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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!
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. |
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The Key Moment: Casey Mears crossed the finish line on fumes to take the checkers at Lowe’s, running out of gas on the cooldown lap.
In a Nutshell: The Top 5 finishers were Mears, J.J. Yeley, Kyle Petty, Reed Sorenson and Brian Vickers. For one evening, the Cup circuit fell down Alice's hole into Wonderland.
Dramatic Moment: Waiting to see if anyone could make it those final ten laps. See, sometimes not throwing a phony debris caution flag actually makes for an interesting finish.
Waiting to see if any cars were left running after the first 125 miles with the carnage that marred the first half of the race.
What They'll Be Talking About Around the Water Cooler This Week
Most of the time races in the contemporary Cup era have been won by the "haves" (as in have money) and lost by the "have nots." Sunday night it boiled down to a battle between the "have gas" and the "have nots."
Humpy Wheeler proposed this week that qualifying would be more exciting (and thus more tickets would be sold) if more than one car qualified at a time. Hey, here's an idea. Don't lock the Top 35 cars in the owner points into the show and qualifying would be a lot more exciting. Or how about this? Split the World 600 into a pair of points races, the World 300s. This race tends to drag in the middle, and a pair of shorter races with full points awarded for each race would have the fans hanging from the rafters. Oh, and to spice things up, invert the field after the first race.
600 miles of racing isn't too much. 600 miles of listening to DW is. Has he broken even his own record for self-promotion with this race? For the record, the race didn't last five and a half hours…the FOX telecast did. This race was actually run in under 5 hours for the first time in a few years.
Was the nose of Johnson's 48 car outside of his pit box when the left rear tire changer installed the missing lug nuts during the 13th caution period? It sure did look that way.
Was I the only one waiting to see Michael Waltrip take off his shoes and run home after he wrecked in qualifying?
It was only for a brief time, but how cool was it to see Bill Elliott leading a Cup race again? But how uncool was it watching a Japanese car lead a race on Memorial Day? Oh, right, right. The Camry is an American car. They're assembled in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, right?
OK, admit it. You channel surfed a few times to see who won the Indy 500. It's a shadow of its former self, but it's still the Indy 500.
This new Toyota engine package is clearly stronger but is fragile. Both Dale Jarrett and Jeremy Mayfield had good runs (a great run in Mayfield's case) scuttled by blown engines. Maybe MWR developed the engine thinking it only had to run two laps of qualifying before being loaded back on the truck and sent to the shop to be rebuilt over the weekend?
The two open wheel racing series face a lot of challenges, but could any stock car fan watching the Indy 500 not feel envious of the "Side by Side" coverage that allows fans at home to keep watching the action even during commercial breaks?
Seriously, with Friday being an "off-day" at Charlotte, can't we just move the Busch race to Friday and the Cup race to Saturday night so race fans can have a two day weekend after the race?
They want to move the first Dover Cup date to the first weekend in April? Given the unpredictable nature of the weather in my native northeast, NASCAR ought to install snow plows on the track drying trucks. Winter didn't want to let go this year. The only change to the schedule I really want to see is the Labor Day weekend race returning to Darlington.
So let's see. Chevys have the new R07 engine available to the teams. The Dodges have a new nose. Toyota has a new engine package designed to produce more midrange torque. And Ford? Well….um, do you get the impression that they don't really have their heart in this game anymore?
The Car of Tomorrow, unaffectionately known as the CoT, will now officially be the full-time ride in the Cup series next year. Look for spot shortages on rear wings in the ricer aisle of your local Pep Boys with drivers in slammed Civics forced to actually bolt picnic tables to their decklids. So, what do this Xzibit character and Brian France have in common? Both of them are Pimping a lot of Rides.
Was Mayfield's save after spinning a couple 360s at 180+ MPH amazing or what? Of course, it might have been that time he spent driving backwards that fatally wounded his engine.
The Hindenburg Award For Foul Fortune
The weather was perfect in Charlotte, but not for Jeff Gordon. His evening ended with a driving Raines. Ironically, it was Ending Rains that cost Tony Kanaan the Indy 500 at about the exact same time.
Kurt Busch dominated the race early, but his night ended with a hard impact into the inside wall while he was running as the first car a lap down. Meanwhile, his brother Kyle apparently got frustrated after a battery failed in the No. 5 car, and he spent the next 20 laps trying to knock the walls down. The walls won. Rick Hendrick has got to be reconsidering whether there's room at the Inn for Junior after all.
Ryan Newman qualified for the pole but fell out of the race with mechanical woes. All in all, between Indy and Charlotte, it was a tough weekend for Roger Penske after a strong qualifying performance across the board.
Greg Biffle's season of discontent hit a new low with an early wreck and a last place result. If Earnhardt decides he could drive a Ford after all, you might be seeing the Bud No. 16 car next year. I doubt Jack Roush much appreciated the comment Biffle made after the race about his cars being "junk" all season.
Wrecks in the first quarter of the race damaged or at least tweaked half the field.
The "Seven Come Fore Eleven" Award For Fine Fortune
I don't know how much gas was left in Casey Mears’ car when it won the race, but on a five dollar bet, I'd have drank it. Combined with his second place finish in Saturday's Busch race, it was a career weekend for Mears. To win, Mears had to overcome a pit road speeding penalty as well.
J.J. Yeley was told this week that his continued employment at Joe Gibbs Racing was in his own hands and he needed to start finishing better. Well, a second place finish ought to buy him a little breathing room.
Kyle Petty hadn't enjoyed a Top 5 finish since Dover in the Fall of 1997…that is, until his third place run on Sunday night.
Tony Stewart's evening appeared likely to end early when he got a big piece of the big crash, but he soldiered on to a sixth place finish and actually led the race awhile.
It was Jimmie Johnson's cutdown tire that shed its carcass and triggered that big wreck, but he drove on unscathed and the wreck behind him actually worked to his benefit.
Brian Vickers seemed to have squandered a good run when he slapped the wall, but he left Charlotte with a Top 5 finish.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. rebounded from a flat tire and the resultant unscheduled stop that dropped him a lap off the pace to finish eighth.
Worth Noting
- The Top 10 finishers drove six Chevys, two Dodges, a Ford (Ricky Rudd in seventh) and a Toyota (Brian Vickers in fifth.) A Toyota in the Top 5? With all due apologies to Gracie Slick, why do I feel a hooka-smoking caterpillar dictated these race results to me?
- All four Hendrick drivers have now won a race this season. Richard Childress is the only other team owner to land multiple drivers in Victory Lane, while Jack Roush claimed the other win left on the table as a team owner. Chevys have claimed eleven of twelve races this season.
- Jeff Gordon failed to finish a race for the first time since…well…Charlotte last fall. It was Gordon's fifth straight DNF at this track.
- Toyota scored their first Top 5 finish in the Cup series. Brian Vickers also gave them their first Top 10 back at Fontana.
- Reed Sorenson scored his best ever Cup finish. J.J Yeley celebrated his first career Top 5 finish in the Cup series.
- Ricky Rudd managed his best finish since Sonoma in 2005.
- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had his third Top 10 finish in the last four races. Hey, maybe someone will hire this virtual unknown after all!
- Denny Hamlin has Top 10 finishes in six of the last seven races.
- Jimmie Johnson has Top 10 finishes in the last five races, even with his second worst finish ever in a Charlotte Cup race.
What's the Points?
Jeff Gordon had such a big honking points lead coming into Charlotte that even a 41st place finish couldn't dethrone him from the top of the heap. But his lead over Jimmie Johnson, who remains second, is down to 132 points.
Beyond that, the top six, including Gordon, Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, and Tony Stewart, held serve yet again. Even fourth place Burton still trails Gordon by more than two races worth of points.
In the “Best Of The Rest Category,” Carl Edwards moved up two spots to eighth while Kevin Harvick rebounded two spots to seventh despite a lackluster evening. Kurt Busch fell two spots to ninth while Clint Bowyer dropped a spot to tenth. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. advanced a spot to 13th and is now just thirteen points out of the Chase. But minus the 100 point penalty for the illegal wing mounts at Darlington, he'd be in ninth position in the points.
Back towards the rear of the point standings, Mears’ win advanced him six spots to 29th and his team doesn't have to worry about qualifying next week. Other notable drivers making nice advances up the ladder include J.J. Yeley (up five spots to 15th), Kyle Petty (up five spots to 26th), Reed Sorenson (up five spots to 24th), and Ricky Rudd (up three spots to 31st.)
Drivers heading in the wrong direction with the hammer down include Ryan Newman (down five spots to 18th), Greg Biffle (down three spots to 19th), Elliott Sadler (down three spots to 20th), and David Gilliland, down seven spots to 34th and needing to pull out of the nosedive to avoid having weekends off soon.
The most interesting points battle (and I'm stretching the word "interesting" to the breaking point here) is between seventh place Kevin Harvick and 12th place Carl Edwards, who find themselves separated by less than 100 points. It's sort of like watching pigeons fight over dropped popcorn while the Top 6 are enjoying a feast.
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 this one four pony bottles of Genny Cream Ale. I hate races decided on fuel mileage but I hate using artificial caution flags to spice up a finish even more.
Next Up: It's off to the white cliffs of Dover with the white elephant…the Car of Tomorrow.
Friday on the Frontstretch:
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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