At Daytona, it takes two to tango
Full_062711_nascar_GHNS_7.qxd:Layout 1
6/27/11
3:34 PM
Page 1
NASCARRundown COKE ZERO
OK, so this combination isn’t likely. They’re not teammates — Busch drives for Joe Gibbs, Harvick for Richard Childress. They race different makes — Busch a Toyota, Harvick a Chevrolet. And they’re definitely not buddies, each having served a month’s probation after an incident at Darlington. But one thing the two have in common is an affinity for plate racing, each having won this event within the last three years. And if circumstances (read: “The Big One,” the type of multi-car wreck for which plate races are notorious) conspire to eliminate their more logical running mates, they might decide to bury the hatchet for their mutual benefit. At least until the last lap.
Regan Smith and Brad Keselowski
At Daytona, it takes two to tango
Each knows how to plate race: Keselowski’s first career win came in a Talladega shocker in 2009; Smith had an apparent Talladega victory disallowed in 2008 when NASCAR ruled that he had passed below the yellow line on the last lap. Each already has one win in 2011, but neither is Chase eligible yet because neither is in the top 20 in points. So another win would be huge for either — but so would a solid second-place finish. So if one of these guys is chasing the other on the last lap, does he risk the latter in pursuit of the former? It would be fun to find out.
BY ROB SNEDDON | GATEHOUSE NEWS SERVICE
David Gilliland Why he matters His average plate-race finish in 2011 is sixth. What he says “Credit goes to NASCAR for making these (plate) races more competitive. It gives us a chance.” What the numbers say He’s yet to crack the top 20 this season on nonplate tracks.
Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick
DANCING WITH THE CARS
ONE TO WATCH
ABOUT DAYTONA
TRACK Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Beach, Fla.), 2.5-mile paved oval track RACE LENGTH 160 laps, 400 miles FIRST RACE 1959 SERIES NASCAR Sprint Cup
Quote of note “I always knew I could win on a road course.” — Kurt Busch, after last Sunday’s victory at Infineon.
Where to watch t Daytona, it takes two to tango — or tangle. Restrictorplate races have never felt more removed from the rest of the Sprint Cup schedule than they have this season. With the advent of “tandem drafting” — pairs of cars running nose to tail throughout the field — Daytona and Talladega demand a counter-intuitive approach. A winning strategy requires as much cooperation as competition. Drivers take turns pushing each other all afternoon, knowing that in the end only one of them can win. After Talladega’s thrilling photo finish in April, winner Jimmie Johnson was so aware of the role that his “pusher,” Dale Earnhardt Jr., had played that he offered to share the trophy with him. Some possibilities for this weekend:
Each of these Stewart-Haas Racing teammates is hovering near the bubble for the Chase. Each is winless in 2011. Each is capable of ending that drought on Saturday night: Stewart is a three-time Coke Zero 400 winner; Newman won the 2008 Daytona 500 and also led the most laps at Daytona in February. But only one of them can win this race, so it’s logical to assume that Newman will defer to Stewart, his boss, if their tandem draft is at the head of the pack on the last lap. Or maybe not. When Newman was at Penske Racing, he clashed with teammate Rusty Wallace — who was also a part owner.
Jeff Burton and Mark Martin
Trevor Bayne and Carl Edwards
Sprint Cup’s two eldest statesmen are a combined 1 for 87 at Daytona. Each might conclude that the other represents his best opportunity to get to the front and avoid the kind of misfortune that tends to plague them on plate tracks. And while each has a reputation for clean racing, that could go out the window on the last lap if each senses his last, best chance to win at Daytona.
“Man,” said Edwards, after the season-opening Daytona 500, “I learned a lot today…. The experience of running with a chance to win these races — that’s what I need to break through to the next level and win some of these restrictor plate races.” Edwards, an eight-year veteran and the current Sprint Cup points leader, sounded look a rookie after finishing second to Bayne — a Nationwide series regular who won the 2011 Daytona 500 in just his second Sprint Cup start. That’s how thoroughly the tandem-drafting phenomenon has shaken up the order of things in NASCAR Land. And if it comes down to Bayne and Edwards once more, look for Edwards to try to shake up the order again.
A
Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart
Kyle Busch races during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 19, 2011, in Brooklyn, Mich. PHOTO BY JARED C. TILTON/GETTY IMAGES FOR NASCAR
Saturday’s pre-race show on TNT starts at 6:30 p.m. EDT, followed by the race at 7:30.
UP TO SPEED
Everyone’s below average at Daytona If form holds in Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400, no driver will finish in the top 10 because no driver averages a top-10 finish at Daytona. Besides offering a cautionary tale about relying too heavily on statistical analysis, those numbers illustrate the random nature of restrictor-plate racing. There are only four tracks on the Sprint Cup circuit where no driver with at least five starts averages a top-10 finish, and two of them — Daytona and Talladega — are plate tracks. Moreover, Clint Bowyer’s 13.2 is the lowest “highest” average finish at any Cup track.
Wild card watch The wild card standings should be fun to watch from now until the regular season ends in September. With his second place finish at Infineon, Jeff Gordon climbed into the top 10 in points — and brought his two wins with him. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin slipped back out of the top 10 after finishing 37th last week. But Hamlin’s win at MichiGordon gan the week before leaves him as the new wild card leader. Gordon’s ascension was good news for Brad Keselowski. With a win in hand (at Kansas), Keselowski could grab the second wild card slot by cracking the top 20 in points. He’s currently 22nd, just 12 points out.
Milestone Kurt Busch’s victory at Infineon was his first win in 21 career Sprint Cup starts on road courses.
NEXT RACE
PAST WINNERS « 2010 Kevin Harvick 2009 Tony Stewart 2008 Kyle Busch 2007 Jamie McMurray 2006 Tony Stewart
COKE ZERO 400, DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
THE LOWDOWN It used to be that road courses were the best opportunity for an interloper to shock the Sprint Cup world. Not anymore. With Kurt Busch’s win last week at Infineon, full-time Cup drivers have won every road race dating back to the days of the old Riverside International Raceway. Now the best chance for a “Who’s he?” moment is on the two restrictor-plate tracks, Daytona and Talladega.
WEEKLY STATS
Average finish at Daytona* RK.
DRIVER
STARTS
AVG FINISH
Kentucky Speedway
Sparta, Ky.
1
Clint Bowyer
11
13.2
JUL 17 Lenox 301
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, N.H.
2
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
23
14.8
JUL 31
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Speedway, Ind.
3
Jeff Gordon
37
15.8 15.8
FEB 12 Budweiser Shootout
1st Kurt Busch
2nd Jamie McMurray 3rd Ryan Newman
JUL 9
FEB 20 Daytona 500
1st Trevor Bayne
2nd Carl Edwards
3rd David Gilliland
FEB 27 Subway 500
1st Jeff Gordon
2nd Kyle Busch
3rd Jimmie Johnson
Kentucky 400
Brickyard 400
MAR 6 Kobalt Tools 400
1st Carl Edwards
2nd Tony Stewart
3rd Juan P. Montoya
AUG 7 Pennsylvania 500
Pocono Raceway
Long Pond, Pa.
4
Kevin Harvick
20
MAR 20 Jeff Byrd 500
1st Kyle Busch
2nd Carl Edwards
3rd Jimmie Johnson
AUG 14 Heluva Good! at the Glen
Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen, N.Y.
5
Kurt Busch
21
16.4
MAR 27 Auto Club 500
1st Kevin Harvick
2nd Jimmie Johnson
3rd Kyle Busch
AUG 21 Michigan 400
Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn, Mich.
6
Carl Edwards
13
16.5 16.8
APR 3
Goody’s 500
1st Kevin Harvick
2nd Dale Earnhardt Jr. 3rd Kyle Busch
AUG 27 Irwin Tools Night Race
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol, Tenn.
7
David Ragan
9
APR 9
Samsung 500
1st Matt Kenseth
2nd Clint Bowyer
3rd Carl Edwards
SEP 4
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Hampton, Ga.
8
Jimmie Johnson
19
16.8
3rd Dale Earnhardt Jr.
SEP 10 One Last Race to Make the Chase Richmond International Raceway
Richmond, Va.
9
Tony Stewart
25
16.9
APR 17 Aaron’s 499
1st Jimmie Johnson 2nd Clint Bowyer
Labor Day Classic 500
APR 30 Crown Royal 400
1st Kyle Busch
2nd Denny Hamlin
3rd Kasey Kahne
SEP 18 Chicagoland Speedway 400
Chicagoland Speedway
Joliet, Ill.
10
Jeff Burton
35
17.7
MAY 7
1st Regan Smith
2nd Carl Edwards
3rd Brad Keselowski
SEP 25 Sylvania 300
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, N.H.
11
Matt Kenseth
23
18.0
Showtime So. 500
Dover International Speedway
Dover, Del.
12
Mark Martin
52
18.1
Kansas Speedway
Kansas City, Kan.
13
Kasey Kahne
15
18.1
OCT 15 Bank of America 500
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, N.C.
14
Kyle Busch
13
18.6
OCT 23 Talladega 500
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega, Ala.
15
Paul Menard
8
19.9 20.1
MAY 15 Dover 400
1st Matt Kenseth
2nd Mark Martin
3rd Marcos Ambrose
OCT 2
MAY 21 Sprint All-Star Race
1st David Ragan
2nd Brad Keselowski
3rd Marcos Ambrose
OCT 9 Kansas 400
MAY 29 Coca-Cola 600
1st Kevin Harvick
2nd David Ragan
3rd Joey Logano
JUN 5
1st Brad Keselowski 2nd Dale Earnhardt Jr. 3rd Denny Hamlin
Kansas Speedway 400
AAA 400
JUN 12 Pocono 500
1st Jeff Gordon
2nd Kurt Busch
3rd Kyle Busch
OCT 30 Goody’s 500
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville, Va.
16
Robby Gordon
23
JUN 19 Heluva Good! 400
1st Denny Hamlin
2nd Matt Kenseth
3rd Kyle Busch
NOV 6 AAA Texas 500
Texas Motor Speedway
Fort Worth, Texas
17
Brian Vickers
13
20.5
JUN 26 Toyota/Save Mart 350
1st Kurt Busch
2nd Jeff Gordon
3rd Carl Edwards
NOV 13 Kobalt Tools 500
Phoenix International Raceway
Avondale, Ariz.
18
Juan Pablo Montoya
9
20.8
JUL 2
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Fla.
NOV 20 Ford 400
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead, Fla.
Coke Zero 400
*Active, full-time drivers with at least eight starts.
6/27/11
3:34 PM
Page 1
NASCARRundown COKE ZERO
OK, so this combination isn’t likely. They’re not teammates — Busch drives for Joe Gibbs, Harvick for Richard Childress. They race different makes — Busch a Toyota, Harvick a Chevrolet. And they’re definitely not buddies, each having served a month’s probation after an incident at Darlington. But one thing the two have in common is an affinity for plate racing, each having won this event within the last three years. And if circumstances (read: “The Big One,” the type of multi-car wreck for which plate races are notorious) conspire to eliminate their more logical running mates, they might decide to bury the hatchet for their mutual benefit. At least until the last lap.
Regan Smith and Brad Keselowski
At Daytona, it takes two to tango
Each knows how to plate race: Keselowski’s first career win came in a Talladega shocker in 2009; Smith had an apparent Talladega victory disallowed in 2008 when NASCAR ruled that he had passed below the yellow line on the last lap. Each already has one win in 2011, but neither is Chase eligible yet because neither is in the top 20 in points. So another win would be huge for either — but so would a solid second-place finish. So if one of these guys is chasing the other on the last lap, does he risk the latter in pursuit of the former? It would be fun to find out.
BY ROB SNEDDON | GATEHOUSE NEWS SERVICE
David Gilliland Why he matters His average plate-race finish in 2011 is sixth. What he says “Credit goes to NASCAR for making these (plate) races more competitive. It gives us a chance.” What the numbers say He’s yet to crack the top 20 this season on nonplate tracks.
Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick
DANCING WITH THE CARS
ONE TO WATCH
ABOUT DAYTONA
TRACK Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Beach, Fla.), 2.5-mile paved oval track RACE LENGTH 160 laps, 400 miles FIRST RACE 1959 SERIES NASCAR Sprint Cup
Quote of note “I always knew I could win on a road course.” — Kurt Busch, after last Sunday’s victory at Infineon.
Where to watch t Daytona, it takes two to tango — or tangle. Restrictorplate races have never felt more removed from the rest of the Sprint Cup schedule than they have this season. With the advent of “tandem drafting” — pairs of cars running nose to tail throughout the field — Daytona and Talladega demand a counter-intuitive approach. A winning strategy requires as much cooperation as competition. Drivers take turns pushing each other all afternoon, knowing that in the end only one of them can win. After Talladega’s thrilling photo finish in April, winner Jimmie Johnson was so aware of the role that his “pusher,” Dale Earnhardt Jr., had played that he offered to share the trophy with him. Some possibilities for this weekend:
Each of these Stewart-Haas Racing teammates is hovering near the bubble for the Chase. Each is winless in 2011. Each is capable of ending that drought on Saturday night: Stewart is a three-time Coke Zero 400 winner; Newman won the 2008 Daytona 500 and also led the most laps at Daytona in February. But only one of them can win this race, so it’s logical to assume that Newman will defer to Stewart, his boss, if their tandem draft is at the head of the pack on the last lap. Or maybe not. When Newman was at Penske Racing, he clashed with teammate Rusty Wallace — who was also a part owner.
Jeff Burton and Mark Martin
Trevor Bayne and Carl Edwards
Sprint Cup’s two eldest statesmen are a combined 1 for 87 at Daytona. Each might conclude that the other represents his best opportunity to get to the front and avoid the kind of misfortune that tends to plague them on plate tracks. And while each has a reputation for clean racing, that could go out the window on the last lap if each senses his last, best chance to win at Daytona.
“Man,” said Edwards, after the season-opening Daytona 500, “I learned a lot today…. The experience of running with a chance to win these races — that’s what I need to break through to the next level and win some of these restrictor plate races.” Edwards, an eight-year veteran and the current Sprint Cup points leader, sounded look a rookie after finishing second to Bayne — a Nationwide series regular who won the 2011 Daytona 500 in just his second Sprint Cup start. That’s how thoroughly the tandem-drafting phenomenon has shaken up the order of things in NASCAR Land. And if it comes down to Bayne and Edwards once more, look for Edwards to try to shake up the order again.
A
Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart
Kyle Busch races during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 19, 2011, in Brooklyn, Mich. PHOTO BY JARED C. TILTON/GETTY IMAGES FOR NASCAR
Saturday’s pre-race show on TNT starts at 6:30 p.m. EDT, followed by the race at 7:30.
UP TO SPEED
Everyone’s below average at Daytona If form holds in Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400, no driver will finish in the top 10 because no driver averages a top-10 finish at Daytona. Besides offering a cautionary tale about relying too heavily on statistical analysis, those numbers illustrate the random nature of restrictor-plate racing. There are only four tracks on the Sprint Cup circuit where no driver with at least five starts averages a top-10 finish, and two of them — Daytona and Talladega — are plate tracks. Moreover, Clint Bowyer’s 13.2 is the lowest “highest” average finish at any Cup track.
Wild card watch The wild card standings should be fun to watch from now until the regular season ends in September. With his second place finish at Infineon, Jeff Gordon climbed into the top 10 in points — and brought his two wins with him. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin slipped back out of the top 10 after finishing 37th last week. But Hamlin’s win at MichiGordon gan the week before leaves him as the new wild card leader. Gordon’s ascension was good news for Brad Keselowski. With a win in hand (at Kansas), Keselowski could grab the second wild card slot by cracking the top 20 in points. He’s currently 22nd, just 12 points out.
Milestone Kurt Busch’s victory at Infineon was his first win in 21 career Sprint Cup starts on road courses.
NEXT RACE
PAST WINNERS « 2010 Kevin Harvick 2009 Tony Stewart 2008 Kyle Busch 2007 Jamie McMurray 2006 Tony Stewart
COKE ZERO 400, DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
THE LOWDOWN It used to be that road courses were the best opportunity for an interloper to shock the Sprint Cup world. Not anymore. With Kurt Busch’s win last week at Infineon, full-time Cup drivers have won every road race dating back to the days of the old Riverside International Raceway. Now the best chance for a “Who’s he?” moment is on the two restrictor-plate tracks, Daytona and Talladega.
WEEKLY STATS
Average finish at Daytona* RK.
DRIVER
STARTS
AVG FINISH
Kentucky Speedway
Sparta, Ky.
1
Clint Bowyer
11
13.2
JUL 17 Lenox 301
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, N.H.
2
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
23
14.8
JUL 31
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Speedway, Ind.
3
Jeff Gordon
37
15.8 15.8
FEB 12 Budweiser Shootout
1st Kurt Busch
2nd Jamie McMurray 3rd Ryan Newman
JUL 9
FEB 20 Daytona 500
1st Trevor Bayne
2nd Carl Edwards
3rd David Gilliland
FEB 27 Subway 500
1st Jeff Gordon
2nd Kyle Busch
3rd Jimmie Johnson
Kentucky 400
Brickyard 400
MAR 6 Kobalt Tools 400
1st Carl Edwards
2nd Tony Stewart
3rd Juan P. Montoya
AUG 7 Pennsylvania 500
Pocono Raceway
Long Pond, Pa.
4
Kevin Harvick
20
MAR 20 Jeff Byrd 500
1st Kyle Busch
2nd Carl Edwards
3rd Jimmie Johnson
AUG 14 Heluva Good! at the Glen
Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen, N.Y.
5
Kurt Busch
21
16.4
MAR 27 Auto Club 500
1st Kevin Harvick
2nd Jimmie Johnson
3rd Kyle Busch
AUG 21 Michigan 400
Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn, Mich.
6
Carl Edwards
13
16.5 16.8
APR 3
Goody’s 500
1st Kevin Harvick
2nd Dale Earnhardt Jr. 3rd Kyle Busch
AUG 27 Irwin Tools Night Race
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol, Tenn.
7
David Ragan
9
APR 9
Samsung 500
1st Matt Kenseth
2nd Clint Bowyer
3rd Carl Edwards
SEP 4
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Hampton, Ga.
8
Jimmie Johnson
19
16.8
3rd Dale Earnhardt Jr.
SEP 10 One Last Race to Make the Chase Richmond International Raceway
Richmond, Va.
9
Tony Stewart
25
16.9
APR 17 Aaron’s 499
1st Jimmie Johnson 2nd Clint Bowyer
Labor Day Classic 500
APR 30 Crown Royal 400
1st Kyle Busch
2nd Denny Hamlin
3rd Kasey Kahne
SEP 18 Chicagoland Speedway 400
Chicagoland Speedway
Joliet, Ill.
10
Jeff Burton
35
17.7
MAY 7
1st Regan Smith
2nd Carl Edwards
3rd Brad Keselowski
SEP 25 Sylvania 300
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, N.H.
11
Matt Kenseth
23
18.0
Showtime So. 500
Dover International Speedway
Dover, Del.
12
Mark Martin
52
18.1
Kansas Speedway
Kansas City, Kan.
13
Kasey Kahne
15
18.1
OCT 15 Bank of America 500
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, N.C.
14
Kyle Busch
13
18.6
OCT 23 Talladega 500
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega, Ala.
15
Paul Menard
8
19.9 20.1
MAY 15 Dover 400
1st Matt Kenseth
2nd Mark Martin
3rd Marcos Ambrose
OCT 2
MAY 21 Sprint All-Star Race
1st David Ragan
2nd Brad Keselowski
3rd Marcos Ambrose
OCT 9 Kansas 400
MAY 29 Coca-Cola 600
1st Kevin Harvick
2nd David Ragan
3rd Joey Logano
JUN 5
1st Brad Keselowski 2nd Dale Earnhardt Jr. 3rd Denny Hamlin
Kansas Speedway 400
AAA 400
JUN 12 Pocono 500
1st Jeff Gordon
2nd Kurt Busch
3rd Kyle Busch
OCT 30 Goody’s 500
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville, Va.
16
Robby Gordon
23
JUN 19 Heluva Good! 400
1st Denny Hamlin
2nd Matt Kenseth
3rd Kyle Busch
NOV 6 AAA Texas 500
Texas Motor Speedway
Fort Worth, Texas
17
Brian Vickers
13
20.5
JUN 26 Toyota/Save Mart 350
1st Kurt Busch
2nd Jeff Gordon
3rd Carl Edwards
NOV 13 Kobalt Tools 500
Phoenix International Raceway
Avondale, Ariz.
18
Juan Pablo Montoya
9
20.8
JUL 2
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Fla.
NOV 20 Ford 400
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead, Fla.
Coke Zero 400
*Active, full-time drivers with at least eight starts.
