Lap by Lap: 5-Hour Energy 200 won by Joey Logano
After taking two tires on a late race pit stop, Joey Logano would lead the final laps to win his third straight race at Dover International Speedway.
Green flag
Lap 1 Austin Dillon leads ahead of Sam Hornish Jr.
Lap 2 A. Dillon leads Hornish Busch Bowman Kahne Logano T. Dillon Smith Scott Kenseth
Lap 5 Kahne passes Bowman for fourth
Lap 6 Kahne passes Busch for third as Busch gets loose while underneath Hornish for second
Lap 7 A Dillon leads Hornish Kahne Busch Bowman Logano Smith T Dillon Kenseth
Lap 8 Logano passes Bowman for fifth
Lap 9 T Dillon passes Smith for ninth
Lap 35 Dillon leads Busch Logano Hornish Kahne Kenseth Vickers Smith Bowman Bayne
Lap 36 Busch passes Dillon for the lead
Lap 40 Bayne passes Bowman for ninth
Lap 46 Joe Nemecheck hits the wall and brings out the caution. Leaders head down pit road. Dillon leads Logano Hornish Kahne Kenseth Busch Smith Vickers Bayne and Allgaier off pit road. Kligerman leaves pit road with his jack.
Restart lap 53 Joey Logano leads
Lap 58 Logano leads Dillon Busch Kenseth Hornish Kahne Vickers Smith Bayne Allgaier
Lap 60 Kahne passes Hornish
Lap 71 Logano leads Busch Kenseth Dillon Kahne Vickers Hornish Smith Bayne Allgaier
Caution lap 79 Sadler gets into the wall. He got loose off of turn four, and slapped the inside wall. leaders head down pit road. Dillon and Bayne lead the field off pit road.
Restart lap 85 Dillon and Bayne are side-by-side for the lead. Bayne pulls ahead with the lead ahead of Dillon and Busch.
Lap 88 Bayne leads Busch Logano Dillon Kahne Vickers Smith Hornish Kenseth Allgaier
Lap 90 Busch passes Bayne for the lead; Kahne passes Dillon
Lap 94 Logano passes Bayne for second
Lap 103 Busch leads Logano Kahne Bayne Dillon Vickers Kenseth Smith Hornish Allgaier
Caution lap 112 Mike Wallace hits the backstretch wall hard after contact from Kahne. Leaders head down pit road. Kahne leads Busch Logano Vickers Dillon Bayne Smith Bowman Kenseth and T Dillon off pit road.
Restart lap 121 Kahne clears Busch on the restart
Caution lap 122 Reed Sorenson stalls on the track
Restart 72 to go Busch takes the lead back from Kahne
Lap 132 Busch leads Kahne Logano Vickers Bayne A Dillon Kenseth Hornish Smith Bowman
Lap 146 Busch leads Kahne Logano Vickers Bayne A Dillon Kenseth Hornish Smith Kligerman
40 laps to go Busch leads Kahne Logano Vickers Bayne A Dillon Kenseth Hornish Smith Kligerman
Restart 39 to go as Dexter Stacey goes for a slide. Leaders head down pit road. Logano leads Vickers Bayne Dillon Hornish Kenseht Smith T Dillon Scott and Kligerman off pit road as many of the leaders take two tires
Restart 34 to go Logano pulls ahead of Vickers
32 to go Logano leads Vickers Bayne Hornish A Dillon Kenseth Smith T Dillon Kahne Busch
30 laps to go Kahne passes Smith and T Dillon; Busch passes T Dillon…..Busch passes Smith
29 to go Logano leads Vickers Bayne Hornish Kenseth A Dillon Kahne Busch Smith T Dillon
16 to go Logano leads Vickers Kenseth Bayne Hornish A Dillon Busch Kahne Smith Larson
8 to go Busch passes Dillon for sixth
6 to go Busch passes Hornish for fifth
5 to go Kahne passes A Dillon for seventh
2 to go Kahne passes Hornish for sixth
Joey Logano wins three in a row at Dover. Vickers Kenseth Bayne Busch Kahne Hornish Dillon Smith Larson
Mike Conway wins pole for Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans 2
In qualifying for the second of two races this weekend in the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans, Mike Conway would earn his first pole position. He will lead the field to the green of the 70-lap race on Sunday afternoon.
“We just had to hang out and see what we had and it was enough for pole,” Conway said. “Excellent job by all the guys at the team at Dale Coyne for making this happen. We couldn’t have asked for much more coming into this weekend.”
He would record a lap of one minute, 18.0977 seconds in his qualifying group.
“This is great to get our first pole,” Dale Coyne, Conway’s team owner, said. “We have had many front-row performances, but I am thankful for Mike bringing us our first pole. Maybe a yellow Sonny’s car is good luck.”
James Jakes, who led the first group, will start from the second position, driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. It marks his best career start.
“I think we would have had a shot at pole if our session hadn’t been cut short,” Jakes said. “In a way it’s good, but it’s still a little disappointing to miss out on pole. Going to have to find which hotel Conway is staying so I can high jack his room tonight. He keeps on spoiling the party. But no, congratulations to those guys they’ve been strong all weekend.”
Penske Racing driver Will Power qualified third, followed by last year’s champion Ryan Hunter-Reay and E.J. Viso.
Could Jeff Gordon Break Out Of His Slump On Sunday?
As we come into Sunday’s FedEx 400 at Dover, Jeff Gordon sits 15th in the points standings, with 3 top 10 finishes. Last Sunday at Charlotte, Gordon looked like he could be a threat to win his 4th Coca-Cola 600, but after a debris caution and a subsequent mistake to continue pitting, Gordon was stuck in the middle of the pack trying to get his way to the front pack, but was caught up in an accident when Mark Martin got together with Aric Almirola. An unhappy Gordon was snake-bitten yet again and finished in 33rd. Gordon is starting off another disappointing season, but it hasn’t been as bad as the beginning of 2012 if that makes things any better.
However; this weekend could be his biggest chance to back into victory lane. Yes, Gordon has not won here since 2001, but look at both of his races last season here at the track. For years following his 2001 victory, Gordon struggled to find the right setup at the Dover International Speedway. Last season in this event, Gordon had the fastest car on the race track, but as we have become accustomed too in recent years, Gordon was the bad luck king. The fastest car doesn’t always win the races. Gordon overcame his first piece of bad luck, a loose wheel on lap 250. However, when climbing back through the field after his last pit stop, a caution came out for a questionable piece of debris that put Gordon a lap down for the second time. This relegated Gordon to a 13th place finish. In September, Gordon finished runner-up to 2012 series champion, Brad Keselowski.
What can we expect from Jeff here this weekend? Through the first two practice sessions, Gordon is averaging about 18th quickest on speed, and will start the race on Sunday from the 20th position, but teammate Jimmie Johnson also qualified mid-pack in 24th. Will the 24 and 48 be a threat on the long run?
I would like to hear from you all. Leave your comments here, or you can always tweet me @RyanPrakOHara. Enjoy the Nationwide race today!
Matty’s Picks 2013 – Vol. 10 FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks – Dover International Speedway – June 2, 2013
The Monster Mile is up next this season, and if Sunday’s race is anything like the previous twelve races this season, we’re in for a show. Sunday’s FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks also marks the midway point of the regular season for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and just one year ago, nine of the top-10 drivers in the points standings leaving this June race at The Monster Mile ended up in the field of twelve in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
On the horizon this week at Dover, five-time champ Jimmie Johnson looks to unseat legends Bobby Allison and Richard Petty at the top of the all-time win list at Dover International Speedway. He is the defending race winner and scored his seventh win at the Monster Mile in Delaware’s capital city.
Sunday also marks the return of key personnel from the Penske camp at a time when defending series champ, Brad Kesolowski needs them the most.
Last Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 marked Bad Brad’s first DNF since the 2012 Daytona 500, and sitting tenth in points with not a win to his name yet in 2013, this team needs to get moving to punch their ticket to the big dance at the end of the year. Crew chief Paul Wolfe and other members of Penske Racing will make their return to the pit box this weekend, following their suspension stemming from the April 13th race at Texas. It’s been only two points races since Wolfe was ousted by NASCAR, but in those two races, Kesolowski finished 32nd at Darlington and 36th last week at Charlotte. There couldn’t be a better time for Wolfe’s return and Brad has done his part so far this weekend for a solid finish, qualifying the Blue Deuce in 8th for tomorrow’s FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks.
I was off last week and with nothing to recap, we’ll roll on to my pick’s for Dover.
Dover Picks
Winner Pick
Had I written this column on Wednesday, it would have been tough to pass up Jimmie Johnson’s immaculate record at The Monster Mile, but it’s Saturday and Johnson hasn’t won a race at Dover after starting outside the top-10 since completing the season-sweep at Dover in the fall race in 2002. Jimmie is not my pick this week.
There is no other driver hotter than Matt Kenseth right now, and as a two-time Dover winner, there is nothing to shake a stick at about this team this weekend. He’s notched eight top-5 finishes in eight of his last ten starts at The Monster Mile, his win in 2011 included in that number. Considering the top four starting spots for tomorrow’s FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks are Toyotas, I think I’ve gone with the right manufacturer for the win tomorrow. Kenseth is also racing for Joe Gibbs Racing in today’s NASCAR Nationwide Series’ 5-Hour Energy 200, gaining valuable seat time at a track as difficult as any to master. This guy is hot and he’s returning to a place he likes and has won before.
Dark Horse Pick
I’m not sure if a guy with “Concrete Carl” as one of his many nicknames can be considered a Dark Horse, but he’s flown under the radar all season, despite sitting second in points. The current odds show Carl at 12 to 1, but I think those are fantastic odds given the fact he boasts the series’ best average finish (8.3) at Dover. He has been one of the best on these surfaces between the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup series, and in the fall, Edwards finished fifth despite the horrific 2012 season he was having. Concrete Carl is a contender this week and he will roll off 18th tomorrow at The Monster Mile.
That’s all for this week, so until we head to the Tricky Triangle, you stay classy NASCAR NATION!
Kyle Busch Monstrously Proud of Truck Team Win; Performance of the Kids
Kyle Busch had every reason to be monstrously proud of the NASCAR Camping World Truck team that bears his name. Busch scored the victory and his two teammates, ‘kids’ Darrell Wallace Jr. and Joey Coulter, finished top-ten in the 14th annual Lucas Oil 200 at the Monster Mile.
This was Busch’s second victory and third top-10 finish of the season. It was also his 32nd career win in the Camping World Truck Series.
“It was really good for us,” the driver of the No. 51 ToyotaCare Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports said. “We had a good truck from unloading.”
“We made some changes to it in practice and it certainly helped us,” Busch continued. “The track was a lot looser than we expected it to go.”
“So, we had to make a lot of adjustments to it throughout the race,” Busch said. “Dirty air was a contest for everybody.”
“We were all trying to fight for the front and fight for the bottom,” Busch continued. “There at the end, I found something positive by running up the race track where I could actually make a move.”
“I’m glad I found that,” Busch said. “All in all, a really strong effort for everyone who works at Kyle Busch Motorsports.”
Busch also took great pride in his teammates’ performances, or the ‘kids’ as he calls them. Joey Coulter, behind the wheel of the No. 18 Darrell Gwynn Foundation Toyota, finished eighth and Darrell Wallace, Jr., behind the wheel of the No. 54 Camping World/Good Sam Toyota, not only sat on the pole and led laps but also scored a top ten finish.
“I was proud of the kids running up front there for awhile,” Busch said. “I wish that they too could have ended up a little better.”
“There’s something to be said for the way Darrell ran today and Joey as well, especially for what he had to come through from starting in the back.”
Kyle Busch Motorsports General Manager Rick Ren agreed with the boss’s assessment. He attributed his winning ways, along with the team’s success, to all of the people involved with KBM.
“You can kind of get used to running up front but you have to pinch yourself and realize that the reality is that it’s not that simple,” Ren said. “We surround ourselves with good people and we have great drivers at the track.”
“I’m really proud of the fact that all three of our vehicles finished in the top ten,” Ren continued. “I think Darrell led the most laps today and sat on the pole.”
“And Joey Coulter came from way back and was clear up to fifth before getting shuffled on that last restart,” Ren said. “So, it’s hats off to everyone at KBM for the effort they put in.”
Busch admitted that he has been on a bit of a winning streak lately in both the Camping World Truck Series, as well as the Nationwide Series. In fact, in his last nine starts, he has won seven, with a winning percentage of 77%.
“Well I don’t know what happened in those other ones,” Busch said with a laugh. “Probably something I did screwed that up.”
“It certainly is a wow factor,” Busch said on a more serious note. “There are a lot of things that can happen in races that can take you out.”
“These trucks were a handful and we were holding on every corner, every lap,” Busch said. “I was holding my breath.”
“It’s fun to win,” Busch continued. “People will say it’s too easy and we’re cherry picking or whatever.”
“But you know what, this is a sport that we’re all welcome to participate in and that’s why we’re here.”
Busch also reminded the media and himself that while he has been on a winning streak, he also has had his share of late-race losses, as well as some just plain bad luck.
“I had a hood pin come out while leading late in the race,” Busch said. “There was a blown tire race.”
“We had a fuel pick up issue with the new fuel probe,” Busch continued. “And then I had a fitting break on a transmission here and it started leaking and we had to come to pit road.”
“If something is going to fall out of the sky and hit my car, it will,” Busch said. “Oh wait, that happened.”
Busch also admitted that he has learned plenty from being in the car through Nationwide and Cup practice, as well as Truck qualifying and the race.
“I’ve learned that it’s going to be hot and it’s going to be slick,” Busch said. “There will be a lot of slipping and sliding for sure.”
“We’ll just try to get everything as comfortable as possible running around here,” Busch continued. “The biggest thing I’ve learned is all the adjustments you have to make during the race.”
While Busch is hoping for a race weekend sweep, saying that he is after all “a finely trained athletic machine”, he acknowledged that it will be tough to do at the Monster Mile, especially given the conditions on the track.
“Seriously, it’s hot,” Busch said. “I’m not saying that’s an excuse but it will weigh on you a little bit.”
“It did at the Truck race and as much as I’ve been in the car,” Busch continued. “We have to work on getting fluids in, which I’ve done.”
“And then Sunday, it’s 400 miles here which is a long time,” Busch said. “I remember I ran here a few years ago when it was really hot and you were dead when you got out of the car.”
“It puts a lot on you.”
There is, however, one major motivator in the Monster Mile sweep for Busch, in spite of him “being the only one dumb enough to try,” in his own words.
“Anything can happen at Dover,” Busch said. “It’s the start of my wife Samantha’s birthday weekend so we’re starting the celebration.”
One thing that Kyle Busch is not concerned about at the Monster Mile, as well as at many other tracks, is that he is getting as much seat time as humanly possible. So, when will he stop racing all of these Series and races?
“When I’m dead,” Busch replied simply. “It’s fun to go out and race as much as I race.”
“That’s what keeps me sane,” Busch continued. “I’d rather be out there than running up and down pit road or sitting up on a pit box.”
“I know that it certainly helps Rick (Ren) stay sane when I’m behind the wheel and not running around on pit road,” Busch said. “As long as it’s fun and we’re doing alright and we can keep sponsors on our trucks, we will be doing it.”
Marcos Ambrose Hoping for a Million Miracles at the Monster Mile
While Marcos Ambrose, driver of the No. 9 DEWALT Racing Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports, is not only hoping for a victory at the Monster Mile, he is also racing for a miracle to help children who are ill and being treated at Children’s Miracle Network hospitals.
Ambrose will also have some additional inspiration with special children’s names on his race car, as well as the incentive of a $1 million donation to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals if he wins.
“Today we’re here to race for a miracle,” Marcos Ambrose said as he and the children unveiled the special paint scheme on his car for the weekend. “We have the names of a whole bunch of kids being treated and what they are treated for on the car.”
“If we win on Sunday, we will donate one million dollars,” Ambrose said. “If we finish second, we will donate $500,000 and third, a quarter million.”
“Even if I crash on lap one, they will donate $100,000,” Ambrose continued. “It’s a real inspiration to race for these kids and we’re going to do everything we can to race for these kids this Sunday.”
One of the children that Ambrose is racing for is Grayson, a three year old who was diagnosed with a brain stem tumor on Halloween.
“We are currently being treated at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia,” Jaclyn Savery, Grayson’s mom, said. “Through CHOP, the Children’s Miracle Network asked us to participate in this event as a way to give Grayson a special memory to go through fifteen months of chemotherapy.”
“He’s had four brain surgeries,” Savery continued. “So, this is an experience for him.”
“Every little boy likes race cars so he is very excited to be part of this.”
Savery and her family have been most impressed with how kind and friendly all the NASCAR stars and community, even icon Richard Petty, have been to them at the track so far.
“This is all very brand new to us,” Savery said. “Mr. Petty went right up to Grayson, gave him an autograph and took pictures with him.”
“We spent yesterday and today with Marcos and it was the same thing,” Savery continued. “He was so warm and Grayson thinks Marcos and Mr. Petty are very cool people.”
Grayson not only unveiled Ambrose’s race car with his name on it, but he also toured the track and will be an honorary pit crew member on Sunday. What he hopes most to do, however, is to present Children’s Miracle Network with the million dollar check in Victory Lane with his new friend Marcos.
“So, he is right in the thick of it all,” Savery said. “Grayson was just diagnosed so this is not an easy time in our family.”
“But experiences like this bring us together as a family,” Savery continued. “It’s memories and things we look at during this dark time in our lives as a bright spot.”
Racing relationships like this have been critical for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, which includes 170 children’s hospitals across North America.
“It’s just incredible for our families and our children to see the support of the racing community,” Miranda Barnard, Vice President of Communications for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, said. “This is our 30th year and every single hospital needs donations.”
In fact, Barnard advised that their network of children’s hospitals provides $6,500 dollars every minute in charitable care so programs like this one are critical. With the exception of special programs like ‘Racing for a Miracle’, she also shared that most of their other donations come in one dollar at a time.
“Through ACE, we have been able to have the ‘Racing for a Miracle’ program,” Barnard continued. “Through partners like the Ace Foundation, who has raised $54 million for us over the years, we’re able to cover much of the care that is not covered by insurance.”
“So, all the kids at the hospitals are cheering for Marcos and hoping he wins.”
The Children’s Miracle Network is also fortunate to have Ambrose’s sponsor Stanley behind the promotion as well.
“StanleyBlack and Decker has been a partner with Ace and the Children’s Miracle Network for years,” Tony Merritt, Director of Corporate Motorsports Marketing, StanleyBlack & Decker, Inc., said. “This has grown from a paint scheme on the car to a full-blown promotion.”
“Individual ACE stores participate by running their own promotions,” Merritt continued. “We are doing a hospital event in each city, with games and even a pit stop demonstration.”
“In our busy, busy lives, we get stressed about things,” Merritt said. “When you spend time with these kids, you understand we don’t have stress in our lives.”
“These kids are fighting the biggest battles of their lives,” Merritt continued. “The last couple days have been very humbling to everybody.”
“We just wanted to bring a little joy to the lives of these children.”
Ambrose and his team most certainly brought joy when they all made the visit to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to meet the children.
“We had some fun with the kids, setting up a display area and got to play games,” Ambrose said. “We brought the show car and had a race car at the front.”
“They appreciated and enjoyed it,” Ambrose continued. “It’s good to do and spread a bit of sunshine.”
But for driver Marcos Ambrose, carrying the names of sick and struggling children on his race car is personal. And he intends to get the best finish he can at the Monster Mile for each and every one of them.
“I’ve got two young kids at home so seeing kids at the hospital this weekend, I’m reminded of how lucky we are as a family,” Ambrose said. “I will use this as an inspiration because these kids getting treated at the hospitals all have such a positive outlook, in spite of going through these tough times.”
“They are an inspiration,” Ambrose continued. “To have a chance to win a million dollars for these kids is inspiring.”
Lap by Lap: Lucas Oil 200 won by Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch earns back-to-back victories, scoring the victory in the Lucas Oil 200 at Dover International Speedway.
Green flag
Darrell Wallace Jr. pulls aheads of Chase Elliott while Jeb Burton and Ryan Blaney battle for third. Caution Peters spun, with Gresham and Towley are spinning. Gresham gets into Peters and then Gresham spins behind. Townley spins trying to avoid Peters.
Restart lap 8 Darrell Wallace Jr. pulls ahead of Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney
Lap 12 Wallace Jr. leads Elliott, Blaney, Burton, Crafton, Busch, Sauter, Chastain, Gaughan and Hornaday
Lap 21 Crafton passes Burton for fourth
Lap 31 Crafton passes Blaney; Busch passes Burton – Dillon is done
Lap 33 Quiroga passes Hornaday for 10th
Lap 37 Wallace Jr leads Elliott Crafton Blaney Busch Burton Sauter Chastain Gaughan and Quiroga
Lap 43 Busch passes Blaney for fourth. Gaughan and Quiroga pass Chastain.
Caution lap 44 Norm Benning spins. Leaders hit pit road for tires and fuel. Elliott leads Wallace Crafton Burton off pit road. Scratch that, Chase Elliott was speeding in the last segment so he will start at the tail end of the longest line. Wallace to the lead.
Restart lap 51 Wallace clears Crafton off of turn two
Lap 52 Wallace leads Crafton Burton Blaney Busch Sauter Gaughan Peters Quiroga Coulter
Lap 53 Guaghan passes Sauter
Lap 56 Peters, Quiroga and Coulter pass Sauter for position
Caution lap 64 CJ Faison gets loose, hitting the turn four wall, and then hitting the inside walll
Restart lap 70 Darrell Wallace Jr pulls ahead of Crafton off of turn two
Lap 72 Wallace leads Crafton Blaney Busch Burton Gaughan Peters Coulter Quiroga Townley
Lap 76 Chase Elliott passes Townley for 10th
Lap 89 Wallace leads Crafton Busch Blaney Burton Gaughan Peters Elliott Coulter Quiroga
Lap 95 Busch passes Wallace for second
Lap 100 Wallace leads Busch Crafton Blaney Burton Gaughan Peters Elliott Coulter Quiroga
Lap 114 Wallace leads Busch Crafton Blaney Burton Elliott Gaughan Peters Coulter Quiroga
Lap 121 Wallace and Crafton pit. Busch to the lead.
Lap 122 Busch, Guaghan, Blaney pit – lead hands over to Elliott
Lap 126 Coulter and Chastain pit. Chastain too fast on pit road
Lap 127 Quiroga pits.
72 to go Burton pits
70 to go Elliott leads George Jr., Hornaday Starr Bodine Buescher Busch Wallace Holman Crafton
66 to go Elliott pits, handing the lead over to Tim George Jr. Elliott too fast exiting off pit road.
54 to go Pit cycle complete. Busch leads Wallace by four seconds.
46 to go Busch leads Crafton Wallace Blaney Peters Gaughan Coulter Burton Quiroga Townley
Caution 42 to go debris on the backstretch. Leaders head down pit road. Crafton leads Busch Wallace Blaney Peters Gaughan off pit road.
Restart lap 164
KyBusch takes lead. 31 to go.
Lap 171 Busch leads Crafton and Blaney
Caution 21 to go debris. 13 cars on lead lap. DWallaceJr among four that pitted. Leader Busch stays out. Chase Elliott among those that pitted. Top eight stayed out, Wallace will restart ninth with tires. Kyle Busch leads Crafton Blaney Peters Gaughan Coulter to green
Restart lap 184 Peters passes Blaney; Coulter passes Gaughan
Lap 188 Busch leads Crafton Peters Blaney Coulter Gaughan Wallace
Lap 190 Tim George Jr. smoking with an apparent engine issue. No caution yet
Caution 9 laps to go George was actually smoking due to tire rub and the tire goes down to bring out the caution. On restart: KyBusch Crafton Peters RBlaney Coulter Gaughan DWallaceJr CElliott JebBurton Sauter Townley Hornaday Quiroga Starr.
Restart 4 to go Busch clears the field while Crafton and Blaney battle for second. Crafton clears Blaney in turn three
3 to go Busch leads Crafton Blaney Elliott Gaughan Peters Sauter Coulter Burton Wallace
Kyle Busch wins two in a row! Crafton Blaney Elliott Gaughan Peters Sauter Coulter Burton Wallace
| Unofficial Race Results | |||||
| Lucas Oil 200, Dover | |||||
| http://www.speedwaymedia.com/truckseries/race.php?race=6 | |||||
| ========================================= | |||||
| Pos. | St. | No. | Driver | Make | Points |
| ========================================= | |||||
| 1 | 5 | 51 | Kyle Busch(i) | Toyota | 0 |
| 2 | 7 | 88 | Matt Crafton | Toyota | 43 |
| 3 | 4 | 29 | Ryan Blaney # | Ford | 41 |
| 4 | 2 | 94 | Chase Elliott | Chevrolet | 41 |
| 5 | 15 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Chevrolet | 39 |
| 6 | 14 | 17 | Timothy Peters | Toyota | 38 |
| 7 | 10 | 98 | Johnny Sauter | Toyota | 37 |
| 8 | 24 | 18 | Joey Coulter | Toyota | 36 |
| 9 | 3 | 4 | Jeb Burton # | Chevrolet | 35 |
| 10 | 1 | 54 | Darrell Wallace Jr. # | Toyota | 36 |
| 11 | 18 | 7 | John Wes Townley | Toyota | 33 |
| 12 | 12 | 9 | Ron Hornaday Jr. | Chevrolet | 32 |
| 13 | 8 | 77 | German Quiroga # | Toyota | 31 |
| 14 | 22 | 81 | David Starr | Toyota | 31 |
| 15 | 20 | 31 | James Buescher # | Chevrolet | 29 |
| 16 | 11 | 19 | Ross Chastain | Ford | 28 |
| 17 | 28 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | Chevrolet | 27 |
| 18 | 21 | 32 | Miguel Paludo | Chevrolet | 26 |
| 19 | 25 | 13 | Todd Bodine | Toyota | 25 |
| 20 | 17 | 75 | Caleb Holman | Chevrolet | 24 |
| 21 | 27 | 60 | Dakoda Armstrong | Chevrolet | 23 |
| 22 | 26 | 99 | Bryan Silas | Ford | 22 |
| 23 | 16 | 27 | Jeff Agnew | Chevrolet | 21 |
| 24 | 13 | 24 | Brennan Newberry # | Chevrolet | 20 |
| 25 | 19 | 5 | Tim George Jr. | Chevrolet | 20 |
| 26 | 33 | 59 | Kyle Martel | Chevrolet | 18 |
| 27 | 32 | 10 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | Chevrolet | 17 |
| 28 | 9 | 8 | Max Gresham | Chevrolet | 16 |
| 29 | 35 | 57 | Norm Benning | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 30 | 29 | 7 | CJ Faison | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 31 | 6 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Chevrolet | 13 |
| 32 | 31 | 84 | Mike Harmon(i) | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 33 | 30 | 50 | Danny Efland(i) | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 34 | 23 | 93 | Chris Jones | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 35 | 36 | 0 | Chris Lafferty | 9 | |
| 36 | 34 | 38 | Johnny Chapman | Chevrolet | 0 |
Denny Hamlin Scores Third Pole of 2013 Season at Monster Mile
Denny Hamlin appears to be on a mission since returning to the track from his back injury. And today his mission was accomplished when he scored his third pole of the season for the 44th running of the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks.
Hamlin ran a fast lap of 22.788 seconds at a speed of 157.978 miles per hour. In addition to being his third pole of the season, it is his second pole at Dover, and his 15th pole in the Cup Series.
“It’s been good,” Hamlin said in the media center after his pole run. “To have the FedEx Freight/Autism Speaks Toyota on the pole for the title race is awesome and hopefully we get to raise a little bit more awareness and get a little bit more media attention for that.”
Hamlin acknowledged that his good qualifying runs are also instrumental in his recent race results.
“I feel like I’ve gained a lot of knowledge in how to qualify better,” Hamlin said. “It’s all helping out our cause for the moment.”
In spite of feeling like he has learned lessons, Hamlin really did not believe that he had even run a lap worthy of pole material after his fast lap.
“When I ran the lap, I wasn’t in love with it,” Hamlin said. “I thought fundamentally I didn’t do that great of a job.”
“I knew the track conditions were really bad,” Hamlin continued. “ In the back of my mind, I’m saying I’m preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.”
“We were just counting down and saying, “Can’t be any worse than sixth, can’t be any worse than fifth.”
“And we’re on the front row,” Hamlin said. “It’s cool that we’re giving our pit crew yet again a huge advantage when those guys are already the best on pit road.”
While Hamlin is feeling good as far as recovering from his back injury, he admitted to taking some extra precautions for his own comfort in the race car.
“We have some lumbar support,” Hamlin said. “We have some air bags in the seat itself to help with comfort.”
“I did switch up my belt configuration to help as well,” Hamlin continued. “I think overall I’m pretty comfortable right now, really as comfortable as I’ve been.”
“That extra lumbar support definitely helps.”
Martin Truex Jr. will start right next to Hamlin, securing the outside pole for Sunday’s race at his home track. His NAPA Auto Parts Toyota ran a lap of 22.814 seconds at a speed of 157.798 miles per hour.
This was Truex’s eighth top-10 start of the season and his seventh in 15 races at the Monster Mile.
“It was a good lap for sure,” Truex said. “You always want to come here and get the pole.”
“I love this place so much and have so many fans in this area,” Truex continued. “It was a solid run.”
Truex Jr. admitted that the track really was much slicker than even in practice. And the driver of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota said he might just have left a little bit out there because of it.
“The track was hotter, it was slick and pretty dang hard to drive,” Truex said. “I probably left maybe a little bit out there.”
“I was a tiny bit conservative in one spot, otherwise it was a great lap,” Truex continued. “The guys did a pretty good job getting the balance right to where we had good speed.”
“I’m proud of them for that and now we can go work on Sunday.”
Kyle Busch, who secured the third place starting honors said his lap was just ‘fine.’ The driver of the No.18 M&Ms Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing posted his ninth top-10 start at the Monster Mile with a lap of 22.820 seconds and 157.756 miles per hour.
“We were just a little too tight and I had to slow up a little bit through turns three and four and just missed out getting another pole for use this year,” Busch said. “Great effort by the team and guys.”
“They did a really good job of having the car snugged up just enough for me there where we made a good lap and we were top-three so we’re pleased with that,” Busch continued. “It will give us a better pick at pit selection there and we can see the front.”
Teammate Matt Kenseth, who will start fourth in the race on Sunday, was happy yet unhappy with his qualifying run.
“I honestly thought this morning we were going to have a shot at the pole today,” the driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota said. “So, just a little off but I was pretty happy with it.”
“The track changed just a little more than we anticipated.”
Ryan Newman, in the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet, led the Stewart Haas Racing team in qualifying. He secured the final spot in the top-five with a run of 22.826 seconds and a speed of 157.715 miles per hour.
| Starting Lineup | |||||
| FedEx 400, Dover Int’l Speedway | |||||
| http://www.speedwaymedia.com/cup/qual.php?race=13 | |||||
| =========================================== | |||||
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Make | Speed | Time |
| =========================================== | |||||
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | 157.978 | 22.788 |
| 2 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota | 157.798 | 22.814 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 157.756 | 22.82 |
| 4 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Toyota | 157.736 | 22.823 |
| 5 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet | 157.715 | 22.826 |
| 6 | 55 | Mark Martin | Toyota | 157.604 | 22.842 |
| 7 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | 157.549 | 22.85 |
| 8 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | 157.48 | 22.86 |
| 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Ford | 157.46 | 22.863 |
| 10 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chevrolet | 157.405 | 22.871 |
| 11 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Chevrolet | 157.35 | 22.879 |
| 12 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet | 157.24 | 22.895 |
| 13 | 78 | Kurt Busch | Chevrolet | 157.054 | 22.922 |
| 14 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Chevrolet | 156.713 | 22.972 |
| 15 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Toyota | 156.556 | 22.995 |
| 16 | 27 | Paul Menard | Chevrolet | 156.175 | 23.051 |
| 17 | 13 | Casey Mears | Ford | 156.169 | 23.052 |
| 18 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | 156.054 | 23.069 |
| 19 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 155.952 | 23.084 |
| 20 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 155.696 | 23.122 |
| 21 | 33 | Landon Cassill(i) | Chevrolet | 155.44 | 23.16 |
| 22 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | 155.407 | 23.165 |
| 23 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. # | Ford | 155.239 | 23.19 |
| 24 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 155.206 | 23.195 |
| 25 | 51 | Austin Dillon(i) | Chevrolet | 155.146 | 23.204 |
| 26 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | Toyota | 155.086 | 23.213 |
| 27 | 83 | David Reutimann | Toyota | 155.059 | 23.217 |
| 28 | 38 | David Gilliland | Ford | 154.972 | 23.23 |
| 29 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | 154.679 | 23.274 |
| 30 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Ford | 154.619 | 23.283 |
| 31 | 98 | Michael McDowell | Ford | 154.573 | 23.29 |
| 32 | 19 | Mike Bliss(i) | Toyota | 154.5 | 23.301 |
| 33 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Ford | 154.48 | 23.304 |
| 34 | 30 | David Stremme | Toyota | 154.295 | 23.332 |
| 35 | 34 | David Ragan | Ford | 153.984 | 23.379 |
| 36 | 87 | Joe Nemechek(i) | Toyota | 153.636 | 23.432 |
| 37 | 7 | Dave Blaney | Chevrolet | 153.557 | Owner Points |
| 38 | 93 | Travis Kvapil | Toyota | 153.492 | Owner Points |
| 39 | 10 | Danica Patrick # | Chevrolet | 153.381 | Owner Points |
| 40 | 36 | JJ Yeley | Chevrolet | 152.892 | Owner Points |
| 41 | 35 | Josh Wise(i) | Ford | 152.355 | Owner Points |
| 42 | 32 | Timmy Hill # | Ford | 150.912 | Owner Points |
| 43 | 44 | Scott Riggs | Ford | 150.71 | Owner Points |
Dario Franchitti earns pole for Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans – Race 1
After struggling last week in Indianapolis, Dario Franchitti would win the pole for the first of two races this weekend in Detroit. It marks his 31st IZOD IndyCar Racing Series pole. The Scotland man would lead the Firestone Fast Six with a lap of one minute, 19.3311 seconds on the 2.346-mile, 13- turn street circuit.
“I think I was a longshot to get through Q1; I did four laps in practice this morning,” Franchitti said. “It was interesting obviously with the rain in the first session, getting through in that, and then the drying track and fully drive in the end, so we had all the conditions there.
“I have to thank the engineering group. We had a really tough Indianapolis and to back with a pole is great, obviously with a 10-spot grid penalty. I’ll do the best from where we start.”
However, Franchitti won’t start the race from the first position. He would receive a 10-grid spot penalty, starting 11th, due to an unapproved engine change last weekend at Indianapolis.
Instead, E.J. Viso who qualified second will lead the field to the green flag. It ties his best qualifying effort of the season.
“Very excited. I think it has given me some good chances to stay in the front and be sure I’m going to have a competitive car,” Viso said. “We have proven that so far. And I’m really looking forward to it.”
Mike Conway qualified third, marking his second appearance in the Fast Six this season in two starts this year. James Jakes qualified fourth, with Ryan Hunter-Reay rounding out the top five.
“I’ve been pretty happy with the pace all weekend, especially in practice this morning,” Jakes said. “The balance with the reds changed quite a bit, so we still have quite a bit of work to do. With the weather forecast for (June 1), starting as high up as you can is going to be key, and we got a great position.”
Alex Tagliani, who led the morning practice session, qualified a season-high sixth.
“It’s really nice to be back in the front,” Tagliani said. “We didn’t know it yet, but the car was really fast so we were really happy about that. Qualifying car was really good, too. We made some changes and at the end we knew we had a chance at the pole and we kind of messed up the car a bit. So that was unfortunate because the car was really fast, so hopefully we can make it up in the race.”
Also incurring 10-grid spot penalties for Race 1 are Charlie Kimball, Josef Newgarden and Graham Rahal because of unapproved engine changes at Indianapolis.
