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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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To the Point: Taking a trip to Bristol is like taking two straight pulls on the slot machine at Vegas; you never quite know what you're going to get, and the chances of hitting big twice in a row are slim to none.
Guess Matt Kenseth has amazing luck.
Kenseth passed Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to take the lead on lap 399 and went on to lead all but one of the final 102 laps to win the Sharpie 500 Saturday night, becoming the first driver since Dale Earnhardt in 1987-88 to win back-to-back August races at Bristol. Sweeping both the Busch and Cup Series races on the weekend, Kenseth built a comfortable margin of .591 seconds at the finish between himself and second place Kyle Busch, with Junior, Scott Riggs, and Jeff Gordon rounding out the Top 5 finishers.
Who Should Have Won: Kenseth. Jeff Burton may have led the most laps, pacing the field for 263 of the first 381 circuits, but when it was time to shine, the DeWalt Ford Fusion driven by Kenseth was the one who stepped up to the plate. In the last 100 lap segment, the No. 17 car was flat out in a league of its own, never being significantly challenged while dicing through traffic like it was racing at Michigan the previous weekend, not a half-mile short track with one primary groove. Kenseth's skill was rewarded with his second straight win on the Cup tour, the first time he's done so since February 2004.
Five Questions You Should be Asking After the Race Weekend:
1) Who's the championship favorite just two races from the Chase - Johnson, Kenseth, or someone else?
Having led the points most of the season, Johnson still has a slight edge, especially since he's visited Victory Lane in the series' biggest races this season - Daytona and Indianapolis. Clearly, though, Kenseth is going to pose a strong challenge to Johnson heading into the championship fight. His two straight wins this month have also been paired with a runner up finish at Indy, while Johnson has followed up his win at the Brickyard with ho-hum finishes of 17th, 13th, and 10th, leading exactly 1 lap in that span in comparison to Kenseth's 204. Those numbers add to a chilling stat for Johnson; in the last five races in the regular season the past three years, he's had just two Top 5 finishes in 13 opportunities. Let's put it this way: it could be critical for the No. 48 team's morale to pad those stats before Richmond, otherwise the No. 17 bunch steals the favorite's role.
2) When will Jeff Burton win a race?
More and more, the season is looking like a disappointment for Burton if he can't find a way to get back to Victory Lane. For the fifth time in the last seven races, the Cingular Chevrolet led a significant portion of the race, this time pacing the field for 208 of the first 250 circuits at Bristol. Like clockwork, though, as the race ticks away the No. 31 car suffers a meltdown, and Saturday was no different, with Burton tumbling backwards to ninth over the final 100 laps. Afterwards, the frustration from the entire organization was evident, and it's rather obvious that unless Burton puts it together at the checkered flag, this team's appearance in the Chase will be nothing more than that…an appearance.
3) Why was Bristol so tame this time around?
Usually, the night race at Bristol resembles the type of fireworks one rarely sees on the politically correct NASCAR tour nowadays, with fighting, bumping, and backstabbing a regular occurrence. This year, though, the field spent most of this night playing nice, with the race's 10 cautions the second lowest total for a night race at Bristol this decade. Even more surprising, half those yellows weren't caused by bumping and banging but from one car tire failures (more on that later). So, why the politeness? It seems the answer might lie with points and Silly Season. For the drivers up front, the points are so close that one slip-up by anyone 3rd through 11th would knock them out of the Chase for good, and with so many vulnerable, too many people spent the night trying not to be the victim. Not only that, but with Silly Season settled earlier every year, the drivers towards the back of the pack in points aren't fighting for their jobs, so there's not much desperation, either. Bristol needs desperation…when you don't have it, you don't wreck.
4) Wait…say this to me again…tire failures…at Bristol?
That's right. With several long runs Saturday night, it appeared that both crew chiefs and Goodyear were caught off guard with the possibility that a race here might go green for longer than 50 laps; when it did, someone's right front tire was living on borrowed time. It didn't help that the track surface was falling apart, either; hopefully, a repave job during 2007 will help alleviate the problems that were being seen for future races.
5) Is Robert Yates Racing in more trouble than we're being led to believe?
Well, the alarm wasn't sent out for Todd Parrott to return home just because things were going hunky dory. At one point, the team looked to expand to three cars in June with Ward Burton, Stephen Leicht, and Elliott Sadler. Now, Gilliland has torn up three cars in two weeks, and so far has shown nothing but indicators that he needs more time in Busch. At least Citifinancial realized that with Leicht, stating point blank to Yates they don't want their driver in Cup before 2008. With Burton's sponsor deal dead, that just leaves Yates with one car for 2007, barring an unforeseen miracle; and with the Toyota onslaught coming, keeping that car in the Top 35 will be a chore in itself. Hard to believe we could see a one car Yates team with DNQs next year, but that's certainly possible.
Solid Runs
Kyle Busch: After a 39th at Michigan, Bristol was make or break for Kyle, and although he doesn't have his brother's talent at this track…yet…he certainly took it up a notch here Saturday night. Running smart and focused, Busch forged his way through the field to 2nd, and he's now a strong fourth in points and fairly safe for the Chase.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Starting 40th, Junior's car was junk at Bristol all weekend…until the drop of the green, when it suddenly jumpstarted to life. By lap 117, Tony Eury, Jr. had used pit strategy to bring the No. 8 car to the front, and they never really faltered after that, with Junior bringing the car home in 3rd after fading late to both Kenseth and Busch. Still vulnerable to the Chase, Junior's confidence level is at least rock solid once again.
Scott Riggs: It's a bit of a longshot, but what if Riggs comes back this season and finishes 11th in points after missing the Daytona 500? It'd be quite a story, and the No. 10 team is doing everything they can to make it happen. The 4th place finish at Bristol was a season high for Riggs and moved him up to 19th in the standings, and the spunk Riggs showed in a postrace conversation with Jeff Gordon after the race showed he's not about to back down from his newfound instensity (see Quotable section for more).
Michael Waltrip: Not a misprint here; for the first time this season, the NAPA car actually showed signs of life. Waltrip quietly ran on the lead lap until the final few laps of the race, keeping his nose clean and packing his bags from Bristol with a 16th place result, a season best for his fledgling team. Not overly impressive…but something to build on, for sure.
Tough Days
Greg Biffle: When The Biff looks back on this season after missing the Chase, he'll realize that it's not so much that his team went backwards this year rather than it suffered from too many bad breaks. After handling problems landed him a ho-hum 19th place finish, the No. 16 bunch would need a miracle next week to even have an opportunity to try to qualify for the Chase at Richmond.
Kasey Kahne: Yes, in one sense Kahne's 12th place finish at Bristol isn't all bad, considering he has yet to climb higher than 10th here in six starts. But with many of his Chase competitors running well around him, Kahne needed a better performance to put his championship destiny in his own hands; now, he needs to rely more on Mark Martin's "bad luck":/tbowles/4898/, or the bad luck of someone else.
Kyle Petty: Completing 1,499 of a possible 1,500 laps his last three starts at Bristol, this track is still one where the Petty Enterprises leader runs well…but not this time. While attempting to dive underneath Dave Blaney entering turn one, Kyle dug his own grave and spun out; struggling to a 34th place finish after that, 19 laps down, the No. 45 car is now just one more bad race away from having to qualify on speed. Ruh roh.
Clint Bowyer: With his Chase hopes destroyed, Carl Edwards may have the better reason to be mad at Tony Stewart, but Bowyer is the driver that is still struggling to recover from that Pocono incident. Bowyer has been inconsistent with a 4th, a 14th, and a 33rd since then, and was mediocre at Bristol before a wheel came off the car, crashing him hard into the turn three wall and hurtling him towards a 38th place finish.
Editor's Note: For more on Mark Martin's tough day, please read this week's "Bowles-Eye View":/tbowles/4898.
Points Shuffle:
Kenseth's second win in a row really tightened up the battle at the top of the points race between him and Johnson; the two are now a mere seven points apart with two races left in the regular season. Behind them, Kevin Harvick remained third, with Kyle Busch vaulting three spots to fourth and Jeff Gordon inching up one spot to round out the Top 5.
Denny Hamlin jumps two spots to sixth, with Jeff Burton up two to seventh and Tony Stewart dropping three to eighth after a mediocre, uncharacteristic 22nd place at Bristol. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. creeps up one spot to ninth, while Mark Martin tumbles a whopping six spots to round out the Top 10. Martin is 90 points ahead of Kasey Kahne for that last Chase spot, with Kahne the only driver within shouting distance of the ten contenders with two races remaining.
Quotable:
"I didn't think we had quite the car today, honestly. I thought Jeff Burton had everybody covered, but once you get to the lead - even at the half-mile tracks - clean air helped my car. If the 5 would beat us out of the pits, he would have won." Matt Kenseth
"It's just a rough day when all the guys in front of you in points finish ahead of you in the race. There are so many good race teams right now. We've got to figure out how to be better than them." Kasey Kahne
"I just tried to tell him (Jeff Gordon) good job, good race, and he tried to tell me to pass him on the straightaway. I did the same thing he would have done. He was holding me up in the middle of the corner, and when I was away from him he was driving a whole car length up in the corners. When I got to him the last 15 laps he was on the bottom. I could have dumped him, but I didn't. I told him good hard racing, and he would have done the same thing." Scott Riggs on Jeff Gordon
"I was definitely holding him up. There was no doubt about it. There are ways to pass, and hey I've been there before and moved guys. I was more concerned that he was going to spin me out…when you get more experience racing with the guys up front, you do things a little bit different." Jeff Gordon on Scott Riggs
Next Up:
With two races left, NASCAR heads out West for its newly minted Labor Day adventure, Sunday night racing in California. Hopefully, the crowd comes with them this time. The Sony HD 500 comes your way live from Fontana at 7:00 PM EST on NBC and your local MRN affiliate.
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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