Buescher and company take point lead and never give up attitude to Texas
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[/media-credit]Halfway through Saturday’s Kroger 200 at Martinsville the championship hopes of James Buescher were slowly slipping away. Buescher was dropping through the field and soon a lap down as his No. 31 Great Clips Chevrolet refused to grip the racetrack.
But as the last few weeks have shown, no matter the series or circumstance, it is never over. For Buescher and his Turner Motorsports team that attitude took them from down and out, to in control of the championship. Recovering from a lap down to finish sixth. Something Buescher said he had all the faith in the world was going to happen.
“We stayed calmed and never gave up, this team never gives up and I think we showed that earlier this year at Chicago when we were two laps down and came back to win,” said Buescher after the race on Saturday.
“[Today] we were a lap down and came back and took over the point lead. Pretty happy with [today] and looking forward to Texas a lot. I keep saying I would like to win one or two more races before the end of the year and we have three more tries to do it. Texas is a place that would mean a lot to me to win a race, not only to try to extend the point lead but it’s my home track and I haven’t won there yet. I’m looking forward to these last three races and we need to do everything we can to keep this points lead and hopefully be that champion at the end of the race in Homestead.”
Saturday was a championship performance. Starting 10th on the grid, Buescher was hoping to easily erase his one point deficit to point leader Ty Dillon. Having finished third in the spring race, expectations were high that results would be duplicated. But no sooner had the green flag been displayed than Buescher told his team that his truck was just too loose.
As the race started to hit a long green flag run, Buescher started to slide backwards. He fell to 22nd and one lap down while his competition ran up front. With every pit stop though, the team continued to make adjustments and Buescher was eventually rewarded with the lucky dog.
School was then in session. Buescher became one of the best trucks one the track, picking up spots and climbing back into the top 10. Things became even brighter for him on lap 151 as Dillon blew a right front tire. He would finish 28th after losing multiple laps.
A sixth place finish capped off the long day for Buescher. With it he took the point lead by 21 over Dillon. There are three races remaining in the season, the next being as he mentioned his home track, Texas Motor Speedway. And Buescher loves being the one in control of the race for the championship as they series heads there.
Plus, the Plano, Texas native leads the series in victories this year, four and counting. In looking for their fifth win, the team isn’t holding back, bringing the same truck that went to Victory Lane in each of those four races. As well as the same attitude, something that Buescher still had when speaking a few days after Martinsville.
“It would definitely mean a lot to me to be able to win in front of my hometown crowd. It’s a racetrack that I’ve been going to since it opened, and it means a lot to me,” said Buescher on Tuesday about the upcoming Texas weekend.
“It’s where I got started in racing. I’ve spent a lot of time there and all my family and friends will be there, also. I’m looking forward to this weekend. I thought we had a shot to win the summer race there earlier this year and just got taken out with 30 laps to go leading the race.
“It’s a place that we always have a lot of speed at, and our team tends to do pretty well at the mile-and-a-half’s, and I’d say that’s why were have four wins already on mile-and-a-half’s this year.
“That definitely adds to the confidence level going into the weekend and I’m looking forward to it.”
And of course, the big picture. Buescher hopes to deliver the championship he missed out on last year for not only his team owner but his father-in-law. Steve Turner is both of those and has plans to move Buescher into the Nationwide Series full-time in 2013 should they end the CWTS season on a high note.
Not to mention, Buescher doesn’t want to let his young cousin have a one up on him. Chris Buescher won the ARCA Series championship a few weeks ago, now James looks to keep it all in the family. The next three weeks will be an exciting time for Buescher and Turner Motorsports.
“It would definitely be pretty cool to have two Bueschers with two championships in the same year. Chris and I started racing at the same time, and we were together the first couple of years and drove for the same team and then just kind of went down separate paths in our racing careers and have both, I think, done pretty well and congratulations to him on his championship,” said Buescher.
“Hopefully I can pull this one off and have a second title in the 2012 season for a Buescher. I was joking with somebody a few weeks ago that I would be pretty ironic that last year the Dillons [Ty and Austin] won the ARCA and Truck championship in the same year, and it would be pretty cool to back that up with the Bueschers taking the ARCA and Truck Series titles in the same year.
“I think that would be pretty cool.”
NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS
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[/media-credit]Race number eight, of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship, will be held at the Texas Motor Speedway this Sunday. This speedway is well known for exciting racing and fast speed. The winner of this Texas sized race also gets to observe the tradition of wearing a genuine cowboy hat while firing a pair of six shooters into the air.
THE STORY BREAKDOWN.
The main story line behind Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 is, of course, the Chase. Simple math states there are four drivers still in the running for the championship. However, reality states that the two drivers at the top of the standings and the two championship points that separates them is the real story here.
After his win last weekend at Martinsville, Jimmie Johnson emerged as the new points leader in the standings. However Johnson’s lead over his rival Brad Keselowski is not exactly Texas size. There’s only two points between them and any combination of good and bad racing luck involving the two contenders could greatly alter the scope of the title run with only three races left in the season.
Johnson, a four time winner this year with a previous win at Texas, holds all of the strong stats regarding performance levels at this speedway. That’s why he’s heavily favored to win Sunday’s race. Keselowski’s Texas numbers are not very good at all. However, we’ve seen those numbers from other speedways this year and it hasn’t mattered at all. Keselowski is one of the most tenacious drivers in the Sprint Cup and it’s that determination that has led to five race wins and turned this team into a championship contender.
However, there is one area where Keselowski needs to focus on and create some improvements: qualifying. His qualifying efforts have not been very strong as of late and that creates the need for the team to call audibles regarding pit strategy and track position. In the past four races: Martinsville, Kansas, Charlotte and Talladega, the team’s starting positions have been 32nd, 25th, 20th and 22nd.
Mathematically speaking, drivers Clint Bowyer and Kasey Kahne are still contenders in the title profile. Bowyer, a three time racer winner this season, is third in the standings and 26 points from the top. Kahne, who has won twice this year, is ranked fourth and 29 points away. Realistically speaking, those points are going to be extremely difficult, if not indeed impossible, to make up with only three races remaining. To have a legitimate shot at winning the championship, both drivers are going to be dependent upon help, in the form of unexpected bad racing luck, from Johnson and Keselowski.
THE LAS VEGAS BREAKDOWN
So, which driver is going to be standing in victory lane wearing a genuine Texas cowboy hat and firing those pistols? To get an accurate assessment of that question we again turn to the number crunching professionals from the Las Vegas based World Sports Exchange, (WSE).
The WSE’s Texas report begins with drivers Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin rated at 6 to 1 odds. In 18 starts, Johnson has a win at Texas along with eight top five finishes and 13 top ten finishes along with a very impressive average finish ratio, (AFR), of 9.7. This team is currently operating in the same championship mode that earned them five consecutive titles and that’s going to be bad news for the competition.
Hamlin’s championship hopes were killed last weekend at Martinsville where two pit road speeding penalties and a mysterious failure in the car’s electrical system dropped him from third to fifth, at minus 49, in the points standings. At this point it’s all about winning races and developing momentum for 2013. In other words, go for it because he really has nothing to lose anymore. Hamlin will be packing some impressive Texas stats that includes two wins which came after sweeping both races there back in 2010. He also has five top fives, eight top tens and a very healthy 10.3 AFR.
At 8 to 1 odds is the duo of Brad Keselowski and Greg Biffle. Keselowski’s Texas numbers are just plain terrible. In eight starts he hasn’t event logged a top ten finish. In fact, he hasn’t even logged a finish on the lead lap. His AFR is an astronomical 25.2. You know what? Take every one of those numbers and throw them into the round file. They mean nothing at all. There’s been plenty of other races this year where the numbers were equally harsh and the tenacious Keselowski simply drove his way past them. Keselowski, along with crew chief Paul Wolfe and the resources of Roger Penske Racing are also in a championship frame of mind and they will be formidable during the course of the final three races.
Biffle is a two time Texas winner with the second trip to victory lane coming as recently as this past April. He also has seven top fives, ten top tens and a respectable AFR of 16.2. He’s worthy of being considered as a long shot wager.
The WSE has ranked drivers Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth at 9 to 1. Busch is still seeking his first Texas win but does has four top fives, five top tens and a 15.8 AFR. Busch ran a very strong second last Sunday at Martinsville and just might be bringing that momentum with him to Texas.
Matt Kenseth is an excellent wager consideration. He’s a double winner at Texas with 11 top fives, 14 top tens and a series high 8.6 AFR.
At ten to 1 you will find aforementioned championship hopefuls Kasey Kahne and Clint Bowyer. Kahne is a previous winner at Texas with four top fives and five top tens. However, the AFR, at 18.9, is a little on the high side. If Sunday’s race becomes an issue of fuel mileage, and it’s possible, Kahne is very good at conserving gas on a mile and a half speedway.
Bowyer will be seeking his first Texas win on Sunday. He has three top fives and seven top tens there along with a healthy 13.3 AFR. When Bowyer joined Michael Waltrip Racing this year, no one really expected this ride to produce three wins let along making the Chase line up. He’s truly been one of the bright spots of the 2012 season and the team is strong enough to win Sunday’s race.
At 12 to 1 odds are Hendrick Motorsports team mates Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Both could be regarded as long shot wagers. Gordon has a win at Texas along with eight top fives, 11 top tens and a 16.2 AFR.
Earnhardt is also a previous winner in the Lone Star state. He also has a trio of top five finishes, 11 top tens and a 13.9 AFR.
At 15 to 1 is a trio of drivers that also has to be considered as being long shot considerations. Carl Edwards is a three time winner at Texas including sweeping both races there back in 2008. He also has five top fives, seven top tens and a decent 15.0 AFR. Granted, this has been a very frustrating year for a driver that was favored to be a championship contender back in January. The law of averages says this long year for Edwards has got to turn around eventually. It could happen on Sunday.
Also in the 15 to 1 group is reigning champion Tony Stewart whose Chase hopes suddenly took a down turn in recent weeks. Texas is a great place for “smoke” to get back on track. He’s a two time winner there as well as the defending race champion. He also has five top fives and 11 top tens along with a healthy 13.1 AFR.
The third driver, in the 15 to 1 trio, is Michael Waltrip Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. While Truex made making the Chase line up look easy, there is the frustration of still seeking his first win of the season. He’ also seeking a first win at Texas. He only has a single top five finish there along with seven top tens and a 16.1 AFR. That’s not exactly strong numbers, but there’s that strong sense of determination to put his Toyota in a victory lane before the year ends that earns him a long shot consideration.
The WSE’s Texas rankings concludes with Mark Martin, a previous Texas winner with a 13.3 AFR, ranked at 20 to 1 followed by Kevin Harvick, with a 12.7 AFR, listed at 30 to 1. All other drivers, not listed here, are automatically ranked at 8 to 1 odds.
Now for the disclaimer: NASCAR wants us to remind you that these numbers should be viewed for informational and entertainment purposes. They neither encourage nor condone the placing of wagers on their races. However, if you’re thinking about making a Texas sized wager anyway then you may as well have Texas sized information from the professionals at the World Sports Exchange.
THE RACE BREAKDOWN
The AAA Texas 500 is 334 laps/501 miles around the Texas Motor Speedway’s mammoth 1.5 mile quad oval.
The race has 46 entries vying for the 43 starting positions and the winner’s share of the $6.9 million race purse. 11 of those entries are on the go or go home list meaning they are not guaranteed a starting berth in Sunday’s race because they are currently outside of NASCAR’s top 35 in owner’s points. These teams will have to rely on qualifying speeds to earn a starting berth in the race.
The first NASCAR Sprint Cup event was held at Texas in April of 1997 and was won by Jeff Burton. Since that time there has been 23 Cup races there that has sent 16 different winners to victory lane. 17 of those 23 races has been won from starting positions within the top ten. Only one driver, Kasey Kahne back in 2006, has won a Texas race from the pole position. Roush Fenway Racing leads the team wins at Texas with nine. Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports each have three wins there.
The track qualifying record, 196.235 MPH, was set by Brian Vickers back in November of 2006.
The Texas Motor Speedway officially opened in 1997. The track is 58 feet wide. The front stretch measures 2,250 feet while the back stretch is 1,330 feet long. The four turns are steeply banked at 24 degrees. The front stretch, including the dog leg, is only banked at five degrees.
Weather could become an interesting factor during the Texas Motor Speedway weekend. The forecast for the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area calls for clear skies and daytime highs of 87 degrees on Friday. Saturday calls for partly cloudy conditions, temperatures in the low 80’s and a slight, 20%, chance of thunder showers. However, it’s Sunday’s forecast that may wrinkle the brows of crew chiefs. There’s also a 20% chance of rain that day with daytime highs falling to the low 70’s. That drop could impact track temperature which in turn could hamper the car’s handling capabilities during the early portion of the race. By the way, in the event of rain, the speedway has a fleet of six jet dryers which can dry the track in approximately two hours.
The AAA Texas 500 will be broadcast live by the ESPN Network with the pre race show beginning at 2 pm eastern time. Race replays will be Monday morning, at 12 am eastern, on ESPN2 and on Wednesday, November 7th, at 12 pm eastern on SPEED.
