Jeff Gordon Passes Matt Kenseth Late to Win a Caution Filled Race at Martinsville

           After passing Matt Kenseth with about twenty laps to go, Jeff Gordon cruised to the victory at Martinsville for his first win of the season. Gordon and Kenseth had a tough battle for the lead late, but Gordon was able to pass Kenseth in the huge amount of traffic around the two leaders. Gordon encountered a lot of lap traffic after he took the lead, but he handled it well to take his eighth victory at the smallest track on the circuit. It has been a very tough year for Gordon, but one with a lot of upside recently. He was unable to win a race during the regular season even with a lot of chances like the battle he had with Kasey Kahne in Pocono. As the final regular season race of the season came to a close, Gordon was eliminated from the Chase, but all that would change. In the week before the race at Chicago, Gordon was added to the Chase lineup after MWR was found to have manipulated the race at Richmond. Since that day, Gordon has been on the charge and is only twenty seven points out of the battle for the championship. With three races left, he is in prime position to take the title. Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson had tremendous days at Martinsville. Both walked away with top 5 finishes and they ended up tied in the points after the race was finished. It should be interesting to see how the battle heats up in the final three races of the season. Like I mentioned in the title, this race at Martinsville was a caution fest. In total, there were seventeen cautions and a lot of wrecked race cars. Plus, a lot of tempers flared throughout the event. After a tame race at Talladega, the annual fall race at Martinsville was definitely the wild card of the Chase with a lot of wrecked Chase drivers including Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne. All in all, this race at Martinsville was one of the best of the season and one that could definitely affect who wins the championship in three weeks.

        Denny Hamlin started on the pole. It was his fifth NSCS pole of 2013 after missing a few events with a back injury early in the season. The race went green and Hamlin came around to lead the first lap. It was only a short time into the race before Jimmie Johnson proved he was a force to be reckoned with as he took the lead from Hamlin on lap 3. The race would go a very short time after this before the first caution of the race waved on lap 7. Carl Edwards drove hard underneath Jeff Burton entering turn 3. The two made contact and Burton went for a spin. Burton spun up the track, but he was able to corral it and continue on after going to pit road. Dave Blaney, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Travis Kvapil also received damage in the pile up. No drivers received the lucky dog. None of the leaders came to pit road during the caution. The race went back green and Jimmie Johnson held onto the lead. He would only hold it for a short time before Kyle Busch took the lead on lap 25. Busch stretched out his lead a little bit before Matt Kenseth was able to sneak by on lap 37 due to lap traffic. Kenseth sneaked away a little bit and held the lead for a good little while. Kenseth would hold the lead until the second caution waved on lap 88. Carl Edwards drove hard into turn 3 and made contact with Travis Kvapil. Kvapil spun around at the top of the track. He was able to avoid the wall and continue on after getting his car straightened out. Paul Menard received the lucky dog. The first pit stops of the day happened. All of the drivers came down pit road for four tires and fuel with Matt Kenseth coming out as the leader. The first stops of the day had occurred and it was time for the battling to start.

        The race went back green and Matt Kenseth held the lead. He would only hold the lead a short time before Jimmie Johnson took the lead away from him on lap 111 due to lap traffic. Johnson would hold the lead for a little while before the third caution waved on lap 140. Bobby Labonte made contact with David Reutimann in turn 3. Reutimann went around and spun towards the top of the track. He was able to get his car straightened out and get back going without damage. Paul Menard received the lucky dog. All the drivers came to pit road for four tires and fuel and Jimmie Johnson came out as the leader. The race went back green and Jimmie Johnson held onto the lead. Johnson held onto the lead well until the fourth caution waved on lap 166. Kyle Larson lost his engine on the backstretch. He made the move to pit road, but he went around at the entrance due to oil on his tires. He did not hit anything, but he dropped some oil on the track and he would not return due to an engine failure. Elliott Sadler received the lucky dog. The first strategy session of the race began. Jeff Burton stayed on track while Jamie McMurray and others took two tires and Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, and others took four tires. It would be interesting to see which strategy worked to give a driver a win.

         The race went back green and Jimmie Johnson easily took the lead from Jeff Burton on his newer tires. Johnson would hold the lead until the fifth caution waved on lap 182. The field stacked up a few laps after the restart in turn 1. Martin Truex Jr. slammed into the back of another driver while Kasey Kahne and Denny Hamlin spun behind him. Kahne got stuck in the grass while Hamlin ended up sideways on the track. Ken Schrader and Aric Almirola also received damage in the stack up. David Reutimann received the lucky dog. None of the drivers came to pit road since it had been a short time since pit stops. The race went back green and Jimmie Johnson held onto the lead. Johnson held onto the lead until the sixth caution waved on lap 205. Kurt Busch got loose underneath Jamie McMurray in turn 3. Busch went around and the back end of his car whipped down the track. Mark Martin was coming at the same time and slammed into Busch. Both drivers were able to get back going, but they had a good bit of damage. Casey Mears received the lucky dog. The strategy session began during this caution. Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, and others stayed out while Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, and others came down pit road. It would be interesting to see which strategy worked to take a driver to victory lane. 
  
        The race went back green once again and Jimmie Johnson held the lead. Johnson would not hold the lead for long as Matt Kenseth took the lead on lap 217. The race would only go another lap before the seventh caution waved on lap 218. Travis Kvapil broke loose in turn 4 and went for a spin up the track. All the drivers behind him avoided and he was able to drive away with a little bit of damage from contact with the wall. Danica Patrick received the lucky dog. Kurt Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. decided to come down pit road while the leaders stayed out. The race went back green and Matt Kenseth held the lead. At this point in the race, the action began to heat up and the cautions started to fly. This was obvious as the race only went a few laps before the eighth caution waved on lap 229. Martin Truex Jr. got loose in turn 3 underneath David Reutimann. The two made contact and Reutimann spun towards the bottom of the track. Somehow, all the drivers behind him were able to sneak by and avoid damage. Reutimann would continue on after getting his car straightened out. David Gilliland received the lucky dog. More strategy would occur under the caution. Jimmie Johnson and others came to pit road while Matt Kenseth and others stayed on the track. With all of the stops at this point of the race completed and most of the drivers on differing strategies, it would be interesting to see how the finish would work out.

        The race went back green and Matt Kenseth was able to hold the lead after staying out. Kenseth's tires would slow down quickly as Clint Bowyer took the lead on lap 239. Bowyer, who had the oldest tires on track, began to pull away and held the lead well. The race went a good little while before Jeff Gordon was able to pass Bowyer on lap 282. The race would go a couple of laps before the ninth caution waved on lap 284. Reed Sorenson had an issue entering turn 3. The issue caused Sorenson to reach a stop on track in turn 4 and cause the caution flag to wave. Casey Mears received the lucky dog. Pit stops happened since it was a long time since most of the leaders pitted. All of the drivers came down and took tires and fuel with Jeff Gordon holding onto the lead. The race went back green and Gordon was able to hold onto the lead. The race would go a few laps before the tenth caution waved on lap 298. Debris was spotted on the track in turn 1. Carl Edwards received the lucky dog. A little bit of strategy occurred during the caution. Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, and other drivers who were struggling decided to come down pit road. It would be interesting to see if fresh tires provided the break these drivers needed to get back in the race.

         The race went back green and Jeff Gordon held the lead. The race would only go a few laps before the eleventh caution waved on lap 309. Kasey Kahne bumped Landon Cassill in turn 3. Cassill went around and made slight contact with the outside wall. He was able to continue on with only slight damage. Juan Pablo Montoya received the lucky dog. A little bit more strategy occurred during the caution. Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and others came to pit road for tires and fuel. Kenseth, who had just pitted on the previous caution, looked to be setting up his car for the end of the race. It would be interesting to see if their strategy call would work. The race went back green and Jeff Gordon held the lead. Behind him, the action started to pick up. Drivers started to beat and bang as the twelfth caution waved on lap 318. Ryan Newman thought he was clear of Kevin Harvick entering turn 1, but he wasn't. The two made contact and Newman slid up the track. Newman's rear end piled into the outside wall. He drove away from the scene, but he had heavy damage. Michael McDowell received the lucky dog. None of the leaders decided to come down pit road. The race went back green and Jeff Gordon held onto the lead. Behind him, the action was fierce and drivers made a lot of contact. The action was slowed down by the thirteenth caution on lap 327. Juan Pablo Montoya made a three wide move underneath Marcos Ambrose and Martin Truex Jr. entering turn 1. Ambrose and Truex made contact, which caused Truex to go around. Truex was able to keep his car off the wall and continue on.  Michael McDowell received the lucky dog. Another bit of strategy occurred during the caution. Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, and others came to pit road for tires and fuel while Jeff Gordon and some other leaders stayed out. It would be interesting to see when the other leaders had to make the move to pit road.

         The race went green once again and Jeff Gordon held the lead after a battle with Denny Hamlin. The action raged behind these two before it once again was slowed by the fourteenth caution on lap 337. Debris was spotted on the frontstretch of the track. Michael McDowell received the lucky dog for the third time in a row. A little bit more strategy occurred during the caution. Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, and others came down pit road. This handed the lead to Denny Hamlin and he would look to hold it. The race went green and Denny Hamlin was able to hold the lead. Hamlin would not hold the lead long before Clint Bowyer took it away on lap 350. Bowyer drove away as the action continued to rage behind the leaders. Bowyer held the lead until the fifteenth caution waved on lap 365. Cole Whitt lost a tire entering turn 3. Whitt spun around and slammed the outside wall. Whitt attempted to drive away, but the damage was too much and he would have to be towed away. Travis Kvapil received the lucky dog. A little bit of strategy would occur under the caution. Elliott Sadler stayed on track while the rest of the drivers came to pit road for four tires and fuel. Denny Hamlin was the first driver out of the pits after the stops. It would be interesting to see if Sadler could last with the leaders. The race went back green and Matt Kenseth, who had stopped a good many times earlier, took the lead from Sadler. Kenseth would hold the lead a few laps before the sixteenth caution waved on lap 380. Elliott Sadler bumped J.J. Yeley in turn 3. Yeley went around and made slight contact with the outside wall. Yeley drove away from the scene of the accident, but he had heavy damage. Travis Kvapil received the lucky dog. Greg Biffle was the only driver who came to pit road. Biffle came just to remove a bumper cover that had been popped off and was flopping behind his car. It would be interesting to see if the action would slow down and the cautions would slow as well.

         The race went back green and Matt Kenseth held onto the lead. As Kenseth held the lead, the drivers behind him began to beat and bang as the laps wound down. It looked like the cautions had finished for the moment, but the seventeenth and final caution waved on lap 417. Debris was spotted in the entrance to turn 1. Michael McDowell received the lucky dog. The final pit stops of the race occurred. All the drivers came down pit road for four tires and fuel with Matt Kenseth coming out as the leader. The final run to the checkered flag was set up and Kenseth would be leading. The race went green and Kenseth was able to hold the lead. Kenseth streaked away and the laps started to click away. Fifty laps to go, forty laps to go, and thirty five laps to go clicked on the board as Kenseth cruised around the track, but it would get hard for him. As he hit lap traffic with thirty laps to go, Jeff Gordon was able to make it up to his back bumper. The two began to battle hard in the traffic, but Kenseth still held on. Kenseth tried as hard as he could to hold the lead, but Gordon was too much as he passed him on lap 479. Gordon continued to cruise around with the lead as ten laps remained. There was a ton of lap traffic in front of him, but they allowed him to pass easily. He took the white flag with no trouble around him. Gordon made it through all the turns as Clint Bowyer and Kenseth battled behind him. This would not affect Gordon as he crossed the finish line for the eighty eighth win in his storied career. It was a big win for Gordon and one that he needed desperately to help his title hopes.

        It has been a pretty different season for Jeff Gordon. He was unable to win any races, but he made it into the Chase with a little bit of help. He was written off as a contender for the title, but now he is the closest competitor to Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth with three races left in the battle for a title. Do not count Jeff Gordon out of this title. As soon as he is written off by anybody, he will be a major threat for the title and it will be very interesting to see how he makes his way to the front. It was a definite struggle for some of the Chase drivers on the day. Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, and Kasey Kahne all had incidents in the race. Plus, many other drivers like Joey Logano were never a factor in the race. With only the three races left, these few drivers are probably too many points out to make a difference in the finishing of the Chase. Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson continued to prove they are willing to do anything for the title. The two made crazy pit calls throughout the race, but both ended up out front when it counted. Now, they are in a complete draw as the season nears a close. When will we know for sure which one is going to win the title? We will know when the checkered flag waves at Homestead in three weeks and that is all I can tell you. The series keeps rolling with a trip to Texas Motor Speedway next week where the action is sure to pick up. Will Kyle Busch double down at the track and move up in points, will Matt Kenseth or Jimmie Johnson take the hold on the standings, or will Jeff Gordon continue the momentum from his win? We will have to wait until next Sunday to find these questions out and more.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 7- Jeff Burton spun in turn 4 after contact with Carl Edwards. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Dave Blaney, and Travis Kvapil also received damage in the stack up.

2nd Caution: Lap 88- Travis Kvapil spun in turn 3 after contact with Carl Edwards. 

3rd Caution: Lap 140- David Reutimann spun in turn 3 after contact with Bobby Labonte. 

4th Caution: Lap 166- Kyle Larson lost an engine on the backstretch and went for a spin in his oil as he entered pit road.

5th Caution: Lap 182- Martin Truex Jr. slammed into the back of a driver in front of him while Denny Hamlin and Kasey Kahne spun behind him due to a stack up in turn 1. Ken Schrader and Aric Almirola also received damage in the stack up. 

6th Caution: Lap 205- Kurt Busch spun around in turn 3 after getting lose underneath Jamie McMurray. Busch whipped around and hit Mark Martin as he was coming by.

7th Caution: Lap 218- Travis Kvapil got loose in turn 4 and went for a spin up the track.

8th Caution: Lap 229- David Reutimann went for a spin in turn 3 after Martin Truex Jr. got loose underneath him and the two made contact.

9th Caution: Lap 284- Reed Sorenson stopped on track in turn 4.

10th Caution: Lap 298- Debris was spotted in turn 1 of the track.

11th Caution: Lap 309- Landon Cassill went for a spin in turn 3 and made slight contact with the outside wall after contact with Kasey Kahne. 

12th Caution: Lap 318- Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman made contact entering turn 1 after Newman came across Harvick's nose. Newman slammed the outside wall with his rear end after a spin.

13th Caution: Lap 327- Martin Truex Jr. went for a spin in turn 1 after contact with Marcos Ambrose.

14th Caution: Lap 337- Debris was spotted on the frontstretch of the track.

15th Caution: Lap 365- Cole Whitt lost a tire entering turn 3 and went for a spin that caused him to hit the outside wall.

16th Caution: Lap 380- J.J. Yeley went for a spin in turn 3 and hit the outside wall after contact with Elliott Sadler.

17th Caution: Lap 417- Debris was spotted in the entrance to turn 1.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: None
2nd Caution: Paul Menard
3rd Caution: Paul Menard
4th Caution: Elliott Sadler
5th Caution: David Reutimann
6th Caution: Casey Mears
7th Caution: Danica Patrick
8th Caution: David Gilliland
9th Caution: Casey Mears
10th Caution: Carl Edwards
11th Caution: Juan Pablo Montoya
12th Caution: Michael McDowell
13th Caution: Michael McDowell
14th Caution: Michael McDowell
15th Caution: Travis Kvapil
16th Caution: Travis Kvapil
17th Caution: Michael McDowell

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Jeff Gordon
2nd: Matt Kenseth
3rd: Clint Bowyer
4th: Brad Keselowski
5th: Jimmie Johnson

Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Kevin Harvick
8th: Dale Earnhardt Jr. 
9th: Greg Biffle
12th: Carl Edwards
14th: Joey Logano
15th: Kyle Busch
18th: Kurt Busch
27th: Kasey Kahne
38th: Ryan Newman




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/live-standings.html?intid=livestandings_livestandingsleaderboard_08292013
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/lapbylap/view-all-laps.html?intid=lapbylap_lapbylapleaderboard_08292013
http://racing-reference.info/race/2013_Goodys_Headache_Relief_Shot_500/W
-Image:
http://media2.newsobserver.com/smedia/2013/10/27/17/59/pAQiA.AuSt.156.jpg

My Thoughts: Martinsville

             As NASCAR's top series heads to the smallest track on the circuit for a Chase shootout, a lot of questions remained unanswered. Will Matt Kenseth win the championship? Will Jimmie Johnson win his sixth championship? Will another driver come from deep in the standings to win the championship? With four races left to go, these questions remain ever present on the Chase drivers' minds. This is especially apparent at Martinsville. Since it is considered one of the roughest tracks on the circuit, a lot of feathers can get ruffled and even more tempers can be flared. With certain drivers fighting for a title among the drivers who have nothing to lose, one bump could lead to the loss of a title and definitely the loss of a temper. Plus, wrecks happen a good bit at the track. Kurt Busch, for example, went up in flames last time out at Martinsville. Other drivers just plain wrecked and did not get good finishes. Because of this, drivers like Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth will need to be on their toes hoping to stay out front and avoid all the chaos that Martinsville brings out. What do all these questions and concerns mean? It means that it is time once again for me to express my thoughts on the weekend. Topics today include a couple of new changes to some rules in the sport for next year, a crew chief losing his job due to a violation, a driver honoring his owner's brother, and the feature topic of my thoughts: my pick to win. Let us not waste any more time and jump into the discussion.

1. NASCAR Mandating Baseline Concussion Tests in 2014; Good or Bad?
        A good bit of rule changes came out during the week before one of the roughest races of the season. NASCAR announced that the sport would introduce baseline concussion tests starting in 2014. This means that drivers will have to have concussion tests in the infield care center after they have wrecks. These tests have been a major topic of discussion in the last few years for major sports. One reason is due to the health problems that result and the amount of athletes who get hurt from these. I believe that this is a good move for NASCAR. One reason is the amount of violent wrecks recently. Take a look at Austin Dillon's wreck just one week ago. Wrecks like those jar drivers around a lot and could lead to concussions. This means that NASCAR needs to make driver safety a major concern and this rule change will lead to driver safety becoming a major aspect of the sport. A second and final reason is the amount of high profile drivers suffering concussions recently. Think about Dale Earnhardt Jr. last year in the Chase. He missed the last few races of the season after Talladega because of a concussion, but it was almost bad for him. He had actually had a concussion in a practice crash in a test session in the early part of the Chase. Without anybody knowing about the concussion, he continued to race even with the possibility of another concussion looming. With the institution of this rule, NASCAR will be able to make sure drivers are safe and prevent terrible injuries from occurring. I applaud NASCAR for this rule change and hope it works for the future.

2. NASCAR Possibly Changing Qualifying Rules in 2014; Good or Bad?
        Another rule change came out during the week by NASCAR. It was announced that the sport would possibly undergo changes to its qualifying setup in 2014. At the moment, every track other than road courses has a qualifying session where every car goes out by itself for one or two laps depending on what the driver wants to do. At road courses, NASCAR assigns each driver a group and they go out together, but they are spread out. According to the proposed new rule in 2014, every track except for Daytona and Talladega would have group qualifying procedures. Daytona and Talladega would have a drafting session to determine the pole. I have mixed feelings about this. First, we will start off with the one bad thing I feel. I feel the aspect of qualifying will go away with this new rule change. Think about it for a second. If you have a group of cars at say Bristol or Martinsville, you have cars pretty much bumper to bumper. With this, you could have slow guys at the front of the field and faster guys at the back who can't get around them. Because of this, their lap times fall off and they end up deep in the field. This causes drivers who have great cars to get involved in wrecks or be unable to make it to the front. I just feel like this would be a huge disadvantage, but I also feel there are some good things with this rule change. The first is the amount of craziness that could happen in qualifying. Think about it again. What if you have seven or eight cars bumper to bumper at Martinsville or Bristol? That could lead to wrecks, bumps, and spins in qualifying. Yes, qualifying. I mean, could you imagine Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch throwing down in the garage because they wrecked each other in qualifying? That would be more talked about than the race. A second reason is that drivers would have racing experience before the actual race. One thing that is talked about in the garage before a race is a lack of race practice before the race. The cars typically run by themselves and away from a possible wreck. With the institution of this rule, teams would have to practice around other drivers because they would be qualifying around other drivers. It adds this completely new wrinkle that would make the sport a whole lot more prominent and one that could be interesting to see unfold. 

3. Todd Parrott Fired From Richard Petty Motorsports After Violating Substance Abuse Policy; Will He Gain Respect Back?
       A bit of expected news came out during the week from the Richard Petty Motorsports camp. It was announced that Todd Parrott, former crew chief for Aric Almirola who was suspended indefinitely for violating NASCAR's substance abuse policy, was released from Richard Petty Motorsports. Parrott, who was a championship winning crew chief with Dale Jarrett, was signed by the team to help up and coming drivers like Almirola and Marcos Ambrose. Now, he is without a job and a little bit of respect has been lost. This leads me into my question. Will Parrott gain his respect back? To me, I think he will. For one, Parrott is a winning and able crew chief in the sport. It isn't like drivers today where there is a decent or better replacement waiting. In terms of crew chiefs, not many able ones are around the sport. Because of this, a decorated crew chief like Parrott could easily find a team in need of his services. Now, I'm not saying it would be a quick thing for him. It could take weeks, months, and potentially a year to get back up the highest rank of the sport, but he will do it. A second and final reason is the great stories that can come out of this. Think about A.J. Allmendinger. He was suspended after failing a drug test last year and look at him now. He is a two time winner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, a top 10 finisher in the Indianapolis 500, and a full time driver next year in the highest rank of the sport. Teams love the story of a driver knocked down by penalties and then brought back to the point of unending fame. Todd Parrott could be another one of those great stories and it will be interesting to see when he does make it back to the top.

4. Aric Almirola Honoring Maurice Petty at Martinsville By Racing the Number 41
        A bit of pretty cool and very memorable news came out during the week. It was announced that Aric Almirola would jump in the number 41 for Richard Petty at Martinsville to honor Petty's brother, Maurice Petty, getting into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Petty, who was an engine builder with Petty Enterprises for a long time, also drove in a few races in his career and maned the number 41 in a few of those starts. I think this news is very touching. For one, Richard Petty risked a lot to honor his brother. Believe it or not, a number change in the middle of a season could cost a lot of money. Even though this is a one off thing, it is pretty difficult still. I applaud Richard for risking that to make sure his brother is honored and remembered. Another reason it is touching is just the number change in general. Can you imagine somebody changing a car number from 43 to 41? I mean, that is unprecedented. The number 43 is so famous for being a symbol of a legendary man in “The King”. But the number 41 just isn't as memorable. I think this took a lot for Petty to do this, but once again I applaud Petty for honoring his brother. I think it is a very touching moment for the Petty family and one that I will remember for a while.

5. My Pick to Win
         Last week, Jamie McMurray took the win at Talladega after a last lap wreck erupted on the backstretch. Last time at Martinsville, Jimmie Johnson took the win easily as he cruised to the finish line. Martinsville has also been the subject of a lot of fights in the past. Just last year, Clint Bowyer and Jeff Gordon had an incident in April that led to Gordon wrecking and losing a chance for a win. In the Chase last year, Jeff Gordon wrecked Clint Bowyer at Phoenix because of the Martinsville incident. This led to a fight and Bowyer losing a chance for a title. This could happen in this edition at Martinsville and it should be fun to watch. I think Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kevin Harvick are good picks to win at Martinsville.
I thank you guys once again for reading through my thoughts. I hope you guys enjoyed and if you have differing opinions on the topics I talked about, let me know in the comments below. I will continue to write for you guys and I hope to write about the race tomorrow. As always, I hope you continue to enjoy my writing and until we meet again.





Credits:
-Image:
http://media.al.com/alphotos/photo/2013/04/12539901-standard.jpg

Jamie McMurray Ends a Long Winless Steak With a Win at Talladega

           After a last lap caution in turn 2 interrupted the craziness at Talladega, Jamie McMurray was able to coast across the finish line to grab his first victory in one hundred and eight races. In turn 2 on that final lap, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. turned Austin Dillon and sent Dillon down the track, but he would come back up. He came back up the track into traffic, but all of the drivers were able to avoid except Casey Mears. Mears slammed into the back of Dillon and sent Dillon straight up in the air back first. He landed hard and rolled to a stop like Mears did. This incident resulted in a caution and allowed McMurray to coast across the finish line. It has been a tumultuous past few years for McMurray. He went two years without a win and pretty much most of 2013. This long drought from victory lane did not stop McMurray when the race entered the final stages and he was able to capitalize on the victory. But that caution does raise some questions. Would Dale Earnhardt Jr. have won the race without the caution? Would Ricky Stenhouse Jr. have taken his first win with help from the drivers behind him? We will never know these answers, but the outcome that happened was just as favorable. This race at Talladega was surprisingly calm. Only two wrecks happened during the race and each wreck only involved two cars. Even though the cautions were limited to a few drivers, the racing action was still amazing. Drivers battled side by side for most of the event, drivers bumped each other, and drivers even ran three and four wide to get in the corners. All in all, it was a race that lacked cautions, but one that did not lack in the action factor.

        Aric Almirola started on the pole. Qualifying had been rained out on Saturday afternoon and this meant that the lineup would be set based on first practice speeds. This put Almirola on the pole for the first time in 2013. The race went green and the action immediately started. Almirola came back around to lead the first lap, but the storm raged around him. The storm was calmed only a short time into the race when the first caution waved on lap 3. Tony Raines lost an engine in turn 1. His car began to smoke on track and fluid came out. He went to the garage and he would not return to the event. No drivers received the lucky dog. A little bit of strategy occurred during the caution. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, and other drivers at the back of the field came down pit road to top off with fuel. This was a little bit of strategy to see if they could last longer before their first stop. It would be interesting to see if they could use this extra fuel to last a little bit longer on track.

        The race went back green and Jeff Burton took the lead from Aric Almirola. After the restart, the lead began to shuffle a good bit. Matt Kenseth took the lead from Burton on lap 12, Greg Biffle took the lead from Kenseth on lap 15, and Joey Logano took the lead from Biffle on lap 19. After this pass, the lead began to change every lap before Matt Kenseth finally stabilized as the leader. Kenseth held off the field behind him until the first round of green flag pit stops began on lap 42. These stops would lead to a few problems for some drivers. Kyle Busch came in to make his pit stop and he did not judge his stall right. He missed it and he had to come back around. His team was able to perform the pit stop well, but Busch had lost enough time to lose the draft. Brad Keselowski and Bobby Labonte also had trouble on pit road as they were both caught speeding. Both had to come back down for a pass through, but they had also lost the draft. It would be a matter of time before they would go a lap down, but could they come back? It would be very interesting to see if this question would be answered.

        After the pit stops finished, Dale Earnhardt Jr. cycled to the lead after taking only two tires during his stop. Junior would hold the lead for a few laps before Jimmie Johnson took the lead on lap 49. Johnson and Junior began to change the lead back and forth before Matt Kenseth took it away on lap 58. Kenseth held the lead until Jimmie Johnson once again took the lead back on lap 69. Johnson would hold the lead until the second caution waved on lap 79. Marcos Ambrose broke loose in the trioval. Ambrose went down the track and slammed hard into Juan Pablo Montoya. Both cars made extremely hard contact and immediately were damaged. Ambrose slid down the track after the contact as Montoya reached a stop with heavy front end damage. Ambrose would drive around to pit road and his team would fix his car, but he fell a lot of laps down and would not get back into contention. Kyle Busch, who had troubles on the first round of green flag pit stops of the race, received a break by getting the lucky dog. He would be back on the lead lap and in contention for the win. A little bit of strategy occurred during the caution. Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and others took two tires while Austin Dillon, Joey Logano, and others took four tires. It would be interesting to see which strategy worked to give a driver the win.

         The race went back green and Jimmie Johnson took the lead immediately on the restart, but Matt Kenseth was able to pass him on the backstretch of the same lap. Kenseth would hold the lead only a lap before Johnson once again stabilized as the leader. He would hold the lead a few laps before Clint Bowyer passed him on lap 93. The two began to battle hard for the lead and it switched back and forth every lap. Johnson once again stabilized as the leader before his teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr., came up and started to battle Johnson. Johnson stabilized again before Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made his first move to the lead in the race. Johnson and Stenhouse battled until the second round of green flag pit stops began on lap 122. Again, a driver would struggle on the stop. Kasey Kahne, who had went down a lap early in the race after losing the draft, was caught speeding on pit road. He would have to make a pass through and the result was another lap lost. He would not be a key factor in the entire race after losing the two laps. After the stops, Aric Almirola cycled to the lead. He would only hold the lead for a couple laps before Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead on lap 128. On lap 133, Jimmie Johnson made his way back to the front and took the lead from Earnhardt. The two teammates began to battle again before Earnhardt submitted himself as the major leader. Earnhardt would lose the lead a couple of times during the next thirty or so laps, but he would be the major leader during the stretch before the third and final round of green flag pit stops of the race on lap 161. This would be the last stop for the leaders and the stops would have to be to perfection.

        The stops were pretty good for the leaders as Kyle Busch cycled to the lead. Now, the final run to the finish was set up and the action would be crazy. Busch began to battle hard with Carl Edwards in the ensuing laps as the field raced behind the two leaders. Edwards and Busch switched the lead before Jamie McMurray would make his way through the chaos to take the lead for the first time. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Austin Dillon ran behind McMurray as the race entered the final few laps. As McMurray took the lead on lap 174, the field began to straighten out in preparation for the final laps. This line stayed on the outside as the race entered the final ten laps, but some drivers were looking to make the inside work. The race went quickly to five laps to go and the inside line still wasn't going. McMurray crossed the line a few laps later and only two remained. Still, the inside lane was not working as McMurray took the white flag. But the chaos would start. Drivers began to weave in the line and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Austin Dillon made the first move in turn 2. But they would make a mistake. Dillon would go too quick in front of Stenhouse and the two made contact. Dillon went around and slid down the track. He went back up the track and into traffic. Somehow, the majority of the drivers missed him, but Casey Mears was not so lucky. He slammed into the back of Dillon and lifted him off the track. Dillon went up in the air back first and landed hard on the ground. Dillon and Mears rolled to a stop on the backstretch with heavy damage, but both drivers were okay. This resulted in the third and final caution and the race was over. Jamie McMurray coasted across the line to take his first win in just over three years. It was a much needed victory for McMurray and one that could lead to a lot of momentum.

         What a terrible past couple of years it has been for Jamie McMurray. He could not find victory lane and finishes at the top eluded him. He missed the Chase the past few years, but he still sat just outside and on the verge of being able to make it one year. Finally, he broke through at Talladega in 2013 to put his momentum back on track. It is a very favorable victory in the garage since McMurray is such a likeable guy and one that I like. It was once again so close, but yet so far away for Dale Earnhardt Jr. He went into the final lap second and with a chance to take over the lead from McMurray easily. He seemed to have a plan in place and it probably would have worked, but he just did not have enough time with the caution coming out early in the final lap. We will never know what would have happened on the final lap if the caution did not come out, but we can not question it now. The points did not change too much like we expected. Jimmie Johnson took the points lead, but it was only by a few select points over Matt Kenseth. With another wild card race in Martinsville coming up next week, these two points leaders will be challenged even more as the races wind down. After the calm madness that was Talladega, the series heads to the smallest and roughest track on the circuit known as Martinsville. Will Jimmie Johnson continue to hold his lead over Matt Kenseth, will Matt Kenseth take his lead back, or will another driver move closer to the two leaders out front? We will have to wait until next week to find this out.
(More Stats Down Below!)





Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 3- Tony Raines lost an engine in turn 1.

2nd Caution: Lap 79- Marcos Ambrose got loose in the trioval. He went down the track and made hard contact with Juan Pablo Montoya, which caused the two drivers to roll to a stop on track.

3rd Caution: Lap 188- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made contact with Austin Dillon exiting turn 2. Dillon went around and went into traffic. Casey Mears slammed into Dillon and sent him flying in the air. Both drivers were okay and exited their cars safely.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: None
2nd Caution: Kyle Busch
3rd Caution: None

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Jamie McMurray
2nd: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3rd: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
4th: Paul Menard
5th: Kyle Busch

Notables Not in Top 5:
9th: Ryan Newman
10th: Clint Bowyer
11th: Greg Biffle
12th: Kevin Harvick
13th: Jimmie Johnson
14th: Jeff Gordon
16th: Joey Logano
17th: Carl Edwards
18th: Kurt Busch
20th: Matt Kenseth
36th: Kasey Kahne





Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/lapbylap/view-all-laps.html?intid=lapbylap_lapbylapleaderboard_08292013
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/live-standings.html?intid=livestandings_livestandingsleaderboard_08292013
http://racing-reference.info/race/2013_Camping_World_RV_Sales_500/W
-Image:
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/b0837ec539b801c7c675bda0d0a61515c0f7d248/c=1258-102-3073-1470&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/USATODAY/test/2013/10/20/1382305688000-10-20-13-jamie-mcmurray-celebrate.jpg

My Thoughts: Talladega

        When the word Talladega is mentioned, every fan stands up to cheer and every driver cowers in fear just hoping they can make it to the finish. Lately, though, the hopes of finishing the race at Talladega have become less and less. That was the case for many current Chase drivers in May including Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, and Greg Biffle. Others were able to make it to the finish including Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. But that does not mean that they will make it to the checkered flag this time around. Also, you have to think about the possible upset victory. It has always been said that restrictor plates are the ultimate equalizer and that has been proven this year. It was definitely true at Talladega in May when David Ragan and his teammate, David Gilliland, took a 1-2 finish for their underfunded Front Row Motorsports team. It was the most magical moment of this year thus far, but it could be outdid by the fall race at Talladega. Finally, you have to think about the big one. The big one is always the closest thing to the driver's minds as they strap in their cars. No driver knows if they will make it through the big wreck when it comes to crunch time. In fact, they don't even know if they will be in the race when the big wreck happens. Last year in the fall at Talladega, the big wreck happened in the final corner at the front of the field and left most of the field with wrecked race cars. Will this happen this year? I don't know, but I do know that I have a few thoughts to discuss before the craziest race of the year. Today's topics for my discussion include a discussion of the possible wild card race of the Chase, a team downsizing for next season, a driver out due to health problems, a crew chief suspended for violating the NASCAR substance abuse policy, and the feature topic of my thoughts: my pick to win, which takes a different meaning today. Let us go ahead and get started without any further delays.

1. Will This Race at Talladega Be the Wild Card Race We Have Been Expecting?
       Like I mentioned in the introduction, Talladega is always a wreckfest and most of the high profile drivers don't finish the race with a clean race car. This has been a definite theme over the past two races at Talladega with the big wreck that happened there last fall and the wrecks in May. Most of the leaders were caught up in the wreck with Matt Kenseth being one of the only drivers to make it through the crash in the fall last year. Earlier this year in May, a big wreck happened with only a few laps to go and left a lot of current Chase drivers without good finishes. Plus, a lot of other wrecks happened during the middle part of the race that also took out some more Chase drivers. This leads into my question: will this race at Talladega be the same wild card we have been accustomed to seeing? I definitely believe this to be true. For one, you have to look at the truck race yesterday. Only two drivers made it clean across the finish as trucks flipped and crashed behind them. Those guys really had less to lose than the Sprint Cup drivers do today. Because of this, a lot of guys are going to be racing hard to move up in points and this will lead to a lot of wrecks in the race. A final reason is just the track at Talladega. It never ceases to fail that drivers end up wrecking during the race at Talladega. It doesn't matter if they have something to lose or if they don't have something to lose. This was especially evident at Talladega in May. In the final laps, Kurt Busch was running in a pack with J.J. Yeley and some other drivers who weren't and aren't typically at the front. The guys who aren't usually at the front were doing everything they could to make their way up to the lead while Kurt Busch was just hoping to stay out of a wreck. The racing around Busch led to a wreck and he was caught in a wreck that had nothing to do with him. Because of this, Busch had to fight for most of the year to make sure he was in the Chase. All this evidence leads me to believe that today's race at Talladega will be the same wild card we expect.

2. Michael Waltrip Racing Moving to Two Teams in 2014; Martin Truex Jr. Moving to Furniture Row Racing
        A little bit of surprising news came out during the week. Michael Waltrip Racing announced during the week that the team would scale down to only the teams of Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers for 2014 and Martin Truex Jr. would be out of a ride. This is the stupidest thing I have heard in years. Listen, all of this is a fallout from the Richmond manipulation. Because of what Clint Bowyer, Brian Vickers, and the rest of the MWR team did at Richmond. Truex lost a sponsor from this and now he has lost a ride. This is not right at all. Truex did absolutely nothing wrong at Richmond a month ago. He did not know about the plan to get in the Chase and he had no idea it was happening. Then, after he made the Chase, he was taken out of the Chase, he lost a ride, and he lost a sponsor. I just can't stand it. It makes no sense why a driver who deserves a lot of credit for making the MWR team what it is today is treated just like trash. Luckily, Furniture Row Racing realized the value of Truex as a driver and offered him Kurt Busch's previous ride for next season. I believe this is a tremendous move for Furniture Row Racing. Now, I like Kurt Busch as a driver and I like Truex as a driver, but I believe that Truex is the better of the two and can make a team very good. Like I said, take a look at MWR. Truex pretty much made MWR the respected team it is today and I think he can easily do that for Furniture Row. Plus, he is a respected driver and he is well liked in the garage unlike Kurt Busch sometimes. I think this move could go a long way for Truex and Furniture Row in the future as the years go by.

3. Brian Vickers Out For the Rest of 2013 Due to Injury: Elliott Sadler Filling In; Is Vickers Worth the Risk For MWR?
         A good bit of shocking news came out during the week for Michael Waltrip Racing. It was announced that Brian Vickers had another blood clot in his leg and his doctors had ordered him to not race for the rest of the season. This is the second time Vickers has had a blood clot in his leg. He had one in the early part of the 2010 season while he was at Red Bull Racing and he missed the rest of the season. It was also announced that Elliott Sadler would replace Vickers for the final races of the season, but I want to focus on something else. Is Brian Vickers worth the risk for Michael Waltrip Racing? I say no. Granted, I like Vickers as a driver, but he has a lot of health problems. I mean, this is the second time in four years he has had a season ending blood clot. It has to be a major concern for the team and I know they are thinking about it. Another reason is the drivers who really could be in a better ride. Let us revisit Martin Truex Jr. Truex does not have a ride with MWR mostly because of Vickers himself. Again, there were other drivers involved in the incident at Richmond, but Vickers was a major driver in the incident. But this makes me think why Truex is not in a MWR car while Vickers, who has these health problems, would be locked into a ride. No offense to Brian Vickers at all. I enjoy his racing abilities, but is he really a better choice than Martin Truex Jr. or any other driver? Maybe and maybe not, but we will find out in the coming years.

4. Todd Parrott, Aric Almirola's Crew Chief, Indefinitely Suspended By NASCAR For Violating Substance Abuse Policy
        Another bit of shocking news came out during the week. It was announced that Todd Parrott, the crew chief for the number 43 and Aric Almirola, had been indefinitely suspended from NASCAR for violating the sport's substance abuse policy. This news was very surprising to me for a few reasons. For one, Parrott is a really respected crew chief in the sport. He was a championship crew chief for Dale Jarrett in 1999 and he has been one of the go to crew chiefs for making young drivers good in the sport. He is very respected and I just don't understand how he could violate the policy of NASCAR against drugs. A final reason I was surprised is because of the amount of drug policy violations recently in the sport. If we go back to last year, A.J. Allmendinger was suspended for violating the drug policy and it has taken up until about now for him to get back to greatness. I can't believe just how many there have been. I also can't believe Parrott would risk that. I mean, he is one of the most respected guys in the garage and now this. It is a terrible thing for him and one that could destroy his reputation in the future. Hopefully, he can come back to the highest place in the sport and he can keep his reputation as one of the best crew chiefs in a while.

5. My Pick to Win
        Last week at Charlotte, Brad Keselowski took the win from Kasey Kahne in the final run of the race. Last time out at Talladega, David Ragan took a crazy upset victory over the big dogs in the sport. Last time at Talladega in the Chase, a massive crash erupted in the final corner and Matt Kenseth was one of the only drivers to make it through unscathed. I think the same will apply to today's race. I think the winner of the race will be unknown until the field makes it to the trioval. In fact, I predict the winner will be running in between third and fifth place on the final lap. This is a bold prediction, but one that I think will come true. Today, I am going to take a different route for my pick to win. Since it is so hard to predict who is going to win at Talladega, I will pick who is not going to win. I think Landon Cassill, Joe Nemechek, Tony Raines, Terry Labonte, and Michael McDowell will not be in the battle for the win. Yes, that means thirty eight drivers have a chance to win and yes, they will have a shot in the event. I thank you guys once again for reading through my thoughts. If you guys have any differing opinions on the issues at hand, let me know your thoughts down below. I hope today's race is a crazy one that keeps us on our feet the entire time and one that leads to a crazy finish. I will continue writing for you guys and until we meet again.





Credits:
-Image:
http://www.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/talladega_crash_2012-650x393.png

Johnny Sauter Takes the Win at Talladega After a Last Lap That Was Filled With Carnage

           With the help of Matt Crafton, Johnny Sauter was able to cross the finish line to take the victory at Talladega. Sauter and David Starr would be the only two drivers to go across the finish line straight as bedlam broke out behind them. Miguel Paludo flipped, Kyle Busch slammed the inside wall hard, other drivers piled into each other, and cars slipped and slid across the finish line. It was an absolutely crazy finish to end a very crazy race. It has been a very rough season for Johnny Sauter. After taking the victories at the first two races of the season, Sauter had not made it back to victory lane and he sat deep in points. Not to mention, he lost his crew chief for a few races and then for the rest of the season after he left the team. Sauter had to battle a lot of adversity so far this year, but it all came to a conclusion with his win today. The points battle also separated a good bit. James Buescher wrecked during the middle of the race and lost a lot of points to points leader, Matt Crafton. Ty Dillon fell back late and only came away with a fourteenth place finish as Matt Crafton was able to cross the line ninth, even with a wrecked race car. This allowed Crafton to pull away a little bit and solidify himself still as the major factor for the championship. With only four races remaining, it could be just about over for the battle to win the championship, but craziness could still happen. The only visit to Talladega of the season for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was definitely one to remember. There were crazy wrecks, crazy damaged race cars, and a lot of underfunded drivers with good finishes. All in all, it was, probably, the most memorable race of the season thus far and one that could ultimately decide the championship winner.

        Jeb Burton started on the pole. It was Burton's sixth NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole of 2013.The race went green for the first time and Burton was able to lead the first lap as the crazy racing began behind him. Burton would not hold the lead long as teammate, James Buescher, took the lead on lap 2. The race went a short time after this before the first caution waved on lap 8. Mason Mingus's truck had been sending smoke from behind it for a few laps. His team finally brought him to pit road and they diagnosed the problem as a terminal one. Mingus would not return to the race as fluid was spotted on the track. No drivers received the lucky dog. The strategy began early in the race. James Buescher, Ron Hornaday Jr., Jeb Burton, and others stayed on track while Kyle Busch, Max Gresham, Matt Crafton, Ty Dillon, and others came down pit road. It would be interesting to see which strategy would work to give a driver a win. The race went back green and James Buescher was able to hold the lead. He would not hold it long as Chris Fontaine passed him on the next lap with help from Kyle Busch. Fontaine stayed in front of the field for a few laps before Buescher took the lead back on lap 18.  The race went a short time after this before the second caution waved on lap 20. Debris was spotted on the frontstretch of the track due to a blown tire on Chris Cockrum's truck. No drivers received the lucky dog. A good bit of strategy occurred during the caution. Kyle Busch, Ty Dillon, Johnny Sauter, and others took took fuel only while James Buescher, Ron Hornaday Jr., and others took two tires. The rest of the drivers who came in took four tires. It would be interesting to see which strategy led to a win.

        The race went back green and Ty Dillon took the lead from Kyle Busch. Dillon would hold the lead for a few laps before Ross Chastain passed him on lap 31 with help from Ryan Blaney. This led to a rash of lead changes. Ty Dillon took the lead back from Chastain on the next lap, Joey Coulter took the lead from Dillon on lap 36 with help from Parker Kligerman, Dillon took the lead back on the same lap, Parker Kligerman took the lead from Dillon on lap 38 with help from Kyle Busch, and Dillon took the lead back from Kligerman on lap 42. This stopped the lead changes for the moment and led to the first round of green flag pit stops of the race on lap 53. Most of the leaders came to pit road before the race was interrupted by the third caution on lap 56. Sean Corr decided to make the move to pit road. He passed Ty Dillon, who had just pitted and was up to speed, and put on the brakes. Dillon did not have enough time to react and ran into the back of Corr. This sent Corr around and caused him to slide through the frontstretch grass. He was able to corral the car in the frontstretch grass and avoid damage, but he would have to come back around to pit. Justin Lofton received the lucky dog. All the drivers who had not pitted during the cycle of stops came down pit road with Kyle Busch taking the lead over the field. The race went back green and Darrell Wallace Jr. took the lead from Kyle Busch. Wallace would not hold the lead long as Johnny Sauter took the lead on lap 64. Ty Dillon took the lead from Sauter on the next lap with help from Parker Kligerman. The race would go a lap before the fourth caution waved on lap 66 and the first big one of the day happened.

        Jeb Burton tried to make a move between Caleb Holman and John Wes Townley entering turn 3. There was not enough room and Burton made contact with Holman, which caused Holman to go down the track. Holman made contact with Timothy Peters and both went up the track. This caused a huge melee in turn 3 with Brennan Newberry, German Quiroga, Sean Corr, and Chris Cockrum piling into the wreck. All of the drivers slammed into the outside wall hard. All of the drivers reached a stop on track with huge amounts of damage. None of these drivers would return and their chances for a magical Talladega victory were over. Bryan Silas received the lucky dog. A little bit of strategy occurred during the caution. Matt Crafton and Parker Kligerman stayed on track while the rest of the lead lap drivers came down pit road for the final time in the race. It would be interesting to see if the two leaders had enough fuel to make it to the finish. The race went back green and Parker Kligerman held the lead. Ryan Blaney was able to pass Kligerman on the backstretch. Kligerman was able to get back by Blaney on the next lap with help from Kyle Busch. Ty Dillon passed Kligerman on lap 76 with help from James Buescher. For a short while after this, the lead changed hands every lap before the fifth caution waved on lap 80 due to the second big one of the race. 

        Ron Hornaday Jr. tried to make a move between Justin Lofton and James Buescher exiting turn 2. The three made contact on the backstretch and Lofton went down the track. Hornaday's hood went up over his window and Buescher spun due to contact with Lofton. Buescher went up the track and Joey Coulter made contact with him. Jeff Agnew made an evasive view around Buescher and slid down the track. Agnew and Buescher both made hard contact with the inside wall and slid to a stop on track. Both drivers had heavily destroyed race cars and they would not continue on. Coulter drove away from the scene, but he would not return to the race. Ron Hornaday would return, but he would not be super competitive. Norm Benning received the lucky dog. None of the drivers made the move to pit road and the race would go back green. Ross Chastain was able to take the lead with help from Kyle Busch, but the race would only go a few laps before the sixth caution waved on lap 88. Exiting turn 2, the field got stacked up behind Ryan Sieg. Ron Hornaday Jr., Ryan Blaney, and Scott Stenzel made contact, which caused all three to slide down the backstretch. All three piled into the inside wall and received huge amounts of damage. Stenzel and Hornaday would exit from the event, but Blaney would return even though he wasn't a factor. Justin Lofton received the lucky dog. None of the drivers came to pit road and the final run to the checkered flag was set up.

          The race went back green and Ross Chastain held the lead with help from Parker Kligerman. The tandems of Johnny Sauter and Matt Crafton along with Dakoda Armstrong and Kyle Busch formed behind the two leaders. These two tandems made their way to the front and it would be up to these six drivers to decide who would win the race. As the leaders crossed the line with two laps, all three tandems ran three wide. They continued this around the track with most of the drivers behind them falling back. It would be a race between these six drivers as the white flag waved. Dakoda and Kyle ran in the outside lane with Johnny and Matt in the middle and Ross and Parker holding onto the bottom. The tandems were still three wide as they exited turn 4 to take the checkered flag. No one knew who would win and then the wrecking labeled as the seventh caution started happening. Miguel Paludo bumped Jeb Burton in the trioval and sent him up into Kyle Busch. This eliminated Busch, but five were still left in the battle. Busch went down the track and made contact with Paludo, Burton, and Darrell Wallace Jr. Paludo went on his lid and began to slid down the frontstretch. Busch slammed the inside wall with enough force to break it. Meanwhile, the five leaders came within a few hundred yards of the finish line. Parker Kligerman made contact with Ross Chastain and sent him up the track. Chastain made contact with Matt Crafton and Dakoda Armstrong. Chastain, Crafton, Kligerman, and Armstrong slammed the outside wall as the lone contender left, Johnny Sauter, coasted to the line for the win. This would not be the end of the mayhem. Behind the leaders wrecking, Timmy Hill, John Wes Townley, Max Gresham, Clay Greenfield, Justin Lofton, and others piled into the drivers who had already wrecked. Only Sauter and David Starr made it clean across the finish line as all the other trucks had some amount of damage. It was an insane finish to a race that was already crazy in its own right.

        Wow, what a finish. I can only remember a few finishes like this one, but this one has to be one of the best. Justin Lofton walked away with a fractured left thumb, but all the other drivers walked away without major injuries. It has been a definite struggle for Johnny Sauter this season. Even though he took the win in the first two races of the season, it was downhill from there. He had mechanical troubles, wrecked race cars, and even the loss of a crew chief during the rest of the races. This win puts him back on track to finish the season strong and get next year started with a bang. What a finish it was for David Starr. After missing a few races, Starr came back strong. He avoided some wrecks during the middle of the race and was able to avoid the final lap wreck to take an easy second place finish. It was a definite momentum shift for Starr and one that could, hopefully, lead to a win to end the season. It was definitely a tough day for some truck regulars. Ryan Blaney, James Buescher, Ron Hornaday Jr., Brennan Newberry, Joey Coulter, and others wrecked before the final lap even came around. Matt Crafton, Ty Dillon, and others could not capitalize on the final lap and finished okay in the end. It was definitely a difficult race, but Crafton was able to hold his points lead. Finally, there were a whole lot of good finishes for underfunded teams. David Starr finished second, Dakoda Armstrong finished fifth, Timmy Hill finished sixth, Norm Benning finished twelfth, Clay Greenfield finished thirteenth, and Chris Fontaine finished fifteenth. It was an excellent day for some lower tier drivers in the truck series and one that is definitely a welcome change. After the craziness that was Talladega, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to the small, but mighty track in Martinsville, Virginia. Martinsville is always known for wrecked race cars and flared tempers when the race is over. Will Matt Crafton continue to hold his points lead over the rest of the field, will Kevin Harvick dominate the truck drivers in a rare chance to race with the lower guys, or will Ty Dillon or James Buescher move closer to Crafton for the points lead? We will have to wait until next Saturday afternoon to find out.
(More Stats Down Below!)





Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 8- Fluid from Mason Mingus's truck was spotted in turns 1 and 2 on the track.

2nd Caution: Lap 20- Debris from Chris Cockrum's blown tire was spotted on the frontstretch of the track.

3rd Caution: Lap 56- Ty Dillon bumped Sean Corr after Corr had made a last minute move to pit road. Corr slid through the frontstretch grass.

4th Caution: Lap 66- Jeb Burton made contact with Caleb Holman entering turn 3. Holman slid down the track and made contact with Timothy Peters. A melee began and Brennan Newberry, German Quiroga, Sean Corr, and Chris Cockrum made contact with the outside wall. 

5th Caution: Lap 80- Ron Hornaday Jr. made contact with Justin Lofton on the backstretch. Lofton slid down the track and made contact with James Buescher. Buescher and Jeff Agnew slammed the inside wall after Joey Coulter had made contact with Buescher. 

6th Caution: Lap 88- Ron Hornaday Jr., Ryan Blaney, and Scott Stenzel made contact on the backstretch after Ryan Sieg stacked up the field. All three drivers slammed the inside wall hard.

7th Caution: Lap 94- Miguel Paludo bumped Jeb Burton on the trioval, which caused a huge melee. Paludo went on his roof as Kyle Busch, Darrell Wallace Jr., Parker Kligerman, Matt Crafton, Dakoda Armstrong, Ross Chastain, Timmy Hill, John Wes Townley, Max Gresham, Clay Greenfield, Justin Lofton, and others got involved in the wreck.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: None 
2nd Caution: None 
3rd Caution: Justin Lofton
4th Caution: Bryan Silas
5th Caution: Norm Benning
6th Caution: Justin Lofton
7th Caution: None

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Johnny Sauter
2nd: David Starr
3rd: Ross Chastain
4th: Parker Kligerman
5th: Dakoda Armstrong

Notables Not in Top 5:
9th: Matt Crafton
10th: Kyle Busch
14th: Ty Dillon
18th: Jeb Burton
21st: Ryan Blaney
24th: Ron Hornaday Jr.
26th: James Buescher
27th: Joey Coulter
29th: Timothy Peters





Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/camping-world-truck-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/camping-world-truck-series/lapbylap/view-all-laps.html?intid=lapbylap_lapbylapleaderboard_08292013
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/camping-world-truck-series/live-standings.html
http://racing-reference.info/race/2013_Freds_250_Powered_by_Coca-Cola/C
-Image:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/10/19/2823958/last-lap-wreck-overshadows-johnny.html

Two Years Ago Today: How I Remember Dan Wheldon

              What do I remember the most about October 16th, 2011? That question has flashed across my mind a lot in the past few days and weeks. Do I remember the sermon my dad preached that day? Do I remember who won any of the NFL games that day? I don't remember any of these things, but I do remember one thing about that day that has changed my life forever: the death of Dan Wheldon in the final IndyCar race of 2011. I remember when Wheldon's in-car camera switched off and the calamity began in turn 1. I remember Wheldon's car lifting off the ground and slamming the catch fence. I remember his car reaching a stop on the backstretch. I remember the silence that followed and the drivers saying prayers as the outcome of the situation was unknown. I remember the announcement that Randy Bernard made when he announced that Dan Wheldon had succumbed to his injuries. I remember the salute that the drivers did to honor a friend and competitor who they loved so much. Finally, I remember the quote that Marty Reid ended the broadcast with that just spoke volumes to everything that Dan Wheldon meant to the series. When I think about him or talk about him, it is all I can do to hold off the tears. Why did it happen to him? Why that day? I guess it doesn't matter since God called him home. I just feel so bad for his family, his wife, and his two sons. Today, I don't want to remember the events of that fateful day that called him home, but I want to remember the great things he did in his career.

        Dan Wheldon made the move to IndyCar in 2002. He had spent a year before that in Indy Lights and had also raced in the U.S. F2000 National Championship and the Toyota Atlantic Championship a few years before that. Wheldon ran two races in 2002 for Panther Racing before moving to the series full time in 2003 for Andretti Green Racing. Wheldon was pretty successful in his first year and took the Rookie of the Year Award. He came back in 2004 and was even more successful. He won his first race at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan and went on to win two more races before the year finished. He would barely miss out on winning his first championship as his teammate, Tony Kanaan, took it. But that would not be it for Wheldon. He returned to Andretti Green Racing in 2005 and he would take six wins en route to his first championship in the series. Among his wins was one at the most historic track on the circuit: the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  It was Wheldon's first win at the track, but it would not be his last.

          Wheldon moved over to Chip Ganassi Racing for the 2006 season and he kept pretty much the same success. He won two races and fell just short of the championship once again. This is where I started to follow his career a good bit. He became one of my favorites along with teammate, Scott Dixon. Wheldon returned to Ganassi Racing in 2007 and took two more wins to add to his already  fantastic career in the series. 2008 once again brought another decent season to Wheldon with two wins and a nice finish in the points, but he would not return to Ganassi in 2009. He headed over to Panther Racing where he did not find the same success. He was not able to win any races with the team in 2009 or 2010, but he still remained one of the favorites and most popular in the series. I remember fondly watching some races with him behind the wheel of the camouflage National Guard paint scheme that he ran for the team. 2011 brought a limited schedule to Wheldon. He would only run three races, including the fateful race at Las Vegas, but one of those would be one of the defining moments of his career before his passing only a few months later.

         I remember that weekend at Indianapolis. You had so many favorites in the race like Wheldon, Dario Franchitti, Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon, and a whole lot more. It was sure to be a great fight for the win. The race began and Dixon became the early favorite, but around the middle part of the race, a rookie driver by the name of J.R. Hildebrand began to assert himself as a favorite and legitimate contender. The race moved quickly through the afternoon and before we knew it, only twenty laps remained. Danica Patrick had the lead and Tomas Scheckter ran second, but both were low on fuel. Patrick and Scheckter had to pit, which gave Bertrand Baguette the lead on lap 188. But there were also questions if Baguette had enough fuel. He rode around trying to save fuel for a few laps, but it was not enough. He finally had to make the move to pit road with four laps to go and that allowed the rookie I mentioned earlier, J.R. Hildebrand, to take the lead. Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon, and Dan Wheldon ran behind him, but Franchitti was also saving fuel. This allowed Dixon and Wheldon to get by. Wheldon was able to pass Dixon as Hildebrand took the white flag. Only one question remained. Did J.R. Hildebrand or any of the other drivers have enough fuel to make it to the finish? Hildebrand made it into turn 1 and the turn went smoothly. He flew through turn 2 easily and made it to the backstretch with the win in hand. He drove down the backstretch and made it into turn 3 quickly. Only one corner remained. A lapped car was driving through turn 4, but Hildebrand would make it around. Then, it happened. Hildebrand went too far to the outside of the corner. His car did not turn on exit and piled into the outside wall. His right side was heavily damaged and he coasted along against the wall, but the lead was still in his hands. But that would all come to a close. Dan Wheldon, who had saved enough fuel, shot to his inside on the frontstretch. Wheldon flew by and his hands came out of the cockpit of his car in triumph as he had won the Indianapolis 500 in the one hundredth year of the event. Wheldon coasted around to victory lane where he would place the ceremonial wreath around his shoulders and drink the sacred milk at Indianapolis. It was a stunning finish and one of the most memorable that I can remember. 

         Dan Wheldon's legacy still lives on today even after his tragic passing two years ago to the day. Shortly after his death, it was announced that the new car starting to run in IndyCar in 2012 would be named after him since he had been a key factor in testing the car. In fact, the car he helped with so much has actually saved lives. If you don't believe me, take a look at Dario Franchitti's wreck at Houston only one week ago. Without the new car, I believe Franchitti would have lost his life, but Dan Wheldon prevented that. That in itself is one of the most memorable things from Wheldon's life. Also, Wheldon was posthumously named the most popular driver of IndyCar in 2011. It was an award that Wheldon deserved not just because he wanted to be remembered, but because he was one of the friendliest and most likeable drivers in the garage. That is one of the main ways I want to remember Wheldon along with the great success he had in the sport he loved so much.

         What do I remember the most about Dan Wheldon? I remember that smile he flashed whenever someone talked to him. I remember that British accent that he used in every interview. I remember how kind he was to everybody in the sport and how willing he was to help anybody that needed his help. But most of all, I remember how hard of a competitor he was in the race. He wouldn't wreck you on track, but he would race you as hard as possible to win the race. If he didn't have the car to win, he wouldn't over do it. If he was able to get by you, he would do it as cleanly as possible to take the spot or even the win. That was just the way he was and I respect him for that. I don't think it actually hit me that it had been two years since he passed until I came to school with my Lionheart tribute shirt made to remember his life and achievements. I can't believe it has been that long since he left our world. I miss you so much Dan and I hope one day to be with you and be able to talk to you in heaven. I want to end this year's remembrance of Dan Wheldon's life with two things. The first is something cool that I noticed at school today. Each day, we have a word that helps prepare students for the SAT test. Today's word was revere. Revere means to regard with awe and respect. I believe that was a sign. A sign that Dan Wheldon deserves to be revered for his accomplishments and his amazing life on the day he so tragically left us. I will bring this year's remembrance of Dan Wheldon to an end with a quote from Marty Reid that is still one of the most recognizable statements made on the day of October 16th, 2011. "People ask me why, when I sign off I say 'until we meet again'. Because goodbye is always so final. Goodbye Dan Wheldon."







Credits:
-Statistics:
http://racing-reference.info/race/2011_Indianapolis_500/O
http://racing-reference.info/driver/Dan_Wheldon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Wheldon
-Full 2011 Indianapolis 500:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1CqBtGezss
-Image:
http://www.wibc.com/Pics/news/wheldon/wheldon1978-2011a.jpg

Brad Keselowski Grabs His First Win at Charlotte In a Tumultuous Year For the Defending Champion

        Brad Keselowski passed Kasey Kahne in the final part of the race at Charlotte to take his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win of the season. Keselowski took four tires on the final pit stop while Kahne took two tires. Kahne had the track position and took the lead on the restart, but Keselowski used his fresh tires to make his way to the lead and take the win. It has been a very tumultuous year for the defending champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Keselowski did not have a win until this race at Charlotte and he missed the Chase after winning the title one year ago. Plus, Keselowski has had a lot of tough breaks this year including losing an engine while leading, wrecking a lot, and even terrible mistakes on pit road. In fact, Keselowski's team had to come back from an incident on pit road where the jack left his box. Through all the adversity, Keselowski's team was able to get him back to the front and Keselowski gave them a much needed win. Once again, Kasey Kahne fell just short of a win. It was Kahne's fifth second place finish of the year and another chance lost after leading late. Second is something that isn't complained about much, but when it starts to add up, it starts to mess with a driver. The fall race at Charlotte was not filled with as many incidents as the May race, but it had way more strategy. All in all, it was a race that made you wait until the end before a winner would be decided.

         Jeff Gordon started on the pole. It was Gordon's second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole of 2013. The race went green and Gordon was able to come around and lead the first lap of the race. Gordon held the lead well early until the first caution of the race waved on lap 25. J.J. Yeley made contact with the outside wall in turn 1. His car began to smoke a good bit and he made it to pit road with heavy damage. The damage was too much for Yeley to return to the race. Travis Kvapil received the lucky dog. A good bit of action occurred during the pit stops. Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and others took two tires while Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, Juan Pablo Montoya, and others took four tires. But a little bit more would happen on the stops. Kyle Busch's team had made the decision to take only two tires, but the front tire changer did not know the move was made to take two. He changed the right front and went around to change the left. He drilled two or three lug nuts off as Busch left his pit stall. This forced Busch to come back in to avoid a penalty and get the lug nuts replaced, which cost him a lot of spots. Also, Paul Menard and Danica Patrick made contact due to the movement happening on pit road. It was a very action packed set of stops and the race was finally ready to restart.

        The race went back green and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was able to take the lead from Kasey Kahne. Earnhardt did not hold the lead long before he encountered a slight problem. A piece of paper had landed on his grill and air could not get to the radiator, which would cause overheating after a long period. He drove around for a little while before his team made the call to let Kahne past him and get the trash off Earnhardt's grill. Junior fell in behind Kahne on lap 44 and they attempted to get the trash off. The two ran nose to tail for a few corners and couldn't get the trash off. This forced Kahne to move away since Martin Truex Jr. was starting to catch the two leaders. Now, Junior had lost the lead and still had debris on the grill. Junior fell all the way back to his other teammate, Jimmie Johnson, to see if they could get the trash off. This time the two were able to get it off and Junior would not have to make an early move to pit road. Kahne continued to hold the lead until Martin Truex Jr. made the move to pit road on lap 69. This instigated the first round of green flag pit stops of the race on lap 74. Kahne was able to cycle back around to the lead once again. The race went a short time after this before the second caution waved on lap 83. Mark Martin lost an engine entering turn 1. His car began to smoke and it left oil on the track. Martin made it to pit road, but his night was finished before it had really began. Jeff Burton received the lucky dog. A little bit of strategy occurred during the caution. Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and others stayed on track while Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, and others made the move to pit road. Keselowski's team made a huge error on the stop. They completed it quickly, but the jackman did not pull the jack out when the stop finished and Keselowski pulled it out of the box. This resulted in a penalty for Keselowski and he had to come back in and have the jack removed. Keselowski lost a lot of positions, but he had avoided damage. It would be interesting to see if he could come back and take the win.

         The race went back green and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was able to take the lead from Kasey Kahne once again. Earnhardt held the lead well before Kahne was able to pass him on lap 96. Kahne drove away from the field and held the lead until the second round of green flag pit stops began on lap 127. The stops went smoothly and Kahne was able to cycle back around to the lead. Kahne continued to hold the lead and the laps started to click away. The race continued on for a good while before the third caution waved on lap 173. Debris was spotted on the track in turn 3. Kyle Larson received the lucky dog. Since green flag pit stops were about to begin, all the lead lap drivers came to pit road for four tires and fuel with Kasey Kahne coming out as the leader. The race went back green and Kahne once again lost the lead on the restart with Jimmie Johnson passing him. Johnson pulled away from Kahne and held the lead until the third round of green flag pit stops began on lap 225. The stops were clean and Johnson cycled back to the lead. Johnson continued to hold the lead, but the leaders would have to make at least one more pit stop.

         Johnson continued to hold the lead as the fourth and final round of green flag pit stops began on lap 274. Kevin Harvick made the move on this lap, but the leaders tried to see if they could save as much fuel before their stop to see if they could make the rest of the race without stopping. Most of the leaders stayed out until lap 280 and looked to see if they could make the rest of the race from there. Jimmie Johnson once again cycled to the lead with Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch running behind him. It looked like Johnson was the only driver who had enough fuel to make the finish, but all that would not matter as the fourth and final caution waved on lap 306. Debris was spotted on the backstretch of the track. Carl Edwards received the lucky dog. Now, all the strategy was erased and the leaders could make their final pit stop of the race. All of them came down and the race winning strategy was made. Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon took two tires while the rest of the leaders took four tires. This put Kahne out in front and gave him a chance to win a race that he had dominated.

          The race went green for the final time and Jimmie Johnson gave Kasey Kahne a push as they entered turn 1. Kahne used the push to run side by side with Jeff Gordon in turn 1 as Johnson got loose. Johnson fell back and Matt Kenseth moved up along with Brad Keselowski. Kasey Kahne was able to take the lead as Jeff Gordon also started to fall back. Gordon was passed by Kenseth and Keselowski in the matter of a few laps. Kahne still held the advantage over the field as Keselowski and Kenseth began to battle with nineteen laps to go. Kenseth and Keselowski battled for a few laps before Keselowski took second with about seventeen laps to go. Kahne had a nice advantage, but Keselowski was coming. He made it all the way up to Kahne with about thirteen laps to go and the two began to battle. At one point, Keselowski took the lead, but Kahne made a huge cross over move and took it back. Finally, Keselowski was able to clear Kahne on lap 325 for the lead. Keselowski ran away a little bit and Kahne tried to make it back up to challenge for a final time, but Keselowski's four tires propelled him to the white flag. He took the white flag and made it back around to the checkered flag for his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win of the year. It was a much needed win for Keselowski and one that could just save him when the series starts up next year.

        It has been a good little while since a defending champion struggled as much as Keselowski has. For a few years, the driver who finished second in the title battle struggled the next season, but Keselowski has changed that this year. This win could mean a whole lot for him to end the season and even for his future. When you struggle like they have this year, it is tough to gain the momentum needed to make it back to the top of the mountain in NASCAR's highest series. Kasey Kahne finally brought the terrible beginning in the Chase to a halt. He scored his first top 10 of the Chase after a struggling first few races. He is eighty one points out right now, but he still can't be canceled out of the battle for the championship. The championship battle stayed pretty even. Matt Kenseth finished one spot ahead of Jimmie Johnson and Johnson remained only a few points back. Kevin Harvick also remained third with Jeff Gordon only a few points out in fourth. The lead is good for Kenseth, but Talladega is only seven days away. Talladega is the ultimate wild card race in the Chase and one that could change the complete outlook of the Chase. With Kenseth hoping to stay out front, he needs to stay consistent next week. It should definitely interesting next week for the Chase drivers at the biggest track on the circuit and, possibly, one of the most challenging when it comes to avoiding wrecks. Will Matt Kenseth continue to hold his advantage on the field, will Jimmie Johnson and the drivers behind him move up, or will a driver deep in the standings make their way to the front? We will all be on the edge of our seats next Sunday waiting for the answers to these questions.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 25- J.J. Yeley made contact with the outside wall in turn 1.

2nd Caution: Lap 83- Mark Martin lost an engine in turn 1 and left some oil on the track.

3rd Caution: Lap 173- Debris was spotted on the track in turn 3.

4th Caution: Lap 306- Debris was spotted on the backstretch of the track.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: Travis Kvapil
2nd Caution: Jeff Burton
3rd Caution: Kyle Larson
4th Caution: Carl Edwards

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Brad Keselowski
2nd: Kasey Kahne 
3rd: Matt Kenseth
4th: Jimmie Johnson 
5th: Kyle Busch

Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Kevin Harvick
7th: Jeff Gordon
8th: Ryan Newman
10th: Carl Edwards
11th: Clint Bowyer
14th: Kurt Busch
15th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
16th: Greg Biffle
18th: Joey Logano




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/lapbylap/view-all-laps.html?intid=lapbylap_lapbylapleaderboard_08292013
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/live-standings.html?intid=livestandings_livestandingsleaderboard_08292013
http://racing-reference.info/race/2013_Bank_of_America_500/W
-Image:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_606w/2010-2019/Wires/Online/2013-10-13/AP/Images/NASCAR%20Charlotte%20Auto%20Racing.JPEG-0924a.jpg