A lot of NASCAR fans believe there isn't a single difference between Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, where all of NASCAR's top three series raced this past weekend, and Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, where the second round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins on October 5. For the most part, these people are correct: both tracks are 1.5-mile tri-ovals, they're both located in the midwestern United States, were designed by the same engineering firm, HNTB, and both hosted their inaugural races in 2001. But Chicagoland and Kansas also have a few differences.
The biggest distinction between these tracks is that Chicagoland has a slightly curved backstretch, whereas Kansas has a straight backstretch, like most "cookie-cutter" tracks, the nickname given to 1.5-mile ovals in NASCAR. Also, the turns at Kansas have slightly higher banking than at Chicagoland. The racing at both tracks isn't exactly the same either, as NASCAR teams use slightly different setups at these tracks due to the reasons above. Finally, the skybox suites at the top of the frontstretch grandstands have different looks, Chicagoland's being silver in color and Kansas's more of a beige. In addition, the skybox at Kansas is longer than the skybox at Chicagoland.
So while two of NASCAR's newest tracks may look exactly the same in the big picture, there are some pretty subtle differences between them. It goes to show that no two auto racing tracks in the world are copies of each other; they all have their own unique looks that make them special.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Keselowski takes Chase opener, advances to Contender round
For the second week in a row, Brad Keselowski went to victory lane in a Sprint Cup car with his win at Chicagoland on Sunday. Keselowski started all the way back in 25th, and his teammate Joey Logano in 28th, after qualifying was rained out, setting the field based on first practice speeds. This was the first race of the ten-race Chase for the Sprint Cup. Keselowski is the first to advance to the 12-driver Contender round, which begins at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas on October 5. Keselowski also won the Chicagoland Chase opener two years ago, when he won the series championship over Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson.
There were many issues on pit road throughout the race. Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth spun entering the pits on two separate stops, and Busch was forced to go back in. Later, Jimmie Johnson had to serve a speeding penalty, and then Brad Keselowski had to go back in under caution to tighten some lug nuts. But since Keselowski had a fast car, he was able to rebound. During a round of green flag stops, Aric Almirola, running in sixth, blew his engine and had to go to the garage. A caution came out for a Carl Edwards tire issue as Almirola and his crew were assessing the situation in their pit stall, before they went behind the wall. Many Chase contenders ran into issues during the day.
The Chip Ganassi Racing cars of Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson both tagged the wall during the race, but they still managed good finishes. Larson led late in the race, but a pair of late cautions allowed Keselowski and Jeff Gordon to pass him, and Larson settled for third. McMurray also took the lead from Gordon for a few laps earlier in the race.
The Challenger round of the Chase continues next Sunday, September 21, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, and concludes at Dover Speedway in Dover, Delaware, after which four of the 16 Chase drivers will be eliminated.
There were many issues on pit road throughout the race. Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth spun entering the pits on two separate stops, and Busch was forced to go back in. Later, Jimmie Johnson had to serve a speeding penalty, and then Brad Keselowski had to go back in under caution to tighten some lug nuts. But since Keselowski had a fast car, he was able to rebound. During a round of green flag stops, Aric Almirola, running in sixth, blew his engine and had to go to the garage. A caution came out for a Carl Edwards tire issue as Almirola and his crew were assessing the situation in their pit stall, before they went behind the wall. Many Chase contenders ran into issues during the day.
The Chip Ganassi Racing cars of Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson both tagged the wall during the race, but they still managed good finishes. Larson led late in the race, but a pair of late cautions allowed Keselowski and Jeff Gordon to pass him, and Larson settled for third. McMurray also took the lead from Gordon for a few laps earlier in the race.
The Challenger round of the Chase continues next Sunday, September 21, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, and concludes at Dover Speedway in Dover, Delaware, after which four of the 16 Chase drivers will be eliminated.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Marcos Ambrose going back to Australia
Marcos Ambrose is leaving NASCAR at the end of the season to go back to his native Australia, it was announced Saturday morning. There is talk that Ambrose is heading to a V8 Supercars team being formed by Roger Penske, who owns two NASCAR teams (Cup, Nationwide) and an IndyCar team, but Penske has said that it would take a lot of work for him to field V8 Supercar teams. Ambrose raced in that series from 2001 to 2005 and won two championships.
Ambrose came to the United States in 2006, and won his first stock car race in the Nationwide Series at Watkins Glen in 2008. He also made his Sprint Cup debut with the Wood Brothers in their famous #21 car in 2008, and went full-time in Cup in 2009 driving Brad Daugherty's #47 car. He moved to the #9 team of Richard Petty Motorsports in 2011, and won back-to-back Cup races at Watkins Glen in 2011 and 2012. Ambrose most recently won last month's Nationwide race at Watkins Glen, and then finished second in the Cup race the next day to A.J. Allmendinger, who was driving Ambrose's old #47 car.
This is the second straight year that a foreign-born driver will be leaving NASCAR for another series. Juan Pablo Montoya, from Colombia, left the #42 car of Chip Ganassi Racing at the end of the 2013 season after also winning some road course races in Cup and Nationwide. Unlike Ambrose, Montoya stayed in the United States and moved back to IndyCar, the series in which he won the 2000 Indianapolis 500.
Ambrose came to the United States in 2006, and won his first stock car race in the Nationwide Series at Watkins Glen in 2008. He also made his Sprint Cup debut with the Wood Brothers in their famous #21 car in 2008, and went full-time in Cup in 2009 driving Brad Daugherty's #47 car. He moved to the #9 team of Richard Petty Motorsports in 2011, and won back-to-back Cup races at Watkins Glen in 2011 and 2012. Ambrose most recently won last month's Nationwide race at Watkins Glen, and then finished second in the Cup race the next day to A.J. Allmendinger, who was driving Ambrose's old #47 car.
This is the second straight year that a foreign-born driver will be leaving NASCAR for another series. Juan Pablo Montoya, from Colombia, left the #42 car of Chip Ganassi Racing at the end of the 2013 season after also winning some road course races in Cup and Nationwide. Unlike Ambrose, Montoya stayed in the United States and moved back to IndyCar, the series in which he won the 2000 Indianapolis 500.
Friday, September 12, 2014
Rain washes out Friday events at Chicagoland
A weather system in the upper Midwest brought several inches of rain to the Chicago area on Friday, postponing and canceling several NASCAR events at Chicagoland Speedway in the suburb of Joliet, Illinois. The Camping World Truck Series race was supposed to be held this evening, but will now be held on Saturday after the Nationwide Series race. The rain also canceled Sprint Cup qualifying, giving Kyle Busch, the fastest driver in first practice, the pole. The final Nationwide Series practice also was not held. Hopefully the weather in the area will cooperate on Saturday and Sunday, especially since Sunday's Cup race is the first of the ten-race Chase tournament.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
"Chase Across North America" sends Chase drivers to a variety of cities
NASCAR held a major media event on Wednesday called Chase Across North America. The event involved the 16 drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, which begins on Sunday, to 16 cities in North America: 14 in the United States, one in Canada and one in Mexico. These cities were the homes of the 10 Chase tracks, plus six cities without NASCAR-sanctioned tracks. These were the city and driver pairings for the event:
- Chicago, Illinois (Race 1 of Chase): Kyle Busch
- Loudon, New Hampshire (Race 2 of Chase): Kasey Kahne
- Dover, Delaware (Race 3 of Chase): Greg Biffle
- Kansas City, Kansas (Race 4 of Chase): A.J. Allmendinger
- Charlotte, North Carolina (Race 5 of Chase): Brad Keselowski
- Talladega, Alabama (Race 6 of Chase): Joey Logano
- Martinsville, Virginia (Race 7 of Chase): Ryan Newman
- Fort Worth, Texas (Race 8 of Chase): Matt Kenseth
- Phoenix, Arizona (Race 9 of Chase): Denny Hamlin
- Homestead, Florida (Race 10 of Chase): Aric Almirola
- Bristol, Connecticut (ESPN studios): Kevin Harvick
- Los Angeles, California: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Mexico City, Mexico (used to have a Nationwide race): Carl Edwards
- New York, New York: Jimmie Johnson
- San Antonio, Texas: Kurt Busch
- Toronto, Ontario (Truck race in nearby Bowmanville): Jeff Gordon
Throughout the day, drivers and NASCAR media personnel reported to social media about their experiences. NASCAR's official Twitter account even changed their name to "#MyChaseNation". The mass event was heavily promoted, and all of the drivers seem to have had a lot of fun. Now they are getting ready to battle for the championship in NASCAR's top series for ten races.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick switch pit crews
Stewart-Haas Racing drivers Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick have had their pit crews switched for the Chase for the Sprint Cup. The team believes that Stewart's former crew has the experience to help Harvick get a jump in the championship battle. Harvick has felt that his old crew, now Stewart's crew, made a number of poor decisions on pit road during the regular season that may have cost him a couple of wins. Meanwhile, Stewart might have one more shot at getting to victory lane before the end of the season with Harvick's former crew. Both drivers are hoping that their new crew members can work with them to be more competitive during the 10-race championship run.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Summary of the last eight Cup races
As we go into the Chase for the Sprint Cup, here is a summary of the eight Sprint Cup Series races between New Hampshire in July and Richmond on Saturday night.
New Hampshire, July 13: The race is slowed by a series of debris cautions. Jimmie Johnson also runs into trouble early in the race. Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson lead early, and then Clint Bowyer leads several laps. Later in the race, Joey Logano and veteran Morgan Shepherd get into a crash, which frustrates Logano. Justin Allgaier wrecks with a few laps left, and Brad Keselowski pulls away on the ensuing green-white-checkered finish to take his third win of the season. This was the last NASCAR race for cable network TNT.
Indianapolis, July 27: To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Jeff Gordon's win in the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994, the day is declared "Jeff Gordon Day" by the speedway. Polesitter Kevin Harvick leads a few laps, but Gordon soon takes the lead from him. Gordon's teammate Kasey Kahne also leads several laps throughout the race. Danica Patrick and Trevor Bayne both get into single-car wrecks and their race ends early. On the final restart, Gordon passes Kahne for the lead and stays out front to win his fifth Brickyard 400, and 90th Sprint Cup race.
Pocono, August 3: Kyle Larson gets his first official series pole. Jeff Gordon leads during much of the first half of the race. Chase contenders Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson have issues with their cars and lose some positions in the point standings. On a restart, a 13-car crash takes out drivers like Tony Stewart, Brian Vickers and Matt Kenseth. Late in the race Dale Earnhardt Jr. passes Greg Biffle, who had a slower car, and takes the checkered flag to complete a season sweep of Pocono.
Watkins Glen, August 10: Tony Stewart hit a driver during a sprint car race the previous evening, and the driver, Kevin Ward Jr., died. Regan Smith subbed for Stewart in the #14 Chevrolet. Polesitter Jeff Gordon leads some laps but has a power issue that takes him out of contention. The race features a hard crash involving Ryan Newman and Michael McDowell, which causes the race to be red-flagged for fence repair. Cole Whitt also spins and hits the wall early. The race is stopped again when Denny Hamlin, Alex Kennedy and Reed Sorenson crash. A.J. Allmendinger then holds off Marcos Ambrose to win his first Cup race.
Michigan, August 17: Ryan Truex crashes in practice and has to miss the race, so J.J. Yeley drives the #83 Toyota. Jeff Burton subs for Tony Stewart, who still didn't want to race. Jeff Gordon gets his second straight pole, and he and Logano trade the lead during much of the race. Danica Patrick, Justin Allgaier and others get caught up in a crash just after an early restart. Ryan Newman ends up pitting by himself during green flag runs, because he was on a different strategy. At the last restart, Gordon get by Logano for the lead, with Kevin Harvick, Paul Menard and Dale Earnhardt Jr. right behind them. Logano then falls back and Gordon gets his third win of the season.
Bristol, August 23: For the third week in a row, Jeff Gordon starts on the front row, but he soon has a tire going down and spends several laps in his pit stall getting it fixed. At about the same time, Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson get caught speeding on pit road and have to serve penalties. Busch then gets into a wreck with Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Larson and Brian Vickers. A little later, Kevin Harvick spins Denny Hamlin while Hamlin is leading, causing Hamlin's car to hit the left side of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car. An angry Hamlin then throws his HANS device at Harvick's car as it passes by. Later, Jamie McMurray and Brad Keselowski trade the lead, and then Keselowski's teammate Joey Logano gets out front. Not far from the finish, Kyle Busch and his crew chief exchange angry words, causing Busch to retire from the race. Logano goes on to make it a five-way tie for three wins in the series.
Atlanta, August 31: Tony Stewart returns to racing and gets up near the front early in the race. Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski spot a squirrel on the track early in the race. The race is filled with debris cautions and some crashes. Jeff Gordon also has another tire problem. Kevin Harvick leads the most laps. After losing the lead to Matt Kenseth and then getting it back, Harvick is passed by Kasey Kahne. A late caution for a crash involving Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. gives Kenseth the jump on the restart, but then Harvick, Joey Logano, Paul Menard and Jimmie Johnson get into a wreck. Kahne gets the lead back on the second green-white-checkered attempt and wins to join his three Hendrick teammates in the Chase.
Richmond, September 6: Polesitter Brad Keselowski gives up the lead to Kevin Harvick early in the race, but soon gets it back and goes on to lead 383 of 400 laps. The race is very uncompetitive and does not feature much action, and the racing is surprisingly clean for a regular season finale. Probably the biggest highlight was a spectator climbing on top of the fence between the stands and the track, causing NASCAR to throw a caution as security personnel told him to get down. Keselowski wins and gets the first Chase seed, with four regular season victories, while Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle get the final two Chase spots based on points. After the race, Jimmie Johnson suddenly falls faint and is taken to the infield medical center. He is treated for dehydration and released.
The 2014 Sprint Cup regular season has been filled with a lot of exciting moments. The Chase, with its new 16-driver elimination format, will certainly be even better.
New Hampshire, July 13: The race is slowed by a series of debris cautions. Jimmie Johnson also runs into trouble early in the race. Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson lead early, and then Clint Bowyer leads several laps. Later in the race, Joey Logano and veteran Morgan Shepherd get into a crash, which frustrates Logano. Justin Allgaier wrecks with a few laps left, and Brad Keselowski pulls away on the ensuing green-white-checkered finish to take his third win of the season. This was the last NASCAR race for cable network TNT.
Indianapolis, July 27: To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Jeff Gordon's win in the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994, the day is declared "Jeff Gordon Day" by the speedway. Polesitter Kevin Harvick leads a few laps, but Gordon soon takes the lead from him. Gordon's teammate Kasey Kahne also leads several laps throughout the race. Danica Patrick and Trevor Bayne both get into single-car wrecks and their race ends early. On the final restart, Gordon passes Kahne for the lead and stays out front to win his fifth Brickyard 400, and 90th Sprint Cup race.
Pocono, August 3: Kyle Larson gets his first official series pole. Jeff Gordon leads during much of the first half of the race. Chase contenders Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson have issues with their cars and lose some positions in the point standings. On a restart, a 13-car crash takes out drivers like Tony Stewart, Brian Vickers and Matt Kenseth. Late in the race Dale Earnhardt Jr. passes Greg Biffle, who had a slower car, and takes the checkered flag to complete a season sweep of Pocono.
Watkins Glen, August 10: Tony Stewart hit a driver during a sprint car race the previous evening, and the driver, Kevin Ward Jr., died. Regan Smith subbed for Stewart in the #14 Chevrolet. Polesitter Jeff Gordon leads some laps but has a power issue that takes him out of contention. The race features a hard crash involving Ryan Newman and Michael McDowell, which causes the race to be red-flagged for fence repair. Cole Whitt also spins and hits the wall early. The race is stopped again when Denny Hamlin, Alex Kennedy and Reed Sorenson crash. A.J. Allmendinger then holds off Marcos Ambrose to win his first Cup race.
Michigan, August 17: Ryan Truex crashes in practice and has to miss the race, so J.J. Yeley drives the #83 Toyota. Jeff Burton subs for Tony Stewart, who still didn't want to race. Jeff Gordon gets his second straight pole, and he and Logano trade the lead during much of the race. Danica Patrick, Justin Allgaier and others get caught up in a crash just after an early restart. Ryan Newman ends up pitting by himself during green flag runs, because he was on a different strategy. At the last restart, Gordon get by Logano for the lead, with Kevin Harvick, Paul Menard and Dale Earnhardt Jr. right behind them. Logano then falls back and Gordon gets his third win of the season.
Bristol, August 23: For the third week in a row, Jeff Gordon starts on the front row, but he soon has a tire going down and spends several laps in his pit stall getting it fixed. At about the same time, Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson get caught speeding on pit road and have to serve penalties. Busch then gets into a wreck with Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Larson and Brian Vickers. A little later, Kevin Harvick spins Denny Hamlin while Hamlin is leading, causing Hamlin's car to hit the left side of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car. An angry Hamlin then throws his HANS device at Harvick's car as it passes by. Later, Jamie McMurray and Brad Keselowski trade the lead, and then Keselowski's teammate Joey Logano gets out front. Not far from the finish, Kyle Busch and his crew chief exchange angry words, causing Busch to retire from the race. Logano goes on to make it a five-way tie for three wins in the series.
Atlanta, August 31: Tony Stewart returns to racing and gets up near the front early in the race. Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski spot a squirrel on the track early in the race. The race is filled with debris cautions and some crashes. Jeff Gordon also has another tire problem. Kevin Harvick leads the most laps. After losing the lead to Matt Kenseth and then getting it back, Harvick is passed by Kasey Kahne. A late caution for a crash involving Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. gives Kenseth the jump on the restart, but then Harvick, Joey Logano, Paul Menard and Jimmie Johnson get into a wreck. Kahne gets the lead back on the second green-white-checkered attempt and wins to join his three Hendrick teammates in the Chase.
Richmond, September 6: Polesitter Brad Keselowski gives up the lead to Kevin Harvick early in the race, but soon gets it back and goes on to lead 383 of 400 laps. The race is very uncompetitive and does not feature much action, and the racing is surprisingly clean for a regular season finale. Probably the biggest highlight was a spectator climbing on top of the fence between the stands and the track, causing NASCAR to throw a caution as security personnel told him to get down. Keselowski wins and gets the first Chase seed, with four regular season victories, while Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle get the final two Chase spots based on points. After the race, Jimmie Johnson suddenly falls faint and is taken to the infield medical center. He is treated for dehydration and released.
The 2014 Sprint Cup regular season has been filled with a lot of exciting moments. The Chase, with its new 16-driver elimination format, will certainly be even better.
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