NASCAR Notebook: Talladega Is Always Unpredictable

Traditional pack racing returned to Daytona International Speedway in February, making this year’s Daytona 500 one of the most memorable in history.

Look for more of the same in Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway, at 2.66 miles in length the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ longest track.

Talladega equals excitement: Last year’s Aaron’s 499 matched series records for lead changes (88) and closest margin of victory (0.002 seconds).

The only thing predictable about Talladega is the racing is unpredictable. Fact: Every Talladega race finishing under the green flag since introduction of electronic scoring in 1993 has recorded an MOV of under a half second.

Four different drivers led the final four laps of last year’s Aaron’s 499 with Jimmie Johnson shoved to the checkered flag by Clint Bowyer. Unsatisfied with second, Bowyer returned to Alabama in the fall and edged then Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton.

Both races were dominated by two-car tandems. Aerodynamic and other procedural changes largely eliminated the practice in Daytona and likely will restore more traditional superspeedway competition at Talladega, as well.

“I think that the pack-racing that we had at Daytona was amazing.  I thought it was great racing,” said Denny Hamlin, a two-time winner in 2012 who has yet to win at Talladega. “The two-car tandem didn’t win the race – that’s a good thing.  Really, they got us to where we were running a fast enough speed that handling became somewhat of an issue.”

Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth agreed.

“Daytona has the new pavement and a lot of grip just like Talladega,” he said. “It is the same rules package so I think you will see racing like you did during Speedweeks.”

Richard Childress Racing drivers – Bowyer and Kevin Harvick – have won three of the past four races at Talladega. Childress’ 12 victories overall lead all owners with Hendrick one behind. Childress, whose first Talladega start as a driver came in the track’s 1969 inaugural race, will be inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame on Thursday.

“There’s some days where we just finish the last few laps and run probably slower than we need to run. But that’s always been something that Richard [Childress] has pushed on the guys is to make sure that when you start something, you do your best to not have that DNF on the chart,” said Harvick in explanation of the team’s Talladega success. “We’ve definitely torn up our share of stuff at Talladega, as well. But it has been a good place for us. Hopefully we can keep putting ourselves in the right spot and keep that record intact.”

End Is Near: Karma Colliding As Dale Hits ’Dega

Five-time Talladega winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. could bag two birds with the same slingshot on Sunday – giving Hendrick Motorsports its 200th victory and in the process snap a 138-race winless streak dating to June 2008.

HMS has won 11 times at Talladega, one fewer victory than Richard Childress Racing. RCR has won three of the last four Talladega races.

Earnhardt, second in the standings five points behind Greg Biffle, last led the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings after his fifth and last win at Talladega in October 2004. He has four top-10 finishes in the last five spring races at ’Dega and a 13th-place finish in the fifth, two years ago. His Driver Rating of 90.2 ranks second-best at the track.

After a runner-up finish at Richmond last weekend, he’s getting closer – to both the points lead and his 19th career victory.

Jeff Gordon has the most wins – six – by an active competitor at Talladega. His last victory came in 2007, when he swept both spring and fall races. The four-time series champion is the all-time restrictor-plate king, with 12 combined victories at Daytona and Talladega. Defending Aaron’s 499 winner Jimmie Johnson also won in 2006.

Charting The Points: A ‘Chase’ Of The Usual Suspects

More and more, the 2012 run up to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is looking a lot like the season past.

Eight of the current top 10 following last weekend’s Richmond race were 2011 Chase qualifiers. A year ago, nine of the top 10 exiting the season’s ninth race made the Chase.

The only newcomers, with 17 races remaining until the post-season cut-off, is points leader Greg Biffle and Martin Truex Jr., whose Michael Waltrip Racing organization continues to seek its first Chase qualifier.

Drivers highest ranked for a Wild Card berth – Richmond winner Kyle Busch (11th) and Brad Keselowski (13th) – qualified for last year’s playoffs.

Busch and Keselowski aren’t safe by any stretch of the imagination, but they do have wins. So does 10th-place Ryan Newman, who could qualify via Wild Card if displaced from the top 10.

Busch and Clint Bowyer, who finished a solid seventh in Richmond, trail Newman by 13 and 14 points, respectively. Keselowski, stung by mechanical failures during several recent races, rebounded with a top-10 performance (ninth) in the Capital City 400 and stands 26 points behind Newman.

Every driver ranked 14th through 20th has scored a win at some point of their careers, including four-time champion Jeff Gordon, who easily qualified for last year’s Chase with three victories but stands 17th. Gordon is in better shape than Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne, who nailed his first top-five (fifth) since joining HMS. Kahne, however, is 23rd and lacks top-20 standing to qualify for a Wild Card.

Bowyer’s Room: Clint Hopes To Bring ’Dega Dominance To MWR

Clint Bowyer, owner of two of the last three victories at Talladega Superspeedway while with Richard Childress Racing, now drives for a different team – Michael Waltrip Racing.

Bowyer’s change of scenery shouldn’t matter. And maybe it’s a good thing.
In the early goings of 2012, the move hasn’t much affected Bowyer. His current points position is 12th. His average points position after race No. 9 during his six years with RCR: 10.3.

Bowyer hopes for parallel Talladega success, too. In the Daytona 500, his first restrictor plate race with MWR, he finished 11th with a Driver Rating of 91.6. Bowyer finished second in last year’s Talladega spring race and won the track’s fall race in 2011.

He’ll have plenty of help, as teammate – and boss – Michael Waltrip will run the No. 55 in Sunday’s race. MWR has a single top-five finish at Talladega: David Reutimann’s fourth in the fall of 2010.

Chevrolet Right At Home On High Banks

Talk about manufacturer competitive balance. Every manufacturer has won this season, and two are tied atop the wins list. Chevrolet and Toyota each have three wins, with Toyota taking each of the last two behind Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch’s back-to-back victories at Kansas and Richmond.

Ford has two wins (Matt Kenseth at Daytona and Greg Biffle at Texas) and Dodge has one (Brad Keselowski at Bristol).

Though Chevrolet hasn’t won since Ryan Newman’s victory at Martinsville four races ago, slot the bowtie brigade in as favorites at Talladega.

Chevrolet has won each of the last four races at ’Dega, and since 1999, it has won at least one race every year at Talladega except 2008.

One dark horse candidate for a Chevrolet win: Jamie McMurray. McMurray hopes to repeat his victory of fall 2009 and snap a 48-race winless streak.

McMurray has scored three consecutive 14th-place finishes and has moved up to 18th in the points standings – prime Wild Card real estate.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Notes

The restrictor plate size for first practice this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway is 29/32 inch, the same size as this year’s Daytona 500. … Top 35 Watch: The No. 10 of Tommy Baldwin Racing sits right on top of the top 35 bubble, 35th place in the owner points, 21 points ahead of the No. 33. David Reutimann will pilot the car this weekend before Danica Patrick returns at Darlington Raceway next week. Those cars in the top 35 of owner points are guaranteed a starting spot each subsequent race. … Milestone Marker: Kyle Busch is one win away from tying David Pearson for second on the all-time NASCAR national series wins list. With his victory at Richmond last weekend, Busch now has 105 wins. … Ryan Newman has yet to win a Coors Light Pole in his Talladega career, and one this weekend would qualify as historic. Newman’s next pole is No. 50 in his NASCAR Sprint Cup career, which would put him alone in ninth on the all-time list. His best Talladega start was third in 2005. … Greg Biffle needs just 16 laps led to reach 5,000 laps led in his NSCS career. … Take note, three restrictor plate gurus will attempt to make spot starts this weekend: Bill Elliott (two plate wins), Michael Waltrip (four) and Trevor Bayne (one). … Bowyer will be running a special Alabama National Champions paint scheme this weekend.

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Nationwide Series: Tight Championship Battle Hits The High Banks At Talladega

Unpredictable, close-quarters, high-speed, side-by-side racing is the recipe for the wildcard atmosphere Talladega Superspeedway provides as the next stop for the NASCAR Nationwide Series.  Seven races into the schedule, just two points separate standings leader Elliott Sadler from second-place and reigning series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Stenhouse has been on a charge since Bristol, closing a 25-point deficit to Sadler; including his series leading fifth top-five finish last weekend at Richmond International Raceway.

Both Sadler and Stenhouse have been on point this season with two wins and six top-10 finishes apiece.

But this weekend could be Sadler’s chance to slow Stenhouse’s roll. Stenhouse finished 38th at Talladega last year as a result of a lap 67 accident; one of only two DNFs on the season for Stenhouse, while Sadler finished in the top five.

Sadler has the upper hand over Stenhouse in three key pre-race Loop Data categories heading to Talladega, including his series-leading Driver Rating (112.6), Average Running Position (6.5) and Average Quality Passes (158); as compared to Stenhouse with a Driver Rating of 72.2, Average Running Position of 19.7 and Average Quality Passes of 112.

Female Drivers Long, Patrick To Make Talladega Debuts

Talladega Superspeedway might be one of the most daunting for a series track debut. But to be considered elite in the series, drivers must be able to conquer any track surface the NNS throws at them. And for Johanna Long and Danica Patrick, those debuts come this weekend in the Aaron’s 312.

Long, at age 19 the youngest female to compete in the NNS and a current Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender, is from Pensacola, Fla., and cut her racing teeth racing in Legends, Pro Late Models and Super Late Models in Alabama at tracks in Mobile and Opp.

Having made five of the seven series starts this season, Long is currently 19th in the driver standings with an average finish of 21st.

She more than held her own in her national series debut at Talladega last October, starting eighth and finishing 16th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Long drives for ML Motorsports in the Nationwide Series and the team collected its only top-five result to date at ’Dega in 2008.

Unlike Long, who has logged laps at Talladega, Patrick will be making her NASCAR debut at the speedway. Much of Patrick’s NASCAR success has come at Daytona International Speedway, Talladega’s sister track. In four starts at Daytona, Patrick has one pole, three top-10 starts, and one top-10 finish.

KBM Puts The Big Multi-Car Teams On Notice

Could the tide be receding of large, multi-car teams enjoying the greatest success in the NASCAR Nationwide Series? Possibly. Case in point, the turnaround of the single-car Kyle Busch Motorsports team and the most successful NASCAR Nationwide Series driver, Kyle Busch.

After an inauspicious – and somewhat unlucky – start to the organization’s inaugural NASCAR Nationwide Series season, the team won its first race in exhilarating fashion last Friday night in Richmond. Kurt Busch delivered the historic victory for his little bro, banging side-by-side with hometown favorite Denny Hamlin to the tune of a .062-second margin of victory – the closest margin of victory in series history at Richmond.

Kyle Busch, the 2009 series champion, is the defending winner of the Aaron’s 312 at Talladega and coming off this past weekend at Richmond has a huge wave of momentum to carry his team to even greater success. Busch has made eight series starts at Talladega, posting one win, three top fives and four top 10s. He’ll be competing against Kurt, who also will run in the Aaron’s 312 this weekend for Phoenix Racing.

NASCAR Nationwide Series Notes

Tayler Malsam will travel to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., May 7-8 for an official press event promoting “Global Youth Traffic Safety Month” and the “Million Messages in May” program as a part of RAAD (Recording Artists, Actors and Athletes Against Drunk Driving) and the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS). … Sam Hornish Jr. isn’t flying under the radar anymore. A three-time IndyCar Series champion and 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner, he’s found his second NASCAR wind. In his first full-time season in the NNS, Hornish is fourth in the points and comes off a season-best, fifth-place result last week at Richmond. … With the NCWTS in an open week, James Buescher, the NNS winner at Daytona, is entered at Talladega. … 1992 series champion Joe Nemechek – the all-time series pole winner (five) and two-time race winner at Talladega – nearly made it three wins with help from Mike Wallace last year. With Wallace as the pusher, Nemechek finished third. He may return the favor this year after Wallace’s JD Motorsports team went through adversity earlier this week. The team’s No. 01 hauler and majority of equipment was lost in a hauler fire at the JD Motorsports Gaffney, S.C., shop on Sunday. However the teams’ primary and backup cars were not on the hauler. RAB Racing has offered its NCWTS hauler for use by the JDM team at Talladega. … The No. 3 Chevrolet will make its first series run at Talladega since 2000 this weekend with driver Austin Dillon.

Camping World Trucks: Crafton Gives ‘Thumbs Up’ To Pocono Raceway Repaving

There’s something to be said for being late to the party – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers staged their first race at Pocono Raceway in 2010. You don’t have much to unlearn.

With the track’s first repaving since 1995, the 2.5-mile triangular layout will be a fresh canvas when the series returns to eastern Pennsylvania on Aug. 4. It’s doubtful the bumps and gouges navigated over the past two seasons will be missed.

Matt Crafton, part of a group of seven who participated in last week’s Goodyear tire test, pronounced the new surface interesting, fun and fast.

“They outdid themselves on the pavement. It’s definitely one groove right now, but I’m sure, as you get more race cars on the track, they’ll be running side-by-side, and it’ll be interesting to see,” said Crafton, who finished third and eighth in his two trips to the “Tricky Triangle.”

Like the majority of his rivals, Crafton had no preconceived notions of Pocono, only what he’d seen on television.

“Everybody always talks about the tunnel turn, and you have no idea how tight that tunnel is. TV doesn’t do it justice at all,” said Crafton. “I took my crew chief (Carl Joiner Jr.) around it in my truck, and I said, ‘Yeah, I think we’ll be wide open through here.’ He goes, ‘You’re an idiot. There’s no way.’ I said, ‘I guarantee it.’”

By his third lap of testing, Crafton was up to 90 percent throttle.

“I love coming to the place. It’s like they always say, it’s like a road course but kind of going in a circle, but it’s a blast,” he said.

Off-Roader Lofton Bringing Series Full Circle

Figuratively speaking, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was born in the desert. Its original owners were off-road racers who had a desire to race trucks on oval trucks.

When the dust settled, one – Jimmy Smith – had won a NCWTS title but long after the likes of off-road legend Walker Evans had returned to their racing roots. That could change in 2012, as Justin Lofton, a former Best in the Desert off road class championship, could become the first desert racer to win a trucks title.

Lofton currently ranks third in NCWTS standings 11 points behind leader Timothy Peters.

The Westmoreland, Calif., driver will be back in the Class 1500 unlimited buggy on Saturday competing in the Canidae Tap It Silver State 300 north of Las Vegas.

“When the truck schedule was released, we saw we had a few less races than last year, so we decided to run more off-road races this year,” said Lofton, who finished seventh at Kansas Speedway on April 21 – one of four top-10 finishes of the campaign. “We’re going to be picking up a stretch of races during the summer in the trucks, so my dad will take over some races on the off-road schedule. It’s a lot of fun, and it’s neat doing that with my family.”

Odds Favor Another First-Time Series Champion

Out with the old, in with the new. That’s the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title picture four races into the 2012 season.

The first six – and nine of the top 10 – in current points have not won a series title. Ron Hornaday Jr. is a formidable adversary, a four-time champion, but the 53-year-old Californian (seventh) is taking a back seat to his youthful rivals.

Of the top six, only leader Timothy Peters (31) is over the age of 30. Ty Dillon (20), fourth, hopes to unseat his older brother Austin (21) as the series’ youngest champion in 2011.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Notes

Jason White finished ninth in last week’s Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown won by Tony Stewart. … Ward Burton and the Ward Burton Wildlife foundation will host a Friday event at his “Cove” focusing on employment challenges facing returned veterans of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Among the 50 expected attendees are 10 who have lost limbs in combat. … Max Gresham is participating in this week’s 67th Annual National Hardware Show in Las Vegas. His sponsor, Made In USA Brands, is a supporting partner of the event.