Kyle Busch Still Says Fords Have an Advantage, Not So say Edwards and Roush

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October 15, 2011

A monkey could win in that racecar. Those were the words of Clint Bowyer back in July of 2008 about Joe Gibbs Racing and how good they were and how the competition didn’t have a chance to win races.

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”291″][/media-credit]The domination of JGR in the Nationwide Series, led mostly by Kyle Busch, has been one of the biggest story lines the last few years. Busch has won a drivers championship and become the winningest driver in series history. To date, he’s won eight races in 2011.

And everyone knows that Busch doesn’t like losing, there’s nothing else left to say or write about it. Friday night in Charlotte Busch lost to Carl Edwards, who also won for the eighth time, and the JGR driver suddenly sounded a lot like Bowyer did a few years ago.

“Really good on long runs, slow on short runs,” said Busch. “Didn’t have enough under the hood to keep up. Got out motored on that last restart, finished second. Got out motored. I didn’t have enough under the hood. Unfortunately, the Toyota’s don’t have enough horsepower.”

End of statement, end of story as Busch didn’t offer anymore about his race. The statement made anti-Busch fans giggle. As it did to Edwards when he heard about it in his post race interview.

“I sit in these racecars every week, twice a week and been doing it for a long time and we do not have a horsepower advantage,” Edwards said. “Those are political statements that people make to try and get us back to where we were for years, at a disadvantage.”

While Edwards believes there is one manufacturer that is better than them on the NNS and NSCS side, the engines are has close as they’ve been he said.

Team owner Jack Roush took it a step forward and said that the Ford camp has just caught up and is running where they should be after getting their new FR9 engine. What it has done is give JGR and the rest of the field better competition through his team.

“We’ve all got the same parameters,” said Roush. “The Ford was disadvantage in those things for years until we got the FR9 going last year. So, he certainly doesn’t have the advantage or the Toyota’s don’t have the advantage that they had over the Fords before.”

Roush went on to say that it would be a ‘travesty’ with all the money they’re spending on the 2013 version of the car to have had built an engine they don’t need. Further saying that if Toyota got a new engine then every other manufacturer would have to get one, Chevy, Ford and Dodge.

According to Roush, there’s no need for a new engine because they all have the same parameters. The difference is how much carburetor jets and ignition timing a team puts to it.

The engine doesn’t appear to be the problem, who Busch loses to is. With each and every one of Busch’s wins, mention of being at an advantage or having been lucky to win with his equipment, doesn’t make an appearance. Yet, when Busch is staring at the rear bumper of Edwards’ No. 60, that becomes the big story and Busch makes it clear that he thinks the Fords are better.

A common theme it has become. Busch and Edwards have been the classic of rivals – see Bristol 2008 – and have had the classic of late race showdowns. See any race they’ve entered together. Losing to such rival isn’t easy to take, especially when battling for a championship.

Following Edwards win on Friday he closed the owner championship to three points with three races left in the season. The No. 18 for JGR currently leads.

Perhaps little solace to Busch is that Edwards in his Ford did not dominate the race. That would have been Brad Keselowski in his Dodge, who had it not been for a flat right rear tire, might have run away and won the race. It would have saved Busch the frustration of another Edwards win.

Instead Busch was left with his side of the story, Edwards and Rough theirs and even Keselowski’s. He wrote on his Twitter page Friday night, “As much as I hate to say it. The HP advantage Ford has wasn’t the reason why The 18 lost. Carl just executed on the last restart.”

43 to 1 Points System Would Be Perfect Without A Chase

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SM Staff

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October 15, 2011

Brian France got something right for once this off season by implementing the 43 to 1 points system, but the system itself would be absolutely perfect if there were no dang Chase format. I have said it time and time again. NASCAR should not have a playoff system. Yes, NASCAR is a sport, but it’s a different type of athleticism. One person even asked me, “Why isn’t Major League Baseball using a Chase system?” Uhh…what? How would that work in baseball? The team with the most wins gets to skip a round in the playoffs? That sounds silly to me. And speaking of best teams…how far did the Phillies go in the playoffs? Yeah…they got knocked out of the first freaking round by the St. Louis Cardinals. Nope, no Chase system in baseball.

[media-credit name=”(c) CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”246″][/media-credit]But think about it guys. Is it fair that we re-seed the points based off wins? The fans have been complaining time and time again that the Chase system only benefits Johnson. Well…you need to do some recalculating of the old system in order to figure out something is way different this year than in previous years. Jimmie Johnson had only won 1 race before the Chase begun. Heck, Johnson had won more races during his rookie season during this time and yet under the old system, Johnson is the points leader. The link that used to show the old points system got taken down, so I took it upon myself to figure it all out. I only calculated the top 30 cars since only 30 cars this season have participated in all of this seasons races thus far. Well, let’s take a look at how the season looks under the old system.

Following last week’s win, Jimmie Johnson has taken the lead in the points standings. Oh, crud….now the 48 haters want the Chase…just for this season though :P

NASCAR is becoming too politically correct. Who cares if the other drivers aren’t having a ‘fair’ chance at the championship. If they lose, they freaking lose! If they win, then they get the dang trophy at the end of the season. Do you remember those days when you played little league baseball or some other sport? For example, you got ice cream if you won the game, but if you lost you got absolutely nothing. Well in this case…we are trying to give everyone a fair share so they don’t look like losers in the points standings. Brian France said he wanted to create more, “Game 7 moments for NASCAR.” Uhm…excuse me Mr. France, but there is no such thing as a Game 7 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Who cares if Johnson and Edwards are the only cars technically in the championship? They have been the two best cars this season, so that’s the way that it will be.

This is what the standings really look like as we head to Charlotte. Johnson going for his third title and Edwards going for his second.

1.Jimmie Johnson LEADER
2.Carl Edwards – 5
3.Kyle Busch -22
4.Kevin Harvick -26
5.Matt Kenseth -42
6.Jeff Gordon -64
7.Kurt Busch -70
8.Tony Stewart -111
9.Ryan Newman -115
10.Brad Keselowski -131
11.Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 142
12.Clint Bowyer – 193

TOYOTA NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) Post-Race Notes & Quotes Charlotte Motor Speedway

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SM Archive

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October 15, 2011

Dodge Motorsports Notes & Quotes – Final Nationwide Race Quotes – Charlotte 2

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October 15, 2011

Ford Charlotte Nationwide Race Quotes

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October 15, 2011

Matty’s Picks: ‘Straight from The Beast of the Southeast!’ Vol. 22 – Kansas – Charlotte – October 15, 2011

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SM Staff

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October 14, 2011

This weekend marks my first trip to Charlotte Motor Speedway for a race weekend. I had the privilege of touring the track three years ago as a part of my trip to the Tar Heel State to watch my beloved Mountaineers take down the North Carolina Tar Heels in a thrilling 31-30 shootout in the 2008 Meineke Car Care Bowl. Since my tour of the track in December 2008, I have been itching to make it to a race weekend at the historic 1.5-mile quad oval, and it’s almost a dream come true for me this weekend.

[media-credit name=”charlottemotorspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”254″][/media-credit]This Saturday’s Bank of America 500 will be run under the lights in front of 140,000+ fans at the first modern superspeedway to install and host night racing. Until 1998, when lights were installed at Daytona International Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway was the largest track in the world to host night racing.

It may be the history behind the track, or the battle for the Sprint Cup that has begun to heat up ever so slightly, or it may be the 4-day “vacation” I get by heading to Charlotte this weekend that has me so amped up for this weekend’s race. It might be the fact that this will be the first race this fall that I will watch with undivided attention, but I really think I might be most excited to see the monstrosity that is the HD video board that stretches 200 feet down the backstretch at Charlotte Motor Speedway. After following all the tweets this spring about the video board, I am overly excited to see how massive this thing is.

It was announced in September of last year that CMS would partner with Panasonic to install the World’s largest HD video board at the track. The 9 million LED’s that make up the video board measures 200 feet by 80 feet, probably the best place in the World for a Call of Duty: Black Ops match.

I had mixed results following this spring’s trip to The Beast of the Southeast, but I did manage pick the winner of May’s Sprint Cup All-Star Race, as well as the runner-up in the Coke 600. I look forward to seeing the cars in action this week, and hope that my keen eye will help me make some power picks this week for my first trip to Charlotte.

Kansas Recap

I won’t spend too much time this week recapping my finishes in Kansas, due to my eagerness to get to some racetracks that do not encourage three-hour naps on Sunday afternoon. The Bank of America 500 this Saturday marks the start of my amplified interest-level in The Chase schedule.

My Winner Pick for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 was the driver of NASCAR’s “Blue Deuce”. Brad Keselowski had won the June race at Kansas Speedway, he won the NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Saturday at Kansas, and he was a shoe-in for the race win on Sunday.

He started the race 15th, and made his way into the top-10 early. Fast forwarding through the 200 laps of napping, Keselowski hit the point at lap 207. He also was shown on top of the leaderboard at lap 241, but was passed for the lead by eventual race-winner, Jimmie Johnson on lap 245. Bad Brad brought his No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger home in third and spoke on pit road after the race: “Everybody was a little close; we were just closer, but the Miller Lite Dodge was good. Proud of the effort. Kind of an up-and-down day. We got up to be a second- or third-place car mid part of the race, then kind of fell off a little bit, but came back. Third-place day, that’s good, that’s what you’ve got to do. Really, we want to win races like Jimmie (Johnson), but we’re making the best we can out of it. If he stumbles, we’ll be there.”

Despite being second-fastest in Sprint Cup Final Practice at Kansas Speedway, David Ragan brought me no help as a Dark Horse pick last week.

Ragan started 13th on Sunday, but quickly fell through the field ending up a lap down to the leaders for the majority of the 267 lap race. The long green-flag runs that occurred at Kansas last week, allowed little time for adjustments throughout the race. Track-position was as good as gold last week, and Ragan couldn’t find any to improve his finish.

“We just weren’t lucky today. We missed getting the lucky dog a couple of times and the chips just didn’t fall our way. When you’re back there 10th to 20th you need a couple lucky breaks and we just didn’t get them. We could have gotten a top 10 out of it, but it just wasn’t our day.”

When it was all said and done, Ragan finished 20th and lent me no help in improving my average finish for my Dark Horse picks.

Charlotte Picks

Despite a busy day of media availabilities, Nationwide Series qualifying, two Sprint Cup practice sessions, and even a car wash, I’ve found a bit of time to make a couple picks this Friday Afternoon. My winner pick in the other points race this year at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Carl Edwards did not fare too well in his attempt to sweep the SpeedWeeks races this May.

After winning the Sprint Cup All-Star race here in May, Carl decided to give his Ford Fusion little bodywork on the infield grass. Let’s just say the car was fast enough the way it was and it really had an affect on the 16th place finish he picked up in the Coke 600.

As for my Dark Horse for the Coke 600, David Ragan scored me my highest finish for any of my 21 Dark Horse picks this season – not too shabby.

Dark Horse Pick

I will start with my Dark Horse this week because there should be no other guy in anyone’s discussions of which non-Chase driver could win the Bank of America 500 tomorrow night. Kasey Kahne is fourth among all active drivers with a driver rating of 94.5, behind Jimmie Johnson (112.8), Kyle Busch (106.5), and Joey Logano (96.5) at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Kahne became the first driver to be “Voted-Into” the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star Race in May of 2008, and come home a winner. He then went on to win the Coke 600 the following week, successfully sweeping the May races here at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2008.

Kahne was the fastest car on the track after his 31 practice laps yesterday, and is shown second on the speed charts in this first of two practice sessions as I look out the window of the Media Center here on the infield. He has three wins here at The Beast of the Southeast, but hasn’t won here since his 2088 Coke 600 Victory.

Kahne felt good about his car following his qualifying lap last night during Bojangle’s Pole Night: “We were really good in practice today in qualifying and in race trim. We didn’t go quite as fast tonight as we would have liked to. I think in the race it should be really good. We just need to keep up with the track and keep up with keeping the track position and things throughout the race. We’ll have a good shot.”

Kasey Kahne is eager to leave Red Bull Racing on a high note, and a win in the Bank of America 500 Saturday Night would do just that. Be ready for some fireworks centered around the No. 4 car tomorrow night.

Winner Pick

One of the keys to victory here at Charlotte Motor Speedway is keeping up with the ever changing track conditions as the sun settles behind the grandstands and the lights come on. The track temperature can really plummet when the sun goes down, and crew chiefs and drivers must be ready to go for when night falls.

One crew chief that will always put his driver in the best possible equipment to cross the Finish Line (the pink colored one this week here at Charlotte) first is Chad Knaus. Across his nine seasons as Crew Chief for the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, Knaus has scooped up 52 victories with Ole’ Five-Time, six of them coming right here at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

He is the best amongst all drivers in the Driver’s Rating category at 112.8, and averages a finish of 10.8 here at Charlotte. He hasn’t won here since the fall race of the 2009 season, but he is coming of a big win last week at Kansas.

I think the comment before the race two weeks ago at Dover International Speedway really put a fire in the belly’s of the No. 48 team, and that is not the guy you want to piss off. With an average finish of 3.7 in the last 5 races of the Sprint Cup Series’ schedule, Johnson is about to come alive.

Johnson sits 10th on the speed charts here after the first practice session of the day and spoke earlier this week about his feelings about Charlotte: “I think we’re going to be a threat (at Charlotte Motor Speedway). When I look back to Chicago, Kentucky, and Kansas obviously, our 1.5-mile stuff has been coming along pretty good over the last two or three months. So I feel good about it. Charlotte, with that asphalt that’s down, it is its own environment and it’s really tough to get your car right from the start of the race to the end of the race. So I feel like directionally we’re going the right way; but until I get on the track this week and understand where the grip level is and what our issues are, it’s hard to build too much confidence.”

That’s all for this week, be sure to follow me on Twitter all night tonight and tomorrow for up to the minute action @ML_B_Lo and OnPitRoad.com for the long story.

Until Next Week….You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!!!!

Chad Knaus proves that behind every competent driver, is a crew chief just as competent

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SM Staff

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October 14, 2011

The year was 1985, and school was just about to let out for summer vacation, a time of the year that all young people have always looked forward to. Summer to most of them meant going to visit distant relatives, maybe some camping, going to the movies with some of your friends or even an amusement park or two.

[media-credit name=”Ed Coombs” align=”alignright” width=”216″][/media-credit]Summer can also be a time when teenagers look for a job to put extra some cash in their pockets, but to a 14-year-old native of Rockford, Illinois, it meant spending his weekends, helping his dad win his first Great Northern Series championship.

What a joy it must have been for a father to not only see, but also hear his son in the box during his championship season. Who is this crew chief that started winning championships at an age when most young boys were busy chasing girls, and worried more about staying away from their own parents, then spending all weekend with them?

Chad Anthony Knaus has exemplified in today’s racing world, what crew chiefs for years have tried to master by putting their drivers in victory lane and winning multiple championships. Knaus grew up around the racetracks helping his father race against the likes of Mark Martin, Alan Kulwicki, Rusty Wallace and Dick Trickle, while never realizing that someday his son might be named amongst some of the best crew chiefs that NASCAR has ever seen.

Twenty-six years later as the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship is only six races away from crowning the 2011 champion, the No. 48 team could very well be adding another page to the NASCAR history books, which was rewritten after last year’s record-breaking season. This young man from Rockford, Illinois carried with him 26 years of experience, dating back to a time when most teenagers were still having trouble doing their everyday chores, yet his biggest chore was helping his dad try to win championships.

Winning championships or even getting a driver into victory lane, requires a vast knowledge of the sport, as well as keen sense of when to execute the right moves, and split-second decision making under some of the most extreme and pressure sensitive situations. Knaus has taken the job of a crew chief to whole new level by executing an effective formula that gets the most out of his driver Jimmie Johnson, with the humbleness of allowing his driver to be the center of attention.

Knaus got his first start as a Winston cup crew chief back in 2001, working for Mark Melling’s driver Stacey Compton, and since has shown the racing world that he belongs among some of the best in the business. Looking further back beyond the 2001 season, Knaus started his Winston cup career with the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team, which was led by then crew Chief Ray Evernham.

Knaus was the team fabricator, but then quickly moved up to the chassis and body manager and eventually would move into the role of a tire changer on the “Rainbow warriors” pit crew, helping to lead the team to championships in 1995 and 1997. The Illinois native felt that his calling was more than just working on a pit team, so he left HMS and had a short stint with D.E.I. working as a car chief for Steve Park.

From there Knaus would once again get teamed up with Ray Evernham, after Evernham bought his own race team in 2000. Knaus knew that his heart was still with the Hendricks organization and in 2002; he was offered the job of crew chief for Rick Hendricks up and coming driver…Jimmie Johnson. In his first season with the No. 48 team, Knaus earned, “The Crew Chief of the Year” award, even though Johnson lost the “Rookie of the Year” award to Penske driver Ryan Newman.

Controversy is no stranger to Knaus and company, when back in 2007 during the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Speedway, he and Steve Letarte were both found in violation of a pair of out of shape fenders by NASCAR, and were both fined and suspended a total of six races each. Ever since Knaus was caught stretching the rules a bit, he has been tabbed by a lot of today’s NASCAR fans, as a crew chief that will go to any length to bend the rules to his liking.

Knaus and Johnson have had more than their share of success, by winning races using pit strategy, fuel mileage and an occasional bump here and there, and of course the most important tool that any winning team must have…communication. Knaus has shown throughout his NASCAR career that he does belong beside some of the great crew chiefs of the past.

In today’s modern racing era, he has taken a front row seat to greatness, and has set a new standard that all young crew chiefs could learn from. With six races left in the chase for the 2011 Sprint Cup championship, Johnson has six wins, 10 top-five, and 14 top-10 finishes in 20 starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway, along with a win and a second place finish in his last two races during the chase.

Fate could once again play into the hands of this dynamic-duo, and five-time could very well become six-time with another good run at a track that Johnson feels is one his strengths. “I think we’re going to be a threat (at Charlotte Motor Speedway). When I look back to Chicago, Kentucky, and Kansas obviously, our 1.5-mile stuff has been coming along pretty good over the last two or three months,” Johnson said during his weekly press conference.

Johnson has amassed a very respectable 96.7% of laps completed at this 1.5 mile layout, and an average finish of fourth in a seven chase races, which could be a momentum builder as well as a confidence booster going into the second half of the chase.

Johnson also added that, “I definitely feel that our groove is here, and it’s been slowly building. We had some good momentum in the three or four races coming into the start of the Chase.”