Non-Chaser of Note: Paul Menard

Lately, Paul Menard is making Richard Childress look like a talent acquisition genius.

When Childress announced in August that Menard would join RCR's Cup stable in 2011, there were those in NASCAR circles who openly scoffed.

Certainly, they said, Childress was just bringing the driver on board for the Menards sponsorship alone. A few even claimed Childress was pretending Menard had talent just to get the bucks.

Take this quote from SB Nation writer, Jeff Gluck:

"People can convince themselves of many things, and when it comes to Paul Menard, that seems to be the case with Richard Childress.

Childress kept a completely straight face on Friday when he discussed Richard Childress Racing's new three-year deal with Menard, a below-average driver who has gotten elite rides due to the Menards sponsorship he brings."

Well who's convinced now?

In the last two races, this below-average driver has finished in the top ten.  At Kansas Speedway, Menard was the highest-finishing non-chaser with an eighth-place finish.  He qualified second.

So far, Menard has posted his best season to date - earning one top five finish and five top tens.  He's currently 23rd in points (his highest points standing ever) and he's looking better and better as the races wind down.

Guess Childress isn't so crazy after all ...

Menard and RCR - a Win-Win Partnership

It may not have made as much news as Kasey Kahne's temporary move to Red Bull Racing, but Richard Childress Racing announced today that Paul Menard will be the team's newest driver in 2011.

Menard will bring a fourth car back to its stable next year, and Menard is the guy who's going to wheel it.  What sweetened the deal is that Menard comes with a multi-year sponsorship courtesy of Menards  (the third-largest home improvement company) which happens to be owned by his father.

The move gives Menard, who has four full seasons of Cup racing to his credit, an opportunity to prove himself with one of the best teams in the biz.

RCR is having a banner year.  Its drivers currently hold first and third place in the Chase standings - and Clint Bowyer is on the bubble, in 13th spot.

From the more mercenary finance side, the move gives RCR the relief of knowing its fourth car will have solid financial backing for the entire season. And that's nothing to be sneered at in the current NASCAR economy.

Although Menard hasn't been to Victory Lane on the Cup side, this year has been his best. So far, Menard has racked up one top five and three top 10 finishes.  In 2009, he failed to finish in the top 10 even once.

From RCR's official press release:

"Paul has developed into a very good race car driver, and we see his move to RCR next year as an opportunity for him to continue that progress," said Richard Childress, president and CEO of RCR.

"Richard Childress Racing has shown this year that they're headed on the right track," said Menard. "Having three cars competing for the Chase and, ultimately, the championship is no small feat and they're on top of their game. With that in mind and having known Richard for the past 10 years or so, when this opportunity to join RCR came about it was a no-brainer. I have always had the utmost respect for Richard and what his organization has accomplished in the past and what they're capable of achieving in the future."

What's not to love?

A Little Chase to Chase Comparison

This time last year, the standings for the Sprint Cup Chase sure looked mighty different.

Who would have thought things would have changed so much in 2010?

For starters, Kevin Harvick is sitting pretty this year. So far, Happy is perched in the top spot with one win to his credit. Not so last year, as he was stuck back in the 23rd spot after Richmond. And even though the NASCAR media has dubbed Jamie McMurray the new bump-draft king, Harvick really deserves the crown. His consecutive wins at the Bud Shootout and his smooth, race-winning move at Dega are proof positive of that.

Unfortunately for Smoke fans, it's now Tony Stewart's turn to be on the outside looking in. Granted, last year's early-season success was atypical for Smoke, it's still a bit disconcerting that he's now in the 15th spot. Good thing about Stewart, he's liable to crank up the summer heat and snag a win or two to gain those all-important bonus points.

Regarding bonus points, Jimmie Johnson stands to gain the most of any driver with an impressive three wins to his credit thus far. Even though Four-Time has had some uncharacteristic issues during the last two races, he's actually in great shape points-wise, with a second-place spot. Last year about now, Johnson was in sixth - and we all remember how last year turned out.

And here's a little prediction - Paul Menard may have shocked and awed the NASCAR world during the first few races of the year, but he won't be the big sleeper. I'm betting that Martin Truex Jr. will keep gaining spots and take Michael Waltrip Racing smack into the thick of the Chase.

At least I hope so. I'd sure like to hear a Chase version of that Napa Know How commercial ...

Daytona From the Cheap Seats

Leading up to the Daytona 500, fans heard lots of hype about reduced ticket prices. In an effort to ensure a sellout crowd, the Daytona International Speedway promoted the dickens out of their $55 superstretch tickets - the cheapest seats at the track.

A sucker for a good deal, I decided to snap up a couple of these cheap seats, just to see how the bargain basement experience compares to say, a much pricier spot on the finish line.

So Sunday morning, I headed to the Speedway at the crack of dawn armed with my cheap ticket, a warm jacket, and a list of budget-friendly things to do. I was determined to see how much bang I could get for my 55 bucks.

I paid nothing extra for the below activities. And I'm pleased to report that my experiment proves that if you plan ahead and have some patience, you can have a fantastic race experience without putting your engagement ring in hock.


Autographs at the Speed Stage - I hit the Speed TV stage early, well before the show's scheduled broadcast time of 9 a.m., and my early arrival paid off. The Speed staff hands out Home Depot hard hats and beads before the show. And before it went live, hosts Kenny Wallace and Kyle Petty walked down to the fans and signed autographs. Driver Paul Menard even stopped by. I hung around for the first live segment of the show and it was pretty entertaining - besides, where else could you see Wallace shake it like this?

Coca-Cola Track Walk - I had the best of intentions, but I didn't get to the Speedway early enough to register for the free Coca-Cola Track Walk. However, hundreds of other race fans did make it in time - and they were rewarded for their efforts. They got to see Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer and Dale Jarrett kick it all off by waving the green flag.

Jeff Gluck Tweetup - This may have been my favorite free activity of all. Current SB Nation blogger and bona fide Twitter celebrity @jeff_gluck is the originator of the race day tweetup - and the Daytona edition was the biggest yet. We met in front of the Daytona 500 Experience and were joined by Nationwide driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr., David Newton from ESPN.com, folks from Watkins Glen International Speedway and a host of other online personalities, media members and Tweeps. As a special bonus, Gluck handed out free swag. What's not to love?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - I hightailed it from the Tweetup hoping to make it to the Turn 4 Chevy stage in time to see Jeff Burton talk to the crowd. Unfortunately, I missed Burton - but I did snag a pretty good vantage point from which to watch Dale Jr. talk to fans. The event was a Q&A session with a rep from Chevy - and it was lots of fun. Junior talked everything from racing strategy to what's on his iPod (country music) and he also revealed his plans for Whisky River (the Jacksonville location opens in April, and he'd like to open another location in Nashville).

Walking, Walking and Walking - The only people who get anywhere fast at Daytona International Speedway are the drivers on the track. It's wall-to-wall people and you've got to accept the fact that it's going to take a while to get where you want to go. While hiking from the Chevy Stage to the Turn 2 Grandstand, I was pretty glad I had missed Coca-Cola Track Walk registration - but the hike was a great way to warm up on a pretty chilly day.

Great view - I had never before watched a race from the backstretch, and I was thrilled with how well I could actually see the cars racing by. Since the superstretch is flat, you're treated to a terrific view of the cars coming off of Turn 1 driving into Turn 2 and racing down the straightaway. It's also a great place to be if you like watching wrecks firsthand. We saw our share.

Free advice - About midway through the first Potholegate, the more innovative fans in my vicinity began spouting off how they thought NASCAR should fix the "imperfection" on the track. Among the ideas I overheard? Georgia clay and sand. Quikrete. "Real" asphalt. Barricade tape and traffic cones. And this more laissez faire solution - "Just let 'em drive through it and let the chips fall where they may." Looks to me like NASCAR ended up using a combination of toothpaste and whiteout.

Bristol Winners and Losers

There were more winners at Bristol this weekend than Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick, and more losers than Greg Biffle and Joey Logano.

Below are my picks for the folks who won out this race weekend, and those who can claim the title of Bristol's biggest losers.

Winners:
Mark Martin and Ryan Newman finally had a little luck and ended on a high note, putting them well inside the top 35 points standings. The champ, Jimmie Johnson, managed to sneak into the chase (was there ever any doubt?). And Marcos Ambrose put together an impressive race, finishing in the top ten for Michael Waltrip racing.

Losers:
Aric Almirola and Paul Menard still have to qualify on time at Martinsville. And poor Travis Kvapil desperately needed a good race, but he ended 39th in owners points, in addition to losing his ride (hopefully temporarily) to boot.

Winners: Ned Jarrett was a welcome familiar face in the broadcast group, joining his boy Dale and former colleague Dr. Jerry Punch as they called the Saturday night Legends race. And don't forget old-timer L.D. Ottinger who ran the wheels off his race car on Saturday night.

Losers: Digger--did I miss something, or was there no Digger episode this week? And Mr. Excitement Jimmy Spencer...he ran well during the Legends race, but he sure lived up to his nickname during practice when he wrecked fan favorite Junior Johnson.

Winners: The fans who attended Saturday's races. Both the Nationwide and Legends races were sheer entertainment a darn good time.

Losers: I hate to call fans losers, but the fans who attended Sunday's race witnessed one of the most boring Bristol races ever. Here's hoping the August race will be better!