NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Las Vegas
Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.
1. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt’s engine sputtered on the final lap at Las Vegas, allowing Brad Keselowski to pass for the win as fuel mileage, costing the No. 88 its second win of the year. Still, Earnhardt has a win and two runner-ups, and leads Keselowski in the points standings by one point.
“We took a gamble,”Earnhardt said. “Some would call it ‘rolling the dice.’ That would be inaccurate. We only rolled one, because my engine ‘die’d.’ And Junior Nation is not a happy bunch. ‘MPG’ has moved to the top of the Nation’s list of most-hated three-letter acronyms, right above ‘DWI’ and ‘STD.’
“If only my gas tank was as big as expectations, we would have won the race handily.”
2. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski raced by Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s fuel-compromised Chevy on the final lap to win the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Keselowski also won Saturday’s Nationwide race, giving him his first weekend sweep.
“The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford was exceptional,” Keselowski said. “It’s hard to lose when you’re traveling at the speed of ‘Lite.’ This win has certainly sent our confidence sky-high. You could say we have a collective ‘brews’d ego.’
“It was a great week for Roger Penske. Not only did Penske Racing post two wins, Roger aced No. 4 at Augusta National golf course. Roger carries nothing but drivers in his bag. He’s not a member at Augusta, but he wears a green jacket nonetheless—-it’s made of money.”
3. immie Johnson: Johnson led 34 laps and finished sixth at Las Vegas, giving him three top 10’s in all three races this season. He is third in the Sprint Cup points standings, 16 out of first.
“Brad Keselowski was awarded a giant wrench for winning the Kobalt 400,” Johnson said. “It may not have been a symbolic win, but it was a symbolic trophy. And he can have it. I’m not into symblic trophies, but I am into symbolic ‘Cups.’
4. Joey Logano: Logano won the pole at Las Vegas, beating out teammate Brad Keselowski, as Penske Racing again swept the front row in qualifying. Logano finished fourth, while Keselowski notched the win.
“Brad and I love the new qualifying format,” Logano said. “Knockout qualifying has made us ‘qualifying knockouts.’ Roger put Penske on the map; we put Penske on the grid.”
5. Jeff Gordon: Gordon finished ninth in the Kobalt 400 as Hendrick Motorsports placed four drivers in the top 10, led by Earnhardt, Jr.’s runner-up. Gordon is fifth in the points standings, 18 behind Earnhardt.
“I liked Junior’s decision to gamble,” Gordon said, “despite the fact that it didn’t work out. He went ‘all in,’ and ended up ‘all out.’
“Earnhardt, Jimmie Johnson, and I all have three top-10 finishes to start the season, so it’s safe to say we’re all threats to win the Sprint Cup championship. But don’t forget about Kasey Kahne. As I’ve been saying for the last 13 years, you should be on the lookout for ‘No. 5.’”
6. Carl Edwards: Like Earnhardt, Jr., Edwards and the No. 99 team gambled on fuel mileage and came up just short. Edwards still managed to finish fifth, and vaulted two spots in the Sprint Cup points standings to sixth.
“We had a car capable of winning,” Edwards said, “but Lady Luck was not on our side. And let’s face it, she’s the only female, save for Miss Sprint Cup, worth having around in NASCAR.”
7. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth was the lone Toyota driver in the top 10 at Las Vegas, finishing tenth in the Kobalt 400. He moved up one spot to sixth in the points, where he trails Earnhardt, Jr. by 28.
“The Toyota’s didn’t quite have the speed to keep up with the Fords and Chevys,” Kenseth said. “I’m not worried. Toyota’s won 13 times last season. It’s just a matter of time before the Toyota’s re-‘Orient’ themselves at the front of the pack.”
8. Ryan Newman: Newman posted his second top-10 result of the year with a seventh at Las Vegas. He jumped six spots to ninth in the points standings, 36 out of first.
“I really feel comfortable in the Richard Childress Racing No. 31 car,” Newman said. “It’s a car that fans most associate with Jeff Burton. Sometimes, it seems like Jeff’s in the car with me. When that happens, I just do my best Richard Childress impression and tell him to leave.”
9. Kyle Busch: Busch finished 11th at Las Vegas, as Joe Gibbs Racing cars took the 10, 11, and 12 finishing spots. Busch is now tenth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 36 out of first.
“Congratulations to Brad Keselowski’s fuel tank for getting him the win,” Busch said. “Much like , it was full of it.
“My brother Kurt is planning to race in both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca Cola 600 on Sunday, May 25th. This will be historic. The last time Kurt said ‘Make it a double,’ he was talking to his plastic surgeon about his ears.”
10.Kevin Harvick: Harvick led 23 laps at Las Vegas before a broken wheel hub sent him to the garage. He eventually finished 41st, 30 laps down.
“It was a shaky day for Stewart Haas Racing,” Harvick said. “Danica Patrick was our top finisher with a 21st. Danica said that’s the highest she’s been in months, which could possibly trigger a test under NASCAR’s drug policy.”
Interview: Parker Kligerman Chasing Bristol Triumph; Hoping For Successful Rookie Season
Parker Kligerman and Swan Racing are entering Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend hoping to revive themselves from dismal finishes the past two weeks at Phoenix International Raceway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Kligerman, whose best finish this season came at Daytona International Speedway in the Daytona 500, is entering his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in Bristol, Tennessee this weekend, and he expects the results to be promising.
“In the lower series I’ve never finished outside the top ten at Bristol up until this year, so I have a lot of confidence.” Kligerman explained following a dismal finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. “Bristol is a place I really love going to and I enjoy racing there.
“(Starting the season off slow) has put us in a precarious position heading to Bristol as we’ll be forced to qualify in on time,” Kligerman explained about finishing outside the top 40 in two of the three races ran this season. “But we’ll fight back, and make sure everyone keeps working hard and we’ll get past this.”
Kligerman’s career stats at the challenging half mile stretch in all three of NASCAR’s premier series are quite impressive. He posted a ninth place at ‘Thunder Valley’ in the NASCAR Nationwide Series while piloting Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 77 Toyota last season. His tenure with Red Horse Racing during 2012 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series led to an outstanding career best runner-up finish at the ‘Last Great Colosseum’.
“The Cup car at Bristol really suits my driving style, so I’m hoping I can be even more successful this weekend then I have been in the lower series,” Kligerman told me on Tuesday evening.
While Kligerman and Swan Racing will be attempting to score their first Bristol triumph, they’re chasing one ultimate goal, and that’s finishing this season top 25 in the point’s standings.
“We (Swan Racing) look at a successful year as a top 25 finish in the points standings,” Kligerman told me. “We aren’t focused on winning a race, or making the Chase, our organization is fighting to become one of those mid-field organizations. If we can breakthrough into that (mid-field group) we can really feel like we accomplished something.”
Following a average 2013 season, Swan Racing completely re-constructed their race team by adding Kligerman and fellow rookie Cole Whitt to their driving line-up. The addition of a second full-time car has really forced the organization to step-up their game.
“Putting another car on the racetrack for any organization can put a strain, or really just rise the stress level of your team,” Kligerman explained about Swan Racing extending to a two car team this season.
Kligerman doesn’t expect him or Cole to make the NASCAR ‘playoffs’, or even win a race, however, the doors always open for a lower organization to score a victory on fuel strategy or at a restrictor plate track. And with the new Chase system, a victory within the first 26 races almost guarantees you a berth in the post-season.
“Winning a race, or making the Chase, would be a massive financial gain and also a huge thing for our partners and I think it’d be a big thing for our sport, it would show hard work and determination can get you into the post-season and make a run for a championship.”
Kligerman, in his first season at Swan Racing, is expecting consistent results and possibly a chance at the Rookie of The Year award, despite experts saying that Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson are likely to take the award due to being with top-tier multi-car organizations. This weekend at Bristol could be the ‘eye opener’ that fans need to realize just how good this 23-year-old Connecticut racecar driver really is.
ABC looking to deliver solid IndyCar coverage in 2014
As race fans begin to look forward to the season beginning at the end of the month, one of their expectations is that the television coverage will be tip top throughout the whole season. ABC and ESPN officials are looking to fulfill the promise with the plans that they have in mind.
One of the highlights this year will be the fact that this is the 50th year that ABC will televise the Indianapolis 500 as they did their first telecast in 1965. ABC will also carry four other races total this year, including the season opener at St. Petersburg.
“We haven’t been there for a couple years. That event when people have been without racing all winter, they tend to tune in and watch it,” Andy Hall from ESPN commented. “We’ll do both parts of the Detroit doubleheader at Belle Isle. We’re excited to have the new Indianapolis road course as part of our schedule. Of course, the 50th Indy. We’re also back doing Indianapolis 500 time trials, which we haven’t done for a few years either. That’s another good thing looking forward to for this year.”
ABC will once again have Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever as analysts in the booth, with Jamie Little, Vince Welch and Rick DeBruhl as pit reporters. Dr. Jerry Punch will also join the staff as a fourth pit reporter or Indianapolis.
However, they will enter this season with a new anchor in the booth as Allan Bestwick will be in charge in the broadcast.
“I didn’t get into the business to be a race announcer. I wanted to be a broadcaster my whole life,” Bestwick commented. “One of the inspirations was watching that Sunday night broadcast of the Indianapolis 500 and watching Jim McKay, one of my heroes. To have the opportunity to sit in that seat on this occasion, ABC’s 50th anniversary of televising this race, is a little hard to fathom in some ways for a kid from Rhode Island.”
“I was very, very flattered and really, really happy to be part of this. It’s a big change, but it’s an exciting change and a great time for change. I’m really looking forward to this. Especially, like I said, the Indianapolis 500, when I was a kid, I got this book from the book club at school. It was called 30 Days in May. I don’t remember who wrote it. Story of the 1970 Indianapolis 500. I dog-eared that book. I swear I read it 18 times.”
Bestwick has always been a fan of IndyCar racing and says that he feels IndyCar has a good series right now that can be built up bigger throughout the years. He feels that they’ve got the main objective down – good racing – and now it’s his job to document it properly.
“First object of any racing telecast: document the race and document it properly,” he commented. “The hardest thing about auto racing and broadcasting, if you’re covering a football game and you have a camera on the ball, you got 90% of the story covered, right? The rest of it is filling in around the edges.
“Where is the ball in the race? Is it the lead, fifth place, a strategy call? Where is the ball? Making those decisions every second of every lap of the race, Where is the ball? How do you best describe and make what the ball is understandable? That’s how you take it forward.
“Continue to use technology, make sure you always have your eye on the ball. Does that make sense?”
When Bestwick cannot be at an event due to it conflicting with ESPN’s NASCAR coverage, Dave Burns will be filling in his spot to do the play-by-play.
