Denny Hamlin repeats, edges Jeff Gordon for Atlanta victory

 
Credit: Brian Lawdermilk-Pool/Getty Images

Sept. 2, 2012

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

HAMPTON, Ga. -- Denny Hamlin did himself a favor -- and one for Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch in the process.

Outrunning Jeff Gordon on a two-lap dash to the finish in Sunday night's AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hamlin scored his second straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory, his series-best fourth of the season and the 21st of his career.

Hamlin also preserved Busch's status as the second provisional wild card in the Chase for the Sprint Cup by keeping Gordon out of Victory Lane.

Hamlin beat Gordon to the finish line by .378 seconds after a caution spoiled a probable victory for Martin Truex Jr., who was leading by two seconds when Jamie McMurray wrecked on the frontstretch on Lap 320 of 327.

Brad Keselowski ran third, followed by Truex and Kevin Harvick.

Matt Kenseth (ninth Sunday), Truex, Keselowski, Hamlin, Clint Bowyer (27th) and Harvick all clinched top-10 spots in the Chase, joining series leader Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson. Defending Cup champion and pole-sitter Tony Stewart fought an ill-handling car all night and finished 22nd but clinched at least a wild-card spot.

"This is one I wanted real bad," Hamlin said. "Last week was a big one (at Bristol) -- no doubt about it -- but I've been really good here the last few years and not won."

Hamlin's crew got him off pit road in the lead when all the contending cars stopped under the final caution, which extended the race two laps past its scheduled lap count of 325.

"The pit crew won me the race," Hamlin said. "That's what a championship team is all about, to have all the pieces of the puzzle put together, and this year I think we have it all."

Gordon, who celebrated his 41st birthday last month, allowed that he must be getting soft in his old age.

"He (Hamlin) made a mistake off of (Turn) 2 (after the final restart), and I got a run on him, and I made a bad decision," Gordon said. "All night I was able to get to guys' quarter panels and get to the outside and stay there. I should have just run into the back of him going into (Turn) 3 and moved him up the race track.

"We'd be sitting in Victory lane right now counting another win. This Chase is too important to be in it for me not to make a move like that. I wouldn't have wanted to wreck him, but I would have liked to have that one over again."

Gordon trails Busch by 12 points with one race left before the Chase field is set next Saturday night at Richmond. A race win there would guarantee either driver a wild-card berth.

After the midpoint of the race, Harvick and Hamlin established themselves as the class of the field, running away from the pack after a restart on Lap 135. Hamlin's team opted to stretch fuel mileage, intending to finish the race on one more stop after coming to pit road under green on Lap 221.

Harvick had pitted for fuel and four tires on Lap 216 and would have needed two more stops to make it to the end of the race. The tradeoff was that the extra five laps on new tires had given Harvick an 8.4-second lead over Hamlin after the cycle of stops.

Hamlin, however, trimmed a second per lap from Harvick's advantage and had pulled up to the bumper of the No. 29 Chevrolet when caution for Juan Pablo Montoya's brush with the outside wall on Lap 241 made all the fuel calculations moot.

Hamlin beat Harvick off pit road under the yellow and held the top spot after a restart on Lap 248. Truex moved past Harvick into the second position one lap later and kept Hamlin in his sights during the ensuing green flag run.

Running a higher line than Hamlin, Truex was moments away from taking the lead when the engine in Carl Edwards' No. 99 Ford blew on Lap 264, causing the fourth caution of the night. The early end to Edwards' night forces last year's Chase runner-up, who finished 36th, to win next Saturday at Richmond to have even a remote chance at a wild-card spot in the Chase.

Pit stops on Lap 266 put fuel strategy back into play. Hamlin, for instance, left pit road needing to save four laps worth of fuel to get to the checkered flag. On the restart on Lap 270, though, the entire tenor of the race changed when Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman and Sam Hornish Jr. wrecked on the backstretch.

His car destroyed, Newman was credited with a 35th-place finish. His only realistic avenue into the Chase is a victory at Richmond.

RACE RESULTS

 1.  (7) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 327, $355,716.
 2.  (5) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 327, $245,976.
 3. (21) Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 327, $197,435.
 4. (28) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 327, $173,354.
 5. (24) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 327, $172,101.
 6.  (3) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 327, $162,398.
 7. (35) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 327, $127,490.
 8. (18) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 327, $120,390.
 9.  (4) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 327, $153,801.
10.  (6) Mark Martin, Toyota, 327, $107,790.
11. (15) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 327, $145,730.
12. (26) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 327, $142,255.
13. (16) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 327, $129,638.
14. (27) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 327, $126,638.
15.  (2) Greg Biffle, Ford, 327, $112,205.
16. (32) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 327, $100,305.
17. (10) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 327, $127,488.
18.  (9) Joey Logano, Toyota, 327, $106,680.
19. (25) Bobby Labonte, Toyota, 327, $120,013.
20. (40) Landon Cassill, Toyota, 326, $124,475.
21. (33) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 326, $126,146.
22.  (1) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 326, $156,380.
23. (11) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 325, $102,555.
24. (20) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 325, $124,763.
25. (22) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, 324, $93,180.
26. (41) Travis Kvapil, Toyota, 324, $111,888.
27. (30) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 324, $118,844.
28. (14) David Ragan, Ford, 323, $99,777.
29. (23) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 321, $87,555.
30. (42) TJ Bell, Ford, 319, $97,180.
31. (29) David Gilliland, Ford, 298, $87,255.
32. (13) Aric Almirola, Ford, 297, $124,291.
33. (19) Casey Mears, Ford, Engine, 291, $86,905.
34.  (8) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, Accident, 269, $133,966.
35. (17) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, Accident, 268, $131,013.
36. (12) Carl Edwards, Ford, Engine, 264, $132,946.
37. (36) Scott Speed, Ford, Suspension, 196, $86,280.
38. (34) Jason Leffler, Toyota, Vibration, 77, $86,157.
39. (31) David Stremme, Toyota, Suspension, 54, $82,700.
40. (39) Scott Riggs, Chevrolet, Vibration, 43, $82,550.
41. (43) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, Brakes, 32, $82,375.
42. (38) Reed Sorenson, Toyota, Overheating, 24, $82,280.
43. (37) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, Rear Gear, 22, $82,641.

RACE STATISTICS

   Average Speed of Race Winner: 142.02 mph.
   Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 32 Mins, 45 Secs.
   Margin of Victory: 0.378 Seconds.
   Caution Flags: 6 for 31 laps.
   Lead Changes: 18 among 7 drivers.
   Lap Leaders: T. Stewart 0; G. Biffle 1; T. Stewart 2-9; J. Gordon 10-15; Kyle Busch 16-34; D. Hamlin 35-40; Kyle Busch 41-81; D. Hamlin 82; K. Harvick 83-84; Kyle Busch 85-90; D. Hamlin 91-134; K. Harvick 135-173; D. Hamlin 174-176; K. Harvick 177-215; D. Hamlin 216-221; K. Harvick 222-242; D. Hamlin 243-281; M. Truex Jr. 282-321; D. Hamlin 322-327.
   Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): D. Hamlin 7 times for 105 laps; K. Harvick 4 times for 101 laps; Kyle Busch 3 times for 66 laps; M. Truex Jr. 1 time for 40 laps; T. Stewart 1 time for 8 laps; J. Gordon 1 time for 6 laps; G. Biffle 1 time for 1 lap.
   Top 12 in Points: G. Biffle - 879; D. Earnhardt Jr. - 871; M. Kenseth - 858; J. Johnson - 848; M. Truex Jr. - 838; B. Keselowski - 831; D. Hamlin - 822; C. Bowyer - 811; K. Harvick - 807; T. Stewart - 769; K. Kahne - 751; Kyle Busch - 746.

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Last-lap surge propels Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to Nationwide win at Atlanta

 
Credit: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images for NASCAR

Sept. 1, 2012

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

HAMPTON, Ga. -- There's an arrest warrant out for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. -- or perhaps there should be -- after the defending NASCAR Nationwide Series champion stole Saturday night's NRA American Warrior 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Indeed, Kevin Harvick left the 1.54-mile track feeling robbed -- but not by Stenhouse, who grabbed the lead from Harvick on the final lap, after a restart with three laps remaining, but by race runner-up Brad Keselowski.

In an awkward post-race press conference with the protagonists seated side-by-side, Harvick accused Keselowski of highway robbery for throwing a water bottle out of his car late in the race. Harvick, who saw the replay of the water bottle toss on the Sprint Vision screen as he circled the track under caution, believed that was the cause of the seventh caution, which allowed Keselowski and Justin Allgaier to pit for fresh tires.

It was contact between the cars of Danica Patrick and James Buescher, however, that ignited a four-car wreck on Lap 188 that caused the eighth and final caution and gave Stenhouse the chance to win.

"Heck, yeah, we stole it," Stenhouse said. "We've had a few stolen from us. You go out and get as many as you can, any way you can. It was good, hard, clean racing. I'm glad we could put on a show for the fans, because it really wasn't a show up to that point."

Keselowski, on fresh tires, passed Harvick for the second spot after Stenhouse grabbed the lead. Harvick ran third, followed by Elliott Sadler and Allgaier.

Though it was Stenhouse who prevailed on the track, it was Keselowski's water bottle that stuck in Harvick's craw.

"It's pretty obvious," said Harvick, who had confronted Keselowski on pit road after the race. "They put it on TV and showed when the caution came out on the same lap. . . . He told me it was intentional, so it is what it is."

Turning to Keselowski, Harvick added, "Sleep good tonight."

Keselowski said throwing a water bottle from the car is nothing unusual and that many drivers follow the same practice. Keselowski also disagreed with Harvick on the timing of the incident.

"It went out of my car 15 to 20 laps before the yellow came out," Keselowski asserted. "I guess that's why I was caught off guard with the comment that the water bottle caused the yellow.

"Everybody throws water bottles out of the car. . . . That's how racing works. If you go around the infield at these tracks, I'm sure after the race you'll find 20 water bottles."

NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said that a piece of aluminum in Turn 1 was the cause of the caution. He added that the jettisoning of water bottles is a common practice with some drivers.

"We don't think it's out of hand," Pemberton said.

An ESPN spokesperson said the network had taped the water bottle toss earlier and showed it during the caution as a possible cause of the yellow, a set of facts which supports Keselowski's version of events.

Perhaps a portion of Harvick's frustration can be attributed to his failure to win the race with the fastest car, one that led 157 of 195 laps before Stenhouse grabbed the lead on the final circuit. Before the last restart, Harvick appeared to have the race in hand, having opened an advantage that exceeded 16 seconds at one point.

Emblematic of Harvick's dominance was a restart on Lap 127. Travis Pastrana had stayed out under caution for Eric McClure's brush with the Turn 2 wall and led the first six laps of his Nationwide career under yellow.

Under green? Another matter. Pastrana led the field to the restart, but before the field cleared Turn 2, Harvick had powered from fifth to first, as Stenhouse tried in vain to keep pace.

Harvick lost the lead briefly during a cycle of green-flag pit stops late in the race, but he was back in front for a restart on Lap 188, after NASCAR called the seventh caution of the night -- the source of the controversy between Harvick and Keselowski -- on Lap 182 for the debris in Turn 1.

Stenhouse narrowed Sadler's lead in the Nationwide standings to 12 points, as the same two drivers who battled for last year's title have begun to separate themselves from their pursuers. Sam Hornish Jr. finished ninth Saturday and is third in points, 32 behind Sadler.

RACE RESULTS

 1.  (2) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 195, $63,793.
 2.  (8) Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 195, $29,200.
 3.  (3) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 195, $28,575.
 4.  (7) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 195, $27,743.
 5. (13) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 195, $27,768.
 6.  (9) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 195, $23,368.
 7.  (1) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 195, $19,210.
 8. (12) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 195, $21,238.
 9.  (6) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 195, $20,818.
10. (14) Michael Annett, Ford, 195, $21,168.
11. (15) Brian Scott, Toyota, 193, $19,393.
12.  (5) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 193, $12,875.
13. (17) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 193, $18,318.
14. (18) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 193, $17,768.
15. (25) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 191, $18,768.
16. (20) Jason Bowles, Toyota, 191, $17,518.
17. (27) Mike Wallace, Chevrolet, 191, $17,443.
18. (38) Tayler Malsam, Toyota, 189, $17,343.
19. (36) Danny Efland, Chevrolet, 187, $17,268.
20. (28) Erik Darnell, Chevrolet, 187, $17,668.
21. (30) Eric McClure, Toyota, 187, $17,268.
22. (10) Mike Bliss, Toyota, Accident, 186, $17,018.
23. (23) James Buescher, Chevrolet, Accident, 185, $16,943.
24. (35) Benny Gordon, Toyota, 184, $16,868.
25. (24) Kyle Fowler, Ford, Accident, 183, $17,293.
26. (16) Travis Pastrana, Toyota, 173, $16,768.
27. (19) David Starr, Chevrolet, Engine, 130, $10,250.
28.  (4) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, Accident, 128, $10,425.
29. (40) Tony Raines, Chevrolet, Brakes, 105, $16,593.
30. (26) Matt Carter, Ford, Ignition, 101, $16,793.
31. (41) Robert Richardson Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 68, $16,438.
32. (11) Reed Sorenson, Ford, Accident, 63, $9,910.
33. (33) Timmy Hill, Ford, Electrical, 42, $9,875.
34. (37) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Handling, 35, $9,840.
35. (21) Jeff Green, Toyota, Vibration, 25, $9,810.
36. (22) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, Ignition, 14, $9,750.
37. (42) Fain Skinner, Ford, Engine, 8, $9,715.
38. (31) Chase Miller, Chevrolet, Vibration, 7, $9,661.
39. (39) Mike Harmon, Chevrolet, Overheating, 6, $9,545.
40. (29) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, Electrical, 5, $9,480.
41. (32) Carl Long, Chevrolet, Fuel Pressure, 4, $9,415.
42. (34) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, Overheating, 3, $9,365.
43. (43) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, Accident, 2, $9,286.

RACE STATISTICS

   Average Speed of Race Winner: 117.880 mph.
   Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 32 Mins, 51 Secs.
   Margin of Victory: 0.157 Seconds.
   Caution Flags: 8 for 43 laps.
   Lead Changes: 9 among 6 drivers.
   Lap Leaders: K. Busch 1-2; R. Stenhouse Jr. 3-17; K. Harvick 18-49; S. Hornish Jr. 50; K. Harvick 51-120; T. Pastrana 121-126; K. Harvick 127-170; J. Allgaier 171-183; K. Harvick 184-194; R. Stenhouse Jr. 195;.
   Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Harvick 4 times for 157 laps; R. Stenhouse Jr. 2 times for 16 laps; J. Allgaier 1 time for 13 laps; T. Pastrana 1 time for 6 laps; K. Busch 1 time for 2 laps; S. Hornish Jr. 1 time for 1 lap.
   Top 10 in Points: E. Sadler - 904; R. Stenhouse Jr. - 892; S. Hornish Jr. - 872; A. Dillon - 867; J. Allgaier - 810; M. Annett - 760; C. Whitt - 707; M. Bliss - 662; B. Scott - 583; D. Patrick - 570.

Ty Dillon notches first truck series victory at Atlanta

 Ty Dillon notches first truck series victory at Atlanta

Aug. 31, 2012

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Busch said Dillon's truck was simply better.

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

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

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

RACE RESULTS

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

RACE STATISTICS

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

--30--

INDYCAR NEWS AND NOTES – Aug. 29, 2012

 

INDYCAR NEWS AND NOTES - Aug. 29, 2012

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

1.      Sonoma technical penalty update

2.      If you missed it - Alex Tagliani conference call

3.      THE INSIDE TRACK - Grand Prix of Baltimore

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

5.      Ed Carpenter Racing seeks to continue streak

6.      Chinese driver Fong joins Firestone Indy Lights

7.      Of note

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

***

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

 

INDYCAR NEWS AND NOTES – Aug. 27, 2012

 

INDYCAR NEWS AND NOTES - Aug. 27, 2012

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Did You Know? 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Championship

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

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

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

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

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

Drivers still eligible for championship: 8

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

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

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

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

Championship chases with two races left:

2011

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

Final Margin and Champion: 18 points. Dario Franchitti

2010

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

Final Margin and Champion: 5 points. Dario Franchitti

 

2009

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

 

2008

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

 

2007

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

 

2006

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

***

 

Denny Hamlin wins action-packed Cup race at Bristol

 
Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

Aug. 25, 2012

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stewart finished 27th and Kenseth 25th.

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

--30--

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

Credit: Tyler Barrick/Getty Images

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

Aug. 24, 2012

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RACE RESULTS

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

RACE STATISTICS

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

--30--

Timothy Peters leads every lap for truck triumph at Bristol

Timothy Peters leads every lap for truck triumph at Bristol

Aug. 22, 2012

NASCAR Wire Service

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RACE RESULTS

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

RACE STATISTICS

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

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

Terrell Davis

360 St Francis Ave

Smyrna, TN 37167

615-210-2140

davis-terrell@comcast.net

 

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Pro All Stars Series-South

http://www.proallstarsseries.com/

Contact: Chris Ragle

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

COMPETITION THROUGHOUT THE FIELD CREATES WIDE-OPEN TITLE FIGHT

 

COMPETITION THROUGHOUT THE FIELD CREATES WIDE-OPEN TITLE FIGHT

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

Did You Know: 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Championship

 

Drivers still eligible for championship: 15

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

Championship chases with three races left:

2011

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

Final Margin and Champion: 18 points. Dario Franchitti

2010

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

Final Margin and Champion: 5 points. Dario Franchitti

2009

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

2008

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

2007

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

2006

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