This weekend Stewart-Haas Racing not only qualified 1-2 to start the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at Loudon, but they also finished the race 1-2, in the same order they qualified. A feat I’m not sure I’ve ever seen before. (Disclaimer: That I recall off the top of my head.) [Ah... Pocono 2006, Hamlin/Ku Busch.]
Over the weekend, Ryan Newman won the pole for the NASCAR Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and he ended up sharing the front row with is boss/teammate Tony Stewart. Newman and Stewart fans everywhere seemed pretty pleased.
But as driver fans can attest to, when your driver does something that sparks your imagination, it’s usually a one-up deal. I can’t say how many times pole-sitters win a race, but this was one of those times as Ryan Newman took the checkered flag and Tony Stewart pulled in 2nd at the end of the race that the happy fans turned to victorious giddy fans.
Now, Ryan Newman fans are pretty damn happy.
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The race itself is a huge chess match of tire strategy and fuel mileage on a race track that’s purportedly known for being difficult to pass on. I think it’s one of the best tracks there is for a race. The banking of the track doesn’t allow for all-out turn entry or drafting potentials or what not. This is a skill-test like no other at a classic paper-clip shaped 1.058-mile track.
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We’re only three weeks going, into the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and some are saying how folks are already in trouble for contending for the championship. Despite the apparent fact that it “looks” like bad finishes hurt more than they used to under the old points system, think again. Mathematically, it is true that getting 1 point out of 43 is worse than 34 out of 185. 1 point is roughly 2% of 43 while 34 is 18% of 185. But I think we have to take a few things into account when we start looking at the points system and some folks spots in the standings: It’s about overall performance at this stage of the game.
Albeit, we have Bobby Labonte, David Gilliland and Paul Menard in the top-12 (no disrespect meant) of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings but we have Jimmie Johnson in 13th, who jumped 12 spots to get there and Kevin Harvick is now in 22nd in the points standings, having jumped 15 spots to get there, despite his weekend at Phoenix.
Do you know who the biggest gainer was last week? Jeff Gordon jumped 21 spots in the standings with his win at Phoenix and is now in 5th place in the driver standings.
Right now, the points system, as tight as it may appear to be, is accenting the volatility of good and bad finishes from race to race. But as the season wears on and we’re 10 races into the 2011 NASCAR season, you’ll start to see things settle down. Much like a race itself where the middle laps are paced laps and drivers have settled in, waiting for the time to start pushing.
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Juan Montoya snagged the Loudon pole (again) for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Lennox Industrial Tools 301 race and he’s sharing that front row with Kasey Kahne.
Ryan Newman snagged a 5th place starting spot, Jimmie Johnson (10th), Jeff Gordon (16th), Denny Hamlin (20th), Tony Stewart (25th), Kevin Harvick (24th), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (31st)-
| POS |
CAR |
DRIVER |
|
POS |
CAR |
DRIVER |
| 1 |
42 |
Juan Montoya |
- |
2 |
9 |
Kasey Kahne |
| 3 |
2 |
Kurt Busch |
- |
4 |
5 |
Mark Martin |
| 5 |
39 |
Ryan Newman |
- |
6 |
0 |
David Reutimann |
| 7 |
87 |
Joe Nemechek |
- |
8 |
77 |
Sam Hornish Jr. |
| 9 |
33 |
Clint Bowyer |
- |
10 |
48 |
Jimmie Johnson |
| 11 |
20 |
Joey Logano |
- |
12 |
47 |
Marcos Ambrose |
| 13 |
98 |
Paul Menard |
- |
14 |
12 |
Brad Keselowski |
| 15 |
82 |
Scott Speed |
- |
16 |
24 |
Jeff Gordon |
| 17 |
31 |
Jeff Burton |
- |
18 |
78 |
Regan Smith |
| 19 |
6 |
David Ragan |
- |
20 |
11 |
Denny Hamlin |
| 21 |
99 |
Carl Edwards |
- |
22 |
18 |
Kyle Busch |
| 23 |
36 |
Casey Mears |
- |
24 |
29 |
Kevin Harvick |
| 25 |
14 |
Tony Stewart |
- |
26 |
56 |
Martin Truex Jr. |
| 27 |
1 |
Jamie McMurray |
- |
28 |
43 |
A.J. Allmendinger |
| 29 |
83 |
Reed Sorenson |
- |
30 |
19 |
Elliott Sadler |
| 31 |
88 |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
- |
32 |
13 |
Max Papis |
| 33 |
17 |
Matt Kenseth |
- |
34 |
16 |
Greg Biffle |
| 35 |
46 |
J.J. Yeley |
- |
36 |
66 |
Dave Blaney |
| 37 |
55 |
Michael McDowell |
- |
38 |
26 |
David Stremme |
| 39 |
37 |
David Gilliland |
- |
40 |
164 |
Todd Bodine |
| 41 |
71 |
Andy Lally |
- |
42 |
34 |
Kevin Conway* |
| 43 |
7 |
Bobby Labonte |
- |
|
|
|
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Bobby Labonte was a “start & park” for 3 of the last 5 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races he was in, under the TRG Motorsports banner. Can you imagine, after being the 2000 Cup champ, to then become second fiddle to the young, marketing-based driving talent pool, and being further reduced to a “Start & Park” that fans scoff at?
It’s a sad thing indeed. Bobby needs a break, a good break at that, like Mark Martin has had under the Hendricks roof, but he’s not had it. Does he deserve it and can he pull it off? I don’t know. Being a fan, I’d love to think so.
This weekend at New Hampshire, Bobby will be behind the wheel of the Robby Gordon Motorsports car. He’ll also be manning the RGM machine at Phoenix Racing & then Daytona and Chicagoland.
Bobby Labonte has terminated his contract with TRG Motorsports because he did not want to be a Start & Park. It’s no one’s fault really. It’s a tough business to be in but Bobby wants what’s best for Bobby and that is completely understandable.
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Jeff Burton is making his 500th consecutive start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, this Sunday in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway, barring any complications.
This will put him as the 10th-longest streak in series history, and third-longest active streak (Jeff Gordon has run 596 consecutive races; Bobby Labonte has run 595 consecutive races).
Burton began this streak on March 24, 1996 at Darlington Raceway and in the process, has garnered 120 top fives and 222 top 10s.
Below are the 10 longest consecutive start streaks in the NASCAR series history:
Consecutive Starts – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Driver – Starts
1. Ricky Rudd – 788
2. Rusty Wallace – 697
3. Terry Labonte – 655
4. Dale Earnhardt – 648
5. Mark Martin – 621
6. Jeff Gordon – 596
7. Bobby Labonte – 595
8. Ken Schrader – 579
9. Richard Petty – 513
10. Jeff Burton – 499
Ever wonder what some of the drivers Twitter accounts are? Wonder no more! Or at least there’s no more wondering about these guys.
Montoya is pretty busy Twitter guy, both on and off the track. Kenny Wallace is a blast all the time. (“Ha Ha Ha.”… you’ll see what the means.)
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The Rolex 24 is putting Daytona to use and warming it up for NASCAR later on in February. LOL.
Some NASCAR drivers have entered in the race to get the racing blood flow going!
Jimmie Johnson will be driving on the GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing team.
Juan Pablo Montoya, Jamie McMurray and Max Papis are driving the TELMEX/Target Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates entry.
AJ Allmendinger is on the Michael Shank Racing team.
Paul Menard – the Spirit of Daytona team.
Bobby Labonte will be in a TRG Porsche.
Colin Braun will share the duties in the Krohn Racing team.
Slugger Labbe was let go from TRG Motorsports yesterday.
He was the Crew Chief for the No. 71 Toyota Camry. Bobby Labonte is headed to the No. 71 Cup team in the 2010 season.
No news on replacements that I heard mentioned yet.
Bobby Labonte signed a contract to drive for TRG Motorsports for the 2010 NASCAR season.
The TRG ride will be sponsored by TaxSlayer for the first half of the season and Kevin Buckler (team owner) will be trying to jumble together sponrors for the latter half ofthe season.
I like that Bobby headed to the team that gave him a ride when Hall of Fame Racing and their sponsors bumped him for Erik Darnell.
Now Erik can take his development practice drives and apply them to the HOF car for 2010.
When Jeff Gordon was sitting on the provisional pole (96.519 mph) for the TUMS FAST RELIEF 500, like any driver, if you run your qualifying run early enough, you just hold your breath.
Holding his breath didn’t work.
With a 96.795 mph run, Ryan Newman took the provisional pole away from Jeff and kept it for the rest of the day. The rocket did what he does best, and that’s snag that pole with a blazing lap!
This makes pole #45 for Ryan Newman, his 2nd for 2009.
With Ryan Newman being the fastest of the Cup Chasers, Joey Logano snagged 7th, being the fastest rookie, with a 96.034 mph lap.
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