Sunday, November 18, 2018

Joey Logano Wins Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship

Originally written for CLNS Media.


Joey Logano won the Ford Ecoboost 400 from Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday night to win the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Logano was considered the underdog for the championship heading into the race as he went up against the strong trio of Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. in the Championship Round. 

Truex and Harvick had the dominant cars all day, but Logano had the fastest car for the first 20 laps of a run.  When the four drivers lined up for a final restart with 15 laps to go, Logano was able to work his way around Truex to win the race.

Logano said he knew he had a fast car and that he wanted the victory.

“I knew I was going to pass that car,” Logano said.  “We rise to the occasion and execute under pressure like that.  Our car was a short-run car…it came down to that short run and we’re champions.”

As a teenager, Logano was called “the best thing since sliced bread” by NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin.  Logano said he was happy to finally back up the legend’s praises in his 10th season at the Cup level.

“I’ve worked my whole life to get here,” Logano said.  “I’ve spent 10 seasons fighting for this.  I can’t believe it.  It’s a dream come true.”

Truex finished second on Sunday, falling one position short of repeating as Cup Series Champion.  Truex said his car just wasn’t fast enough on the short run to compete with Logano.

“We had it, we just couldn’t go over 15 laps,” Truex said.  “I was just slow for 15 laps.  Not the way we wanted to go out, but a hell of an effort.”

Truex’s team, Furniture Row Racing, is shutting down after Homestead.  Truex, who will be moving on to Joe Gibbs Racing next year, said he was sad to see his team disband after five years together.

“I’m going to miss these guys; wish we could have won it,” Truex said.  “Been the best time of my life.  These guys, they’ve been amazing.”

“They’ve made me a superstar in NASCAR, and I’m just very thankful for them all.”

Unofficial results:
1. Joey Logano
2. Martin Truex Jr.
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Kyle Busch
5. Brad Keselowski
6. Matt Kenseth
7. Chase Elliott
8. Clint Bowyer
9. Aric Almirola
10. Kurt Busch
11. Austin Dillon
12. Denny Hamlin
13. Kyle Larson
14. Jimmie Johnson
15. Ryan Newman
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
17. Ryan Blaney
18. Jamie McMurray
19. AJ Allmendinger
20. David Ragan
21. Darrell Wallace Jr.
22. Ty Dillon
23. Chris Buescher
24. William Byron
25. Paul Menard
26. Matt DiBenedetto
27. Erik Jones
28. Michael McDowell
29. Alex Bowman
30. Daniel Suarez
31. Landon Cassill
32. JJ Yeley
33. Ross Chastain
34. Corey LaJoie
35. BJ McLeod
36. Kyle Weatherman
37. Timmy Hill
38. Tanner Berryhill
39. Regan Smith

Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Sunday, November 4, 2018

Harvick Dominates in Texas

Originally written for CLNS Media.


Kevin Harvick won the AAA Texas 500 from Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

Matt Sullivan/Getty Images
Harvick was dominant all day, and won both stages while leading 177 laps on his way to victory lane.  After chasing down Ryan Blaney late in the race, Harvick held him off on the final restart for overtime to continue his dominance in Texas. 

Harvick said his team has continued to perform well at TMS.

“This place has been really good to me; glad I got to win,” Harvick said.  “For whatever reason, since they repaved this place, this place has kind of fit everything that we do.”

Blaney beat Harvick on a late restart to take the lead, but Harvick was able to get back to the lead before the final caution. 

After watching the way Blaney got around Turns 1 and 2, Harvick said he used the younger driver’s handling against him.

“If [Blaney] wasn’t able to arc it into the corner, he couldn’t finish the corner,” Harvick said.  “He had a hard time staying in the throttle.  I just knew I needed to get down into the corner with him.”

Blaney said he tried to beat Harvick down into the corner, but that his car was so much better at the end.

“That was really the only shot we had to beat him,” Blaney said.  “We got by him one restart, and I just couldn’t hold him off; he was just really good.”

“Just needed to be mistake-free and then some, and we just couldn’t be that.”

Unofficial results:
1. Kevin Harvick
2. Ryan Blaney
3. Joey Logano
4. Erik Jones
5. Kyle Larson
6. Chase Elliott
7. Kurt Busch
8. Aric Almirola
9. Martin Truex Jr.
10. Austin Dillon
11. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
12. Brad Keselowski
13. Paul Menard
14. Alex Bowman
15. Jimmie Johnson
16. William Byron
17. Kyle Busch
18. Ryan Newman
19. Jamie McMurray
20. AJ Allmendinger
21. Trevor Bayne
22. Ty Dillon
23. Chris Buescher
24. David Ragan
25. Darrell Wallace Jr.
26. Clint Bowyer
27. Regan Smith
28. Daniel Suarez
29. Michael McDowell
30. Denny Hamlin
31. Parker Kligerman
32. Ross Chastain
33. Reed Sorenson
34. Kyle Weatherman
35. Landon Cassill
36. JJ Yeley
37. Joey Gase
38. Matt DiBenedetto
39. David Starr
40. Corey LaJoie

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Logano Wins at Martinsville in Wild Finish

Originally written for CLNS Media.


Joey Logano won the First Data 500 from Martinsville Speedway on Sunday afternoon to clinch a spot in the Championship Round of the Playoffs.

Sarah Crabill/Getty Images
Logano led a race-high 309 laps on his way to victory lane.  While he had a dominant car, he had to hold off Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. over the final 50 laps.

Truex and Logano raced side-by-side over the final 10 laps, and Truex took the lead coming off Turn 2 on the final lap.  Logano drove into the back of Truex going into the final corner, and two drivers made contact coming to the finish line.

Logano said he did what he had to do in trying to clinch a spot in the final round of the Playoffs.

“Just thinking about Miami,” Logano said.  “We’re here to win a championship this year.  We’re just going to focus hard on moving forward right now and building a great car for Miami.”

Truex raced Logano clean while the two battled for the lead, but Logano used the bumper in a last-ditch effort to get the victory. 

After exiting his car to a chorus of boos from the Martinsville audience, Logano said he knew he was only going to have one shot at the win.

“I knew I was going to lay the bumper,” Logano said.  “I knew that my one shot was going to be to lay the bumper to him a little bit.”

“You’ve just got to expect Martinsville at the end of the race…you’re going to have some bumping and grinding.”

Truex Jr. wasn’t as pleased with Logano’s move late in the race, and said he would make sure Logano didn’t win the championship.

“I was next to him for six laps and I never knocked him out of the way,” Truex said.  “We were going to race hard for it in my book.  I cleared him, fair and square…he just drove into the back of me and knocked me out of the way.”

“I’m just not going to let him win it; I’m going to win it…he may have won the battle, but he ain’t won the damn war.”

Unofficial results:
1. Joey Logano
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Martin Truex Jr.
4. Kyle Busch
5. Brad Keselowski
6. Kurt Busch
7. Chase Elliott
8. Ryan Newman
9. Daniel Suarez
10. Kevin Harvick
11. Aric Almirola
12. Jimmie Johnson
13. Chris Buescher
14. AJ Allmendinger
15. Ty Dillon
16. Jamie McMurray
17. Alex Bowman
18. David Ragan
19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
20. Ryan Blaney
21. Clint Bowyer
22. Paul Menard
23. Matt Kenseth
24. Cole Whitt
25. Michael McDowell
26. Erik Jones
27. DJ Kennington
28. Regan Smith
29. Ross Chastain
30. Austin Dillon
31. JJ Yeley
32. Landon Cassill
33. Jeb Burton
34. Darrell Wallace Jr.
35. Joey Gase
36. Matt DiBenedetto
37. Kyle Larson
38. Timmy Hill
39. William Byron
40. Hermie Sadler

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Elliott Wins at Kansas to Close Out Round of 12

Originally written for CLNS Media.


Chase Elliott won the Hollywood Casino 400 from Kansas Speedway on Sunday afternoon for his third victory of the season.

Elliott inherited the lead after Kevin Harvick was hit with a late pit penalty, and Elliott had to hold off Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson in the closing laps. 
Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Elliott said his car was good enough that he could have raced Harvick for the victory if he hadn’t been penalized.

“Obviously got lucky with Kevin having his penalty,” Elliott said.  “I thought we were really equally matched.  Wish we could have raced him straight up.”

After winning his second race in this round of the Playoffs, Elliott said he believes his team is set up to go to Homestead and fight for a championship.

“Great round for us for sure,” Elliott said.  “We just can’t get complacent.  We’ve got a lot of work to do and a long way to go.  This is a huge time of year.”

Busch chased Elliott down in the closing laps, but Busch couldn’t get to Elliott’s bumper while the pair worked their way through lapped traffic.  Busch said Elliott ran a smart race as the race came to a close.

“He ran a really good line…and kept pace,” Busch said.  “Proud of the effort.”

Coming into the weekend, Larson needed a victory to move on to the next round of the Playoffs.  After having a fast car, Larson couldn’t get to the lead and was eliminated. 

Larson said it would have been hard to beat Elliott and Busch.

“Hate that I allowed Kyle to get by me at the beginning of that cycle,” Larson said.  “Wish I could have done something there…hard to beat those guys.”

As the Round of 12 came to a close, Larson, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski and Alex Bowman were eliminated from Playoff contention.

Unofficial results:
1. Chase Elliott
2. Kyle Busch
3. Kyle Larson
4. Erik Jones
5. Martin Truex Jr.
6. Brad Keselowski
7. Ryan Blaney
8. Joey Logano
9. Alex Bowman
10. Aric Almirola
11. Austin Dillon
12. Kevin Harvick
13. Clint Bowyer
14. Denny Hamlin
15. Ryan Newman
16. Chris Buescher
17. Jamie McMurray
18. Kurt Busch
19. David Ragan
20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
21. AJ Allmendinger
22. Jimmie Johnson
23. Matt DiBenedetto
24. Daniel Suarez
25. Ty Dillon
26. Darrell Wallace Jr.
27. Michael McDowell
28. Regan Smith
29. Landon Cassill
30. Trevor Bayne
31. JJ Yeley
32. Paul Menard
33. BJ McLoed
34. Corey LaJoie
35. Kyle Weatherman
36. Reed Sorenson
37. Jeffrey Earnhardt
38. William Byron
39. Ross Chastain
40. Timmy Hill

Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

A Completely Non-Definitive Ranking of the Halloween Films

I've been a horror fan for most of my life, and I started watching them at a young age (probably younger than I should have).  It mostly began with watching the Universal Monsters on AMC's "MonsterFest" every Halloween.  In fact, my dad recorded most of them on VHS; I still remember the intercut segments of Whoopie Goldberg and Linda Blair standing in a haunting forest or swamp.

I loved all the Universal Monsters, but my favorite was always the Creature.  There was just something about the Creature from the Black Lagoon movies that I really enjoyed.

When I was a little older, I was allowed to watch the MonsterFest TV cuts of the Halloween movies.  I saw Halloween 4 and 5 first, and then I saw the 1978 original the next year.

Michael Myers in the new Halloween (Courtesy Ryan Green)
I was immediately hooked, and sought out all of them over the next few years.  I remember the last one I saw was Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers because it was never really on TV (and there's probably a good reason for that).  I secretly watched Rob Zombie's Halloween at 14, and I was able to go to the theater with a friend to see the sequel.

This October, I'll get to go to the theater as an actual legal adult to view a new Halloween movie - David Gordon Green's Halloween, a direct sequel to John Carpenter's original.

I make the Halloween franchise the first thing I watch every October, and I've decided to give my non-definitive (and slightly biased) ranking of all 10 Halloween films.

10. Halloween Resurrection
This movie is all kinds of bad.  I remember liking it when I first saw it because it was the most modern film in the franchise, but it gets harder to sit through every year.  Pretty much everything in this movie is bad.  The acting and dialogue is pretty bad, and the storyline is all over the place and doesn't really make sense.  

9. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
This movie is equally as bad as Resurrection, but it isn't all the movie's fault.  There are two separate cuts of the movie: the theatrical cut and the producer's cut.  Both films don't make a lot of sense and fall off the rails at the end, but the producer's cut might make a little more sense?  Maybe?  The whole production was plagued with re-writes, and the untimely death of Donald Pleasance didn't help matters much either.  And that's only if you can get past the fact that the jerk dad looks just like Biff Tannen from Back to the Future (but it totally isn't, I promise).

8. Halloween III: Season of the Witch
This movie isn't terrible.  I've seen way worse 80's horror movies, but I've seen better ones too.  Ultimately, this movie probably would have done better if it hadn't been labeled a Halloween movie at all, but I get what John Carpenter and Debra Hill were going for.  It does get bonus points for having Pittsburgh-native Tom Atkins in it.

7. Halloween II
I might be in the minority here, but I find Halloween II to be such a bore.  Maybe it's because I always view it directly after the original (and I mean directly after; it's always a double feature), and the original is just so much better.  Laurie seems completely helpless, unlike the first film, and the terrible wig Jamie Lee Curtis wears throughout the movie is very distracting.  I guess there's a reason why they're ignoring this film with the newest one.

6. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
This is about the point in the franchise when it starts to fall apart.  The beginning of the film starts off well, but by the end it's like a roller coaster.  The whole thing is saved by Danielle Harris' superb acting as Jamie Lloyd in what might be one of the best child performances in horror.

5. Rob Zombie's H2
I will always love Rob Zombie's take on the Halloween franchise.  You can fight me on it if you want to, but I really like what this movie does with the surviving characters from the first film.  Instead of taking place right after the first movie, this takes place a year after, and looks into the emotional trauma that someone would suffer by going through such a harrowing experience.  Sure, it goes off the deep end towards the end of the movie, but it's best to just let it happen and enjoy the ride.

4. Halloween: H20
This movie's a welcome return to the franchise (especially following Curse of Michael Myers), but it definitely seems stuck in the 90's.  It's a pretty good take on what Laurie Strode could be like 20 years after getting attacked by Michael, and she finally turns the tables on him.  She becomes a little unhinged towards the end of the movie as she chases Michael around and eventually cuts off his head.  But not really, because we had to get Busta Rhymes into this franchise somehow.

3. Rob Zombie's Halloween
Alright, time to anger some people.  I loved Rob Zombie's take on the Myers' lore.  He went deeper into Michael's messed up upbringing, and we got to see pretty much why he is how he is.  It's not the best in the series, but I enjoyed how brutal it was while staying somewhat true to the original.  I love this movie, don't @ me.

2. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
This was the first movie I ever saw in the Halloween series, and I've been hooked ever since.  Every year when I see this, it's like a nice return to simpler times.  I really enjoy Dr. Loomis running around the town like a madman the entire time, and Danielle Harris is impressive in her debut as Jamie Lloyd.  The ending of the movie actually has a pretty cool twist, which is then completely discarded in the sequel.

1. Halloween
The movie that spawned a new generation of horror, the original Halloween will always be the best.  Every sequel has tried to capture the magic of John Carpenter's original, and all of them have fallen short.  There's just something about the mystery behind Michael and his motivations.  I won't ever know what it was like to see this movie for the first time without knowing all the sister stuff and everything beforehand, but I still love re-visiting this every so often.  The fact that it was made on such a small budget by a couple of 20-somethings makes it even more impressive.

Thanks for reading!  Do you agree with this list?  Let me know in the comments below what you agree (and disagree) with!  Except about Rob Zombie's Halloween, I asked you not to @ me and I'd like you to respect my wishes.

Sunday, October 7, 2018

Elliott Wins at Dover, Locks Himself into Next Round of Playoffs

Originally written for CLNS Media.


Chase Elliott won the Gander Outdoors 400 from Dover International Speedway on Sunday afternoon to lock himself into the next round of the Playoffs.

Chris Trotman/Getty Images
Elliott inherited the lead late in the race after a wreck took out some of the frontrunners with five laps to go.  After he stayed out on a previous caution, Elliott found himself on much older tires than Denny Hamlin when they took the green flag with two laps to go.

Elliott said the restart was his redemption for all the times he failed to win while leading on a late restart.

“I feel like I’ve messed it up enough times, and I thought, ‘man, here’s your opportunity to make it right and to do it right,’” Elliott said.  “Today just felt different; I felt more confident and I just felt excited about the opportunity instead of unsure what was going to happen.”

Elliott had to fight through the field all day after a tire penalty sent him to the back of the pack early in the race.

Elliott said his team worked on the car throughout the race and he had the speed when it mattered.
“We had a penalty there early, and fell behind,” Elliott said.  “Luckily had a fast enough car and a good strategy to get back.”

“To come back here and have the day we had and move on to the next round…we don’t have to worry about Talladega next week; it’s a hell of a day.”

Hamlin had two fresher tires than Elliott on the final restart, but wasn’t able to catch him in the final laps.

Hamlin said he was surprised Elliott’s car was so fast on much older tires.

“That old of tires…that’s amazing,” Hamlin said.  “I ran as hard as I could…and just couldn’t get beside him there.”

“Glad to see me and Chase can finish 1-2 here in a Playoff race and not have any controversy, so happy for those guys.”

Unofficial results:
1. Chase Elliott
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Joey Logano
4. Erik Jones
5. Kurt Busch
6. Kevin Harvick
7. Austin Dillon
8. Kyle Busch
9. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
10. Daniel Suarez
11. Ryan Blaney
12. Kyle Larson
13. Aric Almirola
14. Brad Keselowski
15. Martin Truex Jr.
16. Paul Menard
17. Ryan Newman
18. Jamie McMurray
19. William Byron
20. Matt Kenseth
21. Regan Smith
22. AJ Allmendinger
23. Darrell Wallace Jr.
24. David Ragan
25. Chris Buescher
26. Michael McDowell
27. Matt DiBenedetto
28. Alex Bowman
29. Ty Dillon
30. Corey LaJoie
31. Jeffrey Earnhardt
32. JJ Yeley
33. Landon Cassill
34. BJ McLeod
35. Clint Bowyer
36. Jimmie Johnson
37. Ross Chastain
38. Harrison Rhodes
39. Timmy Hill

Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Sunday, September 30, 2018

Blaney Wins Thrilling Roval Debut

Originally written for CLNS Media.


Ryan Blaney won the Bank of America Roval 400 on Sunday afternoon from the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

The race was the first at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Road Course, named the “Roval,” and the buildup to the race promised that the first elimination race of the Playoffs would be exciting on the tight track.

On the final lap, Jimmie Johnson caught leader Martin Truex Jr., and the two made contact in the chicane before the finish line.  Blaney was able to take advantage to win his first race of the season and lock himself into the next round of the Playoffs.

Blaney said he wasn’t expecting the two former champions to wreck coming to the finish.

“Sometimes it’s better to have a little bit of luck on your side,” Blaney said.  “You hate to see two guys get into there and tear up two of the best cars all day, but that’s racing sometimes.”

Johnson failed to make the next round of the Playoffs after wrecking coming to the checkered flag.  After driving through the chicane, Johnson had to come to a complete stop to avoid a penalty, which cost him just enough positions to end in a tie with Kyle Larson and Aric Almirola for the final spot in the next round.

After losing the tiebreaker to Larson and Almirola, Johnson said he wasn’t thinking about the Playoffs and wanted to get to victory lane.

“These wins are so important and the veteran would have taken the safe route,” Johnson said.  “Ultimately we were in a transfer position and didn’t get it.”

Larson drove a heavily-damaged car for the last five laps, and passed Jeffrey Earnhardt coming to the checkered flag to force the three-way tie.

Larson said he pushed his car to the limit to get the final point he needed.

“I could see the 96 [of Earnhardt] was still stopped, and I knew I needed that point to get to the tiebreaker,” Larson said.  “I knew I was screwed, then I saw they were all crashing [on the frontstretch] and it had to be 45 seconds before I got over there.”

The playoff field was cut from 16 to 12 drivers; Johnson, Austin Dillon, Erik Jones and Denny Hamlin were the four drivers eliminated from championship contention.

Unofficial results:
1. Ryan Blaney
2. Jamie McMurray
3. Clint Bowyer
4. Alex Bowman
5. Kurt Busch
6. Chase Elliott
7. AJ Allmendinger
8. Jimmie Johnson
9. Kevin Harvick
10. Joey Logano
11. Ryan Newman
12. Denny Hamlin
13. Matt DiBenedetto
14. Martin Truex Jr.
15. Regan Smith
16. David Ragan
17. Chris Buescher
18. Michael McDowell
19. Aric Almirola
20. Cole Whitt
21. Daniel Suarez
22. Ty Dillon
23. Daniel Hemric
24. Ross Chastain
25. Kyle Larson
26. Jeffrey Earnhardt
27. Justin Marks
28. JJ Yeley
29. Landon Cassill
30. Erik Jones
31. Brad Keselowski
32. Kyle Busch
33. Paul Menard
34. William Byron
35. Trevor Bayne
36. Darrell Wallace Jr.
37. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
38. Timmy Hill
39. Austin Dillon
40. Stanton Barrett

Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Saturday, September 22, 2018

Kyle Busch Wins at Richmond

Originally written for CLNS Media.


Kyle Busch won the Federated Auto Parts 400 from Richmond Raceway on Saturday night.

Robert Laberge/Getty Images
Busch had a fast car from the drop of the green flag, and drove up through the field after starting in the back of the pack after damaging his car in qualifying.

Busch said the victory was a testament to his team’s ability to fix the car before the race.

“I had a dismal qualifying effort,” Busch said.  “I put us a little behind yesterday in qualifying…being able to start last and come up through the field to win this thing.”

Kevin Harvick was chasing Busch down over the final 20 laps, but Busch was able to keep himself ahead of Harvick as the two worked through lapped traffic.

Busch said he was surprised he wasn’t able to run away from Harvick over the final run.

“Harvick was getting me a little bit there at the end,” Busch said.  “That was too close for my comfort; I thought we were better than that on the long run.”

Harvick said he didn’t want to push his luck and risk losing points heading into next weekend’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Roval.

“I’m terrified of next week,” Harvick said.  “There are so many unknowns.”

Unofficial results:
1. Kyle Busch
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Martin Truex Jr.
4. Chase Elliott
5. Aric Almirola
6. Austin Dillon
7. Kyle Larson
8. Jimmie Johnson
9. Brad Keselowski
10. Clint Bowyer
11. Erik Jones
12. Alex Bowman
13. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
14. Joey Logano
15. Ryan Newman
16. Denny Hamlin
17. Daniel Suarez
18. Kurt Busch
19. Ryan Blaney
20. William Byron
21. Jamie McMurray
22. Paul Menard
23. David Ragan
24. Michael McDowell
25. Matt Kenseth
26. Cole Custer
27. Darrell Wallace Jr.
28. Ty Dillon
29. AJ Allmendinger
30. Chris Buescher
31. Regan Smith
32. Corey LaJoie
33. Ross Chastain
34. Matt DiBenedetto
35. Joey Gase
36. Landon Cassill
37. Jeffrey Earnhardt
38. Alon Day
39. Timmy Hill
40. Gray Gaulding

Robert Laberge/Getty Images