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  • Two in a row for Keselowski at Bristol

    Two in a row for Keselowski at Bristol

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Brad Keselowski has claimed his second victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series today at Bristol Motor Speedway. It was in commanding fashion that the 28 year-old Michigan native captured his first victory of 2012 in front of a less than average crowd for the Last Great Coliseum.

    Five potential race winners were taken out on lap 25 of today’s 500 lap escapade, an accident that involved the likes of Kasey Kahne, Marcos Ambrose, 5-time Bristol winner Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Regan Smith, and a lightning fast No. 99 Kellogg’s/Cheez-It Ford belonging to Carl Edwards. At least three of the five cars involved had all made strides towards the front and were making headway on the field.

    Besides a few single-car spins/issues, the race remained green for the remainder of the 454 laps today at Bristol Motor Speedway. It was a two-car tango as the race wore on with Roush Fenway Racing’s Matt Kenseth being the only other chariot to challenge Keselowski for the trophy. The race’s final caution flag flew on lap 479 when defending Sprint Cup Series Champion, Tony Stewart tagged the wall in turn 3. The caution provided Kenseth with the restart he needed to challenge the Blue Deuce for the win. Keselowski opted for the outside line on the Food City 500’s final restart, coming at lap 438. The outside line was the fastest all day, and proved to be the race-winning line when the scoring pylon read 500 today in Thunder Valley.

    The win for Keselowski boosted him in the points standings 8 spots to 13th, and he commented on his battle with Kenseth in Victory Lane; “Matt didn’t make it easy, that’s his job to not make it easy on me. He raced me hard, I raced him hard, rubbed a little bit. That’s good racing.”

    Twitter started blowing up immediately following Keselowski’s arrival to Victory Lane as a tweet came out from @keselowski with a photo of FOX’s Krista Voda pointing into the Blue Deuce in congratulations.

    Keselowski laid claim to the trophy this afternoon in the 52nd Annual Food City 500, and just his second top-10 of 2012. He lead a race and career-high 232 laps this afternoon en route to his 5th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory.

    Despite having a strong car all day, Matt Kenseth landed in second, followed by Martin Truex Jr. in third. The next two drivers were both Michael Waltrip Racing cars with Clint Bowyer finishing fourth and stand-in driver Brian Vickers rounding out the top-5. Jeff Burton had a strong run, finishing 6th, Jamie McMurray finished 7th followed by teammate Juan Montoya in 8th, and Jimmie Johnson and Paul Menard rounding out the top-10.

    The top-2 in points left Bristol unchanged when points-leader Greg Biffle finished 13th, and second-place Kevin Harvick salvaging his No. 29 Budweiser Chevy with an 11th-place run. Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth moved into 3rd, and Martin Truex Jr. jumped four spots into 4th place in the points standings.

  • Keselowski wins the Food City 500 while Earnhardt and Gordon trade paint

    Keselowski wins the Food City 500 while Earnhardt and Gordon trade paint

    [media-credit name=”Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]Brad Keselowski led 231 laps in route to his first victory of the season in Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    “What can I say? I love Bristol and Bristol loves me.” said Keselowski. “The goal at Penske Racing is to win a Sprint Cup championship, and one win certainly doesn’t achieve that, but it’s a great step.”

    Keselowski choose the outside line on the final restart and held off Matt Kenseth, who had beat him on the previous restart.

    “I knew as long as I could beat him on the first lap, I knew I had a good enough car and I’m a good enough driver to win.” Keselowski said.

    Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) teammates Martin Truex Jr. finished third, Clint Bowyer fourth and Brian Vickers finished fifth. Vickers led 125 laps in his first race of the season and will run five more races for MWR.

    “This was pretty good and it felt really good when we were out there leading. It would have been awesome to hold onto that, but it’s the first time back so I can’t complain about that. What an organization.” Vickers said.

    “So proud of the team.  All the guys on the NAPA team and everybody at MWR.  Clint and Brian  were up front all day long and this just says a lot about everything that everybody at MWR has done over the off season — working hard, giving us good race cars.” Truex Jr. said.

    Kasey Kahne had another dismal finish after contact with Regan Smith. He finished 37th and sits 32nd in the series standings.

    “We were going forward, just taking our time. Regan Smith was pretty slow. I was under him for a couple of laps. When my spotter cleared me in the center, I just took off, and he was there on exit. It is disappointing to have that good of a car and be out this early. Everybody at Hendrick Motorsports is doing such an awesome job. I’ve had awesome race cars, and I have nothing to show for it.” Kahne said.

    On lap 359, teammates Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were racing hard. While Earnhardt Jr. was making the pass, they got together. The contact cut the left rear, sending Gordon into the outside wall.

    “I think we bumped more than we should have is the way it looks like. We definitely didn’t hit in the right location, because I think the tailpipe or something just cut the left-rear (tire) immediately. We didn’t hit that hard. We were a little bit too tight and he was pretty good on the restart there and we were racing hard. I know that it wasn’t intentional, but it certainly ruined our day. I hate it for Drive To End Hunger.” Gordon said.

    Gordon finished 35th and now sits 23rd in the series standings.

    “I got into his door a little bit. We were racing and having a good time, to be honest with you. I put the pipes up against the left rear tire of his car, and knocked the side wall out of it. I hate…I feel bad about that. I’m going to have to do some damage control this week. I know Jeff understands what was going on out there, but his boys work real hard on their car, and they had a good run going. They had a potential win, or good finish going too; and they deserve it.” Earnhardt Jr. said.

    Earnhardt Jr. finished 15th after a late-race pit road speeding penalty.

    “I got busted for speeding on pit road. I really hate that happened. I don’t think I was; but I don’t (think) any driver ever thinks he was speeding.” Earnhardt Jr. said.

    Unofficial Race Results
    Food City 500, Bristol Motor Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/race.php?race=4
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 5 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 48
    2 21 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 43
    3 15 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 41
    4 16 15 Clint Bowyer Toyota 40
    5 25 55 Brian Vickers Toyota 40
    6 33 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 38
    7 17 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 37
    8 30 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 36
    9 22 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 35
    10 11 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 34
    11 14 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 33
    12 3 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 32
    13 1 16 Greg Biffle Ford 32
    14 23 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 30
    15 18 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 30
    16 9 20 Joey Logano Toyota 28
    17 2 22 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge 28
    18 27 51 Kurt Busch Chevrolet 26
    19 7 43 Aric Almirola Ford 25
    20 20 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 24
    21 19 10 David Reutimann Chevrolet 23
    22 32 33 Brendan Gaughan Chevrolet 22
    23 31 34 David Ragan Ford 21
    24 6 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 20
    25 24 13 Casey Mears Ford 19
    26 26 38 David Gilliland Ford 18
    27 34 93 Travis Kvapil Toyota 17
    28 36 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 16
    29 29 83 Landon Cassill Toyota 15
    30 40 249 J.J. Yeley Toyota 14
    31 39 98 Michael McDowell Ford 13
    32 13 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 12
    33 42 32 Ken Schrader Ford 11
    34 35 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 10
    35 4 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 10
    36 12 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 8
    37 10 5 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 7
    38 28 30 David Stremme Toyota 6
    39 8 99 Carl Edwards Ford 5
    40 41 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 0
    41 43 23 Scott Riggs Chevrolet 3
    42 38 74 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet 0
    43 37 26 Josh Wise * Ford 1
  • Brian Vickers Returns: ‘It Just Felt Like Being Back at Home’

    Brian Vickers Returns: ‘It Just Felt Like Being Back at Home’

    [media-credit name=”Ed Coombs” align=”alignright” width=”263″][/media-credit]Race car drivers often tell you there’s nothing worse than seeing someone else drive their car. Comparing it to seeing their wives or girlfriends date another man.

    For Brian Vickers he knows all too well how that feels. But he didn’t just have to watch another man drive his car for one week; Vickers sat on the sideline for almost all of the 2010 season because of health problems.

    Just 10 races into the season Vickers was diagnosed with blood clots and forced to sit out the remainder of the year. Casey Mears drove the No. 83 Red Bull machine as Vickers healed and readied himself for 2011.

    But 2011 was nothing to write home about, he had just three top fives and finished 25th in points. In the process he found out he would again be out of a ride when Red Bull closed up shop at the end of the season.

    Vickers, just 28, was suddenly in jeopardy of being out of the sport faster than it took to win his first race. Speedweeks in Daytona came and went, Vickers still at home. Then came Phoenix and Las Vegas, with no sign of the North Carolina native.

    That’s when Michael Waltrip Racing entered the picture and handed Vickers the keys to the No. 55 Aarons Toyota starting at Bristol this weekend. Vickers is all too ready to see the green flag.

    “I just want to go racing,” said Vickers on Friday. “Honestly, what’s the worst that can happen? I’m not going to have a job? For me, it’s just go out there and have fun and just enjoy the experience. I’ve been through this a couple times now where I don’t know if I’m going to race again.

    “I think I’m going to. Through all these experiences I’ve always felt in my heart that I was going to race again, but the fact is you never now for sure, so I’m just grateful for this opportunity. I can’t thank Michael Waltrip and Rob Kauffman and everyone on this team, the 55.”

    It’s a six-race deal with MWR but you won’t find Vickers complaining. His return comes with a competitive team and paired with a man he’s known for 20 years, crew chief Rodney Childers.

    It leaves them with a simple goal: go out and win. Vickers isn’t viewing this as an audition or a time to prove himself, it’s just another chapter in book of life that he’s been writing.

    “I’m sure that’s who some people are maybe viewing the situation,” Vickers said when asked if he had to prove himself all over again.

    “For me, it’s just to go out there and have fun and try to win. Some people have called it my second chance, but it’s really my third or more. When I really think about it, with how I am with all the experiences that have happened in my life – racing with a couple good teams to Red Bull winning and being in the Chase and being in the hospital the next year and not knowing if I was ever going to race again.

    “Then getting a second chance ride there and now getting really a third chance. Very grateful for all those chances and opportunities.”

    Vickers also revealed that when the 2012 season started in Daytona he wasn’t surprised that he hadn’t landed a job. Didn’t make it any less emotional though, it was the first time in a long time that he wasn’t in Daytona for the season’s biggest race.

    Except, Vickers had been presented opportunities to race. None of which he thought were right and he stayed committed to waiting until one came along. MWR is one he feels really good about and says he feels right at home.

    While some might say that his reputation from the end of 2011 hurt him in his job search, Vickers says that’s not so. The feedback he received from the individuals he talked to told him the incidents he was involved in last year with drivers like Matt Kenseth, weren’t an issue.

    If blame is to be placed, it should be placed on the economy. There were plenty of times Vickers had plans on paper with owners, everything was coming together, the excitement was there but when sponsorship didn’t appear they all fell through.

    So, Vickers waited and weighed his options. He reflected and watched the season start without him. And tried not to get all too comfortable with being a couch driver.

    “It was a different feeling,” said Vickers on watching the races on TV. “It was a mostly similar experience. To a small extent, different because one was completely out of my control [blood clots] and one was somewhat in my control. There was definitely some factors that were out of my control coming into this year and there were some choices that I made where I could have been here or chose not to , but it jut wasn’t the right feel.”

    Now however, he has that good feeling again and he’s ready for whatever it throws his way.

  • Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 5 Bristol Motor Speedway – Food City 500 – March 16, 2012

    Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 5 Bristol Motor Speedway – Food City 500 – March 16, 2012

    [media-credit name=”bristolmotorspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”199″][/media-credit]I’m starting my column this week as I sit aboard a 32 foot Columbus Motor Home that has been my chariot to Bristol Motor Speedway 12 times before. For this spring race, we’re traveling a bit lighter than normal, and I have the ability to pull my laptop out and actually get some work done on the 12 hour trip to the hills of Tennessee.  Its time like these that help me to remember why I am a NASCAR fan.

    Swapping stories about times at our local short track, the days of working on a Limited Modified at Oswego Speedway, to my first dirt race at Brewerton Speedway, to the first time I saw the big show at Watkins Glen International with The Intimidator leading the field to the stripe. Its a 12 hour trip that I normally would dread, but each year “Bristol Eve” takes me back to the snowy Christmas Eve’s as a young pup back in Upstate New York.

    Bristol Motor Speedway needs no introduction. It’s The World’s Fastest Half-Mile, is the most covenanted ticket in all of NASCAR, and has been the site of countless historic races and driving moves throughout motorsports history. I made my first trip to BMS in 2002, still wet behind the ears in the NASCAR world, and it was a place I vowed to visit until the day I died. From the moment we made our way down Route 11 and I laid eyes on The Coliseum of NASCAR, to the moment the checkered flag flew on final lap of the 2002 Sharpie 500 , I was hooked.

    This is the first time I’ll visit the high banks of BMS as a member of the media, and just like in 2002, I’m looking forward to sharing some special moments and great times with 165,000 of my closest friends.

    Due to limited resources here at Bristol, I will not be recapping last week’s picks at Las Vegas:

    Bristol Picks

    Its going to be a short column this week because it’s St. Patty’s Day and I’m finishing my column from a picnic table at the Red Barn Campground off Turn 3 here at Bristol Motor Speedway…

    Winner Pick

    There’s no shock here as to who I will pick this week as the winner of the Food City 500…

    Its a guy that has won 5 of the last 6 races here in Thunder Valley and has had a strong car all weekend. Kyle Busch is the man I’m putting my money on this week to make a stand for his championship run in 2012. He’s won a third of the Sprint Cup races he’s started at Bristol Motor Speedway (5 wins in 15 starts). He’s also got an additional 7 top-5 runs, and 10 top-10’s to add to his resume for my pick of the weeks. When he’s not winning, he’s finishing strong with an average finish of 9.1 in his 15 starts at the bull ring.

    He was in the top-3 in both of the final two practice sessions this weekend and will pilot the No. 18 Wrigley Doublemint Toyota from the 13th spot tomorrow. I’m going with history and a dominant runs in each of the last two NASCAR Sprint Cup series practices this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    Dark Horse Pick

    Starting up front at Bristol can mean the difference between being collected in a mid-race bumper car fiasco, or keeping your nose clean and hanging with the leaders. Joey Logano has the starting spot towards the front that may keep him clear of any traffic in the middle of the Food City 500. Logano laid down a lap time of 15.392 seconds during Friday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying, and was able to lead 119 laps during today’s Ford EcoBoost 300 Nationwide Series Race.

    Logano’s practice speeds were less than impressive however, qualifying him as my Dark Horse of the week.

    For the first time all weekend, the forecast is beautiful for the 52nd Annual  Food City 500, and I will spend the day circling the .533-mile short track here in Thunder Valley. I would normally tell you to follow me on Twitter for mid-race cell phone shots and Tweets, but I’ve discovered the issues associated with 165,000 cell phones within a 1/4 mile area.

    Until next time…You stay classy NASCAR NATION!

  • Austin Dillon: Gaining Experience, Going After Rookie of the Year

    Austin Dillon: Gaining Experience, Going After Rookie of the Year

    [media-credit name=”Sal Sigala Jr.” align=”alignleft” width=”301″][/media-credit]As Austin Dillon continues up the racing ladder, this year marked an important year as he made the move from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to the NASCAR Nationwide Series. So far this year, he sits fourth in points, 30 points behind teammate Elliott Sadler.

    “I’m very happy to the start of the season,” he told me before Bristol. “We went to all three races running every lap and we just keep gaining on it each week. The experience level is lacking and once we get that figured out and how to adjust these cars, we’ll be fine.”

    In the first four races of the season, the 21-year-old has finished fifth, fourth, seventh and 12th. The success he has had so far has impressed a lot of people, including Denny Hamlin.

    “I feel like they’re both kind of living up to expectations,” Hamlin said of Dillon and Cole Whitt during his media availability at Bristol. “They’re doing kind of exactly what you would hope that they would do, not what you necessarily thought they would do. I think they’re doing a very, very good job. I’ve watched them a little bit and it just seemed like they’ve both got the talent to make it. You can see it right from the beginning. Some drivers have the speed and can go and not tear up equipment right from the beginning and it looks like those two especially have that and that’s what can make you successful not just at that level, but the following one.”

    Coming into Bristol this weekend, Dillon knew it was going to be wild.

    “We run pretty well once we get into the race,” he said. “We’ll work hard tomorrow. It’s going to be a pretty wild race.”

    Dillon started the race in the ninth position and ran just outside the top 10 most of the time, picking up valuable experience.

    In continuing to gain experience, Dillon expects to do well this year.

    “We want to win rookie of the year, that’s our first goal,” he said. “If we have a shot at the championship at homestead, then we want to win it.” He added that the main goal is to keep themselves up there while winning some races.

    Teammate Elliott Sadler has already won two races, including Bristol this weekend, which shows the strength of the organization.

    “Our Nationwide program is very fast right now,” he said. “We’re being able to show speed each week. We’re still pushing hard where we want to be. Everybody wants to be better each and every week.”

    He adds that the Cup side of RCR looks strong also with how Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Paul Menard have been running.

    Dillon says that having teammates with experience like Sadler and Harvick, he’s able to learn from them.

    Dillon, grandson of car owner Richard Childress, has been around racing his entire life. The first time he got in the race car was in a bandolero on a quarter mile behind Charlotte Motor Speedway at the age of 15.

    As the season goes, there are many tracks that the series will be going to, including two of Dillon’s favorites.

    “I’ve won at Iowa and that’s one of my favorite places that I enjoy, and racing at Michigan,” he said. “We’ve been close there.

    Last season, Dillon had a great season as he won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship. Right now though, the focus is on the Nationwide Series.

    “I’m sure there’ll be one day that we’ll be able to look back on our season and really cherish everything that we were able to accomplish last year,” he said.

  • Kaeding Brings Thunder to Thunderbowl

    Kaeding Brings Thunder to Thunderbowl

    [media-credit name=”World of Outlaws” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]The Outlaws knew the rain was coming to the Thunderbowl Raceway at Tulare, California and they were determined to beat the storm. Hot laps began about 45 minutes early in an attempt to get the whole show in before mother nature dropped added moisture onto an already soupy track. Hot laps went off without a hitch and qualifying saw lap times of 13 seconds around the 1/3 mile track. Quick time was set by Kasey Kahne Racing’s Joey Saldana with a lap of 13.151 seconds. He was followed closely by Sammy Swindell, who entered the event as the series points leader, with a time of 13.641. Craig Dollansky, Tim Kaeding and Kraig Kinser rounded out the fast five all with laps in the 13 second bracket.

    The heat races were for the most part hard charging but unremarkable with 20 time Outlaws Champion, Steve Kinser taking the first heat, 4 time series champion, Donny Shatz the second, and Jason Sides the third.

    The Dash inversion was an 8. Which meant that Joey Saldana would start outside the 4th row. By virtue of his heat race win Steve Kinser would start on the pole flanked by Jason Sides for the 8 lap dash to determine the first 5 rows of the A main. Jason Sides would get an early jump on Kinser and take over the point and would hold it until the checkers to claim the pole for the A Main. Transferring in from the B Main were Cody Darrah, Tyler Wolf, Trey Starks, Cory Eliason, Chad Kemenah and Bill Rose. The field was set for what would be a fierce pack battle for the Thunderbowl night 1 trophy.

    Steve Kinser would take the lead early in the Main but Tim Kaeding who started fourth would rocket by Kinser on the high side on lap 9. The pass would not be without it’s price as Kaeding while attempting to lap Bill Rose would have some contact and damage the nose wing of the car. The wing would collapse on the left side but Kaeding would continue to pull away from the 20 time champion. On lap 11 Kinser would got together with Rose and spun the car into the infield and continued on. The caution would fly and Kinser was placed by Outlaws rules where he would have blended into traffic leaving him to restart in the 12th position. This would bring Jason Sides to the second position. Sides would start side by side with Kaeding 6 times but was never able to capitalize on the restart.

    On lap 26 the A main short circuited. The short began when Jonathan Allard stopped on the front stretch because he was out of helmet tear offs and could not see. It was followed by Kerry Madsen’s roll over in turn 2 and Bud Kaeding coming to a stop in turn 2. It was then that mother nature made her presence known. Scattered heavy showers limited visibility for the drivers and they voted that it was too wet to continue. The race was red flagged and the cars were sent to the work area in the pits where they could make whatever changes they wanted to their cars including changing tires.

    Upon return to the track The final red flag would fly on the restart when Sammy Swindell and Lucas Wolfe would tangle and roll in turn 2. Both drivers would walk away uninjured but neither would return to the track. The final yellow would fly for Chad Kemenah’s spin in turn 2. Kaeding would jump out to a big lead once again when Jason Sides hesitated on the restart. The hesitation would cost Sides the second spot to Craig Dollansky. Kaeding would never look back and would win the Thunderbowl with ease. Kaeding who is the first 2nd time winner of the 2012 season stated, “My motto is live and die by the high side and I was livin’ it up tonight.” Finishing 2nd Craig Dollansky,3rd Jason Sides, 4th Terry McCarl, 5th Joey Saldana, 6th Donny Shatz,  7th Steve Kinser, 8th Austen Wheatly, 9th Bud Kaeding and rounding out the top ten was Kraig Kinser.

    This race was a smorgasboard of action. The fierce competiton between Sammy Swindell and Joey Saldana. The incredible skill and determination of Steve Kinser to come back from 12th spot to finish in the top 10. A hail mary move by Donny Shatz to propel him into fifth spot which he eventually lost to Joey Saldana but would pick up 1st in the points with Sammy Swindell’s misfortune late in the race. Kraig Kinser extended his streak to 5 races in the top 10. Honestly, there was no where to look and not see hard core racing. The Outlaws came to dominate the night and to race on the very edge of the envelope and they did exactly that.

    Kudos to Outlaw and track officials on waiting the shower out. With only 10 laps to go many series would have thrown the checkers and said lets go home boys. Instead they waited it out and kept trucks on the track to maintain the pack and went back to racing. Kudos to the drivers for braving a “snotty” (wet and slick) track to quote Johnny Gibson, the voice of the outlaws, to finish the show for the fans in the stands and for those who were listening and following at home.

    Note: In a morning press release from The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series the second night at Thunderbowl speedway has been rained out. But both the track and the series are working diligently to schedule a make up date. For updates on a rescheduled date, go to www.ThunderbowlRaceway.com or www.WorldofOutlaws.com.

  • Elliot Sadler Wins 30th Annual FORD EcoBoost 300

    Elliot Sadler Wins 30th Annual FORD EcoBoost 300

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]60% Chance of rain?…No way. On an absolutely beautiful March day here in Bristol, Tennessee, Elliot Sadler has claimed his second victory in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in Thunder Valley.

    It looked like a Joe Gibbs Racing day early but a late-race call by Crew Chief Lucas Lambert that was the call of the day to score the win for the OneMain Financial team. After taking the pole earlier this morning in NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying, Joey Logano flexed his muscles early in the 300-lap stanza, leading the first 66 laps. His No. 18 Game Stop/Turtle Beach Toyota was lightning fast early, but it was Owner/Driver Kyle Busch that was able to climb through the front-runners to knock off his Sprint Cup teammate for the point position.

    Another 40 laps went by before Logano again set the pace for the Ford EcoBoost 300 when he again found the front for the second time of the day. It was all Logano for 119 laps today…the challengers, Roush Fenway’s Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. that would mix things up late in the race. Bayne found the front on lap 160 and participated in one of the best battles of the day with teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The battle for the lead lasted around 20 laps between the two teammates with Stenhouse coming up victorious for the point position on lap 224.

    It was a late-race caution that left Crew Chiefs with the biggest decisions of the day. It was Luke Lambert that made the right call to stay out with less than 30 laps to go in the Ford EcoBoost300. The majority of the leaders chose to come to Pit Road for fresh tires for the 27 lap dash to the checkered flag.  His driver, Elliott Sadler was able to hold off the likes of Kasey Kahne and Brad Keselowski following the race’s final restart on lap 273 of 300 to earn his second victory here at the high-banks in Thunder Valley.

    Sadler recalled his win here in 2001 by taking the same strategy today; ” He (Lambert) reminded me that I won a race here in 2001 by doing the same thing,” said Sadler. The driver of the No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevy was joined in victory lane by his parents whom had never been in attendance for one of his NASCAR victories. “Luke made a great call to stay out,” elaborated Sadler.

    Lambert was in attendance here at Bristol for Sadler’s previous win at the .533 mile short track, although he was just a Senior in High School. “I was here, and i watched it, but i was definitely a spectator,” commented Lambert. ” I do study all the history of our driver and what track we’re going to and everything else — but I was here for that one. And I was pretty young.”

    The win marks Sadler’s second of the season, and fourth straight top-10 finish this season.

    Despite having a strong car all day, Kasey Kahne took the runner-up spot to Sadler. Veteran driver and former Bristol race-winner Brad Keselowski took the third spot. Pole-sitter and lap leader Joey Logano ended up fourth with Dale Earnhardt Jr, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Justin Allgaier, Trevor Bayne, Kevin Harvick, and Ryan Truex rounding out the top 10.

    Danica Patrick brought her No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevy home two laps down to the leaders in 19th despite starting 27th here in Thunder Valley.

  • ARCA: Rookie Mason Mingus Continued to Learn at Mobile

    ARCA: Rookie Mason Mingus Continued to Learn at Mobile

    [media-credit name=”Knight Motorsports Management” align=”alignleft” width=”133″][/media-credit]Rookie Mason Mingus continued to learn last weekend at Mobile International Speedway as he finished 19th after running in the top five at one point.

    “I’m upset with what happened there near the end of the race, because we really were starting to come into our own,” Mingus says. “Our Call 811 Before You Dig car is pretty wrinkled up, but I guess that’s just the characteristics of being a rookie and racing on a short track.

    On a restart with 85 to go, the 17-year-old restarted 13th after making a green-flag pit stop. Short track racing is always tight and as a result of some contact, Mingus damaged the rear-end. Crew Chief Mike Chaffee brought Mingus down pit road to fix the damage, putting Mingus in the 24th position. From there, Mingus was able to work his way back up to the top 15, before going for a spin on lap 177.

    The Win-Tron team would make repairs and Mingus would set forth on the climb again, just barely cracking the top 20.

    “I couldn’t have asked anything more from the team,” he says. “We went forward from the time the green flag dropped and the car was really good. Our goal this weekend was to finish the race and we accomplished that, I just wish it would have been a little better terms.”

    Despite the disappointments, Nate Thiesse, the co-car-owner of Win-Tron Racing says he was pleased with the day.

    “Honestly, we couldn’t have any expected anything more from Mason,” he says. “He did everything right this weekend. He acquired seat time, ran competitive laps and made improvement during the race. I know he’s a little down because of the late race entanglement, but that’s just part of short track racing near the end of the race where the intensity picks up a ton.

    “For just his second ARCA race, he was able to come from the back to the front twice and see the checkered flag, so we’re proud of him and look to build on this at our next venue at Salem.”

    Further information including driver opportunities with Win-Tron Racing is available by visiting win-tronracing.com.

    For more on Mason Mingus, please visit MasonMingusRacing.com.

  • Denny Hamlin: No doubt that winning Bristol would be special

    Denny Hamlin: No doubt that winning Bristol would be special

    [media-credit name=”Ed Coombs” align=”alignright” width=”231″][/media-credit]After finishing ninth in points last year and struggling at some points, Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) team knew they needed to make a change.

    As soon as they learned that 2011 Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart had fired crew chief Darian Grubb, JGR jumped at the chance to hire him. The result is Hamlin doing better this year as he is excited to go to the track each week.

    “I’m constantly now going to the track excited about our outlook and instead of counting down the weeks until it’s all over,” he said last weekend. “Obviously, last year not being competitive for most of the year until the very end when we ran some top-10s and top-fives, but it was just kind of go through the motions. Right now, you’re more optimistic about what you’ve got in front of you.”

    So far this season, Hamlin finished fourth at Daytona, won Phoenix and finished 20th last weekend at Las Vegas. This weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway will mark the first short track race of the 2012 season as the Sprint Cup schedule continues. In 12 starts at Bristol, Hamlin has three top fives and six top 10s.

    “Coming so close before has really only made us want to win one of these Bristol races more than ever,” he said in the team preview. “There is no doubt that winning at Bristol would be special and I know I speak for the entire team when I say leaving here with a trophy is something everyone in racing wants to accomplish in their career. We’ve felt like we’ve had the car on a couple of occasions but had some bad luck in terms of parts going bad at the worst possible times.”

    After Bristol, teams head back out west for the 1.5 mile oval in California. Hamlin says he wishes it was organized differently.

    “You kind of wish they had all these three west coast races all in a row,” he said. “Obviously going back to Bristol is a total different mind set then what we’re running this week and then back to a total different mindset when you go to California. I like California, I think the track is aging really well. It’s getting to where that track you can run all over from the bottom to the very top. It takes 10 years to get a surface to do that.”

    He added that with most tracks being repaved, it takes away from the racing as he likes the older surfaces better to run on.

    Hamlin started racing at a young age, winning his first go-kart race at the age of seven. From there, he moved up the ranks before moving into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2005.

    “It’s been such a ride getting to the spot where I am now,” he said. “Sometimes you forget the peaks and the valleys that you go through to get to the point in which you are right now.”

    Hamlin added that he remembers working back at Subway 15 years ago.

    “It’s amazing to me when you look back at it and thinking I was making $4.75 an hour and I was happy,” he continued. “All I did was spend all my money on the truck I had and that’s all I cared about.”

  • Greg Biffle Claims Coors Light Pole for Sunday’s Food City 500 Bristol Motor Speedway

    Greg Biffle Claims Coors Light Pole for Sunday’s Food City 500 Bristol Motor Speedway

    [media-credit name=”Ed Coombs” align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]Carl Edwards was fastest in NASCAR Sprint Cup practice, but it was another Roush Fenway driver that claimed his first pole here at Bristol Motor Speedway. Greg Biffle came from 11th in practice to claim the pole for Sunday’s 52nd Annual Food City 500.

    “I just couldn’t be more proud of how hard my team is working. I know a lot of people say that but we got in line with about nine minutes to go to make our bonsai run with sticker tires. Puccia called it the money lap but I still wasn’t happy with where the car was and I wanted one more change. My guys got me out with about two and a half minutes left. I got one more run in and that made the difference today of being on the front row. This is a team effort. They are working super hard and I am happy to have 811 and 3M and all the partners and Ford and everybody working hard to get our team up front.” Biffle said.

    With the help of a bit of cloud cover over The World’s Fastest Half Mile, the 42 year old Roush Fenway driver was able to lay down a lap time of 15.324 seconds to take the top starting spot for the mayhem that will unfold around the bull ring in Northeast Tennessee. Biffle’s lap was good enough for his 10th pole in 334 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, and his fourth top-10 start this season. With his pole position here at Bristol, Biffle is now locked into next year’s Shootout at Daytona. The 3M Ford is no stranger to the front row here at Bristol however, as Biffle has started second three other times, most recently in March of 2011.

    Biffle enters Sunday’s stanza as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader and commented on the positive vibes around the Roush Fenway camp thus far; “The team is really excited about how the season started out. We have gone from Superspeedway to a one mile track to a mile-and-a-half which is Roush Fenway flagship kind of race track. We have run very respectable at all those places and last week I would have thought that a third is nothing to shake a stick at…Practice today started off pretty decent. We were a little tight in the center of the corner, typical Bristol…We were 11th there (in NSCS Practice) and I think we have a great chance to be top-10 in qualifying.”

    It doesn’t get any better than the pole here at Bristol, and a top-10 qualifying effort was exactly what Biffle got out of his 3M Ford Fusion.

    AJ Allmendinger will start on the outside of the front row on Sunday with his qualifying effort earlier this afternoon here at Bristol Motor Speedway. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Ryan Newman will start third for the fourth time this season.

    Jeff Gordon’s Drive to End Hunger Chevy will start fourth and defending Bristol winner Brad Keselowski will start fifth.

    “Obviously you’ve got to pick up a little bit to be in the top five or six. I think we can be in that top five. I hope so. I think it was a good lap. Just a few little tweaks here and there to be a little bit better, but all in all, it was a great effort all day for our Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet and a great effort right there in qualifying.” Gordon said.

    Fastest in practice today, Carl Edwards will start 8th after he climbed the hill on his qualifying run.

    Other notables include Kyle Busch (13th), Kevin Harvick (14th), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (18th), Jimmie Johnson (22nd), and defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, Tony Stewart will start 23rd.

    Be sure to follow me on Twitter @ML_B_Lo for all of this weekend’s racing action here at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    Starting Lineup
    Food City 500, Bristol Motor Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/qual.php?race=4+—————–
    ===========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Speed Time
    ===========================================
    1 16 Greg Biffle Ford 125.215 15.324
    2 22 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge 125.207 15.325
    3 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 125.158 15.331
    4 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 125.085 15.34
    5 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 124.865 15.367
    6 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 124.816 15.373
    7 43 Aric Almirola Ford 124.719 15.385
    8 99 Carl Edwards Ford 124.687 15.389
    9 20 Joey Logano Toyota 124.662 15.392
    10 5 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 124.355 15.43
    11 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 124.339 15.432
    12 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 124.331 15.433
    13 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 124.178 15.452
    14 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 124.106 15.461
    15 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 124.106 15.461
    16 15 Clint Bowyer Toyota 124.002 15.474
    17 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 123.953 15.48
    18 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 123.866 15.491
    19 10 David Reutimann Chevrolet 123.866 15.491
    20 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 123.834 15.495
    21 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 123.666 15.516
    22 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 123.538 15.532
    23 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 123.467 15.541
    24 13 Casey Mears Ford 123.419 15.547
    25 55 Brian Vickers Toyota 123.419 15.547
    26 38 David Gilliland Ford 123.269 15.566
    27 51 Kurt Busch Chevrolet 123.182 15.577
    28 30 David Stremme Toyota 123.087 15.589
    29 83 Landon Cassill Toyota 123.047 15.594
    30 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 122.992 15.601
    31 34 David Ragan Ford 122.968 15.604
    32 33 Brendan Gaughan Chevrolet 122.866 15.617
    33 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 122.78 15.628
    34 93 Travis Kvapil Toyota 122.701 15.638
    35 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 122.638 15.646
    36 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 122.623 15.648
    37 26 Josh Wise* Ford 122.38 15.679
    38 74 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet 122.287 15.691
    39 98 Michael McDowell Ford 121.968 15.732
    40 249 J.J. Yeley Toyota 121.829 15.75
    41 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 121.713 15.765
    42 32 Ken Schrader+ Ford 120.626 15.907
    43 23 Scott Riggs Chevrolet 121.374 15.809