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Monday, June 30, 2014

2014 Daytona Schedule (Race Two)

Firecracker 400 (Coke Zero 400)


By Richard Tix

**All Times are Eastern**


Thursday July 3, 2014
  • 12-2 pm- Nationwide Final Practice
  • 4-5:20 pm- Sprint Cup Practice- Fox Sports 1
  • 6:35-8 pm- Sprint Cup Final Practice- Fox Sports 1
Friday July 4, 2014
  • 3:10 pm- Nationwide Pole Qualifying- Fox Sports 1
  • 5:10 pm- Sprint Cup Pole Qualifying- Fox Sports 1
  • 7:30 pm- Nationwide Race. Subway Firecracker 250 Powered by Coca-Cola- ESPN2
Saturday July 5, 2014
  • 7:30 pm- Sprint Cup Race. Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola (160 laps, 400 miles)- TNT


Dale Earnhardt Jr's Adrenaline Tweets: 6/30

Tweets from After Kentucky


By Richard Tix

Well this is the third addition of Dale Earnhardt Jr's tweets after the race. Jr had a few opinions after the race that are definitely worth sharing. 


This was a pretty hilarious conversation.







Short list this week again. Hopefully I will add some more throughout the week. This week after the race he didn't do much of a Q&A which is always solid gold. Thanks for checking it out! hope you enjoyed.

This Week in NASCAR: 6/30

News and Notes from the World of NASCAR


By Richard Tix

This Week in NASCAR is a weekly article sharing quick links and other random notes from around the web and Twitter


Articles:


Random:


Danica Video bombing Clint


David Ragan had a rough day.
Make that another driver not pleased with the bumps.

Harvick is one of the best follows on Twitter. Very honored he lets us all into his personal life.






Clint weighs in with an opinion that I also have.

Thanks for checking out NASCAR Behind the Wall. Check back for more updates throughout the week!

Pit Road Week 17: Kentucky

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Week 17


By Richard Tix

Many drivers had a Roller Coaster race on Saturday night. Some reach a season high (Brad Keselowski), others a low when bad luck struck (Denny Hamlin), and all the rest were just riding the bumps of Kentucky Speedways front stretch. 



Dale Earnhardt Jr wasn't the only one to make comments after the race. David Ragan and Rodney Childers also chimed in (which I will cover in This Week in NASCAR). As far as the racing goes the Quaker State 400 wasn't terrible (but it wasn't edge of your seat either). The lack of entertainment most likely came from
the fact that Brad Keselowski lead early and often. In fact, he lead 199 of 267 laps on his way to a dominant win. One things fans get bored with is these types of wins (See Jimmie Johnson at Dover). But when a driver is on he is on. Back in Richard Petty's hey day these things happened even more often, heck back in the day a winning driver would lap most of the field.



If you missed the race check out the full Quaker State 400 results here.




Pit Road Power Rankins Week 17 (Week 16)
  1. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-1)- Well since I went with Jr last week he kept himself in position this week. Jr did that by finishing 5th on Saturday which makes 9 top 5's in 17 races (leads all drivers in top 5's).
  2. Jimmie Johnson (LW-2)- A lot of rankings have JJ #1, which I will not argue. JJ finished 10th on Saturday night which gives him 12 top 10's in 2014, tied with Jr and 1 less the Gordon (13). 
  3. Brad Keselowski (LW-7)- With the win at Kentucky, BK just clinched his spot in the Chase with 2 wins so far in 2014. BK also is second to only Jr in top 5's (8). His last 5 finishes have been very impressive, minus Sonoma (2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 22nd, and 1st).
  4. Jeff Gordon (LW-3)- If you take Talladega out of the question, Jeff Gordon has a low finish of 15th. Even counting Dega Gordon has finished in the top 10 13 of 17 races and the top 15 16 of 17. He has been the model of consistency this season and showed that again at Kentucky with a 6th place finish.
  5. Kevin Harvick (LW-4)- In Harvick's last 10 races he has 1 win, 4 top 5's and 6 top 10's. In fact, in his last 10 he has been runner up (2nd) three times. He also has 3 poles in that same time, so to say he has been fast might be an under statement.
  6. Kasey Kahne (LW-11)- Kahne had a rough start to the 2014 season, but currently he is on a three race top 10 streak. He could be turning things around just in time. He has had a history of winning at a some of the tracks coming up.
  7. Paul Menard (LW-8)- Things start to get dicey in the rankings starting here. All of the remaining guys have had there chance to shine but also have struggled. So, with that being said I have a handful of guys that could go from 7-15 in any order. Menard is first up. He finished 15th just a week after notching back to back top 5's. Menard is officially having one of his best seasons yet.
  8. Joey Logano (LW-NR)- Joey Logano has had a very good season so far. He has almost always been fast in practice and in qualifying, but sometimes he falls off just a bit during the race. Most of the time he climbs back and finds a way to finish top 10, but lately he hasn't had the cars to compete for the win. However his teammate has been getting it together so I would say JoLo will be figuring it out again soon.
  9. Matt Kenseth (LW-12)- Matt Kenseth is still looking for his first win of 2014, but I think he was happy to break his bad 3 race run with a 4th place finish Saturday at Kentucky. Kenseth has been slipping up (plus some bad luck) in the previous three but I would bet that this 4th place finish could turn things right back around.
  10. Clint Bowyer (LW-5)- Bowyer hasn't had a very great season so far, but before his 23rd finish at Kentucky he was on a nice little roll (10th, 10th, 11th, and 4th). Because that run got him up to 5th in my rankings he hangs on for one more week.
  11. Ryan Newman (LW-NR)- It has been hard to rank Newman all season. Not because Ryan has been bad, but because he has been good but not great. He sits 8th in the standings yet he doesn't have a win, is behind 20 drivers in top 5's (1), and behind 12 drivers in top 10's (6). See how it is hard to rank him? This week Newman finished 3rd so he squeak's in. NASCAR heads to Daytona and the Loudon so he has a chance to hang around for a bit.
  12. Kyle Busch (LW-NR)- Last spot goes to Kyle Busch for a pretty good second place run at Kentucky. Most of the time when a driver has a stretch as bad as Kyle just had, one good finish isn't enough to get back into the top 12, but Kyle was the only one to test BK and Penske teammate Joey Logano on Saturday (led 31 laps). Maybe he can turn things around in 2014, but will it be enough to finally contend for a Championship?
Dropped Out: Jamie McMurray, Kyle Larson, and Carl Edwards
Just Missed: Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, and Marcus Ambrose
Honorable Mention: Marcus Ambrose (13th) and Michael Annett (18th)


Here are this weeks winners (Follower and other NASCAR fans who correctly picked Brad Keselowski to win at Kentucky and let me know. @NASCARBTW)




Always down for BK unless I am told otherwise!

Nice call by Garry! He overachieved and called BK leading the most laps.

Yes, I also got it right. I am now 2/17!!


As always, thank you for reading! I do appreciate it. Check back for a new This Week in NASCAR, Driver Entry List, and a Daytona Firecracker 400 preview!

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

How Can NASCAR Fix it's Biggest Problems?

NASCAR's Big Changes Before it is too Late


By Richard Tix

I will start out with this statement. This is not the first "NASCAR has a problem and needs to fix it," article nor will it be the last.  That's because in some sense NASCAR does have a problem it needs to resolve.  Everyone has heard hundreds of times by now that NASCAR has an attendance problem.

In recent years less and less fans have been going to see races. When NASCAR hit it's boom they did not think ahead to the day when things even out. NASCAR just went for the jugular and expanded aggressively. They left the southern roots behind for a more general demographic.

NASCAR needed to, at that time, move to more areas in the country. Many fans across the nation were hooked on NASCAR. At that same time NASCAR forgot what was working. Southern tracks had a more home town feel, and a lot of this was because NASCAR had a lot of good short-intermediate tracks on the schedule.

Well, when NASCAR expanded it was mostly 1.5 mile tracks that many fans call "cookie-cutter" tracks. I do enjoy most of these tracks, but what NASCAR was thinking with these 1.5 mile tracks was more seats, better views, more money. They thought more seats was good for the fans as well as themselves ($$$), but they were living in the moment and not thinking about the day it could catch up to them.

The day has come where this grand expansion has caught up with NASCAR. This happen's in every major sport that we know. It is how NASCAR handles it from here on out that will decide the sports future and how its fan base take it.  NASCAR is not yet too deep to dig itself back out. Let's be honest, NASCAR still brings in far more fans in a single weekend race then any other US sporting event. Just because we saw how big it was doesn't mean all the less fans we see in the stands every weekend wasn't going to happen anyways.

But NASCAR has to start considering some changes before it is too late. A race weekend becomes too expensive to go to for the normal fan. When these fans have a family that also loves the same sport as them it becomes almost impossible to go to the track on Sunday (Saturday night). These same fans would much rather visit there local small town track for a much more reasonable price, plus its arguable that the action is just as good on a given night.

So what should NASCAR do? This is the part where everyone has there grand idea that will be a sure fire fix. Most don't realize it won't be that easy. I mean heck, the NASCAR fan base didn't take a Chase points system change with a grain of salt. The changes will have to be a wait and see change and as we know, NASCAR fans get upset over that. First reaction is, "Mr France is ruining this sport." "This sport has gone down hill starting with Dale Earnhardt's death." The reactions go on and on without giving NASCAR a chance.

So, it has to start out with us fans admitting things need a change and we have to actually accept change. Next, something has to happen to the schedule. I am all in favor of adding more short tracks, road courses, and tracks with character.

New Tracks (Short and Unique)

Iowa Speedway in my mind would be a great addition, which many drivers have also said. This is just one of many ideas. Short tracks would allow NASCAR to fill the smaller stands while still giving the fans great on track racing with some bumping and banging. When NASCAR heads to a 1.5 mile track the smallest nudge can ruin both drivers day. Racing started with bumping and banging and short tracks give these drivers that opportunity without ending there day because of a dent ruining the "aero."

When adding in the short tracks, take some 1.5 mile tracks out of the schedule who get two stops. Even a track like Michigan International Speedway (which I really do enjoy and go to every year) could be reduced to one stop a season. Texas, Kansas, and Pocono all also come to mind. Same with Dover (not a 1.5) if they don't figure out attendance issues of there own.

Some of these smaller or unique tracks can start there own history. How Darlington lost a second race on the schedule after a storied history is beyond me. NASCAR needs to bring the character back to the tracks. Even when a 1.5 mile track has some weird bumps that actually provide great racing rumors pop up that they are going to repave it.

More small tracks, less two stop 1.5 mile track (or larger tracks like MIS and Pocono), and add a road course or two (including in the Chase). Road courses don't exactly provide the best views and sight lines, but they do create a lot of great on track racing (beating and banging). Adding one to the Chase would only amplify the excitement on the track and hopefully some fans in the stands.

Race Length:

Past my scheduling ideas NASCAR needs to take a look at race lengths. This has been talked about a lot and every angle has been looked at. I am in favor of changing some of the race lengths. Some fuel mileage races a shorter race would be beneficial. I don't want to touch some of the traditional races, like the 600 or the Daytona 500, but some events can be shortened to provide more excitement. As much as I love scheduling my Sunday around a 4 hour race, fans attention spans are becoming shorter. Not only that but the longer the race, the better chance we have of a drawn out fuel mileage finish.

Weekend Expense's:

One more thing that NASCAR really needs to take into account is the expense of a race weekend. The big issue isn't the ticket price (in general a good seat to a Cup race ins't far off from say a good ticket to a NBA
or NFL game) but rather the rest of the expenses. NASCAR has a very unique dilemma when it comes to fans attending its events. Unlike most other sports where I would say 70-80% come from the nearby area (this is just a simple guess), NASCAR brings in fans from surrounding states. I know at the Michigan race I go to fans from touching states plus Minnesota, Iowa, and Canada all attend. This is the norm when it comes to track attendance.

Nearby hotels are on to this and will jack up prices for the weekend. I am lucky as we have friends that live 45 min from MIS in Brooklyn MI, but many are not so lucky. What NASCAR really needs to look into is a package deal. In a sport that is known for its sponsors and sponsor relations why can't they look into partnering with airlines or hotels in the area to help out the budget conscience fan? Package a deal that is a two night stay with tickets to qualifying and the race. Sort of an all inclusive deal but for a race weekend.

Chase Scheduling

I am also a believer that the Chase races needs some rearranging. I know it isn't going to happen now that Ford and Holmstead inked a new deal, but I think at the very least the last Chase race needs to rotate between a few tracks (ones that would work during that time of the season weather wise). If the last race is going to mean so much (top finisher of the final four wins the title) then the venue needs to change so that drivers who are strong at Miami do not always have the obvious advantage.

If NASCAR did change more then just race #10 I would start by tweaking the last 9 (including taking a few tracks out and adding a few, like a road course and maybe adding Bristol, Richmond, or both). I think each segment should be set in there three race group as to keep something in the schedule constant.

Example:

Segment 1

  1. Loudon- Always stays first segment
  2. Bristol- Always stays first segment
  3. Sonoma- Can move between segment's if needed for scheduling conflicts because its in CA.
Segment 2
  • Segment 2 can switch with segment 3 and vice versa. 
  1. Texas- Warm enough to be the last race.
  2. Charlotte
  3. Martinsville
Segment 3
  1. Richmond
  2. Talladega
  3. Phoenix
Championship
  1. Miami- Phoenix, Texas, Talladega, Martinsville (might be too cold, 60's), and Richmond (also probably too cold for November) could all be interchanged. Really, I just want at least two tracks to switch with, so Texas and Phoenix would work.
So, explaining this a bit. Segment one would always stay there (except Sonoma can move being in CA) because NH and Bristol, CT will just be too cold to move around to later dates. Segment #2 and #3 can swap spots. So in 2015 segment 2 can come first and then in 2016 segment 3 can come first. Within each segment Miami can be exchanged out for Texas or Phoenix (or any track deemed ok to run that late in the season). 

I would like to keep some consistency from year to year for fans to know about what the schedule will be. Many fans like to schedule these trips to the tracks annually, so knowing the track they go to will be a part of the same segment every year helps. Also, for the most part other then the Championship race, the race will only have one of two days (depending on if the segment comes second or third during the Chase (segment one doesn't move). 

One thing I couldn't work in would be adding Fontana or Las Vegas into the Chase. Both could also be good decent weather tracks for the Championship. I would be open to the idea of even moving out Miami in a given year to the beginning of the season and replacing it with either track. I do like both at the start of the season because they have helped 2013 and 2014 get off to hot starts. "If it's not broke, don't fix it." But, in the future this could be a possibility easy to swap. As we know, in this day in age NASCAR will make a change whenever they feel like it.

Obviously, after looking at the way I would possibly set up the Chase schedule, I am ok with keeping NASCAR new rules. I do like the new rules in general (except for the last race always being Miami), but I also know NASCAR isn't ready to explode there newest idea (so why mess with it).

I think after moving Richmond into the Chase and Dover out, that Dover could be a big draw as the last race of the regular season. Yes, Jimmie Johnson wins a lot there, but he will start to fade eventually. Plus, Dover would gain some attendance with its new spotlight and it (in my mind) is an exciting track. At the same time, if there attendance stays down later this year for the Chase race, I would also pull one of the stops at Dover in this new schedule off (making Dover another track with one stop and possibly adding another new short track).



Fan's "ways to fix NASCAR" ideas are endless. What will actually fix NASCAR has yet to be seen, but I don't really think it needs to be fixed as much as tweaked to fine tune the system. Sometimes we as humans are exposed to something that is too good to be true (that was NASCAR's hay day). We start to think too much about, "man those were the good ole days," and then it is too late to realize we could have made things better in the present. Getting back to the roots of more short track racing where cars can trade paint and still stay competitive, making a weekend trip a bit more inexpensive, and changing the Chase schedule are just a few of my ideas to get the ball rolling back in the right direction. Then one day we can think, man those were the days when we changed NASCAR for the better forever.

So what are your ideas? Let me know on Twitter or Google +. Do you like these ideas? Do you think they would help? What else needs a change? 

Week 17 Preview: Kentucky

Kentucky Speedway

Quaker State 400


By Richard Tix

Last week NASCAR headed into wine country and its first taste of road course racing in the 2014 season. Surprising to some, a dark horse did not come in and steal a Chase spot at Sonoma (Carl Edwards, who already had a 2014 win, won).  This week NASCAR heads to Kentucky for a Saturday night Summer race which should provide some excitement. The interesting thing I am taking into Kentucky? The fact that this could be a wild card race when it comes to the race for the Chase. Three Cup races here is enough to get some data on who runs well here (and the fact that we can pull from similar tracks), but it also leaves the door open to a non win team to steal a win. Will it happen? The closer we get to the Chase the less of a probability there is, but I think this should be on teams radar. 

Kentucky Speedway doesn't have a lot of past stats to go off of for Cup (three races in fact). So this week will be a short view on the stats. You can also take a look back at last years preview and review from Kentucky for more on this track. Also, if you want a social media blast from the past check out Tweets of the Week: Kentucky. If you want a preview, Harraka hit another car on pit road before the race started, speculation started about the 3 coming back, Kyle Petty said Danica Patrick is not a "race car driver," and Denny Hamlin has a LOT of Jordon shoes.


The Good, Middle, and Bad
(This is just a review of each drivers recent past performance, generally about 5-10 past races)

The Good
  • Kyle Busch- Kyle is one of four drivers who have finished in the top 10 all 3 times the Cup Series has run here. He is also the only driver with 2 top 5's in those three races and to top it off he is 1 of 3 drivers to have a win. On the little stats we have at just Kentucky (I will not get into a fantasy side of it, where we could look at similar tracks), Kyle has to be included. 
  • Matt Kenseth- In the three races here, Kenseth is the only driver with a better average finish then Kyle Busch (4.7 compared to 5.3). Kenseth has finishes of 6th and 7th while he was with Roush but he upped that when he moved to Gibb's by winning last year.
  • Brad Keselowski- In BK's first to starts at Kentucky he led a total of 147, last year he lead zero. BK gets this spot as 1 of 3 winners at Kentucky. He did have a slip up with a bad outing last year after Kurt Busch got loose and started a wreck that tangled BK in it and ended up with him finishing 33rd. He has yet to start outside the top 10 and the way knock out qualifying has gone this year for Penske cars he should start with good track position. 
  • Extra Credit- Jimmie Johnson
The Middle
  • Kevin Harvick- Harvick is the definition of the middle in his three starts here (obviously I don't mean the middle as in finishing 20th, because that isn't worth going into). Rather, Harvick has one top 10 (10th) and no finishes lower then 16th. his finishes are 10th, 11th, and 16th. This year will be his first start with SHR so maybe he will break into the top 10 again.
The Bad
  • Josh Wise- You win the fan vote at the All-Star Race, and gain new sponsors online, then you are fair game to end up in this category. Fact is, in two starts, Wise has finishes of 37th and 39th. I can give guys free passes at other tracks where so many other top tier drivers have struggled, but this week its too easy to spotlight Wise.
  • Greg Biffle- In the three years NASCAR has come to this track Biffle has yet to record a top 10, in fact he hasn't even recorded a top 20! Last year he ran into bad luck, but the fact remains he hasn't even started the race out in the top 10 in three tries. 
  • Tony Stewart- Smoke has yet to finish in the top 10 at Kentucky with finishes of 12th, 32nd, and 20th. Last year Stewart was even heating up before coming to Kentucky. His previous three finishes (throwing out Sonoma) were 5th, 4th, and 1st. So what more does he need to get hot at Kentucky?
Track Stats
  • Kyle Busch won the first Cup race at Kentucky in 2011
  • Kyle Busch is the only driver to win from the Pole (2011)
  • Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, and Matt Kenseth are the three drivers who have won at Kentucky
  • The most cautions was last year, 2013, with 10 that went for 42 laps.
  • The first every Cup Race Qualifying was rained out in 2011. Kyle Busch started 1st.
  • That means, while Kyle started 1st, a driver has not yet won the Pole and won the race in three years.
  • The two Pole winners were Jimmie Johnson (2012) and Dale Earnhardt Jr (2013).
  • Kyle Busch has the most laps lead at Kentucky (243) followed by Jimmie Johnson (203).
  • Only 18 drivers have lead a lap at Kentucky in three years.
  • 10 drivers have run 801 of 801 laps here in three races. 

More Kentucky Articles:

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

2014 Kentucky Speedway Entry List

NASCAR Driver Entry List for Kentucky


By Richard Tix

NASCAR leaves a road course behind and heads to a track where Cup drivers have limited experience (in race form that is). This will be the fourth time NASCAR Sprint Cup heads to Kentucky. The entry list below is from Jayski's (Jayski.com). I am sure you have noticed that in the past as well, as I always mention that it is from there site. I just post it here so you have everything in one blog. Check them out as well for even more NASCAR information.





Latest NASCAR Behind the Wall Articles:

Monday, June 23, 2014

2014 Kentucky Schedule

Quaker State 400


By Richard Tix

**All times are Eastern**


Thursday June 26, 2014
  • 9-10 am- Truck Practice- Fox Sports 1
  • 10:20-12 pm- Final Truck Practice- Fox Sports 1
  • 4:40 pm- Truck Qualifying- Fox Sports 1
  • 6:30-7:25 pm- Nationwide Practice- Fox Sports 1
  • 8 pm- Truck Race
Friday June 27, 2014
  • 9-10:20 am- Final Nationwide Practice- Fox Sports 1
  • 10:30-12 pm- Sprint Cup Practice- Fox Sports 1
  • 1-2:20 pm- Final Sprint Cup Practice- Fox Sports 1
  • 3:40 pm- Nationwide Qualifying- Fox Sports 1
  • 5:40 pm- Sprint Cup Qualifying- Fox Sports 1
  • 7:30 pm- Nationwide Race- ESPN
Saturday June 28, 2014
  • 7:30 pm- Sprint Cup Race. Quaker State 400- TNT


Dale Earnhardt Jr's Adrenaline Tweets: 6/23

Tweets from After Sonoma


By Richard Tix

This seemed to be a pretty big hit last week, as anything with Jr Nation tends to be, so I figured I would write up round two the very next week. This still may not be a weekly article, so you may actually have to go to twitter to see the Dale Jr tweets you missed, but a few good ones came up after the road course race that I thought I had to share.



The above two chain Tweets was pretty comical Tue night








Good stuff from Dale Jr again this week. He has provided some great Q&A opportunities on social media since joining Twitter. I personally love when drivers are actually on social media answering and interacting as themselves and not just having PR do it. I may add some more this week if Dale Jr tweets a lot more, as it was a slow post race Q&A this week. Thanks for checking it out. To get more just go and check out his twitter feed for yourselves!