Ron Hornaday pulls even with a few iconic drivers in NASCAR history with this victory

Hornaday is standing front grill to front grill with Richard Petty and Bobby Allison in NASCAR’s record books, both of these unforgettable racers accomplished this feat in 1971 while competing in the Cup Series. Richard Petty set the current standard for consecutive wins on the national series with ten consecutive victories during the 1967 season and is also tied for second on this list with Bobby Allison and now Ron Hornaday after his victory in the Toyota Tundra 200. Winning five consecutive races in the national series is something that has been a rare animal to see in NASCAR and for some racers it’s hard to believe that a racer could actually accomplish this. Ron Hornaday is of a rare racing-breed and we’re fortunate to be able to witness his brilliance on the track.

Hornaday was in the lead for 115 of 154 laps in the Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet and was in the lead for the final 63 laps. He looked so comfortable behind the wheel of his race car you might think he was out for a Sunday drive. This win is his sixth win of the season and 45^th of his Truck Series career, which leaves him on the top of the list for all time wins in this category.

Nashville hasn’t been a race venue that has been a good one for Hornaday and he must be glad to finally win after thirteen races on the 1.33-mile concrete surface of Nashville. After eight races in the Nationwide Series and five driving a truck, he finally gets to take home Nashville’s trademark trophy, a Gibson guitar painted by artist Sam Bass.

Hornaday’s crew chief Rick Ren also set a NASCAR record with this 27^th victory, breaking the old record of 26 wins by Dennis Connor, with Hornaday’s victory. This extra bonus definitely makes it a day to remember for both these gentlemen and one that is now written in the annals of NASCAR’s history books and will always be remembered.

“Image: Zuma Press”

Post from: EveryJoe

Ron Hornaday Wins the Toyota Tundra 200

Image details: Daytona 500 served by picapp.com

This week, NASCAR returns to Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero 400, one of the biggest races of the year on the Sprint Cup schedule. With Daytona being one of NASCAR’s two restrictor plate courses, the track has fallen under quite a bit of scrutiny over the years. While it’s still loved by many, there are still those that feel as though things tend to get a bit overhyped whenever the series heads down to Florida. But, whether you love it or you hate it, one thing cannot be denied, and that is that the 50th running of the Daytona 500 held here this past February was one that brought plenty of excitement. In fact, some believe that race was actually one of the Car of Tomorrow’s shining moments to date.

Recent Winners:
2008 – Ryan Newman
2007 – Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick
2006 – Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson
2005 – Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon

Recent Pole Winners:
2008 – Jimmie Johnson
2007 – “Cancelled Qualifying”, David Gilliland
2006 – Boris Said, Jeff Burton
2005 – Tony Stewart, Dale Jarrett

the Usual Suspects:
Despite the fact that he hasn’t won a Cup race all season long and that he’s been under the microscope this season in regards to his contract situation, Tony Stewart remains one of the favorites to win this Saturday. Along with boasting the highest driver rating over the last 7 races at the track, Tony has also won this race twice before (’05 & ‘06), and also holds the track record for most laps led in a 400-mile race when he led 151 circuits back in 2005. Additionally, Smoke leads all active drivers in the series with wins between June through August since 2003 with 12 of them to his credit. He also led the most laps at this year’s 500, only to lose the lead on the final lap of the race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is certainly considered the fan favorite to win the race this weekend, and rightfully so. Dale owns two Cup victories at Daytona himself, and has recorded 10 top-ten finishes over 17 starts. He ran very well during the Daytona 500 in February and at times appeared as though he might grab a victory in his very first start with Hendrick Motorsports, but eventually faded away near the end. Now that he’s finally broken his winless streak by taking the checkered flag at Michigan, perhaps the no. 88 team’s been able to relieve themselves of enough pressure to regain Jr’s status as the master of restrictor plate racing.

Both Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have seen their share of dominant days at Daytona. Gordon leads all active drivers with 6 wins here, and Johnson had a stretch of five consecutive Daytona races with a finish of 6th or better, which also included a win at the 2006 Daytona 500. Since that win, however, Johnson has recorded only one top-ten finish in the four races since, and he finished 27th here in February. Gordon’s last Daytona victory came at the 500 the year before.

Amongst the other favorites to win this weekend is Kevin Harvick, winner of the 2007 Daytona 500. Harvick has struggled at the track since then, finishing 34th last July and 14th earlier this year. He’s also had his struggles over the last few weeks of the season, but also known as one of the best night racers in the series, a return to Daytona could be just what the doctor ordered … Kyle Busch’s over all numbers at Daytona seem to be about middle of the road, but you can pretty much chalk that up to a few bad runs earlier on in his career. He’s finished inside the top-five in 3 of the last 4 trips to Daytona, to include a pair of runner-up finishes, and he finally picked up his first restrictor plate win earlier this year at Talladega … Kurt Busch may have gotten the monkey off his back with his win last weekend at New Hampshire, and it could’ve come at just the right time. With the number 2 time finding themselves in a much deeper hole than they could’ve ever expected to have to climb out of this late in the season, there might not be a track they’d rather visit more than Daytona. He has still yet to add a Daytona victory to his championship resume’, but he’s always considered a favorite here with 7 top-five finishes over 15 races. He has finished as the runner-up here on three occassions.

the Unusual Suspects:
When you start to think about sleeper picks at Daytona, probably the first name that jumps out to you is the guy that beat Kyle Busch to the line in this race last year, Jamie McMurray. The 2007 victory was only Jamie’s second top-five finish at the track in his career, but don’t let the numbers fool you. McMurray’s been a solid performer here ever since he started running full-time in the Cup Series, but as has been the case so many times throughout his career, he has been the unfortunate victim of bad luck more often than not.

Elliott Sadler has run well here at times, especially as of late. He has finished 6th in three of the last four Daytona races, and also scored a pair of top-five’s here back in 2001 … Brian Vickers has had a great run for his Red Bull Racing team over the past couple of months, and Vickers is especially known for his restrictor plate prowess. Though he typically runs stronger at Talladega, he does have a pair of top-ten’s at Daytona, and finished 12th here in February … Robby Gordon typically isn’t associated with many tracks other than road course races, but you may be surprised to learn that he is currently working on a string of five consecutive top-15 finishes at Daytona.

the Unusual Slackers:
It’s not very often that folks will make it a point to drop Denny Hamlin from there fantasy rosters for an upcoming race, but a trip to Daytona could call for such action. Not only has Denny failed to record a single top-15 finish in his five trips to Daytona, but his average finish of 27.0 actually matches that of JJ Yeley … Carl Edwards has been one of the top performers of the season, and is heavily considered to be amongst the true championship contenders this year. That does not mean, however, that he’s necessarily solid at every track on the schedule. Carl has only one top-ten finish in 7 Daytona races, which was a 4th place run here last July. He was unable to use that for any kind of momentum, however, as he then finished 19th here in February … Carl’s teammate, Matt Kenseth, hasn’t had much better luck taming Daytona, either. With only one top-five to his credit and an average finish here of 22.9 over 17 races, Daytona ranks amongst Matt’s worst tracks … Martin Truex Jr. is in dire need of a good run if he wants to return to the Chase for the Cup field this year, but if you ask him, Daytona’s not the best place to be given the current situation. Martin’s 13th place run here last July ranks as his best finish over six races at Daytona.

Best Driver Ratings (from racingone.com):
1. Tony Stewart – 108.1
2. Ryan Newman – 98.6
3. Jimmie Johnson – 95.5
4. Kyle Busch - 95.3
5. Kurt Busch – 93.0

Best Average Finishes (from racingone.com):
1. Clint Bowyer – 13.0
2. Jimmie Johnson – 13.2
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 13.8
4. Sam Hornish Jr. – 15.0
5. David Gilliland – 15.7 

Daytona Facts:
- A Cup race at Daytona has gone without any lead changes on two different occassions, the last of which came back in 1963.
- The race has gone caution-free 12 times, most recently the Daytona 500 in 1971.
- The most drivers to ever finish on the lead lap at Daytona is 33. Eight races have seen only one driver finish on the lead lap, most recently in 1976.
- In 122 Cup Series races at Daytona, only 10 times has the winner come from outside of a top-15 starting position. 55% of the races have been won from the top-five, and 23 winners have started from the pole.
- Only four drivers have ever won both the Daytona 500 and the July race at Daytona in the same year: Fireball Roberts, Cale Yarbrough, LeRoy Yarbrough, and most recently, Bobby Allison in 1982. Ryan Newman won the Daytona 500 this year, giving Penske Racing their first-ever restrictor plate victory. 

Storylines for the Weekend:
Hendrick Motorsports has recently announced the release of Casey Mears from the no. 5 car next season. They’re expected to make an announcement on Friday in regards to whom will fill the seat in 2009, and heavy speculation at this point is that the announcement will involve the legendary Mark Martin … Though he is not on this weekend’s driver entry list, DEI has named the young Aric Almirola as the full-time driver of their no. 8 car in ‘09 … In a surprise move, Chip Ganassi Racing announced earlier in the week that they would be forced to shut down operations on their no. 40 car, which until then had been driven by 2007 Indy 500 winner, Dario Franchitti, due to a lack of sponsorship opportunities … This weekend’s Cup entry list includes Boris Said (making his 2nd start of the season) and Sterling Marlin (making his 6th start). Marlin leads all drivers on the entry list with 589 laps led at Daytona – 57 more laps than Tony Stewart, and 78 more than Jeff Gordon … Kerry Earnhardt will run the no. 8 entry in the Nationwide Series this weekend, marking his first official start in a DEI car in a NASCAR event.

Six-Pack Challenge:
Winner – Tony Stewart
2nd Place – Jimmie Johnson
3rd Place – Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4th Place – Kurt Busch
5th Place – Kyle Busch
6th Place – Greg Biffle

Lock of the Week – Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Sleeper Pick - Brian Vickers
Steer Clear of – Martin Truex Jr.

Video – Jamie McMurray wins the 2007 Pepsi 400

Post from: EveryJoe

Race Preview for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona

Recent Pole Winners:
2007 – Jeff Gordon, JJ Yeley
2006 – Jeff Burton, Kasey Kahne
2005 – Joe Nemecheck, Ryan Newman

Best Driver Ratings (from racingone.com):
1. Carl Edwards – 112.3
2. Kurt Busch – 106.8
3. Greg Biffle – 105.4
4. Jimmie Johnson - 104.7
5. Matt Kenseth – 104.1

Best Average Finishes (from racingone.com):
1. Carl Edwards – 7.3
2. Matt Kenseth – 9.7
3. Denny Hamlin – 10.0
4. Jeff Gordon – 12.5
5. Martin Truex Jr – 12.5

Most Wins – David Pearson (9)
Most Wins (Active) – Bobby LaBonte (3)
Most Poles – David Pearson (10)
Most Poles (Active) – Jeff Gordon (5)
Most Top 5’s – Cale Yarbrough (21)
Most Top 10’s – Bill Elliott (29)
Most Manufacturer Wins – Ford (30)
Track Qualifying Record – Ryan Newman (37.069 seconds / 2005)

Odd Facts:
- David Pearson, Cale Yarbrough, Bill Elliott, Rusty Wallace, Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Dale Jarrett, and Mark Martin have combined to win 45 of the 77 Cup races at Michigan, or 58.4% of the races.
- The track record for a 400 mile race at Michigan is 173.997 mph, whereas the record for a 500 miler is only 139.254 mph. That’s an average 34 mph slower for that extra hundred miles! This weekend’s race is 400 miles.
- A Cup race at Michigan has gone caution free on three separate occassions, most recently in 1999. The most cautions at MIS? Only 10, which came in August of 2006.
- Five times has a Michigan race ended with only 2 drivers on the lead lap. The last time was in 1975.
- Roush-Fenway Racing has more wins at Michigan (10) than they do any other track.
- A driver has won from the pole position at Michigan 15 times. Last weekend at Pocono marked the first time this season such a feat had been accomplished.

Six-Pack Challenge:
Winner – Greg Biffle
2nd Place – Carl Edwards
3rd Place – Tony Stewart
4th Place – Kasey Kahne
5th Place – Matt Kenseth
6th Place – Jimmie Johnson

Lock of the Week – Carl Edwards
Sleeper Pick – Brian Vickers
Steer Clear of – Clint Bowyer

Post from: EveryJoe

Fantasy Preview: Michigan

Recent Pole Winners:
2007 – Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman
2006 – Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman
2005 – Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson

Best Driver Ratings (from racingone.com):
1. Greg Biffle – 113.7
2. Matt Kenseth – 111.9
3. Mark Martin – 104.4
4. Jimmie Johnson – 101.5
5. Kyle Busch – 101.5

Best Driver Average Finishes (from racingone.com):
1. Carl Edwards – 9.1
2. Ryan Newman – 10.0
3. Martin Truex Jr. – 10.5
4. Tony Stewart – 10.6
5. Mark Martin – 11.1

Most Wins – Bobby Allison, Richard Petty (7)
Most Wins / Active Driver – Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Mark Martin (3)
Most Poles – David Pearson (6)
Most Top 5’s – Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin (19)
Most Top 10’s – Richard Petty, Ricky Rudd (26)
Most Manufacturer Wins – Chevrolet (28)
Track Qualifying Record – Jeremy Mayfield (22.288 seconds / 2004)

TZ’s Six-Pack Challenge:
Winner – Tony Stewart
2nd Place – Greg Biffle
3rd Place – Jimmie Johnson
4th Place – Kyle Busch
5th Place – Martin Truex Jr.
6th Place – Jeff Burton

Lock of the Week – Tony Stewart
Sleeper Pick – Juan Pablo Montoya
Steer Clear of – Kevin Harvick

Post from: EveryJoe

Fantasy Preview: Dover

Recent Polesitters:
2007 – Ryan Newman (x2)
2006 – Scott Riggs (x2)
2005 – Elliott Sadler, Ryan Newman

Best Driver Ratings (from racingone.com):
1. Jimmie Johnson – 120.2
2. Kyle Busch – 94.3
3. Mark Martin – 93.2
4. Kasey Kahne – 92.9
5. Carl Edwards – 88.6

Best Driver Averages (from racingone.com):
1. Jimmie Johnson – 6.8
2. Carl Edwards – 7.3
3. Bobby LaBonte – 9.3
4. Mark Martin – 12.1
5. Tony Stewart – 12.9

Most Wins – Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip (6)
Most Poles – David Pearson (12)
Most Top 5’s – Bobby Allison, Richard Petty (23)
Most Top 10’s – Richard Petty (31)
Most Manufacturer Wins – Chevrolet (353)
Qualifying Record – Elliott Sadler (27.948 seconds / 2005)

Race Notes:
- LMS President, Humpy Wheeler, will step down following the Coca Cola 600
- Ken Schrader will debut Richard Childress Racing’s no. 33 car this weekend
- Sterling Marlin will reunite with Chip Ganassi Racing this weekend to fill in for the injured Dario Franchitti
- Brian Pattie will make his Sprint Cup Series Crew Chief debut at the helm of Juan Pablo Montoya

TZ’s Six-Pack Challenge:
Winner – Carl Edwards
2nd Place – Jimmie Johnson
3rd Place – Kyle Busch
4th Place – Kasey Kahne
5th Place – Mark Martin
6th Place – Tony Stewart

Lock of the Week – Carl Edwards
Sleeper Pick – Mark Martin
Steer Clear of – Ryan Newman

Post from: EveryJoe

Fantasy Preview: Lowe’s

Roger Penske has undoubtedly assembled one of the greatest and most consistent racing organizations in NASCAR in what has become known as the “modern era”, despite not having yet won himself a Cup Series championship. Originally formed back in 1972 on an interim part-time basis, Penske didn’t go full-time until 1976 with Bobby Allison, but soon exited the sport after running only 2 races in 1980 with Rusty Wallace behind the wheel.

Penske Racing returned to the Cup Series in 1991 with Rusty again driving for the team, this team with the #2 Miller Genuine Draft car. Rusty would remain with the team until he retired in 2005, collecting a total of 37 wins for Penske and nearly winning them the Cup Series title in 1993, finishing only 80 points shy of the eventual champion Dale Earnhardt. Rusty’s success for Roger Penske in the 90’s not only established the team as a dominant force to be reckoned with in the NASCAR garage, but has also established what appears to be a permanent sponsor for them as well, as the #2 car has never had a primary sponsor under Penske’s control other than a Miller Brewing Co product.

Despite Penske not bringing the #12 car into play until 1997 and the #77 team having only two full-time seasons under their belt (2004 & 2005), the organization has proven their consistency by the sheer fact that the only two years in which they’ve failed to produce a top ten points team were 1992 (they had only one team; Rusty finished 13th that season) and 2006 (Penske had 2 teams; finished 16th & 18th). They’ve also never had a full-time team finish outside of the top 35 in owner points.

After a very successful campaign in 2005 in which Penske saw both Rusty Wallace and Ryan Newman finish inside the top ten in points after qualifying for that year’s Chase field, things suddenly took a turn for the worse. Rusty retired at the end of the year and was replaced by another former champion, Kurt Busch. Not only was Kurt’s debut season with Penske not a success – recording only one win and finishing 16th in points, the worst finish in his career other than his rookie campaign in 2001 – but, teammate Ryan Newman finished with a career-worst finish of 18th in points. After 2007 started off much the same way that ’06 ended, many people were really starting to give up on the Penske organization. Then, a miracle occurred that resurrected the #2 team when they signed Pat Tryson has the new Crew Chief for Pat Tryson. Not only did this move get Busch back into victory lane twice, but it also got him back into the “Chase” field as he went onto finish the year 7th in points while Newman came in a respectable 13th. The teams’ spirits have been lifted, and hopes are high as we head into 2008. This team should be well on their way back down the road of success and should possibly be competing for championships once again.

Cup Series Roster:

#2: Kurt Busch – As previously mentioned, Busch has received a much-needed boost with the addition of Pat Tryson to his team. Tryson is credited with much of the success accrued in the career of Mark Martin during his time with Roush Racing, and many people feel he will do the same for Busch … including me. The 2004 Cup Champion struggled during his first year and a half with the Penske group, but went on an absolute tear heading into the Chase last season after adding Tryson to the mix. Many people are picking Busch as an early favorite to not only make the Chase field again this year, but to seriously compete for – if not win – the Sprint Cup title. I will stick with the prediction I made at the beginning of January and call Kurt Busch for a third place finish in the championship run.

#12: Ryan Newman – “Flyin” Ryan busted into the Cup Series in 2002 – narrowly winning the Rookie of the Year race over Jimmie Johnson – and, went onto win 12 races and 34 pole awards in his first four seasons in the series. Since losing Matt Borland as his crew chief, however, Newman has won only 7 pole awards and has failed to score a single victory over the past 2 years. What’s worse is that Newman’s worst points finish in his first four years was 7th in 2004, but has finished 18th and 13th in ’06 and ’07. Newman’s 13th place finish last year was at first a surprise considering he was only in 18th a third of the way into the season. Then, it became disappointment as he bounced back-and-forth between 13th and 14th for the remainder of the season, unable to climb a spot higher into the Chase brackets. With a new Crew Chief once again this year, he will need Roy McCauley to step up in ’08 if he wants to leave the horrors and pressure from the past two seasons in the past and reclaim his spot amongst NASCAR’s top stars.

#77: Sam Hornish Jr – Penske has brought the #77 back from the graveyard specifically to Sam Hornish a ride in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. As if that weren’t enough, Penske has also taken Kurt Busch’s owner points from last season and transferred them over to #77 for 2008. So, needless to say, there’s a lot of pressure sitting on the shoulders of the three-time Indy Car Series Champion to perform well and keep the car inside the top 35 in points. While nobody’s expecting him to compete for a spot in the 2008 Chase field, though, the real points race for this driver is going to be for Rookie of the Year honors as he battles against 3 other former open wheel stars that will also be making their NASCAR debuts this year. Hornish ran the final two races of the season in ’07, finishing 30th and 37th. He should have a better feel for the handling of these stock cars this year, though, and should make a solid effort to remain in the top 35.

Driver Roster: B+
Off-Season: B-
2008 Outlook: B+

Post from: EveryJoe

Season Preview: Penske Racing