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NASCAR Tackles the Tricky Triangle-Poconos here We Come

June 8, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Jimmie Johnson did what he does best in Dover, he won, for the seventh time to be exact. Leading for more than half the 400 laps he is in some pretty august company as driver Richard Petty and Bobby Allison also have seven.

It looked as if Jeff Gordon was going to fight him to the finish line but a loose tire killed any real chance he had because after the pit stop he was mired in traffic. The other top finishers were Kevin Harvic in second followed by Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Clint Bowyer.

On a sad note recent Hall of Fame inductee Cotton Owens, former driver and car owner passed away at age 88.


This Week-Pocono 400 presented by #NASCAR
I love this track, simply because it looks like someone was having fun when designing it, everything is different, the banking, the length of the straightaways and the fact that it has three corners. The long, 2.5 mile, but relatively slow track will also affect pit strategies.

It will not be as fast as some of the races that you see all year, particularly the longer tracks such as Talladega and Daytona, but it has a lot more strategy involved at Pocono Raceway, particularly in green flag racing.

The track has an interesting history, and while shorter than some makes a good read over at its web site. I did not realize that it was almost bankrupt several times and that Bill France Sr. talked them out of selling the track. I also like that Yuengling is a sponsor. Don’t know who that is? For shame!

Sprint Cup Standings
1) Greg Biffle
2) Matt Kenseth -1
3) Dale Earnhardt Jr. -10
4) Denny Hamlin -22
5) Jimmie Johnson -33

Broadcast
June 10, 12 PM ET on TNT

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Nationwide Series
Joey Logano won at Dover last week with an interesting up and down win. I only caught parts of the race but when I did see some of it he seems to be in command, yet apparently late in the race he pitted for four tires and emerged in the pack. Yet he fought through that issue to gain first the lead and then the checkered flag.

Pole sitter Ryan Truex had pulled in front late but got stuck in traffic and finished a disappointing second. He was followed by Brian Scott, Kurt Busch and Justin Allgaier. Danica Patrick had a hookup with old friend Sam Hornish Jr. and wrecked her drive, finishing 30th. Odd how those two are always drawn together.

The ever shy Kurt Busch, already on probation this season, earned a one race suspension for making threatening comments to a reporter after the over race. No race this week so see you in two weeks in Michigan.

Nationwide Standings
1) Elliot Sadler
2) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. -12
3) Austin Dillon -14
4) Sam Hornish Jr. -50
5) Justin Allgaier -78

Filed Under: Contests, Danica Patrick, Kurt Busch, NASCAR, Sam Hornish Jr., Sprint Cup Series, TNT Tagged With: ,

Race Day in Dover as NASCAR Readies for FedEx 400

June 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Some very interesting 3-peats last week. I guess technically they were not actual 3-peats but so what? In the Coca-Cola 600 Kasey Kahne won for the third time and it is clear that he really likes this race since on the tour he has only won 13 times. The list of other 3 time winners shows that he is in an impressive group with luminaries such as Dale Earnhardt, David Pearson and Buddy Baker among the six others that have accomplished the feat.

The race was a great day overall for Hendrick Motorsports, which aside from Kahne had an additional 3 cars in the top 11. Filing out the top five was Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle and Brad Keselowski.
http://www.doverspeedway.com/

This Week
The FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks will be run at the Dover International Speedway’s monster mile, touted as the world’s fastest one mile oval. Good news for fans that have visited the track’s web site, they now have a mobile app that seems to be speedier than the regular one.

Broadcast
June 3 12:30 pm ET on Fox

Sprint Cup Standings
1) Greg Biffle
2) Matt Kenseth -10
3) Denny Hamlin -16
4) Dale Earnhardt Jr. -18
5) Jimmie Johnson -48

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Nationwide Series
Brad Keselowski skated to a nice win last week in Charlotte, leading the last 67 laps and praying that the gas he got when he fueled up with 73 laps to go would last-it did, making his caution lap decision not to pit pay off.
The top five was filled out by Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Elliott Sadler. Point’s leader Ricky Stenhouse had mechanical issues and finished 26th while one other widely watched driver, Dancia Patrick disappointed by starting 3rd but finishing 13th.

The 5-Hour Energy 200 is this weekend and they will be racing in just a little over 24 hours of posting this. It should be a fun race as speeds will be high and drivers should be raring to go on this interesting track.

Broadcast
June 2, 2 pm ET ESPN & WatchESPN

Nationwide Standings
1) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
2) Elliott Sadler -13
3) Austin Dillon -28
4) Sam Hornish Jr. -57
5) Cole Whitt -94
5) Justin Allgaier -94

Indy 500
Congratulations to Dario Franchitti who won his third Indianapolis 500 in a very intense last lap battle with Takuma Sato, who ended up hitting the wall in a tremendous crash after their tires made contact with each other.

Filed Under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, Dover International Speedway, ESPN, Fox Sports, Greg Biffle, Indy 500, Kurt Busch, Live sports via mobile, NASCAR, Sam Hornish Jr. Tagged With: , ,

Big Weekend for Racing Fans: Coca-Cola 600 and Indy 500

May 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The two will make for a great week of viewing for fans. With Indy moving its starting time back to noon it once again gives drivers that want to the opportunity to race in both events, all it needs is a helicopter ride in between. I am too lazy to look at this moment but I believe that only one driver has ever finished both races in the same day.

Last week there was the All Star Sprint Cup event. I did not see these races due to other obligations but according to ESPN’s report I did not missed that much as drivers figured out how to game the system. Jimmie Johnson won the $1 million event but complains of sandbagging seem to have arisen. I suspect we will see the rules tweaked a bit next year to try and stop this from occurring once again.

Sprint Cup Standings
1) Greg Biffle
2) Matt Kenseth -2
3) Dale Earnhardt Jr. -14
4)Denny Hamlin -17
5) Jimmy Johnson -39

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The Coca-Cola 600

Broadcast
May 27 at 5:30 PM ET on Fox
The race will be held at Charlotte Motor Speedway and is the longest race of the season for the drivers, and that is not counting and any additional delays from cautions could drag out the telecast. It looks like the race will be run under hot and humid conditions, although there is also a chance of isolated thunderstorms as well.

With Jimmie Johnson so hot lately he has to be considered the favorite in this race, his having gone two for two over the past two weeks. No asterisk need be applied to last week because I am sure no driver hits the gas in an effort not to take home the prize. However the length of a race also has to impact the chances that some unforeseen mishap can ruin a driver’s day.

Nationwide Series
The Nationwide Series also returns, with the running of the History 300. Somehow I missed the fact that they were running in Iowa last week- sorry. I just looked to see what other race was occurring in Charlotte. O well it happens.

It looks as if Rickey Stenhouse Jr. did not miss me, dominating the race by leading 209 of the 250 laps and winning the checkered flag He apparently likes the track with three wins here in the last year. The win was good for extending his lead in the series. The top five was filled out by Elliott Sadler coming in second followed by Michael McDowell, Austin Dillon and Kurt Busch. For those of you still enthralled by Danica Patrick, she did not finish for the second time this year.

Nationwide Series Standings
1) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
2) Elliott Sadler -34
3) Austin Dillon -43
4) Sam Hornish Jr. -74
5) Cole Whitt -92

History 300
Broadcast
May 26 2:30 ET on ABC

The Indy 500
Broadcast
May 27 12:00 PM ET ABC
The Indy 500 is also this weekend and fans in the infield should be prepared for some hot racing, and hot weather. There are expectations that the race may set a heat record, beating the 92 set in 1937 if it hits the estimated 94 on Sunday.

With qualifying over the top row will feature Ryan Brisco alongside James Hinchcliffe and Ryan Hunter-Reay leading off the 33 car field. It looks like it was a pretty busy week for the drivers and fans.

Filed Under: ABC, Athlete to Follow, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, Fox Sports, Greg Biffle, Indy 500, Kurt Busch, NASCAR, Sam Hornish Jr. Tagged With: ,

The All-Star Race is Here. NASCAR Starts its Engines in Charlotte

May 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Last weekend in Darlington was a bit of surprise for both races, calm at the start and then havoc later on. Ok now that I think of it that is not too surprising. Anyway in the Sprint Cup Bojangle’s Southern 500 Jimmie Johnson came through for Hendrick Sports, winning its 200th race.

Johnson benefited from the late yellow flags to help him overcome fuel issues late in the race and I would like to second the announcers comments about has there been any studies done regarding the turning on and off the engine to save fuel. Does that really work? For Johnson it broke a long cold streak dating to last season.

He seemed to be pressed late by Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch but they did not hold up down the stretch. The top four finishers after hi were Denny Hamlin, Stewart, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.. For any interested in Danica Patrick, she finished six laps down.

In other track news Kurt Busch was fined $50,000 and placed on probation for speeding through pit road late in the race and then returning and bumping Ryan Newman’s car after the race. Think there fender bender in the race affected this? The probation will last until July 25th. Also next year no more Impalas ranging free on the track as Chevrolet has said that they will be replaced next season by the new Chevrolet SS.

Sprint Cup Standings
1) Greg Biffle
2) Matt Kenseth -2
3) Dale Earnhardt Jr. -14
4)Denny Hamlin -17
5) Jimmy Johnson -39

This Week- The Sprint Showdown
Broadcast
May 19, 7 pm ET on Speed

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The Sprint Cup is shaking things up a bit this weekend with the Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The race will have an altered format this year and will now feature five segments, the first four will consist of 20 laps each and the final segment will have ten laps.

Drivers that win one segment will be at the front for the next segment. Multiple wins enables the second place winner to take the pole position. The ten lap race will only count green flag laps. Also no points but lots of cash!

Nationwide Series
No Nationwide again this weekend, maybe giving Elliott Sadler time to cool down from the tap he received from eventual winner Joey Logano last weekend. Actually Sadler was quite professional about the whole thing in his post race interview, but I have to wonder if a return tap is not in his future.

The bump came with only five laps to go on a restart and wrecked Sadler, also hurting his standings as then points leader. For most of the race Denny Hamlin had been in charge but that changed after one of the earlier yellow flags. He managed to finish second followed by Brad Keselowski, Sam Hornish Jr. and Austin Dillon. Danica Patrick managed a 12th while Travis Pastrana finished a respectable 17th.
No race this weekend so we will see you in Iowa.

Nationwide Series Standings
1) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
2) Elliott Sadler -23
3) Austin Dillon -35
4) Sam Hornish Jr. -59
5) Cole Whitt -82

Filed Under: Charlotte Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, Darlington Raceway, Fox Sports, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, NASCAR, Sam Hornish Jr., Tony Stewart Tagged With:

Will Darlington’s Walls be a Factor in the Bojangle’s Southern 500 ?

May 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Sometimes it is good to listen to the announcers, although I am pretty sure none of the drivers in last week’s Sprint Cup race at Talladega were in a position to do so, at least those that were still left on the track as the race had its final green flag for an overtime sprint to the checkered flag..

If the drivers had that luxury front runner Matt Kenseth, who shot out into a big lead without the benefit of teammate Greg Biffle to give him a push. He was in that position at the end due to a nine car pileup that happened with just four laps to go.

As the Fox Sports announcers were questioning the tactics here came rivals Brad Keselowski who with a big push from teammate Kyle Busch shot past him into the lead with a lap to go. Busch, judging from the post race interview sounded like he then expected that he would be able to pass Keselowski at the end, but failed.

This was Kieslowski’s second win of the season followed by Busch, Kenseth, Kasey Kahne and Biffle rounding out the top five.

Sprint Cup Standings
1) Greg Biffle
2) Matt Kenseth -7
3) Dale Earnhardt Jr. -9
4) Denny Hamlin -27
5) Kevin Harvick -45

This Week’s Race
This Saturday the teams head to Darlington Raceway for the Bojangle’s Southern 500 on the 62 year old historic track. The oval course has a distance of 1.366 miles and gget ready for some up the wall driving.

There is an interesting reason that Darlington is more egg shaped than a true oval. When the course was being modified to accommodate the up and coming NASCAR races a local property owner down near turns 3 and 4 did not want his fishing hole disturbed so the course was narrowed down at that end.

Broadcast
May 12, 6 pm ET on Fox

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Nationwide Series
Broadcast
May 11th at 6:30 pm ET on ESPN 2

Last week’s race was also what you would expect from Talladega, with a number of crashes including a major one that left driver Eric McClure with a concussion and internal bruising, but he was out of the hospital on Monday and will not be behind the wheel tonight.

The race had a much better ending for Joey Logan, who with five pas to go shot into the lead past Kyle Busch to win the Aaron 312. The win was Logano’s second of the season and the first second of the weekend for Busch.

The race resulted in some shuffling in the leader board as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ran third and took the points lead from Elliott Sadler while Cole Whitt was fourth, with Dale Earnhardt Jr taking the firth spot.

I seemed to have missed the real fun however. I rushed out of the house as the checkered flag dropped and missed Danica Patrick put Sam Hornish Jr. into the wall with a ‘tap’ on the cool down lap. He had bumped her earlier in the race. She claims that t is all behind them and that she apologized to Hornish, Roger Penske the car owner and talked with Nationwide Series director Joe Balash. She was not penalized and finished 13th in the race, Hornish 12th.

Tonight they will be running the VFW Sports Clip Help a Hero 200 under the lights, so sit back, have a beer and watch the action as you relax yourself into the weekend.

Nationwide Standings
1) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
2) Elliott Sadler -5
3) Austin Dillon -35
4) Sam Hornish Jr. -60
5) Cole Whitt -77

Filed Under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, Darlington Raceway, ESPN, Fox Sports, Greg Biffle, NASCAR, Sam Hornish Jr. Tagged With: ,

NASCAR Returns to Talladega This Weekend

May 4, 2012 by 2 Comments

Nothing like a little controversy to spice up a race, and Kyle Busch’s fourth consecutive victory at Richmond had its share. The one that stands out to me is how the race ended. A caution came out for a hazard on the track with 13 laps remaining- the hazard apparently being a water bottle.

At the time Tony Stewart was leading and he lead down pit road, but Busch beat him back on the track and hung on for the last laps for the victory. Dale Earnhardt Jr. also passed Stewart, this time on the track, to finish second and pushing Stewart to third. The other top placers were Denny Hamlin and Kasey Kahne,

The other issue from the race revolved around Carl Edwards, and his spotter. Apparently on the restart after a caution that occurred when Jeff Burton hit a wall with 81 laps remaining, Edwards lined up next to Stewart and was told by his spotter that he was the leader. The flag dropped and off he went, and down came a black flag. At first told that he had jumped the start and passing the leader it was later ruled that it he left too early as he was not the leader. He managed to finish 10th.

It should be mentioned that the victory snapped a 22 race losing streak for Busch. In other news the top of the leader board is getting pretty snug with the gap between the leader and others closing, as well as some shuffling among the top 5.

Sprint Cup Standings
1) Greg Biffle
2) Dale Earnhardt Jr. -5
3) Denny Hamlin -9
4) Matt Kenseth -10
5) Martin Truex Jr. -22

This Weekend
The Talladega Superspeedway will be the home for his weekend’s Aaron’s 499. The track is a 2.66 mile tri-oval with turns banked anywhere from 16.5 degrees to 33 degrees. It should be a very exciting race as last year the track witnessed 88 lead changes.


Broadcast
May 6, 12 pm ET on Fox

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The Nationwide Series
Last weekend’s Nationwide race did not have as much controversy, but there was always the spectacle of heavily talked about rookie Travis Pastrana. The race winner, starting off a great weekend for the Busch clan, was Kurt Busch.

Busch won with a great finish as the last laps were contested by Denny Hamlin with a great deal of side by side racing that witnessed Busch winning by a nose. The fact that Hamlin was in a position to challenge was a tribute to his driving as he missed his spot on pit road and had to drive around.

Kevin Harvick looked like a winner for much of the race, leading 158 laps, but fell back late and finished third while Rickey Stenhouse Jr. and Sam Horish Jr. filling out the top five. Morgan Shepherd led 4 laps, which at 70 years of age is quite an accomplishment.

Two heavily watched drivers, Travis Pastrana and Danica Patrick finished mid-pack. Patrick started 16th but ended in 21st while Pastrana started 25th and managed to pull up to 22nd and might have done better but he was hit with a pass through penalty.

Nationwide Standings
1) Elliott Sadler
2) Rickey Stenhouse Jr. -2
3) Austin Dillon -23
4) Sam Hornish Jr. -53
5)Michael Annett -65

The cancellation of two practice sessions yesterday due to rain and changes to today’s practices at the track has lead to an already set lineup for tomorrows Aaron 312 race. In order the top 5 are Sadler, Stenhouse Jr., Harvick, Joey Logano and Dillon.

Broadcast
3 pm ET on ABC

Filed Under: ABC, Athlete to Follow, Danica Patrick, Fox Sports, Kurt Busch, NASCAR, Sprint Cup Series, Talladega Superspeedway, Tony Stewart Tagged With:
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