Nascar Sprint Cup Championship 2014 - 26 Richmond

A shake up for sure.  Richmond saw some new faces and old tricks.  Cautions and scrap metal were abundant and the standings are completely different.  But before we look at the big picture let's go over what happened tonight.

For the first time, we got to race with newcomer, Shagerty.  While his finish wasn't as impressive as his run, he did put on a good game face.  I declare a 41st a win for him, considering he didn't know how to get past qualifying, just before the race started.  He raced well and it's too bad he went out early.  We'll see exactly why shortly.  The regular troop was in tonight vying for the top 16 spots.

As you'll recall, Darrel and I were the only humans who had cemented our qualification for the Chase.  Chad and Sandy both had to get a win and nothing less.  Scot was sitting 18th coming into this race, but only out by 9 points.  Still, he had plenty of drivers close by in points so anything could happen.

We started off with me, Darrel and Chad right at the front and Sandy not far back, pushing Edwards out of the way.

Unfortunately, Sandy got a terrible run into 2 and got tight up against the wall, loosing a ton of spots.

After five laps of close pack racing through the field, Chad made a challenge for the lead and took over.

The first caution came when Shagerty ran up on the 55 and tossed him into the stands.

Then, a very strange thing happened.  Lap 13, Almirola just spun going into turn one.  There were no sudden wrecks or stopping cars in front, he just checked up and lost the rear.

The chain reaction was minor, Truex Jr pummeled the front of the 43 into submission.

But then another very strange thing happened: The 43 did not disappear and tow to pit road.  Instead he stayed out on the track as Chad came around to start pacing for the caution.  Because of the angle of turn one, Chad was taken completely by surprise and blasted into the 43.  I know I barely had time to react and I was several places back.  This would end Chad's day and his hopes at the Chase.

The rest of us gathered up and continued on with three humans at the top of the key.

Lap 18, Kvapil gets tapped by Kahne and turns into Gordon and Gilliland.

The resulting accident was huge and collected Shagerty in a dynamic barrel roll.  Unfortunate too as he could have earned a lot more spots before the end, despite his unweildy setup.

Coming back around for the caution, Austin Dillon got tossed around a bit and was slow when Stremme plowed into his spoiler.

Sandy, just minding his own business, was merely driving around this little debate when Dillon shot back up the track and sent him down into the infield.  No real damage, but it certainly didn't help Sandy's car or his opinion of Austin.

Lap 24 and Scott forced the issue going three-wide through turns one and two.

And again a little bit later.

After the restart, Scot was in yet another run-in, this time not of his own doing.  The 13 of Casey Mears pushed out off of turn four and turned Dillon down.  Scot had enough outward momentum that when Dillon turned down on him, the 3 simply bounced off and spun away.

Halfway in and on the restart, Joey Legano douches it up and spins out the Bear.

Sandy went to turn around and got smashed up by the 13 of Mears.

Lap 51 and Scot tried the old 3 abreast trick with the same amount of success.

By this time, the whole field was ready to pit to make it to the end of the race.  Darrel was running well up in the top ten but spent quite some time in his pit.  I can only assume it was for damage since he did not show as having a penalty.

Back in the hunt at lap 61 and Scot sends Allmendinger into the wall.  No other casualties but it was enough to throw a caution.

Lap 68.  Biffle runs over the 43 (who's still running somehow) and starts the chain reaction.

Darrel barely escapes the carnage

As more cars are collected, the 34 gets bounced down low and Scot hammers the back of him.  Not out, but definitely hurting.

With only 6 to go, Darrel does a slide job on the 41.

Final lap and the murderous Tony Stewart takes out Mears.  His thirst for blood can not be quenched.

Darrel came up on this incident almost simultaneously turning Baby Neck Newman.

While Darrel managed to avoid getting tangled up with the 31, this was the last camera shot from his front bumper.  Oh, he managed to finish the race, but he'd lost a few positions from the collision.  On the plus side, the allowed Scot to make up some valuable positions and secure the 16th place in the Chase.

Speaking of, I've made all of the adjustments to the points which can be viewed on the Current Standings page.  Here's a list of the Chase qualifiers and number of wins:

13 Tnadz 12

20 Kenseth 3

14 Stewart 2

61 Hamilton 2

15 Bowyer 1

24 J Gordon 1

18 Ky Busch 1

48 Johnson 1

16 Biffle 1

27 Menard 1

66 Burton 1

4 Harvick

88 Earnhardt Jr

99 Edwards

11 Hamlin

29 Mad Max

We now enter the Contender round of the Chase.  Over the next 3 races, the drivers on this list will compete to earn the most points.  We're all pretty much on even footing.  To Chicagoland!

Results

Session: Practice

P	#	DRIVER	TIME
1	055	C Ferguson	21.100
2	013	T Nadz	21.160
3	061	D Hamilton	21.383
4	029	M Max	21.522
5	021	T Bear	21.547
6	31	R Newman	21.582
7	4	K Harvick	21.628
8	20	M Kenseth	21.652
9	5	K Kahne	21.669
10	48	J Johnson	21.674
11	16	G Biffle	21.676
12	18	K Busch	21.701
13	22	J Logano	21.710
14	27	P Menard	21.716
15	14	T Stewart	21.721
16	15	C Bowyer	21.746
17	78	M Truex Jr	21.778
18	34	D Ragan	21.819
19	11	D Hamlin	21.822
20	99	C Edwards	21.856
21	66	J Burton	21.886
22	88	D Earnhardt Jr	21.906
23	2	B Keselowski	21.926
24	1	J McMurray	21.939
25	9	M Ambrose	21.947
26	38	D Gilliland	21.951
27	35	E McClure	21.958
28	77	D Blaney	22.052
29	24	J Gordon	22.068
30	52	B Labonte	22.093
31	47	A Allmendinger	22.108
32	55	B Vickers	22.146
33	41	K Busch2	22.166
34	32	T Kvapil	22.174
35	95	M McDowell	22.175
36	13	C Mears	22.177
37	43	A Almirola	22.199
38	40	L Cassill	22.204
39	30	D Stremme	22.288
40	17	R Stenhouse Jr	22.387
41	98	J Wise	22.393
42	3	A Dillon	22.520
43	051	S Hagerty	22.608

Weather: Cloudy, 82 °F, West 13 mph

Session: Qualifying

P	#	DRIVER	TIME
1	013	T Nadz	21.071
2	055	C Ferguson	21.216
3	061	D Hamilton	21.384
4	20	M Kenseth	21.406
5	11	D Hamlin	21.565
6	99	C Edwards	21.577
7	16	G Biffle	21.619
8	021	T Bear	21.632
9	78	M Truex Jr	21.633
10	18	K Busch	21.723
11	15	C Bowyer	21.724
12	5	K Kahne	21.726
13	27	P Menard	21.761
14	48	J Johnson	21.763
15	14	T Stewart	21.771
16	24	J Gordon	21.815
17	88	D Earnhardt Jr	21.836
18	2	B Keselowski	21.871
19	4	K Harvick	21.890
20	9	M Ambrose	21.921
21	1	J McMurray	21.936
22	22	J Logano	21.946
23	38	D Gilliland	21.984
24	47	A Allmendinger	22.004
25	35	E McClure	22.055
26	41	K Busch2	22.090
27	95	M McDowell	22.104
28	34	D Ragan	22.105
29	66	J Burton	22.157
30	52	B Labonte	22.189
31	40	L Cassill	22.193
32	77	D Blaney	22.205
33	32	T Kvapil	22.228
34	55	B Vickers	22.231
35	13	C Mears	22.234
36	31	R Newman	22.237
37	43	A Almirola	22.284
38	17	R Stenhouse Jr	22.349
39	051	S Hagerty	22.382
40	30	D Stremme	22.418
41	98	J Wise	22.418
42	3	A Dillon	22.645
43	029	M Max	--

Weather: Cloudy, 82 °F, West 15 mph

Session: Happy Hour

P	#	DRIVER	TIME
1	055	C Ferguson	21.110
2	013	T Nadz	21.346
3	061	D Hamilton	21.410
4	029	M Max	21.477
5	2	B Keselowski	21.507
6	31	R Newman	21.570
7	99	C Edwards	21.573
8	48	J Johnson	21.573
9	4	K Harvick	21.608
10	78	M Truex Jr	21.645
11	20	M Kenseth	21.670
12	021	T Bear	21.684
13	66	J Burton	21.764
14	41	K Busch2	21.795
15	16	G Biffle	21.813
16	11	D Hamlin	21.817
17	14	T Stewart	21.841
18	88	D Earnhardt Jr	21.888
19	15	C Bowyer	21.907
20	47	A Allmendinger	21.944
21	24	J Gordon	21.974
22	22	J Logano	21.976
23	27	P Menard	21.993
24	32	T Kvapil	22.004
25	55	B Vickers	22.033
26	34	D Ragan	22.070
27	52	B Labonte	22.137
28	9	M Ambrose	22.151
29	5	K Kahne	22.178
30	43	A Almirola	22.190
31	13	C Mears	22.200
32	95	M McDowell	22.269
33	18	K Busch	22.277
34	40	L Cassill	22.351
35	051	S Hagerty	22.353
36	77	D Blaney	22.470
37	98	J Wise	22.473
38	35	E McClure	22.496
39	30	D Stremme	22.527
40	1	J McMurray	22.639
41	3	A Dillon	22.733
42	38	D Gilliland	22.827
43	17	R Stenhouse Jr	23.001

Weather: Cloudy, 62 °F, Northeast 2 mph

Session: Race

OFFICIAL STANDINGS

F	S	#	DRIVER	INTERVAL	LAPS	LED	POINTS	STATUS
1	1	013	T Nadz	70.763	80	68*	185	Running
2	15	14	T Stewart	-2.07	80	0	170	Running
3	14	48	J Johnson	-2.27	80	0	165	Running
4	4	20	M Kenseth	-2.74	80	0	160	Running
5	6	99	C Edwards	-3.70	80	0	155	Running
6	5	11	D Hamlin	-3.81	80	0	150	Running
7	16	24	J Gordon	-6.24	80	3	151	Running
8	18	2	B Keselowski	-7.43	80	0	142	Running
9	31	40	L Cassill	-7.84	80	0	138	Running
10	24	47	A Allmendinger	-8.20	80	0	134	Running
11	34	55	B Vickers	-8.89	80	0	130	Running
12	8	021	T Bear	-9.10	80	0	127	Running
13	26	41	K Busch2	-9.49	80	0	124	Running
14	43	029	M Max	-10.32	80	0	121	Running
15	3	061	D Hamilton	-10.37	80	0	118	Running
16	35	13	C Mears	-10.51	80	0	115	Running
17	22	22	J Logano	-10.77	80	0	112	Running
18	11	15	C Bowyer	-1L	79	0	109	Running
19	29	66	J Burton	-1L	79	0	106	Accident
20	25	35	E McClure	-1L	79	0	103	Running
21	42	3	A Dillon	-1L	79	0	100	Running
22	38	17	R Stenhouse Jr	-1L	79	0	97	Running
23	7	16	G Biffle	-2L	78	0	94	Running
24	36	31	R Newman	-2L	78	0	91	Running
25	41	98	J Wise	-6L	74	0	88	Retired
26	20	9	M Ambrose	-6L	74	0	85	Running
27	17	88	D Earnhardt Jr	-11L	69	0	82	Retired
28	21	1	J McMurray	-11L	69	0	79	Accident
29	19	4	K Harvick	-11L	69	0	76	Accident
30	28	34	D Ragan	-12L	68	0	73	Accident
31	33	32	T Kvapil	-12L	68	0	70	Accident
32	37	43	A Almirola	-15L	65	0	67	Accident
33	27	95	M McDowell	-29L	51	0	64	Retired
34	13	27	P Menard	-60L	20	0	61	Retired
35	10	18	K Busch	-60L	20	0	58	Retired
36	30	52	B Labonte	-61L	19	0	55	Retired
37	40	30	D Stremme	-61L	19	0	52	Retired
38	12	5	K Kahne	-61L	19	0	49	Retired
39	23	38	D Gilliland	-61L	19	0	46	Accident
40	32	77	D Blaney	-62L	18	0	43	Retired
41	39	051	S Hagerty	-64L	16	0	40	Accident
42	2	055	C Ferguson	-66L	14	9	42	Accident
43	9	78	M Truex Jr	-67L	13	0	34	Retired

Caution Flags: 12 (45 laps)

Lead Changes: 4 (3 drivers)

Weather: Cloudy, 61 °F, Northeast 2 mph

Pitstop Frequency: 3x

AI Strength: 91%

PENALTIES

LAP	#	INFRACTION	PENALTY
7	021	Failure to pit	Go to end of longest line
7	051	Speeding in pits	Go to end of longest line
7	051	Failure to pit	Go to end of longest line
7	051	Unsafe pit exit	Go to end of longest line
13	051	Unsafe pit entrance	Go to end of longest line
13	051	Entering closed pits	Go to end of longest line
14	051	Speeding in pits	Go to end of longest line
14	051	Unsafe pit entrance	Go to end of longest line
69	029	Entering closed pits	Go to end of longest line
70	029	Speeding in pits	Go to end of longest line

Nascar Sprint Cup Championship 2014 - 25 Atlanta

We are now nearing the event horizon of the series.  The point of no return.  Except Brian France has made it so if you suck in the Chase, you are returned to the regular series.  But sucky Brian France aside, Atlanta was a mixed blessing.  Some decent finishes despite massive wrecks and several DNFs, including a fellow player.

Darrel lead the field into the fray with Chad and Sandy not far back.

Within the first lap, old rivalries ignited as Hamlin pressed Sandy up the track, not causing too much damage but knocking him well down the order.

Just up the track, Newman and Stewart tangled but still no caution.

Several laps in, Biffle came down while Legano went up, sending Biffle wide into the wall.

When he came back down, he was rolled by Labonte, starting the first of many DNFs in the night.

Darrel, me and Chad restarted 1-2-3.  After a lap, Chad blew by me with Kahne, Boyer and others in tow.  Darrel got tight while trying to maneuver around Bayne through turn 3 which opened the door for Chad to take the lead.

Only a couple laps latter and his splitter dragged so bad, he got tight off of four, allowing Johnson and a hard-pressing Boyer to take advantage.

Just back aways and a lap later, Darrel got bumped while Busch was coming up the track.

This caused a significant crash down the back stretch.  Darrel kept it going, but only just.

The whole field came in to top off for the rest of the race and reload tires.  Here, I beat Bowyer by microns coming out the pits.

Chad was less fortunate.  Swinging wide to get out of his stall, Danica came roaring down and blew Chad out into the infield.  At least she wasn't doing maximum velocity.  Not that she ever does...

And then the most bizarre twist to the night: Darrel spins and rolls his car...on his own...by himself.

He kept alive somehow but a rear tire was busted and he had a hell of a time navigating the slope of the track.

Meanwhile, the whole field spent two laps barely avoiding him.  I mean BARELY!

I don't honestly know how he stayed alive.

Finally, Danica did graze by him, blowing out his, yes, right front tire.  Only Danica.  Darrel would still limp on to finish the race.

On the restart, I pressed my advantage on Harvick while Sandy used Trevor Bayne's sad excuse for a car to pick the field.

It worked for a few laps, but the devilish Clint Bowyer came charging hard and caught Sandy out at the very worst possible spot, bounding him straight into the wall.

It wasn't pretty.  This torment ended the 021 for good along with several others.  Chad was involved as well but was slowed well down to avoid major damage.

The race came down to the final 10 laps or so where I held off the 15 and 4 to win.

Before I post results, I have some important information for the series.  Since we are simulating the Chase for the Cup, points will be an important consideration for the final race of the regular season (Richmond).  Sandy and Chad are essentially tied and just outside of the top 30 with their makeup points.  A win and only a win can secure their position in the Chase.  Darrel is already in for sure with his two wins.  

Scot is the real X factor.  A win would secure his place for sure, but there may still be hope without it.  He's currently tied for 18th with Truex Jr, but only needs to get past Kasey Kahne, who is 16 points ahead.  If he can clear Kahne by 17 positions and Ryan Newman by 6, and stay ahead of the six guys right behind him, he's in.  So, yes, Scot, to answer your question, if you take them all out, you should be good.  But I may suspend your pit crew chief indefinitely.  And your spotter.

Bon Chance! (Get it?  Brian France?)

NASCAR Racing 2003 Season EXPORTED STANDINGS

Track: ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Date: 09/03/14

Session: Practice

P	#	DRIVER	TIME
1	061	D Hamilton	28.986
2	055	C Ferguson	29.235
3	013	T Nadz	29.256
4	021	T Bear	29.407
5	5	K Kahne	29.604
6	14	T Stewart	29.633
7	20	M Kenseth	29.668
8	88	D Earnhardt Jr	29.676
9	2	B Keselowski	29.707
10	48	J Johnson	29.710
11	22	J Logano	29.720
12	99	C Edwards	29.729
13	16	G Biffle	29.742
14	24	J Gordon	29.745
15	66	J Burton	29.796
16	18	K Busch	29.799
17	11	D Hamlin	29.809
18	4	K Harvick	29.834
19	41	K Busch2	29.845
20	27	P Menard	29.867
21	78	M Truex Jr	29.928
22	9	M Ambrose	29.933
23	34	D Ragan	29.989
24	1	J McMurray	30.030
25	31	R Newman	30.044
26	13	C Mears	30.074
27	15	C Bowyer	30.094
28	35	E McClure	30.103
29	38	D Gilliland	30.107
30	43	A Almirola	30.205
31	47	A Allmendinger	30.207
32	32	T Kvapil	30.268
33	52	B Labonte	30.280
34	77	D Blaney	30.282
35	40	L Cassill	30.332
36	55	B Vickers	30.335
37	95	M McDowell	30.469
38	10	D Patrick	30.560
39	98	J Wise	30.605
40	17	R Stenhouse Jr	30.647
41	21	T Bayne	30.783
42	3	A Dillon	30.883
43	51	J Allgaier	31.117

Weather: Clear, 72 °F, Northwest 13 mph

Session: Qualifying

P	#	DRIVER	TIME
1	061	D Hamilton	29.164
2	013	T Nadz	29.238
3	16	G Biffle	29.308
4	48	J Johnson	29.343
5	9	M Ambrose	29.382
6	41	K Busch2	29.384
7	055	C Ferguson	29.385
8	5	K Kahne	29.414
9	31	R Newman	29.416
10	99	C Edwards	29.448
11	14	T Stewart	29.476
12	78	M Truex Jr	29.551
13	24	J Gordon	29.553
14	88	D Earnhardt Jr	29.562
15	20	M Kenseth	29.569
16	4	K Harvick	29.572
17	15	C Bowyer	29.619
18	27	P Menard	29.647
19	18	K Busch	29.659
20	47	A Allmendinger	29.669
21	66	J Burton	29.752
22	34	D Ragan	29.787
23	2	B Keselowski	29.794
24	021	T Bear	29.865
25	22	J Logano	29.866
26	11	D Hamlin	29.951
27	52	B Labonte	30.023
28	35	E McClure	30.027
29	13	C Mears	30.037
30	1	J McMurray	30.042
31	95	M McDowell	30.064
32	40	L Cassill	30.076
33	98	J Wise	30.203
34	38	D Gilliland	30.227
35	55	B Vickers	30.234
36	77	D Blaney	30.259
37	32	T Kvapil	30.273
38	17	R Stenhouse Jr	30.307
39	3	A Dillon	30.574
40	21	T Bayne	30.600
41	51	J Allgaier	30.696
42	43	A Almirola	30.706
43	10	D Patrick	30.842

Weather: Clear, 72 °F, North 11 mph

Session: Happy Hour

P	#	DRIVER	TIME
1	061	D Hamilton	29.085
2	013	T Nadz	29.151
3	055	C Ferguson	29.562
4	021	T Bear	29.562
5	20	M Kenseth	29.617
6	48	J Johnson	29.803
7	88	D Earnhardt Jr	29.816
8	16	G Biffle	29.839
9	41	K Busch2	29.943
10	2	B Keselowski	29.968
11	9	M Ambrose	30.002
12	27	P Menard	30.035
13	5	K Kahne	30.068
14	78	M Truex Jr	30.106
15	34	D Ragan	30.130
16	24	J Gordon	30.140
17	14	T Stewart	30.211
18	11	D Hamlin	30.211
19	18	K Busch	30.247
20	1	J McMurray	30.256
21	38	D Gilliland	30.308
22	52	B Labonte	30.430
23	32	T Kvapil	30.445
24	66	J Burton	30.487
25	47	A Allmendinger	30.494
26	21	T Bayne	30.565
27	13	C Mears	30.600
28	22	J Logano	30.669
29	35	E McClure	30.683
30	43	A Almirola	30.694
31	77	D Blaney	30.760
32	95	M McDowell	30.775
33	3	A Dillon	30.899
34	15	C Bowyer	30.905
35	40	L Cassill	30.905
36	17	R Stenhouse Jr	31.142
37	10	D Patrick	31.230
38	55	B Vickers	31.845
39	51	J Allgaier	44.644
40	98	J Wise	45.070
41	99	C Edwards	54.512

Weather: Clear, 76 °F, North 13 mph

Session: Race

OFFICIAL STANDINGS

F	S	#	DRIVER	INTERVAL	LAPS	LED	POINTS	STATUS
1	2	013	T Nadz	133.054	49	15*	185	Running
2	17	15	C Bowyer	-0.19	49	5	175	Running
3	16	4	K Harvick	-0.45	49	14	170	Running
4	15	20	M Kenseth	-6.82	49	0	160	Running
5	30	1	J McMurray	-11.24	49	0	155	Running
6	5	9	M Ambrose	-11.44	49	0	150	Running
7	19	18	K Busch	-11.53	49	0	146	Running
8	18	27	P Menard	-11.62	49	0	142	Running
9	11	14	T Stewart	-11.94	49	3	143	Running
10	22	34	D Ragan	-16.34	49	0	134	Running
11	34	38	D Gilliland	-19.73	49	0	130	Running
12	14	88	D Earnhardt Jr	-20.34	49	0	127	Running
13	28	35	E McClure	-21.85	49	0	124	Running
14	13	24	J Gordon	-24.33	49	0	121	Running
15	7	055	C Ferguson	-25.47	49	2	123	Running
16	8	5	K Kahne	-26.91	49	0	115	Running
17	35	55	B Vickers	-1L	48	0	112	Running
18	36	77	D Blaney	-1L	48	0	109	Running
19	10	99	C Edwards	-1L	48	0	106	Running
20	1	061	D Hamilton	-2L	47	9	108	Running
21	40	21	T Bayne	-13L	36	0	100	Retired
22	4	48	J Johnson	-21L	28	1	102	Retired
23	25	22	J Logano	-22L	27	0	94	Retired
24	21	66	J Burton	-22L	27	0	91	Retired
25	6	41	K Busch2	-23L	26	0	88	Accident
26	32	40	L Cassill	-23L	26	0	85	Clutch
27	24	021	T Bear	-23L	26	0	82	Accident
28	37	32	T Kvapil	-23L	26	0	79	Retired
29	43	10	D Patrick	-23L	26	0	76	Retired
30	12	78	M Truex Jr	-24L	25	0	73	Camshaft
31	9	31	R Newman	-35L	14	0	70	Retired
32	23	2	B Keselowski	-36L	13	0	67	Retired
33	26	11	D Hamlin	-36L	13	0	64	Accident
34	39	3	A Dillon	-45L	4	0	61	Retired
35	38	17	R Stenhouse Jr	-45L	4	0	58	Retired
36	42	43	A Almirola	-45L	4	0	55	Retired
37	20	47	A Allmendinger	-45L	4	0	52	Retired
38	3	16	G Biffle	-45L	4	0	49	Accident
39	27	52	B Labonte	-46L	3	0	46	Accident
40	29	13	C Mears	-46L	3	0	43	Accident
41	31	95	M McDowell	-46L	3	0	40	Accident
42	33	98	J Wise	-46L	3	0	37	Accident
43	41	51	J Allgaier	-46L	3	0	34	Accident

Caution Flags: 5 (16 laps)

Lead Changes: 9 (7 drivers)

Weather: Clear, 75 °F, North 12 mph

Pitstop Frequency: 2x

AI Strength: 93%

PENALTIES

LAP	#	INFRACTION	PENALTY
16	061	Dropping Debris	Pit for repairs
20	061	Entering closed pits	Go to end of longest line
22	055	Unsafe pit exit	Go to end of longest line
20	061	Unsafe pit exit	Go to end of longest line
24	055	Passing the pacecar	Held for 36 seconds