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Doug Coby Wins Whelen Modified Race and Sets Sights on Repeat Championship

By
SM Staff
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In a race where the lead changes were frenetic, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Doug Coby, driver of the No. 52 Furnace & Duct Supply/Seekonk Grand Prix Chevrolet, made the pass when it counted most and took the checkered flag in the Town Fair 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Although the reigning champ, this was Coby’s first win of the season, his second New Hampshire victory and his eighth career Modified Tour Victory. And after sitting out the last race at Riverhead Raceway due to a qualifying wreck, he is back in championship contention, hoping for a repeat performance.

“It’s really neat to be in Victory Lane here,” Coby said. “I’ve been really close a lot of times.”

Coby has most certainly done his homework on New Hampshire Motor Speedway, including trying to plot out the best strategy to get him into the winner’s circle.

“I’ve really studied the draft here and watched a lot of video when I missed a win or an opportunity to finish in the top-five,” Coby said. “It’s not going to happen all the time but I feel that I have a great understanding of where I need to be positioned at the end of the race.”

“And it’s just a matter if I can get there,” Coby continued. “Both wins, I wanted to be running second on the last lap because I think that’s the best place to be to get a win here.”

“It just so happens that we had a caution and we won last race in September here and I think the 3 and the 16 running side by side gave me an opportunity to start moving my car around and not giving them a chance to get a good draft on me,” Coby said. “There were about four lapped cars as well that I could use their air to pull me forward.”

“Then it was just crazy and chaotic because you’re listening to your spotter and looking everywhere and thinking to yourself, am I doing the right thing?” Coby continued. “I’m coming to the white flag and saying I’m not going to win this thing.”

“ So, just one of those deals where I don’t know how the heck it happens but you’re in.”

Coby’s victory was especially sweet after having wrecked out of the race at Riverhead the previous race weekend. The driver of the No. 52 actually had to sit on the sidelines and watch as he had no backup car available to him.

“We didn’t come here with Riverhead on our minds,” Coby said. “We came here with defending our race win at Loudon on our minds.”

“I knew in practice that we have every bit as good of a car that we had in September,” Coby continued. “So, that gave me a little extra confidence.”

Coby also hopes that his win, along with the Modifieds being on one of the biggest stages at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, will call more attention to the series. He said that the Whelen Tour has the best combination of drivers of all different ages and capabilities.

“Loudon’s still the biggest race on the schedule in terms of putting the Modifieds out in front of the public,” Coby said. “I hope when I win and get to do interviews, that it makes other people interested  in seeing the Modifieds and learning more about our drivers and the personalities that we have.”

“Teddy (Christopher) is in his 50’s, I’m in my 30’s and Ryan (Preece) is 22 and that’s who was battling for the win out there,” Coby said. “I think that says something about the skill level and our series and for Ryan, the maturity that he possesses and of course Ted, the knowledge that he has.”

“And I guess I’m somewhere in the middle.”

While Coby does have thoughts of the championship repeat on his mind, he acknowledged that he and his team have work to do to be able to truly compete.

“I think we have a way to go before I assess the championship fully,” Coby said. “I have to get through the August Bristol race.”

“If you’re anywhere in an arm’s length distance of the championship, then you still have a shot.”

Coby assessed the championship competition and shared his opinion that young driver Ryan Preece is the one to beat for that honor.

“Obviously the 16 team of Ryan Preece has it going on this year,” Coby said. “They changed a motor this week and he went out and led most of the second half of the race.”

“Ryan is the strongest competitor hands down,” Coby continued. “But there are eight of us out there really and it’s the same eight cars battling for the top spots.”

“For us, it’s a matter of getting back to where we’re at,” Coby said. “We won the championship last year for a reason and we’re in Loudon victory lane for a reason.”

“We’re coming back and we’re not going to let it be easy on anybody.”

Coby also gave a nod to another Ryan in the field, Cup competitor Ryan Newman, who finished fifth in his No. 7 Menards/Wix Filters Chevrolet.

“Ryan Newman did not time trial well but then Ryan Newman blew right by me before the break,” Coby said. “Obviously they have tremendous equipment and he is a Cup driver so he knows what he’s doing here.”

“It’s great to have him in our field,” Coby continued. “They take it very serious and want to win races.”

“And I’m sure they’re just as unhappy as every other Modified team that didn’t win today.”

Ted Christopher, veteran driver of the No. 3 Silver Dollar Construction/Cape Cod Copper Chevrolet, came in second and Ryan Preece, who was also making his debut in the Nationwide race, finished third in his No. 16 East West Marine/Diversified Metals Ford.

“Our cars usually do put on a show,” Christopher said. “Just came up a little short.”

“Really want to thank the guys for giving me a car capable to win here in a bunch of years,” Christopher continued. “The last cautions just brought everybody closer but it was the three of us at the end.”

“Anytime you have a day where you can take the car off the trailer, run up front and lead laps is a good day,” Preece said. “We had a head gasket that went in practice, so we had to swap motors.”

“For them to put that back up motor and time trial twelfth, I knew we had a good race car,” Preece continued. “We were fourth on that restart and then made our way up front in the top three.”

“It’s great to be a part of this team and I’m looking forward to running 200 laps in that Nationwide race.”

Andy Seuss and Ryan Newman rounded out the top five and Woody Pitkat, Eric Berndt, Chuck Hossfeld, Richie Pallai Jr., and Jamie Tomaino completed the top-10 finishers in the Town Fair Tire 100.

 

Matty’s Picks 2013 – Vol. 16 Camping World RV Sales 301 – New Hampshire Motor Speedway – July 14, 2013

By
SM Staff
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On to New Hampshire this week before a much needed one week break before the series heads to the Brickyard.

The site of Sunday’s Camping World RV Sales 301 is the one-mile flat track in Loudon, New Hampshire. It is the eighth and final stop during the regular season at a track which also hosts a race in this year’s Chase – the two tracks not in the regular season are the first and last races in this year’s chase – Chicago and Homestead.

The funny part about all this is 7 different drivers have taken the new Gen-6 care to Victory lane on the chase tracks so far this season, and all but the Cinderella in David Ragan are in the top 10 in the points as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to New Hampshire.

There is a bit of importance at the one-miler this week in the sense that a year ago, 7 of the top-10 finishers in the July race at New Hampshire, punched a ticket to the Chase in September. Its also noted that each member of the top 10 in the posts standings after the 19th race of the 2012 season also moved on to the NASCAR Postseason, so as boring of a race as this might be, there is some significance in finishing well in this race.

New Hampshire’s summer race has seen 8 different winners in as many seasons and 10 straight different winners overall. Last year’s race-winners are both outside the top-10 in points, that’s Kasey Kahne and Denny Hamlin.

Daytona Recap

Not much to recap this week because of the relatively boring race at Daytona last week. My Winner Pick, the hottest guy in NASCAR right now, Kevin Harvick collected his eighth-consecutive top-10 finish after he finished third last weekend. Harvick started in 26th, and quickly dropped back in the field in the early stages of the race. A fuel-only pit stop on lap 127 would vault the team to 4th were he would remain for the green-white-checkered finish, picking up one spot on the final lap and finishing third.
Harvick’s teammate, Paul Menard was my Dark Horse and finished dead last in 43rd after experiencing a terminal engine issue early in the 161-lap event.

New Hampshire Picks

I had a roster of guys on my list on Thursday when I previewed the race with Greg on the Prime Sports Network, and promised I would narrow down my picks for my column this week.
As far as the Winner Picks went, I had four guys on my list who I thought were not longshots and had the best chance of winning on Sunday. Those guys were Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Tony Stewart, and Jeff Gordon. Only one of those guys has qualified inside the top-10 and that’s Jeff Gordon, but that stat doesn’t scare me because 5 of the last 8 races at New Hampshire have been won from starting spots 10th or worse, including 32nd by Denny Hamlin last season.

Winner Pick

It was Clint Bowyer who was the only one of the four guys to be shown in the top 10 in both practice sessions yesterday, and it’s Clint Bowyer who I’m going with as my Winner Pick.
Clint Has:
• Two wins, four top five’s, six top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 15.1
• Average Running Position of 12.0, sixth-best
• Driver Rating of 97.2, fifth-best
• 230 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 124.466 mph, sixth-fastest

Considering he was 3rd and 4th here last season in his first year with Michael Waltrip Racing, he’s 2nd in points WITHOUT A WIN, and the practice speeds, he’s my winner pick this week.

Dark Horse Pick

He might not be a Dark Horse any longer given the practice speeds and the fact that he will start the Camping World RV Sales 301 outside the front row, but he started the week as a 25 to 1 longshot and he’s my Dark Horse again this week.It was only a matter of time before we talked about Kurt Busch in the top 10 in points. This team is making strides, and jumping 5 spots in the points after last week’s run at Daytona is awesome for this one-car team. It’s remarkable to see these Furniture Row guys mix up the powerhouses like Hendrick, Roush, Gibbs, etc. with this team putting together some solid finishes since their unfortunate luck back in May at Talladega.

The New Hampshire Stats look good with Kurt’s 3 wins and 7 Top 5’s.
• Average finish of 14.8
• 835 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
• 479 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Granted, the majority of Kurt’s success at New Hampshire came with Penske and Roush, this one-car team has shown they belong in the talk with some of the powerhouse teams over the past two months, and Kurt is my Top Longshot again this week.

That’s all for this week, so until we head to the Brickyard in TWO weeks…You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

Kyle Busch Thanks Lord, Wife, and Gas Man for New Hampshire Nationwide Win

By
SM Staff
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Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota, was giving thanks in Victory Lane to everyone from his higher power, lovely wife and probably his gas man for helping him survive three green-white-checkered restarts to score the Nationwide Series win in the CNBC Prime’s The Profit 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

This was Busch’s 58th victory in 258 Nationwide Series races, his seventh win in 2013, and his fourth victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

“We didn’t want to have those late restarts,” Busch said. “We felt like we just had enough fuel to make it to the end and then everything keeps happening where guys keep wrecking and spinning to cause the cautions.”

“Besides the hiccup on pit road, we showed our strength and am just glad we were able to take the checkered flag first,” Busch continued. “All in all, we had a great race car today.”

Busch and his crew chief Adam Stevens admitted that fuel was of paramount concern, especially with the multiple green-white-checkered restarts. But they were able to not only have enough to do a burnout but also to drive the car into Victory Lane.

“I knew we had a buffer of fuel but I didn’t know exactly how much,” Stevens said. “When you get down to the small numbers, the calculations get a little bit fuzzy.”

“We kept him out there as long as we felt safe to set it up for that situation at the end,” Stevens continued. “That’s what sealed the deal for us.”

“We pitted two laps after Brian (Vickers, runner up)  so that was part of it,” Busch said. “Brian and the No. 3 car were racing really hard to beat each other too.”

“That all just compounded the fuel situation,” Busch continued. “I bet you there’s still probably a couple of gallons left in our tank.”

Busch also tied Sam Ard’s record for wins from the pole in a season set in 1983, with this his fourth win from the Coors Lite Pole in 2013.

“Wow, every time I get in Victory Lane there’s some sort of record that I tie or break,” Busch said. “That’s cool.”

“Sam was a huge part of the sport and so there’s been a lot of records that I’ve been able to tie or break of his,” Busch continued. “It’s been fun to do.”

“We still pay heritage to those that have made this sport and it is guys like Sam that have done a lot of great things for the sport,” Busch said. “Even down the road, maybe somebody’s going to break my records.”

“Records are always made to be broken so we’ll see who will be better than me.”

Brian Vickers, behind the wheel of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota, finished in the runner up spot. This was his second top-10 finish in three races at New Hampshire and his ninth top-10 finish of the season.

“It was a good run,” Vickers said. “The guys did their homework back at the shop and we had a good starting spot.”

“We had a really fast car until we had the overheating issue,” Vickers said. “I got some trash on the grill and that definitely hurt us.”

“Once we got that off the grill when the caution came out, we were much better,” Vickers continued. “But the third green-white-checkered, we started to run out of gas and I completely ran out coming to the finish line.”

Austin Dillon captured not only the third place, his second top-10 at New Hampshire, but also secured the $100,000 Dash for Cash winnings for himself and the No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet team.

“This race played out exactly like last year’s did for us,” Dillon said. “We didn’t get the track position we wanted after the first stop and then had a four-tire stop and the car just came to life.”

“Super excited to win the Nationwide Dash for Cash,” Dillon continued. “With all those restarts and so close on fuel, I just thank the good Lord above for keeping fuel in that thing for us.”

Brian Scott, driver of the No. 2 ShoreLodge Chevrolet, finished fourth and then a bevy of Ford Mustangs, driven by Michael Annett, Trevor Bayne and Sam Hornish Jr., finished fifth, sixth and seventh respectively.

“This was a great run for Richard Petty Motorsports,” Annett, driver of the No. 43 Pilot Travel Centers Ford, said. “We came back at Charlotte after the injury and just had the worst racing luck I’ve had since I’ve been in the Nationwide Series.”

“Finally, nothing stupid happened and we kept our nose clean and brought home a top-five.”

“We were 15th with five to go so to come out sixth was a good day,” Bayne said. “Overall it wasn’t a great day though because I felt like we had a car that could win the thing.”

“To come out of here sixth, I will take it.”

“Our Ford Mustang was awesome today,” Hornish Jr. said. “We were really good on a long run.”

“We didn’t have any fall off which would have made us really good but we just didn’t get the run we needed to toward the end.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 99 SchoolTipline.com Toyota, was the highest finishing rookie, scoring the tenth spot in the race.

“I think if anybody would have told me I would be sitting in the media center after how we were in practice and at the beginning of the race, I would have laughed,” Bowman said. “We never gave up and my crew chief made a lot of good calls and some people decided to take themselves out at the end.”

“So, we were able to capitalize on the opportunity and come home in tenth.”

With his eighth place finish, Regan Smith, driver of the No. 7 TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet, now has a five point advantage over Sam Hornish Jr. in the point standings. The Nationwide Series will next race at Chicagoland Speedway next week.Kyle

Toyota NNS New Hampshire Post-Race Notes & Quotes

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SM Archive
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Ford Loudon NNS Post Race

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SM Archive
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Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch in an Indy State of Mind

By
SM Staff
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While Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch are in the Granite state for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race weekend, they were both in a bit of an Indy state of mind, having watched the IZOD IndyCar Series race the weekend before at Pocono Raceway.

Both drivers took in the IndyCar race with their loved ones, Busch with his father and Gordon with his son Leo and his nephew. The only difference was that Busch watched from the safety of his couch while Gordon attended in person, watching the start of the race from the Pocono Victory Lane roof top.

“It was fun to sit on the couch and watch that on Sunday,” Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet, said. “To understand it from the in-car telemetry and to see the pit strategy side of it, it was just fun.”

“I sat there with my dad and watched the race,” Busch continued. “We were rooting for Marco Andretti and it was just crazy to see how the Ganassi guys came out on top.”

“I was just thinking of it from a purely entertainment standpoint seeing my son see a different kind of car,” Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, said. “Most of it was for him and my nephew, who was also with me.”

Even as fast as both drivers go in the Sprint Cup cars, Busch and Gordon were also most impressed with the speeds of the open wheel cars at Pocono, which topped over 220 mph.

“It was cool to see the speeds,” Busch said. “The speeds are incredible at Pocono and that track now that it’s smoothed out is why the Indy cars went back there.”

“The track is smooth enough for them to race on and I thought it produced a decent race.”

“For me it was being amazed at how fast those cars go through the corners, corners that I’m used to going through at much slower speeds,” Gordon said. “I was amazed with just the technology of the cars.”

Would Busch or Gordon be interested in racing in the IndyCar Series themselves, especially since both have been exposed to open wheel racing?

“Would I like to drive one of those cars somewhere?” Jeff Gordon asked himself. “Yeah I would.”

“My biggest thing that holds me back from doing a lot of things is I want to be competitive in whatever it is I’m in and I know if I go run five or ten laps, whether it be a rally car or an IndyCar or whatever car, that’s not enough for me to go be competitive,” Gordon continued. “If I can’t go and be competitive in it then I usually don’t have fun.”

“That’s just my personality,” Gordon said. “It’s not about just sliding the car sideways or feeling it stick at 220 mph, it’s about can I be as fast as somebody else and so no, honestly watching that race didn’t persuade me to want to go do it.”

Gordon also expressed some trepidation just based on seeing one of his IndyCar friends James Hinchcliffe wreck hard into the wall on the first turn of the first lap at Pocono Raceway.

“As a matter of fact, when I was speaking to Hinchcliffe on the grid and then moments later he’s spinning back in the wall, the guy barely flinched and he couldn’t catch it,” Gordon said. “I felt bad for him and also thought I had no desire to get in that car.”

For Kurt Busch, the interest in another series may just be something on his horizon since he has not yet inked any deal for his 2014 season.

“It’s been one thing I’ve been trying to answer in my own mind,” Busch said. “There are a lot of irons in the fire.”

“Contract negotiations and things are in discussion, but you try not to let that weigh any on what’s going on right now,” Busch continued. “Right now is the most important thing.”

“I’m living in the present.”

While Gordon and Busch may be in Indy states of mind, they also have to focus on the race at hand at the Magic Mile. And both had good qualifying runs, with Busch moving to the outside pole and Gordon moving to the fifth starting position after Jimmie Johnson’s qualifying time was disallowed due to failing post-race inspection.

“We tested here,” Gordon said of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “Conditions I think have changed from the test quite a bit on us so it’s pretty challenging.”

“But it’s always a track I look forward to.”

“This track if your car is running well, you can go to the low side and make up a lot of time,” Busch said. “You are not stuck in traffic if you have a good car.”

Busch was especially thrilled with his qualifying run at a time of 28.040 seconds and a speed of 135.835 mph. But he also admitted his time trial lap had some moments that gave him pause.

“For us, our lap was pretty exciting,” Busch said. “I hit the rev chip so soon that I thought the guys missed the setting.”

“It was such a weird lap because I thought we were going to be 20th,” Busch continued. “If we can screw up and be that good, I’ll take it.”

While Busch and Gordon may be in an Indy state of mind, they also have Chase contention on their minds as well. Busch currently sits in the ninth position in points while Gordon is further back in the fourteenth spot.

“To be in the top ten in points is great,” Busch said. “It’s a nice feather in the cap but there is still a long way to go.”

“You can lose points real easily, but it’s tough to gain the points,” Busch continued.  “So basically from eighth to 18th, everybody fits in one shoe box right now.”

Once both Gordon and Busch leave New Hampshire, they will enjoy a rare weekend off and then be in a real Indy state of mind as they prepare for the Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 at the Brickyard Powered by BigMachineRecords.com at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

For the off weekend, Gordon will be attending a friend’s wedding and Busch will be whisking girlfriend Patricia Driscoll to Argentina for a getaway. But after that, Indy will be totally on their minds and both drivers cannot wait, especially Jeff Gordon.

“I’m very much looking forward to Indianapolis,” Gordon said. “The same thing kind of applies to Indy as it does here at New Hampshire.”

“We tested there which is always great and beneficial,” Gordon continued. “All signs of that test and things that we have planned, I’m very excited.”

“We had a shot of winning that race a couple years ago and I always go to that track with confidence and feeling good,” Gordon said. “When the car and the team are feeling the same way, then that’s a great combination to have.”

Kurt Busch acknowledges ‘long way to go’ before the Chase starts

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Adam Lovelace

Kurt Busch knows a lot can happen over the next eight weeks, which lead up to the start of the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup championship at Chicagoland Speedway on September 15.

Big points can be lost more easily than they’re gained. Yet, Busch has seemingly made it look easy over the last few weeks as he’s gone from 18th to ninth. Currently sitting in a Chase position, an impressive feat for the single car team of Furniture Row Racing. But, something that Busch isn’t afraid to say, doesn’t mean much right now.

“To be in the top 10 is great. It’s a nice feather in the cap, but there is still a long way to go,” Busch said on Friday in New Hampshire.

“You can lose points real easily, but it’s tough to gain the points. So basically from eighth to 18th everybody fits in one shoe box right now.”

Following his solid sixth place finish in Daytona, Busch moved into the top 10 in points for the first time this season. Moving forward, he says it’s not rocket science what his team needs to do, it’s not about getting back to basics. It’s about working on the fundaments and eliminating their bad finishes.

In other words, Busch says he doesn’t want the team tripping over their shoelaces just to take a shot at winning a race. They won’t be forcing it to happen, instead choosing to remain smooth and steady and hoping that strategy pays off.

Since Darlington in May, in which he sat on the pole, Busch has only finished outside the top 14 once. When spun himself out at Michigan while running in the top five, after he had led laps. That’s been one of a few mistakes the team’s suffered, which potentially kept them out of victory lane.

After leading early at Sonoma, Busch was caught speeding on pit road but battled back for a fourth place finish. In the last three weeks he’s finished fourth and sixth twice. Those results are what’s setting up an improbable shot at championship contention.

“It’s going to mean quite a few things for quite a few different reasons. For us to be in the Chase is a huge accomplishment for a single car organization,” Busch said.

“For me, secondly it’s great to be back in the Chase and the fraternity of guys I’m accustomed to hanging out with over the years. The Chase is still seven, eight weeks away.”

When Busch entered the 2004 Chase while driving for Roush Fenway Racing, he did so not considered as a favorite. But he quickly proved that when the 10-week playoffs begin, it’s anyone’s game and the championship is wide open. Busch won his first and to-date only championship that year, holding off the powerhouses of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson from Hendrick Motorsports.

And he did so starting off with a victory at New Hampshire. However, Busch hasn’t been in the Chase since 2011, when he drove for Penske Racing and finished the year 11th. After his departure from Penske during a difficult time in Busch’s life, he landed with James Finch last year, left to rebuild and start fresh in the series. He didn’t make the Chase and hasn’t been around the glitz and glamour a title hunt or those he’s normally associated with such as Gordon, Johnson, Tony Stewart and others.

From once contender to pretender, Busch is pressing hard to get back to being a Cup contender. And bringing a team with him that’s championship ready, yet needed the right driver to help put them there.

“The best part [of making the Chase] that Todd Berrier [crew chief] tries to tell everybody is that once we make the Chase, we’re championship eligible,” Busch continued.

“Making the Chase is just the top 12 guys. When you go into Chicago you have a shot at the championship. During that week will be that transition week, but we have to get to that point first. We have to be patient and we have to do our homework. We have to show up and study hard for these next eight weeks.”

Perhaps Sunday – where Busch will start third – could be a preview of what’s to come when the Chase starts. As for the next seven tracks ahead, Busch has won at five of them. The Camping World RV Sales 301 airs on TNT at Noon with the green flag waving shortly after 1:00 ET.

Chad Knaus Admits Qualifying Mistake But Confident in Fast Car

By
SM Staff
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Although Brad Keselowski claimed the pole position for the Camping World RV Sales 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with a new track record of 28.022 seconds and a speed of 135.922 mph, all eyes were on Jimmie Johnson instead as his outside pole position was disallowed because of failed post-qualifying inspection.

The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports will have to start at the back of the pack for Sunday’s race and also will be the last one to do the all important pit stall selection.

Johnson’s problems started even before qualifying as his car had difficulty passing through technical inspection, resulting in the cutting away of the side skirt. Both the driver and team sprinted to the grid just in time to qualify, throwing down a fast lap of 28.026 seconds at a speed of 135.902 mph before having it disallowed.

In an unusual move after the penalty was announced by NASCAR, Johnson’s crew chief Chad Knaus came into the media center to talk about the errors made by his team.

“We had some difficulty as you all know,” Knaus said. “We were late because we had problems getting through the initial inspection before qualifying.”

“We were able to get through but it just wasn’t exactly right,” Knaus said. “We weren’t going to know until after qualifying what the problem was.”

“What ended up happening was there was some issue with the left front and that’s why the heights were so messed up as we were going through initial inspection.”

So, what exactly was the issue with the car that led to the failed inspection?  Initially Knaus joked a bit with the media that they would know all about it if they had watched his show ‘NASCAR Performance’, however, he then explained it in layman’s terms.

“The left side was real high and the right side was real low,” Knaus said. “NASCAR does a really good job making sure the cars are right going through pre-qualifying inspection and knew there was something that was just not jiving right. “

“We were able to get through but then afterwards the car settled, which happens especially at a track like New Hampshire where the cars are so low around the race track,” Knaus continued. “We run a lot of shock and rebound and it takes a little bit for the cars to come up.”

“So, with the way that we’re measuring the heights now, there’s not a lot of room for error,” Knaus said. “And we just had a lot of error.”

“It happens,” Knaus continued. “There are a lot of things you’re trying to do in a brief amount of time.”

“You’re changing springs and shocks and sway bars,” Knaus said. “You don’t have a whole lot of time to get through your final assembly of practice to get the car ready to qualify.”

“We just missed a little detail,” Knaus continued. “That was all our fault.”

“That’s why we were so shocked going through initial inspection,” Knaus said. “We knew something was just not right.”

Knaus admitted that the penalty was a costly one, especially as it related to pit selection. But he also remained confident that, with some strategy, the five-time champion could drive through the field and back to the front of the pack.

“It’s going to hurt us tremendously for the pit selection,” Knaus admitted. “The good thing about Loudon is that if you have a good race car, you can pass.”

“We’re really looking forward to that,” Knaus continued. “It’s really kind of a funny race.”

“The ebb and flow of the event, the guys in the back typically get a chance to get to the front through some form of pit strategy,” Knaus said. “So, if nothing else we can make it exciting.”

In spite of the mistake of the usually focused No. 48 team, Knaus praised his team and said that there would be no difficulty in regaining their confidence and attention to detail.

“And yes, I can’t say enough about the mechanical department of the 48,” Knaus said. “Ron Malek and the guys and everybody there do such a tremendous job.”

“For us to have one single mistake, we get a bye from that standpoint.”

Knaus also said that it would not be difficult at all for the No. 48 bunch to regroup and regain their focus. But he also acknowledged that he will ensure that this error will not happen again.

“You look at the issue,” Knaus said. “You figure out how to put processes in place where you don’t have any kind of issue again.”

“You just go on with it.”

“These things always happen and you guys just don’t see them as much,” Knaus said. “They happen to everybody at a lot of different times.”

“We do a very good job of when we do have an issue, making sure that we don’t do it again,” Knaus continued. “As long as we can make sure we don’t do it again, we’ll be fine.”

When asked what his strategy might be to bring his five-time champion through the field on Sunday, Knaus admitted that he had not even had time to consider that yet.

“Wow, shoot I don’t know,” Knaus said. “We’ll have to get going here.”

“That dust hasn’t settled yet.”

“You know what, we’ll have to be aggressive,” Knaus continued. “The thing about this race is that it’s a very short race, 300 laps or so.”

“You have to get in there and you have to be aggressive,” Knaus said. “I’ll look forward to the challenge.”

“I think it will be a lot of fun.”

While Knaus admitted the mistake, he reiterated what may give the rest of his Cup competitors pause.

“We made a mistake,” Knaus said. “It happens.”

“But the car is good,” Knaus continued. “The car is really good.”

“We’ve got a really good car and I think it’s going to be plenty fast.”

 

Robby Gordon looks to take Stadium Super Truck Series to the next level

By
SM Staff
-

In conversations with people, I’ve heard a common question asked – what is Robby Gordon up to? Well, the answer is clear as ever – putting together the Stadium Super Truck Series.

Basically, simple to the point – the stadium trucks are motocross on four wheels.

When it comes to an event, the trucks race on a combination of dirt and asphalt, jumping different ramps – some jumps shorter than others. The idea of the track is to challenge a driver’s skill and let the best driver come out on top as the drivers race identical trucks.

The stadium truck series was something that existed before, called Mickey Thompson Off-Road. Mickey Thompson, an off-road racing legend, formed the series 1979, hosting events in stadiums. Gordon ran in the series alongside Thompson, winning a championship in 1988.

A historical look at the series with what Thompson had before and a glimpse of what Gordon has created now can be viewed in a special youtube video put together by the Stadium Super Truck Series – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciJe5YsEpo8.

In 1988, Thompson and his wife were murdered, and the series only survived a short time after that.

“I essentially want to bring it back, which is what we’ve done,” Gordon says. “We are putting people in the grandstands. We’re off and running.”

Gordon says that in the events that they’ve hosted so far, fans have been very excited with the product and only had a few complaints.

“The only concern is the schedule changes and that’s just a fact of business with the audience with the east coast and Midwest not knowing off-road racing like they do on the west coast,” Gordon says. “It’s just going to take us a while doing events like the Honda Indy. Hopefully we can do Houston with IndyCars, and introduce the audience to stadium trucks.”

One of the difficulties with being a new series, it’s all about getting the racing out there for fans to see.

“I think it’s good that we come to events like the Honda Indy Toronto and do events here because I think there’s an opportunity to do four or five races a year with IndyCars,” he says. “If we do four or five races a year with IndyCars and four or five stadiums, we can complete a whole season.”

DSCF8235
(C)Ashley McCubbin

For Honda Indy Toronto fans, they are in for a treat this weekend as 2003 CART Series Champion Paul Tracy and 1996 CART Series Champion Jimmy Vasser have signed up to take part in this weekend, joining Gordon and series regulars PJ Jones, Justin Lofton and Rob MacCahren, among others.

“I’m thrilled to race with Robby Gordon’s Stadium SUPER Truck Series in my hometown of Toronto this weekend. I’ve been a fan of the SST events this year and have a good bit of experience in off-road vehicles at the Glamis (Calif.) Sand Dunes, so I’m hoping to bring some added excitement to my fans in Toronto,” Tracy said. “I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel and kicking Robby’s butt around the track with the ‘chrome horn’ just like the old times.”

Like many action sports, whether asphalt car racing or supercross or monster trucks, you can’t truly experience it unless you’re there in person to see the high jumps right in your face, see the speed right before and take in the excitement.

So with that said, I highly recommend either you head out to the Honda Indy Toronto this weekend or head to an event near you. If you can’t do that, at least take the time to check out more details about the series online and watch some of the videos of the action because once you see it, you’ll be hooked. I know I was.

 

For more information on the Super Stadium Truck Series, check out the series website at http://stadiumsupertrucks.com/ssts/

Dario Franchitti claims Verizon Pole Award for Honda Indy Toronto Race 1

By
SM Staff
-
Photo Credit: Chris Jones/IndyCar

At the end of Verizon Pole Qualifying for the Honda Indy Toronto, it’d be 2011 Honda Indy Toronto winner Dario Franchitti grabbing the pole. It marks his third pole of the season and fifth pole on the streets of the Toronto.

“I was surprised about how quick we could go on the blacks,” Franchitti noted. “I’m quite happy with that. I’m delighted to put the Target car on the pole. We’ve had a tough stretch. It feels really good.”

Sebastian Bourdais qualified second, a tenth off of Franchitti, for his best starting spot this season.

“We finally got a break, and the car is heading in the right direction,” Bourdais said. “We made a lot of changes this morning in the one-and-a-half hour session that we had. I’m pretty hopeful. We’re starting to underatnd what this car needs on the new tires, which is something we haven’t had since the start of the season.”

2010 Honda Indy Toronto winner Will Power would qualify third as Penske Racing searches for their second win of 2013.

“I hope to get a good start tomorrow,” Power commented. “The big key to getting a good start is to not get too much spin, so you get that proper hookup. I haven’t had a chance to look at the grid box, but hopefully it’s a good patch of asphalt because it changes so much around this track.”

Tony Kanaan would qualify fourth, matching his career-best start at Toronto set in 2001.

“I’m excited about it,” Kanaan said. “It’s the hometown race for my sponsor Hydroxycut. I know everyone is pulling for Hinch, which is totally fair, but we have some Canadian sponsors on the car. Hopefully we can put on an exciting show for the fans.”

James Jakes would round out the top five for his career best start at Toronto. However, he will incur a 10-grid spot penalty for an unapproved engine change this week.

Last week’s race winner Scott Dixon rounded out the Firestone Fast Six.

Last year’s race winner Ryan Hunter-Reay would qualify seventh after barely missing the Firestone Fast Six.

“It’s frustrating,” Hunter-Reay commented. “We had a great car today; we led the first practice. I’d like to thank the guys, the crew on the No. 1 DHL team for giving me a great car. I’d like to thank (Takuma) Sato for knocking us out of the session again today. It’s unfortunate, but we’ll be fighting again tomorrow, we’ll be fighting again on Sunday. It’s just out of our control so what do you do? We’ll just pack up and hope for a better day tomorrow.”

Points leader Helio Castroneves would qualify eighth, followed by Justin Wilson and Ryan Briscoe.

Hometown driver James Hinchcliffe would end up 14th out of the 25 cars.

“This is certainly not the way we wanted qualifying to go,” Hinchcliffe commented. “I feel bad for all the fans here; (they) deserved better than that, but we’ll put our heads down tomorrow. It’s a long race, and I know we’ll have a good car. We missed it by less than a tenth to get through, and it’s heartbreaking to miss it by so little. But it’s a long race, and this is a track you can pass on and you can plan strategy to your advantage, so fingers crossed that when it counts, when the points are paying tomorrow, we’ll be at the right end.”

There was one incident during qualifying when Takuma Sato got into the turn one tires, causing front end damage to his car. He would qualify 12th.

“In the second segment going into Turn 1, we were always on the edge just kissing the bumps,” Sato explained. “But the last time, it bottomed out, and it went straight in the tires. It’s unfortunate, but we have another qualifying session tomorrow, so hopefully we can improve again.”

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