Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Author: SM Staff

  • David Ragan – Another Freak Winner at Daytona?

    David Ragan – Another Freak Winner at Daytona?

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”226″][/media-credit]At Daytona in February, Trevor Bayne, barely out of his teens won NASCAR’s biggest race, the Daytona 500. As the circuit moved back there just last night, it was another surprise winner, David Ragan. Or was it such a big surprise?

    The big money was on Dale, Jr. this weekend. We’ve been told by every media outlet and anyone who follows this series that Junior was going to win soon. His record at Daytona and Talladega bear this out. Nowhere is Junior better than at the restrictor plate races. Call it inherited from the family. Yet, I didn’t feel that way. Somehow, it always seems to be a surprise. Oh, I could go into details of all the surprises at those two tracks, but you all know that . Many of us saw David Ragan’s rise from bumbling kid to someone who could drive a racecar. I’ll still remember that debut at Martinsville when he hit everything but the pace car. Jack Roush had faith in him, though, and gave his a primo ride in the fabled No. 6. That was Jack’s first car he seriously ran in the Cup series and the former ride of Mark Martin, Roush’s most successful driver.

    Many thought Roush was crazy. The skinny kid from Georgia and the son of Ken Ragan, just didn’t have it. The statistics proved it out. He had only won one Nationwide Series race and had never won a Cup race. He nearly won the Daytona 500 this year, but jumping the start proved to be his downfall and the guy who was pushing him in that weird two-car tandem nonsense went on to win.

    UPS is a big sponsor in this series and the talk was Ragan was in trouble. He just hadn’t done the job and UPS was going to demand another driver for 2012 if they were to stay with Roush-Fenway. The pressure was on and Ragan knew it. After the debacle that was the Daytona 500, he looked forward to this race more than any other. He had to win.

    There is an opinion that what happens at Daytona and Talladega has little to do with the worth of a driver. Many consider restrictor plate racing a freak of nature in NASCAR terms. Drivers have won here that have won nowhere else in cars that can’t compete in “normal” races. Since the 1987 regulation that required restrictor plates, we’ve seen drivers like Derrike Cope, john Andretti, Michael Waltrip, and Jamie McMurray win. Not that this is a bad list, but they were all surprises. In fact, may drivers have lived on wins at Daytona and Talladega. All four of his victories have been at those two race tracks. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has won 18 times, but 7 of those have come at Daytona and Talladega. Some drivers and teams are just better at those races, but the record shows that a large number of long-time stars have won, not only at the restrictor plates tracks, but lots of other places, too.

    So, what does this all mean? Should David Ragan now be considered as a driver who has “made it’ and continue a staple of the Roush-Fenway stable? I do not know. I do know that RFR is in frantic negotiations with Carlo Edwards and Matt Kenseth’s sponsor just announced they were not coming back. Couple that with rising drivers like Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Trevor Bayne and Ragan’s mid=pack finishes most everywhere else, and his job security is less than optimistic. Time will tell, but they can’t take the thrill of a Daytona win away from him. Just like Trevor Bayne, he is king for a day, but will it last?

  • Hoorah’s And Wazzups: Daytona Drama

    Hoorah’s And Wazzups: Daytona Drama

    When the green flag fell on NASCAR’s Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series’ events at Daytona, there was one thing evident to those of us at home watching on television: the first two thirds of these races were going to be like watching paint dry, but the final one third was going to be exciting and loaded with drama.

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”238″][/media-credit]However, during the conclusion of these two races, the Sprint Cup’s Coke Zero 400 treated us to the drama and exhilaration of a first time Daytona winner for the second time this year. The Nationwide Series’ Subway Jalapeno 250 treated us to a dramatic finish that wasn’t resolved until the final one half lap of the race and, on yes, Danica was there is a very big way.

    **********

    Hoorah to David Ragan for scoring his first ever NASCAR Sprint Cup win, in the Coke Zero 400, after 163 efforts to get there. That win moves Ragan to 17th in the championship points standings and could line him up for a starting berth in the Sprint Cup Chase’s wild card program.

    Hoorah for Ragan’s sweet redemption. Last February he was in line to win the Daytona 500 when he was penalized by NASCAR for changing race lanes, following a restart, prior to crossing the start finish line. After that experience he had to feel like the speedway owed him one and collecting that debt had to be sweet.

    The Roush Fenway Racing Ford driver seriously needed this first win and the timing of that visit to victory lane could not be better. It comes at a time when his primary sponsor’s, United Parcel Service, contract is up for renewal and Ragan’s Daytona performance could greatly help that renewal cause. Hoorah to UPS for getting their first win as a primary sponsor since Dale Jarrett invited them to victory lane back in 2005. All year long the famed delivery company has been promoting the marketing slogan “we love logistics.” One has to believe that UPS was thrilled with the logistics behind Ragan’s first Cup win.

    Hoorah to the winner’s Roush Fenway team mate Matt Kenseth who was pushing Ragan to the checkers in the two car draft tandem. Kenseth’s strong Daytona performance is also timely. In recent days it was announced that his primary sponsor, Crown Royal, would not be returning to the team next year. His strong Daytona finish, combined with a good year as a Chase contender, could go along way towards landing another sponsor.

    Wazzup with Crown Royal waiting so long in the season to announce this decision to withdraw from racing? The timing here is terrible. Having to spend the final few months of the 2011 season trying to locate a replacement sponsor is not going to be easy.

    On the topic of Roush Fenway Racing teams, Wazzup with Carl Edwards’ misfortunes during the Coke Zero 400? Working towards lap 23 of the race, Edwards was hooked up in the two car draft with team mate Greg Biffle. In an effort to avoid potential contact with the duo of Kurt Busch and Regan Smith, Edwards accidentally nudged Biffle’s front bumper. The result was a spin and a hard hit into the fourth turn wall. The impact led to broken crush panels on Edwards’ Ford which in turn allowed carbon monoxide to infiltrate the car’s cockpit causing a feeling of illness for the driver. The result was a 37th place finish and a fall to second in the points standings. Edwards is now five points behind new leader Kevin Harvick.

    ***********

    Wazzup with Ford driver Trevor Bayne setting a new NASCAR record he absolutely didn’t want to create? Last February Bayne stunned us all by becoming the youngest driver to ever win the Daytona 500. Filled with anticipation regarding the Coke Zero 400, Bayne was spun and sent nose first into the wall only five laps into the race. He accidentally set a new series’ record for the worst finish in Daytona’s July race by that season’s Daytona 500 winner.

    The old record was set by Hall Of Fame inductee Cale Yarborough who won the 1983 Daytona 500 only to suffer an engine failure, after five laps, in the July race.

    ***********

    Hoorah to Jeff Gordon for an amazing display of driving after being spun on lap 157. Gordon was charging towards the front of the pack when he was accidentally clipped by Kasey Kahne. Gordon spun in traffic and did an amazing job of saving his car in what appeared to be the making of a restrictor plate racing “big one.” That recovery led to a sixth place finish. Hoorah to the traffic behind him, and the spotters who guided their drivers, for taking quick thinking evasive action.

    Wazzup with the “big one” arriving during the first green-white-checker attempt? On lap 163 there was contact between Mark Martin and Joey Logano. Martin’s car went around and slammed hard into the backstretch. By the time the melee was over, there were no fewer than 12 wadded up race cars being hooked to wreckers following the massive clean up.

    Wazzup with the second multi car accident that occurred a matter of feet from the checkers at the conclusion of the second green-white-checker attempt?

    ***********

    Hoorah to Joey Logano for winning the Nationwide Series’ Subway Jalapeno 250 as well as his first ever win at Daytona. The double duty Sprint Cup driver only led the last half of the final lap but, in restrictor plate style racing, sometimes that’s all you need.

    Logano had to accomplish this feat by charging his way back through the field. On lap 26 the eventual race winner found himself spinning through turn three after getting tapped by Brian Scott, his Joe Gibbs Racing team mate.

    Hoorah to Turner Motorsports driver Reed Sorenson who had a very good Saturday night at Daytona. First off, there was the matter of the Nationwide Insurance Dash For Cash program which paid a $100,000 bonus to the highest finishing driver of the four who were eligible for the program. Sorenson’s third place finish locked the bonus down. Adding the $44,000 plus he earned for his race finish, he had a very lucrative night. All of this was sweetened by the fact that he left Daytona on top of the championship points standings.

    Hoorah to driver Danica Patrick for a very strong performance during the Nationwide Series race. Any pre race doubt that she might have difficulty dealing with the two car draft procedure was quickly erased. If there are any critics left who question if she’s ready to move to NASCAR full time, they were also silenced. She spent much of the race drafting with her Junior Motorsports team mate, Aric Almirola, and handled the tricky maneuver with the greatest of ease. She even led a total of 13 laps in the race and, during the late stages of the event, had many of us thinking that she might become the next Daytona victory lane surprise visitor.

    Unfortunately, Patrick got caught up in that multi car wreck on the final lap, just a matter of yards from the checkered flag, but still managed to limp across the finish line in tenth.

    By the way, Wazzup with that final lap crash on the front stretch. According to the video replays, the car driven by Mike Wallace got incredibly loose and all of a sudden there was a major crash festival. Patrick later commented “Wallace was loose like a fish out of water and then all of a sudden it turned into a cluster.”

    Hoorah to Kevin Harvick Inc for fielding four teams in the Subway Jalapeno 250 and having them start first through fourth after qualifying. It marked the first time that any one racing organization has accomplished this feat.

    Unfortunately, the outcome was not what KHI was hoping for. Clint Bowyer finished 34th following a crash that was triggered by a two car draft hit from Kevin Harvick himself who finished 18th in the race. Tony Stewart was strong during this event only to have to settle for 13th after getting caught up in the aforementioned last lap “big one.” The KHI bright spot was Elliot Sadler who ran strong all night and finished eighth.

    ***********

    In some final thoughts: Hoorah to King Richard Petty who celebrated his 74th birthday on July 2nd. Sprint driver Jeff Burton gets a Hoorah for celebrating his 44th birthday as well as making his official 600th series start.

    Wazzup with the radio communication problem Carl Edwards had during the practice session prior to the Coke Zero 400? Edwards was running the two car draft with his Roush Fenway Racing team mate Greg Biffle but they were unable to talk to each other on their in car radios. A quick trip to the garage area, to have the situation looked at, turned up the solution: the volume on Edwards’ radio was turned down.

    Hoorah to TNT Network analysts Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach for their in car demonstration on how the two car draft system works during a NASCAR restrictor plate race. Instead of sitting behind a desk and giving us a lecture, they climbed inside of race cars and presented a visual aide on exactly how intense this form of racing can get. It was a job well done.

    Wazzup with the on air timing of a Viagra commercial during the TNT broadcast of the Sprint Cup race? During their “wide open coverage” of the race, the network presented sponsor commercials on a separate box located on the lower right hand corner of our TV screens while continuing to show us the live action from the race track.

    On lap 77, TNT aired a Viagra commercial at the same time they were showing driver Joe Nemechek taking the race lead. Nemechek’s car was sponsored by Extenze, that other male enhancement product and a direct competitor of Viagra. We know how the Extenze situation turned out. Nemechek finished 30th, one lap down, in the final standings. It’s not exactly clear how things turned out for the middle aged couple in the Viagra ad.

  • MotoGP – Lorenzo takes Mugello MotoGP win

    MotoGP – Lorenzo takes Mugello MotoGP win

    (RacingWire) – Casey Stoner dominated the first 17 laps of the MotoGp Italian Grand Prix but he didn’t have enough tires to hold off a charging Jorge Lorenzo. Lorenzo, the Yamaha factory driver, passed Stoner with six laps to and went on to win at Mugello.

  • Will NASCAR Survive The Next Ten Years?

  • Redemption in Daytona: David Ragan Scores First Career Win in Coke Zero 400

    Redemption in Daytona: David Ragan Scores First Career Win in Coke Zero 400

    It was fourth of July weekend in Daytona Beach and there were more than just fireworks in the sky. Starting on the pole for the 50th time in his career was Hendrick Motorsports’ Mark Martin who did his part in putting HMS on all three restrictor plate poles this season.

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”254″][/media-credit]In following the previous plate races the Coke Zero 400 was about finding your drafting partner and it didn’t mean a teammate. Pairings such as David Gilliland and Tony Stewart became friends while the duo of Kurt Busch and Regan Smith looked to continue the success they experienced at Daytona in February.

    Unlike February, Trevor Bayne would not be the driver going to victory lane. The No. 21 Ford brought out the first caution on lap six after he got turned by Brad Keselowski in turn one. The first of many incidents of bumpdrafting gone bad.

    After the restart Martin, who had led every lap to that point, lost the lead to his teammate and fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. Working with Jimmie Johnson as they did in Talladega, Earnhardt Jr. was happily pushed to the front before losing the lead to Kurt Busch.

    Point leader Carl Edwards wouldn’t get to challenge Busch. As he and teammate Greg Biffle attempted to drive high around Busch and Smith the No. 99 got turned into the inside wall by Biffle on lap 24. Damage to the rear decklid of Edwards would take him out of contention.

    Edwards misfortune became teammate David Ragan’s fortune as he was pushed to the lead by teammate Matt Kenseth after the restart. From there many other drivers, such as Kasey Kahne and Martin Truex Jr., took their shot at the lead as the race ran green until lap 49.

    Dave Blaney would bring out the third caution of the night in a single car accident. Blaney hit the wall hard on the right side of his No. 36 machine. It was also during this stage of the race that a story was developing in the Edwards pit. After his wreck there were rumors that Edwards had thrown up inside the car and that there could also be carbon monoxide factors.

    Edwards would stay in the car, as the team worked to get him cooled off and the car vented. Eventually they went behind the wall before returning later in the event.

    Once the race went back green it went through it’s longest green flag run. Paul Menard and Kevin Harvick made their way to the front for a few laps. Next came Tony Stewart, a three-time Daytona winner, making his appearance on lap 70.

    Another unusual pairing, Joe Nemechek and Travis Kvapil, not only caught attention but drove to the lead for a few circuits and ran amongst the leaders during a late stage in the race. When Kyle Busch was pushed to the lead by teammate Joey Logano he became the 17th leader during the 31st lead change.

    Lap 92 brought the first round of green flag pit stops during which Jeff Burton and teammate Clint Bowyer went to the front. The two had been running in the back to avoid trouble but made sure each led a lap for the bonus points.

    The next pairing to drive to the lead were the two drivers that lost their drafting partners in earlier wrecks. Brad Keselowski and Greg Biffle took the lead before being passed by Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman and soon there was a new track record for leaders with 25, besting the previous of 22 in the Daytona 500.

    The final round of pit stops took place with 30 laps to go. Again they occurred under green but the drama was just around the corner. On lap 159 Jeff Gordon spun in turn four but avoided taking the rest of the field with him. It happened while racing three wide but Gordon still rebounded for a sixth place finished.

    On the first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish the big one broke out on the backstretch. Martin, Truex Jr., Bowyer, Mears, Nemechek, Kvapil, Smith, Busch, Stewart, Reutimann, Vickers, Cassill, Kahne, Logano and Gilliland all got a piece of it.

    It set up a second attempt at a green-white-checkered finish that placed David Ragan in the lead. Looking for redemption for his mistake in the Daytona 500 on the green-white-checkered finish, Ragan stayed in line and was pushed by Matt Kenseth toward his first career win.

    As he was coming to the checkered flag more wrecks broke out behind him. First in turns three and four and then coming toward the finish line. This time it involved Reutimann, McMurray, Ambrose, Hamlin, Stewart, Kurt Busch, Jeff Burton, Kvapil, Newman, Montoya, Johnson, Cassill, Vickers, Smith and Earnhardt Jr.

    Out in front though was David Ragan beating Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch. It was his first career win in 163 Sprint Cup Series starts. In the points, Kevin Harvick is now on top over Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer and Ryan Newman.

     

    Unofficial Race Results
    Coke Zero 400, Daytona International Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/race.php?race=17
    =========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 5 6 David Ragan Ford 47
    2 16 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 43
    3 37 20 Joey Logano Toyota 41
    4 13 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 41
    5 38 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 40
    6 4 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 39
    7 31 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 38
    8 10 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 37
    9 30 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 36
    10 9 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 34
    11 19 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 34
    12 20 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 32
    13 36 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 32
    14 25 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 31
    15 26 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 30
    16 39 34 David Gilliland Ford 28
    17 15 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 27
    18 17 16 Greg Biffle Ford 27
    19 6 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 26
    20 8 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 24
    21 12 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 24
    22 18 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 23
    23 11 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 23
    24 28 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 21
    25 23 0 David Reutimann Toyota 19
    26 21 51 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 0
    27 7 71 Andy Lally * Ford 17
    28 41 32 Terry Labonte Ford 16
    29 27 38 Travis Kvapil Ford 0
    30 43 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 0
    31 24 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 13
    32 32 13 Casey Mears Toyota 13
    33 1 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 12
    34 38 7 Robby Gordon Dodge 10
    35 34 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 10
    36 3 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 9
    37 14 99 Carl Edwards Ford 8
    38 35 135 Geoff Bodine Chevrolet 6
    39 40 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 5
    40 29 60 Mike Skinner Toyota 0
    41 2 21 Trevor Bayne Ford 0
    42 33 66 Michael McDowell Toyota 2
    43 22 97 Kevin Conway Toyota 0
  • A Coke Delivery by Ragan with Zero to go

    A Coke Delivery by Ragan with Zero to go

    The duo of David Ragan and Matt Kenseth teamed up to take the double green-white-checkered flag finish on Saturday night in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona.

    Ragan started fifth and led for 15 laps. Kenseth led 14. Ryan Newman led the most laps with 25 and finished 23rd.

    Pole sitter Mark Martin was involved in a multi-car crash in the closing laps and finished 33rd.

    The driver who moved forward the most was Joey Logano. He started 37th and finished third.

    The hard luck story of the night was Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne. A lap four accident sent the young driver to the garage for the night and a 41st place finish.

    The race finished in double overtime after a caution came out on lap 157 (of 160 scheduled) after Kasey Kahne slid up the track and had contact with Jeff Gordon who was then tapped by Mark Martin. Gordon had nowhere to go. Kyle Busch would find himself part of the action as he scraped along the wall followed by Joey Logano. Gordon was then missed by inches by the duo of Casey Mears and Landon Cassill. Somehow Gordon hit nothing hard enough to cause significant damage.

    On the first overtime restart we would see the first of three accidents in ten extra laps that would be run of the race.

    The first overtime green flag would have Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin who were side by side followed by Kenseth and Ragan. Newman is able to drop in front of Hamlin and it’s first the “big one” as Martin is side swiped by Brian Vickers and Logano in turn one which collects Tony Stewart, David Gilliland, Brad Keselowski, Ragan, Casey Mears, Cassill, David Reutimann, Martin Truex Jr., Joe Nemechek and Clint Bowyer.

    The next restart the duos of Ragan / Kenseth and Newman / Hamlin hook back up. Logano has Kahne on the outside while Newman / Hamlin are sliding back.

    With one lap to go the duo of Ragan / Kenseth led, followed by Logano / Kahne heading into turn three.

    Trouble behind the leaders of Ragan / Kenseth who win the race and we have two wrecks in turns three and four.

    As the drivers head into turn three Reutimann was pushing Cassill in the middle while Ambrose following Allmendinger was clipped by Cassill. Marcos Ambrose spun in front of the two along with Stewart and Vickers who were on the inside were clipped by Ambrose who then came back into Cassill and Reutimann as they crashed into the outside turn three wall.

    Cassill slid down into Vickers where Stewart squeaked out from the incident. The other four drivers crashed and slid down to the apron. After that more trouble hit the field coming out of turn four as Paul Menard following Kevin Harvick on the outside line came down on Jamie McMurray in the middle with Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the low line see the two get together.

    Earnhardt Jr. was hit from behind by Burton and Newman

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”242″][/media-credit]. The force of the momentum pushed McMurray sideways and into the outside line of his teammate Montoya with Burton crashing into Johnson.

     

    Earnhardt Jr. spun on the apron where he was just missed by Hamlin. Newman is hooked into the back of Burton as they hit Johnson. At this point cars were everywhere spinning and crashing into each other. Burton headed for the inside wall as Montoya and Newman are crashing on the outside wall. Hamlin and Johnson eat some grass of the infield as does McMurray. This all unfolds in front of Stewart who rides the apron dodging and ducking the others.

    CHECERED FLAG for Ragan for his first time of the season. Kenseth scores second followed by Logano, Kahne, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Harvick, Menard, Montoya and Allmendinger.

    Onto the Lap By Lap Coverage

     

    Well fans HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!

     

    It’s about Daytona Duels tonight, of course we are not talking about the duels at the start of the year, we are talking about the racing duels that has been the talk of the town for the last race and last night’s Nationwide race that came down to the last lap that also ended up in a big pileup.

    The duel drafting has been the interest of not only the fans, but the drivers. But as the case with Daytona, there will be drivers who like the style of the race that is run and there will be drivers who are not happy with the racing on the track.

    We will see the numerous lead changes on the track like usual, but now it will most likely be due to the duos swapping the driver in the front of the two car team up with the driver pushing from behind which allows the others duos to pass on by during the change.

    Last night’s race, the spring race at Talladega and the Daytona 500 did not see the big action until the closing laps of the race. And we also did not see the big pack racing like we used to see, which left many drivers in the dust as they did not hook up with any other driver on the track. If you hook up with someone, you have a chance to be in the front. We will see if the teams have learned lessons from the 500 and if they can move to the front.

    Enough about the what and where, let’s go to the who and when as we start the race for the spectacular night race.

    The veteran Mark Martin is on the pole with this year’s Daytona 500 winner of Trevor Bayne who will lead the 41 other drivers to the 400 miles of racing tonight.

    Clint Bowyer and Jeff Gordon will line up in the second row. David Ragan starts fifth. Gordon’s teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson start 6th and 8th respectively. Robby Gordon and Bobbie Labonte head to the back of the pack.

    NOW, LET’S GO RACING!!

    GREEN FLAG as Martin is pushed by Gordon and Bayne by Bowyer. Earnhardt and Johnson are the third group and pulling away from the field. Lap 2 Andy Lally is by himself which breaks the field apart as he has no help.

    Lap 3 drivers are looking to hook up with someone to make their runs. Lap 5 two drivers head to the garage…

    YELLOW FLAG lap 5 as Bayne heads nose first into the outside turn one wall after Brad Keselowski is offset to the left side of Bayne, which is not the side you want to be on which first sends him towards the apron to skip off the right side of Bowyer’s car then into the outside wall.

    Bobbie Labonte and Jamie McMurray picked up some damage from checking up for the accident. Bayne heads to the garage with major damage.

    Just to keep you up to date the two cars that headed into the garage were Kevin Conway and Michael McDowell. Mike Skinner takes his car to the garage.

    GREEN FLAG lap 9 as the Martin / Gordon team get the two some going. Lap 10 Earnhardt / Johnson are the second group followed by Ragan / Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards / Biffle. Lap 12 Ragan / Kenseth are the new second group.

    Lap 15 of 160 the Martin / Gordon team continue to lead followed by Earnhardt / Johnson who take the lead in turn three. Lap 16 the inside line is filled with Kurt Busch / Regan Smith followed by Edwards / Greg Biffle.

    Lap 19 the top three teams run two seconds in front of Ragan / Kenseth, Joey Logano / Kyle Busch. Lap 20 we now have six groups battling for the lead. Lap 21 Kurt Busch is the leader again with Smith. Earnhardt / Johnson contend with Edwards and Biffle on the outside.

    Lap 23 after the contact with Bayne, Keselowski did not have any help and was out in the cold and lapped.

    YELLOW FLAG lap 24 as Edwards is spun out after there was too much momentum carried by Himself and Biffle as the drifted out towards the outside wall at the exit of turn four. Keselowski will be the lucky dog.

    The leaders head to pit road. Several leaders remain on the track but the next lap we see the Hendrick teams pit the next time by. Currently the top ten drivers are Kevin Harvick, Paul Menard, Ragan, Kenseth, Smith, Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch, David Reutimann, Casey Mears and Landon Cassill.

    GREEN FLAG lap 27 as Harvick / Menard pull away from Truex Jr. / David Reutimann. Lap 29 Smith / Kurt Busch lead followed by Truex Jr. / Reutimann. Lap 31 Truex Jr. / Reutimann lead for a moment with Ragan / Kenseth on the inside.

    Lap 32 new players in the mix are Kasey Kahne / Brian Vickers. Team Hendrick have dropped to the back for a strategic move to keep it safe and sane. Lap 36 Michael Waltrip racing leads Ragan / Kenseth by a car length. Red Bull racing run as the third group.

    Lap 37 Ryan Newman / Denny Hamlin are the new third group followed by Harvick / Menard, Truex Jr. / Reutimann, Keselowski / Biffle and Mears / Cassill.

    Lap 39 Ragan / Kenseth lead. Lap 41, we are ¼ way through the race as Kahne / Vickers take the lead. Lap 43 we see seven groups leading the race as a possible lead change will occur. Kenseth / Ragan, Kahne / Vickers, Mears / Cassill, Truex Jr. / Reutimann, Newman / Hamlin are followed by Harvick / Menard.

    Lap 45 Smith / Kurt Busch run 13th / 14th and moving up. Lap 46 there are about six different groups on the track at the moment. Lap 47 on the move is A.J. Allmendinger / Marcos Ambrose moving into 11th and 12th.

    YELLOW FLAG lap 48 into 49 as Dave Blaney smacks into the outside turn one wall at the same time Edwards brought his car to pit road to shut the engine off. The leaders head to pit road. We see the same move by the teams where some stay out on the track while others head in. One interesting move is Earnhardt Jr. heads into pit road while Johnson remains on track.

    Your top twenty drivers are Travis Kvapil, Johnson, Bobbie Labonte, Kahne, Truex Jr., Smith, Harvick, Reutimann, Menard, Kurt Busch, Vickers, Cassill, Kenseth, Mears, Ragan, Newman, Ambrose, Allmendinger, David Gilliland and Tony Stewart. It looks like the Hendrick team heads to pit road on one lap to go like last time. After the drivers head to pit road we see Kahne, Truex Jr., Harvick, Menard, Reutimann and Vickers in front. Edwards is six laps down.

    GREEN FLAG lap 54 as a shuffle occurs on the track with drivers looking for their “wingman.” Truex Jr. / Reutimann lead the race followed by Kenseth / Ragan. Lap 57 we see a duos running to the front as Smith / Kurt Busch take the lead on lap 59 followed by Kenseth / Ragan, Kahne / Vickers, Truex Jr. / Reutimann.

    Lap 60 Kyle Busch and Logano are teamed up followed by Menard / Harvick and Stewart / Gilliland. Lap 63 we have been watching some of the team playing with running as a string of four drivers. In front we see Kenseth / Ragan, Kahne / Vickers then the second four pack of Menard / Harvick, Truex Jr. / Reutimann.

    Lap 65 we see a few swaps in the duos to lead/ pusher as Kahne / Vickers takes the lead followed by Truex Jr. / Reutimann then Kenseth / Ragan, Menard / Harvick. Lap 68 new drivers in the mix of Joe Nemechek and Kvapil enter the mix in the top ten.

    Lap 71 the team of Stewart / Gilliland take the lead for the first time tonight. Lap 73 we see a four duo battle for the lead between Stewart / Gilliland, Kahne / Vickers, Mears / Cassill and Kvapil / Nemechek. Edwards is back on pit road.

    Lap 75 your top ten drivers are Mears / Cassill, Kahne / Vickers, Nemechek / Kvapil, Kyle Busch / Logano, Truex Jr., / Reutimann.

    Lap 77 off pace we see Robby Gordon running 35th with help from G. Bodine. Bobbie Labonte is on his way to being lapped. It looks like Edwards is in the garage.

    Lap 80 (Halfway Home) Kahne / Vickers are the leaders followed by Mears / Cassill and Nemechek / Kvapil. Lap 84 Terry Labonte / Andy Lally are in the top ten checking out the front pack. It has been a while since the last pit stops so we should see some in the next ten laps.

    Lap 87 Kyle Busch / Logano make a run for the lead with Kahne / Vickers on the inside line. Lap 88 there are about ten duos in the front. Kahne / Vickers, Kyle Busch / Logano, Menard / Harvick, Mears / Cassill, Terry Labonte / Lally, Nemechek / Kvapil, Smith / Kurt Busch.

    Lap 91 Kahne / Vickers are the first drivers in for green flag stops. Lap 92 Stewart / Gilliland, Terry Labonte / Lally are in. Lap 94 Reutimann / Truex Jr. are in with others. Lap 95 Kyle Busch / Logano are in with others. Martin and Jeff Gordon are in.

    Lap 96 Mears / Cassill are in. Johnson / Earnhardt are in. Lap 97 Jeff Burton / Bowyer are the leaders. Lap 99 Bowyer is scored as the leader with Burton and the last leaders to pit at this time.

    Lap 100 (60 to go) Vickers / Kahne will go back to the lead followed by Truex Jr. / Reutimann, Kyle Busch / Logano followed by Allmendinger / Ambrose then Keselowski / Biffle. They in turn are followed by Ragan / Kenseth, Harvick / Menard, Newman / Hamlin.

    Lap 104 In the top twenty we see Juan Pablo Montoya, McMurray, Mears / Cassill, Kvapil / Nemechek.

    Lap 105 Ragan / Kenseth, Keselowski / Biffle are second. Lap 108 a smooth swap in the front by Hamlin / Newman but they jam up the front running pack of Truex Jr. / Reutimann, Keselowski / Biffle and Mears / Cassill.

    Lap 110 (50 to go) Truex Jr. / Reutimann have Keselowski / Biffle on their outside for the lead. Hamlin / Newman then Montoya / McMurray, Mears / Cassill, Harvick / Menard, Bowyer / Burton, Kyle Busch / Logano, Ragan / Kenseth, Kurt Busch / Smith.

    So far we have seen 3 cautions for 11 laps and 45 lead changes among 22 leaders. 34 drivers are on the lead lap while 41 drivers are scored as running in the race.

    Lap 115 (45 to go) it’s a battle between Harvick / Menard, McMurray / Montoya. 44 to go Bowyer / Burton are in the mix for the lead. 43 to go as we see Childress Racing working on the four car draft with Harvick, Menard, Bowyer and Burton nose to tail.

    40 to go Harvick / Menard are on the inside line while Bowyer / Burton are on the outside line. 38 to go as it’s Newman / Hamlin, Vickers / Kahne, Bowyer / Burton joined by Mears / Cassill. 35 to go we hear that Logano may have melted his radiator fan as when he turns it on it trips his breaker on his car.

    34 to go McMurray / Montoya are closing in on the front once again as Newman / Hamlin continue to lead.

    32 to go we are closing in on the next set of green flag stops. 31 to go McMurray / Montoya head in for their stops. 30 to go Ragan / Kenseth are in. 29 to go Truex Jr. / Reutimann are in. 28 to go as Kahne / Vickers are in followed by Gilliland / Stewart. 26 to go Harvick is the leader with Menard.

    26 to go Keselowski / Biffle are in with Ambrose / Allmendinger. 25 to go as Martin / Gordon are in. 24 to go Earnhardt Jr. / Johnson are in. Robby Gordon is busted on pit road for a team issue. 23 to go Lally and Terry Labonte are in.

    22 to go Newman / Hamlin are in along with Logano / Kyle Busch are in. 21 to go Mears / Cassill are in. Bowyer / Burton are in with Ragan / Kurt Busch.

    20 to go Harvick / Menard are on the track still and come in with 19 to go.

    18 to go Newman / Hamlin are the new leaders followed by Kyle Busch / Logano. They are followed by Burton / Bowyer, Harvick / Menard, Kahne / Vickers, Truex Jr. / Reutimann, Kenseth / Ragan, Johnson / Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon / Martin.

    15 to go Newman / Hamlin are followed by Kyle Busch / Logano, Harvick / Menard and Burton / Bowyer.

    13 to go Newman / Hamlin, Kyle Busch / Logano are almost stringing to a four car team.

    11 to go Newman / Hamlin, Kenseth / Ragan as Kyle Busch / Logano break up.

    10 to go Newman / Hamlin continue in front with Kenseth / Ragan, Harvick / Menard, Kahne / Vickers, Truex Jr. / Reutimann, Kyle Busch / Logano.

    8 to go as Newman / Hamlin are in front Jeff Gordon and Martin close in on the top ten.

    7 to go Kenseth / Ragan jump to the front as Newman / Hamlin slip back.

    6 to go Kenseth / Ragan, Harvick / Menard, Kahne / Vickers, Newman / Hamlin, Kyle Busch / Logano.

    5 to go as Harvick / Menard are all over Kenseth / Ragan.

    4 to go as three wide teams drive through turns one and two with Jeff Gordon / Martin move into 7th and 8th.

    3 to go Kenseth / Ragan continue to lead as it is three wide in turn four as Jeff Gordon is sideways in the middle three wide as Kahne slides up in front of Gordon and is tapped by Martin when Gordon has nowhere to go. Kyle Busch scrapes along the wall followed by Logano. Gordon is missed by inches by Mears / Cassill.

    Johnson / Gordon come in leaving Earnhardt Jr. on the track. Gordon remains on pit road for additional repairs as the others who came in for a stop.

    We are going to a GREEN-WHITE-CHECKERED finish. Currently we see Newman, Hamlin, Kenseth, Ragan, Vickers, Kahne, Harvick, Menard, Logano, Martin, McMurray, Mears, Montoya, Cassill, Truex Jr., Reutimann, Bowyer, Burton, Smith and Kurt Busch are the top twenty.

    GREEN FLAG as we are plus 2 on the counter as Newman and Hamlin are side by side followed by Kenseth and Ragan. Newman is able to drop in front of Hamlin and it’s the big one as…

    YELLOW FLAG as Martin is side swiped by Vickers and Logano in turn one which collects Stewart, Gilliland, Keselowski, Ragan, Mears, Cassill, Reutimann, Truex Jr., Nemechek and Bowyer. Clean up will take a while

    Lap 166 we are at one to go as Newman, Ragan, Kenseth, Hamlin, Harvick, Menard, Logano, Kahne, McMurray, Montoya, Earnhardt Jr., Gilliland, Keselowski, Burton, Kyle Busch, Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Vickers and Allmendinger are the top twenty.

    GREEN FLAG #2 as Ragan / Kenseth and Newman / Hamlin hook back up. Logano has Kahne on the outside while Newman / Hamlin are sliding back.

    WHITE FLAG as Ragan / Kenseth lead followed by Logano / Kahne heading into turn three.

    Trouble behind the leaders of Ragan / Kenseth who win the race and we have two wrecks in turns three and four.

    As the drivers head into turn three Reutimann is pushing Cassill in the middle while Ambrose following Allmendinger is clipped by Cassill. Ambrose spins in front of the two along with Stewart and Vickers on the inside are clipped by Ambrose who then comes back into Cassill and Reutimann as the crash into the outside turn three wall.

    Cassill slides down into Vickers where Stewart squeaks out from the incident. The other four drivers crashing and sliding down to the apron. After that more trouble hits the field coming out of turn four as Menard following Harvick on the outside comes down on McMurray in the middle with Earnhardt Jr. on the low line see the two get together.

    Earnhardt Jr. is hit from behind by Burton and Newman then chain reacts by Hamlin. The force of the momentum pushes McMurray sideways and into the outside line of his teammate Montoya with Burton crashing into Johnson.

    Earnhardt Jr. spins on the apron just missed by Hamlin. Newman is hooked into the back of Burton as they hit Johnson. At this point cars go everywhere spinning and crashing into each other. Burton heads for the inside wall as Montoya and Newman are crashing on the outside wall. Hamlin and Johnson eat some grass of the infield as does McMurray. This all unfolds in front of Stewart who rides the apron dodging and ducking the others.

    CHECERED FLAG for Ragan. Kenseth scores second followed by Logano, Kahne, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Harvick, Menard, Montoya and Allmendinger.

    The race lasted for two hours and forty-three minutes.

    We saw 58 lead changes among 25 leaders. 6 cautions were on the track that lasted for 20 laps. 26 drivers finished on the lead lap with 41 drivers were shown running the race.

     

    Unofficial Race Results
    Coke Zero 400, Daytona International Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/race.php?race=17
    =========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 5 6 David Ragan Ford 47
    2 16 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 43
    3 37 20 Joey Logano Toyota 41
    4 13 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 41
    5 38 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 40
    6 4 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 39
    7 31 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 38
    8 10 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 37
    9 30 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 36
    10 9 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 34
    11 19 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 34
    12 20 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 32
    13 36 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 32
    14 25 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 31
    15 26 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 30
    16 39 34 David Gilliland Ford 28
    17 15 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 27
    18 17 16 Greg Biffle Ford 27
    19 6 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 26
    20 8 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 24
    21 12 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 24
    22 18 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 23
    23 11 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 23
    24 28 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 21
    25 23 0 David Reutimann Toyota 19
    26 21 51 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 0
    27 7 71 Andy Lally * Ford 17
    28 41 32 Terry Labonte Ford 16
    29 27 38 Travis Kvapil Ford 0
    30 43 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 0
    31 24 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 13
    32 32 13 Casey Mears Toyota 13
    33 1 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 12
    34 38 7 Robby Gordon Dodge 10
    35 34 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 10
    36 3 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 9
    37 14 99 Carl Edwards Ford 8
    38 35 135 Geoff Bodine Chevrolet 6
    39 40 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 5
    40 29 60 Mike Skinner Toyota 0
    41 2 21 Trevor Bayne Ford 0
    42 33 66 Michael McDowell Toyota 2
    43 22 97 Kevin Conway Toyota 0
  • NHRA – Don Schumacher names new crew chief for Johnny Gray

    NHRA – Don Schumacher names new crew chief for Johnny Gray

    *(RacingWire) — *Johnny Gray will have a new crew chief on his Don Schumacher Racing Funny Car when the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series makes its next stop at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals next weekend.

  • MotoGP – Stoner takes Italian GP pole

    (RacingWire) – Casey Stoner qualified in the pole position for the MotoGP Grand Prix of Italy at Mugello Circuit. American Ben Spies qualified his Yamaha third and Italian Marco Simoncelli made his countryman cheer with a third place qualifying attempt.

    The MotoGP Grand Prix of Italy is Sunday at 8am ET.

  • Ryan Newman Sides with the Boss, Says Not a Fan of Blocking

    Ryan Newman Sides with the Boss, Says Not a Fan of Blocking

    Stewart-Haas Racing’s Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman are making it clear, they don’t think blocking is cool. Last weekend Stewart took matters into his own hands by expressing displeasure with the way drivers, specifically Brian Vickers, were racing.

    [media-credit name=”www.HaasCNC.com” align=”alignright” width=”226″][/media-credit]Stewart sent a message, one he reiterated in Daytona: from now on if you block, you’re getting wrecked. Now Newman is offering his opinion and like his boss and teammate, feels blocking is unnecessary.

    “I’m not a fan at all of blocking,” said Newman. “If you don’t block on an oval, you shouldn’t block on a road course; and there are a lot of guys who get in the bad habit of blocking on a road course. Especially in turn 7 and turn 11 at Infineon.”

    The pair’s frustrations carry over from last weekend’s first road course race. Stewart drilled Vickers into the tire barriers in turn 11 and admitted it was intentional. It wasn’t just last weekend however, Stewart hasn’t been happy with the way his competitors has been racing for a while.

    Newman found out what Stewart was talking about last weekend. Just as Stewart did before him, Newman tried to take matters into his own hands but it didn’t work out for him either.

    “I had guys that blocked me and I let them know about it and I got turned around twice in turn 11,” he said. “So, the blocking part is not cool at all. And it’s something that we as drivers have to address and gain a little more respect out of each other so that we’re not doing that. We can have great racing and great passing there without the blocking.”

    The problem according to both Newman and Stewart is that blocking doesn’t just take place at road courses or restrictor plate tracks. Although Stewart did acknowledged that with the new two-car drafting you don’t see much blocking anymore. Newman however, says there’s a fine balance between road courses and ovals.

    “There are times when I’m blocked at Dover or Charlotte or places like that and it’s much less often than it is at the road courses,” he said. “The road course is the most you’ll ever get blocked or blocking is a part of what we do as whole. Go back to 1979 when Donnie [Allison] ran Cale [Yarborough] down. He was block of sorts. You saw what happened because of it.”

    But unlike the 1979 Daytona 500, the incident that has Stewart so upset didn’t happen on the last lap.

    “But it’s every lap is like a last lap,” explained Newman. “You look at the way our competition is, we race every lap like it’s the last lap. There are times when it does slow down a little bit. California and Michigan, big places, Pocono, where you can only do so much. There comes a point where you have to save your racecar and save your tires and save your brakes.”

    As Newman explains, double-file restarts have changed everything. It might be exciting for the fans but the drivers have gotten more aggressive or in Newman’s words, more demanding.

    “We’re literally going for everything we possibly can,” he said. “And if that means somebody else’s throat, that’s part of it sometimes. Going for their throat and ripping their throat out are two different things.”

    The term respect is one that is often thrown about. Though it’s been more thrown out when it comes to actions on the track some drivers might say. General theory being race how you would like to be raced. Instead, drivers are getting better at taking and having a hard time receiving – payback.

    Stewart and Newman are two that aren’t going to take it any longer. If drivers aren’t willing to come together and come to an understanding than what occurred in Sonoma might just continue and it means “boys, have at it,” has only just begun.

  • Joey Logano Goes From Spinning to Winning the Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona

    Joey Logano Goes From Spinning to Winning the Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona

    Joey Logano finally found victory lane in a restrictor plate race after being the man who pushed the eventual winners the last few plate races. His victory in the 10th annual Subway Jalapeño 250 at Daytona International Speedway came after a wild race in which he had to start in the rear of the field.

    The green flag flew Friday night over four Kevin Harvick Inc. cars who qualified in the first four positions. The race though wasn’t about big packs as it quickly became a race of two-by-two with drivers finding partners and pairing up.

    It took only 27 laps for the first caution to come out as Logano spun in turn three following the first bump drafting gone bad incident of the night. He would restart at the rear of the field after pitting before pit road was open, Logano would also have to battle back from a loose wheel.

    Throughout the middle portion of the race an interesting leader emerged. Working with Tony Stewart the bright green No. 7 of Danica Patrick repeatedly found her way to the front of the field. Patrick led the field on five different occasions for 13 laps.

    The second caution

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”254″][/media-credit]of the night flew after Ricky Carmichael lost a left rear tire and hit the backstretch wall. Carmichael would be done for the evening but Danny Efland who also spun was able to continue on.

     

    In what is quickly becoming a trend this season, Kenny Wallace became the newest driver penalized for changing lanes before the start/finish line. Wallace would serve a pass through penalty but recovered for a seventh place finish.

    The third caution of the night came from a hard hit by Eric McClure. Drafting with his teammate Mike Bliss, McClure was hooked heading into turn one and hit the wall head on. McClure was taken to a local hospital for tests but is said to be doing fine.

    As drivers like Patrick, Stewart and others flexed their muscles, a driver who could have been a contender for the win wouldn’t be around to see it. With less than 25 laps to go Clint Bowyer was hooked by his team owner/teammate Kevin Harvick, sending him head on into the backstretch wall. His race was done for the evening.

    As the race for the win started to heat up the sixth and final caution of the night gave everyone a breather after teammates Joe Nemechek and Kevin Conway scraped the turn three wall. It would set up a seven-lap fight to the finish.

    Sadler and Stewart would lead on the restart but with five laps to go it was Patrick back out in front with her drafting partner Aric Almirola. Looking to pull off an improbable win, Patrick and Almirola started driving away but were swallowed up by the field with three laps to go.

    As the white flag flew though it would be the Joe Gibbs Racing duo of Logano and Kyle Busch who charged through the field. Logano and Busch fought to the checkered flag with the Turner Motorsports teammates of Jason Leffler and Reed Sorenson jumping in between. Logano held off Leffler, Sorenson and Busch for his ninth career Nationwide Series win.

    But behind him carnage was breaking out. Patrick, Stewart, Steven Wallace, Mike Wallace and others wrecked coming to the finish line. All would be OK but lost their top five finishes.

    The night though, belonged to Joey Logano and the Joe Gibbs Racing team. Logano captured his first win of the 2011 season and his first at Daytona. He only led one lap. Reed Sorenson remains the point leader as his lead increased over Elliott Sadler. Sorenson also captured an extra $100,000 in the “Dash 4 Cash” program.