Hey guys!
It's time for the NASCAR season to kick off in Daytona! This off season really flew by for me and I really can't believe it's time for Daytona. If you are new to the sport the two weeks of activity leading up to the Daytona 500. As usual there were several rules changes over the off season which I will address in a little bit.
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| Daytona Sprint Unlimited (Photo: Examiner.com) |
Hey guys!
It's official the season is over, and we have all three NASCAR Champions crowned. The last race of the season was held in Homestead, Florida while the rest of the country was freezing cold last weekend.
The Camping World Truck Series held their 134 lap race Friday night. Matt Crafton was the points leader entering the race and he only needed to finish 21st or better to clench the title while second place Ryan Blaney would have to do his best to win the race. Kyle Larson started the race from the pole and it didn't take long until the first caution fell for John Wes Townley and Jeb Burton colliding on lap 4.
The Ford EcoBoost 200 restarted on lap 9. Larson was still the leader and Matt Crafton restarted 3rd but immediately began falling back. The next caution flew on lap 24 for Mason Mingus spinning. Each of the teams were given an extra set of tires for the race due to the heavy tire wear. The first pit stops of the night were during this caution. All of the leaders stopped and Larson was the first truck off pit road.
The third caution of the night fell after a truck hit the turn 4 wall and the race restarted on lap 44 with Kyle Larson still leading and Kyle Busch second. Ryan Blaney stayed toward the front of the field all night and Matt Crafton ran a safe race. The fourth caution waved on lap 72 for a piece of debris
on the front stretch. All the leaders stopped under this round of cautions and Ryan Blaney lost
several spots when he stalled his truck exiting his pit stall. The race restarted on lap 76 with Kyle Larson the leader and Darrell (Bubba) Wallace Jr. in second. The two battled for the lead for a few laps before Kyle Larson took the lead. The next caution fell with 34 laps to go for another piece of debris and then another caution followed soon after for Tyler Reddick, Blaney's teammate, spinning. The final restart took place with 20 laps remaining. Darrell Wallace Jr., took the lead with his owner Kyle Busch in second. When the checkers fell, Darrell Wallace Jr. won the race. Kyle Busch had won the Owner's Championship in the 51 truck and Matt Crafton won his second Camping World Truck Championship. Matt Crafton is the first back to back champion in Truck Series history.
The EcoBoost 300 for the Nationwide Series was held on Saturday night. If you recall the series Champion had already been decided at Phoenix the weekend before; however, the Owner's Championship had not been decided. The Owner's Championship was between the number 22 Penske car driven by Brad Keselowski this race and the number 54 Joe Gibbs Racing car driven by Kyle Busch. The 22 was ahead in the points going into the race at Homestead.
Brad Keselowski started the race on the pole and the first caution fell on lap 31 for Dylan Kwasniewski's flat right rear tire. All the leaders took the opportunity to stop for fresh tires and fuel and Kyle Busch was the first off pit road. Immediately following the restart Brad Keselowski began falling back with electrical problems. The second caution fell for the number 40 stalling on an access
road in the middle of turns 1 and 2. Again all the leaders took the opportunity to stop and Kyle Busch won the race off pit road again.
Overall there were 11 cautions during the EcoBoost 300 for a total of 48 laps. Matt Kenseth won the race with Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, and Chris Buscher rounding out the top 5. Brad Keselowski finished 8th in the number 22 Hertz Ford to bring Rodger Penske the Nationwide Owner's Championship. Of course Chase Elliott had already clenched the Nationwide Driver's Championship, but he finished 17th after causing the 10th caution of the race.
The final race of the season, the Ford EcoBoost 400, began Sunday afternoon. Jeff Gordon won the pole for the race and Kurt Busch started second. The first of the Championship contenders was Kevin Harvick who started 5th. For this race there would be no bonus points for leading a lap or for leading the most laps, so the Champion would be the highest finisher of the four contenders. Denny Hamlin started 8th, Joey Logano started 9th, and the final Championship contender Ryan Newman started 21st.
The first half of the race saw Harvick, Hamlin, and Logano all running at or near the front of the field. Ryan Newman wasn't far behind them when the three previously mentioned drivers were running first, second, and third. Jeff Gordon, who was eliminated from the Championship after Phoenix, ran at the front of the race as well. Tire problems became an issue several times during the race when drivers like Marcos Ambrose, AJ Allmendinger, and Trevor Bayne hit the wall due to tire issues.
Through the race Hamlin proved he was a solid contender for the championship by battling for the lead with Jeff Gordon at lap 212 of the 267 lap race. Surprisingly it took until 15 laps to go before the first contender suffered a mistake. Joey Logano had come down pit road for a normal pitstop and when the team began changing the left side tires the jack broke leaving him in 29th position on the restart. Under this same caution, Harvick took four tires, Newman took only two tires, and Hamlin stayed on the track to take the race lead.
On the restart Harvick powered by the cars in front of him. By the time the 13th caution of the race fell Hamlin had fallen back to third behind Harvick and Newman. When the checkered flag fell Kevin Harvick had won the race as well as the Championship while Logano had only been able to rally to 16th place after the disastrous pit stop. Ryan Newman finished second in the race and in points and Denny Hamlin finished seventh in the race and third in points.
What's next for racing you may ask. The NASCAR Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series banquets were held this past Monday in Miami where Chase Elliott and Matt Crafton were honored. Fox Sports 1 will air the banquet on Sunday November 23 at 7 PM. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase contenders, all sixteen of them, will be appearing in Las Vegas during Champion's week December 2-5.
There will be a FanFest held on December 3 from 2-4 PM where the drivers will participate in a game show style competition. Thursday will see the NMPA Myers Brothers Luncheon from 11 AM - 1:15 PM during which the most notable achievements of the year will be honored. The Champion Crew Chief, Rodney Childers, will be honored. You will be able to watch a live stream of the luncheon to see who is honored. Following the Myers Brothers Luncheon there will be the NASCAR Victory Lap where each of the 16 contenders drive race cars around Las Vegas. The lap will begin at 3:30 PM and the event can be watched on the NASCAR website.
Undoubtedly the most fun event of the week is held after the Victory Lap. NASCAR After The Lap will be held on Thursday December 4th at 5 PM. All 16 of the drivers will be in attendance and typically it turns into a tell all. This event has produced many laughs over the past few years so if you want to see Jeff Gordon dance you can see that here. Below I have included the video of the event from 2012 when Brad Keselowski was the Champion just so you can get an idea of what you are in for.
You will be able to watch this year's event here.
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| Homestead Miami Speedway (Photo colorfulplaces.com) |
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| Matt Crafton NASCAR Camping World Truck Champion 2014 Photo: motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com |
The Ford EcoBoost 200 restarted on lap 9. Larson was still the leader and Matt Crafton restarted 3rd but immediately began falling back. The next caution flew on lap 24 for Mason Mingus spinning. Each of the teams were given an extra set of tires for the race due to the heavy tire wear. The first pit stops of the night were during this caution. All of the leaders stopped and Larson was the first truck off pit road.
The third caution of the night fell after a truck hit the turn 4 wall and the race restarted on lap 44 with Kyle Larson still leading and Kyle Busch second. Ryan Blaney stayed toward the front of the field all night and Matt Crafton ran a safe race. The fourth caution waved on lap 72 for a piece of debris
on the front stretch. All the leaders stopped under this round of cautions and Ryan Blaney lost
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| Darrell Wallace Jr (left) wins EcoBoost 200, Kyle Busch (right) wins 2014 Camping World Truck Series Owner's Championship Photo: usatoday.com |
The EcoBoost 300 for the Nationwide Series was held on Saturday night. If you recall the series Champion had already been decided at Phoenix the weekend before; however, the Owner's Championship had not been decided. The Owner's Championship was between the number 22 Penske car driven by Brad Keselowski this race and the number 54 Joe Gibbs Racing car driven by Kyle Busch. The 22 was ahead in the points going into the race at Homestead.
Brad Keselowski started the race on the pole and the first caution fell on lap 31 for Dylan Kwasniewski's flat right rear tire. All the leaders took the opportunity to stop for fresh tires and fuel and Kyle Busch was the first off pit road. Immediately following the restart Brad Keselowski began falling back with electrical problems. The second caution fell for the number 40 stalling on an access
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| Chase Elliott Wins 2014 Nationwide Championship photo: sports.yahoo.com |
Overall there were 11 cautions during the EcoBoost 300 for a total of 48 laps. Matt Kenseth won the race with Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, and Chris Buscher rounding out the top 5. Brad Keselowski finished 8th in the number 22 Hertz Ford to bring Rodger Penske the Nationwide Owner's Championship. Of course Chase Elliott had already clenched the Nationwide Driver's Championship, but he finished 17th after causing the 10th caution of the race.
The final race of the season, the Ford EcoBoost 400, began Sunday afternoon. Jeff Gordon won the pole for the race and Kurt Busch started second. The first of the Championship contenders was Kevin Harvick who started 5th. For this race there would be no bonus points for leading a lap or for leading the most laps, so the Champion would be the highest finisher of the four contenders. Denny Hamlin started 8th, Joey Logano started 9th, and the final Championship contender Ryan Newman started 21st.
The first half of the race saw Harvick, Hamlin, and Logano all running at or near the front of the field. Ryan Newman wasn't far behind them when the three previously mentioned drivers were running first, second, and third. Jeff Gordon, who was eliminated from the Championship after Phoenix, ran at the front of the race as well. Tire problems became an issue several times during the race when drivers like Marcos Ambrose, AJ Allmendinger, and Trevor Bayne hit the wall due to tire issues.
On the restart Harvick powered by the cars in front of him. By the time the 13th caution of the race fell Hamlin had fallen back to third behind Harvick and Newman. When the checkered flag fell Kevin Harvick had won the race as well as the Championship while Logano had only been able to rally to 16th place after the disastrous pit stop. Ryan Newman finished second in the race and in points and Denny Hamlin finished seventh in the race and third in points.
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| Kevin Harvick 2014 Sprint Cup Champion Photo: thefourthturn.com |
What's next for racing you may ask. The NASCAR Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series banquets were held this past Monday in Miami where Chase Elliott and Matt Crafton were honored. Fox Sports 1 will air the banquet on Sunday November 23 at 7 PM. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase contenders, all sixteen of them, will be appearing in Las Vegas during Champion's week December 2-5.
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| NASCAR Champions Week 2014 will be in Las Vegas December 2-5 Photo: robertsnascarnotes.blogspot.com |
Undoubtedly the most fun event of the week is held after the Victory Lap. NASCAR After The Lap will be held on Thursday December 4th at 5 PM. All 16 of the drivers will be in attendance and typically it turns into a tell all. This event has produced many laughs over the past few years so if you want to see Jeff Gordon dance you can see that here. Below I have included the video of the event from 2012 when Brad Keselowski was the Champion just so you can get an idea of what you are in for.
You will be able to watch this year's event here.
Champions week will conclude with the banquet on Friday December 5th from 5 PM - 8:40 PM. You can watch it live here or you can see it on Fox Sports 1 at 9 PM. This is a star studded black tie event where drivers will be doing speeches and the Champions are honored. Kyle Larson will be honored as the Rookie of the Year and the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award will be handed out.
All focus will turn toward the 2015 Daytona 500 and the beginning of the 2015 season. The Sprint Unlimited race will be held the weekend before the Daytona 500 on February 14.
I hope you guys enjoy these posts as much as I do!
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| Homestead Miami Speedway (photo: usatoday.com) |
It's finally time to crown the champions at the final race of the season in south Florida! But first I want to discuss last weekend at Phoenix. The weekend began with the the 150 lap Camping World Truck Series race on Friday Night. The race was scheduled to start at 8:30 Eastern Time; however, due to a power outage in the immediate area of the track the race ended up being delayed for over an hour.
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| John Wes Townley's Truck after lap 1 crash Phoenix 2014 (photo: frontstretch.com - Original CIA Stock Photography) |
Once the race finally started, it didn't take long before we had the first caution of the night. On the initial start the field bunched up and the trucks of German Quiroga and John Wes Townley found themselves out of the race. The race went green again at lap 19 with tons of oil dry on the track from the clean up of the first wreck, and once again it wasn't long until the second caution was waved at lap 20 due to the truck of Ben Rhodes spinning around. The race went green again on lap 26 with the leader still being Eric Jones.
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| Phoenix International Raceway (Photo: USAtoday.com) |
Hey guys!
It has been a few weeks since the last time I updated racing for you, and there has been so much that has happened! There are only two races remaining in the season that started all the way back in February. All in all there are thirty-six points paying races and two non-points races in the season. Plus there is Budweiser Duels in Daytona which are the qualifying races for the Daytona 500. If you want to be really specific there are forty-one races in the entire season. Needless to say everyone is ready for the off season!
Hey guys!
It's that time of the week again where we get up to speed about all the racing that is going on this weekend! I first want to apologize for not being on top of these, but I will get better I promise!
The first thing I want to do is sum up last week as quickly as I can. If you are a follower of racing, you will know that the Chase for the Sprint Cup began last week at Chicagoland Speedway. Essentially "the Chase" is the final 10 races of the season where as of this year 16 drivers will compete for the championship. Also new as of this year is the "win and get in" format. In the previous 26 races of the season, if you won a race you were automatically placed into the running as a chase contender. In the end there were 14 different winners in those 26 races, so that left two spots to be filled on points. Also new for this year is the bracket format for the chase, after the first three races 4 drivers will be eliminated, then after the next 3 races there will be 4 more eliminated and so on until there are 4 drivers left when the series rolls into Homestead-Miami Speedway.
It's that time of the week again where we get up to speed about all the racing that is going on this weekend! I first want to apologize for not being on top of these, but I will get better I promise!
The first thing I want to do is sum up last week as quickly as I can. If you are a follower of racing, you will know that the Chase for the Sprint Cup began last week at Chicagoland Speedway. Essentially "the Chase" is the final 10 races of the season where as of this year 16 drivers will compete for the championship. Also new as of this year is the "win and get in" format. In the previous 26 races of the season, if you won a race you were automatically placed into the running as a chase contender. In the end there were 14 different winners in those 26 races, so that left two spots to be filled on points. Also new for this year is the bracket format for the chase, after the first three races 4 drivers will be eliminated, then after the next 3 races there will be 4 more eliminated and so on until there are 4 drivers left when the series rolls into Homestead-Miami Speedway.
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| Chase Grid 2014 Photo from checkerstowreckers.com |
Happy Wednesday everyone!
As promised I have decided that I would start posting about racing more often on this blog. Now I know most of my visitors are here for beauty reviews and things of that nature; however, beauty is not my only passion. If you are a long time follower of this blog you may already know that I picked up my passion for racing of all types from my dad. Growing up he was always out in the shop behind our house tinkering on whatever race car we had at the moment and when it was time, we would all load up into our Ford Excursion with the race trailer behind us and make our way to the track for a long weekend. My dad was a hobby racer, and I have recently graduated with an Engineering degree so I can go work in racing full time.
Bristol is a special place for me. It was the first NASCAR race my dad ever took me to way back in 2005 and we went together almost every year after that until I went away to college. It was our special time together and I will always remember that when I return to that sleepy part of East Tennessee.
As for this past week in Bristol, yes that's right I said week, it was filled with action and a little bit of rain. The fall races at Bristol Motor Speedway always begin on Wendesday evening with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS). The main reason for this race being on Wednesday night is simply because there is not enough space to park the Truck Series haulers, the Nationwide Series haulers, and the Cup Series haulers inside the track, or even outside for that matter. But alas this year mother nature decided she wanted in on the action in Bristol which caused the race to be pushed back to Thursday morning at 10 A.M.
I will fully admit that I forgot all about the Truck race's start time and wound up tuning in for the last 16 laps. What I saw; however, was nothing short of great racing. In the end, Brad Keselowski wound up holding off a late race charge by Darrell Wallace Jr. to score his first victory in the Truck Series. While Brad has won in both the Nationwide Series and the Cup Series including a championship in each of those series. With his win in the Truck Series; however, he became part of the first ever father-son duo to win races in the Truck Series. Not to mention he won driving for his own team. As for post race inspections, three trucks were found to not meet minimum height requirements. These three trucks were the driven by Brad Keselowski, the winner, Ron Hornaday Jr., and Cole Custer. Fines and penalties were handed down today and were the same for all three trucks, $5,000, 10 points deducted from the championship driver and owner points.
As for the rest of Thursday, two practice sessions were held for the Nationwide Series where Chase Elliott was fastest in the first session and Kyle Larson was fastest in the second. Also on Thursday Food City Family Race Night is held in Downtown Bristol. During this traditional festival, many drivers appear for autograph sessions for the fans, there is live entertainment and show cars. And for the first time, Bristol hosted a 5K race dubbed the "Night Race 5K" where the course took runners around the dragway, campgrounds, and of course the high banked oval. The final event of the night is the traditional hauler parade where the NASCAR Sprint Cup haulers drive into the Speedway while fans line the road and cheer for their favorite drivers.
Friday at the Speedway is also traditionally a crazy day that is filled with practice sessions, qualifying sessions, and finally the Nationwide Series race. The Cup Series had two practice sessions that began at 11 A.M. and resulted in Kyle Larson having the fastest time. The second session began at 1:30 P.M. and resulted in Ricky Stenhouse Jr. having the fast time. Next on the schedule was the Nationwide Series qualifying session which left Kyle Busch with the pole position. If you haven't seen the new rules for the qualifying sessions, you can see those here.
At 5:40 P.M. Friday night, qualifying for the Sprint Cup Series was held resulting in Kevin Harvick having the pole. During the broadcast for the session, the announcers kept referring to storms that were just about 8 miles away from the track and I didn't think they would be able to get the entire session completed before the rain moved in. However, I was wrong. The Nationwide Series race was set to begin at 7:30 P.M.; however, the rain that was previously referred to finally rolled in just before pre-race ceremonies thus delaying the race for nearly an hour. Ultimately the race was won by Ryan Blaney driving for Penske Racing when he took the lead from Kyle Busch with only 6 laps remaining.
Compared to Friday, Saturday at Bristol is much slower when it comes to on track activities. The only on track activity is the Sprint Cup Race which began at 7:30 P.M. One of the most unique things at Bristol has to be driver introductions. Each driver picks his or her own song and introduces themselves to the fans. Ultimately the race was slowed by 9 cautions. The most talked about caution from the race occurred on lap 162 when Denny Hamlin crashed from the race lead and collected Dale Earnhardt Jr. Once Hamlin exited his car, he proceeded to wait for Kevin Harvick to come back around the track and throw his HANS device at his window to show his displeasure.
As for leaders of the race, there were 16 lead changes among 9 different drivers. Some of these leaders included Kasey Kahne who was seeking a win to ensure a spot in the Chase, the last ten races of the season, also Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, and the eventual race winner Joey Logano.
As I previously stated, Joey Logano scored his first Bristol win while driving for Penske Racing thus solidifying a Bristol sweep for Penske and Ford Racing. Logano's win at Bristol was his third win of the season where winning has become so much more important. Winning a single race this season ensures a spot in the Chase where 16 drivers will compete for the championship.
So that's a wrap on Bristol for 2014. The series will return to Thunder Valley April 17-19, 2015. As for this weekend, the Truck Series will be going to Canada to run at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park while the Nationwide Series and the Sprint Cup Series will be going to Atlanta.
As promised I have decided that I would start posting about racing more often on this blog. Now I know most of my visitors are here for beauty reviews and things of that nature; however, beauty is not my only passion. If you are a long time follower of this blog you may already know that I picked up my passion for racing of all types from my dad. Growing up he was always out in the shop behind our house tinkering on whatever race car we had at the moment and when it was time, we would all load up into our Ford Excursion with the race trailer behind us and make our way to the track for a long weekend. My dad was a hobby racer, and I have recently graduated with an Engineering degree so I can go work in racing full time.
Bristol is a special place for me. It was the first NASCAR race my dad ever took me to way back in 2005 and we went together almost every year after that until I went away to college. It was our special time together and I will always remember that when I return to that sleepy part of East Tennessee.
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| Photo: Brad Keselowski wins Truck Series Race at Bristol Photo Credit: Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images |
I will fully admit that I forgot all about the Truck race's start time and wound up tuning in for the last 16 laps. What I saw; however, was nothing short of great racing. In the end, Brad Keselowski wound up holding off a late race charge by Darrell Wallace Jr. to score his first victory in the Truck Series. While Brad has won in both the Nationwide Series and the Cup Series including a championship in each of those series. With his win in the Truck Series; however, he became part of the first ever father-son duo to win races in the Truck Series. Not to mention he won driving for his own team. As for post race inspections, three trucks were found to not meet minimum height requirements. These three trucks were the driven by Brad Keselowski, the winner, Ron Hornaday Jr., and Cole Custer. Fines and penalties were handed down today and were the same for all three trucks, $5,000, 10 points deducted from the championship driver and owner points.
As for the rest of Thursday, two practice sessions were held for the Nationwide Series where Chase Elliott was fastest in the first session and Kyle Larson was fastest in the second. Also on Thursday Food City Family Race Night is held in Downtown Bristol. During this traditional festival, many drivers appear for autograph sessions for the fans, there is live entertainment and show cars. And for the first time, Bristol hosted a 5K race dubbed the "Night Race 5K" where the course took runners around the dragway, campgrounds, and of course the high banked oval. The final event of the night is the traditional hauler parade where the NASCAR Sprint Cup haulers drive into the Speedway while fans line the road and cheer for their favorite drivers.
Friday at the Speedway is also traditionally a crazy day that is filled with practice sessions, qualifying sessions, and finally the Nationwide Series race. The Cup Series had two practice sessions that began at 11 A.M. and resulted in Kyle Larson having the fastest time. The second session began at 1:30 P.M. and resulted in Ricky Stenhouse Jr. having the fast time. Next on the schedule was the Nationwide Series qualifying session which left Kyle Busch with the pole position. If you haven't seen the new rules for the qualifying sessions, you can see those here.
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| Ryan Blaney wins at Bristol Motor Speedway Photo Credit: motorsport.com |
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| Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. wreck at Bristol on lap 162 Photo Credit: NASCAR.com |
As for leaders of the race, there were 16 lead changes among 9 different drivers. Some of these leaders included Kasey Kahne who was seeking a win to ensure a spot in the Chase, the last ten races of the season, also Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, and the eventual race winner Joey Logano.
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| Joey Logano wins at Bristol Motor Speedway Photo Credit: AP Photo/The Bristol Herald-Courier, Andre Teague |
So that's a wrap on Bristol for 2014. The series will return to Thunder Valley April 17-19, 2015. As for this weekend, the Truck Series will be going to Canada to run at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park while the Nationwide Series and the Sprint Cup Series will be going to Atlanta.
