173 of 267 possible laps to bag may be too little to win a race! This experience had to do on Sunday Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin to admit defeat, which in the final of the STP 400 just had the better cards. The question of why should be answered in this article.
In the best Monty Python style "we come [but first] for something completely different": Sometimes you are convinced that we have already seen all the quirks of the Americans, or at least to know. It then tends to think that one side of the pond could surprise nothing anyway. Ever since yesterday, this assumption is wrong! The majority of readers will probably have noticed already surprised the accompanying picture, including tanks, on the - Brad Keselowski was enthroned - at this time. Extremely bizarre one might think, but it gets even better, because I have pressed on Sunday just before the start of the race the right key at the right time and the following screen shot:
Jeff Hammond, who apparently gets lately by FOX kilometers money at each race the entire distance to expire, so brought the first candidate for the picture of 2012 at this point in the game. After they had withdrawn in favor of Michael Waltrip Hammond from the Hollywood hotel, got here in the chat often called "Mr. Anabolic steroids "titled moderator now have the opportunity to take part in the field for bad monkeys. I think, his performances frequently act unintentionally funny, and he could provide for many interesting scenes this season, including during his visit to the truck routes Repair Department. His fan base is small but certainly can be hardly above the tank photo!
Why am I telling you about? FOX because it gave the scene of the race before the race had even started and was then expected as well as extremely viscous - a little variety so should be quite welcome. Kansas showed namely early rather a familiar image from Fontana, for only ten laps after the green flag or panning the sparse Restarts ensured proper racing action in the field.
The low banking and the wide range made throughout the day, however, countless driving lines possible so that the flow of the race went on quickly in the chewing gum each mode. So right now I can not even explain why the intermediate oval to get a progressive superelevation, because the line up along the wall, but was at least as fast as the bottom groove. We just hope that now embarked solution variant with an additional general increase of banking from 15 ° to at least 17 ° to the right as it turns out in the end.
The race itself is then summarized quickly: the first 44 laps certain the pole sitter AJ Allmendinger, until he was forced to retire with a problem on the throttle during the first series of green-flag pit stops from the top group, and in the end only 32 was. Grateful for once took a very strong on Sunday auffahrender Martin Truex Jr's leadership. This he should pit stop adjusted well to the final phase for the time being no longer exits. Jimmie Johnson tried though shortly after racing half of Truex, but he did not succeed in spite of some of effort on his part to take the lead, because the Clean Air proved in Kansas as extremely advantageous.
Caution The third and final 80 laps before the end of the race saw then for the first time really excited, because not all drivers went for new tires and fuel in the pits, because they had only 10 rounds previously controlled the Pitcrews under green. One of the taker in this case was the only one so far Truex challenger Jimmie Johnson, which he launched himself back outside the top 10. The new tires proved indeed to be clear faster, but the residue Johnson had to catch up to the top, the race was over. More than a third could no longer enter the time master.
The decision to come to the pits, nevertheless was correct, because by normal means during the race was not on Truex 'leadership shake - you had to take a chance with the team with the # 48th Perhaps they hoped for an extension or at least late caution periods in which you then also the last pit stop could be completed. But since it was green and did not look like Cautions, all outlier teams decided to abandon the alternative strategy back at the beginning of the last fuel window. A sprint for about 40 laps at race pace was thus the result.
While Johnson so his run lay down according to the experiment of the last caution period to number 3, Denny Hamlin took over the Truex persecution because they had decided in the # 11 Joe Gibbs Racing as well as the front runner against a pitstop during the Caution. Immediately after the final pit stops then Hamlin could Truex snatch the lead and fight in the closing laps against several despairing dive-bomb tests of Truex.
Three reasons I have identified as crucial for Hamlin's victory on Sunday: Martin Truex Jr reported after the race, the fact that he probably unlike his first stint got no optimal set of tires for the final. Also came right after the last green flag pit stops under the sun briefly out, making the grip levels plummeted yet clear. Truex got oversteer, while Hamlin's Toyota was suddenly well and thus mutated the best car in the field. On top of that the master-crew chief Darian Grubb, the # 11 then took a round before the # 56 on the box, so Denny Hamlin could make early with fresh tire pressure. Truex 'tires were indeed at the end still competitive, but the leader was far outpaces virtually.
For Hendrick Motorsports jumped again despite the missed 200 Sprint Cup victory a good team performance out because besides Johnson were also Dale Earnhardt Jr (7) and Kasey Kahne (8) drive into the top 10. Jeff Gordon (21), however, dragged on with engine problems and only seven cylinders the distance, but that was not the only pilot with hustendem aggregate., because the Toyota engines from Mark Martin (33) and Clint Bowyer (36th) did better results a spanner in the works. Apart from this adversity, the Japanese manufacturer unveiled but much better than expected and could even retract by Hamlin first success for Toyota in Kansas at all.
Places 4 (Matt Kenseth), 5 (Greg Biffle) and 9 (Carl Edwards) for the team of Roush Fenway Racing but underscored at least my assumption regarding the strength of the Fords, even if the victory then ultimately did not go through that brand. Also very consistent operated again Kevin Harvick (6) on his one-man campaign for Richard Childress Racing, while Kyle Busch (10th) completed the top 10 and Brad Keselowski (11) and Tony Stewart (13) just disappointing landed outside. Juan Pablo Montoya (12) and Jamie McMurray (14) showed in Kansas, which is currently on a good day maximum for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in it.
For the current status of the championship I ask all readers to click through on the links at the end of the article, because I have exceeded my time driving here again massive. Instead follows at this point briefly to what the missing yellow phases:
There were only three Cautions, the last of which could have a decisive turn out. This season falls on generally that the number of yellow flags is currently understood in the strong decline. One might even think that would be in the U.S. Cautions an endangered species after the IndyCar Series relies more on local Yellows since this year. Counting the last four races at Martinsville, Fontana, Texas and Kansas look at times in retrospect, the dynamics of the race in NASCAR, however, has not been good at all.
Certainly, like the reasons for this may be found in the fact that the current peloton damn closely located within the Top35 in terms of performance. The result lists of the aforementioned race are very easy to divide with a highlighter in clearly separated areas of the different limits. In addition, rides were generally rather rare in the wall and accidents, because apart from the Clint Bowyer situation in Martinsville in the past month are not much more than light Wall Striped been the norm.
So far, the new EFI systems have curiously, allowing for more engine trouble less yellows and I also would have never thought that I would miss the mystery Cautions for debris then another. However, I am sure that the problem is put back in place by itself again if now follow with Richmond, Darlington and Talladega again interesting tracks on the calendar. Offer the latest in the new year then also revised the Cup again silhouettes potential for change, both in the positive and in a negative sense.
The total official results can be looked up again, including additional statistics at Jayski.com here . At the conclusion follows as usual, the summary of the points stands for the drivers and the Owner-rating (Note: All PDF files!).
Ah Jeff Hammond. Great, I have amused myself delicious. Pefekte the start of the analysis of the race! Thank you!