Last-minute fantasy tips for Fontana race
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Earnhardt Jr. takes points lead; Edwards, Kyle Busch make gains
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88)
Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
Where he stands: Earnhardt Jr. leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings with 199 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Earnhardt battled through the field multiple times to finish in second place for the second time this season. The No. 88 has five top-10 finishes in five races — and a worst finish of seventh place. That consistency was on display in Fontana, and helped Earnhardt move past 2012 champion Brad Keselowski in the points standings.
Next week: In 26 career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Earnhardt has 10 top-fives and 14 top-10s. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Earnhardt ranks fifth out of 47 drivers with an average place of 10.9.
Last year: Earnhardt finished in the top 10 for the fourth consecutive Martinsville race, perhaps thanks to a fortuitous caution. As teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson battled in front of him, Junior — sitting in third — was questionable to even finish the race. He was short on fuel with about 10 laps to go. When David Reutimann didn’t pit after cutting a tire, he caused a caution flag by stalling out on the track, sending Junior to the pits. Earnhardt came off pit road in sixth place and kept control of his car when he was sandwiched between AJ Allmendinger and Jeff Gordon during a crash in Turn 1. Starting third on the green-white-checkered finish, the No. 88 held its spot to the checkered flag to take third.
What he said: “We had a good car and came real close to winning there, but then everybody started taking tires and tires were really big at the end because the place is really slick and worn out. We were lucky there at the end and came in and got some fresh tires and that sort of fixed our mistakes and helped us to get a good finish.”
2. Brad Keselowski (No. 2)
Penske Racing, Ford
Where he stands: Keselowski is second in the standings with 187 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Keselowski and his crew couldn’t get a handle on the No. 2. Keselowski qualified third, but moved to the rear due to switching an engine. It took the driver less than 90 laps to get into the top five, and even a pit-road speeding penalty couldn’t halt Keselowski’s charge. In the end, the car had old tires and was shuffled to the back on late restarts and finished 23rd.
Next week: In six career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Keselowski has three top-10s. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Keselowski ranks 11th out of 47 drivers with an average place of 15.0.
Last year: Keselowski broke through at Martinsville in 2012 after some previous frustrating showings. The No. 2 earned two top-10s at the .526-mile track last season, including a ninth-place run in the 2012 Goody’s Fast Relief 500 spring race. Keselowski was in the top four on a green-white-checkered restart and was shuffled down a bit in traffic during the final laps.
What he said: “I think we went from the back to the front three times, which really showed the speed we had. We’re still in a good points position after a tough day.”
3. Jimmie Johnson (No. 48)
Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
Where he stands: Johnson is third in the standings with 183 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Johnson’s usual dominant Fontana display was missing. The No. 48 car had trouble when racing side-by-side with others, and the five-time Sprint Cup champion found himself in 24th place with 20 laps remaining. In true Johnson fashion, though, he passed 12 cars over the remaining laps to take 12th.
Next week: In 22 career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Johnson has seven wins, 15 top-fives, 19 top-10s and two poles. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Johnson ranks first out of 47 drivers with an average place of 6.2.
Last year: Johnson led 111 laps of the 515-lap race, including 104 near the very end. The No. 48 was one of the cars to beat, but Five-Time was caught up in a late wreck on a green-white-checkered restart, and his banged-up car limped to a 12th-place finish — not at all bad considering the circumstances. In Turn 1 of the late restart, Johnson was the outside car when Clint Bowyer and Ryan Newman tried to make it three-wide. When Bowyer, going down low, bumped race leader Jeff Gordon, the three cars converged in the middle of the track, spinning out. After a quick pit stop, Johnson was back on the track — and making a few late passes to salvage his afternoon.
What he said: “It wasn’t the finish we wanted, but I’m proud of the way our guys never gave up."
4. Carl Edwards (No. 99)
Roush Fenway Racing, Ford
Where he stands: Edwards is fourth in the standings with 164 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Edwards continued to drive well, putting even more distance between this year’s results and last year’s lost season. Edwards started 24th and had dropped to 27th through 30 of 200 laps. The No. 99 Ford kept charging, though, and Edwards gained six spots in the final 30 laps to finish fourth. It’s his third top-five this season in five races.
Next week: In 17 career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Edwards has one top-five and five top-10s. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Edwards ranks 13th out of 47 drivers with an average place of 16.1.
Last year: Edwards nearly cracked the top 10, but settled for an 11th-place finish. It was a successful showing for the No. 99 Ford, which started 28th. Edwards’ most memorable moment may have been playing an April Fools’ joke (the race was April 1) on crew chief Bob Osborne, telling him he broke the transmission before revealing the gag in a radio segment picked up and broadcast on FOX.
What he said: “Man, that was just an unbelievable race. It is so cool to come here to California and have a standard old-school NASCAR race where tires make a difference. It was really a great show. I hope the fans enjoyed it. That is about as good as it gets.”
5. Greg Biffle (No. 16)
Roush Fenway Racing, Ford
Where he stands: Biffle is fifth in the standings with 164 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Biffle charged to the front of the field after starting in the rear due to an engine failure in practice. The No. 16 Ford had qualified second, so his team was confident even after moving back. Their faith was justified in a sixth-place finish. Biffle, along with teammate Carl Edwards, gives Roush Fenway Racing two drivers in the top five.
Next week: In 20 career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Biffle has three top-10s. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Biffle ranks 22nd out of 47 drivers with an average place of 21.5.
Last year: Although Biffle’s history at Martinsville isn’t exactly sterling, the driver may have turned a corner, in a manner of speaking, last season. After starting 26th, Biffle maneuvered his way into the top 10 by Lap 100 and competed for a spot with that distinction all day. The No. 16 Ford finished in 13th place, his best showing at the track in four races, and set the stage for a top-10 finish in the fall race.
What he said: “Overall, a (sixth-place) finish for us is a great day. It was pretty crazy with those restarts at the end.”
6. Kyle Busch (No. 18)
Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
Where he stands: Busch is sixth in the standings with 163 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Busch had the best car in the field but appeared to be out of luck on the final lap. Having led 125 laps, the No. 18 Toyota was stuck in third place as rivals Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin dueled for the win. But as the focus was on the No. 22 and No. 11 cars, Busch stealthily made his move, moments before Logano and Hamlin spun each other out. It was Busch’s first Sprint Cup Series win since his victory in Richmond last April.
Next week: In 16 career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Busch has seven top-fives and eight top-10s. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Busch ranks seventh out of 47 drivers with an average place of 14.1.
Last year: After qualifying eighth and sporting a fast car, Busch — who would later take his No. 18 Toyota into the garage to inspect for a mechanical failure — drilled the wall in Turn 3 in a single-car wreck. Busch’s team got the car back in the track, and he finished running, albeit 80 laps down and in 36th place.
What he said: “It feels so good to finally win. We weren’t going to win if it wasn’t for those two (Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano) battling. If they would have been single file and just racing, it would have went down in order. Being right here in California — finally, finally we get the ‘home’ win for Toyota.”
7. Kasey Kahne (No. 5)
Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
Where he stands: Kahne is seventh in the standings with 159 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Kahne showed the same pluck and resiliency as he has throughout this season. The No. 5 Chevrolet incurred some early damage after it slid on oil — which was splayed on the track following engine problems from Timmy Hill’s No. 32 — and was in 35th place through 40 laps. Twenty laps later, though, Kahne was near the top 10. The same trend held true at the end, when Kahne was 17th through 190 laps but finished ninth.
Next week: In 18 career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Kahne has two top-fives, three top-10s and one pole. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Kahne ranks 20th out of 47 drivers with an average place of 20.9.
Last year: Kahne earned his first pole at Martinsville in the spring race, and he appeared poised to record his first top-five of the season. Running in the top-five all day, Kahne — after a tough-luck start to the season — blew his engine midway through the race, sending him careening into pit road. His day done, Kahne could only watch as he finished 38th.
What he said: "What a crazy race. Had a lot of fun trying to get a top-10; nice work to my guys for battling all day."
8. Paul Menard (No. 27)
Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
Where he stands: Menard is eighth in the standings with 154 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Menard’s streak of top-10 finishes appeared to be in jeopardy. The No. 27 Chevrolet hit the wall on Lap 103 after a tire went flat. He came out of pit road in 28th place but steadily chased down the field and finished eighth. That continued another streak — Menard has improved his finish in every race this season (21st, 20th, 10th, ninth, eighth).
Next week: In 11 career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Menard’s best finish is 12th in 2012. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Menard ranks 28th out of 47 drivers with an average place of 23.8.
Last year: Menard appeared to be in shape to put his Martinsville hex behind him after qualifying 11th. The No. 27, though, had handling problems most of the afternoon, and extended green-flag stretches prohibited the team from making many adjustments. Menard would go on to finish 26th, five laps down.
What he said: "We had a good car all day, but just had bad luck with a flat tire mid-race, (but) we battled back to end the day with an eighth-place finish. We’ve had a great start to the 2013 season. "
9. Joey Logano (No. 22)
Penske Racing, Ford
Where he stands: Logano is ninth in the standings with 146 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Logano again found himself making major headlines after the race. The story throughout Sunday afternoon was that Logano — fresh off a spat with Denny Hamlin at Bristol — had a good car and was driving it well. The No. 22 led 41 laps and was in the lead with one lap to go. Then Hamlin attempted to pass him, and the two bumped and banged their way down the track. Eventually, both drivers spun out, with Hamlin taking the worst of it. Logano then dealt with an angry Tony Stewart on pit road, and the two pit crew teams had to separate the drivers. Still, with the field frozen when the caution was thrown, Logano finished third.
Next week: In eight career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Logano has one top-five and two top-10s. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Logano ranks 18th out of 47 drivers with an average place of 18.1.
Last year: Long runs without a caution proved to be Logano’s undoing. With his car — then the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing — experiencing a tight condition in the center of the corner, Logano wasn’t much of a threat, despite qualifying 10th. He finished 23rd.
What he said: “Tony was just upset about a restart that I was racing him really hard on the bottom trying to make sure I protected my spot. … I knew if he put me three-wide that would be the end of my race and I wouldn’t win. I was smart enough to realize that. Then I had to just do what I had to do to get to the front and try to win the race.”
10. Denny Hamlin (No. 11)
Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
Where he stands: Hamlin is 10th in the standings with 145 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Hamlin started on the pole and ran in the top 10 most of the afternoon. With a daring move on a late restart — swooping down toward the apron, making it four-wide in spots — Hamlin got into the top five and eventually tracked down Joey Logano for the race lead. Logano bumped Hamlin, though, spinning out the No. 11 — and relegating the driver to a 25th-place finish. Hamlin was taken to an area hospital following the race.
Next week: In 15 career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Hamlin has four wins, nine top-fives, 12 top-10s and two poles. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Hamlin ranks third out of 47 drivers with an average place of 8.9.
Last year: Hamlin’s history at Martinsville is rich, replete with victories and top-10 finishes. The driver, who at one point won three consecutive races at the track from 2009-10, added another top-10 to his name by finishing sixth. Hamlin ran in the top five most of the day and led 31 laps. He slipped down to ninth place during a long green-flag stretch, but pitted during a late caution for four fresh tires, which enabled him to move up the field on the restart.
11. Matt Kenseth (No. 20)
Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
Where he stands: Kenseth is 11th in the standings with 141 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Kenseth took the lead on Lap 1 and held it for 10 laps, but the No. 20 Toyota was never in serious contention for the win. Kenseth was forced to take a green-flag pit stop earlier than he wanted after getting bumped by former teammate Greg Biffle, putting him a lap down. He rallied to finish seventh.
Next week: In 26 career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Kenseth has three top-fives and eight top-10s. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Kenseth ranks 17th out of 47 drivers with an average place of 17.7.
Last year: Martinsville’s paper-clip layout has given Kenseth issues throughout his career. The No. 20 driver took steps toward correcting that last year, though. Kenseth steered his way out of trouble over the final laps and finished fourth, his best finish at the .526-mile track since 2002. In fact, Kenseth has finished in the top 10 in the past two spring races there.
What he said: “It was up and down. We sort of missed it a little bit. … I thought we had good strategy, good stops — a great job at fixing all our problems, we were just off all day.”
12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (No. 17)
Roush Fenway Racing, Ford
Where he stands: Stenhouse Jr. is 12th in the standings with 139 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Stenhouse followed the same diet he’s been on all season — log laps, stay out of trouble, finish races. He did the same at Fontana, resulting in a 20th-place finish, although the No. 17 Ford challenged for a spot in the top 10 throughout the middle of the race.
Next week: Stenhouse Jr. has no starts at Martinsville Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
What he said: “At the end we were making headway but chose to take two tires on the final caution which cost us, but it was a gamble and if it would have worked out it would have been great.”
13. Kurt Busch (No. 78)
Furniture Row Racing, Chevrolet
Where he stands: Busch is 13th in the standings with 137 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Busch finished in the top five for the second consecutive race. It was quite a climb to get there as the No. 78 was in 30th place through 130 laps. Busch’s aggressive driving sealed a fifth-place finish, and vaulted him up to 13th in the standings — he was 29th two weeks ago.
Next week: In 25 career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Busch has one win, two top-fives, four top-10s and one pole. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Busch ranks 19th out of 47 drivers with an average place of 18.5.
Last year: Busch continued to trend downward at Martinsville, finishing 15th after qualifying 19th. It wasn’t a horrible finish by any means, but Busch hasn’t recorded a top-10 finish at the track since his sixth-place outing in 2005, an ominous streak of 14 races.
What he said: “I could have followed Kyle (Busch), and just want to apologize to him for putting it three- and four-wide on the restart because I am hungry and going for the win. I messed (Kyle) up on the restart and I told him, I am going for the win with this Furniture Row Chevrolet SS and I am not going for anything less.”
14. Clint Bowyer (No. 15)
Michael Waltrip Racing, Toyota
Where he stands: Bowyer is 14th in the standings with 137 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Bowyer’s up-and-down day finished on a down note. Although the No. 15 had battled into the top 10 at multiple points, a mechanical issue forced it to the garage after 185 laps. Bowyer was in the top 15 at the time of the incident. He plummeted 10 spots in the standings.
Next week: In 14 career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Bowyer has two top-fives and eight top-10s. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Bowyer ranks sixth out of 47 drivers with an average place of 13.3.
Last year: Bowyer was in perhaps the best position to challenge for the win in the 2012 spring race. After a late caution sent everyone to pit road except for the top two cars, the No. 15 Toyota won the race off pit road and was primed to challenge Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson — both cars had old tires, and the drivers had been told to conserve fuel. His bold pass attempt on a late restart caused a three-car spinout and kept victory from Bowyer’s grasp, but the driver managed to recover to finish 10th.
What he said: “That was such a shame. We had an amazingly fast 5-hour Energy Toyota today, but sometimes things just don’t go your way. (Sunday) was one of those days. Tough day in the points, but we’ll be fine.”
15. Kevin Harvick (No. 29)
Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
Where he stands: Harvick is 15th in the standings with 130 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Harvick again had a fast car. But again, ‘Happy’ wasn’t pleased with his finish. Running in the top five, Harvick’s tires were worn by the time the race was concluding. During a wave of late cautions, the No. 29 stayed out on the track, which ultimately caused him to lose position on restarts. Harvick, in fourth place through 190 laps, finished 13th.
Next week: In 23 career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Harvick has one win, three top-fives and 10 top-10s. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Harvick ranks eighth out of 47 drivers with an average place of 14.3.
Last year: Harvick and his team couldn’t get a handle on the No. 29’s handling issues. After winning the race in 2011 — and finishing fourth in the fall race at Martinsville — Harvick qualified second for the 2012 Goody’s Fast Relief 500. A loose car prevented Harvick from challenging for the lead, and eventually, for a spot in the top 10. Despite numerous adjustments, Harvick finished 19th.
What he said: "This was not the result our team should have left with today. … We just lost grip and track position at the end."
16. Jamie McMurray (No. 1)
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet
Where he stands: McMurray is 16th in the standings with 125 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, McMurray couldn’t duplicate last week’s feat of a top-10 finish. The No. 1 Chevrolet finished 19th place.
Next week: In 20 career starts at Martinsville Speedway, McMurray has one top-five, 10 top-10s and one poles. In the past eight years at Martinsville, McMurray ranks 14th out of 47 drivers with an average place of 16.5.
Last year: McMurray has a respectable track record at Martinsville, but much of the success came early in his career. In his previous six races over the past three years, McMurray has just one top-10 finish. That didn’t come last year, when the No. 1 Chevrolet driver finished 17th.
What he said: “The track was very unpredictable. We were both tight and loose throughout the race. Our Bass Pro Shops Chevy was really good in the early stages but, we just couldn’t hit the adjustments in the second half.”
17. Aric Almirola (No. 43)
Richard Petty Motorsports, Ford
Where he stands: Almirola is 17th in the standings with 125 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Almirola rallied for a 14th-place finish. The No. 43 Ford started 23rd and was 31st through 70 laps before gaining ground.
Next week: In eight career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Almirola has one top-five and two top-10s. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Almirola ranks 31st out of 47 drivers with an average place of 26.7.
Last year: After missing both races at Martinsville in 2011, Almirola displayed a deft touch that had been missing on the track in previous tries. Driving the No. 43 Ford, Almirola finished eighth, his best showing at the track — at least until the fall race.
What he said: “That was a hard fought top-15 finish. We just couldn’t find speed on the low line. Once we got to the top, we were pretty fast especially when the tires fell off. The guys made good adjustments and really helped the handling throughout the race."
18. Jeff Gordon (No. 24)
Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
Where he stands: Gordon is 18th in the standings with 123 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Gordon overcame a tight-handling car and damage to the right front of his car that took two pit stops to fix to finish 11th and get back in the top 20 in points standings.
Next week: In 40 career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Gordon has seven wins, 25 top-fives, 32 top-10s and seven poles. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Gordon ranks second out of 47 drivers with an average place of 6.2.
Last year: The No. 24 was the class of the field, but just a 14th-place finish to show for it. Gordon led 329 of 515 laps, including stretches of 128 and 83 consecutive laps led. With team owner Rick Hendrick searching for his 200th win, Gordon chased down teammate Jimmie Johnson and passed him with three laps to go. A caution brought on a green-white-checkered finish, and Gordon was caught up in a wreck when the field went three-wide.
What he said: "We’re fighters, we just don’t give up. We’re a much stronger team than we show in the results and this team is a tight-knit group."
19. Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56)
Michael Waltrip Racing, Toyota
Where he stands: Truex Jr. is 19th in the standings with 122 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Truex Jr. stayed in the top for the first half of the race despite a less-than-ideal car setup. That problem caught the No. 56 team at the end. Truex Jr. and his team decided to gamble and not pit on the last restart, and his car dropped from eighth place to finish 18th.
Next week: In 14 career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Truex Jr. has two top-fives and four top-10s. For point-paying races in the past eight years at Martinsville, Truex ranks 23rd out of 47 drivers with an average place of 21.9.
Last year: Truex Jr. matched his best showing at Martinsville by finishing fifth in the 2012 spring race. Although he struggled at times driving off the corner, Truex Jr. avoided the late wreckage and didn’t let a couple of slow pit stops ruin his day.
What he said: "We made a lot of significant chassis changes that cost us track position, but we had to fix as much as we could. There were times when my NAPA Toyota was downright evil. It’s a shame. We gambled there at the end on track position and I just could get the car to do what I needed."
20. Ryan Newman (No. 39)
Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet
Where he stands: Newman is 20th in the standings with 121 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Newman rallied for a 10th-place finish, gaining 10 spots on the final 10 laps. It’s his third top-10 of the season.
Next week: In 22 career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Newman has one win, seven top-fives, 11 top-10s and one pole. He is the defending race champion. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Newman ranks ninth out of 47 drivers with an average place of 14.5.
Last year: Newman earned his only win of 2012 by being in the right place at the right time. During a green-white-checkered restart, Newman was in fourth place and watched the three cars in front of him spin out entering Turn 1. Newman nosed his car past the wreckage on the low side, and was first on the ensuing restart. He held off AJ Allmendinger to pick up the victory.
What he said: “I put us in a bad spot at the end with the speeding penalty, but fortunately we were able to rally back from that to finish 10th. I can’t say enough about everyone on this No. 39 team.”
Five in the rearview mirror …
Tony Stewart (No. 14)
Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet
Where he stands: Stewart is 22nd in the standings with 108 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Stewart was blocked by Joey Logano on a late restart, which caused him both to lose lots of ground and finish 22nd and angrily confront the driver following the race.
This week: In 28 career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Stewart has three wins, nine top-fives, 15 top-10s and three poles. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Stewart ranks fourth out of 47 drivers with an average place of 10.8.
Marcos Ambrose (No. 9)
Richard Petty Motorsports, Ford
Where he stands: Ambrose is 23rd in the standings with 107 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Ambrose lost a rear tire on Lap 130, then had another flat on Lap 169 that ripped off the left rear of his car. It was bad enough that Ambrose spent plenty of time behind the wall for repairs before finishing 36th, 18 laps down.
Next week: In eight career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Ambrose’s best finish is 11th in 2010. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Ambrose ranks 29th out of 47 drivers with an average place of 24.0.
Mark Martin (No. 55)
Michael Waltrip Racing, Toyota
Where he stands: Martin is 25th in the standings with 102 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Martin was back in the No. 55, but it was an eventful day for the wrong reasons. Martin slid into the wall after oil from Timmy Hill’s car leaked onto the track; as Martin was trying to get in position for a top 10 late, he was caught speeding on pit road. He finished 37th.
Next week: In 48 career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Martin has two wins, 12 top-fives, 25 top-10s and three poles. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Martin ranks 10th out of 47 drivers with an average place of 14.7.
Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42)
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet
Where he stands: Montoya is 30th in the standings with 83 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Montoya went to the garage early with shifter problems. He returned to the track, but wasn’t a factor and finished 38th.
Next week: In 12 career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Montoya has two top fives and three top 10s. In the past eight years at Martinsville, Montoya ranks 15th out of 47 drivers with an average place of 16.8.
Danica Patrick (No. 10)
Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet
Where she stands: Patrick is 29th in the standings with 87 points.
Last week: In the Auto Club 400, Patrick struggled while running down low and finished 26th, one lap down.
Next week: Patrick has no starts at Martinsville Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
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Kyle Busch Motorsports driver finishes fourth in Royal Purple 300
FONTANA, Calif. — Kyle Busch was rolling down the frontstretch after taking the checkered flag Saturday at Auto Club Speedway when he glanced at the scoring tower to see where everyone else had finished. There in fourth place, one bright red number stood out: 77.
Those digits belonged to the car of Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Parker Kligerman, who took advantage of a late four-tire stop and charged to his best finish in a Nationwide Series event.
“I’m like, ‘Wow, cool,’” said Busch, who earned his sixth career Nationwide victory at the 2-mile facility, and the ninth consecutive for his Joe Gibbs Racing team. “That’s really good. They’re certainly working hard over there. Those guys do a lot with a little. But they put it all together today with a fourth. That’s great.”
(View full race results here.)
"It’s a big deal that we’ve come out of the box with a ton of speed and been strong for a brand new team."
— Parker Kligerman
Kligerman moved to KBM’s Nationwide program in the offseason after splitting 2012 between the Camping World Truck Series outfits of Brad Keselowski Racing and Red Horse Racing, the latter of which he won a race with at Talladega. When the boss moved his Nationwide efforts back over to JGR for this year, Kligerman became the lead driver at a program expected to contend for race victories. So it’s no wonder the 22-year-old Connecticut native wasn’t exactly doing handstands over the result, which topped his previous best of fifth in the season opener at Daytona.
“I wanted to win,” Kligerman said. “I wanted third, at least. But for this team, it’s a big deal. It’s a big deal that we’ve come out of the box with a ton of speed and been strong for a brand new team. (Crew chief) Eric (Phillips), this is his first time doing the (Nationwide) deal with KBM. We have one guy left over from the Nationwide program last year, so we’re basically all new. … I think we’re showing people we mean to be here and we’re going to go fight for this championship.”
With the fourth-place finish, Kligerman gained three spots in the standings and is now 56 points behind leader Sam Hornish Jr., who was second Saturday. It was a needed result, given that Kligerman had finished 19th and 30th in his previous two starts, despite cars at Las Vegas and Bristol that had speed to run in the top 10. At Fontana he closed the deal, taking four tires on a pit stop when most of the leaders took none, restarting 14th, and rocketing as high as third before Regan Smith overtook him for that spot.
“You want to be talked about, and want to be in the headlines,” said the one-time Penske developmental driver. “As a young driver, it’s imperative. I remember three years ago a very high-up person at a race team I used to drive for told me, ‘It’s all about making headlines. You can never make enough headlines.’ So going out there and being in the top five … and taking a team that maybe hasn’t been as successful and improving on it — as a young driver, you hope that’s recognized by owners up there in the Cup Series. You hope they’re saying, ‘That kid is a franchise driver.’ A franchise driver elevates an organization on the race track and off commercially, and I want to be one of those.”
Saturday was clearly a step in the right direction, and perhaps more evidence of how KBM has benefitted from a tighter-knit relationship with JGR, for whom Busch competes in both Nationwide and Sprint Cup events. KBM also switched this season to engines built by JGR. JRG’s Sprint Cup engines come from Toyota Racing Development, which does not make Nationwide engines but does supply KBM with technical support.
“With everything that we’ve done over the offseason, we’re gotten a little bit closer with the Gibbs guys as far as information sharing and whatnot,” Busch said. “I’m sure it’s definitely not 100 percent the way we want it to be — we’re two separate organizations, still. So our guys have to work hard with a little bit less. But still, they’ve accomplished a lot today with running well with Parker. …We’ll keep plugging away at it. It only helps that those guys are getting good runs so they can run up front, so they can see what they need to grow and mature into a top team.”
Saturday, Kligerman certainly did his part. It was a big day all around — a career-best finish with his 90-year-old grandmother Dottie, who lives in the area, attending her first NASCAR race. To top it off, the boss won. Now, Kligerman sets his sights a little higher.
“We have a thing: beat the 54,” he said,” referring to Busch’s car number. “That’s our mantra. The best way to be respected in this series and this sport is to beat those guys. Beat them clean and outrun them, and you’ve had a good day.”
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Post-win tradition a way of uniting Hendrick team
FONTANA, Calif. — Of course, it looks like a little race car. It has black rubber tires and a multi-link steering arm and decals on the front and sides. It was built by a fabricator in the team’s performance shop. It’s not so much pushed, but driven. It even corners like a champ.
So yes, if Hendrick Motorsports was going to come up with a tradition through which to celebrate the organization’s triumphs on the race track, it was going to carry over a familiar theme. Which is why Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson were at the team’s Concord, N.C., headquarters Tuesday, ringing a bell that for more than two years now has sounded throughout the complex after each of the team’s victories.
“We go through each department with this cool little cart that was built with go-kart tires on it, and the bell,” Johnson said at Auto Club Speedway, site of Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series event. “You ring the bell and they line up, shake the driver’s hand, and pass out some swag, and then we move on to the next department. Outside of your hearing being destroyed for the rest of the day, it’s a lot of fun and very cool to see everybody.”
Because of media obligations and travel, Johnson didn’t get to ring the bell after his victory in the Daytona 500. So this week he joined Kahne, who won NASCAR’s most recent premier-series event last Sunday at Bristol, yanking the cord on a gold bell that was steered through the Hendrick campus. Jeff Gordon did the same thing after his victory in last season’s finale, even bringing along his kids. Dale Earnhardt Jr. did it after his most recent victory last August, and looks forward to doing it again.
“The fans really like it when you go into Victory Lane, obviously,” Earnhardt said. “… But man, it’s really different when you go into the shop and you see those employees that don’t actually travel. You get to go around and talk to every single one and ring the bell. They get into it and get excited. Every employee rings the bell. It’s fun. I enjoyed that. I thought it was a good way to bring everybody together as one team.”
Which is the whole idea. While a rather simple concept, the “Victory Bell” is a typically-Hendrick way of uniting those who work in the race shop and those who travel to the track on weekends, two groups that work toward the same goal even if they don’t always work side by side. It was Marshall Carlson, the team’s president and chief operating officer, who first came up with the idea after seeing something similar used in college football rivalries. In those cases, the winning team took possession of the bell. At Hendrick, everyone would celebrate with it.
“We’ve got 600 people working out here now, and most of those do not go to the track regularly,” Carlson said by phone. “… It’s trying to find a way to bring some of that excitement from the track back to the campus after a win, so that everyone that’s involved in it — which is everyone here — feels some of that excitement, literally. … It’s really just trying to create a way for the folks here, who work so hard in supporting the teams and putting effort into performance, also get to feel some of that excitement and immediacy of the success.”
So the team built what looks like a bell perched on top of a go-kart, and the tradition at Hendrick began early in the 2011 campaign. As with any new vehicle, there were periods of trial and error. At first, people thought it was a fire drill. It banged into a few things. It was wheeled into every corner of the team’s vast race shop, a journey that took forever to complete. Over time the routine was cut down to about an hour, with employees gathering in certain areas. Even so, the bell still rings about 600 times each trip.
Gordon was in a team debrief when he heard the bell ringing Tuesday. “The whole organization really rallies around it,” he said. “It’s turned into a very cool tradition. There’s nobody at Hendrick who doesn’t wish they were ringing the bell the next week.”
The winning team will distribute mementos — Victory Lane caps for Johnson’s win in the Daytona 500 this year, commemorative bricks for his triumph at Indianapolis last season — all along the way. After her father’s victory at Homestead, Gordon’s daughter Ella (wearing a headset to protect her ears from the noise) took great glee in handing out stickers. That’s not unusual; Kahne’s crew chief Kenny Francis brought his son to a bell-ringing ceremony last year, and Carlson said road crewmen will come in on their days off to take part.
“Rick, in his automotive business and his motorsports business, has a principle that we’re going to celebrate it together, and we’re going to try to celebrate it big,” he said. “If we win a championship, everyone on deck gets a replica champion’s ring. No matter what you do here or what role you play, you’re going to get a champion’s ring. What that does is, it really reinforces unity and focus …. All those things stem from Rick’s overarching guidance that when we have success, we need to reinforce that everyone is a part of that. We did it together.”
That’s what happened Tuesday when Johnson and Kahne took part, with one driver’s accomplishment being honored in the morning and the other’s in the afternoon. Now, the question looms — whom might the bell ring for next? Auto Club certainly looms as a possibility, given that Johnson, Gordon and Kahne are all past winners here, and Earnhardt’s two most recent victories have come on a 2-mile Michigan track that bears some similarities to its sister facility in the Golden State.
Even so, Earnhardt cautions against shining up that bell too soon.
“The surfaces are two totally different surfaces, especially with the new repave at Michigan,” he said. “… There are some things in the setup that I’m sure are similar, in the way the car travels and the loads the car sees in each corner … so there may be some things in the setup that correlate between the two tracks and we can carry some improvements we made at one to the next one and have it work. But the way you drive them and the way you race them are two totally different things.”
A victory seems the only thing missing this season for Earnhardt, who stands second in Sprint Cup points after four top-10s in as many starts so far. “It would mean a lot to him on many levels, and for his team,” Johnson said. And given that all three of his teammates have won over the past five races stretching back to last year, Earnhardt relishes the idea of getting his turn with the Victory Bell once again.
“I’m ready to ring the hell out of it,” he said. “It was a lot of fun, and I’d like to do that more often. Because the employees and all those people that work really hard on the cars, they don’t get any credit — don’t get the credit we do, don’t get to travel. They really enjoy that.”
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Biffle, Keselowski show speed after switching engines
FONTANA, Calif. — To contend at Auto Club Speedway, Greg Biffle will have to come from the rear of the field due to an engine failure in opening practice on the 2-mile track. And car owner Jack Roush believes his driver has enough under the hood to do it.
Roush said Saturday the engine failures suffered by Biffle and Ford stable mate Brad Keselowski appeared to be due to lost bearings, and the No. 16 car’s strength in practice Saturday gave him confidence the issue would not rear its head again in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event.
“Both of those problems are something we characterize as an infant mortality problem,” Roush said after Biffle topped the first of Saturday’s two practice sessions. “The fact that we’ve gotten the rest of the practice today, that we had one practice today and had no further problems, gives me confidence that we’re going to be OK. We have adequate spare engines, and if we have more trouble in practice, we can make changes. But right now, I’m believing it’s behind us.”
Although Roush-Yates will perform a more comprehensive review of the failures once it gets the engines back to the shop, Roush said initial inspection ruled out lost bearings due to cold oil, which is often a culprit in such cases. Instead he classified the problems as “infant mortality” issues, which mean failures that occur early in the life of an engine, and are different from those caused by structural failures or part fatigue.
Biffle’s engine failed early in opening practice Friday, resulting in a plume of thick white smoke trailing behind the car. Keselowski’s engine didn’t suffer a part failure, but Roush said the Penske team found debris in the oil filter that let them know a problem was inevitable.
“The team made a very good catch yesterday in practice,” said Travis Geisler, competition director at Penske. “We saw we were about to have a issue, and we were able to get the engine changed before it blew. Basically, you have a very small widow to catch an engine before it grenades, and that’s fortunately where we caught the 2 car engine — in the process of blowing up, I guess.”
The reigning Sprint Cup champion, Keselowski’s Penske team switched manufacturers to Ford in the offseason, and now uses the same Roush-Yates engines as Biffle’s Roush Fenway Racing organization. Keselowski is the only driver this year to have recorded top-five finishes in each of the first four events, something not done since Dale Earnhardt reeled off five straight to open the season in 1995.
To keep that streak going at Fontana, he’ll have to come from the back. Although Biffle qualified second and Keselowski third on Friday, they’ll have to vacate those positions under NASCAR’s one engine rule and drop to the rear at the start. It’s nothing Biffle hasn’t been through before.
“I started at the back at Bristol,” he said, referring to last week. “We started 29th, and in 60 laps I was ninth under green. It was a heck of a run for us. Hopefully we can do the same thing here. This race track has a lot more room and I wouldn’t say is easier to pass, but there is a lot more opportunity to pass than last week. Certainly we aren’t going to do it in a short amount of time. Definitely it will take probably 100 laps at a minimum, or maybe 50 to 75 laps to get our way up through the field. Hopefully we can. Maybe some pit strategy, too. We will see what we can come up with.”
In the immediate aftermath of Friday’s failures, there was some unease in the Ford camp. “Everybody’s on pins and needles right now,” said Joey Logano, Keselowski’s teammate at Penske. Saturday, those qualms were alleviated somewhat by performance in practice. Biffle led the first session with Keselowski 18th. In the final practice for Sunday’s event, Keselowski was fifth with Biffle eighth. Keselowski made 40 laps in final practice with his backup engine, while Biffle made 26.
“Those guys are the same as we are — they prepare for everything,” Geisler said of Roush-Yates. “The cars we bring as backups are as good as our primaries, and it’s the same way with the engines. It’s nice to be able to bolt it in yesterday and run that well in qualifying. It shows the depth of what Roush-Yates has to offer.”
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No. 88 driver ventures outside of fantasy football; Larson doesn’t take a day off
FONTANA, Calif. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. hates to lose — even if it involves filling out an NCAA tournament bracket.
Earnhardt, a serious fantasy football player and an avid Washington Redskins fan, ventured far afield this week and for the first time filled out an NCAA tournament bracket as part of a competition with race fans.
“I got asked to do it,” Earnhardt explained during a question-and-answer session with reporters Friday afternoon. “I never filled out a bracket before, so it was my first time. I kind of like to watch the tournament, it’s interesting to see who the Cinderella teams are and how far (North) Carolina can go. I tend to pull for Carolina in college basketball.
"I hate losing. I hate making the wrong pick. But what are you going to do?"
— Dale Earnhardt Jr.
“I think Jimmie (Johnson) and I got asked to do it together, so (road manager) Mike Hoag came over to the house the other day and we sat down, thought it through and made my picks. I think I was 11-and-5 (after the first day of play).”
Earnhardt said he enjoyed the challenge.
“Well, I’ve only ever done fantasy football, and I didn’t really know if brackets were even that fun to do,” he said. “It’s my first foray into that. I think it’s pretty fun to do with your friends, but I’m such a football nut and focus so much on fantasy football that’s really all I ever thought about doing as far as fantasy sports go.
“But this is pretty fun. I’m having a good time with it. I hate losing. I hate making the wrong pick. But what are you going to do? There’s a lot of games.”
BUSMAN’S HOLIDAY
What does Nationwide Series rookie phenom Kyle Larson do when he’s not competing in a NASCAR race?
That’s easy. He races something else.
After track activity concluded Friday at Auto Club Speedway, Larson and his mentor, Tony Stewart, flew north to Stockton, Calif., (75 miles east of San Francisco) for the inaugural World of Outlaws winged sprint car event at the Stockton 99 dirt track.
According to track co-owner and promoter Ken Clapp, the event drew the largest crowd in the history of Stockton racing — a paid attendance of 10, 614.
After qualifying third, Larson won the “A” Main feature, earning $10,000 and the trophy. Stewart was fourth in time trials and finished ninth.
SHORT STROKES
Greg Biffle led Saturday morning’s Sprint Cup practice session with a lap at 186.253 mph. AJ Allmendinger was second fastest at 186.191 mph …
With Toyota trying win a Cup race at Fontana for the first time, three Camry drivers paced final practice, which should prove closest to Sunday’s race conditions. On a warmer, slicker track, Mark Martin led Happy Hour with a best lap at 183.351 mph, followed by Michael Waltrip Racing teammate Clint Bowyer (182.945 mph) and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Matt Kenseth (182.839 mph).
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Hornish Jr. puts up strong fight, finishes second
FONTANA, Calif. — Those who know the history of the Royal Purple 300 also know that Kyle Busch’s victory Saturday at Auto Club Speedway was all but a foregone conclusion.
Busch finished .834 seconds ahead of Nationwide Series leader Sam Hornish Jr. to claim his sixth win at the two-mile track and the ninth straight for Joe Gibbs Racing, extending the record for consecutive victories for a Nationwide car owner at a single speedway.
With his third trip to Victory Lane in five starts this season, Busch also extended his own record for career wins in the series, pushing that number to 54. The six wins at a single track ties his personal best; Busch also has six NNS victories at Charlotte.
After the race, Busch seemed just as cognizant of JGR’s failure to win a Sprint Cup event at Fontana as he was elated at keeping the Nationwide streak alive.
“I think it’s pretty cool that you can see a team go to a race track and dominate like that in a series,” Busch said, “although it’s really, really awkward, because we’ve got nine in a row here in the Nationwide Series, and JGR has yet to win a Cup race here.
“That’s quite an odd stat, but I know (polesitter) Denny Hamlin is really good here for (Sunday’s Auto Club 400 Cup race). And I think we’re OK for (Sunday), too, so hopefully we can change that.”
Regan Smith rallied from a lap down — the result of an early flat tire — to claim third, with Parker Kligerman running fourth in a Toyota owned by Busch. Austin Dillon came home fifth, followed by rookie Kyle Larson.
Elliott Sadler, Brian Scott, Trevor Bayne and rookie Kevin Swindell completed the top 10.
Hornish led by more than a half-second over Busch when Jason White’s spin through the frontstretch grass caused the fourth caution of the afternoon on Lap 110.
Brad Keselowski stayed on the track under the caution and led Hornish and Busch (who took fuel only under the yellow) to the green flag on Lap 116. Before the cars reached Turn 1, however, Hornish had reclaimed the top spot from his Penske Racing teammate, with Busch in hot pursuit.
Hornish held the point until Busch passed him on Lap 126, and from that point on Busch paced the field. Busch conceded that Hornish may have had the better car, but Busch found a line — or, more accurately, a variety of lines — that worked in the late going.
“I don’t think we were the best car, but I got up on the wheel there at the end and just chased down that 12 (Hornish),” Busch said. “He was really, really good today. I didn’t want to see him win here in front of our home-town crowd of (sponsor) Monster Energy folks that were in the stands and, of course, the Toyota folks that were here today.
“So we got up on the wheel, like I said, and just tried to push hard as far as I could. I ran the top side for a little bit, ran him down, got there and was bale to do like a draft move by him.”
Hornish was gaining on Busch in the closing laps until his No. 12 Ford scraped the wall.
“We just didn’t have enough to be able to beat Kyle today,” Hornish said. “I ran hard and got the lead on the restart a couple of times. He’d run real hard throughout the first 50 to 75 percent of a run, slide the car around, wear it out, and then we’d catch him in the last 25 percent.
“We were doing it again on the last run. I got within about 10 car-lengths of him and got a little greedy, drove it in a little bit too hard and got into the wall. But we want to win races as bad as we want to lead the points. When there was still smoke inside the car halfway down the back straightaway, I was a little bit worried that we were going to end up with a flat tire, and I was going to look real bad. So I’m just glad that things worked out as well as they did.”
Hornish increased his series lead to 28 points over Smith, who passed 11th-place finisher Justin Allgaier for second in the standings. Scott remained third in points, 31 behind Hornish and one ahead of Allgaier in fourth place.
Notes: Kligerman’s fourth-place finish was a career best in the series… Brian Vickers’ day ended with an engine failure after 107 laps. He finished 34th and dropped six spots to 1tth in the standings.
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West Coast success goes beyond Jimmie’s titles
FONTANA, Calif. — Street banners proclaiming “NASCAR is back” hung around Hollywood this week a couple blocks off legendary Mulholland Drive and neighboring Beverly Hills.
Kiosks selling “Tours of the Stars Homes” on the same Hollywood Boulevard sidewalks as Bob Hope’s and John Lennon’s golden stars were crowded with race fans in town for this weekend’s annual NASCAR visit to Auto Club Speedway, about 40 miles inland in Fontana.
A half hour from Fontana, the venerable and now-vanished Riverside International Raceway held 48 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races during a 30-year span from 1958-88, when the sport’s most iconic names from Richard Petty and Bobby Allison to Bill Elliott and Rusty Wallace visited victory circle.
And since 1989, the marquee Sprint Cup circuit has run alongside Northern California’s famous redwoods and vineyards at the scenic Sonoma Raceway road course.
The state has a storied history with NASCAR venues and at long last can claim a distinct domination of championship-caliber drivers.
"I don’t know if it’s the food we eat out here or what it is, but we do seem to produce some good drivers."
— Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, Calif., native
In the past two decades California drivers have won more Sprint Cup Series championships (nine) than racers from any other state.
“It’s eye-opening to me because you go from not having anyone to now having more drivers from the state of California than any other state,’’ said California’s most prolific NASCAR titlist, five-time champ Jimmie Johnson. “The flip in such a short period of time is crazy. …. It’s gotta be the sun. All that sunshine.’’
Twelve times in the past 16 years, a Californian has finished first, second or third in the Cup standings. Johnson, of El Cajon, and Jeff Gordon, of Vallejo, have accounted for nine Cup titles since 1995. No California driver had won previously.
“I don’t know if it’s the food we eat out here or what it is, but we do seem to produce some good drivers,’’ joked Nationwide Series driver Kyle Larson, 20, an Elk Grove, Calif., native who is widely regarded as the next great California NASCAR star.
Not only is the Golden State well-represented in the Cup Series, but Ron Hornaday Jr., of Palmdale, Calif., is a four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion. Mike Skinner, of Ontario, Calif., won the truck championship in 1995.
And Kevin Harvick, of Bakersfield, has contributed a pair of Nationwide Series titles (2001 and 2006) in addition to his two third-place finishes in the Sprint Cup Series championships (2010-11).
"I think that the California racers over the last 10 to 15 years are getting more chances to race now than in the past,’’ Harvick theorized. “I grew up in a racing community that supported its grassroots racing. During my racing career NASCAR created several touring series, which gave me, as well as other West Coast drivers, the opportunity to race more.”
His point is well taken and the opportunity he speaks of, well seized. There are seven California drivers entered in Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Fontana, for example — more than twice as many from California than any other state. Indiana, Wisconsin and Florida each have three.
The sport still has its long and firmly entrenched tradition in the South with fan favorite events such as the Bristol, Tenn., night race and thrilling, suspenseful shows on the Talladega, Ala., and Daytona Beach, Fla., high banks. But it now also benefits from a wider talent scope anchored by a state once better known for surfboards and celebrities than for NASCAR superstars.
“For the longest time, NASCAR was considered a Southern sport, but I think people forgot about how much racing was going on around the country and really how big this state is, so maybe numbers were working in our favor a little bit,’’ Johnson said. “There’s a lot of racing going on here and a lot of dirt racing and dirt racing is really the foundation for a great race car driver. You just learn car control that you can carry into NASCAR.
“During my era coming up, California wasn’t looked at so I’m happy to see so many team owners now are paying attention to West Coast racing.”
Next generation drivers such as Larson are benefitting from the paths blazed by Gordon, Johnson and Harvick. While the hefty statistics supporting California’s contribution to NASCAR surprised Johnson, they were easier for Larson to believe.
“The thing that surprises me is not that there have been so many California guys that are first, second, third, but that Jimmie came from a different background, Harvick came from a different background and me and Jeff came from sprint cars,’’ Larson said. “So there’s so many different routes you can take in California to get to the Sprint Cup Series.
“I don’t know if it’s the competition level out here in the grassroots stuff or what. But it’s produced really good drivers.”
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Relative unknown shines in Nationwide Series
FONTANA, Calif. — Absolutely convinced of his ability and committed to his dream, Alex Bowman finished up high school a year-and-a-half early and at the age of 16, packed up and moved 2,000 miles from his Tucson, Ariz., home to an apartment in Mooresville, N.C., ready to make a name in NASCAR.
Entering the Royal Purple 300, the 19-year-old Bowman led the Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year standings over a host of preseason can’t-misses, big names and mega-teams.
The youngest driver behind the wheel, he has a pair of top-10 finishes and contended for another and is ranked 10th in the championship standings.
“I don’t think a lot of people really gave us high expectations but we all expected a lot of ourselves, we’ve got a lot of good people at RAB Racing and a lot of great race cars,’’ Bowman said. “So we’re not surprised, I think a lot of others might be.
“We’re going to compete for (Sunoco) Rookie of the Year and we’ll compete to win races at the same time.”
"We’re not surprised, I think a lot of others might be. We’re going to compete for (Sunoco) Rookie of the Year and we’ll compete to win races at the same time."
— Alex Bowman
Both the sport’s wily veterans and ordained hotshots have certainly taken notice. Fans should too.
“Alex gets a little overshadowed, but that’s OK, we’ll just keep flying under the radar and by the end of the year people will say, ‘Hey, where did this kid come from,’ ” Bowman’s veteran crew chief Chris Rice explained, with a slight smirk.
Bowman is tall, lanky and appears even younger than his nearly 20 years. He likes video games, loves electronic dance music (EDM) and enjoys drift racing. He’s well-spoken and photogenic. And he’s already got a “brand” and management company run by Daymond John, founder of the FUBU clothing line and star of the popular ABC television show, “Shark Tank.”
“The thing about Daymond is he’s never failed on any of his projects,’’ Bowman said earnestly from the infield of Auto Club Speedway Friday afternoon. “He wanted to get involved with NASCAR and I think he likes that I’m different.’’
And fast.
“We had heard about him through mutual friends and I just started watching Alex and then we met a couple times after that and I became fascinated with him,’’ John said Saturday before giving the starting command for the Royal Purple 300.
“I’ve worked with many, many celebrities in the past from the Kardashians, Lennox Lewis, Pitbull that have become very big and (Bowman) has what it takes that I’ve seen in every single one of those people.
“Alex is a great, great kid and someone who is sellable and can move to the top."
Like a lot of NASCAR’s West Coast drivers, Bowman came up in the USAC midget and sprint ranks before deciding to make a career of it in stock cars. He came to the No. 99 RAB Racing with Brack Maggard team after an impressive 2012 season in the developmental ARCA Series, where he won four races, earned six poles and had double the laps led (554) of anyone else in the series.
What’s most impressive about that is there were only three full-time employees on his ARCA team. It “rented” a pit crew on race day and in addition to Bowman — who worked on the car himself — the team often relied on students from the NASCAR Technical Institute to help prepare the cars for race weekends.
“And that struggle has definitely made him a better driver now,’’ said his long-time friend and current public relations manager Van Knill.
Rice agrees.
“Alex is a car person,’’ Rice said. “He likes cars, he understands cars, and he works on his own car and that doesn’t happen much anymore. And that means he goes faster, quicker. The big thing we have to remember is he’s only 19. He still likes video games and that dance music, but when he’s in the car, it’s like you’re talking to a 30-year-old.’’
That maturity is apparent when speaking with Bowman, who has taken a methodical and measured approach to his career.
“I want to go Cup racing, but I want to win a Nationwide championship first,’’ Bowman said. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself and say I want to go Cup racing in 2015 after two years in the Nationwide Series because if I haven’t consistently won races in the Nationwide Series, I shouldn’t go Cup racing.
“I want to prove myself here before I even think about moving up.’’
It’s an attitude veteran Mark Martin, 54, can appreciate.
With the second most wins in Nationwide Series history, Martin met with Bowman before the series race in Las Vegas two weeks ago. As he’s done with other, more experienced competitors, Bowman picked Martin’s brain and took in all the sage advice he could from the likely future Hall of Famer who is currently driving a partial season for Michael Waltrip Racing.
“So far I give him really high marks,’’ Martin said Friday. “He continues to run better in that car than he should.
“I like his style and his mannerisms. I don’t know him real well yet, but really good first impression.’’
Similar to what he did in Vegas, Bowman took a tutorial ride around the 2-mile oval in a pace car with veteran Elliott Sadler.
“I’ve never been here before so a lot of it visual, seeing all the seams and getting advice on the line to run, different things about the race track,’’ Bowman said.
It’s his willingness to learn, combined with natural ability and an old-school love of mechanics that Rice says gives Bowman that special “it” factor he and John have recognized.
And others have taken note as well. In fact Bowman says the “coolest thing” that’s happened this year was when Kyle Busch congratulated him after an eighth-place run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway — one of the many Nationwide venues Bowman had never turned a lap prior to the season.
“Kyle came out of his way at Las Vegas to say, ‘good job’ and I don’t think he does that very often, so it meant a lot coming from him,’’ Bowman recalled with a wide smile
Leaning back in the team’s hauler, he smiled again thinking about how far he’s come. And how far he can go.
“I’m having a lot of fun,’’ he said. “My crew guys are my best friends. They’ve been awesome. It’s been stressful and a lot of hard work (to get here) but I love what I’m doing and I wouldn’t change a thing.’’
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Driver of No. 54 car follows up win last week with Saturday pole
Kyle Busch, the winner of last week’s Nationwide Series race at Bristol, continued his hot streak by winning the pole during qualifying ahead of Saturday’s Royal Purple 300 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.
Busch ran his first qualifying lap in 40.312 seconds with a best speed of 178.607 mph.
Elliott Sadler, Brian Vickers, Brad Keselowski, and Nelson Piquet Jr. rounded out the top five with times of 40.545, 40.655, 40.683, and 40.708, respectively.
Current points leader Sam Hornish Jr. was seventh with a best speed of 176.246.
Travis Pastrana was 14th with a time of 41.088.
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