Blog Index
Kansas
September 29, 2008
Kansas thoughts
Pretty good racing at Kansas. Congrats to Jimmie Johnson for victory number one in the Chase. Carl Edwards got racey on that last lap. He drove it right by Johnson too hot, drifted up the track right into the wall. He still managed to come in second. He related the pass to playing video games, how he could make the pass, bounce off the wall and keep going, priceless.
Here are some other thoughts of the race:
-- Clint Bowyer made mistake after mistake during the race. He is lucky to have finished 12th. He passed before the green flag waved at the start of the race and got penalized for that. Then later in the race he sped down pit road during a caution and had to start in the last spot on the restart.
-- More issues for Kyle Busch. I think someone said on television that there was paper that was removed from inside the grill. But in Busch's post-race interview he basically said that he didn't think so. So I'm not sure what exactly happened to him. He finished the race 28th.
-- Tony Stewart had a rough day also. He was too fast entering pit road and had to start at the tail end of the longest line on one of the restarts. Then on the track he and Brian Vickers got into each other which sent Stewart sailing through the grass on lap 130. He later had to go in and change the broken splitter that broke when he went throught the grass and went several laps down. I blame Stewart for the incident with Vickers. It looked very intentional to me. Stewart finished the day in 40th position.
-- Despite several mishaps during the day, leaving a lug nut off the left front during a caution and then spinning on the racetrack, Matt Kenseth finished the day in 5th place. Way to come back Kenseth!
-- It was a broken transmission that ruined Martin Truex Jr.'s day. He finished 43rd and fell to 16th in the point standings.
Other chasers: Greg Biffle finished 3rd, Jeff Gordon 4th, Kevin Harvick 6th, Jeff Burton 7th, Denny Hamlin 11th and Dale Eanrhardt Jr.13th.
What did you think of the race?
September 26, 2008
Chaser stats, Kansas preview and my pick
Here's a look at the Chasers going into the race this weekend at Kansas Speedway(stats provided by NASCAR):
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1 - Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford) 5390 points, 2008 Rundown:
Six wins, 13 top fives, 21 top 10s
Average finish of 9.6
Led 16 races for 782 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
Driver Rating of 90.2
One top five, two top 10s
Average finish of 17.0
Finished 37th last season
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2 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet) 5380 points, 2008 Rundown:
Four wins, 11 top fives, 16 top 10s
Average finish of 11.8
Led 22 races for 1,175 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
Driver Rating of 115.6
One top five, four top 10s; two poles
Average finish of 12.0
Finished third last season
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3 - Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford) 5380 points, 2008 Rundown:
Two wins, 10 top fives, 13 top 10s
Average finish of 13.3
Led 14 races for 428 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
Driver Rating of 118.5
One win, three top fives
Average finish of 11.0
Won last season's Kansas race
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4 - Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet) 5308 points, 2008 Rundown:
One win, five top fives, 14 top 10s
Average finish of 12.1
Led 10 races for 74 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
Driver Rating of 70.4
One top five
Average finish of 19.6
Finished 36th last season
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5 - Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
5289 points, 2008 Rundown:
Six top fives, 14 top 10s
Average finish of 13.2
Led six races for 169 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
Driver Rating of 83.3
Two top 10s
Average finish of 16.1
Finished sixth last season
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6 - Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet) 5284 points, 2008 Rundown:
One win, four top fives, 13 top 10s
Average finish of 15.2
Led five races for 152 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
Driver Rating of 106.5
One top five, two top 10s
Average finish of 5.5
Finished second last season
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7 - Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota) 5277 points, 2008 Rundown:
Nine top fives, 14 top 10s
Average finish of 14.1
Led 12 races for 556 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
Driver Rating of 108.7
One win, three top fives, five top 10s
Average finish of 11.1
Finished 39th last season
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8 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) 5272 points, 2008 Rundown:
Nine top fives, 13 top 10s
Average finish of 14.8
Led 15 races for 309 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
Driver Rating of 98.3
Two wins, four top fives, five top 10s
Average finish of 10.6
Finished fifth last season
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9 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet) 5261 points, 2008 Rundown:
One win, nine top fives, 14 top 10s
Average finish of 12.5
Led 19 races for 875 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
Driver Rating of 82.0
Four top 10s; one pole
Average finish of 17.1
Finished 10th last season
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10 - Matt Kenseth (No. 14 DEWALT Ford) 5223 points, 2008 Rundown:
Seven top fives, 16 top 10s
Average finish of 16.4
Led 14 races for 340 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
Driver Rating of 93.2
One top five, two top 10s; one pole
Average finish of 22.1
Finished 35th last season
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11 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota) 5197 points, 2008 Rundown:
One win, nine top fives, 15 top 10s
Average finish of 15.9
Led 12 races for 700 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
Driver Rating of 73.7
Average finish of 26.3 in three races
Finished 29th last season
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12 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M's Toyota) 5180 points, 2008 Rundown:
Eight wins, 15 top fives, 17 top 10s
Average finish of 12.0
Led 20 races for 1,636 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
Driver Rating of 80.0
One top 10
Average finish of 26.5
Finished 41st last season
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Continue reading "Chaser stats, Kansas preview and my pick"
October 01, 2007
Kansas recap
I'm sorry folks, but this should be your winner from yesterday's race at Kansas. As much as it would have been nice to feel warm and fuzzy with Greg Biffle getting his first win of the year, that is just not going to happen. He never should have been rewarded the victory.
Here's a statement from Ramsey Poston, NASCAR Managing Director, Corporate Communications:
"When the caution came out on Lap 207 the field was frozen. At the time of the caution, the 16 was in the lead and maintained a reasonable speed and was declared the race winner. There is no passing under caution.
"By rule, cars under caution need to maintain a reasonable speed, which the 16 did. If it hadnt maintained a reasonable speed or the car had come to a stop, then that car would not have won the race. In this instance the 16 maintained a reasonable speed, crossed the finish and won the race."
Despite what he says, I really don't think he maintained a reasonable speed. I do realize that they freeze the field under caution but he absolutely did not maintain speed, the pace car was leaving him.
As a matter of fact, Johnson and Bowyer had to pass him while he was down on the apron. When was the last time you watched a race and saw others cross the finish line BEFORE the "race winner?" I think that's another load of BS from NASCAR. What do you think?
Moving on...because I'm getting all worked up and grumpy all over again as I type this.
It was another wild race for a lot of the Chase drivers. Here's a few notes on what happened to some of them:
Kyle Busch - Crashed into the wall early on. (thanks to Dale Earnhardt Jr.)
Martin Truex Jr. - Was involved in a wreck shortly after the restart from being red-flagged due to heavy rain.
Matt Kenseth - Victim of the same wreck that Truex was involved in.
Jeff Burton - He got caught pulling a fender out while uncovering his car from the rain delay. He got penalized and sent back to the longest line on the restart of the race. Then to make matters worse, later in the race he lost fuel pressure.
Tony Stewart - He blew a tire. He was checked up on the race track and Kurt Busch hit him. (And no, I don't think it was Busch's fault.)
Car Edwards - He got collected up from Stewart's wreck.
Denny Hamlin - It looked like Jamie McMurray got into Paul Menard then Menard got into Hamlin. Just a victim of circumstance.
Bowyer, Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick all finished in the top 10. Kurt Busch finished 11th.
September 28, 2007
Kansas picks
Based on the stats that I shared in yesterday's post, I am going to go with Tony Stewart for the win.
Another possibility in my mind, and only because the team is just on fire and Kansas happens to be his home state, is Clint Bowyer.
On a different note...
Yesterday, "racefan" posted a comment regarding online chats with former Daytona 500 winners. (thank you, I had seen it but glad you mentioned it) Here is the schedule and information on how to do it.
September 26, 2007
Some Kansas stats
I get so much NASCAR information that crosses in front of me every day. It is difficult to decide what information, if any of it, you would want to read, hear or see.
So yesterday when I received a stats and facts sheet from NASCAR, my immediate thought was, this is kind of interesting and I wanted to share it with you. What I like about this one in particular is that everything is in one place right under my nose going into this weekend's race at Kansas Speedway.
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1 Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) The File:
36 years old, Vallejo, Calif., 79 career wins
Four wins, 16 top; fives, 22 top 10s this year
Six poles
Average finish of 8.1 this season
Led 18 of 28 races for 1,033 laps Kansas Speedway Outlook: Two wins, three top fives, four top 10s
Average finish of 11.5
Finished 39th last season
Led two of six races for 169 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight:
Series-best Average Running Position of 8.7 |
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2 Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet) The File:
36 years old from Columbus, Ind., 32 career wins
Three wins, 10 top fives, 20 top 10s
Average finish of 11.8
Led 18 of 28 races for 929 laps Kansas Speedway Outlook: One win, three top fives, five top 10s
Average finish of 6.5
Won Kansas race last season
Led two of six races for six laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight:
568 Fastest Laps Run, second-most |
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3 Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford) The File:
28 years old from Columbia, Mo., seven career wins
Three wins, eight top fives, 12 top 10s
Average finish of 12.8
Led 11 of 28 races for 428 laps Kansas Speedway Outlook: One top fives, two top 10s
Average finish of 10.3
Finished sixth last season
Led two of three races for eight laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight:
6,111 Laps in the Top 15, fifth-most |
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4 Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet) The File:
32 years old from El Cajon, Calif., 29 career wins
Six wins, 14 top fives, 17 top 10s; two poles
Average finish of 12.8
Led 16 of 28 races for 967 laps Kansas Speedway Outlook: Three top 10s; one pole
Average finish of 13.8
Finished 14th at Kansas last season
Led three of five races for 126 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight:
Series-high 731 Fastest Laps Run |
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5 Kyle Busch (No. 5 Kelloggs/CARQUEST Chevrolet) The File:
22 years old from Las Vegas, Nev., four career wins
One win, eight top fives, 16 top 10s
Average finish of 13.2
Led 14 of 28 races for 295 laps Kansas Speedway Outlook: One top 10
Average finish of 21.7
Finished seventh last season
Led one of three races for 64 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight:
Fifth-fastest average Green Flag Speed |
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6 Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet) The File:
28 years old from Emporia, Kan., one career win
One win, three top fives, 13 top 10s; two poles
Average finish of 14.2
Led 10 of 28 races for 306 laps Kansas Speedway Outlook: One top 10
Finished ninth last season, his only Kansas start
Led 43 laps in his one Kansas race
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight:
Sixth-best Closer 34 positions improved over the last 10 percent of races |
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7 Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) The File:
27 years old from Mayetta, N.J., one career win
One win, six top fives, 11 top 10s
Average finish of 15.2
Led 11 of 28 races for 351 laps Kansas Speedway Outlook: Finish 11th last season, his only Kansas start
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight:
Series-high 2,454 Green Flag Passes |
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8 Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet) The File:
40 years old from South Boston, Va., 19 career wins
One win, seven top fives, 13 top 10s
Average finish of 13.3
Led six of 28 races for 28 laps Kansas Speedway Outlook: One top five
Average finish of 16.8
Finished fifth last season
Led three of six races for five laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight:
1,383 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green flag conditions), fifth-most |
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9 Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet) The File:
31 years old from Bakersfield, Calif., 11 career victories
One win, four top fives, 11 top 10s
Average finish of 15.7 this season
Led nine of 28 races for 251 laps Kansas Speedway Outlook: One top 10
Average finish of 17.8
Finished 15th last season
Led two of six races for 49 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight:
Series-best Closer 52 positions improved over the last 10 percent of races |
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10 Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford) The File:
35 years old from Cambridge, Wis., 15 career wins
One win, eight top fives, 17 top 10s
Average finish of 12.8
Led 15 of 28 races for 480 laps Kansas Speedway Outlook: One top five, two top 10s; one pole
Average finish of 20.0
Finished 23rd last season
Led two of six races for 85 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight:
Series-high 7,722 laps run on the lead lap |
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11 Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) The File:
29 years old from Las Vegas, Nev., 17 career wins
Two wins, five top fives, 10 top 10s
Average finish of 15.9
Led 16 of 28 races for 671 laps Kansas Speedway Outlook: Two top 10s
Average finish of 20.8
Finished 25th last season
Led two of six races for three laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight:
Series-high 1,480 Quality Passes |
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12 Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet) The File:
26 years old, Chesterfield, Va., three career wins
One win, 10 top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
Average finish of 13.3
Led 14 of 28 races for 799 laps
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I'll be back tomorrow with my picks for this weekend's LifeLock 400 at Kansas Speedway.
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Jennifer is the newsroom
administrative assistant and
executive
assistant to the editor for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. She is married, lives in Pownal with her husband and son, and has been following NASCAR for many years.
About this blog:
I am hopeful that this will be a place where people can air their two cents' worth about a race, catch up on the gossip and share their opinions on the rules and regulations of NASCAR. I have always felt that there has been a need for such a place in Maine and that this blog helps to fill the void.
E-mail Jenn
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Most Recent Comments
Kansas thoughts (3)
Smoke Fan wrote:
I think that Chase or no Chase Kyle's issues probably would have happened a...
Chaser stats, Kansas preview and my pick (8)
MsBoogity wrote:
A great race, right to the end. Anybody know what was wrong with JR with t...
Kansas recap (11)
Jacko wrote:
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Sal wrote:
Oh I tell ya- Jeffery and Jimmie better not repeat the same finishes as las...
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