Brian Scott Leads the Charge of Chevrolet Drivers As He Takes the NASCAR Nationwide Series Pole at Chicagoland

        With a time of 30.370 seconds (177.807 mph), Brian Scott grabbed his second NASCAR Nationwide Series pole of 2014 with a blazing fast speed. Scott, and his Richard Childress Racing teammates, were fast for the first two rounds, but a key final round would decide the polesitter. Erik Jones was the early provisional polesitter in the final round with a fast lap, but Scott quickly jumped ahead of him early in the round. The rest of the field looked to beat the RCR driver, but he remained at the top and took his second career NASCAR Nationwide Series pole at Chicagoland. Scott has picked up the pace and run well this year, but a first win has eluded him thus far. Listen to this statistic, though. In his three previous pole races in the series, Scott has finished inside the top five in all of them. Tonight could be Scott's night to win with only two Sprint Cup drivers in the field. Behind him, three of the four other drivers in the top five are behind the wheel of Chevrolets. Ty Dillon, Scott's teammate, was fastest in the first round, but he settled with a second place starting spot in the final round. Chase Elliott ran fast for the entire session and took a third place finish in his first trip to Chicagoland. Erik Jones was the only non-Chevrolet driver in the top five with his fast Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota starting fourth. Kasey Kahne is the highest starting Cup driver with a fifth place starting spot as he looks to win a second race on the year in the series. The rest of the field behind them is filled with a mix of Toyota drivers, Chevrolet drivers, Ford drivers, and a few sparse Dodge drivers. The first session of knockout qualifying at Chicagoland for the Nationwide Series was a very flying fast session. Drivers were battling hard and the four drivers competing in the Nationwide Dash 4 Cash (Brian Scott, Chris Buescher, Regan Smith, and Elliott Sadler) were looking to out do each other. Tonight, Brian Scott will start the highest of those four. All in all, this session could decide who will take the trophy in tonight's event.

        Ty Dillon was the first driver on track to start the twenty five minute first round. He ran a blistering fast lap to start the round as he jumped to the top of the board. Drivers began to file onto the speedway, but Dillon's lap remained the fastest of the bunch as some drivers were holding back in the first round. Dillon continued to hold station on point as the minutes throughout the event began to click away. About eight minutes into the round, Brendan Gaughan had a little trouble. His car carried up the track exiting turn 4 and he slightly grazed the outside wall. He made it to pit road, but he didn't have too much damage. The team decided to fix the damage a little bit on pit road and start at the back of the field in the event, but Gaughan would continue on in the session. The caution did not wave on the session and it would continue on. With about ten minutes to go, most of the field looked to be in the positions they were in as the top twenty four began to take shape quickly. Drivers still filed onto the track, but the battle to make the top twenty four wouldn't start heating up for a few more minutes. With two minutes left, the battle for the final transfer spot started to heat up. Chad Boat, Eric McClure, David Starr, John Wes Townley, and others looked to move on to the second round. After a shuffle towards the back part of the top twenty four in the final minute, J.J. Yeley took the final transfer spot and Ty Dillon remained the fastest in the round. Chase Elliott, Kasey Kahne, Sam Hornish Jr., Brian Scott, Regan Smith, Elliott Sadler, Ryan Blaney, and others moved on while Eric McClure, David Starr, and others missed the second round. After a rather calm first round, the next two rounds would decide the eventual polesitter. 

         Kyle Larson was the first driver on track for the start of the ten minute second round. He ran a decent lap to start the round as he looked to make the third and final round. Quickly, Brian Scott jumped to the top of the board with a blazing fast lap. The rest of the field ventured onto the speedway, but Scott was way faster than the rest of his competitors. The minutes began to click down in the session as the drivers outside the top twelve looked to battle for the final transfer spot. With about two minutes left, this battle for the twelfth and final transfer spot would heat up. Regan Smith, Ryan Reed, Chris Buescher, and Kasey Kahne were looking to grab the spot with Kahne holding it. Most of these drivers went on track, but as the red and black flag waved over Chicago, Kahne was still holding the twelfth and final transfer spot. Brian Scott remained the fastest at the top of the board. Ty Dillon, Erik Jones, Ryan Blaney, Sam Hornish Jr., Cale Conley, Brendan Gaughan, Trevor Bayne, Kyle Larson, Elliott Sadler, and Chase Elliott  also moved on while Regan Smith, Chris Buescher, Ryan Reed, and others missed the final round. A five minute fight for the pole would decide a pole winner and help a race winner start close to the front.

        Erik Jones was the first driver on track for the five minute final round. He ran the fastest lap of the session and it looked like Jones would be on the verge of his first pole in his first start in the Nationwide Series. A few drivers followed him onto the track, but they fell short. Just a second later, Brian Scott jumped to the provisional pole with a blazing fast lap. A couple drivers came close to his time, but he looked to be untouchable with only a minute and a half remaining. The track stood silent, but it looked like a few drivers were looking to run a lap. Sam Hornish Jr. went out with about thirty seconds remaining, but he didn't make it as the red and black flag waved. Brian Scott was on top of the board and he would take the pole the event. It was Scott's fourth career NASCAR Nationwide Series pole as he will look to win his first race in the series with a great starting spot.

         Early on in his career, Brian Scott looked like a decent driver, but he didn't look like a top notch driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Since the start of last year in the Nationwide Series, when Scott joined Richard Childress Racing, he has looked like a completely different driver. He is a factor in every single race, he is fast in practice, he qualifies near the front, he runs well in the race, and he has been close to winning a couple of events. He already has three top fives this year along with eight top tens and a fifth place spot in the standings, but there is still one thing missing for Scott: a much needed win. He starts from the pole tonight and a win could be in the plans for this young driver tonight. One single win could push him towards the top of the standings and give him a boost as he searches for more wins. The rest of the field will look to keep him from that win. Ty Dillon was blazing fast in the session and he will start second as he looks to win his first career Nationwide Series race. Chase Elliott already has two Nationwide wins, but a third place starting spot could hand him another and move him up slightly in the points. Erik Jones is making his first start in the Nationwide Series, but a fourth place starting spot could give him his first win as well. Kasey Kahne is definitely the most experienced driver in this top five and a fifth place starting spot could hand him another win in the series. The rest of the Nationwide field follows behind this stacked top five and they will look to win in a stand alone event at Chicago. There are many guys who can take the win tonight, but they will have to battle hard to do so and it will be a battle worth watching from start to finish. Will Brian Scott take this pole to his first win, will Ty Dillon win his first Nationwide Series race, will Regan Smith be the highest finishing Dash 4 Cash driver again, or will another driver head to victory lane? We only have to wait a couple hours to find out all these answers and a whole lot more.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Top 5 Qualifiers (With Times):
1st: Brian Scott     30.370 (177.807 mph)
2nd: Ty Dillon     30.398 (177.643 mph)
3rd: Chase Elliott     30.443 (177.381 mph)
4th: Erik Jones     30.453 (177.322 mph)
5th: Kasey Kahne     30.485 (177.136 mph)

Notables Not in Top 5 (With Times):
6th: Sam Hornish Jr.     30.493 (177.090 mph)
7th: Elliott Sadler    30.503 (177.032 mph)
8th: Ryan Blaney    30.550 (176.759 mph)
11th: Trevor Bayne     30.637 (176.257 mph)
12th: Kyle Larson     30.647 (176.200 mph)
15th: Regan Smith     31.030 (174.025 mph)

DNQs: None





Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nationwide-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-qualification.html
http://racing-reference.info/getqualify/2014-18/B
-Image:
https://twitter.com/NASCAR/status/490612682098098178/photo/1

My Thoughts: 2014 New Hampshire

         When New Hampshire received a NASCAR Cup Series date in 1993, the track instantly became a favorite for drivers and fans alike. “The Magic Mile”, as it is called, is just that. It is a flat mile track located in New England and it is bad fast. Drivers hit one hundred and fifty miles an hour heading into each of the corners and that is fast considering the track has almost no banking in the turns. It has been a scary track in the past for some drivers. In 2000, Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin Jr. both passed away in practice crashes at New Hampshire. Since then, the track has changed a good bit and the drivers have loved the changes. In fact, New Hampshire has held some great races in the past few years. We don't have to venture far to look at last year's race. In the end, the race turned out to be filled with strategy. Drivers were on all different types of fuel strategies and Brian Vickers, who was running a part time schedule, was out front in his Michael Waltrip Racing ride. While drivers ran out of fuel around him, Vickers stayed in the lead and he was able to win the race as a surprise winner. Along with that, drivers have been known to win their first career race at New Hampshire. In 2009, Joey Logano took the lead after a pit stop move and rain began to pour around the track. The race was past halfway and the race was called with Logano still holding onto the lead. The rain handed Logano his first career win and since then, he has won a few more races through the years. It is safe to say that New Hampshire is a track home to a good many moments and it will continue to be for years to come. With that introduction, I have a few topics I want to discuss with you guys before today's race. The topics include  a discussion of a brand new alliance, a discussion of Jeff Burton, a New Hampshire Chase race discussion, a discussion of winless drivers this year and their success at New Hampshire, and, of course, my pick to win this afternoon's event. Well, let us go ahead and jump into these topics for this afternoon's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

1. Race Team Alliance Formed in NASCAR: What Does This Mean For the Sport?
         A big piece of news came out during the week for NASCAR. Rob Kauffman, co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, announced that his team and eight other NASCAR teams had formed a Race Team Alliance as it is called. The other teams involved in the alliance along with Michael Waltrip Racing are Chip Ganassi Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports, Roush-Fenway Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, and Team Penske. To give this alliance a definition, I will try to give it a simple one. Basically, the purpose of this alliance to ensure that all decisions for the sport are made the right way and this alliance will attempt to promote the sport through marketing and other commercial ideas. NASCAR has downplayed the importance of this alliance for the whole week, in my opinion. With all that in mind, I have just one question about this brand new alliance. What does this mean for the sport heading forward? I think this alliance will have an impact on the sport in the next few years. The main reason is the high caliber of teams involved in this alliance. Basically, these nine teams are the best of the best in NASCAR racing today. With this sort of connection together, they will surely have close to the same ideas on issues and that could lead to all the teams voting the same on issues. Plus, each of these teams can easily promote new sponsors and marketing around NASCAR for years and years to come. Still, though, this alliance could become old news in the next few years. Kauffman needs to keep this alliance together and he needs to ensure each team stays on top of marketing and ideas. All in all, I like the promise of this alliance, but I don't want it to change the sport too much.

2. Jeff Burton: Could This Be His Last Race?
         Jeff Burton has been a mainstay in NASCAR for a little over twenty years now. He has moved from Roush Racing in his early years to Richard Childress Racing as recent as last year. This year, though, things have changed for Burton. He signed a limited schedule with Michael Waltrip Racing for 2014 and he decided to head to the NBC Sports booth when NASCAR coverage moves part time to NBC next year. Burton has raced one race this year and his final race scheduled for this year is today's New Hampshire event. I have one question for Burton. Could this very well be his last NASCAR race? I truly feel like this will be his final event. The main reason is just the close proximity of his new gig as a broadcaster for NBC next year. Making this move to broadcasting will mean that Burton, basically, wants to move in a new direction in NASCAR. I don't see him driving and being a broadcaster next season. Plus, he doesn't have any more races scheduled for this year and I don't see him gaining another one. Still, though, this isn't a bad race or track for Burton to make his final start. Burton made his first career NASCAR start at New Hampshire in 1993 when the track first became a Cup track. Since then, Burton has been a pretty good driver at New Hampshire. He won four races at New Hampshire from 1997 to 2000 including leading all three hundred laps at the fall event in 2000. I feel like Burton's final race might be today, but it wouldn't be a bad track for him to make his final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start.

3. Will This Race at New Hampshire Prepare the Chase Drivers For This Chase Race in September?
         New Hampshire is not only a track that is key for heading towards the Chase in the summer, but it is a key track during the Chase. It is the second race of the Chase and it has been a key track for drivers looking to win a championship. Last year, Matt Kenseth won the first two races of the Chase at Chicagoland and New Hampshire. The win at New Hampshire was key for Kenseth and it gave him the push for the rest of the Chase, but he fell short of the title. In 2011, Tony Stewart won five races in the Chase including New Hampshire and he was able to take the championship in a close battle with Carl Edwards. It is safe to say New Hampshire is a key track in the Chase and I have one question surrounding it. Will this race today prepare the Chase drivers for September's Chase race at the track? I really think it will. The main difference between these two races is the weather at the track. In the summer, the track is pretty hot while in the early part of fall, the track isn't hot, but a rather stable temperature to race in. That means track conditions will be a bit different, but that will be the only real difference between the two. I feel like the drivers who are good in today's race will be the same drivers who are good at New Hampshire in September. This was the case last year and I feel like it will be the same case in just a couple of months. Still, though, the drivers are going to have to battle hard. New Hampshire isn't a simple track and it could help decide the championship when the series heads to Homestead in November.

4. Which Previous Winner at New Hampshire Has the Best Chance to Win His First Race of the Year?
         Along with that discussion of how this race at New Hampshire will help Chase drivers come September, is the discussion of a few winless drivers this year who have good track records at New Hampshire. In fact, there are several drivers this year who haven't won a race, but have went to victory lane when they went to New Hampshire. That list includes drivers like Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth, and Ryan Newman to name a few of the contenders. Concerning these five drivers today, I have a single question. Which of these drivers has the best chance to head to victory lane at New Hampshire and grab their first win of the year? I, honestly, feel like Tony Stewart has the best chance out of these drivers to win this race. Stewart hasn't been himself this year with returning from his broken leg and starting the year with a new crew chief, but we have passed the halfway point of the season. That means Stewart can forget all about what has happened thus far this year and go out and win a race. Once he does that, his Chase spot would be safe even without worrying about his finishes already this year. I feel like most of these drivers will win before the Chase starts, but I feel like Tony Stewart has the best chance of these five to head to victory lane at New Hampshire.

5. My Pick to Win
         I have discussed a lot today about winning races, but as we move down the stretch, that will be the biggest thing on the minds of all the drivers. Winning could decide who wins the championship and who doesn't in the end. Today's race at New Hampshire will be key not just because a winless driver could win just a few races before the Chase, but because New Hampshire is a key track in the Chase. One thing to look at that could decide a winner today is this: fuel mileage. It never seems to fail that New Hampshire races end up being decided by fuel mileage. The driver who plays the strategy the best in the race will be able to take the victory in the event. I have several picks for today's race and they all will have a chance for the victory. Good picks for today's race include Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, and Jamie McMurray. Also, consider Ryan Newman, Kyle Larson, Matt Kenseth, Brian Vickers, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. as possible winners of the race. Today's event should be a good battle to watch and I am excited to watch it and write about it. I hope it turns out great and we see a few great battles along the way. Well, that is all for me and until we meet again.





Credits:
-Image:
http://www.concordmonitor.com/csp/mediapool/sites/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls?STREAMOID=VoKp7pgwvn_GKOYgalSp98$daE2N3K4ZzOUsqbU5sYvTnCzQiMbjIcjVI6Rsa4jpWCsjLu883Ygn4B49Lvm9bPe2QeMKQdVeZmXF$9l$4uCZ8QDXhaHEp3rvzXRJFdy0KqPHLoMevcTLo3h8xh70Y6N_U_CryOsw6FTOdKL_jpQ-&CONTENTTYPE=image/jpeg

Kyle Busch Destroys the Track Record While Taking the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pole at New Hampshire

        With a time of 27.574 seconds (138.130 mph), Kyle Busch was able to destroy the track record at New Hampshire and take his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole of 2014. Like usual in the new NASCAR qualifying system, the final round was filled with a waiting game near the end. Only four drivers out of the twelve had went out before the final three and a half minutes, but the action began to pick up. Jimmie Johnson beat the track record and jumped ahead of Tony Stewart, but Busch had not completed a lap yet. He did a minute later and he blistered Johnson's track record time by near a tenth and he took the provisional pole. Busch outlasted the rest of the drivers who attempted runs and he was able to take the pole in style over the field. It was Busch's fifteenth career pole in the series and only his second at New Hampshire. This pole will put Busch in a good position to start tomorrow's race and he will certainly be a threat to the field. Jimmie Johnson came within a tenth of having the pole and a track record to his name, but he was forced to settle with a second place starting spot at New Hampshire. Denny Hamlin ran fast like his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate in Busch and he took a third place starting spot. Tony Stewart proved the summer is his time to heat up with a fourth place starting spot at New Hampshire. Jamie McMurray has been fast the entire weekend and he took a fifth place starting spot for his Chip Ganassi Racing team. The rest of the field followed behind with a few surprises deep in the field. Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will have to battle from starting spots outside the top twenty five while Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, the two Team Penske drivers, just have to battle from outside the top five. The first knockout qualifying session at New Hampshire for the Cup Series was a rather calm session, but one that will decide the winner come tomorrow afternoon.

        Brian Vickers was the first driver on track to start the thirty minute first round. Vickers, who won last summer's race at New Hampshire, ran a decent lap to start the round. Early on, though, his Toyota teammate, Denny Hamlin, jumped to the top of the board. Just a few seconds later, Brad Keselowski jumped to the top of the board. Hamlin, who was running his second lap when Keselowski took the top spot, jumped back to the top of the board after completing his second lap. The rest of the field began to head on track in the next few minutes, but Hamlin still stood on top after outlasting these runs. With about ten minutes left, though, the battle for the twelfth and final transfer spot would be the story of the round. Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Brian Vickers, Kurt Busch, and others looked to move on to the second and final round. Gordon and Logano moved into the next round in the next few minutes, but the battle was still raging as time closed within a minute left on the clock. A few drivers looked to steal the final spot from Kasey Kahne, but they fell short as the red and black flag waved. Kahne remained the driver in the final transfer spot while Denny Hamlin remained the fastest driver in the session. Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Jamie McMurray, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, and Tony Stewart moved on while Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle, Kyle Larson, Ryan Newman, and others missed the final round. After a long thirty minutes, the field would have ten minutes to decide a pole winner.

         Joey Logano was the first driver on track for the ten minute second and final round. He ran a decent lap to start the round as a few other drivers went on track. Early on, Tony Stewart jumped to the top of the board. After two minutes, only four drivers had went on track and it looked like that would be the case for a few minutes. Drivers were starting to line up on pit road, hoping for a cloud over the speedway to run a fast lap. With about five minutes left, the drivers were still lined up and waiting for the cloud. With three and a half minutes remaining, the charge onto the track began. Drivers began to file onto the speedway as Jimmie Johnson took the provisional pole with a track record speed and with only three minutes left. Just a minute later, Kyle Busch went out and blistered Johnson's time to lay down a track record speed of his own. Busch would look to hold onto the pole with two minutes remaining. The field tried to beat him, but Busch remained the fastest man in New Hampshire and he took the pole with a track record speed. Busch was fast in qualifying, but he will have to run fast during the race as well. 

        Kyle Busch has looked a little off in the last six weeks since a top ten at Charlotte. He has only one top five in those six races and he has finished outside the top forty twice in only six races. Plus, he has dropped from as high as third in points all the way down to eleventh after the race at Sonoma three weeks ago. This weekend at New Hampshire seems a little different for Busch. He already has a pole for the Cup Series in his pocket and he finished a solid second in the Nationwide Series race earlier this afternoon. If he can put everything together on Sunday, he could be looking at his second win of the season in the series, but listen to this. In eighteen races this year, only three of them have been won from the pole. If Busch is to win from the pole, he will have to battle hard with the field to do so. Jimmie Johnson will look to keep Busch out of victory lane as Johnson looks for his fourth win of the season with a second place starting spot. Denny Hamlin has a lone win at Talladega this year and a third place starting spot at New Hampshire could give him a second one. Tony Stewart desperately needs a win and a fourth place starting spot on The Magic Mile could put him closer to that win. Jamie McMurray surprised everybody with an All-Star win this year, but he needs a points paying win for a Chase spot and a fifth place spot on the grid will help him with that. As the season has passed halfway, the key point now has become winning races. Drivers are searching for wins and they will start to look for them every single week. Tomorrow's race at New Hampshire will be no different and we could see a winless driver win this year. In fact, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Brian Vickers, and others need wins this year and they have all won a race at New Hampshire before. They should be threats tomorrow for the win in the event. It should be a great race and there are many things that could happen. Will Brian Vickers repeat after his surprise win at New Hampshire last year, will Matt Kenseth win at the track where he won for the first time last year in the Chase, or will another driver stand on top in victory lane? We only have to wait until tomorrow to find this out and a whole lot more. 
(More Stats Down Below!)





Top 5 Qualifiers (With Times):
1st: Kyle Busch      27.574 (138.130 mph)
2nd: Jimmie Johnson     27.642 (137.790 mph)
3rd: Denny Hamlin     27.785 (137.081 mph)
4th: Tony Stewart      27.786 (137.076 mph)
5th: Jamie McMurray      27.798 (137.017 mph)

Notables Not in Top 5 (With Times):
6th: Joey Logano     27.839 (136.815 mph)
7th: Brad Keselowski      27.841 (136.805 mph)
10th: Kasey Kahne      27.970 (136.174 mph)
11th: Jeff Gordon      27.994 (136.058 mph)
12th: Kevin Harvick     28.024 (135.912 mph)
15th: Matt Kenseth      27.953 (136.257 mph)*
18th: Kurt Busch      27.968 (136.184 mph)*
28th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.     28.168 (135.217 mph)
(*: Kenseth and Harvick were fast enough to be in the top twelve, but they missed the second and final round.)

DNQs: None





Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-qualification.html
http://racing-reference.info/getqualify/2014-19/W
-Image:
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/e175f4c176834cd1b2ea351adcf0366e174f2a9a/c=421-0-4861-3337&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/USATODAY/USATODAY/2014/07/11/1405116667000-7-11-14-busch-nh-pole.jpg