Pit crew rankings after Talladega

Posted on October 27, 2015 by

After the sixth race of the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway , PitTalks.com ranks the 12 remaining Chase teams’ pit crews. For more pit crew news provided by PitTalks.com come back throughout the Chase.

Joey Logano No. 22 crew, Team Penske
Rank: 1

Wins: 6-Daytona, Watkins Glen, Bristol, Charlotte, Kansas, Talladega

Notes: They’ve been in second for two weeks, but it’s time to move them to the top. Another solid week on pit road and a third straight win for the No. 22 team. Like we’ve said before, getting to the top is one thing, but staying there is yet another.

Carl Edwards No. 19 crew, Joe Gibbs Racing
Rank: 2

Wins: 2-Charlotte and Darlington

Notes: They were good enough to help the No. 19 team advance to the next round and good enough to stay in the top two. Very solid crew, and it will be a tough group in the next three races.

Kurt Busch No. 41 crew, Stewart-Haas Racing
Rank: 3

Wins: 2-Richmond and Michigan

Notes: If KB has any chance of advancing to the final round, these guys will have to play a huge part. During the Chase they’ve been ranked as high as first and as low as fifth. A third-place ranking to start the Eliminator Round is fair.

Kevin Harvick No. 4 crew, Stewart-Haas Racing
Rank: 4

Wins: 3-Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dover

Notes: There is far more controversy over their driver’s performance Sunday than theirs. After a penalty last week, the No. 4 crew got back to business and had a solid race. It has championship experience and that will play a factor in the next round.

Kyle Busch No. 18 crew, Joe Gibbs Racing
Rank: 5

Wins: 4-Sonoma, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Indianapolis

Notes: The No. 18 crew looked a bit slow on the first stop, but that was the only thing we could see that moved it out of the top three from last week. They advanced to the next round and its all-square come Martinsville.

Brad Keselowski No. 2 crew, Team Penske
Rank: 6

Wins: 1-California

Notes: This team struggled on stop No. 1 Sunday but finished the race with solid stops. It kept the driver out front and penalty-free. We see this crew getting better each week.

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 crew, Hendrick Motorsports
Rank: 7
Wins: 0

Notes: This crew didn’t do anything great Sunday nor did it keep the driver from advancing. Didn’t have quick enough stops to move up in the rankings but with four races to go, these guys will get a chance to showcase their talent.

Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 crew, Furniture Row Racing
Rank: 8

Wins: 1-Pocono

Notes: The first stop was pretty slow on the rear of the No. 78 due to a double adjustment stop. After that they were good enough to help their team move on and see another day. Welcome to the Eliminator Round.

For more pit crew news, visit PitTalks.com

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Staff Report

NASCAR Chairman & CEO Brian France said the sanctioning body was “very disappointed” Sunday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway ended under caution, but also reaffirmed that rules are made by striking a balance between excitement and safety.

Appearing on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Tuesday afternoon, France detailed his reaction to the CampingWorld.com 500, one in which the new rule of having one attempt at a green-white-checkered finish at Talladega saw the race end under caution. A wreck broke out in the middle of the pack before that group had even reached the start/finish line, causing the yellow to fall — because the lead group had already passed the stripe, it counted as the lone attempt.

Joey Logano, who restarted first, finished ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. when the field was frozen — Earnhardt’s No. 88 Chevrolet appeared to be on the verge of passing Logano’s No. 22 Ford at the time.

“We were very disappointed we weren’t able to finish the race under green,” France told host Dave Moody. “But those are the rules. There’s a safety element that will always come first. When we have that kind of calamity with a crash, some smoke and fire going in the 11 car (of Denny Hamlin), that’s going to get an instant caution from us, as it should.”

Reaction to the ending has poured in on message boards, social media and radio call-in lines, as fans dissected what they liked and didn’t like about the ending and the new green-white-checkered rule.

The fact that Earnhardt Jr. was prominently involved in the end of Sunday’s race likely figures prominently in the discourse — Logano even said at Tuesday’s Eliminator Round Media Day that he had started getting hate mail.

“If I’m a Dale Jr. fan, I can’t be any more disappointed by this week,” France said. “We understand that. It’s part of the emotion of NASCAR that you have to love, too, as much as you’re disappointed.”

France also added that NASCAR, as it often does when instituting a new rule, will review Sunday’s conclusion and monitor if any tweaks need to be made prior to the Daytona 500.

One thing that won’t be tweaked, though, is driver safety and the sanctioning body’s attempts to balance that aspect with exciting racing.

“I think we try to balance (excitement and safety) very well, and we probably balance it better than anyone in motorsports,” France said. “We’re fans, too. We want to see the best teams win it on the track and not have to end it early for any reason, but safety in NASCAR will always come first. It has to.”

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Staff Report

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he is proud of his team’s second-place performance on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, even more so than any of the No. 88’s victories this season, but he said he’s never going to watch a replay of the race, look at pictures of it or seek out others’ opinions about it.

Appearing Tuesday on the Dale Jr. Download on Dirty Mo Radio, Earnhardt Jr. spoke openly, and at times emotionally, about the outcome of a race that ended under caution and denied him the chance to advance in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Last week, NASCAR changed the rules at Talladega in order to limit a green-white-checkered finish to one attempt, and when a wreck happened shortly after Sunday’s final restart, the race ended under caution with Earnhardt Jr. on the verge of passing eventual race winner Joey Logano for the lead.

“A lot was going on at the end of the race,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “… From inside the car, I felt like I got a pretty good restart on Joey before they called that restart off, the one we didn’t make it to the (start-finish) line on.

“The next time, Joey got me a little bit better, I mean we were still kind of side-by-side, but I wasn’t quite as far up on him. And by the time we got to where they called the next yellow, I was just passing him.”

But even if the race were allowed to continue for another 100 feet and Junior passed Logano, the Hendrick Motorsports driver wasn’t sure he would have felt much differently.

“I got a little knot in my stomach, little sick about how it ended,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “… I don’t know if we could have celebrated that kind of victory as hard as a well-earned victory.

“It sucks. Sucks for NASCAR. Sucks for us. Sucks for everybody. I don’t want NASCAR to get a black eye over this deal, because I really love the sport. I think they did the best they could under the circumstances. We got a rulebook and we went by it, and that’s the results. I like that.”

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Zack Albert

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Two days later and with all the smoke from two botched Talladega restarts finally dissipated, NASCAR declared that no action would be taken against Kevin Harvick for the late-race contact that stunted last Sunday’s overtime finish and halted a two-lap shootout for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field.

Case closed? As it pertains to the home office in Daytona Beach, it would seem so. For the other seven drivers still alive in the Chase’s final three-race stage, inquiring minds were still wondering — and wandering — about Harvick’s involvement, his intent and the net result of the race-ending crash.

With the engine in the No. 4 Chevy apparently on its last legs, Harvick lined up in 10th place for the final restart in Sunday’s CampingWorld.com 500. With his car failing to run at full song, Harvick said he was trying to take evasive action with the pack bearing down on him, but clipped Trevor Bayne‘s No. 6 Ford, collecting nine other cars behind them in the melee. The ensuing yellow flag ended both Sunday’s event and the three-race Contender Round, trimming the Chase field to eight — Harvick included.

“It appears that Kevin and the 4 team, they had to have a caution in order to preserve their position. They were aware of that and it appears that they caused that caution,” said Carl Edwards, one of the two Joe Gibbs Racing drivers fortunate to advance. “It’s just … that’s tough. To be completely frank, that makes me uncomfortable that — if that’s the case — that a team could do something like that that’s calculated to alter the entire outcome of the most important race of the year.

“Things happen in the heat of battle. We’ve all done things in the heat of battle, but if that’s the case, if that’s what happened, then that’s just too bad. I guess NASCAR looked at it closely and if they think that there was nothing wrong there, then that’s just the way we move forward. No one really knows.”

While there was plenty of smoke in the lone attempt at a green-white-checkered overtime ending, there was no smoking gun that implicated Harvick of wrongdoing. In the Tuesday morning statement, NASCAR officials said that an investigation of “video, team radio transmissions and downloadable data” turned up no damning evidence against the defending Sprint Cup champion.

That didn’t stop questions and speculation about possible motive, especially with the stakes sky-high in an elimination race in NASCAR’s playoffs.

RELATED: Drivers question Harvick’s end-of-race wreck

“I think it was inconclusive. I don’t think that it’s a clear-cut thing,” said Jeff Gordon, who remains in the thick of the title hunt in his final Sprint Cup season. “Do I like the fact that there’s somebody with an engine that is underpowered starting right in the middle of the pack? No. If this Chase format wasn’t the way that it is, I don’t think somebody would do that.

“There’s no doubt that the way that Kevin started that last restart was to cause chaos. I don’t think that he intentionally tried to do it. I can’t see anything from what I saw that he was intentionally trying to take somebody out. I think the restart before that he moved up and got out of the way and let people go by. This one he didn’t. I think that’s pretty clear that he wanted there to be chaos. That was his shot. He did what he had to do. You can’t blame somebody for that.”

Former premier-series champion Brad Keselowski said Tuesday that he felt NASCAR was correct in not penalizing Harvick for Sunday’s actions, saying the burden of proof was a steep one to make an indisputable ruling. On the flip side, Keselowski said that the penalty he received for jumping a crucial late-race restart last month at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was the wrong call, that the decision wasn’t conclusive beyond a shadow of a doubt.

It’s a case-by-case basis, Keselowski said, but the principles of the judicial system still apply.

“At this point, there’s a level of doubt in my mind that what happened at Talladega with Kevin was intentional,” Keselowski said. “That means the burden of proof hasn’t been met, at least for me, so that makes me feel like they got it right. Innocent people shouldn’t go to jail, whether that be in NASCAR or otherwise. Maybe NASCAR jail is less harsh, but it’s still a form of jail. I guess I’m more on the forgiving side.”

NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France, appearing Tuesday on NBCSN’s “NASCAR America,” said that Harvick causing an intentional wreck without hurting his own chances “would’ve been a tricky thing to do.” France tried to quell any speculation, but said he appreciated the passion of drivers in the heat of a championship battle.

RELATED: Brian France discusses ‘Dega finish

“I understand that that’s a reaction that if I were a driver, I would be looking for anything that would support how I felt,” France told NBCSN. “And I can understand making that claim, but it’s just not accurate — or at least it’s not accurate that we can see, and that’s all we can go off of.”

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Zack Albert

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Under the weather and with a gravelly voice from lingering sickness, a raspy Kevin Harvick managed to smile his way through a 20-minute media appearance Tuesday, answering pointed questions and clarifying his role in the late-race chaos that punctuated last weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway.

Two days after fellow competitors called his role in a race-ending crash into question, Harvick reiterated his post-race stance, saying that he was merely trying to avoid the pack on both a waved-off attempt and a full-fledged attempt at a green-white-checkered overtime finish, both of which resulted in multicar crashes before the Talladega start-finish line. The final restart effort helped seal the fates of many Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup title hopefuls, including Harvick, whose repeat championship bid remains alive.

“I didn’t cause the first wreck. I definitely don’t believe that I caused the second wreck either, so it’s just one of those situations where I did the best I could on the restarts to get going, and I got out of the way,” Harvick said at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, site of media rotations for the eight remaining Chase-eligible drivers. “I never really even saw the 6 car (Trevor Bayne) until he was by me and doing what he was doing. It was just one of those situations where, you can’t stop. You have to continue to try to let it play out and it really did play out.”

Harvick lined up in 10th place for the final restart in the CampingWorld.com 500, but the engine in his Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet had soured, putting his championship quest in doubt in the final race of the Contender Round. Harvick’s car stepped out of line on an aborted first attempt as Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Larson spun to the infield grass, forcing another try.

When Harvick failed to come up to speed on the final attempt, he clipped Bayne’s passing No. 6 Ford, triggering an 11-car wreck at the start-finish line.

The caution flag emerged, freezing the field and ending the race on its only attempt at a green-white-checkered overtime finish. Joey Logano was ruled the winner, and Harvick salvaged a 15th-place finish, keeping him seventh in the points standings and allowing him to advance to the Eliminator Round with a six-point buffer over the cutoff line.

RELATED: Where is Harvick in this week’s Power Rankings presented by Sprint?

Harvick said that though his engine was ailing, he said his car was not leaking fluid, giving NASCAR no reason to black-flag him. On both instances of attempts at restarts, he had hoped for a push from either Bayne or Stewart-Haas teammate Danica Patrick.

“I restarted the race and hit the gas, and as I was going up and Trevor was going down, that was definitely the beginning point of what happened, but I was trying to just get going,” Harvick said. “That was really my biggest thing. I thought if I could get going, I might be involved in a situation where something else happened like it did on the first one. So in our second attempt of one attempt, we had more happen.”

Harvick denied intentionally causing the crash in post-race interviews Sunday, saying that he was trying to get out of the way as the race returned to green-flag conditions. He sounded that refrain again Tuesday.

“Obviously we were in a unique position with the caution still out and the way that things all shook out,” Harvick said. “They can look at it 100 different ways, but you can’t quit. You can’t just roll over and be done with it and say, ‘well, we tried our best,’ because you didn’t. I quit once in my life and I’ll never quit again.”

Harvick said he learned that life lesson in high school, when he curbed a successful high school wrestling career as his pursuits took him to motorsports. He also acknowledged the never-say-die attitude in referencing Michigan State’s improbable college football victory over Michigan on Oct. 17.

But Harvick also said the stakes are much higher in the Chase than in the regular season, pushing teams and drivers to the brink of desperation.

“I think if you’re at Race 13 and you’re in a situation like that, you probably pull in the pits,” Harvick said. “If you’re in a cutoff race at Talladega, you have to play the restart out. I mean, you have to try. If it falls on its face or you crash or whatever the case may be, then you still have that little glimmer of hope, and that’s your season. That’s it.”

NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton said Sunday that officials “don’t see anything there that is suspect so far,” but left open the possibility for taking action if new evidence presented itself. Tuesday morning, NASCAR issued a statement, saying officials had completed their review of “video, team radio transmissions and downloadable data” and that the race results were considered official with no penalties to be issued for drivers’ on-track actions.

RELATED: NASCAR statement on Talladega results

Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth failed to advance to the title-eligible group of eight. Teammates Hamlin and Kenseth were among the most critical of Harvick, joining a chorus with Bayne and others in declaring the defending series champ’s move intentional.

“I don’t need to defend myself,” Harvick said. “Here’s the deal: If those guys were in the same situation and their car would still function, it’s like a football player. If his knee’s blown out and he’s playing in the Super Bowl, he’s going to play as long as he can. We maintained the speed on the caution. If all the circumstances would have been different, it might’ve had a different outcome. Those guys have been throwing stones all year, so you just go on with it.”

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 27, 2015) – “NASCAR has worked to review an extensive amount of material from Sunday’s NASCAR race in Talladega including video, team radio transmissions and downloadable data. Based on that review, the race results are considered official as we prepare for the upcoming 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Eliminator Round starting Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.

“Post-race inspection is currently being conducted. The five cars at the NASCAR Research & Development Center for post-race inspection are the No. 22 (winner), No. 88 (runner-up), No. 18 (final car qualifying for the Eliminator Round), No. 31 (first car not qualifying for the Eliminator Round) and the No. 98 (random).

“Additionally, aside from today’s post-race inspection, NASCAR has completed review of any other potential penalties from the track this past weekend, and there will be no further actions.”

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Pat DeCola

Joeylogano

Logano is so hot right now, he’s looking like vintage Summer 2015 Kyle Busch, which is funny, because it’s quite possible those two drivers could be battling at Homestead.

Carledwards

As a new team within the organization, Edwards’ No. 19 has arguably been the shakiest of all four Joe Gibbs Racing cars in 2015. As one of two remaining JGR entries in the Chase, that’s no longer the case.

Jeffgordon

It’s hard to believe Gordon is the Hendrick Motorsports driver who has advanced the farthest in the Chase, but guess what — he has a combined 12 wins at the remaining four tracks and actually has a great shot to ride off into the sunset with title No. 5 in tow.

MORE: Gordon’s drive for five alive

Kevinharvick

-1

Say what you want about Harvick’s final wreck (down in the comments section, preferably), but he remains a part of the Chase and still a force in title contention.

MORE: Drivers question Harvick’s wreeck

Kurtbusch

-1

Busch is sneakily chugging along in the Chase and with wins at each of the remaining tracks can’t be overlooked as a realistic title contender.

Martintruex jr

Truex’s never-give-up attitude is propelling a fine Chase run for the 78 team, which started at the tail end of the field at Talladega and battled to get back on the lead lap to finish 7th and move on.

BradKeselowski

At some point, you have to think teammate Joey Logano will share some of the wealth with Keselowski and let him win one, right?

KyleBusch

Lost in all the madness Sunday was the fact that Busch escaped his worst round. With wins at two of the Eliminator Round tracks, he could lock his way into Homestead with a victory.

DaleEarnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt’s Talladega efforts were colossal, but unfortunately, so was the points deficit he had to overcome. Don’t expect Junior to ease up the rest of the way.

MORE: Junior’s title hopes up in smoke

DennyHamlin

-8

Hamlin looked like a serious title contender but was knocked out after a roof issue and late wreck. The 2014 finalist won’t get a shot to race for the title at Homestead until 2016 at the earliest.

MORE: Roof issue knocks Hamlin out of Chase

Ryannewman

-1

Newman adopted the same Chase strategy of last year — trying to earn consistent top 10s rather than racing for a win to advance — and look where it got him. On the outside looking in.

MORE: Who’s in, who’s out?

JimmieJohnson

Johnson has never not won a race during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. History tells us we aren’t done hearing from the No. 48 team in 2015.

Mattkenseth

Kenseth was eliminated from the Chase at Talladega on Sunday. To make matters worse for him — the JGR driver didn’t even get a chance to “knock (Logano) out” after the race, because the Penske driver was, you know, in Victory Lane.

MORE: Kenseth: ‘I’m gonna knock him out’

Paulmenard

Figures Menard would have his best finish since Talladega at Talladega — after already being eliminated from the Chase.

ClintBowyer

While Bowyer’s top-10 finish may not seem like much, you can bet that felt as good as a win for an MWR team with only four races left before it closes shop.

Jamiemcmurray

-2

McMurray was unable to recreate his Talladega 2013 magic, but hey, at least he’s the defending Martinsville pole winner.

Posted on October 27, 2015 by

Posted on October 26, 2015 by

TALLADEGA, Ala. — Forget being simply satisfied with eking along in this Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Jeff Gordon thinks his No. 24 team has developed into a legitimate championship contender.

The 44-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver, in his final season, has advanced to the eight-driver, three-race Eliminator Round of the postseason, his dream for a fifth premier series title still very much alive following a third-place finish in Sunday’s CampingWorld.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

How he got here is a story of perseverance.

“All the things that we have been through that maybe could be looked at as negatives — the way we’ve run, a lack of execution — we learned from it,” an excited Gordon said on pit road after Sunday’s race. “We’re too strong of an organization. We survived, we’ve gotten better and we’ve gotten pretty good. It’s pretty amazing that we made it through this thing.”

A season removed from four victories, and plenty of speedy cars, 2015 had been a struggle for both Gordon and his No. 24 crew.

There was the lack of speed, some bad luck, some questionable decisions — even a very public spat over the radio with crew chief Alan Gustafson at Pocono in June.

He limped into the Chase winless, but snuck through the opening Contender Round and then powered through the Challenger Round. His worst finish in six Chase races is 14th — only Joey Logano, who swept the Contender Round with Sunday’s victory, has been better in that regard.

“They key is us coming together as a team,” Gustafson said. “We haven’t had the performance that we want across the board all year. But we stuck together. We’re definitely improving and giving ourselves more opportunities. And now, anything can happen.”

RELATED: See the Chase Grid as we head to the Eliminator 8

Especially at the upcoming tracks. The Eliminator Round consists of races at Martinsville Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway.

Gordon feels confident at all of them, particularly Martinsville, where he’s won eight times.

Racing on those surfaces was never the issue, though — it was actually getting there while still competing in the Chase.

Mission accomplished.

“I’ve been saying all along if we can get to Round 3 (the Eliminator Round), we’d have an excellent shot of getting to Homestead,” Gordon said. “This team is extra excited right now for the races that are coming up, and working extra hard to make that happen. The season that I’ve had, I’m just overwhelmed and shocked right now that we have turned this thing around the way we have.”

Posted on October 26, 2015 by

TALLADEGA, Ala. – After Sunday’s elimination race at Talladega Superspeedway, team owner Joe Gibbs’ dream of having all four of his Joe Gibbs Racing drivers in the final four at Homestead will have to wait until next season.

Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch‘s finishes in Sunday’s showdown allowed them to advance to the next round, as Busch squeaked in the last remaining spot on the eight-driver Chase Grid with an 11th-place finish. Edwards’ strong fifth-place result propelled him to second in the standings and straight into the next round.

Teammates Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin weren’t as fortunate, as both battled issues that led to their ultimate elimination.

Hamlin’s ‘Dega woes began midway through the race, when the roof of his No. 11 Toyota began to break off. Hamlin made an unscheduled pit trip down pit road to fix the damage.

But the repairs proved too brief, as the No. 11 was forced to make a second stop just a few laps later. After getting off the lead lap, Hamlin charged to get back on pace and was caught up in a multi-car melee in the race’s final restart that left him with a sour 37th-place result and torn-up race car.

“We had a self-inflicted day, took us four times to get our roof fixed,” Hamlin said after the race. “It’s unfortunate, I feel like I’ve done all I could possibly do to advance in a three-race season. I feel like we could have won next week. I really can’t spin any positive on it right now.”

Hamlin’s elimination came as a surprise to teammate Edwards, as the No. 11 driver was second in the Chase standings entering Sunday’s race at Talladega.

“Did Denny (Hamlin) get wrecked at the end?” Edwards asked after the race on pit road. “Denny is such a great competitor. He is really — he has helped me so much and that’s frustrating. He deserves to be in it, but, man, it’s just so tough, so tough. I’m just very fortunate we made it through.”

Edwards’ second-place position in the Chase standings was a much more comfortable margin than Busch’s, who beat out Ryan Newman by three points for the last remaining slot in the grid.

“That’s what we pretty much planned all day today was to just race and whatever happened, happened,” Busch said after the race. “… That’s what this team needs and what we need — I guess the farthest I’ve ever gone before (in the Chase).

“… This is the first time I finished at Talladega without a scratch on the car … I don’t know if that’s a success or a failure, but either way it was a success for today.”

RELATED: Did Harvick cause late wreck?

Unlike Busch, Kenseth’s No. 20 Toyota did leave Alabama with plenty of scratches, as he was caught up in the last-wreck that left him limping with a 26th-place finish and without a shot at the championship title. After being spun by Joey Logano last week at Kansas, the driver entered Sunday’s race in a win-or-don’t-get-in scenario, one that was only made worse when his tension with race winner Logano rose throughout the event.

“The 22 (Joey Logano) last week wrecks us for the win to get in, to keep us out and get him in and then today we’ve got a chance, he’s lined up behind, he’s dragging the brakes, he’s trying not to go,” Kenseth said after the race. “He’s doing everything he can to make it worse for you, so he’s standing there in Victory Lane and he’s happy, but the racing is just — it’s just kind of out of control.

“… Hopefully, we can get back to racing next week and everybody going fast and trying to win.”