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NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: Fast Times In Hot ‘Lanta

By
SM Staff
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The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, fresh from a weekend off, returns to action this Sunday at NASCAR’s fastest venue at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Emory Healthcare 500 is the first of two final events that will conclude the series’ 26 race regular season and send the top 12 teams into the beginning of the ten race series that comprises the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. This race is also on a venue that in the past has created some extremely exciting finishes.

THE STORY LINE

The final 12 man line up for the Chase is of course the big story line this week. This is especially true of the bottom of the list where there could be a final two race shoot out for that coveted 12th position. Going into Sunday’s race at Atlanta, here’s the current prognosis for the Chase:

1. Kevin Harvick. The driver of the #29 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing has already clinched his berth for the Chase. Harvick, who won one of the most dramatic events in Atlanta Motor Speedway history, is now free and clear to charge hard and collect the ten bonus points for winning a race. He’ll need those bonus points when it comes time to reset the top 12 at 5,000 points each. Harvick has three wins this year but he could find himself falling from first to third in the standings when the Chase begins later this month in New Hampshire. That’s because Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin have five wins and that means they could become the number one and two seed in the Chase with 5,050 points each. Keep an eye on Harvick this Sunday at Atlanta. He has absolutely nothing to lose here and plenty to gain by using hard charging tactics.

2. Jeff Gordon. NASCAR’s four time champion, and driver of the #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, has also clinched his berth in the Chase and can now proceed towards his “drive for five” goal. While Gordon will also be seeking the winner’s bonus points over the next two Sundays, there another major issue he wants resolved. It’s that win less streak that began last year after the Texas race. This team has had some great runs this year but somehow couldn’t get their car in victory lane. Privately, it’s probably driving him crazy. Publicly, he can’t seem to do an interview without hearing about it. Like Harvick, Gordon has nothing to lose and everything to gain by employing hard charging tactics at Atlanta. The fact that he’s a four time winner there already proves that he can get the job done.

3. Kyle Busch. The driver of the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota can virtually employ start and park tactics this Sunday at Atlanta and still secure his berth in the Chase. Busch needs to finish at least 40th to clinch, 42nd with the bonus points from leading a lap in the race or 43d after leading the most laps. This is a done deal. With three wins this year Busch is also free and clear to go after those ten bonus points this Sunday.

4. Carl Edwards. The driver of the #99 Roush Fenway Ford has a very good chance of clinching his Chase spot at Atlanta. Edwards needs a minimum 21st place finish, 23d after leading a lap or 25th with leading the most laps. But here’s another driver who’s bothered by a win less streak. He may opt to go for the win knowing he can easily clinch a Chase berth the following week at Richmond. Atlanta would be a great place for Edwards to display a go for it approach. He’s a three time winner there.

5. Denny Hamlin. This is the second of the Joe Gibbs Toyotas that is Chase bound. Despite a run of recent harsh racing luck, Hamlin has five wins and will start the Chase with at least 5,050 points. He needs a 20th place finish to officially clinch on Sunday. A 22nd place finish with a lap led or a 23d finish with the most laps led will also get the job done. However, expect Hamlin to go for that sixth win which could place him at the top of the standings when the Chase starts.

6. Tony Stewart. “Smoke” is also guaranteed to clinch a Chase berth either this Sunday or next week at Richmond. A 19th place finish at Atlanta will get the job done. He can also clinch via a 21st with a lap led or a 23d with the most laps. Stewart is another driver still looking for that first win of the season so don’t be too surprised if his emphasis is on winning this Sunday. Atlanta would be a great place to launch that offensive. Stewart is a two time winner there.

7. Jeff Burton. Here’s another driver who should have made it to victory lane by now but somehow has some trouble closing the deal. However, he is guaranteed to become the second team car from Richard Childress Racing to clinch a Chase berth either on Sunday or the week after. Burton can get the job done with a 17th place finish, 19th with a lap led or 21st after leading the most laps.

8. Matt Kenseth. The second of the Roush Fenway Fords that is Chase bound, Kenseth is still looking for his first win since early 2009. He can claim his spot in the 2010 Chase this Sunday with a 15th place finish, 17th with a lap led or 19th with the most laps led.

9. Jimmie Johnson. Now here’s a driver everyone has been talking about lately. Several weeks ago Johnson was at the top of the standings with five wins. There’s been somewhat of a tail spin lately but it’s not expected to impact Johnson’s quest for a fifth consecutive title. Before the recent tail spin he collected five wins and that’s going to place him back at the top of the standings when the Chase points are reset. The driver of #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet needs at least a 10th place finish to clinch a Chase berth at Atlanta. He can also get the job done with an 11th plus a lap led or a 13th after leading the most laps in the race. Those numbers are very strong possibilities. Johnson is a three time winner at Atlanta.

It’s believed by many that the top nine in the current Sprint Cup standings are likely to clinch their Chase berths at Atlanta. The scenarios gets a little more interesting from this point on.

10. Kurt Busch. One has to believe that Kurt Busch will drive his #2 Penske Racing Dodge into the Chase next Sunday at Atlanta. He’s a three time winner there including winning the spring event last March. He already has two wins this year and a third one at Atlanta will put him to great shape to launch a run for his second NASCAR Sprint Cup championship. To clinch a Chase berth this Sunday Busch will require at least a 9th place finish, 10th with a lap led or 11th after leading the most laps.

11. Greg Biffle. The third of the Roush Fenway Ford drivers is the only one of the group who has found victory lane this year. Biffle is 235 points away from 13th. The cut off number to clinch at Atlanta is 196 points ahead of 13th. He may have to wait until the following week at Richmond to earn his berth in the 2010 Chase. Having said that, a fourth place finish at Atlanta will get the job done. So will a 5th place finish with a lap led or a 7th place finish if Biffle can lead the most laps next Sunday.

12. Clint Bowyer. Now here’s the story line we’ll all be watching this Sunday. Bowyer’s presence in the 2010 Chase will place all three of the Richard Childress Racing Chevrolets in the championship run. It’s not expected that Bowyer will clinch a Chase berth at Atlanta but he could put himself in a position this Sunday to get the job done at the Richmond race. He will need to insure that he finishes ahead of drivers Jaime McMurray, Mark Martin and Ryan Newman during these final two events.

Bowyer is 100 points ahead of McMurray who currently holds the 13th position in the standings. But McMurray performance levels have been running up and down like a roller coaster this year. The question remains which version of a McMurray performance level will we see at Atlanta? Will it be the powerful performance that allowed him to win the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 at Indy or will it be the so-so performance level that we’ve seen from some of his other races? The good news here, for the driver of the #1 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, is the fact that McMurray has picked up five points positions in the last five races while outscoring Bowyer by 81 points. A combination of harsh luck for Bowyer along with a strong run by McMurray this Sunday could make the Richmond race most interesting.

Not to be overlooked here are the last chance Chase possibilities for drivers Mark Martin, 101 points away from 12th, and Ryan Newman, 118 points out. Martin is a two time winner at Atlanta and a strong run on Sunday could make the 26th race at Richmond even more interesting. But, in reality, both drivers are going to need some help from Bowyer to sneak into the back door of the 2010 Chase.

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THE RACE BREAKDOWN

Sunday’s Emory Healthcare 500 is 325 laps/500.5 miles around the Atlanta Motor Speedway’s 1.54 mile oval.

The race has 47 entries. 12 of those entries are on the go or go home list meaning they are not guaranteed a starting berth in Sunday’s race because they are outside of NASCAR’s top 35 in owner’s points. These teams will have to earn a starting berth in the race based on qualifying speeds.

The defending race winner from last year is Kasey Kahne. By the way Kahne fans may be a little confused while searching for the bright red #9 Budweiser Ford. Kahne’s car will be featuring the blue and white colors of Valvoline this Sunday.

When it comes to winning at Atlanta, Dale Earnhardt Sr tops the list with nine trips to victory lane there. Bobby Labonte leads the active driver’s list with six wins at Atlanta.

The famed Wood Brothers leads the team wins at Atlanta with 12. But it’s the bow tie brigade that leads the manufacturer’s win list. Chevrolet teams has visited the Atlanta victory lane 35 times.

The first ever NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta was held in July of 1960 and was won by the legendary Fireball Roberts. Since that time the NASCAR Cup teams have raced there 102 times sending 42 different winners to victory lane.

The Atlanta Motor Speedway is the fastest track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule with speeds hitting over 200 MPH on the straightaways.

The track qualifying record, 197.478 MPH, was set by Geoffrey Bodine back in November of 1997.

Ryan Newman holds the track record for the number of pole positions at Atlanta with seven. Six of them has been consecutive poles that ranged from March of 2003 to October of 2005.

An Atlanta race has been won from the pole position 14 times.The last driver to accomplish this feat was Kasey Kahne back in 2006. 58 wins at Atlanta came from drivers who started withing the top five starting positions.

The Atlanta Motor Speedway’s massive 1.54 mile oval features 24 degrees of banking in the turns and five degrees on the straightaways. The front stretch measures 2,332 feet while the back stretch is 1,800 feet long.

The pit road speed is 45 MPH.

The speedway has seating for 124,000.

The purse for Sunday’s race is $6,101,958

Weather should not be a factor, other than driver comfort, during the Atlanta weekend. The forecast calls for sunny skies and temperatures in the low 90’s.

The Emory Healthcare 500 will be broadcast live by the ESPN Network beginning at 7 pm eastern time. The early Monday morning rebroadcast is on a time to be announced status so check your local listings. The usual time is generally 2 am Monday morning, eastern time, on ESPN2. The SPEED Channel will re air the race, 12 pm et, on Wednesday.

Finally, just when you think you’ve read it all, consider this vital fact: former President Jimmy Carter was once employed by the Atlanta Motor Speedway as a ticket taker.

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THE VEGAS BREAKDOWN.

The Las Vegas based WSE-World Sports Exchange- seems to believe that this is the weekend that three time Atlanta winner Jimmie Johnson is going to rid himself of the aforementioned tail spin and start flying high again. They have rated Johnson at a chart topping 6 to 1 odds this week which is actually a very good wager. Also a good bet is Kurt Busch, another three time Atlanta winner, at 8 to 1. Yet another wager worthy of consideration is the trio of Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon, all former Atlanta winners, who are ranked at 10 to 1.

In the WSE’s middle grouping you will find a half dozen drivers ranked at 12 to 1. That group is led by three time winner Carl Edwards, two time race winners Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart along with Denny Hamlin, Juan Pablo Montoya and Greg Biffle. Also in middle group you will find Jeff Burton, 18 to 1, along with Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr, a former Atlanta winner, at 20 to 1.

The lower tier of this week’s WSE rankings starts off with the two drivers involved in the Chase drama. That’s where you’ll find Clint Bowyer and Jamie McMurray at 22 to 1 odds. At 30 to 1 you will find a trio of drivers led by two time race winner Mark Martin along with Martin Truex Jr and David Reutimann. Closing out this week’s rankings are Ryan Newman and Joey Logano at 40 to 1.

Now for the weekly disclaimer: NASCAR wants us to remind you that these numbers are for information and entertainment purposes. In other words talk about the numbers all you want, while standing in front of the water cooler at work, but don’t expect NASCAR to either encourage or condone the placing of wagers on their races.

HOORAHS AND WAZZUPS: Who Said? Boris Said!

By
SM Staff
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With the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series taking the weekend off, the Nationwide Series was provided a much deserved opportunity to take center stage over the previous weekend. What a stage it was. The Series ventured north of the border to stage an exciting event in Montreal-Canada on the famed Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. 77 circuits later around the 2.7 mile, 14 turn, road course a very popular winner stood in victory lane.

Meanwhile, here in the states, the “Rowdy” one set another NASCAR milestone and then got a reality check when he went to play in someone else’s back yard.

Then there was the matter of animal control. To coin a phrase from a movie or television show’s closing credits, “no animals were harmed during the making of this production.” With those thoughts in mind, let’s begin with:

HOORAH to road racing veteran, and part time NASCAR veteran, Boris said for winning the Napa 200 at Montreal. As we all know, Said has a group of dedicated fans known as the “Said Heads” who wear black curly wigs to match their favorite driver’s natural hair style. I’m thinking the fan club is still yelling their favorite slogan: “WHO SAID? BORIS SAID ! ”

HOORAH to Said’s team, RAB Racing, who scored their first ever NASCAR Nationwide Series win. Their driver only led two laps of the race in their Zaxxby’s/PFC Ford but it was the most important laps: the final ones. Said came off of the front row of a green-white-checker finish to claim the win and the $101,000 plus winner’s check which is really going to help out the often underfunded RAB Racing organization.

He was followed across the line by Max Papis, in Kevin Harvick Inc’s #33 Chevrolet, by a mere 0.12 seconds. Montreal native and fan favorite Jacques Villeneuve, in the #32 Braun Racing Toyota, finished third to give the so called specially hired road course ringers a one-two-three sweep of the race.

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HOORAH for the European style, multi car, qualifying system used to determine the line for the Napa 200. It added a lot of pep to what can often be mundane live television broadcasts of NASCAR qualifying.

Wouldn’t you just love to see the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on this very beautiful, but very challenging, Montreal road course? I know I would.

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Question: why did the ground hog try to cross the road?

Answer: because he truly thought he could out run Robby Gordon’s Toyota

That question of course leads to a WAZZUP with Robby Gordon’s horrible luck during his visit to Montreal last weekend? The near miss of the errant ground hog was the least of his problems, but it’s the incident that’s going to make the video highlights all week long.

Gordon’s Canadian disaster began on Saturday afternoon during qualifying when his left side tires went off course and completely ripped a brake hose loose. In an effort to redeem himself, Gordon remained on the track to get the fastest qualifying lap possible.

It was one lap later than he met up with the errant ground hog who thought this would be a great time to cross the road. Fortunately this fat furry animal had second thoughts and held his position at the edge of the track as Gordon’s tires when flying by him. This precautionary action likely spared Gordon problems with PETA: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

But the worst moment of all came on Sunday afternoon. Gordon, a pre race favorite, was en route to winning the Napa 200 when he ran out of gas. Gordon helplessly watched a trip to victory lane turn into a 14th place finish. This was the incident that set up the green-white-checker finish and the win for Boris Said.

You can bet that Gordon couldn’t wait to get back to the USA after that weekend.

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WAZZUP with the bad luck with two other pre race favorites? Carl Edwards led 29 laps of the Napa 200 and was a strong candidate to score his second NASCAR Nationwide Series win of the season. But the effort turned sour on him, with ten laps left in the race, when his Roush Fenway Racing Ford suffered a broken track bar. Edwards had to deal with the frustration of watching a race win turn into a 20th place finish.

Then there’s the matter of every one’s favorite “Aussie” : Marcos Ambrose. We’re all aware of the bizarre, last minute, bad luck that kept him out of the Montreal victory lane for the past three years in a row. We were all willing to bet the farm that last Sunday was going to the day that Ambrose rectified the situation and get the Montreal win he richly deserves.

The effort started on a strong note during Saturday’s qualifying session. Ambrose, in his JTG Daughterty Racing Toyota, set the Coors Light fast time after touring the massive road course with a speed of 97.079 MPH.

But, after leading 25 of 77 laps, during the race Ambrose found himself having to deal with a surprise electrical problem that sent him behind the wall on lap 50 and a 33d place finish.

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HOORAH to Kyle Busch for accomplishing his latest NASCAR milestone. Busch won the Enjoy Illinois Dot Com 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race Friday night at the Chicagoland Speedway. In typical dominant fashion, Busch led 121 of the race’s 154 laps en route to his second, consecutive, win at Chicago as well as his 20th series career win. Remarkably, it was also the fourth NASCAR national touring series win for Busch within a period of nine days.

But, WAZZUP with the harsh racing luck Busch endured when the decided to visit the rough and tumble world of stadium off road racing last week? Busch had just secured a three race sponsorship deal with TRAXXAS, a well known manufacturer of radio conrolled race vehicles, for his self owned NASCAR truck team. TRAXXAS is also the official sponsor of TORC, The Off Road Championship Series.

Busch, well known for packing his schedule with appearances in a variety of racing formats, thought it would be a great idea to visit the TRAXXAS TORC Series while driving a Toyota truck at the Route 66 Raceway last Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Realizing that he was entering what is absolutely one of the most physically demanding forms of racing on man and machine, Busch knew he needed some prep work. He spent two days, the week before in Wisconsin, testing with series veterans Rob MacCrachen and Jeff Kincaid. By the time the test was over, Busch was within a tenth of a second from the fastest time. Everyone was extremely impressed with how fast he got the feel of flying a full sized truck off of those dirt jumps.

However, three trucks at a test session does not quite equate to a dirt track filled with racing trucks that are often flying by you with all four wheels in the air. On Wednesday night Busch found himself back in the garage area, with a broken shock, after only completing one lap. The news wasn’t any better on Thursday night when he was also sidelined early in the event by mechanical problems.

For a guy who’s generally favored to win any and every event he enters, Busch’s venture into stadium off road racing had to be a very large reality check.

Surprising and Not Surprising: Montreal’s Nationwide NAPA Auto Parts 200

By
SM Staff
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This weekend, the Nationwide Series stood alone, racing at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve north of the border in Montreal, Canada.  Road racers, Nationwide regulars and up and coming rookies graced the track in a rare sunny Sunday in a race that went on and on but ended in a photo finish.

Here is what is surprising and not surprising from this weekend’s Nationwide race, affectionately known as the 24 hours of Montreal.

Surprising:  In a race marred by seven yellows and one red flag, the race came down to fuel mileage, pit strategy, and just hard as nails road racing.  And in a photo finish between road aces Boris Said and Max Papis, the ‘Said Heads’ rejoiced while their driver pumped his fist in victory lane, shouting “Finally, finally.”

Not Surprising:  While both Said and Papis rejoiced in their one, two finish, Marcos Ambrose yet again was denied anything close to a victory.  After leading the field to the green from the pole position, Ambrose looked strong, leading many laps.  But alas, misfortune again bit the Aussie in his “Little Debbie” and he succumbed to battery and alternator problems, relegating him to a more than disappointing 33rd place finish.

Surprising:  Jacques Villeneuve, bearing the moniker of the track named after his late father, was the sentimental favorite, as well as the crowd pleaser, with cheers abounding each and every time he rounded the course.  Villeneuve did not disappoint, driving his heart out and coming in third at his home track.

Not Surprising:   Robby Gordon had his own Marcos-Ambrose like moments at this weekend’s Nationwide event.  Just as he experienced a few years ago when he thought he won, even doing his own burnout before NASCAR informed him otherwise, Gordon ran out of gas in the waning laps, coming in a heartbreaking 14th.

Surprising:  Carl Edwards, winner of the previous race after taking it away from Ambrose in the last turn of the last lap at the same track, had his own set of troubles.   His first issue occurred as he was trying to enter the track, where he was stopped by an overzealous security guard checking parking passes. After finally getting on the track, where he led and looked to be a contender, Edwards broke a rear track bar, taking him out of contention and pushing him back to the 20th finishing position.

Not Surprising:  Cup and Nationwide regulars Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, while not escaping some on-track escapades of their own, still managed to rally back.  Logano, who had an early spin and Keselowski, who received a payback love tap from Brad Coleman, both had shaky starts to their races. Yet both recovered, with Keselowski finishing fourth and Logano finishing sixth, sandwiching Paul Menard between the two of them in the fifth spot.

Surprising:  Justin Allgaier, known as ‘Little Gator’ but not necessarily known for his road course prowess, had a surprisingly strong run.  Allgaier managed to stay out of the melee, bringing his car home for a top ten finish, leading his wife Ashley to tweet “P9…At a road course!!!  That’s like a win for us!!!”

Not Surprising:  On lap 19, the usually brash and aggressive son of Rusty Wallace decided to duke it out with road race ace Ron Fellows.  Steve Wallace got the worse end of the deal, wrecking and trailing oil all over the track.  After ripping off his helmet and giving Fellows the one-fingered salute, Wallace took his ailing machine behind the wall, finishing 38th.

Surprising:   Jersey boy and K & N Pro Series West ace Paulie Harraka got his first Nationwide start, thanks to Joe Nemechek inviting him to take his second car to the dance.  According to Harraka, the deal came together quickly, securing sponsor Exide on the car the week before the race.

Not Surprising:  Unfortunately, both Joe Nemechek and his up and coming driver Harraka were both swept up in the same multi-car incident early in the race.  While Nemechek was out of the race, Harraka was able to soldier on.  The NEMCO Motorsports duo finished 28th and 29th respectively.

The top five finishers in the Nationwide NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge were Boris Said, Max Papis, Jacques Villeneuve, Brad Keselowski and Paul Menard.  Rounding out the top ten were Joey Logano, J.R. Fitzpatrick, Parker Kligerman, Justin Allgaier and Trevor Bayne.

The Nationwide Series will next race on Labor Day weekend, heading to the hot and fast track of Atlanta Motor Speedway.   The Great Clips 300 will run under the lights on Saturday, September 4th with coverage starting at 6:30 PM on ESPN2.

Said wins at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

By
SM Staff
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Boris Said recovered from an early spin and won the Nationwide race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Sunday. This was the Said’s first Nationwide victory and his second in NASCAR.

Max Papis passed Said entering the final chicane for a split second, but Papis got a little loose entering the turn, giving Said just enough to get beside of Papis and the momentum to carry him to a .012 second margin of victory, the fifth-lowest all-time and closest since 1998 at Homestead.  

 Jacques Villeneuve finished third, Brad Keselowski fourth and and Paul Menard finished fifth.  

Robby Gordon appeared to have race in hand if his fuel didn’t run out. During the final green-white-checkers restart he ran out of gas, dropping him to 14 position, two laps down.  

Marcos Ambrose and Carl Edwards both dropped out of the race with mechanical problems.  

Unofficial Results

Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps
1 5 9 Boris Said Ford 190 5 77
2 9 33 Max Papis Chevrolet 175 5 77
3 2 32 Jacques Villeneuve Toyota 170 5 77
4 8 22 Brad Keselowski Dodge 165 5 77
5 7 98 Paul Menard Ford 155 0 77
6 3 20 Joey Logano Toyota 150 0 77
7 17 7 J.R. Fitzpatrick Chevrolet 146 0 77
8 21 26 Parker Kligerman Dodge 142 0 77
9 24 12 Justin Allgaier Dodge 138 0 77
10 20 99 Trevor Bayne Toyota 134 0 77
11 30 24 D.J. Kennington Ford 130 0 77
12 10 18 Brad Coleman Toyota 127 0 77
13 40 28 Kenny Wallace Chevrolet 124 0 77
14 16 207 Robby Gordon Toyota 126 5 75
15 37 40 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 118 0 75
16 35 5 Victor Gonzalez Jr. Chevrolet 115 0 75
17 33 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 112 0 75
18 39 182 Tomy Drissi Dodge 109 0 75
19 41 70 Mark Green Chevrolet 106 0 75
20 4 60 Carl Edwards Ford 113 10 73
21 6 38 Jason Leffler Toyota 100 0 72
22 14 16 Colin Braun * Ford 97 0 68
23 29 10 Tayler Malsam Toyota 94 0 67
24 23 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. * Ford 91 0 67
25 36 15 Michael Annett Toyota 88 0 64
26 22 23 Alex Kennedy Chevrolet 85 0 64
27 19 62 Brendan Gaughan Toyota 82 0 62
28 27 197 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 79 0 57
29 31 87 Paulie Harraka Chevrolet 76 0 55
30 15 88 Ron Fellows Chevrolet 73 0 53
31 34 159 Kyle Kelley Chevrolet 70 0 51
32 13 100 Patrick Carpentier Toyota 67 0 50
33 1 147 Marcos Ambrose Toyota 69 5 50
34 32 34 Tony Raines Chevrolet 61 0 46
35 42 21 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 58 0 45
36 25 35 Tony Ave Chevrolet 60 5 37
37 12 81 Michael McDowell Ford 52 0 34
38 18 66 Steve Wallace Toyota 49 0 20
39 11 27 Andrew Ranger Dodge 46 0 13
40 26 11 Brian Scott * Toyota 43 0 8
41 38 89 Brett Rowe Chevrolet 40 0 3
42 43 136 Jeff Green Chevrolet 37 0 1
43 28 43 Justin Marks Ford 34 0 0

Busch wins at truck series race Chicagoland

By
SM Staff
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(c) CIA Stock Photo, Inc.

Kyle Busch held off two late challenges for the lead from Todd Bodine and won Friday night’s Camping World Truck Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.

After coming off a remarkable weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he swept all three races, he continued winning even during the rare Sprint Cup off-weekend.   Busch led three times for 121 (of 154) laps en route to his fifth victory of the season, the second straight truck series race and the 20th of his career.  

Bodine finished second, Ron Hornaday Jr. third, Johnny Sauter fourth and Justin Lofton finished fifth.  

“It was really fun out there tonight. This Toyota Tundra was awesome tonight. It was so fun racing Todd (Bodine) like that. He had enough to hang with us, he just didn’t have enough to get by us there.” Busch said.  

Bodine holds a 236-point lead in the series standings over Aric Almirola, who finished in sixth place.  

“It was good racing with him (Busch). It’s fun to race with a guy you can trust. Of course, he was having to trust me because I was one the behind. It was a good night. I can’t complain.” Bodine said.  

“I built the points lead back up to where it was before Bristol.   Another good run. You hate to run second, especially to Kyle (Busch), but we’ll take it and we’ll go to the next one.” Bodine said.  

Unofficial Results

Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps
1 4 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 195 10 154
2 1 30 Todd Bodine Toyota 175 5 154
3 7 33 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 170 5 154
4 5 13 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 160 0 154
5 10 7 Justin Lofton * Toyota 155 0 154
6 8 51 Aric Almirola Toyota 150 0 154
7 18 88 Matt Crafton Chevrolet 146 0 154
8 21 173 Rick Crawford Chevrolet 142 0 154
9 2 3 Austin Dillon * Chevrolet 143 5 154
10 12 21 David Starr Chevrolet 139 5 154
11 11 23 Jason White Chevrolet 130 0 154
12 3 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 127 0 154
13 14 84 Chris Fontaine Chevrolet 124 0 154
14 9 60 Narain Karthikeyan Chevrolet 121 0 154
15 19 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 118 0 153
16 17 90 Brad Sweet Toyota 115 0 152
17 22 7 Tony Jackson Jr. Chevrolet 112 0 151
18 25 41 Steve Park Toyota 109 0 151
19 26 12 Mario Gosselin Chevrolet 106 0 150
20 20 15 Johanna Long Toyota 103 0 150
21 15 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 100 0 147
22 29 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb * Ford 97 0 147
23 16 5 Mike Skinner Toyota 94 0 143
24 34 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet 91 0 142
25 32 47 Lance Fenton Chevrolet 88 0 142
26 35 1 Jerick Johnson Chevrolet 85 0 138
27 33 6 Ken Butler III Chevrolet 82 0 137
28 13 4 Ricky Carmichael Chevrolet 79 0 86
29 24 186 Jamie Dick Chevrolet 76 0 58
30 30 46 J C Stout Dodge 73 0 53
31 6 2 Shelby Howard Chevrolet 70 0 28
32 23 187 Chris Jones Chevrolet 67 0 17
33 36 93 Mike Garvey Chevrolet 64 0 15
34 28 89 Mike Harmon Ford 61 0 7
35 31 85 Brent Raymer Ford 58 0 4
36 27 95 Tim Andrews Dodge 55 0 2

NASCAR Gives Martinsville a Welcomed Five Years

By
SM Staff
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It all started, to the best of my recollection, about seven years ago. The whispers started in the media center at Martinsville Speedway about the little half mile track losing at least one of its races in the future. It was a time when NASCAR was expanding and trying to make the sport more than a regional phenomenon. 

Tracks were added in California, Kansas, Chicago, and Las Vegas.  Traditional tracks in Rockingham and North Wilkesboro had been or were about to be taken from the schedule, and Darlington was given only one race. And they lost the traditional Labor Day weekend Southern 500. It only followed that Martinsville was the next track to lose a race. All that changed on Thursday.

In a surprise announcement at the speedway, everything has changed. No longer will the annual speculation be whether or not Martinsville loses a race, but how great it’s going to be to see the Sprint Cup drivers guaranteed two races per year well into 2015.

The reason is simple. It came in the form of a $3 million commitment from the state of Virginia and the speedway to upgrade the facility. 

Details are sketchy at this point, but the good news is that the wonderful little track 50 miles from Roanoke, Virginia, will be on the schedule for quite some time, and that’s very good news. No other venue offers what Martinsville does. First, there is not a bad seat in the house. Similar to the old baseball stadiums where you seemed to be on top of the action, Martinsville offers a sight line that no other track does. You can actually see the cars, the colors, and the action like no other place in the world of NASCAR. Couple that with a friendly atmosphere and good, close racing and you have a venue that needs to be preserved, along with Darlington.  And then there is the food. Or maybe I should say the hot dogs. 

You can go to the night race at Bristol or you can go to Vegas, but you cannot find a track with a signature food product like Martinsville has. I had my first Martinsville hot dog in about 1965. I love the racing at the track, but I crave the hot dogs. Soft bun, bright red wiener, chili, mustard, slaw—it’s heaven on a bun. And I could eat a dozen if it weren’t for my obvious expanding waistline.  

It would be a crime to take that away from race fans, and NASCAR must have agreed. I think this is part of the new philosophy at the home office in Daytona Beach. For too long, they sacrificed tradition for goal of conquering the country and defeating the NFL and MLB. It wasn’t going to happen. Stick and ball sports will survive and have survived for so long that it is impossible to even think that any racing organization could circumvent national traditions. In the meantime, as they tried, a large number of core fans, those loyal to the sport, just went away. 

Today’s announcement means that NASCAR is listening, has mended their ways, and is ready to give the fans what they want. I am tempted, no ready, to give the boys in Daytona Beach a big “Atta boy.” 

Let the beating and banging begin and may it continue for a long time.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series To Truck New Route

By
SM Staff
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Like the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series schedules, the Camping World Truck Series schedule is getting flipped around.

Daytona International Speedway, as with the other two schedules, will open the season.

Phoenix International Raceway, who traditionally held a date in November, will move up to the second date on the schedule, replacing Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Atlanta will then move to slot 16, replacing Bristol Motor Speedway. Bristol then moves up a slot on the schedule, replacing Darlington Raceway.

Darlington will then move to slot three, replacing Martinsville Speedway, which will go down to slot four, replacing Nashville Superspeedway. Nashville will follow the pattern, getting bumped down to slot five, replacing Kansas Speedway.

Kansas then moves down to slot eight, bumping Texas Motor Speedway down to slot nine, replacing Michigan International Speedway.

Michigan then moves down to slot 14, replacing Nashville.

Nashville then moves to slot 11, replacing Gateway, who will no longer host a NASCAR-santioned race.

In the midst of all those changes, some races will still hold the same schedule slot. Those races are Dover International Speedway in slot six, Charlotte Motor Speedway in slot seven, Iowa Speedway in slot 10, O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis in slot 12, and Pocono Raceway in slot 13. Chicagoland Speedway will also continue to hold slot 17.

After Chicago, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Kentucky Speedway will swap races with New Hampshire in slot 18 and Kentucky in slot 19.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway will stay in slot 20, while Talladega Superspeedway (now race No. 21) will swap with Martinsville (now race No. 22).

Closing out the schedule will be Texas and Homestead-Miami Speedway to come to a total of 24 races.

A 25th race may be announced at a later date to keep with the traditional schedule length.

The Camping World Truck Series has always been an exciting series to watch. With the new schedule, NASCAR hopes to keep that and hit their markets at good times.

Date  Site
Feb 18 Daytona International Speedway
Feb 25 Phoenix International Raceway
Mar 12 Darlington Raceway
April 2 Martinsville Speedway
April 22 Nashville Superspeedway
May 13 Dover International Speedway
May 20 Charlotte Motor Speedway
Jun 4 Kansas Speedway
Jun 10 Texas Motor Speedway
Jul 16 Iowa Speedway
Jul 22 Nashville Superspeedway
Jul 29 O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis
Aug 6 Pocono Raceway
Aug 20 Michigan International Speedway
Aug 24 Bristol Motor Speedway
Sep 2 Atlanta Motor Speedway
Sept 16 Chicagoland Speedway
Sept 24 New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Oct 1 Kentucky Speedway
Oct 15 Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Oct 22 Talladega Superspeedway
Oct 29 Martinsville Speedway
Nov 4 Texas Motor Speedway
Nov 18 Homestead-Miami Speedway

NASCAR: Tracking The Race to The Chase With Two Races To Go

By
SM Staff
-

Following Bristol, the Chase is looking towards being set in stone with the top 12 drivers.

Currently, the battle looks as follows: 

Pos Name Total Points Points Separation
8. No. 17 Matt Kenseth 3095 +175
9. No. 48 Jimmie Johnson 3077 +157
10. No. 2 Kurt Busch 3073 +153
11. No. 16 Greg Biffle 3055 +135
12. No. 33 Clint Bowyer 2920 +100
13. No. 1 Jamie McMurray 2820 -100
14. No. 5 Mark Martin 2819 -101
15. No. 39 Ryan Newman 2802 -118
16. No. 9 Kasey Kahne 2784 -136
17. No. 00 David Reuitmann 2765 -155
18. No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2750 -170
19. No. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya 2728 -192
20. No. 56 Martin Truex Jr. 2660 -260

All the drivers can still either fall out or jump in as in two races, a 360 point swing is possible. So who will be in and who will be out?

A way to predict could be based off of past track performance, as shown through average finish. 

Pos Name Avg. Finish Atlanta Avg. Finish Richmond
10. No. 2 Kurt Busch 18.7 17.8
11. No. 16 Greg Biffle 15 16
12. No. 33 Clint Bowyer 16.4 10.2
13. No. 1 Jamie McMurray 20.9 25.2
14. No. 5 Mark Martin 17.3 12
15. No. 39 Ryan Newman 17.9 11.4
16. No. 9 Kasey Kahne 16 18.2
17. No. 00 David Reuitmann 27.3 19.4
18. No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 12 13.2
19. No. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya 18.3 23.4
20. No. 56 Martin Truex Jr. 24.6 23.7

Based upon this, you can analyze who could possible get the most points.

Following Atlanta, Busch (+144) and Biffle (+135) would still be 10th and 11th, above Bowyer, who’d sit 12th. Behind him, Martin would be 13th, now 104 behind. After him, it’d go McMurray (-115), Newman (-139), Kahne (-136), and Earnhardt Jr. (-158). Montoya and Truex, meanwhile, would now be locked out. 

Following Richmond, Busch (+230), Biffle (+230), and Bowyer (+110) would make the Chase. Behind Bowyer, it’d be Martin (-110), Newman (-127), McMurray (-160), Kahne (-160), and Earnhardt Jr. (-167).

This is obviously a guess as to what could happen as sometimes people can perform above average (win) or below (wreck) so anything and everything can happen. That is why we watch and what makes us fans.

Kyle Busch: What’s In A Name?

By
SM Staff
-

In one of the most famous quotes from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the doomed heroine asks the famous question, “What’s in a name?” This past weekend, Kyle Busch could have asked the same question after some name calling at Bristol Motor Speedway that has continued throughout this week.

The name calling officially started during driver introductions prior to the Cup race on Saturday evening when Brad Keselowski came out, introduced himself and said, “Kyle Busch is an ass.” Keselowski was still incensed from the night before where Busch admittedly dumped him to win the Nationwide race, positioning himself to sweep the three-race weekend to achieve a record held by none other.

Since the race weekend, various other names have surfaced for the Bristol trifecta winner. Jennifer Jo Cobb, who was knocked out of the way and spun by Busch during the Camping World Truck race at Bristol on Wednesday evening, had her own name for the driver, “spoiled.”

“When you don’t have to worry about your equipment and its costs, you become spoiled,” Cobb said. “When you don’t have to worry about punishment from NASCAR, you become spoiled. When you don’t worry about other team’s equipment or safety, you are spoiled. When you have no regard for anyone other than yourself, you are spoiled.”

“This is not a smear statement,” Cobb continued. “I respect the heck out of Kyle Busch’s driving ability. But I cannot respect someone who has no regard for anyone other than himself.”

“It’s not about winning because he is good enough to win without putting other teams in jeopardy, yet he does,” Cobb said. “Does he not believe in himself and his own abilities? Is that why he feels like he needs to wreck others to win?”

In fact, Cobb was willing to give Busch a very different name, that of superhero, if he would just address and adjust his attitude and wrecking style.

“We can all tell him that it is not necessary to wreck others to win,” Cobb said. “He would be a true superhero if he knew that.”

“My heroes in this sport are fresh, respectable and have a sense of humility,” Cobb said. “If we are going to be lucky enough to fulfill our dream and be in a position to be looked up to by kids, then let’s have enough discipline to be real winners, not spoiled bullies.”

In addition to the name of spoiled bestowed by Cobb, David Reutimann, runner up in the Cup race at Bristol, had his own names for Busch as well. Rooty sarcastically dubbed Busch “Professor” and “Superman” after hearing Busch’s post-race analysis of Reutimann’s Bristol driving abilities.

“I don’t know if it was the fact that his Superman cape was flying out the back when I was behind him and I couldn’t see it or what the deal was,” Reutimann said sarcastically about his nemesis. “We got beat fair and square.”

“That’s what it comes down to. We just got outrun,” Reutimann continued. “Professor Busch, maybe he can start a driving school at Bristol and the rest of the field can join in and go and he can show all of us what we’re doing wrong. I need help.”

Other drivers willing to speak their mind, as well as many race fans, seemed to echo the naming sentiments of both Jennifer Jo Cobb and David Reutimann. Truck competitor Todd Bodine said much the same about Busch, dubbing him an outstanding talent, but one that he has little respect for due to Busch’s aggressive style.

There is one name, however, befitting for Busch that no one can dispute or deny. That name is winner and record setter. No one but Kyle Busch has ever won three major touring series races in NASCAR in one weekend, a feat which Busch accomplished handily at Bristol.

Busch’s team credited their driver with the record-setting moment, dubbing him with their own new name, that of great.

“We are in the presence of greatness,” one of Busch’s team members said after the driver crossed the start finish line for the final time at Bristol.

“I’ve been trying to do this since I got to NASCAR,” Busch said. “I love Bristol and I love winning. And to do it for the first time ever in NASCAR, to sweep the weekend, man that’s pretty awesome.”

Yet even with that phenomenal accomplishment, the name calling of Busch continues and most likely will do so throughout this off weekend for the Cup Series. Perhaps David Reutimann summed it up best as he took exception to the naming of Busch as great.

“Kyle Busch is a phenomenal talent,” Reutimann said. “He’s a heck of a race car driver. But it’s not always the stuff you do on the track that makes you great. Richard Petty is great. He was great behind the wheel but he’s also great off the race track. You have to do a little of both.”

On Pit Road: Pit Pass at Bristol – A fans ultimate experience

By
SM Staff
-

Ask any race fan what they would want most at a NASCAR race, and most would tell you they’d give almost anything for a garage pass.  Now, ask them what track they would most want one at, and 90% would tell you Bristol Motor Speedway.

Of course, as any longtime fan would tell you, a hot pass is out of the question for a normal fan and that pass at Bristol is simply impossible.  Well, any fan except maybe Barbara Albert from Camden, Tennessee.  Barbara has been a fan since her first NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1993.  She attended that race with her husband and by lap 25 she was totally lost.  She could not determine who was running where, but she was enjoying the show.  It was at that point that she decided that she needed to educate herself about racing and the drivers, which she began doing then.

Now, seventeen years later, at 73 years old, Barbara is a near expert at NASCAR and it’s drivers.  But like most fans, she cannot afford to attend a bunch of races each year, so she and her daughter, Tiana Lemons of Nashville have season tickets for Nashville SuperSpeedway and then try to attend one other race per year at another track.  This year they picked Bristol for that second race and were looking forward to experiencing the ’Night Race’ in August.

Both mother and daughter living in and near Nashville, they were both quite familiar with the devastation of the floods that struck the Nashville area earlier this year, but they surely never thought the floods would present a rare opportunity for them.  As they were preparing to attend  the NASCAR Nationwide Series race, the Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville they learned of  the efforts by Nashville SuperSpeedway, NASCAR, Nationwide Insurance and several of the Nationwide teams to raise funds for the flood relief efforts. 

Among the efforts was a silent auction to be held at the track on race day, with items donated by several teams.  As they perused the list of sheet metal, and various clothing items, Barbara spotted one item that she could not believe, it was an auction for a pair of pit passes at one of three upcoming NASCAR Nationwide Series races.

The passes were being offered by the #70 team of  ML Motorsports and driver Shelby Howard.  The three race options were at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Gateway International Raceway and the ’Night Race’ at Bristol Motor Speedway.   As they made their way through the auction items, they finally found these ’pit passes’ and discovered that no one had bid on them. The silent auction was an open bid system where you signed your name and entered your bid amount.  Other race fans then had the allotted time frame to up the bid in an attempt to ’win’ the auction.  With this in mind Barbara bid what she hoped was a high enough bid to secure the auction.  Each time she and Tiana checked back, they anxiously discovered that no one had bid against them.  Finally, just before race time, the auctions were closed and Barbara was notified that she was indeed the auction winner.  The choice of which race was simple, they already had tickets for the Bristol race.

Two months later Barbara and Tiana made their way east from Nashville, TN. to the Mecca of Motorsports, Bristol Motor Speedway, early enough to attend the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series  race on Wednesday.  They set up their tent at nearby Red Barn Campground, showing that they are true diehard NASCAR fans and headed to the track to attend the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. That turned out to be a good night for Barbara as she watched her favorite driver, Kyle Busch win the first race of the weekend.

Thursday they dodged the early rain before heading to downtown Bristol, to attend the Food City Family Day. Mother and daughter took time to do a bit of sightseeing, shopping and then to have lunch. From lunch they headed back to the track and reported to the NASCAR Nationwide Series credential office to be issued those illusive Bristol hot Passes.  Later, the evening was capped off as they headed back to the track where they found themselves a place near the track’s south entrance to see the famous NASCAR Sprint Cup hauler parade.

Finally, on Friday, the big day arrived, after working their way through track security, they entered the tunnel to the Bristol infield in search of the #70 ML Motorsports hauler.  They had spoken with Jennifer Weaver, Team rep for ML on the phone but they were anxious to meet with her in person.  To this point, neither mother or daughter were sure just what kind of access they were really about to have, but they were instructed to report to the team hauler for assistance.  While passing through the tunnel they spotted a girl wearing an ML Motorsports shirt and stopped her.  The girl was in fact Jennifer who escorted them to the hauler and got them started on their experience.

Excited about the opportunity, they arrived at the hauler bearing homemade baked goods in appreciation for the team members.  In disbelief they were invited to join team members in the Lounge area of the hauler where they began to ask just what and where they where allowed to go.  When told that they basically had access to all open areas of the garage they happily headed to the Cup side in quest of  driver autographs. Bristol Motor Speedway was really a great choice for this pass, as it is the only track on the circuit where the Nationwide and the Sprint Cup share the same garage area on Friday.  The first driver they encountered was Jimmy Johnson, then came Jeff Gordon.  Tiana managed to track down Bobby Labonte as he was headed back to the hauler after practice.  “ I don’t know how those guys do it,” stated Tiana, “ when Bobby was signing, his arm brushed against mine, and his driver’s suit was soaking wet.”

As the Nationwide cars lined up for qualifying, they joined the team on pit road to wish Shelby Howard good luck on his qualifying effort.  With the #70 car off, they worked their way down pit road, snapping pictures of several drivers along the way.  Working their way back to the Nationwide garage area, Barbara was surprised when she was introduced to and asked to pose for a picture with her first winner, Morgan Shepherd.

To their complete surprise, team members invited them to join them on the front stretch of the track where they got to be front and center for driver introductions. Come race time, mother and daughter found themselves the guest of the #70 ForeTravel Motor Coach team in their Pit area, where they had highboy chairs behind the pit box.  Interacting with team members, they got to know each one and their duties.  During the race, they were both invited to sit on top of the pit box with crew chief Chris Rice.  Barbara declined, due to a bad knee, but Tiana wasted no time in accepting the offer and climbing topside. They remained with the #70 throughout the race, and then headed to the end of pit road to see the drivers as they exited their cars and headed toward the haulers.

Saturday afternoon they returned to the track to take their place as ‘normal’ fans for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race festivities.  But to each of them, they will never again be ‘normal’ fans. Tiana summed up the weekend and especially their Friday as “An incredible experience that I will never forget.”  Barbara said,” I really enjoyed the races, the whole weekend was Fantastic!” “The ML Motorsports team really treated us like Royalty” said Barbara “This whole experience was really much more than I could have dreamed for, and the fact that this was the result of efforts by so many people to help the Nashville Flood victims made it even better“ 

Barbara and Tiana are not sure just which races they will attend next year, but you can be sure they will be at Nashville SuperSpeedway on April 22 and 23rd.

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