VIDEO: Ricky Stenhouse wins Kansas Nationwide race in hectic fuel mileage finish

21 Oct
2012

Kyle Busch was oh-so-close to getting his first Nationwide Series victory for his own Kyle Busch Motorsports team on Saturday afternoon at Kansas Speedway.

After the race was extended because of a late crash, many cars near the front of the field were pushing the limits of their fuel tanks. Busch was one of them, and it looked like he was going to grab that first win as he led Ricky Stenhouse to the line as the white flag waved.

However, Busch started to wiggle his car back and forth on the backstretch of the final lap, and in turn 3, his car ran dry, allowing Stenhouse to pass him for the race win.

Saturday's race featured 12 cautions, including one when Stenhouse made contact with Joey Logano. Will we see that type of action on Sunday? We'll find out soon.

Tags: , , Kansas Nationwide race, Kansas Speedway, , Kyle Busch Motorsports, mileage, , Ricky Stenhouse, Stenhouse, , ,
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Brad Keselowski takes the points lead at Dover with his second Chase win

30 Sep
2012

On a Sunday at Dover that saw the Joe Gibbs Racing cars of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch lead the first 311 laps only to be usurped by Jimmie Johnson on pit road under caution, Brad Keselowski lurked in the weeds behind them and struck when everyone's fuel supply started dwindling, taking the AAA 400 for his second win of the Chase and seizing the points lead by five over Johnson.

Keselowski emerged from the final set of caution flag pit stops third, ahead of Hamlin and behind Johnson and Busch, but when the field took the green flag after a second caution flag for Matt Kenseth, he immediately radioed his crew that the car was hitting the splitter in the corners. At that point, it was looking like simply a race to stay as close as possible to Johnson, who entered the day with the points lead.

The combination of Keselowski, Wolfe and the Penske engine program has meant some of the best fuel mileage in the Cup Series. The race stayed green until the finish. You can guess what that meant.

Johnson held onto the lead after the restart and maintained his advantage over Busch, who had been almost untouchable since taking the lead from Hamlin after lap 36. Hamlin had snuck by Keselowski for third, but the JGR cars were going to be short on fuel. Keselowski's only competition was going to be Johnson, who was right on the edge of making it to the finish under power.

As the laps ticked down, Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus made the decision to back off to save fuel, knowing that the JGR cars couldn't make it to the finish. Busch went by. Hamlin went by. And then Keselowski closed in on his bumper. It was going to be a battle for the race win and the Chase lead.

Keselowski's presence and superior mileage meant that Johnson couldn't be in full conservation anymore. He needed to stay ahead of the Blue Deuce, who could make it to the finish.

Did that force Johnson to push the fuel envelope more than he wanted? After Keselowski snuck by with less than 15 laps to go, Knaus told Johnson, who ended up third behind teammate Jeff Gordon, that he was a lap short on fuel and to back it down even further, allowing Keselowski to pull away and play his own conservation game to ensure that he would have plenty of fuel in the tank at the end and be atop the Sprint Cup points standings.

But Keselowski said after the race that it's still too early to consider he and his team the favorite in the Chase.

"There are seven races to go and it feels great to win, I'm so proud of my team, but I can't state loudly enough how much longer this battle is," Keselowski said. "It's very tempting, whether it's the media or the teams themselves, to get in a comfort zone of saying 'such-and-such has control of this Chase' but there's a reason why it's 10 rounds. And we're not even halfway, we're three rounds in, and by no means do I think we're the favorite. Certainly we're not the underdog probably at this point, but you know, I think there's so much racing to go and so many opportunities for things to go wrong, or right, for anyone out there, that it's way too early to point those fingers and say those things."

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Tags: , caution, , , , Jimmie Johnson, Joe Gibbs Racing, , , mileage, , snuck,
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Happy Hour: When is a guarantee not a guarantee?

28 Sep
2012

Welcome to the latest Happy Hour mailbag! You know how these work: You write us with your best rant/ joke/one-liner at or on Twitter at @jaybusbee, we respond to your messages, everyone goes away with a smile on their face.

Yeah, we're late this week. Sorry. Anyway, right now in golf there's the Ryder Cup, which I know you probably don't care about but hear me out. It's a team-vs.-team competition. How awesome would that be for NASCAR? Two-on-two battles, head-to-head showdowns? Tell me you wouldn't want to see a 20-lap showdown between Jimmie Johnson/Kasey Kahne and Denny Hamlin/Kyle Busch. Brad Keselowski vs. Kevin Harvick for all the marbles? Make this happen, NASCAR.

Also, update on our Last Chaser Standing competition: Greg Biffle came in last among eligible Chasers last week, so he joins Jeff Gordon on the virtual sidelines.

All right, your letters:

Seriously, why is the media playing up Denny Hamlin's supposed "called shot" so much? If anything, it was a balk at best. He kept saying in all of his interviews heading into the race, that he didn't mean it as a called shot and only meant it like every other driver that says "we'll go get 'em next week." But then after he won, because the media hyped the false intention of the statement, he plays it up like he really did call the shot with his antics after getting out the car and pointing, then swinging.

Either own it or don't, but don't take credit for it after you retracted your call, Denny.

— Nick J
Los Angeles, CA

OK, look, I'm biased here, but is there ANY chance that both drivers and fans won't default to the tired "it's the media's fault!" every time a storyline doesn't play out exactly the way they want? I thought Hamlin not only did a great thing by guaranteeing a win at Loudon, I thought he shot himself in the foot by backing off of it.

Here's the thing that both athletes and fans are realizing, now that they've got instant access via social media: maybe the media does serve a purpose after all. Denny wasn't misquoted when he guaranteed that win; that was straight from his phone to your eyes. Every time an athlete says something dumb/provocative/misguided on Twitter, the whole "the media twists our words" argument gets that much weaker.

But enough Journalistic Whining. Hamlin should've owned the guarantee from the start. Playing it tentative is what people hate about NASCAR these days; what's the harm in talking big at a track where you know you have success?

____________________

After perusing the new schedule I think it would help NASCAR if a few changes were made. Swap Miami with Vegas. Take the second race at Pocono and Michigan and replace them with North Wilkesboro and Rockingham. Last but not least put that shiny new road course at Kansas in the Chase as their second date. I would love to see all the west coast stuff back-to-back as well for logistical reasons for smaller teams, but some concessions have to made.

Matt Lightner

The biggest problem with that scenario is that Vegas is owned by SMI and Homestead by ISC, and no way ISC is giving up that plum season-ending date without some serious compensation. Also, the North Wilkesboro and Rockingham tracks aren't really Sprint Cup-ready (sorry, guys). The Kansas road course is a great idea, but for whatever reason NASCAR is against a road course in the Chase. Nice thoughts, though.

____________________

Did I see the headline right: "Kyle Busch annoyed with lack of TV interviews"? Are you kiddin' me? He can't be serious. "I've had a second-place, third-place, fourth-place, fifth-place and sixth-place finish this year with no drama throughout the race and don't get a TV interview." Think about it, Kyle, if you weren't such a butt-head when the TV people did interview you, maybe if you didn't storm off like a kid who just got his favorite toy taken away, maybe if you didn't just give two-word answers to questions ... I'm just sayin'.

Steve Donovan
Davenport, Iowa

Yeah, that was a bit curious to me too ... to be fair, Kyle has been a lot better in interviews this year, but truth is, he hasn't yet hit that sweet spot of interesting-without-drama; other drivers, like Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson, can be engaging even when they've had a bad day. With Kyle, you never know what you're going to get. That's the way it goes, though. There are ways to change that, though, Kyle.

____________________

A NASCAR fan in a "non-NASCAR city" ... that's the story of my life. I'm from Long Island, born and raised. The Island used to have a big racing culture with Islip Speedway and Freeport open as well as the still-operating Riverhead Raceway. But Islip and Freeport are gone. Riverhead is barely surviving. The NY media could care less about racing. If it isn't about Mark Sanchez, Eli Manning, David Wright or Derek Jeter, the NY sports media doesn't want to hear about it.

And that is reflected in the culture here now. All I heard from pre-K through 12th grade was the traditional "how can watch cars go in circles?" If I go to a place like Buffalo Wild Wings, I have to ask at least three times to get the race on one of the TVs. Contrast that with the BWW in Charlotte at the Hall of Fame, racing is always on.

Don't get me wrong, I love Long Island (minus how damn expensive the place is to live). But it's very frustrating being a race fan from NY.

Rob
Long Island

What, no Tebow? Keep fightin' the good fight, Rob.

____________________

The mile and a half tracks with long green flag runs have gotten really boring. Tires are reliable. Engines are reliable. Cars are tough and hold up under moderate pounding. The winner is the driver that can best get his 800+ hp down to the pavement. It is a chassis tuner's race and less of a driver's race.

How can we make this more of a driver's race? Oval tracks are so 19th century, when cars raced on horse tracks because the roads weren't fit to race on. How about putting wedge and track bar electric adjusters inside the cars for the drivers to adjust ( or maladjust) as conditions change? Maybe even regular competition restarts to liven things up (which are now called competition cautions). There must be some way put more driver skills and
thrills back in front of the fans.

Ken

Here's what you do: switch the stickers on the cars between qualifying and the race. So Jimmie Johnson might qualify with a rocket and find himself driving a sled. Stephen Leicht might find himself behind the wheel of a winning automobile. Hey, you got a better idea?

____________________

The original Indy 500s went on for 7 or more hours and were an endurance run as well as for flat out speed. Using that as a model, shouldn't someone build a five-mile track and run a 1000-mile race?

Greg Spahr
Head Coach
Cape Fear Fencing Association

As nice as the idea is in theory, the truth is that if you think the Pocono and Michigan races are too long at 400-500 miles, you're going to loathe one that goes on twice that long. Unless it was a thousand miles in a straight line, Cannonball Run-style. Then I'm all over it.

And on that note, we're out. Thanks to all our writers this week. You want in? Fire up the computer and hit us with whatever's on your mind, NASCAR-wise, at . You can find Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR coverage on Facebook right here, and you can follow me on Twitter at @jaybusbee and on Facebook here. Make sure to tell us where you're from. We'll make you famous!

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Happy Hour: When is a guarantee not a guarantee?

28 Sep
2012

Welcome to the latest Happy Hour mailbag! You know how these work: You write us with your best rant/ joke/one-liner at or on Twitter at @jaybusbee, we respond to your messages, everyone goes away with a smile on their face.

Yeah, we're late this week. Sorry. Anyway, right now in golf there's the Ryder Cup, which I know you probably don't care about but hear me out. It's a team-vs.-team competition. How awesome would that be for NASCAR? Two-on-two battles, head-to-head showdowns? Tell me you wouldn't want to see a 20-lap showdown between Jimmie Johnson/Kasey Kahne and Denny Hamlin/Kyle Busch. Brad Keselowski vs. Kevin Harvick for all the marbles? Make this happen, NASCAR.

Also, update on our Last Chaser Standing competition: Greg Biffle came in last among eligible Chasers last week, so he joins Jeff Gordon on the virtual sidelines.

All right, your letters:

Seriously, why is the media playing up Denny Hamlin's supposed "called shot" so much? If anything, it was a balk at best. He kept saying in all of his interviews heading into the race, that he didn't mean it as a called shot and only meant it like every other driver that says "we'll go get 'em next week." But then after he won, because the media hyped the false intention of the statement, he plays it up like he really did call the shot with his antics after getting out the car and pointing, then swinging.

Either own it or don't, but don't take credit for it after you retracted your call, Denny.

— Nick J
Los Angeles, CA

OK, look, I'm biased here, but is there ANY chance that both drivers and fans won't default to the tired "it's the media's fault!" every time a storyline doesn't play out exactly the way they want? I thought Hamlin not only did a great thing by guaranteeing a win at Loudon, I thought he shot himself in the foot by backing off of it.

Here's the thing that both athletes and fans are realizing, now that they've got instant access via social media: maybe the media does serve a purpose after all. Denny wasn't misquoted when he guaranteed that win; that was straight from his phone to your eyes. Every time an athlete says something dumb/provocative/misguided on Twitter, the whole "the media twists our words" argument gets that much weaker.

But enough Journalistic Whining. Hamlin should've owned the guarantee from the start. Playing it tentative is what people hate about NASCAR these days; what's the harm in talking big at a track where you know you have success?

____________________

After perusing the new schedule I think it would help NASCAR if a few changes were made. Swap Miami with Vegas. Take the second race at Pocono and Michigan and replace them with North Wilkesboro and Rockingham. Last but not least put that shiny new road course at Kansas in the Chase as their second date. I would love to see all the west coast stuff back-to-back as well for logistical reasons for smaller teams, but some concessions have to made.

Matt Lightner

The biggest problem with that scenario is that Vegas is owned by SMI and Homestead by ISC, and no way ISC is giving up that plum season-ending date without some serious compensation. Also, the North Wilkesboro and Rockingham tracks aren't really Sprint Cup-ready (sorry, guys). The Kansas road course is a great idea, but for whatever reason NASCAR is against a road course in the Chase. Nice thoughts, though.

____________________

Did I see the headline right: "Kyle Busch annoyed with lack of TV interviews"? Are you kiddin' me? He can't be serious. "I've had a second-place, third-place, fourth-place, fifth-place and sixth-place finish this year with no drama throughout the race and don't get a TV interview." Think about it, Kyle, if you weren't such a butt-head when the TV people did interview you, maybe if you didn't storm off like a kid who just got his favorite toy taken away, maybe if you didn't just give two-word answers to questions ... I'm just sayin'.

Steve Donovan
Davenport, Iowa

Yeah, that was a bit curious to me too ... to be fair, Kyle has been a lot better in interviews this year, but truth is, he hasn't yet hit that sweet spot of interesting-without-drama; other drivers, like Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson, can be engaging even when they've had a bad day. With Kyle, you never know what you're going to get. That's the way it goes, though. There are ways to change that, though, Kyle.

____________________

A NASCAR fan in a "non-NASCAR city" ... that's the story of my life. I'm from Long Island, born and raised. The Island used to have a big racing culture with Islip Speedway and Freeport open as well as the still-operating Riverhead Raceway. But Islip and Freeport are gone. Riverhead is barely surviving. The NY media could care less about racing. If it isn't about Mark Sanchez, Eli Manning, David Wright or Derek Jeter, the NY sports media doesn't want to hear about it.

And that is reflected in the culture here now. All I heard from pre-K through 12th grade was the traditional "how can watch cars go in circles?" If I go to a place like Buffalo Wild Wings, I have to ask at least three times to get the race on one of the TVs. Contrast that with the BWW in Charlotte at the Hall of Fame, racing is always on.

Don't get me wrong, I love Long Island (minus how damn expensive the place is to live). But it's very frustrating being a race fan from NY.

Rob
Long Island

What, no Tebow? Keep fightin' the good fight, Rob.

____________________

The mile and a half tracks with long green flag runs have gotten really boring. Tires are reliable. Engines are reliable. Cars are tough and hold up under moderate pounding. The winner is the driver that can best get his 800+ hp down to the pavement. It is a chassis tuner's race and less of a driver's race.

How can we make this more of a driver's race? Oval tracks are so 19th century, when cars raced on horse tracks because the roads weren't fit to race on. How about putting wedge and track bar electric adjusters inside the cars for the drivers to adjust ( or maladjust) as conditions change? Maybe even regular competition restarts to liven things up (which are now called competition cautions). There must be some way put more driver skills and
thrills back in front of the fans.

Ken

Here's what you do: switch the stickers on the cars between qualifying and the race. So Jimmie Johnson might qualify with a rocket and find himself driving a sled. Stephen Leicht might find himself behind the wheel of a winning automobile. Hey, you got a better idea?

____________________

The original Indy 500s went on for 7 or more hours and were an endurance run as well as for flat out speed. Using that as a model, shouldn't someone build a five-mile track and run a 1000-mile race?

Greg Spahr
Head Coach
Cape Fear Fencing Association

As nice as the idea is in theory, the truth is that if you think the Pocono and Michigan races are too long at 400-500 miles, you're going to loathe one that goes on twice that long. Unless it was a thousand miles in a straight line, Cannonball Run-style. Then I'm all over it.

And on that note, we're out. Thanks to all our writers this week. You want in? Fire up the computer and hit us with whatever's on your mind, NASCAR-wise, at . You can find Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR coverage on Facebook right here, and you can follow me on Twitter at @jaybusbee and on Facebook here. Make sure to tell us where you're from. We'll make you famous!

Tags: , , Happy, , , road, ,
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The first race of the Chase is over, and that means it's time for Power Rankings! But we're doing things a little differently now that we're in the postseason. It's all-Chasers, all the time. Good job, good effort for those of you that didn't make it, but we've got bigger fish to focus on. We'll be judging who's running well, considering not just finishing position but quality of run, expected potential, and general gut feelings. As always, we hate your guy and are biased against him. Now, enjoy.

1. Brad Keselowski: We kept looking to Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards as the logical rivals to Jimmie Johnson, but is it possible we were looking at the wrong teams? Keselowski has now outthought and outdriven some of the biggest names in the sport, and he's got a series-leading (tied with Hamlin) four wins. That's about as definitive a statement on his arrival as you can make. Who else is thinking he's going to be around until Homestead?

2. Jimmie Johnson: Be afraid, everyone. Be very, very afraid. Sure, the 48 lost the race, but that's only because of one key decision. Other than that, Johnson et al. ran a flawless Chicago. And there's no evidence that they'll be any weaker at any other track. The run at six is very much alive.

3. Kasey Kahne: Well hey there, Kasey! Glad you got all those early season wiggles behind you once and for all. Kahne did exactly what we expected he would in Chicago, stay close to the leaders and not do anything stupid to jeopardize his Chase hopes.

4. Tony Stewart: Yes, we all know about the Windy City Grope, but Stewart still had to drive the doggone car after that. And he did so quite well, posting a sixth-place finish. You know what that means: watch your back(side), Delana.

5. Denny Hamlin: Sure, he ran out of gas and plummeted down the standings on the final lap. But with any luck (for his sake), that boneheaded miscalculation will spur the team on to get everything exactly right from here on out. Hamlin isn't out of the Chase, not by a long shot, but he can't afford any more of those miscues.

6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: See, this is why Junior is going to have to find an extra gear come Chase time. He ran exactly the kind of race he has all year, finishing eighth to his average finish of 9.9, and yet he's already a third of a race behind the leaders. Not going to get it done that way, 88.

7. Clint Bowyer: Decent enough day for Bowyer; a top 10 finish is nothing to sneeze at. (Why any finish, good or bad, would make you sneeze is beyond me and probably requires a medical professional's care.) Still, like Earnhardt he'll need to run stronger to keep pace.

8. Matt Kenseth: Shock the Matty! A lost shock pretty much killed an otherwise solid day by Kenseth, who was on the way to one of his characteristic strong finishes. Remember, crews: when installing parts, check twice, screw once. Just like ... nah, I better leave that one alone.

9. Jeff Gordon: Yeah, he got an up-close introduction to the wall, but before that, he was putting together a solid afternoon. He may well have killed his Chase hopes early on for the second year in a row, but he's been in the "desperate must-win" situation before, and look how that turned out.

10. Greg Biffle: A disappointing afternoon for Biffle; he could and should have run better. Again, it's early yet, but you don't want too many finishes in the teens on your resume.

11. Martin Truex Jr.: This was exactly what Truex didn't need. With no bonus-point cushion, Truex and Harvick have to be running better than their season average, race after race.

12. Kevin Harvick: Admit it. You'd love to see what Harvick would do if Kyle Busch or Joey Logano tried the grab-trick.

Non-Chaser of the week: Kyle Busch, of course. He's only 1,200 points behind Keselowski. With a good run of races, he should make that up by 2015 or so.

Program note: If you love (or loathe) these Power Rankings, be sure to check out my new all-sports column Case of the Mondays. Just like this, but with more Tebow.

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Here’s Jeff Gordon with a mustache

13 Sep
2012

Jeff Gordon has kept his promise.

Gordon said earlier this year that he would grow a mustache like the one he spored as a young driver in the early 1990s if his team made the Chase. He made the Chase Saturday night at Richmond thanks to a second place finish and Kyle Busch's misfortune.

During Chase media days on Wednesday, Gordon had sported a full facial stubble look, saying that yes, everything but the mustache would be clean shaven before race festivities kicked off at Chicagoland Speedway. And there it is.

With only a week's worth of growth, it's not as awesome as, say, this picture. But hopefully Gordon keeps the stache long enough to rival not only the look from 20 years ago, but Junior's beard's status as the most famous facial hair in modern-day NASCAR.

Follow Nick Bromberg on Twitter.

Tags: Chase media days, , Jeff Gordon, , , mustache, , promise, , shaven, , young driver
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Happy Hour: Who’s to blame for Kyle Busch’s downfall?

12 Sep
2012

Welcome to the latest Happy Hour mailbag! You know how these work: You write us with your best rant/ joke/one-liner at or on Twitter at @jaybusbee, we respond to your messages, everyone goes away with a smile on their face.

I waited out much of the rain in Richmond in my brother's camper. While wandering the campgrounds, I had a thought: Why on earth has nobody done a reality show about the NASCAR infield? You could have everything from cooking challenges ("Here's three pounds of roadkill, some pepper and a beer. Go!") to athletic competition (Full-contact corn holing — GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER) to beauty pageants to voted-out-of-the-infield drama ... it's perfect! And the thing is, the NASCAR infield (or campground, in places like Richmond) is completely impervious to cliche or stereotype. You cannot make fun of something that's funnier on its own than anything you could come up with. When this becomes a series on ESPN, I want executive producer credit.

Your letters:

The first thing that popped into my head after Kyle Busch missed the Chase was "It's always the crew chief, never Kyle." I knew as soon as the race was over and he missed the Chase, the Kyle fans would be screaming for Dave Rogers to get fired. To be fair, yes, it was a gamble betting on weather that didn't pay off, and the pit crew dropped a lug nut. But if you listened to the 18 radio after about lap 300 like I did, Kyle sounded dejected and it seemed like his head wasn't in the game. Jeff Gordon, on the other hand, kept fighting through adversity and quite honestly gave the greatest second-place finish I have ever seen. Kyle's problem is Kyle. It probably will always be, no matter who his crew chief is. When the going gets tough and there is major pressure on his shoulders, he loses mental focus and folds quicker than one of those crappy plastic chairs you can buy at the dollar store.

Chris in Crestview

Yeah, sentiment on Twitter wasn't exactly running in Rogers' favor. But you're right, Rogers' boneheaded pit call was only one of the many elements that doomed Kyle that night. Chances are good he won't be back in the same capacity, assuming that this was one of a number of miscommunications and not a one-time bad effort. I'd bet that he's around for one more year, but Coach Gibbs will keep him on a shorter leash than John Riggins. ('80s Redskins references! Timely!) Now, as for how Kyle could have gotten into the Chase ...

____________________

I have read some columns saying Kyle Busch was done in by early season mishaps, and hey, I am on record saying he got screwed at Watkins Glen, but this time his team did themselves in by losing focus again. At the start of the race, the Chase [spot] was Kyle's to lose, and he was not racing the field, he was racing one car, the 24. His pit strategy should have been simple: do whatever the 24 does. Why did they stay out on that last caution? He wasn't racing the field, and even if he were, with a driver like Kyle, put four new tires on and let him drive to the front. But they thought too much. It's a shame, really.

Dean
Centerton, AR

Bingo. That's exactly it: Kyle should have been racing Gordon and Gordon only. Hell, he only missed by three points, and he lost two points on the last lap at Richmond! You'll note by the finishing order that Denny Hamlin, who had owned the race earlier on, mysteriously dropped like a rock to finish behind Kyle. But you'll also note that the Hendrick boys finished right in front of him. Think all that's a coincidence? I don't. I also think that finishing within 12 points of Jeff Gordon at Richmond is something Kyle should have been able to do while napping, but hey, that's why they race the races.

More Kyle:

____________________

I realize that his misfortunes tonight were not of his making, but does it seem to you like it does to me that Kyle Busch is to JGR what the Titanic was to the White Star Line? The brightest and the best who falls short when it really counts.

Joyce Keith

Boy, time really does heal all wounds, doesn't it? You think football fans in 2083 are going to be using 9/11 as a comparative reference for when their team sucks? Probably. We humans are awful. Anyway, yeah, if you're going to go all White Star, the famed British shipping line with three flagships, Kyle is Titanic, Denny is Olympic (reliable, hung around forever) and Logano is Britannic (hit a mine and sunk early in its use). Next week: We compare the Hendrick boys to the artists of the Italian Renaissance. Shoot, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Botticelli are practically separated at birth.

_____________________

During the pit stops of any of NASCAR's top three series, television announcers always seem to mention the Sunoco brand name when describing that the car/truck has been fueled. Is there some contractual agreement between Sunoco and the networks which require that the announcers mention Sunoco? It's hard not to miss this little plug.

John Giorgio

Funny you should ask. We reached out to Andy Hall, communications maestro at ESPN, and he gave us this statement: "Sunoco fuel is an endemic part of NASCAR races but as a matter of company policy, we do not discuss our business deals." That crafty Andy! He even used Sunoco fuel in the statement about using Sunoco fuel! And now he's got me doing it! Aaaaaggghh!!

Anyway, you can draw your own conclusions about Suno- about that particular product's prominent mentions.

_____________________

This has been a bizarre year in NASCAR. Had you told me any of the following would happen at the beginning of the year I would have thought you'd spent too much time 'round the shine.

1. JPM will run over a Jet Dryer during the Daytona 500. Oh, it will end on Tuesday morning too.

2. Team 48 will have a significant penalty repealed.

3. Caution flags will be virtually nonexistent.

4. There won't be any fights. Though tweeting and water bottles will cause controversy.

5. AJ Allmendinger will be suspended for drug use.

6. Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards will miss the Chase.

7. MWR will put two cars in the Chase.

8. Jeff Gordon will make the Chase only because Alan Gustafson keeps a magic wand in his backside.

9. Junior will lead the points for two weeks.

10. Kevin Harvick will look like a pretender as the Chase starts.

Honorable mention: JJ takes Mr. Hendrick for a ride after winning the All-Star race.

What are your thoughts on the season as we head into the Chase?

Eric E.
Home of Cousin Carl

Even though I probably have spent too much time around the 'shine, I think you've done a fine job of recapping there, Eric. I'd throw in the Watkins Glen race, which is hands down the best final lap we've seen in a long, long time. When you put it all together like that, the 2012 regular season was fairly impressive, wasn't it? The Chase ought to be a lot of fun, especially if somebody (looking at you, 48) doesn't screw it up for all of us by locking it down before Halloween.

And on that note, we're out. Thanks to all our writers this week. You want in? Fire up the computer and hit us with whatever's on your mind, NASCAR-wise, at . You can find Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR coverage on Facebook right here, and you can follow me on Twitter at @jaybusbee and on Facebook here. Make sure to tell us where you're from. We'll make you famous!

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Tags: Busch, , Happy, , , ,
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Kyle Busch’s championship hopes end on a blown pit call

09 Sep
2012

RICHMOND, Va. - The official on pit road standing beside Kyle Busch's right rear wheel lifted his hand, signaling a violation, and effectively ended the last of the No. 18 M&M's Toyota's 2012 championship hopes.

A lug nut sat there beside the wheel, a lone lug nut, barely larger than a quarter. But the precious time needed to get that lug nut properly screwed onto the car, combined with a curious don't-pit call by crew chief Dave Rogers during the final, brief rain delay, killed any chance that Kyle Busch had of holding off Jeff Gordon and securing a spot in the 2012 Chase.

It wasn't supposed to be this hard. Busch brought a 12-point lead and unquestioned Richmond dominance into the Federated Auto Parts 400, and every indication early in the race was that he'd waltz right into the Chase and, from there, do some damage to the rest of the field in pursuit of his first championship.

Instead, Busch's late-season swoon continues for yet another year. His early-race domination had faded by the time of the long red flag pause at lap 152, and Rogers' decision to keep Busch out on the last rain caution, perhaps in a gamble that the rain would halt the race there, ended up destroying Busch's chances at catching Gordon. By the time Busch did pit, he was well back in the field, a victim of older tires.

The decision may also have an impact on Rogers' future at Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch and Rogers haven't clicked the way anyone had hoped, and this error, for which Rogers took responsibility, is the kind of choice from which a crew chief may not recover. Mike Ford had a similar pit miscue in Phoenix in 2010 that contributed to Denny Hamlin's championship loss, and Hamlin's relationship with Ford never recovered.

Still, Gibbs gave his support: "We love Dave Rogers," he said, according to the AP. "I think he's one of the brightest and the best. If we have a tough night, we all have a tough night together."

On Saturday night, as Busch climbed from the car after the race, team owner Joe Gibbs leaned in close and said, "Handle [defeat] the right way." Busch did so by giving a two-question, 20-word interview.

"We missed," he said. "That's it. Plain and simple."

Unfortunately it's not. When perhaps the most talented driver in the sport fails yet again to make any kind of dent in the championship picture, it's never "plain and simple." But for Busch and Gibbs, that's a problem that will have to wait until at least 2013 for a solution.

Tags: Busch, , , , championship loss, , Dave Rogers, , , , Richmond, , wheel
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NASCAR’s regular season ends with gambling, daring, stunning mistakes

09 Sep
2012

No race in 2012 ran later in the evening than the Federated Auto Parts 400 in Richmond, and no race to date this year was more worth every minute.

The record will show that Clint Bowyer won the rain-delayed race with an impressive fuel gamble, but that was, at best, the third-most-important story of the evening. On this night -- morning, actually, since the race finished well after 1 a.m. on Sunday -- the stories at the end of the night were the ones coming in: the Chase fates of Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch.

Rain delayed the start of the race by more than two hours, and two other rain delays pushed the race into the small hours of the morning. For a time, it looked as if NASCAR's most important race of the regular season would end with a damp whimper. A long red-flag halt to the race on lap 152 capped a largely drama-free initial run.

But like the lame opening act that fails to warm up the crowd before the main attraction comes onstage, those opening laps gave no indication of how good the end of the race would become. Over the course of the remainder of the race, which ran largely caution-free:

-Kyle Busch saw his once-certain slam-dunk entry into the Chase dwindle, flicker, and finally vanish entirely in a blown pit call and lug nut mistake;

-Ryan Newman came from deep in the standings to briefly lead the race, opening up the possibility of a Hail Mary win-and-you're-in finish;

-Clint Bowyer spun on the infield grass twice, once courtesy of Juan Pablo Montoya, once in his postrace victory burnout; and

-Jeff Gordon completed one of the more remarkable season turnarounds in NASCAR history, taking a team that had stumbled badly through most of the season. Seventeen races into the season, he had only three top 10 finishes and only a single top 5. Since then, he's lit the track on fire, finishing 3-2-2 in the season's final three regular-season races.

"I felt like I won the race tonight," Gordon said. "When that was over, they told me I was in the Chase, we made it, I mean, I was ecstatic. I was going nuts ... I don't see any reason why we can't go over these next 10 races and be a real threat for the championship."

You've got to be in it to win it, and Gordon now finds himself just 12 points out of the points lead, a position he hasn't been in since the earliest laps of the Daytona 500. He's got competition, yes, but he's got new life. The Chase thus breaks down in this fashion:

1. Denny Hamlin, 2012 points
T2. Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Brad Keselowski, 2009 points
T5. Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, 2006 points
T7. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, 2003 points
T9. Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, 2000 points

(Technically the drivers are seeded in the order listed, but the points totals are identical.)

So who's the favorite? Hamlin obviously is riding a hot streak; he had the best car in the field at Richmond, but didn't hang for the entire race, perhaps because of the relatively low stakes for him. Johnson has had a strong car all season long, Stewart and Keselowski can win at any time, and Biffle, Kenseth and Earnhardt have shown the ability to remain up front. But as Stewart showed last season, any driver can get hot at the right time and storm right to a Cup.

"Win a championship? That'd be pretty fun," Bowyer laughed after the race. "Jimmie seems to have a lot of fun. I guarantee you I could throw a better party than he does." Ten weeks from now, someone in those twelve drivers will get that chance.

Tags: , , clint bowyer, , Jeff Gordon, , , ,
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What do Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon have to do? Here’s the Wild Card math

05 Sep
2012

We know that two of NASCAR's biggest names won't be part of the 12 man Chase for the Sprint Cup Series field, and we'll find out which two Saturday night at Richmond.

Eight drivers are mathematically alive for the two Wild Card spots, but the most realistic opportunities belong to Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne. How realistic? Well, here are the clinching scenarios for each driver. (Note: Tony Stewart in 10th is guaranteed a place in the Chase, either via the top 10 or a Wild Card berth. His performance on Saturday could impact the Wild Card race significantly.

Kasey Kahne (11th, -18 points behind 10th, 2 wins): As the only driver outside the top 10 with two wins, Kahne's got the easiest path to the Chase. No matter what, if another of the seven drivers eligible for the Wild Card doesn't win, he's in the Chase. If he gains 19 points on Stewart, he's in the top 10 and in the Chase. If Busch gets into the top 10 (knocking Stewart into a Wild Card spot) and Gordon wins -- the ultimate worst case scenario for Kahne -- he needs to finish 13th with no laps led to stay ahead of Gordon.

Kyle Busch (12th, -23 points, 1 win): Win and Busch is in. If he doesn't, he's got a 12 point cushion on Gordon and a 40 point cushion on Ambrose. If neither of those two (and the other five drivers) win and Busch maintains those leads, he's in. And he's also in if he gets past both Kahne and Stewart into the top 10. As Jay pointed out on Sunday night, Busch's Richmond stats are damn good.

Jeff Gordon (13th, -35 points, 1 win): Win and Gordon is in. But here's where things start to get tricky if none of the one-win drivers win.. Assuming Busch doesn't get in the top 10, Gordon needs to make up those 12 points on Busch while keeping his 28 point margin on Ambrose and his 37 point lead on Newman. If Busch does get into the top 10, part of that worst case scenario for Kahne above, Gordon has to win and overcome his 17 point deficit to Kahne.

Carl Edwards (14th, -49 points, o wins): Carl's chances of sneaking into the top 10 went up in smoke with his engine on Sunday night, and it's a dastardly situation for Edwards. If he wins, Busch can finish no better than 24th with no laps led while Gordon finishes no better than 12th with no laps led. Yikes.

Paul Menard (15th, -59 points, 0 wins): This may sting for all the Menard-dogs out there, but the only reason he's in this column is because he's technically still mathematically alive for a Chase spot. And while we can never say never, that math is kind of like Calculus II. If Menard wins, Busch has to finish 34th or worse with no laps led while Gordon finishes 22nd or worse with no laps led. If Menard pulls this off, it'll replace the Channel 2 incident as his most memorable Richmond moment.

Marcos Ambrose (16th, -63 points, 1 win): If Ambrose doesn't win and automatically clinch, the probabilities aren't in his favor, as he's got to beat Busch by 41 points and 29 ahead of Gordon. So that's a second place finish for Ambrose, a last place finish for Busch and a 31st place finish for Gordon. If Menard's was Calc II, this is Quantum Physics.

Ryan Newman (17th, -72 points, 1 win) and Joey Logano (18th, -105 points, 1 win): This math is simple; Newman and Logano are in with a win. Otherwise, they're out.

So, who you got? Will we see a scenario like Jeremy Mayfield in 2004? Or will the standings look like they do right now?

Tags: Busch, finish, Jeff Gordon, , kasey kahne, , Marcos Ambrose, math, , spot, Tony Stewart,
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