A few of the key angles to watch …
Carl Edwards: Edwards, fresh off becoming the eighth different winner in the last eight NASCAR Sprint All-Star Races, also looks to become the eighth different driver to accomplish the All-Star/Coke 600 sweep. The other seven: Darrell Waltrip (1985), Davey Allison (1991); Dale Earnhardt (1993); Jeff Gordon (1997); Jimmie Johnson (2003); Kasey Kahne (2008); Kurt Busch (2010).
Jimmie Johnson: With six Charlotte victories, Johnson is tied with NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison and NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee Darrell Waltrip for most all-time at the track. He is coming off a rarity: a poor NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Johnson finished 11th, posting his worst all-star event Driver Rating of his career, at 85.2. Johnson was the guest on this week’s NASCAR national video teleconference. Click here to view the videos.
Matt Kenseth: With all festivities over the last two weeks, it’s easy to forget that Kenseth won the last points race, at Dover. The victory was Kenseth’s second of the season, the first coming at Texas Motor Speedway. Click here for audio of Kenseth discussing his confidence in longer races.
Joey Logano: Logano is looking for his milestone 25th-career top-10 finish. Statistically, it could come at Charlotte. Logano has three top 10 in four races, and ranks third in the series in Driver Rating at 102.8.
David Reutimann: Just 26th in points, Reutimann needs a win to get back into Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup contention. At Charlotte, he nabbed his first career series win, in 2009. He pilots the same car he drove to a third-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.
Mark Martin: Coming off a runner-up finish at Dover, Martin sits in 11th place, only four points outside an all-important top 10 spot. He has four wins at Charlotte, most recently in 2002.
Brian Vickers: It’ll be a rather busy week for Vickers. Three days after he runs the Coke 600, on Wednesday, June 1 at 11 a.m., he’ll become the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver to skydive into historic Daytona International Speedway.
Wild Card Watch: Ragan Runs ‘Wild’Seemingly out of nowhere, David Ragan-in-the-Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup makes sense. Ragan and his UPS team still need to leap a couple hurdles first.
1) He needs to win a points race. Ragan tasted victory for the first time in his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career last Saturday night, winning the Sprint Showdown – his first win of any kind in the series. He followed it up with a solid eighth-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. A points win would immediately put Ragan in contention for the Wild Card. After race No. 26 at Richmond, the top 10 in points earn a berth in the 12-driver Chase field. Spots 11 and 12 go to drivers with the most wins, provided they are in the top 20. Ragan has steadily improved this season. His three top 10s already match last year’s total, and his Driver Rating of 77.3 is a 10-point improvement over last year through 11 races (67.3). That’s eighth-largest jump in the series.
2) He needs to get into the top 20. That’s a key wrinkle, and one that’s attainable for Ragan. Currently 11 points out of the top 20, Ragan’s statistics suggest a continued surge. Ragan has a Driver Rating of 71.2 at Charlotte, making the 1.5-mile track his eighth-best track. Michigan, which is three weeks away, is his fourth-best at 77.6.
Coke 600: Big Race, Bigger StrategyAs NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitors stare down the year’s longest event, strategy may never be more important.
Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 begins in daylight, ends in darkness and incorporates numerous track and condition changes. And that’s without considering pit stops and adjustments.
What’s a crew chief to do? Nowadays, they may mimic Pete Rondeau and Jimmy Fennig. Both crew chiefs – Rondeau for Regan Smith and Fennig for Matt Kenseth – gambled big and won several weeks ago at Darlington Raceway and Dover International Speedway.
That willingness seems to be a trend as the traditional Memorial Day holiday event approaches. A confluence of factors – new tire compounds at some tracks, the Wild Card element in Chase eligibility and a new points system – have upped the pressure, placing a higher premium on wins.
“It’s becoming one of the hardest things to do,” said Gil Martin, crew chief for Kevin Harvick, of late-race strategy. “I tell you, I dread a caution coming out on the race track with 15 laps to go.”
Martin says to expect teams in positions 11-20 to gun for wins, because a good finish does no good if the points don’t provide entry to the standings’ top 10. The Wild Card Watch is in full effect.
“Fifth is like one of the worst places to be in the race track with 15 laps to go,” Martin said. “Do I come to pit road because I’ll show my hand, and everybody from 10th to 12th will stay out? Or I don’t come to pit road and everybody else does and I’m a sitting duck with no tires.”
Track position, says Bob Osborne, crew chief for current leader Carl Edwards trumps all.
"I believe track position matters so much in these races, so that is what dictates your pit strategy,” Osborne said. “It's very difficult to pass and the cars run so much better in clean air that it's easier to stay up front than to try to fight your way up there. I don't know that the crew chiefs are really taking a gamble, or just realizing the importance of clean air."
Kyle Busch Still Rolling, Closes In On 100Kyle Busch could edge closer to his 100th NASCAR national series victory this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he – like many of stock car racing’s current stars – has yet to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.
Busch, who’ll also compete in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Top Gear 300, posted win No. 97 on May 20 capturing the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 200 for the fourth time. The victory moved Busch into a tie for third (with NASCAR Hall of Fame member Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip) on the all-time national win list.
Others looking for their first CMS points win: Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 winner Kevin Harvick, as well as Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin.
Trevor Bayne and Regan Smith both nabbed their first career wins this season. Who’s next? Historically, Charlotte’s a good spot for first-time wins.
The race has a star-filled roster of first-time NASCAR Sprint Cup winners beginning with NASCAR Hall of Fame member David Pearson in 1961. He’s joined by Jeff Gordon, 1994; Bobby Labonte, 1995; Matt Kenseth, 2000; Casey Mears, 2007 and David Reutimann, 2009.
The 1.5-mile track’s fall Bank of America 500 has produced three additional first-time winners: Buddy Baker, Charlie Glotzbach and Jamie McMurray.
NASCAR Celebrates Memorial Day WeekendIn celebration of Memorial Day Weekend, the NASCAR community has organized a number of key initiatives. Those occurring this week:
• On Thursday, May 26, 2011, NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France and President of ESPN and ABC Sports’ George Bodenheimer will join the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in honoring the men and women who serve our nation in the U.S. Armed Forces. France and Bodenheimer will receive the 2011 Intrepid Salute Award, an award presented to “corporate and community leaders for their support of our nation’s military and veterans communities, providing educational opportunities to our nation’s young people, and serving as an example of leadership and responsibility” at the Intrepid’s 2011 Salute to Freedom dinner. The award will be presented by Jeddah Deloria, a wounded warrior who served with the Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team and was severely injured in combat while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2007. The NASCAR Sprint Cup trophy and at least one show car are scheduled to be at the dinner.
• In support of First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden’s “Joining Forces” initiative announced in April 2011, NASCAR and Walmart have completed a public service announcement to be featured on the in-store networks of 500+ Walmart stores. Produced by NASCAR Media Group, the PSA features drivers Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne and Parker Kligerman as well as the First Lady calling on fans and customers to recognize the needs of our military families. Viewers will be directed to joiningforces.gov for information. The PSA’s will debut on Memorial Day and run throughout the 2011 NASCAR season.
• NASCAR and the Armed Forces Foundation have come together to launch the Troops to the Track initiative, which recognizes and hosts members of the U.S. Armed Forces at NASCAR races throughout the year. Troops to the Track will provide over 100 wounded service members, or service members in jobs that are particularly emotional and physically demanding, an opportunity to get away from the challenges they face each day with an exclusive, VIP-style NASCAR race day experience. This weekend’s guest will be from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Ft. Bragg.
Jeddah enlisted in the Army in March 2006 from Los Angeles, CA. Jeddah joined 173 Airborne Brigade Chosen Company 2nd of 503 and deployed to Afghanistan May 2007. While at outpost 'Ranch House' alone on the morning of 22 Aug 2007 he was overrun by some 75 Taliban and left for dead. After re-attack by his unit pushing the Taliban back, they got to his outpost and found him still alive. He had been hit by an RPG and shot in the back. His injuries included shrapnel in the brain, impaired vision in right eye, loss of an ear drum, and a bullet in the shoulder. Admitted into Bethesda Naval Hospital initially and later Walter Reed while still recovering from his wounds with pending medical discharge, Jeddah was recruited for the Oracle Wounded Warrior Internship in June 2009. He graduated from the Internship in July 2010 and was hired full time as Oracle Direct Army Sales Representative. Oracle is finishing their 4th Quarter and Jeddah is in the Top 5 Oracle Direct Sales Reps, beginning a software sales career with a most impressive start.
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