Hornaday Jr. dominates in Memphis
Memphis, TN (Sports Network) - Ron Hornaday Jr. captured Saturday night's O'Reilly 200 Craftsman Truck Series race at Memphis Motorsports Park in dominating fashion, leading 139 of 204 laps. The No.33 Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet crossed the finish line 0.269 seconds ahead of Erik Darnell.
The victory was Hornaday Jr.'s third of the season and record 36th of his truck career.
Points leader Johnny Benson led the field to the green flag. The No.23 Toyota quickly built a half-second lead while Bobby East was fighting Hornaday Jr. for second place.
The race lasted seven laps until Todd Bodine and Donny Lia spun to bring out the first caution flag. When they restarted, Benson and Hornaday Jr. took off and by lap 22 had built a two-second margin on third-place Jack Sprague.
A second yellow flag on lap 34 slowed the action.
When the race got going again, Hornaday Jr. bumped Benson to the high side on lap 44 and slid underneath him for the lead.
Another caution flag saw differing strategies take place. Stacy Compton led a group of six trucks to the lead by staying out, while Hornaday Jr. and Benson pitted and returned to the track in seventh and eight-place, respectively.
Hornaday Jr. quickly moved back up the charts and was third on lap 70, just a couple of lengths behind the leaders. Hornaday Jr., with Benson in tow, fought their way past Colin Braun into second place.
The No.33 Chevrolet was right on Compton's rear bumper. He gave him a tap and slid underneath the No.4 for the lead. Benson as he had been doing since the last caution flag, followed through the hole Hornaday Jr. made and took second from Compton.
Following a caution flag, Hornaday Jr. got off to his usual fast start, but Benson's Toyota wouldn't get up to speed. He limped back to his pit, but it had no power. His chance to win was over, but his pit crew tried to fix the problem to get as many points as possible in hopes of keeping the points lead. But it never happened and Benson finished a disappointing 33rd.
At the mid-point of the race, Hornaday Jr. held a four-second lead on Rick Crawford. The man on the move was David Starr who started 17th, but was up to third place.
Hornaday Jr. was cruising along with a big lead when Donny Lia spun on lap 121 to slow the race and erase the lead. So, on the restart, Hornaday Jr. went about rebuilding the margin. More cautions slowed the action, but Hornaday Jr. stayed on top.
Crawford fell from second to third as Erik Darnell grabbed the position with 64 laps to go. While they were battling behind him, Hornaday Jr, was opening up a working margin.
With 50 laps remaining, Hornaday Jr. held 0.826-second lead on Darnell and more than three-second advantage on Crawford. Ten laps later and it looked like a two-man race (there was a five-second gap between second to third) - barring a caution flag. But the inevitable yellow flag came out with 34 laps remaining setting up a short run to the finish.
Hornaday Jr., who had taken the lead with 76 laps on the board, wasn't about to give up the lead. He was still leading on lap 186 when caution flag No.8 came out with 14 laps to go, giving Darnell another shot.
But Hornaday Jr., "known as the "King of Restarts," was ready for this one and he wasn't to be denied. He saw the green flag with nine laps to go and he was gone. The only thing that could slow up Hornaday Jr. was another caution flag and unfortunately it appeared with three laps to go setting up a green- white-checker finish.
But the results of the final two laps were the same as the previous 127. Hornaday Jr. hit the green flag perfectly and saw the white flag with a three- length lead and took the checkered flag without challenge.
Matt Crafton, Rick Crawford and David Starr completed the top-five.
Hornaday Jr.'s win gave him a 27-point lead over Matt Crafton and 54 over Bodine heading to the next race which is set for Saturday, July 19th at Sparta, KY.
Stewart's pit strategy wins Nationwide race
Loudon, NH (Sports Network) - Tony Stewart took just two tires on his final stop to get the lead and held off his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch for the win in Saturday afternoon's Camping World 200 at the New Hampshire International Speedway. The No.20 Toyota driver crossed the finish line just ahead of Hamlin after a caution flag slowed the field.
The victory was Stewart's fifth of the season and seventh of his Nationwide Series career.
A caution flag for debris on lap 128 sent all the leaders down pit road for the final time. Edwards used a fuel-only stop to beat the field off pit lane. Greg Biffle (no tires) came out second and Stewart (two tires) third. Reutimann, who was in the lead took four tires, was 10th off pit road after a 15.5-second stop.
Stewart's strategy looked to be the best of the leaders as he quickly slid around Biffle for second. He caught Edwards on lap 135 and turned underneath him for the lead.
Now the only question was whether Stewart could hold off the drivers who took four tires.
Busch was ninth on the restart, but took four tires and quickly charged up the charts. He was third with 57 laps remaining, but still two seconds back. Reutimann was a little slower working his way through the field and was only up to seventh.
Stewart was maintaining almost a one-second lead on Hamlin, but Busch was slowly closing on both leaders. Busch got to the back of Hamlin's bumper, but was having trouble getting around him with lapped traffic getting in the way.
With 20 laps remaining, Busch's advantage seemed to go away and he could only maintain his position. Stewart now only had to hold off Hamlin to win for the fifth time this season. Ten laps to go and the gap was 0.764 seconds, Hamlin was slightly faster, but still not close enough to put any real pressure on Stewart.
Seven laps to go and the margin was 0.472 seconds. Hamlin was there, but could he get around Stewart?
He could not. Stewart held off Hamlin for the win. He is the 22nd different winner in as many Nationwide Series races at Loudon.
Though Landon Cassill won the pole earlier in the morning, Greg Biffle brought the field to the green flag for 200 laps of racing because Cassill made a pre- race engine change.
Biffle only led into Turn 1 when he got loose and Clint Bowyer charged around the outside to lead the first lap. Bowyer lasted until lap 10 when Busch slid underneath him for the lead. The No.2 retook the lead on lap 18 getting around Busch. Stewart followed Bowyer through the opening to grab second.
Stewart and Bowyer exchanged the lead a couple of times as the field approached lap 40. Meanwhile, Cassill was slicing his way back through the field and up to 16th.
Finally, Bowyer began to take control, moving out to a two-second lead at lap 45. Then on lap 47 Bowyer's lead evaporated in an instant when Cassill was sent flying into the outside wall after contact from Bobby Hamilton Jr. to bring out a caution flag.
On the restart, Busch got around Bowyer to take the lead and built the margin to 2.217 seconds on lap 75. Busch maintained the lead while Bowyer, Stewart and David Reutimann took turns in second place. But no one could catch the No.18 Toyota.
Reutimann began to eat into the lead and by lap 95 was within two lengths of Busch. At the halfway point, Busch held just a 0.630-second lead on Reutimann.
On lap 109, Reutimann finally got around Busch for the lead, but Busch wouldn't let him get away. Bowyer was also within one second, but Stewart had fallen more than three seconds off the pace.
That's when a timely caution flag set up the final pit stops. Stewart's crew chief Dave Rogers was planning a four-tire stop, but "audibled" at the last second choosing to go with just two tire. The strategy put Stewart out front, and he never gave up the lead.
It was Stewart fifth win in just seven starts this season in the Nationwide Series.
Busch, Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards completed the top-five.
Bowyer finished ninth and will take a 182-point lead over Reutimann to the next event scheduled for Friday night, July 4th at the Daytona International Speedway.
Busch wins rain-shortened race at Loudon
Loudon, NH (Sports Network) - Kurt Busch's crew chief Pat Tryson kept the No.2 Penske Racing Dodge on the track when all the leaders pitted for fuel, and it turned out to be the winning move as Busch captured Sunday afternoon's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway when a rain storm came barreling through the Loudon area.
Busch was declared the winner as NASCAR officials called the race at lap 284.
The victory was Busch's first of the season and the 18th of his Sprint Cup career.
"I wouldn't be up here if it weren't for the crew," said Busch.
Michael Waltrip, J.J. Yeley, Martin Truex Jr. and Elliott Sadler completed the top-five. Only Truex Jr. had been in the top-10 before the final round of stops.
In just his 17th career start, surprise pole winner Patrick Carpentier led the field to the green flag to begin the scheduled 301-lap event. The rookie lasted four laps before going high and allowing both Kevin Harvick and Bobby Labonte to slide underneath him.
Harvick and Labonte quickly put some distance between themselves and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who had moved into third place ahead of the dropping Carpentier.
Harvick's No.29 Chevrolet was setting a fast pace that Labonte couldn't stay with and by lap 20 Harvick owned a two-second lead. "Junior" got around the outside of Labonte for second place on lap 22, but was still more than three seconds behind Harvick.
However, Earnhardt Jr. was the fastest car on the track and began to eat into Harvick's big lead. By lap 36, the gap was under one second as the leaders began to lap some of the slower cars.
"Junior" stuck his nose past Harvick on lap 44 to get five bonus points and on the next lap completed the move as the two continued to slice through the backmarkers.
A round of green flag pit stops and the earlier stop by Harvick (lap 68) allowed him to regain the race lead after everyone had cycled through. Earnhardt Jr. didn't stop until lap 72 and after a slower 15.2-second stop came out fourth behind Kasey Kahne and Truex Jr.
A lap 85 spin by Dario Franchitti slowed the race for the first time. At this point, Casey Mears and Brian Vickers elected to stay out, while Harvick lined up third after taking just two tires.
The clean air helped Mears and Vickers hold off Harvick for a while, but Harvick got around Vickers on lap 102. After battling with Vickers, Harvick was almost two seconds behind Mears. Mears was making the gamble work, but would need a caution flag before lap 150 if it was to be successful.
Mears got his caution flag on lap 138 (debris) while he still held a one- second lead on Stewart who had gotten around Harvick. Everyone pitted and Stewart won the race with Mears off pit lane and they restarted one-two on lap 142.
After the caution flag, Jeff Gordon's No.24 Chevrolet came to life as he charged around Harvick and Mears for second place before the race was slowed for a Joe Nemechek spin. With just 10 laps on the tires, the top cars stayed out on the track.
With some bad weather possibly headed towards the track, this run might determine the race. Stewart quickly built a lead of almost one second on Gordon with Mears and Harvick just behind.
By lap 185 Stewart had expanded the lead to two seconds and almost four seconds on Mears. Harvick, who had been running in fourth, began to slide backwards.
Stewart, Gordon and Mears remain on top of the pylon as the field approached the 200-lap mark, but Earnhardt Jr. was falling back through the top-10. Then on lap 203 the fourth caution flag of the day (A.J. Allmendinger) gave Earnhardt Jr. and Harvick the chance to fix their cars and get back into the fray.
Stewart's crew again got him off pit lane ahead of Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Mears. Harvick would restart in eighth place and "Junior" in 11th.
When Aric Almirola spun on lap 216, the leaders again chose to stay out, except for the No.5 Chevrolet of Mears and the No.18 Toyota of Kyle Busch.
Were Mears or Busch going to try and go the final 81 laps without stopping again?
They went back to green on lap 221 and the racing was getting intense. Kahne spun on lap 224, but the caution flag never came out. Stewart built his lead again, to 1.4 seconds at lap 235.
But Johnson, who had gotten around his teammate Gordon, was faster than Stewart and began cutting into the No.20 Toyota's lead. The No.48 Chevrolet chopped the lead to one second at lap 240 and by lap 255 it was half-a-second. Two laps later, he was right on Stewart's rear bumper.
The leaders would all have to stop one more time, unless the weather front arrived before lap 301.
Then on lap 271, Earnhardt Jr. was headed towards pit road for his final stop, and Jamie McMurray slammed into the back of the No.88 Chevrolet.
"I was focused on looking at the outside and never saw him," said an apologetic McMurray."
It was time for the pit crews and crew chiefs to earn their money. The first decision would be whether to pit at all or stay on the track. If you decided to pit would you take fuel only or two tires?
Eight cars, lead by Busch, elected to stay out and try to go the rest of the way without stopping. Denny Hamlin chose a fuel only stop coming out ninth, with Johnson and Gordon just behind. Stewart, the leader coming in, took two tires and came out 14th.
The race went back to green on lap 277, but a Clint Bowyer/Sam Hornish Jr. accident slowed the race two laps later. There was also an incident on the same lap between points leader Kyle Busch and Juan Pablo Montoya that ended with Busch being spun.
They were still under caution when then rain drops started to fall at lap 282. If the race didn't get back underway, Pat Tryson's decision to leave Busch out would be the winning move.
Two laps later, NASCAR officials pulled the cars down pit lane and put the race under the red flag. The race never got back underway as rain continued to fall and Busch was rewarded with his first win since August 2007 at Michigan.
Kyle Busch was credited with a 25th-place finish and will take a 64-point lead over Jeff Burton to the next event which is scheduled for Saturday night, July 5th at the Daytona International Speedway.
Kanaan dominates caution-filled race in Richmond
Richmond, VA (Sports Network) - Tony Kanaan dominated the last 94 laps and captured Saturday night's SunTrust Indy Challenge at the Richmond International Raceway. The No.11 Andretti Green Racing driver crossed the finish line 4.7691 seconds ahead of Helio Castroneves.
The victory was Kanaan's first of the season and 13th of his IndyCar career.
Scott Dixon, Dan Wheldon and Oriol Servia completed the top-five.
Marco Andretti was leading Kanaan, Castroneves, Jaime Camara and Servia with 100 laps left in the race. But Andretti had to make a green flag pit stop with 94 laps to go, giving Kanaan the lead.
A good day turned into a bad day quickly for Camara with 82 laps to go. Camara crashed his car out and ended his day on the ninth caution flag of the night. Kanaan led the top-five down pit road for a crucial final pit stop during the caution period.
Kanaan just edged out Castroneves to win the race off pit road. Wheldon, Servia and Scott Dixon followed behind. Castroneves' pit stop was about two seconds faster than Kanaan's, but it wasn't enough.
The remainder of the race was dominated by Kanaan. The Brazilian Kanaan impressively continued to increase his gap over Castroneves. His margin reached just over six seconds with 20 laps to go.
The only excitement took place on the final lap, but it obviously wasn't for the lead. It was Dixon passing teammate Wheldon for third. This was the only change that took place in top-five after the pit stops.
Kanaan led the 26-car field to the green flag for 300 laps of short-track racing, but a number crashes brought out the caution flags early and often. This was a sign of things to come. Ryan Hunter-Reay, Will Power and A.J. Foyt IV all had their own accidents early on.
Some of the drivers in the back of the field came down pit road after the Foyt IV's crash to get on different pit strategies than the leaders.
When the race went back to green flag racing, Kanaan built a one-second lead over Andretti, Graham Rahal, Dixon and Wheldon. Kanaan's margin was erased on lap 68 when the caution flag flew for debris. During the caution period the leaders took their first pit stops of the night.
Castroneves was the big winner on pit road, gaining six spots, and Dixon was the loser, dropping five positions. Camara and Danica Patrick inherited the top-two spots by not stopping. Kanaan, Castroneves and Andretti completed the top-five.
The crash party continued on the restart on lap 80, when Buddy Rice spun out and collected a few other drivers to create a multi-car crash. Another caution followed on lap 92 and this time Patrick came down pit road during the caution period.
Camara led Kanaan, Andretti, Castroneves and Wheldon to the restart on lap 106.
Marco Andretti made his move on the restart. He got around Kanaan and then passed Camara on lap 116 to take over first.
The field was slowed for the seventh time due to a Rahal crash on lap 133. Most of the leaders came down pit road during the caution. Andretti, EJ Viso, Townsend Bell and Patrick inherited the top-four spots by not stopping again. Kanaan, the winner off pit road, followed in fifth. A slow stop by Camara dropped him to eighth.
Andretti led the field to the restart on lap 142, but a few laps later the next caution flag flew due to a Hunter-Reay and Mario Moraes crash. Dixon, Hideki Mutoh and Patrick came down pit road for service with reports of rain in the near future, but the rain never came though.
The No.26 AGR driver led Viso, Kanaan, Castroneves and Camara to the restart. Viso quickly fell back through the field, as Marco Andretti built just over a half-a-second lead on Kanaan. Castroneves, Camara and Servia followed behind. Andretti lost his lead with 94 laps to go when he came down pit road and that's when Kanaan took over the race.
Dixon's third-place finish gives him a 43-point lead over Castroneves heading to the next race which is set for Sunday, July 6th at Watkins Glen International.
Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud: LENOX Industrial Tools 301
Matt McLaughlin
The Key Moment: A Biblical downpour bought the sedate proceedings at New Hampshire to a mercifully quick ending, with Kurt Busch emerging as the winner in a high paying game of musical chairs.
In a Nutshell: A wholly unsatisfying ending to a wholly unsatisfying race.
Dramatic Moment: There was a brief period of racing between Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson for the lead as threatening weather moved in. Other than that, the race was a total and complete farce.
What They’ll Be Talking About Around the Water Cooler This Week
When defending their home track, native New Englanders have always been able to cite a series of sellouts for the Cup races, dating back to the track’s debut in the series. Well, that argument is off the table now. Despite the track’s announced sellout, there were vast sections of vacant seats in the stands. So, let me ask again: why did we give up North Wilkesboro for this mess?
Passing was so tough at NHMS, some drivers let their tempers meltdown late in the race. Welcome to NASCAR’s Summer of Shove.
So, how long can NASCAR keep a stiff upper lip and refuse to alter the new car if the racing remains this relentlessly putrid? Seriously, watching Sunday’s race was about as entertaining as sitting on a splintery bench, drinking warm beer and watching an old Chevy truck rust. Will the last fan out of NHMS please turn off the lights?
No, I am reasonably certain that race winner Kurt Busch doesn’t actually plan to spend the next few races adding to his points deficit.
While there wasn’t much racing for the lead, Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya battled neck and neck for the biggest bonehead of the afternoon honors. A lot of folks celebrated Montoya’s honest admission his acts were intentional. I figure a 100 point penalty and a hundred thousand dollar fine later this week ought to cure him of that honesty next time.
Could Tony Stewart really be considering a move to take over Rick Hendrick’s No. 5 car next season? The problem with four roosters in a henhouse is there’s no room left for anyone to lay an egg. Meanwhile, Stewart once again vented his ire at the press for asking questions about his future. The late Dale Earnhardt might have told Stewart you don’t have to worry until people stop discussing your future plans.
For those of you keeping score, Tony Stewart’s win at NHMS in the Nationwide Series was the twelfth victory by a Toyota driver in that series’ eighteen races run to date. It seems right now the Camrys are making a parody of parity.
If I were a race fan in New England, I’d be mighty worried about new NHMS track owner Bruton Smith’s low profile at the track this weekend. If Smith planned to reconfigure the track, it would be done by now. My guess is NHMS is now on life support as a potential date donor for other SMI properties. Smith stated otherwise over the weekend, but he seemed to be damning the place with faint praise and the mercurial Smith has been known to change his mind like…well, um…the weather.
Great moments in Broadcasting 101: As NASCAR battles allegations of racial insensitivity, you have to love Larry McReynolds discussing Harry Gant’s not having a “Chinaman’s chance” in a race. But give Gant style points for a truly awesome collection of cars.
Madison Avenue has never really gotten their arms around who NASCAR fans really are, but I guess I liked it better when race broadcasts featured more ads for beer than boner pills.
Was that a question Ralph Sheheen put to Tony Stewart after the race — or a monologue?
The Hindenburg Award For Foul Fortune
My heart bleeds for any fan who paid for a ticket and a tank full of four dollar a gallon gasoline to watch that mess of a race.
Tony Stewart dominated the event, but once again found a way to drag defeat out of the jaws of victory.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. seemed en route to yet another Top 10 finish when he got run over from behind trying to enter the pits. Jack Roush might want to revisit the idea of having Jamie McMurray sample his sponsor’s product at the wheel.
Kasey Kahne was victimized by a retaliatory bump, and all he has to show for it is a really crummy cartoon depiction of the incident.
The “Seven Come Fore Eleven” Award For Fine Fortune
Not only did the rain hand Kurt Busch an unexpected victory, it came just in time to keep him from getting black-flagged when brake cooling components began shedding from beneath the No. 2 car.
Michael Waltrip accepting the second place check might be the best deal ever struck since the Louisiana Purchase.
Robby Gordon is extremely lucky this week’s Supreme Court decision on the Second Amendment doesn’t allow Cup drivers to pack handguns in their cars. For a perpetually laps down car, Gordon sure does seem to like battling the leaders as if he’s contending for a win every week.
Yeah, he’s been pretty laid back and diplomatic about his contract status, but you just know Casey Mears had to be delighted to post the best finish of any Rick Hendrick team driver (7th) the same weekend it was announced he won’t be back with them next year.
In a race dominated by Toyotas and Chevys, Dodge managed to get four drivers in the Top 10 in the final rundown.
Worth Noting
* The Top 10 finishers at New Hampshire drove four Dodges, three Chevys, and three Toyotas. The top finishing Ford was Carl Edwards in 17th.
* It was another tough outing for the rookies, with Aric Almirola in 23rd the top finishing member of the freshman class (and he’s not even running for Rookie Of The Year).
* For Kurt Busch, it was his first win since Michigan last August and his first Top 5 result since this year’s Daytona 500.
* Michael Waltrip (second) backed into his first Top 5 finish since Phoenix in April of 2005. Are they laughing at me? I think they’re laughing at me.
* J.J. Yeley (third) enjoyed the second best finish of his Cup career.
* Martin Truex Jr. (fourth) had his best finish of the 2008 Cup season.
* Reed Sorenson (sixth) enjoyed his best finish since the Daytona 500.
* Casey Mears finished seventh for the third time this season.
* Jimmie Johnson (ninth) managed his fourth Top 10 finish in the last five races.
* Bobby Labonte (tenth) scored his first Top 10 finish since Bristol last August.
* Jeff Gordon (11th) has failed to post a Top 10 finish in three of the last four Cup
races.
* Jeff Burton (12th) has missed the Top 10 his last three times out.
* Kevin Harvick (14th) hasn’t scored a Top 10 finish since Richmond.
* Joe Nemechek (20th) cracked the Top 20 for the first time this season. Ouch!
* Kasey Kahne (30th) has been maddeningly inconsistent as of late. In the last six Cup points races he’s won twice, finished second in a third race, and finished outside the Top 30 in the other three.
What’s the Points?
Despite a substandard afternoon, Kyle Busch continued atop the points heap, now 64 ahead of second place Jeff Burton. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Edwards, Johnson, and Gordon held serve in points positions three through six.
Behind them, Denny Hamlin and Greg Biffle swapped seventh and eighth places in the standings, with Hamlin now having the advantage.
If there was a silver lining around those storm clouds for Tony Stewart, it is that he moved up two spots in the standings to ninth. Kahne and Bowyer each fell a spot to tenth and eleventh, respectively.
Kevin Harvick re-entered the Top 12, displacing Matt Kenseth to 13th. Kenseth now trails Harvick by 15 points for that final spot in the Chase.
On the outside looking in, this New Hampshire win moved Kurt Busch up four spots in the standings to 18th — but he’s still a formidable 222 points out of the Top 12.
Overall Rating (On a scale of one to six beer cans with one being a stinker and a six pack an instant classic) — We’ll give this one a half cup of rain water in a dented can, left by the proverbial barefoot girl on the hood of a Dodge drinking beer in the soft summer rain.
Next Up: The contrived excitement of plate racing at Daytona kicks in next Saturday night, another reminder these blasted new cars failed in one of their prime design goals of returning unrestricted racing to the plate tracks.
frontstretch.com
Top 35 Breakdown: Rain Shines Down On Several "Bubble" Teams
Mike Ravesi
Bubble Breakdown
The teams on the edges of the Top 35 — or simply forced to qualify on speed — ruled the roost in Friday’s qualifying session. After a rain delay cooled the track, bubble dwellers swept five of the top ten spots, including rookie Patrick Carpentier taking the pole to become the first top qualifier not born in the U.S. since 1953.
That led to heightened expectations for this crowd on the weekend; and with Mother Nature playing a major role, those lofty goals were granted by the end of the day. With rain calling off the race with 17 laps to go, the sudden ending allowed bubble teams to take three of the top six spots after some solid pit strategy.
So, who stayed out on the track to hog the glory, and who ended up stuck in the pits? Read on in this week’s Bubble Breakdown of the LENOX Industrial Tools 301.
Biggest Winners:
Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 55 NAPA Toyota, driven by none other than Michael Waltrip, posted his best finish since April 2005 at Phoenix, when he also finished second. Good pit strategy combined with a late-race caution gave the team a huge boost that was sorely needed after a whopping zero Top 20 finishes so far in 2008. With the team’s performance, they moved up to 28th in the owner standings; and more importantly, they expanded the point margin from the bubble to 152 over Scott Riggs and 36th place Haas CNC Racing.
J.J. Yeley and the No. 96 DLP Toyota also used good strategy and some luck with the rain to come home in third, the best oval finish ever for Hall of Fame Racing in its three years of existence. And with a Top 25 already in hand from racing at Daytona this year, perhaps this team can gather it up and make a run at the Top 35 after all. But it’s not going to be easy; after failing to qualify three times this season, the team sits 37th in the owner standings and is almost 200 points off of the bubble. As the season hits the halfway mark this week, time is of the essence; should Yeley and Co. make a run back towards a “locked in” spot in the field, the charge has to start this Saturday night.
Finally, Chip Ganassi’s No. 41 Target Dodge really needed a weekend’s worth of wet weather to start salvaging their season. After sitting out a rain delay during qualifying, they started sixth and managed to finish in the same spot after a difficult race — Reed Sorenson fell a lap down at one point after contact with teammate Juan Pablo Montoya sent him spiraling down to 31st. But this run now becomes an opportunity to build some badly needed momentum, as driver Sorenson brought the car home in fifth position at the Daytona 500 back in February. A repeat performance in Florida would allow this team to finally move away from the bubble for good. With this week’s strong run, the No. 41 Target Dodge moved up from 35th to 31st spot in the owner standings, 109 away from falling outside the Top 35.
Biggest Losers:
While Team Red Bull continues to make strides in their programs, the No. 84 team still seems to be searching for a way to close the deal. A.J. Allmendinger put up a strong qualifying run — starting in the tenth spot — but a blown engine in the later stages of the race relegated him to a 43rd place finish. As a result, the team dropped from 37th to 38th in owner points, erasing most of the gains they’d made on the Top 35 this month in the process.
Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 00 also fell victim to a blown engine moments after Allmendinger’s. The team, led by rookie Michael McDowell, continues to struggle, and after finishing 42nd at New Hampshire, is busy scratching their heads as to how to right the sinking ship. It didn’t help the rookie admitted he missed a shift after the race, the latest downer in a series of roller coaster weeks for the freshman in which he’s struggled to acclimate to the Cup Series. Well, he better start adjusting in a hurry; the team dropped several spots in the owner standings with the poor run, and they are now squarely on the bubble in 35th.
After a string of good finishes, Team Penske’s No. 77 Dodge has again fallen on hard times. After running poorly at New Hampshire, a late race spin certainly didn’t help any as Sam Hornish, Jr. finished in a disappointing 38th place. As a result, they moved back into a tie with MWR’s No. 00 Toyota for that dreaded 35th spot on the bubble. Once again, the team’s margin of error is zero; but on the bright side, the team is heading back to a track where they posted a Top 15 run earlier in the season at Daytona this Saturday.
A Look Ahead:
NASCAR starts making the return trips to the race track next week, as the series heads back to Daytona International Speedway for the second time this year. Team Dodge dominated the Daytona 500, taking six of the top eight spots — including great runs by Chip Ganassi’s No. 41 Target Dodge and Robby Gordon Motorsports’ No. 7 posting an eighth place run. Sam Hornish, Jr. also looked good, finishing a very impressive 15th. I like all three of these teams to repeat their early season success, timing into the field with ease due to their Top 35 protection.
Chip Ganassi’s No. 40 team also had a guaranteed spot in the first race at Daytona this year, but doesn’t have that luxury this time around. They’ll make the race, but after finishing 33rd in the season-opening event — and making little progress since then — we won’t see them anywhere in the Top 30 when the checkered flag flies. But if there’s any consolation for Dario Franchitti, it looks like fellow rookie Michael McDowell will be joining him at the back of the pack. David Reutimann drove MWR No. 00 Toyota to a Top 20 finish at Daytona in February, but based on the team’s performance since he moved over to the No. 44 and McDowell slipped into the cockpit, don’t expect anything higher than a 35th this time around.
That’s it for this week! Until next Monday, so long from the bubble…
frontstretch.com
Nationwide Series Breakdown: Camping World RV Sales 200
Bryan Davis Keith
In a Nutshell: The first companion race for the Nationwide Series since Dover was a trip back to reality for Nationwide Series fans, as Cup regulars ran all over the field. Cup drivers scored the first seven finishing positions and eight of the Top 10 spots, with Tony Stewart scoring a relatively easily win. Stewart took the lead for good on Lap 136 after Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards had shared the lead for much of the early part of the race. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Toyotas were the class of the field, with Stewart and Kyle Busch (who finished third) combining to lead 138 of 200 laps. Greg Biffle wrecked late in the event after starting from the pole but losing the handle on his car in the second half of the race.
Mike Bliss was the top finisher of the Nationwide Series regulars, joined only by Brad Kesleowski in the Top 10. Clint Bowyer fell back late and finished ninth, maintaining the series points lead. David Reutimann moved into second, 182 points back, with Brad Keselowski dropping to fourth in the series points. Keselowski remains the lead Nationwide Series regular.
Who Should Have Won: Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing’s Toyotas were by far the stoutest cars in the field, and Stewart’s No. 20 was noticeably better than Busch’s No. 18 for much of the event. Though Stewart didn’t take the lead until later in the race, Stewart effectively stalked the leaders throughout the entire event, and upon taking the lead pulled away from the field as a whole. Tony Stewart set the No. 20 team on fire by winning the season openers at Daytona and Fontana, and that fire hasn’t settled since. Hats off to Dave Rogers and his team, they were the class of the field on Saturday. Again.
Worth Noting:
Mike Bliss has completely reversed the fortunes of Phoenix Racing since taking over the team’s No. 1 Chevrolet, and that continued on Saturday. Bliss was a fixture in the Top 15 all day, and by race’s end was the leader among the Nationwide regulars. Bliss’s eighth place finish was his seventh Top 10 with the team, and allowed Bliss to maintain his sixth place position in the series’ points. Phoenix Racing has had success in the past at Daytona, and coming off of three consecutive Top 10s, Bliss has the momentum and car to be a factor for the win at the season’s final plate race.
Jason Keller qualified in the Top 10 for the third consecutive week, and finished in the Top 15 for the fourth consecutive race, scoring an 11th place finish after running among the lead Nationwide regulars all race long. Keller’s on-track performance has definitely put his CJM Racing team on the map, but Keller has continued to struggle on pit road, losing positions during every exchange of pit stops. His No. 11 crew has proven to lack the speed of the higher-funded teams’ pit crews, and because of this Keller has found himself unable to contend for Top 5’s though he has run that well on the track. There’s no reason to think, however, that the No. 11 crew won’t improve with time, and should the crew pick up its game, Keller may well break into Victory Lane before season’s end.
Better Luck Next Time:
Stanton Barrett and his entire operation have dealt with one adversity after another this week. Earlier this week, the team was shocked by the death of car chief Jason Arden in a car crash in Mooresville, North Carolina. In the face of this tragic loss, Barrett and his team car, the No. 31 of Kenny Hendrick, both qualified for Saturday’s race, but neither had much success at the Magic Mile. Hendrick completed only 15 laps before parking his Chevrolet, while Barrett found himself way off the pace and lapped early. Barrett parked the No. 30 with electrical issues after completing only 71 laps. He finished a disappointing 33rd. Thoughts and prayers go out to Stanton Barrett’s team and to the NASCAR community in general for the loss of a vibrant young racer in Jason Arden.
Landon Cassill’s first start as the polesitter of a Nationwide series race certainly didn’t go as he would have liked. Cassill saw the front of the field only during the pace laps, as he had to start at the rear thanks to an engine change. Cassill’s No. 5 car was competitive, as he moved methodically through the field into the Top 15, and was set to contend for another Top 10 finish. Finishing the race, however, was not in the cards, as Bobby Hamilton Jr. and his No. 25 Ford sent Cassill into the wall, ending his day early in the 34th position. Though Cassill and Hamilton Jr. had a prior run-in at Nashville, the contact between the two cars appeared incidental.
Brad Coleman’s first full-time season in the Nationwide series has been hard to put it lightly, and not just because he left Joe Gibbs Racing. Coleman’s No. 27 Ford was involved in a Lap 2 incident that marked the third crash for Coleman in the last five races. Though the damage to his Ford was minimal, Coleman was still forced by NASCAR to be towed to the garage and to visit the infield care center. Coleman eventually returned to the track nearly 20 laps down, and ran with the back-markers for the duration of the day, finishing 31st and dropping to 17th in the Nationwide Series standings, lowest of any driver to have started every series race this season.
Underdog Performer of the Race:
Primary driver DJ Kennington was set to run international double duty on Saturday, attempting to run both the Nationwide race at Loudon and the Canadian Tire Series race at Barrie Speedway. Kennington, however, didn’t have the luxury of a private jet, and thus was forced to abandon his plans when the commercial flight schedule changed, forcing Kennington to skip the race. With little time to find a replacement driver for his No. 81, owner Randy MacDonald did the surest thing he could do…he put himself behind the wheel. Making his first start since this race last year, MacDonald kept his nose clean all race long and scored a solid 26th place finish for his team. MacDonald may find himself behind the wheel more this season, as Kennington plans to attempt international double duty nearly a dozen more times.
Quotables:
“It’s yours, bud. You deserve it.” – Tony Stewart to his crew chief Dave Rogers after scoring his fifth Nationwide win of the season, the first for Rogers at his home track.
“Bobby might have something against me. I think it was after Nashville he was upset with me. I tried talking to him at Kentucky and tried to work things out but I guess not. We can build ‘em faster than he can. Like I just said I think we got wrecked by the 25. I think there was an incident in Nashville that he wasn’t happy with and I tried to work it out with him face to face and that wasn’t enough.” – Landon Cassill after his incident with Bobby Hamilton Jr.
Up Next: The NASCAR Nationwide Series will tackle the high banks of the Daytona International Speedway for the Winn Dixie 250 this Friday, July 4. Coverage from the season’s final restrictor plate race begins at 7 PM on ESPN2 and 8 PM on MRN.
frontstretch.com
Tracking the Trucks : O'Reilly 200
Beth Lunkenheimer
In a Nutshell: Ron Hornaday, Jr. took the checkered flag 0.269 seconds ahead of Erik Darnell to win the O’Reilly 200 Saturday night at Memphis Motorsports Park. Hornaday, Jr. held the lead after a short red flag to clean up the track and through a green-white-checker finish to score his second win of the season. Matt Crafton, Rick Crawford and David Starr rounded out the Top 5.
Who Should Have Won: Ron Hornaday, Jr. Hornaday, Jr. qualified third and wasted no time trying to take the lead. He drove his No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet down to the inside of pole sitter Johnny Benson in turn one right after taking the green flag. Though he didn’t win the battle for the lead then, Hornaday, Jr. took the lead for the first time on lap 44 and went on the lead 139 of the 204 laps run.
Questions You Should Be Asking After the Race:
1. How did Willie Allen fare in his return to the series?
Willie Allen, 2007 Raybestos Rookie of the Year, made his return to the Craftsman Truck Series Saturday behind the wheel of the No. 46 Rascall Flatts / Nashville Music City Chevrolet for Morgan-Dollar Motorsports.
With just three laps remaining, Willie Allen tapped Ted Musgrave and sent the No. 59 Team ASE / Harris Trucking Toyota spinning in Turn 4. Since there were so few laps remaining, NASCAR red-flagged the field to clean up the track, and the incident set up the third green-white-checkered finish in the last four races at Memphis Motorsports Park. Willie Allen went on to finish 19th on the lead lap.
Until his late race contact with Ted Musgrave, Willie Allen was having a decent return. After having not raced in the Truck Series since beating Tim Sauter for Rookie of the Year honors at Homestead-Miami, Allen ran solidly in the Top 15. Morgan-Dollar Motorsports should consider putting Allen behind the wheel of the No. 46 permanently because he can certainly improve upon his performance Saturday night.
2. Did NASCAR make the right call not to throw a caution for single truck spins?
Twice during the running of the O’Reilly 200, drivers spun in single-truck incidents, and NASCAR did not throw the yellow flag because the drivers almost immediately got going after their spin. Last week, NASCAR failed to throw the caution flag when Ron Hornaday, Jr. spun twice in front of the field, and that was definitely the wrong decision.
In this case, NASCAR made the right decision. On lap 61, Brendan Gaughan spun with a little help from Rookie of the Year contender Brian Scott, but was able to immediately keep going on the track, and the same thing happened again with 26 laps remaining when Justin Marks spun in a single-truck incident. Because neither driver had other trucks around them, there was no reason to throw the yellow, and NASCAR should be commended for their decision.
3. What happened to points leader Johnny Benson?
Following the fourth caution, Johnny Benson led the field to the green flag, but his No. 23 Toyota slowed on the track. His transmission got stuck in between gears, and he was unable to shift or get up to speed. “I got stuck in second gear and when I got it out, I over-revved it and I think it broke a valve,” Benson said.
Johnny Benson finished 33rd and dropped to fourth in the series point standings but sits only 56 points out of the lead in one of the tightest points battles in the history of the Craftsman Truck Series.
Truck Rookie Report
2008 Rookie of the Year Candidates:
Colin Braun (No. 6)
Andy Lally (No. 7)
Donny Lia (No. 71)
Justin Marks (No. 9)
Marc Mitchell (No. 15)
Phillip McGilton (No. 22—replaced by Scott Speed at Kansas)
Brian Scott (No. 16)
No. of Rookies in the Race: 5
No. of Rookies to Finish in the Top 10:
Rookie Of The Race: Brian Scott, finished 13th
Worth Noting / Points Shuffle:
The O’Reilly 200 had just three leaders, breaking the record for fewest leaders ever at Memphis Motorsports Park.
Ron Hornaday, Jr’s win propelled him from fourth up to the lead. Matt Crafton, who sits 27 points out of first moved up one spot to second. Todd Bodine dropped one spot to third. Johnny Benson sits just two points behind Bodine but dropped three spots to fourth, 56 points out of first. Rick Crawford rounds out the Top 5.
Mike Skinner remains in sixth but gained 31 points on the leader, sitting 113 points out of first. Erik Darnell and Jack Sprague each moved up one spot to seventh and eighth respectively. Terry Cook dropped two spots to ninth, and Chad McCumbee rounds out the Top 10.
Quotable:
“That Elvis Trophy is the coolest in the world. I really wanted that trophy. [Johnny] Benson had the truck to beat. He needed to break for us to win. I don’t know if we want to be in the points lead. Everybody who gets in it seems to have problems.” Ron Hornaday, Jr.
It was a really good night. We qualified well and kepy it up front most of the night. We were good on long runs. Ron [Hornaday, Jr.] was better on restarts all night.” Erik Darnell, finished 2nd
Up Next:
The Craftsman Truck Series takes a few weeks off after running seven races in a row and heads to Kentucky Speedway for the Built Ford Tough 225 presented by the Greater Cincinatti Ford Dealers on July 19th. In 2007, Mike Skinner led 133 of 200 laps to score his fourth win of the season. Coverage begins at 7:00 pm EST on SPEED; the race can also be heard on your local MRN affiliate.
frontstretch.com
RacingOne Rewind: New Hampshire
RacingOne.com
A look back at Kurt Busch's 18th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win in Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway including news, notes and observations by the RacingOne staff.
Inside Line
Kurt Busch used pit race strategy and an assist from Mother Nature to win the rain-shortened Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to score his first Sprint Cup win of the season and third in Loudon.
Keys to Victory Lane
Busch stayed on track when the leaders pitted on a lap 271 caution and when the rains came to shorten the race 17 laps from its scheduled finish was in front and handed the victory.
Zero to Hero
Michael Waltrip was forced to start last after an engine change following Saturday's practice but used the same strategy as Busch to score a runner-up finish.
Hero to Zero
Tony Stewart dominated the race and led 132 laps but got caught in the radical pit strategy by Busch and the rain to finish 13th.
Rookie of the Race
Aric Almirola made a couple of great saves, bounced back from spinning out and finished 23rd in the DEI U.S. Army Chevy.
Notables
J.J. Yeley rolled some pit strategy dice and came up big with a third-place finish. Casey Mears overcame his release by Hendrick Motorsports, started 24th and led in the early going to finish seventh. And Jeff Burton started 31st but was able to stay in the hunt for the series point lead with a 12th-place finish. Finally, Joe Nemechek and the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team posted their best finish of the season, claiming a 20th-place result.
Race to the Chase
Kyle Busch finished 25th but was able to maintain his series points lead over Jeff Burton by 64. Matt Kenseth dropped out of the top 12 with Kevin Harvick sliding into the final Chase transfer spot.
Top 35 Standings
Scott Riggs maintained the 35th spot with J.J. Yeley, Joe Nemechek and Patrick Carpentier next on the "Go or Go Home" list for next week's trip to Daytona.
Lenox Industrial Tools 301 Loop Data Leaders
• Average Running Position: Kevin Harvick - 4.5
• Fastest Early In a Run: Tony Stewart - 123.526 mph
• Fastest Late In a Run: Clint Bowyer - 122.209 mph
• Fastest Laps Run: Tony Stewart - 34
• Fastest on Restarts: Tony Stewart - 120.992 mph
• Most Passes During Green Flag Conditions: Kasey Kahne - 69
• Laps In Top 15: Denny Hamlin - 284
• Quality Passes: Kasey Kahne - 38
• Speed in Traffic: Jimmie Johnson - 122.054 mph
Pit Stops
• Kurt Busch captured his 18th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win in his 273rd career start. Detailed Active Driver Wins
• Busch won the 59th race for car owner Roger Penske. Detailed Active Car Owner Wins
• Busch became the first driver to win at Loudon from the 26th position. He was the fifth driver overall to win a race from that position. Starting Position Facts
• Busch won the third race for Dodge at Loudon. All-Time Manufacturer Wins
• Michael Waltrip (second) posted his fifth top-10 finish in 25 races at New Hampshire. It is his first top-10 finish in 2008.
• J.J. Yeley (third) posted his first top-five and third top-10 finish in 14 races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
• Martin Truex Jr. (fourth) posted his best finish of the season and second top-five.
• Elliott Sadler also posted his best finish of the season with his fifth-place effort.
• Reed Sorenson (sixth) posted his first top-10 result since the season opener at Daytona Int'l Speedway.
• Casey Mears' seventh-place finish was his second straight top-10 and fourth total of the season.
• Denny Hamlin (eighth) posted his fourth top-10 result at NHMS in five starts.
• Jimmie Johnson (ninth) posted his third straight top-10 at Loudon and eighth total in 13 starts.
• Bobby Labonte posted his first top-10 result of the season with his 10th-place finish.
• The 284-lap race saw nine lead changes among eight drivers and an average speed of 106.719 mph. Lap Summary
• Seven caution flags were thrown for 33 laps.
• The LENOX Industrial Tools 301 lasted 2 hours, 48 minutes, 56 seconds.
Lug Nuts
• After a dull start some excitement to wake us up and the top five sure will be a surprise for anyone who didn't see how things went down.
• Loudon is a throwback for sure with no big stars to sing the National Anthem or give the command. Actually it's kind of refreshing.
• You'd think TNT would just assign Matt Yokum to Tony Stewart's pit every week. At least then we'd be somewhat assured he'd say something meaningful to a pit reporter, albeit one on his payroll.
• Juan Pablo Montoya needs to learn to NEVER admit anything on national television.
• That said, he got the loudest cheer of the afternoon when he took out Shrubby.
• No truth to the rumor Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is lobbying for NASCAR to install brake lights.
• Maybe Hendrick should have fired Casey Mears sooner, because he sure was a different driver on Sunday.
• Michael Waltrip says he wished the race would have gone green because he had something for Busch. Maybe there is something to the story of too many noxious fumes in the cockpit of the new Cup car.
Garage Talk
• "I said, 'OK.' I went into the corner and the wreck happened. ...I thought we had a decent car today and I don't appreciate when people race me like that." - Juan Pablo Montoya on Kyle Busch
• "I've been on the flipside of it plenty of times." - Kurt Busch
• "This year we'll take anything we can get." - Martin Truex, Jr.
• "Certainly it's my fault." - Jamie McMurray on hitting Dale Earnhardt Jr.
RacingOne Rating
On a scale of one to 10 lobsters, we'll give Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway a seven. Not much in the early going as the typical Loudon tough to pass was on display. But things sure got interesting at the end with pit strategy, fireworks, some three abreast racing and a surprise finish with the rain coming in. The good fans of Loudon don't have to worry about losing a date now that Bruton Smith has pledged he'll keep a pair of visits coming to New Hampshire. But here's hoping a tweak or two to the track cam give us some better racing in years to come. Now it's back to where this year all starts, Daytona International Speedway for the 4th of July holiday weekend tradition - the Coke Zero 400. In all honesty, that will take us a little getting used to.