Kyle Busch Blazes to Richmond Cup Win

Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/ Getty Images for NASCAR

Joe Gibbs Racing have exercised a stranglehold on the 0.75-mile Richmond International Raceway winning the races for the past two NASCAR Sprint Cup seasons. In 2011, this dominance has continued with the Kyle Busch's 3rd straight spring victory at the CROWN ROYAL Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400.

 

Assembled in front of a 43-car field, Juan Pablo Montoya's #42 Chevrolet Impala led the NASCAR Sprint Cup series to the final short track race in the spring tour also involving Bristol and Martinsville. Holding on to the lead through the initial 25 laps, Montoya was overtaken when Clint Bowyer performed the night race's first lead change. Following Bowyer's 18 laps spent at the front of the caution-free event, the highest qualifying Toyota at Richmond showed considerable race pace. Kasey Kahne stormed past the #33 Chevrolet with the #4 Red Bull car where the future Hendrick Motorsports pilot rode for 29 circuits in the lead position of the 400-lap race. Both the #4 and the #33 cars would have a consistent presence in the race concluding with top-10 finishes.

 

While much of the first two-thirds distance in the CROWN ROYAL Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 past soundly, some expected short track drama was produced between two Chevrolet drivers. On lap 106, the #39 US Army car of Ryan Newman and the #42 Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing Chevy piloted by polesitter Juan Pablo Montoya restarted a lingering feud on the race track when the two made contact out of turn 2. The #42 Chevrolet of Montoya had skated under Newman and made contact with the #39 when he was entering the backstretch. Unsettled by the front end contact from the Ryan Newman's #39 car, Montoya slapped the outside wall where the Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing Chevrolet suffered sizable right-rear quarter panel damage. Debris from the #42 Chevrolet necessitated the first caution at the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway.

 

The incident between Newman and Montoya was not be the last between drivers. On lap 238, Juan Pablo Montoya had reacquainted himself with the #39 US Army Chevrolet. As the two cars were entering turn 3, Montoya aggressively pressed his front bumper into the right counter of the #39 car's rear bumper. The impact sent Newman spinning through turn 3 narrowly avoiding major contact with the outer retaining wall. Receiving only a firm warning from NASCAR, both Juan Pablo Montoya and Ryan Newman rested only further attempts of on-track skirmishes. As Newman ultimately finished 20th in the event, the driver immediately went to the NASCAR officials hauler. Montoya was mum to the press following the race.

 

Braking the rhythm of what was a tame race on the 0.75-mile oval, lap 301 saw a massive wreck triggered on the backstretch. In a tight pack of cars, the #33 of Clint Bowyer touched Matt Kenseth's #17 Ford. Causing Kenseth to slide up the track, the #17 collides with the #24 Chevrolet of Jeff Gordon sending the 4-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion into a scary hit into the inside wall of Richmond International Raceway. Involving 9 cars total suffering varying states of damage, there were fortunately no injuries.

Photo Credit: Drew Hallowell Getty Images for NASCAR

  

Under caution from lap 302 to 314 for the big wreck, this yellow flag period would be the final slowdown of the CROWN ROYAL Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400. In a critical restart, the #18 Toyota of Kyle Busch started 4th as the green flag flew once again. With a mix of good timing by the #18 Toyota and than-second place Dale Earnhardt Jr spinning his tires, Busch marched his way to the definitive lead of the race in only three laps. Passing Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch let sail to the checkered flag. Busch finished more than 1.8 seconds ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin piloting the #11 Toyota.

 

Beyond being a good race for Joe Gibbs Racing, Ford's Roush-Fenway Racing team and Team Red Bull both enjoyed strong top-10 results. Filling the top-5 for the CROWN ROYAL Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 is the #4 Toyota of Kasey Kahne, the quiet but solid #6 UPS Ford of David Ragan and Carl Edwards' #99 Ford. While Chevrolet teams showed collective strength in qualifying Friday, Clint Bowyer was the highest finishing member of the NASCAR Sprint Cup 'Bowtie Brigade' coming home 6th overall.

 

Not having a good Richmond race was the Hendrick Motorsport team. Jimmie Johnson was the highest finishing car in the Hendrick stable in 8th place. However, Johnson's day was marred by a miserable early half of the NASCAR Sprint Cup 400-lap event topped by contact seriously damaging the #20 Home Depot Toyota driven by Joey Logano. With Jeff Gordon caught in the major wreck ending a promising race, Dale Earnhardt Jr and the #88 team used late race strategy to elevate them to up to 2nd place but needed to pit with a handful of laps to go at Richmond International Raceway. Earnhardt Jr finished 19th in the race but holds a 4th place spot in the overall Sprint Cup championship standings. Presently, Carl Edwards leads the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup championship points 9 markers ahead of Jimmie Johnson.

 

The NASCAR Sprint Cup tour's next stop is another Saturday night affair on the historically tough Darlington Raceway.

 

 

NASCAR Sprint Cup
Richmond International Raceway
CROWN ROYAL Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400
Race Results

 

Top-10

 

1. 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Pretzel Toyota
2. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Freight Toyota
3. 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
4. 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
5. 99 Carl Edwards Scotts eZ Seed Ford
6. 33 Clint Bowyer BB&T Chevrolet
7. 43 A J Allmendinger Nautica Ford
8. 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet
9. 14 Tony Stewart Mobil 1 / Office Depot Chevrolet
10. 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota

 

 

Other Notables

 

12. 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet
19. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard / AMP Energy Chevrolet
20. 39 Ryan Newman U.S. Army Medicine Chevrolet
21. 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
22. 22 Kurt Busch Shell / Pennzoil Dodge
27. 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
29. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
39. 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont 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

Naughty and Nice of 2010 Racing: NASCAR Nationwide Series

Photo Credit: Autostock

First, please accept my apologies for the belated arrival of the 2010 Naughty and Nice List Relating to the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Profiling this season for the 2010 Nationwide Series reveals a dominate year for Sprint Cup Series regulars will continue to pay repeated visits to this one-time ladder series. 

Nice: Earnhardt and #3 Chevrolet in Victory Lane at Daytona

Announced as a one-off effort for the race at Daytona International Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr paired with Richard Childress Racing to win at the July NASCAR Nationwide Series race. Having previously succeeded at Daytona in 2002, Earnhardt Jr has been working through a difficult 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season when he announced plans to drive a #3 Wrangler-sponsored Chevrolet during the Fourth of July weekend event. Leading the most laps as he held off efforts of Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, the consolidation of powers resulted in Dale Earnhardt Jr's Daytona win. Earnhardt Jr's 23rd Nationwide Series victory, the #3 Wrangler Chevrolet Impala was also the first winning car under the series' new COT rules.

Photo Credit: John Harrelson/ Getty Images

Naughty: Ambrose Suffers Another Montreal Heartbreak
Rising through the ranks to become a major star of the Australian V-8 Supercar series, Tazmania's Marcus Ambrose makes a lasting impression in NASCAR racing. While his oval racing creditably is building, Ambrose's true instincts show on the road courses of the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series events. Winning three years running at Watkins Glen, victory the Canadian road course of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has been painfully elusive despite his often race dominating efforts.
Despite earning pole for the second-straight time at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve NAPA Auto Parts 200, Ambrose's 25 laps out front early was all for not as electrical failure and later a suspension issue. Forcing him to park his #47 Toyota 27 laps ahead of the checkered flag, Marcos Ambrose finished 33rd for the 2010 NAPA Auto Parts 200. Thrilled to be racing an exciting race with Jacques Villeneuve and Carl Edwards, Ambrose replied on his website in post race “We're trying everything to get that victory here in Canada, but we can't seem to seal the deal”.


Nice: Brad Keselowski's 2010 Championship Run

After two seasons of focus on the NASCAR Nationwide Series season with JR Motorsports, Brad Keselowski has played the part of the best non-Sprint Cup series driver on the division. Winning the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship by 445 points, Keselowski drove his Penske Racing #22 Dodge to a clinch after the Texas Motor Speedway race.
With Kevin Harvick presiding as 2006 champions, Carl Edwards finding the series points victory in 2007, Clint Bowyer in 2008 and Kyle Busch earning the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship, Keselowski became the 5 Sprint Cup regular in a row to complete this goal. For 2011, NASCAR has effectively put the end to drivers of the Sprint Cup series hunting championship honours in the Nationwide or Camping World truck series by requiring a driver to declare just one series in which they can claim points.

Photo Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/ Getty Images for NASCAR

Naughty: The Continuing Transformation of NASCAR Nationwide to a Sprint Cup-Lite Series

For as long as the NASCAR Nationwide Series (known as the Busch Series prior up to 1983) existed, it has been a common theme that drivers of the longer Cup series races would occasionally join the fun of what has been a key tour for developing and showcasing new racing talent. While major races at Daytona as well as Charlotte were places where names like Dale Earnhardt and later Mark Martin would school often less experienced drivers, the presence of Cup series competitors making more notable appearances in the tour is apparent. For 2010, only 2 winners of 35 total NASCAR Nationwide Series races did not belong to a full-time Sprint Cup operation (Justin Allgaier at Bristol and Boris Said at Montreal).

Nice: Road Racing Madness

Some in NASCAR believe that stock cars have no place on road courses. Purests for the oval racing environment, the increased variables of turning left and right can confuse some of the best NASCAR drivers as well as crew chiefs. Supplying 3 road races for 2010, the NASCAR Nationwide Series trio of events provided some of the most refreshing excitement on the schedule. Added to the 2010 schedule in place of a canceled annual event at the Milwaukee Mile, Road America joined the series bringing NASCAR back to the 4-mile circuit for the first time since the 1950s. Captured by Carl Edwards, the first Road America race for the Nationwide Series served up the first helping of what would be physical and unpredictable road course racing. Despite the win of Edwards and the maturing of road racing skills of by all NASCAR drivers, so-called road race ringers took the final two races at Watkins Glen and Montreal. Marcos Ambrose took Watkins Glen in fine style while the winner of the Montreal NAPA Auto Parts 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was settled in a more aggressive fashion. A battle between Max Papis and Boris Said, a side-by-side finish result in favour of Said.

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/ Getty Images

Naughty: Lack of 2010 Title Contenders
Only 13 drivers in the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series run the full 35-race schedule. While the NASCAR Nationwide Series has been the site of high driver turn-over, this past season's points is a show for the lack of contention. In the top-10 for the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 3 drivers (Sprint Cup regulars) drove fewer than 29 races.

Nice: Rave Reviews for Series' Car of Tomorrow (Today)

Unlike the launch of the NASCAR Sprint Cup (COT) Car of Tomorrow in 2007, the introduction of the NASCAR Nationwide Series for the summer Daytona race has debuted with raved reviews. While the new race car for the Sprint Cup series received criticism for being less competitive than the previous car, NASCAR clearly applied their lessons learned for the Sprint Cup COT to the Nationwide Series race machine specifications. As an added plus for the fans, the new Nationwide Series COT cars introduced the unique track presence of the Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang back to NASCAR competition.


Naughty and Nice: Joe Gibbs Stinks Up Nationwide Shows

Combining for 16 wins and 11 poles, the Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series team was an often unstoppable juggernaut at intermediate-sized tracks between 1 to 2 miles. Clearly lending their NASCAR Sprint Cup expertise as well as the lineup Kyle Busch and Joey Logano to races within the 2010 Nationwide Series schedule, two drivers might have had a chance at the tour championship if they had not chosen to sit down certain races. Still finishing 3rd in the NASCAR Nationwide points even while running just 29 of the 35 races, Kyle Busch's #18 Toyota won 13 times in 2010 following up 9 wins a year prior and 10 in 2008.

For anti-Joe Gibbs Racing fans, a silver lining for 2011 in light of the dominance of 2010 could be that the team did not win one of four races run with the new COT race machine. However, with drivers Busch and Logano behind the wheel of the team's Toyota Camry stock cars, it is unsafe to wager against another strong Joe Gibbs Racing showing in 2011.

Kyle Busch's Expensive Bird: NASCAR Penalizes Driver for Obscenity

Photo Credit: Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Finishing 32nd place in the AAA Texas 500, it is evident the Kyle Busch and the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing did not experience a noteworthy third-last race of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. However, actions conducted by the #18 Toyota team's driver would not allow this poor finish to be forgotten. Tuesday following the event, Kyle Busch was assessed a monetary penalty of $25,000. Along with probation for the final two races, an incident deemed by NASCAR Rule Book as a violation of section 12-1 called actions detrimental to stock car racing comes as a result of an obscene gesture.

On the 159th lap of the 500 mile race, the #18 Toyota of Kyle Busch was spun on track. Without suffering any damage but requiring pit road service, Busch attempted to beat the pace car who was coming up to lap the M&Ms Toyota. Racing off pace car for what originally appeared to be a small victory for the Joe Gibbs Racing team, NASCAR determined the #18 car was speeding out of pit road. Unhappy, Kyle Busch and Co. was called back to the pit stall to receive a 1-lap penalty. It was in serving this penalty  In actions many saw as brazen show of disrespect, Kyle Busch flipped off a NASCAR official while serving a pit road penalty during Sunday's AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motors Speedway. Unimpressed, NASCAR handed the driver a 2-lap penalty within the race. Without the concept of double jeopardy, NASCAR proceeded to reprimand Busch two days later with this recent fine.

Known by the nickname of "Rowdy" after mirroring the firey, fictional character in Days of Thunder years ago racing a #51 truck at Charlotte, Kyle Busch's 'play-to-win' persona has brought art to life. Such a driven racer, the younger Busch has shown at times lacking patience with other competitors and on occasion being discourteous particularly to media. However as of late, the 27-year old Joe Gibbs Racing was showing a more mature side up until the Sunday afternoon incident.

On Kyle Busch's Facebook page, the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing driver issued a statement calling himself out for his actions.

“I accept NASCAR’s penalty and realize what I did during Sunday’s race at Texas was inappropriate.



“Even in my relatively short time here in NASCAR, it’s pretty obvious to everyone that I wear my emotions on my sleeve. Sometimes that passion has allowed me to find that little something extra I needed to win, and other times it’s made me cross the line. Sunday at Texas was one of those days.


“I lost my cool, plain and simple. It’s not acceptable, and I know that. I apologize to NASCAR, its fans, all the partners who support Joe Gibbs Racing, and all the people who work so hard to give me a racecar that’s capable of winning races every week. All of those people deserve better from me, and I owe it to them to keep my emotions in check.”


While the driver has sufficiently spoken on his conduct, the Joe Gibbs Racing website neglected to share any details of the actual incident. Kyle Busch's race team's post race report for Texas merely called the incident "Subsequent penalties imposed by NASCAR..".

As NASCAR has encouraged drivers to maintain their personalities, incidents such as the one present with Kyle Busch's public and profane display are not going unwatched by the stock car sanctioning body. In fact, it has been rumoured that multiple NASCAR drivers were secretly fined for their conduct on and off the track. Even comments made on social networking site like Facebook and Twitter are under NASCAR scrutiny.

All monetary intake from NASCAR fines are directed to the NASCAR Foundation charity.

Kyle Ends Big Race Weekend at Bristol with Sprint Cup Win

Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

Finding success in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event on Wednesday night and the Nationwide Series Food City 250, Kyle Busch had turned the victory lane of Bristol Motor Speedway into his own personal parking spot. Starting the NASCAR Sprint Cup Irwin Tools Race Night event, Kyle Busch and the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing team needed to overcome a sub-par qualifying run resulting with only 19th place position to complete a monumental triple-sweep.


Though the slight chance of rain sprinkled the 0.533 mile short oval with a light shower during pre-race, the 500-lap Irwin Tools Night Race started on schedule with Hendrick Motorsports’ #48 Lowes Chevrolet leading the way. Jimmie Johnson has only 1 top-10 finish in the past 6 Sprint Cup races since his last win in June’s New Hampshire. Starting on the pole position, Johnson led 175 of the race’s first 200 laps.

This early run in the Irwin Tools Night Race began with a 57-lap green flag run before the first caution for the #38 Ford of Tony Raines. As the green flag flew again, another 66 lap sprint saw Jimmie Johnson leading over #14 Chevy of Tony Stewart and the #99 Ford piloted by Carl Edwards at the first quarter distance. Unfortunately, two of the top three cars would have their early success scuttled when they the #14 and the #99 were involved the second caution. Entering pit road, the #6 UPS Ford of David Ragan slowed causing a chain reaction bumper-bashing incident between Carl Edwards’ front and Tony Stewart’s rear. Edwards and Stewart endured the race with minor damage but were never a factor for victory through the future laps. Leaders flowed into pit lane under the caution led by Jimmie Johnson who also led the field out of the tight Bristol road. With the race important to determining to 12 drivers who will race for the 2010 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup, two competitors hovering around the bottom side of the final transfer spot would be penalized for pit errors.

With many typical players such as Kyle Busch requiring an early rally from weak qualifying runs, several rose to the occasion. On lap 172, the #18 Toyota of Busch moved from 19th on the start to take the lead becoming the first driver to authentically challenge Johnson’s than-dominant #48 Chevy. Other Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr also mounted some wonderful recoveries by the mid-point of the Bristol race. Performing a 16 spot gravitation to the front, Gordon’s #24 Chevy broke into 10th place while Earnhardt Jr’s #88 Chevy was up to 14th evidently learning something after an exciting 4th place run ending the previous night’s Nationwide Series event.

Dropped from the lead but still firmly matched against the #18 Toyota, the #48 of Johnson was running 3rd past lap 200 having also been passed by the #00 Toyota of David Reutimann. Reutimann had been fighting a illness before the race but stuck it out for the entire Bristol race incident. Johnson retook the second place spot prior to the midway point but would come under the charge of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing’s #42 Chevy of Juan-Pablo Montoya. With the field set up in a double-file restart following a one-car accident with Bobby Labonte, Montoya was allover Johnson’s rear attempting to pass the #48 Chevy on the outside. Exiting turn 2, Montoya turned into the #48 Chevrolet on lap 262 directing Jimmie Johnson’s car into the outer wall. Also in this accident, the #11 Toyota of Denny Hamlin slid sideway though was not involved in direct contact with Johnson or Montoya. Requiring extended repairs by the Hendrick Motorsports pit crew behind the wall, the #48 Lowes Chevrolet’s oil cooler and suspension damage eventually cost the team 85 laps resulting in a 35th place finishing position. Denny Hamlin finished just one spot better through only 27 laps behind as the Joe Gibbs Racing car needed less time to restore to running condition.

As a primary contender of the Irwin Tools Night Race effectively eliminated from race, the #18 car of Kyle Busch appeared to be sparred with a much improved chance of victory. Leading consecutively for 133 laps, Busch would in fact be challenged through two points of the latter stages of the night race. Jamie McMurray led for 11 laps with his #1 Chevrolet while David Reutimann led 25 circuits during the final 100 lap distance. However, at the end, it was going to be Kyle Busch’s night at Bristol Motor Speedway. Sweeping the weekend, Busch became the first driver to do so in the sporadic period which the three major NASCAR touring series have raced at Bristol.

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images

Just one position short, David Reutimann nonetheless accomplished a fantastic feat to finish in the runner-up spot. As an important ramification for the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup, 13th place in points Jamie McMurray finished 3rd but was unable to make a major move on the coveted 12th place spot held by Clint Bowyer. Despite some early promise for McMurray when Bowyer’s #33 Chevy was penalized, the Richard Childress Racing car recovered to 4th. Driving the #9 Ford that was also nailed by pit road issues, Kasey Kahne also performed a massive pick up to round out the top 5 for the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Finishing 14th, Kevin Harvick lost a few points in the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship but it was insignificant for denying the #29 team a 2010 berth. 2nd place in points Jeff Gordon also secured his position in the Chase with an 11th place at Bristol. With only 2 races left before the 10-race, 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup, positions 3 through 12 are still in play. Drivers like Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin suffered big losses in short track round at Bristol but are still fairly located in locking up Chase spots. Outside looking in, drivers Jamie McMurray, Mark Martin and Ryan Newman are within a mathematically-accessible reach to 12th place Clint Bowyer.

With a week off for the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, the labour day weekend race at Atlanta Motor Speedway is next up on September 5th.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Irwin Tools Night Race
Bristol Motor Speedway
Race Results

Top-10

1)  18 Kyle Busch Doublemint Toyota
2)  00 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
3)  1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet
4)  33 Clint Bowyer Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
5)  9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser Ford
6)  39 Ryan Newman Wix Filters Chevrolet
7)  42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
8)  16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford
9)  2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite / Vortex Dodge
10)  17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Black Ford

Other Notables

11)  24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet
12)  99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
13)  88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy / National Guard Chevrolet
14)  29 Kevin Harvick Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet
27)  14 Tony Stewart Office Depot / Old Spice Chevrolet
34)  11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota
35)  48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet

Kyle Busch Wins NASCAR Nationwide Series Friday Night Showdown at Chicagoland

Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

JOLIET, Ill. (July 9, 2010) — Kyle Busch beat Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Joey Logano in a green-white-checkered-flag finish to win Friday night’s Dollar General 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.

Busch got a break when series points leader Brad Keselowski ran out of fuel on the final caution lap before the last green-flag run, which began with a restart on Lap 202. Keselowski’s misfortune allowed Busch to move to the front of the outside line, beside his teammate.

Busch was able to pin Logano to the bottom of the track and clear his teammate for the win. The race ended under caution because of a wreck on the frontstretch after Busch took the while flag to begin the final lap.

The victory was Busch’s seventh of the season and 37th all time, breaking a tie for second with Kevin Harvick on the all-time list. Braun Racing’s Brian Scott, David Reutimann and Jason Leffler finished third through fifth, respectively, as Toyotas swept the top five positions.

Danica Patrick finished a career-best 24th in her fifth series start.

Busch, who led a race-high 110 laps, took the lead for the first time on Lap 10 and dominated the race—despite a pit-road speeding call that required a pass-through penalty under green—until NASCAR threw a caution for debris in Turn 2 on Lap 141.

Logano took the lead on the subsequent restart on Lap 148 and remained out front in clean air. “It’s over,” Busch moaned on Lap 172, trailing Logano by nearly a second. “There ain’t going to be another caution. The freakin’ race is over.”

As it turned out, Busch was wrong. NASCAR called a caution for debris on Lap 185, and Busch pitted for four tires and a track bar adjustment designed to loosen the handling of his Toyota. He got his chance to win the race when Trevor Bayne slammed the Turn 1 wall on Lap 196.

Kyle Busch Wins New England 200 Nationwide Race

Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/ Getty Images for NASCAR

LOUDON, N. H. -- Kyle Busch added a few more records to his impressive resume
Saturday.
He became the NASCAR Nationwide Series' all-time lap leader in winning the New England 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and he also broke veteran Mark Martin's laps-led mark in 45 fewer races than it took Martin to set the record of 8,083 laps.

Busch has now led 8,117 laps. Afterward, he heaped praise on his Joe Gibbs Racing team, under the leadership of crew chief Jason Ratliff.
Points leader Brad Keselowski finished second with Carl Edwards, third, Joey Logano fourth and Trevor Bayne fifth.
Justin Allgaier was sixth followed by Kevin Harvick, Reed Sorensen, Paul Menard and Brenden Gaughan, respectively, to round out the top 10.
The victory was Busch's sixth of the season. He’s running a part-time series schedule as the defending champion. Saturday’s victory also marked the first time a driver has won two NASCAR Nationwide Series events at New Hampshire. Saturday’s was the series’ 24th race there; Busch also won the track’s June event a year ago.
Indy Racing League star Danica Patrick had another luckless day, finishing 30^th, five laps behind, after an early-race shunt with Morgan Shepherd damaged her car.
Skies were overcast when the race began, and a threat of rain put a little more urgency in the start. Pole winner Keselowski pulled out front and Allgaier moved into second.
Patrick's day took a miserable turn on Lap 7 when the veteran Shepherd ducked beneath her in Turn 1, lost control and spun, collecting Patrick in the process.
When the green fell again, Kyle Busch took the lead but Keselowski went back to the front a couple laps later. Patrick, the center of attention in pre-race publicity and promotions, was relegated to 38th, a lap down, as a result of her spin.
At 30 laps, it appeared Keselowski was in for a good afternoon, but Harvick, Busch, Edwards, Logano and Allgaier were hanging within striking distance. Sorensen, Steve Wallace, Lofton and Dillon rounded out the top 10.
Patrick, meanwhile, had dropped another lap by Lap 40, putting her two laps down.
Harvick took the top spot on Lap 45 and Busch went with him, putting Keselowski in third. A lap later, Busch went back out front.
On Lap 94, Taylor Malsam and Ricky Stenhouse got together to bring out the second caution of the day. The leaders pitted again, some for two tires and some for four. Busch and Harvick took four while Logano and Allgaier took two. Keselowski didn't pit this time around.
On the restart, just past the halfway point of 100 laps, Keselowski led with Busch a little over a second behind. Logano was third, Edwards fourth and Harvick fifth.
Rounding out the top 10 were Sadler, Menard, Allgaier, Bayne and Sorensen.
Busch, however, chased Keselowski down and passed him for the lead on Lap 120.

Nationwide Race Proclaims Logano Kentucky King

Photo Credit: Andy Lyons/Getty Images


By Lee Montgomery
Special to the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(June 12, 2010)

SPARTA, Ky.—Joey Logano remained perfect in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Kentucky Speedway, winning the Meijer 300 from the pole on Saturday night.

Logano had lost the lead on two restarts late in the race but was able to power back to the top spot each time.

The first was with 44 laps to go when Mike Bliss took the lead, but after an extended caution period, Logano got back out front on Lap 169 of 200.

The second came when Brendan Gaughan charged around the outside after a restart on Lap 175, but Gaughan slipped off Turn 4 a lap later, and Logano again regained the lead.

Logano then held off a late charge from Carl Edwards to win for the third time at Kentucky.

Logano, 20, has won the pole and the race every time he has raced at the 1.5-mile track. The victory in 2008 was his first in one of NASCAR’s national series.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series double-duty drivers swept the top three positions, as Edwards finished second and NASCAR Nationwide Series points leader Brad Keselowski was third. Edwards moved up one spot in the standings to second, and is 272 points behind Keselowski.

Gaughan finished fourth, with Reed Sorenson fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were Steve Wallace, Scott Wimmer, Justin Allgaier, Scott Riggs and Raybestos Rookie Colin Braun.

Kyle Busch Propers After Johnson's Pit Road Blunder for Dover Win

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

Entering the 12th race of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway started Sunday on the 1-mile concrete oval on a date prior to the two-week Charlotte extravaganza.

Swiping the lead from pole sitting #56 NAPA Toyota of Martin Truex Jr on the start, Kasey Kahne in the #9 Budweiser Ford led the opening 21 laps at Dover International Speedway. Kahne's 1st place would be challenged by his future Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson. Upon taking the lead, Johnson's early race pace in the #48 Chevrolet Impala echoed as a doomsday signal to the rest of the NASCAR Sprint Cup field.

The only car able to hold a candle to the #48 Hendrick Motorsport was unsurprisingly a member of the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team. Kyle Busch in the #18 M&M Toyota Camry would first take the lead of the race during pit stops made under the first yellow flag of the Autism Speaks 400. Holding the top position since the lap 58 restart under green, the long-run stamina of the #48 Lowes Chevrolet proved too much for Busch as Johnson blasted by the Toyota on lap 84.



Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

With only 5 cautions for 24 laps during the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover, drivers and teams who prepped for long runs possessed a competitive edge for the event. Vehicles dealing with handling issues such as the #88 Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Red Bull Racing's #83 car wheeled by Casey Mears had a long 400 mile race ahead of them. Of the 5 cautions, 4 were dedicated to single car incidents involving either the #47 Toyota of Marcus Ambrose or the #77 Dodge driven by Sam Hornish Jr. As Hornish brought out the first caution on lap 55, Ambrose brush with the turn 3 wall for the second caution 110 laps later.

Finding trouble moving into the top 20 after a 27th place start, Dale Earnhardt Jr's problems in the #88 Chevrolet approached an unusual turn for the worse when the Hendrick Motorsport driver reported issues turning left his race car. After 6 laps of inspection by the #88 pit crew, Dale Earnhardt Jr returned to the 1 mile race track. Following the extended stay on pit road, there was no report for a reason why Earnhardt Jr's #88 car experienced steering problem.

Leading 225 of 362 laps entering into the final round of race pit stops, Jimmie Johnson had just snatched the lead from Kyle Busch once again 7 laps prior to his stop for tires and fuel. Pitting alongside with 2nd place Kyle Busch, the Hendrick Motorsport and Joe Gibbs Racing crews were in a potential showdown for the race win at Dover. With Busch having already attended pit road for an outstanding stop from his Joe Gibbs Racing crew, Johnson's #48 Chevrolet was dropped off the jack in a near side-by-side drag race with the #18 Toyota. While Jimmie Johnson prevailed over Kyle Busch initially, NASCAR quickly identified the #48 car sped leaving pit road. With Johnson required to serve a drive-through penalty, Kyle Busch went uncontested for the final 35 laps to win the 2010 Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway. Kyle Busch's 2nd victory of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is sitting 3rd in the overall series points.

Richard Childress Racing's #31 Chevrolet of Jeff Burton finished 2nd at Dover for his 3rd consecutive top-10 result. Matt Kenseth in the #17 Ford rode a long road from 21th place start to can the 3rd place finisher of the Autism Speaks 400. Denny Hamlin and David Reutimann completed the top-5 in the finishing order at Dover International Speedway.

Serving a costly pit road penalty, Jimmie Johnson would be forced to finish 16th losing more points in the Sprint Cup championship points to leader Kevin Harvick. Losing the race to Kyle Busch, Johnson would also lose his 2nd place spot in points to the driver of the #18 Toyota.

Turning to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the two weeks, the upcoming race is the Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday night of May 22nd, the next points race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup series will be the Coke 600 on Sunday May 30th.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Autism Speaks 400
Race Results

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

1) 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Toyota
2)      31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
3)      17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Black Ford
4)      11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Freight Toyota
5)      00 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
6)      16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 
7)      29 Kevin Harvick Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet
8)      99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
9)      14 Tony Stewart Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet
10)     20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota 
11) 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet
12) 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Toyota
13) 39 Ryan Newman U.S. Army Chevrolet
14) 43 A J Allmendinger Richard Petty Hall of Fame Ford
15) 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet 
16) 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet
17) 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
18) 12 Brad Keselowski No. 12 Penske Dodge Dodge
19) 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge
20) 9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser Ford
21) 98 Paul Menard Zecol/Menards Ford
22) 83 Casey Mears Red Bull Toyota
23) 82 Scott Speed Red Bull Toyota 
24) 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
25) 38 David Gilliland Taco Bell Ford 395 88 
26) 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
27) 26 David Stremme Air National Guard Ford 
28) 19 Elliott Sadler Stanley Ford
29) 34 Travis Kvapil Long John Silver's-Baja Fish Taco Ford
30) 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet
31) 7 Robby Gordon BAMVIP/James Otto/Whitney Duncan Toyota
32) 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet
33) 37 Kevin Conway # Extenze Ford 
34) 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Mobil 1 Dodge
35) 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
36) 47 Marcos Ambrose A&P/MDA Toyota
37) 46 J J Yeley Whitney Motorsports Dodge
38) 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota
39) 71 Bobby Labonte TRG Motorsports Chevrolet
40) 09 Mike Bliss Phoenix Construction/Graceway Chevrolet 
41) 66 Dave Blaney PRISM Motorsports Toyota
42) 55 Michael McDowell PRISM Motorsports Toyota
43) 36 Johnny Sauter Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet

Kyle Busch Will Lead NASCAR Sprint Cup Field at Richmond

Photo Credit: Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR

Taking pole for Saturday's running of the Crown Royal Presents the Heath Calhoun 400 is the #18 Toyota of Kyle Busch. Lapping the 0.75 mile Richmond International Raceway short track at 21.247 seconds, Busch prevailed over the Michael Waltrip Racing-owned #00 Toyota of David Reutimann by 8/100ths of a second.

In 3rd and 4th spot, the Hendrick Motorsports team placed two Chevrolets behind the Toyota pairing starting the Saturday night Richmond event. Jimmie Johnson's #48 Chevrolet is one spot higher than the #24 of Jeff Gordon to secure the second row. Don't expect for any fuel to be added the overblown alleged feud between Johnson and Gordon. Reports have team owner Rick Hendrick sitting down with both drivers to talk through the rift between the tightly-knitted teammates.

Ryan Newman, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Brian Vickers and Clint Bowyer round out the top-10 starting positions.

Also capturing the pole for the NASCAR Nationwide running for Friday night, Kyle Busch has a lot positive history at Richmond International Raceway. The site of his first NASCAR race win in the than-Busch Series (now Nationwide Series) in 2004, Kyle Busch has been the highest finishing driver in the past 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup series events at the short track. Busch and his #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is also the reigning winner of the 400-lap race.

The running of the 2010 Crown Royal Presents the Heath Calhoun 400 will be televised on FOX with the cue to start engines coming shortly 7:30PM.


2010 Crown Royal Presents the Heath Calhoun 400
at Richmond International Raceway
NASCAR Sprint Cup
Starting Lineup

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

1) 18 Kyle Busch         M&M's Toyota
2) 00 David Reutimann   Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
3) 48 Jimmie Johnson   Lowe's / KOBALT Tools Chevrolet
4) 24 Jeff Gordon      DuPont Chevrolet 
5) 39 Ryan Newman      Army Medicine Chevrolet 
6) 12 Brad Keselowski   Penske Dodge
7) 29 Kevin Harvick    Reese's Chevrolet
8) 1 Jamie McMurray    Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet
9) 83 Brian Vickers    Red Bull Toyota 
10) 33 Clint Bowyer     BB&T Chevrolet 
11) 87 Joe Nemechek     NEMCO Motorsports Toyota
12) 82 Scott Speed      Red Bull Toyota
13) 36 Casey Mears      H.D. Segar Inc. Insurance Chevrolet
14) 5 Mark Martin      Hendrickcars.com / GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
15) 43 A J Allmendinger Valvoline Ford
16) 2 Kurt Busch       Miller Lite Dodge
17) 31 Jeff Burton      Caterpillar Chevrolet
18) 14 Tony Stewart     Office Depot / Old Spice Chevrolet
19) 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
20) 47 Marcos Ambrose    Bush's Best Baked Beans / Kingsford Toyota
21) 17 Matt Kenseth     Crown Royal Ford
22) 9 Kasey Kahne      Budweiser 25th Anniversary Ford
23) 20 Joey Logano      The Home Depot Toyota
24) 19 Elliott Sadler    Reynolds Ford
25) 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard / AMP Energy Chevrolet
26) 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
27) 77 Sam Hornish Jr.   Mobil 1 Dodge
28) 99 Carl Edwards     Scotts EZ Seed Ford
29) 78 Regan Smith      Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
30) 11 Denny Hamlin     FedEx Ground Toyota
31) 71 Bobby Labonte    TRG Motorsports Chevrolet
32) 98 Paul Menard      Schrock / /Menards Ford 
33) 16 Greg Biffle      3M Ford 
34) 32 Reed Sorenson    Braun Racing Toyota
35) 6 David Ragan      UPS Ford
36) 09 Mike Bliss       Phoenix Construction / Graceway Chevrolet
37) 7 Robby Gordon     BAMVIP.com / James Otto / Whitney Duncan
38) 34 Travis Kvapil     Long John Silver's Ford 
39) 26 David Stremme     Air National Guard Ford
40) 37 David Gilliland   Taco Bell Ford
41) 46 Terry Cook       The Atlantic Company Dodge
42) 38 Kevin Conway     Extenze Ford
43) 64 Tony Raines      Gunselman Motorsports Toyota

NASCAR's newest youngest hot shoe Joey Logano 1st pole in only 2nd race at Nashville

In only his second race of competition in the Nationwide series for Joe Gibbs Racing, 18-year old Joey Logano grabbed his first pole, continuing to prove in just a short time period that he is worthy of the hype. Driving the #20 JGR Toyota, Logano registered a 30 second flat run around Nashville Superspeedway, averaging a 159.944 mile per hour speed over the concrete track. JR Motorsports Brad Keselowski clocked in second with Mike Bliss, Clint Bowyer, and marathon racer Kyle Busch rounding out the top five in quialifying. Other notable drivers in the Federated Auto Parts 300 Nationwide race are reigning Nationwide champ Carl Edwards in 7th, Steve Wallace in 11th, and Greg Biffle in 15th.

Conversely, Brain Keselowski, Brett Rowe, and Ryan Hackett are going to have a shortened race weekend after missing the mark in qualifying.

The Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway is planned for a 6:30PM(7:30PM Eastern time) start tonight.

The Kyle Busch Racing Marathon Weekend hits a snag

Having made the bold move to take on the three major NASCAR events at three different tracks, 2008 stock racing stand out Kyle Busch is unquestionably driven by a competitive desire limited to only time itself. Lucky for him, he's been the fastest thing in NASCAR succeeding in rising Toyota to a victory lane threat everywhere. The first of three races, Kyle Busch started his trio of races last night(Friday June 6) at Texas Motor Speedway on the 400 Kilometer Craftsman truck series event. Overcoming significant time tuning his Billy Ballew #51 Toyota Tundra to the Kyle's liking, he finished second while challenging race winner Ron Hornaday Jr in the closing laps. Having also qualified his Sprint Cup #18 M&M's Toyota in 10th place at Pocono for Sunday's 500-mile affair, the first day of the marathon had went favourably. Starting with the morning session of practice for the Pocono 500, Kyle Busch's race weekend is taking a major hit.

After catching a notorious patch on turn 3 surface of the triangular race track, Busch's primary Toyota Camry race car is now reduced to a heavily-damaged pile of sheet metal. Before that time, Kyle Busch and crew chief Steve Addington were toiling with a tight race car. Kyle spoke after the crash to nascar.com saying "It's no big deal. These guys will dig in and we'll have a good car [Sunday] afternoon for the race". The results of this incident are mixed. While the #18 JGR team were fortunate to have a Saturday afternoon practice for shake down a backup car, Kyle Busch will need to start the Pocono 500 in the rear, relinquishing his 10th place starting spot.

In addition to his day two racing efforts in Pocono, Pennsylvania, Kyle Busch promptly left for the Nashville Superspeedway Nationwide race. Through Wille Allen had been with the Braun Racing #32 Toyota for Friday practice, Kyle Busch plans to qualify and race the car later tonight(7:30 Eastern time).