#stenhouse

[embraphotos]

Saughton Mains Street, EH11

[myhowpage]

[howeaboutthatrace]

Howe About That Race? - Daytona 500

The Daytona 500 is in the rear-view mirror and the NASCAR season is underway. I’m Jonathon Howe and I ask, How About That Race?

            This year’s Daytona 500 has come and went, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is the champion. Wrecky Spinout survived the chaos and won the longest Daytona 500 by miles in history. I think we have to start by giving Ricky Stenhouse his flowers. Stenhouse has been a known as a bit of a liability in the last few seasons at superspeedways and drafting tracks. At times fairly, but more often than not probably unfairly.

            Stenhouse had two career wins to his name in the cup series coming into Sunday’s Daytona 500. Both at superspeedways in 2017 while driving for Roush Fenway. Since those two wins though, Ricky has admittedly raced drafting tracks like Daytona and Talladega more aggressively as he sees it as his best chance to win, and that mentality has hindered Stenhouse’s ability to see the checkered in past races, and decreased trust levels of other competitors who could serve Ricky as drafting partners.

            Last year it was the aggression level of Brad Keselowski who robbed Stenhouse of a great finish. Stenhouse led 14 of the 2022 Daytona 500’s last 20 laps before a push gone wrong from the 6 car turned the 47 into the fence. It was a heartbreaker for the single car team JTG Daugherty and for Stenhouse Jr. who was looking to find victory lane again for the first time since 2017.

            In 2023, when Stenhouse found himself back towards the front, the stars would align to allow him to see the checkered flag first albeit under yellow. Fellow Sprint Car buddy Kyle Larson gave Stenhouse a great push down the back straight on the first overtime of Daytona 500. The push carried the 47 by Richard Childress Racing duo Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon who were leading the inside lane, before both the 5 and 47 jumped out of the outside lane to get past the Joey Logano who was leading after the restart. Before the field hit turn 3, Austin Dillon was turned on the back stretch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. would have to hold off the field for another 2-lap shootout.

            The 2-lap shootout would end up being about a lap and a quarter after a push gone wrong from Aric Almirola turned Travis Pastrana inside the top 10 causing a big pileup and ending the race as the field was on the white flag lap. Joey Logano restarted behind leader Stenhouse on the outside line and pushed him out to a large lead. Almost too large as coming to the white flag, Stenhouse was several car lengths ahead of both lanes and made the choice to try and block the inside line Larson was leading, which forced the 5 to go to the middle. That really broke up the momentum on the outside, while Stenhouse found another dirt friend in Christopher Bell to give him just enough of a push to keep the 47 ahead of Logano on the outside when the field was frozen at the moment of caution.

            It was redemption for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. who ran out of gas before being able to do his victory burnout on the front stretch. It was pain for Kyle Busch, who was searching for his first Daytona 500. It’s the only thing missing from a first ballot Hall of Fame career. Call it recency bias, but this appeared to be Busch’s best chance. He overcame a costly speeding penalty on pit road which he served under green and found himself in the lead as laps were winding down, with the help of his teammate Austin Dillon behind. However, a spin by Daniel Suarez with 3 laps to go brought Busch’s hopes at checking off a Daytona 500 to a halt. Would I have liked to see NASCAR try to let the 99 car get to the pits since he spun toward them anyways? Yes, but they were overly cautious, probably for the best. Busch didn’t lose the race because of the spin, but it didn’t help. Busch and Dillon lined up side by side, and ultimately that was the decision that cost Busch the win. Had the two teammates taken advantage of the choose rule’s first appearance in the Daytona 500, maybe lining up in one lane could have allowed Busch to get the lead and keep it in Overtime. Instead, the two were passed while trying to line up on the inside after taking the green and then Dillon was taken out in the first crash beyond 500 miles.

            It was a heartbreaker for Kyle Busch, but redemption for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Overall, I’d argue that this Daytona 500 through the 160 or so laps was one of the better 500’s of the last 20 years. By the end of stage 2, we’d seen plenty of green flag pit stop strategy, a relatively big wreck that took out favourites like Chase Elliott, and lots of lead changes. In total the race had 52 lead changes, the most since 2011 and the fourth most all time. There were gripes about tv commercials but that was probably more to do with everyone having twitter to jump on and complain. The race itself in my mind was a really quality superspeedway race. I do wonder if NASCAR can do anything with the Next Gen car package to make it easier for a third lane to develop and create more tight racing, but that may have more to do with Daytona itself than the package since it’s a narrower track where handling matters.

            So, I ask you, how about that race? What did you like, what did you hate, how did your favourite drivers perform. Congratulations Ricky Stenhouse Jr.  and I cannot wait for Auto Club Speedway, NASCAR’s final trip to a track that has long been the most underrated on the schedule and this will be the final race on its original 2-mile configuration. For Howe About That Race, I’m Jonathon Howe and may all your favourites stay at the front.

[kevinstenhousetumblur]

PH: Kevin Stenhouse

[911cast]

Kenneth Choi (and Gavin Stenhouse) at the Xbox & Gears Of War 4 Los Angeles Launch Event (September 30, 2016)

[quarterbackbutch]

THE GIRLS ARE FIGHTING

[diazguzman]

Update: Gavin is following Ryan and Oliver 👀

[nerdygirl84]

Hot Priest shared the s8 trailer so I'm taking that as confirmation that he is returning to meeeeeeeeee (us)

[thebuckandeddiething]

oh, I'm just incoherently muttering churchgayEddiecatholicguilthotpriest in front of customers at work... it's fine.

[whipplefilter]

North Wilkesboro All Star 2024

First of all, Kyle Larson is starting P5 in the Indy 500 next week, which is absurd. When I was told they were having a mechanical yesterday, I was like "welp, Last Chance it is. Classic." But then T12? And then T6?? And then somehow P4 in the All Star.

The All Star was classic Carolina short track in the best way. Like, forget the race--sure, we could talk about all the door-to-door, all the lanes, all that technical motorsports stuff--OR WE COULD TALK ABOUT

RICKY

RAMPAGE

KyBu took him out on like Lap 1, and Ricky parked his car in KyBu's pit stall and crawled up to menace the team. Then, fully two hours later, he actually picked a fight. THREW A PUNCH. RESULTED IN A MULTI-GUY BRAWL. RICKY STENHOUSE SENIOR WAS INVOLVED. BOB POCKRASS WAS UNWITTINGLY INVOLVED.

THIS IS THE DUMBEST SPORT IN THE WORLD I LOVE IT

LOOK. AT. HIM.

[embraphotos]

Ford’s Road, EH11

[when-art-is-nude-in-colour]

Kevin Stenhouse

[kevinstenhousetumblur]

PH: Kevin Stenhouse

[boysappetit]

Gavin Casalegno

[henk-heijmans]

Say aaahhh, 2013 - by Keith Stenhouse, English

[diazguzman]

Ok but Gavin Stenhouse singing 'someone you loved' 👀