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From Chicagoland to Homestead, lasting impressions abound

It came to an end in familiar fashion, with the most dominant driver of his era standing on a stage in South Florida, receiving a giant silver trophy as confetti and fireworks were shot into the air. But Jimmie Johnson‘s road to his sixth championship was hardly as straightforward as the oval at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup had all the twists and turns of a road course.

There were contenders who rose and fell, others who fell and rose, whole races and individual moments that played large roles in determining who would eventually wear the crown. Through it all, the focus returned again and again to two men — Johnson and Matt Kenseth — who would ultimately wage an individual duel, owning the top two positions in the standings for the final eight weeks of the playoff.

Others tried to insert themselves into the mix, but Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick couldn’t sustain momentum, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. never recovered from an early stumble. If any one of several circumstances had broken differently — a tire that didn’t cut down, an engine that didn’t fail, a setup that didn’t go awry — the entire face of the Chase may have changed, and someone other than Johnson may have been standing on that stage in the subtropical night.

But they didn’t, and he was. No question Johnson earned it, using strong performances at Texas and Phoenix to set the stage for title No. 6, and then securing it on a relatively smooth night outside Miami. But no question others had their opportunities, combining with the eventual champion to create the top 10 moments in this year’s Chase.

10. Stated like a champ

Brad Keselowski‘s season was rife with issues, from penalties incurred due to technical violations, mechanical failures and a summertime skid that left him outside the Chase and unable to defend his 2012 championship. The Oct. 12 race at Charlotte seemed more of the same after he dragged a jack out of his pit box following an early stop. But the Penske Racing driver rallied, passing Kasey Kahne with nine laps remaining to snap a 37-race winless skid and crash the championship race for his lone victory of the season. There was no oversized beer glass this time, but the celebration was still a robust one. "We’ve had what we need to be a championship team. We just haven’t put them all together," Keselowski said. For one night, they did.

9. ‘Ol Texas back-step

Jeff Gordon wasn’t even supposed to be in the Chase after missing by a single point the final spot awarded on standings. But NASCAR gave him new life by placing him in the playoff as a 13th driver in the wake of a race manipulation scandal that rocked the regular-season finale, and the four-time champion took advantage by winning at Martinsville to emerge as an outside title threat. But that opportunity was effectively ended one week later, when Gordon cut a left-front tire and crashed hard Nov. 3 at Texas, damaging much more than just his No. 24 car. "It’s devastating," Gordon said. In a Chase that left little room for error, Gordon plummeted to sixth in the standings, and his quest for a fifth title would have to wait another year.

8. Kansas strikes again

It may be difficult to remember now, but this season saw Kyle Busch get off to the best Chase start of his career. He was runner-up to Kenseth in the first two playoff races, and was third in the standings three weeks in. Then came the Oct. 6 race at Kansas, a track which is definitely no place like home for the younger Busch brother. His long list of career mishaps at the 1.5-mile facility was extended by a series of on-track incidents, the last one being contact with Carl Edwards and Brian Vickers that left the No. 18 car dangling from a wrecker. It was the third straight Kansas race where Busch had wrecked, and this one was perhaps the most costly — he left Kansas City fifth in points, his strong start suddenly but a memory. "We’re in Kansas, right?" he asked. "Just run over the 18 car and get what you need."

7. The longest day

It was supposed to be a day race, but Mother Nature had other ideas. Persistent rain pushed the Sept. 15 Chase opener at Chicagoland deep into the evening, extending a long week dominated by the race manipulation scandal that knocked Martin Truex Jr. out of the playoff in favor of Ryan Newman, and then saw Jeff Gordon added as a 13th driver. But in the end, normalcy returned in the form of steady Matt Kenseth, whose prowess on intermediate tracks shined through even on a soggy day into night. The No. 1 Chase seed got a push from Kevin Harvick and passed Kyle Busch on a restart with 23 laps remaining, rolling into Victory Lane in the wee hours of Monday morning. After a week of uncertainty and upheaval, the focus was finally back on the competition.

6. Junior goes boom

In that very same Chicagoland race, something occurred that at the time seemed relatively unremarkable — Dale Earnhardt Jr. blew an engine. He had entered the Chase ninth in the standings, and after a strong start to the playoff opener had fallen back in part due to front-end damage suffered in a pit-road collision with Kasey Kahne. But on Lap 277, smoke began emanating from the No. 88 car, and the ensuing 35th-place finish knocked NASCAR’s most popular driver back to 13th in points. "It’s tough," Earnhardt said. "It’s going to be really hard to win a championship this far behind." His words would prove prophetic, given that Earnhardt went on a tear in the final nine races, recording an average finish of 5.6 over that span and finishing fifth in final points. If not for the blown engine at Chicago? Who knows.

5. Two for two

It was one thing to see Matt Kenseth win at Chicagoland, given that he was the class of the season to that point on intermediate tracks. But flat, technical, one-mile New Hampshire? A place where Kenseth had never won, and hadn’t cracked the top five in eight years? Continuing a theme that saw the first-year Joe Gibbs Racing driver excel even at venues that had once been a weakness, the Chase leader led the final 53 laps and became the third driver to sweep the opening two playoff races (Greg Biffle did it in 2008, Tony Stewart in 2011). If there was a high mark of Kenseth’s season, Sept. 22 in Loudon — in his 500th career start, no less — was it. "More than a stretch, more than a dream," he said of the victory, which would prove his career high seventh and final race triumph of the year.

4. Masters of Martinsville

It was supposed to be the weekend when Jimmie Johnson silenced all doubts. He had taken a four-point lead over Matt Kenseth the previous week at Talladega, where neither contender could make much headway in the draft at the end. But Oct. 27 at Martinsville, a track where Johnson had won eight times, shaped up as something else altogether. But a funny thing happened — Kenseth, who had never enjoyed much success on the flat 0.526-mile track, outscored Johnson on arguably the latter’s best track, finishing second while his rival for the championship came home fifth. After another pivotal day in south Virginia, Kenseth and Johnson were tied atop the standings. And in another twist, the Hendrick Motorsports driver who made the loudest statement was Jeff Gordon, whose victory moved him up to third.

3. The hat fits

For the first seven weeks of the Chase, it seemed to be Matt Kenseth who had the momentum. The tide turned Nov. 3 at Texas, where Jimmie Johnson gave everyone a glimpse of the way things used to be — and what was still to come. It looked like the heyday of the old, untouchable Jimmie, a dominating effort where the No. 48 car led 255 laps and its driver wrested control of the playoffs. Kenseth finished a respectable fourth, but his cars were suddenly a work in progress, and Johnson suddenly led the standings by seven points. Standing in Victory Lane with his new black cowboy hat, he looked big and bad indeed.

2. Hello, Six-Time

By the time the circuit reached Homestead and the season finale Nov. 17, Matt Kenseth was in dire straits. An uncharacteristically poor effort the previous weekend had sunk him to 28 points behind Jimmie Johnson, and barely ahead of third-place Kevin Harvick. Amid those swaying palm trees, Kenseth did about all he could do — won the Coors Light Pole, led the most laps and battled eventual winner Denny Hamlin for the victory before finishing second. But it wasn’t enough. After a scrape on a restart, Johnson put it on cruise control and easily wrapped up his sixth title at NASCAR’s top level. He needed to finish only 23rd — and came home ninth, clinching the crown by 19 points. "You’re the best out there, buddy," crew chief Chad Knaus told him over the radio. No one was inclined to disagree.

1. Drama in the desert

The real dramatics that had shaped the Chase endgame had come seven days earlier, in a Nov. 10 race at Phoenix that blew the playoff open. Still riding high after his Texas victory, Jimmie Johnson entered seven points ahead of Matt Kenseth, who lagged behind the championship leader throughout qualifying and practice. Once the race began, it was clear why — Kenseth had a car that was a beast to drive, didn’t respond well to changes and at one point had him two laps down. Johnson battled his issues as well, most notably a run-in with Carl Edwards that nearly sent the No. 48 car into the wall, and still cost it track position as its driver struggled to keep it pointed forward.

Kenseth, though, was in no position to take advantage. The most consistent team of the 2013 season whiffed on the setup at the worst possible time, on an afternoon where Johnson rallied to finish third and Kevin Harvick won to give himself a mathematical chance in the finale. What had been among the tightest title races ever was suddenly a 28-point lead in Johnson’s favor. "We haven’t had a day like this all year," Kenseth lamented after finishing 23rd. His run almost overshadowed a gutty effort from Johnson, who would own the spotlight the following week. "We’re heading into Homestead in the position we want to be in," he said then. Seven days later, he held a sixth silver trophy in his hands.

MORE:

READ: Johnson wins
2013 Sprint Cup Series title

READ: HOF-worthy career
in the books, Martin bows out

READ: Finale represents
end of a chapter for some

READ: Kenseth won’t dwell
on coming up short
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Veteran comes on board as crew chief, competition director

For Steve Addington, the move to Phoenix Racing is like shifting over to a different branch of the same family tree.

The veteran crew chief will still work with chassis and engines built by Hendrick Motorsports, the same organization that provided equipment to the Stewart-Haas Racing team where he worked the previous two seasons. And Addington knows that whenever his No. 51 car tests, that information is likely to make its way through the Hendrick pipeline back to his old mates at SHR.

"For us to be successful is to work things under the Hendrick mentality of, the more information you have, the better off you’ll be," Addington said Thursday, when he was named Phoenix Racing competition director and crew chief of the team’s No. 51 car. "There are going to be times where (Phoenix and SHR) probably are leaning on each other, and that’s something I’m fine with."

It would be understandable if he felt differently, given that Addington on Tuesday was replaced as crew chief of Tony Stewart‘s No. 14 car by Chad Johnston, who most recently oversaw Martin Truex Jr.’s No. 56 at Michael Waltrip Racing. Addington and Stewart won four races together, the last coming this past spring in Dover before the three-time NASCAR champion suffered a broken leg in a sprint car accident that sidelined him for the final 15 events of the year.

"I’m kind of scratching my head, and I told Stewart the same thing," Addington said. "He knows that, and he knows I’m a little frustrated on that end of it. If they make a decision to make a change, if they feel like that’s what they need to do, I’ve just got to move on. I don’t want to dwell on that. I know everybody wants a lot of answers, and there are some answers where I would still like to have the full story, but it is what it is. I’ve got friends there who will remain friends, and that’s just part of this business. When you win (12) races in 18 months or whatever it was with the 18 (car) and lose your job, nothing ever surprises you anymore."

That’s a reference to the end of Addington’s stint at Joe Gibbs Racing, where he and Kyle Busch won 12 races together over a two-year span that included the eight-victory campaign of 2008. This past season, he worked primarily with Mark Martin after Stewart suffered his injury, but nothing seemed to click. It’s easy to wonder what might have been, given that Stewart had reeled off seven top-10s in 10 weeks, and at 11th in points had moved into Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup contention at the time of his injury.

"It is, and that’s the frustrating part," Addington said. "I think, in the back of my mind — where we were sitting in points, the Charlotte race, the runs that we had, the win at Dover … there’s like a gap there you wish you could fill in. But I felt like we were on the right track. I felt like we were in great position to make the Chase. We were running well enough to make the Chase. It makes you scratch your head a little bit. It is what it is. To me, things happen for a reason, and this brought me and Harry together to build something, and that’s exciting to me."

That would be Harry Scott Jr., who in August completed the purchase of Spartanburg, S.C.-based Phoenix from longtime former owner James Finch, and then began the process of remaking an organization that’s won just once at the Sprint Cup level — with Brad Keselowski at Talladega in 2009. Addington has 20 career Sprint Cup victories, and now with the additional role of competition director will be able to shape the organization as well as the team he brings to the track each weekend.

Addington sees some parallels between Phoenix and Furniture Row Racing, another single-car entity located outside of Charlotte, N.C. — in this case, Denver — but has an alliance with a more established organization and this past season made the Chase for the first time. Addington is familiar with Hendrick personnel and equipment from his time at SHR, something he believes can strengthen the relationship between the two entities.

"I’ve had a lot of conversations with Harry, and met with him a lot at the race track at night and things like that, and asking questions of his goals and everything," Addington said. "Both of us want to look at this in two or three years and be able to sit back and look at what we’ve built. He’s in it to be successful, aligning himself with Hendrick Motorsports, and Rick (Hendrick) is excited I’m coming here to be able to feed this race team like it should be. … They want to see Harry succeed at the Cup level, and we’ve got a lot of great things going working hand-in-hand with Hendrick Motorsports, and potentially with Stewart-Haas."

Although Phoenix has not yet named a driver for next year, Addington said the team is in talks with Justin Allgaier, one of 12 different drivers the organization used this past season. For the past three years Allgaier has driven in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for Turner Scott Motorsports, a team that fields entries on the Nationwide and NASCAR Camping World Truck circuits which Scott co-owns with partner Steve Turner.

"In the back of our minds, we all hope that everything works out and we’ll bring Justin into the fold, but that stuff can change at any time," Addington said. "They’re working on that end of. If it is Justin, I’m excited about that, to try and help him further his career at this level and help him be successful. We’ve had conversations, and there are concerns in Justin’s mind about the direction, and I’ve tried to give him all the confidence that if he comes here, we’re going to work out butts off to make sure he has good race cars at the race track week in and week out to be successful. Whoever gets in the car, we’re going to give them 100 percent effort, and I think Harry is working hard to give us the resources to do that."

Although Addington will continue to live in the Charlotte area, the move to Phoenix is something of a homecoming for the native of Boiling Springs, S.C. His first job at NASCAR’s national level was working for Jason Keller’s family-owned Nationwide team in nearby Greenville, S.C., and Addington says his mother lives about five minutes from the Phoenix shop in Spartanburg.

And the daily commute shouldn’t be too much of a problem for the team’s new crew chief, who is well familiar with the area. "I know all the back roads," Addington said with a laugh.

MORE:

READ: Johnson wins
2013 Sprint Cup Series title

READ: HOF-worthy career
in the books, Martin bows out

READ: Finale represents
end of a chapter for some

READ: Kenseth won’t dwell
on coming up short
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NASCAR acknowledged for efforts to transform business and culture

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 21, 2013) — On Nov. 8, NASCAR received the 2013 Diversity and Inclusion Award (DANDI) for its efforts in fostering diversity throughout the sport at a ceremony at the New York Times Building in New York City. Eight days later, on Nov. 16 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway, NASCAR’s diversity efforts reached another milestone when 21-year-old NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduate Kyle Larson became the first Asian-American driver to win the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in any NASCAR national series, receiving the honor in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

"Early in the last decade NASCAR made a commitment to broadening the appeal of our sport by recruiting and developing dynamic new talent on the race track and throughout our sport. As a result, we are enhancing the fan experience for NASCAR fans everywhere," said Marcus Jadotte, NASCAR vice president of public affairs and multicultural development. "We take great pride in being recognized during the 2013 DANDI Awards for our ongoing efforts."

Founded in 2012, the DANDI Awards recognizes exemplary commitment and focus on diversity and inclusion. The mission of DANDI is to celebrate the contributions of any individual, group or organization that is truly making a difference toward creating a more diverse and inclusive world.

This year’s award ceremony featured an Executive Forum on "Shifting the Paradigm from Chaos to Unanimity" where participants discussed the current state of diversity and tackled effective methods for improving diversity initiatives, programs, organizations and the profession. Notable speakers included Bruce J. Stewart, the deputy director for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion with the United States Office of Personnel Management, and Wendy Lewis, SVP of Diversity and Strategic Alliances for Major League Baseball (MLB). Ericka Dunlap, who was crowned Miss America in 2004, hosted the ceremony while Grammy-nominated producer Chuck Harmony made a special guest performance.

The MLB as well as the United States Tennis Association (USTA) were nominated for the award’s Sports category. Along with NASCAR, other category winners at the second annual DANDI Awards Ceremony included SiriusXM Radio (Communications), BBC World News (Media), Cornell University (Education), Daymond John of FUBU (Entrepreneur) and Prudential (Financial Services). Additional brands honored were Johnson & Johnson Vision Care (Diversity Commitment), Tara Griggs-Magee (Diversity Impact), Black Leaf Vodka (Diversity in Innovation) and Steve Mariotti of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (Diversity Lifetime Achievement).

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READ: Johnson wins
2013 Sprint Cup Series title

READ: HOF-worthy career
in the books, Martin bows out

READ: Finale represents
end of a chapter for some

READ: Kenseth won’t dwell
on coming up short
Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR K&N Pro Series, Modified drivers ready for more

RELATED: Daytona, New Smyrna Highlight Week Of Short-Track Racing

NASCAR’s top short-track stars will reconvene for another shot at victory, and perhaps a reprise of last season’s fireworks, on the sport’s biggest stage in 2014.

The second annual UNOH Battle at the Beach is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 18 at Daytona International Speedway. It comes on the heels of a successful debut on the Daytona Superstretch in which last-lap contact decided the outcome of all three races last season.

The 0.4-mile oval layout that includes part of the 2.5-mile track’s backstretch returns to host a championship points race for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and a non-points event for the combined NASCAR Whelen Modified and Whelen Southern Modified tours. Both races will be 150 laps.

"Fans around the world look forward to Speedweeks to kick off the NASCAR season, and we are proud to be able to present a week of short-track action leading up to the 56th running of the Daytona 500,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president of touring & weekly series. “The anticipation for last year’s first UNOH Battle at the Beach was surpassed only by the number of people talking about the electrifying finishes."

The race will actually be the second event of the season for the K&N series, which will kick off Feb. 16 at nearby New Smyrna Speedway, a half-mile track in New Smyrna Beach, Fla., now in its second year of affiliation with the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. The event is part of the New Smyrna track’s 48th annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing, an eight-day racing festival scheduled for Feb. 14-22.

Modified cars will race for six nights at New Smyrna, highlighted by the 29th annual Richie Evans Memorial on Feb. 21.

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READ: Johnson wins
2013 Sprint Cup Series title

READ: HOF-worthy career
in the books, Martin bows out

READ: Finale represents
end of a chapter for some

READ: Kenseth won’t dwell
on coming up short
Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Chairman and CEO joined on sustainability panel by Sprint CEO Dan Hesse

NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France addressed the inaugural Bloomberg Business Summit on Wednesday in Chicago as part of a panel entitled "CEO as Chief Sustainability Officer" panel.

France was joined by Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint, the title sponsor of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Andrea Illy, Chairman and CEO of illycaffe S.p.A. The conversation with Questioner-in-Chief Carter S. Roberts, the World Wildlife Fund president and CEO, was presented by UPS and moderated by Stephanie Ruhle, anchor, Bloomberg Television.

As NASCAR Green celebrates its fifth anniversary, France shared the basic questions that he asked and answered to create the roadmap for the sport’s success in the space.

"No. 1: What’s the right thing to do? Obviously it’s to do your best to protect the environment," France said. "Do our race fans, particularly young fans, care about the environment differently than they did before? The answer, of course, is yes."


"Our partners, our stakeholders, including our biggest one, Sprint, what do they think about NASCAR’s efforts, good or bad? Are we on the right track to doing our part? How can we build a platform for them to join in with us? Whether that’s Coca-Cola, Sprint, Goodyear, you name it."

"It was just a very sensible approach so we took it very seriously. We’ve made it where it’s very inclusive for our industry to join in, and they’ve been incredible. …we went from the dirtiest sport candidly in last place, to leading all of sports in just about every category."

France emphasized the importance of teaming up with "partners in your ecosystem that have a very substantial green program… Dan and I are good examples… that are likely to want to put one and one together to get three."

"In our situation, it was also a commercial opportunity to build intellectual property and validate technologies," France said.

Hesse discussed how Sprint’s NASCAR partnership plays a big role in its strong recycling efforts. It also provides an opportunity to reach new users of the company’s wireless technology.

"…we work with NASCAR and the drivers and the race tracks to use (NASCAR races) as opportunities for customers to bring their cell phones, regardless of who your provider is," Hesse said. "And of course we activate phones so we sell (to) customers at the race track, and we really encourage them to trade in their old phones so we use the race track as a platform for recycling."

"The Year Ahead 2014" event was hosted by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and also included former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; Paul E. Jacobs, Chairman and CEO, Qualcomm; Gregory D. Wasson, President and CEO, Walgreen Co.; Don Thompson, President and CEO, McDonald’s Corporation; Barry Diller, Chairman and Senior Executive, IAC.

Click here to watch the entire CEO as Chief Sustainability Officer panel discussion.

Photo credit: Bloomberg Year Ahead Conference

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READ: Johnson wins
2013 Sprint Cup Series title

READ: HOF-worthy career
in the books, Martin bows out

READ: Finale represents
end of a chapter for some

READ: Kenseth won’t dwell
on coming up short
Posted on by Zack Albert

Victory at South Florida track in 2009 sparked his best-ever season in 2010

RELATED: Race results | Championship hub | Chase coverage

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — An early birthday present. A winning Hail Mary pass to keep a streak intact. A kick-starter to bigger things next season.
 
Whatever meaning it might take, Denny Hamlin was elated Sunday night after scoring his only victory of the season in Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It was a whale of a consolation prize for an up-and-down season full of mostly downs, but the best up note imaginable.
 
"As bad as the year is, we can take a little solace in this finish," said Hamlin, who turned 33 on Monday. "Spend these next two months regrouping, getting our team back in order. I feel like there’s no reason why we can’t shoot out of the gates in ’14 like we did in 2010 after winning here in 2009."
 
That season-ending victory four years ago was the launching pad to a 2010 campaign that brought eight wins and his closest brush with a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, finishing second in the standings during Jimmie Johnson‘s fifth title march. Even with his rough-and-tumble 2013, Hamlin sees hopes for another building-block victory.
 
"That was the point for us, when we won this race here in ’09, confidence went through the roof," he said. "2010 was a great season for us. Hopefully that repeats."

The story of the season was the story of Sunday’s race — overcome a dose of early adversity and finish strong. Hamlin was the only driver among the front-runners who didn’t make a pit stop in the race’s first caution period, just 12 laps in. While he jumped up to the lead, the rest of the lead lap cars quickly dispatched the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, throwing his team off cycle and dropping him in the running order.
 
But it was the only pit misstep all day for crew chief Darian Grubb and his charges, who consistently gave Hamlin an edge with snappy pit work the rest of the way.
 
"It was a good day, team effort," Grubb said. "The strategy didn’t go our way after the first caution. We were the only car to stay out. But that was going to work out in our favor in the end, too, if the caution had come out because we were the only team that had any tires left. Luckily we didn’t need to do that. The pit crew did an incredible job. Their worst was a 12.3 (second stop). Came out and gained positions every stop."
 
Hamlin’s jubilation had an extra edge, especially after the hardships that he faced from an early stage in the season. His hard crash in the fifth race of the season with former teammate and newfound rival Joey Logano back in March at Auto Club Speedway left him with a fractured back that sidelined him for four races and part of a fifth.
 
His championship hopes seemingly dashed, Hamlin returned to post a second-place (Darlington) and a fourth-place (Charlotte) in his first two full races back from injury, stoking talk about a potential charge to a Wild Card berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs. But his four Coors Light Pole Awards after his return were offset in a major way by eight DNFs that kept him no higher than 23rd — his final points ranking — in the standings the rest of the way.
 
"There wasn’t a whole lot of positives," said Hamlin, who added that he was not planning on offseason back surgery. "Fridays were always really good for us when we qualified. That was always the best day of the weekend for us. I don’t know. You just try to find what works for you. Really for us, the last two months we started figuring things out a little bit as a race team, started to turn that corner from where we were in the mid‑summer. Still never really got a feel of the car that I was comfortable enough to go up and race for race wins.
 
"We came here and tested a month or so ago, a few weeks ago, hit on something that was really good for us. You just look at the small victories.  That’s all I could do, is take pride in the small victories that we had here and there, knowing we were getting a little bit better each week."
 
Sunday, it finally clicked, ensuring that Hamlin would continue his streak of at least one victory in each of his eight full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series seasons. It was a streak that not only wore on the driver, but the crew chief as well.
 
"Actually, I lost a lot of sleep last night thinking about that, going into a season where we didn’t have a win," Grubb said. "So this is a huge weight off my shoulders, just to get Denny back in Victory Lane, to know we have the good speed, to make Coach (Gibbs) proud back there, that we can do it. We got speed out of the car and actually pulled it off and finished it this time, too."
 
Hamlin was even more introspective about the continuation of the streak, reflecting on the sweetness of the victory balanced against a year of turmoil after so many successful seasons.
 
"At this point what I really love about this win is that you appreciate it so much more because you went through the bad times," Hamlin said. "I was just so fortunate for the first seven years of my career to not really have a horrible season. We were always able to win races every year. Any given week, we knew we could win. It was just taken for granted, it seemed like. When we went to Victory Lane, it was like, ‘Yeah, it’s another one.’ When you go an entire year or more without winning, it makes you appreciate when you get back there.
 
"I think this does so much more emotionally to our confidence knowing that we can get back to the top. For me it just makes me appreciate that opportunity that I have, really the cars that I drive."

MORE:

READ: Johnson wins
2013 Sprint Cup Series title

READ: HOF-worthy career
in the books, Martin bows out

READ: Finale represents
end of a chapter for some

READ: Kenseth won’t dwell
on coming up short
Posted on by IMSA News Release

International Motor Sports Association returns to Daytona Beach

A legacy that began when NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. and John and Peggy Bishop co-founded the original International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) in 1969 took a step into the future today at the International Motorsports Center (IMC).

IMSA and International Speedway Corporation (ISC) Chairman Jim France — the son of Bill France Sr. — joined IMSA CEO Ed Bennett and NASCAR President Mike Helton to unveil the addition of IMSA logos to signage outside the eight-story IMC building that is headquarters to IMSA, NASCAR and ISC.

The “new” IMSA is the result of a merger between the Daytona Beach-based GRAND-AM Road Racing, which operated and sanctioned the Rolex Sports Car Series as its top series, and the previous iteration of IMSA, which was based in Braselton, Ga. and sanctioned the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón and its development and single-make series. The Rolex Series and ALMS have merged to create the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, which makes its debut in 2014 with the 52nd Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 25-26.

“It’s been an exciting year merging GRAND-AM with the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón, so it’s an honor today to unveil the new IMSA logo that has united us all,” Bennett. “One of the first things we needed to do was establish the sanctioning body for our new venture, and based on a great deal of feedback, the obvious choice was to return to IMSA. Today was made possible by the great vision of the France family, the important relationship between Jim France and Don Panoz (founder of the ALMS), and the tireless effort and cooperation from our industry partners and employees.”

The International Motorsports Center is just the fourth home to IMSA in its existence. It was based in Bridgeport, Conn. from its founding through the conclusion of the 1988 season when it moved to Tampa, Fla. IMSA had been based in Braselton since 2001.

“Daytona never lost its connection to sports car racing and the passion Jim France has for it was instrumental in IMSA’s return to Daytona in the International Motorsports Center along with NASCAR and the International Speedway Corporation,” said Helton. “Jim’s father, Bill France, Sr., and mother, Annie B. France, and John and Peggy Bishop first created IMSA back in 1969 because of the passion the France family had for motorsports beginning even before NASCAR’s inception in 1948. Today’s unveiling is as much symbolic and fun as it is a business announcement because it’s like IMSA has come back home after all these years. The opportunity and the excitement that we can collectively contribute to more motorsports under our umbrella is right before us.”

MORE:

READ: Johnson wins
2013 Sprint Cup Series title

READ: HOF-worthy career
in the books, Martin bows out

READ: Finale represents
end of a chapter for some

READ: Kenseth won’t dwell
on coming up short
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Superman? Hard to argue after historic streak of success

The gig is up, Jimmie Johnson.

We’ve always known there was something going that defied explanation, something that’s produced all those race victories and all those championships in an era where the competitive field at NASCAR’s highest level is as deep as it’s ever been. We’ve always had a nagging curiosity over what’s really been behind the most dominant stretch ever by one single driver, which Johnson extended in South Florida this past Sunday night. Not even Richard Petty or Dale Earnhardt were able to manage a run of six titles in eight years.

But Johnson has, and shows no sign of stopping. And now we know why, thanks to crew chief Chad Knaus, who gave up the secret in the media center following the season’s final race.

"He can do things with a race car that most mortals can’t," Knaus said. "Let’s just be straight with it."

And there is it. Before he became Five-Time, before that nickname last Sunday night was updated to Six-Time, Johnson was often referred to by another, less common but still wholly accurate moniker — Superman. It was certainly appropriate, given the Hollywood jawline and the fit of his fire suit and the general air of indestructability Johnson carried with him at all times. Particularly at the height of his run of five straight titles, when he matched and then exceeded Cale Yarborough’s former record of three in a row and could dominate just by showing up, he was every bit the Man of Steel. He likely even spent his spare time rescuing kittens stuck in trees.

The final weeks of this past regular season harkened back to that, from Johnson plowing through everyone at Texas just like he did in the old days, to a near-effortless finale at Homestead that once again turned into a coronation. He now has six championships and 66 race victories over the course of a career that’s bedeviled the competition ever since he was a rookie in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. And finally, we know the reason behind it. The guy just might really be Superman, flying high above us mere mortals after all.

Certainly he’s efficient behind the wheel, using clean lines around the race track and maximizing everything — with the exception of the occasional fuel-mileage stumble — from his car. He has a wonderfully uncluttered professional life, allowing him to focus fully on what he does best. His commitment to physical conditioning sets a new standard of athleticism in the garage area. The synthesis with his crew chief is like nothing we’ve seen since the days of Petty and Dale Inman. His Hendrick Motorsports organization is the best around, having now complied 11 championships at the sport’s highest level.

Those are all real, tangible reasons behind Johnson’s greatness. But there’s something else there, too, something that’s much more difficult to put a finger on. When Knaus attempts to explain it, he wanders into an area that sounds almost supernatural.

"Jimmie is good. He does a good job of understanding the car," the crew chief said. "When I say that, he doesn’t know a damn thing about setup, but he understands what the car’s doing. He can feel the car. He can be one with the car. I know that sounds foolish, it sounds weird. But, seriously, go to a surfer and ask him about his surfboard. Go to a snowboarder and ask him about his snowboard. Go to a skier, ask him about his skis. When they’re able to get in that position and they feel the car, understand what the car is going to do, it’s pretty amazing. Jimmie can really do that. He feels what’s going on. He says the craziest things. He feels a bump here, a gust of wind there."

He’s not making this up. After a victory at Dover a several years ago, Knaus remembers debriefing with Johnson and the driver telling him about a gap in the Turn 1 grandstands that let the wind get through. Johnson was able to use that wind to help plant the nose of his No. 48 car, and get the vehicle to turn more effectively through the corner. At the time, Johnson’s program was stabled at Hendrick with the team of Jeff Gordon, and No. 24 crew chief Robbie Loomis was incredulous. "Is he bat—- crazy?" Loomis asked, according to Knaus.

Nope. "Let me tell you something, it’s true," Knaus remembered. "We had a huge wind coming through the gaping hole in the grandstands the whole day, and Jimmie picked it up. He said, ‘Man, I think the wind is blowing right there. If I come in there right, the wind is turning the car right for me.’ You don’t have a lot of guys that can do that. You don’t. Jimmie can do it. Does he do it every time? No. But there are certain times at certain tracks that he can make things happen that other drivers just really can’t."

The numbers would seem to bear that out. And Knaus would know, given that he works with Johnson every day, and can see up close all the little things that separate Johnson from the rest. Of course, it’s also easy to claim that he’s biased. But here’s the thing — we’re getting to a point where all this is pretty undeniable, where even Johnson’s rivals on the race track are approaching a consensus. "The best that there ever was," Denny Hamlin called him, and this from a driver who was so devastated by losing the 2010 title race to Johnson that he fell into a funk for much of the next season.

Oh, but all of this is the product of Knaus and his mechanical wizardry, right? Then ask Darian Grubb, a former No. 48 team engineer turned championship crew chief in his own right, what the secret to Knaus’ success is. "I think the biggest thing is Jimmie Johnson," said Grubb, who now sits atop Hamlin’s pit box. "If you look at Chad before that, he didn’t really have any stats to come by until he started working with Jimmie."

It all comes back to Johnson, who is content to let others debate his accomplishments while he makes his statements behind the wheel. "I don’t think my opinion matters," he said. Six championships later, he’s still just a genuine dude from El Cajon, even though he might be able to stop speeding bullets or leap Daytona International Speedway in a single bound. In that case, teams hoping to deny Johnson a record-tying seventh title next season had better pack a little something extra in the toolbox.

Kryptonite.

MORE:

READ: Johnson wins
2013 Sprint Cup Series title

READ: HOF-worthy career
in the books, Martin bows out

READ: Finale represents
end of a chapter for some

READ: Kenseth won’t dwell
on coming up short
Posted on by Holly Cain

Versatile 17-year-old enjoys NASCAR experience, has no driver’s license

Fans of all ages recognized the national anthem singer, Zendaya, at NASCAR’s season finale.

The 17-year-old Californian star on the popular Disney Channel show "Shake It Up" and was last season’s runner-up on "Dancing With The Stars" as the youngest contestant in the show’s history.

She recently released her debut self-titled album "Zendaya" and in an interview with NASCAR.com from the Homestead-Miami Speedway infield, the talented young star discussed everything from her diverse fan base, to her first impressions of NASCAR to still needing a driver’s license.

What are your impressions of NASCAR race day?

This is my very first NASCAR race and I’m very excited. I’m figuring out how everything works and what’s going on. I can barely drive myself. I’m still trying to get my own driver’s license.

The reason I don’t have a license is I’ve been so busy. I have to focus on my own racing career here, guys. I don’t even know how to drive. Let me get that going first.

On the reaction she receives from fans:

My main fan base is the young ones, kids and teenagers. But recently, I get a lot more attention from the moms and a lot of grandmas. Grandmas are really into "Dancing With The Stars." My grandma has been obsessed with "Dancing With The Stars" for a long time. It’s pretty cool. Not long ago I went to a concert and there was an 86-year-old and she didn’t want to cut in line to come over and talk to me. She was with her walker and willing to wait.

Were you a racing fan before coming to the track this weekend?

I do not know much about racing and that’s why I’m here. I’m excited to meet everyone. Everyone tells me how cool this is and how cool the whole experience is, so I’m so happy to witness it myself finally. Being so young, I don’t think many people get this experience.

On performing the national anthem in front of such a large crowd on-site and in the television audience:

It’s nerve-wracking every time (you perform), but I feel like if I can dance the Cha-Cha live on TV in front of millions of people, I’m pretty sure I can handle this. (laughing)

What’s coming up career-wise for you?

Right now, my album just came out and music is a big focus and I’m travelling around to do radio. Music is a focus now but other projects are definitely in the works. I have lots of stuff to do and lots for me to accomplish.

On being a role model for young fans:

It’s pretty cool. I always like to make sure I use whatever influence I have in the most positive way and so, you have to realize who’s watching you and it’s mostly young ladies. So I never do anything I wouldn’t want to see my young nieces do. I want to give them something positive.

Posted on by Staff Report

New paint scheme revealed for former Sprint Cup champ

RELATED: Kurt Busch diecast cars

Kurt Busch will have a new car number to go with his new team in 2014.

Busch will campaign the No. 41 Haas CNC Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series next season, starting in February at Daytona International Speedway. He’ll make the transition after a little more than a year driving the No. 78 Chevy for Furniture Row Racing, helping the Colorado-based team to its most successful season with a 10th-place finish in Sprint Cup points.

Busch has driven (in order) Nos. 97, 2, 22, 51 and 78 in NASCAR’s top series. Next season, the 2004 Sprint Cup champion will don a number that transposes the digits of team owner Tony Stewart‘s flagship No. 14, the longtime number of his childhood hero, A.J. Foyt.

In an interesting twist, Busch will sport the same car number of long-ago rival Jimmy Spencer, who dramatically sparred with Busch at Bristol and Indianapolis in his days driving the No. 41 for Chip Ganassi.

Monday at the NASCAR Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series banquet in Miami Beach, Ty Dillon — moving up to the Nationwide tour next season — said he would favor using the No. 41 should he progress to NASCAR’s premier series. His grandfather, longtime team owner and former driver Richard Childress used No. 41 during his early days competing in a NASCAR Modified at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.

MORE:

READ: Johnson wins
2013 Sprint Cup Series title

READ: HOF-worthy career
in the books, Martin bows out

READ: Finale represents
end of a chapter for some

READ: Kenseth won’t dwell
on coming up short