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Jeff Gordon

February 20, 2011 by · Comments Off on Jeff Gordon 

Jeff Gordon, He won one race in the last three years, and is obviously slow. It has been completely overshadowed by the child, he engaged, and completely overwhelmed by the legacy he built. Sad to say, Jeff Gordon seems to be almost the end of his journey as an active legend. If only he could stop passing cars. Yes, it is a strange thing to be beaten over the head with your own success. Because it was a time when Gordon was collecting victories over a younger age than any driver who had already received at the wheel of a stock car.

Therefore the lack of checkered flags in recent seasons has become so sensitive. It’s almost as if a temporary decline gave way to a new reality. Almost as if his foray into management has coincided with its decline as a pilot. But here’s the rub: Gordon is still accumulating points with more regularity than any NASCAR driver, except one.

The problem is that it does not meet the standard of his protege, Jimmie Johnson. Or the level of his youth. “I can tell you it was not quite as much fun the last two years,” Gordon said. “We’ve always been pretty competitive, but not as competitive as we were in the past. Now, it is an objective and a challenge to come back and see, “Do I have what it takes?

“I think this year is a real test for me.” Gordon is one of three drivers – Johnson and Denny Hamlin are the other two – to have qualified for the end of season Chase for the Championship in each of the last five years. And it was in the top 10 in the Sprint Cup standings for 16 of the last 17 seasons.

Thus, tests of vision and right lanes are probably not in his immediate future. Daytona 2011 500 is about to get underway on FOX and the Bay Area and much of California is well represented in this year’s race. NASCAR great Jeff Gordon (born: Vallejo), AJ Allmendinger (Los Gatos) and Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield) are three of the favorites in today’s race. Gordon is going off at 12-1, Kevin Harvick is the big favorite at 8-1, and AJ Allmendinger is a 50-1 long shot.
The Daytona 500 was the starting eleven at the crack Dale Earnhardt Jr. in pole position with Jeff Gordon on the outside of the front line. But after Earnhardt crashed his car practice, it is now from the back and Kurt Busch, winner of the Duel 1 and the Budweiser Shootout, will now take the pole position.

But with the changes poles, there are even changes in car for all competitors at the eleventh hour, “said NASCAR News Sunday. All openings in the grid will be extended an extra inch on Sunday due to higher temperatures than expected. With 80-degree weather planned for Sunday, NASCAR says it has added new openings in the gate wider for cars today to help engine cooling. This amendment was added, and three others have announced new earlier in the week, including the addition of a pressure relief valve. (Departure time is 1 pm EST.) But despite these changes in both cars and the pole (IBI), a possible real change for Sunday is taking new Jeff Gordon. Gordon peaked earlier in his career, but in recent seasons has struggled. Could that all change on Sunday?

Source: http://www.tampabay.com/sports/autoracing/jeff-gordon-up-to-all-standards-except-his-own-and-his-proteges/1152763

Kasey Kahne

February 20, 2011 by · Comments Off on Kasey Kahne 

Kasey Kahne, Kasey Kahne Kenneth (pronounced / ke n /; Born April 10, 1980) is a NASCAR driver full time. He participated in the Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s. It is the driver of the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota Camry for Red Bull Racing Team. Kahne also drives the Nationwide Series # 38 Great Clips Chevy Impala for Turner Motorsports.

Off the beaten, Kahne is active in charitable work and is a member of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. He also owns his own race team, Kasey Kahne Racing, competing at the World of Outlaws series, commissioning of two cars, one for Joey Saldana, and one for Cody Darrah. His team also fields a car for the USAC Sprint Car series for Brady Bacon and Brad Sweet USAC dwarfs. Kahne is a two-time Skagit Speedway winner of the annual Jim Raper Dirt Cup memory (2002 and 2003) and holds the current record for the fastest lap at Skagit.

Kahne began racing open wheel sprint cars at Deming Speedway 17 in Deming, Washington, before moving to Skagit Speedway in Alger, Washington, and then he moved to USAC. In 2001, Kahne took a trip to Pennsylvania where he won the match of the season at Williams Grove Speedway history. Steve Lewis, who had also employed future NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon, Jason Leffler, Tony Stewart and Kenny Irwin, Jr, hired him. In his first year on the tour, he was named rookie of the year and win the National Midget Championship. He continued to run USAC, as well as the Toyota Atlantic Series and the World of Outlaws.

Kahne in 20 starts in the Nationwide Series driving the # 98 Channellock Ford Taurus for Robert Yates Racing. His best finish was a tenth place finish at Cabela’s 250. In 2003 he moved to the Ford # 38 Akins Motorsports Clips. He won his first pole at Michigan International Speedway and his first nationwide race at the Ford 300. In 2004, he also made a pair of starts in the Craftsman Truck Series at Darlington Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway, driving the # 2 Team ASE Racing Dodge Ram for Ultra Motorsports, winning both races.

Kasey Kahne today at the Daytona 500 is over with the finishing line in sight, after blowing an engine for the second time this week, with less than 20 laps to go. Kahne ran all day, staying on the lead lap and in the thick of things at Daytona International Speedway. Before his engine blew up, a problem plaguing many in Dayton, he was able to make a run at the checkered flag, but it did not help.

The warning was the 14th race, easily eclipsing the Daytona 500 and Daytona International Speedway record. It was a day filled with yellow flags and laps behind the pace car, an unfortunate side effect of spinouts and problems plaguing the area of the engine.

As for the race itself, Ryan Newman has the lead, followed by Denny Hamlin, David Ragan, Clint Bowyer and Trevor Bayne. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is still running strong, sitting in 10th place and in position to make a run late. Tony Stewart is in ninth position, just ahead of Earnhardt Jr.

Kasey Kahne, under a one-year contract with Red Bull Racing was mignored either by media or ignored most of the media this week all high speed.

It began last Saturday night when Kahne # 4 had an engine failure before reaching the eighth round. Usually, if a driver is out of the race, they questioned what was wrong with the engine. Kahne was the only car with engine problems still not been interviewed during the race or after.

[Source: via wikipedia nad various online soures, image via WWW.NASCAROAD.COM]

Dale Earnhardt Jr

February 20, 2011 by · Comments Off on Dale Earnhardt Jr 

Dale Earnhardt Jr, (AP) – Hendrick Motorsports had a rough start for the Daytona 500. Three of the four coaches of the team, including five-time defending Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson were involved in a car accident earlier in the 14-500-mile race Sunday. Four-time series champion Jeff Gordon, who started on the first line, and veteran Mark Martin also suffered damage in the melee.

The fourth Hendrick entry, fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr., avoiding the mess and ran with the leaders. His teammates were not so lucky. Gordon’s No. 24 Chevrolet was crumpled front and rear, forcing the team to the garage area for major repairs. He returned to the race 30 laps, basically running for points, while extending his streak to 66 races without a win. “It’s not really important at this stage,” said Gordon. “Our chances of winning the Daytona 500 are over. This is the part disappointing. ”

Johnson’s No. 48 car also requires lengthy repairs. He returned to the track 18 laps down. Martin had fewer problems. His team worked on his No. 5 car in the pits. However, Martin fell three laps behind the leaders and looked like he would have extended his streak without a victory in the Daytona 500.

But Martin made a comeback. He took the NASCAR rule free pass to get back on the lead lap and ran in the top 10 with about 50 laps to go. Gordon, meanwhile, questioned the aggressiveness of his fellow pilots, saying the tandems of two cars that have become the norm during Speedweeks dici were provided to nearly 200 mph. “What I do not understand why guys make it three wide, running three deep for 28,” Gordon said. “They need to leave a little thin. As soon as it thins, so go ahead, and it can be very safe and very evil-free.

“But you see, and they push and jostle up amid the back straight, and you’re like,” What are they? ” Twice winner of the Daytona 500, Waltrip started the accident by running into the back of his teammate David Reutimann. Waltrip team owner. Reutimann spun sideways and collected several cars in his wake, including several favorites.

“You will see a lot more than what we have seen,” predicts Gordon. The crash ended an otherwise solid Speedweeks for Hendrick Motorsports. Earnhardt and Gordon were on the first line, after a promising start team owner Rick Hendrick made significant changes to its organization in the offseason. Although Johnson won his fifth consecutive title, said his team has fallen far behind Hendrick in 2010. Gordon, Martin and Earnhardt Jr. were winless.

The poor performance comes a year after Johnson, Martin and Gordon Hendrick gave an unprecedented sweep of the top three spots in the final points.

So Hendrick responded by moving everyone except Johnson and longtime chief Chad Knaus team.

Earnhardt, who has one victory in three seasons with Hendrick Motorsports, has been paired with crew chief for Gordon, Steve Letarte. Earnhardt moved into the same shop that Johnson and Knaus and Letarte Hendrick believes strong personality will help rebuild the lost confidence of the most popular driver in NASCAR.

Gordon has been teamed with crew chief for Martin, Alan Gustafson.

Martin switched to Earnhardt crew chief, Lance McGrew.

Johnson’s team also received an adjustment. Hendrick has rocked Johnson pit crew together in the hope of setting the most significant gap in the armor of the defending champion.

Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[Source: image via RACINGNEWSDIGEST.COM]

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