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The Final Word – None of the pickers picked Vickers at New Hampshire

By
Ron Thornton
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Photo Credit: Gary Buchanan

Time often rewards us with maturity, often only after we face some adversity. The man who won at New Hampshire Sunday is not the same lad who, as a 20-year old, claimed what is now the Nationwide series crown in 2003. He is not the same guy who took out both Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr for his first Cup win just shy of his 23rd birthday in 2006. Brian Vickers presently is the best Cup driver without a full-time ride, something that will assuredly change next season, in the same car he drove past Tony Stewart to lead the final 16 laps enroute to victory this past weekend.

Vickers has paid his dues. After early career success he moved on to the new Red Bull team in 2007, failing to qualify for 13 races. Things seemed to be on the upswing before he was forced out of the car in 2010 after blood clots were discovered in his legs and near his lungs.  He fought back, only to discover his return in 2011 was with a team on the down slide and about to go the way of the dodo. Without a ride, he became a part-timer for Michael Waltrip, yet in just 16 races these past two seasons he has won a race, claimed four top fives, and eight top tens. Talented, life tested, and all grown up, an even better version of Brian Vickers is back.

One driver needing to be better than he has been recently was, as Brad Keselowski finished fourth and returns to the Top Ten in the standings. An 11th place result did the same for Kasey Kahne. Stewart thought he had enough fumes to win, but that decision saw him fall all the way down to 26th when things went dry. He is back to relying on his single win for the second wild card spot.

Great day for Jeff Burton, finishing third to sit 17th in the standings. Only 31 points separates the 9th place Keselowski from Burton and only two between the 10th place Kahne and the 11th place Jeff Gordon. If Gordon moves ahead, then Stewart could find himself behind both Kahne and Martin Truex Jr for wild card dibs as he currently trails Truex by three and Kahne by five points. Gambling he had enough in the tank might prove to be costly for Smoke.

Ryan Newman gets word he is a man without a ride after this season, then he wrecks in his next race. No sympathy card coming from Kyle Busch, however. As the boys battled for eighth, Newman drifted up and wound up taking out Kurt Busch, who was having a pretty good day up to that moment. In response to his brother’s plight, the younger Busch boldly stated in a Sirius radio interview that Newman was a stupid idiot, a big ogre who does what he wants “because he can probably kick anybody’s butt” and Kyle was “glad he’s out of a job.” Ouch. Where is the love, people?

As Keith Whitley sang to us, sometimes those in love say it best when they say nothing at all. On a certain plane ride home, maybe all one heard was crickets Sunday night as Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr left the venue. Patrick got into Stenhouse, who picked up Travis Kvapil, and in the end none of them were very happy. The good news is that nobody expects much from any of them right now. Maybe the love birds could have invited Kvapil to join them on the flight home. I’m sure he would have had something to say.

At the age of 71, Morgan Shepherd became the oldest man to ever drive in a Cup race. He drove less than a third of the race, finishing 41st after parking the beast due to a vibration. How impressed should we be with his feat? Not very. Yet, it probably was more impressive than 77-year old Minnie Minoso drawing a walk in 2003 with independent baseball’s St. Paul Saints, or the single shift taken by 69-year old Gordie Howe with minor hockey’s Detroit Vipers in 1997. At least Morgan drove the damn car for more than a couple of minutes.

If you seek meaningful, there was June 18, 2005 when 46-year old Julio Franco hit a pair of homers for the Atlanta Braves against Cincinnati. Nine days later he hit a pinch-hit grand slam home run against Florida. As for Mr. Hockey, Howe scored his final NHL goal on April 9, 1980 for the Hartford Whalers against the Montreal Canadiens, his 15th of the season, at the age of 51. As for NASCAR, only four drivers have recorded a win after passing their 50th birthday. Their names are Harry Gant, Bobby Allison, Mark Martin…and Morgan Shepherd. Now, that is something to be proud of.
F
Rating New Hampshire – 8.5/10 – I was pretty sure Tony and Steve Addington blew the call about gas, unless Larry McReynolds was completely wrong. He was not. We had four drivers dominate, in the Busch boys, Matt Kenseth, and Tony…before Vickers simply won it. There was drama, there was heart break, there was TNT’s crew for the final time this season. No point complaining about that right now. There will be time for that in a couple of weeks.

Indianapolis comes up on Sunday, July 28th. Until then, we can preview the ESPN gang by taking in the Nationwide action from Chicago this Sunday or the Indy action on the big track a week from Saturday as Mr. Vickers returns to action. Of course, the marquee event between now and the Brickyard will be the return to the dirt as the truck series visits Mr. Stewart’s track at Eldora Speedway on Wednesday, July 24th. That should be a blast. Enjoy the next two weeks!

NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: New Hampshire

By
Jeffrey Boswell
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Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished sixth at Loudon as Brian Vickers was the surprise winner in the Camping World RV Sales 301. Johnson qualified second, but started last after failing post-qualifying inspection.

“According to NASCAR,” Johnson said, “the front-end of the No. 48 was too low, so I was disqualified. You could say it was a ‘front-end suspension.’

“We dug ourselves a hole with the disqualification. But Chad Knaus is a master of digging out of holes, and even better getting out of those filled with hot water.”

2. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished ninth at New Hampshire, posting his tenth top-10 result of the year. He is now sixth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 120 out of first.

“What an amazing run by Brian Vickers,” Kenseth said. “What’s even more amazing? Not only did Vickers’ car pass inspection, he passed inspection.”

3. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer took 13th as Michael Waltrip Racing teammate Brian Vickers won the Camping World RV Sales 301. Bowyer moved up one spot in the point standings to second, and now trails Jimmie Johnson by 56.

“It was a banner day for MWR,” Bowyer said. “Unfortunately, Michael Waltrip couldn’t be here to see it. He was in England at the Goodwood Festival Of Speed. Some might say that for just a few days, Michael was the ‘Queen Of England.’”

4. Kevin Harvick: Harvick registered his ninth consecutive top-10 finish with a seventh at New Hampshire, while Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton finished a season-best third. Harvick is now fourth in the point standings, 74 out of first.

“Ryan Newman is not returning to Stewart-Haas Racing next year,” Harvick said. “So, according to Kyle Busch, Newman is saying ‘ogre and out’ to Stewart-Haas, and I’ll fill his spot. It’s a good exchange for Stewart; as for an ‘ogre,’ I’ve been called worse. As for Newman, I’ve been called better.”

5. Kyle Busch: Busch led 53 laps at Loudon but was overtaken late by Brian Vickers, who held on to win the Camping World RV Sales 301. Busch’s runner-up finish was his fourth top-5 result in the last seven races.

“The Busch brothers have declared all-out war on Ryan Newman,” Busch said. “I called Newman the ‘biggest, stupid idiot,’ which is almost as bad as calling someone the “stupidest, big idiot.’ But make no mistake. My brother and I don’t back down from fights, we just lose them.

“I’m sure Newman will come looking for me now. But tell him not to bother; I’m not hiring.”

6. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished eighth in the Camping World RV Sales 301 at Loudon. He is third in the point standings, 73 behind Jimmie Johnson.

“Danica Patrick turned down an offer to pose nude in ESPN’s ‘Body’ issue,” Edwards said. “I understand she replied to ESPN’s request by saying ‘No GoDaddy.’

“Once again, we’re getting worked up about Danica for nothing. What has she done in NASCAR? Not much. Maybe she should concentrate on appearing in ESPN’s ‘Somebody’ issue first.”

7. Tony Stewart: Stewart’s fuel mileage gamble fell short, costing him a sure top-10 finish at New Hampshire. He fell all the way to 26th, and tumbled out of the top 10 in the Sprint Cup point standings.

“Danica Patrick won’t get naked,” Stewart said, “but my gas tank sure will, because it petered out.”

“But how about Morgan Shepherd? At 71, he became the oldest driver to start a NASCAR race. In doing so, he’s redefined ‘late model’ racing.”

8. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt finished 14th in the Camping World RV Sales 301, the lowest finish among Hendrick Motorsports drivers. He remained in fifth in the point standings, 118 out of first.

“I can appreciate a good RV,” Earnhardt said. “Some of my fans travel to races in them; the others live in them.”

9. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski edged Jimmie Johnson for the pole at Loudon and finished fourth, ending a string of five finishes outside the top 10. The defending Sprint Cup champion moved up four spots in the point standings to ninth, 167 out of first.

“It’s good to be up front,” Keselowski said. “It keeps fans and sponsors alike happy. With fans, it’s a matter of ‘What have you done for me lately?’ With sponsors, one in particular, it’s a case of ‘What have you done for me Lite-ly?’”

10. Greg Biffle: Biffle finished 15th in the Camping World RV Sales 301. He is eighth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 151 out of first.

“It was not a great day for us,” Biffle said, “nor was it one for Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. He was wrecked by his girlfriend, Danica Patrick. Word is she was fully-clothed when he rebuffed her.”

Landon Cassill Chicagoland Speedway preview

By
SM Archive
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Sheldon Creed Scores First Career Stadium Super Truck Victory in Toronto

By
SM Staff
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15-year-old Sheldon Creed would grab the lead on lap three by P.J. Jones and never look back as he would dominate the rest of the way, capturing his first career Stadium Super Truck Victory in Toronto.

“Getting my first SST win, I have been searching for this for a while,” Creed said. “Starting third I knew I needed to get away fast. It just wanted to run away from the pack, I did not want to get into the whole bumping and rubbing. I knew if I got in front of P.J. he was going to give it to me today, and he did.”

Creed and Jones battled each other hard for the lead for a couple of laps, till contact would send them both around. With the huge lead on third place, both drivers were able to keep their positions. However, Jones’ truck suffered heavy front end damage, causing him to hit pit road for repairs. Jones would finish sixth.

“I looked in the mirror, and I was waiting for it, and he finally hit me we both ended up spinning out,” Creed continued. “P.J. and I were so checked out it ended up working out good. On the restart, he was right there again bumping me and pushing me all the way down the straightaway.

“My strong part of the track was the jumps. It is where I could catch them every lap and just send those things. My weakest point was the back, so I knew if I was going to pass him it was going to have to be in front, and I made it happen!”

Robby Gordon would finish second to Creed despite going for a spin in the early going of the eight lap event.

“As you can see, these trucks aren’t easy to drive,” Gordon said afterwards. “We can lower them down and make it easier, but I think when you leave them up like that, it puts it more in the driver’s hands and in their control.

“I want to thank Charlie Johnstone and everybody from Honda Indy Toronto, all these Canadian fans for the support.”

Davey Hamilton would round out the podium, making up for Saturday’s disappointment of a mechanical failure sending him to pit road early.

“After yesterday, I was a little embarrassed,” Hamilton said. “I’ve never done anything like this before. Robby came forward with this opportunity and I thought, ‘What the heck? I’ve done everything else so I might as well try this’. So last night I went to bed and thought it over and knew I was going to do better today.

“I had a lot of fun. Robby has a great thing going on with this series. You got to follow this thing because he has stuff going here.”

Rob MacCachren would finish fourth, followed by Justin Lofton. Lofton was running up in second during the middle part of the race, though lost some spots due to losing power in the final laps.

Paul Tracy would finish seventh out of the seven trucks after making heavy contact with the front stretch wall after one of the jumps. Tracy had made contact with the turn seven wall a couple laps prior while running inside the top three.

“It was really fun racing with Paul,” Gordon said of Tracy. “I know his truck is broken here on the front straightaway but what you guys didn’t see is he hit the wall back around turn seven a ton. I thought he was done and next thing I look and he’s right beside me. I couldn’t believe he kept going. He ran two more laps like that and I was thinking how he could not be worried about the suspension. Finally it broke off of the start-finish jump. But he did a really good job. I was really impressed with PT and Davey, but all these guys.

The Inaugural season of SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks continues September 1, in Crandon, Wisc., at the Crandon International Off-Road Raceway with Round No. 9 to be part of the 44th Annual World Championship of Off-Road weekend.

Keep up with all the latest news and results on SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks at http://www.stadiumsupertrucks.com

Andersen Promotions to Run Firestone Indy Lights Series in 2014

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Chris Jones/IndyCar.com

On Friday at the Honda Indy Toronto, an announcement was made with regards to the future of the Firestone Indy Lights. INDYCAR announced they’ve entered into an agreement with Andersen Promotions to license and operate the Firestone Indy Lights in 2014.

“This is a positive move for our sport,” Derrick Walker, president of competition and operations for INDYCAR, said. “A strong and relevant training system is important to develop the next generation of INDYCAR drivers.”

Indy Lights has served an important purpose in developing drivers throughout the years. Charlie Kimball, James Hinchcliffe and Tristan Vautier are just three of the drivers who’ve graduated from Indy Lights to the IZOD IndyCar Series. Many IndyCar teams run drivers in the Indy Lights to further develop their programs.

“The history of Firestone Indy Lights is so impressive with dozens of drivers graduating to IZOD IndyCar Series careers over the years,” Dan Andersen said. “I am honored to be given the opportunity to step in and steer the course for the future.”

The move makes sense as Andersen Promotions already manages the other series that are part of the MAZDA Road to Indy – the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by MAZDA and the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. Drivers who want to race in the IZOD IndyCar Series are highly encouraged to use the stepping ladder system to gain experience.

“Firestone Indy Lights will be more closely aligned with its developmental series already operated by Andersen Promotions and will be positioned for growth to continue to meet the goal of preparing up-and-coming race drivers for the rigors of the IZOD IndyCar Series,” Walker said. “Today’s announcement will create more consistency as drivers and teams advance from USF2000 to Pro Mazda and Firestone Indy Lights, all under the leadership of Andersen Promotions.”

Indy Lights graduate James Hinchcliffe says the continuity and consistency will be a benefit

“I think that’s a strong business move and a strong marketing move, and hopefully, ultimately will help attract young drivers and help graduate them up through the ranks,” Hinchcliffe said. “I’ve spent a lot of time with Dan, I raced against him in Star Mazda, and I see what he’s done with the series now and it’s been very positive. I think this is great news for Indy Lights.”

Andersen Promotions has shown success with the USF2000 Series as there’s close racing with a total of 30 cars.

“Our model for operating developmental programs appears to be well-received by teams and drivers, and I am fortunate to have a strong staff in place,” Andersen said. “We believe in the Mazda Road to Indy, and are grateful that INDYCAR has chosen to continue its support for years to come.”

Those sentiments are echoed by 2012 Indy Lights Champion Tristan Vautier

“It’s a very good thing,” Vautier commented. “I think Andersen has done an outstanding job in USF2000 and Pro Mazda. These ladder series are the reason America is the place for young drivers to be. I’m happy that it will continue to be the case for Firestone Indy Lights.”

The key to Dan Andersen’s leadership is he knows the owner’s perspective, the promoter’s perspective and the driver’s perspectives from experience.  He also listens to input from the owners.

“Dan has the passion for the Mazda Road to Indy,” JF Thormann, Executive Vice President and COO of Andretti Autosport, said. “He really listens to the team owners. With Dan’s leadership, I’ve liked what I’ve seen and heard so far.”

Lately, the Indy Lights have been lacking and with only nine cars in the series, people are looking for improvement. Hopefully Dan can deliver on that.

It has already been announced that the Indy Lights will run 12 races a year, with 10 dates run alongside the IndyCar Series. INDYCAR added they will work with the television partners to ensure continued coverage.

Andersen Promotions has already taken step one in launching a new stand-alone website for the Indy Lights – http://www.indylights.com.

Andrew Gresel scores first OSCAAR Super Late Model victory at Sauble

By
SM Staff
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“I don’t think there is any place that we want to win more than here,” Andrew Gresel said in victory lane.

Coming home to his home track of Sauble Speedway, there was one goal on the mind of the rookie – score the feature victory and get his first career OSCAAR Super Late Model win. He did just that.

Gresel would lead all 50 laps behind the wheel of his No. 81 CUSW/Sauble Falls/McRobert Fuels Super Late Model to score his first career OSCAAR Super Late Model win at Sauble Speedway on Saturday night.

Lloyd Ritchie would drive his No. 62 Standing Arrows Smoke Shop Super Late Model to victory lane in the first heat ahead of Derrike Tiemersma, Sean Cronan, Brent McLean, Todd Campbell and Brandon Vanderwel.

Gresel’s night wouldn’t start off that well as he would go for a spin in the first heat on the first lap after contact with Glenn Watson. Kevin Cornelius would pick up the heat victory behind of the wheel of his No. 17 Halton Crushed Stone/Triplecrete/Alliston Transmission/McColl Racing Enterprises Super Late Model, ahead of Brandon Watson, Gresel, Glenn Watson, Tyler Hawn and Shane Gowan.

There’d be a scary moment in the third heat when Vanderwel would climb the frontstretch wall on the last lap after contact with Campbell. Vanderwel would get out of the car alright, though the car sustained heavy front and back end damage. Ritchie would go for the daily double ahead of Tiemersma, Vanderwel, Campbell, McLean, Doug Wilson and Cronan.

Gresel would bounce back from strong in the final heat as he would pick up the win ahead of Hawn, Glenn Watson, Cornelius, Brandon Watson and Gowan.

In the feature, Gresel would start on pole virtue of the draw and spotter Joe Crisholm Jr. pulling first. Tiemersma would start second, followed by Cornelius, Ritchie, Hawn, Glenn Watson, Brandon Watson, Campbell, McLean, Cronan, Gowan and Wilson.

Tiemersma would stay alongside Gresel for a lap, however Gresel would pull ahead on lap two. Tiemersma would then battle side-by-side with Cornelius for second and was able to hold off Cornelius to keep the spot. Behind them, Ritchie and Glenn Watson battled for third, with Glenn Watson grabbing the spot on lap five. The top six then ran single-file while the battled raged for seventh between Campbell and Brandon Watson, with Brandon Watson able to take the position solely on lap seven.

On lap 7, Ritchie and Brandon Watson battled for sixth. Watson was able to clear Ritchie the next lap for the position while Gowan pulled off the track.

The only caution of the feature would come out on lap 20 when Tyler Hawn would lay down oil in turn one, spinning out. After a lengthy clean-up with 30 laps to go, it’d be Gresel leading Tiemersma, Cornelius, Glenn Watson, Brandon Watson, Ritchie, Campbell, Cronan and McLean to the restart.

On the restart, Gresel would once again pull ahead of Tiemersma while Cornelius and Glenn Watson battled for third. Cornelius would clear Watson the next lap to keep the third position. Brandon Watson would then slip past his uncle on lap 32 to move up to fourth while McLean pulled his car behind the wall.

Andrew Gresel would pull away from the field and take the victory. This marks the fourth straight top 10 for Gresel and third top five of the season.

Derrike Tiemersma would finish second to keep his streak of solid finishes going as he has yet to finish outside the top five in a feature so far this year.

Kevin Cornelius would finish third for his third straight podium finish and his fifth top seven finish so far this year.

Brandon Watson would finish fourth for his worst finish this year as he was on the podium in each of the four races ran before Sauble.

Glenn Watson would round out the top five, marking a solid finish after his wreck at Sunset Speedway during the Don Biederman Memorial.

Lloyd Ritchie finished sixth, followed by Todd Campbell, Sean Cronan, Doug Wilson and Brent McLean.

Tyler Hawn finished 11th, followed by Shane Gowan and Brandon Vanderwel.

The OSCAARs will be at Flamboro Speedway this coming weekend as they make their first trip there since October 2009.

David McCullough scores first career OSCAAR Modified win at Sauble Speedway

By
SM Staff
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After scoring the pole on the draw, David McCullough wouldn’t look back as he would score his first career OSCAAR Modified victory at Sauble Speedway. The driver of the No. 39M Oke’s Auto and Hosie D’s Donuts Modified becomes the fourth different straight winner and fifth overall different winner this season.

Matt Barton would win the first heat ahead of Brian McLean, Dave Osbourne, Davey Terry, Darryn Wright and Shane Stickel.

Gary McLean would win the second heat ahead of McCullough, Brent McLean, Mike Westwood and Branden Bullen.

After a disappointing weekend at Sunset Speedway two weeks ago, Davey Terry would win the third heat ahead of Barton, Brian McLean, Stickel and Osbourne.

Brent McLean would win the final heat ahead of Gary McLean, McCullough, Bullen, Westwood and Bobby Tolton.

When it came time for the feature, David McCullough would start on the pole, followed by Gary McLean, Brent McLean, Matt Barton, Dave Osbourne, Davey Terry, Mike Westwood, Branden Bullen, Shane Stickel, Darryn Wright, Bobby Tolton and Michael Ford.

Gary McLean would grab the lead on the start ahead of McCullough, Brent McLean, Osbourne and Westwood. Stickel would slip by Westwood for fifth on lap five. Westwood would drop back to eighth on lap six after being passed by Barton and Terry.

Meanwhile, Tolton would pull off the track due to his car losing ignition. Ford ended up in the backstretch grass a couple laps later after getting loose off of turn two, bringing out the caution. With 23 laps to go, it’d be Gary McLean leading McCullough, Brent McLean, Osbourne, Stickel, Barton, Terry, Westwood, Bullen and Wright.

On the restart, McCullough would get a good jump on Gary McLean to grab the lead. Behind them, Barton would get into Osbourne, however Osbourne would make the save and keep going. Though the caution would fly a lap later for Westwood spinning around. With going back a lap, Gary McLean would restart as the leader ahead of McCullough, Brent McLean, Osbourne, Barton, Stickel, Terry, Bullen, Wright and Westwood.

On the restart, McCullough would once again grab the lead while Brent McLean would get underneath Gary McLean for second. The uncle and nephew combination would make contact, though both kept it going with Gary holding on to second. Meanwhile, Osbourne would continue to run fourth ahead of Barton and Terry.

McCullough would escape from the field, however Gary McLean would catch back up to him with 13 laps to go. At the same time, Stickle would run into problems, pulling his newly wrapped car off the track.

Gary McLean would stay close to McCullough the final 10 laps, however wasn’t able to find a way by. As a result, David McCullough picks up OSCAAR Modified feature win no. 1 ahead of defending series champion Gary McLean, points leader Brent McLean, Dave Osbourne and Davey Terry.

Matt Barton would finish sixth, followed by Mike Westwood, Branden Bullen, Shane Stickel and Darryn Wright.

Michael Ford finished 11th, followed by Bobby Tolton and Brian McLean.

Vickers overcome ‘with a lot of thankfulness’ after victory in New Hampshire

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Gary Buchanan

Brian Vickers never felt he needed to prove himself all over again.

After all, it wasn’t a lack of performance or sponsorship that took him out of his car midway through 2010. Instead, the unthinkable at age 26: blood clots and subsequent heart surgery, which could have ended both Vickers NASCAR career and life. It sidelined him for the remainder of that season and his career has been on a roller coaster ever since.

Sunday in Loudon, New Hampshire however, Vickers was back where he always knew he could be. That, being Victory Lane in the Sprint Cup Series as he drove – or rather helped push – the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota there for the first time this season, the third time in Vickers career. A place he hadn’t been since Michigan in 2009.

“Once it [the race] was over, I think it was a sigh of relief with everything that had happened to finally clinch another victory after so long and after so much, and it was a lot of thankfulness,” said Vickers, who led the final 16 laps after taking the lead from Tony Stewart and holding on following a green-white-checkered finish.

“Just thankful for everything that had happened and everything that didn’t happen; that I was able to get back into a racecar, and that I had the support of family and friends to get through everything and to get back in the car. There were some people that still believed in me, namely these guys sitting here [crew chief Rodney Childers and Ty Norris of Michael Waltrip Racing] and everyone at MWR to give me the chance.

“I think that was probably the biggest emotion that I had, I have, that I still will have going forward, because they took a chance, in a lot of ways. There was a lot going on and a lot of uncertainly for me.”

As he laid in a hospital bed in 2010, watching someone else drive at the time his Red Bull Racing car, Vickers set three goals for himself. The first was the most important, take care of his health and get out of the hospital, reclaim his car and then go win a race.

His comeback, for those who want to call it that, is complete three years later. Vickers did return to racing in 2011 for RBR, but was out of a job when the organization shut its doors at seasons end. After fighting for his life, he found himself fighting for a job.

Along came MWR, with owner Michael Waltrip who once joked his company is for refugees. Except, while Waltrip could give Vickers a ride, it wouldn’t be a full-time one as he was accustomed to. He ran just eight races in 2012 and was offered more in 2013.

As Norris explained it, “When this opportunity came – at the time it was only six races. He [Vickers] said: I have an opportunity to go run for a full-time team and run all year, probably make more money, but I get the chance to run those six races, I would rather run at a place where I can win. If I can just get a place where I can win, I would rather do that than run every week.

“And he took that whole 2012 season and took that into consideration, ran our six races. We actually rewarded him with two more and now it’s up to nine this year. Hopefully it will be way, way more than that going into the future. That’s to his credit. He was not going to take a situation just to get back into the car and prove to everybody that he could do it. He came back into the right situation.”

Vickers short but impressive stint in the Cup Series in 2012 caught the attention of many. Joe Gibbs Racing tabbed him for one of their Nationwide cars full-time this season to run a championship, he finished second at New Hampshire on Saturday, still searching for his first win of the season. He’s currently sixth in points.

MWR is working to put him in the 55 full-time next season, returning him back to the top level where he had been before his career and life took an unexpected turn. And so, when Vickers won on Sunday, it was almost like the first time, not the third.

He couldn’t do a burnout having run out of gas as he started to spin the car around. So instead, Vickers got out and celebrated amongst the fans. Something he really wanted to do anyway, savoring the moment with those who have welcomed him back with open arms.

On Sunday, it was with outstretched arms and hands through the frontstretch fence in hopes of giving the victor personal congratulations. Vickers was actually trying to see if the crossover gate was open, looking to go into the stands, share the moment with those who make the sport happen, in his opinion.

“Just everything that a lot of us have gone through and everything that I’ve gone through over so many years,” said Vickers of the day and his emotions.

“You wake up one morning and you’re just hoping to be around the next, to are you ever going to race again to okay, I may race again to all right, I’m racing; now I don’t have a job, to getting a phone call from Ty [Norris] and him asking me if I was interested in running eight races. And I said, absolutely.”

It hasn’t always been easy, Vickers will tell you, but he was never willing to give up and walk away.

“When your back is against the wall and everything is down and things are not looking so good, you find out quickly who is willing to vouch for you or not,” he said on Sunday.

“I learned a lot through that experience personally and I grew a lot as a person myself, thankful for that, and with everything that’s happened, I’d like to think I’ll never forget those learning curves. I doubt that’s going to happen, but all of that, coming here, sitting in Victory Lane, just makes it one of the most special events of my life.”

Scott Dixon dominates Honda Indy Toronto 2 for third straight win

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Ashley McCubbin

It was like yesterday was on replay as Scott Dixon would dominate to win the Honda Indy Toronto Race 2. It marks his third straight win after winning last weekend at Pocono and yesterday’s Toronto race. Last year, Ryan Hunter-Reay won three in a row on the way to winning the championship.

Dixon took the lead early, held it through the pit stop cycles and on the final restart to take home the victory. With sweeping the weekend, Dixon scores a $100,000 bonus for the sweep courtesy of SONAX.

“Once again, I want to thank everyone for coming out today,” Dixon, who led 81 of the 85 laps, said in victory lane. “Toronto fans are something special. A little hotter today. The race was a little faster pace today, so we were definitely trying to hang on there.”

Dixon earned his 32nd career IndyCar victory, gaining sole possession of eventh place on the all-time list. He also becomes the winningest active driver with his victory today.

The race went green all the way till lap 64 when James Jakes made contact in turn five with the wall after clipping the curb.

On the restart, Dixon was able to hold on to the lead, spreading it to 6.2879 seconds before a caution came out on lap 81 with four laps to go. Ed Carpenter brought the caution out after hitting the wall at the exit of turn five.

On the restart with 2 laps to go, Ryan Hunter-Reay would try to make it three-wide going into turn one, resulting in contact with Will Power after the corner. Hunter-Reay would catch the outside wall hard, collecting Takuma Sato, while Power would go off in one of the run-off areas. As a result, the race ended under caution.

“Will was coming out from the bottom. I had a good run going on the outside, I was right next to him and he just – he was sliding across the patch,” Hunter-Reay said afterwards. “I talked to him, and he just said he got loose on the bottom and he just drove right up into us. There’s two lanes going through, everybody kind of respects that and….I don’t think he drove us on purpose, but we were taken out of the race.”

“It was a disappointing end for the Verizon team,” Power said. “We worked so hard all day and had a good run throughout most of the race. Then for it to come to an end like it did on the last restart is such a heartbreak. We will just work ahead and work for a better result at Mid-Ohio.”

Helio Catroneves would finish second to hold on to the points lead as he scores his 12th top 10 in 13 races this season.

“The car was better today,” Castroneves said. “They were in a different league, Scott and Ganassi guys. I was pushing. Whatever he is taking for breakfast, I want it. Scott, tell me what you’re having for breakfast. Let’s be realistic: The guy was leading the whole race, 13 seconds ahead.

Sebastian Bourdais would finish third despite his push-to-pass button malfunctioning for his second consecutive podium finish after finishing second yesterday.

“It was really hard, and it was from seventh place,” he said. “I thought I was a sitting duck. Things just turned our way. I had a really good car on the restart. I was hooked up. I knew as soon as Ryan (Hunter-Reay) passed me, I had to get him back. I went for it, and it worked out.”

After suffering front wing damage to contact on the opening lap with Will Power, Dario Franchitti would come back to finish fourth. EJ Viso would round out the top five.

Charlie Kimball finished sixth, followed by Mike Conway, Justin Wilson, Marco Andretti and Alex Tagliani. The 10th place finish for Tagliani marks his first top 10 of 2013.

Hometown hero James Hinchcliffe wouldn’t take the initial green flag after the throttle sticking on pit road. Hinchcliffe’s crew would get the problem fixed, sending him out on track three laps down. The mayor of Hinchtown would finish 21st as a result.

“The throttle stuck (on the start) – it’s pretty simple,” Hinchcliffe said. “I was just going through the routine of the standing start, and as soon as I put my thumb on the throttle, it stuck 100 percent, and that was about a minute before they gave the command (to start engines).

“It sucks for everyone that came out today. I was hoping for better in my hometown. But we weren’t going to give up – I wanted to go out, finish the race and get any point we could.”

Brian Vickers Becomes New Sheriff in Town with New Hampshire Win

By
SM Staff
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Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, proved that there was a new sheriff in town in the Camping World RV Sales 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Vickers scored his first win of the season, forgoing the traditional burnout to instead claim the checkered flag and celebrate the moment high-fiving the fans.

“I don’t know if I can put it into words,” Vickers said. “With everything I’ve gone through from the blood clots to are you ever going to race again to now I can race, but I don’t have a job to getting a phone call from Ty (Norris) to run eight races, nothing could be more special to have this win.”

“I’m grateful to my family and friends who have supported me along the way,” Vickers continued. “When your back’s against the wall, you find out quickly who is willing to vouch for you.”

“Sitting in Victory Lane is one of the most special events of my life.”

The last time that Vickers was in Victory Lane was on August 16, 2009 at Michigan. Until now, he has never won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

“I’m just thankful that I was able to get back in the car and that there were people that still believed in me,” Vickers said. “That was the biggest emotion that I have and will have going forward.”

“They took a chance in a lot of ways,” Vickers continued. “I’m just very thankful for all that and that’s the main emotion that I still have.”

Although Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota, finished in the runner up position, he acknowledged that it was one difficult race, especially contending with race winner Vickers.

“Well it was certainly a tough one,” Busch said. “Our car was super-fast for the short run of the race and we could run up front and make some ground.”

“But once we got close to somebody, the aero effect seemed to take over,” Busch continued. “I was just getting tighter and tighter as the run went along.”

“I’m really proud of the effort and glad we came home second but it was a really tough day for us.”

Busch had nothing but praise for Brian Vickers, as well as Michael Waltrip Racing, with whom Joe Gibbs Racing has a relationship. And he even learned a little bit that he can take into the next Loudon race during the Chase.

“Vickers was obviously going to be the car to beat,” Busch said. “But congratulations to them.”

“It was cool to see an MWR team in Victory Lane with the relationship we have with JGR,” Busch continued. “Certainly, we really wanted to win but we know what we need to do to get our car better for when we come back in the Chase race.”

This was Busch’s seventh top-10 finish in 17 races at the Magic Mile and his 11th top-10 finish of the season.

Jeff Burton achieved a milestone at a track that he loves, scoring his best finish of the season in third. The driver of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet posted his 14th top-10 finish at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

“You know, we feel good about what we’re doing,” Burton said. “We are definitely making progress and we feel like we are starting to building on something.

“And we think we can improve.”

Brad Keselowski, who sat on the pole, finished fourth in the Blue Deuce. And he echoed what most of the drivers were saying, that the race was one of the toughest he has run.

“That was a grueling race for sure,” Keselowski said. “We fought hard all day and came home with a fourth, so that was a decent day.”

“I thought we had a shot at it,” Keselowski continued. “The 18 and 78 were really good and I hadn’t been around the 55 all day until the end.”

“But man, that last run, he was definitely fast and deserved the win,” Keselowski said. “It was a decent day for the Miller Lite Ford Fusion but we just needed a little bit more to win.”

One of the bigger surprises of the race was the finish of Aric Almirola, behind the wheel of the No. 43 Smithfield Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports, finishing fifth. And he gave all the credit to the man atop his pit box, crew chief Todd Parrott.

“We really struggled and Todd saw that track position was really important,” Almirola said. “So, we took two tires on one of those cautions and that was really bad so we came back down pit road and took four tires when everybody else stayed out and that gave us the opportunity when everyone else came to pit to make it on fuel and we stayed out.”

“That was a great pit call by Todd Parrott and these guys on the Smithfield Ford Fusion did a great job and that is nice,” Almirola continued. “It is a great way to go into the off weekend.”

As with any short, flat track, there were some moments both on and off the track that sparked some rather emotional responses.

Probably the most disappointed was Kurt Busch, who sat on the outside pole and then got tangled up with Matt Kenseth, sending Ryan Newman spinning as well. The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet finished 31st.

I just got hit from behind,” Busch said. “There was three-wide action and everybody’s going hard.”

“Kenseth was in the middle on the back straightaway,” Busch continued. “The car gets light when there is no air on the rear spoiler back there.”

“We just got whacked by a bunch of guys,” Newman said. “The No. 18 hit me first, the No. 2 hit me next and then I guess it was Kurt (Busch) that went underneath three-wide.”

“The No. 20 come and clipped us and knocked us into the fence and took himself out,” Newman said. “That was the best I could tell.”

“We kind of were in a bad spot having a little bit older tire but just a lot of disrespect from a bunch of guys on restarts.”

The Rookie of the Year contenders Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Danica Patrick also had a moment together, finishing 23rd and 32nd respectively. And for those two drivers, it was all about the brakes that were to blame as they both went crashing.

“My brakes were going out all race really,” Stenhouse Jr. said. “I was complaining about it all race.”

“We will take the weekend off and go to Indy.”

Jimmie Johnson, who came from the rear to finish sixth and maintain the points lead, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon rounded out the top-ten in the 21st Annual Camping World RV Sales 301 at the Magic Mile.

 

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