Travis Kvapil

Race Re-Cap: Busch Dominant In Darlington

This weekend at Darlington broke the mold in so many ways. On the re-paved surface, we got a new qualifying record, a surprisingly low number of cautions and DNFs, and a new race speed record.

I couldn’t have been more off the mark. I picked the wrong Busch brother (Kurt) to win, and in a message board pool, I picked Kyle to finish dead last. I also figured that a lower division nameplate to do well here, I just didn’t expect it to be Ford instead of Dodge. I also said that the kids wouldn’t run well tonight. David Ragan and race winner Kyle Busch proved me wrong.

I was with Greg Biffle’s spotter. He suggested Biffle give up the lead early in the race to “Wild Thing” because there was no way he’d finish it. Once again, the guy who wouldn’t finish it was The #16 3-M Ford. The younger Busch, coming off a controversial 2ndplace finish in Richmond, looked like he was going to use his car up before he ever got to the final lap.

It’s weird to think that the guy with the most wins here (David Pearson) was known for conservation and cunning. The 23 year old from Las Vegas runs more in the tradition of Fireball Roberts (notorious for using up his cars) and Junior Johnson (his racing philosophy was to get up front as quickly as possible…and stay there).

We may be witnessing a driver re-writing the rulebook for how races are won in the new car. Lord knows Busch broke all the old ones. Did you see all that brake dust coming out of his right front? And how about the way he was brushing the wall? I was expecting “Shrub” to bust into a chorus of the Johnny Cash tune “I Got Stripes” at any time. It just didn’t seem like he should win when you also throw in the pit violation and his complaints about his “pathetic” car. Oh, that Dave Blaney’s car could be that pathetic.

Besides Busch, a lot of guys we don’t talk much about should get some credit for a good race. Though the Roush team was plagued with wheel problems, upstart David Ragan finished 5th in addition to Edwards in 2nd. Teammate Matt Kenseth shook loose of a few demons and ended up 6th. Journeyman Dave Blaney ran his best race of the year in crossing the line 9th. Travis Kvapil, who’s making a Cup comeback this year after a solid career in the Craftsman Truck Series finished 8th on a fitting night where he was sponsored by Lafayette Ford, sponsor the #28 back in the Freddy Lorenzen days.

Some the other name drivers deserve a shout out for their performances. Carl Edwards’ finish is amazing when you consider he started at near the back of the field. Jeff Gordon has a great race to vault himself into the top 10 for the point standings. And Dale Jr.? Well, he was consistent again, racking up another top five and ready to strike if anyone faltered.

But above all else, Tony Stewart gets the “Rocky Balboa” Award- fighting, gouging and clawing his way to a respectable 21st after tangling with Elliott Sadler on the 3rd lap.

No- this race was definitely NOT what I expected- however, I was not disappointed with the racing and the thrill of a Saturday race under the lights.

 By the way- Happy Mother’s Day to the two best Moms in the world- my mom, Lenore Pittock of Keizer, Oregon. Thanks for believing in me, and letting me test out my ever-running mouthon your longsuffering ears. Then of course, there’s my lovely wife Lynnae, without whom I would not be a dad to the cutest kids in the world.

To all you Moms- HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY FROM THE BOYS AT ‘THE FINISH LINE.”Zooooom…

 

Pull Those Belts Tight! (Richmond Preview)

Up Next: Crown Royal Presents The Dan Lowry 400, Saturday, May 3, 2008 at Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia. Green flag- 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time, 4:30 p.m. Pacific. Broadcast on FOX-TV with Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry Mc Reynolds. Radio- MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio.

Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is NASCAR’s 3rd shortest track next to Bristol and Martinsville at .75 miles. Richmond has 14-degree banking in the turns, 8 degrees on the front stretch, and 2 degrees on the back stretch.

The first NASCAR Cup race ran here on April 19, 1953. Lee Petty won that day. In fact, 3 generations of Petty’s won here. RA young Richard Petty won on the Virginia track in 1961 and Lee’s grandson Kyle won in a Wood Brothers Ford in 1986.

Track Records: “The King” Is King. Richard Petty owns the most Richmond victories as 13 of his 200 Cup wins came here. Among active drivers, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart have 3 wins each. It does bear noting that Mark Martin has 5 Nationwide wins at RIR, Kevin Harvick 4- to go with his 1 Cup win.

The Pole “Cat”: Brian Vickers owns the qualifying record with a lap of 20.772 seconds in May, 2004 while driving the #25 for HMS. Richard Petty and Bobby Allison captured 8 poles apiece during their storied careers.

The fastest race? The recently retired Dale Jarrett ran the fall, 1997 race in 2 hours, 45 minutes, and 4 seconds (speed: 109.047 m.p.h.)

“Mr. September” Harry Gant was the oldest Richmond winner. He was 51 when he won here during that magical run of 4 wins in a row in September (when else?), 1991. Richard Petty owns the record for being the youngest Richmond winner. He got that win at the age of 23 years, 9 months in April of 1961. Kyle Busch turns 23 Friday. Think he’ll threaten this record?

15 Caution flags waved in the May, 2003 race for the record. Miraculously, none waved in 1976’s spring race.

Old school racing fans should love this race. They’ll be on an old, short track, racing under the lights- just like they do in the small towns. The only thing missing from this race is the dirt.

If trends from earlier races hold up here, I’d look for a good race from local boy Denny Hamlin- who showed short-track prowess at Martinsville. Jeff Burton (also a Virginian) won on the short track at Bristol. In fact, I’d say the strongest team for this place could be Richard Childress- as Clint Bowyer also seems to thrive in this environment, as does Kevin Harvick. Jimmie Johnson has a little history on his side- the #48 won both races at RIR in 2007. Jeff Gordon also has a pair of wins here and Junior got his last win at this very track in the spring of 2006.

I look for Childress, HMS and JGR to all run strong here. It doesn’t seem that among the big boys that the Roush boys do that well here. Don’t be surprised to see Kasey Kahne run well. The #9 won on this track in 2005.

By the way- Ken Schrader will sit in for the injured Dario Franchitti (ankle) in the #40 Dodge. No word on who might drive the #70 that Schrader drove at Talladega. Travis Kvapil has a sponsor for at least the next two weeks. Scott Wimmer will try to qualify in a 4th RCR car that will bear the #33.

Short tracks mean rubbin’ and racin’- so cinch those belts up good!

NASCAR Terminology- A NASCAR For Dummies Primer

Apron: Besides being what the Grillmaster wears at the infield BBQ, the apron is the “Pave portion of the trackthat seperates the racing surface from the (usually) unpaved infield.

Brake Caliper: The part of the braking system that, when applied by the driver, clamps the brake disk/rotor to slow or stop the car.

Round: Besides being Tony Stewart’s shape (more to love, right ladies?), “round” is a “Slang term for a way of making chassis adjustments utilizing the racecars springs. A wrench is inserted in a jack bolt attached to the springs and is used to tighten or loosen the amount of play in the spring. This in turn can loosen or tigthen the handling of a racecar.

That’s all for this week. Look for a Fearless Forecast Saturday morning, and I may offer up some of my thoughts on Tony Stewart’s “free agency”, Danica Patrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Friday.

 

Race Re-Cap: Draftin’ & Dealin’ In ‘Dega

Denny Hamlin said it best- “If you didn’t like this race, you don’t like racing.” Right down to the bloody, bumping end, there were at least a dozen drivers in contention for the win. Can you believe this top 10?

1- Kyle Busch, 2- JP Montoya, 3- Denny Hamlin, 4- David Ragan, 5- Brian Vickers, 6- Travis Kvapil, 7- Casey Mears, 8- Ryan Newman, 9- Clint Bowyer, 10- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

How crazy was this race? Tony Stewart looked like the man to beat, but wasn’t even there at the end, after trying to thread a hole between Bobby Labonte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. This screwed up Day Two of a seemingly ongoing alliance between Smoke and Junebug. Michael Waltrip looked at moments like HE would win this race! At last count this race had 17 different leaders!

I have a nickname for Denny Hamlin- “The Chauffeur.” How many times did he hook up with a driver to escort them to the front? On several occasions, the combination of two cars tail to bumper made it look like we had a limousine on on the track.

I kept hearing about ”patience” from Jeff Burton. He’s right! This race reminded me of the big local 10-mile road run (ya know the kind on two legs instead of four tires). Once the gun sounds (or the flag lowers), you find your stride, and you size up how you’re doing that day, and sizing up the field around you. Who’s going to have something for you? Who do you avoid because they’re going to be trouble? Once you ind your groove and your stride, it’s good to find a partner. Someone who’s company you can enjoy as you pass the miles away. Someone who can help you throw a rough patch if you hit one. Then one you hit the big hill in the middle you have to bear down a bit and not do anything to beat yourself in terms of expending too much energy, or getting tangled up in anyone else’s mess. THEN….as you approach the end, it’s every man for himself. Some crazy stuff can happen. Some will have enough gas in the tank to “kick” at the end. For others, it’s just a matter of trying to hang on and make it. Unfortunately, some who looked good early won’t make it. For a driver, this place keeps you on the edge of your seat at all times- perhaps the most challenging track on the circuit.

Like him or not, Kyle Busch overcame a pit mishap and numerous other challenges to come out on top. We knew it’d be a battle pitting the Gibbs Toyota’s versus the Hendrick bowties, but I’m really not sure anyone really envisioned a Shrub win here. Stewart and Earnhardt for sure. Of course Jimmie and Jeff and even denny would be in the mix. But Busch (who’s previous Talladega best was 11th) a winner and Casey Mears in the top 10? It wasn’t what I was thinking. And don’t lie to me, you didn’t either.

It was a heckuva race, maybe the best we’ve had all year, even if the wreck at the finish kind of deflated things. You can always count on soemthing wild at Talladega.

Today did not disappoint.

   

Race Re-Cap: “Cowboy” Carl Is King In “The House of Roush”

Alright, alright! Those talking heads that predicted a Carl Edwards victory are smarter than I am. I’m o.k. with that. Today was a day of vindication for a couple of men who had taken a beating over a couple of incidents this season. A couple of good men.

Add those 100 points that Edwards got docked and he’d be 4th in the Cup standings now. Deduction or not, regardless of how of why the oil tank lid came off at Vegas to produce the deduction of points, you’d have to agree that Carl Edwards looks like no less than a top five driver in the 2008 season. The 28 year old roped the wind and held on on a day that a lot of people could not.

For a while, Junior looked like the man- the #88 looked every bit as stout at the onset as it did Friday, with Edwards and Kyle Busch giving a push. Unfortunately for Lil’ “E,” he kept fading on long runs and with the speeds at Texas that produce few cautions (I lost track but I think we had a new record for fewest cautions), Earnhardt was just cursed. The longer they’d run, the looser Junior would get- and there just didn’t seem to be an answer for it. Busch’s story wasn’t radically different. I thought Darrell Waltrip’s comment that Shrub would’ve wrecked that car last year was a keen insight. Busch fought the car, and the car won- but this time Kyle wasn’t stupid about and held on for a solid 3rd place finish.

Edwards’ teammate Matt Kenseth looked as though he might have something for the Missourian. Until a near miss with Juan Pablo Montoya, Kenseth had a good stretch of leading. I’ll bet Kenseth misses Robbie Reiser. It just seems weird to have one of the best pit bosses ever making calls for somebody other than the #17. Kenseth was strong, but like the 41 others that didn’t have the #99 painted on the car- he wasn’t quite strong enough.

Jimmie Johnson looked as good today as he has all season. Johnson took a nice long turn as leader and made some exceptional moves today. Johnson really threaded the needle on a couple of passes and did a great job of hanging onto his Chevy when it got loose. Still, in post race interviews, Johnson admitted he just didn’t have anything for Edwards.

Though Texas Motor Speedway is a track known for parity- we’ve had 13 different winners in 15 Cup races- the Fort Worth track is truly “The House of Roush.” Edwards is the only 2-time winner at TMS, joining Jeff Burton in this select company. Burton’s 1st win at Texas came while driving for “The Cat In The Hat.” Today’s win gives Jack Roush 6 wins at Texas- Kenseth, Greg Biffle, and Mark Martin have won in Roush cars here.

This give me occasion to cut Jack Roush a little slack. I know I’ve made some nasty comments about Roush over “Sway Bargate,” and “Oil Tank Lidgate,” but at the end of the day, he’s one of the savviest minds in the motor sports business. Being the son of a welder/metal fabricator, I can see how Roush might feel a little protective of his handiwork. Roush comes at this with the perspective of an engineer, and it has to be maddening when you find things that you created in somebody else’s shop. I’m not sure the sway bars have done Michael Waltrip any good, but I am growing to understand why Roush made a big deal of it.

Some other random thoughts:

It was nice to see Mark Martin run well today to remind us he’s still got it….It’s a crying shame to see 3 cars in the field with no sponsor on the hood (John Andretti, Travis Kvapil, and David Gilliland)….Nice day for Gilliland to run 15th…David Ragan’s 13th place run proves he’s learning something out there…For all of you that think Jeff Gordon whines too much, I’d say you should’ve seen his in-race interview. No pointing fingers, no whining about the “new car,” just no whining. Period……Some Young Guns sure made some noise…That was quite a dash between Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer at the end…What happened to Kasey Kahne????….

I don’t know this is the best race I’ve ever seen, but as a radio sports guy, I give credit to the FOX boys for some smart insights today. Today was a real education about how a fan could learn about how a car is handling by watching a driver’s hands on the steering wheel.

My “Rocky Balboa Award” goes to Junior and Kevin Harvick. Both of these guys had cars that were horrors and still finished in the top 15. Happy and Earnhardt earned their check today.

I’m not real sure I’m ready to call Edwards a front runner for the Chase this year. And while it’s true that championships aren’t won in April, they can sure be lost in April.

Carl Edwards looks like he really wants to win one.