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