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Jimmie Johnson wins All-Star Race at Charlotte
posted by Mike Neff
Saturday May 19, 2012
Jimmie Johnson came from sixth place in the first 20 lap segment to secure the top spot for the final, mandatory pit stop, came out first and proceeded to lead the last 10 laps to capture his third All-Star win of his career. Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the wins in segments 2, 3, and 4 respectively. On the final restart, Kenseth stumbled which slowed him and Earnhardt, allowing Johnson and Keselowski to pull away. Kenseth rebounded from the bobble to finish third ahead of Kyle Busch, while Earnhardt came across the line in fifth. Kevin Harvick, Marcos Ambrose, Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman rounded out the top 10. The victory ties Johnson with Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon for most All-Star race wins with three each. Johnson also won the race in 2003 and 2006. Keselowski’s runner-up finish was his career best. His previous best finish was seventh. Kenseth’s third place effort was his fifth top 5 run in the event and his ninth top 10 in 12 career starts in the race.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. dominates the Sprint Showodwn
posted by Mike Neff
Saturday May 19, 2012
As the field came to the green in the Sprint Showdown, polesitter AJ Allmendinger had a left front tire deflate so he was forced to pit lane. That misfortune for the No. 22 allowed Dale Earnhardt Jr. to start from the pole position. After a side-by-side lap with Martin Truex Jr., Earnhardt grabbed the top spot and would not relinquish it for the entire 40 laps of the race. At the halfway point Earnhardt Jr and Truex stayed on the track while most of the rest of the field came to the pits. When the green flag flew for the second 20 lap segment, Jamie McMurray was able to get around Truex and grabbed the second spot. As Earnhardt pulled away and McMurray cemented himself in the second spot, Allmendinger put on a furious charge from the back of the pack. Allmendinger took fifth on lap 24, fourth on lap 25 and third on lap 28. However, once he got within three car lengths of McMurray he stalled out and was unable to advance further, at least until three to go. Coming to the flag stand for the two-to-go signal, Allmendinger dove underneath McMurray and grabbed the second position and continued to hold it until the checkered flag. Earnhardt Jr. and Allmendinger took the checkers in first and second and punched their tickets into the All-Star race. Rounding out the top five were McMurray, Truex and Juan Pablo Montoya. Receiving the Sprint Fan Vote to transfer into the All-Star race was Bobby Labonte.
NASCAR becomes first motorsport organization in Beyond Sport United
posted by Mike Neff
Saturday May 19, 2012
Beyond Sport United is a philanthropic organization that utilizes the global appeal of sport to advance the causes that will make the world a better place. The organization brings together the leaders of sports federations, grassroot organizations, teams and government agencies to address social issues in communities around the world and attempts to help influence social change. NASCAR and the NASCAR foundation have long done extensive work at making the world a better place through the fortune of the people in the sport along with driver foundations. Now, being part of Beyond Sport United, NASCAR will be able to expand their reach even farther and make an impact in even more lives than ever before.
Kyle Busch grabs pole for the Sprint All-Star Race
posted by Mike Neff
Friday May 18, 2012
The unique qualifying format for the Sprint All-Star race brings out the best in drivers and crews. Not only is speed on the track important but the crews also have to perform at a high level as they complete a four tire change during the qualifying process. After the 20 competitors completed their three laps with a pit stop it was Kyle Busch who was on top of the chart. Busch’s time was a 119.112 seconds for a speed of 136.006 mph. Next to Busch, in the front row, will be Ryan Newman. The only other driver to dip below the 120 second mark, Newman crossed the stripe in 119.821 seconds for a speed of 135.202 seconds. The second row will be composed of Denny Hamlin and Greg Biffle. Hamlin ran around Charlotte Motor Speedway in 120.168 seconds. for a speed of 134.811 mph. Biffles’s lap was 120.420 seconds at a speed of 134.520 mph. Rounding out the top five is Kevin Harvick whose 120.522 second lap equates to a speed of 134.304 mph. This is Busch’s third All-Star pole. Busch has never won at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
AJ Allmendinger on the pole for the Sprint Showdown
posted by Mike Neff
Friday May 18, 2012
22 cars laid down laps in the Sprint Showdown qualifying session and, after all of them had laid down a time it was AJ Allmendinger who was the fastest. Allmendinger turned a lap of 28.057 seconds which was a speed of 192.465 mph. Allmendinger was the only driver to eclipse 192 mph. On the outside of the front row will be Martin Truex Jr. who clocked in at 28.265 seconds for a speed of 191.049 mph. Inside the second row will be Dale Earnhardt Jr. who was fastest in practice but only managed to be third fastest in qualifying. Earnhardt’s time was 28.272 seconds that was worth 191.002 mph. To the right of Earnhardt will be Jeff Burton, with a lap of 28.467 seconds and a speed of 189.693 mph. The last car in the top five is Aric Almirola after he laid down a lap of 28.609 seconds which translates to 188.752 mph.
Ty Dillon on the pole for North Carolina Education Lottery 200
posted by Mike Neff
Friday May 18, 2012
Ty Dillon was fastest in first practice, which gave him the final qualitying spot for Truck time trials. He took full advantage of the cooling conditions and laid down a 29.733 second lap for a speed of 181.616 mph. Dillon bested Justin Lofton by .019 seconds to secure the top spot. Lofton’s lap lasted 29.752 seconds which worked out to a 181.500 mph. Dillon and Lofton were the only two drivers to eclipse the 181 mph mark. Joey Coulter was the second RCR Chevrolet in the top three spots. Coulter crossed the line in 29.884 seconds which was worth 180.699 mph. The outside row two slot is going to be occupied by Timothy Peters, who made it around the mile and a half track in 29.907 seconds for a speed of 180.560 mph. The final driver in the top five is Jason Leffler, who ran a 29.992 second lap at a speed of 180.048 mph. This is Dillon’s first pole of his Camping World Truck Series career in his eighth start in the series. It is his fourth top-10 starting spot in 2012.
Kyle Busch Paces All-Star Final Practice
posted by Amy Henderson
Friday May 18, 2012
The drivers in the Sprint All-Star Race have just one practice opportunity to dial in their raecars, and Kyle Busch made the most of it, posting the fastest lap with a time of 28.672 (188.337 MPH). Greg Biffle was less than a tenth of a second off Busch’s pace, with a lap of 28.767 seconds. Qualifying for the All-Star Race is Friday at 6:00 PM Eastern and consists of a three-lap run, including a four-tire pit stop to determine the starting lineup. The top two finishers in the Sprint Showdown will line up behind the qualifiers, and the fan vote winner will start shotgun on the field Saturday night. The top 10 in final practice:
NASCAR Announces Partnership with Twitter to Bring Fans a Unique Experience
posted by Amy Henderson
Friday May 18, 2012
NASCAR and Twitter announced on Friday that they will form a partnership-the first of its kind in major professional sport-in an effort to give race fans an enhanced race day experience. Twitter.com/#NASCAR will be available beginning with the first Pocono race on June 10. The page will use both algorithmic and editorial input to select content that will bring fans the full race day atmosphere from drivers, teams, media, tracks and officials to bring a behind-the-scenes feel to the page each week. NASCAR Chief Marketing Officer Steve Phelps said Friday that the sanctioning body understands the role of social media in the sport today. “Twitter has been an important piece of our effort the last several years,” Phelps said in a press release. “We’re excited about continuing to provide our millions of fans with greater access to our athletes and further engagement with our drivers, teams, tracks, and executives.” Phelps added that while drivers will be encouraged to interact with fans through the social media platform, they will not be required to do so. “It will be entirely up to them,” Phelps stressed. While the page is still a work in progress, the idea is to bring fans a carefully selected sampling of what’s being said. While the page will filter the content in order to maintain relevance, Twitter and NASCAR have said that both positive and negative comments will be shown. The idea is to narrow down the volume from a straight hashtag search while bringing fans a variety of information.
Earnhardt, Allmendinger Top Sprint Showdown Practice
posted by Amy Henderson
Friday May 18, 2012
The lone practice session for the Sprint Showdown is complete at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had the fastest lap of the section at 28.706 seconds (188.114 MPH), nipping AJ Allmendinger by just .008 seconds for the top spot. Qualifying for the Sprint Showdown is scheduled 5:00 Eastern on Friday evening. The top two finishers in the Sprint Showdown, which runs on Saturday at 7:30PM Eastern, earn a place in the Sprint All-Star Race, along with one driver selected by a fan vote. The top 10 in final practice:
James Buescher tops speed chart in final Truck practice at Charlotte
posted by Mike Neff
Friday May 18, 2012
The final practice for the Camping World Truck Series ran from 10:20 – 11:50. James Buescher timed in with a lap of 30.013 seconds and a speed of 179.922 mph. Buescher beat Justin Lofton by .005 seconds. Lofton’s lap was 30.018 seconds for a speed of 179.892 mph. Cale Gale notched the third fastest lap at 30.023 seconds for a speed of 179.862 mph. Gale’s time was .01 seconds slower than Buescher’s top speed. Brendan Gaughan clocked in at 30.116 seconds for a 179.307 mph. The last Truck in the top five was Brad Keselowski, who turned in a lap of 30.195 seconds for a 178.796 mph lap. |
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For the second time in as many years, Lowe’s Motor Speedway found itself repaved in the offseason. This time around, though, the repavement finds itself under a different type of scrutiny. With 37 caution flags, shredded tires and wrecked race cars spread out over 1100 miles of Nextel Cup Racing at the track in 2005, to say the first repaving job didn’t quite live up to expectations would be the understatement of the year.
In order to make sure the new pavement is working to the liking of both the teams and NASCAR, both a tire test and regular test have been conducted at the facility to gauge the viability of the new surface.
After this round of testing at Charlotte was completed, I sat down for a few minutes with John Darby to get an evaluation on where things stand.
Mike Neff, Frontstretch: What are your overall opinions of the test now that it’s complete?
John Darby: Well, if you align the priorities I think you can say it is pretty successful. There were no issues with the new surface. It stayed down very nicely, and it is pretty smooth. The Speedway here has done a nice job with the repave.
Frontstretch: After the surface, what was the next priority?
Darby: You go from there to developing a tire that will endure a repave and handle the new surface and everything. From what I understand there, I don’t think there are any issues with regard to blistering or accelerated wear. Anytime there is a repave, you always approach it to the conservative side to try and further prevent problems. (With that in mind) I think that everything is OK. The tire is probably a little harder than what the drivers are accustomed to, so there is a lot of adjustment work going on by the teams.
Frontstretch: How do you feel about the speeds that the teams are posting?
Darby: That’s another important part of the deal is that the speeds seem to be in check (David Stremme led testing with a 186 MPH average speed). Typically, a repave can create very quick speeds, as we have seen in years past like Atlanta or Texas and places like that. I tell you, right now everything is looking favorable.
Frontstretch: What is next on the agenda?
Darby: Obviously, we’ll meet with Goodyear coming away from the test the rest of this week. We’ll speak with a lot more of the competitors that we may not have spoken with already and get some more input on the whole deal, and a couple weeks from now we’ll put her to the real test.
Frontstretch: On the small fuel cells, is that a done deal, or is that still up in the air since the tires held up so well?
Darby: I think it is for right now. You know, we’ve tested a couple of days, but the one thing we haven’t done is run a 600 mile event. Although everything looks encouraging and I don’t think there are any “911s” going on right now, we still need to go through a real life application of 600 miles to really evaluate whether it is needed or not needed.
Thursday on the Frontstretch:
MPM2Nite: NASCAR’s Summer of Discontent
The Twitter NASCAR Revolution – A Trivial Pursuit?
Truckin’ Thursdays: A Look Back at Five Different Victors
Potts’ Shots: New Car Nuances And Goodbye To An Old Friend
Dollars And Sense: NASCAR Dumps Jump Co. As Ad Agency
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