Almirola Wins his First Sprint Cup Race in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona
For Aric Almirola the rain tastes pretty sweet as he captured his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race.
In probably one of the soggiest race weekends NASCAR has had this season, the racing was still exciting. There was a little bit of everything including rain, crashes and bad pit stops. But one driver stood above the rest to claim his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win. Not only was it his first win, but he did it on the anniversary of “The King” Richard Petty’s 200th win, in the No. 43 car made famous by Petty. Petty’s 200th win also came at Daytona.
Almirola captured the first win for the No.43 car since Martinsville in April of 1999 with John Andretti behind the wheel. To just add some icing onto the cake, birthday cake that is, Petty also just celebrated a birthday. With all this you have to see the magic of it all and there is no denying that it was just meant to be.
The race was scheduled for 160 laps on the 2.5-mile superspeedway on Saturday night, however was moved to Sunday due to rain. Rain fell once again on Sunday, resulting in the race being called after 112 laps. Almirola, who entered with four top-five finishes in his seven-year career, led 14 laps. Almirola, a Florida native made some history of his own, winning at what he considers his home track and putting him in one of the coveted “Chase” spots.
“This is so awesome. The amount of effort that has gone into this team and building it to be better and a winning team as it should be has been great to watch.” Almirola shared his thoughts on winning his first race saying, “To get this car in victory lane is really special. The good Lord was looking out for us today. We had a good fast car and we’ll take them anyway we can get them. We’re going to be in the Chase.”
A happy Almirola also talked about the team stating, “I went last week down to Tampa to do a lot of media to promote this race and I’ve said time and time again how bad I want to win here. I grew up sitting in those grandstands right there and dreamed about winning here and man; I just took the 43 car to victory lane here at Daytona. This race team is deservingly so. We’ve had cars where we’ve ran in the top 10, just haven’t got the finishes. This is so cool to get these guys who have been on this race team for so long to be able to get to victory lane.”
The race was iffy for rain from the start of the race on Sunday. It looked as if it could rain and it did only nine laps into the race resulting in a half hour delay.
Then after the race was restarted, it had barely started back again when “The Big One” would happen when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got squirrelly, in which Jeff Gordon reacted to move down, getting into Tony Stewart, causing Stewart to spin Stenhouse. When the smoke had cleared there were 16 cars involved in the wreck.
“We’re a quarter lap away from the caution and Stenhouse wanted to be a hero. I think it’s a pretty dumb excuse for a caution.” Stewart said.
“We had a good run going for the lead. The 33 pulled down, I got loose off the corner and then the 24 thought I’d spin and came down, and the 24 hit the 14 there.” Stenhouse replied.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Marcos Ambrose, Danica Patrick, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Larson also got a piece of the wreck.
“I was running three-wide and I just saw cars flying everywhere. Just real disappointing for the guys that have been working down here for four days in the heat, not to mention shop hours to only run 19 laps.” Johnson said.
There were a pair of cautions due to debris and Earnhardt Jr. was the lucky dog more than once trying to get back in contention after the wreck, though would end up finishing 14th.
While most races feature only one big wreck, this race would be different as a second wreck happened at lap 99. The wreck started when Greg Biffle got into the back of Kasey Kahne, while running in the top-five.
“I was just getting hit from behind and next thing I was spinning,” Kahne explained. “Everybody was trying to get going and I just got hit and it was going left and right.”
“Just so unhappy and close quarters racing,” Biffle commented. “David Ragan gave me a big push and the 5 moved down to the middle, hit the 13 and then I hit the 5. You don’t know when the shove happens and its hard to time it all.”
Kyle Busch thought he had it cleared with a slight slip through the grass, however contact from Cole Whitt with Busch sitting on the apron resulted in Busch going over on his roof. Clint Bowyer and Jamie McMurray also caught air as a total of 26 cars caught a piece of the wreck.
“It was a carnival ride, but I guess that’s fitting for the Fourth of July weekend,” Busch summarized. “I think someone got the 5 turned across the field there and it went through the grass and went across, t-boned there and it toppled over.”
“From my seat, I didn’t see anything,” McMurray commented. “Kasey came over and said that Greg got him squirrley and he couldn’t catch it. When you have a car spin at the directly in the front of the field, its hard to avoid them. The car was completely off the ground there and let me say – that is a helpless feeling – so glad that it set back down.”
“She did the hostile hop there but luckily, she went back down,” Bowyer said. “But man, look at all the cars torn up and all these guys work so hard on them. Now they’re just scrap.”
Other drivers involved include Brad Keselowski, Michael Annett, Marcos Ambrose, Danica Patrick, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Alex Bowman, Paul Menard, Ryan Newman, Terry Labonte, Bobby Labonte, David Ragan, Reed Sorenson, David Gilliland, Landon Cassill, Justin Allgaier, Ryan Truex, Michael McDowell and Josh Wise.
“That happens right towards the front and it looks like the 16 got into the 5,” pole sitter Gilliland said. “Just a disappointing day. Hope to get fixed and get some points.”
Many teams were playing weatherman by staying out before and after the race hit the halfway mark, with hopes that if the rain did start, they would be where they needed to be.
Kurt Busch was one of those who did and led the most laps in the race. Along with Busch, Biffle and Almirola were up front fighting for the lead spot. On the restart on lap 105 Kurt Busch and Almirola were side-by-side and on lap 107 Almirola pulled ahead with help from Brian Vickers. The caution came out again on lap 109 and the race was called after 112 laps.
Brian Vickers would get second for his sixth top-10 of 2014, followed by Kurt Busch, Casey Mears and Austin Dillon. Denny Hamlin finished sixth, followed by Michael McDowell, Danica Patrick, Clint Bowyer and Marcos Ambrose.
Jeff Gordon remains the leader in the point standings; Earnhardt is in second, 27 points behind. Johnson (-55) is third followed by Keselowski (-65) and Kenseth (-71).
The next stop on the Sprint Cup Schedule is at New Hampshire on Sunday July 13 at 1 p.m. ET for the Camping World RV Sales 301.
Coke Zero 400 Finishing Order at Daytona International Raceway
- Aric Almirola
- Brian Vickers
- Kurt Busch
- Casey Mears
- Austin Dillon
- Denny Hamlin
- Michael McDowell
- Danica Patrick
- Clint Bowyer
- Marcos Ambrose
- Terry Labonte
- Jeff Gordon
- Alex Bowman
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Paul Menard
- Joey Logano
- Brad Keselowski
- Michael Waltrip
- Matt Kenseth
- Michael Annett
- David Ragan
- Josh Wise
- Ryan Newman
- Justin Allgaier
- Bobby Labonte
- Kasesy Kahne
- Kyle Busch
- Greg Biffle
- Jamie McMurray
- Landon Cassill
- Ryan Truex
- Reed Sorenson
- Cole Whitt
- David Gilliland
- Kyle Larson
- Carl Edwards
- Trevor Bayne
- Kevin Harvick
- Tony Stewart
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Jimmie Johnson
- AJ Allmendinger
Andrew Ranger scores third consecutive victory in Jiffy Lube 100
For the third consecutive year in a row, Andrew Ranger would celebrate in Circuit ICAR victory lane after making the pass on Alex Guenette with nine laps to go on the 2.113-mile, 14-turn road course on the grounds of Montreal-Mirabel International Airport. It marks Ranger’s 18th NASCAR Canadian Tire Series career victory and his first of the 2014 season.
After taking a couple seasons off to race other divisions, Ranger has returned to the Canadian Tire Series full-time in 2014 as a teammate to two-time series champion D.J. Kennington. Scoring a pair of championships in the past, Ranger hasn’t gotten off to the start that he would’ve hoped this year as he was sitting fifth in points coming into this weekend. Certainly heading into the front stretch, this could be a moral boost for the entire DJK Racing team.
2013 Rookie of the Year Guenette finished second for his first top-five of the year, followed by L.P. Dumoulin, Alex Labbe and Alex Tagliani. Tagliani had to start the race at the tail of the field after having to make an engine change following qualifying yesterday.
J.R. Fitzpatrick would finish sixth, followed by Scott Steckly, Gary Klutt, Jason Hathaway and Peter Klutt. Noel Dowler finished 11th, followed by D.J. Kennington, Anthony Simone, J.F. Dumoulin, Simon Dion-Viens, Derek White, Ray Courtemanche Jr. and Matthew Scannell as 18 drivers finished on the lead lap.
Kerry Micks qualified the No. 02 Johnsonville Dodge yesterday, however would not drive it today due to feeling ill. Mark Dilley who is scheduled to run the oval events in the No. 02 this year would drive the car, finishing 19th.
After scoring a solid top-10 finish a couple weeks ago, Hugo Vannini finished 23rd after finding his way off the track. Jeff Lapcevich also suffered the same fate, spending the majority of the race as a spectator with his No. 76 Tim Hortons Dodge stranded in turn two.
Joey McColm and Jason White both entered this year with high hopes but haven’t had any good luck. The trend continued on Sunday as McColm suffered mechanical issues while White was involved in an incident on the initial start of the race with Luc Lesage.
Fans can watch the Jiffy Lube 100 on TSN on Sunday, July 13 at 11 a.m. The race for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series is this coming Friday July 111th with the inaugural Alberta Has Energy 300 at Edmonton International Raceway in Wetaskiwin, Alberta.
| Fin | Str | Car | Driver | Team | Laps | Points | B/Points | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 27 | Andrew Ranger | Mopar Dodge | 30 | 48 | 5 | Running |
| 2 | 3 | 39 | Alex Guenette | Motos Illimitées Dodge | 30 | 43 | 1 | Running |
| 3 | 4 | 47 | L.P. Dumoulin | WeatherTech Canada/Bellemare Dodge | 30 | 41 | Running | |
| 4 | 5 | 36 | Alex Labbe * | VR Victoriaville Dodge | 30 | 40 | Running | |
| 5 | 8 | 18 | Alex Tagliani | EpiPen/Dicom Express Dodge | 30 | 39 | Running | |
| 6 | 12 | 84 | J.R. Fitzpatrick | Equipment Express Chevrolet | 30 | 38 | Running | |
| 7 | 11 | 22 | Scott Steckly | Canadian Tire/Sylvania Dodge | 30 | 37 | Running | |
| 8 | 9 | 59 | Gary Klutt * | CTL Financing/Legendary Motorcar Chevrolet | 30 | 36 | Running | |
| 9 | 10 | 3 | Jason Hathaway | Rockstar Energy Drink/Fast Eddie Chevrolet | 30 | 35 | Running | |
| 10 | 15 | 42 | Peter Klutt | Legendary Motorcar Chevrolet | 30 | 34 | Running | |
| 11 | 18 | 5 | Noel Dowler | EMCO/Empire Mechanical Dodge | 30 | 33 | Running | |
| 12 | 13 | 17 | D.J. Kennington | Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge | 30 | 32 | Running | |
| 13 | 20 | 95 | Anthony Simone | Innovative Plumbing & Mechanical Dodge | 30 | 31 | Running | |
| 14 | 14 | 4 | J.F. Dumoulin | Bernier Crepeau Chrysler/Bellemare Dodge | 30 | 30 | Running | |
| 15 | 22 | 37 | Simon Dion-Viens * | Bestbuy Pièces d’auto/Zone Garage Dodge | 30 | 29 | Running | |
| 16 | 28 | 88 | Derek White | 99 Resto Bar Chevrolet | 30 | 28 | Running | |
| 17 | 24 | 29 | Ray Courtemanche Jr. | La Cité de Mirabel Inc./Blackshape Dodge | 30 | 27 | Running | |
| 18 | 26 | 56 | Matthew Scannell * | OMVIC./K&B Auto Service Dodge | 30 | 26 | Running | |
| 19 | 6 | 2 | Mark Dilley | Johnsonville/Leland/BDI Ford | 29 | 25 | Running | |
| 20 | 7 | 3 | Elie Arseneau | Circuit ICAR/Jiffy Lube Dodge | 28 | 24 | Running | |
| 21 | 23 | 71 | Patrice Brisebois | Jiffy Lube Dodge | 28 | 23 | Running | |
| 22 | 19 | 24 | Luc Lesage * | Sportchief Dodge | 28 | 22 | Running | |
| 23 | 21 | 97 | Hugo Vannini | VTI Motorsports Ford | 28 | 21 | Running | |
| 24 | 17 | 72 | Xavier Coupal * | Lou’s BBQ Dodge | 27 | 20 | Running | |
| 25 | 29 | 77 | Jocelyn Fecteau * | Octane 7.0 Dodge | 26 | 19 | Running | |
| 26 | 27 | 25 | Joey McColm | Espar Dodge | 19 | 18 | Running | |
| 27 | 16 | 76 | Jeff Lapcevich | Tim Hortons Dodge | 5 | 17 | Fuel Pump | |
| 28 | 2 | 99 | Marc-Antoine Camirand * | Flex-Sol/Guru Chevrolet | 3 | 16 | Rear End | |
| 29 | 25 | 28 | Jason White | Bowers & Wilkins Dodge | 1 | 15 | Accident |
Juan Pablo Montoya returns to victory lane in Pocono 400 fueled by Sonoco
For the first time since 2000, Juan Pablo Montoya would return to Verizon IndyCar Series victory lane after taking the lead with four laps to go when Tony Kanaan would have pit for fuel.
“First of all, I want to thank Verizon, IndyCar, PPG – everyone that supports this car,” Montoya commented in victory lane. “I want to thank Roger (Penske) for believing me. He believed I could do it and here we are and it’s awesome.”
Starting on pole for the race, Montoya stayed in the top-five throughout the whole race and put himself in a position to win when he passed Will Power for the lead with 34 laps to go. The pair made slight contact in the process, breaking a small piece off the left-side of the front wing.
“Just a little more understeer but you’re either going to do it, or do it and I had to do it as that was the winning move,” Montoya said.
Montoya then led till his green flag pit stop with 14 laps to go, returning to the lead when the cycle completed. It marks the 15th career victory for the Columbian.
“Patience was the key for me. You have to be patient,” he said. “Days just like this if you do everything right, it’ll come to you.”
For Roger Penske, he’d be treated to a one-two finish as Helio Castroneves came across the finish line in the second spot.
“It’s great for Juan,” Penske commented. “All three cars did well. It’s a great day for our sponsors. Its also a great day for points with RHR (Ryan Hunter-Reay) having problems.”
As a result of finishing second, Castroneves gained ground in the championship points, now tied with teammate Power for the lead.
“We made some changes and copied some of my teammates’ set-up and it worked,” Castroneves said.
Rookie Carlos Munoz finished third for Andretti Autosport, followed by Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Ryan Briscoe and Scott Dixon. Simon Pagenaud finished sixth, followed by Mikhail Aleshin, Josef Newgarden, Marco Andretti, Will Power and Tony Kanaan. Kanaan would lead the most laps throughout the day during the middle portion of the event.
Will Power had been in contention all day long throughout the race, however would have to serve a pass-thru penalty with 37 laps to go as a result of pulling a block on Castroneves down the frontstaightaway.
“I think that’s up to the officials,” Penske said of the call between his drivers. “Its obviously a shame for them. But these guys are racers and will battle hard.”
“I actually let him go. I went wide and touch the brakes,” Power commented. “I don’t know what to say. Another penalty, another day gone and the commentators probably gave me a good rep.”
“Well, that’s one thing about our team – there’s no team orders and we race hard and push for it,” Castroneves said. “I’m not the one to make the call for it. Obviously, we’re pushing hard and fighting for the championship and its not my call.”
The 400 mile race featured only one caution with 40 laps to go when Graham Rahal got into the wall. As a result, this race goes down as the third fastest IndyCar race in series history.
