The Numbers — IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol
THE NUMBERS for the IRWIN Tools Night Race Bristol Motor Speedway
0 – fewest cautions for a race at Bristol Motor Speedway (7/11/71) 0 – fewest lead changes for a race (3/25/73)
1 – fewest laps led by race winner (7/26/64 – Fred Lorenzen)
4 – number of jet dryers available for track drying during race weekend
7 – number of consecutive wins by Darrell Waltrip at BMS (1981 – 1984)
16 – most wins by a car owner (Junior Johnson) 20 – most cautions for a race at BMS (three times, most recent 8/23/03)
34 – races won from the front row (22 from the pole)
38 – different winners at BMS in 101 Sprint Cup races 40 – most lead changes (4/14/91)
42 – number of cars that started first race at Bristol in 1961 60 – minutes, the minimum amount of time it takes to dry the .533-mile track after a significant rainfall
157,574 – number of fans that established the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest audience wave at BMS (August 23, 2008)
2011 Caution Update
4 – fewest cautions this season (Fontana and Pocono1)
6 – number of races extended beyond scheduled distance in 2011 10 – number of cautions in spring race (March 20) at BMS
16 – most cautions this season (Daytona)
167 – number of cautions in the first 23 races of 2011; includes 77 for accidents, 40 for debris and 24 for spins
774 of 6,251 – number of laps under caution in 2011
1,143.611 of 9,166,258 – miles under caution in the first 23 races
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Michigan
Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.
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[/media-credit]1. Kyle Busch: Busch took the lead at Michigan with 12 laps to go, then fought off Jimmie Johnson during a green-white-checkered finish to win the Pure Michigan 400. It was Busch’s series-best fourth win of the year, and he took sole possession of the points lead, and now leads Johnson by ten.
“I clinched a spot in the Chase For The Cup,” Busch said. “That makes me the first to do so this year. That fact supports my motto to ‘Stay one step ahead of the competition, and an arm’s length away from Kevin Harvick and Richard Childress.
“Many are calling this the ‘new’ Kyle Busch. I’d prefer the previous version not return. Of course, if I start the Chase as the favorite and a points lead and fail to win the Sprint Cup, then I guess the ‘old’ Kyle will have returned.”
2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished second at Michigan, coming up short in a late battle with Kyle Busch for the win. It was Johnson’s third straight top-10 finish, and he moved up to second in the Sprint Cup point standings, ten behind Busch.
“Everyone is calling Busch the favorite to win the Sprint Cup championship,” Johnson said. “But I think it’s wide open. There are eight to ten drivers who could win the Cup. But only one who will.
“It remains to be seen whether Kyle can hang with the five-time champ in the Chase. There’s a not-so-fine line between being ‘No. 1’ and ‘no one.’ The way I see it, until you’re the former, you’re the latter.”
3. Carl Edwards: Edwards tumbled from the Sprint Cup points lead after early electrical problems sent the No. 99 Aflac Ford to the garage. After losing 28 laps for repairs, Edwards eventually finished 36th, and fell to fourth in the standings, 39 behind Kyle Busch.
“What can electrical problems do to a points lead?” Edwards asks. “Make it not current. Carl Edwards not in the points lead? That’s a shocker. Luckily, my tumble down the points standings is made more tolerable by knowing I just signed a fat, new contract. Surprisingly, cold, hard cash makes for a soft landing.
“You may have heard my animated character appeared on the Disney cartoon ‘Kick Buttowski.’ Jack Roush’s character appeared as well, representing a car owner who goes to extreme lengths to keep his driver happy. He’s called ‘Kiss Buttowski.’”
4. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth led the way for Roush Fenway Racing at Michigan, finishing tenth as David Ragan took 12th and Greg Biffle finished 20th. Carl Edwards was slowed by electrical problems and finished 38th, falling out of the points lead.
“It was an up-and-down day for RFR,” Kenseth said. “I finished tenth, but Biffle finished a middle-of-the-pack 20th despite leading 86 of 203 laps, while Edwards suffered major electrical issues in finishing 36th. Is Boris Said still looking for Biffle’s address? Here’s a clue: the street name is not Victory Lane. As for Edwards, he’s gone downhill since signing his contract extension. He’s down to No. 4 in the points standings after leading the way for most of the year. I guess we should start calling him ‘Fourth Cousin Carl.’
“Did you notice my No. 17 with the Kroger paint scheme? That may have been the first time anything associated with Matt Kenseth has been described as colorful. It sure would have been funny had Clint Bowyer’s No. 33 car, sponsored by Cheerios and Hamburger Helper, would have ‘got into’ my Kroger car.”
5. Jeff Gordon: Gordon led 50 laps at Michigan, second to Greg Biffle’s 86, and finished sixth, his 11th top-10 result of the year. He moved up one spot to sixth in the point standings and trails Kyle Busch by 60.
“The car was at its best while leading,” Gordon said. “By the way, in addition to my Sprint Cup titles, I’m a four-time champ at stating the obvious.”
6. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished a mediocre 22nd in the Pure Michigan 400, his fifth result outside the top 10 in the last six races. He is third in the Sprint Cup point standings, 39 behind rival Kyle Busch.
“The No. 29 Budweiser car has not been impressive lately,” Harvick said. “I’ve told my crew in so many words that ‘This Bud’s Forgettable.’
“What this team needs in a complete turnaround. One provided by me, while in the car, and not one issued by Kyle Busch, while I’m not in the car.”
7. Kurt Busch: Busch finished 34th at Michigan, suffering a tire pressure problem that sent him into the wall on lap 197. Busch’s two worst finishes have come in the last two weeks, and he dropped two places to eighth in the point standings.
“That’s two DNF’s this year,” Busch said. “Three if you count my feud with Jimmie Johnson.
“Now, my brother Kyle’s ascension to the points lead will make for an interesting Busch family dynamic in the Chase. There will be Kyle, everyone’s favorite, and me, no one’s favorite.”
8. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski remained NASCAR’s hottest driver, finishing third at Michigan to validate August 7th’s win at Pocono and last week’s runner-up finish at Watkins Glen. He improved two spots to 12th in the Sprint Cup point standings, and solidified his wildcard standing for the Chase.
“It looks like I’ll be joining Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin,” Keselowski said, “when we all three limp into the Chase.”
9. Ryan Newman: Newman posted his eighth top-8 finish of the year, coming home fifth in the Pure Michigan. Newman jumped one place in the point standings to seventh, 74 out of first.
“I hear Steven Wallace raised the ire of Patrick Carpentier’s team at Montreal on Saturday,” Newman said. “So much that Carpentier’s crew chief Jerry Baxter reached inside Wallace’s car and grabbed a handful of hair to voice his displeasure. I can certainly relate to the reaction of Baxter. I’ve pulled hair out on account of a Wallace before. That would be Rusty Wallace, and that would be my own hair.”
10. Tony Stewart: Stewart finished ninth in the Pure Michigan 400, a solid finish, yet one he was not pleased with. Although he sits 10th in the point standings, Stewart said he be ‘wasting one of those top-12 spots” the way he’s running right now.
“Just to clarify,” Stewart commented, “I said ‘What a waste,’ not ‘What a waist.’
“I once had a pet monkey named ‘Mojo. He’s missing, but I’ve replaced him with one I like to call ‘Chase Bubbles.”
NASCAR Sprint Cup Point Standings Analytics – After Race 23
The announcement of a change to the distribution of points across NASCAR national series sparked debate among even the most conservative NASCAR fans. One of the explanations behind the change was to develop a more dramatic points battle to increase fan interest.
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[/media-credit]A debate arose over the fact that a quick calculation would show that very little, if anything, would change in the final championship standings. In fact, even among the more common point distributions across all major racing series, by the end of the season there did not appear to be much of a difference in the order of the final standings.
Here, I shall contend that debate with weekly comparisons across the three most commonly mentioned distributions, plus my own personal points schedule designed to reward both race winners and consistent high finishes.
Classic Points System – Standings After Race 23
In each of the various points distributions Kyle Busch enjoys a commanding lead over the rest of the Sprint Cup field. As has been shown throughout the season, the majority of the standings remains virtually unchanged between the old and new system.
Notable changes in position compared to current system: None
Changes to Chase Field: NONE
F1 System – Standings After Race 23
It is in the F1 points distribution in which Busch’s four victories this season truly pays off. He would possess an over two race advantage over second place runner Carl Edwards, and nearly a five race advantage over fifth place Jeff Gordon. Brad Keselowski enjoys a nice jump up into the top ten, while Dale Earnhardt, Jr and Tony Stewart slide back to 13th and 14th respectively.
With Keselowski and Hamlin residing in the top ten, big changes occur in the Chase field.
Notable changes in position compared to current system: Regan Smith (+5), Brad Keselowski (+4), Denny Hamlin (+4), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (-4), Tony Stewart (-4), Greg Biffle (-9), A.J. Allmendinger (-10)
Changes to Chase Field: Marcos Ambrose (IN), David Ragan (IN), Tony Stewart (OUT), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (OUT)
IndyCar System – Standings After Race 23
Similar to the F1 distribution, Kyle Busch sits atop the standings by a difference of nearly two full races. Again, the Chase standings are shaken up, but this time the difference is much smaller with David Ragan and Marcos Ambrose tied in points, while Paul Menard is a mere two points behind them.
Notable changes in position compared to current system: Denny Hamlin (+4), Brad Keselowski (+3), Kevin Harvick (-3), Jeff Burton (-5), A.J. Allmendinger (-7)
Changes to Chase Field: Marcos Ambrose (IN), David Ragan (IN), Tony Stewart (OUT), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (OUT)
Phat’s System – Standings After Race 23
For an explanation of the points distribution, please see consult table below standings. This distribution is designed to reward race winners, while also rewarding those who run well every week.
In the last distribution, Busch maintains another two plus race advantage over Carl Edwards. In another change to the Chase field, Paul Menard finds himself as the second wild card, only 18 points ahead of David Ragan and 26 ahead of Marcos Ambrose.
Notable changes in position compared to current system: Marcos Ambrose (+5), David Ragan (+4), Kasey Kahne (+3), Kevin Harvick (-3), A.J. Allmendinger (-5)
Changes to Chase Field: Paul Menard (IN), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (OUT)
NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: A TAIL GATE PARTY IN THUNDER VALLEY – NCWTS EDITION
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be taking its high energy tail gate party to Tennessee’s Thunder Valley for a special Wednesday night event at the always exciting, but treacherous, Bristol Motor Speedway. NASCAR’s national truck series was simply born to excite fans on a short track. Wednesday night’s race is expected to present just about any racing scenario you can name before the checkers falls on the O’Reilly 200. After all, it’s Bristol baby !
THE STORY BREAKDOWN
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[/media-credit]The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be bringing a skin tight points battle to Bristol Wednesday night. At this point in time there is only a 12 point separation between the top four drivers. Thorsport Racing’s Johnny Sauter sits on top of the standings at 519 points but it’s only a five point cushion over Turner Motorsports’ driver James Buescher. Third in the standings, and only eight points back, is Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon while Red Horse Racing driver Timothy Peters is 12 points from the top in fourth. Any combination of Bristol motorized mayhem could easily alter the course of this championship profile.
But the tightest points battle of all, in NASCAR’s truck series, is the owner’s points battle. Kyle Busch Motorsports and Kevin Harvick Inc are tied at 583 points each. It appears that this may be their latest run off between two Sprint Cup drivers,and truck series owners, who have a long history of running against each other. The tie in the owner’s standings is largely based on the red hot Kevin Harvick who has won the last two Camping World Truck Series races in a row. Harvick will be returning to his #2 Hunt Brothers Pizza/KHI Chevrolet for Wednesday’s race at Bristol. He will be part of a three truck team that also includes KHI team mates Ron Hornaday Jr and Nelson Piquet Jr.
Kyle Busch Motorsports will be strongly represented as well with Busch himself returning to his #18 Dollar General/Combos/KBM Toyota. Busch is defending race champion from 2010. He will be joined by KBM development driver Josh Richards who will be behind the wheel of the #51 Joy Mining Machinery Toyota.
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On a very sad note you will be hearing about NASCAR Camping World Series driver Shane Sieg who, last Monday, was placed on indefinite suspension by NASCAR officials for violating the sanctioning body’s substance abuse policy. Known for having the most rigid substance abuse policy in all of professional sports, NASCAR has made it clear they have a zero tolerance policy for violators. It’s bad enough when a mechanic from a race team fails a random drug test, But when a driver fails a test it’s really serious not to mention extremely dangerous. NASCAR should be applauded for taking this strong stand. But there is a benevolent clause in the policy, known as “The Road To Recovery.” If this young driver can successfully complete an approved rehabilitation program he will be eligible for consideration for reinstatement. Here’s hoping Sieg does the right thing and takes advantage of that opportunity.
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On a much happier note congratulations and God bless goes to series regular Miguel Paludo and his wife Patricia who, on Monday, welcomed the arrival of their son. Oliver Paludo arrived weighing in at eight pounds three ounces. Mom and the baby are reported to be doing just fine.
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Fans of driver Jason White will notice a striking difference in the appearance of his #23 Gunbrokers.Com/Joe Denette Motorsports Chevrolet Truck. It will be sporting a striking new paint job created by Sam Bass, the official artist of NASCAR.
Jason White was rather busy on Tuesday where he spent the day in Bristol, Virginia participating in a special photo shoot with famed hair stylist Sherri Jesse. The photos will be featured in an upcoming addition of “Style Source” Magazine.
White will also have a special guest team mate to work with during Wednesday night’s Bristol race. NASCAR Nationwide Series regular Elliot Sadler will be behind the wheel of the #24 Joe Denette Motorsports Chevrolet with sponsorship provided by AM FM Energy along with Pellet and Wood Stoves.
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THE RACE BREAKDOWN
Wednesday night’s O’Reilly 200 is 200 laps/106.6 miles around the Bristol Motor Speedway’s tightly wound .533 mile concrete covered oval.
The race has 39 entries vying for the 36 starting berths. Yes, you read that right: 36 full sized racing trucks on a half mile oval. 14 of those entries are on the go or go home list meaning they will have to earn a starting berth based on qualifying speed because they are currently outside of the series’ top 25 in owner’s points.
Don’t be misled by the fact this race is 200 laps long. The laps fly by very quickly and, for the drivers and crew chiefs, it will be “GO” time the moment the initial green flag is dropped.
All aspects of the O’Reilly 200 will be carried live by the SPEED Channel beginning with qualifying scheduled for 5 pm eastern time. The pre-race set up show will begin at 730 pm eastern.
Some comments deserve to be repeated – Michigan and Montreal
During the NASCAR weekend, at both Michigan and Montreal,we observed a bizarre bad hair moment as well as the driver frustrations of trying to make the Sprint Cup Chase For The Championship line up.From that came several comments that deserved to be repeated. Here are just a few of them.
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[/media-credit]In the moments that followed the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Montreal, Jerry Baxter was a very angry man. Baxter is the crew chief for Pastrana-Waltrip Racing’s Nationwide Series team. He was manning the pit box at Montreal for driver Patrick Carpentier. Baxter really wanted to help deliver a win, or at least a rock solid finish, for his driver because it was Carpentier’s final race before he officially retired from driving after spending 27 years in the sport.Sadly that didn’t happen. Carpentier found himself in an altercation with Nationwide Series regular Steve Wallace. The fact that Carpentier had to settle for a disappointing 32nd finish while Wallace survived the incident and moved on to finish fourth did not escape the notice of Baxter.
After the race Wallace was sitting in his car on pit road with the window net down and his helmet off. The ESPN Television cameras made quick work of presenting an angry Baxter charging towards the Wallace car. We all expected to see a right hook punch being thrown at the driver. Instead Baxter decided to pull Wallace’s hair. Once we all got over the surprise of this move it was actually pretty funny.
In the aftermath of this incident, Steve Wallace reminded us that “only girls pull hair.” Later, from his “Twitter” account, Wallace wrote: “my hair feels okay, a lil’ sore, ha ha.”
On the Tuesday following the race, Baxter issued a formal apology, issued by Pastrana-Waltrip Racing, that said: “I’m sorry for what happened after the race on Saturday, and I take full responsibility for my own actions. I called Steve and apologized. I was frustrated and let my emotions get to me.” Wallace responded with another “Tweet” that read: “just talked to Jerry Baxter, he’s going to give me my hair back, ha ha.”
Also weighing in on this issue was NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Kenny Wallace, the uncle of Steve Wallace, via his “Twitter” account. In his first message Kenny Wallace praised Baxter for his apology. Apparently someone sent Wallace a “Tweet” asking him what his brother Rusty Wallace, Steve’s dad and team owner, thought about this incident. Kenny Wallace responded with: “Rusty and Steve have THICK skin. Steve finished fourth. That’s what Rusty thinks”
This is not the first time Steve Wallace has found himself in the eye of a racing storm. He seems to thrive on it somehow and proved the point via another “Tweet” where he wrote: “cars run on fuel, I run on controversy and 5 Hour Energy, (his team sponsor), baby !”
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There are only three races left on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule before the official line up for the 2011 Sprint Cup Chase For The Championship. There are a handful of Cup drivers who are seriously feeling the stress of making that all important Chase line up with time running out. One of them is Tony Stewart, the owner-driver of Stewart-Haas Racing. Amazingly, Stewart is still seeking his first win of the 2011 season. Several weeks ago he was in the top five in the points standings and looking good to earn a Chase berth. Now he’s currently tenth in the points standings and worried about staying there so he can participate in the championship run. He has repeatedly blamed this nail biting situation on inconsistent team performances.
Despite a solid ninth place finish at the Michigan race, Stewart simply wasn’t happy and, in an eyebrow raising comment, said: “I will be perfectly honest, at this point of the deal, if we’re going to run this bad, it really doesn’t matter if we make the Chase or not. Our stuff is so bad right now, we’re wasting one of those 12 (Chase) spots right now.”
Some observers referred to this comment as a “meltdown.” Actually it’s not, Stewart was remarkably calm when he made that statement. Those of us who recall his early days in NASCAR, when he was driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, remember times when he was often referred to as “Tony The Terrible.” Now some of those moments were meltdowns.
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Also feeling the strain of making the Chase line up is driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. During the first quarter of the season NASCAR’s most popular driver was as high as third in the points standings and his massive fan club, known as “the Junior Nation”, was elated. Then a free fall began and Earnhardt now finds himself ninth in the standings and only six points ahead of Stewart. He was working on a needed top ten finish during the Michigan race. A late race caution set up the race’s green-white-checker finish. Prior to the restart Earnhardt was summoned to pit road by crew chief Steve Letarte for two tires and a splash of gas. It was a gamble that sadly didn’t work. The potential top ten turned into a 14th place finish.
After the race, Earnhardt diplomatically said “we probably shouldn’t have made that last pit stop.” Earnhardt said he was pretty much mired down in the field for the final restart adding “we took two tires like a lot of guys and just didn’t have the good fortune at the end of that green-white-checker. We were on the bottom behind the #00, (David Reutimann), and some other people that were slow as hell and just couldn’t go nowhere.”
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If Stewart and Earnhardt are feeling some major stress, then one has to think that Denny Hamlin may be getting a little frantic regarding his Chase aspirations. Hamlin was a heavy pre race favorite to win the Michigan race. He already has one win this year and a second win would have propelled him from 11th in the standings into the top ten. At the very least a win would have virtually locked down a wild card berth in the final Chase line up. Unfortunately disaster stuck for Hamlin when he smacked the wall during the Michigan race and he wound up with a devastating 35th place finish that dropped him from 11th to 14th in the points.
In the late 1960’s the Beatles came up with a great song that said:”I’ll get by with a little help from my friends.” After the Michigan race Hamlin received some very encouraging words from a very good friend: NBA basketball legend Michael Jordon. It seems that Hamlin and Jordon are not only very close friends they are also involved in some business investments with each other. Jordon sent his friend a text message that Hamlin shared with his fans on his “Twitter” page. That message read;”Tough day my friend. Still in this thing. Stay positive.”
That’s good advice for us all and it’s a comment that deserves to be repeated.
