Joey Logano is a young and hungry NASCAR racer with winning on his mind

After rolling eight times across the track of Dover in front of thousands of fans, it’s easy to get noticed the next time you head out onto a race track and when he takes his car out onto the track Friday, he’ll be someone to keep your eye on. If this crash scared Logano, you’d never know it by his calm and controlled demeanour. This isn’t the first time he has crashed and it’s something any professional racer is going to experience during their career, unless they’re really lucky. His crash in the Budweiser Shootout earlier in the season was a harder crash than his crash at Dover, but a spectacular eight spin crash is always going to get more attention than a less spectacular crash.

Joey isn’t the only NASCAR driver to find himself in a situation that makes the adrenalin flow, Edward’s crash at Talladega, McDowell’s crash at Texas and Gordon’s crash at Las Vegas were all spectacular crashes that left the racers with no major injuries, which is a testament to the safety features of NASCAR.

Joey only experienced a little bit of stiffness after the crash, but thanks to the safety devices that NASCAR has built into their current Sprint Cup Series car, he can walk around and smile about the crash. He’ll have to quickly forget about his crash if he’s going to be effective on the track in the future and knowing the safety features that protect you work, will make forgetting about the crash and concentrating on driving easier.

Keep an eye out for Logano on the track if you’re watching a Sprint Cup Series race in the future, he’s definitely a young racer with a bright future in NASCAR, and one who will be winning his share of races in the future.

“Image: Zuma Press”

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Joey Logano Gets Noticed

The Chase heads to Kansas Speedway for the third round

The Price Chopper 400 is going to be a defining race that helps to determine who still has a chance to achieve their dreams and who is quickly becoming a could-have-been. After the Price Chopper 400 we could be seeing enough separation between some of the racers that we’ll be able to tell who still has a realistic chance of winning. This doesn’t mean that one racer couldn’t get hot and run the table on the other racers to win it all, but with every race we complete this becomes less and less of a possibility.

Kansas Speedway is going to be challenging for all the racers and their cars to win on. An intermediate oval that’s one of five currently used for the 10-race Chase, Kansas Speedway might be the track where the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season is for the most part determined.

Which drivers do we think will have good days at Kansas Speedway? Greg Biffle should have a good day, with one win and four top-five finishes during his last six visits to Kansas, this is a track he has enjoyed racing on. Jimmie Johnson is preparing to use Kansas as his launching pad for his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup Series championship. He has been on the pole for the last two races at Kansas and he knows how to use this track to position his car to make a run for the championship, having won here last year on his way to winning his third consecutive championship. Expect Mark Martin to throw his car into the ring, he’s as close as he has ever been to a Sprint Cup Series championship and you don’t always get a lot of chances to be in this position, so expect him to give his best. Jeff Gordon will certainly not give up despite being in a position that leaves him looking bad to win the championship. He does enter this weekend’s competition at Kansas Speedway on a two-race string of top-five finishes at Kansas and I expect him to finish in the top five once again.

“Image: Zuma Press”

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The Chase Heads to Kansas This Weekend

Allmendinger started the race in 14th and moved up to a high of sixth place in the race, yet finished in ninth. “I always feel like I have something to prove, especially when you’re told you might not be the guy that’s going to be back next year,” said Allmendinger after the race.

It’s been rumored that Allmendinger will be replaced by Scott Speed. However, I would expect Allmendinger to land with another team in time for the 2009 Sprint Cup season.

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Allmendinger impresses at Kansas

Biffle’s No. 16 car posted the fastest time during the practice round, cutting up the Kansas Speedway at 167.385 MPH. Biffle is tied for second in the Chase standings, along with Johnson, who finished the practice round with a top speed of 166.528. Edwards posted the third-best top speed in the No. 99 car at 167.271.

So what are we looking at this afternoon? Well, the Kansas Speedway has been notorious for being extremely hard to win for those 12 drivers involved in the Chase. It’s all been almost expected to see a wreck that will impact the race standings. So, here’s my prediction. With the history of the track hard to ignore, I’m staying on the side of caution. Both Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart looked impressive in practice Saturday, however both are starting near the back of the pack. With so much to make up, I don’t feel comfortable choosing either as a hands-down winner. But I do feel comfortable picking either Mark Martin or Jeff Gordon.

Martin starts alongside Johnson on the front row after Montoya was disqualified. Gordon will start in the 13th position. Yet, it’s hard to ignore Biffle and his chase for a third-straight win. So, here are my top three finishers for today’s race. Gordon will win, followed by Martin and Biffle fighting for second.

Now, time to sit back and wait for that green flag.

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Camping World RV 400 Preview

Johnson is tied for second in the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings, trailing Carl Edwards by 10 points entering Sunday’s race in Kansas. Montoya thought he had earned his first pole position in NASCAR Sprint Cup before he was notified of the violation, which turned out to be improper gas pressure in his rear shocks. The ageless wonder, Mark Martin, will start next to Johnson on the front row Sunday.

The Kansas Speedway has been particularly tough on drivers in the Chase in the past. Many of the drivers involved in the Chase ran slow in qualifying. The Chase leader, Carl Edwards will start 34th, while third-place Greg Biffle will start 18th. The rest of the lineup for Sunday with cars involved in the Chase can be found below.

3. Matt Kenseth
11. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
13. Jeff Gordon
24. Clint Bowyer
27. Kyle Busch
30. Denny Hamlin
36. Kevin Harvick
37. Jeff Burton
41. Tony Stewart

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Jimmie Johnson earns Kansas pole after Montoya DQ’d

Tony Stewart says “Sliced Bread” is a good replacement for him.

Jeff Foxworthy is coming out with a new animated show about a NASCAR family. We can only hope it doesn’t bomb like “The Jeff Foxworthy Show” did.

Bruce’s NASCAR Bits and Pieces wonders where A.J. Allmendinger will be ending up after being let go by Red Bull.

From the Marbles compares Jimmie Johnson to some other great sports dynasties of the past.

The NASCAR Insiders talk about what the Chase for the Cup has done to the sport. I have to agree with them. I was worried what the Chase would do to the sport, however, it seems it is working out just fine.

Fox 4 news station in Kansas City is covering this weekend’s race.

EA Sports revealed its Fall lineup for mobile games and it includes NASCAR 09.

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Links for Friday 9/26

10. Matt Kenseth – 22 races – Last Win: Homestead-Miami Speedway, Fall 2007
9. Jeff Gordon – 27 races – Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Fall 2007
8. Greg Biffle – 29 races – Kansas Speedway, Fall 2007
7. Tony Stewart – 36 races – Watkins Glen International, Summer 2007
6. Jamie McMurray – 40 races – Daytona International Speedway, Summer 2007

5. Martin Truex Jr. – 45 races – Dover International Speedway, Spring 2007
4. Kevin Harvick – 57 races – Daytona International Speedway, Spring 2007
3. David Ragan – 60 races – No NSCS wins
2. Brian Vickers – 68 races – Talladega Superspeedway, Fall 2006
1. Elliott Sadler – 141 races – Auto Club Speedway, Fall 2004

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List of the Week: Longest Winless Streaks Inside the Top 20

Through 55 years of racing at NASCAR’s top level, the Wood Brothers have established themselves amongst the all-time winningest teams in the sport’s history with an accumulated 97 wins amongst the organization. The organization has housed such legendary names as Cale Yarbrough, David Pearson, Davey Allison, AJ Foyt, Tiny Lund, Dale Jarrett, Ricky Rudd, and Dan Gurney. The team made history in the late 70’s when they were invited to the White House by former U.S. President, Jimmy Carter … Yet, Wood Brothers Racing has not visited Victory Lane since Elliott Sadler’s 2001 win at Bristol Motor Speedway, and the organization has been relegated to one of stock car racing’s proverbial laughing stocks in recent years.

With the team struggling, and the evolution of the NASCAR economy seeming to work against them and the Ford Racing program, team owner Glen Wood sought to keep the driving program afloat by signing veteran drivers Bill Elliott and Ken Schrader to drive the no. 21 Ford for the team in 2007. The end result, however, was less than desirable as the combination failed to net the Wood Bros. a single top-ten finish, and much hasn’t changed in 2008 with Elliott again behind the wheel this year, this time being complimented by Jon Wood on occassion.

So, what does a team do when they’ve fallen so far off of the mark of excellence that they themselves established so long ago? They go out and fetch themselves the 31-year-old Aussie that’s largely credited with the revival of Ford Racing in Australia - Marcos Ambrose. Adequately named the “Tasmanian Devil,” Ambrose, a former Formula Ford Euro Cup and 2x former V8 Supercar Championship Series champion, broke into the NASCAR scene in 2006 when the Wood Brothers / JTG Racing partnership signed Ambrose to compete in full-time in the Craftsman Truck Series. Not being cleared by NASCAR to compete in the first three races of the season, Ambrose was limited to 22 races in which he garnered 4 top-ten finishes, including a pair of 3rd place runs at Nashville and Kansas.

The team then set Ambrose’s sights on the Nationwide Series in 2007, where Marcos tallied 6 top-ten runs through 35 events and ultimately finished 8th in the overall points standings, and was the third highest ranked non-Cup regular in the standings. 2008 has gotten Marcos off to a bit of a slower start in the series, where he currently sits 13th in points, but a 2nd place run at the road course in Mexico earlier in the season prompted a callup from the Wood Brothers this past weekend at Infineon.

Slated to make his long-awaited Sprint Cup debut behind the wheel of the famed no. 21 Ford Fusion, Ambrose got the weekend off to a great start when he was the 7th fastest during qualifying, and then led the final practice session on Saturday. Looking to prove his road course prowess was no joke and that he belonged at NASCAR’s premier level, Ambrose then established himself as one of the top cars in the field and definitely one of the guys to beat on Sunday, though looking at the box score following the race, you’d have never known it unless you’d watched the race yourself.

Marcos ran with the leaders and stayed up around the top-five all day long, even when pit strategies shuffled several of the other race leaders back into the pack. Only some unprovoked contact from Elliott Sadler late in the race kept him from getting the finish he deserved, and yet, even after a 42nd place run, both Ambrose and the Wood Brothers organization were rather upbeat following the race.

“Just awesome,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it. Here I am, passing Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, racing with Earnhardt Jr, it’s just fantastic. It’s what I dreamed about, what I dreamed it would be like. It’s certainly like that. It’s just fantastic. It’s just a real shame we couldn’t finish the race.”

While most people probably find it tough to see the silver lining in a 42nd place finish, those that have followed the Wood Brothers throughout the years know that they’ve been far from competitive the last few years, and that even though the finish wasn’t indicative of the good run, it’s a huge morale booster for the organization to have a car run as well as Marcos did on Sunday. Ambrose is now scheduled to compete in seven more Cup events in the no. 21 car, including next weekend at New Hampshire and the August road course race at Watkins Glen.

*Credit photo to Newscom.

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Is Ambrose the Ticket for the Wood Bros.’ Return to Prosperity?

Jack Sprague held off his Kevin Harvick Inc. racing teammate, Ron Hornaday, to finish second, while Travis Kvapil finished fourth, and last week’s race winner, Matt Crafton, finished fifth. Kyle Busch had the dominant car all night long, but transmission troubles sidelined him late in the race, and he went onto finish 27th. Todd Bodine came into the race as the series points leader, but a blown tire that sent him hard into the Turn 3 wall on lap 170 relegated him to a 27th place finish, dropping him four spots in the standings. The points lead was handed over to Rick Crawford after putting together a solid 9th place run.

Speed took the lead of the race when he passed Bodine for the position on lap 150, and opened up a lead of more than 3.5 seconds before the lap 170 caution saw that lead disappear. After the restart on lap 179, Speed ran away from the field, leaving Sprague trailing by more than four seconds before he finally slowed it down on the final lap as he made his way towards Winner’s Circle.

Following the race, Speed, who later revealed that he’d had his toenails painted blue prior to the race, stated, “Today we had a good strategy and an awesome truck, and we got everything we could out of it. The learning curve I’ve had has been amazing. Everytime I go out on the track, I feel I come away with a lot of knowledge. I’m just having an awesome time trying to learn this sport.”

Speed’s victory is the first on the season for Bill Davis Racing, whose camp also consists of veteran drivers, Johnny Benson and Mike Skinner.

Craftsman Truck Series Standings (from nascar.com):

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Speed Finds Speed at Dover

Horndaday – the defending Craftsman Truck Series champion – went virtually untouched the entire day, giving up the lead only three times, each of which was under caution. Hornaday led an impressive 136 of the 167 laps, and beat Sprague back to the line on the final lap by a mere 0.149 seconds.

Sprague suffered from a mid-race mistake and was sent to the back of the field, but his team used some crafty pit strategy to get him up towards the front by the end of the day. The victory for Hornaday extends his all-time wins lead on the series, now giving him 34 in his career, and he is also once again atop the points standings as he marches forward in pursuit of his fourth Truck Series championship. For Sprague – who is second on the all-time wins list – it was his best finish of the season, and he now moves up to 9th in points as he, too, is in search of his fourth championship run.

Rookie driver, Colin Braun, finished third despite angering several veteran drivers during his run (to include Sprague), and the Bill Davis Racing teammates of Johnny Benson and Mike Skinner finished 4th and 5th. Kyle Busch, who came into the day leading the points standings, did not participate in the race due to commitments at Talladega, and now drops to 6th in points.

Truck Series Standings (from nascar.com):

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KHI Sports a 1-2 Finish in Kansas