Wichita Eagle: Motorsports

Don Schumacher Racing dominates NHRA with style

Randy Covitz — Sat, 18 May 2013 18:22 CDT

Welcome to Schumacher City. Population … as many as 1,000, depending on the time of day.

Bring your appetite and a set of ear plugs.

NHRA royalty resides inside the hospitality tents between the garage areas of Don Schumacher Racing’s three Top Fuel and four Funny Car teams at Heartland Park Topeka.

Edwards gunning for NHRA pole

RANDY COVITZ — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:36 CDT

Even after making a hurried engine change, Mike Edwards continued to monopolize the pole position in the NHRA’s Pro Stock division on Friday night.

Edwards took the provisional No. 1 qualifying spot at the Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka with an elapsed time of 6.618 seconds and 208.55 mph, which if it holds up today, should give him his seventh pole in eight events this season.

“That’s almost impossible …” said Edwards, a two-time winner at Heartland Park. “This class is so competitive, everyone is so close, to run like that, I’m totally surprised, I really am.”

Heartland Park is site of fond memories for Top Fuel drive Grubnic

Randy Covitz — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:33 CDT

NHRA Top Fuel driver David Grubnic looks at Heartland Park Topeka as his personal slump remedy.

Grubnic is experiencing a bit of a dry spell, having yet to advance past the second round in any of the first seven NHRA events this season.

But all he has to do is remember 2005 and 2012. In both instances, Grubnic pulled out unexpected victories at Heartland Park that snapped some major droughts. So he’s confident he can do it again during this weekend’s Kansas Nationals.

Kenseth wins at Kansas Speedway

RANDY COVITZ — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 18:17 CDT

NASCAR’s Matt Kenseth might have changed teams, but he still owns the newly paved Kansas Speedway.

Kenseth, in his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing, won the Sprint Cup STP 400 on Sunday, six months after he won the first race on the new surface for Roush Fenway Racing, last fall’s Hollywood Casino 400.

Kenseth, who started from the pole, led 110 and 111 of the first laps, took the lead in his Toyota with 50 laps to go and maintained a comfortable cushion over Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson in Chevrolets.

Emporia’s hometown boy Bowyer makes good

Randy Covitz — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 20:59 CDT

Chris “Pops” Bowyer went to the mailbox the other day and fished out an envelope with a familiar name.

It was emblazoned with the return address: Clint Bowyer Autoplex, 2815 West Highway 50 , Emporia, KS.

“I chuckled carrying that back in,” said Pops, owner of Flint Hills Towing in Emporia, who had delivered some cars to be serviced at the dealership.

Kenseth tops qualifying for Kansas Speedway race

Randy Covitz — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 21:00 CDT

Matt Kenseth couldn’t suppress his smile.

He shattered the track record at Kansas Speedway on Friday in claiming the pole for Sunday’s Sprint Cup STP 400 with a qualifying speed of 191.864 mph.

But that wasn’t the reason he called it “the most exciting pole” he’s ever won. After all, he’s won just nine poles in his career, a paltry number for a former Sprint Cup champion who has won 25 career races, including Las Vegas last year and the fall race at Kansas Speedway last year.

Clint Bowyer ready to build on 2012

RANDY COVITZ — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 18:44 CST

Clint Bowyer knows all about the second-place jinx.

He knows how Carl Edwards finished second in the standings in 2011 and 2008 and wasn’t a factor in the Chase for the Sprint Cup in the following seasons. Same with Denny Hamlin after finishing second in 2010 and Mark Martin the year before that.

But there’s one big difference in those runner-up performances and Bowyer’s.

Wild race ends with pit brawl

JENNA FRYER — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 06:39 CST

When the fighting stopped, the oil had dried and the last of the wrecked cars had been towed away, Brad Keselowski found himself on the brink of a first Sprint Cup title for himself and team owner Roger Penske.

Only he wasn’t in a celebratory mood.

He entered Sunday’s race at Phoenix International Raceway trailing five-time champion Jimmie Johnson by seven points and had the better car all day. And moments after Keselowski raced his way into the lead, a blown tire caused Johnson to crash and take his battered car to the garage for repairs.

Johnson moves into first

HANK KURZ JR. — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 06:46 CDT

Jimmie Johnson’s expectations are high at Martinsville Speedway, and his results keep showing why.

The five-time series champion raced to his seventh career victory on NASCAR’s trickiest oval Sunday, and the triumph helped him erase a seven-point deficit and supplant Brad Keselowski as the points leader with three events remaining.

But before handing Johnson the title, he cautioned, there’s plenty of racing yet to do.

Keselowski not feeling pressure

HANK KURZ JR. — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 07:27 CDT

Brad Keselowski talks as though racing continues to be business as usual.

The 28-year-old is leading the standings in NASCAR’S Chase for the Sprint Cup, and while his margin over five-time champion Jimmie Johnson is a mere seven points, and perennial contender Denny Hamlin is only 20 points behind, Keselowski quickly dismisses talk that being chased in the chase means pressure.

“I know in my shoes, I feel good about our situation,” Keselowski said. “I love the way we performed over the last few weekends, really over the Chase. You want to win every race and obviously that hasn’t happened, but that’s not realistic either. But we’ve been fortunate to win two races and be in contention for others. Even when we don’t win, we seem to be able to find a way to not have a disaster out of it.”

Brown in familiar spot at Heartland Park

TOD PALMER — Sat, 19 May 2012 22:24 CDT

Three of the last four years, Antron Brown has sat on the Top Fuel pole heading into eliminations at the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals at Heartland Park Topeka.

Brown’s best run from Friday night’s session, 3.797 seconds, held up as the track heated up Saturday for the final two qualifying passes.

But Brown, who set a track record for top speed (324.98 mph), knows better than most that qualifying No. 1 — as he did for the 30th time in his career — guarantees nothing on Sunday.

Topeka records fall in NHRA

TOD PALMER — Sat, 19 May 2012 07:28 CDT

Nobody has ever driven a Funny Car faster than Cruz Pedregon did Friday on the pavement at Heartland Park Topeka in qualifying first at the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals.

Pedregon, who led both sessions of qualifying, broke the track records in for lowest elapsed time (4.046) and top speed (315.56) under the Heartland Park lights.

Not that it was easy.

Carl Edwards is driven by music

RANDY COVITZ — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 23:15 CDT

NASCAR’s Carl Edwards sat in a television booth high above Texas Motor Speedway, bright lights shining on his forehead, makeup artists touching up his dimpled cheeks with powder.

The rock band Foreigner, performed during pre-race festivities and sang the national anthem before last weekend’s Sprint Cup race, was superimposed on a monitor behind Edwards.

Fast cars and loud music are as much part of racing as the roar of engines and smell of burning rubber, and Edwards was in the studio to talk about his passion for hot rods and hot songs for an episode of “Behind the Music Remastered: Foreigner” to air later this year on VH1 Classic.

Clint Bowyer back in Kansas

RANDY COVITZ — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:36 CDT

Sometimes, NASCAR’s Clint Bowyer still forgets who his friends are.

When Bowyer battled new Goodyear tires during practice last week at Texas Motor Speedway, he reached out to veteran Jeff Burton for some advice.

“I asked if his car was as tight as mine,” Bowyer said. “He said, ‘What the (heck) …?’’’

Cargill Beef sponsors NASCAR racer

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:38 CDT

Cargill Beef is renewing its sponsorship of Roush Fenway Racing‘s No. 6 Ford Mustang driven by defending NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

He will drive the Cargill Beef Mustang for 12 races during the season, which began in late February, with multiple brands represented on the car during the season.

The first 2012 Nationwide Series race in which Cargill Beef is the primary sponsor will be at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn., on Saturday.

Stewart wins third NASCAR championship

JENNA FRYER — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:05 CST

HOMESTEAD, Fla. —Tony Stewart insisted he wasn't a title contender when NASCAR's championship race began.

When it became clear he actually was a viable threat, he kicked it into another gear and vowed to go for broke in his pursuit of Carl Edwards.

Did he ever.

Edwards and Stewart race down to the wire

JENNA FRYER — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 00:05 CST

HOMESTEAD, Fla. —Tony Stewart has run his mouth for almost a month trying to rattle Carl Edwards in the race to NASCAR's championship.

Edwards has tuned it all out, and on Saturday he did his talking on the track.

Edwards won the pole for today's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the Sprint Cup Series championship will be decided. Edwards goes into the race with a three-point lead over Stewart, who qualified 15th. One of the two will bring an official end to Jimmie Johnson's record five-year run, and the pole-winning run seemed to indicate Edwards is on pace.

Kahne ends 81-race winless streak

JENNA FRYER — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:05 CST

AVONDALE, Ariz. —Kasey Kahne snapped an 81-race winless streak Sunday by holding off championship contenders Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart at Phoenix International Raceway.

Stewart dominated the race, leading 160 of the 312 laps, but had to pit for gas with 18 laps remaining. He then had to work his way back to the front, and used a late pass of Jeff Burton to finish third, right behind Edwards.

The points margin didn't change, and Edwards goes into next weekend's season finale leading Stewart by three points. Edwards is going for his first Sprint Cup championship, while Stewart is a two-time champion.

Kenseth wins pole, helps out Edwards

JENNA FRYER — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:05 CST

AVONDALE, Ariz. —Matt Kenseth had no idea his pole-winning run at Phoenix International Raceway could benefit his championship-contending teammate.

When he found out he had assisted Carl Edwards, Kenseth pretended it was all part of the plan.

"That was my plan. I thought, 'Man, if we can sit on the pole, that will really help him,'" Kenseth laughed.

Stewart wins, closes in on Edwards

STEPHEN HAWKINS — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:05 CST

FORT WORTH, Texas — Tony Stewart figures he has no need to issue any more verbal jabs in what has become quite a fight for the Cup title.

Stewart raced to his second consecutive victory, and won for the fourth time in eight NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup races, finishing just ahead of points leader Carl Edwards in the so-called "Texas Title Fight" that fully lived up to its billing Sunday.

"I'm pretty sure what we did on the race track said everything we needed to tell him today. I don't know how you top that," Stewart said. "The funny thing, I don't feel like I have to say anything. I feel like I've already got it done."