Friday Charlotte Notebook

Friday Charlotte Notebook

Notebook Items:

•           Joe Gibbs Racing Moving In The Right Direction

•           21 Years And 21 Miles An Hour

•           Earnhardt Calls His Shot

•           Late Trouble For Johnson

Oct. 10, 2014

Kyle Busch: Joe Gibbs Racing is moving in the right direction

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

CONCORD, N.C.— Step by step, Kyle Busch says, Joe Gibbs Racing is making progress.

He just hopes the organization, and his No. 18 Toyota team specifically, has come far enough to go the distance when the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup arrives at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

With a third-place finish in the first race in the Chase’s Contender Round last Sunday at Kansas Speedway, Busch took over second place in the Sprint Cup standings and enters Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway with some breathing room.

Busch took full advantage in Thursday night’s qualifying session, winning the pole for the fifth Chase race.

The effort in qualifying was another indication of the progress JGR is making as a team as the Chase unfolds.

“With the way the eliminations are, yes I would believe we're edging our way towards the top,” Busch said of the organization’s prospects for a championship. “Anything can happen in this game. I believe it's a fickle business, so you just have to pick through it all. And 500 miles here at Charlotte--we hope to have a good race here. 

“We have had good races here in the past and, first things first, you shoot for top-10 and then you shoot for top-five, and if you're in position you try to go after that victory and punch your ticket right on through and get yourself automatically into the Eliminator Round… You have to take things one step at a time.”

With the Chase approaching its midpoint, Busch seems more confident than ever in his footing, though he had difficulty dialing in the No. 18 Camry in Friday’s final practice, recording the 15th fastest speed in the session.

21 YEARS AND 21 MILES AN HOUR

When Jeff Gordon was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie in 1993, he won the pole for the fall Charlotte race with a top speed of 177.684 mph.

Twenty-one years later, in Thursday night’s time trials, Kurt Busch set a track record at 198.771 mph, more than 21 mph faster than Gordon’s 1993 pole speed.

Though the speeds today are dramatically faster, Gordon said he was pushing just as hard to run 177 mph as a rookie as he was to run 197 mph on Thursday.

“Back in 1994 and 1993 that was just unimaginable to be able to go through there so fast, Gordon said after a lap at 197.217 mph put his No. 24 Chevrolet on the outside of the front row for Saturday night’s Bank of America 500. “I remember always coming to Charlotte, and when the sun goes down and you go to qualify and they tape up the grille, how you just had to hold your breath and really push the limits and go for it." 

“It seemed like back then I was pushing just as hard, but we weren’t going as fast. Now the cars don’t go faster because they are on the edge and wrecking. They go faster because they are stuck really well. You still have to push the limits of the car. “To do that there is a lot of throttle and very little brake and carrying a lot of speed.”

Indeed, in race trim on Friday, Gordon carried speed in the final Sprint Cup practice, running fourth behind Joey Logano, Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick in Happy Hour.

CALLING HIS SHOT

It worked for Denny Hamlin in the 2012 Chase race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Hamlin predicted victory for his No. 11 Toyota team—and delivered.

It was the NASCAR equivalent of Babe Ruth pointing to center field fence in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series and smacking a home run to that exact spot on the next pitch, if you believe the baseball lore.

And if Hamlin’s bravado produced results, why can’t it work for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who said on Friday he expects to win Saturday night’s race at Charlotte and restore his team to the Chase conversation after a disastrous 39th-place finish last Sunday at Kansas.

“We're going to win this race,” Earnhardt said between practices on his 40th birthday. “I really got a good feeling about it. This is what we've got to do anyway to try to get further points and try to win the championship. I just got a good feeling."

“The car's been great all weekend. Attitude's good. Everybody's excited. The team’s working well together. The car’s responding well. The car ran some good laps in practice and felt real good.”

It might be premature, however to hand Earnhardt the trophy before Saturday night. He was 11th fastest in both practice sessions, though his No. 88 Chevy was second only to Austin Dillon’s No. 3 in best average speed for 10 consecutive laps.

MORE TROUBLE FOR SIX-TIME CHAMP

On his 63rd lap in final Sprint Cup practice, Jimmie Johnson scraped the wall near the apex of Turns 3 and 4.

“It’s just a scratch,” Johnson radioed to crew chief Chad Knaus before bringing his car to the No. 48 Chevy’s garage bay.

But it was yet another snafu for a driver who finished 40th last Sunday at Kansas and needs a strong rebound in the next two races to avoid elimination from the Chase.

“Just ran out of race track,” Johnson said after exiting the car. “I was trying to get comfortable at the wall and get my car balance set up so I could run up there. The car is really fast, especially the run prior to our last outing. We feel really good about things." 

“The good news is it’s just a big scratch on the side of the car. The guys are going to take it down to tech and make sure that everything checks out for the second time. We set it up on the scales, and nothing looks bent, so just a little drama and a new paint job on the right side before the start of the race, and we’ll have this Lowe’s Chevrolet ready to go.”

Johnson, who qualified 22nd on Thursday night, was eighth fastest in race trim during Happy Hour and fifth fastest in 10-lap average. That’s an encouraging sign for the six-time champion—if he can just avoid the wall.