by Fr. Dale Grubba – March 31, 2009
For Janesville’s Travis Kvapil the economic downturn could not have picked a worse time to happen. After being with Roger Penske and then Cal Wells, Kvapil was looking for a way to get back to the Sprint Cup level of racing.

He knew that he had to get hooked up with a multi-car team that had both resources and funding. “Unfortunately when I was driving for Cal Wells in 2006 we didn’t have any of that. We were a single car effort with very limited funds. Manufacturer support was minimal. It was tough to go out and make races and perform.

“In my mind…. Man, I want to be a Cup driver for the long haul. I knew I had to align myself with one of the bigger teams. That’s really why when Jack (Roush) came to me and asked me to drive truck for him it was an opportunity I jumped at. I knew I could go out and win races and do a good job for him. For me to survive for the long haul in Cup racing I needed to align myself with Roush Racing.”

Kvapil paid his dues by racing trucks and then, by a twist of fate, ended up back in Cup driving for the Yates Team, which had become closely connected to the Roush operation.

by Fr. Dale Grubba – March 23, 2009
The summer of 2008 was a tough one for Johnny Sauter, one he would prefer to forget. He started out the year thinking he had a full time ride only to lose it a couple of races into the season. Once the season has started it is very difficult to find another ride. There is an ever increasingly small amount of teams looking for drivers, and many expect the driver to bring financial help or a sponsor.

“Last year was a learning year,” says Sauter. “Every year I learn something. You say to yourself that next year can’t be as bad as the year before. Turns out it can be. Take your lumps and move on.”

When Dick Trickle didn’t have a ride he felt it was always important to be walking around in the pits. “Out of sight, out of mind,” Trickle would say as he searched for a ride. Sauter agrees. He bought a Nationwide car to start and park out of his garage at home just to be able to be at the track. The Haas team called him back to drive the #70 car in some races.

by Fr. Dale Grubba - March 16, 2009
During the off season Wisconsin’s Paul Menard made the switch from DEI to Robert Yates Racing. It is a big switch personally and professionally. He left a lot of friends at DEI and now is in the process of making new friends. His first introduction to the Roush Fenway and Robert Yates teams was at a test in Rockingham.

“It is amazing how all the teams work together so well,” Menard says. “When I look over the fence at the Roush Fenway guys they are all sharing information.”

The switch to the COT has been a relatively easy one for Menard. “I’ve always enjoyed it,” states Menard. “The car doesn’t stick as good. In a straight line you seem to go faster. In the corners you have to slow down more. It’s just a different animal. It’s fun to drive because it doesn’t stick as well. You’re fighting it pretty much every lap. The biggest struggle is trying to figure out how the front geometry works. Getting the suspension tuned properly. Feeding back information to the crew that permits them to do that is the hardest part of it. Just driving the car is fun.”

by Fr. Dale Grubba for RacingOnline – March 13, 2009
“We’re back in business,” Team owner Roger Penske proclaimed after Kurt Busch dominated the race at Atlanta. It was a race in which he led more laps in one afternoon than he did all last season, 234 of 330. Compared to last season this one has been turning up roses for the Penske organization.

Last year there were no Dodges in the Chase, and at the start of this season the question was whether or not Dodge had a chance to break into those ranks. Addressing the issue Kurt Busch said there are some tracks that have been a plus. It is a matter of limiting the tracks that the team has struggled at whether it be Chase only tracks like Kansas and Homestead or those that the team runs at throughout the season like Pocono or Dover. It is a matter of turning the bad days of 15th to 25th into better days. Busch feels that that is done with pit strategy and a team effort.

by Fr. Dale Grubba for RacingOnline – March 10, 2009
Matt Kenseth won at Daytona and in California, a dramatic turnaround from 2008 when he didn’t win a race. Then he finished last at Las Vegas. Known as a realist, that may be his reason for being cautious about where he will finish at the end of 2009.

Asked before the season got underway, Kenseth said he never makes decisions about what he is going to do. He hoped to get back to victory lane, make the Chase, and be a series contender. Those were his goals. He’d be disappointed if he didn’t. With two victories under his belt as the season gets underway he is off to a good start in accomplishing his goal.

Looking back he found the 2008 season disappointing. “The bright spot,” Kenseth observed, “was we made the Chase. We ran a couple of races good enough to win and didn’t. It was the worst season we’ve had since 2001.”