Leavine Family Racing looking to grow with McDowell and K-Love
After scoring their first top 10 in Sprint Cup Series competition last year at Talladega Superspeedway, Leavine Family Racing hopes to continue to grow. To help with the effort they have hired Michael McDowell to drive the No. 95 car for 20 races this coming season.
McDowell said discussions between himself and Bob Leavine started five months ago after McDowell ran the Sprint All-Star Showdown for the organization while Scott Speed attended to other commitments.
“Really didn’t think it was going to lead to anything but obviously Scott Speed is exploring other opportunities in Global Rally Cross so I got the opportunity to work with LFR,” McDowell commented. “You know what really attracted me to Bob is the quality of person he is and the character and a lot of the same morals and beliefs that I have. So that’s important aspect for me is to be able to live out my faith and have people who are like minded.”
On top of that, LFR announced during the Sprint Media tour that the team will receive sponsorship support from K-Love.
“Typically when you look for sponsorship partnerships, you’re going to look for an organization that is like-minded with what you’re trying to accomplish and we found that this year,” Ed Lenane, the director of National Events for K-Love, said. “We had a chance to work with Michael last year. Michael is also a K-Love listener, which is always a good thing. But extremely excited about working with Levine and Michael this year.”
K-Love is an contemporary Christian music radio program operated by the Education Media Foundation. The contnet is broadcasted over 440 FM Stations nationwide, reaching 12 million listeners each week.
Jeremy Lange, the VP of Marketing and Partnerships at Leavine Family Racing, said that having K-Love as a sponsor helps the team going forward.
“They’re helping us get publicity to those 12 million listeners across radio, as well as those streaming radio,” Lange commented. “They also provide avenues to help us land other partners.”
With the sponsorship and commitment by all parties, there is one difference this year about the team – they will not be doing any start and park races. The 20 races that they choose to do, the team will compete fully in.
“We came up with a strategy in November and let’s just do quality races – let’s just figure out what we can do,” McDowell explained. “We figured 20 was a good number. It allows us to run a few races, take a few races off, run a few races – just allows us to manage our program. More than anything, it gives us the opportunity to put out quality equipment and run well.
“I would love to be at all the races, but more importantly, I want just want the opportunity to compete and be able to showcase what the team and what we can do.”
McDowell added that they will not entertain the idea of expanding on the schedule as they feel this is the right balance for their equipment and personnel.
“When you run every single weekend, the personalities and the equipment have to go up too. It doesn’t just go up a little,” he commented. “Right now, we can manage five to seven racecars – with full schedule, you have to have 15 cars and 30 people back at the shop. 20 races is right where we need to be this year.”
NASCAR’s Winner-take-all Format Changes the Definition of a Champion
In an effort to put more emphasis on winning, NASCAR has virtually thrown consistency out the window with changes to the 2014 Chase format. Brian France announced those changes today in his State of the Sport address and seemed confident that this is what fans want.
“The vast majority of the fans that we communicated with, and I think we’re the best in sports in staying close to our fan base, really love this,” he said.
I disagree.
Most of the fans I’ve spoken to have been adamant in their dislike of a system that places more value on one win than a season of competitiveness. In theory, a driver could have one win, finish 30th in the points standings and advance to the Chase. Is that driver more deserving than a driver who has no wins but finished consistently in the top ten the entire pre-Chase season?
No one is debating the importance of winning races but there has to be a balance and this new format may tip the scales too far in one direction.
It’s not likely that we will have 16 different race winners leading up to the Chase so consistency will have a part to play. However, it will only take a driver so far in this Winner-take-all game that NASCAR is intent on playing.
Once you make it into the Chase, the only certain way to advance through their version of the elimination rounds is to win a race. The Chase will culminate with the last race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the remaining top four battling for top position.
Brian France says, “It’s going to elevate racing. It’s going to make winning the most important thing by a wide margin.”
This may be accurate but is this the true measure of a champion?
Sometimes being a champion is not about the glory of standing in Victory Lane. It’s about all the small moments that led up to it. It’s about making the most of a bad day. It’s about taking a tenth place car and getting a fifth place finish through sheer determination.
It’s about sacrifice, hard work and dedication and most importantly, it cannot be manufactured.
And The Chase Is On
So the official announcement was pretty much what we already knew, the game was changing. We knew this was coming, we just were not sure of the details.
The fans of NASCAR have been looking at empty seats in usually sold out races. Fans have complained how boring the races have been, some giving up the sport completely. We yelled at our television screens begging for something to change, thinking no one was listening, no so called “higher-ups” could see what we saw, that the sport we love was losing it’s magic.
The fans have been begging for this, and now that it’s here so many are already hating it. Although it seems a little hard to understand and the verdict will be out for a while on all the elimination rounds, but the concept of the final four is intriguing. The winner takes all will make the end of the season exciting but with the points not counting as much, the question remains, what happens mid season?
NASCAR heard us and is trying to make it more competitive, let’s not jump the gun on the hater bandwagon just yet. Granted this new Chase format probably will have flaws, but so did the existing Chase as well as the old points system prior to the Chase. Nothing will ever be perfect, but it can be made better.
The biggest thing for NASCAR is to be consistent with the rules. They shouldn’t penalize a driver for speaking their mind and then not do it for others. They need to crack down on the penalties so that drivers know it’s going to hurt if you commit an infraction.
In closing I think NASCAR is trying to change with the times and we should all give it a chance before we hate it. It’s understandable that we all hate change, but NASCAR has realized what they had was not working. This may not work as well as they think but we will not know until the end of the year after seeing how it all plays out. We are NASCAR fans and we are strong in opinions, let’s give it a chance. Who knows, it could be just what NASCAR needs to bring back lost fans and viewers. If it brings back excitement then it can’t be all bad.
IndyCar driver Alex Tagliani reportedly to run NCAT Series in 2014
With Barracuda Racing looking for a new direction in 2014, Alex Tagliani was left without a ride and with only a month left before the 2014 IndyCar Series season, the Quebec native has yet to secure a ride.
Toronto Sun reporter Dean McNulty reported earlier this week that Tagliani will have a change in scenary for next year – racing in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series for D.J. Kennington’s team DJK Racing.
Tagliani is expected to make the news official next Friday on February 7th at the 2014 Canadian Motorsports Expo. The CME at Toronto, Ontario’s International Center serves as the kick-off to the 2014 Canadian racing season.
Taking place from February 7th to February 9th, the show captivates the entire motorsports landscape into one weekend, from drag racing to NASCAR to short track action. With Ryan Newman appearing on February 8th and Mike Skinner & Richard Petty appearing on February 9th, this show promises to be the best yet.
Tagliani made 13 starts last year for Barracuda Racing, scoring a best finish of 10th twice. He has made 16 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series starts over the years, scoring a win in 2008 in Edmonton.
Harvick and Busch see Stewart being competitive this season
As Tony Stewart continues to work his way back after breaking his leg last year in a sprint car wreck, concerns surround how well the two-time Sprint Cup Champion will perform this season. Both Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch, who will race for Stewart’s Sprint Cup team Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, say not to worry.
Busch commented that well some people would worry about the mental aspect to it, it shouldn’t be a problem for Stewart as he has kept busy even during his rehabilitation time with rehab and developing the team.
One of the pieces to developing the team was working on relationships and in that regard, it worked in their favor. Busch said that he and Stewart were able to spend a lot of time talking, getting to know each other, without having to worry about other distractions that Stewart normally would’ve had to attend to.
“We’ve been able to jump over hurdles and run things and go through processes together even before the season started,” Busch said. “You can’t say the injury was a blessing in disguise, but it has brought us closer as competitors and as teammates.”
Kevin Harvick was also able to spend some time with Stewart to discuss plans heading into the new season, including a key conversation that sticks out in Harvick’s mind.
“As we went through the year, he was looking for things to do and worried about the team and the performance,” Harvick explained. “The best conversation I had all year was I sat in the bus and he said, ‘You are my motivation to make sure we get that race team back competitive because I want to win the championship as the owner with you driving this car’.”
Despite all that, everybody knows it’ll be a big moment simply when Stewart gets behind the wheel at Daytona.
“I know he just wants to get back behind the wheel of his No. 14 Bass Pro Shops Chevy to feel that comfort again, to feel that desire he has been missing all those months,” Busch commented on Monday. “We have to get him back in the car; we got to get him to Daytona so he can have fun that again.”
After all, as Harvick explained, racing consumes Stewart and makes him the person that he is.
“This racing consumes his life – whether in NASCAR or be in sprint cars or just watching a race on TV,” Harvick explained. “He doesn’t have any kids or a wife – these race teams are his family and he spends a lot of time with the guys on the different teams. He’s just a racer and he’s just got that drive and determination to not only do what he did before, but to be better when he comes back. It’s just a matter of seeing it all on the race track and I think for him, he’s just a hardcore racer and that’s all he knows how to do.”
A lot of people expect Stewart to come back strong right out of the gate at Daytona simply due to his competitive nature. Tony may be Tony and keep his hard-headed attitude on things, but Busch says some lessons may have been learned along the way.
“This is a lesson that will make you go through steps – through rehab to getting back in the car to getting back competitive,” Busch commented. “But Tony is Tony and he’ll probably win the 500 and we’ll be like, ‘Tony’s fine’.”
As the year goes forward, Harvick is also looking forward to working with Stewart as he knows that they’ll both be honest with each other, which in return, makes each other better.
“When you get into a situation like this with myself and Tony, when the other tells you something, it’s not cause he’s trying to hurt you. It’s cause he’s trying to make you better and that’s part of the reason I came to this team is to figure out how to win a championship,” Harvick commented.
Day Four – Sprint Media Tour – Toyota Day – Michael Waltrip Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing
The final day of the Sprint Media Tour was Toyota day. Michael Waltrip Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing were featured at the Charlotte Convention Center on Thursday.
Michael Waltrip Racing lived through tough times at the end of the 2013 season with the penalties assessed after Richmond and the loss of driver Brian Vickers due to recurring blood clots. It was nice to hear that Vickers will be back and Clint Bowyer is ready to roll in 2014.
Vickers looked the picture of health and was looking forward to the new season, as well as managing his health so that more hiatuses don’t happen.
“I’m cleared. I’m ready, off blood thinners. I’ve never been more ready in my entire life to get back in a race car,” he said.
Vickers’ latest three-month hiatus provided him the opportunity to take his wife on a honeymoon and relax a little, but also served as a reminder of how much he misses racing.
Moving forward, Vickers said, managing his health is just a matter of being aware of warning signs and making sure proper treatment is taken.
“That’s really all you can do,” Vickers said. “My last incident was a provoked incident. I had to wear a boot for a month. In those situations, we’ve got to be more mindful of it, but that’s really all you can do.”
Vickers is a fan of the new qualifying procedure that NASCAR recently announced and said, “I’m good with it. I don’t know that a lot is going to change. I think it’s going to create a little bit more excitement, for sure. It’s kind of that knockout style qualifying, but it’s not like we’re going to go out there and run six laps. You’re still going to go out there and you’re going to tape up and you’re going to go as hard and fast as you can for a lap. I think it’s going to be very similar for us, but I think it’s going to create more excitement for the fans. That’s a win-win in my book.”
Clint Bowyer also likes the new qualifying format.
“That (the old system) had become stale and it needed help,” Bowyer commented. “There’s no way getting around it. I think our Fridays were somewhat stale and I think it’s going to add a new element of excitement — who knows what’s going to happen. I really think that you’re going to see that. I think moving through those segments you’re going to see people make a quick adjustment and tune themselves right into the game or more importantly tune themselves right out of the game. There’s going to be a lot of moving parts and it’s going to be something that’s going to be interesting to follow on qualifying day. I don’t think you’ve ever really said that before. It’s going to be cool.”
Bowyer is ready to put 2013 behind him and go to Daytona with a fresh start.
“It always feels good to hit the reset button. I’ve got a great team — we have fast race cars, I have a great crew chief (Brian Pattie) and great engineers and smart people behind me,” Bowyer said. “It’s always been that way from day one at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing). As far as the 15 team goes, we’re exactly the way we’ve been since 2012. That’s the key to success in this sport is people and when you can keep all those people together, that’s how you maintain the level of success that we’re capable of accomplishing. We’re as prepared as we’ve ever been.”
Joe Gibbs Racing paraded their drivers out (Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, and Denny Hamlin) and gave those present a rosy picture of the new season.
Kyle Busch was first asked how or if the new qualifying format will help his No. 18 M&M’s Toyota.
“I don’t know that it really does,” Busch commented. “I hate to be ‘Debbie Downer’ but I think there’s going to be a lot of down time. You might see a car or two out on the race track here or there, but it’s not going to be like 15 cars out on the race track making something exciting is what people are assuming. Restrictor plate races you’ll see that. When you’ve got 30 minutes let’s say at Martinsville — you go out and make a lap and then you’re going to sit there for 30 minutes because you’re not going to go out and make another lap on your tires. You’re not going to heat up your motor again. You’re going to hope that you’re in the top-25 or whatever the round is in order to move you forward.”
He’s not very enthusiastic about the new Chase format, either.
“Essentially your best way of going throughout the Chase is to win a race in every three races — that obviously gets you locked into the next round,” Busch said. “Being able to do that is key. Separating those three races out into each one — can you go test at those tracks? Are there tracks like it you can go test at without wasting a test at those tracks? Those are the things that everybody is going to be looking at and trying to figure out their best strategy and best way of getting to and achieving the ultimate goal of winning races in those races.”
After an up and down season, Denny Hamlin is back. After winning the Ford 400, the last race of 2013, Hamlin is confident about the coming season.
“My back is really good. It’s better than it’s been since I really can remember,” Hamlin beamed. “It’s taken a lot of hard work to get to this point, but I can assure you I’ve put in my hours. The season has been over roughly 60 days and I’ve put over 140-some hours in the gym. I’ve done everything I can to do my part to make sure we’re back in contention this year. There’s nothing lingering — everything is good. I’ve gotten scanned and everything looks great. It’s all in the past for me and obviously 2013 is going to be a year that will be forgotten as soon as we get to the race track at Daytona.”
Does Hamlin like the new qualifying rules?
“I think the knockout qualifying is going to be a good thing,” Hamlin said “Definitely if you didn’t have that, you would see track records break all over the series all over again. Just through the testing we’ve seen so far, the cars are at least a half-a-second faster than the cars were last year, and last year’s cars were record-breaking fast. I think whether you happen to use the same set of tires each one, there’s going to be strategy played. I think there could possibly be some gamesmanship on making sure a guy doesn’t have a good lap if there’s things like that going on. It’s going to be tough because you only have a certain amount of time to get one of those fast laps and everyone is going to be fighting to get on the race track as soon as they can because the race track is better cold. I think it’s going to be a game-changer, for sure, but it’s going to be exciting for the fans.”
Matt Kenseth came off his career best season, winning seven races and finishing second in the championship. It’s a new season and Kenseth says the cars feel fine and maybe even a little more together than last year. He just wants to take some things away from 2013 into the 2014 championship run.
“You always try to improve. You always try to make everything better,” Kenseth said. Certainly last year was a great year for us. You always hope to go and try to top that and try to do better the following year. I’m really looking forward to our second year together. I was really excited last year going into the season and there were a lot of unknowns. I was probably kind of nervous, not 100 percent comfortable, all that stuff. This year, I have a year to build on and kind of understand a little bit more what JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) is all about, how they operate and all those kind of things. I’m hoping that we’ll be better. I think that’s what everybody’s hope is, but we’re hoping we can improve on the things we did last year.”
Kenseth says the new qualifying procedure is “going to be different. I think it will be neat to watch. I think it’s going to make a great program session, whatever you want to call it. I think it’s going to be pretty cool to see how that works. Get rid of half the cars and I think there’s going to be a lot of varying strategies out there — how you do that, how you get that clean lap, but still try to keep your tires as fresh as possible and your engine as cold as possible. There’s going to be a lot going on — I think it’s going to be really interesting.”
Sprint Media Tour – Day Four – New NASCAR Chase Rules Mean Winning Is Everything
On the final day of the Sprint Media Tour, Brian France announced the new format for the Chase. This is a radical change from the way the Chase was originated. It emphasizes winning and almost throws consistency out the window.
Drivers who win only a race or two a season will have a chance at making the final run for the championship. The full text of the announcement gives the whole story, the particulars are listed below.
Under the new format, the 16 available qualifying positions for the Chase will be awarded to those drivers that have at least one victory through the first 26 races, as long as he or she is in the top-30 in points and has attempted to qualify for each of the season’s previous points races. On Thursday, NASCAR officials did raise the possibility that a medical exception could be given if a driver missed a race during the season for a valid medical reason, but still had won a race at some point during the season to qualify for the Chase.
If more than 16 drivers earn at least one win, only those highest in the standings (with at least one win) following the 26th race would advance. However, should the points leader after 26 races be winless, he or she would be awarded the 16th and final Chase position.
Only twice in the history of NASCAR have there been more than 15 winners in the first 26 Cup races (1961 and 2003).
If fewer than 16 drivers have at least one win, all remaining positions to fill the grid would be determined based on points standings.
The 16 drivers qualifying for the Chase will have their points reset to 2,000 points, and will be seeded based on bonus points (three per win) earned prior to the start of the Chase.
The nine races leading up to the season-ending event are divided into three individual rounds consisting of three races each.
Chase eligible drivers posting at least one win in each of the rounds will continue to advance. The remaining available positions will be determined and seeded based on points earned during each round.
Points for those in the Chase will be reset prior to the start of each round with all drivers starting the round with the same amount of points.
Drivers not in the Chase will continue to earn points under the current non-Chase points format.
The Challenger Round — Opens the Chase and consists of races at Chicagoland, New Hampshire and Dover. Twelve of the 16 drivers will advance from this round.
A win in any of the three races automatically advances the driver to the next round, with remaining positions to be determined based on points earned during the round.
The 12 Chase drivers advancing will be seeded based on points earned through the three previous races and will have his or her points total reset to 3,000 points prior to the start of the next round.
The Contender Round — Consists of races at Kansas, Charlotte and Talladega. Eight of the 12 drivers will advance from this round.
As in the previous round, a win in any of the three Contender Round races automatically advances the driver to the next round, with remaining positions to be determined based on points earned during the round.
Points totals will be reset at 4,000 points for those advancing.
The Eliminator Round — Consists of races at Martinsville, Texas and Phoenix. Four of the eight drivers will advance from this round to earn a berth in the season-ending Sprint Cup Championship (final) round.
Eliminator Round winners automatically advance, with the remaining position or positions determined by points earned in the three races.
The four drivers that advance into the final round will have their points total reset to 5,000 following the Phoenix race.
Sprint Cup Championship — The highest finishing driver at Homestead among the four eligible drivers will win the Sprint Cup championship.
While bonus points for laps led will be awarded through previous rounds, no bonus points for laps led will be awarded in the final race for the Chase contenders. Finishing position in the final race will determine the champion.
For those Chase drivers that fail to advance out of an individual round, their points total will be reset at 2,000 points at the conclusion of that particular segment. They will continue to earn points based on finishes in the remaining races, with no further adjustments. Thus, a driver that fails to advance out of the initial Challenger Round could earn enough points to finish as high as fifth in the final points standings. He or she would finish no worse than 16th based on the initial points reset.
In a nutshell, it means no more points racing. Winning will be the only thing and it should create some exciting racing in 2014.
