Roush Rewind: Kobalt Tools 500

Last weekend’s race at Phoenix International Raceway marked the 9th race in the 2010 Chase. While the on-track drama from Texas the week before didn’t really carry over to the Kobalt Tools 500, Phoenix created its own brand of drama in the form of the tightest Chase battle heading into the final race of the season, with Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, and Kevin Harvick all within reach of becoming the 2010 champion.

For Roush Fenway Racing, last weekend was one of their best of the season. David Ragan had a strong car for Sunday’s race, but following a bad restart, he lost positions he just couldn’t make up. Ragan finished 25th, two laps down. Matt Kenseth came to Phoenix riding the wave of momentum from his 2nd place finish at Texas the weekend before, but he had to battle handling issues to finish 7th. Greg Biffle fought an ill-handling racecar, but held on to finish 4th. After winning Saturday’s Nationwide race, Carl Edwards was looking to win on Sunday to sweep the weekend at Phoenix, and he successfully did just that.
David Ragan: Start-12th. Finish-25th.

Ragan and his crew have been steadily improving over these last few races. They came to Phoenix in hopes of continuing the trend. After qualifying inside the top fifteen, Ragan’s day went downhill after a restart early in the race saw him making contact with the No. 77 of Sam Hornish, Jr. and the No. 33 of Clint Bowyer. He dropped back, lost a lap, fought an ill-handling No. 6 UPS Ford, went another lap down, and eventually finished two laps down in the 25th position.

He took the green flag from the 12th position on Sunday. Three laps into the race, the first caution of the day came out for the No. 71 of Brendan Gaughan making contact with the wall. The field restarted on lap 7. Ragan was battling Hornish, Jr. for position when Bowyer got loose in front of him. Ragan made contact with Hornish, Jr. when he checked up, and made slight contact with Bowyer too. He dropped from 15th to 28th in just a few short seconds. Shortly afterward, Ragan told crew chief Drew Blickensderfer that the No. 6 Ford was loose off the turns and tight through the center. The caution came out again on lap 60 for the No. 12 of Brad Keselowski and gave Ragan the opportunity to pit for adjustments. He pitted for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment in the right-front. The changes helped with the tightness through the center of the turns, but the car was still loose off the turns.

Under his next pit stop, Ragan’s crew made a track bar adjustment as well as another air pressure adjustment. Around lap 168, Ragan went a lap down to the leader. His biggest issue was the loose-handling condition of his car, which he had to fight for the remainder of the race. Ragan battled hard to be in the Lucky Dog position in case the caution flag waved again, but he was never able to get his lap back. Eventually, he was passed by the leader again to lose another lap. He ultimately finished 25th, two laps down. He is 24th in the standings.

Matt Kenseth: Start-15th. Finish-7th.

After their second place finish at Texas last weekend, Matt Kenseth and his crew came to Phoenix International Raceway looking to be contenders for the win again. With a decent starting position, Kenseth looked strong as the No. 17 Valvoline Ford cracked the top ten within the opening laps of the race. However, an uncharacteristic pit road mistake from the No. 17 crew had Kenseth off sequence with the leaders late in the race. The team was able to battle back and finish 7th.


Kenseth took the green flag from the 15th position on Sunday for the Kobalt Tools 500. Just ten laps later, he was up to 9th. He remained in that position, and didn’t report much about his car’s handling other than the No. 17 Ford was tight in the middle of the turns. A caution on lap 60 gave Kenseth the chance to inform crew chief Jimmy Fennig that the car was still tight in the middle of the turns and also very aero-sensitive. Kenseth pitted under the caution for four tires, fuel, and air pressure adjustments. His pit crew was able to help him gain two positions to restart 7th. He was able to maintain track position until around lap 95 when he reported the car was lacking rear grip. The tight-handling issue was still there too.

Another caution gave Kenseth the chance to pit for four tires, fuel, and more air pressure adjustments on lap 102. He restarted 11th, and worked his way back inside the top ten when green-flag stops began to cycle through. After staying out to lead lap 173, he pitted and the team made more air pressure adjustments as well as a track bar adjustment. The changes helped, but eventually the No. 17 Ford became loose. Under caution on lap 235, Fennig called Kenseth down pit road for a two-tire stop in an attempt to gain track position. Unfortunately, a loose lug nut forced Kenseth to come back down pit road, resulting in him restarting 18th.

The race came down to basically who had the fuel to finish among the leaders. Before the race was over, Kenseth had to make a stop for fuel, but he battled back to take the checkered flag from the 7th position. He is 5th in the standings, 311 points behind leader Denny Hamlin.

Greg Biffle: Start-4th. Finish-4th.

Just like his teammates, Greg Biffle also had to deal with an ill-handling racecar on Sunday. His crew made adjustments to the No. 16 3M Scotch Brand Ford any chance they got. However, in the end, it all came down to fuel mileage. Biffle was able to gain positions in the closing laps when some of the front-runners were forced to pit for fuel. He finished 4th, earning his 9th top-5 finish of the season.

Biffle started the race from the 4th position, and soon after the green flag waved, he reported that the car was tight through the center of the turns and loose off. When the yellow flag waved for the second time of the day on lap 60, Biffle had slipped to 14th. He pitted for four tires, fuel, and air pressure and track bar adjustments. After restarting 13th, he still battled handling issues. The No. 16 Ford was lacking grip, and when the next caution came out on lap 100 for debris, Biffle was back to 15th. The No. 16 crew made more adjustments, and were able to help Biffle gain three positions to 12th for the restart. The changes seemed to help as Biffle worked his way back inside the top ten, but loose-handling conditions had him dropping back once more.

He was running in the 16th position when green-flag stops began on lap 168. Biffle’s crew gained three positions on pit road, and he was 13th once the stops cycled through. Over the next few laps, Biffle informed crew chief Greg Erwin that the car was too loose. The caution came out again on lap 222, and Biffle made a pit stop for more adjustments. The changes were a bit much, resulting in the car becoming too tight. The caution came out again shortly afterward, which allowed Biffle to pit again for more adjustments. Under that caution, many of the front runners stayed out, and Biffle opting to pit would be a big break for the No. 16 team.

The race was caution free from that point on. The drivers who stayed out during the caution on lap 235 found themselves making stops for fuel late in the race. As those drivers hit pit road, Biffle slowly worked his way through the field to finish 4th. The finish moved him to 8th in the standings, 349 points behind leader Denny Hamlin.

Race Winner--Carl Edwards: Start 1st. Finish 1st.

Carl Edwards was truly the top dog at Phoenix this past weekend. The No. 99 Aflac Ford He was fastest in all three Cup practice sessions, and won the Nationwide Series race on Saturday night before winning the race on Sunday, earning his 17th career Cup Series win.

Edwards broke the track record on Friday to earn his third pole of the season. He led the first six laps on Sunday before the No. 2 of Kurt Busch got around him. The No. 99 Ford was just a little loose, but Edwards reclaimed the lead on lap 27. He pitted under the caution that came on lap 60, and his crew made a flawless, 12.9-second stop that allowed Edwards to maintain the lead. Shortly after the restart, he fell to third as the loose-handling conditions continued, and he remained there until the next caution came out on lap 100. Edwards pitted, and his crew was able to help him reclaim the lead on pit road.

He led the field back to green, but almost immediately lost the lead to the No. 11 of Denny Hamlin. He slipped back to third again, as he reported to crew chief Bob Osborne that the car was lacking rear grip. Edwards made his final pit stop on lap 224 for tires, fuel, and air pressure and wedge adjustments. Those adjustments were just what he needed to make his move to the front. He took over the 2nd position and went into fuel conservation mode as Hamlin continued to lead. Around lap 250, Osborne radioed to Edwards that it was time to get the lead and worry about saving fuel later. On lap 266, Edwards charged past Hamlin and never looked back.

Hamlin was forced to pit for fuel with many others, but Edwards, who is known for his exceptional efforts at saving fuel during races, just set sail and brought home the win to sweep the weekend at Phoenix. Edwards remains 4th in the standings, 264 points behind leader Denny Hamlin.

It was a great weekend for Edwards and his crew. They dominated the entire weekend, and broke a 70-race winless streak. Congratulations to Carl Edwards and the No. 99 team on their victory!

Just one race remains in the 2010 season. It seems like yesterday we were all watching Jamie McMurray take the checkered flag for the Daytona 500. What a season it has been! Can Denny Hamlin hold on to win his first championship? Will Jimmie Johnson earn his 5th consecutive championship? Can Kevin Harvick end up being the one who comes out on top? With the tightest Chase battle ever, anything can happen! One thing’s for sure…every fan will be on the edge of their seat, anxiously waiting to see who will be the 2010 champion once the checkered flag waves at Homestead.

The Chase continues…

Next up: Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, November 21, 2010.
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I apologize for this column not being posted the last two weeks. It's that time of the semester when all my teachers have decided to assign a huge amount of homework. As much as I love writing this, I do have to put my schoolwork first.

On another note, I'm open to suggestions/comments on this column. Are there any changes to it you think I should make? What did you like about it? What didn't you like about it? Post a comment below and let me know! Thanks.

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Roush Rewind: Tums Fast Relief 500

The Sprint Cup series made its second stop of the season at Martinsville Speedway this past weekend. The half-mile track is known for its close-quarter racing and the flaring tempers among the drivers. The Tums Fast Relief 500 marked the 6th race in the Chase. The race had no shortage of great racing and exciting battles for position. With all eyes on Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson, every fan watched to see if Johnson’s lead over Hamlin in the standings would increase or diminish. Just as he said he would, Virginia native Hamlin took home the win on Sunday.

The Roush Fenway Racing drivers came to Martinsville hoping to run the race as successfully if not better than they had run at Charlotte the week before when all four of the Roush Fenway drivers finished inside the top twelve. On Sunday, three of the Roush Fenway drivers finished inside the top 20, while one was left with a disappointing finish toward the back after he had to go to the garage for repairs during the race.
Greg Biffle – Start: 3rd. Finish: 33rd.
On Friday, Greg Biffle qualified 3rd, which was his best qualifying effort at Martinsville. Then final practice saw the No. 16 3M Ford atop the board. It looked as though Biffle was going to have his best run at the half-mile speedway. However, two pit road penalties and a trip to the garage for repairs, sidelined all chances Biffle had of getting a good finish.

Taking the green flag from the 3rd position on Sunday, Biffle ran as high as second in the early laps and held onto a top-5 position until the first caution of the day came out on lap 48. The 3M Ford was tight in the center of the turns, so Biffle’s pit crew made air pressure and wedge adjustments during the pit stop. Biffle restarted 5th, but the handling of the car didn’t improve. He began to drop back and was running 11th when the caution came out again on lap 110.

Biffle pitted for four tires, fuel, air pressure and wedge adjustments. The 3M Pit Bulls were flawless during the stop, helping Biffle gain 6 positions on pit road. Once the green flag waved again, Biffle soon realized that the changes had made the car too loose. He once again found himself drifting back through the field. A caution on lap 172 gave Biffle the opportunity to pit for a track bar adjustment. However, crew chief Greg Erwin had to call Biffle back down pit road due to loose lug nuts on one of the tires. The penalty had Biffle restating 32nd. He fought his way back through the field only to have another penalty under a pit stop on lap 211. His crew had gone over the wall too soon. Biffle found himself having to fight back toward the front again.

Just as he was beginning to crack the top 20, a cut tire on the No. 16 Ford brought the caution out. A sway bar arm broke as the tire went down, forcing Biffle to make the hard left to the garage. The 3M crew refused to let it keep Biffle from finishing the race. On lap 419, Biffle returned to the track in the 36th position. He was 67 laps down, but did all he could to gain any positions he could. In the end, he was able to pick up three positions to finish 33rd. Biffle dropped to 11th in the standings, 316 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

David Ragan – Start: 10th. Finish: 17th.

After running top 10 times in practice, David Ragan was able to qualify 10th on Friday. The No. 6 UPS Ford looked fast, and Ragan was looking forward to racing on Sunday. After running inside the top 10 for much of the opening laps, Ragan pitted under the caution on lap 48, but was told by officials he had been speeding while exiting pit road. The penalty sent Ragan to the back of the pack for the restart. From then on, Ragan fought an ill-handling to car cross the line in the 17th position.

Once the green flag waved, it didn’t take Ragan long to report that his car was tight through the center of the turns and up off the corners. He was still able to maintain his position until the first caution came out on lap 48. Ragan pitted for four tires, fuel, and a track bar adjustment. However, Ragan was informed he had been speeding on pit road. The penalty was that Ragan had to go to the rear of the field. He dropped from 10th to 34th for the restart.

The changes made during the pit stop helped the handling, but still left Ragan asking for more grip as he slowly worked his way through the field. He was 29th when the caution came out on lap 110, giving him the chance to pit for four tires, fuel, and another track bar adjustment. The handling did improve, but Ragan still needed more if he was to gain any more positions. The middle of the race was full of cautions, giving Ragan plenty of opportunities to pit for adjustments. A pit stop on lap 290 under caution had crew chief Drew Blickensderfer telling the for the track bar to be raised as high as it would go. Ragan restarted 15th, but the No. 6 Ford still didn’t handle the way Ragan needed it to. In the closing laps, Ragan lost a couple positions and eventually did go a lap down to the leader to finish 17th.

Matt Kenseth - Start: 32nd. Finish 15th.

Earlier this year, Matt Kenseth was battling for the lead at Martinsville Speedway in the closing laps when contact from Jeff Gordon knocked him out of contention for the win, and he fnished 18th. This past weekend, Kenseth returned to Martinsville looking to better those results. However, a pit road speeding penalty cost the team the good finish they might have been able to get.

After qualifying in the 32nd position on Friday, Kenseth knew it was going to take a lot of work to make his way through the field at the half-mile speedway on Sunday. When the first caution of the day came out on lap 48, Kenseth told crew chief Jimmy Fennig that the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford was loose off the turns and that the front tires were sliding in the turns. Kenseth pitted for four tires, fuel, and air pressure and track bar adjustments. He restarted 27th, and soon worked his way to 23rd. However, the front tires were still sliding in the center of the turns. Under the cautions in the first stretch of the 500-lap race, Kenseth’s crew continued to make adjustments to the No. 17 Ford. Around lap 200, the caution came out again. Kenseth and Fennig discussed what else they could do to correct the car’s handling issues. Fennig called for air pressure adjustments as well as adjustments to the rubbers. Kenseth restarted 25 and soon found himself running in the 19th position. When the caution came out on lap 226, Fennig told Kenseth to stay out to gain track position.

The pit strategy had Kenseth sitting 7th for the restart. Over the next run, Kenseth remained inside the top 10, until the caution came out on lap 384. Kenseth pitted under that caution for tires, fuel, and air pressure adjustments, but he was told by NASCAR that he had been speeding while exiting pit road. The penalty left Kenseth restarting 20th, instead of 7th where he would have been. Despite his best efforts to get back inside the top 10, Kenseth was only able to pick up five more positions to finish 15th when the checkered flag waved. The finish, and the fact Kenseth’s teammate Greg Biffle had issues during the race, has bumped Kenseth to 10th in the standings, 283 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

Carl Edwards – Start: 7th. Finish: 8th.

Carl Edwards qualified in the seventh position on Friday. In the early laps on Sunday, Edwards dropped back due to the loose-handling conditions of the No. 99 Aflac Ford. However, he knew that patience would be the key to getting a good finish. Edwards kept his cool, and due to pit strategy, was able to finish 8th.

Edwards began to lose positions when the race started. The No. 99 Ford was loose off the corners. In the first 100 laps, Edwards fought to stay inside the top 10. A caution on lap 110 found Edwards running in the 13th position. He pitted for adjustments, and as the race progressed, the car became tight in the center of the turns and loose off. A caution around lap 227 had some of the drivers heading for pit road since they had not stopped under the caution that had come out about 15 laps before. Crew chief Bob Osborne decided Edwards should stay out to gain track position. Edwards was 5th for the restart, but the car had now become loose off the turns again. Eventually, Edwards settled in around the 9th position. A caution on lap 290 had Edwards pitting for four tires and fuel as well as air pressure, track bar, and wedge adjustments.

While fellow Chase drivers had altercations on the track, Edwards knew that driving aggressively could be disaster for him. Edwards was able to avoid trouble, and after a pit stop under caution on lap 386 for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment, he was in the 8th position. Edwards lost one position with about 60 laps remaining. He was able to pass Jeff Burton on the last lap to finish 8th.

Edwards moved up to 6th in the standings, 213 points behind Johnson.

Race winner: Denny Hamlin

Coming into the weekend, Denny Hamlin said he was going to win the race on Sunday. Some fans may have thought he was being cocky, but Hamlin definitely knows his way around Martinsville and was able to back it up. He took the checkered flag and is now just 6 points behind leader Johnson. Congratulations to Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 team on their victory!

With four races remaining, can Denny Hamlin knock Jimmie Johnson off the top spot? Has the Chase really come down to just a two-man battle between Hamlin and Johnson? Just how will the inevitable ‘Big One’ at Talladega this coming weekend shake up things in the Chase? There’s four races left…Who will be the Sprint Cup champion?

The Chase continues….

Next up: Amp Energy Juice 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, October 31, 2010.

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Roush Rewind: Pepsi Max 400

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series traveled to Auto Club Speedway over the weekend for the Pepsi Max 400. It was the fourth race in the Chase, and for some of the Chase drivers, it threw a major wrench in their hopes to win the championship. It was hard to believe so much trouble could befall drivers who needed strong finishes.

For Roush Fenway Racing, the weekend looked like it was going to be a good one for the organization, especially after all four drivers had great runs at Kansas the previous weekend. Last week’s winner Greg Biffle had a blown engine early in the race on Sunday. A part failure sent Carl Edwards to the garage for fifteen laps, derailing any hopes the team had for a good finish. David Ragan had slowly worked his way through the field and was close to cracking the top ten until he was involved in a crash with just seven laps remaining. Matt Kenseth had engine problems, but held on to finish toward the back. It was a race that left many people wondering just what had happened to the three Roush Fenway Racing cars that suffered mechanical issues.

Greg Biffle: Start 7th. Finish 41st.

Last weekend, Greg Biffle left Kansas Speedway as the race winner so when he and his team headed to Auto Club Speedway, they were ready to get another great finish to remain in championship contention. After posting solid times in practice, Biffle qualified 7th in the No. 16 3M Ford on Friday. The green flag waved on Sunday, and in the first few laps, Biffle dropped back a couple positions to 9th. However, Biffle’s day would be cut short on lap 41 when the engine of the No. 16 Ford gave out.

There was nothing the team could do to get Biffle back in the race. He took his car behind the wall, and was left accepting a 41st-place finish. The finish caused him to drop to 10th in the standings, 215 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

Carl Edwards: Start 20th. Finish 34th.

Carl Edwards spent some time with kids from the Aflac Cancer Center over the weekend, and even the Aflac duck attended his first race on Sunday. He hoped to bring home the win on Sunday, but luck wasn’t on his side. Edwards qualified 20th on Friday in the No. 99 Aflac Ford, and on Sunday, just when it looked like he would start making a charge to the front, a mechanical issue sent him to the garage.

Once the race started, Edwards immediately began to drop back to 25th due to the tight-handling conditions of his car. With no cautions in the opening run, Edwards made his green-flag stop on lap 36 for four tires, fuel, and air pressure and wedge adjustments. He remained in the 25th position once stops cycled through. A few laps after he made his pit stop, the caution came out for teammate Greg Biffle having engine problems in the No. 16. Since Edwards only had about five laps on his tires, crew chief Bob Osborne told his driver to stay out in an attempt to gain track position. Edwards went from 25th to 10th for the restart on lap 46. The No. 99 Ford became loose once the green flag waved again, and when the caution came out on lap 54, Edwards pitted for more adjustments. It was after this pit stop that Edwards informed Osborne that the car had lost power. A tow truck had to push Edwards back to his pit stall.

The team took the car behind the wall once they figured out the ignition box was not the problem. In the garage, the team then checked the fuel system. Nothing was wrong with it. They soon discovered the problem was a broken rotor button in the distributor. With that problem solved, Edwards returned to the track, but he was fifteen laps down. Refusing to give up, Edwards and his crew worked hard to gain any positions they could.

In the end, Edwards finished 34th. He dropped to 7th in the standings, 162 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

David Ragan: Start 18th. Finish 32nd.

David Ragan came to Auto Club Speedway with the silver UPS Freight paint scheme on his No. 6 Ford. The car was fast in practice, but due to an early qualifying draw, Ragan qualified 18th. After fighting his way through the field on Sunday, Ragan looked poised to get at least a top-15 finish, but just like his teammates, it just wasn’t meant for him to get a good finish. With seven laps remaining in the race, he made contact with Kurt Busch. The resulting damage to the No. 6 Ford stopped him from finishing the race.

Once the green flag waved on Sunday, Ragan began to drift back as he fought a car that was free entering the turns. As if that wasn’t troublesome enough, the timing and scoring transponder in Ragan’s car wasn’t functioning properly and made it hard for his team to keep up with where he was running. On lap 36, Ragan made a green-flag stop for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment. The caution for teammate Greg Biffle came out just five laps later, and Ragan pitted again, but this time crew chief Drew Blickensderfer called for a two-tire stop. After the team completed the stop, NASCAR called Ragan back to pit road to replace the faulty transponder. Ragan was not penalized for having to replace it, and returned to the track to restart in the 18th position.

Ragan’s crew continued to make adjustments on the No. 6 Ford throughout the race in an effort to improve the loose-handling car. Ragan had worked his way up to 17th, but scraped the wall on lap 119. The contact didn’t cause enough damage to make Ragan have to pit.

On lap 135, a caution came out for the No. 47 of Marcos Ambrose spinning out. Ragan pitted for four tires, fuel, and a track bar adjustment. The adjustment seemed to be what the car needed to come around. Ragan was up to 15th by lap 154, and slowly began to make his way toward the top ten. However, just when things were looking up, misfortune struck Ragan again. With 7 laps to go, Ragan was attempting to pass the No. 2 of Kurt Busch. Ragan almost had him clear until Busch got a run on the outside. Ragan cut up in front of Busch, resulting in the No. 6 Ford turning sideways, nose first into the wall, with Busch’s car against the right side, pushing him down the track.

The damage was too severe for Ragan to even make it to pit road like Busch had been able to. Ragan exited his wrecked car, and was credited with a 32nd-place finish. He is 24th in the standings.

Matt Kenseth: Start 3rd. Finished 30th.

Following their great run at Kansas Speedway last weekend, Matt Kenseth and his crew came to Auto Club Speedway hoping to build on the week before. Kenseth has seen a lot of success at the 2-mile speedway and has three wins there. The team had a fast car right from the start of the weekend. Kenseth posted solid speeds in practice, and qualified 3rd in the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford. Just when it looked like Kenseth would have a great weekend, mechanical issues left him hanging on during the closing laps to finish 30th. It was a disappointing end to what could have been a promising run.

Once the green flag dropped on Sunday, Kenseth immediately moved up to battle the No. 42 of Juan Pablo Montoya for the 2nd position. On lap 15, Kenseth passed the No. 1 of Jamie McMurray to take the lead. Once in the lead, Kenseth reported to crew chief Jimmy Fennig that the No. 17 Ford was just a bit loose off turn two and that the strong wind was making the car hard to handle entering turn three. Around lap 35, green-flag stops began, and Kenseth made his stop on lap 38 for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment. Shortly after he pitted, the first caution of the day came out for teammate Greg Biffle losing an engine in the No. 16. Under the caution, Kenseth told Fennig that the car was looser than it had been before the crew had made adjustments.

The following restart found Kenseth battling three-wide for position in a loose racecar. The caution came out again on lap 55, and Kenseth pitted for tires, fuel, and a track bar adjustment. The race restarted on lap 58, but the yellow flag waved almost as soon as the race restarted. Kenseth’s teammate Carl Edwards was having issues in the No. 99. Following Edwards’s mechanical problem, Kenseth began to wonder how his car would hold up. He restarted 9th on lap 62, and in the opening run the car was loose, but slowly the handling began to improve. Loose-handling issues continued to plague the No. 17, but Kenseth’s crew made adjustments every pit stop. He remained inside the top 10, until the team heard news from their driver they didn’t want to hear. On lap 161. Kenseth reported that something didn’t feel right with the car.

Kenseth said he was doing all he could, but the car just was not going anywhere. He began to drop back through the field. With smoke coming from the car and the engine threatening to go, the No. 17 Ford limped to the finish line in the 30th position.

The disappointing finish left Kenseth 11th in the standings, 241 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

Race winner: Tony Stewart

While other Chase drivers had setbacks on Sunday, Tony Stewart wasn’t one of them. Even though the race came down to a green-white-checkered finish, nobody was able to stop him from taking the checkered flag. Congratulations to Tony Stewart and the No. 14 crew on their victory!

It looks like Roush Fenway Racing is out of contention for the championship. Will the organization be able to get any more wins in the remaining? Can Jimmie Johnson really accomplish his drive for five? If not, who will be the driver to stop him? Only time will tell.

The Chase continues…

Next up: Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, October 16, 2010.

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Roush Rewind: Price Chopper 400

The Sprint Cup Series made a stop at Kansas Speedway for the third Chase race of the 2010 season. The Price Chopper 400 was a chance for some of the Chase drivers to rebound after getting off to a bad start in the first two races. For others, it was an opportunity to build on their momentum in their run for the championship. Unlike the previous weekend at Dover, the race at Kansas was pretty much dominated by the Chase drivers.

For Roush Fenway Racing, coming to Kansas was a race that would either make or break their championship hopes. Luckily for them, it kept those hopes alive. Until Sunday, Roush Fenway only had two Cup wins at Kansas, one with Mark Martin in 2005 and with Greg Biffle in 2007. Throughout the whole weekend, including practice and qualifying, the Roush Fenway drivers looked strong. With Greg Biffle leading the way for Roush Fenway and taking the checkered flag, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth also finished inside the top-10, finished 5th and 7th respectively. David Ragan had a fast car, but handling issues had him crossing the finish line in the 16th position. All in all, a win and all four drivers inside the top 16 wasn’t a bad way to end the third race of the Chase.

David Ragan—Start: 10th. Finish: 16th

For David Ragan, things were definitely looking up at Kansas Speedway over the weekend. It was Ragan’s second weekend to work with new crew chief Drew Blickensderfer. It seems as though Blickensderfer is the change that team needed to start turning things around. They unloaded one of the best cars they have had all season. Ragan was inside the top 10 in practice throughout the three practice sessions, and even in qualifying he had a fast car, earning the 10th starting position. The No. 6 UPS Ford looked fast, but tight-handling conditions left Ragan fighting for track position throughout the race.

It wasn’t long after the green flag waved on Sunday before Ragan reported that his car was tight. The handling issues caused Ragan to drift back through the back. He was running 22nd when the first caution of the day came out on lap 42 for the No. 42 of Juan Pablo Montoya getting into the wall. Ragan pitted for four tires, fuel, front air pressure adjustments and rubber was taken out of the left-rear spring. The adjustments resulted in a long stop, putting Ragan 32nd for the restart. While the
changes did help, the tight-handling condition was still there.

The caution came out again on lap 52 for the No. 00 of David Reutimann spinning after contact with the No. 18 of Kyle Busch. Then a long green-flag run followed, under which Ragan spent time trying different lines on the track to see where his car was fastest. He had worked his way up to 18th when he made his stop under green for four tires, fuel, and a wedge adjustment. The long run continued, and so did the handling issues on the No. 6 Ford. Ragan pitted under green again for four tires, fuel, and air pressure and track bar adjustments. Shortly after his pit stop, the third caution of the day came out when Reutimann and Busch got together again, resulting in Reutimann spinning out. The caution would be a big break for Ragan, who had just gone a lap down to the leader three laps prior. Ragan was the Lucky Dog under that caution and got back on the lead lap. Ragan pitted under that caution for four tires, fuel, a track bar adjustment, and to have a shim removed from broth front shocks.

As the adjustments began to improve the handling, Ragan slowly moved his way forward. His next two pit stops were for four tires and fuel only. His final stop of the day was for four tires, fuel, and a slight track bar adjustment.
While the tight-handling condition had not completely gone away, the car’s handling had improved drastically from the beginning of the race. Ragan crossed the finish line in the 16th position and is 24th in the standings.

Matt Kenseth—Start: 8th. Finish: 7th.

Following two rough starts in the Chase, Matt Kenseth came to Kansas Speedway ready to turn his run in the Chase around. Kenseth and his crew had a good car coming into the weekend. He was 11th in the first practice session, 3rd in the second practice session, and 12th in final practice. In qualifying on Friday, Kenseth laid down a 31.052-second lap, which was good enough to earn him the 8th starting position for Sunday’s Price Chopper 400 at Kansas.

Once the green flag dropped, Kenseth wasted no time in picking up positions. He was inside the top 5 within the first 15 laps. As the opening run continued, Kenseth reported to crew chief Jimmy Fennig that the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford was beginning to get loose off the turns and that the nose of the car wanted to slide in the middle of the turns. Kenseth needed more front grip to be able to fight for track position and keep up with the leaders.

The first caution came out on lap 43, and Kenseth headed down pit road for four tires, fuel, and air pressure adjustments. Once the race restarted, he began to make a charge to the front, taking over the lead on lap 56. While up front and in clean air, Kenseth ran different lines to see which one helped his car run the fastest. On lap 81, Kenseth fell to 2nd, reporting his car was just a bit loose. Once the green-flag run stretched on, the No. 17 Ford became loose in and off the turns. Handling issues plagued Kenseth throughout the next few runs, despite changes to air pressure and track bar setting made whenever Kenseth had the chance to pit.

Kenseth remained toward the front for a majority of the race, but the loose-handling issues returned. He fought to stay inside the top five, but dropped back as the laps wound down. Kenseth crossed the finish line in the 7th position.

Kenseth remains 11th in the standings, 149 points behind new points leader Jimmie Johnson.

Carl Edwards—Start: 31st. Finish: 6th.

The past two races have seen Carl Edwards slowly working his way toward the top of the points standings. Sunday’s race at Kansas was no exception. Edward earned his 16th top-10 finish of the season when he crossed the finish line in the 6th position. However, at first it looked like Edwards might have a lot of work to do if he wanted to get a good finish. Despite quick practice speeds, Edwards qualified in the 31st position on Friday.

Despite starting toward the back, Edwards was able to pick up positions from the second the race started on Sunday. By the time the first 20 laps were completed, he had worked his way inside the top 20. When the first caution came out on lap 42, Edward was in the 18th position. He pitted for four tires, fuel, and air pressure and wedge adjustments. By lap 73, Edwards had cracked the top 10. The No. 99 Aflac Ford was a bit loose, and the crew made track bar and wedge adjustments during green-flag stops on laps 96 and 146. He was 8th when the caution came out on lap 156. Edwards pitted, and this time, crew chief bob Osborne called for a two-tire stop, which left Edwards restarting 9th due to a few cars not pitting.

With new right-side tires, Edwards moved up to 7th, but soon reported he felt a vibration that could be coming from a loose wheel. Just six laps after he reported the vibration, the caution came out when the No. 9 of Kasey Kahne hit the wall then had a left-front tire blow. Edwards and Osborne played it safe, and pitted under the caution. Sure enough, the driver’s instincts were right. There was indeed a loose wheel on the No. 99 Ford. With fresh right-side tires, Edwards restarted 9th. The caution came out again on lap 188 for the No. 7 of Kevin Conway losing an engine. The leaders hit pit road again, and Edwards made a four-tire stop and his crew made a wedge adjustment to in less than 13 seconds. A few laps after the restart, he was up to 4th. As the laps went on, the No. 99 Ford began to get tight in the center of the turns, loose off. The race remained under green for the remaining laps. Edwards stayed out to lead two laps to pick up crucial bonus points before making his final pit stop lap 238 for four tires, fuel, and a wedge adjustment.

Edwards took the checkered flag in the 6th position. He gained two positions in the standings, up to 4th, and is 53 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

Greg Biffle—Start: 5th. Finish: 1st.

Knowing Kansas could very well be the make or break race, Greg Biffle knew he had to be on top of his game on Sunday. The No. 16 Sherwin Williams Ford looked good in practice, and Biffle backed up his practice times by laying down the 5th fastest qualifying time. Sunday’s race was one Biffle and his team had planned on winning.

Early in the race, Biffle reported his car was tight in the center of the turns, loose off. When the first caution came out on lap 42, he was in the 8th position. A pit stop for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment had him restarting in that same position. On lap 91, Biffle took the 2nd position from teammate Kenseth. Green-flag pit stops began a few laps later, and Biffle pitted for four tires, fuel, and some small adjustments to fix the tight-handling condition. Biffle’s crew, the Pit Bulls, sent him right back out in the 2nd position, and he remained in that position until the third caution of the day came out on lap 156. Crew chief Greg Erwin opted for a two-tire stop, which had Biffle restarting 5th due to the front three cars not pitting. He was back up to 2nd by lap 171, just behind the No. 14 of Tony Stewart.

The final caution came out on lap 188, and the Pit Bulls made an impressive 11.9-second stop which involved putting four fresh tires on the No. 16 Ford as well as filling with fuel and making air pressure and wedge adjustments. Biffle restarted 3rd due to the first two drivers taking only two tires under the caution. However, Biffle was ahead of Stewart for the restart. On lap 207, he took the lead and set sail, never looking back.

Biffle is no stranger to Victory Lane at Kansas Speedway, having won there in 2007, and on Sunday, he got his second Kansas win in dominating fashion, crossing the finish line nearly 8 seconds ahead of the No. 48 of Jimmie Johnson. His recent victory helped him move to 8th in the standings, 85 points behind Johnson.

Race winner: Greg Biffle

By taking the checkered flag on Sunday, Biffle proved he might’ve been down the previous two Chase races, but he’s definitely not out just yet. Congratulations to
Greg Biffle and the No. 16 team on their victory!

Well, that’s three races down, seven to go. With Jimmie Johnson atop the pit standings now, will he be able to achieve the “drive for five”? Will Denny Hamlin rebound at Auto Club Speedway to reclaim the points lead? Matt Kenseth usually does well at Fontana, can he get his first Cup win of the season? Will Carl Edwards continue to climb the ranks? Those are some great questions, but with no definite answers, we’ll just have to wait and see.

The Chase continues…

Next up: Pepsi Max 400 at Auto Club Speedway, October 10, 2010.

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Roush Rewind: AAA 400

For the second time this season, the Sprint Cup Series traveled to Dover International Speedway for the running of the AAA 400. The Monster Mile is the second stop in the Chase, and was a place where some of the Chase drivers hoped to rebound from their outing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last weekend. Two drivers dominated the race. A.J. Allmendinger led 143 of the 400 laps, and Jimmie Johnson led 191. After starting from the pole, it was Johnson who took the checkered flag on Sunday.

After a rough weekend at New Hampshire last weekend, the Roush Fenway Racing drivers looked to Dover as a track they could redeem themselves. Roush Fenway has eight Sprint Cup wins at Dover, and their best outing at Dover came in the fall of 2008 when Greg Biffle won, followed by teammates Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards. David Ragan finished 19th that race. This time around, Ragan, Biffle, and Kenseth all struggled, finishing 24th, 19th, and 18th respectively. Edwards led only two laps on Sunday, but finished 5th.

David Ragan—Start: 29th. Finish: 24th.

Early last week, it was announced that Drew Blickensderfer, who had been serving as Carl Edwards’s Nationwide Series crew chief, would replace David Ragan’s Cup crew chief Donnie Wingo, at least until the end of the season. There has been no confirmation yet as to whether Blickensderfer will remain with the No. 6 team for next season as well. On Tuesday mornings, Ragan calls into the radio morning show Moby in the Morning. This week, Moby asked Ragan how he felt about Blickensderfer being his crew chief. Ragan replied, "We weren't getting worse, and we weren't getting any better. We needed a change." So, with a new crew chief atop the pit box, Ragan and his crew came to Dover wanting to get a good finish. However, it seems that he has yet to get rid of that little black cloud that has been following him all season.

After qualifying 29th, Ragan knew he would have a lot of work to do on Sunday. Under the first caution of the day on lap 39, Ragan was in the 26th position and radioed to Blickensderfer that the No. 6 UPS Ford was a bit tight, but good on entry and through the center of the turns. He pitted for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment. The changes helped, and Ragan was up to 19th shortly after the restart. A long green-flag run resulted in Ragan making his pit stop under green on lap 117, while in the 13th position. The plan was to make another small air pressure adjustment while making a stop for four tires and fuel. Unfortunately, things went south from there. Ragan quickly radioed to the team that he felt like he had a loose left-rear wheel. Sure enough, after he pitted again, the UPS crew confirmed that the left-rear wheel was loose. Ragan went back out in the 33rd position, two laps down.

Just like he always does when things go wrong, Ragan refused to give up. He fought hard to get back on the lead lap. Eventually, he did take the wave around under a later caution, and got one lap back, but by then he was three laps down. A lack of cautions and the resulting unusually long green-flag runs left Ragan doing all he could to gain any positions. Ultimately, he was able to move up to the 24th position when the checkered flag waved. He is 25th in the standings.

Greg Biffle—Start: 6th. Finish: 19th.

With two wins at the Monster Mile, Greg Biffle felt confident he could get a good finish on Sunday. Biffle had solid practice times and qualified 6th in the No. 16 3M Ford. When the green flag dropped, it looked as though Biffle would get the finish he needed to remain a factor in the Chase.

He was running 5th when the first caution of the day came out on lap 39. He pitted for four tires and fuel. The 3M Pit Bulls were able to send Biffle out third for the restart. Over the following run, the sun came out from behind the clouds. Biffle soon reported his car had become very loose in the sunlight, and his crew made some adjustments under a green-flag stop on lap 116. The adjustments didn’t work, and Biffle soon found himself dropping back. When the next set of green-flag stops were supposed to begin, crew chief Greg Erwin called Biffle down pit road a few laps early on lap 184. Just three laps later, Biffle’s teammate Matt Kenseth had a left-front tire blow, which brought out a caution. The caution would be the setback Biffle didn’t need. A majority of the leaders had yet to pit, and Biffle went two laps down. He took the wave around when the leaders pitted under that caution, but was still one lap down.
After restarting 22nd, Biffle spent the rest of the race trying to get in the Lucky Dog position in case the caution came out again. The caution did come out once more, but Biffle wasn’t in position to get his lap back. He was able to run as high as 16th, but slipped back to take the checkered flag from the 19th position.

Biffle remains 9th in the standings, 140 points behind leader Denny Hamlin. However, he is only 75 points behind the fifth position.

Matt Kenseth—Start: 14th. Finish: 18th.

Following a disappointing finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last weekend, Matt Kenseth came to Dover International Speedway anticipating having a great run in the AAA 400. Kenseth considers Dover as one of his favorite tracks and has seen a lot of success at the 1-mile speedway, where he’s accumulated one win, 10 top-5 finishes, 15 top-10 finishes and two poles. Kenseth and the Crown Royal crew were hoping to add to those impressive stats, but just like at New Hampshire, the team just couldn’t catch a break.

Throughout the weekend, Kenseth’s No. 17 Crown Royal Ford looked like it would be rather competitive on Sunday. There were three practice sessions over the weekend, in which Kenseth finished 6th, 13th and 4th. Even Kenseth’s spotter Mike Calinoff felt confident they had a great car for Sunday’s race. Kenseth took the green flag from the 14th position to start the 400-lap race. When the first caution of the day came out on lap 39, Kenseth took the opportunity to inform crew chief Jimmy Fennig that the No. 17 Ford was a bit loose, free on entry of the turns, and lacking grip. Kenseth pitted for four tires, fuel, air pressure and track bar adjustments. After restarting 15th, Kenseth told Fennig the changes had helped, but the car was still a bit loose.

A long green-flag run followed, and Kenseth had worked his way well inside the top 10 when a second round of green-flag stops began around lap 180. While fighting the No. 11 of Denny Hamlin for position, Kenseth had to work his way to the bottom to try to get to pit road. He missed the commitment line and tried to slow his car down. The move caused the left-front tire of Kenseth’s car to blow out, causing considerable damage to the left-front of the car. Under the resulting caution, Kenseth pitted numerous times so his crew could repair the damage. He restarted 26th, one lap down on lap 194. Kenseth worked his way up to 18th after that and focused on getting into the Lucky Dog position to get back on the lead lap.

Unfortunately, the caution he needed never came out. Even with the damage, Kenseth had been running comparable lap times to the leaders, but was unable to get back on the lead lap. He was forced to accept an 18th place finish.

Kenseth came to Dover 11th in the standings, 136 points behind leader Denny Hamlin. His 18th place finish kept him in the 11th position, and he is now 165 points behind Hamlin. With the 2nd race of the Chase completed, it looks like Kenseth’s hopes of being the 2010 champion might be over.

Carl Edwards—Start: 10th. Finish: 5th.

Dover is one of Carl Edwards’s favorite tracks. He and his team knew they had to perform well on Sunday if they wanted to gain any ground in the standings. Edwards qualified the No. 99 Aflac Ford in the 10th position, and remained inside the top 10 for much of the race.

In the opening run, Edwards reported to crew chief Bob Osborne that his car was a little tight, and when a caution came out on lap 39, he pitted for four tires, fuel, and wedge and air pressure adjustments. Edwards was 10th on the following restart and held onto that position until a second pit stop for more adjustments helped him gain some ground on the drivers ahead of him. He had worked his way back up to 6th by lap 175. When the caution came out for teammate Kenseth’s blown tire, Edwards pitted for four tires, fuel, and a wedge adjustment, which helped improve the handling.

By lap 214, Edwards had cracked the top five. At this point, the No. 99 Ford was a little loose, but Edwards was still able to run down the drivers ahead of him. On lap 268, Edwards made another green-flag stop for tires, fuel, and track bar and air pressure adjustments. The adjustments helped, and Edwards was third by lap 286. The caution flag waved on lap 292, and Edwards’s crew made their best stop of the race. The 12.29-second stop helped Edwards remain in the third position. However, he lost a few positions on the restart. As the race wore on, a final round of green-flag stops was made. Edwards led two laps, gaining those valuable bonus points for leading a lap, before pitting on lap 365. The Aflac crew performed the stop in 13 seconds, and once everything had cycled through, Edwards was sitting in the 6th position. Edwards gained one more position before the race ended t o finish 5th.

The top-5 finish helped Edwards gain one position in the standings. He is currently 6th, 73 points behind leader Denny Hamlin.

Race winner: Jimmie Johnson

While A.J. Allmendinger was the strongest non-Chase driver on Sunday, the second Chase race would be won by a Chase driver. Jimmie Johnson led nearly half of the 400-lap race, showing he’s more than ready to make the “drive for five” to get his 5th consecutive Sprint Cup championship. Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team on their victory!

Can Jimmie Johnson win his 5th consecutive Cup championship? Will Roush Fenway Racing get another win before the season ends? Is Carl Edwards now the only hope Roush Fenway has for winning the championship? Anything can happen! There’s 8 races left.

The Chase continues…

Next up: Price Chopper 400 at Kansas Speedway October 3, 2010.

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As you all have probably noticed, the format of the Roush Rewind has changed a few times over the season. Today’s change is a new format I thought I would try out. I think it helps it flow better. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think about it. I’m open to suggestions on how to improve this column.

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Roush Rewind: Sylvania 300

With what is referred to as the regular season races complete, the Chase for the 2010Cup championship has begun. The top twelve drivers came into what would be the second stop at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and the first race of the Chase. Each of the top twelve drivers were looking to either win or get a great finish to keep their championship hopes alive. For a few of the Chase drivers, the Sylvania 300 would prove to be a bigger challenge than they expected. For Clint Bowyer, it would be the opportunity for him to break his winless streak by taking the checkered flag on Sunday after leading an impressive 177 laps.

After three of the four Roush Fenway Racing driver secured their spots in the Chase, the organization came to New Hampshire hoping to get off to a strong start in the Chase. New Hampshire Motor Speedway is almost considered a home track by Roush Fenway Racing due to their association with Fenway Sports Group in Boston. Roush Fenway has two wins at New Hampshire during the Chase—Kurt Busch in 2004 and Greg Biffle in 2008—but has seven Cup wins overall at the track. Unfortunately, the Roush Fenway drivers were not really big factors in Sunday’s race. Handling issues and a late-race incident, Matt Kenseth had to settle for a 23rd place finish. Despite qualifying well, David Ragan had to fight hard to finish 22nd. A four tire stop cost Biffle valuable positions in the last part of the race, but he was able to finish 17th while Carl Edwards led the RFR drivers with an 11th place finish.

After securing his spot in the Chase at Atlanta, Matt Kenseth and his crew were hoping to build on their recent momentum. Unfortunately, the team would struggle all weekend prior to the race. Things only went from bad to worse for Kenseth on Sunday. He struggled in practice, and was no better in qualifying. Kenseth took the green flag from the 33rd position in the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford. For the first few laps of the race, he focused on working his way through the field. The first caution of the day came out on lap 25 when the No. 82 of Scott Speed spun on the front stretch. Kenseth used that caution as an opportunity to inform crew chief Jimmy Fennig that the No. 17 Ford was tight in the center of the turns. Fennig called for a two-tire stop and the Crown Royal crew made air pressure and track bar adjustments. Kenseth was 21st for the restart. The caution came out again on lap 40 for the No. 98 of Paul Menard and the No. 47 Marcos Ambrose making contact and spinning out. Once again, Kenseth headed down pit road for another two-tire stop. He restarted 21st again and remained in that position until green-flag stops began around lap 95. On lap 98, Kenseth made his green-flag stop for four tires, fuel, and even more adjustments to fix the tightness of the car. Handling issues continued to plague the No. 17 Ford. The Crown Royal crew made adjustments nearly all race. Finally, it seemed their efforts were paying off when Kenseth finally cracked the top 15. On lap 233, bad luck struck the team. After contact with the No. 12 of Brad Keselowski, Kenseth spun out and hit the wall in turn one, resulting in considerable damage to both the rear and left side of the No. 17. The team repaired the damage the best they could. Kenseth was able to remain on the lead lap, but finished 23rd. He came into the weekend sitting 11th in the standings, 60 points behind leader Denny Hamlin. When all was said and done on Sunday, he dropped to 12th and is 136 points behind Hamlin.

David Ragan was 6th fastest in the first practice session on Friday, and it looked like he would have a fast car for Sunday’s race. He went out 16th in qualifying, and ran a lap good enough to earn the 11th starting position. Once the green flag dropped on Sunday, it did not take long for Ragan to tell crew chief Donnie Wingo that the No. 6 UPS Ford was too tight. He pitted under the caution on lap 25 for two tires and fuel. Most of the field also had the same pit strategy so Ragan did not gain any positions. When the caution came out again on lap 40, Ragan stayed out in an attempt to gain track position. It would be a move that Ragan would quickly wish he hadn’t made. Once the green flag waved again, Ragan quickly realized that he should have pitted for adjustments. Fighting his tight-handling racecar, he began to drop back through the field during the following long green-flag run. Around lap 89, Ragan was lapped by the leader, and from that point on he fought to get that lap back. The caution came out five more times after Ragan went a lap down, but he was never in the Lucky Dog position nor was he in a position where he could take the wave around. The No. 20 of Joey Logano spun after contact with the No. 2 Kurt Busch, bringing out the eighth and final caution of the day with about 60 laps remaining. That allowed Ragan to get his lap by virtue of being in the Lucky Dog position. He pitted under that caution for four tires and fuel. The UPS crew also cleaned the grille of the car off. Ragan restarted 26th and was able to pick up four positions to finish 22nd. He gained one position in the points to 24th.

Greg Biffle qualified 14th in the No. 16 3M Ford, and once the green flag waved on Sunday, was able to maintain that position until the first caution came out on lap 25. Crew chief Greg Erwin called Biffle down pit road for two tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment. Biffle’s pit crew, the Pit Bulls, were able to help their driver gain three positions in the pits to restart 11th. Following the next caution and the resulting restart on lap 40, Biffle reported that his car was just too loose and the tires were chattering under the following green-flag run. He was 15th when green-flag stops began around lap 95. He made his stop on lap 98 for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment. Once the stops cycled through, Biffle was in the 18th position. He had gained two positions up to 16th when a multi-car incident unfolded ahead of him on lap 223. Biffle made it through unscathed, picking up five positions. Under that caution, Biffle and Erwin discussed pit strategy. They could either make a fuel-only stop or pit for two tires and fuel too. It was decided that Biffle would make a two-tire stop. Some drivers made fuel-only stops, and a few stayed out. This resulted in Biffle restarting 18th on lap 229. He had worked his way up to 13th when the final caution came out on lap 241. Again, pit strategy was debated. Eventually, Biffle decided to pit for four tires and fuel. He restarted 21st and was able to pick up four positions, taking the checkered flag in the 17th position. Biffle dropped two positions to 9th in the standings, 108 points behind leader Hamlin.

Carl Edwards finished the first practice session in 2nd and was hoping that would carry over to Sunday’s race. He qualified 10th in the No. 99 Aflac Ford and was inside the top 5 within the first 20 laps. In the early part of the race, the handling on Edwards’s car was virtually neutral. Edwards had climbed as high as 2nd by lap 63. When green flag stops began near lap 95, Edwards stayed out to lead laps 98 and 99 to gain valuable bonus point before pitting for four tires, fuel, and air pressure adjustments. Once the stops cycled through, he was still in the 2nd position. A caution for debris came out just before the halfway point of the 300-lap race. Edwards pitted for four tires and fuel, and crew chief Bob Osborne called for more air pressure adjustments to help with the slight tightness of the No. 99 Ford. Edwards lost two positions in the pits and restarted 4th on lap 151. A few laps later, Edwards claimed the 3rd position and remained there until making contact the No. 11 of Denny Hamlin on lap 214. Edwards was on the inside, but was unable to keep his car from sliding up into Hamlin. There was no damage to Edwards’s car. Hamlin was able to keep his car from hitting the wall, and the other drivers were all able to avoid hitting him. Edwards fell back to the 8th position. Edwards made his final pit stop under the caution that came out on lap 223. The two-tire stop had him restarting 15th. Edwards fought to work his way back up through the field. He was 13th with 50 to go, and it looked like he would finish in that position until Jeff Burton ran out of fuel. Race leader Tony Stewart ran out of fuel coming to the white flag. Edwards picked up two positions due to those two drivers running out of fuel. He finished 11th, and gained one position in the standings. Edwards is 9th, 95 points behind Hamlin.

Since it was the first race of the Chase, it came as no surprise that all of the top twelve drivers gave their all on Sunday. Some were caught up in crashes, others just simply couldn’t get to the front to challenge for the lead, but for one, he showed he was the class of the field, at least for that day. Clint Bowyer claimed the victory in the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in dominant fashion. Congratulations to Clint Bowyer and the No. 33 team on the win!

For Roush Fenway Racing, the race could be considered a disappointment. All four teams will have to regroup and go to Dover this coming weekend ready to show they might be down but not out. So far, only Greg Biffle has scored a Cup win for the organization. Can the Roush Fenway drivers rebound before the season ends?

The Chase continues…

Next up: AAA 400 at Dover International Raceway on Sunday Sept. 26, 2010.
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Note: I apologize for the varying days in which the Roush Rewind has been posted lately. My class schedule is getting the best of me right now. I’ve just been so busy. I’m hoping to be more consistent in posting the Rewind, which should be posted on Tuesdays from this point on. And to you readers, I just want to say a big THANK YOU for sticking with me and this column throughout the season!

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Roush Rewind: Air Guard 400

Once again, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series made a stop at Richmond International Raceway. The Air Guard 400 was the final race before the Chase. For those on the bubble, they needed great finishes to keep their championship hopes alive. For those locked in, it was a chance to win and earn those crucial 10 bonus points that could help them get ahead once the top 12 in the field were reset. Denny Hamlin proved he is well on his way to possibly becoming the 2010 Cup champion as he took the checkered flag at Richmond, therefore making him the points leader when they head to
New Hampshire this coming Sunday.

Roush Fenway Racing came to Richmond with Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth locked into the Chase. Greg Biffle only had to finish the race ahead of the 42nd position to earn his spot as a championship contender. For David Ragan, however, his hopes of making the Chase had been crushed months ago, but Ragan isn’t ready to give it up just yet since he is still working toward getting his first career Cup win. On Saturday night, Biffle and Ragan struggled while Edwards and Kenseth were both able to have strong runs and get good finishes.

Greg Biffle knew coming into Saturday night’s race that he could get a 42nd place finish and still make the Chase. However, he really didn’t plan on finishing that far back, but handling issues and an unplanned stop that resulted in him going two laps down prevented him from getting the better finish he might have been capable of. Loose-handling issues plagued Biffle in qualifying, which resulted in him earning a 24th place starting position. Before the race even started on Saturday, Biffle reported that the cooling system was basically fried and that his helmet had filled with smoke, which resulted in the air going into the helmet being warm and the smell of an electrical fire filling his helmet too throughout the race. Once the green flag waved, Biffle immediately reported to crew chief Greg Erwin that the No. 16 3M Ford was way too loose and lacked grip. The first caution came out on lap 58, and Biffle pitted from the 29th position for four fuel, and a track bar and shim adjustment. He was still 29th for the restart, tires, and it became evident that the handling had actually gotten worse. It got so bad in fact that Biffle eventually went a lap down, and the decision was made to make an unscheduled pit stop on lap 130. Biffle went back out in the 38th position, two laps down. The 2nd caution came out on lap 145, and Biffle stayed out to get the wave around to get a lap back, but as luck would have it, a tire went down and Biffle had to pit just when the field was restarting. He was still 38th and two laps down when he got lapped by Denny Hamlin on lap 202, which put him three laps down. Rain brought out a caution on lap 226, and Biffle pitted for four tires, fuel, and air pressure and wedge adjustments. It was during this stop that the 3M team discovered a hole in the nose of the car, which resulted in Biffle having to pit two more times for repairs. He restarted 35th and had gained two positions before he went down yet another lap down. He made a green-flag stop for fuel, tires, and a wedge adjustment to correct the tight-handling issues. Eventually, he went five laps down, but gained one back when the field cycled through green-flag stops shortly after he had made his stop. Biffle held on to gain one more position to finish 32nd. Biffle will start the Chase in the 7th position, 50 points behind points leader Denny Hamlin.

Richmond is actually one of David Ragan’s favorite tracks to visit on the circuit, but Saturday’s race proved to be more difficult than he thought it would be. The team’s optimistic outlook for the race soon dissipated as Ragan struggled in practice then qualified the No. 6 UPS Ford in the 26th position. The handling problems the team had struggled with in practice and qualifying returned the second the race started on Saturday. Ragan reported to crew chief Donnie Wingo the car was tight in the center of the turns, loose off. Under the caution that came out on lap 58, he pitted for four tires, fuel, and air pressure and track bar adjustments. A long green-flag run followed. Ragan was soon lapped by the leader despite the adjustments his crew had made. The car was running better through the turns, but it was still loose off the turns, which resulted in Ragan struggling to gain any ground on the drivers ahead of him. The next pit stop was for four tires, fuel, and a wedge adjustment. However, the changes still did nothing to help the loose-handling condition of the No. 6 Ford. When the caution flag waved on lap 226 due to rain, Ragan pitted for four tires, fuel, and air pressure and wedge adjustments. He was 22nd for the restart on lap 242, and immediately following the restart, reported the car was still too loose. A lack of cautions prevented Ragan from being able to pit and make the adjustments the car needed. He ultimately finished 23rd, 2 laps down. Ragan is 25th in the standings.

After missing the Chase in 2009, Matt Kenseth came to Richmond with no worries of that scenario playing out again in 2010. Kenseth and his team were looking to finish up the final pre-Chase race with a strong performance. He started Saturday night’s race from the 12th position, and cracked the top ten shortly after the green flag had waved. The lengthy opening green-flag run soon had Kenseth informing crew chief Jimmy Fennig that the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford was lacking grip and was tight in the center of the turns, loose off. Kenseth pitted under the lap 58 caution for four tires, fuel, and air pressure and track bar adjustments. He restarted 7th. The adjustments had helped the car gain more overall grip, but loose-handling conditions continued to plague Kenseth. The caution flag waved again on lap 145, and once more Kenseth pitted for more adjustments. He restarted 4th, but the changes made during the pit stop had hurt more than helped. The car had become so tight in the center of the turns that Kenseth couldn’t get it to roll through the turns like he needed it to. Any chance he got, Kenseth pitted so his crew could make adjustments to his car, but handling problems continued to hamper any progress he hoped to make. Kenseth battled hard to get a good finish. Kenseth finished 14th and is now 11th in the standings, 60 points behind Denny Hamlin.

On Friday, Carl Edwards looked like he would be the driver to beat at Richmond. Not only was he fastest in final practice, but he also claimed the pole, which was his 2nd of the season. Edwards led the first 53 laps in the No. 99 Cheez-It Ford before getting passed by the No. 48 of Jimmie Johnson. He pitted under the caution on lap 58, and thanks to a flawless stop by his crew, was able to lead the field back to green. He held onto the lead for the next 42 laps until being passed by the No. 33 of Clint Bowyer. Edwards then reported to crew chief Bob Osborne that the No. 99 Ford was losing grip. He fell back to the 9th position before pitting under the lap 145 caution so his crew could make a wedge adjustment. Edwards restarted 8th. The short runs seemed to be when Edwards’s car ran the best. He was up to 5th by lap 175, but unfortunately the car began to lose grip again. He was 13th when the final caution of the day came out on lap 226 due to rain. The weather looked like it wouldn’t cause the race to end early so Osborne called Edwards down pit road so the team could make an air pressure adjustment. He was 12th for the restart, but the car was still lacking the grip he needed to get back to the front. The No. 99 crew spent the last of the race trying to make the adjustments needed to get Edwards back to the lead. However, the adjustments they made just weren’t enough. Edwards finished 10th and is 9th in the standings, 60 points behind Denny Hamlin.

Virginia native Denny Hamlin won the Air Guard 400 at Richmond International Raceway in dominant fashion, leading 251 laps. He held off teammate Kyle Busch to get that victory, racking up his 6th victory of the season. It put him just 10 points ahead of four-time champion Jimmie Johnson. Congratulations to Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 team on their victory on Saturday and for rocketing to the top of the standings.

Roush Fenway Racing now occupies ¼ of the Chase. Will one of the three Roush Fenway drivers be able bring home a championship to the organization that last earned those honors in 2004? It’s a possibility, but with 12 very talented drivers vying for that top spot come Homestead, it’s anybody’s race…

The Chase is on!

Next up: Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, September 19, 2010.

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Roush Rewind: Emory Healthcare 500

Following the last off-week of the season, Labor Day weekend meant one thing for the Sprint Cup Series drivers—a stop at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the running of the Emory Healthcare 500. With two weeks until the Chase begins, those in danger of dropping out of the top 12 in the standings were hoping for great runs to keep their championship hopes alive. For those well inside the top 12, it was a chance to lock themselves in before the Chase officially begins. While a few drivers looked dominant, it was Tony Stewart who would be the victor on Sunday night.

Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track that Roush Fenway Racing has been relatively successful at. The organization has had six Cup victories at AMS, three of which were earned by Carl Edwards, 64 top-10 finishes, and 35 top-5 finishes. On Sunday, it was clear that another win just wasn’t in the books for Roush Fenway. A mid-race incident left Greg Biffle accepting a 36th place finish. Bad luck struck David Ragan once again, but he rallied back to earn a 19th place finish. Matt Kenseth fought an ill-handling racecar all night to finish 11th, while Carl Edwards came close to being the victor, but had to settle for being the runner-up.

For Greg Biffle, things looked promising leading up to Sunday night’s race. He was inside the top 10 in both practice sessions. When qualifying rolled around, he was the 24th driver out and solidly qualified the No. 16 Scotch Blue Ford in the 15th position. It wasn’t long after the green flag waved that Biffle informed crew chief Greg Erwin that the car was a little too tight. With no cautions in the early part of the race, drivers began making green-flag stops around lap 45. Biffle worked his way up to the 8th position and made his stop on lap 47 for four tires, fuel, and a small track bar adjustment. Once the stops cycled through, he was back in the 8th position. The handling on the No. 16 Ford began to worsen under the continuing green-flag run. Biffle was 9th when the second round of green-flag stops began around lap 92. He pitted on lap 97 for four tires, fuel, and more adjustments. He cycled back to the 9th position and was still in that position when the first caution of the day came out on lap 133. Biffle and his crew took the opportunity to make even more adjustments to correct the car’s handling. Biffle was 6th for the restart on lap 139. The caution came out again just for laps later when the No. 11 of Denny Hamlin suffered an engine failure. Biffle decided to pit again, but this time the stop wouldn’t go as smooth as the team had hoped. Todd Ziegler, a tire changer for the No. 16 team, noticed that a lug nut had become lodged between the wheel and the hub while changing the right-front tire. Ziegler had to take the tire back off, remove the lug nut, and replace the tire before going to work on the left side. The delay in the pits was just a few seconds, but it was enough to cost Biffle several positions. Biffle restarted 12th on lap 151, and on lap 152, the caution came out again. Only this time, Biffle was part of the reason the yellow flag was in the air. He had been racing three-wide for position and spun in turn three. Just when it looked like he would avoid a major setback, Biffle’s car clipped the right-rear of the No. 19 of Elliott Sadler. The contact sent Sadler hard into the outside wall and resulted in heavy damage to the front of Biffle’s car. Biffle drove his car to the garage where the 3M crew worked furiously and got him back out on the track. Biffle came out of the garage in the 39th position, and picked up 3 positions to finish 36th. He remains 11th in the standings.

There are three good reasons why a win at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday would have been perfect for David Ragan: 1) Atlanta is Ragan’s home track. He is from Unadilla, GA. 2) Ragan’s sponsor, UPS, is based out of Atlanta, GA, so AMS is their home track too. 3) It would have been Ragan’s first career Cup win and he would’ve been the first driver sponsored by UPS to win at the company’s home track. Unfortunately, as perfect as a victory would’ve been on Sunday night for him, Ragan was never a contender for the win. It’s no secret that Ragan has been less than stellar in qualifying this season, but during qualifying on Saturday he pulled off an impressive 9th place qualifying effort in the No. 6 UPS Ford. On Sunday night, the race began with a long green-flag run, during which Ragan reported that his car was loose off the turns. He made two green-flag stops under the lengthy run, each for four tires, fuel, wedge and track bar adjustments. The changes made virtually no difference in the car’s handling, and as Ragan struggled with the handling issues, he was lapped by the leader on lap 112. When the first caution of the day came out on lap 133, Ragan pitted so his crew could make major adjustments to the car. Shortly after the following restart, the caution flag waved once more as the No. 11 of Denny Hamlin suffered a major engine problem. Crew chief Donnie Wingo instructed Ragan to stay out and take the wave around to get back on the lead lap. The next caution was on lap 152 for the incident involving Ragan’s teammate Greg Biffle and the No. 19 of Elliott Sadler. Due to his attempts to avoid the crash, Ragan locked up the brakes and flat spotted his tires, which meant he would have to pit again for four fresh tires. He restarted 17th and began to work his way up inside the top 15. Just when it looked like he would was on his way to having a good night, the loose-handling conditions of the car caused Ragan to lose control of the car and spin coming off of turn three, bringing out the caution on lap 200. No damage was done to the No. 6 Ford, but Ragan did lose a lap to the leaders again. He pitted for four tires, fuel, and rubber added to the left-rear. However, once he was back out on the track, it was evident that the adjustments simply were not enough. Ragan was left playing catch-up for the remainder of the race. When the caution came out with around 72 laps to go due to a left-front tire blowing on the No. 29 of Kevin Harvick, green-flag stops were in the process of cycling through. Under the caution laps, as scoring was figured out, NASCAR officials informed the No. 6 that Ragan had been speeding on pit road on the previous pit stop. Still a lap down with nothing to really lose, Ragan made his pass through, making yet another pit stop for four tires and fuel. On lap 303, the caution came out again, this time for debris from the No. 9 of Kasey Kahne. Ragan was in the Lucky Dog position and was able to get back on the lead lap. Ragan restarted 24th after pitting for four tires and was able to gain five more positions before the checkered flag wave. It was a hard-fought 19th place finish for Ragan in front of his hometown crowd. He remains 24th in the standings.

The race proved to be quite a challenge for Matt Kenseth on Sunday. He started from the 30th position, and during the opening run, told crew chief Jimmy Fennig that the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford was tight in the center of the turns, loose off. Kenseth made his first green-flag stop on lap 49 for four tires, fuel, and air pressure and track bar adjustments. Almost immediately, he informed his crew that the changes had not helped to improve the car’s handling. Loose-handling issues continued to plague the No. 17 Ford, and under another green-flag stop on lap 97, Kenseth’s crew made air pressure and track bar adjustments. The changes seemed to help just a little, allowing Kenseth to crack the top 20. He fought to stay inside the top 20, due to his car lacking the grip he needed to move forward. Over the next few runs, the Crown Royal Black crew continued to make adjustments, even making changes to the rubbers and shims, but nothing seemed to help improve the loose-handling condition. Kenseth eventually went down a lap to the leaders, but was able to get back on the lead lap under the caution on lap 200, brought out by teammate David Ragan. His crew made even more air pressure adjustments, but the results were virtually the same as they’d been all night. The loose-handling condition continued. Kenseth was up to the 14th position by lap 266, but was forced to pit so his crew could check a tire rub. Due to the extra stop, he was shuffled back to the 21st position. It was under the caution on lap 297, that the No. 17 crew heard some reassuring words from their driver, who told them the car seemed to be the most competitive that it had been all night. When the caution came out on lap 298 for a spin by the No. 12 of Brad Keselowski, Kenseth pitted for four tires and fuel. The final caution of the night came out on lap 303, Fennig instructed his driver to stay out since they were well within their fuel window. The move paid off, and Kenseth restarted 10th. He fought to remain inside the top 10, but ultimately crossed the finish line in the 11th position.

In 2005, Atlanta Motor Speedway was where Carl Edwards earned his first career Cup win. On Sunday night, Edwards came ever so close to getting another victory at the track. He took the green flag from the 4th position. Under the beginning green-flag run, the No. 99 Aflac Ford was loose. Edwards’s crew made track bar and wedge adjustments during the two green-flag stops made before the caution came out on lap 134 for debris. The race restarted on lap 139, and two laps later, Edwards was in the lead, despite the fact the No. 99 Ford was still loose. The next caution came out on lap 147, and Edwards’s crew made a quick 12.8-second stop, but Edwards was beat off pit road and restarted 2nd. Edwards had settled into the 3rd position by lap 200 when the caution flag waved again. Edwards pitted for more adjustments, which seemed to make his car come to life. He overtook the 2nd position on lap 218, and reclaimed the lead from Tony Stewart on lap 250. Edwards made a green-flag stop on lap 254, but a caution came out while he was in his pit stall. Once the scoring was figured out, Edwards restarted the race as the leader on lap 264. He remained in the lead until another caution lap 272. He pitted, and was third off pit road, but restarted 5th due to Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon staying out. Edwards was back up to 3rd within 5 laps of the restart. The caution flag waved again on lap 297, and Edwards crew made a lightning fast 12.4-second stop, which sent him back out in the lead for the restart. However, Edwards was passed before they even completed that lap by Tony Stewart. Try as he might, Edwards was never able to reclaim the lead and finished 2nd. He is 5th in the standings.

After seeming to have issues on the restarts earlier in the race, Tony Stewart nailed the final restart perfectly to get by Carl Edwards. While Edwards gave it his all to run Stewart down in the closing laps, it simply was not enough. Congratulations to Tony Stewart and the No. 14 team on their victory at Atlanta!

Roush Fenway Racing now has two drivers locked into the Chase—Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth. For Greg Biffle to make the chase, just starting the race at Richmond will be enough. Even if something happens to end Biffle’s night early, as long as he finishes at least 42nd, he will be one of the 12 drivers vying for the championship.

Next up: Air Guard 400 at Richmond International Raceway, September 11, 2010.

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As a side note, I would like to congratulate David Ragan on his victory in the Late Model race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday night!

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Kenseth to Make Nationwide Start at Atlanta

CONCORD, N.C. (Aug. 25, 2010) - Matt Kenseth is set to make his third
Nationwide Series start this season for Roush Fenway Racing at Atlanta
Motor Speedway driving the No. 16 World Financial Group (WFG) Ford. The
Atlanta-based WFG began their partnership with Roush Fenway Racing in
2004 and they are making their first on-track appearance since winning
with Carl Edwards at Phoenix International Raceway in 2008.

World Financial Group has sponsored Roush Fenway Racing Fords in all
three of NASCAR’s top series’ beginning with Carl Edwards at Atlanta
and Darlington Raceway in 2004. The financial services marketing
company has been on board for two wins, both secured by Carl Edwards in
the Nationwide Series.

Kenseth carries good momentum into the race at Atlanta with impressive
Nationwide Series stats at the 1.5-mile track. In 10 starts, Kenseth
owns two wins, seven top-fives, eight top-10s and one pole award. His
last start at Atlanta came in 2008 where he won the event after starting
10th and leading 14 laps.

"Atlanta is going to be a great race weekend for the No. 16 team and
I'm looking forward to running the Nationwide Series race," said driver
Matt Kenseth. "World Financial Group began their sponsorship with Roush
Fenway back in 2004 and I'm honored that I get to drive their car next
weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway under the lights. When we're able to
combine a great sponsor like World Financial Group, along with a track
like Atlanta where we've had success at in the past, it always makes for
an exciting race weekend."

The night race at Atlanta Motor Speedway is scheduled for Saturday,
Sept. 4 at 7:00 p.m. EST. Coverage of the event on ESPN2 begins at 6:30
p.m. EST.

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Roush Fenway Continues Sustainability Efforts

Both at Home and in the Community, Roush Fenway Remains a Leader in
Sustainablity

Concord, N.C. (August 25, 2010) - Its no secret that Roush Fenway
Racing recycles 96 percent of every race car but it’s their continued
efforts to become more sustainable that is really paying off for the
environment. In 2009 the team recycled 65 tons of plastics, metal and
paper and implemented small but impactful changes across all its
facilities. These efforts helped the team meet its goal of an overall
10 percent improvement in indoor air quality; reduction of water
consumption; increase in waste reduction and recycling; and improvement
in energy usage over the last year.

“I am most proud of the smaller impacts we have achieved,” said Ian
Prince, Roush Fenway’s director of real estate and sustainability.
“The second and third rounds of reduction and improvement are
exponentially harder to achieve.”

In total the team recycled 26,660 pounds of plastic in 2009, up from
12,427 pounds in 2008. The increased number reflects a company-wide
education and an increase in the number of items that were recycled
beyond drink bottles. The team also recycled 11,335 pounds of paper,
down from 19,628 pounds the year before in part because of the efforts
to either not print documents or use auto-duplexing.

Additionally, the team has switched to biodegradable soy-based products
where practical (instead of harmful chemical degreasers); eliminated
Styrofoam cups; switched from 400w bulbs to 360w bulbs; mandated a
managed forestry content for all paper, envelopes, etc.; and added
additional occupancy sensors in the race and fabrication shops to reduce
energy consumption. The effort doesn’t stop at the shop though, Roush
Fenway is extending its efforts beyond the race team as well.

Roush Fenway is a participant in the Cabarrus Sustainability Council, a
joint effort between the Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce and
Cabarrus Economic Development that works to promote sustainability
through public and private collaborations. Just this week, the Council
announced a partnership between local school systems, the business
community and local government to bring a comprehensive recycling
program to local schools beginning this school year.

“This project really is an example of what can happen when the public
and private sector roll up their sleeves and work together for a common
community good,” said Prince, also the chair of the Cabarrus
Sustainability Council.

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Roush Rewind: Irwin Tools Night Race

For the second time this season, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series headed to Thunder Valley for the running of the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, located in the mountains of Bristol, TN. Bristol was looking to add to the history books as the race would be the track’s 100th Cup race. Rain fell in the early hours of the afternoon, but the weather improved before the race was set to begin. While many drivers looked like they had what it took to win on Saturday, it was Kyle Busch who would show he was the class of the field as he took the checkered flag and added his name to the NASCAR history book’s once again as not only Bristol’s 100th Cup winner but also as the first driver to win all three races in NASCAR’s top three series in one weekend.

The Roush Fenway Racing drivers headed into the weekend looking to build on the wave of momentum they have been riding. Statistically speaking, Bristol Motor Speedway is one of Roush Fenway’s best tracks. With 10 Cup wins and 9 poles at Bristol, the organization hoped to add to those impressive stats this past weekend. While none of them got the win, they proved that the facts don’t lie. Back in March, three of the four Roush Fenway drivers finished inside the top ten at Bristol, while one got caught up in a wreck not of his own doing that knocked him out of contention. Saturday night’s race was almost like déjà vu. Three finished inside the top 12, while once again, one was left accepting a less than stellar finish after being knocked out of contention.

David Ragan and his team struggled in the two practice sessions on Friday. He ran outside the top 20 for nearly the entire time, and when it came to qualifying, things did not improve. Ragan took the green flag from the 38th position on Saturday night. From the drop of the green flag, the No. 6 UPS Ford began to pick up positions. The first caution came out lap 56, and by then, Ragan had worked his way up to the 29th position. He reported to crew chief Donnie Wingo that his car was just a bit loose in the exit of the turns. Ragan pitted for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment. After that stop, he continued to make his way through the field. On lap 126, bad luck once again hit the team. The No. 43 of A.J. Allmendinger got loose and spun out, with Ragan on the inside. Allmendinger made contact with Ragan, which resulted in the No. 6 Ford spinning out, the rear of the car slamming the wall. Ragan immediately headed for pit road so his crew could assess the damage. The UPS crew repaired the damage as best they could, but Ragan had to pit repeatedly for repairs. Then on lap 158, Ragan had to make an unscheduled pit stop due to the right-rear tire going down. Ragan and his crew proved that they were not willing to just pack it in and give up. The UPS crew continued to make adjustments throughout the race. Ragan held on to finish 32nd, 14 laps down.

The main goal for Carl Edwards and his crew at Bristol was to clinch their spot in the Chase. They didn’t reach that goal, but they did make progress toward achieving it. Edwards was decent in practice on Friday and really found some speed in qualifying to start 2nd in the No. 99 Aflac Ford. He was knocked from the pole by Jimmie Johnson. Once the green flag waved, Edwards drifted back a couple positions to stay around the 3rd position for much of the beginning of the race. The No. 99 Ford was a little loose in the early run, and the Aflac crew made wedge adjustments in the early pit stops to tighten the car up. A pit stop under the caution brought out by the contact between Allmendinger and Ragan had Edwards restarting 2nd. Once the green flag waved, Edwards drifted back and settled into the 4th position until the caution came out on lap 254. Edwards pitted under the caution. However problems with the lug nuts on the left-rear tire caused him to pit again. Only three of the five lug nuts were tight, and after he pitted again to tighten the lug nuts, he was sitting in the 26th position. While it looked like it would be a major setback, it proved to be what crew chief Bob Osborne called a blessing in disguise. On the restart, Juan Pablo Montoya got into the back of Jimmie Johnson, which caused heavy damage to Johnson’s car. The incident occurred near where Edwards would have been running had the issue with the lug nuts not occurred. Edwards spent the remainder of the race slowly making his way back up through the field. On lap 400, green-flag stops were underway and Edwards lost a lap to the leaders, but as luck would have it, the caution came out shortly after. Edwards was in the Lucky Dog position and was back on the lead lap in the 13th position with 85 laps to go. He gained only one position in those closing laps to finish 12th. Edwards is now 4th in the standings.

Matt Kenseth returned to Bristol hoping to add to his impressive achievements at the track. In seven of the last eight August races at Bristol, Kenseth had finished inside the top ten. It’s a streak that he was able to continue. Kenseth started 14th in the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford on Saturday. He was 10th when the first caution of the race came out on lap 56. Kenseth took that opportunity to tell crew chief Jimmy Fennig that the No. 17 Ford was loose on the exit of the turns. Kenseth pitted for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment. He restarted 9th, but Kenseth informed his crew that he needed more grip if he was going to be competitive. Kenseth cracked the top 5 around lap 200. One hundred laps later he had fallen to 8th as handling issues plagued the No. 17 Ford. Kenseth told his crew that the car was too tight in the center of the turns, too loose off. Almost as soon as Kenseth told his crew that, he told his crew he had a tire going down. He had to make an unscheduled stop where his crew discovered that the right-front tire was the problem. He went from 8th to 25th, and was off sequence with the leaders. Green-flag stops began with just over 100 laps remaining, and Kenseth stayed out as long as possible and was up to 4th when a lucky break came his way in the form of a caution on lap 410. He pitted under the caution for four tires, fuel, and another air pressure adjustment. He restarted 7th, but lose three positions in the remaining laps to finish 10th. He moved up one position to 8th in the standings.

Greg Biffle ran inside the top ten for a while in practice on Friday, but qualified 21st in the No. 16 3M Ford later that evening. It was a rough start for Biffle on Saturday as he reported his car was both tight and loose. He spent the first half of the race fighting the handling issues. His crew made adjustments on every pit stop to finally get Biffle solidly inside the top 20. He was 16th when the caution came out on lap 253 and reported his car was the best it had been the entire race. Crew chief Greg Erwin called for a slight air pressure adjustment and Biffle restarted 17th. Biffle had difficulty gaining positions and had only worked his way up to 15th when green-flag stops began with just over 100 laps remaining. He made his stop on lap 396 for four tire and fuel. The caution came out on lap 410 and Biffle pitted again for four tires, fuel, and a track bar adjustment. He restarted 11th and fought hard to bring home an 8th place finish. He is still 11th in the standings.


After winning the O’Reilly 200 on Wednesday and the Food City 250 on Friday, Kyle Busch brought home the win in the Irwin Tools Night Race on Saturday. Busch, who has been breaking records and setting records almost ever since his NASCAR career began, showed no signs of slowing down at Bristol Motor Speedway over the weekend. Congratulations to Kyle Busch and the three crews it took to help him pull off the impressive Bristol sweep!

The Sprint Cup Series takes the weekend off and will return to action next weekend.

Next up: Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

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Photos courtesy of Whitney's personal collection.

Photo 1: The Irwin Tools Night Race banner painted on the pit road wall on the frontstretch.
Photo 2: David Ragan standing on the pit road wall as his crew works on the No. 6 UPS Ford during practice on Friday
Photo 3: Carl Edwards's crew makes adjustments to the No. 99 Aflac Ford during practice.
Photo 4: Matt Kenseth climbs into his racecar for practice.
Photo 5: Greg Biffle on pit road during practice.
Photo 6: The No. 18 crew congratulates Kyle Busch on his victory on Saturday night.

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