Joey Logano has NASCAR's greats in his sights

Nervous minutes before Joey Logano had been sitting against his No. 20 race car, trying to look cool and collected as he waited to hear if he was going to capture his first win due to the intervention of Mother Nature. The gathering crowd around Joey Logano and the No. 20 pit box was restless as the cars sat on pit road under a red flag waiting for the storm to begin, and they didn’t wait long.

Sunday was about Joey Logano though, a racer who has battled through a rookie season that has been far from easy on a racer who is probably getting use to getting there by the tough route. A young racer who earned the somewhat auspicious nickname of “Sliced Bread” for his exploits in NASCAR’s support series. Sunday’s victory marks only the fourth time in seventeen starts this season that Joey has been able to crack the top ten and what a way and place to accomplish the feat.

New Hampshire, the track where he witnessed his first Cup race as a fan, where he drove to victory in developmental series races, and the place he made his debut in the major league of racing. A humbling and frustrating 32^nd place-debut that made him realize he had a lot of work to do if he wanted to win. Sunday though was his day, his first of many to come if he has his way, but a triumphant homecoming that no one really expected, especially with his early problems in the race.

One thing for sure about this 19 year old racing fanatic, he’s going to surprise at times, and has always been a bit of a wild card. We can look forward to him providing us with amazing thrills and a few spills over his career and maybe a few years from now, we’ll be talking about him as one of the best. This is one of the best things about NASCAR; you just never know whose going to rise to the top of the ladder.

“Image: Zuma Press”

Post from: EveryJoe

NASCAR’s New Blood

Sunday's Toyota/SaveMart 350

Kahne had to fight off early challenges by the field, but once he got up to speed the quality of his ride and driving skill started to take over. He had to fight-off a late charge by road-course guru Tony Stewart through a series of double-file restarts at the end of the race, the last time due to Scott Speed’s disastrous spin during Lap 108, and just beat Stewart to the line to take the win. This was just one of seven caution flags of the day that was filled with bangs and crashes on the track and a few off the track as well. This was Kasey’s first win of the 2009 Sprint Cup NASCAR season and the tenth in his short career, but certainly not his last.

Marcos Ambrose had a good run, he had difficulty in the opening laps, but after beginning at the rear due to the changing of an engine, he was able to chase down the leaders for third, and if the race had been a few more laps the ending might have been a little different.

Jimmie Johnson had a difficult day, he had to recover from a speeding penalty in pit lane that put him behind but after battling through to the end, he was able to take fourth place. Denny Hamlin lead in Sunday’s Toyota/SaveMart 350 for 33 laps of the race, which was second to Kasey Kahne’s 37 laps in the lead, but had a few problems near the end of the race and finished fifth. Juan Montoya had a difficult day but managed to finish sixth, A. J. Allmendinger ran at a steady speed to take seventh, Clint Bowyer managed eighth. Jeff Gordon had a few problems getting through the field and finished ninth, while Elliot Sadler finished up the top ten in the Toyota/SaveMart 350 held at Infineon Raceway on Sunday afternoon.

“Image: Zuma Press”

Post from: EveryJoe

Kasey Kahne Wins the Toyota/SaveMart 350

This subject has been on my mind today because the 50^th edition of the longest race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup series is taking place on Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Coca Cola 600 is considered one of the hardest races to win on the NASCAR Sprint Cup calendar and certainly distinguishes itself due to its singularity as the longest Sprint Cup event of the year. The Coca Cola 600 also illustrates beautifully how the most important element to a good finish in a NASCAR Sprint Cup race is actually a good pole position, a consistently fast and reliable car and maybe a slight brush by Lady Luck.

Ryan Newman - Image: Zuma Press

Ryan Newman sits in the pole position of Sunday’s Coca Cola 600, his eighth pole position in Sprint Cup competitions in a race he has never won, and one he knows that he’ll need more than the pole position to have a chance to win. This said he’s certainly won’t be giving up the pole position either, it still’s an advantage, but is only one parameter in the equation of winning in NASCAR. He will still have to contend with the weather, the other racers, who want to win as much as him and maybe more in some cases, and possibly Lady Luck frowning on him.

NASCAR is a different animal then it was fifteen years ago when the a driver like Jeff Burton first ran his first 600 mile race and is actually more of a sprint then you might think. The speed, intensity and physical endurance required to win a race like the Coca Cola 600 means winning requires greater mental and physical endurance from the drivers than it use too. The need to concentrate constantly to drive on the edge of disaster that the speeds of today’s NASCAR race cars achieve and the split second timing required to avoid disaster makes a NASCAR Sprint Cup race a drive along the edge of a tilted cliff at times.

Note: The Coca Cola 600 was postponed on Sunday due to rain and will run Monday at noon instead.

Post from: EveryJoe

Coca Cola 600 Runs Today

Menard was one of two drivers at DEI that had a full sponsor, but he will be taking that with him to Yates. Now, only Martin Truex, Jr. is left at DEI with a full sponsor. Menard has gone 68 career races with reaching the winner’s circle and posted only one top 10 finish in his career at DEI. Menard’s first race for Yates will be in 2009.

Speed will be joining the NASCAR Sprint Cup series after running in the Craftsman Truck Series. Speed will begin running the No. 84 car on Oct. 19 at Martinsville. Speed was able to run a test on the Red Bull car at Lowe’s Motor Speedway last week. However, Mike Skinner will run the next two races in the No. 84 car, including at Lowe’s Speedway, before Speed takes the wheel.

Post from: EveryJoe

Speed and Menard make headlines in changes

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.

Post from: EveryJoe

Allmendinger impresses at Kansas

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.

Post from: EveryJoe

Links for Friday 9/26

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. – How can he not be the favorite to win the biggest Daytona 500 in history? This year he’s packing a Hendrick motor, he won the Budweiser Shootout just last weekend, he won his Gatorade Duel event Friday, and oh … have you seen his record at Daytona? Sixteen starts at this track have brought him two wins, six top five’s, nine top ten’s, and an overall average finish of 14.1. Teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon have better records at Daytona – depending on how you view it – but, Junior’s the guy riding in this weekend feeling the energy and the momentum.

2. Jeff Gordon – With four wins and an average finish of 15.3 in his last 20 Daytona starts, Gordon has always got to be a favorite to win this race … as he is with almost any race that he competes in. He’s also got six top-ten finishes in the last eight Daytona competitions, including 10th and 5th place finishes last year. He’s backed all of that up throughout the Daytona speedweeks with a strong showing in the Budweiser Shootout and then with a third place finish in the second Gatorade Duel on Friday. I’m expecting him to push Junior across the line at the end of this one.

3. Tony Stewart – All off-season the blogging world has questioned what Tony will be able to do with the Toyota Camry this year, but “Smoke” has surpassed even the highest of expectations to this point. The horsepower that these Toyota’s are packing has been evident throughout the Daytona pre-season practices and into the Speedweeks, and Tony’s backed that up with second place finishes both in the Budweiser Shootout and the second Gatorade Duel. With 18 Daytona races under his belt, Stewart does have two wins, but he’s still searching for his first victory at the Great American Race.

4. Kevin Harvick – Last year’s Daytona 500 winner will be looking to repeat, no doubt, but with this year’s field he’s certain to have his hands full. In his thirteen Daytona races, Harvick currently sports an average finish of 16.4, and he finished 7th in the second Duel event. I’m predicting him to become Stewart’s wing-man late in the race to attempt to succumb the Hendrick cars.

5. Jimmie Johnson – He’s got the best average finish at Daytona amongst all active drivers with with five or more starts there, posting an average of 12.0 over the course of twelve races. He won the Daytona 500 in 2006, but in the three races here since then his best finish was 10th, which came in last year’s July race. Jimmie Jo’s looking to start the 2008 campaign off in strong fashion as he sets his sights on a third consecutive Cup championship. Look for the Hendrick cars to hook up and run the majority of this race together … and, from the front … but, somebody’s going to have to get shuffled in those closing laps.

6. Mark Martin – This 6th place slot was really a coin toss, but Martin’s 2nd place effort in the 500 last year combined with his fifth place running in the second Duel event this year turned out to be the deciding factors. Never having won a race at Daytona, he comes here with an average finish of 17.8 over his last 20 races.

Lock of the Week: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Sleeper Pick: David Ragan
Steer Clear of: Martin Truex Jr.

Post from: EveryJoe

Fantasy Preview: Daytona

After winning the Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins in 1991, Joe Gibbs turned around the next year and decided to enter the realms of the NASCAR [then] Winston Cup Series, and he’s done nothing but reap the benefits of that decision ever since. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen any team enter the sport at NASCAR’s highest level and have as much immediate and continued success as Joe Gibbs Racing has.

With only Dale Jarrett driving for the team in its first three years, they finished 19th, 4th, and 16th in points from 1992 to 1994. After ’94, they parted ways with DJ and replaced him with Bobby Labonte, who finished 10th and 11th in ’95 and ’96 … and, that would be the last time that Joe Gibbs failed to place at least one car inside the top ten in points. Gibbs expanded to two teams in 1999 to make room for Tony Stewart, and the next season they won their first championship with Labonte. In 2002 and 2005 they would win two more thanks to the efforts of Stewart.

Looking back now, over sixteen seasons and just shy of 1,000 races in the sport, Joe Gibbs Racing has accumulated three Cup Championships (one by Labonte, two by Stewart), two Rookies of the Year (Stewart, Hamlin), and 58 wins. There have now been 537 points-races in which a Gibbs car has started in the field, meaning that the organization has won in approximately 11% of their opportunities.

 Equally impressive is the fact that Gibbs has won championships in both the old Pontiac and the Chevy Monte Carlo. This year they will venture into new waters as they climb aboard the Toyota wagon and hope to turn things around over there. They are undoubtedly being viewed as the driving force in the R&D for these cars, particularly in the engine department, and by the looks of the Daytona Speedweeks and early testing at Las Vegas and California, it appears that it may be paying off. With the addition of Kyle Busch to the team, every driver on the current Gibbs lineup made the Chase field last season, and they will look to continue their tradition of fielding at least one team in the Chase ever since the playoff format was first introduced to NASCAR.

Cup Series Roster:

#11: Denny Hamlin – First receiving his shot by Joe Gibbs to run in the Cup Series in 2005 after the team released Jason Leffler, Denny ran 7 races that year that resulted in three top-ten finishes. The following season he exploded with two wins, eight top-five’s, and twenty top-ten finishes en route to securing the 2006 Rookie of the Year Honors. He again qualified for the Chase field last year, picking up another victory along the way, but a late season slump resulted in Hamlin finishing only 12th in the standings. As the Gibbs camp makes their move to Toyota this year, he will rely on the veteran of the team, Tony Stewart, more than ever, and in the long run that could be the primary factor that determines this year’s outcome for the driver of the #11 Fed-Ex car. I think the Toyotas are going to hold up over the long haul, but they’re not going to dominate the way that some are hoping, which means that there’s only going to be room at the table for so many people. Hamlin’s going to have some good runs this season, maybe even pickup a win along the way, but look for him to fall just short of making the Chase for the Sprint Cup … likely somewhere between 13th and 15th.

#18: Kyle Busch – Yet another former Rookie of the Year (yes, all three Cup Series drivers for Gibbs won ROY in their respective seasons), Kyle Busch first came into the Cup circuit in 2004 to run six races. He went full-time in ’05 and picked up two wins of his own, nine top-five’s, and thirteen top-ten’s, but managed to finish only 20th in the standings for car owner Rick Hendrick. The following season he showed dramatic improvement, however, qualifying for the Chase for the Cup and jumping up to tenth in the points, earning himself another victory. Last year he did his share to contribute to a Hendrick-dominated season, with another win and a fifth place points finish. This year he will venture into unchartered waters by joining Joe Gibbs Racing at the most – or least (depending on how you look at it) – opportune time as they make their switch to Toyotas. It’s hard to say how Busch will handle the new Camry’s, but he’s certainly worked his way towards establishing himself amongst NASCAR’s best. It’s also uncertain how well he’ll be able to get along with new teammate Tony Stewart. Aside from Smoke’s current ongoing feud with Kyle’s brother, Kurt, he’s also had some run-ins with Kyle himself in the past. I think Busch is going to do what he needs to do to make this thing work, and I fully expect to see Kyle in the Chase competition, finishing somewhere between 10th and 12th.

#20: Tony Stewart – With the 1999 Rookie of the Year honors, two Cup championships, 32 wins, 119 top five’s, 191 top ten’s, an average points standings finish of 4.9, and an overall average race finish of 12.5 all in 9 seasons and 320 points races, I think it’s safe to say that this is also the single driver on the track that can push Toyota to the next level and really get them on the map. All off-season everyone’s been wanting to count him out of it – including me – for the simple fact that he’s going to be driving a Toyota this year, but the fact of the matter is that Stewart has won in every car model and in every type of car he’s ever driven, so why should this be any different? Everybody’s also been up in arms about his attitude, especially after we witnessed it flare up again this past weekend in Daytona. Now he’s on probation for the next six races, but it’s my opinion that NASCAR’s going to be very lenient on Stewart, meaning they’re going to do everything they can to make sure that he stays on the track for every race, regardless of how far he pushes the envelope. Why? Revert back to my opening statements on the guy … he’s the one guy that can legitimize the Toyota brand in NASCAR. Folks, he’s going to be competitive all season long, he’s going to pick up some wins, and he’s going to make the Chase field once again. I’m still not convinced myself that he’s got a real chance to win the whole thing, but he is my pick to finish sixth.

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

Post from: EveryJoe

Season Preview: Joe Gibbs Racing

1) Juan Pablo Montoya – 50%

2) Dario Franchitti – 22%

3) Sam Hornish Jr. – 13%

4) Jacques Villeneuve – 9%

5) Patrick Carpentier – 6%

Post from: EveryJoe

Poll Results: 1/28 – 2/10

After experiencing some success in the open-wheel market, Team Red Bull decided to purge into NASCAR late in the 2006 season. Except, it wasn’t exactly a “purge”, as they failed to qualify in the three races they attempted. Shaking off the disappointment from their trial runs in ’06, the team looked ahead towards the 2007 season after purchasing the old Penske race shop in Mooresville, NC and aligning with the Toyota brand as they, too, made their debut in the NASCAR [then] Nextel  Cup Series.

With Brian Vickers driving the #83 car and Cup Series rookie AJ Allmendinger behind the wheel of the #84, the 2007 campaign got off to a horrid start as both failed to qualify for the transfer spots for the Daytona 500. The following week, however, Vickers did successfully qualify at California and finished the race in 10th. It wasn’t until the fifth race of the season that Allmendinger finally qualified.

Between Red Bull’s two race teams, they successfully qualified for only 40 of their possible 72 combined points races, which netted TRB only one top five and five top ten finishes – all via the efforts of Vickers. Neither of the cars finished in the top 35 in owner points, either, meaning that 2008 will start off much like ’07 with both cars having to qualify for every race based on time. Much like their fellow Toyota teams in Michael Waltrip Racing and Bill Davis Racing, though, they will receive a much-needed boost in their efforts with addition of Joe Gibbs’ team to the mix. If the engine packages and the cars hold up the way I think they will, I believe Vickers is a solid enough driver to get his car somewhere in the top 25 in points and take a little bit of the pressure off of this race team.

Cup Series Roster:

83: Brian Vickers – The 24-year-old native of North Carolina got off to a bit of a slower start in the Cup Series than most people had expected recording only four top ten’s and no top five’s in his first full season in the Cup in ‘04. He finally broke out in 2005, though, while racing for Hendrick Motorsports in a season that brought him five top-five’s and ten top-ten’s resulting in a 17th place points finish. The following year he maintained his momentum with another five top-five’s and recording his first Cup victory at Talladega when he took teammate Jimmie Johnson out of the race in the closing laps to secure his victory. He also moved up another two spots in the standings that year as well. Following 2006, though, Vickers made the curious decision to leave Hendrick Motorsports and join Team Red Bull and the Toyota venture as they both made their break into the Cup Series. The transition was a bit rough, as Vickers qualified for only 23 of the 36 races last season and recorded only five top-ten finishes – only one more than in his rookie season. The main goal for Vickers this season will be to get his car qualified for the first five races of the season and then getting his ride inside the top 35 in points to secure future starts, regardless of qualifying. Once he does that, much of the burden should be lifted from his shoulders and we could possibly see Vickers become rather racey once again. Look for him to finish in the top 25 in points this year.

84: AJ Allmendinger – The former Champ Car Series driver didn’t make the transition to NASCAR until last year – his rookie season – and, it was a rather miserable transition at that. He qualified in only 17 of the 36 races, not garnering his first start until five races into the season. He also failed to make the best out of those starts by not only not recording a single top ten finish, but accumulating an overall average finish of just over 31 and finishing the year 43rd in points. His success in the Champ Car Series was a little up and down, and he really hasn’t proven that he’s ready for NASCAR’s highest level. My honest pre-season prediction for Allmendinger is that he will be released by TRB before the end of the season, replacing him with either someone running a full-time Nationwide schedule or one of these mediocre vets still in search of a ride.

Driver Roster: C-
Off-Season: D
2008 Outlook: D+

Post from: EveryJoe

Season Preview: Team Red Bull