Who Can Stop Hendrick Motorsports Except Hendrick Itself?
Look at the finishing order from Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan, and you would figure Hendrick Motorsports had a miserable outing. Jimmie Johnson led the non-charge with a 28th-place finish, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was 37th, Kasey Kahne 38th and Jeff Gordon brought up the rear in 39th. While this may look like a terrible day for team Hendrick, the results do not show the dominance put on display for much of the race. Johnson, Earnhardt and Kahne led a combined 66 of the 200 laps, and were all contenders for the win until the wheels fell off – literally. Gordon’s day never truly got started, as he was caught up in an incident with Bobby Labonte on the seventh lap. However, from the drop of the green flag, the remaining Hendrick cars were prominent figures at the front of the field. From lap 64 until lap 131, it was a Hendrick-owned car leading the way (with the exception of two laps led by Casey Mears by staying out). For the third week in a row, the … [Read More...]
Biffle Sharp, Steady, Avoids Trouble To Earn Roush a Michigan Win
Although he may have been overlooked by many going into the Quicken Loans 400 – especially since many other drivers had dominated the headlines – that Greg Biffle won the 400-mile race at Michigan International Speedway shouldn’t have been that much surprise. After all, he had won three races at MIS, tops among all active drivers save Mark Martin. Jack Roush, his team owner, had won 12 times, more than any other owner. The numbers were in Biffle’s favor. And he made the most of them. Biffle’s victory at MIS was his first of the season, the 13th for Roush Fenway at the two-mile track and the historic 1,000th for Ford in all NASCAR competition. Biffle took the lead on a restart from the race’s eighth and final caution period on lap 169 of 200, and, despite some threatening moves from some behind him, led the remaining 32 laps to win by a comfortable 2.989 seconds over Kevin Harvick. Biffle led 48 laps, more than any other driver. “Once my Ford Fusion … [Read More...]
Weeks NASCAR Stories
Michigan Magic: Earnhardt, Jr Has had it, Looking for a Win
I think it’s fair to say that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is getting a tad more attention this week from fans and the media. Understand, Earnhardt Jr. never lacks for attention. But it has swollen a bit as the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit moves to Michigan International Speedway and the Quicken Loans 400. The reason? Simple. He won this race last year to end a long losing streak and lend hope to the idea that he could become the 2012 champion. It didn’t happen, of course. Concussions sustained … [Read More...]
JUNIOR JOHNSON: Professional, Personal Changes Put Pressure On 1993 Performance
The narrow loss for the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup championship to Alan Kulwicki – by 10 points, the closest margin in NASCAR history – was an obvious blow to Johnson, driver Bill Elliott and the entire Junior Johnson & Associates team. Had the team pulled it off, it would have been the sixth title of Johnson’s career as an owner. Instead, Johnson had to look to 1993 as a year of redemption. Elliott, of course, was still with the team so there seemed to be no reason it could not … [Read More...]
New Generation Of Drivers Makes This Father’s Day More Special
Father’s Day in the tight-knit community of NASCAR must be extra special this year. Its stars of yesterday are now the proud dads of drivers who are winning today. Never before has the field of so many series been strewn with the progeny of NASCAR greats. Last weekend Ward Burton’s son Jeb won the Winstar World Casino 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. His father was at track having driven a truck around the 1.5 mile oval for media, fans, and other dignitaries. When questioned how it felt … [Read More...]
Time To Let Nationwide Series Shine On Its Own
On a day in which Jimmie Johnson started on pole and dominated at Pocono, it was the young guns of the NASCAR Nationwide Series that stole the show in Iowa on a rare Sunday morning race. After weather postponed the Nationwide event at Iowa Speedway, NASCAR made the call to run the race at 11 ET on Sunday morning. Unfortunately, rain fell again, delaying the race once more and pushing the conclusion well into the Sprint Cup Series’ time slot. The 250-lap event saw hard short-track racing … [Read More...]
