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

Photo Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images for NASCAR

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

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

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

Photo Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images for NASCAR

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


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

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

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


2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series
STP 300
Chicagoland Speedway

Race Results

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

Second Straight Nationwide Victory for Edwards at Phoenix

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/ Getty Images for NASCAR

With Brad Keselowski settling the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series title last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, the main focus through the final two races of this middle-level stock car tour was the racing action. The one-mile oval of Phoenix International Raceway supplies a quaint-essential mix of large track speed and short track competition.

Setting up 200 laps of Saturday afternoon action on the desert, Joey Logano secured the WYPALL 200 pole in morning qualifying. Breaking out to a lead through the first 24 race laps, Logano relinquished the first place position during pit stops made during the event's earliest caution for fluid originating from the #70 Chevrolet of Mark Green.

As several top vehicles pitted for fresh tires and fuel at this point of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race, the #35 Chevrolet of Tony Raines remained on track to lead when the WYPALL 200 resumed on lap 30. At a clear disadvantage on older tires, Raines was no match for the cars behind him on the restart. Aric Almirola was the first car to pass the #35 Chevrolet elevating the JR Motorsports #88 car to the front at Phoenix International Raceway.

Lasting for just 8 laps, Almirola's run with JR Motorsports (in preparation for a full campaign in the #88 Chevrolet in 2011) went far better than the drive of teammate Danica Patrick. Still learning the finer points of racing a stock car through her off time from the IZOD IndyCar Series, Patrick spent much of the race hovering in the low to mid-20s on track in the #7 Godaddy.com Chevy. While running respectively, an incident between the #7 Chevrolet and the #27 Ford of Alex Kennedy got into a shoving match on-track. While Kennedy got into the car of Patrick on lap 133, the IndyCar star demonstrated her knowledge of the fine art of payback on the following lap. While mostly harmless to both vehicles, Danica Patrick's contact with the wall 24 laps later. The #7 Chevrolet would finish 7 laps down in 32rd place.

On several occasions, Carl Edwards held a lead of multiple seconds over second place runners.
With Edwards' Roush-Fenway Racing #60 Ford in a class of his own throughout the WYPALL 200, Kyle Bucsh was holding down the runner-up place for much of the race distance. While able to lure the lead of the Phoenix event for 10 laps total on the day, this Saturday afternoon race would not be Busch's 13th victory on the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide calender.

Fighting for best of the rest for the event, Busch's hopes for a good run was deflated (literally) by a softening tire on his #18 Toyota. Three laps after radioing the problem, Busch pitted on lap 163 to receive four fresh tires from his Joe Gibbs Racing crew. The #18 crew returned the driver quickly but Busch would drop one lap down to the leader. Some additional concern surrounded the #18 Toyota in the late laps as light smoke was pluming from the Joe Gibbs Racing vehicle. Fortunately, the smoke dissipated through the final circuits of the WYPALL 200 and would not present any problems as Busch used the advantage of new tire to hard charge back up to the lead lap for 16th place.

Coming across the line 5.12 seconds ahead of Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards easy ride in Phoenix ends with his 4th win of the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide season. Out front for 153 of this race's 200 laps, the impressive performance of the #60 Ford even surprised the driver.

Rounding out the top-5 for the WYPALL 200 at Phoenix International Raceway, 2nd place Kevin Harvick was followed by Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Reed Sorenson. In 6th place, Aric Almirola ended the NASCAR Nationwide Series backing up the 5th place finishing result after Friday's Camping World Truck Series event.

Almirola's effort in the #88 car did result in one critic, the driver of the #12 Dodge Justin Allgaier. While the #12 Penske Racing Dodge appeared destined to a strong top-5 effort running second early in the WYPALL 200, Allgaier realized his race car's performance faded in the last 50 laps. Dropping down the field but fighting to retain a top-10 result, the #88 Chevrolet of Almirola rushed the Penske Racing car of Allgaier in lap 193 into turn one. Sizing up the #12 Dodge on the inside, the #88 Chevrolet leaned on Allgaier while making the pass. Unhappy with the pass, contact after the checkered flag resulted with the #12 and #88 cars. Justin Allgaier did not appear outspokenly mad at Almirola but he was disappointed the driver of the #88 Chevy could not race him clean.

Next week, the NASCAR Nationwide Series tour will combat for the last time in 2010 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Ford 300 is set for late Saturday afternoon.     


NASCAR Nationwide Series
November 13, 2010
WYPALL 200
Phoenix International Raceway
Race Results

1. 60 Carl Edwards Copart Ford
2. 33 Kevin Harvick Rheem Solar Water Heaters Chevrolet
3. 20 Joey Logano GameStop/Afterglow Toyota
4. 22 Brad Keselowski Discount Tire Dodge
5. 32 Reed Sorenson Dollar General Toyota
6. 88 Aric Almirola GT Vodka Chevrolet
7. 16 Colin Braun # Con-way Ford
8. 12 Justin Allgaier Verizon Wireless Dodge 
9. 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. # Blackwell Angus Beef Ford
10. 66 Steve Wallace 5-hour Energy Toyota
11. 09 Brian Scott # Shore Lodge Toyota
12. 40 Mike Bliss Westerman Companies Chevrolet
13. 98 Paul Menard Richmond/Menards Ford
14. 17 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Ford
15. 84 Cole Whitt Red Bull Toyota
16. 18 Kyle Busch NOS Toyota
17. 23 Coleman Pressley R3 Motorsports Chevrolet
18. 15 Michael Annett Pilot Flying J Coffee Toyota
19. 35 Tony Raines BeAStockCarDriver.com Chevrolet 
20. 28 Kenny Wallace Iron Horse Jeans Chevrolet
21. 10 Ricky Carmichael Monster Energy Toyota
22. 11 James Buescher # Great Clips Toyota
23. 99 Ryan Truex Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
24. 27 Alex Kennedy LawMemorial.org/Sacred Power Ford
25. 05 David Starr Super Pawn Chevrolet
26. 81 Michael McDowell Red Line Oil/Drive Reply Dodge
27. 62 Brendan Gaughan Alliance Parts Toyota
28. 87 Joe Nemechek Gator.com Chevrolet
29. 01 Mike Wallace Suncore Industries Chevrolet
30. 83 John Borneman III Nicky Rottens/Borneman Plastering Ford
31. 21 Morgan Shepherd Victory In Jesus Chevrolet
32. 7 Danica Patrick GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
33. 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota
34. 00 Martin Truex Jr. Travis Pastrana Toyota
35. 79 Tim Andrews 2nd Chance Race Parts Ford
36. 49 David Green Jay Robinson Racing Chevrolet
37. 90 Danny O'Quinn Jr. D'Hondt Humphrey Racing Chevrolet
38. 70 Mark Green Iron Horse Jeans Chevrolet
39. 91 David Gilliland D'Hondt Humphrey Racing Chevrolet
40. 34 Charles Lewandoski Tri-Star Motorsports Chevrolet
41. 26 Brian Keselowski K-Automotive Motorsports Dodge
42. 92 Dennis Setzer K-Automotive Motorsports Dodge
43. 36 Jeff Green Tri-Star Motorsports Chevrolet

Keselowski Finds Link Pass Bliss to Gateway Victory Lane

Photo Credit: John Sommers II/Getty Images for NASCAR

By Tim Tuttle
Special to the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(October 23, 2010)

MADISON, Ill.—Brad Keselowski made a triumphant return to Gateway International Raceway Saturday, passing Mike Bliss with less than two laps remaining to win the 5-hour Energy 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race. It was the final NASCAR race at the 1.25-mile track.

Keselowski was 200 yards from victory in the July race at Gateway when he was knocked into the wall by Carl Edwards and finished 14th. Keselowski started in the back of the field Saturday after arriving after qualifying from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event in Martinsville, Va., but still was able to lead 83 of the 200 laps en route to his second consecutive victory and sixth of the year.

Keselowski was running second to Penske Racing teammate and Illinois native Justin Allgaier with 10 laps remaining when the final caution came out. Allgaier, Keselowski and third-running Edwards pitted and took four tires. When they came out, they were behind Reed Sorenson and Josh Wise, who stayed out, and Bliss and Jason Leffler, who took two tires. Keselowski was fifth, Edwards sixth and Allgaier sixth for the restart on Lap 196.

Sorenson jumped into the lead, but Bliss passed him and had the lead halfway through the 199th lap.

Coming through Turn 4, Keselowski got a strong run on the outside and passed Bliss for the lead within sight of the white flag. Keselowski pulled ahead by a couple of car lengths and won by .227 seconds over Bliss. Allgaier finished third after capturing the pole, followed by Leffler and Edwards.

Keselowski, the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings leader, was unable to clinch the 2010 driver title early at this event, but could do so in two weeks at Texas. Keselowski is 485 points ahead of second-place Edwards and needs to leave Texas with a 391-point lead over second place in order to claim his first NASCAR national series title.

Edwards King of Road America Nationwide Race

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

A perfect day greeted the NASCAR Nationwide Series in Elkhart Like, Wisconsin as the stock car racing tour visits a new track added on the 2010 schedule. Consisting of 4.048 miles, the fast 14-turn road course of Road America greets the NASCAR Nationwide Series for the first time. The Bucyrus 200 at Road America is a gain after losing a historically significant race at the Milwaukee Mile oval due to financial issues.

Starting what would be one of three road course stops for the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide season, the unique stock car racing action brought some rare appearances for some drivers. Classically referred to as road ringers, the Bucyrus 200 introduced drivers Ron Fellows and Jacques Villeneuve back to the series. Having little to no experience in the NASCAR feeder series, Owen Kelly, Tony Ave and Patrick Long adds themselves as road race professionals eager to compete against Nationwide series regulars on their turf.

Taking pole in the late morning qualifying session, Carl Edwards lead from the start of the event through the first 12 circuits. Former formula 1 driver Jacques Villeneuve making the most of a front row start. Fastest in Friday practice, Villeneuve and his Braun Racing #32 Toyota would be a dominant figurehead for the road racers through the Road America Nationwide race. Racing Road America, the track is one Jacques Villeneuve enjoyed a positive past winning his very first IndyCar race on the 4-mile circuit in 1994 and repeated in 1995.

Right off the bat, some of the Nationwide series regular encountered difficulty including the 3rd place runner for the drivers points. The #12 Dodge of Justin Allgaier came to a stop on track during the initial laps for what turned out to be a broken track bar. Accepting a 35nd place result after rejoining the field losing 20 laps, the Penske Racing driver stays in 3rd in points but lost significant points to 1st and 2nd position sending Allgaier well-back in the 2010 championship.

Though Braun Racing's #38 Toyota of Jason Leffler took the lead for three laps after gaining the position through pit stop strategy, Edwards stormed past to retake the top position on lap 15 for another 13 laps (translating to more than 52 miles). As caution flew on lap 28 condensing the cars concluding after a long green period the stock car pack was repositioned to take advantage of gaining track places. As the race restarted on lap 30 the predator instincts of competitors reigned setting up the largest incident of the day occurring between 6 cars on lap 31. Involving Jason Leffler, the #34 of Tony Raines, the #31 of Stanton Barrett and the #16 Ford of Colin Braun were among were involved in the turn 6 pile-up which also resulted in over 30 minute red flag period falling on the Road America road course.



Photo Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Once race was sent in motion following the clean-up in turn 6, the #18 Toyota Camry of Brad Coleman assumed the lead once Carl Edwards pitted with several other drivers including Paul Menard and Jacques Villeneuve. Back to green on lap 34, Coleman held off the Brendan Gaughan's #62 Toyota and Ron Fellows driving the #88 AER Engineering Chevrolet for JR Motorsports.

As the field were engaged with each other for position under 12 laps left in the Bucyrus 200, three cautions would insure at least three golden opportunities to vie for a top finishing position. On lap 38, the #33 Chevrolet of Ron Hornaday and the #21 Richard Childress-Owned Chevrolet being driven by Tim George Jr collided in turn 3. With Coleman still leading through this fifth caution period, the restart would see the Joe Gibbs Racing #18 car under heavy attack as Brendan Gaughan placed a hard charge on Coleman on the restart. Jacques Villeneuve, who had received fender damage through minor contact within the last caution, displayed some of the aggressiveness which made him the most exciting driver to watch in Formula 1. Passing several cars on newer tires Villeneuve diced up to the top 3 entering perfect striking position to the #18 and #62. Into lap 39, Coleman and Gaughan entered turn 3 as Villeneuve made a daring move making the situation 3-wide as he late-braked his #32 Toyota on the inside. Smoking his left ftonr tire in what at that time appeared as tire lockup, Villeneuve's out-braking maneuver paid off passing both Coleman and Gaughan. Within the Canada corner of turn 12, caution flew again as the #23 of Alex Kennedy and the #40 Mike Bliss car get together. It was under this caution it was revealed Villeneuve's tire smoke was a result of the damage in the earlier caution incident.

As Jacques Villeneuve rallied back to the front, so did the strong Roush-Fenway Racing Ford of Carl Edwards. Edward's #60 moved all the way up to 2nd place when the lap 42 restart presented him the perfect chance to reclaim the position is launched from at the start of the Bucyrus 200. Coming down the frontstretch in taking the green, Carl Edwards broke out of the double-file formation immediately merging behind Villeneuve for a quick draft down the remaining straight. Edwards would duck out and swing around Villeneuve's #32 Toyota to take a firm lead. Falling to second, Villeneuve and his Braun Racing team were still content to be running considering some rather heavy tire rubbing.

In a final caution for the #35 car of Stanton Barrett being trapped in the turn 6 sand trap, Villeneuve had one chance to perform regain the lead for a possible NASCAR victory when with the left front tire threatening. However, it would be a mechanical failure which would drop the Braun Racing car out of the running. Edwards blitzed to victory at Road America for his second straight road race win in the NASCAR Nationwide series after winning Montreal in 2009. With Villeneuve's retirement promoting JR Motorsport's Ron Fellows to 2nd, it still proved a terrific day for Canadian NASCAR fans. Brendan Gaughan, Brad Keselowski and rookie Owen Kelly rounded out the top-five for what proved to be an exciting change for the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide series.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series
Bucyrus 200 at Road America
Top 10 Race Results

Pos| Car # | Driver | Sponsor/Car Make

1 60 Carl Edwards Fastenal Ford
2 88 Ron Fellows AER Manufacturing Chevrolet
3 62 Brendan Gaughan South Point Hotel & Casino Toyota
4 22 Brad Keselowski Discount Tire Dodge 
5 27 Owen Kelly K1 Speed Ford 
6 18 Brad Coleman SafeWay Driving Centers Toyota
7 7 J R Fitzpatrick Schick Hydro Chevrolet
8 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota
9 66 Steve Wallace 5-hour Energy Toyota
10 99 Trevor Bayne OutPetCare.com Toyota

Allgaier Showed All the Right Stuff for Nationwide Win at Bristol

Photo Credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Through the latter stages of the NASCAR Nationwide series event at Bristol Motor Speedway, the Saturday afternoon race was a triumph for the Penske Racing Dodge team. With the #22 car Brad Keselowski set the pace through 71 laps in the latter stages of the Scotts Turf Builder 300, the 2008 ARCA ReMax champion Justin Allgaier used a late restart to captured his first major NASCAR victory over teammate Keselowski.

Started with mid-day pole qualifying for the afternoon's NASCAR Nationwide Series race, Penske Racing's Brad Keselowski skated his #22 Dodge around Bristol the fastest of any competitor in qualifying. Joey Logano, Kelly Bires, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle rounded out the top-five in the timed session.

Once the green flag dropped, a hectic start allowed Keselowski's front row comrade Logano to muscle by to lead the first 21 laps in his #20 Toyota. Overpowering Logano, his stampeding Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch took the lead on lap 22 holding the top spot for 58 laps.

With eager, young talent of the NASCAR Nationwide Series fighting the position within the tight 0.533 mile short oval, Saturday's Scotts Turf Builder 300 race at Bristol Motor Speedway delivered the customary calamity. In all, the the 300 lap event was slowed on 11 occasions by yellow flags. The most serious incident occurred on lap 90 started when the #7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Scott Wimmer drilled a slowing #11 Toyota of Brian Scott into turn 1. As Scott's car was sent sliding up the track, the Toyota came to a brief rest between turn 1 and 2. Unable to avoid Scott's car stationary, the #16 Colin Braun-driven Ford struck the #11 and was in turn pounded by #66 Toyota of Steve Wallace. The impact of Wallace's car lifted Braun's vehicle partially off the ground. Fortunately resulting without any injuries, a 12 minute red flag to clean up the messy wreck accompanied this 3rd race caution. In spite being involved in the caution, Scott Wimmer survived better than the other three cars actually leading the Bristol race for several laps following this particular caution. Wimmer brought the #7 Chevrolet to the race's finish 10th on the day.



Photo Credit: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

With regular NASCAR Sprint Cup competitors Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski double-dipping, Kasey Kahne driving the #38 Toyota also held the lead of the NASCAR Nationwide support race. Leading 22 laps by the midway point in the event, Kahne appeared to be a contender for the race victory until a lap 187 multi-car crash knocked the #38 Toyota out of the running.

With Justin Allgaier holding off an aggressive but clean challenge from Brad Keselowski through the final laps, another more physical fight came for 5th place spot as the #33 Chevrolet of Kevin Harvick motored through Joey Logano's Toyota sending the Joe Gibb Racing car around in the final corner.

Following the completion of the Scotts Turf Builder 300, Carl Edwards continues to hold off Brad Keselowski in the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers points. However, thanks to the second place finish. Keselowski closed nearly half the point difference to Edwards standing only 26 markers back. Justin Allgaier Bristol win not only vaulted him to 3rd in 2010 points but places the driver only 5 points behind Edwards.


2010 Scotts Turf Builder 300
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Bristol Motor Speedway

Top 10 Finishers

1) 12 Justin Allgaier Verizon Wireless Dodge
2) 22 Brad Keselowski Discount Tire Dodge
3) 18 Kyle Busch Z-Line Designs Toyota
4) 60 Carl Edwards Copart Ford
5) 33 Kevin Harvick Rheem Chevrolet
6) 27 Greg Biffle Red Man Moist Snuff Ford
7) 32 Reed Sorenson Dollar General Stores Toyota
8) 40 Mike Bliss Key Motorsports Chevrolet
9) 10 Jason Leffler ABF Toyota
10) 7 Scott Wimmer JR Motorsports Chevrolet

Other Notables

11) 98 Paul Menard Tide/Menards Ford
12) 88 Kelly Bires Hellmann's Chevrolet
14) 20 Joey Logano GameStop/God of War III Toyota
16) 87 Joe Nemechek AM FM Energy/ComputerWorks Chevrolet
29) 11 Brian Scott  AccuDoc Toyota
30) 99 Trevor Bayne Diamond-Waltrip Racing Toyota
32) 38 Kasey Kahne Great Clips Toyota
33) 62 Brendan Gaughan South Point Hotel & Casino Toyota
37) 16 Colin Braun  Con-way Ford
38) 66 Steve Wallace 5-hour Energy Toyota

Dodge Challenger going to NASCAR

With Dodge's involvement in NASCAR remains in question as the Chrysler group continues to restructure their company under a Fiat partnership, a recent announcement for the upcoming NASCAR Nationwide Series could bring a sigh of relief to Mopar fans. On Friday, October 30th Dodge and Penske Racing unveiled that the Dodge Challenger in a ceremony at Talladega attended by current NASCAR Nationwide rookie contender Justin Allgaier. For the 2010 Nationwide season, the Challenger bodied car will run in the 4 races which will acquaint teams with the new spec stock car slated for competition starting at the July race at Daytona. “Dodge is the performance brand of Chrysler LLC and the Challenger is the production vehicle that went out to market in 2009. We see this as the perfect opportunity to come in and launch into this (Nationwide) series the look of the car and get that connection back with the fans of this high-horsepower performance car. We’re real happy about the Nationwide Challenger’s design and characteristics and can’t wait for it to hit the track.” says senior manager of Dodge Motorsports Engineering Howard Comstock answering the reason for bringing the Challenger to the Nationwide series.

As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Car of Tomorrow was in development, it was widely rumoured that Dodge was going to rebrand their Dodge Charger entry under the guise of the two-door Challenger. Instead, Dodge Motorsports decided to campaign 10 races in 2007 with COT cars wearing the Avenger name. As the COT Sprint Cup car went full-time in 2008, Dodge ended the Avenger's short-lived affiliation with the upper

Reaffirming their commitment to NASCAR with the activation of the Dodge Challenger in the NASCAR Nationwide series, Dodge Motorsports goes on the comment “Our management has told us that we’re committed to racing in NASCAR and this is part of that commitment. It is a big commitment to build a new car for the Nationwide Series and we’re excited to expand our relationship with Penske Racing next year and beyond”.




Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR