Racing is moving back to the East coast after a West Coast swing that saw Kevin Harvick win almost every race he was in. I bet some of the drivers are happy to getting that part over with. Here is what to look for as we go short track racing with drivers leaving their feelings in the garage.
kevin harvick
Last Stand at Dover: A Preview of the AAA 400 at the Monster Mile
This one’s for the guy who says he’s seen everything. This weekend at the AAA 400 at the Monster Mile in Dover, four of the 16 drivers still alive in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup will indeed see their pursuit come to an end. Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano may have their tickets punched for the Contender Round, but they are the only two with a guaranteed future in the 2014 season. A handful of other drivers have a reasonable expectation of advancement, but the new Chase format has ensured that, without grabbing that checkered flag, nothing is guaranteed.
Sunday at Dover, we will see the first knockout race in this radical new Chase format. While it has been correctly pointed out that points racing is still a viable strategy this late in the game, Kevin Harvick’s position of third in the Chase standings gives him the luxury some other drivers cannot afford. In many ways, Dover is the perfect venue for the first knockout race, as the short, steeply-banked track demands much more skill from the driver and the chassis team than some of the longer, flatter tracks on the circuit.
I’ll be at Dover Downs this weekend to check out the action, and I’ve been looking forward to this race for a very long time. Let’s take a look at the 14 drivers who are still racing for their 2014 lives, in order of how hot their seat currently feels. Points in parentheses indicate current position above or below the current 12th
Brakes Burning at Watkins Glen Red:
1. Aric Almirola (-10)
Some bad luck with his engine in Race 1 put Almirola at a severe disadvantage in this first round, turning a possible top-10 finish at Chicagoland into a DNF. Pulling a 6th wasn’t enough to pull him out of the basement. Almirola is only here because of his win in Daytona in July, finishing 20th the Sprint Cup, and only one has produced a top-10 finish.
2. Kurt Busch (-8)
A blown tire late in the race on Sunday sent Busch tumbling to 36th Chase. Though he has more time on the track in Dover than Almirola, he didn’t have much more success, with just one win in 28 tries.
3. Greg Biffle (-6)
With no wins to his name yet this season, Biffle had to smile just a little bit when he saw the schedule. Dover is one of his favorite tracks, so there are no excuses – and no tomorrows – if he
can’t put together a good run on Sunday.
4. Denny Hamlin (-6)
Another victim of bad luck at Loudon, Hamlin’s unwitting participation in a crash on Sunday stuck him in a pretty big hole. His seven-spot swan dive couldn’t have come at a worse time, as 17 tries at Dover have produced no wins and only three top-five finishes thus far in his career.
400 Laps in the Car Hot:
5. Ryan Newman (0)
6. Kasey Kahne (0)
7. A.J. Allmendinger (+1)
8. Carl Edwards (+2)
9. Matt Kenseth (+2)
For these drivers, winning means everything, but finishing the race means almost as much. They can’t afford to be passed by the guys below, but playing it safe isn’t the worst idea in the world. Maybe we can expect some conservative pit and race strategies from this group, as a DNF would be just about the worst possible way to end a season.
Dover in September Warm:
10. Jeff Gordon (+15)
11. Dale Ernhardt Jr. (+22)
12. Kyle Busch (+22)
13. Jimmie Johnson (+25)
14. Kevin Harvick (+35)
This group is a sure bet to advance, but with the emphasis on winning, anything can happen. Barring disaster, though, these five drivers can expect to move on to the Contender Round. The winner could certainly come from this group, given the combined level of talent and experience we have here, but don’t expect any of these drivers to take any unnecessary risks to grab the checkered flag.
With so many guys fighting for those top 12 spots, there’s really only one thing you’re guaranteed to see this weekend in Delaware: lots of excitement.
Scott Huntington is a racing fan and freelance writer. Follow him on Twitter @SMHuntington or check out his blog, offthethrottle.com
Our Day At Phoenix International Raceway
Yesterday was the first NASCAR race we have attended since Hurricane Sandy put 8 feet of water in our house and destroyed everything we owned at the end of 2012. For those that don’t know I moved our family out to Phoenix area while I go back and build and fight with insurance companies and building permits. Enough about that! Yesterday was a get back to normal day for us as we attended our first NASCAR race since the storm. We didn’t plan on going to the race so I didn’t put in for media passes like we usually do. We bought tickets a week or so ago when we figured I didn’t have to be back in NY and we went to the race.
It was our first time at Phoenix International Raceway and I was thoroughly impressed. We did have to park far away but that was our own fault getting there late. I need the exercise anyway! We were still out by the haulers buying me a new Jimmy Johnson hat when the flyover happened. It was amazing to see in person and I was glad I had my camera out already so I could take the shot.
Entering the raceway they had big banners set up celebrating the 50th year of the raceway. People were posing in front of it to capture a memory.
We went inside and had good seats in the mid 20’s in the Allison section. It was right in between turn 1 and 2. I couldn’t think of a better place to sit.
This is a great place to sit as the cars come roaring down the front strech and have to hit the brakes entering the turn. Something a few drivers like Justin Allgaier forgot to do who was involved in a wreck with Danica Patrick that also collected a few more cars. I watched the whole thing unfold and could see it happening before he did.
It is a shame because Danica had a good car and was in the back which put her in the middle of these cars. I think she had a top 10 car if she would of had any luck with track position earlier in the race. This wreck produced the strangest thing I have ever seen at a track. I was embarrassed to be a guy, a NASCAR fan and a person in general.
Danica’s car came to a stop after the wreck right in front of us. A big guy behind me yelled “Danica go home” in a very chauvinistic manner. Just as I was ready to say something to the guy his girlfriend punches him right in his stomach. I hope Danica couldn’t hear him, but saw this from inside her car. It certainly made my day. Male chauvinism has no place in NASCAR, or anywhere else for that matter.
The race was very enjoyable and it really was 2 races in one race. Joey Logano totally dominated the first part of the race and Kevin Harvick dominated the second half. Dale Jr and the rest of the Hendrick guys did all the could but Kevins car was much better. Congrats to him on his first win for Stewart-Haas racing.
We took over 2000 pictures and will be using them in upcoming post. Expect a few more post from us this week than normal.
Kevin Harvick Wins at Phoenix To Keep Championship Hopes Alive
While it is still a long shot for Kevin Harvick to win the Sprint Cup Championship he did all he could to improve his position by winning the AdvoCare 500 in Phoenix. Kevin had the NASCAR Gods looking over him as race leader Carl Edwards ran out of gas with about a lap and a half to go until the finish.
After the race Kevin had this to say.”Yeah, it’s always fun to come to Phoenix, and we’ve been fortunate to have a lot of success here in all the divisions, and today was no different. We had a good car and really from the time we unloaded, we qualified well and were able to have three solid practices and a good qualifying session and a good race today.With the way that the strategy and everything worked out today, you just had to play your cards right off the bat, and those guys got a little bit lucky with the way that the strategy worked out. But our car was fast enough to work through traffic and keep ourselves in contention even with the other guys on the other side of that strategy, and we were able to be there at the end. Everyone was able to put just enough gas in the cars to make it to the end, and our guys got it right and the other guys were a little short.”
Kevin will need Jimmie Johnson and the #48 Lowes team to have a bad day to have a shot but stranger things have happened in NASCAR. Kevin’s win put him 34 points behind Jimmie in 3rd place with Matt Kenseth in between them. Johnson can clinch the title with a finish of 23rd or better, 24th if he leads one lap and 25th if he leads the most laps. Heading into the race it was a close between Jimmie and Matt Kenseth but Matt had a bad day and is now 28 points behind. The car never handled well and a distaster of a pit stop late in the race had Matt way back in the field finishing 23rd. With Jimmie Johnson finishing 3rd it was a good points day for Johnson.
Homestead race track hasn’t been kind to Johnson the last two races “Yeah, everybody is so eager to predict the champion, but you’ve got to play the game,” said Johnson, who has finished 32nd and 36th in his last two races at Homestead. “You’ve got to run the race, and stuff happens. There’s so many variables in one of our races — I think more variables than any pro sport out there.
Sunday Was All About The Veterans
Racing on Veteran’s Day weekend is always about saluting our Veterans and for Air Force Sergeant Chad Boley it included a surprise homecoming for him and his family at the race.
Of course with the Veterans weekend we have to throw a shout out to Kurt Busch and his girlfriend Patricia Driscoll who does so much for the military. Patricia is the president of the Armed Forces Foundation. I had a chance to talk to Patricia and Kurt about the program and they really do a lot to help Veterans.
Photos courtesy of NASCAR Media and Panic Switch Army.
Shell NASCAR Prize Package Contest
We are having another contest. The prize is No. 29 team Shell-Pennzoil Holiday prize packs. There are 5 prize packages in total and they contain some pretty cool NASCAR items.
A No. 29 die-cast car
No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Christmas Ornaments
No. 29 decals
Harley-Davidson Koozies
Microfiber Clean Cloths
Here is how you enter. You have multiple ways and the more you enter the better chance you have of winning. I will spread the contest across all the social media and email list so everyone that follows the site gets a fair shake.
Join our Newsletter: Everyone that joins will get an entry. We will give away 2 prize packages here. Join our Newsletter
Leave a comment on this contest post on the site: We will give away 1 prize package. We will also be giving away 3 Shell gifts cards as a second prize. 1 entry per day is allowed.
Twitter: Follow @awesomeracefans and send a @ reply “I want to win Kevin Harvicks Shell-Penzoil Car” We will give away 1 prize packages here.
Facebook: “Like” our page Awesome Race Fans on Facebook and post in the Contest thread. We will give away 1 prize package.
The contest ends Saturday 11/27/2010 at 6pm est
If you spread the word about this contest it would be much appreciated.
Prizes were provided by Shell – Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasoline acts as a barrier to protect critical engine parts against performance-robbing gunk.