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Edwards wins NNS race at Texas; Keselowski captures the NNS Championship

By
SM Staff
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Fort Worth, Texas – Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 60 of theCopart.com Ford holds off Kyle Busch and wins the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday.

Edwards jumped to the lead with forty-five laps to go.  Edwards and Busch would battle for the lead on the restart after the caution on lap 148, but after that, nobody had anything for Edwards.

Brad Keselowski driver of the No.22 Discount Tire Dodge would capture the NNS Championship and the first for Roger Penske.

“What a terrific season it has been for Brad and the No. 22 Discount Tire/Ruby Tuesday Dodge team in the Nationwide Series. Penske Racing is very excited to share our organization’s first NASCAR championship with our partners at Dodge. We want to thank Ralph Gilles and his team at Dodge Motorsports for their hard work and dedication and we look forward to many more celebrations in Victory Circle with both the Chargers and the Challengers in the future.” Roger Penske said.

Busch would take the lead from pole-setter James Buescher at lap five and led thirty-nine laps before the first ServiceMaster Clean caution was thrown at lap forty-four due to a blown tire by Buescher in turn four.

Before the first caution was thrown there was not too much action on the track. Busch slid under Kevin Harvick at lap three to take over the second spot. Then at lap five Busch got the run on Buescher coming off turn four to take the lead.

We saw the first contact of the race at lap eleven, between the 05 driven by David Starr and the 7 of Danica Patrick on the backstretch, but no caution was thrown. Both Starr and Patrick came to the pits at lap thirteen to fix their cars from the mishap a couple of laps earlier.

We finally saw our first ServiceMaster Clean caution at lap fourty-four when James Buescher driver of the No. 30 Wolfpack Energy Chevrolet slapped the wall in turn four after blowing a tire. This would bring the leaders down pit road, Kyle Busch overshot his pit stall, but was able to quickly back up and complete his stop. The only other action on pit road was the No. 21 of Clint Bowyer, had trouble re-firing his car and stalled exiting his pits, resulting in the loss of several spots.

The green flag would drop with Carl Edwards getting his first lead of the race. Edwards would lead twelve laps, before fellow Roush Fenway driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. driver of the No. 7 CITI Financial Ford would take the lead and lead the next twenty-seven laps until the next caution came out at lap eighty-one, due car troubles from the 05 of David Starr.

The green flag would drop again at lap eighty-six where Kyle Busch would lead for the second time of the day.  Busch, would lead for the next fifty-seven laps and that gets us through the half-way point at lap one hundred.  At the half-way point we saw two cautions, four lead changes and four different leaders.  The drivers would complete their scheduled green flag pit stops with Kyle Busch coming back on top.

Our third ServiceMaster Clean caution came at lap 148, with debris in turn four. There may be some damage to the right front valence on third-place Brad Keselowski’s car. The green flag would again drop at lap 152 with Kyle Busch still on top, Edwards would rocket past Kyle Busch for the lead going into turn one and there was no looking back after that for Edwards.

We would see our fourth caution, at lap 186 when the No.42 driven by Parker Kligerman spun off turn two.  The green flag would drop at lap 190 with Trevor Bayne leading briefly, before he is swallowed up Busch going to the inside of Edwards making it three-wide going into turn one. Brian Scott driver of 09 Shore Line Dodge would slap the wall on lap 195, but not in Busch’s favor a caution was not thrown.

However, Busch would catch his break on lap 197 when Clint Bowyer would bring out the fifth caution. And we would see the third Green-White-Checkerd in Texas Motor Speedway NNS races.  

Edwards, would get a huge jump on the start and easily would take the lead, Busch and Keselowski would try, but Edwards would have the best car and score his third NNS victory of the season.

“The restart there, Carl jumped the restart.  NASCAR never wants to be the outcome of the race, but yet every other week they are.  It doesn’t surprise me that they aren’t this week.” Busch said.

There were a total of five ServiceMaster Clean cautions for a total of twenty-four laps. This would Busch’s posted his eleventh top-10 finish in twelve races at TMS. It is his twenty-fourth of the 2010 season. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the highest finishing rookie with an eleventh place finish.

The top-ten finishers of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge are: No. 60 Carl Edwards, No. 18 Kyle Busch, No. 22 Brad Keselowski, No. 20 Joey Logano, No. 99 Martin Truex Jr.,No. 38 Jason Lefler, No.32 Reed Sorenson, No.33 Kevin Harvick, No.98 of Paul Menard, and finally the No.66 Steve Wallace

Unofficial Race Results

O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge, Texas Motor Speedway

November 6, 2010 – Race 33 of 35

Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps Status
1 0 60 Carl Edwards Ford 190 5 205 Running
2 0 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 180 10 205 Running
3 0 22 Brad Keselowski Dodge 170 5 205 Running
4 0 20 Joey Logano Toyota 160 0 205 Running
5 0 99 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 155 0 205 Running
6 0 38 Jason Leffler Toyota 150 0 205 Running
7 0 32 Reed Sorenson Toyota 146 0 205 Running
8 0 33 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 142 0 205 Running
9 0 98 Paul Menard Ford 138 0 205 Running
10 0 66 Steve Wallace Toyota 134 0 205 Running
11 0 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 135 5 205 Running
12 0 17 Trevor Bayne Ford 132 5 205 Running
13 0 12 Justin Allgaier Dodge 124 0 205 Running
14 0 16 Erik Darnell Ford 121 0 205 Running
15 0 11 David Reutimann Toyota 118 0 205 Running
16 0 88 Aric Almirola Chevrolet 120 5 205 Running
17 0 62 Brendan Gaughan Toyota 112 0 205 Running
18 0 15 Michael Annett Toyota 109 0 205 Running
19 0 104 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 106 0 203 Running
20 0 87 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 103 0 203 Running
21 0 40 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 100 0 202 Running
22 0 7 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 97 0 202 Running
23 0 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 94 0 202 Running
24 0 28 Kenny Wallace Chevrolet 91 0 202 Running
25 0 34 Tony Raines Chevrolet 88 0 202 Running
26 0 24 Eric McClure Ford 85 0 202 Running
27 0 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Chevrolet 82 0 202 Running
28 0 70 Shelby Howard Chevrolet 79 0 201 Running
29 0 35 Jason Keller Chevrolet 76 0 199 Running
30 0 21 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 73 0 198 In Pit
31 0 27 Alex Kennedy Ford 70 0 197 Running
32 0 9 Brian Scott * Toyota 67 0 196 In Pit
33 0 31 Stanton Barrett Chevrolet 64 0 189 In Pit
34 0 42 Parker Kligerman Dodge 61 0 180 Running
35 0 10 Ricky Carmichael Toyota 58 0 89 In Pit
36 0 81 Michael McDowell Dodge 55 0 59 Out
37 0 131 James Buescher * Chevrolet 57 5 41 In Pit
38 0 5 David Starr Chevrolet 49 0 36 In Pit
39 0 179 Tim Andrews Ford 46 0 31 Out
40 0 91 David Gilliland Chevrolet 43 0 20 Out
41 0 107 Danny Efland Chevrolet 40 0 12 Out
42 0 52 Kevin Lepage Chevrolet 37 0 12 In Pit
43 0 92 Dennis Setzer Dodge 34 0 3 In Pit

Kyle Busch leads the Speed-Charts after the Final Practice for NSCS: AAA Texas 500

By
SM Staff
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Fort Worth, Texas- The NO. 18 M&M’s Toyota driven by Kyle Busch is still atop of the speed-charts for final practice. Busch led the second practice session with a time of 28.537 and a speed of 189.228, his final practice was.. Busch’s first practice time was 28.269 and a speed of 191.022. Busch has defiantly improved since his qualifying; he qualified twenty-ninth and is in the fifteenth row.

Here is how the rest of the drives in the Chase finished in the final practice session. Kurt Busch driver of the NO.2 Operation Home Front/Miller Lite Dodge currently ninth in points, was fourth in the final session with a time of 28.899. Jeff Gordon driver of the NO.24 Dupont Chevrolet currently fourth in points finished ninth in the final session with a time of 28.997 .Jimmie Johnson driver of the NO.48 Lowes Chevrolet currently leading the points finished tenth in the final session with a time of 29.029. Carl Edwards driver of the NO.99 Aflac Ford who is sitting sixth in points finished the final session fourteenth in points with a time of 29.098. These are the top-five final practice speed drives that are in the Chase.

Here is where the rest of the drivers in the Chase finished for the final practice session. Tony Stewart driver of the NO.14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet currently seventh in points finished the session in seventeenth with a time of 29.130. Greg Biffle, driver of the NO. 16 American Red Cross Frod currently eleventh in points finished the session in eighteenth with a time of 29.135. Kevin Harvick, driver of the NO. 29 Shell/Penzoil Chevrolet currently third in points finished the session in twentieth with a time of 29.146. Deny Hamlin driver of the NO. 11 FedEx Office Toyota currently second in points finished the session in 29.187.

Clint Bowyer driver, of the NO.33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet currently twelfth in points finished the session in 29.261. Matt Kenseth, driver of the NO. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford currently eighth in points finished in thirty-first with a time of 29.331. Jeff Burton driver of the NO.31 Caterpillar Chevrolet currently tenth in points finished the session in thirty-fifth with a time of 29.423.

Other NSCS notables not in the case; Elliot Sadler pole sitter driver of the 19 Stanley ford had a time of 28.981. Mark Martin driver of the 5 Carquest/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet had a time of 29.102. Jamie McMurry driver of the 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet had a time of 29.198. Dale Earnhardt Jr. driver of the 88 National Guard/ AMP Energy Chevrolet had a time of 29.317.

What if ‘Have at it Boys’ Decides Sprint Cup Title?

By
SM Staff
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For Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick, it’s three to go.

For Johnson, it’s a shot at not only the historic but the inconceivable just a few years ago: five straight championships.

For Hamlin, it’s the accomplishment of a quest he vowed to fulfill last year when the season closed out at Homestead: dethrone Jimmie Johnson.

For Harvick, it’s the opportunity to bring a title back to Richard Childress racing and complete a remarkable resurgence from last year’s mediocre results.

All three have strong motivations and none are more seductive than the title they could carry to Speedweeks at Daytona in February: defending Sprint Cup Champion.

It’s never been this close before and it’s been four years since it’s been nearly this close with three to go.  It could get even closer.

For Hamlin, just managing to get a top six finish with Johnson three spots back could get him the points lead. Harvick could tote the lead out of Texas with a win and just a few spots between himself and Hamlin and Johnson.

For Johnson, it’s time to sweat.

He’s hearing the footsteps. He knows both the 11 and 29 teams are figuring out how to squeeze him out of points.

Last week, the 29 team elected to maneuver their pit stops so that Johnson couldn’t lead a lap under caution. Ultimately the 48 did lead, but the RCR bunch did the things they could do to control it.

Just how far will each go?

This season, we’ve seen the “have at it boys” mentality in the Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Series. We’ve seen it happen for spots, for spite, and for wins.

Could it happen for a championship?  Here’s something to start thinking about now.

What happens if it gets to Homestead with just a few points separating all three?  It could happen.

Only three races remain at Texas, Phoenix, and Homestead.

At those three racetracks combined (the average of the average finishes at each track), Jimmie Johnson has the best average finish at 9.2. Hamlin comes in behind him at 10.6 at Harvick rounds out the three with a 12.1 average finish at all three tracks combined.

That means that on average, less than three positions separate each contender with three races to go.

The first ingredient for the “have at it boys” mindset is proximity, and they might have it every single week.

Race results from week to week get forgotten. It’s an endless blur of tracks, cities, silly season news and sponsorship moves. A Champion gets remembered forever. 

So far this season, we’ve seen races won and lost by having at it, we’ve seen cars get airborne by having at it, and we’ve seen penalties handed out for having at it.

What if a championship is won or lost by having at it?

What if we get to Homestead and we end up waiting until Tuesday to see if a penalty is enough to change the final standings? What will NASCAR do if an egregious incident knocks someone out, or singles out a championship contender for rough driving after the race?

How will you remember the 2010 season if it happens?

Will you watch the driver collect a championship, the trophy and the check and celebrate him for doing what he had to do to win a title, or will you forever look at the 2010 champion with a mental asterisk?

Did he avail himself of the current mentality in NASCAR, or did he win a championship under dubious circumstances?

Be prepared to answer those questions yourself; there’s never been a year like this before and it could create a perfect storm for the fans, the drivers and NASCAR.

NASCAR Americas Family Sport

By
SM Staff
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We all have heard “Baseball is Americas Pastime”. After witnessing what I saw tonight in the garage area at Texas Motor Speedway, I must say NASCAR is “Americas Family Sport. I had the privilege of seeing little D.J. Starr son of NCWTS driver David Starr playing at his “playground”.

I must say it blew me away; I just stood there in amazement seeing this little boy run through the garage area as if he was playing at the city park. But to him this is his park, the hauler is his jungle gym, and dodging through the people and other teams in the garage is his maze. Young D.J. is not the only kid who calls NASCAR garages, haulers, and trailers their playground.

The crew is his extended family, and the other drivers are ‘Uncles”. But, NASCAR is not only a family sport for the drivers; it is also a family sport for the fans. Most tracks offer a family section, in this section there is usually no alcohol or smoking allowed in the stands.

They usually offer a family ticket package or in most cases tickets are priced very well. For example a family of four could attend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday for $159.00. In the same area for other sporting events, you would pay would pay 331.32 to take your family to Dallas Cowboys game and for the Dallas Mavericks a family package varies between $49.00-$256.00 for a family of four.

I would encourage you if you have the opportunity to go to a NASCAR race to bring your kids to the races, like David Starr and let your children witness the “NASCAR Playground” like young D.J.

Speedway Media News Bits: By the Numbers Texas Motor Speedway

By
SM Staff
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Fort Worth, Texas- Texas news and notes by the numbers:

* Can pole sitter Elliot Sadler become the second driver in the NSCS to win from the Pole at TMS? Kasey Kahne, driver of then NO. 9 Chevrolet is the only to driver to win from the  pole (4-09-06) and there have been four wins from the front row.

* There are four current drivers who have competed in all of the 19 races at TMS, and will start there 20 here tomorrow. They are Jeff Burton, Mark Martin, Bobby Labonte and Jeff Gordon, Gordon and Burton have both won at TMS, Gordon has one victory in the Samsung 500(04-05-09), while Burton has two victories in the Samsung 500(04-15-07) and the Interstate Batteries 500(04-06-97).

* Four of the current twelve drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup have yet to garnish a win this season; they are Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth. It seems like Edwards will have the best chance as he will start in the third position tomorrow, while Gordon will start in the fifteenth, Burton in the sixteenth, and Kenseth in the nineteenth.

* It takes approximately 120 minutes for the ServiceMaster Clean Jets to make it around the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway Oval.

* The fewest number of ServiceMaster Clean cautions for a Sprint Cup Race at TMS is five , this has happened two time with the most recent on 11-08-09.

* Twelve is the most number of ServiceMaster Clean Cautions for a Sprint Cup Series race at TMS, this has happened three time with the most recent on 11-04-07.

* There have been sixteen different race winners in the nineteen Sprint Cup races at TMS.

* There have been thirteen different pole winners in the nineteen Sprint Cup races at TMS.

Other News and Notes by the Numbers not related to Texas:

* There have been twelve different Sprint Cup race winners in 2010

* There have seventeen different Sprint Cup pole winners this season.

* The most number of ServiceMaster Clean Cautions this season for a Sprint Cup Series race has been fifteen at Martinsville.

Busch wins truck series race Texas; Toyota clinches manufacturer’s title

By
SM Staff
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Kyle Busch led three times for 80 of the 147 laps ran on Friday night and won the NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series WinStar World Casino 350K at Texas Motor Speedway.

“This Tundra was awesome tonight. Once I got out front, that last restart saved me. I can’t thank all the guys on this KBM team enough. They did an awesome job. It’s fun to be able to have the success we’ve had and hopefully we can continue to get some more for next year.” Busch said.  

This was the Busch’s seventh win for Busch at Texas Motor Speedway, making him the winningest driver at the track.   This was Busch’s 23rd career series victory and 7th win of the season in 14 starts. Busch could win the owner’s title with good finishes in the next two and final series races. Busch currently holds a 72 point lead over owner Steve Germain, No. 30 truck driven by Todd Bodine.  

“The cool thing about it is it’s our first year and we’re in the running for it. We’ve got a great opportunity to go to Phoenix and to go to Homestead and score enough points to win this deal. We also can give it up, too. We’ve got to be careful in what we do and make sure the preparation is there.” Busch said.  

This race also clinched Toyota’s fifth consecutive manufacturer’s title.  

“To earn a fifth consecutive manufacturer’s championship is an accomplishment we are very proud of, and is a testament to the commitment Toyota has now and in the future to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and to our race teams participating in the series,” said Ed Laukes, Toyota’s corporate motorsports marketing manager. “We have been fortunate to partner ourselves with championship-caliber teams and exceptional drivers. Our Tundra teams continue to prove their excellence on the track.”  

“It’s an honor to be associated with Toyota and to be a part of five straight manufacturer’s championships,” says Bodine. “Over the last seven years, Toyota and Germain Racing have formed a great partnership and we constantly work together to improve our on-track performance each and every year.”   Johnny Sauter finished second, Matt Crafton third, Todd Bodine fourth and Elliott Sadler finished fifth.    

Unofficial Race Results

WinStar World Casino 350K, Texas Motor Speedway

November 5, 2010 | Race 23 of 25

Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps Status
1 3 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 195 10 147 Running
2 7 13 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 175 5 147 Running
3 1 88 Matt Crafton Chevrolet 165 0 147 Running
4 5 30 Todd Bodine Toyota 165 5 147 Running
5 2 2 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 155 0 147 Running
6 21 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 150 0 147 Running
7 12 51 Aric Almirola Toyota 151 5 147 Running
8 24 5 Mike Skinner Toyota 142 0 147 Running
9 13 129 Parker Kligerman Dodge 138 0 147 Running
10 11 4 Ricky Carmichael Chevrolet 134 0 147 Running
11 14 23 Jason White Toyota 135 5 147 Running
12 16 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 127 0 147 Running
13 10 47 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Chevrolet 129 5 147 Running
14 19 60 Stacy Compton Chevrolet 121 0 147 Running
15 15 181 David Starr Toyota 118 0 146 Running
16 25 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 115 0 146 Running
17 18 173 Rick Crawford Chevrolet 112 0 146 Running
18 30 186 Jamie Dick Chevrolet 109 0 145 Running
19 27 150 T.J. Bell Chevrolet 106 0 145 Running
20 28 12 Mario Gosselin Chevrolet 103 0 145 Running
21 20 125 Tayler Malsam Toyota 100 0 144 Running
22 17 7 Justin Lofton * Toyota 97 0 144 Running
23 23 9 Max Papis Toyota 94 0 142 Running
24 31 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb * Ford 91 0 141 Running
25 6 3 Austin Dillon * Chevrolet 88 0 140 Running
26 35 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet 85 0 134 Running
27 32 6 Lance Fenton Chevrolet 82 0 134 Running
28 22 46 Jason Bowles Toyota 79 0 124 Trans
29 26 182 Paddy Rodenbeck Chevrolet 76 0 105 Engine
30 34 93 Shane Sieg Chevrolet 73 0 73 Heating
31 33 85 Brent Raymer Ford 70 0 55 Handling
32 4 33 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 72 5 52 Accident
33 8 11 Miguel Paludo Toyota 64 0 52 Accident
34 36 116 Wes Burton Chevrolet 61 0 17 Ignition
35 29 7 Butch Miller Toyota 58 0 5 Engine
36 9 120 Johanna Long Toyota 55 0 1 Accident

Danica Patrick Takes on the Boys at a Place She Knows In Texas

By
SM Staff
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The tumultuous adventure in the NASCAR Nationwide Series continues as Danica Patrick returns to a place she knows, Texas Motor Speedway.

Patrick is preparing for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at a track where she garnered a second place finish in June with her IndyCar racer. The track is familiar to her, but running it in a heavy stock car is a whole different deal as she has come to realize.

Her spotter T.J. Majors and crew chief Tony Eury, Jr. will be doing their best to guide her through the field, trying to boost her confidence with each lap. She has shown her feisty spirit recently on the track and even looks a bit racy at times.

Though her stats don’t appear noteworthy with and average finish of 29.1, she may have done much better had it not been for the accident factor, much of which was not her fault.

On the JR Motorsports team preview, Patrick stated, “I can tell you that top 15’s are the goals we have for our GoDaddy team through the end of the year. It’s something I feel we can do. I think we’ve had some chances this year, especially at Fontana. I know that I’ve learned as I’ve gone along. I feel a little more under control. Not everything is happening as fast for me as it was at the beginning.”

Patrick will be running the last three races of the NASCAR Nationwide series this year and the first four races of the season next year before starting her open-wheel series. Homestead, the final race this year, is another track where she was able to capture a second place finish with her IndyCar ride.

Controversy will continue to ride shotgun with Patrick as people debate whether she belongs in NASCAR or how serious she is about it. Time will come all too quickly when Patrick will have to decide if she wants to drive open-wheel cars or stock cars. It has made her NASCAR learning curve more difficult with the IndyCar schedule.

The driver of the No. 7 GoDaddy Chevrolet for JR Motorsports seems very serious about proving she can race with the boys and “have at it” with them. The continuity of seat time she has at the end of this season and the beginning of next season should show if she can truly get a handle on stock car racing.

We shall watch the Danica Patrick experiment play out this coming weekend. She has at least raised her goals from a top-20 finish to a top-15. Maybe this will be the weekend she can start proving her goals are within reach.

Sadler finds new home at KHI for 2011

By
SM Staff
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Elliott Sadler has found a new home for 2011. Sadler who currently drives for Richard Petty Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series completed a deal Thursday night that will allow him to compete for the Nationwide Series Championship with Kevin Harvick Inc.

KHI has scheduled a news conference for Friday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway to announce it’s 2011 program.

KHI was already planning to field the number 33 Chevrolet with technical assistance from Richard Childress Racing and owner Kevin Harvick as well as Clint Bowyer and Paul Menard driving the car. There was no confirmation at this time whether a second car would be fielded by KHI.

Elliott Sadler won a truck race for KHI earlier this year at Pocono.In 130 career Nationwide starts, Sadler has five wins, 19 top-five and 38 top-10 finishes and six poles. He has not run full time in the series since 1998.

Elliott Sadler, Justin Allgaier, Joe Gibbs Racing: Three Press Conferences for Texas

By
SM Staff
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Friday at Texas Motor Speedway seems to be a busy day as three separate teams are making announcements, in which some of the details are already known to the public.

Kevin Harvick Incorporated and Elliott Sadler

Kevin Harvick Incorporated (KHI) has scheduled a press conference for Friday afternoon to announce their “2011 program”. Both the Charlotte Observer and ThatsRacin.com are reporting that one of the announcements they will be making is that Elliott Sadler will be driving for KHI full-time in the Nationwide Series.

Back in October, Sadler told NASCAR.com that Kevin Harvick would be a good owner to have due to the experience with him.

“You know, when I felt like people might have turned their backs on me and done other stuff and left me in a tough situation, Kevin stepped up to the plate,” Sadler said. “He’s like, ‘Man, I believe in you, you can get this done. I want you to run my equipment.’ It has been a great situation. Kevin has done a lot to revive my career and give me confidence. He’s a great motivator right now.”

Sadler chose to leave Richard Petty Motorsports at season’s end due to the lack of success he was experiencing. Though this past year running some Truck races for Kevin Harvick has offered that to Sadler. Sadler has made six starts for KHI, posting one win, two top-fives and three top-10s.

Charlotte Observer also reports that KHI also will field the No. 33 Chevy again in the Nationwide Series with team co-owner Kevin Harvick driving most of the races, along with Richard Childress Racing drivers Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard, and Austin Dillion.

Turner Motorsports and Justin Allgaier

Turner Motorsports announced that on Friday at 2:30pm CT, they’d be making an announcement that would include their driver and sponsor line-up, as well as manufacture and engine supplier.

ESPN.com has learned that Justin Allgaier will be one of the drivers announced in the line-up as he will drive the full-time in the Nationwide Series.

Allgaier was let go from Penske Racing after Verizon took their name off of the car. Allgaier is currently the highest ranked non-Sprint Cup driver in the Nationwide Series standings, sitting in fourth place with a win at Bristol.

Turner Motorsports will be a fielding a total of six teams with three in the Nationwide Series and three in the Camping World Truck Series. Current drivers Ricky Carmichael and James Buescher will return to drive two of the team’s trucks.

Carmichael currently sits 11 in points with three top fives and eight top 10s in 22 starts while Buescher sits 12 in points with six top fives and nine top 10s in 19 starts.

Joe Gibbs Racing

J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing, is expected to announce Joe Gibbs Racing’s 2011 Nationwide Series program at 10 a.m. on Saturday, following the Nationwide Series driver/crew chief meeting. Expect the plans to include current Sprint Cup drivers Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Joey Logano with development drivers Matt DiBenedetto and Brad Coleman.

Matt Crafton wins Keystone Pole Award for NCWTS: WinStar World Casino 350K

By
SM Staff
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Fort Worth, Texas- Matt Crafton driver of the No.88 McGuire-Nichols/Menards Chevrolet, is the Pole Sitter for the NCWTS WinStar World Casino 350K at Texas Motor Speedway. Crafton qualified with a time of 29.964, this is Crafton’s second only NCWTS pole his first come last year. “Truck ran great off the trailer; we only ran a few laps in first practice session as a piece of lead pierced the left side of the car”. Crafton said in his post qualifying interview, Crafton also added that he has always wanted to win at Texas Motor Speedway, and is racing for wins in the series last three races.

Elliot Sadler sits second for the NCWTS WinStar World Casino 350K he had a time of 30.016. Sadler is the driver of the No.2 Realtree Outfitters Chevrolet.  “This is my first time in the trucks here at TMS”, Sadler said, “I am also thinking about running here for NNS next for Kevin Harvick Incorporated.”

Kyle Busch sits third for the NCWTS WinStar World Casino 350K he had a time of 30.054. Bush is the driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries/Iamsecond.com Toyota.  “I feel that I have really good truck” Busch said I am racing the No. 30 Toyota Driven by Todd Bodine for the Owners Championship”. “If he gambles, we will follow.

The rest of the top-10 qualifiers are: No. 33 Chevrolet of Ron Hornady with a time of 30.061, Todd Bodine driver of the 30 Toyota with a time of 30.063, No. 3 Chevrolet driven by Austin Dillon with a time of 30.109, No. 13 Chevrolet driven by Johnny Sauter with a time of 30.129, No. 11 Toyota driven by Miquel Pauldo with a time of 30.179, No. 20 Toyota Driven by Johanna Long with a time of 30.185, and the No. 47 Chevrolet driven by Bobby Hamilton Jr. with a time of 30.253.

The NCWTS WinStar World Casino 350K will be televised at Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET on Speed and will on your local MRN affiliate and Sirius/XM channel 128.

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