Matt Kenseth Visits Coast Guard Base Miami Beach
Canadian Tire Series Championship battle closes up as Kennington finds trouble at Barrie
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[/media-credit]Coming into the Wahta Springs 300 at Barrie Speedway this past weekend, D.J. Kennington led the point standings by 33 points over Andrew Ranger. However, following a fuel pump problem on lap 153, Kennington would score a 21st first place finish and now only leads Ranger by 14 points.
“We knew even with a good lead that this sort of thing sometimes happens,” Kennington says in the team race report. “We’re not hanging out heads though; we’ll be back next week ready to go at Riverside. I feel bad we couldn’t have a better finish for SuperClean with them on the car this weekend.”
The day had started off well for Kennington as he qualified sixth and made his way into the top five with a pass on Ron Beauchamp Jr. on lap 71 of 300. He’d continue running in the top five all the way till he made a pit stop on lap 134 with the rest of the leaders. The restart after that caution would come would come at lap 149, with Kennington suffering his problems four laps later.
Kennington would spend numerous laps on pit road, changing the fuel pump, before returning to the track.
“From there we just soldiered on as best we could,” The St. Thomas, Native says. “The car was right back to running fast after we changed part change, unfortunately these things happen.”
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[/media-credit]While typically Kennington runs the gold and black Castrol Edge colors, he debuted a purple paint scheme for primary sponsor Super Clean.
“It was an idea that came up a few weeks ago,” Kennington says. “We’re happy to have SuperClean products as part of our program this year and for the Barrie race we had coupons and sample giveaways and then we had this idea to make an even bigger splash and we came up with this great look for the No. 17 SuperClean Dodge and it sure got a lot of attention from everyone.”
In the four previous ovals this season, Kennington had won them all. Following this past weekend’s finish, some have to question if its the curse of the purple. For this weekend’s race at Riverside International Speedway in Nova Scotia, Kennington will return to the gold and black colors.
Meanwhile, Ranger would come finish in the second spot after being involved in the late race scramble to the finish. He watched the battle for[media-credit id=4 align=”alignright” width=”266″]
[/media-credit] first three-wide ahead of him with two laps to go with Pete Shepherd III, J.R. Fitzpatrick and Steve Mathews. Then going into turn four on the last lap, he would make contact with Fitzpatrick’s back bumper, sending him around. Ranger would continue and finish the race in second.
Ranger had a solid day for the most part, running just outside the top five till the end, where he was able to make his way into the top five following Scott Steckly and Mark Dilley’s problems.
Fitzpatrick, who led a good size portion of the 300 laps, would finish the race in sixth following the spin and currently sits third in points, 18 points behind Kennington.
With the Canadian Tire Series using the same points system as NASCAR’s top three divisions, all it will take is one bad finish or two so-so finishes by Kennington and good solid runs by either Ranger or Fitzpatrick in the final two races to change the fate of who will be crowned the 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Champion.
Ranger has two championships, Kennington has one and Fitzpatrick is hunting for his first. Who will be the champion at the end of the year?
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond
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[/media-credit]Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.
1. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin led 202 of 400 laps at Richmond, but the No. 11 Fed Ex team’s decision to stay on the track after a late rain delay proved costly. His shot at the win gone, Hamlin came home 18th, one lap down.
“I’m leading the points,” Hamlin said. “So I’m right where I need to be, just ten weeks too early.
“The Chase is wide open. There doesn’t appear to be a clear-cut favorite to win the Cup. The identity of the 2012 Sprint Cup champion is a lot like NASCAR’s drug policy—it’s anyone’s guess.”
2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished 13th at Richmond, and will start the Chase For The Cup three points back of Denny Hamlin. He’ll lead the way for Hendrick Motorsports, which place all four drivers in the Chase.
“A full third of the Chase field are Hendrick drivers,” Johnson said. “That means there’s a 33% chance a Hendrick driver will win the Sprint Cup. There’s a 100% chance that Hendrick driver will be me. And, as five titles in six years suggests, it’s wise to play the percentages.”
3. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished a solid seventh at Richmond, posting his 15th top-10 result of the year. With three wins, he’ll start the Chase tied with Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart, three points back of points leader Denny Hamlin.
“The Chase field is set,” Keselowski said, “and Kyle Busch isn’t in it. Kyle will never be considered a true great of the sport until he wins a Sprint Cup title. Therefore, it compels me to say that ‘Kyle Busch is an asterisk,’ because he’s not a star, but starlike.”
4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt started on pole in the Federated Auto Parts 400, leading 67 laps on his way to a 14th in Saturday’s rain-delayed race. With only one win this year, he’ll start nine points behind Denny Hamlin.
“Congratulations to Jeff Gordon,” Earnhardt said. “With his runner-up finish, he’s in the Chase. He said that was like a win to him. That makes him a lot like me, because with my track record, I’ll call anything a win.”
5. Tony Stewart: Stewart scored his first top-5 finish since a fifth at Pocono in early August with a fourth at Richmond. His three wins this year will start him tied for second in the Chase, three points behind Denny Hamlin.
“In most cases,” Stewart said, “I take offense at things. But, as last year’s Sprint Cup champion, I’m going on the defensive. But never fear, that’s still reason enough to throw helmets, punches, and tantrums. These are a few of my favorite things.”
6. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished fifth at Richmond, posting his 16th top-1- finish. By virtue of his one victory, he’ll start the Chase nine points down to Denny Hamlin.
“It’s been a crazy year,” Kenseth said. “Honestly, I can’t tell whether I’m coming or going. Fortunately, I’ve got two wins on the year—one at Daytona, and one at Joe Gibbs Racing. Hopefully, Roush Fenway Racing will consider me a ‘loss’ and not a ‘loser.’”
7. Greg Biffle: Biffle finished ninth at Richmond, and, with two wins on the year, will start the Chase tied for fifth, six points out of first.
“I like my chances,” Biffle said. “I’m not going to back down from anyone. As far as the Cup goes, I, like all the favorites, expect to be there at the end. And, unlike Matt Kenseth, I expect to be here at the end.”
8. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer survived a spin through the infield grass before rallying late to win the Federated Auto Parts 400. Bowyer’s second win of the year places him six points behind Chase leader Denny Hamlin.
“I’ve got what no one else has,” Bowyer said. “And that’s 5-Hour Energy sponsorship on my car, which naturally gives me a ‘shot’ to win it all.”
9. Jeff Gordon: Gordon raced his way into the Chase For The Cup with a hard-earned second at Richmond. As the final wildcard entrant, he’ll start last in the field, 12 points out of first.
“We had a little help from Kyle Busch,” Gordon said. “It seems the No. 18 M&M’s car got a little loose, right after the No. 18 pit crew got ‘tight.’ I’m just happy to qualify for the Chase. I’m in, and I’m ecstatic to the inth degree.”
10. Kasey Kahne: Kahne finished 12th at Richmond and qualified for the Chase as the field’s first wildcard. He will start at the bottom of the Chase field, 12 points behind Denny Hamlin.
“I’m starting all the way at the back,” Kahne said. “I’ve been ordered to choose my words carefully, because Hendrick Motorsports doesn’t want anyone to ‘bring up the rear.’”
Sadler and Stenhouse headline exciting NNS title fight
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[/media-credit]Two weeks ago in Bristol Elliott Sadler, after disappointingly finishing fifth following bump-and-run from Ricky Stenhouse Jr., declared that the fight for the Nationwide Series championship was on. From his point of view, the two would race each other differently, no holds barred as the season started to wind down.
Following 250 laps in Richmond on Friday night, the fight for the championship is without a doubt, on. Stenhouse nearly won again in what would have been his second in as many weeks. Sadler snatched a top five finish from himself, but still recovered in a championship-like fashion. The two have now distance themselves from the other contenders, third place Austin Dillon is 30 points behind, as they head into Chicago separated by just one point.
A second place finish for Stenhouse, after leading 65 laps, helped his cause. He continues to fight back into contention after having lost the point lead after three bad weeks in May. The defending NNS champion is no longer in striking distance, he’s breathing on Sadler’s neck and whispering in his ear.
“We weren’t as good as we thought were going to be or thought we needed to be. We kept working on it all night and I felt like Mike [Kelley, crew chief] and the guys did some good adjustments and got it better throughout the race but not enough to go contend for the win,” said Stenhouse after picking up his 11th top three finish of the year.
“It was a great night for us and were just too loose in and too loose off and not exactly what we wanted. It is a good top-two finish though and that is three good races in a row. We just have to keep doing that.”
Sadler won’t and isn’t intimidated. He’s on a mission to win a championship not only for himself but those who helped turn his career around before he moves on in 2013. No confirmation has been made but rumors are rampant that he’s head to the NNS program of JGR. The same goes for Stenhouse, who gets a full-time Cup ride with Roush, leaving behind the NNS.
On Friday the two were fighting for the lead when Sadler spun himself out, damaging the rear of his Chevrolet.
“It’s frustrating. I made a big mistake, got in there a little too loose under Ricky,” said Sadler. “We had a fast racecar. This OneMain Financial car, 100-year anniversary, guys did a good job. This has been a really good car for us this year and we were in a good position to win the race I just got a little too impatient. Got a little too hard in over my head.”
But in a positive, “We’re still out of it though, we’ve got eight more races left, we’re still in the points lead and we’ll go get ‘em at Chicago.”
After frantically pitting numerous times and managing to stay just one lap down, he put himself in position to get it back. Instead of finishing outside the top 15, he earned a 12th place finish. Hanging onto the point lead when it could have turned into a big deficient. Stenhouse apologized for the incident, noting it was just hard racing and that he had given Sadler plenty of room.
But just as it was a few weeks ago in Bristol, Sadler was upset. This time with himself for making a mistake and not leaving with a finish he deserved. Making this weekend’s race in Chicago coming at just the right time.
“I hate that we had this kind of day for the OneMain Financial. These guys worked so hard all day long and I know that we had a car to compete for the win today,” a dejected Sadler said, while trying to look forward.
“That’s racing, but these guys never quit. I feel like I let the team down, but we are all hungry and have no other choice but to get back up and fight. I’ve said it several times this season, but these are the races and circumstances that make a championship team.
“We will regroup, get more fired up and head to Chicagoland Speedway next weekend.”
At the speedway’s first race this year it was Sadler in Victory Lane. And after seeing his point nearly disappear, he needs to get back there. Except, Stenhouse led the most laps and finished second in that race. The two have been inseparable all year; the racing has been close and exciting. More of what can be expected as the season draws to a close.
“The racing is great right now. There are a lot of people that can win and a lot of great competition, great equipment and great drivers,” feels Stenhouse. “We race hard every week and try to give a little room at the beginning. Once you fill up with fuel and are good to go at the end, you race as hard as you can and try to keep every position you can.
“I think that will continue through the rest of the year and that is how racing should be. You shouldn’t go ride around, you should race as hard as you can.”
