My Thoughts: 2014 Kentucky

         Kentucky Speedway is the most recent track added to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. In 2011, it was added to the schedule and since then, it has been a key component of the summer stretch for the entire field of drivers. Before that, though, Kentucky wasn't a strange track to most of the field. The track was home to many tests for all teams and it provided help for intermediate tracks all over the circuit. Still, Kentucky is a track that is still tough for most of the field. The track is one of the bumpiest on the schedule and it provides a lot of problems for drivers hoping for the right set-up. In fact, listen to these stories. On Wednesday, the NASCAR Nationwide Series came to the track for an open test session. Ryan Blaney, who was running a rare Nationwide race for Team Penske, came in after a run with a nose bleed due to the rough conditions of the speedway. On Friday, Tony Stewart reported that he had a headache early in the practice session due to the bumps all around the track. Based on these stories, it is easy to tell that the bumps will help decide who wins tonight's race at Kentucky. Finally, we have seen some great racing at Kentucky in only three events. Look at last year's event. The race was rained out from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon, but that didn't affect the drivers. Jimmie Johnson went out and dominated the event while drivers like Brad Keselowski and Greg Biffle had wrecks on track. In the late laps, Johnson spun on a restart and he ended up falling back in the field. This left Matt Kenseth out front and Kenseth was able to hold off Jamie McMurray to win his first race at Kentucky. Just from those statistics, it is obvious Kentucky will have a good race tonight. I have a good many topics I want to discuss before this event tonight. Topics include a discussion of Matt Kenseth, a discussion of the entrants for tonight's race, a discussion of the Sprint Cup rookies, a discussion of the speedway, and, of course, my pick to win this event. Let us go ahead and jump into these topics for tonight's race.

1. The Home Depot Not Returning to Sponsor Matt Kenseth: Should That Be Cause For Concern?
        Matt Kenseth had a stellar season last year with seven wins and a close second place finish in the championship, but this year hasn't held any wins. Still, he is up in the points standings and he has been running consistently all year, but his team took a blow this week. The Home Depot, which has been a sponsor for Joe Gibbs Racing number twenty team since Tony Stewart jumped to the Cup Series in 1999, will not sponsor Kenseth next season at JGR. If you recall, Kenseth joined the team in 2013 and The Home Depot was a key sponsor behind his run at the title a year ago. I have a question for his team in the wake of this news from The Home Depot. Should they be concerned about next season? I would say they should be concerned. Listen to this first. I don't know the actual cause for The Home Depot leaving or if Dollar General will step up sponsorship, but I'm going to go without that knowledge. The main reason I think they should be concerned is because of how long The Home Depot has been with the team. I find it hard to believe that a sponsor that was so good for a team would want to leave so abruptly. That bothers me because Kenseth has been running so well. I think they need a good reason to defend leaving the team. A final reason is Kenseth needs stability to run well. Having a sponsor on a long contract is key to being able to run well. They need to be sure a sponsor will be there for the full season next year so that Kenseth will not have to worry about it. I hope another sponsor steps up for Kenseth and we see him run really well next season with another added sponsor.

2. 42 Cars Running Kentucky Race In Cup Series: Should NASCAR Be Worried?
        Recently, with the bad economy and the money needed to run a NASCAR team, the amount of drivers attempting every race in NASCAR has dropped slightly, but each race for the Cup Series has resulted in the field being full of forty three cars. Tonight's race will only have forty two cars on the grid and that is the first time the Cup field hasn't been filled with forty three cars in as long as I can remember. Here is my question for NASCAR and the Cup Series leaders. Should they be worried about the lack of a field being filled at Kentucky? They really, really should be. The main reason is the fact that they are in the second year of a brand new vehicle. Last year, it wouldn't have been hard to believe if a field didn't get filled because 2013 was the first year for the sixth generation car in NASCAR. This year, though, they are in the second year of the car and it seems like they should be readily available to race. Well, it looks like teams are having trouble securing cars to race from week to week. A final reason NASCAR should be concerned is because the cars and sponsorships aren't getting any cheaper. In today's world, it takes a lot of money to run a whole race, much less a whole season. That price has also been increasing from year to year and it is definitely not getting cheaper. Honestly, I wish NASCAR could improve the prices to run a race, but it seems like only the economy or a change in the price of the parts could help add cars to the field.

3. Is This the Race For a Cup Rookie to Win?
        I discussed in the introduction about how bumpy and rough Kentucky is. It is a track where you have to have the car dialed in to run well. Plus, listen to these statistics. In three races at Kentucky, the winners have been Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, and Matt Kenseth. Between those three drivers are two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships and seventy one Sprint Cup Series wins, but I am going in a different direction with this topic. I see the rookies having a good shot tonight. Why would that be a possibly in my mind? The main reason is how good Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, and others are at Kentucky. Just look at Austin Dillon's credentials here. He won both races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2012 and he ran extremely well there last season as well. Kyle Larson has two top tens at the track with one coming in a truck and one in the Nationwide Series. Justin Allgaier and the other rookie drivers have also run good there. A final reason is the lack of Cup races that have been held there. What that means is that drivers in the Cup Series who are really good like Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart really don't have a lot of race experience there. That means that a guy like Austin Dillon or Kyle Larson can go out there with their experience in the lower series of NASCAR and win the race. I think they will be drivers to watch in tonight's race and they could possibly steal a win at Kentucky.

4. Kentucky Speedway: Should It Be Paved?
         Again, we are here to talk about the bumps at Kentucky. The track is extremely rough and the asphalt on the track is fourteen years old and it was last paved in 2000. That makes it one of the oldest surfaces in the sport and a track that is very rough on equipment. I have asked this about other tracks throughout this season, but I am here to ask it again. Does Kentucky Speedway need to be paved? No, it does not need to be paved anytime soon. The main reason is the fact that the bumps just add character to the track. I think an old surface like Kentucky is a great thing for the sport. It makes the race way more exciting and it makes the strategy a huge part in the end of the event. Plus, we have just been racing at the track for three years. Once the drivers get used to heading there, they won't have to worry about the bumps and they will be flying around the track. I don't see it as a problem. A final reason it shouldn't be paved is because the surface still looks to be in good shape. If you look at the track, there aren't any pieces coming up like at some of the other tracks we have visited. That means it doesn't need to be paved because everything is still holding up. All in all, old track surfaces in NASCAR are a great thing and I hope they leave Kentucky alone for the time being.

5. My Pick to Win
        One thing I have failed to mention thus far is that Kentucky is a mile and a half track. These tracks are the meat of the Cup schedule and they aren't hard to predict as far as a winner, in my opinion. There are always the same drivers who run great when we head to the intermediate tracks. Tonight's race will be a challenge, though. Each driver can not fall behind in strategy and they have to guarantee their car will run well even with the transition from day to night. Looking at prior trends for this race and the recent mile and a half races, I have a few guys who I think could win tonight's event. Possible winners include Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, and Tony Stewart. Some upset drivers who could win tonight include Paul Menard, Brian Vickers, Ryan Newman, and Kyle Larson. It should be a great race tonight for all of the Cup drivers and I am going to write about it for you guys. I am excited to see another night race and it should be a good show on this bumpy track. Well, that is all for me and until we meet again.




Credits:
-Image:
http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/13/a1/13a10056b1183112ac4cd64519492971.jpg?itok=-t2R90ma

Kyle Busch Steals the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Pole at Kentucky Late in the Final Round

        With a time of 30.702 seconds (175.884 mph), Kyle Busch was able to steal his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole at Kentucky. Busch was dominate throughout the session, but he almost messed up in the final round. He waited until about thirty seconds remained on the clock to head on track. He just crossed the line ahead of the red and black flag waving, which allowed him to complete his lap. He was forced to pass Matt Crafton on his lap and it looked like he wouldn't take the pole, but he powered his Toyota truck around the track and he was able to take the pole with ease. It was Busch's fifteenth career Truck Series pole and his third of the season to add to his four wins already this season in the series. It could be Busch on top again tonight, but he will have to battle the field. Busch's teammate, Darrell Wallace Jr., secured the first sweep of a front row for Kyle Busch Motorsports with a blazing fast second place run. Jeb Burton has struggled recently in the series, but he was able to turn everything around and take a third place starting spot for the annual Kentucky event. Ben Kennedy has been consistent for the entire season and he took a fourth place starting spot to add to his consistency. Johnny Sauter holds the points lead in the series and it looks like he will have another good night with a fifth place starting spot. Today's first knockout qualifying session at Kentucky was one for the books. Austin Dillon, who has two wins to his credit at the track and is a Sprint Cup Series rookie, crashed during the second round and proved that Kentucky can hurt anybody's feelings. Brad Keselowski didn't make the final round after struggling with his truck throughout the session. Others like Jeb Burton and Ben Kennedy did well at a track where they don't have as much experience. It could turn out tonight that this session will help decide who wins the race. 

        Brad Keselowski was the first driver on track for the start of the first round. He looked fine through turns 1 and 2, but his truck broke loose up the track in turn 4 and he lost a ton of time. The lap put him deep in the pack, but he would head out for a second time and ensure he would make the second round. Early on in the round, German Quiroga, who was fastest in practice this morning, jumped to the top of the board. A minute later, Kyle Busch proved he would have the truck to beat as he jumped to the top of the board with ease ahead of the field. The rest of the drivers began to head on track and the round didn't have too much action. Drivers were shooting up towards the top of the board, but Busch was still fastest with about ten minutes to go. A few drivers near the back of the field like J.J. Yeley, T.J. Bell, and Jimmy Weller began to look towards making the top twenty four. With four minutes left, T.J. Bell was holding the final transfer spot. J.J. Yeley went out and took that spot with ease. The rest of the drivers looked to guarantee moving onto the second round, but the first round ended with the running order the same. Yeley took the final transfer spot and Kyle Busch remained the fastest. Brad Keselowski, German Quiroga, Matt Crafton, Jeb Burton, Austin Dillon, Johnny Sauter, Darrell Wallace Jr., and many of the other important contenders moved on while a few underfunded drivers missed the second round. After a calm first round, the other two rounds would be very heated.

        Ron Hornaday Jr. was the first driver on track for the second round. He ran a decent lap to start the round, but only time would tell if he would make the top twelve. Early on, Kyle Busch jumped to the top of the board in the round like the first round. Just as the first minute passed in the round, Austin Dillon had the first trouble of the session. He drove into turn 2 and his truck broke loose. Dillon chased it up the track towards the outside wall and he slammed into it. He drove away and towards pit road with damage, but his crew would work to fix the truck and he wouldn't head to a back-up. The trouble caused by Dillon brought the round to a stop for the moment. After a quick clean-up, the drivers began to head back on track. Drivers began to look to beat Busch, but he still remained out front with about five minutes to go. That changed when Darrell Wallace Jr. jumped to the top with about five minutes left thanks to drafting help from German Quiroga. Wallace held onto the top while the minutes started to click down in the round. With about two minutes left, the battle began to heat up for the twelfth and final transfer spot. Brad Keselowski, Corey LaJoie, Joe Nemechek, Max Gresham, and others were looking to jump ahead of Ron Hornaday Jr., who held the final transfer spot for the moment. All of the drivers outside the top twelve began to head on track in the waning moments of the round. It looked like a few drivers would move to the third round, but Ron Hornaday Jr. remained in the final transfer spot as the red and black flag waved. Darrell Wallace Jr. remained the fastest in the round as he looked for the pole. German Quiroga, Kyle Busch, Johnny Sauter, Ryan Blaney, Timothy Peters, Ben Kennedy, Tayler Malsam, Joey Coulter, Jeb Burton, and Matt Crafton moved on while Brad Keselowski, John Wes Townley, Joe Nemechek, and others missed the final round. Now, five minutes would decide the pole winner for the Kentucky race for the Truck Series.

        The green flag waved for the final round and all trucks stopped on pit road waiting for the draft. German Quiroga decided to break the mold and he immediately went out for his run without drafting help. He ran a decent lap by himself, but others would be faster in the draft. The seconds began to tick away and the rest of the field remained on pit road. With about two minutes left, Ron Hornaday Jr. went on track by himself and ran a lap while the field still on pit road. With a minute left, only those two drivers had run a lap in the round. With forty five seconds left to go, the drivers began to head on track. All went flying onto the track, trying to make the line before the red and black flag waved to end the session. All but one driver passed the line before the flag waved and everybody was on a flying run. In the back of the draft, Kyle Busch passed Matt Crafton in turn 1 and it looked like he wouldn't be anywhere near taking the pole. The drivers began to pass the line completing their laps and the pole was changing hands. Kyle Busch jumped to the top of the board and even after the problems he had on his lap, he still jumped to the provisional pole spot and took the pole after all the runs were complete. Busch was fast for the entire session and he will be fast tonight.

        Kyle Busch has only started in four truck races this season, but he won all four of those events and he has been fast doing it. Plus, he has started first in all but one of those events and he has practically dominated all four of those events. It shouldn't come as a surprise considering Busch has won thirty nine races in the Truck Series and he is the winningest driver in the history of the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Plus, he isn't a slouch in the NASCAR Cup Series with twenty nine wins to his credit. Busch is always fast and tonight will be no different for Busch and the rest of his team. Fresh off his win two weeks ago at Gateway in the Truck Series, Darrell Wallace Jr. came into Kentucky with a fast truck and he took a second place starting spot behind boss, Kyle Busch. The team swept the front row and they have a chance to sweep the top two spots in the event tonight. Jeb Burton took his only win in the Truck Series on a mile and a half track in Texas and he took a third place starting spot for tonight's race at the mile and a half Kentucky Speedway. Ben Kennedy has been fast for the entire season in his rookie year in the series and he took a fourth place starting spot in Kentucky. Johnny Sauter has been consistent for the entire year and he will look to take a win with his fifth place starting spot. The rest of the Truck field follows behind these guys at Kentucky. Kentucky is a very bumpy track and the entire field will have to battle to take a win in the Bluegrass state. Plus, some drivers like Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski, will have to battle back from rough starting spots. It will be interesting to see how it goes for these guys and the rest of the field. Will Kyle Busch take his fifth win of the season, will Brad Keselowski finally win his first race in a truck, or will another driver take the win in the race? We only have to wait a couple hours to find this out and a whole lot more.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Top 5 Finishers (With Times):
1st: Kyle Busch     30.702 (175.884 mph)
2nd: Darrell Wallace Jr.     30.749 (175.615 mph)
3rd: Jeb Burton     30.823 (175.194 mph)
4th: Ben Kennedy     30.849 (175.046 mph)
5th: Johnny Sauter     30.861 (174.978 mph)

Notables Not in Top 5 (With Times):
6th: German Quiroga     30.876 (174.893 mph)
7th: Timothy Peters       30.890 (174.814 mph)
8th: Ron Hornaday Jr.      31.006 (174.160 mph)
10th: Ryan Blaney     31.220 (172.966 mph)
11th: Matt Crafton     31.415 (171.892 mph)
14th: Brad Keselowski     31.139 (173.416 mph)*
23rd: Austin Dillon     No Time#
(*: Keselowski was fast enough to be in the top twelve, but he missed the final round.)
(#: Dillon crashed in the second round before recording a time.)

DNQs: None




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/camping-world-truck-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-qualification.html
http://racing-reference.info/getqualify/2014-08/C
-Image:
https://twitter.com/toyotaracing/status/482280827846279170/photo/1

Brendan Gaughan Overcomes Adversity to Take a Much Welcomed First Win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Road America

         Brendan Gaughan went off track three times during the NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Road America, missed the strategy during the early part of the event, and was hit hard by Ryan Reed during the middle of the event, but it seemed like none of that happened as he stood smiling from ear to ear in victory lane. Yes, Gaughan fought back from all those problems to win the race in the end after tons of struggles. In the last five laps, though, it looked to be Alex Tagliani's opportunity for his first NASCAR win, but he was off strategy and his fuel was very scarce. The caution waved with two laps to go due to Justin Marks running out of gas and Tagliani ran out of gas under the caution. This left Brendan Gaughan in front after he had pitted on the next to last caution. Gaughan fought off Chase Elliott, a hard charging Kevin O'Connell, and a flying Alex Tagliani in the final run to win the race in style. It was Gaughan's first Nationwide win in ninety eight career starts and his first career NASCAR win at a road course. Gaughan needed a good run and this could push him up in the standings for the championship. Alex Tagliani dominated the wet part of the race, but he ran out of fuel during the final caution and he had to fight extremely hard to make his way back to finish second. Kevin O'Connell virtually came out of nowhere late and battled hard with Gaughan for the lead, but he settled for a third place finish in a very underfunded Rick Ware Racing ride. Chase Elliott battled back from a bad start to the weekend and used the right strategy to take a fourth place finish. J.J. Yeley battled all afternoon and drove an outdated Dodge Challenger to a fifth place ride with an underfunded team at Road America. This race turned out to be one filled with a lot of unique and rare moments in NASCAR. The field raced in the rain for about ten or fifteen laps, which was a rare moment in NASCAR. Drivers in the championship battle struggled while just a few where able to hold on and finish great at Road America. Finally, a good many underdog drivers managed to battle to the front late and finish good to add to their statistics. Like usual, the annual trip for the NASCAR Nationwide Series to Elkhart Lake was one for the books and one to keep in mind when championship time comes.

         Before the race could begin, a rare moment for NASCAR Nationwide Series road course racing would occur. Usually, the series has sets of wet weather tires ready and they did, but the conditions around the track weren't cooperating. The track was wet in some places, but the track was rather dry in some places. Because of this, the teams couldn't put wet or dry tires on the cars. NASCAR decided it would be best to bring the cars down pit road and delay the start of the event. After an hour of waiting, NASCAR decided all of the track was dry enough to try and run the slick tires. The engines were fired for a second time and the cars headed on track. Alex Tagliani started on the pole. It was his second career NASCAR Nationwide Series pole and it was his first race since 2012 in the series. Tagliani took the green flag, but he took it easy going into the first turn due to the treacherous conditions on track. Dylan Kwasniewski passed him for the lead in the first turn and the rookie looked to lead his first lap of road course competition in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Tagliani began to fall back as Sam Hornish Jr. made his ascent. Hornish was able to pass Kwasniewski for the lead in turn 6 on the first lap and he looked to lead the first lap. Hornish maneuvered through the rest of the corners and he was able to lead the first lap of the event. He fell into place at the front of the field as strategy became the talk of the event and strategy would decide the race. 

        Early in the race, a few drivers decided to use a different strategy to try and win the event. Chris Buescher, Dakoda Armstrong, and a few others decided to come down the pit road in the first ten laps of the event. Unfortunately for Buescher, the move didn't work out for him as he ended up speeding on pit road and he would have to come back down. This move cost him a lot of time and he would have to fight his way back into the event. Another driver who came down in the first ten laps of the event was Brendan Gaughan, but Gaughan didn't come down due to strategy. He ran off track in the early laps of the event and he was forced to come down pit road and have his grille cleaned off. He returned to the track without much time lost and a clean grille to fight back to the front with. Meanwhile, Sam Hornish Jr. continued to lead the field around the four mile road course. After a rather long green flag run to begin the event, the first caution of the event waved on lap 12. Stanton Barrett drove into turn 13 and his car went straight. He slid through the grass and towards the outside barrier. He hit the wall pretty hard and came to a stop in the gravel trap. His car was heavily damaged and his race was over. A few other incidents happened during the caution. Just as the caution waved, Carlos Contreras and Kenny Habul made contact entering turn 5. Habul spun around in the corner and he managed to corral his car. He continued on without damage after straightening out his car. Dylan Kwasniewski wasn't as lucky as Habul. He came to a complete stop in turn 13 without any gears. He was pushed to the garage and he needed his rear gears replaced after the treacherous road course broke them. This cost him a good many laps and he would be out of contention for the win, even though he had a fast car. Joey Gase received the lucky dog. The caution brought some strategy with the pit stops and they were very important at the end of the event.

        Brendan Gaughan, Andy Lally, Dakoda Armstrong, James Buescher, and others who had pitted under green before the caution stayed on the track while the rest of the drivers decided to come down pit road for the first time. All the rest of the drivers came down track for four fresh tires with Brian Scott coming out as the leader ahead of Sam Hornish Jr. and others. Scott would not line up first as Gaughan stayed out and took the lead away. The field was quickly lined back up and the race went green with Brendan Gaughan holding onto the lead. As Gaughan looked to run away, the drivers on fresh tires began to fly up towards the front. Sam Hornish Jr. began to charge up towards Brendan Gaughan heading towards the kink on track. Gaughan slipped off track slightly and Hornish was able to pass him for the lead with ease while Gaughan fell into second. Hornish began to run away as the second place driver was debating whether to come down pit road. On lap 19, Gaughan made the decision to come down pit road to have his grille cleaned along with four fresh tires. Again, he would have to head to the back of the pack and fight his way back to the front. This left Hornish out front with the field starting to race behind him. Around lap 25, though, something began to fall around the road course: rain. The second caution waved on lap 25 due to the rain starting to pour around the track. Bobby Reuse received the lucky dog. Usually, rain during a NASCAR race would cause the race to be stopped, but road course races are a different story. 

        Due to the NASCAR Nationwide Series being at a road course, Goodyear and NASCAR had rain tires available in case the weather did not cooperate. It didn't and the rain caused the track to become wet enough for the rain tires. NASCAR called all the drivers down pit road to put on four wet weather tires. Positions would be swapped on pit road and Brian Scott come out as the leader after the stops. Unfortunately for Scott, he would make a mistake. He was testing the tires in one of the turns on track and he went sliding off the course. Scott's grille became covered with grass and he lost the lead to second place Trevor Bayne. Fortunately for Scott, though, his grille became cleaned off due to the rain and he would be okay on the restart. The race did go back green and the field immediately faced what was ahead of them. Sam Hornish Jr. jumped ahead of Trevor Bayne as the field went sliding around the course. Just as the race restarted, Kenny Habul went spinning around, but he was able to continue on. On the first restart lap, Dakoda Armstrong went sliding into the grass in turn 5, but he was able to corral his car and continue on with only grass on his grille. Hornish looked to be a good leader at the front, but Alex Tagliani used his experience on a wet track to take the lead from Hornish on lap 30. Behind him, the field continued to slip and slide around the course. Dakoda Armstrong went off track again, but he was able to continue on. A lap or so later, Ryan Reed broke loose on track and he slammed into Brendan Gaughan's right side door. Both had rather heavy damage, but they would continue on in the event. Chase Elliott also spun around and into the grass, but he was able to continue on. After a few laps of slick rain racing, the third caution of the race waved on lap 38.

        Bobby Reuse's car lost power heading into turn 12. He slowed down and came to a stop in the grass. NASCAR was forced to wave the caution to move his stopped car. Landon Cassill received the lucky dog. The caution brought the drivers a calm moment after eight or nine laps of tough rain racing. The caution also brought some strategy that would end up deciding the race winner. Alex Tagliani, Sam Hornish Jr., Justin Marks, and others stayed on track while Chase Elliott, Brendan Gaughan, Elliott Sadler, and others came down pit road. It would be interesting to see who came out on the winning end of this strategy move. The field was lined back up in the rain and Alex Tagliani held onto the lead on the restart. Only with ten laps to go, the race for the win was just starting to heat up on the restart. On the first restart lap, Ty Dillon dumped Trevor Bayne entering turn 6. Bayne slid into the grass and corralled his car to continue on without damage and a caution. A lap or two later, Bayne ended up crashed on pit road after a incident on track. The wreck ended his afternoon and took him down in the points battle. Meanwhile, Tagliani continued to set a torrid pace with his wet weather tires. On lap 43, Elliott Sadler came down pit road due to a flat right rear tire. His team replaced the tire, but he lost a ton of time on track. On the same lap, Justin Marks slid off track in turn 6, Sam Hornish Jr. slid off track in turn 9, and Mike Bliss and James Buescher slammed into each other and spun off track in turn 6. Tagliani continued to lead and the caution didn't wave as the sun started to dry the track. Also, Brendan Gaughan began to fly towards the front on fresh tires and Chase Elliott was also running up front. On lap 45, Regan Smith came down with an overheating problem and he would lose a good bit of time on track. Still, Tagliani led Gaughan and Elliott around track as the race approached only five laps to go.

        The sun was starting to dry the track completely as Alex Tagliani led the other drivers around Road America. Four laps to go flashed on the board and Tagliani was holding station, but Brendan Gaughan was coming. He moved into second as questions of Tagliani's fuel remaining began to be asked. Gaughan closed as only three laps remained at the road course of Road America. Gaughan was hoping for a break, but two laps to go flashed across the board and it didn't seem like a break was coming. Then, his break came with the fourth and final caution of the event on lap 49. Justin Marks ran out of gas and he pulled into the grass in turn 6. He stopped and NASCAR was forced to throw a caution to move his car. Dakoda Armstrong received the lucky dog. This meant a green-white-checkered flag would be coming, but Tagliani wouldn't be the leader for it. As the field was heading onto the frontstretch just as the caution waved, Tagliani ran out of fuel as well. This meant he would need a push to pit road and he received the push, but he would have to fall back in the pack after getting fuel in the tank. This meant Brendan Gaughan would move into the lead. Along with that, the caution also brought some strategy. Brian Scott, Sam Hornish Jr., Ryan Reed, and others on the same strategy as Marks and Tagliani came down pit road. Some of the drivers took wet weather tires while some took regular slick tires. This put Brendan Gaughan out front with Chase Elliott behind him and a lot of drivers with fresh tires behind them. The race went green for the final time and Elliott managed to take the lead from Gaughan on the first lap of the restart. This didn't bother Gaughan as he charged back to the lead and Kevin O'Connell, who had played the strategy card right, moved into second. The line up stayed this way while the leaders took the white flag. Meanwhile, Alex Tagliani was coming. He had moved from about twenty fourth on the restart to about fourteenth in one lap. Gaughan continued to try and hold O'Connell off through the turns as Tagliani advanced his position. Gaughan was leading with only a couple of turns left, but Tagliani found his way to second. He gave a valiant effort on the frontstretch to pass Gaughan for the win, but he ran out of time and Brendan Gaughan took his first career NASCAR Nationwide Series win. It was a very deserving win for Gaughan and one that he fought hard for all race long.

        It had been a little over ten years since Brendan Gaughan won in NASCAR until Saturday. Since his win in the Truck Series in 2003, Gaughan had bounced around in all three of NASCAR's series. Now, he has found his home at Richard Childress Racing in the Nationwide Series and he has a win to his name in 2014 and a chance for the title. Based on his showing at Road America, Gaughan could be looking at a good many more wins throughout the rest of 2014. If he does rattle off a few more wins, Brendan Gaughan could become a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver once again. Alex Tagliani battled hard for his first win in NASCAR to go with his storied wins in other series of auto racing, but he only mustered a second place finish after a hard charge late. Kevin O'Connell made only his fifth start in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, but he used his road course expertise and good strategy to finish third in an underfunded race machine. Chase Elliott continued to prove he can run at all types of tracks with a fourth place finish of his own at Road America. J.J. Yeley also used the right strategy move and took a fifth place finish in an outdated and underfunded Dodge Challenger. Other underdog drivers like Jeremy Clements, Andy Lally, Landon Cassill, Mike Bliss, Matt DiBenedetto, and Carlos Contreras took great top fifteen finishes for their teams. Some championship competing drivers struggled while these guys did well to add to the unpredictability of the road course races in NASCAR. After an unexpected race at Road America, the Nationwide Series heads to the mile and a half track in Kentucky. Kentucky is one of the bumpiest tracks on the circuit and it will be a battle for all the Nationwide drivers to win in the Bluegrass State. Will Brad Keselowski repeat at Kentucky after a win in the rain last year, will Chase Elliott win and close in on Regan Smith for the points lead, or will another driver win at Kentucky. We only have to wait a few days to find out these answers and a whole lot more.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 12- Stanton Barrett drove off track in turn 13 and slammed into the outside barrier where he came to a rest in the gravel trap.

2nd Caution: Lap 25- Rain began to fall around the course.

3rd Caution: Lap 38- Bobby Reuse stopped on track in turn 12 after losing power.

4th Caution: Lap 49- Justin Marks ran out of fuel and stopped on track in turn 6.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: Joey Gase
2nd Caution: Bobby Reuse
3rd Caution: Landon Cassill
4th Caution: Dakoda Armstrong

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Brendan Gaughan
2nd: Alex Tagliani
3rd: Kevin O'Connell
4th: Chase Elliott
5th: J.J. Yeley

Notables Not in Top 5:
9th: Elliott Sadler
12th: Sam Hornish Jr.
13th: Regan Smith
16th: Brian Scott
19th: Ty Dillon
26th: Dylan Kwasniewski
27th: Trevor Bayne





Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Track Map:
http://porschebahn.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/road-america-circuit.jpg
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nationwide-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nationwide-series/lapbylap/view-all-laps.html?intid=lapbylap_lapbylapleaderboard_08292013
http://racing-reference.info/race/2014_Gardner_Denver_200/B
-Image:
http://cache1.asset-cache.net/gc/451011734-brendan-gaughan-driver-of-the-south-point-gettyimages.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=GkZZ8bf5zL1ZiijUmxa7QQxFXcyTdynhY7o%2F25gcySM7JAm%2ByDFhPFJ3FoFCLkYz

My Thoughts: 2014 Sonoma

         A typical NASCAR race weekend is an oval track with four distinct turns that challenge all the drivers throughout the day. These tracks usually stretch for half of a a mile to two and a half mile. Two weeks ago, Pocono broke this mold with only three distinct turns around the track. This week, Sonoma Raceway will break every mold in the book. The 1.990 mile winding road course through Sonoma, California with twelve turns of hard road racing action is one of the toughest on the circuit. For years, Sonoma Raceway has been home to some great racing and some crashes that left race fans stunned for months and weeks to come. Just look at last's year race for some examples of this. As the cars went to leave pit road, Paulie Harraka slammed into the back of Alex Kennedy and they had some damage before the race could even begin. When the race did get underway, Martin Truex Jr. made his way through the field and he dominated the race to take his first win since 2007 when he won his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover. Truex was the ninth different driver in nine years to win at Sonoma. Sonoma has always been a track where drivers without a win on a road course in NASCAR can go and take a win while looking like a road course ringer. Speaking of ringers, today's race is missing the usual amount of ringers. Boris Said, Tomy Drissi, and others are in the race, but they don't look like they have a chance to even win the race. This opens up the door for guys without a road course win to show up and take a win with ease. With that introduction, I have some interesting topics to discuss before today's race on the road course of Sonoma. Topics include a discussion of the recent spree of different winners at Sonoma, a discussion of a decorated road course racer, a discussion of an underdog rookie, a discussion of a high profile rookie, and, finally, my pick to win today's race. Well, let us go ahead and jump into these interesting topics for this afternoon's showdown in Wine Country.

1. Nine Different Winners in Nine Races at Sonoma: Will Today's Winner Be Ten?
        When Tony Stewart won at Sonoma in 2005, a theme was created and it has lasted for nine races and nine years. Since that day, no driver has repeated a win at Sonoma. Jeff Gordon, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer, and Martin Truex Jr. followed Stewart's win with their own road course win to add to the list of winners. I have one question concerning this topic. Will today's winner be the tenth straight different winner at Sonoma? I, honestly, think today's winner will be the tenth different winner. Just listen to these statistics real fast. Only one of the drivers who starts in the top ten today has won a race during the past nine years at Sonoma and that is Kurt Busch. That right there should tell you that a different driver will win this afternoon's event. Along with that, we are seeing some fast drivers in the race who have never won at Sonoma before. Look at one Jamie McMurray. McMurray took his second straight pole at Sonoma with a track record speed. He has been extremely fast and he is going to be a driver who could win the race. Also, look at A.J. Allmendinger. Allmendinger is one of the best NASCAR drivers on a road course and he qualified second and practiced fast all afternoon long. Finally, look at Kyle Larson. He won the K&N race at Sonoma yesterday and whenever he wins a lower series race the day before, he runs extremely well in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race the next day. He will be a driver to watch all day, but don't count out the guys who have won at Sonoma in the past nine years. Most of those drivers have been fast all weekend and they will be contenders, but they will have to fight off the guys looking to keep the streak going. All in all, strategy will decide today's race and a driver without a Sonoma win could take the trophy.

2. Marcos Ambrose: Does He Have to Win Today?
        One driver who is always a threat during the road course races is Marcos Ambrose. Since joining the Cup Series full time in 2009, Ambrose has run well at Watkins Glen and Sonoma including two Watkins Glen wins since then, but he has come up short at Sonoma several times. One of those times was 2010 when he was leading, but stopped on track late in the event and was pushed back in the field. Here is my question for Ambrose as he heads on track for the road course race at Sonoma. Is today's race a must win race for his Chase chances? I, honestly, don't believe it is. Let's face it. Ambrose is not the best driver on oval tracks and it will be tough for him to win at one of those and jump into the Chase for the title. That is where the road courses come into play. Ambrose can win at either one of those and he needs to. Nonetheless, I don't consider today a must win for Ambrose. Watkins Glen is typically the track where Ambrose can rattle off a win. If he does win today at Sonoma, though, he won't have to worry about winning at the Glen, but if he needs to, he most certainly can. Honestly, I feel like Ambrose will be a player all afternoon, but his team must master the strategy to come close to winning the race.

3. Justin Allgaier: Underdog Driver of the Year?
        Coming into this year, the only people who had really heard of Justin Allgaier were people who watched the NASCAR Nationwide Series on a week to week basis. Now, since he jumped to the Cup Series to start his rookie year, he has become a key part of the rookie battle. In fact, he has surprised even me with how well he has done behind the wheel of a HScott Motorsports car that isn't as good as other rookie contenders cars like Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson. Here is my question about Allgaier and his team. Is he the underdog rookie/driver of the year? I believe he is both of those things. Just look at Michigan a week ago. I was sitting there about the middle of the race and he was running just outside the top ten. He was flying fast and he ended up finishing the race in sixteenth position and I was extremely impressed, but it wasn't the first time he had done that. It seems like all year he has rode on the cusp of the top ten and he was flying fast. One thing I can add to it is the fact that he is beating the people he should be beating. He is going out and beating the guys he should be and, occasionally, he beats a guy who should be up front. In fact, listen to this. Last week, he finished ahead of Greg Biffle, who has won four races in his career at Michigan. That right there should prove that Allgaier is running very well this season. All in all, expect Allgaier to be in the series for years to come and run very well in every car he jumps in. 

4. Kyle Larson: Will He Win More Than One Race This Year?
        Another rookie who has thoroughly impressed me this year is Kyle Larson. Larson came in to the season looking like the second best rookie, but he has become the best rookie with three top fives to his name on the season. The only thing he really hasn't done this year is win a race behind the wheel of his Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. A lot has been made about Larson's move to the Cup Series from his days racing dirt to quickly moving up to asphalt, but it hasn't affected him. Even though he hasn't won a race yet, I have a question for him. Will he win more than one Cup race this season? I firmly believe he will. Some of you make think that is a preposterous question considering Larson hasn't won a single race yet in Cup, but let's face it. Larson is going to win a race this season in Cup. I have no doubts because he has run well at every track this season. The question of whether he will win another race is a different story. I mean, I feel like he will win two races this year. He has been so fast at big tracks with a lot of speed like Michigan a week ago. We head to Michigan again in about a month and I think he could very well take a win there. Plus, he is extremely impressive at Bristol and we head there in about a month as well. Let me end this topic with this. Larson is a great driver and Chip Ganassi has his cars running very well. Larson will become a household name and he will have some trophies by the end of this year.

5. My Pick to Win
         Sonoma Raceway can be considered a wild card track sort of like Daytona or Talladega. Drivers without the usual chance to win the event will be a factor all afternoon. Of course, there is no drafting, there is more than four turns at Sonoma, and there isn't as much real estate, but expect the action to be packed and drivers looking to make moves towards the front and the win in the end. I have a good many drivers who could be eventual winners in this race today and, of course, some of them will be very surprising picks. Still, there will be some usual culprits up front throughout the race. Good picks for today's showdown on the road course include A.J. Allmendinger, Jamie McMurray, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Larson, Brian Vickers, Paul Menard, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, and Kurt Busch. Some underdog drivers to look at that could possibly make their way to the front include Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, and Brad Keselowski. It seems weird to consider them underdogs, but nothing normal ever happens at Sonoma. I won't be writing about today's race, but I will be watching and cheering on another great road course event for NASCAR. Well, that is all for me and until we meet again.




Credits:
-Image:
http://brightcove.meta.nascar.com.edgesuite.net/meta/1677257476001/201306/1253/1677257476001_2501637076001_nascar-nscs-son-high-one922.jpg?pubId=1677257476001

Darrell Wallace Jr. Grabs the Victory in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series's Return to Gateway

          In the closing laps at Gateway, Darrell Wallace Jr. managed to hold off German Quiroga to take the win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series's first visit to the track since 2010. With about ten laps to go, it didn't look like Wallace's race. His teammate, Erik Jones, took the lead on the next to last restart, but he broke loose in the second turn and spun after German Quiroga bumped him. This left Darrell Wallace Jr. next to German Quiroga on the final restart and Wallace took advantage. He passed Quiroga for the lead and took the win in style. It was Wallace's second career Truck win and he took the win in style ahead of the rest of the Truck field. German Quiroga battled back from running out of fuel in the middle of the event while heading to pit road to take a second place finish. Timothy Peters stayed consistent all night long and he was able to take a third place finish to give Red Horse Racing two top 3 finishes at Gateway. Johnny Sauter battled a terrible truck to a fourth place finish and the points lead over his teammate, Matt Crafton. Ron Hornaday Jr. took his Gateway experience to a fifth place finish. Hornaday came into the race as the only driver to have won a race at Gateway when it was a mainstay track on the schedule. The key word for this race turned out to be experience. There were many drivers in the field under the age of twenty who ran well, but most of them finished without good finishes to go with their great runs. It turned out that truck experience was needed at Gateway and Darrell Wallace Jr. had just enough to win the race. Whenever the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads back to a track or goes to a new track, the race turns out to be great and this race was definitely a great one for the fans, the series, and Darrell Wallace Jr.

        Cole Custer started on the pole. It was his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole in only his third career series start. The race went green and Custer looked to lead his first lap of Truck competition, but he was quickly passed by Darrell Wallace Jr. for the lead. Wallace looked to run away from the field, but the first caution of the race waved on lap 3. Tayler Malsam made slight contact with Justin Jennings exiting turn 4. Jennings sailed up the track and backed into the outside wall hard. He slid back down the track and the field managed to avoid Jennings as he came to a stop next to the inside wall. He was okay, but his truck was destroyed. No drivers received the lucky dog. The accident scene was cleaned up and the field stayed on track during the caution. The race went back green and Darrell Wallace Jr. once again held onto the lead over the field. He looked to run away again as the field battled behind him, but the second caution of the race waved on lap 15. Debris was spotted on the track in turn 2. None of the drivers received the lucky dog. The caution brought a little bit of strategy. Ryan Blaney and a few other drivers with handling problems decided to come down early for fuel. It would be interesting to see how this move worked for these drivers.

        The race went back green and Darrell Wallace Jr. once again held onto the lead on the restart. The race began to enter a green flag feel and Wallace looked like the dominate driver in the event. He was running away from all competitors and it would be hard for the rest of the drivers to move around him. The laps began to click away on the race and Wallace was setting a torrid pace as he began to lap drivers all over the back part of the leaderboard. The race hit the forty lap mark and it looked like pit stops were fast approaching for the field. The race hit the fifty lap mark and everyone's attention turned to the impending green flag stops. It didn't seem to affect Wallace as he was still setting a blistering pace in his first visit to Gateway. After a few more laps, the first green flag pit stops of the race began on lap 59. The drivers began to hit pit road and these stops turned out to be the stops that changed the complexion of the race. The first driver to find problems on his stop was the leader, Darrell Wallace Jr. Wallace came down pit road and his team performed a routine stop. When the jack dropped, the left rear tire wasn't on and he tried to pull away. The tire damaged his left rear fender and his team was forced to attempt and jack up his truck. They did and replaced the tire, but he had damage and he lost a ton of time. Gray Gaulding and German Quiroga also had trouble on pit road. Both of the drivers ran out of gas before hitting pit road and they had to slowly coast towards the pit entrance. Quiroga managed to make it to his box after losing a little bit of time, but Gaulding wasn't as fortunate. He came to a stop on pit road and NASCAR was forced to wave the third caution on lap 65 due to Gaulding stopping on pit road. His team pushed the truck to their pit box and they managed to get it running again, but Gaulding lost a couple of laps. Erik Jones, who had pitted under green, received the lucky dog. This caution was bad timing for some drivers. Many drivers who had pitted under green were now a lap down and they needed to take the wave around. This put them back in the pack and they would have to fight their way to the front. Matt Crafton, John Hunter Nemechek, Ryan Blaney, and others, on the other hand, hadn't pitted under green and they were able to come to pit road under caution. This put them out front for the restart and they would have a chance to battle for the lead and, possibly, the win.

        The race went back green and Matt Crafton, who came off pit road first, held onto the lead over the field. Crafton looked to run away, but the fourth caution of the race quickly waved on lap 73. Cole Custer broke loose underneath Ray Black Jr. in turn 3. The two made contact and Black went for a spin. He slid up the track and rode along with outside wall after slamming it hard. He came to a stop on track and he was able to drive away slightly, but his truck was damaged. German Quiroga received the lucky dog. Due to the close proximity of pit stops, the lead lap drivers stayed on track and the field was lined back up. The race went back green and John Hunter Nemechek managed to pass Matt Crafton to take the lead. It was Nemechek's first laps led in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and he was looking good out front. Matt Crafton was contesting for the lead every lap, but Nemechek continued to hold him off for the lead. The laps began to click away and it began to look like Nemechek was ready to win the race. The one hundred lap mark passed and the field was battling at Gateway. Laps still continued to click off as green flag pit stops loomed for the second time in the event. Everyone was anticipating those stops because of the troubles on the first set for most of the drivers. Lap 115 came and the field began to head towards the pit lane. The second round of green flag pit stops of the race began a couple of laps later on lap 117. A few drivers began to run out of fuel, but they quickly made it to pit road and a caution was avoided. On lap 122, Matt Crafton was able to take the lead from John Hunter Nemechek and he began to pull away slightly. In only a few laps, though, his race and night would change with the fifth caution of the event on lap 124.

        Matt Crafton had a tire problem entering turn 4. His truck immediately pointed straight and he piled into the outside wall hard. His truck rode the outside wall down the frontstretch still with heavy damage. Crafton was able to drive away towards pit road, but he had heavy race ending damage and his night was over. Ron Hornaday Jr., who had pitted under green, received the lucky dog. The caution brought what turned out to be the final pit stops of the race. All the lead lap drivers took four tires with John Hunter Nemechek beating Darrell Wallace Jr. off of pit road. Nemechek returned to his spot out front, but it would be interesting to see if he remained there for the remainder of the race. The race went back green and Nemechek began to battle hard with Wallace. Wallace was able to take the lead after a short battle with Nemechek and he looked to sail away from the field. The laps began to click away in the final part of the event and Wallace was flying. He was setting a torrid pace as only twenty five laps remained at Gateway. All the drivers were good on fuel, but cautions could decide the winner of the event if they did come. With about fifteen laps to go, it looked like the cautions were going to stay away, but the sixth caution of the race waved on lap 146 and the outcome of the race began to change.

        John Hunter Nemechek went up the track in turn 3 due to a tire going down. His truck slid up the track and it spun around. He was able to corral his truck and slightly back into the outside wall. He managed to drive away and he would continue on after replacing his tires, but his chance for his first Truck win were over. Ben Kennedy received the lucky dog. The caution brought an opportunity for some drivers to come down pit road, but all the leaders stayed on track. This meant most of the field would have to rely on their current equipment to head to the win. The race went back green and Darrell Wallace Jr. immediately began to battle with his teammate, Erik Jones. The two were battling hard on the first restart lap and German Quiroga moved into the battle. He took the two teammates three wide down the frontstretch and heading into turn 1. Erik Jones prevailed on the outside heading into the turn while Quiroga fell into second place. Quickly, though, Jones's lead and possible win would disappear with the seventh and final caution on lap 157. 

         Jones broke loose exiting turn 2. Quiroga tried to slow up, but he bumped him. The contact sent Jones spinning down the track towards the grass. He piled into the inside wall hard and slid back up the track. He came to a stop on the apron with heavy damage and his race was finished. Jones was very heated when exiting his truck, but he calmly jumped in the back of an ambulance. His crew raced down to Quiroga's pit box, but the situation was quickly calmed down. John Hunter Nemechek received the lucky dog while the accident scene was cleaned up. Quiroga lined up as the leader and he would have to survive a three lap green flag run to win. The race went green one final time and Quiroga looked to hold the lead, but Darrell Wallace Jr. was coming. Wallace managed to negotiate around Quiroga and he took the lead as they crossed the line with two laps to go. Wallace looked to run away, but Quiroga was staying close to his back bumper. They flew back to the white flag and Quiroga was looking to make the move. They made it through the first two turns and Quiroga closed slightly. Into turn 3, Quiroga tried to make a move, but Wallace did not allow him through. They made it onto the frontstretch and Wallace was still the leader. He crossed the finish line first and grabbed his second career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win. It was an impressive victory for Wallace and one that will add to his statistics for the future. 

        Darrell Wallace Jr. has only completed one full season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, but he has proven he belongs in NASCAR. Last year, he took a win at Martinsville and became the first African American to win a NASCAR race since 1963. It took dedication and toughness for him to face challenges last season and he faced them well. This year, though, has tested him some more. He has struggled throughout the start of the season with only three top tens in seven races. Still, he managed to go out at a track he has never been to in Gateway and win the race in style. Darrell Wallace Jr. has a great future and it will only be a few years before his name is spread throughout all households. German Quiroga has been on the edge of his first Truck win all season long, but he came short at Gateway with a second place finish. Timothy Peters wrecked a week ago at Texas, but he rebounded at Gateway with a third place finish. Johnny Sauter complained about his truck for the entire night, but he fought his way to a fourth place finish and the ever important points lead. Ron Hornaday Jr. was caught by strategy at one point in the event, but he fought back to a fifth place finish. One of the youngest drivers in the field, Cole Custer, came home sixth after starting on the pole. NASCAR's return to the mile and a fourth Gateway Motorsports Park was one to remember. The field had battles all night and each driver fought hard for the win. After that contest, the trucks take a week off before heading to Kentucky for a rare Thursday night shootout on the mile and a half speedway. Will Johnny Sauter remain the points leader, will Matt Crafton rebound after his Gateway crash, will German Quiroga take his first win in a truck, or will another driver head to victory lane in Kentucky? We will have to wait one week to find out this information and a whole lot more.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 3- Justin Jennings slammed the outside wall in turn 4 after contact with Tayler Malsam.

2nd Caution: Lap 15- Debris was spotted on the track in turn 2.

3rd Caution: Lap 65- Gray Gaulding stopped on pit road after running out of fuel.

4th Caution: Lap 73- Ray Black Jr. spun and slammed the outside wall in turn 3 after Cole Custer broke loose underneath him.

5th Caution: Lap 124- Matt Crafton had a tire problem entering turn 4 and immediately slammed the outside wall. 

6th Caution: Lap 146- John Hunter Nemechek had a tire go down in turn 3 and he went for a spin.

7th Caution: Lap 154- Erik Jones broke loose in turn 2 and German Quiroga bumped him. The contact sent Jones spinning into the inside wall hard.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: None
2nd Caution: None
3rd Caution: Erik Jones
4th Caution: German Quiroga
5th Caution: Ron Hornaday Jr.
6th Caution: Ben Kennedy
7th Caution: John Hunter Nemechek

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Darrell Wallace Jr.
2nd: German Quiroga
3rd: Timothy Peters
4th: Johnny Sauter
5th: Ron Hornaday Jr.

Notables Not in Top 5:
7th: Ryan Blaney
11th: Joey Coulter
15th: John Hunter Nemechek
18th: Jeb Burton 
23rd: Erik Jones
26th: Matt Crafton




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://racing-reference.info/race/2014_Drivin_for_Linemen_200/C
-Image:
http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/26/a3/26a3c87fe0dbed15bc22552742b0c7c3.jpg?itok=65dteFUu

My Thoughts: 2014 Michigan

         Averaging two hundred miles per hour around a two mile track with four turns is blazing fast. I call that white of your eyes fast. Even though that speed sounds unlikely at that type of track, it is completely plausible because that is the speed we are seeing at Michigan International Speedway this year. In fact, we are seeing some of the fastest laps turned in the history of NASCAR. Yesterday in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying, Kevin Harvick turned a lap at 35.198 seconds, which is 204.557 miles per hour. That qualifying speed was the fastest turned in NASCAR since Bill Elliott ran 212.809 miles per hour at Talladega in 1987. The lap was blazing fast for Harvick and it seems like speeds are picking up year after year at Michigan. Along with the fast speeds at Michigan, we have seen a lot of great finishes and great races in the past. Think back to the August race last season. Mark Martin was testing his fuel mileage in the late laps and he was leading. Martin was hoping to last to the finish, but he ran out of gas with three laps to go. This handed Joey Logano the lead and Logano was able to hold onto the lead to win the race. Another example of a great Michigan race was 2008. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was leading while trying to save fuel with Kasey Kahne running second and good on fuel. A caution waved late and the race would end under caution, but Junior had to make it back to the line at speed. Kahne helped him a little bit, but Junior was enough to the good to hold onto the lead and take the win. One similar point between these two finishes: fuel strategy. Most Michigan races end up being fuel conservation races and fuel strategy will be key in this afternoon's event. With that introduction, I have a few topics I want to discuss with you guys. Topics include a sponsor extending with a Chase contending driver, a team looking to continue a nice streak, a driver returning to the Cup Series, a manufacturer's dominance at Michigan, and, of course, my pick to win. Let us not waste anymore time and jump into these interesting topics. 

1. Farmers Insurance Extends With Kasey Kahne Until 2017: What Does This Mean For His Team?
        A great piece of news came out for Hendrick Motorsports and Kasey Kahne this week. Hendrick announced that Farmers Insurance had extended with driver, Kasey Kahne, until the year 2017. If you recall, Kahne made the move to Hendrick Motorsports for the 2012 season and Farmers came along as the primary sponsor for most of the races. Since 2012, Farmers Insurance has been a key part of the number five program and Kasey Kahne has taken four wins in his time with Hendrick. This year, though, has been a struggle for Kahne. He only has one single top five, but he now has a sponsor for a good many years to come. Here is my question for Kahne and his team. What does this sponsorship extension mean for his team? I believe this sponsorship extension means a lot to Kahne and his team. The main reason is that Kahne is really not the safest driver at Hendrick. That means that Kahne is really the odd man out if Rick Hendrick needs an open spot for another driver. With this sponsor extension for Kahne, I think this keeps him in the ride for a few more years. A final reason is that Kahne needs some stable footing to run great races this year. I think one reason Kahne hasn't been running well this year is the fact that he didn't know if he would have a sponsor for the years to come. This caused him to be more cautious in some races and this left him in bad situations in many races. I think Kahne's struggles will end thanks to this sponsor extension and we will see him in victory lane very soon.

2. Hendrick Motorsports: Will the Streak Continue?
        If you haven't noticed this streak, you will find out about it in these next few sentences. Currently, Hendrick Motorsports is on a four points paying race win streak thanks to Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s win at Pocono last week. Jeff Gordon took the win at Kansas a month ago, Jimmie Johnson won three weeks ago at Charlotte in the 600, Johnson won at Dover two weeks ago, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. followed these three wins up with his first win at Pocono. Here is the question I have for the entire Hendrick team. Will the streak continue to five today? I, honestly, think it will. First, let us discuss Kasey Kahne. Kahne is the only driver who hasn't won during that streak and look at his credentials at Michigan. He won in 2006 from the pole and last summer, he was leading when an abrupt tire failure left him in the wall with a destroyed race car. Plus, he has been fast the entire weekend and he looks like a major player today in the Irish Hills of Michigan. Second, let us look at Jeff Gordon. Gordon started this streak and he has looked fast the entire weekend thus far. A good many people have pointed to him as a possible winner in this race and his fast car will certainly help. Third, let us look at Jimmie Johnson. Johnson, surprisingly, has never won at Michigan. Still, that doesn't mean anything. Last year, he was running well when he had a tire failure on track like his teammate, Kahne. Plus, he has run well there for a good many years, but he doesn't have the wins to show for it. He has been fast this entire weekend and it could be his race. Finally, let us look at Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt won at Michigan in 2008 and 2012 and he was fast in the summer last year, but he lost an engine while leading the event. Earnhardt has also been extremely fast this weekend and he could be a threat for the win. If he does win, it would be the first time in his career that he would win repeat races. All I have to say is this: watch out for Hendrick Motorsports today because all four drivers could win this afternoon's event.

3. Juan Pablo Montoya Making His Return to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: My Expectations
        Calm down, everybody that freaked out when they read this headline. Juan Pablo Montoya is not returning full time to the Cup Series, but he is running two races this year for Team Penske in the series. The first race for him is today at Michigan behind the wheel of the SKF Ford Fusion for Penske. If you recall, Montoya drove for Chip Ganassi Racing for about six years before leaving the team at the end of 2013 to return to the IndyCar Series. Montoya made that move with Roger Penske and now, Penske is giving him the opportunity to return to the Cup Series for a couple of times. Here is my question. How will Montoya do in those two races back in a stock car? I expect him to run decent in both races. The main reason is the fact that he will race at two of his better tracks in a stock car. Today's race at Michigan fits his style because he loves to hold his foot in the gas and go. He will definitely have the opportunity to do that in the Irish Hills of Michigan. The July race at Indianapolis will fit his style because he has always been a great driver at Indy and he has almost taken a couple of NASCAR wins there. A final reason is the team he is running with. Team Penske has been stellar this season. Brad Keselowski has qualified well and has a win while Joey Logano has qualified well and he has two wins on the season. Montoya should be able to assimilate himself into this group and prove that he still has the ability to drive a stock car well. I don't see Juan Pablo Montoya winning either of these races in 2014, but I do see him having great runs behind the wheel of some fast Penske Ford Fusions.

4. Ford: Will They Win Four Straight Cup Races at Michigan?
         One theme when we head to Michigan every year is the competition between manufacturers. Ford and Chevrolet are headquartered in Detroit and they look to beat each other every year while Toyota looks to beat both of the others on their home turf. Recently, Ford has been the dominant manufacturer of the bunch. Greg Biffle and Joey Logano have combined to win the last three races at Michigan for Ford with Biffle taking two of the wins. Here is my question for the Ford bunch today. Will they be able to take four straight Cup wins at Michigan? I don't see it happening today for the Ford bunch. The main reason is that they will really have to compete with the Chevrolet drivers today. It seems like all the Chevrolet drivers have been extremely fast all weekend and it will definitely be tough  to take a win away from them especially with Kevin Harvick running as fast as he is. A final reason is that there aren't as many Ford drivers in today's race. There are so many Chevrolet drivers and Toyota drivers in the race today, but not as many Ford drivers. Greg Biffle, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Aric Almirola, and Marcos Ambrose are the only Ford drivers who have a shot today. But don't count out these Ford drivers today. Greg Biffle usually doesn't show any speed throughout the weekend, but he turns it up on race day. He will be a contender today and he could very well take the win. It will be an uphill battle for the Ford drivers today, but expect them to be contenders at Michigan today.

5. My Pick to Win
        I've said many times throughout this edition of my thoughts, but it bears repeating. The speeds today at Michigan are going to be blazing fast. One thing that happens when the speed picks up is engines begin to fail. That will be a problem all afternoon and it will definitely take out some drivers who are contenders in the race. Today, the winner of the race will be a driver who has been around all afternoon, but they weren't obviously the main guy to beat. Plus, today's race might turn out to be based on fuel strategy. Michigan is a track where resources, fuel, and tires are going to be key to heading to victory lane. Based on all that, I have a few guys that should be looked at as contenders in the annual summer Michigan race. All of the Hendrick Motorsports drivers are definitely going to be contenders today. All of them have been fast and I expect them to be around when the pay window opens. Also, look at Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Tony Stewart, and Kurt Busch as possible winners of the race. Plus, consider Aric Almirola, Ryan Newman, Brian Vickers, and Paul Menard as possible upset winners this afternoon. I will finally be able to write about today's race and I am excited for the event. It should be a great one and I hope you guys can catch it as well. Well, that is all for me and until we meet again.





Credits:
-Image:
http://media.knoxnews.com/media/img/photos/2013/06/16/NASCARMichiganAuto__10_t607.jpg

Austin Theriault Steals the Win in the ARCA Race at Michigan to Take His First Win in the Series in His First Career Start

         In his ARCA Racing Series debut, Austin Theriault ran second most of the evening, but he was able to beat Mason Mitchell on the final restart to take his first win in the series in his first start. Mason Mitchell was dominate the entire afternoon, but the first round of pit stops of the race put Theriault in first after Mitchell struggled on his stop. Mitchell was able to pass Theriault and he looked to finish off the event, but a caution waved with twenty five laps to go. Mitchell looked to win on the restart, but Theriault battled him hard and took the lead. He was able to hold on and run away from Mitchell to take the win with ease. Theriault, who only made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut a month ago, battled hard all day and proved he does have in future in auto racing. Mason Mitchell ran well for the second straight week, but he was forced to settle with a second place finish for the second straight week. Justin Allison ran really well all day and made the Alabama Gang proud with a third place finish in his first start at Michigan. John Wes Townley battled back from starting at the back to a fourth place finish. Spencer Gallagher was a factor all evening and he took a fifth place finish even with only seven cylinders powering his car late in the event. The race only had two cautions, but it was definitely a battle all evening. One key part of the race turned out to be a set of green flag pit stops during the middle of the event. Almost all drivers in the event had problems and the race was greatly affected by these stops. It turned out that Theriault, who had a clean stop under green, turned out to be the eventual winner. After a flying fast race at Michigan, the ARCA Racing Series was left with a great race where battles filled the evening.

        Mason Mitchell started on the pole. It was his second ARCA pole of 2014 and he was looking to take a win after a second place finish to Kyle Larson at Pocono. The race went green and Mitchell immediately jumped out ahead of the field as the pack raced behind him. Mitchell looked to run away, but the first caution of the race quickly waved on lap 4. Tom O'Leary lost an engine heading down the backstretch. Smoke billowed out of his car as he drove into the turn 3 grass. He came to a stop in the grass with a finished race due to a blown engine. Rick Clifton also slowed on track and went to the garage, but he would return to the event. Due to the caution being early in the event, only a little strategy was played during the caution. Austin Wayne Self, who made slight contact with the wall on the second lap, came down for fuel along with Grant Enfinger and a few other drivers. It would be interesting to see how this move worked for both of the drivers. The field was lined back up and Mason Mitchell easily held onto the lead when the race went green. Quickly, the laps began to click by in the race as Mitchell ran away. A few drivers battled within the top five, but they weren't even close to Mitchell. As the first round of stops approached, it looked like Mitchell would easily remain the leader, but only the stops would tell. The first round of green flag pit stops of the race came on lap 45 and they shook up the race completely.

         Spencer Gallagher led the charge of drivers onto pit road and his stop went cleanly, but that wasn't the case for other drivers. Justin Boston, who was running well in the race, came down in a lap or two and his car stalled. His crew tried to get it to fire, but they couldn't and Boston coasted all the way to the edge of pit road where his team had to push him back to his stall. It turned out to be a major problem for Boston and he lost a good many laps. Mason Mitchell came down as the leader and he had a slow stop after the jackman couldn't get the jack underneath the car. Mitchell lost a ton of time and he came off of pit road behind Austin Theriault, which meant Theriault would take the lead after stops cycled through. Meanwhile, Grant Enfinger and Austin Wayne Self, who pitted under the first caution, remained on the track. Self finally came to pit road on lap 56 and he had a few problems. First, a tire rolled away from his crew on pit road and he immediately earned a penalty. Then, he had run his car out of fuel and he couldn't get it fired again. He struggled to get it fired, but he was finally able to drive away. Grant Enfinger finally came to pit road on lap 58 and he had a problem. He had run out of fuel and he struggled to get his car fired. He finally did and drove away, but he lost a ton of time along with Self. This cycled pit stops through and Austin Theriault inherited the lead. He looked to drive away, but Mason Mitchell still had a rocket. Theriault hit traffic and Mitchell took complete advantage. He powered up to the leader and took the lead with ease on lap 65. It looked like Mitchell was wanting to stay out front, but only time would tell if he would.

         The laps began to click by once again and the race was still all Mason Mitchell's. Mitchell was hoping the race would stay green, but the second and final caution waved on lap 75. Justin Boston lost a motor on the frontstretch just in front of Mitchell. Smoke poured heavily out of Boston's car as Mitchell drove past. Boston coasted around the track and pulled into the garage with his race finished after a struggle of an evening. The caution brought some strategy for the six lead lap drivers on track. Spencer Gallagher, John Wes Townley, and Will Kimmel decided to come down pit road while Mason Mitchell, Justin Allison, and others stayed on track. It would be interesting to see how these moves worked for each of these drivers. The field was lined back up and Mason Mitchell lined up on the inside of Austin Theriault. The race went green for the final time and the two leaders ran side by side into turn 1. It looked like Mitchell would hold the advantage, but Theriault drove hard down the backstretch and bumped into Mitchell's side. This propelled Theriault to the lead while Mitchell fell right into his tire tracks. The rest of the field battled behind these two leaders while Theriault and Mitchell set the fastest laps of the event. Mitchell ran behind Theriault for a few laps, but he began to fall back. Theriault streaked away as only ten laps remained. The laps clicked by and the only hope for Mitchell to win was a caution. With five laps to go, the caution did not look possible. Theriault was setting a torrid pace as he passed the line for two laps to go. He blasted through all four turns and took the white flag with ease. Theriault looked like a veteran as he drove through the Michigan turns one final time and took the checkered flag in his first career ARCA race. It was a great victory for Theriault in his first start in the series and one that could push him to the top.

        Austin Theriault became a very notable driver one month ago when Dale Earnhardt Jr. tabbed him to drive his number five in a few NASCAR Nationwide Series races this season. The first race for him was at Iowa last month. Theriault ran quick all afternoon and kept his nose clean to take a fifteenth place finish. It was a nice show for him and he will have more opportunities, but he made the most of this one today. He took a very good Venturini Motorsports ride to a win in only his first start in the ARCA Racing Series. He beat the likes of Frank Kimmel, Grant Enfinger, Ken Schrader, Mason Mitchell, and John Wes Townley to take the win in grand fashion and prove he belongs. It looks like the name Austin Theriault will be said for years to come as his career progresses. Mason Mitchell walked away disappointed again with a second place finish, but he won't be held out of victory lane for too much longer. Justin Allison looked like the rest of the Allison's as he took a hard fought third place finish at Michigan. John Wes Townley came back from a bad finish at New Jersey Motorsports Park to take a fourth place finish at Michigan. Spencer Gallagher ran without a little bit of power late in the race, but he still managed to hold onto a fifth place finish. A few notables like Frank Kimmel, Grant Enfinger, Justin Boston, and Tom Hessert finished outside the top five, but they will have another chance to redeem themselves in the future. Mason Mitchell remained disappointed with a second place finish, but he managed to take the points lead away heading to Elko Speedway next Saturday. Speaking of Elko, the three eighths of a mile track will certainly hold some great racing next Saturday. Will Frank Kimmel repeat at Elko to take his first win of the season, will Mason Mitchell finally take his first series win, or will another driver head to victory lane at Elko? We only have to wait until next Saturday to find out this information and a whole lot more.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 4- Tom O'Leary lost an engine heading down the backstretch and drove into the grass.

2nd Caution: Lap 75- Justin Boston lost a motor heading down the frontstretch. 

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Austin Theriault
2nd: Mason Mitchell
3rd: Justin Allison
4th: John Wes Townley
5th: Spencer Gallagher

Notables Not in Top 5:
7th: Frank Kimmel
8th: Grant Enfinger
9th: Austin Wayne Self
11th: Ken Schrader
12th: Tom Hessert
21st: Justin Boston





Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.arcaracing.com/
http://racing-reference.info/race/2014_Corrigan_Oil_200/A
-Image:
http://wwwcache.wralsportsfan.com/asset/2014/06/13/13733144/14f17262c708490d9144816957e395d6-Photo-1-350x450.jpg

One Year Ago Today: How I Remember Jason Leffler

         June 12th, 2013. It began as another summer day in my life, but by the end of the night, it became one of the most unforgettable days I have ever experienced. School had just ended a week before for me, which meant I could stay up later and not have to worry about working on a ton of homework. I woke up on that Wednesday around ten o'clock in the morning and I spent most of the day relaxing. I shot some basketball, watched some television, and played a few video games to pass the time. The time flew by pretty quickly through the afternoon and it was time for church. I went to church and worshiped a bit before we made it home at around eight thirty. I ate and spent a little bit more time relaxing. By nine forty five, I decided I would check my favorite site for NASCAR news, Jayski.com, before I began to plan for the weekend and do some NASCAR researching. When I typed in the web address and hit enter, the course of my night and my life changed in a split second.

        When the site loaded, the top story read something to the effect of: 'Leffler seriously injured in crash'. I was extremely shocked. My mind began to race and I thought about the Pocono race just three days before. Leffler ran for Humphrey-Smith Racing, which is a start-and-park team, but he was still the happy Jason Leffler who wanted to go out and race even knowing he couldn't go the whole distance. I finally mustered enough strength to click on the link and face the article. I speed read through the article and the key points were that Leffler was involved in a serious sprint car accident at Bridgeport Speedway in New Jersey and the results of that incident were unknown for the moment. My mouth stayed open in shock as I realized the magnitude of the crash. Details were sure to come out quickly and I decided to click on the track's Facebook page to find out up to the minute information. The page loaded and track officials posted a short update saying that action for the rest of the night had been canceled due to Leffler's crash. I scrolled down a little to the comments on the update and those comments will forever be ingrained in my mind. 

        Comments from two minutes before I clicked onto the update read 'RIP' and 'We will miss you Jason'. All I could say was no repeatedly. Tears began to well up slightly in my eyes as I quickly began to search google for more news on 'Lefturn', as we NASCAR fans liked to call him. The only article saying Leffler was gone was an article from a local news station. No major media outlets reported anything about his death and I was hoping for the best. Within ten minutes, my fears were becoming a reality. The Associated Press, USA Today, and many other reputable news outlets began to report the death of Jason Leffler. I broke down. Tears flowed down my face as I realized my favorite regular in NASCAR's lower series was gone. I wrote an article for my website discussing Leffler and I felt like he was with me as I typed. I finished it, posted it, and decided to head to sleep after a traumatizing night. Flash forward to today or June 12th, 2014 as it turns out to be. I am still greatly affected by Jason Leffler's death. Today, I don't want to discuss the night Leffler died and how it happened, but I want to discuss what he meant to me and how he affected my life. All the moments I remember about him affect how I will forever remember Lefturn and I feel like sharing them on the one year anniversary of his passing. Today, let us remember one of the most charismatic drivers to strap on a helmet in NASCAR: Jason Leffler. 

        Jason Leffler's racing life did not begin on asphalt, but somewhere completely different: dirt. Leffler was great on dirt in winning four USAC midget championships and catching the eyes of a good many NASCAR and IndyCar owners. One of those owners was Joe Gibbs. Gibbs was impressed by Leffler's abilities as a racer and he handed him a NASCAR Busch Series opportunity at his team. Jason made four Busch Series starts in 1999 while running a single IndyCar race. Leffler returned to the Busch Series in 2000 by running the full schedule for Gibbs. Leffler ran well with two top fives and three poles in a decent opening year on asphalt. Leffler caught the eyes of Chip Ganassi and Ganassi signed him to run full time for his team in the Winston Cup Series in 2001. Leffler ran decently with a pole and a top ten to his credit, but he was quickly out of the ride. Leffler slid down the NASCAR ranks into the Craftsman Truck Series with a full time ride behind the wheel of a truck for Jim Smith in the year 2002. Leffler ran his best season in NASCAR at the time with eleven top fives, fifteen top tens, and eight poles in a fourth place finishing effort in the championship. Leffler looked like he had finally arrived in NASCAR and he was given another opportunity in the Jim Smith owned truck, but the opportunity ended short in the season in 2003. Nonetheless, Leffler took a well earned victory at Dover and he was finally a winner in NASCAR. Around this time, Leffler began to make his way back up the NASCAR ladder. Also around this time, I began to pick up memories from Leffler's time on track. He began to become one of my favorites as he looked to improve his talents on asphalt. 

       In 2004, Leffler's new found position began to take place. He ran the first twenty seven races of the Busch Series season with Gene Haas's team and Leffler found his place. He won his first Busch race at Nashville and his numbers began to pick up, but he didn't finish the season. In 2005, Leffler found himself back in the Cup Series and this time it was with Joe Gibbs Racing. Leffler didn't run as well as the team expected and he was out after nineteen races, but Leffler was quickly picked up by Todd Braun for his Busch effort. This turned out to be the move of Jason's career. He finished 2005 for Braun and in 2006, he returned to the team. Leffler ran the first nine races behind the wheel of the number 32 for Braun, but after Kasey Kahne left the team for Ray Evernham's Busch team ending 2005, Braun decided Leffler needed to pilot the number 38 Great Clips machine. This is when my memories of Jason really began and he moved into the role of my favorite Busch regular. Because he jumped behind the wheel of a car I liked, he quickly became my favorite in 2006. At first, it was just about the car, but it soon became about his great personality as a driver. 

         Leffler finished off 2006 and was looking forward to a full season behind the wheel of the Great Clips machine. Leffler didn't disappoint as he finished third in the championship and grabbed eleven top tens in 2007. The key moment for Leffler was at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 2007. I remember the race well. Jason ran the wheels off of the car for the entire night and he took Toyota's first win in NASCAR. I felt that was extremely historic because of the caliber of drivers racing Toyotas. It meant a lot to Leffler and it meant a lot to me as a fan of his. I put that moment in the memory bank as Leffler returned in 2008 to the same Todd Braun team. Leffler put up thirteen top tens, but he only mustered a ninth place finish in the points battle. Still, Leffler's abilities brought him back to the same Great Clips machine in 2009. Jason put up an extremely impressive twenty top tens and finished fourth in the points. One of my fondest memories of Jason occurred in 2009.

         It was 2009 and the Nationwide Series was at Darlington Raceway. Since 2004, I had been at the race and this night was the same. The green waved and I cheered on Leffler for the entire night. The laps clicked by and he remained near the front as the final laps approached. In the late laps, a caution waved and Leffler was in second next to Matt Kenseth for the only attempt at a green-white-checkered. Jason looked good and I was hoping he pulled out the win. The race went green for the final time and Leffler took off. I was cheering him on, but before he could make the move, Morgan Shepherd crashed behind the leaders. This brought the race to an end and Matt Kenseth ended up winning. I was very disappointed because I felt Leffler could have won the race. I held that moment in my mind as one where he should have won and I hoped he would win another to redeem this lost victory. 2010 brought his next opportunity to do this as he returned to the Braun team. He ran well while switching from the number 10 to the number 38, which were both Braun rides. By the end of the season, Steve Turner took over for Braun and Leffler remained in the 38 heading into 2011. Leffler ran decently in 2011 like he had always done, but he ended up out of a ride with Steve Turner at the end of 2011. Luckily, he found himself back behind the wheel.

       To start the 2012 season, Kyle Busch hired Leffler to drive his number 18 truck for the full season. I was ecstatic he was getting this opportunity and I was looking for him to make the most of it. He struggled slightly to start with, but it looked like he would pick it up as the season progressed. He quickly began to rattle off top tens, but he found himself out of the ride after only nine races. It was disappointing for me, but I was hoping he found another ride. Jason ran a few races throughout the year with a few different teams, but he began to return to his roots: dirt. Leffler began to run a lot of the big sprint car races around the country and it seemed like he was enjoying himself. 2013 came and Leffler was without an opportunity, but he was still behind the wheel of sprint cars around the country. After a long hiatus from NASCAR, he was behind the wheel of a Cup car for Humphrey-Smith Racing at the first Pocono race. It looked like he would find some more opportunities, but three days later, he was gone. With a huge crash at Bridgeport Speedway on June 12th, 2013, we lost a great driver and friend. Jason Leffler was still really in the prime of his career with other opportunities still waiting, but he left us too early. 

         I think Jason Leffler is an unsung hero of auto racing. Most drivers would be upset if they had to sink down the NASCAR ladder because of the lack of opportunities, but you couldn't wipe the smile off his face. He would jump in any race car and he would drive the wheels off of it with a smile written all along his face. I think that is a testament to Jason Leffler and his ability to drive a race car. When I think back to his career, I just think about all the opportunities he should have gotten. I don't doubt he could drive a race car, but he just didn't find the right ride. I think if he was still here today, he would be behind the wheel of a great car or truck in NASCAR. I have no doubt about that. Sadly, Lefturn left us at the young age of thirty seven. Every time a driver passes in a fatal crash, the same thing is said every time: he had a smile on his face out on track. I have no doubt this was the case for Leffler. Today, all I can think about is Leffler's young son, Charlie Dean. He is six now and without a great father like Jason. One thing about Jason is that he was a great driver and a great person, but he was an even better father. His son looked up to him and it is sad that he doesn't have Jason, but I'm sure he is good hands. Last year, Kasey Kahne and a group of others sold Lefturn hats to raise money for Charlie and they raised a good amount of money. I am proud to say I own one of those hats and supported Charlie in his future. It was a great move by Kahne and one that I admire greatly. To end this remembrance article, I want to discuss one thing. I end every edition of my thoughts with the words “until we meet again”. Well, Jason Leffler, I will always remember you and I hope your great legacy continues to teach and show others how a NASCAR driver should be even when the outcome of a situation looks grim. Rest In Peace Jason “Lefturn” Leffler and until we meet again.









Credits:
-Statistics:
http://racing-reference.info/driver/Jason_Leffler
-Image:
http://www.mrn.com/~/media/DC8DE2B05FAB4B4CAEB1FBF75D9E5AE4.ashx?w=602&h=345