Smoke Rains on Kyle Busch's Parade....

Tony Stewart, winner of the Auto Club 400 by default due to rain.
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com

Well sort of... it was more like Mother Nature who did it but nonetheless Tony Stewart was deemed the victor in the rain shortened Auto Club 400 from Fontana, California. Stewart was in the lead when cars were parked due to the rain. Since showers were forecasted for the rest of the day and the halfway mark had come and gone, the defending Sprint Cup Champion earned the victory with only 129 of 200 laps run. Although Kyle Busch, led the most laps at the California track, he failed to become the first driver for Joe Gibbs Racing to win here.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had another impressive finish coming in third followed by Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards,  Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman (Tony’s team mate), Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top ten respectively.  

I was quite happy to hear that NASCAR has reduced the sentence to car/team owner Rick Hendrick for the “incident” at this year’s Daytona 500 involving the car not passing inspection and violating some body frame rules. Crew chief, Chad Knaus and car chief, Ron Malec, were both released of their suspensions and allowed to resume command on the pit box (although nothing every truly changed as they were allowed to remain there during the appeal process). The 25 driver points that were previously deducted were reinstated, however, the $100,000 fine remained intact.

As it stands this week in the overall points, fellow dog lover Greg Biffle is sitting in first place followed by expectant father Kevin Harvick (do you think this new baby will make him smile more? LOL), then Dale Earnhardt Jr. (can you believe I am saying this??), then Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth round out the top five.

Dale...the elves in the trees are waiting to make cookies... PLEASE SHAVE!
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com

I kid about Dale Jr., but I really do root for this guy to have a good season. Years past rumours swelled that his lack of finishing in victory lane were directly attributed to his discord with his step-monster Teresa Earnhardt. Everyone expected great things from Jr., once he started driving for Hendrick’s in 2008.  While “great things” clearly have not happened, I do feel in my heart that they will. Dale is a talented driver, with the brains, experience and funds backing him from Hendrick’s that should enable this. I think he is still somewhat “gun shy” since his second degree burns in 2004. That was a pretty serious accident and I am sure beyond painful and I wonder how much this plays with his mind when driving still.  He just hasn’t seemed the same ever since. I think this might just be the year that Jr. finally shines through. I just really wish he would find a razor. Didn't he used to be one of Gillette's Young Guns?? UGHHHH it just does nothing for him...he looks like a cross between the Lucky Charms Leprechaun and a Keebler cookie elf. Come on Dale...I realize you can look like Sasquatch and the fans will still vote you number one favourite but can't you just clean it up a little for the female fans in the audience?!?!

This week NASCAR returns to it's southern roots as we head to Martinsville Speedway for the Goody's Fast Relief 500. Founded in 1947 by the late H. Clay Earles, Martinsville Speedway is only track which has hosted NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races every year since the division’s inception in 1949.  At .526 miles in length, Martinsville Speedway is the shortest track on the Sprint Cup circuit. But because of its size and shape – described most often as the shape of a paperclip – Martinsville offers some of the most exciting and close racing in the sport.  Also because of its size, fans are closer to the action than any other track. The cars are never more than a few hundred yards away and sometimes they seem close enough to reach out and touch. This track is on my "bucket list" of tracks to watch a race!!!


By Sherri Breaton

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Want To Work For Milan Dragway?

On Saturday, March 24th Milan Dragway will be hosting an application day. As they start the 2012 race season they will be looking for seasonal help for numerous positions. Applications will be accepted for Race Officials, Announcers, Concessions, Tickets, EMT’s and Maintenance. They will be doing brief interviews while accepting applications from 11am-3pm.

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The Smoke Show in Vegas

By Sherri Breaton

Tony Stewart wins the Kobalt Tools 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com 

Tony Stewart was able to hold off Jimmie Johnson twice on a restart to win the Kobalt Tools 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. With only four laps left, Tony maintained the lead and captured the checkered flag .461 seconds ahead of Johnson. Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman and Carl Edwards came home third through fifth, respectively. Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard, Jamie McMurray, Trevor Bayne and Dale Earnhardt Jr. completed the top 10.  While last week was considered a sweet revenge for former crew chief Dariun Grubb with his win in Phoenix with Denny Hamelin, this week was even sweeter for Smoke as this is the first time he has been able to clinch a victory in the city of lights in the desert.

Tony Stewart leads Jimmie Johnson on a restart at the
Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com 

It’s also equally ironic that Stewart is running Hendrick’s engines and was able to beat the 5 time champ to the finish line. Jimmie was rough on the restarts after countless cautions.

Said Johnson on the restarts:

"They were awfully strong, (the Stewart team), the last two restarts ... second to the last restart, I just blew it. He got away from me. The next to the last start, I felt like I got a good one. He still cruised away.” Ya, you blew it.

Besides the obvious disappointment in missing the win by “that much” the fact that the #48 Lowe’s Chevy was able to rebound from having to start from the rear due to having to utilize the back up car as a result of a wreck in practice, to a solid second place finish is nothing to be ashamed of.

The #48 team is still embroiled in the appeals process as a result of the car they were planning on using in the Daytona 500, (keys words...”planning”...the car never made it to the racetrack and as karma would have it, Jimmie crashed and burned on lap two and was out of the race for the night) was deemed illegal.

Rick Hendrick was denied Tuesday, setting up one last-ditch plea to prevent crew chief Chad Knaus from having to sit out six races along with car chief Ron Malec, and driver Jimmie Johnson from losing 25 points.

I have to agree with Kyle Petty on this so called “committee” that oversees the appeals process at NASCAR. This panel is made up of a bunch of “old farts” as Kyle says, retired drivers, owners, crew chiefs, mechanics, officials etc, that decide the outcome of these infarctions. As Kyle said on air during the pre-race show, “you would be hard pressed to find two people on that panel who have actually attended a race in the past two years if not more”. They really need to change this process and have a committee consisting of recent retires and/or people who are current with today’s racing standards and what is considering “cheating” and what is considered “pushing the limitations of technology and trying to beat your competitors at the same game”.  Hendrick said he will now make one final appeal to John Middlebrook, a former General Motors executive who serves as chief appellate officer on the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel. No date has been established yet for the final appeal. For now we will wait and Chad will remain on the box until such time.

Next week, we are on to Bristol Motor Speedway, and the always fan favourite “driver introductions”. Bristol is the only track that allows the drivers to choose the song in which they will be introduced to. Some of them in the past have been both funny and ironic. I will provide the full list along with the race recap next week post race. 

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Victory for Hamelin in Phoenix

Denny Hamelin wins the 2012 Subway Fresh Fit 500
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com

Phoenix International Speedway
Photo courtesy Nascar.com

"It feels so good to be competitive again!"


Those were the words shouted out over the radio by Denny Hamelin to his crew chief. Denny finally redeemed himself with his 18^th career victory  at Sunday's Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. In his second race with 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup championship crew chief Darian Grubb calling the shots from his pit box, Hamlin managed to hold off Kevin Harvick in a 53-lap green-flag race to finish the 312-lap race at the one-mile track. The win allowed Hamlin to take over the series points lead for the first time since giving it up in the final race of 2010 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. As an at-home spectator, it wasn't exactly a nail biter of a race. Quite frankly it was somewhat anti-climactic after last week's Daytona 500. I was waiting to hear that Juan Pablo Montoya took out a hot dog vendor's cart. I am quite sure, however, it was sweet justice for Darian Grubb, who was fired from Stewart-Haas Racing after last season even though he helped Tony Stewart win the Cup championship. It must feel good to beat Tony Stewart to victory lane.


Kevin Harvick lost fuel pressure with less than two laps left but still managed an impressive second place followed by Greg Biffle in third, then by Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., and Jeff Gordon. Pole-sitter Mark Martin and Joey Logano rounded out the top 10.

Other drivers encountered their fair share of trouble:

Clint Bowyer (30th) blew two right front tires in the first 25 laps. Kasey Kahne (34th) hit the wall early in the race. And Stewart (22nd) fell two laps down after being unable to restart his Chevrolet after turning it off in an attempt to save fuel under caution.

The starting line-up at Phoenix
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com 

The often used tactic of shutting down the engines to save fuel then quickly restarting them bit Tony right in the butt late in the race. He lost a lap during a caution when he couldn’t re-fire his car and had to get a push from the wrecker to make it back to the pits. He finished 22nd.

“I just shut the car off like we did at Daytona and turned it back on, and it never re-fired,” Stewart said. “That’s all I can tell you. I don’t know why it didn’t re-fire. I honestly don’t know. It’s not really my department. I just turned the switch back on, and it never re-fired. I don’t know why that was, but it definitely cost us a good day.” Judging by his demeanour in that post race interview with Tony, I would hate to be the electronics guy on his team once Tony gets back to the hauler. Crew chief Steve Addington said a faulty circuit breaker apparently was the problem.

Could a new rivalry be brewing??? Keep and eye on Ryan Newman and Carl Edwards in future races.  While Ryan Newman conceded Carl Edwards likely didn't wreck him intentionally on lap 256 of Sunday's NASCAR race at Phoenix International Raceway he wasn’t happy about it. Newman, who was on the outside of Edwards heading into Turn 3, ended up being hit broadside by the 99 car, sending him hard into the wall. "I don't consider that a deliberate move by any means. (But) we know plenty of times in this sport, what comes around goes around." Have at it boys!

Once again my team, the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet in caught up in a so-called “cheating controversy” *cough*.  On Feb. 17, NASCAR ruled the car had illegally modified sheet metal between the roof and the side windows, an area known as the C-posts. Chad Knaus was fined $100,000 and suspended six races. His car chief Ron Malec was also levied a six week suspension. Jimmie Johnson was docked 25 points as a driver and Jeff Gordon lost 25 points as an owner.  An appeal date has not yet been set, and Knaus can work until the appeal hearing. Knaus said he looked forward to the appeals process, insisting the car that failed the visual inspection in Daytona was the same one that passed repeated inspections in four previous restrictor-plate races at Daytona and Talladega last season. This is nothing new for this team as Knaus has been suspended four previous times, one coming when Johnson won the 2006 Daytona 500 and Darian Grubb filled in. Knaus also had a two-race ban in 2005 overturned on appeal. Chad Knaus and Jimmie live by the motto "if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying”. But people are completely naive if they think that the Lowe’s team is the only team bending the rules, or the metal per se. I understand the accusations and what is at stake. I mean if Chad is going to “cheat” at any given race and is consistently and frequently penalized for technical violations and found guilty of trying to gain an illegal advantage wouldn’t he cheat with a championship on the line (or five)? Did he and maybe he just never was caught?  Could that explain why Jimmie has such an incredible record in previous Chases?

Crew Chief Chad Knaus & Car Chief Ron Malec for the #48
Photo courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports

I am sure that what a lot of fans think-a lot of non-Jimmie Johnson fans for sure. I personally find it hard to believe Johnson and Knaus won those champions and 55 Cup races all while cheating.  Jimmie is far too talented of a driver and Chad is an extremely brilliant crew chief. They do not have to cheat to win. Chad is only doing what a good crew chief should do – look for loopholes in the rules and try to find an edge in a sport that has long applauded and encouraged mechanical resourcefulness. However when you’re the sport’s most successful crew chief, and it’s most penalized, that only raises the cloud of suspicion and tarnishes your reputation even more. Chad doesn’t seem too fazed by any of it. He was quoted this weekend as saying “As far as my reputation goes, I’m not too concerned about that. What we want to do is go out there and do the best thing we can for Hendrick Motorsports and the best things for Lowe’s and try to win races and championships.”

We will await the appeal and see what the outcome is. Like most other professional sports teams, the Lowe's Chevy is a well oiled machine. They have over 500 people working at the Hendrick garages in Charlotte, NC. If they do end up losing Chad for some races, I do not foresee it being detrimental to the team as a whole. After all, Jimmie IS in the driver's seat.....

Next week...It's Vegas baby!!!! 

Denny Hamelin doing his victory burnout
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com

Incidentally, did anyone catch the commercial for Tide? Boy did I call that one right last week hahaha ... in case you missed it...
http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2012/3/4/2843959/tide-nascar-commercial-daytona-500-jet-dryer-explosion-2012


By Sherri Breaton

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Wanna See The Daytona 500 in Fast Forward?

Check out this awesome timelapse taken during the 2012 DAYTONA 500 as fans fill into the stands and cars head out on track.


http://youtu.be/6bYHHDtkpQk


By Sherri Breaton

Drop me line at In Play! Magazine on Facebook