Ty Dillon notches first truck series victory at Atlanta

 Ty Dillon notches first truck series victory at Atlanta

Aug. 31, 2012

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

HAMPTON, Ga. -- On Friday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Ty Dillon took a giant stride in the footsteps of his brother.

Taking advantage of Kyle Busch's brush with the wall in the late going, pole-sitter Ty Dillon won going away in Friday night's Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the first victory for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie.

Busch ran second, 3.227 seconds behind the race winner. James Buescher finished third, followed by Parker Kligerman and Aric Almirola. Series leader Timothy Peters came home 13th.

Dillon, 20, grandson of team owner Richard Childress, is third in the standings, nine points behind Peters, as he tries to duplicate the NCWTS championship won by 22-year-old brother Austin Dillon last year.

"I'm just so happy for how hard we've worked," said Ty Dillon. "It's our rookie year, and we're battling for the championship. My team doesn't give up.

"Man, I'm just so happy and so excited. I finally won a NASCAR race. It's been my whole life, and to finally do it means so much. Man, it's awesome."

Busch, Buescher (second in the standings, six points back) and Dillon swapped the lead between them eight times in a 25-lap stretch before Busch began to pull away. After a cycle of green-flag stops that started with Dillon's trip down pit road on lap 82, Busch held a five-second lead, but a caution for debris on the backstretch on Lap 105 slowed the race and bunched the field.

Lead-lap trucks came to pit road on Lap 106, eliminating the need for fuel conservation the rest of the way. After a restart on Lap 110, Busch pulled away to a one-second lead as Dillon and Buescher battled for second behind him.

But Busch scraped the wall on the final run and damaged his truck, allowing Dillon to overtake him for the lead on Lap 125 of 130.

Busch said Dillon's truck was simply better.

"He had a lot better handle on the bottom of the race track than we did, especially throughout the longer run," Busch said. "He could hold the bottom better than I could. There, when it's time to race, when a guy catches you, you've got to go somewhere else.

"You've got to go to the top, and you try to push and get sideways and hit the fence. There's no room to catch it up there. It was all I could do to push it as hard as I could."

Bad luck continued to haunt four-time champion Ron Hornaday Jr., still seeking his first victory since joining Joe Denette Motorsports at the end of the season. On Lap 37, contact from the truck of Tim George Jr. trapped Hornaday against the outside wall in a wreck that also collected Jason White's Ford.

RACE RESULTS

 1.  (1) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 130, $45,885.
 2.  (4) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 130, $25,925.
 3.  (3) James Buescher, Chevrolet, 130, $21,620.
 4.  (9) Parker Kligerman, Toyota, 130, $15,435.
 5. (13) Aric Almirola, Ford, 130, $12,185.
 6. (17) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 130, $9,810.
 7. (14) Joey Coulter, Chevrolet, 130, $11,540.
 8.  (5) Nelson Piquet Jr., Chevrolet, 130, $11,440.
 9. (10) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 130, $11,310.
10. (15) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 130, $10,235.
11. (12) Ryan Blaney, RAM, 130, $10,785.
12.  (6) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 130, $11,585.
13.  (8) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 130, $10,485.
14. (20) Justin Lofton, Chevrolet, 130, $10,385.
15. (18) Cale Gale, Chevrolet, 130, $11,360.
16.  (7) Miguel Paludo, Chevrolet, 130, $10,185.
17. (23) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 130, $10,130.
18. (24) David Starr, Toyota, 130, $10,005.
19. (22) John Wes Townley, Toyota, 129, $9,955.
20. (16) Ross Chastain, Toyota, 129, $10,530.
21. (21) Todd Bodine, Toyota, 129, $9,855.
22. (30) Max Gresham, Chevrolet, 129, $7,555.
23. (29) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 128, $9,755.
24. (28) Bryan Silas, Ford, 127, $8,480.
25. (26) Chad McCumbee, Chevrolet, 127, $7,605.
26. (33) Chris Fontaine, Chevrolet, 126, $8,405.
27. (31) Caleb Holman, Chevrolet, Engine, 74, $7,380.
28.  (2) Tim George Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 63, $7,350.
29. (11) Jason White, Ford, Accident, 45, $7,325.
30. (19) Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 43, $7,300.
31. (35) Chris Jones, Chevrolet, Transmission, 25, $7,775.
32. (25) Johnny Chapman, Toyota, Radiator, 17, $7,250.
33. (27) Scott Riggs, Chevrolet, Ignition, 11, $7,225.
34. (34) Stephen Leicht, Chevrolet, Engine, 4, $7,175.
35. (32) Blake Koch, Ford, Overheating, 2, $7,145.
36. (36) Dennis Setzer, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 2, $7,106.

RACE STATISTICS

   Average Speed of Race Winner: 136.733 mph.
   Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 27 Mins, 51 Secs.
   Margin of Victory: 3.227 Seconds.
   Caution Flags: 3 for 16 laps.
   Lead Changes: 20 among 8 drivers.
   Lap Leaders: T. Dillon 0; Kyle Busch 1-9; T. Dillon 10-35; P. Kligerman 36; Kyle Busch 37-45; J. Buescher 46-49; Kyle Busch 50-53; J. Buescher 54-55; Kyle Busch 56-57; T. Dillon 58-60; Kyle Busch 61-65; T. Dillon 66; Kyle Busch 67-83; A. Almirola 84; J. Coulter 85; J. Lofton 86-90; C. Gale 91; Kyle Busch 92-105; T. Dillon 106-109; Kyle Busch 110-124; T. Dillon 125-130.
   Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Kyle Busch 8 times for 75 laps; T. Dillon 5 times for 40 laps; J. Buescher 2 times for 6 laps; J. Lofton 1 time for 5 laps; P. Kligerman 1 time for 1 lap; J. Coulter 1 time for 1 lap; C. Gale 1 time for 1 lap; A. Almirola 1 time for 1 lap.
   Top 10 in Points: T. Peters - 528; J. Buescher - 522; T. Dillon - 519; P. Kligerman - 507; J. Lofton - 497; J. Coulter - 484; M. Crafton - 483; N. Piquet Jr. - 454; R. Hornaday Jr. - 436; J. White - 416.

--30--

INDYCAR NEWS AND NOTES – Aug. 29, 2012

 

INDYCAR NEWS AND NOTES - Aug. 29, 2012

Today's IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines:

1.      Sonoma technical penalty update

2.      If you missed it - Alex Tagliani conference call

3.      THE INSIDE TRACK - Grand Prix of Baltimore

4.      Power is focus of latest episode of "INDYCAR 36"

5.      Ed Carpenter Racing seeks to continue streak

6.      Chinese driver Fong joins Firestone Indy Lights

7.      Of note

 

1. Sonoma technical penalty update: There were no technical penalties issued following the IZOD IndyCar Series race at the raceway at Sonoma on Aug. 26.

2. If you missed it - Alex Tagliani conference call: Earlier today, IZOD IndyCar Series driver Alex Tagliani participated in an INDYCAR conference call to preview the Grand Prix of Baltimore.

Tagliani, driver of the No. 98 Barracuda Racing Honda, is 17th in the IZOD IndyCar Series standings despite missing a race earlier this year. Tagliani has advanced to all but one of the Firestone Fast Six qualifying sessions since his team moved to Honda, and has recorded seven top-10 finishes in the past eight races. Tagliani will be looking to get his first podium finish of 2012 at the Grand Prix of Baltimore, where he was seventh a year ago.

A full transcript and a broadcast-quality MP3 are available at media.indycar.com. Selected quotes from the interview are below.

Q. I was wondering if you had a chance to talk to Ryan Hunter-Reay and what is your side of Sunday's incident.

ALEX TAGLIANI: Yeah, I spoke with him after the race. I stopped by in the pit lane. I apologized to him again about the incident. I wanted him to take a few minutes just to hear my side of the story because when I first got with him it was basically his side of the story, and I accepted it. I also accepted the fact he had the right to be upset.

The incident, obviously Barracuda Racing and myself as a driver, we earned the right to race against anybody out there. We have our own little championship going on. We need to be in the Leaders' Circle for next year, so it's very important that we grab as many points as possible.

I don't think it would be fair for my team if I know that I have a car to pass Dario (Franchitti) and I just lay back. I don't think Bryan (Herta) would be very happy with me if I do that. If you decide to make a move on someone, you might make a mistake. That's accident happened. I went into the corner, side-by-side with Dario. I locked the brakes. I missed the apex by a foot. I hit Ryan's bumper and made him spin.

For my defense, it's not the first time it happened with drivers in that corner with the race. It happened to him. It happened to other people. Also (it was) my first drive-through penalty in a long time.

If he has a short memory, it's not fair, because he's been called for drive-through by hitting Scotty (Dixon) in Toronto and Ryan Briscoe in Barber and this year as well.

Everybody is exposed to making a mistake once in a while when you're fighting for the same piece of real estate in IndyCar. Unfortunately, that day it was him.

I will apologize every day I see him until you know that you can move on and understand. That's the only thing I can do. I'm not going to hide behind my mistake. Other than that, I can't do anything else.

 

Q. What has been the biggest change at Barracuda Racing this year? 

ALEX TAGLIANI: I'm very, very surprised. Obviously it's our first year together as a group, first year for BHA. Overall, the big change was switching to Honda. It was a pretty big decision from the team. But (co-owner) Bryan (Herta) and the Barracuda Racing people decided it was the best thing we could do for the future and we felt that our team was at a level where we deserved to have the proper engine manufacturer with us, to showcase what we were capable of.

On the first four races of the championship, we had a lot of DNFs, a lot of problems. We missed one. So our championship really began at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Since then we've been regular, pretty consistent. Qualifying has been our highlight. We were very, very quick in qualifying.

I think overall we're looking forward to a strong 2013 season and hopefully finishing 2012 strong, as well.

Q. You mentioned there are two races to go. You sat on the pole at Texas, so you know the car can be fast on an oval. There's one street course left at Baltimore. Do you think you can compete for wins at Baltimore and Fontana? 

ALEX TAGLIANI: Yeah, our first street course after we switched to Honda after the Speedway was Detroit. We were third on the grid there. We didn't have the chance to really capitalize on a great qualifying because we had to start from the pit lane. Overall, we had a strong race, made it back all the way to top five, then had an issue and we got cycled back to 21st.

I think our car has been pretty strong on street courses. Toronto we qualified fast. There's been a couple of races where we didn't have a chance to show the speed or pace we had in the race. Edmonton was a good example where we were good, not good on old tires, but good on new tires. Overall, I don't expect anything different. I really hope that we'll be able to get right in the range of where we need to be with the setup and work our weekend through that.

Q. Talk about Baltimore a little bit, changes in the course. The key change is the elimination of the chicane on the front. Do you think those changes will affect the racing this weekend? 

ALEX TAGLIANI: I think so, definitely. Without the chicane in the middle, it will allow for more passing, especially with the 'push to pass.' There's been a heavy braking zone down the end. It opens up the door.

I think it has the possibility to put on a pretty good show. I think they're just going to be like a step up regarding safety, also for the drivers to put on a better show for the fans, to get the Indy cars to stretch their legs with the turbo engine.

On paper, it looks really good. I'm really looking forward to see the changes.

3. THE INSIDE TRACK - Grand Prix of Baltimore: Click HERE to access the Inside Track, an interactive graphic previewing the Grand Prix of Baltimore, the IZOD IndyCar Series' event on the streets of Baltimore this weekend.

The graphic contains links to videos featuring highlights of last year's race won by Will Power, and a driver preview featuring Scott Dixon, Oriol Servia and Simona de Silvestro. The entry lists and fast facts for the Grand Prix of Baltimore's IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights races are also available on the graphic.

We hope you find this a valuable asset in your coverage of the IZOD IndyCar Series. We appreciate your coverage of the league, its teams and drivers.

4. Power is focus of latest episode of "INDYCAR 36": IZOD IndyCar Series championship points leader Will Power is the focus of this week's "INDYCAR 36," which will air at noon (ET) Sept. 2 to kick off a five-hour block of IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights race day coverage on NBC Sports Network from Baltimore.

Power, the defending race winner on the streets of Baltimore, is coming off a runner-up finish to Team Penske teammate Ryan Briscoe at Sonoma on Aug. 26.

The IMS Productions crew went behind the scenes during a strategy meeting and sponsor commitments, and rode to the venue on Brasil IT+ Pole Day with Power and his wife, Elizabeth, who is the publicist for Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.

"That was a nice perspective," said Dan Huber, the show's producer. "We got to hear the story of how they first got together back when they were both working for Derrick Walker in Champ Car in 2006. We got to see more of Will's personality."

The crew also interviewed Penske Racing president Tim Cindric and Helio Castroneves.

Power, who started from the pole at Sonoma, was aiming to win at the track for the third year in a row. The second-place finish, combined with Ryan Hunter-Reay's 18th place in the 85-lap race on the 2.385-mile, 12-turn road course, allowed Power to increase his championship points lead from 5 to 36 over Hunter-Reay.

"He was conflicted after the race in that he had a good points day but didn't win the race," Huber said. "He's a very focused and competitive individual."

5. Ed Carpenter Racing seeks to continue streak: Team owner/driver Ed Carpenter is the only driver to have been running at the finish in all 13 races this season. The team began operation less than 10 months ago.

"It is very difficult to construct a team in just a few months and try to compete against the likes of Penske, Ganassi and Andretti," said Carpenter, driver of the No. 20 Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka car. "We have a solid team with (general manager) Derrick (Walker) and (team manager) Tim Broyles leading the way. I have been able to concentrate on the driving side as well. I am proud of the way the team has come together and finishing every race this year shows the effort the Fuzzy's Vodka team has produced this season."

 

6. Chinese driver Fong joins Firestone Indy Lights: Brooks Associates Racing will rejoin Firestone Indy Lights, fielding its No. 8 car for Hong Kong driver Adderly Fong in this weekend's Grand Prix of Baltimore.

Fong, a veteran of British Formula 3, Auto GP and sports car racing, will make his U.S. racing debut with the team in hopes of racing in Firestone Indy Lights full time in 2013.

"My team and I remain dedicated to helping drivers compete in the U.S. and I'm thrilled that Adderly has joined us for this race," said team owner John Brooks. "He did really well in the test, and is a strong competitor for the series."

 

Fong will be paired with veteran engineer Lee Dykstra, who has worked with drivers such as Raphael Matos, James Davison and James Hinchcliffe.  

Brooks' team has raced a limited campaign in 2012, fielding a car for England's Alex Jones at Long Beach. But Brooks hopes to maintain his team's presence in the series to provide opportunities for drivers chasing their dreams of becoming an IZOD IndyCar Series driver.

"At the end of the day, we have always been in the racing industry for the long haul, and we look forward to a competitive race this weekend," Brooks said. "I love what I do and our track record - literally - speaks for itself.  My drivers have gone on to do well in the larger series - Andreas Wirth, Ronnie Bremer, etc. - and we do this to make that difference in their careers." 

7. Of note: Ryan Homes will be an associate sponsor on the No. 14 ABC Supply car of A.J. Foyt Racing for the weekend. … Verizon Wireless, the Official Wireless Sponsor of the IZOD IndyCar Series, has extended its official designation to the Grand Prix of Baltimore. … Baltimore native and Grammy Award-nominated Mario will sing the national anthem before the start of the IZOD IndyCar Series race.

***

The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Grand Prix of Baltimore on Sept. 2 on the streets of Baltimore. The race will be televised live at 2 p.m. (ET) by NBC Sports Network and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network on SiriusXM (Sirius 212 and XM 94). The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Grand Prix of Baltimore on Sept. 2 on the streets of Baltimore. It will be televised live by NBC Sports Network at 12:30 p.m.

 

INDYCAR NEWS AND NOTES – Aug. 27, 2012

 

INDYCAR NEWS AND NOTES - Aug. 27, 2012

Today's IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines:

1.      Championship key for Power - Remain calm, get wins

2.      Inside the Box Score - GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma

 

1. Championship key for Power - Remain calm, get wins: For two-thirds of the GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma, Will Power was nearly invincible.

The pole sitter in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car appeared to be a pit stop away from securing his third consecutive victory on the Sonoma road course, which would have made him the fifth driver (including himself at Brazil in late April) in the past decade to win at the same venue three years in a row.

But Power, who swept the three bonus points for earning the pole and leading a field-high 57 laps, lost the lead for good during the final service sequence that bridged a full-course caution. He entered pit lane under green with a 7.2271-second lead over teammate Ryan Briscoe on Lap 64. Briscoe, driving the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske entry, pitted a lap later under yellow and beat Power to the blend line to retain the point.

"It started well all the way to the last stop. I had the quickest car, quite easily keeping a handy lead," Power said. "We had a slow stop, probably lost 4 seconds there, then came across a bunch of guys on the track who just doddled all the way back. I don't know who those guys were. That's when I was using the word 'wanker.' Cost me the race."

Despite his post-race protestations that opened a window to his competitiveness, Power still increased his IZOD IndyCar Series championship points lead over all seven of his rivals thanks in part to their misfortunes and miscues in the 85-lap battle on the 2.385-mile, 12-turn road course.

Power, competing in his 100th Indy car race, bumped his advantage over Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport from five points to 36 as Hunter-Reay's car was spun and stalled late in the race to finish 18th.

Helio Castroneves, who overcame a Lap 1 penalty to finish sixth, is 41 points behind. Two-time series champion Scott Dixon remains fourth, but gave up 26 points to Power with a 13th place after his car was spun, penalized and damaged. Rookie Simon Pagenaud supplanted James Hinchcliffe for fifth with a seventh-place finish.

"I'm in win mode. Wins are right there, but we're not getting them," added Power, who clinched the Mario Andretti Trophy as the driver who scores the most points on road/street courses for the third year in a row. "You have to think of the championship as well. If we have the car to win, we go for it. Obviously, as you get further into the season, you become more aware of what (title challengers) are doing, if they're behind you or in front of you, and know how aggressive you've got to be." 

Power's mind-set is honed-in from being in the thick of the title chase the past two seasons. With two races left in 2011, he held an 11-point lead over Dario Franchitti but fell short of securing his first title by 18 points. The year before, he was 17 points ahead of Franchitti entering the penultimate race.

The series heads to the final street/road race of the season - the Grand Prix of Baltimore - this week. Power is the defending champion on the 2-mile temporary street circuit, which is seeing a few modifications such as removal of the frontstretch chicane and widening of the right-hand Turn 1.

"I have an idea of what they're going to change. I think it's going to make for better racing," Power said.

Did You Know? 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Championship

·         Will Power leads the IZOD IndyCar Series championship with two races remaining for the third consecutive season. He has failed to win the championship in each of the last two seasons despite leading the Championship with two races to go.

·         Power leads Ryan Hunter-Reay by 36 points. It's the fourth-smallest lead that Power has held this season. He led by 10 points after Round 1 at Brazil and 11 points after Indianapolis and Iowa.

·         There are eight drivers still mathematically eligible for the IZOD IndyCar Series championship: Will Power, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Simon Pagenaud, Tony Kanaan, James Hinchcliffe and Ryan Briscoe.

·         Seven drivers, including three-time defending IZOD IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti, were eliminated from championship contention at Sonoma.

·         This is the second event on the streets of Baltimore. The winning driver at Baltimore has not won the championship in the same season.

Drivers still eligible for championship: 8

Key Championship point statistic: The driver who has led the championship with two races to go has failed to win the championship in four of the last six seasons. Only Sam Hornish Jr. (2006) and Scott Dixon (2008) won the title when they led the penultimate round.

Largest 1-2 point differential since: 2008. With two races to go, the 2012 points battle (36 points separate first and second) is the largest that it's been since the 2008 season when first and second place were separated by 43 points. The average point deficit with two to go since 2006 is 17.8 points.

Championship-eligible drivers with strong results at Baltimore: Will Power won the inaugural Grand Prix of Baltimore in 2011. Tony Kanaan finished third and Scott Dixon finished fifth. Ryan Hunter-Reay finished eighth.

Championship-eligible drivers with poor results at Baltimore: Both Helio Castroneves (17th) and Ryan Briscoe (14th) finished outside the top 10. James Hinchcliffe finished 24th.

Championship chases with two races left:

2011

Leader: Will Power (542) Second: Dario Franchitti (-11). Third: Scott Dixon (-59)

Final Margin and Champion: 18 points. Dario Franchitti

2010

Leader: Will Power (552). Second: Dario Franchitti (-17). Third: Scott Dixon (-83)

Final Margin and Champion: 5 points. Dario Franchitti

 

2009

Leader: Ryan Briscoe (550). Second: Dario Franchitti (-25). Third: Scott Dixon (-33)
Final margin and champion: 11 points. Dario Franchitti

 

2008

Leader: Scott Dixon (576). Second: Helio Castroneves (-43). Third: Dan Wheldon (-124)
Final margin and champion: 17 points. Scott Dixon

 

2007

Leader: Scott Dixon (560). Second: Dario Franchitti (-4). Third: Tony Kanaan (-62)
Final margin and champion: 13 points. Dario Franchitti

 

2006

Leader: Sam Hornish Jr. (418). Second: Helio Castroneves (-7). Third: Dan Wheldon (-24)
Final margin and champion: Tie between Hornish and Wheldon. Hornish won by virtue of most victories

2. Inside the Box Score - GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma: Numbers to note following the Go Pro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma the 13^th of 15 events of the 2012 IZOD Indy Car Series season.

7 - Different teams represented in the top 10 positions at Sonoma…Different winners in the 13 races in 2012.

8 - Drivers still mathematically eligible for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series championship

12 - Positions gained by James Jakes en route to his 12^th-place finish at Sonoma, most of any driver in the field.

15 - Different drivers to finish on the podium in the first 12 races of 2012.

21 - Different drivers with at least one top-five finish in 2012 after Rubens Barrichello scored his first top-five finish of 2012.

28 - Poles for Will Power in Indy car competition, ninth on the all-time wins list.

54 - Points separating Will Power (422) from fourth-place Scott Dixon (368) in the IZOD IndyCar Series point standings. Power leads Ryan Hunter-Reay by 36 points.

194 - Consecutive Indy car starts for Tony Kanaan dating to the 2001 CART race in Portland. Kanaan is second to Jimmy Vasser's 211 straight starts.

201 - Laps led by Will Power at Sonoma since 2010. Power has two wins and a second-place finish in his last three starts at Sonoma.

225 - Caution free laps between the first lap at Edmonton and the first full-course caution at Sonoma.

***

 

Denny Hamlin wins action-packed Cup race at Bristol

 
Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

Aug. 25, 2012

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Denny Hamlin saved his best for the last stretch of Saturday's Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, and his persistence paid off with the No. 11 team's third win of the season in 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.

"It's Bristol -- I don't know what to say, man," Hamlin said as he crossed the finish line. "I'm so damn happy."

After a heated battle, Hamlin passed Carl Edwards for the lead on Lap 462 but didn't clear the No. 99 Ford until both drivers traded shots. As Edwards faded, Hamlin pulled away to beat Jimmie Johnson to the checkered flag by 1.103 seconds.

Jeff Gordon ran third, followed by Brian Vickers and Marcos Ambrose.
Greg Biffle (19th Saturday), Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (12th) clinched berths in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

On the newly ground surface at the .533-mile short track, the race featured 13 cautions and plenty of emotion.

No wreck was more significant to the outcome of the race -- or to the Cup standings, for that matter -- than Tony Stewart's dustup with Matt Kenseth on Lap 332. Stewart had the faster car, but Kenseth had the race lead, and their cars collided as they powered through Turn 4, with Stewart to the outside.

Repeated contact between the cars turned both sideways as they crossed the start/finish line. Kenseth's Ford careened into the inside wall at the end of the frontstretch, with Stewart's Chevrolet slamming into Kenseth's car.

Kenseth's car was wounded, but he drove away from the wreck. Stewart climbed from his car and slung his helmet squarely into the nose of Kenseth's car.

"We weren't that great of a race car, but we were definitely faster than that (Kenseth's car) after that restart (on Lap 329)," Stewart said while his car spent 25 laps in the garage for repairs. "I checked up twice to not run over him, and I learned my lesson there.

"I'm going to run over him every chance I've got from now till the end of the year -- every chance I've got."

Stewart finished 27th and Kenseth 25th.

A late wreck relegated Danica Patrick to 29th in her fourth Cup start.

--30--

Joey Logano survives two-lap dash for Nationwide win at Bristol

Credit: Tyler Barrick/Getty Images

  Joey Logano survives two-lap dash for Nationwide win at Bristol

Aug. 24, 2012

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Passing Kevin Harvick for the lead on Lap 216 of 250, Joey Logano held on to win Friday night's Food City 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, notching his series-best sixth victory of the season.

Logano, who posted his 15th career win and his first at the .533-mile short track, outran runner-up Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and crossed the finish line .503 seconds ahead of the defending series champion.

Kyle Busch ran third, followed by Austin Dillon and Nationwide points leader Elliott Sadler, who was pushed aside by Stenhouse after a restart on Lap 249 and lost three positions over the final two laps.

"It's about time," said Logano. "I think we've led the most laps in this race about three or four times, and we've never been here in Victory Lane. This is one of the coolest race tracks you can win at. It means a lot to be up here."

Logano, who led a race-high 81 laps, had no issues once he made the decisive pass. The drama happened behind him, between Stenhouse and Sadler.

Those two protagonists battled for the championship last year, with Stenhouse prevailing, but Friday's incident may change the tenor of the campaign this season. Sadler leaves Bristol with a 19-point lead over second-place Stenhouse.

"I feel bad getting into Elliott -- that's not what you want to do racing for a championship," said Stenhouse, who conceded he could have given Sadler more room.

To Sadler, however, the contact was a game-changer.

"He said he didn't mean to hit us," Sadler said, "I told him I'd always been careful around him last year and this year, because we've always raced each other with a lot of respect. I'm glad he didn't wreck us. He pushed us out of the way, but it could have been ugly -- not the finish we deserved tonight.

"He just opened it up to where we can race each other a lot differently the last 10 races."

Harvick took the lead for the first time on Lap 118 with a two-tire stop under the sixth caution, for Fain Skinner's spin off Turn 2. On left-side tires that were mounted on his Chevrolet on Lap 47, Harvick kept Logano in his mirror until Benny Gordon's spin in Turn 4 on Lap 171 caused the seventh yellow.

Logano, on fresher rubber, harried Harvick after the ensuing restart on Lap 181, but it took Logano 35 more laps to make the winning pass. Ultimately, Logano used the lapped car of Jeremy Clements as a pick, trapped Harvick to the outside and sailed past in the low groove.

When John Wes Townley's Toyota slammed into the Turn 4 wall on Lap 225, Harvick had to give up the second position and pit for fuel, dropping the No. 33 from contention.

With eight laps left, Dillon's Chevrolet collided with the Ford of pole-sitter Trevor Bayne, causing the ninth and final caution of the race. That set up the two-lap dash to the finish, with Logano clearing Sadler through the first two corners.

Despite a penalty for speeding while exiting pit road under caution on Lap 175, Danica Patrick worked her way up to a ninth-place from the 34th starting position.

RACE RESULTS

 1.  (2) Joey Logano, Toyota, 250, $43,675.
 2.  (5) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 250, $48,218.
 3. (10) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 250, $26,625.
 4.  (4) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 250, $32,093.
 5.  (7) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 250, $27,718.
 6. (19) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 250, $29,018.
 7. (12) Ryan Blaney, Chevrolet, 250, $18,710.
 8. (18) Michael Annett, Ford, 250, $25,038.
 9. (34) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 250, $24,818.
10.  (9) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 250, $25,418.
11. (16) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 250, $24,643.
12. (23) Tayler Malsam, Toyota, 250, $24,218.
13. (14) Mike Bliss, Toyota, 250, $24,118.
14. (15) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 250, $17,585.
15. (13) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 250, $20,915.
16.  (1) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 250, $20,905.
17. (33) Mike Wallace, Chevrolet, 247, $23,928.
18. (26) Jason Bowles, Dodge, 247, $23,883.
19. (27) Josh Richards, Ford, 247, $23,848.
20. (30) Kevin Lepage, Ford, 247, $18,015.
21. (11) Nelson Piquet Jr, Chevrolet, 246, $23,743.
22. (38) Benny Gordon, Toyota, 246, $23,698.
23. (20) John Wes Townley, Toyota, 246, $23,638.
24. (42) Robert Richardson Jr., Chevrolet, 246, $23,603.
25. (28) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, 245, $17,350.
26. (41) Brad Teague, Chevrolet, 245, $23,678.
27. (39) Eric McClure, Toyota, 244, $23,418.
28. (36) Fain Skinner, Ford, 244, $23,348.
29. (29) Johanna Long, Chevrolet, 244, $23,313.
30.  (6) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 242, $23,568.
31. (32) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 239, $16,760.
32.  (8) Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 226, $16,690.
33. (21) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 213, $23,138.
34.  (3) Brian Scott, Toyota, Clutch, 198, $23,118.
35. (22) Erik Darnell, Chevrolet, Electrical, 173, $23,103.
36. (40) Rick Crawford, Chevrolet, Overheating, 55, $16,615.
37. (43) Carl Long, Chevrolet, Oil Pressure, 27, $16,595.
38. (25) Scott Riggs, Chevrolet, Electrical, 20, $16,556.
39. (37) David Starr, Chevrolet, Engine, 19, $16,455.
40. (24) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, Electrical, 14, $16,430.
41. (35) Tim Andrews, Ford, Brakes, 11, $16,405.
42. (17) Jeff Green, Toyota, Vibration, 6, $16,375.
43. (31) Chase Miller, Chevrolet, Ignition, 2, $16,330.

RACE STATISTICS

   Average Speed of Race Winner: 76.556 mph.
   Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 44 Mins, 26 Secs.
   Margin of Victory: 0.503 Seconds.
   Caution Flags: 9 for 59 laps.
   Lead Changes: 7 among 4 drivers.
   Lap Leaders: J. Logano 1-35; E. Sadler 36-46; R. Stenhouse Jr. 47-105; J. Logano 106-116; R. Stenhouse Jr. 117; K. Harvick 118-215; J. Logano 216-250.
   Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Harvick 1 time for 98 laps; J. Logano 3 times for 81 laps; R. Stenhouse Jr. 2 times for 60 laps; E. Sadler 1 time for 11 laps.
   Top 10 in Points: E. Sadler - 864; R. Stenhouse Jr. - 845; S. Hornish Jr. - 836; A. Dillon - 829; J. Allgaier - 770; M. Annett - 726; C. Whitt - 671; M. Bliss - 640; B. Scott - 550; D. Patrick - 539.

--30--

Timothy Peters leads every lap for truck triumph at Bristol

Timothy Peters leads every lap for truck triumph at Bristol

Aug. 22, 2012

NASCAR Wire Service

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Timothy Peters ran to a wire-to-wire victory in
Wednesday night's UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway, snatching back
sole possession of the points lead in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Peters, who started second, jumped to the lead past pole-starter Cale
Gale at the drop of the green flag and led every lap to roar to his
second win of the season and fifth of his career. The effort broke a tie
atop the standings with top rookie Ty Dillon, who ran out of gas while
running in the top five on the final restart and finished 21st.

Parker Kligerman, Peters' Red Horse Racing teammate, matched a
career-best in second with Ross Chastain third in his best finish in the
truck series. Joey Coulter and Brendan Gaughan completed the top five.

Peters became the first driver to lead from green to checkered since Ron
Hornaday Jr. paced all 225 laps at Louisville Motor Speedway on July 12,
1997. The 1-2 Red Horse Racing finish also gave team owner Tom DeLoach a
fitting present for his 65th birthday.

"What an awesome feeling," Peters said in Victory Lane. ". . . I just
thank the good Lord for being with me and letting me win two in one
year. We're working really hard, all the guys in the shop. The sky's the
limit right now."

Peters withstood intense pressure on a handful of late-race restarts,
most frequently from Brad Keselowski, the only driver racing in all
three NASCAR national series this weekend. But the pressure from the
Sprint Cup star subsided on the only attempt at a green-white-checkered
finish that extended the race four laps past its scheduled 200-lap distance.

Kligerman slipped past Keselowski, his team owner until last week, on a
restart with seven laps to go when the yellow flag flew for a final time
for Gale's heavy crash on the backstretch. That gave Peters a buffer in
the form of a teammate starting alongside for the final restart.

"It's my bad for getting a bad restart," said Kligerman, making just his
second start for Red Horse. "I consider myself a lot better restarter
than that, so I'll be beating myself up for the rest of the week, but
congratulations to him. They've helped us so much."

The lengthy clean-up for Gale's wreck and ensuing overtime finish
spelled doom for Keselowski and Dillon, who lined up third and fourth,
respectively, for the final two-lap sprint. Keselowski's truck was the
first to stall out; Dillon's sputtered to a near-stop moments later as
Peters sailed away.

"I don't know -- really confusing. I should have had a good three or
four laps of fuel left," said Keselowski, who finished 25th in a quest
for his first truck series victory. "I don't know. Something happened,
and we'll have to go back and figure out what it was. We had a pretty
good day going."

The race was the first for a NASCAR national series on Bristol's
reconfigured .533-mile oval. Track officials opted to grind the top
groove of progressive banking ground down with the desired effect of
making the action closer. It was, eventually, after the first 81 laps
were run without a caution period -- the longest green-flag run to start
a truck series race in more than seven years.

Peters boosted his points lead to 17 points over James Buescher, who
finished seventh Wednesday. Dillon faded from his tie for the lead to
third, 25 points off the top.

RACE RESULTS

1. (2) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 204, $36,525.
2. (9) Parker Kligerman, Toyota, 204, $23,915.
3. (15) Ross Chastain, Toyota, 204, $20,460.
4. (8) Joey Coulter, Chevrolet, 204, $14,200.
5. (11) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 204, $12,700.
6. (5) Ryan Blaney, RAM, 204, $9,025.
7. (28) James Buescher, Chevrolet, 204, $11,125.
8. (17) Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet, 204, $11,075.
9. (7) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 204, $11,025.
10. (32) Justin Lofton, Chevrolet, 204, $12,250.
11. (10) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 204, $11,925.
12. (21) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 204, $10,775.
13. (19) David Starr, Toyota, 204, $10,725.
14. (27) Jason White, Ford, 204, $10,675.
15. (23) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 204, $11,675.
16. (29) Miguel Paludo, Chevrolet, 204, $10,525.
17. (22) Brian Scott, Toyota, 204, $8,220.
18. (6) Nelson Piquet Jr., Chevrolet, 204, $10,400.
19. (20) Caleb Holman, Chevrolet, 204, $8,100.
20. (13) Tyler Young, Chevrolet, 203, $8,675.
21. (12) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 202, $10,250.
22. (30) Bryan Silas, Ford, 202, $10,225.
23. (24) Chad McCumbee, Chevrolet, 202, $7,950.
24. (25) John Wes Townley, Toyota, 202, $8,925.
25. (4) Brad Keselowski, RAM, 201, $8,025.
26. (35) Russ Dugger, Chevrolet, 200, $8,825.
27. (36) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, 196, $7,800.
28. (1) Cale Gale, Chevrolet, Accident, 193, $10,075.
29. (16) Jake Crum, Chevrolet, Accident, 187, $7,725.
30. (18) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 168, $7,700.
31. (3) Todd Bodine, Toyota, Accident, 159, $7,765.
32. (26) Jeff Agnew, Chevrolet, Accident, 91, $7,200.
33. (34) Chris Jones, Chevrolet, Accident, 81, $7,175.
34. (14) Clay Greenfield, RAM, Brakes, 53, $7,150.
35. (31) Dennis Setzer, Chevrolet, Brakes, 4, $7,125.
36. (33) Johnny Chapman, Chevrolet, Electrical, 2, $7,089.

RACE STATISTICS

Average Speed of Race Winner: 79.69 mph.
Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 21 Mins, 52 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.465 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 6 for 43 laps.
Lead Changes: 1 among 1 drivers.
Lap Leaders: T. Peters 1-204.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): T. Peters 1 time
for 204 laps.
Top 10 in Points: T. Peters - 497; J. Buescher - 480; T. Dillon -
472; J. Lofton - 466; P. Kligerman - 466; M. Crafton - 448; J. Coulter -
446; R. Hornaday Jr. - 422; N. Piquet Jr. - 418; J. White - 401.

--30--

Kyle Grissom Makes it Two in a Row and Four on the Year in Best Race Thus Far This Season for PASS South Series

Terrell Davis

360 St Francis Ave

Smyrna, TN 37167

615-210-2140

davis-terrell@comcast.net

 

Kyle Grissom Makes it Two in a Row and Four on the Year in Best Race Thus Far This Season for PASS South Series

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Pro All Stars Series-South

http://www.proallstarsseries.com/

Contact: Chris Ragle

 Charlotte, NC 8/20/12- The fans of the South Boston (VA) Speedway were treated to a barn burner of a race Saturday night as Kyle Grissom held off a hungry field of drivers to score his second win in a row and fourth of the season. Rookie Nate Caruth made things very interesting on the final lap before settling for second. The runner-up finish is a career best for the Iowa native driving for NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski. Jody Lavender in his first start of 2012 rounded out the podium with his third place run.

Brandon Ward set fast time during qualifying before redrawing eighth putting veteran Jay Fogleman on the pole and Ross Kenseth to his outside to take the green flag for the 150 lap event. Kenseth got the jump on the start putting his #25 machine out front for the first nineteen laps before Fogleman raced side-by-side with Kenseth to take his turn leading. Meanwhile it was Steve Wallace who, “went where no man has gone before”, as he piloted his #66 machine to the high side of field up against the outside wall of the South Boston Speedway going from eleventh to the taking the lead on lap thirty-one. Several laps later series newcomer John Gibson would bring the yellow out for the first time of the night on lap thirty nine when he pulled to a stop on the front straightaway after making contact with the outside wall.

Wild racing throughout the field would ensue as each and every driver would take the lead of Steve Wallace attempting to make their machine work on the high side around the 4/10^th mile oval. Lap after lap the field fanned out from top to bottom through the turns making for superior racing throughout the entire twenty-three car starting field. The continuous side-by-side racing saw rookie Nate Caruth eventually take the lead from Wallace just past the halfway point before finally on lap eighty-seven, Trey Mitchell stopped in the middle of turns three and four forcing series officials to display the yellow flag once again. Mitchell, who never ran outside the top four, pulled his machine to pit road to the attention of his crew before calling it a night due to mechanical problems.      

With Wallace fading, championship points leader, Kyle Grissom took advantage of a good restart on lap eighty-eight to take the lead and never look back. Several cautions plagued the field including an incident between championship contenders Preston Peltier and Jay Fogleman on lap 108 battling it for fifth. Peltier would go around and bring out the yellow on lap 112, but it was Fogleman that would struggle to a disappointing eighth place finish while Peltier would recover to finish in the top five once again. A final incident considered the “big one” on lap 117 put the close racing in check as a wreck involving Stephen Burg Jr., Garrett Campbell, Joe Boyd, Bill Catania, and Kevin Powell ended the night for several drivers. From this point on, green flag racing concluded the 150 event ending a wild yet superior night of PASS South super late model racing.

Next up for the “BIG BOYS WITH THE BAD FAST TOYS” PASS South Super Late Model Series is the annual Labor Day Classic 125 this year at the Caraway Speedway in Sophia, North Carolina on Saturday night September 1^st. For more information on the PASS South Series or any of the PASS sanctioned series visit http://www.proallstarsseries.com/.

 

 

 

COMPETITION THROUGHOUT THE FIELD CREATES WIDE-OPEN TITLE FIGHT

 

COMPETITION THROUGHOUT THE FIELD CREATES WIDE-OPEN TITLE FIGHT

INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, Aug. 20, 2012) - Graham Rahal doesn't have to think hard to answer why the IZOD IndyCar Series has been so competitive in 2012. All he has to do is look back to the series' last race - the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio and he has the answer.

 

"I don't know if I've seen a field that is that competitive or that close worldwide," the second-generation driver said. "At Mid-Ohio, you're talking about a track that's over a couple miles long, with lots of elevation (changes), and with different engines, different teams. The whole thing. If you missed by a tenth and half in qualifying, like we did, you start 22^nd. That's how competitive it is. We weren't far off the pole time and we were that far back. It shows how the quality of the driving has gone up. You have to be on top of your game every session of every race."

 

With three races to go entering this weekend's GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma, there are 15 drivers, including Rahal, still mathematically eligible for the IZOD IndyCar Series championship.

It's the most since 2000 when 24 drivers were still mathematically eligible to win the title with three races remaining in a nine-race season. And while there are 15 races on the 2012 slate, another of the title-contending drivers, Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing's Oriol Servia, said 2012 has been the most competitive Indy car racing season he's experienced.

 

"I've had seasons with very competitive fields, but it really seems this year that all the best drivers of CART, Champ Car and IndyCar have gotten together. There's not one driver of the top 20 that could not win the race," Servia said. "You see it in qualifying. You could be fighting to be in the top six or you could be 18th. And those in the middle are very close. In qualifying, you feel as if you really have to give everything you have to make the top six. You feel empty after because it's such a challenge physically and emotionally. When the competition is that high, it just takes you to a level you didn't know you could reach. It's part of the addictive thing that we do."

Team Penske's Will Power, who leads the series point standings by five over Ryan Hunter-Reay, said the introduction of the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series chassis and the ability to run closer together has raised the level of competition on both ovals and road/street courses.

"It's insanely competitive," the two-time series runner-up said. "You haven't seen anyone consistently win poles or win races. No one dominates this series. It just proves how tough it is and tight it is. You have to work on all the finer points of your driving just to be competitive. Anyone in any other series in the world could come here and I can guarantee you it would take them a good year to get competitive, if they are a good driver."

Any driver within 107 points of the lead will remain eligible for the championship as the series heads to Baltimore on Sept. 2. But the closeness of the competition among drives almost assures that the title race will go down to the final race of the season for the seventh consecutive season.

"It's the beauty of the series going from a road course to a street course to a fast oval," Servia said. "It's what I've always loved about (Indy car racing) - the mixed schedule. Teams have to change a lot of different things in the car and the drivers have to have different skills. I love the challenge and love that we show the challenge to the fans. The championship will be a fight to the end."

Did You Know: 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Championship

 

Drivers still eligible for championship: 15

 

Key Championship point statistic: The 15 championship-eligible drivers with three races to go is the most since 2006 when there were 13 drivers eligible. The most was in 2000 when 24 drivers remained eligible, but the schedule was made up of nine races compared to this season's 15- race schedule.

 

Closest 1-2 point differential since: 2011. With only three races to go, the 2012 points battle (5 points separate first and second) is the same as it was in 2011 when Dario Franchitti led Will Power by five points. The average point deficit with three to go since 2006 is 18.7 points.

 

Championship-eligible drivers with strong results at Sonoma: Dario Franchitti has six starts at Sonoma with an average finish of 3.5. Scott Dixon has made seven starts at the facility with an average finish of 6.3. Helio Castroneves and Franchitti each have five top-five finishes. Will Power has two wins in the three starts he's made at Sonoma.

 

Championship-eligible drivers with poor results at Sonoma: Ryan Hunter-Reay has historically struggled at Sonoma. Hunter-Reay has never finished in the top-five at Sonoma in five previous starts. Simon Pagenaud finished 15^th in his only start at Sonoma and JR Hildebrand's average finish in Somona is 23.5.

Charting the leaders: With 53 maximum points available at Sonoma, the points lead could change as it did at Mid-Ohio on Aug. 5. The championship lead has exchanged hands four times this season (see chart below). The leaders: Helio Castroneves (St. Petersburg-Barber); Will Power (Long Beach-Toronto); Ryan Hunter-Reay (Edmonton); Will Power (Mid-Ohio).

One-race positioning: Will Power went from third in points after Edmonton (26 points behind) to first at Mid-Ohio with a runner-up finish in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. Scott Dixon went from 61 points behind at Edmonton to 28 points behind with his win at Mid-Ohio.

Championship chases with three races left:

2011

Leader: Dario Franchitti (507). Second: Will Power (-5). Scott Dixon (-77)

Final Margin and Champion: 18 points. Dario Franchitti

2010

Leader: Will Power (528). Second: Dario Franchitti (-23). Third: Scott Dixon (-85)

Final Margin and Champion: 5 points. Dario Franchitti

2009

Leader: Ryan Briscoe (497). Second: Dario Franchitti (-4). Third: Scott Dixon (20)
Final margin and champion: 11 points. Dario Franchitti

2008

Leader: Scott Dixon (558). Second: Helio Castroneves (-78). Third: Dan Wheldon (-138)
Final margin and champion: 17 points. Scott Dixon

2007

Leader: Dario Franchitti (518). Second: Scott Dixon (-8). Third: Tony Kanaan (-52)
Final margin and champion: 13 points. Dario Franchitti

2006

Leader: Helio Castroneves (376). Second: Sam Hornish Jr. (-8). Third: Dan Wheldon (-17)
Final margin and champion: Tie between the three. Hornish won by virtue of most victories

 

Greg Biffle's victory at Michigan breaks winless streak for Roush, Ford

 
Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR

Aug. 19, 2012

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- They're baaack!

Greg Biffle, Roush Fenway Racing and Ford Motor Company all celebrated the end of a drought Sunday with Biffle's victory in the Pure Michigan 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

With his third victory at the two-mile track, his second of the season and the 18th of his career, Biffle broke a seven-race dry spell for both Ford and owner Jack Roush. Biffle also grabbed the points lead from Jimmie Johnson, who finished 27th after his engine failed in the closing laps.

Brad Keselowski tried to catch Biffle during a two-lap run to the finish but fell .416 seconds short, taking second in a photo finish over fast-closing Kasey Kahne. Dale Earnhardt Jr. came home fourth, followed by Marcos Ambrose.

The victory was the 12th for Roush as a car owner, breaking a tie with the Wood Brothers. It also gave Biffle the confidence to declare himself a contender for the series championship.

"We're going to make a run at the title," Biffle promised. "I know they don't talk about us a lot, but they will when we get to (Las) Vegas (site of the postseason Sprint Cup awards banquet)."

Biffle leads teammate Matt Kenseth (17th Sunday) by 20 points with three races left before the Chase for the Sprint Cup field is set at Richmond. Earnhardt is third, 22 points back, and Johnson fell from first to fourth, trailing Biffle by 28 points.

It was Earnhardt who gave Biffle the push he needed on the final restart on Lap 200.

"Junior gave me a huge push for that win," Biffle said. "I have to thank him for that. I saw Brad laying back (on the restart) like always, and he got a little jump on me."

But the push did the trick and got Biffle to the front. He cleared Keselowski through Turn 2 and kept the No. 2 Dodge at bay the rest of the way, disappointing Michigan native Keselowski.

"This is my home track," said Keselowski, who has finished second in two straight Cup races. "I want to win here just as bad as I want to win a race in the Chase -- probably more. There was a stretch where I felt like we were going to win it. I had some goosebumps going on.

"But it wasn't meant to be, and I'm still very proud of the effort. . . . I just want to get that one more spot. I want to win races, and we've been running solid -- and I'm proud of that -- but we want that one more spot, too."

Johnson took the lead from Keselowski on Lap 191, but four laps later his engine expired, handing the lead to Biffle, who had passed Keselowski for the second spot on Lap 192. NASCAR called a caution for oil in the tri-oval, the result of Johnson's engine failure.

That set up a restart that sent the race one lap past its scheduled distance of 200 laps.

Pole-sitter Mark Martin suffered a vicious hit on Lap 64, when his No. 55 Toyota slammed into the butt end of the pit road wall at an opening to the garage. Martin was an innocent victim of a wreck involving Juan Pablo Montoya and Bobby Labonte, who spun off Turn 4 in front of the race leader.

Kahne spun alongside Martin and slid through the grass but suffered no significant damage and rallied for a top-five finish.

RACE RESULTS

 1. (13) Greg Biffle, Ford, 201, $220,275.
 2. (19) Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 201, $155,680.
 3.  (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 201, $119,710.
 4. (22) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 201, $116,585.
 5.  (8) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 201, $122,768.
 6.  (2) Carl Edwards, Ford, 201, $139,551.
 7. (12) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 201, $121,674.
 8. (15) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 201, $130,168.
 9. (10) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 201, $96,110.
10.  (7) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 201, $120,199.
11. (21) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 201, $127,001.
12. (17) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 201, $126,210.
13. (23) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 201, $127,993.
14. (24) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 201, $115,293.
15. (30) Travis Kvapil, Toyota, 201, $111,043.
16. (20) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 201, $128,621.
17.  (4) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 201, $127,646.
18. (36) David Gilliland, Ford, 201, $98,243.
19. (32) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 201, $120,435.
20. (41) Aric Almirola, Ford, 201, $124,746.
21. (39) David Reutimann, Chevrolet, 200, $80,960.
22. (28) Bobby Labonte, Toyota, 199, $103,068.
23. (37) David Ragan, Ford, 199, $91,968.
24.  (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 199, $80,010.
25.  (9) Landon Cassill, Toyota, 198, $106,780.
26. (25) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 197, $109,501.
27.  (3) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, Engine, 195, $123,396.
28. (11) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, Engine, 167, $124,071.
29. (18) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 154, $96,507.
30. (26) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, Accident, 135, $87,885.
31. (16) Joey Logano, Toyota, 132, $83,760.
32. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, Engine, 109, $128,710.
33. (40) TJ Bell, Ford, Transmission, 108, $83,585.
34. (31) David Stremme, Toyota, Electrical, 72, $75,210.
35.  (1) Mark Martin, Toyota, Accident, 64, $86,860.
36. (35) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, Rear Gear, 38, $75,010.
37. (29) Casey Mears, Ford, Vibration, 36, $74,955.
38. (42) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, Vibration, 34, $74,828.
39. (43) Mike Skinner, Ford, Electrical, 25, $72,075.
40. (34) Josh Wise, Ford, Suspension, 21, $72,025.
41. (38) Scott Riggs, Chevrolet, Suspension, 20, $71,970.
42. (27) Reed Sorenson, Toyota, Overheating, 15, $71,895.
43. (33) Jason Leffler, Ford, Fuel Pressure, 14, $71,465.

RACE STATISTICS

   Average Speed of Race Winner: 144.662 mph.
   Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 46 Mins, 44 Secs.
   Margin of Victory:  0.416 Seconds.
   Caution Flags: 8 for 35 laps.
   Lead Changes: 26 among 13 drivers.
   Lap Leaders: M. Martin 1-35; B. Keselowski 36-38; J. Johnson 39-42; S. Hornish Jr. 43-45; M. Martin 46-64; M. Kenseth 65-69; M. Truex Jr. 70; C. Bowyer 71-89; M. Truex Jr. 90-100; G. Biffle 101-110; S. Hornish Jr. 111-112; P. Menard 113; D. Earnhardt Jr. 114-123; J. Johnson 124-125; B. Keselowski 126-128; G. Biffle 129-137; D. Earnhardt Jr. 138-152; J. Johnson 153-165; B. Keselowski 166-168; C. Edwards 169; S. Hornish Jr. 170-173; D. Hamlin 174; P. Menard 175-181; L. Cassill 182; B. Keselowski 183-190; J. Johnson 191-194; G. Biffle 195-201.
   Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): M. Martin 2 times for 54 laps; G. Biffle 3 times for 26 laps; D. Earnhardt Jr. 2 times for 25 laps; J. Johnson 4 times for 23 laps; C. Bowyer 1 time for 19 laps; B. Keselowski 4 times for 17 laps; M. Truex Jr. 2 times for 12 laps; S. Hornish Jr. 3 times for 9 laps; P. Menard 2 times for 8 laps; M. Kenseth 1 time for 5 laps; D. Hamlin 1 time for 1 lap; L. Cassill 1 time for 1 lap; C. Edwards 1 time for 1 lap.
   Top 12 in Points: G. Biffle - 823; M. Kenseth - 803; D. Earnhardt Jr. - 801; J. Johnson - 795; B. Keselowski - 776; M. Truex Jr. - 763; C. Bowyer - 757; K. Harvick - 738; T. Stewart - 728; D. Hamlin - 727; K. Kahne - 694; C. Edwards - 689.

--30--

NNS Recap: Justin Allgaier Surprises With Montreal Win

Credit: Matthew Manor/NASCAR

By Dominic Fugure

Special to NASCAR Wire Service

MONTREAL -- Justin Allgaier might come from a family whose roots are deeply planted in oval track stock-car racing but Saturday afternoon, Lil' Gator proved he can turn left and right with the best of the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Allgaier captured his first win of the season at the NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, emerging in front after a frenzied overtime finish.

"Today was just an awesome day," said Allgaier. "Winning in Montreal means so much because all the people in the series enjoy coming here. The atmosphere is great, the fans never disappoint here but the race played out perfectly for us."

Allgaier was running third at the second attempt for a green-white-checkered finish when a last-lap bump put him in front of Penske Racing teammates Sam Hornish Jr. and Jacques Villeneuve, who ended up second and third.

"I knew I was closing in on Jacques but he braked really early into corner 6 and I was certain he had ran out of gas," added Allgaier. "He went really slow and I had too much of a head of steam and was sorry I got into him."

Hornish, who made one last charge at Allgaier on the final lap, seemed far from happy with his second-place finish.

"I should feel pretty content with finishing second but I feel that Penske Racing deserved more from this day, considering the two cars

that they provided us," said Hornish after the race. "I was running confident, second to Jacques, and felt that we would be battling the

win out between the two of us but the 30 (Alex Tagliani) stuck his nose in there on a restart with about 10 laps to go and I was sent

back to 23rd place or so. I should be happy to finish second after restarting from 23rd but we deserved better. "

The seven extra laps ran because of the two green-white-checkered finish attempts, which forced Villeneuve to eke out the last drops of Sunoco gasoline from his fuel cell. However, though his Dodge Challenger ran out of fuel before getting back to the garage on the cool-down lap, the Quebec-born driver says that he saved enough to get him easily to the checkered flag.

"I did not run out of fuel and my engine did not sputter," said Villeneuve. "I was simply taken out by Allgaier, who used me to slow

down in Turn 6 on the last lap. It's frustrating because Penske and Dodge gave me such a good car. We ran head and shoulders above

everyone else even if we were not attacking in order to save fuel and brakes for the end of the race. It's hard to take."

Allgaier was apologetic . . . but not too much.

"I am really sorry that I took him out but from what I've heard, because I couldn't see it, earlier in the day, that same car spun out

the 30 car (driven by Tagliani) that just happened to be our teammate," Allgaier said. "So I guess that what goes around comes around."

NASCAR Nationwide Series points leader Elliott Sadler finished fourth, one position in front of 2008 Montreal winner Ron Fellows.

Michael McDowell, Mike Wallace, Billy Johnson, Austin Dillon and NASCAR Sprint Cup series regular Kyle Busch completed the top 10.

With 824 points, Sadler extended his lead at the top of the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship race to 22 points over Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who wrecked late but still finished 12th. With his second-place finish, Hornish is now tied with Stenhouse with 802 points while Austin Dillon (789) and Allaier (756) close out the top 5 in points.

Danica Patrick had a good day, leading 20 laps but mechanical issues on her GoDaddy Chevrolet relegated her to the 27th position,

six laps behind the leaders.

"How disappointing is it. We're bound to catch some good luck some time. I just can't believe the amount of bad luck we've had, " said

Patrick, who even hit a shoe thrown on the track by a fan at one point.

Derek White, a regular in the NASCAR Canadian Tire series, was the best finishing Quebec driver apart from Villeneuve with an 18th-place effort.

Montreal-born Tagliani, who started from the pole position, led seven laps and ran up front most of the day but was moved over by

Villeneuve for the lead on lap 67. Tagliani finished 22nd.

Patrick Carpentier (29th), Andrew Ranger (32nd), Dexter Stacey (35th) and Louis-Philippe Dumoulin (38th) were the other Canadian drivers entered in the event.

Earlier in the day, Tagliani finished 7th and 8th while running in two different cars in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series race won by Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas.

RACE RESULTS

1. (15) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 81, $94,318.

2. (2) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 81, $60,193.

3. (3) Jacques Villeneuve, Dodge, 81, $47,893.

4. (17) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 81, $43,093.

5. (8) Ron Fellows, Chevrolet, 81, $32,875.

6. (6) Michael McDowell, Toyota, 81, $34,118.

7. (22) Mike Wallace, Chevrolet, 81, $31,893.

8. (9) Billy Johnson, Ford, 81, $24,200.

9. (19) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 81, $31,368.

10. (5) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 81, $24,050.

11. (11) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 81, $28,818.

12. (16) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 81, $29,543.

13. (23) Mike Bliss, Chevrolet, 81, $28,218.

14. (32) Tayler Malsam, Toyota, 81, $28,068.

15. (20) Alex Kennedy, Toyota, 81, $28,918.

16. (34) Erik Darnell, Chevrolet, 81, $21,350.

17. (36) Tim Andrews, Ford, 81, $21,225.

18. (42) Derek White, Chevrolet, 81, $21,075.

19. (41) Eric McClure, Toyota, 81, $27,418.

20. (21) Brad Sweet, Chevrolet, 81, $27,968.

21. (27) Kyle Kelley, Chevrolet, 81, $20,975.

22. (1) Alex Tagliani, Chevrolet, 81, $30,593.

23. (31) Daryl Harr, Chevrolet, 81, $27,143.

24. (10) Brian Scott, Toyota, 81, $27,068.

25. (26) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 81, $27,468.

26. (18) Jason Bowles, Toyota, Brakes, 77, $26,948.

27. (4) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 75, $31,693.

28. (33) Michael Annett, Ford, 73, $26,848.

29. (13) Patrick Carpentier, Toyota, 69, $26,813.

30. (39) Joe Nemechek, Dodge, Radiator, 62, $27,078.

31. (37) John Young, Dodge, Drive Train, 59, $20,250.

32. (12) Andrew Ranger, Dodge, Suspension, 57, $20,215.

33. (7) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, Engine, 54, $26,653.

34. (28) Kenny Habul, Toyota, Accident, 46, $20,150.

35. (38) Dexter Stacey, Chevrolet, Accident, 30, $20,110.

36. (29) Timmy Hill, Ford, Transmission, 21, $26,543.

37. (14) Eric Curran, Dodge, Transmission, 15, $20,025.

38. (35) Louis-Phillipe Dumoulin, Ford, Suspension, 14, $19,981.

39. (24) Chris Cook, Chevrolet, Brakes, 6, $19,845.

40. (43) Matt DiBenedetto, Chevrolet, Overheating, 6, $19,710.

41. (30) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, Brakes, 5, $19,625.

42. (40) Chase Miller, Chevrolet, Brakes, 4, $19,570.

43. (25) Jeff Green, Toyota, Vibration, 2, $19,392.

RACE STATISTICS

Average Speed of Race Winner: 70.043 mph.

Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 7 Mins, 58 Secs.

Margin of Victory: 0.353 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 8 for 22 laps.

Lead Changes: 12 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders: A. Tagliani 1-2; S. Hornish Jr. 3; A. Tagliani 4-5; S. Hornish Jr. 6-7; J. Villeneuve 8-19; S. Hornish Jr. 20; D. Patrick 21-40; J. Villeneuve 41-45; E. Sadler 46-51; J. Villeneuve 52-63; A. Tagliani 64-66; J. Villeneuve 67-80; J. Allgaier 81.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): J. Villeneuve 4 times for 43 laps; D. Patrick 1 time for 20 laps; A. Tagliani 3 times for 7 laps; E. Sadler 1 time for 6 laps; S. Hornish Jr. 3 times for 4 laps; J. Allgaier 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 10 in Points: E. Sadler - 824; R. Stenhouse Jr. - 802; S. Hornish Jr. - 802; A. Dillon - 789; J. Allgaier - 756; M. Annett - 690; C. Whitt - 633; M. Bliss - 609; B. Scott - 540; J. Nemechek - 506.