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Jimmie Johnson wins the Sprint All-Star race.....again
posted by Mike Neff
Sunday May 19, 2013
Five-time is now four-time when it comes to the Sprint All-Star race. Coming into Saturday night’s race, Johnson was tied with Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt for most wins in the annual event with three wins. Johnson bided his time, restarted the last segment in the second spot, dueled Kasey Kahne for two laps to secure the lead and pulled away to a convincing win. Joey Logano started the last segment in the seventh position, took advantage of a slip up by Kyle Busch on the start of the final segment, and ultimately came home in the runner-up spot. Kyle Busch rebounded from his slip up to muscle his way back to third. Kahne started the final segment on the pole but couldn’t hold off Johnson on the first few laps of the restart and ended up fourth. Kurt Busch won two segments, was the first on pit road for the money pit stop, but finished the event in fifth place. Jimmie Johnson summed up his results in two words, “we’re lucky”. It was tongue in cheek but Johnson was poking fun at the people who continue to accuse the No. 48 of preferential treatment, fixed races, and a blind eye to cheating. Johnson has one of the highest winning percentages in NASCAR history and it comes from natural talent and chemistry with his crew. This race also now ties Johnson with Davey Allison as the only two drivers to win the race in back-to-back years. Logano and Busch visited with the media after the race to speak about their runs. Logano was understandably upbeat about his second while Busch was quite dejected, having another All-Star race slip out of his grasp. Kahne spoke about the elephant in the room that is the length of the segments in the race during his post race availability on pit road. He noted that the inherent problem with the format is that the car is designed with downforce, on a track that is cool and has a bunch of grip. The only way to make the races exciting after the first couple of laps of racing would be to extend the segments to the The first 20 lap segment was won by Kurt Busch. Segment two went to his brother Kyle. That segment win allowed Bruton Smith to breathe more easily since he put up a $1,000,000 bonus to anyone who won all four of the segments. Segment three also went to the younger Busch, while the fourth segment win was tallied in brother Kurt’ s account.
Kyle Busch wins the North Carolina Education Lottery 200
posted by Mike Neff
Friday May 17, 2013
‘Rowdy’ Busch was back in his familiar No. 51 truck at his favorite track on the Truck schedule. Busch led 80 laps and thought he should have led more but had a fuel issue on pit road that resulted in him having to battle back through the field. The race was slowed by eight cautions that helped him work his way back through the field. Busch beat Brendan Gaughan to the finish by .488 seconds, while Max Gresham chased them both to the line for his first top three finish of his Truck career. Matt Crafton came home in fourth place after having to battle through a couple of tire mishaps during the event. Ty Dillon rounded out the top 5 for his first finish that high this season. Busch led the race three times for his 80 laps. Miguel Paludo was second on the laps led board with 33. Gaughan, Gresham and Dillon also scored bonus points for leading laps. There were two cautions in the first 72 laps of the race while 29 of the last 62 laps were completed under the yellow flag. Jeb Burton started the race on the pole but did not lead a lap. He did however end the race as the Rookie of the Race for his 13th place finish. Matt Crafton leads Burton by 22 points in the season standings after five races this season.
Matt Kenseth Snatches Victory from the Jaws of Defeat at Darlington
posted by Mike Neff
Sunday May 12, 2013
Kyle Busch appeared to be headed for another weekend sweep after winning the Nationwide race at Darlington on Friday night. However, a funny thing happened as they were bringing out the dustpan. Matt Kenseth chased down the dominant car of the night, passed him with relative ease and then strolled away to a 3.165 second victory. Kenseth led the final 13 laps after Busch had held the point for 265 of the 354 laps leading up to Kenseth’s race winning pass. After Kenseth worked around Busch, the No. 18 slid rapidly backwards over the final eight laps to fall from second to sixth place. Joe Gibbs Racing did manage a 1-2 finish after sweeping the podium in Friday night’s Nationwide tilt. Denny Hamlin, in his first full race back in the car since his vertebrae fracture at California, soldiered through the pain of his arms, neck and shoulders more than his recovered back to wrestle a second place finish away from the Lady in Black. Coming home in third was Jeff Gordon, who turned his 700th career start into a top 3 finish. Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top 5 in the Bojangles Southern 500. Kurt Busch started the race on the pole and led the first 51 laps before coming to the pits for a green flag stop. After the stops cycled through Busch was back at the point for 18 more laps before his brother began his domination. The race went green for the first 302 laps save a seven lap caution stint from lap 125 to lap 131. The final 65 laps saw four more cautions that flew for accidents involving Regan Smith, Brad Keselowski, Casey Mears, Kurt Busch, Josh Wise, David Reutimann and Kasey Kahne. The race saw four leaders including Jeff Gordon in addition to the Busch brothers and Kenseth. The win is Kenseth’s 27th of his career and breaks a tie between himself and his teammate Kyle Busch. The win is Kenseth’s third this season which is the most among all of the competitors in the Cup series. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the Rookie of the Race. Jeff Gordon’s top 5 finish was his 300th of his career. He joins Richard Petty, David Pearson and Bobby Allison as the only four drivers in the history of the sport to accomplish such a feat.
Busch Dominates at Darlington as JGR Sets Nationwide Series Record
posted by Amy Henderson
Friday May 10, 2013
Kyle Busch dominated the VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 on Friday night en route to his 56th career Nationwide Series victory and fifth series win of 2013. Joe Gibbs Racing in general was the class of the field all night at Darlington Raceway, claiming four of the top 5 finishing spots, with only fourth-place Joey Logano keeping them from sweeping the top four spots. It was a historic night for JGR, as no team has ever before placed four cars in the top 5. Elliott Sadler finished second to Busch and Brian Vickers third, with Logano and Matt Kenseth rounding out the top 5. Busch led 107 of 147 laps on the way to the win. Sadler was the best among the Nationwide Regulars, finishing second despite an early spin in Turn 2, and gained points on leader Regan Smith, who finished seventh. Kyle Larson continued to impress at the Lady in Black, posting a sixth-place finish in his first Darlington start as he runs for rookie honors. Sam Hornish, Jr., who remained second in points, finished eighth while Kasey Kahne and Justin Allgaier filled the top 10. Smith now leads Nationwide Series points by 28 over Hornish. Sadler jumps two spots to third on his second-place run as Justin Allgaier fell one place to fourth. Vickers gained three sports and is now fifth, 49 behind Smith. Austin Dillon, Parker Kligerman, Brian Scott, Alex Bowman, and Kyle Larson round out the top 10.
Joe Gibbs Racing Penalties Reduced Following Appeal
posted by Summer Bedgood
Wednesday May 8, 2013
Joe Gibbs Racing had many of their penalties for the No. 20 team reduced during the appeal process on Wednesday. Driver Matt Kenseth and owner Joe Gibbs had their points penalties reduced from 50 to 12 points. Crew chief Jason Ratcliff’s suspension has also been dropped from seven races to one, though he will still be forced to pay the $200,000 fine. Not all of the penalties were reduced, however. Toyota Racing’s manufacturer points penalty was increased from five points to seven. All other penalties were dropped, including the suspension of Joe Gibbs’ owners license, the loss of bonus points for the Chase earned at Kansas Speedway, and the loss of eligibility into the Sprint Unlimited garnered from the pole at Kansas Speedway. JGR has accepted the penalties and will not appeal further. Following a dominant win at Kansas Speedway a few weeks ago, Kenseth’s car failed post-race inspection when it was found that a connecting rod was 2.7 grams below the minimum weight. Toyota Racing Development accepted the blame for the incident. The reduction moves Kenseth up to fourth in points, 66 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. JGR has not announced who will replace Ratcliff this weekend in Darlington. The appeal was heard by Mark Arute, Dennis McGlynn, and Jack Housby. NASCAR cannot appeal the revised penalties.
Penske Has Suspensions Reduced On Appeal
posted by Thomas Bowles
Wednesday May 8, 2013
Roger Penske’s team got some relief Tuesday from NASCAR’s Chief Appellate Officer John Middlebrook, as he chose to reduce penalties assessed to that organization at Texas Motor Speedway in early April. Middlebrook, after hearing the evidence from both sides Tuesday chose to reduce all suspensions in the case from six to two weeks, plus NASCAR’s All-Star Race on May 18th. That means the final consequences for both teams are the following: No. 2 car No. 22 car Other Middlebrook’s official statement was short, simply stating, “After looking at all the facts, data, and interpretations from the rule book, I have decided to uphold the original fines and points penalties. However, I have decided to reduce the suspensions of the seven team members involved from six points races and the All-Star race to two points races and the All-Star Race.” However, it seemed both sides, after presenting their cases were far more pleased with how the case was handled during this portion of the appeal. “We were able to talk about areas we worked in,” said Roger Penske, referring to the “gray area” of the NASCAR rulebook officials ultimately felt stepped over the line. “I’m very happy with the outcome. This sport has been built on innovation. All of us have tried to innovate in areas not defined in the rulebook. We were in that area.” In conversations with the parties involved, it was clear the controversy surrounded parts designed to increase the rear-end angle at the back of both cars. In past years, with innovation limited through the Car of Tomorrow templates teams have played around with suspension systems designed to make the rear end of the car easier to “move.” The more the car skews in the corner, the easier it can be to handle and gain extra speed. However, NASCAR had made rules designed to curb those types of innovations this year and made the determination Penske parts to build the rear suspension were unapproved. Why they had gone undetected in previous inspections was never addressed, along with claims someone else in the garage had alerted officials to possible inappropriate car construction. One thing Penske did admit, though is had this decision been issued by the initial appeals panel, he would not have pressed his luck with Middlebrook. “All of us,” he said. “Have lost points for certain infractions over the years. The key thing is to have people back at the racetrack operating in full control.” The end results leave Logano 18th in points, 146 behind championship leader Jimmie Johnson and 43 outside a Chase position. Keselowski is far more stable; fifth in points, he’s 69 behind and 45 ahead of 11th-place Matt Kenseth. Neither of the Penske cars have won a race this season. “Moved on from last few weeks,” Keselowski tweeted Wednesday morning. “And ready to focus on @TooToughToTame (Darlington Raceway).” The next round of NASCAR penalty appeals, focusing on Joe Gibbs Racing and Matt Kenseth will be heard on Wednesday morning. Connect with Tom!
Penske Racing LOSES Penalty Case, Will Appeal To NSCRC John Middlebrook
posted by Thomas Bowles
Wednesday May 1, 2013
A three-member panel Wednesday unanimously upheld penalties assessed to Penske Racing after pre-race inspection at Texas Motor Speedway. Comprised of Pocono President Brandon Igdalsky, Bowman-Gray President Dale Pinilis and former NASCAR VP Paul Brooks, the trio determined the sanctioning body’s evidence was enough to “convict” Penske to the tune of points lost, suspensions given and $200,000 in fines. Roger Penske, in response has pledged to send a final appeal to National Stock Car Racing Commissioner John Middlebrook. That hearing will occur Tuesday, May 7th at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center. Here’s a quick list of what penalties are pending (everything but the points deductions will be deferred, pending Middlebrook’s approval until after the final appeal): No. 2 team No. 22 team Both teams NASCAR’s representation included Sprint Cup Director John Darby but not Vice President Robin Pemberton, who was whisked away to Florida on jury duty. Owner Roger Penske was in attendance to defend the allegations along with Team Manager Travis Geisler, Tim Cindric, Walt Czarnecki, Joey Logano’s crew chief Todd Gordon along with several other key principles. UPDATE: The National Stock Car Racing Commission issued a brief statement, reviewing the penalties and then explaining the following. “Upon hearing the testimony and carefully reviewing the facts, it was a unanimous decision by the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel to uphold the original penalties assessed by NASCAR.” “The Appellants have the right under Section 15 of the rule book to appeal this decision to the National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer.” Connect with Tom!
Kyle Busch Wins Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown
posted by Thomas Bowles
Friday April 26, 2013
Who says Joe Gibbs Racing teammates don’t get along? Kyle Busch is certainly receiving gifts, from Denny Hamlin in the form of shiny trophies from winning the latter’s annual charity event. Rowdy was romping through the field again at Richmond Thursday night, taking control at the race’s midpoint and cruising during the latter stages to win the Showdown for the third time in the past six years. In a race that benefits the Denny Hamlin Foundation, created to help those with cystic fibrosis Busch had his late model hitting on all cyilnders down the stretch. Pulling away from fellow Cup driver David Ragan, in the final segment of the 75-lap race the outcome was simply never in doubt following a 5-minute break for pit stops prior to Lap 47. Ben Rhodes, Ronnie Bassett, Jr., and Garrett Campbell rounded out the top-5 finishers. Other Cup drivers, including defending race champion Tony Stewart were in the field but never a factor up front. Smoke, actually extending his slumping start to 2013 into this race got wrecked before the halfway point and wound up 28th. Matt Kenseth, still distraught after a midweek penalty virtually negated his win at Kansas was never truly competitive, either; he finished 22nd. Also on Thursday night, African-American driver Ryan Gifford won the first K&N Pro Series East race of his young career. Surviving a five-lap shootout, following a red flag he cruised home over Brandon Gdovic. Connect with Tom!
Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Penalized As Engine Fails Kansas Post-Race Inspection
posted by Thomas Bowles
Wednesday April 24, 2013
Until the end of time, Matt Kenseth can say he crossed the finish line first at Kansas Sunday. NASCAR Record Books will say the same. But after a harsh series of penalties announced on Wednesday, should they stand that’s about the only thing Kenseth can hang his hat on after a successful weekend turned sour. According to multiple reports, officials at the NASCAR R & D Center in North Carolina discovered a connecting rod on Kenseth’s engine, brought in for Kansas post-race inspection weighed three grams less than the minimum weight of 525g. The consequences, announced today are crippling for both driver and team. Kenseth, along with car owner Joe Gibbs have been docked 50 driver and owner points, actually reducing their overall totals heading into Kansas even though the No. 20 car won the race. That lost chunk of points drops Kenseth from eighth to 14th in the standings. More importantly, the win “won’t count” for either bonus points in the Chase or determine postseason eligibility; that means the driver, now in “Wild Card” position is considered to have one win so far this season instead of two. That’s just the tip of the iceberg on these consequences. Crew chief Jason Radcliffe, fined $200,000 based on the infraction has also been suspended for the next six Sprint Cup points events, along with the All-Star Race. Toyota, whose TRD engine department ultimately supplies the JGR powerplants has had five points deducted from its total in the manufacturer’s championship. And finally, Joe Gibbs himself, already docked 50 owner points has had his license suspended by NASCAR, which means he’s ineligible to accrue owner points for the No. 20 until the next six Sprint Cup Series points races are completed. Gibbs, NASCAR has clarified will still be able to travel to the racetrack despite a suspended license. In a tersely worded statement, the owner says he’ll appeal the ruling, which violated three parts of the series rulebook. The one most pertinent is Section 20-5.5.3(E) which states only magnetic steel connecting rods, with a minimum weight of 525.0 grams will be permitted. Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 12-4J, which gives officials the right to penalize for parts they claim do not conform to NASCAR rules were also cited in the sport’s official release. Toyota Racing Development’s Lee White, in a statement released early this afternoon took responsibility for the violation. During NASCAR’s routine post-race tear down of Matt Kenseth’s race-winning car and engine from Kansas Speedway,” he stated, “One of our engine connecting rods weighed in approximately three grams under the legal minimum weight of 525 grams. None of the other seven connecting rods were found to be under the minimum weight. We take full responsibility for this issue with the engine used by the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) team this past Sunday in Kansas — JGR is not involved in the process of selecting parts or assembling the Cup Series engines. It was a simple oversight on TRD’s part and there was no intent to deceive, or to gain any type of competitive advantage. Toyota is a company that was built on integrity, and that remains one of the guiding principles of the company. The goal of TRD has always been — and will continue to be — to build high-performance engines that are reliable, durable and powerful, and within the guidelines established by NASCAR.” Kenseth, who has led 482 laps this season, two higher than his total last year has been one of the strongest competitiors on the Sprint Cup track in 2013. His engines have also passed several previous inspections.
Johnny Sauter Penalized For Fuel Cell Infraction At Kansas
posted by Thomas Bowles
Wednesday April 24, 2013
Thorsport Racing, along with former Truck Series point leader Johnny Sauter are reeling this Wednesday after a major penalty involving their No. 98 Toyota. On Wednesday, NASCAR announced the team was fined $10,000, crew chief Joel Shear has been suspended for four races and 25 owner points were taken away as a result of a faulty fuel cell, confiscated during pre-race inspection at Kansas. Driver Sauter was also hit was a loss of 25 points, completely reshaping the championship Chase heading into the next race of the season at Charlotte May 17th. According to NASCAR officials, the team violated multiple sections of the rulebook. The key ones involve Section 20B-16 and 20B-16.1B, regarding the proper size and functioning of fuel cells. “Once a fuel cell or fuel cell components have been certified,” the rules say, “Modifications of any kind will not be permitted.” The 16.1B portion refers to black safety foam, with a minimum height of eight inches that must be used as a safety mechanism when putting together the fuel cell itself. By violating that rule, NASCAR is insinuating the team modified or enhanced the cell in some way by cutting back / replacing that foam. Section 12-1, actions detrimental to stock car racing was also listed as a rules violation along with 12-4K, which gives NASCAR Officials the leeway to penalize teams when they feel previously legal equipment was modified, in any manner after being initially inspected. Thorsport, as of yet has not said whether they plan to appeal. The penalties mean Matt Crafton becomes the new Truck Series point leader, by 13 over Jeb Burton while Sauter gets pushed back into a tie for second place. |
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Tom Bowles and Beth Lunkenheimer · Tuesday September 7, 2010
Editor’s Note: Matt McLaughlin is off this week for Labor Day Weekend. Beth Lunkenheimer filled in for Atlanta’s edition, with Managing Editor Tom Bowles adding the stats and points update Matt usually throws in on the bottom of his Monday column.
The Key Moment: Tony Stewart’s crew helped him gain three spots on pit road in the crucial final stop of the night, allowing him to join Carl Edwards on the front row for the restart. From there, Stewart finally managed to keep his tires from spinning coming up to speed, easily pulling out ahead of Edwards by more than a second to score his long-awaited first victory of 2010.
Hoo-yaa! Nothing makes us smile more than a grinning Smoke.
In a Nutshell: Great battles throughout the field in a better-than-expected race from Atlanta. But Tony Stewart proved the class of the field after nightfall, leading 176 laps on the way to his first win since Kansas last October.
Dramatic Moment: Scott Speed’s engine blew on lap 264, and on the trip down pit road, the No. 82 Red Bull Toyota burst into flames, causing crew chief Ryan Pemberton to frantically tell his driver to stop the car and get out of there. The funny thing was that Speed had no idea what Pemberton was so worried about until he saw the replay on television after the fact.
What They’ll Be Talking About Around the Water Cooler This Week:
It’s no surprise the first caution of the night came out because of debris after 131 laps of green flag racing. After all, NASCAR couldn’t let drivers continue to be lapped at a blistering pace. Ironically, the Lucky Dog went to none other than Dale Earnhardt, Jr. who was lapped just before the caution came out. Coincidence?
I’m sure everyone is still wondering about the scoring error by NASCAR after the fifth caution flew. Kevin Harvick’s left front tire shredded as he tried to pit, causing all kinds of damage to the No. 29 Chevrolet and leaving a path of debris behind him. But the pace car picked up the wrong driver under caution and allowed Harvick to get a lap ahead of everyone else, and that resulted in being held on pit road for a lap to correct the scoring error, ultimately making Harvick the last driver on the lead lap. It’s never good to make that mistake; but in this case, kudos to the sanctioning body that they took the time to correct it instead of just shrugging their shoulders. A downright refusal to admit a similar error gave Brett Bodine the victory over Darrell Waltrip at North Wilkesboro in 1990.
Kasey Kahne didn’t come to Atlanta looking for trouble, but found it anyways after friend Ryan Newman lost control and slammed into the No. 9 Ford late in the going.
Ryan Newman was once again involved in an on-track incident followed by an off-track “conversation” with a fellow driver. With 25 laps remaining, Kasey Kahne got loose inside Jimmie Johnson, and a poorly timed bump from Newman sent Kahne bouncing off the wall before sliding down the track and bouncing off the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge of Kurt Busch. After spending 15 laps getting repairs, Kahne attempted to pay back that bump with just three laps remaining and failed. Though he got Newman sideways, the driver of the No. 39 held on and finished eighth. Following the race, the two were seen discussing the incident in the garage, after which both of them seemed to be just fine. It was nice to see two drivers race hard, play by the “Have at it, boys” rules, then get back at each other without either car nearly flipping into the stands as a consequence.
Friday night’s Truck Series Built Ford Tough 225 saw a mini-rivalry born. During his post-race interview, winner Todd Bodine thanked Kyle Busch for “driving dirty” and setting up the pit strategy that ultimately won the race for Bodine. As you would expect, Busch wasn’t pleased with Bodine’s comments and promptly made an appearance in Victory Lane to defend himself – causing Bodine to spew venom in a lengthy Saturday interview where he claimed Kyle’s recent driving style has been bordering on out of control. Frankly, Todd Bodine has a point about Busch being a dirty driver. Though the move Friday night was nothing more than hard racing, Kyle has done his fair share of running over others across the board in NASCAR with no regard to those around him, and it’s about time someone called him out for it.
It wasn’t pretty, but Kurt Busch survived some late-race carnage to come up a solid sixth in the main event Sunday night.
The Hindenburg Award For Foul Fortune
Joey Logano found himself a lap down inside the first 100 laps Sunday night, but the troubles didn’t stop there. Less than 50 laps later, the sophomore driver reported he was down a cylinder, and though the team tried everything they could think of for a fix, nothing worked. Despite the engine troubles, Logano managed to still finish 27th, only one lap down.
As if Logano’s struggles weren’t enough for Joe Gibbs Racing, Denny Hamlin started off strong, first swapping the lead with Ryan Newman and then Tony Stewart several times throughout the first 140 laps of the 500-mile race. But it wasn’t meant to be when his engine let go on lap 144 after leading 74 laps in a race where everyone in the garage pointed to the No. 11 team as the ones to beat. Instead, he was left to settle for a 43rd-place finish but still managed to clinch his spot in the Chase thanks to later troubles for Mark Martin, Newman, and others chasing him.
If it weren’t for bad luck, Elliott Sadler would have no luck at all. After turning across Ryan Newman’s nose, Greg Biffle spun down the track where he caught the back end of Sadler’s No. 19 and sent him head-on into the outside wall where he suffered terminal damage. The 41st-place finish marked Sadler’s fourth DNF this season and the 17th race of 25 he finished off of the lead lap.
As has become the standard for this season, points leader Kevin Harvick quietly worked his way through the field, posting fast laps and quickly gaining on the leader as the laps wound down Sunday night. But as he prepared to make a green-flag pit stop, his left front tire gave out as he missed pit road, tearing up the fender and his hopes for a shot at the victory. Though repairs were made, Harvick continued to struggle and ended up with a disappointing 33rd-place finish.
The “Seven Come Fore Eleven” Award For Fine Fortune
Tony Stewart caught a lucky break when NASCAR chose to call a caution for what amounted to Brad Keselowski hitting the brakes a little too hard in Turn 2. At the time, Stewart was fourth and over three seconds behind a battling trio of Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, and Kasey Kahne, each of whom would have been virtually impossible to run down and pass with less than 30 laps remaining.
After the first round of green-flag pit stops, Kyle Busch inherited the lead but was busted for speeding on pit road, forcing him to serve his pass-through penalty under green flag conditions. Add a loose wheel to a mounting series of problems, and the driver of the No. 18 Toyota found himself mired back in 34th, nearly two laps down at one point. But a free pass coupled with a strong car allowed Busch to move back through the field for a solid fifth-place finish.
Kurt Busch became a pinball in Kasey Kahne’s and Ryan Newman’s game of bumpdrafting gone bad after the final caution. But despite getting slammed in the side of his No. 2 Dodge, the March Atlanta winner somehow held the car together long enough to come home sixth. It was a bit of a miracle for Busch to even be running that high in the field in the first place; after struggling with the handle on the car all night and taking advantage of the wave-around to gain a lap lost in the early stages of the race, Steve Addington made the call on lap 273 to stay out on the track when the rest of the field pitted, allowing Busch to inherit the lead. Though he only stayed out front for five laps, a caution with 23 laps remaining allowed the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge to pit for fresh tires with the front of the field. That move paid off big-time, giving Busch a sixth-place finish from a car that was easily on track for a mid-20s performance at best.
Worth Noting
- Tony Stewart (winner) has top-10 finishes in six of the last seven races. Since June 1st, he’s jumped from 16th to fourth in points. Any guesses which one of the four seasons Smoke likes best?
- Carl Edwards (second) has top-10 finishes in seven of the last eight races. More importantly, his 32 laps out front ensured he finally has more laps led on the season than Mattias Ekstrom. Ja.
- Jimmie Johnson (third) scored his first top-5 finish since winning Loudon the end of June.
- Kyle Busch (fifth) has back-to-back top-5 results in Sprint Cup for the first time since Charlotte and Pocono this Spring.
- Marcos Ambrose (tenth) scored the first top-10 finish at an intermediate track in his Cup career.
- Martin Truex, Jr. (12th) now has five consecutive top-15s. Is there a NAPA Know-How karaoke song for too little, too late?
- Regan Smith (17th) scored his best finish since Darlington Mother’s Day Weekend.
- David Gilliland (20th) scored his first top-20 result for Front Row Motorsports since Infineon in June.
- Sam Hornish, Jr. (30th) remains without a top-10 finish this season. So does Penske teammate Brad Keselowski, leaving Kurt Busch as the only one of the three cars to finish 10th or better.
- Denny Hamlin (43rd) has now failed to finish two of the last four races. That matches his DNF total from the first 79 races of his Cup career.
- The top-10 finishers at Atlanta Sunday drove six Chevys, two Toyotas, one Dodge and a Ford. It was the first victory for the Bowtie Brigade at AMS since Jimmie Johnson in Fall, 2007.
What’s the Points?
With just one regular season race remaining, what’s the point? Kevin Harvick has officially clinched the “points title” for the first 26 races, earning him little more than a pat on the back, some lovely free NASCAR merchandise and the answer to a question on the same Trivial Pursuit card as, “Who did Britney Spears marry and then divorce within 48 hours?” Holding a 219-point edge over Jeff Gordon in second, both are among ten drivers who have now clinched a postseason spot in the Chase. The others (in order of where they are in the standings): Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin.
Greg Biffle sits eleventh, the victim of an ugly wreck on Sunday that makes him both start and (gasp!) finish 42nd or better in the field at Richmond to earn his playoff spot. As for Clint Bowyer, a seventh-place run leaves his magic number a fairly manageable 28th-place finish. Should he stumble or fail to show up, Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray, and Mark Martin all remain within a whisker of pulling a miracle upset.
Overall Rating (On a scale of one to six beer cans, with one being a stinker and a six pack an instant classic) – When all was said and done, it wasn’t a terrible race, easily worth three ice cold cans of Miller Lite. It’s a shame this event had an attendance decline of nearly 18,000, exactly the reason why it’s getting trimmed from two dates to one in 2011.
Next Up: It’s time for that all-important Saturday night race at Richmond that’ll determine the Chase field before we roll into the final ten races of the season.
Tuesday on the Frontstretch:
One Day, Cock Of The Walk. The Next? Feather Duster
Who’s Hot / Who’s Not In Sprint Cup: Atlanta-Richmond Edition
No Bull: Is Tony Stewart Now The Man To Beat?
Talking NASCAR TV: Why ESPN, Even Erin Were Up To The Task At Atlanta
Contact Beth Lunkenheimer
Contact Tom Bowles
Wednesday on the Frontstretch:
Did You Notice? … The Evolution Of An Ending, Double Duty’s Drought And Charlotte Controversy
Side by Side: Daytona Or Indy — Which Race Is More Important?
Life at the 55: How Engineering and Technology Brought Billy Scott into NASCAR
Top Ten Ways Drivers Entertain Themselves During A 600-Mile Race
Open-Wheel Wednesday: The History of the Indianapolis 500
A Good Friend Mourns: Dick Trickle Remembered
Happiness Is… Racing, Racing, Racing
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