Surprising and Not Surprising: Kentucky Quaker State 400
With a surprising Sunday afternoon race thanks to Mother Nature on Saturday night, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the 3rd Annual Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway.
Surprising: Although five-time champion Jimmie Johnson ended up with a top-ten finish, the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Dover White Chevrolet made two surprisingly uncharacteristic mistakes.
First, Johnson, in a pit road fake out, pulled back on track well in front of the pace car. Although no penalty was issued, this mistake garnered a warning from Race Director David Hoots, who advised Johnson to cease the shenanigans.
The second mistake came on what has become Johnson’s Achilles heel, a late race restart. After jumping the start and being penalized at the Dover race, Johnson has seemingly been spooked by restarts, this time blaming none other than the race winner for the Kentucky restart miscue.
“The No. 20 broke the pace car speed, which you aren’t supposed to do,” Johnson said. “I don’t know, we were kind of in an awkward situation in that restart.”
“And then we were like three and four-wide going in the corner, something happened with the air and it just kind of turned me around,” Johnson continued. “Unfortunate, but at least we rallied back for a good finish.”
Not Surprising: With the combination of the race delay to Sunday under the sun and the bumpiness of the track, it was not surprising that a gutsy call from the pit box to stay out on old tires would be the one to win the race. And although it turned out to be a brilliant call, victorious driver Matt Kenseth had his doubts at the time.
“I didn’t roll the dice, Jason (Ratcliff) did,” Kenseth said. “I thought he was slightly crazy when that happened.”
“It’s just been an unbelievable season and year of my life honestly,” the driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, said. “I didn’t think there was any way that we were going to hold on for that win.”
“Jason made the right call at the right time and those guys got it done.”
This was Kenseth’s fourth victory in 2013 and his highest win total since 2006. It was his first victory in three races at Kentucky Speedway.
Surprising: Although under sunshine instead of a full moon, there were still some surprisingly strange incidents in the race which unfortunately impacted other drivers who were innocent victims not of their own doing.
One of the most impacted was Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who after turning in a pole winning qualifying lap, was hit by an errant tire carcass from the Denny Hamlin machine. He did, however, manage to salvage a decent finish in the twelfth spot.
“Can’t do anything about what happened out on the race track with that casing,” the driver of the No. 88 National Guard Youth Foundation Chevrolet said. “You just fix it and keep going.”
“They guys did a good job on pit road all day long working on it and trying to fix everything,” Junior continued. “We did well enough to get a decent finish out of it.”
The other two drivers impacted through no fault of their own were Brad Keselowski and Greg Biffle. Both drivers were collected in a hard crash caused by Kurt Busch, who admitted that he ill-advisedly used the apron to try to pass.
“Wrecks happen,” Keselowski, the driver of the Blue Deuce, said. “There is no reason to drive like an animal but apparently I am the only one that got that memo.”
“I don’t know what happened,” Biffle said. “I’m sure someone got aggressive or made a mistake or did something to cause that.”
The issues were costly to both drivers, with Keselowski losing four positions in the point standings, falling to 13th, and Biffle losing three positions to the ninth spot.
Not Surprising: With the resurgence of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing continuing, it was not surprising that Jamie McMurray had a pretty good run at Kentucky. In fact, the driver of the No. 1 Hellmann’s Chevrolet scored the runner up position when the checkered flag flew.
“Yes, it was a really good day for us,” McMurray said. “We’ve had really quick cars for the last two months but had really unfortunate luck.”
“So, it’s cool to have a really good run.”
This was McMurray’s first top-ten finish in three races at Kentucky and his fourth top-ten finish in 2013.
Surprising: Denny Hamlin had a surprisingly bad day at Kentucky, hitting the wall after his tire blew. While Hamlin has been struggling with back issues, this time he surprisingly had his bell rung instead and was held in the infield care center to evaluate if he had had a concussion.
Hamlin’s heavy hit was also costly, with a 35th place finish, leaving him in the 25th position in the point standings, well out of current Chase contention.
“Definitely have to proceed on,” Hamlin said. “Hopefully, at least something to build off of even though we didn’t have a good finish.”
Not Surprising: Clint Bowyer continued to impress, scoring his sixth top-five finish for the season. The driver of the No. 15 Camry 30th Anniversary Toyota took the checkered flag in third at Kentucky, getting ever so close to that first win of the season.
“Good day for us,” Bowyer said. “Obviously when you get that close at the end you can smell a chance at the win – just not our day yet.”
Surprising: In spite of getting trapped on pit road when a caution flew yet again, four-time champion Jeff Gordon managed to overcome and salvage a top-ten finish at the end of the day.
“We had an awesome fast Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, that is for sure,” Gordon said. “I think we passed more cars than anybody.”
“These pit stops just aren’t going our way,” Gordon continued. “You just have to keep working hard at it and hope they fall your way eventually.”
Not Surprising: Just as Dale Earnhardt Jr. got lucky in qualifying by catching a cloud, Kyle Busch was searching all race day for the same. Busch rebounded from an early race spin to finish in the fifth position in his No. 18 Doublemint Toyota Camry.
“Anytime I got cloud cover, I could pick up three-tenths of a second,” Busch said. “It was a stupid amount of time I could pick up and then I go down into the next corner and the sun is back and then you’re wrecking loose.”
“We persevered and came home fifth,” Busch continued. “We can take that effort and go into next week.”
Surprising: The end of one driver’s record was the beginning of another driver’s redemption. Bobby Labonte’s streak of 704 consecutive starts came to an end at Kentucky Speedway and the Quaker State 400 marked the first race since 1978 in which there was no driver named Labonte.
While Bobby Labonte sat on the sidelines, the replacement driver in the No. 47 Scott Products Toyota, AJ Allmendinger, had his own comeback moment at Kentucky. The ‘Dinger, who had tested positive for substance abuse one year ago at Kentucky came back and finished 22nd for JTG-Daugherty Racing.
Not Surprising: At a track where he has won three straight Nationwide Series races, all coming from the pole, it was not surprising to see Joey Logano have a top-five finish at Kentucky Speedway. And this young driver, behind the wheel of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford was wishing for just one more caution in which he was convinced he could have gotten to Victory Lane.
“I felt like we were good enough to win for a little bit,” Logano said. “We were sitting pretty in fourth when the caution came out and that usually puts you second or third.”
“I was hoping for one more caution because I thought I would be in the cat-bird seat if that happened.”
Surprising: After winning at Sonoma and predicting his winning ways would continue, Martin Truex Jr. took an ill-handling car and managed a surprisingly good top ten finish.
“We dodged a lot of bullets,” the driver of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota said. “We didn’t have a very good car.”
“We just never could get the car in the race track and I feel lucky to finish where we did,” Truex Jr. continued. “These are the kind of days that we need when we don’t have a good car – to persevere, fight through it and get a top-ten.”
Not Surprising: After running so well this season and being second in the point standings to none other than five-time champ Jimmie Johnson, it was no wonder that Carl Edwards was confused after finishing 21st in the race at Kentucky.
“Man, I don’t understand what happened,” the driver of the No. 99 UPS Ford Fusion said. “We were terrible at the end.”
“I just couldn’t make anything happen,” Edwards continued. “We’re going to have to try to figure that out.”
“We were feeling really good and having a good time out there for a while but it turned out terribly,” Edwards continued. “I guess that is the way it goes.”
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Kentucky
Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.
1. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth’s gamble to take no tires during pits stops on the final caution paid off handsomely, as he collected his fourth win of the year with a win at Kentucky. He is now fifth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 82 behind Jimmie Johnson.
“We took the lead in the pits,” Kenseth said. “That’s become something in which we specialize—winning without passing; only this time, it’s got nothing to do with an inspection.
“The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was strong in clean air. And the state of Kentucky offers an abundance of it, except at the Mayfield compound, where the air is a thick as the heads.”
2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson’s spin while leading on the race’s final restart likely cost him the win, as he finished ninth after charging back from 25th. It was the latest in a rash of faulty restarts that may have cost him two wins.
“Apparently,” Johnson said, “I’ve got a mental block when it comes to restarts. That makes me mentally restarted.
“But I’m not worried. My resume speaks for itself. Not only do I ‘fall back’ on restarts, I fall back on five Sprint Cup championships.”
3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished 10th in the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky, posting his ninth top-10 finish of the season. He is fourth in the point standings, 66 out of first.
“I’m well within striking distance,” Harvick said. “I would say I’m ‘right where I want to be,’ but that would be false, because I’m still with Richard Childress Racing.”
4. Carl Edwards: Edwards posted a 21st in the Quaker State 400, leading 35 laps before becoming mired in traffic and fading towards the end. Edwards remained second in the Sprint Cup point standings and trails Jimmie Johnson by 38.
“The No. 99 Ford was sporting UPS sponsorship on Sunday,” Edwards said. “Unfortunately, it drove like a big, brown truck in the last 30 laps.
“Congratulations are in order for Matt Kenseth. His four wins this year prove that he can run away from the field just as well as he can run away from me.”
5. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: After starting on the pole, Earnhardt’s No. 88 Chevy was damaged by the remnants of Denny Hamlin’s blown tire on lap 38. Earnhardt spent much of the next 100 laps in and out of the pits for repairs, and eventually finished 12th.
“We made ‘something out of nothing,’” Earnhardt said. “The people of Junior Nation have a wealth of experience in making ‘something out of nothing,’ because they are still able to get excited about what is sure to be another Cup-less season.”
6. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer finished third at Kentucky, posting his sixth top-5 result of the year. He is third in the Sprint Cup point standings and still in search of his first win of the season.
“A win this season has been as elusive as Jeff Gordon last year at Phoenix,” Bowyer said. “The wins will come. We’ve been solid all year. In fact, I’ve only got one DNF this year, so, for the most part, I’ve been much like Gordon—still running.”
“On another note, Kyle Petty said Danica Patrick was not a ‘race car driver. Danica responded by saying she is a woman and a driver. Likewise, she said Petty can also be two things at once—a son of a ‘King’ and a son of a bitch.”
7. Kyle Busch: Busch recovered from an early spin to finish fifth in the Quaker State 400, his eighth top 5 of the year. He is now seventh in the point standings, 110 out of first.
“Kentucky’s John Calipari drove the pace car for Sunday’s race,” Busch said. “I think he completed only one lap and then called it quits, thus another ‘one and done’ in Kentucky.”
8. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex backed up his win at Sonoma with a seventh in the Quaker State 400. The result boosted him two places in the point standings to eighth, 120 out of first.
“A win at Sonoma followed by a top 10 at Kentucky,” Truex said. “That’s like going from wine to whiskey without missing a beat, something that NASCAR great Tim Richmond probably did better than anyone.”
9. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski’s day ended early at Kentucky when Kurt Busch’s No. 78 car slid up and into the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge on lap 151. Keselowski’s spinning car collected Greg Biffle’s No. 16, essentially ending the day for both cars. Keselowski was credited with a 33rd-place finish and tumbled four spots in the point standings.
“Busch may drive the Furniture Row car,” Keselowski said, “but there’s no ‘couching’ his recklessness. I’m sure there are many other drivers who would agree with me, enough to form a committee, in fact, of which I’d happily ‘chair.’ With that being said, what’s more likely? Furniture Row making a ‘chaise,’ or me making the ‘Chase?’”
10. Joey Logano: Logano finished fourth at Kentucky, posting his fifth top-5 result of the year. He is tenth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 131 behind Jimmie Johnson.
“Penske Racing drivers are earning a reputation of running others out of the Chase,” Logano said. “I ran Denny Hamlin out, and Brad Keselowski is running himself out.”
The NASCAR Hall of Fame: Where You Just Don’t Read About History, You Relive It
The story of NASCAR dates back to over 60 years. Sixty plus years of history, miracles, and magical moments. There were some elements of NASCAR that were lost as it grew. Elements of its beginning and the people, places, and things that built this sport. These important moments were never supposed to be forgotten, but they indeed vanished as time went on and the sport grew. When the NASCAR Hall of Fame opened in 2010, the ever so important steps in racing’s history were brought back to life in a remarkable way. The creators of the hall nailed their duty to retell the history of NASCAR, and they did in a way that was never thought of. They make fans aware of every little step that laid the foundation of the sport, and what continues to innovate this 200 MPH game of chess today.
I made my second visit to the hall last Saturday and this second venture was far more in-depth than I ever deemed possible. Very little changed since I visited last August, but it just seemed as this time I came away with so much more than I did the first time. I was able to go back to NASCARs’ earliest days and walk, relive, and experience the growth of the sport all over again.
Just walking up to the hall was breathtaking, the size and prestige of the building that means so much to our sport gave me chills. The brilliant architecture involved in the building improved the experience. So much open space and interactive activities that create a real racing experience give you the ultimate NASCAR feeling. This feeling is indescribable and can only be felt in the Hall.
The building itself is four floors of rich history. First, you experience a film that puts into picture what NASCAR’s all about. The film sets you up to experience the majestic place where each aspect of it is laid out in extraordinary detail.
Glory Road was next on my venture. Placed along the “road,” that resembles a track, are the cars that have made history. To name a few drivers who have their history making machines there are Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt, and Jimmie Johnson. The road also features banking similar to the tracks NASCAR races on today. Fans get the opportunity to walk on the banking and it would be the same as walking on Daytona or Talladega’s turns. The road still has space so as more and more drivers make history, their cars could be put on the most memorable strip of a track in racing.
Level 3 of the building is where many interactive activities reside. The Hall of Honor features all of the inductees and narrated reasons why they belong in the Hall. Realistic racing simulators follow the Hall of Honor and these things are the real deal. An iRacing set up in an actual race car allows you to race against other fans and show your talent behind the wheel. Fans can also take on the role of a pit crew member when they practice pitting a car all by themselves and see if they can earn the best time. The media portion of the interactive floor includes your chance to call a portion of a race as a radio or television broadcaster.
A real race weekend simulation is displayed on the floor as well, which includes everything teams do to get their car ready for racing. From the shop to the hauler and to the inspection line, fans can see and read how teams prepare their driver’s car for a battle out on the track.
To finish off the Hall is a floor of history where you can read about all the moments that built this sport. Each section is designed with a certain time period and in the section are various displays of memorable moments from that time in NASCAR. An interactive exhibit on this level allows you to watch some of the greatest finishes in NASCAR history. Ricky Craven’s 2003 Darlington car is appropriately placed by the exhibit since it won the race which featured the closest finish.
Reliving NASCAR’s history is an ever so important thing to do for the younger generation of race fans as well as the modern day fans since it allows everyone to remember how this sport got its start. Every corner of the last 60 plus years of racing is covered in the hall and there’s not one magical moment missing. As today’s racing continues to write the history books, more and more will be added to the hall, but as for now, everything you could ever know about racing is placed in this one special place.
For any race fan, the Hall is a must see. No matter how many times you visit, you’ll experience the best of racing all-over again and will always leave with more knowledge than you entered with. Time machines are not known to exist, but the creators of the NASCAR Hall of Fame created a phenomenal one that takes you on a tour of what made NASCAR what it is today.
Should Denny Hamlin Keep Racing in 2013?
This past weekend at Kentucky, crew chief Jason Ratcliff made the call to take two tires which put Matt Kenseth out front for a late race restart. Their call put Jimmie Johnson who had dominated the race up to that point in a vulnerable position starting on the inside which ended with him spinning out and losing all of his track position. One of the big debates coming out of Kentucky involved chase hopeful Denny Hamlin who was forced to endure yet another rough day at the track. With Hamlin getting his bell rung again, arguments ensued whether or not Denny should opt out of the rest of the season or continue racing. Here’s my take…
This isn’t as simple as a yes or no answer. After returning from his back injury, many prepared to watch the No.11 storm through the field, win five races and make the chase in an unbelievable display of tenacity and raw talent by a driver on a mission. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen anything close to that. His first two races back were very promising as Denny ripped off finishes of 2nd and 4th in two of the most grueling and physical races on the schedule but since then, he’s lost a lot of ground. He hit hard at Dover after winning the pole and leading 41 laps relegating him to a disappointing 34th place finish. The very next weekend, Hamlin finished 8th at Pocono but actually lost ground on 20th causing a large contingent of people who had previously thought he would make the chase to alter their opinions.
In the following three races, he finished no higher than 23rd failing to lead a single lap and losing a tremendous amount of ground points wise. After an early race tire failure that put Hamlin a lap down at Kentucky, he fought valiantly as he muscled his way back through the pack but it was all for not as he would endure a vicious impact with the turn 4 wall while running 6th later in the race. He was visibly in pain after the wreck and complained about a headache….but his back was fine. Indianapolis doctors checked him for a concussion Monday and he was thankfully okay; just had the wind knocked out of him. Denny Hamlin sits 25th in points and there is no way he’s making the chase this year and the chances to get the No.11 into the owner’s chase look grim as well. Nonetheless, he refuses to step out of the car and the racing community is split on whether or no that’s the right decision.
Sure, there’s the possibility of injuring himself further and he’s no longer racing for a championship so why take the chance but it would do more harm than good to sit out the rest of the year. Doctors say he’s okay to race and he has escaped two big wrecks since his return nearly unscathed so I don’t believe that he’s putting himself in any unnecessary danger by racing…at least no more than the other 42 brave men and woman out there. He can’t let what might happen stop him from racing unless there is factual evidence that he is putting himself in too much danger which doctors say he is not. It would be detrimental to his 2014 campaign if he were to sit out the remainder of the season over fear of injury when professionals say he’s at no greater risk than any of his fellow competitors.
In fact, his team can use this unfortunate set of circumstances to their advantage. With no championship on the line and already buried deep in the standings, they can experiment and basically test for 2014 so they can bolster their program and come back next year ahead of the game. With a different driver, they can’t really gather data as accurately as they could with Denny behind the wheel seeing that there is a great disparity between every driver’s style of driving, the setups they like and each has a different way of giving feedback. Did you notice how they have struggled a bit after not having Denny in the car for just four races? Make that 19 races, a two month off-season and watch how lost they are when we show up to Daytona next February. Having a new driver takes focus away from the car which makes the season Matt Kenseth is having after joining JGR that much more impressive.
Then there is that intangible little thing in racing we like to call momentum. You can’t see it or touch it but you can certainly feel it. If they end this year with a couple wins and confidence in their program, they will be pumped up and excited to take on 2014. With a little pep in their step, the team will work harder, everyone will be more energetic and a positive attitude goes a long way in this business. Without Denny, they will go into 2014 with a million unknowns and concerns which will hinder their efforts on the track and cause unneeded aggravation. Also, I’m sure Hamlin would be pretty bummed out for lack of a better term if he had to watch someone else drive and maybe even win in his car for the next four months. They’d basically be prolonging a disastrous 2013 and carrying it over into 2014.
In the end, Hamlin feels he can race and that’s all that really matters. He doesn’t have the strongest back now but we’ve already seen it hold up against a couple significant impacts since his return to action. The No.11 team is behind right now performance wise and the only way they will gain on it is if they have Denny in the car. In the end, Hamlin sticking around will pay major dividends for the No.11 team next year but he will have to persevere through what’s already been a rough 2013 first. The next race is Daytona which I’m sure conjures up some feelings of trepidation in the 11 camp considering how blistering fast cars go there and how viciously they usually wreck but he will be fine and they know it. They wouldn’t let him race if they thought otherwise. Personally, I believe we will see that team get stronger and stronger as the season goes on and we will witness the resurgence of Denny Hamlin next year as he emerges as a championship threat once again.
