Redemption For Kurt Busch

In the offseason, Kurt Busch dominated the NASCAR headlines while he was in the middle of a domestic violence allegation with his former girlfriend. On Sunday he dominated the Sprint Cup race in Richmond.

Busch led 291 of 400 laps to win the rain-delayed Toyota Owners 400. After being reinstated by NASCAR in Phoenix, Busch has done some of his best driving since his 2004 championship season. Busch has not finished lower than 15th and had top fives at Phoenix and Fontana. At times he and Jimmie Johnson have been the only drivers able to compete with the speed of defending series champion Kevin Harvick. Harvick finished second to Busch on Sunday.

The suspension has humbled Busch, and at this point he seems to have learned a great deal from the situation.

“It’s a unbelievable feeling when you pull deep from within and you go through troubles and you know, when you’re accused of something and things go sideways, your personal life doesn’t need to affect your business life,” Busch said.

“And I’m here in Victory lane.”

RICHMOND, VA – APRIL 26: Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Haas Automation Chevrolet, crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway on April 26, 2015 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

On March 18th, I wrote in detail about Busch’s return from suspension. I said he had two strikes against him and this was his final chance with the sanctioning body and with Stewart-Haas Racing. So far so good.

He’s saying and more importantly doing all the right things. That includes being extremely competitive on the track and not making news off of it. His synergy with crew chief Tony Gibson has been great as well.

Gibson was not worried about Busch’s focus and motivation when he returned.

“No, I don’t believe that at all. You’re not dealing with a rookie. It’s a guy who’s won championships and a ton of races. He knows what he’s got to do. We knew whenever we got him back, whenever that was, that we were going to put ourselves in position to win races and be fast, so pretty cool.”

Joey Logano would lead the first 95 laps before Busch passed him. After that Busch and Harvick were in a class by themselves and consistently got off pit road before anyone else.

Jimmie Johnson rallied from a poor qualifying effort to finish third. Jamie McMurray finished fourth, followed by Logano, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, and Martin Truex Jr.

As for Busch, he was determined to be competitive when he was given the chance to return.

“The chip on my shoulder will now be a trophy that I get to carry out of here today. Tony Gibson allows me to be the driver that I am. Gene Haas allows me to be the person that I am, and in my personal life, my family has been very supportive and very helpful. It’s been leaning on everybody around me. That’s been the key to all of this.”

Busch is now all but assured a spot in the 2015 Chase for the Sprint Cup, a scenario that seemed very remote when he was forced to sit out the Daytona 500.

(Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Kenseth Snaps Winless Streak at Bristol

It took a while and it was wild. Things are just never ordinary at Bristol.

A long day of dodging raindrops at NASCAR’s coliseum ended with Matt Kenseth holding off Jimmie Johnson on a green-white-checkered finish in the Food City 500 in support of Steve Byrnes. Johnson gave it all he could, but just did not have enough time to pass Kenseth.

Kenseth snapped a 51-race winless streak with his fourth career Sprint Cup win at Bristol Motor Speedway. Kenseth’s Joe Gibbs Racing Dollar General Toyota had all he needed to beat Johnson and third place Jeff Gordon after a nine-hour marathon day for the drivers, crews, and fans. It was a long drought for a very competitive veterans in the Gibbs garage.

“I think it illustrates how hard our sport is,” Gibbs said.

“You know, it’s been a long time since Matt has won one.  Great team, everybody is back together from two years ago when we won seven races, led the most laps, and it just shows you how you’ve really got to stay on your game.  We fell behind some last year, and like Jason (Ratcliff, Kenseth’s crew chief) said, we’ve been working extremely hard.  A lot of credit goes to everybody back at Joe Gibbs Racing.”

Kenseth started on the pole and was never out of the top ten all day and night. He led the final 34 laps.

Bristol is always a test of will and sheet metal and this race was no different.

On the restart with eight laps to go, Carl Edwards got into the wall and Kurt Busch slammed into him setting off a chain reaction of damage. Edwards was racing Jeff Gordon for second, tried to outbrake him going into turn one and lost control. Busch had no place to go, hit Edwards and then Paul Menard and Justin Allgaier wrecked each other. Two contenders were taken out of contention in a blink of an eye. That’s Bristol.

There was even more drama when rain starting falling and the cars stopped on pit road with just three laps remaining. But NASCAR was determined to give the fans that remained their money’s worth and Kenseth agreed with the call, because he held on for the win of course.

“I thought that was a good call.  At the end of the day, especially if you end up winning, you want to finish all the laps.  You’d rather win on the racetrack obviously than win under yellow.  I think if it would have totally lost the racetrack and it would have downpoured, I’m sure they would have called it, but I thought overall it was a good decision.”

BRISTOL, TN – APRIL 19: A general view of the speedway during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 19, 2015 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

The weather figured to be an issue on Sunday and it was. At 11:00 AM, there was a 100% chance of rain. That rain chased a lot of fans away. I know of some folks that did not even make the trek into the grandstands because of the torrential downpour. The race was red flagged on three separate occassions including the final time with three laps to go.

After a one hour-eighteen minute initial rain delay, the race started with a Penske Racing nightmare on lap 19, when Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski took each other out in a wreck. Keselowski was trying to get by the slower car of Alex Kennedy and got loose. As his car got sideways, Logano hit him and they both hit the wall on the frontstretch. Both cars had major damage and as rain starting falling hard again, their respective crews had to stop working when the red flag came out. Keselowski finished 35th and Logano ended a string of top ten finishes in 2015 with a 40th.

After a nearly four hour delay, the race got back underway shortly after 6:30 PM Eastern Time. They would stop the field again at lap 274 for a light rain.

With 90 laps to go, the battle for first turned into a three-car battle with Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch chasing Kyle Larson. Larson gave up the lead and went a lap down to pit under green with 62 to go. Busch got by Kenseth with 56 to go using lap traffic to his advantage.

But the race changed with 28 laps to go when the ninth caution came out for a crash involving Jamie McMurray, Josh Wise, Clint Bowyer, and Michael Annett.

Larson got his lap back and Busch came down pit lane all by himself for tires and fuel. Busch fell back to sixth on the restart, as Kenseth inherited the lead.

Johnson’s runner-up finish was nothing short of a miracle.

The fifth caution of the night came out when Kurt Busch made contact with Johnson battling for fourth place. Busch went spinning while Johnson continued on in a situation that could have been a lot worse than it was for the rest of the field.

Johnson was then involved in the next accident on lap 311 when he bumped Jeb Burton and sent him into the wall. David Ragan and Kevin Harvick were also collected in the crash. Harvick was running third at the time and had nowhere to go to avoid Ragan’s car. Harvick was dominant but would suffer his worst finish of the season of 38th after the accident.

:BRISTOL, TN – APRIL 19: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet, and David Ragan, driver of the #18 Snickers Xtreme Toyota, are involved in an on track incident during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 19, 2015 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Jeff Gordon came back from loose wheel and two laps down to finish third.
Gordon fought back after pitting under green to correct the loose wheel. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was fourth followed by Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart.

Erik Jones made his Sprint Cup debut when Denny Hamlin suffered neck spasms in the early going. Hamlin could not resume after the first red flag and Jones was thrown into the fire. He finished 26th.

APRIL 09: A decal is seen on the car of Elliott Sadler, driver of the #1 OneMain Financial Ford, in support of Fox broadcaster Steve Byrnes during practice for the NASCAR XFINITY Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 9, 2015 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)

The race at the world’s fastest half mile was held in support of Fox Sports broadcaster Steve Byrnes, who was battling cancer. Byrnes’ name adorned the cars and other parts of the track at Bristol Motor Speedway. At the halfway lap of the race, Fox held a Stand Up 4 Cancer moment in honor of Steve and other members of the NASCAR family stricken with the disease.

Sadly, Byrnes passed away on Tuesday at the age of 56. Byrnes was in broadcasting for over 30 years and started working with NASCAR on Fox in 2001. Our prayers go out to the Byrnes family and the entire NASCAR family.

NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France said in a statement:

“NASCAR extends its condolences to the many friends, FOX Sports colleagues and family of Steve Byrnes. Whether you had the privilege of knowing him or if you watched him on television for the last three decades, Steve’s work ethic and authenticity made him a beloved individual inside and outside the garage.

“His level of professionalism was matched only by the warmth he showed everyone he met. He battled cancer with tenacity, and was a true inspiration to everyone in the NASCAR family. Simply stated, we’ll miss Steve dearly. Our thoughts are especially with his wife Karen and son Bryson during this difficult time.”

(Top Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

No Surprise — Johnson In The Title Conversation

At times during the beginning of this NASCAR season it has appeared to be a battle of Kevin Harvick vs. Joey Logano.

But it appears the driver who has won six Sprint Cup titles in his 14-year career wants a piece of this fight too.

It was a nice Saturday night cruise for Jimmie Johnson at Texas as he won the Duck Commander 500 in Fort Worth. That apparently gives you the privilege of partying with the Robertson family from Duck Dynasty in victory lane. It was Johnson’s second Sprint Cup win this season and his second straight victory in the Lone Star state. The #48 has now been to victory lane five times at TMS.

Johnson led a race-high 128 laps, but it appeared that sacrificing track position was going to bite him with less than 50 laps to go. After taking four tires when others took just two, he restarted seventh and got stuck behind several cars as Harvick led the way. But he charged up through the field on the final restart and passed Harvick and Jamie McMurray on lap 321 to take the lead.

“Those last three pit stops with the varied tire strategies, our car wasn’t handling like it did when we were leading. The third one (on Lap 310), our car was really, really good and I was able to work our way forward. The No. 4 was having trouble with the No. 1 (of McMurray) and slid up…and I thought I had it under control. Just a lot of great racing; the (worn-out) surface of this racetrack allows that to happen.”

Just two weeks after getting heated on the radio with his crew chief Chad Knaus, Johnson rebounded from a horrible day at Martinsville to get the win in the seventh race of 2015.

“Just a great, great race car. We’ve had an awesome start to the year, I know the results don’t show it but we kept plugging away at it. I think the off week was good for us to kind of sit down, relax, reboot, come back to the track, and they brought me a fast race car.”

The line of communication between Johnson and Knaus, which can be tense at times, proved to be an advantage this week, especially in one of the longest races on the schedule. Knaus credited Johnson’s ability to let him know what was going on inside the Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet.

“Obviously 500 miles here there’s a huge swing in track conditions, and I think with the way that Jimmie is able to describe what he’s feeling in the race car and with what our guys are able to do from our engineering standpoint, being able to keep up with the racetrack and adjust to the racetrack and try to get the car better throughout the course of 334 laps around here.”

FORT WORTH, TX – APRIL 11: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet, celebrates with the checkered flag after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 11, 2015 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)

Harvick finished second and was not happy with what he thought was blocking by Johnson.

“No, I didn’t know,” Johnson said when asked about Harvick being upset.  “I certainly ran the line that he wanted, so blocking, sure, you can call it whatever it is.  There were numerous times earlier in the race that I just pulled down and let him go and didn’t run his line, but for a race win I’m going to run whatever line I need to to try to win the race.”

“It’s unfortunate that he’s upset like that, but when it comes time to win a race, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”

Harvick has no need to pout. He will win again soon. He now has nine top two finishes in the last 10 races, but he still wanted to win his first race at Texas badly.

“Yeah, it’s fine.  Like the 22(Joey Logano), you knock them out of the way, and that’s the chance you take when you block.”

FORT WORTH, TX – APRIL 11: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 11, 2015 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was third, followed by Logano, and his Penske teammate Brad Keselowski. Keselowski got his sixth top 10 finish this year after coming back from a commitment cone violation
entering pit road.

When it comes to 1.5-mile tracks, its usually comes down to Johnson or Harvick. That’s why Dale Jr. is glad next week the series heads to the high banked half-mile in Bristol.

“We go to Bristol next, so I guess that’s a better opportunity for me because my name is not Jimmie and my name ain’t Kevin.”

Or Joey.

(Above photo courtesy of Chris Graythen/Getty Images Sport).

 

JPM Wins Indy Opener; Cleveland GP Talk

The IndyCar season is underway. Yep those are IndyCars.

Slowly, IndyCar is bringing me back. My angst for open-wheel was high when the IRL-CART split occurred. But I don’t want to get into that mess now.

I watched the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg this past weekend. I cannot say that I hate the new aero kits by Chevrolet and Honda, but they don’t look that great. But I will reserve total judgment until I see how the cars run at Indy and hear what the drivers think.

Other than weird looking Indy Cars and debris everywhere from the new body style, I thought the race was good and I loved watching Penske Racing teammates Will Power, yes that’s his real name, and Juan Pablo Montoya battle in the closing laps. Montoya was able to hold off Power and claim his 13th career IndyCar win and his first road course win since 1999.

Montoya and Power both pitted with 28 laps to go and JPM got out first. Montoya had a 3.1 second lead but Power, who dominated the entire race up to that point, caught him. On lap 101 of 110, Power tried the inside in turn ten, but Montoya held on after the cars made contact. He would pull away from there.

Penske was dominant, claiming first, second, and fourth and fifth with Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud respectively.  Tony Kanaan was third.

But the story that caught my attention came down Tuesday when open-wheel expert Robin Miller of Racer.com reported that there is some talk about bringing IndyCar back to Cleveland.

http://www.racer.com/indycar/item/115015-indycar-cleveland-to-return

This is awesome news for a town that is making great strides and hosting a number of big events including the Republican National Convention in 2016. The Grand Prix of Cleveland brought millions into town during the summer and it would be welcomed back, but it needs a title sponsor. It would seem that could be had given the talks going on with Mike Lanigan, Roger Penske, and Gene Haskett.

The real obstacle would be the airport and getting FAA approval to shut down for a weekend. It’s no secret that Burke needs some renovations and this would be a great way to get those done and make a profit. It would also create an opportunity for the city to develop the lakefront with hotels and restaurants. The last race in Cleveland was held in 2007. It was an event that was sold out every year, but took a major hit with the IRL-CART split.

If I were to rank my favorite types of motorsports it would be: 1. NASCAR, 2. IndyCar, 3. NHRA,
4. IMSA Tudor Sports Car, 5. Formula One.

I was raised on open-wheel racing when it was the most popular form of racing in the Midwest in the 80’s and 90’s. My dad and I would watch every Indy race that was on television in those days, and the Indianapolis 500 was a tradition in my family. At my birthday parties I was watching the 500 while other kids were playing outside. Then I went to my first Cleveland Grand Prix in 1992. I waited all year for that race. We would go for all three days and would watch every practice and qualifying session. Getting Mario Andretti and Danny Sullivan’s autograph was a dream come true.

This still seems like a work in progress, but even the mention of bringing the event back to downtown is great to hear. Open-wheel racing may never get as popular as it was before but they are making strides.

(Above photo courtesy of IndyCar.com).