The Final Word – Talladega, right on the corner of bitter and sweet street
There are things in life that just irritate a person. There are calls for me to worry about man-made global warming when I got snow falling outside in the month of May. There are three hours of television devoted to a two-minute horse race. There are entertaining races from Talladega, with big names leading, big names wrecking, only to have the thing won by Denny Hamlin. Then there are times when you write your column, forgot to save the stupid thing, only to dump out of the word processor to lose it all. Yes, I am an irritated man.
I am probably less irritated than, say, Tony Stewart. The only time we really saw his useless beast on Sunday was when it was on the hook being towed off the track after being mercifully taken out of action in 43rd place. Things are going better for me than they did for Brad Keselowski, who decided to squeeze into a place in front of Danica Patrick where there was no squeezing to be done to have his day ruined just 15 laps in. I wonder if Kurt Busch is happy, even though he had another less than stellar outing that ended like that of his boss. Finishing outside the Top 30 probably did not tickle the likes of Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, Matt Kenseth, or Jeff Gordon, all of whom did make some noise before the sound of mashing metal entered their ears.
Dale Earnhardt Jr is probably a touch peeved at being called in from the front to pit for fuel he did not need to wind up in the back in a position he could not return from. 26th was not what the script was supposed to read. Jimmie Johnson snapped loose early, and though he finished 23rd on the lead lap he was never a factor. He was one place behind Danica, who set a new gender standard at Talladega for her 22nd place result.
Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer had to have been disappointed. The pair were set for a big run on the final lap to try and catch Hamlin, who was running on fumes, when Justin Allgaier got messed up just as the white flag came out. With a chunk of his bumper left on the track, the caution had to come out before the lads could attempt to make their run for glory.
Yes, I am saving this version of my column as I go along. Why do you ask?
So, I am happy, at least happier than I was before the words on my screen disappeared and the bad words came flying out of my mouth. Maybe not as happy as Landon Cassill, as his unsponsored white Hillman Racing Chevy finished the day in 11th. Kyle Larson probably sports a sweeter disposition after the 21 year old was ninth to make it five Top-Tens in 10 starts. Definitely not as happy as the fans at Talladega were when Danica led early, briefly, or when Junior did the same later, and longer. I am guessing that Denny Hamlin is probably happier than me, not that this does anything to perk up my own mood. With his 24th win in his 300th start, and a place in the Chase all but reserved despite missing a race earlier this season, I doubt Denny really gives a damn as to my current state of happiness.
Kansas comes up this Saturday night, where Hamlin set the track record two years ago by wrapping up the day in just under three hours. Kenseth is happy there, having won two of the past three, while happy is something Harvick was after claiming the prize in the fall. Keselowski and Johnson split in 2011, and that should be cause for joy and even some hope. Meanwhile, this column is saved, and sent. Look at the big ole smile on this face.
1 (1) Joey Logano 2 wins, 305 points
2 (2) Kevin Harvick 2 wins, 258 points
3 (4) Kyle Busch 1 win, 343 points
4 (5) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 1 win, 328 points
5 (3) Carl Edwards 1 win, 328 points
6 (6) Brad Keselowski 1 win, 294 points
7 (16) Denny Hamlin 1 win, 292 points
8 (7) Kurt Busch 1 win, 196 points
9 (8) Jeff Gordon 347 points
10 (9) Matt Kenseth 344 points
11 (10) Jimmie Johnson 304 points
12 (13) Greg Biffle 300 points
13 (11) Ryan Newman 299 points
14 (12) Brian Vickers 297 points
15 (15) Kyle Larson 286 points
16 (14) Austin Dillon 281 points
17 (19) A.J. Allmendinger 279
18 (18) Marcos Ambrose 268
19 (21) Paul Menard 265
20 (22) Clint Bowyer 261
21 (23) Kasey Kahne 252
22 (17) Tony Stewart 244
23 (24) Casey Mears 244
24 (25) Aric Almirola 242
25 (20) Jamie McMurray 241
26 (26) Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. 218
27 (27) Martin Truex, Jr. 209 27
28 (28) Justin Allgaier 190
29 (29) Danica Patrick 176
30 (30) David Gilliland 152
Surprising and Not Surprising: Aaron’s 499 at Talladega
From the wild knock out qualifying that netted Brian Scott the pole position to the crazy green-white-checkered race finish, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the 45th annual Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Surprising: It is not often when two champions wreak such havoc in one race, even if it is on an unpredictable superspeedway. But both Brad Keselowski as well as Jimmie Johnson did just that, having uncharacteristically bad days that negatively impacted so many others in the field.
In fact Keselowski negatively impacted the field twice, once early on in the race while battling Danica Patrick for the lead and then later in the race causing a twelve car pileup that involved several other drivers, including the likes of past champions Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart.
“I just spun out in front of the whole field,” the driver of the white Miller Lite Deuce said. “I don’t know why, if I just busted my butt on my own or lost a tire, but I feel bad for everyone that got torn up.”
Johnson, after suffering his own damage from the first Keselowski incident, had almost the identical problem as Keselowski, spinning out at almost the same exact spot on the race track and catching others in his wake.
“I got caught up in the first wreck and that did some damage; and I don’t know what happened when I spun out,” the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/Valspar Chevrolet said. “I just went out in front of everybody. The car just got real loose going into Turn 3 and turned around and collected a bunch of guys, unfortunately.”
Keselowski finished the race in the 38th position while Johnson finished 23rd and remains winless.
Not Surprising: In his 300th start and at a superspeedway not a short track, Denny Hamlin made a statement and won his first race of the season, his first race at Talladega, and his first point’s race at a restrictor plate track. Hamlin also all but sealed up a Chase berth, after missing the Chase completely last season for the first time in his career.
“It feels good to be back in Victory Lane in a points-paying event,” the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota said. “We’ve come a long way. We couldn’t finish 22nd in superspeedway races for the longest time and now it seems like when we go, we know we have the knowledge and car that can win.”
“It feels good to come to these types of tracks and win.”
Surprising: Jeff Gordon surprisingly kept his point leads in spite of finishing 39th, as well as breaking his streak of 11 consecutive top-15 finishes. Gordon still leads by three points over Matt Kenseth, who came in just ahead of Gordon in the race, finishing 37th.
“Oh man, we had a great car,” the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet said. “I could see where the 2 came from the outside lane and came back down to the inside lane, or middle lane, then wiggled and got turned.”
“It was unfortunate what happened to him early, but more unfortunate what happened to many of us in that incident.”
Not Surprising: Whether they had a game plan in their heads or not, both Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer scored their best ever finishes of the 2014 season.
Biffle, behind the wheel of the No. 16 3M Window Film Ford, finished runner up after leading the most laps at 58. Bowyer, driving the No. 15 PEAK Antifreeze/Motor Oil Toyota, finished third, scoring his first top-5 finish of the season.
“I had a game plan in my head,” Biffle said. “On our speedway program, they did a great job getting the car ready. This was our Daytona 500 car and we wanted to get up there and run with the guys.”
“I don’t think you ever really have a game plan,” Bowyer said. “But I like the situation I saw with Biffle. You know he was going to pull out and make a move. I had my teammate right behind me and I was looking forward to that opportunity.”
“After last weekend, we blew three tires and burned the car to the ground,” Bowyer continued. “To get things turned around on a positive note, we finished Talladega without a crash.”
Biffle posted his sixth top-10 finish in 23 races and Bowyer posted his ninth top-10 finish at Talladega Superspeedway.
Surprising: Risk was not worth the reward for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who elected to ride in the rear in the waning laps to avoid the craziness of the finish. Although Junior led the second-most laps in the race, he finished 26th in his National Guard Chevrolet.
“We already got a win and like I said, I’ve been in too many late-race wrecks,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I didn’t want to be no part of it. And there were three or four there we dodged pretty good.”
“So, we’ve got a car in one piece,” Junior continued. “You have to have that track position at the end and we didn’t have it. We didn’t tear up our car and we will go to Daytona and try to manage the strategy.”
Not Surprising: Talladega makes for friendships formed on the fly and that is exactly what happened between AJ Allmendinger and Paul Menard, who finished fifth and sixth respectively.
“I really thought I had messed us up there and that last restart I’ve got to thank Paul Menard,” the driver of the No. 47 Bush’s Beans Chevrolet said. “He just kept shoving me all the way up through the inside of guys.”
“We had a really fast Richmond/Menards/Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Chevrolet all weekend,” Menard said. “It was really good at the end. On the last restart just pushed the hell out of AJ (Allmendinger) and wound up being okay.”
Surprising: Both David’s, Ragan (defending race winner) and Gilliland, who are traditionally good at plate racing, had a pretty rough day at the race track.
Gilliland’s engine gave way on his No. 38 Love’s Travel Stops Ford, while Ragan was involved in a very hard hit during one of the race’s many wrecks.
“I thought my car was good,” Gilliland said. “We got in that accident and I don’t know if the motor got a little warm when we opened up the duct work, but it just wasn’t our day.”
“It looked like someone got turned in the middle or the bottom lane and we were just kind of minding our own business up top and all I saw was some cars coming up toward us,” Ragan, behind the wheel of the No. 34 KFC Ford, said. “There was nothing you could do.”
“It’s just a shame that when somebody makes a mistake it takes out a bunch of race cars.”
Not Surprising: Young Kyle Larson was the highest finishing rookie…again, this time bringing his car home not only in one piece but in the ninth position. This was the fifth top-10 finish for the driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet and he sits in the 13th position in the point standings.
“I spent most of the day just — well, pretty much all day just trying not to make any spectacular moves to put myself in a bad spot to get in a wreck,” Larson said. “Just wanted to stay out of trouble. We’ve been making up a lot of points throughout the year after Daytona, and to come back to another superspeedway, I was really nervous.”
“Glad to get a good finish and stay up there in points.”
Surprising: Danica Patrick had one major complaint about her race at Talladega. The driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet was, well, just plain hot.
“It was a hot day here in Talladega,” Patrick said after finishing 22nd. “I dropped back to get some clean air. Heating was definitely an issue. It really limited me to the bottom lane.”
“I was getting hot a lot,” Patrick continued. “I think you saw that from a lot of cars.”
Not Surprising: There were many drivers that were not only happy to have ‘Dega in the rear view mirror but were also glad for a good, safe finish to the race.
“It was crazy, but everybody did a really good job,” Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford said. “The racing was pretty good. It was really intense, but safe I thought relative to what we’ve seen in the past.”
“I expected a few of the big wrecks and tried to avoid those and did exactly that,” Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 43 Gwaltney Ford said. “We didn’t end up on our roof, so it was a solid day and we’ll go on.”
NASCAR next visits Kansas Speedway for some Saturday night racing under the lights in the 5-Hour Energy 400 Benefiting Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
Bittersweet Outcome For Greg Biffle at Talladega Superspeedway
Greg Biffle reassured his presence in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series after finishing second in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday afternoon. However, he’s still scratching his head on what could have been had his crew advised him that there was debris spread across the start/finish line.
“When I got back around (to the frontstretch), I was wondering why nobody told me that there was half of a car laying in the track,” Biffle explained following the runner-up finish, “and that we probably weren’t going to race back so go ahead and try and pass (Denny Hamlin) now, but that’s a lot to happen in a short amount of time.”
Biffle, 43, was also baffled at the timing of NASCAR’s decision to throw the caution. He was led to believe once the machines roared through the first two corners that they’d be able to conclude the race under green flag conditions but obviously that wasn’t the result.
“We were about halfway down the back stretch I guess and I thought when I saw the smoke that (it) was (time) to make a decision to go or not, then I decided to wait,” Biffle further expressed. “I figured once we got in the middle of one and two (that) the caution wasn’t going to come out. I figured, okay, we’re good all the way back.”
He led a season-high 58 laps of the 188 scheduled after beginning the famed race in the 35th starting position, yet, he was still craving more, respectively.
“I just wish I was where (Hamlin) was on that final restart,” Biffle explained about the final few circuits. “But it was pretty satisfying to finish — once the outside lane got a push there towards the end and I got shuffled back to about third row and we were three wide, I was nervous that I wasn’t going to (finish). But I was extremely happy with second.”
Nevertheless, this becomes Biffle’s season-best finish, bettering his fifth place showing at Darlington Raceway last month, and an ideal time nonetheless.
“I mean, it’s sort of bittersweet for us,” Biffle added. “We’ve run a little bit better in the last couple weeks, and I wasn’t sure how we were going to run here. I was extremely happy with the speed my car had on Friday and then today all day. We’ve still got some work to do, but it sure would have been nice to get a win toward the Chase, but we’ve got some great racetracks coming up, as well. It would have been nice (though).”
Now, Biffle heads to Kansas Speedway, a track he’s scored triumphs at on two prior occasions and this time, due to the Chase format, he’s willing to risk everything to visit victory lane.
“I’d be super excited to win there to start with, but to be a guy to win — first guy to win three (at Kansas) would be pretty neat,” Biffle expressed about Kansas next weekend. “I love that racetrack. It’s a lot of fun to race on, puts on a good race.”
Biffle will continue seeking a victory and eventual Chase berth, and now, after a runner-up finish, momentum and confidence could prove to be a ‘funny thing’ in upcoming races for the former NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series champion.
Wreck Ruins Strong Talladega Run for Bayne, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team
“We had a fast car and led some laps,” Wood said. “We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Wreck Ruins Strong Talladega Run for Bayne, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team
May 4, 2014
Trevor Bayne and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team have become known for their speed in restrictor-plate races at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, and Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega was no exception.
Bayne backed up his chart-topping performance in the final Happy Hour practice by taking the No. 21 Ford Fusion to the front of the pack and running there for most of Sunday’s race.
He could move through the field with apparent ease, coming from the back of the pack to the lead group in just a few laps on several occasions. He ran in the top 10 for much of the mid-portion of the race and led six laps, from Lap 113-118.
As the laps began to wind down, he was poised to contend for the win before being collected in a multi-car crash off turn four on Lap 137 of 188. His Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion was too damaged to continue, and Bayne was credited with a 41st-place finish.
For team co-owner Len Wood, the positives of the day helped soothe the disappointment of a wrecked race car and a lost chance to race for a victory.
“We had a fast car and led some laps,” Wood said. “We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. When Brad Keselowski got loose, Trevor was right behind him and had no place to go.”
Wood said that given a choice he’d rather see his driver wreck while running in the lead group than be swept up in a crash while riding at the back waiting to make a move at the end of the race.
“At least this way, you know what you had,” he said.
Wood also was encouraged by the performance of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane crew, which put on a solid performance, from strategy calls by crew chief Donnie Wingo to the pit stops by the over-the-wall team members.
“It was the best day they’ve had all year,” he said, adding that a strong day at Talladega gives them momentum heading into the team’s next race, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day weekend.
The Motorcraft/Quick Lane team won’t be running on All-Star weekend, but with the cooperative effort among the Ford race teams, Wood expects his team to have all the data needed to tune the No. 21 Ford Fusion for the 600.
“We’ll consult with our engineering teammates after the All-Star race, and that will help us decide where to start for the 600,” he said.
Then there’s the matter of building another fast superspeedway Ford Fusion before the next restrictor-plate race at Daytona International Speedway on July 5.
“We’ve had two wiped out this year,” Wood said, referring to an earlier crash in the Daytona 500. “We’ll just build another one.”
