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NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Martinsville

By
Jeffrey Boswell
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[media-credit name=”Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Tony Stewart: Stewart salvaged a solid seventh-place finish at Martinsville after a wild finish scrambled the finishing order and gave Stewart’s teammate Ryan Newman the win. Stewart moved up one place into a tie for third in the Sprint Cup point standings, and trails Greg Biffle by 12.

“Some people would say Ryan ‘bullied’ his way to the win,” Stewart said. “Those people would all share the last name ‘Logano.’

“I guess you could say Ryan stole the win. He took the win right out from under the noses of Hendrick Motorsports. As a result of Ryan’s win, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson should visit Outback Steakhouse, Ryan’s sponsor, and get a free Bloomin’ Onion. Let me reiterate: it’s free, so they won’t have to steal it.”

2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr: Earnhardt made a risky move to pit during a caution with three laps to go, but the move paid off after a disastrous restart for Hendrick teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. When the dust settled, Ryan Newman had stolen the win, and Earnhardt had a third, his third top-5 finish of the year.

“Hendrick cars were running 1-2-3 with two laps to go,” Earnhardt said. “Hendrick’s 200th victory was so close, we could smell it. Oddly enough, it smelled like a Bloomin’ Onion from Outback Steakhouse.

3. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth posted his third top-5 finish of the year with a fourth in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville. He is now tied for third in the point standings, 12 behind Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle.

“Recklessness caused pure chaos at Martinsville,” Kenseth said, “which led to an amazing finish. What’s more amazing? The fact that I used ‘recklessness,’ ‘chaos,’ and ‘Martinsville’ in a sentence, and didn’t mention Brian Vickers.”

4. Greg Biffle: Biffle maintained the Sprint Cup points lead with a 13th-place finish at Martinsville, one lap down. He holds a six-point lead over the hard-charging Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who finished third.

“David Reutimann was clearly driving the ‘Car Of Tomorrow,’” Biffle said, “because at that rate of speed, it would have been Monday before he completed 500 laps.”

5. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson’s epic duel with Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon was interrupted two laps from the end by the stalled No. 10 car of David Reutimann, which forced the race’s penultimate caution. On the ensuing restart, Johnson and Gordon spun after Clint Bowyer’s dive to the bottom, assisted by a bump from Ryan Newman, caused short-track chaos. Johnson limped home with a 12th-place finish.

“Newman got lucky,” Johnson said, “and I can live with that. As my five Sprint Cup titles can attest, I’d rather be good than lucky. But give Newman credit. For someone with no neck, he sure did stick his out.”

6. Kevin Harvick: Harvick started second on the grid at Martinsville and led 21 early laps before his day went sour. He finished 19th, two laps down, and tumbled one spot in the point standings into a tie for third.

“We totally missed the setup on the No. 29 ‘Budweiser Is Back’ Chevrolet,” Harvick said. “As a result, my pit crew sent me out on the track with half-hearted encouragement, saying ‘This Dud’s For You.’ I can’t thank them enough, so I won’t thank them at all.”

7. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex posted his fourth top-10 finish of the year with a fifth in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500. He jumped two places in the point standings into a tie for third, 12 behind Greg Biffle.

“Between David Reutimann, Clint Bowyer, and Ryan Newman,” Truex said, “it was an April fools day to remember. Apparently, Auto Club Speedway wasn’t the only appearance the Three Stooges made.”

8. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer’s dash to the inside on a late restart, helped by a bump from Ryan Newman, initiated a crash that wiped out Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon from contention. Bowyer spun as well in the melee, but recovered to finish 10th, and now sits ninth in the point standings, 34 out of first.

“I had fresh tires,” Bowyer said, “so I knew I could get a good jump on Gordon and Johnson on the restart. I had ‘grip;’ they had ‘gripes.’ But don’t blame me. I was trying to win. David Reutimann? I’m not sure what he was doing? I don’t know why he chose to park on the track. My guess? It’s Martinsville, and that was the only spot available.”

9. Jeff Gordon: Looking for a win to boost a lackluster season, Gordon saw a near-victory ripped from his grasp after a caution for David Reutimann’s stalled car led to the restart that wrecked Gordon. Gordon took the lead after stalking Jimmie Johnson for 50 laps, and was poised to give Hendrick Motorsports its 200th win.

“Obviously,” Gordon said, “Reutimann has a mistaken idea of ‘start and park.’ He was, quite literally, out for a Sunday drive.

“I understand Reutimann was trying to score as many points as possible to keep that No. 10 car in the top 35, so Danica Patrick can run her allotted races. Heck, why not just let Patrick race at Martinsville. That way, we know any caution caused by the No. 10 would have been a legitimate one.”

10. Ryan Newman: Newman plowed his way to the front on a restart with two laps to go, leaving the Hendrick Motorsports duo of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson in his wake. Newman held off A.J. Allmendinger on the final green-white-checkered finish to secure his first win of the season, and Stewart-Haas Racing’s third.

“Hopefully,” Newman said, “I haven’t burned any bridges with the Hendrick camp. After all, they do provide us with engines. So, I don’t mind them giving me horsepower, but I do mind them giving me grief. Joke of the day: How is Stewart Haas Racing different from Hendrick Motorsports? Stewart Haas can win with Hendrick engines.”

Stewart-Haas Racing Finds Success Early in the Season

By
SM Staff
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[media-credit id=24 align=”alignright” width=”226″][/media-credit]Early in the season, all eyes are on Tony Stewart and his Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) team following the late domination last year and so far this year. At Martinsville this past weekend, Newman added to the win column to give SHR their third win in the first six races.

“The strength overall for Stewart-Haas, it’s a two-mile racetrack and a half-mile racetrack, and Stewart already won on a mile-and-a-half racetrack,” Newman says. “So we have a good strong start to the season when it comes to looking at the racetracks and the places that we race at, and that makes a difference. Some guys are only capable of winning at certain racetracks and we have proved that Stewart-Haas is capable of a lot.”

For Newman’s crew chief Tony Gibson, it is all about having solid equipment each week.

“We know we are working hard as a company to make sure both these cars are as close as we can get, other than what the two different drivers need, little things,” he says. “We have everything there we need to win every week. It’s hard to win every week, but we have got the equipment and the drivers to do it. We just have to execute and make sure it happens.”

One of the benefits that helps SHR is both Stewart and Newman are good at a variety of tracks. In Newman’s 16 career victories, he has won at 11 different tracks.

“I have got some tracks I like better than others, but there’s not a track out there that I dislike,” Newman says. “That just goes to show you when it comes to my stats, I’m a contender at a lot of racetracks and that’s — I think the best I’ve ever run in the championship is sixth, but just goes to show if we get the right situation and package together for the last ten, with the difference and versatility in the racetracks, we’ll be in good shape. I look forward to it.  We just have to keep our nose to the grindstone.  This is a great step in the right direction but ultimately this is just one small steppingstone and we have to build a pretty nice sidewalk.”

Meanwhile, Stewart has won at a variety of tracks, too, from road courses to short tracks and mile-and-a-halves. This year, Stewart won at both mile-and-a-halves, Las Vegas Speedway and Auto Club Speedway. These two wins come after winning five of the final 10 races last season on the way to winning the championship.

“To go through an offseason and pick it back up and to have some pretty big personnel changes in the middle of all that so, it’s pretty big right now,” Stewart says. “You know the hard part is that you just don’t want it to end, you want it to stay like this.”

Even with winning the championship, Stewart fired crew chief Darian Grubb and hired Steve Addington to take his place. Despite having the run to the title, Stewart felt that communication wasn’t there with Grubb as they struggled the majority of the year.

As people focusing towards this year’s chase, many people are looking at the win column early this year to see who will be in the Chase come September. Newman says for him, he just worries about being consistent.

“I think our team is definitely a Top-10 contending team,” he says. “We have proved that the first six races of the season or whatever we are at now.  If we have to, then we do.  But if we have to, and it’s tough to say because of what Stewart went through last year if you have to; usually if you have to do that, my point is, you’re not a championship-contending team. So I would rather much rely on how strong we are each and every week than rely back on a win or multiple wins to get into the Chase.”

Newman’s crew chief Tony Gibson thinks that Newman and team can put together a good solid run into and throughout the Chase this year.

“We know we can do it; we have said it time and time again, the equipment is there and everything we need to do to win,” he says. “We just have to put it in place and execute.  We have struggled a little bit at that.  We had 27 and a half great races last year and we failed in the Chase.  We didn’t run as good as we needed to run, and Stewart took off like a ball of fire.

“It was disappointing for us — he’s still on fire.  It’s disappointing for us because we know we have the same equipment and we know we should be winning those races, too.  It puts pressure on us and makes us work harder and think, why aren’t we winning, and they are winning.”

CHEVY NSCS AT MARTINSVILLE ONE — Ryan Newman NASCAR Weekly Teleconference Transcript

By
SM Archive
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20 QUESTIONS WITH JASON BOWLES

By
SM Archive
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[media-credit name=”MacDonald Motorsports” align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]“Get to know the driver of the American Majority Racing No. 81 Toyota for MacDonald Motorsports”

1. What got you into racing Jason?

“My dad got me a go-kart when I was 10 as a way for me and him to spend time together and just like it does for all of us, it becomes a disease.”

2. What was your favorite car that you raced and why?

“Favorite car is definitely a go-kart. Just tons of fun and close racing.”

3. What’s your favorite place to eat at while you’re on the road?

“It depends on the state. I try to eat places that I can’t eat at home in NC.  Always good to experience new things.”

4. What’s your favorite track that you have raced at?

“Road America and Infineon for sure.”

5. What track are you looking forward to racing at this season?

“Road America, Watkins Glen and Montreal.  I just love the road courses.”

6. What driver has been giving you the most help this season?

“Matt Crafton probably helps me the most as he’s a good friend but Justin Allgaier and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. have been really helpful too.”

7. How do you manage keeping your day job at Oakley while racing in the Nationwide Series?

“Lots and lots of hours plus I have someone that works for me to help balance it out.”

8. Who are some of the people that have been the most instrumental in your racing career?

“My dad for sure has always helped and supported me.  Kinnon Marshall has been a huge supporter and actually is probably the biggest reason I got a break when I moved back here.  He really pushed hard for me and stuck his neck out and I cannot thank him enough.”

9. What has it been like driving for Randy MacDonald at MacDonald Motorsports this season?

“It’s been good so far.  Randy is a great guy and I really get along with all the guys.  I think things will just continue to get better throughout the year!”

10. What are your goals for this season?

“I think by the end of the year we should be finishing in the top-10 on a regular basis and a top-10 in points would be a pretty big accomplishment.”

11. What is your favorite band and type of music?

“I listen to country all the time. No real favorite I can listen to just about anyone.”

12. What kind of things do you do for fun when you’re not racing?

“I love to ride my mountain bike and I spend about 3-4 days a week in the gym.   My friends and I do a lot of wake boarding and surfing in the summer as well.”

13. What type of training have you been doing to prepare for the races this season?

“I train with a trainer three days a week and I do a lot of training in the sauna.  I always wear a sweatshirt and beanie to try and simulate heat.”

14. What did winning the 2011 Toyota All-Star Showdown do for your racing career?

“It made a lot of people take notice for sure and also made me realize how many people watch that race.   It was a great career boost since I didn’t race a lot in 2010 with no ride after I won the 2009 West Championship.”

15. Do you have any other notable wins that really mean a lot to you looking back?

“Probably the first race I won at Sonoma in the West Series and the first West race I won at Irwindale, being my home track.  Up until that first win I really struggled and Irwindale but that day I learned what my car needed to be there at the end.”

16. Tell us a little about your sponsor for the 2012 season, American Majority.

“Well I can’t thank American Majority enough for their support.  This year is an election year and we are trying to get as many people as possible to get out and vote! Everyone knows we’re not where we should be from a government stand point and this is their chance to make a difference. Everyone should check out Pledgetovote.com to get registered and have your chance at winning free NASCAR tickets each day.”

17. With your day job, do you still get some time to stop by the shop throughout the week and see the guys on the crew?

“Yes if I am in town there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t see the guys.  I think the relationship we build just helps the whole program especially when things are down and that relationship keeps us together and working hard for the ultimate goal.”

18. Did you have any racing role models when you were growing up?

“Probably Paul Tracy was my biggest hero growing up.  I was originally going open wheel racing and he came from the same background I did but it’s changed throughout the years.  Now I really look up to JJ (Jimmie Johnson). Anyone that has met him and spent time talking to him understands that there is no way you can’t respect a guy like that.”

19. Are there any other types of race cars that you would like the chance to race?

“I love sports car racing and I would like to do some of that in the future.  A V8 super car would be pretty awesome for sure.”

20. What aspect of your life has changed the most from becoming a full-time NASCAR driver?

“Things are just busier all around.  I’m used to traveling because I was going to about 30 races a year on my own.  Now I have just shifted my focus back to driving and it’s my priority.  I just really have to manage my time efficiently.”

Thanks so much for the time Jason and good luck with the rest of your season.

“No problem and thanks.  Can’t wait to get to Texas next weekend and get back in my American Majority No. 81 Toyota.  I’m having withdrawals.”

Follow Jason Bowles on Social Media…..Keep up with everything that Jason is doing by following him on twitter @bowlesjason.

About American Majority Racing

American Majority Racing is a national program of American Majority, the nation’s leading conservative grassroots training organization.  The program is designed to target millions of NASCAR fans from all political backgrounds in an unprecedented effort to engage them in the electoral process.  Having teamed up with NASCAR driver Jason Bowles and car #81 MacDonald Motorsports for the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series racing season, the American Majority Racing program is designed to educate Americans about how smaller government and less spending will “Keep America Free.”  Through www.PledgetoVote.com, American Majority Racing encourages all Americans to register and vote in the 2012 elections.

About American Majority

American Majority is the leading developer of the nation’s new 21st century conservative grassroots political infrastructure.  The organization uses its cutting edge curriculum to empower individuals and organizations with the most effective tools to promote liberty through limited government. American Majority trains thousands of activists and candidates each year in communities across the country to be catalysts for authentic change in government.  The non-profit, non-partisan organization is dedicated to developing a new generation of American elected and opinion leadership that will reject the self-destructive policies associated with government expansion and promote those that will lead to growth and success.

About MacDonald Motorsports

MacDonald Motorsports Owner Randy MacDonald has been around the NASCAR circles since 1985, when he began his own racing career with the loving support of his father “Doc” and his mother Pat MacDonald.  As a NASCAR driver, Randy was successful in making it all the way to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.  The MacDonald family became NASCAR team owners in 1986 and have fielded cars in all three of NASCAR’s elite series following faith based principles. MacDonald Motorsports focuses on assisting our sponsors with strategically increasing the overall awareness of corporate messaging or brand recognition by consistently articulating the message to be delivered through motorsports. MacDonald Motorsports offers drivers opportunities to gain experience from grass roots all the way through the elite series of NASCAR.

IndyCar: Scott Dixon off to Solid Start in 2012

By
SM Staff
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[media-credit id=4 align=”alignleft” width=”266″][/media-credit]When it comes to developing the new car, Team Penske looks to have upperhand as they have won the first two races of the season.

However, Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi isn’t downplaying his team’s effort as he feels they’re pretty strong too. After all, he has finished second in both races to start the season and sits second in points, two points behind Helio Castroneves.

“Every race pays the same amount of points,” Dixon says. “My issue has been the start of the season, so we’ve tried to start strong. We’ve tried to be consistent, maybe not take as many risks as we should, but also emphasize qualifying in a good position and making the most of it.”

Looking historically over the past four years, it is the best spot Dixon has sat since his 2008 IZOD IndyCar Series title run. In the opening races of the 2008 season, he won at Homestead-Miami, followed by a victory at Indianapolis.  That season saw Dixon score six victories and 14 top-five finishes in 17 races.

Last year, he finished third and second in the opening races on his way to finishing third in points. In 2010, he finished sixth and 18th to open the season, which saw him finish third in points. Two years ago in 2009, he finished 16th and 15th in the opening races to finish second.

“Points championships are so tough,” Dixon continues. “(We’re trying to) sort of taking out a page of Dario (Franchitti’s) notebook from the last few years and being consistent. He hasn’t won as many races as some others, but he’s always there on a bad day and a good day. We have to try to do the same thing.”

Dixon feels he could’ve won at Barber Motorsports Park this past weekend, if not for some pit road issues.

“I believe the middle stop and the last stop we had a bit of a fumble on one of the tires,” Dixon notes. “The middle one took a lot longer. Tires are done normally about the same time as fuel. You feel the fuel pull out and you’re still on the air jack.

“On the out lap I would say Will gained two or three seconds just because he wasn’t in traffic. Then I think they were maybe a little bit quicker on their stop as well. Between that and trying to get out of the pits behind (E.J.) Viso, I’d say we lost three or four seconds in that, which gave Will the advantage.”

Dixon says that made the difference in Team Penske driver Will Power winning as having the lead was a big advantage.

“If you get out front, it’s very hard to stay close,” Dixon continues. “There’s so many high-speed corners. Eventually you burn the tires off. To have a dominant race and a car I think definitely if we were out front at the end would have led to the same thing and pulled away from Will. It’s frustrating when you’re in a scenario like that and you don’t collect on the win. I’d say the last two years that was probably kind of as good as we were going to get.”

Dixon knows though that his team does need to step their game up a little bit if they want to catch Penske.

“With our package, I don’t think we’re there yet,” he says. “But I think once we get a few things figured out on the car and the engine package, I think we’re going to be strong. If we can put points in the bag at the moment, try and gain on that later in the year, we should be in a good position.”

First Quaker State Cash Back Program Recipient of 2012 Receives $3,000 for Holding onto His Vehicle for More than 300,000 Miles

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SM Archive
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OneMain Financial returns as title sponsor of the fall NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Dover International Speedway

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SM Archive
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Patience Nets Jason White a Martinsville Top-10 Finish

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SM Archive
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Surprising and Not Surprising: Martinsville Goody’s Fast Relief 500

By
SM Staff
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[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]At a track where short-track tempers mix with history and old time racing, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 63rd running of the Goody’s Fast relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

Surprising:  After appearing that Rick Hendrick would surely get his 200th win with Jeff Gordon dominating the race and his HMS teammates Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. nipping at his heels, it was surprising that a Hendrick-powered race car, instead of a Hendrick driver, tooled to Victory Lane.

Ryan Newman, behind the wheel of the No. 39 Outback Steakhouse Chevrolet, survived a green, white, checkered melee to score his first victory of the season. This was also Newman’s first victory and 11th top-10 finish in 21 races at Martinsville Speedway.

“The first green, white, checkered, I told the guys on the radio that I wasn’t sure I could win it,” Newman said. “It was an awesome finish. Circumstances put us in the right position.”

“I really need to thank Hendrick for their support of the engines this year.”

Not Surprising:  Although the race featured the fewest caution periods, just seven, since September 1996, the race was the longest in Martinsville history, with 515 laps and 270.89 miles run because of the green, white checkered finish.

Surprising:  It was a bit surprising to hear a nurse credited for a second place race finish. Yet in spite of spending time in the infield care center before the race, the driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge A.J. Allmendinger scored his career best finish at Martinsville.

When asked how he managed to finish second, ‘Dinger said, “The medical nurses to begin with, because I felt horrible this morning, just been sick.”

“I just kept fighting,” Allmendinger said. “I don’t know if I had a second-place Charger, but you’ve got to put yourself in position to do that.”

“I’d like to have got the win, but it was a good day.”

Not Surprising:  Fan favorite Dale Earnhardt, Jr. pulled off another solid race day, finishing third in his No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, as well as taking over the second spot in points, just six behind leader Greg Biffle.

And much to the delight of the crowd, Junior even led a few laps as he posted his 14th top-10 finish in 25 races at Martinsville.

“Yeah, I’m real happy with our finish,” Junior said. “We worked really hard all day to get the best finish we could.”

“This is our first race with AMP on the hood and we’re proud to have a good finish for those guys.”

Surprising:  Fords, a manufacturer that traditionally struggles in comparison to Chevrolets at Martinsville Speedway, had a surprisingly good day. The highest finishing Ford was the No. 17 Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation/Gary Sinise Foundation Ford piloted by Matt Kenseth.

“We were pretty good,” Kenseth said. “We weren’t as good as those Hendrick Chevrolets cars but for us at Martinsville, it was pretty good.”

“We came home in the top-10 at Martinsville and to not have anybody mad and not be mad at anybody is probably a pretty good day.”

Not Surprising:   While Kenseth got away without anger issues, tempers flared for a few other drivers, notably Jeff Gordon, who was upset with Clint Bowyer, and most of the field who were furious at David Reutimann.

The driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, Jeff Gordon, was pretty peeved at Clint Bowyer, behind the wheel of the No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota, for dive bombing and wrecking him in the last laps of the race.

“Clint and I are friends and I have a lot of respect for him, but I was pretty mad at him,” Gordon said. “I didn’t get the best restart and he said he got hit from behind.”

“I had nowhere to go,” Gordon said. “That’s just the way our year has been going.”

But the driver who scored highest for the number of drivers made angry was none other than David Reutimann, behind the wheel of the No. 10 Accell Construction Chevrolet. Rooty raised the ire of many drivers for not pitting after being black-flagged for mechanical problems and stopping dead on the race track.

“I was trying to limp around to stay in the top 35,” Reutimann said. “The motor just quit.”

“I didn’t stop there intentionally,” Reutimann continued. “I know it sucks and I hate it for everyone affected.”

“I hate that I was involved with anything that changed the complexion of the race.”

Surprising:  After scoring the pole position, it was surprising that the curse on Kasey Kahne continued. The driver of the No. 5 Hedrickcars.com Chevrolet again had engine woes and finished a miserable 38th.

Not Surprising: While Kahne continues to struggle with his seemingly cursed season, it was not surprising to see the Busch brothers struggle at Martinsville. Both Kurt, driving the No. 51 Phoenix Construction Services, and brother Kyle, behind the wheel of the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota, had mechanical issues that plagued their day.

Kyle Busch finished 36th while his brother Kurt soldiered on to a 33rd place finish.

“We got a little behind because the car was just too loose,” Dave Rogers, Kyle Busch’s crew chief said. “Kyle was doing a great job at hanging onto it and it wheel-hopped a little bit and we got into the fence.”

Surprising:  Martin Truex, Jr. continued to surprise, this time with a good run at Martinsville. The driver of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota scored another top-5 finish.

“This feels great,” Truex said. “We backed into that one a little bit with those guys getting tangled up front.”

“This is probably my worst race track and to come out of here with a fifth place finish – I’m pretty proud of that.”

Not Surprising:  The driver of the No. 16 3M Ford Fusion not surprisingly planned to celebrate his maintenance of the points lead by heading out for Easter vacation.

“It feels good to go on vacation being the points leader,” Greg Biffle said. “Leaving here on top feels good because this is a tough place for us and we came here and ran respectable.”

Goody’s Fast Relief 500 Review: How It All Changes In An Instant

By
SM Staff
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When the green flag dropped at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, Kevin Harvick stole the lead from Kasey Kahne and looked to continue his domination. Harvick, who won the Camping World Truck Series race the day before, held the lead for 22 laps before Jeff Gordon passed him for the lead – much to the fans delight. From that point forward, it was a Hendrick battle between teammates Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Dale Jr who ran in the Top-10 for most of the race. It looked as if Hendrick Motorsports would finally get the 200th win they have been searching for. But when at Martinsville, everything can change in an instant.

Kahne’s Disappointing Season Continues

Kahne’s weekend at Martinsville started on a positive note, with qualifying on the pole position in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500. When I asked him on Friday what he was looking to improve on for Martinsville, he said “Every time you go to Martinsville you try to improve on the last time you were here. We were pretty good here last year in both races. We didn’t have good finishes because we got caught in other people’s wrecks, but we actually had really fast cars”. This round of Martinsville wasn’t a factor of other driver’s wrecks, but engine issues.

On Lap 231 Kahne came over the radio saying “We may be broke”, referring to the engine. When he left pit road smoke began to sputter from the back of the car. On Lap 234, he took his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet to the garage area and the No. 5 team began to work viciously to try and revive the engine. 84 laps after Kahne made the team aware of the engine issues, Kahne’s motor expired after attempting to return to the race.

Although Kahne’s finish was yet again a difficult thing to digest, he tried to look on the upside after the race. “I mean, it is and it isn’t(an upsetting finish). I am upset that we haven’t run great this year, but we are great on Friday and Saturday. We were fast again today and we have the speed so when it’s our time we will be ready to take advantage of it.” This finish dropped Kahne four positions in Cup standings to 31st position. He is now hovering in the bottom of the Top-35 in owner’s point’s, in 32nd position. Kahne is hoping to change his 2012 statistics at a track where he has one win at and four top-10 finishes: Texas Motor Speedway.

Kahne tried a new spotter for this race and will continue to have Shannon McGlamery spot for him at TMS on a two week basis. After Texas, he will decide if he would like to keep McGlamery as his spotter or allow his cousin Kole Kahne to remain his spotter. “I was a little unpleased after California. We are just looking at something for a couple of weeks. We are going to see after Texas. We are going to sit down and decide if that is the direction I want to go or if I feel comfortable with Kole doing it again or what”.

Earnhardt Top Finishing Hendrick Car After Late Race Crash

Dale Earnhardt Jr started the race in 14th position, at a track where he has yet to take home a grandfather clock at. By Lap 8, Earnhardt moved himself into the Top 10 and was eyeing the Top 5. He gained three positions to move to seventh position by Lap 50, giving Junior Nation something to be excited about. When at Martinsville, rubbing is racing, and Earnhardt couldn’t have gone through this race without being shoved around a little. On Lap 106 Aric Almirola was on Earnhard’ts inside attempting to pass him. His race car then became loose, shoving Earnhardt up the track. Earnhardt wasn’t too happy about this move and retaliated two laps later, getting the position back.

[media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]After flying through the field for the entire race, Dale Jr finally took the lead from his teammate Gordon on Lap 229 and stayed in the lead until caution was thrown two laps later. With 20 laps to go the Hendrick teammates of Gordon, Johnson, and Earnhardt were running 1-2-3 and it looked as if HMS would finally get that 200th win they have been searching for.

On the last restart of the day it was Gordon and Johnson on the front with Earnhardt and Clint Bowyer following in the second row. In Turn 1 Bowyer threw his car below Gordon and Johnson and spun both himself and Johnson out, and removing Gordon from the lead. Earnhardt was untouched and was able to finish the race in third position behind race winner Ryan Newman and AJ Allmendinger. Earnhardt is now second in Cup standings, six points behind leader Greg Biffle.

Newman Wins After Controversial Caution

Ryan Newman, who has been running under the radar for quite some time, picked up his first win for 2012 at Martinsville on Sunday. Newman was able to get into the Top 5 after a caution was thrown with seven laps to go after David Reutiman stopped on track in Turn 1. Reutiman had a left front tire that was loose and was limping around the track for 3 laps in an attempt to maintain top 35 in owner points. The No. 10 car is normally driven by Danica Patrick and the team wanted Danica’s car to remain in the top 35 in owner point’s so Danica doesn’t have to qualify on time in the future.

“Whether – no matter what happened, it’s not eh first time somebody stopped on ta straightaway with a few laps to go and forced us into a green-white-checkered restart at the end of the race. We’ll take what we can get. Like I said, we’re lost them that way hands down several times here and it’s nice to be able to win one”, Newman said when asked about Reutiman stopping on the track.

Newman is eighth in points standings, gaining two positions with his win at Martinsville.

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