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Chase Elliott Wins the ARCA 200 at Pocono
posted by Tony Lumbis
Saturday June 8, 2013
Chase Elliott became the youngest superspeedway winner in ARCA history when he took home the checkered flag at Pocono Raceway, the same track where his father, Bill, won 5 times in the Sprint Cup Series. Frank Kimmel, the early favorite, lead the first 22 laps from the pole as he looked to capture his 79th career ARCA win, which would have put him in a tie with Iggy Katona for all time wins in the series. However, Erik Jones took command of the leaderboard on lap 23 and stayed there for 20 circuits unitl his ToyotaCare Camry ran out of fuel. Elliott, who started 32nd as the field was set by owner’s points due to qualifying being rained out, wasted no time moving up through the field. He grabbed the lead on lap 60 and would never look back, fending off a hard charging Jones in the final laps. Kimmel finished third followed by Tom Hessert and Mason Mitchell.
Kurt Busch Wins Happy Hour at Pocono
posted by Tony Lumbis
Saturday June 8, 2013
Kurt Busch and his Furniture Row Racing team lead final practice at Pocono, followed by Jimmie Johnson who lead first practice, Carl Edwards, last week’s winner Tony Stewart and his SHR teammate Ryan Newman. Rounding out the top 10 were Kasey Kahne, Paul Menard, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Michael McDowell and Kyle Busch. Other notables: Kevin Harvick was 12th, Denny Hamlin was 13th, Brad Keselowski was 16th, Matt Kenseth was 18th, Jeff Gordon was 20th, Clint Bowyer was 23rd and Danica Patrick was 29th.
Rain Puts Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards on the Front Row at Pocono
posted by Tony Lumbis
Friday June 7, 2013
The remnants of topical storm Andrea has soaked Pocono Raceway on Friday. Not a single lap was turned at the Tricky Triangle due to the consistent wet weather which cancelled all on-track activities. As a result, the lineup for Sunday’s Party in the Poconos 400 will be set by owner’s points, putting Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards on the front row. Since only 43 cars entered the race, nobody went home.
Ten Fans Injured By Falling Rope at Charlotte
posted by Amy Henderson
Sunday May 26, 2013
Ten fans were injured during the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Guide ropes for a television camera fell onto the race track, damaging several cars and bringing out a lengthy red flag, and pieces of that rope also injured the fans, who were in the in the Turn 4 grandstand. The Speedway issued the following statement: “Ten fans were injured when a nylon rope fell over the grandstands in Turn 4 on lap 121 of tonight’s race. Seven fans were treated for minor cuts and scrapes at on-site care centers and released. Three people were transported to an area hospital for further evaluation. The rope was a guide for the network television CamCat overhead camera system.” We will update with more details as they become available. 10:00 PM UPDATE: So far, officials have not been able to determine the cause of the failure. According to an official release, the system consists of three ropes, including a drive rope which moves the camera back and forth, and two guide ropes. The drive rope failed and fell onto the racing surface. The camera itself did not fall. FOX plans to suspend use of this camera system, which was used during the Daytona 500 and All-Star race, until they complete an investigation of the failure. Fox issued the following in their statement: “We certainly regret that the system failure affected tonight’s event; we apologize to the racers whose cars were damaged, and our immediate concern is for the race fans. We also offer a sincere ‘thank you’ to the staff at CMS for attending to the injuries and keeping us informed on this developing situation.” 12:40 AM UPDATE: Though pravacy laws prevent officials from discussing the specific nature of any injuries, it was reported that the three fans who were transported to a local hospital have all been treated and released.
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. |
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Thompson in Turn 5 · Tommy Thompson · Tuesday May 8, 2007
A week may have passed and the media furor over Talladega may have died down, but race fans in attendance at the Aaron's 499 still have every right to be insulted. Their emotions still raw, they are rightfully angry at being put in harm’s way by the act of a good number of moronic individuals. However, after time has passed and the facts have come out, it is important to understand that the responsibility for the melee that immediately ensued at the conclusion of the race was entirely the responsibility of the International Speedway Corporation. The owners of both the track and the sport, the France family, need to be held responsible for their inability to control the actions of a select few that should have been selected for the nearest county jail as quickly as humanly possible. Any such charge the disgraceful and dangerous behavior was the fault of “fans” of any driver, and “fans” of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., in particular, as have been reported elsewhere, are erroneous and were opinions formed without fully considering the issue.
I feel confident on speaking on this issue due to my unique situation of being part of the conflict firsthand. Taking time to appreciate the NASCAR side of racing as a fan rather than a columnist, I witnessed the hooligans’ actions from the Gadsden Grandstands, lower level, Row 20. Rest assured that the true scope of what transpired was not covered by the television broadcast or in NASCAR's subsequent press statements that were nothing more than attempts to minimize the events; even my eyewitness report cannot in itself adequately describe what happened in its entirety, due to the enormity of the grandstands at the 2.66 mile track and the frequency of the delinquent behavior happening around it.
First, some background. With my girlfriend and seven-year old grandson in tow, I opted to stay at a campground in the Talladega National Forest in a conscious effort to avoid the more adult activities that traditionally take place at the campgrounds provided on racetrack properties throughout the NASCAR circuit. Adult activities that are best left to the adults and believe prudent to not expose a young child to, and I was hoping the weekend would prove a wonderful experience for my grandson to end up exposed to the best parts of the sport we all love. Unfortunately, I was not able to protect the first of my grandchildren to attend a NASCAR race from perverse behavior that far surpassed anything I have ever witnessed in the generally good-natured party atmosphere of trackside campgrounds.
Shortly after the start of the race, it became apparent to me that there was potentially a serious problem brewing, as Jeff Gordon started challenging for the lead. As he continued leading the race, the profanity and accompanying hand gestures from those in attendance were at an all-time fever pitch. No doubt about it, agitation continually increased at the mere thought Gordon might win. Perhaps sensing the tension, on several occasions, the public address system announced that the throwing of anything on the track would not be tolerated. Though the announcement lacked, in my opinion, the needed assertiveness, it comforted me at the time to know that the tracks managers were aware of possible problems, especially with the increased agitation reaching a crescendo. It also signaled to me that as a result of past uncontrolled incidents at the track, they were prepared to prevent a repeat of past actions.
I was wrong.
As the race ended under a caution due to a wreck on the backstretch and it became clear as the leaders rounded turn four that Jeff Gordon had indeed won, a barrage of debris began to rain down on those us of us in the lower grandstands. Looking to my right towards the tri-oval grandstands and beyond the amount of debris being tossed from the crowd was truly inestimable, but staggering to observe. Only a very small percentage of the projectiles, in large part partially full or full beer cans, actually landed on the track. The vast majority of objects being thrown were landing indiscriminately into the lower seats. At no time before or during the mayhem was there any visible show of security executing any plan to prevent what occurred or quash what was a dangerous situation.
After being initially stunned by the developing pandemonium, we were able to safely gather up my bewildered grandson and make our way with many others to shelter under the upper grandstands. Unfortunately, that sanctuary was a short-lived when some of the disorderly thugs in the upper levels began emptying what I assume were beverages and ice onto the crowds seeking safe haven below. We then quickly exited the grandstand area with no thought of returning for any post-race activities, thankful to be away from what had been a truly unpleasant and potentially harmful experience.
So, who were these despicable and crude people that acted in such a repulsive manner? Were they fans of the Earnhardt Nation upset that Jeff Gordon had not only bested Junior, but also surpassed the seventy-six wins total of his father, Dale… and no less on his birthday? No, they were not. From my vantage point, while I saw a large number of the offenders (certainly not all) wearing attire and otherwise displaying their supposed preference for the numbers 3 and 8, it is important to understand that these kooks are no more fans of the Earnhardts than they are fans of stock car racing!
To associate these louts with the Earnhardt Nation would be as unfair as observers outside of the sport wrongly correlating their behavior to that of NASCAR fans as a whole. These people are not unique to Talladega or NASCAR, they are of the same ilk that have infiltrated and gave glaring black eyes to virtually every sport in America at one time or another. Like the punks and gangsters that have adopted the colors and logo of the Oakland Raiders, they are no more stock car or Earnhardt fans than those criminals are fans of either the Raiders or professional football. Instead, they are nothing more than troublemakers hell-bent on being disruptive and displaying their complete lack of civility.
Looking back, the blame for the ugliness that tens of thousands of spectators were subjected to rests firmly on the backs of track managers. They were not unaware of the potential for bedlam in their race facility, as evidenced by their announcements throughout the race; as a result, they were ethically and legally responsible to protect their patrons. The ignorance was surprising considering the likelihood of trouble anticipated with a Gordon wni; in fact, Junior himself said during the week leading up to the race that he had told Gordon, “You win this one and I ain’t coming into Victory Lane this time,” referring to a much tamer display of poor sportsmanship that occurred a week earlier in Phoenix when Earnhardt did publicly congratulate Gordon to a cascade of boos.
Although Earnhardt’s warning should have been more than enough, track officials shouldn’t have needed it; they have had significant indications since at least 2004 that changes were needed at the track to ensure a safe environment for race fans, when a shower of debris rained on Jeff Gordon that year after a late race caution ensured him another win at the superspeedway. Since then, they have failed miserably to respond to fans’ requests for greater safety, and this was the worst example yet of their poor performance.
Nevertheless, Grant Lynch, President of Talladega Superspeedway, would have you believe that the situation was handled appropriately. And he insists that, “Additional security was brought in for the grandstands and we had a plan in place should such actions take place." Really? And this additional security was only able to identify fourteen of the hundreds that participated in the riot? The few identified were not arrested, but merely detained and punished by not being able to purchase tickets under their own name in the future? That’s quite a plan you had in place there, Mr. Lynch!
Perhaps now suitable security measures at Talladega will be taken to maintain order at future race dates, as there will should be changes implemented possibly only for reasons of legal liability than for any sincere concern for race fans. In the end, though, the ones that will be inconvenienced by policy changes will be the tens of thousands of responsible spectators that historically visit the superspeedway. The culprits responsible for the more restrictive policies will not care, as they will have moved on to a new stage to display their idiocy. The legacy they left behind, however, will not fade for several events to come.
Truthfully, it seems that by simply watching from the grandstands I made an error in judgment that could easily have resulted in serious physical harm coming to those that I hold close to my heart. I was fully aware that there was a potential for serious troubles in the stands should Jeff Gordon win the Aaron's 499, but wrongly assumed that those in the "know" were even more intuitive than I, anticipating and preparing for any eventuality. In hindsight, I realize that I was wrong to trust the track's management to protect us while inside their facility. Luckily, none of my group, and miraculously, if reports are to be believed, no other spectators were badly injured. But I cannot trust the safety of my loved ones to luck. And I never will again.
But I know who is to blame…
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