The newly paved track at the Daytona International Speedway undergoing tests this week from some of NASCAR’s best drivers. We all remember the fiasco at last year’s Daytona 500 when a pothole in the middle of the track delayed the race for hours. Race officials were determined to not allow such an embarrassing problem happen again in 2011. The track underwent detailed renovations, smoothing out all the bumps and imperfections. After a day out driving, the drivers gave the new pave job a thumb’s up. Former 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. approved of the track remarking “the track is real smooth. It’s got a lot of grip.” The track overhaul should make for a more enjoyable race in February. With the drivers happy with the track heading into the race, the folks at the Daytona International Speedway can breathe a sigh of relief.
The Chase for the Sprint Cup saw a shake-up this last weekend with Denny Hamlin winning the 2010 NSCS at Texas. Hamlin now sits atop the the Sprint Cup standings with 33 points separating him from four-time champion Jimmie Johnson. Hamlin has won 8 races this season with Sunday being his second win of the year at Texas Motor Speedway. The 29-year-old Joe Gibbs race car driver has never won the Sprint Cup in his career, but did finish 3rd in 2006. I for one would love to see Hamlin win it all just to break Johnson’s stranglehold on the sport. Johnson’s dominance is incredibly impressive, but some change would give new life to NASCAR. Hamlin is having a career year and deserves to be the champ. The Chase will come down to the Kobalt Tools 500 in Phoenix and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in Miami later this month.
If anyone thought Jimmie Johnson was out of the Chase for the Sprint Cup they were brought back to reality last weekend at the Dover International Speedway. Johnson won the AAA 400 in convincing fashion over second place Jeff Gordon and third place youngster Joey Logano. The win vaulted Johnson to second place in the Sprint Cup standings. Looking to secure his fifth consecutive Sprint Cup title, Johnson is now only 35 points behind leader Denny Hamlin (who finished in 9th). Johnson was relieved to get his first victory since the Lennox Industrial Tools 301 on June 27th. Next week NASCAR descends upon the Kansas Speedway for the Price Chopper 400. Johnson last won the race in in 2008 and finished in 9th in 2009. History shows that no one should count Johnson out until the final race of the Sprint Cup. We shall see on Saturday in Kansas City, Kansas if Hamlin can withstand Johnson’s pressure on the race track.
The first race of the 2011 Chase For the Sprint Cup will be held just outside Chicago, IL at the Chicagoland Speedway. The announcement could be a sign that NASCAR is looking to tap into the massive Chicago market by awarding the city one of the 10 Sprint Cup races. Chicagoland Speedway played host to the LifeLock.com 400 last month that saw underdog favorite win his second Sprint Cup Series race. The 1.5 mile track has also hosted the Dollar General 300 on the Nationwide Series since 2001. Kyle Busch claimed the $81,570 prize last year finishing in 1st place. Located in Joliet, IL, the Chicagoland Speedway has been in operation for nine years. The $130 million stadium seats 75,000 spectators on race day. The Chase For the Sprint Cup opening race in Joliet will be followed by a race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway had a feel-good ending this weekend with driver David Reutimann coming away with his second career win on the Sprint Series. At Victory Lane a host of drivers and NASCAR crew member congratulated Reutimann and his team after the #00 car held off Jeff Gordon for the win. The outpouring of congratulations gave racing fans a in-depth look into Reutimann’s popularity within NASCAR circles. Reutimann’s first win on the Sprint Series came with a boatload of scrunity. The 40-year-old got his first career Sprint Cup win at the Coke 600 last year due to weather conditions. The manner at which his won his first race caused critics to question if he deserved the win. Reutimann put all his critics to bed by leading the race Saturday for the last 32 laps and fending off the likes of Gordon and Carl Edwards. Congrats to David!
Motorsports fans are going to need to find a good NASCAR ticket broker for all of the great upcoming races. The Sprint Cup Series will return to Daytona Motorspeedway this weekend for the Coke Zero 400 on Saturday. Kevin Harvick is right now is the only man keeping Jimmie Johnson from his fifth consecutive Sprint Cup title. The #48 car has already won 5 times already this year and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. The next race is The LifeLock.com 400 in Chicago where Mark Martin will try to defend his title. Then NASCAR head to Indianapolis for the Brickyard 400 where an expected crowd of 250,000 will watch the world’s best stock car drivers compete. Jimmie Johnson has won the race the two previous years, but former winner Tony Stewart could prove a stiff test. This truly is turning out to be an exciting summer for NASCAR maniacs!
Danica Patrick is riding three IndyCar Top 10 finishes into her first Nationwide race in three months. The 28-year-old race car driver will compete in the NASCAR Nationwide New England 200 at New Hampshire Motorspeedway on Saturday. Patrick’s cross over to NASCAR has seen mixed results. Her first race on the ARCA circuit was a great success as Patrick finished in sixth place at the Daytona Motor Speedway. On the Nationwide, Patrick has wrecked twice in three races, so perhaps we shouldn’t expect the IndyCar star to threaten to win the race. Patrick told the media that she’d be happy with a Top 20 or T0p 15 finish in New Hampshire. Regardless of whatever place Danica finishes on Saturday, there will be a lot of extra eyes on New Hampshire cheering her on.
Joey Logano, at just 20 years old, has won twice at the Kentucky Speedway. Thing is, he’s only raced there twice. In June of 2008, Logano won his first Nationwide series race at Kentucky, despite teammate Kyle Busch doing his best to wreck him. The Joe Gibbs driver won again at the 2009 Meijer 300 on the Nationwide series. Although now a staple on the Sprint Cup Series, Logano has opted to try his luck at winning again at Kentucky. Logano has yet to win on the Nationwide Series this season, but finished in 3rd on May 29 in the Tech-Net Auto Service 300. Logano won his first Sprint Cup Series race last year at the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 in New Hampshire. NASCAR’s wunderkid will go for three in a row in Sparta, Kentucky this Saturday.
Kyle Busch’s post-race expletive-ridden comments about team mate Denny Hamlin this past weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway was just another example of how NASCAR teams aren’t always the best of friends. Denny Hamlin refused to allow Busch (his brother Kurt eventually won the race) to pass him during the All Star Race on Saturday, which caused Busch to slam his Toyota M&M Pretzel car into the wall. Busch apparently went looking for Hamlin at his trailer after the race. Giants of the sport, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, have also been after each other recently. NASCAR.com did an excellent piece, featuring writers Bill Kimm and Mark Spoor, asking the question if teammates should race differently against one another. I see the point that the drivers are paid by team owners and therefore are expected to do what is best for the team, but no one can deny that people love NASCAR for the drivers. NASCAR drivers got to where they are, because of their inane desire to finish in first. If there’s too much of team mentality on the racetrack it’ll take away from the sure competitiveness of the sport. Besides, all this team-on-team controversy is endlessly entertaining. I hope there’s more to come.
Kyle Busch is a busy man. This weekend in Nashville he won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Friday night and the next day he finished third in the Nationwide Series in the Music City. The Truck Series victory was Busch’s first win driving as the owner of his own truck. The 24-year-old driver is famous for his bad behavior, but his success this weekend went without any controversy. Last year at Nashville, Busch caused a stir over his smashing of the custom Gibson guitar he received for winning the Auto Parts 300 moments after receiving it. The artist who made the guitar was upset and Busch didn’t come out looking to good. However, on Friday there was no guitar smashing or verbal tirades, but just Busch accepting his victory uncharacteristically with grace.