RPM to announce 2011 drivers, sponsors Tuesday
Richard Petty Motorsports has called a Tuesday teleconference to announce the specifics of the organization’s 2010 Sprint Cup Series drivers and sponsor lineups.
The organization announced Aug. 6 that they had re-signed AJ Allmendinger to a multi-year deal to stay with the team. However, two drivers have confirmed that they will be leaving next year and another driver is on the fence.
Kasey Kahne announced earlier in the year that he would part-ways with RPM after this season. He announced last weekend that he would join Red Bull Racing in 2011 before he moved into his multi-year ride with Hendrick Motorsports in 2012.
Kahne’s sponsor Budweiser is also on the move next season, according to sources. Multiple internet reports say Budweiser will head to Kevin Harvick next season, with an announcement of the new sponsorship deal expected to come Tuesday.
Paul Menard also announced last weekend that he would join Richard Childress Racing next year as RCR gives a second attempt at a four car team. Menard will also take his primary sponsorship from his father’s company, Menard’s, with him.
Elliott Sadler was quoted earlier in the year as saying the team did not have him in their plans for the future. However, a team spokesperson has since denied those comments saying Sadler is one of about three drivers the team was looking at for next season.
Sadler said last weekend that he has had little talks with the organization and that he is even considering moving down to the Nationwide Series or Camping World Truck Series next season.
“If I have to go back to Nationwide or go back to the Truck (series) and get my chance and opportunity to win races, you’ll see Elliott Sadler do that instead of go somewhere where there’s a start-and-park (car) or ride around,” Sadler said. “That’s not me. I’m way too competitive for that. I don’t have a big enough ego to where I have to be labeled a Cup driver. I want to be a driver that’s competitive.”
Marcos Ambrose, who recently announced he would be leaving his Sprint Cup Series ride with JTG Daugherty Racing after this season, is rumored to be headed to RPM. This would give the RPM two drivers next season if Sadler does indeed leave.
Drivers are not the only issue for the team, however. Sponsorship is also a problem with the departure of Budweiser and Menard’s. Although, when the team announced a new deal with Allmendinger a few weeks ago, they also said they had some another announcements in their pocket.
“We have some announcements in our pocket,” team co-owner Richard Petty said. “We like to have press conferences, so we wanted to spread it out a little bit.”
Kahne is currently the highest RPM driver in the Sprint Cup Series driver points standings thru last weekend at Michigan International Speedway. He is 16th and trails the 12th place Chase for the Sprint Cup cutoff by 126 points.
Allmendinger is 22nd, Menard is 23rd and Sadler is 29th.
Even in a 1-year deal, Kahne will help Red Bull
BROOKLYN, Mich.—Even though the structure of the deal is unprecedented, Red Bull Racing plans to take full advantage of Kasey Kahne’s one-year stay with the organization.
You can liken it to John Wall spending one season in the Kentucky basketball program or to a Major League Baseball team trading for a pitcher short term to bolster a playoff run.
“You look at the Texas Rangers this year,” Red Bull general manager Jay Frye said. “They went out and traded for Cliff Lee. They have no expectation, from what I’ve read, that they’re going to re-sign him for next year. But they know he can help them this year get to the playoffs and possibly a World Series.
“We think we have a good team, and if you bring a Kasey Kahne-type talent and put him with our team, and then we have a really good season next year like we fully expect to, that will help whoever the next person is come in and say, ‘Hey, this is a good team—I want to go drive for them.’ It’s a very unusual situation, but we couldn’t be more excited about it.”
Red Bull has had its share of unexpected reversals since driver Brian Vickers qualified for last year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The team lost Vickers in mid-May when he was diagnosed with blood clots and began treatment with blood thinners. Vickers expects to return to the team for the 2011 Daytona 500.
Kahne recently signed his one-year deal with Red Bull as a bridge to driving the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in 2012. Mark Martin will complete his contract in the No. 5 next year.
AJ Allmendinger, Kahne’s teammate at Richard Petty Motorsports and a former Red Bull driver, believes Kahne will help the organization. Though Allmendinger and Kahne have had run-ins on the track—most recently at Pocono in June—Allmendinger acknowledges that his teammate is one of the elite wheel men in the sport.
“I know Kasey and I—we’ve had our ups and downs together when it comes to it—but just as a competitor and a teammate, I do think he’s one of the best out there,” Allmendinger said. “It’s definitely going to make that (Red Bull) race team better, but it’s interesting in terms of what’s going to happen. You know you’re only going to be there for a year. I don’t think you can build a ton of team chemistry, because you’re not staying—and you know that.
“I think it’s one of those things where it’s definitely more of a win for Red Bull, because they are struggling. You can really see that, when Brian had his illness, it hurt that race team really bad. They’ve been really struggling since then.
“Kasey’s one of the best out there, so he’s going to go in there and raise the game of that team. It’s just a matter of how much. Will he win races? Will he be in the Chase? We’ll have to wait and see next year. But he’s definitely going to be fast—that’s for sure.”
Frye would prefer to look at the positive side of the one-year contract.
“We understand what the deal is,” Frye said. “There’ll be no hard feelings next year in Miami when he gets out of the car. We know exactly what the program is. We think he’s going to do spectacular things for us, and we’re going to try to do spectacular things for him. It’s different. This model hasn’t happened before, but I still don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.”
There are unanswered questions. Will Kahne try to bring his RPM crew chief, Kenny Francis, with him to Red Bull? Frye says he feels no rush to settle personnel questions but expects to address the crew chief issue within 30-45 days.
Will Scott Speed, driver on the No. 82 Red Bull Toyota, perform well enough in the final 14 races to keep his job? Will Red Bull compete as a two-car or three-car team next year? Those are details that have to be settled.
Nevertheless, Frye says Kahne’s signing already has had a positive effect on the organization.
“It was amazing … when we announced the Kasey thing in the shop the other day—the applause, the instant morale boost within our company,” he said. “It’s August, and this isn’t going to happen until next year, but people had a little different bounce in their step. This announcement helps us get through the rest of the season. We’ve got something to work on. We’ve got a goal. We’ve got something to look forward to.
“He’ll help make us better. It’s invaluable. And hopefully we’ll maintain that going into 2012 with whoever his replacement will be—and wish him the best.”
Kahne bumps Johnson from Michigan pole
BROOKLYN, Mich.—Perhaps the mere thought of Red Bull gave Kasey Kahne wings.
Three days after announcing he would drive a Red Bull Racing Toyota for one year—as he waits for Mark Martin to complete his contract in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet—Kahne put his No. 9 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford on the pole at Michigan International Speedway.
In Friday’s time trails for Sunday’s Carfax 400, Kahne streaked around the 2-mile track in 38.465 seconds (187.183 mph) to edge Jimmie Johnson (38.485 seconds, 187.086 mph) for the top starting spot.
Clint Bowyer, locked in a tight battle against Martin for a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, qualified third at 186.577 mph. Tony Stewart (186.572 mph) will start fourth, followed by Juan Pablo Montoya (186.461 mph).
Kahne won his second Coors Light Pole Award of the season and the 18th of his career.
“(Turns) 1 and 2 were really strong,” said Kahne, who won his second pole at Michigan. “Coming to the green, I felt like I was a little bit free, and it was the same through 1 and 2, but I got through there really good and carried a lot of speed down the backstretch.
“Then, when I got to Turn 3, I couldn’t get it to turn enough, so I kind of just floored it and actually used up a lot of the racetrack, went up the track a little bit loose off (the corner) and definitely didn’t have as good a 3 and 4 as I would have liked.
“At that point, I thought I probably gave the pole away, but we were able to still hang on just from the speed that we had in 1 and 2.”
Kahne said it was a comfort to have his status for next year decided.
“It’s nice to have that done with and to know for myself where I’m going, to know what I’m doing and to focus on the end of the year with the Bud team, with Richard Petty Motorsports,” said Kahne, who announced in April he would drive the No. 5 car in 2012, with a ride for 2011 to be determined.
“I don’t know how much that’s been on my mind—it’s hard to say. I feel like I’m focused pretty good each week and really trying to do the right things, but it’s something that I definitely think about a lot, so I think that could help me some.”
Notes: Mike Bliss, J.J. Yeley, Scott Riggs and Casey Mears failed to qualify for the 43-car field. … Martin, who is 12th in the standings and 10 points ahead of Bowyer, will start 12th. … Series points leader Kevin Harvick qualified eighth.
Kahne To Drive For Red Bull Racing Team In 2011
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Kasey Kahne will drive a Red Bull Racing Toyota in 2011, the team announced Tuesday.
“We were fortunate to have the opportunity to hire a very talented driver for the 2011 season, and we took it,” Said Jay Frye, Red Bull Racing Team Vice President and General Manager. “This is a unique situation that doesn’t happen every day. Kasey is a perfect fit for our company, team and Red Bull.”
Kahne, 30, owns an impressive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series resume. He has 11 wins, 17 poles, 47 top-five and 84 top-10 finishes and twice was a Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup participant in 2006 and 2009.
“This opportunity places me with an established, competitive team that has proven it can win races and make the Chase,” Kahne said. “I have great respect for Red Bull, so to have the opportunity to drive for the Red Bull Racing Team in 2011 is a great fit for me, both personally and professionally. It feels good to be able to finally put this to rest and focus my energy on finishing the season strong for the 9 team and our sponsors.”
“This obviously all happened very quickly,” Frye added. “Over the next month, we will finalize the specific team details,” Red Bull Racing Team’s final driver lineup for 2011 will be confirmed later this year.
The Cool Down Lap: It’s time to shut up and let Mark Martin drive
Once and for all, it’s time to lay off Mark Martin.
Recent, apparently credible reports that put Kasey Kahne in a Red Bull car for 2011 should put to rest any notion that Martin won’t drive the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet next year.
Accordingly, it’s time for everyone to shut up and allow Martin, who is locked in a fierce battle with Clint Bowyer for the final position in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, to make the most of his opportunity.
In the maelstrom of speculation that has surrounded the No. 5 ride since the leaking of Kahne’s plans in April, Martin has been the only clear, absolutely consistent voice in the equation.
On the same day that Kahne’s signing with Hendrick was announced at Texas in April, Martin was asked pointedly if he would be driving the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in 2011.
“Of course,” Martin replied.
Though more than a half-dozen scenarios to the contrary have worked their way through the media and the garage since then, Martin has remained steadfast. At Michigan in June, Martin reiterated, “I’ve made it clear that I’m going to be driving the No. 5 car next year.”
At Indianapolis in July, ESPN analyst Ray Evernham suggested Martin would step aside for the good of the organization.
“In my opinion, listening to everything that’s going on, I think you’ll see Mark at some point realize that Rick Hendrick’s been very good to him, and they’ve had good success together, and probably the best thing for Hendrick Motorsports is for Mark to make room for Kasey Kahne to come over there,” Evernham said.
Understandably, Martin bristled at Evernham’s suggestion.
“I’m going to do what I want to do (after 2011), but for now I’m going to drive the 5 car,” Martin said. “That’s what I’m going to do in 2011. That’s what I’ve said all along, and I felt very disrespected when the media doesn’t accept that. What that means is that you made me look like I am about to get fired.”
Two days later, on the grid at Indy, team owner Rick Hendrick left some wiggle room in his characterization of Martin’s status.
Asked whether there was any way Martin would not be in the No. 5 car in 2011, Hendrick replied, “I can’t tell you that because I don’t know. … But right now it’s his seat and it’s his call.”
By now, it should be obvious that Martin has made the call. Rather than leave open the possibility of a different option, it’s time for Hendrick to back his driver unequivocally.
It’s not Martin’s fault that the news of Kahne’s signing leaked when it did. That came from Kahne’s side of the fence, and it deprived Hendrick of maneuvering room.
You’ll recall, amid rumors in 2007 that Dale Earnhardt Jr. was coming to Hendrick Motorsports, the team owner coyly said, “There’s no room at the inn.” Behind the scenes, however, Hendrick worked his magic, and—voila!—Kyle Busch was out and Junior was in for 2008.
This time, however, the inn is indeed full.
The early break of the Kahne story was accompanied by a number of black-and-white assertions, among them: 1) Martin would drive the No. 5 through 2011, with Kahne taking over in 2012; 2) Hendrick nevertheless had Kahne under contract for 2011 and was obligated to find a suitable ride for him next year; 3) Kahne would drive a Chevrolet next year.
At this point, placing Kahne under a one-year deal at Red Bull is the most face-saving option available to Hendrick. Under that scenario, Martin will drive the No. 5 next year, and Hendrick has found a suitable ride for Kahne next year, as he said he would.
At Sonoma in June, Hendrick acknowledged the possibility that Kahne might drive something other than a Chevy next year, though he hoped that wouldn’t be the case. According to Foxsports.com, however, a switch to Chevrolet may be part of the Kahne-to-Red Bull deal. Red Bull fields Toyotas in the Cup series and has a year left on its contract with the manufacturer.
No, Kahne can’t remain under contract to Hendrick while he drives for another team. NASCAR has made that abundantly clear to Hendrick and other owners who questioned whether having five top drivers under contract violated the spirit of the sanctioning body’s four-car limit.
That’s not to say there weren’t other options discussed—either with or about Martin—that would have put Kahne in the No. 5 a year early. There’s plenty of evidence to suggest Hendrick explored some of the other avenues that surfaced as rumor in the garage.
Now that the status of both drivers apparently is settled, however, it’s time to free Martin from the distractions of a mess that wasn’t of his making and give him the best chance to nail down a spot in the Chase.
It’s also time to set aside the notion that Martin somehow isn’t doing the right thing by expecting a contract signed willingly by both men to be honored. Martin signed on for three years and he delivered a second-place finish in the Cup series in 2010, his first season with HMS.
This year, he’s fighting for a spot in the Chase, and he deserves to do so with a clear head and the confidence that his entire organization is behind him.
So let’s shut up, and let the guy drive. He deserves no less.
Notebook: Kahne staying out of 2011 discussions
INDIANAPOLIS—Kasey Kahne wants no part of discussions about his future.
Kahne’s former team owner, Ray Evernham, stirred the pot Friday by suggesting that Mark Martin will step aside at Hendrick Motorsports to make room for Kahne, who is the heir apparent to the No. 5 Chevrolet that Martin currently drives.
“In my opinion, listening to everything that’s going on, I think you’ll see Mark at some point realize that Rick Hendrick’s been very good to him, and they’ve had good success together, and probably the best thing for Hendrick Motorsports is for Mark to make room for Kasey Kahne to come over there,” Evernham, an ESPN analyst, said Friday during a press conference promoting ESPN’s coverage of the final 17 Sprint Cup races.
Martin reacted angrily when reporters questioned him Friday about the substance of Evernham’s remarks. Martin said he felt disrespected and insisted he will drive the No. 5 in 2011.
Kahne said Saturday he had no knowledge of the origin of his former boss’ opinion—and didn’t want to.
“I don’t really care what Ray says,” Kahne said. “I don’t really care what anybody says. (Owner) Rick (Hendrick) told me to stay out of it, and he’ll take care of it, and that’s what I’m doing. Still doing the same thing I was prior to the off week.
“He (Evernham) may know what he’s talking about. He may not. I haven’t talked to Ray. I haven’t talked to Ray in a while. So I don’t know. I just kind of do my thing, and then he does his.”
GORDON HAS SUBS LINED UP
Jimmie Johnson made it through his recent baby watch without having to use standby driver Aric Almirola. But Almirola is back in the mix as a possible replacement for Jeff Gordon, whose wife, Ingrid Vandebosch, is expecting in early August.
Almirola will be ready at Pocono next weekend, should Gordon get the call. And road-course ace Scott Pruett will standing by at Watkins Glen in two weeks if the baby hasn’t arrived by then.
VILLENEUVE MAKES THE SHOW
Jacques Villeneuve hasn’t competed in a Cup race since 2007, but the former Indianapolis 500 winner and Formula One champion found enough speed—barely—to qualify for Sunday’s Brickyard 400.
“We found the missing speed,” said Villeneuve, who is driving Braun Racing’s No. 32 Toyota. “The car was a little nervous, but it was quick enough to get in the show.”
Villeneuve will start 43rd, the final spot. In contrast, one of the other two drivers with a chance to add a Brickyard trophy to an Indy 500 win—Juan Pablo Montoya—starts from the pole. Sam Hornish Jr., who won the 2006 Indianapolis 500, qualified 25th.
Sporting News Power Poll after Daytona
Kevin Harvick is back on top of the Sporting News Power Poll. Harvick won Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona to reclaim the top spot from Jimmie Johnson, who was involved in a late wreck and had his two-race winning streak snapped. The weekly poll is a collaboration of Sporting News and Rowdy.com.
1. Kevin Harvick (last week: 3rd) Best way to stay out the wrecks is to lead the race, and he did that more than anyone else. Would like to see him win somewhere other than a plate track, however.
2. Jimmie Johnson (1st) Johnson now has as many finishes 30th or worse as wins: five. Guess which matters more? Don’t you wish all tests were this easy?
3. Jeff Gordon (2nd) Jumped three spot to second in points with a third-place run at Daytona but added Clint Bowyer to his enemies list.
4. Kurt Busch (5th) Has five top 10s in the six races since the All-star break.
5. Jeff Burton (6th) We agree with Burton when he says wins could be coming in bunches if he breaks through, but we’ve been saying that for about two months. Better in his spot than, say, Juan Pablo Montoya, though.
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (12th) Earnhardt kept the wheels on a mediocre car and benefited from attrition. His fourth-place finish moved him to 11th in points.
7. Tony Stewart (4th) Led seven laps Saturday before the late-race pileup in Turn 3 gobbled him up.
8. Kasey Kahne (22nd ) Jumped four spots in the standings thanks to his runner-up finish, but Kahne is still more than 150 points out of 12th with eight races until the Chase.
9. Clint Bowyer (9th) Last-lap contact with David Reutimann ended hopes of a win or a top-five finish. Still, car was running great, as were those of his Richard Childress Racing teammates.
10. Carl Edwards (19th) Finished sixth Saturday to stay 12th in the standings but opened some breathing room over 13th-place Mark Martin
11. Denny Hamlin (8th) Hamlin has finished in the top five (seven times) or outside the top 10 (11 times) this year. Those numbers could be a concern come Chase time.
12. Kyle Busch (7th) An early end to his night in Daytona doesn’t tell us much.
13. Greg Biffle (14th) The 16 car wasn’t handling for most of the night, and he was finally done in by an oil leak picked up in the big wreck.
14. Matt Kenseth (15th) Kenseth finished outside the top 10 for the fifth consecutive week. On the other hand, he scored his 16th top 20. That’s a nice stat if you are AJ Allmendinger or Paul Menard but not if you are Matt Kenseth.
15. David Reutimann (17th) Speaking of top 20s, Reutimann finished 11th for his 10th top 20 in a row. Only Harvick, Gordon, Kurt Busch and Hamlin have a better average finish than Reutimann’s 12.9 in that stretch.
16. AJ Allmendinger (10th) Allmendinger turned his back on The King?!? Off with his head!
17. Ryan Newman (11th) Saturday night’s race was the fourth straight restrictor-plate event in which Newman’s race ended early.
18. Mark Martin (16th) Martin was pulled from his car after a fiery wreck at Daytona—you wouldn’t have expected anything else given his fortunes in plate races over the years.
19. Joey Logano (13th) Logano was victimized by the big one, but he really didn’t show much strength during the race. His Chase hopes suffered a big blow.
20. Juan Pablo Montoya (20th) Montoya recorded just his second finish in the 20s. Usually he lays down a top 10 or ends up somewhere in the 30s.
21. Paul Menard (25th) Except for his crash in the 2009 Daytona 500, this was the first time Menard finished off the lead lap at Daytona.
22. Jamie McMurray (18th) McMurray had a strong car Saturday that was getting stronger but paid the price when former teammate David Ragan lost control.
23. Scott Speed (NR) Speed’s second top 10—his first since the fourth race of the season—is enough to earn him a spot in the poll. It’s also the third top 10 of his Cup career (58 races).
24. Sam Hornish Jr. (NR) Hornish led laps at Daytona for the first time in his career. Fourteen to be exact.
25. Elliott Sadler (NR) Sadler has led 27 laps this year—20 at Daytona, including 11 Saturday night.
Harvick avoids melees, triumphs at Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Kevin Harvick started up front and finished up front in Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, but what happened in between was a maelstrom of frenetic racing after a series of late-race accidents.
Streaking into the lead on the first lap of a green-white-checkered-finish, Harvick held off Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win the rain-delayed NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
With more than half the field eliminated or hobbled by a series of spectacular accidents, Harvick crossed the finish line a car-length ahead of Kahne and solidified his hold on the top spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings.
Jeff Burton ran fifth, followed by Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, Reed Sorenson, Mike Bliss and Scott Speed.
The victory was Harvick’s second of the season and the 13th of his career. Gordon moved to second in the standings, 212 points behind Harvick. Earnhardt’s fourth-place result put him back inside the top 12 with eight races left before the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field is set Sept. 11 at Richmond.
Contact from Sam Hornish Jr. sent teammate Kurt Busch into the Turn 4 wall on Lap 159 to set up the two-lap dash to the finish.
Even with his sizable points lead, Harvick wasn’t ready to say he should be favored to dethrone four-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson.
“I think until somebody beats him—until we get to Homestead (the season finale) and that happens, he’s still the guy to beat,” Harvick said. “For us, we’ve got to keep working hard. We’re in a fortunate position with the start to our season, and we’ve got to keep working on our cars and trying to make things better, and hopefully, when the stress starts with 10 weeks to go, we’ll be as ready as we’ve ever been.”
NASCAR red-flagged the race for more than 20 minutes with 12 laps left after a colossal 20-car chain-reaction collision in Turn 3 strewed debris all over the racetrack. Mark Martin’s Chevrolet sustained the most spectacular damage, with the driver of the No. 5 bringing his flaming car to pit road before members of Jimmie Johnson’s crew helped him escape from the car.
Among those whose winning chances were destroyed in the wreck were Johnson, Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Newman.
TNT analyst Kyle Petty called the wreck “the official first fireworks of the Fourth of July,” since the incident occurred just after midnight.
David Stremme’s spin through Turn 3 on Lap 136 provided an opportunity for pit stops with 23 laps left in the race. Kurt Busch won the race off pit road, but the field couldn’t complete a full lap before a crash involving Matt Kenseth and Elliott Sadler slowed the field for the fifth time.
That was just an appetizer, however, for the wild melee that followed on Lap 148.
David Ragan turned sideways in Turn 3 and triggered a Lap 117 wreck that demolished the car of Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray and damaged the vehicles of Martin Truex Jr. and Kahne, who slid in oil and hit the wall behind the collision. The wreck knocked Truex out of the race, but Kahne recovered to run in the top 10 before finishing second.
“You had to be aggressive and drive your car sideways all night long,” Kahne said. “That’s just the way it was. I felt like I had one of the best cars from start to finish—even hitting the wall I still felt like we had a great car. It was just a wild race. I really enjoyed it.”
After climbing to second in the Cup standings at Pocono, Kyle Busch had his third straight star-crossed run. Contact with Montoya’s Chevrolet on Lap 104 sent Busch’s No. 18 Toyota—leading the race at the time—nose-first into the backstretch wall. Busch finished 40th.
Note: The 18 different leaders Saturday night were a record for the event. … After winning the previous two Cup events, Johnson finished 31st. … Gordon gained three positions in the standings, thanks to the troubles of Johnson, Kyle Busch and 24th-place finisher Denny Hamlin. … The racing surface at Daytona will be repaved—for the first time in 32 years—before the Daytona 500 in February.
Kahne edges Johnson for Infineon pole
SONOMA, Calif.—Defending race winner Kasey Kahne was quick enough on Friday at Infineon Raceway—just barely—to deprive Jimmie Johnson of a chance to pad his resume.
Kahne edged Johnson by .068 seconds to win the Coors Light Pole Award for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at the 1.99-mile road course, turning a lap at 93.893 mph (76.300 seconds). Kahne’s performance kept Johnson (93.809 mph) without a win or a pole at Infineon.
Kurt Busch (93.579 mph) qualified third, followed by NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader Kevin Harvick (93.446 mph) and Jeff Gordon (93.415 mph). Marcos Ambrose, one of the favorites for the pole, got his foot stuck between the accelerator and brake pedals in Turn 11 and turned in the sixth-fastest time.
Kahne won the 17th pole of his career but his first since June 2008—a streak of 71 races dating to the Infineon race that year. Prior to winning in 2009, Kahne had a best finish of 23rd in five previous starts at the road course.
“You get better as a driver on these types of tracks,” Kahne said. “You learn the cars better. You learn the course better. And just having better racecars, too—I think the speed of the cars the last couple of years has been better than anything I’ve had in the past.”
Johnson has a pole at the Cup series’ other road course, Watkins Glen, but has never won a road course race.
“This is just an irritation,” Johnson said. “I know I can do this. I get in other road-course cars and I’m plenty fast and competitive. I’ve run good at times in the Cup car on road courses, so I know I have it in me. I just need to figure out how to do it over the course of 90 laps (or 110, as in the case of Sunday’s race).
“So it’s more of an irritation. Sure, it would be good for my resume, but it’s not like I feel there’s a void or something major missing.”
Notes: Brandon Ash, Brian Simo and Michael Waltrip failed to qualify for the 43-car field. … David Ragan slipped off track and into a tire barrier during his qualifying run and will start on an owner points provisional from the rear of the field in a backup car. … When they take the green flag Sunday, Denmark’s Jan Magnussen and Sweden’s Mattias Ekstrom will become the first Scandinavians to start a Cup race, having qualified 32nd and 38th, respectively.
Notebook: Is a Chevy not in Kahne’s immediate future?
SONOMA, Calif.—Could Kasey Kahne drive something other than a Chevrolet next year?
Team owner Rick Hendrick acknowledged Friday that there’s a possibility, albeit a remote one, that Kahne could drive another manufacturer’s car next year as he waits for Mark Martin to vacate the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
In an April 14 news conference shortly after the announcement that Kahne would drive the No. 5 car starting in 2012, Hendrick was asked whether the interim arrangement he would provide for Kahne in 2011—during the final year of Martin’s contract—would be with a Chevrolet team.
“Yeah, it’ll be a Chevrolet,” Hendrick said definitively.
On Friday at Infineon Raceway, where Hendrick became the newest addition to the track’s Wall of Fame, the answer wasn’t as clear-cut.
Asked whether it was still written in stone that Kahne would be in a Chevy next year, Hendrick said, “Oh, yeah,” then paused and added, “Well, I won’t say … I don’t know that. I think so, anyway.”
That comment could indicate that Hendrick is considering options that would place Kahne with another manufacturer next year—and Hendrick allowed that there were many options available.
“I’ve had a lot more options than I thought I would,” he said. “A lot of it is just waiting for the right time and the right deal. We’ve got some good options. There’s new deals coming out every day. I get unbelievable calls from people in this garage. But we’re just not ready to pull the trigger yet.”
Hendrick addressed a report that Kahne would drive a Chevrolet owned by James Finch next year—without denying it.
“I don’t where that came from,” Hendrick said. “James Finch is a good friend and been a good customer of our engine shop. And I don’t know how that got started.”
Kahne said last week he had no knowledge of an impending deal with Finch. Kahne and Hendrick spoke briefly on Friday but did not discuss plans for next year.
“I actually talked with Mr. Hendrick this morning and we just chatted,” Kahne said. “We stay in touch every week, and we didn’t even cross that path. I didn’t even ask anything about next year, and he didn’t bring it up either. We were just talking about other stuff, so I would say there is no new news.”
SPEED: WE DON’T NEED ANY MORE PROBLEMS
Last week, Casey Mears was Scott Speed’s interim teammate at Red Bull Racing. As of Wednesday, that was no longer the case.
Speed had harsh words for Mears after contact from the No. 83 Toyota that Mears was driving spun Speed’s No. 82 at Michigan. On Wednesday, the team announced Mears was out as a substitute for Brian Vickers while Vickers is treated for blood clots that will keep him out of the car for the rest of the season.
Road course specialist Mattias Ekstrom already had been hired to drive the No. 83 in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon. Reed Sorenson will take the wheel of the No. 83 next weekend at New Hampshire.
Asked at a Thursday media luncheon in San Francisco whether he was surprised at Mears’ ouster, Speed replied, “Did I sound surprised? This weekend (with Ekstrom) had already been put in motion before that. Honestly, what has happened since then, I’ve pretty much stayed out of it.
“It’s hard enough for us to push forward with the loss of Brian, with the experience that he brings to our two-car team. When you lose that, it really hurts the progression of everything. It hurts the stability of the teams. We don’t need any more problems than we already have on ourselves.
“I think whatever happens from here on forward (will be) certainly something that (general manager) Jay Frye and what we all consider for the best interest of the team.”
FUEL MYSTERY AT INFINEON
Jeff Gordon’s team found a mystery in the fuel system of the No. 24 Chevrolet on Friday. Instead of the blue racing fuel used at Infineon, the fluid was clear. Sunoco typically dyes the fuel it supplies to race teams different colors at different racetracks.
The No. 24 team flushed the fuel of unknown origin from the car and turned it over to NASCAR. As of Friday afternoon, NASCAR was investigating the source and composition of the fuel and contemplating spot-checking other cars in the field, according to NASCAR spokesperson Ramsey Poston.
“I don’t know what was in our car,” crew chief Steve Letarte said before Friday’s time trials. “It was something that looked—it appeared to be other than race fuel. It wasn’t dyed. We’re not sure if it came in our jugs or if it came in the pumps here or what happened.
“So NASCAR came over and tested what’s in the cells in case there’s any problems later when we do fuel samples. We pumped it out, rinsed it out the best we can.”
Kahne: Chase not out of reach
Buoyed by his runner-up finish Sunday, Kasey Kahne said he feels that making the Chase isn’t out of reach for his No. 9 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford team.
“I didn’t make mistakes, we had good feedback, and the adjustments on the car were good and the car stayed together,” Kahne said. “We’ve had a lot of down moments this year, so it was nice to put a full race together and feel like a Cup team and Cup driver.
“It’s something for us to build on. I think we have to keep building on things because I don’t believe we are out of the Chase yet. We’re right on the edge of it, and if we put together some top fives and top 10s, we’ll have a shot.”
Even with consistent top-10 finishes, the challenge is formidable. Kahne is 21st in the Cup standings, 205 points behind 12th-place Mark Martin with 11 races left before the Chase field is set at Richmond.
Notebook: Kahne to the No. 5? It happened Wednesday
BROOKLYN, Mich.—Those who bet that Kasey Kahne would be in the No. 5 car before the 2012 season, step up to the pay window.
No, not THAT No. 5 car. Kahne said Wednesday before the Prelude to the Dream that his plans for the Sprint Cup Series still aren’t set.
But when Kahne had engine trouble with the No. 9 dirt late model he was driving in Tony Stewart’s charity race at Eldora Speedway, the backup car he was given for the main event was decaled with the No. 5.
Kahne recently signed to drive the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet starting in 2012, when Mark Martin vacates the car. Team owner Rick Hendrick is obligated to find a suitable ride for Kahne next year, but that hasn’t happened yet.
“It keeps getting a little bit later in the year, so I’d imagine it’s coming soon,” Kahne said before the race. “But whenever we find out what it is, I’ll be happy with it and be ready to start working on it for next year and making sure it’s strong when we start the season.”
Given that the Kahne-to-Hendrick deal leaked before the Texas race in mid-April, Kahne said he is surprised something for 2011 has yet to materialize.
“But at the same time, Mr. Hendrick has a lot of patience, and he does things the right way, and he’s just trying to make sure he puts me in the best possible spot that he can,” Kahne said.
“To me, it’s exciting to know that he’s waiting and making sure he does it right. There are so many things with teams and people and drivers and sponsors. There’s just a lot that goes with the whole deal. I think he’ll get it. It’ll be good.”
Kahne took a second look when he saw the No. 5 car he was to drive in the Prelude’s main event.
“I thought it was really ironic, but it is what it is,” Kahne said after the race. “That’s what they pulled out. I had an engine problem in the other one, and that’s what they pulled out. I didn’t mind driving it. That’s the truth.”
Father knows best?
In the aftermath of last week’s fracas at Pocono between Kevin Harvick and 20-year-old Joey Logano, it’s understandable that the drivers don’t see eye to eye.
Apparently, neither do Harvick and Mark Martin, when it comes to a father’s role at the racetrack.
Logano’s father, Tom Logano, was front and center after the race ended at Pocono, where contact between the cars of Harvick and Logano sent Logano spinning and forced the race to overtime. Tom Logano was called to a meeting with NASCAR president Mike Helton after pushing a TV reporter and a crewman out of the way.
Martin, who recognized Joey Logano’s talent more than six years ago, defended Tom Logano on Friday at Michigan International Speedway.
“I loved seeing Tom Logano’s reaction—and I’m a dad,” Martin said. “And anybody who would criticize that, a lot of them aren’t dads. I have a son that competed, not only in racing, but in hockey, too. Heck, I stood up one day, yelled at him, ‘Hit him with your stick,’ when he was playing hockey. And the kid’s dad was standing next to me, and I didn’t care. So, I’m a dad, and I am a Tom Logano fan as well.”
Harvick, on the other hand, believes a father should have no role in a dispute between drivers.
“His father has no place in this,” Harvick said Friday afternoon. “His father needs to stick back and act like all of the rest of the dads and be happy that his kid’s here. This isn’t Little League baseball anymore. He just needs to stay away and act like a 50-year-old man, or however old he is.
“You’ve got to figure Mark Martin—him and the Loganos are buddies—so he’s on whoever’s side that’s most convenient this week.”
Matt Kenseth, who has two children, agreed that fathers should keep their distance.
“Once you’re 18 and an adult, if you are out there racing with adults, you have to be able to take care of your own situations and your own problems.”
Hamlin not sold on spoiler as difference-maker
It’s easy—and accurate—to point out that Denny Hamlin has been a prolific winner in the Cup series since NASCAR returned to the spoiler. It’s equally accurate to point out that Jimmie Johnson hasn’t won since the change was made before the late March race at Martinsville.
To Hamlin, though, it’s not necessarily accurate to assume there’s a correlation.
“It’s tough to say, really,” said Hamlin, who has won four times since the switch. “It’s maybe changed a little bit, but for us, we’re winning with similar setups that we had last year with the wing, and they’ve performed well. It’s tough for me to justify that there’s much difference between the two.”
Fantasy Pick’Em: 2010 Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500
This weekend marks one of change in the Sprint Cup Series; not only does the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 begin the second half of the series’ regular season and usher in the start of TNT’s summer series, it is also the first time that Pocono, not Dover, will host the race immediately after the Coca-Cola 600.
Those of you who have read this column for a long time are surely aware that its existence has always been facilitated by the OnPitRow.com One and Done Fantasy Racing game. Well, folks, this weekend is one of renewal for that game too. Pocono starts the second of three seasons-within-a-season for One and Done, and if you pick well over the next 13 races, you could have some fantastic prizes coming your way. The game is simple – pick a different driver each week for the next 13 weeks, and see how well you do.
As usual, here are the five drivers who are your best fantasy bets for this weekend’s race:
My personal number one pick is Denny Hamlin, because there is almost no logical, feasible reason not to pick him if the rules of your game allow it. Denny’s been on fire as of late on the Sprint Cup circuit, having completed every lap since Texas and accruing two wins and four top-5s in that span. Hamlin also has three wins at Pocono in eight starts, putting him behind only Jeff Gordon for most of full-time drivers, and far and away giving him the best winning percentage.
My dark horse for the weekend is Kasey Kahne. Despite languishing in 21st in points this season, the past two years have been fairly successful for Kahne at Pocono, with a win and three top-10s. A handful of poor Pocono showings earlier in his career skew his average finish, but it’s clear that Kahne has made huge strides at the track; in the last Pocono race, the only driver to top him in driver ratings was Hamlin, widely recognized as the king of Pocono.
Three more for the long and winding road:
Hey, did you know that Mark Martin guy has six runner-up finishes and 32 top-10s in 46 Pocono starts, but has never won a race? Those six bridesmaid spots tie Bobby Allison at Martinsville for most runner-up placings at a track with zero wins. You can bet that’s a goose egg the No. 5 team will be striving to eradicate come Sunday.
Tony Stewart has a pretty solid history at Pocono, with two wins and 16 top-10s in 22 starts. Last year’s victory in this race was his first as an owner-driver. Now 16th in points, he has to be hungry to climb into the Chase, and a characteristically strong Pocono run will surely help his cause.
Finally, if you want a real shot in the dark, Kevin Harvick has managed an average finish of 15.7 at Pocono in 18 starts despite only two top-5s, four top-10s, and never leading a single lap. But Happy’s been strong all year, and it may be time for him to surprise. Want to potentially look like the smartest player in your game? Take a gamble on Harvick and see what happens.
Notebook: Keselowski welcomed day off
CONCORD, N.C.—In light of what happened during Thursday evening’s qualifying session for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup race, Brad Keselowski was thankful there was no on-track activity Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
On his second qualifying lap at the 1.5-mile track, Keselowski slammed into the concrete wall at the start of the tri-oval. The impact was deceptively severe.
“After I took that hard hit in Cup qualifying, I’m still a little sore, so I was glad that I had a day away from the track,” Keselowski said Saturday, after qualifying third for the Tech-Net Auto Service 300 Nationwide Series race. “I could really tell where I took that hit, because I’m really sore where the seat wrapped around me. That’s part of racing.”
Keselowski went to a backup car after the crash and consequently will start from the rear of the field in Sunday’s race. His No. 12 Penske Dodge was 28th fastest in Saturday’s final Cup practice session.
KAHNE HAS A ROCKET SHIP
Two things you can count on at Charlotte are Ryan Newman qualifying well and Kasey Kahne racing well. This weekend isn’t likely to dispel either piece of conventional wisdom.
Newman won the pole for the 600 in Thursday’s qualifying session, and Kahne was first and third, respectively, in Saturday’s two practices.
“We just started off really good,” Kahne said of his No. 9 Ford’s performance in the early practice session. “The car was actually perfect that first run. You don’t get that situation too often. I think that’s the key to why we were the best car.”
If Kahne is to bring Ford its first victory in 2010, he’ll have to keep up with changing track conditions and make the car last for 600 miles.
“We just have to see what the track does,” Kahne said. “We know it’s going to change for tomorrow, and then it’s going to change throughout the entire 600 miles. We just have to prepare the best we can and look ahead and be ready for the last couple hundred miles.”
TRUEX STAYS HOT
Martin Truex Jr. continued his solid performance at Charlotte in Saturday’s practice. After posting the sixth fastest time in the first session, he was fastest in Happy Hour; Truex’s No. 56 Toyota was the only car to top 180 mph in the second session, as the racing surface got warmer and slicker.
Truex won last Saturday’s Sprint Showdown to qualify for the subsequent Sprint All-Star Race, in which he finished second to Kurt Busch.
Fantasy Pick’Em: 2010 Coca-Cola 600
The weekend immediately following the Sprint All-Star Race, the Coca-Cola 600 is one of the crown jewels of NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series. Designed to compete with the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend, it joins the Daytona 500, Southern 500, and Brickyard 400 as one of the series’ most important and prestigious races.
Last year’s rain-shortened event was taken on a dreary Monday by David Reutimann. He added his name to a long list of first-time winners at the track, including all-time greats David Pearson and Jeff Gordon, by opting not to pit during the final caution of the event while many other cars did. The 600 often produces a surprise winner, as many of the big races do, but to suggest it happens every time would be to ignore many drivers who have won it during the peak of their careers, from Gordon to Dale Earnhardt to Jimmie Johnson.
So I’m going to go out on a limb (except not at all) and make Johnson my lead pick. Without the Lowe’s sponsorship, Johnson doesn’t have that extra sort of motivation to dominate at the track, but I see no reason why he can’t keep up a torrid pace of 6 wins and 13 top-10s in 17 starts. The only race in which he has failed to lead a lap was his track debut. His average finish of 8.6 is by far the best of drivers with at least five starts at the track. This is a gimme if you can take it.
Kurt Busch qualifies as a bit of a dark horse at Charlotte, despite the fact that he won last weekend’s All-Star Race. Busch only has three top-5s and a dismal 20.9 average finish in 19 career points-paying starts. If he can win the 600, however, he’d be the seventh driver in 25 years of Charlotte-based all-star events that a driver won both races; Kasey Kahne was the last to do it in 2008.
Some other drivers of merit in the longest race of the NASCAR season:
Joey Logano has only four starts at Charlotte, counting his All-Star travails, but has never disappointed. He converted last year’s Fan Vote into an eighth place run, and finished ninth and fifth in the two races that counted last year. This year, he wound up third in the all-star event. Remember that Jeff Gordon also won the 600 in his sophomore year of NASCAR competition – we could very well see shades of the last great young driver on Sunday night.
Kasey Kahne has also been on a torrid pace at Charlotte over the past two years. In four points-paying starts, he has three podium finishes and a worst placing of seventh. His 11.6 career Charlotte average finish is one of the best on the circuit, and it appears that his worst years at the track are long behind him. Kahne has scored the most points in the last three Charlotte races, and in every amount up through the last nine. usually goes big or goes home – he has three wins and five top-5s, but four finishes of 23rd or worse.
Finally, Jeff Burton has been a highly consistent driver at Charlotte as of late. For his career, he has 32 starts with three wins and 15 top-10s, as well as a win in the 2002 all-star shootout. Burton has scored the third most points at Charlotte over the past five years, second only to Johnson and Kahne; these ten races have been buoyed by a win in October 2008, five top-10s, and only three finishes outside the top 20.
