The question on everyone's mind as the Sprint Cup Series comes to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for this weekend's Shelby 427 has nothing to do with the casinos or the cheap buffets or even the free shows.
No, what everyone wants to know entering Sin City is ... can Matt Kenseth make history?
No driver has ever won the first three races in the Sprint Cup season. Kenseth became just the fifth driver in history to win the first two races of the season after holding off Jeff Gordon to win at Auto Club Speedway last weekend. There's no way Kenseth and rookie crew chief Drew Blickensderfer can go 3-for-3, right?
To quote college football analyst Lee Corso, "Not so fast, my friend."
In nine career starts at LVMS, Kenseth has two wins (2003, 2004) and five top-10 finishes. He finished second in this race in 2006 and fourth in 2007. Kenseth's worst career finish at Las Vegas? That came last season, when he finished 20th.
It's also worth noting that his Roush Fenway Racing teammates, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle, had good finishes in last year's race. Edwards won the race, while Biffle finished third. Roush cars have historically been strong at LVMS, winning six of the 11 Sprint Cup races held there. Mark Martin won the inaugural Cup race at the track in 1998, while Jeff Burton picked up a pair of Las Vegas checkered flags when he was still piloting the No. 99.
So logic dictates that even if Kenseth doesn't win on Sunday, one of his teammates will. Only three drivers not affiliated with Roush Fenway have ever won at Las Vegas -- Jimmie Johnson (three times), Sterling Marlin and Jeff Gordon.
Considering how Gordon ran in the Auto Club 500, leading laps and ultimately finishing second after giving Kenseth all he could handle in the closing laps, he has to be considered a contender this weekend. I realize LVMS is the site of Gordon's bad wreck last year -- I felt so bad for that poor radiator -- but he's got a much better handle on the new car this time around, and it wouldn't surprise me if he upends Kenseth.
And what of the race distance? Historically a 400-mile event, this year's race will be 427 miles as a nod to race sponsor Shelby. History has shown 400-mile races on relatively flat 1.5-mile ovals can turn into fuel mileage races (looking at you, Chicagoland and Kansas) -- will the extra 27 miles take fuel mileage out of the equation, or will there be an even greater emphasis on fuel conservation?
I think it all depends on how the cautions fall. If we see a lot of green-flag runs, it may again come down to fuel mileage. If we have a lot of cautions -- I'm thinking five or more -- it may not be an issue.
I think I'll go with Kenseth for the historic three-peat. No one is hotter than the No. 17 team right now -- not only is Kenseth fast on the track, his boys on pit road are getting the job done. Twice in Fontana, the No. 17 crew got Kenseth back on the track ahead of Gordon.
That clean air proved to be the difference in the race.
In addition, here are a few drivers a bit down in the points who need good runs on Sunday. It's still early, but if struggles continue, a lot of drivers' Chase hopes could go up in smoke. Those drivers are:
Jimmie Johnson (19th in points), Kasey Kahne (23rd), Mark Martin (27th), Jeff Burton (31st), Ryan Newman (33rd) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (35th).
I don't think any of them are in danger of falling out of the Top 35 in owner points by the time the series leaves Bristol in a few weeks, but if these teams aren't careful, Chase hopes could swirl down the drain. Especially if guys like Kurt Busch (3rd), Michael Waltrip (7th), Juan Pablo Montoya (10th) and David Reutimann (12th) keep their current pace.
But really, who expects Waltrip to stay in Chase contention. Certainly not me ....
Friday, February 27, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Kenseth goes back-to-back in SoCal
Matt Kenseth's victory in the season-opening Daytona 500 might've been a surprise to some, but his win Sunday evening in the Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana was anything but. After all, it was Kenseth's third win at that track, and the fifth straight spring race win for car owner Jack Roush.
Yes, Roush-Fenway Racing seems to have the 2-mile oval just east of Los Angeles figured out. And Kenseth, who went winless in 2008, became just the fifth driver to open the season with back-to-back wins -- and the first to do it since Jeff Gordon won Daytona and Rockingham to open the 1997 season.
Gordon went on to win his second then-Winston Cup championship that season.
Gordon finished second and was strong throughout the race -- certainly stronger than he had been at any point on the intermediate tracks last season. Gordon, a four-time champion and owner of 81 checkered flags in his Winston/Nextel/Sprint Cup career, has gone 43 races without a win, but he's getting closer.
In fact, he might've won Sunday had his car not gone tight on him as he pursued Kenseth in the closing laps.
"It they keep giving me cars like that, we're going to win some races this year," Gordon said. "I'm so excited on one side because we ran so well and we started out the season so great, but I'm still mad on the other side because I felt like we had what it took to win tonight."
Kyle Busch finished third, falling just short in his bid for the historic triple. Busch dominated both the Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series races on Saturday, leading 238 of the combined 250 laps.
He became the first driver ever to win two NASCAR national touring series races on the same day -- though that record is a little misleading; NASCAR rarely runs two national touring series at the same track on the same day. NASCAR ran the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races on the same day at Richmond last September, but that was because weather forced the postponement of both races.
Still, to win two races and finish third in the other? An impressive weekend for a driver with all the talent in the world. And considering what he said after the race -- actually sounding pleased with a third-place finish, complementary of his team and speaking highly of the battle Kenseth and Gordon waged for the victory -- it sounds like Busch's attitude might be catching up.
Maybe.
No driver has ever won the first three races of the season, but Kenseth has a good chance to do just that as the series moves to Las Vegas this weekend for the Shelby 427. Roush-Fenway has been strong at the 1.5-mile oval, and Kenseth won the race in 2003 -- the only race he won on the way to his then-Nextel Cup title.
Carl Edwards won last year's race, while Greg Biffle finished third.
Can Kenseth keep the momentum and give rookie crew chief Drew Blickensderfer his third win in as many races? Possibly; I'll give my pick on Thursday or Friday.
One more thing before I give the results from Sunday's race ... why does NASCAR insist on starting these races so late, especially with inclement weather in the area? NASCAR started the Daytona 500 at 3:30 p.m. EST, even with rain threatening -- if NASCAR had pushed the start time up even an hour, maybe they get the whole race in.
Sunday saw five caution flags -- four of them for persistent rain showers. The rain never amounted to much, and NASCAR got the full distance in, but if NASCAR knows weather might be a factor, why not move up the start time to adjust? The sport's governing body should do everything in its power to make sure the full race is run, and that includes moving up the start time if weather appears to be a possibility.
Then again, what do I know? I'm just a fan.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 500
1. Matt Kenseth**
2. Jeff Gordon*
3. Kyle Busch
4. Greg Biffle*
5. Kurt Busch*
6. Denny Hamlin
7. Carl Edwards*
8. Tony Stewart*
9. Jimmie Johnson*
10. Brian Vickers
11. Juan Pablo Montoya*
12. Kasey Kahne
13. David Stremme*
14. David Reutimann
15. Michael Waltrip
16. Jamie McMurray
17. David Ragan
18. Travis Kvapil
19. Clint Bowyer
20. Bobby Labonte
21. Reed Sorenson
22. Marcos Ambrose
23. Sam Hornish Jr.
24. Casey Mears
25. Elliott Sadler
26. Joey Logano
27. Martin Truex Jr.
28. Ryan Newman
29. A.J. Allmendinger
30. Robby Gordon
31. John Andretti*
32. Jeff Burton
33. David Gilliland
34. Jeremy Mayfield
35. Aric Almirola
36. Scott Riggs
37. Paul Menard
38. Kevin Harvick
39. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
40. Mark Martin*
41. Scott Speed
42. Dave Blaney
43. Joe Nemechek
* led a lap (5 bonus points)
** led most laps (5 more bonus points)
Yes, Roush-Fenway Racing seems to have the 2-mile oval just east of Los Angeles figured out. And Kenseth, who went winless in 2008, became just the fifth driver to open the season with back-to-back wins -- and the first to do it since Jeff Gordon won Daytona and Rockingham to open the 1997 season.
Gordon went on to win his second then-Winston Cup championship that season.
Gordon finished second and was strong throughout the race -- certainly stronger than he had been at any point on the intermediate tracks last season. Gordon, a four-time champion and owner of 81 checkered flags in his Winston/Nextel/Sprint Cup career, has gone 43 races without a win, but he's getting closer.
In fact, he might've won Sunday had his car not gone tight on him as he pursued Kenseth in the closing laps.
"It they keep giving me cars like that, we're going to win some races this year," Gordon said. "I'm so excited on one side because we ran so well and we started out the season so great, but I'm still mad on the other side because I felt like we had what it took to win tonight."
Kyle Busch finished third, falling just short in his bid for the historic triple. Busch dominated both the Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series races on Saturday, leading 238 of the combined 250 laps.
He became the first driver ever to win two NASCAR national touring series races on the same day -- though that record is a little misleading; NASCAR rarely runs two national touring series at the same track on the same day. NASCAR ran the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races on the same day at Richmond last September, but that was because weather forced the postponement of both races.
Still, to win two races and finish third in the other? An impressive weekend for a driver with all the talent in the world. And considering what he said after the race -- actually sounding pleased with a third-place finish, complementary of his team and speaking highly of the battle Kenseth and Gordon waged for the victory -- it sounds like Busch's attitude might be catching up.
Maybe.
No driver has ever won the first three races of the season, but Kenseth has a good chance to do just that as the series moves to Las Vegas this weekend for the Shelby 427. Roush-Fenway has been strong at the 1.5-mile oval, and Kenseth won the race in 2003 -- the only race he won on the way to his then-Nextel Cup title.
Carl Edwards won last year's race, while Greg Biffle finished third.
Can Kenseth keep the momentum and give rookie crew chief Drew Blickensderfer his third win in as many races? Possibly; I'll give my pick on Thursday or Friday.
One more thing before I give the results from Sunday's race ... why does NASCAR insist on starting these races so late, especially with inclement weather in the area? NASCAR started the Daytona 500 at 3:30 p.m. EST, even with rain threatening -- if NASCAR had pushed the start time up even an hour, maybe they get the whole race in.
Sunday saw five caution flags -- four of them for persistent rain showers. The rain never amounted to much, and NASCAR got the full distance in, but if NASCAR knows weather might be a factor, why not move up the start time to adjust? The sport's governing body should do everything in its power to make sure the full race is run, and that includes moving up the start time if weather appears to be a possibility.
Then again, what do I know? I'm just a fan.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 500
1. Matt Kenseth**
2. Jeff Gordon*
3. Kyle Busch
4. Greg Biffle*
5. Kurt Busch*
6. Denny Hamlin
7. Carl Edwards*
8. Tony Stewart*
9. Jimmie Johnson*
10. Brian Vickers
11. Juan Pablo Montoya*
12. Kasey Kahne
13. David Stremme*
14. David Reutimann
15. Michael Waltrip
16. Jamie McMurray
17. David Ragan
18. Travis Kvapil
19. Clint Bowyer
20. Bobby Labonte
21. Reed Sorenson
22. Marcos Ambrose
23. Sam Hornish Jr.
24. Casey Mears
25. Elliott Sadler
26. Joey Logano
27. Martin Truex Jr.
28. Ryan Newman
29. A.J. Allmendinger
30. Robby Gordon
31. John Andretti*
32. Jeff Burton
33. David Gilliland
34. Jeremy Mayfield
35. Aric Almirola
36. Scott Riggs
37. Paul Menard
38. Kevin Harvick
39. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
40. Mark Martin*
41. Scott Speed
42. Dave Blaney
43. Joe Nemechek
* led a lap (5 bonus points)
** led most laps (5 more bonus points)
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Pressure getting to Junior?
To say Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't have the best of Daytona 500s on Sunday would probably be the understatement of the young 2009 NASCAR season.
NASCAR's most popular driver, in his second year for arguably the Sprint Cup Series' most powerful team in Hendrick Motorsports, is under immense pressure -- because of his name and popularity -- to deliver that elusive first series championship, particularly after 2008 started off with such promise, only to thud to a halt once the Chase started.
Two pit road mishaps and triggering the big 10-car pileup on lap 124 were Junior's claim to fame (or infamy) on Sunday, leaving Brian Vickers, Kyle Busch and even Jeff Burton weighing in and criticizing Earnhardt.
Leading up to this year's Daytona 500, Earnhardt talked a lot about pressure, saying he realized this was the year he had to put up or shut up. He seemed to have a chip on his shoulder, showing a fire and temper I don't recall ever seeing from him. He blasted Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage for insinuating drivers had to do a better job of marketing races, then made no bones about how he had to perform.
Then Sunday happened.
Junior took the lead on lap 53, and though he only led one lap, he was as strong as he typically is at Daytona. Then he came onto pit road under caution ... only to miss his stall entirely, forcing him to run all the way around the track again before pitting and losing all of his track position.
Junior admitted he wasn't thinking in relation to that error, saying, "I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to get up in there and try to lead a lap and all that and I just wasn't thinking good."
But he was still on the lead lap, eventually making his way back up into the top 5 as the race crept toward the halfway mark and rain became a real threat. It was the second pit road mistake, and the ensuing one-lap penalty, that officially ruined his day.
NASCAR rules only permit the right rear tire to be outside the pit box while being serviced; Junior’s right front was on the line as the crew changed his tires. Because the No. 88 team didn’t push the car all the way into the box before starting service, Earnhardt was assessed a one-lap penalty.
Argue the harshness of the penalty if you want – and Junior did – but that’s the way NASCAR does things. You break a rule, you pay the price.
A lap down and fighting Vickers to get the free pass should the caution have come out, Junior went low on the backstretch to pass. Vickers went low to block, sending Junior behind the out-of-bounds yellow line. Trying to merge back into the line of traffic, Junior clipped the left rear of Vickers’ car, sending him spinning back into the field and taking out another nine cars – including Busch, who had led 88 laps at that point.
Intent can be argued – I happen to think Junior didn’t intentionally dump Vickers, because that’s just not his style – but Earnhardt does deserve some blame. Vickers does too, but NASCAR’s most popular driver isn’t immune from it, even if he was adamant and borderline angry when talking to reporters after the race.
"I got ran into and sent below the line. What the hell? I don't want to go down there, I didn't aim to go down there, and I got sent down there. What the hell am I supposed to do?" he quipped. "Then what am I supposed to do? Stay down there? No. I got to get back up on the race track.
"If he wasn't so damn reckless, we would have never had that problem, that would never happen. As far as I am concerned, it is all his responsibility."
The wreck wouldn’t have been as a big a deal had Vickers not collected anyone else when he spun. If Busch, the dominant car of the day, hadn’t been collected, everyone might’ve shrugged it off as a racing incident. But because of those two factors, and the fact that Dale Earnhardt Jr. arguably started the wreck, this became the talk of the Daytona 500, more so than Matt Kenseth actually winning the race.
But back to the original point: is Earnhardt starting to feel the pressure? I think so; you can see him pressing on the race track, doing things with his car he doesn’t normally do. In racing back to the front after the first pit road mistake, Junior bobbed and weaved his car erratically, taking chances before the halfway point most guys not named Kyle Busch wouldn’t even consider.
He needed to get back up to the front. He needed to lead laps. He needed to win the race.
New teammate Mark Martin said before the season that Earnhardt had some of the strongest and broadest shoulders he’d ever seen, because of all the hype and expectations he has to handle on a weekly basis. But Earnhardt is only human, and the things he’s done and said so far this season tell me the pressure’s starting to eat at him.
He knows he has to perform, and he knows he has to do it now. Is the pressure unfair? Some of it; people expect Dale Earnhardt Jr. to be just like Dale Earnhardt, even when anyone with half a brain knows that’s not the case. I always felt for Kyle Petty in that regard, having to live up to his legendary father, and now Junior’s starting to feel some of that.
Junior’s a good driver – 18 career Cup wins, the 2004 Daytona 500, two Nationwide Series championships – but his name ensures those numbers, which I’m guessing guys like Paul Menard and Travis Kvapil would kill for, will never be good enough.
One Cup title wouldn’t even be enough – everyone would simply ask, “Okay, when are you gonna win the next one?”
Rick Hendrick talked of Martin being a mentor of sorts for Junior when the 50-year-old signed on to drive the No. 5 car. I think that mentoring needs to start now, in earnest, because the more Junior presses, the more we’re going to see performances like Sunday’s.
Which will make the scrutiny and pressure even worse. Dale Earnhardt Jr. might be NASCAR’s poster boy, but he’s his own man, and he’s only human.
NASCAR's most popular driver, in his second year for arguably the Sprint Cup Series' most powerful team in Hendrick Motorsports, is under immense pressure -- because of his name and popularity -- to deliver that elusive first series championship, particularly after 2008 started off with such promise, only to thud to a halt once the Chase started.
Two pit road mishaps and triggering the big 10-car pileup on lap 124 were Junior's claim to fame (or infamy) on Sunday, leaving Brian Vickers, Kyle Busch and even Jeff Burton weighing in and criticizing Earnhardt.
Leading up to this year's Daytona 500, Earnhardt talked a lot about pressure, saying he realized this was the year he had to put up or shut up. He seemed to have a chip on his shoulder, showing a fire and temper I don't recall ever seeing from him. He blasted Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage for insinuating drivers had to do a better job of marketing races, then made no bones about how he had to perform.
Then Sunday happened.
Junior took the lead on lap 53, and though he only led one lap, he was as strong as he typically is at Daytona. Then he came onto pit road under caution ... only to miss his stall entirely, forcing him to run all the way around the track again before pitting and losing all of his track position.
Junior admitted he wasn't thinking in relation to that error, saying, "I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to get up in there and try to lead a lap and all that and I just wasn't thinking good."
But he was still on the lead lap, eventually making his way back up into the top 5 as the race crept toward the halfway mark and rain became a real threat. It was the second pit road mistake, and the ensuing one-lap penalty, that officially ruined his day.
NASCAR rules only permit the right rear tire to be outside the pit box while being serviced; Junior’s right front was on the line as the crew changed his tires. Because the No. 88 team didn’t push the car all the way into the box before starting service, Earnhardt was assessed a one-lap penalty.
Argue the harshness of the penalty if you want – and Junior did – but that’s the way NASCAR does things. You break a rule, you pay the price.
A lap down and fighting Vickers to get the free pass should the caution have come out, Junior went low on the backstretch to pass. Vickers went low to block, sending Junior behind the out-of-bounds yellow line. Trying to merge back into the line of traffic, Junior clipped the left rear of Vickers’ car, sending him spinning back into the field and taking out another nine cars – including Busch, who had led 88 laps at that point.
Intent can be argued – I happen to think Junior didn’t intentionally dump Vickers, because that’s just not his style – but Earnhardt does deserve some blame. Vickers does too, but NASCAR’s most popular driver isn’t immune from it, even if he was adamant and borderline angry when talking to reporters after the race.
"I got ran into and sent below the line. What the hell? I don't want to go down there, I didn't aim to go down there, and I got sent down there. What the hell am I supposed to do?" he quipped. "Then what am I supposed to do? Stay down there? No. I got to get back up on the race track.
"If he wasn't so damn reckless, we would have never had that problem, that would never happen. As far as I am concerned, it is all his responsibility."
The wreck wouldn’t have been as a big a deal had Vickers not collected anyone else when he spun. If Busch, the dominant car of the day, hadn’t been collected, everyone might’ve shrugged it off as a racing incident. But because of those two factors, and the fact that Dale Earnhardt Jr. arguably started the wreck, this became the talk of the Daytona 500, more so than Matt Kenseth actually winning the race.
But back to the original point: is Earnhardt starting to feel the pressure? I think so; you can see him pressing on the race track, doing things with his car he doesn’t normally do. In racing back to the front after the first pit road mistake, Junior bobbed and weaved his car erratically, taking chances before the halfway point most guys not named Kyle Busch wouldn’t even consider.
He needed to get back up to the front. He needed to lead laps. He needed to win the race.
New teammate Mark Martin said before the season that Earnhardt had some of the strongest and broadest shoulders he’d ever seen, because of all the hype and expectations he has to handle on a weekly basis. But Earnhardt is only human, and the things he’s done and said so far this season tell me the pressure’s starting to eat at him.
He knows he has to perform, and he knows he has to do it now. Is the pressure unfair? Some of it; people expect Dale Earnhardt Jr. to be just like Dale Earnhardt, even when anyone with half a brain knows that’s not the case. I always felt for Kyle Petty in that regard, having to live up to his legendary father, and now Junior’s starting to feel some of that.
Junior’s a good driver – 18 career Cup wins, the 2004 Daytona 500, two Nationwide Series championships – but his name ensures those numbers, which I’m guessing guys like Paul Menard and Travis Kvapil would kill for, will never be good enough.
One Cup title wouldn’t even be enough – everyone would simply ask, “Okay, when are you gonna win the next one?”
Rick Hendrick talked of Martin being a mentor of sorts for Junior when the 50-year-old signed on to drive the No. 5 car. I think that mentoring needs to start now, in earnest, because the more Junior presses, the more we’re going to see performances like Sunday’s.
Which will make the scrutiny and pressure even worse. Dale Earnhardt Jr. might be NASCAR’s poster boy, but he’s his own man, and he’s only human.
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