AP Photo of Carl Edwards flying aloft while
Brad Kesolowski runs for the finish line.
We’re used to seeing Carl Edwards doing mid-air flips, but not in his car! Meanwhile, what were the odds Brad Keselowski would be the big winner.
When has there been a madder, more unpredictable Talladega race than this year’s contest. Simply that part-time driver, not even in the rookie chase, Brad Kesolowski, won the race is but one piece of an insane scenario which started with Ryan Newman leading Dale Earnhardt Junior with a little distance ahead of the pack. Behind them, Carl Edwards led Kesolowski. As Edwards and Kesolowski overtook the lead train, something crazy happened. Was it Edwards trying to throw a block on Kesolowski or Kesolowski trying to push for the lead, the #99 car went soaring into the fences along the front grandstand in what could have been an unprecedented disaster, but the “SAFER” barriers and the restraining fences worked to perfection with only a light spray of small debris flowing into the crowd, and as the racers moved on to the finish line, Carl Edwards emerged from his car and ran feverously to the finish line so he could at least, in spirit, cross the line on the lead lap. How the guys in the NASCAR “oval office’ will respond to that is another matter.
Kesolowski’s victory must be the surprise of the year as a part time entry with little experience basked in the glory albeit with Hendricks equipment raced with the confidence and guts of a crafty veteran as if possessed by the ghost of Dale Earnhardt Sr. whose son is Kesolowski’s Nationwide team owner. As difficult and unique the 2.66 mile restrictor plate track is to master, it’s interesting to note how many drivers achieved their first or only victory at the Alabama raceway. While Kesolowski has only led one lap in his brief cup career, it was the one that counted. Last year, Regan Smith almost gained the victory only to be disqualified for racing below the inner yellow line yielding the win to Tony Stewart. Racers Richard Brickhouse, Dick Brooks, Lennie Pond, Ron Bouchard, Bobby Hilin, Jr., and Phil Parsons are all racers whose greatest claim to fame is their win in the ‘Bama Blowout. Brian Vickers posted his only Sprint Cup win in the 2006, October race. Today, many NASCAR observers see Vickers as a driver with a tremendous future, but time will tell if he will be an accomplished driver or another Talladega footnote.
Brad Kesolowski could surely be a star of the future. He was easily the most dominant Nationwide Series driver who was not a Sprint Cup regular with high hopes of competing for the championship in 2009. While early season mishaps have started his season on a less hopeful note, he is one of the main competitors and surely the Nationwide-only drivers who the field must contend with for top honors every week. He almost certainly will race a full-time schedule for the Sprint Cup series in 2010. Originally, it looked like the plan was he would share the #5 ride at Hendricks with Mark Martin, but whether Martin is ready to ease back or Kesolowski would be willing to accept a part time ride is up in the air now that he has achieved something many drivers who have had a ride for several years have failed to achieve, a Sprint Cup win.
The 2009 race promised insanity early on with “the big one” striking early, a multi-car pile up eliminating Mark Martin, Jamie McMurray, Scott Riggs, David Gilliland, and Clint Bowyer. The fiasco began with Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth making contact shooting the #24 car into David Gilliland’s #71 thus chaos ensued with seventeen cars sustaining damage pushing points leader Gordon to a miserable 37th finish.
How ironic it is that two of the series’ most skillful drivers could precipitate such a huge calamity so early in the race is hard to figure. These melees are usually the work of impatient inexperience.
Other dust-ups made the race an exercise of frustration for others. Jimmie Johnson was surging, but a 30th finish knocked his efforts back while other drivers, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Sam Hornish Jr., A.J. Allmendinger, and Martin Truex are now behind a bigger, heavier, more immobile eight ball they must roll out of the way to move on to salvage the 2010 season.
This was the kind of race Dale Earnhardt Junior needed desperately. He was in the hunt for the victory right up to the final seconds running a smart, mistake free race showing the skill and promise a championship contender must demonstrate on a consistent basis to be in the chase when that fateful night in Richmond rolls around in early September.
Despite all the flying metal and whole cars, today’s race was still a most competitive affair with twenty three cars finishing on the lead lap, Carl Edwards as the first racer one lap down after his horrific last lap blast off. While Tony Stewart was the last driver on the lead lap, the race did nothing to help only to sidetrack his launch up the chase.
Take last week’s standings, set the blender for high speed or frappe, and here are the results: Kurt Busch (6th place) leaps atop the standings while Gordon and Johnson drop a spot. Kyle Busch gained a spot despite a lackluster finish. Carl Edwards gains a spot while sacrificing his car. Jeff Burton solidified his position moving into the top ten up two places from last week. The biggest jump belonged to Marcos Ambrose who leapt into the top 20 gaining seven positions. Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, and Dale Earnhardt Junior now stand in 13th, 14th, and 15th all gaining four positions putting them in striking distance of the all-important top 12. David Ragan also moved up 4 spots closing in on the top 25. Reed Sorenson moved the legendary #43 into the top 25 gaining three spots to land in 24th position.
Mark Martin, last week’s winner, was this week’s biggest loser, falling five positions in the standings down to 18th spot. Kevin Harvick falls back four spots to a disappointing 20th position while also falling four spots, A.J. Allmendinger drops off to 27th.
Speaking of efficient racing, one more reward to Brad Kesolowski’s victory is gaining five spots in the standings up to 41st spot in just three races. How disappointing it must be for Travis Kvapil whose team closed up shop after four races to still cover at 43rd in points and could have easily been in the hunt for the top 35 if his operation could continue. All of the top 35 teams have raced in every race this year. There are no racers below 35th to compete in all events, nor has any team made the top 35 without being in all nine races. Scott Speed and David Gilliland are the only two drivers below 35 who look like they could be a factor to compete for the top 35 field unless Brad Kesolowski gets a lot more seat time.
This week’s race provided one of the season’s first big land marks since the qualifying field became based on this year’s results not last year’s to set the field. The season marks the end of the first quarter. With such a major shakeup in today’s race, any trends that were developing have been tossed aside by today’s results. Mistakes and missed opportunities were beginning to define a horrible season for Dale Earnhardt Junior. A dominant performance and second place finish helped ease those concerns. While today did nothing to help Tony Stewart, he stands only three points out of third while his teammate, Ryan Newman surged ahead to 13th, thirty points out of the vital top 12. The big story is that Tony Stewart’s new operation, Stewart-Haas racing must be considered a tremendous success with Newman in ideal position to win today’s race and many other successes for both drivers who both seem to be getting stronger as each week passes.
Looking at the top teams, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are certain championship contenders while both Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin struggle to find consistency to join in the chase for the Hendricks operation. Despite winning the first two races with Matt Kenseth, 2009 looks like a frustrating season for the Roush-Fenway operation. Kenseth is just barely hanging on in the top 12 with Carl Edwards 80 points off the lead in 7th place. Fortunes turned much brighter for Greg Biffle who jumped to 10th spot with his 7th place finish in a field depleted of top contenders. Today’s 12th place finish, likewise, gave David Ragan the chance to move up four positions in a frustrating season while looking like he was on the verge of great things ending 2008. Jamie McMurray’s operation must be feeling the heat falling five positions to 29th knowing the Roush operation must cut one team to fulfill NASCAR’s four team limit which takes effect next year. They could wind up with the struggling second Ford operation, Yates Racing, next year. Things couldn’t be much more frustrating there considering they had to disband the #28 team with Travis Kvapil for lack of sponsorship, while newcomer, Paul Menard, languishes in 33rd spot. Much hope surrounded Hall-of-Fame facing allying with Yates teaming former championship driver, Bobby Labonte with championship crew chief, Todd Parrott, but they only have a miserable 30th position to show for it even though they have essentially the same gear as the Roush-Fenway competitors. This could be the season’s greatest disappointment so far for those not locked into the #88 team soap opera.
Denny Hamlin stands in 5th place while Kyle Busch is in 6th for Joe Gibbs operation. This is not the kind of domination many might have been expected of Toyota’s top team. Joey Logano shows his inexperience at the top level growing slowly to be a competent competitor on the top level. Still, looking at his performance in the Nationwide Series where he is a true contender, fans will be looking for his growth as the season progresses.
Richard Childress places two drivers in the top 12, Bowyer with the new #33 team in 8th and Jeff Burton in 9th. Neither driver has looked too threatening so far this year while 2009 has been a horrible frustration for Kevin Harvick’s #29 team. Newcomer, Casey Mears is one spot behind Harvick in the standings at 21st. Frustration with these teams’ performance lead to swapping pit crews and chiefs between these two teams.
2009 has to be a much happier year for the Dodge boys with Kurt Busch being a very consistent performer atop the standings. However, there isn’t another Dodge on the leader board until the reformulated Gillette/Evernham operation joining forces with Richard Petty now branded as Richard Petty Racing spots Kasey Kahne in 15th position with Reed Sorenson in 24th, A.J. Allmendinger in 27th, and Elliot Sadler in 28th.
The shotgun wedding that formed Earnhardt/Ganassi racing hardly looks promising. Juan Montoya, the Ganassi survivor holds down 16th dropping one spot. The only remaining from DEI, Martin Truex, is in 23rd spot, falling two from this race. John Andretti’s 27th finish yields a borderline from the bottom 34th spot in points but nowhere to be found in the standings is the #8 car, once the DEI flagship with Dale Earnhardt Junior behind the wheel. Its operation was suspended when no continued sponsor could step forward ditching driver Aric Almirola to the unemployment line. This merger is looking more and more like a desperate move to keep some semblance of their former operations on the track. Under current financial hardships, there is no room to grow only to contract.
Perhaps the most positive signs are from the Penske camp. Kurt, yes big brother, the one with the championship, not the annoying little brother who looks like a soon-to-be-crowned champ stands in #1. David Stremme replacing Ryan Newman in the #12 car stands in 22nd after a difficult day in Talladega. Sam Hornish Jr. is beginning to adjust to NASCAR’s style of driving.
The effects of the miserable economy are clear for drivers like Travis Kvapil and Aric Almirola who lost their rides for no sponsorship dollars. The off-season mergers were the biggest change mandated by tight dollars. The suspension of testing might favor more experienced drivers, but Brad Kesolowski’s win today might dent that theory. Another positive sign is that there have been more contestants than starting positions for every race so far. Surely, the competition on the race track continues to be just fine, no impact noted.
The long stretch of the mid-season is upon us and it’s on to Richmond then Darlington for some intense Saturday night racing. By the time the fellows finish the Coca Cola 600 in Charlotte Memorial Day weekend, a much clearer picture of the championship fight emerges. Right now, it’s an open field with lots of potential good stories. That Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are close to the top this early and appear to only have the potential to get stronger must have the Penske, Childress, Gibbs, and Roush boys more than just a little nervous.
Sprint Cup racing is a performance-based business. Teams will be under pressure like never before to get results. Sponsors will be looking carefully for return for investment to justify their investment in the sport. Chevrolet and Dodge are on the hot seat while their parent companies struggle for survival. Fans find shallower wallets to buy race tickets and NASCAR loot. Television networks will be analyzing every rating point to see how their investment in the sport is succeeding. It’s hard to imagine the 2009 season won’t play out like previous seasons we’ve enjoyed for decades, but what if a multi-car operation has to close up shop during the season? What if General Motors or Chrysler has to withdraw factory support? Of the nation’s top sports, probably no other sport rides on the fortunes of the economy more conspicuously than NASCAR. If the balance of this season is as enjoyable to watch as the first quarter, this will be a fine year. It’s way too soon to speculate about 2010.
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