Posted on by Staff Report

Ragan, Stenhouse Jr. could surprise, earn Chase reward

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The new Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup format doesn’t have Wild Cards. Under the previous system, the two drivers with the most wins from 11th through 20th in points made the playoffs. 



Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 (1 p.m. ET, FOX) at Talladega Superspeedway could be the best hope for a Wild Card to make the 16-driver Chase Grid. Drivers with the most wins who sit in the top 30 in points and have attempted to qualify for all 26 races can make the Chase.



Last year’s spring winner at Talladega, David Ragan, was 25th in points following last September’s race at Richmond. Under the new format rules, he would have made the Chase.



As NASCAR returns to the world’s fastest track, these five drivers have a chance to fast-track their way into the Chase with a win.

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David Ragan

The defending race winner’s other NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory came at Daytona International Speedway. Among active drivers with more than two Talladega starts, Ragan is tied with Brad Keselowski for the best average finish (14.2). He has lead-lap finishes in 12 of his 14 career starts, including seven top-10s and four top-fives. Ragan is 31st in points, 26 behind Front Row Motorsports teammate David Gilliland, so he needs to pick up his performance over the final 17 races to cash in a win for a Chase berth.



Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

The 2013 Sunoco Rookie of the Year winner has the top driver rating (94.7) and best average finish (8.0) among active drivers. He has just two starts at this track, but he’s kept himself in the mix in both races with the second-best average running position (12.5), average green flag speed (193.253 mph) and average mid-race position (12.5). Ford has won two of the last three races at Talladega, and the No. 17 car went to Victory Lane in the fall of 2012. Sitting 26th in points, Stenhouse Jr. would earn a provisional Chase spot with a win. He also would join other active drivers, Keselowski and Brian Vickers, by notching his first career win at the track.



Jeff Gordon

Among active drivers, Gordon has the most wins (six), top-fives (15) and laps led (83). Four-Time hasn’t won in Alabama since sweeping both races in 2007, but he has three top-14 finishes in his last three starts there, including a runner-up results in the fall of 2012. A seventh win would tie Rick Hendrick with Richard Childress for most wins at Talladega with 12 and would move Gordon within three of Dale Earnhardt, the all-time winner at the track.



Matt Kenseth

Some drivers like to ride in the back at Talladega. Not Matt Kenseth. Since 2005, he has led the most laps (407), spent the most laps in the top 15 (2,239) and has the best percentage of quality passes, or passes among drivers in the top 15, at 73.8 percent. It all adds up to the second-best driver rating (91.6) among active drivers. Kenseth has three top-10 finishes in his last four starts at the track, leading 142 laps in this race last year before getting shuffled back to eighth.



Clint Bowyer

For five races from 2010 through 2012, Bowyer had five consecutive top-seven finishes, including consecutive wins in the fall race. He failed to win three in a row in the fall of 2012 with a 23rd-place finish and was 18th in this race last spring, but he finished 10th last October. He has eight top-10 finishes in his 16 starts at the track, and his 15.9 average finish trails only Stenhouse, Keselowski, Ragan and Dale Earnhardt Jr. among active drivers.



Go deeper: Check out NASCAR’s Talladega Statistical Analysis for more stats and notes for the Aaron’s 499 (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX).


Here are the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings after nine races:

Pos. Driver Chase berth
1. Joey Logano Winner: Texas, Richmond
2. Kevin Harvick Winner: Phoenix, Darlington
3. Carl Edwards Winner: Bristol
4. Kyle Busch Winner: Fontana
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Winner: Daytona
6. Brad Keselowski Winner: Las Vegas
7. Kurt Busch Winner: Martinsville
8. Jeff Gordon Points leader
9. Matt Kenseth 2nd in points
10. Jimmie Johnson 8th in points
11. Ryan Newman 9th in points
12. Brian Vickers 10th in points
13. Greg Biffle 11th in points
14. Austin Dillon 12th in points
15. Kyle Larson 13th in points
16. Denny Hamlin 14th in points

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Posted on by Zack Albert

NASCAR Next driver to run at Iowa and Kentucky

RELATED: NASCAR Next roster for 2014-15 announced | More on Ryan Gifford

Ryan Gifford holds a full-time job helping to keep Austin and Ty Dillon‘s dirt-track race shop running. But it’s the moonlighting — behind the wheel of a race car — that provides his escape.

Gifford, a member of the NASCAR Next class for the second straight year, will get another opportunity to carry his passion up the NASCAR ladder in the coming months with Thursday’s announcement of a two-race deal in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The 25-year-old Tennessee native will drive the No. 98 Biagi-DenBeste Racing entry in events scheduled May 18 at Iowa Speedway and June 27 at Kentucky Speedway.

The first of the two races will provide Gifford a chance to better his solid ninth-place showing at Iowa last August in his Nationwide debut. The .875-mile track in the Hawkeye State also bears some similarity to Richmond International Raceway, where Gifford notched his only victory in his full-time series, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

"Really ready to get to Iowa," Gifford said. "I feel like I have a good feel for the place now in the Nationwide cars, and I know what to get out of the car to make it go fast, so I’m super happy to get to go back."

While Gifford has remained close to his love of motorsports with his choice of employment, he’s been just as eager to pursue driving opportunities. Between the work, the travel and racing in K&N and dirt-track cars, there hasn’t been much in the way of spare time.

Gifford expects even less air in his schedule in the coming weeks as he becomes more acquainted with his Fred Biagi-owned team, but it’s preparation he believes will pay dividends.

"The next few weeks are going to be pretty busy," Gifford said. "I’m going to try to spend a lot of time with them before this race coming up and get to know the guys really well. I think that’s as big as anything, when you can communicate and know what they want to hear. That’s kind of the trick to going fast."

Gifford learned plenty in his first Nationwide race last August, rallying from a 23rd-place starting spot to post a top-10 finish in his first start in the No. 33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. It also helped prepare him for the longer distances and the stiffer competition found in a NASCAR national series event.

"I kind of learned how the race goes," Gifford said. "I learned a lot about how those guys race. It’s a little bit different. You’ve really got to race hard on restarts because the tires don’t really fall off as much as our cars do. I’ve enjoyed that learning experience and how quickly having a good car there sped my learning curve up. I’m super excited to go back now and have a shot at it."

While he’s yet to compete at a track as large as Kentucky, Gifford said he’s made laps around a pair of 1.5-mile tracks (Charlotte, Las Vegas) in two-seater cars. He expects to gain insights by following and watching drivers in practice once he gets there, plus lean on the Dillons — both Kentucky winners — for support.

It’s all part of the growth process, but Gifford is well aware of how NASCAR’s youngest stars are growing up all around. According to Gifford, following the footsteps of several prominent NASCAR Next alums — Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott among them — is a palpable, reachable goal.

"I think that the (team) owners are starting to realize that a lot of the kids coming out of the East series are ready to make the next step," he said. I feel like I’m definitely ready. I really want the opportunity to do it full time and really to be able to work week to week on myself. Just looking forward to that opportunity and looking forward to the opportunity with the NASCAR Next group.

"You see all the younger new drivers in it, and you look at them and they’re kind of green and kind of shy, you think, ‘Hey, that was me last year.’ So I learned a lot last year and am excited to get to know everybody and to get to go again for a second year."

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Reigning series runner-up will race for Joe Gibbs Racing in seven races this year

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TALLADEGA, ALA. — His tenure with Team Penske a thing of the past, Sam Hornish Jr. says he has moved on and holds no ill will toward his former employer, for whom he finished second in the NASCAR Nationwide Series point standings a year ago.

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"If we would have went out as champions there, (it) would have probably been a little easier to deal with, but I feel like a lot of that is in the past," Hornish Jr. said Thursday at Talladega Superspeedway, site of this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series events.

"I remember all the things that Roger (Penske) did for me and I remember doing my best to live up to the things that he expected from me and I feel like we both could have done things better along the way. We both did some pretty good things as a group together. 

"… I know why they did what they did and I’m not the kind of person that holds grudges so I’m more excited about the opportunity that I have moving forward than I ever will be about thinking of what could have been." 

The opportunity is a seven-race stint with Joe Gibbs Racing, driving the No. 54 Toyota. Saturday’s Aaron’s 312 will be the first Nationwide Series start for Hornish Jr. with the team, although he did step in to run the Cup race at Auto Club Speedway for JGR earlier this year in relief for Denny Hamlin. 

Other scheduled NNS starts for Hornish this season are Iowa (May 18), Road America (June 21), Chicago (July 19), Iowa (Aug. 1), Mid Ohio (Aug. 16) and Kentucky (Sept. 20). 

"I’m an optimist and I’ll put a lot of stuff behind me and just move on … I also remember that I started driving for Roger because I wanted to win the Indianapolis 500 and … he hired me because he wanted to win an IndyCar championship and we both did that together."

Options to continue racing came his way after he and Penske ended their 10-year association, he said, including the partial schedule with JGR. Once he met with team officials, the decision was made. 

"When I got the call that I was going to maybe have the opportunity to run the Monster Energy car and I had the opportunity to sit down with Joe (Gibbs, team owner) and J.D. (Gibbs, president), I walked out of that meeting and I’m like, ‘I’ve got to give it 24 hours because right now everything in my brain tells me to go ahead and to sign for whatever they want and go for it,’ " he said. "I felt like … the way they presented themselves and the things that they said in that first meeting just made me feel like this was exactly what I needed to do. 

"I felt the same way after 24 hours and the same way after 48 hours and the same way after 48 days. I just feel like it’s a really good opportunity for me and it’s really been difficult to wait five months to be able to do something with it, but on the same hand patience is a virtue so I will do what I can." 

Kyle Busch has driven the car in the first eight Nationwide races this year, winning twice (at Phoenix and Bristol) while finishing no worse than fourth.

Hornish has a best finish of 12th in a plate race, and in spite of the long layoff, insists he’s ready to get back in the car.

"I chauffeur my kinds around a lot," he said when asked how he’s kept his driving skills honed.  "I’ve gone to a few races starting off the season. Had the opportunity to listen to Kyle and (crew chief) Adam Stevens work together. … I feel like a lot of ways the practice, the qualifying and the first half of the race or three-quarters of the race — is me getting to know the team and all of those things. 

"The good thing about this weekend is it’s not one of those where it’s high stress right off the get-go. … You’re not thrashing to find a little bit more speed. It’s kind of there or it isn’t. You can change some things, but it’s not like going to Iowa. (By then) I’m going to have a whole lot more seat time."

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Roush Fenway Racing owner reminded of plane crash with each visit to Talladega

A dozen years ago, Tony Stewart was battling for his first NASCAR championship. Jimmie Johnson was battling for his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win. And Jack Roush nearly died.
 
The Sprint Cup Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, site of Sunday’s Aaron’s 499, one of two annual stops for the circuit at the series’ largest track.
 
Stewart will be there. Johnson will be there. And fortunately, Roush will be there, too.
 
"Whenever I go to Alabama for the Talladega race, it comes to mind that I had a close encounter of the worst kind down there," the 72-year-old car owner said recently. "But it’s not on my mind daily."

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These days, Roush has other things to occupy his mind and his time. He’s co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing, an organization that fields Cup teams for three drivers: Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway also fields a pair of NASCAR Nationwide Series entries for drivers Trevor Bayne and Ryan Reed.
 
Outside of the track, Roush oversees Roush Industries, Inc., an engineering management company that employs more than 1,800 people and provides support and services for a number of other industries unrelated to racing.
 
But it’s Talladega week, and for Roush, thoughts of a plane crash that nearly claimed his life 12 years ago no doubt come drifting back to the surface.
 
A birthday celebration gone awry left Roush unconscious and submerged in eight feet of water on that Friday, as the plane he was flying struck a power line in Troy, Ala., and crashed into a small lake.
 
As terrible as the incident was, Roush had two things in his favor: the plane landed in water, and a retired member of the U.S. Marine Corps, Larry Hicks, witnessed the crash.
 
Had the plane not plummeted into the lake, the impact with the ground likely would have killed Roush. Had Hicks not heard the crash, Roush likely would have drowned.
 
Hicks, who had underwater rescue training during his tenure with the Marines, rushed to the crash site where, after several attempts, he was able to remove Roush from the pilot’s seat. Once on the surface, he administered CPR to Roush, who was unconscious and not breathing.
 
Emergency personnel soon arrived, and Roush, who suffered a broken leg, collapsed lung, broken ribs and a head injury, spent the next several months recovering from his injuries.
 
"I talk to Larry three to four times a year," Roush said. "He’s a dear friend, based on what he did for me and the friendship we’ve had from that time.
 
"He was a game officer with the Alabama state agency there. He’s retired from that. He taught college for a while and he’s retired from that now.
 
"He’s kicked back and enjoying life, using his bass boat for something other than hauling somebody that fell out of the sky in an airplane in his backyard."
 
The 2002 crash wasn’t the only aircraft mishap for Roush. In 2010, he crash-landed in Oshkosh, Wisc., an incident that left him with a broken back and jaw and resulted in the loss of his left eye.
 
Today, Roush remains seemingly unfazed by the incidents, and he continues to fly his own planes — which include two P-51 Mustangs — at every opportunity.
 
"I enjoy telling people I don’t fly any more," Roush said, grinning. "But I don’t fly any less either.
 
"I’m closer to the end of my flying than I am the beginning. I still enjoy managing the airspace, managing the weather, managing the pilot’s physiology and managing all the regulations that go with flying and trying to stay out of trouble."
 
He will continue to fly, he said, "as long as my vision holds and I’m physically able.
 
"I enjoy getting up in the morning, opening the hangar door and pushing my airplane outside, flying to where I need to go, parking it and going about my business."
 
He knows he has been very fortunate. Why is a question he said he still ponders.
 
"I looked at some of the things that happen to people that they don’t deserve and I ask myself occasionally, ‘Why me?’ " Roush said. "Why did God decide that he would give me another look at things?
 
"It’s either that He wants to punish me or I’ve got some work I’ve yet to accomplish; I’m not sure which. Sometimes, it feels like both are going on at the same time."

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Harvick among a small handful of drivers capable of competing for wins at each track

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CONCORD, N.C. — Two wins in nine starts haven’t altered the way Kevin Harvick races, but the Stewart-Haas Racing driver admits he finds himself in a "unique" position these days.

"Just because with the way things have gone," Harvick, 38, said Tuesday during an appearance at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "You didn’t really know how they would go."

As competitive as he had been in the previous seasons, early success in a completely new environment with a new team has been a pleasant surprise. Now, he said, "you expect to go to the track and race for a win every week. That’s a unique mindset."

Racing for wins and championships isn’t exactly foreign to Harvick, who is in his 14th season at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series level. When he packed up and departed Richard Childress Racing at the close of the 2013 season, he left with 23 career victories, three third-place points finishes in the last four seasons and a healthy dose of respect from his peers in the garage.

"I didn’t change teams to get worse," he said. "I went in with the intention of being competitive.

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" … You put everything together with the intention of trying to improve upon your situation in the past. I think so far it’s gone really well. Every week it’s a constant evaluation of parts and pieces, people, (and) situations. We’re still gathering notes just like we were at Richmond this (past) weekend for the first time as a group … with the new rules.

"We’ve been fortunate to have fast cars pretty much every week. We missed it a little bit last week, but that’s probably the first time we’ve been off."

That he heads to Talladega Superspeedway, site of Sunday’s Aaron’s 499, 20th in points says more about the early growing pains of a new team than the team’s abilities. Sandwiched around four finishes outside the top 35 this year were wins at Phoenix and Darlington. Last week at Richmond, where Harvick said the team "missed it a little bit," he still managed an 11th-place finish.

Give Harvick a fast car and he’ll get it to the front. Give him one of the fastest and chances are he’ll keep it there.

NASCAR’s season is a long one, and it’s full of wild swings of fortune — this week’s winner can find himself first on the sidelines barely a week later. Some drivers struggle to find a measure of success when changing teams. Others catch lightning in a bottle much sooner — as was the case of Matt Kenseth, a seven-race winner in 2013 in his debut season with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Harvick has already shown that he and his No. 4 team can win. They have shown that they can be fast every week. And that’s the major difference this year for the Bakersfield, California native.

"In the past, (it was) ‘Well we hadn’t run good here,’ " he said. "Well, we haven’t been to most of these places (with SHR) as a team ever. We’re approaching all these race tracks for the first time and everywhere we’ve been they’ve done a great job in either bringing a fast car or making a slow car into a fast car by the end of the weekend. They’ve done a good job. I think we can go to any type of race track and be competitive and contend for wins."

It’s rare that a driver is considered a contender each week as the series moves through the diverse assortment of track layouts. Some shine on the mile-and-a-half tracks, others have stronger short-track or restrictor-plate programs. But only a few are seen as legitimate threats to contend for the win each and every week.

Jeff Gordon, the four-time champion, knows the feeling. So, too, does three-time champ Tony Stewart. And Jimmie Johnson? The Hendrick Motorsports driver, along with his No. 48 team, practically re-wrote the book on sustaining excellence while en route to six championships.

Harvick has visited the territory before. He appears ready to take up residence there now.

Can Harvick and his team maintain their early-season charge? Or will a fast start be forgotten months from now?

That’s yet to be determined. But to maintain something, you first have to achieve it. After nine races, Harvick has clearly accomplished that.

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Meet Heather, Official NASCAR Fan Council member of the month

Name: Heather

Current city: San Jose, Calif.

Hometown:  Centralia, Mo.

Member since: 2008

GETTING TO KNOW HEATHER

Q. Why did you join the Official NASCAR Fan Council? 

A: "I was hoping that my input might be considered and that it might help shape the way the sport was developing."

Q. What comes to mind when you think of NASCAR? What’s your favorite NASCAR memory?

A: "Fast Cars!!  My first race was Talladega.  I couldn’t have asked for a better first experience.  Awesome track.  Awesome racing.  I would repeat this track for sure!!  The midway events were great and well-spaced out.  Plenty of options to buy merchandise.  Everything about it was great!"

Q: Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?

A. Driver: "Dale Jr."
A. Track: "Talladega"
A. Memorabilia: "Lots of 1:24 scale cars!  I have a few things autographed as well from a few different drivers!"

 Q: If you could go to any NASCAR race/track, where would you go?

A: "Las Vegas."

Q: Tell us about your family. Do you have children and/or pets?

A: "Mom and Dad have been married for 45 years!  Sister and Nephew enjoy NASCAR as well."

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: "Anything outdoors and active.  Snowboarding, water skiing, hiking, running!  I completed my first full marathon in 2013."

Q: What’s your dream car?

A: "Corvette!  Old stingray body style!"

From all of us at nascar, we thank Heather for hEr continued support and look forward to hearing from hER in 2014!

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Nationwide Series qualifying will take place Friday May 2 at 6:40 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1

Entry No. Driver Sponsor
1 40 Josh Wise(i) Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet
2 7 Regan Smith Ragu Chevrolet
3 46 * Matt DiBenedetto Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet
4 84 * Chad Boat # Billy Boat Performance Exhaust Chevrolet
5 4 Jeffrey Earnhardt FW1 Chevrolet
6 93 Carl Long JGL Racing Dodge
7 3 Ty Dillon # Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet
8 74 * Mike Harmon Dodge
9 11 Elliott Sadler OneMain Financial Toyota
10 87 Joe Nemechek smokeandsear.com Toyota
11 16 Ryan Reed # ADA Drive to Stop Diabetes presented by Lilly Diabetes Ford
12 98 * David Ragan(i) Carroll Shelby Engine Co Ford
13 14 Eric McClure Hefty Ultimate/Reynolds Wrap Toyota
14 44 David Starr BYF.org/Steely Lumber Company Toyota
15 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford
16 91 * Jeff Green TriStar Motorsports Toyota
17 20 Darrell Wallace Jr(i) ToyotaCare Toyota
18 54 Sam Hornish Jr Monster Energy Toyota
19 9 Chase Elliott # NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet
20 5 Kasey Kahne(i) Great Clips Chevrolet
21 51 Jeremy Clements allsouthelectric.com Chevrolet
22 17 * Tanner Berryhill # NationalCashLenders.com Dodge
23 42 Kyle Larson(i) Cartwheel Chevrolet
24 39 Ryan Sieg # RSS Racing Chevrolet
25 60 Chris Buescher # Roush Performance Parts Ford
26 43 Dakoda Armstrong # WinField Ford
27 76 * Tommy Joe Martins Diamond Gusset Jeans Dodge
28 85 * Bobby Gerhart Lucas Oil Chevrolet
29 22 Ryan Blaney(i) Discount Tire Ford
30 25 * John Wes Townley(i) Zaxby’s Toyota
31 55 * Jamie Dick Viva Auto Group Chevrolet
32 52 Joey Gase Donate Life Chevrolet
33 28 JJ Yeley JGL Racing Dodge
34 2 Brian Scott Shore Lodge Chevrolet
35 19 Mike Bliss TriStar Motorsports Toyota
36 23 Robert Richardson Jr Cornboard Chevrolet
37 10 * Blake Koch Heroes Behind the Camo/SupportMilitary.org Toyota
38 62 Brendan Gaughan South Point Chevrolet
39 31 Dylan Kwasniewski # Rockstar Chevrolet
40 99 James Buescher Rheem Toyota
41 01 Landon Cassill Flex Seal Chevrolet
42 70 * Derrike Cope Youtheory Chevrolet

* Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

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Meet Heather, Official NASCAR Fan Council member of the month

Name: Heather

Current city: San Jose, Calif.

Hometown:  Centralia, Mo.

Member since: 2008

GETTING TO KNOW HEATHER

Q. Why did you join the Official NASCAR Fan Council? 

A: "I was hoping that my input might be considered and that it might help shape the way the sport was developing."

Q. What comes to mind when you think of NASCAR? What’s your favorite NASCAR memory?

A: "Fast Cars!!  My first race was Talladega.  I couldn’t have asked for a better first experience.  Awesome track.  Awesome racing.  I would repeat this track for sure!!  The midway events were great and well-spaced out.  Plenty of options to buy merchandise.  Everything about it was great!"

Q: Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?

A. Driver: "Dale Jr."
A. Track: "Talladega"
A. Memorabilia: "Lots of 1:24 scale cars!  I have a few things autographed as well from a few different drivers!"

 Q: If you could go to any NASCAR race/track, where would you go?

A: "Las Vegas."

Q: Tell us about your family. Do you have children and/or pets?

A: "Mom and Dad have been married for 45 years!  Sister and Nephew enjoy NASCAR as well."

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: "Anything outdoors and active.  Snowboarding, water skiing, hiking, running!  I completed my first full marathon in 2013."

Q: What’s your dream car?

A: "Corvette!  Old stingray body style!"

From all of us at nascar, we thank Heather for hEr continued support and look forward to hearing from hER in 2014!

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Meet Dana, Official NASCAR Fan Council member of the month

Name:  Dana

Current City: Taunton, MA

Hometown:  Cranston, Rhode Island

Member since: 2008

Getting to know Dana

 Q. Why did you join the Official NASCAR Fan Council?

"I love NASCAR and wanted to voice my opinion and hopefully have some ideas that might be of interest to NASCAR."

Q. What comes to mind when you think of NASCAR? What’s your favorite NASCAR memory?

 "Family, fun, fast cars, adrenaline and Dale JR!!!!   Dale Jr. winning his first NASCAR race and Dale Sr. coming over to congratulate him. That is how I got hooked on NASCAR."

Favorite memory: "My first race that I attended. Martinsville spring race 2007. I got Denny Hamlin’s autograph, and it was an awesome battle between Johnson and Gordon, with Denny bringing it home in 3rd."

Q: Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?

Driver: "Dale Jr."

Track: "Martinsville"

Memorabilia: "All of my different hats from the Dale Jr. collection."

Q: If you could go to any NASCAR race/track, where would you go?

"Martinsville"

Q: Tell us about your family. Do you have children and/or pets?

 "I am married to my wonderful husband of 12 years. We have a beautiful daughter, Stephanie, and a American Fox Hound named Copper!"

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

 "I love to go Hiking with the family and dog."

Q: What’s your dream car?

 "My dream car is a 67 Chevy Impala SS."

From all of us at NASCAR, we thank Dana for her continued support and look forward to hearing from her in 2014!

Posted on by Brad Norman

Who will emerge unscathed from 2.66-mile behemoth?

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Editor’s note: The following drivers are ranked according to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings. Driver Reports includes the top 16 in the points standings and drivers currently in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field.

1. Jeff Gordon (No. 24)

Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet 

Standing: Gordon leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings with 341 points.
Past five races: 2nd at Richmond, 7th at Darlington, 2nd at Texas, 12th at Martinsville, 13th at Auto Club.
Season stats: 4 top-fives, 7 top-10s.
Track history: At Talladega, Gordon’s average finish is 18.1 and his average running position is 18.6 over the past nine years. In 42 career starts at Talladega, he has six wins, 15 top-fives, 19 top-10s and three poles.
Quick hit: Gordon’s average running position and average finish over the past nine years are nearly identical, an indicator that he has recently avoided the "Big One" at the 2.66-mile track. In 42 career starts, he has not finished due to a wreck in just five instances.

2. Matt Kenseth (No. 20)

Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota 

Standing: Kenseth is second in the standings with 336 points.
Past five races: 5th at Richmond, 4th at Darlington, 7th at Texas, 6th at Martinsville, 4th at Auto Club.
Season stats: 3 top-fives, 7 top-10s, 1 pole.
Track history: At Talladega, Kenseth’s average finish is 16.8 and his average running position is 13.9 over the past nine years. In 28 career starts at Talladega, he has one win, five top-fives and nine top-10s.
Quick hit: This could be the race in which a Toyota wins at Talladega for the first time since 2008. In the past five races, Kenseth has three top-fives and five top-10s. Only one other figure in Driver Reports can compete with those numbers — Kenseth’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Kyle Busch.

3. Carl Edwards (No. 99)

Roush Fenway Racing, Ford 

Standing: Edwards is third in the standings with 313 points.
Past five races: 9th at Richmond, 13th at Darlington, 14th at Texas, 13th at Martinsville, 10th at Auto Club.
Season stats: 1 win, 2 top-fives, 5 top-10s.
Track history: At Talladega, Edwards’ average finish is 19.4 and his average running position is 23.6 over the past nine years. In 19 career starts at Talladega, he has two top-fives and five top-10s.
Quick hit: Edwards’ average running position over the past nine years is 35th out of 49 drivers, which ranks worst among the 18 drivers in Driver Reports. Maybe it’s time to reverse that history, though. He finished third and 17th in the two races last season, and he’s started in the top 10 for five consecutive races at the track.

4. Kyle Busch (No. 18)

Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota 

Standing: Busch is fourth in the standings with 310 points.
Past five races: 3rd at Richmond, 6th at Darlington, 3rd at Texas, 14th at Martinsville, 1st at Auto Club.
Season stats: 1 win, 3 top-fives, 5 top-10s, 1 pole.
Track history: At Talladega, Busch’s average finish is 21.9 and his average running position is 19.2 over the past nine years. In 18 career starts at Talladega, he has one win, four top-fives and five top-10s.
Quick hit: Busch is driving as well as anybody on the circuit right now, with his rise to fourth in the standings serving as evidence. Busch has started in the top 10 in only five of 18 career starts here — he’s also started outside the top 30 six times — but no one can match his recent run of success with three top-fives in the past four races at the track.

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88)

Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet

Standing: Earnhardt Jr. is fifth in the standings with 309 points.
Past five races: 7th at Richmond, 2nd at Darlington, 43rd at Texas, 3rd at Martinsville, 12th at Auto Club.
Season stats: 1 win, 5 top-fives, 6 top-10s.
Track history: At Talladega, Earnhardt Jr.’s average finish is 18.7 and his average running position is 14.6 over the past nine years. In 28 career starts at Talladega, he has five wins, 10 top-fives and 14 top-10s.
Quick hit: The loop data shows that only Matt Kenseth runs his car toward the front at Talladega as consistently as Earnhardt, and Junior’s five career wins here are the second-most among active drivers. Those five wins came long ago with Dale Earnhardt Inc., though. Earnhardt has been hard-pressed to match his success at ‘Dega with Hendrick Motorsports, although he was runner-up in the fall.

6. Joey Logano (No. 22)

Team Penske, Ford 

Standing: Logano is sixth in the standings with 292 points.
Past five races: 1st at Richmond, 35th at Darlington, 1st at Texas, 4th at Martinsville, 39th at Auto Club.
Season stats: 2 wins, 5 top-fives, 5 top-10s, 1 pole.
Track history: At Talladega, Logano’s average finish is 19.6 and his average running position is 17.0 over the past nine years. In 10 career starts at Talladega, he has two top-fives and four top-10s.
Quick hit: Logano practically guaranteed himself a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with his victory last weekend. Good thing, too, because his Talladega history is spotty. He has two top-fives in 10 starts, but also three DNFs.

7. Brad Keselowski (No. 2)

Team Penske, Ford 

Standing: Keselowski is seventh in the standings with 287 points.
Past five races: 4th at Richmond, 17th at Darlington, 15th at Texas, 38th at Martinsville, 26th at Auto Club.
Season stats: 1 win, 4 top-fives, 4 top-10s, 1 pole.
Track history: At Talladega, Keselowski’s average finish is 14.2 and his average running position is 18.1 over the past nine years. In 10 career starts at Talladega, he has two wins, three top-fives and six top-10s.
Quick hit: Keselowski’s aggression always makes him one of the favorites here. The 2012 Cup champion won his first career race at the famed track in 2009, and his average finish in the loop data era is second to only Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who has two career starts at the track.

8. Jimmie Johnson (No. 48)

Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet

Standing: Johnson is eighth in the standings with 282 points.
Past five races: 32nd at Richmond, 3rd at Darlington, 25th at Texas, 2nd at Martinsville, 24th at Auto Club.
Season stats: 3 top-fives, 5 top-10s.
Track history: At Talladega, Johnson’s average finish is 15.2 and his average running position is 16.9 over the past nine years. In 24 career starts at Talladega, he has two wins, six top-fives, 10 top-10s and one pole.
Quick hit: Johnson’s career average finish at Talladega is among his worst at any track — which makes sense, given the nature of the 2.66-mile beast — at 17.0. Take away his eight DNFs, and it drops to 9.9. If Six-Time stays out of trouble, he’s among the favorites.

9. Ryan Newman (No. 31)

Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet 

Standing: Newman is ninth in the standings with 272 points.
Past five races: 8th at Richmond, 10th at Darlington, 16th at Texas, 20th at Martinsville, 20th at Auto Club.
Season stats: 4 top-10s.
Track history: At Talladega, Newman’s average finish is 22.2 and his average running position is 21.8 over the past nine years. In 24 career starts at Talladega, he has four top-fives and nine top-10s.
Quick hit: Talladega is one of three ovals in which Newman does not have a career victory or pole. (Homestead and Kentucky are the others.) It’s been a perplexing track for the veteran since his first start in 2002, where he finished 43rd.

10. Brian Vickers (No. 55)

Michael Waltrip Racing, Toyota 

Standing: Vickers is 10th in the standings with 256 points.
Past five races: 12th at Richmond, 26th at Darlington, 4th at Texas, 16th at Martinsville, 7th at Auto Club.
Season stats: 1 top-five, 3 top-10s.
Track history: At Talladega, Vickers’ average finish is 18.3 and his average running position is 17.0 over the past nine years. In 14 career starts at Talladega, he has one win, four top-fives and six top-10s.
Quick hit: Vickers has nearly as many finishes of 35th or worse (five) here than he does single-digit showings (six). Those 11 races nearly comprise his entire Talladega history, indicating it’s often boom-or-bust for the Michael Waltrip Racing driver.

11. Greg Biffle (No. 16)

Roush Fenway Racing, Ford

Standing: Biffle is 11th in the standings with 256 points.
Past five races: 15th at Richmond, 5th at Darlington, 6th at Texas, 18th at Martinsville, 40th at Auto Club.
Season stats: 1 top-five, 3 top-10s.
Track history: At Talladega, Biffle’s average finish is 18.8 and his average running position is 20.9 over the past nine years. In 22 career starts at Talladega, he has two top-fives and five top-10s.
Quick hit: Biffle is in the midst of perhaps his best five-year run at the high-banked Alabama track. He finished 11th in the fall, and has one top-five and top two-10s in the past five races. Save for a 36th-place run in last year’s spring race in which he was involved in a 16-car wreck, he hasn’t finished outside the top 20 since 2008.

12. Austin Dillon (No. 3)

Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet  

Standing: Dillon is 12th in the standings with 252 points.
Past five races: 27th at Richmond, 11th at Darlington, 21st at Texas, 15th at Martinsville, 11th at Auto Club.
Season stats: 1 top-10, 1 pole.
Track history: At Talladega, Dillon’s average finish is 26.0 and his average running position is 11.5 over the past nine years. In one career start at Talladega, he finished 26th in 2013.
Quick hit: Dillon only has one career start here, but it was impressive enough that he now leads the series in average running position over the past nine years. Driving the No. 14 for the injured Tony Stewart, Dillon was running third last fall when he was claimed in a last-lap wreck. Considering the Richard Childress Racing cars were powerful at Daytona, don’t be surprised to see Dillon near the front late again.

13. Kyle Larson (No. 42)

Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Chevrolet  

Standing: Larson is 13th in the standings with 251 points.
Past five races: 16th at Richmond, 8th at Darlington, 5th at Texas, 27th at Martinsville, 2nd at Auto Club.
Season stats: 2 top-fives, 4 top-10s.
Track history: Larson has zero Sprint Cup Series starts at Talladega. In one Nationwide Series start, he finished 38th in 2013.
Quick hit: Larson’s been involved in his share of big wrecks on the restrictor-plate tracks in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. His Cup performance so far in 2014 has been above expectations, although there’s only so much he can control at Talladega.

14. Denny Hamlin (No. 11)

Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota 

Standing: Hamlin is 14th in the standings with 245 points.
Past five races: 22nd at Richmond, 19th at Darlington, 13th at Texas, 19th at Martinsville, DNS at Auto Club.
Season stats: 1 top-five, 2 top-10s, 1 pole.
Track history: At Talladega, Hamlin’s average finish is 20.2 and his average running position is 18.3 over the past nine years. In 16 career starts at Talladega, he has three top-fives and five top-10s.
Quick hit: Hamlin’s not nearly as successful at ‘Dega when compared to his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates — although Matt Kenseth’s strong history is mainly with Jack Roush. Still, the No. 11 finished outside the top 30 in both races last year and hasn’t recorded a top 10 since the fourth race of the year.

15. Tony Stewart (No. 14)

Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet  

Standing: Stewart is 15th in the standings with 243 points.
Past five races: 25th at Richmond, 9th at Darlington, 10th at Texas, 17th at Martinsville, 5th at Auto Club.
Season stats: 2 top-fives, 4 top-10s, 1 pole.
Track history: At Talladega, Stewart’s average finish is 17.9 and his average running position is 17.7 over the past nine years. In 29 career starts at Talladega, he has one win, nine top-fives and 13 top-10s.
Quick hit: Stewart once finished second here in three consecutive races (from 2005-06), but his most recent three-race stretch consists of results outside the top 20. One thing we know for sure — don’t attempt to block ‘Smoke’ here.

16. Marcos Ambrose (No. 9)

Richard Petty Motorsports, Ford 

Standing: Ambrose is 16th in the standings with 242 points.
Past five races: 18th at Richmond, 14th at Darlington, 20th at Texas, 5th at Martinsville, 30th at Auto Club.
Season stats: 2 top-fives, 2 top-10s.
Track history: At Talladega, Ambrose’s average finish is 25.4 and his average running position is 18.4 over the past nine years. In 10 career starts at Talladega, he has one top-five and one top-10.
Quick hit: Ambrose finished fourth in his first start here in 2009, and hasn’t cracked the top 10 since. In fact, in the ensuing nine races, he has five finishes of 32nd or worse. Despite his strong qualifying runs under the old system (he’s started third in three of the past four races), play him with caution in your Fantasy Live lineup this week.

20. Kevin Harvick (No. 4)

Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet 

Standing: Harvick is 20th in the standings with 220 points.
Past five races: 11th at Richmond, 1st at Darlington, 42nd at Texas, 7th at Martinsville, 36th at Auto Club.
Season stats: 2 wins, 2 top-fives, 3 top-10s, 1 pole.
Track history: At Talladega, Harvick’s average finish is 17.1 and his average running position is 19.5 over the past nine years. In 26 career starts at Talladega, he has one win, six top-fives, 10 top-10s and one pole.
Quick hit: Harvick hasn’t logged a top-10 here since the 2011 spring race. His success comes in spurts, though. He had four consecutive top-10s (three of which were top-fives) from 2003-04, two consecutive sixth-place finishes in 2006 and 2007 and a three-race stretch of top-fives from 2010 and into 2011. If he breaks through Sunday, expect it to carry over into the fall.

25. Kurt Busch (No. 41)

Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet

Standing: Busch is 25th in the standings with 185 points.
Past five races: 23rd at Richmond, 31st at Darlington, 39th at Texas, 1st at Martinsville, 3rd at Auto Club.
Season stats: 1 win, 2 top-fives, 2 top-10s.
Track history: At Talladega, Busch’s average finish is 18.3 and his average running position is 14.9 over the past nine years. In 26 career starts at Talladega, he has six top-fives and 13 top-10s.
Quick hit: From the fall of 2004 to the fall of 2007, Busch rattled off three top-fives and seven top-10s during a seven-race stretch at Talladega. Since 2008, his best finish is sixth (in the spring of 2009) and his average finishing position is 24.6 during that span (with six finishes of 30th or worse). Perhaps joining a team with the firepower of Stewart-Haas Racing will lead to another streak in the positive.

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