NASCAR Notebook: Richmond
Barry F. Hess
May 04, 2007
NASCAR Notebook
Saturday Night Lights
After a weekend of white knuckle racing on the high banks of Talladega Super Speedway the NASCAR Nextel Cup travels to a much more driver friendly track in Richmond, Virginia.
It’s hard to find a driver, aside from maybe Jeff Gordon who has four consecutive finishes of 30th or worse at the wide, flat, mile track (the longest streak of any track on the circuit), that doesn’t enjoy racing in the multi grooved short track that runs like a super speedway.
Kevin Harvick earned two top three finishes at Richmond last season, including a trip to Victory Lane in the fall.
Look for Harvick, ninth in the point standings, to put together another solid run in qualifying before keeping the No. 29 Penzoil/Havoline Chevy near the front all night long.
Though the No. 29’s flat track program has not appeared to be as dominating as it was last season expect Harvick to be among the front runners all night with a chance to steal the win at the end.
When it comes to Richmond no driver with at least four starts at the short track has earned an average finish better than Kyle Busch.
In six Richmond starts Kyle Busch has driven to an average finish of 3.8 since becoming a full time Cup driver in 2005.
Look for Busch to qualify inside the top 10 before he and his No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevy team work just as hard to avoid the recent string of bad luck they’ve had as well as on keeping the car running well.
Currently eighth in the point standings look for Busch to maintain a Chase spot and possibly even move up a position or two before the night is out.
Last year Dale Earnhardt Jr. earned his only win of 2006 at Richmond and with just three weeks remaining until a decision is rendered on his future (or lack of future for that matter) with DEI look for Junior to compete for his first win of 2007.
Though he most likely won’t be contending for the pole look for Junior to run towards the front as soon as the green flag flies.
Currently 13th in points Dale Jr. is only 10 points out of the 12th and final spot inside the Chase, currently held by Carl Edwards, and a strong run on Saturday night could propel the driver of the No. 8 Budweiser Chevy back into the post-season picture.
Among the drivers happy to spend the weekend in Richmond none may be happier than Kasey Kahne.
After winning more races than any driver in 2006 Kahne has started 2007 with the worst start of his career, currently 31st in points and over 200 points out of the last spot in the Chase.
Kahne has three top 10 finishes in his last five Richmond starts, including his first career win in this very race two years ago.
Look for Kahne to put together a strong run and compete for the win.
Though his No. 9 Dodge Dealers Dodge has only finished one race inside the top 10, a seventh place finish at Daytona, Kahne and the rest of his team have proven they are capable of running well their backs up against the wall in the past.
A poor performance Saturday night could not only end Kahne’s shot at sneaking into the Chase but could also jeopardize his position inside the top 35 in owner points as well.
Prediction: Lately Tony Stewart has been spending more time trying to take his foot out of his mouth than winning races but that is going to change Saturday night…at least the part about not winning races.
Stewart, sixth in the point standings, has come close to winning several races this year before mechanical failure or a wreck took him out of contention.
Look for Stewart to not only qualify inside the top 10 but then compete for the most laps led award as well as the checkered flag.
With over 100 laps led at Richmond expect to see the No. 20 Home Depot Chevy running up front all night long and if Smoke can avoid mistakes on pit road like last week he and the rest of his team will be poised for their first win of 2007 and the start of what has become an orange summer over the last several years.
McMurray Finally On the Right Track
When Jamie McMurray flew onto the scene in relief of an injured Sterling Marlin five years ago no one knew much about the young driver from Missouri besides the fact he had a baby face smile and the best hair of any NASCAR driver ever to race on the circuit.
Two weeks later they found out what he was capable of doing behind the wheel of a stock car when he led 96 laps and took the checkered flag at Charlotte.
But since that time McMurray scored just 55 top 10 finishes in 150 races with no wins.
After making the switch from Ganassi to Roush/Fenway Racing last year McMurray fell even further down the ladder of obscurity, finishing the season with seven DNFs and an average finish of 24th.
Last year I kept saying to myself, it can't get any worse and I'd show up the next week and would say wow, I was wrong,” McMurray said. “It just seemed like everything would go wrong. Roush-Yates engines are super reliable, but it seemed we'd end up with the one that would break. If it could go wrong, it did go wrong.”
Fast forward to 2007 where a new attitude, a new mental and physical workout program as well as a new crew chief , Larry Carter, have McMurray sitting seventh in the point standings and the best year of his career thus far.
Over the winter I worked on the mental side of being prepared,” said McMurray. “It's easy whenever things go well to have a good attitude and to always be positive. It's when you go through like what I went through last year, that's when it's tough.”
McMurray’s positive thinking, thanks in part to a sports philologist, is just one of the reasons you’ll find him smiling on race day this year.
In nine races the No. 26 Crown Royal Ford has earned seven top 10 finishes, including a season best fifth both last week at Talladega and two weeks ago in Texas.
While McMurray’s renewed success is one of the feel good stories of 2007 it may not have even had the chance to bloom had it not been for the confidence team owner Jack Roush continued to show despite the horrid failures of 2006.
Jamie has really been the Cinderella story in our sport this year and no one is happier for him than I am,” said Roush, who also owns the No. 6, 16, 17 and 99 Fords. “We recognized the type of talent Jamie had when we worked so hard to sign him two years ago and to see that talent starting to shine again makes all of us very happy.”
With 27 races remaining McMurray is not only looking to finish a career year with a shot at winning the second race of his career but also the biggest prize of them all, the Nextel Cup.
Random Thought
While many see the recently announced news of a possible merger between Yates Racing and DEI as a tool to keep Dale Earnhardt Jr. on board I look at it in exactly the opposite form. A DEI without Junior means a DEI without much of anything at all, a merger between the two companies would at least fill somewhat of a void Junior would leave behind and it may be the only way either of the two can stay in business. The move is extremely telling on how poorly the contract negotiations are really going.
For years Tony Stewart has acted as the heir-apparent to Dale Earnhardt, almost purposely if you ask me. But the fact of the matter is that while Tony’s driving methods may mirror Earnhardt’s in many ways that is where the comparisons should abruptly end. Whether you like him or not the truth of the matter is that if any driver has come close to taking over where Dale Earnhardt left off, both on and off the track, it is Jeff Gordon and that is just the simple truth of the matter.
This weekend in Richmond it is highly likely that all three Michael Waltrip Racing Toyotas, the No. 55, No. 00 and the No. 44, may all miss the show due to failure to qualify on time. If that doesn’t sound the alarm to Waltrip that some sort of drastic changes need to be made THIS year than his race team deserves whatever ill-fate is headed its way. Waltrip has tried to turn water into wine all year and it hasn’t come close to working, wake up and smell the coffee Mikey because you are in way over your head!
Saturday Night Lights
After a weekend of white knuckle racing on the high banks of Talladega Super Speedway the NASCAR Nextel Cup travels to a much more driver friendly track in Richmond, Virginia.
It’s hard to find a driver, aside from maybe Jeff Gordon who has four consecutive finishes of 30th or worse at the wide, flat, mile track (the longest streak of any track on the circuit), that doesn’t enjoy racing in the multi grooved short track that runs like a super speedway.
Kevin Harvick earned two top three finishes at Richmond last season, including a trip to Victory Lane in the fall.
Look for Harvick, ninth in the point standings, to put together another solid run in qualifying before keeping the No. 29 Penzoil/Havoline Chevy near the front all night long.
Though the No. 29’s flat track program has not appeared to be as dominating as it was last season expect Harvick to be among the front runners all night with a chance to steal the win at the end.
When it comes to Richmond no driver with at least four starts at the short track has earned an average finish better than Kyle Busch.
In six Richmond starts Kyle Busch has driven to an average finish of 3.8 since becoming a full time Cup driver in 2005.
Look for Busch to qualify inside the top 10 before he and his No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevy team work just as hard to avoid the recent string of bad luck they’ve had as well as on keeping the car running well.
Currently eighth in the point standings look for Busch to maintain a Chase spot and possibly even move up a position or two before the night is out.
Last year Dale Earnhardt Jr. earned his only win of 2006 at Richmond and with just three weeks remaining until a decision is rendered on his future (or lack of future for that matter) with DEI look for Junior to compete for his first win of 2007.
Though he most likely won’t be contending for the pole look for Junior to run towards the front as soon as the green flag flies.
Currently 13th in points Dale Jr. is only 10 points out of the 12th and final spot inside the Chase, currently held by Carl Edwards, and a strong run on Saturday night could propel the driver of the No. 8 Budweiser Chevy back into the post-season picture.
Among the drivers happy to spend the weekend in Richmond none may be happier than Kasey Kahne.
After winning more races than any driver in 2006 Kahne has started 2007 with the worst start of his career, currently 31st in points and over 200 points out of the last spot in the Chase.
Kahne has three top 10 finishes in his last five Richmond starts, including his first career win in this very race two years ago.
Look for Kahne to put together a strong run and compete for the win.
Though his No. 9 Dodge Dealers Dodge has only finished one race inside the top 10, a seventh place finish at Daytona, Kahne and the rest of his team have proven they are capable of running well their backs up against the wall in the past.
A poor performance Saturday night could not only end Kahne’s shot at sneaking into the Chase but could also jeopardize his position inside the top 35 in owner points as well.
Prediction: Lately Tony Stewart has been spending more time trying to take his foot out of his mouth than winning races but that is going to change Saturday night…at least the part about not winning races.
Stewart, sixth in the point standings, has come close to winning several races this year before mechanical failure or a wreck took him out of contention.
Look for Stewart to not only qualify inside the top 10 but then compete for the most laps led award as well as the checkered flag.
With over 100 laps led at Richmond expect to see the No. 20 Home Depot Chevy running up front all night long and if Smoke can avoid mistakes on pit road like last week he and the rest of his team will be poised for their first win of 2007 and the start of what has become an orange summer over the last several years.
McMurray Finally On the Right Track
When Jamie McMurray flew onto the scene in relief of an injured Sterling Marlin five years ago no one knew much about the young driver from Missouri besides the fact he had a baby face smile and the best hair of any NASCAR driver ever to race on the circuit.
Two weeks later they found out what he was capable of doing behind the wheel of a stock car when he led 96 laps and took the checkered flag at Charlotte.
But since that time McMurray scored just 55 top 10 finishes in 150 races with no wins.
After making the switch from Ganassi to Roush/Fenway Racing last year McMurray fell even further down the ladder of obscurity, finishing the season with seven DNFs and an average finish of 24th.
Last year I kept saying to myself, it can't get any worse and I'd show up the next week and would say wow, I was wrong,” McMurray said. “It just seemed like everything would go wrong. Roush-Yates engines are super reliable, but it seemed we'd end up with the one that would break. If it could go wrong, it did go wrong.”
Fast forward to 2007 where a new attitude, a new mental and physical workout program as well as a new crew chief , Larry Carter, have McMurray sitting seventh in the point standings and the best year of his career thus far.
Over the winter I worked on the mental side of being prepared,” said McMurray. “It's easy whenever things go well to have a good attitude and to always be positive. It's when you go through like what I went through last year, that's when it's tough.”
McMurray’s positive thinking, thanks in part to a sports philologist, is just one of the reasons you’ll find him smiling on race day this year.
In nine races the No. 26 Crown Royal Ford has earned seven top 10 finishes, including a season best fifth both last week at Talladega and two weeks ago in Texas.
While McMurray’s renewed success is one of the feel good stories of 2007 it may not have even had the chance to bloom had it not been for the confidence team owner Jack Roush continued to show despite the horrid failures of 2006.
Jamie has really been the Cinderella story in our sport this year and no one is happier for him than I am,” said Roush, who also owns the No. 6, 16, 17 and 99 Fords. “We recognized the type of talent Jamie had when we worked so hard to sign him two years ago and to see that talent starting to shine again makes all of us very happy.”
With 27 races remaining McMurray is not only looking to finish a career year with a shot at winning the second race of his career but also the biggest prize of them all, the Nextel Cup.
Random Thought
While many see the recently announced news of a possible merger between Yates Racing and DEI as a tool to keep Dale Earnhardt Jr. on board I look at it in exactly the opposite form. A DEI without Junior means a DEI without much of anything at all, a merger between the two companies would at least fill somewhat of a void Junior would leave behind and it may be the only way either of the two can stay in business. The move is extremely telling on how poorly the contract negotiations are really going.
For years Tony Stewart has acted as the heir-apparent to Dale Earnhardt, almost purposely if you ask me. But the fact of the matter is that while Tony’s driving methods may mirror Earnhardt’s in many ways that is where the comparisons should abruptly end. Whether you like him or not the truth of the matter is that if any driver has come close to taking over where Dale Earnhardt left off, both on and off the track, it is Jeff Gordon and that is just the simple truth of the matter.
This weekend in Richmond it is highly likely that all three Michael Waltrip Racing Toyotas, the No. 55, No. 00 and the No. 44, may all miss the show due to failure to qualify on time. If that doesn’t sound the alarm to Waltrip that some sort of drastic changes need to be made THIS year than his race team deserves whatever ill-fate is headed its way. Waltrip has tried to turn water into wine all year and it hasn’t come close to working, wake up and smell the coffee Mikey because you are in way over your head!
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