Ricky Stenhouse Jr. continues to improve and impress

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May 30, 2012

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”227″][/media-credit]In a sport that’s constantly changing, one thing’s starting to remain the same. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is dominating the Nationwide Series.

The defending champion and current point leader has been setting the pace early in the season. Picking up where he left off in 2011 and had it not been for a last lap crash in Daytona while racing for the win, Stenhouse might be even further ahead.

Before Saturday’s History 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway he was sitting pretty with nine top 10 finishes in 10 races. In the last nine races Stenhouse hadn’t finished outside the top six.

It’s what’s helped him storm into victory lane three times, including his third consecutive at Iowa to remain undefeated, quickly quieting the talks of Elliott Sadler’s hot start and championship hopes. If anyone wants to win races and the big trophy, they’ll have to go through the Mississippi native.

What an incredible rise for Stenhouse, whose story has been well documented. In the car, crashing the car, out of the car and then boom, it suddenly clicked. Once back in the car it was as if a different driver was behind the wheel.

A 16th place point finish in 2010 and Rookie of the Year honors to winner and champion the following year. Now he’s looking to become the first driver since Martin Truex Jr. in 2004-2005 to win back-to-back titles.

As the season continues to progress, Stenhouse continues to improve. He’s constantly thinking and thinking like a veteran, wondering how the team could get better. While leading two weeks ago in Iowa he seemed to be upset when telling crew chief Mike Kelley that something had to be done about the grille opening.

His No. 6 Ford Fusion was running hot even in clean air. However, Kelley said that Stenhouse had what he had and they’d have to deal with. No, said a calm Stenhouse, for future reference to be worked on back at the shop.

Team owner Jack Roush has long made smart decisions for his company. It’s why he’s won so many races and championships across the three national series. But pairing Stenhouse with the veteran Kelley will prove to be one of his best.

Kelley has an impressive resume of his own, working with many different Roush drivers and finding victory lane with a few of them. He’s the perfect fit for the young Stenhouse, who never fails to mention how he keeps him calm, cool and collected.

Reining him back in when he gets too far ahead of himself, refocusing him on what needs his attention. Every driver needs that voice in their ear, the person who knows exactly what to say and when to say. Stenhouse has plenty of that on his team, from spotter Mike Calinoff high atop the roof, who continues to coach him every week to Kelley, making the calls atop the pit box.

The belief and confidence they have in each other has become a major part in their success. When Kelley sings Stenhouse’s praises and how he’ll become a superstar in the sport, he genuinely believes in his driver.

The longer the two are together the more they’ll accomplish. There’s plenty of racing left in 2012, yet it’s never too early to start talking about the future. Stenhouse’s will be bright and regardless if he wins his second NNS title this season, a case could be made that he should be going Cup race next season.

Of course sponsorship will determine his plans. It almost kept Stenhouse from defending his NNS title this year but Roush stayed committed to getting him on track. Now he needs to find a way to not only keep him with his organization but keep him racing and moving forward.

The worst thing would be for Stenhouse to stall out and not climb up the ladder, as he should be. Clearly talented enough to win it’s a shame that a company hasn’t come along and attached themselves to Stenhouse for the long haul.

Bass Pro Shops has done so with Austin Dillon and OneMain Financial has to Elliott Sadler. And if there is ever such a thing as the complete package or a sponsors dream, wouldn’t Stenhouse fit that bill?

Winner? Becoming a regular occurrence. Champion? Didn’t take long to knock that off the list. Decent reputation? So far so good, he hasn’t gotten into a fight with anyone or become famous for his radio highlights.

And Stenhouse continues to soar in popularity with the fans and there are no tougher critics than the fans. But Stenhouse has a lot of support.

It could be because he’s the ultimate success story or the fact that he can go toe-to-toe with the Sprint Cup drivers. Either way Stenhouse lets everyone know that he’s a contender on a weekly basis.

Just further proof of how far Stenhouse has already come. When things started to go wrong in the past, he openly admitted to letting it bother him during the race and how he would be unable to let it go. Refocusing and earning finishes they were capable of became difficult.

Now though, Stenhouse uses every opportunity to learn, filing information away for later. Thinking smarter, acting smarter and becoming a dangerous threat. Pushing the car to its limit but never crossing the line. Battling back to win even when he felt the car wasn’t good enough or needed too many adjustments.

Kurt Busch, 2004 NSCS champion, said after Iowa that Stenhouse was getting really good. Many others have echoed the same sentiment, most likely after Stenhouse has gotten the best of them. Mark Martin did as much early this year in Las Vegas, calling it a beat down.

And so, Stenhouse continues to beat down those who doubted him. Those who try to dethrone him. But he’s the real deal and continues to show that he’s going to be in this sport for a while to come. This time two years ago, that didn’t seem likely or realistic for Stenhouse.

So for all those still on the fence about him, still searching for a driver to root for or just want to see one of the little guys to succeed, no better time to start paying attention. Because Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s story is one that continues to be written and it’s one that will go down as one of the best in NASCAR history.

The Coke 600: Why Did So Many Stay Away?

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SM Staff

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May 30, 2012

fans_CMS1_Getty — Credit: Tyler Barrick/Getty Images for NASCAR

[media-credit name=”Credit: Tyler Barrick/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]The weather was perfect, if not hot, and the pre-race show was amazing. No one does the patriotic opening act like Charlotte Motor Speedway, so why was the attendance so bad? That’s a good question that comes in the form of multiple choice. Take any of these and you may win, but picking just one will not answer the question.

The Economy – This has long been the excuse for people not attending the races this season, but gasoline was down to $3.29-3.49 all along the way, with the highest prices being in West Virginia. With the economy improving somewhat, it might be ticket prices which have tripped in 20 years.

The Saturation of Information – No longer do fans have to come to the track to see what is going on. Even though many newspapers don’t send writers to many of the races anymore, we have the internet, Twitter, Facebook, a bevy of television shows, and Sirius XM Radio that keeps everyone up to date. Long gone are the days waiting for SouthernMotorRacing or Grand National Scene to come in the mail. Most fans simply get more information than they can handle. With most of the tracks being built during the boom era of the sport, a lot of seating was the norm. Today, there are just too many seats. Although the official press release said that 140,000, the printed capacity of the track, large blocks of empty seats could be seen in the third and fourth turns, as well as the backstretch. There were lots of fans there, but nowhere near 140,000.

The Racing – Here’s where it gets sticky. Many close to the sport continue to insist that the racing is “better than it ever has been before.” They reference the 1960’s and 1970’s races where only ten cars were on the lead laps and so on, but the truth is, most races have not had the excitement factor we saw a few years ago. Why? Some of it has to do with the pressure drivers feel to make The Chase. It’s hard to be aggressive and rub fenders when one mistake puts you out of the race and not in The Chase. Sunday night, we saw a long train of competitors driving around in line. Most of the small number of cautions were mostly for debris. Many fans left early or spent time in the concourses during the race just to get a break.

The Lack of a Driver like the Late Dale Earnhardt – Earnhardt was unique, but not so far off from the other drivers of his era who were hell-bent on winning a race. In today’s environment, if you make The Chase, you still have a chance to win the title. Witness Tony Stewart last year. Yes, he won half the Chase races, but he overcame a bunch of very consistent teams who sat back and watched the magic Smoke brought to the final ten races. In other words, keep you nose clean for 26 races, make The Chase, and do your work there.

Of course, I didn’t mention Dale Earnhardt, Jr., which is in error. Junior is by far the most popular driver in NASCAR and yet he has a large losing streak that can be counted instead of races. More than a few of his father’s fans picked the son as their favorite driver. Let it be said that Junior is nothing like Senior on the track. Many believe that a win by the No. 88 would cure the sport, but I feel that any revival will come from one or more remedies from above.

There are many who think there is nothing wrong these days, but dwindling ticket sales and TV ratings say otherwise. The early ratings tell us that the Indianapolis 500 drew more viewers than the Coke 600. I find that hard to believe. Has America lost their love of stock car racing?

So take your pick and let’s see what the results are.

HOORAHS AND WAZZUPS: ALL ABOARD THE KAHNE TRAIN

By

SM Staff

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May 30, 2012

[media-credit id=38 align=”alignright” width=”235″][/media-credit]During the Fox Sports broadcast of the Coca Cola 600 we frequently heard the term “the Kahne train.” It was very appropriate because we all watched driver Kasey Kahne unload approximately four months of NASCAR frustration at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. His Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet did indeed resemble a locomotive train engine speeding down the tracks with a full head of steam.

There were a lot of long green flag runs during the Coca Cola 600. If you’re the type of fan who prefers hard, wheel to wheel, racing, then you probably loved this race. There were indeed some pretty exciting battles for position. It also turned out that most of the drama from this race was generated on pit road. With those thoughts in mind, let’s begin with:

HOORAH to Kasey Kahne for scoring his first win of 2012 and, of equal importance, HOORAH to this driver for finally getting rid of the bad luck monkey that has been riding on his back since the season started in February. Kahne picked up his 13th career win, on the day of his 300th official start, along with his fourth win at Charlotte, including three Coca Cola 600’s.

HOORAH to crew chief Kenny Francis for making some outstanding calls on pit road that led to this win. The Coca Cola 600 is race that begins during the day and ends at night. The changing track conditions between those two points can often turn out to be a crew chief’s nightmare. Francis handled the situation perfectly.

HOORAH to that superior performance of Kahne’s Quaker State Chevrolet, especially during the final quarter of this race. How fast was the Kahne train? His margin of victory, over Denny Hamlin’s Toyota, was a decisive 4.295 seconds. The record setting average race speed was 155.687 MPH and the grueling 600 mile event was completed in three hours, 51 minutes and 14 seconds which is another race record.

While we’re at it, let’s give Kahne the HOORAH iron man award for his busy weekend at Charlotte. He drove a World of Outlaws sprint car on Friday night to a seventh place finish. Then he spent Saturday driving a Turner Motorsports Chevrolet to a 17th place finish in the 300 mile NASCAR Nationwide Series race prior to winning the Coca Cola 600.

HOORAH to Denny Hamlin for a strong second place run and a great one liner that described how hard he tried to chase down Kasey Kahne during the final laps of the race following the final restart; “I drove with my eyes hanging out and my hair on fire.”

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Okay, let’s get to it. WAZZUP with the vast majority of the racing drama during this race being generated on pit road? From speeding penalties, to loose lug nuts and even a major collision, all of the unexpected action came while trying to enter and exit the pits.

WAZZUP with the gas can incident with Jimmie Johnson’s #48 team? That gas can getting stuck on the race car was devastating. The stop and go penalty, for leaving a pit stall with equipment attached to the car, turned Johnson from a race winning contender to an 11th place finisher one lap down.

WAZZUP with the expression on crew chief Chad Knaus’ face after this incident. You could literally see the flames of hell dancing in the pupils of his eyes. Do you think there was an intense team meeting on Monday morning? Bet the farm on it.

HOORAH to team gas man Brandon Harder for doing everything he possibly good to dislodge that gas can from the car. That included taking a hard header onto the pit road asphalt.

HOORAH to driver Jimmie Johnson for showing a great deal of class when asked about the incident during a post race interview.

WAZZUP with that collision between Brad Keselowski and Tony Stewart on pit road? Keselowski hit Stewart and spun him around as he was pulling into his pit stall. He quickly said that he just didn’t realize Stewart was there. We all watched Stewart’s Chevrolet spin in the middle of pit road. He deserves a HOORAH for that beautiful doughnut on pit road that sent his car into a perfect slide into his pit stall. However, Stewart deserves a WAZZUP for performing that doughnut directly in the path of an oncoming Carl Edwards who definitely was not expecting a spinning car, hidden in a plume of smoke, in front of him.

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HOORAH to Brad Keselowski for being a driver to watch all evening long during the Coca Cola 600 as well as frequently being the source of in car radio entertainment.

First off there was the matter of the speeding penalty on pit road which cost him all of his track position. Keselowski did an outstanding job of driving his way through the field and soon re entered the top five.

Next came the aforementioned pit road collision with Tony Stewart. Keselowski had some genuine concerns that Stewart might be very angry with him regarding that incident. His concerns were justified because Stewart was already unhappy with the way his car was handling. Keselowski asked his spotter to inform Stewart’s team that he honestly didn’t realize Stewart’s car was there until it was too late and he was sorry for what happened. Keselowski’s spotter told him not to worry about it and to keep his focus on driving the car. The driver responded with “will someone please listen to me? I’m a little concerned about the #14 stuffing us in the fence later in the race.” Despite the drama, Keselowski did keep his focus and drove to a fifth place finish.

It turned he had nothing to worry about. Stewart fully understood the situation and he said it was partially his fault. He deserves a HOORAH for showing a lot of class in lieu of the very frustrating night he endured during this race.

In the later stages of the race, Keselowski came over the radio and said: “I sure could use some good music right now, something like Metallica.” His spotter responded with; “I don’t do karaoke.” However the spotter did oblige his driver by humming a classical music piece that only Fox broadcaster Mike Joy recognized.

Let’s not overlook the HOORAH that Brad Keselowski deserves for winning the History 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Charlotte. He had to fend off a hard charging Denny Hamlin during the final laps of the race. The margin of victory was a mere 0.838 seconds.

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In some final thoughts, HOORAH to a great one liner by the always fun Andy Petrie. During ABC Sports’ coverage of the Charlotte Nationwide Series race Petrie commented on driver’s Travis Pastrana’s spin out and said: “he’s getting really good at spinning without hitting anything and that takes talent.” Later in the race, when Pastrana spun out for a second time, Petrie said “don’t hit anything, keep your record going.”

WAZZUP with driver Carl Edwards’ late race snack? During a pit stop he was given a peanut butter and jelly sandwich by the pit crew. Edwards came over the radio and said “I asked for just peanut butter, maybe with a little bit of honey.” He was concerned that the jelly was going to fall out of the bottom of the sandwich and land on the front of his driver’s suit. That’s exactly what happened.

HOORAH to the special honor driver Jeff Gordon received from the State of North Carolina. A 1.6 mile segment of Interstate 85, just outside of Charlotte, was named the Jeff Gordon Expressway. This dedication was in honor of Gordon’s public service in North Carolina through his charity work. This is especially true regarding the Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital located at the Carolina Medical Center.

HOORAH to the very patriotic tributes in honor of Memorial Day. From special paint schemes on the race cars to special television network video presentations, the effort to honor the members of our Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice, while defending the American way of life we all enjoy, was outstanding.

A HOORAH also goes out to Fox Sports for displaying the names of the fallen heroes, on the bottom of the screen, during the race broadcast. A HOORAH also goes out to the staff of the Charlotte Motor Speedway who, once again, made an outstanding effort to honor our troops.