Kahne has multiple Cup wins at only one other track
Kasey Kahne has four NSCS wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including the Coca-Cola 600 in 2012. Kahne has had multiple wins at just one other track in his career, and that’s the two victories he has at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Vickers expected to finish, but Hamlin would get points
On Tuesday, Denny Hamlin tweeted he will be back in a race car Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway — if only to start the event.
On Thursday, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver received medical clearance to return to on-track activity this weekend. The team release stated, "Exact plans for this weekend will be determined by the team at Talladega."
Out since suffering a compression fracture in a lower back vertebra in a crash March 24 at Auto Club Speedway, quoted rapper L.L. Cool J Thursday on Twitter, writing "Don’t call it a comeback." Hamlin is expected to start and turn his No. 11 car over to Brian Vickers, who has been driving the vehicle in his absence, and who will finish .
But by starting, Hamlin will get credit for whatever driver points are accumulated in the event — which will bolster his hopes of contending for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Hamlin needs to be inside the top 20 in points to be eligible for a Wild Card spot in the playoff, and he currently stands 28th after sitting out the past four events. He enters Talladega 71 points behind 20th-place Kurt Busch.
“I can not wait to get back in the car,” Hamlin wrote Tuesday on Twitter. “The smell of fuel and tires. Ahh.”
Hamlin was injured racing with Joey Logano for the victory on the final lap at Fontana, Calif., where — after contact between the two cars — he slammed head-on into an inside wall not covered by the SAFER barrier. NASCAR has since said it will have outside experts examine that area of the 2-mile race track and recommend any changes if necessary. Hamlin spent one night in a Southern California hospital, and was diagnosed with a fracture in a lumbar vertebra that doctors estimated would take six weeks to heal.
Hamlin held out hope of returning sooner than expected to compete in last weekend’s event at Richmond, his hometown race track, but doctors nixed that idea after viewing his most recent scan.
"Obviously, my injury is very, very hard because there is no exact science to the risk," Hamlin said at Richmond. "No one knows what the risk will be if I race this week or if I race two weeks from now. Bone healing is completely subjective. It takes bone healing a year most times to be 100 percent, so how do you quantify how much more risk is there this week versus two weeks down the road or three weeks down the road or two months down the road, so that’s the tough part of it. Everyone is erring on the cautious side because no one ultimately wants to be responsible and have their name on the line of clearing a driver and then he goes out and gets hurt."
Hamlin has said for the past two weeks that his hope was to start the race at Talladega, a big track where he could likely pull onto pit road and get out of the car without losing a lap. His target for a full return has been the May 11 race at Darlington. There was no immediate indication Thursday from either Hamlin or his JGR team that he would be able to go the full distance in that event.
If Hamlin’s recovery extends beyond Darlington, though, he would have to re-evaluate his return.
“Obviously, if it goes past Darlington our chances are crushed even harder,” he said at Richmond. “Eventually you have to have a shutdown point of not going out there and racing for nothing at a point. I think a recovery on the kind of surgery that I would like to have is about a month-and-a-half or so — I could potentially come back maybe for the tail end of the year. I don’t think anything would be season-ending, I guess you could say. Eventually you have to know the point at which you’re looking at improbabilities of making the Chase and just being smart about it."
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Cars work in tandem in preparation for Aaron’s 312
Related: Practice results
TALLADEGA, Ala. — With a push from Trevor Bayne, Ty Dillon went to the top of the speed chart with a lap of 192.131 mph during Thursday’s closing practice session for the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Talladega Superspeedway.
Dillon, a regular in the Camping World Truck Series, is making one of a handful Nationwide starts this weekend for Richard Childress Racing. He had finished 13th in the initial afternoon practice.
Bayne, who led the opening session, was clocked at 192.127 as the Roush Fenway Racing driver hooked up with Dillon in the draft on the 2.66-mile track.
Pastrana (Roush Fenway Racing) was third at 191.012, followed by Richard Petty Motorsports’ Reed Sorenson at 191.012 and Regan Smith (JR Motorsports) at 189.872.
Kasey Kahne, series points leader Sam Hornish Jr., Joey Logano, Austin Dillon and Joey Coulter completed the top 10.
Qualifying for the Aaron’s 312 is scheduled for Friday at 12:10 p.m. (ET). Saturday’s race is slated to get underway at 3 p.m.
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Fans, industry reduce sport’s impact on environment with 150,000 new trees
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Thirty days, six figures and one goal — achieved with intense commitment to an unprecedented call-to-action across all NASCAR stakeholders.
NASCAR Race to Green™, a month-long initiative that galvanized teams, tracks, drivers, official NASCAR partners and most importantly fans, resulted in more than 150,000 trees being planted across the country, including in areas affected by natural disasters.
As part of its centennial anniversary, the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) has partnered with NASCAR to help offset the carbon footprint of fans attending all NASCAR-sanctioned races across the Commonwealth of Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia International Raceway in Alton and South Boston Speedway in 2013. The VDOF and NASCAR partnered to sign a voluntary, three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that outlines VDOF’s commitment to pledge trees throughout a number of state forests.
NASCAR teams and drivers did their part throughout the month with more than 90 percent of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams featuring the NASCAR Green logo on the b-post of their race cars, supported by exposure from FOX Sports and SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Michael Waltrip Racing drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer for Toyota and Front Row Motorsports driver David Ragan for UPS, attended events that encouraged fans to pledge trees. On Earth Day the NASCAR Foundation, Sprint, UPS and New Holland joined to support a park restoration project in the Kansas City area with the Student Conservation Association and the Arbor Day Foundation.
The month of April also marked the launch of the NASCAR Green Clean Air Tree Planting Program Delivered by UPS. In a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, UPS committed to plant more than 8,000 trees in 2013 – including 90 in each market where the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races for the remainder of the season. As part of the program, a number of NASCAR-sanctioned tracks planted trees in their local community, including: Daytona International Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Martinsville Speedway. Pocono Raceway and UPS also made a donation of 13,000 trees that were planted at the Flight 93 Memorial National Parks Service facility in Shanksville, Pa.
“The extent to which our fans and the industry collectively rallied to positively impact the environment was overwhelming,” said Dr. Michael Lynch, NASCAR managing director of Green Innovation. Citing an April 2013 study of the Official NASCAR Fan Council, Lynch expanded, “three out of four avid NASCAR fans are now aware of NASCAR Green and believe NASCAR cares about the environment.”
NASCAR Official Partners were among the main contributors to NASCAR Race to Green, rallying around the initiative through a series of unique activations, a commitment to pledge trees, and participation in a number of events that took place throughout the month of April. Partners taking an active role included:
3M — donated a tree for every lap run in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
American Ethanol — donated a tree for every mile raced in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Axalta Coating Systems — donated trees for every lap Jeff Gordon led while driving the CromaxPro car
Coors Light — Miss Coors Light encouraged fans to plant trees and recycle at track.
Creative Recycling Systems — donated trees for every green flag waived in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
DRIVE4COPD — donated trees for every lap that Austin Dillon and Ty Dillon led in their respective series.
Exide Batteries — donated trees for every 10 tons of recyclable material it collected companywide.
Featherlite Trailers — donated trees for every Featherlite-transported driver who won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.
Ford Motor Company — donated a tree for every lap a Ford Racing driver led in the Nationwide Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Freightliner Trucks — donated trees for every Freightliner driver that won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.
Green Earth Technologies — donated trees for every green flag lap of competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Liberty Tire Recycling — committed to plant trees in multiple locations in 2013.
M&M’s — committed to plant trees at the new Mars Chocolate North America production facility in Topeka.
Sprint — Sprint employees planted trees on Earth Day at Weston State Park in Kansas.
Sunoco — donated trees to represent the number of pit stops across all three NASCAR national series.
Toyota — throughout all three NASCAR national series, donated trees for every Toyota in Victory Lane, every Toyota driver who captured the Coors Light Pole Award, every lap led by a Toyota driver
and for every caution lap in which the Toyota Camry paced.
UPS — donated thousands of trees to areas impacted by natural disasters and to the Flight 93 Memorial site.
The next NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race will be the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, May 5 at 1 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes, Motor Racing Network Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio.
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Leaders separated by average of only 19,500 votes: Vote here
Every driver wants to race his or her way into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but if a checkered flag isn’t captured this weekend at Talladega or next at Darlington, those eligible will need to rely on the Sprint Fan Vote or finish first or second in the Sprint Showdown qualifying race.
To date, an average of only 19,500 votes separates the drivers currently in the top 10 positions for the Sprint Fan Vote. While that figure seems high, history shows its futility. In 2012, more than 1.2 million votes were cast during the last three campaign weeks. That’s an average of more than 57,000 votes each day and nearly 3,000 cast each hour. The race for the Sprint Fan Vote is anything but over.
Sprint Fan Vote: Vote Now. Vote Often.
Former Daytona 500 winners Bill Elliott, Jamie McMurray and Michael Waltrip are notable names on the roster campaigning for Sprint Fan Votes, as are 2013 Rookie of the Year candidates Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
The 10 drivers leading the Sprint Fan Vote standings (in alphabetical order) are AJ Allmendinger, Jeff Burton, Elliott, Bobby Labonte, McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya, Patrick, Stenhouse Jr., Martin Truex Jr. and Waltrip. NASCAR couple Patrick and Stenhouse even took to YouTube about the vote.
In addition to accumulating the most votes, a Sprint Fan Vote-eligible driver must also finish the Sprint Showdown qualifying race on the lead lap with a car in “raceable” condition (as determined by NASCAR Competition) to earn a spot in the race field.
Fans can vote an unlimited number of times until 5 p.m. (EDT) on May 18 by downloading the NASCAR Mobile ’13 application or visiting NASCAR.com/SprintFanVote. Votes cast on NASCAR Mobile ’13 will count twice toward a driver’s total. The driver receiving the highest number of votes will earn a spot in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, which airs live at 7:30 p.m. (EDT) on SPEED. Radio coverage on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio begins at 6:30 p.m. (EDT).
Tickets for the entire NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race weekend are on sale now. Packages start at just $99 for all weekend events including scanner rental. To purchase tickets, call 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.
Fans are encouraged to follow @MissSprintCup, @CLTMotorSpdwy and @NASCAR on Twitter to engage in the #SprintAllStar Race and #SprintFanVote conversations throughout the voting window.
Drivers eligible for the Sprint Fan Vote:
AJ Allmendinger
Aric Almirola
Dave Blaney
Mike Bliss
Jeff Burton
Landon Cassill
Bill Elliott
David Gilliland
Travis Kvapil
Bobby Labonte
Terry Labonte
Michael McDowell
Jamie McMurray
Casey Mears
Paul Menard
Juan Pablo Montoya
Danica Patrick
David Ragan
David Reutimann
Scott Speed
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
David Stremme
Martin Truex Jr.
Michael Waltrip
Josh Wise
JJ Yeley
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Nationwide Series driver stays resilient one year after frightening crash
One year later, Eric McClure still hurts. His hands, his wrists, his feet — all are aching reminders of that day at the track when his life changed.
Seven months clear last December, McClure rode a roller coaster at an amusement park without a second thought. The next morning, he woke up light-headed, vomiting and on the phone immediately with Charlotte neurosurgeon Dr. Jerry Petty as he reeled from concussive symptoms.
Even now, with the calendar rolling back into May, there’s lingering pain that brings both remembrance and perspective.
"All the scary, scary stuff is better," McClure said last weekend at Richmond International Raceway, motioning to his head and abdomen, "but I wake up every day with a reminder that I hit the wall very hard. It’s still to the point where it’s like, ‘When do I have the surgery on the feet? When do I do this?’ That affects what I do at home, how much I can run around with the kids, everything."
"If NASCAR hadn’t done what they’d done over the last few years, I wouldn’t be here."
— Eric McClure
On May 5 of last year, McClure was involved in one of the most frightening wrecks of the season in the final laps of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, leaving him with serious injuries that placed his career at a crossroads. On Saturday, he’ll return to competition at the 2.66-mile track for the first time since his life-altering accident.
"It’s hard to believe it’s been a year. There’s so many reminders of it," he said. "Every week, when you’re waiting to qualify or going out to the race, there’s somebody who wants to stop and say ‘hey, we’re glad you came through that OK’ and somebody’s always talking about it. That’s nice that they care, but it makes it seem like it was more recent than it was. But as far as how we approach things, it seems like a million years ago in that capacity as far as the race cars go.
"It’s a lot different now. Things have changed. I’m sure when we first pull in, we’ll have the memories of everything that happened, but once we get on track, it’ll become just another race."
Thankfully, McClure says, the memories of the crash itself are murky. He remembers his brakes failing before impact, being airlifted from the track and fearing that he’d fall from the helicopter, and his aversion to getting an IV.
His strongest memories, however, were reserved for the reaction from his family — his wife, Miranda, and his four daughters, now ranging in age from 6 to 1 1/2 — in the aftermath. It hits even closer to home now — the McClures are expecting their fifth daughter in mid-August.
"I can take it, I’m a big boy, but to see what Miranda and the girls went through, I can’t forget the way they looked," McClure said. "There was a private moment when it was just my wife and I … that was the biggest single thing that happened. That was the first moment that she hadn’t had to hold it all together. I don’t think I could ever do it justice, but it was something I will never forget to feel how much love she had for me."
The day
McClure’s No. 14 Chevrolet was lined up 20th out of 26 lead-lap cars on the first attempt at a green-white-checker overtime finish as the late-afternoon shadows got longer at Talladega. He quickly gained four spots, but the tense restart went haywire as the field reached full speed on the backstretch.
The jumble at the front of the pack had a trickle-down effect. Caught in the middle was McClure’s car, brushed by one car from the right side and collected by another on the left, angling it toward the inside retaining wall.
McClure remembers pressing his brake pedal and nothing happening. As a result, his car scrubbed off very little speed, making it appear in TV replays that his car had sped up before hitting the SAFER barrier nearly head-on. His last memory was the heart-sinking feeling as he braced for impact.
TriStar team owner Mark Smith watched from a big screen behind one of the pit boxes as the car skidded to a stop, his driver not moving.
"You always wait for the window net to drop down, your guy to jump out, get in the ambulance and they drive off," Smith said. "The feeling you go through watching and waiting, then the jaws of life come out."
McClure was cut from the car during the red flag and airlifted to University of Alabama Birmingham Medical Center. He remembers, by his count, nine doctors from a trauma team shouting orders over him as he was transported from the helicopter. Once he was transferred to a room that night, he eventually saw his first fuzzy replay of the accident as he checked for an Atlanta Braves score on a small TV. Remarkably, he was released from the hospital just two days later, feeling fortunate to be alert and awake after a concussion and internal bruising.
"When I got to the hospital, I walked in the door and said, ‘Wow, he looks really good,’ " Smith said. "Honestly, he was sitting up, we talked and I just thought well he’s just going to get up and drive home tonight. I’m sure with the adrenaline and everything that’s going on at the time, I just thought he was bruised up. Had no idea the extent of the injuries."
As he recuperated, Maryleigh McClure, then 3, checked on her father with a stethoscope. A year later, the McClures’ children opt against watching the races, knowing that an element of danger is inherent in the sport.
What McClure also knows is that safety advances by NASCAR and tracks likely saved his life. It’s part of why he’s been outspoken in showing his appreciation, doing his best to track down and locate every nurse and medical staffer who assisted him in the harrowing hours after the crash.
"That’s the overwhelming, overriding feeling is if NASCAR hadn’t done what they’d done over the last few years, I wouldn’t be here," he said. "I’m glad. Every day."
The return
On May 11, McClure stepped lightly into the Darlington Raceway media center to meet the press and sort through the events of the past six days. He didn’t have a clear timetable for his return to racing, but his determination was unwavering. All that was left was medical clearance after a hard road of recovery.
"There was some concern through the recovery process that I wasn’t healing as fast as I needed to with my head," McClure said. "I was concerned they would tell me I couldn’t come back. For me personally, I wanted to come back and do it and I wanted to show — we’d been battling so many things before the accident — I wanted to say I can do this. That was a big deal."
An even bigger deal for McClure was the outpouring of support from the NASCAR community. Fellow drivers who he hadn’t crossed paths with were now reaching out to him and offering thoughts, prayers and assistance.
"I’d get a tweet or an email, something on Facebook or people want to shake your hand, I mean, that’s really cool," McClure said. "I’ve been around a long time and I enjoy it, and I feel like we’ve made our place in the sport and we belong here, but to have people grab you and just say, ‘hey man, we prayed for you. We’re just so glad to see you back,’ that just means the world to us."
His first race back was a pedestrian 21st-place effort at the 4.048-mile Road America circuit, followed two weeks later by an 18th-place at Daytona in his first restrictor-plate race since the accident. As the summer rolled on and he took the first steps toward resuming his driving career, McClure began to wonder about his future in NASCAR, even consulting Smith about a different role with the team.
"About August, there was a lot of soul-searching and I was done," McClure said. "I didn’t want to do it any more. I saw how it affected my kids, saw how it affected my wife, and I thought, ‘I’m 33 and is it worth it any more?’ I’m not going to be a full-time Cup driver and I love what I’m doing here, but there comes a time when you have to prioritize. …
"And then September, Kentucky weekend, I remember I’d been racing and doing OK, we would have one good race and one bad race. But I woke up, and I felt good. I felt normal. It was the first time since the accident that I felt like everything was normal with my head and everything, and then all of a sudden my performance picked up for the last six races of the year. I had fun again, and it changed everything."
Back to Talladega
Instead of anxiety, there’s reason for optimism in McClure’s camp for his return to Talladega. His drive through the last-lap melee in the season-opener at Daytona resulted in his best career finish of eighth place, a double shot of milestones by posting his first-ever top-10 effort in his 200th Nationwide start.
That convincing run, plus the equalizing nature of restrictor-plate racing, is what McClure will focus on this weekend, even though spending time and turning laps at the monstrous Alabama track will likely trigger his memory.
"I’m not going to tell you it’s not going to be a big deal and I don’t want to dramatize it, but I’m not going to tell you it won’t cross my mind," McClure said. "In this business, like anybody else that’s had accidents before, you can’t let it bother you or you don’t need to be out there. I think at Daytona we were able to prove that when it’s time to race, we race and I don’t see where next week will be any different."
The pre-race rituals will be the same for McClure ahead of Saturday’s Aaron’s 312 (3 p.m. ET, ESPN), but he’ll buckle in as a changed man. The crash may have exacted a physical toll on the 34-year-old driver, but it’s also given him newfound perspective for what matters most, especially as his family prepares to grow again this summer.
"Like anybody that goes through something like this whether it’s at the race track or at their house, you hug the kids a little extra tighter," he said. "Whatever they want to do, it becomes now instead of ‘OK, I’ve got to have this conference call,’ then maybe it can wait. Maybe I need to make sure to take care of what I need to take care of first. …
"I am a better person because of what happened. I could talk for two hours about how this has really impacted our lives, but it’s way too much drama unless people have gone through something traumatic. It was huge for our family. It just uprooted everything we were used to. It made us think about career steps, family steps, what we need to focus on.
"When people go through things, it affects them differently and not everyone can relate to that situation, but for me, it’s just still surreal."
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Penske penalties remain in effect; Roger Penske plans to appeal the ruling to the Chief Appellate Officer
Appeals Panel statement | Up to Speed | Full Penske penalty coverage
CONCORD, N.C. — Roger Penske has lost an appeal of penalties levied against his Sprint Cup race teams, but will make a final plea to the sport’s Chief Appellate Officer.
Three members from the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel on Wednesday unanimously upheld fines, suspensions and point deductions stemming from rear-end parts that were confiscated from the cars of Penske Racing drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano prior to the April 13 at Texas Motor Speedway. Penske will now make one final argument to the Chief Appellate Officer, whose decision is final.
“Obviously, a disappointing outcome with the panel,” Penske said at the NASCAR Research and Development Center, where the appeal was heard. “We met with the panel probably for over four or five hours. It’s a good process. I feel we have a good case, and we’re allowed to under the NASCAR rules in the rule book to appeal this to the next level. We’ve notified NASCAR that we will go ahead and appeal this ruling today to the next level. Because of that, I really can’t make any other comments.”
The three members of the 48-person appeals panel who heard Wednesday’s arguments were Brandon Igdalsky, president of Pocono Raceway; Dale Pinilis, operator of Bowman Gray Stadium; and Paul Brooks, a former NASCAR senior vice president.
“We take our inspection process very seriously. We believe we do a strong and credible job with it,” NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said. “And we think that the level playing field of competition now in the garage is the best it’s ever been. … As the sanctioning body, we’ve got to uphold the rules and regulations that are in the rule book. That’s part of our job. The inspection process we believe in very, very strongly, and I believe the garage does, too.”
Keselowski and Logano were each docked 25 points by NASCAR after officials confiscated the rear-end housings in the Nos. 2 and 22 cars during inspection prior to the Texas race. Paul Wolfe, crew chief on the No. 2 car, was fined $100,000 and suspended for six points events plus the Sprint All-Star Race, as was Todd Gordon, his counterpart on the No. 22 car.
Suspended for the same duration were Keselowski’s car chief Jerry Kelley and team engineer Brian Wilson, as were Logano’s car chief Raymond Fox and team engineer Samuel Stanley. Travis Geisler, competition director for the Penske team and a former crew chief, was also suspended six weeks. All suspended personnel were also placed on probation through Dec. 31.
The violations stemmed from infractions on the vehicles’ rear ends, leading to a rushed change-out of the confiscated parts during pre-race ceremonies at Texas, and forcing Logano to start at the rear of the field because NASCAR ruled his car did not make the starting grid on time. Penalties followed days later, with NASCAR determining that the rear-end setups violated sections of the rule book pertaining to the correct size of mounting holes, and limitations on movement or realignment of suspension parts beyond normal rotation or travel.
Wolfe, Gordon, Geisler, and the other suspended members of the Penske team have been able to work through the appeals process, although the point deductions to the drivers have already gone into effect. The suspended personnel will continue to be able to work until the final appeal is held on Tuesday at 10 a.m.
The appeal began at 9 a.m. Wednesday, and ended at around 2:45 p.m. In addition to the team owner, the Penske delegation also included vice chairman Walt Czarnecki — the listed owner of the No. 22 car — and president Tim Cindric, as well as Wolfe, Gordon and Geisler. Keselowski was at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday completing the second and final day of a Goodyear tire test.
“All I can say about the process is, I think it’s fair and equitable,” Penske said. “We had the opportunity to explain our case, the situation in detail. Obviously the information that we were able to demonstrate to the panel, they determined they would uphold the violations. We will obviously move on to the next step.”
Middlebrook, a retired General Motors executive, last year overturned a 25-point penalty to Jimmie Johnson and six-week suspension to crew chief Chad Knaus for technical violations on the No. 48 car prior to the Daytona 500, although he left intact a $100,000 fine. But he also upheld suspensions to two members of Richard Childress Racing’s No. 27 team, who were penalized for illegal modifications of frame rails.
Next Wednesday brings another appeal, this one by Joe Gibbs Racing, which will argue penalties levied against the No. 20 team for a connecting rod in Matt Kenseth’s winning Kansas engine that was lighter than the minimum allowable weight. Kenseth was docked 50 points for that infraction, while crew chief Jason Ratcliff was suspended six weeks and fined $200,000, and Gibbs had his owners’ license frozen for six weeks.
The connecting rod in question was manufactured by a vendor and placed in an engine built by Toyota Racing Development, which has said the violation was not an attempt to gain a competitive edge, and did not provide one. As is the case with the suspended Penske crewmen, Ratcliff can work until the appeal process is complete, although the point deduction has already gone into effect.
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Kevin Harvick’s Richmond dash example of how fortunes change quickly
Related: Aaron’s 499 entry list | Complete Talladega coverage
Saturday night’s event at Richmond International Raceway took much about what we knew about this Sprint Cup season and turned it on its head. There was Juan Pablo Montoya, buried in a deep points hole, running away from the field. There was series leader Jimmie Johnson, never really a factor. There was Brad Keselowski, he of the four straight top-fives to open the year, once again battling to get back on the lead lap. There was Tony Stewart, off the radar since Daytona, elbowing toward contention.
And there was Kevin Harvick, lame-duck standard-bearer of a Richard Childress Racing organization that’s underwhelmed to this point, storming from seventh to first in the final lap of a green-white-checkered finish to earn a victory that was almost as unlikely as it was dramatic. Harvick led only three laps in the event, and has led only four all season, and yet there he was in Victory Lane hugging a new trophy and taking a big step toward the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
“We’ve had speed, and we were frustrated,” he said of his year to that point. “I think all of us were frustrated, not just myself … but I think everybody on our team. You can talk till you’re blue in the face that your car is running good. People like you guys (in the media) look at the results on Monday and the points, and they weren’t where we thought we should be. I think a win goes a long ways.”
"But a lot of times people on the outside looking in, they look at where you finished, and that’s it."
–Jamie McMurray
Indeed it does, and it’s also the latest event to challenge conventional wisdom about a 2013 campaign that’s becoming increasingly difficult to figure out. Sure, Johnson has a 43-point edge in the standings that comparatively is one of the biggest through nine races in 20 years. But even he has moments when he appears downright mortal, adding to an array of indicators that all seem to contradict one another. Who’s good? Who’s bad? Right now, who really knows?
It all makes for great fun to watch on television or from the grandstands, even if it causes headaches for anyone trying to divine true contenders from a melting pot of possibilities. No question, the unpredictability factor has been heightened in recent years by the implementation of elements like the green-white-checkered rule and the double-file restart, two things Harvick probably wouldn’t have won without on Saturday night. But now there’s a new car, a Generation-6 vehicle that has thrown another major variable into the mix.
The result is competition that — Johnson’s massive points lead not withstanding — feels as wide open and unpredictable as ever, with events occurring on the race track that seem to be completely removed from what’s going on in the standings. How else to explain Montoya, 27th in points and without a top-five finish in over two years, completely dominating the latter stages of a race he would have won easily had a caution flag not intervened? It’s that kind of year.
Granted, statistics can be deceiving, and final results are not always a completely accurate indicator of how well a car may be running. As Harvick lectured after Saturday night’s race, this can be a frustrating reality for drivers, who in the public eye are ultimately judged by the numbers. In an interview at Richmond, Jamie McMurray echoed as much in explaining why his No. 1 team was off to a promising start after what outwardly appeared to be a forgettable 2012 campaign. In his eyes, they were laying groundwork.
“On the competition side, you know more about what’s going on, and all the people that are involved in it with you understand and are maybe more sympathetic toward the result and why that is,” said McMurray, 12th in the standings. “But a lot of times people on the outside looking in, they look at where you finished, and that’s it.”
These days, though, the standings can be as difficult to decipher as Sanskrit. Consider, for example, the cases of:
— Brad Keselowski. The reigning champion had an awesome first four races, finishing in the top five in each one. Since then, Keselowski has faced a litany of issues — in fairness, not all of his own making — that have left him battling to get back on the lead lap rather than contending for race wins. He’s shown an amazing degree of resilience, a credit to both his mentality and how fast his car is. Again and again, he charges through traffic. But how much longer can he keep it up?
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. Remember when Earnhardt was the points leader? That seems long ago, as does his streak of five straight top-10s to open the year. A 10th-place finish at Richmond staunched a rough stretch that saw him fall to fifth in the standings, but it all begs the question — which is the real No. 88 team? The one before Martinsville, the one after, or somewhere in between?
— Joey Logano. Like his Penske Racing teammate Keselowski, his standing in the points has been compromised by a penalty. But perhaps no driver has vacillated more between mediocrity and greatness more than Logano, who had a brilliant run going at Fontana until he wrecked with Denny Hamlin, and made all the right moves at Richmond to snag third. He has his moments that shine brightly, but until he can string more of them together, they remain just that.
— Paul Menard and Aric Almirola. Everyone keeps waiting for them to fall, and they just keep hanging around. Menard is quietly (of course) off to his best start ever, even if he’s led only two laps. Almirola has strung together three consecutive top-10s for the first time in his career, though he’s led no laps. Penalties to other drivers have helped these two maintain Chase position, as so many still wonder if they’re for real.
— Jimmie Johnson. Yes, even Five-Time. No question, his lead is enormous, comparatively the biggest at this point since Jeff Gordon under the old system in 2007 (and we all know how that worked out). An average finish of 7.2 and no DNFs will do the job every time. Still — has he really been challenged yet? Matt Kenseth has been saddled with a penalty, Kyle Busch has crashed two weeks in a row, Keselowski and Earnhardt have had their issues. Is Johnson really that far ahead of the field, or is his advantage inflated due to circumstances?
At this point it’s difficult to tell, which is the case with so many of these guys, which can produce an event like Saturday’s in which a guy without a top-five in two years can have the field covered, and a guy with all of four laps led on the season can be the winner. And goodness, we haven’t even gotten to Talladega, where the unpredictability is amped up to stratospheric levels. Why not someone like Stewart, who was so great at Speedweeks, and has been AWOL ever since? If he pulls into Victory Lane on Sunday, would anyone really be surprised?
Not this year, where not everything is as it seems. After all, Saturday morning, Richard Childress Racing appeared to be an organization in search of itself. Late Saturday night, the car owner was talking title.
“I think we got a great shot of winning that championship this year,” Childress said. “We just got to be there at the end of the day. They’re not easy to win, championships aren’t. But that’s the one thing I want to accomplish. This could be the year.”
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Unanimous decision made to uphold penalties
On May 1, 2013, the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel heard and considered the appeal of the No. 2 and No. 22 Penske Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams.
The penalties concern Sections 12-1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing; 12-4J: Any determination by NASCAR Officials that race equipment used in the event does not conform to the NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20 of the NASCAR rule book, or has not been approved by NASCAR prior to the event; and 20-12: All suspension systems and components must be approved by NASCAR. Prior to being used in competition, all suspension systems and components must be submitted in a completed form/assembly to the office of the NASCAR competition administrator for consideration of approval and approved by NASCAR. Each such part may thereafter be used until NASCAR determines that such part is no longer eligible. All suspension fasteners and mounting hardware must be made of solid magnetic steel. All front end and rear end suspension mounts with mounting hardware assembled must have single round mounting holes that are the correct size for the fastener being used. All front end and rear end suspension mounts and mounting hardware must not allow movement or realignment of any suspension component beyond component normal rotation or suspension travel.
The penalties stemmed from a pre-race inspection at Texas Motor Speedway April 13.
The original penalties assessed to the No. 2 team were:
· Crew chief (Paul Wolfe): $100,000 fine; suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events; placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31;
· Car chief Jerry Kelley, team engineer Brian Wilson and team manager Travis Geisler (serves as team manager for both the No. 2 and No. 22 cars): Suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events; placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31;
· Car owner Roger Penske: Loss of 25 championship owner points;
· Driver Brad Keselowski: Loss of 25 championship driver points.
The original penalties assessed to the No. 22 team were:
· Crew chief (Todd Gordon): $100,000 fine; suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events; placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31;
· Car chief Raymond Fox and team engineer Samuel Stanley: Suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events; placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31;
· Car owner Walt Czarnecki: Loss of 25 championship owner points;
· Driver Joey Logano: Loss of 25 championship driver points.
The Appellants appealed all penalties listed above. The Appellants also requested and were granted a deferral of the suspensions until such time as the hearing could be convened.
Upon hearing the testimony and carefully reviewing the facts, it was a unanimous decision by the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel to uphold the original penalties assessed by NASCAR.
The Appellants have the right under Section 15 of the rule book to appeal this decision to the National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer.
Brandon Igdalsky
Paul Brooks
Dale Pinilis
Shawn Rogers – Appellate Administrator and non-voting member
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Kenseth receives a top-spot vote, but Johnson remains; Keselowski tumbles after bad finish, failed appeals hearing
Outlook: Johnson recovered from brief contact with Tony Stewart to finish in a respectable 12th at Richmond. It wasn’t enough to be his seventh top-10 in nine races, but it was plenty to keep his lofty lead in the standings.
Standings: 1st, 343 points
Outlook: Perhaps no driver came into Richmond hotter than Kahne, but a mix-up with Mark Martin proved costly for the Hendrick Motorsports driver. Still, he’s in great position at third in the standings.
Standings: 3rd, 297 points
Outlook: Heading into the Richmond race, things looked a little dicey for Bowyer, as his engine received some changes as a precautionary measure in light of the recent Toyota penalties. It sure didn’t matter, as Bowyer raced to a second-place finish. And he had plenty to say about the new Gen-6 car post-race.
Standings: 5th, 290 points
Outlook: After taking the pole ahead of the Richmond race, it looked as if Kenseth was primed to make a statement victory but finished seventh despite leading 140 laps. Regardless, he’s still holding onto a Chase for the Sprint Cup wild card spot, but his fate will be determined at his appeals hearing May 8.
Standings: 13th, 241 points
Outlook: Getting driven to school by Carl Edwards in 2012 would have been cool, sure. But now that he sits second in the points standings, it’s even cooler.
Standings: 2nd, 300 points
Chipper Jones to be Talladega grand marshal
Post-race reactions: Toyota Owner’s 400
Victory Lane: Richmond smiles on Harvick
Sights and Sounds: Toyota Owners 400
Race Rewind: Toyota Owners 400
NASCAR Automotive Technology Series: Seven-post shaker
Outlook: With the news dropping Wednesday that the penalties issued to he and Penske teammate Joey Logano were to be upheld, Keselowski’s status as a heavyweight contender took a hit. He’ll likely get back up there, but for the time being his stock is down. | Penske latest
Standings: 6th, 263 points
Outlook: Busch avoided disaster on Saturday after a penalty was reversed, but he might not be so lucky this weekend. Averaging just one top-10 finish per four starts in 16 career appearances at Talladega, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver could lose some ground in the standings.
Standings: 7th, 278 points
Outlook: Earnhardt was the brightest spot in an otherwise dim race for Hendrick cars, moving up late in the race to finish 10th. Expect another solid race from Junior at Talladega, where both he and his father have reigned supreme.
Standings: 4th, 297 points
Outlook: Harvick may have only led four laps all season, but he’s been just good enough that his win at Richmond vaulted him into the top 10 in points and secured his place there for the time being.
Standings: 9th, 271 points
Outlook: The last few laps and green-white-checkered finish of the Toyota Owners 400 weren’t for the faint of heart. Logano proved he can hang with the big dogs by securing a third-place finish after a heated restart and thrilling culmination.
Standings: 17th, 228 points
Outlook: In some races, some drivers are extremely lucky, while others are on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Biffle fell into that second category at Richmond. While still in eighth place, he dropped four places in the standings and has never won at Talladega in 20 starts.
Standings: 8th, 272 points
Outlook: While an 11th-place finish didn’t harm his place in the standings too much, it didn’t help Gordon much, either. After taking the final practice and qualifying third, the Hendrick driver has to be unsatisfied with the way he fell behind in the race, but will be looking forward to Talladega, where he finishes in the top 10 nearly half the time (19 of 40 starts).
Standings: 14th, 235 points
Outlook: For a driver looking to build some momentum, Truex Jr. was the unlucky recipient of a tight car and was later spun out once he gained track position at Richmond. Still, he’s just barely on the outside looking in with regard to the Chase.
Standings: 10th, 240 points
Outlook: There has been just one driver to finish on the lead lap in every event this season. Not Jimmie Johnson. Not Brad Keselowski. Paul. Menard.
Standings: 11th, 227 points
Outlook: Almirola now has three consecutive top-10 finishes in hand, as well as the first of two wild card spots in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. It’ll be tough to keep the streak alive at Talladega, however, where he has not finished above 12th in six tries.
Standings: 11th, 258 points
Outlook: McMurray has gotten off to a pretty promising start in 2013 but is still looking for a signature race this season. He has no top-fives and will need a win to stay in Chase contention. He’s currently out of a spot, despite being in 12th place.
Standings: 12th, 245 points
Outlook: Busch didn’t seem to think his run-in with Tony Stewart was as big of a deal as say, Stewart did. Probably because Busch has two top-fives to his credit this season, while Stewart merely has one top-10.
Standings: 20th, 216 points
Outlook: While he was up to fourth place late in the race, Newman fell behind as things wound down and he finished in 15th. With two DNFs under his belt, his one top-five and four top-10 finishes this season haven’t amounted to much, as he’s still in 16th place.
Standings: 16th, 229 points
Outlook: Everyone was surprised at how well Montoya ran the Richmond race — especially at the end. The EGR driver nearly secured his first Sprint Cup win on an oval track but was still pleased with his fourth-place finish.
Standings: 24th, 183 points
Outlook: Frustration clearly got to the agitated and disappointing Stewart on Saturday, as minor contact with Kurt Busch led to a heated exchange between the drivers post-race. There’s still plenty of season left and this might not be the end of Stewart’s meltdowns.
Standings: 22nd, 207 points
Note: These rankings have been determined by a poll that included writers Kenny Bruce, Holly Cain, David Caraviello and Zack Albert, and video host Alan Cavanna. Tell us what you think about the Power Rankings. Use the hashtag #NASCARPOWER.
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