Schatz Makes History At Willams Grove
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[/media-credit]They say that history is fluid. They say it has ebbs and tides just like the ocean. If that is true then Donny Schatz is hitting high tide at the perfect time of the year, the end. But Donny Schatz has more than that in common with history. He now holds a place in it. Tonight the World of Outlaws points leader became the only 5 time winner of the Open Nationals at Willams Grove. Not even teammate Steve Kinser or the wily Sammy Swindell have been able to win it 5 times. Although, Schatz stated, “You will never equal a Steve Kinser or Sammy maybe this is a record that I can capture.” And capture it he did in a spray of oil and plume of smoke, Schatz held off PA Posse member Brian Leppo to take the win.
The night started out with a much faster track than the Outlaws had yesterday evening. Hot lap times were running in the low 16 second bracket with only .526 seconds separating the fastest time from the 20th fastest time. With 54 cars signed in qualifying would be more important than normal. The dash all by itself would start half of the starting field of the A Main.
Qualifying would show a steady hold on the speed of the track. Unlike the previous night where the track slowed dramatically making it a huge disadvantage to have a high qualifying draw. As a matter of fact quick time on the night would be set by the very last car to go out. Paul McMahan turned a lap of 16.366 seconds to take the Quick Time honor from his team mate Brian Leppo. McMahan who won the A Main in the Night Before the Open on Friday was one of the few drivers in the field who could honestly claim he was neither Outlaw or Posse. If not one or the other what was he? “I’m just a kid from California making a living,” he said. The remainder of the top 5 were Sammy Swindell, Lucas Wolfe and Danny Lasoski.
The 54 car field would require 5 heat races. The first heat would be won by Friday nights quick time holder, Stevie Smith. Smith held off a hard charging Craig Dollansky, Greg Hodnett and Danny Deitrich. In a radical change of fortune the winner of the night before’s A Main would have to run the B main Paul McMahan would miss the dash finishing 5th in the heat.
The second heat was all Posse. Well except for Bill Rose who started 5th and finished 9th. And the Posse showed their colors and their skills. With Lance Dewease and Brian Leppo setting the pace for Chad Layton and Cory Haas.
The third heat would be a driving clinic put on by Jac Haudenschild and he didn’t even win. As a matter of fact he didn’t even transfer to the A main. But Jac Haudenschild who started 9th put on a show of skills and intestinal fortitude that was a sight to behold. Haudenschild drove from 9th to 6th on a track that was difficult to pass on to say the least. Track position was everything at The Grove unless you were Jac Haudenschild. Known as the Wild Child, Haudenschild drove above the cushion and on the very bottom passing cars where they weren’t. Unfortunately he needed a caution to get the last two positions to transfer to the A Main that caution would never come. The heat was won by Sam Hafertepe who held off Dale Blaney, Daryn Pittman and Sammy Swindell.
The fourth heat was all Kasey Kahne Racing. With Cody Darrah taking the win over teammate Joey Saldana, Jason Sides and Lucas Wolfe. This heat race would illustrate how quickly fortunes can change in a sprint car race. Brian Montieth who held the final transfer spot all the way to the final corner would clip the wall and finish 9th all in the span of a corner.
The 5th heat race was a barn burner affair that brought David Gravel home in the first spot with points leader Donny Schatz coming in a very close 2nd followed by Ryan Taylor and Danny Lasoski who had his hands full with a hard charging Kerry Madsen.
Perhaps the most surprising of races was the C main. Surprising because of the names that were in it. Fred Rahmer, Danny Holtgraver, Jac Haudenschild, Kyle Larson, and 20 time World of Outlaws champion, Steve Kinser. Kinser would struggle to a 6th place spot and miss the B main by 4 spots. The B would be won by Jac Haudenschild who passed 5 cars in 2 corners before taking the lead and holding off Tim Shaffer.
The Dash would be a very fast paced affair that saw Donny Schatz start on the pole after an inversion of 8 was drawn. Schatz never lead a lap in the dash as Cody Darrah jumped out to the lead off turn 1 and never looked back. But Schatz stayed strong in second to start on the outside of the front row.
The B Main would transfer 4 to the A. Those 4 would be the top two starting rows of Paul McMahan, Brian Montieth, Don Kreitz Jr., and Alan Krimes. The rest of the field would going to the trailer. Well with the exception of 2 Willams Grove provisional holders and 2 World of Outlaws provisional holders. Going into the A on Outlaws provisionals were Steve Kinser and Kraig Kinser. Going in on Willams Grove provisionals were Brent Marks and Doug Esh.
The A main would be snake bitten from the drop of the green all 6 of them. In fact the field was under red with a car upside down before a lap was ever posted to the board. Danny Lasoski jumped the start and was penalized a row. Pole sitter Cody Darrah jumped the start and was penalized a row. When the race finally did get under way Craig Dollansky was the pole sitter. Starting right next to his rival in the points Donny Schatz. Dollansky got an early run and took the lead out of two on the first lap. He lead despite numerous charges by Schatz until on the 24th lap a lapped car spun right in front of him leaving him no where to go and collected the leader. The misfortune for Dollansky was a nightmare but for 2nd place running Donny Schatz it was a stroke of luck. Schatz would lead for the remainder of the A Main even though on the final two laps his car was smoking out of the corners. In victory lane the oil on the side panels was evident the checkers had fallen just in time to beat Schatz’s rapidly expiring engine. Brian Leppo would come home 2nd and Cody Darrah 3rd.
The victory was more than a victory for Schatz. It was history making. With that win Donny Schatz became the first driver to ever win 5 Open Nationals in his career. Something that at the beginning of the year no one would have believed possible. But like the tides change and ebb so does lady luck and so does the drive of a champion. Schatz never had any intention of becoming an also ran. He never had any plans to give up the chase. He and his Tony Stewart Racing STP team dug a little deeper. Worked a little harder. Searched a little further until finally things came together and when they did, Schatz went on a terror, logging 11 top 5 finishes in a row and 9 top 3 finishes. Schatz took the point lead and has never looked back.
Tonight Donny Schatz stretched that points lead out yet again and now leads Craig Dollansky by 158 points going into the last 5 races of the year. But it’s not over not by a long shot. Things happen quickly in Sprint Car racing. Almost as quickly as the weather changes. With no provisionals remaining at his disposal Schatz must race his way into every one of those 5 remaining races. With 150 points awarded to the winner of the A Main every night and 75 to any driver who does not advance to the A. Schatz’s lead could evaporate in one bad night. Schatz knows this and he is not slowing down. Dollansky knows it too. It’s why his team repaired the car in the A and put him back out on the track to finish 16th. Every point counts. Nothing is a given. Nothing can be taken for granted. Nothing can be overlooked. This is a game for the championship. Schatz’s 5th and Dollansky’s 1st. And both know without a doubt that the tide can turn. Dollansky is betting it will and that he will be close enough to capitalize when it does. Schatz is betting it won’t turn soon enough if it turns at all. Who is right? We have 5 more races to run to find out.
Qualifying –
1. 51-Paul McMahan, 16.366; 2. 51B-Brian Leppo, 16.473; 3. 1-Sammy Swindell, 16.523; 4. 5W-Lucas Wolfe, 16.534; 5. 1Z-Danny Lasoski, 16.549; 6. 39-Greg Hodnett, 16.551; 7. 7L-Chad Layton, 16.560; 8. 27-Daryn Pittman, 16.574; 9. 9-Joey Saldana, 16.582; 10. 21-Brian Montieth, 16.614; 11. 7-Craig Dollansky, 16.624; 12. 69K-Don Kreitz Jr, 16.639; 13. 2-Dale Blaney, 16.648; 14. 4-Cody Darrah, 16.649; 15. 15-Donny Schatz, 16.665; 16. 19-Stevie Smith, 16.669; 17. 30C-Lance Dewease, 16.680; 18. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr, 16.690; 19. 87-Alan Krimes, 16.692; 20. 89G-David Gravel, 16.706; 21. 19M-Brent Marks, 16.711; 22. 6-Bill Rose, 16.773; 23. 2L-Ed Lynch Jr., 16.795; 24. 7S-Jason Sides, 16.800; 25. 29-Kerry Madsen, 16.801; 26. 48-Danny Dietrich, 16.804; 27. 15A-Adam Wilt, 16.807; 28. 17B-Steve Buckwalter, 16.808; 29. 63-Chad Kemenah, 16.832; 30. 20-Ryan Taylor, 16.846; 31. 30-Doug Esh, 16.847; 32. 11C-Cory Haas, 16.852; 33. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 16.864; 34. 20S-Derek Sell, 16.916; 35. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 16.928; 36. 35-Jessica Zemken, 16.930; 37. 69T-Tim Glatfelter, 16.944; 38. 83-Tim Shaffer, 16.946; 39. 77-Fred Rahmer, 16.966; 40. 8R-Michael Ruttkamp, 16.966; 41. D4-Danny Holtgraver, 16.968; 42. 75-Nicole Bower, 16.984; 43. 59-Jac Haudenschild, 16.990; 44. 71X-Bill Stine, 16.991; 45. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild, 17.020; 46. 13-Kyle Larson, 17.022; 47. 69-Ryan Smith, 17.121; 48. 11E-Mike Erdley, 17.141; 49. 44W-Rodney Westhafer, 17.185; 50. 5G-Curt Michael, 17.265; 51. 11-Steve Kinser, 17.353; 52. 12W-Troy Fraker, 17.619; 53. 3B-Randy Baughman, 17.764
Heat 1 – (8 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 19-Stevie Smith[1] ; 2. 7-Craig Dollansky[2] ; 3. 39-Greg Hodnett[3] ; 4. 48-Danny Dietrich[6] ; 5. 51-Paul McMahan[4] ; 6. 19M-Brent Marks[5] ; 7. 30-Doug Esh[7] ; 8. 35-Jessica Zemken[8] ; 9. 13-Kyle Larson[10] ; 10. D4-Danny Holtgraver[9] ; 11. 11-Steve Kinser[11]
Heat 2 – (8 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 30C-Lance Dewease[1] ; 2. 51B-Brian Leppo[4] ; 3. 7L-Chad Layton[3] ; 4. 11C-Cory Haas[7] ; 5. 69K-Don Kreitz Jr[2] ; 6. 69T-Tim Glatfelter[8] ; 7. 75-Nicole Bower[9] ; 8. 12W-Troy Fraker[11] ; 9. 6-Bill Rose[5] ; 10. 15A-Adam Wilt[6]
Heat 3 – (8 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[1] ; 2. 2-Dale Blaney[2] ; 3. 27-Daryn Pittman[3] ; 4. 1-Sammy Swindell[4] ; 5. 83-Tim Shaffer[8] ; 6. 59-Jac Haudenschild[9] ; 7. 11K-Kraig Kinser[7] ; 8. 2L-Ed Lynch Jr.[5] ; 9. 11E-Mike Erdley[10] ; 10. 3B-Randy Baughman[11] ; 11. 17B-Steve Buckwalter[6]
Heat 4 – (8 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 4-Cody Darrah[2] ; 2. 9-Joey Saldana[3] ; 3. 7S-Jason Sides[5] ; 4. 5W-Lucas Wolfe[4] ; 5. 87-Alan Krimes[1] ; 6. 20S-Derek Sell[7] ; 7. 63-Chad Kemenah[6] ; 8. 77-Fred Rahmer[8] ; 9. 71X-Bill Stine[9] ; 10. 44W-Rodney Westhafer[10]
Heat 5 – (8 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 89G-David Gravel[1] ; 2. 15-Donny Schatz[2] ; 3. 20-Ryan Taylor[6] ; 4. 1Z-Danny Lasoski[4] ; 5. 29-Kerry Madsen[5] ; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart[7] ; 7. 8R-Michael Ruttkamp[8] ; 8. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild[9] ; 9. 21-Brian Montieth[3] ; 10. 5G-Curt Michael[10]
Dash – (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 12 starting positions of A-feature
1. 4-Cody Darrah[2] ; 2. 15-Donny Schatz[1] ; 3. 2-Dale Blaney[3] ; 4. 9-Joey Saldana[5] ; 5. 7-Craig Dollansky[4] ; 6. 51B-Brian Leppo[8] ; 7. 5W-Lucas Wolfe[6] ; 8. 19-Stevie Smith[9] ; 9. 1-Sammy Swindell[7] ; 10. 30C-Lance Dewease[10] ; 11. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[11] ; 12. 89G-David Gravel[12]
C-Main – (10 Laps – Top 2 finishers transfer to the B-feature)
1. 59-Jac Haudenschild[7] [-]; 2. 83-Tim Shaffer[2] [-]; 3. 77-Fred Rahmer[3] [$125]; 4. D4-Danny Holtgraver[5] [$125]; 5. 69T-Tim Glatfelter[1] [$125]; 6. 11-Steve Kinser[14] [$100]; 7. 11E-Mike Erdley[11] [$100]; 8. 8R-Michael Ruttkamp[4] [$100]; 9. 75-Nicole Bower[6] [$100]; 10. 3B-Randy Baughman[16] [$100]; 11. 12W-Troy Fraker[15] [$100]; 12. 44W-Rodney Westhafer[12] [$100]; 13. 71X-Bill Stine[8] [$100]; 14. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild[9] [$100]; 15. 13-Kyle Larson[10] [$100]; 16. 5G-Curt Michael[13] [$100]; 17. 69-Ryan Smith[17] [$100]
B-Main – (12 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 51-Paul McMahan[1] [-]; 2. 21-Brian Montieth[2] [-]; 3. 69K-Don Kreitz Jr[3] [-]; 4. 87-Alan Krimes[4] [-]; 5. 19M-Brent Marks[5] [$200]; 6. 29-Kerry Madsen[8] [$180]; 7. 59-Jac Haudenschild[17] [$175]; 8. 17B-Steve Buckwalter[10] [$160]; 9. 30-Doug Esh[12] [$150]; 10. 15A-Adam Wilt[9] [$150]; 11. 2L-Ed Lynch Jr.[7] [$150]; 12. 63-Chad Kemenah[11] [$150]; 13. 83-Tim Shaffer[18] [$150]; 14. 6-Bill Rose[6] [$150]; 15. 20S-Derek Sell[14] [$150]; 16. 11K-Kraig Kinser[13] [$150]; 17. 1S-Logan Schuchart[15] [$150]; 18. 35-Jessica Zemken[16] [$150]
A-Main – (40 Laps)
1. 15-Donny Schatz[2][$50,000]; 2. 51B-Brian Leppo[6][$12,000]; 3. 4-Cody Darrah[1][$7,500]; 4. 27-Daryn Pittman[17][$4,000]; 5. 51-Paul McMahan[13][$3,500]; 6. 19-Stevie Smith[8][$3,000]; 7. 5W-Lucas Wolfe[7][$2,700]; 8. 30C-Lance Dewease[10][$2,500]; 9. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[11][$2,200]; 10. 39-Greg Hodnett[15][$2,100]; 11. 1-Sammy Swindell[9][$2,000]; 12. 48-Danny Dietrich[22][$1,650]; 13. 21-Brian Montieth[18][$1,550]; 14. 19M-Brent Marks[26][$300]; 15. 7S-Jason Sides[21][$1,100]; 16. 7-Craig Dollansky[5][$1,050]; 17. 89G-David Gravel[12][$1,000]; 18. 30-Doug Esh[28][$50]; 19. 11-Steve Kinser[25][$50]; 20. 11K-Kraig Kinser[27][$50]; 21. 7L-Chad Layton[16][$900]; 22. 20-Ryan Taylor[23][$900]; 23. 9-Joey Saldana[4][$900]; 24. 87-Alan Krimes[20][$900]; 25. 69K-Don Kreitz Jr[19][$900]; 26. 11C-Cory Haas[24][$900]; 27. 1Z-Danny Lasoski[14][$900]; 28. 2-Dale Blaney[3][$900]
Lap Leaders: Craig Dollansky 1-13, 15-24; Donny Schatz 14, 25-40
KSE Hard Charger Award: 27-Daryn Pittman[+13]
Final Points following the race are not available at the time of publishing.
Shawn Murray has solid season in late model after jump from Pure Stock
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[/media-credit]Last season marked a memorable year for 2011 Barrie Speedway Pure Stock Champion Shawn Murray as he became the first driver from Canada to win the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National Division III Championship.
“It was an unbelievable experience to be racing against people from all over North America and to finish first overall was one of my greatest accomplishments,” Murray says. “Probably my most memorable championship of all three.”
As a result, Murray got to go down to the NASCAR Hall of Fame last year and be honored as part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Banquet. Murray says the experience was more than he ever thought it would be.
“The total atmosphere the excitement was overwhelming and something I will never forget,” he says. “They totally know how to make you feel like that you have really accomplished something in racing; also, making some friends down there that I will have the rest of my life.”
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[/media-credit]So when it came to the 2012 season and through a partnership, the decision was made to move up to the Wahta Springs Late Model division at Barrie Speedway.
“At the start of the season we were hoping to be able to compete for a top 5 spot at some point in the season and keep up with some of the top runners,” Murray says.
Mid-summer would be where Murray would hit his stride, scoring his first feature victory on July 28th. He followed that up with three more feature victories. In the end, Murray finished sixth in the track point standings, following four feature wins, 14 top fives and 28 top 10s in 34 feature starts. In the end Whelen Series standings, it places him as the highest finishing rookie of the year. Track standings have him finishing to Thayne Hallyburton, 22 points behind.
“All and all, our rookie year was more than we had ever hoped for,” he says.
In making the transition, Murray says it was tough learning how important communication with his crew chief is.
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[/media-credit]“I was lucky enough to get a great crew and very experienced crew chief (Ray McCaughey) who knew exactly what adjustments to make on the car to make it competitive,” he says.
For the success this season, there’s a lot of people that Murray says are on his list of people to thank.
“First I would like to thank all my crew guys and their family for allowing them to come every week – Guy, John, Drew, Chris and Griffin,” Murray says. “Also would like to thank Kyle from Baker Performance Parts for giving me the opportunity to race his late model this year. Dwayne Baker for all his advice and encouragement, and Sherry for all her support.
“Now to my crew chief Ray McCaughey, I can’t thank him enough for having faith, patience and encouragement and total dedication to me. His vast knowledge of how to make the car fast, all the success this year is because of him.
“Now onto the people that got me onto the track, Glenn from Lake Simcoe Heating and Air Conditioning, Tom from the Hitch House, Cheryl from Grantmyre Painting, Mr. Coates, and Jane from Financial Transitions, without great sponsors and people like this our season would never have happened.”
Murray got started in racing after a friend of his, Jim Anderson, called him on a Saturday morning and asked if Murray wanted to go to the races to watch Anderson’s friend Steve race a mini stock.
“After that night went back a couple more times with Jim and was hooked,” Murray says. “Bought a car near the end of the season and then started racing in the mini stock division. Always had an interest, as a little kid my dad would bring my brother and myself to Barrie Speedway to watch.”
Murray would win the Pure Stock Track Championship in 2006, before taking three years off to work on John Gaunt’s NASCAR Canadian Tire Series pit crew.
“I learned that attention to detail is huge on any race car, that taking notes, exact measurements is key to a fast competitive car,” Murray says of that experience. “I also learned that to be a successful driver in any series you need to have a dedicated team.”
Gaunt is one of the two drivers that Murray calls his racing hero due to Gaunt’s determination and the total determination of his team.
“Also a very patient driver,” he says. “I have learned a lot from him over the years and have some of the best memories racing with him and Kerry Micks, I really likes Kerry’s aggressive driving style – if he has a 10th place car he will get up on the wheel and drive it into 5th place, he is also not afraid to use the ‘chrome horn’.”
In his own experience of racing, Murray says his biggest lesson is patience and to take the advice of seasoned veterans.
Well for most drivers their memorable moments have come on track, Murray says that his most memorable moment in racing is meeting his future wife Sue at the track.
NASCAR’s Confidence Factor
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[/media-credit]While some still debate it, anyone involved with NASCAR knows not only is it a sport, but one that involves a unique mixture of physicality, good mechanics and a great deal of mental focus, as well as confidence.
The mental aspect of the sport has been gaining increasing attention recently, especially as some of the drivers at the highest level acknowledge the use of sports psychologists and other confidence-building tools.
Probably the most vocal about the mental side of the sport, especially having confidence, has been Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin employed the skills of a sports psychologist after narrowly missing the championship in 2010.
“I took for granted in 2010 that we were part of a championship battle,” Hamlin said. “We had an amazing season – a career season for myself – but you get so upset about not winning a championship.”
“When you lose a championship and you follow it up the next year and your cars don’t run as well, then it’s very frustrating.”
“From 2010 when we won eight, this year we won five and last year we won one – I didn’t forget how to drive for a year,” Hamlin said. “That part is tough to get over when you become irrelevant after a career year.”
“Our focus is ourselves and knowing that if I’ve got the balance that I’ve got and the car that I need, we can win,” Hamlin continued. “That’s the mental side of it.”
Fellow Chase competitor Martin Truex, Jr., who drives the No. 56 NAPA Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, agreed with Hamlin as to the importance of confidence, especially in motivating the race team.
“I obviously, definitely, think it’s a part of it,” Truex said. “But, there are times when you can love a race track and be as upbeat as you’ve ever been and still go in there and have a bad weekend.”
“You know, having a good mental attitude is a good thing to keep the team rallied around you,” Truex continued. “Those guys really feed off the driver and it seems that the driver’s attitude can play a part in how the team is feeling and how they do their job throughout the weekend.”
“I think everyone comes into the weekend, not matter where you go, optimistic,” Truex said. “But at the end of the day, if you can’t get your car to do what you want, it doesn’t matter how much you love the race track.”
“For us, it’s just all about working hard and having a good attitude going in, being optimistic, being positive and just working hard and trying to get the results you’re looking for.”
Four-time champion Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, affirms that confidence is key, especially for him since he is last in the Chase point standings.
“It’s important for us to be aggressive and put pressure on them by being up front and running good,” Gordon said. “Right now we are not really on anybody’s radar.”
“They know we run good and know we can win races and yet, they know we are really far back in points,” Gordon continued. “So right now it’s all on us to go do what we are capable of doing.”
Cup driver Joey Logano, who currently drives for Joe Gibbs Racing but will move to Penske Racing in 2013, has many reasons to focus on improving his confidence, especially with all of the changes in his life and career.
“I worked with a sports psychologist a few times, especially last year more than this year,” Logano said. “It’s a little bit easier with a lot more wins to keep your confidence up.”
“I’ve learned a lot from last year; kind of learning yourself and what makes yourself work and how to handle certain situations with people and how to stay positive,” Logano continued. “I’ve learned a lot from that for sure.”
“It’s the little things,” Logano said. “The people you surround yourself with and how you deal with conflict is so important to keep stress off yourself.”
“My big thing is I always used to avoid controversy and now I hit it head on and then I’m done with it,” Logano continued. “It’s better that way.”
The attention to the mental aspect of the sport, as well as the use of sports psychologist or other experts, transcends from the Cup garage to the Nationwide level as well.
“It’s a really mental sport, probably 40% mental and 60% car,” Michael Annett, driver of the No. 43 for Richard Petty Motorsports, said. “There are times you can get so frustrated and lose time on the race track and the next lap, you make up time.”
“The car didn’t change, but the mentality of the driver did,” Annett continued. “It’s how you bring it back so if you can maintain consistency, that’s your job.”
“I’ve done some things like sports psychologists and the biggest thing you learn is that if you do lose focus, there are things you can do to get you back on track and back where you need to be,” Annett said. “Confidence comes with success obviously.”
“Once you get it, it’s hard for other guys to take it away from you.”
Perhaps rookie driver Danica Patrick had the most unique approach to the mental aspect of racing and having confidence in herself. Patrick drives in the Nationwide Series for JR Motorsports and is trying her hand at some Cup events for Tommy Baldwin Racing in preparation for next year.
“Well I do believe in faking it until you believe it,” Patrick said. “That sort of mind frame or saying came about a few years ago.”
“It’s easy to get down, it’s easy to not be happy or excited in the monotony of the same thing every weekend, and if things don’t go well, being upset and letting that get to you,” Patrick continued. “We just came up with that idea of fake it until you believe it.”
“I encourage everyone to try it,” Patrick said. “If you just smile and are happy and joke, even if you are out of control and not even being honest about how excited you are about something, eventually at some point that day you will be happy.”
“Then you are just having a good weekend and you don’t have to fake it anymore,” Patrick continued. “It’s common sense that if you say you don’t like something it’s not going to go as well.”
“I’m just trying to apply that every weekend,” Patrick said. “I can’t say I’m completely successful.”
“I need to find the good in it and the positive attitude will translate into better results I think.”
Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 24 – Dover International Speedway – AAA 400 – September 30, 2012
One of my favorite tracks is on deck this week at the Monster Mile. Dover International Speedway sits in the only state to not hold a National Park, but is nothing short of monumental in regards to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The 2012 Chase for the Sprint Cup rolls on into Delaware on Sunday, and Dover can sometimes be the catalyst in many teams’ quest to take home NASCAR’s biggest prize. The concrete surface at The Monster Mile has been terrorizing stock car teams since 1995, and this weekend will be no different.
The Chase for the Sprint Cup is starting to take shape with two dramatic finishes already, and much to the show grin to the rest of The Chase field, the No. 48 team is starting to come alive. The six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion displaced Brad Kesolowski as the front-runner for the top spot last week, with his second-consecutive runner-up finish. At a track where the guy from Michigan has historically struggled to put together solid finishes, Jimmie Johnson stands to increase his margin this week at a track that has historically been a strong point in the Hendrick stable.
New Hampshire Recap
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner as they say in Vegas… After a year of struggling, I was able to put together a solid weeks of picks last week in New Hampshire.
Denny Hamlin was the guy I picked to win the Sylvania 300 last week at Loudon, and that’s exactly what he did. Starting 32nd, Hamlin wasted no time in showing his qualifying lap was far from the norm of his No. 11 FedEx Camry last week. There’s nothing more to say other than, I told you so about last week’s stanza in New Hampshire. Hamlin completely dominated the race last week in New England, and if it weren’t for a late-race caution flag on lap 272, Hamlin would have probably won the Sylvania 300 by 10-seconds over Jimmie Johnson.
Whenever a driver calls his win, I’m on board….
As for my Dark Horse, he faired just fine in the Sylvania 300, and finished just about where I projected. Sharing time in the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine with Mark Martin, Brian Vickers has truly been a special mix for Michael Waltrip Racing this year, and last week’s top-ten finish just added to the banner year for the No. 55 team. Starting on the second row last week, Vickers had nothing but a good car all day. He was able to drive the Aaron’s Dream Machine to a ninth-place finish , and nabbed me a Dark Horse top-ten finish.
Dover Picks
Winner Pick
As mentioned above, it’s Jimmie Johnson who boasts the best record at Dover International Speedway amongst all active drivers, and its Jimmie Johnson who will take home his seventh Concrete Monster on Sunday. Again, he’s a guy who’s finished outside the top ten just once in the past nine races at Dover, and will be entering Sunday’s third race of the 2012 Chase for the Sprint Cup off two-consecutive runner-up finishes. The Chase is when the No. 48 team comes alive, and this weekend will be no different. He’ll start the 43rd Annual AAA 400 just outside the top ten in the eleventh spot, but based off his speed in Happy Hour, Johnson has all the car he needs to quickly move to the front of the pack on Sunday.
Dark Horse Pick
Why not take a look at Marcos Ambrose this week in Delaware? He enters Sunday’s AAA 400 riding a streak of three-consecutive top-ten finishes at the Monster Mile, including a tenth-place finish earlier this year in the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks. The No. 9 DeWalt Ford was not fast in either of the two practice sessions at the Monster Mile this weekend, so there’s some work to be done before I can claim a solid pick this week.
Keep an eye on the No. 48 this week as he will make his statement for The Chase front-runner, and stay tuned next week as I make a stop in Syracuse, New York for this year’s Super Dirt Week XLI!
Until next time…You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!
