Keselowski wins the Sprint Cup Series Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway
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[/media-credit]Brad Keselowski pulled away from Kyle Busch in the final turn on Sunday’s in the Sprint Cup Series Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway to win his sixth career race and his second at Talladega.
Matt Kenseth was the dominate car all day and elected to take the outside line with his teammate Greg Biffle on the final green-white-checkered restart. The two teammates quickly pulled out in front of Keselowski and Busch for the race lead. But Kenseth got too far out in front of Biffle, allowing the Keselowski/Busch duo to make a run on them and take over the lead.
“Our Best Buy Ford was really fast today and nobody could stay locked to it. Greg gave me a great push there on the last restart and we got over into turn two and by the time I realized we were separated we were separated by four car lengths. I should have just made sure that we stayed sealed up and had a chance.” Kenseth said.
“It was close at the end but I just wish I could have stayed on Matt’s bumper. He pulled away from me a little bit. If we could have stayed locked together it would have come down to him and me at the end but we just couldn’t stay locked up with him there at the end.” Biffle said.
Busch was in the cat bird seat running second heading to the finish. But Keselowski was able to get far enough in front of Busch coming out of turns 3 and 4 and easily cruised to victory.
“I had this whole plan if I ever got into that situation where I was leading. I thought about it and thought about it and dreamed about it, what to do. Sure enough going into 3 it was just me and Kyle. I knew the move I wanted to pull and it worked.” Keselowski said.
Busch finished second, Kenseth third, Kasey Kahne fourth and Biffle finished fifth.
Ryan Newman had to come to the garage on lap 43 with an oil pump problem.
“I smelled oil off of (Turn) 2 and felt the motor tightening-up I lost oil pressure and gained a bunch of water pressure. I just pulled it out of gear. I knew it was blowing up, but just seeing if we had a chance to fix it and hoping we could make it or fix it or whatever. But I’m pretty sure it’s hurt.” Newman said.
Jimmie Johnson had a similar problem on lap 65 and was pushed to the garage.
“Or oil pressure situation we don’t know exactly what it is yet. They are in there working on it. The car still spins over so hopefully we can get things, find out what went wrong, get back out on the track and try to collect some points. It’s just a bummer; we had such a great race car, up there leading the race and had something happen there.” Johnson said.
On lap 141, several cars running out of gas and there was a pile pile up in turns 3 and 4 because of all of the slowing cars. Landon Cassill, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Juan Montoya, Terry Labonte, Aric Almirola and Dave Blaney all were involved.
“It looked like guys were running out of fuel and going down in there in turn three the guys in front of me stopped and it was just over. We got wrecked. This is Talladega. You come here and you just hope you make it through all that stuff.” Edwards said. Edwards finished 31st.
Casey Mears got loose in turns 1 and 2 on lap 175. He spun up the track and then back down collecting Trevor Bayne.
Bayne was able to battle back and finish 8th.
“We will take that especially after all that mayhem out there. We ran out of fuel once, spun out once after getting hit. I slowed way down and I don’t know what happened. It was a good caution for us because we needed fuel to make it to the end. I think that is a great finish for us.” Bayne said.
With less than 10 laps to go, while running second, Kurt Busch, aka “Ricky Bobby” spun out from slight contact from Keselowski from behind. Busch came to rest after hitting the inside wall. Busch turned around and went the wrong way up the track and continued up pit road.
AJ Allmendinger put the block on Denny Hamlin as Hamlin tried to make a moved to the inside lane on the restart on lap 184. The two cars got together causing a chain reaction crash. Paul Menard, Greg Biffle, Michael Waltrip, Kevin Harvick, Robert Richardson Jr., Tony Stewart and Joey Logano all were caught up in the crash.
The Sprint Cup Series heads to Darlington next week for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at 6:30 pm.
| Unofficial Race Results | |||||
| Aaron’s 499, Talladega Superspeedway | |||||
| http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/race.php?race=10 | |||||
| ========================================= | |||||
| Pos. | St. | No. | Driver | Make | Points |
| ========================================= | |||||
| 1 | 13 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Dodge | 47 |
| 2 | 21 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 43 |
| 3 | 10 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | 43 |
| 4 | 5 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Chevrolet | 41 |
| 5 | 6 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 40 |
| 6 | 24 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Toyota | 38 |
| 7 | 32 | 34 | David Ragan | Ford | 37 |
| 8 | 11 | 21 | Trevor Bayne | Ford | 0 |
| 9 | 18 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet | 36 |
| 10 | 29 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | 35 |
| 11 | 23 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chevrolet | 33 |
| 12 | 4 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Ford | 32 |
| 13 | 26 | 38 | David Gilliland | Ford | 31 |
| 14 | 3 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Ford | 30 |
| 15 | 2 | 22 | AJ Allmendinger | Dodge | 29 |
| 16 | 41 | 93 | Travis Kvapil | Toyota | 29 |
| 17 | 17 | 27 | Paul Menard | Chevrolet | 28 |
| 18 | 25 | 13 | Casey Mears | Ford | 27 |
| 19 | 9 | 55 | Michael Waltrip | Toyota | 26 |
| 20 | 33 | 51 | Kurt Busch | Chevrolet | 25 |
| 21 | 42 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | Toyota | 23 |
| 22 | 34 | 10 | David Reutimann | Chevrolet | 22 |
| 23 | 22 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | 22 |
| 24 | 8 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | 21 |
| 25 | 20 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | 20 |
| 26 | 30 | 20 | Joey Logano | Toyota | 18 |
| 27 | 39 | 23 | Robert Richardson Jr. | Toyota | 0 |
| 28 | 15 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota | 16 |
| 29 | 28 | 32 | Terry Labonte | Ford | 15 |
| 30 | 38 | 36 | Dave Blaney | Chevrolet | 14 |
| 31 | 7 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | 13 |
| 32 | 12 | 42 | Juan Montoya | Chevrolet | 13 |
| 33 | 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 11 |
| 34 | 40 | 83 | Landon Cassill | Toyota | 10 |
| 35 | 19 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 36 | 14 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 37 | 36 | 97 | Bill Elliott | Toyota | 7 |
| 38 | 43 | 33 | Tony Raines | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 39 | 27 | 30 | David Stremme | Toyota | 5 |
| 40 | 31 | 78 | Regan Smith | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 41 | 37 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | Toyota | 0 |
| 42 | 16 | 26 | Josh Wise * | Ford | 2 |
| 43 | 35 | 98 | Michael McDowell | Ford | 1 |
Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 10 Talladega Superspeedway – Aaron’s 499 – May 6, 2012
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[/media-credit]499 or so miles will make up the Aaron’s 499 tomorrow afternoon, and all 499 miles will surely be filled with chaos throughout the 43-car field. A slue of rule changes has been passed down by NASCAR officials to break up the two car tango, which we saw last season. The racing during first and only restrictor plate race of the season at Daytona was a mix of the two car tango and pack drafting. Throw out the jet-dryer fiasco and you still had a fantastic kickoff to the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Tomorrows race in Alabama should be no different.
Richmond Recap
I am not one to brag, but when you perfect something, its worth talking about… As today is the day of the 138th Kentucky Derby, I will claim to have hit the exacta last weekend in Richmond.
My winner pick last week ended up in Victory Lane at the end of the night, my first win of the season. Kyle Busch did not completely dominate the race last weekend, and if it wasn’t for a late-race caution, defending Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart would have went on to win the Capitol 400. In the end, it was the pit crew of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota that boosted Busch to victory in Old Dominion. Knowing the last stop of the night was the most important, the No. 18 team put together a stop that allowed Busch to win the race off pit road and hold off the field for the remaining 12 or so laps. It was Rowdy’s fourth consecutive win in the spring race at Richmond, and my first win of the season.
My dark horse impressed many with his performance last weekend at RIR, but the winless streak stands at 138 races for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Although he failed to reach the point last week, Jr had the best shot he’s had all year to snap the winless streak. Jr Nation had a glimpse of hope on the final restart, but Dale Jr was not quick enough to reach the bumper of the No. 18. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second, completing my exacta for last weekend.
Talladega Picks
Much like my Daytona picks earlier this season, my Talladega picks will be a craps shoot. Practice speeds, starting spots, and historical data all go out the window when the green flag flies at Talladega. Being built on a Native American burial ground, Talladega Superspeedway has a history of wild races.
Winner Pick
My winner pick this week is the pilot of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge. My first trip to Talladega was marked by Brad Keselowski’s pass on Carl Edwards on the final lap for his first win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. His stats are decent at Talladega, unlike his record at Daytona. 4 of his 5 top-10’s, both his top-5’s, and his only win on superspeedways have come at Talladega. Keselowski looked good in today’s Aaron’s 312 until the big one with three laps to go. He’s looking to balance his misfortune at Daytona earlier this year and claim his second victory of 2012.
Dark Horse Pick
A guy that seems to fly under the radar each week is Joey Logano. He might have stole my thunder today however, when he passed Kyle Busch for the win in today’s Aaron’s 312. Logano is a B-list starter for me on my fantasy team this week, and much like Keselowski performs a bit better at Talladega than Daytona. He has two top-5’s and four top-10’s at the superspeedway, and a respectable average finish of 14.5 at the 2.66-mile speedway. Watch for Logano to find help early in the race and finish the race towards the top of the leader board tomorrow.
That’s all for this week so until we head to Darlington…You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!
Green-White-Checkered Needs To Go
Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCARWhen I worked in the backroom of a grocery store in high school, there was horsing around to be had. One of my former managers offered this sage advice: “It’s all fun and games until somebody gets hurt”. I scoffed at his suggestion at the time—no one had ever gotten hurt stocking canned corn. However, the advice he gave has some very real-world applications.
When Eric McClure hit the wall during the first green-white-checkered finish, I gasped out loud. The last time I remember doing that was when Jeff Fuller crashed at Kentucky in 2006. McClure’s car appeared to hit the inside SAFER barrier full throttle. After a lengthy extraction process, McClure was transported by helicopter to a local hospital. NASCAR later reported McClure was conscious, alert, and talking to attendants en route to the hospital.
For all the safety advances NASCAR has made in the past decade, whether it is mandated usage of the HANS device, the COT, or improved headrests, it puzzles me as to why NASCAR is favor of a two-lap banzai run to the finish, especially at a track such as Talladega. A large wreck is almost guaranteed. At the speeds run at Talladega, this would seem like a far from ideal situation.
This is the same sanctioning body that throw caution flags for bottles of water and refuses to let cars race back to the caution flag, even the cautions for a one-car spin in which the car that drew the caution is already moving again. The inconsistency in safety decisions is something that needs to be discussed.
NASCAR has acquiesced to the fans’ wishes too often over the last ten years and its time for this concept to die. With McClure’s serious crash at the end of this race, the fun and games are over. NASCAR needs to end the G-W-C finishes.
Hornish, Patrick Clash
As the cars came to the checkered flag, Sam Hornish Jr. moved up the track due to a tire problem and put Danica Patrick in the wall. In an apparent fit of retaliation, Patrick rear-ended Hornish after the race and put him nose-first into the turn one wall. Patrick doubted this version of events, telling Hornish “Yeah right”. A close inspection of the replay does indeed show Hornish with a tire down.
After the race, Hornish said “Coming off four, the tire went flat. The 2 (Elliott Sadler) was pushing me which I appreciate, but at that time I didn’t need it. I was trying to get out from in front of him, but the car wouldn’t turn anymore. Then after the race was over, we got right-reared by the 7 car. I don’t know what she had in her head, but she decided to right-rear us, wreck the car after the race was over. That’s really frustrating.”
This is NASCAR officiating at its finest. Patrick has a long history of incidents with other drivers on the track and has never been reprimanded for any of them. If Kyle Busch was the one that turned Hornish, he would have been ejected from the track and slapped with a fine. Patrick intentionally wrecked Hornish and won’t be receiving as much as a wrist slap. NASCAR needs to take a good, hard look at this incident and see what they might be setting themselves up for down the road if this act goes without penalty. If NASCAR penalizes anyone else for a similar move, NASCAR will once again be accused of favoritism.
After the incident, Sprint Cup driver David Stremme tweeted “Maybe it’s just girls can have at it”. That might just be the case, as reportedly Patrick nor Hornish were called to the NASCAR hauler after the race.
Looking back…
Last week at Richmond, Morgan Shepherd, driver of the no. 89 Racing with Jesus Chevrolet extended his record as the oldest driver to lead a lap in the Nationwide series. Shepherd actually led a total of three laps. On leading the lap, Shepherd said “When the opportunity was there, we decided to stay out for the extra bonus point”. Unfortunately, Shepherd’s luck wasn’t as fortuitous at Talladega, as he was swept up in the first multi-car crash, ending up with a 35th place finish.
And looking forward…
The Nationwide Series heads to Darlington next week for the VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200. Denny Hamlin has won three of the last six races at Darlington and will figure to be a prominent player in this years’ race as well. The other three drivers to score victories in the last six are Sprint Cup drivers as well: Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, and Tony Stewart each have one victory as well.
Mark can be found on Twitter @ SpdwyMediaModor.
