NASCAR came down hard against the 24 and 48 teams today, giving them identical penalties that befell the 8 team after Darlington: 100 points (owner & driver) lost, $100,000 fine, and a 6 week suspension for the Crew Chief. This was on top of both teams being unable to practice on Friday, and unable to qualify as well, forcing them to settle for the 41st and 42nd starting spots, respectively. Gordon finished 7th, while Johnson finished 17th in Sunday's race at Sears Point.
While the COT penalties were identical to that of the 8 team, their effect is not. Gordon had led the points by 271, now it's only 171. He is still up on 13th place by 700+ points, and still has the same amount of wins bonus at the Chase cutoff as he did before. Johnson falls from 3rd to 5th in points, but remains 366 points behind Gordon, and is up on 13th place by about 350 points. Like Gordon, Johnson also still has the same amount of wins bonus as he had before.
With 10 races until the Chase, barring a major injury keeping either from several races, they will make the Chase. The 8 car is on the bubble - they were in Chase territory when the penalty was applied, and had to climb back into place. The 8 is 96 points ahead of 13th - but would have been 196 and in 10th place.
Showing posts with label NASCAR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NASCAR. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
A good read on TNT rushing to Van Helsing
John Daly of the Daly Planet expresses well what had bothered me yesterday but I did not take the time to write about, where TNT started the Van Helsing movie with near 15 minutes left on their NASCAR time slot.
He writes:
NBC was guilty of this last year, and some of the team are the same (Bill Weber and Wally Dallenbach, Jr., for example), of rushing off into the sunset, sometimes with barely more than the winner's interview. In most cases, the race went past the scheduled allotment of time, and it was hurry up to get back to whatever other programming was on. As Mr. Daly notes, last week's Pocono coverage makes one wonder who runs the operation over there, as TNT stayed with the rain delays much longer than expected, even though it was well past the original time slot.
He writes:
Basically, TNT did the mandatory interview with the winner, interviewed both DEI drivers, and then sprinted for the airplane. There was not a moment after the race where anyone except Larry McReynolds was "fired up" about what just went on during the race. If this had been an event that ran long on time, fans might understand. After a long rain delay like Pocono, leaving quickly is understood.
But, for a network like TNT who has only six NEXTEL Cup races in their entire schedule for the year, this was strange. When you add-in the fact that fifteen minutes remained in the scheduled time slot for this event, it becomes even stranger.
NBC was guilty of this last year, and some of the team are the same (Bill Weber and Wally Dallenbach, Jr., for example), of rushing off into the sunset, sometimes with barely more than the winner's interview. In most cases, the race went past the scheduled allotment of time, and it was hurry up to get back to whatever other programming was on. As Mr. Daly notes, last week's Pocono coverage makes one wonder who runs the operation over there, as TNT stayed with the rain delays much longer than expected, even though it was well past the original time slot.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
DEI surprises with two top-5s at Michigan
DEI drivers Martin Truex, Jr., (2nd) and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., (5th) finished strong at Michigan, in a race where Truex led lots early, and Earnhard led once during green flag stops midway through. Carl Edwards broke a near-two-year losing streak in earning the win, with Truex some 2 seconds back. Truex beat 3rd place finisher Tony Stewart to the line by some 17 seconds. Only 9 cars finished on the lead lap, as Edwards lapped 10th place finisher Michael Waltrip (made the race and had a good finish, but is still 48th in owner points) coming to the white flag, and almost lapped Jeff Gordon (9th) at the checkers.
The finishes put both DEI drivers in the Chase, with Earnhardt finally overcoming the 100 point penalty after Darlington. Truex sits in 10th, Earnhardt 12th, with 11 races left to the cutoff. Truex's runner-up finish continues an average finish of 2nd from two races to three, having finished 3rd at the rain-shortened Pocono race and having won at Dover.
The finishes put both DEI drivers in the Chase, with Earnhardt finally overcoming the 100 point penalty after Darlington. Truex sits in 10th, Earnhardt 12th, with 11 races left to the cutoff. Truex's runner-up finish continues an average finish of 2nd from two races to three, having finished 3rd at the rain-shortened Pocono race and having won at Dover.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Thoughts on Dale Jr going to Hendrick
As odd as the thought seems in the abstract, this factoid from an evening NASCAR.com article sheds new light on the whole "enemy" concept some Dale fans may have concerning Earnhardt and Hendrick:
When Jr. made his announcement in May that he was leaving DEI, there were three possible locations given his self-restriction to Chevrolet: Childress, Gibbs & Hendrick. Childress was always the sentimental favorite, since Dale Sr won 6 championships in the RCR 3 car. But the pressure Dale Jr would face there would be intense, something it seemed he was not ready for. Gibbs refusal to have a sponsor such as Budweiser all but ruled him out, even though Dale Jr would have fit very well with Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin. Hendrick had a full stable to NASCAR's 4 team limit, but would seem to be the best fit for Jr.'s career development.
I don't have to like Jeff Gordon or Hendrick as a person, but my guess is I will mellow over time, much like once JG broke the 76 barrier, what does it matter to me how many more he wins? I think the dislike had more to do with the Sr-Gordon rivalry of the mid-90s, even knowing the two were friends off the track.
Enter today, and the leak of information that Jr will announce tomorrow he is indeed moving to Hendrick, and the rampant speculation he will supplant Kyle Busch in the 5, much like he did earlier in the year at Texas, after Busch had wrecked Jr, and left the track thinking his car was done. Jr was asked to get in the car as a favor to a friend on the 5 crew, so he did. Speculation ensued that Jr might be going to Hendrick then, well before his May announcement he was leaving DEI.
(EDIT - I saw this ESPN article by Terry Blount Wednesday morning, with some thought similar to mine, but perhaps better said)
Hendrick, with six total championships on NASCAR's premier series, fits with Earnhardt's desires to drive for a contender and to continue to pilot Chevrolets. The Hendrick team also had ties to Earnhardt's late father, who shook down the first car the organization ever built, and was behind the wheel when team owner Rick Hendrick recorded his first NASCAR victory in a Busch race at Charlotte in 1983.
When Jr. made his announcement in May that he was leaving DEI, there were three possible locations given his self-restriction to Chevrolet: Childress, Gibbs & Hendrick. Childress was always the sentimental favorite, since Dale Sr won 6 championships in the RCR 3 car. But the pressure Dale Jr would face there would be intense, something it seemed he was not ready for. Gibbs refusal to have a sponsor such as Budweiser all but ruled him out, even though Dale Jr would have fit very well with Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin. Hendrick had a full stable to NASCAR's 4 team limit, but would seem to be the best fit for Jr.'s career development.
I don't have to like Jeff Gordon or Hendrick as a person, but my guess is I will mellow over time, much like once JG broke the 76 barrier, what does it matter to me how many more he wins? I think the dislike had more to do with the Sr-Gordon rivalry of the mid-90s, even knowing the two were friends off the track.
Enter today, and the leak of information that Jr will announce tomorrow he is indeed moving to Hendrick, and the rampant speculation he will supplant Kyle Busch in the 5, much like he did earlier in the year at Texas, after Busch had wrecked Jr, and left the track thinking his car was done. Jr was asked to get in the car as a favor to a friend on the 5 crew, so he did. Speculation ensued that Jr might be going to Hendrick then, well before his May announcement he was leaving DEI.
(EDIT - I saw this ESPN article by Terry Blount Wednesday morning, with some thought similar to mine, but perhaps better said)
Friday, June 08, 2007
Busch penalty puts Truex in Chase top 12
The heavy penalty against Kurt Busch (#2 Miller Lite Dodge) that NASCAR imposed on thursday, that of a 100 point hit in the standings, both driver and owner, moved Martin Truex, Jr., into the 12th and final spot for the chase, still 632 points behind the leader, and bumped Dale Earnhardt, Jr. into 14th in the standings, just 23 points behind Truex. The surprise in the mix is Mark Martin, who, despite missing three races, sits in 11th in Driver points and is still in chase contention.
Truex's win on Monday was the first for the DEI #1 car since Steve Park at Rockingham in February 25, 2001 - a week after Dale Earnhardt was killed on the last lap at the Daytona 500. The only other time the DEI #1 car won was in August of 2000 at Watkins Glen, also Steve Park. DEI's cup wins now stand at 17 for the #8 car (All Dale Earnhardt, Jr.), 4 for the #15 car (all Michael Waltrip, three at Daytona and one at Talledega), and now 3 for the #1 car, for a total of 24 team Cup wins, including three Daytona 500s. DEI has also won the All-star race in the #8, and the Bud Shootout as well in the #8, and a Nextel Open event with the #1 car this year.
Truex's win on Monday was the first for the DEI #1 car since Steve Park at Rockingham in February 25, 2001 - a week after Dale Earnhardt was killed on the last lap at the Daytona 500. The only other time the DEI #1 car won was in August of 2000 at Watkins Glen, also Steve Park. DEI's cup wins now stand at 17 for the #8 car (All Dale Earnhardt, Jr.), 4 for the #15 car (all Michael Waltrip, three at Daytona and one at Talledega), and now 3 for the #1 car, for a total of 24 team Cup wins, including three Daytona 500s. DEI has also won the All-star race in the #8, and the Bud Shootout as well in the #8, and a Nextel Open event with the #1 car this year.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Truex breaks through with 1st win at Dover
DEI driver of the Bass Pro Shops #1 Chevrolet, Martin Truex, Jr., scored a breakthrough win at the rain-delayed race at Dover today. Truex started 26th on the field, but went on to lead 216 laps en route to his first career NASCAR points win. (He won the Nextel Open two weeks ago at Charlotte, to transfer into the All-Star race, but that's not a points race. He won't have to race the open next year, as this win gets him directly in the All-Star race in 2008). Polesitter Ryan Newman led 135 laps, but finished 2nd, some 6+ seconds behind Truex.
Truex's win broke Hendrick's five-race winning streak, and was the first non-Hendrick car to win a Car of Tomorrow race. (Kyle Busch and two each for Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson) For 2007, there has been one ford win (Kenseth @ California), and of the 12 other races, all have been won by Chevrolet -- Hendrick has won 9, split 4 for Jimmie Johnson, 3 for Jeff Gordon, and one each for Kyle Busch and Casey Mears; RCR winning two, Harvick at the Daytona 500 and Jeff Burton at Texas, (plus Harvick won the All-star race); and now Truex at Dover.
The sad news: NASCAR announced the death of William C. France (Bill France Jr) during the race, spoiling some of the celebration for Truex. France had overseen the modern era of NASCAR, taking over for his father in 1972. It is a sad day for NASCAR - as much as his father was responsible for getting things off the ground, it was Bill France Jr who saw racing into the national limelight and #2 sport.
Truex's win broke Hendrick's five-race winning streak, and was the first non-Hendrick car to win a Car of Tomorrow race. (Kyle Busch and two each for Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson) For 2007, there has been one ford win (Kenseth @ California), and of the 12 other races, all have been won by Chevrolet -- Hendrick has won 9, split 4 for Jimmie Johnson, 3 for Jeff Gordon, and one each for Kyle Busch and Casey Mears; RCR winning two, Harvick at the Daytona 500 and Jeff Burton at Texas, (plus Harvick won the All-star race); and now Truex at Dover.
The sad news: NASCAR announced the death of William C. France (Bill France Jr) during the race, spoiling some of the celebration for Truex. France had overseen the modern era of NASCAR, taking over for his father in 1972. It is a sad day for NASCAR - as much as his father was responsible for getting things off the ground, it was Bill France Jr who saw racing into the national limelight and #2 sport.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Dale Jr, Truex in early holes
Last Sunday's blown motors for DEI drivers Martin Truex Jr and Dale Earnhardt Jr leave them in a points hole, with finishes of 42 and 40, respectively, on top of 30s-level finishes due to a late crash at Daytona. Both had strong machines before their engines blew, so there was hope for DEI to break its recent struggles at California.
Next up is Las Vegas - which is a wild card this year. Since the race there last March, the track was completely dug-up, and rebuilt with much higher banking, new pit road and new facilities. There have been NASCAR sanctioned tests at the track but it will still be a crapshoot.
Dale Jr is 40th in the standings, already 225 points behind the leader, Mark Martin. He lost 10 spots at California. Truex is 38th, having lost 11 spots at California, 217 points back of the lead. If there is any consolation, the current 12th place driver (Last transfer spot for the Chase this year) is 103 back of the leader, so the two of them are 122 and 114 points behind 12th, respectively.
Next up is Las Vegas - which is a wild card this year. Since the race there last March, the track was completely dug-up, and rebuilt with much higher banking, new pit road and new facilities. There have been NASCAR sanctioned tests at the track but it will still be a crapshoot.
Dale Jr is 40th in the standings, already 225 points behind the leader, Mark Martin. He lost 10 spots at California. Truex is 38th, having lost 11 spots at California, 217 points back of the lead. If there is any consolation, the current 12th place driver (Last transfer spot for the Chase this year) is 103 back of the leader, so the two of them are 122 and 114 points behind 12th, respectively.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Mikey gets bounced by his own cars
Michael Waltrip, already mired in 61st in owner points at -27 thanks his 100 point penalty at Daytona, failed to make the Auto Club 500 in California tomorrow, being bounced out by his other two Michael Waltrip Racing Entries, the #00 of David Reutimann and the #44 UPS of Dale Jarrett. Reutimann was the last car to get in on time of the go-or-go-homers, bumping the #55 NAPA car of Waltrip, and Jarrett was too slow on speed, and had to fall back on a past-champion's provisional for the 2nd straight week.
The good news for Waltrip? His being the fastest that failed to qualify will give him +4 owner points after California, but he will still be -27 in Driver points. It is a shame to see him struggle, which this year and last have been ever since he left DEI at the end of 2005. He is a great personality, but much like Kenny Wallace, has struggled in anything but the top equipment. (Both had their best finishes in DEI Equipment - Wallace finshed 2nd while subbing for Steve Park at Rockingham in late 2001, having started on the pole and led 101 laps; and Waltrip won 4 times for DEI, all on plate tracks including two Daytona 500s)
The good news for Waltrip? His being the fastest that failed to qualify will give him +4 owner points after California, but he will still be -27 in Driver points. It is a shame to see him struggle, which this year and last have been ever since he left DEI at the end of 2005. He is a great personality, but much like Kenny Wallace, has struggled in anything but the top equipment. (Both had their best finishes in DEI Equipment - Wallace finshed 2nd while subbing for Steve Park at Rockingham in late 2001, having started on the pole and led 101 laps; and Waltrip won 4 times for DEI, all on plate tracks including two Daytona 500s)
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Wild night at Bristol - points even tighter
While it is becoming apparent that the top 10 will remain the top 10, with 11th place Kasey Kahne now 90 points behind 10th place Mark Martin it will be tough for the 9 team to break back into the icture, and near impossible for the 400 point window to come into play.
With 2 races to go until the chase cutoff, only 13 drivers are still mathematically alive for the 10 spots - but 12th place Greg Biffle and 13th place Carl Edwards are 251 and 261 back of 10th place, and they have to gain 100+ points on 10th at California to remain alive another week. Both are also 700+ points out of the lead, or all but eliminated from the 400 point window possibility. Kahne is the only one with a shot, but he has to hope to win each remaining race while the 10th place bar finishes 11th or worse.
The wild shows the 4th through 10th place drivers separated by only 48 points, with 3rd place Kevin Harvick 81 points in front of now 4th place Kyle Busch. The loser on the night was Mark Martin, who entered the race 4th in the points but fell to 10th place on the heels of a 28th place finish, 4 laps down to the leaders.
Jeff Burton led 263 laps, 2nd time this month he led the most laps, but like Indianapolis, he faded at the end to a 9th place finish, but that was good enough to move back up to 7th from 9th in the points. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. moved up from 10th to 9th in points on the strength of a 3rd place finish. Jr. led 35 laps, and had strong pit stops all night, turning a 40th starting spot into a top-five. The fastest stop was 12.8 seconds on the next to last caution, seeing the 8 car jump from third to first on the stops.
With 2 races to go until the chase cutoff, only 13 drivers are still mathematically alive for the 10 spots - but 12th place Greg Biffle and 13th place Carl Edwards are 251 and 261 back of 10th place, and they have to gain 100+ points on 10th at California to remain alive another week. Both are also 700+ points out of the lead, or all but eliminated from the 400 point window possibility. Kahne is the only one with a shot, but he has to hope to win each remaining race while the 10th place bar finishes 11th or worse.
The wild shows the 4th through 10th place drivers separated by only 48 points, with 3rd place Kevin Harvick 81 points in front of now 4th place Kyle Busch. The loser on the night was Mark Martin, who entered the race 4th in the points but fell to 10th place on the heels of a 28th place finish, 4 laps down to the leaders.
Jeff Burton led 263 laps, 2nd time this month he led the most laps, but like Indianapolis, he faded at the end to a 9th place finish, but that was good enough to move back up to 7th from 9th in the points. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. moved up from 10th to 9th in points on the strength of a 3rd place finish. Jr. led 35 laps, and had strong pit stops all night, turning a 40th starting spot into a top-five. The fastest stop was 12.8 seconds on the next to last caution, seeing the 8 car jump from third to first on the stops.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
6 laps down to finish 9th!?
For the second straight week, a Hendrick Motorsports driver receives multiple "lucky dog" passes to get back on lead lap, this time in the #5 car of Kyle Busch, who was 6 laps down early in the race. He was credited with 5 lucky dog passes, two more than #24 Gordon got the week before. The last one, putting Busch back on the lead lap, occured on lap 63. Resulting problems by many other drivers between there and the end (most of the field had already pitted for the final time) found Busch scored 9th at the end. The TV coverage was not clear how the #5 got the 6th lap back, can only assume that he had stayed out on the first round of green flag stops and got one back the old fashioned way.
The race itself was a jumble. The 9th and 10th place cars in the Chase (#24 Gordon and #8 Earnhardt) both spun in turn one between laps 67 and 73, neither bringing out the caution. The caution would later fly for other incidents, and both drivers would make use of it by pitting late. This helped both drivers climb back up from around 30th to finsih in the teens, combined with the 11th place driver (#9 Kahne) spinning on the last lap and finishing behind them.
It's not yet clear, but the original unofficial results had Gordon 15th, Johnson (#48) 19th and Jr. 20th, but now they show 13th, 17th and 18th, with former 9th and 10th place finishers Ryan Newman and Ron Fellows being put back to 31st and 32nd, bumping each car between 11th and 32nd up two spots each. (Without this change, the #5 would have finished 11th) [11pm UPDATE: NASCAR has revised the finish order again, moving the #12 of Newman back up to 8th, and moving the former sixth place finisher #60 Boris Said to 31st.]
The #29 of Kevin Harvick, 3rd place driver in the points, won the race, passing Tony Stewart (#20) at the line with three laps to go. Stewart would finish 2nd, with Jamie McMurray (#26), Robby Gordon (#7) and Carl Edwards (#99) rounding out the top five.
The race itself was a jumble. The 9th and 10th place cars in the Chase (#24 Gordon and #8 Earnhardt) both spun in turn one between laps 67 and 73, neither bringing out the caution. The caution would later fly for other incidents, and both drivers would make use of it by pitting late. This helped both drivers climb back up from around 30th to finsih in the teens, combined with the 11th place driver (#9 Kahne) spinning on the last lap and finishing behind them.
It's not yet clear, but the original unofficial results had Gordon 15th, Johnson (#48) 19th and Jr. 20th, but now they show 13th, 17th and 18th, with former 9th and 10th place finishers Ryan Newman and Ron Fellows being put back to 31st and 32nd, bumping each car between 11th and 32nd up two spots each. (Without this change, the #5 would have finished 11th) [11pm UPDATE: NASCAR has revised the finish order again, moving the #12 of Newman back up to 8th, and moving the former sixth place finisher #60 Boris Said to 31st.]
The #29 of Kevin Harvick, 3rd place driver in the points, won the race, passing Tony Stewart (#20) at the line with three laps to go. Stewart would finish 2nd, with Jamie McMurray (#26), Robby Gordon (#7) and Carl Edwards (#99) rounding out the top five.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Gamble sees Jr climb to a 6th place finish
When the caution came out with 19 laps to go, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. sat in 30th place on the track, looking to end the day there with leader Jimmie Johnson running away from the field. Johnson and the leaders came in for four tires, others came in for two tires, while Kyle Busch (7th), Jr. (6th), Ryan Newman (15th) and Joe Nemechek (24th) stayed out.
Kyle Busch led on the restart, with Jr in 2nd, where the two got away from a crazy field - where eventual 2nd place finisher Matt Kenseth led Johnson and the other four-tire cars around the two tire stoppers, which included Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer. On lap 150, Jr. passed Busch for the lead going into turn 1, but Johnson was able to get by Busch as well, and passed Jr in turn 4 of the same lap. So while Jr led, he would not get any bonus points for leading.
Jr gave little difficulty to Kenseth, Harvick (3rd), Bowyer (4th) or Martin (5th), but was able to hold off Busch (7th), Carl Edwards (8th), Tony Stewart (9th) and Kurt Busch (10th) for the last 6-7 laps until several incidents happened on the white flag lap, which saw Robby Gordon and Greg Biffle spin, saw Tony Raines (11th place finisher) involved, and saw Kasey Kahne clip Stewart hard into the wall. Biffle finished 33rd, Gordon 35th and Kahne 36th. This kept Biffle in 12th in the points, dropped Kahne from 7th to 11th in the points.
Jr. improved one spot to 10th in the points, some 512 behind leader Johnson, but is only 26 points out of Denny Hamlin in 7th, 15 behind Jeff Gordon in 8th, and only 3 behind Stewart in 9th, but also improves to 37 points ahead of 11th place, in the last transfer spot in the Chase with 5 races to go: Watkins Glen, Michigan, Bristol, California and Richmond. Jr is now 115 up on 12th place Biffle, and only 100 points back of 6th place Martin, and 121 back of 4th place, which sees Harvick tied with Kyle Busch, some 391 points back of the lead.
Today's result perhaps steals back some points lost in New Hampshire three weeks ago, where a strong car suffered a blown engine en route to a last place finish. Jr was 3rd in points before that race, and fell four spots each of the two prior races on the heels of consecutive last place finishes. Today goes to show that it is far easier to lose points quickly than to gain them back.
The other story of the day was the comeback by #24, Jeff Gordon, who fell almost 4 laps off the pace in the first 15 laps, and through three lucky dog passes (and the rest of the field cooperating by staying on the lead lap) was able to get back on the lead lap, and finish a respectable 16th, far better than the 40th place he looked doomed to finish.
Kyle Busch led on the restart, with Jr in 2nd, where the two got away from a crazy field - where eventual 2nd place finisher Matt Kenseth led Johnson and the other four-tire cars around the two tire stoppers, which included Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer. On lap 150, Jr. passed Busch for the lead going into turn 1, but Johnson was able to get by Busch as well, and passed Jr in turn 4 of the same lap. So while Jr led, he would not get any bonus points for leading.
Jr gave little difficulty to Kenseth, Harvick (3rd), Bowyer (4th) or Martin (5th), but was able to hold off Busch (7th), Carl Edwards (8th), Tony Stewart (9th) and Kurt Busch (10th) for the last 6-7 laps until several incidents happened on the white flag lap, which saw Robby Gordon and Greg Biffle spin, saw Tony Raines (11th place finisher) involved, and saw Kasey Kahne clip Stewart hard into the wall. Biffle finished 33rd, Gordon 35th and Kahne 36th. This kept Biffle in 12th in the points, dropped Kahne from 7th to 11th in the points.
Jr. improved one spot to 10th in the points, some 512 behind leader Johnson, but is only 26 points out of Denny Hamlin in 7th, 15 behind Jeff Gordon in 8th, and only 3 behind Stewart in 9th, but also improves to 37 points ahead of 11th place, in the last transfer spot in the Chase with 5 races to go: Watkins Glen, Michigan, Bristol, California and Richmond. Jr is now 115 up on 12th place Biffle, and only 100 points back of 6th place Martin, and 121 back of 4th place, which sees Harvick tied with Kyle Busch, some 391 points back of the lead.
Today's result perhaps steals back some points lost in New Hampshire three weeks ago, where a strong car suffered a blown engine en route to a last place finish. Jr was 3rd in points before that race, and fell four spots each of the two prior races on the heels of consecutive last place finishes. Today goes to show that it is far easier to lose points quickly than to gain them back.
The other story of the day was the comeback by #24, Jeff Gordon, who fell almost 4 laps off the pace in the first 15 laps, and through three lucky dog passes (and the rest of the field cooperating by staying on the lead lap) was able to get back on the lead lap, and finish a respectable 16th, far better than the 40th place he looked doomed to finish.
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Bowyer wins at Memphis Motorsports Park
Running thread for the Busch race at Memphis, the fourth race from the end of the season. At this point, Truex has a 120 point lead over Clint Bowyer, and only the top four drivers are still mathematically alive for the title.
Bowyer started deep in the field, overcoming a spin during qualifying, and raced to the lead midway through the race. Bowyer ended up winning, leading the most laps, while Truex finished 3rd. Although Truex also led, the finish order was enough to cut Truex's lead from 120 to 100 with 3 races to go. Next up is Texas after a week off, then Phoenix and Homestead. At this point last season, Truex was up some 300 points on current Nextel cup rookie Kyle Busch.
Long story short, with 3 races to go, the max number points per race is 190 for a win leading the most laps. Over 3 races, that is 570 max points. The minimum points for last place (43rd position) is 34 points, or 102 points. Bowyer being down 100 is guaranteed at least 102 points if he starts all three races, but so is Truex. So the max that matters over three races is 468, and Bowyer is already 100 behind, so Truex can clinch by gaining 368 points over Bowyer. Averaged over three races, this is 123 points per race net, or such that scoring 157 points per race, or a 4th place finish without leading or 5th with leading a lap, and Truex wins no matter what Bowyer does.
The third and fourth place drivers, Carl Edwards and Reed Sorensen, are 371 and 429 points behind respectively. This means that Truex need only gain 97 and 39 points respectively to eliminate those two drivers from contention, something that can happen in the next race.
Bowyer started deep in the field, overcoming a spin during qualifying, and raced to the lead midway through the race. Bowyer ended up winning, leading the most laps, while Truex finished 3rd. Although Truex also led, the finish order was enough to cut Truex's lead from 120 to 100 with 3 races to go. Next up is Texas after a week off, then Phoenix and Homestead. At this point last season, Truex was up some 300 points on current Nextel cup rookie Kyle Busch.
Long story short, with 3 races to go, the max number points per race is 190 for a win leading the most laps. Over 3 races, that is 570 max points. The minimum points for last place (43rd position) is 34 points, or 102 points. Bowyer being down 100 is guaranteed at least 102 points if he starts all three races, but so is Truex. So the max that matters over three races is 468, and Bowyer is already 100 behind, so Truex can clinch by gaining 368 points over Bowyer. Averaged over three races, this is 123 points per race net, or such that scoring 157 points per race, or a 4th place finish without leading or 5th with leading a lap, and Truex wins no matter what Bowyer does.
The third and fourth place drivers, Carl Edwards and Reed Sorensen, are 371 and 429 points behind respectively. This means that Truex need only gain 97 and 39 points respectively to eliminate those two drivers from contention, something that can happen in the next race.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
The travesty that was Charlotte
NASCAR had 14 cautions during the 300 mile Busch series race Friday night, almost all on tire problems, with many hard crashes. Two of the top winning drivers this year, points leader Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle, both crashed twice in testing here a few weeks back.
You would think that would be a red flag, after the spring race at Charlotte featured a NASCAR record 22 caution periods.
Despite all the prior problems this year and this past weekend, NASCAR ran the race anyway, and paid for it with 15 cautions, almost all courtesy to tire problems, including Tony Stewart yet again, Rusty Wallace, Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth among the chasers, and Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kevin Harvick, and Elliott Sadler among those outside the top 10. Stewart at 6 laps down after his crash into the outside wall managed to finish 25th, a testament to how many other cars had problems.
There was not a single set of green-flag stops -- as no green flag run lasted longer than 23 laps. 23 laps! They could have dispensed with the rest of the race and simply held a 20-lap shootout for all the 500 mile race was worth.
NASCAR would have done well to postpone the event, but instead risked the safety and lives of the drivers by continuing with the race.
You would think that would be a red flag, after the spring race at Charlotte featured a NASCAR record 22 caution periods.
Despite all the prior problems this year and this past weekend, NASCAR ran the race anyway, and paid for it with 15 cautions, almost all courtesy to tire problems, including Tony Stewart yet again, Rusty Wallace, Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth among the chasers, and Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kevin Harvick, and Elliott Sadler among those outside the top 10. Stewart at 6 laps down after his crash into the outside wall managed to finish 25th, a testament to how many other cars had problems.
There was not a single set of green-flag stops -- as no green flag run lasted longer than 23 laps. 23 laps! They could have dispensed with the rest of the race and simply held a 20-lap shootout for all the 500 mile race was worth.
NASCAR would have done well to postpone the event, but instead risked the safety and lives of the drivers by continuing with the race.
Monday, September 19, 2005
Tempers flare at New Hampshire
Several drivers blew their cool at Loudon, New Hampshire yesterday, in incidents involving both Busch Brothers (defending champion Kurt and rookie Kyle), Scott Riggs, Kasey Kahne, Micheal Waltrip and Robby Gordon.
The most pronounced of these were an incident between Kahne and Kyle Busch on lap 165. Busch blatantly wrecked Kahne into the wall. After Kahne refired his car, he waited on the apron until Busch was coming up on him, and proceeded to cut him off on the track, damaging his car slightly. Busch would still finish, but Kahne's car was parked by NASCAR and Kahne given the rest of the race off. (Nevermind that his car was in such bad shape his day was over anyway).
Another was between the 15 NAPA Chevy of Michael Waltrip and the #7 Jim Beam Chevy of Robby Gordon. They had been beating and banging for 3rd and 4th on the track when a caution came out behind them on lap 191. Apparently Gordon slowed quicker than Waltrip, and Gordon got spun. Like above, Gordon waited for Waltrip the next lap, but didn't find him, instead causing havoc including forcing Tony Stewart, the points leader, to stop on the track to keep from hitting him. So Gordon got out of his car, waited a lap, and then threw his helmet at Waltrip's car, this time being almost hit by Stewart again as they played dodgeball with Robby Gordon... Gordon later cursed on a TV interview, and will most assuredly get docked money and points for that offense, based on recent and past history over the last 18 months. (Busch series points leader Truex faced a 25 point hit for a similar offense last week, as did then-Cup series leader Dale Earnhardt, Jr., last fall after winning at Talledega, albeit the latter was in jubilation and not anger)
In what might have been the most civil disagreement of the day, was one where defending Cup champion Kurt Busch was wrecked by the #10 of Scott Riggs on lap 3. Busch did have a temper, and proceeded to confront the crew chief of the #10 on top of the #10's pit box. At least from the video, it appeared to be a discussion only, with no fists or anything, but NASCAR is likely not happy with Busch putting himself in a position to get into an altercation. Busch finished 35th, and fell to last of the top 10, 142 points behind leader Tony Stewart.
A story on NASCAR.com forwarns of fines, points hits, probations and even possible suspensions, threatened from as short as 1 race to as many as 9 (rest of 2005 season).
On a side note, both the 24 of Jeff Gordon and the 8 of Dale Earnhardt Jr had competitive weekends after making crew changes, starting 2nd and 3rd, respectively, before finishing 14th and 5th, respectively, with both leading laps. It was Earnhardt's best qualifying effort of the season.
PENALTIES UPDATE (11:00 pm, 9-19):
Brian Vickers (#25 GMAC Chevy), Crew chief fined $10,000 & placed on probation until end of year; team hit 25 driver & 25 owner points
Kasey Kahne (#9 Dodge Dealers Dodge), fined $25,000 & hit 25 driver & 25 owner points & probation through end of year
Michael Waltrip (#15 NAPA Chevy) fined $10,000 & hit 25 driver & 25 owner points for inappropriate gesture on a TV broadcast
Robby Gordon (#7 Jim Beam Chevy) hit twice -- 25 driver and 25 owner for each of the following: inappropriate language on a TV broadcast and attempting to hit another competitors car during a caution period. First was $10,000 fine, 2nd was $25,000 fine.
details on NASCAR.com
The most pronounced of these were an incident between Kahne and Kyle Busch on lap 165. Busch blatantly wrecked Kahne into the wall. After Kahne refired his car, he waited on the apron until Busch was coming up on him, and proceeded to cut him off on the track, damaging his car slightly. Busch would still finish, but Kahne's car was parked by NASCAR and Kahne given the rest of the race off. (Nevermind that his car was in such bad shape his day was over anyway).
Another was between the 15 NAPA Chevy of Michael Waltrip and the #7 Jim Beam Chevy of Robby Gordon. They had been beating and banging for 3rd and 4th on the track when a caution came out behind them on lap 191. Apparently Gordon slowed quicker than Waltrip, and Gordon got spun. Like above, Gordon waited for Waltrip the next lap, but didn't find him, instead causing havoc including forcing Tony Stewart, the points leader, to stop on the track to keep from hitting him. So Gordon got out of his car, waited a lap, and then threw his helmet at Waltrip's car, this time being almost hit by Stewart again as they played dodgeball with Robby Gordon... Gordon later cursed on a TV interview, and will most assuredly get docked money and points for that offense, based on recent and past history over the last 18 months. (Busch series points leader Truex faced a 25 point hit for a similar offense last week, as did then-Cup series leader Dale Earnhardt, Jr., last fall after winning at Talledega, albeit the latter was in jubilation and not anger)
In what might have been the most civil disagreement of the day, was one where defending Cup champion Kurt Busch was wrecked by the #10 of Scott Riggs on lap 3. Busch did have a temper, and proceeded to confront the crew chief of the #10 on top of the #10's pit box. At least from the video, it appeared to be a discussion only, with no fists or anything, but NASCAR is likely not happy with Busch putting himself in a position to get into an altercation. Busch finished 35th, and fell to last of the top 10, 142 points behind leader Tony Stewart.
A story on NASCAR.com forwarns of fines, points hits, probations and even possible suspensions, threatened from as short as 1 race to as many as 9 (rest of 2005 season).
On a side note, both the 24 of Jeff Gordon and the 8 of Dale Earnhardt Jr had competitive weekends after making crew changes, starting 2nd and 3rd, respectively, before finishing 14th and 5th, respectively, with both leading laps. It was Earnhardt's best qualifying effort of the season.
PENALTIES UPDATE (11:00 pm, 9-19):
Brian Vickers (#25 GMAC Chevy), Crew chief fined $10,000 & placed on probation until end of year; team hit 25 driver & 25 owner points
Kasey Kahne (#9 Dodge Dealers Dodge), fined $25,000 & hit 25 driver & 25 owner points & probation through end of year
Michael Waltrip (#15 NAPA Chevy) fined $10,000 & hit 25 driver & 25 owner points for inappropriate gesture on a TV broadcast
Robby Gordon (#7 Jim Beam Chevy) hit twice -- 25 driver and 25 owner for each of the following: inappropriate language on a TV broadcast and attempting to hit another competitors car during a caution period. First was $10,000 fine, 2nd was $25,000 fine.
details on NASCAR.com
Friday, September 16, 2005
fan favorites Jr & Gordon see crew changes...
This week, after star drivers Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. missed the 10-race chase to the Nextel Cup, their teams have undergone major crew changes. Each now has a new crew chief, with Gordon jettisoning the pit box chief that led his 2001 title effort, and Earnhardt reuniting with his cousin Tony Eury, Jr., who had been car chief on his team for 6 wins in 2004.
Of the ten drivers who made the chase this year, five are from Roush Racing. Those are Mark Martin, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth. Of the ten, there are only two Chevys (the defending manufacturer's champion), leader Tony Stewart and 2004's most-wins driver Jimmie Johnson. The remaining three are Dodges of Rusty Wallace, Ryan Newman and Jeremy Mayfield.
Those on the best momentum streaks right now include Stewart, Busch and Kenseth. Under the old system, Stewart would win running away, as his point total after Richmond would have been 250+. Now he is only up 5 points on 2nd place. Kenseth was down 610 points, now he's down 35. Kenseth was 24th in points 10 races ago -- he finished tied for 8th. That is one hell of a climb, all the while Tony Stewart was finishing with top 10s. Stewart had won 5 of 7 races at one point early in the summer.
Wallace and Martin are in their final full-time seasons in the series, Wallace with 56 career wins and Martin with 34. They might be sentimental favorites, but I'd be highly surprised if they crack the top-3.
Of the ten drivers who made the chase this year, five are from Roush Racing. Those are Mark Martin, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth. Of the ten, there are only two Chevys (the defending manufacturer's champion), leader Tony Stewart and 2004's most-wins driver Jimmie Johnson. The remaining three are Dodges of Rusty Wallace, Ryan Newman and Jeremy Mayfield.
Those on the best momentum streaks right now include Stewart, Busch and Kenseth. Under the old system, Stewart would win running away, as his point total after Richmond would have been 250+. Now he is only up 5 points on 2nd place. Kenseth was down 610 points, now he's down 35. Kenseth was 24th in points 10 races ago -- he finished tied for 8th. That is one hell of a climb, all the while Tony Stewart was finishing with top 10s. Stewart had won 5 of 7 races at one point early in the summer.
Wallace and Martin are in their final full-time seasons in the series, Wallace with 56 career wins and Martin with 34. They might be sentimental favorites, but I'd be highly surprised if they crack the top-3.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Truex's gesture costs 25 driver/owner points & 10k
After a spectacular wreck at Richmond last Friday night, Busch series points leader Martin Truex, Jr. apparently flipped the bird to the driver who had wrecked him.
The wreck occured when truex had position on the outside of Mike Wallace in the 38 car coming off of turn two. Wallace did not see Truex, and had no communication from his spotter that he was there. Wallace's car slammed full on into Truex's driver side, forcing hs car up the wall, where it rode perpendicular to the track the lenghth of the straightaway before righting itself.
Truex lost 16 laps making repairs, before returning to the track, and in the process, gained 4-5 positions (or 12-15 points) for finishing the race. Once back on the track, the aforementioned incident apparently occured under caution, but was not caught on TV. The car itself had been a top-5 car, having been black-flagged by NASCAR under green for one hood pin that had been sheered off by the 17 car of Matt Kenseth. He lost a lap under green heeding the black flag, and was racing Wallace for position.
Truex had led 2nd place driver Clint Bowyer by 94 after Richmond; now it is only 69 with 7 races to go in the 2005 season. Truex is the defending Busch Series points champion, and has dominated Busch series competition in 2005, with most wins (6), most top 5s (14) and top 10s (18).
The penalty was 25 driver points from Truex, 25 owner points from owner Teresa Earnhardt (DEI/Chance2), a $10,000 fine, and probation for the rest of 2005. It is a very similar penatly that was given to Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the cup series after his win at Talledega last fall, where he used a four letter word in regard to how little his accomplishment (5th win at that track) compared to his father (10 wins at that track) on the live TV interview in Victory Lane. In that case, Jr. was the points leader after the race, but the subsequent penalty bumped him to 2nd in the points, a position he would not recover.
The wreck occured when truex had position on the outside of Mike Wallace in the 38 car coming off of turn two. Wallace did not see Truex, and had no communication from his spotter that he was there. Wallace's car slammed full on into Truex's driver side, forcing hs car up the wall, where it rode perpendicular to the track the lenghth of the straightaway before righting itself.
Truex lost 16 laps making repairs, before returning to the track, and in the process, gained 4-5 positions (or 12-15 points) for finishing the race. Once back on the track, the aforementioned incident apparently occured under caution, but was not caught on TV. The car itself had been a top-5 car, having been black-flagged by NASCAR under green for one hood pin that had been sheered off by the 17 car of Matt Kenseth. He lost a lap under green heeding the black flag, and was racing Wallace for position.
Truex had led 2nd place driver Clint Bowyer by 94 after Richmond; now it is only 69 with 7 races to go in the 2005 season. Truex is the defending Busch Series points champion, and has dominated Busch series competition in 2005, with most wins (6), most top 5s (14) and top 10s (18).
The penalty was 25 driver points from Truex, 25 owner points from owner Teresa Earnhardt (DEI/Chance2), a $10,000 fine, and probation for the rest of 2005. It is a very similar penatly that was given to Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the cup series after his win at Talledega last fall, where he used a four letter word in regard to how little his accomplishment (5th win at that track) compared to his father (10 wins at that track) on the live TV interview in Victory Lane. In that case, Jr. was the points leader after the race, but the subsequent penalty bumped him to 2nd in the points, a position he would not recover.
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