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NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Texas

By
Jeffrey Boswell
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Photo Credit: Nick Lahham/Getty Images

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jeff Gordon: Gordon took the lead on a late two tire pit stop, but was unable to hold off Joey Logano, with four tires, down the stretch at Texas. Gordon’s runner-up finish, his second of the year, moved him to the top of the points standings.

“I still like our two tire strategy at that point,” Gordon said. “If you put on four Goodyear tires there, the odds of one of them exploding is doubled.

“Texas Motor Speedway has a 12-story high HD video screen. If it displays a picture of Jeremy Mayfield, would that be considered “high” resolution?”

2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet suffered early damage as debris from Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s wreck damaged the front of his car, including the windshield. Johnson eventually finished in 25th, two laps down, and is now sixth in the points standings.

“Talk about ‘dirty’ air,” Johnson said. “I’m so vanilla, this is the closest anyone’s come to getting the dirt on me. Usually, when there’s mudslinging, there’s a Busch brother involved, often followed by a right hand to the face. But there’s a fine line between SOB and SOD.”

3. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished 14th in the Duck Commander 500 while Roush Fenway teammate Greg Biffle took sixth. Edwards is now third in the points standings, 12 behind Jeff Gordon.

“The whole Duck Dynasty Robertson clan was at the race,” Edwards said. “They’ve created an empire out of good old-fashioned hard work and homophobia. But my car owner is not a fan. In fact, he’s banned all references to the show. Some may consider it an overreaction, but Mr. Roush disagrees. It’s a natural reaction after someone says ‘Hey Jack!’ to you for the millionth time.”

4. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished third at Texas on a solid day for Joe Gibbs Racing, and Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin came home third and 13th, respectively. Kenseth is now second in the Sprint Cup points standings, four out of first.

“Did I hear correctly?” Kenseth said. “Did a duck give the command to ‘Start your engines?’ Of course, why should I be surprised? It’s the Duck Commander 500; I should expect a ‘duck call.’”

5. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski lost a shot to win the Duck Commander 500 when he was nabbed for speeding on pit road during the race’s final caution. Instead of his second win of the year, Keselowski went home with a 15th.

“My hood got blown up by a jet dryer,” Keselowski said. “That’s two races in a row in which my hood wouldn’t stay down. If it happens again, I might have to write a book about it, from the perspective of a misplaced hood. The book, which will be endorsed by NASCAR’s ‘Drive For Diversity’ program, will be called ‘Tales From The Hood.’”

6. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt blew a tire after going too low on the apron into the soft, rain-soaked infield at Texas Motor Speedway. The No. 88 smacked the wall and caught on fire before Earnhardt escaped unharmed. He finished 43rd, and tumbled two spots in the Sprint Cup points standings to sixth.

“It was a mistake on my part,” Earnhardt said. “I put the nose of the No. 88 car in the grass, and the results were disastrous. That’s not always the case with Junior Nation. Ask one of my fans about a ‘faceplant’ in the infield, and many will tell you it’s a good thing.

“There’s not a lot of margin for error with the Goodyear tires. Apparently, my tire was punctured by a blade of grass.”

7. Joey Logano: Logano charged past Brian Vickers and Jeff Gordon on a green-white-checkered finish to win the Duck Commander 500 at Texas, earning his first win of the year. Logano is now fourth in the points standings, 28 behind Jeff Gordon.

“The ‘Bread’ is sliced,” Logano said, “and Vickers and Gordon were diced. It’s an honor to win such a prestigious race. It was an historic win, also. It was the first race in NASCAR history in which the winner’s trophy outweighed the winner.”

8. Kyle Busch: Busch started 29th and led 10 laps on his way to a third-place finish at Texas. He holds the fourth spot in the Sprint Cup points standings, 28 behind Jeff Gordon.

“Luckily,” Busch said, “tire wear was not much of a factor in the Duck Commander 500. Thank heavens for that, because it prevented someone from calling the race the ‘Rubber Ducky 500.’”

9. Brian Vickers: Vickers posted his best win of the year with a fourth in the Duck Commander 500.

“Those jet dryers wreaked havoc at Texas Motor Speedway,” Edwards said. “It was a welcome relief for NASCAR officials. Finally, something else was responsible for blowing hot air. By the way, do jet dryers run on jet fuel? I bet Michael Waltrip can answer that.”

10. Kyle Larson: Larson finished fifth at Texas, the best finish among rookies in the Duck Commander 500. It was his second top-five of the season, placing him two short of Juan Montoya’s total from last season in the same No. 42 car.

“I’m NASCAR’s only Japanese-American driver,” Larson said. “I may be a rookie, but I fear no one or no thing, not even Godzilla, whose image is sure to adorn a car with the release of the new Godzilla movie upcoming. I’m guessing it will be on a Toyota.”

Does the Lady Have a Mild Crush on Martin Truex Jr.?

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SM Archive
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Earnhardt Jr. says “was just a matter of time” till Elliott’s first win

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Last Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway, Chase Elliott picked up his first career Nationwide Series win in his sixth start of the season.

Car owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. said that he knew that Elliott had a good car underneath that night as they battled the run before so it didn’t surprise him that Elliott was looking for the lead around Kevin Harvick near the beginning of the last run.

“I knew he was way faster than those guys and it was just a matter of him finding how to get around them and I knew he eventually would,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “His car was just really good in the early part of the run.  When he got by ’em, I was a little bit surprised how much distance he put on those guys so quickly but it made me feel good and comfortable that if the race went green he was going to be the guy to win.”

With 15 laps to go, the pass for the win was made as Elliott snuck around Harvick on the outside.

“He went to the top, and he had been working that lane and working in that area for a while so he had a good understanding on how to use the throttle through there and he caught Harvick defending the wrong — particular wrong part of the track and made a good move,” Earnhardt Jr. added.

While some have been surprised by the rookie’s success early this year, it’s not a surprise to his boss.

“I knew it was just a matter of time,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. commented post-race. “He’s got so much ability, and composure and he’s just years ahead of guys that normally of that age, and he’s learning so fast on the fly.  People ask me if I talked to him or tutored him or anything, but he’s learning so fast — he’s learning faster than you can teach him what’s going on.”

Elliott’s statistics so far this year back of Earnhardt’s comments as coming into last weekend’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, he had four top 10s in the first five races, with his worst finishing being a 15th at Daytona International Speedway. Elliott had also shown his ability on mile-and-a-half tracks, with a fifth at Las Vegas and a sixth in Fontana.

Beyond the simple ability that Elliott has shown, Earnhardt says he felt Elliott could win right out of the gate due to his composure. Despite being a high-school student, the 18-year-old doesn’t seem to get excited when he’s put in certain situations.

“He never — looks like to me he doesn’t get in situations that overwhelm him easily,” Earnhardt Jr. commented. “You throw him out there in the middle of all these guys like Kyle and Harvick, and he just runs right with ’em and motors along and races hard.  You know, it seems like he’s just really prepared himself mentally for what he’s doin’ and nothing — he’s not arrogant about what he’s doing or overconfident.

“He just seems to understand what’s happening around him and how he needs to handle it, and he just had a real calm and smooth it demeanor that’s going to benefit him and really take him a long ways.”

Earnhardt added that it’s impressive and has him excited to work with Elliott throughout the feature.

“It’s a lot of fun to be able to work with great people, great drivers and great talent and we’re fortunate to have him,” Earnhardt Jr. continued. “I’m sure he’s enjoying himself and Bill is happy, and whole team is excited.  We got a whole year ahead of us, great opportunity to get more.”

Perhaps the talent stems from racing being in his blood as his father ‘Awesome’ Bill Elliott won a championship and kept himself in check when it came to tough situations. Earnhardt recalled how Elliott and his brothers were just focused on what they were doing and beating you, rather than other things during the mid-80s.

Though with being the son of someone famous, it comes with a lot of pressure – something that Earnhardt knows well himself. Earnhardt feels that if Elliott ever runs into a situation that makes him uncomfortable, he can help him – but doesn’t see that happening.

“I think he will handle it well, you know, he’s just really humble and — but very understanding of what’s happening to him,” Earnhardt Jr. commented. “He grew up with his father as a racer and saw how popular Bill was and I’m sure has been in and around situations where he’s not going to be overwhelmed with the attention.  I know he made a lot of fans tonight and he’ll make some more throughout the season.

“You know, I think he’ll be okay.  I don’t think he’s — he’s really focused on his racing and trying to do well.  He’s young, doesn’t have a lot of distractions, and, you know, his family — got a good family unit so he should be in good hands.”

While Elliott’s win proves the talent that the young driver has, it also shows how strong JR Motorsports is as a team. Elliott currently leads the points with his teammate and Daytona winner Regan Smith in second. Last year, they began contending for race wins and putting Smith inside the top 10 weekly – this year, they’re scoring wins early in the season with top five finishes.

“We want to win a championship so bad this year,” Earnhardt Jr. commented. “We feel like we learned a lot last year going through that process with Reagan and now we have two teams that are really capable of getting the job done.  If everybody keeps their head on straight, let’s everybody else — all the drivers in the serious make all their mistakes, we should be able to be in a good situation when we get to homestead.

I couldn’t be prouder, really, of how we’ve came along in the last two or three years, the people that we have been able to acquire to help and you say improve our company, the bridge that we built with HMS to flow information on the engineering side, motors, and how they’ve improved.  Everything is clicking along light now so we got a great opportunity this year to seize the moment.”

Joey Logano seizes his first victory of the year at Texas Motor Speedway

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Getty Images

After the cycle of scheduled green flag pit stops completed, it looked as though Joey Logano could simply cruise to victory without any worries as he had a solid two second lead on teammate Brad Keselowski as the laps ticked down.

“You got a pretty sizable lead, really all you’re thinking is, ‘Where is the white flag?  Where is the white flag?’,” Logano recalled his thoughts from those final laps. “Brad was able to catch us a little bit. Then you go into turn one, you see the 41 up against the wall. You’re like, ‘Please no caution, please no caution’. Boom, it comes out.  You got to be kidding me.”

At that moment, Logano says a driver’s first reaction is to scream and yell due to being frustrated, however he knew he had to stay calm and give crew chief Todd Gordon the information that he needed to make the right call.

“Really, I was so mad, I didn’t really tell him what the car did until I was coming down pit road,” Logano said. “He made a last-minute decision to put fuel in it because I heard, No fuel, no fuel.  I was like, No, no, no, I was tight.  He made the right decision at the last minute to put fuel in the car, give me a better balance for what I needed, the guys made the money stop, put us out as the first car with four tires on, restarted third.”

Jeff Gordon and Brian Vickers both chose to take two tires, therefore taking up the front row. Knowing that he was going to start third, Logano says that’s when he started to plan his attack based on the fact that Kyle Busch was to his outside.

“I know he’s very aggressive on restarts, very good on restarts,” Logano commented. “My number one goal at that point was try to figure out how he doesn’t get clean air and get out to the front.  I had to make sure he didn’t stick it three-wide, get in the middle, do something like that.”

Luckily the restart played out well as Gordon got a good restart, allowing Logano to follow on the bottom and grab the second spot. From there, Logano was able to get alongside Gordon and clear him on the last lap to take the victory.

“Just awesome,” Logano commented. “We’ve been in contention every race this year to win these things.  To get the Shell-Pennzoil Ford in Victory Lane, it means a lot.  It’s such a tough racetrack.  We have had plenty of time to think about this the last couple days.  Pretty cool place to win.  I got a ring, guns, a trophy, a hat, a duck call.  That’s pretty cool.”

Logano has been in contention to win multiple times this year so far – but yet this is the first victory that he has snatched. Logano admits that it can be frustrating at times to have a winning car and not capitalize on getting the win.

“On the flipside of that, you got winning cars, it’s a lot better to struggle than finish 10th, so I’m proud of that,” Logano added. “You’re able to ride that momentum of having fast racecars at every racetrack. You never know when it will end, of having great racecars.  When you have those opportunities like today, like we’ve had this year so far, you need to capitalize on it.

“Obviously these wins are so important this year to get into the Chase.  To have both Team Penske cars with a win already, both of us up there in points, we feel good about that.  You can kind of start getting your ducks in a row for Chase time, making sure you get everything ready for then.  You’re not playing on the backside of your foot trying to win a race a couple races before Richmond.  You feel a little bit more comfortable now than what we would have been.”

MWR & AARON’S TO HONOR 2013 BCS NATIONAL FOOTBALL CHAMPION FLORIDA STATE AT JULY DAYTONA RACE

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SM Archive
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Gilliland Says ‘Lady in Black’ Is a 10

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SM Archive
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Reutimann Focuses on One Foe at Darlington

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SM Archive
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Ragan and CSX Go Green at Darlington

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SM Archive
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Meet Darlington Raceway’s Real ‘Lady in Black’

By
SM Staff
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While the ‘Lady in Black’, otherwise known as Darlington Raceway, gets ready to bestow her stripes and tame the best drivers NASCAR has to offer this weekend, the real ‘Lady in Black’ Kaitlyn Bailey is ready to assume her role as the track’s most visible ambassador.

Bailey was awarded the ‘Lady in Black’ honor after competing against over 50 other contestants, from in-person interviews to on-line voting. The college senior thought this would be a perfect fit for her having grown up near the track, along with her family involvement over the generations.

“My mother contacted me about the competition and said that they had announced the contest on the radio station and she’d read about it in the paper and thought this would be right up my alley and that it would be cool,” Bailey said. “We’ve grown up around the track in Darlington and I’ve been to several of the races. It’s always been something that my family has been involved in.”

“My grandmother was on the Miss Southern 500 Committee, which was a pageant they held there many years ago,” Bailey continued. “My mom was also on the committee and it’s just a tradition that continued through my family.”

“Since that’s not around anymore and I always wanted to be involved somehow, I thought this would be a great way to give back to the track because I’ve loved growing up in the area.”

“I sent an application and they had over 50,” Bailey said. “They interviewed all of the applicants and after that narrowed it down to the top five. They announced that at the inaugural Speed & Feed BBQ Cook-Off and there was a short question and answer session on stage.”

“Then they started on-line voting and fans were able to go to the website and cast their votes for their favorite contestant for the ‘Lady in Black’ competition,” Bailey continued. “And I was lucky enough to receive the most votes and here I am.”

While Bailey said that she did a few things to campaign for the honor, she said it came down to someone that could interact with the fans as well as represent the track in the best light possible.

“I think they were focused on getting a good girl, who would be a good example and a good role model that would reflect back on the track well,” Bailey said. “And I think they wanted to get a local girl to get back in touch with the community of Darlington in order to get everyone more involved and interested in the race again.”

“We want support from the community as well as the out-of-town guests,” Bailey continued. “I think they wanted a girl that could draw positive feedback for the track. They wanted someone that was outgoing and would do well around the public. And hopefully that is what they saw in me.”

While Bailey, a senior at the University of South Carolina majoring in political science and minoring in journalism, has been busy representing the track at various events throughout the year, she will be particularly visible as the ‘Lady in Black’ during the Bojangles’ Southern 500 race weekend itself.

And yes indeed, Bailey will be decked out totally in black to live up to her and the track’s famous name.

“They had a custom Simpson racing suit made for me with all of the sponsor logos on it,” Bailey said. “It’s all black with my name across the belt and down one side it says ‘Darlington’ on the side of one leg and ‘Too Tough to Tame’ on the other side.”

So, what is the real ‘Lady in Black’ looking forward to most for her big race track weekend?

“I’ve grown up around the track and always had my favorite drivers but to me NASCAR is a sport that really should be pushed and known more widely among the public,” Bailey said. “I do know a little bit about racing but I’m interested in learning more about how the track functions. There’s a lot that goes into making the race happen. With the race this weekend and seeing all that goes into it, it’s a really outrageous process.”

“Growing up my father was a Dale Earnhardt fan and I’ve always been a fan of that family,” Bailey continued. “So, meeting Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be something. Looking at him and knowing that I’ve watched his dad and now him race and compete, it will be like I’d like to touch him to make sure it’s real.”

“I’ve also been a Jeff Gordon fan and I really liked Dale Jarrett,” Bailey said. “He’s a little older but my mom was a big fan and met him several times. To hear her talk about how excited she was, I can’t wait to also experience that same excitement.”

Bailey admits that she may be a bit awestruck when NASCAR comes to town this weekend but she is firm in wanting all the fans to know that she herself is definitely not too tough to tame.

“I may be the ‘Lady in Black’ but I wouldn’t say that I am tough at all,” Bailey said. “I have a lot of goals for myself but I’m a very easy-going person. I can be a little bit feisty at times if there is something I am passionate or care about.”

“But I don’t think I’m too tough to tame.”

“I’m genuinely excited to have this opportunity as the ‘Lady in Black’, Bailey said. “To me, it’s a very high honor that I’m ecstatic to receive.”

“When I entered the competition, I thought it was a great opportunity to represent something that has been such a part of my life. As soon as the race came to town, we could hear the cars on the track from the time trials to the race itself that night. It’s always been something I’ve really enjoyed,” Bailey continued. “So, getting this opportunity to get more involved and see how it all works is so exciting.”

“Not only am I able to be the face of the track that has been close to my heart for so many years, I have no words because I’m so excited.”

Keselowski-Busch tempers cool down… for now

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Don Dunn

One week after tempers flared at Martinsville between Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch, tensions eased at Texas, where neither driver showed signs of hunting down the other on-track or elsewhere.

A wide gap in car performance between the two drivers during Monday’s race allowed the rolling boil of anger to slow to a simmer, even if only temporarily. They saw very little of each other, as Kurt Busch experienced plenty of trouble throughout the race while Keselowski maintained a competitive effort and led 85 laps.

Keselowski, who at Martinsville appeared more ticked off than his adversary and eventual race winner Busch, showed signs of calming in the week between races.

Keselowski stated on his blog BradRacing.com:

“Moving ahead, as far as Kurt is concerned, my feeling is this: I got my message out. What’s done is done. I’m ready to move on. Kurt controls what goes on from here. If he feels like he needs to do something else, that’s up to him.”

Brad also stated on his Twitter that there would be no repercussions at Texas.

The truth is, driver statements on official web sites should always be taken with at least a bit of skepticism. When drivers are on the verge of throwing punches, subsequently claiming on Twitter that the situation is behind them will not prevent that rage from returning the next time they meet on track.

As Mike Joy put it during Monday’s live broadcast, “Race drivers have longer memories than elephants.”

Regardless of this week’s race leaving fans wondering about the future of the situation, one thing has become clear; fighting season has arrived again in NASCAR Nation, and only two weeks later than last year. In place of the infamous Logano-Hamlin confrontation at Bristol last spring, fans of driver drama only had to wait for the following short track race this year for a Penske driver to lose his cool.

Next week the Cup moves to Darlington, a fast, tight track that invites drivers to some of the hardest racing on the circuit. If there were to be any retaliation on the track, drivers are more likely to initiate it at Darlington than Texas, where speeds reach an excess of 200 mph and safety becomes a serious concern.

If an on-track incident does escalate, there always stands the possibility of a garage area melee.

This would prove to be a truly unique bout, with Keselowski weighing in at roughly 155 pounds and Kurt Busch coming in with a 0-1 fight record after his legendary off-camera fist-blow to the face delivered by Jimmy Spencer over a decade ago.

Chances are, we won’t see a throwdown, or at least that’s what the trends suggest. The 2012 Bowyer-Gordon garage area rundown never resulted in a fight, and last year’s Logano-Hamlin wreck never resulted in blows, though it did result in an awkward post race lunge by Tony Stewart followed by a devastating Joey Logano water bottle toss. Neither seemed intent on actually reaching the other.

The question remains whether Busch and Keselowski, who in interviews at Martinsville threatened physical punishment, are willing to actually do the job. Another factor to consider is the possibility of dire repercussions from the NASCAR governing body, which could be enough to keep the would-be tough guys out of the proverbial ring.

There was a time when good ol’ boys swung fists to settle those unavoidable differences that arise on the track (see: Cale Yarborough-Donnie Allison, Daytona 1979). This may stamp a rougher image on the sport, but one thing is certain of any driver-on-driver fight; it creates a buzz.

Viewership remains a serious concern regarding the future of NASCAR. New marketing schemes and rule changes pop up so often that it would be difficult not to notice NASCAR’s desire for a new image. Maybe letting drivers settle their scores on their own terms would help NASCAR grab a few more viewers.

It’s a contact sport. Drivers risk their personal safety every weekend on the track. A fat lip pales in comparison to any injury a non-SAFER barrier wall can deliver. Why not take a page out of the NHL’s book and let them settle their differences with punches without the threat of suspension?

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