Official Sprint Cup Race Results from Pocono

If you're curious where your favorite driver finished in the Sprint Cup Pocono race, here's a quickie list to check over! -Bruce 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES OFFICIAL RACE REPORT No. 14
32ND ANNUAL PARTY IN THE POCONOS "400" PRESENTED BY WALMART
POCONO RACEWAY

Long Pond, PA - June 9, 2013
2.5-Mile Triangular Paved
160 Laps - 400 Miles Purse: $5,069,140

Fin	Car			Series	Bonus		Leader
Pos	No	Driver	Laps	Points	Points	Status	Times	Laps
1	48	Jimmie Johnson	160	48	5	Running	6	128
2	16	Greg Biffle	160	42	0	Running
3	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr	160	41	0	Running
4	14	Tony Stewart	160	40	0	Running
5	39	Ryan Newman	160	40	1	Running	3	19
6	18	Kyle Busch	160	38	0	Running
7	78	Kurt Busch	160	37	0	Running
8	11	Denny Hamlin	160	36	0	Running
9	29	Kevin Harvick	160	35	0	Running
10	22	Joey Logano	160	34	0	Running
11	31	Jeff Burton	160	33	0	Running
12	24	Jeff Gordon	160	32	0	Running
13	1	Jamie McMurray	160	31	0	Running
14	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	160	30	0	Running
15	15	Clint Bowyer	160	29	0	Running
16	2	Brad Keselowski	160	29	1	Running	2	4
17	9	Marcos Ambrose	160	27	0	Running
18	99	Carl Edwards	160	27	1	Running	1	9
19	55	Mark Martin	160	25	0	Running
20	93	Travis Kvapil	160	24	0	Running
21	43	Aric Almirola	160	23	0	Running
22	13	Casey Mears	160	22	0	Running
23	56	Martin Truex Jr	160	21	0	Running
24	38	David Gilliland	160	20	0	Running
25	20	Matt Kenseth	160	19	0	Running
26	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr #	160	18	0	Running
27	47	Bobby Labonte	160	17	0	Running
28	30	David Stremme	160	16	0	Running
29	10	Danica Patrick #	160	15	0	Running
30	27	Paul Menard	160	14	0	Running
31	7	Dave Blaney	160	13	0	Running
32	83	David Reutimann	159	12	0	Running
33	51	AJ Allmendinger	158	11	0	Running
34	35	Josh Wise (i)	157	0	0	Running
35	32	Timmy Hill #	156	9	0	Running
36	5	Kasey Kahne	141	8	0	Running
37	34	David Ragan	121	7	0	Running
38	33	Landon Cassill (i)	70	0	0	Clutch
39	36	J.J. Yeley	39	5	0	Transmission
40	98	Michael McDowell	33	4	0	Vibration
41	44	Scott Riggs	28	3	0	Vibration
42	87	Joe Nemechek (i)	11	0	0	Engine
43	19	Jason Leffler	8	1	0	Transmission

Montoya Had a Chance To Truly Prove Himself (Dover)

My latest, earlier piece, I had talked about how I missed the last part of the Dover race and Jimmie Johnson's restart penalty.  Today I saw the coverage/recap on the event between Montoya and Johnson.  in a word, wow.

So Johnson jumped the gun, or looked like it, while Montoya seemed to miss the boat with his accelerator.

I saw where he said he didn't try to pull anything, while Johnson said that even though he backed off on the pedal, rather than taking back his spot, Montoya pulled in behind him.

Again, Montoya looked like he was showing some gamesmanship in the realm of restart rules, putting the screws to Johnson.

For me, it seemed that Montoya took this opportunity and for some, may have discredited his validity as a Cup driver playing this game. 

We know Montoya races pretty hard, whether he's up front, on the lead lap or multiple laps down.  And now it seems that he's also willing to dance with the "devil in the details" of the rules.

Now we wait and see if NASCAR tweaks their restart rules.

-Bruce

Official Finishing Positions from Dover Sprint Cup Race

Here's the official race results from

44TH ANNUAL FEDEX "400" BENEFITING AUTISM SPEAKS
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

Dover, DE - June 2, 2013

Pos	Driver	Team	Laps	Points	Status	Laps Led
1	Tony Stewart	Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevrolet	400	47	Running	3
2	Juan Pablo Montoya	Energizer Chevrolet	400	43	Running	19
3	Jeff Gordon	AARP Credit Cards from Chase Chevrolet	400	41	Running
4	Kyle Busch	M&M's Toyota	400	42	Running	150
5	Brad Keselowski	Miller Lite Ford	400	40	Running	2
6	Clint Bowyer	5-hour Energy Toyota	400	38	Running
7	Joey Logano	Shell Pennzoil Ford	400	37	Running
8	Kevin Harvick	Jimmy John's Chevrolet	400	37	Running	1
9	Mark Martin	Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota	400	35	Running
10	Dale Earnhardt Jr	National Guard Chevrolet	400	34	Running
11	Jeff Burton	Cheerios Chevrolet	400	33	Running
12	Kurt Busch	Furniture Row/Sealy Chevrolet	400	33	Running	8
13	Ricky Stenhouse Jr #	Best Buy Ford	400	31	Running
14	Carl Edwards	Subway Ford	400	30	Running
15	Greg Biffle	RiteAid/Ace Ford	400	29	Running
16	Casey Mears	GEICO Ford	400	28	Running
17	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's/Monsters University Chevrolet	399	28	Running	143
18	Aric Almirola	Smithfield Ford	399	26	Running
19	Marcos Ambrose	DeWalt/Ace/CMN Ford	399	25	Running
20	Paul Menard	Menards/Libman Chevrolet	399	24	Running
21	Bobby Labonte	Scott Products Toyota	399	23	Running
22	David Ragan	Ford	397	22	Running
23	Kasey Kahne	Farmers Insurance Chevrolet	396	22	Running	2
24	Danica Patrick #	GoDaddy Chevrolet	396	20	Running
25	Josh Wise (i)	MDS Transport Ford	395	0	Running
26	David Reutimann	Burger King/Dr.Pepper Toyota	394	18	Running
27	Austin Dillon (i)	Phoenix Construction Chevrolet	394	0	Running
28	David Stremme	Widow Wax Toyota	394	16	Running
29	Dave Blaney	SANY Chevrolet	393	15	Running
30	J.J. Yeley	DOHS Click it or Ticket Chevrolet	390	14	Running
31	Joe Nemechek (i)	Royal Teak Toyota	388	0	Running
32	Landon Cassill (i)	Bicycle NASCAR Playing Cards Chevrolet	388	0	Running
33	Jamie McMurray	Parade Media Group Chevrolet	381	11	Running
34	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Freight/Autism Speaks Toyota	380	11	Accident	41
35	Timmy Hill #	OXY Water Ford	378	9	Running
36	Ryan Newman	Haas Automation Chevrolet	298	8	Accident
37	David Gilliland	Long John Silver's Ford	296	7	Accident
38	Martin Truex Jr	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota	279	7	Engine	2
39	Travis Kvapil	Burger King/Dr.Pepper Toyota	161	5	Engine
40	Matt Kenseth	Dollar General Toyota	159	5	Engine	29
41	Mike Bliss (i)	Plinker Tactical Toyota	59	0	Rear Gear
42	Michael McDowell	Phil Parsons Racing Ford	54	2	Overheating
43	Scott Riggs	No Label Ford	16	1	Transmission

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Nationwide's "Dash 4 Cash" is Back!

Hey, if you were wondering when NASCAR's "Dash 4 Cash" (D4C) contest is coming back, wonder no more.  Look for it at the June 28th race at Kentucky, and if you're extremely lucky, (I'm never lucky), one fan will be going home with one hundred grand in their pocket!

OK, well, maybe not literally in their pocket, what with electronic deposits and all these days.

Press release below:

There will be more on the line June 28 during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Feed the Children 300 at Kentucky Speedway than most races.

This year, the Kentucky race will be the qualifier for the “Dash 4 Cash,” the beginning of the popular NASCAR Nationwide Series program that could result in a $1 million payout to one talented driver. Kentucky will determine the four eligible drivers that could win one of the four $100,000 payouts that make up the program beginning July 5 at Daytona.

Following Daytona, the next three series races are Dash 4 Cash (D4C) events: July 13 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, July 21 at Chicagoland Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27.

Last August, Sam Hornish Jr. was the highest-finishing points-eligible driver in the final D4C race at Iowa Speedway – which paid him and his fan partner, Tammy Altieri, $100,000 each.

“We had a lot of good races throughout that stretch last season,” said Hornish Jr., currently second in the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings. “We were finally able to win the Dash 4 Cash bonus at Iowa. For us, it is great because it is a nice bonus, but at the end of the day to be able to give the fan a $100,000 as well was awesome. She was so excited and it was truly life changing for her. Nationwide Insurance and their commitment to this series is unprecedented.”

Here’s how the Dash 4 Cash (Twitter – #Dash4Cash) program works:

·         The top-four finishers in the Kentucky race who are eligible to receive NASCAR Nationwide Series championship driver points will qualify for the first D4C race at Daytona International Speedway.

·         The highest finisher of those four drivers at Daytona – he or she does not have to win the race – will win the first $100,000 D4C award and automatically qualify for the next event at New Hampshire. Additionally, the top-three finishing points-eligible drivers at Daytona will also qualify for the race at New Hampshire.

·         Those rules will apply for the remaining three events. If one driver wins the first three D4C awards and then wins the Indianapolis race outright, Nationwide Insurance will award the driver an additional $600,000 bonus, bringing the total payout to $1 million.

Fans can apply to be a part of the action by entering the NASCAR Nationwide Series $100,000 Sweepstakes at 
www.nascar.com/Dash4Cash. 
Four lucky individuals and a guest will receive an all-expenses paid trip to the final D4C event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during Super Weekend at the Brickyard. The four fans will be randomly paired with the four eligible D4C drivers for that race, and the fan whose driver wins the D4C award will also go home with a check for $100,000, like Altieri did last year.

“The Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash program is something that is unique to the racing community in general,” said top-five points contender Justin Allgaier. “I have not seen a title sponsor develop a program quite like this is. The money part is really cool, but the prestige and the want to win it is the biggest part. We’ve been fortunate to qualify for it several times, but I have also been on the outside looking in. Hoping this year we can qualify for all four races and go for the big bonus at the end.”

The next NASCAR Nationwide Series race will be the DuPont Pioneer 250 at Iowa Speedway on June 8 at 8 p.m. ET, broadcast on ESPN, Motor Racing Network Radio and Sirius XM Satellite Radio with additional coverage on NASCAR.COM.

-Bruce

Dover, Twittter, Hamlin and Tuning Out Too Soon

Wow, did I miss one or what?  I tuned out of watching the Dover race with about 25 laps to go.  I mean, what's the point, right?  The new cars tend to spread out in a line and it's the same thing, over and over every lap.  So my wife and I packed up and headed to the park with the dog.

When we got to the park, I pulled up my Twitter app and started perusing my list.  (Twitter Suggestion:  I don't follow the full feed.  It has a lot of "noise" to it.  But you can make lists and I've split out the core media folks to their own list so I can follow actual events during a race and not some wound up and excited opinions!)

As I perused my list, and saw that folks were giving JJ sympathy pats on the back.  Whaaaa?

I started scrolling backwards feverishly, because I figured Juan Pablo Montoya had probably "won," but no!  Tony Stewart???  Whaaaa?

Then I started back-sliding my Twitter feed to see that Johnson jumped the start and Montoya got into the wrong line!  Whaaa?

OK, so twice this season I've tuned out and twice this year, I missed the best finishes of the year.  But I stand by my perspective that the new car (until it's worked out) has killed the excitement to some degree.  Every restrictor plate race pretty much had who ever was in the lead with 5 laps to go, won the race.  Unlike the previous 5+ years when you had no clue who was going to win.

But "stuff" happens!

Obviously when I tune out, big things happen.  So I'm prepared to be paid to tune out with 20 to go next week!

-

When I pulled up a feed, I saw how Denny Hamlin's contention for the championship was hurt by his finish at Dover. 

I don't mean to be too pragmatic, but when he went out with his back injury, I wrote him off.  If he somehow started looking at strong potentials for getting back in, then I'd be singing the swan song too.  It would be awesome to see.

But I'm not holding my breath.

-

Over on Dave Moody's blog, he touches on how Penske moving to Ford might not have been their best move, considering how Keselowski isn't quite kicking butt this year.

But hey, I got the championship diecast of his and it looks hot in all its color chrome goodness!!!

-

And again, if you're wondering where I've been, I had the wind pulled out of my sails for the management of the sport when they fined Denny Hamlin for merely talking about the COT in a rather benign statement.  And though most of the media saw it, they took the middle ground, calling it "It is what it is."  That seriously soured me to the administrative powers of the sport.

But I'm slowly getting back to my old self.  I tend to harbor things a wee bit too long.

Hey, I'll be at Sonoma, working for Charlie Turner (On Pit Row) taking a billion snap shots of anything that's moving!  I mean anything!!! Here's one of last year's album (on FB). Whenever I get around the cars, my blood gets pumped up, so I expect to be back at full enthusiasm after Sonoma.  Who knows, maybe even sooner.

Right?-Bruce

Joe Gibbs Racing Penalties Amended By NASCAR Appeals Board

I'm sure you've heard the news already, but thought I'd toss this out there, just in case you had missed it and you follow this site.

Back on April 23rd, Matt Kenseth won a race, but an engine component was a touch light, as in, almost a feather's worth too light.  But a rules infraction, as NASCAR sees it, is an infraction.

The penalties handed out seemed pretty stiff to fans.  But its a demonstration of how serious NASCAR is about people mucking with the engines in the competition.

Joe Gibbs Racing appeared before the Appeals Board today and they found themselves recipients of some, well, better news, compared to the original fines.

Check out the press release below for details.

 National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel Statement
(May 8, 2013)

The National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel today heard and considered the appeal of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team.

The penalties concern Sections 12-1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing; 12-4J: Any determination by NASCAR Officials that race equipment used in the event does not conform to the NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20 of the NASCAR rule book, or has not been approved by NASCAR prior to the event; and 20-5.5.3E: Only solid magnetic steel connecting rods with a minimum weight of 525.0 grams will be permitted. Connecting rod failed to meet minimum connecting rod weight.

The penalties stemmed from a post-race engine inspection April 23 at the NASCAR Research and Development Center.

The original penalties assessed to the No. 20 team were:

·         Crew chief Jason Ratcliff: Fined $200,000 and suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship point events (a period of time that also includes the non-points Sprint All-Star Race)

·         Car owner Joe Gibbs: Loss of 50 championship car owner points; the first place finish from April 21 at Kansas Speedway will not earn bonus points toward the accumulated aggregate car owner points total after the completion of the first 26 events of the current season and will not be credited towards the eligibility for a car owner wild card position; had the owner's license for the No. 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car suspended until the completion of the next six championship point events, therefore being ineligible to receive championship car owner points during that period of time.

·         Driver Matt Kenseth: Loss of 50 championship driver points; the Coors Light Pole award from April 19 at Kansas Speedway will not be allowed for eligibility into the 2014 Sprint Unlimited; the first place finish from April 21 at Kansas Speedway will not earn bonus points toward the accumulated aggregate driver points total after the completion of the first 26 events of the current season and will not be credited towards the eligibility for a driver wild card position.

·         Manufacturer: The loss of five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series manufacturer championship points.

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The Appellants appealed all penalties listed above. The Appellants also requested and were granted a deferral of the suspensions until such time as the hearing could be convened.

Upon hearing the testimony, it was a unanimous decision by the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel to amend the original penalties assessed by NASCAR. The amendments are as follows:

·         Crew chief Jason Ratcliff: The $200,000 fine remains intact; NASCAR suspension now covers one championship points event. In addition, he will be placed on NASCAR probation until the completion of the next three championship points events following his reinstatement;

·         Car owner Joe Gibbs: Loss of championship owner points has been reduced to 12. All other components of his penalty were rescinded;

·         Driver Matt Kenseth; Loss of championship driver points has been reduced to 12. All other components of his penalty were rescinded;

·         Manufacturer: The loss of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series manufacturer championship points has been increased to seven.

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Penske Fines Upheld, Suspensions Modified

If you were curious on the outcome of Penske addressing NACSAR's Chief Appellate Officer about their being snagged during an equipment inspection back in early April at Texas, in  nutshell:

Fines have all been upheld and the suspensions have been reduced to 2 points races and the 1 non-points race event.

See the press release below:


NATIONAL STOCK CAR RACING - CHIEF APPELLATE OFFICER STATEMENT


On May 7, 2013 the Chief Appellate Officer heard and considered the appeal of the penalties from the No. 2 and No. 22 Penske Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams.  These penalties stemmed from pre-race inspection for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway April 13.


The penalties concern Sections 12-1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing; 12-4J: Any determination by NASCAR Officials that race equipment used in the event does not conform to the NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20 of the NASCAR rule book, or has not been approved by NASCAR prior to the event; and


20-12: All suspension systems and components must be approved by NASCAR. Prior to being used in competition, all suspension systems and components must be submitted in a completed form/assembly to the office of the NASCAR competition administrator for consideration of approval and approved by NASCAR. Each such part may thereafter be used until NASCAR determines that such part is no longer eligible. All suspension fasteners and mounting hardware must be made of solid magnetic steel. All front end and rear end suspension mounts with mounting hardware assembled must have single round mounting holes that are the correct size for the fastener being used. All front end and rear end suspension mounts and mounting hardware must not allow movement or realignment of any suspension component beyond component normal rotation or suspension travel.



The original penalties assessed to the No. 2 team were:


·         Crew chief (Paul Wolfe): $100,000 fine; suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events (plus the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race); placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31;

·         Car chief Jerry Kelley, team engineer Brian Wilson and competition director Travis Geisler (serves as competition director for both the No. 2 and No. 22 cars): Suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events (plus the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race); placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31;

·         Car owner Roger Penske: Loss of 25 championship owner points;

·         Driver Brad Keselowski: Loss of 25 championship driver points.


The original penalties assessed to the No. 22 team were:


·         Crew chief (Todd Gordon): $100,000 fine; suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events (plus the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race); placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31;

·         Car chief Raymond Fox and team engineer Samuel Stanley: Suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events (plus the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race); placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31;

·         Car owner Walt Czarnecki: Loss of 25 championship owner points;

·         Driver Joey Logano: Loss of 25 championship driver points.


The results of the Chief Appellate Officer hearing were:

-          Upholding the fines and points penalties that were originally assessed.

 -          Reducing the suspensions of the seven team members from six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events (plus the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race) to two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events (plus the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race).


The seven team members in question will be suspended for the next three upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekends at Darlington Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. They will return for the race weekend at Dover International Speedway. They remain on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.


"After looking at all the facts and data and interpretations from the rule book, I have decided to uphold the original fines and points penalties," said John Middlebrook, Chief Appellate Officer. "However, I have decided to reduce the suspensions of the seven team members involved from six points races and the all-star race to two points races and the all-star race."

John Middlebrook – Chief Appellate Officer

Penske Team Penalties Upheld

If you were wondering about the penalties that the Penske Racing teams incurred recently and the results of their first appeal, here's the low down on that situation, via press release:

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On May 1, 2013, the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel heard and considered the appeal of the No. 2 and No. 22 Penske Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams.


The penalties concern Sections 12-1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing; 12-4J: Any determination by NASCAR Officials that race equipment used in the event does not conform to the NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20 of the NASCAR rule book, or has not been approved by NASCAR prior to the event; and 20-12: All suspension systems and components must be approved by NASCAR. Prior to being used in competition, all suspension systems and components must be submitted in a completed form/assembly to the office of the NASCAR competition administrator for consideration of approval and approved by NASCAR. Each such part may thereafter be used until NASCAR determines that such part is no longer eligible. All suspension fasteners and mounting hardware must be made of solid magnetic steel. All front end and rear end suspension mounts with mounting hardware assembled must have single round mounting holes that are the correct size for the fastener being used. All front end and rear end suspension mounts and mounting hardware must not allow movement or realignment of any suspension component beyond component normal rotation or suspension travel.


The penalties stemmed from a pre-race inspection at Texas Motor Speedway April 13.


The original penalties assessed to the No. 2 team were:



·         Crew chief (Paul Wolfe): $100,000 fine; suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events; placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31;

·         Car chief Jerry Kelley, team engineer Brian Wilson and team manager Travis Geisler (serves as team manager for both the No. 2 and No. 22 cars): Suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events; placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31;

·         Car owner Roger Penske: Loss of 25 championship owner points;

·         Driver Brad Keselowski: Loss of 25 championship driver points.



The original penalties assessed to the No. 22 team were:



·         Crew chief (Todd Gordon): $100,000 fine; suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events; placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31;

·         Car chief Raymond Fox and team engineer Samuel Stanley: Suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events; placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31;

·         Car owner Walt Czarnecki: Loss of 25 championship owner points;

·         Driver Joey Logano: Loss of 25 championship driver points.


The Appellants appealed all penalties listed above. The Appellants also requested and were granted a deferral of the suspensions until such time as the hearing could be convened.

Upon hearing the testimony and carefully reviewing the facts, it was a unanimous decision by the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel to uphold the original penalties assessed by NASCAR.

The Appellants have the right under Section 15 of the rule book to appeal this decision to the National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer.

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