Dexter who?

Dexter Bean is making his first Sprint Cup start in the Pocono 500 this weekend at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, PA. I have to admit that while I've seen the name around, I didn't have a face to go along with it, and didn't know much of anything about the young man. So I did a little research and here is what I found on http://www.dexterbean.net/


Dexter Bean

Birth Date: January 5, 1987
Hometown: Westby, WI
Nickname: Dex
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 170
Marital Status: Single

Second generation racer, Dexter Bean has made a name for himself in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. Bean, who began his racing career on go-kart tracks in La Crosse and Westby, Wisconsin at the tender age of 10, has dreamed of the day he would be able to be behind the wheel of a car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. While Bean was racing go-karts in various divisions throughout his home state of Wisconsin, he learned to prepare his kart before each race and even did most of the work himself. Bean also gained a wealth of experience working on the pit crew for his father's late model, AutoZone Elite Midwest Series, and ITEMS cars. After turning 16, Bean followed in his father’s footsteps and took on a tougher challenge by racing full-bodied late model stock cars for his family's BlackJack Racing Team. Since then, Bean has raced in the Wisconsin Challenge Series, the MARS Series, the Toyota All-Star Showdown, the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Midwest Division, and the ARCA RE/MAX Series; making a name for himself along the way. This year Bean will finally fulfill his dream of becoming a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver.

Fun Facts:
• Hobbies: hunting, bowling, golfing and skiing with his friends.
• Dexter's favorite television show is CSI
• Dexter loves Chinese food
• Dexter's first street car was a Ford Mustang
• Dexter's favorite color is red
• Dexter is a spokesperson for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
• Dexter was the 2008 recipient of the H.G. Adcox Sportsmanship Award

Pocono: Final Practice

AJ had a hot lap early in practice while the rest of Richard Petty Motorsports seemed to struggle a bit. Let’s hope that AJ’s practice time was more than just one fast lap and that he has a well-balanced #44 Stanley Dodge Charger for the race tomorrow. He has a long way to go to get through the field after starting in 30th.

Richard Petty Motorsports
AJ Allmendinger
9th
Laps Run – 16
Fast Lap – 164.381
Average Speed – 162.736

Kasey Kahne
29th
Laps Run – 12
Fast Lap – 163.366
Average Speed – 161.562

Reed Sorenson
31st
Laps Run – 14
Fast Lap – 162.878
Average Speed – 161.444

Elliott Sadler
33rd
Laps Run – 14
Fast Lap – 162.464
Average Speed – 161.454



Practice 2 Results
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Ryan Newman
3. Greg Biffle
4. Clint Bowyer
5. Jimmie Johnson
6. Tony Stewart
7. Kyle Busch
8. Jamie McMurray
9. AJ Allmendinger
10. Kurt Busch
11. Matt Kenseth
12. Sam Hornish, Jr.
13. Carl Edwards
14. Jeff Burton
15. Mark Martin
16. Casey Mears
17. Jeff Gordon
18. David Reutimann
19. Bobby Labonte
20. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
21. Martin Truex, Jr.
22. Brian Vickers
23. Joey Logano
24. David Gilliland
25. Kevin Harvick
26. David Stremme
27. Juan Pablo Montoya
28. Regan Smith
29. Kasey Kahne
30. David Ragan
31. Reed Sorenson
32. Marcos Ambrose
33. Elliott Sadler
34. Travis Kvapil (for Robby Gordon)
35. Scott Speed
36. Paul Menard
37. John Andretti
38. Michael Waltrip
39. Dave Blaney
40. Joe Nemechek
41. Patrick Carpentier
42. Dexter Bean
43. Sterling Marlin

Pocono: Practice 2 Results

At a track like Pocono with long straightaways, horsepower is key. Unfortunately, none of the Richard Petty Motorsports Dodges are running the new engine this weekend. Handling can help make up for a lack of horsepower though, so AJ and the rest of RPM will try to fine tune their cars in Final Practice.

Richard Petty Motorsports
Kasey Kahne
14th
Laps Run – 8
Fast Lap – 165.177
Average Speed – 163.654

AJ Allmendinger
19th
Laps Run – 12
Fast Lap – 164.742
Average Speed – 163.338

Reed Sorenson
24th
Laps Run – 10
Fast Lap – 164.375
Average Speed – 163.200

Elliott Sadler
28th
Laps Run – 11
Fast Lap – 163.827
Average Speed – 161.795


Practice 2 Results
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Ryan Newman
3. Tony Stewart
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Jeff Gordon
6. Jamie McMurray
7. Martin Truex, Jr.
8. Casey Mears
9. David Reutimann
10. Kyle Busch
11. Greg Biffle
12. Mark Martin
13. Brian Vickers
14. Kasey Kahne
15. Carl Edwards
16. Clint Bowyer
17. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
18. David Ragan
19. AJ Allmendinger
20. Matt Kenseth
21. Sam Hornish, Jr.
22. Jeff Burton
23. Kurt Busch
24. Reed Sorenson
25. Regan Smith
26. Dave Blaney
27. Joey Logano
28. Elliott Sadler
29. Bobby Labonte
30. David Stremme
31. Kevin Harvick
32. Joe Nemechek
33. Paul Menard
34. Juan Pablo Montoya
35. Michael Waltrip
36. Marcos Ambrose
37. Travis Kvapil (for Robby Gordon)
38. Scott Speed
39. David Gilliland
40. Sterling Marlin
41. John Andretti
42. Patrick Carpentier
43. Dexter Bean

Pocono: Starting Lineup

AJ’s bad luck streak continues as he is relegated to a 30th place starting position for Sunday’s Pocono 500. Qualifying was rained out at Pocono Raceway, as was first practice. The starting lineup will be determined according to the rule book, which uses the following format in the event of a rainout:
1) First 35 by current Owner Points [team does not have to attempt all the races]
2) Last Years Cup Champ or the Event Champion if not already in the field
3) Car Owners whose team has won in the previous and current season not already in the field
4) Drivers who have won in the previous and current season not already in the field
5) Past Nextel Cup Champions not in by 1 thru 4
6) Qualifying Attempts with Owners points as the tie breaker
7) Qualifying Order Position
(all above apply as long as the team was entered by the entry deadline - usually 7-13 days before the race)


Pocono Starting Lineup
1. Tony Stewart
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Jimmie Johnson
4. Kurt Busch
5. Ryan Newman
6. Kyle Busch
7. Denny Hamlin
8. Matt Kenseth
9. Greg Biffle
10. Jeff Burton
11. Carl Edwards
12. Mark Martin
13. David Reutimann
14. Kasey Kahne
15. Juan Pablo Montoya
16. Clint Bowyer
17. Brian Vickers
18. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
19. Martin Truex, Jr.
20. Marcos Ambrose
21. Casey Mears
22. Jamie McMurray
23. Joey Logano
24. Kevin Harvick
25. Reed Sorenson
26. Sam Hornish, Jr.
27. Elliott Sadler
28. Bobby Labonte
29. David Stremme
30. AJ Allmendinger
31. David Ragan
32. Michael Waltrip
33. Paul Menard
34. Robby Gordon
35. John Andretti
36. Sterling Marlin
37. Scott Speed
38. David Gilliland
39. Joe Nemechek
40. Patrick Carpentier
41. Dave Blaney
42. Regan Smith
43. Dexter Bean (1st Cup Start)

DNQ Derrike Cope
DNQ Mike Wallace (Late entry)
DNQ Tony Raines (Late entry)

Double File Restarts? I say go for it.

I have to admit that I’m looking forward to seeing double file restarts starting this weekend at Pocono. I think it brings the sport back towards its Saturday night local track roots. As soon as the free pass rule was adopted for safety reasons, getting rid of the lapped cars lining up on the inside for restarts only made sense. It lets the leaders battle for the lead and the lapped cars battle for the free pass – both without hindrance from drivers on different agendas.

I think what excites me most about the new format is simply that NASCAR was willing to make a change mid-season based on input from fans, team owners, and drivers alike. Whether it will help the racing or simply put that much more of a burden on the underdogs remains to be seen, but NASCAR can’t make progress without first making change. If they simply maintain the status quo, they will never know what might have been.

I’ve read input from people who are both for and against the change. Drivers especially seem uncertain about whether or not they like the idea. If you are the leader of the race, you want to see the lapped cars inside you. Most of the time the leader clears the first lapped car easily but second place doesn’t, giving the leader an immediate advantage. With this new rule, you have the second place car starting on your outside (or inside, depending on where you choose to restart.) Advantage lost.

Another aspect of this that I think we will start to see, as crew chiefs adapt to the change, will be strategy calls for the cars that are a lap down. It used to be that if you were a lap down and did not pit under caution that you could restart the race in front of the leader. With the new format, cars on the tail end of the lead lap are automatically waved around. Will we see some crew chiefs leave their drivers out and pray for a quick caution before they have to pit for tires and fuel, or is it better to have fresh tires and fight for the lucky dog spot? If anything, it may help the poor souls who start the round of green flag stops only to have the caution come out before the field cycles through.

All in all, I think that it will at least make it more interesting for awhile just to see how everyone adapts to the change. How many drivers will be black flagged for passing before the start/finish line until they remember that they can’t pass on the restart anymore, not even to the right? How many extra caution laps will they have to run under each yellow to get the cars all lined up in the right position?

I guess only time will tell us if NASCAR made the right move or not, but I’m looking forward to 500 miles at Pocono to give us a glimpse into the future. Okay, so maybe I’m not looking forward to 500 miles at Pocono. But hey – at least I will be watching the restarts before getting bored and turning away from the TV until the next caution.

Pocono Statistics

With three distinct corners and long straightaways, Pocono Raceway is a challenge for car setup. Often drivers have to give up handling in one corner to make the car better in another. AJ Allmendinger’s first year trying to tame the tricky triangle proved to be a rough one. In June of 2007, a pit cue mistake left AJ stranded on the 2.5 mile tri-oval with no fuel and dropped him off the lead lap. Then in August, the car stepped out on lap 2 of the first practice, leaving AJ the insurmountable job of trying to qualify a backup car.

AJ rebounded in June of 2008 by having an outstanding qualifying run and finishing 12th, which was his best career finish in a points race at that time. He struggled a little bit in the August race that year, but still managed to come home with a top-20 result. Even with the bad luck in 2007, AJ has an average starting spot of 22nd and an average finish of 23rd at Pocono. With rain looming on qualifying day, I would imagine we will see AJ start deep in the field at 30th. But with practice looking good for Saturday, expect the #44 Stanley Dodge team to dial that car in for a good race on Sunday.

Special good luck wishes to AJ for this weekend – he needs a change of fortune!


Pocono Statistics

June 2007
Started 28th, Finished 39th

August 2007
Did Not Qualify

June 2008
Started 8th, Finished 12th

August 2008
Started 31st, Finished 19th

Pocono Preview

AJ Allmendinger drives the No. 44 Stanley Dodge this weekend at Pocono International Raceway. The 27-year-old Californian owns two top-20 finishes in his first three races at the 2.5-mile, triangular-shaped track.

Allmendinger is looking to rebound from a disappointing finish in Dover where a caution flag just after a pit stop effectively left him two laps behind the leader.

Allmendinger applauds NASCAR's recent canvassing of the drivers to improve the quality of racing each weekend. Last week, NASCAR notified drivers and teams about potential restart changes that could include double-wide restarts.

POCONO--"I don't know what we have to do to get rid of this bad luck, but we've had a black cloud following us the last couple of weeks. We know we are better than the finishes we have had of late. I'm confident we can turn this around. We really aren't that far off. On Sunday at Dover we were faster than a lot of those cars that had pretty good finishes.

"I think if you go ask most drivers they will tell you they like Pocono. It’s something completely different. I'm not sure it needs to be 500 miles, but the track is pretty cool."

NASCAR CHANGES-- "I'm for anything that NASCAR thinks will make for a better show for the fans. I've learned in racing you take everything one day at a time. I don't care if we line up double wide or triple wide. We'll race no matter what the rules. The fans pay the bills and if they are happy we'll be happy."

* Allmendinger will sign autographs at his merchandise hauler at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday in Dover.

* Allmendinger will drive chassis 285 at Pocono. This car finished 21st at Richmond.

* Allmendinger finished 12th and 19th in the 2008 Pocono races. He has completed all but two laps in his three starts.

* Sunday marks Allmendinger's 58th start in Sprint Cup.


Credit: Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Dover Report Card

Dover Report Card
I'm lenient, so nothing lower than a C- here unless a driver is really a bonehead and earns it. Remember - this is just for the Dover race, and not reflective of the entire year.

A+
Jimmie Johnson – Chad and Jimmie dominated the race on Sunday, leading the most laps in addition to the most import one – the last lap.
Tony Stewart – He may have finished in second place on Sunday, but the driver / owner took over the points lead. The last time a driver / owner led the points was in 1992.

A
Matt Kenseth – The Daytona 500 winner had a good run at Dover.
Kasey Kahne – He powered the new Dodge engine to a 6th place finish.
Casey Mears – A much needed top 10 finish, the best for RCR on Sunday.
Others – Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman

A-
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 12th place isn’t too shabby for his first time without Tony Jr.
Mark Martin – Hard to give a top 10 finish an A-, but Martin wasn’t quite where I expected at the Monster Mile.
Others – Clint Bowyer, Sam Hornish, Jr.

B+
Joey Logano – The rookie has been gaining momentum for the last few weeks
Kevin Harvick – After struggling recently, Harvick was probably content with a 17th place run.
Others – Jamie McMurray, Jeff Burton, David Reutimann

B
Reed Sorenson – The second highest finishing RPM driver
Regan Smith – Very impressive for a team that isn’t running the full schedule. Plus, his no DNF streak lives on.
Others – Marcos Ambrose, Martin Truex, Jr.

B-
Kyle Busch – I’ll bet he wishes someone had spotted that broken splitter before he pitted for what he thought was a wheel vibration.
Brian Vickers – The lead Red Bull driver has been strong for a few weeks, but showed a little weakness at Dover.
Others – David Ragan, Jeff Gordon, Elliott Sadler

C+
AJ Allmendinger – He deserves an A for effort, but a D- for luck averages him out to a C+ grade at the Monster Mile.
David Stremme, Paul Menard, and Robby Gordon – They each need a weekend where they don’t wreck either themselves or someone else.
Others – Bobby Labonte, Juan Pablo Montoya

C
Denny Hamlin – Needs a visit from the good luck fairy.
Scott Speed – Engine issues took a toll on this rookie.
Others – John Andretti, Michael Waltrip

C-
Joe Nemechek, Dave Blaney, Mike Skinner – Start and parks. It’s such a shame that the sport has come to this.
Others – Mike Bliss, Tony Raines, David Gilliland

Tuesday Ramble - Dover edition

I’m experimenting a little bit with where I want this blog to go, so I think I will try a little thing called a Tuesday ramble, where I will post my opinions of the prior race. Since I mainly follow AJ, that’s where the focus of my attention is during the race, so I will apologize in advance if I didn’t notice what any other driver did other than where they finished. If you like the rambles, let me know. Any input can only make this blog better.

*~*~*~*~*~

Tuesday Ramble – Dover edition

With a 29th place finish for the #44 Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Dodge Charger, I think it is safe to say that I thought the race on Sunday sucked. I swear, if AJ has any luck at all, it is only bad luck. He needs some positive juju to turn his season around and reverse the backwards points slide that he has been on the past few weeks. He will be heading to Pocono Raceway 30th in points this weekend, and needs a strong run.

Not only did AJ’s bad day put me in a bad mood, but so did NASCAR with all of their debris cautions. I think they just realized that the tires weren’t holding up, and instead of doing the competition yellows to keep cars out of the wall like they did at Indianapolis last July, they decided to find debris every 40 to 50 laps. To me this was a bonehead move, because the guys who were doing a good job of managing their tires would just start moving up through the field when the yellow would come out again. Now I don’t want to see any driver hit the wall, but I think NASCAR should have just let the race unfold without interference.

I also take exception to some people’s opinion that the race was very exciting, and that if you didn’t like the ending to that race, then you’re not a fan of NASCAR. Now I must admit that I watched those final 10 laps unfold with the same anxious amazement that everyone else did. Who was going to win? Was the Biff going to conquer the Monster again? Would Tony get his first win as a car owner? Or would Jimmie put on his superhero cape once again and pass them all?

So 10 laps of the 400 were exciting, but the outcome was still pretty much inevitable. I could do the math in my head and knew it was only a matter of time. Chad and Jimmie had their A game on, and as much as I admire their excellence at what they do, it just takes away from the race for me. Seeing any driver put a whipping on the field like the 48 car did is just boring, in my opinion. So the Dover race just didn’t generate much excitement for me.

I am inherently a glass half full person though, and I did take a few positives out of the weekend. Number one is that two of AJ’s teammates (Reed and Elliott) led laps on Sunday in Dover, and Kasey ran in the top 10 for most of the day and finished 6th. The most important word out of that last sentence was “finished.” Yes, the new Dodge engine that RPM built for the #9 car made it the full 400 miles at Dover!!! When can they all get one?

Another positive thing on Sunday was that AJ had a fast car; and while it was a little too loose for his liking, his lap times were top 10 – 15 all day long. According to my PitCommand Leaderboard, there were several times that he was the fastest car on the track. Of course some of this was because he was on a different agenda than most everyone else. His motivation was to get one of his two laps back at all cost, even to the detriment of his right side tires. That ultimately ended up biting him in the rear end, but it could also have been a superstar move if it had worked.

All in all, the Monster Mile just didn’t provide the racing action that I was looking for on Sunday. I must admit that while I left my earphones on to pick up AJ’s radio chatter, I turned away from the TV and did statements for my husband’s business on the computer for the last 100 laps. That I would rather work instead of watch the race says a lot right there.

Dover: Post-race driver quotes

KASEY KAHNE (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger)
Finished 6th, Moved to 14th in points
"It was a good day for our Budweiser Dodge. (Greg) Biffle and I were battling all day and it was fun. He ended up third, and we ended up sixth. It was a good race for us. The new motor had plenty of power which made the car fun to drive. We were good on pit stops and the car handled well. We were just so loose all day, especially on short runs. Our Dodge was great on long runs, but the race had so many debris cautions that it was crazy. As soon as we would get racing, a debris caution would come out and really take the pace away from the race. For our Budweiser Dodge team, it was a really good day. We've made some really big gains the last few weeks ."

***

REED SORENSON (No. 43 Air Force Dodge Charger)
Finished 19th, Moved to 25th in points
"It was cool to lead those laps at the start (of the race). I'm glad we got to do that for the Air Force guys that were here this weekend. We had a pretty good day. When I could run my line, I could really get a good drive off the corner. That was a tough race, but we are getting here. I thought we might get a top 10 finish, but we got the (air) hose caught on the splitter on that stop with about 70 to go and lost some spots. I think it also messed up the car. The Richard Petty Motorsport guys are working hard and that's showing on the track. I hope the way we ran create s some momentum we can take to Pocono with us next weekend and run even better."

***

ELLIOTT SADLER (No. 19 Stanley Tools Dodge Charger)
Finished 27th, Moved to 27th in points
"You know we want better and we aren't satisfied by any means with 27th. Looking on the bright side, we showed progress today. The Stanley Dodge had a great start to the weekend on Friday in qualifying and we ran decent today. We tried some strategy and that got us to the front. We raced hard and fought to stay on the lead lap. We still have a lot of work to do making these cars turn."

***

AJ ALLMENDINGER (No. 44 Auto Value Dodge Charger)
Finished 29th, Moved to 30th in points
"Man, we thought we were going to have a good day. That debris caution early (lap 117) cost us two laps and that killed our day. The timing for that caution couldn't have come at a worse time for us. At a place like Dover, it's almost impossible to make up two laps. When we had our chance (to make some spots up) there was a long green flag run and the 48 was so fast, he kept us down. Then we had a cut right rear (tire). We're having terrible luck and it's frustrating. We deserved better today."

Credit: Dodge Motorsports