Busch pit crew key to second straight Nationwide win
Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Kyle Busch's pit crew got him out first on the final pit stop and the Joe Gibbs Racing star took it from there winning Friday night's Bashas' Supermarkets 200 Nationwide Series race at the Phoenix International Raceway. The No.18 Toyota driver took the checkered flag 0.241 seconds ahead of Carl Edwards.
The victory was Busch's second of the season and 13th of his Nationwide career.
Busch won the pole, but his car started out too loose once the race got underway and Brad Keselowski grabbed the lead midway through the first lap. He led six laps before Busch got the handle of his car and drove it underneath the youngster for the lead on lap seven.
Slowly, Keselowski began to fall through the top-10. First Denny Hamlin got past him. Then Kevin Harvick passed him as did Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer and Edwards - all NASCAR stars.
Up front, Busch's lead was almost three seconds on Hamlin after 33 laps when the first caution flag of the day appeared. The first pit stop cost Busch two positions as Burton and Harvick beat him out.
He didn't stay there long. Busch jumped outside of Harvick in Turn 2 of the first green-flag lap and got Burton on the outside of Turn 4 to regain the lead.
A debris caution flag on lap 63 wiped out another Busch two-second lead. He stayed out, but most of the other leaders came in for fuel and tires. By lap 74, Edwards caught and passed Busch showing just how much new tires were worth.
Harvick and Keselowski brought out the next caution flag on lap 79 when the veteran got into the left-rear corner of the Keselowski to send him spinning. When they went back to green, Hamlin worked the outside line to get around Edwards for the lead.
Burton slammed the outside wall in Turn 2 damaging the right-side and ending his chances for a win. But the yellow didn't come out and the leaders kept on digging. Hamlin and Edwards exchanged the lead a couple more times before the field reached the mid-point of the race with Hamlin in the lead.
Steven Wallace brought out a caution flag with 96 laps remaining which was a huge break for Busch now very low on fuel after bypassing the last pit opportunity.
Finally with new tires, Busch charged to the front where he and Edwards fought it out. By lap 111, Busch completed the pass of Edwards. But the No.60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford didn't go away. Using the bottom of the track to his advantage, Edwards stayed right on Busch's rear bumper.
But Edwards just couldn't keep up with Busch's pace, he was too loose, and by lap 140 the margin was one second. Then Busch ran into lapped traffic and it slowed him up just enough for Edwards to stay near, while hoping for a caution flag to adjust his Ford for the final run to the checkered flag. The two leaders were four seconds ahead of third-place Hamlin, so without a yellow, it appeared to be a two-man race.
Forty-two laps to go and Edwards slid to the bottom of the track and past Busch for the 13th lead change of the evening - a record for this race. Suddenly, Edwards was a lot better than Busch and with 35 laps to go the margin was 1.444 seconds. Thirty laps remaining and the gap was 2.168 seconds.
Then a debris caution with 23 laps to go set up the final stop drama. All the leaders pitted and Busch's crew got him out in front of Edwards with Hamlin in third place and Harvick fourth. They all got four tires, so no car had and advantage over the other as they prepared for the 14-lap shootout. But a couple of caution flags on restarts left the race with just five laps to determine a winner.
Busch got off to a great restart, opening up a two-length lead, but Edwards fought back and with four laps to go stuck his nose in front of Busch. The No.18 didn't let up and using the outside line took back the lead just as one final caution flag waved. The spin meant a green-white-checker finish.
Again Busch got the jump on Edwards and he held it all the way to the checkered flag for his second consecutive win.
"Our car was good on the two lap jumps, but he had us there from five to 15 laps," said Busch. Luckily, we kept getting those cautions."
"It's too bad somebody had to lose a race like that," said Edwards. "That's fun out there. Kyle did a great job."
Hamlin, Harvick and David Ragan completed the top-five. Bowyer, the points leader, finished eighth and had his lead over Edwards cut to 24 points (1,189 - 1.165).
The next race in the Nationwide Series is set for Sunday, April 20th in Mexico City, Mexico.
Johnson wins fuel mileage race in Phoenix
Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Jimmie Johnson overcame an early race mistake by stretching his final tank of fuel for the final 81 laps to capture Saturday night's Subway Fresh Fit 500 Sprint Cup race at the Phoenix International Raceway. The No.48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet took the checkered flag 7.002 seconds ahead of Clint Bowyer.
The victory was Johnson's first of the season, the first for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008 after they won 18 times in 2007 and the 34th of his "Cup" career.
"I'm shocked that I was able to save fuel running that hard through the field," said Johnson. "I restarted in 14th on that last restart and drove to third on my own and then was able to manage some fuel."
Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards and Mark Martin completed the top-five.
Other drivers of note and their unofficial finishing positions: points leader Jeff Burton (sixth), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (seventh), Kyle Busch (10th), Jeff Gordon (13th), Tony Stewart (14th) and Ryan Newman (43rd).
Newman brought the field to the green flag for 312 laps of racing and quickly jumped out to a big lead. Edwards, who started third, took off after him, passing Elliott Sadler for second, before a lap 10 caution flag slowed the action.
But Newman refused to give up the lead, fighting off both Edwards and Busch as the field passed the 25-lap mark. Then Johnson, the defending series champion and fall Phoenix race winner, joined the fray and by lap 31 passed all three cars for the lead. Johnson built the lead to 1.4 seconds by lap 40, until a Matt Kenseth accident brought out a caution flag.
A quick pit stop and the advantage of the first pit stall got Newman back into the lead after everyone stopped for fuel and tires. But Johnson's car was faster than Newman and he passed him again. Edwards and a new "player" Earnhardt Jr. also passed Newman before lap 50.
A long green-flag run began to spread the field out and Johnson opened up a one-second lead on Edwards and three seconds on "Junior" as the field hit 75 laps. Then Johnson began to lap cars and the traffic allowed both Edwards and Earnhardt Jr. cut into his lead.
As the field approached lap 100 the sun began to set - changing track conditions. It meant big decisions for crew chiefs, particularly if your car was good over the first laps.
How much should you adjust on the next stop?
At lap 101 Johnson and company were still setting a quick pace and were getting ready to lap Robby Gordon, who was sitting in 32nd place. They lapped up to 22nd place when green-flag pit stops began around lap 111. Then in the middle of the stops, Joe Nemechek slammed the wall to bring out the caution flag. Edwards' pit crew incurred a penalty during his stop and the No.99 Ford was sent to the end of the longest line.
Johnson led the parade off pit road with Earnhardt Jr. and Martin just behind. But a couple laps after the restart, "Junior" slid around the outside of Johnson for his first lead of the night. He led three laps, collected his five-point bonus, then slipped back behind the No.48 Chevrolet, content to ride in second for a while longer.
Then on lap 133, Newman, the pole winner began to smoke and several cars slid through the oil suffering various amounts of body damage. There was so much oil and fluids on the track, NASCAR brought out the red flag to clean up the mess.
It didn't take long to clean up and NASCAR got the race back underway. Most of the cars stopped for tires and fuel, but confusion in the No.48 Hendrick Motorsports team left their driver out on the track.
"We had some problems there, we didn't pit when we should have," admitted crew chief Chad Knaus.
A dozen laps later, Reed Sorenson slammed the wall and Johnson along with a few others who didn't pit after the red flag period were forced to stop or run out of fuel.
Earnhardt Jr. inherited the lead with Greg Biffle and an improving Martin Truex Jr. in second and third place, respectively. Martin and Johnson led those who stopped and were 13th and 14th on the restart.
Another caution flag and Martin stayed out and inherited the lead, but Truex Jr. and Earnhardt Jr. were flying back through the field. By lap 175 they were one-two-three. Also looking very strong was Kevin Harvick in fourth.
Martin held a two-second edge on Truex Jr. and three seconds on "Junior" as the field passed the 185-lap mark. The No.8 Chevrolet extended the lead to three seconds over Truex Jr. at lap 199 when David Ragan slapped the wall to bring out caution flag number seven.
This time the No.88 pit crew did the job and Earnhardt Jr. beat Martin's No.8 and Truex Jr. off pit road. After just nine green flag laps Earnhardt Jr.'s lead was three-quarters of a second on Martin and over two seconds on Truex Jr.
On the move from outside the top-10 was Johnson. He cracked the top-seven with still 95 laps remaining and was clearly faster than all but the front two cars. Then Kasey Kahne blew a tire, slammed the outside wall to slow the race once more.
With about 81 laps remaining it was possibly the final pit stop of the evening - last chance to adjust the car. Earnhardt Jr. and Martin were one-two off pit road with Denny Hamlin in third and Harvick in fourth.
Off the restart it was again a two-man battle between Earnhardt Jr. and Martin. Meanwhile, Johnson, who led 109 laps early, cracked the top-five by sliding around Busch on lap 248 giving him still 64 laps to catch the leaders.
The drivers were pretty much staying in line, except for Johnson, trying to save fuel, because if it went green all the way everyone would be very close on fuel. Johnson caught Harvick with 47 laps to go and passed him two laps later. But he was still four second behind Earnhardt Jr. and without a caution he couldn't possibly catch him.
Or could he?
Johnson was just three seconds back with 40 to go and the fastest car on the track. By lap 275 the gap was only two seconds.
Up front, Martin and Earnhardt Jr. were fighting it out for the lead and with 39 laps remaining Martin's No.8 got around it's former driver. Earnhardt Jr. was beginning to fade, Hamlin got around him, then Johnson did too.
Twenty-five laps to go and Martin had a one-second lead on Hamlin and Johnson. The gap was the same with 20 laps to go. As Martin closed on slower cars, Hamlin and Johnson caught up to Martin with 16 miles to go. Hamlin stopped for fuel with 15 to go and took two tires. Martin stopped with 11 to go, but Johnson continued.
Ten laps to go and Johnson with Edwards were still going. Edwards turned in for fuel with nine laps remaining taking fuel only. Five miles to go and Johnson still stayed out. He had a 10-second lead on Bowyer and crew chief Knaus was telling him to slow down, save fuel. He told him to slow it by two second a lap. Johnson did and he cruised to the checkered flag with fuel to spare. He even had enough for a burn-out.
"When everyone else pitted and I stayed out, we had to make something happen," said Knaus.
"My hat's off to Jimmie they earned that one," said Edwards.
Burton's sixth-place finish leaves him with an 80-point lead on Busch (1,215 - 1,135). Earnhardt Jr. is 86 points back and with the win Johnson is just 99 markers behind Burton.
The series will take a week off and return to the track on Sunday, April 27th at the Talladega Superspeedway.
Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud: Subway Fresh Fit 500
Matt McLaughlin
The Key Moment: As Jimmie Johnson came off of turn four on the final lap, he had enough of a lead he could have turned off the car and pushed it across the start finish line.
In a Nutshell: As regular unleaded approaches four bucks a gallon, superior fuel economy earned Jimmie Johnson a quarter of a million dollar paycheck.
Dramatic Moment: While there were several, my nod goes to the protracted battle between Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Mark Martin, two of the sport’s most popular drivers. The racing was clean but spirited and had the fans on their feet. Some more battles like that, and NASCAR might not need FM radio rock bands to tell folks racing used to be good. And it sure beat waiting to see if the leader ran out of gas.
What They’ll Be Talking About Around the Water Cooler This Week
OK, so we can take Hendrick Motorsports off death watch now? Johnson won the race, Earnhardt led a substantial number of laps and even Casey Mears finished eleventh. It might have been troubling that Jeff Gordon’s car appeared to be junk again early in the race but this time the team was able to adjust it to a decent level of competitiveness late in the race.
It’s becoming clearer with each passing week. On the tracks where the speeds are lower and mechanical grip is the key to a good handling racecar the Boxcars can put on a decent show. On the high speed tracks where downforce determines handling they’re junk. NASCAR officials are adamant they aren’t going to tweak the Boxcars to address the problem. Trust me, they’ll do so eventually. Fans will just have to endure another dozen or so vapid races at rapid race tracks before NASCAR gets backed into a corner by angry track promoters struggling to sell tickets.
You’ve got to love FOX. They found a way to piss off both baseball fans and racing fans. I can imagine the outrage in sports bars in Boston and New York (and Dallas/Forth Worth, the southernmost precinct of New York) as FOX cut away from the ballgame with a batter facing a three and two count and two outs in the ninth inning. And they still missed the start of the race! Race fans can take comfort that the resumption of the ball game spared them a half hour of FOX pre-race programming that would likely have curdled their brains into a room temperature puddle of mush had it kept raining in Boston. And while FOX didn’t see fit to interview the drivers of the second or third place finishers, they still managed to work in their full quota of “Digger” T-shirt plugs and the annoying music video that starts all their programming featuring DW’s moronic BBB phrase.
Related to the above; it’s bad enough that Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are racing nose to tail for the lead and the fans in the stands are going nuts when the network goes to commercial. Then when they return from break they need to work in the usual compliment of sponsor plugs before showing the pass for the lead fans at home missed during the commercial break.
Marketing guys have become enamored with “one race” paint schemes on the racecars they sponsor but the trend makes it tough for fans to quickly identify who is driving which car particularly this early in the season. The 24,11, 07, 42, 18, 20, 29 and 17 cars all ran paint schemes other than those that fans have learned to associate with the drivers of those cars.
For those that are wondering, it appears the official number of lead changes at Phoenix was ten. The Matt-0-Meter identifies five of them as legitimate racing passes.
Triad Racing Development would like you to remember that they built the chassis that helped Michael McDowell survive his horrific qualifying wreck at Texas last week. NASCAR would like you to forget that they cleared the track for qualifying to resume after an oil down shortly before the wreck occurred. Apparently, requiring the racing surface to be clear of petroleum-based products is still an “Idea of Tomorrow” or “IDIOT” for short.
Aaron Fike’s recent admission that he raced in the CTS while under the influence of heroin seems to indicate that NASCAR’s random drug testing policy designed to exclude Tim Richmond from racing at Daytona almost twenty years ago might need some tweaking. While we’re at it, the introduction of the Chase to determine the Cup champion indicates that NASCAR officials need to be subject to random drug testing as well particularly in the case of one legacy employee who is rumored to have a taste for Peruvian Pink happy powder. Seriously it’s not that tough. Throw the car numbers of entrants into a hat and draw three of them from each series out of a hat prior to qualifying each week and have em pee in a Cup. If you need to pass a drug test to get a job making minimum wage mounting tires at a chain store, you should have to do the same to race against 42 other guys at high speeds on a closed course.
Not surprisingly, NASCAR’s Mike Helton said NASCAR is pleased with how their random drug test policy works and no changes are anticipated. There seems to be a trend over the last few years. A serious problem is identified. Drivers, team owners and the media address the issue and propose solutions. Then NASCAR weighs in and says they are pleased with the current system and no changes are anticipated so everybody should just shut up and live with the status quo. Brian France said earlier this year he wants drivers to show more personality and speak their minds. He might have added that when they spoke their minds NASCAR wasn’t going to bother listening. If a situation, like flagging ratings and attendance last year, becomes critical NASCAR does leap into action by developing a new marketing campaign. You can spend all the money you want on marketing but you’re still not going to convince astute consumers a turd is a Baby Ruth bar. Repeat after me; “At the end of the day it is what is and we are not going to react for the sake of reacting.”
Related to the above, let’s recall that Prozac is not a controlled substance that should exclude a driver from racing. The Home Depot has invested a fortune in marketing their driver. Speaking of marketing, if Subway sandwiches claim to fame is producing fast food that doesn’t make you fat, why does their corporate spokesperson look like Santa Claus after receiving a gift pack from Just For Men?
Nationwide series ratings have been sagging this year. Something tells me starting a race at 10 O’clock on a Friday night isn’t going to help the matter any. Nor is positioning Cup qualifying against an original episode of CSI on Thursday night. And there ought to be a law against any automobile race ending after midnight Eastern Time.
The Hindenburg Award For Foul Fortune
It seems every race with the new Boxcar, one former champion of unquestionable talent suddenly looks like he spent the hours leading up to the race partying in Aaron Fike’s bus. At Las Vegas it was Jimmie Johnson. At Texas it was Jeff Gordon. Saturday at Phoenix Matt Kenseth’s car was so flat out awful he ran into the wall early in the event and spent the rest of the event nursing a badly wounded Ford around the track. Getting involved in a second wreck was just icing on the cake.
Ryan Newman won the pole and led the first thirty laps of the race but a blown power steering hose connection ended his chances of winning.
Mark Martin likely had enough gas to finish the race but cowboyed up and pitted when he was told to. While clearly annoyed at losing a shot at the win, immediately after the race he gave a terse but politically correct interview to the TV folks a few minutes later.
Tony Stewart had a strong run but ran out of gas and couldn’t refire the car on pit road. The resultant lengthy stop left Stewart with a 21st place finish.
*The “Seven Come Fore Eleven” Award For Fine Fortune *
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was clearly subdued and upset with his seventh place finish but he was in fact lucky to finish the race. Junior was leading under caution and swerving side to side to clean off his tires when he nearly collided with teammate Jeff Gordon who was speeding past the pace car to get his lap back under the Lucky Dog rule. Now that would have ignited an epic firestorm in the grandstands!
Carl Edwards lost a lap pitting just before a caution and then got penalized to the end of the longest line when a crewman went over the wall early. He somehow rallied back to a fourth place finish.
Jeff Burton spun out in the fluid of Ryan Newman’s wounded race car but didn’t hit anything and drove on to a sixth place finish.
Casey Mears came away from Phoenix with a much needed good finish just outside the top 10. Petty Engineering desperately needed a decent finish as well and Bobby Labonte pulled it off with a twelfth place result.
Worth Noting
* Eight races into the season Jimmie Johnson won a Cup race. That’s deeper in the season than Johnson has gone without collecting a victory since 2003. The win was the second consecutive Phoenix Cup win for Johnson and his sixth consecutive top 10 at this track.
* Clint Bowyer enjoyed his best finish since Charlotte last fall. His second place finish was his third runner up result since Bowyer’s breakthrough victory at Loudon last fall.
* Denny Hamlin scored his fourth consecutive top 10 finish.
* Mark Martin posted his best Cup finish since Dover last fall.
* Jeff Burton managed his sixth consecutive top 10 finish. Dale Earnhardt hasn’t finished worse than twelfth in those same six races.
* The top 10 finishers at Phoenix drove six Chevys, two Fords and a pair of Toyotas. Bobby Labonte’s twelfth place finish was the best by any driver in a Dodge.
* Sam Hornish’s nineteenth place finish was the best of the rookies.
What’s the Points?
Jeff Burton holds onto the points lead for another week and is now 80 points ahead of Kyle Busch who moved up a spot to second in the standings. Dale Earnhardt Jr. moved up a spot to third in the standings, six points behind Busch. That the highest Earnhardt has ranked in the standings since after the Joliet race of 2006.
Inside the top 12, Clint Bowyer had the best points day vaulting forward three spots to eighth. Jimmie Johnson moved up two spots to fourth in the standings. Denny Hamlin moved up a spot to sixth in the standings while Kasey Kahne eased forward a position to 11th.
Kevin Harvick fell three spots in the standings to fifth. Three drivers inside the top 12 fell two positions; Tony Stewart (now seventh), Greg Biffle (now tenth), and Ryan Newman (now 12th).
Jeff Gordon moved up a spot to 13th in the standings and now lurks just eight points out of the top 12. Martin Truex Jr. moved up two spots to 14th ten points behind Gordon. Matt Kenseth’s miserable day dropped him two spots to 15th.
Despite a lackluster start to his season, Juan Pablo Montoya advanced three spots to 16th. Bobby Labonte rebounded three spots in the standings to 18th.
Drivers of note heading in the wrong direction include; Kurt Busch (down two spots to 17th) and Elliott Sadler (down three spots to 23rd.)
It’s been a tough year for the rookies so far in 2008. 33rd ranked Sam Hornish is the top ROTY candidate in the points.
Overall Rating (On a scale of one to six beer cans with one being a stinker and a six pack an instant classic) Well we finally saw some real racing, occasionally and briefly, but the outcome was based on fuel mileage and the race ended after midnight Eastern Time, so I’ll give it three cans of Red Bull…
Next Up: What in the blazes? The Cup series takes a weekend off so a nation’s lonely eyes can focus on the Nationwide/Busch series annual foray down into Mexico. I don’t know about you, but I’m hoping it’s sunny in these parts next weekend so I can do some serious cruising on Sunday. What happens down in Mexico stays in Mexico.
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Nationwide Series Breakdown: Bashas' Supermarkets 200
Bryan Davis Keith
In a Nutshell: Kyle Busch had the strongest car in the field, again. Kyle Busch led the most laps, again. Kyle Busch won the race, again.
In what’s becoming a running theme in the Nationwide Series this season, Busch led four times for 133 laps en route to his second consecutive win during the race Friday night. But he wasn’t unchallenged; in fact, Busch held off a furious late race charge from Carl Edwards, who enjoyed his best Nationwide run of the season with a second place finish. However, it wasn’t enough to slow down Busch, who won by a little over a quarter of a second; the victory marked his second consecutive win in this series at the Phoenix International Raceway.
“Toward the end of the race, racing with Carl was pretty cool, and a lot of fun,” said Busch. “I’m very fortunate that he gave me all the room that I needed to race clean. He had a great race car.”
“I just want to thank all the Interstate Batteries dealers and distributors and Norm Miller (chairman of Interstate Batteries), because they all do an awesome job for us. It was just a great night.”
Carl Edwards had taken the lead from Busch on Lap 159, but lost it during a costly slow pit stop with less than 20 laps to go which inevitably cost him the victory. He did manage to get alongside Busch in the closing laps and had a better handling car, but the horsepower under the hood of Busch’s No. 18 allowed the 22-year-old to use the high side and hold off his challenger’s repeated shots at the win.
The win escalated Busch to third in the Nationwide Series standings; he’s now 106 points behind current leader Clint Bowyer, who finished eighth. But despite his place in points, Busch again told reporters he does not plan on running the full Nationwide Series schedule unless he wins the next six events. For their sake, the rest of the Nationwide Series field better hope that doesn’t happen.
Who Should Have Won: Kyle Busch. Busch’s Toyota was not as dominant on Friday night as it had been at Texas Motor Speedway a week prior, but it was still the class of the field. Even though Busch reported handling problems throughout the race, the motor in the No. 18 kept Busch at the front all race long; and when the driver needed a little extra horses, he had ‘em under the hood. Busch’s pit crew also got the No. 18 out ahead of Carl Edwards during the final round of pit stops, snatching the lead and ultimately the victory from Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 60. It was a total team effort that got Kyle Busch to Victory Lane… and deservedly so.
Worth Noting:
Mike Bliss made all of the writers out there (myself included) that questioned his move to Phoenix Racing eat a healthy helping of crow this weekend, scoring a sixth place finish in James Finch’s No. 1 Chevrolet. The finish was Bliss’ third Top 10 of the season, allowing him to remain seventh in the series standings and second among Nationwide Series regulars. Even more noteworthy, the run was the first Top 10 for the No. 1 team since Max Papis finished third in it at Montreal last August, a drought of twenty races. There’s still much work to be done at Phoenix Racing, but they all deserve a pat on the back for Friday’s performance, just Bliss’ second behind the wheel of the race car.
Stephen Leicht’s performance in his first two races in the No. 21 earned him a start at Phoenix, and he delivered again, bringing the car home seventh. In three series starts this season, Leicht now has an average finish of 9.6; for the record, Bobby Labonte, the driver he’s sharing the No. 21 with, is only averaging a finish of 17.4. RCR needs to land Leicht a sponsor, soon; because if his performance in a limited schedule this year has said anything, they’re sitting on a very young and bright prospect in Leicht.
David Stremme is making a strong case for Rusty Wallace Incorporated and sponsor Atreus Homes to make his gig in the No. 64 full-time. Stremme scored a tenth place finish Friday, his fourth Top 10 of the year, and now sits 13th in the season standings. The finish marks a solid comeback for the team, which saw a streak of good runs snap at Texas last week due to mechanical troubles. Now, the No. 64 has scored three Top 10s in the last four races, and they’ll try to capitalize on that momentum as Max Papis takes over the car in Mexico City.
Better Luck Next Time:
Losing Mike Bliss has derailed Fitz Motorsports and the No. 22 car. Since losing their driver to Phoenix Racing, the team has lost any momentum that it had, scoring finishes of 20th and 27th with Robby Gordon behind the wheel. The team has said it plans to utilize a variety of Cup drivers throughout the season, but if Gordon has proven anything, driver by committee isn’t going to replace the chemistry the team had with Bliss. Team owner Armando Fitz has slipped to 12th in the owner point standings.
Jason Keller has got to be left wondering what could have been. Inside of fifty laps to go, Keller cracked the Top 10, having recovered from a crushed right front fender earlier in the race from an incident with David Stremme. Keller was flying, running lap times comparable to the race leaders; but then the engine in his No. 11 let go on Lap 182, relegating the team to a 32nd place finish. Nonetheless, Keller and his team got some well-deserved air time during the race broadcast, and are doing their new sponsor proud.
John Young’s return to oval racing in NASCAR (his last oval race was a Truck Series race at Texas in 2000) didn’t go very well. Young, who spun in practice, hit the wall early in Friday’s race and destroyed the right side of the car. The 37th place finish marked the second consecutive DNF for the Baker/Curb No. 37, which doesn’t bode well for a team seeking sponsorship.
Underdog Performer of the Race: James Buescher’s debut in the Nationwide Series was quiet and unheralded, but the youngster from Plano, Texas ran an admirable first race, keeping his nose clean and finishing a solid 18th in Braun Racing’s No. 32. Buescher, who last year became the youngest winner in ARCA Re/MAX series history, is currently scheduled to run at least five more Nationwide races for Braun Racing, along with select ARCA and USAR races. Buescher has shown remarkable consistency at the ASA, ARCA, and USAR level the last few years, and is definitely a name to keep an eye on in the driver development ranks.
“Purse Snatcher” Watch
11 of 43 starting positions in the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 went to Sprint Cup regulars.
103 of the 344 starting positions in Nationwide Series races this season have gone to Sprint Cup regulars.
7 Sprint Cup regulars finished in the Top 10 of the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200.
7 of 8 Nationwide Series races have been won by Sprint Cup regulars this season.
6 of the Top 10 in Nationwide Series points are Sprint Cup regulars.
Quotables:
“It’s too bad somebody’s got to lose a race like that. It was fun, but it’s too bad we had to run second. That last caution hurt us a little, and he [Kyle Busch] got us off pit road [on Lap 180]. We came in first, and went out second.” – Carl Edwards on his runner-up finish
“That’s two 11th-places in a row. Unfortunately, the first pit stop we left a lug nut off the left front. We keep having pit stop mistakes, and we’re not going to finish in the Top 10 with that. We’re going to work on our pit stops this week, and we’re going to go to Mexico with Scott Pruett and do the job. Dario did a heck of a job all weekend. I can’t say enough about him. He’s getting better every week.” – Brad Parrott, crew chief of Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 40 Dodge
Up Next: The NASCAR Nationwide Series turns left and right this Sunday, April 20th, at the challenging Autodromos Hermanos Rodriguez road course in Mexico City. Coverage from south of the border begins at 1:30 PM EDT on ESPN2 and 2 PM on MRN.
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