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Sprint Cup
CUP: SPEED Crew Heads Back To The Lone Star State
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is in Texas for Race No. 8 of the Chase...
Texas Motor Speedway is up next for NASCAR Sprint Cup teams. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
With three races remaining in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads back to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. A lot has changed in the six months since the series last competed at Texas, and the SPEED crew has the latest below:
Q: It has been six-and-a-half months since the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series last raced at Texas. How much can we look at the spring race as a predictor of how teams will fare this weekend?
“A lot has changed with teams and the rules since then, but I’ll go with Brad Keselowski’s philosophy – we don’t race a stat book. Keselowski finished 36th there in the spring – not because of performance but because of EFI (electronic fuel injection) problems. Plus, there is a different Clint Bowyer in that No. 15 car now than there was six months ago.”
--Larry McReynolds, SPEED analyst
“You can throw out the spring race because Kasey Kahne was amidst a terrible period in which he was struggling like crazy at one of his better type of tracks. Bowyer was not on anybody’s radar then. It’s hard to understand why, but tracks change so much during the year and so does the series, so this race will be a completely different ballgame.”
--John Roberts, SPEED host
“We should look at performance at more recent mile-and-a-half tracks such as Atlanta, Chicago and Charlotte instead of the last race at Texas. We’ll see the usual suspects up front.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
Q: Jimmie Johnson has three teammates in the Chase and Brad Keselowski has none. For whom is this more advantageous and why?
“Johnson has the advantage because he has been there before and has three teammates to pull from. Keselowski basically is a one-car team right now because Sam Hornish won’t be back on the Cup side with him next season. Johnson, however, has a huge organization around him that has a championship history. Penske Racing has been in the hunt before but has never closed the deal, so they don’t have the same support structure as does Johnson.”
--John Roberts, SPEED host
“In a very limited sense, it’s an advantage not to have a teammate because there is no guarantee he will even prefer the same setups. We have seen some high-profile instances in which teams had quite divergent setups. Additionally, all Penske Racing’s resources can be focused on Keselowski winning the title with no distractions or conflicting agendas.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
Q: Is the Chase a two, three or four-man race heading into Texas?
“I think it’s a three-man race right now, but Texas is a do-or-die weekend for Bowyer. If he is able to make up at least 10 points, he can get back in the championship hunt if something goes awry for Johnson or Keselowski and he has a great run. If that doesn’t happen, consider Bowyer out of championship contention.”
--Bob Dillner, SPEED reporter/analyst
“The Chase absolutely is a two-man race. I have looked through the math for every single Chase thus far and the biggest deficit ever made up with three races remaining was the eight points Tony Stewart made up last season. I don’t see any realistic way for someone who isn’t one of the top two drivers to win it. There are a lot of points for Bowyer and Kahne to make up, and Johnson and Keselowski also must have bad races for the other two to catch them.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
Q: Should the mechanical failure that befell Denny Hamlin last week at Martinsville offer a new perspective on the Chase being just a two or three-man race? Does it make more real the possibility the same fate could await another contender?
“I guarantee Keselowski, Bowyer and Johnson’s guys are looking at what happened to Hamlin with the attitude that anything can still happen. Twenty-six points is almost insurmountable, but if something happens to Johnson or Keselowski like did to Hamlin, things really could be jumbled up for the final two races.”
--Bob Dillner, SPEED reporter/analyst
“The problem you run into is there are two at the top. If there was only one driver at the top, there would be more cause for optimism for Bowyer and Kahne. Keselowski and Johnson haven’t had bad races, and I don’t think they all of a sudden will run poorly enough to open the door for Bowyer and Kahne.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
Q: Do you give the advantage to Brad Keselowski or Jimmie Johnson down the stretch?
“I completely give the advantage to Johnson. He is calm, cool and collected under pressure and knows how and when to play mind games. Keselowski has some bravado and can talk the talk and has been able to walk the walk until now. But in the last two weeks, he has survived, and they must do more than just survive to win the championship. The whole team has felt the pressure, so how they handle and combat that pressure will teach them how to approach the final two races.”
--Bob Dillner, SPEED reporter/analyst
“I give it to the guy in the lead, although it’s not much of a lead. Johnson has the advantage of being through this not only in his five championships, but in 2004 and 2005 when he didn’t win. His team is used to this pressure. On the other hand, the No. 2 team doesn’t know what they can’t do yet. However, I still give a slight advantage to Johnson.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
Q: It has been six-and-a-half months since the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series last raced at Texas. How much can we look at the spring race as a predictor of how teams will fare this weekend?
“A lot has changed with teams and the rules since then, but I’ll go with Brad Keselowski’s philosophy – we don’t race a stat book. Keselowski finished 36th there in the spring – not because of performance but because of EFI (electronic fuel injection) problems. Plus, there is a different Clint Bowyer in that No. 15 car now than there was six months ago.”
--Larry McReynolds, SPEED analyst
“You can throw out the spring race because Kasey Kahne was amidst a terrible period in which he was struggling like crazy at one of his better type of tracks. Bowyer was not on anybody’s radar then. It’s hard to understand why, but tracks change so much during the year and so does the series, so this race will be a completely different ballgame.”
--John Roberts, SPEED host
“We should look at performance at more recent mile-and-a-half tracks such as Atlanta, Chicago and Charlotte instead of the last race at Texas. We’ll see the usual suspects up front.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
Q: Jimmie Johnson has three teammates in the Chase and Brad Keselowski has none. For whom is this more advantageous and why?
“Johnson has the advantage because he has been there before and has three teammates to pull from. Keselowski basically is a one-car team right now because Sam Hornish won’t be back on the Cup side with him next season. Johnson, however, has a huge organization around him that has a championship history. Penske Racing has been in the hunt before but has never closed the deal, so they don’t have the same support structure as does Johnson.”
--John Roberts, SPEED host
“In a very limited sense, it’s an advantage not to have a teammate because there is no guarantee he will even prefer the same setups. We have seen some high-profile instances in which teams had quite divergent setups. Additionally, all Penske Racing’s resources can be focused on Keselowski winning the title with no distractions or conflicting agendas.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
Q: Is the Chase a two, three or four-man race heading into Texas?
“I think it’s a three-man race right now, but Texas is a do-or-die weekend for Bowyer. If he is able to make up at least 10 points, he can get back in the championship hunt if something goes awry for Johnson or Keselowski and he has a great run. If that doesn’t happen, consider Bowyer out of championship contention.”
--Bob Dillner, SPEED reporter/analyst
“The Chase absolutely is a two-man race. I have looked through the math for every single Chase thus far and the biggest deficit ever made up with three races remaining was the eight points Tony Stewart made up last season. I don’t see any realistic way for someone who isn’t one of the top two drivers to win it. There are a lot of points for Bowyer and Kahne to make up, and Johnson and Keselowski also must have bad races for the other two to catch them.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
Q: Should the mechanical failure that befell Denny Hamlin last week at Martinsville offer a new perspective on the Chase being just a two or three-man race? Does it make more real the possibility the same fate could await another contender?
“I guarantee Keselowski, Bowyer and Johnson’s guys are looking at what happened to Hamlin with the attitude that anything can still happen. Twenty-six points is almost insurmountable, but if something happens to Johnson or Keselowski like did to Hamlin, things really could be jumbled up for the final two races.”
--Bob Dillner, SPEED reporter/analyst
“The problem you run into is there are two at the top. If there was only one driver at the top, there would be more cause for optimism for Bowyer and Kahne. Keselowski and Johnson haven’t had bad races, and I don’t think they all of a sudden will run poorly enough to open the door for Bowyer and Kahne.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
Q: Do you give the advantage to Brad Keselowski or Jimmie Johnson down the stretch?
“I completely give the advantage to Johnson. He is calm, cool and collected under pressure and knows how and when to play mind games. Keselowski has some bravado and can talk the talk and has been able to walk the walk until now. But in the last two weeks, he has survived, and they must do more than just survive to win the championship. The whole team has felt the pressure, so how they handle and combat that pressure will teach them how to approach the final two races.”
--Bob Dillner, SPEED reporter/analyst
“I give it to the guy in the lead, although it’s not much of a lead. Johnson has the advantage of being through this not only in his five championships, but in 2004 and 2005 when he didn’t win. His team is used to this pressure. On the other hand, the No. 2 team doesn’t know what they can’t do yet. However, I still give a slight advantage to Johnson.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
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