Penske team mates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano both had wild rides at the Geico 500.
Logano was caught up in the touch and spin pinball that happens at Talladega with the speed and thin margin for error collide. The #22 got around and caught air after a touch from a loose Denny Hamlin in the #11 and Ricky Stenhouse in the #47. Several other cars took damage but it was Logano in the air. The car tumbled and rolled and came to a stop wheels down in the grass.
Logano was OK but a bit outspoken on cars still able to spin and fly. He mentioned spoiler height as a possibility to keep cars on the ground and later interviews looking forward to the new car for 2022.
Brad Keselowski was in the mix but it was the final lap when it came into play with the #2. Keselowski led just one lap, the one that really counts, and took the checkered flag. 27 drivers were noted in the lead throughout the race but it was Keselowski at the end.
Change. It is inevitable and often ironic. The calendar has changed to 2013 despite the best efforts by Mayans and “ancient aliens”. The wheel keeps turning. It’s round. That is its only real job, after all.
NASCAR, however, has thrown the wheels of change into a blender and hit the “All In” button. It wasn’t all “NASCAR”, per se, but the results leading to the first green flag of 2013 leave the previous season well in the shadows.
For instance, Brad Keselowski drives a Dodge with Penske Racing and Miller Lite to the championship. Fairly early in the 2012 season, Dodge introduced a 2013 version of the car. However, Dodge pulled their support for 2013 NASCAR as the “Chase” began to shape up. A Dodge wins the “Cup” and goes to moth balls. Ironic? Tragic? Economy of choice? (more…)
You’re going to need them…
2009 is rolling forward, the pace car is about to exit and the green flag is about to wave on the Daytona 500. We’ve already seen the ROLEX 24 roar over Daytona, now it is time for the Stock Cars to take their turn at the high bank opening of the NASCAR season. There are, however, a few notes we should all review before we sit down with the pizza and a few cold ones. There are some changes that will confuse the casual observer.
2009 DuPont #24
Not only will many of the cars sport new colors, as in the #24 DuPont Chevy carrying black on the rear panel instead of the blue, but a bunch of the numbers will sport different names over the window nets. This is, by no means, to be a complete list but a “primer” to get you started.
Wood Brothers #21 Ford Fusion
Starting close to home, the brothers from Stuart (Woods Brothers) are currently set on a partial schedule as sponsors are hard to come by and when you find one you have to distract them as they sign the contracts. Motorcraft is on board and we can assume Bill Elliott will be inside.
#43 Dodge with the new Petty organization. Air Force is 1 of 3 sponsors
Petty Enterprises has merged with Gillett Evernham Racing to form Richard Petty Motorsports. That means two things. First, the “Petty” name has new life jolted back into it after struggling on Richard’s momentum for quite some time. Yes, the Petty family has endured tragedy and hardship beyond the point where weaker bonds would be shattered.
This merger rebuilds the Petty engine form the outside in. Elliott Sadler (#19) and Kasey Kahne (#9) will now be team mates with Reed Sorenson in the #43 Air Force Dodge and AJ Allmendinger in the #44.
Dale Earnhardt Inc. plans to use driver Aric Almirola full time this year after splitting time in the #8 last year with Mark Martin. Not only that, but DEI and Ganassi are forming up a four team cooperative with Juan Pablo Montoya, Martin Truex, Jr., Almirola and a mystery person in the #41. They should have it figured out by Daytona, you would think. After all, there are drivers out there looking for seat time.
If Almirola is in the #8 full time, where does that leave Mark Martin? What if I told you Martin is set to join the Hendrick Motorsports stable and take over duties in the #5 Chevy? Well, that’s what I’m telling you. Martin wil share garage space with Johnson, Gordon and Earnhardt, Jr.
Yes, that means Casey Mears gets shuffled in the deck and comes away dealt into the hand of Richard Childress Racing joining Harvick, Burton and Bowyer. It looks like we’ll see Mears in the #07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet.
TRG Motorsports enters the Sprint Cup with Mike Wallace in the #71
TRG Motorsports is coming into NASCAR Sprint Cup contention and putting Mike Wallace in the new #71 trying to qualify for Daytona. TRG has had some luck with the Trucks, which is now the “Camping World” Series, by the way. TRG is also known for sports car racing coming away with a Porsche win in the GT class of the ROLEX 24 which just ran at Daytona.
Tony Stewart's new Chevy. New make, number and sponsors for 2009
The #20 Home Depot Toyota has been handed over to teenager Joey Logano. They must think he can not only make laps with it, but they must have some confidence he can win with it. And then we come to Tony Stewart as he vacates the #20 to his new team (Stewart-Haas Racing). He should ask Dale Jr. what its like to see his old number, one that has some history, from the cockpit of another car…
Stewart fans will be happy to see him back in a Chevrolet. Will Tony cut the #20 any slack for old time sake…? Don’t count on it. Granted, Tony may just be walking across the lot to “Office” Depot, but he won’t think twice about mixing red with orange if thats what it takes to win.
Ryan Newman comes to Daytona as the defending 2008 winner, but does so without the Alltel Dodge. (Or is it Verizon now…?) Newman takes charge of the #39 US Army Chevrolet as Stewart’s team mate. Newman in a new ride, US Army sporting a new number, blue is black, orange is red…
Yeah – we’re going to need to study up a bit.
Ryan Newman joins Tony at Stewart-Haas Racing in the #39 Chevy
Rousch-Fenway runs in 2009 with Biffle, Kenseth, Ragan and McMurray. Waltrip is hanging around. Penske Racing is still in it to win it. Gibbs may have lost Tony, but Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin will roll with the rookie Logano.
Don’t even try to get all the Camping World (formerly Craftsman) Trucks and Nationwide Series drivers and changes figured out just yet. The deck is probably still being shuffled to a degree. Just watch and pick up what you can. Its all racin’ and its all good.
What does it all mean for 2009? It means we need some knew hats and some new shirts and our hands on the qualifying and entry list for the Sprint Cup Daytona 500 so we can figure out just who the hell we’re supposed to be yelling at and cheering for. It means a lot of us may be watching the first few races like we’re in a game of CLUE. Mark Martin did it in the Chevy with Kellogg’s…. or was it Allmendinger in the Dodge with the rope? Dammit – Give me the list again…
