April 30, 2011
- Kyle Busch wins at Richmond: #18-Kyle Busch won the Crown Royal Presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway for his 2nd win of 2011 and 21st win of his career.
#11-Hamlin finished second followed by #4-Kahne, #6-Ragan, #99-Edwards, #33-Bowyer, #43-Allmendinger, #48-Johnson, #14-Stewart and #83-Vickers. Pole sitter #42-Montoya was involved in two incidents with #39-Newman and finished 29th, 5 laps down. There was no confrontation after the race. Montoya hopped on a waiting golf cart and headed out of the track, while Newman walked to the NASCAR hauler to complain about Montoya’s driving. #36-Blaney finished 13th and moves into the top-35 of owners points and a guaranteed spot at Darlington.
There were 14 lead changes among 10 drivers; 8 cautions for 60 yellow flag laps. The attendance is listed as 90,000 down a bit from 93,00 last year.
Scheduled Race Re-Air: SPEED, Wednesday, May 4 at 12:00pm/et
See race results, awards, laps led and more on Jayski’s Richmond Race Results/Awards page.(4-30-2011) - 2011 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings:
[after Richmond, race 9 of 36]:
rank, car#, driver, points, behind
1) #99-Carl Edwards [1 win], 335
2) #48-Jimmie Johnson [1 win], 326, -9
3) #18-Kyle Busch [2 wins], 305, -30
4) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 301, -34
5) #29-Kevin Harvick [2 wins], 300, -35
6) #22-Kurt Busch, 289, -46
7) #33-Clint Bowyer, 284, -51
8) #39-Ryan Newman, 277, -58
9) #17-Matt Kenseth, 276, -59
10) #14-Tony Stewart, 275, -60
The two wild card’s
11) #43-A.J. Allmendinger, 263, -72 [11th]
12) #24-Jeff Gordon [1 win], 240, -95 [1 win]
See drivers championship points standings on Jayski’s Drivers Points Standings page.(4-30-2011) - Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Darlington:
Three teams are tied for 35th, #32, #13 & #71. The #32 gets the 35th with three best finishes of 15th, 22nd & 24th, the #13 is 36th with three best finishes of 15th, 22nd & 25th, the #71 is 37th with a best finish of 19th. With the #21 still in the top-35 [attempts do not matter if in the top-35] but skipping Darlington, the #13 will have a guaranteed spot at Darlington.
32) #21-Bayne/Wood Brothers, 140, +8
33) #7-RGordon/RGM, 137, +5
34) #36-Blaney/TBR, 136, +4
35) #32-Schrader/FAS Lane, 132, +0 point ahead of 36th
these teams / drivers would need to qualify by speed after race 5:
36) #13-Mears/Germain, 132, 0 points out of top 35
37) #71-Lally/TRG, 132, -0
38) #37-Raines/Front Row, 98, -34
39) #38-Kvapil/Front Row, 91, -41
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(4-30-2011) - Race Fast Facts – Richmond:
#18-Kyle Busch won the 57th Annual Crown Royal Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400, his 21st victory in 231 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his second victory and sixth top-10 finish in 2011.
This is his third victory and 11th top-10 finish in 13 races at Richmond International Raceway.
#11-Denny Hamlin (second) posted his seventh top-10 finish in 11 races at Richmond International Raceway. It is his second top-10 finish in 2011.
#4-Kasey Kahne (third) posted his sixth top-10 finish in 15 races at Richmond International Raceway.
#71-Andy Lally (26th) was the highest finishing rookie.
#99-Carl Edwards leads the point standings by 9 points over #48-Jimmie Johnson.(NASCAR Statistics)(4-30-2011) - Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Crown Royal Presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway have been made.
Pole sitter #42-Montoya chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #78-Smith took pit stall 17, the next stall with an opening in front of it.
#33-Bowyer, who starts 3rd took the 30th pit stall, the next stall with an opening in front of it.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #09-Cassill, who starts 34th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(4-30-2011) - Montoya’s contract status: #42-Juan Pablo Montoya was asked about his contract status with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and next season. Montoya is in the final year of his current contract, the transcript in part:
Q) IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR WHERE CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS REALLY HEAT UP, ARE YOU PLEASED WITH WHERE YOU ARE?
Montoya: “I can’t do anything right now. With the way my contract is I can’t really talk or anything. I’m just waiting. I’ve talked to Chip (Ganassi, team owner) a little bit and we’re moving along.”
Q) ARE YOU GOING TO STAY WHERE YOU ARE?
Montoya “I think things are good here right now. We’re running good. Yeah.”(Team Chevy)(4-30-2011) - Earnhardt Jr. not concerned about All-Star race: #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. was asked about the All-Star race during a press conference at Richmond:
Q) BASICALLY THERE ARE THREE RACES LEFT FOR YOU TO WIN AND QUALIFY FOR THE ALL-STAR RACE, PROBABLY PRETTY GOOD CHANCE YOU GET IN ON THE FAN VOTE, BUT IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOU TO QUALIFY BY WINNING THE RACE?
Earnhardt Jr. “No, not really. That weekend…I don’t take it for granted that we’ll get the fan vote; anything can happen. So, we’re just going to go and enjoy that weekend. That weekend is pretty fun. I would rather, personally make it through the fan vote because the qualifying procedure is a little bit of a pain in the tail, but, from a driver’s standpoint anyways, I’m sure that is probably not everybody’s opinion. Having to qualify and then sit around and wait for everybody else to qualify and run up and down pit road like hooligans is not a lot of fun. The most important thing is just focusing on the points races, the races that matter toward the championship. When we get to All Star weekend, however things are lined up is how things are lined up. That is just a fun weekend regardless. It will be interesting being on the other side of the fence, trying to find a way into the race and going through that experience myself personally to have an appreciation for what that is like versus just showing up and being locked in. It could be interesting and good for me to have that experience as well.”(Team Chevy)(4-30-2011) - Bayne Undergoing Medical Tests UPDATE: Roush Fenway’s [and Wood Brothers Racing’s #21] Trevor Bayne has been hospitalized and is undergoing tests for symptoms that are thought to be related to the insect bite he sustained earlier this month. “Trevor was not feeling well early this week and he is currently being evaluated for lingering symptoms that may be related to his previous insect bite,” said Roush Fenway president Steve Newmark. “Unfortunately Trevor will not be available to drive the #16 Ford for us this weekend in the Nationwide race at Richmond [Bayne was not scheduled to run the Sprint Cup race as the #21 Wood Brother’s team runs a limited schedule]. As of now, our plans are to use a substitute driver from the Roush Fenway family of drivers in place of Trevor at Friday night’s race. Obviously Trevor wanted to be in Richmond and he’s upset about not being able to compete. However, his health is our top priority and we insisted that he have these tests to get to the bottom of his symptoms. We will work to provide you with further updates as they become available.” The 20-year old driver was treated and released earlier this month after a reaction from an apparent insect bite on his left elbow that he suffered earlier that week while at home in North Carolina.(Roush Fenway Racing)(4-28-2011)
UPDATE: Trevor Bayne remained hospitalized a second night Friday as he undergoes tests for symptoms thought to be related to an insect bite suffered earlier this month. He suffered nausea and fatigue earlier this week before going to the hospital for the second time this month, a Roush Fenway Racing official said. Bayne was hospitalized April 10 upon returning to North Carolina from the Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway. “[Bayne] is undergoing a very comprehensive and thorough battery of tests,” said Steve Newmark, president of Roush Fenway Racing, on Friday night at Richmond International Raceway. “The doctors will finish those tests and, hopefully, get the results back and figure out what the diagnosis is. In a perfect world, what’s going to happen is that they’re going to come back and say, ‘Roush Fenway, you overreacted.’ In our view, the racing is kind of irrelevant right now when you’re talking about the health of a 20-year old kid.” Bayne was scheduled to have competed in Friday night’s Nationwide race. He was replaced by Chris Buescher.(Roanoke Times)(4-30-2011) - U.S. Army Racing Joins Forces with Revolution Racing: The U.S. Army announced a partnership with Revolution Racing and NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity (D4D) program for the 2011 season. During the upcoming racing campaign, the Army will serve as one of the primary sponsors for Revolution Racing in NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series races and as an associate sponsor for the entire roster of Revolution Racing drivers in both the K&N Pro Series and the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series (US Army Racing). More info on my Driver Development News and Links page.(4-30-2011)
- Fire destroys Smokey Yunick’s former garage UPDATE: The last remaining portion of legendary race car builder Smokey Yunick’s former garage complex was destroyed Monday night as smoke and flames poured from the building onto North Beach Street [Daytona Beach FL]. “It’s a shame to see it go,” said Carrol Smith, who lives nearby. “That corner will be really empty.” The relic of the innovative mechanic burst into flames about 7 pm, according to fire officials, and by 8:30 pm little of the building remained with the exception of portions of the block walls. Smoke was so thick at times the fire trucks battling the blaze couldn’t be seen through the plumes. “I think this is it,” Smith said to a friend sitting with her on the back of a pickup at the Riverside Trailer Park. “There was Smokey’s, the Streamline Motel where NASCAR was really born, and their was a garage in Ormond Beach that’s just marked with a sign that it used to be there.” The age of the building and its former use as a garage made the blaze hazardous for firefighters. “We’re not sending any of our guys in there,” said Daytona Beach Fire Department spokesman Lt. Larry Stoney. “We’re fighting this from outside. It’s going to be difficult to figure out the cause of the fire.” Yunick, who died in 2001 at age 77, wasn’t shy about his mechanical skills, calling his business the “Best Damn Garage in Town.” There were two sides to the shop. He worked on trucks on one side and race cars on the other. Inside the gray walls of his sprawling facility, Yunick made several significant gains for the automotive industry. Some of his inventions included variable-ratio power steering and the extended tip spark plug, a design utilized in most automobiles today. When Daytona International Speedway opened in 1959, Yunick’s machines made an immediate impact. He built the cars that carried Marvin Panch and Fireball Roberts to Daytona 500 victories in 1961 and ’63, respectively.(see full story at the Daytona Beach News Journal, some interesting info there)(4-26-2011)
UPDATE: The inferno that swept through the former garage of famed NASCAR mechanic Smokey Yunick was intentionally set, the State Fire Marshal’s office said Friday, and a reward is being offered for any information leading to an arrest. Nina Ashley, a spokeswoman for the State Fire Marshal’s office in Tallahassee, said the fire was “incendiary,” which means it was set intentionally. It has not been classified an arson, however, because the intent is not clear. A sign was posted Friday afternoon outside the property — which Yunick once called the “Best Damn Garage in Town” — offering a $5,000 reward for information.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(4-30-2011) - The Aflac Duck gets a new voice: Following a month-long search that included celebrities, actors, professional voice over artists and individuals from the general public, Aflac today introduced 36 year-old Dan McKeague of Hugo, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, as the new voice of the Aflac Duck. The married father of three submitted his audition online and was informed that he had been selected after a review of more than 12,500 live and online auditions. McKeague will make his vocal debut immediately in Aflac’s latest commercial titled Pigeon, wherein the Aflac Duck represents insurance coverage that includes major medical and Aflac, while a pigeon represents coverage that includes only major medical coverage without the financial protection of Aflac. Aflac is a primary sponsor for Carl Edwards in the #99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.(Roush Racing)(4-30-2011)
- NASCAR Unites launched: Through the newly launched NASCAR Unites charitable platform, this weekend the NASCAR community will support disaster relief efforts taking place as a result of this week’s tornado outbreak in the Southeastern part of the United States. By logging on to nascar.com/Unites fans can support these efforts by volunteering or making a donation. NASCAR also filmed a call to action television spot earlier Friday featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr., Darrell Waltrip and Mike Helton that aired during the Bubba Burger 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race on SPEED and will air during tonights Crown Royal Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on FOX. Both events will be run at Richmond International Raceway.(4-30-2011)
- Update on Kasey Kahne’s knee: a transcript in part from Toyota Motorsports from a press conference at Richmond, with #4-Kasey Kahne answering questions on his recent knee surgery:
Q) How did your knee surgery go and how are you feeling now?
Kahne: “It went really good. I thought just doing it Monday right after the Talladega race would be good. I’d have plenty of time to recover. They just had to fix my meniscus again. It actually feels pretty good.”
Q) Will your knee injury affect you in the race car?
Kahne: “I hope it doesn’t, but it’s still a little bit sore. I think it may be sore throughout the race, but really as far as affecting the speed or the way that the race plays out, I don’t think it will affect that at all.”
Q) How long have your knees been an issue?
Kahne: “I always had really good knees and then just last year they started really bothering me. It had been building up for a while. I got them fixed in November. And then my right one, I reinjured it in probably about January or February — probably February and I’ve just been waiting until I had time to get it fixed. It’s been kind of a pain, but at the same time it’s part of things happen. It’s part of bones and cartilage and all of that stuff I guess. I’ve had some struggles with it for a little while, but I think hopefully it’s fixed now and be good to go from here on out.”
Q) How did you reinjure your knee?
Kahne: “I finished a workout and I slipped off the bench and just my feet kind of gave out — I don’t know how I did it. I mean, I know exactly how it happened, I don’t know exactly why. It just happened and I laid there for about five minutes, and then the last two months I’ve hoped that it would get better and it didn’t so I got it checked again and I had blown basically the stitches that held it together that they fixed the first time. I had blown those stitches out, so it was just hanging in there again.”
Q) Did your slip cause you to blow your knee out or did you blow your knee out and then slip?
Kahne: “It was definitely because I slipped and then put the pressure on them and it couldn’t handle it. They were fine until that.”
Q) Do you have to wear a brace on your knee?
Kahne: “No, by bracing it doesn’t really make it feel any better. It’s just inside. It’s not really a twist. It just has to heal.”
Q) Did you have to make any adjustments to the seat in your race car after this surgery?
Kahne: “I sat in the car a couple of days ago and it felt fine. I think the pressure of going through a corner — your leg like leaning on the side — that might affect it some and just going up and down with your throttle the whole night. You know, it might gain a little swelling and be tight or something. But, that would be about it. It should be good.”
Q) Do you have any more surgery scheduled?
Kahne: “No. I hope not. I don’t want any more surgeries. I’m over it. It’s not that much fun.”(Toyota Motorsports)(4-30-2011) - NASCAR Adds Key Talent to Executive Team, Aligns Organization To Drive Industry Growth: To drive strategic priorities and overall industry growth, NASCAR announced key additions to its executive leadership team and several organizational changes designed to better position the sanctioning body for long-term growth and to meet the immediate needs of key industry partners. The changes are effective immediately. See the full announcement on my NASCAR Personnel page.(4-30-2011)
- Wedding at Richmond: a marriage will take place at Richmond International Raceway prior to the Crown Royal Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. William Rodriguez and Buffie Richards will tie the knot in Gatorade Victory Lane at 3:00 p.m. The two met at Wal-Mart, where Richards works, and struck up a conversation that has led them to America’s Premier Short Track. “We are getting married at Richmond International Raceway because we have always thought of it as our home track,” said Richards. Both are hardcore NASCAR fans, with Rodriguez favoring the Fords and Richards preferring Chevrolets. The groomsmen will don Ford blue oval t-shirts and the bridesmaids will sport Chevy bowties. The happy couple will return to Spotsylvania, VA for what will hopefully be many years of happy marriage and racing rivalry. Tickets for the Crown Royal Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race are still available, and start at $45 in advance. For tickets and information, log on to www.rir.com, call 866-455-7223 or visit a ticket booth at the track this weekend.(RIR)(4-30-2011)
- Buy Watkins Glen Tix, get flowers for Mom: Mother’s Day is a very special occasion that allows everyone to show their mom how appreciated they are; but don’t you deserve something for being so thoughtful in return? Watkins Glen International says the answer is a most definite YES and, thanks to Tropical Images, has a great offer for race fans. Any fan that purchases tickets for the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen weekend, August 11-14, between Wednesday, April 27 and Friday, May 6 will have the ability to send a dozen roses to mom in time for Mother’s Day! The deadline for taking advantage of this great offer is fast approaching and Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 8, so act now! Fans looking to treat their mother to beautiful roses and treating themselves to a full weekend of racing excitement need to log on to The Glen’s official website, www.TheGlen.com. Prior to entering the website, a special page will open which will include the link for this great offer. Simply click the link and follow the onscreen directions to make your ticket purchase and supply the address for the recipient of the flowers.(WGI)(4-30-2011)
- Dierks Bentley to Perform Pre-Race Concert at Sprint All-Star Race: Grammy-nominated country music superstar Dierks Bentley is set to perform a pre-race concert for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, May 21, at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The Dierks Bentley All-Star Concert presented by Budweiser begins at 2:30 pm in the infield between Turns 1 and 2. Admission to the concert is free with the purchase of a ticket to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Frontstretch tickets with the best views of pit road and the world’s largest HD video board, coming to the speedway in May, start at just $49 for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race or two for just $99 to the to the Coca-Cola 600. Tickets can be purchased by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.(CMS)(4-30-2011) - Jake Owen to Entertain Fans before at Kansas: In addition to the thrills on the track, race fans will experience an “Eight Second Ride,” coupled with a dose of “Yee-Haw,” when country superstar Jake Owen takes to the stage prior to the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway. Owen, a Florida native, is expected to perform hits from his first album, “Startin’ With Me,” and his sophomore effort, “Easy Does It.” The RCA Nashville recording artist is a CMA-ACM-Grammy nominated entertainer known for his southern style and charm, he cites Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams Jr. and Conway Twitty as those who inspire his music. Tickets for the STP 400, which includes the Jake Owen pre-race concert, are available now. Individual tickets for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on June 4th are also on sale. Fans can purchase tickets to Kansas Speedway by calling 866.460.RACE (7223) or by logging onto www.kansasspeedway.com.(Kansas Speedway)(4-30-2011)
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