NASCAR

Wilson’s NASCAR Notes – Top Stories from Chicagoland Weekend

Miss anything that happened in NASCAR over the weekend? You don’t need to waste time scouring the ‘net and reading pages and pages worth of information: here are the biggest stories in NASCAR from Lifelock.com 400 weekend in Chicagoland, and I won’t just tell you what happened – I’ll tell you what I think, too!

Reutimann Finds Victory Lane – and Redemption – in Chicago

The Story: After getting his first NASCAR Sprint Cup series win thanks to a gamble staying out in what was eventually a rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 last season, David Reutimann finally got a ‘real one’ for the No.00 team Saturday night at Chicagoland – battling past Jeff Gordon with just over 50 laps to go, then driving away from the field – easily holding off Carl Edwards for his second career victory, and first of the 2010 season.

Wilson’s Take: I get that Reutimann wanted to complete a race and show that he can beat everyone to the finish line – that is what racing is all about. What I don’t understand is why he’s had to defend himself over the past year for winning the Coke 600 because of rain – half of racing is being fast, half is being smart – he was smarter that particular day, there is no shame in the win or the trophy. Sometimes you win ‘em like that. Still, Saturday’s Chicagoland win was a testament to just how far Michael Waltrip Racing has come – it should have actually been the second win in three races for MWR – Marcos Ambrose had the Sonoma race wrapped up before he flipped his ignition off on the last caution (the No.47 is built in the MWR shop).

—-

Kyle Busch second on All-Time Nationwide Wins List

The Story: Kyle Busch came up with something extra on the last restart of Friday night’s Nationwide series race at Chicago, battling his way past teammate Joey Logano and taking the checkered flag. The win is Busch’s 37th in NASCAR’s junior series, leaving him second on the all-time wins list behind Mark Martin (who has 48 career wins).

Wilson’s Take: It’s not just that the Shrub is second on the all-time list, it is the fact that he’s still only 25 years old, and accomplished the feat midway through his seventh year in the series. At this point, the question is not if he will break Martin’s record, but when – and how much farther past it he will go. 100 Nationwide wins may be a little far-fetched, but if he continues to run on a regular bases in the series, somewhere between 60 and 80 checkered flags is not out of the question. Not many people pay attention to Kyle’s Nationwide series exploits, but the guy knows how to win races.

—-

Danica Getting Better…Slowly

The Story: After a week off to race in the IndyCar series, Danica Patrick was back in NASCAR for Friday night’s Nationwide race, and despite a missed lugnut in the pits that cost her a lap on the track, Patrick turned in her best performance to date in a stock car, finishing 24th.

Wilson’s Take: It was by no means a spectacular race, but believe it or not, Danica made a lot of progress Friday night. She was timid at the beginning, similar to what we saw in New Hampshire, but looked far more confident by the end of the night, driving into the corner with a bit more authority. And she stayed out of trouble, too – granted, it was a pretty tame race by Nationwide standards (there were only a few cautions) but still, she brought the car home unscathed. At this stage in her development, intermediate tracks are going to be where Danica makes the biggest improvements, so the more of them she has a chance to run, the more she should progress.

—-

Sadler is out at Petty Motorsports – Kind of

The Story: Elliott Sadler said in an interview this weekend that nobody at Richard Petty Motorsports has talked to him about extending his contract, which is up at the end of the year, and that he does not expect to be back in the No.19 car next season. Sadler has no concrete plans for 2011 at this point. If Sadler’s contract is not renewed, RPM will have two open seats next season, since Kasey Kahne is also leaving.

Wilson’s Take: This is no big surprise – after all, the organization tried to get rid of him last season, and it was only after Sadler filed a lawsuit against the team owners that he was allowed to stay in the No.19 car through the end if his contract. Really, this is the best move for everyone involved – Sadler hasn’t performed well, and this is an opportunity both for him to find a more welcoming situation and for RPM to get someone a little younger and with a little more long-term potential behind the wheel to help rebuild the organization. Sadler will likely have a few options, although none of them will be great rides. With two drivers leaving, RPM has the opportunity to restructure with young talent, and the drivers they choose will have a huge impact on their future – hopefully they do not waste the opportunity.

—-

Matt Kenseth not Happy with Ford Performance

The Story: Matt Kenseth, unhappy with the way Ford has been performing in all three NASCAR series this season, vented his frustrations to the media this weekend at Chicagoland. In addition to saying he was upset about not running at the front of the field, Kenseth also pointed out that Roush general manager and his former crew chief Robbie Reiser rarely comes to the track and that Matt’s ‘ideas’ on how to help his team’s performance have fallen on deaf ears.

Wilson’s Take: Don’t hold anything back there, Matt. Kenseth acting a bit sullen and generally annoyed with the world is nothing new – that is just another week in the media room for him. The fact that he took a few thinly-veiled shots at the team bosses, though, was a bit surprising. Kenseth, after all, was seventh in the points at the time of his comments (he left Chicagoland in eighth, but now three Roush cars are in the top-12). True, the team has yet to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup series race, and they need to figure that out if they are going to be legitimate Chase contenders, but if Matt feels his ideas aren’t being listened to, take those concerns to Jack Roush himself – don’t break down your team and owners in front of the media. Matt hates to talk to the media, anyway – it should have been easy for him to side-step the team questions and keep the focus on his preparation for Saturday night’s race. Sorry.

—-