May 31, 2013 By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service DOVER, Del. -- Pulling away from runner-up Matt Crafton during a four-lap run to the finish, Kyle Busch won Friday's Lucas Oil 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Dover International Speedway. Busch sped away after a restart on Lap 197 of 200, as Crafton and third-place finisher Ryan Blaney battled for the second spot. The victory was owner/driver Busch's second of the season, his second win in a row, his third at Dover and the 32nd of his career. Chase Elliott, who started on the outside of the front row, overcame two pit road speeding penalties to finish fourth, one spot ahead of Brendan Gaughan, who posted his fourth straight top-five finish. For Busch, however, the 21st victory on concrete in all three of NASCAR's top tourning series combined was not a typical dominating win. Busch started fifth and had to fight traffic throughout the early stages of the race, while his crew made adjustments in the pits. Busch didn't take the lead until he blew past David Starr on Lap 142 after a cycle of green-flag pit stops. "It was unbelievable how loose it was following those guys," Busch said of the early racing. "I had to get outside of their wake and kind of move around, and that's where I started making up some ground. It was more later in the run than it was early in the run. "These things are just so fast going around here, early in the run with a lot of tire grip and a lot of aero grip, but as the rubber goes down, it certainly gets slick and everybody has their hands full. These guys (his crew) made some nice adjustments for me to keep us on top of the race track and up front." Polesitter Darrell Wallace Jr. (10th Friday) led the first 119 laps of the race but surrendered the top spot Matt Crafton during a green-flag pit stop on Lap 120. By the time the round of pit stops had cycled through, Busch, who pitted on Lap 117, was at the front of the field with an advantage of more than five seconds over Wallace. Saving fuel for a possible 83-lap run to the finish, Busch saw his lead dwindle to just over two seconds before crew chief Rudy Fugle gave him the green light to run at full speed. But a caution for debris in Turn 2 on Lap 158 made fuel strategy moot and gave the lead-lap cars a chance to pit. Crafton won the race off pit road and surged ahead of Busch after a restart on Lap 164, but five laps later, Busch passed Crafton to the outside and began to stretch his advantage as Wallace and Timothy Peters battled for the fourth spot behind him. Busch's margin was just under a second when NASCAR called the fifth caution of the race on Lap 179, for debris on the frontstretch. Busch chose the outside lane for the restart on Lap 185 and got the jump on Crafton into the first corner. Busch opened a lead of more than one second before Tim George Jr. blew a tire and smacked the Turn 3 wall on Lap 191 to cause the sixth caution and set up the dash to the finish. Crafton now leads the series standings by 30 points over rookie Jeb Burton in second place. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race - Lucas Oil 200 Dover International Speedway Dover, Delaware Friday, May 31, 2013 1. (5) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 200, $36855. 2. (7) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 200, $28870. 3. (4) Ryan Blaney #, Ford, 200, $27490. 4. (2) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 200, $18780. 5. (15) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 200, $18305. 6. (14) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 200, $15980. 7. (10) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 200, $15480. 8. (24) Joey Coulter, Toyota, 200, $14980. 9. (3) Jeb Burton #, Chevrolet, 200, $14575. 10. (1) Darrell Wallace Jr. #, Toyota, 200, $19925. 11. (18) John Wes Townley, Toyota, 200, $14125. 12. (12) Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet, 200, $13850. 13. (8) German Quiroga #, Toyota, 200, $13750. 14. (22) David Starr, Toyota, 200, $13650. 15. (20) James Buescher #, Chevrolet, 199, $15425. 16. (11) Ross Chastain, Ford, 199, $13650. 17. (28) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 199, $13350. 18. (21) Miguel Paludo, Chevrolet, 198, $13250. 19. (25) Todd Bodine, Toyota, 198, $13150. 20. (17) Caleb Holman, Chevrolet, 198, $11425. 21. (27) Dakoda Armstrong, Chevrolet, 198, $11700. 22. (26) Bryan Silas, Ford, 194, $11600. 23. (16) Jeff Agnew, Chevrolet, 194, $10500. 24. (13) Brennan Newberry #, Chevrolet, 194, $10400. 25. (19) Tim George Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 190, $10450. 26. (33) Kyle Martel, Chevrolet, 185, $10200. 27. (32) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, Engine, 147, $10100. 28. (9) Max Gresham, Chevrolet, 93, $10000. 29. (35) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, Too Slow, 69, $9875. 30. (29) CJ Faison, Chevrolet, Accident, 61, $10275. 31. (6) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, Engine, 23, $9675. 32. (31) Mike Harmon(i), Chevrolet, Transmission, 18, $9575. 33. (30) Danny Efland(i), Chevrolet, Electrical, 14, $9550. 34. (23) Chris Jones, Chevrolet, Overheating, 9, $9475. 35. (36) Chris Lafferty, RAM, Rear Gear, 9, $9450. 36. (34) Johnny Chapman, Chevrolet, Oil Leak, 4, $9401. Average Speed of Race Winner: 109.008 mph. Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 50 Mins, 05 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.484 Seconds. Caution Flags: 6 for 29 laps. Lead Changes: 7 among 6 drivers. Lap Leaders: D. Wallace Jr. # 1-119; M. Crafton 120; C. Elliott 121-135; T. George Jr. 136-139; D. Starr 140-141; K. Busch(i) 142-159; M. Crafton 160-168; K. Busch(i) 169-200. Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): D. Wallace Jr. # 1 time for 119 laps; K. Busch(i) 2 times for 50 laps; C. Elliott 1 time for 15 laps; M. Crafton 2 times for 10 laps; T. George Jr. 1 time for 4 laps; D. Starr 1 time for 2 laps. Top 10 in Points: M. Crafton - 245; J. Burton # - 215; B. Gaughan - 210; J. Sauter - 202; R. Blaney # - 201; J. Buescher # - 200; T. Dillon - 188; D. Wallace Jr. # - 180; M. Paludo - 176; D. Armstrong - 176. --30--
Friday, May 31, 2013
Kyle Busch pulls away for third Truck Series win at Dover
Monday, May 27, 2013
Kevin Harvick wins wild Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte
May 26, 2013
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
CONCORD, N.C.--After 389 laps in NASCAR’s motorsports marathon, the 54th running of the Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway came down to an 11-lap shootout--and Kevin Harvick won it.
Harvick pulled away during an 11-lap green-flag run to the finish to beat Kasey Kahne to the finish line by 1.491 seconds. The victory was Harvick’s second of the season, his second at Charlotte and the 21st of his career.
Kurt Busch ran third, followed by polesitter Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr. and Marcos Ambrose completed the top 10.
On a night where the second half of the race produced non-stop action and plenty of contact, 10 spectators were injured when a TV camera drive line broke, three of them seriously enough to warrant transportation to a local hospital.
The speedway announced after the race that all injured treated and released.
The pivotal moment in the race was a decision by Harvick and crew chief Gil Martin to come to pit road for two new tires after NASCAR called a debris caution on Lap 384 of 400. Kahne stayed out. In fact, he was the only driver to do so, and Harvick lined up beside the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet for a restart on Lap 390 with a distinct advantage.
"It was a good strategy call there," Harvick said. "The 5 stayed out, and we were able to have a little bit fresher tires and get in front of him on the restart… This is one of those nights where you just know going in that you’ve got to grind away, lap after lap to keep yourself on the lead lap and not make any mistakes…
"This is a long night. We’ve been here a lot of times and know that you just have to grind through mile after mile, keep your car running, don’t get tore up, don’t get a lap down, and you’re going to be somewhere around at the end. Everybody did that on our Budweiser Chevy tonight, and there we were at the end."
For the third time this season on a 1.5-mile speedway, Kahne finished second with arguably the fastest car. Both he and crew chief Kenny Francis were surprised that Kahne was the only driver who stayed on the track during the final caution. Fresh rubber turned the tide in Harvick’s favor.
"We had a great car from the drop of the green, drove to the front from sixth," said Kahne, who led a race-high 161 laps. "It was definitely our race to lose, especially those last 100 laps. We thought that some of the guys would stay out. I think there were three cars that had just pitted within the last couple laps, or five or six laps, and (we) just felt like they’d stay out, and that’d be a big enough buffer to someone who had two or four (new) tires, that we could get away.
"It didn’t happen. Harvick started right beside me and had two, and he held it flat through (Turns) 1 and 2, and I had to lift a little bit. I got a little free getting in, so I had to back off the gas, and when I went back down, he was in front of me. So that was the end of our race, and I had to make sure I got second from there."
NASCAR’s longest race took an extraordinary turn on Lap 122 when a guide cable to the "CamCat," the remote-control mobile camera that traverses the frontstretch, broke and fell across the track. Several cars sustained damage from running across the cable, most notably those of Ambrose and Kyle Busch, then the race leader.
A length of cable wrapped around Ambrose’s rear housing and severed a brake line. Contact with the fallen cable sliced open the front right quarter panel of Busch’s Toyota. NASCAR went off the pages of its own rule book under the exceptional circumstances and allowed all teams to repair their cars during a 15-minute break in the action.
The sanctioning body restored the running order before the cable broke, reinstating Ambrose, who lost four laps under repairs, to the lead lap for a restart on Lap 131. Busch’s team worked feverishly to reconstruct the damaged quarter panel with black Bear Bond tape.
Two red-flag periods totaling 27 minutes--the first for the broken cable, the second for repairs--took the race from daylight to dusk. Kyle Busch held the top spot after the Lap 131 restart, with brother Kurt Busch charging from sixth to second on the first restart lap.
The Busch brothers paced the field until Kenseth grabbed the lead from his teammate during a cycle of green-flag pit stops that began on Lap 171. From that point Kenseth dominated, until simultaneous engine failures in Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Chevrolet and Kyle Busch’s Toyota slowed the field on Lap 258.
Earnhardt’s calamity also was bad news for Greg Biffle, Travis Kvapil and Dave Blaney, who spun in the oil pouring from the No. 88 Chevy SS and wrecked, sidelining all three drivers.
Kenseth was the only driver who remained on the track under the ensuing yellow, and he surrendered the lead to Kahne seven laps after a restart on Lap 267. The decision to stay out cost Kenseth, who lost track position after pitting early on Lap 301, three laps before a caution for debris in Turn 1 interrupted a cycle of green-flag pit stops.
Jeff Gordon also lost a lap when the caution trapped him on pit road and was an innocent victim of three-wide racing after a spate of cautions to the race to a restart on Lap 325. Just past the star/finish line after the restart lap, contact between the cars of Mark Martin and Aric Almirola demolished those two machines as well as Gordon’s.
NASCAR red-flagged the race after Lap 326, and that proved disastrous to Kurt Busch, who Chevy lost power under the stoppage. Busch, who had wrested the lead from Kahne after a restart on Lap 319, surrendered the top spot to Harvick when his car wouldn’t start.
After a push from a safety truck, however, Busch’s car re-fired, and his crew changed the battery on pit road without losing a lap.
The fireworks were far from over. Jimmie Johnson’s spin on Lap 333 battered the No. 48 Chevy of the five-time champion, as well as the cars of Kenseth, Juan Pablo Montoya and Paul Menard.
That left Kahne and Harvick to fight for the lead, which Kahne took decisively on Lap 341, clearing Harvick to the outside through Turns 3 and 4. Kahne gave up the top with a green-flag pit stop on Lap 364, but regained it during the pit stop cycle before a debris caution on Lap 384 set up 11-lap dash to the finish.
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Saturday, May 25, 2013
Kyle Busch leads 186 laps en route to record NNS win at Charlotte
May 25, 2013 (
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
CONCORD, N.C.--Another race. Another record.
Kyle Busch held off Kasey Kahne during a closing, 13-lap green-flag run to win Saturday’s History 300 Nationwide Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and continue his wholesale revision of NASCAR’s record books.
Busch beat Kahne to the finish line by .939 seconds to claim a record seventh NNS victory at Charlotte, breaking a tie with Mark Martin for supremacy at the speedway. In winning for the sixth time in nine starts this season, Busch extended his record for all-time NNS wins to 57.
Busch led 186 of 200 laps, a personal best on a 1.5-mile speedway.
Before the race started, Busch mentioned that he’d like to break the tie with Martin, Clearly, the record was on his mind.
"Every time you’re tied with somebody, you want to beat ‘em," Busch said after the race. "But when you’re tied with the greats in this sport, like the Mark Martins or the Jack Ingrams, it makes it pretty special to beat those guys and the records they set at different tracks, whatever’s been done before.
"It’s never easy, but I felt like we had a good car, and we were in good position. I told (crew chief) Adam (Stevens), ‘If this track gets hot, these guys are in trouble,’ because they seem to slide around a little more than we do. I felt like our car was really good, so I’m proud of the fact that what I felt actually came true today."
Joey Logano ran third, followed by rookie Kyle Larson and Kevin Harvick. Trevor Bayne, Justin Allgaier, Matt Kenseth, Parker Kligerman and series leader Regan Smith completed the top 10.
Kahne got to the bumper of Busch’s No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with eight laps left, but Busch adjusted his line and inched away.
"I got there and just didn’t get to his outside," Kahne said. "I came close but didn’t get to him, and then he went to the top, and from that point I was a little bit on the tight side. I just wasn’t turning quite good enough…
"I couldn’t keep up. He kept good momentum on the top and was able to creep away a little bit. I thought we were close, and if he didn’t move up, I thought we would have had a really good shot."
Busch, however, hadn’t run the top of the track all afternoon and wasn’t certain what would happen when he moved up.
"There towards the end, I did have to race hard with Kasey," Busch said. "He was catching me a little bit on the outside think he was beating me down the straightaway, so I moved up to protect my momentum and do the same thing he was doing, and it seemed to help me. It seemed to allow me to drive away from him a little bit.
"I hadn’t been up there all day, so I was kind of worried about the fact that my car wouldn’t work up there, but it felt good, and it was certainly fast."
Logano, who got the most out of his afternoon after an early flat tire, knows only too well how difficult it can be to beat Busch. Logano and Busch were teammates at JGR before Logano moved to Penske Racing this year.
"You have a great team there--guys I worked with for the last six years or so--so I know they’re a good team," Logano said. "I know Kyle Busch is a good driver. Put all that together, and you’re going to have one heck of a deal trying to beat these guys. We’ve got to go back and work harder than them."
With 50 laps left, Busch had a lead of 3.897 seconds over Sam Hornish Jr. immediately after a round of green-flag pit stops, but a caution on Lap 153 bunched the field for a restart on Lap 158.
Busch pulled away again, but caution flew again on Lap 165 when Travis Pastrana’s Ford spun off Turn 2 and plowed nose-first into the inside wall. Busch and Kahne were among eight drivers who stayed out under the yellow, but Harvick came to pit road for fresh tires, restarted 10th on Lap 173 and was up to fourth when Reed Sorenson’s spin caused caution No. 6 on Lap 178.
Despite the older rubber, Busch held the top spot after a restart with 17 laps left, but a collision between Michael Annett and Dakoda Armstrong on Lap 184 reset the field again, with Busch, Kahne, Harvick and Kligerman running first through fourth for a restart on Lap 188.
Notes: Smith added one point to his series lead over second-place Hornish, who finished 12th Saturday but led nine laps. The margin is 29 points… Annett finished 17th in his first race since the season opener at Daytona, where he was sidelined by an injury to his sternum… Busch recorded the 17th perfect driver rating of his NASCAR national series career. That was his second straight such performance, following a perfect 150-point rating May 10 at Darlington.
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NASCAR Nationwide Series Race - History 300
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, North Carolina
Saturday, May 25, 2013
1. (2) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 200, $57050.
2. (11) Kasey Kahne(i), Chevrolet, 200, $40950.
3. (6) Joey Logano(i), Ford, 200, $31575.
4. (18) Kyle Larson #, Chevrolet, 200, $34675.
5. (16) Kevin Harvick(i), Chevrolet, 200, $22925.
6. (21) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 200, $25000.
7. (14) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 200, $23875.
8. (9) Matt Kenseth(i), Toyota, 200, $17000.
9. (5) Parker Kligerman, Toyota, 200, $22250.
10. (10) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 200, $22650.
11. (3) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 200, $21025.
12. (7) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 200, $20375.
13. (20) Elliott Sadler, Toyota, 200, $20750.
14. (1) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 200, $27675.
15. (4) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 200, $20180.
16. (13) Nelson Piquet Jr. #, Chevrolet, 200, $18675.
17. (33) Michael Annett, Ford, 200, $18450.
18. (17) Kevin Swindell, Ford, 200, $18225.
19. (15) Mike Bliss, Toyota, 200, $18150.
20. (8) Alex Bowman #, Toyota, 200, $18550.
21. (24) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 199, $12125.
22. (22) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 198, $17900.
23. (36) Hal Martin #, Toyota, 197, $17850.
24. (34) Mike Wallace, Chevrolet, 196, $17785.
25. (40) Steve Wallace, Ford, 196, $12225.
26. (30) Kyle Fowler, Ford, 196, $17715.
27. (29) Dexter Stacey #, Ford, 194, $17680.
28. (35) Juan Carlos Blum #, Chevrolet, 194, $17645.
29. (27) Kenny Wallace, Toyota, 188, $11600.
30. (32) Eric McClure, Toyota, 186, $17855.
31. (19) Dakoda Armstrong(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 183, $11520.
32. (31) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 174, $17475.
33. (25) Travis Pastrana, Ford, Accident, 163, $17430.
34. (23) Jamie Dick, Chevrolet, Electrical, 162, $17400.
35. (26) John Wes Townley(i), Toyota, Accident, 160, $11369.
36. (28) Johanna Long, Chevrolet, 155, $16600.
37. (38) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, Engine, 146, $16575.
38. (12) Chris Buescher, Ford, 134, $16556.
39. (37) Jason White, Toyota, Suspension, 110, $16435.
40. (39) Robert Richardson Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 45, $16330.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 129.917 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 18 Mins, 33 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.939 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 7 for 33 laps.
Lead Changes: 9 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: A. Dillon 1; K. Busch(i) 2-44; S. Hornish Jr. 45-51; K. Busch(i) 52-88; B. Vickers 89-91; K. Busch(i) 92-148; K. Swindell 149; K. Busch(i) 150-157; S. Hornish Jr. 158-159; K. Busch(i) 160-200.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Busch(i) 5 times for 186 laps; S. Hornish Jr. 2 times for 9 laps; B. Vickers 1 time for 3 laps; A. Dillon 1 time for 1 lap; K. Swindell 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 10 in Points: R. Smith - 376; S. Hornish Jr. - 347; J. Allgaier - 336; E. Sadler - 331; B. Vickers - 327; P. Kligerman - 322; A. Dillon - 321; B. Scott - 313; K. Larson # - 288; A. Bowman # - 282.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Johnson wins record fourth NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
May 18, 2013
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
CONCORD, N.C.—The Brothers Busch won the first four segments of Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but Jimmie Johnson took the one the counted—the 10-lap dash to the finish—and continued to build his legacy, not to mentioned his bank account.
Speeding away from Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne after a restart on Lap 81 of 90, Johnson won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series all-star exhibition race for a record fourth time, beating charging Joey Logano to the stripe by 1.722 seconds.
Kyle Busch, who won the second and third segments of 20-laps each, ran third, followed by Kahne and Kurt Busch. The elder Busch brother won the first and fourth segments and was first onto pit road before the final dash but exited fifth with a less-than-stellar pit stop.
Despite changes to his pit crew this week, Johnson’s over-the-wall gang performed an 11-second pit stop that got him out of the pits on the front row, beside Kahne, for the final restart. Ultimately, that made all the difference.
With the victory, Johnson broke a tie with teammate Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Sr. for most wins in the non-points race, won his second straight All-Star Race and collected $1 million for his efforts.
“To beat Jeff and Earnhardt, two guys I’ve looked up to my whole life—two massive icons of our sport—this means the world to me,” said Johnson, who started 18th after sliding through his pit box and drawing a penalty for a loose lug nut during Friday’s qualifying session.
“I really didn’t think we had a shot at winning tonight, starting (18th), but we had a great race car and worked our way through there and got the job done. Over time, honestly, it’s just dedication and drive from every member at Hendrick Motorsports, every member on this No. 48 team. We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished, but we know we’ve got to keep pushing harder and pushing one another.”
Kyle Busch thought he had the fastest car, but a slower-than-usual four-tire stop put his No. 18 Toyota on the second row for the final restart.
“We just didn’t get the best pit stop there at the end to get us out on the front row, and when you’re back behind cars, you’re getting beat up on,” Busch said. “It is what it is. We’ll just take this as a good learning day and hopefully bring back some speed like this to the (Coca-Cola) 600 (May 26).”
NASCAR’s luck with weather held Saturday night, with a large enough window to complete the race with just one delay.
With Kurt Busch leading from the outset, NASCAR called a caution because of rain after Lap 8 and red-flagged the race after 13 laps when the shower intensified. The drivers came to pit road, parked in their stalls and waited.
The rain didn’t come soon enough, however, to save reigning Cup champion Brad Keselowski. On the second lap, transmission troubles sent his No. 2 Penske Racing Ford to the garage.
“Something just broke in the back half of the drive train, either the transmission or drive shaft gear – I’m not sure which one – but it’s one of those deals, unfortunately,” Keselowski said. “We’ll try to learn from it and move on.”
With Keselowski in the garage, the race resumed after a stoppage of 41 minutes 28 seconds. Kurt Busch pulled away from brother Kyle Busch to win the first 20-lap segment by .751 seconds.
Kyle Busch kept the second segment in the family, pulling away from Clint Bowyer after a restart on Lap 29—after Ricky Stenhouse Jr. bounced off the Turn 4 wall and knocked Mark Martin for a loop through the grass in the quad-oval.
Jamie McMurray led wire-to-wire to win the Sprint Showdown and transfer into the main event. McMurray, who started second, took two tires during the halfway competition caution after 20 laps and pulled away to beat Cup rookie Stenhouse to the finish line by 1.226 seconds.
Stenhouse transferred into the All-Star Race as the second-place finisher. His romantic interest, Danica Patrick, finished ninth in the Showdown but punched her ticket into the All-Star Race as the winner of the Sprint Fan vote.
“Obviously being out front is massive,” McMurray said during the break between the Showdown and the main event. “When I got by (polesitter) Martin (Truex Jr.) at the start of the race… I was trying to take it easy because I didn't know with the track being green how quickly the tires would fall off, and even running at like 80 percent it was amazing what a difference just being in clean air was.
“I had a really good car in practice (Friday). I thought honestly the 56 (Truex) and I had the two best cars looking at times yesterday, and then the two tire stop was the right call for us. It got us up front.”
McMurray’s words proved prophetic. Being out front for the final 10-lap run was crucial to Johnson’s record run.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race - NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, North Carolina
Saturday, May 18, 2013
1. (18) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 90, $1039175.
2. (5) Joey Logano, Ford, 90, $244175.
3. (4) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 90, $144175.
4. (9) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 90, $114150.
5. (2) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 90, $109150.
6. (7) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 90, $103150.
7. (15) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 90, $96975.
8. (20) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 90, $95975.
9. (16) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 90, $94975.
10. (1) Carl Edwards, Ford, 90, $93975.
11. (19) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 90, $92950.
12. (10) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 90, $91950.
13. (11) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 90, $90950.
14. (13) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 90, $90450.
15. (3) Greg Biffle, Ford, 90, $89850.
16. (21) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #, Ford, 90, $89575.
17. (17) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 90, $89450.
18. (6) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 90, $89350.
19. (14) David Ragan, Ford, 90, $89250.
20. (22) Danica Patrick #, Chevrolet, 90, $89150.
21. (8) Mark Martin, Toyota, Accident, 87, $88412.
22. (12) Brad Keselowski, Ford, Transmission, 2, $87000.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 90.672 mph.
Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 29 Mins, 20 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.722 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 7 for 13 laps.
Lead Changes: 8 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: 0; Kurt Busch 1-20; C. Bowyer 21-28; Kyle Busch 29-40; C. Bowyer 41-43; Kyle Busch 44-60; K. Kahne 61-71; Kurt Busch 72-80; J. Johnson 81-90.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Kyle Busch 2 times for 29 laps; Kurt Busch 2 times for 29 laps; C. Bowyer 2 times for 11 laps; K. Kahne 1 time for 11 laps; J. Johnson 1 time for 10 laps.
Top 1 in Points:
--30--
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Kyle Busch breaks “drought” with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win at Charlotte
Kyle Busch breaks “drought” with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win at Charlotte
May 17, 2013 (EDITORS: Updates with quotes and results.)
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
CONCORD, N.C.— Winless in his last seven starts in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series, Kyle Busch broke what was for him a major drought with a victory in Friday night’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Busch, who owns his own truck, charged from the back of the field after a pit road penalty to win in the series for the first time since Sept. 24, 2011 at New Hampshire. The victory was Busch’s fifth at Charlotte and the 31st of his career in 107 starts.
Brendan Gaughan ran second, .468 seconds behind Busch, with the race decided in an eight-lap green-flag run to the finish after the eighth caution of the night. Max Gresham finished a career-best third, followed by series leader Matt Crafton and Ty Dillon.
“It was an eternity—the starts were spread over a year and half,” Busch said of his seven-race winless streak. “It certainly was frustrating last year that (crew chief) Eric (Phillips) and I weren’t able to get to Victory Lane. We only ran three starts, and in all of those three starts, we were a really good truck and had a shot to win in all three of those...
“We’ve been fast. These guys do a good job, (crew chief) Rudy (Fugle) here, taking over for my stuff on the No. 51with a smaller team—it’s only him and a couple of other guys that are full-time for it… These guys do a lot of work for being so small and just coming out here trying to knock out some wins.”
Busch had led 66 laps by the time Tyler Young’s spin caused the fourth caution of the race on Lap 82. On a fuel-only pit stop under yellow on Lap 84, Busch drew a penalty for dragging his gas can out of the pit stall and restarted on Lap 88 at the rear of the field.
Undeterred—and using the penalty as an opportunity to take four fresh tires--Busch carved his way through the field and had just taken over the seventh position when hard contact between the trucks of Ron Hornaday Jr. and Jake Crum—after Hornaday cut his right front tire--brought out the fifth caution on Lap 94.
After a spate of cautions, Busch finally regained the lead, passing Miguel Paludo for the top spot a lap before a pair of simultaneous wrecks caused caution No. 8 on Lap 122. A crash near the front of the field eliminated Darrell Wallace Jr. and damaged the truck of Brad Keselowski.
Note: The victory was the first as a crew chief for Fugle…Busch now has 113 wins in NASCAR’s top three series combined…Gaughan scored his third straight top-five finish and climbed three spots to fourth in points… Crafton leads in the series standings by 22 points over polesitter Jeb Burton, who finished 13th.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race - North Carolina Education Lottery 200
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, North Carolina
Friday, May 17, 2013
1. (4) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 134, $39660.
2. (23) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 134, $27875.
3. (21) Max Gresham, Chevrolet, 134, $22420.
4. (14) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 134, $16860.
5. (2) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 134, $15035.
6. (12) James Buescher, Chevrolet, 134, $13335.
7. (5) Miguel Paludo, Chevrolet, 134, $11825.
8. (18) John Wes Townley, Toyota, 134, $11725.
9. (7) Ross Chastain, Ford, 134, $11600.
10. (6) Justin Lofton, Chevrolet, 134, $12775.
11. (24) Scott Riggs(i), Chevrolet, 134, $8825.
12. (8) Dakoda Armstrong, Chevrolet, 134, $10900.
13. (1) Jeb Burton #, Chevrolet, 134, $14075.
14. (19) Brad Keselowski(i), Ford, 134, $8425.
15. (20) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 134, $11650.
16. (11) Tim George Jr., Chevrolet, 134, $10475.
17. (32) Todd Bodine, Toyota, 134, $10425.
18. (15) Brennan Newberry #, Chevrolet, 134, $8125.
19. (35) Blake Koch(i), Chevrolet, 133, $8075.
20. (34) Danny Efland(i), Chevrolet, 133, $8650.
21. (28) Jeff Agnew, Chevrolet, 133, $10205.
22. (33) Chris Cockrum, Chevrolet, 133, $10150.
23. (30) David Starr, Toyota, 132, $10125.
24. (36) Mike Harmon(i), Chevrolet, 132, $7850.
25. (9) Ryan Blaney #, Ford, 131, $10200.
26. (3) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 122, $8775.
27. (13) Darrell Wallace Jr. #, Toyota, Accident, 121, $8750.
28. (16) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, Accident, 115, $7725.
29. (26) Tyler Young, Chevrolet, Accident, 104, $7675.
30. (22) Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 104, $7650.
31. (25) Jake Crum, Chevrolet, Accident, 93, $8125.
32. (17) Joey Coulter, Toyota, 90, $7575.
33. (27) Caleb Holman, Chevrolet, Accident, 20, $7550.
34. (31) Bryan Silas, Ford, Accident, 13, $7525.
35. (10) German Quiroga #, Toyota, Accident, 9, $7495.
36. (29) Chris Jones, Chevrolet, Clutch, 4, $7473.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 105.882 mph.
Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 53 Mins, 54 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.468 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 8 for 40 laps.
Lead Changes: 7 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: 0; T. Dillon 1-3; K. Busch(i) 4-17; B. Gaughan 18-32; K. Busch(i) 33-84; M. Gresham 85-87; M. Paludo 88-120; K. Busch(i) 121-134.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Busch(i) 3 times for 80 laps; M. Paludo 1 time for 33 laps; B. Gaughan 1 time for 15 laps; M. Gresham 1 time for 3 laps; T. Dillon 1 time for 3 laps.
Top 10 in Points: M. Crafton - 202; J. Burton # - 180; T. Dillon - 175; B. Gaughan - 171; J. Buescher - 171; J. Sauter - 165; R. Blaney # - 160; D. Armstrong - 153; M. Paludo - 150; D. Wallace Jr. # - 144.
--30--
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Matt Kenseth surges to third 2013 victory at Darlington
Credit: 285854Geoff Burke/Getty Images
Matt
Kenseth, driver of the #20 The Home Depot / Husky Toyota,
performs a burnout in celebration of winning the NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington
Raceway on May 11, 2013 in Darlington, South Carolina.
(Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images)
May 11, 2013
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
DARLINGTON, S.C.—Unsinkable.
Unsinkable Matt Kenseth capped a banner week for unsinkable Joe Gibbs Racing with a victory in Saturday night's Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway with a substitute crew chief on his pit box—the unsinkable Wally Brown.
The past four days could hardly have been better for JGR, with Wednesday bringing a substantial reduction in penalties on appeal for an engine infraction Apr, 21 at Kansas. On Friday, Gibbs cars ran 1-2-3 in the Nationwide Series race at Darlington, and the organization followed that Saturday with a 1-2 finish from Kenseth and Denny Hamlin in the 11th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the season.
Kenseth took the lead from JGR teammate Kyle Busch on Lap 355 of 367 and pulled away to win by 3.155 seconds over Hamlin, as Busch faded to sixth. Hamlin also had much to celebrate in his first full race back from a compression fracture to his first lumbar vertebra, sustained during a last-lap crash at Fontana, Calif., in late March.
It was a race of significant numbers. Jeff Gordon finished third in his 700th Cup start, all consecutive. Jimmie Johnson ran fourth and extended his series lead to a massive 44 points over seventh-place finisher Carl Edwards. In a race that saw just four drivers pace the field, Kyle Busch led 265 laps but faded to sixth at the finish, thanks to a cut tire on the final 30-lap green-flag run.
Journeyman Brown won his first race as a Cup crew chief, after serving with four different drivers before his one-week shot on the pit box with Kenseth, who will get regular crew chief Jason Ratcliff back next week at Charlotte after Ratcliff's six-race suspension for an underweight connecting rod was reduced to one event on appeal.
But the day belonged to Kenseth, whose resilience under trying circumstances was emblematic of the organization he joined this season.
"Honestly, I've only dreamed about winning the Southern 500," said Kenseth, who notched his first victory at Darlington, his third of the season and the 27th of his career. "This to me probably feels bigger than any win in my career. I really feel bad that Jason isn't here. This is obviously his team and his effort, but Wally did a great job filling in.
"We had a fifth- or sixth-place car, fighting loose, (and) those last two adjustments (on pit road) were just awesome."
For Hamlin, second place was the best he could have hoped for, given the strength of Kenseth's car in the closing laps.
"For me, we kept grinding away," Hamlin said, clearly tired from the effort of his first race back at one of NASCAR racing's most demanding tracks. "Pit crew picked us up some spots, obviously, throughout the night.
"It was one of those days where we got our car better, pit crew picked us up positions, took us to the most optimum spot we could get to—and that was second."
>From a physical standpoint, Hamlin admitted the race took its toll.
"Really, it's just like starting your season over," he said. "To start it back over at Darlington for 500 miles, there's some muscles that have gotten weak. I've gotten pretty sore and tired, mentally tired as well. We'll have a couple of weeks really to rest until the next long event (Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte), and we'll be good to go then."
A caution for Regan Smith's spin off Turn 2 on Lap 302 of 367—only the second yellow of the race—interrupted a cycle of green-flag pit stops. After Juan Pablo Montoya took a free pass as the highest scored lap car, and Harvick availed himself of a wave-around, there were 11 cars on the lead lap for a restart on Lap 309.
By then, Kyle Busch had led 218 laps and had dominated the race ever since he wrested the lead from his brother, polesitter Kurt Busch on Lap 74. But the pit stops on Lap 303 put the lead-lap cars on the edge of their fuel windows.
They need not have worried. On Lap 311, Casey Mears tangled with Kurt Busch and reigning series champion Brad Keselowski off Turn 4 to cause the third caution. All but the top-four cars came to pit road for fuel under the yellow, leaving Kyle Busch, Kenseth, Kasey Kahne and Gordon out front on slightly older tires.
Johnson was first off pit road with new tires and quickly moved to third. Busch fended off a challenge from Kahne right after the restart and held a lead of .850 seconds when an accident involving David Reutimann and Josh Wise brought out the fourth caution and gave the lead-lappers a chance to pit for tires.
Kahne briefly took the lead after a restart on Lap 333, but one lap later, Kahne's Chevy slapped the wall near the apex of Turns 1 and 2 and the race went yellow for the fifth time.
The result was the same. Busch pulled away after the restart and opened a comfortable advantage, this time over Kenseth, only to have Kenseth run him down and pass him on Lap 355.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race - Bojangles' Southern 500
Darlington Raceway
Darlington, South Carolina
Saturday, May 11, 2013
1. (7) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 367, $309666.
2. (6) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 367, $211465.
3. (8) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 367, $200026.
4. (2) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 367, $178876.
5. (10) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 367, $165976.
6. (3) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 367, $169323.
7. (17) Carl Edwards, Ford, 367, $142065.
8. (12) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 367, $131429.
9. (16) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 367, $115265.
10. (21) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 367, $140423.
11. (13) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 367, $137188.
12. (5) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 367, $130205.
13. (9) Greg Biffle, Ford, 367, $111505.
14. (1) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 367, $122975.
15. (20) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 367, $139855.
16. (25) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 367, $121375.
17. (4) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 367, $108230.
18. (14) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #, Ford, 366, $139741.
19. (15) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 366, $122871.
20. (18) Aric Almirola, Ford, 366, $130141.
21. (11) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 365, $99205.
22. (30) Joey Logano, Ford, 365, $118388.
23. (28) Travis Kvapil, Toyota, 364, $115863.
24. (27) Regan Smith(i), Chevrolet, 363, $113063.
25. (22) Mark Martin, Toyota, 363, $96755.
26. (23) Bobby Labonte, Toyota, 363, $109588.
27. (37) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, 362, $98388.
28. (40) Danica Patrick #, Chevrolet, 362, $82980.
29. (29) David Gilliland, Ford, 362, $95327.
30. (32) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 360, $87105.
31. (43) Joe Nemechek(i), Toyota, 359, $82330.
32. (26) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 358, $135596.
33. (41) Timmy Hill #, Ford, 358, $84480.
34. (24) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 358, $109069.
35. (42) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, 354, $81605.
36. (33) David Reutimann, Toyota, Accident, 327, $81480.
37. (19) Casey Mears, Ford, Accident, 327, $89289.
38. (34) Josh Wise(i), Ford, Accident, 326, $75685.
39. (31) David Ragan, Ford, Engine, 318, $79685.
40. (39) David Stremme, Toyota, Engine, 230, $67685.
41. (36) Scott Speed, Ford, Brakes, 77, $63685.
42. (35) Michael McDowell, Ford, Brakes, 58, $59685.
43. (38) Mike Bliss(i), Toyota, Overheating, 18, $56185.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 141.383 mph.
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 32 Mins, 45 Secs. Margin of Victory: 3.155 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 5 for 25 laps.
Lead Changes: 9 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: Kurt Busch 1-51; Kyle Busch 52-53; M. Kenseth 54-55; Kurt Busch 56-73; Kyle Busch 74-105; M. Kenseth 106-107; Kyle Busch 108-185; J. Gordon 186-201; Kyle Busch 202-354; M. Kenseth 355-367.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Kyle Busch 4 times for 265 laps; Kurt Busch 2 times for 69 laps; M. Kenseth 3 times for 17 laps; J. Gordon 1 time for 16 laps.
Top 12 in Points: J. Johnson - 423; C. Edwards - 379; M. Kenseth - 364; D. Earnhardt Jr. - 359; C. Bowyer - 349; K. Kahne - 326; Brad Keselowski - 326; Kyle Busch - 325; A. Almirola - 317; K. Harvick - 315; P. Menard - 315; J. Gordon - 311.
--30--
Kyle Busch dominates Darlington for 56th Nationwide win
Credit: 285832Jonathan Ferrey/NASCAR via Getty Images
Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, celebrates after performing a burnout following his win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway on May 10, 2013 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/NASCAR via Getty Images)
May 10, 2013
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
DARLINGTON, S.C.—Kyle Busch kept it simple Friday night at Darlington Raceway.
The strategy was basic—win the pole, stay out front and win the race with the strongest car, and Busch did an admirable job in every category. He dusted the rest of the field at the venerable track in the South Carolina sandhills, pulling away to win the VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 by .935 over Elliott Sadler, who recovered from an early spin to finish second.
Brian Vickers came home third, followed by Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth. With cars in first, second, third and fifth, Joe Gibbs Racing became the first organization to place four cars in the top five of a Nationwide Series race.
Rookie Kyle Larson ran sixth, followed by Regan Smith, who extended his series lead by 28 points over eighth-place finisher Sam Hornish Jr.
The victory was Busch's fifth in eight NNS starts this season. Busch, who led 107 of 147 laps, extended his career win record in the series to 56. Busch scored a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0, his 16th perfect rating since NASCAR started keeping the statistic in 2005.
Busch won the race on a track that has started to regain the abrasive characteristic of the racing surface that was a hallmark of the Darlington before a repaving project in 2008. Realizing that, Busch insisted on a four-tire stop on lap 121, even though his tires were only eight laps old, and that move helped win the race.
Busch also was able to pull away from his rivals trough Turns 1 and 2, the wider end of the egg-shaped track.
"You want to be good at both ends here, but there's a lot of speed in 1 and 2, so you're going to have to take advantage of that as best you can," Busch said. "Three and 4 is an end where—I'm not going to say slower is faster—but maintaining a minimum speed is faster down there.
"But it seems like it's a little easier to do than not having a good-handling car in 1 and 2. There's a littler margin of error in Turn 1 and 2."
Sadler found that out the hard way when he spun in that corner while trying to keep up with Busch. Sadler explained that he simply misjudged the corner and got loose.
"I was pushing it, trying to keep up with the 54 (Busch)," Sadler said. "I wanted to get up there and try to lead some laps and just went in there too hard and got loose and had to make a decision whether to spin out or try to correct it, and I overcorrected and spun out.
"Lady Luck helped me from not hitting anything."
About the only thing that could slow Busch's progress was an issue on pit road. Busch came out sixth after a slow stop on Lap 51 under yellow for Sadler's spin.
Charging forward after the restart, Busch was on Kenseth's bumper, challenging for the lead by the time the race reached Lap 74, just past halfway.
For the next eight laps, Busch hounded Kenseth, finally clearing his teammate for the lead on Lap 82. Busch held the top spot until a caution on Lap 119 for Kyle Fowler's wreck changed the running order again.
Logano and Austin Dillon stayed out on old tires and led the field to a Lap 125 restart. Sadler restarted third after a two-tire stop, while Busch took the green in fourth on four fresh tires.
Busch made short work of the drivers on older rubber and passed Logano for the lead on Lap 130. Game over.
NASCAR Nationwide Series Race - VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200
Darlington Raceway
Darlington, South Carolina
Friday, May 10, 2013
1. (1) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 147, $44965.
2. (2) Elliott Sadler, Toyota, 147, $33600.
3. (4) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 147, $25400.
4. (14) Joey Logano(i), Ford, 147, $17450.
5. (3) Matt Kenseth(i), Toyota, 147, $16025.
6. (7) Kyle Larson #, Chevrolet, 147, $24675.
7. (11) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 147, $20410.
8. (9) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 147, $19270.
9. (6) Kasey Kahne(i), Chevrolet, 147, $12975.
10. (5) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 147, $19925.
11. (8) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 147, $18525.
12. (18) Chris Buescher, Ford, 147, $12450.
13. (15) Ty Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 147, $18400.
14. (26) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 147, $18350.
15. (12) Parker Kligerman, Toyota, 147, $19475.
16. (21) Nelson Piquet Jr. #, Chevrolet, 147, $18175.
17. (13) Alex Bowman #, Toyota, 147, $18125.
18. (16) Reed Sorenson, Ford, 147, $18075.
19. (19) Mike Bliss, Toyota, 146, $18025.
20. (27) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 146, $18625.
21. (22) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, 146, $17900.
22. (24) Blake Koch, Toyota, 146, $17850.
23. (20) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 146, $17800.
24. (28) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 146, $17750.
25. (25) Mike Wallace, Chevrolet, 146, $18155.
26. (37) Eric McClure, Toyota, 144, $17625.
27. (38) Danny Efland, Chevrolet, 144, $17575.
28. (17) Travis Pastrana, Ford, 144, $17500.
29. (34) Hal Martin #, Toyota, 143, $17465.
30. (30) Dexter Stacey #, Ford, 142, $17725.
31. (35) Harrison Rhodes(i), Ford, 141, $17375.
32. (10) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 139, $17345.
33. (39) Tony Raines, Toyota, 139, $17315.
34. (33) Kyle Fowler, Ford, Accident, 108, $17285.
35. (40) Kevin Lepage, Toyota, Rear Gear, 27, $11229.
36. (36) Bryan Silas(i), Toyota, Accident, 21, $16520.
37. (31) Jeff Green, Toyota, Vibration, 16, $10500.
38. (23) JJ Yeley(i), Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 7, $10426.
39. (32) Chase Miller, Chevrolet, Overheating, 4, $10315.
40. (29) Tanner Berryhill, Toyota, Rear Gear, 3, $10290.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 130.816 mph.
Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 32 Mins, 06 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.935 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 4 for 17 laps.
Lead Changes: 10 among 8 drivers.
Lap Leaders: K. Busch(i) 1-24; L. Cassill(i) 25; J. Clements 26; K. Busch(i) 27-51; H. Martin # 52; T. Raines 53; K. Kahne(i) 54; M. Kenseth(i) 55-81; K. Busch(i) 82-121; J. Logano(i) 122-129; K. Busch(i) 130-147.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Busch(i) 4 times for 107 laps; M. Kenseth(i) 1 time for 27 laps; J. Logano(i) 1 time for 8 laps; L. Cassill(i) 1 time for 1 lap; H. Martin # 1 time for 1 lap; K. Kahne(i) 1 time for 1 lap; J. Clements 1 time for 1 lap; T. Raines 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 10 in Points: R. Smith - 342; S. Hornish Jr. - 314; E. Sadler - 300; J. Allgaier - 299; B. Vickers - 293; A. Dillon - 290; P. Kligerman - 287; B. Scott - 284; A. Bowman # - 258; K. Larson # - 248.
--30--
Thursday, May 9, 2013
NASCAR Champion Kurt Busch Completes Indianapolis 500 Rookie Test
NASCAR CHAMP KURT BUSCH COMPLETES INDIANAPOLIS 500 ROOKIE TEST
INDIANAPOLIS, Thursday, May 9, 2013 - NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Kurt Busch completed the Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation Program during a test Thursday, May 9 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, reaching a top speed of 218.210 mph in an Andretti Autosport car.
But Busch is still taking a cautious approach toward any thoughts of participating in "The Double" of racing in the 97th Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 26.
"I need to get more comfortable in the Indy car because on a day like today, I'm white-knuckle, my hands were tense and firm, and that was only after 10 laps," Busch said. "And so then it started to settle in.
"So there's the mental side of it, there's the physical side, there's the sponsorship side that has to come together, and right now with Kyle Moyer (general manager, Andretti Autosport) looking sideways at Michael, Michael wants to do it, but they've already got five cars committed to trying to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 this year.
"To crawl, then walk, and then walk and then run, I think the proper thing is to go out and experience this car at another oval track and get into a race and experience what the buffeting is and the movement of the car when all the downforce changes."
Busch completed the Rookie Orientation Program in which all drivers must participate to compete in Indianapolis 500 practice and qualifying, under the supervision of INDYCAR officials. Busch fulfilled all three phases of the program: 10 laps at 200-205 mph, 15 laps at 205-209 mph and 15 laps at 210-plus mph.
Las Vegas native Busch totaled 83 laps on the day in the No. 1 DHL Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone that reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay will drive in the Indianapolis 500. Andretti Autosport team owner and Indianapolis 500 legend Michael Andretti and Andretti Autosport driver James Hinchcliffe, a winner of two of this season's four races, assisted Busch during the test.
"Today was an ideal day," Busch said. "I couldn't have asked for anything better as a rookie to come to Indy and have the track prepped the way it was and have the perfect weather conditions."
Busch entered into the test knowing that driving into Turn 1 at IMS in an open-wheel Indy car would provide different challenges from what he's experienced in a Sprint Cup stock car while driving in the Crown Royal presents the "Your Hero's Name Here" 400 at the Brickyard Powered by BigMachineRecords.com.
"Today, that was the biggest transition," Busch said. "When you want to step into the real world, that's to hold it wide open, and when you do that, your brain says, 'Wait a minute, you're not supposed to do that because in the stock car how heavy it is and the lack of downforce.' So when I did hold it wide open, I was off on my line, actually apexed too early, had a little extra wheel input on exit, and it changed the game. But then once I left it on the floor, the car started to come back to me and the pace started to slow down in my mind, even though the pace kept getting quicker with lap time."
Andretti was thrilled with Busch's performance.
"Well, I think it was good for us," Andretti said. "We got our first laps in May, so that's always nice. We wanted to do it in the proper way, and we wanted to do it in the proper way mostly for Kurt. We wanted him to have a real experience. We wanted to make some changes that he could feel and start to understand a little bit more about what to expect with the car in different conditions and different setups. I think we were able to achieve that.
"I would say the day went as good as we could have expected. Kurt did exactly what I thought he was going to do. He just drove exactly the way we wanted him to do it. He gave great feedback, right on pace, built up to it nice and steady, didn't do anything stupid, which we knew he wouldn't, and it was a really good day."
***
2013 Indianapolis 500 tickets: Tickets are on sale for the 97th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on Sunday, May 26 at IMS.
Race Day ticket prices start at just $30. Fans can buy tickets online at www.ims.com/tickets, by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700, or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, or by visiting the ticket office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday.
Children 12 and under will be receive free general admission to any IMS event in 2013 when accompanied by an adult general admission ticket holder.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Kimmel takes Talladega - earns 77th career ARCA victory
Friday, May 3, 2013
Kimmel takes Talladega - 77th career ARCA win
(TALLADEGA, Ala.) - Frank Kimmel won his 77thall-time ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards race Friday afternoon, taking the checkered flag in the rain-shortened International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Kimmel, driving the No. 44 Menards Ansell Toyota, took over the lead from Josh Williams on lap 43 and maintained the top position through a series of caution flags and re-starts - and rain.
"It's great to be back in victory lane," the 51-year-old Kimmel said. "The last time I won here at Talladega, it was shortened by darkness. The car ran great. I was drafting there with John Wes Townley early and worked our way to the front. I've always said you win here with your crew more than anywhere you go."
SCOTT Rookie Challenge winner Mason Mingus finished second with Caleb Armstrong in third place. Mark Thompson and Terry Jones rounded out the top five. Williams finished sixth.
The cars were brought down pit road for rain and the red flag came out at lap 73.
Kimmel's 77thwin moves him one step closer to the all-time ARCA Racing Series leader in wins, Iggy Katona. Katona won 79 ARCA races. It was Kimmel's second win at Talladega, the other coming in 2006.
Mingus, driving the Diamond Equipment-811 Call Before You Dig Toyota, started and finished second and leaves Talladega second in the ARCA Racing Series points standings behind Kimmel.
"We definitely didn't want to finish behind Frank," Mingus said. "But, we finished second to him and we lost as few points as we could. I definitely didn't want to see that rain."
Venturini Motorsports driver Caleb Armstrong , in the No. 55 Cometic Gasket-Susie's Hope Toyota, moved into third place and stayed there until the end of the race.
"We got to the front," Armstrong said. "I think we could have had something for the leader. ... I wanted to get to the front. I definitely didn't come here to run third."
Mingus, who drives for Win-Tron Racing, was driving his first race at Talladega.
"I've run on two superspeedways before, Daytona earlier this year and now here," he said. "I learned a lot about superspeedway driving today. My spotter was in my ear a lot."
Terry Jones had his highest ARCA Racing Series finish ever in the J-AAR Excavating Dodge, placing fifth.Williams had a great run by staying out on the track for all 73 laps. When the leaders came to pit on lap 29, Williams stayed out, inheriting the lead. He never did make a pit stop.
"We had three gallons left," said Williams, driving the No. 02 Southwest Florida Cable Construction Ford. "We were hammering on the radar all race. It just happened to work out for us. I would keep shutting my car off under caution and saving fuel."
The race went caution seven times, including for a 12-car crash before lap 40 that took out pole-sitter Milka Duno.
Four cars were sent to the back after their times were disallowed during Thursday's qualifying. One of those was Thompson, who still managed the top five finish. Townley, who helped push Kimmel to the lead in his Venturini Motorsports Zaxby's Toyota, was another driver who had to start at the back because his qualifying time was disallowed. He managed to race his way into the top five before a crash ended his day on lap 28.
Rounding out the top 10 was John Ferrier, George Cushman, Ricky Ehrgott and Matt Kurzejewski. Nineteen cars were on the lead lap when the red flag came out, ending the race.
Hall of Fame driver Rusty Wallace gave the pre-race, "start-your-engine" command.About ARCAThe Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is among the leading auto racing sanctioning bodies in the country. Founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum, the organization administers more than 100 events each year in multiple racing series, including the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, the ARCA/CRA Super Series, the ARCA Truck Series and the ARCA Midwest Tour, plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways.
2013 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Event #4
Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega Alabama, 5-3-13
International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250
FIN STR NO DRIVER/HOMETOWN LAPS STATUS 1 11 44 Frank Kimmel/Clarksville IN 73 Running 2 2 32 Mason Mingus/Brentwood TN 73 Running 3 5 55 Caleb Armstrong/New Castle IN 73 Running 4 33 66 Mark Thompson/Cartersville GA 73 Running 5 24 30 Terry Jones/Amherstburg Ontario 73 Running 6 17 02 Josh Williams/Port Charlotte FL 73 Running 7 23 69 John Ferrier/Middletown NY 73 Running 8 18 13 George Cushman/Waterville NY 73 Running 9 15 6 Ricky Ehrgott/Valrico FL 73 Running 10 22 54 Matt Kurzejewski/Mansfield PA 73 Running 11 9 92 Brennan Newberry/Bakersfield CA 73 Running 12 21 10 Cody McMahan/Chilhowie VA 73 Running 13 32 22 Korbin Forrister/Cedartown GA 73 Running 14 13 82 Sean Corr/Goshen NY 73 Running 15 8 3 Drew Charlson/New Bremen OH 73 Running 16 3 90 Grant Enfinger/Fairhope AL 73 Running 17 14 88 Buster Graham/Lafayette LA 73 Running 18 29 94 Barry Fitzgerald/Sykesville MD 73 Running 19 36 75 Benny Chastain/Tallahassee FL 73 Running 20 27 40 Galen Hassler/Columbia MO 68 Running 21 34 06 James Swanson/Clarksboro NJ 67 Running 22 25 2 Thomas Praytor/Mobile AL 65 Accident 23 26 34 Darrell Basham/Henryville IN 62 Accident 24 35 5 Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA 53 Overhtng 25 6 99 Mason Mitchell/W. Des Moines IA 48 Accident 26 12 77 Tom Hessert/Cherry Hill NJ 40 Running 27 7 23 Spencer Gallagher/Las Vegas NV 37 Accident 28 19 08 Clay Campbell/Martinsville VA 36 Accident 29 1 35 Milka Duno/Caracas Venezuela 34 Accident 30 4 25 Justin Boston/Baltimore, MD 34 Accident 31 10 42 Bo LeMastus/Louisville KY 34 Accident 32 20 19 Donnie Neuenberger/Edgewater MD 34 Accident 33 31 48 James Hylton/Inman SC 33 Accident 34 30 15 John Wes Townley/Watkinsville GA 28 Accident 35 28 97 Roger Carter/Sunfield MI 15 Clutch 36 16 68 Will Kimmel/Sellersburg IN 4 Handling
Menards Pole Award Presented by Ansell: Milka Duno 53.652 seconds (178.484 mph)
Margin of Victory: Caution
Time of Race: 1:38:55
Lap Leaders: Duno 1-7 (7); Mingus 8-18 (11); Enfinger 19-22 (4); Kimmel 23-29, 44-73 (37);
Williams 30-43 (14)
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