After a hectic and busy week -- one in which Mother Nature, "Billy Bad Butt" and Dale Earnhardt Jr. stole the headlines -- the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will head to Dover, Del. this weekend in an attempt to tame the Monster Mile.
All three national touring series will be at Dover International Speedway this weekend, with the Camping World Truck Series running on Friday -- and points leader Ron Hornaday looking for his second win of the season -- and the Nationwide Series running on Saturday, with Kyle Busch looking to return to Victory Lane and widen his points lead over Carl Edwards.
A natural storyline heading into this weekend's race (aside from it being the final race FOX will cover this season -- no more Digger!) will be how the No. 88 team adjusts to its new crew chief. In reality, though, that story was talked to death on Thursday -- and the semi-permanent change to Lance McGrew on the pit box won't take hold until next weekend at Pocono, so let's table that one for the time being.
Focusing on the race itself, Busch is the defending race winner. He took this event last year in leading 156 laps to pick up his fourth of what would be eight wins on the season. Busch wasn't the dominant car, though; Greg Biffle, who would later win the fall race at Dover last season, led all drivers in pacing 168 circuits.
In short, when looking for a driver to win this weekend's race, it's a safe bet to either pick Busch (as much as that might turn your stomach) or one of the drivers out of Roush-Fenway Racing. Roush drivers have won five of the last 10 races at Dover -- and last year, four Roush drivers finished in the Top 10 in the spring race.
Roush drivers finished 1-2-3 in the fall race; Biffle won, while Matt Kenseth took second and Carld Edwards -- who has one career win at Dover -- finished third.
Dover is as good a place as any for Roush to get back its groove; since Kenseth won the first two races of the season, no Roush driver has seen Victory Lane. Not Biffle, not preseason title favorite Edwards, not David Ragan or Jamie McMurray. For whatever reason, Roush has lagged behind the likes of Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing -- and even Stewart-Haas Racing -- this season.
Edwards did finish fourth in Charlotte on Monday, and he has to be a favorite any time the Sprint Cup Series visits a concrete surface -- between his success at Dover and Bristol, on top of Nationwide Series success at Nashville, Edwards has earned the nickname "Concrete Carl."
But don't be shocked if either Biffle or Kenseth steal the checkered flag, either. Even though both drivers are currently in the top 12 in points, neither can truly be considered a title threat. A win at Dover would be a good way to kick off the summer swing and get Roush back on track.
But don't discount Busch -- even if you really want to. Since sweeping the weekend races at Richmond earlier this month, Busch has yet to see Victory Lane again. He easily could've won the Nationwide Series race at Darlington, if not for a flat tire with two laps left that forced him onto pit road, and were it not for Mother Nature, Busch almost certainly would've swept the weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
In short, the racing gods might think the driver of the No. 18 Toyota is due.
If I really had to settle on one guy, though, I'll pick Edwards to get his first win of the season. The No. 99 has been off much of the year, but the team is starting to catch up a little. His Top-5 at Charlotte last week might've been weather-aided, but that's the sort of momentum that team can use to get itself back into true championship contention.
Something tells me we're gonna see a backflip Sunday evening.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
BREAKING NEWS: Eury Jr. out as Dale Jr.'s crew chief
ESPN's David Newton reported Thursday morning that Tony Eury Jr. has been fired as crew chief of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. The move comes after Earnhardt's 40th-place finish Monday in the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600.
Team manager Brian Whitesell will serve as crew chief for this weekend's race at Dover, with Lance McGrew taking over the following weekend at Pocono on an interim basis.
Whitesell, a longtime Hendrick employee, was an interim crew chief for Jeff Gordon in 1999, winning two of his seven races atop the pit box. Once McGrew takes over, Whitesell and lead chassis engineer Rex Stump will offer full-time support, with team engineer Tom Stewart assisting with race strategy.
Hendrick Motorsports has no shortage of smart and capable racing minds -- Ray Evernham, Chad Knaus and Darian Grubb immediately come to mind -- and both Whitesell and McGrew have proven themselves in the past. Whitesell is a Sprint Cup race-winning crew chief, while McGrew has worked with Earnhardt before in the Nationwide Series.
On paper, this arrangement looks solid. The fans, no doubt, will simply be happy a move was made. Junior Nation wanted owner Rick Hendrick to get rid of Eury for a while now, and even though Hendrick was reluctant at first, it became clear over the past few races that something needed to be done.
With his third straight finish of 27th or worse, Earnhardt sits 19th in points after Charlotte, 203 points behind 12th-place Mark Martin. While all three Hendrick Motorsports teammates -- Martin, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson -- have won races this season, Junior has just one Top-5 finish (Talladega) and two Top-10s.
It was clear almost immediately that a change needed to be made. Earnhardt's on-track mistakes -- missing his pit stall, causing the Big One at Daytona -- aside, it was clear something was missing between driver and crew. The car was never set up right, and on more than one occasion, Earnhardt would ask for an adjustment that never came.
At Richmond earlier this month, Earnhardt asked for a wedge adjustment -- only to have his crew adjust the track bar. Junior finish 27th at one of his historically better tracks.
With Eury Jr. as his crew chief, Earnhardt won just two races -- one on fuel mileage and one on tire strategy. Fifteen of Junior's 18 Sprint Cup victories came with Tony Eury Sr. calling the shots. Eury Sr. currently serves as Brad Keselowski's crew chief in the Nationwide Series; Keselowski has two career wins in that series and finished third in the championship standings last season.
Best-case scenario would've put Eury Sr. back on the pit box, but the addition of Whitesell and McGrew also make sense. Whitesell is smart, and McGrew -- with his history with Earnhardt -- should take care of the ever-present chemistry question. Chemistry between driver and crew chief can be paramount; just ask Carl Edwards and Bob Osbourne or Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus.
Junior Nation should face the fact: Earnhardt will not make the Chase this year, and even with this move, it's unlikely he'll win any races. But if I'm Hendrick, I'm probably looking toward next season. If there's marked improvement in the No. 88 camp, I can see McGrew being named full-time crew chief in the offseason. This move wasn't so much to help Junior make the Chase this year; it was more to get things in order for another try in 2010.
Will it work? That remains to be seen, but things can't be much worse for NASCAR's most popular driver than they already are.
Team manager Brian Whitesell will serve as crew chief for this weekend's race at Dover, with Lance McGrew taking over the following weekend at Pocono on an interim basis.
Whitesell, a longtime Hendrick employee, was an interim crew chief for Jeff Gordon in 1999, winning two of his seven races atop the pit box. Once McGrew takes over, Whitesell and lead chassis engineer Rex Stump will offer full-time support, with team engineer Tom Stewart assisting with race strategy.
Hendrick Motorsports has no shortage of smart and capable racing minds -- Ray Evernham, Chad Knaus and Darian Grubb immediately come to mind -- and both Whitesell and McGrew have proven themselves in the past. Whitesell is a Sprint Cup race-winning crew chief, while McGrew has worked with Earnhardt before in the Nationwide Series.
On paper, this arrangement looks solid. The fans, no doubt, will simply be happy a move was made. Junior Nation wanted owner Rick Hendrick to get rid of Eury for a while now, and even though Hendrick was reluctant at first, it became clear over the past few races that something needed to be done.
With his third straight finish of 27th or worse, Earnhardt sits 19th in points after Charlotte, 203 points behind 12th-place Mark Martin. While all three Hendrick Motorsports teammates -- Martin, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson -- have won races this season, Junior has just one Top-5 finish (Talladega) and two Top-10s.
It was clear almost immediately that a change needed to be made. Earnhardt's on-track mistakes -- missing his pit stall, causing the Big One at Daytona -- aside, it was clear something was missing between driver and crew. The car was never set up right, and on more than one occasion, Earnhardt would ask for an adjustment that never came.
At Richmond earlier this month, Earnhardt asked for a wedge adjustment -- only to have his crew adjust the track bar. Junior finish 27th at one of his historically better tracks.
With Eury Jr. as his crew chief, Earnhardt won just two races -- one on fuel mileage and one on tire strategy. Fifteen of Junior's 18 Sprint Cup victories came with Tony Eury Sr. calling the shots. Eury Sr. currently serves as Brad Keselowski's crew chief in the Nationwide Series; Keselowski has two career wins in that series and finished third in the championship standings last season.
Best-case scenario would've put Eury Sr. back on the pit box, but the addition of Whitesell and McGrew also make sense. Whitesell is smart, and McGrew -- with his history with Earnhardt -- should take care of the ever-present chemistry question. Chemistry between driver and crew chief can be paramount; just ask Carl Edwards and Bob Osbourne or Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus.
Junior Nation should face the fact: Earnhardt will not make the Chase this year, and even with this move, it's unlikely he'll win any races. But if I'm Hendrick, I'm probably looking toward next season. If there's marked improvement in the No. 88 camp, I can see McGrew being named full-time crew chief in the offseason. This move wasn't so much to help Junior make the Chase this year; it was more to get things in order for another try in 2010.
Will it work? That remains to be seen, but things can't be much worse for NASCAR's most popular driver than they already are.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Castroneves bags emotional Indianapolis 500 win
A month and a half ago, Helio Castroneves was staring jail in the face. This past Sunday, he had tears in his eyes following his third career win in the Indianapolis 500.
Castroneves, who was acquitted in late April of charges of tax evasion, completed the storybook ending with his win. He took the pole earlier in the month, and over the course of the month's practice sessions, he clearly had one of the fastest cars.
He pulled away on a late restart, leaving Dan Wheldon and Danica Patrick to fight it out for second place. No one was going to deny Castroneves his personal tale of redemption.
Not that Castronever needed the popularity boost. He was already among the series' most visible drivers, thanks in part to his success on the track and his infectious, outgoing personality. Being a champion of ABC's Dancing With the Stars helped.
But fighting the IRS and winning, only to come back and immediately take IndyCar's most prized trophy? Hollywood executives would reject such a stript, claiming it to be too unbelieveable.
Believe it.
Castroneves' win was even larger, since the 93rd running of the Indy 500 had the motorsports stage largely to itself. Rain forced NASCAR to push the Coca-Cola 600 to Monday, allowing all of American motorsports to take in Castroneves' accomplishment and rightfully praise him for the way he handled himself in and out of his Roger Penske-owned car.
Wheldon's second-place effort in a Panther Racing ride was impressive -- no longer among the elite with Penske and Chip Ganassi -- as was Patrick's third. Patrick eclipsed her career-best of fourth at the Yard of Bricks, using patience and calm rarely exhibited before to turn in a performance that, in other years, would've generated a lot of buzz.
Castroneves' win was the only thing that could quiet Danica Mania. That win, couple with a second-place finish at Kansas in April, might propel Castroneves into IRL championship contention -- even though he missed the season-opener because his trail was still ongoing.
In a perfect world, the IRL would take Castroneves' win and use that to build on its popularity. But NASCAR is still king of American motorsport -- even with its struggles of late -- and few things outside of Patrick winning would catapult the IRL into the mainstream for more than a Sunday in late May.
Still, even if it only lasted a day, it was great story, wasn't it?
93rd Indianapolis 500
1. Helio Castroneves
2. Dan Wheldon
3. Danica Patrick
4. Townsend Bell
5. Will Power
6. Scott Dixon
7. Dario Franchitti
8. Ed Carpenter
9. Paul Tracy
10. Hideki Mutoh
11. Alex Tagliani
12. Tomas Scheckter
13. Alex Lloyd
14. Scott Sharp
15. Ryan Briscoe
16. A.J. Foyt IV
17. Sarah Fisher
18. Mike Conway
19. John Andretti
20. Milka Duno
21. Vitor Meira
22. Raphael Matos
23. Justin Wilson
24. E.J. Viso
25. Nelson Philippe
26. Oriol Servia
27. Tony Kanaan
28. Robert Doornbos
29. Davey Hamilton
30. Marco Andretti
31. Graham Rahal
32. Ryan Hunter-Raey
33. Mario Moraes
Castroneves, who was acquitted in late April of charges of tax evasion, completed the storybook ending with his win. He took the pole earlier in the month, and over the course of the month's practice sessions, he clearly had one of the fastest cars.
He pulled away on a late restart, leaving Dan Wheldon and Danica Patrick to fight it out for second place. No one was going to deny Castroneves his personal tale of redemption.
Not that Castronever needed the popularity boost. He was already among the series' most visible drivers, thanks in part to his success on the track and his infectious, outgoing personality. Being a champion of ABC's Dancing With the Stars helped.
But fighting the IRS and winning, only to come back and immediately take IndyCar's most prized trophy? Hollywood executives would reject such a stript, claiming it to be too unbelieveable.
Believe it.
Castroneves' win was even larger, since the 93rd running of the Indy 500 had the motorsports stage largely to itself. Rain forced NASCAR to push the Coca-Cola 600 to Monday, allowing all of American motorsports to take in Castroneves' accomplishment and rightfully praise him for the way he handled himself in and out of his Roger Penske-owned car.
Wheldon's second-place effort in a Panther Racing ride was impressive -- no longer among the elite with Penske and Chip Ganassi -- as was Patrick's third. Patrick eclipsed her career-best of fourth at the Yard of Bricks, using patience and calm rarely exhibited before to turn in a performance that, in other years, would've generated a lot of buzz.
Castroneves' win was the only thing that could quiet Danica Mania. That win, couple with a second-place finish at Kansas in April, might propel Castroneves into IRL championship contention -- even though he missed the season-opener because his trail was still ongoing.
In a perfect world, the IRL would take Castroneves' win and use that to build on its popularity. But NASCAR is still king of American motorsport -- even with its struggles of late -- and few things outside of Patrick winning would catapult the IRL into the mainstream for more than a Sunday in late May.
Still, even if it only lasted a day, it was great story, wasn't it?
93rd Indianapolis 500
1. Helio Castroneves
2. Dan Wheldon
3. Danica Patrick
4. Townsend Bell
5. Will Power
6. Scott Dixon
7. Dario Franchitti
8. Ed Carpenter
9. Paul Tracy
10. Hideki Mutoh
11. Alex Tagliani
12. Tomas Scheckter
13. Alex Lloyd
14. Scott Sharp
15. Ryan Briscoe
16. A.J. Foyt IV
17. Sarah Fisher
18. Mike Conway
19. John Andretti
20. Milka Duno
21. Vitor Meira
22. Raphael Matos
23. Justin Wilson
24. E.J. Viso
25. Nelson Philippe
26. Oriol Servia
27. Tony Kanaan
28. Robert Doornbos
29. Davey Hamilton
30. Marco Andretti
31. Graham Rahal
32. Ryan Hunter-Raey
33. Mario Moraes
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