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Busch wins the NNS Jeff Foxworthy’s Grit Chips 300 at Bristol

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: David Scearce

Kyle Busch won the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) Jeff Foxworthy’s Grit Chips 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway in what was a thrilling end to a great race. Busch beat Kyle Larson by .023 seconds.

Larson finished second, Brian Vickers third, Sam Hornish Jr. fourth and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top-5.

Allgaier led the field to the green flag and led the first lap at the Bullring of Bristol. Jeff Green was the first start and park when he took his No.10 car to the garage. Dillon and Keselowski made contact with each other but both continued on the race track.  On lap 24, Allgaier was approaching lap traffic and the No.7 of Smith caught up to him but could not complete the pass.

The first caution waved on lap 27 when the No.55 of Jamie Dick spun it and did a 360 but was okay and drove away. They went back to green on lap 31 with Allgaier continuing to lead.

The second caution waved on lap 60 when the No.5 of Brad Sweet spun it out on the backstretch. Sweet has had a tough weekend as he had a huge wreck with Joey Gase in practice and had to go to a backup car. Pit stops occurred for the first time this afternoon with all of the leaders coming in. The unique thing is, at Bristol, there is half of the pit road on the front stretch and half of the pit road on the back stretch. Bayne and Brian Scott only took 2 tires and will lead them to the green flag.

Green Flag was waved and Bayne led them around the track. Bayne led for eight laps before he got pressured by Busch for the top spot. Elliott Sadler was not having a good day and he got lapped on lap 75 telling his crew “That it will not run good and continued to fall back and on lap 88, he went to the garage after getting black flagged by NASCAR.

The third caution waved on lap 107 when the No.55 of Dick got spun by Vickers and then Nelson Piquet Jr had no room to go and t-boned into Dick’s car.  Busch, Keselowski and Smith stay out while Harvick and Bayne come in so it will be interesting to see what will happen.

They restarted on lap 118 with Busch leading  but was only 5 laps till the next caution coming out when the No.51 of Jeremy Clements slapped the wall in turn 2, sending debris down on the track. None of the leaders came in to pit.

Lap 130 they restarted and Busch continued to lead in the KBM Monster Energy ride but had to hold off the Discount tire car of Keselowski.

Lap 164 was when the yellow waved again for a big wreck in turn 1. The 70 of Brad Teague got into the No.44 of Hal Martin and collected Jeffery Earnhardt and Austin Dillon. Reed Sorenson also had some damage. All of the leaders came in and Keselowski led the field off of pit road. Allgaier was too fast exiting and had to go to the back of the field for the restart.

They restarted the race and Smith and Keselowski were battling it out for the lead. That did not last long as the caution came out once again for debris.

The restart came on lap 183 with Smith,Keselowski and Harvick all battling for the lead. Smith and Keselowski were battling and caught a lap car and bumped fenders and Smith feel back to 4th. Keselowski was battling a tire rub and it finally blew out on the backstretch and Harvick over took the lead. Keselowski came to pit road to repair the car and the caution came out for debris the following lap.

The green waved with 100 to go and Harvick cleared Busch as he was battling Hornish Jr for second. Busch finally cleared him and set his sights on the No.33.  Busch finally got to his bumper with 67 to go but could not finish the pass. Busch then tried the low side but could not work.  They finally got into lap traffic and were really close in couple of turns but they both raced safely and Busch took the lead with 58 to go. Larson was getting faster and faster each lap and finally got to the leaders and were 3 wide battling for the lead when the lap car of Robert Richardson JR got in the way and Larson bumped into him. Larson got little damage but it will not hurt him and he will be alright.

The caution waved for the 8th time when the No.00 of Jason White blew a tire. Nobody came in except for Harvick, who was 2nd, and Smith. It will be Busch vs Larson on the restart.

Restarted the race with 27 to go and Busch kept the lead. Larson tried to get Busch loose but held his car off of the No.54 and let him go. Harvick, who came in to pit road during the caution, has made up three positions since the restart.

Larson ran the fastest lap of the race with seven to go and was on Busch’s bumper with six to go. Larson got to the corner of Busch’s car but did not wreck him on the final lap and Busch won it by .023 seconds!

Unofficial Race Results
Grit Chips 300, Bristol Motor Speedway
http://www.speedwaymedia.com/n2s/race.php?race=4
=========================================
Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
=========================================
1 13 54 Kyle Busch(i) Toyota 0
2 12 32 Kyle Larson # Chevrolet 42
3 14 20 Brian Vickers Toyota 41
4 3 12 Sam Hornish Jr. Ford 40
5 7 33 Kevin Harvick(i) Chevrolet 0
6 4 7 Regan Smith Chevrolet 38
7 11 16 Chris Buescher Ford 37
8 1 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 37
9 16 77 Parker Kligerman Toyota 35
10 8 2 Brian Scott Chevrolet 34
11 2 3 Austin Dillon Chevrolet 33
12 10 6 Trevor Bayne Ford 33
13 9 19 Mike Bliss Toyota 31
14 15 99 Alex Bowman # Toyota 30
15 6 22 Brad Keselowski(i) Ford 0
16 18 60 Travis Pastrana Ford 28
17 34 25 John Wes Townley(i) Toyota 0
18 17 43 Reed Sorenson Ford 26
19 26 40 Josh Wise Chevrolet 25
20 29 15 Scott Riggs(i) Ford 0
21 24 14 Eric McClure Toyota 23
22 27 5 Brad Sweet Chevrolet 22
23 33 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 21
24 20 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 20
25 39 24 Blake Koch Toyota 19
26 31 92 Dexter Stacey # Ford 18
27 37 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Chevrolet 17
28 36 74 Mike Harmon Chevrolet 16
29 38 70 Brad Teague Toyota 15
30 35 0 Jason White Toyota 14
31 25 44 Hal Martin # Toyota 13
32 30 79 Jeffrey Earnhardt # Ford 12
33 22 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 11
34 19 30 Nelson Piquet Jr. # Chevrolet 10
35 32 55 Jamie Dick Chevrolet 9
36 5 11 Elliott Sadler Toyota 8
37 28 10 Jeff Green Toyota 7
38 21 42 JJ Yeley(i) Chevrolet 0
39 23 46 Chase Miller Chevrolet 5
40 40 27 Michael McDowell(i) Toyota 0

Lap by Lap: Jeff Foxworthy’s Grit Chips 300 won by Kyle Busch

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: David Scearce

Ducking through lap traffic, taking any line they could to get to the line and bumping along the way, Kyle Busch would beat Kyle Larson to the line by 0.023 seconds. It marks Busch’s second Nationwide Series victory of 2013.

 

Green flag – Allgaier clears Dillon on the outside as pole sitter through turns one and two

Lap 2 Allgaier leads Dillon and Smith. Nemechek gets shot up, scrapes wall and continues.

Lap 4 Smith passes Dillon for second

Lap 15 Allgaier leads Smith Dillon Keselowski and Harvick

Lap 25 Allgaier leads Smith Keselowski

Caution lap 26 Jamie Dick spins. Brad Sweets get the free pass. Leaders stay out.

Restart lap 33 Allgaier once again pulls ahead, leaving Smith to battle for second with Harvick.

Lap 34 Harvick passes Smith for second.

Lap 38 Allgaier leads Harvick Smith Keselowski…..Sadler gets shuffled out of the groove, gets into the wall. No caution.

Lap 41 Allgaier leads Harvick Smith Keselowski Ky Busch Hornish Dillon Scott Bayne and Larson

Caution. Lap 60. Brad Sweet goes for a spin. Been a tough weekend for the young driver. Suffered a hard wreck in practice. Leaders head down pit road for pit stops. Bayne leads Scott Allgaier Ky Busch off pit road. They took two tires.

Restart lap 66 Bayne leads while Scott and Ky Busch battle for second. Sadler loses multiple spots with mechanical issues.

Lap 71 Bayne leads Ky Busch Scott Smith Harvick Keselowski Allgaier Hornish Larson and Vickers

Lap 73 Ky Busch alongside Bayne for the lead.

Lap 76 Larson, Vickers, Sorenson, Dillon all pass Hornish for position while Ky Busch uses the lap car of Brad Teague as a pick to take the lead past Bayne

Lap 84 Keselowski passes Scott, Harvick and Smith

Lap 85 Ky Busch leads Keselowski Bayne Scott Smith Harvick Larson Allgaier Dillon and Vickers. Sadler to pit road with motor problems.

Caution Lap 106 Jamie Dick and Nelson Piquet Jr. wreck hard on the front stretch. Looks like Vickers gave Dick a tap coming up off of turn four. Dick was a lap car. Top two stay out with some of the other leaders. Kevin Harvick was the first person (3rd) to pit.

Restart lap 119 Ky Busch holds the lead.

Lap 122 Jeremy Clements gets into the wall.

Caution lap 123 debris from Clements brings out caution.

Restart lap 129 Ky busch drives out ahead of the field, leading Keselowski

Lap 131 Ky Busch leads Keselowski Harvick Dillon Allgaier

Lap 134 Ky Busch leads Keselowski Harvick Dillon Allgaier Smith Hornish Bayne Vickers Larson….Keselowski has caught up to Kusch’s rear bumper

Lap 137 Dillon gets loose through the corners, falls back to sixth as he is passed by Allgaier and Smith

Lap 142 Vickers and Larson pass Bayne

Lap 143 Hornish passes Dillon for sixth

Lap 148 Ky Busch leads Keselowski Allgaier Harvick Smith Hornish Dillon Vickers Larson Bayne

Halfway.

Lap 160 Caution Sorenson, Dillon, Jeffery Earnhardt, Hal Martin – Martin spins across the track after going across Teague’s nose, comes up across the track and collects the rest. Martin expresses his displeasure with Teague, showing a clapping motion. Martin slid up across Teague’s nose, wasn’t quite clear. Martin was on lead lap. Teague is eight laps down. Leaders head down pit road. Keselowski leads Ky Busch Harvick Allgaier off pit road. Allgaier suffers a penalty for being too fast on pit road, has to restart at the tail end.

Restart lap 172 Keselowski and Busch side-by-side for the lead.

Lap 173 Keselowski leads as Busch fights for second with Smith.

Lap 174 Keselowski leads Smith Busch and Harvick

Lap 177 Keselowski and Smith battle for the lead side by side….Caution for debris. Leader determined to be Keselowski by last scoring loop. Keselowski leads Smith Busch and Harvick. Austin Dillon gets the lucky dog. He made an extra pit stop the last time to work on the front end after earlier damage. Both Keselowski and Harvick hit the piece of debris – sway bar arm.

Restart lap 184 Keselowski and Smith side-by-side for the lead.

Lap 185 keselowski with the slight advantage at the line as Harvick looks for second past Smith.

Lap 189 Smith gets loose under Keselowski, saves it and falls back to fourth. Keselowski has a tire rub. Keselowski leads Harvick Busch while Hornish and Smith battle for fourth.

Lap 193 Keselowski leads Harvick

Lap 194 Keselowski blows the tire, gets into the wall and bounces off Harvick. Harv leads Ky Busch and Smith

Lap 195 Caution for debris.

Restart 100 to go Harvick grabs the lead ahead of Busch

94 to go Harvick leads Ky Busch Hornish Larson Smith Vickers Scott Allgaier Buescher Bayne

76 laps to go Harvick leads Ky Busch Larson Hornish Smith Vickers Scott Allgaier Buescher Bayne

68 laps to go Harvick and Ky Busch are side-by-side for the lead. Harvick stays ahead of Ky Busch.

62 laps to go Ky Busch gets by Harvick for the lead through lap traffic

60 laps to go Ky Busch leads Harvick Larson Hornish Smith Vickers Allgaier Scott Buescher Kligerman

45 laps to go Ky Busch, Harvick and Larson find themselves in the midst of a three-way battle for the lead. Larson made slight contact with a lap car, continues on.

39 to go Ky Busch leads Harvick Larson Hornish Smith Vickers Allgaier Scott Buescher Kligerman

Caution 35 to go Jason White up against the tire after a flat tire. Ky Busch stays out, Harvick pits. Harvick says he’s terrible on the bottom and felt right to pit as he would restart there. Smith and Harvick to pit road, the rest stay out.

28 to go .. KyBusch Larson Hornish Vickers Allgaier Scott Kligerman Harvick Smith CBuescher Dillon Bliss Bowman.

Restart 27 to go Larson and Busch side-by-side for the lead. Busch clears him off of turn four, Larson second.

23 laps to go Harvick passes Hornish for fifth. Ky Busch leads Larson Vickers Scott Harvick Hornish Allgaier Smith Buescher Kligerman

13 laps to go Harvick and Scott both get up by the wall. Hornish passes them both.

10 laps to go Smith passes Allgaier

Lap cars ahead, Busch takes bottom, Larson takes top…..Busch wins by inches as they bump across the line

Ky Busch. Larson. Vickers. Hornish. Harvick. Smith. Buescher. Kligerman. Allgaier. Scott.

Unofficial Race Results
Grit Chips 300, Bristol Motor Speedway
http://www.speedwaymedia.com/n2s/race.php?race=4
=========================================
Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
=========================================
1 13 54 Kyle Busch(i) Toyota 0
2 12 32 Kyle Larson # Chevrolet 42
3 14 20 Brian Vickers Toyota 41
4 3 12 Sam Hornish Jr. Ford 40
5 7 33 Kevin Harvick(i) Chevrolet 0
6 4 7 Regan Smith Chevrolet 38
7 11 16 Chris Buescher Ford 37
8 1 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 37
9 16 77 Parker Kligerman Toyota 35
10 8 2 Brian Scott Chevrolet 34
11 2 3 Austin Dillon Chevrolet 33
12 10 6 Trevor Bayne Ford 33
13 9 19 Mike Bliss Toyota 31
14 15 99 Alex Bowman # Toyota 30
15 6 22 Brad Keselowski(i) Ford 0
16 18 60 Travis Pastrana Ford 28
17 34 25 John Wes Townley(i) Toyota 0
18 17 43 Reed Sorenson Ford 26
19 26 40 Josh Wise Chevrolet 25
20 29 15 Scott Riggs(i) Ford 0
21 24 14 Eric McClure Toyota 23
22 27 5 Brad Sweet Chevrolet 22
23 33 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 21
24 20 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 20
25 39 24 Blake Koch Toyota 19
26 31 92 Dexter Stacey # Ford 18
27 37 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Chevrolet 17
28 36 74 Mike Harmon Chevrolet 16
29 38 70 Brad Teague Toyota 15
30 35 0 Jason White Toyota 14
31 25 44 Hal Martin # Toyota 13
32 30 79 Jeffrey Earnhardt # Ford 12
33 22 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 11
34 19 30 Nelson Piquet Jr. # Chevrolet 10
35 32 55 Jamie Dick Chevrolet 9
36 5 11 Elliott Sadler Toyota 8
37 28 10 Jeff Green Toyota 7
38 21 42 JJ Yeley(i) Chevrolet 0
39 23 46 Chase Miller Chevrolet 5
40 40 27 Michael McDowell(i) Toyota 0

Ford Bristol Nationwide Quotes

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SM Archive
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Young Buescher Leads Roush Fenway Effort at Bristol

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SM Archive
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Keselowski eager to get back to Victory Lane at Bristol

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: David Scearce

For defending race and Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski, this weekend’s action at the Bristol Motor Speedway arrives at just the right time.

Sitting second in points behind old foe Jimmie Johnson, it’s Keselowski who is the only driver to start the season with three consecutive top five finishes. But, it’s the missed opportunities that have Keselowski chomping at the bit. It’s time to get a win, says the champ, and there’s no perfect place to do it.

“It’s really good. I think our practice session proved that we have the speed to hopefully not let this one get away,” he said early Saturday morning about the race this weekend.

“It didn’t show up well as we would have liked in qualifying, but I guess that’s just par the course for us. If they would have had qualifying last week at Vegas, I think we would have been 30th, so it felt really good to not have to go through that last week. This week, to come out here with a solid qualifying effort lends itself to us having a great race.”

He was fastest in the first practice session Friday then qualified seventh for Sunday’s race, which he won last year. It was the second of three BMS races that Keselowski had won. And it’s winning that has him so upset, or the lack thereof, even though he’s off the hottest start of his career.

Following last Sunday’s race in Las Vegas where he finished third, he revealed he’d probably go home and punch something, he wanted to win that badly and it just wasn’t happening. It was a ‘what if’ scenario in the Daytona 500 because he believes had the caution flown one second earlier or one second later, he would have won the race.

Coming off a 2012 season in which he won five races and his first championship, Keselowski knows what success feels like and expects to duplicate it every week.

“I just really love coming here. I love what this track stands for and I love how it races,” Keselowski said. “I think embracing that challenge is part of our success.”

For Keselowski to have success Sunday he believes it’ll have to come from the bottom groove. Temperatures and the new car have the tires reacting differently than they did last season, meaning it might become a one-groove track again, leading to the old bump-and-run style racing.

Or at least, a race that is unpredictable. A new car leads to unpredictability, changes in the track surface lead to unpredictability and unpredictability says Keselowski, can lead to drivers making mistakes and a race that has a lot of action. Which above all else, is something everyone can agree they enjoy.

Bristol is enjoyable, but also demanding. Keselowski relates it to play Tetris except if he screws up, he’ll be hit in the head with a hammer. It’s mental and physical and for drivers, including Keselowski, once one piece gets figured out it’s onto the next one and the next one. But it all happens so fast and Keselowski thrives on that challenge. And his recent success at the track gives Keselowski the confidence to run well, something that’s just as important in the bullring as a tough bumper.

“I like how it’s an in your face track, where if you just ride around here, you wreck,” he said. “If you get too aggressive, you wreck. If you try to fall somewhere in-between, you just have a bad day, so that mental challenge – the window is so small – and I love that about it.”

Gen-6 Cars Break 10 Year Old Qualifying Record at World’s Fastest Half-Mile

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: David Scearce

The Gen-6 program, NASCAR’s most comprehensive overhaul since 2007, took a giant step toward meeting program goals on Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway. The goals of the Generation 6 program were “to re-establish brand identity among automotive manufacturers, and to provide competitive upgrades in an effort to improve competition in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series.”

Only three races into the points season NASCAR fans are seeing faster, more competitive cars. This was highly evident on Friday at the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile”. Three drivers broke the qualifying record, set by Ryan Newman in 2003, with Kyle Busch winning the pole with a record lap of 129.535 mph. Kasey Kahne and Denny Hamlin followed Busch in breaking Ryan Newman’s previous record of 128.709 mph.

Less than two weeks ago at Phoenix International Raceway, after NASCAR fined Denny Hamlin $25,000 for his comments comparing the Gen-6 car to the Generation 5 “Cars of Tomorrow,” the performance of the Gen-6 cars became a hot topic of conversation.

Busch’s record breaking qualifying lap at Bristol Motor Speedway shows drivers, NASCAR officials, and fans alike that the Gen-6 cars have just begun to reveal how they are capable of improving competition in the Sprint Cup Series.

Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway will provide more evidence as the Gen-6 cars compete at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile”.

Gen-6 car gets an “A” in early results at Bristol

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: David Scearce

In spring of 2007 at Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR held the first race for the brand new Gen-5 or “COT” race car as it was known as then.  Jeff Gordon sat on the pole that day with a speed of 125.453 mph. Kyle Busch won that first “COT” race and has went on to win four more races at the famed half mile. When Busch got out of the car that day in victory lane, he said in genuine Kyle Busch fashion, that the car “sucked!”

Earlier this season at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR began using the Gen-6 race car; this weekend’s race at Bristol marks the first race with the new car on a short track. The new Gen-6 car is obviously more to Busch’s liking. After his qualifying run today, Busch said “I like driving it.”

In 2007, he qualified 20th, today he not only sat on his first pole at Bristol, he did so in dramatic fashion breaking the track qualifying record of 128.709 mph previously held by Ryan Newman. Newman’s record had been in place since 2003. Three drivers, Busch, Kasey Kahne and Denny Hamlin, broke the old record, with a total of nine breaking the 15 second barrier.

It should also be noted that three of the top four cars were Toyota. Positive results as these are a welcome sign of relief for TRD.

Most drivers were pleased with how the car drove today, with Busch saying they could probably go into the low 14’s with the right tire. Though there have been a few hurdles to overcome in the first few weeks, it seems as if the teams are starting to get this new car figured out.

Last week at Las Vegas the number of quality passes had increased by approximately 40%. If today’s qualifying results and last week’s success at Vegas are any indicator, this weekend’s Food City 500 could be a fantastic race.

Ford Bristol Saturday (Keselowski Q&A)

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SM Archive
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Going Home to Bristol

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Matt LaFlair

Going to Bristol last August, hugely changed my perspective of that track and why fans love the Bristol Motor Speedway so much. Bristol isn’t just a race track, it’s a community. A community of fans and staff who love racing just as much as the fans do that travel from all over the world to the World’s Fastest Half Mile. Bristol doesn’t feature your typical track experience, it’s much more. After going to Bristol, I will forever watch the races at the track differently in the best way possible. Everyone will return home to the Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend.

Bristol is not just located in the Tennessee Hills, its located ON a Tennessee hill. Going to tracks like Daytona you can just walk on the flat pavement to the track. When you go to Bristol, you have to walk up a hill to get to the track. Not just a little hill but, a pretty big hill that has a pretty steep slope. The hill Bristol is on makes that track unique and it makes the Bristol experience even cooler. What other sporting venues can you say you had to walk up a hill to actually get to the venue? None come to mind for me and that makes Bristol one special place.

All NASCAR tracks are special because they usually are in the coolest towns in the U.S. Bristol, Tennessee (and Virginia) is one of the nicest and best racing-environments in the country. The people who live in the town are extremely kind and they love their racing. Walking into a restaurant along State Street in Bristol made me feel like I was at home. There was no indication whatsoever that made me feel like a visitor, I felt like one of the locals. That feeling is one of the best feelings in the world. Bristol made me feel like I was at home and never before have I felt like that at a race track.

NASCAR fans are the greatest in sports and time and time again is that statement reiterated. No one in the grandstands at Bristol was a stranger. Everyone talked with each other and no one was afraid to walk up to someone and talk racin’. The environment that that creates is unbeatable and only one place in the world can you find it, at the race track. Bristol is no different and the fan environment there could even be considered the best in NASCAR. Getting to talk with everyone about racing makes you feel at home. Feeling at home was special for me since I was far from home, close to 800 miles away. Bristol by far brings in the best fans in NASCAR and that creates some pretty special things in the small-town of Bristol, Tennessee.

Bristol is such a special place and everything about that track and town makes it that way. After going to Bristol, I will never be able to watch a race there the same way. While watching the race, I will be thinking outside the track. Thinking about the amazing town that the track is located in as well as thinking about all of the incredible memories I made at my home away from home last August.  While NASCAR returns to the Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend, I will not be there but, my heart will surely be there and it will relive the most amazing race weekend I have ever experienced. NASCAR will be going home to Bristol this weekend and everyone there will surely feel at home due to the amazing job the town of Bristol does on putting on a great fan experience. The banner Bristol hangs at the track surely is the most correct thing I have ever read, it reads “Welcome Home.”

Four Drivers That Need to Have a Good Weekend in Tulare

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SM Staff
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4. David Gravel: David has done a fantastic job replacing the injured Bill Rose during his recovery time. David has qualified for all three features in the events he’s raced without having to use a provisional.  He has finishes of 4th, 8th and 13th for Bill Rose Racing and another strong run tonight will go a long way in proving his talent to future car owners.

3. Craig Dollansky: Last season’s runner up is off to a bit of a slow start in 2013. Craig has yet to score a victory or a top-5 finish and has dropped to 9th in the standings, already 100 points back. With the tough competition the 2013 field of drivers provide, it’s a tough road back to the top after a slow start.

2. Cody Darrah: Bad luck has hindered the results of the No.4 car so far. Sitting back in 11th spot in the points, it’s time for Darrah to pick it up. He joined KKR in 2010 and has driven for the team full time since 2011. A highly touted prospect, Darrah has shown flashes of brilliance but has been generally inconsistent. Already over 100 points off the lead, the No.4 team needs a good weekend in Tulare.

1. Steve Kinser: The 20- time champion has been almost non-existent so far in 2013. Steve has only one top-10 finish in eight starts. The Tony Stewart Racing No.11 machine ranks dead last in team points after Tucson and desperately needs a good run at the Thunderbowl. Already 150 points back of leader Daryn Pittman. Steve has two full events worth of points to make up, and he’d better start clawing back soon or it may be too late for the King of the Outlaws.

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