Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Tony Stewart cleared of charges
Tony Stewart will not be criminally charged in the August 9 sprint car crash in New York state that killed fellow competitor Kevin Ward Jr. The decision was made by a grand jury in New York on Wednesday based on insufficient evidence, which investigators repeatedly reviewed the incident to try to find. Stewart could still possibly face a civil suit from the Ward family, which is very likely since they believe Stewart could have done things differently to avoid hitting Ward.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Is 2014 Joey Logano's breakout year in the Cup series?
Joey Logano, the driver of Team Penske's #22 Ford Fusion, currently has four wins this year, the second-most among all Sprint Cup drivers, behind teammate Brad Keselowski. This is probably the first time Logano has been this consistently successful in NASCAR's top series since he went full-time in 2009.
After winning his first Nationwide Series race at Kentucky in his third series start in June of 2008, Logano replaced Tony Stewart in the #20 Toyota Cup car in 2009 after Stewart left the team one year earlier than planned. Logano won a rain-shortened race at New Hampshire in his rookie season, but after that his performance dipped and he went winless in 2010 and 2011. He returned to victory lane in a Cup car in 2012 at Pocono for his first win in a full race. Logano moved from Gibbs' team to Team Penske in 2013 and won at Michigan. His first two wins this year, at Texas and Richmond, made this his first season with multiple wins on the Cup level. Now he and his teammate are on top of the Chase standings and are the first two drivers locked into the second round. So has Logano finally proven himself in NASCAR's top series? It appears so, but the best may still be yet to come.
After winning his first Nationwide Series race at Kentucky in his third series start in June of 2008, Logano replaced Tony Stewart in the #20 Toyota Cup car in 2009 after Stewart left the team one year earlier than planned. Logano won a rain-shortened race at New Hampshire in his rookie season, but after that his performance dipped and he went winless in 2010 and 2011. He returned to victory lane in a Cup car in 2012 at Pocono for his first win in a full race. Logano moved from Gibbs' team to Team Penske in 2013 and won at Michigan. His first two wins this year, at Texas and Richmond, made this his first season with multiple wins on the Cup level. Now he and his teammate are on top of the Chase standings and are the first two drivers locked into the second round. So has Logano finally proven himself in NASCAR's top series? It appears so, but the best may still be yet to come.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Underdogs shine in lower series at New Hampshire, Kentucky
Saturday's lower series action featured winners who are not often regarded as being among the best in NASCAR. But they were able to get past the good drivers and be up front when it mattered the most.
The Camping World Truck Series race at New Hampshire was won by 16-year-old Cole Custer, making him the youngest winner in any of NASCAR's top three series. Custer, driving the #00 Chevrolet truck owned by Gene Haas, the co-owner of Tony Stewart's Sprint Cup team, started on the pole and led during much of the first half of the race. He got shuffled back during a string of late cautions, which saw him on a different pit strategy than most of the other leaders, but he fought his way back up front and got past series champion Matt Crafton on the final restart to get the win. It was Custer's seventh start in the series. He currently drives full-time in the K&N Pro Series, going between the East and West divisions.
Next up was the nighttime Nationwide Series race at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, one of a handful of stand-alone races left in NASCAR's number two series. The race was largely dominated by Richard Childress Racing, with its four drivers - Brian Scott, Ty Dillon, Cale Conley and Brendan Gaughan - all finishing in the top six. Rookie superstar Chase Elliott of JR Motorsports also got out front late, but lost the lead on a restart. Dillon led 155 of the race's 200 laps in the #3 Chevrolet that older brother Austin swept the track with in 2012, but it was ultimately Gaughan taking the #62 Chevrolet to his second series win. Gaughan , who may be best known for almost winning the 2003 Truck Series championship before getting caught up in a crash at the Homestead season finale, got his first Nationwide win at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin in June.
All three races this weekend were won by drivers running for points in their respective series, something that doesn't happen much in NASCAR lately with Cup drivers competing in and winning races in lower series, taking away from younger up-and-coming drivers. But on Saturday, two lesser-known names got to celebrate in victory lane.
The Camping World Truck Series race at New Hampshire was won by 16-year-old Cole Custer, making him the youngest winner in any of NASCAR's top three series. Custer, driving the #00 Chevrolet truck owned by Gene Haas, the co-owner of Tony Stewart's Sprint Cup team, started on the pole and led during much of the first half of the race. He got shuffled back during a string of late cautions, which saw him on a different pit strategy than most of the other leaders, but he fought his way back up front and got past series champion Matt Crafton on the final restart to get the win. It was Custer's seventh start in the series. He currently drives full-time in the K&N Pro Series, going between the East and West divisions.
Next up was the nighttime Nationwide Series race at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, one of a handful of stand-alone races left in NASCAR's number two series. The race was largely dominated by Richard Childress Racing, with its four drivers - Brian Scott, Ty Dillon, Cale Conley and Brendan Gaughan - all finishing in the top six. Rookie superstar Chase Elliott of JR Motorsports also got out front late, but lost the lead on a restart. Dillon led 155 of the race's 200 laps in the #3 Chevrolet that older brother Austin swept the track with in 2012, but it was ultimately Gaughan taking the #62 Chevrolet to his second series win. Gaughan , who may be best known for almost winning the 2003 Truck Series championship before getting caught up in a crash at the Homestead season finale, got his first Nationwide win at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin in June.
All three races this weekend were won by drivers running for points in their respective series, something that doesn't happen much in NASCAR lately with Cup drivers competing in and winning races in lower series, taking away from younger up-and-coming drivers. But on Saturday, two lesser-known names got to celebrate in victory lane.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Logano follows Keselowski into Contender round of Chase
Joey Logano won Sunday's Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire, the second of the Challenger Round of the Chase. He now joins Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski in the Contender Round. This is Logano's fourth win of the season. It is also his first win in a Chase race and his second win at New Hampshire in Cup competition. Logano got his first series win at the track in a rain-shortened race in June of 2009, during his rookie season. After winning just three races in the five seasons between 2009 and 2013, Logano is now a true contender in NASCAR's top series, and now he has won one of the ten races that matter the most. He sits one point behind Keselowski, who remains the points leader.
Several Chase drivers got caught up in crashes or suffered mechanical problems. Denny Hamlin, after running into a fuel issue, got caught up in a crash along with David Ragan, Martin Truex Jr. and Cole Whitt on lap 181 of what ended up being a 303-lap race due to a green-white-checkered finish. Hamlin's teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth, were involved in another crash a few laps later with Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray and Ryan Newman. Hamlin is now 13th and on the brink of elimination heading into the final Challenger Round race in Dover, Delaware next week. Busch and Hendrick Motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. have traded fifth and sixth places and are now tied in points. Earnhardt had a tire issue early, but eventually got back on the lead lap thanks to a caution and went on to finish ninth. Kenseth, who entered the race as the defending champion, has now gone one year without a points win in Cup competition.
One driver now safe from elimination for the time being is underdog A.J. Allmendinger, who climbed from 14th to 10th in points. Allmendinger also lost a couple of laps during the race but got them back. Meanwhile, Aric Almirola remains 16th and last in the Chase grid, although he finished sixth, which was the position in which he suffered his blown engine last week at Chicagoland.
Several Chase drivers got caught up in crashes or suffered mechanical problems. Denny Hamlin, after running into a fuel issue, got caught up in a crash along with David Ragan, Martin Truex Jr. and Cole Whitt on lap 181 of what ended up being a 303-lap race due to a green-white-checkered finish. Hamlin's teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth, were involved in another crash a few laps later with Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray and Ryan Newman. Hamlin is now 13th and on the brink of elimination heading into the final Challenger Round race in Dover, Delaware next week. Busch and Hendrick Motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. have traded fifth and sixth places and are now tied in points. Earnhardt had a tire issue early, but eventually got back on the lead lap thanks to a caution and went on to finish ninth. Kenseth, who entered the race as the defending champion, has now gone one year without a points win in Cup competition.
One driver now safe from elimination for the time being is underdog A.J. Allmendinger, who climbed from 14th to 10th in points. Allmendinger also lost a couple of laps during the race but got them back. Meanwhile, Aric Almirola remains 16th and last in the Chase grid, although he finished sixth, which was the position in which he suffered his blown engine last week at Chicagoland.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
BK Racing shuffles lineup around
Sprint Cup team BK Racing has moved around some of its drivers. Rookie Ryan Truex is out of the #83 Toyota and has been replaced for the race at New Hampshire by Travis Kvapil. The #93 car that was supposed to be driven by Kvapil on Sunday will now be driven by Clay Rogers. Rookies Alex Bowman and Cole Whitt, driving the #23 and #26 Toyotas, are not affected by these changes. Truex will now be watching the #78 Chevrolet of older brother Martin Truex Jr.
BK Racing previously had its lineup altered in April, when fellow Toyota team Swan Racing shut down, transferring Whitt and the #26 car to the BK stable but leaving rookie Parker Kligerman out of a ride, as Swan's #30 team closed and is remaining assets went to the #44 Xxxtreme Motorsport Chevrolet of J.J. Yeley.
BK Racing previously had its lineup altered in April, when fellow Toyota team Swan Racing shut down, transferring Whitt and the #26 car to the BK stable but leaving rookie Parker Kligerman out of a ride, as Swan's #30 team closed and is remaining assets went to the #44 Xxxtreme Motorsport Chevrolet of J.J. Yeley.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Team Penske much better than last year
Team Penske has really improved from 2013 on the Sprint Cup side. Their Cup team, which fields Ford Fusions, consists of the #2 car of Brad Keselowski and the #22 car of Joey Logano, along with the #12 research and development car, which has appeared in three Cup races in 2014. Last year, Penske won just two Cup races, one with Keselowski, the defending Cup champion at the time, and one with Logano, his first win with the team since moving there from Joe Gibbs Racing.
But 2014 has been much better for Penske at NASCAR's top level. After 27 of 36 races, they have won eight races in the series and three of the last four. Keselowski has won five Cup races this year, including the last two at Richmond and Chicagoland. He also won five races en route to his championship two years ago, one of which was the Chicagoland Chase opener as well. Two months ago, Keselowski won at New Hampshire, where the Cup series returns on Sunday. His win last week made him the first to advance to the "Contender" round of the Chase, which begins at Kansas two weeks from Sunday.
Meanwhile, Logano is a three-time winner this year. He last went to victory lane at Bristol on August 23, and also contributed to Penske's season sweep of Richmond by winning the spring race there in April. Logano has won as many Cup races this year as he did in his first five seasons in the series combined. Still, some fans think he still hasn't quite matched the success of Keselowski this year.
Both Penske drivers have also enjoyed several front-row starts this year, and in a number of races they've even swept the front row. This shows that whether it's practice, qualifying or race day, Team Penske has gotten it right in 2014. Their off-year last season has been attributed to circumstances such as the team's move from Dodge to Ford or the new Gen-6 bodies. While Keselowski missed the Chase in 2013 as the defending series champion, Logano made it in, but never contended much. But now the Penske duo both have what it takes to compete for the Sprint Cup championship.
But 2014 has been much better for Penske at NASCAR's top level. After 27 of 36 races, they have won eight races in the series and three of the last four. Keselowski has won five Cup races this year, including the last two at Richmond and Chicagoland. He also won five races en route to his championship two years ago, one of which was the Chicagoland Chase opener as well. Two months ago, Keselowski won at New Hampshire, where the Cup series returns on Sunday. His win last week made him the first to advance to the "Contender" round of the Chase, which begins at Kansas two weeks from Sunday.
Meanwhile, Logano is a three-time winner this year. He last went to victory lane at Bristol on August 23, and also contributed to Penske's season sweep of Richmond by winning the spring race there in April. Logano has won as many Cup races this year as he did in his first five seasons in the series combined. Still, some fans think he still hasn't quite matched the success of Keselowski this year.
Both Penske drivers have also enjoyed several front-row starts this year, and in a number of races they've even swept the front row. This shows that whether it's practice, qualifying or race day, Team Penske has gotten it right in 2014. Their off-year last season has been attributed to circumstances such as the team's move from Dodge to Ford or the new Gen-6 bodies. While Keselowski missed the Chase in 2013 as the defending series champion, Logano made it in, but never contended much. But now the Penske duo both have what it takes to compete for the Sprint Cup championship.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Chase standings after race 1
As a quick midweek post, here are the current Chase for the Sprint Cup standings after Chicagoland.
- 2-Brad Keselowski - 2,059 points, 5 wins (1 in Chase)
- 24-Jeff Gordon - 2,052 points, 3 wins
- 22-Joey Logano - 2,049 points, 3 wins
- 4-Kevin Harvick - 2,047 points, 2 wins
- 88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. - 2,042 points, 3 wins
- 11-Denny Hamlin - 2,041 points, 1 win
- 18-Kyle Busch - 2,041 points, 1 win
- 48-Jimmie Johnson - 2,041 points, 3 wins
- 41-Kurt Busch - 2,039 points, 1 win
- 20-Matt Kenseth - 2,034 points
- 5-Kasey Kahne - 2,034 points, 1 win
- 99-Carl Edwards - 2,030 points, 2 wins
- 31-Ryan Newman - 2,029 points
- 47-A.J. Allmendinger - 2,025 points, 1 win
- 16-Greg Biffle - 2,021 points
- 43-Aric Almirola - 2,007 points, 1 win
If these were the standings after Dover a week and a half from now, Ryan Newman, A.J. Allmendinger, Greg Biffle and Aric Almirola would be the first four drivers eliminated. But things are sure to change in the next two races.
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