Dust still settling from Sonoma scrapes
June 30, 2011
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP)—It was just a handshake between a pair of rivals on a day in which most of the drivers were mad at somebody.
But the gesture of goodwill from Kyle Busch toward Kevin Harvick certainly made news across the Sprint Cup Series garage. The two don’t like each other, tangled after a race in May that earned them each a $25,000 fine, and were warned by NASCAR last month to stop messing with each other on the race track.
So after all the post-race sniping last Sunday at Sonoma between drivers who had been involved in on-track incidents, it was strange to see Busch and Harvick acting buddy-buddy.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – JUNE 30: … Getty Images – Jun 30, 7:13 pm EDT NASCAR Gallery
“I felt like we had a really good race with each other, so, just wanted to let him know that,” Busch said Thursday at Daytona International Speedway. “We gave each other great room and raced each other hard and clean. And that’s all there is to it.”
Maybe so, but the unexpected handshake left Harvick a bit perplexed.
“I mean, we raced together for a lap and a half,” Harvick said. “I was as confused about all that as everybody else.”
Was it enough to patch things up between the two drivers?
“I wouldn’t call it good to go on that,” Harvick said.
It was at least good on one day, though, and that day happened to be one in which the list of angry drivers might have been as long as the race track.
Kasey Kahne was mad at Juan Pablo Montoya, and Montoya said Thursday although he was OK with Brad Keselowski, his wife was pretty angry at the Penske Racing driver. Joey Logano and Robby Gordon played another round of bumper cars, and Brian Vickers exacted revenge on Tony Stewart by intentionally wrecking him as retaliation for Stewart bumping him earlier.
Whether there’s any carry-over Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway remains to be seen.
“Does it carry-over into the next week? It’s always there,” said Sonoma winner Kurt Busch. “Drivers never forget.”
That could make it interesting at Daytona, where the new style of restrictor plate racing requires drivers to have a drafting partner. Two-car tandems is the new norm at Daytona and Talladega, and drivers don’t have a chance at the victory if they don’t find a drafting partner they can trust.
In an ideal world, drivers will only work with drivers they like. But nothing is ideal at Daytona, and it’s quite possible that two feuding drivers could find themselves hooked up on the track.
“It seems like each year that you go to those restrictor-plate races that you have your friends that you’re going to draft with and then you have those guys that you’ve had some run-ins with that you don’t necessarily want to draft with,” Kurt Busch said. “But what ends up happening in this two-car draft scenario is wherever you come out on pit road after a pit stop, and if you haven’t teamed-up with someone, you might end up drafting with someone that might be on that list that you don’t like.
“You have to do the best that you can do to win. You’ve got to put your differences aside for the short term.”
Jeff Gordon, who finished second at Sonoma, said drivers are trying to figure out who to draft with long before Saturday night’s race.
“I’m sure there’s already been calls being made because a lot of times you have your drafting partner set up from maybe Talladega or maybe earlier in Daytona, and if you made that guy angry on Sunday at Sonoma, it’s going to make that phone call a little tougher,” Gordon said earlier this week.
Gordon, who had a clean race at Sonoma, said he’s already set it up to work with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin.
Harvick will likely work with his Richard Childress Racing teammates. But should he find himself forced to work with Kyle Busch, at least one driver thinks Harvick will be fine.
“I would consider (the handshake) genuine,” said Denny Hamlin, Busch’s teammate. “Kyle is just not a ‘head games’ type of guy, I don’t believe. He never really does anything on-track to instigate it. I feel like he’s one of the most fair racers really out there. Even though he’s aggressive at times, he does a pretty good job of keeping it relatively safe for the other drivers.”
But does Hamlin, who has had his own feuds with Busch, believe there is hope for Busch-Harvick reconciliation?
“Every team has its own makeup and drivers have their own personalities, and a lot of times they don’t mesh well together and we saw that with the 29 and the 18 this year. But in general, everyone is going to work it out in time.
“Even though you consider yourself the toughest of rivals we still do a lot of things together that kind of patch that up at times.”
Danica returns to NASCAR, still weighing options
June 30, 2011
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP)—Even though everyone around her is wondering and waiting, Danica Patrick has no timetable for making a decision about her racing future.
Patrick reiterated Thursday at Daytona International Speedway that she’s in no hurry to chose between IndyCar and NASCAR.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – JUNE 30: … Getty Images – Jun 30, 7:16 pm EDT NASCAR Gallery
She says career moves “are complicated and take time.”
Her pending decision has been a major topic of conversation all season, much of it coming as she jumped from NASCAR to the IndyCar Series and back again.
Finding success in both series could make her choice even tougher. She was fourth in a Nationwide race at Las Vegas in March, the best finish for a female driver in NASCAR history, and has posted four top-10s in her last five IndyCar events.
Dust still settling from Sonoma scrapes (PA SportsTicker)
June 30, 2011
By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP)—So much was made about all the feuding drivers after last week’s race at Sonoma that few noticed a pair of rivals actually getting along.
SONOMA, CA – JUNE 26: Kyle Bu… Getty Images – Jun 26, 8:17 pm EDT NASCAR Gallery
Kyle Busch approached Kevin Harvick after Sunday’s race and offered him a congratulatory handshake. He said Thursday the gesture was done because he felt he and Harvick raced each other hard, but clean, and wanted Harvick to know he appreciated it.
But don’t believe the gesture has turned the two into best friends.
Harvick said Thursday he was confused by the handshake. He also didn’t indicate he’s changed his mind about Busch.
The two tangled post-race in May and their antics earned both a $25,000 fine.
Kurt Busch says he’s ending his marriage
June 30, 2011
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP)—Former NASCAR champion Kurt Busch says he is legally separated from his wife and in the process of formally ending his marriage.
Busch married Eva Bryan in 2006, three years to the day of them meeting on a blind date.
Eva Busch has not been seen this season at the track, where wives and girlfriends have a heavy presence on pit road and atop the pit boxes during races.
But Busch was not asked about his marital status until Thursday, four days after he kissed another woman in Victory Lane last week at Sonoma.
He read from prepared remarks in addressing his marital status, and says his personal life has not affected his racing.
Busch’s win last week was his first of the season, and he’s fourth in the Sprint Cup standings.
Daytona launches smartphone app (NASCAR.com)
June 30, 2011
Daytona International Speedway executives know that navigating their massive 480-acre motorsports park can be a challenge, so they’re launching a smartphone application to help fans find everything from restrooms to concession stands.
The iPhone and Android app will be beta-tested during this weekend’s Coke Zero 400. Fans who sign up for the app on the speedway’s website or Facebook page will be able to download and test it.
The track is the first owned by International Speedway Corp. to create an app. If the test goes well, the company’s technology division plans to develop similar apps for the company’s 11 other tracks that host Sprint Cup races.
SONOMA, CA – JUNE 26: A gener… Getty Images – Jun 26, 4:51 pm EDT NASCAR Gallery
Las Vegas Motor Speedway was the first track to launch a facility-specific app. It debuted during the track’s March race and provided fans with a GPS-based guide that could take them into the track and to their seats.
Like Las Vegas, Daytona partnered with technology company Thermopylae to develop a GPS-based guide to its track. But its app features other elements, including maps for trams, ingress and egress and parking; late-breaking news; a friend finder that allows you to locate a friend anywhere on the grounds; access to the speedway’s Twitter feed and Facebook page; and the ability to buy tickets.
Craig Neeb, ISC’s chief information officer, said Daytona may look to monetize the app in the future with some advertising, but that’s not a major priority. He added that doing so would require collaborating with NASCAR’s top series partner, Sprint, which has mobile exclusivity through its partnership with the sport’s sanctioning body.
“At this point, we’re looking to support guests and their experience,” Neeb said. “There’s an expectation we have this stuff.”
Neeb said the app is carrier-agnostic. It was developed by Accesso, which has developed smartphone applications for theme parks and the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The track anticipates anywhere from 200 to 1,000 fans will test it.
The company has found that its tracks’ mobile sites generate considerable traffic during race weekends. The recent Cup race at Michigan International Speedway generated more than 50,000 page views from mobile phones.
In the future, Neeb believes NASCAR will collaborate with tracks on an app that provides race content to fans, as well. The sanctioning body spent much of the past year conducting a survey at tracks to better understand the fan experience at its races and has been vocal about providing more technology services to fans.
“Ultimately, I can see a NASCAR app for the industry, and there’s a Daytona version, a Talladega version and a Richmond version that plugs into it,” Neeb said. “I can see this aggregating at a bigger level.”
Track Smack: Stewart, Vickers have at it, NASCAR does not (NASCAR.com)
June 30, 2011
1. Brian Vickers took Tony Stewart out in an obvious retaliation move Sunday at Infineon Raceway. Should NASCAR have intervened in any way?David Caraviello: First of all, let me say that was some impressive frontier justice dispensed there by the Sheriff. Vickers hit Stewart so hard, he not only hung up Tony in the Turn 11 tire barrier, he spun himself out, too. The defining image of the race was the No. 14 dangling up there helpless. All that said, regardless of what we think, NASCAR is allowing guys to settle stuff like this on the race track, for better or worse.Bill Kimm: While it was clear Brian Vickers blatantly took out Tony Stewart, there is no way NASCAR should have intervened. This is what NASCAR wants—you handle it on the track, no one else was involved, and both Vickers and Stewart admitted they did things on purpose. This is what “boys, have at it” is supposed to be.
David Caraviello: Yeah, this clearly fits into that edict, Bill, despite how outrageously obvious it was. But that doesn’t mean deep down, I don’t have conflicted issues over something like this. Again, I get it, NASCAR allows them to do it, it’s not going to intervene. But a hard foul in basketball or a plunked batter in baseball draws some kind of result from officials, however relatively minor, and I don’t really like the fact that drivers can go out and hammer one another without any official recourse.
SONOMA, CA – JUNE 26: Brian V… Getty Images – Jun 26, 7:39 pm EDT NASCAR Gallery
Bill Kimm: Vickers did help NASCAR in its non-decision by heading to the garage due to all the damage. If the No. 83 stayed on track, would NASCAR have black-flagged him?
Joe Menzer: I don’t think so, Bill. Or at least I would hope not. Let’s make this very clear: Tony started it by deliberately taking out Vickers in the first place. He thought Brian was blocking him—Brian denies this—and despite it being very early in the race, a cooler head did not prevail. Tony was impatient and stupid—the very things he’s been railing on other drivers about. So if you decide to penalize Vickers for retaliation, you also would have had to come back and penalize Stewart for starting it in the first place. Then you could be back to the seemingly never-ending cycle of penalizing guys for all sorts of stuff.
Bill Kimm: The best thing about this … Vickers slowed down to let Stewart by, who eagerly accepted. What was Smoke thinking? Did he not think Vickers was gonna get payback? Vickers slowed down going into Turn 11, where all the carnage was taking place. I was really surprised Smoke fell into the trap.
David Caraviello: I will say, Joe, for a guy fighting for a Chase spot, perhaps that wasn’t the smartest of decisions. And you’re right .. just a few days earlier, Tony mentioned to the media about how somebody was going to do something stupid. Somebody with that much at stake doesn’t need to get caught up in petty on-track stuff, regardless of what message he wants to send. It’s a long season. And Bill, was Tony just supposed to screech to a stop on the race track? After you, sir. No, please, after you.
Bill Kimm: If you know you are probably going to get spun … yeah. Why else would Vickers basically stop on the track?
Joe Menzer: No. NASCAR did the right thing by letting the boys have at it. Stewart was impatient and wrong to wreck Vickers in the first place, and Vickers later settled the score. End of story. The right call by NASCAR was no call.Joe Menzer: Well, what Smoke said after the race was that he believed Vickers was blocking him. He thought that was stupid. And he said that he doesn’t care who blocks him in the future, he’s going to punt ‘em. If anything, that’s what NASCAR needs to look at. If this becomes a pattern with Tony, then it might have to step in and look at doing something to settle him down. I’m talking about the first incident, of course.David Caraviello: Vickers didn’t basically stop. He slowed down enough to let Tony get by him. Big difference. All this stuff happens so quickly, I’m not sure Tony could have reacted even if he knew what Brian was up to. But it was a heck of a trap Vickers set, I’ll give you that. Of course, I’m running on only seven hours of sleep, so perhaps my memory is fuzzy.
Joe Menzer: Try a neck pillow. I’m about to get mine out right now!
David Caraviello: No thanks. They’re a little goofy-looking for me. And a little birdie told me they don’t work!
Bill Kimm: To me, the bigger issue is the racing at Infineon. While it is highly entertaining, this is two years in a row where its been more like bumper cars at Six Flags over Georgia than stock-car racing. I’m not sure I like the direction Infineon racing is going.
David Caraviello: Don’t know how you change that, Bill. More turns equals more chances for craziness. It’s why road courses rule. Let’s add Montreal to the Chase!
Joe Menzer: Speaking of goofy, I find that a goofy statement, Bill. I love the racing at Infineon. You do know that this is a contact sport, right?
Bill Kimm: I don’t remember this much bumper cars at Watkins Glen. And no, Joe, NASCAR is not a contact sport, but for a couple of times a year.
Joe Menzer: Um, I guess you haven’t received the repeated memos from Brian France then. It most certainly is, and always has been to at least some degree, a contact sport. As is Track Smack on days Bill is involved!
David Caraviello: Watkins Glen is a completely different layout. It’s faster and doesn’t provide as much opportunity for the kind of stuff we saw Sunday, though it produces plenty of action in its own right. Joe, I think I understand why Bill doesn’t like road courses. He gets beat up and banged on so much in Track Smack, they bring back bad memories.
2. A few weeks ago this would have seemed a ridiculous question, but now their statistics are almost identical. So who is the bigger championship threat—Jimmie Johnson or Kurt Busch?
Bill Kimm: As impressive as Kurt Busch has been recently, and despite the fact he is a former Cup champ, I still have to give the edge to Jimmie Johnson. Five-Time has been so dominant in the fall the past five years, he will continue to be the favorite until he is mathematically eliminated.
David Caraviello: Wow, whoever comes up with these questions really did a good job this week. A few weeks ago, when Kurt was piling up back-to-back-to-back season-worst finishes, I would have laughed at this. Now? That 22 is scary. The big unknown is whether they can sustain it for the rest of the year, something they haven’t yet been able to do at Penske Racing. We know the 48 team can. We know they’ll be there at the end. As good as Kurt is right now, showing longevity is a different matter.
Joe Menzer: Aw, come on. That’s still a ridiculous question. Jimmie still rules on the 1.5-mile tracks that are so important in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Kurt still seems to go in and out on those—and as talented a wheelman as he is, I need to see more consistency in the way he interacts with his team and the results they produce.
David Caraviello: Yes, Joe, Jimmie is so good on the mile-and-a-halfs that he was 16th at Las Vegas and eighth at Texas and 28th at Charlotte. I’m not saying they won’t flip the switch going forward, but they haven’t shown the same prowess on those layouts to this point that they historically have.
Bill Kimm: So seven strong races automatically makes you a championship contender? Very interesting concept, David.
Joe Menzer: Well, listen, at some point Five-Time’s reign will come to an end. It very well may be in progress now. But if you’re asking me—as I believe we were all asked—who the bigger championship threat is right now, no doubt it’s Jimmie. He’s ahead in points, more consistent, and knows how to keep a cool head and be consistent in the Chase. Kurt struggles with much of that, as talented as he is.
David Caraviello: As for Bill’s misguided comment, I think guys like Kurt and Denny Hamlin, who have reversed things in such a stunning manner, can be very dangerous. Kurt gets another win or two—and he’ll be a favorite this weekend at Daytona, given how strong he was during all of Speedweeks—and suddenly you go from a borderline Chase contender to a high Chase seed. And once you’re there, anything can happen. Again, they have to sustain it, and that’s yet to be seen, but right now? You have watched the races the past few weeks, right, Bill?
Bill Kimm: Absolutely, David, it’s my job. But like Joe said (and man that was hard to type), Kurt struggles with many traits it takes to win the championship. Things are going well, so all is good in the No. 22 shop. Back-to-back 20th or worse though, and look out. It’s been a great couple of months for Busch, but will it continue? I’m not so sure. Of course, I’m misguided so what do I know?
Joe Menzer: We tend to have a knee-jerk reaction sometimes when a guy wins one race. Listen, Kurt drove a terrific mistake-free race and won for the first time on a road course Sunday at Sonoma. It was impressive. But the top threats in my mind right now to supplant Jimmie remain Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick, with Jeff Gordon coming up strong on the outside to make it a three-wide race. And don’t ever discount the younger Busch, although he and Harvick might eventually eliminate each other.
David Caraviello: I mean, if you want to get right down to it, look at the stats—Jimmie’s only had six or seven really great weeks, his have just been spread out throughout the season. So it’s not at all a ridiculous statement to say they’re a bit even right now. Again, the 48 has shown the ability to stretch it over 10 weeks, and the 22 hasn’t, and that will ultimately be the decider here.
* Movers and Chasers: TNT’s Alexander breaks down the point standings
Joe Menzer: I also would rate Denny Hamlin a stronger contender to knock off Jimmie than I would Kurt. He’s been there in the heat of the hunt and seemingly has learned from it—and despite tough luck last Sunday, he had been showing some signs of pulling it all together recently. He’ll be back in the mix, and soon.
Bill Kimm: Denny is running out of time, Joe. He’s not even top-10 in points right now. The win helps in the wild card, but he’s got to turn things around now.
Joe Menzer: Bill, are you even watching this season? Denny has been coming hard, running well and consistently for several weeks, until A.J. Allmendinger ran into him and caused a mechanical problem that wrecked his day at Sonoma. That hardly means he’s now out of it. This is why, Bill, you are struggling to keep up with me in Fantasy Showdown, the fabulous NASCAR.COM Fantasy Live racing game.
David Caraviello: Guys, easy on Bill. We all know he spends his Sundays catching up on Men of a Certain Age on DVR. Probably makes him a little emotional. So let’s not be too harsh.
Bill Kimm: Running well and finishing are two completely different things, Joe. In the past six races, Hamlin has as many top-10 finishes as he does outside the top 10. That does not make a champion. You two crack me up. Of the three of us, there is only one who works every weekend, and his name ain’t David or Joe.
Joe Menzer: Hamlin won the race before this last one! And just because we’re not at a race doesn’t mean we aren’t paying attention to what’s going on!
David Caraviello: Actually, I’m usually out gardening. You should see my hibiscus!
Joe Menzer: I’m not even sure what that is … and not sure I want to know.
3. On to Daytona, and another round of tandem drafting. Is another shocker in store like we saw in the Daytona 500 with Trevor Bayne?
Joe Menzer: I don’t think so. It could happen, of course. It always can happen in a restrictor-plate race. But I sense that one of the big names, the true contenders, will rise to the occasion in this race. Of the others, the off-beat guy I might pick would be Regan Smith—and he wouldn’t be that much of a surprise now, given what else he’s already done this season.
Bill Kimm: At Daytona, you can’t rule it out. But, a look at the most recent 400-milers at Daytona shows a more dominant list of drivers who have won: Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch. The July race doesn’t seem to have as many surprises.
David Caraviello: Well, you look at who was up front in the Daytona 500, and you’d have to say the potential is certainly there. Guys like David Gilliland, Dave Blaney, Bobby Labonte and Regan Smith were all in the mix toward the end, and who knows who is going to shuffle out of that pack. Nothing will be as emotional and as significant as Bayne and the Wood Brothers winning, of course, but everybody’s going to need a partner, and at the end nobody is picky, and we could absolutely see a few dark horses in the mix at the finish.
Joe Menzer: Um, Jamie McMurray won the Coke Zero 400—well, then the Pepsi 400—in 2007 when that was considered a bit of a shocker. But overall, and it pains me to say this, Bill is right. It seems the bigger upsets occur in the longer Daytona 500.
David Caraviello: See, never taking a day off allows Bill to do his homework, and he’s right (in this case)—the shorter race typically cuts down on the unpredictability. But then again, we’ve never seen a 400 under this drafting format, so it’s going to be all new.
Bill Kimm: Yeah, McMurray is the one exception since 2003. Other than that, it’s a pretty strong list of names that are in Victory Lane. So while none of us are expecting a major upset, in the case one happens, who do we like?
Joe Menzer: Then again, who was the last real surprise winner of the Daytona 500 prior to Trevor Bayne? Ward Burton in 2002? So let’s not give Bill a big head here.
David Caraviello: So if there’s less unpredictability, and the heavy hitters typically control and win this race, then it all goes back to the last question—Mr. No. 22. Maybe if Kurt Busch wins Saturday night, you guys will finally be a believer. Lot of space on the Kurt bandwagon right now, trust me.
Bill Kimm: Joe, with you around, there’s no room for my head to get large. And it will take more than a Daytona win to get me on the Kurt bandwagon.
Joe Menzer: I could tell you, Bill, who I’m putting on my fantasy team. But then I would have to … well, you know. That’s got to be top-secret stuff right now as I continue to pummel the rest of you stiffs in Fantasy Showdown.
David Caraviello: Joe, I would guess you could call Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth unlikely (but not surprise) Daytona 500 winners, given their relative lack of success there. And let’s not forget Mark Martin came a fraction of a second away from winning the thing. So unexpected events can happen.
Joe Menzer: But those are not shockers. Those are guys who have won their share of Cup races. So I’m not buying that one, Caraviello. As for one of the guys I like in this race, I will give you a hint: One particular driver who is extremely popular and hasn’t won in like three years is going to be there toward the end this time. He’s one to watch.
David Caraviello: And don’t forget, the Daytona 400-miler produced Greg Biffle’s first career win, back when nobody knew who he was. That was a stunner. I believe fuel mileage entered the equation that night. So it’s not always the favorites who win this thing.
Joe Menzer: Carl Edwards will be bad fast and won’t settle for finishing second this time, if he’s in the hunt at the end. He’s another one to watch—although I have no comment on whether he’s on my fantasy roster or not this week.
David Caraviello: Hey, Joe—very tempted here to write “where you going with that gun in your hand”—Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran strong in most of the Daytona 500 before a cut tire sent him back in the field and a wreck took him out. He seems to always be better in the 400 than the 500 anyway. I know people like to think every week is “the” week with him, but this one could really be.
Bill Kimm: Dale Earnhardt Jr. might be a good fantasy pick, but I don’t see him in Victory Lane this weekend. I do like the Hendrick stable this weekend, though. Jimmie and Jeff have to be heavy favorites. And how great would it be to see Jeff get that 85th career victory at Daytona!
* Sound Off: Gordon on his drafting plans; his response to Junior saying he doesn’t like drafting
David Caraviello: Man, you guys are completely dismissing Kurt, aren’t you? Did you watch Speedweeks?
Bill Kimm: February was a long time ago, David.
Joe Menzer: The Hendrick guys will be tough, no doubt. But finally, you make a good point, Mr. Caraviello. Kurt was dominant at times during Speedweeks and now he’s got a teammate who is running much better in Brad Keselowski. Those two could be formidable working together. Although Kurt didn’t discriminate in who he worked with during Speedweeks.
David Caraviello: Kurt and Regan Smith worked very well together in the 500, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them do it again. Finally, one of you guys sees the light. Must be all that sleep you got on the airplane thanks to your neck pillow, Joe.
Joe Menzer: Uh … what? I must have dozed off again after taking that red-eye home from San Francisco. Or maybe it was after reading Bill’s latest ridiculous comment. Pass the neck pillow, please.
Bill Kimm: Bottom line, there are probably 30 drivers who could win this weekend. All I hope is we have a great race. And that Joe actually stays awake for it.
The opinions expressed are solely those of the participants.
Porsche to return to Le Mans 24-hour race in 2014
June 30, 2011
STUTTGART, Germany (AP)—Porsche says it will return to the Le Mans 24-hourrace in 2014.
The German sports car manufacturer has won the French race a record 16 timesbut hasn’t entered in the top-tier category since Laurent Aiello, StephaneOrtelli and Allan McNish drove a Porsche 911 GTI to victory in 1998.
Porsche said Thursday it will develop a “completely new car” for the racethat might include hybrid technology if the rules allow.
From the Notebook: Payback always looming on the horizon (NASCAR.com)
June 30, 2011
Payback is always looming on the horizon in NASCAR racing, and in the aftermath of a particularly brutal season-opening Sprint Cup road-course event last weekend at Infineon Raceway, it makes the upcoming Coke Zero 400 at Daytona really interesting.
And why is that? Because tandem drafting became the only way to go in February as rookie Trevor Bayne used the method of racing to great effect and became the youngest Daytona 500 winner in history. And the phenomenon continued in the spring at Talladega.
But what will it be like this weekend, after a lot of fenders get bent and even more feelings flayed? Jeff Gordon, who came out of Infineon last season with more than a few enemies, had a unique perspective this week.
“It’s certainly an interesting aspect to be going into Daytona after coming from Sonoma, that a lot of guys are going to have to consider and think about,” Gordon said after the race. “It’s going to make the week go very interesting. I’m sure there’s already been calls being made because a lot of times you have your drafting partner set up from maybe Talladega or maybe earlier in Daytona and if you made that guy angry on Sunday at Sonoma, it’s going to make that phone call a little tougher.”
At Daytona and Talladega, the Hendrick teammates made it a point to work together, with Gordon opting in with Mark Martin and five-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson latching onto Dale Earnhardt Jr. Expect that to continue, Gordon said.
“More important, for me, I feel fortunate [that] we had a great working relationship with Mark Martin at Talladega and we continue to do that and plan to continue to do that in Daytona this weekend,” Gordon said. “He and I had no issues on Sunday, and unlike last year, I kept it pretty clean this year at Sonoma, so hopefully I don’t have too many other enemies this weekend out there, also.”
Only time will tell.
* Menzer: Gordon leaves Infineon with smiles, not target
Block and get dumped
Last weekend’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway had its share of great racing, but it also had a triple handful of emotion, and that’s a good part of what can make Sprint Cup racing great—not to mention the similar action on display Saturday at Road America.
One of the best comments I heard in the aftermath of Sonoma, and I’m kinda paraphrasing here, came from Ryan Newman—who was involved in a couple set-to’s and verbally drawn into another by his boss, owner/driver Tony Stewart.
Newman was asked about blocking, because Stewart, early in the race dumped Brian Vickers after accusing Vickers of blocking him. What wasn’t clear was if Stewart was talking about numerous points, not only in the race but earlier this season—though everyone, including Vickers, jumped on the point-of-impact as an unavoidable part of racing and not a block.
Anyways, Stewart said he would have dumped his own teammate, Newman, if Newman was blocking him. Don’t worry about it. Newman said he despised blocking as much as Stewart did and said it was particularly an issue at Infineon.
Newman brilliantly cited some of his competitors’ lack of nerve, or ability when he said words to the effect of “they need to grow up and learn how to get into the corner deeper,” or “they need to grow ‘em and get into the corner deeper.”
Why are we not surprised such a hardcore racer’s mentality comes courtesy a couple of former USAC champions?
* Stewart, Vickers in agreement on accidents | Watch: Vickers delivers payback
Stewart still stewing?
Tony Stewart had plenty of reason to be frustrated after his potential top-five finish last weekend ended up in a heap atop a tire wall at Sonoma, a result of payback by Brian Vickers. After a couple days after the incident, Stewart’s feelings, understandably, hadn’t cleared much.
“I don’t really feel that frustrated anymore about it,” Stewart said. “I pretty much stood my ground and I’m still not happy about the outcome, obviously, but I kind of knew that was potentially what could happen out of it because of what happened earlier in the race. It’s like I said, I don’t race guys that way and I’m not going to let anybody else race us that way—it’s doesn’t matter who it is.”
More good things happen for Baldwin
Geoff Bodine’s latest attempt to keep his driving career going, which resulted in a five-race deal with Tommy Baldwin Racing backed by Luke & Associates beginning this weekend at Daytona, has turned out to be somewhat of a financial windfall for Baldwin. The driver raced his way into the precious top 35 in owners’ points earlier this season—and with the help of lead driver Dave Blaney—has solidly stayed there.
Luke & Associates will be an associate sponsor on Blaney’s car, in addition to its primary placement on Bodine’s No. 35 Chevrolet at Daytona, Charlotte, Talladega, Texas and Homestead.
NEMCO steps up for missing persons
As part of the Extenze Local Hero program, 2010 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Conway and teammate/owner Joe Nemechek are stepping up to assist the Daytona Beach Police Department this weekend in the longstanding Diane and Tammy Hollins missing persons case.
During Friday’s Subway Jalapeno 250 Nationwide race, Conway’s No. 87 Toyota will carry the image of Diane Hollins while Nemechek’s No. 97 will carry the image of Tammy Hollins along with police contact information on the cars’ deck lids.
Diane Hollins, who was 31, and her daughter, 14 at the time they went missing, were last seen by a neighbor on June 9, 1979 walking away from their house in the 500 block of Park Drive. Diane never showed up for work and Tammy never showed up to school that day.
“This case has been a real mystery to us,” Steve Beres, deputy chief of the Daytona Beach Police Department said. “Other than the neighbor who last saw Diane and Tammy, this is a case where there were really no witnesses and very limited information on the missing persons. Hopefully someone will see these race cars carrying the images of the Hollins and come forward and give us some long awaited information to help solve this case. We think it is tremendous what Extenze Racing and NEMCO Motorsports are doing to help us in this case.”
Psyched for Kentucky
Count Tony Stewart among those excited about the inaugural Sprint Cup weekend at Kentucky Speedway, which slots into the weekend following Daytona and includes a NASCAR triple-header with the Camping World Truck Series (Friday) and Nationwide Series (Saturday).
“[It’s] definitely long overdue for sure,” Stewart said. “Ever since the speedway opened, we all wondered when we were going to have a Cup date there and definitely think it took a lot longer than all of us anticipated. Just the tri-state area there has such deep racing roots with dirt track racing and pavement racing—it’s a perfect market, it’s a perfect area and the race fans that go there are true diehard race fans.”
The grandstands will tell the tale next week, as they have all year.
* Kentucky: Track Page | Tickets
No news is no news on Gordon’s retirement
The media often won’t let go of many bones it gets its teeth into, and talking retirement with Jeff Gordon is one of them. As Gordon’s family grew to two children and he continued to thrive as a competitor—he won his second race of the season at Pocono—he made it clear that retirement was not in his near future.
He reiterated that this week.
“I’ve never looked at [retirement] from an age standpoint,” Gordon said. “The Chase [for the Sprint Cup] definitely heightens the emotions and the stress level and the pressure to go out there, not only once you get in the Chase for the championship, but trying to make it into the Chase.
“So, yeah, there’s definitely some significance there. It makes you have to be in better shape physically and mentally as the season winds down, so it takes more of a toll on you as you get older. But I’ve never really put an age limit on where my career is going.
“I’ve always said that it’s really three components that’s going to make those decisions, and when that time comes, that it’s time for me to maybe move on from driving full-time. And that’s being healthy, enjoying what I’m doing, and being competitive. And I feel like all three of those things kind of link together.”
And there’s obviously no worries on Gordon’s part on any of those fronts, this season.
The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.
By the Numbers: Current top 10 a far cry from Daytona 500 top-10 (NASCAR.com)
June 30, 2011
Daytona International Speedway is a 2.5-mile tri-oval with 31 degrees banking in the corners. The frontstretch is 3,800 feet—1,900 feet to and from the tri-oval (at the start/finish line), which has 18 degrees banking; the backstretch is 3,000 feet with 3 degrees banking.
NATIONWIDE SERIES | Subway Jalapeno 250 (7:30 p.m. ET Friday)
3—Summer wins at Daytona for Dale Earnhardt Jr., the only driver with more than one victory in the past 10 July races. Earnhardt is not entered in this year’s race, marking only the second time since the Nationwide Series added a summer date for Daytona in 2002 that he will not compete.
SONOMA, CA – JUNE 26: Dale Ea… Getty Images – Jun 26, 7:58 pm EDT NASCAR Gallery
9 — Consecutive races at Daytona in which Kyle Busch has led. He will set a track record if he leads this week. Busch has led 10 or more laps in eight of those races, but no more than 19 in the past six events. He led the most laps three times, including his only win in the summer of 2007.
6 — Nationwide Series victories at Daytona for Tony Stewart, tied with Dale Earnhardt Jr. for second-most behind Dale Earnhardt’s seven. Stewart has won the past four Daytona races in which he’s competed (all in February), for three different teams: Joe Gibbs Racing (2008); Hendrick Motorsports (2009); Kevin Harvick Inc. (2010 and ’11). Stewart will drive the No. 9 Chevrolet of KHI this week; he has made only two summer starts at DIS, finishing 12th for KHI in 2006 and fourth for JGR in ’07.
35—Lead changes in the Nationwide race at Daytona in February, tying the track record for most lead changes (1984 and ’86) in a series event at the track. The margin of victory of .007 seconds (Tony Stewart beat Clint Bowyer) was the closest ever at the track; it was the third-closest MOV in series history.
Very Interesting
6—Consecutive races at Daytona that have ended with a green-white-checkered finish. Daytona and Richmond are tied for second among active tracks for producing the most G-W-C finishes; only Phoenix has more with seven. The final green-flag stretch has been less than 10 laps in 18 of the past 23 races at Daytona, including all nine summer races when the longest green stretch to end the race has been nine laps (2003 and ’04).
SPRINT CUP SERIES | Coke Zero 400 (7:30 p.m. ET Saturday)
2—Fewest DNFs in a Daytona race in July, accomplished in 2007. There were 18 DNFs last summer at Daytona, the most of any race in 2010.
2 — Drivers who have led the most laps in five of the past eight summer races at Daytona: Tony Stewart (3) and Kevin Harvick (2). They have combined to lead a total of 351 laps in those five races, nearly half of the race laps. Stewart (July 2009) and Harvick (July 2010) are the only drivers who led the most laps in the past nine races at Daytona to win.
3 — Times in the past four summer races at Daytona qualifying has been canceled due to weather. The pole for the past 10 July races with time trials has been won by different drivers: Mike Skinner (1997); Joe Nemechek (1999); Dale Jarrett (2000); Sterling Marlin (2001); Kevin Harvick (2002); Steve Park (2003); Jeff Gordon (2004); Tony Stewart (2005); Boris Said (2006); Paul Menard (2008). Gordon and Stewart were the only drivers to win; Stewart and Harvick each won from the first starting position the past two summers.
Side note 1: The 1998 race scheduled for July was moved to October due to fires. It was the first night race at Daytona; Bobby Labonte won the pole.
Side note 2: The pole for the past 15 races overall at Daytona has been won by different drivers, beginning with the summer race of 2002.
6 — Drivers currently in the top 10 in points who finished worse than 20th in the Daytona 500 this past February: 2. Kevin Harvick (42nd); 3. Jimmie Johnson (27th); 6. Matt Kenseth (24th); 7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (24th); 9. Jeff Gordon (28th); 10. Ryan Newman (22nd). Only three drivers in the top 10 have never won at Daytona: 1. Carl Edwards; 4. Kurt Busch; 8. Clint Bowyer. Edwards and Busch are just two of three drivers (Kyle Busch is the other) in the top 10 who finished in the top 10 in the Daytona 500.
Very Interesting
10 — Different teams represented by the top-10 finishers in the Daytona 500 this past February: 1. Wood Brothers (Trevor Bayne); 2. Roush Fenway Racing (Carl Edwards); 3. Front Row Motorsports (David Gilliland); 4. JTG Daugherty Racing (Bobby Labonte); 5. Penske Racing (Kurt Busch); 6. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing (Juan Montoya); 7. Furniture Row Racing (Regan Smith); 8. Joe Gibbs Racing (Kyle Busch); 9. Richard Childress Racing (Paul Menard); 10. Hendrick Motorsports (Mark Martin).
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2—Times in the past 19 Nationwide races at Daytona the winner was a Nationwide-only driver: Mike Wallace (July 2004) and Martin Truex Jr. (July 2005).
4 — Drivers who have swept a Nationwide/Cup weekend at Daytona: Bobby Allison (1988); Darrell Waltrip (1989); Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2004); Kevin Harvick (2007). All took place in February.
4 — Times a driver has swept a Cup season at Daytona: Fireball Roberts (1962), Cale Yarborough (1968); LeeRoy Yarbrough (1969); Bobby Allison (1982). It’s happened only once in Nationwide history, by Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003).
7—Last-lap passes in the July Cup race at Daytona, most recently in 2009 when Tony Stewart passed Kyle Busch. There have been four in the past nine Cup races overall at DIS, two in the summer. There have been a total of five last-lap passes at Daytona in the Nationwide Series, most recently by Tony Stewart this past February. There’s been only one last-lap pass in the July Nationwide race—in 2004 when Mike Wallace passed Michael Waltrip.
Very Interesting
3 — Times Bobby Allison set a Daytona record as the oldest race winner. He became the oldest July winner in 1987 at 49 years, 7 months, 1 day; it was his next-to-last Cup Series victory. His last came the following year in the Daytona 500, at age 50 years, 2 months, 11 days. The day prior he became the oldest Daytona winner in Nationwide history.
DAYTONA HISTORY | Hall of Fame
5—Cup races at Daytona won in July by David Pearson (Class of 2011), most of any driver.
12 — Cup poles at Daytona for Cale Yarborough (Class of 2012), including eight in July. Both are tops among all drivers.
42 — Combined Cup Series wins at Daytona for Hall of Fame drivers: Richard Petty (10), Cale Yarborough (9), David Pearson (8), Bobby Allison (6), Junior Johnson (4), Dale Earnhardt (3), Lee Petty (1), Darrell Waltrip (1).
Side note 1: Allison (Class of 2011) holds the Daytona race record at 173.473 mph in July 1980.
Side note 2: Yarborough won four times with last-lap passes, twice in the summer race.
74 — Starts at Daytona for Richard Petty (Class of 2010), most of any driver. Petty also is the track’s all-time leader in wins (10), top-fives (28) and top-10s (37).
Very Interesting
1,286 — Laps led in the Cup Series at Daytona for Dale Earnhardt (Class of 2010), most of any driver. Earnhardt led 402 laps in the Nationwide Series, second to Dale Earnhardt Jr., and won the first race in series history in February 1982.
Side note: Earnhardt won five Nationwide races in a row from 1990-94.
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Worsham has no trouble with Top Fuel switch (PA SportsTicker)
June 29, 2011
By JOHN MARSHALL AP Sports Writer
Despite more than two decades in drag racing and some previous experience in the long, narrow cars of Top Fuel, Del Worsham figured he would have an adjustment period switching over from racing Funny Cars.
Few drivers have made a smooth transition from one to the other and Worsham figured it’d be no different for him.
So when he started winning right away and kept winning, yeah, it was a surprise, even to him.
“There was no question that the car was going to run, but to win three of the first six races was amazing,” Worsham said. “It was unexpected.”
It looks like it should be easy. Funny Cars and Top Fuel both feature cars that go really fast in a straight line, so if a driver knows how to drive one, it seems natural that he should have no trouble hopping into the other.
It just doesn’t work that way.
Funny Cars are fast, just not Top Fuel fast, at least not off the line. Both cars have a top speed of well over 300 mph, but Top Fuel cars have a much bigger burst of acceleration, like blasting off to the moon.
Funny Cars also sit higher off the ground and have a narrow perspective for the drivers, who focus on what’s right in front and not much else.
Driving a Top Fuel dragster is a bit like being strapped to a rocket on the ground, the open cockpit making the speed a lot more apparent as the pavement and the surroundings flash by in a blur.
“The sensation of speed is dramatically increased over a Funny Car, along with the fact that the dragster accelerates that much faster,” said Al-Anabi Racing team manager Alan Johnson.
“Those two sensations, when you’re used to driving a Funny Car as many years as he did, to jump in a dragster and all of a sudden have a completely different viewpoint is something he’s had to deal with and has done a really good job with.”
He sure has.
A Southern California native, Worsham lost in the semifinals of the opener at Pomona, Calif., then two weeks later became the 26th driver to ever reach the finals in Funny Car and Top Fuel, clipping Tony Schumacher at the finish in Gainesville, Fla., to get his first Top Fuel victory.
Worsham went on to win three more times, including last weekend at Ohio, and takes a 61-point lead into the next race at Chicago from July 7-10.
So much for needing time to get acclimatized.
“I knew there would be a slight adjustment period just because the cars are so different to drive, but he’s just got so much experience, I figured it wouldn’t take him too long to where he was at least comfortable and could be competitive,” Johnson said. “Obviously, it didn’t take that long.”
Worsham does have some experience in Top Fuel. It just happened to be a long time ago.
The youngest driver to win a Funny Car event as a 21-year-old in 1990, Worsham ran limited Top Fuel schedules in 1993 and 1994 while racing Funny Car.
After his final Top Fuel run of 1994, Worsham stuck strictly to Funny Cars, putting together a solid career that included 25 wins.
Then came a call from Sheik Khalid Al Thani last year.
The owner of Al-Anabi Racing already had a Top Fuel champion in Larry Dixon, but wanted to dominate the sport by creating a two-car team instead of splitting resources between the two styles of racing.
Worsham didn’t hesitate in agreeing to taking on the new ride, but was caught a little off guard when he first started testing and found out the Top Fuel car he drove nearly 20 years ago was nothing like the speed demons of today.
“It had been 16 or 17 years since I had been in a Top Fuel car and I was surprised at how much faster they were going than the Funny Car,” Worsham said. “The steering and handling and all that were about the same, but the acceleration was unbelievable.”
So has Worsham’s rapid climb to the top of the standings.
