Sprint Cup 2012: Race 36 -- And the Champion Shall Be....

Brad Keselowski starts 3rd to fire things up and hold off "Five Time" Jimmy Johnson who starts 10th in quest of the 2012 Sprint Cup Trophy. If the #2 Miller Lite Dodge finishes in 15th or better, team Penske wins its first Sprint Cup championship. The simple math is, without some substantial mishap, the race is totally in Keselowski's grasp. Johnson needs the #2 team to give something up and race a spectacular race to claim title #6.

Jimmie Johnson had the edge in round one practice charting the 16th best practice time while the "Blue Deuce" only managed to secure the 21st best time; however, if this were the end race results Sunday afternoon, Keselowski wins. Final second round "Happy Hour" practice is scheduled for 3:00 pm before the Nationwide series races for its championship with their race ready to go with a 4:30 pm green flag.

Joey Logano, who moves to Peneske next year, sits on the pole in his last race for Joe Gibbs Racing in the #20 Home Depot Toyota which will be Matt Kenseth's ride in 2013. Kenseth starts 11th.  The top 10 starters are loaded with drivers looking to salvage something from the 2012 season. Marcos Ambrose starts second once again trying to show he's got game on oval tracks. Carl Edwards is looking for some measure of pride for a dreadful, winless season starting 4th. Aric Almirola is racing for his contract for 201 in 5th.  Clint Bowyer, knocked out of 2012 championship contention by an angry Jeff Gordon starts 6th. Martin Truex Jr., the winless chaser, lines up 7th, while Kyle Busch enduring a horrible 2012 checks in at 8th. Meanwhile, on the opposite end, Denny Hamlin, who looked promising as the chase started starts in a horrible 41st position needing owners' points to make the field. Last year's champ, Tony Stewart, starts in a dreadful 35th spot. One additional ride to watch starts 27th, likely Nationwide champ, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. prepares for his sprint Cup rookie season. He'll be the 3rd Roush-Fenway driver next year.

Sprint Cup 2012: Race 35: The Duel

Seven points and a world of difference marks the distance between the Championship contenders in the 2013 Chase for the Championship. With two races to go, the current champion of champions, the leader of all active drivers, and 3rd best historically, with five championships aiming for his sixth, Jimmie Johnson, battles the relative newcomer, Brad Keselowski, holding a seven point lead over the challenger.

Neither driver takes anything for granted as the Nationwide series showed so vividly today when that series was also a two driver duel between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Elliot Sadler. Sadler in the role of challenger fought his way up through the field but a late race accident with the #88 destroyed Sadler's championship hopes. Neither of the Sprint Cup competitors are poised for good luck with Keselowski starting 14th and Johnson 24th. If the unthinkable were to happen and both drivers collapse, then Clint Bowyer enters the picture for the final shootout next week in Homestead, Florida.

Kyle Busch starts from the pole trying to salvage a miserable season with a strong Toyota presence up front showing Martin Truex Jr. cellebrating his most successful season on the outside pole followed by the ill-fated chaser, Denny Hamlin in 3rd.

All eyes will be on the #48 and #2 cars as the race develops with each driver looking to leave Phoenix with a decisive advantage going into the final race.

Sprint Cup 2012: Race 33 -- Could Martinsville be Johnsonville?

Jimmie Johnson sits on the poll for tomorrow’s Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville.  Imagine the sinking feeling the competition must be feeling with visions of a 6^th championship in 7 years for the 48 team looking all too real.

Folks in the #2 Miller Lite Dodge stable must be praying for the miraculous to maintain their perch atop the Sprint Cup standings as they enter Martinsville, Virginia for tomorrow’s scheduled running of the Tums Fast Relief 500.  Martinsville is a track that his adversaries, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin have mastered in past races where Johnson has especially shown dominance. Keselowski’s not tamed the tiny paperclip shaped track so far in his short career. To make matters worse, the #2 Dodge starts in a miserable 32^nd place where track position is all important, not to mention pit selection. Jimmie Johnson (no surprise) sits on the poll and Denny Hamlin, feeling especially sharp having just won the Camping World Truck Series race, starts 5^th. Meanwhile, Clint Bowyer who is trying to push himself into the beauty contest starts 8^th. Kasey Kahne, 30 points out, the only driver left with the faintest of chances of getting in the title chase did not do his cause well starting in 15^th.  The rest of the Chase field is effectively eliminated with only four races to go and more than a race’s worth of points to overcome.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. returns to action after sitting out two races recovering from a concussion. He starts 20^th.  

Martinsville should dodge the bad weather forecast for the East Coast with temperatures in the 60’s, cloudy conditions, and moderate wind from the north around 15 mph.

Sprint Cup 2012: Race 32: Kansas -- Tough Challenge for the Front Runner

Predicting results at a freshly paved race track is senseless as the handling characteristics are completely changed; however, from studying yesterday’s Nationwide Series race, it looks like largely a one groove race track where track position will be everything which given the qualifying order, puts some chasers, notably, points leader, Brad Keselowski behind the eight ball.  The chase currently looks like a three man affair between Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, and Denny Hamlin with Clint Bowyer helping his cause tremendously. Kasey Kahne sits on the pole 35 points back, but with five more races, he’ll need some help with drivers above him slipping with so much room to make up. The rest of the field is more than a race’s worth of points. We’re counting them out.

1. Brad Keselowski (0)
2. Jimmie Johnson (-7)
3. Denny Hamlin (-15)
4. Clint Bowyer (-28)
5. Kasey Kahne (-35)

Here’s how they line up…Chase drivers shown in CAPS.

POS		CAR		DRIVER		MAKE	SPONSOR	SPEED
1		5		KASEY KAHNE		Chevrolet	Farmers Insurance	191.360
2		55		Mark Martin		Toyota	Aaron's Dream Machine	191.238
3		15		CLINT BOWYER		Toyota	5-Hour Energy	191.130
4		18		Kyle Busch		Toyota	M&M's Halloween	191.096
5		43		Aric Almirola		Ford	Farmland	190.988
6		39		Ryan Newman		Chevrolet	Code 3 Associates	190.853
7		48		JIMMIE JOHNSON		Chevrolet	Lowe's	190.840
8		20		Joey Logano		Toyota	Dollar General	190.813
9		11		DENNY HAMLIN		Toyota	FedEx Freight	190.718
10		29		KEVIN HARVICK		Chevrolet	Budweiser	190.409
11		16		GREG BIFFLE		Ford	3M / Sherwin Williams	190.389
12		17		MATT KENSETH		Ford	Zest	190.376
13		51		AJ Allmendinger		Chevrolet	Phoenix Construction	190.154
14		27		Paul Menard		Chevrolet	Menards / CertainTeed	190.134
15		22		Sam Hornish Jr.		Dodge	Shell / Pennzoil	190.094
16		56		MARTIN TRUEX JR.		Toyota	NAPA Auto Parts	189.940
17		99		Carl Edwards		Ford	Fastenal	189.913
18		9		Marcos Ambrose		Ford	Black & Decker	189.827
19		24		JEFF GORDON		Chevrolet	DuPont	189.520
20		31		Jeff Burton		Chevrolet	Caterpillar	189.367
21		1		Jamie McMurray		Chevrolet	Bass Pro Shops / Arctic Cat	189.268
22		47		Bobby Labonte		Toyota	Kingsford	189.268
23		98		Michael McDowell		Ford	K-Love / Curb Records	189.261
24		42		Juan Montoya		Chevrolet	Taylor Swift / Target	188.851
25		2		BRAD KESELOWSKI		Dodge	Miller Lite	188.772
26		83		Landon Cassill		Toyota	Burger King / Dr Pepper	188.646
27		37		J.J. Yeley		Chevrolet	MaxQworkforce	188.633
28		13		Casey Mears		Ford	GEICO	188.600
29		78		Kurt Busch		Chevrolet	Furniture Row / Farm American	188.370
30		19		Mike Bliss		Toyota	Plinker Tactical / Crowne Plaza	188.173
31		93		Travis Kvapil		Toyota	Burger King / Dr Pepper	188.147
32		21		Trevor Bayne		Ford	Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center	188.055
33		14		TONY STEWART		Chevrolet	Office Depot / Mobil 1	187.859
34		191		Reed Sorenson		Toyota	Plinker Tactical / Crowne Plaza	187.761
35		195		Scott Speed		Ford	B&D Electrical	187.748
36		87		Joe Nemechek		Toyota	AM / FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves	187.578
37		34		David Ragan		Ford	Client One Securities, LLC	187.474
38		38		David Gilliland		Ford	Long John Silver's	187.234
39		88		Regan Smith		Chevrolet	National Guard / Diet Mountain Dew	187.182
40		10		Danica Patrick		Chevrolet	GoDaddy.com	186.896
41		36		Dave Blaney+		Chevrolet	TBR / TMone	183.773
42		32		Timmy Hill+		Ford	Southern Pride Trucking / U.S. Chrome	183.624
43		79		Kelly Bires		Ford	Bestway Disposal / Re-Load.biz	187.285
Did Not Qualify
44		33		Cole Whitt		Chevrolet	Moon Shine Attire	186.877
45		30		David Stremme		Toyota	Inception Motorsports	186.027
46		26		Josh Wise*		Ford	MDS Transport	182.500

Sprint Cup 2012: Race 31 -- Home Sweet Home

Perhaps it’s only just that the Sprint Cup tour should stop at Charlotte after racing in Talladega last week. In a sport where every week is a road trip, Charlotte is the only time the Cup drivers get a home game. As if the “big one” wasn’t bad enough for the number of cars that were collected in the horrific last lap wreck and how many hopes for the season dashed, the news that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will sit out at least the next two weeks ending perhaps his best chance in his career to run for a championship underscores just how frightening the Alabama track is as if memories of Carl Edwards crashing into the guard fence, horrible accidents involving Junior’s dad or the defining accident where Bobby Allison’s car jumped the fence hastening the era of restrictor plate racing aren’t all terror enough for a normal sports fan.

Talladega was a track built a little too soon. It pushed big bulky cars to their limits when it opened but as cars became lighter and more aerodynamic making speeds of over 200 mph, even faster than 210 possible, no track has made the darker side of racing more possible, and perhaps we are blessed that more horrors haven’t happened. The deadly consequences have been more frequent at its sister track in Daytona.

Let’s not forget as they buckle up for Charlotte, the IRL saw Charlotte as an attractive venue for Indy Car racing, but a track that allows more speed than car technology proved lethal with history repeating itself last year at a similar track in Las Vegas, the last on track event killing a popular driver. A Charlotte configuration works just fine for Sprint Cup at its current level of technology. No fan wants an IRL like event in Charlotte to be NASCAR’s fate in Alabama. That Dale Earnhardt Jr., the sports’ favorite driver, got his brain rattled should perhaps rattle a few brains among the NASCAR brain trust and seriously think about what options they have to improve safety concerns at Talladega. While tremendous advancements have made Sprint Cup racing much safer since Dale Earnhardt’s death at Daytona, February, 2001, drivers aren’t the only possible casualties at racing events. Many options are on the drawing board but none ever seem to be close to reality. The judgment is “We’ll just have to live with Talladega the way it is right now,” but the instant somebody is killed or gruesomely disabled such smugness will end. This is avoidable not inevitable.

As action approaches tomorrow night, the Chase for the Cup is pretty much a three driver competition between Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, and Denny Hamlin. If any driver seems to own Charlotte, it’s Johnson. Starting 21^st, Keselowski has his work cut out for him requiring brilliant pit strategy, patience, and opportunism to give him a fighting chance to build on his 14 point lead over Johnson.

This will be only Keselowski’s 7^th race at the venerated speedway with only one top five, his last race in May. He’s only failed to finish on the lead lap once with an average 16.5 finish at the Carolina track.

Jimmie Johnson is absolutely dominant at Charlotte with six wins, ten top fives, and an average 11.8 finish. The consolation is Johnson has finished outside the top ten in his last four races in Charlotte with a 34^th and 37^th finish in his last two fall races. Johnson starts fifth, well-positioned to get back to his typical form at the track.

Denny Hamlin’s results at Charlotte are lackluster, with a 15^th average finish, no wins, only two top 5’s and seven top 10’s, this is not one of Hamlin’s stronger tracks though he is no slouch on 1 ½ mile tracks in general. Hamlin starts 9^th in good striking distance for a good evening of racing.

Regan Smith, shopping for a job for next year, starts 26^th substituting for Dale Earnhardt Jr. While Earnhardt’s chance for a top ten finish this year are over, a respectable performance from Smith will certainly help Hendricks Motor Sports maintain its dominance in owner points as the sports’ team to beat.

Almost certainly, Tony Stewart’s desire to repeat as champ is over. He starts a horrible 32^nd right in front of the trash heap. Does anyone wonder if he misses Darien Grubb, one of the three crew chiefs right in the thick of the battle for the championship. In 7^th place,  46 points out, he’s racing for pride and next year.

The starting field is listed below with Chase drivers shown in CAPS. 

POS		CAR		DRIVER		MAKE		SPONSOR		SPEED
1		16		GREG BIFFLE		Ford		3M / IDG		193.708
2		55		Mark Martin		Toyota		Aaron's Dream Machine		193.361
3		39		Ryan Newman		Chevrolet		Quicken Loans		193.251
4		15		CLINT BOWYER		Toyota		5-Hour Energy		193.043
5		48		JIMMIE JOHNSON		Chevrolet		MyLowe's		192.995
6		56		MARTIN TRUEX, JR.		Toyota		NAPA Auto Parts		192.919
7		17		MATT KENSETH		Ford		Best Buy		192.885
8		18		Kyle Busch		Toyota		M&M's		192.850
9		11		DENNY HAMLIN		Toyota		FedEx Ground		192.802
10		5		KASEY KAHNE		Chevrolet		Time Warner Cable		192.644
11		29		KEVIN HARVICK		Chevrolet		Jimmy Johns		192.637
12		20		Joey Logano		Toyota		The Home Depot		192.561
13		24		JEFF GORDON		Chevrolet		Drive to End Hunger		192.212
14		22		Sam Hornish Jr.		Dodge		Shell / Pennzoil		191.666
15		47		Bobby Labonte		Toyota		Scott Products		191.605
16		21		Trevor Bayne		Ford		Good Sam Club / Camping World		191.293
17		43		Aric Almirola		Ford		Smithfield		191.286
18		9		Marcos Ambrose		Ford		Stanley		191.279
19		99		Carl Edwards		Ford		Kellogg's		191.245
20		2		BRAD KESELOWSKI		Dodge		Miller Lite		191.232
21		78		Kurt Busch		Chevrolet		Furniture Row / Farm American		191.225
22		42		Juan Montoya		Chevrolet		Target / Kellogg's		190.691
23		195		Scott Speed		Ford		B&D Electrical		190.691
24		27		Paul Menard		Chevrolet		Menards / Pittsburgh Paints		190.617
25		34		David Ragan		Ford		Glory Foods		190.382
26		88		Regan Smith		Chevrolet		AMP Energy / National Guard		190.181
27		13		Casey Mears		Ford		GEICO		190.027
28		19		Mike Bliss		Toyota		Plinker Tactical		190.027
29		6		Ricky Stenhouse Jr.		Ford		Best Buy		189.987
30		1		Jamie McMurray		Chevrolet		McDonald's		189.867
31		30		David Stremme		Toyota		Inception Motorsports		189.687
32		14		TONY STEWART		Chevrolet		Mobil 1 / Office Depot		189.587
33		98		Michael McDowell		Ford		K-Love / Curb Records		189.587
34		10		David Reutimann		Chevrolet		Tommy Baldwin Racing		189.520
35		37		J.J. Yeley		Ford		MaxQworkforce		189.341
36		38		David Gilliland		Ford		Glory Foods		189.255
37		83		Landon Cassill		Toyota		Burger King / Dr Pepper		189.168
38		51		AJ Allmendinger		Chevrolet		Phoenix Construction		189.142
39		31		Jeff Burton		Chevrolet		Caterpillar		188.469
40		32		Timmy Hill		Ford		U.S. Chrome		188.225
41		93		Travis Kvapil+		Toyota		Burger King / Dr Pepper		186.735
42		36		Dave Blaney+		Chevrolet		Tommy Baldwin Racing		186.322
43		91		Reed Sorenson		Toyota		Aquaria USA		189.102
Did Not Qualify
44		87		Joe Nemechek		Toyota		AM / FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves		188.937
45		26		Josh Wise*		Ford		MDS Transport		187.123
46		23		Scott Riggs		Chevrolet		North Texas Pipe		184.988
47		33		Cole Whitt		Chevrolet		Little Joes A		183.517

Sprint Cup 2012: The Curse of Taladega

188 laps didn't matter. It all came down to the last lap. When it comes to restrictor plate racing, "the big one" is to be expected. We've seen cars dart out of an exploding scrap heap before to take the checkered flags, but when has one had so much riding on it as today's Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500?

The impact is substantial. While the same three drivers remain noticeably ahead of the pack, the ground that must be overcome for other possible contenders with now just six races to go has grown to where all but a dominating winning streak and some misfortune for the top three narrows down possibilities to  wishful thinking.

Racing for the win, Tony Stewart's contact, a move for which he has taken full responsibility, with Michael Waltrip's car ignited the chain reaction that knocked  out most of the field with  Stewart finishing 22nd surrounded by Dale Earnhardt Jr. 21st and Clint Bowyer 23rd. Meanwhile others took quite a shot.

Here's what's left of the 2012 Sprint Cup Chase standings.

RANK		+/-		DRIVER		POINTS		BEHIND
1		--		Brad Keselowski		2179		-
2		--		Jimmie Johnson		2165		-14
3		--		Denny Hamlin		2159		-20
4		2		Kasey Kahne		2142		-37
5		-1		Clint Bowyer		2142		-37
6		4		Jeff Gordon		2137		-42
7		-2		Tony Stewart		2136		-43
8		--		Martin Truex Jr.		2132		-47
9		2		Greg Biffle		2131		-48
10		-1		Kevin Harvick		2127		-52
11		-4		Dale Earnhardt Jr.		2121		-58
12		--		Matt Kenseth		2117		-62

Pity race winner, Matt Kenseth, for his is still the highest mountain to climb for the grand trophy or look at Jeff Gordon who finished second still having more than an entire race worth of points to make up. It's almost impossible to imagine today's two most fortunate drivers or Tony Stewart, Martin Truex Jr., Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, or Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the head table when it's all over in Las Vegas Recognize at -37 points in arrears, Kasey Kahne and Clint Bowyer need to overcome more than six points a race to lead the standings, six positions ahead of their rivals in each race to come.

It was an ugly afternoon, and the comic image of Jmmie Johnson riding to the start/finished line in the window opening of the #88 car of teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr hardly reveals the gravity each team must accept to get on with business going home to Charlotte for their next race. The cold chill of fall sets in as the days for a bountiful harvest slip away.

Brad Keselowski must hold off the most experienced champ in the business and another driver whose time for the sport's grandest reward has come so close but proven so elusive. For the rest of the field, the most perfect effort and planning in the world might not be enough to be a factor when the trailers roll into Homestead Florida late next month.

Sprint Cup 2012: Race 30 - The Curse of Talladega

Along with Dover and Martinsville, Talladega is one track on the Sprint Cup Chase circuit capable of totally shaking up the Chase standings -- between the consequences of a "big one," a multi-car collecting wreck or that getting out of the drafting "trains" at the end of the race, drivers' fortunes can fall to pieces in short order on the massive high banked 2.66 mile track. Looking at the standings of the twelve drivers in the Chase, the consequences are obvious.

CURRENT CHASE STANDINGS:

RANK		+/-		DRIVER		POINTS		BEHIND
1		1		Brad Keselowski		2142		Leader
2		-1		Jimmie Johnson		2137		-5
3		--		Denny Hamlin		2126		-16
4		2		Clint Bowyer		2117		-25
5		-1		Tony Stewart		2110		-32
6		-1		Kasey Kahne		2110		-32
7		--		Dale Earnhardt Jr.		2103		-39
8		2		Martin Truex Jr.		2100		-42
9		-1		Kevin Harvick		2096		-46
10		2		Jeff Gordon		2094		-48
11		-2		Greg Biffle		2091		-51
12		-1		Matt Kenseth		2070		-72

32 points in arrears, the challenge is demanding for Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne who cannot afford any more mediocre finishes. They need to make up at around five unanswered points a race to hope to win a championship. The challenge is close to impossible for Dale Earnhardt Jr. needing six points a race. While it's too soon to call this a three car field, Keselowski, Johnson, and Hamlin look to further separate them from the rest of the field.  Past results would make this challenge look the most difficult for Hamlin. That both Stewart and Earnhardt Jr. have good restrictor plate results could be the perfect tonic to reignite their chase prospects.  Let's look at how they line up.

STARTING FIELD: CHASE DRIVERS SHOWN IN CAPS

POS		CAR		DRIVER		MAKE		SPONSOR		SPEED
1		5		KASEY KAHNE		Chevrolet		HendrickCars.com		191.455
2		39		Ryan Newman		Chevrolet		U.S. Army		191.145
3		15		CLINT BOWYER		Toyota		5-Hour Energy		191.119
4		14		TONY STEWART		Chevrolet		Mobil 1 / Office Depot		190.993
5		16		GREG BIFFLE		Ford		3M / National Breast Cancer Foundation		190.955
6		24		JEFF GORDON		Chevrolet		Drive to End Hunger		190.848
7		99		Carl Edwards		Ford		Subway		190.784
8		21		Trevor Bayne		Ford		Motorcraft / Quick Lane / Warriors in Pink		190.727
9		56		MARTIN TRUEX JR.		Toyota		NAPA Auto Parts		190.662
10		22		Sam Hornish Jr.		Dodge		SKF		190.628
11		55		Michael Waltrip		Toyota		Charlie Loudermilk Aaron's Dream Machine		190.465
12		88		DALE EARNHARDT JR.		Chevrolet		Diet Mountain Dew / National Guard		190.427
13		18		Kyle Busch		Toyota		M&M's		190.419
14		20		Joey Logano		Toyota		The Home Depot		190.393
15		17		MATT KENSETH		Ford		Ford Ecoboost		190.370
16		27		Paul Menard		Chevrolet		CertainTeed Insulation / Menards		190.332
17		48		JIMMIE JOHNSON		Chevrolet		Lowe's		190.298
18		43		Aric Almirola		Ford		Gwaltney		190.298
19		13		Casey Mears		Ford		GEICO		190.177
20		9		Marcos Ambrose		Ford		Dewalt		190.170
21		29		KEVIN HARVICK		Chevrolet		Budweiser		190.113
22		2		BRAD KESELOWSKI		Dodge		Miller Lite		189.778
23		11		DENNY HAMLIN		Toyota		FedEx Freight		189.748
24		1		Jamie McMurray		Chevrolet		Bass Pro Shops / Allstate		189.740
25		34		David Ragan		Ford		MHP / 8 Hour Alert		189.616
26		31		Jeff Burton		Chevrolet		Caterpillar		189.552
27		42		Juan Montoya		Chevrolet		Target / Gillette		189.380
28		78		Regan Smith		Chevrolet		Furniture Row / Farm American		189.316
29		51		Kurt Busch		Chevrolet		Phoenix Construction		189.025
30		30		David Stremme		Toyota		SwanEnergyInc.com		188.947
31		32		Terry Labonte		Ford		C&J Energy Services		188.794
32		38		David Gilliland		Ford		Peanut Patch Boiled Peanuts		188.727
33		26		Josh Wise*		Ford		MDS Transport		188.649
34		98		Michael McDowell		Ford		K-Love / Curb Records		188.638
35		97		Timmy Hill		Toyota		AM / FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves		188.326
36		93		Travis Kvapil		Toyota		Burger King / Dr Pepper		188.296
37		87		Joe Nemechek		Toyota		AM / FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves		188.001
38		83		Landon Cassill		Toyota		Burger King / Dr Pepper		187.986
39		36		Dave Blaney		Chevrolet		Golden Corral		187.460
40		47		Bobby Labonte		Toyota		Scott / Kingsford / Bush Beans		186.991
41		10		David Reutimann		Chevrolet		CVP@TMone.com		186.783
42		33		Cole Whitt		Chevrolet		Little Joes Autos		186.289
43		23		Robert Richardson Jr.		Chevrolet		North Texas Pipe		185.942