The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s Godwin Kelly & Ken Willis have covered NASCAR for nearly 60 years combined. godwin.kelly@ NASCAR THIS WEEK news-jrnl.com [email protected] SPEED FREAKS QUESTIONS & ATTITUDE A few questions we had to ask ourselves Compelling questions ... and PHOENIX maybe a few actual answers Your knee-jerk review of Vegas and results of the “new THREE THINGS TO WATCH Is that a look of concern? package”? GODSPEAK: It’s a work in 1. Penske power Let’s call it a mix of mild concern, progress. Drivers have more car balanced by a hesitance to offer control, and there have been It sure looks like Team snap judgment. I tuned into Sun- fewer wrecks. Give it time. Penske has found the day’s race, saw a big pack of cars KEN’S CALL: If it seemed perfect secret key to the new slicing and dicing, and said, “See, at the start, the engineers NASCAR package — two that’s exactly what NASCAR was would eventually mess it up. But wins by two drivers on looking for with the new con- it seems imperfect at the start, consecutive weekends. figurations.” Then I looked in the so maybe the engineers will find Joey Logano credited corner of the screen and realized a way to tighten up the field. Ford’s engineers for solv- it was just the second lap of Reverse psychology, right there. ing the puzzle. “Everyone a green-flag run. By Lap 10, it is going through a learn- became the Urban Meyer 400 — Kez, then Joey. Is this going to ing curve right now, so everyone in spread formation. be a Penske year? if there’s a time to do it, GODSPEAK: You know how the now is the time because Now what? winds of fortune work, but right we had to redo every- now Team Penske enjoys a bel- thing we had anyway,” I always go back to the theory lowing jib. What? Logano said of the new proposed by former Nashville KEN’S CALL: Penske also has a Mustang. “That seems to Joey Logano won at Las Vegas a week after teammate Tennessean motorsports writer third wheel, Ryan Blaney, who be paying dividends for Brad Keselowski captured the flag at Atlanta. Team Larry Woody, who suggested has done no better than 22nd so us now.” Penske has seen early success with the new aero/motor tossing a rabid badger in every far. If they get him going, watch package. [AP/JOHN LOCHER] cockpit to liven things up. Given out. 2. NASCAR’s NASCAR’s reluctance to see the observation “But still work to do. It’s been happy with his car brilliance in that, I will instead early. Three different yet this season. “The last opt for patience and the insti- FEUD OF THE WEEK The Cup Series made its winners, three races; so two weeks we’ve been tutional knowledge that no full aero/engine package we’ll take this one and in right field at the start eventual landing spot, rules- DENNY HAMLIN VS. KURT debut at Las Vegas, with head to Phoenix.” of practice, and they just wise, will be universally loved BUSCH: Hamlin was not happy mixed reviews. NASCAR keep scrambling and by all. about having to play follow-the- is poking and prodding 3. Harvick watch taking big swings at it leader behind Busch, who was at the data gathered to to get us close,” he said. — Ken Willis, ken.willis a tick slower on older tires, but date. “I think it was good When the Cup Series “Hopefully, we can get @news-jrnl.com impassable because of the new to see directionally that circus hits Phoenix and that figured out.” Count aero/motor combo. guys (came) up through ISM Raceway, you have on it Sunday. GODWIN KELLY’S TAKE: This the pack and make to keep one eye on Kevin NASCAR CUP is something new in the Cup a pass for the lead,” Harvick. Harvick has — Godwin Kelly, STANDINGS Series — faster cars that NASCAR Vice President piled up nine wins at the godwin.kelly@ can’t pass. “(When) he ran Steve O’Donnell said. 1-mile oval. He hasn’t news-jrnl.com 1. Joey Logano 133 the bottom (racing lane) then 2. Kevin Harvick 131 there’s nothing anyone could do 3. Denny Hamlin 127 about it,” Hamlin said. HealthHealth 4. Kyle Busch LocalLocal News 121News LocalLocal NewsNews Local News 5. Brad Keselowski Education115 GreatLocal NewsFood PagePagePage 85 8 6. Kyle Larson PagePagePage102 102 2 PagePagePagePage 2 8 66 GODWIN’S PICKS 7. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 99 FOR PHOENIX 8. Erik Jones 98 8. Martin Truex Jr. 98 LAS VEGAS AMPSONSAMPSON COUNTY’SOUNTY’S COMMUNITYOMMUNITY NEWSPAPEREWSPAPER FREE WINNER: Kevin Harvick SSAMPSONSAMPSON C C10. COUNTY’S KurtOUNTY’S Busch C C COMMUNITYOMMUNITY95 N N NEWSPAPEREWSPAPER FREE NASCAR THIS WEEKREST OF TOP 5: Chase Elliott, 11. Aric Almirola 92 Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Kurt THREE THINGS WE LEARNED 12. Alex Bowman 85 Busch 13. Clint Bowyer 83 FIRST ONE OUT: Ty Dillon 1. Two for Kyle 14. Chase Elliott 81 SPEED FREAKS THROUGH THE GEARSDARK HORSE: Ricky Stenhouse Q&A 15. Ryan Blaney 69 Jr. Kyle Busch continued 16. William ByronThe Daytona Beach66 News-Journal’s Godwin DON’T BE SURPRISED IF: The his assault on NASCAR’s VOLUMETheVOLUME 9, ISSUE9, ISSUE 50 50 Sampson17. Jimmie Johnson 65 Weekly TheTheVOLUME 10, ISSUE 10Sampson SampsonKelly & Ken Willis have covere dWeekly NASCARWeekly for Dirt at Bristol: One­and­done or Excited foTherVOLUME DirtTheVOLUMEWe 11,ek? 12, ISSUE ISSUE 18 12 SampsonSampson WeeklyWeekly more to come? competition tightens up in the minor-league series 18. Daniel Suareznearly 60 years combined.63 godwin.kelly@ front pack because of the size of with two more wins, Have you met anyone who isn’t? Me 19. Ryan Newmannews-jrnl.com and [email protected] KEN’S CALL: I think it’ll be a hit and neither. It’s also a return to the old this oval. but finishedNASCAR third in the www.thesampsonweekly.comwww.thesampsonweekly.com THIS WEEK20. Paul Menard 61 WeekWeek ofof DecemberDecember 7-13,7-13, 20182018 NASCAR will have to fight the urge to norm, in a wawww.thesampsonweekly.comwww.thesampsonweekly.comy, with actual practice WeekWeek of of April March 24-30, 8-14, 2020 2019 Cup race. “I think we Week of March 26-April 1, 2021 add another to the schedule. Depend- sessions on Friday afternoon (Trucks passed the most cars so ing on how well it goes, maybe they and Cup) and qualifying for both on MOTOR MOUTHS I think we were the most INSIDEINSIDEINSIDE WHAT’S ON TAP shouldn’t fight the urge. Saturday. Except theINSIDE qualifying will beGovernor Extends Stay At Home Order RoseboroRoseboroCOVID-19 Positive ChristmasChristmas Cases DEAN’S DIRT: We’ll be turning laps on PODCAST impressive,” he said, heat races, which just may steal the MayorMayor Voices Voices Citizen’s Citizen’sQUESTIONS & And The Winners Are... 2019Community ALIVE AFTER ReachesATTITUDE FIVE Honoring 25 the Daytona’s Beach-and-Road Course “but that doesn’t matter weekend and have fans clamoring for CUP SERIES: TicketGuardian 500 Reaches on Friday by 2023! Stay west, young man, stay because we don’t have a moreKyle Buschof that carriesat other the checkeredvenues. flag When afterThrough winning MaySITE: 8, ISMPlans Raceway Three (1-mile oval) Phase Lifting Parade-Parade- UnderUnder Compelling questions ... and west. Horace Greeley didn’t trophy. Whatever.” somethingthe Xfinity Seriesworks,racether at Lase’sVe alwagas.ys HethewonFrustration theFrustrationTruck SCHEDULE: Friday,with with qualifying DOT/24 DOT/24 Can you make sense of the Noah maybe a few actual answers YearsONE ADDITIONAL of Service exactly say that, but he wasn’t a threatSeries ofraceoveFridarkill,y, but but finished that wo thirduld in be Sunday’s a SEASONOut Cup to(Fox Help Sports ANNOUNCED 1, 6 p.m.). SC Saturday, Child Gragson­Daniel Hemric dust­up? of Restrictions Based on Virus Trends thethe LightsLights NASCAR fan. 2. Top-5 for Kurt pleasantrace. [AP/BENJAMIN problem. HAGER] practice (Fox Sports 1, 11:30Is geography a.m. our new friend? KEN’S CALL: The pit incident was just POSITIVE CASE OF Any chance it doesn’t work? and 2 p.m.). Sunday, race (Fox, a weird chain of events. The actual FaithEducationNASCARLocalFaith News Tune in online at Kurt Busch has taken a we know we’ve got some “If it’s entertaining forAdvocacycoverage beings at 3 p.m.,CenterNot racing so much a friend but a throwing of punches was a new aspect It could rain likePage hellPagePagePage 7Page and 1016 7 2 create NAS- COVID-19 REPORTED www.news-journalonline.com/ liking to the new pack- more work to do.” people to watch, it really at 3:30 p.m.) potential partner, as NASCAR’s to racer confrontations. None landed, CAR’s first delay for mudslides. Bar- daytonamotormouths age. At least that’s what does not matter to me a movers and shakers look at the it seems, but they’ll be put to use in ring that, some dirt-track ace like Kyle his performance sheet 3. Package reaction bit. Whatever it is, it is, XFINITY: Xfinity 200 maps and the calendar to deter- future video promos. Larson could turn the main event into shows — two top-five fin- the rules are the same SITE: ISM Raceway mine how they can run their DEAN’S DIRT: Do any of these punches a rout. Or it could become a slip-and- ishes in a row. “I’m really NASCAR’s new Cup pack- for everybody.” SCHEDULE: Friday, practice36-race (Fox schedule this year — ever actually land? I’m sure they did slide wreckfest.