Race-winners carry advantage into Bristol

When Joey Logano cut off Kevin Harvick as they fought for third in the closing laps of the race at Texas Motor Speedway last weekend, Harvick responded by punting Logano up the track -- seemingly setting up an inevitable post-race ruckus.

After all, Logano and Harvick have a history of notable run-ins, most recently in February following the exhibition Sprint Unlimited when the two exchanged terse words on pit road. That incident, just like the one Saturday night, centered on Logano blocking Harvick and the latter taking great exception.

However, as Harvick (finished second) and Logano (fourth) emerged from their cars, neither walked over to confront the other. What instead unfolded was Logano admitting he threw a block and an acceptance of why Harvick responded accordingly. And just like that, a skirmish that once seemed certain was defused. Seemingly cooler heads prevailed, preventing Texas’ pit road from converting into a battleground for the second time in as many races.

But it wasn’t just some newfound perspective by both parties keeping things civil. No, the reason Logano and Harvick more or less shrugged off the incident was neither had anything to lose in terms of playoff positions or championship stakes.

“It’s the end of the race. I blocked him and he got into me,” Logano said. “I get it. Early in the race that’s not acceptable. End of the race we’re racing for the win. I’d do the same thing.”

For those who have already posted a victory, being nonchalant in defeat is a byproduct of NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup format, which was revamped prior to last season. Since Logano and Harvick each had already won a race this season, they’re virtually guaranteed of qualifying for the Chase regardless of the outcome at Texas. That makes the sting of losing easier to handle when circumstances go awry.

The assurance of being in the playoffs also allows those who have won to be more assertive in the pursuit of additional wins. For these select few, concerning oneself about points and a disastrous finish is no longer paramount. From the moment a driver is victorious until the beginning of the Chase, winning is all that matters.

For those who have yet to win, they don’t enjoy the luxury of being blithe when it comes to losing. Nor can they gamble, because the consequences carry more weight. It’s a dichotomy Dale Earnhardt Jr. knows well.

A year ago Earnhardt opened the season by winning the Daytona 500. Having its Chase ticket already punched, the No. 88 team completely changed its mindset for the remaining 25 regular season races. Two races after Daytona, crew chief Steve Letarte had Earnhardt stretch his fuel in an attempt to steal a win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The venture didn’t pay off, as Earnhardt ran out of fuel in Turn 3 on the final lap. But Letarte’s decision was a worthy risk, as it carried no downside. Later he would use pit strategy to win at Pocono Raceway.

But winless through seven races this season, Earnhardt doesn’t yet have the tactical benefit of being aggressive. Nor can new crew chief Greg Ives do the same. Because if he doesn’t win, Earnhardt would have to rely on points to be eligible for the Chase.

“Once you get that win, you get to do things with fuel mileage -- you get to be aggressive,” Earnhardt said. “We won some races last year because of that. Just mentally you don’t have as much pressure on you to make a right call right. Steve will probably admit last season is probably the easiest season he had to call because of that (Daytona) win. It really took the pressure off him having to worry about, ‘Man, do I take four, two, do I don’t stop?’

“If we finish 10th, who cares? Second, who cares? We’ve already got a win, we’re locked in. Let’s go put tires on and win the race or let’s stay out and make the fuel last and win the race. You can be really aggressive. I don’t know what it’s like to be a crew chief, but I imagine it seems pretty hectic, and once you get them wins, the pressure really releases a little bit.”

The balance between who can afford to be aggressive and who cannot will be on full display Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway. On a half-mile track where traffic is a constant, often the best way to complete a pass -- and often the only way -- is via the use of a bumper. That element, combined with high speeds (lap times are under 15 seconds) and equally high banking (28 degrees in the corner), often results in single-car incidents becoming multi-car accidents.

“This racetrack puts a larger physical toll on the body,” Jimmie Johnson said. “When you are on a 1.5-mile track you have the straightaways to worry about the draft is so important. ... But physically I think you just go through a lot more here than anywhere else. You might get some fatigue later in the race and then that kind of dulls the mind and you can make some mistakes later mentally.”

Despite 72 career victories, Johnson has just a lone win in 26 Bristol starts. His record of futility is a bit misleading, however, as he has eight top-fives, 14 top-10s and led more than 75 laps in six races.

Johnson’s bid for a second Bristol victory took a significant blow when he qualified 28th and then slapped the wall in practice Saturday morning. As a result of what happened in qualifying, Johnson won’t have the best choice of pit stalls and is almost certain to lose positions every time he hits pit road.

“Bristol can be that way for us,” Johnson said. “We always race a lot better so we’ll settle-in during the race and I think, come out with a good finish. I love this race track. I just wish that I could show up and walk in the gates and to it like I do at a lot of my other tracks that I’m strong at.”

What Johnson has working in his favor is that he’s a two-time winner this season, including last week at Texas. Therefore he can take chances both on the track and on pit road to recoup track position with little fear of what happens if those gambles don’t pan out.

“We won’t have any favors on pit road,” Johnson said. “In some ways it’s nice that we qualified so bad that we might find an opportunity on pit road to make up somewhere and work some slower traffic that way, but we’re in a big hole. There’s no way around it.

“That’s going to be challenging. We’ve got a great team and between pit road and pit strategy and adjustments and me searching around the race track, I feel like we’ll be able to get up front.”