NASCAR Notebook: California
Barry F. Hess
February 23, 2007
NASCAR Notebook: California
California Dreaming
After one of the wildest finishes in recent Daytona 500 history the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit heads far west for a Sunday drive in the mountains of Fontana, California.
While much of NASCAR’s roots are firmly delved in Daytona more than a few drivers will be heading home, or at least close to it, including last weekend’s big winner Kevin Harvick.
Though he was in position to take the biggest checkered flag his career will ever see don’t except to see Harvick running ahead of all his “Cali” buddies this weekend, that honor will go to last year’s 500 winner, Jimmie Johnson.
After getting mixed up in a late wreck last weekend look for Johnson and his No. 48 Lowe’s team to bounce back strong at a track he nearly won both Cup races at last season.
Expect Johnson to qualify near the front of the pack and keep his Hendrick Chevy in contention as the laps dwindle down.
The last time Kasey Kahne drove around the two-mile tri-oval in California his back was up against a wall.
He needed a win to keep his Chase chances alive and a win was exactly what he got.
This time around there isn’t quite as much pressure on Kahne and the rest of the No. 9 Dodge Dealers team but after a solid top 10 in Daytona another solid finish would be just the kind of start they were looking for.
Look for Kahne, who earned six poles a year ago, to contend for his first of 2007 before looking for career win number eight on Sunday afternoon.
After starting the race with by far the best car on the track Tony Stewart left the track with an empty feeling in his heart, thoughts of what could have been in his mind and a wrecked race car.
Sure that was the case last weekend in Dayton but it was also the way the two-time Cup champion left California last season.
After running in the top five for much of the race and leading 28 laps the engine in Stewart’s No. 20 Home Depot gave way, forcing him to limp down pit road and finish dead last.
After starting 2007 in nearly exactly the same manor Stewart will look to rebound with a solid finish this weekend.
After solidifying their 1 ½-and 2-mile track programs two years ago there is no reason Stewart and Gibbs Racing can’t surge up the point standings and compete for the win this weekend.
Last weekend’s exciting finish had to bring back memories for Matt Kenseth, of course that’s assuming he stopped wrecking in time to see the actual finish.
Kenseth edged Jimmie Johnson in this very race last year to earn his first of four wins in nearly the same fashion that Harvick beat Mark Martin in the 500.
Look for Kenseth to qualify mid-pack but once the green flag flies watch the yellow and black No. 17 DeWalt Ford sore toward the front.
With an intermediate program second to none over the last three years look for the Roush Racing machine to run solid all day long with a chance to earn the repeat before its all said and done.
Prediction: Last year Greg Biffle did everything but take home the checkered flag in California.
In what proved to be a premonition of how his season would go Biffle started on the outside pole, led 168 laps but ultimately finished 42nd after engine failure forced him to retire from the race.
After having the checkered flag in sight last weekend at the 500 only to get mixed up in the final wreck look for Biffle to bounce back with his first win of 2007.
Expect the 2005 Series runner-up to make a strong run for the pole and once the race starts expect his No. 16 AmeriQuest Ford to stay up front all afternoon.
Harvick’s 500 Win Not One For the Ages
Last Sunday in Dayton Kevin Harvick had his name solidified in the history books as a Dayton 500 winner.
The veteran driver edged out sentimental favorite Mark Martin by less than a thousandth of a second for his 11th career Cup win over his seven year career at racing’s highest level of competition.
But while previous 500 winners like Darrell Waltrip, Benny Parsons and Richard Petty leaped into immortality after riding into Victory Lane in Daytona, other 500 winners like Derrike Cope, Ward Burton and Ernie Irvin drove off into absurdity just as quickly as they took the most famed checkered flag in motor sports.
Harvick will ultimately fall into the later category.
While it’s true the first group of drivers were remembered as past 500 winners they ultimately are famed because of outstanding racing careers that just happen to include a win at the 500.
Harvick, however, will most likely ride on last Sunday’s win for the rest of his career, however long, like a surfer on the California coastline rides in that perfect wave to the shore.
After starting the race 34th Harvick was the lucky recipient of good track position after the second to last wreck of the race helped him jump nearly a dozen positions, putting him in the position he needed to lead just four laps and eventually steal the win.
Up until last year Harvick was simply known by many as the driver who took over for Dale Earnhardt after his untimely death in 2001.
To others he was nothing more than a punch line last season after returning to the Busch Series to win the championship after having already established himself as a veteran Cup driver.
Sure Harvick was in the right place at the right time and he took advantage of the situation, no one can blame him for that.
And sure he has a charming smile and conducts a great interview, not to mention a beautiful wife that’s usually standing beside him during those interviews.
But the idea that Harvick has finally stepped out of Dale Earnhardt’s shadow and into his own is just silly, after all Earnhardt’s No. 3 is still on the side of Harvick’s No. 29 race car.
Long time primary sponsor, GM Goodwrench, ended its relationship with Harvick and Richard Childress Racing last season, even after he ended the season with five wins and fourth in points, both career highs.
Sponsors like Budweiser or even NAPA would hardly consider leaving a driver they believed to be among the best in NASCAR, I don’t care how much money they were dishing out every year.
Who knows, maybe Harvick will go on to win a championship, in the Cup Series that is, and have a solid career before retiring but until such a time lets put away the anointing oil and remember we are talking about a driver who has finished in the top 10 just twice in his career.
Waltrip Wearing to Many Hats
Last week had to take at least a year off of Michael Waltrip’s life.
The popular two-time Daytona 500 champion turned car owner traveled down to Florida with the possibility that two of his three cars would miss the biggest race of the season.
Follow that with the cheating scandal that forced him to qualify the No. 55 NAPA Dodge in the Dual 150 with a backup car and without its primary crew chief and then, oh yea, the actual race itself.
Waltrip may have bitten off more than he can chew this season and if he’s not careful it could lead to his ultimate demise in the sport.
Being a car owner is one thing, being a car owner for three brand new teams with a brand new manufacturer and come Bristol weekend in a brand new type of car is something completely different.
There is a reason Jack Roush and Rick Hendrick and Ray Evernham don’t drive the cars they own, well besides the fact that they’re not as talented as Waltrip, it is just to much.
In addition to his driver/owner/sponsor duties you can also find Waltrip doing play-by-play for the Craftsman Truck Series television broadcast…seriously?
If I was sponsoring a car for say 18 million a year and days before the biggest race of the season the owner, who wasn’t even locked into the race yet and was already hit with a steep cheating penalty, was doing TV play-by-play and not watching over every move made to the car before race day I’m not sure I’d consider that a good return on my investment…but that’s just me.
Waltrip should seriously consider just what he wants to be, either give up the racing duties or give up some of the front office responsibilities but Id bet the farm he cant continue to have many more weekends like last weekend otherwise he may be so drained, physically, mentally and most importantly financially that it may not be long before he has to make serious decisions he will not want to make.
Random Thoughts
NASCAR’s failure to throw the caution flag on the last lap of the 500 just proves the points I made last week. There needs to be clear cut rules. The less things that are left up for judgment the fewer controversies NASCAR will have to deal with its plain and simple.
Though they struggled in the 500 Toyota held its ground in the opening Busch Series race last weekend, maybe given the proper time and equipment they can bring something to the table after all.
A few more races like last weekend and Regan Smith will be waiting another year until he gets inside a Nextel Cup car and Mark Martin will have one more crack at that elusive championship.
California Dreaming
After one of the wildest finishes in recent Daytona 500 history the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit heads far west for a Sunday drive in the mountains of Fontana, California.
While much of NASCAR’s roots are firmly delved in Daytona more than a few drivers will be heading home, or at least close to it, including last weekend’s big winner Kevin Harvick.
Though he was in position to take the biggest checkered flag his career will ever see don’t except to see Harvick running ahead of all his “Cali” buddies this weekend, that honor will go to last year’s 500 winner, Jimmie Johnson.
After getting mixed up in a late wreck last weekend look for Johnson and his No. 48 Lowe’s team to bounce back strong at a track he nearly won both Cup races at last season.
Expect Johnson to qualify near the front of the pack and keep his Hendrick Chevy in contention as the laps dwindle down.
The last time Kasey Kahne drove around the two-mile tri-oval in California his back was up against a wall.
He needed a win to keep his Chase chances alive and a win was exactly what he got.
This time around there isn’t quite as much pressure on Kahne and the rest of the No. 9 Dodge Dealers team but after a solid top 10 in Daytona another solid finish would be just the kind of start they were looking for.
Look for Kahne, who earned six poles a year ago, to contend for his first of 2007 before looking for career win number eight on Sunday afternoon.
After starting the race with by far the best car on the track Tony Stewart left the track with an empty feeling in his heart, thoughts of what could have been in his mind and a wrecked race car.
Sure that was the case last weekend in Dayton but it was also the way the two-time Cup champion left California last season.
After running in the top five for much of the race and leading 28 laps the engine in Stewart’s No. 20 Home Depot gave way, forcing him to limp down pit road and finish dead last.
After starting 2007 in nearly exactly the same manor Stewart will look to rebound with a solid finish this weekend.
After solidifying their 1 ½-and 2-mile track programs two years ago there is no reason Stewart and Gibbs Racing can’t surge up the point standings and compete for the win this weekend.
Last weekend’s exciting finish had to bring back memories for Matt Kenseth, of course that’s assuming he stopped wrecking in time to see the actual finish.
Kenseth edged Jimmie Johnson in this very race last year to earn his first of four wins in nearly the same fashion that Harvick beat Mark Martin in the 500.
Look for Kenseth to qualify mid-pack but once the green flag flies watch the yellow and black No. 17 DeWalt Ford sore toward the front.
With an intermediate program second to none over the last three years look for the Roush Racing machine to run solid all day long with a chance to earn the repeat before its all said and done.
Prediction: Last year Greg Biffle did everything but take home the checkered flag in California.
In what proved to be a premonition of how his season would go Biffle started on the outside pole, led 168 laps but ultimately finished 42nd after engine failure forced him to retire from the race.
After having the checkered flag in sight last weekend at the 500 only to get mixed up in the final wreck look for Biffle to bounce back with his first win of 2007.
Expect the 2005 Series runner-up to make a strong run for the pole and once the race starts expect his No. 16 AmeriQuest Ford to stay up front all afternoon.
Harvick’s 500 Win Not One For the Ages
Last Sunday in Dayton Kevin Harvick had his name solidified in the history books as a Dayton 500 winner.
The veteran driver edged out sentimental favorite Mark Martin by less than a thousandth of a second for his 11th career Cup win over his seven year career at racing’s highest level of competition.
But while previous 500 winners like Darrell Waltrip, Benny Parsons and Richard Petty leaped into immortality after riding into Victory Lane in Daytona, other 500 winners like Derrike Cope, Ward Burton and Ernie Irvin drove off into absurdity just as quickly as they took the most famed checkered flag in motor sports.
Harvick will ultimately fall into the later category.
While it’s true the first group of drivers were remembered as past 500 winners they ultimately are famed because of outstanding racing careers that just happen to include a win at the 500.
Harvick, however, will most likely ride on last Sunday’s win for the rest of his career, however long, like a surfer on the California coastline rides in that perfect wave to the shore.
After starting the race 34th Harvick was the lucky recipient of good track position after the second to last wreck of the race helped him jump nearly a dozen positions, putting him in the position he needed to lead just four laps and eventually steal the win.
Up until last year Harvick was simply known by many as the driver who took over for Dale Earnhardt after his untimely death in 2001.
To others he was nothing more than a punch line last season after returning to the Busch Series to win the championship after having already established himself as a veteran Cup driver.
Sure Harvick was in the right place at the right time and he took advantage of the situation, no one can blame him for that.
And sure he has a charming smile and conducts a great interview, not to mention a beautiful wife that’s usually standing beside him during those interviews.
But the idea that Harvick has finally stepped out of Dale Earnhardt’s shadow and into his own is just silly, after all Earnhardt’s No. 3 is still on the side of Harvick’s No. 29 race car.
Long time primary sponsor, GM Goodwrench, ended its relationship with Harvick and Richard Childress Racing last season, even after he ended the season with five wins and fourth in points, both career highs.
Sponsors like Budweiser or even NAPA would hardly consider leaving a driver they believed to be among the best in NASCAR, I don’t care how much money they were dishing out every year.
Who knows, maybe Harvick will go on to win a championship, in the Cup Series that is, and have a solid career before retiring but until such a time lets put away the anointing oil and remember we are talking about a driver who has finished in the top 10 just twice in his career.
Waltrip Wearing to Many Hats
Last week had to take at least a year off of Michael Waltrip’s life.
The popular two-time Daytona 500 champion turned car owner traveled down to Florida with the possibility that two of his three cars would miss the biggest race of the season.
Follow that with the cheating scandal that forced him to qualify the No. 55 NAPA Dodge in the Dual 150 with a backup car and without its primary crew chief and then, oh yea, the actual race itself.
Waltrip may have bitten off more than he can chew this season and if he’s not careful it could lead to his ultimate demise in the sport.
Being a car owner is one thing, being a car owner for three brand new teams with a brand new manufacturer and come Bristol weekend in a brand new type of car is something completely different.
There is a reason Jack Roush and Rick Hendrick and Ray Evernham don’t drive the cars they own, well besides the fact that they’re not as talented as Waltrip, it is just to much.
In addition to his driver/owner/sponsor duties you can also find Waltrip doing play-by-play for the Craftsman Truck Series television broadcast…seriously?
If I was sponsoring a car for say 18 million a year and days before the biggest race of the season the owner, who wasn’t even locked into the race yet and was already hit with a steep cheating penalty, was doing TV play-by-play and not watching over every move made to the car before race day I’m not sure I’d consider that a good return on my investment…but that’s just me.
Waltrip should seriously consider just what he wants to be, either give up the racing duties or give up some of the front office responsibilities but Id bet the farm he cant continue to have many more weekends like last weekend otherwise he may be so drained, physically, mentally and most importantly financially that it may not be long before he has to make serious decisions he will not want to make.
Random Thoughts
NASCAR’s failure to throw the caution flag on the last lap of the 500 just proves the points I made last week. There needs to be clear cut rules. The less things that are left up for judgment the fewer controversies NASCAR will have to deal with its plain and simple.
Though they struggled in the 500 Toyota held its ground in the opening Busch Series race last weekend, maybe given the proper time and equipment they can bring something to the table after all.
A few more races like last weekend and Regan Smith will be waiting another year until he gets inside a Nextel Cup car and Mark Martin will have one more crack at that elusive championship.
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