May 3, 2014
- Race Coverage of the Aaron’s 499 Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway is scheduled for Sunday, May 4, 2014.
Television (TV): FOX at 1:00 pm/et; Pre-Race show at 12:30pm/et; green flag approx. 1:19pm/et
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
Scheduled Race Re-Airs: Friday, May 9 at 3:00am/et on FS1 - Scott wins Talladega pole: #33-Brian Scott won the pole for the Aaron’s 499 Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway with speed of 198.290mph after the 3rd and final session of group qualifying. It is Scott’s 1st career pole in the Sprint Cup Series and puts him into the 2015 Sprint Unlimited.
#27-Menard qualified on the outside pole (2nd) followed by #47-Allmendinger, #13-Mears, #3-Dillon, #31-Newman, #10-Patrick, #4-Harvick, #41-Busch, #99-Edwards, #24-Gordon and #14-Stewart is 12th.
For the first time in 2014 group qualifying, #22-Logano didn’t advance into all the rounds, qualifying 16th in round 2.
#5-Kahne’s Chevy was too light in post-qualifying tech and #78-Truex Jr.’s car didn’t meet height requirements and both cars had speeds/times disallowed and will have to use provisionals with #5-Kahne starting 42nd and #78-Truex Jr. starting 43rd.
Missing the race were: #35-McClure, #44-Yeley, #77-Blaney, #87-Nemechek.
See starting lineup, qualifying results, round results and more on the Talladega Starting Lineup / Qualifying Results page.(5-3-2014) - Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Aaron’s 499 Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway have been made.
Pole sitter #33-Scott chose pit stall 17, the first pit stall in front of it.
Outside pole sitter #27-Menard took pit stall 1.
#47-Allmendinger, who starts 3rd took the 29th pit stall, the 2nd stall with an opening in front of it.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #99-Edwards, who starts 10th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(5-3-2014) - Qualifying Fast Facts – Talladega:
#33-Brian Scott won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 45th Annual Aaron’s 499 with a lap of 48.293 seconds, 198.290 mph.
This is his first pole in five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. His previous best start was 12th, in this year’s Daytona 500.
This is his first top-10 start in 2014.
In the first round, #18-Kyle Busch and #22-Joey Logano posted laps of 200.574 mph and 200.171 mph, respectively. Those are the first qualifying laps faster than 200 mph at Talladega since 1987.#27-Paul Menard (second) posted his third top-10 start of 2014 and his fourth in 16 races at Talladega Superspeedway.
#47-AJ Allmendinger (third) posted his third top-10 start at Talladega Superspeedway. It is his first in ten races this season.
#3-Austin Dillon (fifth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.(NASCAR Statistics)(5-3-2014) - Second Round of Qualifying for the Aaron’s 499 Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway is over after 10 scheduled minutes. The top five after round 2.
#33-Scott 196.911
#47-Allmendinger 196.754
#99-Edwards 196.681
#13-Mears 196.653
#3-Dillon 196.576
the rest of the top 12: 31 14 4 24 27 41 10;
out of the top 12 and not advancing to round 3: 2 95 43 22 5 7 55 18 48 20 36 21
(5-3-2014) - First Round of Qualifying for the Aaron’s 499 Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway is over, after 25 minutes. The top-five after round 1.
#18-Busch 200.574
#22-Logano 200.171
#48-Johnson 199.912
#95-McDowell 199.812
#2-Keselowski 199.766
the rest of the top 24: 20 4 14 10 41; 24 21 27 43 33 13 47 3 55 31; 5, 7, 99 & 36.
Drivers who will miss the race: #35-McClure, #44-Yeley, #77-Blaney and #87-Nemechek.
(5-3-2014) - Goodyear tire notes for Talladega: Teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will run the same tire codes at Talladega this weekend . . . this is the same combination of left- and right-side tires that Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck teams ran at this track last October and teams in all three of NASCAR’s top series ran at Daytona in February . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Talladega . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire. See tire codes, tire pressures, set limits and more on the Talladega Race Info page – Goodyear section.
- Group qualifying under the three-round qualifying format:
” Round 1 — All entries will have 25 minutes to post a qualifying time, after which the 24 registering the fastest laps will advance to the second round. Those failing to advance will be sorted based on first-round times in descending order (from fastest to slowest). Four drivers will not make the race.
” Round 2 — The 24 fastest from the first round will have 10 minutes to post a second-round qualifying time, with the 12 fastest advancing to a third round. Those not advancing will earn starting positions 13 through 24 based on time, again in descending order.
” Round 3 — The final round will be five minutes in length. The fastest times from this session will determine the first (Coors Light Pole Award) through 12th starting positions.
There will be a five-minute break between each round; teams may make adjustments to their entries only during the individual breaks. They will not be allowed to jack the vehicle or raise the hood, and once the car or truck enters the garage, it will no longer be permitted to return to the track for additional qualifying attempts. - Some driver comments about knockout qualifying at Talladega: comments made by a few drivers regarding the new group qualifying being used for the first time at Talladega on Saturday, May 3rd (FOX at 1:00pm/et):
#20-Matt Kenseth: “I guess the truth is none of us really know. Obviously the bigger the group is and the farther you are back from it to a certain point the bigger run you’re going to go and the fastest lap time you are going to get. That’s not a secret and everybody knows that so everybody is waiting for that group. There’s never going to be a group, so I think it’s going to be kind of funny to watch. I don’t know how it’s going to work. We did the first round at Daytona in Nationwide and it was a little crazy, but the field is obviously better in Cup. I don’t know what’s going to happen. It should be interesting especially having three rounds. I think obviously the first round is where you’re going to have your fast lap times and that one you’re going to have to probably make more calculations or more aggressive moves or however you want to put it to get that lap once they start thinning this field out and you get down to 12 or even 25 or 24 or whatever it’s going to change a little bit. There’s always a potential for a wreck when you put 43 cars out there. I think everybody is going to try to do a strategy to get the fastest lap they can to start as far as they can toward the front. What that’s going to look like I honestly just don’t really know. It depends what everybody does and there’s no way to predict what everybody is going to do. The people in the big pack aren’t going to be the ones running the fast lap, it’s going to be the people behind the big pack. Everybody knows that so there might not be a big pack. I’m not really sure exactly how it’s going to go down.”
#22-Joey Logano: “I don’t think anyone knows for sure what’s gonna happen. I will say that we have a little game plan to work and try to make sure our cars not only stay safe but are able to go out there and post a good lap and just try to get through all of the segments. Our car is still the only car to get through every segment this year so far. That’s something to be proud of. This is the one real wild card because there’s a good chance the fastest car may not get the pole this week. That’s gonna be something very different. There’s a lot of strategy that’s gonna go into this. We’re gonna watch Nationwide qualifying and see what they do there, and then also I think if you look at the practice we had here last year when we knew qualifying was gonna get rained out and everyone kind of did it, it took five laps for everyone to get going because no one wanted to be the lead guy. I think guys are just gonna go and go out there. I think there will be a point that there are gonna be a lot of cars out there. I think you have to put your lap up very quick because I think after the first five minutes the top 18 cars or so are probably gonna pit, and not be out there. So the less cars that are on the race track, the harder it is to run that fast lap. I’ve been working with my teammate Brad, and also McDowell some I think and kind of figure out what we’ve got to do to put together a good package for us to run a fast lap and have the right strategy, and also stay out of the crash because I think it’s gonna happen. I think there will be a wreck within this qualifying session just because the closing rate you’re gonna be catching some of these guys. For guys in the middle of the race track and then you’re going to the bottom, he decided he wants to get out of the way and goes to the bottom, oh, shoot, you’re gonna get in a crash. So you’ve got to be on your toes throughout the whole session. I think as each session goes it’s gonna get a little bit calmer because obviously there are gonna be less cars out there.”
#34-David Ragan: “There’s no question that we’re gonna run together. The bigger the pack and the more cars you have, the faster you go, but everyone has to sit down and think about what they want to achieve from qualifying. Do you want to sit on the pole? If you want to set fast time or qualify in the top three or four you’re gonna have to be aggressive and make some risky moves. If you want to be conservative and just make the race, you can be a little conservative and maybe ride behind the pack or have a clean lap and come in and just park it. You just need to determine what you want to get out of qualifying, but there’s no doubt there will be a fairly large pack, I would assume the first part of that qualifying and there’s no secret – the bigger the pack, the more cars that are in line, the faster you’re going to go. You’ll have some guys that realize they’ll have a chance for the pole that maybe wouldn’t have a chance for the pole and they’ll take some chances, but I think in our case we just want to play it cool. Obviously get into the race. It would be great to qualify in the top 15 or 20 where we could get a little better pit stall selection, but I didn’t really come down here to just set my focus on sitting on the pole. We came down to try to do everything we can to win the race. It doesn’t really matter where you qualify.”
#48-Jimmie Johnson: “I don’t know what is going to exactly happen. But to win the pole, you’re going to have to go out there and race. And the run that you can get on a group that it a football-field-or-two ahead of you, is so dramatic that I even think that a 10 or 12-car line won’t be as fast as somebody who falls way back in the pack and has a chance over a lap or two to pull up into the pack. So that’s what every driver is going to try to do. And setting that up is going to be tough because one, everybody is going to be trying it; and two, if you see someone behind you coming, why are you going to stay on the gas to help them? So, bailing out of the gas, breaking up the pack, and things like that are all possible. So, I don’t know. It’s going to be exciting for sure. We’ll all clearly be working on it during practice. And then qualifying itself will be very exciting. The thing I’m trying to come to grips with is where do I take a large risk? Trying to qualify well or trying to work my way through the pack to get to the front? And we’re just not sure right now what to expect. We wanted to come here with a plan in place of how we were going to qualify, but our opinion seems to change every 15 minutes. And we’re going to wait until after P2 and decide what we’re going to do.”
#78-Martin Truex Jr.: “We would like to be in the same position as we were today. At the start of practice we got in front of a line of cars and were able to make a run up there. The difference tomorrow is that we don’t know what everyone else’s plan is going to be. Everyone will be trying to do what we did in practice today and that’s to be in the right position to get the fastest speed. And at the same time it’s going to be a risky session. Our No. 1 goal right now is to make sure this Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet races on Sunday. If we feel like we’re in a danger zone we’ll abort. It really doesn’t matter where you start here.”
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: “Nobody knows. I just don’t know. We will just have to see. The guy that gets the pole is going to have to hit it just right. We built a brand new race car so our willingness to take risks is going to be pretty limited throughout that process. We just you know need to get into the field with the car it doesn’t matter where you start other than just picking on pit road. Not sure exactly what our approach is yet. We’ve still got some conversations to have between Steve (Letarte) and our teammates and just sort of feel out everybody’s opinion about what they want to do and how they want to try to accomplish the best result they can. I don’t think right now anybody has any answers.”(PR’s)(5-3-2014) - The 20th Anniversary Kyle Petty Charity Ride: Former NASCAR driver and racing analyst Kyle Petty is gearing up for his 20th Anniversary Ride Across America. From May 3-10, Petty will lead more than 200 participants – including several celebrities- from Carlsbad, California to Daytona Beach, Florida to raise awareness and funds for Victory Junction. For more info and links, go to Jayski’s Victory Junction News page.(5-3-2014)
- Talladega Notes & Facts – Saturday – poles:
· Bobby Isaac won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Talladega in 1969 with a speed of 196.386mph. Isaac won the first three poles at the 2.66-mile superspeedway. Charlie Glotzbach had won the pole at 199.998 mph, but did not run the race, due to the boycott and was not credited with the pole.
· 36 drivers have Coors Light poles at Talladega, led by Bill Elliott with eight. Joe Nemechek leads all active drivers with four.
· 10 drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Talladega. Bill Elliott holds the record for most consecutive poles at Talladega with six (1985 – 1987).
· 13 of the 89 (14.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega have been won from the Coors Light pole. Jeff Gordon (2007) is the only active driver to be able to accomplish the feat.
· The outside front row (second-place) starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (20) than any other starting position at Talladega.
· David Gilliland (10/08/2006) and Travis Kvapil (10/05/2008) posted their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light poles at Talladega.
· Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Talladega with a 10.125. · Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway five times; most recently fall of 2013. · 33 of the 89 (37%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega have been won from the front row: 13 from the pole and 20 from second-place.
· 62 of the 89 (69.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Talladega have been won from a top-10 starting position.
· 7 of the 89 (7.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
(NASCAR)(5-3-2014) - Earnhardt Jr. squashes marriage rumor: #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. met with members of the media at Talladega Superspeedway and discussed a few things, among them was marriage/weddings. The transcript in part:
Q) FROM EVERYTHING I UNDERSTAND YOU ARE A PRETTY FRUGAL GUY SO COULD YOU EVER IMAGINE IF YOU WERE EVER TO GET MARRIED THAT YOU WOULD SPEND TWO MILLION DOLLARS LIKE THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER SAYS THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE DOING LATER THIS YEAR?
Earnhardt Jr.: “I definitely would have a hard time writing that check (laughter).”
Q) WOULD YOU DO IT AT DAYTONA?
Earnhardt Jr.: “No of course not. I would not force everybody to go down to Daytona for my wedding. I probably would just have it right there in the back yard, but whatever is easiest. That was funny. I read that and it was a roller coaster of an article. Pretty good.”
Q) DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE GETTING MARRIED?
Earnhardt Jr.: “I didn’t. So we just skipped the engagement I guess, went right to the wedding.”(Team Chevy)(5-3-2014) - C&J Energy Services sponsors Terry Labonte’s 60th Talladega Start: For the fourth consecutive year, C&J Energy Services is teaming up with Terry Labonte. Labonte will pilot the #32 C&J Energy Services Ford in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega. C&J Energy Services, who has supported Terry for the past three seasons, will continue their partnership past Talladega for two more races during the 2014 season including Daytona in July and Talladega in October. This year’s Aaron’s 499 will mark Labonte’s 60th start at the famed 2.6 mile high-banked superspeedway. Labonte made his first Talladega start in 1979.
“We are very proud and excited to be associated with GO FAS Racing and Terry Labonte,” commented Josh Comstock, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of C&J Energy Services. “Like C&J, both GO FAS and Terry have strong family values and a competitive spirit. Also like C&J, they generate more with a smaller asset base than most of their much larger competitors and deliver superior performance through technology and efficiency. This team truly exemplifies our slogan of “Competitive Horsepower”. We are looking forward to participating with Terry and GO FAS at the Daytona and Talladega events.”
“It is exciting for the GO FAS Racing team to be heading to Talladega once again with Terry Labonte and have C&J Energy Services back with us for a fourth season,” said team owner Frank Stoddard. “Terry doesn’t get rattled behind the wheel at these tracks, and I think his numbers speak volumes. You don’t have to worry about him making mistakes and he takes care of the car for you. It is very important for our team to not only run competitive, but also finish the race and run all of the laps.”(GoGreen Racing)(5-3-2014) - Golden Corral returns to the #36: For the second time this season, Golden Corral is back onboard the #36 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevy of Reed Sorenson at Talladega Superspeedway. “I am looking forward to having Golden Corral back on board my #36 Chevrolet this weekend at Talladega,” Sorenson commented. “We had a great run back in February with Golden Corral and were up front for most of the night. A top 10 would be great for our team, then kids would get to eat free on Monday.”(TBR), see images of the car on #36 Team Schemes page.(5-3-2014)
- Sadler wins at Talladega: #11-Elliott Sadler won the Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway. #60-Chris Buescher finished second followed by #7-Regan Smith, #98-David Ragan, #54-Sam Hornish, Jr., #87-Joe Nemechek, #28- JJ Yeley, ##01-Landon Cassill, #44- David Starr, #6-Trevor Bayne.
There were 7 cautions for 29 laps and 27 lead changes among 13 leaders. Complete results are on the Talladega race results page (pdf).(5-3-2014) - Talladega Race Fast Facts:
Elliott Sadler won the 23rd Annual Aaron’s 312, his 10th victory in 239 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his first victory and seventh top-10 finish in 2014. He ends a 54-race win drought; his last win was at Iowa Speedway on Aug. 4, 2012.
This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in six races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Chris Buescher (second) posted his first career top-five finish. His previous best career finish was seventh (three times). It is his third top-10 finish in 2014.
Regan Smith (third) posted his second top-10 finish in four races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Chase Elliott # leads the point standings by 1 points over Elliott Sadler.
(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(5-3-2014) - Driver standings following Talladega:
1) #9-Chase Elliott# 339
2) #11-Elliott Sadler, 338, -1
3) #7-Regan Smith, 336, -3
4) #6-Trevor Bayne 308, -31
5) #3-Ty Dillon# 308, -31
6) #2-Brian Scott 277, -62
7) #62-Brendan Gaughan 250, -89
8) #99-James Buescher 244, -95
9) #60- Chris Buescher # 229, -110
10) #16-Ryan Reed# 225, -114
See complete standings on the driver standings page (pdf).(5-3-2014) - Owner Standings following Talladega are posted (pdf).(5-3-2014)
- Lucky Dogs – Who got a lap back on each caution at Talladega: (and their finish)
Caution 1: #76-Tommy Joe Martins, 14th
Caution 2: #43-Dakoda Armstrong, 18th
Caution 3: #14- Eric McClure, 17th
Caution 4: #3-Ty Dillon, 15th
Caution 5: None
Caution 6: #6-Trevor Bayne, 10th
Caution 7: #6-Trevor Bayne, 10th
(5-3-2014) - Florida Legislature Approves Sports Stadium Funding Process Bill: on Friday, the Florida Legislature approved House Bill 7095, recommending the bill be signed by Gov. Rick Scott. The bill establishes a process by which sports franchises are able to apply to receive sales tax refunds from the state based on the amount of sales tax generated by the facility. Daytona International Speedway’s DAYTONA Rising project, a $400 million reimagining of an American icon, is eligible for application under the bill to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa France Kennedy: “Today’s decision by the Florida Legislature makes evident that the State recognizes the tremendous value that DAYTONA Rising has and continues to deliver to our area. If signed, the legislation will set the framework to potentially provide additional capital for the project, allowing us to build upon the already massive economic benefits being generated in the region – from thousands of new jobs to millions of dollars in new tax revenues. We are proud of our efforts with DAYTONA Rising, and are especially grateful to all our local community supporters who rallied on our behalf to help keep these dollars in our community and region. We’re also grateful to the leaders in Tallahassee for their willingness to create a means by which to partner with us to build a better economic future together.”
Daytona International Speedway Joie Chitwood III: “The Florida Legislature sent a clear message in favor of prudent economic growth today by setting up an equitable process for sports stadium projects to compete for funds that generate a return for our communities. We are thankful for their support, foresight and leadership, and look forward to the next step in the legislative process as the bill moves to the Governor’s office for signing. DAYTONA Rising is an unprecedented $400 million project that has already yielded significant economic benefits. If the bill is signed, DAYTONA Rising will stand as the model for a true private-public partnership with far-reaching advantages for Florida.” For tickets and more information on Daytona International Speedway events, visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(5-3-2014)
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