April 3, 2005
- Harvick wins at Bristol: #29-Kevin Harvick won the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, his first win in 55 races at Indy in 2003 and also the first win for RCR since Robby Gordon won at Watkins Glen in 2003 [a week later then Harvick]. It is Harvick’s 5th career win and RCR’s 77th win, which breaks a tie with Roush Racing. Harvick officially started 13th, but ended up starting from the rear as the team needed to make repairs to the power steering pump, which is unapproved after impounding. The rest of the top-5 was #38-Sadler [pole sitter], #20-Stewart, #8-Earnhardt Jr. and #88-Jarrett. #77-Travis Kvapil was the rookie of the race with a 7th. #45-Kyle Petty finished 8th for his first top-10 since Talladega in April of 2002 when Petty finished 10th, 99 races [Petty DNQ’s 5 races in that span]. #48-Johnson finished 6th and increased his points lead to 94 over #16-Biffle, who faded late to 9th.
For race rundown, results links, see my Brstol Race Info/Rundown Page.
Race results on Jayski’s Bristol Race Results page
Points on Jayski’s Driver/Owners Points after Bristol.(4-3-2005)
- Drug Testing to be Expanded? UPDATE: Drug testing for NASCAR drivers could be radically expanded if NASCAR executives follow the strict new Olympics-type anti-doping rules adopted by the FIA, the world governing body of auto racing this week. NASCAR racing has so far been immune to the steroids controversy swirling around the NFL and major-league baseball. But are steroids a problem in NASCAR? What is NASCAR’s policy on steroids? And how will NASCAR react to the latest steroid-sports controversy? NASCAR officials say that steroids use is a non-issue in their sport. Nevertheless, several drivers and crew chiefs say they wouldn’t be surprised to see NASCAR opening a round of steroidw testing, under its broad drug-use policy, which all NASCAR team members must sign before the start of each season. The FIA just announced that it has agreed to follow the World Anti-Doping Agency’s rules for all its races. And all NASCAR drivers and car owners must hold an FIA license in order to compete in the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis and the Talladega 500. That would appear to mean that all Nextel Cup drivers would have to be drug-tested for the full WADA list of prohibited drugs, which includes a litany of anabolic steroids. Jeff Burton said: “No, there is not a steroid problem in NASCAR. However, it’s always best to be proactive, and get on the front edge of that thing and make sure nobody is using steroids. “Steroids would help tire changers, jackmen and those kind of guys.” “I don’t think drivers need steroids for stamina,” Jimmy Spencer said. “You don’t have to be real strong to drive a race car, but you have to have good stamina. Steroids work against that.”(Winston Salem Journal)
UPDATE: Jeff Gordon says he doesn’t know much about steroids, and doesn’t feel a steroid would give a driver any added advantage, “I just think when you’re in a racecar and you’re traveling the speeds you’re traveling, you’re mind doesn’t have a choice but to concentrate. There might be some natural herbs that guys could take to help them with that…I’ve certainly never had to do that or thought about doing that. At a track like this (Bristol) or a road course it’s very physical, muscle endurance is defiantly something that’s important so being in good shape and having a workout that allows you to stay fresh. I would say that the only thing for us is more like a bicycle rider like a Lance Armstrong. It’s more about keeping your body hydrated. We’re not trying to get really strong. You don’t need to be physically really strong.” Asked if he could tell if someone on his team was taking steroids or any illegal substance Gordon said, “I’m not sure what the signs are but we would put that responsibility on our trainers that train the guys and make sure they’re doing what they need to do to stay fit but doing it in a way that’s healthy for their bodies.”(PRN’s Bristol Coverage)(4-2-2005)
UPDATE: Steroids in NASCAR? The governing body says performance-enhancing drugs are not an issue in Nextel Cup or its other series, but an expert in the field speaks to the contrary . “There’s a lot of money involved in NASCAR,” said Charles E. Yesalis, a Penn State health policy professor and sports-drug expert who has testified about steroids on Capital Hill. “Anybody that thinks people in one sport are more honest than another sport are just plane naive.” Yesalis said NASCAR, which does not have a mandatory drug testing policy, would be smart to turn its entire testing program over to the World Anti-Doping Agency to avoid the scrutiny other sports are under. “I doubt they have a huge problem, but it would deter one if they did,” he said. Yesalis, who will be at Bristol Motor Speedway for today’s Nextel Cup race, said steroid use in NASCAR likely would come with pit crew members that require strength, speed and agility. He said steroids would have little if no impact on a driver’s performance. Yesalis said he first became wary of possible steroid use in NASCAR when he heard teams were using professional strength and conditioning trainers to work with pit crew members. NASCAR has a drug policy that calls for random testing only as a result of reasonable suspicion of abuse of an illegal substance, including steroids. Yesalis said there aren’t always physical signs with steroids. NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said there is no mandatory testing as there is in the NFL and other sports because the sanctioning body doesn’t perceive there to be a problem. “There’s not even a suspicion of a problem in the sport,” said Poston, reminding many teams have their own drug testing policy separate from NASCAR’s. “We think the policy is very sound, that it is effective.” Some in the garage agree with Yesalis that NASCAR is being naive, particularly in light of the recent congressional hearings on steroids in baseball that is being expanded to the NFL after recent allegations of steroid involvement by members of the Carolina Panthers. They say NASCAR should take a more proactive position to avoid unnecessary scrutiny. NASCAR may not have a choice but to get involved in the steroid issue. The House Committee on Government Reform recently sent a letter to the NFL asking the league to submit information on its steroid testing policy. Only four drivers — Brian Rose in the truck series, Shane Hmiel and Kevin Grubb in Busch, Sammy Potashnick in the Winston Series West — are known to have tested positive during the past three years.(in part from The State)(4-3-2005)
- Gordon not sorry he chose Menard Engines: #7-Robby Gordon said he doesn’t regret his decision to use engines built by John Menard this season, even though it has drastically hurt him in his bid to field his own race team. Gordon failed to qualify for Sunday’s race at Bristol, the second of five races he’ll miss this year. Although he got in on speed in the other three, his motors failed in all of them and he has yet to finish a race. Menard is a highly regarded open-wheel engine builder, but this is his first foray into full-time NASCAR motor construction. Gordon said he has 100% faith in Menard, who has been a longtime supporter of Gordon’s racing endeavors. He said that the engine failure two weeks ago in Atlanta was unrelated to the first two blowups this season, and the team had a strong test session at Texas with no motor problems.(NASCAR.com)(4-3-2005)
- Bristol Race Notes:
* Kevin Harvick won the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, scoring his fifth NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory in his 147th career start. His last victory came at Indianapolis in August 2003, 56 races ago.
* Harvick is the fifth different race winner in five races in 2005.
* Harvick became the seventh different race winner in the last 10 races at Bristol.
* Harvick begins the 2005 season with three top-10 finishes in five races. He climbed from 11th to sixth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings.
* Harvick posted his fifth top-five finish in nine races at Bristol Motor Speedway. He finished in the top10 in seven of his last eight races at Bristol.
* Harvick scored the eighth victory for car owner Richard Childress at Bristol Motor Speedway. It marked Childress’s first victory at Bristol since Dale Earnhardt won here in August 1999. This was Childress’s 77th victory as a car owner. Notebook Items
* Elliott Sadler (second) posted his fourth top-10 finish in 14 races at Bristol Motor Speedway. He has scored top-10 finishes in three of the five races this season. Sadler climbed from eighth to fifth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings.
* Tony Stewart (third) scored his fourth top-five finish in 13 races at Bristol and climbed from seventh to third in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. It marked his third top-10 finish in 2005.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. (fourth) scored his fifth top-10 finish in 11 races at Bristol Motor Speedway. He climbed from 26th to 17th in the point standings. Earnhardt Jr., has scored two top-10 finishes in five races this season.
* Dale Jarrett (fifth) scored his 19th top-10 finish in 38 races at Bristol. Jarrett scored his first top-10 finish in 2005 and climbed from 15th to eighth in the point standings.
* Jimmie Johnson (sixth) posted his fifth top-10 finish in seven races at Bristol Motor Speedway. Johnson has scored top-10 finishes in the 11 races since Charlotte last fall. Johnson is the only driver that has led at least one lap in all five races in 2005.
* Travis Kvapil (seventh) was the highest finishing Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year contender for the second time in 2005. It marked his career-first top-10 finish.
* Kyle Petty (eighth) scored his ninth top-10 finish in 44 races at Bristol Motor Speedway. His most recent top-10 finish came at Talladega (10th) in April 2002.
* Greg Biffle (ninth) scored his second top-10 finish in five races at Bristol Motor Speedway. It marked his fourth straight top-10 finish in 2005, the first time in his NASCAR NEXTEL Cup career to do so.
* Mark Martin (31st) has been running at the finish in 27 consecutive races, the longest current streak.
* Seven of the top-10 positions in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings changed at Bristol.
* At Martinsville 2005 owner points will be used to determine the guaranteed entrants. Noted drivers ranked outside the top 35 include: Ricky Rudd and Robby Gordon, who will both have to qualify by speed.
* Looking ahead to the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, 25 drivers are already more than 400 points behind point leader Jimmie Johnson.(NASCAR Statistical Services)(4-3-2005)
- Stock Car Fans – Rumblings – Bristol: We had a typical Bristol slugfest today, but when the final 69 laps went green Kevin Harvick led 67 of ’em! Harvick survived another wild and wooly short track event at Bristol Motor Speedway today to win the Food City 500 in front of a mere 160,000 fans. We had our customary caution-filled event (14 of them for 115 laps), but Kevin put the RCR Goodwrench Chevy in Victory Lane for the first time since he won at The Brickyard in August of 2003.
Career Win #5 for Harvick ties him for 60th on the all-time win list, ironically enough with Alan Kulwicki (who we lost 13 years ago this weekend). This was win #75 [Jayski Note: actually win #77] for RCR Enterprises, was worth $189,001 from the over $5.3M in posted awards, and puts the #29 team in both the Nextel Challenge as well as on the Winners Circle Plan for 2005.
Elliott Sadler (2nd) had his best finish since he won at California last September.
Tony Stewart (3rd) had his best finish since he won at Watkins Glen last August.
Dale Jarrett (5th) had his best finish since he was 3rd at Talladega last October.
Travis Kvapil (7th) had his career-best finish today. His previous best was 19th at Daytona in February.
Kyle Petty (8th) had his best finish since he was 7th at Homestead in November of 1999.
Terry Labonte (18th) had his best finish since he was 18th at Richmond last September.
Jimmy Spencer (21st) had his best finish since he was 19th at The Brickyard last August.
Hermie Sadler (32nd) had his best finish since he was 23rd at Talladega last October (only 7 races).
STREAKIN…..Jimmie Johnson had 11 Top-10’s in a row.
Greg Biffle has 5 Top-10’s in the last 6 races.
This Week’s Elevator….UP: Operator of the Week is a lonely Kyle Petty (+29). DOWN: The Big Dropper is a tie between Jeff Green (-23) and Ryan Newman (-23), followed by Bobby Hamilton Jr (-21). Looks like Petty Enterprises had ’em covered at both ends of the “Shaft”.
This was the fateful week for those teams hovering around 35th in the Owner Point category, and Jason Leffler’s team is in at 35th this week. Ricky Rudd now joins the “must qualify on time” gang for Martinsville. Mike Wallace is still 13 points out of the Elite 35.
Jimmie Johnson tacked another 12 markers onto his lead over Greg Biffle in the points…it’s now at 94. We’ve now got 30 drivers still above the Mendoza line this week.
Dale Earnhardt Jr advanced the most spots in the standings (26th to 17th), while Casey Mears (17th to 26th) fell the commensurate amount.(more on StockCarFans)(4-3-2005)
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