Busch Smokes Smoke for Bud Shootout Win at Daytona

Photo Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

A race almost three months in the waiting, the 2012 Budweiser Shootout launched the NASCAR Sprint Cup competition with a non-points event. Bringing the new fuel-injected V-8 engines of the world's most premier stock car series to life, the Daytona International Speedway plays host to an annual event that combines the accomplishments of the previous season with a perspective towards the upcoming season. The scheduled 75-lap event brought 25 selected drivers into a Saturday night fight for a purse just over a million dollars as well as the all-important begging rights entering the following Sunday's Daytona 500.

Michael Waltrip Racing's #56 Toyota piloted by Martin Truex Jr led the 25-car field to the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season's first green flag (although unofficial). After several rule changes designed to eliminate last year's prevalent 'two-car tandem' drafting at restrictor plate races, the first major competition at Daytona International Speedway saw the multi-car packs return as the main method for lapping the 2.5-mile oval. The racing action immediately became anxious as the Budweiser Shootout saw drivers frequently going up to three-wide.

At the front of the Budweiser Shootout early, Truex Jr's pole advantage was nullified by the #88 Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr surge from a 7th place spot to the lead in the first lap. In addition to Earnhardt Jr, drivers Joey Logano, Jamie McMurray and Kevin Harvick also possessed the top spot across the Daytona start/finish line within only the first 10 laps.

A wild race within 25 cars, the Budweiser Shootout competition would be reduced early by an accident on lap 9. Through turn 2, the #34 Ford of David Ragan and Paul Menard's #27 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet made contact that caused a chain reaction wreck collecting 9 cars. Among the vehicles damaged in the race's first caution was the #11 FedEx Toyota of Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton's #31 Chevrolet and the #55 Toyota driven by Michael Waltrip. Of the five cautions for the night, three (including the lap 9 altercation) would be for multi-car accidents.

A race divided into two segments (first a 25-lap and second a 50-lap stint), the NASCAR Sprint Cup racers aggressively ran through the initial 25 laps. Showing some considerable speed, the #1 Chevrolet piloted by 2012 Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray made the most of his Earnhardt-Childress Racing engine once again at Daytona. With a 10-minute break for teams to tune their cars for the final 50 laps, the race was wide-open for any competition (or situation) to win out.

Photo Credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Similar to the first racing segment, the second part of the 2012 Budweiser Shootout would involve rapid lead changes. Coming strong in the first 25 laps, Jeff Gordon's #24 Chevrolet took the lead in the second segment's first lap. The #16 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford of Greg Biffle and AJ Allmendinger, driving the #22 Dodge for the first time in competition for Penske Racing, added their names to the leader board of the event.

Having started alongside Martin Truex Jr on the front row after the Budweiser Shootout qualifying draw Friday, the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the hands of Kyle Busch remained quiet during the event until a wild slide on lap 47. Sent sideways, Kyle Busch showed off some brilliant car control by saving his M&Ms-sponsored race vehicle avoiding major damage and a caution. Through the latter stage of the event, Busch and the #18 Toyota involved deeply in the action of the 2012 Budweiser Shootout.

With a big wreck at lap 9 of the Daytona event, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitors were once-again to be swept by a major accident in turn 2. When the #9 Ford of Marcos Ambrose tagged Joey Logano's #20 Toyota, the ensuing accident collected several front runners. The #17 Ford of Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr were all finished for the night following major damage from the wreck.

Photo Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

As the field of the Budweiser Shootout thinned after two major restrictor plate accidents, there was still a considerable pack of NASCAR Sprint Cup cars in position for the 2012 edition of the event. With just a handful of laps remaining, almost every race car remaining stood a chance of taking the 2012 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona but Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart appeared to be primed as favourites within 2 laps to go. Entering into turn 3 on lap 73, Kyle Busch was sent sideways once more by an aggressive Jeff Gordon. While Busch chased control in his #18 machine, the contact created a chain reaction that swept up 8 cars. Among the vehicles caught up included Gordon's #24 Chevrolet that flew into the turn 4 wall, was lifted onto its side and sent burrow-rolling down the frontstretch. Landing upside-down, Jeff Gordon carefully climbed out of his Hendrick Motorsports car unhurt. This second-to-last lap wreck also ended the Budweiser Shootout for Jamie Mcmurray, the #48 Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch Piloting his first race with the Phoenix Racing #51 Chevrolet.

Once the accident scene was cleaned up, NASCAR issued a green-white-checkered restart to the field of 10 lead lap cars. Tony Stewart led the group to the final green flag of the 2012 Budweiser Shootout and was immediately placed under attack by the multi-car drafting trains. On the final lap, 2011 Watkins Glen winner Marcos Ambrose received credit for the lead. However, it would be a fight between Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch off the final corner on the final lap that would settle the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. Skillfully holding onto the #18 Toyota from near accidents twice, Kyle Busch placed himself along the passenger side of Stewart's #14 Chevrolet en route to the checkered flag. To the line, Busch ended a fantastic Saturday night performance by inching Tony Stewart by a 0.013-second margin (The closest ever in the Budweiser Shootout event's history). Behind Tony Stewart, Marcos Ambrose, Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top-5 for the Budweiser Shootout.

With 13 of the 25 cars classified as running at the end of the Budweiser Shootout, question now exist on whether the return to large drafting packs could be done in a safe manner for the Gatorade Duel 150s or the Daytona 500 race. What may come into play is the Budweiser Shootout differs from the Daytona 500 as a non-points sprint event where there was little to lose by taking chances. The Daytona 500 is a far more methodical event that is prepared to run February 26th as the official beginning of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.


2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Budweiser Shootout
Daytona International Speedway
Race Results


Position        |   Car No.      | Driver                 | Sponsor/Car Make

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

Charlotte Surprise: McMurray Motors Late to Win Bank of America 500



Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

One of the first major speedways to be lit artificially, the race under the stars had the beaming personalities of NASCAR running 500 miles at Charlotte Motor Speedway. 

Marking the midway point of the 2010 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup, the premier stock car series enters Charlotte, North Carolina to play a home game for many of the multi-million dollar teams. The Bank of America 500 at the 1.5 mile Charlotte Motor Speedway presents a Saturday night racing backdrop for the NASCAR Sprint Cup series.

Sitting on pole for the first time since fall Texas Motor Speedway event in 2009, the Jeff Gordon #24 Dupont Chevrolet led the field to the start line. As Gordon preserved has lead for the initial green flag laps, caution flew shortly with only 3 laps being completed. Sailing through turn 3 and 4 high, the #39 Chevrolet of Ryan Newman experienced a loss of traction. Backing into the outer wall, considerable damage was done to the right rear bodywork of the Stewart/Haas Racing-owned #39 Chevy. Requiring an extended stay in the Charlotte garage, Newman would return to finish 36th through a long night.

With Ryan Newman's troubles, the Stewart/Haas Racing boss Tony Stewart's #14 car was also not immune to punishment during the Bank of America 500. In avoiding the Newman lap 3 incident, Stewart's Old Spice Chevy also sustained rear damage. As the race progressed, Tony Stewart encountered miscues entering his pit stall. When entering to attention of his pit crew on lap 26, Stewart needed to take evasive action to avoid contact with the #99 Ford of Carl Edwards which was exiting pit road. Overshooting his team's pit area, Tony Stewart was forced to wait until the coast was clear to reverse and enter his pit. With all the complications of the race, Stewart was left with only a 21st place finish to follow-up his win at California's Auto Club Speedway.

Kurt Busch's troubles were the reason for the second caution at lap 25. The winner of the Sprint All-Star and the Coca-Cola 600 races during late May, Busch and his #2 Dodge spun sideways through turn 4. Fighting a loose race car early left Busch and his Penske Racing team struggling in 30th place.

While one Busch brother faced a difficult Saturday night at Charlotte, the younger brother and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch provided a lingering presence at the front of the field throughout the Bank of America 500. Leading 109 of the race's first 127 laps, Busch's #18 Toyota shot to a multiple car-length interval on almost every restart.

In the only multi-car incident of the Bank of America 500, the #9 Ford of Kasey Kahne unsuccessfully fought a loose exit off turn 4 creating a lap 125 caution. Making contact with the #77 Dodge of Sam Hornish Jr, both cars sustained damage to render them out of competition. While the Richard Petty Motorsports crew was able to repair the #9 Budweiser Ford in order to complete more laps, the car by J.J. Yelley instead of Kasey Kahne. While Kahne explained that he was feeling to ill to continue driving for the night, there has been some rumours that Kahne simply left the #9 Ford team after the crash at Charlotte. Going to Red Bull Racing for 2011 with a Hendrick Motorsports ride waiting for him in 2012, some questions Kasey Kahne's dedication to his current race team. It was reported that Kasey Kahne, having left the race track with illness a matter of 8-10 hours prior, ran a 5k charity marathon Sunday morning.    

Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images

Kurt Busch was not the only driver left struggling within the Chase following a difficult result. Having led the first 7 laps of the Charlotte night race, pole sitter Jeff Gordon would be robbed from contention of the Bank of America 500. An electrical fault within the #24 Dupont Chevrolet presented itself dramatically during the race when the Hendrick Motorsports car of Gordon appeared to have lost power momentarily on the race track while running as a front runner. Losing positions initially with the brief engine power failure, Gordon's #24 car would continue to the distance but will finish one lap down in 23rd place.


For a race that contained 27 lead changes amongst 19 leaders, the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway was decided on a lap 313 restart following the race's final caution for debris. Gaining ground from a brilliant pit stop from the Earnhardt/Ganassi Racing crew, 27th place starting #1 Chevrolet piloted by Jamie McMurray surged forward all night to an inside front row start on the final journey to green with Kyle Busch on the outside. Showing superiority all race long during restarts, this particular coming to green saw the #1 Chevrolet of McMurray shoot to command the top position. As the final 31 laps ticked away, Jamie McMurray took the checkered flag more than 1.8 seconds ahead of 2nd place Busch.


Recovering with a front-running performance and finish at Charlotte following the past two races being marred with disappointing results, Kyle Busch plays to win and left the race car largely unsatisfied by missing victory lane. Charlotte Motor Speedway continues to be a track the younger Busch brother had never reigned supreme after a NASCAR Sprint Cup event.

Jimmie Johnson recovered from a lap 35 spin on the backstretch to finish 3rd in a repeat of his result at Auto Club Speedway last race. Running in the lower 20s after his #48 Chevrolet looped around uninjured, Johnson and the Hendrick Motorsports regained their track position by staying out during a caution where leaders pitted. Continuing to show the right stuff for a run at a 5th straight Sprint Cup title, Jimmie Johnson was able to squeak out an additional 5 points over Denny Hamlin. Now 41 points behind after the Bank of America 500, Hamlin's 4th place finish affirms that the #11 Toyota is still in prime pouncing position as the series enters wild card races through the 2nd half of the Chase.

The top-10 of the Charlotte Motor Speedway night race allowed the squads of Joe Gibbs Racing and Roush-Fenway Racing an moment of atonement after misfortunes at California. With Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin scoring top-5 finishes, sophomore driver of the team's #20 Toyota posted a 7th place result for a collectively encouraging night for the Toyota's lead NASCAR Sprint Cup team. Roush-Fenway Racing was led by a 5th place-finishing Greg Biffle as all four of their team's cars finished inside the top-12 which included David Ragan in 10th. 

NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers and teams will next plan for running Martinsville Speedway (2010 Sprint Cup season's last race on track smaller than one-mile). Jimmie Johnson has won 5 of the past 11 races held on the 0.526 mile short oval but Denny Hamlin has won the past two Sprint Cup events at Martinsville.

2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup

Bank of America 500

Charlotte Motor Speedway

Race Results

Top-10:

1. 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet
2. 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Toyota
3. 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet
4. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota
5. 16 Greg Biffle Scotch Blue Ford 
6. 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Black Ford 
7. 20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota
8. 29 Kevin Harvick Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet
9. 00 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
10. 6 David Ragan UPS-United Way Ford

Other Notables:

11.  42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
12.  99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
13.  78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
17.  33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
20.  31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
21.  14 Tony Stewart Old Spice / Office Depot Chevrolet
22.  10 Bobby Labonte Gander Mountain Outdoors Chevrolet
23.  24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet
29.  88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy / National Guard Chevrolet
30.  2 Kurt Busch Operation Home Front / Miller Lite Dodge
35.  21 Bill Elliott JDRF / Motorcraft / Quick Lane Ford
36.  39 Ryan Newman Haas Automation Chevrolet
37.  26 Patrick Carpentier Air Guard Ford
38.  9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser Ford

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.”

McMurray Snags Pole for Southern 500 for NASCAR Sprint Cup Race

Tom Whitmore/Getty Images for NASCAR

McMurray will start the new Mother's Day weekend classic Showtime Southern 500 on the pole Drawing 29th in the qualifying order, Jamie McMurray was lovin' the later draw to set fast lap on the 1.366 mile Darlington Raceway oval. Taking his 2nd pole of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, the other pole position for the #1 Chevrolet came at California's Auto Club Speedway following the Daytona 500 victory for the Earnhardt/Ganassi Racing team.

In the Past 5 years at Darlington, McMurray's best finish has been a 6th in 2005 when he last drove for Chip Ganassi/Sabates Racing. Back with essentially the same organization absorbed as Earnhardt/Ganassi Racing, Jamie McMurray will be joined by Jeff Gordon on the front row. The second row will feature two Toyota Camrys with Brian Vickers placing was #83 Red Bull car in 3rd and David Reutimann placing his #00 Toyota in 4th spot. The #5 Hendrick Motorsports car of Mark Martin completes the top-5 running order as the defending Showtime Southern 500 race winner from the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

Four drivers who experienced off-outings through the qualifying session at Darlington was the #48 Chevrolet Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch's #18 Toyota, Kevin Harvick in the #29 Chevrolet and the #99 Ford driven by Carl Edwards. Johnson could only place his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in 22rd place as the deepest starter within the superteam for the Showtime Southern 500. The points leader by only a small margin heading into Dalington, Kevin Harvick will once again this season face a deep grid position with 35th place. Like Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch will also be the anchor to his Joe Gibbs Racing team taking the green on Saturday starting 39th place. As for Carl Edwards, he will be taking a car owner points provisional starting spot after issues with his #99 Roush-Fenway Ford Fusion.

Referred to as 'The Lady in Black', Darlington Raceway requires drivers to address this figurative lady with respect. However, deserving serious respect through this weekend is certainly mothers. For many years, the entire Mother's Day weekend was kept clear of any scheduled NASCAR Cup Series races. That changed in 2005 when Darlington Raceway was given a Saturday night show when NASCAR probably realized that even mothers enjoy a Sprint Cup race. Of Course, Sunday is still reserved for personal Mother's Day activities so the entire race was a win-win.

Alongwith honouring mother's, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Southern 500 on Saturday night will also see some extra commendations go to rewarding the history of NASCAR. Threatening to be forgotten due to the increasing change sweeping through the sport, stock car's premier sanctioning will soon have a monument of their own to acknowledge their heritage. Set within the home base of most NASCAR race teams in Charlotte, the NASCAR Hall of Fame prepares to open on Tuesday, May 11th amidst the major festivities through the second half of May which includes the Sprint All-Star race and the Coke 600 on Memorial Day weekend. In recognition of one of the inaugural class' members, McMurray's #1 Chevrolet will carry the name of Bill France Jr on the rear clip for the Southern 500 at Darlington. Bill France Jr. is of course known not only as the son of the founder of NASCAR but the individual credited for the major advances of NASCAR through the final quarter of the 20th century.



Jason Smith/Getty Images

Since the Darlington Raceway has been playing host to the May night race, the 1.366 mile oval is earning a reputation as a real action track. In the past 5 events, there has been a minimum 23 lead changes per race with as many as 35 exchanges in 2008. This one race date for Darlington has also been renowned as being a sold-out event attracting a solid fan following from the South Carolina area.

The Showtime Southern 500 will receive the command to start engines at 7:30PM Eastern time Saturday night with the race's television broadcast live on Fox.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway
Qualifying Order

Top 10

1) 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald's Chevrolet
2) 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont / National Guard Facebook Chevrolet
3) 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
4) 00 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
5) 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
6) 39 Ryan Newman Haas Automation Chevrolet
7) 47 Marcos Ambrose Kingsford / Scott Branded Products Toyota
8) 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota
9) 12 Brad Keselowski Penske Dodge
10) 9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser Ford

Other Notables

11) 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
12) 43 A J Allmendinger Insignia / Best Buy Ford
14) 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge
15) 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
17) 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 27.620 178.045
19) 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy / National Guard Chevrolet
22) 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet
24) 14 Tony Stewart Old Spice / Office Depot Chevrolet
29) 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Black Ford
35) 29 Kevin Harvick Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet
39) 18 Kyle Busch Doublemint Toyota
41) 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford

Harvick Noses Ahead of McMurray to Win Aaron's 499 at Talladega

Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

The first restrictor plate race since the Daytona 500, NASCAR Sprint Cup cars entered the Aaron's 499 more seasoned than at Speedweeks this past February. Providing a NASCAR Sprint Cup record 88 lead changes between 29 different drivers, the 2010 race at Talladega Superspeedway was one of the most contentious battles of the still young stock car racing season.

Because of severe weather warnings in the Talladega county region, NASCAR's halting of race activities Saturday also erased Sprint Cup qualifying for the race. The Aaron's 499 field was set on car owner points following the event at Texas Motor Speedway last Monday. While the #48 Lowes Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson with Matt Kenseth's #17 Ford starting alongside, 8 lead changes transpired in the first 10 laps settting the tone for the event. Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Elliott Sadler and Joey Logano were some of the drivers taking 5 bonus points for leading the Talladega race through early hustling. Also grabbing the top spot in the Aaron's 499 race was the #88 Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Taking the lead first on lap 30, Earnhardt Jr would take the 1st place position 5 separate occasions for 8 laps total. Besides the time out front of the field, the #88 Hendrick Motorsports car appeared very comfortable for Dale Jr as he could move through the field with ease for much of the Aaron's 499 event.


Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR


A rather tame race through the first 75 lap distance, only the competition caution on lap 20 broke up the green flag dicing of Sprint Cup cars. The first caution for an on-track incident came when the Denny Hamlin's #11 FedEx Toyota slid off the frontstretch through the infield grass. Losing ground in this early race predicament, Hamlin recovered into the Aaron's 499 event to a top-5 finish for his #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Five laps following the restart for the Hamlin spin-out, a multi-car frontstretch accident claimed the first collection of vehicles in the race. Initiated when the #18 Toyota of Kyle Busch bumped the #36 Chevrolet of Johnny Sauter, the crash caught Matt Kenseth's Ford, Michael Waltrip driven #55 Toyota, Max Papis in the #13 Toyota and the #2 Dodge of Kurt Busch along with others. Out of the race due to the accident, Waltrip quipped in the garage to a Fox Pit Reporter that Kyle Busch fails to practice the race conduct he preaches.

Into the last 30 scheduled laps, the battles for the lead ceased as drivers were counting down to the final laps. Maintaining a single file pack, two driver would enjoy the longest lead runs in the Aaron's 499. Jeff Burton led 17 laps and Jamie McMurray 23 circuits towards the end. However, as the drivers braced for their final moves vying for the race victory, the Aaron's 499 would go into extra innings. Originally scheduled for 187 laps, the 3 periods of green-white-checker finishes extended the distance to 200 laps (over 31 miles further than anticipated).

The entire scenario started as Jeff Burton, Scott Speed, Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon wrecked within the frontstretch tri-oval. While not contributing to the crash, the #24 Dupont Chevrolet was susceptible to damage due to a run-in with a friend turned apparent foe. The #48 of Jimmie Johnson squeezed Hendrick Motorsports teammate Gordon down below the yellow line on lap 183 placing the #24 Chevrolet in a very precarious position. Adding for fuel to an increasingly harsher fire between the Hendrick Motosports teammates, Gordon and Johnson have been making headlines as late after an on-track run-in at Texas on last Monday.

Entering into extra laps, the race restarted on lap 188 with Tony Stewart challenging McMurray only for the #1 Chevrolet to slip away until a second massive accident in turn 3 aborted the white flag call. Triggered when the Joey Logano's #20 Home Depot Toyota aggressively bump drafted the #39 Chevrolet of Ryan Newman sending Newman out of control exiting turn 3. Talking 9 out cars, the #47 Toyota of Marcos Ambrose, Brad Keselowski in the #12 Dodge, Bobby Labonte's #71 Chevrolet and the #83 Red Bull Toyota of Brian Vickers were among the cars collected. Also listed in receiving damage in the lap 189 crash, the #19 Ford of Elliott Sadler and the #77 Dodge of Sam Hornish Jr were also involved in the first major wreck at lap 84.

Because the extended distance, there were several cars and teams fretting about fuel economy into the final laps including both Earnhardt-Ganassi machines driven by Jamie McMurray and Juan Montoya. The second checkered flag attempt was thwarted when the #16 Roush Fenway Ford of Greg Biffle encountered fuel pick-up issues resulting in an incident where the #48 Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson misjudged the slowing Ford and collided on the backstretch.



Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR


With fuel economy a growing worry for the #1 Earnhardt-Genassi Racing team, the race restarted for the third and final time with Jamie McMurray receiving the launch he needed with help of the #29 Chevrolet of Kevin Harvick. In a two-car draft, the pair of Chevrolets broke away into the white flag lap. Coming around for the final run down the front stretch tri-oval, Harvick searched for a way to pass McMurray's #1 Chevrolet. In a daring move, Kevin Harvick brushed the rear bumper of McMurray in such a way that made the #1 car just enough out of control to break his momentum. The yellow #29 Chevrolet ducked to the bottom of the track entering into a dead heat with the #1 car racing the last 50 meters to the start/finish line.

Though electronic timing made the declaration for victory anti-climatic, it wasn't until a photo finish until at the line where Kevin Harvick and the Richard Childress Racing fielded #29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet were comfortably named winners of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Aaron's 499 race at Talladega Superspeedway. With the #29 sponsor Shell/Pennzoil announcing a move for Penske Racing in 2011, Kevin Harvick, Richard Childress and the entire #29 RCR team celebrated knowing that the future is still yet to be determined.

Settling for second place, Jamie McMurray narrowly missed an opportunity to claim his 3 straight restrictor plate victory. Commenting on the pass in post race, McMurray provided some insight on the move from the #29 car. "I really thought that Kevin was going to go high. I felt like I was close enough to the yellow line that there was a lot more racetrack to the right, and it seemed like you could stall guys out more on the outside than you could the inside. And so I was really guarding against the outside, and when he went left, it did, it really loosens the car up. It's hard to explain to you guys that aren't in cars, but when there's someone directly behind you and they pull their car out of line really fast, it's like you pull a parachute in your car." Both Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing Chevrolets made it on fuel as Juan Montoya finished in 3rd place.



Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

With Denny Hamlin finishing 4th after the before mentioned troubles, the top-5 was rounded out by the the #5 Chevrolet of Mark Martin. Emerging at just the right time, Martin overtook his Hendrick Motorsports teammates to become the highest finishing driver in the camp. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson encountering late race problems while Dale Earnhardt Jr faded to 13th place as the #88 was shut out of the draft.

Inside the top 10, David Ragan posted a strong 6th place finish in the #6 UPS Ford. His first top-10 run of the 2010 Sprint Cup season, Ragan is fighting to regain the 2008 form that almost sparked a birth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

In the final position within the top-10 finishers, the #09 Chevrolet of Phoenix Racing was driven up 27 spots by Mike Bliss. Falling short of the major victory at Talladega just one year before, Mike Bliss' quiet 10th place run comes as team owner James Finch placing a 'For Sale' sign on the doorstep of his entire racing operations Friday.

NASCAR Sprint Cup points following the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway has Jimmie Johnson retaining the lead by only 26 points over the new 2nd place runner Kevin Harvick. Two Hendrick Motorsports drivers showed the sharpest rise and fall in the points after Talladega. Mark Martin moved up 4 spots while Jeff Gordon lost 5 positions in the season standings.

Sprint Cup teams prepare to leave the restrictor plate race behind for a Saturday night affair at the Richmond International Raceway short track.


Aaron's 499
2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Finishing Order

1) 29 Kevin Harvick Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet
2) 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet
3) 42 Juan Pablo Montoya TUMS Chevrolet 
4) 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota
5) 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
6) 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
7) 33 Clint Bowyer BB&T Chevrolet
8) 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge
9) 18 Kyle Busch Pedigree Toyota 
10) 09 Mike Bliss Phoenix Construction / Graceway Chevrolet
11) 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
12) 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
13) 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard / AMP Energy Chevrolet
14) 00 David Reutimann Alabama National Champions / Aaron's Toyota
15) 82 Scott Speed Red Bull Toyota 200
16) 14 Tony Stewart Old Spice Matterhorn Chevrolet
17) 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 
18) 34 Travis Kvapil Long John Silver's Ford 
19) 43 A J Allmendinger Insignia / Best Buy Ford
20) 7 Robby Gordon Monster Energy Toyota
21) 9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser Ford 
22) 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet
23) 71 Bobby Labonte TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet
24) 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Truck Rental / AAA Dodge
25) 98 Paul Menard Turtle Wax / Menards Ford
26) 37 Robert Richardson Jr. Mahindra Tractors USA Ford
27) 26 David Stremme Air National Guard Ford
28) 17 Matt Kenseth Valvoline Ford
29) 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota 
30) 38 Kevin Conway  Extenze Ford
31) 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet
32) 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet 
33) 19 Elliott Sadler Stanley / Bostitch Ford
34) 12 Brad Keselowski Penske Dodge 
35) 39 Ryan Newman Haas Automation / Office Depot Chevrolet
36) 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota
37) 47 Marcos Ambrose Bush's Best Baked Beans / Kingsford Toyota
38) 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
39) 55 Michael Waltrip Aaron's 55th Anniversary Toyota
40) 13 Max Papis GEICO Toyota
41) 36 Johnny Sauter Baldwin Automotive Chevrolet
42) 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota
43) 66 Dave Blaney PRISM Motorsports Toyota

Jimmie Johnson Shows His Hand at NASCAR Sprint Cup Shelby American in Vegas

Photo Credit: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images for NASCAR

As a Canadian, I feel my need to apologize to NASCAR for turning my attention away from the 400 mile race Shelby American at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as I just had to watch the Olympic Men's Hockey finals between Canada and the United States. Judging published accounts of Sunday afternoon's TV Ratings in Canada and the United States, it's fair to say I was not the only one who watched the brilliant 3-2 victory of Team Canada's male athletes in a hard-fought effort through overtime.

Through all the excitement and the sheer volume of the major hockey event, I have to candidly admit that the feeling of watching the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was comparably underwhelming on this afternoon.

Started under a bright sky in front of a reportedly sell-out audience at the 1.5 oval, the Las Vegas native Kurt Busch pole position gave him and his #2 Miller Lite Dodge lane choice for the Shelby American start. Choosing the top side, Busch's decision immediately turned out to be an unwise decision following the drop of the green flag. Holding the lower line, fellow front row starter Jeff Gordon motored his #24 Chevrolet around the #2 Dodge to take the lead. Setting the course of the day, Jeff Gordon would lead often through the 400 mile event.

Gordon led for the first 52 laps until Roush Racing's Greg Biffle was able to sneak by the Hendrick Motorsports #24 car on a restart from a caution. As Biffle claimed the top spot, the green flag period was very short-lived. In fact, according to the track alert lights, the field was still under yellow flag conditions. Wisely acting on the side of driver safety, a yellow flag was thrown by NASCAR so they could correct the signaling error. Taking only 3 laps under caution until the race could be restarted, this signaling problem would creep once more on lap 109 when the issue was fully remedied.

With 7 caution periods overall in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Las Vegas, the incidents are fairly tame for the most part. However, a caution drawn on lap 94 would reflect the only multi-car accident in the race involving three cars which have shown competitiveness through the early stage of the 2010 Sprint Cup season. Creating the 5th caution of the Shelby American race, the Earnhardt/Ganassi Racing #1 Chevrolet of Jamie McMurray slipped up into his teammate, the #42 of Juan Pablo Montoya through turn 4 on the racetrack cited earlier in the race as being slick. Spinning out Montoya, the red #42 car ran up the track striking the turn 4 wall enough to infect serious damage to the car's deck lid area. As Kurt Busch came through the turn 4 area, he became the only non EGR casualty of the situation as he made contact that damaged the right front corner of his blue Dodge. McMurray was apologetic in the aftermath of the accident taking responsibility for the costly day for Earnhardt/Ganassi Racing. All three cars suffered damage requiring extended attention of their crews but finished the event only at most 20 laps down.



Photo Credit: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images for NASCAR


The Hendrick Motorsports duo of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson led all but 30 of the 267 laps of the Shelby American at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Little else happened through the race as only Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, and the odd appearance of Scott Speed were some drivers who mixed up the complexion at the front of Las Vegas Motor Speedway when the Hendrick Chevrolet were pitting or were bypassed on pit strategy. The other Hendrick Motorsport cars were having mixed days in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Shelby American as Mark Martin was able to hold on to the top 10 while Dale Earnhardt Jr fell from a 4th place starting spot to the lower part of the top 15 after 200 laps.

Being a match race between Gordon and Johnson at the end, Johnson who was running 2nd place since the mid-way point of the race out-powered his teammate and part-owner on lap 251. In the final run, Jeff Gordon's #24 Chevrolet also gave way to the #29 Chevrolet of Kevin Harvick (who fought his way from a 34th place start) relinquishing the runner-up to the Pennzoil car. With considerable distance to Johnson, Harvick ran out of laps to catch Jimmie Johnson for the second straight week.

Again, Jimmie Johnson's #48 Lowes Chevrolet from Hendrick Motorsports successfully streaked claim to a 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup race trophy. Requiring a methodical climb from 20th place at the beginning of the event, Johnson wins his 49 career event in the major stock car racing series.

Behind Johnson, Harvick and Gordon was the #5 Hendrick car of Mark Martin followed by the Roush Racing's #17 of Matt Kenseth. Finishing 5th, Kenseth is effectively gelling with his new crew chief Todd Parrott working in their second race together in 2010.

After 3 races in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup series season, Kevin Harvick continues to hold the lead in the early going. Last week at Auto Club Speedway, Harvick chuckled in response to the significance of leading this still infant season an told about his lead. Holding a 47 markers ahead of teammate Clint Bowyer, the #29 car's 32 position improvement in the Shelby American 400 miles race and win in Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide series round should at least keep a smile on the driver's face. A beneficial event to Hendrick Motorsports two lead teams, Johnson leapfrogs 7 positions to 5th but Jeff Gordon also surged by 9 spots in the overall points standing.



2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Shelby American
Las Vegas Motor Speedway

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

1) 48 Jimmie Johnson   Lowe's / KOBALT Tools Chevrolet
2) 29 Kevin Harvick    Pennzoil Ultra Chevrolet
3) 24 Jeff Gordon      DuPont / Pepsi Max Chevrolet
4) 5 Mark Martin      GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
5) 17 Matt Kenseth     Crown Royal Ford
6) 20 Joey Logano      Home Depot Toyota
7) 14 Tony Stewart     Old Spice / Office Depot Chevrolet
8) 33 Clint Bowyer     Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
9) 9 Kasey Kahne      Budweiser Ford
10) 16 Greg Biffle      3M Ford
11) 31 Jeff Burton      Caterpillar Chevrolet
12) 99 Carl Edwards     Aflac / Kelloggs Ford
13) 00 David Reutimann   TUMS Toyota
14) 47 Marcos Ambrose    Kingsford / Scott Branded Products Toyota
15) 18 Kyle Busch       M&M's Toyota
16) 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard / AMP Energy Chevrolet
17) 98 Paul Menard      Moen / Menards Ford 
18) 39 Ryan Newman      Tornados Chevrolet
19) 11 Denny Hamlin     FedEx Ground Toyota
20) 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Gold Filters Toyota
21) 78 Regan Smith      Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
22) 82 Scott Speed      Red Bull Toyota
23) 6 David Ragan      UPS Ford
24) 34 Travis Kvapil    Long John Silver's Ford
25) 43 A J Allmendinger Valvoline Ford
26) 12 Brad Keselowski         Penske Dodge
27) 19 Elliott Sadler         Stanley Ford
28) 77 Sam Hornish Jr.         Mobil 1 Dodge
29) 66 Dave Blaney         PRISM Motorsports Toyota
30) 38 David Gilliland         Taco Bell Ford 
31) 83 Brian Vickers         Red Bull Toyota
32) 7 Robby Gordon         Monster Energy Toyota
33) 13 Max Papis         GEICO Toyota
34) 1 Jamie McMurray         McDonald's Chevrolet
35) 2 Kurt Busch         Miller Lite Dodge
36) 37 Kevin Conway          Extenze Ford
37) 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
38) 71 Bobby Labonte         TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet
39) 36 Mike Bliss         Kim Kardashian Fragrance Chevrolet
40) 26 Boris Said        Southern Pride Trucking Ford
41) 87 Joe Nemechek     FrontRowJoe.com Toyota
42) 55 Michael McDowell PRISM Motorsports Toyota
43)     09 Aric Almirola    Phoenix Racing Chevrolet

Jimmie Johnson Turns California Dreams into Reality in Auto Club 500

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR


The second race off the year for the NASCAR Sprint Cup 2010 season, the tour was taken cross-country from Daytona Beach to the west coast state of California. Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray proceeded to the track at a more leisurely pace to the Auto Club Speedway thanks to a week-long press junket. This post-Daytona 500 media tour for Jamie McMurray made it even more impressive that McMurray skated his #1 Chevrolet to pole for Friday afternoon qualifying. With Earnhardt/Ganassi Racing teammate Juan Pablo Montoya starting on the front row, Montoya bypassed McMurray on the first lap of the race. The #42 of Montoya held the top spot through the first 29 laps.

The Auto Club Speedway has become a stomping ground for Jimmie Johnson. Not only is the 2-mile oval located in the home state of the 4-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, his Lowes sponsored #48 Chevrolet holds an average finish of 3.75 in the last 8 races held on the Penske-built speedway situated on former Fontana industrial land. Johnson's presence emerged early in the Auto Club 500 as he took 1st place away from Montoya on lap 30.

Caution-free for 58 laps, the first caution came out for debris on the racetrack. While the Sprint Cup teams were able to change tires and refuel under the lap 59 caution, a multitude of green flag pit stops contributed to many of the 26 lead changes through the event. However, regardless of caution or green flag period, too many drivers and teams at Auto Club Speedway were confronted by NASCAR's aggressive policing of pit road. With 15 penalties levied against Danny Hamlin, Juan Pablo Montoya, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kevin Harvick and others, one incident involved Kevin Harvick's car and a pit crew member of the #1 team. As Harvick's #29 car was leaving pit road on a lap 94 stop, a tight exit resulted in Harvick launching into the path of a crew member and a tire from Jamie McMurray's #1 Bass Pro Shops team. Like Nintento's Mario, the crew man leaped over the hood of the #29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet avoiding injury. However, the #1 team was penalized for the loose tire and the #29 Chevrolet took a penalty for speeding out of pit road.

After many drivers posting strong finishes at the Daytona 500, the Auto Club 500 saw many of those drivers endured a much harsher followup race. While McMurray started on the pole for the event, he lost ground after a pit stop penalty for the before-mentioned incident and was unable to mount a return to the front. McMurray finished 17th on the day finishing ahead of his teammate Montoya who had his engine parish after 140 laps.

Coming off a 2nd place run, the recent string of misfortune seemed to have lifted off Dale Earnhardt Jr and the #88 Amp/National Guard Chevrolet. The Auto Club Speedway, historically one of Earnhardt Jr's worst tracks, was a bump on the road of the #88 Hendrick Motorsport team's resurgence. Caught speeding on pit road early, Earnhardt Jr began a recovery before a later pit stop resulted in a broken axle half-shaft. While the Hendrick Motorsports crew succeeded in placing Dale Earnhardt Jr back in the event, the #88 Amp Juice Chevrolet come home 12 laps back in 32nd place. While a less than stellar run overall, this is sadly Earnhardt Jr's best finish in the Sprint Cup season's 1st Auto Club Speedway race since driving for Hendrick Motorsports.

While Earnhardt, McMurray and Montoya had good finishes at Daytona, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, and Marcus Ambrose are skilled drivers starting off the year with lackluster results through the first 2 races. Ryan Newman's car lost an engine to finish 36th while Kahne fared better by at least running after a down day started by a slide through the in front grass. He placed 34th on the final race result. Ambrose's Toyota was sandwiched between the two suffering from overheating issues.

Into the final laps, racing fortune again shined on Jimmie Johnson as a caution came out almost instantly after he took the #48 Lowes Chevrolet down pit lane. By doing so, Johnson was able to leapfrog the field as they required the attention of pit road service and would start the race in the lead. Despite a heated challenge from Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson held off the fight leading the final 24 laps to win his 48th Sprint Cup career victory and his first in 2010.
By winning the Auto Club 500, Johnson wins a race at the speedway for the 4th straight year and his 5th all-time.



Photo Credit: Jeff Gross/Getty Images


Richard Childress Racing (RCR) cars driven by Harvick and Jeff Burton came home in strong 2nd and 3rd place finishes for the organization. After two races, premature analysis of the NASCAR Sprint Cup points has Kevin Harvick leading fellow RCR driver Clint Bowyer. Johnson's Hendrick Motorsports teammate of Mark Martin and the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Joey Logano rounded out the top 5 for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Auto Club 500.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Auto Club 500
Auto Club Speedway

Place| Car # | Driver | Sponsor/Car Make
1) 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet
2) 29 Kevin Harvick Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet
3) 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
4) 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
5) 20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota
6) 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge
7) 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
8) 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
9) 14 Tony Stewart Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet
10) 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford
11) 82 Scott Speed Red Bull Toyota 
12) 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
13) 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
14) 18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota
15) 00 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
16) 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Auto Club Dodge
17) 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet
18) 98 Paul Menard Energizer/Menards Ford
19) 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
20) 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet
21) 12 Brad Keselowski AAA Insurance Dodge Dodge
22) 36 Mike Bliss Wave Energy Drink Chevrolet
23) 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
24) 19 Elliott Sadler Stanley Ford
25) 43 A J Allmendinger Best Buy Ford
26) 38 David Gilliland Taco Bell Ford
27) 71 Bobby Labonte TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet
28) 13 Max Papis GEICO Toyota
29) 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Freight Toyota
30) 34 Travis Kvapil Long John Silver's Ford
31) 37 Kevin Conway # Extenze Ford
32) 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy Juice / National Guard Chevrolet
33) 7 Robby Gordon Warner Music Nashville Toyota
34) 9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser Ford
35) 47 Marcos Ambrose Armor All Toyota
36) 39 Ryan Newman Haas Automation Chevrolet
37) 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
38) 26 Boris Said Sacred Power/Southern Pride Trucking Ford
39) 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Toyota
40) 87 Joe Nemechek FrontRowJoe.com Toyota
41) 66 Dave Blaney Prism Motorsports Toyota
42) 55 Michael McDowell Prism Motorsports Toyota
43) 09 Aric Almirola Phoenix Racing Chevrolet

McMurray Takes Pole for Sprint Cup Race at Auto Club Speedway

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

While the 2010 Daytona 500 is the highly-coveted season opening race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season, the 500-mile restrictor plate event is often considered on its own merits. Many teams have been bracing for the Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway (I think sponsorship placement might be running amok) as the official start to the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

In fact, the past two Daytona 500 winners, Ryan Newman in 2008 and Matt Kenseth in 2009, experienced less than stellar seasons following their Daytona celebrations missing the Chase for the Cup in their respective years. With this history now weighing on the newly-crowned Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray, him and the #1 EGR (Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing) Chevrolet are intent to break the cycle. Through Friday afternoon qualifying at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, the #1 Chevrolet Impala appears on a linear path to being a force throughout the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

Carrying momentum from the Daytona 500 victory, McMurray rocketed around the 2-mile oval at 39.185 seconds equating to an average speed of 183.744 MPH. A high accomplishment for the #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing teammate Juan Pablo Montoya's 2nd place run allowed the team to take full possession of the front row.

As EGR serves up a 1-2 punch against the NASCAR Sprint Cup competition for the start of Sunday's Auto Club 500, qualifying results for the 2nd race of the 2010 season appears to show another emerging threat. The Earnhardt-Childress Engines program which powers EGR, Richard Childress Racing and the Furniture Row Racing team is following up their show of incredible potency since Daytona Speedweeks, continuing to have legs on the Sprint Cup competition around 2-mile oval in California. Settling 3rd after holding the top spot earlier in qualifying, Clint Bowyer in Childress' #33 car placed three Chevrolets in front of Kasey Kahne.

Kahne and the #9 of Richard Petty Motorsports have so far shown speed in their new Ford Fusion stock cars (spending time in victory lane after winning one of the Gatorade Duel 150 races) but will be looking for a strong finish at Auto Club Speedway.

In 5th place after time trials, the biggest surprise of the short year so far. Failing the break into the Daytona 500, the #66 Prism Motorsports Toyota driven by Dave Blaney will be attempting to turn this starting position at Auto Club Speedway into a valuable points day which could aid the team in cracking into a prized top-35 in car owner points spot for 2010. While the NASCAR Sprint Cup series is currently resting on 2009 car owner points t0 entitle the top-35 teams into this season, after the 5th race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the NASCAR Sprint Cup series will update to 2010 points guaranteeing teams within the top-35 the ability to race in upcoming weekends.

Having some of their fire stolen by the Earnhardt-Childress Engine brigade, the standard Chevrolet front-runner Hendrick Motorsports has two race machines positioned in the top 10, Jimmie Johnson in 7th and Mark Martin in 10th.


Auto Club 500 Qualifying
NASCAR Sprint Cup

Top 10:

1) #1 Jamie McMurray         Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet
2) #42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet 
3) #33 Clint Bowyer         Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet 
4) #9 Kasey Kahne         Budweiser Ford               
5) #66 Dave Blaney         Prism Motorsports Toyota
6) #29 Kevin Harvick         Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet 
7) #48 Jimmie Johnson         Lowe's/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet 
8) #77 Sam Hornish Jr.         Auto Club Dodge               
9) #18 Kyle Busch         Interstate Batteries Toyota
10) #5 Mark Martin         GoDaddy.com Chevrolet

Other Notables:

12) #2 Kurt Busch         Miller Lite Dodge 
14) #31 Jeff Burton         Caterpillar Chevrolet
16) #14 Tony Stewart         Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet
18) #39 Ryan Newman         Haas Automation Chevrolet
20) #17 Matt Kenseth         Crown Royal Ford
24) #09 Aric Almirola         Phoenix Racing Chevrolet
27) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy Juice / National Guard Chevrolet
28) #24 Jeff Gordon         DuPont Chevrolet
29) #43 A J Allmendinger Best Buy Ford
31) #99 Carl Edwards         Aflac Ford
42) #26 Boris Said         Sacred Power/Southern Pride Trucking Ford
43) #13 Max Papis         GEICO Toyota

Jamie McMurray Wins 2010 Daytona 500

Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR


With almost two weeks of preparation occuring during Daytona Speedweeks, the prized 500 mile season opening race at Daytona International Speedway was set to under clear blue skies of a cool Florida Sunday afternoon. The 52nd running of the Daytona 500 was started by Grand Marshall Junior Johnson, 1960 Daytona 500 winner and multiple time championship car owner in the Cup series. Having won his 1960 Daytona 500 race in a Chevrolet, Junior Johnson command went to the Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolets of Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr leading the 43-car starting field.


Photo Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images for NASCAR


Unlike the NASCAR Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series races that proceeded the most anticipated Sprint Cup season opener, the first 2 laps of the race went without a yellow flag. However, even the traditionally more experienced drivers of NASCAR's big league series couldn't go 10 laps around the 2.5 mile before casualties mounted. Working lap 8, Brad Keselowski #12 Penske Racing Dodge lost control of through turn 4 colliding with the outside wall and collecting Max Papis, Mike Bliss, Regan Smith, and Keselowski's Penske Racing teammate Sam Hornish Jr. While these cars were able to complete more laps, the #13 Toyota of Max Papis would retire soon with engine failure and Mike Bliss fell out after a later single car crash.

While there were some multi-car accidents, the 2010 restrictor plate season opener did not involve any occurrences which could classify as 'the big one'. With a considerable amount of contenders remaining near the end of the 500 mile distance, at least 20 teams were able to post a charge for the lead including the #82 of Scott Speed, who gambled on staying out when the rest of the field made pit stops. In total, there was an amazing 52 lead changes between 21 drivers through the race with Harvick having led the most.

With the race starting under NASCAR's revised initiative to start races earlier in 2010, two red flags during the second half of the Daytona 500 actually led to the event finishing around the same time as the 2008 Daytona 500. Not because of wrecks, these red flags were both addressing a large hole that developed in the race surface through turn 2. John Andretti, driving the #34 Ford, was claimed as a victim of his torn up racetrack ending his 2010 race. Along with Andretti, the hole also cut down a right front tire on four-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson's #48 Chevrolet. Johnson's damage was repairable as his car was tended by the Hendrick Motorsport team. The first red flag within the 4th caution took 1 hour and 40 minutes as the crews of Daytona International Speedway worked hard to refurbish the area of race track. Regrettably, the racing action of the large NASCAR Sprint Cup field wore heavily on the asphalt patch as the surface began to break away after just 30 laps. A second red flag period to fill the hole with an epoxy patch saw the field remain still for an additional 40 minutes. Fortunately, this latest fix held through the duration of the 500 mile event.


Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR


With last year's Daytona 500 ending short of the full distance due to rainfall, many fans were frustrated with the speed which NASCAR called the race. Declaring the lead car Matt Kenseth the winner less than 30 minutes into the race stoppage, the rain showers actually began to let up. Mentioning the 2009 race, the 2010 edition of the Daytona 500 featured a much improved commitment to NASCAR fans by the stock car sanctioning body. In fact, NASCAR announced earlier this week another rule change to the green-white checkered procedure which expanded restart attempts from 1 to 3 tries per race. As the end of the 2010 Daytona 500 approached, this rule received its first trial run.

As the race neared its completed distance, caution #7 occurred on lap 194 when Occasional Elliott Sadler, who led 9 laps in the race, slid out of turn 2 downwards towards the #39 Chevrolet of Ryan Newman. The #37 Ford of Travis Kvapil was also collected the late accident but continued running. Restarting just before the 2 laps to go mark, the field was brought back under yellow when the #20 Toyota of Joey Logano, the #21 Wood Brothers Ford of Bill Elliott, and the #26 driven by Boris Said were wrecked in turn 3. This caution bred the first green-white-checker finishing attempt with Greg Biffle, who just skated by the #33 of Clint Bowyer just prior to the caution flag flying.

As the heap of Sprint Cup cars exited turn 2, Robert Richardson in the #38 as well as Kasey Kahne's #9 Ford were the casaulties in a caution that also involved Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart. Yet to take the white flag, the #29 Chevrolet belonging to Kevin Harvick took the lead with the #1 Chevrolet of Jamie McMurray sneaking by Biffle for the front row position on the 2nd green-white checker attempt.

On what proved to be the final restart, Greg Biffle's Ford pushed the #1 of McMurray around Harvick as the #29 Chevrolet found few drivers willing to draft with the Richard Childress Racing car. As the #1 car stormed to a small gap over the field on the backstretch, a hard-charging #88 Amp Chevrolet was making a powerful end of the race run. Starting a distant 10th on the restart, Dale Earnhardt Jr began to shove Clint Bowyer's #33 car up front gaining several positions through the tight draft. Through the final lap with the top-3 consisting of McMurray, Biffle and the underrated #56 of Martin Truex, Earnhardt was running 5th through the backstretch before he threaded his #88 car between Greg Biffle and Bowyer. With only Jamie McMurray left in front of him, the #1 Chevrolet was just too strong for the Hendrick-owned #88 car. As McMurray headed on to the checkered flag, the agression deeper in the field led to one last crash as Gordon was tapped by Denny Hamlin's #11 Toyota sending the two-time Daytona 500 winner into the turn 3 wall. With nowhere to go, the #7 of Robby Gordon would also received considerable damage.

With drivers in the final incident uninjured, Jamie McMurray was able to celebrate a very popular victory in his Earnhardt/Ganassi Racing Chevrolet on the frontstretch before motoring to Daytona's winner circle. Caught up in the win as well as the fact that too many people had him written off after being forced out of Roush/Fenway Racing, Jamie McMurray could barely hold his composure from the shear thrill of standing in victory lane.


Photo Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images for NASCAR


This victory, worth over 1.5 million of a $10,549,893 purse, came in Jamie McMurray's first NASCAR Sprint Cup race driving a Chevrolet. Behind 2nd place Dale Earnhardt Jr, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, and David Reutimann rounded out the top 5 in that order.


NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 February 14th, 2010 Finishing Order

1) 1 Jamie McMurray         Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet
2) 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy / National Guard Chevrolet
3) 16 Greg Biffle         3M Ford 
4) 33 Clint Bowyer         Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
5) 00 David Reutimann         Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
6) 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
7) 29 Kevin Harvick         Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet 
8) 17 Matt Kenseth         Crown Royal Ford
9) 99 Carl Edwards         Aflac Ford
10) 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
11) 31 Jeff Burton         Caterpillar Chevrolet
12) 5 Mark Martin         GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
13) 98 Paul Menard         Peak / Menards Ford
14) 18 Kyle Busch         M&M's Toyota
15) 83 Brian Vickers         Red Bull Toyota
16) 6 David Ragan         UPS Ford
17) 11 Denny Hamlin         FedEx Express Toyota
18) 51 Michael Waltrip         NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
19) 82 Scott Speed         Red Bull Toyota
20) 20 Joey Logano         Home Depot Toyota
21) 71 Bobby Labonte         TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet
22) 14 Tony Stewart         Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet
23) 2 Kurt Busch         Miller Lite Dodge 
24) 19 Elliott Sadler         Stanley Ford
25) 26 Boris Said         Window World Cares Ford
26) 24 Jeff Gordon         Dupont Chevrolet 
27) 21 Bill Elliott         Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
28) 7 Robby Gordon         Monster Energy Toyota
29) 37 Travis Kvapil         Extenze Ford 
30) 9 Kasey Kahne         Budweiser Ford 
31) 38 Robert Richardson Mahindra USA Tractors Ford
32) 43 A J Allmendinger Best Buy Ford 
33) 55 Michael McDowell PRISM Motorsports Toyota
34) 39 Ryan Newman     US Army Chevrolet
35) 48 Jimmie Johnson     Lowe's Chevrolet
36) 12 Brad Keselowski     Penske Dodge 
37) 77 Sam Hornish Jr.     Mobil 1 Dodge
38) 34 John Andretti     Window World Cares Ford
39) 78 Regan Smith     Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
40) 13 Max Papis     GEICO Toyota
41) 47 Marcos Ambrose     Kroger Floral Toyota
42) 36 Mike Bliss     Wave Energy Drink Chevrolet
43) 87 Joe Nemechek     NEMCO Motorsports Toyota

2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Budweiser Shootout is Ready to Roll

Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR

A non-points event for the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway still carries prominence to the 24 drivers and teams competing in the 2010 edition. Paying out an impressive $200,000 prize to the winner, above all, the 75-lap event allows one NASCAR Sprint Cup team and driver to celebrate in victory lane for the first time in the 2010 season.

For the race's 31st running, NASCAR has abandoned the ill-conceived manufacturer-based selection process for a method promoting the achievements of Sprint Cup series drivers for 2010. Based on the 2009 Chase for the Cup, previous Daytona victories and Cup championships the field features some painfully underrepresented drivers like 1990 Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope, back-to back Budweiser Shootout victor Ken Schrader as well as 1997 Pepsi 400 (now Coke Zero 400) winner John Andretti. This format change was also a breath of fresh air for Dale Earnhardt Jr who would have been sidelined under the old selection system.

With two Thursday practices provided to the Budweiser Shootout runners, the first practice for the selected Sprint Cup drivers was highlighted by a 6-car crash involving Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray and Clint Bowyer (subbing for Kevin Harvick who was dealing with a bout of the flu). #11 Dodge of Denny Hamlin and Mark Martin's #5 Chevy could not be repaired relegating them to run back up cars for Saturday night's race.



Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

Beyond the mayhem of the half dozen NASCAR race vehicles, the speed charts from both practices fails to reveal any driver sporting a dominant car. In the first practice, the #31 Chevrolet of Jeff Burton posted fastest time over Jamie McMurray and Kyle Busch. The second practice showed the #9 Ford of Kasey Kahne in front with Ken Schrader and Matt Kenseth following. However, practice speeds at restrictor plate races are barely usage with the extensive use of drafting. But if one thing could be gathered from the time sheets, the spread of manufacturers and teams indicates the 2010 Budweiser Shootout could easily be a thriller for NASCAR fans.

Determined by a selection of beer bottles, the lucky bottle marked with a flag and the spelling "POLE" was drawn by Carl Edwards. Entering his 6th full season in NASCAR Sprint Cup driving the #99 Ford for Roush/Fenway Racing, Edwards has yet to score a restrictor plate race in any of NASCAR's three major touring series.



Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR


Beyond being the first race of 2010 where NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers could be dusting off cobwebs at 190 miles per hour, the excitement of the first race of the new year will also be enhanced through a sampling of restrictor plate racing under NASCAR more relaxed doctrine of drafting at Daytona.

Airing on the cable station Speed, the green flag for the 2010 Budweiser Shootout is set to fall at 8:10PM on Saturday February 6th.


Car # Driver/Sponsor/Car Manufacturer

1) #99 Carl Edwards Scotts Turf Builder Ford
2) #29 Kevin Harvick Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet
3) #83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
4) #39 Ryan Newman Haas Automation Chevrolet
5) #16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford
6) #5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet (B)
7) #31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
8) #17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
9) #1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet
10) #34 John Andretti Window World Cares Ford
11) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet
12) #71 Bobby Labonte TRG Motorsports Chevrolet
13) #14 Tony Stewart Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet
14) #82 Ken Schrader Red Bull Toyota
15) #51 Michael Waltrip NAPA Toyota
16) #48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet
17) #18 Kyle Busch M&M's Toyota
18) #75 Derrike Cope Asset Protect/strutmasterspro.com Dodge
19) #9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser Ford
20) #42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
21) #20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota
22) #2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge
23) #24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet
24) #11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota (B)

(B) Denotes backup car and starting at rear

NASCAR Wire: Jamie McMurray Grabs The Win At Talladega Superspeedway

Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR


TALLADEGA, ALA. -- Jamie McMurray added his name to the victory list Sunday in a surprising finish to a typical race at Talladega Superspeedway.

McMurray, odd-man out in Jack Roush's compliance move to fielding a maximum of four teams in 2010, crept home the winner in a green-white-checker finish that only made it three-quarters-of-a-lap before a wild crash brought out a caution flag making McMurray the winner.

NASCAR rules allow only one attempt at a green-white-checkered finish and McMurray was in the right position at the right time.

Kasey Kahne was second, followed by Joey Logano, Greg Biffle, and Jeff Burton.

Probably the story of the day was sixth-place finisher and still leader in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Jimmie Johnson.

Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus decided to spend a majority of the race running at half throttle or so in the back of the pack to hopefully stay out of harm's way and protect a lead in the standings that could eventually make Johnson NASCAR's first driver to win four championships in a row.

The strategy nearly backfired when Johnson began a move to advance his position about 25 laps from the finish. He moved up to 22nd by narrowly avoiding a spectacular, multi-car crash that put Ryan

Newman on his roof and ended the day for other contenders Kevin Harvick and Marcos Ambrose. Both Harvick and Ambrose were among 25 drivers who led the race at one time or another.

NASCAR officials red-flagged the race after Newman's accident just five laps from the finish while safety workers righted his car and extracted the uninjured driver from the pancaked remains.

With the green-white-checker looming, the race took on that typical style of Talladega nail-biting.
It was nose-to-tail, three and four wide racing when another huge accident broke out as the cars came towards the tri-oval and headed towards the finish line. Cars went everywhere.

Championship contender Mark Martin was hit and flipped upside down on the front straightaway as cars scattered and spun through the grass and through the smoke on the track. The wreck relegated both Martin and Juan Pablo Montoya to finishes they didn't deserve. Both drivers were strong contenders during the afternoon and among the leaders. Martin wound up 28th and Montoya 19th.
It was a great win for McMurray, his first since the July 2007 race at Daytona, who led on several occasions.

It was also a win for points leader Johnson, with his sixth place finish. He never led a lap in this one but he dodged a million bullets.

This place is known for a lot of things…but mostly for its edge-of-the-seat, white-knuckle, heart-racing action over its 2.66-mile, high-banked tri-oval track that reeks speed and excitement.

Johnson, starting from the pole, led only three quarters of the first lap. At Talladega, drivers don't lead for long because the competition is so intense and the cars run so close together. The lead often changes half-a-dozen-times on a single lap.
For instance, in the first 20 laps, there were numerous leaders, David Reutimann and Casey Mears among them and those are drivers who aren't normally expected to lead races at Talladega.

You do expect the unexpected at this massive superspeedway and points leader Johnson, Tony Stewart, and several other Chase contenders unexpectedly chose to ride in the back of the pack to potentially avoid any of the troubles normally associated with running wide open at the front of the pack, a strategy obviously ignored by many of the others.

A two-car accident on lap five brought out the first caution of the sunny afternoon. Paul Menard cut a tire and gathered Joe Nemechek on the backstretch.

Cars started pitting under green flag conditions at 45 laps.

Elliot Sadler was the leader when the race was slowed again by caution when Kurt Busch spun wildly through the tri-oval.

On the restart, Sadler led with Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his bumper. At 60 laps, Jeff Gordon was fourth and Harvick fifth. Harvick took the lead a few laps later. Earnhardt was still running second.

At the halfway mark at Lap 90, Harvick led with Earnhardt, Montoya, Martin and Ambrose in tow, flat-out, foot-to-the-floorboard.

Kyle Busch was next with Denny Hamlin seventh. Greg Biffle was running in the top 10 when the field made green flag stops near Lap 95 but a tire infraction during his stop forced him to make another pass through the pits which relegated him to 36th spot. He rebounded to finish fourth.