Toyota/Save Mart 350 Review: Surprises at Sonoma
Clint Bowyer surprised fans when he qualified in sixth position for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma. With the overall strength that Michael Waltrip Racing has shown in 2012, it wasn’t much of a surprise to the world when the No. 15 5 Hour Energy Toyota crossed the finish line first on Sunday. Like most races at Sonoma, fuel mileage was an issue in the closing laps when the race finished under green-white-checkered. Bowyer did run out of fuel – on his victory lap.
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[/media-credit]“It’s all about surrounding yourself with good people and we certainly have that. We have great partners, 5-hour ENERGY, Napa and Aaron’s, my teammates, Martin Truex and Mark Martin, I’m telling you, everybody is working very, very good together with this group.
That’s something I’ve never been able to do before. I’ve had good teammates and I’ve had good stuff, but never like this at this magnitude. This is a young group. Michael stuck it out and I’m telling you, he’s fixing to reap the benefits. He’s worked hard. Our marketing department does a great job and this is I think the first of many to come. To have this dirt boy from Kansas in victory lane at this road course is big, trust me. “
This is Bowyer’s first win for MWR and his first win of the season. With this victory, he has rocketed two spots in the standings to 7th position, 67 points behind the leader. If the 15 team were to drop out of the Top 10 in points standings, they now have the opportunity to take the wild-card position to be in the chase for the Sprint Cup.
Smoke Rebounds at Sonoma
Tony Stewart started Sonoma off on a rocky note with practice session speeds of 24th, 17th, and 21st position. The two time winner of this track qualified in 24th position and rebounded to finish in second position. With this finish Smoke shot up three spots in points, to fifth position, just 63 points behind the leader.
“I was really pleased with it to be honest. The last two days we have not been real happy with our balance and just couldn’t seem to get the speed that a lot of the guys that were putting up big numbers at the top of the board were able to run. We couldn’t even run within a second of them the last two days.
To end up running second like this is just a really good effort for all of our guys. Really proud of Steve Addington, never gave up this weekend. Nobody ever gave up on trying to find something that was going to be a little bit better. So him and Jeff Meendering and Greg Zipadelli and all of these guys on the team, just really proud of the effort they put forward this weekend.”
Underdogs Fill the Top-10
Brian Vickers, who is running a partial schedule with MWR, qualified his No. 55 Toyota in 21st position. His team fought hard to get to the front of the field, and came home with a fourth place finish. Vickers has two other starts this season, with finishes of 5th and 18th position. The former Red Bull driver is using this part-time gig to try and show other teams what he is capable of; so far, Vickers impresses the field with his finishes.
Marcos Ambrose pleasantly surprised the NASCAR world once again we he qualified his Stanley Ford on the pole for the second week in a row. Although the “thunder from down under” couldn’t contend for the win, he was able to hold on to a strong eighth place finish. Ambrose has four top-10 finishes this season and is sitting 16th in points standings. If he were to grab a win before the Chase for the Sprint Cup, he could hold a coveted wild card, allowing him to contend for the championship.
AJ Allmendinger is another driver who didn’t qualify well at Sonoma, starting in the 17th position. However, by the end of the race, he was racing the front runners and finished in 9th position. Moving to Penske this season, expectations have been high for the No. 22 Pennzoil driver. This season Allmendinger has scored two top-10 finishes and one top-5.
Five Questions With Brian Scott
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[/media-credit]In my next interview I had the chance to speak with Nationwide Series driver Brian Scott. He currently drives the No. 11 Dollar General Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Here is my interview with Brian Scott.
Q: Imagine yourself not as a driver but as a race fan. If you were to do a ride along with any driver other than yourself, who would you chose, which track and why?
Brian Scott: If I wasn’t a race car driver I think the most exhilarating ride along would be with Jimmie Johnson at Dover. Dover is such an incredible place with the most sensation of speed anywhere we go, and Jimmie because he is amazing at the track.
Q: If you could have a track named after you, what kind of track would it be and where would it be located?
Brian Scott: I think to have a track named after me in my home state of Idaho or just even in the Northwest would be neat. It would be a track that was a fast short track. Something like if you merged Bristol and Phoenix together.
Q: What is your most memorable race?
Brian Scott: My most memorable race was the 2009 Camping World Truck Series race at Dover. I won the race, my first win in NASCAR, and it will always be a memory I cherish.
Q: Who would you consider NASCAR’s bad boy? Golden boy?
Brian Scott: NASCAR’s bad boy in my eyes is my teammate Kyle Busch. And the golden boy is Carl Edwards.
Q: What advice would you give someone who wanted to be a race car driver?
Brian Scott: I would tell anyone with aspirations of being a race car driver to work hard, be humbled, and never give up. Its a long, hard road to make it and when it all comes down to it you have to be lucky, talented and smart.
A Fan Proposal of the Perfect Chase
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[/media-credit]A competitive chase is all any fan wants for the last ten races of the Sprint Cup Series season. As we stand right now, the chase races could use a little adjustment. A few qualities a chase track should have are; competitive racing, a unique track layout and no other track in the chase to compare to it. Right now the Chase for the Sprint Cup includes the following tracks; Chicagoland, New Hampshire, Dover, Talladega, Charlotte, Kansas, Martinsville, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead Miami. Some of these tracks fit like a puzzle piece into the chase format, some others don’t have the smooth edges to fit into the chase puzzle.
Tracks I believe deserve a spot in the chase are; New Hampshire, Dover, Talladega, Charlotte, Martinsville and Homestead Miami. These tracks are uniquely different from each other and always put on a show. The “Magic Mile” in New Hampshire is a tough little track. Your car needs to have the perfect set up to compete and you need great strategy to win. Last year strategy hurt Clint Bowyer who was leading on the last lap until he ran out of fuel and Tony Stewart passed him for the win. The “Monster Mile” in Dover is a great tough track that features great racing. Every lap around Dover there is threat for disaster. Anything can happen at any minute there, that’s a track you should need to conquer to be called a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship.
Talladega is always the wild card of the chase and that’s an aspect we need in the chase, to be a true champion you’ll need to survive a race at Talladega. Charlotte is the classic mile and a half track but its curved front straightaway provides a different aspect for the track. If your car can stay out front all day and stay competitive for 500 miles at Charlotte, then one day you’ll be considered one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR.
Martinsville is the ‘ole short track, a beating and banging track. This is one of the toughest tracks on the circuit even though it’s the smallest. It’s a perfect fit for the chase due to its small but tough track structure. Homestead Miami is a great track to determine the champion because we only go there for one race, no team will have an advantage. To become the champion you’ll need to outdo your opponent all weekend.
The Chase for the Sprint Cup doesn’t just include six races, it has ten. Four tracks that are uniquely different than any others in the chase need to be added to accommodate the six I mentioned of being a great fit for the chase. I believe Darlington should be added to the chase races because there is no other track like it. “The Lady in Black” has a track layout that doesn’t have its corners matching. Turns one and two are very different then turns three and four, that’s a great way to determine who can set up their car the best to get around the track. Another track that I think should be added to the track is Pocono. Pocono features three completely different corners that need to be mastered one by one. With the newly repaved surface, it now is a very fast track and a great fit for the chase.
The third new track I think should be added to the chase is Indianapolis. The “Brickyard” is a very unique and special track. Indianapolis is one of the few tracks that is a rectangle shape rather than an oval. It features very fast speeds and requires the perfect race to be victorious. The final puzzle piece to complete the chase should be a road course. I can’t pick a certain road course to be in the chase but any road course will do. After this past weekends’ race in Sonoma, it brought up the annual question of should a road course race be in the chase. I say yes because to be a true champion, you need to posses all racing skills that includes road course racing as well. To be a NASCAR champion you need to be able to turn left and right.
My perfect chase is very unique and different than anything else. To be a champion in NASCAR you need to show tremendous skill and talent. If one day NASCAR tweaks the chase schedule, expect some of the changes I stated to be put in the chase. To shake up the chase format like this isn’t easy but it can be done. One day we’ll have the perfect chase and we can say that the champion is a true champion.
The Sprint Cup Series heads to Kentucky Speedway
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[/media-credit]This week will be the second visit to Kentucky Speedway. Its inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup race last season that was marred by race fans that never even made it to the track due to blocked highways and limited parking areas.
Last year the speedway was that they had “120,000 seats sold when they could only hold 107,000”. The speedway has announced the expansion of parking lots, easier access to the speedway and new camping services.
Kentucky Speedway has converted 50 new acres of previously unusable land to parking and added gravel aisles to 100 acres of previously all-grass parking, adding an additional 20,000 parking spots.
“Kentucky Speedway and Speedway Motorsports, Inc., that widened the Interstate 71 exit ramp to Kentucky Highway 35 to three lanes, expanded Ky. Hwy. 35 to seven lanes, yielded parking for an estimated 20,000 additional vehicles and constructed a pedestrian tunnel which connects 170 acres of new Ford Parking to the original speedway property.”
Ford and Ford Dealers in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana will be supporting the speedway’s on race day traffic management for five 2012 NASCAR events including the Sprint Cup Series Quaker State 400 by sponsoring 170 new acres of free parking east of the 107,000-capacity venue. Fans arriving at the speedway in Ford vehicles will be directed to park in forward sections of the expansive Ford Parking area.
“Ford and our local Ford dealers are excited to strengthen our partnership with Kentucky Speedway on this major initiative to expand parking and convenience for race fans all across the tri-state.” Ford Cincinnati Regional Manager Greg Wood said.
The campgrounds open on Tuesday June 26 at noon for the speedway’s tripleheader NASCAR weekend.
“I urge our fans to get their friends together and spend race weeks with us. Arrive early because it’s a great way to experience our speedway, make new friends, gear up for our races and enjoy entertainment we have planned.” Kentucky Speedway General Manager Mark Simendinger said.
Country music star Chris Young will perform before the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quaker State 400 on June 30 at 5:15 p.m. Then Versatile star of stage, screen and country music radio Laura Bell Bundy will honor America when she sings “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the green flag waves.
Hopefully all of the problems of years past will be resolved and fans attending the second Sprint Cup Series event this weekend will all be able to park there cars and get to see the race. Bu just in case, fans can follow @kystatepolice and @KySpeedway on Twitter along with finding “Kentucky State Police” and “Kentucky Speedway” on Facebook. Fans within five miles of the track can tune to information radio 1620 AM.
