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Gibbs driver aims to build on successful 2012 at restricted superspeedways

There was a time when Matt Kenseth cared not so much for the series’ four restrictor-plate races.
 
"I used to dread it," the Joe Gibbs Racing driver said April 30 during a NASCAR Cam teleconference.
 
And then he swept through last year’s four stops — two apiece at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway — with a success rate that has rarely been seen on the big tracks. Two wins and a pair of third-place finishes gave Kenseth an average finish of 2.0 on the tracks where speed is king and the brake pedal is an afterthought.

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“Yeah, that was a pretty gaudy number,” Kenseth admitted. “I don’t think we’ll ever be able to do that again. It’s the same approach, you show up at the track, you go through to lead laps, put yourself in position to win.”
 
Of course, it’s just as likely that a driver will be swept up in one of the multicar crashes that regularly occur. While drivers don’t often consider the potential for such trouble at other venues, Talladega is the exception.
 
The finish of last fall’s race was typical. Kenseth, the 2003 series champion, was celebrating in victory lane while workers were likely still removing the final remnants of a 25-car incident that occurred on the last lap.
 
“I think whenever you go to … a restrictor-plate race, certainly being in a wreck is more on your mind than any other race track; you’re going faster, (in) big packs,” he said.
 
“Ever since I started racing, or even really started watching NASCAR racing, that’s the way it’s been. The first thing you think of when you think of Talladega and you want to be honest, you think of a wreck. As a fan or driver or whatever, that’s usually what comes to your mind … big packs of cars and big wrecks.”
 
Already twice a winner this season, Kenseth heads into the April 5 Aaron’s 499 racing under a bit of a cloud — his Kansas win was overshadowed by a hefty penalty when his car’s engine failed inspection.
 
The subsequent 50-point penalty dropped him to 14th in points, and although he improved to 13th with a top-10 finish last weekend at Richmond, Kenseth hopes a May 8 appeal of the severity of the punishment will be successful.
 
Regardless of the outcome, it appears Kenseth and his No. 20 team, led by crew chief Jason Ratcliff, will continue to be contenders on the track. He’ll be going for his third consecutive pole this weekend, has led multiple laps in seven of the nine races and has five top-10 finishes.
 
“I can tell you that I have a ton of confidence in my race team,” he said. “These guys are really, really good … our performance has been nothing short of spectacular all year.”
 
He led 86 laps in the season-opening Daytona 500 and was out front when engine troubles struck just shy of the lap-150 mark. He also suffered a DNF at Bristol while running second when leader Jeff Gordon crashed in front of him on lap 390 of the 500-lap race.
 
“Although we don’t have all the finishes to show for it, I’m real thankful to have two wins,” Kenseth said. “We had a couple races where everything worked out all right. I feel really good with where we are at today, still obviously trying to move forward, get the cars faster, me do a better job on track, all that stuff.
 
“I certainly feel good about where we are from a performance standpoint only being here nine races into the year, and hopefully we can keep that moving forward.”
 
• If Kenseth was the standout on restrictor-plate tracks last year, Jimmie Johnson was on the opposite end of the spectrum. The five-time Cup champion had a best finish of 17th in plate races and failed to finish three of the four.
 
The good news for Johnson? He snapped the run of misfortune with a victory in this year’s Daytona 500.
 
The bad news? The race-winning car will be on display in Daytona until next year, and thus unavailable for further use.
 
“We would like to (use our Daytona car), but we usually don’t have that ability,” crew chief Knaus said earlier this year. “We usually crash, so we were prepared to do something else.”

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Three-member appeals panel will hear case; Gibbs will argue against severity

Related: Full coverage of Kenseth penalty, appeal

Joe Gibbs Racing will appeal penalties levied against its No. 20 team on May 8, NASCAR has announced.

The appeal will be heard at 9 a.m. at the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, N.C. Three members of the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel will hear arguments regarding stiff penalties levied by NASCAR against JGR for a violation discovered in the engine Matt Kenseth used to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Kansas Speedway on April 21.

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In post-race tear-down at the R&D Center, NASCAR officials determined that one connecting rod in the No. 20 car engine was lighter than the minimum of 525 grams set forth in the 2013 Sprint Cup Series Rule Book. Last week the sanctioning body responded with penalties that included a 50-point deduction to Kenseth, a six-week suspension and $200,000 fine to crew chief Jason Ratcliff and a six-week freeze on Gibbs’ owners’ license.

The sanctions also included the vacating of Kenseth’s pole from Kansas and the disqualification of his victory toward Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup seeding or Wild Card consideration. Although the engine in question was manufactured by Toyota Racing Development and not JGR, NASCAR historically has taken a very hard line on engine issues.

“As everyone knows, there are a few things that are understood in the garage area that are big,” Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president for competition, said last week at Richmond. “When you talk about engines, you talk about tires, and you talk about fuel. That’s a common thread that’s been understood, and it’s stood the test of time for the last 65 years. Don’t mess with those areas. And the penalties are severe.”

Gibbs said he understands a penalty is warranted, but plans to appeal the severity of the sanctions. TRD officials have said the connecting rod in question — which was manufactured by an outside vendor — came in 2.7 grams under the minimum, and the other seven connecting rods were legal. JGR and TRD have also argued that the infraction was not a result of attempting to gain a performance advantage.

“We know there’s going to be a penalty for that,” Gibbs said of the violation. “What we’re going to appeal is the severity of the penalties. … When you have motor experts look at it, what they would say is, there is no advantage to having that one light rod in that motor. That’s one thing that’s very important to me is, the intent here was not to get an unfair advantage in any way. That’s very important to me.”

Ratcliff called last weekend’s race at Richmond, and is able to work until the appeal process is complete. The three-member appeals panel has the power to uphold, overturn or reduce the sanctions levied by NASCAR. If the penalties are upheld, Gibbs can make a final plea to the Chief Appellate Officer, former General Motors executive John Middlebrook.

The Gibbs appeal will occur one week after the appeal of another team — Penske Racing, this one for point deductions, fines and suspensions handed out for the rear end housings in the Nos. 2 and 22 cars being confiscated prior to the April 13 Sprint Cup event at Texas. For that offense, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano were docked 25 points apiece, and their crew chiefs, car chiefs and team engineers were each suspended six weeks.

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Behind schedule, injured driver now targets Charlotte return

Related: Watch the video of Annett’s crash

When Michael Annett’s surgeon first saw the X-ray of the broken sternum the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver had suffered in a crash at Daytona International Speedway, he told his new patient the recovery time would be two to three months. Being a racer hoping for the quickest return possible, Annett heard only the first of those numbers.

“I think in his head,” Annett admitted Monday, “he was thinking three.”

Which is why it may now be Memorial Day weekend before the Richard Petty Motorsports driver returns from an injury that has sidetracked his 2013 season. Annett’s breastbone was fractured and dislocated in a head-on impact with the wall late in the Nationwide season opener at Daytona, and he had surgery the following week in which screws and a metal plate were used to repair the damage.

"I’d rather miss one or two more instead of missing 10 more if something happens."

— Michael Annett

Annett had originally hoped to be back in his No. 43 car this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, but that won’t be the case. He said a scan last week revealed that the bones and plates at the injury site aren’t fusing together as quickly as doctors had hoped, and his surgeon wasn’t comfortable with the idea of him withstanding another big hit.

“Physically, I still felt like I could have gotten in the car at Richmond, still feel like I can get in at Talladega,” Annett said. “He’s not worrying about me physically being able to do it. It’s just in case something goes wrong, if the plates and everything he’s put in there aren’t willing to withstand a hard hit like that. It’s not so much keeping me out, because I can do it. It’s in case something goes bad, it hasn’t grown back enough to where it would be able to hold that.”

Much like NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin, who is out with a compression fracture in a lower back vertebra, Annett held some hope of returning from his injury earlier than expected at Richmond. Toward that end, he had a scan originally slated for this week moved up to last Monday, when he was told he’d actually have to be out longer than he first hoped. Although he hasn’t ruled out being back next week at Darlington Raceway, a more realistic target appears to be May 25 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which follows an off week for the series.

Annett seems confident of that return date. “Anything can happen. Freak things can happen,” he said. “But as far as I see it, there’s no doubt in my mind that physically and internally, it will be ready to go. You never know the unknown, but I don’t really see anything keeping us out of the car beyond Charlotte.”

Being out of the car hasn’t been the only difficult part of the recovery process for the 26-year-old Iowa native. Since his surgery in late February, Annett has been under doctor’s orders to not lift anything heavier than 10 pounds. When he flew to Texas earlier this month to watch his race team compete, he had to have someone lift his suitcase in and out of the car, and lug it on and off the airplane. The former hockey player can see the atrophy in his pectoral muscles each time he looks in the mirror.

“Obviously, not being able to race was the worst part,” he said. “But I love bowling, I love golfing, love doing a bunch of stuff outside. And that’s just been real limited right now.”

Annett said he is scheduled to start physical therapy this week, which will involve weight training exercises like the bench press designed to rebuild strength in his chest. Meanwhile he continues to keep a close eye on his race team, which this past Friday night at Richmond recorded its best result of the season after substitute Reed Sorenson finished 10th. Sorenson, a close friend of Annett’s, will stay in the car until the regular driver returns.

“It’s definitely been tough, because you feel like you’re not included,” Annett said. “But being back at the race track has been a huge help. … This past weekend at Richmond, watching Reed run in the top five for most of the race was a lot of fun. But it was also probably one of the tougher ones to watch, because when you know the car is handling that well and is as fast as it was, you definitely want to be in it. So it’s tough, but people keep asking me, ‘Don’t you want to get back? How bad is this? Why don’t you just push it and try it?’ My answer to that is, I’d rather miss one or two more instead of missing 10 more if something happens. As tough as it is, I know … there’s a long season left.”

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On ‘The Intimidator’s’ birthday, a look back

In honor of the late seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt’s April 29 birthday, here are excerpts from a small group interview with “The Intimidator” on Oct. 11, 1997 — the afternoon before the annual Talladega Superspeedway fall Cup race and four months before his one and only victory in the Daytona 500.

Earnhardt’s 13 Cup wins  — including 10 at Talladega — earned him the reputation as the most proficient restrictor-plate racer of his era. He showed up in Alabama that weekend fresh off three consecutive top-three finishes — including a pair of runner-ups at Dover (Del.) and Martinsville (Va.) — hopeful that his usual fine form on the Talladega high banks would return him to Victory Lane for the first time that season.

Unfortunately for Earnhardt, he finished 29th in that race and 1997 turned out to be only the second winless season of his full-time Cup career (the other was in 1981).  He finished fifth in the standings while a young driver named Jeff Gordon hoisted his second Cup championship trophy.

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In this interview session — before the days of Twitter and live internet news feeds — Earnhardt speaks candidly to a small number of beat reporters on a variety of subjects — from his love-hate of restrictor-plate racing to the what was, at the time, a new trend of multi-car teams getting booed at driver introductions.

Here are excerpts from that vintage interview, where he touches on topics still so relevant today as NASCAR heads to Talladega again this weekend.

On restrictor plate racing:

Dale Earnhardt: “I wish we could race without restrictor plates. We’ve worked on these cars and the technical side of making a car run here has gotten more technical because of the restrictor plate. … As they put more spoiler on you and they do things like that, we come up with things to get around it or make the car work different. The speeds stay similar or the same.

“If you’ve got a race track where you can hold the throttle down all the way around it what to you want? What do you expect?

“It’s tougher to win because of the restrictor plates. You don’t see guys passing each other now without help. We ran second to Mark (Martin) here in the spring race. We just had to sit there. We couldn’t do nothing. I couldn’t pull out either way because the car wouldn’t go forward. If you call that racing, OK. So be it. We’ll just sit in line. … They could take the restrictor plate off and we’ll see who’ll hold it wide open around here.”

On the growing trend toward multi-car teams:

DE: “We’ve learned a lot of things (because of it). Like the restrictor-plate races, we’ve learned more because of the two-car team. It needs to work better yet. Hendrick has three (cars). Roush has who knows how many. Every week the numbers come up. They’re winning and qualifying in the top. Yates has two. We should be able to do the same thing.

“It’s frustrating to Richard (Childress) because the other team or us haven’t won a race. The other team (driver Mike Skinner) hasn’t been consistent and to not make the race at Charlotte (the previous week) was a tough setback for ‘em.’’

On getting that next win:

DE: “I want to win every race and it’s been a long time since I won (55 races at that point). It would be nice to win again. It’ll happen. And that eighth championship will happen too. We’ve had that opportunity a couple of times with a good race car and we didn’t end up in the right situation.’’

“You be leading the race on the last lap and let me behind you and see (how badly he still wants to win). As guys get older, they get smarter and they don’t forget nothing they’ve ever done. I don’t. I would hate to have me behind me on the last lap if I haven’t won a race all year.’’

On being more motivated than ever to compete, even at age 46:

“When I sit down in a race car, it’s like the first day I ever done it. There’s nothing else on my mind. I’m not sitting there while I’m racing pondering everything that’s going in my life. I’m focused on beating whoever is in front of me or behind me.

“Racing is fun. It gets hectic and busy sometimes. You come in late at night and wonder what about tomorrow. The next thing you know you’re up at 5 o’clock in the morning signing autographs for the race fans.  That’s part of it. …

“I couldn’t tell you how much it pays to win this race. I race to win. The money part of it, but I couldn’t tell you how much the purse is here (at Talladega). It’s probably not enough when you’re the car owner. When you’re the driver, you’re racing (because) you want to win.

On his children beginning a racing career:

DE: “I’m enjoying starting to see the kids race and do well. They can do what they want. They’re working to do it. I’m certainly not trying to make them race car drivers. If they want to go out and be a doctor, or whatever, they can do that. It’s their decision.’’

On NASCAR scrutiny of his team:

DE: “It feels good to go in the garage area and see ‘em cutting on your race car. Then you know you’re working hard in all the right areas.’’

On getting booed during driver introductions:

DE: “They’re going to be booing me some more before it’s over with. When they boo you, then you know you’re running too good. They (fans) are hard on all the guys who win right off. They were on Darrell (Waltrip), Cale (Yarborough), Bobby Allison. That’s life.

“I want to win. I want to win the Daytona 500 too.’’

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Posted on by Holly Cain

NASCAR.com sits down with Latin actress Kate Del Castillo

Internationally acclaimed actress Kate Del Castillo attended her first NASCAR race serving as the Honorary Starter for the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway. The popular Latino actress spent some time before the green flag promoting her upcoming NASCAR-themed Novela “Arranque De Pasion, La Historia De Ela” — a first of its kind drama that will air in primetime on Univision on May 5. Shorter 5-7 minute episodes began airing on Univision.com/Arranquedepasion on April 1 for five weeks every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at midnight (ET).

Del Castillo spoke with NASCAR.com at Auto Club Speedway before the race.

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How much knowledge did you have of NASCAR before embarking on this project?

“To be honest, I love sports and extreme sport and cars and speed were something I always wanted to do. I did the Toyota Pro Celebrity race at Long Beach and actually got to drive the cars and fell in love with the whole idea (of racing). That’s where I got the idea for the web series with NASCAR. It has been like our dream come true and of course, now I’m a big, big fan of NASCAR.

How was your experience at your first NASCAR race so far?

“I’m very, very excited, it’s all adrenalin. Their lives depend on the others unlike any other sport.

Are there any drivers you are interested in meeting?

“I’m very excited to meet all of them, for me they are all the best. Of course, Danica (Patrick) is my hero and (Juan Pablo) Montoya, of course, a Latino.

Do people tell you that you look a little bit like Danica?

“You know it’s funny, when I was doing the Pro Celebrity race, people said, ‘you guys look a lot alike.’"

What is the inspiration for the web series? Why NASCAR?

“I think it’s a great idea. When we came up with this at first, it was just going to be a romantic comedy but they are doing so many things with (web series) the product is like a big movie. So now we know how big the internet is, for us it was the perfect marriage: young people, extreme sports, speeding. … It’s going to be great.’’

How did you do your research?

“First of all, we have an amazing writer and director. I told him it needs to be edgy and have passion and love and allure for everybody. But (my character) needs to be this tough lady but not just surviving in a world ruled by men, but also being a woman. She has this heart.

“I did a lot of research (on NASCAR) and I think these drivers are really much more beyond in many ways because they are tempting with their lives every single time they (race). It’s not just your life, but the lives of others.’’

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No. 34 car will be sponsored by AccuDoc Solutions/GoDaddy.com

Danica Patrick will race for Turner Scott Motorsports in Saturday’s Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Motor Speedway. This will be the second Nationwide race of the season for Patrick, who also raced in the No. 34 at Daytona to open the season. Patrick led five laps in that race with Mike Greci atop the pit box, but after completing only 31 laps, engine problems took her off the track. Greci will once again be crew chief for Patrick and the No. 34 team on the 117-lap restrictor plate race.

"I’m thrilled that I get another chance to drive the No. 34 AccuDoc Solutions/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Camaro for Turner Scott Motorsports," Patrick said. "We had a great run going in Daytona, and I’m hoping we can pick up where we left off."

Patrick has only raced at Talladega once in her career, finishing 13th in the Nationwide race at the track last year. Her teammates for the race, which airs at 3 p.m. ET on ABC, will be Justin Allgaier, Kyle Larson and Nelson Piquet Jr.

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Top-five finish was second in past three races for No. 22; Newman also in top 15

Joey Logano led the Coca-Cola Racing Family with a third-place finish Saturday night in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

The 22-year-old driver of the No. 22 sprinted through the field on a green-white-checkered restart to finish third, the best showing of his young career at the .75-mile track.

Ryan Newman joined Logano in the top 15 by finishing 15th after running in the top five for a spell before a series of late cautions.

Tony Stewart also finished in the top 20 with his 18th-place effort.

A roundup on the six Coca-Cola Racing Family drivers:

Joey Logano (No. 22)

Penske Racing, Ford

Last week: Logano may have kept his season on track at Richmond, taking advantage of a late caution and green-white-checkered finish to take third place. On the heels of a 39th-place showing at Kansas, the third matches his best finish of the year and gives the No. 22 team a jolt heading into a week in which the Penske Racing appeals are scheduled to be heard.
This week: In eight career starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Logano has two top-fives and four top-10s. In the past eight years at Talladega, Logano ranks 11th out of 50 drivers with an average place of 17.7.
Where he stands: Logano is 17th in the standings with 228 points.
What he said: “It wasn’t pretty for a while, that’s for sure. It looked like at the beginning of the race we were going to finish 20th. We were going backwards, but Todd Gordon made some good adjustments and got some speed back in the car. … Getting to the bottom (at the end) and watching all these guys on old tires and new tires, everybody was rooting and gouging each other out of the way and I was able to just go to the bottom and pass cars and follow (second-place finisher Clint) Bowyer pretty much right through the whole pack.”

Ryan Newman (No. 39)

Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet

Last week: Pit strategy allowed Ryan Newman to jump up to fourth place on Lap 320, but the No. 39 couldn’t maintain his hold. He fell back through the field over the final 80-plus laps and finished 15th, exactly where he started.
This week: In 22 career starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Newman has four top-fives and eight top-10s. In the past eight years at Talladega, Newman ranks 30th out of 50 drivers with an average place of 21.8.
Where he stands: Newman is 16th in the standings with 229 points.
What he said: “It was a long, challenging night. It certainly wasn’t the finish we were expecting tonight at Richmond, but I’ve got to thank all the guys at Stewart-Haas Racing for all their hard work.”

Tony Stewart (No. 14)

Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet

Last week: Luck finally appeared to be on Stewart’s side Saturday night. Despite a previous spinout in Turn 1 of Lap 326 that also collected Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch, Stewart rallied and started fifth on the green-white-checkered finish. The No. 14, though, was bumped out of his groove by a hard-charging Kurt Busch and finished 18th, outside of the top 10 for the eighth time in nine races this season and outside the top 15 for the sixth consecutive race. An angry Stewart swapped paint with Busch on the cool-down lap.
This week: In 28 career starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Stewart has one win, nine top-fives and 13 top-10s. In the past eight years at Talladega, Stewart ranks seventh out of 50 drivers with an average place of 16.7.
Where he stands: Stewart is 22nd in the standings with 207 points.
What he said: "It hadn’t been a great weekend, but we had made some adjustments and were actually going to leave here with a decent finish until everything that happened at the end.”

Danica Patrick (No. 10)

Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet

Last week: Patrick started 30th and didn’t get much better Saturday night. As low as 37th at one point, she finished 29th, four laps down.
This week: Patrick has no starts at Talladega Superspeedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Where she stands: Patrick is 26th in the standings with 169 points.
What she said: “We just couldn’t loosen the car up enough to make the center work the way we needed to.”

Greg Biffle (No. 16)

Roush Fenway Racing, Ford

Last week: Historically, Biffle has not had success at Richmond. The No. 16 Ford qualified 33rd and didn’t get much better throughout the Toyota Owners 400. A broken left front shock sent Biffle for a spin on Lap 233, bringing out the fifth caution of the race. He finished 36th and is out of the top six in the points standings for the first time since the third race of the season.
This week: In 20 career starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Biffle has two top-fives and five top-10s. In the past eight years at Talladega, Biffle ranks 26th out of 50 drivers with an average place of 20.6.
Where he stands: Biffle is eighth in the standings with 272 points.

Denny Hamlin (No. 11)

Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota

Last week: An injured Denny Hamlin watched Brian Vickers drive his No. 11 Toyota to a 35th-place finish after getting into the wall multiple times. Hamlin’s status for Sunday’s race is uncertain.
This week: In 14 career starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Hamlin has three top-fives and five top-10s. In the past eight years at Talladega, Hamlin ranks ninth out of 50 drivers with an average place of 17.0. If Hamlin misses the race with an injury, his substitute will be Vickers. Vickers has one win, four top-fives and six top-10s at Talladega in 14 career starts. In the past eight years at Talladega, Vickers ranks eighth out of 50 drivers with an average place of 16.9.
Where he stands: Hamlin is 28th in the standings with 145 points.

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NASCAR Nationwide Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway with 42 entries

Here’s the entry list for the Aaron’s 312, 3 p.m. ET Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway:

Entry No. Driver Owner Crew chief Vehicle Sponsor

1

00

Blake Koch

Melissa Sciavicco

Kevin Eagle

13 Toyota

TBA

2

1

Kurt Busch(i)

James Finch

Nick Harrison

12 Chevrolet

PHOENIX CONSTRUCTION

3

01

Mike Wallace

Johnny Davis

Marc Browning

13 Chevrolet

TBA

4

2

Brian Scott

Richard Childress

Phil Gould

13 Chevrolet

Armour

5

3

Austin Dillon

Richard Childress

Danny Stockman Jr

13 Chevrolet

AdvoCare

6

4

Landon Cassill(i)

Gene Vess

Dave Smith

13 Chevrolet

Flex Seal

7

5

Kasey Kahne(i)

Rick Hendrick

Mike Bumgarner

13 Chevrolet

Great Clips

8

6

Trevor Bayne

Jack Roush

Michael Kelley

13 Ford

Cargill/Blackwell Angus

9

7

Regan Smith

Kelley Earnhardt-Miller

Greg Ives

13 Chevrolet

TaxSlayer.com

10

10

John Wes Townley

Mark Smith

Todd Myers

13 Toyota

Zaxby’s

11

11

Elliott Sadler

J D Gibbs

Chris Gayle

13 Toyota

OneMain Financial

12

12

Sam Hornish Jr

Roger Penske

Greg Erwin

13 Ford

Wurth

13

14

Eric McClure

Mark Smith

John Monsam

13 Toyota

Hefty / Reynolds / Gadsden Inn & Suites

14

15

Stanton Barrett

Rick Ware

George Church

13 Ford

JewelGirls.org

15

19

Mike Bliss

Mark Smith

Paul Clapprood

13 Toyota

TriStar Motorsports / Gadsden Inn & Suites

16

20

Brian Vickers

Joe Gibbs

Kevin Kidd

13 Toyota

Dollar General

17

22

Joey Logano(i)

Roger Penske

Jeremy Bullins

13 Ford

Discount Tire

18

23

Robert Richardson Jr

Robert Richardson Sr

Ben Leslie

13 Chevrolet

Stalk It

19

24

Jason White

Jason Sciavicco

Chris Wright

13 Toyota

JW Demolition

20

30

Nelson Piquet Jr

Harry Scott Jr

Chris Carrier

13 Chevrolet

WORX

21

31

Justin Allgaier

Steve Turner

Scott Zipadelli

13 Chevrolet

Brandt

22

32

Kyle Larson

Harry Scott Jr

Trent Owens

13 Chevrolet

Cessna

23

33

Ty Dillon(i)

Richard Childress

Ernie Cope

13 Chevrolet

WESCO

24

34

Danica Patrick(i)

Harry Scott Jr

Mike Greci

13 Chevrolet

Accudoc Solutions-GoDaddy

25

40

Josh Wise

Curtis Key Sr

Gary Showalter

13 Chevrolet

Curtis Key Plumbing

26

43

Reed Sorenson

Richard Petty

Philippe Lopez

13 Ford

Pilot Travel Centers

27

44

Hal Martin

Mark Smith

Greg Conner

13 Toyota

American Custom Yachts / Gadsden Inn & Suites

28

51

Jeremy Clements

Tony Clements

Ricky Pearson

13 Chevrolet

 AllSouthElectric.com

29

52

Donnie Neuenberger

Jimmy Means

Tim Brown

13 Chevrolet

Eagle

30

54

Joey Coulter(i)

J D Gibbs

Adam Stevens

13 Toyota

Monster Energy

31

55

Jamie Dick

Jimmy Dick

Jason Miller

13 Chevrolet

Viva Auto Group

32

60

Travis Pastrana

Jack Roush

Chad Norris

13 Ford

Roush Fenway Racing

33

70

Johanna Long

Mary Louise Miller

Mark Gutekunst

13 Chevrolet

Foretravel

34

74

Mike Harmon

Mike Harmon

Dave Fuge

13 Dodge

Stone Bridge Construction

35

77

Parker Kligerman

Kyle Busch

Eric Phillips

13 Toyota

Camp Horsin’ Around-Bandit Chippers

36

79

Jeffrey Earnhardt

Archie St Hilaire

Mark Durgin

13 Ford

Fast Wax-Oath Keepers

37

85

Bobby Gerhart

William Gerhart

Mark Skibo

13 Chevrolet

Lucas Oil

38

87

Joe Nemechek

Andrea Nemechek

Steven Gray

13 Toyota

AM/FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves

39

89

Morgan Shepherd

Morgan Shepherd

Lucas Bowman

13 Dodge

Victory in Jesus

40

92

Tim Andrews

Kristin Hamelin

George Ingram

13 Ford

Maddie’s Place

41

99

Alex Bowman

Robby Benton

Chris Rice

13 Toyota

SchoolTipline.com

 

(i) equals ineligible for driver championship points

READ MORE:

READ: Latest news
from Richmond

READ: Harvick wins
overtime thriller

READ: No win, but no
disappointment for Montoya

READ: Electronic
fuel injection

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway with 44 entries

Here’s the entry list for the Aaron’s 499, 1 p.m. ET Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway:

Entry No. Driver Owner Crew chief Vehicle Sponsor

1

1

Jamie McMurray

Felix Sabates

Kevin Manion

13 Chevrolet

McDonald’s

2

2

Brad Keselowski

Roger Penske

Paul Wolfe

13 Ford

Miller Lite

3

5

Kasey Kahne

Linda Hendrick

Kenny Francis

13 Chevrolet

Time Warner Cable

4

7

Dave Blaney

Tommy Baldwin

Tommy Baldwin

13 Chevrolet

Sany

5

9

Marcos Ambrose

Richard Petty

Drew Blickensderfer

13 Ford

Stanley

6

10

Danica Patrick

Gene Haas

Tony Gibson

13 Chevrolet

GoDaddy.com

7

11

Brian Vickers(i)

J D Gibbs

Darian Grubb

13 Toyota

FedEx Express

8

13

Casey Mears

Bob Germain

Bootie Barker III

13 Ford

No. 13 GEICO Ford Fusion

9

14

Tony Stewart

Margaret Haas

Steve Addington

13 Chevrolet

Bass Pro Shops

10

15

Clint Bowyer

Rob Kauffman

Brian Pattie

13 Toyota

5-hour Energy

11

16

Greg Biffle

Jack Roush

Matt Puccia

13 Ford

3M Safety

12

17

Ricky Stenhouse Jr

John Henry

Scott Graves

13 Ford

Best Buy

13

18

Kyle Busch

Joe Gibbs

Dave Rogers

13 Toyota

M&M’s

14

20

Matt Kenseth

Joe Gibbs

Jason Ratcliff

13 Toyota

Home Depot Husky

15

21

Trevor Bayne(i)

Glen Wood

Donnie Wingo

13 Ford

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center

16

22

Joey Logano

Walter Czarnecki

Todd Gordon

13 Ford

Shell Pennzoil

17

24

Jeff Gordon

Rick Hendrick

Alan Gustafson

13 Chevrolet

Imron Elite

18

27

Paul Menard

Richard Childress

Slugger Labbe

13 Chevrolet

Menards / CertainTeed

19

29

Kevin Harvick

Richard Childress

Gil Martin

13 Chevrolet

Budweiser

20

30

David Stremme

Brandon Davis

Steve Lane

13 Toyota

Swan Energy

21

31

Jeff Burton

Richard Childress

Luke Lambert

13 Chevrolet

Caterpillar

22

32

Terry Labonte

Frank Stoddard Jr

Frank Stoddard Jr

13 Ford

C & J Energy Services

23

33

Landon Cassill

Joe Falk

John Rahlf

13 Chevrolet

Little Joe’s Autos.com

24

34

David Ragan

Bob Jenkins

Jay Guy

13 Ford

Farm Rich

25

35

Josh Wise(i)

Jerry Freeze

Derrick Finley

13 Ford

MDS TRANSPORT

26

36

J J Yeley

Allan Heinke

Joseph Lax

13 Chevrolet

Golden Corral

27

38

David Gilliland

Brad Jenkins

Frank Kerr

13 Ford

LOVE’S TRAVEL STOPS

28

39

Ryan Newman

Tony Stewart

Matt Borland

13 Chevrolet

Haas Automation

29

42

Juan Pablo Montoya

Chip Ganassi

Chris Heroy

13 Chevrolet

Clorox

30

43

Aric Almirola

Richard Petty

Todd Parrott

13 Ford

Gwaltney

31

47

Bobby Labonte

Tad Geschickter

Brian Burns

13 Toyota

Clorox 100 Year Anniversary

32

48

Jimmie Johnson

Jeff Gordon

Chad Knaus

13 Chevrolet

Lowe’s

33

51

Regan Smith(i)

James Finch

Nick Harrison

12 Chevrolet

PHOENIX CONSTRUCTION

 

34

 

55

 

Michael Waltrip

 

Michael Waltrip

 

Rodney Childers

 

13 Toyota

Aaron’s Dream Machine-Alabama National Championship

35

56

Martin Truex Jr

Michael Waltrip

Chad Johnston

13 Toyota

NAPA Auto Parts

36

78

Kurt Busch

Barney Visser

Todd Berrier

12 Chevrolet

Furniture Row Racing-Serta

37

81

Elliott Sadler(i)

J D Gibbs

Chris Gayle

13 Toyota

ALERT Energy Gum

38

83

David Reutimann

Ron Devine

Patrick Tryson

13 Toyota

Burger King/Dr. Pepper

39

87

Joe Nemechek(i)

Andrea Nemechek

Scott Eggleston

13 Toyota

MaddiesPlaceRocks.com

40

88

Dale Earnhardt Jr

Rick Hendrick

Steve Letarte

13 Chevrolet

NATIONAL GUARD

41

93

Travis Kvapil

Ron Devine

Todd Anderson

13 Toyota

Burger King-Dr. Pepper

42

95

Scott Speed

Bob Leavine

Wally Rogers

13 Ford

Jordan Truck Sales/TrackingPoint

43

98

Michael McDowell

Mike Curb

Gene Nead

13 Ford

Curb Records

44

99

Carl Edwards

Jack Roush

Jimmy Fennig

13 Ford

Fastenal

 

(i) equals ineligible for driver championship points

READ MORE:

READ: Latest news
from Richmond

READ: Harvick wins
overtime thriller

READ: No win, but no
disappointment for Montoya

READ: Electronic
fuel injection

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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Posted on by Nascar

Stats on green-white-checkered finishes; Almirola on the move; plus more

Related: Richmond hub page | Race Rewind

When a race runs into overtime, Kevin Harvick shifts into overdrive.
 
The Richard Childress Racing driver did it again, winning a green-white-checkered finish in the April 27 Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway. It marked the sixth time Harvick has won when a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race has been extended beyond its scheduled distance.

Harvick bolstered his series-leading percentage of quality passes — passing a car running in the top 15 while under a green flag — to 76.9 percent.
 
Harvick’s surprising charge to the front –- he was seventh when the green flag appeared for the final two-lap shootout — capped a furious late-race shuffle that saw some unexpected names up front contending for the win. Not so unexpected was the close-quarters, roughhouse racing that resurfaced on the 0.75-mile track.
 
“When you can leave a race track and there’s people in tears because they won and (people) in tears because they got crashed, you know, that’s what brings us to the race track,” said runner-up Clint Bowyer. “That kind of racing and determination and passion.”

Green-White Checkered

Win totals by Sprint Cup drivers in green-white-checkered finishes:
Jimmie Johnson 11
Kyle Busch 7
Kevin Harvick 6
Jeff Gordon 6
Denny Hamlin 4
Greg Biffle 4
Kurt Busch 4
Matt Kenseth 3
Tony Stewart 3
Carl Edwards 3
Clint Bowyer 2
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2
Jamie McMurray 2
Ryan Newman 2
Marcos Ambrose 1
Brad Keselowski 1
Jeff Burton 1
Kasey Kahne 1
Trevor Bayne 1
Regan Smith 1
David Ragan 1
Dale Jarrett 1


• Dependable: Although Juan Pablo Montoya hadn’t posted a top-five finish in his previous 74 starts (dating back to 2011), the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing driver appeared en route to his first victory on an oval at Richmond. A crash by Brian Vickers with five laps remaining altered the Colombian’s fate, however. “I don’t believe we can win it staying out,” Montoya told crew chief Chris Heroy when the yellow flag waved. “I know we want the win, but we need the points. … You make the call.”
 
Heroy brought his driver to pit road for four tires, a move that put Montoya sixth on the final restart when three drivers elected to stay out and two others opted for only two tires. Montoya improved two spots during the two-lap shootout and ended the night with a well-deserved fourth-place finish.
 
• Gamblin’ man: Jeff Burton, one of three drivers that didn’t pit under the final caution, inherited the top spot for the final restart. Without fresh tires, though, Burton found himself being passed on the left and the right as the final two laps unfolded. Still, the Richard Childress Racing driver held on for fifth, his first top-five since last year’s July race at Daytona. “Luke (Lambert, crew chief) made a good call there, and obviously new tires (were) a lot better,” Burton said. “We were going to maybe finish sixth without the caution so to pick up a spot from it was worth a shot."
 
• Spring streak snapped: Kyle Busch, winner of four consecutive spring Cup races at RIR, lost his shot to extend the streak to five when he was collected in an accident involving Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson on Lap 327. The 24th-place finish came on the heels of a 38th-place result the previous week at Kansas.

 


4: Races missed by Denny Hamlin while recovering from a back injury. Tenth in points before his injury, Hamlin is now 28th and 71 outside the top 20. Only drivers 20th or higher in points are eligible for one of the two Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Wild Card positions.
 
3: Consecutive top-10 finishes for Aric Almirola and the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 team. Almirola, 11th in points, has improved nine positions in the last five races.
 
2: Finishes outside the top 10 for defending series champion Brad Keselowski in 2013. The Penske Racing driver struggled to a 33rd-place result at Richmond. Earlier this year, he finished 23rd at Auto Club Speedway.
 
1: Lead-lap finishes for Landon Cassill and No. 33 Circle Sport team. Cassill finished 25th Saturday, one of 26 drivers to complete all 406 laps.

 


Still in the picture: The 50-point penalty levied against Matt Kenseth dropped the Joe Gibbs Racing driver outside the top 10 in points; however, his win at Las Vegas keeps him in contention for one of the two Wild Card positions. Kenseth improved to 13th with a seventh-place finish at Richmond.
 
Battle at the bottom: Competition at the lower end of the top 10 in the standings continues to remain tight. Harvick’s victory launched the RCR driver into the top 10 (he’s now ninth) while teammate Paul Menard’s 13th-place run dropped him from ninth to 10th. Less fortunate was Jamie McMurray, whose late-race fall pushed the EGR driver from 10th to 12th in points.
 
Wild-Card hopeful: Kurt Busch took a big step forward for one of the two Wild Card spots with his ninth-place run, a result that pushed the Furniture Row Racing driver into the top 20 in points. Busch will need one or more wins to solidify his Chase hopes, but given the speed the team showed at Richmond, it might be wise to keep an eye on the 2004 Cup champion.

 


Fresh is best: Harvick was running second to Montoya when crew chief Gil Martin called Harvick to pit road with less than five laps remaining. Seventh on the restart, Harvick used his inside position and four fresh tires to jump under Tony Stewart, AJ Allmendinger and eventually Jeff Burton to grab the lead and drive away for the win. “That restart … that was vintage Kevin Harvick. That was a really, really exciting,” Martin said afterward.

 

Quote of the week: “I think the penalties are grossly unfair. I think it’s borderline shameful.” | Watch video
— Matt Kenseth, responding to NASCAR’s laundry list of penalties for the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team.
 
Runner-up: “I’m going to have to see if @SparcoOfficial can sew cups into my racesuits to protect my jewels.”
| Watch Video
— Nationwide Series driver Brian Scott on Twitter after getting kicked in the groin by Nelson Piquet Jr. during a post-race altercation.
 
Honorable mention I: “I did not piss anybody off tonight. Holy crap.” | Watch Video
— Joey Logano, on surviving a typically wild night of racing at Richmond without incident.
 
Honorable mention II: “A little bit disappointed, but that’s the way it goes on short tracks I guess. I’ll remember if we get in that position again what I’ll do to Kurt."
-– Martin Truex Jr., after contact with Busch while batting for second took the Michael Waltrip Racing driver out of contention on Lap 345.

 


NASCAR Cup teams head to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend for the season’s second restrictor-plate race. Keselowski is the defending race winner. Kenseth was surprisingly strong on the plate tracks a year ago, but now that he has joined JGR, can he continue that impressive showing? Or will points leader Jimmie Johnson, who began the year with a victory at Daytona International Speedway, continue to excel?

READ MORE:

READ: Latest news
from Richmond

READ: Harvick wins
overtime thriller

READ: No win, but no
disappointment for Montoya

READ: Electronic
fuel injection

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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