Biffle Blasts By Johnson for Texas Cup Win

Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

The Texas Motor Speedway event Saturday night was the first time since the Daytona 500 that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series would race 500 miles in 2012. Back in February, the Daytona International Speedway 500-mile race was not completed until almost 35 hours after its scheduled start time thanks to a rare rain delay and an event that took 3 hours, 36 minutes to completed, minus a two-hour red flag. With exception to a strong wind, Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway was readied under ideal weather conditions on Saturday night immediately withdrawing any probability of this 7^th race on the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be like the Daytona 500.

As the #56 NAPA Toyota Camry took for the first pole of the year, Martin Truex Jr joined Mark Martin in adding to the Michael Waltrip Racing tally of qualifying victories in 2012. When the green flag released the 43-car field for the 334-lap Samsung Mobile 500, Truex Jr made use of his top-fielded position to lead the first 31 laps.

While the Michael Waltrip Racing #56 Toyota was able to hold the first place position early, pre-race favourite team Roush Fenway Racing began living up to the promise they were showing in practice at Texas Motor Speedway early. Third-fastest in qualifying, Greg Biffle climbed to lead on lap 32 in the #16 Ford. Roush Fenway Racing partner Matt Kenseth in the #17 car would also lead briefly during a pit stop staying near the front all night through the Samsung Mobile 500.

With the first pit stops for the NASCAR Sprint Cup teams occurring under green flag conditions, drivers and teams would have no idea they were going to make these higher-stress service stops so often in the Samsung Mobile 500. The yellow flag slowed the field of fuel-injected stock cars on just two occasions at Texas. With the lowest previous amount of cautions being five and three earlier Texas Motor Speedway Cup races ending up with 12, the Samsung Mobile 500 would run under green for the final 234 lap.

Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR

As the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway continued at a record pace under green onward from lap 100, the battle for the lead was chiefly centered on three drivers. Martin Truex Jr, Greg Biffle and Jimmie Johnson would lead during sizable portions of the last two-thirds of the event. A late race pit miscue took Truex Jr and the #56 car out of the running for victory of the Texas race.

Leaving Biffle and Johnson to battle for the Samsung Mobile 500 trophy, the #48 Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson was determined to grant car owner Rick Hendrick has 200^th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory. Leading Saturday’s event for the longest continuous duration of 102 laps, Johnson would roll past lap 300 of the Samsung Mobile 500 in the top position. However, the trip past 300-mark of the Texas event featured a Ford Fusion stalking Johnson. Inching closer on the #48 Lowes Chevy, Greg Biffle would be carrying a full head of steam through the final stint of the race. With just over 30 laps remaining, Greg Biffle stormed past Jimmie Johnson and would sail the #16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford to victory at Texas.

Photo Credit: Nigel KinradeAutostock

Greg Biffle’s victory puts to rest a 49 race winless streak extending back to the Kansas Speedway in 2010. The win in the Samsung Mobile 500 pads the points lead Biffle has accumulated during the first 7 races of 2012. The race was strong for the three major Roush Fenway Racing cars with Biffle’s victory being the topper. Matt Kenseth came across the line 5^th and the #99 car Carl Edwards emerged from a 20^th place starting position to grab 8^th after 500 miles. Greg Biffle leads Matt Kenseth in the current NASCAR Sprint Cup points standings by 19 points following the Texas Motor Speedway event.

With the 200^th win for Hendrick Motorsports foiled at Texas, Johnson hung on to his #48 Chevrolet for the runner-up position in a race that was actually a successful outing for the four-car Chevy team. Jeff Gordon finished 4^th and Kasey Kahne earned his first top-10 finish for Hendrick Motorsports with a 7^th place run. Fast but misfortunate during Sprint Cup races up to Texas, the strong race for Kahne and the #5 car could be the ingredient for a turnaround this season. Completing the Hendrick Motorsports quartet, the #88 car of Dale Earnhardt Jr cracked the top-10 for the fifth time in 2012. Dale Earnhardt Jr is currently tied with Matt Kenseth in the overall driver’s point count after 7 races in what has been NASCAR’s most popular driver’s most aggressive starts to the season since joining Hendrick Motorsports.
The 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ next race will be a 400-mile, Sunday afternoon affair at Kansas Speedway.



2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Samsung Mobile 500
Texas Motor Speedway
Race Results

Pos #	Car #	Drivers	Sponsor/ Car Make
1	16	Greg Biffle	Filtrete Ford
2	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet
3	55	Mark Martin	Aaron's Best of the Best Toyota
4	24	Jeff Gordon	DuPont Chevrolet
5	17	Matt Kenseth	Best Buy Ford
6	56	Martin Truex, Jr.	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
7	5	Kasey Kahne	Farmers Insurance Chevrolet
8	99	Carl Edwards	Fastenal Ford
9	29	Kevin Harvick	Budweiser Chevrolet
10	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet
11	18	Kyle Busch	Interstate Batteries Toyota
12	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Office/March of Dimes Toyota
13	51	Kurt Busch	Phoenix Construction Services, Inc. Chevrolet
14	1	Jamie McMurray	Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet
15	22	AJ Allmendinger	Shell Pennzoil Dodge
16	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Target Chevrolet
17	15	Clint Bowyer	5-hour Energy Toyota
18	27	Paul Menard	Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet
19	20	Joey Logano	Dollar General Toyota
20	9	Marcos Ambrose	Stanley Ford
21	39	Ryan Newman	US ARMY Chevrolet
22	43	Aric Almirola	Smithfield Ford
23	78	Regan Smith	Furniture Row/Farm American Chevrolet
24	14	Tony Stewart	Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy/Office Depot Chevrolet
25	13	Casey Mears	GEICO Ford
26	10	David Reutimann	Accell Construction Chevrolet
27	47	Bobby Labonte	Bush's Beans/Tom Thumb Toyota
28	21	Trevor Bayne	Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
29	31	Jeff Burton	Caterpillar Chevrolet
30	83	Landon Cassill	Burger King/Dr. Pepper Toyota
31	38	David Gilliland	Mod Space Ford
32	32	Reed Sorenson	JaniKing Ford
33	49	JJ Yeley	JPO Absorbents Toyota
34	33	Tony Raines	Precon Marine Chevrolet
35	34	David Ragan	Scorpion Truck Bed Liners Ford
36	2	Brad Keselowski	Miller Lite Dodge
37	36	Dave Blaney	Jimmie Johnson's Anything With An Engine Chevrolet
38	93	Travis Kvapil	Dr. Pepper Toyota
39	26	Josh Wise	Morristown Driver's Service Ford
40	19	Mike Bliss	Humphrey Smith Racing, LLC Toyota
41	98	Michael McDowell	Curb Records Ford
42	23	Scott Riggs	North TX Pipe/Embassy Suites Chevrolet
43	95	Scott Speed	TWD Drywall Ford

New Dallara DW12 INDYCAR at 2012 Canadian International Auto Show

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy

Last week, I had the privilege of attending the media day festivities for the 2012 Canadian International Autoshow. Happily observing the auto show as an assignment for Automoblog.net, there was more than one instance where motorsports interests were stoked at the Toronto exhibition. Part of an exciting display of new production and concept-based Honda vehicles was the all-new Dallara Indy car.

A show car representing the final shape for the new Dallara DW12 chassis open wheel fighter, this race vehicle will deliver a technological step forward for the IZOD INDYCAR Series. Powered by a choice of twin-turbocharged, 2.4 liter V-6 powerplants from Chevrolet, Lotus and (of course) Honda, the latest Dallara chassis/engine combination more technologically-advanced than the normally-aspirated V-8 engine formula existing in the series since 1997. Despite being a newer, more competitive package, the 2012 Indy car engineered to be less expensive for teams to operate while offering improved safety and drivability. Built around a carbon fiber monocoque, the new Dallara Indy car can wear a multitude of varying body kits the leaque hopes to rolls out starting in the 2013 season.

Keen followers to the progress of the Indy car will notice some minor differences from the mid-2011 show car. Witnessing the concept version of the 2012 Dallara at the 2011 Honda Indy Toronto in road course trim, the present design referred to a vehicle yet to be formally track-tested. While the oval version of the refined 2012 Dallara Indy car is not an exact comparison of the advancements made thanks heavily to the test driving of late Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon, there are some elements that stick-out as altered. The final vehicle featured at the 2012 Canadian International Auto Show withdrew the Dallara's engine cover shark fin and is overall composed of less stylized body lines. The more polished piece displayed at Toronto also carried another more symbolic detail. Honouring the life and achievements of the 2012 car's test driver Dan Wheldon, the Dallara chassis wears the designating initials 'DW' as a continuing tribute.

2012 Dallara Cars: 2011 Road Course Concept (Above), 2012 DW12 Oval Car
  Photo Credit: Chris Nagy

Set to premiere on the St Petersburg street course on March 25th opening the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series sechedule, many opern wheel fans in North Ameica will be eager to see the Dallara DW12 live up to the highest of potential.

Truex Jr Drafts the Right Bottle for Bud Shootout Pole

Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

 

Unofficially the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race of the season, the 2012 Budweiser Shootout, the world's top stock car racing stars are unleashed on the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway a weekend ahead of the prestigious Daytona 500. Open to the drivers who clinched a top-25 finishing position in the overall Sprint Cup Series driver standings last season, past winners of Daytona Cup Series events who are still ineligible through points are also granted entrance into the 34th running of the Budweiser Shootout. Started as a 20-lap sprint event in 1979, the Budweiser Shootout's 2012 edition will consist of 75 laps divided by two segments (a 25-lap and 50-lap part) for the ultimate Saturday night spectacle under the lights of the Daytona oval.

Settled by 25 special bottles of Budweiser beer, the starting lineup was drawn by the participating drivers of the non-points race. Unlike the pressures of qualifying for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event (a sensation that will certainly affect drivers during Sunday's qualifying for the Daytona 500), the Budweiser Shootout draw was a more leisure occasion where fans were reacquainted with their favourite NASCAR drivers. From the massive cheers for Dale Earnhardt Jr to the more colourful choir of cheers and boos for Kyle Busch, the 2012 Budweiser Shootout field was slowly set with many top starting spots selected early. One of the early drivers, Kyle Busch, drew a front-row 2nd place spot for the Saturday night event.

When the draw concluded, Martin Truex Jr left the ceremony with the Budweiser Shootout 2012. A field being led by a pair of Toyota Camrys (Truex Jr's #56 NAPA car for Michael Waltrip Racing and Busch's #18 M&Ms machine owned by Joe Gibbs Racing), the Japanese-derived auto brand has yet to win the Budweiser Shootout. Behind the all-Toyota front row, Brad Keselowski's #2 Miller Lite Dodge will start from the 3rd place position with Jamie McMurray joining on the second row for this Daytona race. With David Ragan starting 5th in the 2012 Budweiser Shootout, the top-5 drivers for this event are all non-winners of the Daytona non-points race.

Parting with the Penske Racing team in a highly eventful departure in the off-season, the defending winner of the Budwieser Shootout Kurt Busch drew a 6th place spot. The older Busch will be driving a Chevrolet in Sprint Cup competition for the first time for Phoenix Racing. Kurt Busch's former car, the #22 Penske Racing Dodge, will be driven by AJ Allmendinger in his maiden race for Penske Racing.  

 

Other former winners of the Budweiser Shootout will be starting the Saturday night with the additional challenge of a deep race position. Coming off his third championship season in 2011, two-time Shootout winner Tony Stewart will start his #14 Chevrolet from the 15th position. Starting 18th will be the 2005 Budweiser Shootout winner and five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. Johnson's #48 Chevrolet may easily have the support of new Hendrick Motosports teammate Kasey Kahne placed just one spot behind. Budweiser Shootout victor in 2009 and 2010, Kevin Harvick will start his #29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in 22nd spot. The race's title sponsor is also worn on the body panels of Harvick's Chevrolet. Fortunately for Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick, the Daytona International Speedway is a renowned restrictor plate track providing the speed for drivers to realistically launch their charge to the front.

The 2012 Budweiser Shootout is set to start at 8:10 PM Eastern time and will be televised on Fox in the United States as well as TSN2 in Canada.



2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Daytona International Speedway
Budweiser Shootout
Starting Lineup

 

1. 56 Martin Truex Jr NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
2. 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Toyota
3. 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
4. 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet
5. 34 David Ragan MHP / Power Pak Pudding Ford
6. 51 Kurt Busch Tag Heuer Avant / Garde Chevrolet
7. 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford
8. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr National Guard / Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet
9. 22 AJ Allmendinger Shell Pennzoil Dodge
10. 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota
11. 99 Carl Edwards Fastenal Ford
12. 31 Jeff Burton CAT Chevrolet
13. 39 Ryan Newman WIX Filters Chevrolet
14. 24 Jeff Gordon Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet
15. 14 Tony Stewart Mobil 1 / Office Depot Chevrolet
16. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota
17. 15 Clint Bowyer 5-hour Energy Toyota
18. 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet
19. 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Insurance Chevrolet
20. 55 Michael Waltrip Aaron's Toyota
21. 9 Marcos Ambrose Stanley Ford
22. 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet
23. 17 Matt Kenseth Best Buy Ford
24. 27 Paul Menard Menards / Peak Chevrolet
25. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet