Notebook: Dodge drivers try to keep the momentum

Ryan Newman’s Daytona 500 victory was a surprise - a Las Vegas oddsmaker had him rated 22-1 - but even more surprising was the fact that Dodge drivers took six of the first eight positions.

Reed Sorenson finished fifth but recognizes that that achievement won’t mean much unless he’s able to follow up with solid performances at tracks like Auto Club Speedway of Southern California, site of today’s Sprint Cup race.

“Starting off the season was good, but … I think the main goal here this weekend -- and next weekend (Las Vegas) -- is to get a decent finish so we can gain some momentum heading into the thick part of the season,” said Sorenson. “This week we’re just going to try to be smooth in everything we do and try to be smart … and consistent.

“Get a top-15 finish and we’ll be happy.”

Penske Racing teammates Newman and Kurt Busch finished 1-2, followed by the Toyotas of Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch. Then came the Dodges of Sorenson, Elliott Sadler, Kasey Kahne and Robby Gordon.

Newman’s immediate goal? “Just do it.

“As a team you just have to do it and focus,” he added. “When the car fires up … we’re not back to zero, but we have to look at it that way as a team and take all the momentum mentally and harness it.”

Assessing the merger

John Andretti, whose uncle Mario and cousin Michael are noted for their contributions to open-wheel racing, discussed the unification of the IRL and ChampCar before rain canceled California qualifying on Friday.

“Right now, it’s no different than if NASCAR had a competing series at the highest level,” said John Andretti. “You sit there and talk about if there should be an east and a west series, and set it up like the conferences (in college football). Racing is different than football. You want to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte, all of them go head to head every week. You don’t want to see them once a year or at the end of the season. That’s the difference.”

Andretti expressed hope that the end of a more-than-decade-long split would be beneficial, if belated.

“You’ll be bringing people in that fans recognize from both series as great drivers and solid organizations, team-wise,” he said. “Yeah, I think it will make everything stronger.”

Still a mystery

Considerable speculation has centered on what caused the post-Daytona-500 disagreement between teammates Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer. The speculation will continue.

“Clint and I were mad, but we weren’t mad at what people thought we were mad at,” said Burton. “The conversation that Clint and I had, we’ll keep to ourselves. There’s no strife amongst the drivers, there’s none of that.

“We did have a discussion, and it’s clear that you can’t have productive conversations as soon as the race is over. That just can never happen, never has happened, never will happen. But there’s nothing leaving Daytona that we have any concern about whatsoever.”

“I was mad,” said Bowyer. “He was mad. And you just get over it.”

Au contraire

Casey Mears is one of many native Californians - like Kevin Harvick, Mears is from Bakersfield - to take offense at the notion that racing “isn’t that big” in the state.

Replying to a reporter’s question, Mears said, “You’re just outside the loop. Racing is huge in California.

“There’s a lot of influence from California, and a lot of good racing that happens here that gets overlooked by the general population in California. … I think it’s just kind of slipped away for a while in the general public’s eyes. This is a great racing state …”

Kurt on Tony

Since bickering at Daytona, both Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart have made complimentary remarks about the other. Stewart was reluctant to criticize Busch’s bumping him intentionally during a practice session because, he said, he had done things “at least as bad.”

“He and I have always raced each other hard, and we will always continue to do that,” said Busch of Stewart. “I see Tony as a two-time champion. I think the media does that, as well, and I think the fans do. I think I see him in the same way that most people do. He has a very colorful persona about him, and he’s very marketable.”

You may reach Monte Dutton at mdutton@gastongazette.com.