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NASCAR’s All-Star Race suffers from predictability

May 20, 2013 By Admin

0a7b9b30b82f637719035fbfeab38f74 NASCAR’s All Star Race suffers from predictability

Story Highlights

Repave at Charlotte Motor Speedway eight years ago has taken edge out of event
Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards also leading contenders for Coke 600 win
Busch was last driver to sweep All-Star Race and Coke 600, in 2010

(PhatzRadio / USA Today) — CONCORD, N.C. — Once hailed as the most distinctive and exciting of any showcase in professional sports, NASCAR’s Sprint All-Star Race actually has become the most predictable.

Put yourself on the front row entering the final segment, seize the lead early in the 10-lap shootout and put your car in the wind for a $1 million payday.

It’s how Jimmie Johnson won the event for the second consecutive season – and a record fourth overall – and even he concedes the spectacle at Charlotte Motor Speedway – which has featured one lead change during the final five laps in eight All-Star Races since the 1.5-mile oval was repaved — needs fixing.

A solution is tricky.

“I really don’t know what to do at this point,” Johnson said. “I felt the four segments beforehand there’s a lot of guys on different strategies, (and) that made for exciting racing. You’re pinned in on a 1.5-mile track with a 10-lap shootout, your options are limited to create multiple passes for the win.”

There was plenty of upside for Johnson, who positioned himself as the favorite to win his first Coca-Cola 600 since 2005 by breaking a tie with Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon for most all-star wins.

Just as Charlotte’s fresh asphalt – which produces heavy grip, high speeds and minimal tire wear – hasn’t been conducive to the fender-banging billed as an All-Star Race staple, it also hasn’t been kind to Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet, which once ruled the track in winning five of six races from 2003-05.

“The track is just so different now, and we had it (figured) out,” he said. “We knew literally what time in the afternoon, what the adjustment needed to be made to the car, and it was like clockwork. We feel like we can find it again, and we’re knocking on the door, but we’re one of five (drivers) that can make something happen here now, where before we had a pretty strict advantage.”

Other drivers who stamped themselves as 600 contenders over the weekend were Kasey Kahne (whom Johnson outdueled on the final restart), Matt Kenseth, pole-sitter Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch, whose No. 78 Chevrolet might have been the most dominant Saturday.

Busch was the most recent driver to sweep the All-Star/Coke 600 doubleheader (in 2010), but the All-Star Race isn’t necessarily a precursor for the longest race in NASCAR’s premier series. By virtue of being split into five segments – none longer than 20 laps, or less than half a fuel run – it features none of the strategy plays that often determine the winner of Sunday’s Coke 600.

“It’s a lot different,” said Chad Knaus, Johnson’s crew chief. “You know when the cautions are coming (in the All-Star Race). You can kind of sit back and strategize. In a normal race, we have no idea what’s going to happen. Having a fast car clearly and fast pit stops makes a huge difference, so if we can translate what we had in this race car (to) next week, I think we’ll have a good shot at it.”

Though the All-Star win was another testament to a history-making career that also includes five championships (and counting), Johnson admitted he likely wouldn’t have won if his pit crew’s swift work on a mandatory four-tire stop before the final segment hadn’t put him beside Kahne for the final green flag.

Johnson and many drivers had warned of this scenario, and many postrace comments centered on how to solve it. Via an informal survey he conducted on Twitter, Clint Bowyer concluded Sunday that fans would like the event moved to Bristol Motor Speedway. A venue change might seem drastic for an event that has been held at Charlotte for 28 of its 29 editions, but myriad format changes haven’t addressed the lack of late-race drama.

Knaus had another radical solution: Bringing an alternate tire compound that would be softer, which would wear more quickly on a Charlotte surface that has aged slowly and is much less abrasive than most tracks.

“When those tires fall off, that’s when you’re going to start to see some passing, and I think it could be very exciting to see who plays the tire strategy,” Knaus said. “I don’t foresee it because Goodyear is in a tough spot. They have to build a tire that’s going to last. I’m just saying it would make it exciting, because the only way you’re going to get passing is to have tire (wear).”

NASCAR’s All-Star Race suffers from predictability is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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NASCAR: Jimmie Johnson races to record 4th All-Star win

May 19, 2013 By Admin

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) Cross another milestone off of Jimmie Johnson’s list. He stands alone in All-Star history.

“Five-time” became the first four-time winner of NASCAR’s annual All-Star race, breaking a tie with the late Dale Earnhardt and teammate Jeff Gordon on Saturday night.

“To beat Jeff and Earnhardt, two guys that I have looked up to my whole life, two massive icons of our sport, this means the world to me,” Johnson said.

He also joined the late Davey Allison as only the second driver to win back-to-back All-Star races.

It was fitting that he did it at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the track Johnson, the five-time NASCAR champion, has dominated since his 2002 rookie season. Johnson has won six points races at Charlotte, led more than 1,600 laps and the win in the $1 million Sprint All-Star Race was his second straight, fourth in 12 years. He also won in 2003 and 2006.

“The only four-time All-Star champion – I am very proud of you,” crew chief Chad Knaus radioed after Johnson took the checkered flag.

A day after Johnson overshot his pit stall during qualifying to earn a poor starting spot, his Hendrick Motorsports crew changed four tires in 11 seconds on the mandatory final spot to send Johnson back onto the track in second place for the final restart.

He lined up inside of teammate Kasey Kahne for the final 10-lap sprint to the cash, and the two battled side-by-side for a little more than a lap before Johnson cleared Kahne completely. He then sailed away to an easy victory.

“We are doing great things and we are amazing ourselves in the process,” Johnson said.

Joey Logano finished second and Kyle Busch, who won two of the first four segments, was third as neither had a shot at running down Johnson once he got his No. 48 Chevrolet out front.

“The 48, once he got that clean air, he was gone,” Logano said. “Second isn’t anything to hang your head, but it’s about the million bucks tonight.”

Kahne faded to fourth and Kurt Busch, who also won two segments to give the Busch brothers a sweep, was fifth.

It was disappointing for both Busch brothers, who had the cars to beat through the first 80 laps. New scoring rules designed to stop sandbagging sent the drivers onto pit road for the mandatory final stop in order of their average finish in the first four segments.

The Busch brothers tied with an average finish of 2.0, and Kurt went down pit road as the leader based on the tiebreaker of winning the final segment.

But the two Hendrick cars beat everybody off pit road, Kyle Busch exited in third and a poor final pit stop dropped Kurt to fifth.

“Ultimately, it came down to pit road, where my guys always prove their worth,” Kyle Busch said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t have the best of stops and to come out third, well, that was the race right there. You have to be on the front row if you’re going to win this thing.”

Johnson didn’t think he had a shot at winning the All-Star race after botching his qualifying run and starting 20th in the 22-car field. By staying patient through the four 20-lap segments, he was in position at the end to make his move.

“Worked our way through there and got the job done,” Johnson said. “It’s just dedication and drive from every member of this Hendrick Motorsports team. When we started on the front row for the last segment, I knew we had a great shot at it.”

The win capped a big day for Chevrolet, which swept the first 10 spots in Indianapolis 500 qualifying shortly before racing began at Charlotte. Then Johnson, the current Sprint Cup points leader, put the manufacturer in Victory Lane.

Jamie McMurray won the 40-lap Sprint Showdown before the All-Star race to transfer into the main event, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished second to earn the other berth.

Danica Patrick won the Sprint fan vote to claim the last open spot in the race. It wasn’t a big surprise that Patrick won the vote – her fans last year elected her most popular driver of the Nationwide Series – and her public relations team was ready with a “Thank You Fans” bumper sticker she slapped on the side of her Chevrolet before the All-Star race began. She finished 20th.

Before the race, she said she wasn’t sure why her fans so ardently support her.

“I’ve said many times that I’m not sure what it is people like or see in me or why they cheer for me,” Patrick said. “To some degree being different, being a girl, there are things there. But what is it? There are a lot of different and unique drivers out there. All I know is that I try do my best to be myself all of the time. I try to be honest with the fans and at the end of the day, even if they don’t agree with what I say or do, they can respect my honesty.”

Fourth segment (20 laps): Kurt Busch won his second segment and clinched the top spot entering the pits for a mandatory four-tire stop before a final 10-lap stint. Busch passed Kasey Kahne for the lead a lap after a restart and led the final nine laps of the segment.

Kahne was second, followed by Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch, who tied his older brother in average finish but lost on the tiebreaker (best finish in the fourth segment). Matt Kenseth was fifth. Kevin Harvick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Joey Logano, Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top 10.

The segment got off to a wild start as varying strategies left several cars with four fresh tires behind those with two. Kahne, who took the lead on a two-tire stop, zoomed away from the field while several drivers banged into each other behind him, including Kyle Busch taking a shot from Ryan Newman.

Third segment (20 laps): Kyle Busch won his second consecutive segment, capitalizing on fresher tires to breeze by Clint Bowyer and lead the final 17 laps. Kurt Busch finished second, followed by Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Joey Logano. Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon rounded out the top 10.

Bowyer led the first three laps of the segment after electing not to pit after the second stint. The strategy backfired for Bowyer (12th) and Carl Edwards (15th), who also didn’t stop and faded badly.

Gordon, Hamlin and Matt Kenseth each radioed their teams about struggling with sluggish motors during the segment.

Second segment (20 laps): Kyle Busch took first from Clint Bowyer on a Lap 29 restart and led the final 12 laps of the stint. Bowyer finished second, followed by Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson. The split of the first two segments by the Busch brothers ensured there would be no extra $1 million bonus paid by track owner O. Bruton Smith for a driver who won all five segments.

Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano, Jamie McMurray, Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top 10.

Bowyer seized the lead from Kurt Busch on the first lap of the segment, swinging his No. 15 Toyota low for a three-wide maneuver as Kyle Busch attempted to pass his older brother in the high line.

Mark Martin brought out the race’s second caution on Lap 25 when his No. 55 Toyota slid through the frontstretch grass after contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., whose No. 17 Ford bounced off the Turn 4 wall. All but Brad Keselowski’s car were running at the finish of the first 40 laps, though with fan vote winner Danica Patrick in last (21st) but on the lead lap.

First segment (20 laps):Kurt Busch took the lead from pole-sitter Carl Edwards and led from start to finish. Kyle Busch finished second, followed by Clint Bowyer, Edwards and Kasey Kahne. Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top 10.

The segment was red-flagged on the 12th lap for 41 minutes because of rain.

Defending series champion Brad Keselowski was eliminated from contention when his No. 2 Ford suffered a mechanical failure that sent him to the garage for the night.

NASCAR: Jimmie Johnson races to record 4th All-Star win is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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NASCAR: Edwards grabs poll for Sprint All-Star race

May 18, 2013 By Admin

f65c064aef98338128e54309a6e00ccd NASCAR: Edwards grabs poll for Sprint All Star race

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) Carl Edwards captured the pole for the Sprint All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, paying tribute to the late Dick Trickle along the way.

Edwards, the 2011 winner in the exhibition event, completed three laps and a four-tire pit stop Friday night in 1 minute, 51.297 seconds.

Kurt Busch will start alongside Edwards on the front row Saturday night. Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch and Joe Logano round out the top five.

Edwards had Trickle’s name written just above his window, a tribute to the 71-year-old former NASCAR driver who died Thursday of what authorities said was a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Boger City, N.C.

Edwards said many of his crew members are from Wisconsin, where Trickle grew up and became a famous short-track driver.

“We felt like we needed to do something to honor him,” Edwards said. “I don’t know that I deserved to have his name above my window.”

For the first time since 2000, NASCAR waived the pit-road speed limit, allowing drivers to enter and leave the pits at high rates of speed.

“This was awesome,” Edwards said. “I vote that we do this at every race track.”

Not all agreed.

Judging the speed needed to stop in the pit stall threw off some drivers.

Defending All-Star race champion Jimmie Johnson was among a handful of drivers who skidded past his pit stop when his breaks locked up. He was forced to back up, losing valuable time.

“I didn’t have the car under control in the breaking zone,” said Johnson, who’ll start 18th.

Kevin Harvick’s pit stop was even worse. He overshot his pit stall and didn’t back up far enough before his crew jumped the wall and began working on a tire change with his car still slightly over the line. His time was disallowed and he’ll start at the back of the field Saturday night.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was in second place after 16 cars but a loose lug nut cost him a 5-second penalty and dropped him out of the top 10.

Saturday night’s All-Star race encompasses 90 laps, including four 20-lap segments leading up to a final 10-lap shootout for $1 million.

NASCAR has installed new rules to discourage drivers from sandbagging.

Last year’s champion Jimmie Johnson won the first segment and hung back in the pack for the other three segments knowing he’d secured a top four starting spot in the final 10-lap shootout. That strategy worked well for Johnson, who jumped out to a big lead on the 10-lap shootout and cruised to an easy – and uneventful – victory.

This year’s segment winners aren’t guaranteed a top four spot, and drivers will enter a mandatory pit stop prior to the 10-lap final segment based on their average finish in the first four segments.

Kyle Busch called last year’s rules “stupid” and said he encouraged NASCAR to change them.

“I think the rules are right this year,” Busch said. “Last year, you’re exactly right, you win a segment and you roll in the back. We all knew that and that was the strategy you have to play. Jimmie (Johnson) played it the best obviously. For this year, that’s entirely out the window.”

Track owner Bruton Smith also added some incentive by offering an additional $1 million incentive if a driver can win all four segments and the 10-lap shootout, meaning it’s conceivable a driver could take home $2 million.

Busch estimated the odds of a driver accomplishing that feat are about “300 to one.”

The top two finishers in the Sprint Showdown and the winner of the fan vote will fill out the 22-car field.

Danica Patrick is among those hoping to drive her way into the field.

There have been some rumblings from fans that NASCAR clarified its rule so that the fan vote winner doesn’t have to finish on the lead lap of the Sprint Showdown to qualify for the All-Star race as a way to ensure Patrick gets in.

“From my understanding that was a mistake on NASCAR’s part earlier in the week,” Patrick said. “So, outside of that I have absolutely no idea what the rules are from the past or what they’re going to be or what they’ve been. It’s all new to me.”

NASCAR: Edwards grabs poll for Sprint All-Star race is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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NASCAR: Ex-driver Dick Trickle dead at 71 of apparent suicide

May 17, 2013 By Admin

6fa7b771c588bb957c72d3934d9f48d2 NASCAR: Ex driver Dick Trickle dead at 71 of apparent suicide
Retired race car driver Dick Trickle died after apparently shooting himself at the age of 71.(Photo: Donald Miralle Getty Images)

Story Highlights

Trickle was found next to pickup truck in cemetery
He made a name on short tracks in the Midwest
He notched 303 starts in NASCAR’s premier series, and had 15 top-fives

(PhatzRadio / USA Today) — CHARLOTTE — Former racer Dick Trickle, a colorful character who won hundreds of short-track races across the Midwest, died Thursday from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office told USA TODAY Sports authorities received a call believed to be from Trickle on Thursday saying “there would be a dead body and it would be his.” A 911 operator tried to call the number back, but no one answered.

Trickle’s body was found near his pickup truck at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Boger City, N.C., about 40 miles northwest of Charlotte. Lt. Detective Tim Johnson said foul play is not suspected and said a note was found by the body. Further information — including the contents of the note and what type of gun was used — will not be released.

“We’re trying to protect the family as much as possible, and they had just gotten notified right after it happened,” Johnson said. “We’re trying to respect their privacy.”

The sheriff’s department said Trickle had lived in Lincoln County since the early 1990s. He was 71.

Trickle was the Winston Cup Series rookie of the year in 1989 but never won a Cup race in 303 starts. He won two Busch Series races.

NASCAR: Ex-driver Dick Trickle dead at 71 of apparent suicide is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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NASCAR: Clarification to rule may favor Danica Patrick

May 16, 2013 By Admin

5f05197a2035343c949a30dbef3cf3c4 NASCAR: Clarification to rule may favor Danica Patrick

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) The rules surrounding Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star Race continue to change, and fans are concerned the latest tweak is meant to benefit Danica Patrick.

Among a handful of changes announced Wednesday was a clarification that the winning driver of the Sprint Fan Vote must only have a car in raceable condition to advance into the All-Star Race. That counters earlier announcements that said the winner of the fan vote must finish on the lead lap of the Sprint Showdown preliminary race.

NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp says the earlier reference to finishing on the lead lap was simply miscommunication on NASCAR’s part.

But fans pounced on the tweak, believing it was to benefit Patrick, who has struggled on intermediate tracks this year but is currently among the top-five vote getters.

It’s unlikely that the change will affect the outcome. The last two years, all but one of the cars running at the conclusion of the Showdown was on the lead lap. And, barring an accident or a mishap, the format of two 20-lap segments means it would be difficult for Patrick to be lapped based on performance.

Patrick, who won the fan vote last year as the most popular driver in the Nationwide Series, is inside the top-five headed into Saturday along with Jeff Burton, Bobby Labonte, Martin Truex Jr. and Michael Waltrip. The top two finishers in the Showdown advance into the $1 million main event, as does the winner of the fan vote.

Among other changes announced Wednesday, the qualifying order will be set by random draw because there’s no pit crew competition this year to determine the order. Time trials will include a total time for three laps, including a four-tire pit stop.

New is that there will be no pit-road speed, and the pit crew cannot go over the wall until the car has come to a complete stop.

The no speed limit was intriguing to at least one driver.

“Wow!! Qual for (at)sprint all star race is going to b exciting!!” tweeted Kyle Busch. “NO pit road speed coming in or going out. Not what I had in mind but ok… ?”

The format for the All-Star race was previously announced and basically remains the same at four segments of 20 laps, with an optional pit stop between each segment. NASCAR calls for a mandatory four-tire pit stop before the final 10-lap sprint to the finish.

Drivers will enter pit road for the final stop according to their average finish from the first four segments. That’s a change from last year, when drivers entered pit road with the winners of the first four segments at the front of field. The rest of the field entered based on the order of finish from the fourth segment.

But the winning drivers from each segment sandbagged the rest of the segments and drove around at the back of the field. NASCAR is trying to eliminate that this year with the entry to pit road order on the final stop.

Track owner Bruton Smith has also offered a $1 million bonus to any driver who wins all four segments and the race, making it possible for a driver to win a total of $2 million on Saturday night.

NASCAR: Clarification to rule may favor Danica Patrick is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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NASCAR: Matt Kenseth confident of maintaining his momentum

May 15, 2013 By Admin

6734104ba377f8d3422ed060d124a01d NASCAR: Matt Kenseth confident of maintaining his momentum

Story Highlights

Performance draws comparisons to the ‘Silver Fox’
Kenseth has won three of his 11 starts this season
He stands third in points

(PhatzRadio / USA Today) — DARLINGTON, S.C. — Duplicating the deft driving style of a legend, Matt Kenseth added his name to a hallowed list as a Southern 500 winner Saturday night.

The question now shifts to whether the Sprint Cup star can maintain his blazing start with Joe Gibbs Racing long enough to join another esteemed group as a multitime champion.

The win was the 27th of Kenseth’s career, moving him ahead of Fred Lorenzen into 23rd all time.

The 2003 champion’s Hall of Fame credentials are assured, but another title would validate his move to JGR – where he has won three of his first 11 starts after a 15-season run at Roush Fenway Racing — as among the best free agent moves in NASCAR history.

But in the Chase for the Sprint Cup format, results in the season’s first 26 races often don’t dictate success in the final 10 that determine the championship.

Is it possible Kenseth might be peaking too early?

“I’m not a big believer in that,” Kenseth said. ” I think the goal of a race team and an organization is to never peak.

“That’s one thing I’ve seen (at JGR) from Day One. They’re not standing still. They’re always trying to build a better car. (Toyota) is trying to build a better engine. We’re always, working on the future.”

But there is voluminous evidence of Chase letdowns after strong regular seasons. Look no further than Kyle Busch, who had a start eerily similar to Kenseth’s at JGR five years ago. After winning eight of the first 22 races and entering the Chase as the top seed, Busch didn’t win again, fading to 10th in the final standings.

Busch, though, didn’t face the type of adversity Kenseth has the last few weeks. When Kenseth’s engine failed inspection April 21 after a victory at Kansas Speedway, crew chief Jason Ratcliff was smacked with a six-race suspension, and a 50-point penalty dropped the No. 20 Camry out of the top 10 in the standings and wiped away the win as wild-card eligible.

After starting from the pole at Richmond International Raceway, leading the most laps at Talladega Superspeedway and notching consecutive top-10s with Ratcliff (whose punishment was delayed pending the results of an appeal), Kenseth won at Darlington Raceway on Saturday with interim crew chief Wally Brown.

That was on the heels of a panel Wednesday reducing his points penalty to 12, cutting Ratcliff’s suspension to one race (served Saturday) and restoring the wild-card impact of the Kansas win.

With a series-high three wins (tying his third-best season total) and a No. 3 ranking in points, Kenseth is a lock for the Chase — and he thinks he can duplicate his regular-season performance when it starts.

STANDINGS: Sprint Cup points through Darlington

“I really feel like with this team the sky’s the limit,” he said. “This stuff has been incredibly fast. Jason and I have a special bond right away, with the whole team. Gosh, I couldn’t feel much better about our year so far.”

Another title would put Kenseth in the elite company of Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon, David Pearson, Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt — drivers who earned multiple championships and also won Darlington’s 500-mile marathon that many consider stock car racing’s toughest test of endurance and skill.

It took Kenseth 20 tries to conquer “The Track Too Tough To Tame,” and the significance of beating the 1.366-mile oval wasn’t lost on a two-time Daytona 500 winner.

“I don’t know that I’ve had a win that feels bigger than this,” he said. “This is obviously a really historic racetrack; the Southern 500 is one of the most storied and historic races anywhere, not just in NASCAR. It’s pretty cool to be able to stand in victory lane at (the) same spot where all the other great drivers stood.”

The greatest might have been Pearson, who earned a record 10 wins at Darlington.

Kenseth’s performance Saturday — when he passed Busch and led the final 13 laps after pacing four of the first 354 — drew comparisons to the cagey “Silver Fox” from Spartanburg, S.C., who made a career of snatching checkered flags in the closing stages in notching 105 wins, second most in NASCAR history.

“(Kenseth) didn’t look like he had a winning car all race long until he got the track position, then he took off,” teammate Denny Hamlin said. “Whether it was holding back, he found an extra gear in the last run.”

Follow Nate Ryan on Twitter @nateryan

NASCAR: Matt Kenseth confident of maintaining his momentum is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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NASCAR: Matt Kenseth confident of maintaining his momentum

May 15, 2013 By Admin

6734104ba377f8d3422ed060d124a01d NASCAR: Matt Kenseth confident of maintaining his momentum

Story Highlights

Performance draws comparisons to the ‘Silver Fox’
Kenseth has won three of his 11 starts this season
He stands third in points

(PhatzRadio / USA Today) — DARLINGTON, S.C. — Duplicating the deft driving style of a legend, Matt Kenseth added his name to a hallowed list as a Southern 500 winner Saturday night.

The question now shifts to whether the Sprint Cup star can maintain his blazing start with Joe Gibbs Racing long enough to join another esteemed group as a multitime champion.

The win was the 27th of Kenseth’s career, moving him ahead of Fred Lorenzen into 23rd all time.

But in the Chase for the Sprint Cup format, results in the season’s first 26 races often don’t dictate success in the final 10 that determine the championship.

Is it possible Kenseth might be peaking too early?

“I’m not a big believer in that,” Kenseth said. ” I think the goal of a race team and an organization is to never peak.

That was on the heels of a panel Wednesday reducing his points penalty to 12, cutting Ratcliff’s suspension to one race (served Saturday) and restoring the wild-card impact of the Kansas win.

STANDINGS: Sprint Cup points through Darlington

It took Kenseth 20 tries to conquer “The Track Too Tough To Tame,” and the significance of beating the 1.366-mile oval wasn’t lost on a two-time Daytona 500 winner.

The greatest might have been Pearson, who earned a record 10 wins at Darlington.

Follow Nate Ryan on Twitter @nateryan

NASCAR: Matt Kenseth confident of maintaining his momentum is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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NASCAR: Denny Hamlin passes first test in comeback

May 13, 2013 By Admin

d7bfb4c94d491f1ff97ebea60a5f95a4 NASCAR: Denny Hamlin passes first test in comeback
Denny Hamlin completes a pit stop during the Bojangles’ Southern 500 Saturday night at Darlington Raceway.(Photo: Jerry Lai, USA TODAY Sports)

Story Highlights

Denny Hamlin finished second at Darlington Saturday night
It was Hamlin’s first full race back after fracturing a vertebra in March
Hamlin is still confident he can accumulate the wins or points to make Chase for the Sprint Cup

(PhatzRadio / USA Today) — DARLINGTON, S.C. — After Denny Hamlin raced 500 miles Saturday night at difficult Darlington Raceway — his first full race back since sustaining a fractured vertebra in March — the driver said he was sore, tired and mentally drained.

“Wait ’til you’re 41,” said Jeff Gordon, sitting next to him in a post-race news conference.

“I have the back of a 60-year-old,” Hamlin responded.

Though Hamlin smiled while making that statement, his back pain is no joking matter. Neither is his determination to somehow make NASCAR’s Chase playoff despite missing parts of five races while his spine healed.

The long-shot playoff run would be improbable, though it’s also entirely possible — as Hamlin proved with a second-place finish Saturday night in the Bojangles’ Southern 500.

Hamlin shaved 15 points off his deficit to 20th place — which is where he would need to reach in order to be eligible for a wild card berth — and moved up four spots in the standings (from 31st to 27th).

Darlington seemed to show Hamlin is capable of jumping right back into the car after an absence and being competitive again — even if his body wasn’t up to speed.

Hamlin said his back wasn’t the problem on Saturday night as much as his neck and shoulders, which weren’t used to the G-forces drivers regularly experience.

“You know, it just takes a while,” he said. “Really, it’s like starting your season over with. To start it back over at Darlington for 500 miles, I mean, there’s some muscles that have gotten weak.”

The upcoming non-points Sprint All-Star Race — which is only 135 miles — should give Hamlin another week to get his body re-adjusted to racing conditions before NASCAR’s longest race of the season: A 600-mile race at Charlotte on Memorial Day weekend.

“We’ll have a couple weeks really to rest until the next long event and we’ll be good to go then,” he said.

But though his backbone may be mostly healed and his muscles will soon adapt to driving again, his back as a whole remains a problem.

Hamlin has been fighting bulging discs in his back for several years and said recently he will undergo surgery at some point to fix them. He was strongly considering having the surgery during the season if he couldn’t get cleared to race by Darlington, but it turned out he was.

Now he’ll have to deal with the pain while taking a more intense approach to the 17 races leading up to the Chase. Hamlin said he’s committed to “trying harder,” which includes spending more time talking with his crew (he spent two hours going over a game plan prior to practice when 30 minutes normally would have sufficed for a regular-season race).

Still, Hamlin said he loves the challenge in front of him and is confident he’ll make the top 20. Once there, he’ll need to have one or two victories in order to get a wild card berth, which goes to the two drivers from 11th to 20th in the standings with the most wins.

After sitting on the pit box for most of five weeks, it was obvious to those around Hamlin he was more than ready to get back into the seat.

“I think when you’re not in the sport, you haven’t been driving for a while, (being back in the car) reignites that passion,” Joe Gibbs Racing President J.D. Gibbs said. “He’s kind of back in that mode.”

Follow Jeff Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck

NASCAR: Denny Hamlin passes first test in comeback is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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NASCAR: Matt Kenseth tames Darlington for third win of year

May 12, 2013 By Admin

85518cc8db0451012f77fe0b473637a7 NASCAR: Matt Kenseth tames Darlington for third win of year
Matt Kenseth holds one of his two daughers during introductions for the Bojangles Southern 500 Saturday night at Darlington Raceway.(Photo: Jerry Lai, USA TODAY Sports)

(PhatzRadio / USA Today) — DARLINGTON, S.C. — Matt Kenseth’s dream season with Joe Gibbs Racing now includes Darlington Raceway – the historic oval where he’s been dreaming of an inaugural victory for his entire NASCAR career.

And with his regular crew chief on the sidelines, Saturday night’s triumph in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 took on even more meaning for Kenseth, who said his 27th victory “feels bigger than any win” during a 13-year career in Sprint Cup.

“There’s a lot of tradition here,” he said of the track that opened in 1950. “To be able to win at a track like this, it’s big. It’s one of the biggest races we have. It’s just a special place to win at.”

RESULTS: Bojangles’ Southern 500

STANDINGS: Sprint Cup points through Darlington

Kenseth snatched the lead from teammate Kyle Busch and led the final 13 laps Saturday night. He won with interim crew chief Wally Brown, who stepped in when Jason Ratcliff served a one-race suspension stemming from the No. 20 Toyota’s engine failing postrace inspection after winning last month at Kansas Speedway.

“I feel bad Jason’s not here, but Wally did a great job and all these guys,” said Kenseth, who has won three of his first 11 races since joining JGR after 15 seasons with Roush Fenway Racing. “We had a sixth-place car, and the last two pits stops were awesome. We’ve got a great combination.”

It was the first Sprint Cup win at Darlington for the 2003 champion, who leads the circuit in victories this season and moved up a spot to third in the points standings.

“This is a dream come true, guys,” Kenseth radioed his crew. “Holy cow.”

Denny Hamlin, completing a full race for the first time since fracturing his back nearly two months ago, finished second and made it a sweep of the top two for JGR.

“I’m tired, just wore out,” said Hamlin, whose back didn’t cause any pain during the 500-mile marathon. “This is just a tough, grueling race. The guys on pit road were flawless. The best in the business.

“They kept picking up spots. I kept doing my part on the track. You have to stay so mentally tough for so long and on top of the physical stuff that you got going on, it’s tough to overcome. Luckily it was a good day for us.”

Jeff Gordon finished third in the 700th start of his career in NASCAR’s premier series. He has seven victories at Darlington, most among active drivers.

“I thought that was very cool,” the four-time champion said. “This track has been one of the best for me, and it holds so much history for this sport. I couldn’t’ think of a better place to get the 700th start. Then to have a strong performance, it felt great. I wanted the 700th to be memorable one.”

Jimmie Johnson, who maintained the lead in the standings by 44 points over Carl Edwards, was fourth. Kevin Harvick was fifth.

Busch, who led a race-high 265 of 367 laps, faded to sixth after fending off several spirited challenges from rivals – including a daring maneuver that took Kasey Kahne out of contention when he slid into the Turn 1 wall while trying for the lead with 33 laps remaining. Kahne limped home in 17th with a damaged No. 5 Chevrolet after tangling with Busch for the second consecutive race.

Kahne didn’t appear to make contact with Busch but said he lost the handle on his car because of his rival’s overaggression.

“He entered (the turn) so early and was just going straight for the corner,” said Kahne, who received an apology from Busch after their collision triggered a multicar wreck in last week’s race at Talladega Superspeedway. “Whether he hit me or (disrupted) the air (around Kahne’s car), he blew his entry. I’m not real sure what he was thinking on that.”

Kahne and Busch also tangled early in the season-opening Daytona 500.

“Three times this year, me and Kyle have had contact, and I’ve had (cars) capable (of) winning,” Kahne said. “It’s disappointing on the points side and not winning some of these races.”

Busch was trying to complete a weekend sweep at the 1.366-mile track after a dominant victory in Friday’s Nationwide Series race.

Carl Edwards, Juan Pablo Montoya, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Ryan Newman rounded out the top 10.

Danica Patrick finished 28th, five laps down in her second Cup start at Darlington.

Follow Nate Ryan on Twitter @nateryan

NASCAR: Matt Kenseth tames Darlington for third win of year is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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NASCAR: Kyle Busch wins 5th Nationwide race this season / Kurt Busch turns record lap at Darlington

May 11, 2013 By Admin

d4014680177ff631445eb187eca4e711 NASCAR: Kyle Busch wins 5th Nationwide race this season / Kurt Busch turns record lap at Darlington

Story Highlights

Kyle Busch won his fifth Nationwide race this season
Busch passed Joey Logano with 18 laps remaining
Kurt Busch set a qualifying record to win the pole for the Southern 500 on Saturday night

DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Kyle Busch figured it’d be easy to run his own program on the Nationwide Series after all the wins he’d racked up for Joe Gibbs Racing.

A year on his own and out of Victory Lane, though, taught Busch a hard lesson. Back with JGR, Busch is back to his dominant ways in Nationwide racing. He won his fifth race of the year, pushing past Joey Logano 18 laps from the end to win at Darlington Raceway on Friday night.

“I thought it can’t be hard to upstart an organization and beat JGR,” the 28-year-old Busch said. “But obviously, that’s not the case.”

It was Busch’s 56th Nationwide win, extending his career mark, and the 112th win across Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck series.

KURT BUSCH: Makes History at Darlington

“It starts with having a really good race car,” Busch said. “We unloaded really well and were fast off the truck.”

The same could be said of all JGR entries. Busch finished a second ahead of teammate Elliott Sadler, while Brian Vickers in third and Matt Kenseth in fifth gave Gibbs’ shop four of the top five spots.

It’s the seventh time in eight years a Gibbs racer has taken the Nationwide race at Darlington.

“Our teammates were so strong,” said Busch’s crew chief, Adam Stevens. “Just an impressive weekend for JGR.”

And it may not be over. Kyle Busch qualified third for Saturday night’s Southern 500 and will be going for a third weekend sweep this season following double-doubles in at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., and at Texas Motor Speedway.

“All in all, this was a good night,” Busch says, “and we look forward to tomorrow.”

Busch’s victory also capped a dominant showing by the Busch boys at the track “Too Tough To Tame.” Older brother Kurt set a qualifying record to win the pole for the Southern 500 on Saturday night.

The younger Busch started from the pole and was the strongest car throughout the Nationwide race. He led for 107 of the 147 laps.

Kenseth, a past Nationwide winner here, led the second most laps with 27.

Kenseth thought his car had enough to keep up with Busch, but he said bad positioning on the final restart shuffled him back and he didn’t have enough time to recover. “I felt like we were evenly matched and it was going to be a fun race to the end,” Kenseth said.

Busch said his teammate, Kenseth, was waving at him on the track and made it difficult at times to pass. “So I’ll remember that for tomorrow,” Busch said, smiling.

Logano was in front when the field restarted following the last of four caution periods while Busch was in third. Busch quickly got past second-place Austin Dillon and began reeling in his former JGR teammate in Logano.

Busch swept past Logano on lap 129 and found mostly clear sailing the rest of the way.

Busch is the Nationwide leader with 56 career wins. He did not win in the series while operating a car he owned.

Busch won the 2008 Southern 500.

The leading rookie on the Nationwide series, Kyle Larson, finished sixth while series points leader Regan Smith was seventh. Sprint Cup regular Kasey Kahne was ninth.

Not everything went perfectly for Busch. NASCAR said there was an issue with the car’s front nose and any penalties would be announced next week. Stevens called it an oversight that was embarrassing for JGR.

RESULTS:

1. (1) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 147 laps, 150 rating, 0 points, $44,965.

2. (2) Elliott Sadler, Toyota, 147, 118.9, 42, $33,600.

3. (4) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 147, 117.9, 41, $25,400.

4. (14) Joey Logano, Ford, 147, 102, 0, $17,450.

5. (3) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 147, 122.9, 0, $16,025.

6. (7) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 147, 99.5, 38, $24,675.

7. (11) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 147, 105, 37, $20,410.

8. (9) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 147, 101.7, 36, $19,270.

9. (6) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 147, 105.4, 0, $12,975.

10. (5) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 147, 90.9, 34, $19,925.

11. (8) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 147, 93.1, 33, $18,525.

12. (18) Chris Buescher, Ford, 147, 87.2, 32, $12,450.

13. (15) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 147, 80.4, 0, $18,400.

14. (26) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 147, 81.6, 30, $18,350.

15. (12) Parker Kligerman, Toyota, 147, 81.2, 29, $19,475.

16. (21) Nelson Piquet Jr., Chevrolet, 147, 74.3, 28, $18,175.

17. (13) Alex Bowman, Toyota, 147, 72.4, 27, $18,125.

18. (16) Reed Sorenson, Ford, 147, 80.6, 26, $18,075.

19. (19) Mike Bliss, Toyota, 146, 67, 25, $18,025.

20. (27) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 146, 57.6, 25, $18,625.

21. (22) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, 146, 59.9, 23, $17,900.

22. (24) Blake Koch, Toyota, 146, 63.7, 22, $17,850.

23. (20) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 146, 58.5, 0, $17,800.

24. (28) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 146, 58.3, 20, $17,750.

25. (25) Mike Wallace, Chevrolet, 146, 58.2, 19, $18,155.

26. (37) Eric McClure, Toyota, 144, 41.9, 18, $17,625.

27. (38) Danny Efland, Chevrolet, 144, 45, 17, $17,575.

28. (17) Travis Pastrana, Ford, 144, 61.3, 16, $17,500.

29. (34) Hal Martin, Toyota, 143, 43.1, 16, $17,465.

30. (30) Dexter Stacey, Ford, 142, 39.9, 14, $17,725.

31. (35) Harrison Rhodes, Ford, 141, 36.4, 0, $17,375.

32. (10) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 139, 58, 12, $17,345.

33. (39) Tony Raines, Toyota, 139, 33.6, 12, $17,315.

34. (33) Kyle Fowler, Ford, accident, 108, 43.2, 10, $17,285.

35. (40) Kevin Lepage, Toyota, rear gear, 27, 31.9, 9, $11,229.

36. (36) Bryan Silas, Toyota, accident, 21, 35.3, 0, $16,520.

37. (31) Jeff Green, Toyota, vibration, 16, 35.9, 7, $10,500.

38. (23) J.J. Yeley, Chevrolet, rear gear, 7, 32.9, 0, $10,426.

39. (32) Chase Miller, Chevrolet, overheating, 4, 29.7, 5, $10,315.

40. (29) Tanner Berryhill, Toyota, rear gear, 3, 28.6, 4, $10,290.

NASCAR: Kyle Busch wins 5th Nationwide race this season / Kurt Busch turns record lap at Darlington is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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