2013 Sprint Cup Team Preview: Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing is next on our list to preview for the 2013 season. In 2013, JGR will field the No.11, No.18, and No.20 Toyota Camry’s for drivers Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Matt Kenseth, respectively.
Denny Hamlin
Despite five wins, 14 top five finishes, and 17 top ten finishes in 2012 as well as qualifying for the Chase again, Denny Hamlin and crew chief Darian Grubb came up short of the championship yet again last year. With Hamlin and Grubb having a year together under their belts, one has to wonder if this is the year that Hamlin finally gets it done and wins the championship after coming close in recent years. Hamlin seems to come out of the gate strong to start the year, but fizzles once the end of the year nears. If Hamlin and crew can put together a whole year and avoid the mechanical failures that hurt them late in 2012, then the No.11 FedEx team might be right up there when Homestead rolls around in November.
Kyle Busch
After a 2012 season that many would consider the worst of his career, Busch and crew chief Dave Rogers are looking ahead to 2013 as a rebound year. Busch only found Victory Lane once and failed to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, due in large part to a rash of mechanical failures that led Busch to a 13th place points finish. As long as Busch can put his dismal 2012 season behind him and avoid the mechanical gremlins in 2013, he should have no problem finding Victory Lane and qualifying for the Chase in 2013. Busch could also be a championship contender if all the cards fall right for Busch and his team.
Matt Kenseth
After driving for Roush Fenway Racing for the majority of his career, Matt Kenseth moves over to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2013 to take over the No.20 Home Depot/Dollar General Toyota. Kenseth will team up with crew chief Jason Ratcliff in 2013 and as the only member of the JGR squad with a championship, could raise the game of both Hamlin and Busch. Kenseth should no doubt be able to find himself in Victory Lane and be in the Chase again this year and if 2012 is any indication, will be a force to be reckoned with at the restrictor plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega, where Kenseth won two of his races in 2012.
Burton declares ‘We have something to prove’ heading into new season
Jeff Burton is no different than any other racecar driver. He wants to succeed. He wants to be the best. And he cares about what his peers think about him.
Lately however, Burton has found himself in a different scenario. The one where everyone wonders what’s wrong and how or even if, his No. 31 Caterpillar Richard Childress Racing team will turn things around. And if not, how much longer will Burton be around? It’s those conversations, noted Burton, that are just no damn fun.
“I don’t want to be involved in those conversations because I enjoy coming in and talking to you guys [media]. I enjoy it,” said Burton Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where Sprint Cup teams were testing for the upcoming season.
“To talk about those things isn’t fun. We’re not moving the ball. We’re not making the sport better. It’s just a conversation about bad things. So, I don’t like to be involved in that because of that. It’s just that I want to talk about the good things and the fun things. I understand not everything is fun about racing.
“You are going to have some tough days. But generally, it needs to work well. And I have no interest in just being here. I have no interest in getting a paycheck just to show up and drive.”
He has no such plans this year, either. Burton acknowledged that there are things that have to and will change at RCR. Some already have, from personnel amongst the three teams to bigger changes within the organization. They’ve been testing and working to better understand the new car in hopes of being ahead of the game when the season starts instead of so far behind. Something Burton says, they were all of last year as a company.
RCR only won one race, with Kevin Harvick at Phoenix last November. And while Harvick made the Chase, he was never a serious threat to win the championship. Burton and Paul Menard finished outside the top 15 in points. Struggling so bad that it led to those aforementioned conversations about performance and the future – Burton only finishing in the top 10 six times, the top five just twice.
Yet, he has plenty of optimism about the new season, and not just because it’s what drivers typically say in the preseason.
“I feel good about what we have done. I think our preparation, what we have done to be ready before we start building cars is at a different level today than it was last year and even the year before,” he said about what his Luke Lambert led team, the third crew chief Burton has had in the last three years.
“I’m excited about what we have going on. I feel like we have something to prove and looking forward for the opportunity to be able to do that. As it relates to the new car, I think everybody is kind of in the same boat. It’s an exciting time. The car is a really good-looking car. It has a lot of potential.”
It couldn’t have come at a better time either. Entering his ninth year with RCR, Burton looks to snap a winless streak that dates back to the fall of 2008. The new car is one that he feels will help him do that. RCR caught a break by getting to start over with new rules, cars, parts and pieces instead of trying to fix what’s been broken for so long.
“I think it’s easier when there is a whole new car with a lot of new rules, a new rear rule package. It think it is easier to start over than it is taking an existing vehicle and starting over,” Burton stated. “It gives us a chance to stop and say, ‘Okay what is the best way to develop a car?’ and through that build a program that works for that.
“I think the timing of that is good for RCR in general. Whether that will yield results or not we will see. I think the timing of it is good for us.”
Donovan Price to Raise Money for Breast Cancer while racing Legend
How would you like the opportunity to do something you love, while doing something to help other people? That is exactly what Donovan Price is doing. For his 2013 racing season, he will be racing in the Legends series across Ontario while raising money for breast cancer awareness.
“I decided to give back to the fans that have supported local short track racing and what better way to do it by racing for a cause – breast cancer,” Price said. ”One in nine women have a chance in their life to be effected by this so every Saturday night of racing, there are fans in the stands that have been effected by this one way or another.”
The goal is to raise money to help researchers find a cure so we can lower that number. Price has also been affected by breast cancer personally, as he knows two ladies that have had cancer and what they went through.
The idea came about when Price thought about painting his legend pink.
“You don’t see to many hot pink race cars on the track every weekend but I’m a bit of a goof ball so it suits me,” Price jokes. “I also tape my hockey stick with pink hockey tape and people always tell me ‘only Donovan can get away with it’. I also am trying to get a pink racing suit; nothing like a 6″2 250 lbs guy wearing a pink driver suit.”
Price has been in contact with the Canadian Breast Cancer foundation, receiving approval for the idea. The Canadian Breast Cancer foundation will be posting a page on their website about it, while being supportive to Price in his goal.
Price is set on raising over $5000 and if he can get enough sponsorship money, he will donate his winnings as well. Currently, he has five sponsors, but is looking for more as racing isn’t cheap and the more money he gets, the more he will be donating to charity. 50% of the sponsorship money goes to the racecar, while the other 50% goes directly to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
Beyond collecting sponsorship money, when he races at Peterborough Speedway, they are letting him put donation jars at the gates to raise money. He will also be selling t-shorts with 100% of the proceeds going to breast cancer research.
“I figure if I can get enough media exposure on this neat way of raising money, people will donate more money and more companies will come forward and help me reach my goals and maybe raise more than $5000,” Price said.
With 12 years of racing experience, Price is hoping that it equals to success on the track while raising over $5000 for research.
Fans can follow Donovan Price’s progress by following him on twitter @donovanprice and by liking his ’96 Racing’ facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/96Racing?fref=ts).
