“A Champion Is As A Champion Does”
Sunday gave no indication that this race on a road course was going to be anything more than another road course race. As a rule, they are an opportunity to take a nap. But Montreal was different. The NASCAR Nationwide Series raced it as hard as they race any short track and the cars looked it at the end.
This was the last road course race for these cars, as next year the Nationwide Car of Tomorrow will compete in all the events. One would imagine by the way they raced that the crew chiefs told them to bring back the steering wheels because the cars were obsolete. Not even the winner had a clean car.
The racing was not the only surprise the fans were in for. The winner would not be a NASCAR regular. Instead he would be a “ringer”. A favorite ringer, but a ringer none the less.
Boris Said proved why he is the go to man and teacher for road course racing. He was just aggressive enough to get the job done. Smooth and fast with the brakes. His performance, with the exception of a few wrinkles in his fenders and rear bumper cover was flawless.
But his victory was not a given thing. As a matter of fact, the dominate car on the day belonged to Marcos Ambrose who was again snake bitten at Montreal. Losing an alternator and then blowing the engine on his Little Debbie ride. He was followed to the garage very shortly by Carl Edwards. Robby Gordon’s gas mileage play didn’t work out leaving him sitting in a run off watching the last 3 laps of the race. They weren’t the only ones with problems though. Broken trailing arms, multi car wrecks and spins, failed brakes and blown engines. Would all take their toll on the Series Regulars.
This left Said and Max Papis, a ringer turned regular from Italy that has been embraced and accepted as one of our own, to settle the race. What was about to unfold was a thing of beauty. It made it clear to this writer why there are fans of road course racing. These two guys were absolutely wide open and poetry in motion. They encompassed all the short track action and all the road course finesse that is more than likely the reason that NASCAR insists on keeping these normal snooze fests on the schedule. This was a race that was decided in the last 5 feet. Boris Said won the drag race to the checkered flag, literally by a bumper.
When it was all over, race fans got a taste of what it truly means to be a champion. Boris Said complimented Max Papis. He gave him credit. He admitted he wasn’t sure he could hold him off. The drag race down the final stretch wasn’t a sure thing in his book. But “Max raced me clean. He raced me hard. But he raced me clean.”
Max Papis thanked his owners for the opportunity and told the world how proud he had been to drive their car. How proud he was that he could do so well for his sponsor and how happy he was for Boris Said.
How refreshing. No name calling. No finger pointing. No disrespect to owners, sponsors, fans or other drivers. There was just excitement over the victory, and the thrill of the race and coming so close to victory. Maybe there is more to be learned on these road courses after all.
This was not an overnight success for either driver. Boris Said made his first NASCAR start in 1997 in the then Craftsmen Truck Series. He has been utilized as a ringer since then and can now boast impressive figures in all three series including, 23 top tens and now a second win. The two time winner of the 24 hours of Daytona had struggled and searched for that second win since 1998. Followed by his devoted fans (The Said Heads), Boris never gave up and turned in more top 10 finishes on road courses than any other competitor in any series.
Best known as the teacher to the pro’s, Said has taught some of NASCAR’s elite how to handle a road course. Joking recently that he may have taught them too well, his students include, Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart to name a few.
Two years ago at Watkins Glen, Max Papis made his Sprint Cup debut as a ringer for DEI. He was near tears in his post race interview after being taken out in a wreck that blocked the track on a blind corner. He wanted to do well so badly he told reporters that day. He wanted to show that he was a capable racer. What he did was more than that. He showed the world what kind of champion he is. He cares about winning and losing. He cares about doing well for his sponsors and his fans. He cares about his job performance.
There is never a race that Max Papis drives in that afterwards he does not thank his fans on Twitter and give them a little of what he feels about how the race went. How refreshing is that. A driver that actually thanks his fans for standing with him and behind him, and tells them “we go on to the next one.”
Max Papis sets the example, as did Boris Said that we would like to see our children follow. He does so because he has children that he sets the example for. Does he have a temper, he is human and he is a native of Como, Italy, so of course he does. But he has learned through his experiences in Formula 1 and Indy Racing League (IRL) to control those emotions and pursue the goal, Victory.
Max says, “My dream is to compete and win in NASCAR and to be the first European to be there among so many great American racing icons.” He came very close on Sunday. But his chances are not over. Max will be taking over the number 9 Germain Racing Truck full time in 2011.
Max, sei un campione. siamo orgogliosi di averti. grazie per farci meglio i fan. I pray you will forgive my poor Italian but understand that it is with the greatest respect that I attempted to tell you that you are a champion and we are proud to have you. Thank you for making us better fans with your example.
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Congratulations to Kyle Busch on his Camping World Truck Victory and to Boris Said on his well deserved Nationwide Series Victory. Also Congratulations to Patrick Sheltra on his Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) win at Chicagoland Speedway on Friday as well.
That said to all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give. You are our heroes. Most importantly though thanks to all the families who share their loved ones with us each and every week so that we can cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.
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You can learn more about Max Papis and his career at www.MaxPapis.com. You can find Max’s Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/maxpapis .
You can find Boris Said on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1534514283&ref=ts .
Said edges Papis in photo finish at Montreal
MONTREAL—At long last, road-course ace Boris Said is a winner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Said won Sunday’s NAPA Auto Parts 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve when—with the two strongest cars out of contention—the always unpredictable event ended with Said beating Max Papis in a drag race to the finish line.
After leader Robby Gordon ran out of gas on a green-white-checkered-flag finish that sent the race three laps past its scheduled distance of 74 laps, Said lost the lead to Papis at the entrance to the final two corners. But Papis’ momentum sent him wide in Turn 14, and Said drew alongside at the top of the final straightaway.
Papis lost a fraction of a second when he hit the rev limiter in second gear but still had enough to race side by side with Said all the way to the finish line.
Said’s .012-second margin of victory was the closest ever on a road course in the Nationwide Series, the fifth closest overall in series history and the closest since 1998 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The victory was more than just a first for Said, 47. It was the first Nationwide win for car owner Robby Benton and the first for the new pairing of Said and crew chief Scott Zipadelli.
“I don’t think we had the fastest car today,” Said admitted, “but we definitely had the smartest race strategy with Scott Zipadelli as the crew chief—the first time I ever worked with him. We had great communication, he called a great race, and it was really about managing the racetrack, managing your brakes.
“I’m shocked … overwhelmed. I thought I was going to cry, but I didn’t. My wife would have made fun of me. But I was pretty happy.”
Local hero Jacques Villeneuve finished third, followed by Brad Keselowski, who extended his series lead to 365 points over hard-luck 20th-place finisher Carl Edwards. Paul Menard ran fifth, with Joey Logano, J.R. Fitzpatrick, Parker Kligerman, Justin Allgaier and Trevor Bayne completing the top 10.
The race that gave polesitter Marcos Ambrose another heartbreak (he retired with an electrical problem after leading 25 laps) turned on a bad break—literally—for defending winner Edwards, who led a race-high 29 laps before breaking the track bar on his No. 60 Ford as caution flew with eight laps left in regulation.
Edwards held a lead of almost three seconds over Gordon when Michael Annett slid into the Turn 4 wall to cause the fifth caution of the race, ending a green-flag run of 42 laps.
Two more late cautions forced overtime and prolonged the race enough to empty Gordon’s fuel tank. Gordon led the field to the green flag for a restart on Lap 76 but coasted to a stop before completing the circuit. He finished 14th.
But it was the drag race to the finish between Said and Papis that had the more than 70,000 fans on their feet.
“I was ahead, I was behind, I was ahead,” said Papis, who was driving Kevin Harvick’s No. 33 Chevrolet. “At the end of the day, this was an amazing race. I had a blast. It came down to a green-white-checker, and the thing I’m the most proud of … this is maybe the first time I’ve had the chance to really sit in a car that legitimately can win, and it came down to the last corner.
“For me, I’m really proud. I know it’s a second-place finish, but it’s equal to one of my best wins.”
Has NASCAR Allowing “The Boys To Have It” Gone To Far This Season?
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch made it clear exactly what his prerogative was when he drove into the rear quarter panel of Brad Keselowski’s Penske Dodge Charger, after the Food City 250 on Saturday.
Busch, who felt retaliation was the only way of getting his point across, told the media after the race that, “So, you know, I went down into the next corner and dumped him.”
How many more incidents such as this will it take before a driver gets seriously injured, for NASCAR to step in and say enough is enough?
Earlier in the season after another such incident at Gateway International Raceway, NASCAR docked Carl Edwards 60 points, and fined him $25,000, along with placing both he and Brad Keselowski on probation for the rest of the season.
Edwards just like Busch, felt he needed to take matters into his own hands when he dumped Keselowski with the ending result a lot worse than what happened on Saturday.
Edwards stated after the race, “That’s my job, to win the race, and to make sure I don’t get walked on or get something taken away from me that’s mine; I had to do what I had to do.”
Keselowski was very fortunate his car didn’t get hit by several other drivers on Saturday, as it did back when Edwards felt the need to allow his anger to get the best of him.
I wrote this piece last season as a reminder of just how dangerous our sport really is, and even though this accident was not the fault of either driver involved.
It portrays what is reality within our sport, and sometimes the outcome is not what we expected.
Margaret Cowherd jumped up as soon as she saw the doctor come out of the emergency room. She asked the doctor with a look of sadness in her eyes, “How is my husband? Is he going to be all right? When can I see him?”
The doctor responded, “I’m sorry. We did all we could, but your husband didn’t make it.”
Margaret looked to the heavens and asked, “Why do race car drivers have to die? Doesn’t God care about the sport anymore? Where were you, God, when my husband needed you?”
The doctor asked, “Would you like some time alone with your husband? One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes, before he’s transported to the mortuary.”
Margaret asked the nurse to stay with her while she said goodbye to her husband. She ran her fingers lovingly through his thick hair.
“Would you like to take his driving suit home?” the nurse asked. Margaret nodded yes.
The nurse took what was left of the driving suit, put it in a plastic bag, and handed it to Margaret.
The drive home was even more difficult knowing that her husband would no longer be by her side, and that she would spend the rest of her life wondering why this had to happen to her husband, of all people.
It has been 11 years since that unforgettable night, a night that started out like any other typical Saturday night of racing at Toyota Speedway of Irwindale.
But what was about to unfold before the night was over is not only a fan’s worst nightmare, but also the families who were involved.
NASCAR racing is, and always will be, a very dangerous sport no matter what level or class is racing.
Just this season alone we have seen some of the most spectacular crashes that could have easily had the same outcome, but because modern technology took over, drivers were able to walk away.
Now, while taking the time to look at how technically advanced these specially-prepared race cars are built, it’s easy to see just how dangerous the sport really is at first glance.
From the twisted metal steel that makes up the roll cage, to the six-point racing harness, along with the carbon fiber seat that holds the driver snuggly in place.
These are just a few of the safety features that are very noticeable, along with the rest of the equipment that goes into building some of the safest race cars that are out on the track today.
The NASCAR R&D team spends countless hours testing, designing, and carefully looking for any flaws that might have been missed, while at the same time giving the drivers the comfort of knowing that no expense has been spared when it comes to their safety.
But not even all of these safety features would be enough to allow Keith Cowherd to come home to his family after what should have been a normal night of fun and excitement.
For those race fans that were in the stands, they never expected to witness the death of a driver who was only doing what he enjoyed on the weekends.
As for his family, it was a very somber moment, as well as a very emotional one, especially not knowing if their loved one would survive the horrible wreck.
The suspense was thick enough that you could cut it with a knife, as the safety team tried furiously to extract Cowherd from the mangled wreckage.
After all, short track racing on a Saturday night, or for that matter anyone of the many NASCAR touring series is meant to be fun and exciting, but there is always that element of danger that is lurking lap after lap.
And it’s usually that element, along with the thrill of watching a driver push the limits that can only be pushed on these tracks that keeps fans coming back for more.
The accident happened when Cowherd and Shawn Davidson, who were running sixth and seventh at the time, became entangled with one another. Davidson’s truck hit the outside wall, where it caught fire instantly, while Cowherd’s truck slammed into the infield wall.
Davidson climbed out of his truck on his own power, and collapsed on the track.
Cowherd, who needed to be removed from his truck, would not be so lucky, and he would be pronounced dead an hour later.
The noise that came from the initial impact was enough to make your skin crawl, and it was one the worst silent, but deadly booms that was heard around the track.
The accident sent what was left of the crowd of 5,254 into a stunned silence, as the remaining 42 laps of the race were canceled.
Death is one of the most unexplainable, unpredictable, and one the biggest unknown mysteries that we will never get an answer to. Death doesn’t play favorites, has no feelings, and has no concept of age, gender, or nationality.
Death can strike at any time, and it usually strikes within a moment’s notice. Death has no remorse as far as who is next on the list, and it will continue to be one of the biggest mysteries known to man because of its element of surprise.
While driving home that night, I looked over at my 16-year-old daughter, and thought back to how uncertain and how surreal our lives really are.
The hardest part was explaining to her that, in the twinkling of an eye, it could all come to an abrupt halt, just as it had done a couple of hours earlier.
Death came down and took the life of a husband, father, son, and a fellow race car driver. And whatever death’s claim to fame is, that fame came with a lot of pain, grief, and of course the biggest unanswered question, “Why him?”
NASCAR racing will continue to bring us fans the element of surprise, and with each surprise will also be the dangers that go along with it.
Each and every driver knows beforehand that death can come knocking on his or her door at anytime, and it will continue to have its way as long as there are those who choose to challenge it.
But even then, how many times have you actually thought about the families whose loved ones are out there risking their lives for our enjoyment?
A life that is so precious to those around them, but yet they put it all behind to seek out one of life’s many challenges.
Keith Cowherd was one of those who chose to take on that challenge, but unfortunately he paid the ultimate the price.
R.I.P. Keith Cowherd, and the rest of the drivers who also chose the same route while paying the same price.
Kyle Busch plays spin-to-win at Bristol
BRISTOL, Tenn.—After spinning his strongest challenger on Lap 219, Kyle Busch held off Jason Leffler and Elliott Sadler through a spate of cautions in the closing laps to win Friday night’s Food City 250 Nationwide Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Busch won his 10th Nationwide race of the year, tying the single-season record he already shared with Sam Ard. The victory was Busch’s 40th in the series, but it was not without controversy.
Keselowski and Busch battled ferociously for the lead during the final quarter of the race, and that heated contest produced the sixth caution of the event. On Lap 219, Busch slid past Keselowski for the lead off Turn 2 but bobbled slightly down the backstretch.
Busch clipped the wall after contact from Keselowski’s Dodge, and as the cars rolled through Turn 4, Busch spun his adversary in the corner, forcing Keselowski to pit to repair the damage to his car. Keselowski finished 14th.
In his postrace interview in victory lane, Busch twice acknowledged he purposely “dumped” Keselowski.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. rallied from a lap down to finish fourth. Carl Edwards ran fifth. Trevor Bayne, Clint Bowyer, Reed Sorenson, Parker Kligerman and Joey Logano completed the top 10.
Busch can complete an unprecedented sweep of three races at one track in NASCAR’s top three touring series with a victory in Saturday’s Sprint Cup Series Irwin Tools Night Race. Busch won Bristol’s Camping World Truck Series race Wednesday night.
Sadler sits on Bristol NNS pole
Elliott Sadler will sit on the pole for tonight’s Nationwide Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway — his first pole at Bristol in his Nationwide career. Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Justin Allgaier and Steven Wallace will round out the top-five in the starting lineup.
Click here to view more race stats for this weekend’s races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Qualifying Fast Facts
Bristol Motor Speedway
Food City 250
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Fri, August 20, 2010 @ 05:10 PM ET
Coors Light Pole Winner: Elliott Sadler
Age: 35
Team : No. 33 – Rheem Heating and Air Conditioning Chevrolet
Owner: Delana Harvick
Crew Chief: Ernie Cope
- Elliott Sadler won the Coors Light Pole Award for the Food City 250 with a lap of 15.934 seconds, 120.422 mph.
- This is his sixth pole in 128 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
- This is his first pole and first top-10 start in 2010.
- This is his first pole in eight races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
- Joey Logano (second) posted his 14th top-10 start of 2010 and his second in four races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
- Kyle Busch (third) posted his seventh top-10 start at Bristol Motor Speedway. It is his 19th in 20 races this season.
- Brian Scott (30th) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
Almirola Signs Multi-Year Deal to Drive JR Motorsports’ No. 88
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Aug. 18, 2010) – JR Motorsports cemented an integral part of its future Wednesday by signing Aric Almirola to a multi-year driving contract for the company’s flagship No. 88 NASCAR Nationwide Series team starting in 2011, general manager Kelley Earnhardt announced today.
A 26-year-old native of Tampa, Fla., Almirola has 32 career Nationwide Series starts, including one for JR Motorsports in which he finished third at O’Reilly Raceway Park in July. Almirola’s full-time duties as the No. 88 driver will officially begin in 2011, but he could potentially fill the seat in select races this season while he continues to run for a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship.
“The chance to drive full time in the Nationwide Series with a top caliber team is something I am extremely excited about,” Almirola said. “I was at the shop yesterday, and Kelley gathered all the employees around to announce our deal. The energy and excitement was addicting. We raced at ORP together a month ago and had a really good run. There is no reason why we cannot compete like that every race, and there is no reason why we shouldn’t be running for a championship. I would expect nothing less.”
Almirola comes to JR Motorsports with proven credentials. In 2006-07, he competed in the Nationwide Series with Joe Gibbs Racing, earning three poles and six top-10s. He is credited with one victory – the June 23, 2007, race at Milwaukee Mile – in which he and Denny Hamlin shared seat time in the victorious No. 20 car. That performance was part of a successful 2007 campaign, which opened doors to a lifelong dream of racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Dale Earnhardt Inc. signed Almirola to a part-time driving deal in 2008 with the unique task of splitting seat time with one of NASCAR’s all-time greats, Mark Martin. Nineteen of Almirola’s 30 Sprint Cup starts came with DEI (later to become Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing). In his very first race of the 2008 season, Almirola scored a career-best Sprint Cup finish of eighth at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Almirola continued racing in sporadic Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races in 2009 and 2010, but the opportunity to compete full-time this year with Billy Ballew Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series was too good to pass up. In 15 races so far this season, Almirola has two wins (Dover on May 14 and Michigan on June 12) and has finished in the top-10 in all but four events. He currently sits second in the championship point standings.
“If there is a quintessential JR Motorsports driver, we feel it’s Aric Almirola,” Kelley Earnhardt said. “The way he drives, the ambition he carries, the way he represents himself on and off the track, it all fits within our company’s dynamics, our core objectives, and the values of our sponsorship partners. We look forward to putting him in our No. 88 car so he can continue his success.”
Almirola’s one stint for JRM took place on July 24 at O’Reilly Raceway Park. He started the Kroger 200 in sixth position, led one lap, ran among the top-five all night, and finished third in his debut in the No. 88 GT Vodka Chevrolet. Almirola is one of 10 drivers who has or will have raced the No. 88 Chevrolet at least once in 2010. Team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the No. 88 Realtree Outdoors Chevrolet at Bristol this Friday night in the Food City 250.
“This has been a far different year than anything we have ever experienced before, but we feel like our decision to take our time and not be rushed into naming a full-schedule driver for the No. 88 paid off with the signing of Aric,” Kelley Earnhardt said. “He brings a lot to the table for us, as well as our sponsors. He is someone they can build their brands around, and he has the talent to take them to the Winner’s Circle.”
Keselowski dominant in Michigan in new car
BROOKLYN, Mich.—Despite clutch problems that plagued him on pit road, Brad Keselowski dominated Saturday’s Carfax 250 Nationwide Series race at Michigan International Speedway.
“I don’t need no stinking clutch,” Keselowski said shortly after crossing the finish line 3.179 seconds ahead of second-place Carl Edwards.
No, he didn’t. Clutch or no clutch, Keselowski’s No. 22 Penske Racing Dodge was the class of the field, starting from the pole and leading 89 of the 125 laps, in the first race for NASCAR’s new Nationwide Series car on a downforce track.
Keselowski pulled away from Edwards after a Lap 117 restart, necessitated by the second caution of the race. Slow leaving the pits after a green-flag stop on Lap 105, Keselowski was running second, 3.4 seconds behind Edwards and closing, when the caution flag flew.
The caution bunched the field and gave Keselowski the opportunity to pass Edwards on the restart. Keselowski now leads second-place Edwards by 347 points in the series standings.
“The clutch problems just affect our pit stops, and at the end, it affected my (celebratory) burnout,” Keselowski said. “It still was an awesome racecar. When you’ve got cars this good, man, life is a lot easier.”
Kyle Busch finished third, followed by Justin Allgaier and Paul Menard. Joey Logano, Elliott Sadler, Reed Sorenson, rookie Colin Braun and Kevin Harvick completed the top 10. Danica Patrick came home 27th, four laps down, in her sixth race in the series and her first in the new car.
The Nationwide Series will use the new car in upcoming races at Richmond and Charlotte before its introduction as the full-time car in 2011. Saturday’s race dramatically increased Keselowski’s comfort level with his new Dodge Challenger.
“For me, I was nervous about this car for a lot of reasons,” Keselowski said. “I was nervous because, quite honestly, I haven’t run that well on the (Sprint) Cup side, and this chassis is based off the Cup car. I looked at it and thought, ‘Geez, if I haven’t run that well in the Cup car, what am I going to do when they bring it to the Nationwide side?’
“I was a little bit nervous about it from that standpoint, and obviously, the reliability of anything that’s new. So to be able to go out and win in that car, knowing it’s the same chassis as the Cup car—with some very subtle differences—is a huge boost of momentum that, hopefully I can carry over to (Sunday’s Cup race) as well.”
Edwards was aware that the second caution had deprived him of his best opportunity to win the race.
“Until that last caution, I thought, ‘Man, we might win this thing,’ ” Edwards said. “Then we had the caution, and Brad was able to just launch out front on that last run. It was just a battle for second then.
“But I could taste victory. I thought, ‘Man, this is going to work out—we’re going to steal one here today.’ But the best car ended up winning. Those guys did a good job.”
Keselowski and Edwards have a history of violent confrontations on the racetrack. In fact, both are on probation until the end of the year after a massive wreck on the last lap of a Nationwide race at Gateway International Raceway in July, where Edwards retaliated after Keselowski bumped him.
At Michigan, however, they raced hard but without contact. The ingredients were there for another melee, Keselowski said, but on Saturday it didn’t happen.
“The cake didn’t bake,” Keselowski said.
New Nationwide car brings intrigue to Carfax 250
Fast facts
What: Carfax 250
Where: Michigan International Speedway; Brooklyn, Mich.
When: Saturday, 2 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN, 1 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN/Sirius Satellite Ch. 128
Track layout: 2-mile oval
Race distance: 125 laps/250 miles
Qualifying: Saturday, 10:10 a.m. ET
2009 winner: Brad Keselowski
2009 polesitter: Brian Vickers
Points leaders: 1. Brad Keselowski, 3,509; 2. Carl Edwards, 3,182; 3. Kyle Busch, 3,036; 4. Justin Allgaier, 2,894; 5. Kevin Harvick, 2,774; 6. Paul Menard, 2,732; 7. Steve Wallace, 2,626; 8. Trevor Bayne, 2,441; 9. Brendan Gaughan, 2,420; 10. Jason Leffler, 2,384.
The second race with the new Nationwide Series car has some drivers a little worried.
Well, maybe a lot worried.
“I’m actually terrified, to be honest with you,” Steve Wallace said. “I think we all are.”
Why is Wallace, normally a fearless young race driver, afraid? Because the new car has never been run on a track like 2-mile Michigan International Speedway, site of Saturday’s Carfax 250. The car has been tested at 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway and ran last month at 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway.
But it had never seen a track like Michigan until Thursday’s test day.
“We’ve only run our car one time,” Wallace said. “We haven’t been able to test it anywhere. We tested it at Daytona, we raced Daytona and we come back and they’ve been sitting on jack stands since then. We’ve been to the seven-post rig a lot. We’ve done a lot of work like that, but as far as on-track activities, we haven’t been able to tweak or tune on these things.
“To be quite honest, we’re just kind of going there with what Toyota has seen on all of the shaker rigs and kind of what they’re recommending. … It’s going to be wild—for us at least.”
Fellow Toyota driver Jason Leffler understands Wallace’s sentiment.
“Daytona was so different, but it was fun at the same time,” Leffler said. “Your adjustments were different and everything you did with the racecar. Everybody is learning, and I think the show was pretty good. I think the new car looks good on the racetrack. It’s something that everybody in the Nationwide Series should be proud of.
“Michigan will be fun. At the same time I can see where Steve is coming from. It would be nice for all of us to be able to test some more and try to get a handle on the things, but we’re all in the same boat. You can’t test so we’re learning as we go and you’ll see a lot of learning going on in the race at Michigan. But it should be fun.”
And since no one turned laps at Michigan in the new car until Thursday’s extended practice, it could be an opportunity for someone to take an advantage.
“I’m excited because we’re all blind going into this, pretty much,” Justin Allgaier said. “We all want to see how it’s going to turn out. Our car was horrible at Michigan last year. I’m not going to lie. We were way off-base and very uncomfortable. With change brings a totally different setup.”
Drivers shake down new Nationwide car in extended practice
BROOKLYN, Mich.—It was a far cry from Daytona last month, where drivers were screaming “loose” during the testing for the new Nationwide Series car.
The new car will get its second test in competition this weekend—and its first on a downforce racetrack—in Saturday’s Carfax 250 at Michigan International Speedway.
Unlike at Daytona, drivers participating in Thursday’s extended practice for the new cars generally found the handling conditions to be tighter than expected.
“This morning we started with just a few cars getting out early, and then more cars kind of joined in as the morning progressed,” Nationwide Series director Joe Balash said. “Walking through the garage and talking with some of the drivers, we have a good feel for the car. The balance is good on the cars. I think probably the majority of the garage started maybe just a tick tight today.”
Driver Trevor Bayne, who was ninth fastest in the second session Thursday afternoon, said his experience differed from the consensus, but he was grateful for the opportunity to get a feel for the new car.
“Most of the people I talked to, surprisingly, a lot of them said tight,” Bayne said. “A lot of them are fighting tight (handling) actually, and I didn’t think that was going to be an issue at all. My car is actually a little bit free, but it’s nothing like Daytona. This is a way better experience, and they’re actually a lot of fun to drive.
“I’ve had a good time all day, trying to get a feel for it, how much these cars can rotate and get used to that side force and that limit. I think these (Sprint) Cup guys have a little bit of feel for what these cars can handle, and that was the biggest thing I had to go through all day, just getting used to that rotation into the corner and letting it hang out a little bit more.”
The new Nationwide car, which will have raced four times this year (at Daytona, Michigan, Richmond and Charlotte) features more aerodynamic drag than the car it will replace next year, when the new car becomes the series’ full-time racecar.
Side pieces on the rear spoiler, shaped vaguely like Mickey Mouse ears, provide a degree of adjustability.
“We’re basically in the same gear that we were with the other car,” Balash said. “This car does have more drag built into it, and that was the intent of the car, to do that, to have a stepping stone in drag over the current Nationwide car.
“One of the things I have seen that’s been noticeable on the cars is there’s been a number of teams making adjustments on the car by using the ear pieces on the rear spoiler. That’s one of the things that we gave to the teams with the new Nationwide car to make some adjustments, and I think we’ve seen a lot of teams taking advantage of that.”
Series points leader and defending race winner Brad Keselowski, who was fourth fastest in the afternoon session led by Kevin Harvick, said drivers won’t know exactly what they’re dealing with until they’re actually racing.
“It doesn’t handle a drastic amount different, but it’s really hard to compare,” Keselowski said. “The track has obviously had another year of age on it and lost some grip, and I’m not sure exactly how the tire compares as well. … We really still won’t know until we get a full tire run on the car in real race mode.”
Austin to Drive the No. 43 Forgotten Harvest/Walgreens Million Meal Challenge Dodge for Baker Curb Racing at Michigan
NASCAR Nationwide driver Chase Austin will be driving the No. 43 Forgotten Harvest/Walgreens Million Meal Challenge Dodge for Baker Curb Racing at Michigan International Speedway this Saturday in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Race. This will be Chase’s 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series debut and his first chance to get behind the wheel of the new body style of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race cars.
“I’m really excited to be driving the No. 43 this weekend at Michigan. I raced in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Race in June at Michigan, so I do have a few laps on the track. Still, I have a lot to learn in the practices on Thursday and Friday – getting accustomed to the new Nationwide car and just getting more laps on the track will be important,” said Chase Austin.
In addition, Chase will continue to help drive away hunger from Metro Detroit this weekend at Michigan International Speedway as part of Forgotten Harvest’s Million Meal Challenge, with support from Walgreens of Southeast Michigan.
As part of the Million Meal Challenge partnership, which started in June and continues until September 6, 125 Southeast Michigan Walgreen’s locations are supporting the Million Meal Challenge by accepting food donations in its stores of items like peanut butter, jelly and other Walgreen’s sold food items.
It’s a fact that one in five children live in poverty and are at risk of going hungry. One in two children in the City of Detroit live in poverty and many of these children rely on schools or other day programs to get the food and nutrition they need. Forgotten Harvest is raising funds and collecting nutritious food for children to eat during the final days of their Summer Vacations and at other times when they would ordinarily be eating meals at school.
“It’s an honor to be representing such a gracious organization as Forgotten Harvest and Walgreens. What they do in the Detroit Metro area is remarkable and a blessing to so many. Their program, the Million Meal Challenge has helped so many kids already this summer and I’m hoping next weekend we can get even more people to go visit a Walgreens to donate,” said Chase.
Watch for Chase Austin, as he makes his 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series debut in the No. 43 Forgotten Harvest/Walgreens Million Meal Challenge Dodge this weekend at Michigan International Speedway for the CARFAX 250 on August 14, 2010.
Ambrose makes it three straight at the Glen
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.—Marcos Ambrose didn’t drive like a man in limbo.
Marcos Ambrose celebrates after his third straight victory at Watkins Glen in the Nationwide Series. (Tom Whitmore/Getty Images)Unofficial Race Results
| Fin | Str | Car | Driver | Team |
| 1 | 1 | 47 | Marcos Ambrose | Toyota |
| 2 | 2 | 20 | Joey Logano | Toyota |
| 3 | 3 | 33 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet |
| 4 | 8 | 22 | Brad Keselowski | Dodge |
| 5 | 5 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota |
| 6 | 12 | 88 | Ron Fellows | Chevrolet |
| 7 | 10 | 27 | Nelson Piquet | Ford |
| 8 | 6 | 32 | Jacques Villeneuve | Toyota |
| 9 | 17 | 66 | Steve Wallace | Toyota |
| 10 | 15 | 81 | Michael McDowell | Dodge |
Though his future is uncertain, with his announced departure from JTG/Daugherty Racing for parts—or team—unknown, Ambrose drove immaculately Saturday afternoon in picking up his third straight NASCAR Nationwide Series victory at Watkins Glen International, winning the Zippo 200 from the pole.
During a 16-lap run to the finish, Ambrose pulled away to win by 2.834 seconds over Joey Logano, who, for once, was happy to settle for second place.
“It was a wonderful day for us,” said Ambrose, who has not announced plans for next year, though the rumor mill says he’s likely to land in a Sprint Cup ride at Richard Petty Motorsports. “We’ve had our troubles at JTG this year, and we’re parting ways at the end of the season, and this is a really fitting way to finish this thing off.”
There’s also unfinished business. Ambrose will start 11th in Sunday’s Cup race at the Glen, hoping to become the first driver to sweep both races at the 2.45-mile road course.
“We’ve got another job to do (Sunday), so I won’t have too many beers tonight,” he said.
Ambrose passed eventual fifth-place finisher Kyle Busch for the lead on Lap 41, hanging Busch behind lapped traffic as the cars roared uphill through the esses. By the time Ambrose reached the Bus Stop chicane, he had pulled ahead of Busch and remained out front through a pair of caution periods in the final 30 laps.
Kevin Harvick finished third, followed by series points leader Brad Keselowski and Busch. Ron Fellows, Nelson Piquet Jr., Jacques Villeneuve, Steve Wallace and Michael McDowell completed the top 10.
Logano surprised himself with his strong performance on the road circuit.
“I was pretty pumped out about how the car ran today,” Logano said. “Road courses and me never got along before. It’s cool to see yourself improve every time you get to a place like this.”
Part of that improvement was attributable to following Ambrose for much of the race. Before a 10-car wreck in Turn 2 caused a stoppage of more than 25 minutes, Logano kept pace with the race winner.
“Marcos is pretty good through the Bus Stop—just watching the line, the curbs he hits, the way he hits ‘em, the speed he carries—I definitely learned a lot,” Logano said. “I feel like I picked up the most through there and was able to be pretty good by the end of the race.”
Note: Keselowski expanded his advantage in the series standings to 327 points over second-place Carl Edwards, who fell out of the race after 25 laps because of an engine failure and finished 33rd.
Villeneuve finally getting a taste of Watkins Glen
Jacques Villeneuve has raced all over the world and all over the United States in Formula One, IndyCars, sports cars and NASCAR stock cars. Yet, somehow the former F1 champion and Indy 500 winner never raced at one of America’s top road courses.
Fast facts
What: Zippo 200 at The Glen
Where: Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International
When: Saturday, 2 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN, 1:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN/Sirius Satellite Ch. 128
Track layout: 2.45-mile road course
Race distance: 82 laps/200.9 miles
Qualifying: Saturday, 9:10 a.m. ET
2009 winner: Marcos Ambrose
2009 polesitter: Kevin Harvick
Points leaders: 1. Brad Keselowski, 3,349; 2. Carl Edwards, 3,118; 3. Kyle Busch, 2,876; 4. Justin Allgaier, 2,833; 5. Paul Menard, 2,620; 6. Kevin Harvick, 2,609; 7. Steve Wallace, 2,488; 8. Trevor Bayne, 2,365; 9. Brendan Gaughan, 2,347; 10. Jason Leffler, 2,326.
That changes this weekend at famed Watkins Glen International in the Zippo 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race.
Villeneuve’s father, Gilles, raced at The Glen years ago when Formula One used the long course. But that series last raced there in 1980, long before Jacques competed in F1. And though IndyCars race there now, The Glen wasn’t added to that schedule until 2005.
“Whatever I was racing, that race wasn’t happening,” said Villeneuve, who will be in the No. 32 Braun Racing Toyota. “In my dad’s time, F1 was racing there. When I was in IndyCar, they weren’t racing there, either. It’s one of the great tracks.”
And though Villeneuve is one of the top racers in the world, he might be at a slight disadvantage this weekend.
“It’s always good knowing a track, even if it’s in a different car,” Villeneuve said. “That saves you a lot of time. Now, we only have one practice session to get going, so I really don’t know.
“It’s not a typical road course, with a lot of braking. But the good thing is there’s not many corners, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find the way around. It’s a short track. If you take Elkhart Lake, it’s an extremely long track, so that makes it a little bit more difficult with a lot of braking and overtaking and blind corners. Montreal is very special because it’s very tight, very slow.
“The Glen, apart from the Bus Stop—it’s called the Bus Stop?—seems to be fast enough, with a little bit of banking as well, if I remember watching the TV last year. It’s a different kind of road course, so it requires a different kind of setup.”
Villeneuve said he would rely on crew chief Trent Owens for the setup, and he is comfortable with the team, having driven the No. 32 Toyota at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., in June. He also drove for Braun in last month’s Sprint Cup race at Indianapolis.
Villeneuve’s career has been disjointed in recent years, though he said he’d prefer to stay in one series. If that’s NASCAR, great.
“I love driving those cars,” Villeneuve said. “I love the series. It’s fun, it’s difficult. The cars are fast, and most of the ovals, it’s quite a handful and very exciting. Both races I did this year, Elkhart Lake and the Brickyard, were a huge enjoyment, so I would really like to carry on.
“But unless you have a full-time deal on the table, you can’t give up on all the other options that are available.”
Busch roars to ninth Nationwide win
BNEWTON, Iowa—Even when he doesn’t get any practice, Kyle Busch still wins in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Busch won his ninth Nationwide race of 2010, his sixth in his last seven starts and 39th of his career by dominating the U.S. Cellular 250 in front of 55,988 fans at Iowa Speedway.
“I really like these cars,” Busch said. “It’s fun, man. I’ve really grown accustomed to these things and have learned how to drive them. You can really drive the Nationwide cars hard because they don’t have a whole lot of horsepower, so you can really try to make up a lot by being able to get more out of the car, driver-wise.”
Busch missed Saturday morning’s rain-delayed practice, making it to Iowa in time for qualifying. In his first laps in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, he earned the second position. Brad Coleman practiced Busch’s car.
“It would’ve been better if I could’ve sat on the pole,” Busch said. “Darn Trevor Bayne.”
Bayne may have won the pole, but Busch’s car was clearly dominant in the race, even without Busch practicing it. Busch led four times for 209 laps.
“It says a lot about the team, it says a lot about my confidence as a driver and my confidence in the team that they can prepare great racecars—and also (backup driver) Brad Coleman and what he does. I told (crew chief) Jason (Ratcliff) before the start of this thing, ‘Man, if I win this thing, I just might not practice any more.’ I think I screw it up more when I practice it.”
Busch restarted sixth after a pit stop for four tires with 42 laps to go, passing four cars in one lap to move to second behind Kevin Harvick, who changed only right-side tires.
“We got five, six cars in between ourselves and Kyle, and that’s really what we wanted to do,” Harvick said. “We just didn’t expect him to pass them all in one lap. That was our best chance, to try to get in front of him, and hopefully have him get caught up in traffic.”
Busch passed Harvick with 24 laps to go and pulled away for the victory, spoiling Nationwide’s Dash 4 Cash program. Since Busch was ineligible because he hasn’t run all the Nationwide Series races this year, an eligible driver can win $75,000 if he wins at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 6.
Harvick ended up second, with Jason Leffler third, with points leader Brad Keselowski fourth and Bayne fifth. Sixth through 10th were Steve Wallace, Michael Annett, Justin Allgaier, Matt DiBenedetto and Carl Edwards.
Iowa’s second Nationwide race saw two red flags in the first 100 laps. The first red was for Reed Sorenson’s wreck in Turn 1 on Lap 42, caused by a melted bead on the right-front tire. The second came 51 laps later, when Brian Keselowski nailed a prone Colin Braun in Turn 2.
Braun, who wrecked his primary car in qualifying, had spun off the corner before getting slammed by Keselowski. Three other cars were involved, but none of the drivers were hurt.
Bayne became the youngest driver in series history to win three consecutive poles as he claimed the top spot for the 250-lap race. Bayne is the third driver to accomplish the feat and the first in 18 years. The others were Sam Ard, Jeff Gordon and Michael Waltrip.
Brad Keselowski extended his series points lead over Edwards to 231 points.
Keselowski: Iowa ‘a special moment in my career’
Brad Keselowski was already a three-time winner when he raced in the inaugural NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Iowa Speedway last year.
But winning the U.S. Cellular 250 in 2009 was a turning point in Keselowski’s career. He had yet to sign with Penske Racing for a full-time Sprint Cup ride, so his future was uncertain. To many, perhaps even Keselowski himself, he was still “only a Nationwide driver.”
Kyle Busch was dominating the series last year and led 84 laps at Iowa after coming from the back of the field. He appeared headed to his seventh victory of the season.
But after a late restart, Keselowski made his move, and he and Busch raced side-by-side for several laps before Keselowski was able to get the lead and pull away.
“I came down the frontstretch, and my spotter said, ‘Clear,’ “Keselowski said. “I could hear the fans through his radio, and I could see them standing up and waving. Just a special moment in my career.”
When Keselowski takes to the track Saturday night at Iowa, he will do so as a full-time Sprint Cup driver and the Nationwide Series points leader. Last year’s win will still be fresh in his mind. It confirmed to him that he truly belonged in NASCAR, in Sprint Cup. Beating the unbeatable Busch in one of the biggest races of the year was a huge step for Keselowski, who also won a series-record $154,743 that day, thanks in part to Nationwide Insurance’s Dash 4 Cash program.
“Absolutely, it confirmed it for me,” Keselowski said. “It made me feel like a good racer. To do it at that time and at that place, with it being the inaugural event—and of course, Nationwide had that Dash 4 Cash deal that never hurts. It was so special on so many different levels that it kind of sounds almost like a cliche.”
But it’s not, and the moment can’t be understated. Before that race, Keselowski was a winning Nationwide driver with hopes of moving to Cup. After that race, Keselowski would soon become a Sprint Cup driver.
“There was a big burst of confidence that wasn’t just for me, it was for my team at the time,” Keselowski said. “That kind of fueled me through the rest of the year and fueled our team through the rest of the year and helped us make a push through the summer to gain some points.
“From my perspective, what it meant was given the right opportunity, I could do it. I could beat Kyle, and that was a big step of confidence for me.”
Fast facts
What: U.S. Cellular 250
Where: Iowa Speedway; Newton, Iowa
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN/Sirius Satellite Ch. 128
Track layout: .875-mile oval
Race distance: 250 laps/218.75 miles
Qualifying: Saturday, 4:05 p.m. ET
2009 winner: Brad Keselowski
2009 polesitter: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Points leaders: 1. Brad Keselowski, 3,189; 2. Carl Edwards, 2,984; 3. Justin Allgaier, 2,691; 4. Kyle Busch, 2,681; 5. Paul Menard, 2,505; 6. Kevin Harvick, 2,434; 7. Steve Wallace, 2,338; 8. Brendan Gaughan, 2,277; 9. Trevor Bayne, 2,205; 10. Jason Leffler, 2,161.
Busch holds off Edwards for 8th Nationwide win
CLERMONT, Ind.—This time, there was no controversial finish.
For the second NASCAR Nationwide Series race in a row, Carl Edwards went side-by-side for the lead on the final lap. But Saturday night at O’Reilly Raceway Park, Kyle Busch held Edwards off to win the Kroger 200 at the 0.686-mile track—his eighth victory of the 2010 season.
Last week at Gateway International Raceway, Edwards dumped Brad Keselowski coming to the checkered flag, triggering a multicar accident and forcing NASCAR to penalize both drivers.
This time, Edwards raced Busch cleanly, and Busch grabbed his 38th career Nationwide Series victory, second only to Mark Martin on the all-time win list. Martin has 48 wins in the series.
Busch said the thought of Edwards roughing him up for the lead on the green-white-checkered did enter his mind, and he did all he could to avoid trouble.
“You’re so vulnerable running the top side like you do here that people can dive-bomb you on the bottom and slide up into you. I knew it was there, but if I could just keep enough momentum and just keep my car rolling, then I felt like any time he’d lay a bumper to me, he’d get sideways, too,” Busch said. “… Carl was right there. He could’ve used me up more than he did, but it could’ve cost us both time instead of him just being able to get by. You’ve got to have a really, really methodical way of going (around) it here. There just wasn’t enough time for him to do it in two laps.”
As it turned out, Edwards, who lost 60 points and is on probation for the rest of the season as a result of last week’s actions, wasn’t about to put the leader in jeopardy this week.
“I wasn’t going to move Kyle out of the way,” Edwards said. “I inadvertently got into him just a little off of (Turn) 4 one time. Fortunately, it didn’t cause damage to either of our cars. But, no, I couldn’t move him out of the way. We’ve raced really well together. We’ve had one of the best races I’ve ever had in my life last year here (Edwards came from 42nd starting postition to beat Busch). This probably feels like a better race to him because he won, but the one I won last year, that was one of the coolest races I’ve had. It seems like we’ve really raced well together the last couple years, and I enjoy that.”
Edwards and some others on the lead lap pitted for fresh tires on Lap 162, with Edwards restarting 11th with 28 laps to go. Edwards sliced through the top 10 to get to second, and a caution came out with six laps to go.
“I thought it was an opportunity, but (Busch) got me on the restart. His tires were 30 laps older, and somehow he was able go as fast as he was going,” Edwards said. “I think if we didn’t get the caution, it was going to be really interesting with lapped traffic. But my hat’s off to those guys.
“We didn’t have any chance of winning that race without those new tires. (Crew chief) Drew (Blickensderfer) took the tires, and it gave us a shot to win. I can’t complain about that.”
“It was good, hard, clean racing,” said Busch, who led four times for 144 of the 201 laps. “That’s what happens when you race guys cleanly over time and race each other with respect—you get respect back.”
Ron Hornaday, who won Friday night’s Camping World Truck Series race here, ran in the top five for most of the race until he and the lapped car of J.C. Stout got together in Turn 2 on Lap 161.
“Lapper just turned left,” Hornaday said after he drove his damaged car behind the wall.
Aric Almirola finished third, with polesitter Trevor Bayne fourth and Reed Sorenson fifth. After the race, the left-front shock of Almirola’s No. 88 car wouldn’t rebound, and it was to be sent to NASCAR’s research and development center for evaluation.
