NASCAR notes

Tony Stewart goes for eighth career road course win Sunday at Sonoma

2013-06-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

Tony Stewart is 7-to-1 at Las Vegas sports books to win Sunday

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (June 18, 2013) – Sonoma, Calif., is a vigorous grape-producing countryside at the center of the state’s robust wine industry, considered by many to be the birthplace of wine-making in the Golden State. Together with neighboring Napa, Calif., they produce what is widely regarded as some of the world’s finest wines. Playing no small part in placing Northern California in its esteemed place in the field of wine production was the 1976 Paris Wine Tasting, better known as the Judgment of Paris.

The Judgment of Paris was a blind wine tasting that pitted California’s best offerings against French wines, recognized by most of the world as untouchable, at least at the time. It wasn’t supposed to be a contest at all. California’s burgeoning wine makers were not supposed to be able to hold a candle to the superlative works of France’s finest, but those supercilious opinions couldn’t hold up in the field of play as California wines took first place in both red and white categories, laying the groundwork for the thriving industry that exists today.

Thirteen years after earning its place among wine-producing appellations, Sonoma was on the map yet again due to another competitive event. It was believed to be one more mismatch as it paired two worlds that could not have been more different – NASCAR and wine country. There was no panel of judges, and participants were in clear view when Sonoma Raceway hosted the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for the first time on June 11, 1989. While on paper the two appeared to be an odd coupling, wine country and NASCAR have combined for some incredible shows during the last 25 years.

Enjoying the fruits of that successful match on more than one occasion has been none other than Tony Stewart, a two-time Sprint Cup winner at Sonoma who enters Sunday’s Toyota/SaveMart 350k 10th in the championship point standings thanks to a four-race stretch that has seen him finish seventh, first, fourth and fifth.

The driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing has played a significant role in many of Sonoma’s exciting races. His name appears often in the track’s history books, and in the new-age history that is NASCAR’s loop data, Stewart ranks first or second in a number of statistical categories for the 1.99-mile road course.

Stewart has made 14 Sprint Cup starts at Sonoma, where in addition to his two wins (2001 and 2005) he has a pole (2002), three second-place finishes, five top-fives and nine top-10s. He has an average finish of 10.9 and has only failed to finish on the lead lap one time – the track’s 2011 race where the Indiana native ended up on the wrong end of a run-in with driver Brian Vickers with less than 25 laps to go. Stewart went from scoring a top-five finish to a career-worst road-course finish of 39th.

While Stewart’s traditional stats speak for themselves, an overview of his position in several loop data categories reinforces the fact that at the end of the day, Stewart’s road-course attributes make him a Road Scholar.

The three-time Sprint Cup champion leads all drivers in the categories of fastest drivers early in a run (90.375 mph), fastest laps run (79), green-flag speed (89.877 mph), laps in the top-15 (706) and speed in traffic (88.945 mph). He ranks second in average running position (9.983) and fastest drivers late in a run (89.437 mph) for an overall driver rating of 107.5 – a close second to Kurt Busch with the best overall driver rating of 107.8.

And Stewart’s road course success isn’t limited to the track in Northern California, as there is a second road course in Watkins Glen, N.Y., which plays host to the Sprint Cup Series in early August. Of Stewart’s 48 career Sprint Cup victories, seven have been won on road courses – two at Sonoma and five at Watkins Glen. While wins are what everyone remembers, the rest of Stewart’s road-course stats are remarkable on their own merit. Between Sonoma and Watkins Glen, Stewart has made 28 career starts in which he has 12 top-fives, 19 top-10s and has led a total of 307 laps to go with his seven wins.

Through the last 25 years Sonoma has earned its place in the annals of NASCAR history, serving as a true test of driver versatility. Stewart is the epitome of versatility, having won in nearly everything, from stock cars and Indy cars to dirt modifieds and open-wheel Sprint, Midget and Silver Crown cars. Just as Stewart has proven victorious on pavement and dirt, he’s proven to be a winner when a racetrack features left and right turns. In his 15th trip to the 10-turn Sonoma road course, Stewart intends to come out on top in the Judgment of Sonoma.

TONY STEWART QUOTES:

This year marks Sonoma Raceway’s 25th anniversary. How important is it that NASCAR has raced in Sonoma all this time?
“It’s got deep roots with NASCAR and it’s one of those tracks that you just can’t imagine not being on the schedule. I think all the drivers and teams think of it that way. It’s a huge weekend. Teams really work hard on their road-course programs because of how challenging and difficult it is, and we have a partner in Mobil 1 who can attest to that. Their engine oil, chassis lubricants, gear oil – even their power steering fluid – help us shave time off our laps by reducing friction, heat and rolling resistance. They look at a lot of little things and it adds up to a big difference.

“I don’t think any of your full-time teams look at Sonoma as a weekend you have to get through to get on to the next thing. We’re at a point where teams put a lot of emphasis on the program. So for it to have a 25-year history like this, to see how much the competition has grown and how teams put way more work into it than they did say 10 or 20 years ago is pretty big. The track has really established itself as a unique race but, at the same time, it’s one that’s on the schedule that is circled and we look forward to racing.”

In those 25 years, is there a certain moment that is most memorable to you?
“You know, there isn’t really one. Every time you go there, it’s fun. It’s a fun track, great area and it’s really a perfect place to go and enjoy a NASCAR weekend. It’s an unconventional NASCAR weekend because it is a road course, but it’s one of the races I truly look forward to every year. It’s nice to get out of the box of what we do weekly, and Sonoma is an awesome, awesome racetrack that has a lot of history. It’s very challenging and that’s why drivers like it.”

You’ve had a tremendous amount of success at Sonoma. Why?
“I just like the road courses. I’ve always liked Sonoma. It’s really a driver’s track. It’s tough to make your car drive perfect all day. You can have a really good car, but it’s going to slide around and you’re going to struggle for grip, and that’s what makes it so fun. You have to do the work behind the steering wheel.”

What does it take to win at Sonoma?
“You’ve just got to have a good handling car. Aerodynamics are not the least bit important at Sonoma, which is great because it’s one of the few tracks that we go to that we don’t have to worry about aero balance or anything like that. It’s just a matter of keeping a well-balanced car all day and having good pit stops and pit strategy and staying out of trouble.

“A lot can happen at Sonoma. You’ve got to be patient all day. You get a lot of cautions there and a lot of guys end up beating and banging on each other. I mean, the cars look like they’ve been to a race at Martinsville (Va.) because it’s a short road course. Save that car for the last 20 laps because that’s the critical time. Do what you have to do to get through the first 90 laps, but those last 20 are the ones when you really have to go, and you need your car to be in one piece to make it happen.”

You have a pair of Sonoma wins. Was the first win more enjoyable than the second?
“Anytime you win your first race at a particular track it’s always a special moment. From day one, Sonoma has been one of those places we’ve really ran well, but we haven’t always had the best finishes there. We’ve been in crashes that have put us out or we’ve tried pit strategies that haven’t worked. For the most part though, at the end of the day, we’ve been one of the top-five guys as far as speed on the racetrack. That’s what makes that place fun. There are some drivers that can’t adapt to it and haven’t learned it. Then there are guys like myself that, from day one, have always really liked it and looked at the challenge of it as something really fun for us.”

Because road-course racing is such a different discipline, how do you approach it?
“I’ve just always liked it. I won a national championship racing go-karts on road courses, so the concept of what it took to win races on road courses wasn’t totally unknown to me, but driving cars with suspension, and definitely driving cars that you had to shift, that’s something that came relatively easy to me, and still comes easy to me as far as knowing how to synchronize the gears without having to use the help of the clutch. Even in the sports cars that I’ve driven with guys who have driven road courses all their life, I’ve gotten out of the car and the crew has torn the gearboxes apart and said that the dog rings in my transmission look better than when those guys are done with a transmission. There’s just something about the shifting side of it that’s been really natural to me, and it’s fun. I like having a different discipline to race on. I like having the opportunity to do something twice a year that we don’t get a shot at doing very often. I take the same amount of pride that someone like Ron Fellows or Scott Pruett does when they come into a road-course race. I take that same pride in running well that they do in these cars. I don’t look at it from the standpoint that it’s a negative weekend. I look at it as a positive, that it’s something we enjoy and I feel like that gives us a leg up on most of the guys we race with at these tracks.”

- True Speed Communication for Stewart-Haas Racing

Clint Bowyer on Sonoma; "Can't wait, hopefully we can do it again"

2013-06-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

Clint Bowyer got some victory wine last season after winning at Sonoma

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Last season’s Sprint Cup win at Sonoma Raceway was a big deal for No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota driver Clint Bowyer.

The win was Bowyer’s first since joining Michael Waltrip Racing, his first win on a road course, the first for the No. 15 team and sponsor 5-hour ENERGY. But, the win also carried special meaning for an 11-year old boy fighting Stage IV Burkett’s Lymphoma at a hospital back in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Brady Bakken, the son of 5-hour ENERGY sales broker Brett Bakken, was in the battle of his life fighting the disease with everything he had. As a gesture of support for Brady, MWR put Bakken’s name above the passenger side door of Bowyer’s No. 15 Toyota Camry.

As luck would have it, Bakken got the ride of his life! Bowyer led 71 laps and held off former Sprint Cup champions Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart in the closing laps to deliver the special win.

Shortly after winning the race, Bowyer gave a special message to the TV cameras in victory lane dedicating the win to Bakken and telling him to keep up the good fight.

Bakken delivered on his end too. Bakken, now 12 years old, is in full remission and back in his hometown of Boone, N.C. getting healthier by the day.

ON BRADY BAKKEN: “That was such a big win for so many reasons, but nothing as special as to deliver that win for Brady. We got word right before arriving in Sonoma that Brady was in pretty rough shape and fighting with everything he had. Everyone at MWR wanted to do something special to show him that we were thinking of him and praying he got better. We put his name above the passenger side door and told him he could run shotgun with us for the day … and boy did he ever deliver! We got a chance to meet last year at Bristol when he was feeling well enough to visit. I hear he is now in full remission, back at school and getting healthier by the day.”

ON SONOMA: “”I can’t wait — hopefully, we can do it again. Fun race track. It’s the first road course of the year. It’s always nerve- wracking just getting on the race track, shifting gears and having to down shift coming onto pit road to meet pit road speed — it’s exciting. The track itself is fun. I think it’s like a short track of road course racing. I love short track racing, so it’s just one of those tracks I’ve always been able to get on the race track, find pretty good speed and get comfortable and get settled in and have a good weekend.”

NOTES:

BOWYER AT SONOMA: In seven races, Bowyer has one win (2012), four top-five and five top-10s. Bowyer has scored 741 points in his seven races at Sonoma, second only to Jeff Gordon’s 775 points during that same span. His average starting position is 17th and average finish is ninth. He has led 73 laps, including 71 laps in 2012.

2013 vs. 2012: Bowyer is ranked six spots higher (2013 – third; 2012 – ninth), has eight more points (2013 – 489 points; 2012 – 481 points), two more top-five finishes (2013 – four; 2012 – two), the same number of top-10 (eight), he has led 108 more laps (2013 – 114 laps; 2012 – six laps). He has a better average starting position (2013 – 13.3; 2012 – 14.6) and better finishing position (2013 – 11.5, 2012 – 12.1).

- Michael Waltrip Racing

Does Danica Patrick have decent chance of doing well this week at Sonoma?

2013-06-19T14:35:00.003-07:00

Patrick is 100-to-1 at Las Vegas sports books to win at Sonoma

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (June 19, 2013) – Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway is one of the few tracks on the NASCAR schedule where Danica Patrick has a lot of experience.

Patrick, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has made seven starts at Sonoma dating back to 2005.

Those seven starts came in the IZOD IndyCar Series and unfortunately won’t offer much assistance to Patrick as she competes in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350k NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Sonoma.

About the only things familiar to Patrick will be the garage area, pit lane and portions of the track. The reason only portions of the track will be familiar is that the IndyCar Series used two different layouts during the seven years Patrick competed there and neither is identical to the 1.99-mile, 10-turn course she will drive on Sunday.

It will be Patrick’s first career Sprint Cup Series start on a road course and she is hoping her efforts produce better results than her three NASCAR Nationwide Series road-course finishes last year.

All three were memorable, if not downright strange.

In June at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., Patrick was fourth on the final lap when she was bumped into the gravel trap by Jacques Villeneueve, which caused her to finish 12th. Two months later, Patrick finished 43rd at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International after Ryan Truex spun in front of her on the start and she could not avoid his spinning car and made heavy contact with his machine.

But the strangest experience of all came one week later when Patrick led 20 laps and was on the point at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal when a fan threw a shoe onto the track and she ran over it on lap 38 of 81. Shortly thereafter, whether the shoe caused the problem or not, Patrick was forced to pit for mechanical repairs and finished 27th.

At Sonoma, Patrick is hoping to run a smooth and clean race, avoid any shoes on course, and build upon a solid 13th-place finish she and the GoDaddy team scored last week at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

DANICA PATRICK QUOTES

Last year, you ran well on the road courses in the Nationwide Series. How confident are you going into Sonoma?
“Every step up, you take it to another level of difficulty and, by all means, in the Cup series there are a lot of good road-course drivers. It’s going to be challenging. I don’t think it’s going to be one of those things where I’m going to go qualify in the first two rows and lead the race the whole time, or at least I shouldn’t expect to be able to just do that right away. It still took a little bit for Tony Eury Jr. (Nationwide Series crew chief) and I to get a setup that worked for me on the road courses. My first trip to Montreal was very different than my second trip. It’s going to take a little bit of time, but it is a little bit of a comfort zone for me. I feel like I know what I’m doing and I feel comfortable. Stock-car drivers just don’t get a lot of time on road courses and I’ve spent my whole career doing it, for the most part. It’s nice to go to a place where I feel comfortable, I suppose.”

You tested at Virginia International Raceway a couple of weeks ago. Talk about that test.
“It was a productive day. It wasn’t so much about setting up the car for Sonoma because, obviously, the tracks are completely different. It was more about getting a good brake package and making sure I’m comfortable in the car. It’s my first road-course race with Stewart-Haas and my first time working one with Tony Gibson (crew chief), so it was just about making sure everything is smooth. There is so much that goes into a road-course race – shifting, braking, mirrors, the seat – you just want to make sure you’re as comfortable as possible so you don’t have to work on those things too much once you get to the track.”

You competed at Sonoma in an IndyCar. Will that help you at all in a stock car?
“Other than being familiar with the garage and pit lane, no (laughs). The cars are obviously so different that nothing will translate. It’s just such a different style of driving. This also is a slightly different course than what we ran in IndyCar, so nothing really translates. I’m excited to go out to Sonoma, though. I’ve always liked it out there and, hopefully, we can have a great weekend.”

- True Speed Communication for Stewart-Haas Racing

Kurt Busch is 10-to-1 to win for second time at Sonoma

2013-06-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

Kurt Busch won in 2011 for Penske and was 3rd in 2012 for James Finch

DENVER, Colo. (June 19, 2013) – Kurt Busch’s road racing skills at Sonoma Raceway have been well documented as a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver.

But when the Furniture Row Racing driver gets asked which race at the 1.99-mile road course in Northern California’s wine country initially stands out, he has a surprising answer.

One would expect the 34-year-old former NASCAR champion to say his Cup victory in 2011 or last year’s incredible performance when he was contending for the win before a suspension problem dropped him to third in a Phoenix Racing entry.

His answer came without hesitation.

“It was my win in the Southwest Series during 1999 NASCAR weekend,” said Busch. “That victory put me on the map and fast-tracked my racing career.”

Busch, a native of Las Vegas, took advantage of a golden opportunity since more NASCAR Cup drivers and owners were intently watching the Saturday race to strategically learn more about the new track design.

“My Southwest Series win at Sonoma was the year the track was reconfigured,” explained Busch. “It was the first time it didn’t have the carousel; they had what they call the chute. So that was a direct straightaway from Turn 4 to Turn 7.

“I think a lot of Cup teams were interested to see how the race was going to play out and they watched the Southwest Tour race with more strategic thought that year. After winning the race it seemed like things moved a lot of easier in my racing career and I have the Sonoma track to thank for that.”

Busch, driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet SS, is looking to give another tip of the hat and a thank you nod to the Sonoma track on Sunday for the 25th running of the Toyota/Save Mart 350. It will be his first road race with the single car, Denver-based Furniture Row Racing team.

“We tested at VIR (Virginia International Raceway) in preparation for this race and feel the road course package that Furniture Row Racing had and that I had give us two avenues to look at when we show up for the race,” noted Busch. “Sonoma is a demanding race on a very technical road course. You have to be patient and have the right pit strategy.”

At the previous Sprint Cup race in Michigan, Busch was one of the prerace favorites, qualifying second and posting the fastest times in Saturday’s two practice sessions. He led the first 21 laps, but a few laps later his car broke loose, hit the wall and suffered major damage. He was able to finish the race, limping home to a 35th-place result.

“Our Furniture Row team needs a strong performance this weekend,” stated Busch, who dropped from 15th to 20th in points following Michigan. “We threw away a bunch of points in Michigan last week after having a really fast race car. We need to rebound and get some of those points back.”

Busch’s overall Sprint Cup record at Sonoma Raceway includes 12 starts, one win, five top-fives, five top-10s, one pole and 139 laps led. He has completed 1,312 of 1,329 laps for a 98.7 percentage. He also has the best driver rating at Sonoma of 107.8 and the best average running position of 9.2.

- DMF Communications for Furniture Row Racing

NASCAR Nationwide Series: LVH Odds to win at Road America

2013-06-18T23:37:00.002-07:00

JOHNSONVILLE SAUSAGE 200
ROAD AMERICA
SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013
2:20 PM (PT) - ESPN

SAM HORNISH JR 9-2
NELSON PIQUET JR 9-2
MICHAEL McDOWELL 6
MAX PAPIS 7
BILLY JOHNSON 7
BRIAN VICKERS 8
AJ ALLMENDINGER 8
OWEN KELLY 10
KYLE LARSON 20
ELLIOTT SADLER 20
REGAN SMITH 25
TREVOR BAYNE 25
JUSTIN ALLGAIER 25
BRIAN SCOTT 40
BRENDAN GAUGHAN 40
JOHNNY O'CONNELL 40
MICHAEL ANNETT 50
AUSTIN DILLON 50
PARKER KLIGERMAN 100
FIELD 22

RACE MATCHUPS

SAM HORNISH JR -110
NELSON PIQUET JR -110

MICHAEL McDOWELL -135
MAX PAPIS +115

AJ ALLMENDINGER -110
BRIAN VICKERS -110

KYLE LARSON -110
ELLIOTT SADLER -110

TREVOR BAYNE -110
REGAN SMITH -110

AUSTIN DILLON -110
BRIAN SCOTT -110

Kevin Harvick looking for first Sonoma win

2013-06-18T16:38:00.001-07:00

Harvick was runner-up at Sonoma in 2007

Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Rheem Chevrolet SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet

This Week’s Rheem Chevrolet SS at Sonoma Raceway … Kevin Harvick will pilot chassis No. 395 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the Save Mart 350. Most recently, the California native raced this Chevrolet to a 15th-place result at Watkins Glen International in August 2012.

Road Course Ready … Harvick has made 12 starts at the 10-turn road course dating back to the 2001 season. During that time, the RCR veteran has collected three top-five and four top-10 finishes. He holds a 16.7 average starting position coupled with a 16.1 average finishing position, has completed 99.9 percent (1,328 of 1,329) of the laps contested and is credited with 10 laps led.

Rheem on the Hood … The red Rheem logo will adorn the hood of the No. 29 RCR machine this weekend at Sonoma Raceway for their fifth of seven appearances during the 2013 Sprint Cup Series season. Rheem will also be featured on Harvick’s Chevrolet at Michigan International Speedway in August and Talladega Superspeedway in October.

Gotta Have a Rheem … Rheem Manufacturing Company (www.rheem.com) is privately held with headquarters in Atlanta and U.S. operations in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Indiana, North Carolina and Texas. In its 88th year of operation, the company manufactures a full-line of eco-friendly, technologically advanced residential and commercial heating and cooling systems; tank, tankless, solar and hybrid heat pump water heaters; whole-home standby generators, controls, swimming pool and spa heaters; indoor air-purification products; and commercial boilers throughout North America and world markets. The company’s premium brands, including Rheem, Raypak, Ruud and Richmond have been recognized with countless industry and consumer awards for reliability, innovative design and high quality. Rheem is the official heating, cooling and water heating supplier to Richard Childress Racing, and is a primary sponsor of RCR’s No. 29 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and RCR’s No. 33 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
A Lap for a Cause … Fans attending the Sprint Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway this weekend have the opportunity to take the ride of a lifetime with Harvick prior to the start of Sundayafternoon’s event. By attending the Speedway Children’s Charities – Sonoma Chapter – Live Auctionon race day at 10 a.m. Pacific Time in the Wine Country Winner’s Circle, one lucky Harvick fan can bid on the chance to join the RCR driver during the pre-race parade lap. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Kevin Harvick Foundation.

Batter Up … Following Sunday’s 110-lap event at Sonoma Raceway, Harvick will make his way to Yankee Stadium to participate in the third annual “Bombers Boomer Broadway Softball Classic” on Monday, June 24.The doubleheader will include two seven-inning games, with current Broadway stars facing off in the first game and Boomer’s celebrities playing members of the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team and New York Yankees alumni in the second game. The California native will participate in the second game.

Race Rewind … Harvick and the No. 29 Rheem Chevrolet team had a 16th-place finish in the 2012 Save Mart 350 at Sonoma after running out of fuel during a mid-race run.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:

What are your thoughts on racing at Sonoma Raceway?
“Road-course racing is fun. We have taken the time to make sure the car is right for a track like this one. I feel like Sonoma Raceway is a place that we’ve been to enough times where we can hopefully take some of the notes from those prior races and be alright. I enjoy that race and really look forward to heading out there.”

It’s being said that Sonoma Raceway is becoming a payback track and drivers are becoming more aggressive in their driving style during this race. What are your thoughts on that observation?
“The racing is more aggressive. I think the paybacks you see at Sonoma Raceway probably come from incidents during this race, not from any other track. Lately, it seems like the cars come home more beat up from this race than anywhere else. This is definitely a narrow track with a lot of slow turns, so you have to be very aggressive to make passes on this track.”

- Richard Childress Racing

Ambrose posted as 7-to-2 favorite by LVH Super Book to win at Sonoma

2013-06-18T15:16:00.002-07:00

Jeff Gordon has won five times at Somona, 7-to-1 this week

LAS VEGAS -- The LVH SuperBook has installed Marcos Ambrose as the 7-to-2 favorite to win Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, the first of two road course events scheduled this season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. Ambrose has never won at Sonoma, but he has established himself over the past four seasons as one of the best road course drivers on the circuit. He has won the past two races at Watkins Glen and was eighth at Sonoma last season, where he led 11 of the 112 laps.

The 1.99-mile layout at Sonoma features 10-turns – both left and right – with elevation changes, and is much more technical than the faster course at Watkins Glen. More than half field will find themselves like fish out of water, which is why 10 drivers have odds at 15-to-1 or less while everyone else is 20-to-1 or higher.

When else are you going to see Kasey Kahne at 20-to-1, Denny Hamlin at 30-to-1 or Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle at 40-to-1? How about Dale Earnhardt Jr. at 100-to-1?

Jeff Gordon, who hails from nearby Vallejo, Calif., has won five times at Sonoma and is the co-second favorite at 7-to-1 odds, along with 2010 winner Jimmie Johnson and two-time winner Tony Stewart.

Gordon hasn’t won a road race since 2006 at Sonoma – his fifth at the track – but does claim nine road wins over his great career, which is two ahead of Stewart for the most in NASCAR history. Gordon’s 8.6 average finish in 20 starts at Sonoma is also a track record.

Read More Here....LVH Super Book Sonoma Odds

McMurray and Montoya carrying some momentum into Sonoma

2013-06-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

Juan Pablo Montoya will be one of the drivers to beat Sunday

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Advance Notes

RACE SETUP
Race: Toyota/Save Mart 350 on June 23, 2013
Drivers: @jamiemcmurray @jpmontoya
Cars: No.1 Cessna Chevrolet SS, No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS
Track: Sonoma (1.99-mile, 12-turn, road course) Sonoma, Calif.
TV: TNT (3:00 pm ET)
Social: @EGRTeams #TeamGanassi

I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT
New Qualifying Format: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams (NSCS) will qualify in a group format for the first time ever this weekend at Sonoma. Cars will be divided into groups based on speeds from final practice on Friday. Each group will be on-track for a set amount of time (determined by series director). A cars best time during the group session will be the lap of record for qualifying to determine the starting line-up.

Target Team in the Spotlight: The No. 42 Target team will be front and center this weekend as TNT will show an all access feature on their pre-race show on Sunday. TNT went behind-the-scenes at the race shop and with the Montoya family on Monday to gather footage for the upcoming feature. In addition, the No. 42 team will have an in-car camera during the race.

#TEAMGANASSI
Follow EGR on Twitter: Continue to follow Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (EGR) on their official team Twitter page. Find in-race updates and weekly news on the No.1 and No.42 teams throughout the 2013 season by following “@EGRTeams”.

TWEET OF THE WEEK
‏@No1Bono – “Proud of our team today, we were in every position today with a solid performance. Oh yeah just missing the finishes… #keepyourheadsup” – Crew chief Kevin Manion, following the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR SONOMA RACEWAY

Jamie McMurray and No. 1 Cessna Team
Michigan Recap: The NSCS season made the first of two annual visits to the Irish Hills of Michigan and the Michigan International Speedway. Jamie McMurray started the Quicken Loans 400 from the 28th position, and quickly showed strength with the McDonald’s Chevrolet SS. After leading laps early and running in the top-10, the No. 1 team blew a right front tire with less than 35 laps to go and would cross the finish-line with a 33rd-place finish.

McMurray at Sonoma: This weekend’s race will be McMurray’s 11th start at Sonoma Raceway. McMurray has completed 1106 out of a possible 1107 laps and has zero DNF’s (did not finish) at the track. He has one top-five and one top-10 finish. The driver of the No. 1 Cessna Chevrolet SS qualified on the pole in 2007, and led 30 laps. His best finish at the track is second in 2004. McMurray’s driver rating of 84.4 ranks him the 12th-best among active drivers. In his 10 previous starts McMurray ranks 10th in green flag passes with 441, and has an average finish of 17.1 at Sonoma Raceway.

Take Off: Cessna Aircraft Company (Cessna) will be the primary sponsor once again this weekend on the No. 1 Chevrolet SS for Jamie McMurray. This marks just the second of seven races that the Cessna colors will adorn the race car.

Discover Flying: Cessna is once again offering a unique internship experience – the Discover Flying Challenge – for six aviation students from a field of applicants for a summer-long excursion across the United States. This year, Cessna has partnered with five not-for-profit organizations as part of this summer’s Discover Flying Challenge to bring awareness to their charitable efforts. The Discover Flying Challenge commenced on Saturday, June 15 at the Strother Field Industrial Park in Winfield, Kan., aboard six customized Cessna 172 Skyhawk aircraft. The Discover Flying Challenge pilots attended a Cessna 172 fly-in at the field, and then departed for their respective regions around the U.S. The pilots are assigned social media accounts through Cessna’s Facebook and Twitter pages, and will virtually document their journey. The students are challenged to make their social media content on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube both creative and engaging, as they will be competing against each other for various prizes at the conclusion of the program. Learn more at socialflight.com

Juan Pablo Montoya and No. 42 Target Team
Michigan Recap: Juan Pablo Montoya and Team Target headed north to the “Irish Hills” of Michigan over the weekend for the 15th race on the NSCS schedule. The No. 42 Target Chevy SS started from the 10th position and ran within the top-15 until an untimely caution in the closing laps shuffled the field. Montoya rebounded from going a lap down to finish 20th.

Montoya at Sonoma: This weekend will be Montoya’s seventh start at Sonoma Raceway. In his six races at Sonoma, he has one win, one top-five and four top-10s. His average start at the road-course is 18.8 with an average finish of 13.2. He has led a total of nine laps at Sonoma seven of them coming from the year he won in 2007. In his first year with EGR, he scored his first NSCS victory on the road-course. Other notables include:
* Montoya has a driver rating of 97.8, making him fifth best at Sonoma Raceway and has completed 662 of 667 laps (99.3%)
* Average running position of 11.8, fourth-best
* Average green flag speed of 89.332 mph, eighth-fastest
* 509 laps in the top 15 (76.3%), seventh-most
* 195 quality passes, fourth-most

Road Warrior: Montoya has won on three different road courses on the NASCAR circuit. Montoya’s first victory was March 3, 2007 in Mexico City driving in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Montoya rolled off in third position and then went on to lead 43 of 82 laps on his way to victory. Along with a 2007 victory in Sonoma, Montoya has an additional NSCS victory at Watkins Glen in 2010. Montoya dominated at The Glen, starting fourth and leading 74 out of 90 laps.

99 Wins and Counting …: The Target Racing program, which began with Target and Chip Ganassi Racing in 1990, is just one win shy of the 100-win plateau. The first win for the program came in 1994 with Michael Andretti’s Indy car victory at Surfers Paradise, Australia when the team was just a two-car open wheel program. The partnership between Target and Chip Ganassi Racing is one of the longest consecutive team partnerships in motor racing history.

Hit the Bullseye: when you’re in a bind look to target to find all of your essentials for your race day needs at Napa North Now with Fresh Grocery 4000 Bel Aire Plaza Napa, CA, 94558-2835 (707) 225-3016. 205 Soscol Ave. Napa, CA, 94559-4007 (707) 224-1058. Rohnert Park Now with Fresh Grocery 475 Rohnert Park Expy W Rohnert Park, CA, 94928-7907 (707) 586-2901

ONE TEAM, SIX CARS, THREE SERIES

Chip Ganassi has been a fixture in the auto racing industry for over 25 years and is considered one of the most successful as well as innovative owners the sport has anywhere in the world. Today his teams include three cars in the IZOD IndyCar Series, two cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and one Daytona Prototype in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Overall his teams have 15 championships and over 150 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400 and five Rolex 24 At Daytonas. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis and Brownsburg, Ind. and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Penn.

For more information log onto: www.earnhardtganassi.com

- Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates

Marcose Ambrose hoping to finally check Sonoma off his list

2013-06-18T15:04:00.001-07:00

Marcos Ambrose's best Sonoma finish was third in 2009

CONCORD, N.C. (June 18, 2013) - If there was one track that ‘owes’ Marcos Ambrose, it is the Sonoma Raceway. And if there is one favorite going into this weekend, it’s also Marcos Ambrose. Behind the wheel of the No. 9 Stanley Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports, many eyes will be focused on the black and yellow machine as Ambrose tries to capture his first win at the track.

Ambrose has five starts at the road course. Beside a transmission failure in his first start, the road course veteran has finished in the top-10 in all events, including a best finish of third (2009). A win has been elusive, however, making Ambrose and the No. 9 Stanley Ford team thirsty for Victory Lane in wine country.

Ambrose has the records to back up why he is a favorite again this weekend. He has the second-fastest average green flag speed of 89.807 mph, the third-best driver rating (106.8) and an average running position of 10.9.

Comments from Stanley Ford Fusion Driver Marcos Ambrose:
“Sonoma has been one track where I felt we have had victory just slip away from us. But, we’ve always been competitive there and fast too. We won the pole there last year and just didn’t have enough for the race. We just came up a bit short. Our guys want to get that win this weekend, and we’re all pretty hungry for it.

“This is one of the hardest road courses I have raced on. It’s very technical and is pretty fast too. These cars are not made for this track, so you really need to wrestle them around a bit. I am not scared to do that but just need that little racing luck to get into victory lane. We’ve been so close that a win can’t be too far away.”

Comments from Crew Chief Drew Blickensderfer on Sonoma:
“We really look at Sonoma as a track to not only run up front but to win. There is pressure every week, but this week, we’ll just have more eyes on us. We understand that, and I think Marcos does as well. It doesn’t change our plan of preparing the best car possible for Sunday.

Chassis History:
The No. 9 team prepared chassis No. 761 for Sonoma. The team tested this chassis at Sonoma in May.

About Richard Petty Motorsports
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneurs Andrew Murstein and Douglas Bergeron, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Aric Almirola pilots the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion with primary partners Smithfield Foods, U.S. Air Force and STP and Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 machine with primary partners Stanley and DEWALT. In addition, Michael Annett wheels the No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team is headquartered in Concord, N.C.

- Breaking Limits Marketing for Richard Petty Motorsports

Denny Hamlin looking to stay up front at Sonoma to avoid past troubles

2013-06-18T15:01:00.002-07:00

Denny Hamlin's best Sonoma finish was fifth in 2009

Event: Toyota/Save Mart 350
Date/Time: June 23/3 p.m. ET
2012 winner: Clint Bowyer
2012 polesitter: Marcos Ambrose
Distance: 110 laps/218.9 miles
Track Length: 1.99 miles
Track Shape: Road Course

EXPRESS NOTES:

Michigan Recap: Denny Hamlin finished 30th in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway, battling an ill-handling #11 FedEx Express Camry throughout the 200-lap event on the two-mile track won by Greg Biffle. Hamlin started 11th in the 400-mile race, driving a specially-wrapped FedEx Express paint scheme. The paint scheme was featured during the FedEx Racing Team’s inaugural 2005 season with driver Jason Leffler, who passed away last week in a sprint car racing accident in New Jersey. Unfortunately, the car was a handful for Hamlin from the start, as he fought a terribly loose condition on the green track with little grip. Crew chief Darian Grubb tried a host of remedies to the car during pit stops, including changing a right-front shock under caution, but none could bring the #11 machine to life. The finish dropped Hamlin one spot to 26th in the NASCAR standings following Michigan, 85 points out of 20th position after 15 of 26 regular season races.

Sonoma Preview: The Series heads to Sonoma Raceway in northern California for the season’s first road course event on the 1.99-mile, 12-turn circuit. Hamlin is making his eighth-career start at Sonoma this Sunday, and has two top-10 finishes to his credit at the track. His best result came in his fourth start at Sonoma, driving from a 24th-place starting position to finish fifth in 2009, leading 33 laps. He also finished 10th at Sonoma in 2007. Last year, he was running among the leaders when contact from behind in Turn 11 caused suspension damage to the #11 FedEx Toyota and extensive repairs in the garage, ending the team’s day early. Hamlin has led 48 laps at Sonoma in his career.

FedEx Office – Closest to Sonoma Raceway: 901 East Washington St., Petaluma, CA 94952, (707) 763-6553

Denver, Colo. Along for the Ride in Sonoma: The FedEx Freight service center in Denver, Colo., will be recognized for outstanding performance with its ‘DEN’ code letters on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota this weekend at Sonoma Raceway.

2013 FedEx Racing Press Kit – Available for Download: Please visit www.fedexracing.com/presskit for the 2013 FedEx Racing press materials, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Darian Grubb and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights, program statistics and the 2013 crew roster.

FEDEX RACING CONVERSATION — DENNY HAMLIN:

How do you approach the season’s first road course race this weekend in Sonoma?
Obviously, you have to approach the road course races a little bit different, in terms of pit strategy on Sunday and what you look for in your car. Sonoma is a very tight, technical track, as opposed to Watkins Glen, and you need to make sure your car can get off the corners. To get a good finish, you need to stay clean throughout the majority of the race, and be aggressive when it’s warranted to get around guys. We have been the victim of some aggressive driving there the past couple of years in Turn 11, so it’s important we stay up front.”

- Weber Shandwick Worldwide for FedEx Racing

2013 Toyota/SaveMart 350 Sonoma Preview: Montoya offers lots of value this week

2013-06-18T14:54:00.001-07:00

Expect a great run out of Juan Pablo Montoya on Sunday

After 15 weeks of running in circles with only left turns, the NASCAR Sprint Cup series right gets to turn right this week at Sonoma's 1.99-mile 10-turn road course, a track that highlights a drivers true ability to drive race cars. Because some drivers are less skilled at driving on road courses, there isn't as much excitement out them when they visit one of the two road circuits on the schedule.

It even gets so bad for a few of them that car owners hire a road specialist for a race to drive their cars. Although the hired guns have never won a Cup race before, they usually run well and take a car that would have been doomed to a 30th-place finish or worse into a respectable finish position. From a fans perspective, some of the greatest racing on the season occurs when watching these hired guns, with all kinds of skill on their playground, mix it up with the regulars.

From a betting perspective, you can narrow down the list of candidates to win at about 10 drivers, or just under 25 percent of the entire field. On a normal race weekend, there about 18 legitimate candidates, but the road course is the variable that really puts a major gap between those contenders.

The top candidate to win this week is Marcos Ambrose. Although he has never won at Sonoma, he has won the past two races at Watkins Glen. The two road courses are about as different as they can get with Sonoma being more technical featuring elevation changes while Watkins Glen runs much faster. Ambrose has finished eighth or better in his last four starts at Sonoma. His skills on the roads come from the Australia V8 Super Series, which is much tougher than anything he seen in NASCAR. To him, these races have become rather simple. His two road course wins are the only two wins he's had in NASCAR.

The same can be said for Juan Pablo Montoya, who has yet to win on any track other than a road course. He won at Sonoma in 2007 during his rookie season, and then won at Watkins Glen in 2010. Montoya's chances of winning become even stronger this week due to the upgrade in the entire program over the past two months. His skills on the road courses have never been questioned over his illustrious career. Not many drivers can say they have won the Monaco Grand Prix, especially those driving in NASCAR.

Because of their past excellence in other series, Ambrose and Montoya stand alone as the most technical road racers, but a few Cup drivers that have success on the ovals have also found the roads to be to their liking. Jeff Gordon is a five-time winner at Sonoma, which is the closest track located to his birth-place in Vallejo, CA. He hasn't won these since 2006, but hasn't finished worse than ninth in his last six starts there.

Tony Stewart took over the road racing crown from Gordon for a while between events at Sonoma and Watkins Glen, but he captured the last of his two Sonoma victories in 2005. He's been runner-up twice since then, including last year.

The most interesting choice this week is Kurt Busch because of how fast he's been everywhere this season. His outstanding practice times haven't translated into good finishes the past few weeks, but we should expect a great run on Sunday. He won at Sonoma while driving for Penske Racing in 2011, and then came in third last season while driving for his current underfunded No. 51 program. He's always been good at Sonoma and should be considered one of the favorites.

Martin Truex on Sonoma: "Our team has had some really fast Toyotas the last three years"

2013-06-18T11:49:00.001-07:00

Martin Truex Jr.'s best Sonoma finish was 8th-place in 2011

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. heads to the first road-course race of the year this weekend at Sonoma Raceway in California with a renewed perspective on his 2013 season— he’s done following the points standings.

And that attitude will save his hair.

After a third-place showing at Michigan, the Michael Waltrip Racing driver climbed from 17th to 13th place in the standings — just 12 markers out of the top 10. Another strong run on Sunday should help the NAPA team’s bid for a second Chase berth with just 11 races to go. But don’t point that out to Truex.

“It’s giving me gray hair! I remember going into Texas 25th in points. I said then, I wasn’t going to pay attention. We almost won the race. A couple weeks later, we leave Charlotte in ninth place. I was like, ‘Damn, I wasn’t even paying attention to the points. That’s awesome.’ Then we go to Dover and blow up. I’m not going to look at the points now until after the Richmond race. I mean it this time!”

On Sonoma: “I really enjoy road course racing. I love going out to Sonoma. Our team has had some really fast NAPA Toyotas the last three years. I just have to figure out how to keep people from spinning me out. I am pretty sure that the last four years, I have led the race at one point and eventually got spun out. I am hoping this year that the spinning me out trend ends. I want to finish where I am running. It’s just one of those tracks where you are pretty vulnerable at getting hit. We certainly have been over the years. The post-race apologies to me are getting old. I’m ready to finish this race out front.”

On The Qualifying Format: “I think with qualifying being on Saturday and it being the only time we are on the track that day, having the European style of qualifying will be a big benefit. It usually takes a lap or two to get going especially in qualifying trim. To just go out there and have one lap to get it done, it’s very difficult to lay down the perfect lap. It’s hard to hit your marks there because it’s a very technical track. With this new format, I think we’ll be able to get at least two laps completed. If you screw the first one up, you’ll have at least another chance.”

NOTES:

GET LUCKY WITH TRUEX: Truex is taking with him to Sonoma a feather. It was sent in by Martha McDonald of Red Boiling Springs, TN. Her son Lukas found the feather the day he returned home from a three month hospital stay after being critically injured.

SOCIAL STOP: Make MWR’s “Social Stop” your second screen to follow all the racing and social media action when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races this weekend. MWR’s “Social Stop” goes live race morning allowing fans to view information from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube all on one page. Twitter feeds from MWR drivers, media members and NASCAR fans will populate the page. Visitors can also interact with fellow race fans and answer poll questions on the page. Visit www.facebook.com/michaelwaltripracing or click www.MichaelWaltripRacing.com/social

- Michael Waltrip Racing

Kyle Busch goes for second win on Sonoma's road course

2013-06-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

Kyle Busch finished 17th at Sonoma last year, but won in 2008.

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (June 18, 2013) – In most team sports, having home-field advantage can make a difference in the outcome of a game, and that typically occurs for at least half of each season in most sports. In NASCAR, however, while most competitors race at venues near their hometowns at one time or another, a driver will have usually no more than two “home games” each 36-race season.

Not so for Kyle Busch, driver of the No. M&M’s Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) at Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350k at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. The Las Vegas native feels very much at home all up and down the western part of the country, where the series races no less than five times each year from Phoenix to Sonoma.

While he’ll be enjoying a home game of sorts this weekend, Busch is also hitting the road – namely the 1.99-mile road course at Sonoma, for Sunday’s 350-kilometer challenge of both right turns and lefts.

Before 2008, nobody even thought to mention Busch as a threat to win either of Sprint Cup’s annual road-course events at Sonoma and Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. But that all changed shortly after his arrival at JGR at the start of 2008 as Busch dominated the road-course scene that year, leading 130 of a total of 202 road-course laps and capturing victories at both Sonoma and Watkins Glen.

Similar to NASCAR regulars like Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon who are known to be strong on the road courses, Busch quickly established himself five seasons ago as a routine road-course contender and has been in the hunt on road courses ever since. Most recently, Busch qualified second in August at Watkins Glen, and then led a race-high 43 laps before losing the lead on the last lap after hitting an oil slick and subsequent contact with Brad Keselowski.

Busch hopes to continue the run of consistent and strong finishes he’s gathered over the last three weeks, during which two top-five and three consecutive top-10 finishes have vaulted him to sixth in the series standings after sitting 11th prior to the event Dover (Del.) International Speedway’s “Monster Mile” three weeks ago.

So, as the Sprint Cup Series heads to its annual stop in Northern California’s Wine Country, everyone knows Busch is capable of winning anywhere in his comfortable surroundings of his “home” out West, just like he did at his hometown Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2009. They also know he’s always a threat to win on the “road” courses, as he is this weekend at Sonoma.

KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:

How intense have the road-course races become?
“I think, ever since double-file restarts came about, aggression at Sonoma has gone up a lot. You have these cautions that come late in the going and cautions breed cautions – especially on a road course and especially with double-file restarts. It just seems to be out of control there. You’re trying to take everything you can get and all the positions you can because it’s coming down to crunch time. It’s a place where, for me, it’s been fun to race. I’ve won there and I’ve also had some disappointing runs there and I’ve had some mistakes there – some wheel-hop issues and things. For me, it’s a place where you’re turning right and turning left and being at a road course is kind of like an off weekend, so you try to enjoy it the best you can and hope we can stay on course and get a good finish with our M&M’s Camry.”

How challenging is it to race against road-course specialists who you might not race against on a regular basis?
“It’s different, for sure. There are a lot of guys out there who have the road-racing background, who know a heck of a lot more about road racing and technique than we do. The neat thing about road racing is just being able to have – it’s like a vacation weekend. You just go out there and have fun and do the best you can and you’ll either do really well or you’ll do really badly and you just go on to the next one. We do have some testing for it and you try to pick up on it but, with respect to who you’re racing, you can expect to race a little bit of a different crowd. (Marcos) Ambrose has been really good, of course, so we’ve been racing him more and more on the ovals, too. Juan Pablo (Montoya), the same thing. Jimmie (Johnson), Jeff (Gordon), who have been a lot better at the road courses, so now you race against them, you race against Tony Stewart. A lot of the guys who race well at both, you race against every week.”

Do you enjoy road-course racing?
“The road courses are fun. For me, I enjoy it. It’s pretty cool to go out there and race the road courses. You get to turn right, turn left and everything, so it’s fun. Sonoma is more technical just because there are more turns and it’s a little bit slower. You have to concentrate on getting off the corner a little bit and have good forward bite. Sonoma, in our M&M’s Toyota, is going to be fun, going out there and seeing what these cars have this year. It will be a fun race, though. I always look forward to going up there and challenging the road course.”

Is it important in your career to have a road-course win?
“I think it’s a good thing. I think it’s great to be able to have wins at all types of facilities. I think, in ’08 when I won the road-course races, I also won the road-course (NASCAR Nationwide Series) race in Mexico. That was a big road-course year for me, for some reason. I just clicked at all of them. We’ve run top-five and top-10 since, but haven’t quite been the car to beat at those road courses. I enjoy that type of racing and I’d like to get back to it, and it’s cool, the opportunity that comes at Sonoma.”

What’s your favorite part of racing at Sonoma?
“The elevation changes can make it a lot of fun but, in the beginning, I was lost at Sonoma, to be honest with you. I raced Legends cars and other road courses five years ago and learned the technique and stuff of shifting and braking and all that, and then got to the Cup cars and they’re so different. I was just lost. I give a lot of that credit to testing with Jimmie (Johnson) and Jeff (Gordon) a lot of times and learning a lot from those guys when I was at Hendrick and working with them. And, of course, more of that expertise goes to Max Papis, who was our test driver at Hendrick, and learning stuff from him and reading reports that he did and picking up on it, following guys like Boris Said and Robby Gordon, the guys who are good at it and are fast at it.”

Do you have a favorite winery to visit while in Sonoma?
“I really don’t have a favorite winery. I just enjoy going out there and getting to hang out with some friends and Samantha (wife). We just tour around a little bit before the race weekend starts. It’s some cool countryside to see and it’s relaxing to take a bit of a break from our hectic schedule.”

- True Speed Communication for Mars USA/Joe Gibbs Racing

LVH odds to win 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup title heading into Sonoma

2013-06-18T01:08:00.000-07:00

Denny Hamlin is now 20-to-1 to win NASCAR title; opportunities dwindling

2013 SPRINT CUP CHAMPIONSHIP

JIMMIE JOHNSON 7-4
BRAD KESELOWSKI 15
DENNY HAMLIN 20
KYLE BUSCH 7
KASEY KAHNE 8
MATT KENSETH 7
JEFF GORDON 25
TONY STEWART 18
CLINT BOWYER 12
GREG BIFFLE 20
CARL EDWARDS 12
MARTIN TRUEX JR 30
DALE EARNHARDT JR 25
KEVIN HARVICK 15
JOEY LOGANO 30
RYAN NEWMAN 100
KURT BUSCH 30
MARCOS AMBROSE 500
PAUL MENARD 100
JEFF BURTON 200
JAMIE McMURRAY 75
JUAN MONTOYA 75
RICKY STENHOUSE JR 100
ARIC ALMIROLA 200
DANICA PATRICK 5000
FIELD 500

Clint Bowyer wins 2012 Sonoma NASCAR Sprint Cup Race with ease

2013-06-18T00:18:00.000-07:00

Clint Bowyer won last season at Sonoma leading a race high three times for 71 laps

2102 Sonoma Results

Gen-6 car presents positive challenges for Jeff Gordon heading into Sonoma

2013-06-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Jeff Gordon has won five times at Sonoma Raceway

SONOMA, Calif. (June 17, 2013) – With new challenges facing the teams this weekend, five-time Sonoma Raceway winner Jeff Gordon will rely on the past ahead of Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350.

To prepare for the first of two road course events on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series calendar, Gordon and the No. 24 Drive To End Hunger team tested at Road Atlanta a few weeks ago. But that test may prove more beneficial later this year.

“I don’t think we have ever been able to find one track that simulates Sonoma the way we feel like we need one to,” said Gordon, who is the all-time NASCAR leader in road course victories with nine. “There are a couple different corners that we try to compare ‘characteristics’ of some things we might be dealing with at Sonoma, but I think we learn more for Watkins Glen when we test at Road Atlanta.

“It’s been nearly a year since we raced on a road course, so that test was just getting back on one – shifting, down-shifting, left turns, right turns. Sort of ‘general’ testing.

“And to recognize what we may be dealing with this weekend based on past experience.”

Along with his record five victories in 20 starts, Gordon also tops these categories at the 1.99-mile track: poles (5), top-fives (12), top-10′s (16) and laps led (450). But he has yet to race the new Generation-6 car at the serpentine track.

“The new car is something we’ve never raced at Sonoma,” said Gordon, who fell to 16th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings after being collected in a lap-6 accident last weekend. “We ran pretty decent in the older generation car here last year, and we feel pretty confident we can tune the Chevrolet SS this weekend.”

Another challenge facing the teams is a new qualifying procedure on the road courses. Instead of a single car, one-lap qualifying run on Friday, drivers will be sent out in groups on Saturday and can possibly complete multiple laps.

“I’m really anxious to try it out to see how it works,” said the native of Vallejo. “In the past, we’ve seen drivers run a good lap in practice and then struggle to back it up in qualifying. It was difficult to get temperature in the brakes and the tires in the limited time we had to get up to speed before the qualifying lap began.

“Now, we’re going to have as much time as we need to get the car ready for that lap.”

- Performance PR Plus

2013 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Track Facts

2013-06-17T23:48:00.000-07:00

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2013 Top 12 at Sonoma Raceway

	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Jimmie Johnson	11	0	1	4	6	1	13.8	96.6
2	Carl Edwards	8	0	0	1	3	0	17.1	84.9
3	Clint Bowyer	7	0	1	4	5	0	9.7	93.3
4	Kevin Harvick	12	0	0	3	4	0	16.1	82.2
5	Matt Kenseth	13	0	0	0	1	0	20.8	74.9
6	Kyle Busch	8	0	1	1	2	0	18.6	92.8
7	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	13	0	0	0	0	1	22.2	65.3
8	Greg Biffle	10	0	0	2	4	1	14.9	79.3
9	Brad Keselowski	3	0	0	0	1	1	19.0	75.6
10	Tony Stewart	14	1	2	5	9	1	10.9	107.5
11	Paul Menard	5	0	0	0	0	0	22.8	57.7
12	Kasey Kahne	9	2	1	2	2	0	22.0	81.1

* – Based on last eight races at Sonoma Raceway.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2013 Wild Card Standings following Michigan:

				Pts		Pts From
Rank	Driver	Wins	Pos	Points	10th	Starts	Poles	T5s	T10s	DNFs
1	Kasey	Kahne	1	12	407	-10	15	0	5	6	2
2	Paul	Menard	0	11	415	-2	15	0	0	4	0
3	Martin	Truex Jr.	0	13	405	-12	15	0	3	6	1
4	Joey	Logano	0	14	405	-12	15	0	4	7	2
5	Aric	Almirola	0	15	404	-13	15	0	0	4	2
6	Jeff	Gordon	0	16	398	-19	15	0	3	4	4
7	Jeff	Burton	0	17	390	-27	15	0	1	3	1
8	Ryan	Newman	0	18	389	-28	15	0	2	7	4
9	Ricky	Stenhouse	0	19	389	-28	15	0	0	0	0
10	Kurt	Busch	0	20	384	-33	15	1	3	5	2
11	David	Ragan	1	28	265	-152	15	0	1	1	3

The top-10 drivers will make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Positions 11 and 12 in the 12-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup are Wild Cards, and will go to drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, as long as they are ranked in the top 20 in points. If multiple drivers outside the top 10 tie for wins, the tie-breaker will go to the race winner with the highest points position.

At Sonoma Raceway:

History

· The track opened as a 2.52-mile road course and drag strip in 1968.

· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on June 11, 1989 – won by Ricky Rudd at a speed of 76.088 mph.

· The first nine races were 300 kilometers and switched to a 350k format in 1998.

· The track was reconfigured to 1.949 miles in 1998 with the installation of an 890-foot chute between the original Turns 4 and 7.

· The track was reconfigured to 2.0 miles in 2001 and re-measured at 1.99 miles in 2002.

Sonoma Raceway Data

Season Race #: 16 of 36 (06-23-13)

Track Size: 1.99-miles

Number of Turns: 12

Race Length: 110 laps / 219 miles / 350 Kilometers

Top 12 Driver Rating at Sonoma
Kurt Busch	107.8
Tony Stewart	107.5
Marcos Ambrose	106.8
Jeff Gordon	101.1
Juan Pablo Montoya	97.8
Jimmie Johnson	96.6
Clint Bowyer	93.3
Kyle Busch	92.8
Ryan Newman	89.9
Carl Edwards	84.9
Elliott Sadler	84.9
Jamie McMurray	84.4

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2012 races (eight total) among active drivers at Sonoma Raceway.

Qualifying/Race Data

2012 pole winner: Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 95.262 mph, 75.203 secs. 6-22-12

2012 race winner: Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 83.624 mph, (02:39:55), 6-24-12

Track qualifying record: Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 95.262 mph, 75.203 secs. 6-22-12

Track race record: Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 83.624 mph, (02:39:55), 6-24-12

Notebook

· There have been 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Sonoma Raceway since the first race there in 1989 – one race per season.

· 184 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Sonoma Raceway; 131 in more than one.

· Mark Martin and Terry Labonte lead the series in starts at Sonoma with 21 each; followed by Bobby Labonteand Jeff Gordon with 20 each.

· Rusty Wallace won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Sonoma in 1989 with a speed of 90.041 mph.

· 15 drivers have Coors Light poles at Sonoma, led by Jeff Gordon with five.

· Two drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Sonoma Ricky Rudd and Jeff Gordon. Ricky Ruddholds the record for most consecutive poles at Sonoma with three; fall 1990 through 1992.

· Jeff Gordon is the only active driver to have posted consecutive Coors Light poles at Sonoma: 1998-‘99 and 2004-’05.

· Youngest Sonoma pole winner: Joey Logano (6/26/2011 – 21 years, 1 month, 2 days).

· Oldest Sonoma pole winner: Rusty Wallace (6/25/2000 – 43 years, 10 months, 11 days).

· 16 different NSCS drivers have won at Sonoma Raceway, led by Jeff Gordon with five wins. Tony Stewart has the second most wins (two) among active drivers at Sonoma.

· Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in road course wins with nine (Sonoma, five; Watkins Glen, four); Tony Stewart has the second most road course wins all-time with seven (Watkins Glen, five; Sonoma, two).

· NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison holds the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series record for the most wins (six) at a single road course track - Riverside International Raceway.

· Jeff Gordon is the only driver to post consecutive wins (three total) at Sonoma Raceway (1988 and 1989 each from the pole and 2000 from the fifth starting position).

· Youngest Sonoma winner: Kyle Busch (6/22/2008 – 23 years, 1 month, 20 days).

· Oldest Sonoma winner: Ricky Rudd (6/23/2002 – 45 years, 9 months, 11 days).

· Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins at Sonoma in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with six: Jeff Gordon(five) and Jimmie Johnson (one).

· Six different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Sonoma; led by Chevrolet with 10 victories; followed byFord with six.

· Five of the 24 (20.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Sonoma have been won from the Coors Light pole; the most recent was Jeff Gordon in 2004. Gordon is the only NSCS driver to win from the pole at Sonoma more than once.

· The Coors Light pole position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more wins (five) than any other starting position at Sonoma Raceway.

· Eight of the 24 (33.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Sonoma have been won from the front row: five from the pole and three from second place.

· 18 of the 24 (75.0%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Sonoma have been won from a top-10 starting position.

· Two of the 24 (8.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Sonoma have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Michigan was 32nd, by Juan Pablo Montoya in 2007.

· Mark Martin leads the series in runner-up finishes at Sonoma with four; followed by Jeff Gordon and TonyStewart with three each.

· Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at Sonoma with 12; followed by Ricky Rudd with 10.

· Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-10 finishes at Sonoma with 16; followed by Mark Martin with 13.

· Marcos Ambrose leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Sonoma with a 5.000.

· Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Sonoma with an 8.550. Clint Bowyer (9.714) is the only other active driver with an average finish in the top 10.

· All but one of the nine active NASCAR Sprint Cup winners at Sonoma Raceway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Juan Pablo Montoya won at Sonoma in his rookie season and his first appearance at the 1.99-mile track, the fewest previous starts among the active NSCS winners.

· Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin competed at Sonoma Raceway eight times each before visiting Victory in Lane; the longest span of any the nine active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners. Johnson won in 2010 and Martin won in 1997.

· Terry Labonte leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Sonoma without visiting Victory Lane at 21.

· Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Sonoma Raceway was the June 27, 1999 race won by Jeff Gordon over Mark Martin with a MOV of 0.197 second.

· There have been three NASCAR Sprint Cup races resulting in a green-white-checkered finish at Sonoma Raceway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): 2008 (110/112); 2009 (110/113) and 2012 (110/112).

· None of the 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Sonoma Raceway have been shortened due to weather conditions.

· Qualifying has never been cancelled in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Sonoma Raceway.

· Boris Said posted his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Sonoma Raceway (6/22/2003).

· Juan Pablo Montoya posted his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Sonoma Raceway (6/24/2007).

· Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Sonoma with 450 laps led in 20 starts.

· Danica Patrick will attempt to become the first female driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to compete at Sonoma Raceway.

· Patty Moise is the only female driver to compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on a road course:

Track	Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Date
Watkins Glen	Patty Moise	30	33	8/10/1987
Watkins Glen	Patty Moise	33	30	8/14/1988

NASCAR in California

· There have been 134 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in California.

Track Name	City	NSCS
Riverside International Raceway	Riverside	48
Auto Club Speedway	Fontana	24
Sonoma Raceway	Sonoma	24
Ontario Motor Speedway	Ontario	9
California State Fairgrounds	Sacramento	6
Carrell Speedway	Gardena	4
Ascot Stadium	Los Angeles	3
Bay Meadows Race Track	San Mateo	3
Marchbanks Speedway	Hanford	3
Oakland Stadium	Oakland	3
Redwood Speedway	Eureka	2
Willow Springs Speedway	Lancaster	2
Capitol Speedway	Sacramento	1
Merced Fairgrounds	Merced	1
Santa Clara Fairgrounds	San Jose	1

· 427 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as California.

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Jeff Gordon	87	5	0
Jimmie Johnson	63	1	0
Kevin Harvick	21	39	14
Marvin Panch	17	0	0
Ernie Irvan	15	3	0
Dick Rathmann	13	0	0
Dan Gurney	5	0	0
Eddie Gray	4	0	0
Parnelli Jones	4	0	0
Eddie Pagan	4	0	0
Robby Gordon	3	1	0
Ray Elder	2	0	0
Danny Letner	2	0	0
Marvin Porter	2	0	0
Dick Brooks	1	0	0
Marvin Burke	1	0	0
Jim Cook	1	0	0
Lou Figaro	1	0	0
Danny Graves	1	0	0
Johnny Mantz	1	0	0
Casey Mears	1	1	0
Bill Norton	1	0	0
John Soares	1	0	0
Danny Weinberg	1	0	0
Ron Hornaday Jr	0	4	51
Jason Leffler	0	2	1
David Gilliland	0	1	0
Joe Ruttman	0	1	13
Boris Said	0	1	1
Mike Skinner	0	1	28
Matt Crafton	0	0	3
Kyle Larson	0	0	1
Justin Lofton	0	0	1
Scott Speed	0	0	1
Brandon Whitt	0	0	1

Edwards not happy with with teammate Biffle at Michigan

2013-06-17T23:34:00.000-07:00

Should Biffle have helped Edwards on Sunday at Michigan?

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Carl Edwards was happy that teammate Greg Biffle won Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.

But he wasn’t happy with Biffle.

Edwards instead had to pit early in a cycle of green-flag pit spots because his car was overheating, and when a caution flag came out a couple of laps later, Edwards was in the free-pass position and had to restart 24th.

When asked after the race if he felt Biffle should have helped him, Edwards responded tersely:

"It’s his job to help me.”

So would Edwards talk to Biffle about the incident?

“We’ll take care of it,” Edwards said.

Edwards might not like the conversation. Biffle said he had too big of a lead to help Edwards at the time, or at least by the time he got the request.

“I didn't know when I passed him he had something on his grille or I'd let him get it off then,” Biffle said. “And I don't know if he did have something on his grille. But when I looked up in the mirror, and he was 25 car lengths back, and they said, ‘Carl has got something on his grille,’ I said, ‘I can't help him, not right now.’

“This is my chance to win today, right here, and the 48 (of Jimmie Johnson) is coming. I don't know if you know that or not, but the 48 is coming. There were other guys coming behind Carl that were going to pass him, and I didn't feel like I could take that risk at that particular time.”

How does team owner Jack Roush feel about it?

Big day for Roush and Ford as Biffle wins for fourth time at Michigan

2013-06-16T14:17:00.000-07:00

Greg Biffle had Michigan International Speedway circled on his calendar this year, and Sunday he showed why.

Biffle scored his first win of the season by winning the Quicken Loans 400 at MIS. It was Biffle’s third win at Michigan and his second straight.

Jack Roush won for the 13th time at Michigan as a car owner

Jimmie Johnson was chasing Biffle for the lead but slapped the wall with just three laps to go, capping a miserable day for Hendrick Motorsports.

Kevin Harvick finished second, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth.

Danica Patrick finished 13th for her best finish since finishing 12th at Martinsville in April.

It was a tough day for Hendrick Motorsports as Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon all had major problems.

Gordon wrecked early in the race, slamming into Bobby Labonte’s spinning car on Lap 6. Kahne wrecked while leading on Lap 103 and Earnhardt Jr. blew an engine while leading on Lap 129.

Hendrick Motorsports dominated the first half of the race, with Johnson, Kahne and Earnhardt all leading. Johnson took the lead when Earnhardt’s engine blew but faded after taking four tires on a pit stop while the rest of the leaders took two.

Quicken Loans 400 Results

Michigan Post Race Notes
* Greg Biffle won the 45th Annual Quicken Loans 400, his 19th victory in 381 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. This is the 1000th victory for Ford Motor Company in the NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
* This is Biffle's first victory and sixth top-10 finish in 2013.
* This is his fourth victory and 13th top-10 finish in 21 races at Michigan International Speedway. He has now won back-to-back race at Michigan.
* Kevin Harvick (second) posted his ninth top-10 finish in 25 races at Michigan International Speedway. It is his seventh top-10 finish in 2013.
* Martin Truex Jr. (third) posted his fifth top-10 finish in 15 races at Michigan International Speedway.
* Jimmie Johnson leads the point standings by 31 points over #99-Carl Edwards.

Michigan Post-Practice Notes: Edwards looks to be the driver to beat

2013-06-15T12:25:00.001-07:00

Martin an interesting look this week with every Toyota horse under hood

Kurt Busch was fastest in both of Saturday’s practice sessions at Michigan International Speedway, the final preparation for Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400. Busch, a two-time winner at Michigan, has been fast during practice almost everywhere that requires lots of horsepower. Although the No. 78 is running with very similar packages as the Hendrick cars, this team is still a single car operation based out of Denver. His speeds are one of the best stories in NASCAR this season.

Until Busch finally hits payday and wins a race, we still have to temper our expectations and look at others who practiced well which takes us right into Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne. Johnson and Kahne probably practiced the best, outside of Busch. Johnson had the best 10-consecutive lap average in the first session and Kahne was best during happy hour.

If this were a normal track for Johnson, where he claimed one of his 63 career wins, Johnson would be elevated to the top of the charts. But he hasn’t. He’s led the most laps over the past eight years of races at Michigan, but the checkers have been avoiding him in every imaginable display of bad luck. Because of the track holding some kind of hex over Johnson, that plays into the part of rating.

Edwards practiced well, but what sets him over the top as the top candidate to win this week is his past history. No one has a better average finish (8.2) at Michigan than Edwards, and no one has more wins at Michigan than Roush Fenway Racing (12). All we needed to see in Saturday’s practices was that Edwards had some speed to confirm that he would be the driver to beat Sunday. He had the second fastest lap in the early session and was fifth fastest during happy hour. Between all the history Ford, Roush and Edwards have had at Michigan, and the Roush cars appearing to be on an upswing, the No. 99 is the car to beat.

Mark Martin gets a strong look this week because he’s the only Toyota running at full horsepower. In a precautionary move for their drivers in the Chase hunt, Toyota Racing Development reduced the horsepower on Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr’s cars by about 12-to-15 horses.

Martin has won five times at Michigan, but more importantly, the maximum Toyota horsepower engine set-up has won five races this season on fast tracks. During final practices, Martin was fast in short and long runs. Martin looked like what we had seen in practices earlier this season with Kyle Busch and Kenseth.

With Martin being the lone power guy for Toyota, a wager on him also takes on the risk of having an engine that forced TDR to make a change. Their engines were expiring. Winning races was great early on, but now it‘s about points racing for a lot of these drivers. When you blow an engine, you blow a day and end up with a finish position in the 30’s, which can blow up a season. Martin is not in the Chase race, and is expendable, but he’s also very fast. His large price makes the reward trump the risk in this spot.

Read More Here...........Final Top-10 Rated Drivers Chart

Michigan Practice 2 Speeds

Michigan Practice 3 Speeds

Michigan Practice Notes: Kahne tops charts at over 200 mph in first session

2013-06-14T12:42:00.004-07:00

Kasey Kahne (15/1) was fastest during Friday's practice session

Kasey Kahne was fastest in Friday's practice session at Michigan International Speedway, laying down a lap at 200.619 mph. Kahne was one of four drivers during the 90-minute session top top 200 mph and should be considered one of the favorites to win the pole for Sunday's Quicken Loans 400.

There is plenty to like about Kahne at Michigan beyond simply being fast in qualifying trim. He's been runner-up at Las Vegas, Kansas and Charlotte, and he's using the same chassis that ran at Kansas and Charlotte. Being runner-up in nothing new for Kahne, especially at Michigan where it's happened three times. He won there in 2006 and finished third in the fall last season.

Kurt Busch continued his remarkable run of being fast in practices by posting the second fastest lap at 200.239 mph. Aric Almirola (200.028 mph) was next next, followed by Kevin Harvick (200.011) and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (199.922).

Busch is a two-time Michigan winner, and it's not a surprise to see Almirola show some speed since he's using a seventh-place Texas chassis. Harvick is a past winner (2010) and also won on the last 1.5-mile fast track raced on, at Charlotte. Earnhardt Jr.'s last two wins in the Cup series have come at Michigan, including this race last season. He's using that same winning chassis this week.

Mark Martin (199.861 mph) was next with sixth quickest lap, then came Martin Truex, Jr. (199.595), Jimmie Johnson (199.523), Austin Dillon (199.490) and Carl Edwards (199.369).

Martin, a four-time Michigan winner, will be the only Toyota running on maximum horse power this week, while the five other Joe Gibbs and Michael Waltrip Racing drivers -- considered Chase contenders -- will be running about 12-15 horsepower less than normal to lessen the chances of expiring engines. Last week at Pocono, Toyota ran about 22-24 horsepower less than what we had seen through the first third of the season, and it showed in practice and race day.

David Ragan ran the most laps (28), while no driver ran as many as 10 consecutive laps.

We'll get a look at average times on Saturday when every team will be exclusively in race trim. Chances are, Jimmie Johnson -- attempting to get his first Michigan win ever -- will be one of those fast drivers along with his two Hendrick teammates. We should also expect the Roush duo of Edwards and Greg Biffle to perform well on long runs during their final practices.

Michigan Practice 1 Speeds

Friday's Driver Quotes:

JIMMIE JOHNSON ON IF HE'S READY TO CHECK-OFF MICHIGAN ON HIS WIN LIST?
“I’ve been ready for a long time. We’ve been so close here. But, when it happens, it will make it all that sweeter for us. The exciting thing is we’ve been plenty fast here over the years. But getting to the final lap and seeing that checkered flag has been a little more difficult than I could imagine.”

GREG BIFFLE ON HOW THIS IS A BIG WEEKEND FOR ROUSH AND FORD, AND IF THERE EXTRA INCENTIVE TO WIN THIS RACE? “Definitely and coming off our second-place run at Pocono last week, we definitely didn’t probably have a second-place car, but I’m gonna say we were close to it. We hopefully feel like we’ve learned a few things last week that we can apply here today with the amount of practice we have. Hopefully, we can continue to learn and make our cars a little bit better, which we need to continue to do. This is one of my favorite places – a fourth and a win here last year – so we can hopefully do at least the same this year, if not better.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. talks Michigan, winning and Jason Leffler

2013-06-14T11:55:00.002-07:00

Earnhardt Jr. races well on Fathers day

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD “SOLDIER OF STEEL” CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) and discussed last year’s victory at MIS, his memories of Jason Leffler and other topics.

TALK ABOUT LAST YEAR’S WIN AND THIS PAINT SCHEME THAT YOU HAVE THIS WEEKEND:
“We are excited about the car. The car looks great. It’s not difficult to come up with a cool paint scheme when you are working with Superman and like we did last year with Batman and all that. It’s pretty simple to come up with something really cool and fun. Definitely makes that kind of a job easier. I think the car does look good. Hopefully it’s as fast as it looks good. That is going to be more important to be able to repeat and get the win this weekend. We feel pretty good coming in to this race. We had a great run last week that sort of hopefully got us back in the right direction. We talked about it last week after the race, but we kind of had some misses here lately and not many hits. As far as showing up to the race track and being competitive and getting the job done putting together a full weekend. We haven’t been able to do that. We started the season off so promising the best that I had ever started a season. It just seemed like things were going so perfectly and it’s the way it is in this sport. You will think you have everything going in the right direction and then odds and fate and everything else get in the way.

“We feel like we are coming through a stretch of races and race tracks if you take out Sonoma that we should run pretty well at and have a lot of confidence at. Not that we won’t go to Sonoma and hope to run well, we will, but the track record speaks for itself there. We did test at Kershaw (Carolina Motorsports Park) to try to get ourselves a good chance of getting maybe hopefully my career-best finish at that place. We will try to do that. We are just hoping for another good weekend. We would love to get a win. If we can get a good run and put two in a row together and give us more momentum, give us more confidence. This is a great race track. Enjoy coming here, always enjoyed racing on this track and just looking forward to getting out there and getting some practice.”

RICK HENDRICK SAID YOU AND STEVE AND YOUR TEAM WERE PERFORMING BETTER COMING INTO THIS RACE THAN YOU WERE ONE YEAR AGO WHEN YOU ENDED UP WINNING. DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT ASSESSMENT?
“Well, it’s probably easier to see the truth from his position on the other side of the fence so to speak. It’s more difficult to see growth and improvement within the team when you are part of the team. It’s kind of like when you are a kid and you are getting taller. You are 10, 11, 12 years old and you are wanting to be six foot three (inches) one day you can’t tell you are getting taller unless you are marking the door jam. Otherwise you wouldn’t notice any change of height. That is kind of what it feels like when you are part of the team. You don’t really notice when things get a little bit better or things get a little bit worse. Really what you end up doing is you are never really satisfied just like that kid, you are never really satisfied with where you are at. You are always wanting to be better. I feel like we are as good. I think we started the year off doing so good and having so many good runs back to back there. I felt like, yeah, we were starting the season better, we are a better team and we are able to do a better job than we were last year. But then we came back to reality and had some rough weeks. You kind of revert back to trying to scramble and feeling like you need to get better and feeling like you need to work harder. Hopefully that stuff is going to start to pay off. We are working hard. We ran good this past weekend and I feel like we will be competitive this weekend. That doesn’t answer the questions we have at places like Charlotte, Dover that we have to go back to. We still have to work hard and figure out what we have to do to get back to those places and be faster. The answers aren’t here at Michigan. They weren’t at Pocono the tracks are all too different. We still got some holes to fill so to speak.”

WHY HAVEN’T YOU WON AND HOW FRUSTRATING IS IT?
“Well, we have come close. We almost won Charlotte last year when we ran out of gas coming off the corner. I don’t know if we could have won Daytona this year to beat Jimmie (Johnson) if we had a few more laps. It’s been good to be close. That is the difference I think between where we are and where I want to be. We want to win more races. We want to win numerous races and multiple races in a season. We want that to be the status quo. We want that to be the norm. We want that to be what is expected. When we first started working together we were trying to figure out how to get a 15th-place combination into the top-10 and we were happy when we did. Now when we run in the top-10 it’s just another weekend and what do we have to do to win. That is how we feel. I think that the perception from you guys is similar to how we feel. We are like a lot of teams trying to find that extra step. It’s difficult to win in this sport. It’s really competitive. It’s not much more for us to be able to get to that level to be able to win more than just that off chance such has been the case last year.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE IN A WINDOW NOW OF YOUR CAREER WHERE THIS IS WHERE IT HAS TO HAPPEN NOW AS OPPOSED TO TWO OR THREE YEARS DOWN THE ROAD THAT YOU HAVE TO MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN RIGHT NOW?
“No, I don’t really feel that urgency. I feel pretty young still. I feel like I’m in good shape. I feel young in my mind. I feel like I have good energy. I’m not burning out. I think that the passion and the commitment probably goes before the physical end of it goes in this particular sport. I feel like I’m in the best opportunity of my career. There is a ‘seize the moment’ kind of feeling because I’m in such good equipment around such good people. I don’t feel like there is a clock in the background ticking away that is annoying me or anything like that.”

YOU RECENTLY SAID THAT YOU HAD CHANGED A LITTLE BIT IN THAT YOU DIDN’T HANG OUT WITH DRIVERS AWAY FROM THE TRACK. HAVE YOU CHANGED IN ANY OTHER WAY IN YOUR RACING WITH STEVE (LETARTE, CREW CHIEF) AND IF YOU COULD EXPLAIN THAT?
“Well, I don’t think it’s by choice I think it’s just the nature of the sport and our age and what was fun five, 10 years ago and what is fun now. I think people go in different directions. People come and go. I learned a really hard lesson back when I race late models and I first got paired up with Gary Hargett to run late models. That was the first guy I was introduced to that was really going to be a guy that I worked with and a guy that would mentor me. He became a really close friend. I was only about 20 years old he was about 55 years old, but he was like a father in a sense. Just really big time mentor and I just listened to him followed him everywhere he went. We raced together for several years down at Myrtle Beach and stuff. Then there came the day when I had to make a change not from him, but I had to make a change where the car was. We were keeping it down at his place and I wanted to bring it up…Dad offered me the place to put it where his deer head shop was. I thought ‘man for me to be a better race car driver I need to be working on my car everyday’, instead of driving down there to Union, South Carolina once a week. I knew I had to do that and Gary wouldn’t come up there to work he wasn’t going to drive an hour to work. I had to make the decision to help myself and then he and I weren’t going to work together anymore. That was a really tough choice.

“I learned then that people are going to come and go things are going to change in your life. Things don’t last forever. I’ve got some great friendships, made some great friendships in this sport. I still consider a lot of those people friends, but the days of being able to take a weekend off before Daytona and go down and hang out with an Elliott Sadler or Jamie (McMurray) or (Martin) Truex those days are gone. We had a lot of fun and I’ve enjoyed some good times with all these guys that I race with, but you get older and your priorities change a little bit.”

YOU SEE THE NO. 48 TEAM FROM THE INSIDE WE SEE THEM FROM THE OUTSIDE. IS THERE A SENSE THAT THE FANS AND THE MEDIA DON’T APPRECIATE WHAT WE ARE SEEING FROM THOSE GUYS OR MAYBE EVEN WHAT THEY ARE DOING THIS YEAR THAT WE WON’T APPRECIATE IT UNTIL IT’S OVER WITH?
“I think that there are those that appreciate it. I certainly appreciate it. I think just to sit and think about winning five championships in a row is, even though someone has done it, it’s unbelievable. Even though it’s been done and there is someone in that garage right now that has done it, it’s hard to believe that it happened. I don’t see it ever happening again. You think about all the great accomplishments in the sport. If you were fortunate enough to remember where you were when they happened and think about how different it is from that moment when you were there and witnessing that happen to 10 years down the road when you recall it as a memory. There is a bit of a difference there. There is probably more appreciation for how challenging and difficult of achievement it was. I certainly think that everybody appreciates it. I think we are still pretty much in shock that it’s accomplished, that it happened.”

WHAT ARE YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF JASON LEFFLER AS A PERSON AND AS A RACER AND WHAT WILL YOU REMEMBER ABOUT HIM?
“I will remember the pass he made to win at ORP (O’Reilly Raceway Park) when he basically just sold the farm down in (turns) one and two to make that pass. It was a really aggressive move, but that was a hungry driver. It’s the perfect definition of how hungry he was and most all drivers have that somewhere inside them. It was just a really interesting moment. I wasn’t very close with him. Didn’t have a friendship I would say, but that was an impressive moment. When I think about him that is one of the memories that I appreciate the most; I think it said everything about him as a driver. He liked to race. You always heard about the guy running here and running there. He had up’s and down’s in the top tier series as far as the Truck Series and the Nationwide Series, but he didn’t seem to let that deter him from doing what he liked to do. If he could be racing somewhere he was there racing.”

CAN YOU NAME ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE WHAT A LAP IS LIKE HERE AND THEN A DEFINITION FOR THE 200 LAPS?
“It’s just a simple race track that has not got a lot of challenges. It’s very easily laid out and understandable for a driver. It really comes down to just getting your car to work. There are no bumps or no bad transitions, there is nothing really that you are out there fighting or worried about or dreading. It’s just a simple race track and very wide, there is a lot of room that invites hard racing, passing. It’s a place that I enjoy. A lap here especially in qualifying driver’s aren’t supposed to be terrified, but terrifying is a word that comes kind of close to what qualifying is like here especially with this new surface and this tire. Last year it was a guessing game as far as whether that thing was going to stick in the corner or not. The guys that did run well, as far as I remember (Greg) Biffle got the pole last year. He was quite shaken by the process of running that lap. It was an impressive lap. The racing is different. It’s amazing how much the racing itself when you are in the race it slows down everything sort of slows down and the laps aren’t a challenge anymore just trying to run on the edge of the grip. You are just trying to find some clean air, trying to find a little speed through the center, do whatever it is that needs to help you get to that next car in front of you. It’s quite different than the way qualifying is being as treacherous as qualifying is.”

About Chevrolet:
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4.5 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Source: Team Chevy

It pays to shop around when betting NASCAR

2013-06-13T13:07:00.000-07:00

Carl Edwards opened at 30-to-1 odds to win at MGM sports books

LAS VEGAS -- The MGM Resorts sports books, just like everyone else in Las Vegas, have opened Jimmie Johnson as the 4-to-1 favorite to win Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway. But as you go down the list of odds, you’ll notice the book is offering some of the best value in town on a few drivers.

One of those drivers is Carl Edwards at 30-to-1. Edwards will be driving a new chassis this week, which could be good or bad. Chances are, though, he’ll be good at Michigan because he’s been stout in just about every ride he’s had there. Not only does he have two Michigan wins, but he also boasts an average finish of 8.2 at the track – tops among active drivers.

As a measure of the differences between odds at the sports books, and why it pays to shop around, the LVH SuperBook has posted Edwards at 12-to-1.

Although a Ford has yet to win on a big horsepower track this season, the Roush Fenway organization should be excited about its chances on Sunday following a strong performance last week at Pocono, where they were fast in both practices and in the race. Team owner Jack Roush has always been the darling at his home track closest to the Ford executives from the Motor City, piling up a record 12 wins.

Last fall’s race at Michigan was won by Roush driver Greg Biffle, who is posted at 10-to-1 odds by MGM Resorts, but is a juicy 15-to-1 at the LVH. Biffle has three wins at Michigan and will be using the same chassis with which he won there last season.

Other drivers that stand out on the MGM board are Kasey Kahne at 15-to-1 and Kevin Harvick at 25-to-1. Each have a Michigan win under his belt and has shown a tremendous amount of speed this season on similar tracks. Harvick won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in late May for his second win of the season. Kahne has been runner-up this season at Las Vegas, Kansas and Charlotte.

This week Harvick will be driving a chassis that finished 13th at Fontana, Michigan’s sister track. It also finished in 11th-place in the All-Star race in Charlotte. Kahne will be using the same chassis that finished second at Kansas and Charlotte. In the Coca-Cola 600, Kahne led a race-high 161 laps before Harvick passed him with 11 laps remaining.

The LVH has Kahne 7-to-1 to win this week and Harvick 18-to-1.

Here’s a comparison of Michigan odds at the two Vegas sports books.

Read More Here....MGM Odds

2013 Michigan Quicken Loans 400 Driver Chassis Selections: Lots of good history running this week

2013-06-13T09:45:00.006-07:00

Junior is using the same chassis that led him to victory last year

#2-Brad Keselowski: Primary Chassis for Michigan is PRS-841 which last Raced at Kansas and finished sixth. The backup chassis is PRS-847 which has never raced but has been a backup at several races.

#5-Kasey Kahne: For this weekend at Michigan, crew chief Kenny Francis will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-793. Kahne finished second with this car at Kansas Speedway in April. Most recently, he led 161 laps and drove it to another runner-up finish in May at Charlotte's 600-mile race. In 18 Sprint Cup starts at Michigan International Speedway, Kahne has one win, seven top-five finishes, eight top-10s and has led 49 laps. He has two pole positions at the two-mile oval and won from the top starting spot in June 2006. Most recently at Michigan, Kahne finished third there in August 2012.

#9-Marcos Ambrose: The #9 Stanley team has prepared chassis No. 847 for Michigan. The team competed with this chassis at Texas Motor Speedway where Ambrose started from the fourth position.

#10-Danica Patrick will pilot chassis No. 10-781, which was first used by Patrick in March at Auto Club Speedway, where she started 40th and finished 26th. She then drove this car in April at Kansas, where she started 25th and finished 25th. The last time this car was used was during the Sprint Showdown and Sprint All-Star Race in May at Charlotte where she finished ninth in the Showdown and 20th in the All-Star race.

#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-735 debuted in 2012 at Indianapolis where Stewart qualified 28th and rallied to score a top-10 finish. Chassis No. 14-735 made its second career start in October 2012 at Kansas. It was impressive as Stewart used it to overcome a 33rd place starting spot, a botched pit stop, an incident with Jeff Burton and a lap-166 spin to finish fifth. The car made its third career start in the 2012 season finale at Homestead. There, it rallied to a top-20 finish after starting 35th and dealing with handling issues throughout the 267-lap race. Stewart's milestone 500th career Sprint Cup start also came at Homestead in Chassis No. 14-735. With 2013 Chevrolet SS bodywork covering it, Chassis No. 14-735 returned to action in May for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. It rallied again, coming from 25th in the field to lead six laps before finishing seventh, beginning a resurgence for Stewart that has seen him climb eight spots in the championship point standings since Charlotte. This weekend's Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan will mark the car's fifth career start and second of 2013. Stewart has one win, eight top-threes, 11 top-fives, 19 top-10s and has led a total of 224 laps in his 28 career Sprint Cup starts at Michigan. His average start is 19.4, his average finish is 11.9, and he has a lap-completion rate of 93.9 percent.

#15-Clint Bowyer: Primary Chassis No. 758 finished fifth at Kansas and 35th at Fontana (due to a mechanical issue). Backup Chassis No. 724 has not seen action this season. In 14 races Bowyer owns six top-10s. His average start is 18th and finish 17th. He has led 27 laps, including 19 in his last race at MIS. In the last four MIS starts, Bowyer is tied with fellow Toyota driver Matt Kenseth for the most points with 148. He also has the best average finish of any driver (7.5) and is the only driver with four consecutive top-10s. 5-hour ENERGY'S corporate offices are in Farmington Hills, Mich. about 65 miles from Michigan International Speedway.

#16-Greg Biffle: and the Matt Puccia led #16 3M Give Kids a Smile Ford Fusion team will bring primary chassis RK-817 which is the same car that Biffle won with in the fall at Michigan last year and it last ran in the All-Star race in May and finished 15th. The backup chassis is RK-803 which last ran in Bristol and finished 11th. Biffle has 20 Sprint Cup career starts at Michigan, earning three wins, nine top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. Michigan is Biffle's second-best average finishing track. His average finish is 11.8 from an average starting position of 13.2. Biffle has led a lap in all but six of his 20 starts at Michigan.

#17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: and the #17 Zest Racing team will be using primary chassis RK-814, which is the same chassis that the #17 team ran at Martinsville finishing 25th after getting caught in an accident early in the race. The backup Chassis RK-811was a chassis that the #99 ran numerous times in 2012. Stenhouse will make his first career Sprint Cup start this weekend at Michigan.

#21-Trevor Bayne: For this weekend's race, crew chief Donnie Wingo and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane crew have prepared Chassis No. 745, which hasn't been raced since 2011 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Since then the car has been completely overhauled and converted to a Generation-6 racer, and Wingo is pleased with the final result. "We've put a lot of work into it," he said, adding that the results of a recent wind-tunnel test indicate the car will be a fast one. The team will need it on the newly repaved Michigan oval, where speeds are expected to be high, even with a winter's worth of aging on the track's asphalt. That aging should make for a good race, according to the veteran crew chief. "I think the groove will get even wider than it was last year," he said. He anticipates his biggest challenge on the pit box will be developing a strategy that will give Bayne track position in the closing laps. "You won't be taking four tires on every stop," he said. "The key is going to be doing what you have to do to have track position at the end of the race." The #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion will carry a special decal this weekend in memory of Cecil Wilson, who passed last week at age 77 after a battle with cancer.

#22-Joey Logano: Primary Chassis for Michigan is PRS-857 which is a new chassis. The backup chassis is PRS-844 which has never races but has been a backup at several races.

#27-Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 427 at Michigan International Speedway. This #27 CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet SS is a new addition to the Richard Childress Racing stable. Menard has 13 starts at Michigan International Speedway. His best start of ninth and best finish of fourth both came in 2011. The Wisconsin native has completed 2,564 of 2,610 laps attempted (98.2 percent) at the Brooklyn, Mich., track, leading 14 of them.

#29-Kevin Harvick: and the #29 Budweiser team will utilize Chassis No. 378 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. Harvick has raced this car twice in 2013 and earned a 13th-place finish at Auto Club Speedway and an 11th-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Harvick has made 24 starts at Michigan. In those events he has scored one win (August 2010), three top fives and eight top-10 finishes. He's completed 99.1 percent of the laps run at the track in NSCS competition since 2001 (4,660 of 4,701) and holds an average starting position of 18.1 and an average finish of 14.8 at the 2-mile track.

#31-Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 372 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. This #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet was utilized earlier this season at Bristol Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600. This weekend's 400-mile event marks Burton's 39th start at the two-mile facility and 670th-career Sprint Cup Series entry. Burton has garnered four top-five and nine top-10 finishes at the track, along with two pole awards in 1996 and 2006. He has also led 76 laps at the Brooklyn, Mich.-based race track.

#33-Austin Dillon will pilot chassis No. 418 in the Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway. This former #27 entry was driven by teammate Paul Menard to a 13th-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, and a 17th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in April before it was converted to the black and green colors of American Ethanol. Dillon competed in last year's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway. He posted lap times consistent with the top 10 competitors and ran in the top 15 before a broken radio caused him to fall one lap down to the race leader and finish 24th.

#39-Ryan Newman will pilot Chassis No. 39-760 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn in this weekend's Quicken Loans 400. Built new for 2013, Chassis 39-760 made laps in January at Charlotte while participating in the final test for NASCAR's sixth-generation Sprint Cup car. It saw its first laps of racing competition in March at Las Vegas, where ill handling and an expired engine relegated Newman to a 38th-place finish. Since then, Chassis No. 39-760 was outfitted with aerodynamic updates and was tested last month in a wind tunnel. In 23 Sprint Cup starts at Michigan, Newman has two wins, five top-five finishes and seven top-10s. Newman, a 35-year-old from South Bend, Ind., also has led 97 laps, has an average starting position of 11.4 and an average finish of 17.7 at the 2-mile oval.

#43-Aric Almirola: The #43 Eckrich / Operation Homefrond team has prepared chassis No. 843 for Michigan. Most recently, Almirola drove this chassis to a seventh-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this season. Almirola has six starts at the Michigan track over all three NASCAR premier series. He and crew chief Todd Parrott are no strangers to Victory Lane at the two-mile oval. Almirola won the truck series race in 2010, while Parrott has three Cup series wins there. Parrott knows how to get around the Michigan track. In his 29 starts as a crew chief, he has an average finish of 12.8 and 12 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes.

#48-Jimmie Johnson: will drive chassis No. 784 at Michigan, this chassis last ran at Charlotte in the All-Star race and won. Also finished 3rd at Kansas and 12th at Auto Club Speedway in 2013. Chassis No. 720 serves as the backup and won two races in 2012.

#55-Mark Martin: is running Chassis 776 which has not raced in 2013. In 54 starts, Martin owns five victories and 18 top-five finishes. He's led 965 laps and won two poles. He won the pole for the August race. Bill Elliott leads the series in starts at Michigan with 61. Terry Labonte leads all active drivers with 55 starts; followed by Martin with 54.

#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.:crew chief Steve Letarte and the #88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-716. Earnhardt most recently raced this chassis to a seventh-place finish at the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race in May. Notably, this is the same chassis Earnhardt drove to Victory Lane in Michigan last June. In 27 Cup starts at Michigan, Earnhardt has recorded two wins, two pole positions, six top-five finishes and 10 top-10s. He has completed 99.2 percent of all laps he's attempted (5,252 laps of 5,295 total) and led 293 laps. Earnhardt's two career pole positions at Michigan are tied for first as career-bests for the 38-year-old driver. He also has captured two career poles at Texas Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway.

#99-Carl Edwards the #99 Fastenal team will be bringing chassis RK 854 which is a new chassis for the 2013 season. Backup chassis RK 826 last ran in Texas. Edwards will make his 18th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Michigan International Speedway Sunday. In his previous 17 starts, Edwards has two wins, nine top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. His average start at Michigan is 21.1, his average finish is 8.2. He has completed 99 percent of the laps he has attempted at the two-mile track. Only four times in his previous 17 starts has Edwards finished outside the top 10. Fastenal returns to the track with supplier brands Widia, Walter Meier, ITW and Weiler on the hood, TV panel, deck lid and B-post.

- COMPILED BY JAYSKI.COM

Kurt Busch setting sights on Chase heading into Michigan

2013-06-12T12:24:00.001-07:00

Kurt Busch has won twice at Michigan over his career

DENVER, Colo. (June 12, 2013) – Kurt Busch, who is in the Chase hunt, feels his Furniture Row Racing team is on a momentum roll as the Sprint Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway for Sunday’s running of the Quicken Loans 400.

Following his seventh-place finish at Pocono Raceway, Busch moved into 15th place in the driver standings and found himself only 21 points from the coveted 10th position, the final Chase berth before the two wild card selections.

Breaking down the 14-race season into halves, it’s easy to see how the Denver-based, single-car Furniture Row Racing team has made a positive move. In the first seven races of 2013, Busch’s average finish was 22.6. His average finish in the past seven races was 12.9.

“It’s all about consistency – it always is,” said Busch, a six-time Chase participant since the playoff format was instituted in 2004. “We threw away a lot of points early in the year due to accidents and mechanical malfunctions, but lately we’ve been more consistent and that’s the reason for our forward move in the standings. However, our recent performances have been better than our finishes and we need to fix that, starting this weekend in Michigan.”

Speaking of Michigan International Speedway, Busch’s record at the 2-mile track includes two wins, two poles, three top-fives and eight top-10s in 24 starts.

But that was at the old Michigan International Speedway.

“Michigan is a different track with the new pavement,” explained Busch. “It has one groove there right now. We were there testing a few weeks back and it was very slick — just the one groove that’s burned in. That’s right around the middle of the track.

“Trying to go low, the car got real slick and slid up. And going high the front-end really pushed bad because there was no grip up there during testing. But once we get under race conditions it should widen out, but it won’t be the same Michigan for a few years until the asphalt settles in.”

Busch’s two wins at Michigan came in the first race in 2003 and the second in 2007.

“Got a couple of wins at Michigan and enjoyed racing there,” noted Busch. “But with the new asphalt you feel like you’re on that razor-blade edge. Our Furniture Row team has picked up the performance level and we need another solid run at Michigan to keep us in the hunt for that Chase position.

- DMF Communications for Furniture Row Racing