NASCAR Notebook: Lowe's Motor Speedway
Barry F. Hess
October 13, 2006
Under the Lights in Charlotte
Saturday night marks the halfway point in the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup and with arguably half the 10-driver field already close to being eliminated from title contention it will no doubt become a mad dash to make up as many points as possible in the only race under the lights in NASCAR’s version of the post-season.
2006 hasn’t been kind to Jeff Green and the rest of his No. 66 Best Buy Chevy race team but you have to believe he and crew chief Bootie Barker are happy to be back in Charlotte.
Green earned one of his five top 15 finishes this season at Lowe’s Motor Speedway after leading 16 laps and finishing 12th in the spring.
Green, who qualified 21st on Thursday night, will look to earn back to back top 15 finishes for the first time this season after a seventh place finish in Talladega one week ago.
Mark Martin has been quoted as saying Charlotte is his favorite track to race at and when you look over the 19-year veteran’s resume you’ll quickly learn why.
Martin has earned victories in both the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR’s longest and arguably most grueling race, as well as the All-Star Challenge.
Look for Martin, who qualified eighth, to do his best to get up front and lead at least one lap to secure five bonus points.
Currently third in the point standings and just 10 points from Jeff Burton and the lead, the closest Martin has been to the lead all season, the driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion is right in the thick of things when many considered him to be a long shot at best to win the title.
It has hardly been the type of Chase Kasey Kahne and the No. 9 Dodge Dealers team expected after qualifying for the last open position in Richmond.
After a mediocre 16th place finish at New Hampshire Kahne finished 38th and 33rd at Dover and Kansas respectively.
But after a solid 2nd place finish in Talladega last week and a starting position from the outside pole this weekend Kahne is hoping his slim chances at a Nextel Cup are still in the cards.
Look for the only Evernham car in the Chase to contend for the most-laps led bonus award, at a track Kahne has led at least one lap in each race he’s ever driven, as he continues to battle out of the hole he put himself in early on.
Currently ninth in points and 185 markers out of the lead it’s going to take more than one strong race to get Kahne back in the title hunt but there’s no better place to start than in Charlotte.
When people ask just how dominant Jimmie Johnson has been at what the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevy team like to call their home track all you need to do is look at the numbers.
Five wins, over 800 laps led in only 10 races…need I say more?
After watching a would-be win slip, or should I say slide, into a 24th place finish at Talladega after his own teammate wrecked him Johnson has come to Lowe’s with the very same car that won him a million dollars in the All-Star Challenge earlier this year.
Don’t be fooled by the 11th place qualifying effort Johnson put up Thursday night as cool temperatures and moisture on the track had more to do with it than his car.
Look for Johnson, eighth in points and 156 points out of the lead he held for much of the regular season, to put together another strong run similar to his second place finish in the 600.
Prediction: When I predicted Scott Riggs to win the Coca-Cola 600 back in the spring I said my only concern for the No. 10 Valvoline team was their relative inexperience in big time situations.
A late pit stop that ended with Riggs stalling the car and losing several positions on the track later and Riggs watched a would-be win turn into a 13th place finish.
Since that time Riggs and his talented race team have proven they are growing into a team that will unquestionably be a force to be reckoned with next season.
After earning the pole Thursday night look for Riggs to have similar success like he did in the spring and look for he and his over the wall team to put on an equally strong performance on pit road.
After missing the Daytona 500 only to rebound and maintain a spot inside the top 25 in points look for Riggs to get his Evernham Dodge into Victory Lane for the first time Saturday night.
Unforgiven
It was only a few short weeks ago that teammates Jimmie Johnson and Brian Vickers shared a fishing trip to Alaska together.
The long time friends even had an NBC camera crew with them to document how strong a friendship they had for one of their pre-race pieces.
My how things can change.
After darting to the bottom the track last Sunday in Talladega Johnson was half a lap away from taking the lead from Dale Earnhardt Jr., winning his sixth race of the year and getting himself right back in contention for the championship…before his teammate and friend, Vickers, wrecked him and took the checkered flag himself.
Rubbing is racing, right?
Best friends forever, right?
Wrong.
After being asked if he and Vickers had talked things out in the weekly Hendrick Motor Sports post-race conference Johnson all but flipped.
I got a message from him, but that was about it,” Johnson said. “I don't have much to say or much to talk to him about.”
And while Vickers blamed the wreck on the fact that Johnson’s car got lose in his Victory Lane interview Johnson is not buying it.
I have a hard time feeling he was really sorry for what he's done,” Johnson said. “At the same time I know it wasn't intentional so I just kind of go on, but if I look at the interviews and the quotes and the message that Brian left me, I wouldn't take it as an apology by any stretch of the imagination.”
After possibly costing his teammate a chance at the Nextel Cup en route to the first win of his career Vickers, understandably, has mixed feeling about the situation.
Do I think Jimmie is upset, yes, of course he is. Do I think we can fix that? Absolutely,” said Vickers. “Jimmie is a great person, he is a very mature man and I am sure when the time is right, we will have our opportunity to work things out.”
This is hardly the first time controversy and Vickers have gone hand in hand this season.
After announcing he was leaving Hendrick at the end of 2006 for the No. 42 Halvoline ride Vickers was excluded from all team meetings in order to keep several trade secrets under wraps, a decision that did not sit to well with Vickers.
His team owner’s decision not to speak to the media following the win and his team’s general lack of excitement in Victory Lane, however, Vickers understood completely.
I felt like they couldn't show it [happiness for his win] as much as they wanted to, but everybody there was very excited as a whole,” said Vickers.
As of Thursday Vickers and Johnson have still not spoken about the incident or anything else.
Roush Signs Regan to Drive No. 6 in 07
Roush Racing announced earlier this week the signing of David Regan as the full-time driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford beginning next season.
The announcement came as somewhat of a surprise after team owner Jack Roush all but awarded the job to rookie Todd Kleuver at the beginning of the season.
But after Kleuver struggled in the Busch Series this year Roush turned to the Craftsmen Truck Series regular as the heir-apparent to Mark Martin.
Obviously, I've got big shoes to fill and quite a legacy to follow,” said Ragan. “But I look forward to the challenge and the next chapter of the No. 6 race team.”
Regan, currently third in the CTS point standings, will look to follow in the footsteps of Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch, each of whom made the transition from the truck series to the Nextel Cup.
In 15 truck races, his first year at the full-time level, Regan earned six top 10 finishes before making his debut in a Cup car several weeks ago in Dover.
We are very pleased to have David Ragan going into the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion next season,” said team owner Jack Roush. “David is a driver with outstanding talent and as a result of his actions, he is the young man I selected to fill the seat. The No. 6 is obviously a special car to me personally and this organization. "We are confident in David's ability to step up and get the job done”
Random Thoughts
At one point in last weekends race in Talladega seven Ford’s drove inside the top 10 at one time, many of which had legitimate chances at earning the win. It’s great to see Ford finally catching up to Chevy when it comes to restrictor plate racing.
If NASCAR is really serious about preventing aggressive driving, which I don’t believe they are, then they need to be consistent with their handing down of penalties. Had the Vickers/Johnson incident occurred earlier in the race there is no doubt in my mind Vickers would have been penalized. This isn’t the NHL, where a penalty in the first period is not a penalty in the third but rather the NFL where holding is holding in the first quarter and the fourth!
It seems to me Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon have a sort of mini rivalry going on that only seems to rise when the circuit travels to Talladega…I’d like to see it go beyond twice a year personally.
It was announced Thursday that Rusty Wallace will be apart of the broadcasting team that calls the races for ABC and ESPN next season…finally Rusty, you’re back where you belong!
Saturday night marks the halfway point in the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup and with arguably half the 10-driver field already close to being eliminated from title contention it will no doubt become a mad dash to make up as many points as possible in the only race under the lights in NASCAR’s version of the post-season.
2006 hasn’t been kind to Jeff Green and the rest of his No. 66 Best Buy Chevy race team but you have to believe he and crew chief Bootie Barker are happy to be back in Charlotte.
Green earned one of his five top 15 finishes this season at Lowe’s Motor Speedway after leading 16 laps and finishing 12th in the spring.
Green, who qualified 21st on Thursday night, will look to earn back to back top 15 finishes for the first time this season after a seventh place finish in Talladega one week ago.
Mark Martin has been quoted as saying Charlotte is his favorite track to race at and when you look over the 19-year veteran’s resume you’ll quickly learn why.
Martin has earned victories in both the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR’s longest and arguably most grueling race, as well as the All-Star Challenge.
Look for Martin, who qualified eighth, to do his best to get up front and lead at least one lap to secure five bonus points.
Currently third in the point standings and just 10 points from Jeff Burton and the lead, the closest Martin has been to the lead all season, the driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion is right in the thick of things when many considered him to be a long shot at best to win the title.
It has hardly been the type of Chase Kasey Kahne and the No. 9 Dodge Dealers team expected after qualifying for the last open position in Richmond.
After a mediocre 16th place finish at New Hampshire Kahne finished 38th and 33rd at Dover and Kansas respectively.
But after a solid 2nd place finish in Talladega last week and a starting position from the outside pole this weekend Kahne is hoping his slim chances at a Nextel Cup are still in the cards.
Look for the only Evernham car in the Chase to contend for the most-laps led bonus award, at a track Kahne has led at least one lap in each race he’s ever driven, as he continues to battle out of the hole he put himself in early on.
Currently ninth in points and 185 markers out of the lead it’s going to take more than one strong race to get Kahne back in the title hunt but there’s no better place to start than in Charlotte.
When people ask just how dominant Jimmie Johnson has been at what the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevy team like to call their home track all you need to do is look at the numbers.
Five wins, over 800 laps led in only 10 races…need I say more?
After watching a would-be win slip, or should I say slide, into a 24th place finish at Talladega after his own teammate wrecked him Johnson has come to Lowe’s with the very same car that won him a million dollars in the All-Star Challenge earlier this year.
Don’t be fooled by the 11th place qualifying effort Johnson put up Thursday night as cool temperatures and moisture on the track had more to do with it than his car.
Look for Johnson, eighth in points and 156 points out of the lead he held for much of the regular season, to put together another strong run similar to his second place finish in the 600.
Prediction: When I predicted Scott Riggs to win the Coca-Cola 600 back in the spring I said my only concern for the No. 10 Valvoline team was their relative inexperience in big time situations.
A late pit stop that ended with Riggs stalling the car and losing several positions on the track later and Riggs watched a would-be win turn into a 13th place finish.
Since that time Riggs and his talented race team have proven they are growing into a team that will unquestionably be a force to be reckoned with next season.
After earning the pole Thursday night look for Riggs to have similar success like he did in the spring and look for he and his over the wall team to put on an equally strong performance on pit road.
After missing the Daytona 500 only to rebound and maintain a spot inside the top 25 in points look for Riggs to get his Evernham Dodge into Victory Lane for the first time Saturday night.
Unforgiven
It was only a few short weeks ago that teammates Jimmie Johnson and Brian Vickers shared a fishing trip to Alaska together.
The long time friends even had an NBC camera crew with them to document how strong a friendship they had for one of their pre-race pieces.
My how things can change.
After darting to the bottom the track last Sunday in Talladega Johnson was half a lap away from taking the lead from Dale Earnhardt Jr., winning his sixth race of the year and getting himself right back in contention for the championship…before his teammate and friend, Vickers, wrecked him and took the checkered flag himself.
Rubbing is racing, right?
Best friends forever, right?
Wrong.
After being asked if he and Vickers had talked things out in the weekly Hendrick Motor Sports post-race conference Johnson all but flipped.
I got a message from him, but that was about it,” Johnson said. “I don't have much to say or much to talk to him about.”
And while Vickers blamed the wreck on the fact that Johnson’s car got lose in his Victory Lane interview Johnson is not buying it.
I have a hard time feeling he was really sorry for what he's done,” Johnson said. “At the same time I know it wasn't intentional so I just kind of go on, but if I look at the interviews and the quotes and the message that Brian left me, I wouldn't take it as an apology by any stretch of the imagination.”
After possibly costing his teammate a chance at the Nextel Cup en route to the first win of his career Vickers, understandably, has mixed feeling about the situation.
Do I think Jimmie is upset, yes, of course he is. Do I think we can fix that? Absolutely,” said Vickers. “Jimmie is a great person, he is a very mature man and I am sure when the time is right, we will have our opportunity to work things out.”
This is hardly the first time controversy and Vickers have gone hand in hand this season.
After announcing he was leaving Hendrick at the end of 2006 for the No. 42 Halvoline ride Vickers was excluded from all team meetings in order to keep several trade secrets under wraps, a decision that did not sit to well with Vickers.
His team owner’s decision not to speak to the media following the win and his team’s general lack of excitement in Victory Lane, however, Vickers understood completely.
I felt like they couldn't show it [happiness for his win] as much as they wanted to, but everybody there was very excited as a whole,” said Vickers.
As of Thursday Vickers and Johnson have still not spoken about the incident or anything else.
Roush Signs Regan to Drive No. 6 in 07
Roush Racing announced earlier this week the signing of David Regan as the full-time driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford beginning next season.
The announcement came as somewhat of a surprise after team owner Jack Roush all but awarded the job to rookie Todd Kleuver at the beginning of the season.
But after Kleuver struggled in the Busch Series this year Roush turned to the Craftsmen Truck Series regular as the heir-apparent to Mark Martin.
Obviously, I've got big shoes to fill and quite a legacy to follow,” said Ragan. “But I look forward to the challenge and the next chapter of the No. 6 race team.”
Regan, currently third in the CTS point standings, will look to follow in the footsteps of Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch, each of whom made the transition from the truck series to the Nextel Cup.
In 15 truck races, his first year at the full-time level, Regan earned six top 10 finishes before making his debut in a Cup car several weeks ago in Dover.
We are very pleased to have David Ragan going into the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion next season,” said team owner Jack Roush. “David is a driver with outstanding talent and as a result of his actions, he is the young man I selected to fill the seat. The No. 6 is obviously a special car to me personally and this organization. "We are confident in David's ability to step up and get the job done”
Random Thoughts
At one point in last weekends race in Talladega seven Ford’s drove inside the top 10 at one time, many of which had legitimate chances at earning the win. It’s great to see Ford finally catching up to Chevy when it comes to restrictor plate racing.
If NASCAR is really serious about preventing aggressive driving, which I don’t believe they are, then they need to be consistent with their handing down of penalties. Had the Vickers/Johnson incident occurred earlier in the race there is no doubt in my mind Vickers would have been penalized. This isn’t the NHL, where a penalty in the first period is not a penalty in the third but rather the NFL where holding is holding in the first quarter and the fourth!
It seems to me Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon have a sort of mini rivalry going on that only seems to rise when the circuit travels to Talladega…I’d like to see it go beyond twice a year personally.
It was announced Thursday that Rusty Wallace will be apart of the broadcasting team that calls the races for ABC and ESPN next season…finally Rusty, you’re back where you belong!
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