NASCAR Offseason
Hello again, Clarksville Chronicle readers, it’s Max Crider, back atcha with more NASCAR Corner, your #1 destination for NASCAR news. Big things have happened in NASCAR’s offseason. First, Chris Buescher scored a ride with Front Row Motorsports for 2016. The defending Xfinity Series champion will drive the 34 car full-time next year after a technical alliance was formed between Roush Fenway, the team he drove for in the Xfinity Series, and FRM. Also, another Xfinity regular scored a full-time Cup ride recently. Since Sam Hornish, Jr left the #9 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford after a one-year run with the 9, Brian Scott will drive the #9 Twisted Tea/Medallion Bank Ford full-time next year after spending a few years with Richard Childress Racing, driving full-time in the NXS and making a handful of NSCS starts last year. Also, Chris Heroy, after leaving Chip Ganassi Racing as the crew chief for the #42, is now the crew chief for the #9 car. Also, prior to the 2015 Chase race at Texas, Jeff Gordon received two ponies (I’m not kidding) from the track manager. His kids, Ella and Leo, named them PomPom and Nutella. Elsewhere, Kyle Busch, your defending NSCS champion, thought of a minor tweak to the Chase format. He quoted "I think we have to take care of the regular-season (points) leader. Whoever is the points leader after (the regular-season finale), I think it would be pretty neat if they got a first-round bye, for instance.” Also, here are a few drivers whose futures are still uncertain.
Here are some crew chiefs on the move.
Chris Heroy (from #42 [Larson] to #9 [Scott])
Chad Johnston (from #14 [Stewart] to #42 [Larson])
Mike Wheeler (from Xfinity #20 [M. Kenseth, R. Kenseth, Jones, Hamlin, Habul] to #11 (Hamlin)
Dave Rogers (from #11 [Hamlin] to #19 [Edwards])
Brian Pattie (from #55 [Ragan] to #16 [Biffle])
Randall Burnett (New Crew Chief for #47 [Allmendinger])
Billy Scott (from #15 [Bowyer] to #10 [Patrick])
Michael Bugarewicz (New Crew Chief for #14 [Stewart])
In other news, Ortho will no longer sponsor Greg Biffle and cut its ties with Roush Fenway. However, Kellogg’s will sponsor Greg Biffle for 2016. Also, Dale Earnhardt, Jr has 3 new schemes for 2016. Also, ever since taking the 24, Chase Elliott has gained a few sponsors. They include: 3M, Mountain Dew, Napa, and Kelley Blue Book. Also, Kurt Busch has a couple of new schemes. Here are some 2016 schemes:
- David Ragan
- Regan Smith
- David Gilliland
Here are some crew chiefs on the move.
Chris Heroy (from #42 [Larson] to #9 [Scott])
Chad Johnston (from #14 [Stewart] to #42 [Larson])
Mike Wheeler (from Xfinity #20 [M. Kenseth, R. Kenseth, Jones, Hamlin, Habul] to #11 (Hamlin)
Dave Rogers (from #11 [Hamlin] to #19 [Edwards])
Brian Pattie (from #55 [Ragan] to #16 [Biffle])
Randall Burnett (New Crew Chief for #47 [Allmendinger])
Billy Scott (from #15 [Bowyer] to #10 [Patrick])
Michael Bugarewicz (New Crew Chief for #14 [Stewart])
In other news, Ortho will no longer sponsor Greg Biffle and cut its ties with Roush Fenway. However, Kellogg’s will sponsor Greg Biffle for 2016. Also, Dale Earnhardt, Jr has 3 new schemes for 2016. Also, ever since taking the 24, Chase Elliott has gained a few sponsors. They include: 3M, Mountain Dew, Napa, and Kelley Blue Book. Also, Kurt Busch has a couple of new schemes. Here are some 2016 schemes:
NASCAR Talk with Max
Hello, again. It’s Max Crider, back with more NASCAR Corner. NASCAR Corner is your #1 destination for weekly NASCAR news, except NASCAR.com, of course.
Sprint Unlimited: The non-points exhibition race to start the season gave us some excitement, and it showcased NASCAR’s new overtime rule. Jimmie Johnson was on the pole when the starting order was shuffled two Fridays ago, but Brad Keselowski jumped out in front early. On lap 24, Brian Vickers, subbing for the injured Tony Stewart, got loose in Turn 3 and collected drivers such as Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer. Kurt Busch got scraped by Vickers but managed to save it. On lap 45 Jimmie Johnson made contact with Paul Menard and was sent through the grass that tore up his car’s nose. His night was done. With two laps to go, Kurt Busch got loose in the back of the back and hit the Turn 2 wall, but seconds later, the big one on the backstretch happened when Carl Edwards thought he had cleared Brad Keselowski, got hooked onto the 2 car’s nose, and collected about seven cars. One of them was the 18 car of your defending NSCS champion, Kyle Busch. On the final restart, it was a showcase of NASCAR’s overtime rule. You could attempt overtime as many times as possible, unlike having up to three green-white-checkered attempts. Once the leader passes a line on the backstretch that is completely in line with the start-finish line, the next flag ends it. Denny Hamlin would hold off Joey Logano to win, despite a last-lap crash. This marks his 6th Unlimited win.
Sprint Unlimited: The non-points exhibition race to start the season gave us some excitement, and it showcased NASCAR’s new overtime rule. Jimmie Johnson was on the pole when the starting order was shuffled two Fridays ago, but Brad Keselowski jumped out in front early. On lap 24, Brian Vickers, subbing for the injured Tony Stewart, got loose in Turn 3 and collected drivers such as Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer. Kurt Busch got scraped by Vickers but managed to save it. On lap 45 Jimmie Johnson made contact with Paul Menard and was sent through the grass that tore up his car’s nose. His night was done. With two laps to go, Kurt Busch got loose in the back of the back and hit the Turn 2 wall, but seconds later, the big one on the backstretch happened when Carl Edwards thought he had cleared Brad Keselowski, got hooked onto the 2 car’s nose, and collected about seven cars. One of them was the 18 car of your defending NSCS champion, Kyle Busch. On the final restart, it was a showcase of NASCAR’s overtime rule. You could attempt overtime as many times as possible, unlike having up to three green-white-checkered attempts. Once the leader passes a line on the backstretch that is completely in line with the start-finish line, the next flag ends it. Denny Hamlin would hold off Joey Logano to win, despite a last-lap crash. This marks his 6th Unlimited win.
Hello, it’s Max Crider, and I present to you: NASCAR Talk, where I review what has happened lately and preview the next race(s). So, about a month ago, the Chase began. 16 drivers duke it out over 10 more weeks of racing.There are four rounds. The first 3 have 3 races. The final round is one race. Win, and you get a free pass to the next round. At the end of every round the bottom four in points out of the 16 (then 12, then 8) are cut off from contention for a title, until the finale. The 4 drivers left will compete for the championship, and the best finishing driver out of the 4 finalists is the new champion. Now, let’s get to what happened in the challenger round.
Chicagoland: Kevin Harvick got the pole after qualifying was rained out. Shortly after the race began, Denny Hamlin and AJ Allmendinger make contact and both cars go around, bringing out a very early caution on lap 2. Kevin Harvick was dominant until a restart on lap 135. On that restart, Joey Logano forced Jimmie Johnson all the way down the racetrack and when JJ came back up, he got into Kevin Harvick, and a few laps later, Harvick spun out and backed into the outside wall hard, ending his day. Kurt Busch dominated the race and it looked like he would be the winner until a debris caution came out with 10 laps to go, forcing a late restart. KB, Jeff Gordon, and Denny Hamlin all stayed out, and on the restart, Denny Hamlin jumped out in front and went from spinner to winner, as he took the checkers at Chicago
New Hampshire: Carl Edwards was the polesitter for this race, and led the 1st 10 laps until Kevin Harvick made a pass for the lead. Just past halfway, there was bad news for Kyle Busch fans, as he hit the wall hard after blowing a right front tire, and had to take his car behind the wall, putting his championship hopes in jeopardy. Shortly after a restart, Jimmie Johnson cut a left front tire, and went to pit road for new tires, and he was put 1 lap down. After that, Danica Patrick got spun by Ryan Newman, but after that, David Ragan slammed into the back of her car, bringing out the red flag and ending both of their days. After a restart, Brad Keselowski, another Chase contender was black flag for jumping a restart, and he would serve a pass-through penalty. He would finish in P12. Kevin Harvick was back in the lead, and it looked as if he’d get a win, but he runs out of gas with 3 to go, and Matt Kenseth would end up your winner at Loudon.
Dover: 4 people will be cut from the Chase after this. Who will it be? Matt Kenseth was the polesitter after qualifying was rained out. He led until lap 20, when Kevin Harvick passed him. Harvick desperately needs this win, and he is gonna do whatever it takes. A Chase favorite Jimmie Johnson had to go behind the wall due to a rear axle problem, and his hopes of a 7th championship would begin to fade. Jamie Mcmurray and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fought each other for the final Chase spot. Harvick won the race, and Dale Jr advanced to Round 2. Jimmie Johnson, Paul Menard, Clint Bowyer, and Jamie Mcmurray all did not advance.
Charlotte: What was supposed to be a night race was a day race after rain postponed the Bank of America 500. Matt Kenseth was on the pole for this race. Kasey Kahne lost a right front tire on lap 61, and he pounded the wall hard, and his day was done. On lap 75, Dale Jr lost a right front tire, losing a lot of ground, finishing 28th. Shortly after that, Matt Kenseth, our polesitter, found himself in trouble after being penalized on pit road, and he would restart 20th. Shortly after that, Matt Kenseth made contact with Ryan Newman, sending Kenseth into the wall. Later, Kenseth plowed the outside wall, turning his day from worse to worst. On that caution, Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson made contact when they both changed their decisions about pit road. Busch decided to pit, but then decided to not pit, and vice versa for Larson. They both make contact, sending Busch and Larson around. They both would finish 1 lap down. Joey Logano would hold off Kevin Harvick to win the Bank of America 500 and punch his ticket to the
Eliminator Round.
Kansas: The pressure is on in the Hollywood Casino 400. If a Chaser wins they’re safe from the wrath of Talladega. Brad Keselowski got the pole and jumped out early. About 20 laps later though, Kevin Harvick makes his way past Brad Keselowski to take the lead. Shortly after that, a caution came out as the 26 of JJ Yeley hit the wall hard, killing the right front on his car. He’d go behind the wall for a while. The caution lasted a little longer because they needed to clean up all the fluid the 26 dropped onto the track. On lap 64, caution #2 came out when Tony Stewart spun coming out of turn 2. Shortly after the restart, Matt Kenseth, who needs to win to get in or his championship hopes most likely fade, took the lead. Another Chase driver who found himself in trouble in the 1st race of Round 2, Dale Earnhardt, Jr, found himself in trouble when he reported a loose wheel. He’d head to pit road for 4 fresh tires, putting him 1 lap down. He’d finish in 21st, 2 laps down. On lap 170, Clint Bowyer didn’t get the homecoming he wanted, as he hit the wall hard coming out of turn 2. He got loose, thought he could save it, but nope. As a result, he pounded the outside wall to bring out the caution. Clint Bowyer was okay. On the ensuing restart, Joey Logano got some help from Kevin Harvick to pass Matt Kenseth and take the lead. Matt Kenseth took it back a little later, though, as green flag pit stops began. Two Chasers found themselves in trouble as Kevin Harvick was caught for equipment leaving the pit box, and Martin Truex, Jr got caught for an uncontrolled tire. They both had to serve pass through penalties, putting them both 1 lap down. Truex Jr would end up getting back on the lead lap with a few laps to go however. Matt Kenseth cycled back to the lead after green flag pit-stops ended. He thought he had the race won but Justin Allgaier hit the wall with just under 30 laps to go, bringing out the caution. Jimmie Johnson decided to stay out, while many others pitted. Kenseth would end up regaining the lead, but Joey Logano would hunt him down. With 5 laps to go, Joey spun the 20 car out, bringing out the caution. Miraculously, the 20 was able to stay on the lead lap, and Martin Truex Jr, the 78, got the free pass. Joey Logano held off Denny Hamlin on a Green-White-Checkered restart to win the Hollywood Casino 400, grabbing his 2nd straight Chase win. Joey Logano is safe, but all 11 other remaining Chase drivers are not, as Talladega looms, and Talladega could easily kill your playoff run.
Talladega Preview: Anyone can win here. This is the most monstrous track in NASCAR. This 2.66 mile long superspeedway is the longest track in the NASCAR season. Talladega is like Daytona: Huge wrecks will occur, the draft is utilized, and anyone could win. David Ragan, a relatively low-key guy, won the Spring Race at ‘Dega a couple years back. But this is a Chase race, and as a Chase driver, you don’t want to get caught up in a crash because that will most likely end your hopes of a championship. Two drivers in must-win situations are Dale Earnhardt, Jr, who won the Spring Race here earlier this year, and Matt Kenseth, who has 5 wins this year. Brad Keselowski was in the same spot last year, and he won. Can either of these two follow suit? Will an underdog win? Who will be cut from the Chase? And who moves on to the Eliminator Round? Find out next Sunday at Noon EDT only on NBCSN.
My picks
- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. He’s very good at superspeedways, and I expect him to win.
- Brad Keselowski. He has 3 wins here at ‘Dega and he is capable of pulling off another win.
- Kevin Harvick. He can win at just about anywhere. Our defending champion won’t give up his crown that easily.
Who’s gonna get eliminated?: Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch, and Jeff Gordon. Talladega is a wild card. Anything can happen. I just selected 4 random drivers. Except for Matt Kenseth, who’s probably going to get out anyway due to the trouble he’s been in so far this round.
This is Max Crider signing out, for now.
Funny Sports Signs??
by Jonah Oshroff
Most fans bring signs to the game to cheer on their team. But these signs are here to give you a laugh or frown. “Sports fans can take their teams pretty seriously, and can display their fandom in some pretty outrageous ways. But it's always a treat to see signs with a sense of humor to break the tension during a game. Whether they're commenting on the way an athlete is playing or off-the-field drama that overshadows the game itself, or simply draw attention to the person holding it, we love a witty sign that makes a game more fun!”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/02/funniest-sports-signs_n_791210.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/02/funniest-sports-signs_n_791210.html
SPORTS
Players Outside of Sports Part II
by Shaan Goel
Steph Curry, the seventh overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, 2015 Three Point Champion, 2014-2015 NBA Most Valuable Player, and the San Francisco Golden State Warriors starting point guard, has led the league in three pointers for the second year in a row. He even broke his own record for the most three-pointers made in one season, with 286. In addition to that, he was elected to the 2014 NBA All Star Game and is known in the league for his dominance on the court, but not too many people know about Steph off the court. He runs the StephenCurry30 foundation with his wife, Ayesha Alexander. He runs camps, donates money to San Francisco charities, and plays one-on-one with many kids to improve their game. He also host events to help kids in different countries. For example, he is hosting an event to collect bug nets for kids in Africa. Steph is as good as a person on the court as he is off the court, helping kids all over the world do great things.
Newspaper Spring Concessions
By Jonah Oshroff
Kids might not quite understand this but in almost every stadium in America buying food at a sporting event is very expensive. In fact, when you go to a sporting event you want to get out and root for your team but most people root for cheaper concession prices. Food at the Masters continues to be a very affordable option. Golf watchers, mostly elderly adults, will be very excited at the new conce$$ion price$.
For the 2013 season, the Cleveland Indians are taking an almost unheard-of step to woo fans back to Progressive Field. Prices are dropping for many food and beverage items. The price of all 12-ounce domestic beers will be $4, down from as much as $5.25 last year. Hot dogs will be $3, down from $4.50 in 2012. Prices for pizza, nachos, and ice cream cones will lower a bit as well, and soda refills will be available for $2. The stadium will also offer hot dogs for $1 at 15 home games, up from nine last year. For the season as a whole, the Indians ranked 29th out of 30 Major League Baseball teams in home game attendance.
Following in the footsteps of the Cleveland Indians and other teams that have dropped concession prices at pro baseball stadiums, the Boston Red Sox are offering fans cheaper beer and food, as well as free kids meals. Tuesday, for the month of April, Red Sox games at Fenway Park would feature buy-one-get-one-free hot dogs, half-price hot chocolate, free kids’ meals (hot dog, Goldfish, juice box) through the third inning, and 12 oz. beers starting at $5 down from the usual $7.50 to $8.50.
http://business.time.com/2013/03/13/hurray-for-4-beers-baseball-teams-stop-ripping-off-fans-with-jacked-up-concessions/?iid=biz-main-belt
http://business.time.com/2013/03/28/fenway-park-drops-beer-and-food-prices-and-red-sox-fans-get-angry/
Players Outside of Sports Part 1
By Shaan Goel
I know the many things that some professional sports players are thought to do. Drugs, alcohol, violence, and possibly jail time. That is a stereotype that is unfortunately still found true in many cases. But that is not the case for Torrey Smith. Drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft, 58th overall, Torrey Smith has had many struggles in his life. His younger brother Tavon died in a motorcycle accident and as a child, Torrey had to do most of the work in the house, and take care of his siblings. His future in football was unthinkable at the time, but once he picked up the call from the Ravens in 2011, his life changed dramatically.
He started out as one of the best wide receivers for the Ravens and had 50 catches for 7 touchdowns in his rookie year, and is still a standout receiver for the Ravens. Torrey also won a Super Bowl with the Ravens. He also set up a foundation called the Torrey Smith Foundation with his wife Chanel Williams. The mission of the Torrey Smith Foundation is to better the lives of the Baltimore area youth by providing educational support, opportunities, and resources. The goal is to have touched the lives of more than 35,000 children by 2016.
Torrey Smith has gone from rags to riches and has turned his life around for the better. Torrey now has a son named Torrey Smith Jr, or TJ. Torrey is now helping other children out in Baltimore have a better future, and possibly one in football!
He started out as one of the best wide receivers for the Ravens and had 50 catches for 7 touchdowns in his rookie year, and is still a standout receiver for the Ravens. Torrey also won a Super Bowl with the Ravens. He also set up a foundation called the Torrey Smith Foundation with his wife Chanel Williams. The mission of the Torrey Smith Foundation is to better the lives of the Baltimore area youth by providing educational support, opportunities, and resources. The goal is to have touched the lives of more than 35,000 children by 2016.
Torrey Smith has gone from rags to riches and has turned his life around for the better. Torrey now has a son named Torrey Smith Jr, or TJ. Torrey is now helping other children out in Baltimore have a better future, and possibly one in football!