Matty’s Picks 2013 – Vol. 15 Coke Zero 400 – Daytona International Speedway – July 6, 2013

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July 6, 2013

Daytona needs no introduction this week. Since it’s the Crown Jewel of NASCAR, everyone knows the history of the track and the races its produced over the years, so I’ll keep it short and talk a little bit about what I was able to gather from the February races – including that “HISTORIC” Daytona 500.

If you got past the fact that Danica was on the pole for the Daytona 500 and all the hoopla that surrounded that story, you would have seen that the Daytona 500 this year was pretty boring as far as plate races go. It could have been because of that early crash that put a lot of the top guys out of contention – Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya, Tony Stewart, Brad Kesolowski, and Kyle Busch, – that was all about 30 laps in, so a lot of the heavy hitters were out early.

The race was boring in the sense that nobody could really pass. Matt Kenseth led 86 laps before he blew up, and it seemed like anyone who stepped out of line really paid the price, even if they had a car to help push. It was pretty much follow the leader and a lot of the guys complained over the two weeks about not being able to pass in the then brand new Gen6 racecar.
One word of caution this week is with the Toyotas, and there has been talk about their engine issues the past few weeks. These engines haven’t been tested since Michigan where it was announced they would not be scaling back the horsepower any further, but the series hasn’t been at tracks where engine longevity has been a factor since Greg Biffle’s win at Michigan. Toyota has won JUST ONE points race at Daytona in 132 races. Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch both blew up in the Daytona 500, and Martin Truex Jr. had engine issues as well, certainly something to consider this week when making your picks.

Kentucky Recap

I picked Kyle Busch last week at a place where it is impossible not to mention him where his performances over the years have been nothing less than exemplary. Busch started his No. 18 Doublemint Toyota in fourth and raced inside the top five through the early portion of the race before he got loose and caused a caution. Busch would have to restart in 37th but would climb all the way back to the top 15 by lap 83 and great work by his Doublemint team and a little pit strategy would help him get back inside the top five for a restart on lap 93. Busch would continue to run up front with the leaders while battling changing handling conditions. Despite the challenges all night, Busch and the Doublemint team managed to scrape together another Top-5 at Kentucky.

As for my Dark Horse, Joey Logano, also known as the hottest driver in NASCAR not named Kevin Harvick, had another solid week in the No. 22 Pennzoil Ford Fusion. The team qualified 11th for the Quaker State 400, and with solid pit stops and consistent adjustments by Crew Chief Todd Gordon, Logano began to climb through the front of the field by lap 110. Logano never ran outside the Top 5 in the second-half of the race, until the final restart with about 20 laps to go. He restarted 7th and made a bold move on the restart, moving up to 4th where he would cross the finish line, netting himself his 5th top-five of this 2013 season.

Daytona Picks

Winner Pick
I didn’t pull out my dice and roll them to pick my winner this week, but I did, I think the dice would have revealed the numbers two and nine meaning the guy I’d be looking at this week is the hottest guy in the sport right now and that’s Kevin Harvick.

Harvick was unlucky earlier this year when he crashed early in the Daytona 500. He won the Sprint Unlimited, won his Duel race, and was certainly one of the cars to beat. As far as the stats go, he’s won two races at Daytona and if you throw in the duel races he’s won, the count is 7 wins on restrictor plate tracks – 5 of which coming in the last 3 years.

This team brings 7-straight top-10’s to Daytona and considering he’s due for a good restrictor plate finish (finished 42nd in the Daytona 500 and 40th at Talladega in May) Harvick was my top pick on Thursday and remains my top pick for the win tonight.

Dark Horse Pick

Paul Menard is a guy who manages to stay out of trouble at Daytona. He has completed 99.3% of the 2148 laps of his 12 starts at Daytona, leading 38 laps in the meantime. Daytona is second on his list of tracks with an average finish of 17.3 and that number comes with a 38th place finish averaged in those numbers (2009 Daytona 500). He’s been good at Daytona, might not be the BEST longshot pick this week with the Front Row Motorsports teams showing speed in both practice sessions, but working with Harvick in the draft will prove to be beneficial for this team tonight.

That’s all for this week, be sure to tune in on Thursday as Greg and I preview next week’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

So until next time, You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

Late race charge gives Kenseth Subway Firecracker 250 win

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SM Staff

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July 5, 2013

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Matt Kenseth can add another Daytona victory to his resume.

Pushed by James Buescher on a green-white-checkered finish, Buescher pushed Kenseth all the way to the checkered flag, unable to make his own move for the win because his engine was about to expire. It’s Kenseth’s first Nationwide Series victory of the season and his second at Daytona.

“We had a decent car. We didn’t qualify quite as we hoped, but we got in the race and it drafted really well,” said Kenseth.

“James was back there by himself and slowed up and grabbed him and our two cars together with him pushing my car were incredibly fast. Once we got hooked up with him I felt we had a shot, but yet these races are usually so crazy and there’s so much stuff at the end that gets tore up, you’re not sure what’s going to happen.”

The 12th annual Subway Firecracker 250 at Daytona started with Austin Dillon on the pole for the sixth time in the last seven races. Dillon was also one of four drivers eligible for the Dash 4 Cash program, a $100,000 payday to the highest finisher, joining Elliott Sadler, Brian Vickers and Kyle Larson.

At the drop of the green flag Dillon’s lead lasted until turn three, rookie Travis Pastrana led the first lap. And as has become accustomed in the NNS, the field quickly found their drafting partners and began the tandem style racing.

Partners such as Penske teammates Joey Logano and Sam Hornish Jr., who combine led a race high 64 of 101 laps and appeared to be the ones to beat. Hornish lost his drafting help on the final restart and faded to a seventh place finish. He remains second in the championship standings, now six markers behind Regan Smith.

The race featured only four cautions but just one for a crash on the track. Pastrana and Cole Whitt got together with four laps to, triggering a crash that collected Robert Richardson, Jeffrey Earnhardt and Jason White. White climbed from his mangled machine and briefly went to the ground before walking to the ambulance. He was later released from the care center and told reporters the wind had been knocked out of him.

When the race restarted for the final time Kenseth, who had taken the lead right before the caution, and Buescher broke from the field to settle the race amongst themselves. While it was Kenseth’s 27th career victory it was the first for crew chief Matt Lucas.

The battle for third was a little more frantic; the pack ran seemingly three-wide until the checkered flag. Sadler prevailed and grabbed the $100,000 bonus in the Dash 4 Cash.

“Very happy about our performance tonight,” Sadler said afterwards. “What Nationwide Insurance does for our series — this Dash 4 Cash is a great program. Tonight we had an in-car camera in our car and that brings a lot of exposure to our race team. It brings a lot of exposure to our racecar. It brings a lot of exposure to our sponsors. This is a big, big program for our series.”

Kurt Busch and Austin Dillon rounded out the top five. Running the green and yellow City Chevrolet paint scheme from the movie Days of Thunder, it was Busch who provided some of the lighter moments during the night. He and the No. 1 crew threw out lines from the movie and referred to Kurt as Cole Trickle, even eating ice cream in the pit area during one caution.

Kyle Larson, who stole headlines in February with his scary crash into the frontstretch fence, was the highest finishing rookie. He came home sixth.

The drivers eligible in next weekend’s Dash 4 Cash program will again be Sadler, Larson, Dillon and Hornish. New Hampshire is the next stop on the Nationwide Series tour.

Lap by Lap: Subway Firecracker 200 won by Matt Kenseth

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SM Staff

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July 5, 2013

Matt Kenseth would take the lead late in the Subway Firecracker 200 at Daytona International Speedway and hold the field off on a late-race restart to take the victory.

Lap 1 Brian Scott pushes Travis Pastrana to the lead

Lap 3 Scott switches with Pastrana to lead……Austin Dillon blows by with a couple others in toe. Dillon is being pushed by Elliott Sadler

Lap 4 ColeTrickle….I mean Kurt Busch to the lead with a shove from Hornish

Lap 5 Dillon to the lead with a shove from Logano

Lap 11 Hornish leads with help from Logano

Lap 25 Vickers-Smith trying to get by the Penske duo for the lead. Penske duo Hornish-Logano holds on to the lead.

Lap 38 leaders cycle through stops with Vickers grabbing the lead with help from Smith

Lap 40 Hornish-Logano go back to the lead ahead of Vickers-Smith

Lap 44 Vickers-Smith trying to go by Hornish-Logano for the lead. Penske duo pull ahead again.

Lap 49 caution for debris. Leaders hit pit road for tires and fuel. Hornish leads Logano Vickers Sadler Smith KuBusch Kenseth Larson Allgaier and Buescher off pit road.

Restart 48 laps to go Hornish-Logano lead early, though Sadler-Cole Trickle (Kurt Busch) grab the lead down the backstretch

47 to go Hornish-Logano outside, Sadler-Trickle inside

46 to go Hornish-Logano pull ahead with Kenseth-Allgaier in toe

44 to go Hornish-Logano ahead of Vickers-Smith

36 to go Buescher Larson KuBusch Hornish Logano KyBusch Whitt ADillon TDillon Nemechek Scott

35 to go Cole Trickle (Kurt Busch)-Rowdy Busch lead

34 to go Hornish-Keselowski lead

30 to go Sorenson blows up. Leaders pit, Logano leads Hornish Smith Vickers Sadler Kenseth Dillon Larson KuBusch

Restart 23 to go Vickers-Kenseth leads the field

22 to go Vickers-Kenseth Logano-Smith………….Kenseth gives Vickers a shot, Vickers goes for the ride through the grass. No further contact, no caution

21 to go Larson-Allgaier leads Dillon-Trickle

19 to go Kenseth-Buescher leading Hornish-Logano

18 to go Hornish-Logano pull ahead of Kenseth-Buescher

13 to go Kenseth-Buescher leads ahead of the field

12 to go Kenseth-Buescher leads Dillon-Kligerman / Hornish-Keselowski

11 to go Kenseth-Buescher side-by-side with Hornish-Keselowski as Mike Wallace is slow. Caution flies as he stops in turns three and four.

Restart 7 to go Hornish-Logano get slightly separated as Kenseth-Buescher pull ahead of the field

6 to go Hornish-Logano to the outside of Kenseth-Buescher for the lead. Kenseth-Buescher keep the lead….Dillon goes for the lead to the outside of Kenseth……..Pastana thinks he can fit in hole but ends up crossing Whitt’s bumper. Jeffery Earnhardt, Dick, Pastrana, Richardson Jr., Jason White, McClure, Stacey collected

Red flag to clean up the mess.

When restart Kenseth ADillon Buescher Kligerman Sadler KyBusch Smith Hornish Logano KuBusch Larson Allgaier TDillon.

Restart 2 to go Kenseth-Buescher pull ahead of the field ahead of Sadler

Final lap. Kenseth-Buescher lead ahead of the field.

Kenseth Buescher Sadler KuBusch ADillon Larson Hornish Smith Logano Bayne KyBusch Allgaier Vickers