NNS Recap: Brad Keselowski out duels Denny Hamlin for NNS win at Texas

 

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

FORT WORTH, Tex. -- Brad Keselowski dominated early and retook the lead late to win Saturday's O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway.

Keselowski led 106 of 200 laps in the 31st NASCAR Nationwide Series race of the season, propelling his No. 22 Penske Racing Ford to a decisive advantage in the owners' standings.

Passing runner-up Denny Hamlin with 14 laps left, Keselowski pulled away to win by .980 seconds. The victory was Keselowski's sixth of the season, his first at Texas and the 26th of his career. Four different drivers have combined to win 12 times in the No. 22 Ford.

Penske teammate Sam Hornish Jr. recovered from a commitment violation (hitting the commitment cone on Lap 53) to finish third. Hornish trimmed two points off series leader and fifth-place finisher Austin Dillon's advantage and trails by six points with two races left in the season.

Matt Kenseth came home fourth, but Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch blew a right rear tire and crashed off Turn 4 on Lap 110. Busch finished 26th and saw the four-point advantage of his No. 54 Toyota entering the race turned to a 26-point deficit to the No. 22 in the battle for the owners' championship.

Keselowski will drive the car next week, and Joey Logano in the NASCAR Nationwide season finale at Homestead. To Keselowski, the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide driver champion, securing the owners' title for team owner Roger Penske is a piece of unfinished business.

The victory also was redemption of sorts for Keselowski's last NASCAR Nationwide start, at Kansas, where he wrecked off Busch's front bumper during intense racing between the two drivers.

"I dug us a hole there at Kansas, obviously, with getting tangled up there, and we lost some points," Keselowski said. "So it's great to recover from that hole and grow a little bit of a lead, but two races is a long ways left, and (26) points is better than nothing, but it's certainly not a guarantee of anything as well…

"But it's about Roger. It's about getting him something he hasn't done, and I take a lot of pride in that."

Hamlin grabbed the lead during a cycle of green-flag pit stops before the third caution of the afternoon, caused by Joe Nemechek's spin off Turn 2 after a tap from Trevor Bayne, slowed the race on Lap 171.

In tight racing after the subsequent Lap 177 restart, Hamlin held off Keselowski for the top spot, but one lap later, Travis Pastrana spun at the exit of Turn 2 and nosed into the inside backstretch wall, necessitating the fourth yellow flag.

Keselowski and Hamlin battled side by side for three laps before Keselowski ducked to the inside of the No. 20 Toyota and completed the decisive pass.

Hornish lost a lap serving a drive-through penalty for the commitment violation, but astute strategy put him in position to take a wave-around under caution for a restart on Lap 76. The caution for Busch's accident on Lap 110 allowed Hornish to pit without losing a lap, and subsequently he charged to his third-place finishing spot.

"It's one of those things," Hornish said of the early mishap. "You wear the tires here, and the track doesn't have a whole lot of grip. Pit road comes up pretty quick, and I got a little locked up as soon as I got on the brakes and did everything I could do to try to get it whoaed up and had a choice of hitting the cone or the back of the 54 car. I figured the cone would hurt the front of my car a lot less.

"It was a great recovery by everyone that works on the Wurth Ford Mustang, and we did what we needed to do today. We got ourselves back up there in position to run for the win and over-tightened the car by the time we got to that point. Hats off to everyone at Penske Racing, and it is good to see our teammate go to Victory Lane."

NASCAR Nationwide Series Race - O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge

Texas Motor Speedway

Fort Worth, Texas

Saturday, November 02, 2013

               1. (2) Brad Keselowski(i), Ford, 200, $69615.

               2. (18) Denny Hamlin(i), Toyota, 200, $54350.

               3. (3) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 200, $44450.

               4. (13) Matt Kenseth(i), Toyota, 200, $31550.

               5. (5) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 200, $37525.

               6. (8) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 200, $27925.

               7. (19) Elliott Sadler, Toyota, 200, $26210.

               8. (9) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 200, $25150.

               9. (16) Kyle Larson #, Chevrolet, 200, $25025.

               10. (11) Brad Sweet, Chevrolet, 200, $24075.

               11. (4) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 200, $22300.

               12. (10) Ty Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 200, $21750.

               13. (14) Parker Kligerman, Toyota, 200, $21225.

               14. (21) Michael Annett, Ford, 200, $20800.

               15. (17) Nelson Piquet Jr. #, Chevrolet, 200, $21550.

               16. (23) Kevin Swindell #, Ford, 200, $20450.

               17. (7) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.(i), Ford, 199, $15525.

               18. (1) Alex Bowman #, Toyota, 199, $23600.

               19. (15) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 199, $20075.

               20. (12) Cole Whitt, Toyota, 198, $20625.

               21. (25) David Starr(i), Chevrolet, 198, $19825.

               22. (26) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 198, $19700.

               23. (20) Mike Bliss, Toyota, 198, $19550.

               24. (27) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 197, $19425.

               25. (30) Mike Wallace, Chevrolet, 197, $19750.

               26. (6) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 196, $13150.

               27. (34) Jeff Green, Toyota, 196, $19025.

               28. (38) Robert Richardson Jr., Chevrolet, 195, $18900.

               29. (35) Bryan Silas(i), Ford, 194, $18825.

               30. (37) Joey Gase, Toyota, 190, $13075.

               31. (39) Travis Pastrana, Ford, Accident, 175, $18725.

               32. (36) TJ Bell, Chevrolet, 170, $18680.

               33. (28) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, Accident, 166, $18635.

               34. (31) Carl Long, Dodge, Electrical, 105, $18590.

               35. (29) Ryan Ellis, Toyota, Vibration, 87, $18522.

               36. (33) Blake Koch, Toyota, Handling, 79, $11650.

               37. (22) Johanna Long, Chevrolet, Clutch, 49, $17615.

               38. (32) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, Electrical, 6, $11561.

               39. (40) Dexter Stacey, Ford, Suspension, 5, $11445.

               40. (24) Michael McDowell(i), Toyota, Vibration, 4, $11405.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  144.52 mph.

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 04 Mins, 33 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.980 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  4 for 19 laps.

Lead Changes:  15 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   A. Bowman # 1-3; S. Hornish Jr. 4-5; B. Keselowski(i) 6-52; A. Dillon 53-54; B. Keselowski(i) 55-80; D. Hamlin(i) 81-94; M. Kenseth(i) 95-111; D. Hamlin(i) 112-130; M. Kenseth(i) 131-155; B. Keselowski(i) 156-170; D. Hamlin(i) 171-176; B. Keselowski(i) 177-178; D. Hamlin(i) 179-182; B. Keselowski(i) 183; D. Hamlin(i) 184-185; B. Keselowski(i) 186-200.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  B. Keselowski(i) 6 times for 106 laps; D. Hamlin(i) 5 times for 45 laps; M. Kenseth(i) 2 times for 42 laps; A. Bowman # 1 time for 3 laps; S. Hornish Jr. 1 time for 2 laps; A. Dillon 1 time for 2 laps.

Top 10 in Points: A. Dillon - 1,107; S. Hornish Jr. - 1,101; R. Smith - 1,053; E. Sadler - 1,026; J. Allgaier - 1,022; B. Scott - 1,010; T. Bayne - 1,009; B. Vickers - 970; K. Larson # - 945; P. Kligerman - 924.

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Kyle Busch holds off Joey Logano for Cup win at Atlanta

 
Credit: 289781Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on September 1, 2013 in Hampton, Georgia.

Sept. 1, 2013 
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

HAMPTON, Ga.--Kyle Busch proved emphatically Sunday night that he knows what to do with a lead when he gets it.

By the time he grabbed the top spot at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the first time, however, the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup picture had changed dramatically.

Busch claimed the trophy for the AdvoCare 500, beating Joey Logano to the finish line by .740 seconds. Locked into a top-10 spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Busch added three bonus points to his Chase-opening total with his fourth win of the season.

The win was Busch’s second at Atlanta and the 28th of his prolific career, tying him with Rex White for 23rd on the career victory list. And he did it in a car he labeled "a joke" early in the race.

"It was at first," Busch said frankly. "That’s why we race 500 miles, I guess. Man, I don’t know where it came from but these guys--(crew chief) Dave Rogers--the guys never gave up. They made some really good calls, and I commend them. It was their race today."

For other Chase contenders, Sunday night’s race was a mixture of perseverance and perverse fortune. Beyond that, for reigning Cup champion Brad Keselowski, it was an unmitigated disaster.

Logano’s strong second-place finish gained the driver of the No. 22 Penske Racing Ford two spots to eighth in the standings and gave him a 16-point cushion over 11th-place Jeff Gordon with only next Saturday’s Richmond race remaining before the Chase field is set.

Driving with a broken wrist, Martin Truex Jr. ran third, but his hold on a wild card berth in the Chase remains tenuous. With two-time winner Kasey Kahne holding the first wild card spot, Truex has a five-point lead over Ryan Newman, who came home fifth Sunday, for the second berth.

Kurt Busch surged back into the top 10--and hence a provisional Chase spot--with a fourth-place result, but Busch leads Jeff Gordon (sixth Sunday), a fellow non-winner this year, by a mere six points.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave himself some breathing room with an eighth-place finish. He remains seventh in the standings, 37 points ahead of Gordon in 11th. A finish of 32nd or better at Richmond will lock Earnhardt into the Chase, whether he leads a lap or not.

Engine issues that ended in a catastrophic failure relegated Keselowski to a 35th-place finish, putting him in dire peril of becoming the second defending champion to miss the Chase (Tony Stewart was the first in 2006). Keselowski fell to 15th in the standings, 28 points behind Kurt Busch in 10th. Not even a victory at Richmond will guarantee Keselowski a berth in NASCAR’s 10-race playoff.

"What can you do?" Keselowski said after bringing his car to the garage. "You can sit here and be mad and stomp your feet and be a jerk about it, but it just broke. That’s racing. It’s kind of been the story of our year…

"At this point, it’s not frustration. I’m beyond frustration. At this point, you’re just looking above and going, ‘This must be a test to prove how strong we are and what our character is,’ because I believe in the people I’m around. I think they’re doing the right things, but it’s just not working. So I’m (resigned) to this being a test, and I love challenges--and this is going to be one helluva challenge."

Logano, off sequence on pit stops, swapped the lead with Clint Bowyer during a 112-lap green-flag run that encompassed two full pit cycles surrounding the midpoint of the race. By Lap 190, Bowyer had opened a 7.093-second lead over the Logano’s No. 22 Ford, but Bowyer’s experimental Toyota Racing Development engine erupted two laps later, wiping out the advantage and knocking the No. 15 Camry out of the race.

Six laps after the ensuing restart on lap 199, Denny Hamlin spun in Turn 4, thanks to a bump from Paul Menard. All lead-lap drivers came to pit road for tires and fuel except for Edwards and Logano. After a restart on Lap 213, Keselowski grabbed the lead.

Edwards dropped back precipitously, but Logano held his own in second place until Keselowski’s engine began to lose power on Lap 243, handing the top spot back to Logano, who held a five-second lead over Newman after a round of green-flag pit stops that ended on Lap 254.

Newman cut the margin to 2.3 seconds before Jimmie Johnson spun off Turn 4 trying to avoid Jeff Burton’s Chevrolet, which had slowed to enter pit road, to cause the seventh caution and bunch the field for a restart on Lap 293.

First off pit road after the decisive stop, Kyle Busch led the field to green, and on the restart lap, brother Kurt Busch streaked around the outside to move from 11th to second by the time the cars hit the middle of the backstretch. Before the leader could get to the start/finish line, however, Brian Vickers’ spin in Turn 4 slowed the field for the eighth time, setting up a restart on Lap 298.

After one more caution, for a wreck involving Burton and Austin Dillon in Turn 4, Busch maintained control of the race to the finish.

Notes: Six drivers--Johnson, Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Edwards, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth have clinched top-10 spots in the Chase… Despite a 36th-place finish Sunday, the result of a broken radiator and oil cooler after contact with teammate Johnson on an early restart, Kahne clinched at least a wild card berth on the strength of is two wins this year.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race - AdvoCare 500
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Hampton, Georgia
Sunday, September 01, 2013

       1. (9) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 325, $338058.
       2. (11) Joey Logano, Ford, 325, $250073.
       3. (7) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 325, $201865.
       4. (32) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 325, $165235.
       5. (17) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 325, $167848.
       6. (5) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 325, $171176.
       7. (3) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 325, $156504.
       8. (8) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 325, $129265.
       9. (30) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 325, $156526.
       10. (22) Brian Vickers(i), Toyota, 325, $120015.
       11. (15) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 325, $136675.
       12. (6) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 325, $144946.
       13. (20) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 325, $135419.
       14. (13) AJ Allmendinger, Toyota, 325, $133363.
       15. (24) Greg Biffle, Ford, 325, $122355.
       16. (1) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #, Ford, 325, $163466.
       17. (31) David Gilliland, Ford, 325, $120738.
       18. (2) Carl Edwards, Ford, 324, $139255.
       19. (26) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 324, $117013.
       20. (29) Aric Almirola, Ford, 323, $140091.
       21. (21) Danica Patrick #, Chevrolet, 323, $101155.
       22. (19) Casey Mears, Ford, 323, $119888.
       23. (14) David Ragan, Ford, 323, $117002.
       24. (16) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 322, $128721.
       25. (27) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 322, $142405.
       26. (36) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, 322, $96930.
       27. (37) Travis Kvapil, Toyota, 322, $101830.
       28. (10) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 321, $142141.
       29. (25) David Stremme, Toyota, 321, $93030.
       30. (42) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, 321, $94380.
       31. (41) Timmy Hill #, Ford, 321, $92730.
       32. (34) David Reutimann, Toyota, 320, $92555.
       33. (38) Mike Bliss(i), Chevrolet, 319, $100380.
       34. (28) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 319, $100230.
       35. (23) Brad Keselowski, Ford, Engine, 307, $145496.
       36. (18) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 292, $109930.
       37. (39) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, Engine, 249, $91760.
       38. (4) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, Engine, 231, $105960.
       39. (12) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, Engine, 192, $124793.
       40. (40) Joe Nemechek(i), Toyota, Vibration, 114, $78160.
       41. (33) Josh Wise(i), Ford, Vibration, 94, $74160.
       42. (43) Michael McDowell, Ford, Vibration, 92, $70160.
       43. (35) Scott Speed, Ford, Vibration, 22, $66660.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  135.128 mph.
Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 42 Mins, 14 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.740 Seconds.
Caution Flags:  9 for 47 laps.
Lead Changes:  28 among 13 drivers.
Lap Leaders:    0; J. Montoya 1-24; J. Logano 25-26; D. Ragan 27; M. McDowell 28; J. Montoya 29-39; C. Edwards 40-58; J. Yeley 59-60; C. Mears 61; J. Gordon 62-77; J. Montoya 78; L. Cassill(i) 79; C. Edwards 80-121; R. Newman 122-123; J. Logano 124-138; C. Bowyer 139-166; J. Logano 167-172; C. Bowyer 173-192; J. Logano 193-195; C. Edwards 196-200; J. Gordon 201; C. Edwards 202-203; J. Logano 204-212; B. Keselowski 213-243; J. Logano 244-251; R. Newman 252; J. Montoya 253-254; J. Logano 255-289; Kyle Busch 290-325.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  J. Logano 7 times for 78 laps; C. Edwards 4 times for 68 laps; C. Bowyer 2 times for 48 laps; J. Montoya 4 times for 38 laps; Kyle Busch 1 time for 36 laps; B. Keselowski 1 time for 31 laps; J. Gordon 2 times for 17 laps; R. Newman 2 times for 3 laps; J. Yeley 1 time for 2 laps; C. Mears 1 time for 1 lap; L. Cassill(i) 1 time for 1 lap; D. Ragan 1 time for 1 lap; M. McDowell 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 12 in Points: J. Johnson - 837; C. Bowyer - 809; K. Harvick - 795; C. Edwards - 795; Kyle Busch - 786; M. Kenseth - 768; D. Earnhardt Jr. - 750; J. Logano - 729; G. Biffle - 727; Kurt Busch - 719; J. Gordon - 713; K. Kahne - 709.

Elliott scores first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win in Canada

 

Credit: 289745Goeff Burke/NASCAR via Getty Images

Chase Elliott, driver of the #94 Aaron's Dream Machine/Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on September 1, 2013 in Bowmanville, Canada.

Sept. 1, 2013 (

By Michael Harris
Special to NASCAR Wire Service

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario -- At 17 years, nine months and four days of age, Chase Elliott overtook Ryan Blaney to become the youngest race winner in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series history as he moved aside leader Ty Dillon in a controversial and action-packed finish to Sunday's inaugural Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Dillon last pitted for fuel under caution on Lap 32 and appeared to be on his way to capturing his second win of the season when Elliott drove hard into his right rear-quarter panel on the last corner of the final lap, sending the driver of the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet hard into the tire barrier on the outside of turn 10.

"I was doing all I could to make it to the finish," said Dillon, who dropped from first to 17th. "He just gave up trying to race and dumped me. I mean, he killed our truck. He killed our day."

A visibly upset Dillon leaned into Elliott's truck on pit road immediately following the race to share some choice words with the Dawsonville, Ga., driver as well as promised that payback was forthcoming.

"He obviously wasn't happy and he had every right not to be happy. I wouldn't have been happy either," said Elliott. "At the same time, you have to do what you have to do."

Chase Elliott's father, 1988 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Bill Elliott, was spotting for his son in turns eight, nine and 10 of the 2.459-mile road course.

"All in all he did a great job. I guarantee you, I've lost many races like that and I've won 'em," the elder Elliott said. "These things have a way of working their way out. I think it was a great TV race though and I can tell you the fans in the turns where I was spotting were on their feet."

Max Papis and Mike Skeen made considerable contact with one another as they battled for third place during the final two laps. The rivalry culminated with Skeen and Papis both spinning out in a cloud of smoke in the last corner.

Chad Hackenbracht, who is running a limited 2013 schedule for Kyle Busch Motorsports, weaved his way through the incident to finish an impressive second.

Miguel Paludo came home third as KBM driver Darrell Wallace Jr. was the highest finishing rookie in fourth.

Series championship points leader Matt Crafton struggled to a 10th-place finish but retained a 47-point lead over James Buescher. Buescher, the polesitter, finished ninth.

Dillon's Chevrolet led the most laps --25--with Elliott's Chevy in front for 22 of the race's 64 serials. Six different drivers exchanged the lead seven times.

Elliott averaged 87.775 mph in winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' first race outside the United States and first road-course event since June 2000.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race - Chevrolet Silverado 250
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

Sunday, September 01, 2013

               1. (4) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 64, $53385.
               2. (8) Chad Hackenbracht, Toyota, 64, $41875.
               3. (5) Miguel Paludo, Chevrolet, 64, $27920.
               4. (9) Darrell Wallace Jr. #, Toyota, 64, $22660.
               5. (17) Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet, 64, $19085.
               6. (7) Max Papis(i), Chevrolet, 64, $14310.
               7. (18) Ross Chastain, Ford, 64, $16060.
               8. (15) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 64, $15560.
               9. (1) James Buescher, Chevrolet, 64, $17960.
               10. (13) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 64, $15835.
               11. (24) Bryan Silas, Ford, 64, $14460.
               12. (25) John Wes Townley, Toyota, 64, $14285.
               13. (3) Mike Skeen, Chevrolet, 64, $14185.
               14. (21) Martin Roy(i), Chevrolet, 64, $14085.
               15. (12) German Quiroga #, Toyota, 64, $14960.
               16. (2) Ryan Blaney #, Ford, 64, $13785.
               17. (6) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 64, $13685.
               18. (10) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 62, $13585.
               19. (22) Dakoda Armstrong, Chevrolet, 61, $13485.
               20. (30) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, 57, $14010.
               21. (26) Derek White(i), Chevrolet, Rear Hub, 55, $12035.
               22. (11) Jeb Burton #, Chevrolet, 54, $11935.
               23. (28) Jennifer Jo Cobb, RAM, 52, $10735.
               24. (23) Max Gresham, Chevrolet, 47, $10635.
               25. (14) Alex Guenette, Chevrolet, Oil Line, 45, $10735.
               26. (19) Joey Coulter, Toyota, 41, $10535.
               27. (20) Brennan Newberry #, Chevrolet, Transmission, 38, $10485.
               28. (16) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, Gas Line, 34, $10435.
               29. (27) Carl Long(i), Chevrolet, Brakes, 4, $10385.
               30. (29) Chris Lafferty, Chevrolet, Clutch, 3, $10835.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  86.775 mph.
Time of Race:  1 Hrs, 48 Mins, 49 Secs. Margin of Victory:  Caution.
Caution Flags:  5 for 10 laps.
Lead Changes:  7 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders:   J. Buescher 1-2; C. Elliott 3-23; R. Blaney # 24-25; T. Dillon 26-33; G. Quiroga # 34-36; M. Paludo 37-46; T. Dillon 47-63; C. Elliott 64;.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  T. Dillon 2 times for 25 laps; C. Elliott 2 times for 22 laps; M. Paludo 1 time for 10 laps; G. Quiroga # 1 time for 3 laps; J. Buescher 1 time for 2 laps; R. Blaney # 1 time for 2 laps.
Top 10 in Points: M. Crafton - 532; J. Buescher - 485; T. Dillon - 469; J. Burton # - 467; M. Paludo - 464; T. Peters - 462; R. Blaney # - 450; B. Gaughan - 444; D. Wallace Jr. # - 426; J. Sauter - 425.
 

NNS Recap: Kevin Harvick holds off Kyle Busch for thrilling Atlanta win

Credit: 289721Jerry Markland/Getty Images
Kevin Harvick, driver of the #33 Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Great Clips/Grit Chips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on August 31, 2013 in Hampton, Georgia.

Kevin Harvick holds off Kyle Busch for thrilling Atlanta win

Aug. 31, 2013 

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

HAMPTON, Ga.--Perhaps it was appropriate, on the first weekend of college football this year, that solid team fundamentals and deft blocking should play such an integral part In Kevin Harvick’s NASCAR Nationwide Series victory over Kyle Busch.

In a battle of Sprint Cup regulars, Harvick edged Busch for the win in Saturday night’s Great Clips/Grit Chips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, after the drivers waged a scintillating battle over the final seven laps of the 195-lap race.

Harvick beat Busch to the finish line by .579 seconds after clearing his rival’s No. 54 Toyota with five laps left. The narrow loss kept Busch winless in the Nationwide Series at the 1.54-mile speedway and broke a streak of wins from the pole by the Joe Gibbs Racing driver.

Busch had been six-for-six this season in converting poles into victories before Saturday’s race.

And though the drivers have had issues in the past, they respect each other’s tenacity on the track.

Harvick summed it up after the race: "Kyle Busch isn’t my favorite person, but I enjoy racing with him."

Series leader Sam Hornish Jr. ran third, extending his advantage over eighth-place finisher Austin Dillon to 10 points. Kasey Kahne rallied from an early spin to come home fourth, and rookie Kyle Larson placed fifth--his seventh top five in 24 starts this season.

The win was Harvick’s first of the season in seven starts, his second at Atlanta and the 40th of his career, but it took a flawless pit stop on lap 182--which got Harvick out first with lane choice for the lap 189 restart--and all of Harvick’s consummate driving skill to achieve it.

After Harvick cleared Busch on lap 190, Busch mustered two promising runs before succumbing.

On lap 192, Busch had huge momentum in the outside lane off Turn 2, but Harvick left his customary line on the bottom of the track to block. Busch slowed to avoid contact with the outside wall.

"I was just tight, and at that point, I wasn’t going to let off the throttle unless (the spotter) said ‘Outside,’" Harvick explained. "He said ‘Clear,’ and I kept coming up, and at that point in the race, you’ve just got to do what you have to do to maintain it, especially when you feel like you might be at a small disadvantage like we were for a few laps."

Harvick’s tactics had the desired effect of keeping Busch behind him.

"I had a run on him one time, and he blocked my air and put me in the fence," Busch said. "I had to stop and check up before I got to the fence. But that’s part of it. It is what it is…

"I could have driven through him and knocked him out of the way, but I try not to do those things, although my reputation doesn’t really get perceived that way."

On the final circuit, Busch slipped slightly through Turns 1 and 2 as Harvick open the winning margin.

"Aero-loose," Busch said simply. "You get in behind somebody, and you get aero-loose."

A caution on lap 104 for debris on the backstretch erased a seven-second lead Harvick had built through a cycle of green-flag pit stops around the race’s midpoint. Undeterred, Harvick pulled away after the ensuing restart on lap 109 and owned a lead of more than five seconds when the next cycle of green-flag stops began on lap 143.

Harvick was the last of the top three to come to pit road (lap 148), and by the time the field cycled through, his advantage over Joey Logano, then running second, had dwindled to .9 seconds.

Stretching his margin to as much as 1.9 seconds, Harvick was comfortably ahead when Jeff Green’s hard crash into the outside wall in the tri-oval on Lap 182 caused the fourth caution of the night.

That set up the final seven-lap green-flag run, after four-tire pit stops for the leaders, with Busch surging into second moments after the restart and battling side-by-side with Harvick before the driver of the No. 33 Chevrolet finally pulled ahead.

NASCAR Nationwide Series Race - Great Clips - Grit Chips 300
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Hampton, Georgia
Saturday, August 31, 2013

       1. (20) Kevin Harvick(i), Chevrolet, 195, $50190.
       2. (1) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 195, $36475.
       3. (6) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 195, $30975.
       4. (4) Kasey Kahne(i), Chevrolet, 195, $22300.
       5. (13) Kyle Larson #, Chevrolet, 195, $27525.
       6. (16) Joey Logano(i), Ford, 195, $16575.
       7. (3) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 195, $22310.
       8. (2) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 195, $23920.
       9. (5) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 195, $21025.
       10. (12) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 195, $21350.
       11. (14) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 195, $19575.
       12. (10) Nelson Piquet Jr. #, Chevrolet, 195, $19300.
       13. (19) Chris Buescher, Ford, 195, $18500.
       14. (8) Michael Annett, Ford, 195, $17950.
       15. (9) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 195, $18450.
       16. (17) Parker Kligerman, Toyota, 195, $18200.
       17. (11) Travis Pastrana, Ford, 195, $17625.
       18. (7) Elliott Sadler, Toyota, 195, $18525.
       19. (22) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 194, $17450.
       20. (24) Cole Whitt, Toyota, 193, $18025.
       21. (25) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 193, $17275.
       22. (15) Mike Bliss, Toyota, 193, $17200.
       23. (23) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 192, $17125.
       24. (21) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 190, $17050.
       25. (33) Robert Richardson Jr., Chevrolet, 189, $17475.
       26. (30) Kyle Fowler, Ford, 189, $16950.
       27. (27) Mike Wallace, Chevrolet, 188, $16900.
       28. (31) Ken Butler, Toyota, 186, $16825.
       29. (26) Jeff Green, Toyota, Accident, 176, $16775.
       30. (36) Tony Raines, Toyota, Vibration, 102, $16975.
       31. (37) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, Overheating, 95, $16625.
       32. (28) Jamie Dick, Chevrolet, Ignition, 90, $16580.
       33. (38) Matt Dibenedetto, Dodge, Handling, 38, $16510.
       34. (18) Alex Bowman #, Toyota, Engine, 32, $16465.
       35. (34) Danny Efland, Chevrolet, Vibration, 27, $10413.
       36. (39) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Overheating, 18, $9750.
       37. (40) Mike Harmon, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 8, $9715.
       38. (35) Chase Miller, Toyota, Vibration, 8, $9661.
       39. (29) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, Transmission, 7, $9545.
       40. (32) Blake Koch, Toyota, Ignition, 5, $9480.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  140.747 mph.
Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 08 Mins, 01 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.579 Seconds.
Caution Flags:  4 for 20 laps.
Lead Changes:  11 among 7 drivers.
Lap Leaders:   K. Busch(i) 1-37; J. Clements 38; K. Busch(i) 39-41; A. Dillon 42; K. Busch(i) 43-58; K. Harvick(i) 59-91; K. Larson # 92; K. Busch(i) 93; R. Smith 94; K. Harvick(i) 95-148; M. Annett 149-150; K. Harvick(i) 151-195.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  K. Harvick(i) 3 times for 132 laps; K. Busch(i) 4 times for 57 laps; M. Annett 1 time for 2 laps; J. Clements 1 time for 1 lap; A. Dillon 1 time for 1 lap; K. Larson # 1 time for 1 lap; R. Smith 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 10 in Points: S. Hornish Jr. - 842; A. Dillon - 832; E. Sadler - 816; R. Smith - 813; J. Allgaier - 795; B. Vickers - 790; K. Larson # - 775; B. Scott - 775; T. Bayne - 771; P. Kligerman - 724.

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INDY CAR NEWS AND NOTES – Aug. 26, 2013

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INDYCAR NEWS AND NOTES - Aug. 26, 2013   Today's IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines: 1. Sonoma win boosts season for Power  2. Wilson looks forward to debut 3. Inside the numbers - GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma    1. Sonoma win boosts season for Power: With four races remaining in the IZOD IndyCar Series season, Will Power remains among the 13 drivers in championship contention, but unlike the last three seasons, the Australian is happy to assist Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves in securing the series title instead of striving for his own.   It's a different position for Power, who is eighth in the standings after finishing as the series' runner-up the past three seasons. A bright spot, in what has been an atypical season for Power, occurred Aug. 25 on Power's personal playground - Sonoma Raceway - where he won the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma for the third time in the past four years.   "Of course I would love to be in the battle right now," said Power, who beat Justin Wilson of Dale Coyne Racing to the finish line by 1.1930 seconds. "We just have had one of those years where things don't flow. But it's slowly coming on.   "Obviously, next year's mind-set is different. This year is to make sure Helio wins the championship. We're going to help him any way possible for the next four races."  Castroneves, who finished seventh in the 85-lap race on the 2.385-mile, 12-turn course, takes a 39-point lead over Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon into the Sept. 1 Grand Prix of Baltimore on a 2-mile street circuit.   It was Power's 19th career victory and first of the season. He's the 10th different winner through 15 rounds. That list includes four first-time winners (James Hinchcliffe, Takuma Sato, Simon Pagenaud and most recently Charlie Kimball on Aug. 4 at Mid-Ohio).    The record is 11 different winners during the 20-race 2001 CART season, which matched the 20-race 2000 season.   Power presented Team Penske its fifth consecutive victory at Sonoma and secured his fifth top-five finish of the season. The victory was his first since April 29, 2012, at Sao Paulo, Brazil. Power said he's "learned a lot about myself" through the uncharacteristic results on the mixture of road/street courses and ovals.   "I just think you start really looking close at your weaknesses," he said. "My oval performance wasn't very good. This year I definitely had to get points on ovals because we weren't winning races on road courses. Also, the mental aspect. I really believe it makes you stronger, having a year like this. You'll come back next year a serious contender." 2013 IZOD INDYCAR SERIES WINNERS Driver Circuit SP Career win James Hinchcliffe St. Petersburg  RC 4 1 Ryan Hunter-Reay Barber  RC 1 10 Takuma Sato Long Beach  RC 4 1 Tony Kanaan Indianapolis  Oval 12 16 Mike Conway Detroit  RC 2 2 Simon Pagenaud Detroit  RC 6 1 Helio Castroneves Texas  Oval 6 28 Scott Dixon Pocono  Oval 17 32 Charlie Kimball Mid-Ohio RC 5 1 Will Power Sonoma RC 3 19 2. Wilson looks forward to debut: Stefan Wilson is looking forward to the upgrade in Honda horsepower.   The 23-year-old Englishman, who has spent much of the season as one of the race drivers who gives VIP rides in a Honda Civic Si safety car, will make his IZOD IndyCar Series debut on the streets of Baltimore.   "I've known about it for about six weeks and I want to get there now because I've spent so much time thinking about it," said Wilson, who will drive the Honda-powered No. 18 Nirvana Tea car for Dale Coyne Racing in the 75-lap Grand Prix of Baltimore on Sept. 1. "Every now and again you start psyching yourself up but then you realize it's still two weeks out. I'm just ready to be in the car and get a feel for what it's like."   Wilson, a Firestone Indy Lights race winner, will be a teammate to his brother, Justin, who drives the No. 19 Boy Scouts of America car. It will mark the first time that brothers will compete as teammates in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Mike and Robbie Groff competed at Walt Disney World Speedway in 1998 but not on the same team.   "I've been trying to do everything I can to prepare, but it will be tough because we're not going to get any testing beforehand," Wilson said. "It's kind of going to be thrown into the deep end without any armbands. I've been studying data and video from Justin's race last year.   "It's going to be a tough weekend to get up to speed,  but the main thing I'm concentrating on is having a clean weekend and an opportunity to get experience for next year."   Stefan Wilson competed on the Baltimore circuit in 2011, finishing fifth in an Andretti Autosport-prepared car on the way to placing third in the championship. He graduated to open-wheel cars in 2007 in the Formula Palmer Audi Series, where he earned four victories and four poles on the way to being the championship runner-up.   "I am very happy for Stefan and this great opportunity. It should be a lot of fun racing against each other as we both have similar driving styles," Justin Wilson said.   As part of the sponsorship, Nirvana Tea will create special blend of tea for the race that will feature the No. 18 team on the packet.   "It's quite fitting that an Englishmen will be representing a tea company," Stefan Wilson added. "I'll definitely be switching out the traditional energy drink bottle full of water, for a cup of Nirvana Tea at the post-race interview."   3. Inside the numbers - GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma: Some numbers to note from the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, the 15th race of the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season.    3.32 - Average running position of Will Power during the 85 laps of racing.   5 - Consecutive top-five finishes by Dario Franchitti.   7 - Leaders during the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, a race record. The previous record was five in 2005.   8 - Consecutive top-five starts by Will Power.   10 - Different winners in the 15 IZOD IndyCar Series in 2013.    11 - Consecutive top-10 finishes for Helio Castroneves.   13 - Positions improved by Simona De Silvestro (22nd to ninth) in the race, the most gained by any drivers.   27 - Laps that JR Hildebrand improved his position over the 85 laps of competition, most of any driver.   153 - Consecutive Indy car starts for Scott Dixon dating to the 2004 race in Michigan. Dixon ranks seventh on the all-time list.   211 - Consecutive Indy car starts for Tony Kanaan dating to the 2001 CART race in Portland. Kanaan tied his team owner Jimmy Vasser's record of 211 straight starts at Sonoma.   1,928 - Laps completed by Helio Castroneves. He is the only driver to complete every lap of every race. *** The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Grand Prix of Baltimore on Sept. 1 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, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211, www.indycar.com and the INDYCAR 13 App for most smartphones and tablets. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Baltimore 100 on Sept. 1 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The race will be televised by NBC Sports Network at 1 p.m.