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Brent McLean wins OSCAAR Modified feature on day one of Don Biederman Memorial

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SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Ashley McCubbin

For the second time this year, Brent McLean would take his No. 7 Home Building Centre (Bowmanville), Pro FX Signs, RN Manufacturing an McLean Farms to victory circle. It marks his second win so far this year after winning earlier this month at Barrie Speedway.

Brent McLean would win the first heat ahead of Brad Pearsall, Branden Bullen, Mike Westwood, Shane Stickel, Dave Osbourne, Bobby Tolton and Ryan Dick.

Gary McLean would win the second heat in his No. 8 McLean Industrial Design & Fabrication Ltd and McLean Farms Modified ahead of Matt Barton, Chad Strawn, Brandon Watson, Justin Demelo, Barry Newman, Brian McLean and Davey Terry.

Branden Bullen would grab his first career OSCAAR Modifieid heat victory in the third heat, followed by Stickel, Brent McLean, Pearsall, Westwood, Osbourne, and Dick.

OSCAAR Super Late Model points leader Brandon Watson would win the final modified heat ahead of Demelo, Newman, Brian McLean, Gary McLean, Terry, Strawn and Barton.

When it came feature time, it’d be Brent McLean starting on pole, ahead of Brandon Watson, Branden Bullen, Brad Pearsall, Justin Demelo, Gary McLean, Shane Stickel, Barry Newman, Matt Barton, Brian McLean, Dave Osbourne, Davey Terry, Ryan Dick, and Chad Strawn. Brian McLean would head down pit road before the start with problems.

Brent McLean and Watson would be side-by-side for the lead, with Watson securing it on lap two. Watson would only lead two laps as Brent McLean would make his way back by on lap four. So five laps into the event it’d be Brent McLean leading Watson, Pearsall, Gary McLean and Justin Demelo. Over the course of the event, Watson would slip back through the field after being passed by Pearsall, Gary McLean and Newman.

The first and only caution of the feature would fly on lap 30 when Bullen would spin in turn four. So with six laps to go, it’d be Brent McLean leading Pearsall, Gary McLean, Newman, Watson, Demelo, Stickel, Strawn, Brian McLean and Barton.

On the restart, Brent McLean would clear Pearsall while Newman would make his way by Gary McLean.

Brent McLean would hold on to pick up the victory ahead of Brad Pearsall, Barry Newman, Gary McLean and Justin Demelo.

Brandon Watson would finish sixth, followed by Shane Stickel, Brian McLean and Matt Barton.

Branden Bullen finished 11th, followed by Chad Strawn, Ryan Dick and Dave Osbourne.

The OSCAAR Modifieds return to Sunset Speedway for another full day of action on June 30th. Autograph session at 5:45pm with racing starting at 6:30pm.

Earnhardt Jr. Starts from the Point in the Quaker State 400

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SM Staff
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Coors Light Pole award on Friday for the third annual Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts.  This marks Earnhardt Jr.’s first pole and third top-10 start in the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points season.

Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 National Guard Youth Foundation Chevrolet set a track qualifying record with a lap of 29.406 seconds.  Nine different drivers posted faster laps than the previous record, which was set by Jimmie Johnson in 2012.

Earnhardt Jr.’s last win came from Michigan International Speedway last year when he won the Quicken Loans 400. Still looking for a win this season, Earnhardt Jr. commented on how urgent he feels he needs to get a win before the chase.  He said, “I think we keep working hard and the wins will come.  We have had some really fast cars, just had some bad luck.  Thought we had an opportunity to win at Michigan and just with the engine failure we weren’t able to get that done.  If we just keep working and running well we will get our opportunities to get to Victory Lane”

The Hendrick Motorsports driver finished in the top-5 at Kentucky last year and was asked if he has a lot of confidence coming into this track and if he feels like turn three is one of those critical parts of the track that you have to get down.  He replied, “Well, it looked critical last night in the Truck race, some guys having some difficulty in turn three.  The track is just unique and very bumpy and got a lot of character.  I enjoy racing here.  I think that the track gets better every year.  Just look forward to having a good car…I enjoy coming here and we’ve got a lot of fans in this area that enjoy seeing us race here.”

The No. 99 UPS Ford driver, Carl Edwards will be starting in second position.  This is his eighth top-10 start of 2013 and his second in three races at Kentucky Speedway.  Carl Edwards looks forward to racing at Kentucky.  He said, “Kentucky is fun for three reasons:  I have great memories of my first NASCAR win there in the Truck series, the track has bumps and character and the fans are passionate as any.  We are proud to represent UPS this weekend and hopefully we can deliver them a victory.”

The Sprint Cup Series points leader, Jimmie Johnson, will start the Quaker State 400 in third spot.  This is his ninth top-10 start in seventeen races this season.  Johnson, a five time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, has never been in Victory Lane at Kentucky.  He was asked when he goes to a track that he hasn’t won at before if that gives him something to really shoot at.  He said, “It gets me excited.  There’s five tracks left that I haven’t won at.  I think Stewart is down to two or three.  We don’t talk about it amongst Stewart, Gordon, or myself, but I think we all secretly would love to be the first to win at every track that we compete at.  I think Stewart is the closest right now.  I want to get closer.  I’ve been very close here.  I’ve been very close at Michigan.  I’ve been very close at Chicago.  So, I hope we can get one or two of them this year.  I would love to start here.”

Last week’s winner of the Toyota Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, Martin Truex Jr., will start the Quaker State 400 in nineteenth position.  Still pumped about last week’s win, Truex Jr. looks forward to the possibility of repeating that win.  When asked how the bumps impact racing at Kentucky, Truex Jr. commented, “The bumps, yes-it’s so rough.  So difficult with these cars to get them working.  We’re on bump stops…It’s very, very difficult –very hard on the crew chiefs.  I think it’s fun to drive on because you can move  around on the race track and it’s so line sensitive and you have to really focus and hit your marks…Definitely a cool place to race, for sure.  Very, very challenging obviously.  It’s a good place to race—I enjoy it.”

The green flag will fall on the Quaker State 400 Saturday night at 7:30 at Kentucky Speedway.

Chase hopefuls on the outside looking in

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SM Staff
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There are just ten races remaining before NASCAR enters it’s “playoff” season – the Chase for the Championship. After race No. 26, drivers that are in the top-10 in points are locked in and they are the drivers that are eligible to win the championship. There are also two wildcard spots available. Drivers who are in positions 11-20 are eligible for a wildcard. The criteria to earn a wildcard is based on wins. The two drivers with the most wins get the two spots, with their points being the tie-breaker.

This season has seen a very tight points battle between just inside the top-10 to 15th. These drivers are fighting hard to get inside or stay inside the top-10. They also need to score as many victories as possible to lock in a wildcard in case they miss the top-10.

There is also a fierce battle for drivers trying get into or stay inside the top-20. These drivers have two concerns. First, they must get inside the top-20, second they must have more wins than the drivers ahead of them in points.

Currently there are several drivers on the outside looking in, or just barely inside trying to stay in and secure a coveted spot in the Chase for the Championship.

Kyle Busch – Currently 8th in points, but only 16 points ahead of Kasey Kahne in 11th.

Plus – Kyle does have two wins which gives him some security.

Minus – Toyota has struggled with engine problems this season. They have sacrificed some       horsepower for durability.

Brad Keselowski – Currently 9th in points, just nine points ahead of 11th place.

Plus – Brad has ran well at times and as defending series champion, has experienced team.

Minus – The team changed to Ford this season and Ford’s, as a whole, have been a little lackluster. The team has also seemed to struggle to catch up after they were penalized for illegal rear end housings setups.

Martin Truex Jr. – Currently 10th in points, only 8 points ahead of 11th.

Plus – Martin is the series’ most recent winner and has confidence and momentum heading into crucial time of the season.

Minus – Team has struggled to “close the deal”.

Kasey Kahne – Currently 8 points outside the top-10 in 11th

Plus – Kahne has ran strong this season, has one win. Solid performer all season.

Minus – Has had some bad luck, recently blew tire while leading at Michigan. Needs to stay consistent

Paul Menard – Currently 12th in points, tied with 11th

Plus – Paul has shown promise. In midst of best season of career. Team confidence is high

Minus – Team has started strong in past, but faded during middle of season

Jeff Gordon – Currently 13th in points, 12 points out of 10th

Plus – Jeff has performed well at times

Minus – Does not have a win, and has been very inconsistent. Must find victory lane, must find confidence

Joey Logano – Currently 14th in points, 14 points out of 10th

Plus – Joey has ran stronger this season than any time in his career. Fitting in nicely at Penske Racing

Minus – Same as teammate – The team changed to Ford this season and Ford’s, as a whole, have been a little lackluster. The team has also seemed to struggle to catch up after they were penalized for illegal rear end housings setups.

Tony Stewart – Currently 15th points, 20 points out of 10th

Plus – Team has one win. Tony very experienced in championship battles. Gets support and equipment from Hendrick Motorsports. Has seemed to improve lately. Tony runs well at this time of season

Minus – Team has been wildly inconsistent. Struggled in many races

Kurt Busch – Currently 17th in points, 28 points out of 10th

Plus – Team has ran extremely well. Receives support and engines from Richard Childress Racing

Minus – Team seems to beat themselves. Constant battle to overcome small problems of their own creation.

 

Jamie McMurray – Currently 21st in points, 8 pints out of top-20

Plus – Team has improved recently and had strong runs.

Minus – Very inconsistent, needs wins badly, does not seem to be able to close the deal

Marcos Ambrose – Currently 22nd in points, 23 points out of top-20

Plus – Team seems to be showing improvement recently

Minus – Lack consistently. Missed best opportunity for a win at Sonoma. Must win to get in

The next ten races for each of these teams are crucial. They must find their problems, fix them and acquire all the pints they possibly can. We are in the closing moments and now is no time to fumble the ball and beat yourself. Discipline and performance will make or break their season. This is the time when true champions shine, and the cream rises to the top.

NASCAR has achieved the goals they desired when they created the Chase format and then enhanced it with the wildcard spots. There are many exciting points battles throughout the standings. At any time during a race there are several races within the race. Many times we come down to the last race of the regular season before we know who is in and who is out.

Busch and Keselowski Trying to “Cash-In” on their Previous Success at Kentucky

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SM Staff
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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, KY this weekend for races in all of NASCAR’S top three touring series.  Kentucky has hosted each of these series in past years beginning with the Camping World Truck Series in 2000 and most recently the Sprint Cup Series in 2011.

Saturday’s Sprint Cup Series race, the Quaker State 400, will be the third Sprint Cup Series race ever held in the Blue Grass State.  The Cup Series inaugural race at Kentucky Speedway was the 2011 Quaker State 400.  Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Kyle Busch, claimed victory of the historical event.

Success is no stranger to Busch at Kentucky.  He has experience racing at Kentucky Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and the ARCA Racing Series.  He has been to victory lane four times, once from each series.

When asked if he can put his finger on why he has been so good at Kentucky in all divisions, Busch said, “I can’t actually, but I can remember going there for the first time back in 2003 and it was my second-ever ARCA race and first time on a 1.5 mile oval.  It was a big deal, and it was a fast racetrack and I ended up winning that weekend.  I had to do some maneuvering around Frank Kimmel to win.  It wasn’t easy.  But since then, going there in Nationwide and being fast there every time, and going back to race when Sprint Cup didn’t have a date, yet, just getting your feet wet for when that opportunity came when Sprint Cup did go there.  When we went with the Cup car, we were fast right when we unloaded.  Dave Rogers was my crew chief and he had won there several times as a Nationwide crew chief prior to that and had a lot of notes to understand what it took to get around Kentucky, and we ended up winning the first Cup race there.”

Busch is running races in all three NASCAR divisions this weekend.  His No. 51 ToyotaCare Toyota had a third place finish in the Camping World Truck Series Thursday night, and he finished fifth in the Nationwide Series Feed the Children 300 on Friday night.  The Quaker State 400 will be Busch’s third race of the weekend.  He will be starting in fourth position Saturday night in his No. 18 Doublemint Toyota.

Last year’s winner of the Quaker State 400, Brad Keselowski, is also running all three NASCAR division races this weekend.  The weekend has proven to be successful for Keselowski thus far with the first two races already completed.  He earned a second place finish Thursday night in the Camping World Truck Series UNOH 225, and won the Nationwide Series Feed the Children 300 Friday night after the race was called for rain.  Keselowksi’s Miller Lite Ford will be starting the final race of the weekend in eighth position.

When asked why Kentucky fits him well, Keselowski responded, “I think one of the things I like about Kentucky is that it is one of the few tracks that I have always felt kind of heads up to the field.  I guess to elaborate on that, it is my fourth year in the Sprint Cup and in some ways it feels like I have been here forever and in some ways it feels like I haven’t.  When you go to tracks like Texas and Atlanta and places like that where there are a fair amount of drivers with more experience that I do, I always feel like I am that one little step behind.  Here at Kentucky there is no driver that has more experience than me.  We are on an even footing all the way.  In fact, if anything, I feel like I might be slightly up because I have a couple more Nationwide starts and so forth.  I think that leads to some of my comfort here.”

Being the first two drivers to win a Cup series race at Kentucky and being the only two drivers to enter all three races this weekend, Busch and Keselowski will have their final chance to “cash-in” on their previous success and extra track exposure Saturday night with the 2013 Quaker State 400.

 

Quaker State 400 Quick Facts Preview

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SM Staff
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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to the Blue Grass State this weekend for the seventeenth race of the 2013 points season, the Quaker State 400, held on Saturday June 29th at Kentucky Speedway.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series have had Kentucky on their race schedule since 2000 and 2001, respectively.

This weekend marks the Sprint Cup Series third race at this one and a half mile oval track.

Forty three cars will take the green Saturday night for the fourth night race so far this points season.

Driver of the No. 18 Doublemint Toyota, Kyle Busch, was the inaugural winner at Kentucky claiming victory of the 2011 Quaker State 400.

Busch has racing experience at Kentucky Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and the ARCA Racing Series.

Busch’s success at Kentucky includes one win in each of those stock car racing divisions.

In his two Cup Series starts at Kentucky, Busch has one victory and two top-10 finishes.  He holds the record for most laps led with 243 laps.

The runner up for most laps led, who also has one win and two top-10 finishes at Kentucky is Penske Racing driver, Brad Keselowski.

Keselowksi was winner of Friday night’s rain shortened Feed the Children 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

Other drivers that typically run well at Kentucky,   who are tied with Busch and Keselowski for most top-10 finishes are Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Matt Kenseth.

Along with his two top-10 finishes Johnson has led a total of 21 laps at Kentucky.

Drivers will take the green for the 2013 Quaker State 400 Saturday night at 7:30 pm at Kentucky Speedway.

Matty’s Picks 2013 – Vol. 14 Quaker State 400 – Kentucky Speedway – June 29, 2013

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SM Staff
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To the Bluegrass State we go this week for just the 3rd time in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history. Kentucky was the race which took away one of the two races at Atlanta Motor Speedway back in 2011. Kentucky is a relatively new track, unlike some of the storied tracks like Martinsville Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Daytona, and Bristol Motor Speedway, really a baby on the list of tracks. It’s 13 years old now and has hosted NASCAR events since 2001, mainly Nationwide and Truck series events, but this is one of just a few weekends where the trucks, Nationwide, and Cup guys are at the same place all in the same weekend. The track is located smack dab in the middle of Louisville and Cincinnati – about an hour away from each, located just off of I-71 in Sparta, Kentucky.

As far as the track itself, it might be the cookie-cutter of all cookie cutters. With just 14 degrees of banking in the corners, it’s the flattest of any of the 1.5 mile tri-ovals on the schedule. Both 400-mile races have produced a total of 10 cautions in the two years of races, so it’s not my favorite stop on the schedule, but it is a night race which always add a certain element of excitement for any race.

I had the opportunity to cover the inaugural Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway in 2011, and was impressed with everything but the parking situation at the track. It’s a fantastic facility and another one of Bruton Smith’s gems.

Sonoma Recap

I’m not sure how many folks had Martin Truex Jr. on their list of potential race winners last week at Sonoma, but what a shot in the arm that win was for Truex, the No. 56 team, and Michael Waltrip Racing as a whole. A 200+ race drought was snapped last week with Truex’s second career victory, and the win couldn’t come at a better time as we make the downturn towards Richmond in September. The win lifted Truex to 10th in points and with the Wild Card race heating up amongst guys like Brad Kesolowski, Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart – 4 of the big hitters on the tour – the win really boosts Truex’s chances of making the Chase in a couple months.

As for my picks, Juan ran out of gas after racing in the top 5 all day, and Jamie McMurray suffered a flat tire on lap 74 of 110 and finished 25th…the story of my season so far.

Kentucky Picks

Winner Pick
One can not go to Kentucky Speedway without looking at Kyle Busch as the true front-runner for the win on Saturday night. It was a tough week for Kyle at Sonoma last week, and he certainly had a lot to say about it on Twitter following the race last Sunday. I pulled out the popcorn for the entertainment Sunday night as folks poked the bear without knowing we were headed to the place where Kyle has led over 45% of the laps ever run, leads the series in average running position at 3.6, has set a series-high fast laps at 92, and also leads the series in Driver Rating at an incredible 133.0. Kyle has won in every major stock car series at Kentucky Speedway including the Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and the ARCA series, and will roll off 4th tonight when the green flag drops. He was fast in both practices as expected, and will be the guy to watch later this evening.

Dark Horse Pick

On Thursday, I picked Joey Logano as my dark horse guy this week, and it’s a pick which looks even better after the cars have hit the track and the starting grid has been set. Logano will start 11th tonight at Kentucky, and was in the top 20 in both practice sessions earlier in the day on Friday. He’s a solid sleeper pick this week because of his three-straight NASCAR Nationwide Series Victories from 2008 to 2010, and has put himself in position for a solid finish by starting tonight’s Quaker State 400 just outside the Top-10.

That’s all for this week, so until we put the plates on for the 3rd time this season…..You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

Allmendinger comments on changes at JTG/Daugherty

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SM Staff
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JTG/Daugherty Racing recently made a temporary change that was unpopular in the eyes of fans. Removing former Sprint Cup Series champion, Bobby Labonte, in favor AJ Allmendinger. The move was intended to gain a new perspective on the team’s lack of performance.

Even though the team was adamant about the fact that, at least for this season, Labonte is their driver and no permanent changes were taking place at this time, fans still criticized the move. Probably the biggest cause of fans outrage was the fact that Labonte’s consecutive start streak would come to an end at Kentucky. It is noteworthy that Labonte said he had received offers from teams to start the race and keep the streak alive, but Labonte turned those offers down.

Fortunately, for Allmendinger, none of the anger seemed to be directed toward him. Allmendinger has faced plenty of adversity in the past year. Adversity that was ignited when he was suspended by NASCAR for violation of the organizations substance abuse policy. He was then subsequently fired from Penske Racing, where he drove the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Dodge.

Allmendinger completed all procedures required of him by NASCAR, and has made a strong comeback into the sport. He capped off that comeback recently with a win in the Nationwide Series at Road America, again driving for Roger Penske. He also drove to a very respectable 7th place finish in the Indy 500 for the famed team owner.

Allmendinger commented on the situation Friday at Kentucky Speedway where he will make hie second start in the No.47 for the JTG/Daugherty team saying, “In this situation, if I’m saying the same thing Bobby is, and in a way I kind of am, you know that only helps what he’s been saying.” “A race car driver as a whole hates it, but you it can play where it helps the team, it helps the other person, it helps me, so I guess what makes it tough obviously, is Bobby’s role in NASCAR the last several years has been huge for this sport.” He continued, “All I can do is go out there and do my best job possible, I understand the people who aren’t happy with it, at the same point, I can’t control that, I can just control myself and just like life I try to live day to day.”

It seems that Allmendinger’s input has helped. In his first race with the team at Michigan he finished 19th, which tied for the second best finish of the season, Labonte scored a 19th place finish at Richmond. Only one time this season has the team had a better finish, a 15th place at Daytona in the season opener.

Allmendinger backed up the Michigan run by turning in the best qualifying effort of the season for the team at Kentucky. The team will take the green in 17th on Saturday night in the Quaker State 400. It is the first time the team will start better than 20th all year. The week after Michigan, Labonte was back in the car at Sonoma. He qualified 20th for that race, an effort he has only equaled one other time this season.

The impressive results are vindication for team owner Brad Daugherty, who has been accused of attempting to ruin Bobby’s career. The improvements shown after only two races indicate Daugherty made the right decision for his team.

It will be interesting to watch this team going forward. Hopefully, Labonte, who is a great ambassador for the sport, will reap the benefits of these tough business decisions.

The O’Hara Factor: Picking the Winner at Kentucky

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SM Staff
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Last weekend was a great weekend for the sport as Martin Truex Jr. snapped a 218-race winless streak that dated back to the Autism Speaks 400 at the Dover International Speedway in 2007. Truex’s first-career win was overshadowed partially due to the passing of Bill France Jr. earlier in the day. Truex and his #56 NAPA Toyota team have come so close to winning so many times since his then sole victory, but the team had just been unable to close the deal, until last Sunday. I don’t think there was a single writer out there that thought Truex was going to win the race. Truex will take this opportunity to put together some form of consistent run and hopefully more victories for Michael Waltrip Racing. It was good to see a genuine man and hard-working individual finally get the monkey off his back.

We have only run a total of 2 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events here at the Kentucky Speedway, but thus far it appears that the drivers that drove here at the Nationwide Series level had an advantage over the cup regulars. For example, Kyle Busch has led the most laps in each of the two events. He led 125 in the inaugural on his way to the victory, and led 118 last season, but he wound up finishing 10th. Will Kyle Busch be a threat? I think he will, but the only thing that has derailed Kyle Busch from a Sprint Cup Series championship thus far is himself. Unfortunately, Kyle Busch is still not mature enough at this point to be a champion from my vantage point. His tweets last weekend clearly showed immaturity and a blurred focus. Kyle should be focused on making next weekend a better one after a disappointment. Team morale is very delicate. You mess up once in your career and you may never have the chance to regain that back. This is Busch’s last chance. He blew it with Hendrick Motorsports after leaving his team at the track following a wreck at Texas. While his crew was ready to get Busch back in the race car to earn some valuable points, Busch was already heading home. Dale Earnhardt Jr. then served as a relief driver and later would replace Kyle Busch at Hendrick Motorsports.

Many people will say that Hendrick made a mistake in taking Earnhardt Jr. over Busch if you compare their numbers since 2008, but there is no question who is easier to deal with, and that is Dale Earnhardt Jr. It’s like having a great player on a hockey team, but he is not a team player and he instead is causing conflict within the team. You’re out. That was what caused Busch to lose his ride with Hendrick Motorsports. I expect Kyle to lead a lot of laps tomorrow evening, but there are many other drivers who are hungry for a win.

Brad Keselowski is coming off a rain-shortened Nationwide Series victory on Friday evening, but has not been faring too well as of late on the Sprint Cup Series end. He started off with four consecutive top 10 finishes, including two top three’s, but he has struggled since. This will be a great opportunity for Keselowski to break out of his mini-slump and put the #2 Miller Lite boys back in championship contention and potentially a better seed when it comes down to the chase at Richmond. Keselowski will get a solid Top 10 finish.

I know we always cling to our belief that he will eventually break through, but Jeff Gordon is certainly due and hungry for a victory. He rallied to finish second after a penalty at Sonoma. That is vintage Jeff Gordon right there. He’s been strong in practice all weekend and as we saw in the Nationwide Series event this evening, we saw a lot of green racing out there. I believe Gordon has the long-run car to take the #24 into victory circle, but never leave out his driver, Jimmie Johnson. He hasn’t won here either and he is always hungry for a win especially after seeing his points lead lose considerable chunks the past few weekends. Who are you picking tomorrow?

Keselowski wins at Kentucky

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SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Kala Perkins

Brad Keselowski won the 13th Annual Feed The Children 300, his 22nd victory in 197 NASCAR Nationwide Series races. This is his second victory and fourth top-10 finish in 2013.  Elliott Sadler, Matt Crafton, Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch rounded out the top 5.

Austin Dillon started on the pole for the fifth time this year. He lead the first 18 laps until Busch got up to the bumper of Dillon and took the top spot . By lap 41, Busch lapped all the way up to Brian Scott who was running 19th.

Green flag pit stops occurred on lap 50 with Dillon and Busch coming in giving the lead to Hornish Jr. Right when the leaders were in the middle of green flag stops, caution waved when the 87 of Joe Nemechek. He went to the garage. Crafton, Trevor Bayne, Travis Pastrana, Busch, Michael Annett, and Kevin Swindell were the only cars on the lead lap and everybody except for Busch, did not pit . Annett was too fast exiting and will go to the back of the line for the restart.

They restarted on lap 60 and Busch continued to lead with Crafton and Bayne battling for third with Hornish. Bayne fell all the way down to 8th with Keselowski moving up to 3rd. Keselowski moved up to 2nd and by Lap 90, he was up to the bumper of Busch and was battling for the lead. He got to his door and looked like he was going to make the pass but he got loose and gave the position back to the 54. They got to some lap traffic and that made the 22 get up to the back bumper of the 54 again and was battling for the lead in 3 and 4. Right at the halfway point, Keselowski took the lead and took off! He had a 0.724 second lead over Busch after passing him one lap before halfway. Pastrana also had a nice night as he started second and was sixth with 97 to go.

Regan Smith came into to pit to start green flag pit stops and had to come back to pit road. He told his crew chief that he was afraid something broke on the car. Something did break and he had to go to the garage. Keselowski came in with 87 laps to go along with Crafton and was very happy with his car. Crafton ran out of fuel coming to pit road so he had a fairly long stop. Keselowski is in the lead, but not backing down. He’s in the middle of a three-wide group with Swindell and Parker Kligerman. Swindell is now a lap down. Right when the #7 of Smith came back from the garage area, the caution flag waved for debris on the backstretch. All of the leaders stayed out since just coming into to pit road little bit ago.

They went back to green with 72 to go with Keselowski leading the field to the green. Sadler and Dillon got passed Busch but Busch passed Dillon right back.  Caution came out right then with the #5 of Brad Sweet spinning coming onto the backstretch to cause the caution.

They went back to green with 54 laps to go and Busch was on a mission. Keselowski was in the lead easily with Dillon and Sadler, Busch and Hornish battling for position. couple laps later, the caution waved for #74 of Carl Long spinning on the front stretch. Everybody came in and everybody chose something different. Crafton took no tires, Sadler took two tires and will restart 2nd. Busch will restart 13th. Busch would make up 5 spots within three laps and Keselowski would pass Sadler for the lead.

Caution came out with 36 laps to go for Rain and Keselowski was in the lead. It looked like it was going to go back to green but it was called.

Brad Keselowski wins rain shortened Feed The Children 300

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Kala Perkins

Brad Keselowski led 59 laps en-route to victory in a rain shortened Feed The Children 300 at Kentucky Motor Speedway. The light rains came on lap 170, just 30 laps shy of the end. Within thirty minutes of NASCAR calling the race, the skies opened up, and heavy rains with wind and lightning began. NASCAR definitely made the right call ending the race when they did.

Keselowski who started 19th in his Discount Tire Ford Mustang methodically worked his way through the field and waged a fantastic battle with Kyle Busch near the mid-point of the race. The win gave the 29 year old defending Sprint Cup Series champion his second victory and fourth top-5 of the season. It was also his second victory at the Kentucky Motor Speedway. Keselowski pointed out after the race, “I don’t see any difference in the track tomorrow. I think you will see the same – very similar racing whether it is Nationwide or Cup.”

Busch has dominated the Nationwide Series this season scoring six wins, ten top-5’s in eleven starts. Busch looked to be on cruise control early on the event, pulling out over a three second lead. When asked about how his car handled today, Busch replied, “A couple of runs ago we started getting tight, but the guys here have done a stellar job today being able to give me a race car capable of running up front the way we have.” Busch ended up fifth at the end of the day.

Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Elliott Sadler, who has had an up and down season, scored a much needed second place finish. Sadler was also the first driver to become eligible for the Dash 4 Cash promotion announced at the speedway earlier in the day. Today’s finish was Sadler’s ninth top-10 finish of the season.

Sadler’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Brian Vickers was not talked about much during the race, but managed a fourth place finish which made him eligible for the Dash 4 Cash as well. It also gave JGR three cars in the top five.

Camping World Truck Series driver, Matt Crafton, made an impressive debut in his first Nationwide Series start. Crafton, driving the Richard Childress Racing Menards Chevrolet, ran near the front for the whole race and led eight laps. A 25 second green flag stop due to running out of gas as he entered pit road put him behind, but he managed to work his way back to the front and scored a very respectable third place finish. Crafton will drive the No. 33 two more times this season, again at Kentucky and at Chicago

Austin Dillon who was heavily favored coming into this weekend, started on the pole with a fast lap of 175.758 mph over two full mph over Travis Pastrana who started second. Dillon jumped out to an early lead was tracked down by Busch. Dillon wound up sixth at the end of the day.

Series points leader Regan Smith ran in the top-10 all day, but a broken suspension part sent him behind the wall. He came back out on the track 17 laps down. Smith ended up a disappointing 30th after a 32nd place finish after last week at Road America. Smith’s points lead dropped from a series record (under the new points system) 58 to a mere eight points over Sam Hornish Jr who finished ninth, and just a mere three more points back to Justin Allgaier who finished 13th.

The series’ next stop will be the Subway Firecracker 250 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday July 5.

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