Kyle Busch wins Coors Light Pole at Charlotte

Posted on October 9, 2014 by

Lining up second to Busch is Chase contender Gordon

CONCORD, N.C. — The fastest car in the first round of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series knockout qualifying, Kasey Kahne‘s No. 5 Chevrolet, will start 19th in Saturday night’s Bank of America 500, the fifth race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Kurt Busch, the new track record holder at Charlotte Motor Speedway — and the new record holder for top speed at a 1.5-mile speedway — will start 11th in the second race of the Chase’s Contender Round.

It was Kyle Busch, however, who ran the fastest lap when it counted most in Friday night’s time trials. Busch won the pole or Saturday night’s race with a lap at 197.300 mph (27.357 seconds) in the final round, edging Jeff Gordon (197.217 mph) for the top starting spot by .024 seconds.

The Coors Light pole award was Busch’s third of the year, matching the single-season high-water mark he achieved in 2013. It was his second pole at Charlotte and the 16th of his career.

Denny Hamlin, Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate qualified third at 197.087 mph in a session that saw 21 drivers in the first round break Hamlin’s previous track record of 195.624 mph, set in May of 2013.

Tony Stewart (196.542 mph), the only non-Chase driver in the top five, will start fourth, followed by Ryan Newman (196.442 mph).

But it was Kurt Busch, Kyle’s brother, who posted the fastest lap ever run on a 1.5-mile speedway in the second round of time trials. Kurt toured Charlotte in a mind-boggling 27.167 seconds in posting an average speed of 198.771 mph, eclipsing the 198.282 mph run by Kevin Harvick at Texas in April.

Kurt Busch said his car was at optimum strength in the second round — hence, the record lap. But he’ll start 11th after his car tightened up in the final session.

"Car was loose the first lap (in Round One), perfect the second lap, tight the third lap (in the final round)," he said. "Yes, I was off-throttle some, but never out of it all the way."

Kyle Busch was fifth fastest in the first round, fourth in the second and the pole winner in the third, though his lap times in each session were remarkably consistent. The difference was that other drivers ran slower as the night progressed, a phenomenon Busch attributed as much to setup as to tire wear.

"It seemed like the guy that was the most consistent was able to win the pole tonight," said Busch, who is second in the Chase standings. "I think we had a .38 (27.38 seconds), then a .33 and then a .36 — so pretty good laps there…

"We tested here a few weeks ago, and I was really happy with the test. We unloaded today and not so happy about it — just Charlotte. It will be different again tomorrow. You can certainly chalk that up for sure. We’ll see how this weekend goes, and hopefully we can come out of here with a solid weekend and put ourselves in the right spot for continuing on in our Chase here."

It was anything but an easy night for two drivers who desperately need a stellar performance, if not a victory, in Saturday night’s race.

Jimmie Johnson aborted his first qualifying attempt because his car was too loose to drive, but he came back to run 10th as time wound down on Round One and advanced to the second session.

But Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet tightened up on his money lap in the second round, and the six-time series champion will start 21st on Saturday night.

"Just didn’t have the speed there on that final run," said Johnson, who is 11th in the Chase standings with a cut to the top eight looming after the Oct. 19 race at Talladega Superspeedway. "I got pretty tight off of (Turn) 4."

"I thought we had some hope after the first round, and our second outing we ran a very good lap. But just didn’t have any more there on that lap through Turns 3 and 4; we got wide and I had to let off a little bit so I didn’t get into the outside wall. It’s disappointing. There’s no way around it."

Similarly, Brad Keselowski needed a second attempt in the first round to advance, but a disappointing effort in the 10-minute second round left him 17th on the grid for the only night race in the Chase.

But Keselowski, 10th in the Chase standings, sounded optimistic despite failing to advance to the final round of qualifying.

"We’ve been off a little bit in qualifying trim since we’ve been here, but I thought our race trim was really good in practice and that’s the most important thing so we’ll keep working."

Kasey Kahne, ninth in Chase points, was fastest in the first round of qualifying but could do no better than 19th in the second round and will start from that position on Saturday. Dale Earnhardt Jr., currently 11th in the Chase standings, advanced to the final round and will start ninth.

Trevor Bayne failed to make the 43-car field in his first outing in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.

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Posted on October 9, 2014 by Staff Report

Kevin Swindell will lead off the start of qualifying on Friday at 4:10 p.m ET

Entry	No.	Driver	Sponsor
1	93	Kevin Swindell	JGL Racing Dodge
2	98	* Corey LaJoie(i)	Carroll Shelby Engine Co. Ford
3	22	Brad Keselowski(i)	Discount Tire Ford
4	91	* Jeff Green	SupportMilitary.org Toyota
5	40	Matt DiBenedetto	Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet
6	54	Kyle Busch(i)	Monster Energy Toyota
7	87	Timmy Hill(i)	Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
8	39	Ryan Sieg #	RSS Racing Chevrolet
9	43	Dakoda Armstrong #	WinField Ford
10	72	* Matthew Carter	Crash Claims R Us Chevrolet
11	4	Jeffrey Earnhardt	teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet
12	62	Brendan Gaughan	South Point Chevrolet
13	11	Elliott Sadler	OneMain Financial Toyota
14	9	Chase Elliott #	NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet
15	89	* Morgan Shepherd	Courtney Construction Chevrolet
16	42	Kyle Larson(i)	Cartwheel by Target Chevrolet
17	51	Jeremy Clements	RepairableVehicles.com/AllSouthElectric.com Chevrolet
18	12	* Ryan Blaney(i)	Western Star Ford
19	84	* Chad Boat #	Corvetteparts.net Chevrolet
20	5	* Alex Bowman(i)	Dirty Mo Radio Chevrolet
21	74	* Mike Harmon	Dodge
22	10	* David Starr	NCCER/Build Your Future Toyota
23	33	* Cale Conley(i)	IAVA Chevrolet
24	14	Eric McClure	Hefty Ultimate/Reynolds Wrap Toyota
25	55	Jamie Dick	Viva Auto Group Chevrolet
26	6	Trevor Bayne	AdvoCare Ford
27	46	* Ryan Ellis	Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet
28	44	Will Kimmel III	Ingersoll Rand Toyota
29	23	Carlos Contreras	Retroinfinity.com Chevrolet
30	70	* Derrike Cope	youtheory Chevrolet
31	60	Chris Buescher #	RFRShop.com Ford
32	01	Landon Cassill	Flex Seal Chevrolet
33	2	Brian Scott	Charter Communications Chevrolet
34	52	Joey Gase	Chevrolet
35	28	JJ Yeley	Texas 28 Spirits Stage Dodge
36	20	Matt Kenseth(i)	GameStop Toyota
37	16	Ryan Reed #	ADA Drive to Stop Diabetes/Lilly Diabetes Ford
38	3	Ty Dillon #	Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet
39	7	Regan Smith	Vlasic Wish-Bone Chevrolet
40	17	* Tanner Berryhill #	New Gulf Resources Toyota
41	80	* Ross Chastain(i)	AISIN AW Toyota
42	99	James Buescher	Toyota
43	31	Dylan Kwasniewski #	FOE Chevrolet
44	77	* Jimmy Weller(i)	Jo Dance Chevrolet
45	19	Mike Bliss	TriStar Motorsports Toyota

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Posted on October 9, 2014 by Staff Report

SHR drivers all fast early; Bayne, Keselowski top NNS sessions

Sprint Cup Series practice 1 | Results

Kevin Harvick was fastest in Thursday’s opening practice at Charlotte Motor Speedway for Saturday’s Bank of America 500 event.

Harvick lapped the track at a speed of 196.192 mph. The No. 4 driver has two previous wins at the North Carolina track.

Second-fastest was Richard Childress Racing driver and Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Austin Dillon with a speed of 196.107 mph.

Stewart-Haas Racing driver and co-owner Tony Stewart (195.327 mph), Jeff Gordon (195.016 mph) and Kurt Busch (194.911 mph) completed the leaderboard’s top five.

Dillon, Stewart, Kurt Busch, Danica Patrick Greg Biffle and Martin Truex Jr. were the non-Chase drivers in the top 10. All four SHR teammates were in the top seven.

Defending race winner Brad Keselowski came in as 31st-fastest (191.932 mph). The Team Penske driver, who was once the top seed in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, now sits in 10th in the standings after a right-front tire issue sent him to the garage early at Kansas. The No. 2 driver now must race his way into the top eight in order to continue to the Eliminator Round.

Another driver who had a poor showing at Kansas that now finds himself in the bottom of the Chase running is seven-time Charlotte winner Jimmie Johnson. Johnson rounded the track at a speed of 194.049 mph coming in as 14th-fastest. The six-time Cup champion is currently sitting 12th in the Chase standings.

Nationwide Series practice 1 | Results

Trevor Bayne snuck by a dominant Kyle Busch late in opening Nationwide Series practice to top the session at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Thursday afternoon.

On his 26th and final lap around the 1.5-mile speedway, the Roush Fenway Racing driver shot from sixth to first with a best speed of 180.856 mph, surpassing Busch’s high mark of 180.584 mph.

Busch was trailed by a pair of Team Penske drivers in Ryan Blaney (180.355 mph) and Brad Keselowski (180.108 mph).

Richard Childress Racing’s Brian Scott (179.683 mph) rounded out the top five, with and Bayne pushing his RFR teammate Chris Buescher (179.593 mph) to sixth.

Nationwide points leader Chase Elliott was eighth on the board, topping out at 179.027 mph over 35 laps. His closest points competitor, JR Motorsports teammate Regan Smith, was 14th at 178.406 mph.

Nationwide Coors Light Pole Qualifying is Saturday at 4:10 p.m. ET (ESPN2) with the Drive for the Cure 300 later at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2).

Nationwide Series practice 2 | Results

Alex Bowman is off to a good start in his debut with JR Motorsports, pulling a dominant last lap to break up a near-tie at the top of the charts and finish with the fastest speed in final Nationwide Series practice at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Thursday evening.

Brad Keselowski (180.650 mph) and Dylan Kwasniewski (180.638) were separated by 0.002 seconds at the top when Bowman ran his 28th and final lap at a 181.245 clip to knock them down a peg.

A pair of Joe Gibbs Racing teammates in Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch were next on the charts at 180.210 and 180.054, respectively, to complete the top five.

Series points leader Chase Elliott was sixth at 179.904, while his teammate and closest points competitor Regan Smith was 20th at 177.515.

Coors Light Pole Qualifying is Saturday at 4:10 p.m. ET (ESPN2) with the Drive for the Cure 300 later at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2).

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Posted on October 9, 2014 by Nascar

Hendrick Motorsports teammates face pressure after standings tumble

CONCORD, N.C. — Six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson says the plan is simple.

"Try and take the trophy out of here; really, that solves our problem in the points that we have right now," the Hendrick Motorsports driver said Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Johnson and teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne, along with Team Penske driver Brad Keselowski, enter Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 (ABC, 7:30 p.m. ET) on the outside of the cutoff spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings. Only the top eight after next week’s race at Talladega Superspeedway will advance and remain eligible for this year’s championship.

Different incidents at Kansas Speedway last week put a kink in their title hopes. Charlotte is an opportunity to win, move on and put aside any concerns about next weekend’s trip to Talladega.

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"If we can’t (win), we still need to focus on finishing as high as we can," Johnson, 39, said. "The reason that leaves a little bit of hope is because if you miss the big (wrecks) in Talladega, you could assume some of the other Chasers will be involved in one or two of those and you might have another chance.

"It’s a fading chance, the position I’m in I believe, but it’s still an opportunity and something for us to consider."

Johnson won here in May, the first of three wins by the No. 48 team in the span of four weeks. Since then, wins have not materialized and a single mishap threatens to paint Johnson out of the title picture.

"We’re just not where we want to be, bottom line," he said. "This sport is not forgiving and what you’ve done in the past doesn’t buy you a damn thing for the present. You’ve got to go out there and earn it and make the most of it.

"We’ve been a third- to fifth-place car. We can finish there and run there but we haven’t been a dominant car. We’re certainly hoping that when we come to tracks that have been very good for the 48 that we’re able to find that little bit, that extra tenth and put us in that position and get our mojo going the right way."

Johnson is a seven-time winner at CMS and sports an average finish of 11.2.

Earnhardt Jr. is still searching for his first points win at the 1.5-mile facility. Charlotte has not been as kind to the sport’s most popular driver. He’s won here in 2000 in the series’ annual All-Star race and again in 2012 in the Sprint Showdown.

But that lack of success hasn’t dulled his outlook for racing his way back into contention.

"We obviously know what the situation is with the points and how important it is for us to come in here and win the race," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I have been winless at Charlotte in a points-paying race since I started my career, so it’s bound to happen sooner or later.

"I always win at the weirdest times in the oddest circumstances. So I feel like everything is lining up and I feel real good about this weekend."

Unlike Johnson, who had his hands full at Kansas, Earnhardt Jr. was enjoying a strong run last week before a tire problem sent his No. 88 Chevrolet to the garage. He had led 45 laps and was out front when the incident occurred.

That performance, he said, gives him confidence going into this weekend’s race.

"I feel less pressure now I think than I did before the race at Kansas," he said. "Even … if we had run in the top five last week, I think … under the circumstances now I still feel less pressure for some reason — it’s weird.

"I just think that we have a shot and I feel good about it. I think our team is good. I think we are good enough. I think we should go out there and win. I believe we will."

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Posted on October 9, 2014 by Nascar

Bruce: Driver readies for second chance with team on upswing

Sam Hornish Jr. will return to full-time competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2015 as driver of the No. 9 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports.

Can Hornish, a former open-wheel champion with 131 starts in the series, contend for wins? Can he follow in teammate Aric Almirola‘s footsteps and earn a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup?

Does RPM have the tools and personnel to provide Hornish with the opportunity to accomplish either of those goals?

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Hornish, 35, obviously believes that’s the case. Although he hasn’t competed in a full-time capacity in the Sprint Cup Series since 2010, when he finished 29th in points with Team Penske, Hornish hasn’t exactly been sitting at home on the couch.

He finished out the year for Penske in 2012, running 20 races in the No. 22 entry after AJ Allmendinger was suspended. That same year, he finished fourth in the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings.

The following season, he finished second in the Nationwide Series, falling just three points short of the title won by Austin Dillon.

He’s made nine NASCAR starts this season, eight for Joe Gibbs Racing in Nationwide, winning at Iowa in the team’s No. 54 Toyota.

His lone Sprint Cup start came at Auto Club Speedway, a last-minute call putting him in the No. 11 of Denny Hamlin after Hamlin was sidelined for medical reasons.

Age isn’t an issue — six of this year’s 13 race winners are 35 or older, and they have combined for 15 wins in 30 races.

Experience shouldn’t be a problem, although rule changes, the lack of testing opportunities and getting settled in with a new team will affect how quickly the team is able to get up to speed.

Why return to the series in a full-time capacity? Hornish said he’s yet to complete what he originally hoped to accomplish when he made the transition from IndyCar, where he won championships in 2001, 2002 and 2006.

"A lot of people want to ask me ‘why don’t you go back to IndyCar?’ " Hornish said Wednesday. "I never came over here because I wanted to have a little bit more fame or I felt like I was going to make any more money doing it. I came over here because I was intrigued by the competition side of it.

"I felt like I had accomplished what I wanted to in the IndyCar Series. Now I put myself back in position where I could continue to build on what I originally came over here for."

And RPM, he said, can help him accomplish that.

It won’t be easy. While the organization clearly has made gains in the past few seasons, its drivers have won only sporadically. Almirola’s victory this season, in July at Daytona, earned the driver a spot in this year’s Chase, but both he and Marcos Ambrose struggled to find the consistency necessary to be a factor on a weekly basis.

It’s been a year of slow improvement for the group. Although Almirola failed to advance out of the first round of the Chase, he earned his first career win, and his two top-five and seven top-10 finishes are career bests.

Ambrose, who will return to Australia after the 2014 season, failed to earn the victory that could have put his No. 9 team in the Chase. His three top-five and five top-10 finishes through 30 races this year are on par with previous years’ results.

While he says the organization is "not where we want to be yet," Sammy Johns, director of competition for RPM, said the gains the group has made this year helped attract a driver with the potential and talent of Hornish.

RPM could have gone the other way with its choice, opting for a young driver with less experience. But by choosing Hornish, the team clearly expects to continue to move forward without taking a step back.

Both driver and team have something to prove.

"It’s kind of like a small ship," Hornish said of the organization. "It’s a lot easier to turn, and they’ve got a lot of things heading in a really good direction."

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Posted on October 9, 2014 by Staff Report

See where every driver will pit Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC

MORE: Full Bank of America 500 race lineup

Kyle Busch won the Coors Light Pole Award for the Bank of America 500 (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) at Charlotte Motor Speedway and chose the first pit stall at the exit of pit road, heading into Turn 1.

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Jeff Gordon qualified second and selected the 15th pit stall, the first with a front opening. Across the open stall is the third-fastest qualifier Denny Hamlin who will pit in the 11th box.

Tony Stewart was fourth in the final round of qualifying and selected the 22nd stall, three off of the start/finish line toward the Turn 4 side. Ryan Newman rounded out the top five and will pit in the 21st stall, across the opening from Stewart.

The rest of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Contender Round drivers will pit in the following spots:

Joey Logano, Second stall
Brad Keselowski, Ninth stall
Dale Earnhardt Jr., 12th stall
Jimmie Johnson, 24th stall
Kasey Kahne, 31st stall
Matt Kenseth, 38th stall
Carl Edwards, 41st stall
Kevin Harvick, 43rd stall

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Posted on October 9, 2014 by Staff Report

See the order the drivers will head off in Coors Light Pole Qualifying (Thursday, 7:20 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

#	Car	Driver	Team
1	66	Brett Moffitt	RoyalTeakCollection.com Toyota
2	9	Marcos Ambrose	Stanley Ford
3	38	David Gilliland	MDS Transport Ford
4	31	Ryan Newman	Caterpillar Chevrolet
5	24	Jeff Gordon	Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet
6	5	Kasey Kahne	Pepsi Chevrolet
7	43	Aric Almirola	Smithfield/Waffle House Ford
8	2	Brad Keselowski	Detroit Genuine Parts Ford
9	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Ground Toyota
10	95	Michael McDowell	Pieters Pals/KLOVE Ford
11	98	Josh Wise	Provident Metals Chevrolet
12	99	Carl Edwards	Fastenal Ford
13	77	Corey LaJoie(i)	Essex Homes Ford
14	36	Reed Sorenson	Zing Zang Chevrolet
15	7	Michael Annett #	Cypress HQ Chevrolet
16	51	Justin Allgaier #	BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
17	33	Timmy Hill	Retroinfinity.com Chevrolet
18	23	Alex Bowman #	Dr Pepper Toyota
19	26	Cole Whitt #	Rinnai Toyota
20	34	David Ragan	CSX – Play It Safe Ford
21	10	Danica Patrick	GoDaddy Breast Cancer Awareness Chevrolet
22	14	Tony Stewart	Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet
23	3	Austin Dillon #	Dow Chevrolet
24	6	Trevor Bayne(i)	AdvoCare Ford
25	13	Casey Mears	GEICO Chevrolet
26	16	Greg Biffle	3M Bondo Ford
27	83	JJ Yeley(i)	Painter’s Ice Cream Toyota
28	22	Joey Logano	Pennzoil Platinum Ford
29	47	AJ Allmendinger	Scott Products Chevrolet
30	4	Kevin Harvick	Budweiser Chevrolet
31	42	Kyle Larson #	Target Chevrolet
32	78	Martin Truex Jr.	Furniture Row Chevrolet
33	41	Kurt Busch	State Water Heaters Chevrolet
34	32	Blake Koch(i)	Leaf Filter Ford
35	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe’s Chevrolet
36	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Zest Ford
37	40	Landon Cassill(i)	Chevrolet
38	18	Kyle Busch	Doublemint Toyota
39	20	Matt Kenseth	Dollar General Toyota
40	55	Brian Vickers	Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota
41	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet
42	15	Clint Bowyer	Pink Lemonade 5-Hour Energy benefitting LBBC Toyota
43	27	Paul Menard	Schrock/Menards Chevrolet
44	1	Jamie McMurray	McDonald’s Monopoly Chevrolet

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Staff Report

The Official Beer of NASCAR looks to fans to help find its next spokeswoman

Coors Light, the official beer of NASCAR, is giving race fans nationwide a chance to select the next Miss Coors Light from a "six pack" of candidates.

"If I have said it once, I have said it a million times; being Miss Coors Light has been the greatest job in the world."

—Rachel Rupert

Hundreds of candidates were interviewed for the position and the final six candidates were announced today at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The final phase of the search will take place on NASCAR.com/MissCoorsLight and legal-drinking-age fans will have until November 16 to vote. The new Miss Coors Light will be announced December 4 during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week™ in Las Vegas.

The World’s Most Refreshing Beer officially launched the Miss Coors Light program in 2010 with the selection of Rachel Rupert during the "Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™." After more than four years as the face of the brand’s partnership with NASCAR, Rupert will hang up her fire suit and prep the next Miss Coors Light for the position.

"If I have said it once, I have said it a million times; being Miss Coors Light has been the greatest job in the world," said Rupert. "It’s been an unbelievable experience to be the voice of the fans every week for Coors Light. For me, it’s not race day without a crisp, refreshing Coors Light, and no matter where I am in the world, that won’t change."

Although there will be a new face and fire suit walking pit road, fans can expect the next Miss Coors Light to uphold the traditions of the program.

Miss Coors Light will continue to wave the green flag during qualifying and present the Coors Light Pole Award in Victory Lane. Along with at-track activities, Miss Coors Light will continue to post unique content to Facebook.com/MissCoorsLight and NASCAR.com’s "Out Front with Miss Coors Light," a weekly video series with each weekend’s pole winner.

Fans across the country can meet Miss Coors Light at grocery stores, convenience stores, bars and restaurants prior to every race. Follow the search for the next Miss Coors Light by heading to Facebook.com/MissCoorsLight and following @MissCoorsLight on Twitter.

Posted on October 8, 2014 by

Win in Bank of America 500 put ‘Awesome Bill’ on track

Editor’s note: On Bill Elliott‘s 59th birthday, Charlotte Motor Speedway takes a look back at a critical win in the career of "Awesome Bill."

Thirty years ago, three brothers from the tiny north Georgia mountain town of Dawsonville began their meteoric rise from obscurity to international stardom with their victory in the 1984 Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The win was the second of three that year for Bill Elliott — who will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January — and his older brothers Ernie and Dan; and it helped set the stage for an unbelievable 1985 season that produced 11 victories.

"The things we were able to do and the things we did at the time we did it, I think, was a total miracle," the now 59-year-old Bill Elliott said when recalling the Charlotte victory that was his first on a southern track. "Back then you could work hard, put your stuff together and you could figure stuff out, and you could be good. Today, it’s’ just so much money. If you’re not connected in some way, you just can’t put it all together anymore."

In October 1984, the Elliotts headed to Charlotte Motor Speedway with only two victories in their pocket — the 1983 season finale on the road course in Riverside, California, and the following year at the 2-mile Michigan International Speedway.

When the October 1984 race began, weather conditions were sunny, making the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway hot and slick. Conditions the potent Elliott Ford Thunderbird didn’t like.

"We weren’t worth a crap," Dan Elliott recalled. "We almost got lapped."

But once it became cloudy "we were Jack the bear" Dan Elliott recalled. It was the team’s most convincing victory to date as Bill Elliott dominated the race’s second half. He was virtually unchallenged over the final 167 laps. When the checkered flag waved, Bill Elliott led runner-up and pole starter Benny Parsons by 14.5 seconds.

The now 67-year-old Ernie Elliott said the victory "solidified the fact that we could win races on a regular basis."

"If you don’t let it get you down, nothing will prepare you better than defeat. If you’re competitively driven, you will continue to work to make your program better," Ernie Elliott noted. "That’s basically what we did in ’84. We ran good in ’84. That (Charlotte win) just sort of capped everything off and gave us the momentum when we needed the momentum."

Two weeks after the Charlotte win, Bill Elliott rolled into Victory Lane at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina. For the 30-race 1984 season, Bill Elliott‘s statistics showed three victories, four poles, 13 top-five and 24 top-10 finishes. His average finish was 8.6, which led to a third-place finish in the standings.

When talking about the 1984 season, Dan Elliott fondly recalls how their parents attended the races and the family was a cohesive unit. He describes it as "absolutely a momentum, team building, couldn’t believe what we were doing" year.

"We were a little team out of Dawsonville," Dan Elliott said. "The town was behind you, the people were behind you, the papers; everybody couldn’t get enough of you. All of that hype, bandwagon stuff, everybody was on it. It was almost like you could do no wrong. This is where I attribute the glory of God in all this stuff because if it were not, I know we wouldn’t be where we are today. It’s not until everything goes away and the problems come that you realize how truly blessed you were."

Text goes here

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Posted on October 8, 2014 by

Our experts address this week’s hot topics in NASCAR

1. Richard Petty Motorsports has announced that Sam Hornish Jr. will drive the team’s No. 9 Ford beginning in 2015. What can we expect from the team?

Alan Cavanna: I think "outside chance at making the Chase" will be the category the team and organization remain in. The No. 9 car specifically was right on that bubble, even if you take away the road-course skills of Marcos Ambrose. Just like this year, the team will need a little more next year

Zack Albert: Hornish has done plenty to earn a return trip to Sprint Cup full-time, and the extra seasoning in the Nationwide Series has served him well. Liked Ambrose a lot, and he was always the scourge of the road courses, but Hornish — though ovals were always his IndyCar strong suit — has some road savvy about him as well.

Kenny Bruce: For starters, I think it’s a tremendous move for the Petty organization. Hornish brings no baggage with him and has experience in the series. I’m not sure we can grade his previous results without considering how competitive the Penske organization was overall during his tenure there. But if you believe that RPM is on the upswing, signing Hornish should keep the group headed in the right direction. Can they win? Sure, anyone can. Can they be competitive on a weekly basis? That’s the question.

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Cavanna: RPM needs oval winning ability. Hornish has shown he has that in Nationwide, and I think Almirola is right on the cusp. Now it’s time for the cars to improve. We’re seeing that in the latter half of this season. If Hornish can help the team, both will compete for surprise victories next season.

Zack Albert: Surprises, yes, but I think any sort of RPM victory would be classified as mild upset more than a complete shocker. The timing and connections seem to fit. RPM honcho Sammy Johns touched on it in the Wednesday announcement — he believes Hornish’s personality will mesh well with Aric Almirola‘s. It’s always good to have a couple of even-keel guys in the fold. We’ll see if it translates to competitive hunger come February. The team still has a ways to go, but this is a great step.

Bruce: I’ll halfway agree with you Alan. I think the cars need to be better, but you’ve also got to have drivers behind the wheel that can tell the team what’s lacking. How many times have we seen lower-tier or new teams switch drivers to see if their struggles are a result of the equipment or the driver’s inexperience?

2. Let’s talk Chase. Do the three drivers currently residing at the bottom of the Chase standings — Brad Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson — HAVE to win one of the next two races to advance to the Eliminator Round?

Cavanna: Absolutely. And I’m basing it simply on math (WARNING: journalist is about to do math!). Take Jimmie Johnson for example. Even if he finishes second in the next two races, his average finish for the three races will be 14.7. I don’t believe that will be enough to make the top eight.

Zack Albert: Must-win? I’m not so sure. But I’ll say all three really need top-fives or top-10s to stay alive. A Kansas repeat would be disaster. Talladega will be a grinder either way. I’m not sure Alan’s abacus will be able to handle it.

Cavanna: For perspective, the 8th-best average finish in the first round was 12.3, by Dale Jr.

Bruce: I think one of them has to win. With two races remaining, Charlotte and Talladega, there’s time for a driver or two to have a bad race, much like those three did at Kansas. If that’s the case, the points picture could change once again. From a numbers standpoint, obviously all three can’t win to advance. It might be the end of the line for one of the Chase favorites.

Cavanna: Keselowski predicted a big name would fall in this round, and he looks to be spot-on. Without wins, there is a very real scenario the 2, 88 and 48 are all out after Talladega.

Bruce: I guess the better question would be does one of the three have to win? But I think Zack’s right; with the necessary finishes, a win isn’t required. But if I’m one of the three, I’d rather have a win to guarantee it.

Albert: Almost every driver publicly says they don’t want to wish bad luck on their competition, but secretly, don’t they need some of that voodoo on their rivals? A win fits the "control your own destiny" mantra, but some of those drivers are going to need some help.

Cavanna: The only way it can happen without wins is if the other drivers find tremendous bad luck. It’s certainly possible, but without wins, those three teams do no control their own fates.

Bruce: It reminds me of a Saturday night local event, with the field inverted. What’s the "Smokey & The Bandit" line? A long way to go and a short time to get there?

3. Meanwhile, up in front of the pack: After two wins in the first four races, can we stop calling Joey Logano a championship dark horse?

Albert: Absolutely. The driver formerly known as "Sliced Bread" belongs among the elite, having taken that step from not-quite-realized-potential to a proven winner (over and over) this season.

Cavanna: Anyone who’s been sleeping on Joey Logano has been doing it wrong. He was in championship-caliber form in the back half of 2013. And he’s only improved from there.

Bruce: Boy, I’ll have to admit I didn’t see that one coming. Logano winning two of the first four? I knew heading into the Chase that the No. 22 team had enjoyed a really good season, and I figured he’d be in the picture. But right now, he and his team are the picture.

Cavanna: Well-said, Kenny. The strongest part of Logano’s resume this year is his ability to win. It’s the best and easiest way to advance in this new format. It’s why I put him in my final four for Homestead. I believe he’ll win one of the Eliminator Round races.

Albert: The change of venue has certainly served Logano well since moving over from Joe Gibbs Racing, but the dramatic rise in Team Penske performance hasn’t hurt either. Best bet for an Eliminator Round win from the No. 22 camp? I’m looking at Texas.

Cavanna: Bulls-eye, Zack.

Bruce: At the rate those guys are winning, I’m not sure I’d overlook Martinsville or Phoenix either, Zack. A couple of things to note: Logano has finished inside the top 10 in 10 of the last 11 races. And when the team has had a bad race, they’ve typically come back strong: 39th at Fontana, wins two weeks later; 35th at Darlington, wins the following week. It seems as if nothing knocks this team off its game. So is he the title favorite, or just the most likely to be in the final four?

Albert: Both?

Cavanna: I believe those are two totally different things, Kenny. The title favorite is the best driver at Homestead. I’m still not picking against Jeff Gordon.

Albert: Gordon remains my championship pick as well, but I’m not going to take the Penske team’s efforts on 1.5-mile tracks this year out of the equation, either.

Bruce: I think so, Zack. But one "average" race for someone that’s run as well as Gordon certainly doesn’t mean he’s out of the hunt, Alan, so keep that "Drive For Five" t-shirt in your luggage.

Albert: Cavanna Nation!

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