Edwards, Roush dominate Michigan again
Brooklyn, MI (Sports Network) - Carl Edwards scored a weekend sweep at the Michigan International Speedway Sunday by winning the 3M Performance 400. Edwards, who also captured the victory in Saturday's Nationwide Series race, held off points leader Kyle Busch in a final two-lap shootout to become just the second driver to win both races at the two-mile oval on the same weekend. He joined Mark Martin, who recorded a weekend sweep at Michigan in August 1993.
"Kyle is very good on restarts, and I knew he was going to hang back and get the run on my bumper like he did to Jimmie (Johnson) at Chicagoland," Edwards said. "I just didn't want that to happen. My guys did an unbelievable job to get me off of pit road."
Last month, Busch won the Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland after he passed Johnson on the final restart with two laps to go. Busch scored a weekend sweep at the 1.5-mile track as he also picked up the win in the Nationwide race there.
After starting 27th, Edwards quickly moved through the field up to the 13th spot by Lap 15.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. held a four-second lead over Johnson until the first caution came on Lap 19 when Marcos Ambrose blew an engine and leaked oil on the track.
After a quick-stop in the pits, Johnson regained the top spot and led the field for the restart on Lap 25. But Earnhardt, Jr. passed Johnson again for the top spot four laps later. Busch then dipped below Johnson to capture the second spot.
Edwards continued his pace towards the front as he cracked the top-five by Lap 33.
On Lap 43, Earnhardt, Jr. told his crew the water temperature in his No.88 Chevrolet was extremely high. Debris obstructed the front grill of his car, forcing the temperature increase.
Brian Vickers passed Busch for the second spot and then caught Earnhardt, Jr. for the lead on Lap 50. After Vickers made the pass, Earnhardt, Jr. rubbed the back bumper of Vickers' car, allowing the debris to fall off.
Ryan Newman began a round of green-flag pit stops on Lap 64. When the cycle of stops completed four laps later, Earnhardt, Jr. re-inherited the lead with Edwards in the second spot and Vickers in third. Earnhardt, Jr.'s water temperature was reportedly back to its normal level when he came in for his stop.
However, Earnhardt, Jr.'s car became very loose just after his stop. Edwards passed him and grabbed the lead for the first time on Lap 73 with Earnhardt, Jr. falling to fifth by Lap 82.
Earnhardt, Jr. was fortunate the second caution came quickly when Dave Blaney spun and hit the wall. Paul Menard tapped Newman, who then hit Blaney. Edwards, who was in the process of lapping Blaney and Newman, was able to dodge the incident. Earnhardt, Jr. made a track-bar adjustment during his stop and came out of the pits behind Edwards, Greg Biffle and Vickers.
On lap 92, Johnson had to make an unexpected pit stop after his left-front tire went down when he made contact with Jeff Gordon. Johnson returned one lap down in 34th. The incident likely led to Gordon's misfortune five laps later when he blew a right-front tire and slapped the wall. His car suffered significant damage.
"I just hate that (Johnson) was involved," Gordon said. "We always try to have a lot of respect for one another out there."
Johnson did rebound slightly for a 17th-place finish.
Edwards was the fastest out of the pits during the third caution. He led the field for the restart on Lap 101. Edwards continued to build his lead over second-place Busch as it grew to four seconds by Lap 120.
When the next round of green-flag pit stops was complete on Lap 141, Edwards was back out in front, but Busch passed Edwards and took the lead for the first time the following lap. Busch established a 4.5-second advantage over Edwards 10 laps later.
Busch's lead was six seconds before the fourth caution came on Lap 164 for debris from Gordon's car, which had just returned to the track after repairs. Vickers edged Busch out of the pits and gained four positions in the process.
Vickers led the field for the restart on Lap 169, but Busch quickly moved to the outside of him and reclaimed the top spot.
Gordon's car could not keep up the pace as he headed back to the garage and called it a day. He ended the day in the 42nd position.
Debris on the track on Lap 179 put the event under caution for the fifth time. Earnhardt, Jr. hit the wall and suffered slight damage to his car. He spent extra time in the pits and fell one lap behind to 27th. Junior never recovered and ended up with a 23rd-place run.
Busch and Edwards were among the leaders who pitted. Both drivers took on two tires only as Edwards beat Busch out of the pits by just over a car length. David Ragan did not pit and led the field for the restart with 18 laps to go, but Edwards passed Ragan on the following lap to claim the top spot for good. Busch immediately moved ahead of Ragan for the second position.
Busch had one shot left at Edwards when Denny Hamlin blew an engine with five laps remaining, forcing the seventh and final caution. But Edwards quickly pulled away from Busch on the restart with two laps to go and then held him off at the finish by 0.947 seconds.
"I was able to take off there on those restarts and get a heck of a run through (turns) one and two, and once you got that gap, it's just over," Busch said.
Edwards led a race-high 84 laps.
The victory was Edwards' fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory of the season and the 12th of his career.
All five of Roush's drivers finished in the top-10. Ragan tied his best finish in the series with a third-place run. He also finished third in September 2007 at Richmond. Biffle came in fourth, and Matt Kenseth was fifth. Jamie McMurray finished 10th.
With the victory, Edwards moved to within 222 points of Busch in the Sprint Cup championship standings. Busch became the first driver to officially clinch a spot in this year's "Chase for the Sprint Cup." He will secure the top seed by virtue of his eight victories so far this season.
The next race is scheduled for Saturday, August 23rd, at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Edwards scores another win for Roush at Michigan
Brooklyn, MI (Sports Network) - Carl Edwards continued his march towards a second-straight NASCAR Nationwide Series title by winning Saturday's Carfax 250 at the Michigan International Speedway. The No.60 Roush Fenway Racing driver led a race-high 71 laps and held off Brian Vickers in the final laps before the race ended under caution.
Edwards, who celebrated his 29th birthday yesterday, recorded his third Nationwide victory of the season and the 16th of his career. He also gave car owner Jack Roush his 18th overall victory at Michigan in NASCAR's national- touring series. Roush has scored 10 wins in the Sprint Cup Series, as well as four wins in both the Nationwide and Craftsman Truck Series at the two-mile track.
"I'm just so happy that we won this thing," Edwards said. "We've been close here before. I can't thank Ford Motor Company enough. Ford's making a comeback, and I'm glad to be a part of it."
Edwards led the field to the green flag after winning the pole earlier in the day. But the first caution flag was quickly displayed when Mark Green and Steve Wallace spun on the first lap.
Tony Stewart started seventh, but moved up to third by lap 16. Stewart continued his pursuit to the front as he passed Brian Vickers for the second spot on Lap 25. But Vickers quickly moved back into the runner-up position on Lap 30. Vickers then passed Edwards for the lead three laps later.
Jason Leffler began the first round of green-flag pit stops on Lap 40. Vickers led nine laps before he came in for his stop. After the cycle of stops had completed on lap 48, Vickers was back out in front. He held a 4.4-second lead over Edwards.
Vickers margin evaporated on Lap 53 when David Ragan spun and smacked the wall on the backstretch, forcing the second caution. Vickers and David Reutimann were among the top-five who opted to pit under the caution. Edwards reclaimed the lead, while Vickers rejoined the field in 10th-place. Reutimann fell out of the top-10.
When the race resumed on Lap 58, Stewart pulled even with Edwards as the two battled for the lead. Stewart pulled ahead when the caution came after Robert Richardson spun.
Stewart jumped ahead of Edwards on the restart on Lap 64. He maintained the lead for the next 12 circuits until Edwards reeled him in. Stewart and Edwards ran side-by-side once again for the lead, but Stewart was able to fend off the challenge.
Scott Wimmer began the next round of green-flag pit stops on Lap 87. Cale Gale also pitted under green. However on Lap 91, the fourth caution came when Reutimann made contact with Clint Bowyer. Reutimann cut a tire as he scraped the wall. His No.99 Toyota sustained cosmetic damage in the process.
The remaining leaders came in for their final stops as Edwards was the quickest out of the pits, followed by Vickers and Stewart. Edwards led the field for the restart on Lap 96, but Patrick Carpentier spun two laps later to bring the caution flag out for the fifth time.
Edwards pulled ahead on the restart and built a half-second lead over Vickers with 25 laps remaining. His margin increased to 2.5-seconds with 15 laps to go.
Vickers grabbed the second spot from Stewart with five laps remaining, and then made every effort from there to catch Edwards.
Just as Edwards crossed the line to take the white flag on the final lap, Danny Efland spun, ending the race under caution.
"If the caution would have come out about three hundred yards sooner, we would have a chance," Vickers said. "We were running him down there at the end."
Stewart, Mark Martin and Greg Biffle completed the top-five.
Stewart competed in his final Nationwide race for Joe Gibbs Racing.
"(Crew chief) Dave Rogers and all these guys on this Old Spice team have done such a great job," Stewart said. "They're in a record-setting year, and it's just been an honor to drive the car for them and a lot of fun."
He recorded five victories in nine starts this season, driving the No.20 Toyota for JGR.
With the victory, Edwards moved to within 113 points of leader Bowyer, who finished 10th. Brad Keselowski is 132 markers behind after posting an 11th- place finish.
The next race is set for Friday, August 22nd, at Bristol Motor Speedway.
NASCAR finds cheating after race
August 17, 2008
BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) -The No. 18 and No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing teams in the Nationwide Series will likely face big penalties after efforts to alter the results of a chassis dyno test.
NASCAR inspectors, preparing to do tests on horsepower numbers following Saturday's Nationwide race at Michigan International Speedway, found magnets under the gas pedals on the two Gibbs Toyotas.
Tony Stewart, making his last Nationwide start for the Gibbs team, finished third in the No. 20, and 18-year-old rookie Joey Logano was seventh in the No. 18. The race was won by Carl Edwards in a Ford.
Toyota has won 15 of 25 races this season in Nationwide, and all but one came in a Camry fielded by Gibbs. The exception was JGR driver Kyle Busch's victory at Charlotte in May in a car fielded by Braun Racing.
In the face of such domination, last month NASCAR ordered the Toyota Nationwide teams to use a smaller spacer to cut about 15 horsepower in their motors.
The incident Saturday was apparently an effort to keep the current numbers from looking too strong in the latest test.
``In our post-race inspection - yesterday was the day we were going to chassis dyno cars - our inspectors discovered some shims that were placed on the gas pedal stop,'' Robin Pemberton, vice president of competition for NASCAR, said Sunday. ``It was magnets that were about a quarter-inch thick that prevented the accelerator from going 100 percent wide open.
``The intention was to manipulate the numbers that we get when we get our information and data off the dyno.''
Pemberton said NASCAR officials will meet Monday and Tuesday to determine what penalties will be handed out.
``I anticipate that we haven't seen the end of it yet,'' Pemberton said when asked if the penalties were likely to be severe. ``We historically don't make our decisions within a 24-hour period. It takes time to get everybody in a group and talk about it.''
J.D. Gibbs, son of owner Joe Gibbs and president of the team, said JGR takes full responsibility for the actions of its employees.
``Let me just say that, first and foremost, that that was a really poor, foolish decision on the part of our key guys there at JGR,'' Gibbs said. ``I want to apologize to NASCAR, to our partners, to Toyota guys. A couple guys chose to make a decision there that really impacts all of us.''
Gibbs said he was thankful that it was an off-track incident that did not involve racing and added that the big - and most frustrating - question is why was it done?
``I know they were probably frustrated from the standpoint that wanting to show that, 'Hey, we have less horsepower than ever before' and they wanted to make it look like we're handicapped even more than we actually were,'' Gibbs said. ``I understand that, but that's not an excuse.
``For us, we kind of feel like, in the engine shop that's kind of a badge of honor. You win that engine dyno, good for you. That's kind of how we felt in the past few years and (chief engine builder) Mark Cronquist and those guys really feel like they want to win that thing.
``The way I look at it, to come back after you've been chopped, to come back and win it again, that's awesome,'' Gibbs noted. ``That's a great story. That wasn't able to be told.''
He said no matter what action NASCAR takes, the team will address the situation in-house.
``(We'll) figure out exactly what happened and those that were responsible,'' Gibbs said. ``There's going to be punishment for that. That's just part of life. You can't do that.''
In a statement released by the elder Gibbs, he echoed his son.
``If this alleged incident proves true, it goes against everything we stand for as an organization,'' the former Washington Redskins coach said. ``We will take full responsibility and accept any penalties NASCAR levies against us.''
Lee White, president of Toyota Racing Development, said the company is grateful that the team stepped up and took responsibility and made it clear Toyota was not involved.
``I found out about it halfway through the day session last night, when I went over there to see what was going on,'' White said. ``I was surprised to see what was happening, and astonished and frankly incredulous. I couldn't believe it was happening because it's clearly defined in the entry forms that you don't do this sort of thing.
``But I'm sure Joe and J.D. will take care of that internally and, whatever fans think, they're going to think. We're just going to keep working on our stuff.''
Pat Suhy, GM Racing group manager for NASCAR, said the actions by the Gibbs team raise more questions.
``It's not something that you like to hear about and you have to just question every chassis dyno that's ever been run on every Toyota,'' Suhy said. ``You look at the (No.) 32 car (of Brian Vickers and Red Bull Racing), the 32 and the 18 and the 20 made about the same power the first run (on the dyno). When they took the magnet, or whatever this device was, out of the 18 and the 20, they both came up.
``What I don't know is if it's a Toyota problem, if it's a Joe Gibbs thing, how widespread is it and how long has it been going on, because a lot of what's been done (by NASCAR) has been based on the chassis dyno results. And, if they were always showing worse on the chassis dyno than actual, maybe (NASCAR) didn't go far enough.
``It's disappointing to hear that anybody, whether it's a manufacturer or a team or an individual on a team would go to any length to do that,'' Suhy added. ``It's bad for the entire garage, I think.''
Jack Roush, co-owner of Roush-Fenway Racing, which fields Fords in the Nationwide Series, called the Gibbs team's actions ``extremely detrimental to stock car racing.
``NASCAR will figure out what they should,'' Roush said. ``If they're going to make decisions based on parity, after they've given (Toyota) what they've given them with regard to parameters on their engine, based on flawed data that a team or the manufacturer, one of the other, had kited or shaved, that certainly is detrimental to my interests.''
Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud: 3M Performance 400
Matt McLaughlin
The Key Moment: Once Carl Edwards’ pit crew returned him to the track with the lead after the final pit stop, it was his race to lose.
In a Nutshell: Carl Edwards and Ford score one for the home team just outside the Motor City — a place that could use some good news right about now.
Dramatic Moment: I don’t care how talented a driver is or how good his car is, this year you just don’t want Kyle Busch running second behind you with a handful of laps to go; just ask Jimmie Johnson. A flurry of late race cautions gave Busch several chances to overtake Edwards.
What They’ll Be Talking About Around the Water Cooler This Week
I think what we saw Sunday is a foreshadowing of this year’s title run with Busch and Edwards, the winningest pair of drivers this year, competing for the honors right up until the end of the season.
Was Sunday’s event actually a good race, or are we all just lowering our standards after so many putrid events?
He’s got this racing stuff down pretty well, but Carl Edwards needs to work on landings during his post-race backflips.
Lucy, someone has some “splainin’” to do. After Saturday’s Michigan Nationwide race, NASCAR elected to put the top finishing entries from each manufacturer on the chassis dyno to see where they were at as far as parity. During the process, NASCAR officials discovered that the two Joe Gibbs entries had been monkeyed with. Under the driver’s seat, magnets had been added to the gas pedal in each car to keep the throttle from completely opening in an attempt to significantly lower the amount of horsepower the tests might reveal.
I’m sorry, but the penalties for this infraction have to be medieval (to borrow a term from Pulp Fiction). There’s no way to write this one off as an honest mistake or an inadvertent oversight. This was clearly a deliberate attempt to circumvent the rules, and since it occurred with two cars — not just one — it is clearly an organizational ploy and not one of a single individual. There’s no sense in deducting points; instead, neither entry should be allowed to compete for the Nationwide title. Monetary penalties mean nothing considering the bottomless financial resources of JGR, so the only penalty that can send a clear message to them (and the other race teams) is to suspend both their cars for the rest of the Nationwide season. That would mean Joe Gibbs would have to have some unpleasant conversations with his sponsors as to why their rolling billboards are on the sideline. You’ll note I’ve refrained from mentioning what make of car the JGR guys compete in, but my outrage and disgust would be equally livid if this infraction was found on a Dodge, Chevy, or Ford.
He was clearly frustrated, but Denny Hamlin really threw his team under the bus in his post-race interview.
OK, Edwards won the race, so he was going to sound upbeat. He even sounds upbeat when he finishes last. But teammate and fifth place finisher Matt Kenseth sounded ready to throw in the towel for the rest of the season. Compare and contrast those two reactions… how does a driver’s mental attitude affect his team and his chances at winning? Discuss.
There are currently five drivers who would make the Chase right now who have yet to win a single race this season. (The fact Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards have combined to win thirteen of 23 events might have something to do with that). But once again, race fans are looking at the potential of a driver winning a title without having won a single event, a possibility without parallel in the pantheon of sports. You have to wonder if a winless championship would finally force Brian France to admit he well and truly screwed the pooch with this dog of a points system of his. I mean, just imagine trying to explain to stick and ball fans how a sport crowns a winless champion. In a way, it might be bitterly fitting if Jeff Gordon were to manage to win this year’s title without scoring a victory. After all, he’s scored the most combined points under the traditional system twice since the Chase was implemented — but come up dry as far as titles.
So not only has Ryan Newman given up on his team, the No. 12 team has given up on Newman. Isn’t this the same outfit that won this year’s Daytona 500?
No koi were injured in the filming of this race.
One more thing you never thought you’d see during a Cup telecast: a commercial for Saabs.
The Hindenburg Award For Foul Fortune
Rick Hendrick couldn’t have enjoyed Sunday’s race. His three marquee stars all saw decent races go bad with deflated tires, hard contact with the wall, and a last lap spin. The fact Johnson and Gordon collided (with a little help from Tony Stewart) made the pill that much more bitter to swallow.
Marcos Ambrose came off a career defining weekend at the Glen with a blown engine and a dead last place finish at Michigan.
Someone at Joe Gibbs Racing ought to put Denny Hamlin on suicide watch.
Clint Bowyer just couldn’t get out of his own way for much of Sunday’s race. He needs some extra base hits in the next three races to make the Chase.
Jeff Gordon hasn’t run this badly in a very long time. Still winless this season, even if Gordon does make the Chase he’s not going to be a contender the way the No. 24 car is running. Is it just bad karma or bad cars? We all know Gordon can drive.
The “Seven Come Fore Eleven” Award For Fine Fortune
Edwards was just barely able to avoid the spinning No. 22 car by diving to the apron en route to victory.
Jack Roush had to enjoy seeing his teams collect four of the Top 5 finishing spots at his home track.
David Ragan was a weapon most of last season, but he’s matured and strung together a record of some good finishes this season.
Brian Vickers has apparently read Kyle Busch’s book, “There is Life After Rick Hendrick Racing.”
Worth Noting
* Carl Edwards’ five Cup wins this season eclipse his personal best of four Cup victories scored back in 2005. Edwards is currently second in the Cup and Nationwide series standings, so it’s not just Kyle Busch who is having a dream season.
* Kyle Busch has finished first or second in four of the last six Cup races. My guess is there are no magnets on the throttle pedal of his JGR car.
* David Ragan’s third place finish is his best of the season, and matches his career best in the Cup Series — scored at Richmond in the Fall of last year.
* Greg Biffle (fourth) scored his first Top 5 result since Chicagoland.
* Matt Kenseth (fifth) scored his first Top 5 finish since Daytona in July. No wonder he sounded so elated.
* Kevin Harvick (eighth) has three consecutive Top 10 finishes in Cup races for the first time since Bristol this Spring.
* It’s hard to believe, but 23 races deep into the season Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, and Kevin Harvick don’t have a single Cup victory between them.
* Jamie McMurray (tenth) enjoyed his third Top 10 finish in the last four Cup races.
* It has now been nine races since Jeff Burton (eleventh) has managed a Top 5 finish.
* Scott Riggs’ 15th place finish was his best this season.
* Jeff Gordon endured his fourth DNF of the season, but the first since Fort Worth in April.
* Denny Hamlin endured just the fourth DNF of his Cup career. The No. 11 team hadn’t had an engine let go since Bristol last August.
* Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (23rd) hasn’t managed a Top 5 finish in the eight races since he won at Michigan earlier this year.
* Sam Hornish (22nd) was the top finishing ROTY candidate at Michigan.
* The Top 10 finishers at Michigan drove five Fords, two Toyotas, two Chevys, and a Dodge. So, to all my blue collar brethren struggling to get by in Detroit: “Man, the dope is there’s still hope.”
What’s the Points?
Kyle Busch still leads the standings, and would make the Chase even if he decided to take the next three weeks off. Behind him, Carl Edwards took a nibble out of Busch’s lead and is now 222 points out of first. That lead is pointless, so to speak, with just three races remaining before the Chase. Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Burton held serve in positions three, four, and five, respectively.
Greg Biffle advances three spots to seventh in the standings, giving him a modicum of breathing room inside the Chase. Kevin Harvick also advanced three spots to eighth, appearing relatively safe as well with Bristol and Richmond still on the docket. Matt Kenseth might have sounded like he’d backed over his own dog after the race, but he did in fact advance two spots in the standings to 10th, 74 points ahead of the cutoff for the Chase.
On the flip side, Jeff Gordon dropped three positions to ninth, and he’s clearly getting flustered. Kasey Kahne also dropped three spots and is now 11th in the standings. But it was Denny Hamlin’s blown engine that really delivered a sucker punch to his season; it dropped him three positions to 12th, just 26 points above the cut line for the Chase.
On the outside looking in, Clint Bowyer and David Ragan are technically tied for 13th right now; they are the aforementioned 26 points behind making the Chase.
Further down the list, Ryan Newman dropped two more spots to 17th and Kurt Busch fell a spot to 19th. These aren’t happy times for Roger Penske — at least on the NASCAR side of the empire.
Overall Rating (On a scale of one to six beer cans with one being a stinker and a six pack an instant classic) — I feel kind of like Charlie Brown picking a Christmas tree because I know others will disagree… but it wasn’t such a bad little race. I’ll give it four cans of almost chilly generic stuff.
Next Up: After three months of an endless bummer, a nation turns its lonely eyes towards Bristol next Saturday night. All we can hope is that we get a repeat of the 1998 Night Race and not a placid return of last year’s Bristol Lite.
frontstretch.com
Nationwide Series Breakdown: CARFAX 250
Bryan Davis Keith
In a Nutshell: Last week at the Glen, Brad Keselowski served Clint Bowyer notice that he was in for a battle for the Nationwide Series title. This weekend, Carl Edwards joined the dogfight. After scoring the pole Saturday morning, Edwards dominated the Nationwide Series race at Michigan, leading 71 of 125 laps to convincingly score his third victory of the season in this series over Brian Vickers and Tony Stewart. Edwards’ win marked the first Nationwide Series victory for Roush Fenway Racing at MIS since Jeff Burton in 1998. And besides his usual backflip, Edwards also made a classy move following the event: giving his trophy to the race’s grand marshal, Make-a-Wish kid Eric Wright.
The race was the first in which the true effect of NASCAR’s limitations on Toyota motors was visible. While Toyota drivers Tony Stewart, Brian Vickers, and Joey Logano all enjoyed stellar runs, none of these drivers were able to drive away from the field as had been seen throughout the earlier parts of the Nationwide season. Toyota drivers Brian Vickers and David Reutimann each made remarks during and after the event speaking as to the influence the loss of horsepower was having on their efforts.
The points chase in the Nationwide Series also grew closer after Saturday’s race, as Carl Edwards’ win moved him into second in the standings, only 113 points behind leader Clint Bowyer. Bowyer finished one position ahead of Brad Keselowski in Saturday’s running order, and now sits 132 markers ahead of the No. 88 driver. Full-time competitors David Reutimann and David Ragan both lost ground after finding trouble during the race; Reutimann was wrecked by Bowyer, while David Ragan spun into the Turn 2 wall on his own midway through the event.
Who Should Have Won: Carl Edwards. The fastest car won the race on Saturday. New crew chief Drew Blickensderfer has led the No. 60 team to three wins in his short time with the team, and has Edwards well in contention for a second consecutive series title.
Worth Noting
Mike Bliss has been all but Mr. Consistency since taking over the No. 1 of Phoenix Racing. Bliss has taken the Miccosukee Resorts team from a mid-pack entry to a fixture in the Nationwide Series Top 10, and with his sixth place run on Saturday, Bliss moved into fourth in the series’ point standings, ahead of Cup regulars David Reutimann and David Ragan. Bliss, currently second among Nationwide regulars, has now scored 10 Top 10 finishes in the No. 1 car this season.
Cale Gale’s 19th place finish was in no way indicative of how the Alabama short track ace ran on Saturday. After starting on the outside pole, Gale ran in the Top 10 throughout the early and middle portions of the race, running clean and competitively with a plethora of Cup regulars. The only thing that kept Gale from scoring a Top 10 in his first MIS run was an untimely caution during green flag pit stops that put his No. 33 team a lap down. Still, Gale was the first car to finish one lap behind, and good finish or not his run showed just far this prospect has come with regard to speedway racing.
JTG Racing followed up their first Nationwide Series win in years with a solid outing on the oval of MIS. Marcos Ambrose, eager to show that he’s talented on more than road courses, used the high side of the track to come from behind late and score a 12th place finish for his No. 59 team. That maintained his Top 10 points position, while teammate Kelly Bires also enjoyed a strong run and earned a finish to match — bringing his No. 47 Ford home ninth. Bires’ Top 10 moved him to within 33 points of Steve Wallace and 13th place in the Nationwide standings.
I try not to mention the Cup drivers in this column, but Clint Bowyer’s post-race comments have got to be brought to light. After fading late in the race and finishing a disappointing tenth, Bowyer was noticeably frustrated when interviewed. But his utter refusal to take responsibility for his contact with David Reutimann that severely damaged the No. 99 Toyota was more noticeable. Bowyer, who earlier this season bashed David Stremme at Nashville for having the nerve “to touch the points leader,” lashed out at Reutimann, even though video made it clear that Bowyer’s No. 2 hiked up the track while Reutimann’s No. 99 held its line. According to Bowyer, when racing side by side, it’s the job of the guy on the outside to move up the track to give the guy on the bottom room — not the responsibility of the driver passing low to make sure they can clear the car on their outside.
How depressing is it that a guy with this attitude towards the Nationwide Series and its competitors may well be its champion? And what does this pouting say about Bowyer as a driver, who in both Nationwide and Cup is now in the longest slumps of his career? One has got to wonder when Bowyer will actually accept that NASCAR’s second tier series is not going to simply roll over and give him a title.
Better Luck Next Time
After running much of the early part of the season with Jay Robinson Racing, Robert Richardson left to drive for his father’s R3 Motorsports team. Richardson made his debut with the No. 23 car at Charlotte, and while they were much more competitive than the No. 4 team at JRR, Richardson found trouble early in the race and finished near the back. Saturday at MIS was the same story for the R3 organization. Richardson was again more competitive than his previous ride, but found the wall 57 laps into the event. Richardson’s 35th place finish was not the run this unsponsored team was looking for.
With an ARCA victory under his belt at MIS, Steve Wallace and his No. 66 team had MIS circled as a venue to shine at. By the end of the first lap, those hopes were gone. Coming out of Turn 2 during the race’s first circuit, Wallace was tagged from behind by Mike Bliss, and was unable to keep his car off of the inside wall. The front end of the No. 66 was heavily damaged, requiring 2/3 of the race for the team to fix it. Wallace still managed to complete 40 circuits, but he finished a distant 38th.
Underdog Performer of the Race
Despite having few cars and no sponsors, Brian Keselowski again turned in a solid performance in Nationwide Series competition — this time on his family’s unofficial home track. After racing his way into the event, the older brother of standout Brad Keselowski managed to complete all but one lap of the 125 lap race, scoring a solid 24th position despite fighting handling problems all race long. In his limited starts this season, the elder Keselowski has continually emphasized running clean and getting noticed, and while his break has yet to come, there’s no doubting that he and his crew are getting everything they can out of their limited resources. Watch for this team as a sleeper to run well at Bristol next weekend…Keselowski has scored Top 15s with the No. 92 at both the ORP and Memphis short tracks.
Quotables
“We ran great today. There were a couple of cars that were really fast. Tony [Stewart] was real fast and Brian Vickers was extremely fast. The changes my crew made were great and they made our car real fast for the final run, and Tony was having that trouble on pit road or whatever happened to him. It was sure a lot easier to pass him there [on pit road] than it would have been on the race track. We came out first, our guys did a great job, and it went green the rest of the way.” – Carl Edwards on his third Nationwide Series win of the season
“There’s no secret I love the big ovals. That’s where I’m comfortable; that’s where we’ve been the strongest. We came here looking to run in the Top 10 all day, and we did that. It was a flawless day for this Clorox team.” – Kelly Bires after a stellar Top 10 run
“I think we had a better car, but with the new Toyota restrictor plate NASCAR put on us, he [Carl Edwards] definitely had us beat on power. There’s not a lot we can do about that.” – Brian Vickers on his second place run in the No. 32 Toyota
Up Next: The NASCAR Nationwide Series next heads to Thunder Valley and the Bristol Motor Speedway. Coverage under the lights of the Food City 250 begins at 7:30 PM on ESPN and 8 PM on MRN.
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RacingOne Rewind: Michigan
A look back at Carl Edwards' 12th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win in Sunday's 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway including news, notes and observations by the RacingOne staff.
Inside Line
Carl Edwards scored his fifth Sprint Cup Series win of the season and completed a sweep of the Michigan International Speedway weekend when he picked up the checkered flag in Sunday's 3M Performance 400. Photos
Keys to Victory Lane
Edwards led the final 18 laps of the race but had to hold off Kyle Busch in a two-lap shootout to the checkered flag to score the win. Complete Results
Zero to Hero
Kevin Harvick came from deep in the field in 38th place to finish eighth and keep his Chase hopes on solid ground.
Rookie of the Race
Sam Hornish, Jr. recovered from an early race spin to drive the Penske racing No. 77 Dodge home 22nd.
Notables
Jeff Burton started the day 28th and came home 11th. Travis Kvapil took the green flag 26th and finished 13th. And Michael Waltrip began the race 42nd and crossed the finish line 19th.
Race to the Chase
Busch locked up a spot in the Chase and has the top spot with Edwards now holding 40 bonus points. Denny Hamlin fell back to the 12th and final Chase transfer spot while Clint Bowyer fell out of the Chase cut-off. Jeff Gordon tumbled to ninth and Kasey Kahne to 11th.
3M Performance 400 Loop Data Leaders
• Average Running Position: Kyle Busch - 3.5
• Fastest Early In a Run: Kyle Busch - 174.964 mph
• Fastest Late In a Run: Carl Edwards - 167.980 mph
• Fastest Laps Run: Carl Edwards - 41
• Fastest on Restarts: Kyle Busch - 175.406 mph
• Most Passes During Green Flag Conditions: A.J. Allmendinger - 128
• Laps In Top 15: Brian Vickers - 200
• Quality Passes: Matt Kenseth - 51
• Speed in Traffic: Kyle Busch - 173.021 mph
Pit Stops
• Carl Edwards captured his 12th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win in his 144th career start. Detailed Active Driver Wins
• Edwards won the 107th race for car owner Jack Roush. Detailed Active Car Owner Wins
• Edwards became the first driver to win at Michigan from the 27th position. He was the seventh driver overall to win a race from that position. Starting Position Facts
• Edwards won the 31st race for Ford at Michigan. All-Time Manufacturer Wins
• Edwards swept both races this weekend – the first sweep since Kyle Busch swept Chicagoland in July.
• Kyle Busch (second) posted his third top-10 finish in eight races at Michigan.
• David Ragan's third-place finish tied his career-best finish and was his second top-10 finish in four races at Michigan.
• Greg Biffle posted only his second top-five finish (fourth) since his third-place finish at Dover. His other top five in that time frame was also a fourth at Chicagoland.
• Matt Kenseth posted his first top-five finish (fifth) in five races.
• Mark Martin posted his best finish (sixth) since his third-place finish at Richmond, 10 starts ago for him, in the Spring.
• Brian Vickers' seventh-place finish was his sixth top-10 finish of the season and first since Chicagoland.
• Kevin Harvick (eighth) posted his third straight top-10 of the season and ninth total this year.
• Elliott Sadler (ninth) posted his sixth top-10 finish of the season.
• Jamie McMurray (10th) posted his third top-10 finish in the last four races.
• The 200-lap race saw 18 lead changes among nine drivers and an average speed of 140.351 mph. Lap Summary
• Seven caution flags were thrown for 27 laps.
• The 3M Performance 400 lasted 2 hours, 51 minutes, 00 seconds.
Lug Nuts
• Wonder how those 10 bonus points lost in the Las Vegas penalties look to Edwards now?
• Roush Fenway again owns Michigan with four drivers in the top five.
• Kudos to David Ragan, who was a favorite pick by many crew chiefs to win Sunday morning.
• The Hendrick woes continued Sunday with Jeff Gordon again left scratching his head.
• Guess Junior fans can't blame Tony Eury, Jr. this week.
• Attendance was surprisingly good considering how hard hit this area is economically.
• Forget the rumors about Michigan possibly losing a race if Kansas gets a second. MIS will have a pair for a while.
• He didn't seal the deal, but another impressive weekend for Brian Vickers.
• Bill Davis Racing is edging closer to the extinct list.
Garage Talk
• "We were a nine out of a 10, it seems like, and those other guys were a 10 out of a 10." - David Ragan
• "We don't deserve to be in the Chase." - Denny Hamlin
• "Now we're disappointed. At least I am." - Brian Vickers
• "The beauty of it is keeping Kyle from getting 10 points. He's so fast you can't give him any room." - Carl Edwards
• "I'm not sure if he sandbags halfway through or what." - Kyle Busch on Carl Edwards
RacingOne Rating
On a scale of one to 10 delicious Michigan peaches (mmm, they are good) we'll give Sunday's 3M Performance 400 a six. It wasn't a fuel mileage race but the long green flag runs did spread out the field in the middle portions and made things a bit tedious to watch. But some drama at the end with cautions and pit stops with Edwards holding off Busch to the finish line. The Chase shuffle is on with three races to go and next it's off to Bristol for the annual August craziness that will have significant championship implications this season.
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