JUNIOR JOHNSON: Stage Set For Historic Battle For 1992 Championship

May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Davey Allison was Bill Elliott’s biggest challenger for the Winston Cup championship in 1992. It evolved that at the last race of the year at Atlanta, Allison was the points leader.

With two races remaining in the 1992 season, Junior Johnson felt a sense of comfort that his driver, Bill Elliott, could win the NASCAR Winston Cup championship.

Elliott held a 70-point lead over Davey Allison and he was 80 ahead of Alan Kulwicki. The three were the only drivers with a realistic shot at the title.

Of course, Johnson realized that things could change in just one race. But it was hard to anticipate that Elliott, who had already won four races, would fall victim to bad luck.

But at Phoenix, the race before the finale at Atlanta, that is exactly what happened.

What seemed to be a cakewalk for Junior Johnson & Associates turned into desperate struggle with two other drivers.

History would take notice.

Junior’s contributions to www.motorsportsunplugged.com will appear every other Friday throughout most of the season.

As I’ve said before, late in the year, I thought Junior Johnson & Associates was in very good shape to win the 1992 Winston Cup championship.

After the 27th race of the season – at Rockingham, where Bill finished fifth – we had a 70-point margin over Davey, who finished 10th and 80 points over Alan, who finished 12th.

By the way, Alan did a fine job of putting himself into championship consideration. He had wrecked at Dover and fell 278 points behind Bill, who was in the lead and 154 points ahead of Davey – at the time.

However, in the space of four races Alan had come on like gangbusters, as the old cliché goes. He made up 198 points and moved from fourth to third in the standings.

He was right in the middle of the scrap for the championship and I had to admire him for his effort.

But as I’ve already indicated, it didn’t think there would be a “scrap” of any kind. All we had to do was race safe and avoid trouble and the points would come.

Alan Kulwicki stormed back into championship contention late in 1992 and became part of a three-driver showdown with Allison and Elliott in the season’s final race.

Then the bottom fell out.

At Phoenix, the next-to-last race of the season, we ran into disaster.

Bill didn’t lead a lap and very early in the race, his Ford began smoking. He made numerous pit stops but we couldn’t solve the problem.

The only thing Bill could do was limp around the track at a reduced speed, which is what he did. He finished 31st.

To make matters worse, Davey won the race. It was his fifth victory of the season.

Davey leapt over Bill in the standings. After Phoenix, Davey was 40 points ahead of Bill. To make matters worse, Alan finished fourth at Phoenix and moved into second place, 30 behind Davey and 10 ahead of Bill.

In one race Bill had fallen from the points lead to third place. Now, we knew this could happen but we never expected it.

Bill said that anything could happen in one race and, of course, he was right. After Phoenix, he also said he felt he wasn’t out of the championship picture – but said he really wasn’t in it, either.

As for the engine problem at Phoenix, we discovered that the machinery that milled the cylinder heads didn’t mill the heads smoothly. It essentially gouged the head and caused the head gasket to fail.

It wasn’t anyone’s fault. It was just a case of incredibly bad luck. And, I might add, at a very bad time.

The final race of the year was the Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. With only 40 points separating the top three championship contenders, the track wasn’t going to have any problem selling tickets.

There was something else.

The race was going to be the last of Richard Petty’s distinguished career. All season long he had conducted his “Farewell Tour” and his legion of fans bought every piece of memorabilia they could.

I’m sure attendance at every race increased because many folks turned out to see Richard race one last time.

And I knew droves of them would be at Atlanta to see him compete in his final race.

As much as I admired Richard, and all he had accomplished in his career, I sure couldn’t pay him any attention.

Junior Johnson & Associates had work to do. No longer could we count on just piling up laps to win the championship.

Bill was no longer the leader with a healthy points margin. He was behind two other drivers and, somehow, had to make up a deficit of 40 points.

All Davey had to do was finish fifth and the title was his. Oh, yeah, I knew he could do that – easily.

Now, as calm as I might have been after Rockingham, I was downright edgy going into Atlanta.

Bill and Alan had to go all out at Atlanta if either one of them wanted to win the championship over Davey.

Essentially, they both HAD to win.

Well, one of them DID win.

But he didn’t become the champion.

How that came about helped make the 1992 Hooters 500 one of the greatest races in NASCAR history.

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Here Are Potential All Star Race Winners: Pick Your Favorite

May 15, 2013 By 71 Comments

Jimmie Johnson, the winner of the 2012 edition of the Sprint All Star race, is going to be a favorite to win this year’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

With the NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star race merely hours away it’s all I can think about this weekend. I get super excited about the prospect of an all-out, ego-driven, no-holds-barred race where points aren’t on the line but bragging rights are.

In the past we were treated to the likes of legendary moves like Earnhardt’s misnamed “pass in the grass” or a sparks-fueled finish that sent winner Davey Allison to the hospital in 1992, but that’s for reminiscing.

This year there are so many strong contenders for the win that it defies imagination!

Here’s my list of this year’s potential winners of this one-of-a-kind contest.

Jimmie Johnson – Yes, sure this is a no-brainer pick, but I am not sold on this three-time winner of the All-Star race (2003, 2006, 2012). He certainly knows the formula to win and has enormous success at the event, but he has a lot of strong competition here. Last year Johnson had the win coming out of Darlington, but this year he does not. Johnson may be a sure bet – he has wins at the Daytona 500 and Martinsville to date. It’s hard to bet against Five-Timer.

Matt Kenseth – A new manufacturer, a new team, and being a “seasoned” older driver could have led Kenseth to stumble during the transition but he was hot right out of the gate. Driving for Joe Gibbs Racing has been a rebirth for Kenseth’s career – and he wasn’t floundering at Roush Fenway Racing last season. This year Kenseth has already racked up three wins – Las Vegas, Kansas, and Darlington – the latter coming on the heels of a high-profile penalization for Kenseth and the JGR team and a realized appeal. It seems like Kenseth doesn’t know how to lose this season and a win here, something he hasn’t accomplished since 2004, would be some great icing on the cupcake of the first leg of the season.

Kyle Busch – Kenseth’s current teammate, Busch is having a far more successful year than last. With wins at Fontana and Texas, Busch is hard charging. Winning at this venue for this esteemed contest would be a great coup for Busch and would possibly signify a career boost that could indicate a more intense, focused, and, well, lucky Busch than the past where he chokes in the Chase if he even races his way into the post-season.

Carl Edwards had a good season in 2011, the year in which he won the All Star Race. He’ll be one of several contenders for victory this year.

Carl Edwards – Does anybody need a boost more than Edwards? Well, yeah, certainly, but Edwards wouldn’t say so. A lackluster season last year ended with a terrific win in Phoenix earlier in the season. Edwards won the All-Star Race in 2011 so he knows how to get the job done. The question is, does he have the equipment, team, and mental comfort to do it this year? Cousin Carl’s fans would say undoubtedly yes!

Kasey Kahne – Performing well in Hendrick equipment, running toward the front a lot, and earning a win at Bristol puts Kahne on the fast track to victory at this contest. Kahne won in 2008, it is possible for him to revisit victory lane five years later.

David Ragan – “Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner” at Talladega, Ragan may seem like a long shot to win but he raced his way into the event in 2011. Ragan is a proven racer and his team has a ton of heart. He may not be considered a front-runner, but Ragan is in the race for certain.

Kevin Harvick – “The Closer,” “Happy”, and the guy with nothing to lose and everything to gain from winning this season, Harvick is on the hunt to continue his attention-grabbing season.  Harvick won here in 2007 and he’s looking to do it again to impress his alleged future boss, Tony Stewart.

Tony Stewart – A “racer’s racer” Stewart has proven in his career he can win on any surface in any equipment, including three NASCAR Sprint Cup titles. But lately “Smoke” does not indicate fire but tirades. He’s clearly unhappy with the team’s lack of performance and needs a reboot on his season. Stewart won this contest in 2009. If it’s hot in Charlotte on Saturday night, this could be his night. He certainly needs it to be to change the direction his season has been going.

Kurt Busch – Champion, hothead, a driver’s driver who has so much raw talent it cannot be contained, the elder Busch is a very possible winner at the All-Star Race. He won here in 2010 and I’d bet the farm his memory muscle remembers back that far. Kurt Busch has been running well all season and aching to score a win. Look for him to come on strongly Saturday night.

Joey Logano – Like Kenseth, Logano’s switch to a new team, Penske Racing in his case, has done much for his self-esteem. Logano is running well and seems to enjoy flexing his racing muscles. Logano may be a long shot, but a win at the All-Star race would be fabulous for this driver once labeled “Sliced Bread.” He has the goods.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – This is a good year for Earnhardt Jr. coming into the All-Star Race as he is automatically entered. In recent years he’s been brought in to the event by receiving the most fan votes and last year by racing to the win in the Sprint Showdown. This year Earnhardt Jr. is running decently and could possibly take this contest hands down. It would do so much to continue the esteem building needed and jump-start his bid to The Chase and ultimately that heretofore out-of-reach championship.  Earnhardt Jr. has a legion of fans, a great team and equipment, and the knowledge to find victory lane. He’s a contender.

Denny Hamlin – Recovering from a severe back injury that took Hamlin out of contention for six weeks this season, Hamlin returned to racing for a full event at Darlington and earned a second place finish to teammate Kenseth. He is determined, focused, and under the gun to earn a ton of points to get a coveted spot in the Chase. A win at the All-Star Race would be more momentum for the team and perhaps indicate a potential win at the following week’s Coca-Cola 600. Hamlin seems to pull out all of the stops when he is injured and recovering. Look to him to be an enormous threat.

Jeff Gordon – If you’ve been around long enough people sometimes forget your greatness. Gordon is still great and is a driver who can claim three victories in this contest in the years 1995, 1997, and 2001. It’s been a long time since he’s won at this event, but Gordon’s still got it and would be a fan-favorite if he took the victory on Saturday night.

Mark Martin – Veteran, gentleman, mentor, racer, Martin is many things including winner of the All-Star Race in 1998 and 2005. A bit of a vagabond since leaving his ride with Roush, Martin still flickers brilliance at any race he competes. I would never count Martin out in this event.

Of course names like defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, Marcos Ambrose and Ryan Newman are all clawing for the win as well.

It’s a fabulous time to be a NASCAR fan with the depth of competition so rich and full. The All-Star Race is a spring party that is full of music, pageantry, and ego-infused racing at its most delectable. I’ll be watching to see who wears the crown at the end of the night.

Who’s your pick?

 

 

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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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Turner, Roberts, Weatherly And Lorenzen Deserve 2014 NASCAR HOF Induction

May 8, 2013 By 3 Comments

One of the most exciting drivers of NASCAR’s past was Curtis Turner, whose many victories, popularity and role in the creation of Charlotte Motor Speedway qualify him for the Hall of Fame.

May is now synonymous with not only the Indianapolis 500, the Coca Cola 600, and the NASCAR All-Star Race, but also the announcement of the incoming class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

For those drivers, mechanics, team owners and miscellaneous characters that earn a coveted candidacy in this prestigious fraternity, it is a tense and emotional time. The many friends, family and fans of the possible inductees spend countless days encouraging everyone they know to vote for their candidate.

As a historian it is frustrating for me to not see a chronological and thus, to me, logical induction of NASCAR’s greatest. With only five inductees each year it is nearly impossible to make everybody happy.

But this year the NASCAR Hall of Fame has the opportunity to get some fabulous and deserving drivers into the Hall and show their appreciation for NASCAR’s rich history.

Darlington Raceway has its the race this weekend. NASCAR’s first race was run at Darlington in 1950. Since then a “Who’s Who” of racers has attempted to conquer this “Track Too Tough to Tame” and only a minority have claimed victory there. Among those names are several richly deserving candidates for the possible Class of 2014 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees.

Curtis Turner had a volatile relationship with NASCAR and specifically “Big” Bill France. Turner was wildly popular and successful in the sport.

In 1956 Turner won the Southern 500 at Darlington held over Labor Day weekend. This win added to the enormous popularity Turner enjoyed and showcased his driving prowess and technique.

It would be another five years before France and Turner would go head-to-head about a labor union Turner wanted to bring to France’s NASCAR.

France won that battle and booted Turner out of NASCAR for four years, but eventually fences were mended and Turner came back to run in NASCAR.

His time in NASCAR, his undeniable record, especially in the convertible division, and his part in bringing Charlotte Motor Speedway to fruition all add up to reasons Turner needs to be in the NASCAR Hall of Fame in the Class of 2014.

“Fireball” Roberts is another driver who found victory at Darlington and is being considered as a member of the Class of 2014. The Grand National Most Popular Driver of 1957, Roberts was one of NASCAR’s bona fide superstars.

His win in the 1958 Southern 500 only fueled his already huge presence in NASCAR. Although Roberts sided with Turner and Tim Flock about creating a labor union within NASCAR, he was spared the ban from the organization.

Back in the day

Five years after his first win there Roberts won again at Darlington in the same event. Sadly, Roberts’ life was cut short when he was involved in a fiery accident at the World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1964. Several weeks of hospital care were not enough to save Roberts from his horrific end.

He succumbed to his injuries on July 2, 1964. But no one can deny Roberts’ bright, popular star in NASCAR.  His indelible mark deserves to be honored in NASCAR’s highest home, the Hall of Fame.

Joe Weatherly, good friend and mate of Turner’s, found Victory Lane twice at Darlington for the spring Rebel 300 in 1960 and 1963. His hard-partying ways may not be the type of characteristics the Hall of Fame would want to showcase, but Weatherly was a popular and fabulous race car driver despite his penchant for fun and mischief.

There is no denying the man’s domination on the track when he entered a contest. Weatherly won 49 out of 83 races in his first year of racing, 1950. He duplicated that statistic in 1952 when he won the NASCAR Modified National championship. The following year Weatherly earned another Modified championship, winning 52 races.

Weatherly changed course and entered the NASCAR Grand National Series in 1956. Five years later Weatherly won NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Award. He followed that honor up with back-to-back championships with Bud Moore in 1962 and 1963.

Tragically, Weatherly died on the race track in 1964 due to injuries he sustained when his head twisted out of the car and hit a retaining wall at Riverside, Calif.

Like Turner and Roberts, Weatherly’s contributions to NASCAR are vast and colorful. His star shone brightly albeit for a short while. His time has come to enter the NASCAR Hall of Fame for all he did to get NASCAR to where it has arrived.

Like Weatherly, Fred Lorenzen won big in Darlington’s Rebel 300 in both 1961 and 1964. “The Golden Boy” of NASCAR or “Fast Freddie” were just a couple of the nicknames Lorenzen had when he wowed fans with his unmistakable driving talents.

In his first season at the Grand National level Lorenzen shocked his competitors and fans by winning contests at Martinsville, the aforementioned spring race in Darlington, and at Atlanta.

Lorenzen was heavy competition from the get go and wasted no time raking up wins.  After a victorious season in 1963 accumulating victories at six difficult tracks, Lorenzen followed up with another banner year in 1964 with eight major victories at NASCAR’s toughest contests.

Lorenzen was voted Grand National’s Most Popular Driver in 1963 and 1965. He clearly dominated during NASCAR’s golden era and continued making news. His wins at all of the finest tracks and races are more than enough reasons to induct him into the Class of 2014.

These racers – Turner, Roberts, Weatherly, and Lorenzen – are currently on the NASCAR Hall of Fame ballot. They individually accomplished incredible feats in NASCAR and deserved to be honored for such. Among the many things these drivers may have in common are their victories at Darlington Raceway.

Make your voice heard and vote for your favorite drivers daily before the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2014 Inductees are announced on May 22, 2013.

The time is now. Show these drivers of yesteryear that their names will always be remembered and be synonymous with NASCAR’s greatness.

http://www.nascar.com/HallofFame

Filed Under: Top NASCAR Stories

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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JUNIOR JOHNSON: With Elliott On Board Came The Greatest Showdown In NASCAR History

May 2, 2013 By Leave a Comment

In 1992, Bill Elliott drove for Junior Johnson and put together a solid performance that made him a championship contender virtually all season long.

When Junior Johnson hired Bill Elliott as one of his drivers in 1992 he felt very confident he had found the man who could bring him another championship.

Sure enough, Elliott was the hottest driver early in the season. He won four consecutive races – all in March of that year.

But that effort did not bring him and Junior Johnson & Associates the points lead. That belonged to Davey Allison, the Robert Yates Racing driver who won the Daytona 500 and finished among the top five in the next five events.

Johnson knew consistency was the key. That was what NASCAR’s point system rewarded.

Despite his hot start to the season, Elliott was not always consistent.

But it evolved that toward the end of the season, he had clawed his way into first place in the standings, ahead of Allison and a fading Alan Kulwicki – who was having his best career season.

It reached the point that with two races to go, all Elliott had to do was keep it all together and race for points.

It seemed a simple enough task.

Junior’s contributions to www.motorsportsunplugged.com will appear every other Friday throughout most of the season.

 

Again, I’ll mention that in 1992, Bill won four races in a row during March and despite that, he still was not the points leader.

Davey Allison, who had a 98-point lead over Bill after Bill was involved in a wreck at Daytona, put together five top-five finishes in five races.

As a result, even after the victories, Bill could take away only 50 points from Davey’s lead.

The only reason I bring this up again is to emphasize the criticism the NASCAR point system received at that time.

The system rewarded consistency more than anything else. OK, fine, but shouldn’t victories count for more?

In 1984 Darrell Waltrip – driving for me – won seven races yet finished fifth in the point standings behind first-place Terry Labonte, who won just twice.

And in 1985, Darrell won three times and won the championship. Bill won 11 races and was an also-ran.

Davey Allison won the Daytona 500 in ’92 to put him atop the point standings. He remained among the leaders all season and was the favorite to win the title.

Darrell was delighted that he won the title, of course – it would be his last – but even he couldn’t understand how he did it.

“There’s not enough incentive to win,” Darrell said. “Bill should have been the Winston Cup champion in 1985.”

I knew that, the system being what it was, Junior Johnson & Associates could not afford a series of mediocre to bad finishes if it was to win the championship with Bill.

Heck, that was obvious after the early part of the ’92 season. Bill finished 27th at Daytona – where Davey won – and even after four straight wins, Bill still couldn’t overtake Davey in points.

It was obvious that Bill and my team could not make mistakes. Mistakes ruin consistency – and it was obvious consistency would win the title.

And if we could not be consistent, we had to hope that the teams we were fighting for the title were less consistent than we were.

I’ll give you a perfect example of that. In only the sixth race of the year, at Bristol, Bill had all kinds of problems.

He spun on the 31st lap after an incident with Ted Musgrave. He spent a lot of time in the pits while the guys made repairs and finished 20th.

But get this: Davey took a hard shot into the wall and broke an oil fitting. His car was ruined and he retired from the race in 29th place.

As a result, as rough a day as Bill had, he GAINED points. He was 48 behind Davey going into the race and just 29 behind, and in second place, afterward.

The championship strategy was obvious: Be consistent. If you can’t, be better than the other guy. Wins are great, but they don’t guarantee anything.

Junior Johnson & Associates was not the model of consistency. At the 10th race of the year, Charlotte, Bill had all kinds of problems and wound up in 14th place, four laps off the pace. He fell to 111 points behind Davey.

Things got a bit better at the next race, at Sonoma, where Bill finished fifth, well ahead of Davey, who was 28th.

That race was held on June 7, 1992 and that morning we got the word that NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. had passed away at his Ormond Beach, Fla., home.

My thoughts were not unlike virtually everyone else’s: Without him, we wouldn’t be here. It was that simple.

The season went reasonably well for Bill afterward. Maybe that is an understatement. By the 23rd race of the year, at Dover, Bill finished second to Ricky Rudd. Bill had already moved to first in points and after Dover he built up a 154-point lead over Davey.

No, Bill hadn’t won a race in a long time but his regained consistency was, obviously, proving very beneficial.

I felt very confident we were in line to win the title.

My confidence was re-enforced when Alan Kulwicki, who was having a great season, wrecked at Dover and fell well behind Bill and Davey in points – more than 200 points.

“I guess this finishes it for us,” Alan said.

Although he didn’t know it at the time – and I didn’t either – he was wrong.

Bill was in great shape after Rockingham, the 27th race of the year. He finished fifth – his first top-five in a month – and his point lead was 70 over Davey, who finished 10th, and 80 over Alan, who finished 12th.

There were two races to go. We were in comfortable shape.

I mean, if we could run like we did at Rockingham over the last two races, we would be in excellent shape.

We didn’t have to race hard. All we had to do was gain points.

I didn’t know it at the time but that was going to be difficult to do.

And I also didn’t know this: The season would end with perhaps the greatest championship showdown in NASCAR’s history.

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