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Surprising and Not Surprising: Kansas STP 400

By
SM Staff
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With emotional visits and relief efforts to the tornado-ravaged heartland of the country overshadowed by an altercation between team owner Richard Childress and driver Kyle Busch after the Kansas Truck Series race, the Cup drivers took to the unanimously proclaimed ‘hot and slick’ track in Kansas City.

Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Surprising: In spite of all of the reports of Kyle Busch being ‘pummeled’ by Richard Childress after giving RCR’s truck driver Joey Coulter a nudge after the race, Busch arrived at the speedway for the race sans sun glasses and looking surprisingly unscathed.

It was also surprising to see Mike Helton address the media prior to the race, sharing that NASCAR had met with Busch and Childress, as well as Busch’s team owner Joe Gibbs. Helton advised that all were warned to get through the race before any further actions would be taken by the sanctioning body, which is expected on Monday.

“I met with NASCAR,” Busch said. “Whatever they feel best to protect their sport and to protect what we have going on here is to their best discretion. I’m all for whatever they decide to do.”

Not Surprising:  It was not surprising that, in addition to the heat between Busch and Childress, the heat on the track, in the cars and in the grandstands was the other major topic of conversation.

“It’s hot today,” Dale Earnhardt, Jr., driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet said. “Did you notice that?”

“You sit in a sauna for four hours,” Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota, said. “That’s pretty much what you’ve got.”

The only one who found amusement in the heat was iron man driver of the No. 99 Aflac ‘Now Hiring’ Ford, Carl Edwards. During the race the driver quipped that he was a little chilly and would appreciate either some coffee or some hot chocolate.

Surprising:  In spite of the heat for most everyone else other than Edwards, it was surprising how calm, cool and collected Brad Keselowski was behind the wheel of the Miller Lite Blue Deuce. With the threat of running out of fuel, Keselowski reduced his speed, stayed strategically ahead of his competitors, feathered his throttle, kicked in the clutch and coasted through the corners for most of the final laps of the race.

[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”237″][/media-credit]Keselowski, who started 25th, also coasted to the checkered flag, winning his first race of the season and giving his crew chief Paul Wolfe his first ever Cup Series victory. This was Keselowski’s first win since Talladega in April of 2009.

“You can only put yourself in that position so many times before you’re going to catch the right break,” Keselowski said. “We caught a great break today because of all the hard work by the Miller Lite team. We got great gas mileage and that didn’t hurt either.”

“It was because of the struggles and bad finishes that I really appreciate this.”

Not Surprising: Yet again, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was good in a fuel mileage race yet still came up short at the finish line. Junior, who came in second, posted his seventh top-10 finish in 2011 and his fifth top-10 finish in seven races at Kansas Speedway.

“We shouldn’t have run second today but we have fast cars,” Junior said. “I had a good car, you know.”

Surprising:  It was a bit surprising that the Roush Fenway Racing bunch were not quite as stellar as expected, particularly given the driver ratings headed into the race. It was also surprising that Missouri native Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth, with his new sponsor Affliction Clothing on his No. 17 Ford, topped the RFR camp, with fifth and sixth place finishes respectively.

Greg Biffle, behind the wheel of the No. 16 3M Walgreen’s Ford, who was expected to take home a victory, finished tenth instead, and the driver of the No. 6 UPS Ford David Ragan finished 13th. In spite of not bringing home the trophy, all four of the Roush Fenway Racing team members finished in the top 15.

Edwards managed to lead 29 laps of the race and his finish ratcheted his points lead to 40 over second place Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowes/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet, who finished seventh. Kenseth held serve as seventh in points, Biffle lost one position to 12th and Ragan moved up one place to the 17th spot.

“I really wanted to win,” Edwards said, most likely speaking for the entire Roush Fenway Racing crew. “I had a good time though and it is my new favorite race track.”

Not Surprising:  With the season officially at halfway to the Chase, it was not surprising that two drivers, Denny Hamlin and Jeff Gordon, this week behind the wheel of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, were determined to have good days at the track that would move them back into Chase contention.

Hamlin, who came in third, moved up to 11th in points.

“I’m proud of our whole FedEx Freight team,” Hamlin said. “We’re battling back and getting ourselves back into position.”

Jeff Gordon brought his car to the checkered flag in the fourth position, moving him up to 13th in the points as the only driver with a win eligible for the wild card at present.

“Well, it was an awesome run for our Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet,” Gordon said. “We had a great race car all weekend long. All in all, a great top-five.”

Surprising:  It was also a bit surprising that pole sitter Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 22 AAA Dodge for Penske Racing who dominated much of the race, and outside pole sitter Juan Pablo Montoya, behind the wheel of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet, did not have better finishes.

After some fuel mileage struggles, Busch was able to bring his car home in the ninth position. JPM, on the other hand, hit one of the seams in the track and then the wall, relegating him to a 17th place finish.

“To have a car to lead laps today and be very competitive, I was all smiles,” Busch said. “It’s just one of those days where you’re on the right side and sometimes you’re not. For all my guys, we’ll take this one.”

Not Surprising:  After a hot and sticky day on the track, it was not surprising that one driver in particular was still smoking, at least in a positive way. Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 The Glades/Office Depot Chevrolet, not only secured a top ten finish but now has his eyes and his heart set on The Prelude to the Dream at his race track, Eldora Speedway.

“Our guys did a great job and we really had a good car today,” Smoke said. “The good news is we get to get out of here and go work at Eldora tomorrow.”

 

Why is mean old Richard Childress picking on an angel such as Kyle Busch?

By
Ron Thornton
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[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”232″][/media-credit]You would think the story of the week would have something to do with Dale Earnhardt Jr finishing second for a second straight week. Maybe the big item would be Brad Keselowski taking the second Cup victory of his career. Nope to both. Instead, it is all about the second Busch brother getting a beat down from a guy old enough to be his dad…or maybe grandpa, in the latest case.

It would seem Kyle brushed up against the truck owned by Richard Childress, driven by Joey Coulter, on the cool down lap at the end of the Craftsman series event at Kansas over the weekend. Childress approached Rowdy in the garage area, punched him, the two got to jawing as they were separated, then the 65-year old put the 26-year in a headlock and nailed him again. Why does Nolan Ryan come to mind?

Of course, we can’t have senior citizens kicking the crap out of one of NASCAR’s brightest stars. Well, bright as in he wins a lot, not bright as in how he thinks things through, like when he test drives a car for example. You know Childress was going to get slapped by the sanctioning body (that being NASCAR, not the WBA, WBC, or WWE) for beating on the poor, young, defenceless driver for no good reason. No, just because the boy is one irritating little a**hole does not give one the right to tune him in. It didn’t work for Jimmy Spencer, it won’t work for Richard Childress. In fact, it just cost Childress $150,000 for the privilege.

If you remember, Kurt and his boss, at the time, Jack Roush missed some key points in relating the course of events that led to the altercation with Mr. Spencer a few years back. That, more than anything else, caused the public to react rather unfavorably to the whiney little twerp, prompting his eventual rehabilitation and personality overhaul. Kyle seems to be now displaying some similar traits. If he had commented afterwards that “it appears I must have upset Mr. Childress” and smiled, we might have all smiled along with him. Instead, he talked about how he was just minding his own business, heading to his camper, feeding the hungry, taking in the homeless, and doing the things saints such as Kyle would have been doing before being mysteriously attacked. He gave us the same line last month when Childress driver Kevin Harvick tried to introduce his fist to Busch’s head after a race.

To be honest, Coulter did not seem in the least upset with Busch after the race, but he doesn’t have to pay for the repairs to the truck. The fact Childress, or anyone else for that matter, wants to take a swing at Busch isn’t really all that mysterious. When you rattle someone’s cage, sometimes they reach out to grab you. Guys like Dale Earnhardt, and Harvick today, have been known to upset a few folks along the way, even talked about their innocence, but the grins on their faces let us know that they already knew what we also knew. It might have been bull crap, but it was entertaining bull crap.

All of us have at some time met a Kyle Busch out on the playground, the fellow who stirs up trouble but goes running off to seek sympathy to the injustice of it all when the manure finally hits the ventilator. Sure, the chap who takes the poke winds up in the principal’s office, but he is the one who winds up with the sympathy and the understanding. If Kyle does not believe that, all he has to do is ask his brother.

Another Fuel Mileage Finish = More Excitement; Jr. Wins Coming Soon

By
SM Staff
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[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”243″][/media-credit]Fans were once again treated to another exciting finish as Brad Keselowski broke through to end his 60-race winless streak after conserving just enough fuel to hold off Dale Earnhardt Jr. by just over 2.5 seconds. For some Jr. fans this may appear as just another disappointing finish, but I see most of Jr Nation looking forward after the amazing progress that has been made since 2009 when the struggles began. With his second-place finish today, Jr. is now just 41 points out of first place and is in real contention for a championship run for the first time since 2004. I see Jr. finishing in the Top 5 this year in the championship. I don’t see a championship just yet, but still give major credit to Jr. and Steve Letarte.

The race on the other hand was very exciting in my view. Kurt Busch had the dominant race car as he sat on the pole, but like last week when Jr. looked like he was going to secure the victory, Busch was forced to pit for fuel with a handful of laps to go and wound up in ninth place. Denny Hamlin recovered from last weekend’s sputter to finish in third while Jeff Gordon finished fourth after announcing his ‘Go For Broke’ strategy, but he wound up just a little short. Gordon was my pick to win this weekend based off how he did in practice. Carl Edwards rounded out the Top 5.

Greg Biffle was the biggest surprise of the race. Biffle was my second pick to win this race along with teammate Carl Edwards as my third. Biffle dominated at Kansas last season for his second victory of 2010 and was the fastest during the first session of practice, but just what happened? Biffle finished in tenth, but this is a track where Roush Fenway Racing is usually top dog. Yes, this race did come down to fuel mileage, but Carl Edwards was the only Roush car in the field who actually led a lap and that is a shock for a lot of people, including me.

Fuel mileage races add more excitement to the overall atmosphere of the racing when it comes down to that. I was asked earlier today, “Are there too many fuel mileage races?” Well…you can’t really answer a yes or no to that because you really never know when that is going to happen. I didn’t see the Coca Cola 600 coming down to fuel until the final 30-40 laps and the same with the race today. I love fuel mileage races because the suspense really shakes you and the result makes the feeling even better.

Now, for next week we are at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania for the Pocono 500 and this will be the first race for TNT in 2011 as FOX says goodbye until 2012 and TNT takes over for the summer. Most people in the reporting business I know will pick Denny Hamlin because they just seem to follow what everyone else does, but I’m not going to do that. Hamlin actually didn’t have the best average finish at Pocono last season unlike what most people have heard. Tony Stewart actually did. Hamlin won the June event and Greg Biffle won the August event. Hamlin finished 1st and 5th at Pocono for the season while Stewart finished 3rd and 2nd.

I’m afraid on picking any Joe Gibbs Racing car at the same time because of the engine problems they have been having this season and Stewart and his Stewart-Haas Racing team in general have had their fair share of bad races. However; I’m still going out on a limb and saying Tony Stewart will break through for his first win of 2011. Expect Roush Fenway to be a threat still for the win.

Any questions or comments, you can leave them below, or email me at therhino.ryan@gmail.com or the twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ryan__ohara

Rest in peace Grandpa.

Fuel Mileage In America’s Heartland, The STP 400 at Kansas

By
SM Staff
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[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”248″][/media-credit]For the second straight week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series saw a race come down to fuel mileage once again involving Dale Earnhardt Jr. Like last week, Earnhardt came up short as it was Michigan’s Brad Keselowski taking the blue deuce back to victory lane in the inaugural STP 400 at the Kansas Speedway. Brad was able to stretch his fuel for the final 57 lap run to earn his second career victory. Keselowski said, “I didn’t even realize I was in the lead until two to go when I looked at the pylon.” It was the first victory for Keselowski since Talladega in the spring of 2009, and the first win for both Dodge and Penske for the 2011 season.

So much for Kurt Busch having “undriveable” cars this season. Kurt took the lead on lap 18 from Juan Pablo Montoya and began to pull away. The elder Busch lead 152 laps. That’s quite a feet considering that prior to Sunday’s race, Kurt had only lead 123 through the first 12 races of this season. It wasn’t until lap 258 when the day went wrong for Kurt when he was forced to pit for fuel. Then, just one lap later, he struggled getting the car going as the fuel was not picking up to the motor. Kurt was still able to salvage a ninth place finish on the day catapulting him to sixth in the point standings

Tony Stewart was another driver that got a much deserved good day. Kansas has always been a great track for Smoke as he is a two time winner in America’s Heartland( 2006 and 2009 respectively). Stewart ran up towards the front just about all race long and looked like he may challenge for his first win in 2011. That all came to and end when he like most drivers, had to pit for fuel late in the race. It wasn’t all for nothing though, Tony got an eighth place finish and moved up one spot to eighth in the points. Just the day Smoke needed to kick off the summer stretch of the season.

As always, there were some notable performances from Sunday’s STP 400 that had an overall good day.

Remember how everyone pretty much wrote off Denny Hamlin about five weeks ago? Well, don’t look now, but Denny is back. Hamlin had a very strong showing on Sunday once again. Hamlin was able to get out front, lead some laps, battle in the top five and ultimately came home in the third spot. Hamlin now sits eleventh in the Sprint Cup points which currently qualifies him for the wild card spot.

Denny’s arch enemy from last year, Jimmie Johnson, also had a strong showing on Sunday. The five time champ battled his way up from the thirty-first starting position to finish a respectable seventh on the day. This shows that the 48 team does not need a good qualifying run in order to run well and get a good finish. They showed preserverance and determination as they took to the slick Kansas Speedway. Johnson now sits third in the points, 40 markers out of the lead. That’s nearly a whole race out. The 48 team will have to have runs just like this one, and better if they want a shot at Carl Edwards in the chase.

Sunday also brings the NASCAR on FOX portion of the season to a close. 2011 marks the 11th season of the combination and arguably the best one of the relationship. The entire crew from the booth to the Hollywood Hotel and pit road stepped up to the plate and delivered a terrific presentation to the viewers at home. The coverage now switches to TNT and they kick off their fifth annual “TNT Summer Six Pack” which includes the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona and the inaugural Quaker State 400 at the Kentucky Speedway.

Sunday’s race provided everything we normally see when we go to a 1.5 mile track. Side by side racing, long green flag runs, pit strategy and the occasional fuel mileage duel. We saw that many races may come down to fuel mileage which will create many tense moments in races to come. I personally can not wait to see whats to come next weekend in the Poconos.

Next Race- Pocono 500 on TNT

Jason White Scores First Top 10 at Circuit ICAR in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series

By
SM Staff
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After having a frustrating weekend last week at Mosport, Jason White was ready to rebound strong this weekend at Circuit ICAR north of Montreal, Quebec. White did that as despite not having a lot of experience on the road courses, he brought home the No. 21 A&W Dodge in the top 10.

“I knew there was going to be all kinds of carnage on those final two laps,” White said of the final green-white-checkered.  “I just kept my wits about me and stuck it in there when I had the chance and made a couple of passes in those last two laps.”

This marks the first top-10 for White with his new crew chief Derek Lynch.

“It’s been a long time coming” he said afterwards.  “My Crew Chief Derek Lynch and the whole team gave me a car I could drive and not have it drive me.  I’ve got to thank all the guys for their hard work this weekend.  This whole team is super excited to get back into our oval car and get to Delaware next weekend.”

Following testing, White said he was just looking for a solid run on the 2.11 mile road course that was laid out on the Mirabel Airport.

“It’s a very tight course and really technical,” White explained.  “Our team wanted to set the car up to run very consistently throughout the race” he added.

Qualifying wouldn’t be as perfect as he would’ve liked as he’d qualify 17th for the 30-lap race.

“I really wanted to get under a time of one minute forty for a lap and we just missed,” White said.  “But I was able to run those laps times all through practice and qualifying which set us up nicely for the race.”

So when it came to the beginning of the race, White knew he had be patient and slowly work his way up front.

“Through the first part of the race the #21 A & W Dodge Challenger was really consistent and we picked up a couple of spots and got up close to tenth and I thought we were in pretty good shape,” White said.

The next event for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will be this coming Saturday June 11th at Delaware Speedway near London, Ontario.  The race from Circuit ICAR can be seen on TSN Sunday June 12th at 11AM Eastern.

Race fans can follow Jason White through his website http://www.jasonwhiteracing.com and on twitter @racinjasonwhite

James Buescher Texas Motor Speedway Preview

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SM Archive
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Childress Statement on NASCAR Penalty

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SM Archive
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NASCAR Issues Probation and Financial Punch to Richard Childress

By
SM Staff
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[media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]
Permanent Press
NASCAR announced season long probation and a fine of $150,000 against Sprint Cup team owner Richard Childress for an altercation involving Kyle Busch Saturday night at Kansas Speedway.

It was reported that Childress grabbed Kyle Busch, administered a headlock and punched him several times about the face. The attack took place in the garage after Saturday’s Camping World Series Truck race.

Shortly after publishing its findings, NASCAR released a statement.

“The penalty we have announced today for Richard Childress reflects NASCAR’s response to the incident at Kansas Speedway on Saturday. We feel this action is appropriate and are confident all parties involved understand our position on this matter and will move forward appropriately.”

Speculation about what provoked the incident centers around Busch and his recent on track aggression towards Childress drivers and equipment.

Busch, already on probation for incidents at Darlington Raceway, was cleared of any wrong doing in the most recent altercation.

Childress, owner of Richard Childress Racing, also released a statement about the altercation.

“First of all, I’m responsible for my actions, plain and simple. As you know, I am a very principled person and have a passion for what we do at Richard Childress Racing. I believe passionately in defending my race teams and my sponsor partners.”

“In this instance, I let that passion and my emotions get the best of me. I accept the penalty NASCAR announced today and, as a company, we will now focus on this week’s races at Pocono Raceway and Texas Motor Speedway.”

Speculation about what provoked the incident centers around Busch and his recent on track aggression towards Childress drivers and equipment.

Rod Johnson Jr. Picks Up Third Win of Season at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale

By
SM Staff
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[media-credit name=”Position One Motorsports” align=”alignright” width=”175″][/media-credit]It’s been 4 weeks since Rod Johnson Jr stepped into his #03 King Taco/Sunrise Ford Super Late Model entry at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, but from tonight’s result there was absolutely no rust that this 21 year old had to shake off.  The driver from Canyon Country, CA put on a race tonight that displayed his incredible driving talent. Johnson and the Position One Motorsports team had much to do during the 4 week break, namely repairing the #03 entry, which was heavily damaged at the last event when a part failure sent Johnson into the turn #3 wall.   Arriving Saturday, the team was confident that the car was fixed and race ready.

While taking the car around the 1/2-mile track during the first practice session of the day, the team and RJ were confident that there were no remnants from the wreck and the speed proved that.  Johnson finished the session in first with a fast time worthy of 1st on the timesheets (18.151).  The team opted not to go out for the 2nd practice session as there was nothing to be gained by it and RJ was comfortable with the car as is. Qualifying came and Johnson took the # 03 car around the track, immediately put it at the top of the charts with a time of 17.719.  The #17 of Jason Patison would end up snatching the pole away by the slimmest of margins, but the race would eventually even that out.

“Everything came together for the race.  We had a really fast car and managed to get to the front in the beginning and we were able to set our own pace from there on after and everything worked out, said Johnson after the win.

Starting in the 3rd spot, Johnson  took the green flag and charged forward in blazing fashion and by lap #2 he had managed to snag the lead.  He never looked back.  Johnson’s nearest competitor at the beginning, Kevin Thompson, was 3 car lengths away and RJ began putting himself in a commanding lead.

Patison eventually got around Thompson for 2nd but would never really pose a threat to Johnson throughout the 75-lap race.  By lap # 20 Johnson’s lead had increased to 6- car lengths, where it would stay for most of the race.

“Well today this team showed that it’s a championship caliber team.  We came back from a big wreck at the last event and dominated today, said John Schuetze Johnson’s crew chief. Schuetze also added that, “We missed qualifying a bit, but came back for the race and Johnson did an excellent job and showed what this team is capable of.

“We were the fastest car and came home in one piece and I’m pretty sure we could have gone another 75 laps and been just as good.  The team did an excellent job as well, so my thanks to everyone”.

Over the radio Johnson conveyed to the crew that the car was smooth and with every lap RJ smoothly hit his marks and would eventually take the checkered flag in first place, putting an exclamation point on his weekend’s performance.  This marks Johnson’s third race win of the season.  In addition to the win, RJ also had the distinction of running the race’s fastest lap of 18.022.

Johnson also took time to thank those around him, “My thanks to the team and our sponsors King Taco, Sunrise Ford, Eibach Springs, DJ Safety, Bell Helmets, Jan’s Towing, Ron’s Rear Ends and Wilwood Brakes”.

RCR Post Race Report — Kansas and Chicago

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SM Archive
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