Bleacher Report - Articles by Clifford Davidson Jr.

Toyota/Savemart 350k Preview: Hitting The Road (Part 1)

Clifford Davidson Jr. — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:29:29 -0400

NASCAR nation rolls into the wine country of the Sonoma, California, as the first of two road course events hits Infineon Raceway. The two-mile, 11 turn track is a wild-card in the race towards the chase, so expect major movement in the point standings after this week.

LAST WEEK

Fuel strategy was once again key as both Greg Biffle and Jimmie Johnson ran out on the last lap, handing the victory to Mark Martin. For the second straight week, Johnson ran out of gas, this time after leading 146 of 200 laps. Tony Stewart finished seventh to maintain a 47 point lead over Jeff Gordon.

Now without further ado, here's what to expect this week.

THE BIG THREE

1. Jeff Gordon's Dominance

Gordon has more wins (five) than all drivers in the top-12 combined (four).

2. 4 and 4

The last four races at Infineon have had four different pole-sitters and four different winners. On the pole were: Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Jamie McMurray, and Kasey Kahne. The race winners were: Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Juan Montoya and Kyle Busch.

3. Look away 88 fans

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has never finished in the Top-10 in nine career starts.

THE FAVORITES

1. Jeff Gordon

How can you not like NASCAR's road course king? In 16 starts, he's collected five poles, five wins, 10 top-fives, and 12 top-10s, with and average finish of 9.3. He's the all-time leader in laps led here, and is coming into this race with back to back top-five finishes.

Expect Gordon to be very strong here.

2. Tony Stewart

The only driver other than Jeff Gordon with mulitple wins at this track (two). He, however, has more success at NASCAR's other road course, Watkins Glen than Sonoma.

Stewart is certainly no slouch here, with a win at Poccono, the Sprint Cup Points leader will be strong here as well.

3. Juan Pablo Montoya

The 1999 CART Champion and F1 standout has come into his own on ovals, but this week will be his best chance to in this season so far. He won this race back in 2007, and followed it up with a 6th last year.

I expect him to win on an oval this year, but if he ends up in victory lane here, don't be surprised.

4. Marcos Ambrose

The Aussie can drive on a road course, he was the fastest car on the track here last year. Towards the end, though, electrical problems ended his day, and he finished third at Watkins Glen last year.

Add a Nationwide Series win at the Glen as well, and you have a very dangerous pick here.

5. Kyle Busch

Yes, he hasn't run well over the past few weeks, but he was nearly untouchable during the road course races last year, sweeping both events. If there is a week where they can turn it around, this is the place to do it.

The Dark Horses

1. Ryan Newman

Did you know that Newman has the second-best average finish here among active drivers at 9.4? Newman is a better road-racer than everyone gives him credit for, he even has a Nationwide win at the Glen to prove it.

Expect a Top-10 from Newman, and don't be surprise to see him challenge for the win.

2. Clint Bowyer

And another driver you don't think about when it comes to road racing, but his last two starts here at Infineon has produced two fourth-place runs.

He should hang around the Top-10 all day.

3. Robby Gordon

He's Mr. Excitement when it comes to road racing. The 2003 race winner can win this race if he can keep his head and car out of trouble this week.

4. Mark Martin

The only reason I have him as a dark horse and not a favorite is that he hasn't run here in a while. Martin has four road course wins in his career, including this race in 1997. Expect the agelss wonder to be good this week.

YOUR SUPER SLEEPER IS...Ron Fellows

The road course specialist has been close here on occasion, and will be driving the same car that Brad Keselowski drove to victory at Talladega. He won a Nationwide race at Watkins Glen and finished second here a few years back.

BUT YOUR WINNER IS

I'm picking Jeff Gordon to score his sixth win this week. He's always been a road course stud, especially at Infineon. When the smoke clears, expect Gordon in victory lane.

PROJECTED TOP-10

1. Jeff Gordon

2. Juan Pablo Montoya

3. Tony Stewart

4. Marcos Ambrose

5. Mark Martin

6. Kyle Busch

7. Robby Gordon

8. Ron Fellows

9. Ryan Newman

10. Clint Bowyer

Autism Speaks 400 Preview: Rocket-Man and the Three Roush-a-Teers

Clifford Davidson Jr. — Sat, 30 May 2009 07:15:18 -0400

The Autism Speaks 400 marks the official halfway point in the until the cutoff for the Chase to the Sprint Cup. Dover is a one mile concrete track, it's tough on tires, and even tougher on drivers. So with that in mind, here's a quick recap of last week and what you can expect this week.

LAST WEEK

The Coca-Cola 600 turned into the 24 hours of Lowe's, with David Reutimann scoring his first career win. The hot topic in the garage, Tony Eury Jr., gone as Dale Earnhardt Jr. crew chief. How will this change his season? It can only get better, when you struggled as he did last week, driving to a 40th (40th?) place finish something had to be change.

On this week at Dover here is what you need to know

THE BIG THREE

1. Only one driver in Sprint Cup Series history has won the spring race at Dover and has gone on to win the Sprint Cup championship in the same season (Jeff Gordon 2001).

2. Roush Dominance- Roush Racing has won five of the last 10 races here at Dover, including a sweep of the top three spots last year here in the fall race.

3. Changes in the 88 team- Out is Tony Eury Jr., enter Lance McGrew. Don't expect things to turn around here though, he was one in here but an average finish of 17.3

THE FAVORITES

1. Carl Edwards- Cousin Carl has another nickname...Concrete Carl, and right fully so. Edwards has three wins at Dover and the only driver in the field with a an average finish under 10 (7.7). His last five races here, no finishes outside the top three. He's coming off a fourth-place run at Lowes so look for him to be strong here.

2. Ryan Newman- Speaking of momentum, no driver has been hotter than the man they call rocket-man. Four straight top fives, and we come to one of his best tracks. Four poles and three wins are on his resume here and he in the best equipment he has in two years here.

3. Greg Biffle- He been the most consistent of the Roush drivers this year, and he won the fall race last year, another victory in 2005 gives him to wins at this track. Expect for "The Biff" to have a very strong run here this Sunday.

4. Mark Martin- The ageless wonder has already posted to win this year and could very well grab another one this week as very few track has given more success to Martin than this on. Four wins, 21 top fives and 28 top tens, and with the best equipment he had maybe eve, he should add to those numbers.

5. Matt Kenseth-Another Roush car with a good record at this track. He has one win here and has five top tens in his last six starts. He posted back to back top 10's for the first time since he won the opening two race this year, a sigh that he could be turning the corner.

THE DARK HORSES

1. David Reuitmann- He may not have great stats here—17th, 18th, and 27th are his results in three starts. But Reuitmann has one thing going for him, confidence. His first career win should push him to greater things this year, and he has been fast where ever we gone this year.

2. Martin Truex Jr.- He has been all that great this year, but he runs very well here, his only career win as here. With teammate Juan Pablo Montoya running well as of late, you can at least expect at top 15 out of Truex.

3. Jamie Mcmurray- Yet another Roush driver who could win this race. He was very fast in the fall race before a late accident took him out. McMurray has been rather pedestrian this year, so this could be the break out he needs.

4. Juan Pablo Montoya- Mr. Montoya has been very stead this year, and expect that trend to continue this week, he has a top 10 here and general runs well here, with Truex as his teammate, don't be surprise if Montoya ends up in the top 10.

YOUR SUPER SLEEPER IS

Joey Logano- Sliced Bread has been improving in a big way, three straight ninth-places runs has stamp that the kid for real. Yes he hasn't ran at Dover before, but the kid should at leat be in the top 20 by race end.

But the winner of the Autism Speaks 400 is

Ryan Newman score Stewart-Hass's first points win in Sprint Cup. Roush as a group is down from where they been last year and that should be enough for the rocket-man to pull into victory lane.

PROJECTED TOP 10

1. Ryan Newman

2. Greg Biffle

3. Carl Edwards

4. Mark Martin

5. Matt Kenseth

6. Jeff Gordon

7. Jimmie Johnson

8. Juan Pablo Montoya

9. David Reutimann

10. Martin Truex Jr.

David's Win Validates Michael Waltrip Racing's Turnaround

Clifford Davidson Jr. — Tue, 26 May 2009 01:46:42 -0400

It was two years ago at this very race, where Michael Waltrip Racing looked like a beaten organization

Waltrip and David Reutimann failed to qualify that weekend, Dale Jarrett finished 40th. All three teams were outside the magically top 35 in owner points.

In 36 possible starts, the team made only 19 races, and Waltrip had only one start, sitting last with negative points due to a infraction at the Daytona 500.

No top fives.

No top 10s.

No hope.

Fast forward to today. Both Waltrip and Reutimann had made all 24 starts, and posted a combined two top fives and four top 10s. And oh yeah...a win in one of NASCAR's crown jewel events. Reutimann is now just six points out of the final Chase spot, held by Mark Martin.

Last week,we were all in amazement at owner/driver Tony Stewart's win at the All-Star race, and rightfully so.

But this win has a more "feel good story" to it. Michael Waltrip Racing, using their own chassis and their own engines, beat the Hendricks, the Roushes, and the Gibbs of the world today.

Today was about Michael Waltrip Racing coming full circle. About Reutimann's arrival as the Franchise. And most importantly, about Waltrip getting the last laugh for everyone who said he couldn't be a successful car owner.

The Winner's Circle: Your Friendly Race Week Wrap Up (Coca-Cola 600 Edition)

Clifford Davidson Jr. — Mon, 25 May 2009 20:40:56 -0400

Welcome to the first ever Bleacher Report edition of the Winner's Circle and ladies and gentleman...it is finally over.

After four red flag periods spanning over three and a half hours, NASCAR officials called the race after lap 227, giving David Reutimann his first career Sprint Cup Series race at the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR's longest race.

Longest race indeed

First off, give all the credit in the world to NASCAR for trying their best to get all 600 miles in. They did everything short of putting a giant tarp over the speedway to get this race going again.

But in the end, they just didn't have enough of a window, with even more threatening weather the way, to complete the scheduled distance. Getting to halfway was a miracle in itself.

So without further ado...Here are the five facts you can take from Monday's race:

1. Rick Hendrick has to make some kind of change to the 88 team this week.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s performance Monday was one of the saddest excuses I think I ever seen.There is no way—in that equipment—this team should be that far off.

It's not a matter of making the Chase anymore for this group, it's about simply being competitive week in and week out, and right now, they're not even doing that.

However, this week he did manage to find his pitbox.

2. Juan Pablo Montoya is a legit Chase contender.

He has one of the fastest cars this week, posting an eighth-place finish to remain 14th in points, just 31 out of the final spot held by Mark Martin. Montoya has many reason to smile so far, especially with Sonoma a few weeks away.

3. Jeff Gordon is still the points leader, as unlikely as that sounds if you watched the race.

Gordon, who started third ,battled an extremely tight car in the opening 100 laps, falling as low as 29th in the running order.

But the team seemed to find to balance after the first red flag delay, and Gordon went on to finish 14th and increase his lead over Tony Stewart to 44 points.

4. The other Gordon, Robby, posted his first top five since Watkins Glen in 2007 where he finished fifth.

5. On lap 166, the red flag was flown as everyone paid tribute to the men and women who have paid the ultimate price to preserve our freedom.

A special shout out to to all of the Marines who are currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Reutimann may have the won Monday, but the the star of the day has to be the persistent rains that turned this into the 40 hours of Lowes. Hopefully next week, the weather will be less wet.

Next Week

The Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway

Defending Winner: Kyle Busch

That's all for the Winner's Circle, have a great Memorial's Day and stay dry everyone.

Where Racing Lives...Lowe's Celebrates Silver Anniversary

Clifford Davidson Jr. — Fri, 22 May 2009 22:51:39 -0400

Lowe's Motor Speedway was designed and built in 1959 by the current chairman O. Bruton Smith.

He was a short track promoter and an automobile dealer at the time, along with on the first driver and stars, Curtis Turner, together the built their dream 1.5-mile super speedway.

NASCAR had one goal, to stage an Memorial Day Weekend event that would rival the open well Indianapolis 500 in prestige and fan interest. The solution was a 600-mile race, called the World 600, which ironically the inaugural event would not be held until June 19 1960 due to delays in track developed

Maybe they should have delayed the the race a little longer, cause the race it self wasn't exactly an instant classic. Track conditions were so poor that pieces of asphalt came up in chunks, leaving potholes on the track and causing mayhem on the tires.

The equipment wasn't capable of 600 miles, as a result most contender fell to the wasted side. Joe Lee Johnson would go on to win, in what would turn out his final win, by a four lap margin.

The track fell on hard times, lagging ticket sales would force the speedway into Chapter 11. Track conditions were slow to improve and was at mediocre at best. How did things turn around. 1975, and the partnership between Smith and H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler.

The track refocus their attention on fan comfort and hospitality. Thousands of grandstands seats and luxury suites were built. Food concessions and restroom faciltites were added and modernized to increase the comfort of race fans.

Smith Tower, a 135,000-square foot, seven-story facility connected to the speedway's grandstands, was erected and opened in 1988.

But in 1992, the single most important change was made with the addition of the on-track lighting system, allowing Lowe's Motor Speedway to be the first super speedway to host night races.

The following year, The late Dale Earnhardt won the 600, starting the tradition of starting the race in the late afternoon and finishing underneath the lights.

Today Lowe's Motor Speedway is in the epicenter of NASCAR's home base. the track hosts three Sprint Cup race, including the All-Star race, two Nationwide Series races and a Camping World Truck Series event. The Richard Petty Driving Experience and Jeff Gordon Racing School also make use of the track.

The Coca-Cola 600, and Lowe's Motor Speedway has become on of NASCAR's crown jewels.

The 600 in ways has indeed surpass the Indy 500 as the premiere race on Memorial Day. Smith and NASCAR wanted a Memorial Day weekend that would rival the Indy 500 in prestige and fan interest, and by all accounts they have succeeded.

Without a Win So Far, Carl Edwards Struggles to Find Success of 2008

Clifford Davidson Jr. — Fri, 22 May 2009 09:27:56 -0400

Raise your hand if you believe Carl Edwards is in danger of not winning a single race in 2009.

No takers?

Now raise your hand if you believed that Jeff Gordon would go an entire season winless?

My point exactly.

Yes, it's only 11 races into this season, and the fact that Edwards hasn't visited Victory Lane has really stood out so far. Not only just the fact he hasn't won so far, but the fact that his season has been rather...pedestrian.

Edwards is currently in the cut-off position in the chase—12th in points, just seven ahead of Clint Bowyer. The No. 99 team has only one top-five finish and four top 10s with an average finish of 17.1 this year.

Edwards' best finish was a third-place run at Atlanta. But at this point last year, he had won three times and was seventh in points (a 100-point penalty notwithstanding).

The slow start has raised questions about what exactly is wrong with last year's runner-up in the final standings.

To be fair, the team has had its share of bad luck. The final pit stop at Texas. The yellow line at Talladega. But there's been races where Edwards just hasn't been a factor, and sometimes downright invisible.

Las Vegas? Bristol? California?

Carl? Paging Cousin Carl?

This could be the week, however, that he is able to turn it around and break through into Victory Lane.

Roush Racing is always strong on 1.5- and 2-mile ovals, and Lowe's Motor Speedway should be no different, even if the team's last win came in the 2002 Coke 600 with Mark Martin behind the wheel of the old No. 6 car.

Edwards owns a pair of third-place finishes at this track, along with an average finish of 10.8.

Will Edwards go winless in 2009?

Probably not.

But if Edwards is not careful, he might be well on his way to matching Gordon in a way he never intended to.

Coca-Cola 600 Preview: 50 Years of Racing in Charlotte

Clifford Davidson Jr. — Fri, 22 May 2009 07:56:07 -0400

This weekend marks the 50th running of NASCAR's endurance contest, the Coca-Cola 600, at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The first race was ran back in 1960, when Joe Lee Johnson claimed the inaugural event victory.

With the installation of lights in 1992, fans complained to circuit management to have the race start later in the day because of the notorious North Carolina heat and humidity. They wanted to follow the popularity of what was then known as the Winston All-Star the previous week, and switch the race to a nighttime finish to create cooler temperatures for spectators.

Here's what you need to know for NASCAR's longest night.

The Big Three

1. Only six times has the winner of the All-Star race has gone on to win the 600: Kasey Kahne (2008), Jimmie Johnson (2003), Jeff Gordon (1997), Dale Earnhardt (1993), Davey Allison (1991), and Darrell Waltrip (1985).

2. First Win Haven: Five drivers claim the Coca-Cola 600 as their first Cup Series victory: David Pearson (1961), Jeff Gordon (1994), Bobby Labonte (1995), Matt Kenseth (2000), and Casey Mears (2007)

3. Junior Nation watch: Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s last win came at the Michigan last June, 33 races ago. Earnhardt Jr. has five top-five finishes, nine top-10s and no wins with an average finish of 17.9 in 19 starts at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

The Favorites

Hendrick, Hendrick, and more Hendrick. Since 2003, Hendrick Motorsports has won four of the last six Coke 600's. With Stewart-Hass racing (aka Hendrick Lite) in the fold this year, expect this year to be no different.

Gordon has been the best driver on 1.5-mile ovals this year including, his streak-busting win at Texas, and has three straight top 10s at Lowes, including a win in the fall race in 2007. But the question with Gordon is, can his back hold up?

Tony Stewart has been the hottest driver on the circuit, and with a win in the All-Star race, a points win seems to be around the corner. But beware: Although he was won here in 2003, he has only posted three top-10s since then.

When talking about winning at Lowe's, no one can forget the Lowe's car. Johnson once owned this track, winning three straight 600s—the last in 2005—but lately has seemed to be in the right position late in the race.

Also expect both Busch brothers to be factors, as both have wins on 1.5-mile tracks this year.

The Dark Horses

Kasey Kahne has three wins here and is the defending race champion, but has struggled while running the old Dodge engine this year.

David Reutimann seems to be fast no matter where we are these days, but doesn't have the finishes to show for it.

Brian Vickers is the driver you are expecting to break out a win a race. This could be his night, as he ran very well in the fall race last year.

Your Super Sleeper is

Bobby Labonte. His record speaks for itself. He has not finished outside of the top 20 in any of his last 20 Lowe's Motor Speedway starts, and has posted two wins, including his first career win in the 600 in 1995.

But when its all said and done your winner of the 2009 Coca-Cola 600 is

I really want to go with Stewart, but I'm going with Gordon this week. Gordon's car was very strong in the All-Star race, plus he and Steve Letarte are getting better at adjusting the race car throughout the day.

In the end, Gordon prevails over teammate Jimmie Johnson.

Projected Top 10

1. Jeff Gordon

2. Jimmie Johnson

3 . Tony Stewart

4. Brian Vickers

5. Mark Martin

6. Greg Biffle

7. Ryan Newman

8. Kasey Kahne

9. Jeff Buton

10. Matt Kenseth