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Sam Hornish Jr. sticks to the plan for top five at Road America

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[media-credit name=”Dan Sanger” align=”alignright” width=”248″][/media-credit]When it comes to being able to make something out of nothing and having to come from behind, Sam Hornish Jr. is making it a theme of his NASCAR career. Saturday’s event at Road America, the Sargento 200, was more of the same as Hornish had to overcome early problems for a top five finish.

While pitting on just lap three of the event, Hornish was penalized because he had left his pit stall with equipment. The gasman and fuel can were dragged out of the box when the gasman was unable to dislodge the can from the car.  He had started eighth but would lose all of his track position serving his penalty. Yet it allowed the No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts team to start putting together their race strategy that ended up playing out perfectly and saving the day.

“We had a pretty good day all-in-all, we were forced into a strategy where we wanted to make sure we had enough fuel to cover green-white-checkered so we stayed out a little bit longer and were able to lead a couple laps because of it,” said Hornish afterwards.

Thanks in part to pit strategy and the falling of cautions, Hornish was able to take the lead on lap 33 and held onto until he had to make his final pit stop. It was clean and clear on this stop but it dropped Hornish outside the top 10 and with the event only 50 laps long, the driver had to make the most of every passing opportunity.

He didn’t let anyone down. Making quick work of his competitors and moving back towards the leaders. It wasn’t long before Hornish was back in the picture racing amongst the best in the business. His fifth place finish made him the highest finishing NNS regular.

“We just tried to play it smart all day long, keep the car on the racetrack,” he said. “That was my goal for the weekend was just to make sure that we were never sitting in any sand traps. Really happy about that and to be able to pass some really good road racers there towards the end and to have a good day I feel like it was pretty good.

“We were trying to be really smart and as you can see there were some guys running into each other on the last lap and I did everything I could do to stay out of that because we got to run for points. So to be able to have the kind of day that we did I’m super happy about it and just looking forward to the next road course because I had such a great day today.”

It was one of Hornish’s best races of the still young 2012 season. According to him, the performance on the ovals hasn’t been what he’s expected and that they need to be better. The consistency hasn’t been there for him to believe that he could win every weekend but had some cautions and luck fallen their way, Hornish says they might already have a W this season.

They need another five percent of speed he said on Friday for them to make that happen. Heading into Kentucky next weekend, Hornish sits fourth in points and Saturday he closed to within 34 markers of the leader.

Saturday it was all about points for Hornish and his team. Thinking about the big picture, even if they couldn’t win the race. With his nearest competitors well behind him on track, being able to recover from early misfortune would go a long way. Especially since Hornish has completed all but two laps in 14 races.

“The yellows fell at just the wrong spot for us,” Hornish said “We hurt ourselves a little bit early in the race, leaving with the catch can still in the car, had to do a stop and go penalty. But that really didn’t have that much of an effect on us. We were stuck on a strategy, we knew we weren’t going to stop before lap 34, that’s where we had to go to be able to accommodate for everything.

“We’re racing for points so, I’m kind of glad it all worked out because you don’t know what might have happened if we would have played the strategy that the race winning cars and most of the guys in the top five did. We don’t have the luxury, we’re out here running every weekend, we’re running hard for a championship. We had a great points day because of it, we closed up on everybody that we’re racing for a championship. We haven’t performed as well as we anted to on the ovals so if we have to take to the road courses, that’s where we’ll try to do our best.”

Before Saturday, Hornish hadn’t been at Road America or Montreal, what will be the series third road course event, in 13 years. He sat at home and watched the last few years, seeing all the controversy and fun. It left him reflecting to the days he raced at those tracks in the Atlantic Series, and ready for the rest of the season and its potential.

“Just looking forward to getting some more of them [road courses] in,” he said. “And hopefully getting our oval program stepped up to the point where we feel like we can actually gain points on those days as well.”

Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 16 Sonoma Raceway – Toyota/Save Mart 350 – June 24, 2012

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SM Staff
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Left and right turns are on the menu this week as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series makes its yearly stop in California Wine Country. Sonoma is the spot for this week’s 24th Annual Toyota/Save Mart 350, a place very special to a guy who grew up on the high speed esses of Watkins Glen International. Drivers lay it all on the line on these road courses, and it’s almost certain that tempers will flare and bumpers will rub on Sunday afternoon.

Sonoma has wielded a few different names in the past 10 years, (Sears Point Raceway – 1967-2001, Infineon Raceway – 2002-2012, and Sonoma Raceway – May 2012) but the action on-track has not changed a bit. It’s the same technical, 10 turn, 1.99-mile road course it has always been and with the way this 2012 car has been running, will produce some beating and banging Sunday afternoon.

Michigan Recap

‘Not bad’ is the way I describe my Michigan picks last week as I managed to squeak out two top 10’s last week in the Irish Hills. I had Kevin Harvick picked to win last week in the shadows of the Motor City and he was one of the favorites following the tire tests, practice sessions, and qualifying for the Quicken Loans 400. Harvick started his Sunday on the outside of the front row and quickly lost positions before the first competition caution period. Harvick suffered a detrimental error under the first caution period as the crew noticed a missing dust cap on the left-front wheel. The mishap shuffled Harvick all the way back to the 39th position, and giving the No. 29 team a nearly impossible mountain to climb for the win. Harvick worked his way through the field as the laps wound down and managed to take over the 10th position before the checkered flag was displayed.

Juan Montoya was my Dark Horse last week, and anytime I can manage to sneak out a top 10 from a Dark Horse, I tend to be happy. Montoya started the race in the 21st position, and he quickly showed that I had made one of my more impressive picks of this 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. The No. 42 team was able to get themselves into the top 10 just 53 laps into the Quicken Loans 400 and Montoya was even able to work his way to the point and lead four laps just past the midway point of the race. Juan was able to avoid any of the late-race drama in Michigan and bring home his No. 42 Target Chevy home in the eighth position. It was two top 10’s for me last week, an occurrence which has been sparse this season.

Sonoma Picks

Winner Pick

I don’t think there is much question as to who I am going to pick this week as my winner in wine country. He’s captured his second-straight Coors Light Pole award with his record-breaking efforts on Friday, and is without a doubt the guy to beat this week. He has finished no worse than 6th in his four starts in which he did not experience mechanical failure at Sonoma, and he is the odds-on favorite for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350. Marcos Ambrose broke the track record in the Bay Area on Friday during his Coors Light Pole qualifying session, and has been shown in the top section of the leaderboards during all three NASCAR Sprint Cup series practice sessions this weekend. His one and only Sprint Cup win came at Watkins Glen International last season, and Ambrose is looking to add a trophy from the other road course in the Sprint Cup Series this year.

Dark Horse Pick

Because Jeff Gordon currently sits 20th in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points, I am qualifying him as my Dark Horse this week. Just 12 miles from his hometown of Vallejo, California, I’m not sure if you can see any more of a ‘Hometown Favorite’ anywhere else during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ Season. Gordon has experienced a string of bad luck this season with just one top 5, four top 10’s, and an average finish of a dismal 19.7. To his misfortune, Gordon adds 5 wins in wine country to his impressive Road Course resume, and building his case to be named my Dark Horse this week. He’s been fast all weekend and will roll off on the outside of the front row on Sunday Afternoon for his quest for his first win of this 2012 season.

That’s all for this week, so until we roll into the Bluegrass State, you stay classy NASCAR NATION!!

No. 29 Budweiser Racing Team Visits US Olympic Complex

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SRT Motorsports – Nationwide Post Race Quotes – Road America

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Richard Petty Motorsports Nationwide Race Report – Road America

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The GoDaddy/Danica Effect

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SM Staff
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[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”245″][/media-credit]GoDaddy, the internet hosting site known for it’s racy commercials starring NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) driver Danica Patrick, recently announced that their company was ready to change their image. They want to come across as a more professional business and cut out the sexy advertising.

We all know sex sells in a lot of situations, but men make up a good-sized part of the racing fan base. Yet women, including myself, don’t really care for a bikini-clad Patrick going across my screen when there’s action on the track. The driver of the #10 GoDaddy Chevy hasn’t done anything on-track that’s really special, but she’s the topic that’s setting the NASCAR world on fire.

If the new direction for GoDaddy’s campaigning makes her seem more like a serious driver, then I’m all for it. What I’m wondering is if the damage is already done.

With all the publicity Patrick is getting, it could sway the thoughts of other female drivers or, even more troublesome, young girls. “If those commercials get her more attention, why not?” In racing, and in society, image has become a factor that determines how people view individuals. Although it isn’t right, those with a more flashy representation get more publicity, compared to those who may be more entitled to the promotion.

Take Johanna Long, for example. The 20-year-old gained respect from competitors such as Elliott Sadler and Brad Keselowski last week at Michigan, where she claimed a 16th place finish. She ran great throughout the whole race. The announcers only talked about her twice. During the same race, Patrick spun two times and was the subject of much talk. I see that as unfair.

Now, on the other hand, we have Kasey Kahne. He’s known as a NASCAR heartthrob because of how he looks, and many females were attracted to the sport for that reason. The driver doesn’t like talking about his ‘fan girls,’ mostly because he doesn’t see himself that way. I remember back when he was sponsored by Allstate, and the company used his Pretty Boy image to their advantage. The commercials featured three woman chasing around Kahne and vying for his attention. You could say that’s similar to what Patrick is doing. But there’s a line: when the business opportunity is used, and when it’s abused. Kahne brought women in, yet Patrick is pushing them away to some extent.

If I were Patrick, I would be happy with this new direction GoDaddy is going in. It’s definitely a new direction for the company, but maybe it’s the right direction.

Piquet Jr. wins the Sargento 200 at Road America

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SM Staff
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[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photography, Inc.” align=”alignright” width=”244″][/media-credit]Polesitter Nelson Piquet Jr. held off Michael McDowell by 2.258-seconds and won Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) Sargento 200 at Road America.

Piquet Jr. is a former Formula One driver and the son of three-time F1 champion Nelson Sr. has extensive road racing experience and it showed as he easily cruised to his first victory in only three NNS starts.

Ron Fellows finished third, Max Papis fourth and Sam Hornish Jr. finished fifth.

On the final lap, Danica Patrick briefly took fourth place from Papis as they entered turn-5. Jacques Villeneuve, driving the no.22 this weekend drove hard into the inside of Patrick entering the turn, booting her into the gravel trap. Patrick was able to get out and finish 12th.

“Where Villeneuve goes, there tends to be cars that have problems, whether it’s his fault or the other car’s fault or (just) stock car racing at the end of the race. You all can make a decision for yourself, what you think happened there.” Patrick said.

“We were racing hard, and I wasn’t even fighting with Danica, I was fighting with Max Papis.” Villeneuve said.

On lap 39, Elliott Sadler got turned around in turn-5. Sadler was able to get the car turned around and continue on despite front end damage. Sadler battled back and finished 15th and holds an 11 point lead over Austin Dillon in the series standings.

Unofficial Race Results
Sargento 200, Road America
http://www.speedwaymedia.com/n2s/race.php?race=14
=========================================
Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
=========================================
1 1 30 Nelson Piquet Jr. Chevrolet 0
2 2 18 Michael McDowell Toyota 0
3 3 5 Ron Fellows Chevrolet 0
4 5 33 Max Papis Chevrolet 0
5 8 12 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 40
6 4 22 Jacques Villeneuve Dodge 39
7 6 11 Brian Scott Toyota 38
8 22 54 Kurt Busch Toyota 0
9 14 88 Cole Whitt * Chevrolet 35
10 7 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 34
11 11 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 33
12 10 7 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 32
13 19 44 Mike Bliss Toyota 31
14 15 81 Jason Bowles * Toyota 30
15 13 2 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 29
16 20 275 Kenny Habul Toyota 0
17 17 199 Victor Gonzalez Jr. Toyota 0
18 23 3 Austin Dillon * Chevrolet 26
19 28 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 25
20 16 38 Brad Sweet * Chevrolet 24
21 29 14 Eric McClure Toyota 23
22 25 41 Timmy Hill Ford 0
23 33 40 Erik Darnell Chevrolet 21
24 37 70 Tony Raines Dodge 0
25 26 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 19
26 12 43 Michael Annett Ford 18
27 36 23 Bill Prietzel Chevrolet 0
28 27 126 John Young Dodge 0
29 9 32 Miguel Paludo Chevrolet 0
30 24 19 Tayler Malsam Toyota 14
31 32 39 Josh Richards Ford 13
32 34 124 Casey Roderick * Chevrolet 12
33 18 87 Alex Kennedy Toyota 0
34 42 4 Matthew Bell Chevrolet 10
35 21 159 Kyle Kelley Chevrolet 0
36 41 89 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 8
37 43 50 T.J. Bell Chevrolet 7
38 40 108 Matt Frahm Ford 6
39 35 52 Ryan Ellis Chevrolet 5
40 39 46 Chase Miller Chevrolet 4
41 31 47 Matt DiBenedetto Chevrolet 3
42 38 42 Tim Schendel Chevrolet 2
43 30 10 Jeff Green Toyota 1

CHEVY NSCS AT SONOMA: Gordon & Johnson Post-Qualifying Transcripts

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Race No. 4: Emco 200 at Delaware Speedway

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SM Staff
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[media-credit name=”delawarespeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”233″][/media-credit]In race number two of the three oval races stretch, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series heads to Delaware Speedway for the Emco 200. It will mark the fourth race of the season when the field takes the green flag on the half-mile.

It will mark the fourth race on the oval located in London, Ontario. in the previous three races, D.J. Kennington has found victory lane twice while Don Thomson Jr. found victory lane once.

For Kennington, his two victories came in 2009 and 2010 while he finished third last season while leading a total of 293 laps in those three starts. It’s no surprise to anybody at Kennington’s success so far as he began his racing career at Delaware as a kid.

The 2010 series champion will be looking for his second straight victory of the season as he won last weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park’s half-mile oval. Kennington’s consistency of five straight top-fives and six consecutive top 10s has paid off as he currently sits second in points, one point behind J.R. Fitpatrick.

Fitzpatrick will come into the event with experience on his pit box as last year’s winner Thomson Jr. is now his crew chief. Fitzpatrick has had success at Delaware in the past as he finished runner-up in 2010 and fifth last year, while leading a total of 64 laps over the past three years.  Fitzpatrick will look to continue his string of consistant finishes after opening the season with a win at CTMP’s road course.

“The goal of this team is to win the championship. Period,” Fitzpatrick said at the start of the season.

However, part of that will be making sure communication with Thomson Jr. is solid. Back at CTMP after he won the race, he said that it was good as they clicked well together.  Though he said earlier this week that there are some issues they need to work through.

“We do need to communicate better during the race in terms of adjustments,” Fitzpatrick says. “I need to be more specific on how the car is handling, so that we can get the right adjustments made.”

He also adds that part of it is the fact that he’s gets a little frustrated at times and he knows he has to get that better.

“J.R. is intense behind the wheel. That’s who he is and you’re not going to get that out of him,” Kennington says. “He’s just got to manage it. So far, it’s working for him.”

Beyond those pair, another driver to keep an eye on is Andrew Ranger as he enters this weekend sitting third in points, six points behind Fitzpatrick. This will mark Ranger’s first start at Delaware since racing there in 2009, where he finished eighth. However, he is on a roll as he has top 10 finishes in his last six Canadian Tire Series starts and has finished inside the top 10 in 25 of his last 26 starts, dating back to 2008.

Not in the championship picture, but one to watch is Mark Dilley. Last week in his 2012 season debut, he finished second at CTMP. He is splitting driving duties with Kerry Micks in the No. 02 PartSource/BDI/Leland Ford as they look to become the first to win the owner’s championship in a team effort. They currently sit eighth in owner’s points, 30 points behind the No. 84, which is driven by Fitzpatrick and owned by his father John. Last season, Dilley scored his best finish at Delaware when he finished 11th.

There are other drivers that bring momentum to Delaware as both Steve Côté and Noel Dowler (No. 5 notched their first series-career top-10 finishes. Côté’s finish allowed him to move up to first in the Rookie of the Year standings, one point ahead of Martin Roy. They will both be making their first starts at Delaware this weekend, along with L.P. Dumoulin, Roy, Ray Courtemanche Jr., Larry Jackson, Howie Scannell Jr. and Mike Scholz.

While he has not yet to find victory lane, Ron Beauchamp Jr. could break that spell as he has an average finish of 6.3. Last year, he finished ninth and had a runner-up finish in 2009. He is also coming into Delaware riding a wave of momentum as he has scored back-to-back top 10s in his last two series starts.

QUALIFYING: Pursley Nabs Pole At Sonoma

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