sign in sign up
<<
Home , 2019 Auto Club 400, Aric Almirola, Austin Dillon, Auto Club 400, Auto Club Speedway, Chase Elliott

NASCAR THIS WEEK 8 - THE DERRICK. / The News-Herald Wednesday, Febuary 26, 2020

SPEED FREAKS QUESTIONS & ATTITUDE A few questions we had to ask ourselves Compelling questions ... and FONTANA maybe a few actual answers Aside from , who from the Vegas top 5 THREE THINGS TO WATCH I know they’re in the Wild is an actual playoff con- West, but a bounty? tender this year? GODSPEAK: Give me Sten- Yep, you got it, but Kevin Har- house. I like a guy with a vick doesn’t want any shooting chip on his shoulder. He or a scalp. In fact, his has something to prove. bounty is an actual show of KEN’S CALL: Matty D, support and praise for Kyle, who Stenhouse, Jimmie and dipped into the Truck Series Austin? Wow! Of those, in Vegas to win his seventh given the team, I’ll go with straight and 57th overall on that Jimmie being in it for the circuit. His career win total is long haul. now at 209 over NASCAR’s three national series. took still can’t buy to to playfully insinu- a break. When does he ate Busch was cherry-picking. regain his form? Harvick swung into action. GODSPEAK: Elliott is in top form, it’s just not showing What will happen? up on the results sheet. No worries. Play the long By rule, Busch can run just four game. He’ll win four or five more truck races this year. and make the playoffs. Harvick offered $50,000 to any KEN’S CALL: How about full-time Cup racer who will this week? OK, maybe. enter and beat Busch in one I’d say he’s on a roll by Stock jockey for position during a restart last year at , which is part of of those four races. The Truck mid-March. NASCAR’s early season Western Swing. [AP/RALPH FRESO] Series sponsor added another $50,000. This harkens back to 1. Western Swing 2. Eyeing Kyle 3. Since 1997 the good ol’ days of local short- GODWIN’S PICKS track racing, where hotshots FOR FONTANA The NASCAR Cup Series races The 2019 NASCAR Cup Series The late NASCAR president often faced such bounties. This for a couple of weeks at Day- champion Kyle Busch has had Bill France Jr. said he would will bring good publicity to a WINNER: Kyle Larson tona International Speedway no success in the premier dole out a Cup Series race series that’ll make use of it, we REST OF TOP 5: Chase then everybody packs their tour so far this season. Busch date to anyone who could trust. Elliott, , bags for three consecutive busted an engine at Daytona build a race track near Los Martin Truex Jr., Brad races out West. Specifically, and finished a nondescript Angeles. With no takers, he Ken Willis, ken.willis Keselowski Las Vegas, Fontana and 15th at Las Vegas. So he must did it himself, in a partnership @news-jrnl.com FIRST ONE OUT: Denny Phoenix. The tracks have be looking forward to the with . California Hamlin nothing in common other next two races at Fontana and Speedway (now Auto Club DARK HORSE: Clint than geographical proximity. Phoenix because he won both Speedway) opened in 1997 CUP STANDINGS Bowyer Vegas is a 1.5-mile quad-oval. in 2019 and used those back- with winning the DON’T BE SURPRISED IF: Fontana is a 2-mile oval with to-back wins as a springboard inaugural Cup Series race. The 1. Ryan Blaney 85 Larson wins three or four wide, sweeping turns. Phoenix to his second Cup title. track boasted two Cup races 2. Joey Logano 82 times this season begin- measures in as a 1-mile flat for a time, but now hosts only 3. 81 ning with this race. oval. one each season. 4. Kyle Larson 70 5. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 66 Godwin Kelly, [email protected] 6. Chase Elliott 65 BY THE NUMBERS 7. 63 8. 61 2 9. 60 Joey Logano’s career wins 9. Matt DiBenedetto 60 at Las Vegas 9. 60 9 12. 59 Yellow flags during Las LAS VEGAS 13. 56 Vegas race 14. 51 22 15. Corey LaJoie 50 Logano’s losing streak THREE THINGS WE LEARNED 15. Martin Truex Jr. 50 snapped at Las Vegas 17. 48 24.5 1. 22 Skidoo 18. 39 Kyle Busch’s average 19. 38 finish in 2020 Joey Logano went 22 races 19. 38 38 without a NASCAR Cup Series Cars entered in Las Vegas victory, a streak stretching all race the way back to last June. He W H AT ’ S O N TA P snapped that streak by win- (All times Eastern) ning at Las Vegas. “Man, this M O T O R M O U T H S is a huge win, and nice to kick CUP SERIES: PODCAST off the season with a W,” said SITE: Logano, who drives the No. 22 (2-mile oval, Fontana, California) Who can make sense of Ford. SCHEDULE: Friday, practice (Fox these first two weeks? Sports 1, 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.). Hmmm, we have a hunch. 2. Not over until Saturday, qualifying (, 2:30 p.m.). Sunday, race (Fox, Tune in online at For the second week in a row Joey Logano celebrates after winning at Las Vegas Motor coverage begins at 3 p.m., green www.news-journalonline. the No. 6 and No. 12 Fords were Speedway. [AP/JOHN LOCHER] flag at 3:30 p.m.) com/daytonamotormouths involved in the outcome of a XFINITY: Production Alliance race. At Daytona, they wrecked 3. Newman’s recovery other details. “The doctors have Group 300 on the last lap. At Las Vegas, been pleased with my progres- SITE: Auto Club Speedway , driving the No. Ryan Newman, who was sion over the last few days,” he TV SCHEDULE: Friday, practice 6, brought out a caution with involved in a horrific crash on said in a written statement. (Fox Sports 1, 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.). five to go, spoiling a sure-thing the last lap of the , Saturday, qualifying, (Fox Sports win by Ryan Blaney in the No. said he suffered a head injury Godwin Kelly, godwin.kelly@ 1, 1 p.m.), race (Fox Sports 1, 4 12. from the wreck. He gave no news-jrnl.com p.m.)

2 0 2 0 C U P S E R I E S April 5: Bristol June 21: Chicagoland Sept. 6: Darlington SCHEDULE AND WINNERS April 19: Richmond June 27: Pocono Sept. 12: Richmond Feb. 9: Clash at Daytona (Erik Jones) April 26: Talladega June 28: Pocono Sept. 19: Bristol Feb. 16: Daytona 500 (Denny Hamlin) May 3: Dover July 5: Sept. 27: Las Vegas Feb. 23: Las Vegas (Joey Logano) May 9: Martinsville July 11: Kentucky Oct. 4: Talladega March 1: Fontana May 16: All-Star Race at Charlotte July 19: New Hampshire Oct. 11: Charlotte March 8: Phoenix May 24: Charlotte Aug. 9: Oct. 18: Kansas March 15: Atlanta May 31: Kansas Aug. 16: Watkins Glen Oct. 25: Texas March 22: Homestead-Miami June 7: Michigan Aug. 23: Dover Nov. 1: Martinsville March 29: Texas June 14: Sonoma Aug. 29: Daytona Nov. 8: Phoenix

KEN WILLIS’ TOP 10 NASCAR DRIVER RANKINGS

JOEY KYLE BUSCH KEVIN MARTIN CHASE JIMMIE BRAD RICKY STEN- DENNY RYAN LOGANO Won the HARVICK TRUEX JR. ELLIOTT JOHNSON KESELOWSKI HOUSE JR. HAMLIN BLANEY Setting the wrong trophy Sheriff Har- Finishes third Yet to shake Promising Mood: “Happy Proving Left his mojo Mr. Hunch tone early in Vegas vick issues this week late-2019 start to final for Team something … at the beach likes him at a bounty doldrums act Penske” so far Fontana 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10