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Busch Dominates, Wins History 300 at Charlotte
posted by Amy Henderson
Saturday May 25, 2013
Kyle Busch led 186 laps en route to a dominating victory in the History 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday. It was a record seventh CMS win for Busch and his overall in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Busch’s victory was the most dominant in a 200-lap Nationwide Series race at Charlotte since 1986, when Dale Earnhardt led 194 laps en route to the win. Kasey Kahne looked like he might have something for Busch after a series of late cautions set up a dash to the finish, but the No. 5 faded in the final alps while the No. 54 rolled to the win. Joey Logano, rookie Kyle Larson, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top 5, with Larson the highest finishing Nationwide Series regular in the race. Larson’s charge through the field in the second half of the race, using the high groove to pass several cars, had the young driver closing on the leaders before a string of cautions shuffled the field. The first half of the race was a test of patience for race teams. Austin Dillon started from the pole but quickly faded, leading just one lap and finishing 14th. The caution didn’t fly for the first 39 laps, until debris in turn three brought the yellow flag out of hiding. Close racing on the restart led to a second yellow flag at lap 47 as Robert Richardson, Johanna Long and Reed Sorenson were all involved in a crash that ended Richardson’s day and caused damage to both Long’s and Sorenson’s machines. The third of seven cautions, for debris, flew at lap 88. The field would not see another caution until lap 154. That yellow flag came out on that lap for debris once again. The final 43 laps were punctuated by three more caution periods, starting at lap 166 with a spin by Travis Pastrana, who hit the inside wall on the backstretch hard enough to lift all four wheels off the ground, reminiscent of Denny Hamlin’s hit at Fontana that sidelined Hamlin for more than a month, but unlike that crash, there was a SAFER barrier where Pastrana slammed the wall, and the driver walked away unhurt. John Wes Townley and Joe Nemechek also sustained damage trying to avoid Pastrana and the cars checking up around him. Just seven laps after the race went back to green, Sorenson spun in Turn 2 for caution number six, and the field went back to green for just two laps before the final caution came out on lap 185 for a crash between Dakoda Armstrong and Michael Annett, who was making his first series start since being injured in a crash at Daytona. That incident set up the 13-lap shootout between Busch and Kahne before Busch pulled away for the win, leaving Logano and Larson to duke it out with Harvick for the rest of the top 5. Trevor Bayne finished sixth, and Justin Allgaier, Matt Kenseth, Parker Kligerman, and Regan Smith rounded out the top 10. Busch was quick to credit his team after the victory. “It was a really great race for us,” said Busch in the media center at Charlotte after the race. “We’ve had a lot of fast race cars this year, and it’s a testament to our team and (crew chief) Adam Stevens and the work that the guys put in. They do such a great job for me, and being able to go out there with some good-driving cars and lead a lot of laps and put them in Victory Lane, I think it’s just a true testament to how good our organization is and how hard these guys work. They never forget what they’re supposed to do. We have to have good race cars from practice and qualifying and into the race, and so having those adjustments all set and having things ready to go is what makes us look so good. “ Smith leaves Charlotte with a 29-point advantage over Hornish in Nationwide Series standings. Allgaier moves into third, 40 back of Smith, and Elliott Sadler dropped to fourth after finishing 13th. Sadler’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Brian Vickers, holds on to fifth spot after a pit gamble didn’t pay off, leaving Vickers, who had been racing with the leaders, with an 11th-place result. Kligerman, Dillon, Brian Scott, Larson, and Alex Bowman finish off the top 10 in points.
Hamlin Snags Coca-Cola 600 Pole With Track Record Time
posted by Amy Henderson
Thursday May 23, 2013
Denny Hamlin shattered the track qualifying record at Charlotte Motor Speedway as he rocketed to the pole for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. Hamlin had a lap time of 27.604 seconds, or 195.624 miles per hour. Several drivers drove past the old record, set by Greg Biffle in 2012, but it was Hamlin who came out at the top of the heap and holds the new record. Kurt Busch will start on the outside of the front row. Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, and Clint Bowyer round out the top 5. Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray, and Ryan Newman hold down sixth through tenth places. The pole is Hamlin’s second of 2013; he also started in front at Fontana before an injury in that race sidelined him for over a month. Hamlin says that his back feels “nearly 100%” and that it doesn’t cause him pain while driving. He added that winning the pole helped solidify for him that he is back at a competitive level, but he wants one more thing before he’ll be satisfied. “I think winning would do that. I think ultimately getting the big trophy on Sunday is the validation that you’re truly back,” said Hamlin after his lap. “For me, it’s going to take some wins and some really good consistency throughout these summer months to put ourselves in position to have a chance at a championship. That’s what we’re here for. Even these small victories though give me that confidence that I’m still capable, and I’m still able to do the job at 100 percent like I should be. Any kind of confidence booster for me — it’s always a plus on Sunday.” The Cup teams are next on track Saturday at 10 AM for the weekend’s second practice. Final practice for Sunday’s race is Saturday afternoon at one o’clock. The Coca-Cola 600 is scheduled to start at 6 PM on Sunday and will air on FOX.
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! |
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Matt McLaughlin · Monday October 24, 2011
The Key Moment – Clint Bowyer out drag-raced teammate Jeff Burton out of turn four to the flag, on the final lap to win what some pundits will allege to be a race.
In a Nutshell – Even Alice in Wonderland would be in line at the walk-in methadone clinic if she’d been forced to endure this bizarre approximation of a stock car event.
Dramatic Moment – Bowyer and Burton staged a classic last-lap duel for victory. That was racing. I’m not sure what that was going on behind them or for the first 187 laps Sunday.
What They’ll Be Talking About Around the Water Cooler This Week
For the second time in as many weeks, the motor racing community must come to grips with a fatal incident in a high-profile race. Sunday, Moto-GP rider Marco Simoncelli was killed during the second lap of the Malaysian GP. While Moto-GP has only a (devoted) cult following here in the states, in Europe and Asia GP riders are among the same pantheon of sports stars as F1 drivers and soccer players. For whatever reason in auto racing, long periods of drivers and riders walking away from spectacular crashes tends to be followed by a brief period of multiple tragedies. It’s the nature of the sport but damn, do I hate it.
Well NASCAR’s plans to break up the tandem racing with a larger restrictor plate and lower pressure cooling systems didn’t work too well, did it? In fact drivers brought things to the next level, having preplanned what other driver they’d partner with prior to even arriving at the track. In fact, some teams had de facto team orders for which of the two paired drivers would win if it came down to the last lap with that tandem up front.
OK, so we’re stuck with this sort of racing. How do we slow the racers down, add some more sheet metal around them for safety reasons, and make the race more fun to watch? Let’s steal a page from some local bullring promoters and have the tandem teams compete in school buses with the trailing driver’s bus chained to the rear bumper of the towing bus. It would have to be more interesting than what we have now, plus imagine the hilarity in the pits and all that extra space on the side of the buses for advertising decals. Oh, and apparently we only need to schedule the race for ten laps in length since the drivers only really get after it in those final laps.
Eventually a force more powerful than NASCAR or even the win is going to mean the end of tandem racing. Recall it’s the sponsors’ millions that keep the teams running. Sponsors base their decision on the effectiveness of their funds spent on Joyce Julius minutes, the amount of time their logos are shown clearly on the TV screen during an event. In the case of tandem racing, the trailing cars logos and decals are all but invisible which has got to tick some marketing types off.
You think maybe Edwards and Biffle and Johnson and Earnhardt decided to lay back in the pack just a smidgen too long there at the end?
If there’s anyone else left out there foolish enough to doubt the SAFER barrier’s effectiveness, watch a slow motion replay of Regan Smith’s impact into the outside wall and how much the SAFER barrier deflected to absorb the hit, possibly sparing us a third tragedy this week.
Nobody won the Championship Sunday, but a lot of drivers made major strides in losing it. Such is the nature of the Talladega beast, I suppose. Under the old “pack racing” scenario, we’d wipe out dozens of cars in an instant. Now, with tandem racing we wipe cars out incrementally many times during the race and still end up with the same amount of carnage when you total it up at the end of the day.
I can’t help but feel the results of this race would have been quite different if NASCAR threw the red flag to halt the field while repairs were made to the SAFER barrier and the track cleaned up after Smith’s wreck. Only two laps of racing remained when the green flag flew. But if there had, in fact been four laps left to run Sunday on the final restart I wonder if anyone would have finished.
What was with the long delay in throwing a caution flag after Joey Logano spun and shredded a tire and fender all over the racing groove trying to get back to the pits?
When Jack Roush and Ford racing brass formulated their “One Ford” strategy this week I don’t suppose they intended it to mean Not One Ford will finish in the top 10.
They’re at it again? Recall in the team’s Cup debut Michael Waltrip’s car was caught cheating in the infamous “jet fuel” incident and they’ve been nailed numerous times for rules infractions. So this week, the windshields of the two full-time MWR racing entries and that of their satellite team, JTG, were found out of compliance. Oddly enough, the windshield of the DW tribute car Michael Waltrip entered was apparently fine. That’s if it was even checked. Recall A) Nobody really thought he was going to qualify B) NASCAR owes both those Waltrips a debt of gratitude for cheerleading.
There’s limited time to act to protect you and your family. The neighbors are going to have to fend for themselves in this annual act of electronic terrorism. You must act before Saturday afternoon at 3:30 ET. Every member of your family needs to be given a blindfold and good-fitting ear plugs. By 3:20, you’ll want to trip the main breaker to your house’s electrical supply and move the family into an interior room with no windows. It might be wise to ask the cable company to disconnect your service until Monday. Yes, next Monday is Halloween and doubtless the cast of the pre-race show for the Truck Series are going to be dressing up in costume again in a little loved attempt to prove they have a sense of humor… it’s just lost on everyone else. If you’ve never seen it, you can’t imagine how bad this annual rite is. If you have, doubtless you are already on the horn with the cable folks. The last two years have involved Batman and Gilligan’s Island, so look for another campy ’60s sitcom theme this year. You’ve been warned.
The tech savvy sorts call it convergence. Basically, they want to watch NASCAR racing on their cell phones and internet-enabled tablets. I don’t really have a dog in the fight since I don’t have a cell phone or a tablet, but the concept has me scratching my head. By this point, most of us have spent a ton of money on the biggest honking plasma high-def flat screen TV we could afford, but these folks want to watch the race on a cell phone screen the size of a White Tower hamburger? Would you even be able to see the undersized NASCAR Non-Stop screen on a cell phone?
The Hindenburg Award For Foul Fortune
If it wasn’t bad enough for Regan Smith to have to endure a savage hit during the race, what were the odds his team’s transporter would also be set ablaze afterwards?
Jeff Gordon got hosed by Trevor Bayne, who dumped his “partner” on the final restart after agreeing to work with the No. 24 on the radio. Gordon fell from a legitimate contender for the win to a 27th-place finish. (For the record, Bayne contends he was ordered to leave the No. 24 to work with the No. 17 and he wasn’t happy about it.)
Ironically, the driver Bayne dumped Gordon to hook up with was Matt Kenseth, who’d run up front most of the day. But the move didn’t work for either. Kenseth wound up eighteenth, while Bayne dropped to a fifteenth-place finish by the checkered.
Talladega has become one of Kevin Harvick’s better tracks, one of many that have kept him near the top of the standings all season with a remarkable string of top-10 finishes. But Sunday, his luck ran out when he got a major piece of the wreck triggered by A.J. Allmendinger’s sideways Ford. A broken oil cooler forced the No. 29 team to the garage for lengthy repairs.
Kyle Busch also got a piece of Allmendinger’s wreck and it skewed the rear end housing of the car to the left. He also was forced to the garage area for extensive repairs and ended the day 33rd.
Kurt Busch was playing the role of pusher in a tandem and was thus unable to see Bobby Labonte’s car sideways across the track until it was too late to brake. The DNF left him 36th.
Robby Gordon and Bayne were one of the surprising duos at the front of the pack until the rear TV panel on Gordon’s car came loose and impeded their ability to draft together. After the race, the No. 7 team came to an agreement in the future they won’t install bodywork with scotch tape and library paste.
The “Seven Come Fore Eleven” Award For Fine Fortune
Clint Bowyer is leaving Richard Childress Racing at the end of the year, but at least he gave the team and his guys one last victory to remember him by.
Jeff Burton was agonizingly close to a long overdue win but as badly as that outfit has been running this season, second place was a respectable result.
Dave Blaney and Brad Keselowski didn’t make a lot of noise during the race but they were the duo that in the end best timed their charge forward for the final two laps: Blaney wound up third and Keselowski finished fourth. By the way, Blaney was in a Chevy and Keselowski was in a Dodge. Can’t we all just get along?
It seems likely that the entire Red Bull team will be shutting down at the end of the year but Brian Vickers and Kasey Kahne paired up for a fifth/sixth-place result.
Denny Hamlin started the race without a drafting partner and soon lost a lap. Then, once back on the lead lap he had to dodge at least two major wrecks, often times hanging on as a “third wheel” behind another twosome to climb up to an eighth-place finish.
Worth Noting
- Just three drivers in the Chase (Brad Keselowski in fourth, Tony Stewart in seventh and Hamlin in eighth) were amongst the top-10 finishers at Talladega.
- The top-10 finishers Sunday drove four Chevys, five Toyotas, and a Dodge. Carl Edwards in eleventh was the top-finishing Ford.
- Yes, that was Richard Childress Racing’s 100th win in the Cup series.
- Bowyer’s win was his first since this event last year and his third top-3 result of 2011. He finished second at Talladega and Texas this spring.
- Jeff Burton’s second-place finish was his best this season, easily eclipsing his previous best, a ninth-place result at the Glen.
- Blaney’s third-place finish was the best of his Cup career. He’s done it two other times: at Darlington in 2003 and this track four years ago.
- Keselowski’s fourth-place finish was his fourth top-5 result in this year’s six Chase races.
- Vickers’ fifth-place finish equals his best result of the season. He also finished fifth in the first Dover race and at New Hampshire last month.
- Kasey Kahne (sixth) has now strung together four straight top-10 finishes. And having finished my fourth can of Red Bull this afternoon, I am now hanging from my ceiling by my nails like a cat being forced to listen to a Britney Spears concert.
- Hamlin’s eighth-place finish was his best of the Chase.
- Michael Waltrip (ninth) scored his first top-10 finish since Talladega in the fall of 2009.
- Martin Truex, Jr.’s tenth-place finish was his best since the Bristol night race.
- Edwards’ eleventh-place finish was actually his worst result since Michigan in August.
- Kyle Busch’s 33rd-place finish was his worst since Loudon in July.
What’s the Points?
Edwards maintains his points lead and is now fourteen points ahead of his teammate Kenseth, who moved up a spot to second. Brad Keselowski moved up three positions in the standings to third and is eighteen points out of the lead. Fourth-place Stewart is one point behind Keselowski.
Harvick’s misfortune dropped him three spots to fifth in the standings, a not inconsiderable 26 points out of the lead. So I guess despite the Karmic wisdom of Moe, Larry and Curly, oil is not well that ends well.
Kyle Busch fell two spots to sixth in the standings, a nearly insurmountable forty points behind Edwards with four races left to run in this year’s title hunt. Behind him, the good news for Johnson is he’s up a spot to seventh in the standings. The bad news is he is now fifty points out of the lead.
Kurt Busch fell a spot to eighth, while Dale Earnhardt, Jr. sits ninth. It’s a little too late to revive their title hopes now, but Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin each moved up a spot to tenth and eleventh. Ryan Newman fell two spots to twelfth.
Overall Rating (On a scale of one to six beer cans with one being a stinker and a six pack an instant classic) — We’ll give it two cans, laying on their side, lined up a paper’s width apart.
Next Up – From NASCAR’s largest track we move on to the sport’s smallest, the quaint little half-miler at Martinsville where time has seemingly stood still since back when Leave it To Beaver hit puberty.
This Weekend on the Frontstretch:
Mirror Driving: Correcting Mistakes, Moving Forward With Charlotte And Dramatic Returns
Charlotte’s Four Burning Questions: Translating Success And McMurray’s Time To Shine
Frontstretch Foto Funnies: Cleaning Out The Vintage Vault
Brendan Gaughan Driver Diary: Race Day, Sharks, And A Fast Fix
That Sound You Heard? Hall Of Fame Standards Dropping A Notch
IndyCar In-Depth: Indianapolis 500
Formula 1 Friday: Two Questions
Voices From the Cheapseats: Discussing The Need For Diversity’
Nuts for Nationwide: Jack Ingram’s Moment To Shine
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