Red Bull pilot Hall always in control while at controls

Things one can learn about Red Bull Air Race pilot Matt Hall by perusing his media guide biography during a wind delay Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

He is Australian born, a former top gun in the Royal Australian Air Force, the Australian Fighter Pilot of the Year, 1997.

He is a third generation aviator; his grandfather flew in World War II. He has flown F/A-18E Super Hornets and F-15E Strike Eagles for the U.S. Air Force via a pilot exchange program.

He flew combat missions during the Gulf War, earning various decorations.

He left the RAAF in 2009 to join the Red Bull Air Race flying circus. During the 2015 season, he won twice; stood on the podium in every race but one; finished second in the championship by five points.

He’s like Maverick in “Top Gun,” except he has never flown inverted to throw a middle finger at a Russian pilot flying a fictional MiG-28. At least as far as anybody knows.

Actually, in real life, Matt Hall is more like Sully Sullenberger.

You won’t find this mentioned in the media guide.

During qualifying over Windsor, Ontario, in 2010, Hall’s plane stalled and banked sharply down and left. Both wings made contact with the Detroit River; there were gasps in the hangar and in the announcer’s booth. But in a split second, Hall rescued the plane from a catastrophic fate and put it back on a steady course.

The announcer said Matt Hall’s experience and perhaps his military training allowed him to safely put wheels down.

Hall, 45, talked about that after air racing at LVMS was canceled Saturday by 35 mph wind gusts. Weather permitting, the pilots will try again at noon Sunday in the Red Bull Air Race Championship.

“Getting shot at, there were certain times it wasn’t hairy because you could see it coming early,” he said as stuff banged around in the wind outside his hangar. “In Detroit, that was an extremely fast reaction. I didn’t get a chance to be scared.”

Hall made a sound that one would make after one narrowly avoids disaster.

“You didn’t have time to look at it happening and say ‘Oh, my god, I’m scared.’ So in hindsight, what happened in Detroit was less (frightening) because I was in control — if not good control. Whereas in combat, it doesn’t matter how good you are, they can get you when it’s least expected.”

As the winds of fate would have it, Hall wasn’t going to fly anyway Saturday after his nimble MXS, which can turn on a dime at speeds of 260 mph, developed an issue and the crew decided to study the cause. With Matthias Dolderer of Germany already having clinched the championship, and nary a MiG-28 in sight, the risk just didn’t seem worth taking.

Kevin Harvick’s 38th-place finish at Charlotte last week has put him in a near desperate situation this week at Kansas Speedway, the second of three Chase races during the Round of 12.

Four NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers will be eliminated next week after Talladega, and Harvick is 12th in points. No driver wants volatile Talladega determining their fate, so performing well in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway is essential.

Fortunately for Harvick, his chances of winning his fourth race of the season look strong based on Saturday’s final practice, during which he had the fastest 10-consecutive lap average, an indicator he will be quicker than most on the long runs. He validated why he’s the 7-2 favorite.

Other good news for Harvick is that he’s been outstanding in his past six starts at Kansas, beginning with a 2013 win and finishing second in three of the past five. In 21 starts, he has a 10.8 average finish and 475 laps led.

Harvick, who works for Stewart Haas Racing, is one of maybe 15 drivers with a legitimate shot to win Sunday on the 1.5-mile layout in Kansas City, Kansas. A look at three others:

MATT KENSETH (12-1): He had one of his best practices of the season and won his first pole of the year Friday. It was his third pole at Kansas, and the last time he did it, he won his second consecutive race there. He has a 13.3 average finish in 21 starts, and his 658 laps led are the most in track history. Last season, he led a race-high 153 laps before Joey Logano gave Kenseth’s bumper a nudge into the wall to take the lead. Kenseth is second in the Chase.

DENNY HAMLIN (15-1): He is eighth in points and needs a great performance this week to strengthen his chance of advancing. But he should fare extremely well based on Saturday’s practice, during which he was outstanding on long runs. He ran the most laps (38) in the first session, then got dialed in perfectly during the final practice. His only Kansas win was in 2012, and he was second last season.

KYLE BUSCH (8-1): For most of his career, this wasn’t his favorite track. In his first 14 starts, he failed to grab a top-five finish. But in 2014, he finished third, last season he was fifth, and in May he won for the first time there. He was fastest in Friday’s first practice with qualifying trim, then in race trim during Saturday’s early session, he had the best 10-consecutive lap average. He has two wins on 1.5-mile tracks this season.