Matty’s Picks 2013 – Vol. Talladega Superspeedway – Aaron’s 499 – May 5, 2013
Well, we roll on to Alabama today in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. Everyone knows the history, the wrecks, and the success at Talladega so I will save my speech this week and roll on to last week’s recap and a quick craps shoot as to who will win this thing.
Richmond Recap
I picked Kyle Busch early on last week, and with Kyle showing so much speed throughout the practice sessions and qualifying the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota in the eighth starting spot, I was looking pretty good for a win. Busch battled a loose racing condition through the first quarter of the 400-lap race, but still managed to pull into the top five. With each pit stop, the M&Ms crew was able to make improvements and Kyle would take the lead just past the half way point. Busch remained in the top 10 until lap 325 when the No. 14 of Tony Stewart got loose, collecting Jimmie Johnson and eventually Kyle Busch in the process. The M&Ms crew would repair damage to the front end of the car, but it was not enough to put the No. 18 back in the top 10. Kyle brought his damaged racecar home in 24th.
As for my Dark Horse last week, I chose another Joe Gibbs racing car, but Matt Kenseth would not have been a Dark Horse last week because of the season he has been having so far this season. It was the No. 11 car, driven last week by Brian Vickers as Denny Hamlin was not cleared by doctors to make his comeback last week from the compression fracture injury in his spine. Again, going into Saturday Night’s race, the No. 11 FedEx Delivery Manager Toyota looked like a solid Dark Horse. The JGR Toyota was fast in all practice sessions, and would start the race on the outside of the front row. Though he ran in the top 10 for the majority of the first half of the race, but when trying to make the car faster around the midway point, the car did not respond to adjustments. Vickers struggled back in traffic, being shown outside the top 20 in the latter half of the race. An incident with 80 laps to go involving Kasey Kahne and Mark Martin would finish off Vickers chances of winning last week, and my hopes of bringing home a solid Dark Horse finish. Vickers finished in 35th.
Talladega Picks
Well, it’s more of a craps shoot this week as far as who will win the race later this afternoon….but I have a couple cars in mind who have history on their side today at the world’s fastest racetrack.
Winner Pick
In April of 2009, Brad Kesolowski pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NASCAR history to earn his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. He pushed Carl Edwards towards the front from fifth with just two laps to go. Coming out of turn four with the checkered flag waiving, Kesolowski and Edwards were one and two. When Edwards came to the bottom of the tri-oval, in an effort to block the Finch Racing Chevy, driven by Kesolowski, the Michigan-Native stood his ground and eventually put Edwards into the outside catch fence. It was one of the more spectacular finishes in Talladega history, and even more meaningful because it was the start of Kesolowski’s breakout in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. Since his first win in his first start at Talladega in April of 2009, Kesolowski has finished outside the top 10 just twice in 7 races, and is also the defending race-winner. He was fastest in Happy Hour on Friday and will start the Blue Deuce in the 11th starting spot. Kesolowski has earned the respect of fellow drivers through his solid finishes on the restrictor-plate tracks, and he will have help when he breaks out of line in the final laps this afternoon.
Dark Horse Pick
She’s not really a Dark Horse because of her success at Speedweeks at Daytona in February, but Danica Patrick is a massive underdog yet again this week. She became the first female to claim a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pole, the first female to lead a green-flag lap in NASCAR history, and the first female to lead the Daytona 500 all at the other restrictor-plate track in Florida earlier this season. If there are any tracks Danica is comfortable on, it’s the restrictor-plate tracks because of her career in the Indy Racing League. She’s used to the flat out pack-style drafting and is comfortable in the car on these types of tracks. My only fear this week with the No. 10 team is if she will have help on the final laps of today’s Aaron’s 499. We saw her make a move in the late stages of February’s Daytona 500, but no driver would come to her rescue when she stepped out of line. It’s a long shot for Danica today, but the restrictor-plate tracks are the best shot she has of visiting Victory Lane this season.
That’s all for this Sunday edition of Matty’s picks, so until we head to Darlington…You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!
NASCAR Drivers Looking Forward to a Sunday Off with Mom
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers are gearing up for Mother’s Day, next weekend, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, SC. The Bojangles’ Southern 500 will be held on Saturday, May 11. Having a Saturday Sprint Cup race gives drivers the chance to spend Sunday with the special women in their lives…their mothers.
This weekend, at Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR drivers are speaking out about how their mothers have loved them, supported them, have influenced their careers, and their plans for the upcoming Mother’s Day.
Michael Waltrip discussed what he has learned from his mom over the years. He said, “She was a hardworking woman. When I was a kid I was the fifth of five and my dad worked at the Pepsi plant and she was a cashier lady at the IGA and so I would go to the IGA and I would have a dollar and I would try to buy $3 worth of stuff and get there and tell her that I needed that stuff. She was probably making $2 an hour and it wasn’t really fair for me to think I needed that, but I didn’t know much so I just told her to write a check. I saw she had some in her purse. I’m appreciative of who she was and how even though my mom and dad worked eight to ten hours a day, I felt loved. I had a home, it was clean and it felt like where I belonged. My mom is 86 now and we had a birthday dinner Monday night in Cornelius (N.C.) at Red Rocks and she’s just as sweet and as spry as ever. She’s physically a little bit off, but mentally she’s strong and loving and caring. I just want to feel loved—if I’m a kid I just want to know my parents love me and I’m fortunate I had that. I hope everybody gets that and I know they don’t and that sucks.”
When Michael Waltrip Racing driver, Clint Bowyer, was asked what his mom means to his career, he responded, “Oh, mom—everything. She’s been with me and is usually at every race track. Missing it this weekend. Definitely be there next weekend. It’s always fun to have her here. I’m telling you, she’s a racer. She wants to win and she’s going to tell you, ‘You’re doing wrong—shape up,’ when you need it and she’s going to tell you, ‘Proud of you,’ and, ‘You did a good job, when she’s proud of you. Just a neat lady and we all enjoy her.”
NASCAR’s most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., has special plans with his mother this Mother’s Day. He said, “Yeah, we’re going to cook a brisket together. I just started. I bought Myron Mixon’s book, that guy from the show, BBQ Pitmasters, and I’m trying to learn how to barbeque (laughter). So we’re going to cook us a brisket and see how that goes. So, yeah, that’s going to be Mother’s Day for me. She lives 100 yards from me. We took her to lunch this week. I like sushi a lot and I just got her to where she’ll eat some of that. So we went and took her to lunch this week and got a haircut and just typical, normal stuff.”
Last week’s Toyota Owners 400 winner, Kevin Harvick, will be celebrating Mother’s Day with his wife, Delana, who gave birth to their first child this past year. When asked if he has any special plans for Mother’s Day now that Delana is a mom, and how much of a help his mom has been to get him where he is today, he responded, “My biggest plan is to not screw up Sunday in the first year. You don’t want to screw up the first Mother’s Day. My main objective is to make sure that you have the gift pre-week, and don’t forget to hand it out on Sunday. Obviously, my Mom has always been there. Always been supportive of everything I do. That is something you don’t want to forget as well. You want to make sure you don’t forget on either front.”
Mother’s Day 2013 is a day that NASCAR drivers can shift focus from the fierce competition of the sport to paying tribute to their mothers and the mothers of their children.
Regan Smith settling in at Jr Motorsports
Jr Motorsports has had it’s share of good drivers since the team’s inception in 1999. A driver list that includes the defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Brad Keselowski. One thing has eluded the team however, the series points lead.
Late last season Regan Smith ended his multi-year relationship with Furniture Row Racing and found himself looking for a job. It just so happened that the last race Smith drove the #78 was the same race that Hendrick Motorsports driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr suffered a concussion and would have to sit out a few weeks.
Smith got the call to drive the #88 Amp Energy Chevy at Charlotte. This would be a fantastic opportunity for Smith to showcase his talents as he looked for a permanent job. Unfortunately, engine troubles ended Smith’s day early. He did receive a second chance the following week at Kansas and was very impressive. Though he struggled in qualifying, he performed well all day and drove to a solid seventh place finish. Smith would then miss a few races before ending up in James Finch’s #51 for the final two races of the season.
His performance obviously garnered the attention of Jr Motorsports. He was tabbed to drive the #5 Hendrickcars.com Chevy in the season ending Nationwide Series race at Homestead. That decision paid off. Smith qualified tenth for the event and led 24 laps en route to victory! It was Smith’s first win in the series in his 103rd start.
Thanks to that performance Smith was hired to drive the #7 NNS entry vacated by Danica Patrick at the end of 2012. The team signed Tax Slayer as a sponsor and would attempt to compete for the 2013 Nationwide Series championship.
The beginning of 2013 saw several teams turn part time rides into full time championship contenders. One example is Joe Gibbs Racing, who has been dominate in the series for several years hired Elliott Sadler and Brian Vickers to chase the title. Penske driver Sam Hornish wil also compete for the title along with Roush-Fenway Racing driver, Trevor Bayne, who will fill the seast of the 2012 series champion, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
The 2013 season is probably the most impressive field of talent the Nationwide Series has seen in many years. The driver who comes out on top this year will definitely earn it. Smith has been strong thus far. Coming into this weekend, Smith has a string of five straight top ten finishes and finds himself only point behind series leader Sam Hornish who is having a career best season. Smith only has two starts at NASCAR’s largest track, with a best finish of eleventh.
Smith and the #7 Tax Slayer Chevy will start 20th in Saturdays Aaron’s 312.
Edwards and Truex Jr. Lead the Field to Green in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega
Driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford, Carl Edwards, won the Polk’s Meat Products Pole Award for the Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race this Sunday after qualifying was cancelled due to heavy rain. With a high percentage of rain in the forecast for the entire weekend, drivers knew that running a fast lap in Friday’s first practice could be crucial to their starting position on Sunday. According to NASCAR rules, if qualifying is rained out, then the starting line-up is set based on speeds from the first practice session.
As Carl Edward accepted his Polk Meat Products Pole Award on Saturday, he commented on the intensity of the first practice. He said, “And the thing is, first of all, it was actually pretty exciting for all the teams yesterday because we looked at this forecast and we were all concerned that there wasn’t gonna be single car qualifying. I don’t know if you guys noticed, but it was like a heat race out there. Everyone was doing everything they could to lag back and partner up and get the fastest lap times they could and it was pretty exciting. We got the fastest lap with about one minute to go and it was really exciting, so that was our whole mission yesterday and I’m pretty proud of the fact that we ended up with the fastest time.”
Driver of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, Martin Truex Jr., also acknowledged that the practice was more indicative of race conditions than qualifying would have been. He commented, “…the beginning of practice yesterday was kind of crazy. It was something that you never see and I think we ran the first three laps half throttle and everybody was trying to figure out a way to get to the back of the pack so they could get that run. And, we fortunately were able to be in that position.” Truex Jr. will be starting in 2nd position in the Aaron’s 499 on Sunday.
Truex Jr. and Edwards both acknowledge that the importance of a driver’s starting position at this track is a toss-up. Edwards said, “This race, this track, everything about it is it’s so chaotic and unpredictable that I think the stats really don’t mean much here. You could have all the stats in the world, but someone could win this race that’s not even on the radar up until that victory, so I’m definitely happy that we’ve got a fast car and that we’re starting up front, that’s good, but anything can happen. The last lap of this race could turn the field inside-out and anything could happen.” Truex Jr. added, “We are starting second and we could be 25th coming around to take the first lap. It’s just plate racing. The guys will be coming and going all day long. The field is like a big revolving door and you’ve just got to be in the right position at the right time.”
Many drivers are basing their Talladega pre-race strategies on their experience at the Daytona 500, the first restrictor plate race of the season. In response to the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts team strategy for Sunday, Truex Jr. replied, “I think based on what we learned at Daytona you want to be at the front. My plan coming in here was to be aggressive, to try to stay up front all day long—we did that in Daytona and it worked out for us until we had our engine problem late in the race. The chances here of getting in a wreck are great, so why not just go out and race and put on a show and try to run up front all day long? I think that’s our plan, our strategy and what we’re going to do.”
This weekend’s event at Talladega marks the first time the new Gen 6 car will be at the famed speedway. The new car coupled with heavy rains altering track conditions should lead to an eventful Aaron’s 499 on Sunday at Talladega Speedway.
Pastrana Devastated at Talladega
Driver of the No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, Travis Pastrana, led the way to green Saturday at the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. Pastrana came to Talladega 13th in the points standings. Pastrana led the first four laps of the race before later being involved in a hard crash with No. 43 Pilot Travel Centers Ford driver, Reed Sorenson, on the backstretch of lap 73.
When asked what happened, Pastrana said, “We were hooked up. We were great. I practiced with the 43 car and we had a strategy and that was to stay in the back after we can try to lead a lap. I don’t know what happened, but we were up there in the front and got tangled up in somebody else’s mess. We’ve got the two fastest cars on the track and for me to be out already is just stupid on my part. I just want to thank Jack Roush and all the team for giving me a great weapon out there and I think we definitely could have put it on top if we just kind of had a little more patience. I’ve just got to swallow my ego next time and stop being up front. We could run a half-lap down and I think we still could have charged to the end, but now that’s over.”
Commenting on how he can handle the high of leading his first green flag lap, and then being taken out by the accident, Pastrana said, “Honestly, it’s just stupid. I just feel like a complete idiot because the race is still going on. I’ve got to watch the rest of the thing and Trevor has a great car, but it would have been awesome to put our cars together. I hope he wins for Roush and for my Monday morning conversation that we’re gonna have to have with Jack and explain to him why I crashed the car when all we had to be doing was sitting back.”
Winning his first career pole and the first pole for the Roush Fenway Racing Ford team wasn’t enough to keep Pastrana from being hard on himself after he got caught in the crash. When asked if he was being too hard on himself, he responded, “Nowhere to go when the crash happened, but we shouldn’t have been there. There’s no reason for us to have been there and that’s entirely my fault. I knew Trevor was gonna be running up front, but we can be sitting a half-lap back and we still would have had a chance to go for the win. We had a great car and could have met up with him later, but I didn’t stick to the strategy and that’s why I’m being hard on myself. Much thanks to the crew. Everybody worked really hard. I learned a lot about drafting. I learned a lot about racing these restrictor plate races. I’m just bummed out. I’ll always have the fact that I led the crew to the green, but you don’t get great cars every race. You’re lucky to get the two best cars on the track on your team at any event for the year and to have that at this event and to be watching the race is just devastating.”
Pastrana finished the Aaron’s 312 in 36th position, and will have his next chance at Victory Lane next Friday, May 10th, in the VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC.
