Chase Race No. 7: Earnhardt Jr Scores Major Martinsville Victory; Harvick, Keselowski in Trouble

Dale Jr poses with his first Martinsville grandfather clock (Photo: Google Images)

After 14 years of trying to capture a Ridgeway Grandfather Clock trophy, Dale Earnhardt Jr finally accomplished that feat Sunday afternoon. Junior scored his first win at the Virginia short track and held off one of the best at the track, teammate Jeff Gordon to do so. Unfortunately, as far as the Chase is concerned, it was too little too late as a wreck at Talladega last week ended Earnhardt Jr's bid for the 2014 title. But clearly he and crew chief Steve Letarte could have still been contenders with how they ran this weekend.

Jamie McMurray started on the pole, starting outside of Chaser Joey Logano. McMurray was strong all day, but on lap 85, Gordon grabbed the lead and established his role as the dominant car in the race. The event would prove to be a battle between Gordon and Earnhardt Jr for most of the day when the No. 88 grabbed the lead from his teammate on lap 192. But just because there weren't that many different leaders, the Goody's Headache Relief 500 was not without it's controversy.

On lap 229, Matt Kenseth wheel hopped his No. 20 car going into turn one. When his rear wheels locked up, he slid up the track and spun the No. 4 of fellow Chaser Kevin Harvick into the outside wall. After the accident, Harvick declared to reporters that he would personally see to it that Kenseth would not win the championship. So with three races left and some bad blood between these drivers, next weeks event in Texas could prove very interesting in who makes it to the final four championship eligible drivers in Homestead.

The race also saw last week's winner Brad Keselowski have trouble. After narrowly avoiding elimination with a win at Talladega, Keselowski broke had a rear end issue in his No. 2 Ford (a faily common issue at Martinsville). The only problem is that his car decided to break off of turn four, which led to a pileup that collected Casey Mears, Kasey Kahne, Danica Patrick and Martin Truex Jr. It also led to a ten minute red flag so Nascar could clean up the frontstrech.


Kevin Harvick after his Martinsville wreck (Photo: Google Images)

The next caution was also really bizarre. McMurray got into a shoving match with the No. 9 of Marcos Ambrose. Ambrose bumped the No. 1 car back and that appeared to be the end of it. But McMurray's teammate, Kyle Larson decided to spin Ambrose out in thorn four. It was almost like he was trying to defend McMurray caused another ten minute red flag to remove Larson's stalled car from the track.

In the end, it was series of late race pit stops that saw Tony Stewart stay out in an effort to steal his first win of the year. But he was passed by Earnhardt and Gordon, as both were on four fresh tires, and Earnhardt scored the grandfather clock trophy, the first of his career. Now it's on to Texas Motor Speedway, the track where Junior scored his first win in 2001. It will be interesting to see if he can ride this momentum and score another win in the Lone Star State. It will also be interesting to see if the Penske drivers can rebound. But with how Keselowski and Logano have run at the mile-and-a-half speedways all year, they will be a force in Texas too.

Everything is bigger in Texas, and this will be one of the biggest events of the year with only two races left till the season finale.

Look for Gordon, Hendrick Stable to Dominate Martinsville

Jeff Gordon's last title was in 2001 (Photo: Google Images)

While it has been a few years since Jeff Gordon was a serious title contender, and even longer still since his last championship (the 2001 Winston Cup trophy), it has appeared to me all season that if Gordon is going to win another title before he retires, 2014 was going to be his year. He's won too many races and run too consistently to not be in the final four come Homestead. Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski have since made me second guess myself with their dominant runs as of late. But Gordon has yet to be near elimination and has been very consistent, which might prove helpful in the winner-take-all finale in Miami.

Another reason to think Gordon might hoist his first Sprint Cup at season's end is the fact that Phoenix is in three weeks and this weekend, the series heads to Martinsville. That track has been Gordon's playground for quite some time now. He has eight wins and 27 top five finishes in 43 races there. The track has also taken on special significance for the No. 24 team, as well as the rest of Hendrick Motorsports, since the 2004 plane crash that killed ten HMS employees and family members, including team GM Jeff Turner, head engine builder Randy Dorton and Rick Hendrick's son Ricky.

With both of these factors at play, it is a very real possibility that Gordon will catch fire and score the win this weekend. And with Phoenix being the final race in round three, I wouldn't be shocked to see him win their either and gear up for a potential championship run. However, if Gordon doesn't pick up a ninth Ridgeway grandfather clock trophy this weekend, it will probably be one of his Hendrick teammate that pulls off the victory.

Jimmie Johnson beats teammate Jeff Gordon on the last
lap at Martinsville in 2007 (Photo: Google Images) 

While they are no longer title eligible, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr have never been slouches at eh Virgina paperclip. Especially Johnson, who beat Gordon in an epic side-by-side battle in 2007. Junior has also run well at Martinsville in the past, leading late in the spring race of 2011, only to get beaten by Kevin Harvick in the closing laps.

Speaking of Harvick, look for his No. 4 Chevy to run up front on Sunday. His Stewart-Haas Racing car is essentially a fifth Hendrick entry in the Chase and, since Gordon is the only real HMS car still eligible for the title, Harvick provides another chance at the title for Hendrick's usually  superior equipment.

But there will also be drivers looking to play spoiler. In addition to Johnson and Earnhardt running strong, look for Jamie McMurray to also be in contention for the win Sunday. Though he may not be in the Chase or have won since the All-Star Race in Charlotte this past May, he always runs strong at the Virginia short track. His teammate Kyle Larson has also been on a tear lately and it would not be surprising to see both the Ganassi entries do well Sunday. Martin Truex Jr led his first laps of the season at Talladega last weekend. He was fast in practice so the No. 78 entry for Furniture Row Racing might be one to contend with as well.

But that's why we run the race. After 500 laps around the Martinsville Speedway, it will be interesting to see who takes home the Ridgeway clock this time. Just like last week, there are a few Chasers who can win, but there are also a lot of non-Chasers who also stand a great chance of upsetting the field this weekend.

Chase Race No. 6: With Backs Against the Wall, Keselowski's Team Advances; Big Names Eliminated

After coming to blows last week, Brad Keselowski (2) and Matt Kenseth (20)
helped each other advance to the Eliminator Round (Photo: Google Images)

Going into this weekend's Geico 500 at Talladega, Brad Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth faced elimination from the Chase for the Cup. But after Sunday's race was run, two of these drivers have advanced into the Eliminator Round, while the other two will have to wait until next year to win a championship.

Everyone knew going in that Talladega was going to be the ultimate wild card race. Anyone can get wrecked at any time because of someone else's mistake. Normally, drivers who aren't in the Chase will give a little extra room to those who are because they don't want to have any effect on the outcome of the championship fight. But at Talladega, where cars are inches apart and 25 cars run within three or four second of each other in a giant pack, it's hard to give someone else extra space. While many fans were waiting for the big one, it never actually happened. But the few wrecks that happened were still big in the sense of the title implications they had.

The first wreck on lap 61 saw Joey Logano, already locked into round three after his win at Kansas, spin through the infield grass after Jamie McMurray blew a tire and spun off Earnhardt Jr's nose. Logano's teammate Keselowski also received some right side damage to his No. 2 Ford. But the dent was square enough to the center of the door that it really didn't effect his car all that much. But other drivers battling for playoff sports were not as lucky.

Kyle Busch's wrecked car limps to the garage (Photo: Google Images)

The next caution was for a much more serious wreck. On lap 104, J.J. Yeley's No. 83 Camry came into contact with the front of Aric Almirola's No. 43 Fusion, setting off a chain reaction that had major implications. While he was not in the vicinity of the initial bump, Busch was tapped from behind by Austin Dillon when he tried to slow up to avoid getting collected. This sent his No. 18 car skidding towards the inside wall, where it eventually hit and ended any realistic chance he had of advancing to the third round.

Throughout the afternoon, it looked as if Johnson or Junior would beat Keselowski and punch their ticket to the next round with a win. But just as quickly as it seemed Junior Nation could rejoice, their driver met the same untimely fate as Busch.

On lap 189, just a few from the scheduled 194 lap distance, Greg Biffle was tapped from behind by David Gilliland, sending Biffle's Ford into Junior's Chevy and turning NASCAR's most popular driver back into traffic. The incident also collected the cars of Paul Menard and Michael Annett and saw Junior's potential winning car relegated to a 31st place finish.

In Johnson's case, he just could not keep his car at the front as the race got closer to the finish and he lost any potential drafting help. He finished 24th on the day.

However, while the competition was taken out in a few accidents, Keselowski avoided all the mess and mistakes and held off a late charge from Kenseth to score the win and keep his title horpes alive for another week. Because he won the race, this meant that there was one less spot available on points, so the four drivers eliminated were Kasey Kahne, Johnson, Busch and Earnhardt Jr.

Next week, the Chase heads from one of NASCAR's biggest track's to one of its smallest; the paperclip shaped Martinsville Speedway. With these four perennial title contenders elininated from the hunt, it will be interesting to see how the remaining races of the season play out.

Talladega Will Provide Heckitc End to Contender Round

It's go or go home time for title hopefuls Dale Jr (L) and Jimmie Johnson (R)
(Photo: Google Images)

Talladega Superspeedway will provide the closing number for round number two of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr all need to win the race or finish well enough to advance to the next round of the Chase, avoiding the "Big One" and possibly several other smaller ones. You can't make this stuff up.

The retaining wall along the frontstrech says it all: "This is Talladega." Built on land that was once an airport and before that, was an ancient Indian burial ground, the former Alabama Motor Speedway has long been one of the craziest and most exciting race tracks on the circuit. It has always had a date in the Chase for the Cup, but because of NASCAR's new elimination, bracket-style system, this race will have much greater implications than ever before.

As it stands now, Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick are safe, as they won Kansas and Charlotte respectively. They are also first and third in points respectively. The rest of the top five in points are Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman and Carl Edwards. Aside from Busch and Harvick, these other three names are not ones we typically see near the top of the standings. We've been used to seeing Johnson, Junior, Keselowski and Kenseth atop the points. But now, because winning is at a premium and running up front is a must, one little slip and your Chase could be over just as quickly as it started.


Could Joey Logano be the 2014 Sprint Cup Champion? (Photo: Google Images)

Talladega has long been known for it's big wrecks and frequent lead changes. Just as quickly as a driver takes the lead, the next lap they can be shuffled to the back and in danger of being taken out by another driver's mistake. This could prove both good and bad for drivers vying for a place in round three. The safest bet is Dale Jr. He's won a Talladega five times and has an average finish of 15th. If anyone can make their way to the front and nail down a spot in the Eliminator Round it's Junior.

But Kenseth, Keselowski and Johnson also stand a good shot at winning the race. Because of the element of the draft, Reed Sorenson, David Ragan and Danica Patrick also stand a great chance of winning the event. So those four drivers fighting to keep their title hopes alive are not only fighting each other for the win, they're fighting drivers that they normally wouldn't have to worry about when contending for a victory.

This race is truly going to be a wild card and, with the exception of the season finale at Homestead, this will more than likely be the most exciting race in the Chase simply because of the very serious title implications it has. Can Junior survive, climb out of the cellar and advance to round three? Will Logano or Harvick win another race? Or will a complete unknown upset the apple cart and score a win at Talladega? Tune in Sunday to find out because it will be very exciting to see how round two shakes out.

Chase Race No. 5: Sparks Fly as Harvick Wins in Charlotte

Kevin Harvick celebrates his first win in months (Photo: Google Images)

Five races down and five to go. We are halfway through the 2014 Chase for the Sprint Cup and the tension is beginning to rise. Kevin Harvick was one of the strongest cars in Saturday night's Bank of America 500 and he was finally able to capitalize on his speed and close the deal, winning the race and locking himself into round three of the Chase. So even if they wreck at Talladega next week, both he and Joey Logano know their title hopes are still alive.

However, the teams at the bottom of the standings didn't do themselves any favors. Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski and Matt Kenseth now face elimination heading to next week's race at Talladega. All of these drivers showed promise in Saturday's event, but they all saw their night's quickly unravel and the pressure is clearly getting to many of them.

Earnhardt Jr's night was the first to go south. While running in the top five, he was still fighting the same vibration his team was battling all weekend. They changed tires, hubs, everything that might cause a wheel to shake, but that didn't solve the issue. Then it became evident that the problem was in the transmission because the car shook so violently, the shifter lever broke in half and had to be hastily repaired by his No. 88 crew. However, NASCAR's most popular driver only lost one lap and managed to rally to a 20th place finish. But despite this charge, he is still at the bottom of the standings.

Johnson, normally dominant at Charlotte Motor Speedway, had a very uneventful night. This proved to be both good and bad because, while driver No. 48 avoided trouble, he was never up front to lead any laps or take a shot at the victory. He came home a mediocre 17th and is one spot above teammate Earnhardt Jr in the standings.

Now to the fireworks. Matt Kenseth and Brad Keselowski made contact going for the lead on a late restart when Keselowski went high to block Kenseth, sending him into the outside wall and dropping Kenseth back in the field. Keselowski also managed to irk Kenseth's teammate Denny Hamlin, a driver he has irritated many times in the past, when the two were racing for position on the last lap. After the race, Hamlin brake checked Keselowski on the cool down lap, which prompted Keselowski to try and turn Hamlin's No. 11. Keselowski's No. 2 then barreled down pit road, hit Kenseth's car as Kenseth was taking off his helmet and safety belts and bumped into the No. 14 of Tony Stewart. Because he was an innocent bystander, Stewart then backed his car into Keselowski's, demolishing the front end of the No. 2 Ford.

In the garage, the excitement continued. Hamlin tried to get to Keselowski, but was restrained by NASCAR officials and his crew. However, Kenseth was not restrained, all but tackling Keselowski as he tried to enter his hauler. This led to both drivers crews and several officials having to break up the excitement. Hamlin finished in ninth position, while Keselowski and Kenseth were not as lucky, finishing sixteenth and nineteenth respectively and facing elimination heading to Talladega.

Both videos are linked from NASCAR's YouTube account.

So if this was the race before Talladega, imagine the intensity these drivers will be racing with on NASCAR's biggest track next weekend. The final race in round two, four more drivers will be eliminated from the Chase, facing "the Big One" and more than likely unable to control their own destiny. This will no doubt prove to be one of, if not the most exciting Chase race since the Chase format began a decade ago.

Penske Racing, Hendrick Motorsports See Reversal of Fortunes from Dover

Joey Logano celebrates his first Kansas win (Photo: Google Images)

Penske Racing drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano have dominated the Chase for the Cup so far in 2014, winning the first two Chase races and the final regular season event at Richmond. However, Jeff Gordon asserted the dominance of his No. 24 team by beating Keselowski and winning at Dover last week.Lest we forget Hendrick Motorsports will still have a role to play in the season finale at Homestead.

Or will they?

After four drivers were eliminated last week, there are two more events before another four title contenders are eliminated from the playoffs. And after the Kansas race, the bottom four in the standings are Kasey Kahne, Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt Jr and Jimmie Johnson. In short, three Hendrick cars and one Penske car face elimination after only two rounds of the Chase.

 A combination of hectic restarts and tire problems caused problems for these four dominant drivers. After dominating the regular season finale at Richmond and winning the first Chase race at Chicago, Keselowski saw his hopes of winning a second Sprint Cup title take a serious hit when his No. 2 Miller Lite Ford blew a tire and smacked the wall on lap 161. However, the crew was able to repair the car enough to where their driver could get back out and salvage a 36th place finish.

Jimmie Johnson's car after his early wreck at Kansas (Photo: Google Images)

Three of the four Hendrick cars also saw their title hops take a hit Sunday. Earnhardt Jr experienced the worst luck of this troubled HMS trio, when he lost a tire while leading the race. His No. 88 car slammed the run four wall and was forced to limp to the garage on lap 123. He too would return and score a 39th place finish for his efforts. Six time champion Johnson will have to fight a little harder to win his record-tying seventh title this year after his day ended on the back of a tow truck. His Chevy made slight contact with Greg Biffle's Ford coming off turn two on lap 86. Johnson spun down towards the inside wall, collecting the No. 51 of Justin Allgaier who looped back into traffic, and  hit the right side of his car hard against tie inside retaining wall. While he would finish 40th, the No. 48 Lowe's crew got their driver back out to at least finish the event. Kahne, the third HMS car to have issues, got loose on the backstrech on a lap 237 restart and damage the rear of his car. But the No. 5 team only lost two laps in the process and Kahne would still bring the Farmer's Insurance Chevy home in 22nd place.

The Chase also overshadowed some good runs by other drivers who have been searching for speed for a while. Austin Dillon brought the famous No. 3 car home in eighth place on Sunday. This is just his fourth top ten of the season. Also, coupled with Chaser Ryan Newman finished a solid sixth and his teammate Paul Menard grabbed ninth on the day, this meant all three Richard Childress Racing cars finished in the top ten. Rookie phenom Kyle Larson's second place run, coupled with Logano's win and Chasers Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards landing third and fifth respectively, let's not forget who finished in between these two drivers. Martin Truex Jr brought the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevy home fourth at Kansas Speedway for his sixth top ten. This is also the New Jersey native's second top ten in a row after scoring seventh at Dover last week.

So now we head to Charlotte to race under the lights. This track has been very good to drivers like Keselowski and Johnson in the past, especially Johnson who's won a staggering eleven times at the track and scored a total of 26 top tens in 39 races in Concord. But in 2009, Jamie McMurray won the Bank of America 500 after not qualifying for NASCAR's playoffs. Could we see another non-Chaser play spoiler and steal a victory this weekend? After 500 laps around the Charlotte Motor Speedway this Saturday night we'll know for sure.

Chase Race No. 4: Kansas Kicks off "Contender Round" of the Chase

Matt Kenseth won at Kansas in 2012...(Photo: Google Images)

...and in 2013 (Photo: Google Images)

Kansas sports fans have had a very exciting week. They saw their beloved Chiefs blow out Tom Brady's New England Patriots 41-14 on Monday night, the Royals finally reached baseball's post season for the first time since 1985, when the club won the World Series, on Tuesday night. And now, on Sunday afternoon, the Kansas Speedway will host the opening event in round two of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Known as the "Contender Round," this is thought to be the most treacherous round in the title fight because it culminates with a race at Talladega Superspeedway. So getting off to a good start in Kansas will prove vital to any title hopefuls looking to avoid elimination in Alabama.

 So which Chasers might race to the front of the pack on Sunday, Well how about Matt Kenseth? Over the last two seasons, he's won the fall race in 2012 and the spring event last year. This time last season, he finished 11th in the Heartland and scored a respectable tenth place finish there earlier this season.  Kenseth and his team will be feeling the heat Sunday as they sit eighth in the standings and fighting to win at least one race following a year when he won seven times in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. But what better place to kick-start a title run than with a win at a track where he's won two of the last four races?

 Another driver to watch will be Dale Earnhardt Jr. NASCAR's favorite son will be trying to continue his best season since 2004. This year he's swept both races at Pocono and won the prestigious Daytona 500 for the second time in his career. But the No. 88 team's last three races have been a far cry from how good they were to start out they year. The finished 11th at Chicago, ninth at Loudon and a solid, yet depressing 17th at Dover last week. with this being crew chief Steve Letarte's last season on the pit box before transitioning to the press box for NBC Sports, Earnhardt Jr would no doubt love nothing more than to get things righted and send his crew chief off with a championship.

Kevin Harvick won this race last year (Photo; Google Images)

Another big question this week will be if Kevin Harvick can get the proverbial monkey off his back. After last week's disappointment in Dover when a broken valve stem relegated his probable winning run into a 13th place finish, they will be looking to harness the same strong runs they had to start off the season. Like Earnhartd Jr, the No. 4 team was freakishly consistent to start the year. You'd be hard pressed to find a race they did not have a shot to win. But due to bad luck, pit crew issues or mechanical problems, the dynamic duo of Harvick and Rodney Childers has been relegated to only two wins so far (one at Phoenix, the other at Darlington). Like Kenseth, Kansas has also been goof to Harvick. He won the fall race last year and finished second in the spring of this year. Both of those races also saw him start from the pole. If this team is going to change their luck, this looks like the track to do it.

While Kansas is typically known for racing that isn't necessarily as exciting as Daytona or Talladega, this new Chase format might just spice things up a bit. It will also afford any drivers looking to rebound after a sub-par first round to gain momentum for the next three weeks. The Contender Round should prove to be very exciting and very unpredictable.

Gordon Ends Penske Dominance, First Four Drivers Knocked Out of Title Hunt

Jeff Gordon celebrating his win at the Monster Mile (Photo: Google Images)

After a string of three races where Roger Penske's Fords wound up in victory lane, it looked as if that trend would continue after Kevin Harvick's dominant No. 4 Chevy blew a tire midway through the AAA 400 at Dover on Sunday. Once he pitted, Brad Keselowski took the lead and it looked as if Penske would have their fourth straight win. But it was four-time champion Jeff Gordon who passed Keselowski with 95 laps to go and scored his fourth win on the year and end the Penske duo's stranglehold on the winner's circle.

Kevin Harvick started on the pole and led almost the entire first half of the race over second place starter Keselowski before he lost a tire on lap 248. The culprit? A broken valve stem. The same issue that ruined another potential winning drive when NASCAR visited Dover last June. However, Harvick's chances weren't totally deflated. Rodney Childers and his team did a great job of repairing the Budweiser Chevy and keeping their driver on the lead lap. Because of their quick work and an even quicker car, Harvick was able to mount a spectacular charge and finish 13th on the day. They might not have won the race, but they might have shown that they will be very tough to beat for the championship, as they sit third in points heading to Kansas.

However, it wasn't all comebacks and winning runs for every driver. Four Chase contenders were eliminated from the title race after this race. AJ Allmendinger, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch and Aric Almirola will all have to wait until 2015 to vye for the Sprint Cup. Because for them, this year's champion-ship has sailed.

The Dinger was tenth in points going into Dover, but after finishing 23rd at the Monster Mile, he came up just two points shy of twelfth place Kasey Kahne who finished 20th on the day. "It was an awful day," said Allmendinger. "I'm not going to take a moral victory out of it to miss by two points. We know (the JTG Daugherty team) is making steps in the right direction. We kept throwing the kitchen sink at it every stop. We just missed it all weekend."

Kurt Busch might have a Martinsville grandfather clock, but he'll have to
wait till next year to collect another Sprint Cup (Photo: Google Images)

The Nextel Cup Champion in 2004, Busch was looking to add a Sprint Cup to his trohpy case a decade after his first title. But the Las Vegas native came up six points shy of transferring to round two. After scoring a win at Martinsville with a team that was assembled very late in the offseason, they were never consistent enough to run for a title. "It was just tight the last 100 miles," Busch said. "I felt like we were in good position to advance, but you just can't expect to advance by running 18th. You have to be more competitive. You've got to have better lap times every time you go and hit the track. We don't get to advance to the championship but we can still run for pride and run for wins."
Biffle is also a perennial title contender and a champion in both NASCAR's Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series. But his season has been far from stellar. It's been 50 races since Biffle's last win at Michigan and, like Busch's team, they have lacked speed and consistency all season long. "Part of you wants to just pull it, put (the car) in the garage, while the other half of you is racing as hard as you can to get in the Chase. This is the way it's gone all season. We're just searching for speed and (we) struggled all day. We've worked hard, trying to fix our problems, but it just hasn't come together yet."

Like Allmendinger, Almirola was also a long shot to advance to round number two. But after two strong runs at Chicago and Loudon, it looked as if Dover would be another track to continue their momentum and maybe advance in the title fight. But after running mid pack all day, it just wasn't in the cards for the No. 43 team. "It just didn't work out for us. I hate it," Almirola said. "We picked a bad day to run the way we did and we can't blame anybody but ourselves. My car didn't have any grip. You can't go fast without grip. Right now, it's pretty disappointing."

Now twelve drivers will compete for a spot in round three of the Chase for the Championship, a fight that begins this weekend at Kansas Speedway with the Hollywood Casino 400. Hopefully round two can start off as excitingly as round one ended.