6 Quick Questions Heading Into The Shelby 427 At Las Vegas

1. Will Matt Kenseth make it a three-peat this weekend at Las Vegas? It is extremely difficult to win two races in a row, but it is much more difficult to win three. With Kenseth’s history at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, plus some momentum on his side, he is probably the odds-on favorite to pull into Victory Lane this weekend.

2. Can Jimmie Johnson rebound from his sluggish start to the 2009 season? After recording a 31st place finish at Daytona and a 9th place finish at California, Jimmie Johnson sits 19th in the points standings. Remember, Johnson had a rough start to the 2008 season, and finished with a Sprint Cup trophy. I expect Jimmie Johnson to catapult into the top 12 in points after a solid top-5 finish in the Shelby 427 Sunday. 

3. Will Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s bad luck end at Las Vegas? Junior has had a mix of terrible luck and poor decisions so far in the 2009 campaign. The much-talked about pit errors and tangle with Brian Vickers at Daytona, and the engine problems last week at California has left NASCAR’s most popular driver 35th in points. Now here comes even more bad news – Junior is notorious for struggling at the intermediate tracks like Las Vegas. If Junior and crew chief, Tony Eury, don’t get it together this weekend, Junior Nation won’t have much to cheer about come time for the Chase.

4. Will Mother Nature have a three-peat? The Daytona 500 was shortened due to rain, and the Auto Club 500 was delayed several times for sprinkling rain. Sure, Las Vegas is in the middle of a desert, but hey…you never know!

5. Will the extra 27 miles added to this event effect race strategy? I am almost sure the extra 27 miles will play a role in fuel mileage. Plus, the longer race will most likely create one more pit stop than normal. And when it comes to pit stops the advantage surely goes to Matt Kenseth and The Killer Bees. That has been the best pit crew bar none thus far in 2009.

6. Can Mark Martin get his second Sprint Cup win at Las Vegas this weekend? You better believe he can! Mark Martin has ran well at Vegas since the first Cup race in 1998, winning that event. Martin has posted 1 win, 5 top-5’s, and 9 top-10s in 11 starts at LVMS. Now that he is driving Hendrick Motorsports’ Chevrolets, Martin will be a favorite to contend for the win.

Surprises And Disappointments From The Auto Club 500

There were quite a bit of surprises and disappointments during the 2009 Auto Club 500. Here is a list of what I thought were the biggest surprises and disappointments from last Sunday’s race.

Surprise

Matt Kenseth winning the first two races of the year was a big surprise to me. I know Roush Fenway has been dominate at this event the last several years, but for Kenseth to pull off that win surprised and impressed me. If you would have told me that Kenseth was going to win the race with 30 laps to go, I would have fell out laughing.

Disappointment

As Matt Kenseth was starting a new streak of his own, Kevin Harvick ended one. Harvick’s DNF Sunday night was his first in 81 races. A streak that was only three races shy of the all-time races without a DNF streak.

Surprise

Jimmie Johnson fading off towards the end was definitely a surprise. Usually, the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet team is at its best when it comes to the waning laps of a race – not this week. Johnson was running in dominating form during the early and middles stages of the race. When it got down to the last 30 to 40 laps, he began struggling and finished an uncharacteristic ninth.

Disappointment

The only real racing was on pit road. It is a shame that out of 250 laps on the track, the most excitement was the race off pit road. No wonder the Auto Club Speedway has a hard time selling tickets.

Surprise

Tony Stewart finished eight in both races thus far, and is fourth in points – tied with Kurt Busch with 294 points. We all know Stewart is a great race car driver, but to be doing so well with his new team was a surprise to me. I figured some new team struggles would hamper Stewart in the beginning of the season.

Disappointment

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. being 35th in points is a huge disappointment. I am not a Junior fan, but I expected him to be doing much better than this out of the gate. His bad driving hurt him in Daytona, and now his bad luck at Fontana has put him in a big hole to climb out of. It might be a long season for Junior Nation if his fortunes do not reverse soon…. real soon.

Surprise

Seeing Michael Waltrip and Juan Pablo Montoya in the top-10 in points. Waltrip and Montoya have started the 2009 season with strong finishes the first two races. Waltrip has finishes of seventh at Daytona and 15th at Fontana. Montoya has finishes of 14th at Daytona and 11th at Fontana. If these two can keep this up, they could be be contenders for a Chase spot. I doubt it really, but you never know in this sport. As for Waltrip, nothing motivates quite like the threat of firing yourself, huh?

Disappointment

I have been disappointed in how Joey Logano has run so far in 2009. I know the 18-year old is a rookie and has never ran at these tracks, but he has struggled badly. Maybe I am expecting too much from him too early. Logano is currently 38th in owner points. So if he doesn’t get a move on by Martinsville, he will have to qualify to get in the race. That could become a nightmare for the No. 20 Home Depot team.

 

I am looking forward to seeing what kind of surprises and disappointments we find at Las Vegas this Sunday.

Kenseth Makes It 2-for-2 With California Win

 

Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth made it two victories in a row Sunday, holding off a late challenge from Jeff Gordon to win the Auto Club 500.

Kenseth took the lead from Gordon in the pits with 38 laps to go in the 250-lap race and stayed ahead of the runner-up in the battle of former Cup champions, pulling away over the last 20 laps.

It is the first time a Cup driver has won the first two races of the season since Gordon did it in 1997 on the way to the second of his four championships.

"It's such a great team," Kenseth said. "I just thank these guys [on the crew]. They gave me a great stop and got me in clean air and that's just a huge difference."

Kenseth and Gordon were much faster than the rest of the field at the end, both of them pulling away from the pack. But Gordon, like Kenseth winless last year, was unable to get to Kenseth's rear bumper and get a real run on the No. 17 Roush Fenway Ford.

"It was a lot of fun," Gordon said. "This is a new team and they showed it tonight. We've still got a little bit of work to do. I'm so excited on one side because we ran so well and we started out the season so great, but I'm still mad on the other side because I felt like we had what it took to win tonight."

It was Kenseth's third victory on the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway oval and the fifth consecutive February victory for team co-owner Jack Roush.

Kyle Busch, who made NASCAR history by winning both the Truck and Nationwide races on Saturday, came up short of the weekend sweep.

"It's never been done before, so you know it's a challenge," Busch said after finishing third. "The last one's always the hard one to get. It's on Sunday and it's the biggest show. Maybe one day."

Greg Biffle was a contender throughout the race, but fell to 12th after being penalized for running over his own air hose on a pit stop on Lap 209. He charged all the way to fourth, but was still upset by his mistake.

"They should fire me," said Biffle, one of four Kenseth teammates. "You just can't make mistakes like that."

Kurt Busch finished fifth, followed by Denny Hamlin, defending race winner Carl Edwards, two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart and three-time reigning Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, who led 74 laps but faded in the late-going.

 

2009 Auto Club 500 Final Results

 Pos     Driver       Lap   Speed  Time  Behind  Led 

1. Matt Kenseth  250 168.828 42.65 0.000  84

No. 17 Carhartt Ford

 

2. Jeff Gordon 250 169.133 42.57 1.464 64

No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet

3. Kyle Busch 250 169.276 42.53 6.980 0 

No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota

 

4. Greg Biffle 250 170.665 42.19 9.132 16 

No. 16 3M Ford

5. Kurt Busch 250 167.993 42.86 11.328 2

No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge

 

6. Denny Hamlin 250 168.575 42.71 12.008 0

No. 11 Fed Ex Freight Toyota

7. Carl Edwards 250 167.973 42.86 13.657 1

No. 99 AFLAC Ford

8. Tony Stewart 250 168.646 42.69 16.610 3

No. 14 Old Spice / Office Depot Chevrolet 

9. Jimmie Johnson 250 169.133 42.57 17.380 74

No. 48 Kobalt Tools / Lowe's Chevrolet 

10. Brian Vickers 250 168.417 42.75 21.325 0

No. 83 Red Bull Toyota

 

11. Juan Montoya 250 168.330 42.77 24.315 1

No. 42 Target Chevrolet

12. Kasey Kahne 250 168.130 42.82 29.316 0

No. 9 Budweiser Dodge

13. David Stremme 250 167.695 42.94 31.174 3

No. 12 Penske Championship Racing Dodge

 

14. David Reutimann 250 168.044 42.85 32.755 0

No. 00 Aaron's Toyota

 

15. Michael Waltrip 250 167.950 42.87 35.995 0

No. 55 NAPA Toyota

 

16. Jamie McMurray 250 166.366 43.28 39.015 0

No. 26 Crown Royal Ford

17. David Ragan 249 167.738 42.92 1  0

No. 6 UPS Ford

18. Travis Kvapil 249 168.177 42.81 1  0

No. 28 Farmers Insurance Ford

19. Clint Bowyer 249 168.753 42.67 1  0

No. 33 Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet 

20. Bobby Labonte 249 168.224 42.80 1  0

No. 96 ASK.com Ford

21. Reed Sorenson 249 166.871 43.15 1  0

No. 43 Charter Communications Dodge 

22. Marcos Ambrose 249 165.320 43.55 1  0

No. 47 Little Debbie Toyota 

 

23. Sam Hornish Jr. 249 166.474 43.25 1  0

No. 77 AAA Insurance Dodge

24. Casey Mears 249 168.248 42.79 1  0

No. 07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet

 

25. Elliott Sadler 249 166.779 43.17 1  0

No. 19 Best Buy Dodge

 

26. Joey Logano 249 167.275 43.04 1  0

No. 20 Home Depot Toyota

27. Martin Truex Jr. 249 165.746 43.44 1  0

No. 1 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet

28. Ryan Newman 248 168.319 42.78 2  0

No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet

 

29. A.J. Allmendinger 248 166.933 43.13 2  0

No. 44 Charter Communications Dodge 

30. Robby Gordon 248 167.602 42.96 2  0

No. 7 Jim Beam Toyota

31. John Andretti 248 166.289 43.30 2  1

No. 34 Window World Chevrolet

 

32. Jeff Burton 247 164.873 43.67 3  0

No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet

33. David Gilliland 246 164.967 43.64 4  0

No. 71 Unsponsored Chevrolet

34. Jeremy Mayfield 245 162.785 44.23 5 0

No. 41 All Sport Energy Drink Toyota

 

35. Aric Almirola 242 80.339 89.62 8  0

No. 8 Guitar Hero Chevrolet

36. Scott Riggs 240 164.911 43.66 10  0

No. 36 Red Bank Toyota

 

37. Paul Menard 221 162.719 44.25 29  0 

No. 98 Menards Ford

38. Kevin Harvick 207 168.118 42.83 43  0

No. 29 Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet

 

39. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 205 116.298 61.91 45  0

No. 88 AMP Energy / National Guard Chevrolet

 

40. Mark Martin 179 99.357 72.47 71  1

No. 5 CARQUEST / Kellogg's Chevrolet

 

41. Scott Speed 172 63.852 112.76 78  0

No. 82 Red Bull Toyota

 

42. Dave Blaney 50 107.339 67.08 200  0

No. 66 Unsponsored Toyota

 

43. Joe Nemechek 37 126.214 57.05 214  0

 

No. 87 Unsponsored Toyota

 

Race Statistics

Average Speed of Race Winner: 135.839 mph.

Time of Race: 3 hours, 40 minutes, 51 seconds.

Margin of Victory: 1.463 seconds.

Caution Flags: Five for 43 laps.

Lead Changes: 19 among 11 drivers.

Lap Leaders: J.Johnson 1-43; J.Andretti 44; Ku.Busch 45-46; J.Johnson 47-77; J.Gordon 78-85; G.Biffle 86; C.Edwards 87; J.Gordon 88-127; G.Biffle 128-142; J.Gordon 143; J.Montoya 144; M.Kenseth 145-170; J.Gordon 171; T.Stewart 172-174; M.Martin 175; M.Kenseth 176-195; J.Gordon 196-209; D.Stremme 210-212; M.Kenseth 213-250.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): M.Kenseth, 3 times for 84 laps; J.Johnson, 2 times for 74 laps; J.Gordon, 5 times for 64 laps; G.Biffle, 2 times for 16 laps; T.Stewart, 1 time for 3 laps; D.Stremme, 1 time for 3 laps; Ku.Busch, 1 time for 2 laps; C.Edwards, 1 time for 1 lap; J.Montoya, 1 time for 1 lap; J.Andretti, 1 time for 1 lap; M.Martin, 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 12 in Points: 1. M.Kenseth, 385. 2. J.Gordon, 304. 3. Ku.Busch, 294. 4. T.Stewart, 294. 5. G.Biffle, 268. 6. C.Bowyer, 266. 7. M.Waltrip, 264. 8. D.Ragan, 262. 9. C.Edwards, 260. 10. J.Montoya, 256. 11. E.Sadler, 248. 12. D.Reutimann, 248.

5 Questions For The Auto Club 500

It is a good time to reflect on a couple of the still-stirring storylines from last weekend’s Daytona 500 and from last year’s Auto Club 500. I have compiled what I think will be the most intriguing questions coming into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ second race of 2009. It should be very interesting to see how these questions (and more) play out this weekend.

1. After the Earnhardt Jr./Vickers debacle at Daytona, will the two drivers mend the fence, or will the situation escalade?

I truly believe that what happened between Earnhardt, Jr. and Vickers last week will be an isolated incident. I’m sure the drivers will enter the California garage with the attitude of, “what happened last week, was last week”. I can not see Junior nor Vickers taking any more chances of damaging their seasons because of what happened at one race. Will they go fishing together this Spring? Perhaps not, but they will be cordial on the race track.

2. Will Goodyear still experience the tire troubles that have plagued them since the introduction of the COT?

Possibly. Goodyear has not been able to really get a handle on the tire issues with the COT. The COT is wider and heavier on the right side, which promotes more tire wear on the right side tires.

 Stu Grant, general manager of Global Race Tires of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., hopes to find a resolution to the COT tire issues.

I don’t think we’ll see the melee that we saw at Indianapolis last year, by far. There will still be a fair amount of tire wear issues at Auto Club Speedway this week. One thing that will help the Goodyear tires this weekend, is that all three series will be running the exact same tire. Running the same tire will help to build rubber on the track which will improve tire wear.

3. Will a driver from a team other than Roush Fenway or Hendrick be sitting in Victory Lane at the end of the day?

Roush Fenway Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have dominated this event. They have combined to win the last seven races here, with Roush Fenway winning the last four. It would be a darn good bet to see a car from one of those two teams in Victory Lane come Sunday. I know who I’m picking on my fantasy team.

4. How empty will the grandstands be for the Auto Club 500?

Unfortunately, Auto Club Speedway has received a poor reputation in recent years for empty seats during the races. Last year, Auto Club Speedway’s estimated attendance was 105,000 for both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races. That is not very good for a track that seats 92,000 and is in one of the largest markets in America. California has been one of the hardest hit states during the souring economy, stating a 9.2% unemployment rate. Don’t be surprised to see a few more empty seats this weekend.

5. Will The Simpsons decide the length of the race if it should rain?

There has been quite a bit of hoopla this week over NASCAR’s decision to call the Daytona 500 after the rain came. Some have even speculated that Fox wanted the race called so that a re-start would not interfere with The Simpsons, and other shows that were coming on during prime time. My belief is that if it begins to rain in California during the race, NASCAR will decide what ever is best for NASCAR, Fox, the teams and fans (notice I put fans last).

As I previously stated, it will be interesting how these topics play out this weekend and possibly the remainder of the season.