I do not think anybody really knew what to expect once we put Daytona in the rearview mirror and turned our attention to the new reduced-downforce package in Atlanta. But I am going to go out on a limb and guess that nobody was wagering that the first 208 laps would run without a caution. I thought the cars would be more difficult to handle, making it more challenging for the less-experienced drivers, resulting in more spin-outs and crashes. It will be interesting to see if this repeats itself at upcoming races. If it does become a season-long pattern, I expect NASCAR is likely to consider the 20-minute caution clock that has just been introduced in the Truck series this season.
Once the race was over, the drivers talked enthusiastically about the fun they had driving these new cars. The most frequently heard comments referred to the old-school fun of having to work at it throughout the race. Happy drivers make for happy fans.
Carl had another good race. Other than green flag pit stop sequences, he spent the race in the top ten, and the majority of that time in the top five. Did you seem him on that last restart? Restarts have never been Carl's strong suit, but he was ducking and weaving, splitting cars to move up from 8th to 5th. But why is it always Kevin Harvick whose car gets in the way during an end-of-the-race restart?
So after the first two races, can you guess which drivers have had top-five finishes? Carl, of course. And Kyle Busch. It is good to be doing as well as the reigning Cup champion, especially when he is your teammate. When you run up front consistently, it is only a matter of time before you find yourself driving into the winner's circle.
That luck was not shared by his other teammates. Denny Hamlin ended up in 16th place 2 laps down, but at least he can think back to his glorious win last weekend in Daytona. But so far poor Matt Kenseth has not be having a good go at 2016. NASCAR tagged his gasman for handling a wrench while he was fueling the car. Apparently it has been something they have done before, but this time NASCAR noticed and called them on it. This infraction requires a pass-through penalty. Apparently they spent a bit too much time and attention arguing their case, because while nobody was paying attention NASCAR black-flagged the car. Instead of going one lap down, they found themselves two laps down. And in a race that had so few cautions, that was a death sentence. After they dominated the beginning laps of the race, they finished the race in 19th place. And all of this after his unfortunate Daytona finish.
Although it is far to early to worry about such statistics, let's take a peek at the Chase standings just for fun. Carl fell from 5th to 6th, but that is no big deal because he is sitting pretty high on the chart. And just in case those pesky points come into play in September, it is good to see that he moved up in the drivers' standings. He climbed from 5th, 9 points back, to 4th, 5 points back.
After Carl's many years with Roush, I still keep a fond eye on them. It was heartwarming to see that they finally seem to be moving out of the funk they have been in lately. They qualified 3rd, 5th, and 14th; and they finished 10th, 13th, and 22nd. Good job, Jack!
And finally, a shout out to Jimmie Johnson on his 76th victory, tying Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Considering the man's considerable skills, it is not an unexpected accomplishment. There are sure to be many more milestones in his future.
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Sunday, February 21, 2016
The JGR Boys Dominate in Daytona
What an amazing Speedweeks! Carl's #19 Arris Toyota showed speed throughout. He usually logged practice times in the top ten. Last weekend he started the Unlimited in 19th place, but that was not a reflection of his car. For that race, starting positions are determined by a random draw. He raced near the front for most of the race, but then his impatience got the best of him. He tried to push just a little too hard and ended up in the wall, finishing the race in 16th place. Well, if you are going to take risks, this race is a safe place to do it, from the standpoint of the championship hunt.
In his Duel, he finished 4th, placing him in the 10th spot for the Daytona starting grid. Once the race got underway, he and his teammates worked their way to the front and ran up there together at the beginning of the afternoon. Unfortunately he got caught up in a couple of spinouts from his competitors. The first was the result of Chase Elliott spinning out and sliding across his nose. That damage was minimal compared to what was coming next.
When Brian Vickers tapped the back of Joey Logano's car and spun out, he started a chain reaction of cars trying to avoid the incident. Trevor Bayne, running up near the wall behind Carl, did not whoa up as quickly as Carl did and tagged the back of the Arris Toyota, pushing Carl into the outside wall. Carl's crew, led by his new crew chief Dave Rogers, got the car patched up and back onto the track only one lap down. He spent a good portion of the race running between 36th and 39th.
Finally on lap 118 he was in position to take advantage of the lucky dog and get back onto the lead lap. He was eventually able to work his way back up to his teammates in the front. With the right front corner of his car flapping in the air, the four Gibbs cars lead the charge toward the finish line.
Matt Kenseth held the lead and looked to be in control of the race. On the last lap, though, Denny Hamlin jumped to the upper lane, and with a push from Kevin Harvick began to close the distance. Matt tried to block, a move that seldom goes well at 200 miles per hour. Kenseth had to check up, leaving Hamlin alongside Martin Truex dueling for the lead. The Toyotas crossed the line in a photo finish. Denny was victorious by only a few inches, winning his first Daytona 500 by the closest margin of victory in the history of the Daytona 500. Kenseth finished in 14th.
And Carl? With his car that no longer had a right front corner, except for the pieces flapping and waving in the air? He came home in 5th place! With Kyle Busch finishing in 3rd place, three of the four Gibbs cars finished in the top five.
This is a special year for JGR as they celebrate 25 years of racing. Plus it has been 23 years since they won the Daytona 500. This was a perfect time to do it again. This was Toyota's first victory in the Daytona 500. And a specially timed birthday present for JD Gibbs, too.
Ironically the Fox announcers claimed that the dominant race teams were from the Hendrick and Gibbs stables. But during the first half of the race, most of their attention was focused on the Hendrick drivers. While understandable given the situation, Jeff Gordon's obvious bias toward his former teammates was both annoying and unprofessional. But as the race wore on, the Hendrick drivers were one by one running into problems.
First, Chase Elliott's spin on lap 18 put him in the garage for a good chunk of the race. He finished in 37th place. Then on lap 169, Junior spun out and found the inside wall. His day was over with a 36th place finish. Jimmie Johnson struggled through a pit road penalty when his crew went over the wall too soon, ending up in 16th. Before the race began, nobody would have guessed that the best Hendrick finish would have come from Kasey Kahne in 13th.
I hope that this might open the eyes of the sportscasters as the season moves forward, but I fear it will not. Thank goodness we get good updates from Boris at JGR and Randy Fuller, Carl's right-hand PR man. If not for them, there are times when I am left wondering if Carl has left the track and gone home.
So it was a "good points day." Just in case that becomes significant months from now, it is good to maintain a spot near the top of the drivers' points standings. And Atlanta is next. Atlanta, where Carl won his first Cup race. And with the new lower-downforce package on the cars this year, I see next week as the real start of the 2106 NASCAR season. I am looking forward to Atlanta far more than I was Daytona.
Congratulations to Denny Hamlin, the 11 crew, and the entire JGR organization. I hope this win is just the beginning of a magnificent 2016 season.
In his Duel, he finished 4th, placing him in the 10th spot for the Daytona starting grid. Once the race got underway, he and his teammates worked their way to the front and ran up there together at the beginning of the afternoon. Unfortunately he got caught up in a couple of spinouts from his competitors. The first was the result of Chase Elliott spinning out and sliding across his nose. That damage was minimal compared to what was coming next.
When Brian Vickers tapped the back of Joey Logano's car and spun out, he started a chain reaction of cars trying to avoid the incident. Trevor Bayne, running up near the wall behind Carl, did not whoa up as quickly as Carl did and tagged the back of the Arris Toyota, pushing Carl into the outside wall. Carl's crew, led by his new crew chief Dave Rogers, got the car patched up and back onto the track only one lap down. He spent a good portion of the race running between 36th and 39th.
Finally on lap 118 he was in position to take advantage of the lucky dog and get back onto the lead lap. He was eventually able to work his way back up to his teammates in the front. With the right front corner of his car flapping in the air, the four Gibbs cars lead the charge toward the finish line.
Matt Kenseth held the lead and looked to be in control of the race. On the last lap, though, Denny Hamlin jumped to the upper lane, and with a push from Kevin Harvick began to close the distance. Matt tried to block, a move that seldom goes well at 200 miles per hour. Kenseth had to check up, leaving Hamlin alongside Martin Truex dueling for the lead. The Toyotas crossed the line in a photo finish. Denny was victorious by only a few inches, winning his first Daytona 500 by the closest margin of victory in the history of the Daytona 500. Kenseth finished in 14th.
And Carl? With his car that no longer had a right front corner, except for the pieces flapping and waving in the air? He came home in 5th place! With Kyle Busch finishing in 3rd place, three of the four Gibbs cars finished in the top five.
This is a special year for JGR as they celebrate 25 years of racing. Plus it has been 23 years since they won the Daytona 500. This was a perfect time to do it again. This was Toyota's first victory in the Daytona 500. And a specially timed birthday present for JD Gibbs, too.
Ironically the Fox announcers claimed that the dominant race teams were from the Hendrick and Gibbs stables. But during the first half of the race, most of their attention was focused on the Hendrick drivers. While understandable given the situation, Jeff Gordon's obvious bias toward his former teammates was both annoying and unprofessional. But as the race wore on, the Hendrick drivers were one by one running into problems.
First, Chase Elliott's spin on lap 18 put him in the garage for a good chunk of the race. He finished in 37th place. Then on lap 169, Junior spun out and found the inside wall. His day was over with a 36th place finish. Jimmie Johnson struggled through a pit road penalty when his crew went over the wall too soon, ending up in 16th. Before the race began, nobody would have guessed that the best Hendrick finish would have come from Kasey Kahne in 13th.
I hope that this might open the eyes of the sportscasters as the season moves forward, but I fear it will not. Thank goodness we get good updates from Boris at JGR and Randy Fuller, Carl's right-hand PR man. If not for them, there are times when I am left wondering if Carl has left the track and gone home.
So it was a "good points day." Just in case that becomes significant months from now, it is good to maintain a spot near the top of the drivers' points standings. And Atlanta is next. Atlanta, where Carl won his first Cup race. And with the new lower-downforce package on the cars this year, I see next week as the real start of the 2106 NASCAR season. I am looking forward to Atlanta far more than I was Daytona.
Congratulations to Denny Hamlin, the 11 crew, and the entire JGR organization. I hope this win is just the beginning of a magnificent 2016 season.
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