Testing At Daytona

Welcome NASCAR race fans to my NASCAR blog. Although the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series does not officially begin until February, we NASCAR race fans are getting treated to three days of testing at Daytona International Speedway. Testing began on Thursday and will continue on Friday and Saturday.

Many changes have been put into place this year, not only for the restrictor-plate races, but now NASCAR has introduced fuel injection. Fans complained about the drivers racing two by two, instead of in big packs at Daytona and Talladega. So NASCAR has implemented several changes to keep them from driving 2×2. There will be softer springs, a smaller spoiler and a reduction in downforce. If the drivers choose to race two by two, they will not be able to do so for very long, or the engine will heat up.

The drivers are now limited to crew members to talk to on their radios. They will no longer be able to talk to team members or other drivers. This will keep them from pairing up because they will not be able to tell each other what they are doing. At Talladega, a big deal was made when Trevor Bayne agreed to pair up with Jeff Gordon and then dropped him to pair up with fellow Ford driver. If they do pair up, they will have to resort to hand signals to show their intentions.

Personally, I liked the pairing up. There were record number of lead changes using this method. And some great finishes. The fans are used to pack racing. Three wide, ten deep. Only they were limited to staying in line. Changing lanes was almost impossible as they were too close to each other to move out of line. Pairing up gave them the space to move forward. There were still three wide racing, but only two deep. Pack racing begged for “the Big One”. If one driver makes a mistake or tries for a spot that isn’t there many, many cars were involved in that mistake. Two by two racing generally involved only the two cars without involving the whole field. I like watching racing, not crashing. Perhaps tandem racing is not “edge of your seat” racing, but I find it just as exciting watching them go so fast past other pairs.

In the first test session on Thursday, Jeff Gordon was the fastest. Paul Menard and Kurt Busch also posted speeds over 192 mph. In the second test of the day, team mates Kyle Busch and Joey Logano paired up to go over 202 mph, as did team mates Brad Keselowski and A. J. Allmendinger. Apparently they drive faster while paired up.

All for now. Next test sessions are on Friday, beginning at 1 PM Eastern. You can watch the testing on SPEEDTV. But be aware, they are mostly test cars on the track and not the colorful cars we race fans are used to on race day. And the announcers are always explaining something. So you are limited on what you get to see in testing. But you get to have your “NASCAR fix”.

Brought to you by Sheila Hawley. I love NASCAR racing.

NASCAR 2011 Year In Review

Welcome NASCAR race fans to my NASCAR blog. 36 points races and some non-points races for 2011 has come to an end. There were 18 different winners this year, five of them were first time winners.

The very first race, the Daytona 500, was quite a surprise. The drivers all raced two by two! They found out that they could go faster if they paired up, instead of driving in a big pack. This gave the fans many lead changes. However many fans liked the pack racing, rather than the couple racing. In any event, when it came down to the final restart, 6 David Ragan had been leading with 21 Trevor Bayne pushing.They found themselves side by side for the restart. The plan was for 6 to go down in front of 21 and continue onto the win. NASCAR has a rule that you may not change lanes on a restart until after you cross the Start/Finish Line. 6 moved over in front of 21 too soon and was Black Flagged and moved to the rear. This put Bayne, a Rookie, in the lead and he went on to win the Daytona 500! In only his third Cup start. He was driving for the Woods Brothers, who have been in NASCAR since almost forever. The Cinderella story of the year.

Next came the Subway Fresh Fit 500(K) race at Phoenix International Raceway. 24 Jeff Gordon won his first race of 2011 and his 83rd career win. Then on to Las Vegas for the Kobalt Tools 400, where Carl Edwards won his 19th career win. Next up was Bristol, Tn. for the Jeff Byrd 500 and Kyle Busch’s 20th win in Sprint Cup. At Auto Club Speedway and the Auto Club 500, Kevin Harvick managed to come up from behind to lead the last lap and win his 15th race. He followed that up with a win the following week at Martinsville in the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500. In the Saturday night race at Texas, the Samsung Mobil 500, Matt Kenseth captured his first win of the season.

Next was another restrictor-plate race at Talladega, with the drivers pairing up once again in the Aaron’s 499 . The finish was wonderful with three drivers inches away from each other at the finish. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. pushed Jimmie Johnson to the win on the bottom of the track while two other pairs raced for the win. Jr. finished fourth. In Richmond, Matthew and Daniel Hanson, Military people were honored in the 400 lap race, with Kyle Busch winning his second race of the year. Next up was the Southern 500 at Darlington. The Lady in Black was not too tough for Regan Smith to tame and he won his first Sprint Cup race.

Next up was Dover, the race I always attend, the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks where Matt Kenseth won his second race of the year. In Charlotte, for the longest race of the year, the Coca-Cola 600, Kevin Harvick won his third race, getting it done, once again, in the closing laps. The media dubbed him “the Closer”. On to Kansas, for the STP 400 where Brad fKeselowski wins his second career race and the first of 2011. Jeff Gordon wins his 84th career race at Pocono, tying him for third all time in wins with Bobby Allison and Darryl Waltrip in the -Hour Energy 500. Denny Hamlin wins his first race this year in Michigan in the Helluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 race after winning 8 last year, the most in 2010. Kurt Busch wins the road race at Infineon in the Toyota/Save Mart 350, his first win of the year.

Back to Daytona and “tandem racing, Matt Kenseth pushes David Ragan to the win, his first career Sprint Cup win. The inaugural race at Kentucky was much of a disaster, with many fans unable to get to the track for it’s first Cup race. Kentucky was host to Camping World Trucks and Nationwide races and Kyle Busch wins the Quaker State 400 with all his experience in the Minor Leagues, his third win. Then onto New Hampshire for the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 where Ryan Newman wins from starting on the pole. Paul Menard wins his first Cup race at Indianapolis in the Brickyard 400. Back to Pocono, Brad Keselowski breaks his ankle while testing at Road America and wins the Good Sam’s RV Insurance 500! On to Watkins Glen, Marcos Ambrose wins the road course race, his first Sprint Cup win. Back to Michigan and the Pure Michigan 400, Kyle Busch wins his fourth of the year.

In the Irwin Tools Night Race 500 at Bristol, Brad wins again with his broken ankle, making him in contention for the Wild Card to get into the chase. In Atlanta, Jeff Gordon wins the Advo Care 500, giving him third place overall in wins by himself. Back to Richmond for the final race to set the chase, Kevin Harvick wins his fourth race in the Wonderful Pistachios 400. This puts him tied with Kyle Busch in first place heading into the chase.

Tony Stewart, winless in the regular season, wins the first two races in the chase, the Geico 400 in Chicago, the new addition to the chase, and the Sylvania 300 in New Hampshire. Kurt Busch wins the AAA 400 at Dover. Kansas gets a second race this year and Jimmie Johnson wins only his second race of the year in the Hollywood Casino 400. Matt Kenseth wins the Bank Of America 500 at Charlotte, the only night race in the chase. More couples racing at Talladega in the Good Sam’s Club 500, with Clint Bowyer pushing Jeff Burton and then leaving him to win the race. Tony Stewart wins the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville, rain shortened. He backed up the win with another win in the AAA Texas 500, his fourth win in the chase. Kasey Kahne finally gets a win while racing for Red Bull before going to Hendrick in 2012, the Kobalt Tools 500(K) in Phoenix. As they head to the final race in Homestead-Miami, Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart are tied for the lead in points. Tony wins the Ford 400 after many times being forced to the rear. The two end up tied in points with Carl finishing second and Tony wins the championship with his five chase wins. He won five out of ten races!

While Tony was busy winning in the chase, the Busch brothers were busy having meltdowns. Kyle, thinking he should be the only Truck driver allowed to win in the Camping World Truck Series, ran championship contender, Ron Hornaday, up the track and into the wall during the caution where Ron got loose and got into Kyle. The both could have gone to pit road for repairs and both could have been in contention by the end of the race to win, but Kyle decided payback was the answer. He was parked for the rest of that race and the Nationwide and Cup races at Texas. It is my opinion that he always melts down by the end of the year, but this was worse than most years. Meanwhile, his brother Kurt was annoyed at everyone and everything in the final race in Homestead after transmission trouble early in the race, gave the finger to the car that held the First Lady and swore at the media while they were attempting to interview him. Kurt was fired. Kyle sat out the races in Texas and M&M’s pulled their sponsorship for the last two races. I have heard the NFL players have meltdowns as well. Read more here.

Brought to you by Sheila Hawley. I love NASCAR racing.

NASCAR Race Season Comes To An End

Welcome NASCAR race fans to my NASCAR blog. The NASCAR Season has come to an end. For this fan, it was an exciting year. There were 18 different winners, 5 of them being first time winners. Although I think crowning a Champion based on the ten races of the chase is just manufactured excitement, what the new Champion, Tony Stewart, did in those last ten races was exciting. No one has ever won half of them.

The top ten in points will be honored in Las Vegas on Friday.  Kyle Busch had his normal meltdown during the chase after winning many of the Camping World Truck and Nationwide races. He and his brother Kurt finished the season in twelfth and eleventh in points. Although they will be in Las Vegas because they made the chase, they will not be on the stage on Friday.  The top five in Nationwide, with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.  winning the trophy, will be honored on Friday. And the top five in Camping World Trucks, with Austin Dillon winning as the youngest driver to win the championship, will also be honored on Friday.

So ends another season of racing. I will have to get out my tapes to get through the Winter.  Here is an article about the ten things you didn’t know about NASCAR pit crews. I hope you enjoy it.

Brought to you by Sheila Hawley. I shall return in February. And maybe sooner if I have something to say. I love NASCAR racing.

NASCAR Race Review: Ford 400 Season Finale

Welcome NASCAR race fans to my NASCAR blog. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series comes to an end with the Season Finale Ford 400 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Coming into the race, two drivers can win the Sprint Cup Championship. Carl Edwards is three points ahead of Tony Stewart. Tony has already won four of the final ten races. Carl has not finished worse than eleventh in the nine races in the chase for the Sprint Cup. Carl is leading Tony by the three points given to him for winning in Las Vegas earlier in the season. Who ever wins this race will be crowned champion.

99 Carl Edwards holds the advantage by qualifying on the Pole with a speed of 175.467 mph and 30.775 seconds around this 1.5 mile track. 56 Martin Truex, Jr. starts next to him on the front row. Scott Speed, Reed Sorenson, Mike Skinner, Scott Riggs and Grant Enfinger failed to make the race. (J. J. Yeley reports he is stuck in traffic on the way to the track and hopes he will make it to the driver’s meeting.)

This was quite a year for NASCAR racing. There were eighteen different winners, five of which were first time winners. Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500, Regan Smith won at Darlington Speedway, Paul Menard won the Brickyard 400, David Ragan won the 400 race at Daytona and Marcos Ambrose won at Watkins Glen International. They will all get to race in the Sprint All Star race next year. No Owner/driver has won a Championship since Alan Kulwicki did it in 1992. Tony can do this by winning in his Stewart/ Haas #14 car.

So, here we go! 14, starting fifteenth, makes it three wide for position. 99 leads the first lap from the pole with 56 right behind. 22 Kurt Busch is smoking and slow on the track with transmission issues on Lap 3. He heads for the garage. 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr., racing on the high line, gets by 48 Jimmie Johnson. 2 Brad Keselowski and 24 Jeff Gordon get around 17 Matt Kenseth. 88 gets around 17 for fifth.

The first caution comes out on lap 14 for rain. Some part from 22 hit Stewart’s front end and he has to make repairs to the grill. He restarts in fortieth place. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya is caught speeding. The rain is only a few sprinkles and they restart on lap 22. 88 and 56 race for second. 56 is on top where 88 likes to be and can’t get by. 39 Ryan Newman and 48 race for fourth with 24. 24 gets by 48. It’s hard to pass on the bottom of the track, but 24 tries again and gets by 39.

The second caution comes out during the commercial for spinning 35 Dave Blaney. 99 tire changer slips, giving him a long pit stop. 14 makes more repairs to the grill after making his way into the top fifteen.  42 stays out to lead. 2 takes the lead, with 29 Kevin Harvick in second as 42 falls back. 29 and 99 race for second. 21 Trevor Bayne slips in front of 14. 48 and 83 Brian Vickers race for position. 14 drives under 31 Jeff Burton. 99 gets by 29 for second. 29 bumps 99.

2 and 99 race for the lead and 99 takes the lead. 14 gets by 18 Kyle Busch for fourteenth. (The drivers are moving over when Tony gets to them.) 9 Marcos Ambrose is on seven cylinders. 29 and 48 race for eighth. Green Flag Pitting begins on lap 76. 24, 17 and 48 lead before pitting.

The third caution comes out after Green Flag Pitting is complete when 6 David Ragan blows up. 9 also heads for the garage. 13 Casey Mears gets back onto the lead lap. 4 Kasey Kahne makes lengthly adjustments. They restart on lap 88 with 99 and 24 up front. 88 and 17 race for position with 39 right behind. 17 gets by 88, 39 drives under 88. 48 drives under 88. 17 gets by 2. 14 drives under 88 as 88 gets loose. 14 drives under 39 for seventh. 48 makes a pit stop from fifth and the hood goes up.

The fourth caution comes out on lap 108, again for rain. (There is a rainbow across the track.) The blow driers come out, but there is too much rain and the Red Flag comes out. 14 is up to fifth. When the Yellow Flag comes back out, they can continue working on 48. The jet driers dry off pit road so they can get underway. 48 is back on the track after fixing the carburetor. 16 Greg Biffle stays out to lead, then pits. 47 Bobby Labonte was teh Lucky Dog recipient. 29 takes two tires to lead and restarts on the inside. 14 dives under 99 and 24 into second. 29, 56 and 99 are three wide. 42 scrapes the wall. 24 and 14 race for the lead and 24 lets 14 by to take the lead. 88 and 18 race for seventh. 14 is flying! 99 drives under 24 for second. 21 gets into the wall, bringing out the fifth caution.

29 and 39 are first out of the pits. 14 had lug nut trouble. 14 makes it four wide! 39 and 56 race side by side for second and 56 drives under 39 to get by.14 drives around 24. The sixth caution comes out for spinning 48. He had taken the wave around, but now has four flat tires. 34 David Gilliland gets into 48 as he starts to spin. They restart on lap 147 and are three wide for the lead. 56 takes the lead. 14 makes it four wide to get by three others. 14 drives under 56 to take the lead.

The seventh caution comes out when 51 Landon Cassill tries to get around 1 Jamie McMurray but doesn’t clear and goes off spinning. 21 blows a tire and spins. 84 Cole Whitt has nowhere to go and gets caught up in the accident. Pit road is closed until they can clean up the track so the drivers don’t get debris on their new tires when they get back onto the track. 14 had trouble with a lug nut getting stuck in the socket and changed only two tires. 31 and 88 stay out to lead. They quickly lose the lead. 14 drives under 88 for fifth. 14 drives under 31 for fourth. 99 and 56 race for second. 99 drives under 56 into second. 17 and 99 race for the lead and 99 takes the lead.

14 gets by 56 into third. 31 and 4 race for fifth. 14 drives under 17 for second. 99 almost gets into the wall. 33 Clint Bowyer and 43 A. J. Allmendinger nearly collide. 31 pits. 16 is down a cylinder and heads for the garage. (The third Ford with engine trouble.) Green Flag Pitting starts.

4 gets by 56 into fourth. 99 pits and 14 takes the lead. 99 gets by 14 to unlap himself. 14 stretches his fuel so he will only have to make one more stop. Those with fresh tires get by to get back onto the lead lap. 14 finally pits and 5 Mark Martin takes the lead. 99 takes the lead.

The eighth caution comes out for rain. The leaders pit but 18, 2, 43 and 1 stay out but will not have enough fuel to make it to the end. The jet driers blow dry the track while the cars are on the track. 43 pits. 00 David Reutimann gets back onto the lead lap.

They restart with 37 laps to go. 14, 18 and 2 race for the lead. 14 takes the lead. 2 and 99 race for second and 99 clears. 2 makes a pit stop. 14, leading and 99 in second come on lap traffic. They both get by. The Flag man waves for lap traffic to let the leaders by. 14 is about a second ahead of 99 and not about to be caught.

14 Tony Stewart wins the Ford 400 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship in the most exciting race this race fan has ever seen! This was his fifth win in the last ten races of the year. He now becomes one of very few drivers with three or more championships. And he is the only driver to have a Winston Cup, a Nextel Cup and a Sprint Cup! Carl Edwards did what he had to do by leading the most laps. Tony’s winning the race gave both drivers the same amount of points, 2403, but as with any tie, the win goes to the driver with the most wins. Tony Stewart won all five in the last ten races! What a wonderful, exciting race for the grand finale. Tony passed 55 cars to win the race! Tony becomes the first owner/driver to win the Championship since Alan Kulwicki in 1992! And his team is only three years old. Truly remarkable. He now has bookends to Jimmie Johnson’s five in a row, as he was the last driver to win the Championship whose name is not Jimmie Johnson. A tie! How about that? That has never happened before. It was a race between the two contenders and they finished first and second. It starts to rain in Victory Lane!

Truex finished third with Kenseth, Gordon, Bowyer, Kahne, Harvick, Hamlin and Burton finishing in the top ten. There were twelve different leaders. Stewart and Edwards finished the points in a tie with 2403 points each. Harvick ended up in third place, like he did last year. Kenseth moved up two spots into fourth. Keselowski fell a spot into fifth. Johnson lost a spot to sixth, his worst finishing position since he began racing in Cup. Earnhardt, Jr. remained in seventh. Gordon moved up three spots into eighth, while Hamlin moved up into ninth. Newman fell a spot, but still finishes in the top ten to get on the stage for the banquet. Kurt Busch fell three spots and joins his brother Kyle as the final ones of the chase who will not be on stage in Las Vegas.

I will be back to recap the NASCAR season. This race was the best of all Grand Finale’s.

Brought to you by Sheila Hawley. I love NASCAR racing.

Chase For The Sprint Cup Finale: Two Drivers, One Race

Welcome NASCAR race fans to my NASCAR blog. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the Chase for the Sprint Cup comes down to one final race, the Ford 400, at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. This will be a race between two drivers, three points apart. Let’s take a look at them.

Carl Edwards sits at the top of the points with his one win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the beginning of the year. That win gave him three points more than Tony Stewart heading into the Chase, as Tony had not won a race in the first 26 races of the regular season. Carl was Mr. Consistency all through the chase. Tony won four of the nine races in the chase so far. They both earned the same amount of points in the chase. The difference is the three points for winning in the regular season. Now it comes down to one race between these two drivers.

Tony has two championships, Carl has none as yet. Although Carl had the most wins in a year, Jimmie Johnson won the championship that year.

Tony won the 2002 Winston Cup championship, and at the time I felt he was undeserving of the Title, as there was much turmoil all year with him needing anger management a lot of the time. That was this fan’s opinion at the time. Nevertheless, he won the championship by being the best driver all year, collecting the most points. The chase started in 2004, with Kurt Busch winning the first Nextel Cup after starting the chase in seventh place. This fan had to wonder about the point of giving the championship to a seventh place team. The next year Tony won the Nextel Cup by being the best driver in the second half of the season. And this fan had to wonder if he was going to win them all just by being at his best in the last ten races. (I was proven wrong, as Jimmie won the next Nextel Cup and then the next four Sprint Cup championships. I was not proven wrong about the chase, as Jimmie managed this feat by being at his best in the chase.)

Now it comes down to one race and two drivers. (Although 41 other drivers will be racing in the Ford 400.) Carl has won the last two out of three races at Homestead-Miami Speedway. So he knows how to win here. He also sits on the Pole to start the race. Tony has won a championship in this format and he was the last champion to win whose name was not Johnson. He starts the race in fifteenth.

It should be a great race between these two drivers. However, I’m sure the fans of the other 41 drivers will be wanting to see how their driver is doing. Hopefully one or more of these other drivers will be leading the race so the fans will be able to see more of the race than just these two drivers.

This fan is not a fan of the chase. The system was not broken, so I fail to see the need to “fix” it. And many long time fans agree with me. For me, the champion should be the best all year (as Tony was in 2002), not the best in ten races (as Jimmie was). With the new points system of one point for each position, the points are close anyway. So, I don’t see the need for a “playoff” just for the sake of a “playoff”. I don’t see the need to give a 12th place team a better chance to win the Title. There are 36 races in the season and this fan does not like having the last ten races meaning more than the others. Each race is an individual race and they all should  be treated equally. Homestead hosts the final race, but this fan thinks it was more exciting watching the drivers race into and out of the top ten to get on stage at the banquet at years end in this race.

The Ford 400 starts Sunday afternoon and when the Checkered Flag falls, one of the two drivers will take home the Sprint Cup. (Although it is no longer a Cup, but Checkered Flags.) Here’s to an exciting finale to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season.

Brought to you by Sheila Hawley. I love NASCAR racing.