Surprising and Not Surprising: Chicagoland Geico 400

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September 20, 2011

After a valiant attempt to battle the rain drops and start the race as advertised on Sunday, NASCAR finally gave in and postponed the race until Monday. This is what was surprising and not surprising from the 11^th running of the GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

[media-credit name=”Dan Sanger” align=”alignright” width=”229″][/media-credit]Surprising: Although without fuel for a burnout, smoke still surprisingly rose from Victory Lane as the driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, Tony Stewart, celebrated his first win of the season with crew chief Darian Grub and his team.

This was Stewart’s 40^th victory in 455 Cup races, tying him with Mark Martin for 16^th on the all-time victory list. This also ended 32-race winless streak, but extended Smoke’s streak of having one win every season for the past 13 years.

“You couldn’t pick a better weekend to get that first win of the year than here at Chicago,” Stewart said. “We’ve had a miserable year, by our standards. But the last three weeks we’ve really started coming into it.”

“At the end you hate to have to play the fuel mileage game,” Stewart continued. “We didn’t do any wild burnouts or anything like that and ran out before we ever got on pit road.”

“So, we were closer than I wanted to be,” Smoke said. “But I had a good enough car to get us there and Darian and his calls gave us the opportunity to get the lead. I was glad I saved as much as I did.”

Stewart’s win catapulted him up seven spots in the Chase point standings, moving from the ninth position to second, only seven points out of first.

Not Surprising: While driver and team owner celebrated in victory lane, it was not surprising to see the other half of Stewart-Hass Racing dynamic duo also have a good day at the office.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 US Army Medicine Chevrolet, finished eighth. Newman led twice during the race, for a total of 18 laps.

Highlighting on his hood the medical men and women of the US Army, Newman also scored his 14^th top-10 finish of the season and his sixth top-10 finish in his 10 career Cup starts at Chicagoland Speedway.

Newman’s finish garnered him one step up in the Chase, moving from eighth to seventh. He is in a tie, however, with sixth place Keselowski, who has three wins to Newman’s one on the season.

Surprising: Granted that the race was delayed due to rain and decided by fuel mileage, it was still surprising the lack of impact qualifying had on the race finish. At one extreme was Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford, who not only qualified on the pole but also led off and on throughout the race only to be done in by fuel mileage but also by a penalty for being pushed by J J Yeley on the last lap. Kenseth finished 21^st and fell six positions in the Chase standings to tenth.

“It is really frustrating to be a race car driver and they drop the green on the last run of the day when you are supposed to put on a show for the fans and you have to run full throttle and can’t floor it or you will run out of gas,” Kenseth said. “It is pretty aggravating to do all the work and qualifying and pit stops and adjustments but none of it makes a difference.”

On the flip side of the coin was Kevin Harvick, behind the wheel of the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet, who qualified 30^th only to live up to his ‘Closer’ reputation to finish second in the race. This was Harvick’s seventh top-10 finish in 11 races at Chicagoland Speedway and his 14^th top-10 finish in 2011.

Harvick’s finish catapulted him into first place in the Chase standings.

“I knew that we had saved a little bit under caution and a little bit at the beginning of that run,” Harvick said of his fuel status at the end of the race. “Everybody on our Budweiser Chevrolet did a great job knowing exactly how far we could go, so good first race for us.”

Not Surprising: When it comes to fuel mileage racing, it is never surprising to see Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and his crew chief Steve Letarte go for broke and roll the dice. The race at Chicagoland was no different with the driver taking his No. 88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet to a 3^rd place finish.

“We worked real hard all weekend trying to be smart,” Junior said. “The car was a bit of a struggle in the middle part of the race but in that last run, we were one of the best cars on the track.”

“We started trying to save a little gas and we made it further than most,” Junior continued. “It was a good weekend for us.”

Surprising: The driver of the No. 18 Wrigley’s Doublemint Toyota and the driver of the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet had a surprising statistic in common. Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon both lost eight positions in the Chase standings due to their Chicagoland race struggles, thanks to their 22^nd and 24^th finishing positions respectively.

“We had a good car and kept fighting back all day long,” Busch said. “I saved as much fuel as I could but I guess it just wasn’t enough and we ran out with two to go. Just a really disappointing day.”

Gordon echoed those sentiments, although he acknowledged that not only did he qualify poorly but his car was a handful all race long.

“It was just one of those days,” Gordon said. “We were just off.”

“We actually got the car halfway decent there at the end,” Gordon continued. “Then it came down to saving fuel and we obviously didn’t save enough fuel.”

Not Surprising: In spite of burying the hatchet with his nemesis Jimmie Johnson and having a decent finish, it was not surprising that controversy continued to dog the driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger. After skirmishing with the media at last weekend’s race, Kurt Busch skirmished instead with his crew chief and team, sharing a few choice words over the radio during the race.

“We had speed in the car early, but just didn’t keep up with the track,” Busch said after the race. “We just struggled with making adjustments as the race went on.”

Not surprisingly, Busch’s crew chief Steve Addington seemed to especially take the criticism to heart, falling on the sword for the team.

“It seems like we can get our cars tightened up, but can’t free them up at all and we struggled with that,” Addington said. “I’m disappointed that we led a lot of laps and should have had a better showing with the Shell/Pennzoil Dodge.”

“We just couldn’t stay on top of the race track like we needed to once the track got rubbered-in,” Addington continued. “I’m disappointed in myself.”

Surprising: It was surprising to watch the metamorphosis that took place for Brad Keselowski as he moved from the ‘Iron Man’ performance that got him into Chase contention to NASCAR’s version of Cinderella.

Keselowski, behind the wheel of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge finished the race in the fifth position. With that top-five finish, he also moved up five positions to sixth in the current Chase standings.

“Whew, an amazing day to get this Miller Lite Dodge Charger a top-five finish,” Keselowski said. “It wasn’t easy.”

“It really was a matter of trying to be patient,” Keselowski continued. “Our fuel mileage was awesome.”

“It was a good first step for us in the Chase.”

Not Surprising: With the futures of several drivers uncertain, it was not surprising to see them achieve some hopefully eye-catching finishes. Tops among those drivers who finished alongside the elite Chase contenders were Clint Bowyer, who took seventh, as well as Mark Martin with a top-10 finish and Brian Vickers with a top-15.

NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Chicagoland

By

Jeffrey Boswell

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September 20, 2011

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

[media-credit name=”Bill Gutweiler” align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]1. Tony Stewart: Stewart leaped to the forefront in the Chase For The Cup, leading the final 30 laps to win the Geico 400 at Chicagoland. He shot seven places in the point standings to second, and trails Kevin Harvick by seven.

“Just days ago,” Stewart said, “I declared several drivers as favorites to win the Cup. My name wasn’t on the list. Was I sandbagging? Unlike some drivers, I can only play dumb. But it’s obvious I went from ‘pretender’ to contender in a hurry, even faster than Brad Keselowski earlier this year.

“But of all people, Harvick should appreciate the intricacies of getting every last drop out of an engine. His Craftsman Truck team made plenty of ‘dry runs,’ racing despite a lack of funding.”

2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished second to Tony Stewart at Chicago, running out of time as many others ran out of fuel. Harvick took sole possession of the points lead as Kyle Busch ran out of fuel with one lap to go. Harvick now leads Stewart by seven points and Carl Edwards by ten.

“I was running on fumes,” Harvick said, “so a caution wouldn’t even have helped me. So, it helps to have gas in your tank, or a teammate in your pocket. Luckily, we didn’t need Paul Menard in order for the No. 29 Budweiser car to finish strong.”

3. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson led 39 laps at Chicagoland, and was running third when his fuel tank ran dry entering the final lap. He still finished tenth, and fell three places in the point standings to eighth, 16 behind Kevin Harvick.

“Tony Stewart’s not the only driver who ‘tanked,’” Johnson said. “However, he wisely did his tanking before the race. I still contend that I’ll ‘coast’ to my sixth Sprint Cup title; I just didn’t think it would be this soon.”

4. Carl Edwards: Edwards had a solid start to the Chase, finishing fourth in the Geico 400 after leading 39 laps. He improved two spots in the point standings, and now trails Kevin Harvick by ten points.

“What do you know?” Edwards said. “There’s a caveman giving the ‘Gentlemen, start your engines’ command. And Matt Kenseth says I’m the only ‘Neanderthal’ in racing.”

5. Kyle Busch: Busch’s title hopes took a hit at Chicagoland Speedway, running out of fuel on the last lap to see a top-10 result turn into a 22^nd. He tumbled eight places in the point standings to ninth, 19 out of first.

“Now I can say I’ve ‘run out of gas early’ in the Chase,” Busch said, “literally and figuratively. If form holds, I’ll next run out of steam, then patience.”

6. Kurt Busch: Busch led the most laps in the Geico 400, 64, and came home sixth, despite being generally unhappy with his car for much of the day Monday. The No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge was good when it counted, and Busch is now fourth in the point standings, 11 out of first.

“I never stop complaining,” Busch said. “Even after a top-10 finish in a fuel mileage race, I wasn’t happy, and I let the No. 22 hear about it on the radio. They were shocked, that after 400 miles of radio belligerence, I still didn’t run out of ‘sass.’

“You may have seen me throw out the first pitch at the Chicago Cubs game on Monday. Silly me. I thought they asked me to throw out the first ‘bitch.’”

7. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt posted his best finish since a second in Kansas in June with a third at Chicagoland, buoyed by the fuel mileage problems of several Chase contenders. Earnhardt moved up four spots to fifth in the points, and trails Kevin Harvick by 13.

“I’m impressed by my fuel conservation abilities,” Earnhardt said. “And so are my fans. Junior Nation loves it when Junior rations.”

8. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski’s Chase debut was a success, as he piloted the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge to a fifth in the Geico 400, his sixth top-6 finish in the last seven races. He is now tied for sixth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 14 out of first.

“I’ll take a firth-place finish,” Keselowski said. “Unlike the former driver of the Miller Lite car, I can’t complain. I know when to shut up, and when to put up. Confidence is the name of the game in the Chase, and I feel I’m as talented as any one else. Maybe that’s youth talking. That makes me too young to know ‘better.’”

9. Ryan Newman: Like many, Newman ran out of gas on the final lap, but coasted to a still-solid eighth in the Geico 400 as Stewart-Haas teammate Tony Stewart took the victory. Newman is tied for sixth in the point standings, 14 out of first.

“Next up on the schedule isNew Hampshire,” Newman said. “As you know, Me and Tony finished one-two at New Hampshire back in July. Hopefully, we can repeat that. Most drivers fear the Newman-Stewart one-two punch, especially Joey Logano and Kurt Busch.”

10. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth had the best car for much of the day, but fuel worries forced him to back off the throttle near race’s end. Nevertheless, he ran out of gas with a lap to go, and with a push from J.J. Yeley, was scored with an eighth-place finish until NASCAR ruled the push illegal. Kenseth was credited with a 21^st-place finish, and dropped six places in the standings to tenth.

“I couldn’t go ‘all out,’” Kenseth said, “but, ironically, I ended up going ‘all out’ anyway.”

The Final Word – Chicago’s Chitty – Chitty – Bang – Bang finish

By

Ron Thornton

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September 20, 2011

Do you know what a good crew chief is? He is the guy who tells his driver/boss that they are good to go in the fuel department, and is right. That does not necessarily mean that those who are wrong are bad, but maybe Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, and Matt Kenseth can enlighten us on the subject after what went down in Chicago on Monday.

[media-credit name=”Dan Sanger” align=”alignright” width=”273″][/media-credit]It might have been for just the first time this season, but for Tony Stewart Monday marked his 40th career Cup victory. The win moved him to within seven points of Chicago runner-up Kevin Harvick atop the rejigged standings, standings that actually matter as we are down to the final nine races of the season. Still, it is a bit early to get overly excited just yet with eleven drivers still within 25 points of the top dog.

That guy 25 points back would be Jeff Gordon. They worked on his car, got it just right at the end, but then a funny thing happened to the engine. It started to sputter due to lack of fuel, yet he still managed to speed coming into the pits. I wish my car would run out of gas and still allow me to speed to the gas station. Gordon might have been better off just to let it die out there, as he lost a lap due to the infraction to wind up, ironically enough, 24th.

Matt Kenseth finished 8th, but while getting a push from your friends is alright most of the time when you find yourself sitting in a fancy go-cart, it can’t be done on the last lap. So, take that 8th place finish and shove it to the head of those a lap down, and you wind up in 21st. At least he sits a big point ahead of Gordon in the Chase.

That might not sound like a big deal to you, but Denny Hamlin would swap places with Kenseth in a second. Hamlin sits 16 points behind Mr. Gordon, 41 points off the pace after one event. I had heard that he went into the Chase liking his underdog role. He must love it today, as tire woes left him 31st on Monday, leaving him more like a ran over dog. Rain might have delayed the action a day in Chicago, but Hamlin had his own personal storm on Monday to put a beat down on his championship hopes.

Dale Earnhardt Jr wound up third, with Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, and Jimmie Johnson all with Top Tens. They sit between ten and 16 points back as they motor on to New Hampshire. Newman won there this summer to become one of four Chase drivers who have won three times at the track, with eight of those drivers having won at least once there. In fact, only Edwards, Earnhardt, Kenseth, and Keselowski have not. Now might be a good time to change that. Enjoy the week!

‘Smokes’ Chase Mind Games

By

SM Staff

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September 20, 2011

Earlier in the week, the man known to many as Smoke upset a lot of people. His fans and many of his competitors took offense to some of his comments regarding the chase chances of the golden 12. Smoke listed himself as one of the 4 chase contenders who would not compete for the championship in the final 10 races. But at the end of a rain postponed race in Chicago, Smoke looked like a master of mind games standing in victory lane and holding the trophy high.

[media-credit name=”Bill Gutweiler” align=”alignright” width=”246″][/media-credit]Earlier this week, Tony Stewart created quite the stir when he was asked who his favorites for the chase were. Stewart in his typical straight forward to the point style said that the 14, 88, 2, 11 and the 17 would not contend for the championship even though they were in the chase. Interestingly enough for those that don’t know, Tony Stewart’s car number is 14.

For those that have followed Tony Stewart’s career, it was not a big surprise to hear that come out of his mouth. What was a surprise was that people believed he actually felt that way. Smoke has been a racer his whole life. Every racer knows that on any given day anything can happen. No racer, let alone a multiple series, multiple type of car, and multiple year champion, ever believes that they can’t contend for and win the championship.

It is an ego of sorts, a self confidence factor that exists in everyone who races for any length of time. It is the way that drivers deal with the stress, the pressure, the knowledge that wrecks hurt. They always believe they can win. Without that confidence they are mid pack and also rans. It simply is not possible to be a champion or a racer if you don’t believe you can win against the odds.

Tony Stewart knows this. He knew it when he made the statement. But it’s chase time. And the mind games began weeks ago, from every competitor and every team. Tony Stewart is a master of mind games. His game has changed over the years. It went from physical aggression as a form of intimidation to leaning on that reputation to now he plants the seed of doubt in your mind. Does he really think that? Surely he doesn’t really believe he is not going to be a factor.

Of course he didn’t believe that. But he made everyone else believe it. He got in your head. He put that seed of doubt there. If he believes it I don’t have to worry about him. Normally you would be right. But this is Smoke. This is balls to the wall, hard core take you to task Tony Stewart. And on Monday, he showed you what he could do while you were discussing what he said. He won the opening race of the chase.

After the points reset, which was the equivalent of staying on the track when the rest of the field pitted and getting a caution 2 laps after the restart; he gained track position or in this case points position. He climbed from 10^th to 3^rd. He is only 7 points out of the lead. And he has momentum. How’s that for mind games?

Tony says he is thrilled to have won the race but he is still not convinced that it’s solid footing. “I’m not sure one weekend can do that,” Stewart said. “But I feel better about it, obviously. We’ve had three good weekends in a row. [Monday] doesn’t change my mind — but the last three weeks definitely make me feel better about it.”

“We’ve still got nine hard weeks to go. And we have some tracks ahead that have been a struggle for us this year. So we’ve got a long way to go, but this gets us off to the right start.”

Smoke wasn’t the only one playing mind games the last few weeks. There was a little bit of that going on from the Hendrick Motorsports 88 team of Dale Earnhardt Jr. as well. For the last several weeks Dale Jr has been saying “we are playing it very conservative.” His crew chief, Steve Letarte, said we are points racing but once we get in the chase solid you will see a much more aggressive 88 team.

After the last several years of struggling, many fans, media and competitors alike said Sure we will. Many were betting he wouldn’t make the chase at the last minute.

But in Richmond, after a lap 8 wreck, Dale Earnhardt Jr. reminded people he was there and that he was a force to be contended with. Earnhardt took a car whose hood was taped down and whose radiator had one holding bracket intact and finished 16^th on the lead lap. Not an easy task when you realize that he had been one lap down 4 times and managed to maintain the position for the Lucky Dog Pass all four times.

Earnhardt only had to finish 20^th or better to secure a place in the chase. It didn’t matter what anyone else did or where they finished. He had to be 20^th or better. He did what he had to do. And he did it with some fire we hadn’t seen from him in quite a while. He retaliated a couple times for some slights on the track that he didn’t appreciate. One radio conversation between another driver and crew chief was “Was that Dale Jr? He actually spun me out?”

Chicago brought to fruit the promise made by driver 88 and his crew chief. Their qualifying effort, though poor by most standards was good for them. Their race had them struggling at times with a car that was too tight but pit stops that were some of the best of the field. He ran in the middle of the pack staying on the lead lap and adjusting the car all day until the final run. Whatever the change was that was made on that final stop brought the car to life.

Dale Jr drove from 17^th to 6^th on the final run. Although three competitors in front of him would run out of fuel and boost his finish to a 3^rd place finish, Earnhardt Jr proved he was a serious contender.

While many competitors dropped to the apron out of fuel the 88 was still under power when it crossed the finish line. “We were never worried about our fuel mileage. Steve said we’re about three tenths of a lap short before we ever took the green flag for that last run. We were going a little faster. We were worrying maybe this was probably the worst fuel mileage we was going to have all day long. So we started backing off and saving gas with about 20 to go. And so it’s just enough. It started running out at four but ran to the finish line but it wouldn’t have made it another lap.” Earnhardt Jr. said.

The 3^rd place finish was his best since his 2^nd place finish at Kansas earlier in the year and it vaulted him to 5^th in the points just 14 points out of first.

The biggest disappointments in Monday’s race were surprising. Jeff Gordon went a lap down midway in the race with a bad right front tire that was worn down to the cords on the inside causing him to have to stop for tires. Gordon could never quite make it back to the lucky dog position and then ran out of gas on the final lap to go a second lap down. The misfortune hit the 24 team hard dropping them to 11^th in the points 25 points out.

The driver of the 24 had all the momentum on his side coming in to Chicago. He was in the best form that the sport had seen him in since his last championship year in 2001. “We were just off,” Gordon said. “We didn’t qualify good (23rd). That got us behind right there. It was just one of those days. We had a right front (tire) tear apart. We actually got the car halfway decent there at the end. Then it came down to saving fuel, and we obviously didn’t save enough fuel.”

The other surprise was Denny Hamlin in the Joe Gibbs Racing Fed Ex Toyota. Hamlin seemed to be looking at huge mountain from the beginning of the weekend. He qualified deep in the field in 27^th spot. He was up to 20^th and making his way forward when on lap 78 he radioed Mike Ford that he had a vibration and he needed pit. The unscheduled stop for 4 tires put Hamlin a lap down and he could never make his way into the lucky dog position.

Late race contact with Greg Biffle would cut down a left front tire which would come apart doing damage to the left front fender. At that point Hamlin’s day was over. He finished 31^st 4 laps down to the field.

But the biggest damage wasn’t the finish or the car, Hamlin would come out of Chicago in 12^th spot almost a full race in points behind leader Kevin Harvick. Denny Hamlin did not address the media following the race. But crew chief Mike Ford said, “In a word, it was a [crappy] day, everybody didn’t execute. End of story. “We basically cut our tire down and tore the car up a little bit,” Ford said. “It was junk from that point.”

Where the mind games left off pre chase. The performances of Chicago will now take over. Drivers ruled out by themselves, fans or media have new life from good finishes. It will give them confidence and momentum as we move on to New Hampshire and the magic mile.

The top 12 drivers in our sport will begin the process all over again. The pressure and the stress will continue to mount every week. They will confidently walk to their car and make great effort to not show the butterflies that they feel. But whether first or last, the one thing they all have in common, whether they be a five time champion or first time Chaser is they all believe without a shadow of a doubt that they can win. No matter what they say to the media.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * * * * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Congratulations to Austin Dillion and his RCR Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet team on their victory on Friday in Chicago. The youth movement is alive and well in the Camping World Truck Series.

Congratulations to Brad Keselowski and his Discount Tire Dodge team on their victory in Saturday’s Chicago victory.

Congratulations to Tony Stewart and his Office Depot Chevrolet team on their victory in the opening race of the Chase.

Kudos to J.J. Yeley on doing the right thing. Even if it was against the rules. Your willingness to help someone else make it back home or in this case the start finish line is refreshing. It reminds me greatly of the motto of one of this countries largest group of heroes, “No man is left behind.”

That said, to all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.