Truex nabs another runner-up finish at Kansas
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[/media-credit]New pavement or old pavement, Martin Truex Jr. has a knack for the Kansas Speedway. Sunday at the newly surfaced 1.5-mile track he brought home another second place finish after being unable to track down the dominant Matt Kenseth who won the Hollywood Casino 400.
“It was wild one that’s for sure, we were second here in the spring, but today was a whole different mood. We had to battle for this one all day long, we didn’t quite have a second place car there for a while,” said Truex.
“Fought track position most of the day, started 16th and didn’t qualify all that well and worked our way to the top five early and then we caught by that caution and had to get the wave around and all that. We came form the back and finished second, which is really had to do at a place like this, where it’s hard to pass and new pavement.”
Truex will be credited with finishing second in both Kansas races this season. At the track in April, before it was repaved, he was the class of the field. On that day he led 173 laps, but Sunday he never saw the front of the field. The closest being Kenseth’s Zest bumper getting further and further away during the race’s final 48 lap run.
After starting 16th Truex ran comfortably in the top 10 for much of the event. His No. 56 NAPA Toyota one of the few which wasn’t leaving the track with scrapes, dents or barebond on it. Cautions ruled the day; a record 14 yellow flags flew on Sunday afternoon. Many drivers simply losing their racecars, resulting in single car spins, although tire issues plagued a few different competitors.
“There was two grooves out there today, but even the second groove wasn’t very high. The bottom lane was definitely the place to be on restarts, unless you were the leader and you could control the start, as we saw at the end,” believed Truex. “The 17 [Kenseth] had really good restarts on the outside. But when you are back on traffic it always seemed better to be on the bottom.
“Anytime, at least for me, when I was on the outside my car was really, really loose. So I was trying to stay as low as I could and I noticed a lot of other cars doing it.”
The strategy worked for Truex, who quietly worked his way closer into contention. With how tight everyone was running together because of how small the groove was, cars were getting loose while side-by-side, thus the spins. But Truex was pleased with the repave and how the track felt, noting that things will get better with time and age. Something that, as he continues to succeed at this track, he’ll look forward to next season.
But Sunday, his runner up finish was only his seventh top five of the season, continuing his quest for victory. His single Sprint Cup win at Dover in June of 2007 is becoming a faded memory, with Truex having expected to be victorious long before now. Yet, it’s becoming just a matter of time.
Truex and his MWR team did qualify for the Chase this season and have done everything but break through to Victory Lane. Sunday, close again, but not close enough. It was enough though for Truex to move to sixth in points, yet over 40 markers behind the leaders as they head for the seventh Chase race next weekend in Martinsville.
“There’s always a chance, there’s more racing to go. There’s always a chance. We’re further back than we want to be, but you can’t change that,” said Truex.
“Those races are behind us now and we just got to do what we did today. That’s try to go out and win races, we definitely want to win before the years out. We’ve been close a bunch of times and let a few slip away here and there. Hopefully we’ll be able to do that before the season’s out and just go each weekend to the racetrack try to be a good help for our teammates, try to do the best job we can to put all three of our cars up in the front and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”
Kyle Busch: ‘That’s our year’ as victory again taken from him
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[/media-credit]With three Nationwide Series races remaining in the 2012 season, Kyle Busch finds himself in unfamiliar territory. The winningest driver in NNS history is winless. Yes, winless. Locked out of a place that he used to take up an almost permanent residence and looking for some way to get back on the right side of the racing Gods. For Busch, nothing less than winning is acceptable.
Saturday afternoon in Kansas it was more than just the fact that Busch had another victory snatched from him. It was how it happened. Running out of fuel on a green-white-checkered finish and coasting to the finish line sixth. He had been leading when coming through turns three and four when the tank in the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota went dry.
“Ran out in the middle of three and four. But, that’s our year man,” said Busch after making it back to pit road. “Nothing else to it than that.”
Busch, who led on two occasions for 29 laps, started sixth and fought back from early trouble. He scrapped the wall and damaged the right rear decklid, but his KBM team quickly fixed the problem and Busch, falling as far as 29th, rallied back into contention. Taking the lead on lap 176 things appeared well in hand as he cruised to the finish.
He fended off challenges from Paul Menard, who had the day’s strongest car. Menard led 110 of the race’s 206 laps. But both Menard and Busch were done in by not only a late caution, but an extra caution lap when Kenny Wallace and Sam Hornish ran out fuel. The race having already been extended into overtime after a hard crash between Hal Martin and Scott Lagasse Jr. stopped the action with just three laps remaining.
When the race restarted Busch quickly drove away in the lead, but that last little bit of fuel he needed was gone a lap later. Another hard pill to swallow, but he did so graciously afterwards. Perhaps, as he revealed, it has just been that kind of year. He’s accepted it and has begun to wonder what will happen next.
Crew chief Mike Beam, sitting atop the Monster Energy pit box and seemingly holding his breath, also knew it wasn’t over until Busch crossed the line. Beam, when asked on-air about his thoughts on the pending finish simply stated he hoped, “the racing Gods are with us today.” For he too, had seen this movie before, with Busch the character who gets left out in the cold.
Unfortunately on Saturday, that meant now going 20 NNS races without a win. Not since September of last year at Richmond has Busch seen Victory Lane.
This season, driving his own equipment, Busch hasn’t seen the same success he’s used to. While brother Kyle has the lone win for the company – at Richmond in May – Kyle is in jeopardy of seeing one his streaks come to an end. He’s won a least one race a year in the NNS for the past eight years.
This year though, doesn’t look to be. While there’s still time to make it happen, a black cloud continues to hang above the Las Vegas native who missed the Chase in the Sprint Cup Series and fights for his life in a series he made history in. A driver who once made winning look so easy, can’t seem to remember how to now. His eight wins from a year ago, a distance memory.
And so, as Busch and Beam walked off into the Kansas sunset on Saturday afternoon, it was with the knowledge that the racing business can be cruel. That sometimes, even the best drivers (Busch) and the best situations (leading in turn four on the last lap) aren’t a sure thing. Sometimes, it’s just not your year.
“I can’t say enough about all our guys, everybody at Monster Energy and Toyota – they do a great job for us,” Busch said, holding his head high but still in disbelief. “We’re supposed to repay them by winning races and we haven’t done that this year. What a frustrating defeat. Oh well, you get defeated sometimes.”
Kenseth wins the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas
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[/media-credit]It was a beautiful autumn day but it would be one that many hope to forget. With a record number of cautions for the track, and the most of any race this season, the Hollywood Casino 400 more resembled a survival expedition than a NASCAR race. Matt Kenseth’s Ford was hurt. It was bandaged. It was bruised. But when the track opened in front of it, it did what all thoroughbreds do it ran. It ran fast and it ran hard and it had enough left to make it all the way to the end and give Matt what will be one of his last victories with Jack Roush.
The race started off with promise and trepidation. The Nationwide race had a record number of cautions but at the end the track was very racey. It had a distinct 2 grooves and they were both very usable and at times and in places it was starting to get a third one in. The new track surface was rapidly maturing and going through growing pains. She was fast and smooth at times and she was wicked and slick at times. The tires Goodyear gave teams to tame her with she chewed up and spit out. It was the drivers that respected her and raced her with respect that ding or not came out on top.
One of the most courageous displays of championship ethic came from the 5 time champion, Jimmie Johnson’s Lowes Racing team. Jimmie took a hard crash on lap 137 in turn 4. The car was badly damaged and questions were raised could they get fuel in the car. Car owner Rick Hendrick said in his years in racing he had never seen such extensive surgery done so quickly on pit road. Johnson came back to finish in the top 10. Johnson said of his drive back to the front, “I had to get a look at it here. It’s pretty tore up. Definitely proud of this team and the fact that we never give up and continue to fight and try to get every point we can. I think yesterday’s Nationwide race showed that this thing isn’t over until the checkered flag falls and then again on Sunday. So all that said, I’m very proud but I was disappointed. I crashed the car. I spun out trying to get inside the 56. He bobbled a little in front of me and I thought that it was opportunity to jump in the gas real hard and when I did that, my car took off and I couldn’t catch it. All in all a good day but could have been a lot better. I think we could have been in victory lane and stretched some points on these guys.”
Martin Truex Jr again showed Toyota’s muscle finishing 2nd. “I’m happy with my team and my race car that we had all day. We really had to battle for this one. We got track position early — we got up towards the top five and we had a strong car, a little bit tight. The we got caught out by that caution deal and had to go all the way to the back. Just tough to pass. So, it was a battle all day long. Proud of the guys on the NAPA Toyota — they never gave up. Just kept digging all day long. That’s a good run for us, for sure. Just a little bit too tight there at the end there to run with Matt Kenseth. A good run and we’ll go on to Martinsville.”
Paul Menard held on to come home in third. He was the only non chase car in the top 10. “We kind of hit on something yesterday morning that we liked, thought was promising and stuck with it. Obviously running the Nationwide car on a new surface, we learned a lot about the tire pressures, what grooves come in. The second grooove came in a helluva lot better than I think anybody thought. You could make lap time and pass cars. Overall, just really happy with the weekend, the repave. The track came in real well and it’s just going to keep getting better. Real proud of my Menards guys” said Menard.
Kasey Kahne would bring the Farmer’s Insurance Chevrolet home in the 4th spot. But not without a scare. On the final caution while saving fuel, Kahne turned the engine off and it wouldn’t refire. When it finally did refire, he had lost several positions. But once the green flag flew again Kasey was able to climb back up to 4th. “It just wouldn’t re-fire. Disappointing. But we got through there. We had a good car; we got back to fourth. We passed a lot of cars there. The Farmers Insurance Chevrolet team did an awesome job. Great pit stops; great pit calls. A lot a tire and fuel strategy race throughout. Our guys did a really nice job. I had an awesome car. It was a little loose there taking off. It was a little loose there taking off. It was coming to me and getting good there at the end. We just weren’t close enough at that point in time. But still, a solid day.” remarked Kahne.
Tony Stewart had two incidents that threatened his day. The first was a pit penalty for leaving the pit box with equipment when his team didn’t get the wrench out of the car from a chassis adjustment. Stewart would have to come back in and it there would confusion and chaos that caused the owner/driver to remark, “You all can get your heads out of your a**’s anytime now.” Restarting at the tail end of the longest line Stewart would again make his charge. Only to spin and blow out 3 tires on the back stretch on lap 166. Stewart would nurse the car around to the pits with minimal damage. Again he would start at the end of the pack. Stewart would climb as far back up as second and finish 5th. “Our guys led by Steve Addington, they never gave up today. Really proud of the effort they gave. That’s how we won a championship last year, by never giving up. We probably had to pass more cars than anybody today, but that seems to be our M.O. We seem to have to do that every week. We’ve got a little bit of work to do, but we’re gaining on it. Proud of my guys. We worked with a little different package this week. We still didn’t get it right, but we got pretty close.” said Stewart.
The points leader Brad Keselowski came home in 8th spot. “I don’t even know how to explain it. I’m ready to go home and have a couple beers. It’s just been a long day and you know, everybody has been asking all season long where the cautions have been. Well they flew to Kansas and they’ve been hanging out here because there was a caution after caution and it seemed like every wreck that happened today happened right in front of me. So I’m glad to have survived the carnage and brought back a decent car, my Miller Lite Dodge, in great shape and dodged a bullet of a race. That is the only thing I can use to describe it. Whew! Just a tough day.”
Keselowski would extend his points lead to 7 over Jimmie Johnson heading into Martinsville. Martin Truex Jr, Tony Stewart, and Jeff Gordon all gained one spot in the points while race winner Matt Kenseth would gain 2 spots while Greg Biffle lost five spots.
The Hollywood Casino 400 was an exciting race. The new track was a bit like a moody teenager. It went through growing pains and temper tantrums it ate tires. It picked and played favorites. Obviously, Matt Kenseth suited her fancy today.
