Brickyard 400 media day unlike any other

In two weeks I’ll be on the road to the world-famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and you know I couldn’t be happier about it. The Brickyard 400 is a big deal, a huge deal, for me and a lot of other NASCAR drivers.

Jeff Gordon has won it four times, Tony Stewart has done it twice, and Kevin Harvick became the first-ever driver to win from the pole in 2003. Jamie McMurray captured a win in the Brickyard 400 last year, months after winning the Daytona 500.

From left: Felix Sabates, McMurray and Chip Ganassi in the post-race press conference at IMS

“Getting to win the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 means more to me this year than making the Chase,” McMurray said after winning last year. “This year or in 10 years, the guy that won that race one time everybody will talk about. The guy that finished third in the points, nobody cares.”

Winning once at Indy immortalizes you amongst the greats, and not just the NASCAR greats. If you look at this list of winners at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway you’ll be reminded of history: Foyt, Unser, Andretti, Mears, Fittipaldi and Luyendyk. Names that made the world-famous 2.5-mile rectangle in Speedway, Ind., their home and they invited NASCAR into it.

A win at Indy is priceless.

But some of the best drivers in the sport have yet to visit victory lane, which is why, every year, the same question is asked: “What would it mean to win at Indy?”

Martin and Montoya prepare to start the 2009 Brickyard 400, a race that Montoya dominated, but was caught speeding on pit road, and Martin finished second to Jimmie Johnson

Mark Martin has never done it in NASCAR’s top division (he does have three IROC wins at IMS). Dale Earnhardt Jr. has also never won at IMS, and Juan Pablo Montoya has won the Indy 500 and the U.S Grand Prix, but has never won the Brickyard 400.

To each of these men close is not good enough. They’d love nothing more than to step into Victory Lane, and all three are fan favorites.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. winning at Indy would make a lot of fans very happy. His dad won in 1995.

But this season has been a season of firsts: Trevor Bayne’s exciting Daytona 500 win, Regan Smith capturing victory at the Southern 500 and David Ragan’s first career win at Daytona two weeks ago have all made headlines.

It seems we’re due for an unlikely winner at Indy.

In two weeks, when media day is upon us, maybe the question to every driver at Indy should be, “Who’s going to be the surprise winner this time?”

I’ll be there. And I can not wait. The countdown is on to the Brickyard 400.

Quaker State 400 countdown: Could a first-timer win at Kentucky?

Trevor Bayne did it in exciting fashion in the sport’s biggest race. Regan Smith did it in one of the sport’s most history filled events. And David Ragan did it on Saturday night.

Each of these drivers won their first NASCAR Sprint Cup race in 2011. Could a first-time winner grace the winner’s circle at Kentucky in the first-ever Sprint Cup race at the 1.5-mile oval in Sparta, Ky., in the inaugural Quaker State 400?

On May 11th, A.J. Allmendinger visited the speedway to promote Ford’s sponsorship of the track. Allmendinger has never won at NASCAR’s highest level. Could he be the guy to break into Victory Lane at Kentucky?

Allmendinger and Kentucky Speedway GM Mark Simendinger

“I’m excited to get here,” Allmendinger said. “Hopefully we’ll have a couple of wins before we get here but if not, we’ll make this one my first one.”

Allmendinger and his Richard Petty Motorsports teammate, Marcos Ambrose, ran one-two in the only practice for Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. Allmendinger finished 10th and Ambrose 17th.

Ambrose was on the doorstep of his first victory last year in Sonoma when his car cut off heading up the hill (Ambrose shut his car off to save fuel) right past the start finish line and wouldn’t refire. Since he didn’t keep his spot in line during the yellow, Ambrose couldn’t restart first, and Jimmie Johnson went on to win the race.

Paul Menard could also break into victory lane at Kentucky to win his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. So could David Gilliland, who won the 2006 Nationwide Series race in Kentucky. Travis Kvapil, who was a part of the Goodyear tire test on June 1st at Kentucky, might find his way into Victory Lane for the first time too.

It’s highly unlikely that Michael McDowell will win, but he’s also searching for win No. 1 in the Sprint Cup Series.

And a win for Dale Earnhardt Jr. might feel like a first-time win for NASCAR’s most popular driver. He’s now riding a 110-race winless streak in NASCAR’s highest series. Bruton Smith, owner of Kentucky Speedway, and Chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., said he’d love to see Earnhardt Jr. in Victory Lane.

No matter what happens, the winner of the Quaker State 400 will put his name down as the first-time winner of the Sprint Cup Series at Kentucky. If this season is any indication, it could be the first time ever in Victory Lane for one NASCAR star.

“I guess if somebody’s got to win the first one,” said Allmendinger in May, “I guess it should be me. I don’t see why not.” It drew some light-hearted laughter. Now that the race is upon us, that laughter turns to determination.

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More Quaker State 400 coverage as the week continues. Tune in to FOX19 this evening to see a chat with Kentucky Speedway GM Mark Simendinger, who will be in the studio this evening. If you’ve got questions, comments, thoughts, ideas or anything else related to the Quaker State 400, Feed the Children 300 or UNOH 225, leave me a comment below. Thanks for reading.

Mark Martin wins 50th career pole at Daytona

“This could be one of those memories, We want to hold on to, cling to, one we can’t forget… What if this was that moment, That chance worth taking, History in the making”—lyrics from Darius Rucker’s “History in the Making”

Pole No. 50 (Getty Images for NASCAR)

Even though he’s never won at Daytona, Mark Martin has been pretty quick in qualifying at the track located 15 miles from where he lives in Florida.

Martin's No. 5 during his qualifying run on Friday (Getty Images for NASCAR)

He became the oldest polesitter in track history when he won the pole for the 2010 Daytona 500 at age 51. And he broke that record on Friday afternoon by turning a lap of just over 182 mph to knock 2011 Daytona 500 champ Trevor Bayne off the pole.

“I really didn't expect to get the pole,” said the ever-humble Martin. “When I ran it could have been first or 21st. I had no idea. They didn't tell me what my first lap was, that it was actually the quickest of the first laps so I had no idea. You just go out and do your thing.”

Martin climbs from his car after capturing his 50th career pole (Getty Images for NASCAR)

Not bad for an old guy. And there’s some more good news for Martin: the past two July races at Daytona have been won from the pole.

Like I said earlier in the week, this could be a month of firsts for Mr. Martin. A first win at Daytona, followed seven nights later by a first win at Kentucky followed on July 31 with his first win at Indianapolis, would be an ideal month for NASCAR’s most respected driver.

And a dream for one of his fans: me.

Mark during qualifying (Getty Images for NASCAR)

In a little bit less than seven days the NASCAR Nationwide Series hits the track for the “Feed the Children 300.” Martin will pilot the No. 32 car for Turner Motorsports in that race, which could be renamed the “Joey Logano 300,” since the youngster has won the past three poles and races at the 1.5-mile oval in Kentucky.

And Logano won the Subway Jalapeno 250 on Friday night, so he’s on a roll.

Martin has had a rough time in the past season and a half in Cup after having “the time of his life” in 2009 where Martin and crew chief Alan Gustafson won five times on the way to Martin’s fifth runner-up finish in the points.

And winning at Daytona could jump start his team.

“It would be really, really nice to make the Chase, but I'm not counting the points,” he said after winning his 50th pole in 53 tries at Daytona. “I'm not counting the points that closely. Right now, I am focused on trying to elevate the performance of our team.”

He said the same thing at Indianapolis last year. And he’s honest about it. This is the same man who said he should be fired for qualifying 32nd for a race in 2009 at Michigan. It’s a race that Martin ended up winning.

There are only five tracks Mark Martin has never won at: Daytona, Kentucky, Indianapolis, Pocono and Homestead-Miami. He’s got a chance in the next 29 days to knock off all three. He’s come so close at both Daytona and Indy, but the Batesville, Ark., native remains as humble as ever.

 “I’ve had a chance to race 53 times here. I’ve survived some really hard crashes here and I’ve had some good times here,” Martin said. “I’ve got a lot to be thankful for. The place doesn’t owe me a thing. Matter of fact, I owe the place and the sport a great deal for just letting me be a part of it.”

History is already in the making for Mark Martin with the pole, so why not cap it off with a win? I’d be OK with it, and I’m sure a lot of other fans would be too.

One last fun fact, as provided by NASCAR.com: “Mark Martin is the 12th different pole winner in 17 Cup Series races in 2011.”

As fired up as I am for Kentucky, it’s hard not to be excited about Daytona. Sure Mark Martin has had a rough time at the track, but he was in striking distance to push Tony Stewart to the win in the season’s opener, and he’ll be paired up with Jeff Gordon tomorrow.

Gordon and Martin talk on pit road before qualifying on Friday afternoon (Getty Images for NASCAR)

It should be exciting and I’m darn fired up for it.

NASCAR writers agree: Season off to great start

During NASCAR’s preseason media tour, Larry McReynolds lectured the NASCAR media on being more positive.

“I know it’s easy to write about all the bad things and I know it can't all be about the good things,” McReynolds said (quoted by SB Nation’s Jeff Gluck). “But (here's) the only thing I reach out to you: If it's television ratings (you're writing about), we know the ratings are down, how about also promoting that we're second only to the NFL? If there's 25,000 empty seats at Michigan, how about making sure you document there's still over 100,000 people in those grandstands? Things like that will get our sport back to where we were.”

For those in attendance, it has been tough not to be happy about the first two weeks of the NASCAR season. Gluck wrote earlier today that Trevor Bayne’s Daytona 500 win was good for the old fans and the new fans. Gordon’s win in Phoenix was pretty good too.

“Fans are liking what they’re seeing,” Gluck wrote. “After Gordon's win, people of all ages lined up along the catch fence from Turn 1 all the way down the frontstretch to salute Gordon – which was something he couldn't remember ever happening before. That was new for a guy who only used to get booed in the old days.”

In fact, yesterday I posted that Gordon’s win—which prevented Kyle Busch from sweeping the weekend—was good because Busch has become the lightning rod that Gordon once was.

Jenna Fryer, of the Associated Press, opined that Gordon and Bayne have done wonders for the sport in the first two weeks of the season.

“Now NASCAR has Gordon, a 20-year veteran and four-time champion, back in Victory Lane after a drought that stretched almost two years, an outcome that sits well with the sport’s aging fan base. The fresh-faced Bayne, meanwhile, attracted the coveted 18-to-34-year-old audience,” she wrote.

“Either way, it’s got the series headed in the right direction after several sagging seasons.”

She also wrote that it’s still up to the fans to tune in for the next 34 weeks. But, she, like a lot of others (yours truly included) feel that the beginning of the season has provided a lot of interesting stories and will keep NASCAR in the limelight for a few more weeks.

“It’s up to the fans to decide if the first two weeks are enough to keep them interested for 34 more races. And while there are still issues to be ironed out…NASCAR finally appears to be doing something right,” she wrote.

And it’s enough to attract older viewers and younger viewers. Trevor Bayne was celebrated in his hometown of Knoxville, Tenn., on Monday. One fan, thirty years older than Bayne, is excited for the youngster.

“He inspires a lot of kids with his faith,” said Knoxville resident Mike Lewis, 50 (quoted in an AP story on Bayne). “I enjoy watching him talk, because I know it’s coming from the heart. Despite his success, he’s very humble right now.”

And that is just one reason why NASCAR is doing so well right now.

Now, if only driver 88 could find his way to Victory Lane.
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Information and quotes for this story came from Jenna Fryer, Jeff Gluck and an AP report from Tennessee.

For Gluck’s entire article, click here: http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/2/28/2021141/nascar-phoenix-2011-results-jeff-gordon-kyle-busch-trevor-bayne
For Fryer’s opinion piece, check here: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news;_ylt=AskvJbNqCe6iaJBnYrZBk.Xov7YF?slug=ap-nascar-inthepits
For the story on Bayne, click here: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news;_ylt=AqeOQ3BER9VyfL9deti3Uynov7YF?slug=ap-nascar-bayneshometown

Random thoughts of the day

If you checked my story on Trevor Bayne yesterday, you got some good comments on why I felt Trevor Bayne’s win was good for the sport. Portions of that article are in a story for my sports reporting class where I have to write a column for class stating my opinion.

Yesterday I was posed with a good question: What was the story going to be if someone else won?

I said I could come up with a reason why it was good, or bad, for each driver to win Sunday’s 53rd Daytona 500. It was easy.

The only driver who could have been bad for the sport of NASCAR if he won on Sunday is five-time champ Jimmie Johnson. Imagine being a casual or even first-time NASCAR viewer. You want to give the sport a shot, but all you see is the only guy you’ve ever heard of (thanks to ESPN I’m sure) win. Traditional NASCAR fans (sans those of Johnson) are ticked off that Johnson has won, and NASCAR gains little to no new fans.

However, if anyone else had won, I could argue it was good for the sport.

Fire any name you want at me, and I’d come up with a reason or two.

My boss, John Sells, asked me, “What about Harvick? You hate Harvick.” While I’m guilty of that charge, I came up with a few reasons why seeing the No. 29 in victory lane would have been good for the sport.

On the tenth anniversary of Dale Earnhardt’s death, how awesome would it have been to see that all black No. 29 in victory lane? What about Michael Waltrip’s black No. 15, also painted to look like the No. 3 that Earnhardt drove. In fact, numerous drivers, including Dale Jr., would have been a plus for the nation’s No. 2 sport, just because it was the tenth anniversary of Dale Sr.’s death.

What about Tony Stewart? He had a shot at the end. In thirteen tries at the Daytona 500, he’s never ended up in victory lane. He’s won every other race during Speedweeks.
And the guy that was pushing Stewart, Mark Martin, is now 0-for-27 in Daytona 500 tries, including the 2007 Daytona 500, which many folks (myself included) argue that Martin actually won.
Speaking of long 0-for streaks, what about the wily vet pushing Daytona 500 champ Trevor Bayne, Bobby Labonte? In 18 attempts, Labonte has never won the “Great American Race.”

Labonte, Stewart and Martin, three guys who have basically done everything in the sport, have all never won the Daytona 500.

What about Carl Edwards or Denny Hamlin you may ask. Is there any better story than those guys winning the season’s first race in their attempts to stop Johnson’s sixth straight Cup run?

I’m sure I could actually list all 43 guys and my reasons, but why bore you? I feel that I’ve given sufficient storylines for each driver.

That was my thought process this weekend, and almost every weekend to be honest. I enjoy telling stories, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading them. Have a good Wednesday.

Bayne’s win good for NASCAR’s young audience

Trevor Bayne picked an awfully good time to jump into the NASCAR spotlight. After all, it doesn’t get any bigger than the Daytona 500.

When Trevor Bayne lifted the Harley J. Earl trophy on Sunday, he lifted the hopes of young NASCAR fans everywhere. In a sport that has a median viewing age of 51.6, according to Nielsen numbers, the 20-year-old’s victory signified a chance for NASCAR to gain some new, younger fans.

Bryan Nicodemus, an 18-year-old NASCAR fan from Pittsburgh, isn’t a Trevor Bayne fan (he roots for 52-year-old Mark Martin) but sees the potential for NASCAR to gain new fans after Sunday’s race.

“I feel that Trevor’s win was good for NASCAR,” he said. “I think more people will take a look at NASCAR because an ‘unknown’ driver won. It wasn’t a Jimmie Johnson or Dale [Earnhardt] Jr. People might want to find out who Trevor Bayne is.”

Bayne turned 20 the day before he won the Daytona 500, and easily broke Jeff Gordon’s record for youngest Daytona 500 winner (Gordon won the 1997 500 when he was 25). His first career win, in his second career start, couldn’t have come at a better time.

Bayne, driving the No. 21 car for the Wood Brothers, one of NASCAR’s most esteemed teams, was almost speechless after winning. And who could blame the Tennessee native? He’d just won the race that took legend Dale Earnhardt 20 years to win.

“Sorry if I’m bouncing around on questions and answers,” Bayne said in the media center after the race. “Figure I can do whatever I want to since it’s just a dream anyways.”

Carl Edwards, who finished second to Bayne in the 500, said NASCAR fans need to take note of the kid from Tennessee. Edwards should know. He used to be the young, energetic driver that won over fans through his trademark blackflip victory celebration.

Edwards said, “This is as good as it gets. If people aren’t watching, that’s their problem, because we got some great stuff going on here.”

As it turns out, people were watching.

FOX announced that the Daytona 500 averaged 15.6 million viewers nationally, and 30.1 million viewers caught at least a part of the race. The 53rd edition of “The Great American Race” was the most-watched NASCAR race since 2008, executives at FOX said.

The youth banner in NASCAR isn’t something that only Bayne is carrying. Joey Logano, a 20-year-old NASCAR superstar, burst into the sport when he turned 18. Logano, who drives the No. 20 car for Joe Gibbs Racing, has won one NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

Can Bayne and Logano, two kids, attract a younger crowd to NASCAR?

“I think it’s possible that they could attract a younger audience,” said Nicodemus. “Twenty year olds might want to watch because it’s someone their age who is winning. It could be the same philosophy as to why older fans would want to root for Mark Martin, because it’s someone who reminds them of themselves.”

But will they tune in next week and the subsequent weeks to see if Bayne can run with the stars of NASCAR? I certainly hope so, and Edwards is backing me.

“He is really a nice young man, a great guy to represent this sport with this win,” Edwards said. “I think the world’s going to like him a lot.”

If Sunday was any example, I think Trevor Bayne has an opportunity to energize a new, young fan base in the nation’s second-most watched sport.

My opinions on the 53rd Daytona 500

There is no greater sport than NASCAR.

I teared up as Martina McBride sang the National Anthem and the US Air Force Thunderbirds flew over the Daytona 500. Racing was back, and that is awesome.

As the three two-car packs drafted up to the white flag I looked at my brother (who was screaming about Trevor Bayne being younger than him) and said, “Carl Edwards is going to win the Daytona 500.”

I was wrong.

However, I wasn’t mad with the outcome. More on what 20-year-old Trevor Bayne’s win means for the sport later this week, but for now I offer some quick thoughts on the 53rd edition of the “Great American Race.”

The silent third lap was one hell of a tribute to Dale Earnhardt
When the FOX broadcast went silent on lap three in memory of Dale Earnhardt I got chills. I’m sure many others did too. The shots of fans in the crowd all holding up three fingers in salute to “The Intimidator” was reminiscent of each race in 2001 where fans did the same thing.

You may not have liked Dale Earnhardt but you certainly had to respect what he meant to the sport, and the tribute yesterday was amazing.

Kudos to Mark Martin for coming back from three laps down to finish tenth
When Mark Martin bounced across the turn four grass during the lap 29 accident, it was apparent that his chances to win the Daytona 500 in his 27th chance, were all but zero. Or so many experts may have thought.

Martin got a few free passes and moved back onto the lead lap. He restarted fourth during the final green-white-checkered restart. Pushing Tony Stewart didn’t work and Martin and Smoke fell back. Stewart ended up 13th but Martin came home 10th.

After the race finished the two discussed what happened, but also exchanged comments about being excited for the Wood Brothers to be back in victory lane again. I’d expect nothing less from two of NASCAR’s more experienced drivers.

What was up with Earnhardt-Childress engines?
Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton, teammates at Richard Childress Racing both had engine failures in the 500. It was uncharacteristic for the Childress cars, who have an engine alliance with Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, to lose motors.

Harvick said there was nothing he could do to change his failure, and Burton, who won the second qualifying race on Thursday, reiterated Harvick’s feelings.

“We’re asking a lot out of the engines here, for sure,” Burton said after exiting the race after 92 laps.

The two-car drafts weren’t as bad as I thought they’d be
Last week, after the Bud Shootout, I voiced my displeasure with the two-car breakaways that dominated the event. I felt it was boring and more like a chess match than real racing.

As it turns out, the two-car breakaways made restarts a lot more like the old-time Daytona. Cars were three, sometimes four-wide as they snaked around the 2.5-mile oval. It looked like the good ol’ days of restrictor plate racing.

So, even though in the end the two-car strategy was what won Trevor Bayne his first Cup race, the racing wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Kind of makes me wish I hadn’t been so hard on it last week.
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As I said earlier, I’ll be expanding my thoughts on Trevor Bayne’s win and what it means for the sport later on this week. I’m currently gathering some comments from fellow NASCAR fans, and they’ll be appearing here before Thursday (as this story doubles as a class assignment).

I hope you’ve enjoyed the pre-Daytona coverage. I’ve enjoyed writing numerous pieces leading up to the big day, and I’ll continue to write NASCAR stories as they come this season. On to Phoenix, where I’m sure I’ll have something to say about Mark Martin, and how I, along with many other fans, will be riding with the 52 year old on Sunday.

Enjoy your holiday, the “Day After the Daytona 500” today.

Bayne wins Daytona 500

Trevor Bayne became the youngest Daytona 500 winner in the history of “The Great American” race, capping off his 20th birthday weekend in style.

Bayne, with a push from Carl Edwards, won his first Sprint Cup race in only his second career Cup start. His only other start was the fall race at Texas last season.

“I keep thinking I’m dreaming I really do,” Bayne said in Victory Lane.

The day was a record setter in Daytona. This year’s edition of the sport’s biggest race featured a race record 15 cautions, breaking the previous record of 11. The race also featured 74 lead changes among 22 different leaders.

Bayne, driving for the Wood Brothers in the No. 21 car, was so excited after the win he didn’t know where to go to find victory lane. But he was almost dumbfounded by the win.

“This is unbelievable,” he said. “How cool is it to see the Wood Brothers back in victory lane?”

Glen and Len Wood haven’t been in victory lane at the Daytona 500 since 1976 when David Pearson won the sport’s “Super Bowl.” In fact, it’s been ten seasons since the Wood Brothers last won a race.

Bayne’s car looked identically like Pearson’s car, and it did the same thing. Win.
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More thoughts on Daytona to come later this evening or tomorrow. It was an exciting finish and another oh-so close for Tony Stewart and Mark Martin. Maybe we’ll hear from them tomorrow. Until then, enjoy your Sunday evening.