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.

Tough, Tactful Trucker Hornaday Takes Atlanta Race

Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

By Chris Nagy:

 

Entering Atlanta Motor Speedway after a gritty short track battle in a Thursday night race Bristol Motor Speedway event, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series departed from the small 0.533-mile oval to run one of the series' fastest race tracks. As the Camping World Truck Series drivers and teams took on the 17th event of the 2011 season, emphasis grows on the drivers points standings. A close fight among 4 drivers, ThorSport driver of the #13 Chevrolet Johnny Sauter took the lead in the overall points ahead after Bristol. Turner Motorsports driver James Buescher sat only 7 points behind making the outcome of the following races important in defining the which driver holds an advantage for the championship.

 

Circulating the 1.54-mile speedway fastest during qualifying, Ricky Carmichael claimed the pole for the Good Sam Club 200 driving his #4 Monster Energy Chevrolet at a 177.813 miles per hour average speed. As Carmichael took green ahead of the entire 36-truck field for the Atlanta Motor Speedway event, Sprint Cup regular Clint Bowyer quickly skated around the the #4 truck to lead.

 

Bowyer behind the wheel of the #2 Kevin Harvick Incorporated owned Chevrolet truck would install himself as a fixture at the front of the Good Sam Club 200 field for 97 of the 130 laps completed. As Clint Bowyer dominated the Good Sam Club 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, brief interruptions saw fellow Sprint Cup interloper Kyle Busch also leading the event for what was a total of 14 laps.

 

As the Kevin Harvick Incorporated #2 vehicle remained firmly as the class of the field of the NASCAR Camping World Truck race at Atlanta, the Good Sam Club 200 race started off as a big game of catch-up for Bowyer's #33 teammate. Ron Hornaday, starting 17th in the Friday night event, was susceptible to the reaction of 8 rows of vehicles. As Hornaday accelerated his #33 Chevrolet, he was unable to anticipate what was a slower than expected start. Nailing into the rear of another race truck, the #33 Chevrolet ended up with significant front end damage to the truck's driver side corner. Under caution periods, the Kevin Harvick Incorporated pit crew for the #33 truck were able to patch up the mingled sheet metal so Hornaday could compete with the top-10 cars. Despite this potential problem, the #33 Kevin Harvick Incorporated (KHI) team would be able to turn this incident into an advantage later in the event.

 

With 5 cautions slowing the pace of the Camping World Truck Series vehicles during the Good Sam Club 200 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, two separate cautions claimed top point contenders for the driver's championship. Blowing an engine, series rookie and Red Bull Racing development driver Cole Whitt suffered a quick retirement after only 19 laps of competition. With oil from the #60 Chevrolet drawing a caution, Whitt coasted back to the garage area falling considerably in the points through the summer stretch of racing.

 

On lap 60, the yellow flag flew for a second title contender for the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series crown. Taking the point lead just one race ago, Johnny Sauter slipped slightly in turn 2 brushing the outer wall. Though the damage largely appeared superficial at first sight, the #13 Chevrolet of Sauter required extensive repair which eventually cost the ThorSport race team to finish 29th, 22 laps off the lead lap truck pace.

 

With the final caution landing on lap 79 and concluding on lap 81, a 49-lap sprint to the finish of the Good Sam Club 200 was going to present the risk of empty vehicle fuel tanks prior to the 130th lap. Front runners including Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch would all require one final green lap pit stop to travel the remaining lap distance of the Atlanta event. As most teams pitted their race trucks, a select few race vehicles were running on alternate strategies that allowed an opportunity to complete the event without a green-lap pit stop. One of those trucks gambling with strategy on track was the #33 Chevy piloted by Ron Hornaday. Filling up at lap 75, the veteran carried out a fuel conservation plan through the long green flag run to the end. Also pushing to the finish of the Atlanta race on a similar strategy to the #33 truck was the #32 Chevrolet driven by Blake Feese. Feese like Hornaday suffered an on-track mishap which caused the #32 Turner Motorsports team to reconsider their race plans. In the late laps, Blake Feese ran in the runner-up position at a distance from Ron Hornaday's #33 truck.

 

In the final laps, Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch chased down the lead trucks using the fresher tire they obtained through the recent pit stop. Both Bowyer and Busch were able to catch Feese for position but the interval to Hornaday was too great in the final distance. Ron Hornaday captured his 49th career NASCAR truck series victory after leading the last 17 laps around Atlanta Motor Speedway. Clint Bowyer crossed the checkered flag second assembling a KHI 1-2 finish while Kyle Busch followed closely for a 3rd place result. Blake Feese and the #08 Chevrolet driven by Ryan Newman rounded out the top-five for the Good Sam Club 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

 

The race had a massive effect on the series points with Johnny Sauter and Cole Whitt ending the event with off-key results. A new NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point leader emerged with James Buescher. Only 7 points shy of Sauter entering the Atlanta oval race, a 10th place finish in the #31 Chevy truck gave Buescher the points needed for the top spot for the overall standings. Winning the Atlanta race, Ron Hornaday gained 4 positions giving the 4-time series champion an fighting chance for the 2011 title. The top-6 in the Camping World Truck Series is separated by 51 points with 8 races remaining on the 2011 schedule.

 

 

 

 

2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Good Sam Club 200
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Race Results

1. 33 Ron Hornaday ARMOUR / Ingles Chevrolet
2. 2 Clint Bowyer Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet
3. 18 Kyle Busch Dollar General Toyota
4. 32 Blake Feese AccuDoc Solutions Chevrolet
5. 8 Ryan Newman Realtree / Brandt Chevrolet
6. 3 Austin Dillon Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet
7. 88 Matt Crafton ZECOL / Menards Chevrolet
8. 4 Ricky Carmichael Monster Energy Chevrolet
9. 5 Todd Bodine ServiceCenterAuto.com / NTB Toyota
10. 31 James Buescher EXIDE Batteries Chevrolet
11. 63 Jack Smith Seal Wrap Ford
12. 29 Parker Kligerman  Penske Truck Rental Dodge
13. 22 Joey Coulter # RCR Graphics Center Chevrolet
14. 9 Max Papis GEICO Toyota
15. 39 Ryan Sieg S&W Services Chevrolet
16. 17 Timothy Peters Red Horse Racing Toyota
17. 81 David Starr Zachry / ASI Limited Toyota
18. 62 Brendan Gaughan South Point Hotel and Casino Toyota
19. 51 Colin Braun Bullet Liner Ford
20. 8 Nelson Piquet Jr. AutoTrac / Qualcomm Chevrolet
21. 15 Josh Richards Joy Mining Machinery Toyota
22. 7 Miguel Paludo # Stemco Duroline Toyota
23. 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb HipChixFundraisers.com Ford
24. 66 Chris Cockrum Advanced Comms. Group / AccuTech Chevrolet
25. 23 Jason White GunBroker.com Chevrolet
26. 6 Justin Lofton CollegeComplete.com Toyota
27. 84 Chris Fontaine Glenden Enterprises Chevrolet
28. 98 Justin Marks GoPro Chevrolet
29. 13 Johnny Sauter SafeAuto / Curb Records Chevrolet
30. 78 BJ McLeod Boggy Creek Airboat Rides Chevrolet
31. 20 Johanna Long  Panhandle Grading & Paving Toyota
32. 60 Cole Whitt  Fuel Doctor / Red Bull Chevrolet
33. 9 Charles Vest Rockingham Speedway Ford
34. 7 Johnny Chapman BOBBER.info Chevrolet
35. 38 Mike Garvey S&W Services Chevrolet
36. 93 Dennis Setzer S&W Services Chevrolet

Tony Stewart Heats up Atlanta for First Sprint Cup Win of 2010

Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/ Getty Images

Assembling for the Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Labour day weekend Sunday night, 43 cars led by pole sitter Denny Hamlin took green for 325 laps around a very fast race track.

A tame race through the early one-third distance absent of caution breaks, the Emory Healthcare 500 was dominated early by pole sitter Denny Hamlin. A effort appearance early for Joe Gibbs Racing, the team's leading #11 Toyota was followed by Kyle Busch in the #18 car. With the first set of green flag pit stops being accomplished after 50 laps, Kyle Busch was able to sneak around his teammate Hamlin through a fast pit road entrance where Busch braked his #18 at the last second.

Taking the 1st place spot after the round of stops are completed, Kyle Busch was alerted his speedy entrance was in fact too speedy. NASCAR penalized the #18 Toyota on lap 51 dropping the Joe Gibbs Racing backed effort to 23rd. Able to retain a spot on the lead lap, an additional situation resulted in a premature pit stop for Kyle Busch twenty laps after getting issued his speeding penalty. Pitting in concern for a loose wheel, Busch's #18 car returned to the NASCAR Sprint Cup pack deeply one lap down.

When the #18 Toyota was initially dropped to pit road due to the penalty, Tony Stewart sailed to the lead. Holding off Denny Hamlin near the end of the fuel run, Stewart stayed out in front through a second group of green flag pit stops. Seeking his first NASCAR Sprint Cup win for 2010, Tony Stewart resumed leading the Emory Healthcare 500 once cars cycled through pit road service. This lead was held under green until the race's first yellow flag wasn't thrown until lap 133. The #14 Old Spice Chevrolet would spent a lot more quality time in first place this night at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Declared a debris caution (even though the actual debris was not seen on television) the caution was a welcoming pause in the action for drivers and fans. Having been lapped just prior to the caution, the then-16th place #88 Chevrolet by driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr appreciated the yellow flag most as the Hendrick Motorsport car was allowed back into the lead lap pack.

As the race restarted on lap 139, the once strong #11 Toyota of Denny Hamlin lost a few spots under green but there was no indication a problem existed with the Joe Gibbs Racing. A short five laps after relinguishing positions, Hamlin's troubles became much more serious as the #11 engine blew on the Atlanta front stretch. A nightmare for Denny Hamlin's hopes of starting strong into the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup, this came as a sacfrice play for Joe Gibbs Racing as Kyle Busch's #18 Toyota received a free pass.

After the race went 133 laps without a caution, a third caution would fly within 20 laps. Started when the #16 Ford of Greg Biffle was tapped by the Ryan Newman-driven #39 Chevrolet heading into the 3rd turn. Drifting through the turn 3-4 complex, The #16 Ford was almost under control until inavertedly clipping Elliott Sadler's #19 Ford. Biffle's car would return after massive front end repairs.

Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/ Getty Images for NASCAR

As the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers once again returned their cars to the attention of the under 15-second pit crews, one of the final hold-outs to pitting was the #29 Chevrolet of points leader Kevin Harvick. Staying out those extra few laps would ultimately prove to be an undoing for the Richard Childress Racing driver. Making an entrance to pit road wih 72 laps to go, Harvick's left-front tire blew. Entering with a comfortable points lead, Harvick's run of Atlanta would cost him some of that lead as the #29 Chevrolet spent the latter stages of the Emory Healthcare 500 wounded by fender damage.

Sprint runs were set up through the remaining distance of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race thanks to a several cautions spanning from an engine explosion on the #82 Toyota of Scott Speed and a later caution thrown for a Brad Keselowski spin. Keeping the front tight, the final yellow flag was the result of some rough and tumble racing between #39 Chevrolet of Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne's #9 Ford.

Taking the lead for the final time, Tony Stewart had brief opposition from the #99 Ford of Carl Edwards but pulled well out to lead the final 20 laps winning the Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. His first win of the 2010 season, Tony Stewart led 176 of the 325 laps for his 4th Sprint Cup series victory at the 1.54 mile track.

With the winner of the Atlanta Sprint Cup event ending a 31-race winless streak, the top-5 contained a collection of drivers needing good runs. Finishing 2nd in the race, Carl Edwards has results in the top-10 for 7 of the past 8 NASCAR Sprint Cup events after a sluggish start of 2010. Clearly, the new Ford engine is having a positive impact in bringing the Roush Fenway Racing team back to the competitive forefront. More recently enduring a tough stretch of races, Jimmie Johnson got a much-needed 3rd place result ahead of Jeff Burton and Kyle Busch.

During and especially after the Atlanta NASCAR Sprint Cup race, the top-12 in points were a main focus as the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup starts with only the Saturday night race in Richmond remaining. Kevin Harvick is guaranteed to be the top in points after Richmond (at least before the realignment for the Chase)but 3rd through 8th place in the standings can still fluxulate. As for the 12th place bubble spot, Clint Bowyer holds more than a 117 point advantage over 13th place Ryan Newman. In fact, Newman might have lost a few points at Atlanta when Kasey Kahne tapped the #39 Chevy as payback late in this event.

Prior to the Atlanta Motor Speedway event, it was announced that Speedway Motorsports (the parent company of the 1.54 mile oval will only return for this Labour Day event in 2011. Atlanta Motor Speedway should feel comfortable that they will retain the date with excellent night time weather and a sizable fan attandance.



2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Emory Healthcare 500
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Race Results

Top -10

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

1) 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot / Old Spice Chevrolet
2) 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
3) 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's / Kobalt Tools Chevrolet
4) 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
5) 18 Kyle Busch Pedigree Toyota
6) 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge
7) 33 Clint Bowyer BB&T Chevrolet
8) 39 Ryan Newman U.S. Army Reserve Chevrolet
9) 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Huggies Chevrolet
10) 47 Marcos Ambrose Little Debbie Toyota
 
 
Other Notables
 
11) 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Black Ford
13) 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont / Jeff Gordon Foundation Chevrolet
16) 00 David Reutimann Aaron's Outdoors Toyota
22) 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard / AMP Energy Chevrolet
32) 9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser/ Valvoline Ford
33) 29 Kevin Harvick Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet
43) 11 Denny Hamlin Sport Clips Toyota
 

McMurray and JR Motorsports Prevail at Atlanta Nationwide Series Event

Photo Credit: John Harrelson

By Reid Spencer


Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(September 4, 2010)

HAMPTON, Ga.—Jamie McMurray held off Kyle Busch and stopped Busch one spot short of a historic win Saturday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Driving JR Motorsports’ No. 88 Chevrolet, McMurray asserted his superiority over the final 40 of 195 laps to win the Nationwide Series Great Clips 300 at the 1.54-mile racetrack. The victory, the eighth of McMurray’s Nationwide career, was his first since November 2004 at Darlington.

Busch is tied with Sam Ard for the series’ single-season wins record with 10.

Carl Edwards ran third, followed by Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth. Joey Logano, Jason Leffler, Ryan Newman, Paul Menard and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. completed the top 10. Series points leader Brad Keselowski finished 12th and saw his advantage over second-place Edwards trimmed to 332 points.

“We unloaded today and had pretty much the fastest car off the truck,” McMurray said. “It was just pretty loose, and we just did a really good job of adjusting on it.”

The good adjustments continued late into the race, McMurray said.

“At the end, Pops (crew chief Tony Eury Sr.) adjusted on it, and it was pretty fast, even on the short runs.”

McMurray led 43 of the final 47 laps, including the last 23.

“It’s the same thing every week,” McMurray said. “The car out front—the clean air’s huge.”

McMurray’s short-run speed proved decisive in a race that took a series of intriguing turns, including one sequence where only one car was scored on the lead lap.

Harvick took four tires under caution on Lap 62, while Busch and most other contenders chose to restart on old rubber when the field came to green on Lap 65. After restarting 12th, Harvick passed McMurray for the lead on Lap 70.

By Lap 112, he had the rest of the field at least one lap down, after Busch and other drivers on old tires came to the pits under green. Harvick gave up the lead to Busch when he made a green-flag stop for tires and fuel on Lap 120.

Harvick left the pits eight seconds behind Busch but cut that margin in half before Ryan Newman spun Trevor Bayne on the backstretch to cause the third caution of the race and bunch the field. McMurray was first out of the pits under caution and led the field to a restart on Lap 153.

McMurray stayed out front until contact from Stenhouse sent Reed Sorenson’s Toyota hard into the outside wall on Lap 168. Keselowski and 11th-place finisher Josh Wise stayed on the track under the caution, but they quickly surrendered the top two spots when the field restarted.

McMurray surged to the front with Busch in pursuit, but Busch was unable to make up significant ground in the closing laps and finished .286 seconds back.
“We just didn’t quite have enough there on short runs to keep up with them,” Busch said. “Once we got about 25 or 30 laps on (the tires), we could really start reeling them in and pass them. Typically, it’s always a long-run car that wins here—Harvick beat me last year with a long-run car—but that wasn’t the case tonight.”

Kurt Busch is Peachy After Winning Sprint Cup Race in Atlanta

Photo Credit: Chris Trotman/Getty Image

Referred to as Hot-lanta for the region's intense summer heat, NASCAR has always scheduled a race before spring on the 1.54 mile speedway has classically allowed Atlanta Motor Speedway to host an early race to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series tour. On the first week of March, some past events would see the grounds of Atlanta Motor Speedway blanketed with snow. However, for the running of the 2010 Kobalt Tools 500, a 60 degree Fahrenheit day brightened the NASCAR Sprint Cup cars paint schemes with constant late winter sunlight.


Photo Credit: Brian Lawdermilk/WHP -Pool/Getty Image for NASCAR

Taking a popular pole position after a Friday night qualifying session, Dale Earnhardt Jr led the 43-car NASCAR Sprint Cup series field to the green flag with the Amp Energy #88 Chevrolet. Earnhardt's prime starting position would not even net the Hendrick-owned Sprint Cup car a single recorded lap in the lead. Asserting some muscle on the outside front row, the #18 M&M Toyota piloted by Kyle Busch flew around Earnhardt for the race lead on lap 1 holding the top spot for 13 circuit. Kyle Busch's stint in the Atlanta lead would be broken by the fast #9 Ford of Kasey Kahne. Coming off a 9th place finish in Las Vegas after starting the 2010 year with two disastrous start, Kahne and the Richard Petty Motorsports team is eager to reverse their racing fortunes. Atlanta Motor Speedway would in fact result a memorable turning point for the 4-car Ford effort.


Photo Credit: Geoff Burke Getty Image for NASCAR

Busch recaptured the lead of the Kobalt Tools 500 just before a caution for debris forced the field to slow. With the field bunched on the restart, the jockeying for position figured heavily on the very brief green flag period which ended 2 laps later. Out of turn 1 of lap 43, an aggressive #12 Dodge driven by Brad Keselowski nosed into the rear of Carl Edwards driving a "retro-themed" #99 Ford (Edward's paint scheme and Scotts Lawn Care sponsor was a throwback to his maiden 2005 Cup victory. Five years being classified as retro is quite a stretch). As Edward's Ford swung up the track, he collide with the Toyota of Joey Logano damaging both machines as they grind the outer wall. While Logano and Edwards would require time-consuming repairs, Keselowski faired better even being a firm front-runner as the race endured.

After the lap 43 restart, a new contender for the day emerged in Atlanta as Penske Racing's lead driver Kurt Busch added some intensity to the Kobalt Tools 500. Starting 11th, Busch advanced his #2 Miller Lite Dodge skillfully, taking the race lead for the first time on lap 82 thanks to a well-executed pit stop as the majority of lead lap cars rushed for crew service. Between Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne, the two drivers dominance kept the front of the race familiar leading 273 laps on the day. Coupled with the #17 Ford of Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin's #11 Toyota and Juan Pablo Montoya driving the #42 Chevrolet, the top-5 was secured between the same five cars following the first 300 miles.

Another car many hoped would be a top-5 contender through the day was, of course, the pole-sitting driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Showing the ability to hold onto the top-10 in the Kobalt Tools 500's initial stage, the #88 fell to misfortune as Earnhardt began reporting a suspected loose rear wheel. Making it to the pits for unscheduled service, the #88 Chevrolet continued but was well down the race's running order. The problem compounded when a caution was thrown just a few laps later when Hendrick teammate Mark Martin spun when his #5 blew a tire. Interesting enough, almost every Hendrick-supported team (including the Stewart-Haas Racing cars) suffered some kind of tire problem. Mired around 31st position through the mid stages of the Atlanta race, Dale Earnhardt Jr and the #88 AMP Energy Chevrolet never returned to winning contention. However, he was able to use late race fitration to the competition as well as a wave-around opportunity to cycle back into the lead lap.

As closed on its final 2 laps, the effects of an earlier race incident weighed on Carl Edwards. At lap 323, the #12 car of Keselowski came into sight of the Roush-Fenway #99 Ford walking wounded with fresh memories of the lap 43 accident. As the two cars shot out of turn 4, Edwards might have viewed this as a window of opportunity open for paying back Brad Keselowski. Heading down the Atlanta Motor Speedway frontstretch, the #99 Ford purposefully swiped the left rear corner of the #12 Dodge as speeds reached over 170 miles per hour. As the #12 of Brad Keselowski was sent sideways towards the infield grass, air caught the underside lifting Keselowski's Dodge precariously airborne. Off the ground, the Dodge slammed into the outer retaining wall impacting the driver's side A-pillar section of the Dodge's roof. As the car rested upright, the fate of the driver was an immediate concern. Thankfully as the window nest dropped, it came as a relief (even to Carl Edwards) that Brad Keselowski was conscious as he hopped to the ambulance. Based on the evidence the Edwards intended to turn Keselowski, NASCAR ruled to park Carl Edwards for the remaining laps. There also exists the possibility that NASCAR may penalize Edwards farther as they are continuing to review the incident.

As the wreckage of the #12 Dodge had to be removed, the race was to be settled by a green-white-checker restart. With many of the leaders pitting, #33 Chevrolet of Clint Bowyer and #98 Ford of Paul Menard elected to stay out gambling on track position. Restarting the 339th lap (5 laps passed the race's scheduled distance), the Menard and Bowyer were quickly passed by Kurt Busch. As the #2 Penske Racing Dodge prepared to roll to victory, a 7-car wreck in the middle of turn 3 and 4 was sparked when Jamie McMurray's #1 Chevrolet took a low entry into the 3rd corner sliding out of control. Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin, and Martin Truex Jr were among the drivers collected in the late race crash.

Because of timing of the wreck, the race was thrown under caution just before Busch took the white flag. Disappointed but determined to win the Kobalt Tools 500, Kurt Busch's Dodge launched on the second attempt of a green-white-checker restart leading the final 2 laps to win at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Peforming his celebration at driving in reverse, Busch, the #2 Penske Racing pit crew, and the car owner Roger Penske were present in victory lane shortly after Kurt Busch finished.
.
In second place of the Kobalt Tools 500, Matt Kenseth provided Roush-Fenway Racing team with the strongest run of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Behind Kenseth, Juan Pablo Montoya ran an outstanding Atlanta race where the Colombian driver was even eyed for victory. Kasey Kahne finished fourth while strategy helped Paul Menard claim an admirable top-5 position. Not only did Kahne and Menard register their best finishes for the new season, these cars share Richard Petty Motorsport affiliation. Just behind the pair the Richard Petty Motorsport Ford team became a trio as AJ Allmendinger brought the #43 car home in 6th place.

Other cars claiming notable runs include Kevin Harvick who emerged from 35th to 9th, Scott Speed in 10th outcoming a 32rd place qualifying effort, Marcos Ambrose in 11th and Regan Smith who brought his #78 Furniture Row Chevrolet in 14th place. Also worth mentioning is the effort of Dale Earnhardt Jr and #88 Hendrick Motorsport team. Through the race's latter stage, the AMP Energy car rose to 15th place recovering from two laps down.

Elevating himself up 9 spots in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup points after 4 races, Kurt Busch sits 10th overall 142 points behind Kevin Harvick who continues leading the standings for the 3rd week in a row. Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer currently follows Harvick, all within 86 points. The NASCAR Sprint Cup series has an off-weekend this coming week but will return on the 21st of March to run the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Kobalt Tools 500
Atlanta Motor Speedway

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

1) 2 Kurt Busch       Miller Lite Dodge
2) 17 Matt Kenseth     Valvoline Ford
3) 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet 
4) 9 Kasey Kahne       Budweiser Ford 
5) 98 Paul Menard      CertainTeed/Menards Ford
6) 43 A J Allmendinger Best Buy/Insignia Ford 
7) 83 Brian Vickers    Red Bull Toyota 
8) 16 Greg Biffle      U.S. Census Ford 
9) 29 Kevin Harvick     Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet 
10) 82 Scott Speed      Red Bull Toyota 
11) 47 Marcos Ambrose    Lance/Tom's Toyota 
12) 48 Jimmie Johnson         Lowe's/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet
13) 14 Tony Stewart     Office Depot Chevrolet 
14) 78 Regan Smith      Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 
15) 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet 
16) 21 Bill Elliott       Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford 
17) 39 Ryan Newman      Tornados Chevrolet 
18) 24 Jeff Gordon       DuPont/National Guard Chevrolet
19) 19 Elliott Sadler         Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford 
20) 31 Jeff Burton      Caterpillar Chevrolet 
21) 11 Denny Hamlin     FedEx Office Toyota 
22) 71 Bobby Labonte    TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet Chevrolet
23) 33 Clint Bowyer     BB&T Chevrolet 
24) 36 Mike Bliss        Wave Energy Drink Chevrolet 
25) 18 Kyle Busch       M&M's Toyota 
26) 38 David Gilliland  Charter Air Transport/Taco Bell Ford 
27)     56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Toyota 
28) 77 Sam Hornish Jr.   Mobil 1 Dodge 
29)     1 Jamie McMurray         Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet 
30) 34 Travis Kvapil     Long John Silver's Ford 
31) 37 Kevin Conway      Extenze Ford 
32) 26 Boris Said       Sacred Power/Southern Pride Trucking Ford 
33) 5 Mark Martin      Hendrickcars.com/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet 
34) 13 Max Papis        GEICO Toyota 
35) 20 Joey Logano      Home Depot Toyota 
36) 12 Brad Keselowski         Mopar/FLO TV Dodge Dodge 
37) 6 David Ragan      UPS Ford 
38) 87 Joe Nemechek      FrontRowJoe.com Toyota 
39) 99 Carl Edwards     Scotts Ford
40) 00 David Reutimann         Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota 
41) 66 Dave Blaney      PRISM Motorsports Toyota 
42) 55 Michael McDowell PRISM Motorsports Toyota
43) 7 Robby Gordon     Warner Music Nashville/Blake Shelton Toyota

NASCAR Law and Order: Edwards Vs Keselowski in Atlanta

Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR


To the delight of fans, NASCAR stock car racing is a motorized contact sport. With some NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers able to conquer their 800-plus horsepower stock cars, the are so many chances to see one or more competitors sent out of control for various reasons. Due to the resilience of stock cars, these drivers wounded in competition are often presented with an opportunity to reunite on the racetrack. With single car incidents leaving the driver with no other competitor to blame, multi-car wrecks breeds the twisting of personalities where the rule of allowing bygones being bygones is thrown out the between the window netting.

In the twilight of NASCAR Sprint Cup's Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the payback which drivers threaten and some NASCAR fans crave materialized as Carl Edwards refused to dismiss an early race altercation. Reacting to a lap 41 incident where Brad Keselowski's #12 Dodge made contact with the #99 Ford driven by Carl Edwards, Edwards waited until only 3 laps to go at Atlanta to deliver what is probably one of the most dramatic moves in auto racing vigilantism. Turning into the #12 Dodge of Keselowski through the frontstretch, Edwards delivered a message of dissatisfaction. From the local short-tracks to the big league of stock car racing, payback incidents are a cornerstone for racing justice.

Between Edwards and Keselowki, this collision at Atlanta was the third such accident in less than a year involving the two drivers. Up until Keselowski always delivering the shots. Starting with the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Aarons 499 at Talladega when Edwards' #99 Ford was sent flying along the frontstretch, a Nationwide series race at Memphis Motorsports Park also involved a run-in between Edwards and Keselowski. Brad Keselowski went on to win both races. As Carl Edwards came out on the losing end of this contact, Keselowski went on to victory on both of these occasions.

In the immediate aftermath of the frightening Keselowski crash, NASCAR Sprint Cup officials parked the #99 Ford through the two green-white-checkered periods that ended the race. Running in 39th place at the time he was reprimanded, Edwards' black flag cost him 3 additional points from the idled car Joe Nemechek.

As the race ended, NASCAR fans wasted no time in conversing about the event. Following the incident, social networks lit up with pretty of Carl Edwards fans rallying behind in embattled driver through his Facebook page. Fans of Edwards', particularly those who followed the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series, need little persuading to believe the driver of the #12 Dodge got his just desserts. On the other side of the electronic social board, Brad Keselowski fans provided their support as the Edwards' move was viewed as a cheap shot after a racing incident.

While NASCAR fans deliberated on the Edwards/Keselowski wreck, NASCAR president Mike Helton passed out an ultimate judgment on Tuesday (March 9th) placing Edwards on a 3-race probation period. Perhaps a tame penalty for those wanting NASCAR to send a more poignant message, Edwards' probation will be served on the three high-intensity short tracks of Bristol, Martinsville, and Phoenix. Having to maintain a better than good behaviour on race day, the effects this will have on the #99 Roush-Fenway Racing team is an additional variable.

After receiving his additional reprimand from NASCAR, Carl Edwards commented on his Facebook account saying "I respect NASCAR's penalty and look forwards to our meeting in Bristol. I'm ready to put this behind us and get on with some racing". The driver on the receiving end of this late race contact also offered a reaction to the penalty drawn on Edwards. Brad Keselowski commented on his Facebook account "I support NASCAR in the decision they communicated today." Performing as a team player along the Penske Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup squad, Keselowski message expressed some disappointment on how the incident "overshadowed" the victory of his teammate Kurt Busch.

Kevin Harvick Wins Truck Series Race in Atlanta

Photo Credit: Chris Trotman/Getty Images

While the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series rolled through their first 3 races in the passing 3 weeks for 2010, the E-Z-Go 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway was only the second race for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In hindsight, this three-week break for the NASCAR's Tailgaters gave the teams an adequate opportunity to mend after the crashfest at Daytona.

Taking pole, the #88 Kevin Harvick Incorporated (KHI) Chevrolet driven by Ron Hornaday led the field from an elected outside position. Into the first corner, Matt Crafton used a strong start to force a three-wide scenario between Busch and Hornaday. Through this brief battle, the tight run led Ron Hornaday's Chevrolet lowered to collide with Kyle Busch, running in the middle of the three-abreast racing. While both vehicles suffered fender damage (Hornaday's truck briefly smoked through the friction of the fenders and tire rubber), both trucks continued.

Attributed to a durable but racy Goodyear tire, drivers were unafraid to push their race trucks around the 1.52 mile oval of Atlanta Motor Speedway. Even in the initial circuits By lap 11, Ron Hornaday and Kyle Busch fully recovered from the lap 1 incident by sweeping by Crafton. Hornaday's truck team owner Kevin Harvick, running the #2 Chevrolet for the event, hung within striking distance of top 3 for a handful of early laps. After the dicing of Hornaday and Busch, Harvick decided to join in action taking the lead on lap 16.

As laps continued to tick away without incident, the #18 Toyota Tundra and #33 Chevrolet Silverado appeared to have no ill effects of the opening lap contact. However, on lap 23 the tire rub wore enough on Ron Hornaday's truck to cut the right front in the middle of turn 3 and 4. Snapping the KHI-owned truck sideways, Hornaday slammed hard into the turn 3 SAFER barrier. The #33 Chevrolet Silverado settled at the bottom of the track with massive deformation to the NASCAR truck.

Lap 61, The #88 of Matt Crafton wobbled just slightly in the lower part of turn 1 and made contact with Todd Bodine's #30 Toyota left rear. Bodine drifted through turn 2 but averted serious damage. With the track under caution, both trucks attended their pit crews for extended maintenance still running in the lead lap. However, just a few laps later, the #88 Chevrolet truck would blew a tire through the same corner of the initial incident committing the Thorsport Racing team to direct Crafton behind the wall. With Hornaday's truck wrecked, Crafton's trouble shown that the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' 1st and 2nd place points finishers of 2009 will not experience business as usual for 2010.

NASCAR Nationwide driver but truck series newcomer Steven Wallace led a few laps in the Billy Ballew Racing #15 Toyota. Providing an impressive run in his truck debut, the younger Wallace brought his truck home fourth.

With 14 laps remaining, Harvick continued to lead under green aided by the #81 truck of David Starr struggling to get up to speed beside him. Starr's restart took pressure off of the #2 truck as Kevin Harvick rolled to victory at Atlanta. The Toyota trucks of Kyle Busch and Aric Almirola followed the Chevrolet across the finish line.


2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
E-Z-Go 200
Atlanta Motor Speedway

Top 10

Pos | Car # | Driver | Sponsor/ Truck Make

1) 2 Kevin Harvick    E-Z-GO Chevrolet
2) 18 Kyle Busch       Toyota Tundra Toyota
3) 51 Aric Almirola     Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota 
4) 15 Steve Wallace    Red Top Collector Car Auction Toyota
5) 30 Todd Bodine      The Night Train Toyota
6) 4 Ricky Carmichael Monster Energy Chevrolet
7) 17 Timothy Peters    K&N Toyota
8) 13 Johnny Sauter    etc./Curb Records Chevrolet
9) 14 Rick Crawford    Circle Bar Ford
10) 3 Austin Dillon    Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet

Dale Earnhardt Jr Amped Up for NASCAR Sprint Cup Atlanta Pole

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

A pleasing site to the fans of NASCAR's most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr ushered his #88 AMP Energy Chevrolet to pole position at Atlanta Motor Speedway in preparations for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup's Kobalt Tools 500 on Sunday. Capturing his first pole since the spring race at Texas in 2008, Dale Earnhardt Jr has been on a tear in qualifying for 2010 placing in a top-4 starting spot for 3 of the first NASCAR Sprint Cup races.

In the Atlanta qualifying session, 3rd driver to qualify Kasey Kahne took his #9 Budweiser Ford around the 1.52 mile oval at an average speed of 191.688 MPH or 28.922 seconds. Kahne held onto the 1st place spot through the following 8 cars until Jeff Gordon rolled to a time just 15 one-hundredths of a second faster than the #9 Ford. Gordon held the top spot for little more than a minute as the next car up, the #18 Toyota of Kyle Busch, bested the #24 Chevrolet's time. The first lap averaging a time faster than 192 MPH, Busch would be denied the pole by Dale Earnhardt Jr .

With the #88 car of Hendrick Motorsports claiming the first starting spot in the Kobalt Tools 500, car owner Rick Hendrick will enjoy seeing 3 of his 4 cars near the front with Mark Martin clocking in 4th and Gordon settling into a strong 5th in qualifying. Hendrick satellite team of Stewart/Haas Racing was able to place Ryan Newman in 7th and Tony Stewart in a fair 15th position. As for the #48 Chevrolet driven by back-to-back Sprint Cup winner of 2010 Jimmie Johnson, he could only muster a 16th place start. While Johnson lacked the qualifying speed in the late Friday afternoon time trials, the #48 Chevy came from 20th last weekend to win at Las Vegas.

The Richard Petty Motorsports squad also reserves an honourable mention after NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying at Atlanta Motor Speedway. With Kasey Kahne resting 6th, an determined run by Elliott Sadler's #19 Ford was a refreshing surprise in 8th ahead of David Ruttimann and Carl Edwards.

As for the teams registering outside of the top-35 in 2009 car owner's points, Dave Blaney drove the #66 PRISM Motorsport to the highest of the cars needing to qualify for Sunday's race. Michael McDowell was the final driver to break into the field for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Kobalt Tools 500
Atlanta Motor Speedway

Top 10:

Pos | Car # | Driver | Sponsor/Car Make

1) 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet
2) 18 Kyle Busch              M&M's Toyota 
3) 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet 
4) 5 Mark Martin         Hendrickcars.com/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet 
5) 24 Jeff Gordon         DuPont/National Guard Chevrolet 
6) 9 Kasey Kahne         Budweiser Ford 
7) 39 Ryan Newman         Tornados Chevrolet
8) 19 Elliott Sadler   Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford 
9) 00 David Reutimann  Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
10) 99 Carl Edwards     Scotts Ford


Other Notables:

11) 2 Kurt Busch       Miller Lite Dodge
15) 14 Tony Stewart     Office Depot Chevrolet
16) 48 Jimmie Johnson    Lowe's/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet
27) 66 Dave Blaney      PRISM Motorsports Toyota
31) 13 Max Papis        GEICO Toyota
34) 21 Bill Elliott     Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
35) 29 Kevin Harvick    Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet
43) 55 Michael McDowell PRISM Motorsports Toyota

Preview for NASCAR Sprint Cup- Race #4: Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta

TRACK INFORMATION

Track Length: 1.54 miles
Highest Banking: 25 degrees
Listed Race Distance/Actual Race Distance: 500 miles/500.5 miles
Laps: 325 laps
Previous NASCAR Sprint Cup Events Held: 103 races

2009 Race Winner: Kurt Busch
2009 Pole Winner: Martin Truex Jr


Top 5 Lap Leaders In Last 10 Races

1. Jimmie Johnson 382
2. Kurt Busch 380
3. Tony Stewart 318
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr 300
5. Greg Biffle 288


Top 5 Average Finishers In Last 10 Races

1. Jimmie Johnson 8.8
2. Jeff Gordon 9.4
3. Matt Kenseth 9.6
4. Tony Stewart 10.2
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr 11.5

Wins at Car Make In Last 10 Races

Chevrolet: 3
Dodge: 3
Ford: 3
Toyota: 1