You Did Your Daddy Proud Dale! Jr. Ends the Drought on Father’s Day in Michigan

By Sherri Breaton

It's been 4 yrs since Jr. Nation witnessed a burnout in Victory Lane.
Four years, same place.
Michigan International Speedway
Photo Courtesy of Nascar.com

 Well it goes without saying that the fans of Junior Nation are celebrating loud and proud tonight. And rightly so! It has been four years ago and 143 races since, at this very same track, Jr. fans celebrated in Victory Lane. How fitting for this to happen on Father’s Day yet again. Today, June 17^th, 2012, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took home the rain delayed checkered flag at the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn Michigan.  

Jr. crosses the finish line at the 2012 Quicken Loans 400 at MIS
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com

Leave it to NASCAR’s current reigning champion and resident mouthpiece to chime in: "Dale had the fastest car all day. It's not a national holiday, guys. This morning they were celebrating his fourth anniversary of his last win, so I guess we're all in a state of mourning now, because he's broke that string now, so I don't know what we're all supposed to think."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads the charge to the finish line
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com

Tony....come on, suck it up buttercup. So you didn’t win this one. You had a beyond respectable second place finish. Even if you had, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s hauler STILL would have outsold yours in merchandise!

How can you not get caught up in the royalty and the loyalty that surrounds Dale Earnhardt Jr?  Following the death of his father Dale Sr. at the Daytona 500 in 2001, I had to pick a new driver to follow. I chose Jimmie Johnson. He was new, he was young and most of all, like Dale Sr., he was fearless and could drive the crap out anything he got behind the wheel of. However, like every other fan in NASCAR, no matter whom you threw your support and loyalty behind, you still your heart, hoped for Jr. to win.

After his ordeal with his Step-Monster Teresa Earnhardt and subsequent departure for DEI,  I could not have been more thrilled to see him hop on board the Hendrick’s Motor Sports Team. Like everyone else I expected great things to happen for him, but they just never seemed to pan out. Dale Jr. to this day, regardless if he were to ever win another race, would still be ranked as NASCAR’s most popular driver. He is the Crown Prince. He can do no wrong. You have to be at a race, live, whenever Jr. takes the lead. The thunderous roar and eruption of cheering is mind blowing in the least, deafing at best. Remember, these are people sporting numbers of every other driver as well as Jr. fans. It’s NASCAR, its family.

Team Earnhardt and the Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard #88 Chevrolet celebrate.
Dale Jr.'s girlfriend Amy Reimann pictured above.
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com 

When he makes mistakes and cause wrecks, it’s okay, “it’s just Dale”. You have to love a sport and a fan base that still supports and cheers on a driver that has not won in four years. He sells more merchandise than any other driver – ever-except for his Dad. We have all known that he has the talent, the God given gift of driving. It was nice to finally see him shake those demons and bring it home for his long suffering team, sponsors, owners but more importantly, his FANS.

Champagne toast for Jr.!
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com 

Top ten results are as follows:

Jr. followed by Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Juan Montoya, Marcos Ambrose and Kevin Harvick.

Jr. Nation is celebrating tonight!
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com

Overall Sprint Cup current standings are found here:

http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2012/data/standings_unofficial.html

 Next week is the road course at Infineon where the likes of Marcos Ambrose and Tony Stewart always shine. However this is also a place where Jimmie Johnson has conquered. Who is it gonna be?

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HOWARD, RAIOLA TO SERVE AS QUICKEN LOANS 400 GRAND MARSHAL AND HONORARY STARTER

BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 8, 2012) – Two of the state’s biggest sports superstars will be grand marshal and honorary starter for the Father’s Day Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway.  

Starting goaltender for the 11-time Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings Jimmy Howard will remove his mask and serve as grand marshal for the Quicken Loans 400, giving the command to start engines. Dominic Raiola, the center and team captain for the NFL’s Detroit Lions, will be honorary starter, waving the green flag.

“It is great to have two professional athletes synonymous with Detroit to join us at MIS,” track President Roger Curtis said. “Their records and accomplishments speak for themselves as they each lead their respective teams and are true superstars. Howard and Raiola are each truly two of the greats in their leagues, and we are honored they could join us for the Quicken Loans 400.”

When it comes to his play between the pipes, Howard is regarded as one of the best goalies in the NHL. He has played in 192 regular season games for the Red Wings with 188 starts, posting a 110-54-19 record. He played in his first NHL All-Star Game earlier this year. Since becoming the Red Wings full-time goalie for the 2009-2010 season, Howard has won 35 or more contests in each season. He is the first goaltender in Red Wings history to win 35 or more games in his first three full seasons with the team.

He also led this year’s team to the NHL’s home-game win streak record, 23 games over four months.

“I’m a NASCAR fan, so I’m thrilled to share Father’s Day with my dad at the Quicken Loans 400 at MIS,” Howard said. Howard’s father, James Howard II, will join him for the command, a perfect complement for Father’s Day.

Raiola has played in 172 career, regular season NFL games with 156 starts during his NFL career. A model of consistency, he has missed just four games since entering into the starting lineup in 2002. The seven-year captain is considered the leader of the lockerroom and held in high regard by his peers and the media, including receiving the Detroit chapter of the Pro Football Writers Association’s prestigious Detroit Lions Good Guy or media-friendly award winner in 2009.

Last year he was one of the driving forces in leading the Lions to a 10-6 record and an appearance in the playoffs. The Detroit offense finished the year averaging 29.6 points per game. The former second-round pick for the Lions in 2001, Raiola was a three-year starter on the offensive line at Nebraska.

“Michigan is my home now, so to be a part of a NASCAR race at MIS is a real honor,” Raiola said. “When you think about the history of MIS and all the great drivers and races over the years, that’s pretty impressive. And with a Detroit Company, Quicken Loans, being the sponsor of the race, well, that just makes it all the better and that much more special to be a part of.”

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Welcome to the Club Kasey!

By Sherri Breaton

Opening Ceremonies for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motorspeedway
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com

When Kasey Kahne drove into Victory Lane at the Coca-Cola 600 on May 27^th, he earned his wings into the winning club that is Hendrick Motorsports. He now joins the ranks of the many great drivers that helped achieve 200 plus Cup victories.

''It's something I've been looking forward to for a long time,'' Kahne said after winning NASCAR’s longest race for the third time.

Kasey Kahne captures the checkered flag at the 2012 Coca-Cola 600
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com

Kahne crossed the finish line nearly five seconds ahead of Denny Hamlin followed by Kyle

Busch in third and current points leader Greg Biffle fourth. It was Kahne's 13th career win

and first since last November in Phoenix.

For much of this race, it looked as if Biffle was untouchable. He led 204 laps and dominated the race early on. His car seemed to be performing the best in the Charlotte NC heat. Once the sun went down and night fell, the track cooled but Kahne got HOT! Kahne led 96 laps, including the final 42.

''Kasey's car was just better at night,'' Biffle said.

It was just a matter of time for Kahne to get a win this season. Up until now he basically had a streak of bad luck with his cars. Once they figured things out all he had to do was what he does best-DRIVE IT! Congrats Kasey for one of hopefully many wins in the future for you and your team!

Kasey Kahne with his first trip to Victory Lane with his new team at Hendrick's
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com

What the heck happened to the stellar pit crew of Jimmie Johnson? After taking home last week’s top honours at the All Star Pit Crew Challenge, their performance this week cost their driver a possible victory. When Johnson attempted to make his final pit stop of the long night on Lap 354 of the 400-lap event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he was running third behind race winner Kahne and Denny Hamlin.

Crew Chief Chad Knaus has requested a two tire pit stop in an attempt to save Johnson time to get off pit road and jump in front of the current leaders. Then things got ugly. Once the jack drops that is the cue to the driver that he is good to go. Well the jack dropped and Johnson took off...with his gas man Brandon Harder and his fuel can still stuck to the car.

I looked at my husband and said “I can’t wait to hear the radio transmission from Knaus after this. He is going to be flipping out.” A few moments later we watched the replay of an animated Chad on the pit box and listened to the following.

"Go! Go! Go! STOP! STOP! STOP! ", Knaus yelled over the radio as he watched the chaos ensue. "Oh my God! We just destroyed our [#*&%ing] day!"

The Gas Man for the #48 walks away after a major pit crew foul up
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com

NASCAR tends to frown upon cars leaving pit road with equipment and/or people still stuck to the cars.

So the powers that be at NASCAR handed him a scolding. The Lowe’s 48 car was ordered to serve a stop-and-go penalty. This ended up dropping his position to 13^th place and a lap down from the lead lap. Johnson was never able to recover the momentum he needed and finished just outside the top 10 in 11^th place.

Of note, Danica Patrick was the first woman to drive the 600 since Janet Guthrie in 1976. She finished the race five laps down in 30th place, which was her best finish in her three Sprint Cup races so far. Her sole goal for the race was to just finish and she managed to accomplish just that. It really is a long race and she had a poor starting position due to a lousy qualifier but she stuck it out to the end. Kudos to Danica!

The race was the quickest ever for the 600 at 3 hours, 51 minutes, 14 seconds, nearly five minutes faster than the mark set in 1995.

This week we are headed to the “Monster Mile” at Dover International Speedway for the Fedex 400 Autism Speaks to see if 2011 winner Matt Kenseth can pull off a repeat.

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What a Great Week to be a Jimmie Johnson/Hendrick Motorsports Fan!!

By Sherri Breaton

For all of you Jimmie Johnson haters, I will give you fair warning, this week is about bragging rights.

Within a one week period Jimmie Johnson handed team owner Rick Hendrick his 200^th Nascar Sprint cup victory, then won over a million dollars at the Sprint All Star Race this past Saturday May 19^th, 2012.

The week prior, May 12^th, Jimmie took the checkered flag in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington ending a 16 week drought for the driver. It was also his 56^th career win putting him just ahead of Rusty Wallace in eighth place in the overall all time driver record.

The entire Hendrick stable of drivers, crews and family celebrating their 200th Cup win
Photo courtesy of  Nascar.com

It was an exciting final restart where defending champion Tony Stewart raced Johnson hard in an attempt to delay that 200^th win. Unfortunately his lost fuel pressure and was passed by Denny Hamlin for the number two spot. Stewart, co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing gets his chassis, engines and tech support from Hendrick Motorsports had nothing but praise for Mr. Hendrick and his organization following the race.

“I think it's phenomenal, especially with the competition over here getting tougher and tougher. It's getting harder and harder to win these races”

"Especially for it to happen in the Southern 500 -- it's such a historic race. It's a pretty cool milestone”, said Stewart.



Rick Hendrick, Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus celebrate the 200th win
for Hendrick Motorsports at the 2012 Southern 500
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com

One week later Jimmie Johnson would earn a record tying third All-Star race after leading the entire final ten lap shootout in Charlotte, NC.

Johnson and his crew chief Chad Knaus had one heck of a strategy and it paid off in a one million dollar cheque. It might have seemed strange to see Johnson intentionally cruising slowly at the back of the field, which he did for about 60 laps. He drove the car hard for the first and last segments and just poked along for the three in between. That strategy placed him in the ranks of the late great Dale Earnhardt Sr and fellow Hendrick team mate Jeff Gordon as the only three time winners of the All-Star Race.

Of course credit must also be given for this win to Johnson’s Pit Crew. The 48 team won the Pit Crew Challenge earlier in the week, handing their boss the prime first pit position which definitely played to his advantage

Jimmie Johnson celebrates with a cheque for one million bucks
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com

After the race fans witnessed something completely out of the ordinary for victory lane celebration. Rick Hendrick actually climbed into the window and went for a ride hanging out of the #48 on the straightaway.

He said, ‘Come pick me up,’ said Johnson, “But once I got there, he didn’t want the ride anymore. I told him, ‘No, you’ve got to get on.’



Jimmie Johnson picks up a hitchhiker (Rick Hendrick) on the straightaway
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com 

Rick Hendrick is not exactly a young man and as memorable of a moment of celebration that it was, he did not look very comfortable or very safe for that matter. Johnson later said he had a hold of his leg from inside the car and he could feel the wind sucking him out of the window. Later at a press conference Mr. Hendrick reflected on his shenanigans.

"That was the dumbest thing I've ever done in racing," Hendrick said. "I thought I was going to be a busted watermelon."

Well thankfully he made it to victory lane in one piece and into the hearts of every fan out there with that little celebratory display.

Also of note, for any of you “Bachelorette” fans out there, this season’s bachelorette is none other than Emily Maynard, mother of Mr. Hendrick’s grandbaby Ricki Anne. Emily was engaged to Ricky Hendrick, race car driver and only son of Rick Hendrick, who was tragically killed in a plane crash along with nine others in 2004. One week after his death Emily learned that she was pregnant with his daughter.

This week the field remains in Charlotte for the Coca Cola 600.

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Brad Keselowski Gets By With a Little Help From a Friend

By Sherri Breaton

Brad Kesolowski wins the 2012 Aaron's 400
at Talladega Super Speedway
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com

Everybody knows that the guy usually running second at Talladega Super Speedway normally wins. It’s rare for the leader on the last lap to take the checkered flag. However, Brad Keselowski once again proved that he is an unpredictable force to be reckoned with at the Aaron’s 400 yesterday. He could not have envisioned that ending any better had he not already had a dream about it. Hmmmmm calling Brad on the psychic hotline tomorrow.....

"I had this whole plan if I ever got in that situation where I was leading; I thought about it and thought about it, dreamed about what to do, and sure enough, going into (turn) three, it was just me and Kyle," Keselowski said. "I knew the move I wanted to pull. It worked because the guy running second should have the advantage, but I had this move all worked up in my mind."

The Super Speedway at Talladega
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com

 That little move gave him his second career win at Talladega as well as his second win of the 2012 Cup race season. Had it not been for the unlikely drafting partner of Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth was set to win. Kyle gave a huge push to Keselowski enabling the victory and leaving the Daytona 500 winner to watch from behind. Following the race Busch had nothing but praise for the winner’s driving ability.

"He's no dummy, that's for sure," said Busch, for the second time in as many days ended up the ugly stepsister. Kyle was the leader on the last lap of Saturday's Nationwide Series race, and was schooled by the kid Logano, who beat him to the finish line.

Matt Kenseth was more involved in his self imposed pity party after literally handing the win to Keselowski.

"I think we had the winning car, really just didn't have the winning driver," Kenseth said and continued, "I wasn't too fast. I was just too stupid I guess at the end to keep a win." Poor guy.

Kasey Kahne finished fourth and was followed by Biffle, Clint Bowyer and David Ragan. Trevor Bayne was eighth, Dale Earnhardt Jr. ninth and Jeff Burton rounded out the top 10.

I am really starting to think this cloud of “200^th win” is hanging heavy over the Hendrick’s teams. Not that two top ten finishers is anything to scoff at but I just wish ONE of them would get Mr. Hendrick the win and get on with it.  The other two Hendrick drivers had a dismal weekend once again. Jeff Gordon got caught up on a wreck and Jimmie Johnson had engine failure this week.

Bump drafting at its finest
Photo courtesy of Tyler Barrick Getty Images 

Bump drafting and tandem racing is always nerve racking to watch. To see these drivers practically hooked onto each others bumpers in a chain like a locomotive going around the track at speeds up to 200 MPH is restrictor plate mayhem at it’s finest.

For those fans who love to see them wreck the Aaron’s 400 ended a three race drought of multi- car wrecks. The last multi-car wreck was in Martinsville when Clint Bowyer took out Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson in the final ten laps. For the record I am not one of them. It is potentially life threatening for any one of these drivers involved in a wreck as witnessed in Saturday’s Nationwide race. Fans watched in horror as driver Eric McClure was airlifted unresponsive to a local hospital for treatment following a hard hit to the “soft wall” that sent the wall flying back three feet. He has since been listed in stable condition.

With 45 laps to go Aric Almirola ran out of gas and the cars following close behind were not able to clear in time. The chain-reaction crash involved Jeff Gordon, Carlo Edwards, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, J.P. Montoya, Terry Labonte, Landon Cassill and Dave Blaney. This was only the first of four multi-car wrecks in the final laps, including another nine-car crash that involved Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Logano (Again), Paul Menard, Michael Waltrip, A.J. Allmendinger, Robert Richardson Jr. and Denny Hamelin. 


You have to hand it to defending champion Tony Stewart for his commentary on the recently clean races and those fans who crave “more action”. Tony had this to say following the race.

"Honestly, I think if we haven't crashed at least 50 percent of the field by the end of the race, we need to extend the race until we crash at least 50 percent of the cars. It's not fair to these fans to see any more wrecks than that, any more torn-up cars. I mean, we still had over half the cars running at the end, and it shouldn't be that way. I'm upset that we didn't crash more cars. That's what we're here for. I feel bad if I don't spend at least $150,000 in torn-up race cars going back to the shop. We've definitely got to do a better job at that." He finished 24^th following a wreck.

Ouch!
Photo courtesy of Getty Images 

Love him or hate him, there is no “grey area” with Tony. Mr. Stewart, please do not ever change.

Greg Biffle still sits on top of the overall leader board followed by Matt Kenseth and OH WOW Dale Earnhardt Jr. in third place!


Next week we are onto Darlington for a Mother’s Day showdown.

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By Sherri Breaton

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Denny Does It Again in KC

By Sherri Breaton


In a race that was full of engine problems, gas consumption issues and whining about the track’s service, Denny Hamelin led by crew chief Darian Grubb managed to stay alive and take home his second win in less than a month, his 19th of his career. Mother Nature was none too cooperative for the STP 400 held at the Kansas City Speedway. Sunday was cloudy, windy and unseasonably cold. 

Denny Hamelin wins the STP 400 in Kansas City
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com

 Kansas City is a fast track at the best of times and Sunday was no different even with the weather wreaking havoc on the engines of many. The average speed for Denny Hamelin was 144.122 mph, breaking the track record of 138.077 mph set by Greg Biffle in 2010. The cold conditions "likely played a factor," added Scott Maxim, director of track support for Hendrick Motorsports' engine program. "The average lap time was fast, so that's a contributing factor. It would be too early right now to speculate on the reason and the cause, but they're possibilities."



Kansas City Speedway
Photo Courtesy Nascar.com

I felt bad for Martin Truex Jr. When the race concluded he radioed to his crew "Sorry I let that one get away," after leading the race for 173 laps he wound up second. No wonder Sunday's result hurt so badly. At one point in the race he led by as many as 9 seconds. Jimmie Johnson gave him a run for his money but he still managed to stay in first when cars made their final round of pit stops under green. His final pit stop was a clean but it became evident that something wasn't right when he got back out on the track. He was radioing into his Crew chief Chad Johnston, who had made no adjustments on the car that he “couldn’t do anything”. That’s when Hamlin jumped out in front. Truex in his Michael Waltrip Racing Team Toyota did try a few daring moves to challenge Denny for the win but it wasn’t enough. Just as the sun began to shine, so did Denny Hamelin. Hamlin, joins defending Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart as the only drivers with two wins this season.

Final restart of the STP 400
Photo courtesy of Nascar.com

Jimmie Johnson failed to post a win yet again in 14 starts this season. Mr Hendrick is still dragging his box of hats around eagerly awaiting that 200^th win. “I was just watching from the third spot, hoping those guys would give me an opportunity," Johnson said. "I just wish I was closer to those guys to race for it”. The drought for Hendrick Motorsports is the longest since going 15 races without a win during the 2002 and 2003.

Matt Kenseth finished fourth and Greg Biffle, who holds the top stop on the leader board followed up his victory last week with a fifth-place run. Kevin Harvick was sixth, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne, giving Hendrick Motorsports at least three cars in the top-10 for the second straight week. Jeff Gordon had engine trouble late in the race and finished 21st. Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch rounded out the top ten finishers.

Worth mentioning is that for the second year in a row, Forbes magazine has ranked five-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson the Most Influential Athlete in America.

Forbes determined its annual rankings by polling 1,100 adults about dozens of well-known athletes to measure the athletes' overall likeability as well as their appeal to marketers. Johnson was joined on the 2012 list by fellow Cup driver and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. and a third Hendrick driver, Jeff Gordon disappeared from the list altogether.

Jimmie Johnson
Photo credit Getty Images 2012

"It's just a huge honor," Johnson said. "Not only is it very good for me in my career and for what I do in my race car, but I think it's very good for NASCAR as well. Of all the athletes in America, to be ranked most influential, I'm very proud of the award and happy to receive it."

I am probably going to take some heat for saying this but am I the only who is ready to mute their televisions so I do not have to endure another moment of listening to Michael Waltrip? I don’t mind his brother at all. He get can a little boisterous here and there and does yammer on quite a bit but putting the two of them in the booth was a dumb idea. Personally I don’t think they should allow and driver/owner in the booth for commentary let alone this wind bag. To me this is the most blatant form of BIAS.

For the life of me I do not understand the logic in why Nascar is allowing a cup owner who operates 3 Toyota cars to be calling any cup race. It’s bad enough that we are subjected to his endless babbling, but wait let’s cut to a commercial that has Michael Waltrip in it!  How fortunate for Toyota or any of his sponsors to have him cheering their products and his drivers from the broadcast booth for the entire race. It’s like a 3 hour Michael Waltrip Infommercial. For the love of NASCAR, Fox Sports would you please put Jeff Hammond back in his seat at the Hollywood Hotel???

Next week we are off to Richmond Virginia for the Capital City 400.



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