Will Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano continue ... - Gatehouse Media
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3/26/12
1:33 PM
Page 1
NASCARRundown
TRACK .526-mile oval RACE LENGTH 500 laps FIRST RACE 1948 SERIES NASCAR Sprint Cup WHERE TO WATCH Pre-race show begins at 12:30 p.m. EDT on Fox, followed by the race at 1.
NASCAR SPRINT CUP
SURPRISING
UP TO SPEED Reviews of and opinions on last week’s race from Bleacher Report NASCAR writers
STARTS Will Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano continue their winning ways? By Ben Montedonico BleacherReport.com
very NASCAR season has its surprises and its disappointments. The 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season is no different. The disappointments have been well-documented. From Jeff Gordon's bad luck to Kasey Kahne's crashes to AJ Allmendinger's poor finishes in his first year with Penske Racing, there have been no shortage of topics in that department. But for every disappointment, there has been a big surprise. Two drivers in the top 10 in points after four races are names we're not accustomed to seeing there. Names like Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano, whose four races into the 2012 season sit fourth and ninth in the standings, respectively. But of these two surprises, both of whom were considered "sleepers" before the season began, it is unlikely that both will continue to hold their ground for the remainder of the season. Sure, it would be great to see fresh names like Truex and Logano competing for the title in the final 10 races, but with perennial contenders like Gordon, Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson, still outside the top 10 in points, something has to give. So of these surprise drivers, which one is likely to hold his own for the remainder of the 2012 season?
E
Logano low-down Logano is an interesting candidate for a Chase slot. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is under a lot of pressure to perform in 2012 or
NEXT RACE
risk losing his ride at season's end, when his contract with JGR expires. Logano ran a pair of inspired races to start the 2012 season. He came from 18th on a late restart in the Daytona 500 to finish ninth and followed that up with a solid 10th place finish at Phoenix. But Logano has been mediocre in his past two races, as has the entire JGR organization. Logano carried the banner for Gibbs at Las Vegas two weeks ago with a 16th-place finish and did so again at Bristol a week ago with another 16th-place run. Finishes in that area may not be enough to get Logano into the Chase, but there are some tracks at which he can sneak a win and get into the Chase with a wild card berth, particularly at Pocono, Talladega and Daytona.
Truth about Truex The Michael Waltrip Racing driver has been solid if not spectacular to start the 2012 season. Despite only one top five and two top 10s through four races, Truex has been consistent and has shown muscle at each of the first four events this season. Truex led laps and showed he had a car capable of winning the Daytona 500 before getting shuffled back in the field late in the race. He had another strong car at Phoenix, where he led laps and finished seventh. And a week ago at Bristol, Truex ran in the top 10 all day en route to a third-place finish. But more impressive than Truex's strong runs so far are his statistics. Truex ranks fifth in driver rating, a statistic that combines wins, finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest laps, most laps led and lead-lap finishes.
Logano wins Nationwide
Joey Logano started the season off strong but has been mediocre the past couple of races. PHOTO BY CHRIS GRAYTHEN/GETTY IMAGES FOR NASCAR
The initial round of competition for the IndyCar series took place on Sunday afternoon, with heavy hearts remembering the loss of Dan Wheldon at their last outing in Las Vegas. Will Power took the pole the day before and led many of the early laps before Scott Dixon took the point by the half. Helio Castroneves was among the top five in the first half and slid into the top spot shortly after the midpoint, holding on for his first win in nearly two years. — Russell Schmidt
Rumor roundup Martin Truex Jr. has been consistently good so far this season and currently sits in fifth place. PHOTO BY CHRIS GRAYTHEN/GETTY IMAGES FOR NASCAR
Truex's fifth-place ranking sits him behind only points leader Greg Biffle, Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and defending champion Tony Stewart. Truex has also shown that he's good at passing strong cars. His 306 quality passes, or passes made on cars running in the top 15, ranks sixth behind only Brad Keselowski, Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin and Logano. With an average running position of 9.911, Truex is also one of only four drivers with a top 10 in that category, demonstrating that he has not only finished well, but also run well. All of these things bode well for Truex to make a case for his second career Chase berth. But perhaps what makes the greatest case for Truex's legitimacy this season is history. Truex sits fourth in the standings, a significant spot because since the Chase began in 2004: Only four drivers who sat fourth or better in the standings after four races did not go on to make the Chase. And one of those was Mark Martin in 2007, who did not run the full season that year.
PAST WINNERS « 2011 Kevin Harvick 2010 Denny Hamlin 2009 Jimmie Johnson 2008 Denny Hamlin 2007 Jimmie Johnson
THE LOWDOWN Kurt Busch’s first top-10 finish of the season at Fontana has him optimistic for Martinsville. According to NASCAR.com, his crew is the most energized: "I think they are going to fly all the way home and not even touch the ground. We'll head to Martinsville and just continue to work hard. Right now I think were only three points out of 20th in points and we will just keep gaining.” FEB 18 Budweiser Shootout
1st Kyle Busch
2nd Tony Stewart
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Fla.
FEB 26 Daytona 500
1st Matt Kenseth
2nd Dale Earnhardt Jr. 3rd Greg Biffle
JUL 15 Lenox 301
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, N.H.
MAR 4 Subway 500
1st Denny Hamlin
2nd Kevin Harvick
3rd Greg Biffle
JUL 29 Crown Royal Brickyard 400
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Speedway, Ind.
MAR 11 Kobalt Tools 400
1st Tony Stewart
2nd Jimmie Johnson
3rd Greg Biffle
AUG 5 Pennsylvania 400
Pocono Raceway
Long Pond, Pa.
MAR 18 Food City 500
1st Brad Keselowski 2nd Matt Kenseth
3rd Martin Truex Jr.
AUG 12 Heluva Good! at the Glen
Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen, N.Y.
MAR 25 Auto Club 500
1st Tony Stewart
3rd Dale Earnhardt Jr.
AUG 19 Pure Michigan 400
Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn, Mich.
APR 1
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville, Va.
AUG 25 Irwin Tools Night Race
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol, Tenn.
Texas Motor Speedway
Fort Worth, Texas
SEP 2
AdvoCare 500
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Hampton, Ga.
Wonderful Pistachios 400
Goody’s 500
APR 14 Samsung 500
2nd Kyle Busch
JUL 7
Coke Zero 400
APR 22 STP 400
Kansas Speedway
Kansas City, Kan.
SEP 8
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond, Va.
APR 28 Richmond 400
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond, Va.
SEP 16 Geico400
Chicagoland Speedway
Joliet, Ill.
MAY 6 Aaron’s 499
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega, Ala.
SEP 23 Sylvania 300
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, N.H.
MAY 12 Showtime So. 500
Darlington Raceway
Darlington, S.C.
SEP 30 AAA 400
Dover International Speedway
Dover, Del.
MAY 19 Sprint All-Star Race
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, N.C.
OCT 7
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega, Ala.
MAY 27 Coca-Cola 600
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, N.C.
OCT 13 Bank of America 500
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, N.C.
JUN 3
Dover International Speedway
Dover, Del.
OCT 21 Hollywood Casino 400
Kansas Speedway
Kansas City, Kan.
JUN 10 Pocono 400
Pocono Raceway
Long Pond, Pa.
OCT 28 Tums 500
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville, Va.
JUN 17 Heluva Good! 400
Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn, Mich.
NOV 4 AAA Texas 500
Texas Motor Speedway
Fort Worth, Texas
JUN 24 Toyota/Save Mart 350
Infineon Raceway
Sonoma, Calif.
NOV 11 Kobalt Tools 500
Phoenix International Raceway
Avondale, Ariz.
JUN 30 Quaker State 400
Kentucky Speedway
Sparta, Ky.
NOV 18 Ford 400
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead, Fla.
FedEx 400
Good Sam Club 500
Joey Logano took the pole and the win in California on Saturday afternoon. The young driver had to battle with the likes of Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Elliot Sadler. It was Logano’s 10th career win. The latest results find Sadler still on top of the points, but Logano only by 18 over Stenhouse Jr. — Russell Schmidt
IndyCar update
GOODY’S FAST RELIEF 500, MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
3rd Marcos Ambrose
ABOUT MARTINSVILLE
Part-time NASCAR competitor Robby Gordon appears to be backing down his Sprint Cup operation to a handful of races for the remainder of the year. He has quite a few irons in the fire, with numerous off-road events planned and, of course, NASCAR sponsorships are still not easily attainable. — Russell Schmidt
Bristol needs to return to ‘old style’ racing After another lackluster race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Speedway Motorsports Inc. majority owner Bruton Smith is finally looking to make changes. In an article on SceneDaily.com, Smith discussed issues that have faced the famed half-mile track. After years of sellout crowds, Bristol was repaved and progressive banking was added to the turns. With the new bankings, there has been less bumping and excitement, and now the racing lane is the top rather than the bottom. Last Sunday's race was the last straw. The crowd for the race was smaller than ever. The racing did not live up to the hype that Bristol used to bring. Smith asked the fans to give feedback via email or Twitter and Smith said, "They want the old track. It was 70-some percent the last time I checked. ... I’m almost there in making a decision. We’ve got to be sure that we have appeased these race fans. "We want to be sure that we are now making a change and giving them what they want.” I'm not saying Bristol needs to be a "wreckfest," but the tradition of the track is to beat and bang like drivers do at the local short tracks around the country. — Hugo Olguin
Bruton Smith, the majority owner of Speedway Motorsports Inc., is looking to shake things up at the track after a lackluster race and crowd last week. GETTY IMAGES FOR NASCAR
3/26/12
1:33 PM
Page 1
NASCARRundown
TRACK .526-mile oval RACE LENGTH 500 laps FIRST RACE 1948 SERIES NASCAR Sprint Cup WHERE TO WATCH Pre-race show begins at 12:30 p.m. EDT on Fox, followed by the race at 1.
NASCAR SPRINT CUP
SURPRISING
UP TO SPEED Reviews of and opinions on last week’s race from Bleacher Report NASCAR writers
STARTS Will Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano continue their winning ways? By Ben Montedonico BleacherReport.com
very NASCAR season has its surprises and its disappointments. The 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season is no different. The disappointments have been well-documented. From Jeff Gordon's bad luck to Kasey Kahne's crashes to AJ Allmendinger's poor finishes in his first year with Penske Racing, there have been no shortage of topics in that department. But for every disappointment, there has been a big surprise. Two drivers in the top 10 in points after four races are names we're not accustomed to seeing there. Names like Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano, whose four races into the 2012 season sit fourth and ninth in the standings, respectively. But of these two surprises, both of whom were considered "sleepers" before the season began, it is unlikely that both will continue to hold their ground for the remainder of the season. Sure, it would be great to see fresh names like Truex and Logano competing for the title in the final 10 races, but with perennial contenders like Gordon, Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson, still outside the top 10 in points, something has to give. So of these surprise drivers, which one is likely to hold his own for the remainder of the 2012 season?
E
Logano low-down Logano is an interesting candidate for a Chase slot. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is under a lot of pressure to perform in 2012 or
NEXT RACE
risk losing his ride at season's end, when his contract with JGR expires. Logano ran a pair of inspired races to start the 2012 season. He came from 18th on a late restart in the Daytona 500 to finish ninth and followed that up with a solid 10th place finish at Phoenix. But Logano has been mediocre in his past two races, as has the entire JGR organization. Logano carried the banner for Gibbs at Las Vegas two weeks ago with a 16th-place finish and did so again at Bristol a week ago with another 16th-place run. Finishes in that area may not be enough to get Logano into the Chase, but there are some tracks at which he can sneak a win and get into the Chase with a wild card berth, particularly at Pocono, Talladega and Daytona.
Truth about Truex The Michael Waltrip Racing driver has been solid if not spectacular to start the 2012 season. Despite only one top five and two top 10s through four races, Truex has been consistent and has shown muscle at each of the first four events this season. Truex led laps and showed he had a car capable of winning the Daytona 500 before getting shuffled back in the field late in the race. He had another strong car at Phoenix, where he led laps and finished seventh. And a week ago at Bristol, Truex ran in the top 10 all day en route to a third-place finish. But more impressive than Truex's strong runs so far are his statistics. Truex ranks fifth in driver rating, a statistic that combines wins, finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest laps, most laps led and lead-lap finishes.
Logano wins Nationwide
Joey Logano started the season off strong but has been mediocre the past couple of races. PHOTO BY CHRIS GRAYTHEN/GETTY IMAGES FOR NASCAR
The initial round of competition for the IndyCar series took place on Sunday afternoon, with heavy hearts remembering the loss of Dan Wheldon at their last outing in Las Vegas. Will Power took the pole the day before and led many of the early laps before Scott Dixon took the point by the half. Helio Castroneves was among the top five in the first half and slid into the top spot shortly after the midpoint, holding on for his first win in nearly two years. — Russell Schmidt
Rumor roundup Martin Truex Jr. has been consistently good so far this season and currently sits in fifth place. PHOTO BY CHRIS GRAYTHEN/GETTY IMAGES FOR NASCAR
Truex's fifth-place ranking sits him behind only points leader Greg Biffle, Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and defending champion Tony Stewart. Truex has also shown that he's good at passing strong cars. His 306 quality passes, or passes made on cars running in the top 15, ranks sixth behind only Brad Keselowski, Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin and Logano. With an average running position of 9.911, Truex is also one of only four drivers with a top 10 in that category, demonstrating that he has not only finished well, but also run well. All of these things bode well for Truex to make a case for his second career Chase berth. But perhaps what makes the greatest case for Truex's legitimacy this season is history. Truex sits fourth in the standings, a significant spot because since the Chase began in 2004: Only four drivers who sat fourth or better in the standings after four races did not go on to make the Chase. And one of those was Mark Martin in 2007, who did not run the full season that year.
PAST WINNERS « 2011 Kevin Harvick 2010 Denny Hamlin 2009 Jimmie Johnson 2008 Denny Hamlin 2007 Jimmie Johnson
THE LOWDOWN Kurt Busch’s first top-10 finish of the season at Fontana has him optimistic for Martinsville. According to NASCAR.com, his crew is the most energized: "I think they are going to fly all the way home and not even touch the ground. We'll head to Martinsville and just continue to work hard. Right now I think were only three points out of 20th in points and we will just keep gaining.” FEB 18 Budweiser Shootout
1st Kyle Busch
2nd Tony Stewart
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Fla.
FEB 26 Daytona 500
1st Matt Kenseth
2nd Dale Earnhardt Jr. 3rd Greg Biffle
JUL 15 Lenox 301
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, N.H.
MAR 4 Subway 500
1st Denny Hamlin
2nd Kevin Harvick
3rd Greg Biffle
JUL 29 Crown Royal Brickyard 400
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Speedway, Ind.
MAR 11 Kobalt Tools 400
1st Tony Stewart
2nd Jimmie Johnson
3rd Greg Biffle
AUG 5 Pennsylvania 400
Pocono Raceway
Long Pond, Pa.
MAR 18 Food City 500
1st Brad Keselowski 2nd Matt Kenseth
3rd Martin Truex Jr.
AUG 12 Heluva Good! at the Glen
Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen, N.Y.
MAR 25 Auto Club 500
1st Tony Stewart
3rd Dale Earnhardt Jr.
AUG 19 Pure Michigan 400
Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn, Mich.
APR 1
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville, Va.
AUG 25 Irwin Tools Night Race
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol, Tenn.
Texas Motor Speedway
Fort Worth, Texas
SEP 2
AdvoCare 500
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Hampton, Ga.
Wonderful Pistachios 400
Goody’s 500
APR 14 Samsung 500
2nd Kyle Busch
JUL 7
Coke Zero 400
APR 22 STP 400
Kansas Speedway
Kansas City, Kan.
SEP 8
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond, Va.
APR 28 Richmond 400
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond, Va.
SEP 16 Geico400
Chicagoland Speedway
Joliet, Ill.
MAY 6 Aaron’s 499
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega, Ala.
SEP 23 Sylvania 300
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, N.H.
MAY 12 Showtime So. 500
Darlington Raceway
Darlington, S.C.
SEP 30 AAA 400
Dover International Speedway
Dover, Del.
MAY 19 Sprint All-Star Race
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, N.C.
OCT 7
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega, Ala.
MAY 27 Coca-Cola 600
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, N.C.
OCT 13 Bank of America 500
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, N.C.
JUN 3
Dover International Speedway
Dover, Del.
OCT 21 Hollywood Casino 400
Kansas Speedway
Kansas City, Kan.
JUN 10 Pocono 400
Pocono Raceway
Long Pond, Pa.
OCT 28 Tums 500
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville, Va.
JUN 17 Heluva Good! 400
Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn, Mich.
NOV 4 AAA Texas 500
Texas Motor Speedway
Fort Worth, Texas
JUN 24 Toyota/Save Mart 350
Infineon Raceway
Sonoma, Calif.
NOV 11 Kobalt Tools 500
Phoenix International Raceway
Avondale, Ariz.
JUN 30 Quaker State 400
Kentucky Speedway
Sparta, Ky.
NOV 18 Ford 400
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead, Fla.
FedEx 400
Good Sam Club 500
Joey Logano took the pole and the win in California on Saturday afternoon. The young driver had to battle with the likes of Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Elliot Sadler. It was Logano’s 10th career win. The latest results find Sadler still on top of the points, but Logano only by 18 over Stenhouse Jr. — Russell Schmidt
IndyCar update
GOODY’S FAST RELIEF 500, MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
3rd Marcos Ambrose
ABOUT MARTINSVILLE
Part-time NASCAR competitor Robby Gordon appears to be backing down his Sprint Cup operation to a handful of races for the remainder of the year. He has quite a few irons in the fire, with numerous off-road events planned and, of course, NASCAR sponsorships are still not easily attainable. — Russell Schmidt
Bristol needs to return to ‘old style’ racing After another lackluster race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Speedway Motorsports Inc. majority owner Bruton Smith is finally looking to make changes. In an article on SceneDaily.com, Smith discussed issues that have faced the famed half-mile track. After years of sellout crowds, Bristol was repaved and progressive banking was added to the turns. With the new bankings, there has been less bumping and excitement, and now the racing lane is the top rather than the bottom. Last Sunday's race was the last straw. The crowd for the race was smaller than ever. The racing did not live up to the hype that Bristol used to bring. Smith asked the fans to give feedback via email or Twitter and Smith said, "They want the old track. It was 70-some percent the last time I checked. ... I’m almost there in making a decision. We’ve got to be sure that we have appeased these race fans. "We want to be sure that we are now making a change and giving them what they want.” I'm not saying Bristol needs to be a "wreckfest," but the tradition of the track is to beat and bang like drivers do at the local short tracks around the country. — Hugo Olguin
Bruton Smith, the majority owner of Speedway Motorsports Inc., is looking to shake things up at the track after a lackluster race and crowd last week. GETTY IMAGES FOR NASCAR
