Happy Monday everyone. Today In Nascar History March 2, 1997: Rusty Wallace wins the Pontiac Excitement 400 at Richmond in what turns out to be his only win of the Cup season. The victory gives Wallace wins in 12 consecutive seasons; he would run the streak to 16 before it ends in 2002. Bits and Pieces 13 wins by Kyle Busch, 13 tracks: #18-Kyle Busch has 13 Sprint Cup Series wins, an interesting stat, he has won each race at a different race track, winning at: Atlanta, Bristol, Auto Club, Chicago, Darlington, Daytona, Dover, Las Vegas, New Hampshire, Phoenix, Infineon, Talladega and Watkins Glen. The nine tracks he has yet to win a CUP race: Homestead, Indy, Kansas, Lowe's, Martinsville, Michigan, Pocono, Richmond and Texas. Jeff Gordon goes over 20,000 laps led: #24-Jeff Gordon hit another milestone at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – 20,006 career laps led – when he led 17 laps in the Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and is 7th on the all time list. Gordon is well shy of Richard Petty’s total of 52,194 but is 3,125 laps behind 6th all-time, Darrell Waltrip, who led 23,131 laps. Sorenson and Mom to talk teen driving with Atlanta high school students: Car crashes are the No. 1 cause of fatality among teenagers in America. Nearly 5,000 teens die every year and about 375,000 more are injured as a result of careless driving. To help stop this epidemic, Richard Petty Motorsports drivers Kasey Kahne and Reed Sorenson have partnered with Allstate this spring to visit high schools in NASCAR Sprint Cup race markets and encourage communication between parents and teens on this important issue. Leading into the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 8, Sorenson, who hails from Peachtree City, Ga., and his mother, Becky, will headline the Allstate Teen Safe Driving Pit Stop at Campbell High School in Smyrna, Ga., on Wednesday [March 4th] to talk to students and parents about the risks facing teens on the road. According to a recent study, the Atlanta area ranks eighth among the nation’s 10 deadliest metro areas for fatal crashes involving teen drivers. Campbell students will be encouraged to visit www.allstate.com/teen with their parents to complete Allstate’s interactive Parent-Teen Driving Contract, which helps parents establish safe driving guidelines for their teen driver in a variety of categories to help minimize distractions behind the wheel. During the race weekend, Reed and his pit crew will wear a specially designed wrist band with the message “GA-198” to honor the 198 teenagers in Georgia who lost their lives in car crashes in 2007. Teams monitoring North Carolina weather: Richard Childress Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing have opted not to attempt to fly back into what is expected to be a snowy North Carolina tonight and other race teams are monitoring the weather. RCR had two charter regional jets that it planned to leave with approximately 100 employees after the Shelby 427 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race today at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The planes likely would have landed in Winston-Salem, N.C., sometime between 1am and 4am Monday. Depending on the plane and the wind, it could take three to five hours to get from Las Vegas to the Charlotte area. Winston-Salem is expected to get between three and seven inches of snow overnight, while the National Weather Service predicts up to eight inches in Charlotte and Statesville, NC., and nine in Concord, NC. The snow is expected to end in the morning, melt and then possibly turn to ice later Monday. RCR has scheduled its planes to leave Las Vegas at 8am. Just an hour before race time, Joe Gibbs Racing crew members were calling home to tell family they would be staying the night. They had planned to get home between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. Monday but now had to plan for sometime Monday afternoon. The team flies into Concord, N.C., and had no plans to change where it would land. Hendrick Motorsports has three turboprop planes to carry more than 100 employees back to the shop and as of 2pm/et, they still planned on leaving, said Ken Howes, Hendrick vice president of competition. Roush Fenway Racing, which bases its fleet at the Charlotte airport, also plans on flying back tonight, team president Geoff Smith said. Richard Petty Motorsports has all but seven employees on commercial flights, said Keith Barnwell, who coordinates that team’s travel. Some commercial flights out of Las Vegas to the East Coast already have been canceled, but the red eye tonight to Charlotte that some of the RPM employees are on has not been canceled.(SceneDaily) Kyle Busch - Best Man: Kyle Busch, the hometown boy, was a hero to a happy couple when he volunteered for an unusual extra assignment Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. NASCAR fans Damon and Heather Landry were getting married on one side of Victory Lane as Busch walked into the other side after winning the pole for the Shelby 427. Someone involved in the wedding told Busch that the couple didn't have a best man. "I'll be the best man," Busch said. Damon and Heather were thrilled. Busch, wearing his fire suit and cap, stood next to Damon during the ceremony, delaying the pole award presentation. Busch removed his hat and bowed, with his hands folded in front of him, when the chaplain started a prayer. When the ceremony ended, Busch saw that the newlyweds didn't have a wedding cake. So Busch gave the couple several bags of M&Ms (his sponsor) to nibble on during the celebration.(ESPN) Drivers to Conduct Fan Forums at Speedway Motorsports Races: NASCAR drivers and Speedway Motorsports are teaming up to bring fans closer to their favorite drivers than ever before. The new "PRN Up To SPEED" program will bring NASCAR's top names out for fan forums at the SPEED Stage during each of the 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekends at Speedway Motorsports' seven speedways across the country. The Performance Racing Network's on-air personalities will emcee question-and-answer sessions with some of the sport's biggest personalities at the SPEED Stage leading up to SPEED's regularly scheduled weekend programming. "PRN Up To SPEED" will kick off Sunday at 9:30am/et, at the SPEED Stage located in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway midway. The stellar lineup will include Las Vegas-native Kyle Busch, legendary NASCAR team owner Richard Childress, and four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon. Each Speedway Motorsports track [Atlanta, Bristol, Infineon, Las Vegas, Lowe's, New Hampshire, Texas] that hosts a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race will hold "PRN Up To SPEED" sessions during their respective race weekend. The location of the SPEED Stage may vary from track to track, but at all Speedway Motorsports facilities, the stage is always located in an area where access is free of charge for fans.(SMI PR) Rusty and Evernham team up to run at Bristol: Rusty Wallace and Ray Evernham announced that they will team to pilot a #2 Chevy in the March 21st Saturday Night Special at Bristol Motor Speedway. The event marks Wallace’s first career start at Bristol while driving a Chevy. Said Wallace, “When the opportunity to run this race first came about, of course I was interested, but I just didn’t really pay it a lot of attention. But then, when I saw all of these guys signing up to run, there was no way I was going to let Junior Johnson, Harry Gant and those guys get another chance at Bristol’s Victory Lane without me. I’ve been in Victory Lane there a lot of times before and you can bet that Ray and I are going to be trying like heck to get there again. Everyone’s acting like this thing’s just going to be for charity,
but you better believe that we’re all in it to win it. Ray and I are bringing a bad little hot rod painted up just like my old Miller Genuine Draft cars and we’re going to try to take it to them one last time at Bristol.” Johnson, Montoya could be called as witnesses in Castroneves trial: Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya and Roger Penske are among the potential witnesses that could be called in the tax evasion trial of open-wheel racing driver Helio Castroneves, his sister, Katiucia, and his attorney Alan Miller. The trial is scheduled to begin Monday in U.S. District Court in Miami. If convicted on all counts, all three defendants could face 78 months in prison, according to pretrial briefs. Miller, a noted sports attorney, has Johnson among his clients and has put Johnson and team owner Penske on his witness list. Montoya and other open-wheel drivers will also appear on the witness list for Castroneves, who has driven for Penske in the Indy Racing League. The scope of their potential testimony is not listed, and their inclusion on the witness list is no guarantee they will actually be called to testify.(more at SceneDaily) Girl Who Gave Earnhardt “Lucky Penny” to appear at Bristol: Wessa Miller, the girl who gave Dale Earnhardt Sr. her lucky penny prior to his winning the Daytona 500 in 1998, will return to Bristol Motor Speedway, a place where Earnhardt later brought the family to thank them for their special gift. Thanks to the efforts of the NASCAR Angels television program and working with The NASCAR Foundation, Motor Racing Outreach and The Pennies For Wessa Fund, the Miller family will make its return visit. Wessa Miller, now 16-years-old and still residing in Phyllis, Ky., was six years old on February 15, 1998 when her dream to meet NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Sr. came true through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. During their meeting, Wessa gave Earnhardt her lucky penny. That weekend, with the coin glued to the dash of his car, Dale
Earnhardt Sr. won the Daytona 500 on his 20th attempt. That April, Earnhardt arranged to have Wessa and her family attend the NASCAR race in Bristol, Tenn. During their visit, Earnhardt presented the Millers with a new van to help with their transportation needs. Eleven years later, the Millers still drive that same van, which transports the family to and from regular doctor visits in Lexington, Ky., 175 miles from Phyllis. The NASCAR Angels television program has arranged to bring Wessa Miller and her family to Bristol Motor Speedway on March 21 to film her as part of a ‘Heart of NASCAR’ segment to be featured in an upcoming episode. Race and Commercial Breakdown of the Shelby 427:
No place like home for Busch by Lee Spencer/foxsports.com LAS VEGAS - Kyle Busch offered his family and hometown fans a celebration not soon to be forgotten at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Sunday's Shelby 427. Though Busch was just 11 when the speedway was completed in 1996, the trophy from his native track is one he'll always treasure. "Guys, I don't believe it," Busch said over the radio. "This is awesome." "Sometimes you don't have the best car, but you have to dig and claw at it," replied crew chief Steve Addington. Busch earned the distinction of being the first Cup driver to win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway from the pole position — even though he didn't start there. Following an engine change on the No. 18 Toyota, Busch was relegated to the 39th starting position. He moved up to 30th position on Lap 21 and gained four additional spots 14 laps later. When green-flag pit stops began, Busch moved to the point for the first time on Lap 54 for two laps. And despite fighting a loose car that felt "like (he was) wrecking in every corner," Busch was able to take the lead on Lap 228. When NASCAR threw a debris caution on Lap 259 — the record-breaking 12th caution of the day — Addington called for right-side tires and a wedge adjustment before Busch left the pits. Busch lined up fourth for the restart on Lap 264 behind leader Clint Bowyer, who opted not to pit. Four laps later, Busch blew by Bowyer on the inside to take over the point position. "Say goodnight, Gracie," Busch's spotter Jeff Dickerson radioed. But the driver's trip to Victory Lane would be slowed by two additional cautions before the party could begin. In the lead, Busch extended his advantage over Bowyer by 0.411 of a second at the line for the win. Burton, David Reutimann and Bobby Labonte rounded out the top five. "We just had to battle back," Busch said. "We didn't have the best car out there today, but we kept working on it. We kept making it better. I don't know where I get credited from winning this thing — from the back or from the pole — either way we conquered both of them, that's for sure. Steve Addington, he's the leader of this team. Everyone believes in him, I believe in him and as long as you have that, everything seems to run smooth. "You never really know how special (the win) can be until you actually get it done. Today was very, very cool. The last 30 laps I was nervous as could be. I wasn't really that great at hitting my marks but I guess I was hitting them good enough. Fortunately, we ran into many caution laps at the end — that helped too." Busch ignited a celebratory burnout before grabbing the flag at the stand. He then laid down on at the start/finish line and kissed the asphalt or "the ground that this place was built on," savoring every moment of his 13th career win. "We watched it be built from the ground up. When we were racing out at the Bullring (the short track outside LVMS Where Kyle and his brother Kurt raced before graduating to NASCAR), this was nothing but a dirt lot. This was actually part of the parking lot I think for that Bullring racetrack. So it's come a long ways. I remember sitting up in the grandstands when I was younger and when Kurt and my dad were racing, turning around and looking out there and watching it. "(I) just kept turning around and watching it, watched the grandstands go up, the banking be put in, the outside retaining wall, the garages be built and stuff. Every weekend we were over at the Bullring and saw what was happening." The party for Busch continued in Victory Lane with his brother Kurt, who started second and finished 23rd, mother Gaye and additional family and friends sharing in the festivities. Kyle described Kurt's congratulatory message as "exactly what I would say." "'We watched this thing being built and you're the first one to conquer it ... This is really special and it's pretty cool. "I don't know if it's set in yet or not, but it feels pretty damn good right now." David Reutimann posted a career-high fourth-place finish after starting 42nd following an engine change. It was the first top-five in 66 career starts for the third-generation racer, who will turn 39 on Monday. The finish also vaulted him from 12th to fifth in the point standings. Reutimann said the No. 00 Aaron's Toyota was strong from the moment the team unloaded the car from the truck. Reutimann developed an oil leak early in the race that could have sidelined his car for good, but he rebounded from 20th on Lap 96. A call for two tires on the final pit stop enabled Reutimann to be in position to snatch his best career finish. "The guys came in and got that fixed," Reutimann said. "We went back out there and it put us back to 25th or 30th and we kind of ran back up through there just one at a time. "Everybody did a great job. I had great pit stops and everything we needed today to run up front and when you have those pieces in place you can actually do that on occasion." Reutimann offered additional props to crew chief Rodney Childers, who joined the team after parting ways with Gillett Evernham Motorsports at the end of last year. "My crew chief is doing a great job," Reutimann said. "The organization is doing great and the cars are exceptional. If we just keep doing this knocking on the door, we'll get ourselves in the right position. Male bonding pays off for Bowyer Before Clint Bowyer's Vegas second-place bonanza — in the race and the point standings — the Richard Childress racer spent some quality time with the boss at his ranch in Montana. Following RCR's California experience, where Burton and Kevin Harvick finished 32nd and 38th, respectively, the first part of the trip didn't start the way Bowyer had expected. "It took him at least a good two and a half days, probably the whole week, to get over it a little bit," Bowyer said. "I was trying to get him over it. But I stayed on the other end of the house and let him yell for a while. Then we went back to business." Bowyer had never spent time in Big Sky Country. He was in awe of the elk and mule deer outside his window each morning. But Bowyer also admired the stamina of his boss, R.C. "Richard doesn't do anything half-ass," Bowyer said. "It was first-class all the way. I've always wanted to spend time with him and this was something we've never done. "But to be his age and still do everything that he's able to do — I'm looking at him jumping around and hiking and get worried to death about him. Then I realize what we're doing and figure I ought to start worrying about myself." For Bowyer, this is his highest ranking in the standings since he led after winning the first race of the Chase at New Hampshire in 2007. While Bowyer is currently second in driver points, Bobby Ginn has the honor on the owner's list. "I don't know if it's set in yet or not, but it feels pretty damn good right now," Bowyer said. Labonte finds his way up front ... again Bobby Labonte scored his first top-five finish Sunday since the fall Martinsville race in 2006 — 79 races ago. Labonte, who joined Yates Racing weeks before the season started, opted not to pit with the leaders on Lap 165 and moved into the top 10. He restarted third on Lap 187 and continued in the top five for most of the remainder of the race. "I think I said the work 'freaking' in a press conference in late January and it's pretty freaking awesome," said Labonte, who is currently 10th in points. "I can't wait to get back in it and go. We're taking it one race at a time, so I'm excited." Thinkin’ Out Loud Shelby 427 Matt McLaughlin · Frontstretch.com The Key Moment: On lap 269, Kyle Busch nudged aside Clint Bowyer to take the lead. Busch, who had won the pole for the race, was forced to start out back after blowing an engine in practice — so the accomplishment is much more impressive than it will appear in the record books. In a Nutshell: NASCAR wraps up its early season visit to the Mild, Mild West with another less than compelling race. Dramatic Moment: Saturday’s Nationwide race might have been the most unpredictable event in recent NASCAR history. Sunday’s race? Well, at least it wasn’t as bad as Fontana last week… and more people were on hand to catch the mediocrity. What They’ll Be Talking About Around the Water Cooler This Week With the two tracks located so nearby geographically, why can Las Vegas draw more people for the Nationwide race than Fontana could for the Cup race and the Nationwide-Truck races combined? We’ll chat about this later in the week, gentle readers. It can’t just be a coincidence. One of the chief charms of stock car racing is the unpredictability of the sport. What Sunday’s Cup race lacked in drama, the Nationwide race served up in spades, with cars in the lead pack spinning out on their own, missing pit road, running into each other, getting penalized on pit road for speeding… and missing lug nuts and more simple twists of fate than a year’s worth of Bob Dylan concerts. Can it be a coincidence that the Nationwide cars still mimic the pre-CoT entries in the Cup series? I don’t think so. Given that the Nationwide cars can now run the energy-absorbing door foam and the anti-intrusion panels that were the two biggest safety innovations NASCAR tried to sell as the reason for the CoT in the bigs, I’m more confused than ever as to why the Winged Blunders are competing on Sundays… A couple more notes from Saturday’s bizarre Nationwide event OK, color me confused. Why would a Cup race start with speedy dry all over the track in the entrance to pit road? That’s just sloppy. Las Vegas might not have entered the list of NASCAR’s most cherished tracks yet, but give them this much; it’s been a long time since any race has had a cooler pace car than this weekend’s events. I know most consumers are in an uproar about fuel mileage and emissions — which has Ford in trouble — so in the interests of helping out the home team, I hereby offer a week’s paycheck for either one of those Shelby Super Snake Mustang pace cars. This is, after all, the first time I can remember when the pace car had more horsepower than the cars it paced. With each passing day, it seems more likely General Motors might be forced into some sort of controlled bankruptcy. Company officials are fighting the idea, claiming such a move would cost GM a huge amount of its reputation, prestige, and pride. Well, here’s a news flash: a company that once produced the Pontiac Aztek and hump-backed diesel-powered Caddy Sevilles of the ’80s doesn’t have a whole lot of reputation, pride, and prestige left. Last year, DuPont brought a total of 17,000 guests to hospitality events it hosted at every major Cup event all year long. This year, the company will host just 2,000 guests at six Cup events, a further sign of the belt-tightening in corporate America as the recession drags on. Do you figure the bloom is off the NASCAR rose? Gather ye rosebuds while you may, Old time is still a flyin’, And this same flower that smiles today, tomorrow will be dying… I don’t want to be left out of the annual writer’s contest to see who can come up with the most tortured NASCAR gambling analogy when the circuit visits Las Vegas… so, here’s my take. With the Car of Horror and the Chase, Brian France stepped up to the roulette wheel to wager the entire France family fortune. He bet the bouncing ball would land on a purple number… Has anyone else ever noticed that when Mike Bliss is upset, he talks and sounds like he’s reciting a Bob Dylan song? Listen to his interview after getting wrecked out of the Vegas Nationwide race. It’s positively eerie. Count another American legend as a victim of this recession. Crane Cams, long a fixture and cherished provider to the hot rodding community, has apparently closed its doors, leaving 200 skilled employees out of work. I bought a Crane Cam for my first car, a ’70 Cobra Jet Mustang, and have bought about a dozen bump sticks from them over the years. The Crane Cams decal on my toolbox will always remain proudly in place. The Hindenburg Award For Foul Fortune The hype all this week concerned Matt Kenseth going for three straight wins to start the 2009 Cup season. But his race lasted two laps before the engine expired in the No. 17 car — leaving him dead last in the field. Dale Earnhardt’s pit road follies continued Sunday with a pit road speeding penalty. Earnhardt Nation is longing for the good old days when NASCAR would never dare penalize an Earnhardt for a rules infraction. Pit road penalties and a late race wreck left Jimmie Johnson, who once had a dominant car, mired midpack — but what other driver would have been allowed to return to the track with the rear bumper supports dragging on the asphalt? Tony Stewart’s Cinderella 2009 season hit a pumpkin moment, with Stewart finishing 26th and Ryan Newman 25th. That’s not going to help them find full-time sponsorship for Newman’s car. Carl Edwards was running in the top 5 when his engine started laying down in the final laps of the race. He wound up 17th in the final rundown. The “Seven Come Fore Eleven” Award For Fine Fortune You have to figure that Kyle Busch was that pencil-necked geek in high school that was treated to regular scuba diving sessions in the toilet by bullies and turned down for more dates than the average guy — but he still won a race in his hometown despite that Ichabod Crane persona. It must be nice to tell every bully that ever victimized him and every girl that rejected his awkward advances, “Hey, I’m back and I’m a millionaire with a really hot girlfriend, even if she has the fashion sense of Charo. How do you like me now?” (With all due apologies to Toby Keith) Jeff Gordon locked up his brakes and blew a tire coming onto pit road late in the race (while apparently trying to avoid his teammate Jimmie Johnson’s out of control car). The flat tire tore up the No. 24’s left front fender, but Gordon soldiered on to a sixth place finish that leaves him first in this year’s points standings. Jeff Burton had to pit early, thinking he had a tire going flat… but he led a lot of the race en route to a third place finish. For RCR, which has had to play Vernon Dent to the Three Stooges (Roush, Gibbs, and Hendrick) this season, there has to be a sense of redemption — especially with Burton and Clint Bowyer running so well at times during the race. Yates Racing wasn’t sure they were going to meet the answering bell this season, and Bobby Labonte was without a ride as late as January. For the team and driver to post a solid top 5 finish at Vegas after leading some laps is the sort of storyline usually reserved for Mickey Rooney movies. Sure, they have Roush-Yates engines in Labonte’s car; but that didn’t help Kenseth and David Ragan much, did it? Worth Noting
What’s the Points? Jeff Gordon leads the standings for the first time since the Atlanta Fall race in 2007. Gordon is ahead of second place Clint Bowyer by 18 points. Previous leader Matt Kenseth endured his 43rd place finish at Vegas to remain third overall, 40 points behind Gordon and tied statistically with Roush teammate Greg Biffle. Several drivers overcame early season misfortunes to enter the top 12 this week. Kyle Busch rode his race victory to gain twelve spots in the standings, and is now bumped up to sixth. Bobby Labonte also gained twelve spots, and is now tenth in the points. David Reutimann gained seven spots to take over the fifth rung of the ladder, while Kevin Harvick gained five spots to enter the top 12 in 11th position. On the flip side, Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart each lost four spots in the standings Sunday, and now find themselves seventh and eighth, respectively. Michael Waltrip clings to the 12th spot in the points, five positions down from last week and just eight points ahead of Kasey Kahne. Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, hey, hey, good-bye… Three races into the season, if you’re sweating the points already, you must have been toilet trained in your first month of life. Repeat that classic bit of Bill Murray wisdom from “Meatballs” with me… “It just doesn’t matter!” Overall Rating (On a scale of one to six beer cans, with one being a stinker and a six pack an instant classic): We’ll give this one two cans of the generic stuff, served lukewarm by a bartender who looks like her face belongs on the Ten Most Wanted List at the Post Office. Next Up: The circuit returns to its spiritual cradle, the Southeast, for a race in Atlanta. And here’s the novel part: the race will actually start in the earlier hours of a Sunday afternoon. What a concept! NASCAR and FOX might be on to something here. Kyle Busch rallies for first Vegas win By Reid Spencer, Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service LAS VEGAS—So the last shall be first, and the first last. For biblical scholars, that was Matthew 20:16. For NASCAR fans, it was Sunday’s Shelby 427 Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Starting from the rear of the field because of an engine change during Friday’s practice session, pole winner and Las Vegas native Kyle Busch worked his way to the front throughout a race punctuated with a record 14 caution periods and streaked to a .411-second victory, his first of the season and his first at Las Vegas. Matt Kenseth, first in the Cup standings entering the race, finished last, after his engine blew six laps into the race. That ended Kenseth’s bid to become the first driver to win the first three races in a Cup season. “This is pretty cool,” Busch said after his celebratory burnout on the frontstretch. “I didn’t know exactly what it would mean, but when I was coming to the checkered flag, there were knots in my stomach.” Clint Bowyer regained a lap he lost early and finished second, thanks to crew chief Shane Wilson’s decision to keep him on the track while the other front-runners pitted under caution on Lap 260 of the 285-lap race. Bowyer surrendered the lead to Busch off Turn 2 on Lap 269. Jeff Burton, Bowyer’s teammate at Richard Childress Racing, took third, followed by David Reutimann and Bobby Labonte. Jeff Gordon (who assumed the series points lead by 18 over Bowyer), Greg Biffle, Brian Vickers, Jamie McMurray and Dale Earnhardt Jr. completed the top 10. Three-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, who led a race-high 92 laps, spun in Turn 2 to cause the final caution on Lap 280 and finished 24th. “I’m sorry, guys,” said Johnson, who also had a tough day on pit road. “It wasn’t meant to be today,” crew chief Chad Knaus responded over the team’s radio. The race restarted with three laps left, and Busch pulled away from Bowyer and Burton. Even though Busch started at the rear of the field, he still is credited for starting from the pole, making him the first to win from that position at Las Vegas. But that also meant Busch had to contend with traffic until he took the lead for the first time (other than during an early cycle of green-flag pit stops) on Lap 228. “We just had to battle hard,” said Busch, 23, who won his 13th Cup race. “We didn’t have the best car today, but we had a car that we could keep working on and keep making it better.” Bowyer credited Wilson, his new crew chief this season, for the call that gained him the runner-up finish. “That’s where he shines,” Bowyer said. “He studies pit strategy real hard and really works on it. And that’s an area where I felt I could improve. I’m proud of him, proud of his call and glad it worked out.” Notes: Busch has won nine of 39 Cup races since moving to Joe Gibbs Racing to start the 2008 season. He won his first race for the new team last March at Atlanta, site of next week’s race. … Kenseth fell to third in points, tied with teammate Greg Biffle at 40 behind Gordon. … Johnson remained 19th in points, 145 behind the leader. … The only three drivers to score top-10 finishes in the first two races of the season—Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart—all had those short streaks broken. Kenseth was 43rd, Stewart 26th and Busch 23rd. … Rookie Joey Logano stayed on the lead lap and posted his best Cup finish to date: 13th. … For the second straight race, Mark Martin’s engine failed. He finished 40th and dropped to 34th in the Cup standings.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is NASCAR's reluctant hero Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn't NASCAR's best driver but his power is unrivaled By TANIA GANGULI | SENTINEL STAFF WRITER Sometimes Dale Earnhardt Jr. laughs about it. Earnhardt watched the rest unfold. In less than a week Gossage announced, after speaking with Earnhardt's representatives, the two of them had buried the hatchet. It's not good business to rip the sport's most popular driver. Gossage even called Earnhardt "the best thing we've got." Super-shy superstar Shy and quiet are two of the first words those who know Earnhardt Jr. well use to describe him. "Well, I never thought he would've done what he's doing now, how successful he's become," said Al Jones, who also taught at Mooresville. Quick rise Leadership didn't come to Earnhardt when he entered NASCAR. His father was still alive, still powerful in the sport. And when Earnhardt started racing full time in the Busch Series in 1998, his career came with terrifying expectations. Wins came almost right away. He won the pole in Bristol in the sixth race of the 1998 season, and then won at Texas the next week. Powerful popularity Quickly, the attention got crazy. That has never stopped. Kelley Earnhardt remembers getting a call from a very embarrassed woman at a wedding shop one day. "My friends didn't think it was Dale Earnhardt Jr. in there but we had a bet," the fan said. "Can you have him sign this so we can win this bet?" League of his own "He's treated just like every other competitor out there," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said. "That's NASCAR's responsibility to make sure that all teams and all drivers are treated the same and are treated fairly." Ten Points To Ponder Shelby 427 Bryan Davis Keith · Frontstretch.com Kyle Busch Still the Driver to Beat Daytona was just a minor hiccup: the No. 18 team is back with a vengeance in 2009. Las Vegas native Kyle Busch won the pole this weekend, only to have to start at the back after an engine change. Nonetheless, Busch methodically made his way back to the front to score his first career win at his hometown track, a win that he likened to being as big to him as the Daytona 500. Throwing the points out the window, Busch has had top three cars in each of the first three races to date. His crew chief, Steve Addington, also proved yet again on Sunday to be more than a match for his driver’s frustration whenever he’s not in front. And JGR’s engine program proved to be just as stout as ever, with Busch’s engine troubles in practice nothing more than an anomaly for the race. Barring something unforeseen, Busch will be the Cup points favorite all the way to the Chase in September. Whether or not he’s matured enough to pursue a title beyond that remains to be seen… RCR Picking Up the Pace After a very disappointing performance at Fontana had many questioning whether or not Richard Childress Racing had fallen back behind the curve with their intermediate program, this weekend’s race quickly proved otherwise. Kevin Harvick was back to his dependable top 15 ways on Sunday afternoon, while Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton used differing pit strategies to get to the front and stay there. Bowyer and Burton wound up racing in close quarters for the final 20 laps, with Bowyer narrowly edging his teammate for a second place finish. Speaking of Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer… Jeff Burton Has Got Hard Tires Figured Out One more note in the RCR fold. Back in 2003, when Ryan Newman dominated the Cup Series in the second half of the season, it was largely because in addition to knowing how to calculate fuel mileage, the Rocket and his crew chief Matt Borland also knew to a science how far they could push Goodyear’s then-harder tires. Fast forward to the present day, and Jeff Burton and crew chief Scott Miller have hit upon something similar. Much as they used a no-tire pit strategy to win the Charlotte Cup race in October, Burton and his No. 31 crew elected to use tire strategy to get to the front of the field at Las Vegas. And once Burton got up there, he had no trouble holding his position, running in the top 5 for the entire second half of the race on old rubber. Whether or not it’s a good thing for teams to be able to go as long as Burton did on older tires and remain competitive is debatable. However, as long as Goodyear continues to produce tires with little give-up, it seems that Burton will be a contender for a number of wins on intermediate circuits. As for Bowyer… Simple Math: Bowyer >>>>> Mears He has got to have his former sponsor Jack Daniel’s wondering “Why, exactly, did we agree to sign this Casey Mears guy?” Driving for a brand new team, Bowyer has scored two top 10 finishes and vaulted his way to second in points heading to Atlanta. Meanwhile, Casey Mears finished well off the pace Sunday in 30th, giving him a finishing average of 23.0 thus far in 2009. Casey Mears underachieving? Some things never change. David Gilliland Proving His Mettle And while Mears quietly rides in the back of the pack in a high-caliber ride that he’s done nothing to earn, David Gilliland is quietly proving himself to be a worthy Cup driver after all. Back home on the West Coast, the former Yates Racing driver managed to race the TRG Motorsports No. 71 car into the races at Fontana and Vegas, and in Sin City posted a remarkable 14th place finish for the new operation. The team is still searching for sponsorship to run a full season (hoping to put a long-term plan in place beyond that). But if the last two weeks are any indication, they’ve at least found a driver to build around. Yates Racing Carries the Ford Banner Even though they released the aforementioned Gilliland, Yates Racing was as competitive Sunday as they’ve been in years. Bobby Labonte gave both Yates and Ask.com their money’s worth with a top 5 run, Labonte’s best since a third place finish at Martinsville in October of 2006. Paul Menard, on the other hand, would have enjoyed a lead-lap, top 20 performance… had this race been 400 miles instead of 427. His late race wreck aside, Menard and his No. 98 team well complemented Labonte’s stellar day. Surprisingly, Yates Racing was the leading team carrying the blue oval on Sunday, because… Engine Woes Marring the Start to 2009 Thanks to Roush Fenway Racing’s struggles with their engine packages, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, and David Ragan all failed to finish Sunday’s race (with both Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray having scares with their motors as well). And while RFR’s problems were in the spotlight Sunday, theirs were just the latest to hit the Sprint Cup ranks this season. After Michael Waltrip and Brian Vickers both faced engine trouble at Fontana last week, TRD officials were forced early in the Vegas weekend to change the motors in five of their race cars for Sunday’s Cup race. In addition, Hendrick Motorsports has had their share of failed engines, with Mark Martin blowing up two consecutive weekends and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. losing one at Fontana. There has been speculation as to what the specific cause of all these engine failures is, but one can’t help but wonder if this may be the first tangible impact of the testing “ban.” Sure, all of the Cup Series’ engine builders tested the living daylights out of their products on dynos and in their shops during the offseason — but could a lack of track time coming into 2009 be impacting engine performance? There is no real substitute for race conditions, but the lack of it may well be the only thing to blame for the epidemic of engine failures seen so far this year. Ryan Newman Can’t Catch a Break in 2009 One driver whose start to 2009 has been marred, but not by an engine failure, is none other than Ryan Newman. After having his pit crew drop his car off a jack on pit road (literally) at Daytona, then failing to get a handle on a car that was dropping everything from pieces of the wing to a transponder at Fontana, Newman and his No. 39 crew finally were starting to get a handle on their new Impalas. After earning a Lucky Dog early in the running, Newman was running in the top 15, only to have to short pit with what appeared to be a loose wheel. When the yellow flag flew for Jeff Gordon’s blown tire about 20 laps later, Newman was trapped two laps down and wound up finishing there (in the 25th position). Sadly, despite this misfortune, that top 25 run in Las Vegas was the best of the season for Newman. Las Vegas Motor Speedway Packs a Punch Since LVMS went from a long flat-track to a high speed oval, it has proven to be a difficult circuit for even the best in the business to handle — and this weekend was no exception. Between the crash-filled Nationwide race and Sunday’s Cup show, a number of NASCAR’s biggest stars managed to wreck themselves. Kyle Busch spun himself out only 22 laps into the Nationwide race trying to take the lead from Kevin Harvick. Jeff Burton, later in the day, did almost exactly the same thing in Turn 4. In the Cup show, Denny Hamlin ventured too high into the marbles, slamming the wall exiting Turn 3. And the defending Cup champ, Jimmie Johnson, spun himself around late in the race entering Turn 2 — an accident that left Johnson with a 24th place run after leading the most laps on the day. Las Vegas Motor Speedway Packs ‘Em In Bad economy? What bad economy? Just like always, Las Vegas Motor Speedway was hopping both Saturday and Sunday, with crowds estimated between 80,000 and 100,000 for the Nationwide race Saturday and considerably more for the Cup race on Sunday. To put this in perspective, the Nationwide race this weekend drew about as many fans as attended the Truck, Nationwide, and Cup races last weekend at Fontana. Combined. The efforts of Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the race fans of Nevada deserve a standing ovation, as people were coming out in force all weekend. Well, that's all for today. Until the next time, I remain, Your Nascar Momma
"Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up there and eat that candy ass." -Dale Earnhardt - 1998 |
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