Yes, It’s Boring, But it is The 600 and Johnson and Hendrick Can’t Be Ignored

May 23, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Although his dominance of races at Charlotte Motor Speedway may have made things a bit dull for many fans, he will still be recognized as a strong favorite to win the Coca-Cola 600.

CONCORD, N.C. – I’m sorry if this bores you but the Coca-Cola 600 weekend can’t go by without a mention of Jimmie Johnson.

Yes, I know you’ve read plenty about him lately –probably so much so you’re fed up.

Yes, you know he won the Sprint All Star Race for a record fourth time.

And as if you don’t know it, you should realize that the Hendrick Motorsports driver is a strong favorite to win the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend.

Let’s face it, the numbers don’t like. Aside from the fact that Johnson and his Hendrick team have been among the strongest at every 1.5-mile track – like Charlotte – the California native and CMS have become downright chummy.

Johnson has six career victories at Charlotte. He has won the 600 three times, in 2003, 2004 and 2005 – in which both years, by the way, he swept both Sprint Cup events at CMS.

If he wins this weekend he’ll become the speedway’s all-time winner, breaking out of a tie with Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip.

Johnson has finished among the top five in about 50 percent and among the top 10 a healthy 65.2 percent in his 23 career starts.

He has the best driver rating at the track – a 111.7 average out of a possible 150 points.

Matt Kenseth, the winner of the Bojangle’s Southern 500 at Darlington this year, may emerge as a strong challenger for Johnson in the Coca-Cola 600.

There’s more, but you get the point and why increase the boredom?

Now, there is this intriguing fact: Johnson’s last win in the 600 was in 2005 and he hasn’t scored a top-10 finish in the Memorial Day event since 2007.

Yes, Johnson won the fall Bank of America 500 in 2009, but, wow, it’s been six years since the acknowledged master of CMS has cracked the top 10 during the month of May?

Over that time the winners have been a diverse lot, including Kasey Kahne, Casey Mears, David Reutimann and Matt Kenseth.

In fact, Kahne has won the 600 three times in the last six years. He won it last year, his first as a teammate to Johnson at Hendrick.

Maybe Kahne has gotten as chummy with CMS as Johnson.

Kahne admits he does indeed like Charlotte – but not for reasons you might not expect.

“I get a bit jittery because of the excitement and the feeling of just wanting to go, whether it’s in anticipation of qualifying, the race or even practice,” he said. “But it’s one of the things I strive for.

“I enjoy that and I like it when you feel that pressure. It’s a good thing.”

While Johnson’s 600 performances haven’t been of their usual quality over the past six years, he thinks things are changing – as evidenced by his win in the All Star Race.

“The recent repaving of the track changed things for us,” Johnson said. ““Before, we knew, literally, what time in the afternoon we should make whatever adjustment we needed to make to the car. It was like clockwork. Didn’t matter the year, just every single time.

“It’s not that way anymore. However, the track has aged and it’s like it’s coming back to us.”

Hendrick is easily the dominant team at CMS. Two of its drivers, Johnson and Jeff Gordon, have a combined 11 victories at the track. New teammate Kahne has four, but three of those came in Ray Evernham’s Dodges.

And it appears the odds favor a Chevrolet driver in the 600. Chevy has won the majority of races over the last 12 years and three of the last five. But let’s not assume one of them is going to be victorious this year.

It’s not wise to assume anything in NASCAR races.

For example, there are a couple of Toyota drivers who come to mind as serious contenders for a 600 victory.

Toyota’s record at Charlotte pales next to Chevrolet’s with only two wins, but a couple of Joe Gibbs Racing competitors have shown plenty of strength during the early part of the season.

Matt Kenseth, who won twice at CMS while driving for Roush Fenway Racing, has already won three races this season.

He’s also been named the first quarter recipient of the Driver Of The Year Award. He may well challenge Johnson for the championship.

Kenseth admits, however, that while his Toyota has performed admirably at several tracks, he’s uncertain about Charlotte.

“I really feel like as an organization we’ve been pretty strong everywhere, I mean at all the race tracks,” Kenseth said. “I feel like there’s a couple where we’ve been off a little bit, but one of them was California and Denny (Hamlin) was leading the last lap and Kyle (Busch) won.

“So, yeah, I think our cars have been pretty fast everywhere. It’s hard for me to put my finger on exactly what it is because this is my first year.  It’s a whole new race car.  It’s hard to compare to last year’s car.

“But we’ve been fast everywhere. Now, whether that is the case at Charlotte, well, like I said, it’s a whole new race car for me.”

Then there’s Kyle Busch.

He’s won twice this season in Sprint Cup competition and should have won a third time at Darlington, where he dominated but gave way to Kenseth.

He won in the Craftsman Truck Series at CMS last week and has six victories at the speedway in the Nationwide Series.

But he has yet to win a Sprint Cup race.

Still, he can’t be ignored.

“The Nationwide Series has been good to me there,” Busch said. “The truck series has been pretty good to me there, too. But a Cup Series win has eluded me.

“We’re definitely getting closer than I was back when I first started racing at Charlotte. I think I have something like 10 top-10 finishes in my last 12 races going into this weekend, so I hope my luck is turning around a bit and I can finally get that Sprint Cup win there.

“We’ve been very close the last couple of years.”

Who knows? He, and several others drivers, might get even closer this year – all the way to victory lane.

But, as much as many fans don’t want to hear this, the fact remains the edge goes to Johnson, Hendrick and, for that matter, any Chevrolet driver.

Alas, as boring as all of that may be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Not All Will Agree, But NASCAR Hall Of Fame Voters Got It Right

May 22, 2013 By 2 Comments

Tim Flock

I think this time the voting committee for the NASCAR Hall of Fame got it mostly right.

Yes, I’m sure their decisions didn’t please everybody – and they never will.

But, by and large, the newest members of the Hall of Fame represent a spectrum of individuals who are among the pioneer drivers, the second-generation stars, the short track experts and the mechanical geniuses who not only boosted their own careers, but also enhanced the growth of NASCAR itself.

Tim Flock was due his place in the Hall. He was one of NASCAR’s earliest stars. The youngest of the Flock brothers won 39 career races and two championships.

But it may be said he was one of NASCAR’s first true characters. Uninhibited, spirited and fun-loving, Flock brought to NASCAR the kind of image that has sustained the sport for years: Namely, a stock car driver is not your normal athlete no, for that matter, human being.. And fans loved it.

Maurice Petty was a master engine builder. There is no way, by any stretch of the imagination, that his brother Richard would have won 200 races and seven championships without him.

He is considered, to this day, NASCAR’s first successful engine builder who paved the way for others. He was the model.

His importance to Petty Enterprises was never lost on an employee. The team had its leaders, to be sure.

But as it was said so often: “You’ll know who the boss is once Chief (Maurice) gets here.”

The son of Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett, Dale Jarrett was a second-generation star but, unlike some others before him, he never had a path to success provided for him.

I keenly remember his struggles to make it in racing, through so many lean years in Late Model Sportsman racing to Winston Cup competition with lesser teams.

But his determination and obvious talent led him to associations with the Wood Brothers, Joe Gibbs Racing and Robert Yates Racing. He made it to the top echelon of NASCAR.

Dale Jarrett

And, by the way, made the most of it with three victories in the Daytona 500, two at Indy and the 1999 championship.

I freely say that, in my opinion, the Hall of Fame would never be complete without the addition of Jack Ingram.

He was the “Ironman” of the grueling Late Model Sportsman circuit. He campaigned throughout the country to earn victories and championships.

Believe me, at the height of his talent, for Ingram to win a championship meant he had to compete on one of the most strenuous schedules in all of motorsports – as many as 50-52 races per year. Not every driver chose to follow it.

Over the course of nine years, 1982-1991, he won 31 races and two championships and, for a period of five consecutive years, was never lower than fifth in points.

Glen “Fireball” Roberts was, in all probability, NASCAR’s first superstar.

He was young and fearless. He had charisma. He gained fan and media attention, all of which promoted NASCAR.

More important, he had talent. As NASCAR moved into its “superspeedway” era beginning in 1960, Roberts, whose nickname was derived from his baseball pitching ability, emerged as one of its greatest talents.

He won twice at Daytona in 1962 and again at Darlington in 1963, which are the most celebrated of his 33 career wins.

He was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, among the first NASCAR competitor to be so noted.

The latest NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees are indeed a diverse group representing several facets of the sport – from early days to the recent past.

I’m not sure anyone will call it perfect. In fact, I’m sure of it. Myself, I would have strongly considered Curtis Turner, Joe Weatherly and mechanic Red Vogt, and others, above some of the inductees.

But I can’t argue – and I don’t think anyone else can, either – that the latest members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame do not deserve to be there. They do.

 

 

 

Filed Under: NASCAR News, Weekend Featured Story

Johnson Wins Sprint All Star Race Record Fourth Time: Kurt Busch Loses in The Pits

May 19, 2013 By 1 Comment

Jimmie Johnson celebrates at Charlotte Motor Speedway after he won the Sprint All Star Race. Johnson has now won the special race four times, more than any other driver.

Perhaps many fans would have preferred that the winner of the Sprint All Star race be anyone other than Jimmie Johnson.

Not that his talent is questioned, nor that of crew chief Chad Knaus and the Hendrick Motorsports team.

It’s just that, well, Johnson has won races and championships so often that some folks are a bit bored.

Johnson won five championships in a row and while that is an astonishing feat it’s often true that the fans of such a dynasty are only team members and loyal fans.

So when Johnson took the checkered flag in the All Star Race, it’s likely a fair share of fans uttered something like, “Oh, no, not again,” and turned off their TVs.

They have seen enough of Johnson. They want to see some new winners, like they saw in David Ragan at Talladega

Got news for them. Like it or not, they are going to see more of Johnson – and in this season.

The California native is a Hall of Fame talent who has the benefit of a strong crew and team. Like all other NASCAR superstars, he races to win.

Makes no difference if it’s a point race or a high-buck exhibition, Johnson is in it to win, just like so many of his peers.

Isn’t that the way it is supposed to be?

The victory in the All Star Race added to the glory Johnson has experienced – and earned – so far this season.

He’s won twice in 11 races, has six top-five finishes and eight among the top 10. He’s first in points with a comfortable 44-point margin over Carl Edwards.

There’s little doubt he will be a strong contender for a sixth championship.

And, yes, not everybody likes that.

Kyle Busch stands by as his crew works on his car during a rain delay in the Sprint All Star Race. Busch led the second and third 20-lap segments of the race.

The victory was Johnson’s fourth in the All Star Race, which moves him ahead of Dale Earnhardt and Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon – and solidifies his place in the record books.

“Truthfully I don’t think a question about my place in history is one that I’m to answer,” Johnson said. “I still have a lot of years left in my career, and that’s something that the public, the mass, that’s what other people come up with.

“I don’t think it’s right for me to sit here and say, ‘Hey, I’m this guy, I’m the guy or anything in between.’

‘I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished, but I still feel like there’s a lot left I can do in this sport, and I’ll work hard to do that.

“When I’m old and sit in a rocking chair hopefully people think highly of what I’ve done and give me a tip of the hat.”

The race was broken down to five segments, four of 20 laps each and a final 10-lap dash to the finish. A driver’s average finish over the first four segments determined his starting position in the fifth.

Kurt and Kyle Busch – talk about guys who race to win – won the first four segments, which were, overall, lacking in excitement.

A mandatory four-tire pit stop was scheduled for all competitors before the final segment. Despite changes to his pit crew this week, Johnson’s guys pulled of an 11-second pit stop to give him the edge.

Johnson sped away from Hendrick teammate Kasey Kahne to win by more than one second over Joey Logano.

Kyle Busch, who won the second and third segments, finished third. Kahne was fourth and Kurt Busch rounded out the top five.

It’s likely NASCAR will study the All Star Race format and might make some changes for 2014. It has been suggested that the final segment’s 10 laps are too short. The leader is in clean air while others race side-by-side behind him, with not enough time to catch up.

However, the All Star Race has had a 20-lap final segment before. Johnson simply took advantage of what was offered.

“We knew what we needed to do on the race track to try to get ourselves in good position, Knaus said. “We felt like that if we could come down in the top five and try to get a solid pit stop and maintain that, we would be solid.

“I really didn’t think that we would be able to come down pit road and have a stop that fast, and man, those guys just absolutely nailed it. My hat’s off to them.

“We’ve had to switch some things around during the course of the last month or so and the guys really rose to the occasion.”

It should be pointed out that if indeed changes are made to the format, it might not affect Johnson at all.

He’s won the All Star Race in four different formats. Does this indicate he can win no matter what NASCAR does? Does his team have it all figured out?

Well, it only seems that way.

“No, we just get lucky, man,” Johnson said. “That’s what people will say. There’s no talent involved.

“We just got lucky tonight.”

 

Filed Under: Top NASCAR Stories

Joe Gibbs Team Is Showing Kenseth Championship Form

May 18, 2013 By 1 Comment

With three victories already this season, Matt Kenseth is off to a hot start and has emerged as the leader of the Joe Gibbs Racing team.

CONCORD, N.C. – Is this the year in which Joe Gibbs Racing wins its fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup championship?

Frankly, it’s kind of early to predict much of anything about any team, but it’s almost certain two of the team’s drivers – Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch – will make the Chase.

If the third Gibbs driver, Denny Hamlin, who is in 27th place in points due to injury, wins a couple of races, he’ll nab a “wildcard” position for the Chase. He’s certainly capable of doing just that.

Which, overall, means that the odds are in Gibbs’ favor right now.

Kenseth is Gibbs’ leader in the point standings. He sits third, 59 points behind No. 1 Jimmie Johnson and 15 behind runnerup Carl Edwards.

Johnson seems very comfortable with his 44-point margin over Edwards. He’s just one point shy of the maximum available in a given race.

But at the moment, many media outlets rank Kenseth No. 1 in their power rankings – and for good reason, I might add.

The latest addition to the Gibbs team has already posted an excellent record early in the season. His three top-five finishes are all victories, at Las Vegas, Kansas and last week at Darlington.

He also has seven top-10 finishes.

Johnson, top dog at Hendrick Motorsports, has an impressive early record as well. He’s won twice, at Daytona and Martinsville, with six top-five finishes and eight among the top 10.

Now, it’s been suggested by some that if Kenseth had experienced a kinder fate in a few races, he, and not Johnson, would be the points leader.

At Daytona Kenseth led the most laps but then experienced engine failure with less than 50 laps remaining. He went to the garage area with a DNF.

Presently Jimmie Johnson holds a commanding lead in the point standings as he seeks his sixth career Sprint Cup championship.

Meanwhile, Johnson went on to win the race.

At Bristol, Kenseth might well have earned another top-five finish had he not become involved in a crash with Jeff Gordon. Kenseth suffered his second DNF.

Johnson didn’t have a stellar performance at Bristol. He finished 22nd, two laps down to winner and Hendrick teammate Kasey Kahne.

If we do the math, if Kenseth had been able to snag a couple of top-five finishes at Daytona and Bristol, he would have earned around 83 points instead of the 19 he got. And he would be leading in points, not Johnson.

An observation here:

We can talk about how Kenseth “should” be the points leader until we are blue in the face. But “should” is NOT the reality.

The reality is that Kenseth’s two DNFs have made all the difference. True, he has had an excellent season so far, but being unable to finish a couple of times – where Johnson has completed every race – simply means Kenseth had a slim chance of leading the points.

Yes, Johnson and Kenseth have been consistent this year. But Johnson has been a bit better at it. The statistics prove it.

That’s why he’s the points leader and deserves to be.

But all of this is not to say Johnson is going to be the champion. Again, it’s too early to predict much of anything, especially since there are 15 races until the Chase begins and 10 more in the “playoff.”

The point here is that the Gibbs team has shown, in a short period of time, that it once again has what it takes to be a championship contender.

A couple of examples:

Busch has displayed the competitive dominance for which he has become well known.

He’s won twice already, at Fontana and Texas, and would have a third victory under his belt at Darlington. He ran roughshod over the competition by leading 265 laps. But he suffered a cut tire and gave way to Kenseth.

Oh, and Busch did pummel the field in the Nationwide Series race the night before the Bojangle’s Southern 500.

It seems obvious Busch has indicted he can win at any track.

Because of his back injury Hamlin has made only seven starts. But that seventh one, at Darlington, proved his mettle.

It was his first complete race following his injury and he finished second to Kenseth.

Now think of it. In one race Gibbs impressively flexes its muscle. It finishes one-two and one of its drivers leads more laps that anyone else.

It’s Kenseth who has made all the difference. He brings experience and leadership to the team, both of which he cultivated during his many years with Roush Fenway Racing.“I knew Matt before,” said J.D. Gibbs, team president. “When he came on the team, I knew he would be a good leader.

“I think Denny and Kyle really like having him here and hearing what he has to say. On the race track, he just has a gift.

“So I think it is really a blessing to have him join our team. We look forward to a great future.”

It is true the Gibbs team got a huge break when an appeals board reduced most of the stern penalties levied by NASCAR against it after Kansas.

For example, instead of being docked 50 driver points, Kenseth lost only 12. And his Kansas victory was allowed to count toward the Chase.

Had that not been the case it’s likely Kenseth, and Gibbs, wouldn’t be in their current position.

But it is indeed the case and Kenseth and Gibbs are indeed in a good spot.

Kenseth himself looks past the penalties.

“I try to look forward and not back,” he said. “I’m hoping Joe and J.D. keep me around for a long time.

“Certainly I’ve been fortunate and blessed throughout my career to have great race teams, great people working on the cars, great sponsors – the whole thing.

“I’ve been very fortunate. I got the good job. I got the easy job. They give me cars that are fast and drive so well, it sure is a lot of fun.”

As the year moves ahead, the Gibbs team might have a lot more fun.

Frankly, it may reach the point where it goes head-to-head with Hendrick.

More on that later.

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Top NASCAR Stories

Darlington Victory Caps Very Good Week For Kenseth, Gibbs

May 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Matt Kenseth won the Bojangle’s Southern 500 at Darlington to notch his third victory this season. Kenseth has emerged as a force at Joe Gibbs Racing, which he joined this year.

It was a very good week for Matt Kenseth.

Heck, on second thought, it’s been a very good year.

The newest – and to date the most successful – driver at Joe Gibbs Racing overcame dominant teammate Kyle Busch with 13 laps remaining and went on to win the Bojangle’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

It was Kenseth’s third victory of the season. He also won at Las Vegas and Kansas. His three wins are tops among all competitors.

Now, back to that good week … perhaps it should be amended to say it was a good week for the entire Gibbs organization.

Four days before the race it learned that the stern penalties levied against it by NASCAR following the Kansas race for a light connecting rod were significantly reduced.

Among other things, the sanctioning body stripped Kenseth of 50 driver points. But the appeals panel reduced that to 12. That elevated Kenseth from outside the top 10 in points to fourth going into Darlington.

He’s now third and in contention for a second career championship.

Then in the Nationwide Series race the night before the Sprint Cup event, Busch whipped the field to earn his 56th victory in the series.

Kenseth’s followup performance gave Gibbs a sweep of the weekend’s races.

Fact is, Busch could have easily accomplished the sweep by himself. But it was not to be. More on that later.

Since Kenseth came on board at Gibbs this year after a long tenure at Roush Fenway racing, the Gibbs organization seems to have returned to the championship form it once had with drivers Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte.

Jeff Gordon (24) made his 700th consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup start at Darlington, where he has won seven times. He ran very well and finished third.

Kenseth is a strong driver who has brought experience and leadership to the team. He replaced Joey Logano, a real talent in his own right but who came to Gibbs as, basically, a relatively inexperienced kid.

It can be said that Gibbs beefed up its lineup – which includes Busch and Denny Hamlin – when it signed Kenseth, the 2003 champion who was routinely contending for wins during most of his time with Roush.

Kenseth’s Darlington victory offered ample evidence of that.

And he feels it is only going to get better.“I think the goal of a race team and an organization is to never peak,” Kenseth said. “I think it’s to continue to keep getting better.  That’s one thing I’ve seen at Gibbs pretty much from day one.

“They’re not standing still.  They’re always trying to build a better car.  TRD (Toyota Racing Development) is trying to build a better engine.  We’re always trying to do that – working on the future.

“I think that’s how racing is.  I don’t have any concerns.  I really feel like with this team, driving this car, I feel like the sky’s the limit.”

The race was something on an anomaly for Darlington, an old, tough and narrow track that has been known to chew up race cars.

However, there was only one caution period in the first 125 laps and two by lap 300 of 367.

But from laps 303-337 things seemed to reflect typical Darlington racing. There were three more cautions in 30 laps.

None of that made any difference to Busch. In a performance reminiscent of his rout in the Nationwide event, the Gibbs driver rolled over the field, leading four times for 265 laps.

But as the race wound to its conclusion, it was obvious the handing in Busch’s Toyota had gone away. Not only could he not hold the lead, he also fell back to sixth place at race’s end.

Busch crew chief, Dave Rogers, reported that his driver had suffered a cut right rear tire.

Hamlin, running his first full race since sustaining a back injury, finished second – which gave Gibbs a one-two sweep and put another feather in its cap.

“It was one of those days where we got our car better, pit crew picked us up positions, took us to the most optimum spot we could get to and that was second,” Hamlin said.

“I’ve gotten pretty sore and tired – mentally tired as well. We’ll have a couple weeks really to rest until the next long event and we’ll be good to go then.”

While Kenseth has a good shot at the title, Hamlin, who missed four races and is 27th in points, likely must count on multiple victories to earn a “wildcard” spot in the Chase.

Jimmie Johnson, who finished fourth at Darlington, remains first in points with a formidable 44-point margin over Carl Edwards.

Gibbs and Hendrick Motorsports claimed five of the top six positions at Darlington. Hendrick drivers Jeff Gordon (who made his 700th start) and Johnson followed the Kenseth-Hamlin sweep, with Busch in sixth.

Kenseth’s victory at historic Darlington is likely to boost his confidence even more. No one should be surprised if he adds more trips to victory lane this season.

“Honestly, I’ve only dreamed about winning the Southern 500,” Kenseth said. “This, to me, probably feels bigger than any win in my career.

“I really feel bad that Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief who was suspended for one race after the Kansas incident) isn’t here. This is obviously his team and his effort, but Wally (Brown, interim crew chief) did great job filling in.

“We had a fifth or sixth-place car fighting loose – those last two adjustments were just awesome.  To be able to duke it out with Kyle there – he’s a great teammate and Denny is as well.

“We have a good combination right now.”

After Darlington that should be obvious.

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Surprise! Surprise! Johnson A Favorite At Darlington

May 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Jimmie Johnson started the season with a victory in the Daytona 500, which put him in first place in the point standings. He’s been there all but two weeks since.

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Guess which driver is going to be a heavy favorite to win the Bojangle’s Southern 500?

Here are a couple of hints:

He’s won three times already including last year, when he gave his team owner, Rick Hendrick, his 200th career Sprint Cup victory.

He’s currently the points leader by a wide margin and is well on his way to a sixth career championship.

The Las Vegas bookmakers list him as the odds-on favorite (5-2).

The fact is, Darlington is one of Jimmie Johnson’s favorites. He says he loves tracks with character and the oldest track in NASCAR definitely has that.

“I think it goes without saying that every team and driver is excited to be in Darlington,” Johnson said. “We know and understand the impact and the meaning of this race track and what it has done for our sport, the early years and everything in between.

“I’m very happy to be here.  I love driving this race track.”

It shows.

It’s been 12 years since Johnson first drove at Darlington, a span of 14 races. He has finished outside the top 10 only four times. His three wins include a sweep in 2004, when the track had two races on the Sprint Cup schedule.

Johnson said he felt comfortable at the track immediately.

Johnson, here with wife Chandra at the NASCAR Awards Banquet last year in Las Vegas, is gunning for his sixth career championship.

“I just remember coming here and the track that I watched on television looked exciting,” He said. “When I came in person to watch it was so much more than what television could do for it.  TV does an awesome job, it is just this track is so narrow and so different.

“The speeds are so high for such a small racing groove that it left an impression in my mind.  Watching cars run through (turns) one and two, I guess it was three and four back then, up on the fence was mind boggling to me.”

It might have been mind boggling, but Johnson was ready for it. He received excellent training during his dirt track days.

“When I had a chance to run Salem, Ind., in the ASA (American Speed Association) series we would run up near the wall in turns three and four there,” he said. “In my mind I’m like, ‘If I ever get to Darlington this is what it’s got to be like’.

“I’m getting experience for Darlington.  Came here and didn’t win in the Nationwide Series, but struggled a lot less than other rookies coming here.

“I think that running at Salem helped and then also my off road background and how abrasive the track was and rough and different.”

Johnson moved quickly into first place in points after his victory in the Daytona 500. He stayed there until Bristol, where a 22nd-place helped drop him to third.

Then his second win of the season, at Martinsville in March, propelled him back into first. He’s been there since. Only once in the last four races has he finished out of the top 10 – 12th at Richmond.

His points lead was once at 43, a huge margin under NASCAR’s new system. He is presently 41 ahead of Carl Edwards, still a very formidable margin.

But Johnson is taking nothing for granted.

“Every year has its own feel to it,” he said. “It’s still so early I can’t draw a conclusion to a year yet.  It’s nice to get off to a quick start.  I always try to check some boxes, to win a race, is a huge one, win a pole, another one.

“I Try to win multiple races now with the seeding process and also the ‘wildcard.’  We have worked through some of those check marks pretty quick.

“As the year wears on the focus still is on making the Chase, which we are probably in good position for with our two wins.

“Don’t want to guarantee anything. So we are really just going down the road right now.”

Johnson can take another positive step forward with a good performance in the Bojangle’s Southern 500.

But that won’t be easy. Ol’ Darlington wasn’t given the nickname “Too Tough To Tame” for nothing.

And Johnson knows it.

“The track is aging and hopefully we get back to that real porous race track that wears out tires and puts on a great show,” he said. “The track is so narrow it’s tough for us to race at times. Especially on new tires, you can’t run side-by-side around here.

“But once we get some laps in and get the tire wear going there is some good passing that takes place.

“It’s tough to pass and I think we will get a good idea of tire wear, but strategy in two or four tires and really probably having enough fuel, the first one to have enough fuel to go the distance will be a key point in the race too.

“All that said it’s a track that has, in my opinion, the highest sensation of speed out of anywhere we go.”

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Appeal Success Makes Kenseth Happy Man At Darlington

May 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Matt Kenseth

Certainly a victory in the Bojangle’s Southern 500 would mean a very good weekend for Matt Kenseth, but he’s had a good weekend already.

That’s because, two days ago, the recent severe penalties enforced by NASCAR on his Joe Gibbs Racing team following the race at Kansas were significantly reduced by the sanctioning body’s three-man appeals panel.

Speaking to reporters, Kenseth said that he was “pleasantly surprised” that sweeping reductions to the penalties had been made.

“The penalties were pretty crushing before they were reduced so I really applaud NASCAR for having the appeals process and putting it in place so other people can look at it all as the dust settles,” Kenseth said. “These penalties are way more in line with what I initially thought they would be.

“I thought this was closer to what I thought it would be to start with.”

During a post-race inspection at its R&D Center in Concord, N.C., NASCAR discovered that a connecting rod in Kenseth’s Toyota was over 2 grams lighter than allowed.

Among other things, NASCAR suspended Kenseth’s crew chief Jason Ratcliff for six races, took away 50 driver points from Kenseth and 50 owner points from Gibbs and declared that the team’s victory in Kansas would not count toward the Chase.

In a clear victory for Gibbs, The appeals panel lessened or rescinded many of the most severe elements of the penalty. Kenseth’s points penalty was reduced from 50 to 12, Ratcliff’s suspension was reduced from six weeks to one – which he’ll serve over Darlington weekend – Kenseth’s Kansas win will count toward the Chase again and Gibbs’ ability to collect owner points was restored.

The original $200,000 fine given Ratcliff remained intact.

“For some reason I had a good feeling about Wednesday’s appeal,” Kenseth said. “I didn’t know if we would get that much in reductions, but I felt more confident than any other appeal I’ve heard about.

“I think everybody was in shock when the penalties got handed out to start with so I felt pretty good that they were going to be reduced.

“But I really didn’t know by how far.”

Wally Brown will serve as interim crew chief during Ratcliff’s absence at Darlington.

“He was at Roush Fenway Racing for a long time and he’s been at Gibbs for a long time,” Kenseth said. “So they all know him well.

“He’ll be a good guy to fill in this weekend. So I’m looking forward to getting on the track and getting all this behind us.”

 

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Aric Almirola, No. 43 On a Hot Streak Going Into Tough Ol’ Darlington

May 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

To date, Aric Almirola is having a very productive season with Richard Petty Motorsports. He goes into Darlington with four consecutive top-10 finishes, tops among all competitors.

DARLINGTON, S.C. – There was a time when a blue No. 43 car was one of the most successful, and popular, in NASCAR.

The car was perhaps the most familiar in NASCAR. From the early 1960s through 1992 – when the blue paint scheme was trimmed in red – every stock car racing fan recognized the car immediately.

And, I might add, its driver as well.

Richard Petty, a seven-time champion, has always been associated with the No. 43 – which has become symbolic of his illustrious career.

However, after Petty retired in 1992, the glory that was the No. 43 car began to fade – badly.

The venerated Petty Enterprises organization became a shell of itself. Unlike how it was during Petty’s prime, the team went season after season without a victory.

The last time it won was with John Andretti – one of an assortment of drivers employed over the years – in 1999.

Petty Enterprises ceased to exist after the 2008 season. It was 60 years old.

But Petty the man has never gone away. And today – after many financial struggles and organizational realignments – there exists Richard Petty Motorsports.

And it fields a blue No. 43 car.

Don’t look now, but it appears that No. 43 car has shown at least a flicker of what it used to be.

In 2013 the car has become more competitive than it has in years. And its driver, Aric Almirola, can claim a share of the credit.

Coming into the Southern 500 at Darlington, Almirola and the No. 43 have posted four top-10 finishes in a row.

That hasn’t happened before in the one and one-half seasons Almirola has driven for Petty – not even close.

Presently Almirola is seventh in points. He has never been higher. Fact is, his best effort was 20th in 2012.

Fans have taken notice. And for some of the veterans who cheered Petty during his prime, perhaps there are stirs of hope that, at the very least, the No. 43 will return to respectability.

Almirola said he’s not surprised over the team’s surge in performance.

Almirola, shown here with team owner Richard Petty (left) and entertainer Mario Lopez, hooked up with Petty toward the end of the 2010 season and came back full-time in 2012.

“We sure are on a roll lately,” Almirola said. “I think we are the only people that aren’t surprised we are seventh in points and have the longest current top-10 streak in the series.

“Todd (Parrott, crew chief), the guys and I are really clicking.”

Almirola, 29, has had something of a topsy-turvy NASCAR career. He broke into Sprint Cup competition in 2007 with Joe Gibbs Racing, for which he drove in six races.

In 2008, he competed in 12 races with Dale Earnhardt Inc. and the next season, he entered nine races for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.

He was still a part-timer in 2010. He split time with James Finch and Richard Petty Motorsports, which he joined late in the season.

Almirola did not compete on the Sprint Cup circuit in 2011. Instead he raced on a full Nationwide Series schedule with JR Motorsports.

During his fractured career from 2007-2010, Almirola earned just two top-10 finishes.

But in 2011, with JR Motorsports, he earned 18 top-10 finishes – seven in the top five – and finished a healthy fourth in Nationwide Series points.

That was enough for Richard Petty Motorsports to bring him back in 2012.

And it is paying off.

A year ago, Almirola, who has two victories on the Camping World Truck Series, finished among the top 10 four times and earned his first career Sprint Cup pole position at Charlotte in May.

It has gotten better.

In the 10 races to date in 2013, Almirola earned his consecutive top-10 runs at Texas (seventh), Kansas (ninth), Richmond (eighth) and Talladega (10th).

“We worked hard over the off-season to maintain our momentum that we had going in 2012 and it worked,” Almirola said. “We just need to keep it up and start moving to top-fives and hopefully a win soon.”

If Almirola and Richard Petty Motorsports stay hot past Darlington, it will be a noteworthy accomplishment.

The tough, old track has a way of dousing momentum and breaking hearts.

Almirola made his Darlington debut with the No. 43 last year. He started 13th and finished 19th. He has two Nationwide starts at the track and one in trucks.

“Last year, I felt like I learned a lot during the race and got into a good rhythm by the end,” Almirola said. “We had a decent finish for my first time out and only a few ‘Darlington stripes.’”

Almirola said he would rely on Parrott, a seasoned crew chief with a lot of Darlington experience, to help him have a competitive run.

“Darlington is a long race from daylight to night, so it’s really important to keep up with the track changes and make the right adjustments,” Parrott said. “Our team’s relationship is stronger than ever, which is important here.

“It will be key to have good communication from Aric about what the car is doing, so we can stay ahead of the track with changes.”

If Almirola earns yet another top-10 finish at Darlington, considered NASCAR’s toughest track, even more attention will befall the No. 43 team.

But Almirola is looking for even better things.

“Obviously, our goal is to get another top-10 finish, but we are really eyeing victory lane,” Almirola said. “I think if we can put ourselves in a good position during the majority of the race, we can have a good shot at getting the 43 its first win since 1999.”

 

 

 

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David Ragan And David Gilliland Slay Goliaths At a Wild Talladega

May 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment

David Ragan shocked everyone with his victory in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. Ragan hooked up with teammate David Gilliland on the last lap and they swept the top two positions.

Talladega Superspeedway has long since achieved a reputation as a track where we can most often expect everything from the unusual to the unforeseen – and, in some cases, the bizarre.

The list of examples is far to long to record here. Let’s just say they range from a well-documented Indian curse upon the land on which the track was built to the sabotage of many cars in the garage area and even some nut trying to steal the pace car in pre-race ceremonies.

We can add the Aaron’s 499 Sprint Cup race to the list.

It was not your usual NASCAR event, not by any means.

Because of rain that delayed competition for over three hours and 30 minutes, the race took about seven hours to complete.

There were two massive, multicar wrecks – a couple of the “Big Ones” for which Talladega has become well-known – not unexpected, to be honest.

But the finish is really what separates this Aaron’s 499 from its predecessors.

In a single green-white-checkered restart decreed by NASCAR as darkness enveloped the track, two teammates on the same “underdog” team that often is no match for the superpowers, shoved their way past their elite competition to sweep to a one-two finish.

David Ragan and David Gilliland, both of who drive for Bob Jenkins’ Front Row Motorsports, finished first and second, respectively.

It was a most unexpected performance by two drivers overshadowed by more established, and publicized, talent.

No one, and I mean no one, could have predicted this outcome.

It might be more emphatic to say flat-out that no one did.

Briefly, the unusual happened thusly:

Following the fifth caution of the race – caused by a 13-car accident on the backstretch of the 2.66-mile track – it evolved that the event was going to a green-white-checkered restart, three laps beyond its 188-lap distance.

Matt Kenseth, the powerhouse of the day with 142 laps led, was in front, ahead of staunch rivals Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson.

Edwards took the lead with one lap to go and then on the last lap, everyone watching the race was stunned as Ragan, pushed by Gilliland, powered into the lead and held it to the checkered flag.

The race’s second big, multicar crash occurred with just four laps to go and set up the dramatic green-white-checkered finish.

“If it wasn’t for that final push from David Gilliland, I don’t know what to say,” said Ragan. “This is a true David vs. Goliath moment here for Front Row Motorsports and Ford.

“Wins are not easy, but this is special. It feels like I’ve never been here before.”

Ah, but he has. When he was driving for Roush Fenway Racing in 2011, Ragan won the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona in July.

Ragan joined Front Row Motorsports in 2012 and became a teammate to Gilliland, who came on board in 2010 and once raced for Robert Yates Racing.

Josh Wise became the team’s third driver last year. Over three seasons the trio managed just two top five finishes and four among the top 10.

So it’s obvious why they were regarded lightly and why the Ragan-Gilliland finish was so stunning.

Ragan admitted it was all unlikely but added that opportunity just opened up for him.

“I sure wouldn’t want to have to line up and have to do it again,” Ragan said. “When we took the green we were running 10th and the outside lane today had been a little bit better all day long, so I got a good restart.

“I don’t know what happened on that first lap, but coming around, when we took the white, I was pushing (Aric) Almirola.  He jumped to the outside of Kenseth getting into turn one and I didn’t want to be on the top lane going down the back straightaway.

“The top lane hadn’t surged well enough down the back straightaway today, so Kenseth been the class of the field all day long.

“I saw him right in front of me, so I decided to stick with him.”

At that time, Ragan picked up the push from Gilliland, who had tucked in behind him. Ragan had no idea how Gilliland got there.

“(Carl) Edwards was in the lead and I guess didn’t see me coming quick enough or we had such a fast run I was able to get position on him,” Ragan said. “And I don’t know still today how David had such a good run. He was just pushing me unbelievably through three and four.

“I knew once I came out of turn four we had enough steam that I could have made my car wide enough that we were gonna make it back around to the start-finish line.

“So it’s a huge, huge deal for us to be sitting here right now and it makes it even more special to get a 1-2 finish. Can you believe that? That was a great finish.”

Edwards, who finished third, could have easily been frustrated over the results but said he wasn’t.

“I was definitely not,” he said. “David just got us.  He just did it.  Of course he raced me clean.  It’s Talladega.  As long as I’m not upside-down in the fence I think it was pretty clean.

“I don’t know how you define clean here, but he did his job.  He raced me as hard as he could have raced me without wrecking me.

“I don’t think either one of us could have tried any harder without being wrecked and he got me, so he earned the win.”

Only 43 laps of the race were completed before the first multicar accident took place in the first turn.

Sixteen cars were involved and most were eliminated from the race – including those of Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, Brian Vickers (in relief of Denny Hamlin), Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle.

At lap 124, rain began to pelt the speedway, which brought out the third caution period of the day and led to the lengthy red-flag period.

Later, when the field regrouped for a restart on lap 179 following the race’s fourth caution flag, just about everyone expected another “Big One.”

After all, it was a double-file restart with just nine laps remaining. Every driver would throw caution to the wind.

Sure enough on lap 184, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., on the outside, pressed into J.J. Yeley, which sent Yeley into Kurt Busch.

The melee was on. Busch got airborne and landed on the roof of Ryan Newman’s car as the field scattered along the backstretch.

“Typical Talladega,” said Newman. “Everyone’s got their head up their ass.”

The mishap set up the green-white-checkered and the dramatic, and most unexpected, finish.

“I tell you what makes it special is just the time and the effort that these guys put into these cars,” said Jenkins.  “There are a lot of owners out there that get the best available driver they can get and they’re like a hired gun.

“But the thing that I think makes our team different than some of the rest is that we’re so close.  More than anything we’re friends and I know I’ve got drivers that are capable of winning races.  I’ve got guys at the shop that have the heart to win races.

“We just haven’t always had the resources, so the challenge for me is as we build cars is to make them better.

“Most of all, it’s just so satisfying to see that over the last nine years every year we’ve gotten a little bit better.

I felt the progress and I knew it was just a matter of time before we’d win one of these things.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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High Speed,Pack Racing and ‘The Big One’ at Talladega: It’s Game On!

May 3, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Over the years, the high speeds and tight racing at Talladega have led to multicar wrecks which have become known as “The Big One.” Most involved far more cars than shown here.

Whenever a Sprint Cup race at Talladega rolls around debates, controversies, opinions, and theories – pick your word – inevitably arise. And let me assure you they have done so for decades and will certainly continue in the years ahead.

What triggers all of this is a combination of things, but mostly, it’s about the speeds at Talladega, the type of racing demanded by the high-speed draft and the inherent dangers therein.

You all know what type of racing has been a part of Talladega from the time it was born in 1969.

It’s very fast, nose-to-tail competition in airtight packs that has thrilled most fans for decades.

It’s been praised and vilified. Many fans and drivers profess to hate it. And just as many like and support it.

Let me tell you this right away: Unless drastic changes are made to the 2.66-mile speedway, such as flattening its high banks, which is NOT going to happen – not today, not tomorrow and not ever – nothing is going to change much.

For years Talladega was easily the fastest track in NASCAR. And season after season, it got faster.

Make no mistake, Talladega, NASCAR and the fans loved it.

Locked in the high-speed draft, cars spent lap after lap racing in tight packs. It was gripping.

For years, there was plenty of passing. In the days of non-restricted racing it was easy for one car to slip past another. Nothing held it back.

Talladega routinely set records for lead changes.

Over the final laps drama built because of the “slingshot” pass – created when a car in second place could move to the inside of the leader and be literally sucked past by the pull of the wind in the draft.But there was something else.

In 1987 Bill Elliott, driving a Ford owned by Harry Melling, set a Talladega qualifying record of over 212 mph in the days before restrictor plates.

Racing at high speeds in tight packs created a situation where a single driver error or mechanical failure, however small, would trigger a massive accident.

Cars going so fast so crowded were simply racing on the edge of disaster.A multicar incident became so common that it was named “The Big One.”

Over Talladega’s 44-year history “The Big One” has become commonplace.

The prospect of such an incident has, among other things, made races at Talladega exciting, even mesmerizing, for many fans.

Many of them will never admit as such – but they like it anyway. And none of this is to say anyone wants to see a driver get hurt.

Talladega itself knows all about “The Big One.” It understands the mystique. You always catch a glimpse of one it the speedway’s television advertising.

As the years passed, non-restricted races at Talladega became increasingly more dangerous for drivers.

That came to light fully when cars cracked 200 mph with regularity. Speeds had always increased at the track but, in the 1980s, when they reached unheard of levels, Talladega races became more notorious.

Talladega became the epitome of speed. The speedway knew it and capitalized on it. It routinely publicized its races as the fastest and most exciting fans would see.

There was nothing like it in NASCAR, including races at Daytona.

In 1987, a pinnacle was reached – at least as far as speed was concerned. In a Ford with an unrestricted engine, Bill Elliott won the pole with a remarkable speed of 212.809 mph. That translates into a 44.99 seconds per lap around a 2.66-mile track – which for stock cars was, of course, unheard of.

But there was an uneasy undercurrent. Elliott was not alone at over 200 mph. Many drivers, during qualifying, also eclipsed it.

However, most took only a single lap. To a man, each said that was all their nerves could handle. They were unsure, and highly concerned, about how their cars would behave in the draft at such speeds.

That should have been a warning to NASCAR that things were not entirely copasetic and potential danger could arise.

Which it did, dramatically.

The 1987 Winston 500 was scheduled for May 3, 1987. It would be the race at which Elliott won the pole in excess of 212 mph.

On just the 21st lap Bobby Allison, racing at 200 mph in the routine tight pack, cut a tire, went airborne and slammed into the catch-fence along the front dogleg.

Pieces of the car flew everywhere, including into the grandstands where several spectators were hurt. It took nearly three hours under the red flag to repair the damage.

NASCAR immediately got the message. It knew it could not afford such a scenario in the future. If a car racing at over 200 mph got airborne and hurdled into the grandstands intact, huge legal ramifications would mean the end of stock car racing.

The sanctioning body enforced carburetor restrictor plates – its first real effort to slow cars down at Talladega.

Over the years, it has adopted several other safety measures, ranging from roof flaps (to prevent cars from getting airborne) to enlarged greenhouses, safer barriers and more.

Even the cars have been redesigned. Among other things, especially overall safety, this was done to keep speeds down and corral incidents at Talladega.

Has it all worked? No.

While pack racing at Talladega, and Daytona for that matter, has ranged from 30 cars or so to tandem drafts, incidents have continued. “The Big One” is still with us. We saw it last fall.

It’s likely it will never go away. It has remained despite NASCAR’s refinements the years.

And it must be said that slower speeds won’t necessarily rule out near disaster.

We saw proof of that this year in the Nationwide Series race at Daytona.

Racing at Talladega remains largely what it has always been – for better or worse, liked or reviled.

We’ll see evidence of that this weekend.

 

 

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