Notebook: Strong run at Bristol nets Vickers two more races with MWR

Notebook: Strong run at Bristol nets Vickers two more races with MWR

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- To the Vickers go the spoils.

No, Brian Vickers didn't win at Bristol in his maiden voyage in Michael Waltrip's No. 55 Toyota, but he ran well enough -- leading 125 laps and finishing fifth -- to earn a bonus from his part-time employer.

Waltrip and Vickers announced Friday at Martinsville that Vickers will compete for Michael Waltrip Racing in the road course races at Infineon Raceway (Sonoma, Calif.) in June and Watkins Glen International in August in addition to the six events already scheduled -- two each at Bristol, Martinsville and New Hampshire.

The addition of those two races completes the schedule for the No. 55 Camry, which is shared by Mark Martin, Vickers and Waltrip. Martin is scheduled for 25 races but opted not to run the road courses.

The seamless way Vickers blended with the team for his run at Bristol -- where MWR cars finished third, fourth and fifth -- made awarding the extra races a no-brainer for Waltrip.

"Brian came to MWR and made a statement, showed not only our organization what he's capable of, but the whole world," Waltrip said. "We felt like that was deserving to let him run some more races -- eight races, if I do the math properly, we're up to a quarter of the season."

Turning to Vickers, Waltrip added, "Keep chipping away. Keep going, young man, and who knows, you might have 'em all one day."

Vickers has been job hunting ever since Red Bull Racing announced last year that the team was ceasing operations. That followed a 2010 season in which Vickers was sidelined since May to treat blood clots in his legs and lungs.

Vickers said that, at various points during the last two years, he had entertained the possibility that his career might be over.

"That conversation I've had with myself many times over the last couple of years, whether it was (when) I found out Red Bull was shutting down or towards the end of last year, trying to keep it going, or through the offseason talking to other teams or when I was lying in a hospital bed two years ago.

"I've just really tried to focus on the part that I can control and do the best I can -- and I've made mistakes."

A well-publicized series of on-track run-ins with Matt Kenseth at Martinsville last October may have damaged Vickers' market value, but Waltrip said that wasn't an issue in his decision to hire Vickers. Of much greater importance was building on the foundation Martin has established with the No. 55 team.

"I asked Brian when he showed up to go to Bristol, 'Let's just continue that momentum; you do the same thing with this group of guys that Mark has done, and you're going to win races, because this team is so high they believe in what they're doing, because Mark has built them up,' " Waltrip said.

"Then Brian shows up, and the same thing happens. It was pretty much a no-brainer to say run those other two races as well."

EDWARDS: 'I DON'T NEED A VACATION'

Carl Edwards says he hasn't even thought about what he'll do next week, the first of two "off" weeks for the Sprint Cup Series this season.

But Edwards does know one thing -- he'd rather be racing.

For the first time since 2004, Edwards is taking a break from racing in the Nationwide Series, and the decrease in track time already has made him antsy.

"I think we've had one off weekend in the last seven years (Cup and Nationwide combined), so this will be the second one in eight years," Edwards said. "I have no clue what I'm going to do. I'm specifically not making any plans right now . . .

"We'll probably just lay low and relax a little bit, but truly, for me, I feel like I've run half as many races as normal by this point in the season. I'm used to running the Nationwide Series so much, so I don't need a weekend off right now as a driver. I need to keep racing . . . I don't feel like I need an off weekend right now."

NEW SPOTTER FOR KAHNE

Kasey Kahne confirmed Friday at Martinsville that former Jeff Gordon spotter Shannon McGlamery will replace Kahne's cousin, Kole Kahne, as spotter for the No. 5 Chevrolet -- on an interim basis.

Kole Kahne drew fire after Kahne wrecked on Lap 24 in the March 18 race at Bristol. The spotter had cleared the driver, but Regan Smith nosed his car to Kahne's outside, and Kahne ignited a multicar wreck when he moved toward the outside wall, thinking he had room.

Kahne, however, said issues last Sunday at California Speedway led to the change. McGlamery will spot the No. 5 car for two weeks, after which Kahne and his team will evaluate the results.

"I'd say it's just something I wanted to do, something different," Kahne said. "I was a little unpleased after California. And we're just looking at something for a couple of weeks. We're going to see after Texas (Apr. 14). I'm going to sit down and sort of decide whether that's the direction I want to go or if I feel comfortable with Kole doing it again."

KYLE PETTY HONORED

Victory Junction Gang Camp founder Kyle Petty will rub elbows with some high-wattage celebrities April 2 as he is honored for his work with the camp that supports children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses.

Petty has earned recognition as part of the "Celebration of Paul Newman's Dream," a fundraiser in Avery Fisher Hall at New York City's Lincoln Center. Newman was the driving force behind the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps, a network that includes NASCAR-themed Victory Junction.

Newman's widow, Joanne Woodward, will host the event, which also will feature appearances by Tina Fey, Jake Gyllenhaal and Jimmy Fallon. Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Trisha Yearwood and Josh Groban will perform at the fundraiser.

Kyle Petty and son Austin Petty will accept the honor on behalf of Victory Junction, which Kyle and wife Pattie Petty founded in memory of their son Adam, who lost his life in a racing accident at New Hampshire in May 2000.

SHORT STROKES

Scott Speed is a late entry into the field at Martinsville in the Hamilton Means Racing No. 52 Toyota. Speed has four Nationwide Series starts this season, all in a start-and-park role with Curtis Key's Motorsports Group. Hamilton Means is making its Cup debut in Sunday's race and must qualify on speed in Saturday's time trials . . . Actor Gary Sinise won't be able to make his two planned appearances in Martinsville. Sinise was involved as a passenger in an auto accident on Friday. He was not injured seriously but was forced to cancel his trip to Martinsville. Sinise was scheduled to serve as grand marshal for Sunday's race, and his Lt. Dan Band was to have played a charity concert at Martinsville High School on Saturday night. The concert, promoted by the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation to benefit triple amputee Cpl. J.B. Kerns, will be rescheduled . . . Jeff Gordon topped the speed charts for both of Friday's Cup practices. As the fastest car in the first session, Gordon will be last to make a qualifying run on Saturday.

Hamlin, Johnson strive to get back on track at Martinsville

Hamlin, Johnson strive to get back on track at Martinsville

March 29, 2012

NASCAR Wire Service

The two most dominant drivers in recent memory at Martinsville Speedway are still smarting from last season's uncharacteristic Victory Lane shutout. If the 2011 blanking has made Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson even more motivated, the rest of the field could be in trouble.

Hamlin and Johnson will get their chance to scratch the win column again when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series makes its first stop of the year at its shortest track for the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 (FOX, 1 p.m. ET).

The two drivers combined to win every event in a nine-race span from 2006 to 2010 at Martinsville; Johnson won five, Hamlin four. That changed last season.

Kevin Harvick won this race last April as both Hamlin and Johnson finished just outside the top 10. Both rebounded for top-five finishes at Martinsville in the fall, but victory narrowly eluded Johnson when Tony Stewart bypassed him for a statement-making win on the way to his third title.

"I certainly want to get back to my winning ways there," Johnson said. "But at a minimum, we always end up with a real strong finish. When I think of how close we were to victory last fall . . . it didn't happen, but we led a lot of laps and was a factor in the end."

For Johnson, there's extra motivation for a milestone victory. The next win by Hendrick Motorsports -- winless so far in 2012 -- will be the team's 200th.

For Hamlin, an extra edge may come in the form of Darian Grubb, who manned the pit box for Stewart's Martinsville win last October. The new driver-crew chief combination has already produced one victory for the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 team this season, lifting Hamlin to seventh in the Sprint Cup standings.

Hamlin hasn't lacked for confidence at many points in his career, but exuded it with a bold Tuesday tweet: "If you are wondering who to pick in fantasy this weekend . . . choose 11."

KING OF TRUCKS BACK AT IT AFTER LONG LAYOFF

John King has been living like royalty for five weeks now. That's how long it's been since his surprise victory in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

The truck tour resumes Saturday (SPEED, 1 p.m. ET) with the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway, the second race of the young season.

For King, it's been a longer wait than most. On the heels of his Daytona win, he was eager to get back on the track the following Monday. Despite King's extra anticipation, the time off did have a nice side benefit.

"It's pretty cool the be the points leader for five weeks," said King, who will turn 24 the day after Saturday's race. "For five weeks, I've turned on SPEED and watched 'Race Hub' and seen my name scroll across the bottom of the screen -- pretty wild."

King finished 19th in his only truck start at Martinsville, in 2010, but has competed at the .526-mile track in Late Model competition. He says he'll lean heavily on the experience of Red Horse Racing teammate Timothy Peters, a former Martinsville winner and resident of nearby Danville, Va.

"He's in a sense, almost a short-track king," King said. "I've picked his brain a lot already and I'm going to pick it a lot more, too, this week."

Martinsville’s ‘Big Three’ Shut Out in 2011

Martinsville’s ‘Big Three’ Shut Out in 2011

If last season’s Victory Lane celebrations at Martinsville Speedway seemed a bit odd, consider that 2011 was the first time since 2002 that one of the track’s current Big Three – Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin – failed to win at least one race.
The trio has combined to win 14 of the track’s last 18 races.
Gordon had season sweeps in 2003 and 2005. Johnson did the same in 2007. Hamlin took care of business in 2010.
Interestingly, the only driver besides the Big Three to score multiple Martinsville victories in the past nine years is Tony Stewart, whose Tums Fast Relief 500 win last October was one of the keys to his third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.
Hamlin returns to his home state track with plenty of momentum. He won in Phoenix and sat on the Coors Light Pole last week at Auto Club Speedway, where weather and pit strategy left Hamlin a disappointed 11th. He ranks seventh in points. By the way, Hamlin has six wins in his home state of Virginia. The biggest home state advantage? Richard Petty, with 54 wins in North Carolina.
Johnson’s fortunes continue to trend upward. He finished 10th in Southern California to reach the NASCAR Sprint Cup top 10 – a major rebound from a Daytona 500 finish of 42nd.
Gordon needs some Martinsville magic to restore the swagger the four-time champion enjoyed during last year’s three-win campaign. He has a single top-10 finish during the year’s first five races and stands 25th in points, 51 outside the top 10.
Based on last year, Gordon already may be thinking "wild card" qualification for entry into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™. Brad Keselowski’s three summer victories earned him a "wild card," but weren’t enough to overcome a 50-point, top-10 deficit after five races in 2011.

No Waiting Around For Stewart This Time

Smoke’s smokin’ – and the calendar has just flipped over to spring.
Rarely a fast starter, Tony Stewart is the 2012 season’s first double winner following his victory in Sunday’s weather-shortened Auto Club 400 in Southern California.
In his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career, Stewart never had won multiple races before May. Only six of the three-time champion’s 46 wins – this year’s included – have come prior to June. He climbed into a tie for 14th on the all-time series win list with 1956-57 champion Buck Baker.
All of which spells worry for Stewart-Haas Racing’s driver/owner. Stewart climbed to fourth in the standings after winning in Fontana for the second time.
Just as Jimmie Johnson kept rolling after four of his five consecutive championships, Stewart is maintaining the momentum of his record Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ performance. He’s won seven of his most recent 15 starts.
The last driver to go seven-for-15 over the end of one season and beginning of another was Jimmie Johnson. He did in 2009-10.
Stewart didn’t just stand pat bringing aboard new director of competition Greg Zipadelli and crew chief Steve Addington.
"It's easy for teams, when they have success, to kind of slow down a little bit, take a breath, feel like they're exactly where they need to be," said Stewart following his most recent win. "That's probably the one thing I was most excited about through this winter, was watching our guys, listening to their comments about how excited they were to have the success we had, but how they were looking forward to next year and trying to be able to duplicate that."

Could Hendrick’s 200th Win Belong to Junior?

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have the wins. But Dale Earnhardt Jr. has the momentum. And the hunger.
Earnhardt’s win drought has reached 134 races, but right now, it’s no big deal. He’s third in points, one of three drivers to have scored 30 or more points in every race and heads to arguably his best track.
In terms of Driver Rating, it is his best track. Earnhardt boasts a Martinsville Driver Rating of 99.0, his best at any track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Scoring three consecutive Martinsville top 10s coming into this race (including a runner-up finish last spring), Earnhardt certainly has the skill to take home the oddly elusive 200th win for Hendrick Motorsports.
Whichever driver it is, there would be no better spot for win No. 200 than the tiny Virginia track. You want storybook? This is it.
Hendrick has more wins at Martinsville (18) than any other track, and one more would tie Petty Enterprises for most all time.
The team’s first win came at Martinsville, way back in 1984, so there’s the "full circle" angle.
And emotionally, no track holds more memories – good and bad – for owner Rick Hendrick than Martinsville. In 2004, Hendrick lost his son Ricky in a plane crash that killed all 10 passengers. The plane, owned by Hendrick Motorsports, was on its way to the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville that day.

Harvick’s Martinsville Victory Proved Closer Role

Kevin Harvick’s last-lap take-down of five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson in Southern California last year earned him the moniker "The Closer," and the repeat performance at Martinsville Speedway provided the exclamation point.
It also broke more than a few hearts.
Martinsville’s victim was Dale Earnhardt Jr., on point to ending a still standing winless streak after dispatching Kyle Busch with the race’s 30th lead change. It wasn’t to be. Harvick nudged Junior aside with four laps remaining, moving up five spots in the championship standings.
Harvick, who will become the 50th driver to start 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup races on Sunday, went on to finish third in points for the second straight season. He enters Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500 second, seven points behind leader Greg Biffle, with a best finish of second at Phoenix International Raceway. Harvick finished fourth in Sunday’s weather-shortened Auto Club 400.
He’ll also do double duty competing for the first time in a Richard Childress Racing-prepared Chevrolet in Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Kroger 250 – a race Harvick won in 2009-10.
Four of Harvick’s 18 career victories have come on short tracks – Martinsville, Bristol and twice at Richmond. He has three consecutive finishes among the top five at Martinsville and has finished no worse than 12th in eight of the past nine races. His Martinsville Driver Rating of 94.4 is seventh best.

Season-Opening Stretch Of 2012 Has Been Red Hot

Season-Opening Stretch Of 2012 Has Been Red Hot

With five races in the books, the NASCAR Nationwide Series heads into the first break of the season leaving fans begging for more. Not since 1995 have four of the first five races of the season been won by drivers who are not full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The great competition has broadened the spotlight on the brightest stars of the NNS.
Leading the series points-eligible brigade is Richard Childress Racing driver Elliott Sadler. He sits atop the series standings, 18 points ahead of 2011 series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Sadler has posted one pole, two wins (Phoenix and Bristol), four top fives and five top 10s. He leads the series in season-to-date Driver Rating with 115.2. 
Stenhouse isn’t far off Sadler’s pace. He’s posted one win (Las Vegas), three top fives and four top 10s, picking up where he left off last season, contending for a championship. He’s second to Sadler in season-to-date Driver Rating (114.7) but does lead the series in Average Running Position with a 6.524.
Stenhouse’s Roush Fenway Racing teammate and 2011 Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne also is having a great start to his season. He is fourth in the standings, 34 points behind Sadler. Bayne has posted one top-five and three top-10 finishes this season with a season-to-date Driver Rating of 102.1. 
Two of the newest faces to the series, Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders Austin Dillon, third in the standings, and Cole Whitt, sixth, have been at or near the top echelon so far. Dillon is 27 points behind RCR teammate Sadler in series driver standings having posted three top fives and four top 10s. In doing so, he leads the rookie of the year standings – but just 15 points ahead of Whitt.  Whitt, driving for JR Motorsports, has posted one top five and two top 10s with a season-to-date Driver Rating of 83.9.
Sam Hornish Jr. has started strong as well this season for Penske Racing, currently fifth in the standings with two top-10 finishes.  His season-to-date Driver Rating is 91.6.

NASCAR Ladder System Proving Its Worth

Like other major sports with minor leagues and college athletics, NASCAR has a ladder system to identify the best and brightest drivers through strong competition across its developmental series. To be the best you have to beat the best, and the start of 2012 has given examples of how well the system works.
Numerous NASCAR Sprint Cup stars got their starts in NASCAR developmental series and currently comprise the majority of the top five in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings heading to Martinsville. Greg Biffle, the NSCS standings leader, is a former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (2000) and NASCAR Nationwide Series (2002) champion. Kevin Harvick, second in the standings, is a two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion (2001, 2006) as is third-ranked Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1998-99) and fifth-ranked Martin Truex Jr. (2004-05), the latter in the midst of a breakout NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

Competition Update: Five Races Into 2012 Season

0.259 seconds – The closest margin of victory (Phoenix) in the first five races this season.
1 – Point Standings leader throughout the first five races – Sadler
4 – Different drivers to win: Sadler (2; Phoenix and Bristol), Stenhouse (1; Las Vegas), James Buescher (1; Daytona) and Joey Logano (1; Auto Club Speedway).
4 – Different Coors Light pole winners: Logano (2; Bristol and Auto Club), Danica Patrick (1; Daytona), Sadler (1; Las Vegas) and Denny Hamlin (1; Phoenix).
12 – Different drivers have accumulated at least one Bonus Point – led by Sadler with 11.
41 – Number of Leaders: Daytona (16), Phoenix (5), Las Vegas (8), Bristol (5) and Auto Club (7). Forty-one is the sixth largest number of leaders in the first fives races behind 2010, 2007 (46 leaders); 2006 (44); 1997 (43); and 2008 (42).
74 – Number of Lead Changes: Daytona (38), Phoenix (8), Las Vegas (8), Bristol (5) and Auto Club (15). Seventy-four lead changes ties with 2006 for the third most lead changes in the first five races of the season behind 2007 (77 lead changes) and 1997 (76 lead changes).

NASCAR Nationwide Series, Etc. When racing resumes at Texas next month, the top 30 automatic qualifiers will be derived from 2012 owner points vs. 2011 owner points that were in play for the first five races. ML Motorsports and Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Johanna Long find themselves in 31st, two points out of the cutoff spot. The No. 70 Chevrolet will have to qualify on time at Texas. … DeLana Harvick, owner of the No. 2 Chevrolet, leads the owner standings by 18 points over the No. 6 Ford of Jack Roush. … On March 27, Austin Dillon, his younger brother and NASCAR Camping World Truck competitor Ty and their team owner – and grandfather – Richard Childress toured the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and attended the 8th Annual Armed Forces Foundation Congressional Gala in Washington, D.C. Jeff Burton and Kurt Busch also were scheduled to attend. … TriStar Motorsports driver Tayler Malsam, crew chief Eddie Pardue, team president Mark Smith and Jeffrey Loch, President and CMO of G-Oil, which sponsors the No. 19 Toyota, will visit with Two Guys Garage host Kevin Byrd this week to shoot an episode to air on SPEED later this spring. 

New NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race Format Places Premium On Winning Segments Prior To 10-Lap Shootout

March 27, 2012

Pit Road Strategy To Be Critical Component;

Fans To Again Vote One Driver Into Field

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 27, 2012) – The 28th running of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race will provide some additional incentive for drivers to win one of the four segments heading into the final 10-lap shootout, as the emphasis on winning and pit road strategy have never been more prevalent in this special night of NASCAR star-studded competition. Through the annual Sprint Fan Vote, under way now, fans can again cast ballots for their favorite eligible driver. The driver receiving the highest number of votes will earn a spot in the field.

The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race set for Saturday, May 19 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (SPEED, 7 p.m.), will consist of four 20-lap segments, concluding with a 10-lap sprint and a $1 million payout to the race winner. This year’s format will place a higher premium for drivers who win one of the four segments, however, as the winners of the first four segments will move to the front of the field and line up 1-4 prior to the field coming to pit road for the final mandatory pit stop.

When the drivers come down pit road, crew chiefs will have to decide on their best pit strategy, as multiple scenarios will unfold. The team that makes the best call, combined with the optimum performance on pit road, is likely to be in the driver’s seat for the final 10 laps of competition. Wherever the drivers are positioned as they come off pit road after that pit stop is where they will line up to start the final 10-lap segment.
 

"This new addition to the format is going to provide even greater incentive for the drivers to go all out to win one of the four segments," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. "It also puts even more focus on the pit crews and how they perform during that final pit stop. The team aspect of the sport will be highlighted more than ever and it helps set the stage for an exciting race and an exciting evening for the fans."

 

The eligibility standards for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race remain the same: race winners from either the 2011 or 2012 season through May 12 or any past champions of the all-star event or NASCAR Sprint Cup Series over the previous 10 years are eligible for the race. In addition, the top-two finishers in the Sprint Showdown, a 40-lap preliminary race scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the winner of the Sprint Fan Vote, all advance into the all-star race lineup.

Fans can vote by using the NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile Android™ application on their Sprint phone, or by texting "VOTE" to 229466 on any wireless carrier (standard text messaging and data rates apply). Voting is also open at NASCAR.com/AllStar or by visiting the Sprint Experience, located in the midway at all NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. Voting will continue until 5 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 19. As an added customer benefit, votes submitted from a Sprint, Boost, Nextel or Virgin Mobile device count double toward an individual driver’s total.

Individual tickets for the May 19 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and Blake Shelton pre-race concert presented by Target are on sale now starting at just $39. Fans can also purchase an All-Star Four-Pack for just $99. Tickets can be obtained online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling Charlotte Motor Speedway at 1-800-455-FANS.

The eighth annual NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge returns to kick off the all-star week’s competition, Thursday, May 17 at 7 p.m. at the Time Warner Cable Arena. The event’s finishing order determines pit selection for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. The No. 11 FedEx Toyota team is the defending Pit Crew Challenge champion. Tickets for the NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge start at $15 and can be purchased online at www.pitcrewchallenge.com or by calling the Charlotte Bobcats ticket office at 800-745-3000.

Drivers currently eligible for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (as of March 27) include: Marcos Ambrose, Trevor Bayne, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Mark Martin, Paul Menard, Ryan Newman, David Ragan, Regan Smith and Tony Stewart.

Who’s The King Of Martinsville?

Who’s The King Of Martinsville?

Here are the contenders for the crown: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin.

Oddly, neither won a Martinsville race last year (Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart did), but that was a rarity.

Every year since 2003, at least one of those three drivers has won a Martinsville race. And even though Martinsville’s history goes all the way back to 1949, the three already reside near the top of the track’s wins list. Gordon has seven wins (tied for third-most); Johnson has six wins (tied for fifth); and Hamlin has four wins (tied for ninth).

Gordon needs the usual Martinsville success most – he currently sits 25th (the lowest points position through five races of his career), 51 points outside the top 10.

If a Gordon victory occurs (or a Johnson, Kasey Kahne or Dale Earnhardt Jr. win), it’ll be Hendrick Motorsports’ 200^th win. That scene would be fitting – Martinsville was the site of Hendrick’s first win in 1984. Hendrick would also tie Petty Enterprises from most wins all time at the Virginia short track.

Junior A Fine Pick At Martinsville

Teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson will likely attract much of the "favorites" attention this weekend. But Dale Earnhardt Jr. best not be counted out.

Owning a Driver Rating of 99.0, Martinsville is Earnhardt’s top track in terms of the Loop Data statistic.

Earnhardt has finished in the top 10 in each of the last three Martinsville races, and was runner up to Kevin Harvick in this race last year.

Harvick Milestone Weekend At Track With ‘Happy’ Memories

Kevin Harvick, defending winner of this weekend’s race, will start his 400th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday.

Harvick, currently second in the points, has enjoyed a prolific first 399 races. The Bakersfield, Calif., native has 18 career wins including the 2007 Daytona 500. Harvick will also race in Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.

This Year’s Owner Points Now Determine Guaranteed Status

Last season’s top 35 cars in owner points were locked into each of the first five races of 2012. Now, that luxury is gone.

From now until the end of the season, the 2012 owner points determine guaranteed status. That means a tougher challenge for Landon Cassill and the No. 83 BK Racing Toyota. Owner of guaranteed spot in the first five races, Cassill and his team will now have to qualify their way into this weekend’s event at Martinsville.

March Martinsville Speedway

March Martinsville Speedway

  March 26, 2012

None of what Tony Stewart has accomplished recently makes sense.

For one, he never wins this early in a season. Of his 46 career victories, only six came before June. And only four came prior to race No. 10. Yet, he’s 2-for-5 in this young season.

Two, with seven wins in the last 15 races, Stewart’s on a rare run. Jimmie Johnson ripped off a similar clip in 2009-10, winning four Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup races in 2009 and then three of the first five in 2010. But this has seemingly come out of nowhere for Stewart. Remember, he entered last year’s Chase winless.

Now, the three time – and defending – series champion has catapulted to fourth in the points. Impressive, especially considering Stewart has an average finish of 17.3 in his non-wins this season.

Why stop now? Martinsville Speedway’s on deck, site of Stewart’s thrilling pass – and eventual win – during last year’s Chase. Race No. 6 – the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 – is Sunday at 1 p.m. on FOX.

With much anticipation, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action this week for its second race, the Kroger 250, on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. on SPEED.

Notebook: Earnhardt Jr. surprised his rivals weren’t better weather men

March 25, 2012

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

FONTANA, Calif. -- To Dale Earnhardt Jr., the decision not to pit when rain hit Auto Club Speedway on Sunday was a no-brainer.

Earnhardt stayed out and finished third in the rain-shortened Auto Club 400, which NASCAR called after 129 laps when the rain intensified.

Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson, however, came to pit road under caution for the initial shower, giving up positions in the top five and costing themselves better finishes. Earnhardt was shocked that anyone came to pit road.

"I was pretty certain by watching the weather and studying the weather all night long and all day today that once it began to rain, it wasn't going to stop," Earnhardt said. "I was surprised that some guys came down pit road and gave up track position."

Having made the right call, Earnhardt gained three positions in the Sprint Cup standings and now trails leader Greg Biffle by 17 points.

JOHNSON GETS A GIFT

Forget the 25 points Jimmie Johnson regained on appeal of the No. 48 team’s Daytona penalty early this season.

Johnson was equally fortunate Sunday -- despite pitting under the caution for rain -- when the stoppage of the race left him 10th in the running order, instead of in the garage repairing a broken oil line.

As the cars circled the track in the rain, Johnson’s car began smoking. The driver of the No. 48 Chevy didn't know whether the cause was a broken oil line fitting or an oil cooler problem, but he was happy his team didn't have to make the diagnosis during the course of the race.

"It was just a wild chain of events, because when I came to pit road and took four tires, I wanted it to dry up real quick," Johnson said before NASCAR called the race. "Now I’m sitting here praying for rain. So, as I’m sending the signals to the man upstairs, he’s really confused about what I’m asking for the last three or four minutes."

Johnson got his wish, and the unrelenting rain kept him 10th at the finish -- his fourth straight top-10 -- and allowed him to gain two positions to ninth in the Cup standings.

SOLID RUN FOR BIFFLE

Biffle, on the other hand, was hoping the race would restart -- and never changed his mind.

The driver of the No. 16 Ford felt post-rainstorm track conditions would have favored his car.

"I like this track, but the last few times we’ve been off just a tick," said Biffle, who settled for a sixth-place run when NASCAR called the race. "Today, I didn’t keep up with the track. I thought we were getting closer at the end, because we were closing in on the 29 (Kevin Harvick), and then he got his car going.

"If they would have gotten the track cleaned off and going again, I think we would have had a chance, because we’re good on a cold, green track. When it gets hot and slick, we’re not as good as they are."

Cool-Down Lap: Leaving Fontana with a six-pack of unanswered questions

Cool-Down Lap: Leaving Fontana with a six-pack of unanswered questions

March 26, 2012

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

FONTANA, Calif. -- We know that Tony Stewart won Sunday's Auto Club 400. We know that Greg Biffle kept the Sprint Cup points lead for the third straight week.

But there's still a lot we don't know as we leave Fontana on the transcontinental trip to Martinsville. Here are six questions to contemplate as we move from a wide two-mile track to a tight half-mile:

1. What happened to Mr. October? No, not Reggie Jackson. We're talking about Tony Stewart, a perennial late bloomer. Never before Sunday had Stewart won two Cup races in a season before the end of March. Never before had Stewart won two Cup races in a season before May 5, for that matter. New crew chief? No problem. The win at Fontana was an engraved announcement that Smoke will be a contender again this year.

2. Is Michael Waltrip Racing for real? It certainly looks that way. A week after running 3-4-5 at Bristol, all three MWR entries finished top 13 at Fontana. Martin Truex Jr. is fifth in points, and Clint Bowyer is eighth. Mark Martin is 17th only because he took the week off at Bristol. Chad Johnston, Truex's crew chief, told me Sunday morning that the ability to compare notes from three A-list drivers has made a real difference in the overall performance of the team.

3. Will Dale Earnhardt Jr. ever win again? He's been close, he's led laps early (as in Las Vegas), and he finished third Sunday on the strength of a good pit call. But Junior hasn't had the speed to run with the strongest cars at the end of a race since last year's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, where he ran out of fuel within sight of the checkered flag. Don't forget that Earnhardt also had a great run in the spring race at Martinsville last year, so maybe his winless streak will end where it stands right now -- at 134 races.

4. Will crew chief Chad Knaus bring his infamous "C" posts to Talladega? Driver Jimmie Johnson says the rescission of most of his team's Daytona penalties proves the body modifications to his car were legal. NASCAR president Mike Helton says the upholding of a $100,000 fine to Knaus proves that a violation occurred. Who's right? And will Knaus test Johnson's assertion by bringing the "C" posts to the next superspeedway race? If he does, Helton expects them to be confiscated again.

5. Could NASCAR's appeal process benefit from greater transparency? The question above is a case in point. After the National Stock Car Racing Commission unanimously upheld the penalties to the No. 48 team, only to see most of them struck down a week later by chief appellate officer John Middlebrook, there's more confusion than ever. Why? Because Middlebrook adjusts penalties without comment as to the nature and depth of the alleged violations that caused NASCAR to act. An explanation would help.

6. Is the future of Dodge in NASCAR racing suddenly much brighter? Team owner Roger Penske wasn't at Fontana -- he was 2,500 miles away at the IndyCar Series race in St. Petersburg, Fla. -- but his words on Saturday resounded in the Cup garage. Despite a switch from Dodge to Ford next year, Penske says he'll continue to run his engine shop and is open to building Dodge engines for the trade. With the engine piece of the puzzle solved, a team contemplating a manufacturer change could do so much more easily. Dodge needs NASCAR teams to showcase its 2013 racecar. Dodge also has plenty of potential suitors willing to listen to what the car maker has to offer. So the Dodge fleet in Sprint Cup racing -- currently the two full-time Penske cars of Brad Keselowski and AJ Allmendinger -- could actually grow next season, not disappear.

Tony Stewart wins rain-shortened Cup race at Fontana

Tony Stewart wins rain-shortened Cup race at Fontana

March 25, 2012

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

FONTANA, Calif. -- Tony Stewart made all the right moves Sunday at Auto Club Speedway, and the last one proved decisive in taking the three-time champion to Victory Lane in the rain-shortened Auto Club 400.

After raindrops slowed the race on Lap 124, Stewart, the race leader, faked a move toward pit road but stayed on the track and matched the pace car's speed of 65 mph, a far cry from the lightning-fast laps he ran under the green flag.

But that move -- staying out and running slow caution laps before NASCAR stopped the race on Lap 129 -- proved decisive for the defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, who claimed his second victory of the season, his second at Fontana and the 46th of his career, tying him with Buck Baker for 14th on the career victory list.

Kyle Busch, who stayed out with Stewart, finished second, with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards completing the top five.

Greg Biffle ran sixth, followed by Ryan Newman, Martin Truex Jr. and Kurt Busch, all of whom gambled on protracted rain and stayed on the track during the initial shower. Jimmie Johnson and polesitter Denny Hamlin came to pit road and finished 10th and 11th, respectively.

"I don't think that I faked him out," Stewart said of Hamlin. "I'm sure he had made his decision already -- looked good, though."

In Johnson's case, the top-10 was a godsend, given that the No. 48 Chevrolet developed an oil line problem as the cars circled the two-mile track under caution. Johnson's car began smoking and he kept it rolling on the apron until NASCAR stopped the race.

The event ran caution-free for 124 laps, until rain in Turns 3 and 4 brought out the first yellow flag of the afternoon. Stewart had retained the lead through a third cycle of green-flag pit stops, with Hamlin chasing him.

Hamlin had made a run at the leader when the rain began to fall, but he and Johnson opted to give up positions in the top five and come to pit road, after Stewart made his feint toward the pits but remained on the racetrack.

Feint or not, Hamlin was committed to the trip to pit road, and he explained the decision.

"We were planning on the race going back to green, and if it doesn't, we'll lose some spots, but if we chose to stay out there, we would have to be behind all the cars that pitted (if the race restarted)," Hamlin said as the rain intensified. "(In that case), your chance of winning decreases greatly.

"So you could give up a few spots if it finishes up here and lose a chance to win in the grand scheme of things . . . We had finally gotten to (Stewart's) bumper when the rain came."

That left Busch in second place. The driver of the No. 18 Toyota had led 80 laps to that point, but Busch had rubbed the wall in traffic before the halfway point, and the handling of his car deteriorated thereafter.

Appeal over, but dispute over Jimmie Johnson's "C" posts still rages

March 23, 2012

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

FONTANA, Calif. -- In the aftermath of Hendrick Motorsports' successful appeal of penalties imposed on the No. 48 team for a Daytona rules infraction, Jimmie Johnson made a bold assertion Friday at Auto Club Speedway.

"Through the appeal process, we proved that those 'C' posts were legal," Johnson said of the parts NASCAR confiscated on opening-day inspection Feb. 17 at Daytona.

NASCAR president Mike Helton would take issue with that statement. In Helton's view, when NASCAR's chief appellate officer, John Middlebrook, upheld a $100,000 fine to Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus, that vindicated the inspection problem that uncovered the alleged violation.

"We believe in our inspectors," Helton told reporters Friday at Auto Club Speedway. "We think that the decision that was made this week supports the inspection process, because the elements of the penalty that were upheld indicate that the inspection process, or the inspectors, did their job correctly."

In upholding the fine and leaving Knaus and car chief Ron Malec on probation, while rescinding six-race suspensions to Knaus and Malec and 25-point penalties against Johnson and car owner Jeff Gordon, Middlebrook made no comment about the nature of the violation itself. He simply altered the punishment.

So were the "C" posts legal or not? Asked whether they would be confiscated again if the 48 car featured the same "C" posts at Talladega, Helton said, "I would hope so."

Legal or not, Johnson, Knaus and team owner Rick Hendrick expressed confusion over the rescission of some penalties and the upholding of others.

"I'm not totally happy with the decision," said Johnson, who climbed from 17th to 11th in the Cup standings after his 25 points were restored. "I'm pleased that the big issues had come down, but I share confusion as well.

"I think our message -- I know our message all along through Hendrick Motorsports and myself -- we didn't feel that a penalty was warranted in the first place. We're just as curious."

NEW BRISTOL OR OLD BRISTOL?

Should Bristol Motor Speedway be returned to its pre-2007 configuration to satisfy race fans' apparent hunger for beating and banging?

That's a question track owner Bruton Smith is expected to answer for the Cup series returns to the .533-mile track in August. After Bristol drew what Smith considered was a disappointing crowd for last Sunday's Food City 500 -- roughly half-capacity at the 160,000-seat facility -- the chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc. said he was considering his options, up to and including a return to an earlier version of the track.

The resurfacing and reconfiguration of the concrete speedway in 2007, including the addition of graduated banking, opened the outside lane and made side-by-side racing possible. Before the change, drivers routinely ran the bottom groove and used their bumpers to gain positions.

Brad Keselowski, last Sunday's winner, would rather not see Smith overreact to what he views primarily as an economic and aerodynamic issue.

"Yes, I do think it would be a knee-jerk reaction," Keselowski said when that question was posed. "I don't think you can make racing better every time by changing racetracks. I think they can do things to make them better. It's going to come down to the teams, the drivers, the car setups and car design.

"I just think that what we've seen over the last 10 to 15 years . . . aerodynamics has taken over the sport and changed the racing. You're not going to change that by making the tracks different."

Kevin Harvick, on the other hand, would prefer a revival of the old Bristol.

"I enjoyed the old Bristol," he said. "I like that rough-and-tumble type of racing. I know a lot of car owners and some of the drivers don't like that style of racing.

"That's what made Bristol what it was. People don't want to watch cars ride around with no donuts on the doors and no caved-in fenders at Bristol. They don't want to see a 200-lap (or a ) 150-lap green-flag run. That's not what they came to Bristol for, and that's why they quit coming."

If Smith decides to change Bristol, Dale Earnhardt Jr. hopes he'll seek input from drivers first.

"Whatever he decides to do, talk to the drivers, man," Earnhardt said. "We're the ones out there running on it and can provide some insight. We don't have all the answers, but I'm sure we can give him some things to improve on the situation, if that's what they want to do."