Surprising and Not Surprising: Charlotte Coca Cola 600
After exceptionally exciting finishes in the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 earlier in the day, all signs pointed to a stellar finish in one of NASCAR’s biggest races of the season. Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
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[/media-credit]Surprising: With several of the sport’s biggest races won by first-timers this season, including Trevor Bayne’s story book win at the Daytona 500 and Regan Smith’s unpredicted win at Darlington, it was a bit surprising that no first time winner stood in Victory Lane after the Coke 600.
One driver, however, came mighty close. David Ragan, who had snagged the Showdown win to make it into the All-Star Race the weekend before, almost pulled off his own Cinderella-like story, falling short of the win by just one position.
Ragan, in his No. 6 UPS “We Love Logistics” Ford, finished second, scoring his highest career finish in the Coca Cola 600.
“We had a strong car all day,” Ragan said. “That’s a finish that we deserved, but we just went about doing it the hard way.”
Not Surprising: After all those laps and all those miles, it was not surprising to see the Coca Cola 600 come down to a green, white checkered finish. And it was equally unsurprising to see one driver that is becoming well-known for his stealth finishes to come from nowhere and snag another victory.
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Budweiser Armed Forces Tribute Chevrolet, did just that to lead the last 400 feet of the race and take the checkered flag for his fifth top 10 and second top five in 21 starts at Charlotte.
“We were lucky,” Harvick said. “It’s nothing against the race track, I just don’t like racing here. But to be in Victory Lane, it says a lot about this Budweiser team.”
“This is a huge accomplishment for us,” Harvick continued, admitting that he had struggled with his car and team throughout the race. “This is a hell of a race to win. We’re going to celebrate it like it’s our last one.”
Surprising: After leading the race on the final lap, seeing the checkered flag, and then running out of gas, it was surprising how positive Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was after the race. Junior limped to the finish line on fumes to finish seventh in his No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet.
Echoing his ever upbeat crew chief Steve Letarte, Earnhardt, Jr. said, “I’m disappointed we didn’t win, but if we would’ve won, it would have been a gift.”
“We ran good tonight,” Junior continued. “I’m proud.”
Not Surprising: In contrast to the positive, proud vibes in the Dale Jr. camp, it was not surprising that there was a whole lot of swearing going on in his teammate Jimmie Johnson’s camp. In fact, crew chief Chad Knaus dropped the F-bomb on national television when Johnson’s engine expired with just five laps to go in the race.
This was the first engine failure for Hendrick Motorsports this season and it forced Johnson to a 28th place finish in his No. 48 Lowes Summer Salutes Chevrolet. Johnson also fell one spot, from second to third, in the point standings.
Surprising: Although the Coca Cola 600 is the longest race of the season, it was surprising to see the number of engine failures that occurred. In addition to Jimmie Johnson, Jamie McMurray, Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart all experienced engine issues.
For Jamie McMurray, behind the wheel of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shop/Convoy of Hope for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, this engine failure signified the sixth of the season for the ECR engine builders.
“It started shaking and one second later, it was ‘boom,’” McMurray said.
Hamlin, on the other hand, was able to recover after his engine issues, with his No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota team doing a yeoman’s job of changing out the carburetor. Hamlin managed a top ten finish, which boosted him into the top twelve Chase contenders.
Stewart also suffered engine woes in the waning laps of the race, radioing crew chief Darian Grubb that something was amiss with less than 20 laps to go. Stewart, in his No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, finished 17th, scoring his 10th top-20 finish to date.
Not Surprising: In addition to engine woes, it was not surprising that many other teams were plagued with other types of mechanical problems, from overheating to radio problems.
Greg Biffle, behind the wheel of the No. 16 3M Ford, seemed ready to implode from overheating issues in his car early in the race. Biffle was, however, able to overcome, rallying back to lead laps at the end. Unfortunately, he too succumbed to not having enough gas, having to make a splash and go stop at the end, which relegated him to a 13th place finish.
Jeff Gordon, piloting the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, also struggled and battled radio issues early in the race. Gordon too looked strong at the end of the show, only to have to pit for gas as well. Gordon finished 20th, falling two positions to 16th in the point standings.
Surprising: Serving as a substitute driver for Trevor Bayne and making his Cup debut, it was surprising how well Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. did in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford. Stenhouse, Jr. managed to bring his car home in the 11th position even after having several close encounters with the wall.
“That was interesting,” Stenhouse, Jr. said. “I hit the wall a couple of times, the caution came back out and it worked great for us.”
“I’m just glad I got this opportunity.”
Not Surprising: It was not surprising that after Stenhouse, Jr. and Bayne prayed together before the race, Bayne playfully pushed his friend out of the way and tried to get behind the wheel of his race car. After five weeks of being out of his car due to a mystery illness, Bayne was most certainly chomping at the bit to get back to racing.
Bayne reinforced that desire by tweeting after the race, “This was by far the hardest weekend to sit back and watch! Can’t wait to be back in action!!”
Surprising: In the battle of the Busch brothers, it was surprising that this weekend Kurt Busch prevailed, finishing fourth in his Shell/Pennzoil No. 22 Dodge, while baby brother Kyle took a wild ride through the grass and then another spin, finishing 32nd in his No. 18 M&Ms Toyota.
“The race was 600 miles and it felt like 800,” Dave Rogers, Busch’s crew chief, said. “Kyle was trying to make something out of nothing and it got away from him. We ended our day a little early.”
Not Surprising: Not surprisingly, one driver who never expected to even make the show captured the true spirit of the Memorial Day race weekend. David Starr, behind the wheel of the No. 95 Jordan Truck Sales.com Ford Fusion crashed early in the race, finishing 36th. Yet this is what he had to say.
“This was a great weekend,” Starr said. “I’m just honored and blessed to be driving this Ford Fusion.”
“It was awesome out there,” Starr continued. “It was a big honor to race in the Coca Cola 600 even though it ended up like this. I’m really blessed.”
While Junior’s finish at Charlotte was disappointing, it was no Indianapolis heartbreak
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[/media-credit]Dale Earnhardt Jr. came within one straightaway of rediscovering Victory Lane for the first time since he used pit strategy to win one at Michigan in June, 2008. Was it disappointing? Damn right. Was it a shock? Not exactly, as my wife’s chant of “have enough gas” on that final lap reminded me. Junior’s car sputtered then shut off as he fell from first to seventh within sight of the checkered flag in the World 600, allowing Kevin Harvick to claim his 17th career win, and third of the season.
Even Harvick had to know he had a shot, despite the lead Junior had built up. He, Junior, my wife, you and I all knew it. It was a case of too bad, too sad, and off to Kansas we go. That was not the case in the Indianapolis 500 where 23-year old rookie J.R. Hildebrand was all by his lonesome, with a four second lead over Dan Wheldon, when he passed a lapped car on the final corner. As we had seen more than once that day, a pass there could send one up in the marbles and into the wall. He wasn’t the first to do so, just the last, within sight of the checkered flag. Wheldon wins his second jug of milk, beating the team that let him go after last season, beating the guy who had replaced him, leaving Panther Racing with its fourth straight bridesmaid finish.
Junior’s fans might be disappointed, but while he was in a Top Five car this was a win he was trying to steal. At most, he lost a couple of points in making the gamble. Hildebrand made a million dollar mistake, or more, and while he still finished second, his car was also finished in the end. Still, we all make mistakes. Carl Edwards made one spinning through the grass after his all-star win the previous weekend in Charlotte. Mind you, his mistake in wrecking that car came immediately after winning his boss a million dollar pay day. A guy can be forgiven for that. Wrecking in the final turn all by yourself just prior to laying claim to the Indianapolis 500 is another thing, though being a young rookie who came so very close to victory should buy him some forgiveness, too.
Two last lap leaders in two of motor sports biggest races on this continent who both fell short. One will be talked about for weeks, then forgotten. One will be talked about for years, and should ABC’s Wide World of Sports ever make a return to the airwaves, we got ourselves a new video to showcase the agony of defeat.
Now, for NASCAR types, Kansas is calling. Earnhardt has never won there, but Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Greg Biffle all have…twice. The Biff, who had himself quite the irritating day at Charlotte before escaping with a 13th place finish, won in Kansas last fall as this event moves way up in the schedule to this spring.
Sunday also marks the end of NASCAR on FOX for the season. TNT’s coverage begins at Pocono, to be followed by ESPN/ABC starting with Indianapolis. I wish I could tell you about the exciting changes in their broadcast team lineup for this season. I really wish there were some to talk about. Well, at least we still have Kansas. Enjoy your week!
David Ragan’s Turnaround Continues with Runner-up Effort in Charlotte
Last year Jack Roush stated he believed in Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and that was going to stick with him. It paid off as the results have started to show and have continued early into the 2011 Nationwide Series. Now another Roush driver, David Ragan, is experiencing that same fortune in the Sprint Cup Series.
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[/media-credit]The Georgia driver, who has struggled to be a contender since his rookie season where he finished 13th in points, won’t be cut loose anytime soon. Roush likes what he sees and believes Ragan can and will become a winner. After 12 races in 2011, it appears Ragan’s heading in the right direction with his No. 6 UPS team after another solid performance on Sunday night in Charlotte.
After 600 long miles, which would end up coming down to fuel strategy, Ragan came home with a runner-up finish, which he knows he was lucky to have received. Believing he had a top-four car and escaping the melee on the backstretch with two laps to go, Ragan was one of the few drivers who didn’t want to see the caution flag come out.
“When you’ve got four fresh tires and you’re full of fuel, you can be aggressive on those restarts and just very lucky to get through Turn 1 without getting wrecked,” said Ragan. “I don’t know which one of the Red Bull cars was on the outside, but he ran out [of fuel] getting into [turn] 1, it was just barely enough room.”
The right front fender on the No. 6 ended up bent in after final restart when as Ragan said cars started running out of fuel and blocked the track. According to Ragan the fender wouldn’t have made it very far if the race continued any further than it did. Instead, being in the right place at the right time resulted in not only his best finish of the season but the best of his career.
“We had a strong car all day,” Ragan said. “Got the finish that we deserved, but we just went about doing it the hard way.”
Ragan did indeed have a strong car. Along with his Roush-Fenway Racing teammates he spent much of the night up in the front and led seven laps. His Ford Fusion stayed out of trouble and was around near the end of the race and nearly won at Charlotte in a race that would have counted. Last Saturday night, Ragan blistered the track in Sprint Showdown qualifying to win the pole then backed it up by winning the race.
The win put the team into the Sprint All-Star race where he finished eighth. While the events didn’t count for points it counted in the performance column. There’s no denying that Ragan has come a long way and his turnaround has caught earned attention, so much so that many in the sport believe he could be NASCAR’s next new winner.
“I feel great about the rest of the season,” Ragan said Sunday night. “We’ve just been inconsistent. We’ve had some fast cars. We’ve run well. Certainly this race is a great race. It’s a great momentum builder, but if we go to Kansas and blow up and finish last and then we go to the next race and wreck and finish 30th, we’re going to be back where we’re at.”
Ragan’s inconsistencies landed him 21st entering the Coca-Cola 600. Yet, he could have started the year in victory lane in another big race, the Daytona 500. Had it not been for a changing lanes violation on the final restart, there’s only speculation of what could have been.
Since then he’s done his best to show his strong practice sessions and qualifying efforts are no fluke. He now has four top finishes and has moved to 18th in points, just 40 markers out of the top-10. He has one pole under his belt and respectable finishes at some of the toughest tracks on the circuit. He knows that it’s just a start.
“We’ve got to put some finishes together,” said Ragan. “We’ve got to string some top 5s and top 10s week after week after week, and that’s what’s going to turn our season around. This was a great race, very proud of our team, and hopefully we moved up a few spots in points and gained some momentum.
But we’ve got to let it do its thing from here on out. We just can’t look back at this one and hope this is going to carry us. We’ve got to go get it done next week and the following.”
NASCAR’s David Ragan and IZOD IndyCar series JR Hildebrand Have One Thing In Common
When ABC television’s Wide World of Sports first coined the phrase, “The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,” some 40 years ago. You could almost hear the voice of the late Jim McKay, bellowing out that saying when two of motorsports biggest races of the year were lost because of driver error.
Think back to the last time in the history of motorsports when two young winless drivers in the same year have come so close to victory in the season’s biggest spectacles, but yet were unable to close the deal while millions of fans watched in amazement.
On one side of the spectrum you have a driver who is in his seventh season racing in NASCAR’s premiere series who has never won a Sprint Cup race, and on the other side a rookie driver who was making only his eighth start in the IZOD IndyCar Series, his fifth this season.
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[/media-credit]Roush-Fenway driver David Ragan, could feel the electricity running through his body as he waited patiently for the green flag to drop on the first of what would be two green-white-checkered finishes.
Ragan who led the 52nd running of the Daytona 500 twice for seven laps, would not be around for the last and final green-white-checkered restart. Instead fate would deal him a different hand, and ultimately take away any chances of him winning his first ever Sprint cup race in 147 career starts.
In the blink of an eye Ragan threw away his best opportunity at winning not only NASCAR’s biggest race of the season, but also the chance to become Roush-Fenway Racing’s second driver to ever win the 500 behind Matt Kenseth who went to victory in 2009.
Ragan, who was leading the race at the time took the green flag after a late race caution outside of eventual winner Trevor Bayne, and changed lanes before he reached the start/finish line. Unfortunately for Ragan, he violated section 10-2 of the Sprint Cup Series rule book with the move and was black-flagged.
Ragan would restart the race in the 15th position after serving his pass through penalty, and would eventually finish a disappointing 14th. “It was tough to swallow,” Ragan said after the race.
Ragan also added that, “Who knows what would have happened in that next lap? We had a top-five car and we didn’t finish in the top five, so that’s a bummer. We had a car that could’ve won the Daytona 500. We were sitting in position and just didn’t do it.”
Three months later and the racing gods would strike again, but this time it would involve a driver who was trying to make history as the second rookie to ever win the Indianapolis 500. In 2002 it was Helio Castroneves who became the first Indianapolis 500 rookie driver to win both rookie of the year honors, along with the race.
On the day of the centennial running of the Great American Race, rookie driver JR Hildebrand was only one corner away from matching Castroneves historical feat, and putting his name in the record books next to one of the series greatest drivers ever.
Hildebrand just like Ragan could almost feel the thrill of victory, and in a quick instant the agony of defeat slapped him with a dose of reality. Instead Hildebrand’s second place finish would go down as one of the sport’s most heartbreaking finishes, when he crashed on the last corner while leading the race.
Hildebrand was coming out of turn three and headed into four, when he came behind a slower car and decided to go around it and lost control when hit the marbles and crashed hard into the wall.
In that split second gone was the Borg-Warner trophy along with the customary drink of milk that every driver dreams of when the month of May comes around, and the only thing left were the remnants of what could have been the biggest motorsports story of the year.
“I caught him [Charlie Kimball] at just the wrong time,” said Hildebrand when talking about the crash after the race. Hildebrand also added that, “I went to the high side because I didn’t want to slow down too much, I got up in the marbles and that was it.”
Emotions play a huge role when a victory is on the line, but even more when it includes the biggest and most important race of the season. Along with the victory comes the respect from your fellow competitors, as well as the endorsements and the praise from the fans knowing that on that one special day you had what it took to be victorious.
Unfortunately for Ragan and Hildebrand, that special day turned into a day of disaster and disappointment. Ragan knew it all too well when he said, “I feel like I know the rules and understand ’em as good as anyone, but I just kind of let my emotions take over and I just didn’t make the right moves when it counted.”
40 years later and the phrase will be instilled in the minds of Ragan and Hildebrand, “The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,”
