Continually Making A Statement

            Kevin Harvick grabbed the pole position for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, marking his third consecutive pole for this race. During his previous twelve seasons, Harvick only claimed six poles, but in this 2014 season with Stewart-Haas, he has scored eight pole positions and his finishes are a reflection of that. Harvick is making quite a statement.

It’s one thing to qualify well week in and week out, but another to capitalize on it. Now Harvick doesn’t have a large amount of wins this season, but he does have solid finishes. For the first time in a long time, Harvick is being talked about as a viable threat for the championship with good reason. This is by far Harvick’s best season of his career; he is on top of his game. Even with the lack of help of a strong pit crew, Harvick has continuously worked his way into solid positions. How does he do it?

One could say Harvick fell into a rut while over at Richard Childress Racing. Others could argue RCR equipment was not up to par of other strong teams. When he left RCR to join Stewart-Haas Racing, Harvick knew he would have to make a strong statement and lead a completely brand new team. Harvick knows what it takes to be a leader; his determination to lead a new team to the ultimate goal of a championship is what is helping him make his statement.

Gordon's Time

There is no doubt that this season has been one of the best Jeff Gordon has had in a long time, already scoring three wins heading into the third race of the chase. In the past few races Gordon has returned to his stealth mode that we saw him in earlier this season, not making a lot of noise but being there at the end.

This worked for him during the regular season, but now, it is playoff time and we should all be ready for “The Gordon Show”. There has been no lack of momentum on the 24 team and they show no signs of fading any time soon. In fact, these final ten races could be the hottest we have ever seen from Gordon. Many know that Gordon’s years in the cup series are numbered, and with an ailing back, many believe Gordon himself realizes that this may be one of his final chances to claim a fifth championship.

Gordon’s “Drive for Five” has been going on since his last championship thirteen years ago in 2001, and it has now been almost 20 years since his first cup title. There is no other driver that wants another championship as bad as Gordon; it just comes down to his ability to keep up his good luck. We will see very soon.

Not a Challenge Just a Threat

            Team Penske has sealed up the first two positions of the next championship round after Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano won the first two races of the chase. We knew at the beginning of the season when the 2 and 22 cars were consistently at the front that Team Penske would indeed be a challenge to everyone; now they’re just a threat to all.

            For the first time in his young career, Joey Logano has posted a multiple win season in the cup series collecting four wins thus far. Brad Keselowski has collected five wins tying his career high in a single season. Both drivers have posted an astounding 12 Top Five’s so far with 8 races still remaining.

            Team Penske is the threat because no matter where you go, the 2 and 22 cars will find a way to be there at the end. Penske has a deathly consistency this season winning on a variety of tracks and racking up Top Five’s and Ten’s like they’re Halloween candy, which is needed in this new world of points racing. Their goal is the same as every team: get to the next round and get locked in ASAP. There is just something about Penske; I can’t quite put the lugs on the wheel, but they just take everything to the next level. Everything about Penske seems to be bigger: when the win they do it in style, the hunger from their drivers is greater, their pit stops are flawless. However, the one thing that truly makes them stand out is their practices and qualifying. Keselowski and Logano are by far the most consistent drivers in practice and qualifying, making a statement the moment those cars roll off the trailers. Now the only question is if Penske wins the championship, which driver wins it for them?

Getting Honest - Martin Truex Jr

Let’s get honest about Martin Truex Jr., how good is he? The eight year Cup veteran doesn’t have much to his name, stats wise since his back to back Nationwide Championships in 2004 and 2005.

Many expected the two-time Nationwide Series champ to explode when he entered the Sprint Cup Series, yet Truex struggled to achieve decent finishes in his rookie season. Truex won his first Sprint Cup Series race during his 2007 sophomore season, and collected 14 top ten’s finishing eleventh in Sprint Cup Series points. However, in the following seasons Truex struggled to produce similar results. At the conclusion of the 2009 season, Truex moved over to Michael Waltrip Racing, where he could be a leader.

 Faith was reborn in Truex with Michael Waltrip Racing as he was the first potential threat for the team, yet the same old story was read until 2013. Truex showed us a new version, stepping up in leading his team and as a result his best season to date. Finally the Truex NASCAR had waited for appeared, in a way. He wasn’t setting the Sprint Cup Series a blaze, yet he was a contender. So how good is Martin Truex Jr.? Honestly he is good, dependable for solid finish, yet this could change soon. Prepare to see a Truex like never before during the next few seasons.

Stating the obvious Furniture Row Racing along with their drivers, have worked hard to achieve their current stature. After last season Truex needs to make a serious statement about his capabilities, and a powerful one car team is the correct location. Bluntly, this could be one of his final chances to show us what Martin Truex Jr. can do. Is Truex good? Yeah he’s good, but this season we’re about to find out how good.

-Stephen Appell

A Season of Contentment

            While NASCAR’s silly season receives a somewhat early start thanks to Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle piloting the rumor mill, are we really in for a “silly season”? After last year’s silly season which had us all taking notes attempting to remember who was going where and why, be ready for a season of contentment in the Cup series.

            Last year NASCAR had what seemed like an endless amount of shake ups. Michael Waltrip Racing, Stewart-Haas, and Kyle Larson just to name a few. We should expect nothing less than a simple season, but why? The reason we will not see a crazy rumor filled season is simple, a lot of teams and drivers are at a point where contracts are still in their early or mid-stages, and large Cup teams aren’t yet ready for their young Nationwide driver. Ryan Newman at Richard Childress, Matt Kenseth at Joe Gibbs have just begun. Ty Dillon along with Ryan Blaney need at least one more season in Nationwide before going full time in Cup. Needless to say things will get exciting once Edwards and Biffle start hinting towards where they are headed, this is possibly the high point of silly season. Now this doesn’t mean these two are the extent of silly season. What else is there to expect?  Maybe a sponsor or two leaves a team, or crew chiefs change, don’t expect any big news.

            The green flag has flown over silly season with excitement levels rising as questions are yet to be answered, but don’t expect many changes in the lead story. If and when Biffle and Edwards leave where do they go? What happens to Roush Fenway? After these are answered not much is left, so we might as well throw the checkered flag too. Although a lot of season is left and circumstances can change quickly; conditions don’t appear adequate for a drama packed silly season where our heads are left spinning.
 
-Stephen Appell 

A New Ganassi

Has Chip Ganassi Racing ever been a power house team within NASCAR? The Organization has won multiple IndyCar and Sports Car championships. The organization has won multiple IndyCar and Sports Car races and championships; yet the NASCAR side of his operation has only won a handful of races – big races mind you, the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400 and the Sprint All-Star race, but still a limited number. What is lacking is a Sprint Cup Series championship trophy in Chip Ganassi Racing's resume to go along with the wins.

With the introduction of Kyle Larson, following the release of Juan Pablo Montoya, there has been a remarkable change in Ganassi's chances of securing a Sprint Cup title. It might now happen this year, or even next year, however Chip Ganassi Racing appears to have what it takes to be a serious challenger for the title by 2016.

            Chip Ganassi made a bold statement by tapping the young Kyle Larson to take over command of the 42 car. While many doubted his decision, my personal opinion is, it is the smartest move Ganassi could have ever made. The struggling team has needed youth and talent, to spread over the group. The change was immediate as Ganassi revamped the Target team, and added life back to the car with the flashy white wheels and blended paint scheme, but this won’t change everything. The unleashed talent will.

            When Chip announced Dylan Kwasniewski as there new development driver he was making another powerful statement. The statement simple yet strong, a new Ganassi is coming and everyone needs to be ready. There is no doubt in my mind Kwasniewski will be the next drive of the 1 car, and when this happens Ganassi will be at the forefront of youth and talent. Kwasniewski still has a lot to learn as his rookie season in the Nationwide Series hasn’t exactly gone to plan by the way of finishes and team. Kwasniewski has a unique opportunity driving both the 31 for Turner Scott Motorsports as well as the 42 TSM Chevy when Larson cannot make races. To me this is an advantage for the young rookie and it will pay off when he takes the next step.

            Chip Ganassi Racing is slowly becoming the most youthful and talented team in NASCAR. When the time comes for Larson and Kwasinewski to take to the cup series as teammates, the raw talent and skill will flourish. It may not be an instant change, but none the less watch out. 

-Stephen Appell

Kwasniewski’s Rough Start

Dylan Kwasniewski entered the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Season as one of the highest regarded rookies. Kwasniewski, who made the move into the Nationwide Series after becoming the first driver to win NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and East Championship’s back to back, made a strong statement at Daytona by qualifying on pole and respectfully finishing eighth. But that’s where it stopped; Daytona has been his only top ten to date.

Kwasniewski stated at the beginning of the season he was not expecting to win races right away, but this probably wasn’t the young rookie's plan either. Despite strong qualifying efforts, he has just a handful of respectable finishes within the top twenty, and his three poor finishes resulted in wrecks and on-track conflicts. But Kwasniewski’s rookie season is far from ordinary; shortly after the start of the season he was tapped by Chip Ganassi Racing as their next development driver. Despite being the primary driver of the number 31 Rockstar Energy Chevy for Turner Scott Motorsport, he is also the secondary driver of the 42 TSM Chevy when Kyle Larson is not present for Nationwide events. As a rookie, he has bounced between two cars with two different crew chiefs. Though he is racing for the same team, each car's crew chief is different. This situation is a hard obstacle for a rookie to overcome. Kwasniewski made his debut in the 42 this past Sunday at Iowa and all he wanted was a good clean finish, which is what he got. Kwasniewski finished eleventh at Iowa, one of the few tracks he is familiar with. A finish like that is a confidence booster for any rookie needing to get back on rhythm. With his talent and skill there is no doubt Kwasniewski will be racking up the top tens soon. He has all the tools at his disposal, and has the guidance of two veteran crew chiefs such as Pat Tryson and Scott Zipadelli. With two crew chief’s like that, it is only a matter of time until he finds his groove and is back to making a statement.