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TURNING LEFT – The Motorsports Blog
By Charlie O. Mallonee February 21, 2009 |
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NASCAR COMES TO SOCAL 2-21-09 - The race on Sunday in Fontana will be different from last week’s race in Daytona … no restrictor plates. That means more single file racing and the possibility of one driver with the right set up running away from the field. It also means more long runs and fewer laps under the yellow flag. The race will still be exciting and fast, but it will be different. Look for the Hendrick cars to do well on Sunday. This is Jimmy Johnson’s home track, and he wants to have a much better race than he had at Daytona. After qualifying second, Johnson served notice that he has come home to run fast and hard. Jeff Gordon ran well at Daytona, and he should continue that trend at Fontana. Gordon will start from the six- hole on the grid. Mark Martin ran well at Daytona and should continue having fun in SoCal. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is looking to make a statement that is ready to win and win big in ’09. Others to watch: · Tony Stewart – the new Stewart/Haas team got off to a big start at Daytona, and Stewart wants it to continue on Sunday. · Carl Edwards – he’s the alpha male of Roush Fenway Racing. He wants to take the spotlight off Kenseth. · Kyle Busch – he was eliminated last week after 90 laps. The wild one will want to back in the action on Sunday. · The Richard Petty Cars – the team had great Daytona race. They will want to continue the streak at Fontana. In my opinion, this is Jimmy Johnson’s race to lose, but watch out for Kyle Busch. My dark horse is Ryan Newman. The “Rocket Man” had an awful Daytona, and he will be looking for redemption. NASCAR SETS THE BAR HIGH FOR ‘09 Daytona 2009 lived up to its nickname, “The Great American Race”. From Kevin Harvick’s wild win in the Bud Shootout to Matt Kenseth’s victory in the rain shortened 500, the Sprint Cup drivers let it be known that this year will be filled with all the thrills, spills and chills that every race fan wishes and hopes for when the season begins. Restrictor plate races always bring lots of side-by-side racing and crashes. Last Sunday at Daytona, drivers tried to put four cars side by side where it was too tight for three cars to go. Accidents eliminated Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers and 18 year-old rookie sensation, Joey Logano. Other drivers were not knocked out of the race but were kept from being competitive because of damage done to their machines from contact and spins. Love or hate the restrictor plate, it always provides all the action any fan can handle. For Matt Kenseth, the win was his first on the Daytona Super-Speedway. Some have called it a cheap victory because of the rain-shortened race. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Kenseth made a brilliant pass on lap 145 with the radar showing rain near-by and held on to that lead for 8 white-knuckle laps. Every driver knew the rain was coming very quickly. Kenseth decided it was time to win the race and laid it all on the line at lap 145. If the race had been restarted, Kenseth’s car might not have been competitive after running so hard to be the leader when the red flag was flown. The win was also the first Daytona victory for “The Cat in the Hat”, car owner Jack Roush of Roush Fenway Racing. Roush’s team was running in its 21st Daytona 500. Roush Fenway is one of the most formidable teams in all of racing. After the victory on Sunday, Jack Roush said he was humbled by the win. Another team was a big winner on Sunday even though they did not make it to Victory Lane. Richard Petty Motorsports, the new 4-car team formed by the merger of Richard Petty Racing and Gillett–Evernham Racing, finished with three cars in the Top 10. A.J. Allmendinger of Los Gatos was the best of three, finishing third overall. The irony is that Allmendinger’s car does not have a full-time sponsor. Petty was able to find a sponsor for the #44 Dodge so Allmendinger can race this Sunday in California. The economic downturn has made life tough everywhere. There were two other top finishes of note. Tony Stewart and the new Stewart/Haas Racing Team posted an eighth-place finish. The new Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates team picked up 11th and 14th place finishes from Martin Truex, Jr. and Juan Pablo Montoya. Kyle Busch led the most laps, 88, but finished a disappointing 41st after being eliminated in a ten-car pile up on lap 123. Kenseth won the race after starting 39th because he drove a backup car. The average starting position for winners of the Daytona 500 is seventh. Improving 39 spots in 152 laps is another reason Kenseth’s victory was well earned and well deserved. |
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