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Sunday, July 4, 2010

Harvick wins Daytona thriller (NSCS - Coke Zero 400)

11:52 AM Daytona, Kevin Harvick, Press Releases, Race Results, Scoring No comments

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. (July 3, 2010) - It was a wild one Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway – so wild you had to wonder whether there were going to be any cars running at the finish.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings leader Kevin Harvick won the last race on the track’s current pavement after running up front all night. He managed to dodge the on-track fireworks that littered the Coke Zero 400 Presented by Coca-Cola from start to finish, a race that set a new event record with 18 different leaders and may spark conversation for years.

The 2.5-mile Daytona track is scheduled for repaving beginning immediately, but the old worn-out asphalt went out with a bang that left more than half the field beat-up and battered.

The stage for a green-white-checkered finish was set with one lap to go when two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Sam Hornish Jr. lost control of his Dodge and clipped teammate Kurt Busch, causing a lot of damage to both cars.

Harvick’s teammate, Clint Bowyer, was leading on the restart but got tangled up down the backstretch and spun out of contention. It was a tough, tough break for Bowyer, who had appeared to be heading for his first Daytona victory.

Kasey Kahne finished second and Jeff Gordon third behind Harvick. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was fourth after running poorly most of the night. Jeff Burton was fifth after being involved in a multi-car crash that red-flagged the race for 19:34. More than 20 cars were involved in this accident, which had debris scattered for more than half-a-mile on the track. In fact, many of the frontrunners in the race were eliminated, including Juan Pablo Montoya, Tony Stewart, four-time champion Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Newman and others.

An earlier accident with less than 60 laps remaining knocked another contender out of the race. Kyle Busch was leading when he drifted up across the nose of Montoya, turning Busch's Toyota into the outside wall and ending his chances.

The fact that Earnhardt finished fourth was testament to the fact that many of the fast cars were damaged in the huge wreck.

Carl Edwards finished sixth, followed by Kurt Busch, whose Dodge looked like a candidate for the junkyard. Busch was involved in several of the accidents.

Rounding out the top 10 were Reed Sorensen, Mike Bliss and Scott Speed.

The cars roared to life after a 90-minute rain delay. Johnson, Harvick and Kyle Busch led before a 15-lap competition caution allowed crews to check tire wear. Two cars were already back in the garage, those of Dave Blaney and Max Pappis.

When racing resumed, Harvick and Biffle were up front, followed by the Busch brothers. Harvick and Kyle Busch barreled to the front a couple laps later. At 30 laps, Harvick still led with Busch in tow. Sadler was third, followed by Truex, Keselowski, Burton, Kurt Busch, Biffle, Johnson and Reutimann. Truex led briefly before Kyle Busch took over. Sadler then led but Kyle Busch made an unscheduled stop with a wheel problem.

Drivers were swapping the lead so fast it was hard to keep up with the changes. Kurt Busch led a few laps, then Harvick took over again with Hornish giving him the shove to the front.

By Lap 32, Busch was leading again. Reutimann had raced into second place. Hornish led Lap 42 before Sadler went back to the front. Drivers were racing every lap like it was the final lap and the crowd of close to 100,000 loved every minute of it. Johnson pitted on Lap 48 with a tire problem. Hornish had taken the lead at 50 laps from Sadler. Montoya had moved from 22nd to third and Kurt Busch was close behind. Gordon was next and Reutimann was sixth. Burton was next.

A debris caution fell on Lap 58. When the green flag waved again on Lap 63, it was Montoya out front followed by Gordon, Sorensen, Keselowski, Sadler, Hornish, McMurray, Reutimann, Truex and Newman, who was cracking the top 10 for the first time in the race.

AJ Allmendinger brought out another caution on Lap 67 when he spun off Turn 4 in the short chute and hit the inside wall.

On the 70th lap restart, Gordon led with Keselowski on the outside. One lap later, Keselowski took the lead with Gordon challenging and Gordon went by half-a-lap later. Montoya moved into second. A lap later, Montoya led and then Hamlin charged out front after starting in the back of the pack.

At the halfway point of 80 laps, Hornish led with a gaggle of chargers right behind. Kenseth had moved to second with Johnson third. Rounding out the top 12 were McMurray, Hamlin, Montoya, Gordon, Kyle Busch, Reutimann, Burton, Kurt Busch and Edwards.

Harvick's win marks his second of the season and back-to-back restrictor plate victories (he won at Talladega in April).

Coke Zero 400 results:

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Kasey Kahne
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
5. Jeff Burton
6. Carl Edwards
7. Kurt Busch
8. Reed Sorenson
9. Mike Bliss
10. Scott Speed
11. David Reutimann
12. Robby Gordon
13. Steve Park
14. Kevin Conway
15. Matt Kenseth
16. Bobby Labonte
17. Clint Bowyer
18. Paul Menard
19. J.J. Yeley
20. Greg Biffle
21. Sam Hornish Jr.
22. Elliott Sadler
23. Robert Richardson Jr.
24. Denny Hamlin
25. Tony Stewart
26. Ryan Newman
27. Juan Montoya
28. Mark Martin
29. Joey Logano
30. Brad Keselowski
31. Jimmie Johnson
32. Marcos Ambrose
33. Regan Smith
34. Travis Kvapil
35. Martin Truex Jr.
36. A.J. Allmendinger
37. David Stremme
38. David Ragan
39. Jamie McMurray
40. Kyle Busch
41. Joe Nemechek
42. Max Papis
43. Dave Blaney

PHOTOS FROM NASCAR MEDIA

Busch pounces on Johnson's mistake, gets second win of weekend

11:00 PM Dover International Speedway, Kyle Busch, Race Results, Scoring, Sprint Cup No comments

Confetti rains on Kyle Busch in Victory Lane after he wins the NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International
Speedway on Sunday. (Jason Smith / Getty Images for NASCAR)

Busch wins 2 out of 3 events at Dover

Special to the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

DOVER, Del. — Kyle Busch took advantage of a rare mistake by four-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson to pull away for an easy win Sunday in the Autism Speaks 400 presented by HERSHEY'S Milk & Milkshakes at Dover International Speedway.

It was his second win of the weekend. Busch also won the Heluva Good! 200 Nationwide Series race in dominating fashion.

Busch, 25, a champion in waiting, and Johnson, a proven one, waged quite a battle on the high-banked, 1-mile track, the lead see-sawing back and forth between the two each time the race resumed following five caution periods and assorted green-flag stops.

Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson battle
on track. (Todd Warshaw / Getty Images)

But when Johnson was flagged for speeding while exiting the pits during a round of green-flag stops on Lap 363 and forced to return to pit road to serve a drive-through penalty, the battle was effectively over.

By the time Johnson returned to the track, he was one lap down. And Busch was long gone.

“We snookered him on that one,” Busch told his crew as he streaked past the finish line. “He saw us coming, and he sped.”

Pitting closer to the entrance to pit road, Johnson had completed his stop and was making his way back onto the track when Busch shot out of his pit box alongside him.

Johnson said he didn’t speed up to beat Busch back onto the track but was penalized for speeding before reaching Busch’s pit stall.

“Yeah, I guess I got busted in the segment just leaving, or after, our pit box, the very next one,” Johnson said. “So what I can take from this is that I got a much better launch out of my pit box than I
did on other pit stops and then was speeding in that given area.

“At the end (of pit road), I wasn’t busted. I knew Kyle had me beat when I saw the jack drop for him and he was easing away from me. And I kind of gave up at that point on racing him off of pit road because I knew we needed to be single file on the apron.”

Jeff Burton finished second by 7.551 seconds. Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and David Reutimann completed the top five.

Jeff Burton finished second and Matt Kenseth in third. Both drivers
lead laps,Burton for one, Kenseth for 15. (Nick Laham / Getty Images)

There were eight race leaders, but once Kasey Kahne faltered—bitten by a broken gear-shifter early in the race—the battle for the win was between Busch and Johnson.

“I think the race off pit road really won it for us,” Busch said, noting that he didn’t know if Johnson sped in an attempt to beat him back onto the track, “but that’s what I’m going with.

“I wouldn’t say that we psyched Jimmie out. I mean, he’s won four championships so he’s pretty much been through all the head games in this world.

“But … it kind of turned our way today. Unfortunately for those guys … they got busted for speeding and we weren’t able to beat them outright and race them around to the end of the race the last 30 laps.

“But I feel like our car was at least good enough where we could at least challenge them for it, and I’m going to go out on a limb and say that we could have beat him today, with or without the penalty. But he had a fast racecar all day. It was a fun battle there racing him through the last … 100 laps or so.”

Kyle Busch crosses the finish line to get his second win of the
weekend at Dover and second NASCAR Sprint Cup win
of the season.(Todd Warshaw / Getty Images)

Busch led six times for 131 laps, and the win moved him to second in the point standings. He trails points leader Kevin Harvick, who finished seventh, by 69 points.

Johnson led eight times for 225 laps. His 16th-place finish, however, dropped him two spots to fourth, in the standings.

Austism Speaks 400 presented by Hershey's Milk & Milkshakes results:

1. Kyle Busch
2. Jeff Burton
3. Matt Kenseth
4. Denny Hamlin
5. David Reutimann
6. Greg Biffle
7. Kevin Harvick
8. Carl Edwards
9. Tony Stewart
10. Joey Logano
11. Jeff Gordon
12. Martin Truex Jr.
13. Ryan Newman
14. A.J. Allmendinger
15. Mark Martin
16. Jimmie Johnson
17. Clint Bowyer
18. Brad Keselowski
19. Kurt Busch
20. Kasey Kahne
21. Paul Menard
22. Casey Mears
23. Scott Speed
24. Regan Smith
25. David Gilliland
26. David Ragan
27. David Stremme
28. Elliott Sadler
29. Travis Kvapil
30. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
31. Robby Gordon
32. Jamie McMurray
33. Kevin Conway *
34. Sam Hornish Jr.
35. Juan Montoya
36. Marcos Ambrose
37. J.J. Yeley
38. Joe Nemechek
39. Bobby Labonte
40. Mike Bliss
41. Dave Blaney
42. Michael McDowell
43. Johnny Sauter

Busch’s Heluva Good! performance earns him Nationwide win

10:00 PM Dover International Speedway, Kyle Busch, Nationwide Series, Race Results, Scoring No comments

Kyle Busch takes his traditional bow after winning the Nationwide Series
Heluva Good! 200 at Dover International Speedway on Saturday.

By Lee Montgomery
Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

DOVER, Del.—Kyle Busch’s dominant victory in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Heluva Good! 200 at Dover International Speedway was punctuated by a late-race dust-up between Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer – one that sent Bowyer to the garage and the NASCAR Nationwide Series hauler.

Busch scored his fourth series victory of the season and 34th of his career by leading all but 14 of 205 laps as the race ended with a green-white-checkered finish. He never was truly challenged and pulled away from the field on the final restart.

Toyotas driven by Kyle Busch, who started from the pole,
and Denny Hamlin lead the field to the green flag to start
the Heluva Good! 200. (Todd Warshaw / Getty Images)

"This is just another product of Joe Gibbs Racing and all the guys that work so hard," said Busch, who won from the pole at Dover. "Everybody at the shop does a great job for us. The preparation was there. When we unloaded, we unloaded good. We just tweaked on it. That's what it takes."

As Busch celebrated in Victory Lane, Bowyer was waiting in the Nationwide hauler to meet with NASCAR officials. On the next-to-last restart, Hamlin punted Bowyer out of second place as the green flag waved. The fracas triggered a nine-car accident and an 11-minute, 43-second red flag.

Following a restart on lap 200, Denny Hamlin gets into Clint Bowyer
to ignite a chain-reaction that caught up nine cars and
brought out the red flag. (Nick Laham / Getty Images)

After the red was lifted, Bowyer drove from pit road and slammed into the side of Hamlin's car, causing it to spin. NASCAR immediately parked Bowyer and sent him to the garage.

"(Our team has) had a frustrating year, bringing home a lot of torn-up racecars," said Bowyer, who replaced John Wes Townley in Richard Childress Racing's No. 21 six races ago. "It is what it is. I don't have a beef with Denny. We'll be fine. I got one taken from me. Just a little payback."

Hamlin has been involved in NASCAR Nationwide controversy at Dover before, getting together with Brad Keselowski last year. But this time, his reaction was more calm.

"It just didn't have the speed that those guys did, but we tried to make something happen on the restart and got the 21 and the 38 (of Kasey Kahne) there," Hamlin said of his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. "A lot of times when that happens you kind of expect retaliation."

Race winner Kyle Busch gives a thumbs up to fans and crew members on pit
road after his Heluva Good! 200 win. (Jeff Zelevansky / Getty Images for NASCAR)

Ryan Newman drove through the crash and finished second to Busch, with Jamie McMurray third.

Reed Sorenson was fourth, followed by Braun Racing teammate Jason Leffler.

Kevin Harvick was sixth. Brad Keselowski finished seventh to hold on to the points lead by 11 over Busch. Greg Biffle was eighth, with rookies Brian Scott and Colin Braun rounding out the top 10.

Heluva Good! 200 results:

1. Kyle Busch
2. Ryan Newman
3. Jamie McMurray
4. Reed Sorenson
5. Jason Leffler
6. Kevin Harvick
7. Brad Keselowski
8. Greg Biffle
9. Brian Scott *
10. Colin Braun *
11. Carl Edwards
12. Denny Hamlin
13. Brendan Gaughan
14. Steve Wallace
15. Michael Annett
16. Justin Allgaier
17. Tony Raines
18. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. *
19. Scott Lagasse Jr.
20. Landon Cassill
21. Kenny Wallace
22. Mike Bliss
23. Willie Allen
24. Eric McClure
25. Clint Bowyer
26. Joe Nemechek
27. Kasey Kahne
28. Paul Menard
29. Trevor Bayne
30. Michael McDowell
31. Mark Green
32. Chad McCumbee
33. Jason Keller
34. Mike Wallace
35. Robert Richardson Jr.
36. Josh Wise
37. Morgan Shepherd
38. Kevin Lepage
39. Johnny Chapman
40. Chase Miller
41. Kevin Hamlin
42. Brian Keselowski
43. David Gilliland

*Rookie

Truex captures pole for Autism Speaks 400

2:48 PM Dover International Speedway, Martin Treux Jr., Qualifying, Scoring No comments

Martin Truex Jr. won the pole position for Sunday's Autism Speaks 400 presented by Hershey's Milk and Milkshakes at Dover International Speedway. This is his first pole with Michael Waltrip Racing.

Truex ran the fastest lap of 157.315 mph, 22.884 seconds in Friday's qualifying session. This is his fifth Sprint Cup Series pole and his first at Dover. Truex's single victory in the series came at the spring race in 2007.

Kasey Kahne will start on the outside pole.

Casey Mears, who is standing in for Brian Vickers in the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, qualified 39th. Vickers was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs and legs this week and is undergoing treatment. He will not race until further notice.

Starting lineup for the Autism Speaks 400 presented by Hershey's Milk and Milkshakes:

1. Martin Truex Jr.
2. Kasey Kahne
3. Mark Martin
4. Kyle Busch
5. Jimmie Johnson
6. Ryan Newman
7. Clint Bowyer
8. AJ Allmendinger
9. Carl Edwards
10. Sam Hornish Jr.
11. Jamie McMurray
12. Kurt Busch
13. David Reutimann
14. Denny Hamlin
15. Jeff Gordon
16. Tony Stewart
17. Jeff Burton
18. Joey Logano
19. Elliott Sadler
20. Brad Keselowski
21. Matt Kenseth
22. David Ragan
23. Paul Menard
24. Greg Biffle
25. JJ Yeley
26. Marcos Ambrose
27. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
28. Juan Pablo Montoya
29. Scott Speed
30. Kevin Harvick
31. David Stremme
32. Mike Bliss
33. Bobby Labonte
34. Michael McDowell
35. Dave Blaney
36. Joe Nemechek
37. Regan Smith
38. Travis Kvapil
39. Casey Mears
40. David Gilliland
41. Kevin Conway#
42. Robby Gordon
43. Johnny Sauter

# Rookie

Did not qualify:
Todd Bodine
Max Papis

PHOTO FROM NASCAR MEDIA

Denny Hamlin Wins At Darlington

6:35 AM Carlie Nichols, column, Darlington, Race Results, Recap, Scoring, Sprint Cup No comments

Denny Hamlin became the first driver in 17 years to sweep at Darlington Raceway. He began by winning the NASCAR Nationwide race Friday night, and by winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Saturday night after some mistakes made by Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon at the end of the race.

Hamlin lead 104 of the 367 laps Saturday night, but he knew that he had to stay around Jeff Gordon all night.

David Reutimann's spin brought out the last caution of the night, causing Gordon to make a pit stop on pit road and trying to not go a lap down. Jeff Burton also had to make a stop on pit road. That allowed Hamlin to take the lead in the final laps of the race. Burton had to make another stop in the pits and serve a penalty by running over an air hose. He then lost a lot of track position.

Then Hamlin got a very good restart against teammate Kyle Busch for the final laps of the race. This restart allowed Hamlin to sail to his third victory of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Jamie McMurray got a great finish of 2nd place. This win ties Hamlin with Jimmie Johnson for most races won this season.

Results: Showtime Southern 500

1. Denny Hamlin

2. Jamie McMurray

3. Kurt Busch

4. Jeff Gordon

5. Juan Pablo Montoya

6. Kevin Harvick

7. Kyle Busch

8. Jeff Burton

9. Ryan Newman

10. Brian Vickers

11. David Reutimann

12. Brad Keselowski

13. Matt Kenseth

14. David Ragan

15. Carl Edwards

16. Mark Martin

17. Regan Smith

18. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

19. Martin Truex Jr.

20. Kasey Kahne

21. Elliott Sadler

22. Greg Biffle

23. Tony Stewart

24. David Stremme

25. Marcos Ambrose

26. Travis Kvapil

27. Joey Logano

28. Scott Speed

29. Max Papis

30. Paul Menard

31. Sam Hornish Jr.

32. Clint Bowyer

33. Kevin Conway

34. Bobby Labonte

35. David Gilliland

36. Jimmie Johnson

37. A.J. Allmendinger

38. Robby Gordon

39. Todd Bodine

40. Michael McDowell

41. J.J. Yeley

42. Dave Blaney

43. Reed Sorenson

McMurray wins top starting spot for Southern 500

1:13 PM Darlington Raceway, Jame McMurray, Qualifying, Scoring, Sprint Cup No comments

Jamie McMurray claimed his second pole of the season Friday and will lead the field to the green flag for Saturday’s Showtime Southern 500 Sprint Cup race at Darlington Raceway.

With a lap of 180.370 mph, McMurray was the quickest during Friday’s qualifying session. He set a new qualifying record at Darlington, breaking Matt Kenseth’s speed of 179.514 mph from last season.

This is McMurray’s fifth career pole. He won his first pole of 2010 at Auto Club Speedway in February, days after winning the Daytona 500.

Jeff Gordon ran a lap of 180.323 mph and will start on the outside pole. Gordon and McMurray were the only two drivers to reach speeds above 180 mph during qualifying.

Kyle Busch hit the wall during his qualifying run and will go to a backup car for Saturday’s race. He will start from the rear of the field.

A number of drivers scraped the wall during practice Friday and qualified in their backup cars: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Scott Speed, Marcos Ambrose, Casey Mears and Joe Nemechek. Mears and Nemechek failed to qualify for Saturday’s race.

J.J. Yeley, making his first start in the No. 46 for Whitney Motorsports, raced his way into the field and will start 30th. Yeley replaces Rookie of the Year contender Terry Cook, who qualified the No. 46 for just three of the first 10 races of 2010.

The Showtime Southern 500 will be broadcast Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on FOX. Green flag is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. ET.

Starting lineup:

1. Jamie McMurray
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Brian Vickers
4. David Reutimann
5. Mark Martin
6. Ryan Newman
7. Marcos Ambrose
8. Denny Hamlin
9. Brad Keselowski
10. Kasey Kahne
11. Jeff Burton
12. A.J. Allmendinger
13. Joey Logano
14. Kurt Busch
15. Juan Montoya
16. Scott Speed
17. Greg Biffle
18. Michael McDowell
19. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
20. Paul Menard
21. David Ragan
22. Jimmie Johnson
23. Bobby Labonte
24. Tony Stewart
25. Sam Hornish Jr.
26. Robby Gordon
27. Clint Bowyer
28. Dave Blaney
29. Matt Kenseth
30. J.J. Yeley
31. David Stremme
32. Regan Smith
33. Martin Truex Jr.
34. David Gilliland
35. Kevin Harvick
36. Reed Sorenson
37. Todd Bodine
38. Elliott Sadler
39. Kyle Busch
40. Travis Kvapil
41. Carl Edwards+
42. Kevin Conway+*
43. Max Papis

+ Owner points
* Rookie

Did Not Qualify:
Joe Nemechek
Casey Mears
Mike Bliss

PHOTO FROM NASCAR MEDIA

Hamlin holds off Busch for Darlington win

8:54 AM Darlington Raceway, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Nationwide Series, Race Results, Recap, Scoring No comments

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 7, 2010) —Talk about a glutton for punishment.

Less than six weeks removed from ACL surgery on his left knee, Denny Hamlin opted for a weekend double at the track he considers one of the most grueling on the NASCAR circuit.

So far, so good. Staying out on old tires while other contenders came to the pits under caution on Lap 123, Hamlin, in the No. 20 Z-line Toyota, held off teammate Kyle Busch, in the No. 18 Z-line Toyota, who also stayed out, to win Friday night's Royal Purple 200 Nationwide Series race at Darlington Raceway.

Hamlin led the final 63 of 147 laps in winning his 10th race in the series in his second start of the year. On Saturday night, he'll start eighth in the Showtime Southern 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

"Great race car," Hamlin said in Victory Lane. "Congratulations to (crew chief) Kevin Kidd. This is his first win with Joe Gibbs Racing after taking over for Dave Rogers. When you have a car that drives as good as this one did today, it makes your job a whole lot easier."

Busch had a strong car but couldn't pass Hamlin on a succession of restarts late in the race. Busch pulled even with Hamlin to the inside entering Turn 1 on a restart with five laps to go, but Hamlin had momentum around the outside and gradually inched away to win by .625 seconds.

"If you don't get out first after the last pit stop, you're stuck," Busch said. "You just can't pass out there. It's just so aero-sensitive. You fight for track position here. That's all you can do. Tires don't mean a whole lot, but track position does."

All told, Hamlin led 111 laps and Busch 17. Jamie McMurray finished third, followed by Kasey Kahne and Jason Leffler. Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Brian Vickers and Paul Menard completed the top 10.

Hamlin's Friday schedule included a two-and-a-half-hour Nationwide practice session, starting at 8:30 a.m. ET, followed by two 90-minute Cup practices, qualifying in both series and, finally, the race.

"I knew it was going to be a challenge," Hamlin said. "I knew it was going to be a very, very long day. I tried to conserve as much energy as possible. I didn't run a ton of laps in Nationwide (practice). I didn't run a ton of laps in Cup.

"I was just trying to conserve some energy for (Friday night) and then for (Saturday). Having all day to rest tomorrow will help."

Keselowski holds a 55-point lead over Busch in the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings.

Results for Friday’s Royal Purple 200:

1. Denny Hamlin
2. Kyle Busch
3. Jamie McMurray
4. Kasey Kahne
5. Jason Leffler
6. Carl Edwards
7. Brad Keselowski
8. Kevin Harvick
9. Brian Vickers
10. Paul Menard
11. Michael Annett
12. Steve Wallace
13. Mike Wallace
14. Stanton Barrett
15. Coleman Pressley
16. Trevor Bayne
17. Justin Allgaier
18. Tony Raines
19. Michael McDowell
20. Kenny Wallace
21. Jason Keller
22. Mark Green
23. Joe Nemechek
24. Brian Keselowski
25. Brian Scott *
26. Danny Efland
27. Eric McClure
28. Chad McCumbee
29. Steve Arpin
30. Matt Kenseth
31. James Buescher *
32. Mike Bliss     Chevrolet
33. Brendan Gaughan
34. Josh Wise
35. Greg Biffle
36. Scott Lagasse Jr.
37. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. *
38. Kevin Lepage
39. Clint Bowyer
40. Danny O'Quinn Jr.
41. David Gilliland
42. Derrike Cope
43. Dennis Setzer

* Denotes Rookie

TEXT AND PHOTOS FROM NASCAR MEDIA

Sauter slips & sides to win at Kansas

10:31 PM Camping World Truck Series, Johnny Sauter, Kansas Speedway, Race Results, Scoring No comments

By Jim Pedley
Special to the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (May 2, 2010) -- What simply had to be the two best saves of the Camping World Truck Series season occurred at exactly the same time and within inches of each other Sunday afternoon at Kansas Speedway.

When the two trucks involved finally got pointed back in the proper direction, it was the one driven by Johnny Sauter that had the lead and would go on to win the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250.

KANSAS CITY, KS - MAY 02: during for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 on May 2, 2010 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) Johnny Sauter celebrates his second career NASCAR Camping World Truck
Series victory on Sunday at Kansas Speedway. (Jonathan Ferrey / Getty Images)

The other truck involved, that of Ron Hornaday Jr., finished second but left its driver buzzing like a radio with a bad tube.

“You can’t tell me that Kansas didn’t like that one,” Hornaday, not generally known to be all that excited about a second-place finish, shouted as he entered the postrace interview room.

Sauter, wearing a very large and sticky smear of birthday cake on his fire suit, was equally excited. As well he should be.

“I bet it looked pretty cool on TV,” said Sauter, who turned 32 on Saturday.

With 13 laps to go, Sauter had the lead heading down the backstretch, but Hornaday pulled even on his low side. Hornaday’s truck suddenly hooked right—right into Sauter. Both spun simultaneously. With smoke pouring from the wheel wells of both trucks, they turned 60 degrees sideways.

Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33) makes contact with Johnny Sauter and
both slide in Turn 4 with 10 laps to go. (Rick Dole / Getty Images)

The two drivers, who have a history of roughing each other up on the track and in the pits afterward, cranked the steering wheels and both executed highlight-clip saves.

“He got into me,” Sauter said. “I couldn’t help but sit there and think as I was trying to save it … that darn Hornaday got me again within a month’s time. But it all worked out. That was good. That was good for the fans.”

The victory was the first of the year for Sauter and moved him from 14th to fifth in the points standings.

Sauter said he felt good about his truck before it even arrived at Kansas. It was the same truck he used to win his first truck race last September in Las Vegas and finish 11th at Nashville the last time out.

Rain and hail caused a 1 hour, 30 minute delay in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250
at Kansas Speedway on Sunday. (Jonathan Ferrey / Getty Images)

Todd Bodine finished third and moved into second in the standings, 22 points behind Timothy Peters, who finished 23rd, six laps back.

Notes: Brian Ickler finished fourth and now has two top-five finishes in both of his starts for Kyle Busch Motorsports. … Rookie Austin Dillon had his best finish, sixth. … The race was stopped after 114 laps for more than 90 minutes by rain and hail.

O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 results:

1. Johnny Sauter
2. Ron Hornaday
3. Todd Bodine
4. Brian Ickler
5. Johnny Benson
6. Austin Dillon*
7. Aric Almirola
8. Mike Skinner
9. Ken Schrader
10. David Starr
11. Jason White
12. Ricky Carmichael
13. Justin Lofton*
14. Jack Smith     Ford
15. Tony Jackson Jr.
16. James Buescher
17. Mario Gosselin
18. Terry Jones
19. Ryan Sieg
20. Jamie Dick
21. Brent Raymer
22. Tayler Malsam
23. Timothy Peters
24. Norm Benning
25. Matt Crafton
26. Brett Butler*
27. Carl Long
28. Jennifer Jo Cobb*
29. Jesse Smith
30. Chris Eggleston*
31. Rick Crawford
32. Brian Rose
33. Mike Harmon
34. Shane Sieg
35. Wes Burton
36. Narain Karthikeyan

*Rookie

TEXT FROM NASCAR MEDIA

Richmond win presents Kyle Busch with early birthday gift

11:59 PM Kyle Busch, Race Results, Richmond International Raceway, Scoring, Sprint Cup No comments

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

RICHMOND, Va. (May 1, 2010) — Frustration continued to dog Jeff Gordon, but on Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway, it was polesitter Kyle Busch—not four-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson — who kept Gordon out of Victory Lane.

Busch surged past Gordon after a restart with five laps left in the Crown Royal presents Heath Calhoun 400 and cleared Gordon's Chevrolet to the outside through Turns 3 and 4. Four laps later, Busch beat Gordon to the finish line by .755 seconds.

Busch spent the eve of his 25th birthday in Victory Lane, celebrating his second consecutive win in the spring Richmond event. Last year Busch claimed victory on his birthday, becoming only the second driver in NASCAR history to do so.

The victory was Busch's 17th in the Sprint Cup Series. He started the race weekend by sweeping the pole positions in the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races at Richmond.

Kevin Harvick ran third behind Gordon, followed by Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards. Juan Pablo Montoya, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Newman, Marcos Ambrose and Johnson completed the top 10.

Harvick took over the lead in the series standings from Johnson, who trails by 10 points through 10 events.

All told, Busch led 226 of 400 laps to Gordon's 144.

"I figured I was going to get the outside (for the last restart)," said Busch, who won the spring race at Richmond for the second straight year. "All I wanted to do was just get into Turn 1 smooth and get a good launch up off Turn 2 down the backstretch—and then make sure I got into (Turn) 3 without over-driving it. …

"I knew if I could just get through Turn 3 OK and hammer down off Turn 4 and get him cleared that it would be pretty good—and it worked. That's what I did. Did I have a plan? Was that exactly my plan? No. I was just going to drive it as hard as I could, and make whatever happened happen. It worked, just off the cuff."

Gordon finished second for the eighth time since his last win in the series on April 5, 2009 at Texas, 39 races ago.

"I've been doing this long enough to know they don't give out trophies for leading any lap other than the last one," said Gordon, who reached the boiling point at Talladega last week after Johnson, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, forced him onto the apron in Turn 3. Moments later, Gordon was wrecked.

"We're a team that's made huge strides, in my opinion, from last year. … That's what I'm excited about. We're leading laps at a lot of different types of tracks, and I think our team is really on top of our game.

"Yeah, it's a little disappointing that we haven't won some races yet, but if we keep doing this, those will come. We've got to keep putting ourselves in position."

Gordon led by 2.566 seconds when Elliott Sadler slid through the frontstretch grass with four flat tires to bring out the fourth caution of the race on Lap 367. When pit road opened on Lap 373, Gordon, Burton, Harvick, Montoya and Ryan Newman stayed out on tires that were three laps old when the caution flew.

Busch, Denny Hamlin, Truex Jr. and Edwards led a group to pit road for fresh rubber in preparation for a restart on Lap 378. Gordon was leading when the sixth caution flew on Lap 389 for Sam Hornish Jr.'s wreck on the backstretch. That set up the five-lap dash to the finish.

Busch ran away with the first half of the race, leading all but eight of the first 229 laps before Burton powered past him in Turn 3 on Lap 230. Burton held the top spot for 20 laps, only to surrender it to Gordon, whose car came to life in the middle of a long green-flag run.

"I have no idea how this has just happened — but I'm liking it," Gordon radioed to crew chief Steve Letarte after the pass for the lead. Gordon extended his advantage through a cycle of green-flag pit stops, and by Lap 300 he had stretched his advantage over Harvick to 2.878 seconds.

Notes: Edwards led Laps 269 and 270 during a cycle of green-flag pit stops. Those were the only laps he has led this year, ending a 12-race drought dating to Talladega in November 2009. … Busch gave Dave Rogers his first victory as a Sprint Cup crew chief.

Crown Royal presents the Heath Calhoun 400 results:

1. Kyle Busch
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Jeff Burton
5. Carl Edwards
6. Juan Montoya
7. Martin Truex Jr.
8. Ryan Newman
9. Marcos Ambrose
10. Jimmie Johnson
11. Denny Hamlin
12. Clint Bowyer
13. Matt Kenseth
14. Brad Keselowski
15. David Reutimann
16. Joey Logano
17. A.J. Allmendinger
18. Kurt Busch
19. Jamie McMurray
20. Brian Vickers
21. Kasey Kahne
22. Greg Biffle
23. Tony Stewart
24. David Ragan
25. Mark Martin
26. Casey Mears
27. Paul Menard
28. Robby Gordon
29. David Stremme
30. Regan Smith
31. David Gilliland
32. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
33. Bobby Labonte
34. Travis Kvapil
35. Scott Speed
36. Sam Hornish Jr.
37. Kevin Conway*
38. Elliott Sadler
39. Terry Cook*
40. Mike Bliss
41. Reed Sorenson
42. Tony Raines
43. Joe Nemechek

*Rookie

PHOTOS AND TEXT FROM NASCAR MEDIA

Hornaday to start from pole at Kansas

11:28 PM Camping World Truck Series, Kansas Speedway, Qualifying, Ron Hornaday, Scoring No comments

Defending Camping World Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. won the pole for Sunday’s O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway. Hornaday ran a lap of 31.916 seconds (169.194 mph) during Saturday’s qualifying session.

This is Hornaday’s 25th pole in 255 Truck Series starts. He is the third driver to win 25 or more poles, joining Mike Skinner (50) and Jack Sprague (32). This is his second pole in 2010. This is his third pole in six races at Kansas and third in a row. This marks the first time Hornaday has won three poles at the same track.

Matt Crafton will start on the outside pole. This is his fourth top-10 start this year and his third in 10 races at Kansas.

Austin Dillon, qualifying fifth, was the fastest rookie.

The Truck Series returns this weekend after a monthlong break for its fifth race of the 2010 season. The O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 will be broadcast live Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on SPEED. Pre-race show starts at 12:30 p.m. ET and green flag is scheduled to wave at 1:19 p.m. ET.

Starting lineup:

1. Ron Hornaday
2. Matt Crafton
3. Johnny Sauter
4. Aric Almirola
5. Austin Dillon*
6. Todd Bodine
7. Ricky Carmichael
8. Mike Skinner
9. Brian Ickler
10. Timothy Peters
11. James Buescher
12. Ken Schrader
13. Johnny Benson
14. Justin Lofton*
15. Rick Crawford
16. Wes Burton    Chevrolet
17. Mario Gosselin
18. Chris Eggleston*
19. Jesse Smith
20. Tayler Malsam
21. Jennifer Jo Cobb*
22. Narain Karthikeyan
23. Jason White
24. Brent Raymer
25. David Starr
26. Jamie Dick
27. Ryan Sieg
28. Tony Jackson Jr.
29. Shane Sieg
30. Jack Smith
31. Mike Harmon
32. Terry Jones
33. Brett Butler*
34. Brian Rose
35. Carl Long+
36. Norm Benning

*Rookie
+Owner points

Did Not Qualify:
Tim Andrews
Chris Jones
G.R. Smith
Derek White

PHOTO AND TEXT FROM NASCAR MEDIA

Keselowski charges to Nationwide win at RIR

1:53 PM Brad Keselowski, Nationwide Series, Race Results, Richmond International Raceway, Scoring No comments

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

RICHMOND, Va. (April 30, 2010) — After a late caution turned a runaway into a challenge for Brad Keselowski, a late four-tire call proved decisive, as Keselowski stormed to the front from fourth place during a green-white-checkered-flag finish to win Friday night's Bubba Burger 250 Nationwide Series race at Richmond International Raceway.

Keselowski, who led 189 of 252 laps, had an advantage of almost two seconds when Paul Menard slammed the Turn 2 wall on Lap 245 of a scheduled 250 at the .75-mile short track.

"I'm coming," Keselowski radioed to crew chief Paul Wolfe, steering his car toward pit road for a four-tire stop.

Kyle Busch and Justin Allgaier stayed out on old tires, while Jamie McMurray and Greg Biffle each took two. Busch led the field to green on Lap 251 with Allgaier beside him, McMurray on the inside of the second row and Keselowski alongside in fourth.

Biffle surged forward from the fifth spot, and by the time the cars reached Turn 3 on the next-to-last lap, Keselowski and Biffle had separated themselves from the pack. A lap later, Keselowski passed to the inside and ultimately crossed the finish line .261 seconds ahead of Biffle.

McMurray finished third, Busch fourth and Carl Edwards fifth. Keselowski extended his series lead to 59 points over seventh-place finisher Kevin Harvick.

The victory was Keselowski's second in as many weeks to go with last Sunday's victory at Talladega Superspeedway.

"That's what you pay me to do, R.P.," Keselowski radioed to team owner Roger Penske after powering his No. 22 Dodge across the finish line.

"Man, this is awesome to watch you, Brad," Penske replied.

Keselowski and Wolfe's decision to pit for tires proved to be the winning move.

"If we lost this race, and I didn't take tires, I'd be so mad," said Keselowski, who won for the eighth time in the series. "We came down pit road and got those tires and made the right move on Greg on the last lap, and it all worked out."

Busch started from the pole but couldn't hold Keselowski off on old or new tires.

"We didn't have the car tonight," Busch said. "We just didn't have anything for the 22 tonight. He was stellar."

Keselowski and Busch were the class of the field for the first 100 laps. Busch started from the pole and stayed out front for 58 laps, before Keselowski nosed ahead at the start/finish line on Lap 59.

By the time Scott Lagasse's blown right front tire necessitated the third caution of the race on Lap 95, Keselowski had opened a lead of more than five seconds over Busch and had reduced the number of cars on the lead lap to 16.

From that point on, though, it remained Keselowski's race. He surrendered the lead only once the rest of the way—when he pitted for the four tires before the final restart.

Bubba Berger 250 results:

1. Brad Keselowski
2. Greg Biffle
3. Jamie McMurray
4. Kyle Busch
5. Carl Edwards
6. Joey Logano
7. Kevin Harvick
8. Reed Sorenson
9. Brendan Gaughan
10. Matt Kenseth
11. Kelly Bires
12. James Buescher*
13. Mike Bliss
14. Jason Keller
15. Justin Allgaier
16. Jason Leffler
17. Steve Wallace
18. Coleman Pressley
19. Paul Menard
20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.*
21. Trevor Bayne
22. Kenny Wallace
23. Clint Bowyer
24. Tony Raines
25. Steve Arpin
26. Michael Annett
27. Willie Allen
28. Brian Scott *
30. Shelby Howard
31. Eric McClure
32. Hermie Sadler
33. Johnny Chapman
34. Scott Lagasse Jr.
35. Joe Nemechek
36. Morgan Shepherd
37. Josh Wise Ford
38. Kevin Lepage
39. David Gilliland
40. Mike Wallace
41. Mark Green
42. Derrike Cope
43. Brian Keselowski

*Rookie

PHOTOS AND TEXT FROM NASCAR MEDIA

Stewart to make 400th Cup start from the pole

5:10 PM Qualifying, Scoring, Texas Motor Speedway, Tony Stewart No comments

Tony Stewart will make his 400th Sprint Cup start Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway from a position he hasn’t started from in 155 races – the pole.

Stewart captured the top starting spot with a lap of 191.327 mph, 28.224 seconds during Friday’s qualifying session for the Samsung Mobile 500. This is his 11th Sprint Cup career pole. His last pole came in September 2005 at Martinsville. Sunday will mark Stewart’s fourth top-10 start in 2010.

Sam Hornish Jr. was second-quickest with a lap of 191.232 mph, 28.238 seconds and claimed the outside pole, his best qualifying effort. This is his third top-10 start this year. He qualified third last weekend at Phoenix.

Stewart and Hornish were the only two drivers to top 191 mph during Friday’s qualifying.

Reed Sorenson will make his first Cup start of the season for Braun Racing. The former Richard Petty Motorsports driver lost his ride after the 2009 season due to a merger with Yates Racing and a lack of sponsorship for Sorenson’s No. 43 car.

The Samsung Mobile 500 will be broadcast Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on FOX. Green flag is scheduled for 3:16 p.m. ET.

Starting lineup:

1 Tony Stewart
2 Sam Hornish Jr.
3 Greg Biffle
4 Jimmie Johnson
5 Kasey Kahne
6 Jeff Burton
7 Kyle Busch
8 Clint Bowyer
9 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
10 Ryan Newman
11 Kurt Busch
12 Jeff Gordon
13 David Ragan
14 Martin Truex Jr.
15 Jamie McMurray
16 David Reutimann
17 A.J. Allmendinger
18 Joey Logano
19 Kevin Harvick
20 Carl Edwards
21 Juan Montoya
22 Joe Nemechek
23 Scott Speed
24 Dave Blaney
25 Paul Menard
26 Regan Smith
27 Max Papis
28 Matt Kenseth
29 Denny Hamlin
30 Mark Martin
31 David Gilliland
32 Marcos Ambrose
33 Michael McDowell
34 Mike Bliss
35 Travis Kvapil
36 Bill Elliott
37 Brad Keselowski
38 Robby Gordon
39 Elliott Sadler
40 Kevin Conway*
41 Bobby Labonte
42 Brian Vickers+
43 Reed Sorenson

Did Not Qualify:
David Stremme
Terry Cook*
Johnny Sauter

*Rookie
+Owner points

VIDEO FROM NASCAR MEDIA

Logano claims 10th career Nationwide pole

4:27 PM Joey Logano, Nationwide Series, Qualifying, Scoring, Texas Motor Speedway No comments

Joey Logano will start on the pole for Sunday’s O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 Nationwide race at Texas Motor Speedway. He ran the fastest lap of 29.085 seconds, 185.663 mph in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota during Friday’s qualifying session.

This is Logano’s 10th pole in 47 Nationwide Series starts. It marks his third pole in 2010.

Clint Bowyer, stepping into the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet for John Wes Townley, will start on the outside pole.

Greg Biffle, driving for Baker Curb Racing, spun out during qualifying. He will start from the 42nd position.

Roush-Fenway driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the fastest qualifying rookie and will start fifth.

Because of rain Saturday, the O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 was postponed to Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2 following the conclusion of the Samsung Mobile 500 Sprint Cup race.

Starting lineup:

1 Joey Logano
2 Clint Bowyer
3 Kyle Busch
4 Carl Edwards
5 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.*
6 Jason Leffler Toyota
7 Jamie McMurray
8 Steve Wallace
9 Paul Menard
10 Brian Scott*
11 Colin Braun*
12 Brad Keselowski
13 Brendan Gaughan
14 Trevor Bayne
15 Mike Bliss
16 Kevin Harvick
17 Shelby Howard
18 Justin Allgaier
19 Kevin Lepage
20 Chad McCumbee
21 Jeremy Clements
22 Reed Sorenson
23 Dennis Setzer
24 David Gilliland
25 Michael McDowell
26 David Reutimann
27 Danny O'Quinn Jr.
28 David Starr
29 Landon Cassill
30 Joe Nemechek
31 Justin Lofton
32 Mark Green
33 James Buescher*
34 Mike Wallace
35 Scott Lagasse Jr.
36 Michael Annett
37 Tony Raines
38 Eric McClure
39 Kenny Wallace+
40 Robert Richardson Jr.+
41 Brian Keselowski+
42 Greg Biffle+
43 Danny Efland

Did Not Qualify:
Jason Keller
Derrike Cope
Josh Wise
Morgan Shepherd

*Rookie
+Owner points

Food City 500 Race Recap: Johnson Earns 50th Career Victory and First at BMS

11:18 PM Bristol Motor Speedway, Scoring, Sprint Cup No comments

BRISTOL, Tenn.—In a milestone race Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway, Jimmie Johnson—the last driver third-place finisher Kurt Busch wanted to see win the race—took the checkered flag for the 50th time in his NASCAR Sprint Cup career in the Food City 500.

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Taking four tires on his final pit stop on Lap 484 of 500, and fortuitously drawing the outside lane for a restart on Lap 491, Johnson surged past four cars that had taken only right-side tires and passed runner-up Tony Stewart for the lead on Lap 494.

Busch, who had led 278 laps and restarted fifth after a four-tire call, was bottled up in the inside lane behind Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards and watched in frustration as Johnson worked past fourth-place finisher Greg Biffle and Stewart for the lead.

“We did it, boys—finally,” Johnson exclaimed after crossing the finish line.

The win was the first at the .533-mile high-banked short track for the four-time defending Cup champion and his third in five races this season. With 50 Cup victories, Johnson is tied Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett for 10th on the all-time list.

“Man, we have worked so hard for this,” Johnson said in victory lane. “I thought we were in trouble there, but those four tires were everything, and I was in the outside lane (for the restart), which was helpful. About time, man. I’m so proud of this team. I am so proud of us setting a mark and going at it and accomplishing what we wanted to.

“We’ve been off here over the years. We focused on what we needed to do and got it done today."

Johnson also fired a shot across the bow of fellow competitors who might think the No. 48 Chevrolet team is peaking early.

“Well, we have a lot of racing left—there is no doubt about it,” he said. “But when we’re winning at tracks we aren’t supposed to, the boys better look out—even that No. 2 car (Busch) that doesn’t want the No. 48 to win.”

Johnson’s pointed reference was to Busch’s “Anybody but the 48” campaign.

“I’d rather lose to any of the 41 cars out there than this 48 car,” Busch said. “I thought we had them beat. I gave it my heart today, but to come up short … it’s a shame we didn’t bring it home for a victory.

“I felt like we had the car to beat early on in the race, especially on the long runs—I felt like we were able to make up time. That was the weak spot for the 48 car and some of the other competitors. As the race progressed, we were there in the mix, whether it was a (pit) stop that bumped us up a spot, or whether it was a nice adjustment by (crew chief) Steve Addington, I felt like we were the car to beat.

“The only weak area that we had was just starting out on fresh tires after a restart, and that bit us at the end.”
Kenseth came home fifth and trails leader Kevin Harvick (11th Sunday) by one point in the Cup standings. Johnson gained one position to third in points and trails Harvick by 14.

Notes: Polesitter Joey Logano lost three laps because of early tire problems and finished 27th. … Despite a pit-road speeding penalty that sent him to the back of the field, Dale Earnhardt Jr. rallied to finish seventh and is eighth in the Cup standings, 153 points behind Harvick. … Mark Martin suffered the most from a 13-car wreck on Lap 341 that scrambled the running order. He finished 35th and dropped nine positions to 16th in the series standings.

(Release by Reid Spencer – Sporting News NASCAR wire service)

Final Results:

Johnson
Stewart
Kurt Busch
Biffle
Kenseth
Edwards
Earnhardt
McMurray
Kyle Busch
Burton
Harvick
Truex
Keselowski
Jeff Gordon
Vickers
Newman
Allmendinger
Menard
Hamlin
Sadler
Labonte
Robby Gordon
Gilliland
Stremme
Kvapil
Montoya
Logano
Conway
Ragan
Mears
Speed
Hornish
Ambrose
Kahne
Martin
Smith
Cook
Reutimann
Almirola
Bowyer
Waltrip
Blaney
Nemechek

Logano on pole for Food City 500

3:06 PM Bristol Motor Speedway, Joey Logano, Qualifying, Scoring, Sprint Cup No comments

Joey Logano captured the first pole of his Sprint Cup career during qualifying for the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The 19-year-old ran a lap of 124.630 mph and time of 15.396 seconds at Friday's session. Currently 14th in the points standings, Logano ranks ahead of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch (15th) and Denny Hamlin (22nd).

Kurt Busch has the outside pole, with a lap of 123.857 mph, 15.492 seconds. Busch has five victories at the short track and is looking to capitalize on his win two weeks ago at Atlanta.

After trying for the last four races, Casey Mears qualified on time for his first Sprint Cup event with Keyed-Up Motorsports. Mears will start 34th.

The Food City 500 will be broadcast Sunday at 1 p.m. on FOX. Green flag is scheduled for 1:13 p.m. ET.

Starting lineup:

1 Joey Logano
2 Kurt Busch
3 Dave Blaney
4 Jimmie Johnson
5 Jeff Gordon
6 Juan Montoya
7 Matt Kenseth
8 Carl Edwards
9 Marcos Ambrose
10 David Reutimann
11 Tony Stewart
12 Paul Menard
13 Mark Martin
14 Jeff Burton
15 Denny Hamlin
16 David Gilliland
17 Jamie McMurray
18 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
19 Martin Truex Jr.
20 Regan Smith
21 Ryan Newman
22 Sam Hornish Jr.
23 A.J. Allmendinger
24 Kasey Kahne
25 Greg Biffle
26 Clint Bowyer
27 Aric Almirola
28 Brian Vickers
29 Scott Speed
30 David Ragan
31 David Stremme
32 Robby Gordon
33 Kevin Harvick
34 Casey Mears
35 Joe Nemechek
36 Brad Keselowski
37 Elliott Sadler
38 Kyle Busch
39 Michael Waltrip
40 Terry Cook*
41 Travis Kvapil
42 Kevin Conway+*
43 Bobby Labonte #

*Rookie
+Owner points
#Champion's provisional

Did Not Qualify:
Mike Bliss and Max Papis

Photo of Logano with pole award from NASCAR Media

Earnhardt Jr. captures pole at Atlanta, sets COT record

8:44 PM atlanta motor speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Qualifying, Scoring, Sprint Cup No comments

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the pole position for Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a history-making lap.

In his qualifying run Friday, Earnhardt ran 28.761 seconds, 192.761 mph, setting a record for fastest in the new NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car, the Car of Tomorrow. The COT was used part-time in 2007 and became the standard racecar for the series in 2008. The previous fastest was Jimmie Johnson's speed of 192.376 mph at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October 2009.

Earnhardt's pole is the ninth in his Sprint Cup career and his second at Atlanta. His last pole came at Texas in April 2008, 68 starts ago. This is his third top-10 start in 2010.

"We’ve qualified well this year so far and hopefully we’ll start seeing those same improvements in our race team on Sunday. But it’s definitely a step in the right direction, so we feel pretty good,” Earnhardt said.

Kyle Busch will start on the outside pole, qualifying with a time of 28.833 seconds and speed of 192.280 mph.

The Kobalt Tools 500 will be broadcast Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on FOX. Green flag is set for 1:16 p.m. ET.

Starting lineup:
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2. Kyle Busch
3. Juan Pablo Montoya
4. Mark Martin
5. Jeff Gordon
6. Kasey Kahne
7. Ryan Newman
8. Elliott Sadler
9. David Reutimann
10. Carl Edwards
11. Kurt Busch
12. Marcos Ambrose
13. Greg Biffle
14. Matt Kenseth
15. Tony Stewart
16. Jimmie Johnson
17. David Ragan
18. Clint Bowyer
19. Martin Truex Jr.
20. Denny Hamlin
21. Bobby Labonte
22. Jeff Burton
23. Paul Menard
24. Jamie McMurray
25. A.J. Allmendinger
26. Brian Vickers
27. Dave Blaney
28. Brad Keselowski
29. Joey Logano
30. Mike Bliss
31. Max Papis
32. Scott Speed
33. Joe Nemechek
34. Bill Elliott
35. Kevin Harvick
36. Sam Hornish Jr.
37. David Gilliland
38. Regan Smith
39. Robby Gordon
40. Travis Kvapil+
41. Kevin Conway+*
42. Boris Said+
43. Michael McDowell

Did Not Qualify:
Aric Almirola
Casey Mears
Terry Cook*

+Set by owner points
*Rookie
_____
Photo: Jason Smith / Getty Images for NASCAR