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Busch Dominates, Wins History 300 at Charlotte
posted by Amy Henderson
Saturday May 25, 2013
Kyle Busch led 186 laps en route to a dominating victory in the History 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday. It was a record seventh CMS win for Busch and his overall in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Busch’s victory was the most dominant in a 200-lap Nationwide Series race at Charlotte since 1986, when Dale Earnhardt led 194 laps en route to the win. Kasey Kahne looked like he might have something for Busch after a series of late cautions set up a dash to the finish, but the No. 5 faded in the final alps while the No. 54 rolled to the win. Joey Logano, rookie Kyle Larson, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top 5, with Larson the highest finishing Nationwide Series regular in the race. Larson’s charge through the field in the second half of the race, using the high groove to pass several cars, had the young driver closing on the leaders before a string of cautions shuffled the field. The first half of the race was a test of patience for race teams. Austin Dillon started from the pole but quickly faded, leading just one lap and finishing 14th. The caution didn’t fly for the first 39 laps, until debris in turn three brought the yellow flag out of hiding. Close racing on the restart led to a second yellow flag at lap 47 as Robert Richardson, Johanna Long and Reed Sorenson were all involved in a crash that ended Richardson’s day and caused damage to both Long’s and Sorenson’s machines. The third of seven cautions, for debris, flew at lap 88. The field would not see another caution until lap 154. That yellow flag came out on that lap for debris once again. The final 43 laps were punctuated by three more caution periods, starting at lap 166 with a spin by Travis Pastrana, who hit the inside wall on the backstretch hard enough to lift all four wheels off the ground, reminiscent of Denny Hamlin’s hit at Fontana that sidelined Hamlin for more than a month, but unlike that crash, there was a SAFER barrier where Pastrana slammed the wall, and the driver walked away unhurt. John Wes Townley and Joe Nemechek also sustained damage trying to avoid Pastrana and the cars checking up around him. Just seven laps after the race went back to green, Sorenson spun in Turn 2 for caution number six, and the field went back to green for just two laps before the final caution came out on lap 185 for a crash between Dakoda Armstrong and Michael Annett, who was making his first series start since being injured in a crash at Daytona. That incident set up the 13-lap shootout between Busch and Kahne before Busch pulled away for the win, leaving Logano and Larson to duke it out with Harvick for the rest of the top 5. Trevor Bayne finished sixth, and Justin Allgaier, Matt Kenseth, Parker Kligerman, and Regan Smith rounded out the top 10. Busch was quick to credit his team after the victory. “It was a really great race for us,” said Busch in the media center at Charlotte after the race. “We’ve had a lot of fast race cars this year, and it’s a testament to our team and (crew chief) Adam Stevens and the work that the guys put in. They do such a great job for me, and being able to go out there with some good-driving cars and lead a lot of laps and put them in Victory Lane, I think it’s just a true testament to how good our organization is and how hard these guys work. They never forget what they’re supposed to do. We have to have good race cars from practice and qualifying and into the race, and so having those adjustments all set and having things ready to go is what makes us look so good. “ Smith leaves Charlotte with a 29-point advantage over Hornish in Nationwide Series standings. Allgaier moves into third, 40 back of Smith, and Elliott Sadler dropped to fourth after finishing 13th. Sadler’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Brian Vickers, holds on to fifth spot after a pit gamble didn’t pay off, leaving Vickers, who had been racing with the leaders, with an 11th-place result. Kligerman, Dillon, Brian Scott, Larson, and Alex Bowman finish off the top 10 in points.
Hamlin Snags Coca-Cola 600 Pole With Track Record Time
posted by Amy Henderson
Thursday May 23, 2013
Denny Hamlin shattered the track qualifying record at Charlotte Motor Speedway as he rocketed to the pole for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. Hamlin had a lap time of 27.604 seconds, or 195.624 miles per hour. Several drivers drove past the old record, set by Greg Biffle in 2012, but it was Hamlin who came out at the top of the heap and holds the new record. Kurt Busch will start on the outside of the front row. Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, and Clint Bowyer round out the top 5. Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray, and Ryan Newman hold down sixth through tenth places. The pole is Hamlin’s second of 2013; he also started in front at Fontana before an injury in that race sidelined him for over a month. Hamlin says that his back feels “nearly 100%” and that it doesn’t cause him pain while driving. He added that winning the pole helped solidify for him that he is back at a competitive level, but he wants one more thing before he’ll be satisfied. “I think winning would do that. I think ultimately getting the big trophy on Sunday is the validation that you’re truly back,” said Hamlin after his lap. “For me, it’s going to take some wins and some really good consistency throughout these summer months to put ourselves in position to have a chance at a championship. That’s what we’re here for. Even these small victories though give me that confidence that I’m still capable, and I’m still able to do the job at 100 percent like I should be. Any kind of confidence booster for me — it’s always a plus on Sunday.” The Cup teams are next on track Saturday at 10 AM for the weekend’s second practice. Final practice for Sunday’s race is Saturday afternoon at one o’clock. The Coca-Cola 600 is scheduled to start at 6 PM on Sunday and will air on FOX.
Jimmie Johnson wins the Sprint All-Star race.....again
posted by Mike Neff
Sunday May 19, 2013
Five-time is now four-time when it comes to the Sprint All-Star race. Coming into Saturday night’s race, Johnson was tied with Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt for most wins in the annual event with three wins. Johnson bided his time, restarted the last segment in the second spot, dueled Kasey Kahne for two laps to secure the lead and pulled away to a convincing win. Joey Logano started the last segment in the seventh position, took advantage of a slip up by Kyle Busch on the start of the final segment, and ultimately came home in the runner-up spot. Kyle Busch rebounded from his slip up to muscle his way back to third. Kahne started the final segment on the pole but couldn’t hold off Johnson on the first few laps of the restart and ended up fourth. Kurt Busch won two segments, was the first on pit road for the money pit stop, but finished the event in fifth place. Jimmie Johnson summed up his results in two words, “we’re lucky”. It was tongue in cheek but Johnson was poking fun at the people who continue to accuse the No. 48 of preferential treatment, fixed races, and a blind eye to cheating. Johnson has one of the highest winning percentages in NASCAR history and it comes from natural talent and chemistry with his crew. This race also now ties Johnson with Davey Allison as the only two drivers to win the race in back-to-back years. Logano and Busch visited with the media after the race to speak about their runs. Logano was understandably upbeat about his second while Busch was quite dejected, having another All-Star race slip out of his grasp. Kahne spoke about the elephant in the room that is the length of the segments in the race during his post race availability on pit road. He noted that the inherent problem with the format is that the car is designed with downforce, on a track that is cool and has a bunch of grip. The only way to make the races exciting after the first couple of laps of racing would be to extend the segments to the The first 20 lap segment was won by Kurt Busch. Segment two went to his brother Kyle. That segment win allowed Bruton Smith to breathe more easily since he put up a $1,000,000 bonus to anyone who won all four of the segments. Segment three also went to the younger Busch, while the fourth segment win was tallied in brother Kurt’ s account.
Kyle Busch wins the North Carolina Education Lottery 200
posted by Mike Neff
Friday May 17, 2013
‘Rowdy’ Busch was back in his familiar No. 51 truck at his favorite track on the Truck schedule. Busch led 80 laps and thought he should have led more but had a fuel issue on pit road that resulted in him having to battle back through the field. The race was slowed by eight cautions that helped him work his way back through the field. Busch beat Brendan Gaughan to the finish by .488 seconds, while Max Gresham chased them both to the line for his first top three finish of his Truck career. Matt Crafton came home in fourth place after having to battle through a couple of tire mishaps during the event. Ty Dillon rounded out the top 5 for his first finish that high this season. Busch led the race three times for his 80 laps. Miguel Paludo was second on the laps led board with 33. Gaughan, Gresham and Dillon also scored bonus points for leading laps. There were two cautions in the first 72 laps of the race while 29 of the last 62 laps were completed under the yellow flag. Jeb Burton started the race on the pole but did not lead a lap. He did however end the race as the Rookie of the Race for his 13th place finish. Matt Crafton leads Burton by 22 points in the season standings after five races this season.
Matt Kenseth Snatches Victory from the Jaws of Defeat at Darlington
posted by Mike Neff
Sunday May 12, 2013
Kyle Busch appeared to be headed for another weekend sweep after winning the Nationwide race at Darlington on Friday night. However, a funny thing happened as they were bringing out the dustpan. Matt Kenseth chased down the dominant car of the night, passed him with relative ease and then strolled away to a 3.165 second victory. Kenseth led the final 13 laps after Busch had held the point for 265 of the 354 laps leading up to Kenseth’s race winning pass. After Kenseth worked around Busch, the No. 18 slid rapidly backwards over the final eight laps to fall from second to sixth place. Joe Gibbs Racing did manage a 1-2 finish after sweeping the podium in Friday night’s Nationwide tilt. Denny Hamlin, in his first full race back in the car since his vertebrae fracture at California, soldiered through the pain of his arms, neck and shoulders more than his recovered back to wrestle a second place finish away from the Lady in Black. Coming home in third was Jeff Gordon, who turned his 700th career start into a top 3 finish. Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top 5 in the Bojangles Southern 500. Kurt Busch started the race on the pole and led the first 51 laps before coming to the pits for a green flag stop. After the stops cycled through Busch was back at the point for 18 more laps before his brother began his domination. The race went green for the first 302 laps save a seven lap caution stint from lap 125 to lap 131. The final 65 laps saw four more cautions that flew for accidents involving Regan Smith, Brad Keselowski, Casey Mears, Kurt Busch, Josh Wise, David Reutimann and Kasey Kahne. The race saw four leaders including Jeff Gordon in addition to the Busch brothers and Kenseth. The win is Kenseth’s 27th of his career and breaks a tie between himself and his teammate Kyle Busch. The win is Kenseth’s third this season which is the most among all of the competitors in the Cup series. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the Rookie of the Race. Jeff Gordon’s top 5 finish was his 300th of his career. He joins Richard Petty, David Pearson and Bobby Allison as the only four drivers in the history of the sport to accomplish such a feat.
Busch Dominates at Darlington as JGR Sets Nationwide Series Record
posted by Amy Henderson
Friday May 10, 2013
Kyle Busch dominated the VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 on Friday night en route to his 56th career Nationwide Series victory and fifth series win of 2013. Joe Gibbs Racing in general was the class of the field all night at Darlington Raceway, claiming four of the top 5 finishing spots, with only fourth-place Joey Logano keeping them from sweeping the top four spots. It was a historic night for JGR, as no team has ever before placed four cars in the top 5. Elliott Sadler finished second to Busch and Brian Vickers third, with Logano and Matt Kenseth rounding out the top 5. Busch led 107 of 147 laps on the way to the win. Sadler was the best among the Nationwide Regulars, finishing second despite an early spin in Turn 2, and gained points on leader Regan Smith, who finished seventh. Kyle Larson continued to impress at the Lady in Black, posting a sixth-place finish in his first Darlington start as he runs for rookie honors. Sam Hornish, Jr., who remained second in points, finished eighth while Kasey Kahne and Justin Allgaier filled the top 10. Smith now leads Nationwide Series points by 28 over Hornish. Sadler jumps two spots to third on his second-place run as Justin Allgaier fell one place to fourth. Vickers gained three sports and is now fifth, 49 behind Smith. Austin Dillon, Parker Kligerman, Brian Scott, Alex Bowman, and Kyle Larson round out the top 10.
Joe Gibbs Racing Penalties Reduced Following Appeal
posted by Summer Bedgood
Wednesday May 8, 2013
Joe Gibbs Racing had many of their penalties for the No. 20 team reduced during the appeal process on Wednesday. Driver Matt Kenseth and owner Joe Gibbs had their points penalties reduced from 50 to 12 points. Crew chief Jason Ratcliff’s suspension has also been dropped from seven races to one, though he will still be forced to pay the $200,000 fine. Not all of the penalties were reduced, however. Toyota Racing’s manufacturer points penalty was increased from five points to seven. All other penalties were dropped, including the suspension of Joe Gibbs’ owners license, the loss of bonus points for the Chase earned at Kansas Speedway, and the loss of eligibility into the Sprint Unlimited garnered from the pole at Kansas Speedway. JGR has accepted the penalties and will not appeal further. Following a dominant win at Kansas Speedway a few weeks ago, Kenseth’s car failed post-race inspection when it was found that a connecting rod was 2.7 grams below the minimum weight. Toyota Racing Development accepted the blame for the incident. The reduction moves Kenseth up to fourth in points, 66 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. JGR has not announced who will replace Ratcliff this weekend in Darlington. The appeal was heard by Mark Arute, Dennis McGlynn, and Jack Housby. NASCAR cannot appeal the revised penalties.
Penske Has Suspensions Reduced On Appeal
posted by Thomas Bowles
Wednesday May 8, 2013
Roger Penske’s team got some relief Tuesday from NASCAR’s Chief Appellate Officer John Middlebrook, as he chose to reduce penalties assessed to that organization at Texas Motor Speedway in early April. Middlebrook, after hearing the evidence from both sides Tuesday chose to reduce all suspensions in the case from six to two weeks, plus NASCAR’s All-Star Race on May 18th. That means the final consequences for both teams are the following: No. 2 car No. 22 car Other Middlebrook’s official statement was short, simply stating, “After looking at all the facts, data, and interpretations from the rule book, I have decided to uphold the original fines and points penalties. However, I have decided to reduce the suspensions of the seven team members involved from six points races and the All-Star race to two points races and the All-Star Race.” However, it seemed both sides, after presenting their cases were far more pleased with how the case was handled during this portion of the appeal. “We were able to talk about areas we worked in,” said Roger Penske, referring to the “gray area” of the NASCAR rulebook officials ultimately felt stepped over the line. “I’m very happy with the outcome. This sport has been built on innovation. All of us have tried to innovate in areas not defined in the rulebook. We were in that area.” In conversations with the parties involved, it was clear the controversy surrounded parts designed to increase the rear-end angle at the back of both cars. In past years, with innovation limited through the Car of Tomorrow templates teams have played around with suspension systems designed to make the rear end of the car easier to “move.” The more the car skews in the corner, the easier it can be to handle and gain extra speed. However, NASCAR had made rules designed to curb those types of innovations this year and made the determination Penske parts to build the rear suspension were unapproved. Why they had gone undetected in previous inspections was never addressed, along with claims someone else in the garage had alerted officials to possible inappropriate car construction. One thing Penske did admit, though is had this decision been issued by the initial appeals panel, he would not have pressed his luck with Middlebrook. “All of us,” he said. “Have lost points for certain infractions over the years. The key thing is to have people back at the racetrack operating in full control.” The end results leave Logano 18th in points, 146 behind championship leader Jimmie Johnson and 43 outside a Chase position. Keselowski is far more stable; fifth in points, he’s 69 behind and 45 ahead of 11th-place Matt Kenseth. Neither of the Penske cars have won a race this season. “Moved on from last few weeks,” Keselowski tweeted Wednesday morning. “And ready to focus on @TooToughToTame (Darlington Raceway).” The next round of NASCAR penalty appeals, focusing on Joe Gibbs Racing and Matt Kenseth will be heard on Wednesday morning. Connect with Tom!
Penske Racing LOSES Penalty Case, Will Appeal To NSCRC John Middlebrook
posted by Thomas Bowles
Wednesday May 1, 2013
A three-member panel Wednesday unanimously upheld penalties assessed to Penske Racing after pre-race inspection at Texas Motor Speedway. Comprised of Pocono President Brandon Igdalsky, Bowman-Gray President Dale Pinilis and former NASCAR VP Paul Brooks, the trio determined the sanctioning body’s evidence was enough to “convict” Penske to the tune of points lost, suspensions given and $200,000 in fines. Roger Penske, in response has pledged to send a final appeal to National Stock Car Racing Commissioner John Middlebrook. That hearing will occur Tuesday, May 7th at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center. Here’s a quick list of what penalties are pending (everything but the points deductions will be deferred, pending Middlebrook’s approval until after the final appeal): No. 2 team No. 22 team Both teams NASCAR’s representation included Sprint Cup Director John Darby but not Vice President Robin Pemberton, who was whisked away to Florida on jury duty. Owner Roger Penske was in attendance to defend the allegations along with Team Manager Travis Geisler, Tim Cindric, Walt Czarnecki, Joey Logano’s crew chief Todd Gordon along with several other key principles. UPDATE: The National Stock Car Racing Commission issued a brief statement, reviewing the penalties and then explaining the following. “Upon hearing the testimony and carefully reviewing the facts, it was a unanimous decision by the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel to uphold the original penalties assessed by NASCAR.” “The Appellants have the right under Section 15 of the rule book to appeal this decision to the National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer.” Connect with Tom!
Kyle Busch Wins Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown
posted by Thomas Bowles
Friday April 26, 2013
Who says Joe Gibbs Racing teammates don’t get along? Kyle Busch is certainly receiving gifts, from Denny Hamlin in the form of shiny trophies from winning the latter’s annual charity event. Rowdy was romping through the field again at Richmond Thursday night, taking control at the race’s midpoint and cruising during the latter stages to win the Showdown for the third time in the past six years. In a race that benefits the Denny Hamlin Foundation, created to help those with cystic fibrosis Busch had his late model hitting on all cyilnders down the stretch. Pulling away from fellow Cup driver David Ragan, in the final segment of the 75-lap race the outcome was simply never in doubt following a 5-minute break for pit stops prior to Lap 47. Ben Rhodes, Ronnie Bassett, Jr., and Garrett Campbell rounded out the top-5 finishers. Other Cup drivers, including defending race champion Tony Stewart were in the field but never a factor up front. Smoke, actually extending his slumping start to 2013 into this race got wrecked before the halfway point and wound up 28th. Matt Kenseth, still distraught after a midweek penalty virtually negated his win at Kansas was never truly competitive, either; he finished 22nd. Also on Thursday night, African-American driver Ryan Gifford won the first K&N Pro Series East race of his young career. Surviving a five-lap shootout, following a red flag he cruised home over Brandon Gdovic. Connect with Tom! |
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Matt McLaughlin · Monday July 6, 2009
The Key Moment: Kyle Busch tried blocking Tony Stewart once too often on the final lap. Stewart took the win, while Busch took a savage ride into the wall and through the pack.
In a Nutshell: Contrived excitement but very real danger, and a tragedy narrowly averted.
Dramatic Moment: Certainly, the carnage coming to the checkers is what everyone’s going to be talking about this week.
What They’ll Be Talking About Around the Water Cooler This Week
One more time… before it’s too late. End plate racing now. Yes, the new car design probably saved Kyle Busch’s life Saturday night, but plate racing caused a wreck that didn’t have to happen. Sooner or later, our luck is going to run out; and to be frank, watching that last lap incident I was certain it already had Saturday night.
Anyone else want to see the “no racing below the yellow line” rule rescinded on the last lap after the latest finishes at Talladega and Daytona? If you don’t, I figure you’re either a ghoul or a mortician.
Some folks are already debating what would have happened in Victory Lane if NASCAR officials hadn’t headed off Kyle Busch’s apparently determined efforts to go congratulate Tony Stewart. For what it’s worth, my money is on Stewart. He’d have knocked Busch’s block off… so to speak.
I love the fact the official finishing order lists the 18 car as “running” at the end of the race. About the only thing “running” on the 18 car after the race was its driver; and for that, I’m grateful to God.
Tony Stewart’s No. 14 crew did a whopper of a job on pit road Saturday night at Daytona. On each yellow flag stop, they put their driver out in first.
After an ugly finish, their contributions might be overlooked, but Tony Stewart’s pit crew was absolutely flawless all night, getting their boy out first during every sequence of stops.
I’ve seen NASCAR throw a lot of competition cautions early in a race, but never one with fifteen laps left to go at a plate track. Oh, sure, there was debris on the track, right? Well, there was fixing to be a lot more debris on the track after that. It’s not like NASCAR didn’t expect and perhaps even welcome the last lap carnage.
If NASCAR is genuinely interested in arresting the declining TV ratings we’ve seen this season, they need to ensure that TNT’s Wide Open broadcast style that allowed fans to keep following the race during commercials is used for all races. It wasn’t perfect, but it sure beat what fans at home normally have to endure. Thanks to all the sponsors who participated. (Though you’d think Coors sells enough beer that they could come up with more than one ad.)
I’m not sure what Ramsey Poston’s official title is, but it ought to be “Official NASCAR corporate spokes-bully.” It seems lately when NASCAR wants to present its arrogant, churlish side to the world it will be Poston’s mouth moving. This week, Poston sneered at Jeremy Mayfield’s victory in a lawsuit urging a judge to lift his suspension, citing the urgency that he be allowed to return to the track when Mayfield failed to present a car for inspection for this weekend’s race. OK, let’s see. Mayfield has laid off ten workers from his tiny team and lost his sponsor as a result of the allegations NASCAR made against him. After the court ruling, he had less than 24 hours to prepare and transport a car to the track… and for a plate race, at that. And, he might have been a few bucks short of the 5,000-plus buck entry fee thanks to the torpedo strike below the waterline NASCAR inflicted on his career. Once again old Ramsey has proven himself a dirt bag. (I originally used a stronger term, but I’ve been told some parents let their kids read my columns. What are you, out of your minds?)
To be frank, I’m sick of this whole mess and I don’t want to see it drag through court for years. It’s cards on the table time for both parties. Mayfield should, at NASCAR’s bequest or on his own initiative, submit hair samples from his person to be tested by two independent labs under the tightest security and highest level of scientific expertise — with those tests witnessed by interested parties from both camps and the media. Yes, the hair on Mayfield’s head is pretty short, but there are other hairs on his body that grow more slowly and will reflect year’s worth of information. If the independent tests reveal Mayfield is a meth user, he’s gone with no possible reinstatement. If it’s proven he doesn’t use illicit drugs, NASCAR apologizes and writes him a big old check for setting off this whole dog and pony show with their incompetence. One way or another, the matter is settled once and for all, with both parties agreeing not to appeal the results.
I’m not a meteorologist and I don’t play one on TV. (I lack the boobs, blonde hair and vacuous nature to pull it off.) But I do know this about weather in Florida during the summer: it’s hot, humid, and unpleasant as hell by late afternoon. That tends to set off wild thunderstorms late in the afternoon into the early hours of the night. It’s why the Firecracker 400 (and that’s the real name, soda companies be damned to Hell) used to start at 11 AM, before the heat got too oppressive and so it would end in time for folks to head to the beach for a little relief from the worst of the late day heat. Moving the Firecracker 400 to a nighttime starting spot greatly increases the risk of rain delays or cancellations.
On a more human level, the nighttime race really messes up a lot of fan’s plans for the holiday weekend. If they’re going to watch the race, they can’t take the kids to the fireworks. They’ll have to miss Ms. Sheryl Crow on the Parkway here in Philly. They’ll have to turn down invitations to barbecues extended by friends, family and neighbors not addicted to the sport at this magic time of year when fireflies provide nature’s fireworks and Tiger Lilies as big as dinner plates light up embankments. As a big fan of Sheryl Crow, fireworks, fireflies, Tiger lilies, barbecues and beer, as well as this great old nation we live in, I think it’s high time that the July race at Daytona return to its rightful title, the Firecracker 400, and its 11 AM start time. We, the people, hold these truths to be self-evident… give us a race everyone will still be talking about as we barbecue at dusk and wait for the fireworks, and NASCAR will have gone a long way to restoring the sport.
You want to know just how bad things have gotten for NASCAR in the media? Every local and national media outlet I visited late Friday evening had verbiage about Saturday’s Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest (an event so disgusting I can’t watch) but not a word about the Firecracker 400. If qualifying hadn’t been rained out, a big name driver like Junior had won the pole and someone had been kind enough to crash to provide some chilling video, maybe the race would have gotten a little play. As it stands, apparently the mainstream media thinks people are more interested in watching gluttons vomit than stock car racing. Maybe what NASCAR needs is a vomitorium in the infield? To get the ball rolling, we can have Darrell Waltrip incite mass nausea with an impassioned “Boogity, boogity, boogity, let’s go retching boys!” I know that nonsense makes me sick to the stomach every time I hear it.
By all indications, it appears the Dale Earnhardt Jr./ Brad Keselowski relationship is winding down. Keselowski says he’s ready to compete full-time in the Cup series, although there’s no room at HMS racing for him. Junior says it’s unlikely Junior Motorsports would be able to make the shift from Nationwide racing to the Cup series by next year. (In a scary statement, Earnhardt says that in this economy, finding sponsorship would be nigh on impossible. If the sport’s Most Popular Driver can’t lure a well-funded sponsor — who can?) I think Keselowski is going to find when a small satellite drifts out of the universe that is Dale Earnhardt Jr., it’s lost in space forever.
It’s been 25 years since Richard Petty won his 200th race with President Reagan on hand to watch the triumph? Damn, that does make me feel old. As I recall that year, Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA classic album had finally deposed Michael Jackson’s Thriller atop the Billboard charts. Bruce is still doing OK. Jackson…not so well.
Maybe I’m too sensitive, but it bothered me that on the Fourth of July the only car company to advertise during the Firecracker 400 was Japanese.
I don’t know who Bill Weber pissed off with that loud profane argument at a hotel last week; but apparently they had some clout. Not only is Weber off the TNT team, they won’t even mention his name or discuss what happened.
Looks like there were a few empty seats there on the backstretch Saturday night, huh? But don’t you worry, baby, Brian France went on record again at the halfway point of the season saying things are just peachy. Editor’s Note: Daytona chooses not to sell the superstretch section for its annual night races in July.
Dagnabit, would somebody buy Dave Blaney’s Prism Motorsports team a new radiator? He keeps falling out of races after a couple laps with “overheating” issues. I’m sure they’re not just starting and parking to collect last place money. Similarly Tommy Baldwin’s driver, Partick Carpentier, is officially listed as falling out at Daytona after 18 laps with “engine” issue. What, did they forget to put one in the car?
The Hindenburg Award For Foul Fortune
There’s just something about Mark Martin and Daytona. He’s never won a points race here, and his chances at finally winning one ended early with a rare unforced error Saturday night.
Jeff Gordon almost had the lap 77 wreck cleared. Unfortunately, he was racing… not playing horseshoes.
Jeff Burton was running well right up until the last lap when he got caught up in that smoking pig pile. RCR really could have used a good finish with the season they’ve had and Burton is trying to claw his way back into the Chase. I’d guess in an unguarded moment Burton might admit the notion of decals on the windshield wasn’t the only thing “idiotic” going on at Daytona Saturday night.
Kasey Kahne could see the checkered flag and the chance of a decent finish until the only thing he could see was the undercarriage of the No. 18 car — with its rear axle assembly about ready to come through his windshield.
Several high profile team owners are going to be writing big checks to cover overtime at the body and fab shops this week after Daytona. RCR, Hendrick and Gibbs transporters all hauled a whole lot of junk back to North Carolina Saturday night. Their Cars of Tomorrow are now Cars of Never Again. My guess is Gibbs would be lucky to salvage the lug nuts off what was left of the 18 car.
Joey Logano dodged a whole lot of wrecks throughout the race. He just didn’t dodge the last one.
The “Seven Come Fore Eleven” Award For Fine Fortune
My guess is that Kyle Busch is well and truly pissed off after that last lap wreck, but maybe he ought to review the tape. He made a bad mistake and survived it.
Kurt Busch had a strong car but had his efforts waylaid by tire issues and contact trying to get back to the front. He rallied back to finish fifth. I’ll admit I was a little bothered to hear him say when the carnage broke out in front of him, he kept his boot in it on the last lap. Maybe if he’d known which driver was in the car at the front of the melee’ he’d have backed off a bit?
Juan Pablo Montoya took a wild ride through the grass early in the race and survived some hard contact out on the track, then needed two free passes under caution but still managed an eighth place finish.
Denny Hamlin advanced his position below the yellow line but NASCAR officials swallowed their whistles. He went on to finish third.
He might have preferred a long overdue win, but the last lap at Daytona Saturday night ended up being a lot better for Carl Edwards than the last lap at Talladega. A fourth place finish was a decent result.
The way the first half of the race went for Brian Vickers, I’m still scratching my head wondering how he finished in the top 10.
Marcos Ambrose might have been treated like a leper in the draft, but he still came away with a finish somewhere in the top 10. My guess is NASCAR will be resorting the final finishing order at Daytona until next Saturday.
On a plate track one mistake in the pits can end a driver’s chance at a decent finish. Jimmie Johnson’s rare mental error that caused him to slide through his pit box might have ended his evening; but instead, he came away with a second place finish.
A tire problem forced Matt Kenseth to make an unplanned pit stop and could have cost him a lap. Instead a caution flag flew as Kenseth exited the pits, and he wound up leading the race en route to a ninth place finish.
Worth Noting
- The top 10 finishers at Daytona either drove or were helpless inside badly damaged cars sliding across the finish line in three Chevys, three Toyotas, two Fords, and two Dodges.
- Joey Logano in 19th was the top finishing rookie.
- Carl Edwards’ fourth place finish was the first top 10 result posted by a Ford driver since Michigan.
- Tony Stewart has now managed four straight top 10 finishes.
- Jimmie Johnson (second) has top 10 finishes in five of the last six races.
- Denny Hamlin (third) posted his first top 10 result of his career in a points paying Daytona Cup race.
- Kurt Busch (fifth) has strung together back-to-back top 5 finishes for the first time this season. Fiat has got to be proud.
- Marcos Ambrose (sixth) has top 10 finishes in three of the last five races.
- Brian Vickers’ seventh place finish was his best since Charlotte.
- It’s hard to believe, but Matt Kenseth’s eighth place finish was his first top 10 result since Dover. Would you believe, it started out five months ago, could you conceive, we’d lose it all…
- Juan Pablo Montoya (ninth) has top 10 results in four of the last five races.
- Regan Smith’s 12th place finish was officially the best of his career. Of course, I still think he won at Talladega last year. He just neglected to trigger a huge wreck like we’ve seen in the last two plate races to claim the win.
- Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, and Kurt Busch are the only three drivers to post top 10 finishes in both this year’s Daytona 500 and the Firecracker 400.
What’s the Points?
Obviously Tony Stewart remains the points leader. His victory coupled with Jeff Gordon’s problems now leave Stewart 180 points ahead of second place Gordon. Even if Stewart were to stay home next week he’d still be leading the points.
Despite all the carnage Saturday night, all drivers in the top 10 in points held serve in their respective positions.
Mark Martin’s early race wreck dropped him out of the top 12, two spots down to 13th in the standings.
Juan Pablo Montoya moved up a spot to 11th. Kasey Kahne re-entered the top 12, up a spot to 12th despite a windshield full of Toyota coming to the line.
If there was the slightest chance Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was going to make the Chase that chance involved a victory at Daytona, a track where Earnhardt has had some of his best runs. That didn’t happen and Junior fell another two spots to 21st in the standings.
Overall Rating (On a scale of one to six beer cans with one being a stinker and a six pack an instant classic) — Until the last lap the race was pretty sedate by the standards of plate racing. Sedate is good sometimes. Tragic sucks. We’ll give this one three cans of Colorado Kool-Aid served up by that blonde in the cowboy hat in the ad.
Next Up: It’s 48 miles from Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark out and we’re wearing sunglasses….hit it.
This Weekend on the Frontstretch:
Mirror Driving: Correcting Mistakes, Moving Forward With Charlotte And Dramatic Returns
Charlotte’s Four Burning Questions: Translating Success And McMurray’s Time To Shine
Frontstretch Foto Funnies: Cleaning Out The Vintage Vault
Brendan Gaughan Driver Diary: Race Day, Sharks, And A Fast Fix
That Sound You Heard? Hall Of Fame Standards Dropping A Notch
IndyCar In-Depth: Indianapolis 500
Formula 1 Friday: Two Questions
Voices From the Cheapseats: Discussing The Need For Diversity’
Nuts for Nationwide: Jack Ingram’s Moment To Shine
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