"Happy" Harvick won Sunday night's wild Phoenix race
ESPN's Marty Smith reported earlier this weekend that Kevin Harvick would leave his familiar No. 29 car for a fourth car at Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014. Harvick, his owner Richard Childress and Tony Stewart, the owner of SHR all remained tight-lipped on the subject, but all said they were going to focus on the remained of the 2012 season and work towards 2013. It seemed as if the final two races would be a wash for the Budweiser team, knowing of their potential "lame duck" status.
But Harvick and crew chief Gil Martin played their strategy right and proved everyone wrong when they pulled into victory lane for the first time in 2012 Sunday night in Phoenix. This was also the first win for RCR in 35 races and Harvick's first win in 44 events.
Harvick's win may have been exciting and a little bit improbable, but that is not what the 2012 Advocare 300 will be remembered for.
Jimmie Johnson limps to pit road after losing a tire
On lap 77, the championship points were severely shaken up. Jimmie Johnson, the leader by seven markers at the start of the day, melted a beat on his right front tire, which blew out and sent his No. 48 car into the outside wall. Now, the driver known simply as "Five Time," will go into the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway 20 points behind the No. 2 of Keselowski. And all Keselowski must do is finish 15th or better to clinch his first ever Sprint Cup title and, what could be the last for Dodge, as they will leave the sport at season's end.
While this seems like enough drama for one weekend, that was not the end of what would prove to be, arguably, Nascar's most controversial race in years.
Clint Bowyer (15) gets collected after wreck with Jeff Gordon
Coming off of turn two late in the race, Clint Bowyer made contact with Jeff Gordon's left rear, which cut down the tire and sent him into the turn three wall as he tried to retaliate on Bowyer. Bowyer's spotter alerted his driver that Gordon was waiting for him between turns three and four. So when Bowyer ducked to the apron to pass Gordon, the two hooked when Bowyer came back up, sending the two drivers into the wall. This also collected the cars of Joey Logano and Aric Almirola.
Gordon made his way to the garage area and Bowyer was forced to limp back around to pit road. When Gordon climbed from his mangled No. 24 car, he was met by Bowyer's pit crew who, like a scene out of West Side Story, emerged ready to fight the four time champion and his team. They did come to blows, but Gordon escaped any harm.
Soon after the dust settled, Bowyer B-lined from his car on pit road to Gordon's hauler to defend his crew and express his displeasure. But he didn't get past the truck's liftgate, where he was met by two of Gordon's team members, which started both driver's pit crews fighting again. Both drivers met with Nascar and the hauler was guarded by two sheriff deputies.
If you missed all of this insanity, or didn't believe it happened and want to see it one more time, you can watch it here.
On the subsequent green-white-checker finish, Jeff Burton got loose under Danica Patrick getting into turn three, sending her No. 10 car into the wall. Nascar, for whatever reason, didn't throw a caution flag, so when the field came back around to take the checkered flag, they drove through the oil Patrick's car had put down on the frontstrech. This sent Ryan Newman spinning, which also collected the cars of Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Paul Menard and current points leader, Brad Keselowski. Patrick was also involved in this pileup, as she stayed on the racetrack as opposed to pulling down pit road when she first spun.
Danica Patrick (10) gets wrecked by Paul Menard on the last lap
So while most fans thought that Johnson would lap the field, win the race and clinch his sixth championship. It was just going to be another typical Phoenix weekend. But after two crazy races that saw Truck Series points leader James Beuscher wreck late Friday night and Nationwide points leader Elliott Sadler wreck with just two laps remaining Saturday afternoon, the Cup race also proved to be anything but typical, especially for those in the title hunt.
There is one race left in the 2012 season for Nascar's top three series. When the Ford 400 finishes next weekend, we will have crowned three champions. Most believe they know how each of these three championship battles will end up. But if this weekend was any indication, nothing is certain and anyone with a shot at a title could very well win it.
After taking several hard hits in the last lap pileup that claimed 24 race cars on the last lap at Talladega last Sunday, Dale Earnhardt, Jr was outspoken and his comments about his dislike of this new style of plate racing were well publicized. But the driver of the No. 88 Chevy was also seen holding his head while he sat on the steps of his team's trailer, promoting questions about the well-being of the sport's most popular driver.
Those questions about Earnhardt's health were answered Thursday morning in a Hendrick Motorsports press conference where the team announced that he would not race this weekend at Charlotte or next weekend at Kansas. He will be replaced by Regan Smith, who will be replaced in the Phoenix Racing No. 51 car by A.J. Allmendinger.
Earnhardt told the media that because his car spun around so quickly during his wreck last weekend, it disoriented him and he knew right away that "[I] had re-injured [myself]."
Junior also took a hard hit when he blew a right front tire and hit the wall in a Goodyear tire test at Kansas close to five weeks ago, but was cleared to drive by Nascar's medical staff. "I knew something just was not quite right," said Earnhardt. He went on to say he felt good after a week and was about "80 to 90 percent" by the time the Chase rolled around. He didn't want to risk missing the top ten cutoff, so he decided to just "push through it and work through it."
Dale Jr's crippled car limps to the garage at Tallladega
He tried to do the same after his hits on Sunday, but when he was still having headaches on Wednesday, he decided to seek medical attention. When Dr. Jerry Petty and Earnhardt looked at the driver's MRI, Earnhardt said it looked good, but he was "very honest" about how he felt with Dr. Petty. Petty could not in good conscience allow the driver to race this weekend.
Earnhardt said that he is looking forward to getting back in his race car as soon as possible, but he also wants to be healthy. "The basis for this whole deal is I've had two concussions in the last four or five weeks, and you can't layer concussions," Earnhardt, Jr said. "I feel perfectly fine," he added, "but I don't want to keep getting hit in the head." While he could not give a solid number, Junior did say he's had several mild concussions over his career.
Dr. Petty was also in attendance at the Thursday press conference, as were owner Rick Hendrick and crew chief Steve Letarte. Petty said that Junior's injury is the kind that doesn't show up on an MRI scan and that "as long as there's any headache, the brain is not healed." He also said that Earnhardt's MRI was normal and "encouraging" and that after another scan and a few test laps, Junior may be cleared to drive again.
While Earnhardt will not be at the track this weekend, he feels his presence would be a distraction to his team, there will still be many storylines to follow. How will Smith do in his first race in a Chase-caliber car? How will Allmendinger do in his first race since being suspended in July? And of course, when will Dale Earnhardt, Jr race again?
It appears Regan Smith will only climb into his No. 78 car eight more times
It appears that Regan Smith's tenure at Furniture Row Racing will come to an end following the 2012 season. News broke on Friday that Smith has been told to look at other teams and that he would likely be be replaced in his No. 78 car by 2004 champion Kurt Busch.
Smith, who is truly one of the nice guys in this sport, told the media in New Hampshire that "as it stands right now, I don't believe I'm going to be back with these guys next year." When asked about other options he may have, Smith said, "I've been looking for a while already now, but yes, I've been told I can look."
The Cato, New York native, joined Denver, Colorado-based Furniture Row Racing in 2009. They ran around 18 races together and have run the full Sprint Cup Series tour since 2010. Ryan Coniam was the team's crew chief at the start of the '10 campaign, but after 12 races, he was ousted in favor of veteran Pete Rondeau. It turns out that Rondeu, who had previously worked as the crew chief for drivers such as Dale Earnhardt, Jr, was just what was needed to right the ship.
Smith and his team celebrate their win in Darlington last season
Less than a year later, Smith and Rondeau had scored the team's first win in one of the season's biggest races. The team had won the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. This was also Smith's second career win. Let's be honest. He beat Tony Stewart at Talldega in 2008, plain and simple.
This season, Furniture Row brought former Richard Childress Racing crew chief Todd Berrier on board before the Brickyard 400, which really helped the team improve consistency. They scored back-to-back top 10 finishes at the following two races in Pocono and Watkins Glen.
"I think it's something we can build on," Smith said. "I think the tough part for me is that the beginning of the year was a struggle. We had to make some changes to get better as a team and better as an organization. We made those changes, and it's going the right direction... I want to see it through. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like it's going to be the case right now. So somebody's going to get a really good race car next season."
That somebody appears to be Busch. The former champ has been teamed up with James Finch's Phoenix Racing team all season and the two have had nothing but mediocre results to show for their efforts. The team has had to run blank No. 51 Chevys for most of the season due to a severe lack of funding, so Busch has often had to drive harder to overcompensate for the team's second-rate equipment. This has often resulted in Busch wadding up more than a few race cars, which can be a death sentence for a cash-strapped team.
Busch, whoc is mired in 25th in points and been suspended this season for cussing out a media member, has said that while Furniture Row has "shown good interest," so have several other organizations. "There's a handful of contracts sitting on my desk and it's just a matter of going through some detail with each of the teams."
2012 has proved a tough season for Kurt Busch and the 51 team
Furniture Row general manager Joe Garone confirmed he has talked to Busch, but that the short-tempered wheelman has also talked to other teams as well. One of those teams is rumored to be Richard Petty Motorsports.
This move would be extra heartbreaking for Smith because he moved to Denver last year to be closer to his team's shop. "It's a place where I've been for a while. I'm happy here. I like it here. But sometimes change isn't bad either."
While there are not very many options for competitive rides in the Cup Series garage, Smith remains optimistic that he will have a seat when the music stops in January at Daytona testing.
"There's not a lot out there right now," said Smith. "But it's a situation where there is some stuff going on and there will be stuff that turns up later going on, too. You just have to wait and see."
But while he is a nice guy, Smith is also a competitor. And he knows exactly what he wants to do for a living.
"I know I love racing. I intend on being in a race car next year. I know I haven't peaked as a driver yet, so I feel good about where I'm at in my career. We just have to find that right match going forward."
Office Depot sponsored Tony Stewart for 22 races during the 2012 season
Office Depot, a sponsor of Tony Stewart's No. 14 car since the reigning Cup Series champion began his own team in 2009 and a backer for 22 of his 36 races this season, announced Sunday that they will not return to Stewart-Haas racing in 2013.
This announcement comes just a few months after the team announced that they were also losing the U.S. Army as a sponsor for teammate Ryan Newman. This leaves Newman with Quicken Loans, Tornados foods and a few patchwork sponsors for next season and Stewart with Mobil 1 for just 14 races. SHR's sizable task of finding major backing for Newman just got a good bit more difficult.
"The decision to significantly curtail our with Stewart-Haas Racing was very difficult, and one that we did not take lightly," said Mindy Kramer, senior director of communications for Office Depot. "However, the changing business landscape warrants a realignment of priorities and resources."
"That being said, Tony Stewart has been an exceptional ambassador for our brand, and he has gone above and beyond in everything he has done for our company. Being a part of his legendary championship run in 2011 was a moment of tremendous pride for everyone at Office Depot."
Office Depot and Stewart won the 2011
Sprint Cup Series championship
SHR spokesman Mike Arning said that the team is in "continued discussions with Office Depot regarding possible future roles the company could have with the team."
With two cars needing significant funding for next season, it seems as if SHR becoming a three car operation will have to wait another year. Rookie Danica Patrick has a full year of sponsorship from longtime partner GoDaddy.com. But with Stewart now needing sponsorship, his team would presumably take precedence over the lame duck Newman.
With his contract up at seasons end, and no major sponsorship on the horizon, SHR has told Newman to test the waters in the Cup garage. Newman could very well end up at a new team next season, as September is late in the game to find any kind of major sponsorship.
Office Depot is just the latest in a laundry list of sponsors who have left the sport in the last two seasons. They join the like of UPS, the U.S. Army, Crown Royal, Red Bull, Verizon, Old Spice, Little Debbie, Golden Corral and General Mills. Until the economy picks back up again, it appears that this trend of major companies leaving Nascar will continue.
Marcos Ambrose emerges from his No. 9 Ford victorious after a hairy final lap
In what was without a doubt the most exciting finish of the 2012 season to date, Marcos Ambrose managed to pull off a last lap pass of Brad Keselowski to score his second win in a row in the Cup Series at Watkins Glen on Sunday. Normally a feat like that would difficult all on it's own, but it was made all the more arduous for Ambrose because the entire track was coated with oil during the closing laps.
The Finger Lakes 355 at the Glen began with a threat of rain, which left teams thinking that they would be racing to halfway for the second week in a row. But when polesitter Juan Pablo Montoya took the green, rain was the last thing on any of the drivers' minds.
Kyle Busch managed to slip around Montoya off the first turn and never looked back. It appeared that if Busch was going to be beaten, the rest of the field would have to wrestle the trophy away from him.
Kyle Busch gets a tap from Brad Keselowski after both drivers
got loose in the oil on the track
Two of the first three cautions were brought out by Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing teammates Montoya and Jamie McMurray. McMurray took a hard hit to the Armco barrier in turn one, while Montoya broke a lower control arm on the left front of his car exiting the inner loop. While it was never determined for sure what McMurray's issue was, it is believed that both cars suffered the same issues.
In between owner Chip Ganassi's worst nightmare, the yellow flag flew for Kurt Busch. He spun his No. 51 Chevy when his right rear tire broke off his car, taking the axle along with it. Joey Logano also experienced issues when his No. 20 car broke a right rear shock mount, ruining his day as well.
Marcos Ambrose and his boss, Richard Petty, celebrate
in victory lane
After a caution for a brief rain shower, Tony Stewart assumed the lead. But his shot at the win was short-lived, as he got loose coming off turn seven and backed his No. 14 Chevy into the Armco barrier at the head of pit road. This meant that the race was a battle between Busch, Keselowski and Ambrose.
In the closing laps, Dale Earnhardt, Jr spun with seven to go. After the subsequent restart, Bobby Labonte's No. 47 car blew a motor, which had put down a thin film of oil all the way around the track. This would normally draw a caution from race control, but Nascar's spotters didn't report any oil to the race stayed green. With the slippery conditions, Busch's 20 car length lead was all but erased.
On the white flag lap, Keselowski, who was now on Busch's rear bumper, slid underneath the No. 18 car. Busch simultaneously slid into Keselowski's Dodge, sending him around at the top of the hill. This brought Ambrose even closer to the lead and by the time they reached the innerloop, he and Keselowski were neck and neck. Keselowski grabbed the lead off the carousel, but Ambrose swung out wide to find more grip. This helped him get by Keselowski's sliding No. 2 off the final corner and score his second career win and his second in a row at the Upstate New York road course.
This win also puts Ambrose in contention for a wildcard berth in this years "Chase for the Championship." If he can manage to score his first oval track win, it would almost assure the affable Aussie a spot in Nascar's version of the postseason. They have been on the verge of that elusive oval win all season and could very well get it next weekend at Michigan or in a few weeks at Atlanta. But with only a few races left, Ambrose and his No. 9 Stanley Tools team will have to work fast to make it happen.
For a little more than a week, AJ Allmendinger's last chance of reinstatement lay in the results of the test of his "B" urine sample.
But in less than 12 hours, that last glimmer of disappeared for good.
After waiting for more than two weeks for the final results to be come in, Allmendigner has failed his "B" test Tuesday, meaning he has been suspended from Nascar competition indefinitely. This makes the Penske Racing wheelman the second driver to be suspended under Nascar's stricter, zero-tolerance drug policy. The sanctioning body also nabbed Jeremey Mayfield in 2009 and, after being embroiled in a long legal battle disputing Nascar's results, Mayfield has never driven again.
It is Nascar's policy to not reveal what substance a driver tests positive for, but Allmendinger and his business manager have both said it was a "stimulant." Allmendinger is currently gathering everything in both his home and his motor coach to send for analysis to determine what it was that may have triggered the positive result. Allmendinger's business manager, Tara Ragan, said the results "were within nanograms of acceptable standards."
"This was not the result we wanted to hear and we will work to get to the source of what may have caused this," Ragan said. "To that end, we have secured the services of an independent lab to conduct thorough testing on every product within AJ's home and motor coach to find what might collaborate with his test."
Penske Racing also put out a statement saying the organization was "very disappointed with the results of this latest test. They also said they will "evaluate it's course of action as it pertains o AJ over the coming weeks. Sam Hornish, Jr will drive the No. 22 Dodge Charger this weekend at Indianapolis and next weekend at Pocono."
Sponsor Shell/Pennzoil echoed Penske's sentiment, and sharing in the team's disappointment with their driver.
It was also announced on Wednesday afternoon that Allmendinger will complete Nascar's "Road to Recovery" program. This program will be customized for his particular situation and when he finishes, which may take several month to do, Nascar will consider him for reinstatement.
But when that time does come, it's doubtful that he will have the same No. 22 car waiting for him when he gets back.
The 2012 season was going to be the best of AJ Allmendiger's young Nascar career. He had landed the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge at Penske Racing and was now teammates with Bread Keselowski, who finished fifth in points in 2011. The 30-year-old California native beamed with optimism all throughout Speedweeks at Daytona in February.
But when the Cup Series returned to Daytona this past weekend, Allmendinger's high hopes and lofty ambitions had gone down in flames. Hard.
About 90-minutes prior to the start of the Coke Zero 400, Nascar's Steve O'Donnell announced that Allmendiger had failed a random drug test the sanctioning body had administered to the driver following the previous week's event at Kentucky Speedway. He was escorted from the speedway and placed on suspension, meaning that Penske Racing had to fly Sam Hornish, Jr down from Charlotte to wheel the No. 22. He arrived on pit road just as the national anthem started.
Sam Hornish, Jr barely made it to the grid at Daytona
Hornish will also be behind the wheel of the Shell-Pennzoil car at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend.
Allmendinger's suspension is only "temporary" because he can choose to have a "B" sample tested. But, if that test proves positive as well or if he chooses not to have it tested at all, the suspension becomes "indefinite." That means he can only come back when Nascar says it's ok to do so.
Meanwhile, Allmendinger has yet to make a statement regarding what happened, expressing his side of the story or pleading his innocence. Penske Racing has released a statement saying they had been notified about the situation and that they fully support Nascar's drug testing policy.
Team owner Roger Penske, who was out of the country when the news broke, called the failed test "a disappointment," but that the team will wait for the "B" sample to be tested before making any decisions about Allmendinger's future. "I don't think it's fair to him," Penske said. "I think as you look at sports, things happen like this. It's unfortunate, but I don't really want to make a statement pro or con right now. I'm counting on another test being proper for him within 72 hours and at that point we'll make a decision."
How much longer will Allmendinger's name be above the
door of the No. 22 car?
Penske said the team was informed about the failed test at around 4 p.m. Saturday, less than four hours before the start of the race. Should Allmendinger choose to have his "B" sample tested, it could take up to five days to confirm the results of the "A" sample.
Allmendinger's publicist has said that the news "shocked" her client, while also describing him as a "health conscious" individual. She would not comment on whether or not the driver would have the "B" sample tested.
Hopefully Allmedinger opts for this second test, if only to try and prove his innocence. It would also give his fans some confidence after three days of silence from their driver and not doing so might be looked upon as an admission of guilt.
Midway through the season that was supposed to be a big breakthrough for Anthony James Allmendinger, it may instead prove to be nothing more than a big washout.
UPDATE: Nascar has confirmed that AJ Allmendinger has requested that the "B" sample be tested. (7/9 10:30 p.m.)
