exactly how he feels (Clint Bowyer) right now. I saw him slow down the back and I thought ‘Oh, no, you’re kiddin’ me’. That is not the way you want to win it for sure.”

    Dover Picks

    The spring race at Dover back in May marked the debut of Matty’s Picks, and laid the groundwork for a successful regular season of picks this year. I am looking to rebound off the past two weeks of miserable picks and get back into championship contention down the stretch here in the final 8 editions of Matty’s Picks.

    Considering five drivers (Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, and Matt Kenseth) have combined to win 15 of the last 19 races at the Monster Mile, it leaves little for question this week.

    Winner Pick

    Jimmie Johnson sits 10th in points going into Sunday’s race, a position he is fairly unfamiliar with this far into the Sprint Cup Schedule.

    He leads all active drivers with 6 wins at the Monster Mile, including three of the last five after sweeping both races in 2009 and taking the fall race last year in Dover. The concrete mile has been kind to Johnson throughout the years (something that doesn’t always happen when your tires break loose due to the severe banking all around the track), making one of the most incredible saves in NASCAR history back in his 2006 qualifying efforts.

    Johnson has an average finish of 9.6 at Dover, and sitting 10th in points is nowhere he wants to be for any period of time. “New Hampshire obviously wasn’t the finish we were looking for especially with how good we were throughout the weekend. I’m really looking forward to this weekend though. Dover has always been a good place for the 48 team and I really enjoy racing there. I’m not really sure why, but it has always just kind of suited my driving style” said the five-time champ earlier this week about his chances this weekend.

    Jimmie Johnson’s quest for 6 in a row is underway, and now the time to make his statement, a win will do it.

    Dark Horse Pick

    Since the other four drivers are in The Chase that are a part of the statistic above pertaining to the past 19-races at Dover, I have to go with the only driver without a shot at claiming the Sprint Cup this year.

    Greg Biffle’s trends at Dover have been rather interesting to look at this afternoon. It seems like he is more back and forth than a ping-pong match. In the past 5 races at the Monster Mile, Biffle’s finishes have been: 19th, 6th, 19th, 3rd, and 16th. In the 5 races prior to the start of the 2009 season, Biffle’s finishes were: 1st, 3rd, 6th, 2nd, and 8th.

    Now, Biffle is not in the Chase, but is a serious contender to take the checkered this Sunday. His average career finish across 18 races is 11.4 and he currently sits 13th on the speed charts in Sprint Cup Final practice.

    The Biff is also coming of an impressive third-place finish last week at Loudon, and sits just three points out of the top Non-Chaser points in 14th. Biff spoke about his success at Dover this week “I’ve had some success at Dover and it would be great to get the 3M Ford Fusion in victory lane there this weekend. It’s been a pretty up and down season for us so far but I feel like we’re moving in the right direction. A win would definitely keep the momentum going though. As a driver, you have to be on your toes in Dover. You want your car to be a little loose but at the same time, it can’t be too loose. I have high expectations for this weekend.”

    That’s all for this week as I look forward to watching my first Chase race this season on Sunday afternoon because my Buffalo Bills are on the road this week in Cincinnati.

    Until next time…You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Loudon Sylvania 300

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Loudon Sylvania 300

    While rain played a factor earlier in the race weekend, New Hampshire Motor Speedway was not only bathed in sunshine, but was hot enough to boil a lobster for the running of the 15th annual Sylvania 300. Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the track dubbed the ‘Magic Mile’.

    [media-credit name=”Credit: Gregg Ellman-Pool/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”228″][/media-credit]Surprising:  While one five-time champion usually peaks in performance during the Chase competition, it was most surprising to see another driver, one who deemed himself unworthy of even being in the Chase, win his second race in a row.

    Tony Stewart, behind the wheel of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet, took the checkered flag, giving him a perfect Chase record to date. This was Smoke’s 41st Cup Series win and put him in the lead dog position in the point standings.

    “I’ll be honest, we were about a 10th place car the majority of the day,” Stewart said. “The closer to the front we got, the better it drove.”

    “Man, what a day to win it,” Stewart continued. “Such an irony from last year where we ran out of gas coming to the white.”

    Not Surprising:  Speaking of fuel mileage racing, which happened all weekend long, it was not surprising to see this come into play yet again at the ‘Magic Mile.’ In fact, fuel mileage cost one driver the race and another Chase driver a possible win as well.

    Most affected by the fuel mileage gremlin was Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet. Bowyer ran out of fuel with just three laps to go, allowing Smoke to blow by him for the win.

    “It’s just not our year,” Bowyer said. “What a great car. It just didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to.”

    The other driver who struggled with fuel mileage was Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet. As Gordon was moving forward at race end, his crew chief Alan Gustafson advised him that there had been a problem while fueling that may have resulted in his tank not being completely packed full.

    Gordon immediately went into conservation mode, letting many of his competitors blow by him. Gordon finished fourth in the race and move dup in the point standings to the fifth spot.

    “It is tough conditions to race in,” Gordon said. “I don’t think that we wanted to see back-to-back fuel mileage races like this, but it is kind of the name of the game these days.”

    “We were just setting the pace so it is unfortunate that that happened,” Gordon continued. “It is something we need to be better at.”

    Surprising:  Although battling tire camber troubles all race long, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and his ever positive crew chief Steve Letarte seemed surprisingly pleased with their 17th place finish with the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet. Earnhardt, Jr. fell three spots in the points, from fifth to eighth.

    “We had a flat tire there at the end,” Junior said. “We had a fast car all day.”

    “I was real happy with the car,” Earnhardt, Jr. continued. “We were real competitive. And I got to race up front.”

    “I had an awesome car all day long and I’m happy about what my guys did.”

    Not Surprising:  After starting the race fuming because he his car was stuck in NASCAR technical inspection during the pre-race festivities, Kurt Busch continued his ‘Drive for Anger’ campaign in his No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Dodge.

    Busch was so annoyed when he finally did get in the car to race that team ‘Captain’ Roger Penske had to come on the radio, telling his driver to “Keep your head in this.”

    “It was a frustrating day,” Busch said. “We were late going through inspection and that set the tone for the day.”

    “NASCAR wasn’t 100% happy with what they saw on one of their gauges,” Travis Geisler, Director of Competition for Penske Racing, said of the inspection delay. “So, we had to do a little work on it.”

    Busch finished 22nd, making him also the official ‘Biggest Loser’ in the points, falling from fourth to ninth.

    Surprising:  As a result of the Sylvania 300, three surprising basement dwellers emerged. Five-time champ Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet, was the first, finishing 18th and falling to tenth in points.

    In addition to his struggles on the track, Johnson also had some harsh exchanges with his crew chief, Chad Knaus, who goaded his drive to ‘prove’ that he could drive the car.

    “Yeah, it wasn’t what we thought it was going to be,” Johnson said. “We just didn’t have the breaks go right and really get the track position as we needed it throughout the day.”

    “I’m going 100 percent regardless of what’s being said on the radio,” Johnson continued. “I think he (Knaus) was just being optimistic there about what was left in my back pocket; but my suit doesn’t have any back pockets.”

    Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet, also became an official basement dweller. Newman, who started the race from the pole, finished 25th and fell four spots to 11th in the points.

    “We just had a tough day,” Newman said. “We had a couple of slow pit stops and then we had a tire go down at the end.”

    “It was just a disappointing day for us.”

    Finally, it has been surprisingly painful to watch the ongoing implosion of Denny Hamlin and company. The driver of the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota, finished 29th, remaining in the 12th Chase spot.

    “It was another tough day for us,” Hamlin said. “We’re just figuring out what we need to do to be a little bit more competitive.”

    Not Surprising:  To no one’s surprise, the ascent of the Keselowski continued at the ‘Magic Mile’. The driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger finished second to Stewart and catapulted himself to third in points.

    “I feel really good about this one,” Keselowski said. “We struggled a little bit this weekend, but we executed and that’s what these races are about.”

    “It’s been a good roll.”

    Surprising:  Mark Martin, behind the wheel of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, looked surprisingly like the driver of old. Martin led a total of 46 laps, almost two times more than he had led all season.

    Not Surprising:  David Ragan’s ‘Drive for a Sponsor’ continued behind the wheel of the No. 6 UPS Ford. The young driver overcame being a lap down with the ‘lucky dog’ to finish seventh.

    “We didn’t have the best of cars today but we showed that with some hard work and good strategy, we could overcome that,” Ragan said. “It feels good for the UPS team to get a top 10.”

    “So it was a good job by everybody and now it’s on to Dover.”

  • Kevin Harvick Proves Pithy Points Leader

    Kevin Harvick Proves Pithy Points Leader

    Kevin Harvick, this weekend driving the No. 29 Designate a Driver Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, waxed poetic, throwing out several pithy phrases during his media availability at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

    [media-credit name=”Gary Buchanan” align=”alignright” width=”241″][/media-credit]The pithy phrases flowed from the beginning of the interview session when the point’s leader addressed his position in the Chase pack, which is at the top of the heap by seven points over last week’s race winner Tony Stewart.

    “Now, it’s like us against ourselves,” the point’s leader said simply.

    “Anything that you can do that’s better than everyone else is a good thing,” Harvick said. “You don’t want to beat yourself the first week. And you don’t want to do anything to take yourself out of the hunt.”

    “It was a good start,” Harvick said. “We feel good about the way it all shook out.”

    Harvick then discussed his special paint scheme, calling attention to the Global Be(er) Responsibility Day observed by all 1500 Anheuser-Busch employees across the country to encourage the use of designated drivers. For this promotion, Harvick’s pithy phrase was simple, “Designate a Driver.”

    “All the Anheuser Busch employees will be going to restaurants and bars to spread the importance of everybody being responsible when they’re having a good time,” Harvick said. “Designate a driver to take care of the people on our roads and ourselves.”

    “It’s a great initiative and I’m glad to be a part of it.”

    Harvick then turned his attention to his team owner’s comments about dethroning five-time champion Jimmie Johnson.

    On that subject, Harvick said simply, “Sometimes he gets excited.”

    “I don’t know that that was the absolute right thing to say in public,” Harvick continued. “All in all, Richard is very confident in us as drivers and feels like he spends the money to be competitive in a championship.”

    “He just wants to win,” Harvick continued. “With Richard, it’s all about winning. He wants to be up on that stage again and we want to be right there with him.”

    As with the many drivers that followed in the media center, Harvick was asked about his fuel mileage saving techniques, especially at last weekend’s race.  Would he mind sharing his tips for saving fuel?

    “Yeah…..right,” Harvick said, followed by a moment of silence and then some chuckles, as the media moved quickly on to a follow up question.

    “I can’t speak for everybody else because I don’t know what they do,” Harvick finally shared about the fuel mileage question. “A lot of what we do is preparation. A lot of it is the crew chief telling you soon enough to make a difference.”

    “It all matters.”

    When the fuel mileage talk continued, Harvick shared this pithy recommendation for the benefit of all of his fellow competitors.

    “Save gas,” Harvick said simply. “That’s the strategy.”

    “That’s the hard part about our sport,” Harvick explained. “It’s not like you have a fuel gauge.”

    “You have to do what you think is right as far as the amount of gas you save and the techniques you use,” Harvick continued. “I felt like I had done an OK job of saving gas but you’re never really confident. It’s just one of those things that you have to go by feel and hope it works out.”

    When asked why Harvick seemed so calm this year during the Chase championship, Harvick again said simply, “It’s easier.”

    “That’s really the bottom line,” Harvick continued. “Gil (Martin, crew chief) and the team have a lot to do with that.”

    “He handles it,” Harvick said. “When we’re screwed up, he has an answer as to what we’re doing.”

    “He lets me be myself,” Harvick continued. “When I get mad and get frustrated in the car, he lets me yell on the radio. Then it’s over with and we move on.”

    “When you have people around you doing their job, I can be a lot calmer.”

    While Harvick and company are all doing a great job, at least in this early stage in the Chase race, the Bakersfield, CA native acknowledges that every track in the remainder of the Chase is a potential land mine.

    “As you go to every race track, you never know if you’re going to run good or bad,” Harvick said. “They can all be land mines.”

    “There’s not a specific race track that sticks out and says this is going to be a disaster,” Harvick continued. “So, I don’t have any specific concerns.”

    “You have to see what the weekend brings,” Harvick said. “So, we can run really well and along with everybody in the garage we can run really bad too.  You just have to make the best out of whatever the weekend brings you.”

    So, what is Harvick’s approach to this weekend’s race at Loudon, where he has earned one pole, five top-fives and 11 top-10 finishes in 21 starts?

    “I’m not trying to be an ass, but to us it’s just another race,” Harvick said. “They all pay the same points.”

    “This is just another track on the schedule,” Harvick continued. “It’s just another race.”

    “Our first goal is to win,” Harvick said. “Our second goal is to get everything we can. When we come here, we expect to win.”

    Harvick acknowledges, however, that the ‘Magic Mile’ is a track that can be just plain tricky in its approach.

    “It’s just one of those deals where there are so many things that can bite you,” Harvick said. “This place if you get behind late, you’re not going to make it up.”

    “There’s definitely a track position game here that comes into play,” Harvick continued. “But all in all, we come with a car that’s won on two flat tracks this year.”

    “We don’t expect any less than that every week.”

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Chicagoland Geico 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Chicagoland Geico 400

    After a valiant attempt to battle the rain drops and start the race as advertised on Sunday, NASCAR finally gave in and postponed the race until Monday. This is what was surprising and not surprising from the 11th running of the GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

    [media-credit name=”Dan Sanger” align=”alignright” width=”229″][/media-credit]Surprising:  Although without fuel for a burnout, smoke still surprisingly rose from Victory Lane as the driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, Tony Stewart, celebrated his first win of the season with crew chief Darian Grub and his team.

    This was Stewart’s 40th victory in 455 Cup races, tying him with Mark Martin for 16th on the all-time victory list. This also ended 32-race winless streak, but extended Smoke’s streak of having one win every season for the past 13 years.

    “You couldn’t pick a better weekend to get that first win of the year than here at Chicago,” Stewart said. “We’ve had a miserable year, by our standards. But the last three weeks we’ve really started coming into it.”

    “At the end you hate to have to play the fuel mileage game,” Stewart continued. “We didn’t do any wild burnouts or anything like that and ran out before we ever got on pit road.”

    “So, we were closer than I wanted to be,” Smoke said. “But I had a good enough car to get us there and Darian and his calls gave us the opportunity to get the lead. I was glad I saved as much as I did.”

    Stewart’s win catapulted him up seven spots in the Chase point standings, moving from the ninth position to second, only seven points out of first.

    Not Surprising:  While driver and team owner celebrated in victory lane, it was not surprising to see the other half of Stewart-Hass Racing dynamic duo also have a good day at the office.

    Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 US Army Medicine Chevrolet, finished eighth. Newman led twice during the race, for a total of 18 laps.

    Highlighting on his hood the medical men and women of the US Army, Newman also scored his 14th top-10 finish of the season and his sixth top-10 finish in his 10 career Cup starts at Chicagoland Speedway.

    Newman’s finish garnered him one step up in the Chase, moving from eighth to seventh. He is in a tie, however, with sixth place Keselowski, who has three wins to Newman’s one on the season.

    Surprising:  Granted that the race was delayed due to rain and decided by fuel mileage, it was still surprising the lack of impact qualifying had on the race finish. At one extreme was Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford, who not only qualified on the pole but also led off and on throughout the race only to be done in by fuel mileage but also by a penalty for being pushed by J J Yeley on the last lap.  Kenseth finished 21st and fell six positions in the Chase standings to tenth.

    “It is really frustrating to be a race car driver and they drop the green on the last run of the day when you are supposed to put on a show for the fans and you have to run full throttle and can’t floor it or you will run out of gas,” Kenseth said. “It is pretty aggravating to do all the work and qualifying and pit stops and adjustments but none of it makes a difference.”

    On the flip side of the coin was Kevin Harvick, behind the wheel of the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet, who qualified 30th only to live up to his ‘Closer’ reputation to finish second in the race. This was Harvick’s seventh top-10 finish in 11 races at Chicagoland Speedway and his 14th top-10 finish in 2011.

    Harvick’s finish catapulted him into first place in the Chase standings.

    “I knew that we had saved a little bit under caution and a little bit at the beginning of that run,” Harvick said of his fuel status at the end of the race. “Everybody on our Budweiser Chevrolet did a great job knowing exactly how far we could go, so good first race for us.”

    Not Surprising:  When it comes to fuel mileage racing, it is never surprising to see Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and his crew chief Steve Letarte go for broke and roll the dice.  The race at Chicagoland was no different with the driver taking his No. 88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet to a 3rd place finish.

    “We worked real hard all weekend trying to be smart,” Junior said. “The car was a bit of a struggle in the middle part of the race but in that last run, we were one of the best cars on the track.”

    “We started trying to save a little gas and we made it further than most,” Junior continued. “It was a good weekend for us.”

    Surprising:  The driver of the No. 18 Wrigley’s Doublemint Toyota and the driver of the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet had a surprising statistic in common. Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon both lost eight positions in the Chase standings due to their Chicagoland race struggles, thanks to their 22nd and 24th finishing positions respectively.

    “We had a good car and kept fighting back all day long,” Busch said. “I saved as much fuel as I could but I guess it just wasn’t enough and we ran out with two to go. Just a really disappointing day.”

    Gordon echoed those sentiments, although he acknowledged that not only did he qualify poorly but his car was a handful all race long.

    “It was just one of those days,” Gordon said. “We were just off.”

    “We actually got the car halfway decent there at the end,” Gordon continued. “Then it came down to saving fuel and we obviously didn’t save enough fuel.”

    Not Surprising:  In spite of burying the hatchet with his nemesis Jimmie Johnson and having a decent finish, it was not surprising that controversy continued to dog the driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger. After skirmishing with the media at last weekend’s race, Kurt Busch skirmished instead with his crew chief and team, sharing a few choice words over the radio during the race.

    “We had speed in the car early, but just didn’t keep up with the track,” Busch said after the race. “We just struggled with making adjustments as the race went on.”

    Not surprisingly, Busch’s crew chief Steve Addington seemed to especially take the criticism to heart, falling on the sword for the team.

    “It seems like we can get our cars tightened up, but can’t free them up at all and we struggled with that,” Addington said. “I’m disappointed that we led a lot of laps and should have had a better showing with the Shell/Pennzoil Dodge.”

    “We just couldn’t stay on top of the race track like we needed to once the track got rubbered-in,” Addington continued. “I’m disappointed in myself.”

    Surprising:  It was surprising to watch the metamorphosis that took place for Brad Keselowski as he moved from the ‘Iron Man’ performance that got him into Chase contention to NASCAR’s version of Cinderella.

    Keselowski, behind the wheel of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge finished the race in the fifth position. With that top-five finish, he also moved up five positions to sixth in the current Chase standings.

    “Whew, an amazing day to get this Miller Lite Dodge Charger a top-five finish,” Keselowski said. “It wasn’t easy.”

    “It really was a matter of trying to be patient,” Keselowski continued. “Our fuel mileage was awesome.”

    “It was a good first step for us in the Chase.”

    Not Surprising:  With the futures of several drivers uncertain, it was not surprising to see them achieve some hopefully eye-catching finishes.  Tops among those drivers who finished alongside the elite Chase contenders were Clint Bowyer, who took seventh, as well as Mark Martin with a top-10 finish and Brian Vickers with a top-15.

  • ‘Smokes’ Chase Mind Games

    ‘Smokes’ Chase Mind Games

    Earlier in the week, the man known to many as Smoke upset a lot of people. His fans and many of his competitors took offense to some of his comments regarding the chase chances of the golden 12. Smoke listed himself as one of the 4 chase contenders who would not compete for the championship in the final 10 races. But at the end of a rain postponed race in Chicago, Smoke looked like a master of mind games standing in victory lane and holding the trophy high.

    [media-credit name=”Bill Gutweiler” align=”alignright” width=”246″][/media-credit]Earlier this week, Tony Stewart created quite the stir when he was asked who his favorites for the chase were. Stewart in his typical straight forward to the point style said that the 14, 88, 2, 11 and the 17 would not contend for the championship even though they were in the chase. Interestingly enough for those that don’t know, Tony Stewart’s car number is 14.

    For those that have followed Tony Stewart’s career, it was not a big surprise to hear that come out of his mouth. What was a surprise was that people believed he actually felt that way. Smoke has been a racer his whole life. Every racer knows that on any given day anything can happen. No racer, let alone a multiple series, multiple type of car, and multiple year champion, ever believes that they can’t contend for and win the championship.

    It is an ego of sorts, a self confidence factor that exists in everyone who races for any length of time. It is the way that drivers deal with the stress, the pressure, the knowledge that wrecks hurt. They always believe they can win. Without that confidence they are mid pack and also rans. It simply is not possible to be a champion or a racer if you don’t believe you can win against the odds.

    Tony Stewart knows this. He knew it when he made the statement. But it’s chase time. And the mind games began weeks ago, from every competitor and every team. Tony Stewart is a master of mind games. His game has changed over the years. It went from physical aggression as a form of intimidation to leaning on that reputation to now he plants the seed of doubt in your mind. Does he really think that? Surely he doesn’t really believe he is not going to be a factor.

    Of course he didn’t believe that. But he made everyone else believe it. He got in your head. He put that seed of doubt there. If he believes it I don’t have to worry about him. Normally you would be right. But this is Smoke. This is balls to the wall, hard core take you to task Tony Stewart. And on Monday, he showed you what he could do while you were discussing what he said. He won the opening race of the chase.

    After the points reset, which was the equivalent of staying on the track when the rest of the field pitted and getting a caution 2 laps after the restart; he gained track position or in this case points position. He climbed from 10th to 3rd. He is only 7 points out of the lead. And he has momentum. How’s that for mind games?

    Tony says he is thrilled to have won the race but he is still not convinced that it’s solid footing. “I’m not sure one weekend can do that,” Stewart said. “But I feel better about it, obviously. We’ve had three good weekends in a row. [Monday] doesn’t change my mind — but the last three weeks definitely make me feel better about it.”

    “We’ve still got nine hard weeks to go. And we have some tracks ahead that have been a struggle for us this year. So we’ve got a long way to go, but this gets us off to the right start.”

    Smoke wasn’t the only one playing mind games the last few weeks. There was a little bit of that going on from the Hendrick Motorsports 88 team of Dale Earnhardt Jr. as well. For the last several weeks Dale Jr has been saying “we are playing it very conservative.” His crew chief, Steve Letarte, said we are points racing but once we get in the chase solid you will see a much more aggressive 88 team.

    After the last several years of struggling, many fans, media and competitors alike said Sure we will. Many were betting he wouldn’t make the chase at the last minute.

    But in Richmond, after a lap 8 wreck, Dale Earnhardt Jr. reminded people he was there and that he was a force to be contended with. Earnhardt took a car whose hood was taped down and whose radiator had one holding bracket intact and finished 16th on the lead lap. Not an easy task when you realize that he had been one lap down 4 times and managed to maintain the position for the Lucky Dog Pass all four times.

    Earnhardt only had to finish 20th or better to secure a place in the chase. It didn’t matter what anyone else did or where they finished. He had to be 20th or better. He did what he had to do. And he did it with some fire we hadn’t seen from him in quite a while. He retaliated a couple times for some slights on the track that he didn’t appreciate. One radio conversation between another driver and crew chief was “Was that Dale Jr? He actually spun me out?”

    Chicago brought to fruit the promise made by driver 88 and his crew chief. Their qualifying effort, though poor by most standards was good for them. Their race had them struggling at times with a car that was too tight but pit stops that were some of the best of the field. He ran in the middle of the pack staying on the lead lap and adjusting the car all day until the final run. Whatever the change was that was made on that final stop brought the car to life.

    Dale Jr drove from 17th to 6th on the final run. Although three competitors in front of him would run out of fuel and boost his finish to a 3rd place finish, Earnhardt Jr proved he was a serious contender.

    While many competitors dropped to the apron out of fuel the 88 was still under power when it crossed the finish line. “We were never worried about our fuel mileage. Steve said we’re about three tenths of a lap short before we ever took the green flag for that last run. We were going a little faster. We were worrying maybe this was probably the worst fuel mileage we was going to have all day long. So we started backing off and saving gas with about 20 to go. And so it’s just enough. It started running out at four but ran to the finish line but it wouldn’t have made it another lap.” Earnhardt Jr. said.

    The 3rd place finish was his best since his 2nd place finish at Kansas earlier in the year and it vaulted him to 5th in the points just 14 points out of first.

    The biggest disappointments in Monday’s race were surprising. Jeff Gordon went a lap down midway in the race with a bad right front tire that was worn down to the cords on the inside causing him to have to stop for tires. Gordon could never quite make it back to the lucky dog position and then ran out of gas on the final lap to go a second lap down. The misfortune hit the 24 team hard dropping them to 11th in the points 25 points out.

    The driver of the 24 had all the momentum on his side coming in to Chicago. He was in the best form that the sport had seen him in since his last championship year in 2001. “We were just off,” Gordon said. “We didn’t qualify good (23rd). That got us behind right there. It was just one of those days. We had a right front (tire) tear apart. We actually got the car halfway decent there at the end. Then it came down to saving fuel, and we obviously didn’t save enough fuel.”

    The other surprise was Denny Hamlin in the Joe Gibbs Racing Fed Ex Toyota. Hamlin seemed to be looking at huge mountain from the beginning of the weekend. He qualified deep in the field in 27th spot. He was up to 20th and making his way forward when on lap 78 he radioed Mike Ford that he had a vibration and he needed pit. The unscheduled stop for 4 tires put Hamlin a lap down and he could never make his way into the lucky dog position.

    Late race contact with Greg Biffle would cut down a left front tire which would come apart doing damage to the left front fender. At that point Hamlin’s day was over. He finished 31st 4 laps down to the field.

    But the biggest damage wasn’t the finish or the car, Hamlin would come out of Chicago in 12th spot almost a full race in points behind leader Kevin Harvick. Denny Hamlin did not address the media following the race. But crew chief Mike Ford said, “In a word, it was a [crappy] day, everybody didn’t execute. End of story. “We basically cut our tire down and tore the car up a little bit,” Ford said. “It was junk from that point.”

    Where the mind games left off pre chase. The performances of Chicago will now take over. Drivers ruled out by themselves, fans or media have new life from good finishes. It will give them confidence and momentum as we move on to New Hampshire and the magic mile.

    The top 12 drivers in our sport will begin the process all over again. The pressure and the stress will continue to mount every week. They will confidently walk to their car and make great effort to not show the butterflies that they feel. But whether first or last, the one thing they all have in common, whether they be a five time champion or first time Chaser is they all believe without a shadow of a doubt that they can win. No matter what they say to the media.

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

    Congratulations to Austin Dillion and his RCR Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet team on their victory on Friday in Chicago. The youth movement is alive and well in the Camping World Truck Series.

    Congratulations to Brad Keselowski and his Discount Tire Dodge team on their victory in Saturday’s Chicago victory.

    Congratulations to Tony Stewart and his Office Depot Chevrolet team on their victory in the opening race of the Chase.

    Kudos to J.J. Yeley on doing the right thing. Even if it was against the rules. Your willingness to help someone else make it back home or in this case the start finish line is refreshing. It reminds me greatly of the motto of one of this countries largest group of heroes, “No man is left behind.”

    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.

  • Tony Stewart Wins Geico 400 Vaults to Second in Points

    Tony Stewart Wins Geico 400 Vaults to Second in Points

    For a guy who did not think heading into the this race weekend that he had a chance at winning the championship Tony Stewart found himself leaving the Windy City only 7 points behind the new leader, Kevin Harvick. Stewart had enough gas while many of the stronger cars of the day and fellow chase participants were running out on the white flag lap.  Harvick was behind by almost a second and Dale Earnhardt Jr. followed Stewart with Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski rounding out the top five.  Eight of the top ten finishers were chase participants with Clint Bowyer and Mark Martin finishing seventh and ninth respectively.

    Defending champion Jimmie Johnson and Kenseth, both who led part of the race today ran out of fuel.

    Stewart said, “It is huge; I had a migraine all day yesterday so I am kinda glad we didn’t race. Man, this Office Depot/ Mobil One Chevy was awesome! All of our partners … we have had a rough year so this is a good way to start off the Chase.”

    Stewart, who was winless up to today is headed to New Hampshire where he and his teammate had their best showing of the season earlier when they finished 1-2 with Newman taking the checkered flag.  Stewart said, “The way we ran there in the spring, I am real excited about going to New Hampshire.  So I am just excited and proud of everyone on our Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy team and they did an awesome job all weekend and Darien and these guys made some awesome calls and great pit stops by the crew.  We just had a good day today.”

    Stewart’s crew chief Darian Grubb said, “Boy does champagne feel good right now. It’s pretty sweet. It’s the way to start the Chase off, especially with the year we’ve had. We’ve had some really good cars, really fast cars and some bad luck and circumstances that kept us from winning races. To get our first win leading into the Chase feels really good.”

    The new points leader and second place finisher Kevin Harvick said,”We worked real hard all weekend trying to be smart.  The car was a bit of a struggle in the middle part of the race but in that last run we were one of the best cars on the track.  My guys had great pit stops and worked really hard trying to get better so I really have to thank those guys for what they got us today and we had a good car and we were just real smart all weekend and did a good job and I am real happy with the team.”

    Jeff Gordon ran out of fuel and dug himself a hole dropping from third to eleventh in points. Gordon said, “We were just off. We didn’t qualify good. That got us behind right there. It was just one of those days. You know. We had a right front tear apart. We actually got the car halfway decent there at the end. Then it came down to saving fuel and we obviously didn’t save enough fuel.”

    Gordon noted that they need to have some improvements saying, “We have to qualify better; we can’t have days like we had today. That’s for sure.”

    Official Race Results
    Geico 400, Chicagoland Speedway
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 26 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 47
    2 30 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 42
    3 19 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 41
    4 5 99 Carl Edwards Ford 41
    5 6 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 40
    6 3 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 40
    7 21 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 37
    8 4 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 37
    9 25 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 35
    10 12 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 35
    11 15 6 David Ragan Ford 33
    12 24 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 32
    13 8 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 31
    14 16 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 30
    15 22 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 29
    16 10 20 Joey Logano Toyota 28
    17 13 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 27
    18 20 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 27
    19 17 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 25
    20 2 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 24
    21 1 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 24
    22 9 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 23
    23 28 21 Trevor Bayne Ford 0
    24 23 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 20
    25 42 32 Mike Bliss Ford 0
    26 7 16 Greg Biffle Ford 18
    27 18 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 17
    28 40 71 Andy Lally * Ford 16
    29 41 13 Casey Mears Toyota 15
    30 31 51 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 0
    31 27 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 13
    32 29 0 David Reutimann Toyota 12
    33 39 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 11
    34 32 38 J.J. Yeley Ford 11
    35 35 46 Scott Speed Ford 0
    36 38 34 David Gilliland Ford 8
    37 11 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 7
    38 14 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 6
    39 37 7 Robby Gordon Dodge 5
    40 36 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 0
    41 34 30 David Stremme Chevrolet 3
    42 43 37 Josh Wise Ford 0
    43 33 66 Michael McDowell Toyota 1