Kevin Harvick Holds Off Dale Earnhardt Jr. For Victory At Phoenix

 

March 2, 2014 

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

AVONDALE, Ariz.—In a race that began with an air of inevitability as thick as the storm clouds that pelted Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday night, Kevin Harvick survived a succession of late restarts to win Sunday's The Profit on CNBC 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

In his first season with Stewart-Haas Racing and his first with crew chief Rodney Childers, Harvick entered the race as an overwhelming favorite and delivered, despite the best efforts of Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr., who chased Harvick’s No. 4 Chevrolet to the checkered flag.

Having shown his speed by pacing both Saturday practice sessions, before the rain came, Harvick led 224 of the 312 laps at the one-mile track, including the final 24, leaving Earnhardt to battle with front row starters Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, who finished third and fourth, respectively, for Team Penske.

The victory was a record fifth for Harvick at Phoenix; he also won the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the one-mile track in November. The 38-year-old driver from Bakersfield, Calif., won for the 24th time in 468 career starts. 

"Man, this just solidifies so many things and so many decisions," said Harvick, who left Richard Childress Racing after 13 seasons to make the move to Stewart-Haas. "It’s been so much work with all the time and effort that these guys (the crew) have put in--but what a race car."

In Harvick’s view, the victory vindicated his decision to change teams.

"Rodney Childers has just done a phenomenal job of putting this team together," Harvick said. "These guys all want to win. That’s why they came here. That’s why I came here, too. 

"I’ve just got to thank (owners) Gene (Haas) and Tony (Stewart), and (Stewart’s business manager) Eddie Jarvis. In 2012 I told (Jarvis) it would be fun to have Tony and I on the same team, and here we are in Victory Lane."

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson finished fifth and sixth, with Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch and Jamie McMurray completing the top 10. 

Even though Earnhardt had his best speed of the day on his last set of tires, Harvick was able to keep him at bay through four cautions and subsequent restarts in the last 65 laps of the race.

Earnhardt worked his way clear of the Penske cars after the final restart on Lap 304 but ran out of time in his pursuit of the race winner, who arrived at the finish line .489 seconds ahead of the No. 88 Chevrolet.

"We got running side-by-side there for second and just let Kevin get out there a little too far," Earnhardt said of the final restart. "I thought we were running him down those last few laps, but we were just too far away. 

"It was a great job by Kevin and his whole team. They did a great job all weekend. They were fast. We worked on our car. We got a little help from our teammates, and it was a lot of hard work to get better and better. I ended up where I thought we should have finished.

"We were a little faster at the end, but they were stellar—impressive as heck all weekend. I hope everybody enjoyed the race. We were really working our butts off there and giving it everything we had."

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race - The Profit on CNBC 500, Presented by Small Business Fueling America

Phoenix International Raceway

Avondale, Arizona

Sunday, March 02, 2014

               1. (13) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 312, $260048.

               2. (5) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 312, $172240.

               3. (1) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 312, $180673.

               4. (2) Joey Logano, Ford, 312, $159641.

               5. (17) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 312, $159326.

               6. (4) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 312, $152266.

               7. (15) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 312, $104380.

               8. (23) Carl Edwards, Ford, 312, $117330.

               9. (7) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 312, $132871.

               10. (3) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 312, $122444.

               11. (11) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 312, $101430.

               12. (19) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 312, $130266.

               13. (14) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 312, $118671.

               14. (18) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 312, $108513.

               15. (9) Aric Almirola, Ford, 312, $119066.

               16. (20) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 312, $114963.

               17. (6) Greg Biffle, Ford, 312, $120480.

               18. (21) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 312, $115605.

               19. (12) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 312, $87480.

               20. (8) Kyle Larson #, Chevrolet, 312, $108200.

               21. (29) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 311, $105250.

               22. (27) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 311, $106538.

               23. (22) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 311, $105594.

               24. (24) Austin Dillon #, Chevrolet, 311, $123466.

               25. (16) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 311, $110680.

               26. (25) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 310, $93938.

               27. (31) Cole Whitt #, Toyota, 310, $74355.

               28. (30) David Ragan, Ford, 310, $99588.

               29. (28) David Gilliland, Ford, 309, $96863.

               30. (43) Justin Allgaier #, Chevrolet, 309, $96002.

               31. (39) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 308, $76790.

               32. (32) Brian Scott(i), Chevrolet, 308, $76105.

               33. (26) Michael McDowell, Ford, 307, $73480.

               34. (41) Michael Annett #, Chevrolet, 307, $73355.

               35. (34) Ryan Truex #, Toyota, 307, $73230.

               36. (33) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 306, $81075.

               37. (37) Blake Koch(i), Ford, 306, $72946.

               38. (40) Travis Kvapil, Ford, 302, $68380.

               39. (10) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, Engine, 292, $64380.

               40. (38) Joe Nemechek(i), Toyota, 292, $68380.

               41. (35) Alex Bowman #, Toyota, Brakes, 230, $56380.

               42. (36) Parker Kligerman #, Toyota, Engine, 226, $52380.

               43. (42) Morgan Shepherd(i), Toyota, Brakes, 28, $48880.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  109.229 mph.

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 51 Mins, 23 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.489 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  8 for 38 laps.

Lead Changes:  14 among 8 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   B. Keselowski 0; J. Logano 1-37; D. Gilliland 38-39; B. Keselowski 40; J. Logano 41-73; K. Harvick 74-110; B. Keselowski 111-112; K. Harvick 113-190; J. Logano 191; K. Harvick 192-236; C. Edwards 237; J. Gordon 238-241; R. Newman 242-247; C. Bowyer 248; K. Harvick 249-312.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  K. Harvick 4 times for 224 laps; J. Logano 3 times for 71 laps; R. Newman 1 time for 6 laps; J. Gordon 1 time for 4 laps; B. Keselowski 2 times for 3 laps; D. Gilliland 1 time for 2 laps; C. Edwards 1 time for 1 lap; C. Bowyer 1 time for 1 lap.

Wins: D. Earnhardt Jr., 1; K. Harvick, 1.

Top 16 in Points: D. Earnhardt Jr. - 90; B. Keselowski - 84; J. Gordon - 80; K. Harvick - 79; J. Johnson - 78; J. Logano - 75; M. Kenseth - 70; D. Hamlin - 68; C. Edwards - 65; G. Biffle - 64; C. Mears - 64; J. McMurray - 64; R. Stenhouse Jr. - 63; Kyle Busch - 61; R. Newman - 60; A. Dillon # - 56.

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.

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--
 

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.


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Clint Bowyer wins Richmond as Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon make Chase

Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

 
Sept. 8, 2012

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

RICHMOND, Va. -- Clint Bowyer had a gulp of gas just big enough to win the race. Rick Hendrick had Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon as a pair of Chasers.

In a rain-interrupted race of accumulating tension, Bowyer made it to the finish line 1.198 seconds ahead of Gordon, who knocked Kyle Busch out of the final wild-card spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup in the closing laps of Saturday night's Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

The victory was Bowyer's second of the season, his second at Richmond and the seventh of his career. He and teammate Martin Truex Jr. are the first two Michael Waltrip Racing drivers to make the 12-driver Chase field.

MWR teammate Mark Martin ran third Saturday, followed by Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth, but the big story was Gordon's miracle comeback that put all four Hendrick Motorsports cars in the Chase. Gordon joined Kahne, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in NASCAR's 10-race playoff.

For Busch, it was a failed pit strategy that led to his ouster from the second wild-card spot, a position he held entering the race and for the vast majority of Saturday night's event. When a light rain caused the sixth caution on Lap 275, Busch stayed out while others came to pit road for fuel. A slow pit stop under green on Lap 334, thanks to a dropped lug nut on the right-rear wheel, did further damage to his chances and allowed Gordon to sneak into the Chase by a three-point margin.

Several times in the last 11 laps, the second provisional wild-card spot changed hands between Gordon and Busch, who entered the race with a 12-point lead over Gordon. When Busch passed Martin Truex Jr. for the 15th position on Lap 390 of 400, he had the berth. When Gordon passed Mark Martin on Lap 394, he took it back.

Ultimately, Busch dropped positions to Marcos Ambrose and Hendrick driver and pole-sitter Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was on a late-race mission to help his teammate make the Chase.

"We missed," Busch said tersely after the race was over. "Plain and simple."

Team owner Joe Gibbs advised his mercurial driver to handle his disappointment the right way.

"There's no right way to handle this situation," was Busch's rejoinder.

Gordon started second but quickly faded. By the time rain halted the race on Lap 152, he was a lap down and going nowhere. Under the caution that preceded the red flag, however, his crew cut the chain to the rear sway bar to disconnect it, and the handling of the No. 24 Chevrolet improved dramatically.

"I felt like I won the race tonight," Gordon said. "When that was over, when they told me I was in the Chase, we made it -- I mean, I was ecstatic. I was going nuts. To me, after you have that kind of effort, fall back, then come up there and finish second, almost win the race, make it by (three points), man, I don't see any reason why we can't go over these next 10 races and be a real threat for the championship."

Bowyer recovered from a spin just past the midpoint of the race and rallied for the win. On Lap 234, contact with Juan Pablo Montoya's Chevrolet deflated Bowyer's left-rear tire. Fighting for control, Bowyer looped his car near the start/finish line.

"Thank you, Juan Pablo, for wrecking me and then winning me the race--thank you!" quipped Bowyer, who was then in position to gamble on fuel mileage. "We had a bad race last weekend (at Atlanta) and had a lot of adversity we had to bounce through, were kind of bummed out as a team, as a whole, coming into this race.

"It's a good way to get things bounced back headed into this Chase. You can't ask for a better race team, my teammates, MWR, everybody that's a part of this. It's just unbelievable."

The consolation for Joe Gibbs Racing is that Denny Hamlin begins the Chase as the No. 1 seed on the strength of four victories in the first 26 races. But that provides little solace for Busch's crew chief Dave Rogers, who made the decision to keep his driver on the track when a pit stop would have been the safe play.

"We missed it -- my fault," Rogers radioed to Busch. "One hundred percent my fault."

RACE RESULTS

 1.  (4) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 400, $226,114.
 2.  (2) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 400, $203,546.
 3.  (6) Mark Martin, Toyota, 400, $128,785.
 4. (28) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 400, $174,685.
 5. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 400, $152,221.
 6. (20) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 400, $135,335.
 7. (10) Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 400, $125,530.
 8. (14) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 400, $126,218.
 9. (23) Greg Biffle, Ford, 400, $93,885.
10. (13) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 400, $135,096.
11. (11) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 400, $122,210.
12. (21) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 399, $89,035.
13.  (5) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 399, $122,296.
14.  (1) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 399, $92,435.
15. (22) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 399, $106,593.
16. (15) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 399, $120,118.
17. (16) Carl Edwards, Ford, 399, $119,301.
18.  (7) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 399, $122,951.
19. (12) Landon Cassill, Toyota, 399, $102,880.
20. (24) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 399, $107,476.
21.  (9) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 399, $103,174.
22. (26) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 398, $106,693.
23. (25) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 398, $83,385.
24.  (3) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 398, $101,293.
25. (29) Bobby Labonte, Toyota, 397, $99,568.
26. (18) Aric Almirola, Ford, 397, $111,571.
27. (32) Travis Kvapil, Toyota, 397, $96,568.
28. (30) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 396, $93,843.
29. (42) Casey Mears, Ford, 396, $83,507.
30.  (8) Joey Logano, Toyota, 396, $83,335.
31. (35) David Gilliland, Ford, 395, $73,210.
32. (27) David Ragan, Ford, 395, $70,560.
33. (33) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, 395, $70,435.
34. (37) David Reutimann, Chevrolet, 393, $70,310.
35. (39) Ken Schrader, Ford, 393, $78,160.
36. (36) Stephen Leicht, Chevrolet, 390, $79,510.
37. (31) David Stremme, Chevrolet, Brakes, 127, $69,880.
38. (34) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, Brakes, 90, $69,728.
39. (38) Scott Riggs, Chevrolet, Brakes, 78, $66,900.
40. (40) Mike Bliss, Toyota, Wheel Bearing, 70, $66,775.
41. (19) Michael McDowell, Ford, Brakes, 63, $66,625.
42. (41) Josh Wise, Ford, Brakes, 57, $66,500.
43. (43) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, Power Steering, 57, $66,860.

RACE STATISTICS

   Average Speed of Race Winner: 100.019 mph.
   Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 59 Mins, 58 Secs.
   Margin of Victory: 1.198 Seconds.
   Caution Flags: 6 for 41 laps.
   Lead Changes: 17 among 10 drivers.
   Lap Leaders: D. Earnhardt Jr. 1-6; J. Gordon 7-8; D. Earnhardt Jr. 9-47; M. McDowell 48; D. Earnhardt Jr. 49-58; D. Hamlin 59-84; D. Earnhardt Jr. 85-93; D. Hamlin 94-155; D. Earnhardt Jr. 156-158; D. Hamlin 159-231; J. Johnson 232-233; D. Hamlin 234-241; M. Truex Jr. 242-248; D. Hamlin 249-281; K. Kahne 282-284; T. Stewart 285-299; R. Newman 300-312; C. Bowyer 313-400.
   Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): D. Hamlin 5 times for 202 laps; C. Bowyer 1 time for 88 laps; D. Earnhardt Jr. 5 times for 67 laps; T. Stewart 1 time for 15 laps; R. Newman 1 time for 13 laps; M. Truex Jr. 1 time for 7 laps; K. Kahne 1 time for 3 laps; J. Johnson 1 time for 2 laps; J. Gordon 1 time for 2 laps; M. McDowell 1 time for 1 lap.
   Top 12 in Points: G. Biffle - 914; D. Earnhardt Jr. - 902; M. Kenseth - 897; J. Johnson - 880; B. Keselowski - 868; M. Truex Jr. - 862; C. Bowyer - 858; D. Hamlin - 850; K. Harvick - 841; T. Stewart - 810; K. Kahne - 784; J. Gordon - 777.

--30--