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The Final Word – Is the Richmond race over yet?

By
Ron Thornton
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So, what did we learn at Richmond?

Well, we learned that it isn’t exactly a track conducive to providing riveting televised sports excitement. To be blunt, Saturday night’s race was as boring as blazes. I actually nodded off more than a few times during the dullathon. The ESPN crew simply does not have it takes to conjure up a silk purse from such a sow’s ear. Toss in Rusty and Brad and I’m sure the boys and girls did not convert any novice viewers into becoming die hard NASCAR fans. It was like watching soccer on wheels. Still, all was not lost. At least it ended with me feeling well rested.

We learned that Denny Hamlin, who has been cold as ice the past couple of months, still has enough left in the tank to contend when it counts. Between Atlanta and Richmond, the Pied Piper went from worst to first, collected his 6th win of the season, and enters the Chase ten points better than Jimmie Johnson. Whether his lead will hold up or not will be answered soon enough this weekend.

We learned that Clint Bowyer was not going to be denied a shot at the title. Rather than falling out in Joe Nemechek fashion early, which would have given some others a chance, the Kansas driver was near the front the entire evening, finishing 6th when all was said and done. Ryan, Jamie, and Mark can always dream that 2011 will be their year.

We learned that while Johnson and Jeff Gordon will be racing for the roses this fall, their Hendrick team-mates Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr will not. For Junior, starting in the top ten was as good as this night would get, as the rest turned out to be like so many others this season. Junior was 34th on Saturday night.

We learned that before we write off the son of the icon, the superman who was, we should check a few of the facts. Since he last made the Chase, Junior has led more than 1500 laps, averaged an 18th place finish over the past 134 events, collecting more than 110 points, on average, each race. Those figures are better than those of Juan Pablo Montoya over those same time period. Sadly, instead of being like the Columbian, Earnhart was supposed to be what Jimmie Johnson has become. In truth, the one guy Earnhardt fails to really measure up to is himself and the type of results he had enjoyed through 2006. Where he once won 2.4 races per year, he has won just once in the nearly four seasons since those glory days. Junior is still good. His misfortune is that what his fans want is greatness.

We learned the final lineup as to who will challenge for the crown, beginning this Sunday in New Hampshire. Five of them have already won the title, combining for a dozen championships between them. Johnson and Jeff Gordon seek their fifth, Tony Stewart his third, with Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth hoping for a second trophy for the mantle. Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, and Clint Bowyer would love to be part of their circle.

If history means anything, don’t expect Edwards or Kenseth to lead the way after Sunday. Neither has ever won at Loudon. The other ten have, with Burton with four to his credit. However, the smart money would be on the current leaders, as both Johnson and Hamlin appear to be heating up at about the right time at a track both seem to do well at. It should be a good one to watch, unless you were hoping to doze off in front of the television set Sunday afternoon. The action might prove too exciting for that. Enjoy the week.

Surprising and Not Surprising: Richmond’s Air Guard 400

By
SM Staff
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In a mixture of apprehension, excitement, and remembrance, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series headed into Richmond International Raceway for the final race before the Chase.  Ten drivers were in but two had yet to be decided in the night race that paused to remember the lives lost on September 11th nine years ago to the day.  Here is what is surprising and not surprising from this weekend’s Air Guard 400.

Surprising:  The Joe Gibbs Racing team was surprisingly strong at Richmond, with all three teams in the top five.  Race winner Denny Hamlin, fresh off his blown engine in last week’s race in Atlanta, spanked the rest of the field, putting many good cars a lap down.  Teammate Kyle Busch, fully recovered from his stint in the pink little baby seal car for the Nationwide race, sliced through the field from his qualifying spot of 32nd to give Hamlin a run for his money, only to fall short and claim the runner up spot.  The third Gibbs driver, Joey Logano, also had a strong run, bringing the orange No. 20 Home Depot car to the checkered flag in fourth.

Not Surprising:  With the race win under his belt, Hamlin topped off his extraordinary pre-Chase season which included rehabbing his knee from surgery in his No. 11 FedEx Office race car, by claiming the top seed in the Chase.  Although Jimmie Johnson was lurking in his rear view mirror, coming in third in the race, Hamlin’s sixth win trumped Johnson’s five and Hamlin will now have that coveted ten point advantage over the four-time champion.

Surprising:  It was most surprising how poorly the rest of Jimmie Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammates fared in the Air Guard 400.  All three drivers struggled throughout most of the race, even going laps down.  Dale Junior qualified in the top ten but admittedly tried ‘some out of the box’ set up that put him six laps down for a miserable 34th place finish.  Jeff Gordon said that his downfall was a poor qualifying spot that led to having to take the ‘lucky dog’ to get back on the lead lap, finishing the race in 12th.  Mark Martin also struggled mightily, finishing in the 20th spot, disappointingly well out of Chase contention for the year.

Not Surprising:  Clint Bowyer, who held the coveted twelfth and final position in the Chase standings, proved that he should be in the game by his top ten finish.  Bowyer raced his guts out, mixing it up at the front of the pack until he finally brought home his No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet home in the sixth spot.

Surprising:   Greg Biffle, who wanted to prove that he not only deserved to be in the Chase but had a chance to win the championship, had a world of trouble from the drop of the green flag.  He had a helmet full of smoke from a malfunction in his air conditioning unit, a hole underneath the front of the car from debris, and a penalty for pitting after the wave around.  In his words, “Other than that, it was a pretty straight up night after that.”  And in spite of it all, Biffle will compete in the Chase, seeded in the seventh spot.

Not Surprising:  Former point’s leader and RCR ace Kevin Harvick had a solid top ten run at Richmond, as did Roushketeer Carl Edwards.  Harvick will start the Chase in third, just 30 points behind Hamlin, while Edwards will start in ninth, 60 points back from the leader.

Surprising:   There were some surprising drivers leading the race or at least in the thick of the hunt, including Juan Pablo Montoya, A.J. Allmendinger, and Marcos Ambrose.  JPM qualified on the outside pole, led a few laps and finished seventh.  A.J. Allmendinger also qualified well, starting in the third position and finishing right behind Montoya in eighth.  Ambrose, who is still hungry for an oval win, had a great run, starting in 13th and finishing in the fifth spot.

Not Surprising:  Matt Kenseth, sporting his ever enthusiastic demeanor after his 14th place finish, said that it was good to be in the Chase but “Not to be a Debbie Downer, but where we are in the points isn’t that spectacular.”  Kenseth will go for his second Cup championship from his starting spot as the 11th seed, just 60 points behind Hamlin.

Surprising:  There were a surprisingly few number of cautions in the race, just three in fact.  Of these few cautions, one was for rain just after the halfway mark, which drenched the track and the crowd as well.  While many drivers were racing like there was weather in the area, the rain held off and the race went the full distance.

Not Surprising:  Living up to its billing, the Richmond International Raceway paid a most respectful tribute to the victims of 9/11, filled with patriotism and pride on the ninth anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in the air over Pennsylvania.

The Chase starts officially next weekend at the Magic Mile in New Hampshire on September 19th in Loudon.   The Sylvania 300 begins at 1:00 PM EDT on Sunday, with live coverage on ESPN.

Denny Hamlin claims victory in Richmond

By
SM Staff
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The Air Guard 400 from Richmond International Raceway was mixture of pride and prestige as NASCAR honored not only the 9th anniversary of the 9-11 tragedy but also the brave men and women of our armed forces and first responders to the horrific scenes of that horrible day.

There were only three cautions throughout the evening the last of which for weather, however not even the brief rain shower would detour the determined teams as they battled to run the final race before the chase to conclusion.

As the night raged on and the laps wound down the battling giants of NASCAR boiled down to the clash of the Richmond Titans. Kyle Busch, whose record at RIR has done nothing but improve, battled “Hometown Hero” Denny Hamlin for the top spot. Hamlin dodged the Busch bullet as the No 18 car began to give up the fight despite the driver determination.

As the checkered flag flew the crowd at RIR came to life as Virginia’s own Denny Hamlin claimed not only the victory but also the points lead to start the “Chase”.

Second place finisher Kyle Busch reflected on the closing moments of the race. “I felt like the 11 car was just ahead of us tonight and they deserved to win.” Busch said. Later he added, “We can’t be disappointed in a second tonight. We wanted to win, and we fought hard with Denny, but racing teammates clean like that, and not laying a bumper at all, just making sure that the Gibbs cars had a good, solid night, so that everything would be on our side heading into the chase next weekend. Hamlin praised the efforts of his team and his Gibbs racing teammates post race.

“Kyle (Busch) put the pressure on us and he made a heck of a charge.” Hamlin said, about the closing laps. “Luckily for me he was a teammate because if it had been anyone else, he probably would have moved us.” “Really proud of Joey (Logano),” Hamlin later said. “It’s only a matter of time before he’s as competitive as Kyle Busch week-in and week-out, and that’s going to make both teams a whole lot stronger.”

All Three Joe Gibbs Racing teams finished in the top four spots at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night, giving team president, J.D. Gibbs something to really smile about as the season enters chase format.

“Just a big deal for us. I think with Denny and Kyle as well, and to watch Joey, all three in one night hopefully get some momentum built up for the Chase was a big deal for Joe Gibbs Racing, and we love coming back to Richmond.”

Gibbs said. Jimmie Johnson finished Saturday night’s race third, and claimed the second seed in the Chase points standings. Joey Logano finished fourth, Marcos Ambrose was fifth, Clint Bowyer finished sixth, and Juan Pablo Montoya was seventh. They were followed by A.J. Allmendinger, Kevin Harvick, and Carl Edward who rounded out the top 10.

TO READ OUR LAP-BY-LAP COVERAGE, CLICK THE LINK BELOW

http://www.speedwaymedia.com/index.php/2010/09/11/lap-by-lap-hamlin-tops-the-charts-at-richmond/

RACE RESULTS

Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps
1 14 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 195 10 400
2 32 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 170 0 400
3 11 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 170 5 400
4 6 20 Joey Logano Toyota 160 0 400
5 13 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota 155 0 400
6 4 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 155 5 400
7 2 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 151 5 400
8 3 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 142 0 400
9 20 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 138 0 400
10 1 99 Carl Edwards Ford 139 5 400
11 23 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 130 0 400
12 22 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 127 0 400
13 25 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 129 5 400
14 12 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 121 0 400
15 8 12 Brad Keselowski Dodge 118 0 400
16 15 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 115 0 400
17 34 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 112 0 400
18 21 2 Kurt Busch Dodge 109 0 400
19 5 0 David Reutimann Toyota 106 0 398
20 19 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 103 0 398
21 18 13 Casey Mears Toyota 100 0 398
22 29 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 97 0 398
23 26 6 David Ragan Ford 94 0 398
24 31 82 Scott Speed Toyota 91 0 398
25 17 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 88 0 398
26 7 98 Paul Menard Ford 85 0 397
27 36 19 Elliott Sadler Ford 82 0 397
28 33 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 79 0 397
29 10 9 Kasey Kahne Ford 76 0 396
30 27 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 73 0 396
31 42 83 Mattias Ekstrom Toyota 70 0 396
32 24 16 Greg Biffle Ford 67 0 395
33 28 71 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 64 0 395
34 9 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 61 0 394
35 38 38 Travis Kvapil Ford 58 0 393
36 16 26 Jeff Green Ford 55 0 393
37 39 37 David Gilliland Ford 52 0 393
38 40 34 Tony Raines Ford 49 0 392
39 43 9 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet 46 0 324
40 44 55 Terry Labonte Toyota 43 0 143
41 41 7 Kevin Conway * Toyota 40 0 118
42 30 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 37 0 61
43 35 132 Jason Leffler Toyota 34 0 30

Lap By Lap: Hamlin Tops The Charts at Richmond

By
SM Staff
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Denny Hamlin wins the last regular NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the season in Saturday nights Air Guard 400 at Richmond International Raceway.  Hamlin also locked himself atop the Chase standings over Jimmie Johnson by 10 points.

Clint Bowyer locked himself into the Chase with a sixth place finish. Bowyer led the third most laps that evened his car number with 33.

Hamlin led the most laps of the night, 251. Carl Edwards, who started on the pole finished tenth and led the second most of 95.

This was Hamlin’s 14th victory in 177 races as well as his second victory at Richmond.

This also summed up the regular season for Dale Earnhardt Jr. with a 34th place finish 6 laps down from his start of ninth.

Kyle Busch was the most improved driver with an improvement of 30 positions to finish runner-up.

RACE NOTES/LAP-BY-LAP

This was the last race of the regular season. We are in Richmond for a night race and just one more position for twelfth to settle the Chase Race. Well, I guess we could say the last two positions as if there is any issue with Greg Biffle where he would finish last he would be out. So it comes down to Clint Bowyer, he needs to finish 28th or better to be locked in.

Terry Labonte is making a return to Cup tonight driving for Michael Waltrip in the number 55. He is replacing Mike Bliss and will have to go to the rear of the field.

Carl Edwards is the point man for tonight’s race. Juan Pablo Montoya will start next to him on the front row. They will be followed by A.J. Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer and David Reutimann.

We watch in respect for the moment of silence for 9/11 followed by Pledge of Allegiance, God Bless America by Night Ranger, the invocation and our National Anthem.

Everything was perfect for the opening ceremonies. I wish it could be that way every race. It is worth a TiVo.

A few minutes later, we have the command to start engines then the drivers head to the track. Three paces laps and we are going for 400 laps of pure fun.

Edwards leads the 43 drivers out of turn four to the…

GREEN FLAG as they driver through turns one and two without any issues, same with three and four. Allmendinger under Montoya for second place. Lap 2 and 3 they race side by side for the position but no winner yet.

Lap 4 three wide between David Ragan, Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle for 22nd. Lap 7 Edwards has a 1.6 second lead over Montoya who now has the position. Bowyer watching to see what happens and waits for the time being.

Lap 12 early movers on the track see Jimmie Johnson start 11th up to 7th, Kurt Busch on lap 14 start 21st up to 15th and Kyle Busch from his start of 32nd up to 24th. Edwards continues his lead of 1.2 seconds. The field strings out single file. Lap 16 Johnson under Reutimann for 5th and takes it.

Lap 16 Kurt Busch to 14th passing Dale Earnhardt Jr. Lap 17 we also see Brad Keselowski battle with Paul Menard for 8th. Menard has it. Earnhardt Jr. is slipping back after Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin pass him. Lap 22 battle between Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon for 23rd. Harvick takes it. Harvick has minor damage to the left rear bumper after getting tagged from behind by Gordon a few laps earlier.

Lap 25 your top ten drivers are Edwards, Montoya, Allmendinger, Bowyer, Johnson, Reutimann, Joey Logano, Keselowski, Menard and Tony Stewart. Lap 27 Jami McMurray is  the driver on the move from his start of 34th is currently 19th. Kurt Busch is up to 12th.

Lap 31 Montoya closes the gap to a half second behind Edwards. Earnhardt Jr. has slipped back to 25th with a “Real, Real loose” race car. Lap 34 Jason Leffler takes it to the garage as we start to see drivers fall a lap down. The first one to go is Terry Labonte followed by Kevin Conway, David Gilliland and Jeff Green. The next who could be on the list is Travis Kvapil, Tony Raines, Landon Cassill and Ekstrom.

Lap 40 all top five drivers are contending with the lap down drivers and each other. Lap 44 Bowyer under Allmendinger for 3rd. Johnson follows Bowyer to take 4th. Lap 46 we see a continued battle between Kyle Busch, Gordon and Harvick for 22nd. Joe Nemechek takes his car to the garage.

Lap 48 Johnson passes Bowyer for 3rd place. Montoya continues to dog Edwards for the lead but no change as of yet. Lap 50 we see the top twenty drivers of Edwards, Montoya, Johnson, Bowyer, Allmendinger, Reutimann, Stewart, Logano, Keselowski, Menard, Matt Kenseth, Marcos Ambrose, Hamlin, Regan Smith, Jeff Burton, Ryan Newman, McMurray, Mark Martin and Kasey Kahne.

Lap 54 Johnson passes Montoya with ease, closes in and takes the lead away from Edwards.

YELLOW FLAG lap 57 as Reutimann spins out on the back stretch with a left rear flat and some damage. Kurt Busch helped Reutimann with his spin out of turn two. Elliott Sadler is the lucky dog. Nemechek is back on track 11 laps down as the field heads to pit road.

Lap 59 the race back to the track is Edwards, Johnson, Bowyer, Montoya and Stewart. Nemechek is a wave around driver.

GREEN FLAG lap 63 as Edwards has the position heading into turns one and two. Johnson is under attack on lap 64 by Bowyer. Stewart passes Montoya for 4th. Lap 65 Allmendinger passes Montoya for 5th. Lap 66 Bowyer under Johnson for 2nd place. Bowyer is followed by Stewart to take 3rd from Johnson.

Lap 68 Montoya is not doing well on the outside line as Kenseth works on his inside line. Lap 69 they are followed by Kurt Busch versus teammate Keselowski for 8th. Lap 71 Hamlin working for the position under Ambrose for 10th. Burton passing Menard for 12th.

Lap 75 your top ten drivers are Edwards, Bowyer, Stewart, Johnson, Allmendinger, Montoya, Kurt Busch, Kenseth, Hamlin and Keselowski. Lap 77 Nemechek is done for the night, well, he almost lasted for a quarter of the race. Conway is 8 laps down. Lap 80 Edwards leads Bowyer by 1.1 seconds, we hear it’s the battle of the cereals by Edwards.

Lap 82 a battle for 15th between Logano, Harvick and Kyle Busch. Lap 85 Hamlin versus Stewart for 7th and Hamlin has it. Logano and Kyle Busch continue the fight for 15th and Busch has it. Lap 87 Harvick tires the outside to take 16th from Logano and he has it.

Lap 90 Edwards leads Bowyer just a bit under a second and 3rd place Johnson by 2.2 seconds. Lap 93 Hamlin under Kurt Busch for 6th place. Lap 96 Edwards is falling off pace just a tick to a half second lead over Bowyer.

Lap 100 (300 to go) as the top twenty drivers are Edwards, Bowyer, Johnson, Allmendinger, Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Montoya, Stewart, Kenseth, Keselowski, Ambrose, Burton, McMurray, Kyle Busch, Menard, Harvick, Logano, Newman, Smith and Martin Truex Jr.

Lap 101 Bowyer takes the lead. So far we have seen 3 lead changes between 3 drivers. One caution has come out for 6 laps. Lap 105 Johnson closes in on Edwards for 2nd place. Lap 107 Hamlin under Johnson for 3rd place. Hamlin grabs 2nd place. Edwards is not doing good on long runs as he slips back to 4th place after Johnson passes him.

Lap 111 Hamlin takes the lead from Bowyer. Lap 113 Sadler falls a lap down with Earnhardt Jr. next then we look at Biffle, Dave Blaney, Bobby Labonte, Kahne and Ragan that may be added to the lap down list.

Lap 120 the movers of the race so far see Ekstrom move up 8 positions from 42 up to 34th, Sam Hornish JR. up 8 from 33rd up to 25th, Martin Truex Jr. up 9 from 29th to 20th, Newman 7 positions from 23rd to 16th, McMurray up 20 spots from 34th to 14th, Burton up 14 from 25th to 11th, Kurt Busch up 12 from 21st up to 9th and Hamlin up 13 from 13th to the lead.

Lap 130 your top 10 drivers are Hamlin, Bowyer, Johnson, Allmendinger, Edwards, Montoya, Kenseth, Stewart, Kurt Busch and Ambrose. Lap 132 to continue to add to the lap down list we see David Ragan, Mark Martin, Scott Speed and Hornish Jr. The next could be Reutimann, Truex Jr., Casey Mears and Gordon.

Lap 135 Hamlin leads Bowyer by 3.4 seconds and 3rd place Johnson by 5 seconds. Lap 137 Stewart passes Edwards to take 7th place. Lap 140 Earnhardt Jr. heads to pit road for a big adjustment. Lap 142 Gordon falls a lap down which leaves Menard and Smith to fall a lap down as well. The next would be Logano, Newman, Keselowski.

Pit stops begin on lap 145 as we see Reutimann, Kahne Green on pit road as…

YELLOW FLAG lap 147 as Terry Labonte hits the outside wall in turn three with a front right flat. Logano is the lucky dog. The leaders to pit road. The race back is Hamlin, Bowyer, Johnson, Kenseth and Allmendinger. Edwards is back to 9th after a sizeable change to his setup.

Lap 150 your top twenty drivers are Hamlin, Bowyer, Johnson, Kenseth, Allmendinger, Montoya, Burton, Edwards, Stewart, Kyle Busch, Harvick, Ambrose, Kurt Busch, McMurray, Newman, Keselowski, Logano, Gordon, Menard and Smith.

Earnhardt Jr., Truex Jr., Biffle, Kahne, Reutimann, Gilliland and Speed are wave around drivers.

GREEN FLAG lap 154 as Johnson with a big move under Hamlin and Bowyer to take the lead. Biffle heads to pit road for a flat tire and NASCAR will hold him for a lap. Lap 156 Burton was way loosen the outside of Edwards. Lap 157 battle for the lead as Hamlin takes the lead.

Lap 159 challenge from Stewart under Kyle Busch for 9th and in front of them Bowyer under Allmendinger for 3rd place. Lap 161 Harvick looking for 10th from Kyle Busch but not yet.

Lap 162 as Hamlin pulls away Bowyer works on Johnson for second place. Lap 167 Kyle Busch passes Stewart for 9th who is followed by Harvick to take 10th to put Stewart to 11th. Lap 168 Montoya and Kenseth for 6th, Montoya has it. Kyle Busch takes 8th from Burton.

Lap 170 we have 17 drivers left on the lead lap with Logano, Keselowski, McMurray and Kurt Busch who would be next on the list which will take some time for leader Hamlin.

Lap 174 Bowyer takes the lead. Lap 178 drivers who have slipped back in the field are Keselowski from 8th back to 16th as Hamlin takes back the lead on lap 180, and Kyle Busch passing Edwards to 5th.

Lap 182 we also see Logano slipping from 6th to 17th and Bowyer back into the lead. Also falling back is Reutimann from 5th back to 21st, Menard 7th down to 24th, Earnhardt Jr. 9th down to 34th and Green from 16th down to 38th.

Lap 192 Hamlin closes in on Bowyer for the lead they have to contend with lap down traffic as close in on Green and Kvapil. Lap 195 we are hearing a bit of talk of rain that could be heading to the track but no time when. This may make the difference, but we will be more than half way home.

Lap 200 (halfway home) and the top twenty drivers are Bowyer, Hamlin, Johnson, Kyle Busch, Allmendinger, Montoya, Kenseth, Harvick, Edwards, Burton, Newman, Stewart, Ambrose, Kurt Busch, McMurray, Logano and Keselowski on the lead lap followed by Gordon, Reutimann and Smith one lap down.

Hamlin is back in the lead on lap 201. Lap 203 Johnson takes second from Bowyer. More talk of rain coming towards the track. Lap 206 so far we have seen 10 lead changes among 4 leaders as well as 2 cautions for 13 laps.

Lap 209 Earnhardt Jr. having some big trouble with the handling of his car as he is 3 laps down in 34th. Lap 210 NASCAR talk of a mist hitting the track in turn three. The rest of the track reports no issues with the mist yet.

Lap 213 Hamlin leads Johnson by 1 second and 2.2 seconds over 3rdplace Bowyer. 5th place Allmendinger is 5.7 seconds back and 10th place Stewart is 11.6 seconds back. Lap 215 the mist hasn’t really moved in on the track yet. Turn three still has it but the other turns are ok.

Lap 220 Kyle Busch closes in on Bowyer for 3rd place. WE are getting close to another round of green flag pit stops.

YELLOW FLAG lap 225 for rain. Gordon is the lucky dog. The top ten drivers before stops are Hamlin, Johnson, Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Allmendinger, Montoya, Kenseth, Harvick, Newman and Stewart.

The leaders head to pit road so they must think that the rain will not last long. Out of pit road it is Hamlin, Johnson, Bowyer, Kyle Busch and Montoya. Burton and McMurray stay out. To round out the rest of the top ten we see Allmendinger, Kenseth and Harvick.

Lap 235 NASCAR keeps the cars circling the track to help out the jet dryers to see if the vortex effect will keep the track from being lost to the light rain that continues to fall on the track.

Lap 237 let’s do a lap through the field as NASCAR shows three until green. Leffler, Nemechek, Conway and Labonte are in the garage. Tony Raines is 5 laps down, Green is 4 laps down along with Kvapil and Gilliland, 3 laps down is Biffle, Earnhardt Jr. and Cassill. 2 laps down is Kahne, Blaney, Menard, Sadler, Ekstrom, Bobby Labonte and Hornish Jr.

GREEN FLAG lap 242 as Hamlin and Johnson lead us back to racing. Hamlin shoots away from Johnson and Bowyer who battle for second place. Lap 245 Allmendinger under Kenseth for 6th. Lap 246 we see Logano and Ambrose battle for 12th. Lap 248 one lap down we see Truex Jr., Smith, Ragan, Mears, Martin and Reutimann.

Lap 250 your top twenty drivers are Hamlin, Bowyer, Johnson, Kyle Busch, Montoya, Allmendinger, Kenseth, Newman, Stewart, Harvick, Edwards, Ambrose, Logano, Kurt Busch, Keselowski, McMurray Burton and Gordon on the lead lap followed by Reutimann and Martin one lap down.

Newman under Kenseth as they continue a battle for 7th on lap 256. Lap 258 Hamline leads Bowyer by 1.3 seconds, 3rd place Johnson by 1.9 seconds, 4th place Kyle Busch 2.2 seconds, 5th place Montoya 2.8 seconds and 10th place Harvick by 6.5 seconds.

Hamlin is the third driver to lead more than one thousand laps on this track. Lap 264 the mist is back again in turn three. Lap 265 Logano under Ambrose for 12th but cannot complete the pass.

Lap 269 Ambrose is under attack by Logano on the outside this time. Lap 270 Kenseth running 11th on the outside as Ambrose is in the middle, Logano on the bottom. Lap 272 Logano makes the inside line work as he overtakes Kenseth for 11th. Lap 274 Ambrose under Kenseth for 12th.

Lap 275 your top ten drivers are Hamlin, Bowyer, Johnson, Kyle Busch, Montoya, Allmendinger, Newman, Harvick, Stewart and Edwards. Lap 279 Bowyer is staring to close in on Hamlin for the lead. Edwards passes Kenseth and Ambrose to take 11th, Logano runs 10th.

Lap 283 Edwards takes 10th from Stewart followed by Ambrose who takes 11th. Lap 285 Harvick challenges Logano for 8th, or should we say Logano took 8th from Harvick. Lap 289 Ambrose passes Edwards for 10thplace. Lap 291 Hamlin leads Bowyer by three car lengths. Lap 294 NASCAR spotters see more mist / drizzle in turn three.

Lap 298 more talk of rain on the back stretch but ok in turn one.

Lap 300 (100 to go) and your top twenty drivers are Hamlin, Bowyer, Johnson, Kyle Busch, Montoya, Allmendinger, Logano, Newman, Ambrose, Harvick, Edwards, Kenseth, Stewart, Kurt Busch, Burton, Keselowski, McMurray and Gordon. Reutimann is 19th and Martin 20th. So far we have seen 12 lead changes among 5 leaders and 3 cautions for 28 laps.

Lap 307 Earnhardt Jr. heads into pit road as the setup is wearing him thin. After his stop Earnhardt Jr. will emerge 6 laps down. Hamlin is 1.2 seconds in front of Bowyer but is hung up behind two lap down drivers of Bobby Labonte and Hornish Jr.

Lap 315 Biffle and Menard pit. Lap 318 Kahne is on pit road. Lap 319 Stewart is the first leader on pit road followed by Montoya. Lap 321 Truex Jr. and Green are in for a stop. Lap 322 Keselowski, McMurray are in. Lap 323 Allmendinger, Burton, Sadler and Harvick are in.

Lap 325 Edwards, Martin, Bobby Labonte, Hornish Jr., Kurt Busch are in. Lap 326 Reutimann, Kyle Busch, Bowyer, Hamlin, Kenseth and a few others are in. Lap 327 Johnson, Gordon, Mears and Ragan are in.

Lap 328 Montoya takes the lead for the first time tonight. Bobby Labonte is back on pit road as we flames come from under the car. Lap 330 Hamlin is all over Montoya for the lead. Lap 331 Hamlin under Montoya in turn three for the lead and takes it.

Lap 332 Johnson passes Bowyer for 4th place. Kyle Busch runs third. Lap 334 Kyle Busch takes second place from Montoya. Lap 336 Johnson takes 3rd from Montoya. Lap 337 Montoya’s tires or handling is wearing out as Bowyer closes in. Lap 343 Kenseth closes in on Burton for 12thplace.

Lap 347 Kenseth takes the position. Lap 348 Kyle Busch is the biggest mover on the track from his start of 32nd up to 2nd.

Lap 350 (50 to go) and your top twenty drivers are Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Johnson, Montoya, Bowyer, Logano, Allmendinger, Ambrose, Harvick, Edwards, Newman, Kenseth, Burton, Stewart, Keselowski, Gordon, McMurray and Kurt Busch on the lead lap followed by Reutimann and Martin a lap down.

40 to go Kyle Busch closes in to 3 car lengths behind Hamlin. The two front runners leave the field behind by 2.2 seconds. 5th place Montoya is 6.4 second back. 10th place Edwards is 13 seconds back. 36 to go as we have only Martin and Reutimann one lap down. Martin is in danger of going two laps down.

33 to go as the leaders are tangled up in traffic, this allows Kyle Busch to run on Hamlin’s bumper.

30 to go it looks like Kurt Busch (18th) is going to fall a lap down and we see that McMurray and Stewart may go a lap down as well. The only other lead battle could be Gordon passing Kenseth for 13th.

25 to go as we see Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Johnson, Bowyer, Logano, Montoya, Ambrose, Allmendinger, Harvick and Edwards running in the top ten.

20 to go as Hamlin and Kyle Busch put McMurray a lap down and Busch tries a swipe at Hamlin but nothing yet.

The leaders close in on 16th place Stewart.

16 to go Kyle Busch under Hamlin for a tick.

15 to go as Busch just rubs the back of Hamlin as they pass Stewart.

14 to go Logano challenges Bowyer for 4th and takes it. Hamlin pulls to a two car lead over Busch.

12 to go as 3rd place Johnson is 3.1 seconds.

10 to go for Hamlin now to a half second over Kyle Busch.

9 to go as we hear on the scanner that Kyle Busch has used up his tires and may be done.

8 to go Hamlin by almost 1 second now. Keselowski may go a lap down to make it 14 on the lead lap.

6 to go left on the lead lap with Kenseth who may go a lap down.

5 to go Hamlin by 1 second over Kyle Busch.

4 to go with Keselowski between Hamlin and Kyle Busch

3 to go as Kyle Busch passes Keselowski 1 second back from Hamlin.

2 to go Hamlin and no threat.

WHITE FLAG for Hamlin and the car looking real good. Out of turn four…

CHECKERED FLAG for Hamlin and his sixth win and will be on the top of the Chase Race. The race lasted for three hours. We saw 14 lead changes among 6 leaders and a record tying three cautions for the least amount of cautions that lasted for 28 laps. 14 drivers finished on the lead lap.

So here is the Chase Line Up –

Hamlin 5060 – 6 Wins

Johnson 5050 – 5 Wins

Harvick 5030 – 3 Wins

Kyle Busch 5030 – 3 Wins

Kurt Busch 5020 – 2 Wins

Tony Stewart 5010 – 1 Win

Greg Biffle 5010 – 1 Win

Jeff Gordon 5000

Carl Edwards 5000

Jeff Burton 5000

Matt Kenseth 5000

Clint Bowyer 5000

Unofficial Results

Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps
1 14 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 195 10 400
2 32 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 170 0 400
3 11 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 170 5 400
4 6 20 Joey Logano Toyota 160 0 400
5 13 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota 155 0 400
6 4 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 155 5 400
7 2 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 151 5 400
8 3 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 142 0 400
9 20 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 138 0 400
10 1 99 Carl Edwards Ford 139 5 400
11 23 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 130 0 400
12 22 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 127 0 400
13 25 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 129 5 400
14 12 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 121 0 400
15 8 12 Brad Keselowski Dodge 118 0 400
16 15 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 115 0 400
17 34 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 112 0 400
18 21 2 Kurt Busch Dodge 109 0 400
19 5 0 David Reutimann Toyota 106 0 398
20 19 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 103 0 398
21 18 13 Casey Mears Toyota 100 0 398
22 29 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 97 0 398
23 26 6 David Ragan Ford 94 0 398
24 31 82 Scott Speed Toyota 91 0 398
25 17 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 88 0 398
26 7 98 Paul Menard Ford 85 0 397
27 36 19 Elliott Sadler Ford 82 0 397
28 33 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 79 0 397
29 10 9 Kasey Kahne Ford 76 0 396
30 27 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 73 0 396
31 42 83 Mattias Ekstrom Toyota 70 0 396
32 24 16 Greg Biffle Ford 67 0 395
33 28 71 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 64 0 395
34 9 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 61 0 394
35 38 38 Travis Kvapil Ford 58 0 393
36 16 26 Jeff Green Ford 55 0 393
37 39 37 David Gilliland Ford 52 0 393
38 40 34 Tony Raines Ford 49 0 392
39 43 9 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet 46 0 324
40 44 55 Terry Labonte Toyota 43 0 143
41 41 7 Kevin Conway * Toyota 40 0 118
42 30 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 37 0 61
43 35 132 Jason Leffler Toyota 34 0 30

Harvick wins the Virginia 529 College Savings 250

By
SM Staff
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The Nationwide Series night life kicked into high gear at Richmond International Speedway with Kevin Harvick leading the field to the green friday night.  The series point leader going into the race, Brad Keselowski, started third with the hunger to extend the already large lead over Carl Edwards.

The new Nationwide Series car at RIR made for a good show as the driver’s battled changes in track conditions and each other for the right to hold the trophy high in Victory lane.  

While some drivers cursed the new machinery others applauded the good racing it provided under the Friday night lights.

As the night got colder the action got hotter seeing Harvick, Keselowski, Kyle Busch, and Virginia native Elliott Sadler have their moments in the top spot. But by race end it was the determination of the pole sitting team that kept the wolves at bay. The win for Harvick put yet another feather in his Nationwide cap tying him with Mark Martin for the most wins in the series at RIR among active drivers.

The point leader, Keselowski, pulled of a dramatic second place finish keeping his buffer for the points chase intact.  

Trevor Bayne tied his best career finish with a third place run. “I was thinking about trying to hit the perfect corner and make the perfect lap and hoping for Harvick to make a mistake.” Keselowski told the media post race when asked about the closing laps.  “It was closer than we wanted it to be, that’s for sure. But I bet it was fun to watch” Harvick said when asked about the dramatic finish.

“At that point all gloves were off,” Harvick said about hitting the wall coming to the finish. “I just gunned the throttle and was happy to hold on to it.” With one race of the weekend in the books Harvick looks on to the Cup Series event and the possible sweep of race weekend at Richmond International Raceway.

Unofficial Results

Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps
1 1 33 Kevin Harvick  Chevrolet 195 10 250
2 3 22 Brad Keselowski  Dodge 175 5 250
3 8 99 Trevor Bayne  Toyota 165 0 250
4 23 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. * Ford 160 0 250
5 18 32 Reed Sorenson  Toyota 155 0 250
6 5 20 Denny Hamlin  Toyota 150 0 250
7 2 21 Clint Bowyer  Chevrolet 146 0 250
8 10 98 Paul Menard  Ford 142 0 250
9 6 18 Kyle Busch  Toyota 143 5 250
10 4 60 Carl Edwards  Ford 134 0 250
11 21 7 Aric Almirola  Chevrolet 135 5 250
12 14 12 Justin Allgaier  Dodge 127 0 250
13 31 88 Elliott Sadler  Chevrolet 129 5 250
14 9 38 Jason Leffler  Toyota 121 0 250
15 7 26 Parker Kligerman  Dodge 118 0 250
16 25 66 Steve Wallace  Toyota 115 0 250
17 20 62 Brendan Gaughan  Toyota 112 0 250
18 26 34 Tony Raines  Chevrolet 109 0 250
19 16 87 Joe Nemechek  Chevrolet 106 0 250
20 19 15 Michael Annett  Toyota 103 0 250
21 12 1 Ryan Newman  Chevrolet 105 5 250
22 17 16 Erik Darnell  Ford 97 0 250
23 36 35 Jason Keller  Chevrolet 94 0 250
24 29 70 Shelby Howard  Chevrolet 91 0 248
25 37 23 Coleman Pressley  Chevrolet 88 0 248
26 15 100 Ryan Truex  Toyota 85 0 248
27 30 25 Kelly Bires  Ford 82 0 248
28 32 9 Landon Cassill  Ford 79 0 247
29 38 1 Mike Wallace  Chevrolet 76 0 247
30 34 24 Eric McClure  Ford 73 0 247
31 35 28 Kenny Wallace  Chevrolet 70 0 247
32 42 5 Willie Allen  Chevrolet 67 0 247
33 27 10 Tayler Malsam  Toyota 64 0 247
34 13 104 Jeremy Clements  Chevrolet 61 0 246
35 11 49 Mark Green  Chevrolet 58 0 246
36 39 27 Hermie Sadler  Ford 55 0 245
37 24 81 Michael McDowell  Dodge 52 0 245
38 40 11 Brian Scott * Toyota 49 0 216
39 41 168 Carl Long  Chevrolet 46 0 207
40 28 40 Mike Bliss  Chevrolet 43 0 120
41 33 89 Morgan Shepherd  Chevrolet 40 0 43
42 43 73 Derrike Cope  Dodge 37 0 14
43 22 156 Kevin Lepage  Toyota 34 0 6

Richmond Race Will Balance Chase Celebration with 9/11 Remembrance

By
SM Staff
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(c) Mike Stobe/Getty Images for NASCAR

(Left to right) 9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels, Lt. Mickey Kross, retired New York City firefighter and 9/11 first responder, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Denny Hamlin and Kasey Kahne and Richmond International Raceway President Doug Fritz visit the site of Ground Zero in New York City on July 29. On Saturday, the 9/11 Memorial begins a countdown to the 10th anniversary of 9/11

This weekend, NASCAR and Richmond International Raceway will face a unique challenge, that of balancing the excitement of setting the field for the final twelve Chasers for the Sprint Cup Championship while also honoring the memory of American lives lost on September 11th, 2001.

“It is delicate,” Doug Fritz, Richmond International Raceway President, said.  “We do feel the responsibility of balancing the remembrance of 9/11 and obviously the excitement of the Chase.”

“Ever since the 2010 schedule was released and we saw we were going to run our first Cup race on September 11th, I can tell you that the 9/11 tribute has been a very high priority for our team,” Fritz continued.  “Within a week after the schedule was announced, we started talking about how important this would be to do this and do it respectfully.”

“It’s been a high priority for us and I’m extremely pleased to see how it has evolved,” Fritz said.  “It’s going to moving for the fans and touching.  We’ll always remember September 11th and where we were.”

Fritz prepared for his track’s September 11th remembrance by visiting Ground Zero this summer with Cup drivers Denny Hamlin and Kasey Kahne.  The trio not only visited the hallowed ground of the World Trade Center but also received a tour of the new memorial, set to open next year on the tenth anniversary of the terror attack.

“It’s unbelievable how big the area is,” Kahne said of his Ground Zero experience and tour of the new memorial site.  “It’s going to mean a lot to all those families who lost loved ones.”

Fritz, inspired by his World Trade Center memorial visit with Kahne and Hamlin, said that the plans to remember 9/11 at the track during the upcoming Richmond race weekend will reflect how moving his own experience was.  One of those special tributes will be a rendition of “Never Forget” by singer Megan McGovern, as well as local fire trucks displaying a giant American flag between their aerial ladders.

“We worked really closely with the local branches of the military as well as the first responders,” Fritz said.  “There’s a great mix between the fire, EMS, and the police that you’ll see on Saturday.”

Every fan that comes into the track will receive an American flag to wave during the pre-race ceremonies.  The band Night Ranger will not only perform an hour pre-race concert but will also share their rendition of “God Bless America.”  The Governor of Virginia and the Air National Guard will lead the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Fritz also wanted to plan for a special flyover in honor of the 9/11 victims, which will include the 192nd Fighter Wing from Langley Air Force Base flying four F22 Raptors.  The honorary starter will be Chief Master Sergeant Christopher Muncy, the Command Chief of the Air National Guard, and the Grand Marshall will be Lt. General Harry Wyatt III.

“It’s going to be a good night,” Fritz said.  “We will also have some of the first responders from New York City and the Pentagon here at the pre-race.”

The tie in to the military will also be reflected in the Richmond race’s presenting sponsor, the Air National Guard, a new relationship for the track.  Since Virginia has the second highest number of military present in the state, this was a natural connection with the track especially on the nine-year anniversary of 9/11.

The new sponsorship was announced in dramatic fashion — with track President Fritz jumping out of one of the Air Guard planes.

“They talk about bucket lists or things you want to do,” Fritz said, “But this thing never made my list.  As it got closer and closer, I can tell you I was scared to death.”

“The only thing I could associate it with was that terrible feeling when you go over that first hill on a roller coaster,” Fritz continued.  “Your heart goes one way, your stomach goes another and your brain is telling you this is just not smart.”

But jump he did, putting his full trust in his Air Guard compatriots.  His jump was especially daunting due to the fact that he was set to land in the infield of the ¾ mile race track.

“The chance to do something that a track president has never done was great,” Fritz said.  “But the bigger thing for me was why we were doing it.  You think about the military and every day they are jumping into the middle of hostile gunfire.  This gives us the opportunity to say thanks to all the men and women around the world protecting us.”

While NASCAR and Richmond International Raceway are set to remember 9/11 and thank the military for their service, they are preparing to celebrate the setting of the field for championship contention.

“At the end of the evening, we will have twelve Chase competitors,” Fritz said.  “And the best part is that you have the top ten drivers who are already locked in who only care about a win.” 

“Even guys like Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has won at Richmond several times, will do whatever he can do to go for a win,” Fritz continued.  “It just feels different in the garage because this is such a critical race for so many of the drivers and the teams.”

“It is a balancing act,” Fritz reiterated.    “We’re thrilled to be part of the 9/11 remembrance.  But we’re also excited about being that last race before the Chase.”

While ticket sales have been brisk and track president Fritz predicts a good crowd, there are still tickets available to attend the race in person, with information at www.rir.com. ESPN and ABC will also be airing 9/11 tributes as part of their pre-race coverage.

NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Atlanta

By
Jeffrey Boswell
-

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Kevin Harvick: With 72 laps remaining at Atlanta, Harvick suffered a flat left-front tire, which eventually shredded before he could reach the pits, severely damaging the left fender of the No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevy. Harvick eventually finished 33rd, 16 laps behind, but maintains a sizeable lead in the point standings, with a 219 cushion over Jeff Gordon.

“I may be a favorite for the Cup title,” Harvick said, “but it remains to be seen whether my regular season magic carries over into the Chase. I’m sure the magic will be there Saturday night at Richmond, when after the race, I’ll make my points lead vanish into thin air.”

2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson officially clinched a spot in the Chase with a third in the Emory Healthcare 500, capturing his ninth top-5 finish of the year. Johnson is now seventh in the Sprint Cup point standings, and with five wins this year, will likely start the Chase tied with Denny Hamlin on top.

“We still have plenty of work to do if I’m to claim my fifth consecutive Cup championship,” Johnson said. “But we’re not afraid of work. Obviously, with four consecutive Cup titles, what we’ve done in the past ‘works.’

“I reiterated my belief that Kevin Harvick is the favorite to take home the Sprint Cup. By saying that, I place all the pressure on Harvick and none on myself. So, I like my chances. Everybody knows that Jimmie Johnson is hard to beat under pressure.”

3. Tony Stewart: Stewart took charge on the final restart and pulled away from Carl Edwards, validating a dominating day at Atlanta with the win in the Emory Healthcare 500. Stewart led 176 of 325 laps, and claimed his first win since October 2009 at Kansas. He improved two places in the point standings to fourth, and trails Kevin Harvick by 283.

“Now, when discussion centers on my last win,” Stewart said, “it’s safe to say ‘we’re not in Kansas anymore.’”

“Now it seems that I’m everyone’s favorite to win the Cup. That’s after one win that came 25 races into the season. It’s all hard for me to digest and comprehend, because I’ve never been anyone’s favorite anything.”

4. Kyle Busch: Busch overcame an early pit road speeding penalty to finish fifth at Atlanta, his seventh top-5 result of the year. Nabbed by NASCAR on lap 49, Busch was sent to the rear of the field. Not long after, a troubling vibration sent him to the pits, from which he emerged 34th, one lap down. Later, with one of the fastest cars on the track, Busch roared back for a solid finish and clinched his spot in the Chase.

“The only thing more satisfying to me than ‘punching a ticket,’” Busch said, “is punching Brad Keselowski. I should consider it. A wise man once told me that a true rivalry in NASCAR is borne of an exchange of punches, not punchlines.”

5. Carl Edwards: Edwards continued his recent surge (seven top 10’s in his last eight races) with a runner-up in the Emory Healthcare 500. Edwards led 32 laps in the No. 99 Aflac Fusion, but ultimately was no match for Tony Stewart, who pulled away on the final restart for the convincing victory.

“Although victory has eluded me,” Edwards said, “these solid finishes are a clear indication that we’ll see victory soon enough. So, you could say we’re ‘peeking’ at the right time.”

“I like our chances to win the championship. Sure, with no wins, we’ll be starting at the bottom of the field, but as someone who has seen his share of probations, I know what it’s like starting in a hole.”

6. Jeff Gordon: After running as high as fourth at Atlanta, Gordon faded to a disappointing finish of 13th, derailed by poor-handling and shaky restarts. He remains second in the Sprint Cup point standings, and trails Kevin Harvick by 219.

“We’ve got one more shot for victory before the Chase starts in New Hampshire,” Gordon said. “We’ve been nothing more than average this year, and with no wins thus far, we’ve truly put the ‘regular’ in ‘regular season.’”

7. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin started from the pole and led 74 laps early at Atlanta, but a blown engine on lap 143 ended his day. Three of Hamlin’s last four finishes have been 34th or worse, and although he’s clinched a spot in the Chase For The Cup, there is doubt that he can rekindle the momentum from an earlier stretch that saw him win five times in ten races.

“For someone who’s likely to be in the lead when the Chase commences,” Hamlin said, “we haven’t been very impressive lately. But, after finishing 43rd on Sunday, you could say we made a ‘last’-ing impression.”

“The No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota was fast early, but ultimately, our day was like a bad haircut—not long enough.”

8. Jeff Burton: Burton finished fourth at Atlanta, taking advantage of a late caution to change four tires, thus allowing him to charge through the field. It was Burton’s fifth top-5 finish of the year, and he improved one place in the point standings to sixth, 324 behind Kevin Harvick.

“I owe a lot of credit to my pit crew,” Burton said. “With the pressure on, they came through with quick stops and timely adjustments. In times past, when we’ve beaten ourselves in the pits, I haven’t been so complimentary. On those occasions, the No. 31 team was living proof that, like a true feline, a ‘Cat’ can lick itself.”

9. Kurt Busch: After missing the setup for Sunday’s race in Atlanta, Busch and the No. 2 Miller Lite team struggled with handling for a majority of the race. But constant adjustments throughout the night, as well as a key decision to stay on the track during a lap 265 caution, finally paid off with track position. Busch finished sixth, his 15th top-10 result of the year, and officially locked up a spot in the Chase.

“It’s one thing to be earmarked for purely cosmetic reasons,” Busch said. “But another to be earmarked for the Chase For The Cup. I’m two for two in the ‘2.’”

“But I have just as good of a chance to win this thing as the next guy, assuming, by ‘next guy,’ you’re referring to Jeff Burton. He’s a threat, for sure, but only to behave like a true gentleman.”

10. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer, in the No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet, posted a solid seventh-place finish at Atlanta, one place ahead of Ryan Newman, his closest pursuer for the 12th and final spot in the Chase. Barring a major catastrophe, Bowyer will lock up the final Chase spot at Richmond.

“It’s a safe bet to say I’ll make the Chase,” Bowyer said, “so bet the farm. If disaster strikes and I fail to qualify, then I will have bought the farm.”

Hot 20 over the past 10 – RCR has 3 of the best heading to Richmond

By
Ron Thornton
-

With just one more race to go before the Chase begins, four teams are featured among our hottest half dozen. Tony Stewart leads his own team, Carl Edwards for Jack Roush, and there is Jeff Gordon representing Rick Hendrick. The other three belong to Richard Childress, and all have got hot at about the right time.

Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton have long had their place at the table set, and if Clint Bowyer can finish in the Top 30 at Richmond on Saturday night he would join his team-mates in the Chase for the title. Over the past ten events, Bowyer has averaged a 14th place finish. It gets better if you remove the two road courses, which have proven to be his Achilles heel, improving to an average finish of ninth. Simply put, he won’t be caught this weekend unless they force him to make some right hand turns out there.

Usually, the hottest drivers are our leaders, but there are some exceptions. Jamie McMurray is very unlikely to make the Chase, but he has been almost as hot as Bowyer in recent weeks. Kasey Kahne, David Reutimann, and Juan Pablo Montoya have also been among our 12 best, but all are racing for pride and to establish themselves for a run next year.

One driver who is cold as ice, who will make the Chase but who isn’t even among our Top 20 hot drivers, is Denny Hamlin. He might be tied with Jimmie Johnson for the Chase point lead, but since he won his fifth race of the season at Michigan he has finished outside the top twenty in half of the races run since. He could turn out to be the Brian Vickers of 2010, the guy who makes the Chase but does absolutely nothing once he gets there.  Mind you, Vickers didn’t go down the toilet until Kansas last year. Hamlin is already swimming around the bowl. He might have as much to prove at Richmond as anybody.

Here is a look at our hottest 20 drivers over the past 10 events.

* Drivers in the Chase ** Drivers with a slim chance of making the Chase

1 (2) Tony Stewart* – 1462 pts – 1 Win, 4 Top Fives, 8 Top Tens
If he ran speedboats, would he be Smoke on the water?

2 (4) Carl Edwards* – 1432 pts – 5 Top Fives, 7 Top Tens
Does a happy Carl mean a nicer Carl?

3 (1) Kevin Harvick* – 1416 pts – 2 Wins, 6 Top Fives, 6 Top Tens
Hates engine gunk and exploding tires.

4 (3) Jeff Gordon* – 1379 pts – 4 Top Fives, 6 Top Tens
The car looked pretty, but ran ugly.

5 (7) Jeff Burton* – 1316 pts – 3 Top Fives, 5 Top Tens
Rarely up front, but he usually can see the front.

6 (9) Clint Bowyer* – 1283 pts – 3 Top Fives, 5 Top Tens
Offered up only his back bumper to those chasing him.

7 (8) Jamie McMurray** – 1266 pts – 1 Win, 3 Top Fives, 4 Top Tens
This year, Daytona and Indy. Next year, the title.

8 (10) Jimmie Johnson* – 1248 pts – 2 Wins, 3 Top Fives, 4 Top Tens
One last mulligan race before it begins again for real.

9 (6) Greg Biffle* – 1245 pts – 1 Win, 3 Top Fives, 6 Top Tens
Put his car back together and pegged himself into a place in the Chase.

10 (5) Kasey Kahne – 1235 pts – 3 Top Fives, 4 Top Tens
Why would he upset a guy who has no neck?

11 (11) David Reutimann – 1231 pts – 1 Win, 2 Top Fives, 2 Top Tens
Literally was at a loss for words at Atlanta.

12 (12) Juan Pablo Montoya – 1229 pts – 1 Win, 1 Top Five, 5 Top Tens
I’m Juan Montoya. You race with me, you racin’ with the best!

13 (17) Ryan Newman** – 1214 pts – 3 Top Tens
Kahne should be thankful on Sunday it was a smilin’ Ryan.

14 (13) Matt Kenseth* – 1206 pts – 1 Top Five, 2 Top Tens
Outside Top 20 only twice this season.

15 (18) Kyle Busch* – 1178 pts – 1 Win, 2 Top Fives, 3 Top Tens
Too fast in the pits, too loose was the wheel, yet 5th was the finish.

16 (14) Kurt Busch* – 1177 pts – 2 Top Fives, 5 Top Tens
Dear Kasey. You are welcome. Kurt.

17 (16) Dale Earnhardt Jr – 1102 pts – 1 Top Five, 2 Top Tens
Good thing he didn’t print up those 2010 Championship t-shirts.

18 (21) Marcos Ambrose – 1096 pts – 1 Top Five, 3 Top Tens
Favorite group is not Men at Work.

19 (20) Mark Martin** – 1093 pts – 1 Top Ten
Cup title will need to come now at the age of 52.

20 (19) A.J. Allmendinger – 1091 pts – 1 Top Five, 2 Top Tens
I wonder if he knows Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia?


22 (15) Denny Hamlin* – 1025 pts – 2 Top Fives, 3 Top Tens
If he gets any colder he’ll need to be wearing mitts.

The Final Word – The day Clint broke some hearts and Rusty made us laugh

By
Ron Thornton
-

So, what did we learn at Atlanta?

Well, we learned that Clint Bowyer doesn’t fight fair. You got all those boys waiting for him to crash so they might catch him for the final Chase place, and what does he do? He rides around just outside the top ten and finishes seventh. That lad has no sense of drama.

We learned that if Richmond is going to provide any excitement in the standings, Bowyer will need to beat Joe Nemechek back to the garage to open up the door. What are the odds of that happening? As it is, if Bowyer finishes 39th Saturday night, Mark Martin is done. 31st puts Jamie McMurray to bed, while 28th is all it will take to eliminate Ryan Newman. It is at least a hope, which is more than what Greg Biffle gave them. All he needs to do is start at Richmond and he is in.

We learned that Kasey Kahne is a brave man. Am I the only one who notices that Newman does not have a neck? You don’t kick sand in his face, or he might remove your own. The good news was that he was smiling when he had his post-race chat with Kahne. Then again, I remember that Carl Edwards was smiling, albeit in demented fashion, when he was doing his Muhammad Ali impersonation around Matt Kenseth a few years back. Maybe a smile isn’t a good sign, after all.

We learned that Newman’s boss, Tony Stewart, had the best car last Sunday. Smoke picked up his 38th career win and now has at least one victory in each of his dozen Cup seasons. In Chase parlance, he is currently just 40 points behind the leaders that matter, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin.

We learned that Hamlin had the second best car at Atlanta. Then it blew up and finished dead last. Yes, even behind Nemechek. So, if it can happen to Denny, it could happen to Clint. Maybe there is cause to retain some hope.

We learned that there is something special about those Busch boys. Sure, there are times you want to beat them with clubs, but they can sure drive. Kyle speeds through the pits, gets penalized, then drops by twenty laps later with a loose wheel to find himself down a circuit in 36th. He would finish fifth. Kurt had a car that was junk most of the day, saved both himself and Kahne in the late going, and still wound up sixth.  

We learned that Rusty Wallace can make us laugh. No, really. Johnson goes by Juan Pablo Montoya, a single digit waving in the breeze toward the Columbian. Rusty, with tongue firmly planted in cheek, commented that when Johnson went sideways the wind must have “sucked his hand out of the window.” That, my friends, is comedy. Now we want more.

It was quite a week. Stewart wins at Atlanta, Manny joins the White Sox, and the Eskimos beat the Stampeders in their Labor day football tilt in the CFL. Okay, Calgary actually crushed Edmonton 52-5, but one needs to keep the faith even when there really is no justification for doing so. Just ask Mark, Jamie, and Ryan as they head to Richmond for this Saturday night. Enjoy your week.

Surprising and Not Surprising: Atlanta’s Emory Healthcare 500

By
SM Staff
-

The Cup Series moved to Atlanta Motor Speedway, hoping to create a new Labor Day tradition of Sunday night racing in spite of the news that Atlanta had lost one of its Cup races for the 2011 season.  Tires, pit strategy, blown engines and Chase hopes either dashed or rekindled were the name of the game for all of the competitors during the Emory Healthcare 500.

Surprising:  Most surprising were the number of blown engines during this weekend’s racing, from Red Bull Racing’s Scott Speed, who blew up then dramatically caught fire, to Paul Menard, who dropped a cylinder after running in the top ten for much of the race.  The biggest engine casualties occurred for Joe Gibbs racers Denny Hamlin, who led the field to green from the pole as well as 73 laps only to have his engine expire, and his teammate Joey Logano, who had some sort of electrical engine issue, crippling him for much of the race.

Not Surprising:  While many in the field were mourning the smoke coming out of their tail pipes and engines, Tony Stewart was instead smoking his tires in a dramatic burnout, ending his 31 race winless drought and scoring his first victory, along with crew chief Darian Grubb, of the 2010 season.  ‘Smoke’ moved up to fourth in the point standings, officially taking his place amongst the Chase drivers.

Surprising:  Kurt Busch, with three wins, three top fives, and seven top 10s at Atlanta Motor Speedway, looked to have a strong car for the race but had all kinds of trouble instead.  At the beginning of the race, the driver of the Blue Deuce languished back in the field, running mid-pack and going a lap down.  Busch finally snagged his lap back and through pit strategy, stayed out late in the race.  In spite of “planning to fade gracefully” since he did not think he had the car to win, Busch instead finished a strong sixth, clinching his spot in the Chase. 

Not Surprising:  Brother Kyle had a very eventful weekend, running both the Truck and Nationwide races, before taking to the track for the Cup race.  Busch had a pit road speeding violation early in the race, moving from race leader to the 23rd spot.  On lap 71, Busch had a vibration, which turned out to be a loose wheel.  After scoring the ‘lucky dog’, all Busch could do was hope that his JGR engine would not expire.  Unlike his teammates, his engine held and he finished the race ahead of his big brother in the fifth spot, securing his place in this year’s Chase.

Surprising:   Points leader Kevin Harvick, who looked very racy, even leading laps at the beginning of the race, experienced all kinds of mishaps in the pits.  First, his crew broke a valve stem off during a pit stop. After bouncing back from that error, Harvick then made his own mistake, missing pit road, flat spotting his tires and then shredding a tire on his way back to his pit stall.  Harvick next got a speeding penalty, too fast exiting, before taking his No. 29 behind the wall for a vibration.  The point’s leader finished the race in the disappointing 33rd position.

Not Surprising:  Jimmie Johnson, who many have accused of succumbing to a summer swoon or of losing his lucky horseshoe, had a strong Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 race car for most of the race.  Johnson scored a third place finish in his Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevy, guaranteeing his attempt at a fifth consecutive Cup championship.

Surprising:   Ryan Newman, one of those gunning for the last spot in the Chase and also one who participated in the tire test at Atlanta Motor Speedway, had a few run ins on the way to his eighth place finish.  His first contact came with Greg Biffle, who partook in a three wide adventure with Newman and came out on the losing end, as did Elliott Sadler.  Newman’s second confrontation was with Kasey Kahne, who was one of the front runners and race leaders.  Newman got into Kahne, cutting down his tire and sending the Richard Petty driver to the garage.  Kahne, who was fifth at the time of the contact with Newman, went down at least fifteen laps before returning to take revenge on Newman.  The two continued their conversation after the race in the garage area, with Newman smiling but Kahne scowling.

Not Surprising:   Carl Edwards was one of the few drivers that ran consistently well all race long, starting in the fourth position and bringing his Aflac Ford home in the runner up position.  Edwards actually led more laps in the Atlanta Cup race than he has led in his last 46 races.  After crediting his sponsor Aflac for “sticking with him”, Edwards celebrated his place in the Chase, currently in the fifth spot.

Surprising:  Jamie McMurray, who always seems to rise to the top during critical races, was fighting for his Chase life under the Atlanta lights.  Unfortunately, Jamie Mac had tire troubles as well, when his left rear went flat on lap 179.  McMurray went a lap down, got it back, but still finished 15th.  McMurray now sits outside the Chase in the 14th spot, 128 points behind that last Chase position.

Not Surprising:  Clint Bowyer, holder of the coveted twelfth and final position in the Chase for the Championship, stayed out of trouble all evening.  Although not his most stellar run, Bowyer was able to bring his No.  33 BB&T Chevy home in seventh place, securing his last spot, just 117 points ahead of 13th and the currently outside the Chase place Ryan Newman.

Surprising:   Aside from Jimmie Johnson, the rest of the Hendrick Motorsports team had a tough night at Atlanta.  Jeff Gordon, driving the No. 24 with a paint scheme designed by his daughter Ella Sofia, was up and down all night, finally finishing in the 13th position.  Mark Martin, one of the Chase bubble drivers, had a similar type run, but took the checkered flag in a disappointing 21st spot.  Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who showed some signs of life during various parts of the race, followed closely behind teammate Martin at the end of it, finishing in 22nd. 

Not Surprising:   The other mate on the Richard Childress Racing team, Jeff Burton, had a pretty good run in his No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, finishing in the fourth position.  Burton was lapped initially but rallied back to clinch his Chase berth, currently in the sixth championship position.

The Chase bubble drivers will have one final chance to make it into the championship when the Cup Series races again on Saturday evening, September 11th, at Richmond International Raceway.  The Air Guard 400 will run under the lights with television coverage starting at 7:30 PM on ABC.

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