Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Author: Barry Albert

  • Harvick wins the NCWTS O’Reilly Auto Parts 200 at Bristol

    Harvick wins the NCWTS O’Reilly Auto Parts 200 at Bristol

    Kevin Harvick won his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday night in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 200.

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”240″][/media-credit]Harvick held off Johnny Sauter in the final laps for his third consecutive victory in the Truck Series.

    “Three in a row, that’s pretty cool.” Harvick said.

    Todd Bodine finished third James Buescher fourth and Timothy Peters finished fifth.

    Ron Hornaday started third but got loose exiting off of turn 2 and slid into the inside wall, ending his night early.

    On lap 51, Chris Jones driver of the #87 was turned into the outside wall by Jake Crum, #01. Jones did a little retaliation bump before bringing it into the garage for repairs. “I got plum run over.” said Crum. “I don’t know if he ran out of talent or brains.”

    On lap 62, Crum was caught up in a multi-truck crash in turn 4 after Ricky Carmichael and Max Papis get together. Crum slammed into the side of the #9 of Max Papis, sending both of them to the garage.

    On lap 99 during the restart, Elliott Salder spun Kyle Busch into the outside wall exiting turn 2. Busch suffered severe front end damage but stayed on the track until Sadler made it back around the track. As Sadler tried to make the move around Busch, Busch pushed him up high and spun him out in retaliation. Busch also clipped him in the rear during the spin.

    Busch’s quest for a fourth consecutive victory at Bristol came to an end as his pit crew was unable to make repairs and get him back into the race. But Sadler’s crew was able to make repairs and he finished ninth.

    “I honestly think his sponsor didn’t see that I was on the outside of him.” Sadler said.

    Busch admitted that he took Sadler out and accused Sadler of purposely taking him out. Busch made a reference to the person that pays Sadler’s paycheck, referring to Kevin Harvick Inc (KHI).

    “Where does his paycheck come from? We were racing earlier tonight and I pulled a slide job on him and he ran into me three times after that. Then got clear of him for a while and on that restart there I was trying to slide him and get up to the top. The spotter said I was clear and I was clear at the time. Maybe I was too late. He wrecked us and I’m not going to put up with it.” Busch said.

    “Shows how smart Kyle Busch is. Elliott is not even driving for us tonight. We can drive as dirty as he wants.” Harvick said in victory lane.

    On lap 144, #39 Ryan Sieg and #51 Josh Richards get together as Sieg tried to make a move low. Also #32 Blake Feese and Papis were also involved.

    Sauter increased his points lead from five points to seven over Buescher in the series standings.

     

    Unofficial Race Results
    O’Reilly Auto Parts 200, Bristol Motor Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/truckseries/race.php?race=16
    ==============================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    ==============================================
    1 6 2 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 0
    2 12 13 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 42
    3 9 5 Todd Bodine Toyota 41
    4 5 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 40
    5 8 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 39
    6 10 22 Joey Coulter * Chevrolet 38
    7 29 6 Justin Lofton Toyota 37
    8 2 8 Nelson Piquet Jr. * Chevrolet 36
    9 1 124 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 0
    10 11 29 Parker Kligerman * Dodge 34
    11 15 81 David Starr Toyota 33
    12 30 60 Cole Whitt * Chevrolet 32
    13 27 119 David Mayhew Chevrolet 0
    14 31 92 Clay Rogers Chevrolet 30
    15 14 20 Johanna Long * Toyota 29
    16 20 23 Jason White Chevrolet 29
    17 13 151 Josh Richards Toyota 27
    18 35 32 Blake Feese Chevrolet 26
    19 34 66 Ross Chastain Chevrolet 25
    20 4 62 Brendan Gaughan Toyota 24
    21 18 88 Matt Crafton Chevrolet 23
    22 28 109 Bryan Silas Ford 0
    23 17 3 Austin Dillon Chevrolet 21
    24 3 33 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 20
    25 26 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 19
    26 33 9 Max Papis Toyota 18
    27 21 73 Brian Johnson Jr. Chevrolet 17
    28 24 170 Jeff Agnew Chevrolet 16
    29 22 4 Ricky Carmichael Chevrolet 15
    30 7 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 0
    31 16 7 Miguel Paludo * Toyota 13
    32 19 7 John King Toyota 12
    33 25 101 Jake Crum Chevrolet 11
    34 23 87 Chris Jones Chevrolet 10
    35 32 93 Mike Garvey Chevrolet 9
    36 36 165 Brent Raymer Chevrolet 8
  • Elliott grabs NCWTS O’Reilly 200 pole

    Elliott grabs NCWTS O’Reilly 200 pole

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”238″][/media-credit]Making his debut with Joe Denette Motorsports, Elliott Sadler won the pole for Wednesday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series O’Reilly 200 with a lap of 122.607 MPH.

    The No. 24 AM FM-Energy/Pellet & Wood Stoves Chevrolet will carry an in-car camera in Wednesday night’s NCWTS event in “Thunder Valley”, Bristol Motor Speedway.

    Sadler is also scheduled to make his second start with the rookie team at Martinsville Speedway in October.

    Nelson Piquet Jr. qualified second, Ron Hornaday third, Brendan Gaughan fourth and James Buescher qualified fifth. Sprint Cup Series regulars, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch start sixth and seventh.

     

    Starting Lineup
    O’Reilly Auto Parts 200, Bristol Motor Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/truckseries/qual.php?race=16
    ===========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Speed Time
    ===========================================
    1 124 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 122.607 15.65
    2 8 Nelson Piquet Jr.* Chevrolet 121.898 15.741
    3 33 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 121.713 15.765
    4 62 Brendan Gaughan Toyota 121.466 15.797
    5 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 121.42 15.803
    6 2 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 121.366 15.81
    7 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 121.198 15.832
    8 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 121.152 15.838
    9 5 Todd Bodine Toyota 120.93 15.867
    10 22 Joey Coulter* Chevrolet 120.915 15.869
    11 29 Parker Kligerman* Dodge 120.892 15.872
    12 13 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 120.543 15.918
    13 151 Josh Richards Toyota 120.278 15.953
    14 20 Johanna Long* Toyota 120.271 15.954
    15 81 David Starr Toyota 119.985 15.992
    16 7 Miguel Paludo* Toyota 119.962 15.995
    17 3 Austin Dillon Chevrolet 119.888 16.005
    18 88 Matt Crafton Chevrolet 119.85 16.01
    19 7 John King Toyota 119.85 16.01
    20 23 Jason White Chevrolet 119.693 16.031
    21 73 Brian Johnson Jr. Chevrolet 119.492 16.058
    22 4 Ricky Carmichael Chevrolet 119.306 16.083
    23 87 Chris Jones Chevrolet 119.225 16.094
    24 170 Jeff Agnew Chevrolet 119.225 16.094
    25 101 Jake Crum Chevrolet 119.047 16.118
    26 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 119.04 16.119
    27 119 David Mayhew Chevrolet 118.752 16.158
    28 109 Bryan Silas Ford 118.62 16.176
    29 6 Justin Lofton Toyota 118.466 16.197
    30 60 Cole Whitt* Chevrolet 118.342 16.214
    31 92 Clay Rogers Chevrolet 118.328 16.216
    32 93 Mike Garvey Chevrolet 117.581 16.319
    33 9 Max Papis Toyota 115.702 16.584
    34 66 Ross Chastain+ Chevrolet 115.001 16.685
    35 32 Blake Feese+ Chevrolet 112.362 17.077
    36 165 Brent Raymer Chevrolet 117.862 16.28
  • ‘The Best Seat in the House’ at Richmond

    ‘The Best Seat in the House’ at Richmond

    [media-credit id=5 align=”alignright” width=”255″][/media-credit]Back on the seat again….. I was fortunate enough again to take part in Pennzoil’s “Best Seat in the House” at the Richmond International Speedway. As a guest of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge car driven by Kurt Busch, I was given a great view of the track and a behind the scenes look at all of the night’s action with the Pennzoil crew.

    While taking the tour of the No. 22 hauler I got a view of what it takes to get to each race and all of the supplies and equipment necessary to compete. The team hauler holds two race cars, a primary and a backup car along with all of the parts necessary to repair or fix a race car during the weekend. This also includes three engines (one spare engine along with the engine that is in the backup car). Essentially the team hauler is a rolling shop.

    Each team also has forty rims (enough for ten 4-tire pit stops) that are later equipped with leased tires from Goodyear. The only tires the team has are the eight tires that are on the two cars when entering the track. All tires are Micro-chipped and inventoried by Goodyear. Goodyear knows exactly where each tire goes and when it comes back. The team cannot leave the track until all of the tires are accounted for.

    [media-credit id=5 align=”alignright” width=”256″][/media-credit]The team hauler is long and narrow but contains more than you would expect. Each crew member has their own spot for their personal items. Some of the space is used to house communication equipment but most of the remaining space houses parts, a lot of them. Everything is organized in certain locations and each member knows where to locate what might be needed during a race weekend. The team’s organization is the key to keeping the team going at the pace needed during the race weekend.

    After a few minutes with crew chief Steve Addington, I quickly found out the team was struggling this weekend. Although optimistic, Addington knew they had a lot of work to do.

    Being atop the No. 22 Pennzoil pit box, or better known as the “war wagon”, is an experience in itself. The short climb straight up to the seating area in the pit box is just an undertaking like no other. You know it’s a special place. You can feel the action and you have a view like no other.

    The No. 22 Pennzoil pit box was positioned just coming out of turn four, with a great look at the start/finish line. Unfortunately, the finish line ahead was going to be a rough one for the team.

    [media-credit id=5 align=”alignright” width=”240″][/media-credit]After all of the last minute preparations that take place before the green flag. The team stopped for a few minutes in observance of the race prayer and the national anthem.

    I received a team radio/headset which allowed me to hear the conversations between the crew chief Steve Addington and the rest of the No. 22 Pennzoil team during the race. The team was not happy from the start. They qualified 37th and the team radio proved to be the highlight of the night as Kurt Busch was not happy, to put it lightly before the race even began.

    To say that the race was uneventful for the No 22 team is a lie. There were no real incidents early on with the No. 22 team but the struggles the team had during practice and qualifying had taken a toll on its driver and from the confines of his car Busch let the team have it. He was naming names and some were Penske Racing executives. At one point he was using nothing but four letter words. He also said, “I can’t fix this, neither can you.”

    On Lap 44 the No. 22 Pennzoil Dodge started having handling trouble. Green flag conditions did not allow the team to make any adjustments and by lap 70, Busch went a lap down.

    The team was able to make adjustments on lap 82 and then again on lap 107 after the first caution flag of the night.

    Adjustments the included air pressure and track bar and the removal of a spring rubber where not enough as the team fell yet another lap down on lap 181 after the handling went away again.

    Then on lap 237, Montoya spun out Newman in turn-3. As Newman was trying to spin his car back around, Busch ran into Newman. The No. 22 Dodge sustained damage to the left-front quarter-panel.

    The race ended with younger brother Kyle Busch winning the race and the No. 22 team finished 22nd, three laps down despite all of the difficulties.

    [media-credit id=5 align=”alignleft” width=”226″][/media-credit]“It was a very frustrating and long night for us. We put ourselves behind in qualifying and had to start from the back. Once the race went green, our car just wore through tires by 40 laps into a run. We never could back on the lead lap and just when I thought that our car was getting better, we got collected after the 42 and 39 got together.” Busch said after the race.

    A special thanks to Pennzoil, the No. 22 team and everyone else involved that made this opportunity available to me again this season.

    About Pennzoil

    The current Pennzoil sponsorship not only affords tremendous brand recognition with a leading NASCAR team, but affords the brand a true testing ground for Pennzoil® motor oils under some of the harshest racing conditions. Pennzoil engineers work closely with Penske Racing to develop motor oil formulations to help maximize performance and engine reliability for the team throughout the season, with each change contributing to the advancement of the brand’s technology. This collaboration provides Pennzoil scientists with the ability to test existing and new motor oil technology to gain insights from the track that can be translated directly into the formulation of its consumer motor oils. All Pennzoil® motor oils exceed the most stringent car manufacturer standards for engine cleanliness and protection. No other leading motor helps keep engines cleaner than Pennzoil®.

  • Edwards on Nationwide Series Bubba Burger 250 pole

    Edwards on Nationwide Series Bubba Burger 250 pole

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”213″][/media-credit]Carl Edwards captured the pole for Friday’s nights Nationwide Series Bubba Burger 250 at Richmond International Raceway with a lap of 125.046 MPH.

    Sam Hornish Jr. qualified second, Brian Scott third, Aric Almirola fourth and Justin Allgaier qualified fifth.

    Lineup
    Bubba Burger 250, Richmond International Raceway
    April 29, 2011 – Race 9 of 35
    =======================================
    Pos.    No.     Driver Make   Speed Time
    =======================================
    1        60      Carl Edwards  Ford    125.046         21.592
    2        12      Sam Hornish Jr.        Dodge 124.844         21.627
    3        11      Brian Scott     Toyota 124.786         21.637
    4        88      Aric Almirola   Chevrolet       124.39 21.706
    5        31      Justin Allgaier Chevrolet       124.355         21.712
    6        33      Paul Menard   Chevrolet       124.35 21.713
    7        9        Kenny Wallace          Toyota 124.184         21.742
    8        18      Kelly Bires     Toyota 123.995         21.775
    9        6        Ricky Stenhouse Jr.   Ford    123.978         21.778
    10      22      Brad Keselowski       Dodge 123.876         21.796
    11      20      Denny Hamlin Toyota 123.706         21.826
    12      19      Mike Bliss      Chevrolet       123.559         21.852
    13      87      Joe Nemechek         Chevrolet       123.536         21.856
    14      66      Steve Wallace Toyota 123.457         21.87
    15      32      Reed Sorenson         Chevrolet       123.446         21.872
    16      38      Jason Leffler  Chevrolet       122.945         21.961
    17      7        Josh Wise      Chevrolet       122.761         21.994
    18      2        Elliott Sadler   Chevrolet       122.688         22.007
    19      70      David Stremme        Chevrolet       122.582         22.026
    20      99      Ryan Truex*  Toyota 121.995         22.132
    21      16      Chris Buescher         Ford    121.99 22.133
    22      40      Scott Wimmer          Chevrolet       121.979         22.135
    23      1        Mike Wallace  Chevrolet       121.567         22.21
    24      51      Jeremy Clements      Chevrolet       121.408         22.239
    25      62      Michael Annett          Toyota 121.403         22.24
    26      81      Blake Koch*   Dodge 121.169         22.283
    27      44      Jeff Green     Chevrolet       121.125         22.291
    28      28      Derrike Cope  Dodge 120.854         22.341
    29      23      Robert Richardson Jr.          Dodge 120.52 22.403
    30      89      Morgan Shepherd     Chevrolet       120.434         22.419
    31      39      Charles Lewandoski* Ford    120.407         22.424
    32      15      Timmy Hill*    Ford    120.032         22.494
    33      79      Tim Andrews  Ford    119.973         22.505
    34      168     Matthew Carter        Chevrolet       119.713         22.554
    35      175     Johnny Chapman      Ford    119.142         22.662
    36      30      James Buescher       Chevrolet       118.985         22.692
    37      14      Eric McClure   Chevrolet       118.431         22.798
    38      49      Dennis Setzer Chevrolet       118.146         22.853
    39      52      Kevin Lepage  Chevrolet       116.868         23.103
    40      141     Carl Long       Ford    116.807         23.115
    41      174     Mike Harmon  Chevrolet       116.149         23.246

  • Busch wins his first career NNS race at Talladega

    Busch wins his first career NNS race at Talladega

    Kyle Busch won under a yellow flag conditions after Mike Wallace’s car flipped upside down on Saturday in the Aaron’s 312 Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

    [media-credit name=”Steven Iles” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Busch was spun out in a 21-car crash with 30 laps remaining. His car suffered damage but pit crew patched up the car good enough to draft with Joey Logano.

    “I got hit like three times on the left side. I thought it was killed. I said it was killed. These guys did a great job putting it back together with great leadership from Jason Ratcliff (crew chief).” Busch said.

    Busch and Logano were able to pass Trevor Bayne and Carl Edwards for the race lead during the second attempt at green-white-checkered finish and hold onto the lead before the yellow flag came out.

    “This Z-Line Designs Camry doesn’t look the best, but it was certainly the best right there at the end, especially with the guy that was pushing me, Joey was a great teammate today. Can’t thank everybody from the whole JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) organization, the guys from GameStop, thank those guys. They deserve to win just as much as we do right here. This is a team win and it’s cool to get it here.” Busch said.

    This was the third consecutive Nationwide race at Talladega in which Logano has pushed the eventual winner to victory on the final lap.

    “I wish we could have got the checkered flag and maybe could have done something with Kyle there. I was committed to pushing him and we were going to get all the way to the front one way or the other and then battle it out to the checkered flag.” Logano said.

    Busch led a total of four laps en route to his first career NNS win at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.

    Busch is now two victories away from tying Mark Martin’s NNS record of 49 career wins.

    “All in all, the Mark Martin record, it’s two away, it’s three away from being in my own number. When and where that happens, we’re not going to pick a date.” Busch said.

    Saturday’s race produced a series-record of 56 lead changes among 18 drivers, 11 cautions flags along two red flags.

  • Gordon takes Aaron’s 499 pole; Hendrick takes front rows

    Gordon takes Aaron’s 499 pole; Hendrick takes front rows

    [media-credit name=”Steven Iles” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Jeff Gordon grabbed the Coors Light pole with a speed of 178.248 MPH (53.723 secs) on Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway.

    “It was a great effort by the Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet, the whole team, Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and the guys. We didn’t know what we could run because we didn’t make any qualifying runs. Obviously feeling pretty good about it right now.” Gordon said.

    This was Gordon’s 70th career pole broke a tie for third place on the career list with Cale Yarborough and now only trails drivers Richard Petty (123) and David Pearson (113).

    Hendrick Motorsports teammates also sweep of the top four spots for Sunday’s Aaron’s 499.

    “This is as good as we could possibly ask for,” Gordon said. “If we could write the script, we couldn’t have written it any better. I had no idea what to expect and neither did the team. But we certainly didn’t expect to go out and qualify 1, 2, 3, 4 like that. It feels great. I’m not sure where that came from, except for great note-sharing among the teams and hard work.”

    Jimmie Johnson qualified second, Mark Martin third, Dale Earnhardt Jr. fourth and Paul Menard qualified fifth.

    “It’s an incredible engineering feat to be able to put the speed together with every single component – horsepower, aero, chassis, the whole thing,” Martin said. “It’s a huge feat by an organization to be able to pull that off.”

    Starting Lineup

    Aaron’s 499, Talladega Superspeedway

    April 15, 2011, Race 8 of 36

    ==========================

    Pos. Driver Make Speed

    ==========================

    1 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 178.248

    2 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 177.844

    3 Mark Martin Chevrolet 177.807

    4 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 177.765

    5 Paul Menard Chevrolet 177.702

    6 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 177.685

    7 David Ragan Ford 177.439

    8 Kurt Busch Dodge 177.379

    9 Brian Vickers Toyota 177.37

    10 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 177.353

    11 Trevor Bayne Ford 177.353

    12 Michael Waltrip Toyota 177.317

    13 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 177.182

    14 David Reutimann Toyota 177.143

    15 Bobby Labonte Toyota 177.12

    16 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 177.087

    17 Greg Biffle Ford 177.074

    18 Regan Smith Chevrolet 177.061

    19 Brad Keselowski Dodge 177.032

    20 Carl Edwards Ford 177.005

    21 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 176.872

    22 Joe Nemechek Toyota 176.695

    23 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 176.659

    24 Marcos Ambrose Ford 176.575

    25 Matt Kenseth Ford 176.519

    26 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 176.477

    27 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 176.461

    28 Travis Kvapil Ford 176.425

    29 Denny Hamlin Toyota 176.37

    30 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 176.347

    31 Kasey Kahne Toyota 176.298

    32 Kevin Conway Toyota 176.195

    33 Steve Park Chevrolet 176.162

    34 Kyle Busch Toyota 175.939

    35 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 175.806

    36 Joey Logano Toyota 175.41

    37 Andy Lally* Ford 175.349

    38 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 175.154

    39 David Gilliland Ford 175.134

    40 Casey Mears+ Toyota 174.595

    41 Terry Labonte+ Ford 174.271

    42 Sam Hornish Jr.+ Dodge –

    43 Bill Elliott Chevrolet Champion’s Provisional

  • McMurray on the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 pole

    McMurray on the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 pole

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Jamie McMurray captured the Coors Light Pole award with a lap of 96.509 mph on Saturday for Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500.

    This was his first pole at Martinsville Speedway and the eighth of his career.

    Ryan Newman starts second, Kasey Kahne third, Joey Logano fourth and Denny Hamlin starts fifth.

    Lineup

    Goody’s Fat Relief 500, Martinsville Speedway

    ===================================

    Pos. Driver Make Speed Time

    ===================================

    1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 96.509 19.621

    2 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 96.342 19.655

    3 Kasey Kahne Toyota 96.293 19.665

    4 Joey Logano Toyota 96.219 19.68

    5 Denny Hamlin Toyota 95.995 19.726

    6 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 95.951 19.735

    7 Bobby Labonte Toyota 95.903 19.745

    8 David Reutimann Toyota 95.854 19.755

    9 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 95.825 19.761

    10 Regan Smith Chevrolet 95.791 19.768

    11 Kyle Busch Toyota 95.786 19.769

    12 Mark Martin Chevrolet 95.714 19.784

    13 Brian Vickers Toyota 95.694 19.788

    14 David Ragan Ford 95.675 19.792

    15 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 95.651 19.797

    16 Paul Menard Chevrolet 95.554 19.817

    17 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 95.54 19.82

    18 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 95.477 19.833

    19 Marcos Ambrose Ford 95.468 19.835

    20 Kurt Busch Dodge 95.463 19.836

    21 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 95.429 19.843

    22 Brad Keselowski Dodge 95.386 19.852

    23 Carl Edwards Ford 95.275 19.875

    24 Trevor Bayne Ford 95.256 19.879

    25 Matt Kenseth Ford 95.256 19.879

    26 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 95.185 19.894

    27 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 95.118 19.908

    28 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 95.089 19.914

    29 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 95.079 19.916

    30 Casey Mears Toyota 95.003 19.932

    31 Travis Kvapil Ford 94.955 19.942

    32 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 94.671 20.002

    33 Greg Biffle Ford 94.661 20.004

    34 Robby Gordon Dodge 94.548 20.028

    35 Michael McDowell Toyota 94.472 20.044

    36 David Gilliland Ford 94.369 20.066

    37 Joe Nemechek Toyota 94.209 20.1

    38 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 94.045 20.135

    39 Mike Skinner Toyota 93.877 20.171

    40 Ken Schrader Ford 93.613 20.228

    41 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 93.253 20.306

    42 Tony Raines Ford 93.253 20.306

    43 Hermie Sadler Chevrolet 91.744 20.64

  • Sauter on Kroger 250 pole

    Sauter on Kroger 250 pole

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”228″][/media-credit]Johnny Sauter captured the pole for Saturday’s Kroger 250 with a lap of 95.463 mph. This was his first pole at Martinsville and the third of his career.

    Cole Witt starts second, Kevin Harvick third, Austin Dillon fourth and Kyle Busch starts fifth.

    Lineup
    Kroger 250, Martinsville Speedway
    ===================================
    Pos. Driver Make Speed Time
    ===================================
    1 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 95.463 19.836
    2 Cole Whitt* Chevrolet 94.913 19.951
    3 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 94.723 19.991
    4 Austin Dillon Chevrolet 94.618 20.013
    5 Kyle Busch Toyota 94.614 20.014
    6 James Buescher Chevrolet 94.529 20.032
    7 Matt Crafton Chevrolet 94.2 20.102
    8 Justin Lofton Toyota 94.171 20.108
    9 Nelson Piquet Jr.* Chevrolet 93.989 20.147
    10 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 93.873 20.172
    11 Max Papis Toyota 93.687 20.212
    12 Timothy Peters Toyota 93.548 20.242
    13 Travis Kvapil Toyota 93.483 20.256
    14 Clay Rogers Chevrolet 93.456 20.262
    15 Todd Bodine Toyota 93.428 20.268
    16 Craig Goess* Toyota 93.428 20.268
    17 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 93.084 20.343
    18 Brad Sweet Chevrolet 93.079 20.344
    19 Dusty Davis* Toyota 92.974 20.367
    20 Ricky Carmichael Chevrolet 92.86 20.392
    21 Johanna Long* Toyota 92.696 20.428
    22 Justin Marks Chevrolet 92.502 20.471
    23 Joey Coulter* Chevrolet 92.479 20.476
    24 Shane Sieg Chevrolet 92.353 20.504
    25 Matt Lofton Toyota 92.353 20.504
    26 Justin Johnson* Toyota 92.294 20.517
    27 Miguel Paludo* Toyota 92.164 20.546
    28 Jeffrey Earnhardt* Chevrolet 92.142 20.551
    29 David Starr Toyota 91.882 20.609
    30 Parker Kligerman* Dodge 91.864 20.613
    31 Brendan Gaughan Toyota 91.289 20.74
    32 Caleb Roark Chevrolet 90.794 20.856
    33 Norm Benning Chevrolet 89.123 21.247
    34 Jason White Chevrolet 89.119 21.248
    35 Chase Mattioli*Ford 87.817 21.563

  • Regan fastest on Friday; Qualifying on Saturday at Martinsville

    Regan fastest on Friday; Qualifying on Saturday at Martinsville

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”217″][/media-credit]After two practice sessions on Friday at Martinsville Speedway, David Regan holds the fastest speed of the day at 96.268 mph (19.670 secs) with Jeff Gordon close behind at 96.219 mph. Both top speeds were run during the second practice session.

    The 0.526-mile paper clip-shaped track has been Denny Hamlin (four time winner) and Jimmie Johnson (six time winner) land over the past few races. But both drivers struggled during the second practice session and posted slower times than the first session.

    “We’ve been decent here the last couple of times. We need to be a little bit better to have a shot at winning and we’re looking forward to doing that.” Johnson said.

    Kyle Busch may be able to do the Bristol sweep, but Martinsville is another challenge for Busch. Kyle Busch has never finished higher than fourth.

    “Martinsville is a challenging track in itself already anyways. With the short track feel that we had a couple weeks ago at Bristol — that’s always fun for us. It seems to be a place we can really run well at — Same with Richmond. Just trying to hit the stride here at Martinsville.” Busch said.

    Don’t count either of the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammates, but hopefully there will not be anymore engine problems. Busch said and Martinsville that JGR officials have determined that its two engine issues last weekend were valve-related.

    “I know there were some valve issues. I don’t want to elaborate too much on it.” Busch said.

    Qualifying begins shortly after 12:00pm on Saturday.

    Practice 1 Speeds:

    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/practice.php?race=6&PS=1

    Practice 2 Speeds:

    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/practice.php?race=6&PS=2

  • Back in the No.1 at Martinsville, for now

    Back in the No.1 at Martinsville, for now

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”266″][/media-credit]Earlier this week Jeffrey Earnhardt (Jeffrey Earnhardt Inc., JEI) was informed through a press release written by Rick Ware Racing (RWR), that effective immediately Earnhardt was being removed from RWR’s no.1 Fuel Doctor USA Chevrolet due to a breach of contract between RWR and JEI.

    “It is disheartening that all the effort, time and money spent on Jeffrey have been for nothing, but we have been given no choice but to look for another driver.” stated owner Rick Ware.

    But just one day later, Earnhardt is back in RWR’s no.1 for Saturday’s Kroger 250 Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race Martinsville Speedway.

    The dispute started after claims that JEI breached their contract by “shopping around for another team, eluding that sponsorship was coming with them.”

    Lack of communication between RWR and JEI., emotions and lack of sponsorship contributed to the release. Both sides have come to an agreement for Jeffrey Earnhardt to compete at Martinsville.

    “We just want to race, and sometimes the issues of business just seem to make us lose focus on why we are here!” stated Rick Ware. “Jeffrey will be in the truck at Martinsville and we will work hard to continue to keep him in that seat. The amount of effort we have poured into his career and having a place for him to perform is important in his development.”

    Earnhardt currently sits 10th in the driver standings after three races into the 25 race season and RWR will continue to look for sponsorship keep Jeffrey competing in the truck series for 2011.