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.
Regan Smith settling in at Jr Motorsports
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.
Smith wins a Crazy Day at Dega!
Regan Smith won the Aaron’s 312 which was a unbelievable race that include rain, darkness, wrecks and replays! Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch and Justin Allgaier rounded out the top 5. NASCAR originally had Kahne win but the caution came out before the checkers waved making the #7 Tax Slayer Chevy the winner.
The race went green after a long delay that started about 4:15 Central time. Travis Pastrana led the field to the green for the first career time in his short career. Danica Patrick caused the first caution on lap 19 when her #34 Turner Scott Motorsports Toyota got turned by Kyle Larson and sent her in to the wall and the wet grass. she got damage to her splitter and tried to go back out but could not maintain speed to contend for a win and went to the garage. Austin Dillon was slowing before the caution and fell a lap down. He went on pit road and he had a spark plug issue but they fixed it.
The second caution waved when the #32 of Larson left rear tire exploded and basically half of his car was destroyed because of the tire. The No. 79 of Jeffery Earnhardt also spun during the Larson incident but he was able to drive away and head to pit road. Dillon was about to get the free pass but Mike Wallace got lapped right before the caution so he got the lucky dog.
At half way, we have had 25 lead changes with Kahne and Logano leading most of the way. Pastrana and Trevor Bayne as well as Sam Hornish Jr and Smith were up there and will be in contention for the win. Elliott Sadler had some engine troubles with 49 to go as he radioed to his CC that “temperature is getting hotter and hotter, we need to check for water or something. Blowing oil everywhere, inside the car.”
The third caution waved when the No. 43 of Reed Sorenson got turned by the #2 of Brian Scott and collected the No, 60 of Pastrana. Pastrana was just driving and was a innocent bystander. Sorenson got his back wheels airborne but did not flip. Pastrana took a really hard hit after getting hit by Sorenson from the turn 3 wall. Both were okay but both were done for the day. Pastrana told ESPN that “Everything kind of happened really fast” and “me and Trevor should have still been sitting in the back.” He was really dejected but will learn from this for the future.
4th yellow waved when the No. 00 of Blake Koch smacked the wall on the backstretch. He was drafting with Allgaier and Allgaier turned down and Koch was there.
On lap 94, the big one happened. Johanna Long blocked Sam Hornish Jr into getting a spot on the high side and Hornish and Eric McClure got together. Mike Harmon, Scott, Nelson Piquet Jr, Bobby Gerhart, Long, Hornish Jr, Dexter Stacey, Robert Richardson Jr, Bayne, Tim Andrews and Ty Dillon were all involved. There is also rain coming with darkness coming soon. NASCAR announced that they will cut the race by 10 laps so they can finish this before darkness.
Yellow waved once again with two laps to go because of the No. 54 of Joey Coulter got turned by Allgaier and smacked the front stretch wall. He got out and was fine but NASCAR said this was be the only GWC they would have. And boy, what a GWC it was!
Piquet and Scott back on track after altercation at Richmond
One week ago at Richmond International Raceway, Nationwide drivers Nelson Piquet Jr and Brian Scott battled hard in the closing laps. Beating and banging for position late in the race is common place on NASCAR’s short tracks and is one of the reasons these tracks are so popular.
In this case, however, tempers flared and the anger flowed over into the pit area. As the two approached each other out of their car, words were exchanged and Piquet unleashed a kick on Scott that landed below the belt. Both drivers were called to the NASCAR hauler to discuss the incident with officials. Later that evening two crew members were arrested for allegedly committing an assault on a group of people that included Piquet.
As the series moves from the short 3/4 mile track to the longest track on the schedule, the two will again face each other. Though, Talladega is not known as a track that drivers retaliate at, it is probably the track that it would be easiest to accomplish retaliation.
The speedway is known for large packs of cars jockeying for position and many times going four wide. Both Scott and Piquet have stated the incident is behind them. However, if either finds themself in the right spot at the right time, they could easily “mis-judge” and lightly touch the other leading to a short day and bad finish for the victim.
NASCAR irony seems to always come into play after two drivers get angry at each other. Scott will start eighth on Saturday, with Piquet not far back in 16th. More often than not, however, the same two drivers end up racing around each other the following week. It will be interesting to see if Scott or Piquet “mis-judge” this week and sends the other to the garage.
Aaron’s Nobody Goes Hungry Campaign at Talladega Superspeedway
Aaron’s Dream Weekend, May 3-5, at Talladega Superspeedway is sponsored by Aaron’s, Inc. Aaron’s Inc., is a leader in the sales and lease ownership and specialty retailing of residential furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories.
Aaron’s dream weekend at Talladega features Aaron’s 312 Nationwide Series race on May 4 and the Aaron’s 499 Sprint Cup Series race on May 5. This year marks Aaron’s 14th year as a sponsor in NASCAR, as well as the return of the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine and drivers Mark Martin and Michael Waltrip.
Aaron’s Nobody Goes Hungry Campaign is underway this weekend in Talladega. This campaign is a partnership between Aaron’s and the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama with the goal of making a positive difference in the community by collecting non-perishable food items. Aaron’s Vice President of Marketing, Andrea Freeman released this statistic: “In the state of Alabama, poverty and hunger are a growing concern with more than 750,000 residents struggling to survive.” She said, “Hosting an event of this magnitude gives us access to hundreds of thousands of NASCAR fans and the opportunity to make an immediate impact on the community. We are proud to partner on this project with the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama and continue Aaron’s tradition of giving back.”
Fans can take a part in this fight against hunger and make a non-perishable donation at the Aaron’s Corporate Display anytime, May 3-5, at Talladega Superspeedway.
Michael Waltrip ‘knows what I’m doing’ when it comes to Talladega and winning
With two full-time cars in the Sprint Cup Series and duties for NASCAR on Fox, Michael Waltrip has distanced himself from being a racecar driver.
This weekend at Talladega Superspeedway Waltrip wants everyone to know however, that he still knows what he’s doing. Waltrip will pilot his own No. 55 Aaron’s Alabama National Championship Toyota. With qualifying having been rained out Saturday morning he’ll start 14th based on his practice speed.
“I just always look forward to my chances to race at these tracks,” Waltrip said on Saturday morning. “I retired from racing full time a few years ago, but I’ve raced every plate race since then, so I feel like I still am up to speed on what it takes to be able to win and to run up front.
“We were fortunate enough to have a chance to win here last fall and I was able to lead the Daytona 500 this year in my first race of the season, so optimistic that we’ll figure out a way to get the No. 55 Aaron’s Alabama Toyota to the front when they throw the green flag tomorrow.”
Of his four NSCS career wins, Waltrip’s last came at Talladega in 2003, after which he popped out of the roof hatch. He’s also a two-time winner of the Daytona 500 and has always been considered a factor at the big tracks.
His plan on Sunday is to make sure he’s around at the end, take his time and be aggressive when it’s the right time, mostly because he has to readjust himself to being back behind the wheel of a racecar. Not having sat in one since February, while other drivers are used to the repetition, Waltrip will be familiarizing himself with the tiniest of details.
“Well, [Friday] was big – usually important for me because when you take off from Daytona until May, there’s so many things you need to orientate yourself with,” Waltrip noted.
“Something as simple as just being able to see the water temperature and the water pressure gauges in your peripheral without having to pay attention to them, understanding how the cars move when other cars come around you.
“I have to do a whole lot of visualization – like after practice yesterday, this morning, before I race tomorrow – I visualize what I saw in practice and what I think I’ll see during the race.”
In the season opening race, Waltrip drove for Swan Racing in the fan favorite No. 26 Toyota in honor of the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, CT. He finished 22nd and led four laps. Sunday he’ll be in another favorite car as the colors of Alabama’s National Championship winning football team will be flying around the speedway.
Waltrip wants to keep with the winning tradition, something that on the last lap here in the fall looked like he might do before the ‘Big One’ broke out. Sunday will mark the 54th time he’s taken the green flag at NASCAR’s biggest, baddest and most unpredictable speedway.
“My last victory in NASCAR in the Cup Series came here at Talladega in 2003 and so I know how to win here,” said Waltrip.
“I think I was in a pretty good chance to win last fall, so the confidence helps a lot. It’s like when I play golf I know I suck and so the ball doesn’t go very good. But when I come to Talladega, I know what I’m doing and so therefore after all my focus and visualization on what I think I’ll see and how I’m going to do – then some laps the first 100 miles or so getting into the game – I feel like I’m perfectly prepared to go win the race.”
