Best Of... 2011 NASCAR Season

With the 2011 Season over, which is one of my favorite seasons in quite a while, I thought I might go over some of the best/worst moments of the 2011 Season. This is opinion based, others will have different opinions.

Favorite Quote of 2011:
- "God Bless America" Johnny Sauter, Winstar World Casino 400k after being black flagged for switching lanes before crossing the finish line coming to the green on the last restart of the evening.

Favorite Race of 2011:
- Ford 400, mainly because it would make history (a tie for 1st in the points and Stewart being the first owner/driver to win a Championship since 1992 when Alan Kulwicki won the Winston Cup Series Championship) and Tony Stewart making a charge from the back to the front, twice.

Best Save of 2011:
- Ryan Newman and Juan Pablo Montoya at Talladega for the Aaron's 499. When being drafted by Denny Hamlin, Newman got a bit loose and started to come straight down the track that looked like he was going to spin. Montoya was in his path of the car, when Newman hit the 42 with his car, he (and Montoya) were both able to save it and they kept going (despite both getting quite a bit of damage from the incident).

Worst Wreck of 2011:
- Would say Brad Keselowski's testing crash at Road Atlanta, but NASCAR weekend standards, it will go to David Reutimann and David Ragan on the last lap of the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen.

Not So Smart Moment of 2011:
Alex Kennedy  at the 5-Hour Energy 200. After the caution came out for Kennedy spinning in the backstretch, he came up in traffic in front of Kevin Swindell, leaving Swindell with no where to go, destroying both cars.

Favorite Paint Scheme of 2011:

Robby Gordon's "Mapei / Speed Energy" Dodge.
Driven at Napa Auto Parts 200

Least Favorite Paint Scheme of 2011:

Tony Stewart's "El Monterey" Chevy.  Driven at Good Sam Club 500

NASCAR Community on the Passing Of Dan Wheldon

On a sunny, Sunday afternoon, IZOD IndyCar Nation was set to run the final race of the 2011 Season at Las Vegas. It was suppose to be a day where excitement and joy was going to happen, but it would end in tragedy early in the race. Just 11 laps of the 200 lap event, a horrific multi-car crash occurred in Turn 1, taking out several cars in the field. Dan Wheldon made contact with another car and flew straight into the catchfence. At 1:19pm local time, Wheldon was airlifted to a nearby hospital. Sadly, roughly two hours after he was airlifted, it was announced that Wheldon did not survive the crash, he was only 33. The remainder of the race was cancelled and the rest of the field did a 5 lap tribute to their fellow driver.

The passing hit the NASCAR Community pretty good. Not every driver, team, etc. could be listed here (via Twitter):

- Rick Allen: "Sports are entertaining because they spark emotions... this is the one emotion you never want to feel. God Bless Dan Wheldon's family"

- Aric Almirola: "Very sad to watch the salute of Dan Wheldon. Thoughts and prayers are with his family. My God be with them!"

- Marcos Ambrose: "Our thoughts & prayers go out to Dan Wheldon's family & all those in Las Vegas. Very sad day."

- Tim Andrews: "Racing is family no matter what series it hurts to lose a champion. Praying for the Wheldons and the Indy car families."

- Trevor Bayne: "I'm sick to my stomach now over Dan Wheldon. I just hung out w. him a month ago and he was such an awesome guy with so much life in him"

- T.J. Bell: "My heart hurts so bad right now. Dan was a great teammate and will never be forgotten"

- Todd Bodine: "Our thoughts and prayers go out Dan Wheldon his family and friends. We will say a prayer for all of you."

- Jason Bowles: "I'm sick to my stomach think about what a sad day this is for motorsports. My thoughts go out to Dan's family"

- Colin Braun: "Very sad to hear the news about Dan. Was so happy for him to win Indy. Thoughts are with his family."

- Kurt Busch: "Our prayers are with the Dan Wheldon family. This is a terrible day in racing"

- Kyle Busch: "The loss of Dan Wheldon affects the whole racing community. May all our thoughts and prayers be with his family. He will be missed!"

- Samantha Busch (Kyle Busch's wife): "No words to even explain this moment. My heart goes out to all of Dan Wheldon's family, friends, and everyone in the racing community."

- Ricky Carmichael: "So unfair. Godspeed Dan Wheldon"

- Landon Cassill: "This is tragic"

- Bryan Clauson: "Tough to hear the news my stomach knew 2hrs ago he was a champion not only in motorsport but in life a great driver and a better guy. RIP Dan"

- Brad Coleman: "I can't believe it. Sick to my stomach right now. My deepest prayers and thoughts are with Dan's family."

- Joey Coulter: "I want to send my thoughts and prayers out to Dan Wheldon, his family & friends. He was an amazing racer & person, taken too soon."

- Matt Crafton: "My thoughts are with the family and friends of Dan Wheldon tonight. He will be missed."

- Austin Dillon: "My prayers are with the Wheldon family. When a tragedy like this happens, it really shows what matters in life."

- Chad Finley: "As racecar drivers, we know the risk, but love for the sport overpowers that risk. We're all one family, and today we lost a member"

- J.R. Fitzpatrick: "Those IndyCar that did those 5 laps in honor of Dan Wheldon are my heroes.. That must have been tough for everyone"

- Brendan Gaughan: "Had lunch with him (Wheldon) on Wednesday. What we choose to do is dangerous. Everyone give your family a hug today and tell them you love them"

- David Gilliland: "Our prayers are with Dan's family. So sad"

- Jeff Gordon: "Spent a little time with Dan Wheldon several years ago in Paris for Race of Champions. Great guy, great driver. Will certainly be missed"

- Robby Gordon: "Very very sad. Have no words"

- Denny Hamlin: "Today was a reminder to all of us what can happen every time we strap in behind the wheel. At times, I think we all take things for granted. Life shouldn't be one of those things. We lost a great driver in motorsports and he will not be forgotten. Rest in Peace Dan Wheldon"

- Kevin Hamlin: "Crossed paths w/ Dan a few times when we were both at Ganassi. Great guy. Another soul taken too soon, Rest in Peace..

- DeLana Harvick (Kevin Harvick's wife): "Its chilling to watch the salute to Dan Wheldon by his IndyCar competitors."

- Kevin Harvick: "Terrible day in racing... RIP Dan Wheldon"

- Hendrick Motorsports: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dan Wheldon's family at this time. Tragic news."

- Ron Hornaday Jr.: "Just landed in Charlotte and and heard the bad news about Dan Wheldon. Our prayers go out to his family"

- Brian Ickler: "Horrible day in racing. Thoughts and prayers be with the Wheldon family"

- Jimmie Johnson: "My thoughts and prayers go out to the Wheldon family... My heart hurts for all the IRL community."

- Mike Joy: "Such great accomplishment... such enthusiasm... such talent... such a great smile... such a tragic loss. Such overwhelming sadness"

- Kasey Kahne: "All I can think about is Dan Wheldon. A great person and a great race car driver. We're all going to miss you Dan. Such a talent!"

- Brad Keselowski: "Nice touch with the 5 lap salute. Kudos to IndyCar, and most importantly, the Wheldon family"

- Parker Kligerman: "Thoughts and prayers are with the Wheldon family. Met Dan earlier this year, one of the nicest race car drivers ever. Devastated over this"

- Andy Lally: "Reminiscing: I think the rest of the night will be looking at old pictures, even watchin some old VHS tapes. So sorry for Dan & his family"

- Charles Lewandowski: "Prayers are with frirnds and family of Dan Wheldon. Classy move by IRL and its teams with the laps in his honor."

- Jamie Little: " We lost a great one today... Dan Wheldon, we love you.

- Justin Lofton: "My thoughts and prayers to Dan Wheldon's family, friends, and team. Godspeed. Enjoyed our talks. You will be missed."


- Joey Logano: "Thoughts and prayers go out to Dan Wheldon's family and friends"

- Jason Leffler: "God speed, Dan Wheldon!"

- Justin Marks: "Rest in peace my friend"

- Eric McClure: "My heart aches for the Wheldon family"

- Michael Waltrip Racing: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dan Wheldon's family and the entire IndyCar Community"

- Miss Sprint Cup: "Our deepest thoughts and prayers go to Dan Wheldon's family and friends and the entire racing community tonight"

- Juan Pablo Montoya: "Life is not fair... we are gonna miss a really great guy. Dan, we are gonna miss you."

- Joe Nemechek: "A sad day for racing, we lost Dan Wheldon today, Our prayers are with your family"

- Ryan Newman: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Dan Wheldon. He will truly be missed throughout the racing community"

- Max Papis: "I will miss you forever Dan Wheldon, forever"

- Chris Myers: "Sad loss... Dan Wheldon... rest in peace... a special driver"

- Miguel Paludo: "Really sad day!"

- Danica Patrick: "There are no words for today. Myself and so many others are devastated. I pray for Suzi and the kids that God will give them strength"

- Timothy Peters: "Thoughts and prayers to Wheldon's family"

- Kyle Petty: "My prayers are with Dan Wheldon's family, friends, and team... my hearts breaks all over again each and everytime our sport loses someone"

- Nelson Piquet Jr.: "Can't believe the news of Dan Wheldon. My prayers for his family and closer friends"

- Richard Childress Racing: "Rest in Peace, Dan"

- Elliott Sadler: "Thoughts and prayers to his family"

- Brian Scott: "Completely heartbroken by the loss of Dan Wheldon... I watched the coverage until I couldn't take it because of the fear of what had happened"

- Marty Smith: "There are no words. R.I.P Dan. Fantastic person"

- Regan Smith: "I have no words, R.I.P. Dan Wheldon, sad day for all motorsports"

- Amanda Speed (Scott Speed's wife): "Such a sad day... prayers to Dan's family and friends... My heart goes out to his wife and children."

- Scott Speed: "All I keep thinking about is how we can help his family! It's impossible to imagine what they must be going through right now. So damn sad"

- Stewart-Haas Racing: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dan Wheldon's family and friends"

- ThorSport Racing: "Godspeed Dan Wheldon - an amazing friend to TSR & "brother" to the 13 team as a Curb Records teammate. Rest in peace, prayers to your family, we mourn your loss & celebrate your life today."

- TRG Motorsports: "Rest in peace Dan Wheldon"

- Ryan Truex: "Sad day... R.I.P Dan Wheldon"

- Kenny Wallace: "I am watching ABC with you all, all i can think of is Dan Wheldon has a family. My prayers to his family."

- Steve Wallace: "I am devastated, thoughts and prayers go to his family"

- Darrell Waltrip: "With tears in my eyes and a sadness I can not describe, I pray for Dan, his sweet wife and children and his family, Stevie and I are so sorry"

- Michael Waltrip: "Sad day..."

- Cole Whitt: "R.I.P. Dan Wheldon. So sad to lose someone with so much talent"

- Rutledge Wood: "So sad. Praying for his family & friends & thinking of all his fans.

- J.J. Yeley: "This is the darkside of our sport. Prayers to the Wheldon family. A true loss to the sport of IndyCar and racing. R.I.P"

- Matt Yocum: "True champion and super nice guy"

Tim Andrews Now to Go Green Racing

Tim Andrews (Credit to TheHotLap)

On Monday, Tim Andrews announced on Twitter that he has left Key Motorsports. He added that he will be in the 04 Go Green Racing Ford starting this weekend at Charlotte, and will stay in the 04 for the rest of the year.

I asked Andrews on his reason on his leaving from Key Motorsports, he replied back saying that he wants to position himself for the 2012 season, and he is trying to get back to competitive cars. Andrews, in his 14 races with Key Motorsports, missed three races, had an average finish of 38.8 (start-and-parked in 10 of those events), with 25th being his best start coming at Nashville.

This will be the fourth different team Andrews will be running for this year. First coming from Las Vegas driving in the 68 Fleur-de-Lis Motorsports Ford (only race driving for this team). He then started driving for Rick Russell in the 79 2nd Chance Motorsports Ford starting at Fontana (Ended after Russell fired both Andrews and the pit crew after Chicago). And now the previous being Key Motorsports that starting at Michigan, driving mainly in the 42 (drove the 40 at Lucas Oil Raceway).

Cup Regulars in the Nationwide/Busch Series: 2004 vs. 2010 Season

On Twitter, pretty much after every Nationwide race, I tweet "Remember when Nationwide-regulars dominated this season?". Well, with the 2011 Nationwide Regulars laps leaders in the works this season, I thought why not go back to the previous seasons to see how the non-Cup regulars have done in the Nationwide/Busch Grand National Series in the past. Some of the stats might be a surprise to some people.

To count as a Cup regular in these stats, any driver that made more than 20 Cup races will be counted as a Cup regular, will not count towards attempts. For example, if a driver made 22 attempts and missed 5 of them, they won't be counted as a Cup regular. Don't worry, it wouldn't have changed the stats that much, not many NNS/BGN regulars made that that many Cup attempts to count as a Cup regular in the season.

Lets look at the 2004 season (was called the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series back then), in which most people, including me, say is one of the last best Nationwide seasons. And you'll see why. This was the season where future Cup stars Kyle Busch (driving for Hendrick Motorsports) and Martin Truex Jr. (driving for JR Motorsports) were involved in. This was a 34 race season, and included a good hand full of race-alone events (such as Nashville, Gateway, Nazareth, and more). There were a total of 6684 laps that were completed in this season. Surprisingly, non-Cup regulars led 4028 of the 6684 laps, or about 60% of the season. Cup regulars led the other 2656 laps. On average, that was about 118 laps led per race for non-Cup regulars, the Cup regulars had 78. To add to the laps led dominance, each race this season had at least non-Cup regular led at least one lap. The amount of wins non-Cup regulars had were pretty amazing too, getting 16 wins out of the 34 races. Out of all the races this season, we had a non-cup regular finishing in the Top 3 in all but one race. That race was the Target House 300 at California Speedway (now called Auto Club Speedway), the best finishing non-Cup driver was Martin Truex Jr., who came in 6th that day.

Now lets look at the 2010 season, this was a 35 race season. This one compared to the 2004 season is very disappointing. With three road courses in the season, the amount of laps in this season dropped slightly to 6489 laps, but it didn't matter that much anyway. This was a Cup regulars season, they led 5849 of the 6489 laps that season (which is about 90% of the season), leaving just 650 laps led by the non-Cup regulars. How much did this change to the average laps led per race for non-Cup regulars? They dropped from 118 laps in 2004 to an average of a dreadful 18 laps per race in 2010. Cup regulars went up from 78 to an average of 167 laps per race.

How about the races? In 2004, at least one non-Cup regular led at one lap in a race. In 2010, a non-Cup regular failed to led a single lap in nine events. The most laps non-Cup regulars were able to led in was the 5-Hour Energy 250 at Gateway, which was 117 laps. This race, and a few other stand-alone events, pretty much saved the non-Cup regulars' average laps led in a race from being any lower. Out of the 650 laps non-Cup regulars led this season, only 410 came came Nationwide stand-alone events, leaving 240 laps led at the same track the Cup series were at the same weekend. Taking stand-alone events out of the equation this season, there were 4861 laps completed at tracks the Cup Series were at the same weekend. Non-Cup regulars led 240, which means they only led about 5% of all these laps in the 25 races. All this adds up to a very dreadful average of 9 to 10 laps a race. The other 10 races were at stand-alone events (where in 2004 had pretty much no Cup regulars in). There were 1628 laps completed in stand-alone events, with 410 led by non-Cup regulars. With usually just two to three Cup-regulars in these races, non-Cup regulars were able to get an average of 41 laps led per race, and were able to led about 25% of the stand-alone events.

Wins by non-Cup regulars didn't happen that much. We only saw just two non-Cup regulars win in the 2010 season, and both were their first career win in this series. First one being Justin Allgaier at Bristol in the Spring and Boris Said edging out Max Papis at Montreal much later in the season. In 2004, only once was the best-finishing non-Cup regular outside the Top 3. In 2010, it happened 21 times, with 10 of those races having a driver finishing in 4th.

Should Cup regulars be limited on their Nationwide rides? Depending on the circumstance, I think they should, but not to the point where they should be banned. Full-time Cup drivers that run competitively every week, such as Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch, should be limited to at least 5 to 10 races a year in the Nationwide Series. Drivers that are rookies in the Cup Series, such as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Trevor Bayne, or drivers with limited funding in the Cup Series, such as Joe Nemechek, can run the entire Nationwide season if they want. This way some young drivers can show their talent in the field without any Cup guys spoiling the show for them.

The 2011 Nationwide is slightly better than the 2010 season, but it is pretty much hopeless that we will never see that perfect Nationwide season again, where the series regulars are the ones to beat, and not the ones to beat. And with Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards ending their full-time Nationwide ride next year, we might see that 2004 Season again, but only at stand alone events.

(Will add the laps led, best finishing non-Cup driver in a race, and extra statistics in a separate post later this week.)

Finally that Montreal Win

In 2007, he was spun by Robby Gordon on the final restart. In 2008, a late pit road speeding penalty costs him a win. In 2009, mistake on the final turn of the last lap gave the win away to Carl Edwards. And in 2010, electrical problems ended his day. Now in 2011, Marcos Ambrose finally got that win at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which will probably be the last race at the famous road course.

The win for Ambrose wasn't going to be so easy.

Ambrose had to start in the rear of the field because of a driver change, Owen Kelly drove the car for practice and qualifying. He made his way back up the field. However, with 30 laps to go, Jacques Villeneuve messed up while leading in the restart and got into Ambrose in Turn 2. Making both to pit. Cautions played a key for Ambrose. Every green flag run he'll gain some positions, then a caution will come out (some drivers decided to pit), then the next green flag he'll gain more. With all the late race cautions, he made his way to first, passing Alex Tagliani (driver of the #12 Hot Wheels Dodge) in the closing laps. Marcos keep the lead once he passed Tagliani and he went on to win his 4th career NASCAR Nationwide race, all coming at road courses.

This race was also the last race for Patrick Carpentier. In the race, he got spun by Steven Wallace, and his car just didn't behave after that spin. In the closing laps, his car gave up and he stopped between turns 1 and 2 (out of harms way), being a fellow Canadian, the crowd roared in applause, congratulating their driver on a great career.

The Nationwide guys go to Bristol next week.

Zippo 200: Preview/Predictions

Small Preview:
Race #23 of the 35 race season for the NASCAR Nationwide Series. This time the Nationwide drivers head to Watkins Glen, the second of three road courses they'll run at this year, for the Zippo 200.

Being a road course, we'll expect quite a bit of "road course ringers", and this list has quite a few: Ron Fellow's (will drive the #5 Canadian Tire Chevy), Tomy Drissi (driver of the #41 "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" / Muscle Milk Ford), Andrew Ranger (driver of the #53 Bollegraaf Dodge), and many others (some of which are driving for underfunded teams).

One driver that's not running this race, that is surprising most people, is Marcos Ambrose. To my understanding, Ambrose was going to run a RPM Nationwide car, but the team decided to withdraw before the entry list came out because of lack of sponsorship for the Zippo 200. There's still a high chance we'll see Ambrose in the Montreal race this year, which is race #24. He'll be 1 of 3 drivers (that we know so far) that'll be doing double-duty for that weekend (Carl Edwards (Billy Johnson most likely will practice and qualify the 60 car) and Michael McDowell (will drive the #18 JGR Toyota)are the other two).

Qualifying: Like past road course qualifying sessions for the Nationwide Series,  there'll be 5-6 drivers per group for a set amount of time. Don't have a driver in mind, but any driver from the last 3 groups will make the pole, unless a driver that comes out early pulls off a upset and gets the pole. Qualifying is on Saturday at 9:30 on SPEED Channel.

The Race: One driver I see spoiling the show from a Cup-Regular win is Ron Fellows. 10 races there, he has 3 wins (all coming driving for Joe Nemechek), average start is 8.3, and average finish is 11.6. Of those 10 races, Fellows only finished outside the Top-10 3 times. Now, he hasn't led a lap at this track since the 2007 race here, but after leading some laps at Road America earlier this year, he is definitely the road course ringer to beat on Saturday. If qualifying is rained-out, Fellows will miss the race if no one else withdraws, but like at Dover, expect several withdraws from S&P teams to get the non-S&P teams into the field if qualifying happened to be rained out.

The Cup-regular driver to beat? There's two: Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch. Kyle Busch will always be the one to beat in any Nationwide race he enters, needs no explanation on his history. Kurt Busch is subbing for Brad Keselowski this weekend in the #22 Ruby Tuesday / Discount Tire Dodge, and Kurt has a good history at Watkins Glen for the Nationwide Series. Now granted, he has only 2 races at this track for the NNS, but he finished 1st and 3rd in those two races, which he lead a good portion of laps in those two races. So look for him to play a major factor in the final laps. Where's Carl Edwards? Well, the past road course races have not gone well for the RFR teams. The 60 always seems to find a issue with the car about a quarter of the way in the race, and they are unable to make their way back in the field. And I have a feeling it'll happen once again this weekend.

The Nationwide-regular to beat, I'll say Reed Sorenson. I'm not saying he'll get the win this weekend, but Sorenson will be the Nationwide-regular to beat on Saturday.

Drivers that'll be doing double-duty for the Watkins Glen race: Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch (replacing Brad Keselowski in NNS), Carl Edwards, Paul Menard, Jimmie Johnson (driving the #7 "Jimmie Johnson's Anything with an Engine" Chevy), Ron Fellows, and Andrew Ranger (will be making his Cup debut this weekend. And, according to some NASCAR writers on Twitter, if there is rain at any point during this race, NASCAR will let the drivers run on rain tires.

Ricky Stenhouse Wins in Bizarre Fashion

This is a finish moment where the phrase "Have you ever?" followed by "No, I've never!" comes.

Its the last lap of the U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has in the lead, and his rival for the race (and teammate) Carl Edwards is in 2nd. Coming to the checkered flag, Stenhouse had a blown motor. Carl Edwards is coming, but with all the smoke (and oil) on the track, he had no where to go and got into the back of Stenhouse's car. Both ended up wrecking just feet away from the line. Margin of victory was 0.066 sec, with Ricky getting the win.

Nationwide Series hits Watkins Glen next week.

Stenhouse Jr. Dominates, But Keselowski Comes Out With The Victory

Ricky Stenouse Jr dominated the Nationwide race at Lucas Oil Speedway, leading 188 laps. However,  on the second to last restart, Keselowski pushed him up the track, knocking him out of the lead. The caution came out moments later when Elloitt Sadler spun and got into his teammate, Austin Dillon. The next restart, Keselowski pulled away and came out with the win. James Buescher passed Ricky to take 2nd, while Ricky had to finish in 3rd.

The biggest moment was a scary crash with Tim Andrews (drove of the #40 Key Motorsports car), Michael Annett, and Steve Wallace. Michael Annett got loose and got into Tim Andrews (according to both of their interviews, (there were no replays of their incident)), and moments later Steve Wallace spun out and plowed into Annett's parked car and got into Andrew's car. All drivers were okay. Wallace put the blame on Jame Buescher because he bumped him, that somehow caused him to spin out 5 seconds after the bump occurred.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. took the points lead after this race, he is leading Reed Sorenson by 4 points. The Nationwide guys hit Iowa next, the same track where Ricky Stenhouse took his first Nationwide win.

Kyle Busch Wins At Loudon

Kyle Busch won his 49th career Nationwide win at Loudon, tying him with Mark Martin. Busch also picked up his 100th combined NASCAR race win.

The race also had some heated moments, especially with Steve Wallace. Early in the race, Jason Leffler got into Steve at the end of Turn 4, moments later, Wallace intentionally wrecked Leffler in the backstretch. Late in the race, Steve Wallace got into Joey Logano, but caused no major damage to the 20 GameStop / "Captain America: The Game" Toyota. On the next restart, Joey's teammate, Brian Scott, spun out Steve causing a multi-car crash.

Cup Guys in Nationwide Series and Truck Series

In mid-May, I posted an article on Cup guys in the Nationwide Series. Now its time to update it. Like the past one, we are going to look at the best finish by a Nationwide regular and how many laps a Nationwide regular led. Anyone that takes Nationwide points I count as a Nationwide regular, so drivers like Joe Nemechek, Trevor Bayne, and a few others will be shown. Very good chance that I will post a final Nationwide/Truck Regular stats after this season is over

Best finish by a Nationwide Series regular in 2011 Season:

Daytona: Landon Cassill - 3rd

Phoenix: Reed Sorenson - 5th

Las Vegas: Justin Allgaier - 2nd

Bristol: Elliott Sadler - 4th

Auto Club Speedway: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - 4th

Texas: Elliott Sadler - 5th

Talladega: Joe Nemechek - 3rd

Nashville: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - 5th

Richmond: Justin Allgaier - 3rd

Darlington: Elliott Sadler - 3rd

Dover: Reed Sorenson - 3rd

Iowa: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - 1st

Charlotte: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - 4th

Chicagoland: Justin Allgaier - 1st

Michigan: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - 2nd

Road America: Reed Sorenson - 1st

Daytona: Jason Leffler - 2nd

Kentucky: Elliott Sadler - 5th

Laps led by Nationwide Series regulars in 2011 Season:

Daytona: Trevor Bayne (9), Danica Patrick (1), Mike Wallace (1) TOTAL: 11

Phoenix: none

Las Vegas: none

Bristol: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (28)  TOTAL: 28

Auto Club Speedway: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (10), Aric Almirola (2), Charles Lewandowski (2), Kevin Lepage (1) TOTAL: 15

Texas: Michael Annett (8), Ricky Stenhouse Jr (6), Brian Scott (2) TOTAL: 16

Talladega: Trevor Bayne (23), Elliott Sadler (8), Reed Sorenson (6), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (6), Mike Wallace (6), Joe Nemechek (4), Aric Almorola (2), Sam Hornish Jr. (2), Kenny Wallace (2), Derrike Cope (1), Robert Richardson Jr. (1) TOTAL: 61

Nashville: Josh Wise (5), Aric Almirola (1), Trevor Bayne (1) TOTAL: 7

Richmond: Aric Almirola (7), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2) TOTAL: 9

Darlington: Elliott Sadler (23), Justin Allgaier (13) TOTAL: 36

Dover: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (33), Josh Wise (5), Scott Wimmer (2) TOTAL: 40

Iowa: (Reed Sorenson (77), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (41), Drew Herring (39), Justin Allgaier (11) TOTAL: 168

Charlotte: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (12), Justin Allgaier (5), Michael Annett (1), Sam Hornish Jr. (1) TOTAL: 19

Chicagoland: Elliott Sadler (29), Aric Almirola (9), Kenny Wallace (2), Kelly Bires (2), Steve Wallace (2), Justin Allgaier (1), Ricky Stenhouse Jr (1) TOTAL: 46

Michigan: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (38), Elliott Sadler (6), Trevor Bayne (1), Sam Hornish Jr. (1) TOTAL: 46

Road America: Ron Fellows (6), Brian Scott (5), Jacques Villenueve (5), Justin Allgaier (4), Steve Wallace (4), Mike Wallace (2), Reed Sorenson (1) TOTAL: 27

Daytona: Elliott Sadler (31), Danica Patrick (13), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (5), Aric Almirola (1), Reed Sorenson (1), Derrike Cope (1), Timmy Hill (1) TOTAL: 53

Kentucky: Elliott Sadler (8), Joe Nemechek (2), Mike Wallace (1) TOTAL: 11

593 of 3258 Laps were led by a Nationwide Regular

Now let's look at the Truck Series. Like the Nationwide, drivers that take points for the Truck Series will count.

Best Finish by a Truck Regular in 2011 Season:

Daytona: Clay Rogers - 3rd

Phoenix: Ron Hornaday Jr. - 3rd

Darlington: Ron Hornaday Jr. - 2nd

Martinsville: Johnny Sauter - 1st

Nashville: Nelson Piquet Jr. - 2nd

Dover: Cole Whitt - 2nd

Charlotte: Cole Whitt - 3rd

Kansas: Johnny Sauter - 2nd

Texas: Ron Hornaday Jr. - 1st

Kentucky: Parker Kligerman - 2nd

Laps Led by a Truck Series regular  in 2011 Season:

Daytona: James Buescher (55), Timothy Peters (12), Clay Rogers (2), Ricky Carmichael (1), Juston Lofton (1). TOTAL: 71

Phoenix: none

Darlington: Cole Whitt (30), James Buescher (6). TOTAL: 36

Martinsville: Johnny Sauter (71), Austin Dillon (37), Ricky Carmichael (36), Ron Hornaday Jr. (29), Brendan Gaughan (7), Miquel Paludo (5), Matt Crafton (1) TOTAL: 186

Nashville: Ron Hornaday Jr. (6), Justin Johnson (2), Todd Bodine (2) TOTAL: 10

Dover: Cole Whitt (23), Matt Crafton (13), David Starr (11), Jason White (4), Johanna Long (2), Timothy Peters (1) TOTAL: 54

Charlotte: Timothy Peters (30), James Buescher (16), Ron Hornaday Jr. (13), Johnny Sauter (9), Cole Whitt (5) TOTAL: 73

Kansas: Johnny Sauter (11), Todd Bodine (9), Cole Whitt (7), Justin Lofton (7), Brad Sweet (3), Matt Crafton (3), Miquel Paludo (1), James Buescher (1), Joey Coulter (1) TOTAL: 43

Texas: Johnny Sauter (56), Austin Dillon (46), Ron Hornaday Jr. (18), Miquel Paludo (10), Joey Coulter (9), Ryan Sieg (8), James Buescher (8), Steve Arpin (6), Nelson Piquet Jr (5), Shane Seig (1), Timothy  Peters (1) TOTAL: 168

Kentucky: Johnny Sauter (24), Joey Coulter (8),  Austin Dillon (4), Nelson Piquet Jr. (2), James Buescher (2), Brendan Gaughan (2), Jason White (2) TOTAL: 44

685 of 1621 Laps were led by a Truck Series Regular

A Bizarre Finish at Road America

Anyone that missed the last 4+ laps missed a great show. With 4 laps to go (of the scheduled distance) driver Doug Harrington wrecked. McDowell has a huge lead at the time and looked like he was going to pull off the win, until that caution came out. NASCAR decided to go to the Green-White-Checkered attempts. And what we got is what I call the "Green-White-Checkered Trilogy", because each attempt had people talking.

Attempt #1: Michael McDowell gets a great restart. Once they head to Turn 1, we start to see the #22 car of Jacques Villeneuve (racing this race for Brad Keselowski), get into the grass trying to make a pass. Well, the move will turn costly for Brian Scott and Max Papis. Max Papis, driver of the #33 Rheem / Menards car, was send into the wall pretty hard and Brian Scott got into the gravel trap. On the radio after the incident Papis said:

"Thank you Jacques, good job. (to his team) Sorry guys, I thought the 22 was going to do something stupid. When people think they want to be superheroes, that's the way it goes".

In the Twitter world following this incident, lots of anger towards Jacques Villeneve was there. But the person that it really didn't go well with was Kevin Harvick, who owns the 33 car, on Twitter. He posted the following two tweets:

"This is why Villeneuve should quit driving NASCAR no sense.. I hope Papis punches his dumba** in the mouth."
"No respect here in NASCAR for Villeneuve same reason why they kicked his dumba** out of F1"

After this race, both Brian Scott and Max Papis showed their displeasure at Jacques in pit road.

After that was over it was on to the second attempt of a GWC

Attempt #2: McDowell had another great restart, but somebody was catching him after Turn 1, Justin Allgaier. Behind them there's contact all over the track, mostly from Ron Fellows. While everyone was paying attention to that, Justin Allgaier was trying to get the lead from McDowell. On a turn where Allgaier had a chance to pass McDowell, the 18 overshoot the corner and gave the lead to Allgaier. On the next turn, even more mayhem started. Ricky Carmichael overshoots the turn, Alex Kennedy overshoots that same turn (and gets stuck in the gravel trap), Michael McDowell also overshoots that corner and came back down and spun out after contacting Reed Sorenson. McDowell's hopes for his first NASCAR win went away just like that. Steven Wallace spun out on that same turn and came back down in front of Eric McClure's path. NASCAR did what they can to continue the race, but with all the stalled cars on the track, they threw the caution.

Moments after the caution came out, Steve Wallace and his crew chief were told to meet with NASCAR after the race concluded, and from people are saying, for using other cars as his brakes in turns.

Attempt #3: Final restart we'll see for this race. Justin Allgaier got a great restart. Contact for positions was happening everywhere. On the same turn where McDowell lost the lead on the 2nd GWC attempt, Aric Almirola spun out and got stuck in the gravel trap, caution did not come out. Next turn, Brian Scott spins out and gets into the gravel trap. Allgaier gets the white flag and moments later, the caution came out. All Allgaier has to do is coast to the finish line without assistance and maintain a speed.

On Allgaier's radio: "We just won this race, you guys are freaking awesome!"

Well he might of said that a little too quickly, just moments after he said that,  he runs out of fuel. His hopes for his second win of the season went away. This then gave the lead to road course ringer Ron Fellows the lead (who was in 3rd when the caution came out). Questions roar saying was Reed Sorenson, who was in 2nd when the caution came out, was he maintaining speed?

NASCAR was saying that Fellows was the leader when they were coming to the checkered flag, but they went to review the finish to make a right call. It showed that when the caution came out, Sorenson slowed down to get to the caution lap speed, which caused Fellows to pass him. NASCAR then made the call that Sorenson will be the winner of the race, and Ron Fellows finishes 2nd. It was Sorenson's first Nationwide win since Gateway in 2007.

Next week, we go to Daytona.

Silly Season 2012 is Under Way

Like the other NASCAR Seasons, this is about the time Silly Season starts.

Red Bull Racing was in the news today, where they plan to leave NASCAR after the 2011 NASCAR Season is over. This won't hurt Kasey Kahne, since he'll be driving for Hendrick Motorsports next year in the 5 car. The driver that this hurts most is Brian Vickers, who's contract was going to end after the 2011 too. And as of now, Brian Vickers is listed as a free agent

And not to long ago, Carl Edwards is rumored to take over the #20 Home Depot car for the 2012 Cup season, and the current driver, Joey Logano, will end up driving the 4th Joe Gibbs Racing car, most likely will be the #02 car, as they used it for the 2008 and 2009 season for Joey Logano and David Gilliland for a small handful of races.

Now some of my predictions of what might happen (will feature drivers who's contracts end after 2011 season):

Mark Martin: With Kasey Kahne moving to the 5, this will make Mark Martin a free agent. There's a good chance that Martin will move to the Nationwide Series for Turner Motorsports, and it is rumored that Turner is prepping up a Cup car for the 2012 Season, so I wouldn't be surprised if Martin ends up being the driver for that ride if it happens.

Brian Vickers: Most probably have him going to the 99, but I have other predictions on who will fill the 99 if the Carl Edwards to Joe Gibbs Racing is true. For Vickers, like Martin, I see him going back to the Nationwide Series. Don't know what team though, could be a part-time driver if he can find a one-ride deal for Daytona NNS 300.

Carl Edwards: Carl Edwards is one of the biggest names out there that could be a free agent if his contract doesn't get extended. There's a chance he'll move to the 20, or could be the 4th JGR car, according to the rumor. Let's say this is true, I see his Nationwide teammate, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. taking over the 99 ride if Edwards heads over to JGR. But we still have half a season left, things can change in the RFR group.

Ryan Newman: Ryan Newman's contract, and U.S. Army, for Stewart-Haas ends after the 2011 Season. I see Newman getting a contract extension before this season is over, probably in the next couple months we'll know about this.

Juan Pablo Montoya: Like Newman, I see Montoya getting a extension in the next couple months, but if he is unable to get a extension, expect a surprise taking over the ride.

Joey Logano: With the rumors of Carl Edwards moving to the 20, where will this lead for Joey Logano. I expect him to stay in the Nationwide Series in the #20 car. For the Cup Series, I see him staying with Joe Gibbs Racing, but will be in the #02 car, but that will depend on sponsorship.

(UPDATE 6/21/11: Red Bull GM, Jay Frye, says he expects to have a two car team next year. If he does have the two cars, I wouldn't be surprised if Brian Vickers is one of the drivers.)

Carl Edwards Flips Again

Carl Edwards passed his teammate, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., in the closing laps of the Alliance Truck Parts 250 at Michigan International Speedway.

It was your normal quiet race at MIS, with long green flag runs and wild restarts. There where 3 cautions one for debris and the other two for spins)

The Nationwide guys head to Road America next week, while the Cup guys are at Infineon.

Rick Russell Claims Another Victim

What can you say about 2nd Chance Motorsports? Well, other than being a start-and-park team, the team owner Rick Russell does not seem to like his drivers that much.

In Bristol in March. Jennifer Jo Cobb was kicked off the team because she refused to start-and-park. Tim Andrews then took over the ride the following week at Auto Club Speedway. Tim Andrews start-and-parked in all the races he was in that 79 car.

Well, on Sunday morning, Tim Andrews tweeted: "Yes he has struck again. After the team and I loaded the hauler after the weekend he fired us all and told us to find our own way home..." then continued on by saying: "It is amazing how you work for someone make them look like a hero help them to get where they are and they completely s--- on u".

It is possible now that this could be the end of 2nd Chance Motorsports. But, if it is not the end, another victim will be next.

Wild Coast To Victory

Once again, its the last lap, on the final turns of the race, leader that took the white flag doesn't take the checkered flag.

It was a quiet night. No serious incidents, only 4 cautions (competition caution, one for Ricky Stenhouse Jr hitting the wall, and the other two for oil on the track), but the last 50 laps were something to watch. Everyone that pitted on the last caution were just going to barely make it. At first, it looked like it was going to be between Carl Edwards and Elliott Sadler, but in the closing laps Elliott Sadler had to pit cause a tire was going down in the closing laps. Justin Allgaier was coming quickly. On the last lap, coming to Turn 3, Edwards runs out of gas. Then just seconds later, Allgaier runs out of gas. Both cars coasted to the finish and Allgaier came off with the win, becoming the second Nationwide-regular to win this year.

According to some tweets moments after the finish, pretty much everyone ran out of fuel on that last lap.

There's no Nationwide race next week. The next Nationwide race will be on June 18 at Michigan.

Kyle Busch: Is He Getting A Special Treatment?

(NOTE: THIS ARTICLE IS 100% OPINION.)

On Tuesday, Kyle Busch did one of the few dumbest things someone can do while driving: speeding. He was caught driving 128 MPH in a 45 MPH zone, almost 3x over the legal speed limit. He was cited for reckless driving.

He was driving, or to him testing, a 2012 Lexus LFA sports car, the same car and color Denny Hamlin posted on Twitter the day before (unsure if was the one Kyle ended up speeding with). Kyle claimed, or more of a excuse in my opinion: "This is just a toy". Kyle also had a woman in the car at the time, turned out to be his wife, Samantha. Sergent Chris Stone said that Kyle was cooperative and he was not arrogant or anything. Later, Kyle then followed with a statement saying he was just test-driving the sports car and he got carried away. He is scheduled to appear in court and it is possible he can lose his driver's license up to 60 days. And, according to NASCAR, you're NASCAR license isn't based off of your driver's license you use for the streets. So, Kyle can still drive in NASCAR events with a suspended license. And, by the looks of it, NASCAR will not suspend Kyle Busch for his actions he did on Tuesday. In fact, some residents in the area he speed through are not happy on the call they're making.

If I had to make the call, I'll suspend Kyle for up to two NASCAR weekends, with his probation extended for the end of the year. Kyle is VERY lucky he didn't get hurt or even killed anyone, including himself.

And Kyle, keep the high speeds on the track, not in the streets where innocent people are.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Wins First Career Race At Iowa

Early last week, I posted an article on my views of Cup Drivers in the Nationwide Series. What we saw today is what we need in stand-alone races for the Nationwide Series.

Last year, everyone thought Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was going to lose his ride at some point during the 2010 Nationwide Season. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had only 8 Top 10 finishes, 5 of which came in the last 10 races, and one DNQ (Nashville).

This year, Stenhouse Jr. turned his career around, having 8 Top 10 finishes in 11 races. And today, he won the John Deere Dealers 250 at Iowa Speedway. On the last restart, Ricky passed his teammate, Carl Edwards, for the lead. Stenhouse stayed in the lead for the rest of the race, later picking up his first NASCAR career win. This is also the first Nationwide Regular to win a Nationwide race since Justin Allgaier at the Spring race at Bristol last year. Ricky is also the first driver to pick up his first career win in the Nationwide Series at Iowa.

This race seemed to went into segments. First it was the Drew Herring show, then it was the Michael McDowell show, then it was the Reed Sorenson show, and finally it was the Ricky Stenhouse Jr. / Carl Edwards / Brad Keselowski show for the end.

There were 5 cautions for 28 laps. 7 different leaders with 28 lead changes.

The Nationwide Series will be at Charlotte Motor Speedway this Saturday for the Top Gear 300.

(Because of plans, I probably will only post a very brief article on who won)

Should Cup Series Drivers Be Limited In NASCAR Nationwide Series?

As the races go by, full-time Cup Series drivers continue to dominate in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. How has the Nationwide regulars done so far this year? Lets look at the stats by best finish by a Nationwide Series regular (or by a driver that takes points for the series).

Best Finish By a Nationwide Series Regular of 2011:
Daytona: Landon Cassill - 3rd (takes points for the series)
Phoenix: Reed Sorenson - 5th
Las Vegas: Justin Allgaier - 2nd
Bristol: Elliott Sadler - 4th
Auto Club Speedway: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - 4th
Texas: Elliott Sadler - 5th
Talladega: Joe Nemechek - 3rd (takes points for the series)
Nashville: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - 5th
Richmond: Justin Allgaier - 3rd
Darlington: Elliott Sadler - 3rd
Dover: Reed Sorenson - 3rd

Now let's look at laps led by Nationwide Series regulars:
Daytona: (Trevor Bayne - 9, Danica Patrick 1, Mike Wallace - 1)
Phoenix: none
Las Vegas: none
Bristol: (Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - 28)
Auto Club Speedway: (Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - 10, Aric Almirola - 2, Charles Lewandowski - 2, Kevin Lepage - 1)
Texas: (Michael Annett - 8, Ricky Stenhouse Jr - 6, Brian Scott - 2
Talladega: (Trevor Bayne - 23, Elliott Sadler - 8, Reed Sorenson - 6, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - 6, Mike Wallace - 6, Joe Nemechek - 4, Aric Almorola - 2, Sam Hornish Jr. - 2, Kenny Wallace - 2, Derrike Cope - 1, Robert Richardson Jr. - 1)
Nashville: (Josh Wise - 5, Aric Almirola - 1, Trevor Bayne - 1)
Richmond: (Aric Almirola - 7, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - 2)
Darlington: (Elliott Sadler - 23, Justin Allgaier - 13)
Dover: (Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - 33, Josh Wise - 5, Scott Wimmer - 2)

Total: 214 of 2126 Laps

Looking at those stats for laps led, only one race has a Nationwide regular led the most in a race, that was Trevor Bayne at Talladega.

All the races in the Nationwide Series have been won by a Cup Series Regular, with Kyle Busch having the most (5), Carl Edwards (3), and Denny Hamlin, Mark Martin, and Tony Stewart (each with 1). In 2010, we had only one Nationwide Series regular in Victory Lane (Justin Allgaier at Bristol in the Spring), that was the last time we had a series regular win in this series.

So when should Cup drivers not be in a Nationwide Race? I think NASCAR should let Cup drivers be in the Nationwide Series for a maximum of 5 to 10 races, with some weekends with just Nationwide regulars driving. It can give potential for some drivers to show their experience and talent on the track. Drivers that have been in the Cup Series for 5 years or more should get no more than 5 races.

I know sponsorship will always be an issue, but some drivers like Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Reed Sorenson, and many others need to have races with no Cup regular in the field. I'm not saying banish Cup guys from this series, I just want them to be on a limited schedule because I think they should focus on the Cup Championship more.

With just 3 Cup drivers entered in the Nationwide race at Iowa this weekend, can we see a Nationwide regular pull off a win, or will Edwards, Brad Keselowski, or McDowell continue the Cup-Regular winning dominance?

(Stats from racing-reference.info)

Wild Wrecks at Dover

The Monster Mile has been biting its drivers this week. From NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver, Ricky Carmichael, to Cup/Nationwide Series driver, Clint Bowyer, the Dover Monster has been doing what it does best, chewing up race cars.


The Camping World Truck Series race, Lucas Oil 200, had 9 cautions for 41 laps, one of which ended the race because of a last lap crash between Nelson Piquet Jr. and Timothy Peters. Kyle Busch, who dominated the race leading 128 laps came out with the victory, with rookie Cole Whitt finishing second, his best finish in the series. The major incident of the evening was Ricky Carmichael's hard crash in Turns 3 and 4. The impact pretty much destroyed the front end of the car. Luckily, with all of NASCAR's safety, Carmichael walked away from the crash. The Camping World Truck Series head on over to Charlotte next week, which will have former F1 Champion, Kimi Raikkonen, making his first NASCAR attempt.


The Naionwide Series race, 5-Hour Energy 250, had three stories in the race. The first story we saw was the rain. Rain cancelled both qualifying sessions for the Cup and Nationwide Series, and caused a hour and half delay for the green flag to start the race. A light rain came again with a little less than 60 to go. JR Motorsports driver, Josh Wise, used pit strategy to see if he can pull off a win. Once the leaders pitted, he stayed out hoping a red flag will come (which it did), and NASCAR will call the race. The rain went away and the race continued. Another story that happened was the Alex Kennedy and Kevin Swindell incident. Alex Kennedy, driver of the 23 car got loose at the backstretch and hit the inside wall. What could've been a single car incident, Kennedy came back up the track in front of Kevin Swindell, driver of the 16 car, destroying both cars. Alex Kennedy and his spotter was called to the NASCAR hauler following this crash. The last incident was the huge crash that happened coming to the white flag. Carl Edwards and Joey Logano were fighting for the lead. Coming into Turn 3 Carl Edwards started to get loose, he started to go up the race track, which got Logano aero-loose, sending him hard into the wall. Logano's car then came back down the race track sending Clint Bowyer's car in the air and on its side. The drivers behind this crash had no where to go and were collected in the incident. All the drivers involved were okay after the incident was over, however, a crew member of Kevin Harvick Inc.'s #33 was injured by a flying spring from the crash. Carl Edwards ended up winning the race. In Victory Lane, Edwards got a lot of boos when he got out of the car, he also said he didn't do his signature backflip because he thought he was the one who started the crash to begin with. Next time, the Nationwide Series head over to Iowa.