Earnhardt Jr Rises at Michigan! Ends 143-Race Winless Streak

Photo Credit: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images for NASCAR

The lead storyline through the first two days of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race weekend at Michigan International Speedway circulated around the tires Goodyear brought to the newly repaved 2-mile oval. With an emergency Saturday evening practice session subtracting magnitude of the issue, Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway would receive headlines for another more positive reason. After 200 laps, a driver piloting a superhero-themed car battled his foes for a much-needed triumph.

The Sunday main event was initially threatened by rain showers that drenched the Michigan oval. Pushing the start of the Quicken Loans 400 past 3pm eastern time, the 43-car Father’s Day race still received enough daylight in the mid-June sky to create a rich, Sprint Cup spectacle.

Pole-sitter Marcos Ambrose #9 Ford was part of a trio of blue oval-badged race cars that would lead all but one of the race’s first 69 laps. Ambrose, the #16 Ford of Greg Biffle and the #17 car driven by Biffle’s Roush Fenway Racing teammate Matt Kenseth led early at the Michigan racetrack. Over the span of the Ford Fusions leading, four cautions would slow the progress of the Quicken Loans 400. With two being competitions caution called so the tire situation of days prior would be assessed, the issue was ultimately defused in the 400-mile race limited to only some blistering Goodyear rubber coming off some cars. The race’s first caution involved a lap 3 spin by the #51 Chevrolet driven by the heavily scrutinized Kurt Busch. The Phoenix Racing #51 car would also spin on lap 121 of the Quicken Loans 400 ending with the elder Busch driver placed 30^th in the finishing order.

Photo Credit: Drew Hallowell/Getty Images for NASCAR

Progressing from a 17^th place qualifying position, the black and green #88 Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr had been moving in the right direction during the first one-third distance of the Michigan International Speedway race. On lap 70, the Hendrick Motorsports car themed to support the upcoming Batman movie “Dark Knight Rises” flew to the front of the Quicken Loans 400. The site of Earnhardt Jr’s last points-scoring win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series back in 2008, crowds were anxious to see if the #88 Chevrolet will have the staying power to keep the top spot to the end.

Unwilling to simply allow NASCAR Sprint Cup’s most popular driver to claim a win, the efforts of Dale Earnhardt Jr was challenged by auto racing comrade Tony Stewart. In a similar Hendrick Motorsports prepped Chevrolet Impala to that of Earnhardt Jr’s team vehicle, Stewart powered his #14 car around the #88 on lap 87. Jeff Gordon’s #24 Chevrolet and the #42 of Juan-Pablo Montoya would also spend a handful of laps at the front of the 400-mile event. After Ford’s dominating the early stage of the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Chevrolet had an impressive control of the later stages of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
As Chevrolet and Ford teams enjoyed being at the peak of competition at Michigan, one of Toyota’s most prolific organizations had an outing at Michigan they would prefer to forget. Joe Gibbs Racing saw all three cars fall deep in the running order. First, the #18 car of Kyle Busch spent an extended time in the garage due to a valvetrain issue on the car’s race engine. Busch returned the race 40 laps down to the leader and would finish the day 32^nd across the start/finish line.

In back-to-back incidents, the remaining Joe Gibbs Racing vehicles driven by Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin were taken out of competition. Logano’s #20 Toyota was part of a lap 127 wreck that collected the #38 of David Gilliland and the #5 Hendrick Motorsports car of Kasey Kahne. Both winners in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, Joey Logano and Kahne would retire from the Quicken Loans 400. The #11 Toyota of Denny Hamlin would leave the Michigan race on lap 134 when an apparently harmless spin turned into an inferno from the Joe Gibbs Racing car’s engine compartment. Denny Hamlin was classified 34^th in the race while the #20 of Joey Logano ended the day in 35^th spot.

Photo Credit: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images for NASCAR

When the final caution period of the Quicken Loans 400 concluded on lap 140, the #88 Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr led Tony Stewart across the flag for the crucial green flag. Without another yellow flag slowing the Michigan race in the last 60 laps, teams would require one remaining pit stop for fuel under green flag racing conditions. A pivotal moment, the Hendrick Motorsports crew rose to the occasion to give Earnhardt Jr a flawless, final pit service stop for two tires and fuel on lap 164. Retaking the lead on lap 171, the #88 Chevrolet would lead the final 30 circuits around the Michigan International Speedway to cross the line first.

Victorious at the Quicken Loans 400, Dale Earnhardt Jr entered the winner’s circle in what was celebrated as a popular 2012 race win. Convincing winning the Michigan International Speedway race by 5.3 seconds over Tony Stewart, the #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet led for 95 laps on the day. In what had previously been a rare state, Dale Earnhardt Jr was the class of the field. “I saved a little in my pocket in the last 50 laps and ran only as hard as I thought I needed to, and at the end of the race, this thing was a rocket and I couldn’t slow it down, it was so fast.” said Earnhardt Jr.

143 races and 4 years since his last Sprint Cup Series win in a regular event, this second win with Hendrick Motorsports is the result of some long struggles. Responding to the racing fortunes of past races, Earnhardt Jr commented, “I was so nervous in the last few laps of that race four years ago, and today, this was the worst -- that’s the worst feeling riding around there with 15 laps to go wondering what’s going to happen or how you were going to lose.” While just winning his first race of 2012, Dale Earnhardt Jr has actually been enjoying a strong season overall with the victory at Michigan now catapulting him to second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver points standing.

Finishing second, Tony Stewart placed ahead of the Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusions of NASCAR Sprint Cup point’s leader Matt Kenseth and the #16 car of Greg Biffle. With Dale Earnhardt Jr becoming the third driver to add a win to Hendrick Motorsports’ 2012 tally, two teammates also had strong outings at Michigan concluding with top-10 runs. Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Chevrolet finished 5^th just ahead of Jeff Gordon’s #24 car. Clint Bowyer for Michael Waltrip Racing was the highest finishing Toyota Camry in the Quicken Loans 400 with the #15 5-Hour Energy car.

With many of the approximate 82,000 spectators in audience electric in the celebration of the Dale Earnhardt Jr victory, the next trip for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup tour is to the California road course in Sonoma for the Toyota/Save Mart 350.


2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Quicken Loans 400
Michigan International Speedway
Race Result
　

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Sponsor/ Car Make
1	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	DietMtnDew/TheDarkKnightRises/NtnlGuard Chev
2	14	Tony Stewart	Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet
3	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford EcoBoost Ford
4	16	Greg Biffle	3M/Salute Ford
5	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's Chevrolet
6	24	Jeff Gordon	DuPont Chevrolet
7	15	Clint Bowyer	5-hour Energy Toyota
8	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Target Chevrolet
9	9	Marcos Ambrose	Stanley Ford
10	29	Kevin Harvick	Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet
11	99	Carl Edwards	Fastenal Ford
12	56	Martin Truex Jr.	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
13	2	Brad Keselowski	Miller Lite Dodge
14	1	Jamie McMurray	McDonald's Chevrolet
15	39	Ryan Newman	US ARMY Chevrolet
16	47	Bobby Labonte	Charter Toyota
17	43	Aric Almirola	Medallion Ford
18	83	Landon Cassill	Burger King Toyota
19	22	AJ Allmendinger	Shell Pennzoil Dodge
20	13	Casey Mears	Valvoline NEXTGEN Ford
21	31	Jeff Burton	Caterpillar Chevrolet
22	27	Paul Menard	Menards/Duracell Chevrolet
23	34	David Ragan	Front Row Motorsports Ford
24	33	Austin Dillon	American Ethanol Chevrolet
25	36	Dave Blaney	Seal Wrap Chevrolet
26	93	Travis Kvapil	Burger King Toyota
27	38	David Gilliland	Long John Silver's Ford
28	78	Regan Smith	Furniture Row Chevrolet
29	55	Mark Martin	Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
30	51	Kurt Busch	Phoenix Construction Services, Inc. Chevrolet
31	32	Ken Schrader	Federated Auto Parts Ford
32	18	Kyle Busch	Snickers Toyota
33	5	Kasey Kahne	Farmers Insurance Chevrolet
34	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Office Toyota
35	20	Joey Logano	The Home Depot Toyota
36	10	Tony Raines	Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
37	49	JJ Yeley	America Israel Racing/JPO Absorbents Toyota
38	98	Michael McDowell	Presbyterian Healthcare Ford
39	19	Mike Bliss	Humphrey Smith Racing, LLC Toyota
40	87	Joe Nemechek	AM/FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Toyota
41	23	Scott Riggs	North TX Pipe Chevrolet
42	26	Josh Wise	MDS Transport Ford
43	21	Trevor Bayne	Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford

Ambrose Takes Michigan Cup Race Pole with 203.241 MPH Lap

Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Michigan International Speedway's brand new surface presented drivers the opportunity to orchestrate a rare feat in modern NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. With speeds exceeding the 200-mile per hour mark in Friday practice, the two-mile Michigan oval was providing an experience that was commonly seen at the Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway prior to restrictor plates were introduced during the late 1980s. With a qualifying time of 190.345 miles per hour recorded by Jamie McMurray in the second Michigan race of 2011, the 2012 qualifying session is set to become the fastest non-restrictor plate track time trial.

In the third practice Friday alone for Sunday's Quicken Loans 400, 14 cars exceeded 200 miles per hour for average speed around the two-mile track. Setting up what was going to be a fast qualifying session Saturday at Michigan International Speedway, speed in practice was repeated by NASCAR Sprint Cup cars. With 19 cars breaking the 200-mile per hour barrier in their timed laps into the Quicken Loans 400, the #9 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford of Marcos Ambrose was the fastest during the very fast session. Lapping the two-mile, newly-paved oval in 35.426 seconds, the average speed through the pole-winning lap was 203.241 miles per hour.

Second fastest in NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying at Michigan International Speedway was the #29 Budweiser Chevrolet driven by Kevin Harvick. Harvick was two-tenths of a second slower than Ambrose translating to an average speed just over 202 miles per hour. Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman rounded out the top-5 for the Quicken Loans 400 line-up Sunday.  

Realizing that the fast times were also putting the reliability of the Goodyear tires at risk, NASCAR has allowed the tire supplier to provide a new set of left side tires for the weekend. A harder and predictably set to drop lap times for Sunday's event, the new Goodyear left-side tires are being supplied to Sprint Cup teams for the first time in a special 75-minute afternoon practice session after the NASCAR Nationwide Series race.


2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Quicken Loans 400
Michigan International Speedway
Qualifying Results

	Car #	Driver	Sponsor/ Car Maker
1	9	Marcos Ambrose	Stanley Ford
2	29	Kevin Harvick	Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet
3	16	Greg Biffle	3M/Salute Ford
4	5	Kasey Kahne	Farmers Insurance Chevrolet
5	39	Ryan Newman	US ARMY Chevrolet
6	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford EcoBoost Ford
7	21	Trevor Bayne	Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
8	14	Tony Stewart	Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet
9	20	Joey Logano	The Home Depot Toyota
10	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's Chevrolet
11	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Office Toyota
12	78	Regan Smith	Furniture Row Chevrolet
13	15	Clint Bowyer	5-hour Energy Toyota
14	55	Mark Martin	Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
15	43	Aric Almirola	Medallion Ford
16	56	Martin Truex Jr.	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
17	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	DietMtnDew/TheDrkKnghtRises/NtnlGrd Chev
18	27	Paul Menard	Menards/Duracell Chevrolet
19	1	Jamie McMurray	McDonald's Chevrolet
20	22	AJ Allmendinger	Shell Pennzoil Dodge
21	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Target Chevrolet
22	33	Austin Dillon	American Ethanol Chevrolet
23	23	Scott Riggs	North TX Pipe Chevrolet
24	13	Casey Mears	Valvoline NEXTGEN Ford
25	2	Brad Keselowski	Miller Lite Dodge
26	51	Kurt Busch	Phoenix Construction Services, Inc. Chevrolet
27	98	Michael McDowell	Presbyterian Healthcare Ford
28	24	Jeff Gordon	DuPont Chevrolet
29	19	Mike Bliss	Humphrey Smith Racing, LLC Toyota
30	26	Josh Wise	MDS Transport Ford
31	47	Bobby Labonte	Charter Toyota
32	83	Landon Cassill	Burger King Toyota
33	31	Jeff Burton	Caterpillar Chevrolet
34	18	Kyle Busch	Snickers Toyota
35	38	David Gilliland	Long John Silver's Ford
36	36	Dave Blaney	Seal Wrap Chevrolet
37	87	Joe Nemechek	AM/FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Toyota
38	34	David Ragan	Front Row Motorsports Ford
39	93	Travis Kvapil	Burger King Toyota
40	32	Ken Schrader	Federated Auto Parts Ford
41	10	Tony Raines	Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
42	99	Carl Edwards	Fastenal Ford
43	49	JJ Yeley	America Israel Racing/JPO Absorbents Toyota

NASCAR's Winning Race on the Internet

Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

Today, the consumption of on-line media has created a rapid spread of news and information. Not only can we read large amounts of in-depth media, we can readily create our own personalized media.

During this weekend‘s Pocono 400 for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the nature of a new collaboration with Twitter. Creating a specialized page called Twitter.com/#NASCAR, relevant posts on the popular social networking site will be pooled together to best provide colour to the sport of NASCAR. Driver, teams, tracks, media and even fans will have an opportunity to be part of the newly started experience through the #NASCAR hashtag. A new method of interaction designed to put the stock car racing community together through social media, NASCAR vice president of digital media Marc Jenkins commented, “We are pleased to be able to partner with Twitter and bring a great cutting-edge digital experience to our fans. This is a great extension of our strategy of innovation in the digital space to enhance the fan experience with our sport.”

Recalling my personal experiences as a young motorsports fan in the mid-1990s, I remember unfavourably a time that I was not even the basic miracle of cable television. With exception of the Daytona 500, Indy 500, the Canadian Grand Prix and the odd Indy Car Series race (notably the Toronto Indy event) my first exposure to a past weekend’s auto racing action was limited to whatever small segment broadcasted on local news. There was also a bright spot in my motorsport fanaticism where I discovered the now-defunct CBC Sunday Night Racing program that often reran Formula 1 and the occasional Indy car event from earlier in the day.

As for NASCAR, my options for following some of my favourite stock car drivers in-depth (such as Dale Earnhardt) were limited. With only the winner receiving mention in most sports news on television, I would only be able to effectively build my enthusiasm for NASCAR and other forms of auto racing by reading specialized periodicals. Stock Car Racing Magazine and Inside Track Motorsport News were the two publications I read about the current stars as well as the future racing star’s climb up the support series ladder. I read about Tony Stewart shortly after his Indy Racing League career began in an issue of Stock Car Racing Magazine with only his untapped ambition and none of the on-line speculation we are used to today. In fact, I had never been exposed to the so-called “Information Superhighway” where a site known as NASCAR.com would change the way I would absorb my favourite athletic competition.

Around 1996, NASCAR.com was a simple site where a still humble sport of stock car racing was able to inform fans or develop potential fans through a specialized source. Launched within a time where more people were familiar with the Rolling Stones tune “Start Me Up” that drove the sales of Windows 95, the NASCAR.com was in place to greet an Internet audience without knowing how mainstream the virtual landscape would become.

NASCAR was one of the first major sporting organizations in the United States to launch a high-functioning website to relate happenings with fans. It seemed that while other major league sports such as the NHL and MLB took to the Internet, there was still initial confusion for how a website representing a sport should operate. NASCAR.com quickly found a way to provide a unique look on a form of competition that remained neglected even as the major stock car racing sanctioning body rapidly grew. In fact, it is highly likely the NASCAR.com website played a pivotal part in the success of the sport through the late 1990s. As NASCAR entered new markets and sought a national presence similar to the NFL or other sporting bodies, spreading its message of motorsport entertainment across the United States and even around the world became aided by the boom of information technology.

I particularly enjoyed the simplicity of the earlier NASCAR.com website where the race results were readily available and the use of advertisement remained unobtrusive. Since the takeover of the website by Turner Sports Interactive, NASCAR.com has grown to become a more elaborate portal where a full press NASCAR editorial staff and enhanced features such as video is designed to deliver more perspective for fans following the stock car racing sport. Some fans have actually voiced the displeasure in what is expressed as a less fan-friendly site. Today’s NASCAR.com is a hub where real-time data such as active leaderboards and even live TV feeds are available to race fans.

The newest venture alongside Twitter expands on a phenomenon made apparent during the 2012 Daytona 500’s infamous ‘jet dryer crash’ red flag. During what was a lengthy clean-up on-track, the driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger Brad Keselowski brought some life to what is traditionally a period of boredom. Grabbing an iPhone stored on-board his race car, Keselowski took to his Twitter account posting in-car photos and various ‘tweet’ messages. The reaction to Brad Keselowski’s activities was greeted favourably among social media and was acknowledged by general media who otherwise had little to report. The Twitter.com/#NASCAR experiment appears to be the logical expansion of the Daytona 500 highlight away from the actual race.

Despite long racing automotive technology that is considered decades behind street cars, NASCAR appears to be one sport innovating their reach effectively over modern communications.



　

Kahne Tames Early Hendrick Woes to Win Coca-Cola 600

Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

NASCAR's Memorial day Sunday counterpart to the Indianapolis 500, 43 Sprint Cup Series cars were readied for a race into the night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The longest race on the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series calender, the Coca-Cola 600 started under the early evening sun with the #43 Ford of Aric Almirola leading the field to a green flag for 400 laps. In the Thursday qualifying, a strong effort by the Richard Petty Motorsports cars of Almirola and the #9 of Marcos Ambrose secured the front row positions at the 1.5-mile Charlotte track.

When green fell on the Coca-Cola 600, the Richard Petty Motorsport Ford Fusion stock cars would exchange the lead on three occasions in the first 6 laps. On lap 9, another member the Ford brigade would break Richard Petty Motorsports very early hold of the 400-lap event. The #16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford of Greg Biffle pass on Ambrose amounted to what would be 204 laps leading the Coca-Cola 600. After another brief exchange of the first spot with Marcos Ambrose's #9 car, Biffle's #16 Ford would lead from lap 23 for 90 consecutive circuits around the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval.

Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Greg Biffle's domination in the first quarter of the Coca-Cola 600 was aided by the lack of a yellow flag slowing the NASCAR Sprint Cup field. Completing 113 caution-free laps opening the race, debris on the racetrack finally slowed the stock cars. After not seeing a caution for the race's first 169.5 miles, lap 113 to lap 179 would see the yellow flag pop out for what was four of the five caution periods during the Coca-Cola 600 event. All but one of the yellow flags in the event were a result of debris (Travis Kvapil's #93 Toyota scraping with the turn 4 wall on lap 174 was the only exception).

Past the halfway point of the event, the race-contending #9 Ford of Marcos Ambrose was brought to the garage due to a damaged hub on his racing machine. Though the determined Richard Petty Motorsports team were able to return Ambrose to the racetrack after losing just 13 laps to the garage, the effort by the #9 car resulted in a 32nd place finish for the Tasmanian driver. A similar hub failure was also connected to a loss of laps for the #22 Penske Racing Dodge of AJ Allmendinger.

The season for Kasey Kahne started with 4 finishes of 29th or worse in the first 6 races. After a 38th place finish at the Martinsville race, Kahne and the #5 Hendrick Motorsport team turned their fortunes around by placing in the top-8 in each of the five NASCAR Sprint Cup races leading up to the Cola-Cola 600. Taking the lead of the 2012 Coca-Cola 600 for the first time on lap 220, Kahne's #5 Chevrolet blazed to the front of the field just as the lights brightened the Charlotte Motor Speedway. A race Kasey Kahne had won twice before, the pursuit of his first win with Hendrick Motorsports was coming fruition in the second-half of the Charlotte Motor Speedway event.

In the last 180 laps of the Coca-Cola 600, it was largely a battle between the #5 Chevrolet of Kasey Kahne and the #16 Ford driven by Greg Biffle. On lap 357, the race's final lead change resulted in Kahne out front of the NASCAR Sprint Cup event. Crossing the line with a 4.3 second advantage over second-place, the win for the #5 Chevrolet is the second win of the season for Hendrick Motorsports. For driver Kasey Kahne, he has now won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race driving for all four active manufacturers on the 2012 stock car tour.

Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Unseating Greg Biffle from the top-3 in the Coca-Cola 600, Denny Hamlin finished a strong second in the #11 Toyota and #18 car of Kyle Busch came across the line third for Joe Gibbs Racing. With Biffle finishing fourth, the Roush Fenway Racing driver holds onto the NASCAR Sprint Cup points lead by 10 points over teammate Matt Kenseth. Brad Keselowski's #2 Dodge rounded out the top-5 in a race that was completed at a record average speed of 155.687 miles per hour.

Winning the last two races on the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series tour, Hendrick Motorsports delivered a strong overall performance with all 4 cars in the top-11. Dale Earnhardt Jr finished 6th and Jeff Gordon's #24 Chevrolet finished 7th (only Gordon's 3rd top-10 result in a difficult 2012 season. While Johnson did not lead a lap during the 600-mile event, the #48 Hendrick Motorsports car was considered a contender for the throughout the course of the Charlotte Motor Speedway event based on the previous weekend's performance in the Sprint All-Star race. However, a late pit miscue by the #48 crew caused by a stuck fuel can resulted in a penalty that would prevent Johnson from climbing any higher than 11th place.

Next race for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series tour is the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway on June 3rd. Matt Kenseth is the defending winner of the last Spring race at the Dover 1-mile track.



2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Coca-Cola 600
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Race Results

1	5	Kasey Kahne	Quaker State Chevrolet
2	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Ground Toyota
3	18	Kyle Busch	M&M's Red-White-Blue Toyota
4	16	Greg Biffle	Fastenal Ford
5	2	Brad Keselowski	Miller Lite Dodge
6	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	National Guard-An American Salute Chevrolet
7	24	Jeff Gordon	Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet
8	29	Kevin Harvick	Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet
9	99	Carl Edwards	Fastenal Ford
10	17	Matt Kenseth	Fastenal Ford
11	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's Patriotic Chevrolet
12	56	Martin Truex Jr.	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
13	15	Clint Bowyer	5-hour Energy Toyota
14	39	Ryan Newman	US ARMY Chevrolet
15	27	Paul Menard	Menards/Serta Chevrolet
16	43	Aric Almirola	US Air Force Ford
17	78	Regan Smith	Furniture Row Chevrolet
18	83	Landon Cassill	Burger King Real Fruit Smoothies Toyota
19	31	Jeff Burton	Wheaties Chevrolet
20	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Target Chevrolet
21	1	Jamie McMurray	Bass Pro Shops/Arctic Cat Chevrolet
22	13	Casey Mears	GEICO Ford
23	20	Joey Logano	Dollar General Toyota
24	21	Trevor Bayne	Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Ctr. Ford
25	14	Tony Stewart	Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet
26	38	David Gilliland	Mod Space Ford
27	51	Kurt Busch	Phoenix Construction Services Inc Chevrolet
28	47	Bobby Labonte	Kingsford Charcoal Toyota
29	93	Travis Kvapil	Dr. Pepper Toyota
30	10	Danica Patrick	GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
31	32	TJ Bell	Green Smoke Ford
32	9	Marcos Ambrose	DeWalt Ford
33	22	AJ Allmendinger	Shell Pennzoil Dodge
34	55	Mark Martin	Aaron's Armed Forces Foundation Toyota
35	34	David Ragan	Al's Liners/Scorpion Coatings Ford
36	98	Michael McDowell	Presbyterian Healthcare Ford
37	95	Scott Speed	Jordan Truck Sales Ford
38	30	David Stremme	Inception Motorsports Toyota
39	33	Stephen Leicht	Little Joe's Autos/Precon Chevrolet
40	36	Dave Blaney	SealWrap Chevrolet
41	87	Joe Nemechek	AM/FM Energy / SWM Toyota
42	74	Cole Whitt	Turn One Racing Chevrolet
43	26	Josh Wise	MDS Transport Ford

All-Star All the Time: Johnson Wins Million Dollar Race

Photo Credit: Brian Lawdermilk/HHP - Pool/Getty Images

Since 1986, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has recognized some of the sports superstars with the running of an All-Star race. Held up Charlotte Motor Speedway for all but one year (Atlanta in 1987), the All-Star race is NASCAR’s top series’ title sponsors reward to event winners.

For 2012, 20 winner of 2011 and 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events were granted an instant pass into the latest Sprint All-Star event worth a million dollars to the race’s ultimate victor. Prior to the event, a 40-lap race of non-recent Sprint Cup Series winners was held resulting in three additional places. By winning the Sprint Showdown, Dale Earnhardt Jr and the #88 Dale Jr Foundation Chevrolet was granted the for entry into the All-Star race. Finishing behind Earnhardt Jr, AJ Allmendinger’s charge to 2^nd place was rewarded with the second pass. The third and final entrant in the 2012 Sprint All-Star event at Charlotte Motor Speedway was Bobby Labonte who gained access to the race by being the Fan Vote Favourite.

A 23-car field led by Kyle Busch and the #18 Toyota of Joe Gibbs Racing, the 23-car field started for what would be a total 90-lap race (divided into four 20-lap segments and a final 10-lap sprint). In the first segment of the 2012 Sprint All-Star race, Kyle Busch led the first 14 laps until the #48 Lowes Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson motored by the Toyota. Johnson would storm to win in the first 20-lap segment of the event. Winning the initial segment of the Sprint All-Star event, Jimmie Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsport team would play strategy by pitting through the end of the remaining 20-lap races. The win of a race segment by Johnson and other segment winner gave the drivers a top spot in the final 10-lap run.

Photo Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR

In the second segment, the #17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford of Matt Kenseth took the victory from Denny Hamlin in the few 3 laps of the 20-lap race. The success at the end of the segment for Roush Fenway Racing was accompanied with some disappointment when the #99 team car of Carl Edwards suffered an engine problem 7 laps into the second race. Using special engines developed for the short non-points race, Roush Fenway Racing would also lose the #16 Ford of Greg Biffle to a spectacular engine explosion during the mid-way point of the third race segment. The issues with the Roush Fenway Racing Ford engines would be the only race incidents that would result in yellow flags during the segments.

Dominating the third segment for almost the entire event, Brad Kieslowski’s #2 Miller Lite Dodge was being reeled-in by the #5 Chevrolet driven by Kasey Kahne. Driving a back-up after crashing in qualifying, Kahne sized up the blue Penske Racing-fielded Dodge through the final laps never able to find a full advantage on Keselowski. Through the final corner of the final lap of the segment, Kasey Kahne swung his Chevrolet under Brad Keselowski on a run to the finish line. By a matter of inches, Keselowski’s Dodge held into a victory in the third segment.

Photo Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Segment four was possibility the biggest crowd-pleaser as NASCAR Sprint Cup’s Most Popular Driver showed some major fight. Early in the run, Sprint Showdown winner Dale Earnhardt Jr found the edge on front-starting #51 Chevrolet piloted by Kurt Busch. Going onto victory in the fourth and final segment, Earnhardt Jr and the #88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports bucked the trend of usually unimpressive All-Star races. During the entire 2012 Sprint All-Star race, Dale Earnhardt Jr was able to pass fast cars with the #88 car in the Charlotte Motor Speedway event.

Setting up the final 10-lap run for the Sprint All-Star race, the winners of the previous segments were rewarded with top starting positions (at risk if they lose spots during a pit stop). After a mandatory trip down pit road for all NASCAR Sprint Cup contenders, the top-four leaders chose to stop-and-go preserving their race positions. With Jimmie Johnson starting at the front, the #48 Lowes Chevrolet needed only a strong restart to chart a path to victory. As Johnson accomplished a textbook launch, the outside front row starting car spun its tires. Holding off Brad Keselowski handsomely through the final laps, Jimmie Johnson powered the #48 Chevrolet to his third All-Star race victory (last win coming in 2006).

The win #48 team concludes what has been a fully strong week for the organization who appeared to be struggling through the early part of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Winning Hendrick Motorsport’s 200^th Cup race last Saturday at Darlington, the crew also won the annual pit competition held in conjunction with the NASCAR all-star race weekend. The victory celebration for the Sprint All-Star was complete with Johnson taking the Checkered Flag from the flagman while during a burn-out and team owner Rick Hendrick riding on the race car.

Rounding out the top five in the 2012 Sprint All-Star race is Brad Keselowski, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr.



2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Sprint All-Star Race
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Race Results

1	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's Patriotic Chevrolet
2	2	Brad Keselowski	Miller Lite Dodge
3	17	Matt Kenseth	Fifth Third Bank Ford
4	18	Kyle Busch	M&M's Toyota
5	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	DaleJrFndtn/NationalGuard/DietMtnDew Chev
6	29	Kevin Harvick	Budweiser / Rheem Chevrolet
7	9	Marcos Ambrose	DeWalt Ford
8	51	Kurt Busch	Monster Energy Chevrolet
9	5	Kasey Kahne	Farmers Insurance Chevrolet
10	39	Ryan Newman	Tornados Chevrolet
11	22	AJ Allmendinger	Pennzoil Dodge
12	78	Regan Smith	Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
13	24	Jeff Gordon	DuPont Chevrolet
14	15	Clint Bowyer	5-hour Energy Toyota
15	21	Trevor Bayne	Good Sam / Camping World Ford
16	27	Paul Menard	Menards / CertainTeed Chevrolet
17	14	Tony Stewart	Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet
18	34	David Ragan	US Shredder Ford
19	47	Bobby Labonte	KingsFrd Toyota
20	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Office Toyota
21	55	Mark Martin	Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
22	16	Greg Biffle	3M / American Red Cross Ford
23	99	Carl Edwards	Fastenal Ford

Jimmie Johnson Gives Hendrick 200th Win at Darlington

Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

The only trip to the Darlington Raceway, the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series becomes one with its roots at one of stock car racing’s oldest paved speedways. A tricky 1.366-mile track presents its own character that can often outwit the best personalities in motorsports.

Becoming a Mother’s Day weekend event in recent years, the Southern 500 race sponsored by Bojangles started Saturday night under sentimentality that quickly turn to the business of racing 500 miles. On pole, Greg Biffle continues has early season stride in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup race when the green flag flew on the Bojangles Southern 500. The Roush Fenway Racing #16 Ford Fusion would lead the first 48 laps of the evening kicking out what would be a 173-lap stretch of green flag racing.

When the first round of pit stops cycled with Kasey Kahne, Landon Cassill and Jimmie Johnson credited with leading a lap through the exchange, the #18 Toyota of Kyle Busch took for 21 laps. Greg Biffle would reassume the lead of the Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on lap 73 and would hold it for an additional 26 circuits.

Aside from the leader, intense attention was devoted to deeper in the field to the #10 Chevrolet being driven by Danica Patrick. Only her second career NASCAR Sprint Cup event, Patrick’s run with the GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in the Bojangles Southern 500 was more productive than her debut at the Daytona 500. Caught in the lap 1 multi-car wreck at the Daytona International Speedway race, Darlington would see Patrick endure the rigors of an entire NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition. Though Danica Patrick finished the race with an intact Chevrolet Impala, she would finish 6 laps down in 31^st spot. Not helping her attempt to adapt to the premier stock car tour was the long green flag run that gave Patrick and other competitors few opportunities to fine-tune their car setups.

Photo Credit: Brian Czobat autostock, USA

On lap 101, the #48 Chevrolet made its way to the top spot in the hands of Jimmie Johnson. Though the first 10 races of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the four-car team of Hendrick Motorsports has set out on a quest for the organization’s 200^th series win. While Johnson and other within the Rick Hendrick group came close to delivering the win number 200, the feat had been eluded early in the season with some efforts coming within laps of the monumental victory. Showing his strength before the one-third mark of the event at Darlington Raceway, the question was will the Bojangles Southern 500 for the site for a major Hendrick Motorsports celebration?

A caution for debris on lap 173 slowed the record pace of the race. After the long competitive run under green, the first cautions as well as several cautions following brought relief to many race cars lapped through the event. By lap 184, only 14 cars resided on the lead lap at Darlington Raceway as the field led predominantly by Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle and Kyle Busch dominated. At points in the event, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr had their Saturday night race rescued by the NASCAR free pass. By the end of the race, 21 cars would be fortunate enough to be classified on the lead lap after 500 miles.

The #22 Dodge of AJ Allmendinger and the #1 Chevrolet of Jamie McMurray were not among the lead lap finishers after a wreck on lap 317. Also part of late-race mayhem was the #39 car of Ryan Newman. Four cautions through the race’s final 49 scheduled laps would force the hands of various teams contending on the less than predictable Darlington Raceway surface.

Photo Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR

 
In the final laps, the battle for the win was between the #48 Lowes Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch’s #18 Doublemint Toyota. Trading the lead several time on-track, Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports-owned car grew much stronger than the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Kyle Busch taking the lead affirmatively on lap 325. Leading the final 44 laps that included a final green-white-checkered challenge from the #14 Chevrolet of Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson sailed to victory of the Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington.

In what was one of the biggest celebrations seen for a long-time from the Hendrick Motorsports crew, Jimmie Johnson kicked off the festivities by a wild burn-out on the Darlington Raceway frontstretch. When concluded, talked about his run that involved leading a total of 134 laps. “We led a lot and we ran away once we had the clean air. But once we lost it, man, it was tough to make anything happen deep in the pack. And luckily we had a good enough car that I could work my way through there and still got it done.” said Johnson in post-race interview.

Owner of the #48 race team, Rick Hendrick talked about his race organization‘s milestone saying, “I can’t believe we won 200 of these things. I can’t believe it took this long after 199. I want to remember all those folks we lost. And everybody that helped this thing happen.” However, a telling comment on Johnson’s NASCAR Sprint Cup team owner motivation comes from the Hendrick Motorsports driver."You have got to love that man (Rick Hendrick), he just said 200 is great but let’s go get 250. So that tells you where his head is, I love it. Oh man, what a day.” said Jimmie Johnson.

Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

After 368 laps, Denny Hamlin surged into the runner-up spot with his #11 Toyota taking the position from Tony Stewart who finished the Bojangles Southern 500 in 3^rd with a Hendrick Motorsports-prepped customer car. Rounding out the top-5 of the Darlington event was Kyle Busch and the #56 Toyota of Martin Truex Jr. Just before of the top-10, Roush Fenway Racing Fords piloted by Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards took top-10 runs. The pole-sitting Roush Fenway contender would come home 12^th holding onto the points lead in the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.

While Jimmie Johnson and his #48 team enjoyed a triumphant victory, the other Hendrick Motorsports cars had a mixed night. Kasey Kahne finished 8^th while Dale Earnhardt Jr brought his #88 Chevrolet across the line 17^th. Suffering a flat rear tire around the mid-point of the event, Jeff Gordon once again met misfortunate on the race track finishing 35^th. “It’s the same old story. We’re running good. We have fast race cars. We’re doing everything we can as a team and just having things like that happen to us.” said Gordon.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ next race is the exhibition event at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 19^th serving as the prelude to the Coca-Cola 600 set for Memorial day Sunday night the following week.



2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Bojangles Southern 500
Darlington Raceway
Race Results

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Sponsor/Car Make
1	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's / Kobalt Tools Chevrolet
2	11	Denny Hamlin	Sport Clips Toyota
3	14	Tony Stewart	Office Depot / MOBIL 1 Chevrolet
4	18	Kyle Busch	Wrigley Doublemint Toyota
5	56	Martin Truex Jr.	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
6	17	Matt Kenseth	Zest Ford
7	99	Carl Edwards	Ford EcoBoost Fusion Ford
8	5	Kasey Kahne	Rockwell Tools Chevrolet
9	9	Marcos Ambrose	DeWalt Ford
10	20	Joey Logano	The Home Depot Toyota
11	15	Clint Bowyer	5-hour Energy Toyota
12	16	Greg Biffle	3M / OH / ES Ford
13	27	Paul Menard	Menards / Pittsburgh Paints Chevrolet
14	78	Regan Smith	Furniture Row / CSX Play it Safe Chevrolet
15	2	Brad Keselowski	Miller Lite Dodge
16	29	Kevin Harvick	Budweiser Chevrolet
17	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Diet Mountain Dew / National Guard Chevrolet
18	31	Jeff Burton	BB&T Chevrolet
19	43	Aric Almirola	Gravely Mower Ford
20	55	Mark Martin	Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
21	51	Kurt Busch	Phoenix Construction Services Chevrolet
22	13	Casey Mears	GEICO Ford
23	39	Ryan Newman	WIX Chevrolet
24	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Target Chevrolet
25	38	David Gilliland	A&W All American Food Ford
26	83	Landon Cassill	Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota
27	36	Dave Blaney	SealWrap.com Chevrolet
28	34	David Ragan	Peanut Patch / Margaret Holmes Ford
29	47	Bobby Labonte	Scott Products Toyota
30	32	Reed Sorenson	Southern Pride Trucking Ford
31	10	Danica Patrick	GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
32	73	Travis Kvapil	Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota
33	22	AJ Allmendinger	Shell Pennzoil Dodge
34	1	Jamie McMurray	Bass Pro Shops / Allstate Chevrolet
35	24	Jeff Gordon	Drive to End Hunger / AARP Chevrolet
36	93	David Reutimann	Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota
37	49	JJ Yeley	America Israel Racing / JPO Absorbents Toyota
38	74	Cole Whitt	Turn One Racing Chevrolet
39	30	David Stremme	Inception Motorsports Toyota
40	87	Joe Nemechek	AM/FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Toyota
41	52	Mike Skinner	CrusaderStaffing.com Toyota
42	79	Scott Speed	Team Kyle / KOMA Unwind Ford
43	26	Josh Wise	Morristown Drivers Service Ford