NASCAR Notebook: Playoff Push Gets Wild

Paul Menard rumbled across the yard of bricks at full speed for the final time, signaling the crunching of a few couple key numbers: 14 different winners in 20 races, most since 2003; four different first-time winners, most since 2007; and the big one – five winners residing outside the top 10 in points.

“Wild Card Fever” has overtaken the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage, adding new faces to the championship discussion. Only six races remain before NASCAR’s “playoffs” – the 12-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – meaning fewer chances for Wild Card wins, and potential Chase bonus points.

After race No. 26 at Richmond, the top-10 drivers will earn berths into the 12-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field. Spots 11 and 12 will go to those drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, provided they are in the top 20. Ties will go to the drivers with the best points position.

Intrigue and intensity also ratchets up this time of year for those seemingly assured a Chase berth (i.e.: Carl Edwards, who currently enjoys a 95-point cushion over the Chase cutoff). After Richmond, all Chase drivers will have their points total reset to 2,000, but only the top 10 will earn three bonus points for each victory over the first 26 races. Currently, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch sit atop the wins list with three victories apiece – and a possible nine bonus points if they make the Chase.

Currently, Denny Hamlin in 11th and Menard in 14th hold the two Wild Card spots. Sunday’s race at Pocono Raceway is especially prominent in the Wild Card discussions – three of the last four races there have been won by drivers currently outside the top 10.

An in-depth “Wild Card Watch” follows…

Denny Hamlin, 11th: Hamlin’s Michigan win gives him the top Wild Card spot – for now. A 27th-place finish at Indy catapulted Hamlin out of the top 10. History and statistics suggest his outside-looking-in status is temporary. Hamlin owns four Pocono victories, one shy of tying Jeff Gordon and Bill Elliott for most all-time at the Tricky Triangle. He ranks first in pre-race Driver Rating at Pocono, with a 118.6.

Paul Menard, 14th: It took Menard 167 races to nab his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory, which is tied for the 10th-longest wait to start a career. He’ll need continued momentum, and some improvement at the upcoming tracks. Of the top 20 drivers, Menard has the lowest Driver Rating at the upcoming six tracks (59.1). He has three top fives, four top 10s and an average finish of 23.7 at the upcoming six tracks (Pocono, Watkins Glen, Michigan, Bristol, Atlanta, Richmond). Though he has yet to score a top 10 at Pocono, his last two finishes were both in the top 15 – a 13th last August, and a 14th in June.

David Ragan, 16th: Ragan became the third first-time winner of 2011 with his win at Daytona, but dropped to 16th after a 23rd at Indianapolis. A key component to the Ragan storyline: He’s only seven points behind Menard. A race within a race, these two just might flip-flop Wild Card positions on a weekly basis.

Brad Keselowski in 21st and Regan Smith in 26th: Keselowski consistently flirts with a vital top-20 points position. A solid finish at Indy closed the gap to 16 points. Keselowski’s best finish at Pocono was 20th in this race last season. At Darlington, Smith became the second first-time winner. He finished 15th at Pocono in June, and needs more of the same for the long climb into the top 20 – he currently is 76 points out. Smith threw out the first pitch at the Colorado Rockies-Philadelphia Phillies game on Wednesday.

Greg Biffle, 13th: One of six drivers who won in 2010 but remain winless this season, Biffle is the defending champion of this race. Two of the next three races – at Pocono and Michigan – look promising for the Roush Fenway veteran.

Menard Paints Picture Of Resiliency 

Success in NASCAR racing usually starts with consistency. Consistency usually doesn’t happen unless there’s some kind of repetition, routine – and normalcy.

Paul Menard never had much of that. His full-time career began in 2007 with Dale Earnhardt Inc. He spent two full years with the team, with only one top-10 finish to show for it.

Next stop: Yates Racing, an outfit known for power under the hood. He stayed for a year, 2009, without a single top 10.

It was time to move on, time to get going. Next up: Richard Petty Motorsports. This was his best season to date. He scored a top five, at Atlanta, and six top 10s.

That’s when the keen eye for talent – eyes belonging to Richard Childress – scooped him up, signing him to drive a fourth car for Richard Childress Racing for the 2011 season. He brought along Menard’s crew chief, veteran Slugger Labbe, as well.

So, really, it’s no surprise that Menard did what he did on Sunday, winning the Brickyard 400. He had a top crew chief, a top organization, and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series-worthy skill.

Already this season, Menard has four top fives and six top 10s, which is as much as any previous season in his career.

Menard may have needed 167 races to nab his first win – matching Bobby Hamilton for the 10th-longest stretch before a first NASCAR Sprint Cup points win – but as his resiliency and performance suggest, it won’t be that long until the next one.

Sweet Dreams: Gordon Hopes To Reach Two Milestones In One

Jeff Gordon came within .725 seconds of posting his 85th career victory last Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Next up is Pocono Raceway, where the four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion put win No. 84 in the books back in June.

The victory, his fifth at the triangular-shaped track, matched Bill Elliott’s Pocono win mark.

A Pocono sweep would topple two milestones: he would be alone atop the all-time Pocono win list and stand alone in third on the all-time series win list. There have been six sweeps at Pocono: Bobby Allison, 1982; Bill Elliott, 1985; Tim Richmond, 1986; Bobby Labonte, 1999; Jimmie Johnson, 2004; Denny Hamlin 2006

Gordon arguably is the hottest driver in the Race to the Chase. Indy’s runner-up finish made it three top 10s in the last four races.

Junior Needs Tricky Triangle Triumph

To say Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his fans were flying high after his sixth-place finish at Pocono Raceway in June would be an understatement. Earnhardt ranked third in points and appeared a solid bet to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. At the time, he enjoyed a 71-point cushion over the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup cutoff.

Six races later, those hopes have deflated considerably. Earnhardt, after six consecutive finishes outside the top 10, has slipped to 10th, the final automatic Chase qualifying berth. He clings to a 19-point lead over 11th-place Denny Hamlin.

Keeping Hamlin at bay could be problematic. Hamlin has won two of the last four Pocono races. Looking forward is no bargain either: Earnhardt is three points out of ninth but the occupant of that spot is two-time Pocono winner Tony Stewart.

Earnhardt’s best Pocono finish was a runner-up, most recently in August of 2007. Prior to his sixth-place run in June, Earnhardt has finished outside the top 10 in five consecutive Pocono starts.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Notes

Sunday’s races is the second event in the Sprint Summer Showdown presented by HTC EVO 3D. Any driver who wins between Indianapolis and Bristol will become a finalist for the AdvoCare 500 in Atlanta. If one of those eligible drivers wins the Atlanta race, then the driver, the driver’s charity and fan each collect $1,000,000. Here’s the top five in pre-race Driver Rating at Pocono: Denny Hamlin (118.6), Jimmie Johnson (106.4), Kurt Busch (104.1), Jeff Gordon (101.3) and Tony Stewart (100.7). Hamlin has four career Pocono victories. … Birthday Boys: On Thursday, August 4, four-time series champion Jeff Gordon turns 40 and 2004 champion Kurt Busch turns 33. On Friday, August 5, crew chiefs Chad Knaus (40) and Alan Gustafson (36) will celebrate a birthday. … NASCAR executives, team owners, drivers, and personalities will make their annual visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Thursday. Those expected to attend include: NASCAR President Mike Helton, NASCAR drivers/owners Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Ricky Carmichael, Richard Childress, Kevin Conway, Joey Coulter, Walt Czarnecki, Tim George Jr., Matt Kenseth, Joe Nemechek, David Ragan, Jack Roush, Max Siegel, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Miss Sprint Cup Kim Coon. … Milestone Watch: Carl Edwards will make his 250th series start; with one more lap led, Denny Hamlin will lead 5,000 laps in his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career.

Nationwide Series: Fired-Up Stenhouse Could Be Trouble For Championship Rivals

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is all fired up. And that probably isn’t good news for his NASCAR Nationwide Series rivals – especially heading to Iowa Speedway where the Mississippi competitor scored his first victory in May.

Here’s the deal:

•           Stenhouse retook the championship lead by three points from Reed Sorenson at Lucas Oil Raceway. That’s good, right? Well, sort of. First in points is nice for bragging rights but this season has been the definition of “temporary” – there have been three different points leaders after the last three races.

•           Stenhouse had victory in hand in Indy, where he led 198 of 204 laps before 2010 NNS champion Brad Keselowski nudged his way past on a late restart. Adding insult to injury, post-race video dropped Stenhouse from second to third in the final order.

•           At Nashville he watched Roush Fenway teammate Carl Edwards capture the coveted Sam Bass signature Gibson guitar trophy. And in Michigan in June, Stenhouse led 38 laps among a field of seven full-time double-duty drivers – as late as Lap 116 of 125 – only to lose to Edwards.

Consider then that Stenhouse, actually an upbeat, outgoing fellow, is more than motivated; perhaps as much more so than any of his points chasing fellow competitors. Statistics say he’s going to be tough to dislodge from the top spot – especially being able to run heads up with the likes of Edwards and Keselowski.

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Super Subs: McDowell, Herring, Mayhew Fit Perfectly

The recipe for NASCAR success: talent plus equipment plus opportunity. Three drivers in particular meet that criteria this weekend at Iowa Speedway.

•           Michael McDowell isn’t new to NASCAR national series competition, but after several starts and stops he’s clawing his way back toward the top. He’ll be at the wheel of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota that’s visited Victory Lane six times in 2011 with Kyle Busch. In three races with the team, McDowell has a pole at Road America and two top 10s including a seventh at Iowa Speedway in May.

•           Drew Herring will drive JGR’s No. 20 Toyota, the same car in which he finished 12th at Iowa in May. Herring has three starts for the team this season with two top 10s and a best finish of seventh at Nashville Superspeedway.

•           David Mayhew may be new to Kevin Harvick Inc.’s No. 33 Chevrolet but is familiar with both Iowa Speedway and Harvick’s organization. He won the Keystone Light Pole and finished third in a KHI Chevrolet when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series visited Iowa last month. The Atascadero, Calif. competitor also has three NASCAR K&N Pro Series victories at the Newton track.

Annett “Dashes” For Hometown Win, Big Bonus

Michael Annett needs a two-way plan of attack this weekend at Iowa Speedway.

First wave: Annett, from nearby Des Moines, is seeking that holy grail-type win at his home track. Two drivers have picked up home wins this year – Denny Hamlin (Chesterfield, Va.) at Richmond and Justin Allgaier (Riverton, Ill.) at Chicagoland.

Second wave: He’s one of four eligible drivers to claim the $100,000 NASCAR Nationwide Series “Dash 4 Cash” bonus. The eligible drivers for the second Dash 4 Cash round: Allgaier, Jason Leffler and Reed Sorenson and Annett. The highest finisher among those four nabs the cash.

Annett’s average finish at Iowa is 10.3, including seventh last year. A slow start to his season gave way to a crew chief change that has helped change his luck. Before Rick Viers came on board, his average finish was 21.0. Since Viers took over, Annett finishes at a 12.4 clip and is in the top 10 in points.

Iowa represents the second of four “Dash 4 Cash” races on the year. Last month at Daytona, Reed Sorenson took the $100,000 bonus that was up for grabs between him, Allgaier, Elliott Sadler and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The eligibility for those four drivers for that first event was set by series driver championship points coming out of Road America. The Iowa field of four was set by the highest race finish at Daytona among the top four drivers who receive NASCAR Nationwide Series points. The field for Race No. 3 at Richmond in September will be set coming out of Iowa – the four highest-finishing drivers who receive NASCAR Nationwide Series driver points.

(Click here for eligibility and further information on the “Dash 4 Cash” program).

Iowa is hosting its fourth NASCAR-sanctioned event since May, and its second NASCAR Nationwide Series race of the season. Sellout crowds have been the norm at Iowa and this race is expected to be no different.

NASCAR Nationwide Series Notes

Iowa Speedway will hold its inaugural Iowa Speedway Foundation Track Walk on Saturday, August 6, beginning at 11 a.m. Rusty Wallace, Steve Wallace and Michael Annett are confirmed to participate in the event. … The four eligible drivers for the “Dash 4 Cash” award at Iowa – Reed Sorenson, Jason Leffler, Justin Allgaier and Michael Annett – will take part in some “Iowa-style” pre-race competitions at the Living History Farms (11121 Hickman Road, Urbandale, IA 50322) on Friday starting at 9 a.m. The winning driver will receive a $4,000 gift to the charity of their choice. Their contests will include: Horse-Drawn Carriage Showdown; Cow Milking; Corn Shelling.

Camping World Trucks: No Clear-Cut Favorite Entering Season’s Second Half

Halfway into the schedule, the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series appears headed for a typical, nail-biting championship finish.

Standings leader Johnny Sauter clings to a four-point lead over Austin Dillon, the closest margin since after race No. 7 when Cole Whitt led Sauter by one point.

The top five – Sauter, Dillon, James Buescher, Lucas Oil Raceway winner Timothy Peters and Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Cole Whitt – are separated by just 29 points.

Circumstances – odd or otherwise – have tightened this points battle. Consider:

•           Sauter topped the standings after each of the last six races, and has led laps in each. Still the finishes haven’t been there, thanks to a restart penalty, a broken rear end and an inopportune flat tire that have produced three finishes of 22nd or worse.

•           Dillon, the Nashville Superspeedway winner, was positioned to overtake Sauter in Indianapolis until being dropped to a ninth-place finish by a final-lap accident. In Kentucky – where Sauter finished 24th – Dillon had victory in sight when his Chevrolet’s hood blew open costing him a lap.

While the two leaders have fumbled opportunities, their rivals – notably Peters and Buescher – have gained ground. The pair finished one-two at Lucas Oil Raceway.

•           Since early June, Buescher has more than halved a 59-point deficit gaining four positions in the standings.

•           Peters has gone from 47 behind Sauter to just 22 off the lead.

Sauter will be making his 75th series start at Pocono. He finished 14th in last year’s inaugural race at the 2.5-mile track. Dillon and Peters had top-10 finishes while Buescher was 11th.

Rivals Busch, Harvick Return To Contest Owners Championship

Neither Kyle Busch nor Kevin Harvick is eligible to score driver points in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

But the two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rivals are going head-to-head for the owners championship that Kyle Busch Motorsports won in 2010 and Kevin Harvick Inc. collected the previous season.

KBM currently holds the No. 1 spot in the standings by a 33-point margin over KHI’s No. 2 Chevrolet. That’s down 56 points from three races ago. Busch skipped Iowa, Nashville and Indianapolis following his fifth victory of the season at Kentucky Speedway. Harvick’s team has won once; Clint Bowyer in Kansas.

Both owner-drivers will be in the lineup at Pocono Raceway. It marks the third time in 2011 Busch and Harvick have faced off. Busch has prevailed on both occasions finishing second to Harvick’s fourth at Martinsville Speedway. He won at Dover while Harvick placed fifth.

Neither driver competed in last year’s Pocono event. Elliott Sadler drove the KHI entry to victory after winning the Keystone Light Pole. Kasey Kahne was second in KBM’s No. 18 Toyota.

ThorSport’s Pocono Race One For The Record Book

Saturday is a red letter day for ThorSport Racing. When the green flag falls at Pocono Raceway, the Ohio-based team will start its record 354th NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.

Duke and Rhonda Thorson’s Sandusky, Ohio-based organization matched Roush Fenway Racing’s series record last weekend in Indianapolis. Roush Fenway, no longer active in the series, ran its first race in 1995 and made its most recent appearance at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2009.

ThorSport entered the series in 1996 with Terry Cook. ThorSport’s longest-standing driver, Matt Crafton, has competed in 235 races for the team beginning in 2000. His teammate and series points leader Sauter came aboard in 2009. More than 20 different drivers have carried the ThorSport colors including newcomer Dakoda Armstrong, who made his debut last month in Iowa.

Cook, Crafton and Sauter share the team’s six victories, two of which came this year at Martinsville and Nashville. Crafton holds the team’s best championship finish – second in 2009.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Notes

Mark Martin returns to NASCAR Camping World Truck competition at Pocono Raceway for the first time since his 2006 partial season during which he won six times in 14 races (a .430 winning percentage) and boasted a series-best Driver Rating of 123.9. At Pocono, Martin has finished second six times without a victory, a NASCAR Sprint Cup record he shares with NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison (Martinsville). … Series sponsor Camping World has entitlement rights to both NASCAR events at Pocono this weekend beginning with the Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125.