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2012 series champion discusses incident with Joe Gibbs Racing driver
MORE: Full coverage of Kenseth-Keselowski incident | Kenseth: ‘I don’t regret my actions’
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TALLADEGA, Ala. – Brad Keselowski, fined $50,000 following last week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, isn’t ready to discuss if he regrets his actions.
One of four drivers outside the top eight in points in this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Keselowski said Friday at Talladega Superspeedway that "I haven’t put a lot of thought into it, to be honest."
"I have been busy testing at Martinsville (Speedway) and getting ready for this weekend," he said. "It is a huge weekend for me and our team where we have to really pull out a clutch moment and I don’t want to lose sight of that by spending a whole bunch of time on all that other garbage.
"I am not going to say I haven’t spent any time on it but I didn’t spend enough to really have all my thoughts and feelings put together enough to share it."
Keselowski struck the driver’s side of Matt Kenseth‘s car as the field came to pit road following the completion of last week’s Bank of America 500. He also ran into the back of Tony Stewart‘s car, unintentionally it appeared. He was pursued by Denny Hamlin as the two made their way through the garage area, and by night’s end was involved in an altercation with Kenseth between two team haulers.
Kenseth called Keselowski’s actions on the track, which also included contact on a late-race restart, "high school stunts."
Keselowski said he was aware of his fellow competitor’s comments, included talking about an incident at Richmond earlier this year as well as damage he contends Kenseth did to his Team Penske entry while taking the "wave around" following a late caution.
"We had a little contact at Richmond," he said. As for the contact, "(Kenseth) is always entitled to his opinion as I am to mine. We are both entitled to (our) opinions. Obviously we have a difference of them or what happened Saturday wouldn’t have happened."
Both Keselowski and Stewart were fined for their post-race actions at CMS last week (NASCAR officials clipped Stewart for $25,000).
"Maybe I should have had a bigger one, I don’t know," Keselowski said. "I thought (Sprint Cup Series Managing Director) Richard Buck was really classy and I thought that was really nice of him. It isn’t something that I didn’t understand."
Other drivers weren’t pointing fingers or placing blame a week after the incident, instead citing the pressure of the new format along with the pressure of competing against 42 others for the better part of a year. Disagreements are going to occur.
"We all have frustrations toward each other at some point," Richard Childress Racing’s Ryan Newman said. "And we can get along with each other five days later. That’s part of what we do."
Six-time series champion Jimmie Johnson said Keselowski’s "always been a pretty tough racer.
"He’s in a position where he doesn’t want to be in right now, along with a few other guys," Johnson said. "When you’re in that position, it’s hard to hit that 100-percent mark. Sometimes you end up at 105 or 120 and you end up doing things you might not want to or make little mistakes that cost others."
Keselowski, along with Johnson, Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr., are outside the top eight in points heading into Sunday’s GEICO 500 (ESPN, 2 p.m. ET). Only the top eight remain in title contention and two of those eight slots have already been taken by Contender Round winners Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick.
Keselowski said he isn’t worried about losing the respect of his peers. Earning that respect is important, but "I think you have to temper that with the knowledge that when you are successful you are a target.
"That isn’t just me, that is everyone," he said. "That is just part of the ebbs and flows we talk about all the time."
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2003 champion says everyone has breaking point
MORE: Keselowski responds | Full timeline of events in Kenseth-Keselowski dust up
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TALLADEGA, Ala. — Everyone has his or her "breaking point," Matt Kenseth said, and the Joe Gibbs Racing driver reached his following contact from Brad Keselowski during and after Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Kenseth pursued the Team Penske driver moments after the completion of the Bank of America 500, grabbing Keselowski before crewmen from both teams, along with officials, rushed in to separate the two drivers.
"Last week it was bad enough to run bad all night and to be frustrated; then get two tires and get toward the front (near the end of the race) — Brad clearly saw me roll outside of him and he hung a right on purpose and he ran me right into the wall, ruined my night and possibly took us out of Chase contention," Kenseth said Friday at Talladega Superspeedway. "So I was mad enough about that. To come down afterward and have your (safety equipment) off and your net down and come and pull those high school stunts … after the race is just absolutely unacceptable.
"That definitely put me over the edge. I don’t regret my actions; I’m not proud of them or happy about them or anything like that. … But I don’t regret them. I don’t know that I’d do anything different if the same thing would have gone down again."
Keselowski moved up the track during a late-race restart, thwarting Kenseth’s momentum and resulting in contact with the wall.
Later, with six laps remaining, Kenseth was one of several drivers to take the wave around to get back on the lead lap without pitting. At that time, he said Friday, he did "swerve" at Keselowski "because I was mad he put me in the wall and totally ruined my day."
Keselowski said after the race that Kenseth "came back and swung at my car and tore the front of the car off."
Kenseth said the 2012 champion "is greatly exaggerating."
"If you watch video you can see he had no marks on his right front of his car after that," Kenseth said. "He said it tore his whole right front off. … That was just him greatly exaggerating the story."
As the field began to make its way to pit road, Keselowski attempted to spin Denny Hamlin (JGR), then struck the side of Kenseth’s car as they came onto pit road.
Keselowski ran into the back of Tony Stewart after hitting Kenseth. Stewart reacted by putting his car in reverse and backing into Keselowski, crumpling the front end of the No. 2 Ford.
Hamlin attempted to confront Keselowski in the garage area, but all parties had gone their separate ways when Kenseth went after the Team Penske driver.
"I just wanted to get to him, I guess," Kenseth said. "Not sure what I wanted to do when I got there. It was obvious I didn’t really have a plan, right?
"You never want to get into confrontations, at least I don’t. I like to avoid them. I’m definitely not built for fighting; it’s not really in my genes, it’s not something I ever really want to do."
NASCAR fined Keselowski ($50,000) and Stewart ($25,000) for their actions and placed both drivers on probation for the next four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events. The sanctioning body did not penalize Kenseth or Hamlin.
Three of the four — Kenseth, Keselowski and Hamlin — are among 10 drivers vying for one of eight spots in the Eliminator Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Two spots have already been determined, with wins by Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick automatically advancing those two drivers.
Hamlin enters Sunday’s GEICO 500 (ESPN, 2 p.m. ET) seventh in points; Kenseth and Keselowski are two of four drivers currently outside the top eight, along with six-time champion Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
"I was probably more upset about getting (run) into the wall than I would have maybe been on week two of the season," Kenseth said. "There’s probably a little bit (of frustration) there and some of that is frustration from the season of not running to our potential and being taken out of the Chase."
Kenseth, the 2003 series champion, won seven races with JGR last year in his first season with the organization, but is winless thus far this year.
"The stuff afterward of getting hit after the race, my reaction to that was besides taking my stuff off and thinking it’s ridiculous to get hurt after a race is over by somebody acting like a little kid using a car for a weapon," he said. "I thought that was ridiculous, but that’s the second time he’s done that this year just to me. After the Richmond race he came and wiped us out down in Turn 2 and then came down pit road and took another slug at me and knocked the side off our car.
"Besides people having to pay for (the cars) and work on them and all that stuff, it’s just not acceptable. After that happening again was probably most of my reaction."
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See the order the drivers will head off in Coors Light Pole Qualifying (Saturday, 4:40 p.m. ET, ESPNEWS)
Random draw of 1-46. Odd numbers are in the first group, while even numbers are in the second group.
| # | Car | Driver | Team |
| 1 | 27 | Paul Menard | Moen/Menards Chevrolet |
| 2 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Cargill/Sam’s Club Ford |
| 3 | 49 | Mike Wallace(i) | Royal Teak Collection Toyota |
| 4 | 26 | Cole Whitt # | Bad Boy Mowers Toyota |
| 5 | 55 | Brian Vickers | Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota |
| 6 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet |
| 7 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet |
| 8 | 36 | Reed Sorenson | Zing Zang Chevrolet |
| 9 | 10 | Danica Patrick | GoDaddy Breast Cancer Awareness Chevrolet |
| 10 | 47 | AJ Allmendinger | Scott Products Chevrolet |
| 11 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Smithfield Ford |
| 12 | 33 | Travis Kvapil | Little Joe’s Autos Chevrolet |
| 13 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Farmers Insurance Chevrolet |
| 14 | 21 | Trevor Bayne(i) | Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford |
| 15 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Lowe’s Chevrolet |
| 16 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Axalta Chevrolet |
| 17 | 29 | Joe Nemechek(i) | ToyotaCare Toyota |
| 18 | 42 | Kyle Larson # | Energizer Chevrolet |
| 19 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Caterpillar Chevrolet |
| 20 | 66 | Michael Waltrip | MyAFibStory.com Toyota |
| 21 | 95 | Michael McDowell | Jordan Truck Sales Ford |
| 22 | 40 | Landon Cassill(i) | Carsforsale.com Chevrolet |
| 23 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Cessna Chevrolet |
| 24 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Black & Decker Ford |
| 25 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Redd’s Wicked Apple Ale Ford |
| 26 | 32 | Terry Labonte | C&J Energy Services Ford |
| 27 | 13 | Casey Mears | GEICO Chevrolet |
| 28 | 34 | David Ragan | Dockside Logistics Ford |
| 29 | 38 | David Gilliland | Long John Silver’s Ford |
| 30 | 3 | Austin Dillon # | Dow Chevrolet |
| 31 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Haas Automation Chevrolet |
| 32 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Pink Lemonade 5-Hour Energy benefitting LBBC Toyota |
| 33 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Chevrolet |
| 34 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Budweiser Chevrolet |
| 35 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | FedEx One Rate/Deliverminator Toyota |
| 36 | 83 | JJ Yeley(i) | Burger King/Dr Pepper Toyota |
| 37 | 12 | Ryan Blaney(i) | SKF Ford |
| 38 | 51 | Justin Allgaier # | BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet |
| 39 | 16 | Greg Biffle | 3M Ford |
| 40 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Subway Ford |
| 41 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Home Depot Toyota |
| 42 | 18 | Kyle Busch | M&M’s Halloween Toyota |
| 43 | 7 | Michael Annett # | Golden Corral Chevrolet |
| 44 | 22 | Joey Logano | Shell Pennzoil Ford |
| 45 | 23 | Alex Bowman # | Dustless Blasting Toyota |
| 46 | 98 | Josh Wise | Dogecoin/Reddit.com Ford |
Our experts address this week’s hot topics in NASCAR
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1. Were the penalties for the post-race turmoil at Charlotte appropriate for all parties involved?
Alan Cavanna: I think not issuing a points penalty was the proper call. The incidents in question were not competition-related, and I don’t feel the penalty should have been. That said, I do think the fine for Brad Keselowski could’ve been higher to send more of a message. The garage is crowded after a race, and it needs to be respected. Kes is among the best drivers in the world, but one small slip while trying to do even a small burnout could be disastrous.
Zack Albert: I don’t know that if I were in any sort of ruling position that I’d have gone to the lengths of issuing a suspension, but I felt like the punishment could’ve been stiffer — especially for Keselowski as instigator and Hamlin for that cut-through in the garage. Stewart’s fine seemed about right. A Kenseth probation could’ve at least put him on notice, but making a no-call there was OK by me, too.
Kenny Bruce: I know the big kickback from the fans is that taking away money isn’t much of a penalty for these guys. And probation? A slap on the wrist. But I think taking away points should be left for technical infractions, because those incidents can impact the results of the race. Taking away points for bad behavior doesn’t make sense. The money might not seem all that much, but keep in mind, it would escalate for a future offense.
Albert: And even if you do penalize with points deductions, a victory this weekend would advance a penalized driver to the Chase’s next round, no matter how many points you take away.
Bruce: Good point, Zack. It could impact a driver trying to advance without a win, but if they take points away and the guy wins, where’s the penalty? … I was surprised that Kenseth wasn’t at least fined for his role in the altercation with Brad. Would have liked to have had a better explanation of how they came to that determination.
Cavanna: No punches thrown, Kenny. I think Matt inched up to the line, but didn’t cross it. The Ambrose/Mears conflict at Richmond in the spring featured a direct punch and left another competitor with a black eye. Once Kenseth got a hold of Kez, I think he just wanted to talk.
Albert: Is giving a noogie a P1 violation? If we’d had a Kermit Washington impersonation by Kenseth, maybe there’s more to it, but I think it falls under the heading of a shoving match with no blood spilt.
Bruce: Oh, he wanted to talk, all right. But Mears threw no punches and was fined. Of course, he was deemed "the instigator." Should have a T-shirt made up with that on it.
Albert: I know we dealt with a good amount of unhappy fans Tuesday, but had there been a suspension, the howls would’ve been about NASCAR officials hand-picking a champion whose name doesn’t rhyme with Reselowski.
Cavanna: Gad Reselowski? I think he raced in the ’50s.
2. Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rank as the bottom three in the Sprint Cup standings. Who has the best chance of staving off elimination in the Contender Round finale at Talladega?
Cavanna: Tough question to answer. I picked Dale Jr. to win the race in this week’s NASCAR.com Preview Show. So by that logic, he has the best shot.
Albert: By that logic, he’s jinxed beyond all hope.
Cavanna: But in terms of points, Kes can at least see a light at the end of the tunnel. If he avoids a big wreck that takes out someone like Kenseth or Kahne, Brad advances.
Kenny Bruce: I think Mr. Reselowski, I mean Keselowski, has the best shot. Johnson and Earnhardt Jr. are tied, and eight points or so behind Brad, so that’s eight positions they need just to finish ahead of him — not including all those ahead. Plus, teammate Joey Logano made no bones about helping his teammate this weekend. Also, Ryan Blaney, who will be in a third Team Penske car, mentioned helping BK out.
Cavanna: Hey! I’ve picked a few winners, Zack!
Bruce: Isn’t that our version of the SI cover jinx, Alan?
Cavanna: I don’t need the Nation mad at me. … I like your point about the Penske cars, Kenny. Logano and Blaney need no other agenda than helping out the 2 car.
Albert: That said, I think Brad is going to need all the aero help and/or reinforcements he can get after last weekend. But to your point, Alan, I think Dale Jr. finds some of that ‘Dega magic from days of old.
Bruce: Correct, Alan. Hendrick guys and the Joe Gibbs Racing bunch have enough on their own plates without worrying about a teammate; Harvick, Edwards, Newman … they’re lone wolves out there.
Cavanna: This format is so odd. Who’s more nervous on Sunday? Kes/Junior/Jimmie or Hamlin/Edwards/Newman, etc.?
Albert: It’s going to be crazy. The live standings might resemble a roulette wheel. … Funny that there’s this guy we haven’t been talking about — Johnson. How does a six-time champ fly under the radar like this? In years past, I don’t know that I’d have bet against the 48 camp come Chase time. Now? Just not seeing the bulletproof aura around them.
Cavanna: Radar only extends so far. Jimmie is barely within striking distance.
Bruce: Right about the 48, Zack. Who would have thought we could have described them as average? But truthfully, that’s where they’re at right now. They need to change the Lowe’s slogan from "Never Stop Improving" to "Improve Faster."
Albert: Maybe they surprise us, but there’s room for (home) improvement.
Bruce: Nice.
3. The last few Talladega races have given us surprise winners, major multi-car crashes and stunning finishes. Will we see more intensity in Sunday’s Chase elimination race? Is that possible?
Bruce: I think so. The racing there has gotten so crazy the last few years. If they come across the start/finish line six-wide with half of them upside-down, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Cavanna: It’ll all depend on the situation and who is running where and when. If the "bottom 3" are in the back half of the top 10 with two to go, I predict chaos.
Albert: The only two drivers sitting pretty right now are Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick, who have already punched their tickets to the next round. The rest? Who knows.
Cavanna: If it’s a guy like Edwards/Newman/Hamlin, etc., I think they do all they can to bring it home in one piece and advance.
Bruce: I’ve wondered all week if there was a chance that we "over-sell" the race, but honestly I just don’t see that being the case. Heard someone say the other day that even with the multicar incidents in the spring race, there were still 20 or 21 cars on lead lap at the end of the race. So more than half the field still had a shot. How often do we see that?
Cavanna: It’ll be interesting to see if someone advances because his team makes quick repairs from an early wreck. Every position is going to matter.
Bruce: I don’t think we’ll see shades of Benny Parsons’ team rebuilding his car to get him back out and win the title, but you’re close, Alan.
Albert: Not only that, all the alliances and grudges will come into play. And even if crews tell you they won’t pay attention to the standings as they run, here’s betting they’ll have it in view out of the corner of their eye.
Bruce: I more expect pit-stop calls of "So and so stops for four fresh Goodyear tires, two cans of Sunoco fuel and a shot of Mylanta …"
Albert: Will officials allow an extra crewmember over the wall for antacid relief.
Cavanna: What would Gad Reselowski do?
Kenny Bruce: Drive it like he stole it?
Zack Albert: Someone stole the pace car during pre-race at Talladega several years back. He also drove it like he stole it (fans, don’t get any bright ideas).
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Former champ helps celebrate Mobil 1’s big anniversary
RELATED: Learn more about NASCAR technology
Rusty Wallace was there when Mobil 1 made its entry into NASCAR, when Ronald Reagan was the president, people were wearing acid-washed jeans and Michael Jackson was truly the King of Pop.
That was 1986.
Flash forward to today and Rusty Wallace is still Mobil 1’s biggest fan.
How it came about, Mobil 1’s entry into NASCAR was like a lot of such events, Wallace said.
"I’ve got to give credit where credit is due," Wallace said. "Raymond Beadle is the man who started all of the Mobil 1 stuff in NASCAR. He had the relationship with all the folks at Mobil 1 when I came on at Blue Max back in 1986 and then he was able to get them on the car. When I left, Beadle and Raymond decided to shut the team down, we were able to carry that sponsor on over to Penske. That’s where it all started. It was a great ride."
What made it such a great ride? Wallace said it was the great product and the advantage of synthetic oil in a racing application.
"Mobil 1, when we had it in the car, it really gave us peace of mind," Wallace said. "We knew, from all the dyno testing up in Fairfax, Virginia, that the product was way, way ahead of anybody else when it came to performance, and it really still is today. We could run engines hotter, and we noticed that when we had problems during the race, overheating really bad during the race, the engines would come back and look fine when you thought they were kind of destroyed.
"We could run our engines harder and it gave us a real sense of security when we got in a real tough situation. You’d have a hot dog wrapper on the front of the car, and the water temperature would be up at 280 degrees and you’re saying, ‘Aw, man, this baby’s gonna burn down.’ But it would stay going."
Mobil 1’s early success with Wallace and the Blue Max team made an impression in the garage, he said.
"This synthetic oil just spread through the garage like wildfire," Wallace said with a laugh. "I remember the guys that were sponsored by other oil companies, we would get them the oil under the table and they would put it in different jugs and put it in their car. That’s a true story.
"I would watch guys put the Mobil 1 in because their engine builder said, ‘Look, I know we’re sponsored by these guys, but this is a better deal.’ It was common practice."
Wallace said he was drawn to Mobil 1 because, quite simply, it was the best stuff going. That mattered to Wallace.
"Back then, all I wanted to be involved in was the best stuff," he said. "We had to have the best engines and the best power. The extra protection from Mobil 1 was just free to me. I said, ‘Look, if this is the best stuff, let’s go with it.’
“When the sponsorship came about (with Beadle and Blue Max), I’m going, ‘Why do they want to bring all the engine builders up to Fairfax and the laboratories all the time?’ Man, I used to think they were overthinking everything. They were constantly trying to develop. I was always saying, ‘It’s working great. If it isn’t broke, let’s not fix it. Let’s not mess with something that might give us a problem.’ "
Development, especially with a synthetic, is the key to success. Development that intense brings a whole crop of new stuff to the fore, and Wallace said it led to a banner year for him.
“That’s the thing about Mobil 1. They would constantly develop," he said. "Qualifying got to be a big thing then, where we wanted to have the lightest lubricants and the thinnest stuff. They developed a complete line of qualifying oil, and in 2000, I won nine poles that year, with the special qualifying oils. We had the thinnest oil, the thinnest transmission and rear end grease, the thinnest wheel bearing grease … we’d change all that stuff out and put the race stuff in. It was really something."
That development and commitment to breaking new ground has served Mobil 1 well in the first 40 years. NASCAR’s new rules package is going to optimize the protection aspects of the product as well, Wallace said.
“When you have less horsepower, you have less strain (on the engine)," Wallace said. "When you have less strain, you probably won’t need as much protection. So they’re probably going to come with thinner oil, thinner everything. That falls right in Mobil 1’s wheelhouse right now.
"They’ve already done it, and they’ve had many things happen since then. That’s a company that is so race-oriented that when there’s a rules change, they can react to try and make things better. I’m positive they’ll be doing that."
The new roller lifters in the 2015 engines are a big improvement, he said, and that will help the valve train, traditionally the weakest link in any internal combustion engine, with a lot of power.
"We were having so much trouble with having to break those flat lifters in," he said. "There was a whole process. When I came up, in ASA and All-Pro, all we ran was roller cams, drag racing was all rollers. They were looking at NASCAR like, ‘Really? Flat-tappet cams?’ That change is good, but late."
What it won’t help, from the builder’s side or Mobil 1’s, is parts weight. If lighter parts go in, strain increases, and you’re right back where you started.
"If you have less power, you can put lighter parts in," Wallace said. "I haven’t talked to NASCAR about that, but if they leave the parts the same size, then you’re going to be able to run those engines for a long time."
That’s the name of Mobil 1’s game: endurance, protection and speed. The next 40 years are going to be interesting, to say the least.
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Persistence, consistency pay off for Whelen Southern Modified Champ
MORE: Seuss gets engaged in Victory Lane
RELATED: Home Tracks | Learn more on the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour
CONCORD, N.C. — For six seasons, Andy Seuss couldn’t quite get over the hump in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour (NWSMT). He had six straight top-five finishes in the final standings to go with 15 victories coming into this season but the championship always seemed just out of reach.
For some of those seasons, George Brunnhoelzl III was in his way, racking up four titles in six years (2009, 2011-13). Seuss finished as the runner-up to him in 2009 and 2011, but 2014 was a different story and it was Seuss’ time to shine.
Entering the Southern Slam 150 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the NWSMT season finale, Seuss (pronounced "SICE") needed to finish 12th or better to clinch the title. He did better than that with a fifth-place effort to finish 14 points ahead of Brunnhoelzl to take home the championship, the first for the New Hampshire native.
"It’s very special to be the only people to dethrone the 28 team (Brunnhoelzl) because they’ve been so strong," Seuss said. "I’m sure they walk around thinking they have a target on their back because everyone shoots for them. We had a great end of last year and in the offseason, we gained even more. "
From his season-opening win at Caraway, where he led the entire race, Seuss was dialed in. He won three of series’ first five races and nearly led wire-to-wire in the point standings, as he was out of first place just one week. In his three victories, Seuss led 449 of a possible 450 laps.
"We knew we had to come out of the gate swinging," Seuss said.
Seuss showed remarkable consistency all season long, finishing in the top nine in all 14 races and never starting worse than seventh.
Burt Myers, who secured the tour title in 2010 and won the race at Charlotte, said that Seuss performed well all year and that becoming a first-time champion is a tremendous accomplishment.
"That’s something to be proud of," Myers said. "It’s something that nobody can ever take away from you. Like I said, it will get him later. That team has run good all year; they’ve run good in the past and it just came together for them this year."
Seuss’ title driving for car owner Ed Harvey was the capstone for the special bond the two have formed over the past four years together.
"Andy has become like a little brother that I never had," Harvey said sitting with Seuss in the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Center. "And as far as I’m concerned, I’ve said it 100 times, I’ve put it out there in print, that red 11 car is Andy Seuss’ ride as long as Andy Seuss wants that ride. If Andy decides to quit one day or move up one day or have the opportunity to move up, that’s one thing. But until he tells me anything different, I’ve told him it’s his ride for the rest of his life."
The celebration and the evening took on an extra meaning for Seuss for several reasons.
Just before joining the No. 11 team for Harvey, Seuss spent three seasons driving the No. 47 car for David Riggs, who was a longtime team owner in the Southern Modified Tour. Riggs passed away from a long battle with cancer in the days leading up to the season finale, something Seuss described as "heartbreaking."
Seuss continued to use some of Riggs’ cars while running for Harvey. Riggs quit his full-time racing operation after the 2010 season following the unexpected death of his son Jeff.
"He gave me my big break when I went from running for our family, No. 70, to driving for a professional team," Seuss said of Riggs. "I think he really did help me the last few days. If nothing else, but he told me to ”shut up and drive’ and not think. I couldn’t think about it and it really, it was thrown at me a few times, but for the most part I didn’t really wear the burden … would’ve been awesome to have him here but really cool to dedicate it to him as well."
Seuss’ celebration also took on special significance of a romantic sort as he proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Jenn DeMarco, in Victory Lane at Charlotte. She said yes.
"That’s a pretty special deal," Seuss said. "I hadn’t told anybody. Me and my mother had texted about it. We haven’t even spoken about it. Maybe, because of the pressure I put on myself but I wanted it to be an extra special day with the championship.
"My dad took the last two weeks off, traveling the whole country. We went up to Rhode Island to work on the chassis and back and forth and it was just the two of us in the truck. I feel terrible I didn’t let him know. I know he knew through my mom but I couldn’t get the words out because of just everything that this day meant."
It was a night filled with lasting memories for Seuss and a night he won’t soon forget.
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17-year-old will compete in two more 2014 Camping World Truck Series races
Brandon Jones is joining GMS Racing to run two more NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races this season.
Jones will pilot the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado in the Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 25 as well as the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway on Nov. 7. Shane Huffman will serve as crew chief.
"I couldn’t be more excited to continue our NCWTS efforts this season with GMS Racing at Martinsville and Phoenix," Jones said in a release. "The opportunity to start our relationship at a familiar track like Martinsville is a great benefit and I’m incredibly excited to tackle Phoenix for the first time. GMS Racing has had impressive performances this year and I can’t wait to get back on track working with Shane Huffman and the entire organization."
Jones has made six previous Camping World Truck Series starts in his career, including three this year, all for Turner Scott Motorsports. His best finish was a fourth-place result at Dover this past spring. Jones has made two previous starts at Martinsville and has an average finish of 17.0 at the track.
The 17-year-old Atlanta native competed full-time in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East circuit this season and finished fourth in the final standings. He won his first K&N Pro Series East race at Iowa Speedway in August. Huffman served as the crew chief for most of his races on that circuit and has also been the crew chief for all three of Jones’ starts this season in the Truck Series.
"Everyone at GMS Racing is thrilled to welcome Brandon into the fold of the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado," Nic Moncher, the general manager of GMS Racing, said in a team release. "He has shown a great deal of talent this season across every series he has competed in, and we’re both looking forward to great performances together at both Martinsville and Phoenix. Brandon has all the tools you like to see in a young driver and he will be a great asset to our Truck Series program."
This season, GMS Racing has fielded a full-time truck for Joey Coulter (No. 21), while Max Gresham and Spencer Gallagher have split time in the No. 23 entry.
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Team owner, TV analyst works with the Southern Conference to feed families
RELATED: JTG Daugherty Racing team profile
JTG Daugherty Racing team owner, ESPN analyst and former basketball star Brad Daugherty helped launch a campaign on Wednesday called Hoops Against Hunger to raise $1 million to fight hunger.
The first overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft who wore the No. 43 to honor seven-time premier series champion Richard Petty helped provide more than 10,000 meals last Thanksgiving in Western North Carolina as part of his Brad Daugherty Foundation. In addition to working with Eblen Charities and the Southern Conference’s SoCon for Hoops Against Hunger, he plans to reach out to his basketball and NASCAR contacts to raise $1 million.
"I’m honored to have the opportunity to work with Eblen and the Southern Conference, and to provide a platform where we can feed our children," Daugherty told the Asheville Citizen-Times.
The collection of food and funds will culminate with the SoCon Basketball Championships in March 2015 in Asheville, North Carolina.
At the annual Southern Conference Basketball media day at the Biltmore Estate, Daugherty also shared that he will return to covering basketball games, both college and NBA, beginning in December after ESPN’s NASCAR coverage ends in November.
Daugherty’s No. 47 team with driver AJ Allmendinger earned its first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Watkins Glen International in August and advanced to its first Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The team was eliminated from NASCAR’s playoffs in the first round at Dover International Speedway.
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Jackman Nate Bolling out for the year after injury at Charlotte
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Denny Hamlin‘s pit crew, which consistently ranks among the swiftest on the circuit, will be without jackman Nate Bolling for the rest of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Bolling had surgery earlier this week to repair the torn right tricep he suffered on the second pit stop in Saturday’s Bank of America 500. He is expected to make a full recovery and be available for the 2015 Daytona 500.
The No. 11 team will turn to backup jackman Kenneth Purcell. Purcell was a part of four championship-winning seasons with the No. 48 team of Jimmie Johnson.
Hamlin, who won the spring race at Talladega, is seventh in the standings. Sunday’s GEICO 500 (2 p.m. ET, ESPN) at the 2.66-mile superspeedway is the final of three races in the Contender Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Eight drivers will advance into the three-race Eliminator Round.
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