A three-member panel Wednesday unanimously upheld penalties assessed to Penske Racing after pre-race inspection at Texas Motor Speedway. Comprised of Pocono President Brandon Igdalsky, Bowman-Gray …
*Did You Notice?…* How already, nine races in, we can make some judgments on NASCAR’s Silly Season moves? In an unusual 2012, there were only three deals in which drivers moved into different major rides: Matt Kenseth, to the No. 20 of Joe Gibbs Racing; Joey Logano, to the No. 22 of Penske Racing; and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. to the No. 17 of Roush Fenway Racing.
Let’s tackle each one at a time. Kenseth’s move to Joe Gibbs Racing was dictated, for him, by sponsorship security: Home Depot and Dollar General will provide the funding for the No. 20 to race for years to come. In contrast, he was dealing with piecemeal backing at his longtime ride, the No. 17, and had changed crew chiefs several times since Robbie Reiser was promoted at the end of 2007. The loyalty, despite a strong relationship with the last of those replacements (Jimmy Fennig) just wasn’t the same.
*This Week’s Question: It’s been nearly two seasons since a single-car team was able to break into Victory Lane at NASCAR’s highest level, though a few have flirted with a win. Could we see a single-car team get back there this year?*
Amy Henderson, Managing Editor: You Could See It This Week in Talladega, As a Matter of Fact
While several of NASCAR’s smaller teams got off to a fast start in 2013, wins by those organizations are few and far between. It isn’t a lack of talent or ambition that keeps them out of Victory Lane; it’s one thing and one thing only: money, or the lack thereof.
Takuma Sato’s win last week in Long Beach was a real feel good story for the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series. A.J. Foyt’s long-struggling team hadn’t won a race since July of 2002, when the team went to Victory Lane with Brazilian driver Airton Dare at Kansas Speedway. For the last road / street course victory for the operation, you have to go all the way back to October of 1978, when Foyt himself won at Silverstone in England. It was also the first IndyCar Series win ever for a Japanese driver.
Before I go any further, those are all wonderful things and I don’t mean to decrease the significance of any of them in the least. It really was a win that was a long time coming, for both team and driver and it was great to see. (Although I really wish A.J. had been present for the moment; instead, he was at home preparing for back surgery.) It was a David slew Goliath kind of day.
Frontstretch Power Rankings
Kevin Harvick proved once again why he’s called “Mr. Where Did He Come From!?” and “The Closer.” Harvick took four tires during the final caution, charging from seventh place on the green-white-checkered restart to take the lead. That divebomb move gave him his first race of the 2013 season and 20th victory of his Cup Series career.
Behind them, Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart took part in some post-race extracurricular activities after a bump-and-run during the two-lap shootout shook up the finishing order. But perhaps the biggest side story was Juan Pablo Montoya, who led 67 laps and finished fourth, his first top 5 in a points-paying race since a fourth-place result at Martinsville in April 2011. Jeff Burton also ran well, finishing fifth, his first top-5 result of the season.
*10.* Who wants to see 200 laps with no wrecks?
*9.* The guy in front of me wasn’t going fast enough.
*8.* NASCAR said “Boys, Have At It!”
*BREAKING:* “Penske Penalty Upheld On Appeal”:https://frontstretch.com/breakingnews/42974/
As you’re reading this article, Penske Racing is likely in the middle of a bid to restore points and erase fines and suspensions to their two-car, Sprint Cup organization. Below is a quick primer to get you prepped for the next step of the NASCAR appeals process…
As both the NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series head to their next set of restrictor plate races at one of the more anticipated racing …
What To Watch: Tuesday – Carl Edwards will be a special guest, making a third appearance on the syndicated talk show Kelly & Michael. Expected …
Richmond International Raceway hosted the most unpredictable race of the season to date last weekend as the field was shuffled more than once before the checkered flag waved. Juan Pablo Montoya appeared to be ready to snap a multi-year winless streak before a late caution for Brian Vickers mixed up the leaders for a final time.
In the end, Kevin Harvick was able to surpass Jeff Burton and others during the resulting green-white-checker sequence to claim his first victory of the season, and third ever at the 0.75-mile track.