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NASCAR News | March 15, 2010
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Interesting start to season sure to continue at Bristol
By Joe Menzer
March 15, 2010
Bristol, TN — Folks can say what they want—and certainly there are many opinions floating about on many issues—but one fact is indisputable about this young Sprint Cup season.
It sure has been interesting.
From the potholes of Daytona International Speedway to the bright lights of Las Vegas to multiple wins by four-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson and the controversial Carl Edwards flip of Brad Keselowski at Atlanta, there has been nary a dull moment. OK, well, the down time it took to fix the potholes during the Daytona 500 might have been pretty tiresome—but the racing around the work on the track was darn exciting.
Strip away all the excesses and that has been true pretty much of every race. The racing has, for the most part, been good—even when the end result might have seemed too predictable with Johnson ending up in Victory Lane again both at Auto Club Speedway in California and the following Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
As the Sprint Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend for its first foray into short-track madness, there are plenty of storylines that beg to be explored—and not just the Edwards-Keselowski one that has been beaten to death, but still needs to be brought to some kind of closure.
For evidence, just take a look at the current point standings.
No one doubts that Johnson and his No. 48 Chevrolet team remain the ones to beat. But take note: even though Johnson is the only multiple winner of races this young season, he’s not leading in the points. He’s fourth, trailing the triumvirate of Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle.
That in itself is news. And, of course, the argument can be made that Johnson doesn’t usually step it up until later in the season anyway—and then he pushes it into overdrive during the 10-race Chase to the Sprint Cup championship.
But here is what makes it even more intriguing: the names battling Johnson at the top of the point standings. Harvick, whose long-term future at Richard Childress Racing remains up in the air, leads an impressive revival of the RCR stable that actually began to take hold late last season. While he’s leading in points, teammates Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton reside in fifth and sixth, respectively. It’s only been four races, but it looks like the RCR guys have staying power; now they just have to start winning some races to fully legitimize the organization’s comeback.
The same goes for Roush Fenway Racing. Perhaps the early season success of teammates Kenseth and Biffle have further added to the frustration level of Edwards, who is fortunate to have escaped his deliberate wrecking of Keselowski with a mere three-race probation. Edwards endangered more than Keselowski’s general health with his ill-timed, ill-fated decision to exact revenge; he endangered any hopes he might have for a Cup championship this season (which very well might have been removed from his reach with a one-race suspension or a 100-point penalty).
But then, Roush Fenway isn’t all about Edwards. Kenseth is off to the type of consistent start that he has been known to maintain for most years in his career. Last year actually was the exception when he burst out of the gate to win the first two races, and then quickly faded until he was left out of the Chase altogether. As with the RCR threesome, Kenseth and Biffle are exhibiting signs of real staying power that should enable them to challenge Johnson and all of the rest through the summer.
The real surprises
All of the aforementioned names represent no huge surprises, however. They’ve all experienced some degree of Cup success in their careers, as individuals and as organizations.
That is not the case for two others who currently reside in the top 12 heading into Bristol: Paul Menard, who is ninth; and Scott Speed, who is 12th. What the heck are those guys doing there?
We’re about to find out if they are for real. Menard, driving the No. 98 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports, insists that what’s happening is a payoff of a hard offseason of work. Speed, who drives the No. 82 Toyota for Red Bull Racing, has never been shy about telling the world that he’s a world-class driver, and now he’s starting to show it with some consistency in stock cars.
The guess here is that both better enjoy their current positions among the sport’s elite, because they’re not likely to be able to maintain them. But that’s the beauty of sport. No one truly knows for sure and it will be fun finding out if they can.
The same goes for some others. Overlooked in all the mess that became Atlanta following Edwards’ punting of Keselowski was the fact that pole winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. actually was able to salvage a halfway-decent 15th-place finish after enduring a miserable day, during which it quickly became obvious that all of the Hendrick Motorsports entries had missed their setups and were struggling to manage their tires under them.
That leaves Earnhardt 13th in the points heading into Bristol, where a strong finish likely would propel him back into the top 12 and perhaps once and for all get him pointed back in the right direction.
Chasing Jimmie
And on the other end of the spectrum are those such as Juan Montoya and Denny Hamlin—Chasers last year who have struggled out of the gate largely because of circumstances over which they have had little or no control. Montoya might have been able to steal the Atlanta win from Kurt Busch if he hadn’t spun his tires on the restart, but he seemed happy to finish third and jump five spots in the points to 21st. Hamlin, the odds-on preseason favorite to challenge Johnson after his strong finish in 2009, sits 22nd in points.
All of which points to a fascinating weekend coming up in Bristol, where another subplot looms because the track’s configuration has been slightly altered by additional installation of SAFER barriers in two of the turns. If the sport can avoid any further potholes the rest of this season, it promises to be one that bears close watching.
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Keselowski vows not to change after Edwards crash
By Jenna Fryer
March 15, 2010
Charlotte, NC — Glued to Carl Edwards' bumper as they raced for the lead around Talladega Superspeedway, young Brad Keselowski showed no signs of letting off the gas pedal. He peeked high, and Edwards cut him off, then ducked low to try to pass.
Edwards, the veteran, quickly swerved down to block the pass, a move that guaranteed disaster if Keselowski didn't back off. In the blink of an eye, Keselowski found himself in high-stakes game of chicken at speeds approaching 200 mph.
The rookie refused to blink.
He didn't give an inch. Nothing slowed Keselowski that day last April, not even after the inevitable contact sent Edwards' car sailing into the safety fence in a frightening accident that injured seven fans.
Keselowski just barreled on, stealing an improbable victory in just his fifth career start in NASCAR's prestigious Sprint Cup Series.
Looking back now at those intense two minutes, Keselowski was clearly sending a message to his established, experienced competitors: he won't back down to anyone, ever. That mentality has rankled a long list of top-name drivers, and finally came to the fore last weekend in Atlanta when Edwards, exasperated over a long list of hard racing between the two, intentionally wrecked Keselowski in contact that sent Keselowski airborne in a scene quite similar to the one in Talladega.
For all the public outrage over Edwards' deliberate act, there was an equal amount of private sentiment that Keselowski had it coming.
Keselowski is well aware of the whispers, but remains unapologetic for anything he's done that's gotten him to his prime-time Cup ride with auto racing icon Roger Penske.
"It's not possible to get a Cup ride right now without being aggressive, and without having some swagger in your step," Keselowski said. "Does that make you a jerk? To some people, yes. To some people, no. It depends on where you're coming from. If you look at the sport right now, there are no new drivers coming in.
"So whatever I'm doing is working, and it's gotten me to where I'm at."
The son of 1989 ARCA champion Bob Keselowski grew up in Rochester Hills, Mich., and entered NASCAR Truck races from 2004 through 2006 with his father's backing. He picked up a couple Nationwide Series starts for an underfunded team in 2006 and early 2007, before his big break came midway through that season when Dale Earnhardt Jr. plucked him from obscurity to drive his flagship No. 88 for JR Motorsports.
That, says three-time NASCAR champion Darrell Waltrip, was the game-changer for Keselowski.
"Driving for Dale Jr. gave him privileges that he wouldn't have had if had driven for someone else," Waltrip said. "That Earnhardt connection allowed him to become 'Bad Brad.' Those few years gave him time to create this character that he's Bad Brad. Well, if you are Bad Brad, you are going to make some people mad."
Finally in good equipment, Keselowski bulldozed his way to six Nationwide wins over two-plus seasons with a hard-driving style that impressed car owners but annoyed rival competitors.
"He's very openly outspoken and cocky about what his intentions are," said Fox analyst Larry McReynolds. "He has no problem racing people hard, and if they don't like it, then they are going to have a problem. The thing to remember, though, is most of these drivers are complaining about Brad racing them hard. You've got to be kidding me! You are supposed to be racing hard.
"The greats - Dale Earnhardt, Pearson, Petty, Allison - those sons of a guns ran hard from the green flag to the checkered flag and that's exactly what Brad is doing."
Those running bumper-to-bumper with him each week disagree. There's a finesse required in racing, a certain give-and-take that earns you both respect and the on-track friends a driver needs to be successful.
Keselowski, most believe, doesn't have it. At least not when it comes to racing against Cup drivers.
He did it full time for two years in the Nationwide Series, refusing to back down when the likes of Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Edwards and Clint Bowyer moonlighted in that series and stole the headlines from the guys like Keselowski who were just trying to get noticed.
Hamlin became the first driver to publicly vow to retaliate. At wits end late last season after a monthslong feud with Keselowski over his driving style, Hamlin promised payback in the Nationwide Series finale. He made good on his word with an early spin at Homestead, and received a standing ovation from crews along pit road when he passed by to serve a rough driving penalty.
Behind the scenes, drivers figured Keselowski would see more and more of that retaliation this season as he moved into a full-time Cup ride with Penske.
Jeff Burton, one of the most respected and cleanest drivers in the garage, understands the disdain for Keselowski's tactics.
"Brad has got to learn that he doesn't need to prove to the world that he's a tough guy," Burton said this week. "He's made the decision that he's not going to cut anybody any slack. He's made the decision that he's going to race aggressively all the time. Those are the decisions he's made, and he's going to have to live with the consequences of that.
"There' nothing wrong with giving a little bit, and there's nothing wrong with taking a little bit. But if you're going to only take, then you're going to come out of the short end of the stick more times than not."
And that's where Keselowski currently finds himself. Cup drivers aren't cutting him any slack, and his transition to the big leagues hasn't been all that smooth. He heads into next weekend's race at Bristol ranked 33rd in the standings and in serious danger of falling below the important top-35 mark that guarantees him a spot in the field.
Although his ardent fan base - inherited largely by driving for Earnhardt - insists he's gotten a bad rap and hold him up as an example of the closest thing to their former idols: a hard-nosed racer who doesn't care what anyone thinks about him.
Waltrip, who made his share of enemies during a 29-year career, isn't sure how long that's going to work for Keselowski.
"He's said, 'I don't care what the other competitors think about me,' and he's going to learn that puts you out on an island," Waltrip said. "You can't survive in this sport out on an island. People will get tired of you and your attitude and they will turn you over. They will turn you over every week."
For his part, Keselowski says to bring it on, even after his upside-down tumble courtesy of Edwards.
It doesn't matter what anyone does to him, he said, he's not planning to change a thing.
"That's probably the best revenge there is - to not let it get to me one bit, to not change," Keselowski said. "That's a sign to (Edwards) and everyone else that that's not going to work on me.
"I feel lucky to be in race cars that are as safe as they are, to be able to be here talking today and to be able to say, 'Hey, I'll take the lick and I'll get out of the car and come back the next race weekend and drive just as hard,' just to prove a point that I wasn't wrong and I still don't feel like I'm wrong."
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