Sprint Cup 2013: Race 9 - Richmond Saturday Night

The ninth race of the 2013 season brings the Sprint Cup tour to Richmond, Virginia for good old Saturday night racing at its best. When they return to Richmond in September, the stakes will be much higher.  The ¾ mile short track with fine weather expected provides some of NASCAR’s most exiting racing as the only track with such dimensions. The front curved part of the D oval provides good old short track bumping and banging, but then there’s a nice long straightaway down the back stretch where the cars can really accelerate. Like short tracks, tempers and brake pads are bound to heat up.

With Matt Kenseth on the pole, the driver must feel vindictive pride standing tall after NASCAR’s vicious penalty against the #20 team having just won impressively at Kansas last week. All personnel remain on board pending appeals being heard with a seven week suspension holding in the balance for crew chief, Jason Radcliff. Another Joe Gibbs ride shares the outside poll, the #11 FedEx Toyota, driven by Brian Vickers filling in for injured Denny Hamlin.

A story starting to develop is the absence of Fords both in the top five and qualifying.  Only Joey Logano checks in at 7^th in the top ten. The next Ford contender is Marcos Ambrose for Richard Petty in 11^th. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. is the top Rauch driver in 12^th, but no more Fords appear until 20^th, David Ragan racing for Front Row Racing. Brad Keselowski starts 23^rd, but the Rauch veterans find Carl Edwards in 28^th and Greg Biffle in 33^rd followed by the next Petty entry, Aric Armirola in 34^th. Maybe it’s time for the King, the Captain, and the Hat to have a little engineering summit? 

STARTING LINEUP (NO CARS DID NOT QUALIFY)

POS		CAR #		Driver		Mfg.		Sporsor		Speed
1		20		Matt Kenseth		Toyota		Dollar General		130.334
2		11		Brian Vickers(i)		Toyota		FedEx Delivery Manager		130.303
3		24		Jeff Gordon		Chevrolet		Drive to End Hunger		130.252
4		5		Kasey Kahne		Chevrolet		Quaker State / Menards		130.183
5		15		Clint Bowyer		Toyota		Care		130.158
6		42		Juan Pablo Montoya		Chevrolet		Depend		129.851
7		22		Joey Logano		Ford		Shell Pennzoil		129.758
8		18		Kyle Busch		Toyota		M&M's		129.633
9		56		Martin Truex Jr.		Toyota		NAPA Brakes		129.596
10		55		Mark Martin		Toyota		Aaron's Dream Machine		129.577
11		9		Marcos Ambrose		Ford		DeWalt		129.565
12		17		Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #		Ford		Zest		129.552
13		1		Jamie McMurray		Chevrolet		McDonald's		129.534
14		78		Kurt Busch		Chevrolet		Furniture Row Racing / Sealy		129.422
15		39		Ryan Newman		Chevrolet		Outback Steakhouse		129.385
16		31		Jeff Burton		Chevrolet		Airgas / Bulwark		129.372
17		29		Kevin Harvick		Chevrolet		Bell Helicopter		129.366
18		7		Dave Blaney		Chevrolet		SANY		129.292
19		88		Dale Earnhardt Jr.		Chevrolet		National Guard		129.187
20		34		David Ragan		Ford		CSX / Play it Safe		129.162
21		14		Tony Stewart		Chevrolet		Rush Truck Centers / Mobil 1		129.112
22		83		David Reutimann		Toyota		Burger King / Dr Pepper		129.112
23		2		Brad Keselowski		Ford		Redd's Apple Ale		129.032
24		51		AJ Allmendinger		Chevrolet		Phoenix Construction		128.915
25		30		David Stremme		Toyota		Swan Energy		128.811
26		48		Jimmie Johnson		Chevrolet		Lowe's Dover White		128.780
27		35		Josh Wise(i)		Ford		MDS Transport		128.743
28		99		Carl Edwards		Ford		Geek Squad		128.725
29		27		Paul Menard		Chevrolet		Menards / CertainTeed		128.719
30		10		Danica Patrick #		Chevrolet		GoDaddy.com		128.700
31		33		Landon Cassill		Chevrolet		Little Joe's Autos / Precon Marine		128.682
32		47		Bobby Labonte		Toyota		Bush's Beans		128.608
33		16		Greg Biffle		Ford		American Red Cross		128.516
34		43		Aric Almirola		Ford		Smithfield		128.351
35		98		Michael McDowell		Ford		Phil Parsons Racing		128.053
36		93		Travis Kvapil		Toyota		Dominion Raceway		127.956
37		38		David Gilliland		Ford		Long John Silver's		127.883
38		19		Mike Bliss(i)		Toyota		Plinker Tactical / G Oil		127.485
39		36		JJ Yeley		Chevrolet		NASCAR Foundation		126.547
40		13		Casey Mears		Ford		GEICO		126.404
41		87		Joe Nemechek(i)		Toyota		Acredale Vending / AM FM Energy		125.886
42		32		Timmy Hill #		Ford		OXY water		125.692
43		52		Brian Keselowski		Toyota		Highland Wealth Advisors		123.751

NASCAR on the Warpath; Penske Teams and #20 Joe Gibbs Team Await Appeal

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NASCAR on the War Path

Two weeks in a row, NASCAR has found infractions by two of the sports’ top most successful teams resulting in severe penalties, who unless the driver’s name is Carl Long, appear unprecedented in recent NASCAR history. First, after Texas, they essentially levied the death penalty against team Penske particularly championship hopes for the #2 car. The #2 and #22 cars were slow out to the track as NASCAR did not like the rear end assemblies on how the suspension was mounted on the two Penske cars which would be deemed illegal equipment. Now after post race inspection in Kansas, race winner, Matt Kenseth’s car was found to have a slightly too light rocker arm assembly resulting in an even more vicious smack down against Joe Gibbs racing including the coach himself.

The sanctions against Team Penske, the #2 and #22 cars are: Each driver, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano are docked 25 points. Their crew chiefs Paul Wolfe and Todd Gordon are suspended for six points races and the Charlotte All-Star race plus each hit with $100,000 fines landing on probation until the end of the year. Team mangers and engineers for both teams are likewise suspended and on probation.

Penalties against the #20 team and owner, Joe Gibbs were far more harsh since the infraction involves the big three areas that NASCAR is most insistent on being precise – no engine, tire, or fuel violations. Matt Kenseth loses 50 driver points. Crew chief Jason Radcliff is suspended for seven races and fined $200,000. Owner, Joe Gibbs, NASCAR license is suspended for six races meaning no owner points will be accrued during that time period. Additionally, Kenseth’s win will not earn him 3 points toward the chase selection standings and his pole win won’t count toward next February’s shootout race in Daytona for pole winners.

The sanctions against Joe Gibbs and Matt Kenseth are most severe in that the one out of eight rocker arm assemblies found too light was not an issue of design or intent by anyone in Joe Gibbs racing nor does it provide any competitive advantage. The engines are furnished by Toyota Racing Development, who also supplies power for Michael Waltrip racing. The engines are shipped to Joe Gibbs Racing, fitted and installed in the race cars and at no point in the process would anyone in the Gibbs shop have any opportunity or need to tear down the engine. In the entire chain of custody of the motor in question, there is no point at which any Gibbs staff had any opportunity to tinker with the engine nor could one argue any intent on their part to run an illegal engine. Long gone are the days of the amazing Junior Johnson “mystery” engines. It’s hard for anyone with a sense of justice to see how this episode adds up for JGR unless they clearly failed to follow any appropriate due diligence expected of race teams preparing for their race.

The consequences of the Joe Gibbs penalties surely send chilling shockwaves through the garage area as only three competitive teams run their own engine programs: Hendricks, Roush, and Childress.  Hendricks supplies Stewart-Haas and Earnhardt/Ganassi; Roush supplies all Ford teams; Childress also supplies Furniture Row racing. Imagine this, suppose Penske’s car were in the championship chase and a similar infraction were noted on his car with an engine from Roush who’d also have a car in the chase. The whole ownership supply system could explode and the scandals would be unimaginable.

Both Penske and Gibbs will appeal their penalties but this puts NASCAR in another touchy situation. Last year in prerace inspection, NASCAR inspectors found the #48 Jimmie Johnson car noncompliant with aerodynamic specifications. The team was sanctioned with similar levies to that of the Penske infraction, crew chief, Chad Knaus would have been suspended for six races. A $100,000 fine was assessed and both driver and owner docked 25 points. Chad Knaus and car chief, Ron Malic, faced substantial probation. The appeal process stretched out until mid-March. The first round of appeal wouldn’t budge – the team remained penalized; however, on the second round of appeal, NASCAR’s chief appellate official, John Middlebrook, revoked the points deductions and suspensions leaving only the fines in place. John Middlebrook is a former General Motors executive contracted by NASCAR for $1.00 a year to serve as its top arbiter.

The buzz a year ago stirred up angry suspicions that it only seemed logical that a former GM officer might play favorites with the manufacturer’s flagship ride. The obvious appearance of possible conflict of interest was hard to ignore.

Suppose this year similar appeals considerations are not granted. The cars involved this year are Penske Fords, Penske who won the Championship last year, and Gibbs Toyotas. What would be the salient factors that would justify a different appeal tact with this year’s infractions particularly those of Joe Gibbs when TRD appears to be the culprit.

The integrity of NASCAR is on the line with how they handle these cases. They can’t issue harsh penalties without the expectation of their charges being just. The drivers and fans cannot accept even the slightest appearance of an arbitrary, vindictive, or partial judgment when infractions are cited. Penske team members didn’t like being in the garage adjacent to the Hendricks stable at Texas and feel they were “ratted” out. That much made the press. Of course would they do the same if the situation were reversed?  The presumption should be one would get caught regardless. The Joe Gibbs situation is far more complicated particularly given the coach’s good reputation. 

Sprint Cup 2013: Race #7 -- Go for Your Guns in Texas

The Sprint Cup tour is poised for its second race on a 1 ½ track, the kind of track that makes up half of the facilities where teams compete in the Chase for the Championship next fall.  The NRA 500, the season’s 2^nd 500 mile race will be the first of two races at Texas Motor Speedway this season. The PC police and gun control freaks are already outraged that NASCAR would dare accept sponsorship from the National Rifle Association, but considering the traditional American character of NASCAR fans, such a sponsorship deal is quite okay with them, thank you.

While the Texas Motor Speedway most closely appears to resemble its sister track, another Bruton Smith investment in Charlotte, history has shown it to have a character all its own. Richard Childress Racing driver, Kevin Harvick, will take the green flag at the rear of the field for having to replace an engine during practice. The starting field is a battle of brothers, with the Busch Brothers, Kyle, 1^st and Kurt, 2^nd occupying the front row.  The second row also features a related paring with the two Richard Petty Racing cars starting next, Aric Almirola in car #43, 3^rd and Marcos Ambrose in car #9, in 4^th. For good measure, we’ll take the theme into the 3^rd row with two Juniors checking in next. Martin Truex, Jr. starts the #55 Toyota 5^th while Dale Earnhardt, Jr. posts a 6^th starting spot in the #88 Chevrolet. Okay, the match maker was working overtime for the 4^th row with two more Hendricks cars, lining up three in order with Jimmie Johnson in the #48 Chevrolet and Jeff Gordon in the #24 Chevrolet taking spots #7 and #8. This gives the gimmick crazed media something to talk about tomorrow. But equally noteworthy is that the Joe Gibbs team is shut out of the top 10 and only Carl Edwards in 9^th gives the Roush Boys a top 10 starting spot.

We’re pleased to note that so far this year, the number of “start and park” entries has decreased substantially but clearly it’s time for Phil Parsons to get his trash off the track as clearly his team has no intention to compete nor attempt to build for a more glorious future. As a former series driver, it’s especially irksome that a former competitor would embarrass the sport accordingly.

STARTING LINE UP:

POS		CAR #		DRIVER		MFG		SPONSOR		SPEED
1		18		Kyle Busch		Toyota		Interstate Batteries		196.299
2		78		Kurt Busch (PC4)		Chevrolet		Furniture Row Racing / Serta		195.688
3		43		Aric Almirola		Ford		Eckrich		195.009
4		9		Marcos Ambrose		Ford		DeWalt		194.946
5		56		Martin Truex Jr.		Toyota		NAPA Auto Parts		194.770
6		88		Dale Earnhardt Jr.		Chevrolet		National Guard		194.532
7		48		Jimmie Johnson (PC3)		Chevrolet		Lowe's Dover White		194.503
8		24		Jeff Gordon (PC6)		Chevrolet		Cromax Pro		194.168
9		99		Carl Edwards		Ford		Fastenal		194.147
10		42		Juan Pablo Montoya		Chevrolet		Target / Kellogg's		194.007
11		1		Jamie McMurray		Chevrolet		Bell Helicopter		193.819
12		51		Austin Dillon (i)		Chevrolet		Bruce Lowrie  / Realtree		193.764
13		14		Tony Stewart (PC2)		Chevrolet		Mobil 1 / Bass Pro Shops		193.632
14		5		Kasey Kahne		Chevrolet		Time Warner Cable		193.451
15		11		Brian Vickers (i)		Toyota		FedEx Office / March of Dimes		193.444
16		2		Brad Keselowski (PC1)		Ford		Miller Lite		193.431
17		17		Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #		Ford		Best Buy		193.195
18		22		Joey Logano		Ford		Shell Pennzoil		192.885
19		27		Paul Menard		Chevrolet		Quaker State / Menards		192.781
20		20		Matt Kenseth (PC5)		Toyota		Dollar General		192.761
21		31		Jeff Burton		Chevrolet		Caterpillar		192.761
22		21		Trevor Bayne		Ford		Motorcraft/QuickLaneTire&AutoCenter		192.754
23		55		Mark Martin		Toyota		Aaron's Dream Machine		192.644
24		13		Casey Mears		Ford		GEICO		192.596
25		34		David Ragan		Ford		Love's Travel Stops		192.555
26		15		Clint Bowyer		Toyota		Gander Mountain		192.267
27		38		David Gilliland		Ford		EZ Pawn / EZ Money		192.102
28		7		Dave Blaney		Chevrolet		SANY		191.891
29		29		Kevin Harvick		Chevrolet		Rheem		191.734
30		47		Bobby Labonte (PC7)		Toyota		Bush's Beans		191.571
31		39		Ryan Newman		Chevrolet		Quicken Loans		191.557
32		93		Travis Kvapil		Toyota		Dr Pepper		191.279
33		30		David Stremme		Toyota		Lean 1 / Swan Energy		191.144
34		19		Mike Bliss		Toyota		Plinker Tactical / MCM Elegante		190.927
35		16		Greg Biffle		Ford		3M		190.921
36		36		J.J. Yeley		Chevrolet		Accell Construction		190.705
37		98		Michael McDowell		Ford		Phil Parsons Racing		190.698
38		83		David Reutimann		Toyota		Dr Pepper		190.020
39		33		Landon Cassill		Chevrolet		Little Joe's Autos / Precon Marine		189.361
40		35		Josh Wise		Ford		MDS Transport		189.129
41		87		Joe Nemechek		Toyota		ATIgunstocks.com		188.160
42		10		Danica Patrick #		Chevrolet		GoDaddy.com		188.094
43		32		Timmy Hill #		Ford		OXY water		186.290
				DID NOT QUALIFY
		95		Scott Speed		Ford		Tracking Point / B&D Electrical		187.617
		44		Scott Riggs		Ford		JPO Absorbents		186.149

# Indicates candidate for Rookie of the Year

PC indicates "past champion,, digit indicates ranking for "Past Champion Provisional.