Sprint Cup 2012: Race 5 - California

When NASCAR arrived in Fontana California to race in 1997, it was seen as a bold step for NASCAR, that the goal of being a true top-tier national sport had been realized. With the Dallas-Fort Worth area and now the 2^nd largest media market in the fold, the notion of “stock car” racing being essentially a southeastern phenomenon could no longer be sustained. OF course NASCAR had a long history near Tinseltown. Riverside was once one of the major race courses on the series – the prime road race on the circuit. Ontario Speedway also brought the good old boys to Hollywood, but much of this was before the days of full television coverage when drivers like Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, and Bill Elliott became regular names in sports vocabulary. Once upon a time, did anyone besides true race fans outside of the southeast know of anybody in NASCAR besides Richard Petty?

NASCAR became so confident in the western hub of its nationwide expansion, Fontana added a second date in 2004, while the venerable Rockingham track was closed and Darlington was reduced to one date. From that point forward, Fontana became an embarrassment perhaps the first sign that NASCAR was slipping into decline to where by 2008 the sport was plummeting in attendance, TV viewership, and willing sponsors. Hideous signs of decline became self-evident including the inexplicable start and park phenomenon that perplexes true sports fans. That California then was reduced to but one racing date for 2011 was a hard concession to reality, even mighty Los Angeles couldn’t be committed to two NASCAR dates and that Rockingham is back on the truck schedule might be a gentle reminder that there is no place like home after all. Certainly from a fan’s standpoint, watching at home, a Rockingham race is far superior to the same-old same-old pictures from modern cookie cutter tracks.

Plenty of buzz is roaring as the Auto Club 400 approaches tomorrow. First, surely Hendrick Motor Sports winning their appeal on all accounts except for the fine for their “C” post infractions preparing to race in the Daytona 500 provides much speculation. Certainly, some of how NASCAR handled penalizing the 48 team under Chad Knaus’s direction seemed to be an odd departure from protocol, but then that the arbiter handling the case was a GM official and a sense that perhaps he was looking out for corporate interests for its flagship team is hard to ignore wondering if Jack Roush or Joe Gibbs had been in the doghouse, they would have fared as well.

Bristol Motor Speedway also gained much attention with its dismal attendance and suggestion that the style of racing since progressive banking was installed simply Bristol racing isn’t as crowd friendly and needs to be corrected. Bruton Smith, the track’s owner, is seriously considering reverting to the track’s configuration before alteration. However, how much of this is track configuration and not $4.00 a gallon gasoline? While Bristol is easily in a day’s drive from many areas, it’s still a long haul and if the cost of the trip isn’t the killer just day-to-day driving to and from work is.  

The racing on the track should tell the story – four races, four different drivers win, one Ford, one Toyota, one Chevrolet, one Dodge. Early race accidents knocking out top drivers is also hard to ignore considering Jimmie Johnson leading the pack of drivers eliminated early in the Daytona 500 and Carl Edwards having to ride junk around the track not to be surpassed by garbage entries who weren’t competing just sowing up surpassing him. No competitive driver should ever be affected by Joe Nemechek or his band of fellow criminals being granted NASCAR welfare.

The final story is the battle for owners’ points. After the 5^th race, all entries in the top 35 in owners’ points are guaranteed a starting position in the field. The driver in the hot seat in David Reutimann in the #10 Chevrolet for Tommy Baldwin Racing. Stewart-Haas stuck a deal to have Reutimann run 26 races to keep the ride in the top 35 in owner points to guarantee their investment in Danica Patrick having a guaranteed spot and not be subject to the additional stress of qualifying on speed. That Reutimann who seemed like a driver growing in the ranks absolutely tanked in 2011 leading to his dismissal from Michael Waltrip racing. His response to his dismissal and bad mouthing everyone in sight during Daytona’s Speed Week certainly called his motivation as a driver into question. The opening of the #10 ride certainly gave him the chance to show himself deserving of a competitive full-time ride. The #10 ride is one position short of the promised land. David Reutimann will be in one big doghouse if he can’t deliver.

Conversely, a bad showing by the #5 Rick Hendricks Chevrolet driven by Kasey Kahne is in danger of falling out of the top 35 with only a seven point edge from falling out. Teams “on the bubble” include #83 Thomas Uberall driven by Landon Cassill +4; Bob Gerain #13, Casey Mears, +10; Tom Ueberall, #93 Travis Kvapil +14; Brad Jenkins, #38, David Gilliland +16; Richard Childress #33, Brendan Gaughan +16; Bob Jenkins # 34, David Ragan +16. To say David Reutimann has his work cut out for him is an understatement to be sure.

Here’s how the field lines up:

POS		CAR		DRIVER	MAKE	SPONSOR
1	-	11	-	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	FedEx Express
2	-	18	-	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Interstate Batteries
3	-	55	-	Mark Martin	Toyota	Aaron's Dream Machine
4	-	16	-	Greg Biffle	Ford	3M
5	-	5	-	Kasey Kahne	Chevrolet	Quaker State
6	-	39	-	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	U.S. Army
7	-	29	-	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches
8	-	20	-	Joey Logano	Toyota	Dollar General
9	-	14	-	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Office Depot / Mobil 1
10	-	48	-	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Lowe's / Jimmie Johnson Foundation
11	-	15	-	Clint Bowyer	Toyota	5-hour Energy
12	-	99	-	Carl Edwards	Ford	Subway
13	-	56	-	Martin Truex Jr.	Toyota	NAPA Auto Parts
14	-	88	-	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	Diet Mountain Dew / National Guard
15	-	17	-	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Ford EcoBoost
16	-	1	-	Jamie McMurray	Chevrolet	Bass Pro Shops / Allstate
17	-	2	-	Brad Keselowski	Dodge	Miller Lite
18	-	10	-	David Reutimann	Chevrolet	Accell Construction
19	-	31	-	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Caterpillar
20	-	30	-	David Stremme	Toyota	@TheNASCARFans
21	-	24	-	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Drive to End Hunger
22	-	78	-	Regan Smith	Chevrolet	Furniture Row / Farm American
23	-	51	-	Kurt Busch	Chevrolet	Phoenix Construction Services
24	-	42	-	Juan Montoya	Chevrolet	Target
25	-	22	-	AJ Allmendinger	Dodge	Southern California AAA
26	-	47	-	Bobby Labonte	Toyota	Charter
27	-	27	-	Paul Menard	Chevrolet	CertainTeed / Menards
28	-	43	-	Aric Almirola	Ford	Medallion Financial
29	-	9	-	Marcos Ambrose	Ford	Dewalt
30	-	26	-	Josh Wise*	Ford	Morristown Driver's Service
31	-	83	-	Landon Cassill	Toyota	Burger King / Dr Pepper
32	-	98	-	Michael McDowell	Ford	Curb Records
33	-	13	-	Casey Mears	Ford	GEICO
34	-	36	-	Dave Blaney	Chevrolet	Tommy Baldwin Racing
35	-	23	-	Scott Riggs	Chevrolet	North Texas Pipe
36	-	49	-	J.J. Yeley	Toyota	America Israel Racing
37	-	33	-	Brendan Gaughan	Chevrolet	South Point Hotel & Casino
38	-	34	-	David Ragan	Ford	Front Row Motorsports
39	-	19	-	Mike Bliss	Toyota	Humphrey Smith Racing
40	-	93	-	Travis Kvapil	Toyota	Burger King / Dr Pepper
41	-	38	-	David Gilliland	Ford	1-800LoanMart
42	-	32	-	Ken Schrader+	Ford	U.S. Chrome / 1 Less Than 2 Ltd.
43	-	74	-	Reed Sorenson	Chevrolet	Turn One Racing
Did Not Qualify
44	-	7	-	Robby Gordon	Dodge	Speed Energy
45	-	87	-	Joe Nemechek	Toyota	AMFMEnergy.com / Pellet & Wood Stoves
46	-	37	-	Timmy Hill*	Ford	Poynt.com

Entries shown in red are below 35th in owners' points.

...

Sprint Cup 2012: Race 4 - Bristol Bangin'

While it sure lacks the drama of the August night race, there’s something about a Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway that makes watching the sport especially fun. While in the August race, drivers are consciously working to secure their position in the Chase, the stakes are equally important for some marginal teams in the spring race as time is getting short, one more race after this one, to lock into the guaranteed starting positions afforded drivers in the top 35 in owners’ points.  In this sponsor driven market, the assurance that an owner’s car decked out in sponsor advertising is dearly important so investors know their product will be marketed by making the show.

David Reutimann is a driver in the hot seat. Mired in 40^th place in owner points for Tommy Baldwin, his job was to keep the #10 car in the top 35 to assure a starting position for Danica Patrick for the 10 races she is scheduled to run for Stewart-Haas races. Baldwin and Stewart struck this deal specifically to make sure that would happen. Reutimann who showed potential when first working with Michael Waltrip racing had fallen off considerably especially in 2011 leading to his dismissal from that team. That Reutimann was bitter and bad mouthed others during the buildup to the Daytona 500 did not help his value as a driver looking for a true regular ride. He starts 19^th for tomorrow’s race right in the thick of the action His effort must show a noticeable move upward this week and do likewise next week to lock down that valuable starting spot for his team.

Much buzz surrounds the sport given Dodge’s situation for next year having unveiled their new race car after their flagship team, Penske, had announced its plans to race Fords next year. Much of the buzz suggests Richard Petty Racing might return to Mopar where he once had such a rich history; however, Richard Petty’s operation ended its relationship with Dodge and moved to Ford after the 2009 season. It gets its cars and engines from Jack Roush’s operation and given its tight finances isn’t about to start its own engine program. Conjecture has also focused on Earnhardt/Ganassi Racing; however, they are locked in with Richard Childress Racing and their joint engine program. Dodge has nowhere to go where an engine program exists. How’s this for intriguing possibilities? James Finch racing with Kurt Busch has a capable driver if he can control his tempter and abusive manner who’d provide past champion provisional positions. Front Row racing has David Ragan and David Gilliland, but is also severely underfunded. Whether any of the other operations that don’t engage in defiling the sport with start and park rip off operations would be likewise good candidates is open for speculation. If Dodge can help create an engine program and teams gain enough financing, the likes of Busch and Ragan would at very least be strong top 20 candidates.

Let’s face it, no matter what Dodge’s intentions are, we’d have to bet they are probably no better than a 50/50 chance of being in NASCAR racing next year unless they have the resources to attempt to reverse a sport that’s still obviously in contraction mode.

Some other noteworthy teams that are in danger of losing top 35 standings include the #13 Bob Germain Ford driven by Casey Mears currently in 35^th place. Richard Childress Racing’s #33 car shared between Austin Dillion and Brendon Gaughan is in 34^th spot with a 32^nd starting spot. Landon Cassill in the #83 Burger King ride starts 29^th but is only in 36^th place in the owner’s bracket. A real shocker finds the #22 Penske Shell/Penzoil Dodge with A.J. Allmendinger in 33^rd in points while James Finch’s entry in the #21 Hendricks powered Chevy with Kurt Busch is in 32^nd spot.

Considering Bristol’s remarkable ability to grind up racecars, these teams are on pins and needles with only California to go to earn their assured starting berths.

Here’s how they line up. Let the beating and banging begin!!!!

POS		CAR		DRIVER		MAKE
1	-	16	-	Greg Biffle	-	Ford
2	-	22	-	A.J. Allmendinger	-	Dodge
3	-	39	-	Ryan Newman	-	Chevrolet
4	-	24	-	Jeff Gordon	-	Chevrolet
5	-	2	-	Brad Keselowski	-	Dodge
6	-	78	-	Regan Smith	-	Chevrolet
7	-	43	-	Aric Almirola	-	Ford
8	-	99	-	Carl Edwards	-	Ford
9	-	20	-	Joey Logano	-	Toyota
10	-	5	-	Kasey Kahne	-	Chevrolet
11	-	27	-	Paul Menard	-	Chevrolet
12	-	9	-	Marcos Ambrose	-	Ford
13	-	18	-	Kyle Busch	-	Toyota
14	-	29	-	Kevin Harvick	-	Chevrolet
15	-	56	-	Martin Truex Jr.	-	Toyota
16	-	15	-	Clint Bowyer	-	Toyota
17	-	1	-	Jamie McMurray	-	Chevrolet
18	-	88	-	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	-	Chevrolet
19	-	10	-	David Reutimann	-	Chevrolet
20	-	11	-	Denny Hamlin	-	Toyota
21	-	17	-	Matt Kenseth	-	Ford
22	-	48	-	Jimmie Johnson	-	Chevrolet
23	-	14	-	Tony Stewart	-	Chevrolet
24	-	13	-	Casey Mears	-	Ford
25	-	55	-	Brian Vickers	-	Toyota
26	-	38	-	David Gilliland	-	Ford
27	-	51	-	Kurt Busch	-	Chevrolet
28	-	30	-	David Stremme	-	Toyota
29	-	83	-	Landon Cassill	-	Toyota
30	-	42	-	Juan Montoya	-	Chevrolet
31	-	34	-	David Ragan	-	Ford
32	-	33	-	Brendan Gaughan	-	Chevrolet
33	-	31	-	Jeff Burton	-	Chevrolet
34	-	93	-	Travis Kvapil	-	Toyota
35	-	36	-	Dave Blaney	-	Chevrolet
36	-	47	-	Bobby Labonte	-	Toyota
37	-	26	-	Josh Wise*	-	Ford
38	-	74	-	Reed Sorenson	-	Chevrolet
39	-	98	-	Michael McDowell	-	Ford
40	-	249	-	J.J. Yeley	-	Toyota
41	-	87	-	Joe Nemechek	-	Toyota
42	-	32	-	Ken Schrader+	-	Ford
43	-	23	-	Scott Riggs	-	Chevrolet