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Gene Hass’ Formula One Team Beginning To Form; Still Far From Announcing Driver

By
SM Staff
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Credit: Getty Images

Gene Haas is determined and striving to create the first successful United States-based Formula One organization – and on Monday afternoon during a press conference he expressed the lengths he’d take to prove critics wrong.

“There’s going to be a lot of people following us from that skepticism to see if, ‘these guys are going to fail or not?’” Haas commented. “I’m sure that most people are betting that we do fail.

“That is why it is going to be successful because if we don’t fail, then we have done something other people haven’t.”

Haas, who’s a part-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), received approval of his request to form a Formula One team this past week. The, what most people consider outrageous, decision comes during a time period in which F1 is dominated by European franchises, not Americans, however, Haas is the least concerned about that.

“We’re not going to be an European-led team.” Haas explained during the conference.  “We’re going to be an American-led team, and we’re going to do it the way we think is the most efficient.”

“We’re going to spend our money wisely, we’re going to do it with an American flair for design and efficiencies, and that’s how we’re going to control our costs.”

Haas, 61, explained that Tony Stewart, part-owner of SHR, will have no involvement in the team, now named, Hass Formula. He also eluded that it’s unlikely any SHR drivers will join the newly introduced team.

“What we would like would be to have an experienced Formula One driver, probably someone who is familiar with the current engine package rules (because) they change quite a bit even from last year,” Haas further explained about the driver situation. “Going forward, we certainly would like to have a young American driver. That would be the ideal situation.

“But at the moment, we haven’t really narrowed it down. We have had quite a few people talk to us.”

Guenther Steiner, former Formula One team executive, will be the new team principle for Haas – and the offices and shop will be orchestrated in Kannapolis, North Carolina, around SHR’s location.

Haas’ team will be required, by the FIA, to compete in at least two seasons, and will be expected to compete until the 2020 season.

The debut of the team is unknown, however, Haas believes it’ll be a challenge to have the full setup by 2015, but he didn’t rule it out.

“I would like to (be racing by) 2015 simply because I think the first year is going to be a difficult year no matter what happens,” Haas said. “It is a very big challenge. Part of that learning curve is just simply getting to the track and sorting out the logistics of going race to race.

Haas, owner of the multi-million dollar company Haas Automation, isn’t concerned necessarily with the cost of beginning the operation; he’s actually hoping to reveal his company worldwide, not just locally in the United States.

“Every week it goes up by another billion,” Haas said. “We have a budget and there’s a lot of unknowns in it. … The numbers I’ve seen are reasonable.”

“My basic goal is to change Haas Automation from just a machine tool builder into a premium brand,” Haas said. “I think Formula One can provide that, especially in the overseas markets. There are a lot of fans from China to South America to Europe to Eastern Europe to Japan to Malaysia that we really want to become a household name in.”

“That really is the ultimate goal, to take the image of Haas Automation and turn it into a brand that is desired and known throughout the world. The ultimate goal would be to double our sales for Haas Automation.”

Haas is obviously imagining limitless goals for his team, and he’s hoping to silence doubters by becoming a well-run, and long lasting, American Formula One team.

“I think we can beat the Europeans at their own game.”

Elliott Sadler and the OneMain Financial Team Focus on Green in April

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SM Archive
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Mike Conway scores second Grand Prix of Long Beach victory

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Sal Sigala Jr.

In the midst of wrecks and fuel strategy, it was Mike Conway putting the perfect race together as he was able to put Ed Carpenter Racing back in victory lane in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. It marks Conway’s second victory in Long Beach and his third career win in the Verizon IndyCar Series.

“I can’t believe it,” Conway commented in victory lane. “Wow. Awesome job by the team. We weren’t sure what we had but we hung in there and it just seemed to come to us. I can’t believe it. 2-time Long Beach winner. It’s great to be back here.”

For car owner Ed Carpenter, it marks his second win as a car owner and his first since 2012 when he went to victory lane as an owner-driver in the season finale at Auto Club Speedway. Carpenter made the decision this season to only run the ovals while hiring Conway to run the street/road courses.

“You never know. you just got to push as hard as you can all the way to the end,” Conway added. “I just knew that I had to keep it clean and keep out of trouble.”

When the race started, pole sitter Ryan Hunter-Reay made it clear that he’d be the one to beat as he led early and kept a fair gap over second. Hunter-Reay would come down pit road with teammate James Hinchclife for the final pit stop with 26 laps to go. Josef Newgarden inherited the lead, pitting a lap later. As Newgarden came off pit road on cold tires, Hunter-Reay and Hichcliffe would quickly close up on his bumper.

As they headed into turn four, Hunter-Reay went to the inside of Newgarden when contact took place, resulting in both drivers wrecking.

“It’s racing – but what do you do when it’s your corner?” Newgarden’s car owner Sarah Fisher commented. “I think we need to making things clean from here on out. I’m just proud of this team and all their work. Josef is a helluva driver and I stand behind my drier 100%.”

“I was on cold tires. It’s very hard to control the car. I knew Ryan was on hot and would get by me,” Newgarden commented. “I just didn’t expect anyone to try and make a pass into four. You don’t really want to make a pass there with how tight that corner is. I tried to give him room, but perhaps he got in there a little hot. That shouldn’t happen up front. That’s not how it supposed to be.”

Michael Andretti noted that Hunter-Reay should’ve been a little more patient.

“I knew he was on cold tires through turn one and through turn three, he had some wheel spin,” Hunter-Reay explained. “I started to go to the inside then – half-car up a side of him and he just closed the door. I could’ve been more patient. We all could’ve given each other more room. I made the decision to go for it and that’s the type of driver I am – I go for it. I got others involved that I didn’t need to get involved – that’s what I feel bad about. You don’t know how down I am about sitting here talking.”

Hinchcliffe, being right on Hunter-Reay’s tail, was unable to miss the wreck and also was collected. It marks Hinchcliffe’s second straight poor finish after suffering mechanical issues in St. Petersburg. The Canadian had his wrist wrapped up post-incident, stating that he probably sprained it.

“I guess at the end of the day, patience is a virtue and someone wasn’t virtuous,” Hinchcliffe said. “It was a rookie movie. I feel bad for Josef, feel bad for Tony and it cost us big here as a team.”

The track was then blocked, collecting last year’s race winner Takuma Sato, Tony Kanaan and rookie Jack Hawksworth. Helio Castroneves also caught a piece of the wreck.

“I was on cold tires coming out of the pits, the guys did a great job on the stop,” Kanaan said. “We were all hit it – Sato hit it, the 98 car was close behind me and pushed me a little into it. Whoever made that move – it was a dumb move.”

Scott Dixon and Justin Wilson would inherit the lead having not pitted, while Will Power was the first to escape the wreck followed by Conway and Carlos Munoz.

“Luckily, Lee was on the radio down at the end and told me to stay right and I was able to sneak through there,” Conway said.

“I saw Hunter-Reay go to inside and it being there and Josef was on cold tires, I knew something was going to happen so I just stayed off them there,” Power commented.

The restart would come with 16 laps to go with Wilson looking for the lead on Dixon. There’d be contact between them resulting in Wilson getting into the wall.

“Sorry to Justin Wilson. I didn’t see him out there and wasn’t expecting him on the outside,” Dixon apologized post-race.

The race would stay green, though, till 13 laps to go when Graham Rahal would go for a spin. Rahal struggled throughout the weekend with trying to find speed.

The race restarted with 10 laps to go with Dixon getting a good jump over Conway and Power. Dixon would lead till two laps to go when he had to duck down pit road for some fuel, handing hte lead over to Conway. Conway then led the final two laps on his way to victory.

Will Power posted a second place finish following his win at St. Petersburg to extend his points lead to 27 points aheead of Mike Conway, 33 points ahead of Simon Pagenaud. Power struggled early on after qualifying 14th before making his way up to the top five in the second half.

Power did have some questionable contact with Pagenaud on lap 32 which resulted in Pagenaud getting into the tire barrier. Pagenaud was able to come back for a fifth place finish.

“I’m really sorry about what happened,” Power apologized post-race. “I thought he had a problem as he was going slow and went to his inside. I didn’t mean to get in there – my bad. I’m surprised I didn’t get to a penalty.”

“I think it’s pretty clear what happened,” Pagenaud commented. “I hate to complain to be honest – when you whine about people taking you out, you don’t take other people out. We had a really good car and he ruined our day.”

Rookie Carlos Munoz finished off the podium with his second career IndyCar podium.

“It was a really good race,” Munoz commented. “Really happy for the third place. Those last laps we were close to each other. I’m really happy to finish third. i have to thank my crew for their effort.”

After struggling two weeks ago, Juan Pablo Montoya put together a solid race on his way to finishing fourth.

“I paid the price in St. Pete and learned my lesson,” Montoya said. “Here, I was careful and had a good solid day.”

Pagenaud finished fifth, followed by rookie Mikhail Aleshin, Oriol Servia, Marco Andretti, Sebastain Saavedra, and rookie Carlos Huertas. Helio Castroneves finished 11th after serving a penalty late for jumping the start, followed by Scott Dixon.

“We were only a half lap short and the last thing I wanted to do was run out of fuel infront of the whole field,” Dixon commented. “We just had a messy day. we tried to stay out to try and jump some cars and it caught us out there.”

Dixon was the highest Ganassi car today as Kanaan got caught up in the wreck while Charlie Kimball suffered engine issues and Ryan Briscoe suffered electrical issues.

“The engine was losing power in the bottom end,” Briscoe commented.”We made a stop and changed electrical boxes and that didn’t fix it.”

Graham Rahal finished 13th, followed by Sebastian Bourdias. Bourdias was one of the quickest cars in practice, though suffered a pair of incidents after getting into the tire barrier.

Following a pair of dramatic weekends to start the season off, the drivers will get a weekend off before heading to Barber Motorsports Park.

 

Verizon IndyCar Series

Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Results Sunday of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Verizon IndyCar Series event on the 1.968-mile Streets of Long Beach circuit, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

 

1. (17) Mike Conway, Dallara-Chevy, 80, Running

2. (14) Will Power, Dallara-Chevy, 80, Running

3. (11) Carlos Munoz, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running

4. (16) Juan Pablo Montoya, Dallara-Chevy, 80, Running

5. (6) Simon Pagenaud, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running

6. (20) Mikhail Aleshin, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running

7. (12) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running

8. (8) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running

9. (22) Sebastian Saavedra, Dallara-Chevy, 80, Running

10. (21) Carlos Huertas, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running

11. (9) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Chevy, 80, Running

12. (7) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Chevy, 80, Running

13. (23) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 79, Running

14. (3) Sebastien Bourdais, Dallara-Chevy, 77, Running

15. (5) Jack Hawksworth, Dallara-Honda, 77, Running

16. (10) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 64, Contact

17. (18) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Chevy, 60, Running

18. (13) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Chevy, 55, Contact

19. (4) Josef Newgarden, Dallara-Honda, 55, Contact

20. (1) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 55, Contact

21. (2) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Honda, 55, Contact

22. (15) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 55, Contact

23. (19) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Chevy, 41, Off Course

 

Race Statistics

Winners average speed: 82.362

Time of Race: 01:54:41.6418

Margin of victory: 0.9005 of a second

Cautions: 4 for 18 laps

Lead changes: 6 among 5 drivers

 

Lap Leaders: Hunter-Reay 1-26, Dixon 27-28, Hunter-Reay 29-53, Newgarden 54, Saavedra 55-57, Dixon 58-77, Conway 78-80.

 

Point Standings: Power 93,  Conway 66, Pagenaud 60, Castroneves 55, Hunter-Reay 53, Dixon 51, Munoz 48, Montoya 47, Aleshin 46, Saavedra 42.

Spend Race Day from the Eyes of a NASCAR Pit Crew Member at Richmond International Raceway

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SM Archive
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Darlington Raceway Rewind

By
Angie Campbell
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There’s nothing like a weekend at Darlington Raceway to remind you why you love racing. The excitement begins to build as you drive through the tunnel. As you step out of your car and gaze out at the grandstands, your mind begins to fill with the memories of all that has gone before and the anticipation of things to come.

Will a first time winner be crowned? Will records be broken? Whose dreams will come true and whose hopes will be crushed?

A look back at some of the highlights from another historic racing weekend at Darlington:

Nationwide Series:

Kyle Busch scored his 37th career Nationwide Series pole and with 65 wins in the series was a serious contender for the win in the VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 race. But the “Lady in Black had other plans and he had to settle for a fourth place finish.”

Chase Elliott made it look easy Friday night winning in his first start at Darlington. He also etched his name in the record books becoming:

  • The youngest driver to win two NASCAR Nationwide Series races at 18 years, 4 months and 14 days.
  • The youngest driver to win a Nationwide Series race at Darlington
  • The youngest driver to lead the series point standings.
  • The fourth driver to win in his first start at Darlington. Johnny Mantz did so in 1950, Herb Thomas in 1951 and Dick Rathmann in 1952.

He now has two wins in only seven starts in the series but if you listen to team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. the best is yet to come.

“He has amazing car control. We saw that on several occasions out there tonight.” Earnhardt continued saying, “He’s got a great level head, good character and nothing really rattles him. So when it came down to the end there and it was time to really get after it, he kept his composure and did what he needed to do to make it work. That’s going to be tough to contend with for many years. I’d like to think that we’re going to hang on to him for a little bit and try to get him ready for the next level but he’s ahead of schedule.”

Sprint Cup:

Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson gave the crowd an electrifying finish at the Bojangles’ Southern 500 Saturday night as Harvick grabbed his second victory of the season in a green-white-checkered finish. He became the first driver to capture two wins this season which virtually assures him a place in the Sprint Cup Chase.

Harvick waxed poetic as he talked about the allure of Darlington.

“You’ve got to love it, gray racetracks”, he said. “You can almost see the sparkle of the rocks coming out in the asphalt. That’s so exciting. Maybe we need to spread the South Carolina sand on Kansas and Charlotte and all these other racetracks that haven’t aged as fast as this one. When you start to see that gray and you start to see the seams and you can see the sparkle of the small rocks in the asphalt, it just makes it fun. Darlington is what it was supposed to be tonight, the cars slipping and sliding and bouncing off the walls and hard to drive something, I don’t know.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second for the third time this season and Jimmie Johnson saw another race win slip away.

Earnhardt was clearly disappointed that he came up short but proud of the effort.

“It’s a little disappointing,” he admitted, “to come that close because I know I don’t really run that well here and the opportunities to win are going to be very few compared to other tracks. It hurts a little bit to come that close because we worked so hard to try to win races. Running second is great but nobody is going to really remember that. But we’re proud of it. ”

Johnson said that moving forward, their efforts would be focused on “unloading closer.” He explained, “We seem to find a way come race time to get a good finish and honestly have a shot to win some races. But showing up at the track a little bit closer is key for us. We’re really just trying to get a grasp on these rules, and we go home with what we’ve learned from a previous race, bring a new mousetrap, and unfortunately we’ve had to continue to work on it each week. That’s really our goal is to show up closer.”

2015 and Beyond:

Darlington Raceway continues to cement its place in NASCAR history and promises to deliver more with plans to “honor the track’s history and shape its future.”

As part of the celebration, Bill and Chase Elliott were introduced Saturday as the “face” of the program. Track president Chip Wile, along with Bill and Chase, talked about future plans which will include a retro ticket design for the 2015 Bojangles’ Southern 500 and a Classic merchandise product line that will focus on previous decades and will be available for purchase.

Wile encouraged fans to share their stories saying “We have the most passionate, loyal fans in all of motorsports and we look forward to the role they will play as we celebrate our past, present and future.”

If you have a story to share or an idea on how to celebrate the history of Darlington and NASCAR, you can send an Email to mailto:darlington1950@darlingtonraceway.com.

As I left the track and made my way home, my only regret was that it would be another year before I could reunite with old friends and make new memories together at “The Track Too Tough To Tame.”

Todd Gilliland Scores Pair of Late Model Runner Up Finishes at Ace Speedway

By
SM Staff
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Third generation racer Todd Gilliland, son of David Gilliland and grandson of Butch Gilliland, got back to racing for the season at Ace Speedway, where he finished second in his late-model stock car (LMSC) debut and also in the 40-lap Limited Late Model race later that same evening.

“I raced in two classes, Late Model and Limited Late Model, and finished second in both,” the thirteen year old said. “I was happy, especially for my first race of the season.”

“Of course I wanted to win though,” the driver of the No. 98 Ford said, just a bit dejectedly.

The youngster had to battle mightily for his second place finish in the 75-lap LMSC race on the 4/10 mile track, starting in the eighth spot but dropping back to the 14th position early in the race.  Once he got his bearings, however, be began his march up to the front and by halfway through the race, he returned to the top-10.

He then went on to run his second race and in that 40-lapper, again scored a second place, runner up finish.

“I’m really happy with how I did,” Gilliland said. “In the first race, I was mad that I fell back so far, but my car was really fast so I was able to get back up to the front pretty good.”

“I’m just really thankful for all the help my mom and dad and Chris (Chris Lawson, crew chief) have given me.”

“This is what I really want to do and it’s been awesome.”

Todd Gilliland does indeed look to his family for his racing support, particularly when it comes to working on his car.  The eighth grader spends every minute possible working in the shop, which is located right at their home in North Carolina.

“I try to do as much work on the car as I can,” Gilliland said. “I’m still learning about all that stuff.”

“We got a new crew chief Chris Lawson and a bunch of guys helping on the car like my dad.”

“I’m learning how to do everything just like my dad does,” Gilliland continued. “I get under there and help and learn how to do it.”

“My favorite part is body stuff,” Gilliland said. “You always want to try to make it look nice. It’s fun to work with the metal.”

“You can pick all the colors,” Gilliland continued. “Our car is black because, I don’t know, I like black. Some people like the bright colors but not me.”

The youngest Gilliland celebrated his two runner up finishes with a relaxing weekend, watching his dad battle the ‘Track Too Tough to Tame’ at Darlington. His next race is in two weeks where he will return to Ace Speedway to yet again race those late models.

Until then, Gilliland is looking forward to spring break from school as he and his family have special plans.

“Spring break is in two weeks,” Gilliland said. “We’re going to Turks and Kakos. We’ve been there three or four times.”

“We stay at Beaches and go surfing, snorkeling and sometimes we just relax by the pool,” Gilliland continued. “I’m looking forward to that for sure.”

While Gilliland has no fear whatsoever at the track, he is just slightly worried about one event that is coming up in his young life.

“School gets out like June 10th or something and I will go to high school next year when I graduate from eighth grade,” Gilliland said. “I’m a little bit nervous about high school, but I was nervous about middle school too and I loved it.”

In addition to school, Gilliland is also busy drumming up support for his race team. He is grateful to several local companies, including Norfleet Developments, Country Chevrolet, Eibach Springs, Performance Racing Warehouse and Gear Tech that help out but he, like every other racer, is in search of sponsors.

“I’m out there looking,” Gilliland said. “I think they should come and work with me.”

And without a doubt, Gilliland’s finishes, including three consecutive runner-up finishes in his stock car career and a second place finish in a Limited Late Model race at Myrtle Beach Speedway last November, should definitely be attractive to some interested sponsor looking to bring a young talent to light.

But for now, the youngster is just looking ahead to Spring Break and finishing the school year as he continues to learn and grow as a racer, following in his family’s footsteps toward the checkered flag.

For more information about this young up-and-coming racer, follow him on Twitter @ToddGilliland or visit his website at www.ToddGilliland.com.

 

 

Why We Shouldn’t Rush Chase Elliott

By
Joseph Shelton
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Photo Credit: David Yeazell

Considering Chase Elliott’s run at Texas followed by his win at Darlington the next week, it would be so easy and so tempting to put him in a Sprint Cup car after the conclusion of the 2014 Nationwide season.

It would also be a mistake.

Elliott is a rarity in the garage. Sure, he’s descended from NASCAR greatness in the form of two-time Daytona 500 and 1988 Winston Cup champion Bill Elliott. Like the elder Elliott, Chase isn’t loud or flashy but rather quiet and introspective. Like the elder Elliott, Chase has a good head on his shoulders, and would rather drive the wheels off the race car than anything else.

Yet he is also the type of driver that is rarely seen not only in NASCAR but in any form of motorsport, no less. He came into the Nationwide Series like he did into his limited Camping World Truck Series campaign, with limited knowledge and experience. Yet in 2013 he won an ARCA event at Pocono and a CWTS event at Bowmanville. This season in the Nationwide Series, he’s got two wins, three top-fives and six top-10s in seven starts.

Seven starts in the Nationwide Series, a true Rookie of the Year contender in a blue No. 9 Camaro owned by JR Motorsports, and he’s the points leader.

He’s a rookie, and there is a chance that he might relinquish that lead, but the way he’s driving that might be easier said than done. He’s a plausible title threat in 2014. If it happens, the stands at Homestead may come crashing down in celebration for the popular driver.

Photo Credit: Fred Blood
Photo Credit: Fred Blood

However, there is a chance that if he goes straight to Cup he could flounder, and with someone of Elliott’s caliber that’s a chance that cannot be taken.

Sprint Cup and Nationwide may not be all that different, but they are different. Take the plight of Kyle Larson. He’s been doing a splendid job on the Sprint Cup side of things, and although he has had his struggles, he’s looking good in the RotY fight.

But on the Nationwide side of things he has been a contender for the win week after week, and even won at Fontana earlier this year. It was a win many expected would happen soon, and to see it happen in the fashion that only Larson could deliver was par for the course.

But while Larson is talented and capable of winning races in any series, he’s been put through a bit of a wringer in Cup. It took until Bristol for a top-10 to take place, and he still seems to be trying to grasp footing despite posting a couple of top-fives at Fontana and Texas.

Elliott is not only talented, he is a prodigy. Anyone who doubts that would do good to watch the final restart at Darlington on Friday. He drove aggressively, but with the finesse of a 10-year veteran in those Nationwide cars. He kept his nose clean in a difficult situation at a difficult track, and that’s something that is unheard of in 18-year-old race car drivers.

There is no doubt he’ll be an unstoppable force in the Sprint Cup Series, and he’ll give the crowd their fill of thrills during the race. But there is always room for improvement, and as time goes on this season he’ll become acquainted with those weak points, and with not one but two seasons in the Nationwide Series, he’ll be the best rookie driver in the Sprint Cup Series since Denny Hamlin in 2006.

Photo Credit: David Yeazell
Photo Credit: David Yeazell

It would be rough to see him struggle in the Sprint Cup Series after such a spectacular Nationwide rookie campaign (so far). Besides, great race car drivers tend to age like a fine wine, and Elliott can only get better as the years go by. He’ll win titles if he stays a little longer after this season in the Nationwide Series, but if he moves to the Sprint Cup Series too early after this season he’ll struggle a bit before he finds success.

For someone like Elliott it would be a morale killer, and as young as Elliott is that’s a risk that just isn’t worth it. Don’t rush Elliott if he does well this season. Let him grow and mature before he takes to Cup like his father.

Surprising and Not Surprising: Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington

By
SM Staff
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As the blinding sun faded into darkness, drivers danced with the lady in black at one of the toughest tracks on the circuit. Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 65th annual Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

Surprising:  Perhaps it was the full moon or the sheer intensity of the competition, but there was a surprising amount of testiness, more so than at another of the other tracks to date, between drivers and even between drivers and crew chiefs.

At one point, Aric Almirola and Danica Patrick were trading paint, as well as Austin Dillon and A.J. Allmendinger, the latter calling the young Dillon rookie a ‘punk’. There was also some testiness between the normally solid duo of six-time champ Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus during some of their radio chatter.

Probably the biggest incident of the race occurred in the last few laps between Kurt Busch, who was running ninth in the first attempt at the green-white-checkered, and Clint Bowyer, who made contact with him when the green flag flew.

The contact was so severe that Busch was unable to complete the race, finishing 31st in his No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet. Bowyer, on the other hand, finished 12th in his No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota.

“That was a terrible way to end what could have been a decent night,” Busch said. “We struggled at times to get the balance of the Haas Automation Chevrolet right, but we kind of found our spot just past the halfway point and made slight adjustments the rest of the way.”

“I tried to hold them off the best I could, but someone moved me out of their way and it ruined our night,” Busch said of the restart. “I hate it for the team, but we keep learning each week and we will get better.”

Although Busch has a win, he lost one position in the point standings, falling to 26th, 164 points behind the leader. Bowyer, who is winless, climbed one spot up in the point standings to 16th, 78 points behind the leader.

Not Surprising:  In spite of the challenges, several personal bests were achieved by race winner Kevin Harvick, who by far had the stoutest car, leading 239 laps of the 374 total. This was Harvick’s first ever Southern 500 win, adding to his other crown jewel race wins, from the Daytona 500 to the Coca Cola 600 and the Brickyard.

This was Harvick’s 25th victory in the Sprint Cup Series and he also became the first two-time winner of the season, virtually guaranteeing him a spot in the Chase for the championship.

The driver of the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing also became the first driver to win from pole position since Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett did so in 1997.

“This is one race I told Rodney (Childers, crew chief) that I wanted to win,” Harvick said. “We were able to put it all together, but this is the Southern 500, this is as big as it gets in NASCAR racing.”

Surprising:  There were several surprising bounces that occurred at the ‘Track Too Tough to Tame.’ Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a surprising bounce back to score his career best, runner up finish at Darlington after finishing dead last at Texas last weekend with the mistake in the grass.

“A great run, good job by my team,” the driver of the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet said. “This isn’t one of my best tracks so my team gave me a great car.”

This was Junior’s ninth top-10 finish at Darlington and his fifth top-10 finish of the season.

On the flip side, Paul Menard took a surprisingly hard bounce backwards, dropping eight positions in the points, from 10th to 18th, after finishing 41st in his No. 27 CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet.

“When the sun went down, I think it freed up,” Menard said after hitting the wall on Lap 201. “I hit the wall like ten laps before and I guess the right-front tire just went down.”

“I guess I was in denial,” Menard continued. “There was a lot of damage.”

Not Surprising:  Rookie of the Year contender Kyle Larson continued to impress with his eighth place finish in a backup car to become the highest finishing rookie of the race.

“Yeah, just really proud of my Target Chip Ganassi team for how hard they had to work after I got into the wall and pulled the backup car out,” Larson said. “I started the race off so loose and just had to hang on for a couple runs and Shine got the car tightened up the car for me and we were able to run I thought top‑10 or ‑12 speeds.”

“Finally got up there and then I got in the wall a couple times and had to pull the fenders back out and drive back up there,” Larson continued. “Still ended up 8th, but all in all it was a good Saturday for us.”

Surprising: Six-time champion Jimmie Johnson surprisingly called on the old school racing gods to round out the podium finish for Team Chevy.

“Yeah, just very happy to finish there in the top three,” the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Kobalt Tools Chevrolet said. “We struggled the first run or two of the race, but we got the car turning for me and came to life and really did it the old‑fashioned way and kind of drove up through the field before the last pit stop, so proud of the hard work.”

Although he remains winless to date, this was Johnson’s fifth top 10 finish of the season and his 12th top-10 finish in 16 races at Darlington Raceway.

Not Surprising:  Even champions make mistake as demonstrated by the difficulties in restarting by four-time champion Jeff Gordon pretty much throughout the race.

“We had a really strong car and everything was going really well,” the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet said. “There towards the end, we just kind of started fading and got ate up on those restarts.”

Gordon finished seventh and is still in the points lead, albeit by one point over Matt Kenseth.

“I feel like it is a missed opportunity,” Gordon said. “But another great race car and I’m happy about that.”

Surprising:  Team Penske had a surprisingly tough time under the watchful eye of the ‘Lady in Black’, with Keselowski finishing 17th and Logano finishing 35th.

“It was a long night,” the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford said. “We didn’t get the finish we wanted, that is for sure.”

“The track was slick so that is part of the unique challenge of Darlington that we all love.”

While Keselowski admitted to getting pushed back by those struggling on restarts, teammate Logano instead had a mechanical failure with just ten laps to go.

“We had an issue with the right front hub which broke,” the driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford said. “It is unfortunate that the right front hub broke and then that messed with the rotor and into the caliper and everything got hot and broke after that.”

“It sucks because you run the whole race and get nothing to show for it at the end.”

Not Surprising:   With the third best driver rating of 107.5 coming into Darlington Raceway, it was not surprising the Greg Biffle, behind the wheel of the No. 16 3M/Red Cross Ford, was the highest finishing Ford when the checkered flag waved.

“We worked really hard all night and probably didn’t have a fifth place car but we worked really hard on it and we had good pit stops and track position was everything tonight,” Biffle said. “Those last restarts we were on the outside, the inside and then the outside and we picked up one or two spots there at the end.”

“Everybody worked hard and we will keep working on our car. We have to get better here but we will keep working at it.”

Surprising:  NASCAR actually made a surprising move, granting an extra set of Goodyear tires for the Bojangles’ Southern 500. The sanctioning body apparently made that move after many teams voiced concerns about running out of tires, given the fall-off and wear.

Not Surprising:  No doubt all of the Cup drivers are looking forward to an off-weekend of rest but Richard Petty Motorsports driver Marcos Ambrose summed it up best.

“From the first lap, the track was as slick as anything,” the driver of the No. 9 DeWalt Ford said after finishing 14th. “This is the most worn out I have been in my NASCAR career.”

After the Easter break, the NASCAR elite return to action in two weeks under the lights for some short-track racing at Richmond International Raceway.

Ryan Hunter-Reay keeps positive momentum flowing with pole

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Sal Sigala Jr./SpeedwayMedia.com

Following a second place finish two weeks ago, Ryan Hunter-Reay came back strong this weekend in Long Beach as he won the pole for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Hunter-Reay had been close before, having qualified in the runner-up spot three times, though this marks his first pole on the 11-turn temporary street circuit, sixth career pole overall.

“It’s been frustrating as of late,” he noted of coming close before. “At Long Beach we’ve been on the outside pole by hundredths of a second, not tenths of a second, but hundredths.  So to finally get the pole here is very fulfilling.  The guys gave me a great car when I needed it.  What was most entertaining about the session though was the fact that it was anybody’s.  You didn’t really have a favorite.  It was anybody’s session, and you didn’t know who was going to put up that last lap.  So that’s why the competition at IndyCar right now is pretty ridiculous, actually.  It’s amazing.”

Hunter-Reay added that it’s tough to put that lap down as you’re trying to hit the throttle as soon as you can, but also fighting for grip.

“We’re on the edge, so I smacked the wall earlier today in practice,” he continued. “Luckily it was flat.  It was a flat hit, a pretty broad hit.  So it hit the front and the rear at the same time.  It didn’t bend anything, but it’s easy to do for sure.

“On a street circuit, you’re dealing with inches, not feet.  If you make a mistake by a couple inches, it means a toe length and you’re in.”

With five different teams in the Firestone Fast Six and both top teams Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing not being included, Hunter-Reay’s sentiment for the weekend is playing true – expect the unexpected.

“There is just so much that this race has,” he commented. “It’s different race strategy, it’s different fuel strategy, tire strategies.  You’ll see guys on the Black Firestones and on the Reds at different times in the race.

“It’s a standing start now.  That’s all about the standing start the key there is all about like the first 20 or 30 feet off the box is where you get the most traction.  Whoever kind of times that just right will have a huge advantage.  So we’ll see how it goes.  It will be interesting.  But one thing’s for sure, it’s going to be a tough one with the competition the way it is.  Everybody’s so, so close right now.” 

While some people aren’t too thrilled about the standing start, Hunter-Reay doesn’t care what they do either way – just wish that they’d choose standing or rolling for all the races and stick with it.

“The switching back and forth I really don’t understand that,” he commented. “But I’m the driver of the car.  So they tell me how we’re going to start the race and I start it that way.  If the fans like the standing starts and that sells more tickets and gets more seats filled, then I’m all for it.”

Hunter-Reay says with the standing start, though, comes the challenge of trying to avoid the ca ahead of you if they don’t get going while you do as there’s not a lot of room.

“The one challenge with standing starts in IndyCar on street circuits is that let’s compare it to Formula 1 or something where they have a football field width, we have a swimming pool size width that we’re trying to avoid cars and make passes on,” he explained.

Marco Andretti qualifies eighth trying to rebound from St. Petersburg

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Sal Sigala Jr./SpeedwayMedia.com

After suffering a poor finish in the season opener at St. Petersburg two weeks ago, Marco Andretti is trying to rebound this weekend in Long Beach. So far this weekend, Andretti is off to a solid start as he qualified eighth for Sunday’s Toyota Grand Prix at Long Beach.

Andretti wasn’t as strong in practice as his teammates Ryan Hunter-Reay and James Hinchcliffe, which resulted in multiple adjustments before qualifying.

“We tried a new set up, so I was sort of still learning it in qualifying – which has been a trend for us,” Andretti commented post-qualifying. “We need to run the car that I’m going to qualifying during practice three so I know what I’m jumping in to qualify with. Today we could have run less fuel and made it in (the Firestone Fast Six). But it’s still 100% doable from eighth for the Snapple team.”

Andretti historically isn’t known for being strong on the street courses. However, Andretti spent the 2012-2013 off-season with a driver coach, learning how to become better and improve. It showed its hand last year as Andretti was better across the board. Andretti started 25th in last year’s event, though was able to work his way up to finish seventh overall. Certainly starting 17 spots better this year should help his chances at taking home the victory.

“This is on my wish list,” Andretti commented. “This is a big race for me, probably second to Indianapolis that I want to win.  My dad and I were talking about it on the way here how cool it would be to have three generations win at one track.  Definitely not pleased with my Long Beach record so far.”

Before last year, Andretti had a pair of finishes outside of the top 20 due to issues. If Andretti can keep his No. 25 Snapple Honda out of trouble and run some solid laps, though, there’s a solid chance that he could find himself on the podium – or at least in the top five.

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