The First Reid: Streaking Ford Faces Toughest Challenge: The Brickyard
By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service
Is it time for Ford to shoot for the moon?
The Blue Oval manufacturer is enjoying a breakthrough season. Led by Team Penske’s five victories, Ford drivers have racked up eight wins through 19 races this year—two more than they posted collectively in 36 points-paying events in 2013.
Brad Keselowski’s victory on Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was the fourth straight for Ford, marking the first time since 2001 that the automaker has won four consecutive races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Dale Jarrett accounted for three of those triumphs, at Darlington, Texas and Martinsville, in the No. 88 Robert Yates Racing Ford. Elliott Sadler took a checkered flag for the Wood Brothers at Bristol in the second race of the string.
Ford’s streak is even more impressive this time because of the tracks involved: a road course (Carl Edwards at Sonoma), a 1.5-mile intermediate speedway (Keselowski at Kentucky), a restrictor-plate superspeedway (Aric Almirola at Daytona) and a one-mile flat track (Keselowski at New Hampshire).
To keep the streak going, however, Ford drivers will have to reach for and grab the brass ring at 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a track unlike any other.
Only one problem. Chevrolet has had an absolute stranglehold on Indy, having won the Sprint Cup race there for the past 11 years.
Does Ford have a realistic chance at breaking the monopoly, or will it simply be a case of tilting at windmills? We’ll find out on July 27.
NASCAR NUMBER
138: The number of laps race winner Brad Keselowski led in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The number is remarkable because Keselowski repeatedly lost track position with four-tire calls and had to drive back to the front.
11: The number of different winners in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series so far this year. With only seven races left, tension is mounting as the opportunity to qualify for the Chase by winning a race diminishes with each passing event.
3: The number of bonus points added to a driver’s total at the start of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup for each race won during the regular season. Those bonus points, however, apply only to the first round of the Chase. When points are reset after the first elimination, bonus points for wins are no longer a factor.
31: The number of laps completed by six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson in the last two races, out of a possible 417. Early crashes took Johnson out of the Cup races at Daytona and Loudon. The last time Johnson had back-to-back DNFs? At Chicagoland and Indy in 2007.
882: The number of laps led this year in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races by Kevin Harvick, who is fast approaching the high-water mark for his career. Driving for Richard Childress Racing in 2006, Harvick led 895 laps and also set a personal best for victories with five.
NASCAR ETC
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski have clinched a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, assuming they attempt to qualify for the remaining seven races in the regular season. Both Earnhardt and Keselowski have fulfilled two of the three requirements to guarantee their spot in the Chase – multiple wins and locking in to the top 30 in points. With Keselowski’s third win of the season this past weekend he could be seeded first in the Chase – each win is worth three Chase bonus points. … Count it. Five of the 19 NSCS races (26.3%) this season have been won by Team Penske (Keselowski, three; Logano, two). Brad Keselowski’s win last weekend at New Hampshire was his third of the season and 13th of his career. Not only did it move Keselowski to third in the regular season points, it clinched him a spot in the Chase, assuming he starts the remaining events on the regular season schedule. Keselowski’s teammate Joey Logano, with two wins, is one of six drivers with multiple wins. … A number of other drivers can join Earnhardt and Keselowski as Chase clinchers. Jeff Gordon has already clinched a top 30 spot, but with a single win has yet to clinch the “wins” portion of the criteria. A win at Indy would clinch him a spot. To clinch a top 30 spot, the clinching driver must be 289 points ahead of 31st place after Indianapolis.
@nascarcasm
Mixed bag for Team Penske at New Hampshire – 77-year-old owner earns a big win from Brad Keselowski, and 72-year-old driver earns big rebuke from Joey Logano.
Was it really the best idea to hand Brad Keselowski a broom? I know he swept the weekend and all, but given his history in victory lane, the chances of him getting a giant, painful splinter from that thing were pretty damn high.
Jimmie Johnson’s day-ending wreck on lap 15 will significantly reduce the amount of data the #48 team will have for NHMS when they return for the Chase. In fact, their setup notes from this race read as follows: “NOT THAT.”
(Follow @nascarcasm on Twitter. His unique views on NASCAR are his own – but chances are you have probably figured that out by now.)
Tune-In: NASCAR On Television, July 14-20
Monday, July 14
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
5:30 p.m., NASCAR’s The List: Famous Families, NBC Sports Network
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
8 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Iowa (re-air), FOX Sports 2
Tuesday, July 15
5 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBC Sports Network
5:30 p.m., NASCAR’s The List: Rookie Seasons, NBC Sports Network
8 p.m., TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (re-air), FOX Sports 2
11 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub Special (re-air), FOX Sports 2
11:30 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBC Sports Network
2:30 a.m. (Wed.), NASCAR’s The List: Legendary Drivers, NBC Sports Network
Wednesday, July 16
10 a.m., TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (re-air), FOX Sports 1
2:30 p.m., NASCAR’s The List: Greatest Finishes (re-air), NBC Sports Network
4 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race at Sonoma (re-air), FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBC Sports Network
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
5:30 p.m., NASCAR’s The List: Memorable Moments (re-air), NBC Sports Network
6 p.m., NASCAR’s The List: Fights & Feuds, NBC Sports Network
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2
6:30 p.m., NASCAR’s The List: Rookie Seasons (re-air), NBC Sports Network
7 p.m., NASCAR’s The List: Famous Families (re-air), NBC Sports Network
7 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series, Race at Sonoma (re-air), FOX Sports 2
7:30 p.m., NASCAR’s The List: Legendary Drivers (re-air), NBC Sports Network
11 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBC Sports Network
11:30 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBC Sports Network
Thursday, July 17
5 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special, NBC Sports Network
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
5:30 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special, NBC Sports Network
6 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBC Sports Network
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2
6:30 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBC Sports Network
7 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBC Sports Network
7:30 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBC Sports Network
Friday, July 18
Noon, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Race at New Hampshire, FOX Sports 1
1 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Iowa (re-air), FOX Sports 1
3 p.m., Empty Cup: Quest for the 1992 NASCAR Championship (re-air), FOX Sports 1
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Practice, FOX Sports 1
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Race at New Hampshire (re-air), FOX Sports 1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Final Practice, FOX Sports 1
8 p.m., The Mudsummer Classic: The 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Eldora, FOX Sports 1
9 p.m., NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Race at New Hampshire (re-air), FOX Sports 2
10 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Practice (re-air), FOX Sports 2
11 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Final Practice (re-air), FOX Sports 2
12:30 a.m. (Sat.), NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Iowa (re-air), FOX Sports 2
3 a.m. (Sat.), NASCAR Nationwide Series Practice (re-air), FOX Sports 2
4 a.m. (Sat.), NASCAR Nationwide Series Final Practice (re-air), FOX Sports 2
Saturday, July 19
6 a.m., NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Race at New Hampshire (re-air), FOX Sports 2
7 a.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Practice (re-air), FOX Sports 2
8 a.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Final Practice (re-air), FOX Sports 2
10 a.m., NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Race at New Hampshire (re-air), FOX Sports 1
11 a.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Final Practice (re-air), FOX Sports 1
4 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FOX Sports 2
8 p.m., NNS Countdown, ESPN2
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Race at Chicagoland, ESPN2
11 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBC Sports Network
11:30 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBC Sports Network
4 a.m. (Sun.), NASCAR Nationwide Series Race at Chicagoland, ESPN2
5 a.m. (Sun), NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Race at New Hampshire (re-air), FOX Sports 1
Sunday, July 20
10 a.m., Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, FOX Sports 1
Noon, NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race at New Hampshire, FOX Sports 1
2 p.m., NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Race at New Hampshire, FOX Sports 1
2:30 p.m., Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (re-air), FOX Sports 1
4:30 p.m., Empty Cup: Quest for the 1992 NASCAR Championship (re-air), FOX Sports 1
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Race at New Hampshire (re-air), FOX Sports 2
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Race at New Hampshire (re-air), FOX Sports 2
National Series Schedule
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
The Next Race:Crown Royal Presents The John Wayne Walding 400 at the Brickyard
The Place:Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Date/Time:Sunday, July 27, 1 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN
Radio: IMS Radio,Sirius XM Channel 90
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES
The Next Race:EnjoyIllinois.com 300
The Place:Chicagoland Speedway
The Date/Time:Saturday, July 19, 8:30 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN2
Radio: MRN, irius XM Channel 90
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
The Next Race:1-800-CarCash Mudsummer Classic
The Place:Eldora Speedway
Date/Time:Wednesday, July 23, 9 p.m. (ET)
TV: FOX Sports 1
Radio: MRN, Sirius XM Channel 90
NASCAR National Series Standings
This year, wins matter more than in any season in the 65-year history of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Essentially, a win locks a driver into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
2014 Winners
Pos Driver Wins
1. Jimmie Johnson 3
2. Brad Keselowski 3
3. Kevin Harvick 2
4. Joey Logano 2
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2
6. Carl Edwards 2
7. Kyle Busch 1
8. Kurt Busch 1
9 Denny Hamlin 1
10. Jeff Gordon 1
11. Aric Almirola 1
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Pos Driver Points
1 Jeff Gordon 670
2 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 658
3 Brad Keselowski 634
4 Matt Kenseth 621
5 Jimmie Johnson 598
6 Carl Edwards 574
7 Ryan Newman 573
8 Kyle Busch 567
9 Joey Logano 551
10 Clint Bowyer 548
11 Paul Menard 541
12 Denny Hamlin 530
13 Kevin Harvick 528
14 Kyle Larson # 524
15 Austin Dillon # 524
16 Greg Biffle 519
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Pos Driver Points
1 Regan Smith 611
2 Elliott Sadler 603
3 Chase Elliott # 598
4 Ty Dillon # 577
5 Brian Scott 560
6 Trevor Bayne 553
7 Brendan Gaughan 493
8 Chris Buescher # 486
9 James Buescher 470
10 Ryan Reed # 456
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Pos Driver Points
1 Matt Crafton 330
2 Ryan Blaney 328
3 Johnny Sauter 323
4 German Quiroga 311
5 Ron Hornaday Jr. 307
6 Ben Kennedy # 301
7 Timothy Peters 299
8 Darrell Wallace Jr. 293
9 Joey Coulter 282
10 John Wes Townley 279
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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