Happy Easter!

Skirts and Scuffs wishes all our contributors, readers and their families a Happy Easter. In addition to the chocolate bunnies and other candy, we hope the Easter Bunny left some chocolate racecars in your baskets!

 

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Kyle Busch at Nashville

Truck: Busch led 131 of 150 laps and took the checkered flag for the first time in his own Kyle Busch Motorsports equipment. Constantly at the front of the pack, he beat Kevin Harvick to get his second guitar in Nashville.

Nationwide: Busch started fourth at the race he is defending and won in his truck yesterday. Throughout the first half of the race, he complained about his car and did not lead any laps. After the red flag was lifted on lap 121, Busch was seventh. He doubled his placement by lap 137 on the next restart after the next caution, starting 14th. Seven laps later he was in fourth. With 50 laps left and fuel and pit strategy talk flying around, Busch was in third. The guys in the broadcast booth predicted if the race stayed green, he would be the only one who could make it all the way. When Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano pitted under green to get fuel and new tires, Busch took over the lead. He fell back to second after a caution on lap 191. At the checkered flag, Busch took third place.

This article originally published at examiner.com and republished with permission of the author.

Photo courtesy of nascarmedia.com

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Harvick wins at Nashville with two-tire stop

 

LEBANON, Tenn. — Kevin Harvick found out that two tires were enough as he outlasted cars with four fresh tires over the final 35 green-flag laps as he captured the NASCAR Nationwide Series' Nashville 300 on Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway.

Harvick won for the second time this year and the 36th time in his career. He also picked up a $25,000 bonus for winning the first of Nationwide's four "Dash 4 Cash" races this season.

"I knew we had 25-30 laps to hold them off and (the car) got tighter than we would have wanted it to," said Harvick, who was competing at the track for the first time in four years and took home his second guitar trophy from Nashville.

"But we had the track position and it worked out. … It was definitely fun. It's a lot more fun when you win."

The driver/owner beat Reed Sorenson by 0.199 seconds with Kyle Busch finishing third, Justin Allgaier in fourth and Brad Keselowski in fifth.

"We were a little bit better than (Harvick) the whole time and I was catching him," Sorenson said. "When we got caught in lapped traffic, he was able to hold his own through a couple of those corners. At the end, I was catching him. We needed about five more laps to get to him."

Joey Logano, who led 122 of the 250 laps, and Keselowski were the only two lead-lap cars not to pit when the caution came out with 82 laps remaining. Both had to pit later under green, lost a lap and then the caution came out with 38 laps remaining, leaving Keselowski 18th and Logano 19th on the restart with 35 remaining.

Logano got stalled on the inside lane on that restart and ended up eighth.

"We had a winning car," Logano said. "There's no reason why we couldn't have won. We gave it away."

The accident where Logano and Keselowski stayed out wasn't really an accident—Jason Leffler tagged James Buescher in retaliation for an incident earlier in the race when Buescher got loose underneath Leffler, turning Leffler into the outside wall.

NASCAR parked Leffler for the remainder of the race.

It was at that time that Harvick decided to pit. He took four tires and was about a dozen laps short on fuel, as he went into a fuel-conservation mode in case the race went green the rest of the way. Because he hadn't been pushing his car, he made the decision for two tires when the caution came out with 38 laps left.

"I really thought a lot more people would put two tires on because the tires really  didn't fall off that much," Harvick said. "Ours didn't fall off that much. I hate putting two tires on. Tonight, we put two tires on and it worked out for us. … Track position was more important than the handling of the car."

Carl Edwards, who finished sixth, retained the points lead, 16 points ahead of Brad Keselowski and 21 points ahead of Keselowski's Penske Racing teammate, Justin Allgaier.

 

FINAL RESULTS – NASHVILLE 300

1. Kevin Harvick    
2. Reed Sorenson    
3. Kyle Busch    
4. Justin Allgaier    
5. Brad Keselowski    
6. Carl Edwards    
7. Scott Wimmer    
8. Joey Logano
9. Michael Annett    
10. Brendan Gaughan    
11. Paul Menard    
12. Trevor Bayne    
13. Johnny Sauter    
14. Kelly Bires    
15. Brian Scott *    
16. Shelby Howard    
17. Mike Wallace    
18. John Wes Townley    
19. Scott Riggs    
20. Josh Wise    
21. Scott Lagasse Jr.    
22. Jeremy Clements    
23. Robert Richardson Jr.    
24. Brian Keselowski    
25. Kenny Wallace    
26. Derrike Cope
27. Mike Bliss     Chevrolet   
28. Joe Nemechek    
29. Eric McClure    
30. Colin Braun *    
31. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. *    
32. Tony Raines    
33. Mikey Kile    
34. James Buescher *    
35. Willie Allen    
36. Steve Wallace    
37. Michael McDowell    
38. Jason Keller    
39. Jason Leffler    
40. Morgan Shepherd    
41. Mark Green        
42. Kevin Lepage    
43. Danny O'Quinn Jr.

*Rookie

Text and photos from NASCAR Media

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Kyle Busch Motorsports Earns First Victory with Driver-Owner Behind the Wheel

LEBANON, Tenn. — Kyle Busch delivered a smashing performance Friday night in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' Nashville 200 at Nashville Superspeedway.

He just didn't deliver a smashing celebration.

Busch, who started from the pole position, led 131 of the 150 laps around the 1.33-mile concrete oval and cruised to a victory by 0.426 seconds over Kevin Harvick.

The victory was the first in the Camping World Truck Series and first NASCAR national touring series victory for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Busch turned his Late Model team into a truck team after the 2009 season, and it took only four truck races for Busch to find victory lane in his own equipment.

"It's a big deal," Busch said. "It's always nice to win anytime you're in anybody's stuff. But especially in your own, it seems to sit a lot better within yourself. This is a big deal that we've taken on this year and (my fiancée) Samantha being a part of that, too.

"There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears this winter put into this deal. … I'm very proud of everybody and the way they've worked so hard this year."


A change in teams also included a change in celebrations for Busch, who smashed the Gibson guitar that serves as Nashville's trophy last June after winning a Nationwide Series race. The act—which Busch said wasn't meant as a sign of disrespect to the track nor artist Sam Bass, who painted the guitar—created a stir for a driver who already battles his share of controversy.

This time, Busch just held the guitar over his head as he celebrated his 17th victory in 72 career starts in the series. It was the first time Busch had raced a truck at Nashville and the first time he won in a truck owned by someone other than Billy Ballew.


"I gave the guitar to Sam and told Sam if he wanted to do any damage to my truck, he could have at it," Busch said. "But he didn't. It's all good."

Following Busch and Harvick across the finish line were Ron Hornaday, Harvick's teammate, then Timothy Peters and Todd Bodine. In a race that had only two cautions, only eight drivers finished on the lead lap, with Matt Crafton in sixth, Mike Skinner in seventh and Aric Almirola in eighth.

"It's good that (Busch) won," Harvick said. "Obviously they put a lot of effort into it. He's going to win, whether it's his truck or Billy Ballew's truck. … It was just a matter of time before they won."

Peters leads the points by 82 over Almirola and 93 over Bodine.

The truck series has a month off before racing May 2 at Kansas Speedway.

FINAL RESULTS: NASHVILLE 200

1. Kyle Busch
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Ron Hornaday Jr.
4. Timothy Peters
5. Todd Bodine
6. Matt Crafton
7. Mike Skinner
8. Aric Almirola
9. Stacy Compton
10. Rick Crawford
11. Johnny Sauter
12. Steve Wallace
13. James Buescher
14. Austin Dillon
15. Ricky Carmichael
16. David Starr
17. Tayler Malsam
18. Brad Keselowski
19. Jason White
20. Justin Lofton
21. Mario Goddelin
22. Donny Lia
23. Dillon Oliver
24. Chris Eggleston
25. Jennifer Jo Cobb
26. Dennis Setzer
27. Ryan Seig
28. Chris Fontaine
29. Willie Allen
30. Brian Johnson Jr.
31. Norm Benning
32. Brett Butler
33. Tim Bainey Jr.
34. Brent Raymer
35. Shane Seig
36. GR Smith

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Logano on Pole for Nationwide Race at Nashville

No Cup race this weekend! Guess we will have to settle for some Nationwide action today. Don’t forget that today’s race is the first of 4 in the Nationwide Dash 4 Cash Sweepstakes!

Here’s your starting lineup.

1. Joey Logano
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Justin Allgaier
4. Carl Edwards
5. Brad Keselowski
6. Kyle Busch
7. Colin Braun
8. Scott Lagasee Jr.
9. Steve Wallace
10. Trevor Bayne
11. John Wes Townley
12. Michael Annett
13. Brian Scott
14. Josh Wise
15. Reed Sorenson
16. Paul Menard
17. Scott Wimmer
18. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
19. Willie Allen
20. Brendan Gaughan
21. Shelby Howard
22. Kelly Bires
23. Jason Leffler
24. Brian Keselowski
25. Joe Nemechek
26. Kevin Lepage
27. Michael McDowell
28. Derrike Cope
29. Scott Riggs
30. Mark Green
31. Morgan Shepherd
32. Tony Raines
33. Jason Keller
34. Mike Wallace
35. Danny O’Quinn Jr.
36. James Buescher
37. Kenny Wallace
38. Eric McClure
39. Andy Ponstein
40. Mike Bliss.

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Showtime Networks named title sponsor for Southern 500 at Darlington

SHOWTIME SOUTHERN 500 — NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES RACE
Saturday, May 8, 2010 at Darlington, S.C.

NEW YORK (April 1, 2010) – Showtime Networks Inc. announced a deal with Darlington Raceway to be named the official title sponsor of the Southern 500, becoming one of the only television networks ever to title sponsor a NASCAR event.

The newly branded SHOWTIME Southern 500® is one of the most exciting and anticipated races on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit.  

The title sponsorship builds on the premium television network’s recent entry into NASCAR. In February, SHOWTIME premiered Inside NASCAR, premium television’s first weekly highlights and analysis show dedicated to auto racing. The network committed 38, one-hour episodes of Inside NASCAR on SHOWTIME (weekly premiere on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT) featuring exclusive narrated highlights and in-depth analysis of every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race this season.

“The NASCAR fan is a deeply loyal and passionate one,” said Ken Hershman, executive vice president and general manager of SHOWTIME Sports. “With the launch of the Inside NASCAR series, we were looking to connect with the fans in a meaningful and emotional way, and to affirm our commitment to the NASCAR family. Sponsoring a race at an historic track like Darlington Raceway, one that has hosted all the legends in the sport, was the perfect fit.”

“We are very excited to partner with a company as well known as Showtime,” said Darlington Raceway President Chris Browning. “The timing of this announcement could not be better with the recent launch of their new program Inside NASCAR. From the start, Showtime recognized the value in the Darlington Raceway brand and the significant role the track has played in the history of NASCAR, which we believe makes Darlington the perfect partnership for Showtime.”

As part of the title sponsorship, Showtime has activated a range of marketing and promotional initiatives including a robust presence on the grounds at Darlington Raceway for the Mother’s Day weekend event and the launch of the SHOWTIME Southern 500 Experience Sweepstakes. 

The sweepstakes Grand Prize (http://sports.sho.com/500sweeps to enter) is a VIP trip for two to the SHOWTIME Southern 500 with round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations, VIP access at Darlington Raceway, two Hot Passes, an opportunity to meet and greet the Inside NASCAR talent and access to the SHOWTIME infield suite.

The Grand Prize winner will also be part of the SHOWTIME Southern 500 Gatorade Victory Lane celebration and will be presented with a replica of the coveted SHOWTIME Southern 500 Trophy.
The SHOWTIME Southern 500 Experience sweepstakes launched on Tuesday, March 30, and has an entry deadline of April 23. The Grand Prize winner will be announced on the April 28 edition of Inside NASCAR.

You can keep up with all of the latest news from Darlington Raceway at DarlingtonRaceway.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DarlingtonRaceway and on Twitter at Twitter.com/TooToughToTame.

Don’t miss any of the paint-scraping action at Darlington Raceway in 2010. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series will visit the track on Mother’s Day Weekend, May 7-8, for the SHOWTIME Southern 500® and Darlington 200. The Camping World Truck Series will make its return to Darlington Raceway for first time since 2004 on Aug. 14 for the Too Tough to Tame 200.

Tickets for all three events are on-sale now. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Darlington Raceway ticket office at 866-459-RACE or online at http://www.darlingtonraceway.com/tickets/.

Release courtesy of Darlington Raceway

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Pick Up Your Copy of New Biography of Bill France Jr.

Former NASCAR president, chairman and CEO William Clifton France — known to most people as Bill France Jr. — is remembered and revered as the man who followed his visionary father at the helm of NASCAR. Over the course of his storied career, France became the type of bold leader necessary to guide NASCAR to become the monster sports business it is today. For his leadership, France will be recognized on May 23 with his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Bill Jr. grew up during the formative years of stock car racing, living and learning every detail of the sport from his own experiences and those of his father, NASCAR founder William Henry Getty France, who was known as Bill Sr. or “Big Bill.” In the new biography Bill France Jr.: The Man Who Made NASCAR, author H.A. Branham examines his extraordinary life, including:

• France’s role in NASCAR’s early years prior to taking over his father’s position

• His ascension to the presidency of NASCAR

• NASCAR’s explosion in popularity during his time at the helm

• His courageous battle with cancer throughout the last decade of his life.

• His final role as vice chairman and main adviser to his son, Chairman/CEO Brian France

Bill France Jr. combined pragmatism with optimism, an approach that resulted in a calculated and adventurous road to success for NASCAR. He is remembered as being a colorful character and a tough-as-nails leader with a heart of gold who was known for being both endearing and intimidating.

“Keep moving or else you’ll get passed up.” was France’s philosophy, but it ran concurrent with the old axiom that you can’t really know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been. Bill France Jr.: The Man Who Made NASCAR will help to ensure that no one ever forgets the legacy of this legendary visionary who guided the sport to unprecedented levels of popularity.

About the author: H.A. Branham is NASCAR’s director of written communications and has been with the sanctioning body since 2001. Prior to that, he was an assistant sports editor at the Tampa (Florida) Tribune where he worked for 21 years. Branham has authored three previous books, including two NASCAR history works: The NASCAR Vault and The NASCAR Family Album. A 1979 graduate of the University of South Florida, Branham resides in Ormond Beach, Fla. He and his wife, Catherine, have four children.

About the NASCAR Library Collection

A division of NASCAR’s overall licensing operation in its Charlotte office, NASCAR Publishing oversees more than 25 licensed publishing partners. Since 2004 more than 200 titles have been published under the NASCAR Library Collection. This publishing brand, used on all licensed books, provides a level of authentication and quality. Representing a range of books as diverse and varied as the NASCAR fan base, the NASCAR Library Collection captures the NASCAR lifestyle from all angles. The NASCAR Library Collection includes books in a number of categories, including drivers and personalities, cookbooks, history, children, fiction and romance, and statistics, facts and reference. NASCAR Library Collection titles can be found in an array of retail outlets, including mass market, bookstores, NASCAR.com Superstore, specialty and more.

Release via NASCARMedia

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