Championship-Minded Edwards Wins Homestead Cup Pole

Photo Credit: Nigel Kinrade Autostock

The 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season started at Florida's Daytona International Speedway where a surprise winner Trevor Bayne took a Wood Brothers Ford to Daytona 500 victory circle. Returning to the state where the top stock car racing tour kicked off what was an overall unpredictable year, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title will be won by the first driver other than Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson for the first time since 2005.

The winner of that 2005 Cup championship, Tony Stewart, readies for the 2011 series finale at the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway just 3 points behind the Chase points leader. Indiana state's Stewart target for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Ford 400 is the #99 car driven by a Columbus, Missouri native. A driver equally as skilled inside the car as he is charismatic outside of a race vehicle, Carl Edwards used plain consistency in 9 of the 10 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup races to take the point lead going into the Ford 400 on Sunday. Despite not winning an event so far in this 2011 NASCAR Chase, Edwards and the #99 Ford Fusion fielded by Roush Fenway Racing are in position to gain owner Jack Roush his third Cup Series championship. 

With no track activity on Friday due to rain drenching the Homestead-Miami Speedway oval, practice and qualifying for the Ford 400 took place Saturday. Immediately, Carl Edwards and the #99 team rocketed to the top of the time sheets in the two practice sessions. Parlaying the speed in practice, Edward's #99 Ford took pole in qualifying Saturday afternoon lapping the 1.5-mile Florida oval in 30.775 seconds. Equating to a 175.467 mile per hour average speed, Carl Edwards commented following his pole run success content with the importance of Sunday's Ford 400 race. "It is great to be on the pole. It is just one lap and tomorrow we have 267 laps and we have some serious competition out there. We are just going to go put this Ford Fusion up there and get a good pit stall and race hard all day Sunday.” said Edwards ahead of the 400-mile event.

On a mission Sunday, Carl Edwards starts from the front row while Chase contender Tony Stewart will launch from a 15th position in the #14 Chevrolet. With the fight for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship the tightest during Ford Championship Weekend at the race track, Tony Stewart only needs to improve a few spots over Carl Edwards to steal his third driver's title. Historically at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Edwards and Stewart each hold a pair of victories in the 400-mile event.

Collecting a little over one-tenth of a second slower than Edwards to start on the front row of the Ford 400 is Martin Truex Jr in the #56 Toyota. Recent Pheonix race winner Kasey Kahne is positioned 3rd in what will by his final event in the #4 Toyota for Team Red Bull. Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski claims the 4th and 5th spots in qualifying for Penske Racing. Part of the 12 drivers eligible in the 2011 Chase, both Kurt Busch and Keselowski enter with opportunities to gain positions to finish out the season. Drivers rounding out the top-10 for the start of the Ford 400 are in order of Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin.

Fastest in the first practice, the Hendrick Motorsports-backed #88 Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr will start 11th after qualifying for Sunday's race. In 11 race starts, Earnhardt Jr has yet to record a top-10 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway track in Sprint Cup Series competition. Other notable starters for the Ford 400 includes Regan Smith in 16th place driving the #78 Furniture Row car, the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Kyle Busch in 19th position, one-time 2011 Chase contender Kevin Harvick in 21st and 2003 Homestead-Miami race winner Bobby Labonte will start 35th. Also, Mark Martin will be racing his final race for Hendrick Motorsports in the #5 Chevy starting from the 25th position. Martin had announced weeks ago going to Michael Watrip Racing in 2012.

Concluding the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, the Ford 400 starts Sunday at 3pm Eastern time.

2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup

Ford 400
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Starting Line-up

1. 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
2. 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
3. 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
4. 22 Kurt Busch Shell Pennzoil Dodge
5. 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
6. 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
7. 24 Jeff Gordon Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet
8. 16 Greg Biffle 3M/Novec Ford
9. 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet
10. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota
11. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet
12. 43 A J Allmendinger Best Buy Ford
13. 6 David Ragan UPS My Choice Ford
14. 39 Ryan Newman U.S. ARMY Chevrolet
15. 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet
16. 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet
17. 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
18. 9 Marcos Ambrose Stanley Ford
19. 18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota
20. 21 Trevor Bayne Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
21. 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet
22. 51 Landon Cassill Security Benefit/ThnkATchr Today Chevrolet
23. 27 Paul Menard Duracell/Menards Chevrolet
24. 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
25. 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
26. 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet
27. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
28. 0 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
29. 84 Cole Whitt Kangaroo Express Toyota
30. 55 J J Yeley Ingersoll Rand Ford
31. 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
32. 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota
33. 66 Michael McDowell HP Racing LLC Toyota
34. 35 Dave Blaney Golden Corral Chevrolet
35. 47 Bobby Labonte Reese Towpower Toyota
36. 30 David Stremme Inception Racing Chevrolet
37. 87 Joe Nemechek AM/FM Energy Pellet & Wood Stoves Toyota
38. 34 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
39. 13 Casey Mears Hard Rock Vodka Toyota
40. 38 Travis Kvapil Long John Silver's Ford
41. 32 T J Bell GreenSmoke.com Ford
42. 36 Geoffrey Bodine Luke & Associates Chevrolet
43. 71 Mike Bliss School Media Ford

Kenseth Leads Ford Front Row for Sunday's Phoenix Cup Race

Photo Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Still possessing a mathematical chance at the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, Matt Kenseth emerged from Saturday's qualifying with the Kobalt Tools 500 pole position. Kenseth steered his #17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford around the newly-paved Phoenix International Raceway with a lead time of a 26.26 seconds averaging 137.10 miles per hour. A tad slower than teammate Carl Edward's spring qualifying benchmark, Matt Kenseth's time is the quickest run achieved during a late fall event at the one-mile Phoenix oval. 

Allowing Ford's blue oval to shine with supremacy from the start of Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race, AJ Allmendinger lapped the race track at 26.38 seconds. Ford Fusions swept the top three positions with the second Richard Petty Motorsports #9 car of Marcos Ambrose registering a time just 3/100ths of a second slower than Allmendinger.

While Ford teams claims some important victories at Phoenix International Raceway (including the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race by Alan Kulwicki in 1988 and Carl Edward's victory in last season's fall event), Chevrolet have won 13 of the 15 Phoenix Sprint Cup runnings. At the start of Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500, the top Chevrolet will be in 4th spot; the Hendrick Motorsports #5 machine driven by Mark Martin. Martin's fellow Hendrick Motorsports teammates are positioned in mid-field positions with Jimmie Johnson in 16th, Dale Earnhardt Jr starting 22nd and Jeff Gordon qualified in 23rd. Of the 12 race won by Chevrolet since 2003, 7 times it was a Hendrick Motorsports car stationed in victory lane.

Wrapping up the top-10 qualifiers for the Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway is Martin Truex Jr (the highest starting Toyota), Jamie McMurray, David Reutimann, title-contending Tony Stewart, Chase points leader Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne. With Edwards and Stewart entering the Phoenix separated by just 3 points in the 2011 Chase points, one slight miscue by either driver could result in a drastic event as only the series finale Homestead-Miami Speedway round left after this race.

Interesting notes heading into the resurfaced Phoenix International Raceway is neither Toyota or Dodge have recorded a Cup victory at the one-mile Arizona track. Also, the Phoenix race Sunday will be the first career Sprint Cup start with Camping World Truck Series rookie Cole Whitt driving a third Toyota Camry for Team Red Bull.

Scheduled for 312 laps, the 500-kilometer NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix is set for a 3pm Eastern time start.

  

2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Kobalt Tools 500
Phoenix International Raceway
Starting Lineup

  

1. 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
2. 43 A J Allmendinger WIX Filters Ford
3. 9 Marcos Ambrose DeWalt Ford
4. 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
5. 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
6. 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald's Chevrolet
7. 0 David Reutimann TUMS Toyota
8. 14 Tony Stewart Mobil 1 / Office Depot Chevrolet
9. 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
10. 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
11. 27 Paul Menard Peak / Menards Chevrolet
12. 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
13. 6 David Ragan UPS My Choice Ford
14. 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Global Mining Chevrolet
15. 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
16. 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's / Kobalt Tools Chevrolet
17. 22 Kurt Busch Shell Pennzoil Dodge
18. 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
19. 84 Cole Whitt Red Bull Racing Toyota
20. 7 Robby Gordon SPEED Energy / MAPEI Dodge
21. 51 Landon Cassill Phoenix Construction Chevrolet
22. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Retro Diet Mt. Dew / National Guard Chevrolet
23. 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet
24. 46 Scott Speed Green Stuff Absorbent Ford
25. 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota
26. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
27. 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet
28. 33 Clint Bowyer USO / Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
29. 16 Greg Biffle 3M / Meguiar's Ford
30. 39 Ryan Newman U.S. Army Veterans Day Chevrolet
31. 47 Bobby Labonte Wounded Warrior / Clorox / Kleenex Toyota
32. 87 Joe Nemechek AM FM Energy Pellet & Wood Stoves Toyota
33. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Freight Toyota
34. 18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota
35. 66 Michael McDowell HP Racing Toyota
36. 37 Mike Skinner MaxQ Motorsports Ford
37. 55 Travis Kvapil Aloft Hotels Ford
38. 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota
39. 32 Mike Bliss Veterans United Home Loans Ford
40. 36 Geoffrey Bodine Luke & Associates Inc. Chevrolet
41. 38 J J Yeley Vampt Ford
42. 34 David Gilliland Aloft Hotels Ford
43. 35 Dave Blaney Golden Corral Chevrolet

Stewart Roping in Chase Leader Edwards with Texas Cup Win

Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

 

With only 3 races to go in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, the all-important Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup his come down to 4 main competitors. Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick have all made the most of the 10-race Chase system. Winning 4 of the 7 completed events combined, Tony Stewart has won 3 of those pivotal events. In fact, of the four Chase contenders, Stewart (a driver who made it into the 2011 Chase by a slim 28-point margin after Richmond) rides into Texas Motor Speedway with momentum of winning the last event at the short track of Martinsville Speedway. A fast tri-oval circuit, Texas Motor Speedway providing an important stage for the 8th of 10 races in the 2011 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup.

 

From the green flag of the 500-mile event for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway, Roush Fenway Racing united in the AAA Texas 500 determined to optimize their prime qualifying performances to the advantage of their Chase contending drivers. Non-Chase driver Greg Biffle took the race's pole Friday and proceeded to lead the first 23 laps in the #16 Ford before turning over the top position to the Roush Fenway Racing teammate Matt Kenseth driving the #17 car. Kenseth was out in front of the AAA Texas 500 for 87 of the race's first 118 laps as an eaerly denominator. Though the #17 Ford Fusion remained steadily in the top-5 for almost all of the race's 334 laps, the early 1/3 segment of the event at Texas Motor Speedway was the only time he spent in the lead position. Matt Kenseth finished 4th in the final results of the event. Helping in efforts of preserving his Chase lead, Carl Edwards quickly registered a point for leading a lap in his #99 Ford for a total 14 rounds during the AAA Texas 500.

 

The initial one-third distance of the 500-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway went caution-free creating a deep quagmire for teams who did not immediately synchronized to a sufficient race pace. After 113 circuits around the 1.5-mile oval, a debris caution finally slowed giving some of the struggling cars a chance to regroup. A three-car team with a winning past at Texas Motor Speedway, Joe Gibbs Racing were unable to place a single entrant in the top-20 up to his point. Much of the focus leading around the AAA Texas 500 was the Joe Gibbs Racing team's #18 Toyota begin driven by substitute driver Michael McDowell. Due to the conduct of regular driver Kyle Busch in Friday's Camping World Truck Series race at Texas, NASCAR were convinced to immediately park the then-7th place in points Busch for Nationwide and this Sprint Cup race. The absence of the team's frequent front runner would have certainly distracted the whole Joe Gibbs Racing organization which are placed a lap down when the yellow flag fell. Denny Hamlin recovered to the lead lap on this caution being rewarded the Free Pass around leader Carl Edwards. A tough day for the team founded by an NFL great coach, Joe Gibbs Racing's #20 Home Depot Toyota piloted by Joey Logano would retire after running 258 laps on the day with an engine failure. Michael McDowell (called on to replace Kyle Busch on Saturday) started near the rear of the field to finish 33rd place 3 laps down to the leader.

 

While the Roush Fenway Racing bunch arrived at Texas Motor Speedway with a very robust mile and a half program paying dividends in the Chase, the Martinsville Speedway winning #14 Chevrolet emerged against the Fords. Tony Stewart and crew chief Darian Grubb hit the set-up that would place the #14 car out front for much of the afternoon. Leading 173 laps total, Stewart began to cruise in or around the first place position.
Jimmie Johnson saw his hopes of an unprecedented 6th straight NASCAR Sprint Cup fizzle during the AAA Texas 500 finishing 14th in the event. Able to lead for lap 159 at Texas Motor Speedway through a pit stop cycle, Johnson spun his #48 Chevrolet in turn 4 bringing out a caution on lap 241. Without making contact with any walls, Jimmie Johnson's car slid into the frontstretch infield suffering minimal damage. While still in the championship hunt mathematically heading into the next race at Phoenix, the NASCAR Sprint Cup trophy for the 2011 season is unlikely to be hoisted by Johnson's hands.

 

With a relatively low 5 cautions through the AAA Texas 500 race, the final caution at lap 271 to 274 gave a few teams a notion of stretching their ethanol-blended gasoline. Little to lose, Richard Childress Racing's #31 Chevrolet driven by Jeff Burton attempted steal the event with a late race fuel economy dash. Five laps short of the race's full distance, Burton's Chevy sputtered to a quiet crawl out of fuel relinquishing the lead to Tony Stewart. Sailing across the Texas Motor Speedway, Stewart scored his 4th win in the 10-race Chase for 2011.

 

Crossing the line a little over a second after Stewart, Carl Edwards continues to mount a strong defense as he attempts to reel in his first NASCAR Sprint Cup championship. Coming in 2nd place, Edwards still holds a 3-point advantage over the two-time NASCAR Cup series champion Tony Stewart.

 

Rounding out the top-5 for the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway is Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle. Also closing out the event with strong runs is Jeff Gordon who climbed from 23rd to 6th, 7th place for Dale Earnhardt Jr and Marcos Ambrose who ran in the top-10 almost all day Sunday to finish 11th.

With two races remaining in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, the tour will race at the newly-reconfigured Phoenix International Raceway.

 

2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup

AAA Texas 500
Texas Motor Speedway
Race Results

  

1. 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet
2. 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
3. 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
4. 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
5. 16 Greg Biffle Scotch Blue Ford
6. 24 Jeff Gordon Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet
7. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard by Tradition/AMP Chevrolet
8. 56 Martin Truex, Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
9. 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
10. 43 AJ Allmendinger Immortals/Best Buy Ford
11. 9 Marcos Ambrose DeWalt Ford
12. 6 David Ragan UPS My Choice Ford
13. 29 Kevin Harvick Rheem Chevrolet
14. 48 Jimmie Johnson mylowes Chevrolet
15. 27 Paul Menard Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet
16. 39 Ryan Newman Quicken Loans/Carrier Classic Chevrolet
17. 21 Trevor Bayne Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
18. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
19. 5 Mark Martin CARQUEST/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
20. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota
21. 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
22. 0 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
23. 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet
24. 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
25. 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota
26. 51 Landon Cassill Security Benefit/Thank A Teacher Chevrolet
27. 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
28. 47 Bobby Labonte Wounded Warrior Project Toyota
29. 71 Andy Lally TRG Motorsports Ford
30. 22 Kurt Busch AAA Dodge
31. 38 Travis Kvapil Long John Silver's Ford
32. 34 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
33. 18 Michael McDowell M&M's Toyota
34. 32 Mike Bliss Street King Ford
35. 35 Dave Blaney Big Red Chevrolet
36. 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops/Arctic Cat Chevrolet
37. 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota
38. 36 Geoffrey Bodine Luke & Associates, Inc. Chevrolet
39. 46 Scott Speed Green Stuff Absorbent Ford
40. 66 Josh Wise HP Racing LLC Toyota
41. 37 Mike Skinner MaxQ Motorsports Ford
42. 87 Joe Nemechek AM/FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Toyota
43. 55 JJ Yeley Ingersoll Rand Ford

 

 

Edwards Seizes Top Spot for Martinsville Cup Race

Photo Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images for NASCAR

From the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway, the transition to the Martinsville Speedway 0.526-mile short track could lead to another unpredictable event in the second-half of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase for the Cup. While the official Friday qualifying session for the NASCAR Sprint Cup's TUMS Fast Relief 500 was rained out, the starting line-up for the Martinsville Speedway event was decided on car owner points.

Carl Edwards' recent storming run to the top of the Chase standings secured the top spot for Sunday's event. Regarded as a historically tough race track for the #99 Ford, Edwards has an average starting spot of 18.2 out of 14 races. As Carl Edwards seemingly dodged a major bullet in acquiring starting position for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway, so did his teammate Matt Kenseth in the #17 Ford. For the Roush Fenway Racing team, their last win at the Martinsville Speedway track in Sprint Cup occurred in 2002 with Kurt Busch driving the #97 car.

With all 12 Chase contenders lined up at the top of the field, the 500 laps at Martinsville Speedway could prove to be a challenging situation for one driver to gain a major advantage on rivals. In a session led by the #66 Toyota of Michael McDonnell's top time of 19.747 second or 95.893 miles per hour, the pivotal prep for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event.

Following final practice on Saturday afternoon, the plot for Sunday's race thickens as only 3 of the Chase's top-12 drivers placed in the top-10 fastest cars. All from the stables of Hendrick Motorsports, Jimmie Johnson led the driver grouping with a 3rd fastest in the session driving the #48 Chevrolet. Ninth fastest on the race track practice was Jeff Gordon #24 Chevy while the #88 car of Dale Earnhardt Jr logged a 10th quickest time. Winning 10 of the 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup races run at the Martinsville Speedway short track from 2003 to 2009, Hendrick Motorsports has been winless in the past 4 visits by the series. Both Johnson and Earnhardt logged more than 100 laps on track at Martinsvile Saturday afternoon.

On a recent hot streak at the Virginian short track is Denny Hamlin. Though he finished 12th during the spring race at Martinsville, Hamlin drove his #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to three consecutive wins at the 0.526-mile oval. Involved in the Chase but largely out of contention for the title, Hamlin was 14th fastest in Saturday practice. Other Chase for the Sprint Cup notables in the practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the short track includes Kurt Busch registering 11th fastest, Kyle Busch in 15th, while the front row-starting Roush Fenway Racing group cars were 24th and 29th quickest with Matt Kenseth ahead of Carl Edwards.

Fourth to last on the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup series season, the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway has a race start time of 2pm Sunday.

2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
TUMS Fast Relief 500
Martinsville Speedway
Starting Line-up

1. 99 Carl Edwards Scotts Winterguard Ford
2. 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
3. 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
4. 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot / Mobil 1 Chevrolet
5. 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet
6. 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Halloween Toyota
7. 48 Jimmie Johnson Mylowes Chevrolet
8. 22 Kurt Busch Shell Pennzoil Dodge
9. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Diet Mt. Dew Paint the 88/NationalGuard Chev
10. 24 Jeff Gordon Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet
11. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota
12. 39 Ryan Newman HAAS Automation Chevrolet
13. 33 Clint Bowyer American Ethanol / Cheerios Chevrolet
14. 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
15. 16 Greg Biffle 3M Filtrete Ford
16. 43 A J Allmendinger AdvoCare Ford
17. 9 Marcos Ambrose Stanley Ford
18. 6 David Ragan UPS My Choice Ford
19. 5 Mark Martin CARQUEST / GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
20. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
21. 27 Paul Menard Richmond / Menards Chevrolet
22. 20 Joey Logano Interstate Batteries Toyota
23. 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
24. 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
25. 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
26. 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
27. 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald's Chevrolet
28. 0 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
29. 47 Bobby Labonte Grilling.com Toyota
30. 51 Landon Cassill PhoenixCnstrctn/ThankATeacherToday Chev
31. 34 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
32. 36 Dave Blaney Golden Corral Chevrolet
33. 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota
34. 32 Ken Schrader U.S. Chrome / Southern Pride Ford
35. 38 Travis Kvapil Long John Silver's Ford
36. 71 Hermie Sadler Home Smart Ford
37. 7 Reed Sorenson SPEED Energy Dodge
38. 37 Mike Skinner MaxQ Motorsports Ford
39. 46 Scott Speed Green Smoke Ford
40. 66 Michael McDowell Victory Junction Toyota
41. 87 Joe Nemechek AM FM Energy Pellet & Wood Stoves Toyota
42. 30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Chevrolet
43. 55 J J Yeley Front Row Motorsports Ford

Bowyer Breaks Pass Burton for Talladega Win

Photo Credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images for NASCAR

Considered the most unpredictable race in the 10-race 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup, the top NASCAR drivers take on the 2.66-mile, high-speed Talladega Superspeedway. This final restrictor plate event on the overall NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule, the race is known to favour almost any driver and team in the right position at the end of the event. For the Good Sam Club 500 event, this benefit came to the Richard Childress Racing pair of Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer. In a daring final lap move on the Talladega tri-oval section, Bowyer’s #33 Chevy broke the draft and performed a slingshot on his #31 car teammate Burton claiming the win by mere feet.

A race comprised of the interaction of the two-car tandem draft, this went contrary to the intent of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rule makers plans for the event. Entering the Talladega Superspeedway race, NASCAR dictated a series of new rules created to combat the increasing level of two-car bump-drafting practice. Despite eliminating teams from using lubricants to grease the bumpers and changes made in the area of the radiator, the two-car tandem re-established itself through the race weekend. Back and better than ever, the two-car tandem dominated the Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Photo Credit: Undefined by NASCAR

Going through the first 8 laps with 5 distant drivers leading the Good Sam Club 500, the #17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford of Matt Kenseth made a profound impact early. On course to lead 21 laps through the day working with the #6 Ford teammate of David Ragan, Kenseth’s run at the Talladega Superspeedway is capitalizing on the Charlotte victory.

With Roush Fenway Racing driver Matt Kenseth and the #99 car pilot Carl Edwards well in the title hunt for this season, rumours through the weekend at Talladega Superspeedway has indicated the blue oval organization of Ford teams were engaged in a political move on the race track. Reports have circulated that Ford drivers were discouraged to draft with vehicles belonging to any other auto manufacturers. As the race transpired, the multi-car team dynamic obscured any obvious presence of manufacturer orders as corporate teammates of all organizations were paired. There was one incident in the final run of the event involving the #21 Ford of Trevor Bayne and the #24 Chevrolet of Jeff Gordon. As Bayne started to draft with the Hendrick Motorsports car of Gordon, the #21 Wood Brothers Ford suddenly abandoned the Chevy driver in favour of a Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Without a drafting partner, Jeff Gordon plummeted in the final running order to 27th place.

In a race consisting of 72 lead changes (falling well short of the Talladega Superspeedway’s promotional stunt where a prize would be rewarded if 100 lead changes occurred), the #14 Chevrolet piloted by owner/driver Tony Stewart would lead most often with 30 laps on the day. Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer and Matt Kenseth were the only other drivers to lead more than 20 laps during the 188-lap event.

Slowed nine times by caution, five of the yellow flags on the day fell in reaction to multiple-car accidents. The first major accident crucial to the 2011 NASCAR Chase standings on lap 105 collected the cars of Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch among the 6 vehicles. A crash started when the Richard Petty Motorsports cars of AJ Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose made contact, Allmendinger’s spinning #43 Ford tagged Kyle Busch’s #18 Toyota before collecting others. Both championship contenders required crew service in the Talladega Superspeedway garage area, Harvick finished the race in 32nd place while Kyle Busch was listed 13 laps down in the final results crossing the start/finish line in 33rd place.

Another crash that could have had dire consequences for the Chase standing in the Good Sam Club 500 transpired on lap 164. Set off when the #32 Ford driven by Terry Labonte made incidental contact with the #71 Ford of Andy Lally sending him sideways. Right behind the sliding #71 car was the #48 Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson who just barely missed collection. Though contact between the #71 and #48 occurred, the damage was not serious enough to require immediate attention. Penske Racing’s Chase contender Kurt Busch would not be so lucky when he collided with a spinning car of Bobby Labonte 11 laps later. Losing oil pressure, Busch’s #22 Dodge also lost considerable ground for securing a chance at the 2011 title.

The final multi-car crash in the Good Sam Club 500 involved five cars out of turn two. Receiving the most serious hit head-on with the Talladega wall was the #78 Chevrolet of Regan Smith. Though sustaining severe front-end damage, Smith climbed out of the car uninjured.

Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR

One positive development of the two-tandem appears to be reducing the traditional multi-car “Big Wreck” crashes consisting of double-digit involvement. However, three of the caution during the Talladega Superspeedway NASCAR Sprint Cup race was attributed to mistakes during the two-car bump-drafting exercises. On lap 81, it was the Stewart/Haas Racing #14 and #39 stock cars spinning on the frontstretch. Also happening on the frontstretch was a tangling between the Red Bull Toyotas on lap 130. Both pairs recovered to continue running with the Red Bull cars even breaking into the top-10 in the race’s final results.

With the race ending with a dramatic last-lap battle between Bowyer and Burton, the Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway delivered some definite surprises. When stock cars crossed the checkered flag on lap 188, nine of the top ten finishing race cars started from deep in the field. With Clint Bowyer the only drive to qualify within the top-12, Jeff Burton surged from 27th to a runner-up spot to almost win the Talladega event. Finishing third for the Tommy Baldwin Racing team, Dave Blaney brought the #36 Chevy from 41st to finish 3rd ahead of 2009 spring Talladega race winner Brad Keselowski. In 5th and 6th place, the Team Red Bull pair recovered from the mid-race trials. Brian Vickers led Kasey Kahne across the line in Toyotas.

One note was the ineffectiveness of the Hendrick Motorsports team in the race’s final run. After Jimmie Johnson won the spring race at Talladega, tandem pairing of Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr seemed as if it could be a strong combination. Leading only three laps combined through the Good Sam Club 500, their strategy of waiting in the back of the field for a late race charge backfired. While Jimmie Johnson’s #48 Chevrolet escaped danger through the Andy Lally lap 164 crash, the caution periods in the final laps left too little time for the Hendrick Motorsport pairing to make an impact for even a top-10 finish.

The 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase standings see the Roush Fenway Racing group gain commandingly after issues brought complications to other contenders. Carl Edwards (who finished in a safe 11th place at Talladega) now holds a 14-point lead over teammate Matt Kenseth. Brad Keselowski is only 4 points behind Kenseth in third place and is a single point ahead of Tony Stewart. Kevin Harvick is now 26 points away from Carl Edwards with only four races remaining in the 2011 season.

Heading to the Martinsville Speedway short track, the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series leaves the fastest track in the season for the slowest.

2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup

Good Sam Club 500
Talladega Superspeedway
Race Results

1. 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 100 Years Chevrolet
2. 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
3. 36 Dave Blaney Golden Corral Chevrolet
4. 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
5. 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
6. 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
7. 14 Tony Stewart El Monterey/Office Depot Chevrolet
8. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota
9. 15 Michael Waltrip Aaron's/DarrellWaltripNASCARHallofFame Toyota
10. 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
11. 99 Carl Edwards Subway Ford
12. 27 Paul Menard Serta/Menards Chevrolet
13. 0 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
14. 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford
15. 21 Trevor Bayne Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
16. 51 Landon Cassill Phoenix Construction/Thank A Teacher Chevrolet
17. 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota
18. 17 Matt Kenseth Jeremiah Weed Ford
19. 9 Marcos Ambrose Stanley Ford
20. 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
21. 38 Travis Kvapil Long John Silver's Ford
22. 34 David Gilliland World Hunger Relief/www.fromhungertohope.com Ford
23. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Energizer Chevrolet
24. 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota
25. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. DietMountainDewPaintthe88/NationalGuard Chevrolet
26. 48 Jimmie Johnson mylowes Chevrolet
27. 24 Jeff Gordon Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet
28. 6 David Ragan UPS My Choice Ford
29. 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet
30. 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet
31. 43 AJ Allmendinger Best Buy Ford
32. 29 Kevin Harvick Jimmy John's Chevrolet
33. 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Halloween Toyota
34. 32 Terry Labonte C&J Energy Ford
35. 47 Bobby Labonte Scott Products Toyota
36. 22 Kurt Busch Shell Pennzoil Dodge
37. 7 Robby Gordon SPEED Energy/MAPEI Dodge
38. 39 Ryan Newman U.S. ARMY Chevrolet
39. 71 Andy Lally TRG Motorsports Ford
40. 66 Michael McDowell HP Racing, LLC Toyota
41. 87 Joe Nemechek AM/FM Energy Pellet & Wood Stoves Toyota
42. 55 JJ Yeley Front Row Motorsports Ford
43. 97 Kevin Conway Extenze Toyota

Biffle to Lead Cup Field to Kansas Green Flag

 Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

 

The headlining event for a full Kansas Speedway race weekend that includes ARCA and NASCAR Nationwide Series races, the NASCAR Sprint Cup entered Friday qualifying in preparation for a 400 miles of racing Sunday.

 

The fourth race in the 2011 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup, Kansas Speedway becomes a potential epicenter for shaping what is an incredibly tight championship battle. After the past Dover race, Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards share the top position in the Chase standings with the top-8 driver residing in a 15-point interval.

 

With a pole position being a good launching pad for the Chase contenders for Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, the efforts of the total 12 drivers were foiled by a driver and team outside of the 2011 competition within the NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. A two-time career winner of events held at Kansas Speedway, Roush Fenway Racing driver Greg Biffle steered to his second pole of 2011. Clocking a 30.877 second lap time, Biffle outran teammate Carl Edwards by just 3/10ths of a mile per hour average in the qualifying lap. Missing the 2011 Chase, Greg Biffle is still searching for his first win in the season with his #16 Ford team.

 

As Carl Edwards #99 car starts alongside his teammate on the first row thanks to the NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying results, a third Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion ended the session in fourth place. The Joe Gibbs Racing #18 Toyota Kyle Busch has been sandwiched by Roush Fenway Racing drivers. Kasey Kahne registers a 5th fastest time in qualifying for the Hollywood Casino 400 with Paul Menard becoming the top Chevrolet runner placed in 6th for the race's start

 

In regards to the 2011 Chase championship fight in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Carl Edwards 2nd fastest time grants him an immediate advantage over Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch. The #29 Chevrolet of Harvick starts 12 place behind the #99 Ford in 14th starting spot. Kurt Busch will launch in 17th position while the #14 Chevy piloted by driver/owner Tony Stewart will roll off 23rd.

 

The Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway will mark the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start for current Camping World Truck Series regular Austin Dillon. Son of past NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Mike Dillon and grandson of powerful race team owner Richard Childress, Austin Dillon will drive a #98 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet at the 1.5-mile oval event. Starting his first Sprint Cup event in 26th place position, its amusing to note this is the exact same spot grandfather Richard Childress' 1969 debuted as a driver in NASCAR premier series.

 

Kansas Speedway will come alive for the Hollywood Casino 400 at 1PM local time (2PM Eastern time).

 

 

2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Hollywood Casino 400
Kansas Speedway
Starting Line-up

Pos # | Car # | Driver | Sponsor | Car Make 

1. 16 Greg Biffle Sherwin-Williams Ford
2. 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
3. 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Toyota
4. 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
5. 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
6. 27 Paul Menard Schrock / Menards Chevrolet
7. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Freight Toyota
8. 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
9. 5 Mark Martin CARQUEST / GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
10. 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet
11. 39 Ryan Newman HAAS Automation Chevrolet
12. 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
13. 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
14. 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet
15. 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
16. 78 Regan Smith FurnitureRowRacing/FarmAmerican Chev
17. 22 Kurt Busch Shell Pennzoil Dodge
18. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard / AMP Energy Chevrolet
19. 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet
20. 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota
21. 9 Marcos Ambrose DeWalt Ford
22. 43 A J Allmendinger Best Buy Ford
23. 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot / Mobil 1 Chevrolet
24. 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
25. 46 Scott Speed ordergreenstuff.com Ford
26. 98 Austin Dillon PresidentRonaldReaganCentennial Chev
27. 0 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
28. 55 J J Yeley Front Row Motorsports Ford
29. 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops / Arctic Cat Chevrolet
30. 34 David Gilliland A&W All American Food Ford
31. 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
32. 30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Chevrolet
33. 47 Bobby Labonte Bush's Beans / Kingsford Toyota
34. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
35. 71 Andy Lally Interstate Moving Services Ford
36. 38 Travis Kvapil Long John Silver's Ford
37. 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota
38. 36 Dave Blaney Big Red Chevrolet
39. 7 Reed Sorenson SPEED Energy / MAPEI / Menards Dodge
40. 66 Michael McDowell Victory Junction Toyota
41. 51 Landon Cassill SecurityBenefits/ThankATeacherToday Chev
42. 32 Mike Bliss Street King Ford
43. 87 Joe Nemechek AM FM Energy Toyota

Keselowski powers to Nationwide win at Kansas

Photo Credit: Tom Whitmore/Getty Images for NASCAR

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(October 8, 2011)

KANSAS CITY, Kan.—Driving a No. 22 Dodge that felt as if it were on rails, Brad Keselowski dominated Saturday's Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway to win his fourth Nationwide Series race of the year and the 16th of his career.

The reigning series champion passed runner-up Carl Edwards with just over 13 laps left and pulled away to win by 2.795 seconds. Elliott Sadler ran third, followed by Paul Menard and Nationwide points leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Keselowski had a 10-second lead over Menard when the engine in Josh Wise's
Chevrolet exploded on Lap 142. The No. 22 Dodge hit pit road for tires and fuel and quickly stretched out his lead.

But when Angela Cope spun and hit the Turn 2 wall on Lap 173, Edwards was able to grab the lead to the inside after a restart on Lap 179. His advantage didn't last. Keselowski moved past Edwards to the inside on Lap 187 and pulled away for the win.

From Keselowski's perspective, the winning pass was anything but a foregone conclusion.

"The first few laps that I was behind him, I was pushing so bad in his air that I had some serious doubts," Keselowski said. "I go back to last week at Dover in the (Sprint) Cup car. In the last segment, we restarted 21st or something like that, drove through the lapped cars, and I ran down the lead pack from a straightaway behind in about four laps—I was three or four tenths (of a second) a lap faster.

"Then I caught the back half of the field and slowed down three or fourth tenths of a second in the dirty air. I was thinking about that the whole time I was behind Carl there, and I was like, 'Oh, my God, this is going to be another one of those days.' But I was able to move my line around and find clean air."

Keselowski may have had his doubts. Edwards—not so much.

"Brad's car was so fast," Edwards said. "I knew after about 30 laps that, unless something happened, we were going to be racing pretty hard for second place. Fortunately, there at the end, I did get a chance to race with him a little bit."

As it turned out, not for long.

Keselowski was the clear class of the field in the first half of the race. On successive green-flag runs, he opened leads of seven, five and four seconds before cautions bunched the field. Keselowski led Sadler by 3.785 seconds when NASCAR called the fourth caution of the race on Lap 86 for Timmy Hill's blown engine.

Keselowski, who had stayed out under the previous yellow, came to pit road for fuel and four tires on Lap 88 but stalled his car in his pit box because of a miscommunication between driver and crew on when to leave the stall.

"My fault," Keselowski radioed after the mistake. "I wasn't ready when you dropped the jack."

Keselowski restarted 14th on Lap 96. Six laps later, he was back in the lead, blowing past Aric Almirola for the top spot on Lap 101.

Notes: Stenhouse leads Sadler by 20 points in the series standings with four races left in the season. … Reed Sorenson, driving the Randy MacDonald's No. 82 Dodge after his sudden ouster from the No. 32 Turner Motorsports Chevy earlier in the week, ran 26th, two laps down. He remains third in points but fell from 49 to 70 behind Stenhouse. … With his runner-up finish in the No. 60 Ford, Edwards trimmed the lead of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to seven points in the owners' standings. … Danica Patrick finished 15th, her best result since finishing 10th at Daytona in July.

Edwards holds off Kyle Busch for 35th Nationwide win

Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

HAMPTON, Ga.—Polesitter Carl Edwards held off Kyle Busch during a frantic final 10 laps of Saturday night’s Great Clips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and, despite a pit-road penalty early in the race, notched his sixth Nationwide Series victory of the year and the 35th of his career.

Busch, who chased Edwards to the checkered flag after passing Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for second place on Lap 186 of 195, was the runner-up, .697 seconds behind Edwards. Stenhouse, the series points leader, came home third, followed by Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne.

After regaining the lead from Harvick following a Lap 177 restart, Edwards stayed there and held a comfortable advantage until Busch cleared Stenhouse for second.

“That was the hardest we could race out there,” Edwards said. “Kyle and I, Kevin, I raced Kasey—it was a lot of fun. This track is as good as it gets. This was a blast.”

Edwards’ crew was fastest during pit stops under caution on Lap 165, and he led the field to a restart on Lap 169. Harvick, however, grabbed the top spot before the lap was over and stayed there until contact from Justin Allgaier sent Turner Motorsports teammate Reed Sorenson’s Chevrolet into the Ford of Trevor Bayne in Turn 2.

“I will tell you one thing: I’ll find him after the race, and it’ll be between me and him—I promise you,” said Sorenson, who took a huge hit in the Nationwide standings.

Allgaier, who finished sixth, said after the race he wanted to find Sorenson, too—to apologize. Sorenson finished 32nd and now trails Stenhouse by 40 points.

Edwards led from the outset, pacing the first 41 laps before Eric McClure smacked the Turn 2 wall to cause the first caution. During pit stops on Lap 43, Edwards dragged an air gun beyond the boundary of his stall and had to return to pit road to serve a penalty.

Busch led the field to a restart on Lap 47, with Harvick beside him and Edwards in 17th place, the last car on the lead lap thanks to the infraction. As Harvick battled Busch and Stenhouse for the top spot, Edwards began a methodical climb through the field, working his way to the sixth position within 15 laps.

Harvick swapped the lead with Stenhouse three times, and Harvick on his team radio acknowledged the broader implications of that battle. Harvick owns the No. 2 Chevrolet driven by Elliott Sadler, and entering Saturday’s event, Sadler trailed Stenhouse by five points in the race for the Nationwide championship.

“I’ll get rougher with him (Stenhouse) the later it goes, if I have to,” Harvick promised as the cars slowed under caution for Joe Nemechek’s spin in Turn 2 on Lap 68. “I feel like I’m racing for the 2’s life up here.”

Sadler finished 10th. He remains second in the standings but is now 13 points behind Stenhouse.

That caution and one that followed on Lap 76 for Michael Annett’s spin through the infield grass bunched the field and gave Edwards the opportunity he needed to regain the lead. After trading the top spot with Busch following a restart on Lap 82, Edwards moved to the front decisively on Lap 102 and began to pull away.

By Lap 110, he had a lead of 1.394 seconds over Busch.

Ryan Newman Commands Concrete of Bristol for Cup Pole

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

Known for its highly banked turns and concrete surface, Bristol Motor Speedway hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup teams for the IRWIN Tools Night Race Saturday. With the Chase for the Sprint Cup fast approaching, the Saturday night race at Bristol Motor Speedway's tight short track becomes a serious test for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers needing a strong points showing. 

Besides the potential Chase contenders, all 43 Sprint Cup drivers and team qualifying into the IRWIN Tool Night Race will prepare for 500 laps around a race track that tests physical as well as mental states. The 0.533-mile short-track supplies an exciting combination of speeds and tight quarters which has allowed the Bristol Motor Speedway to become a top attraction on the NASCAR circuit.

In qualifying for the 250-lap IRWIN Tools Night Race on Saturday night, the #39 Chevrolet of Ryan Newman scored the top spot ahead of the Roush-Fenway Racing Ford Fusions. Newman's 48th career pole in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, the Stewart/Haas Racing driver starts from the pole position for a 2nd time in 2011. Fortunately for Ryan Newman, his last pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway concluded with victory. Ryan Newman heads into the Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup race with the motivation of a victory gained in a Whelen modified race on the Bristol Motor Speedway track Wednesday.

Second fastest in qualifying was the #99 Ford of Carl Edwards followed by Roush-Fenway teammate Matt Kenseth. Contending for the top spot entering the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Edwards enters Bristol after a costly 36th place finish following the past Michigan event. Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin (two Hendrick Motorsports vehicles) have qualified 4th and 5th for the Saturday night event.

While Ryan Newman took Stewart/Haas Racing to the highest of highs in the Friday time trial, the driver/owner behind the wheel of the #14 Chevy ended up far away from the pole-winning #39 race car. Tony Stewart will start 42nd after an off-pace qualifying effort. Winning once on the Bristol Motor Speedway in 2001, Stewart's last two Cup efforts on the 0.533 short track resulted in 19th and 27th place finishes.


The IRWIN Tools Night Race will start 7:30 PM Saturday for 500 laps around the Bristol Motor Speedway. Weather forecast indicate conditions should be hot but dry. 

2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup
IRWIN Tools Night Race
Bristol Motor Speedway
Starting Lineup

1. 39 Ryan Newman Bass Pro Shops/Realtree Chevrolet
2. 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Dental Ford
3. 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
4. 24 Jeff Gordon Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet
5. 5 Mark Martin Farmers Insurance/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
6. 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops/Realtree Chevrolet
7. 27 Paul Menard Sylvania/Menards Chevrolet
8. 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
9. 20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota
10. 22 Kurt Busch Shell/Pennzoil Dodge
11. 9 Marcos Ambrose Stanley Ford
12. 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet
13. 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet
14. 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford
15. 29 Kevin Harvick Realtree/Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet
16. 33 Clint Bowyer Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
17. 34 David Gilliland Thanks Bristol Fans Ford
18. 43 A J Allmendinger Best Buy Ford
19. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
20. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota
21. 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
22. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMPEnergy/Bristol50thAnny/NtnlGrd Chev
23. 18 Kyle Busch Doublemint Toyota
24. 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
25. 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
26. 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
27. 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
28. 87 Joe Nemechek AM/FM Energy Pellet Wood Stoves Toyota
29. 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota
30. 47 Bobby Labonte Bush's Baked Beans Toyota
31. 30 David Stremme Echostar Technologies Chevrolet
32. 66 Michael McDowell HP Racing Toyota
33. 38 Travis Kvapil Long John Silver's Ford
34. 0 David Reutimann Aaron's Freedom Ride Dream Machine Toyota
35. 36 Dave Blaney Golden Corral Chevrolet
36. 46 Scott Speed Green Stuff Ford
37. 95 David Starr Advocare Ford
38. 71 Andy Lally Interstate Moving Services Ford
39. 7 Robby Gordon SPEED Energy Dodge
40. 51 Mike Bliss PhoenixCnstrctn/ThnkATchrToday Chev
41. 32 Terry Labonte C&J Energy Ford
42. 14 Tony Stewart Bass Pro Shops/Office Depot Chevrolet
43. 60 Mike Skinner Big Red Toyota

Stenhouse Wins at Iowa in a Wild Finish

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

 

 

By Jim Pedley
Special to the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

 

(August 6, 2011)

 

NEWTON, Iowa—Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Roush Fenway Racing teammate Carl Edwards insist they like each other. But for the second weekend in a row, they sure didn’t act like it.

 

Saturday night at Iowa Speedway, Stenhouse and Edwards banged doors, fenders and feelings as they fought for the victory in the U.S. Cellular 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

 

Their final banging occurred a couple of hundred feet from the finish line on the last lap, and it produced a smoky, screeching, metal-bending finish as Edwards rammed Stenhouse’s car from behind and actually pushed it to the victory.

 

“Wow,” both drivers said after climbing from their cars.

 

Stenhouse’s car had blown an engine after exiting Turn 4 and had laid down a glaze of oil on the track.

 

Edwards said he tried to go around Stenhouse but couldn’t as his car slid on the oil and his windshield filled with smoke. Stenhouse admitted to watching Edwards speeding up on him and then blocking his teammate.

 

And then, Stenhouse thanked Edwards for smashing into the rear end of his RFR Ford.

 

“If he wouldn’t have hit us, we definitely would have ended up second,” said Stenhouse, whose victory was his second of the season at the seven-eighths-mile oval. “I knew we had enough momentum to get there (the finish line). I just wasn’t sure if we were going to be first or second. It worked out that we were first.”

 

Edwards led 109 of the race’s 250 laps. Stenhouse led 25.

 

Polesitter Elliott Sadler finished third, Josh Wise was fourth and Aric Almirola fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were Reed Sorenson, Kenny Wallace, Steve Wallace, Michael McDowell and David Mayhew, who was making his first Nationwide start.

 

While the race-ending rear-end job by Edwards to Stenhouse was the final run-in between the two drivers Saturday, it was far from the first.

 

They sideswiped each other about halfway through the race. And then, after the final restart of the night with less than 25 laps to go, they went at each other several times before Stenhouse was able to break free.

 

Their physical race at Iowa came a week after they frayed each other’s nerves and tempers at Lucas Oil Raceway in Clermont, Ind.

 

Still, both said they hold no grudges against the other.

 

“Ricky and I are fine,” Edwards said. “Jack (Roush, the team owner) came over and said, ‘Hey, this is exactly what’s supposed to be happening. You’re supposed to have a young guy who’s fast and is frustrating everybody because he’s too aggressive.’ Ricky, he’s really, really fast.

 

“We had a little issue last week, we talked about it and he got excited tonight. He’s just being a little bit overaggressive.”

 

Stenhouse, the Nationwide points leader, left Iowa with a 12-point lead over Sorenson. Sadler is third, 29 behind Stenhouse.

 

Sorenson won the second of four NASCAR Nationwide Series “Dash 4 Cash” races, where a $100,000 bonus was on the line between him and three other eligible drivers. The next “Dash 4 Cash” race is at Richmond on Sept. 10.

 

 

2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series

U.S. Cellular 250

Newton, Iowa

Iowa Speedway

Race Results 

1. 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. RickyvsTrevor.com Ford
2. 60 Carl Edwards Fastenal Ford
3. 2 Elliott Sadler OneMain Financial Chevrolet
4. 7 Josh Wise iRacing.com Chevrolet
5. 88 Aric Almirola Ragu/HyVee Chevrolet
6. 32 Reed Sorenson Dollar General Chevrolet
7. 9 Kenny Wallace American Ethanol/Iowa Corn Toyota
8. 66 Steve Wallace 5-hour Energy Toyota
9. 18 Michael McDowell Pizza Ranch Toyota
10. 33 David Mayhew Rheem/Menards Chevrolet
11. 20 Drew Herring SportClips Toyota
12. 62 Michael Annett Northland Oil Toyota
13. 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Chevrolet
14. 11 Brian Scott Shore Lodge Toyota
15. 70 Scott Wimmer Foretravel Motorcoach Chevrolet
16. 87 Joe Nemechek D.A.B Constructors, Inc. Toyota
17. 51 Jeremy Clements Clements Racing Engines Chevrolet
18. 19 Mike Bliss TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet
19. 30 Mikey Kile AccuDoc Solutions Chevrolet
20. 39 Joey Gase Agrigold Seed Ford
21. 15 Timmy Hill  Lilly Trucking Ford
22. 40 Charles Lewandoski  Key Motorsports Chevrolet
23. 23 Robert Richardson Jr. North TX Pipe Chevrolet
24. 22 Sam Hornish Jr. Discount Tire Dodge
25. 16 Trevor Bayne 3M Ford
26. 14 Eric McClure Hefty BlackOut/Reynolds Chevrolet
27. 52 Tim Schendel Marr Promotions Chevrolet
28. 81 Blake Koch  Daystar.com Dodge
29. 31 Justin Allgaier Brandt Chevrolet
30. 28 Derrike Cope MAXelence.com Chevrolet
31. 1 Mike Wallace Iowa 80 Truckstop Chevrolet
32. 89 Morgan Shepherd Victory In Jesus Racing Chevrolet
33. 13 Jennifer Jo Cobb  TenForJen.com Dodge
34. 2 Jamie Dick VivaAutoGroup.com Chevrolet
35. 41 Matt Carter Lilly Trucking Chevrolet
36. 74 Mike Harmon IPT Pellet Grills Chevrolet
37. 49 Mark Green Jay Robinson Racing Chevrolet
38. 75 Johnny Chapman Fastwax.com Ford
39. 46 Chase Miller Key Motorsports Chevrolet
40. 71 Carl Long Lilly Trucking Ford
41. 42 Tim Andrews Key Motorsports Chevrolet
42. 47 Brian Keselowski Key Motorsports Chevrolet
43. 44 Jeff Green TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet

Hamlin Breaks Through With Win At Michigan

Photo Credit: Gregg Forwerck/Getty Images for NASCAR

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(June 19, 2011)

BROOKLYN, Mich. — For the first time this season—at a track where he was expected to contend—Denny Hamlin finally dodged the pitfalls that have plagued him in previous races and closed the deal.

First out of the pits after a stop under caution on Lap 192 of 200, Hamlin held off Matt Kenseth after a restart with five laps left and claimed his first victory of the season in Sunday’s Heluva Good 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Hamlin, who won his 17th Sprint Cup race, crossed the finish line .281 seconds ahead of Kenseth. Unlike previous races at his best tracks, such as Martinsville, Richmond and Pocono—where Hamlin was strong early but succumbed to a variety late-race problems—Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota was at its best in the closing laps of Sunday’s race.

“We finished—that’s the thing,” Hamlin said in victory lane. “We got it done. Everyone knows that we’ve been strong. Today we didn’t look as strong as what we normally do here, but we got it working there at the end.

“We made a magic adjustment, and the car took off. This is the point of the season where we really need to start hitting our stride, and hopefully we’ve got another good 10 weeks before the Chase starts.”

Kyle Busch, Hamlin’s teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, finished third for the second week in a row. Paul Menard came home fourth for his best result of the season, and Carl Edwards finished fifth and expanded his lead in the series standings to 20 points over second-place Kevin Harvick (14th Sunday).

Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer, Mark Martin and Brian Vickers completed the top 10.

Kenseth spun his tires on the final restart but got a push from Edwards, his Roush Fenway Racing teammate, and closed on Hamlin over the final five laps—but ran out of time.

“I got a bad restart, and Carl pushed me back to clean air, which was real nice of him, and I got back to Denny, but I couldn’t get around him,” Kenseth said. “We were kind of slow for about 10 laps on most runs, and then it seemed like we were the best car from 10 (laps) until we needed fuel.

“I just didn’t have enough time to get around him. I tried everything I could, and I just couldn’t figure out how to do it.”

The victory and third-place finish for the Gibbs cars were a welcome change from the start of the weekend. On Friday, NASCAR ordered all three JGR teams to replace oil pans that had not been submitted for approval. (JGR’s third driver, Joey Logano, finished 18th.) NASCAR is pondering sanctions for the unapproved parts, with an announcement expected early in the week.

Hamlin cracked the top 10 in the Cup standings for the first time since the third week of the season at Las Vegas. The runner-up to Jimmie Johnson in last year’s Chase, Hamlin is ninth, 77 points behind Edwards with 11 races left before the field for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is set.

Hamlin got the opportunity he needed when a caution on Lap 158—the result of an accident involving Juan Pablo Montoya and Andy Lally in Turn 4—interrupted a cycle of green-flag pit stops and scrambled the running order for a restart on Lap 164.

Edwards passed Kenseth and Busch for the lead on the restart lap, with Hamlin in pursuit. With the top-10 drivers in fuel-saving mode, Edwards continued to pace the field, pulling away from Hamlin by a second and a half, before contact from Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin sent Dale Earnhardt Jr. into the Turn 1 wall to bring out the final caution.

On Lap 192, when the lead-lap cars came to the pits—most for two tires and fuel—Hamlin’s crew executed its best stop when it counted most.

Johnson continued to have problems with Michigan, one of four active Cup tracks where the five-time defending champion hasn’t won a race. Johnson spun off Turn 2 just eight laps into the race, flattened three of his four tires and broke the sway bar on the No. 48 Chevrolet.

Ultimately, Johnson lost two laps as his crew repaired the car. He salvaged a 27th-place finish but lost most of the ground in the standings he had gained on Edwards last week at Pocono. Johnson fell from second, six points back, to fifth, 29 points in arrears.

Gordon Ties Waltrip, Allison With 84th Win at Ponoco



Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR




By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(June 12, 2011)

LONG POND, Pa. — Jeff Gordon may be starting to feel his age, but he certainly didn’t show it in Sunday’s 5-Hour Energy 500 at Pocono Raceway.

“I’m just so excited to be a part of this sport,” Gordon said in victory lane, after taking the checkered flag 2.965 seconds ahead of runner-up Kurt Busch. “I’m going to be 40 this year (Aug. 4). I’m an old man now.”

Statistically, the old man already is an important part of NASCAR Sprint Cup history. His victory Sunday was his second of the year, his fifth at the tricky 2.5-mile triangular track and the 84th of his career, tying Gordon with Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison for third on the all-time list.

As NASCAR’s elder statesman and four-time champion later pointed out, the race was won on pit road. The No. 24 Chevrolet crew got Gordon out ahead of Busch on a stop under caution for debris on Lap 156 of 200, enabling Gordon to streak away from eventual seventh-place finisher Juan Pablo Montoya after a restart on Lap 160.

During a green-flag stop on Lap 177, the No. 24 crew again performed flawlessly, increasing the cushion Gordon held over Busch.

“If we can just get out front, I think we’ll be OK,” Gordon had told crew chief Alan Gustafson before the Lap 160 pit stop — and that’s exactly what happened.

“You guys won that one in the pits—way to go,” Gordon radioed to his crew after crossing the finish line.

Kyle Busch ran third, followed by Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Busch’s No. 18 Toyota, however, failed postrace inspection, with the left front being too low when measured by NASCAR’s height stick. If penalties are forthcoming, they will be announced later in the week.

Montoya, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr. completed the top 10. Series points leader Carl Edwards suffered an engine failure 58 laps into the race and finished 37th. Edwards’ lead in the standings shrank to six points over second-place Johnson and 10 over third-place Earnhardt.

Clean air proved decisive, as Kurt Busch, the polesitter, couldn’t close on Gordon significantly during the final 41-lap green-flag run.

“It was a great, hard-fought battle with Jeff Gordon at the end,” Busch said. “It started about 130 laps in, about 70 to go, where we were able to take the lead, stretch it out. Then there was a caution (the fourth debris caution of the race, on Lap 155). The 24 beat us out of the pits.

“I thought we could gain on him after 15 laps into the run. We were able to do that most of the day. We were able to do that again at the end, but we just couldn't close the gap far enough. The old ‘Golden Boy’ had it in him today.

“Neither one of us slipped those final few laps. It was just one of those, ‘I'm giving it all I got, and I can’t close the gap.’ ”

Denny Hamlin, a four-time winner at Pocono, led a race-high 76 laps, but a broken valve stem forced him back to the pits after a stop on Lap 160 and relegated him to 19th at the finish. Hamlin lost one position in the standings to 12th, as Gordon jumped past him into 11th, his highest position since winning at Phoenix in the second race of the season.

After a disappointing stretch that started with a crash in Las Vegas in week No. 3, Gordon feels his team is beginning to realize its potential.

“We were embarrassed by the way we were running,” Gordon said. “When I came on board with Alan (the result of a crew chief swap in the offseason), I knew that they were special and amazing. Phoenix came a little sooner than we thought, but I felt like we could do that this year.

“Then we went on a streak where we just weren’t competitive, but what it takes is a team that believes in you, and you believe in them, and you work together to get there. That’s what we did today.”

All in the Fuel Tank! Allgaier Breezes to Chicagoland Nationwide Victory

Photo Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images for NASCAR

The 14th race on the 2011 Nationwide series schedule, the competitors of NASCAR's second-highest touring division enjoyed a solo outing away from the Sprint Cup series at Chicagoland Speedway. With only three drivers (Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards) trailing away from a Sprint Cup series weekend to compete in Saturday's STP 300 on the 1.5 mile oval, the NASCAR series regulars as well as other aspiring stock car drivers stood poised to post strong showings within the 200-lap race. 

After enduring a rain shower that has previously washed-out qualifying, the STP 300 started with the JR Motorsports #88 Chevrolet of Aric Almirola and the Kevin Harvick Incorporated #2 Chevy driven by Elliott Sadler leading the 42-car NASCAR Nationwide series based on the season's car owners' points standings. Almirola held an early lead at Chicagoland but would quickly fall into the clutches of one of the Sprint Cup series visitors. In a hurry, Sprint Cup regular Carl Edwards took the lead on lap 9 after starting 4th in the event. Leading for 144 of the 200 race laps however, the #60 Ford of Edwards asserted total control of the Chicagoland Speedway event. Against the dominanace of Edwards through much of the STP 300 race distance, Elliott Sadler was able to muster the lead for the second-most laps for a total of 29 circuits.

Slowed only four times by caution, the 300-mile distance flew by on the racetrack with eventual result of only 9 cars finishing on the lead lap. With the final yellow flag getting displayed on lap 140, the STP 300 at Chicagoland Speedway took on the complexity of a fuel economy run to the finish line. Into the final laps, Carl Edwards and Justin Allgaier driving the #31 Chevrolet for Turner Motorsports had taken the top-two positions both running desperately short on the E20 blended racing fuel. Going down the backstretch through the final lap, the #60 Ford of Edwards began to hiccup starving for fuel giving Allgaier the opportunity to pass. On his way to a skillful victory through turn 3 and 4, the #31 Chevrolet suddenly ran its fuel tank dry. Coasting on the apron down the frontstretch, Allgaier stayed ahead of the still enduring Edwards car to win the STP 400.

Photo Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images for NASCAR

Strongly seated in the top-10 with Carl Edwards, Roush-Fenway Racing wing man Trevor Bayne was once again a force in the NASCAR Nationwide Series after being sidelined for a long stint due to a complicated illness. Bayne's return to the STP 300 at Chicagoland Speedway was the 2011 Daytona 500 winning driver's first time back in a NASCAR competition since the April 23rd event at Nashville Superspeedway. In a better situation on fuel, Bayne stood a chance to claim a first NASCAR Nationwide series win if the race went one lap longer.


Justin Allgaier's victory at Chicagoland Speedway is the driver's second career victory and second win of the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series for Turner Motorsports. Ironically in similar last-lap pass fashion, Mark Martin won at Texas Motor Speed for the team when Brad Keselowski blew a tire while leading. Overall, the Turner Motorsports Chevrolets prevailed nicely at the checkered flag with Allgaier's teammates Jason Leffler and Reed Sorenson both claiming top-10 finishes. Leffler came home 5th while current NASCAR Nationwide Series points leader Sorenson finished 6th in the #32 Dollar General Chevy. Sorenson holds a tight 2 point lead ahead of Elliott Sadler and rests only 6 points forward of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Other notable finishes when the top-10 of the STP 300 includes a 7th place run for Kenny Wallace and an 8th place result for former JR Motorsports driver Kelly Bires. Speaking of JR Motorsports, IZOD INDYCAR Series driver Danica Patrick finished 10th in his one of her select NASCAR Nationwide series starts for 2011. Patrick's second top-10 career run in the #7 Chevrolet comes as rumours swirled last week at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the popular driver was going to NASCAR full-time in 2012. Presently having an equity stake in her own INDYCAR team with Andretti Autosport, her current contract will still have a year remaining after this season. Danica Patrick has yet to confirm her plans for the 2012 racing season.

Presented with a weekend-off, the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide series will next race on June 18th rejoining the Sprint Cup series companionship at the Michigan International Speedway.


2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series
STP 300
Chicagoland Speedway

Race Results

1. 31 Justin Allgaier Brandt Chevrolet
2. 60 Carl Edwards Fastenal Ford
3. 16 Trevor Bayne Avnet / BMA Ford
4. 88 Aric Almirola TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet
5. 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Chevrolet
6. 32 Reed Sorenson Dollar General Chevrolet
7. 09 Kenny Wallace Family Farmers / Marquis Energy Toyota
8. 18 Kelly Bires Heil Heating and Cooling Products Toyota
9. 62 Michael Annett Pilot Travel Centers / Flying J Toyota
10. 7 Danica Patrick Tissot / GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
11. 2 Elliott Sadler OneMain Financial Chevrolet
12. 66 Steve Wallace 5-hour Energy Toyota
13. 33 Kevin Harvick Rheem Chevrolet
14. 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. RickyvsTrevor.com Ford
15. 15 Timmy Hill  Nuts Off / Lilly Trucking of VA Ford
16. 01 Mike Wallace CowboysandAliensMovie.com Chevrolet
17. 11 Brian Scott Sandvik Toyota
18. 14 Eric McClure Hefty BlackOut / Reynolds Chevrolet
19. 70 Scott Wimmer ForeTravel Motorcoach Chevrolet
20. 99 Ryan Truex  Pastrana Waltrip Racing Toyota
21. 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota
22. 19 Mike Bliss TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet
23. 28 Derrike Cope Jay Robinson Inc. Chevrolet
24. 40 Charles Lewandoski # Key Motorsports Chevrolet
25. 89 Morgan Shepherd Victory in Jesus Racing Chevrolet
26. 39 Josh Wise Cajun Industries Ford
27. 81 Blake Koch  Daystar.com Dodge
28. 52 Kevin Lepage Just Rite Acoustics Chevrolet
29. 51 Jeremy Clements Gerber Collision & Glass Chevrolet
30. 22 Brad Keselowski Discount Tire Dodge
31. 41 Carl Long Lilly Trucking of VA Ford
32. 23 Robert Richardson Jr. North Texas Pipe Dodge
33. 30 Mikey Kile Sears Auto Center Chevrolet
34. 79 Tim Andrews 2nd Chance Motorsports Ford
35. 49 Dennis Setzer Jay Robinson Inc. Chevrolet
36. 13 Rick Crawford DriverMale.com Ford
37. 68 Matt Carter Fleur-de-lis Farms Chevrolet
38. 75 Johnny Chapman Lilly Trucking of VA Ford
39. 74 Mike Harmon Riverwalk Cafe Chevrolet
40. 44 Jeff Green Tri-Star Motorsports / Pro Motor Chevrolet
41. 46 Chase Miller Key Motorsports Chevrolet
42. 55 Brett Rowe Imperial Bedding Chevrolet

Edwards Sings to NASCAR Nationwide Victory Lane at Nashville

Photo Credit: Grant Halverson/Getty Images for NASCAR

By Lee Montgomery
Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(April 23, 2011)

LEBANON, Tenn.—Carl Edwards returned to victory lane at Nashville Superspeedway for the first time since 2007, winning Saturday’s Nashville 300 Nationwide Series race.

The victory was Edwards’ second of the season and 31st of his career—tying him for fourth all time with NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee Jack Ingram.

Edwards had won three Nationwide races in a row in 2006-07 but went six races at Nashville without winning again. His four Nashville victories are tops among all drivers at the 1.33-mile track.

“Was it 2007?” Edwards said. “That’s a long time to run poorly somewhere. Seemed like every time we came we won for a little while. Was it three in a row? Then all of a sudden, we came here and really struggled. That’s really trying on everybody.

“I have to give credit to (car owner) Jack Roush, to Ford, (engine builder) Doug Yates, (crew chief) Mike Beam, the guys at the shop. It looked like we were facing some insurmountable challenges, and they worked hard and got these cars better.”

Saturday, Edwards was the best, leading five times for 148 laps in beating Kyle Busch to the checkered flag by .521 seconds. Edwards surged past Busch as the two dueled for the lead with 35 laps to go.

Busch was gunning for a weekend sweep after his victory in Friday night’s Camping World Truck Series race but came up short as his Toyota was “just not quite fast enough.”

Brad Keselowski finished third and Joey Logano fourth as Sprint Cup regulars swept the top four spots in the Nationwide Series’ first stand-alone race of the season. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was fifth for the best finish among Nationwide regulars and moved into a tie for the points lead with Justin Allgaier.

Edwards and Busch traded the lead three times and raced side by side for more than three laps not long after a restart with 44 laps to go.

“At the end of the race, I was pedaling for all I had,” Edwards said. “I was kind of excited at the beginning of the race. I thought, ‘Boy, we’re going to run off with this thing. It’s going to be easy.’ Then at the end, that was white-knuckle. I was driving as hard as I can drive, racing him and Brad.

“In the end, it’s better to have a race like that, but it was really nerve-wracking for me.”

Edwards led Lap 189 of 225, with Busch coming back to lead Lap 190. Edwards led Lap 191 and finally got clear of Busch, even as Keselowski was challenging from third.

“I didn’t quite finish that pass,” Busch said. “He had a really fast car. We could keep up with him momentarily but not for the whole run. It was a good show right there, a little bit of racing back and forth. … Brad was right behind us and kind of lurking in the distance there.”

In the end, both drivers agreed Edwards’ No. 60 was simply the better car.

“Our Ford was just slightly better than his car, just slightly,” Edwards said. “He’s savvy enough of a racer, he knew how to keep me behind him and how to force the issue. He made it really hard on me, but he also gave me plenty of room. You can race a bunch of different ways out there, but that was a very clean race. That was really good. It was fun. I was really having a blast out there.”


2011 NASCAR Nationwide Seires
Nashville 300
Nashville Superspeedway
Race Results

Pos # | Car #|  Driver/ Sponsor  | Car Make

1) 60 Carl Edwards Ford Drive one. Ford
2) 18 Kyle Busch Z-Line Designs Toyota
3) 22 Brad Keselowski Discount Tire Dodge
4) 20 Joey Logano Harvest Investments Toyota
5) 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. RickyvsTrevor.com Ford
6) 16 Trevor Bayne RickyvsTrevor.com Ford
7) 33 Austin Dillon Rheem Heating, Cooling & Water Heating Chevrolet
8) 32 Reed Sorenson Dollar General Chevrolet
9) 7 Josh Wise Eutechnyx Chevrolet
10) 88 Aric Almirola Grand Touring Vodka Chevrolet
11) 31 Justin Allgaier Wolfpack Rentals Chevrolet
12) 09 Kenny Wallace RAB Racing Toyota
13) 2 Elliott Sadler Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet
14) 64 David Reutimann Flatout Flatbread Toyota
15) 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Chevrolet
16) 99 Ryan Truex Pastrana Waltrip Racing Toyota
17) 66 Steve Wallace 5-hour Energy Toyota
18) 01 Mike Wallace Colormatch Coating Solutions Chevrolet
19) 62 Michael Annett Pilot Travel Centers/Flying J Toyota
20) 70 David Stremme Foretravel Chevrolet
21) 40 Scott Wimmer Key Motorsports Chevrolet
22) 11 Brian Scott Shore Lodge Toyota
23) 51 Jeremy Clements www.racedaysponsor.com Chevrolet
24) 87 Kevin Conway Extenze Toyota
25) 81 Blake Koch daystar.com Dodge
26) 39 Danny O'Quinn Jr. Rimz One Ford
27) 67 JR Fitzpatrick Go Canada Racing Ford
28) 89 Morgan Shepherd Racing with Jesus/Imperial Bedding Chevrolet
29) 30 Mikey Kile AccuDoc Chevrolet
30) 28 Derrike Cope Jay Robinson Inc. Dodge
31) 19 Mike Bliss TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet
32) 14 Eric McClure Hefty BlackOut/Reynolds Chevrolet
33) 15 Timmy Hill Rick Ware Racing Ford
34) 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Wildlife Conservation Society Dodge
35) 52 Tim Schendel TRX Alliance Chevrolet
36) 79 Tim Andrews Sports Massage USA Ford
37) 49 Dennis Setzer Jay Robinson Inc. Chevrolet
38) 74 Mike Harmon Riverwalk Cafe Chevrolet
39) 68 Matthew Carter Fleur de Lis Farms Chevrolet
40) 41 Carl Long Lilly Trucking Ford
41) 05 Willie Allen 31-W Insulation Chevrolet
42) 44 Jeff Green TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet
43) 75 Johnny Chapman Rick Ware Racing Ford