Late Race Events Set Up Kyle Busch for Richmond Cup Win

Photo Credit: Drew Hallowell/Getty Images

The Saturday night race at Richmond International Raceway couldn't have come at a better time for the NASCAR sprint Cup Series. Receiving some backlash for the lack of excitement through three of the past four races, the premier stock car racing series in the world was looking forward to the 2012 season's first attempt at the 3/4-mile short track oval in the state of Virginia.

With the Mark Martin driven #55 Aarons Toyota starting on pole position for the second time this season, the 43 cars took the green flag for the Capital City 400 at Richmond. Martin led the first 29 laps of the 400-lap event until the #99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford wheeled by Carl Edwards took the led position of the NASCAR Sprint Cup field. As teammates Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle have already secured wins in the series for 2012, Edwards finds himself in position to allow all three full-time Roush Fenway Racing runners to lock up early season victories throughout the Capital City 400.

Due to an rainstorm earlier in the today that altered the track handling characteristics, NASCAR appeased drivers and teams with competition caution on lap 50 allowing competitors to adjust for differing race conditions from practice. At the end of the planned caution period, Carl Edwards reclaimed the race's lead and mobilized himself as a dominant force from lap 55 to lap 200.

Photo Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR

Behind Edwards in the first half of this 400-lap short track event for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Jimmie Johnson had mounted a torrent run towards the top positions of the Richmond race. Starting back in 27th spot as the lowest-starting Hendrick Motorsports car in the Capital City 400, the #48 Chevrolet of Johnson would leave the event leading the team's only lap on the Sprint Cup field throughout the night on lap 310. While Jimmie Johnson and team were able to mount a solid effort to break into the top-5, their efforts were largely undone through an undisciplined pit stop on lap 312. An uncharacteristically sloppy pit service by the #48 Hendrick Motorsports team not only cost Jimmie Johnson position initially, NASCAR examination of the stop caught that a tire was not under the control a crew member resulting in penalty. Dropped to the tail end of the race field with only 82 laps remaining in the race, Johnson made a valiant charge back through the field but could only manage a 6th place finish.

Through the second-half of the Capital City 400, the race appeared to belong to either the #99 Ford of Carl Edwards or the #14 Chevrolet of Tony Stewart. Collectively leading 324 of the race's 400 laps, the two 2011 point contenders were sharing the lead of the Richmond event. As a lap 318 restart appeared to shape up an interesting would eliminate the #99 car from a highly probable victory. 

Photo Credit: Brian Czobat/ Autostock, USA/Ford Motor Company 

Lined-up alongside Tony Stewart on the outside lane, Carl Edwards launched away from the #14 Chevrolet coming to the start/finish line. Aided by a dramatic spin of the tires from Stewart's car, the #99 Ford gained a huge advantage on a very strong restart. Unfortunately, Edwards' start would be concluded to be too quick as a review of field starting procedure clearly showed the #99 Ford jumping to the green flag on the restart. After 4 laps in the lead, Carl Edwards was directed to serve a pit drive-through penalty dropping him from first place to the tail end of the lead lap. Initially appearing as a debatable ruling by NASCAR, arguments circulated around the Stewart's slow launch to speed on the restart and the fact that the Richmond International Raceway's scoring pylon showed the #99 car in the first place spot coming up to green flag. After leading 206 laps, Edwards best efforts netted a 10th place run in the Capital City 400.

While not a record, caution for the 400-lap race at Richmond was displayed only 5 times. The lap-118 spin by Kurt Busch's #51 Chevrolet was the only yellow flag event that was immediately triggered by a car out of control. However, there was a later caution for debris that also involved the #31 Chevrolet of Jeff Burton brushing the outside wall. With a total of three debris cautions, there was some speculation after the race on whether the yellow flag was thrown for legitimate reasons by NASCAR other than to just regroup the Sprint Cup Series field.

Dominating the late stages of the Capital City 400 at Richmond International Raceway, Tony Stewart saw what could have been a sure victory challenged by a caution. With caution falling with 12 laps to go, Tony Stewart's plans went awry. As the leader pitted with a run in the final distance of the NASCAR Sprint Cup event at the short track, Stewart was beaten out of the pits by Joe Gibbs Racing's #18 Toyota piloted by Kyle Busch.

Photo Credit:  Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

On the final restart of the race, Kyle Busch's superb launch and another slip from Tony Stewart worked out to the advantage of the #18 car. Sailing across the line for his first NASCAR Sprint Cup race win since the summer race at Michigan International Speedway, the victory was the 4th straight for Kyle Busch in the spring event at Richmond. While Kyle Busch celebrated a familiar triumph after the short track's spring race, Joe Gibbs Racing also gained a 6th win in the past 7 Richmond International Raceway events.

Finding his way around Tony Stewart on the restart, the #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr grabbed second place. While Earnhardt Jr was in an ideal position for a final run on the #18 Toyota, weak brakes on the Hendrick Motorsports Chevy resulted in the car finishing more than a second behind.


In position for the a third victory of the 2012 season, Stewart's finish in the second runner-up spot was not the finish the reigning Sprint Cup Series champion was really to embrace. Frustrated in post-race to has a victory slip away, Tony Stewart commented “When the caution is for a plastic (water) bottle on the backstretch, it’s hard to feel good about losing,”.


Denny Hamlin finished 4th in the Capital City 400 while Kasey Kahne was the second-highest of three Hendrick Motorsports runners to finish in the top-10 ahead of Jimmie Johnson. A pair of Michael Waltrip Racing vehicles would take 7th and 8th at the end of 400 laps at Richmond with Clint Bowyer's #15 beating teammate and race pole-sitter Mark Martin. Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards rounded out the top-10 of the event.


Going from the 3/4-mile race track of Richmond International Raceway, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series prepares for the high-speed Talladega Superspeedway.




2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Capital City 400
Richmond International Raceway
Race Results

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Sponsor/Car Make
1	18	Kyle Busch	M&M's Brown Toyota
2	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	National Guard / Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet
3	14	Tony Stewart	MOBIL 1 / Office Depot Chevrolet
4	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Freight Toyota
5	5	Kasey Kahne	Farmers Insurance Chevrolet
6	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's Chevrolet
7	15	Clint Bowyer	5-hour Energy Toyota
8	55	Mark Martin	Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
9	2	Brad Keselowski	Miller Lite Dodge
10	99	Carl Edwards	Ford Eco-Boost Ford
11	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford EcoBoost Ford
12	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Target Chevrolet
13	27	Paul Menard	Menards / NIBCO Chevrolet
14	1	Jamie McMurray	McDonald's Chevrolet
15	39	Ryan Newman	Army Reserve Chevrolet
16	22	AJ Allmendinger	Shell Pennzoil Dodge
17	47	Bobby Labonte	Bush's Beans Toyota
18	16	Greg Biffle	3M / GKAS Ford
19	29	Kevin Harvick	Jimmy John's Chevrolet
20	83	Landon Cassill	Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota
21	13	Casey Mears	GEICO Ford
22	9	Marcos Ambrose	Stanley Ford
23	24	Jeff Gordon	DuPont Chevrolet
24	20	Joey Logano	The Home Depot Toyota
25	56	Martin Truex Jr.	NAPA Brakes Toyota
26	43	Aric Almirola	Smithfield Helping Hungry Homes Ford
27	78	Regan Smith	Furniture Row Racing / Farm American Chevrolet
28	51	Kurt Busch	Phoenix Construction Services Chevrolet
29	36	Dave Blaney	SealWrap.com Chevrolet
30	93	Travis Kvapil	Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota
31	31	Jeff Burton	BB&T Chevrolet
32	34	David Ragan	Front Row Motorsports Ford
33	10	David Reutimann	Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
34	32	Reed Sorenson	Virginia Faith & Freedom Coalition Ford
35	33	Stephen Leicht	LittleJoesAutos.com / Link-Belt Chevrolet
36	38	David Gilliland	Long John Silver's Ford
37	30	David Stremme	Inception Motorsports Toyota
38	26	Josh Wise	Morristown Drivers Service Ford
39	98	Michael McDowell	Curb Records Ford
40	74	Cole Whitt	Turn One Racing Chevrolet
41	87	Joe Nemechek	AM/FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Toyota
42	19	Mike Bliss	Humphrey Smith Racing Toyota
43	95	Scott Speed	TWD Drywall Ford

Mark Martin Takes Pole for Richmond Sprint Cup Race

Photo Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR

Coming off two races on 1.5-mile ovals, the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series are steered towards the 3/4-mile Richmond International Raceway for the Capital City 400. Recent NASCAR Sprint Cup series races on at Texas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway received less than enthusiastic fanfare afterwards based on what many said were dull events. A racetrack that has for years won the approval of stock car competitors and fans as a model for short-track racing, the Richmond International Raceway's Saturday night event is seen as a great chance to see a much-needed, action-filled 400-lap race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

For the second time this season, part-time Sprint Cup competitor Mark Martin placed the #55 Aarons Toyota on the pole position. Lapping the 3/4-mile short track in 21.040 seconds at a speed of 128.327 miles per hour, Martin edged the #99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford of Carl Edwards with a slim 0.006-second advantage. Mark Martin's pole position highlights the suspreme dominance of Toyota Camrys in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Richmond International Raceway. In the past 6 races held at the short track, Toyota entries won 5 of the events. However, every win by Toyota occurred with the Joe Gibbs Racing team in victory lane. Showing some outstanding pace this season, the three-car Michael Waltrip Racing team is currently the most united in front-running Performance. With Mark Martin on the pole, Martin Truex Jr starting in 8th place and #15 car of Clint Bowyer (a previous winner at Richmond) lined up 23rd, the chances of seeing a Michael Waltrip Racing victory this season may occur sooner rather than later.

Behind Carl Edwards, last summer's race winner Kevin Harvick starts 3rd alongside the #22 car of AJ Allmendinger. The previously mentioned Joe Gibbs Racing squad placed well after qualifying with Kyle Busch in 5th, Danny Hamlin 7th and Joey Logano 18th.

Still clawing for what will be a popular 200th win for Hendrick Motorsports, three of the four teams are starting in the top-10. Leading the Chevrolet-powered Hencrick Motorsports team is Jeff Gordon in 6th place. In order, Kasey Kahne Farmers Insurance car and Dale Earnhardt Jr National Guard Chevy fill the fifth row of the Capital City 400. Mustering a 27th fastest run, Jimmie Johnson encountered trouble in qualifying resulting in his #48 Chevrolet being the slowest car of the Hendrick Motorsports group. Hendrick Motorsports has won ten times in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Richmond.

The 400-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup race is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM Eastern time.




2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Capital City 400
Richmond International Raceway

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Sponsor/ Car Make
1	55	Mark Martin	Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
2	99	Carl Edwards	Ford Eco-Boost Ford
3	29	Kevin Harvick	Jimmy John's Chevrolet
4	22	AJ Allmendinger	Shell Pennzoil Dodge
5	18	Kyle Busch	M&M's Brown Toyota
6	24	Jeff Gordon	DuPont Chevrolet
7	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Freight Toyota
8	56	Martin Truex Jr.	NAPA Brakes Toyota
9	5	Kasey Kahne	Farmers Insurance Chevrolet
10	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	National Guard / Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet
11	43	Aric Almirola	Smithfield Helping Hungry Homes Ford
12	39	Ryan Newman	Army Reserve Chevrolet
13	51	Kurt Busch	Phoenix Construction Services Chevrolet
14	9	Marcos Ambrose	Stanley Ford
15	78	Regan Smith	Furniture Row Racing / Farm American
16	2	Brad Keselowski	Miller Lite Dodge
17	36	Dave Blaney	SealWrap.com Chevrolet
18	20	Joey Logano	The Home Depot Toyota
19	47	Bobby Labonte	Bush's Beans Toyota
20	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Target Chevrolet
21	83	Landon Cassill	Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota
22	14	Tony Stewart	MOBIL 1 / Office Depot Chevrolet
23	15	Clint Bowyer	5-hour Energy Toyota
24	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford EcoBoost Ford
25	98	Michael McDowell	Curb Records Ford
26	13	Casey Mears	GEICO Ford
27	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's Chevrolet
28	16	Greg Biffle	3M / GKAS Ford
29	93	Travis Kvapil	Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota
30	31	Jeff Burton	BB&T Chevrolet
31	27	Paul Menard	Menards / NIBCO Chevrolet
32	26	Josh Wise	Morristown Drivers Service Ford
33	10	David Reutimann	Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
34	30	David Stremme	Inception Motorsports Toyota
35	87	Joe Nemechek	AM/FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Toyota
36	95	Scott Speed	TWD Drywall Ford
37	1	Jamie McMurray	McDonald's Chevrolet
38	34	David Ragan	Front Row Motorsports Ford
39	19	Mike Bliss	Humphrey Smith Racing Toyota
40	33	Stephen Leicht	LittleJoesAutos.com / Link-Belt Chevrolet
41	38	David Gilliland	Long John Silver's Ford
42	32	Reed Sorenson	FAS Lane Racing Ford
43	74	Cole Whitt	Turn One Racing Chevrolet

Kyle Busch Blazes to Richmond Cup Win

Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/ Getty Images for NASCAR

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

Photo Credit: Drew Hallowell Getty Images for NASCAR

  

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

Top-10

 

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

 

 

Other Notables

 

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

Juan-Pablo Montoya Claims Richmond Pole

Photo Credit: John Harrelson/ Getty Images for NASCAR

Into the late stage of Friday afternoon qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway, Juan Pablo Montoya captured his 2nd pole position of 2011. Wheeling his Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing's #42 Chevrolet around the 0.75-mile short oval in 20.989 seconds, Montoya outpaced the Furniture Row #78 Chevy of Regan Smith by roughly 14/100ths of a second. On the second row is the Richard Childress Racing #33 of Clint Bowyer accompanied with the #4 Toyota of Kasey Kahne. Mark Martin in the #5 Chevrolet rounds out the top-5 for the 400-mile event.

The time trials for the CROWN ROYAL Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond was highly beneficial to Chevrolet teams. Five of the top-six qualifers for Saturday night's event were Chevrolet Impalas with the Red Bull Toyota of Kasey Kahne becoming the only non-General Motors team to break into the grouping. Chevrolet vehicles had dominated the Richmond short track from 2006 to 2008 until the recent success of Joe Gibbs Racing-fielded Toyota Camrys. For the past two spring races at Richmond International Raceway, Kyle Busch celebrated in victory lane. Busch will start 20th on Saturday night with his teammate Denny Hamlin starting 11th. Winning late summer events at the track in 2009 and 2010, Hamlin was also won the Friday night NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Richmond.

The CROWN ROYAL Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 starts at 7:30 pm Eastern time on Saturday night.



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

Qualifying Results
 

1. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
2. 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet
3. 33 Clint Bowyer BB&T Chevrolet
4. 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
5. 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
6. 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet
7. 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
8. 99 Carl Edwards Scotts eZ Seed Ford
9. 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota
10. 27 Paul Menard Libman / Menards Chevrolet
11. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Freight Toyota
12. 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet
13. 39 Ryan Newman U.S. Army Medicine Chevrolet
14. 47 Bobby Labonte Kingsford / Bush's Toyota
15. 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota
16. 30 David Stremme EchoStor Technologies Chevrolet
17. 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald's Chevrolet
18. 43 A J Allmendinger Nautica Ford
19. 00 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
20. 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Pretzel Toyota
21. 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
22. 66 Michael McDowell K Love Toyota
23. 23 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford
24. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard / AMP Energy Chevrolet
25. 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
26. 87 Joe Nemechek AM FM Energy.com Pellet & Wood Stoves
27. 27 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
28. 38 Travis Kvapil Long John Silver's Ford
29. 36 Dave Blaney Golden Corral Chevrolet
30. 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet
31. 14 Tony Stewart Mobil 1 / Office Depot Chevrolet
32. 60 Mike Skinner Big Red Toyota
33. 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
34. 09 Landon Cassill Security Benefit / Thank a Teacher Today 
35. 9 Marcos Ambrose DeWalt Ford
36. 22 Kurt Busch Shell / Pennzoil Dodge 
37. 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
38. 32 Ken Schrader H&B Railroad / FAS Lane Racing Ford
39. 34 David Gilliland Gander Mountain Ford
40. 46 J J Yeley Red Line Oil Chevrolet
41. 71 Andy Lally # Interstate Moving Services Ford
42. 7 Robby Gordon Fast Five / Speed Energy Dodge
43. 37 Tony Raines Front Row Motorsports Ford

  

Did Not Qualify: # 92 Brian Keselowski #.

Top-12 Entering 2010 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup

Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/ Getty Images for NASCAR

Top-12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Standings Leading into 10-Race Chase

Pos # | Driver   | Points | Bonus Points  | Points Pos Prior to Chase

1 Denny Hamlin   5060  | 95     | 9th
2 Jimmie Johnson 5050  | 120   | 5th
3 Kevin Harvick   5030  | 65    | 1st
4 Kyle Busch       5030  | 85     | 2nd
5 Kurt Busch       5020  |80      | 10th
6 Tony Stewart    5010  |80      | 6th
7 Greg Biffle        5010   |50     | 12th
8 Jeff Gordon      5000   |85     | 3rd
9 Carl Edwards   5000   |30     | 4th
10 Jeff Burton      5000  |65      | 7th
11 Matt Kenseth  5000   |30    | 8th
12 Clint Bowyer   5000  |55     | 12th

Winning Hamlin Headlines JGR Domination at Richmond

Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

26 Races into the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup series season, the stock car racing tour arrived in the state of Virginia to compete on the 0.75 mile Richmond International Raceway. Seeking not only a thrilling short-track battle amongst 43 cars, the Saturday night show for NASCAR's premier division would resolve who will make up the 12 drivers composing the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Compared the previous seasons, the fight for the Chase's 12th and final place spot was somewhat anti-climatic in 2010. Heading into Richmond, a 117-point gap separated Ryan Newman from Clint Bowyer and Jamie McMurray sat 14th back by 128 points. Qualifying 4th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup's Air Guard 400 at Richmond, Bowyer also heads into a track where he averages a finish of 10.22 for this Sprint Cup career.

However, the battle for point positions within the top-12 left several opportunities to shake up the Chase standings. An added incentive, drivers holding Chase qualifying spots held an opportunity to gain 10 bonus points in the Chase points by winning this Richmond race.

As night became to dawn on the Richmond International Raceway surface, the Air Guard 400 started with a pre-race ceremony vividly and somberly reminding of the September 11th terrorist attacks 9 years after just under 2,800 innocent lives were taken on the day. As the pre-race concluded, 43 cars started for the Saturday night event.
Upon the start of the Air Guard 400, the #99 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford of Carl Edwards took an early lead over the NASCAR Sprint Cup field. Looking strong early, Edwards led the first 47 laps before surrendering the position to the Hendrick Motorsports #48 Chevy of Jimmie Johnson on the 55th lap. As Johnson swept by Edwards, the #48 car stayed out front for just two laps before the race's first caution flag flew. The #00 Aaron's Toyota of David Reutimann was spun by Kurt Busch driving the #2 Dodge.
With the first yellow on the field, the pit crew shined for the first time. Despite a 13.4 second pit stop from Hendrick Motorsports' Lowes crew and a 13 second-flat time provide by the Richard Childress Racing crew for Clint Bowyer #33 Chevrolet, the race off the Richmond pit road was won by the #99 pit crew members. The Carl Edwards car pit efforts were aided by the Roush Fenway Racing receiving first choice of pit road stalls.

Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/ Getty Images

Pulling away on the restart on lap 59, Carl Edward's #99 Ford Fusion jumped to a healthy lead early in the run. However, the long green flag runs appeared to be the undoing for Edwards and the Roush Fenway Racing team. With Jimmie Johnson bypassing Edwards for 1st just prior to the first caution, Clint Bowyer took the lead away from Carl Edwards on lap 101. Bowyer led just a few circuits until the #11 Fed-Ex Toyota unseated the #33 Chevy from the top position. With his #99 Ford clearly not as fast on this second long, green flag run, Edward's car will eventually backslide to 9th place before lap 145.
The second caution followed on lap 146 when Terry Labonte's #55 Toyota suffered a tire failure. A likely consequence to the intense brake heat, the Air Guard 400 Sprint Cup race would result with only one more caution on lap 224 for rain tying a Richmond International Raceway record for fewest cautions in a NASCAR Sprint Cup event.
On the lap 154 restart, Johnson drove aggressively on Hamlin immediately. After a 1-lap battle, the #48 Chevy prevailed to lead. Another brief time out front of the Air Guard 400, Hamlin dived back for 1st place on turn 4 ending Jimmie Johnson's time out front which lasted just 2-laps. Thought Johnson's time ended with the 1st place battle, this spot was not a lock for Hamlin as the #33 Richard Childress Racing car of Clint Bowyer emerged to challenge the #11 Toyota. Bowyer and Hamlin see-sawed leading the race for a handful of laps prior to the halfway point.
Because of these long green flags making up 372 laps of the event, many team did not have opportunities to fix ill-handling race cars. Two of the cars which suffered badly in the Air Guard 400 race was the #88 AMP Energy Chevy of Dale Earnhardt Jr and the #16 Ford of Greg Biffle. Falling to the basement of the running order early, both cars left Richmond with terrible results. Four laps down, Greg Biffle come home 32rd while Dale Earnhardt Jr fell 5 laps behind to a 34th place result. Needless to say, both drivers and teams were not happy about those Saturday night runs.
Encountering the opposite situation was the #18 Toyota of Joe Gibbs Racing. Having started 32rd, the Kyle Busch wheeled race car surged to a 11th place by lap 136 and would break into the top-5 on the 161st lap. As the race endured, the #18 car of Joe Gibbs Racing arose eventually making a run for his teammate Denny Hamlin driving #11 Toyota comfortably in the lead on the Air Guard 400's final 50 laps.
Into the final 20 laps, Kyle Busch's pace had allowed him to close on Denny Hamlin through lapping traffic to the point the #18 was permitted to touch the #11 Toyota. Sadly through, the battle between the Joe Gibbs Racing cars were be short-lived as Kyle Busch lost pace with his teammate Hamlin. Admitting he no longer had the brakes and tires to keep up with Hamlin, Busch would easily hold on to the runner-up position.

At the checkered flag, Denny Hamlin won Air Guard 400 at Richmond International Raceway after leading 251 of the event's 400 laps. Hailing from nearby Chesterfield, Virginia, Hamlin repeated victory at the 0.75 mile oval's September event. With Kyle Busch's #18 Toyota following the #11 Toyota of Denny Hamlin across the line for a Joe Gibbs Racing 1-2 finish, the team's 3rd car, the #20 Home Depot Toyota, piloted by Joey Logano listed 4th on the night's final running order just behind the #48 Lowes Chevy of Jimmie Johnson.
Quietly running up front as the Chase consumed much of the race's focus, the Tasmanian driver Marcos Ambrose gave his #47 Toyota a 5th place finish on the night. Sixth through tenth in the Air Guard 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup lists Clint Bowyer, Juan Montoya, A.J. Allmendinger, Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards.

Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

With Clint Bowyer finishing 6th in the event, every driver who entered the race in the top-12 in points left as the contender for the 2010 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup. A benefit of 6 wins which included the just concluded Richmond Sprint Cup event, Hamlin was jumped to the lead of the 2010 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup heading into the 10-race play-off. As a harsh reality to the Chase's points realignment, Kevin Harvick sees his over 200-point lead evaporate. In fact, the Richard Childress Racing-owned #29 Chevrolet will start the Chase in 3rd place 30 points behind Hamlin.


NASCAR Sprint Cup
Richmond International Raceway
Air Guard 400
Race Results

Top-10

1) 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota
2) 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Toyota
3) 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet
4) 20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota
5) 47 Marcos Ambrose Kingsford/Kroger Toyota
6) 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
7) 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
8) 43 A J Allmendinger Insignia HDTV Ford
9) 29 Kevin Harvick Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet
10) 99 Carl Edwards Kellogg's/Cheez-It Ford
 
Other Notables
 
11) 39 Ryan Newman U.S. ARMY Chevrolet
12) 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont/National Guard Military Intelligence Chevrolet
13) 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
14) 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
16) 14 Tony Stewart Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet
18) 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge
29) 9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser Ford
32) 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford
34) 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet

Harvick Cruises to Richmond Nationwide Series Win

Photo Credit: Pool

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(September 10, 2010)
RICHMOND, Va.—Polesitter Kevin Harvick held off Nationwide Series points leader Brad Keselowski during a 40-lap run to the finish to win Friday night's Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Raceway.
In the first race at Richmond and third overall with NASCAR's new Nationwide car, Harvick crossed the finish line .256 seconds ahead of Keselowski, who extended his championship lead to 373 points, over Carl Edwards, who ran 10th. Trevor Bayne finished third, tying his career best. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. came home fourth, followed by Reed Sorenson.
The victory was Harvick's third of the season and 37th of his career, third all-time in the series. The owner/driver for Kevin Harvick Inc. led 170 of the 250 laps and was elated with the progress his No. 33 team had made with the new car.
"This is the future of our company, so we put a lot of effort into this program, knowing that all the other cars were going to go away, and knowing that we had to be good with this car," said Harvick, who gets his new chassis from Richard Childress Racing and his power from Earnhardt-Childress engines.
"RCR's been a big part of this as well, with the engines, the chassis and the engineering. Everybody's been working together. It's easy when you get started in the right direction to keep it going that way."
Keselowski likewise was pleased with his No. 22 Dodge team's progress with the new car, which is being phased in this year—with plans for full-time use in 2011.

"I was just glad that we were able to work on the car and make it better," Keselowski said. "That's been one of our larger struggles all year with this particular chassis. So I'm glad that we were able to do that—just a real good show for the new car on the short tracks.

"I think that's something to be proud of for the series. I think we can continue to work and make things better, but this was a great start."

Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard, Kyle Busch and Edwards completed the top 10. A snafu in the pits cost Busch a chance for a record 11th win this season. Under caution on Lap 205, the quick-fill nozzle on one of Busch's fuel cans broke off and remained attached to the car as Busch left pit road.

Penalized for taking equipment from the pits, Busch restarted 21st on Lap 211 and worked his way up to ninth before the race ended.

Kyle Busch Wins Richmond Cup Race; Denies Jeff Gordon Trophy in Final Laps

Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

As a NASCAR short track event, the Richmond event was a very tame affair with only two drivers, Sam Hornish Jr and Joe Nemechek, recorded as out because of accidents. 12 lead changes throughout the 400 lap distance also meant long periods of a single driver setting the pace. From pole position, Kyle Busch led the first 143 laps of the event until the #24 car of Jeff Gordon briefly snatched the top spot for a 4 laps. Busch quickly retook the 1st place position for an additional 28 laps. Overall, Kyle Busch's #18 M&Ms Toyota remained in front the lion's share of the Crown Royal Presents the Heath Calhoun 400 leading 226 laps.

On lap 199 Dale Earnhardt Jr's #88 Chevrolet was sideswiped the #98 Ford of Paul Menard causing the Hendrick Motorsports car to suffer a cut tire. Having a mediocre run in the early stages of the Crown Royal Presents the Heath Calhoun 400, the Hendrick Motorsports #88 car was dropped 2 laps off the lead as he was forced to pit under green flag condition. Based on the distance lost and the uneventful nature of the mid-stage of the Richmond race, Earnhardt never recovered and finished 32th place. With NASCAR conceding to changing the current spec Sprint Cup car by reverting back to the spoiler, it's surprising that the razor blade-like front splitter remains on the vehicle.

Hitting a lead stride during the second half of the event, Jeff Gordon rested in control of the Richmond short track uninterrupted from lap 273 for 123 circuits. Gordon led within a long 196 lap long under green flag run which was disturbed on lap 368 by the #19 of Elliott Sadler spinning on the frontstretch.

Within the last 50 laps distance of the 400 lap event, a rather sparse field of stock cars was condensed by three cautions periods. This closure allowed the field to finally mount a challenge on the Dupont #24 Chevrolet. On the first one of these late race restarts, Gordon launched perfectly as than 2nd place Jeff Burton in the #31 Chevrolet was unable to hold the runner-up spot to the challenge of Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch.

When caution came out 12 laps after the restart for Sam Hornish Jr and David Ragan spinning into turn 2, Kevin Harvick held second place over Kyle Busch with Jeff Gordon still leading. Going for his first victory since the Texas Motor Speedway race in 2009, Gordon again showed performed another powerful take-off to leave the #29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet behind to duel with the hungry Kyle Busch. With 14 laps left in the race, Kyle Busch gained the upper hand on Kevin Harvick taking the second place spot just before caution fell for the 7th and final time in the races when Sam Hornish Jr's #77 Dodge slid hard into the backstretch wall. The caution ultimate setup a 5-lap shootout between the lead car of Jeff Gordon and the ultra-fast Kyle Busch.

Lane choice turned out the be a final deciding factor as Jeff Gordon elected to stay on the inside for the restart. The restart was a dead heat as both Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch read the green flag perfectly. Heading into turn 1, Kyle Busch on the outside was able to maximize his roll through the corner as an advantage over the #24 car. With four laps remaining, Busch regained the 1st place position for the final time as he took victory for the second year in a row in the spring race at Richmond International Raceway.



Photo Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images

Jeff Gordon finished second for his highest placement in a 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Losing in the late laps of Las Vegas and Martinsville rounds prior to the Richmond International Raceway race, Gordon and the #24 Dupont Chevrolet looks at this race as being another missed opportunity to celebrate in victory lane this year.

In 3rd, Kevin Harvick mounted a strong enough run to unseat the #48 Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson from the lead in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points standings. In contrast to several races this season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series where Kevin Harvick overcame deficits of unremarkable qualifying runs, Harvick in the #29 Chevrolet remained in the front since the start of the race. In retaking the points lead, Harvick now stands 10 points ahead of Johnson heading into Darlington next Saturday night.



Crown Royal Presents the Heath Calhoun 400
NASCAR Sprint Cup
Final Results

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

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

Kyle Busch Will Lead NASCAR Sprint Cup Field at Richmond

Photo Credit: Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

Race Preview: 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Heath Calhoun 400 at Richmond International Raceway

Crown Royal Presents the Heath Calhoun 400 at Richmond International Raceway

Track Length: 0.75 Mile
Highest Banking: 14 Degrees
Listed Race Distance/Actual Race Distance: 300 miles
Laps: 400
Previous NASCAR Sprint Cup Events Held: 107 races

2009 Pole Winner: Brian Vickers
2009 Race Winner: Kyle Busch


Lead Changes in Past 5 Spring Richmond International Raceway Races

2009: 21
2008: 4
2007: 24
2006: 12
2005: 21


Cautions in Past 5 Spring Richmond International Raceway Races

2009: 15
2008: 11
2007: 14
2006: 11
2005: 9


Top 5 Lap Leaders In Last 10 Races

1. Denny Hamlin 899
2. Kevin Harvick 679
3. Jeff Gordon 504
4. Kyle Busch 398
5. Kasey Kahne 249


Top 5 Average Finishers In Last 10 Races

1. Kyle Busch 6.0
2. Tony Stewart 6.8
3. Denny Hamlin 8.5
4. Kevin Harvick 9.1
5. Mark Martin 9.9


Wins at Car Make In Last 10 Races

Chevrolet: 6
Dodge: 1
Ford: 1
Toyota: 2


Cars Entered for 2010 Crown Royal Presents the Heath Calhoun 400: 46