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NASCAR Cup Series

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: The Monster Mile’s AAA 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: The Monster Mile’s AAA 400

    The Chase moved from New Hampshire south to Delmarva for the 40th running of the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway.  Without a doubt, the week leading up to the race was the most surprising, with Clint Bowyer and Richard Childress Racing receiving substantial point fines and probation for an illegal chassis mount.  On top of that there was trash talking about Bowyer and the RCR team in the media center by Denny Hamlin, who then got his comeuppance on the track from RCR teammate Kevin Harvick during race practice.  Here is what was surprising and not surprising when the cars finally took to the track, attempting to conquer the Monster Mile.

    Surprising:  While tenth place may not be a surprising finish for Richard Petty Motorsports driver A.J. Allmendinger, the fact that the man behind the wheel of the infamous No. 43 started on the outside pole and led over 140 laps of the race was most surprising.  Allmendinger described it best.  “It was fun to lead,” Allmendinger said.  “No wonder Jimmie (Johnson) is smiling so much.” Although outside the Chase, the ‘Dinger’ has really come into his own, previewing what his 2011 season might look like now that his future is settled and he is under contract with RPM for next year.

    Not Surprising:  Jimmie Johnson, otherwise known as the man with the proverbial lucky horse shoe, most certainly found some good luck at Dover, achieving all of his goals for the race weekend, from sitting on the pole to finishing it in style in Victory Lane.  Jimmie Johnson also celebrated the win for the first time with his wife Chandra and daughter Genevieve, just eleven weeks old.  Johnson described the win as a “huge weight off my shoulders”.  He also pronounced himself and the No. 48 team as “in this thing now,” second in the Chase standings, just 35 points behind leader Denny Hamlin.

    Surprising:  Speaking of the points leader, Denny Hamlin survived not only the controversy caused by his remarks in the media center to the garage and on track confrontations with Kevin Harvick, he actually had a good finish at the Monster Mile, a track where he has not fared well in the past.  Hamlin scored a top ten, taking the checkered flag in the ninth position.  In spite of his finish, Hamlin pronounced his day “mediocre.”  He did say, however, that the feud with Richard Childress Racing was “over and done.”

    Not Surprising:  Controversy can be just plain distracting, a fact that came home to roost for the RCR driver at the center of the penalty storm.   Clint Bowyer, driver of the RCR No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet, clipped the wall on lap 181, causing his right rear tire to go down.  To add insult to injury, Bowyer received a pit road speeding penalty and he never really recovered, coming in 25th and remaining in the Chase points cellar. 

    Surprising:   Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart both had reasons to get into victory lane, for themselves as well as for two small business owners who were competing for cash and prizes from the Office Depot.  In fact, if either of the drivers won, the small business owner with whom they were paired would have won $1 million.  Unfortunately, both drivers had fairly miserable days.  Stewart had a pit road speeding penalty on lap 115, putting him two laps down.  Biffle also went two laps down after pitting prior to teammate Kenseth’s blown tire, which caused one of the few cautions of the race.  The two drivers, Biff and Smoke, had tough race finishes, 19th and 21st respectively, as well as languishing at the back of the pack in the Chase standings.

    Not Surprising:  After running out of gas with just two laps to go at Loudon, Jeff Burton’s goal coming into the Monster Mile was to just “keep going after that disappointment.”  And keep going he did, at first struggling with handling but then having the car come to him toward the end of the race.  With that good run and the runner up finish, Burton jumped two spots in the Chase, up to the seventh spot.

    Surprising:   What a difference a year makes, especially for Joey Logano at the Monster Mile.  One year ago, the driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota was barrel rolling end over end in one of the scariest crashes ever at the Dover track.  This year, Logano had an amazing run, finishing up in the third spot.  Logano now is desperately seeking consistency as he finishes out his season and looks forward to 2011.

    Not Surprising:   Jeff Gordon continued his struggles and was NASCAR’s ‘biggest loser’ in the Chase standings.  Gordon dropped four spot in the standings, from fourth to eight, due to his fight with the rubber on the race track.  Gordon battled throughout the race and was running in the top ten until his pit crew dropped a lug nut on the final stop, relegating the four-time champion to 11th when the checkered flag flew. 

    Surprising:  While the track is a ‘monster’ in many ways, it was surprising just how weather sensitive the track was throughout the race day.  With clouds and a few sprinkles prior to the start of the race, to full sunshine at the half-way point and then further cloud cover towards the end of the race, many drivers had handling problems all day long.  Probably most affected by the weather was Kyle Busch, who was in the front of the pack contending for the win, but fell to sixth when the weather changed.

    Not Surprising:  After Brad Keselowski called Kyle Busch out during driver introductions before the Bristol race, it was not surprising that all of the Cup drivers behaved themselves, appropriately introducing themselves as well as service men and women with whom they were paired.  Kyle Busch did, however, have the last laugh, telling the crowd that he was “glad you all woke up” when the chorus of boos greeted him during his introductory session.

    The third Chase race will be held on Sunday, October 3rd at Kansas Speedway.  The Price Chopper 400 presented by Kraft Foods will kick off at 1:00 PM ET on ESPN.

  • HOORAHS AND WAZZUPS: Dover Edition

    HOORAHS AND WAZZUPS: Dover Edition

    Over the previous weekend we saw the #48 team return to Chase form. We watched the Richard Childress Racing soap opera develop another bizarre plot twist. We watched the continuous transformation of NASCAR’s Nationwide Series becoming the “Busch” Series again and we watched the future of a famous family race team develop in the truck series. With all those thoughts in mind let’s begin with:

    HOORAH to Jimmie Johnson, and the entire #48 Hendrick Motorsports team, for clearly returning to expected Chase form after winning the AAA 400 at the Dover International Raceway. It was Johnson’s sixth win of the season, series high sixth win at Dover and his 53d career win in 319 starts. Johnson led the race five times for a total of 191 laps. The win also another one of Johnson’s max points effort and it elevates him to second in the Chase standings only 35 points behind Denny Hamlin.

    HOORAH to Genevieve Marie Johnson, the beautiful infant daughter of Jimmie and Shandra Johnson. This little cutie made her first ever public appearance in victory lane with mom and dad last Sunday.

    ***********

    Okay, let’s get to it: the story every NASCAR fan on the planet is talking about.

    WAZZUP with all of those interviews with Sprint Cup drivers, outside of Richard Childress Racing-RCR, who were asked for opinions regarding the penalty handed down to Clint Bowyer’s team last week? Did we really need that? The only opinion that matters here should come from NASCAR and RCR officials. To their credit, most of these drivers were diplomatic and chose their words very carefully. HOORAH to Kyle Busch who, during a television interview, made it perfectly clear that “it’s not my problem.”

    But WAZZUP with Denny Hamlin for taking the bait by making comments on the Bowyer situation that were way past the line? Hamlin’s inference that the RCR Chevrolets have been in violation of NASCAR’s tolerance levels for a lot longer than anyone realizes simply wasn’t necessary. Nothing but trouble could possibly come from the comments Hamlin made last Friday during that press conference.

    That’s exactly what happened the following day. HOORAH to driver Kevin Harvick for wanting to stand up for his RCR team mates. But, WAZZUP with the method he chose prior to the start of the Saturday morning practice session? Ramming the Hamlin car on pit road, followed by multiple hits on the track, really wasn’t the way to handle the situation. Instead of using the practice time to prep the race trim of their cars, these teams spent much of the allotted time making repairs in the garage area.

    The fact that these two teams were parked next to each other in the garage made this situation even more interesting. The inevitable confrontation, complete with four letter words and chest thumping, was captured for posterity on live television. HOORAH to Kevin Harvick was keeping his helmet on during that confrontation. Those hard helmets can seriously do some damage to a hand if you hit one.

    HOORAH to team owner Richard Childress for taking both a sensible and comedic approach when asked about the garage confrontation. Childress smiled and said “we’re a very tight knit bunch.”

    HOORAH to Clint Bowyer who also took the sensible and comedic approach to his team mate’s defense of their race team. During a Sunday morning television interview, Bowyer smiled and said “I didn’t see what you’re talking about, I was in my car.”

    HOORAH to Hamlin’s crew chief Mike Ford who was clearly upset with his driver for placing the team in an uncomfortable public relations situation. Ford referred to the entire incident as “nonsense” and said the situation with RCR was none of their business. He reportedly admonished Hamlin for “putting the team in a hole” with his comments and reminded him they needed to stay focused on the Chase. Following the conclusion of Sunday’s race, Ford reportedly came over the radio to remind Hamlin to be careful what he said after he got out of the car.

    Having said that, WAZZUP with Mike Ford echoing those very same sentiments to an ESPN television reporter? Ford’s comments to his driver were aired on live television faster than you can say WAZZUP.

    WAZZUP with literally anyone who truly believed there would be on track retaliation between Harvick and Hamlin during Sunday’s race? Perhaps driver Tony Stewart was correct when he recently observed that sometimes the NASCAR media has a tendency to create soap operas that just aren’t there. Yes, I’ll accept my fair share of the responsibility in this matter.

    The NASCAR Appeals Board will be conducting a hearing on Wednesday to consider the appeal by RCR and a review of the harsh penalties handed down by NASCAR. Hopefully by then this particular soap opera will reach a diminished state.

    **************

    HOORAH to the Dinger. A J Allmendinger ran the race of his still short Sprint Cup career in his Richard Petty Motorsports Ford at Dover. After starting the AAA 400 on the front row, Allmendinger led 143 laps of the race. He had only led a total of 43 laps during all of his prior Sprint Cup starts. The team endured some bad luck during the race when a piece of sheet metal cut his right rear tire and forced an unscheduled pit stop. But the strength of his car allowed him to race his way back to a tenth place finish.

    During the race Allmendinger came over his radio and said “this is kind of fun, we should try it more often.” After leading all of those laps he later said “it’s no wonder Jimmie Johnson smiles so much.”

    ************

    WAZZUP with some of the Sprint Cup teams who were snake bit on pit road during the Dover race?

    Let’s start with Tony Stewart who was caught speeding on pit road. Unfortunately he couldn’t seem to recover from the pass through penalty and finished the race in 21st two laps down. A pre Chase championship contender now finds himself tenth in the standings and 162 points out of first.

    Matt Kenseth missed the commitment line while trying to enter Dover’s treacherous pit road and locked up his brakes. He continued around the track only to blow a left front tire that shattered the sheet metal on his fender. He finished 18th one lap down. Kenseth is now 11th in the Chase standings 165 points out. His Chase effort is also now treading water.

    Clint Bowyer also had a tough Sunday at Dover on top of a very tough week. He was penalized for speeding on pit road two times and wound up 25th three laps down. He’s now 12th in the Chase 235 points out.

    The HOORAH for making chicken salad out of chicken do-do belongs to Kurt Busch. After completing a penalty, also for speeding down pit road, Busch got up on the wheel of his Penske Racing Dodge and was able to drive his way back to a fourth place finish. He later said “I felt like a kid playing with matches and I got burned.” He left Dover fourth in the Chase standings and only 59 points from the top.

    The Oh No He Didn’t WAZZUP award goes to Regan Smith, driver of the #78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet. After being caught for speeding on pit road, Smith came back to serve his drive through penalty and, you guessed it, was nailed for speeding on pit road again. He wound up with a frustrating 26th place finish three laps down.

    *************

    HOORAH to Kyle Busch for winning Saturday’s Dover 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race. Busch led 192 of the 200 laps for his 11th win of the season in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. He also rewrote another page of the series’ history. He broke the all time series’ win record for a single season held for many years by series’ icon Sam Ard. Joey Logano, Busch’s Gibbs Racing team mate, finished second and marked the 11th time Gibbs Racing has finished one-two in a Nationwide Series event.

    For many years NASCAR’s second tier racing series was known as the Busch Series because of long time sponsorship from Busch Beer. In recent years the name was changed to the Nationwide Series when the well known insurance company became the title sponsor. With the numbers and records Kyle Busch has established in such a short amount of time, one has to think the name should be changed to Busch’s Nationwide Series.

    I totally get that many NASCAR fans simply doesn’t like this driver. To be honest, I really don’t see myself joining his fan club anytime soon. But I have to be completely honest here when I say that Kyle Busch is simply one of the best things that has joined NASCAR in quite a few years. The numbers he’s compiled certainly supports that theory.

    ************

    HOORAH to young Austin Dillon for winning Saturday’s Smith’s 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The rookie sensation started the race from the pole and led 93 of the 146 laps on the way to his second win of the year.  During the dominant performance Dillon finished a whopping six seconds over runner up Johnny Sauter.

    This Las Vegas win was some good medicine for his team owner and grand father Richard Childress who had a very tough week due to aforementioned problems with one of his Sprint Cup teams. In addition to making grandpa proud, Austin Dillion has clearly proved that he is the future of the family business.

    HOORAH to Todd Bodine whose fourth place finish padded his series points lead. It also moves him closer to his second series championship.

    Bodine gets another HOORAH for a great line from a post race interview. Bodine said “this is Las Vegas and my wife, Janet, bet on Austin Dillon so now we get to go collect her winnings.”

  • The Monster Mile Takes a Bite Out Of Some Drivers Title Hopes

    The Monster Mile Takes a Bite Out Of Some Drivers Title Hopes

    Dover International Speedway, also known as The Monster Mile has been known as one of the toughest and most physically demanding tracks on the Sprint Cup Circuit. The track lived up to it’s moniker Sunday afternoon during the AAA 400, striking some of the sport’s most popular drivers and possibly ending the title hopes of others.

    After Sunday’s race there were some drivers who left the track scratching their head and wondering what might have been.

    AJ Allmendinger surprised everyone on Friday when he qualified second, and backed up the excellent effort by leading 143 laps on Sunday during the race. AJ appeared to have the strongest car until a flat tire forced him to pit while leading and losing two laps in the process. Allmendinger was unable to lead or find the top-five again after the disappointment, but did rally back to finish 10th.

    Leading up to Dover, Clint Bowyer dominated the headlines earlier in the week after winning the first race of the chase at New Hampshire and catapulting to second in the points standings. The positive vibes quickly came to an end a few days later when the winning car was confiscated by NASCAR and found to be illegal at their R&D Center in Charlotte. Bowyer was docked 150 points, his crew chief Shane Wilson suspended for six races and fined $150,000 and car chief Chad Haney also suspended for six races. The penalty erased Bowyer’s jump to second in points and dropped him back to 12th- over 160 points behind the points leader.

    The negative vibes continued at Dover as Clint struggled in practice on Friday and qualified 24th; and in the infield media center where he and Richard Childress racing were the center of a media frenzy and a war of words with fellow competitors.

    Sunday proved no better for Bowyer, who finished the worst among chase drivers after hitting the wall midway through the race and sustaining damage to the right side of his car. Clint went on to finish 25th and finds himself 235 points behind holding down the 12th spot in the points standings- with his title hopes seemingly down the drain.

    Matt Kenseth, who had the best average finish among all Sprint Cup drivers coming in to Dover and was a favorite to win the race, struggled as well. Kenseth suffered a flat tire during the race and sustained significant left-front damage. Matt rallied back from adversity, but only managed to finish 18th and is now 11th in points standings- over one race behind points leader Denny Hamlin.

    After running out of fuel while leading with two laps ago last week and finishing 24th, Tony Stewart struggled the entire weekend at Dover. Stewart was only 24th fastest in the opening practice session and qualified 28th on Friday afternoon. During the race, Tony was caught speeding on pit road and found himself two laps down early in the race. Stewart eventually made up one those laps, but wound up finishing 21st. After a tough outing, Stewart is 10th in the standings and 162 points behind.

    Although Sunday’s race at Dover lacked the multiple car accidents and extended caution periods that it’s known for, Miles the Monster took a significant bite out of some chase driver’s title hopes. Four of the twelve chase drivers now found themselves over 100 behind points leader Denny Hamlin, and look to get their title runs back on track at Kansas for next Sunday’s Price Chopper 400.

    For the latest NASCAR talk and information, you can follow Kyle on Twitter: @TheKyleBrandt

  • Payback Almost Always Guaranteed When Sprint Cup Cars Come to Martinsville Speedway

    MARTINSVILLE, Va. (Sept. 27, 2010) – Payback. As sure as Christmas, it’s going to come before the end of the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup.

    After last weekend’s dustup between Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin, it’s not so much when payback is coming, but where. And with just eight races remaining in this year’s Chase, there is only one logical choice: Martinsville Speedway and the TUMS Fast Relief 500 on October 24.

    With its long straight-aways and tight turns, it’s the perfect place to get away with a little extracurricular activity.

    Take last spring’s Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville. Hamlin freight-trained his way through traffic to snare the win after giving up the lead to pit for tires with eight laps to go. Along the way, his No. 11 FedEx Toyota turned into a pinball, careening into the lead after restarting fourth with just four laps to go.

    But Hamlin probably would not have won without a little retaliatory warfare between Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth.

    Kenseth rammed into the back of Gordon on the final restart, sending Gordon up the track. The two battled for the lead for a half of a lap before Gordon bumped Kenseth hard, making way for Hamlin to take the lead.

    “If a guy gives you a cheap shot like that, he doesn’t deserve to win the race,” said Gordon said of Kenseth’s shove.

    “I did go in there and I did get into Jeff a little bit, really not that hard, and I got under him and everything was fine,” Kenseth said of the initial contact. “[Then] he just took a left as hard as he could take one and ran me down all the way into the marbles.”

    A couple of years ago Gordon said this about racing at Martinsville: “Martinsville is rough because it’s a tough place to pass on and it’s a short track. Put those two things together and you have a lot of bumping and banging. Some of it could be paybacks and some of it could just be hard short-track racing. You never really know.”

    And then there’s the chance of a turf war between Hamlin and Harvick.

    Hamlin is a native Virginian, who first raced in Late Models at Martinsville and has since racked up three wins on the track he calls his home-away-from-home Martinsville Speedway is Harvick’s adopted home track. He lives about 30 minutes from the track and tells anyone who wants to listen it is his home track.

    Payback, hard racing and turf wars all combined with NASCAR’S “boys have at it policy” and double-file restarts should create an interesting afternoon of old-school racing for the TUMS Fast Relief 500. It should be typical Martinsville.

    Tickets for the entire TUMS Fast Relief 500 weekend are available. Tickets for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 begin at $25 and range to $77.

    Tickets to the Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on October 23 are $30 in advance, with children 12 and under admitted free.

    Tickets for Farm Bureau Pole Day, which features practice and qualifying for both the Kroger 200 and the TUMS Fast Relief 500, are $15, children 18 and under admitted free.

    Tickets for all events may be purchased by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX or by visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com online.

  • Bloomquist Earns 500th Career Win with Power from Roush Yates Engines

    Mooresville, NC (September 27, 2010) Scott Bloomquist drove his Roush Yates powered Dirt Late Model engine to Victory Lane at Brownstown Speedway on Saturday night, capturing the 500th feature win of his career. Bloomquist took home $20,000 for his third win in the 31st Annual Jackson 100. This is the defending Lucas Oil Champion and current series point leader’s eighth win of the season.

    “I have to thank so many people for getting 500 wins,” said the 46-year-old driver. “My wife, daughter, and my mom are here so I’m glad they got to see this. To win number 500 at Brownstown is special; it has been one of my favorite tracks to run on in my career. The car and engine ran great tonight and it feels amazing to accomplish 500 wins.”

    Bloomquist started the 100-lap event in third and took the lead after only four laps. He kept fellow Roush Yates powered driver Don O’Neal from becoming the first four-time winner of the race and stretched his lead in the Lucas Oil Championship Point Standings to 260 points over Jimmy Owens. O’Neal went on to finish second, giving Roush Yates a 1-2 finish in the race. Bloomquist is sponsored by Miller Brothers Construction, Hawkeye Trucking, and Sweet Mfg., and runs his own self-designed chassis.

    “Roush Yates Engines is proud to congratulate Scott Bloomquist on his 500th feature win,” said Doug Yates, CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “It’s an honor to provide power to such an accomplished driver. I look forward to watching Scott have continued success and race for his second straight Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Championship.”

    The Roush Yates Ford 410 Dirt Late Model engine received its second win of the season thanks to World of Outlaw driver Josh Richards. Richards became the first Virginia native to win at Winchester Speedway in the annual Winchester 200. He took the lead on lap five of the fifty lap event and never looked back to claim the $10,000 prize.

    Other Roush Yates wins came in the Sprint Car division this weekend. Charles Davis Jr. collected his sixth ASCS Canyon Region win of the year at Canyon Speedway Park on Saturday night running a Roush Yates Sprint 360 motor and Ryan Grubaugh captured the ASCS Points Championship in the Sprints on Dirt region.

    To get the same power and performance that Bloomquist has and to learn more about Roush Yates’ Dirt Late Model engine program, please call Jay Dickens or Jeff Clark at (704) 658-1540. You can also find all of Roush Yates Performance Products online at www.roushyatesparts.com

    About Roush Yates Engines

    Roush Yates Engines designs, engineers and crafts high performance racing engines with the power to perform and the horsepower and durability you’d expect from legendary NASCAR pioneers Jack Roush and Robert Yates. The partnership of power and precision has come from merging the knowledge and experience of two legendary engine builders, both with a passion for winning today and powering up for tomorrow. In 2009 Doug Yates purchased his father’s half of Roush Yates Engines to become a co-owner in the company.

    As CEO, Doug Yates leads a staff of 180 engineers and technicians who design, assemble, test, and service racing engines at two separate state-of-the-art facilities in Mooresville, North Carolina. Here, the best minds and latest technology are hard at work producing nearly 1,500 racing engines each year for teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, ARCA, Grand-Am, FIA GT3, Dirt Late Model, Sprint cars, and NHRA Pro Stock. At Roush Yates Engines, the mission is Power Performance, which is achieved through innovation design, precision engineering, and skillful craftsmanship. Building the best engines in racing today, providing service that’s second to none, and honoring a commitment to research and development are the heart of Roush Yates Engines.

  • Jimmie Johnson wins the ‘AAA 400’ NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway

    DOVER, Del. – Jimmie Johnson went into the “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup” hoping to use the first two races as a springboard towards a fifth consecutive title. The first one at New Hampshire didn’t go so well, but the second at one of his favorite tracks – Dover International Speedway – sure did.

    Johnson claimed Sunday’s “AAA 400” at the Monster Mile, starting from the pole position to win for the sixth time at the one-mile concrete oval. Johnson won the race by 2.637 seconds over Jeff Burton, who advanced from a 27th place starting position to finish runner-up. Johnson is now second to only Richard Petty and Bobby Allison, who each won seven times in their careers at Dover.

    The win counteracted Johnson’s 25th place finish at New Hampshire last week, which left Johnson 92 points back in the Chase, and vaulted him back to second place, now just 35 points behind leader Denny Hamlin.

    “Obviously it was the weekend we would dream of. We got the pole, led the most laps and won the race,” Johnson said. “I had a great car and everybody did their jobs today. I was very pleased with the effort and it came at a good time obviously. We’ve got eight [races] to go and we’ll see where it goes from here.”

    Johnson ran near the front all day. He eventually ended up leading five times for 191 laps, and never ran lower than sixth place. His first stint up front consisted of the first 13 laps, but he yielded the lead to AJ Allmendinger on lap 14.

    Johnson was content to hang around the front pack until lap 42, when Allmendinger pitted and turned over the lead. He kept a grip on the top spot for the next 96 laps, until Kyle Busch just beat him out while pitting under caution at lap 293. On the restart, Johnson spun his tires and Busch was able to pull away to a 1.3-second lead in just four laps.

    But on lap 339, Johnson reeled Busch in and regained the top spot. Aside from handing the lead to Carl Edwards on the next set of pit stops, he was in front the rest of the way.

    For as well as the race went, the weekend started out uncharacteristically badly for Johnson. He ran just 20th fastest in the first practice on Friday, which, compared to the No. 48 team’s history at Dover, was like running last.

    “We really had our hands full this weekend,” said crew chief Chad Knaus. “We came in qualifying trim, and as we unloaded, the car wasn’t reacting the way we anticipated. So we had to make some pretty significant changes, and when it came time to qualify, we had to put a setup under there that Jimmie hadn’t felt yet.

    “For race practice, we weren’t where we needed to be then either. Honestly, we could adjust the car and make it do some different things, but we couldn’t really make the car better. The difference today was definitely the driver.”

    The driver came out of the race knocking on Hamlin’s door in the points standings, although Hamlin’s 35-point advantage is the largest a driver has ever had after two races since the Chase was implemented in 2004. Hamlin finished 9th, which was no small accomplishment considering his history at Dover. He finished 4th in the May race this year, but before that had finished no higher than 22nd in the five previous races.

    “It was a mediocre day,” Hamlin said. “I hate that we didn’t run better, but we got close to where we wanted to be leaving Dover. It’s frustrating that we still can’t get a grasp on this race track and didn’t run as well as we did in the spring. But if you told me I’d be taking a 35 point lead out of Dover, I’d take it.”

    Kyle Busch finished third and also jumped up to third place in the points standings with his solid run. “It was a good day for us, but man, legitimately we had a second place car,” Busch said. “I thought we had something on Jimmie with about 100 laps left. I was gaining on him, but I was overdriving the car. After that, the car just got tight and I could never get it back out of the car. It was that good, but we didn’t finish quite where we wanted to.”

    Burton jumped to seventh place in the Chase standings with his second-place finish. He’s just 80 points out of the lead heading into Chase race No. 3 at Kansas after finishing second at Dover for the second time this season.

    “We thought we had a really good car coming into the race today,” Burton said. “We took off and struggled a little bit with rear grip, and worked all day to get the grip level right. About halfway through that next to last run, my car got really happy and took off. I’m proud of us for getting the car right at the right time. About 15 laps into that next to last run, Jimmie cleared Logano and got really fast. He was just a little quicker than we were today.”

    Allmendinger started second and finished 10th, a result that was largely due to a right-rear tire going down. He led 143 laps on the day after previously leading only 43 laps in his entire NASCAR Sprint Cup career.

    “It was just a fast race car and starting up front [that was the difference],” he said. “It’s actually a lot of fun to lead. No wonder Jimmie is smiling so much.”

    The race was one of the cleanest ever run at the Monster Mile. It had just four cautions, two of which were for debris and one that was for a damaged track caution light. There was only one incident that brought out a caution, when David Reutimann hit the wall in Turn 4. The 19 laps under caution were the fewest at Dover in 13 years, going back to the September 1997 event that had just one caution flag for 11 laps. It was just the sixth race in the track’s history to run fewer than 20 laps under caution.

    NASCAR returns to the Monster Mile on May 13-15 and Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2011. For more information call 1-800-441-RACE or visit DoverSpeedway.com.

    # # #

    Dover International Speedway is owned by Dover Motorsports, Inc. (NYSE: DVD), a leading promoter of motorsports events in the United States. DVD subsidiaries operate three tracks in three states, and present several hundred motorsports events each year. This includes 14 major, national events which include races sanctioned by NASCAR and the NHRA. Dover Motorsports, Inc. also owns and operates Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis, Mo., and Nashville Superspeedway near Nashville, Tenn. For further information log on to www.DoverMotorsports.com.

  • JIMMIE JOHNSON DOMINATES AT DOVER AND MOVES TO SECOND IN THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES CHASE FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER TWO RACES

    Team Chevy Driver Jeff Burton Finishes Second to Match His Best Run of the Season

    Dover, Del. (September 26, 2010) – Four-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s/KOBALT TOOLS Chevrolet, delivered a statement about his chances for a “Drive for Five” as he scored a resounding win in the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Johnson led five times for a race high 191 laps en route to his 53rd career victory and sixth of 2010.

    Coming into the Dover race, the Hendrick Motorsports driver had not visited victory lane since winning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June – a stretch of 10 races. The win not only was Johnson’s 53rd in 319 career races, but was the 194th for Hendrick Motorsports in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history. Johnson has also won 19 of the 62 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series “Chase” races, more than any other driver.

    Jeff Burton, No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet matched his best finish of the season by coming home in the runner up position. His only other 2nd place run in 2010 also came at The Monster Mile in the Spring event.

    Ryan Newman, No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet finished eight and was the only other Chevy driver in the top-10.

    Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont/Law Enforcement Museum Chevrolet, finished 11th and dropped four spots to eighth in the overall standings.

    Mark Martin, No. 5 Delphi/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet battled back from the 42nd starting position after a shock penalty following qualifying to finish 12th.

    Driver Jamie McMurray, No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet and teammate Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Target Chevrolet, finished 13th and 14th for Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing.

    Kevin Harvick fell two positions in the Chase standings with his 15th-place finish behind the wheel of the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet.

    Tony Stewart struggled with handling issues most of the day in his No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet and came home 21st and remained 10th in the Chase standings.

    Clint Bowyer, No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet finished 25th and remains in 12th position in the Chase after hitting the wall, and receiving a pit road speeding penalty in a tough day for the embattled Richard Childress Racing team.

    Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet, was the 23rd place finisher in race 28 of the 36-race season.

    Joey Logano (Toyota), Kurt Busch (Dodge) and Carl Edwards (Ford) completed the top-five finishers.

    The Series moves to Kansas Speedway for Round Three of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup on October 3, 2010.

    JIMMIE JOHNSON AND CREW CHIEF, CHAD KNAUS, NO. 48 LOWE’S/KOBALT TOOLS CHEVROLET – RACE WINNER’S POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:

    THE MODERATOR: We’re now joined by today’s winner of the AAA 400, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, Jimmie Johnson. Jimmie, tell us about your run.

    JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, obviously the weekend we would dream of, were able to get it with winning the pole, leading the most laps and winning the race.

    It was a challenging weekend, to say the least. The tire that Goodyear brought back, it’s the same as it was in the spring. It blackened up the track in a hurry, but really made the track challenging after 30 or 40 laps. The rubber would build up on the track and create handling issues for the racecar that you couldn’t tune to. The car would act different and do different things when you ran over the black patches.

    I had to fall back on my dirt racing background. I think that helped me out some. I had a great car. Everybody did their jobs today. Very pleased with the effort. Came at a good time, clearly. We got eight to go and we’ll see where things go from here.

    THE MODERATOR: We’re also joined by Chad Knaus. Your thoughts from on top of the box today?

    CHAD KNAUS: It was definitely a good day for us, obviously. We really had our hands full this weekend. We came in qualifying trim. As we unloaded, the car wasn’t reacting the way we actually anticipated it. We had to make some pretty significant changes to the racecar. When it came time to qualify, we actually had to put a setup underneath the car that Jimmie had not felt yet. He had to trust in us, and thankfully he did, to go in there and bomb it for qualifying. It stuck.

    Being able to qualify on the pole is obviously huge here because track position is critical along with your pit selection.

    Race practice, we weren’t where we needed to be then either. We really had to work hard on the car going into Happy Hour. Got in much better in Happy Hour. Made some big changes over the course of the evening to get even better yet.

    Honestly, just like what Jimmie said, we could adjust the car, make the car do some different things, but we really couldn’t make the car better. The difference today was definitely in the driver.

    THE MODERATOR: We’ll open it up to questions.

    Q. Jimmie, when AJ Allmendinger got out in front early on, did you think you had a fight on your hands or you had the car to overtake him down the road?

    JIMMIE JOHNSON: Well, I feel like coming into this weekend he was in the back of my mind as one of the guys to worry about. He certainly did a great job in qualifying and in the race. In the spring race here, he was chasing us a bunch in that race, putting a lot of pressure on us.

    With the momentum that team has had, the confidence he is getting in his abilities in a stock car, he’s a real threat and was a real threat today.

    It looked like they had some tire issues potentially or something was going on when he pitted from the lead, put us in the lead, gave us control of the race at that point.

    Early in the race, I just had to push my car way too hard to run that pace. I don’t know if the pace led to the problems he had, but it was past experience for me here. I knew I’d run the tires off the car and have a problem if I went that hard.

    We played it smart. He wasn’t a Chase guy, so I didn’t feel good about letting him go. But when he got to me and put pressure on me, I let him by. I just need to worry about those 11 other drivers and really about myself. Way too early to worry about stuff. Come the end of the race, he wasn’t there to have to fight with.

    Q. Chad, I got to ask you this. I saw you looking just so directly at the 11 car on Saturday. You looked at all the drama that was going on next to you. It was like you had already taken those two guys out of the Chase; now it’s just us against nine guys. How do you get the mental mindset going in and move forward, stick with your game plan?

    JIMMIE JOHNSON: We were watching them because it was entertaining. Who wasn’t watching (laughter)?

    CHAD KNAUS: Honestly, I didn’t know anything was happening. I had seen some stuff happening on the racetrack. As we pulled onto the track, I told Jimmie, Watch that 29. I was trying to get him to look into his mirror so he could see the action. Obviously, he didn’t, so he missed all the on track stuff.

    Once we got into the garage, I didn’t really know anything about it. Jimmie and I had been talking for probably a good solid two or three minutes, hadn’t even realized there was any type of altercation in the garage between the two guys. Jimmie was, Hey, those two guys are about to fight. I was like, Wow. At that point I kind of looked up to see what was going on.

    But quite frankly, we didn’t waste a whole lot of time being spectators at that point. We put our heads down, got to work on what we needed to do to work on our racecar.

    We’ve been through all of that stuff. You go back to 2005. We had a bit of a match with the 20 car. We’ve had on track problems with other people. We’ve lived all that stuff. We’ve had suspensions, fines, all that kind of stuff. Everything that’s possible to be done in the sport from a negative and a positive, we’ve unfortunately been involved in. We don’t really pay a lot of attention to what goes on outside of our four walls. We worry about our racecar, our toolbox, try to make it right.

    Q. Jimmie, if you could expound on that a little bit, too. Do you find it humorous? Do you feel those guys were giving themselves self inflicted distractions you don’t need in the Chase?

    JIMMIE JOHNSON: You know, like Chad had mentioned, I didn’t see what went on on the track. When I got out of the car for the change we were making, I think round two of their discussions started up. That’s what we saw.

    It’s an emotional sport. Guys have all different points of view. You have two very competitive drivers with different points of view. It turned into what it did.

    I haven’t thought much about it. The reason I don’t want to think much about it is I need to worry about my racecar and my team. I want to expect the best out of those two race teams and not think, Well, they’re occupied with each other, they’re not going to be as strong. That would be a mistake on my part. I need to look at the 11 like it’s the 11, the 29 like it’s the 29, regardless of the feud or whatever could exist in the future. I wouldn’t be doing my job then.

    So we’ve done a very good job over the last four years worrying about ourselves and we’ve got to maintain that.

    Q. Jimmie and Chad, I think you tried to make the point Friday that you actually didn’t run that badly last week, but circumstances produced a bad finish. Everybody looks at the final outcome. Given how your team has performed these past two weeks, is this how you hoped you start the Chase as far as on track performance?

    JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, I think so. The short run at New Hampshire was really our weak spot. That showed in qualifying, trying to get one fast lap, and on the short runs after restarts, just couldn’t get going. Today we were much more competitive. Maybe not where we wanted to be on the short run, but much more competitive than New Hampshire.

    Qualifying went well. Our goal was to come in and qualify well. It starts the ball in motion. It starts kind of the trend for the team, just the arc of what the team is going to deal with. If you qualify badly, you’re in such a hole from pit road pick to what takes place on track, it’s stuff to overcome.

    We met our goals this weekend, moved up a lot today. I think today shows you, I saw the 11 finish ninth and we’re only 35 out. We look at 80, 90 points, whatever it is, think it’s a lot. It really isn’t. I mean, you finish 10th or 15th, you lose 60, 70 points. There’s eight races left, and the points can shake up a lot.

    I think it’s going to be as exciting of a Chase as everyone is hoping for.

    Q. The first hundred laps of the race y’all were pretty good, then the sun came out. Looked like you were really good. Did that play into your plan? You were just happy it came out and it worked out?

    JIMMIE JOHNSON: I don’t really ever remember the sun being out. Maybe I forgot about those hundred laps (laughter).

    Our car didn’t change a lot. We made very, very small changes in the racecar throughout the day today. Throughout the sun and cloud situation, our car stayed within a very, very small amount on adjustments. It was more about me over the course of the long run doing the right things with my line selection on track to keep speed in the car than anything.

    Q. Jimmie, coming into the Chase this year, four time defending champion, it seemed like after the first race a lot of people were counting you out. Is this a statement victory for you as early as it is in the Chase?

    JIMMIE JOHNSON: I’m not so concerned with statements. At the end of the day, I’m just concerned about where I am in the points, what the deficit is. If we’re fortunate to get on top, how big that gap is, what we need to do to be champions. A lot of that other stuff, if it’s in your brain, you’re not thinking about the right thing.

    For me, what people want to read into, what they want to think about today’s performance, that’s fine. We’re moving on. We have to go to Kansas and do the job again. There’s eight races left in this thing. We want to win this championship. We want to win five in a row. It’s within our race shop. These guys on the 48 team, we need to buckle down, get better in some areas. Today we did win, but we need to be stronger moving forward. We got to go home and get better.

    Q. You mentioned in Victory Lane, I know it doesn’t look like I’m emotional now. You seem almost matter of fact, that this was business. Am I getting this wrong? Didn’t seem to have that overflow of emotion.

    JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, you know, I don’t know how to describe it. We want to win this championship. And, yes, today was a big victory, hopefully a step towards the championship. But it’s not the prize we want.

    Today we got maximum points. I am very proud of that internally. But it’s not time to celebrate. If we take this week off and take it lightly, not prepare like we need to for Kansas, we’ll get beat. We can’t get beat. We’ve got to win races and keep this momentum going.

    At the end of the year, if we’re fortunate to win the championship, I’ll be the guy with the biggest smile, be the guy that’s hung over more than anyone come Monday morning. It’s just right now it’s time to buckle down and time to be working on stuff.

    Q. Jimmie, you’ve won three out of your last four starts here, six out of 18. I’m sure you don’t want to share it, but what’s your secret?

    JIMMIE JOHNSON: It’s just a good track for me. It was no surprise to see the 18 coming up towards the front at the end. I know this is a great track for him, too. There’s a certain rhythm to this racetrack that works. The 43 has figured it out and knows that rhythm now. The 31, he’s always been decent here, but he’s really figuring this place out, the rhythm it takes.

    Even though it is a big track, you wouldn’t think rhythm. There is a very unique rhythm to driving this track. It’s just suited my style since I’ve been in a car. I go back to when I ran my first race here in ASA in ’98, won the pole, led most laps. Unfortunately blew a tire late in the race. Always, always loved this track.

    Q. Jimmie, just curious as to why you chose to do the burnout at the end of pit road instead of the frontstretch like you usually do.

    JIMMIE JOHNSON: The front straightaway is so banked you can’t really do a good doughnut. With my guys being at the end of the pit road, I was first going to come down and nose the car into the wall, do a burnout in front of them. That angle is so steep, I thought, I’ll damage the car. That’s all we need to hear about next week, how the 48 nosed it in, did damage to the car. I didn’t want to deal with that.

    I saw a flat area by my pit box. Was just doing doughnuts and saying ‘hey’ to my boys as I was doing doughnuts spinning out. I was more than anything looking for a good flat spot to do a good burnout.

    Q. Can you say what you’ve learned as far as the Chase in the first two races or you don’t learn anything till the mile and a half’s? Was that the first time you had your daughter in Victory Lane? Talk about that.

    JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, that’s the first time for her, outside of the womb. She was in Channy’s belly throughout the wins for the first time five of the year. To have her there was really cool this weekend. I was impressed she was able to get her buttoned up and together, and even herself, because I guess she was feeding her right before we won the race.

    Knowing my wife, she’s not one to celebrate too early. She waits until it’s done before she starts getting excited. I’m surprised and happy she made it to Victory Lane when she did. This is a cool moment. I know when I get these photos and look back on them, share them with her when she’s older, it will be a cool moment. Really proud my family was here, first time in Victory Lane.

    CHAD KNAUS: I feel good about it. If you go back and look at our performance in Chicago, we qualified respectable. We led a good portion of that race. I think if you go back and you look at how we ran at Charlotte Motor Speedway, we ran very competitive there. We basically took ourselves out of both of those races.

    I think leading into that with Kansas being very similar to Chicago, looking forward to it. I think the performance we had in Atlanta was definitely a direction that you can see where we’re headed toward going into Charlotte Motor Speedway, Homestead, and definitely Fontana, we’re always excited to go there. We obviously won there in the spring.

    I think our big track stuff is pretty close. We’re excited about it. We know we’re never as good as what we want to be. We’re definitely going to be continuing to work on it, trying to improve our product, but I’m looking forward to it, definitely.

    Q. Jimmie, the fact that Kyle Busch took the lead for a little bit and faded, the fact you didn’t have to fight him to the finish, was that a relief to you or did you feel he was in the Chase with you, would you have pushed your car for the victory?

    JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, definitely would push for the victory. Anytime you see Kyle, no matter what series you’re in, if he’s coming, if you’re up front and that 18 is there, you’ve got your hands full. There’s no way around it. The guy can drive a racecar. Love him or hate him, he can get the job done and I have a lot of respect for what he can do in a racecar.

    I wasn’t taking it lightly when I knew he was in second, then the restart when he was in the lead, trying to run him back down. I had to do everything I could to get back by him. He’s a lot smarter this year. He’s going down there at the end of this thing fighting for it.

    Q. Chad led into what I was going to ask. Maybe you can expound on it. How good you feel with these coming races. You’ve won 30% of the Chase races, 19 of the 62 since this format. Can you talk about your confidence level. 30% is quite a percentage.

    JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, we’re kind of taken aback by it, as well. We’ve had slow summers in the past. We had a slow summer this year. We’ve at least been able to get into the Chase. We sit back and shake our heads about the success the team has late in the season.

    The tracks in the schedule kind of work for us. Even though the tracks work for us, I think the pressure that comes with the championship battle is something that we embrace. I mean, it’s not a comfortable 10 weeks. You lose a lot of sleep. There’s a lot of frustrating moments. But for whatever reason, it’s a good pressure for us and we do well.

    Proud of the last four years. Proud of where we are today. Regardless of where we end up, I know this 48 team is all in and we’re going to give it a hundred percent. We’ll be proud of wherever we finish at the end of the year.

    THE MODERATOR: Chad is wondering why it’s not 40%.

    JIMMIE JOHNSON: He’s thinking it could be a hundred percent. There’s a chance (laughter).

    Q. Jimmie, we all know that staying on top in sports is one of the toughest things. You’ve done it for four years. How do you keep the team motivated? How do you do this?

    CHAD KNAUS: Basically I think a lot of it has to do with simply making sure you get the right people on the team. Jimmie is very easily self motivated, obviously with some prodding from me, goes a long ways, and vice versa. Jimmie and I, I think we do a good job of keeping each other in check on a consistent basis.

    From the foundation of the team, we work hard making sure we have guys that work at Hendrick Motorsports and within the 48 team that are kind of self motivators, guys that when there is a mistake or flaw, they take it upon themselves to try to improve, correct whatever misfortune you may have had. When you have guys that basically want to go out there and do the best they can, try to win every single race, motivation just kind of comes and you don’t have to try to fish for it or try to instill it in people.

    We work hard to make sure we have the right people on the team. I think we do. We’re not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. I can promise you, if something goes wrong, something falls short of what their goal is, there’s nobody that feels worse than what that individual does. To try to motivate from that point is unnecessary when you got guys like that.

    THE MODERATOR: Gentlemen, congratulations. Thank you for your time.

    FastScripts by ASAP Sports

    JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET – FINISHED 2ND:

    THE MODERATOR: We’re joined by Jeff Burton. Jeff is seventh in points. Jeff, tell us about your run today.

    JEFF BURTON: Well, we thought we had a really good racecar coming into the race today. We took off and struggled a little bit for rear grip. Just kept working all day to get the grip level right.

    I thought the track changed a lot. My guys did a great job of adjusting to the track, getting the car better at the right time.

    About halfway through the next to the last run, my car just got really happy and took off. We then became a contender. Proud of us being right at the right time. We were in position with that restart.

    What won the race for Jimmie wasn’t the start of the restart, but about 15 laps into the next to the last run, he cleared Logano and got really fast right there. He squirted away from me pretty hard and ran the 18 down. Then we started running them down.

    But he was just a little quicker than we were today.

    THE MODERATOR: We’ll open it up to questions.

    Q. Jeff, it seemed yesterday when the skirmish between Harvick and Hamlin was going on, Jimmie and Chad were over to the side soaking it all in. Can you talk about the focus they’ve had, Jimmie, came back today, the focus they have when they win championships.

    JEFF BURTON: Well, they’re good. They’re not good, they’re great. That word is not being overused when I say that. They’ve won four in a row. You’re not good doing that. You have to be great to do that.

    They’ve been in the hunt. They’ve been in the mix. I think they’re as seasoned as you can possibly be together. They fought the fights together. They haven’t won every championship together. They’ve lost some, too. Through losing some, you gain wisdom. Through winning some, you gain wisdom. They perform. That’s what they did.

    I expected them to come here and perform. This is one of their best racetracks. It didn’t surprise me to see them run as well as they did.

    Q. Jeff, taking a walk down pit road late in the race, some of Clint Bowyer’s pit crew were in your stall. When your team is challenging for the win, Bowyer is off the pace, how as an organization are you going to handle that as the Chase moves forward?

    JEFF BURTON: I’m not aware of the situation there, to be quite honest. I’m not even sure what you’re talking about. I’m not blowing you off; I don’t know the story there.

    Every team is here to win races. Every team is here to try to win a championship. As the thing goes on, it will get harder for some teams to win than others.

    I don’t see any situation where we’re pulling people away from one team. I don’t know. I’m not going to get into all that. Every team is here to win races.

    THE MODERATOR: Thank you for your time. Congratulations.

    FastScripts by ASAP Sports

    About Chevrolet: Chevrolet is a global automotive brand, with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars, such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including the Cruze Eco and Volt, both arriving in late 2010. Cruze Eco will offer up to 40 mpg highway while the Chevrolet Volt will offer up to 40 miles of electric, gas-free driving and an additional 300 miles of extended range (based on GM testing; official EPA estimates not yet available). Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security, and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions, and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

  • Jeff Gordon Can’t Wait to Leave Dover and Get to Kansas

    Jeff Gordon Can’t Wait to Leave Dover and Get to Kansas

    As the inaugural winner of the Kansas Speedway’s first two races in 2001 and 2002, it’s not surprising that four-time champion Jeff Gordon enjoys heading to the Midwest.

    In 2001 he led 53 laps in route to his 58th career victory and eventual fourth championship eight weeks later. Gordon then returned in 2002 where he dominated by leading 116 laps before battling Ryan Newman late. It was Gordon’s 61st career win. If career win No. 83 should come this weekend, don’t be surprised if Gordon has another one of those days.

    At Dover last weekend, Gordon relieved his Kansas victories.

    “I think everybody wants to go to a track, a new market, and win that race,” he said. “I know that certainly was the case for us, we went there excited about a new racetrack and wanting to be the team to figure it out the best and fastest and we did that.”

    As the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins to get heated, Kansas will play host to race No. 3. For Gordon it can’t come quick enough as he looks to one of his favorite places to help his Chase chances.

    “When you go to a track, a new track, and you win the first two races there it certainly gives you a lot of confidence and makes it one of your favorites right away,” Gordon said.

    When the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet team heads to a speedway this weekend though, they’ll be doing so looking for another first: a win in 2010. They started the season in championship form, running and finishing up front even though numerous wins slipped through their fingers.

    Currently sitting eighth in points, 83 behind leader Denny Hamlin, Gordon’s ready to make a big statement at a track he says seems like just yesterday opened and is still new to him. The “Drive for Five,” as his fans have adapted to calling it since 2001, is well in reach but Gordon needs to win and win soon if he really wants to apply the pressure to the point leaders.

    “I like Kansas, I know that,” Gordon said. “I feel like our mile and a half program is really strong this year. When I look at the 10 races in the Chase, Kansas is one that stands out as one we’re looking forward to going to.”

    Good news for Gordon is a performance he had in July at Chicagoland. Chicago is well worth mentioning for two reasons. A sister track to Kansas, success at Chicago can set the bar for a good run later in the year at KS. Gordon was one of the dominant cars in Chicago and was leading late in the going. David Reutimann took the lead and the win from Gordon with 54 laps to go as Gordon finished third.

    “We ran well at Chicago and it’s probably the closest track to Kansas on the circuit,” Gordon continued. “I feel like other than Charlotte we’ve been really good on the mile and half’s this year. We recognize we got to get better at Charlotte, but hey I can’t wait to get to Kansas.”

    Excitement about going to Kansas is evident in Gordon’s words and face and for good reason. While winning would certainly be great and is the ultimate goal, it’s not the only thing that has gotten the job done for Gordon.

    Since Kansas opened, Gordon has scored the most points of any driver with 1,314. Behind Gordon is Tony Stewart with 1,199 points. Stewart is also the only driver besides Gordon who has won multiple races at Kansas.

    Heading into the weekend Gordon is sure to be listed as a favorite. In nine races he’s led 157 laps, won twice, has six top fives and seven top 10s. Gordon’s average start is a 9.9 while his average finish is 8.9.

    Will this be the time “Big Daddy” strikes big in the Chase? Not that he needs anything else in his favor, Gordon will also enter the weekend with three straight top five finishes at Kansas.

    “Even when we’re not at our best it seems to be one of our good tracks,” said Gordon. “I think we’re much better this year than what we’ve been the last couple years.”

    The confidence and statistics are clear, all that’s left if for the No. 24 team to do is execute. Throughout the garage drivers readily admit that they run well at tracks they love and for Gordon has played that hand well.

    When informed that Kansas would be receiving two dates in 2011 Gordon replied, “Even better,” before lobbying that both races should be in the Chase. One thing at a time however, just as Gordon will take it one race at a time.

    Kansas though, could end up being one big race for Gordon and company.

  • TOYOTA NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Post-Race Notes & Quotes Dover International Speedway

    Joey Logano (third) was the highest finishing Camry driver in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Delaware’s Dover International Speedway.  

    Kyle Busch (sixth) and Denny Hamlin (ninth) also recorded top-10 results for Toyota at the one-mile concrete oval.  

    All three Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) Camrys finished in the top-10 today in Dover.  

    It marks the second time in three races and third time this season that all three JGR drivers finished in the top-10.  

    Other Camry drivers in the field included Reed Sorenson (16th), Marcos Ambrose (20th), Casey Mears (29th), Scott Speed (32nd), Martin Truex Jr. (34th), David Reutimann (35th), Kevin Conway (37th), Mike Bliss (40th) and Joe Nemechek (41st).   Hamlin maintains the unofficial points lead with a 35-point advantage over second-place and race-winner Jimmie Johnson after race two of 10 in the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff.  Fellow Camry driver and JGR teammate, Busch is third (-45 points).  Hamlin’s current point lead is the largest after two races since the Chase format began in 2004.

    JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position:  2nd How did you feel about the race today? “I’m just trying to catch my breath.  That was a long race.  We had a good Home Depot Toyota – a really good car.  We had a good car in practice too.  We had to start in the back, but felt like we did a good job working our way up there today and made good adjustments on this race car.  Zippy (Greg Zipadelli, crew chief) did a good job.  Pretty happy with it.  I feel like we were close to winning that thing.  Came up a little bit short, but either way it’s better than last year.” What did you have to work on with your race car today? “I think that’s typical stuff that we’ve had every weekend.  We started towards the back thanks to me in qualifying.  The guys did a really good job getting my car good in practice and had a really good car in Happy Hour.  Just battled along all day and got the Home Depot Toyota real good.  Just a little tight here and loose there, just playing around with it.  Our car was good – I don’t know if it was good enough to win, but I felt like we were close and I’m excited about that.  Want to thank Home Depot, Toyota and all those guys.  It’s definitely a good run for us.  We still have to work on our consistency.  We wrecked last week, we finished third this week so we have to somehow figure out how we can do this week in and week out.”

    KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position:  6th Do you feel like you should have finished better in today’s race? “We definitely had a better car than where we finished.  There through about lap 300 or so, I thought we had a car capable of winning.  We were fast.  If I drove it a little bit over my head and a little harder, it was faster than the 48 (Jimmie Johnson), but I about wrecked a couple times so I just backed up and rode there.  Waited for another pit stop to try to adjust on it and we did and we couldn’t get the tight back out of it.  We were loose and then we tightened it back up and once we did that last tighten up, we just couldn’t get it back.  We were just too tight the rest of the day.  I don’t know what happened, we just lost some lap time.  We thought we should have finished second.  That’s where this Interstate Batteries Camry should have run.  The 48 was probably the best car today.  We’ll take it.  Not where we want to be, but another solid top-10, what are you going to do?” Are you comfortable with where you are in the Chase after Dover? “We could have been a lot better today.  I’m disappointed with that.  We should have been second, that’s where we should have finished.  We got loose there and then we made an adjustment to tighten it up and we just never got the tight back out of the car.   Dave (Rogers, crew chief) did a great job.  All the guys did a great job on pit road.  I feel like we’re fine where we’re at, but we’re not showing anything yet and maybe we don’t have to do that until five races to go.” Should anyone be surprised that Jimmie Johnson won the race today? “With his (Jimmie Johnson) track record here, with the way he’s able to rebound after bad performances – those guys, they came out here and knew what they had to do and they did that and they produced.  We felt like we were right there and capable of running with them, but unfortunately we just missed a couple things.”

    KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing (continued) How was your race overall today? “It was a good day for us, but man, legitimately we had a second-place car.  I thought that we had something for Jimmie (Johnson) with about 100 (laps) to go.  I could gain on him, but I was just over-driving the car and I figured we had another pit stop left so let’s just wait and ride around here and relax a little bit.  After that, the car just built up a tight – a tight that I just could never get back out of the car.  Unfortunately, the Interstate Batteries Camry was just that good, but didn’t finish quite where we wanted to.  Overall, a good day.  The guys were solid on pit road, everything went well – communication and all was there.  It’s a solid day.  The average is going to be a sixth, but with our ninth – that doesn’t quite give us what we want.  We were hoping for a second or third today.”

    DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position:  9th Are you happy with your finish today? “It was a decent day.  I said in my head today that the number was eight.  We missed it by one, but it was a good fight for the FedEx team.  We didn’t have the best car today, but we fought through and made something of it.  This is what we needed to do to get by this weekend and we feel like we can run with them from here on out.” How do you feel about your position in the Chase moving ahead to tracks that you consider to be strong for you? “I feel good about it.  This is a huge obstacle for us.  This track has bitten us in the Chase for the last four years so to get out of here keeping the point lead at least.  I know these guys are charging, but this was our biggest obstacle we had to fight.  From here on out I feel like it will be better.” Are you happy you survived this track? “It was important for us to survive.  That was one of the things, we’ve either wrecked here or broke here or just ran like crap here in the points in the past.  To get out of here with this kind of finish is a good look for our team.  I fully anticipated losing the point lead when I left here, but to be able to keep it is good.  I’ve got a little buffer going into the tracks that we’re strong at.” Is this the most comfortable you’ve felt after two Chase races? “Yeah, for sure.  This is the best position I’ve been in.” Do you think everything with Kevin Harvick is behind you for the rest of the Chase? “I think so.  It is on my part.  All we’re caring about right now is focusing on just getting top-fives and top-10s from here on out – and wins at the tracks that we know we can win at.  For me, I think it’s important that we just move on from this and it’s a learning lesson.” How do you keep this momentum going? “You go next week and you finish strong again and that’s all we can do is just keep building on the momentum we have and as bad as a ninth-place spot sounds for us, here at Dover we’re going to take it.  We’re going to take a top-10 here because the past four Chase races have been absolutely miserable for us here.  Even though you come in here with a new mindset every single time you come here, it’s still in the back of my mind that this place has just got the better of me.” Is it déjà vu to have Jimmie Johnson back in the Chase hunt with his win today? “I don’t think so.  I think everyone anticipated that he (Jimmie Johnson) was going to make a charge here.  He wasn’t going to run 25th every single weekend and we definitely knew that he was going to come on strong.  He’s the champ.  He’s the one that set the standard over the last four years and he’s the guy that ultimately we feel like we’re going to have to beat in this whole thing.” How do you not let Jimmie Johnson’s win affect you? “I think I’ve ran four years here, I’ve never seen Jimmie (Johnson) once because he’s always been so far ahead of me and I at least kept him in sight today.  To me, I think we’re catching him.” Were you trying to stay quiet in today’s race? “I was running by myself all day.  It was a lot like it was here in the spring.  Nobody was around me all day so it was kind of uneventful.  If somebody would come up, I would let them pass.  Track position is so hard at this race track and the rubber that builds up on the race track makes it so hard to pass that you are almost racing this track like Darlington now.  No one is really racing each other anymore.  It’s a challenge in itself just to keep your own car straight much less have to worry about anyone else.”

    DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing (continued) Do you believe this race was more of a statement by your team? “I think so.  I think a lot of people are just waiting for us to slip up, like we have done in the past.  I just don’t see that happening this time around.  I just think our team is too focused at this point and we’re running too well for that to happen.  I think it’s going to go all the way to the wire.  My opinion, I think there’s going to be a handful of guys that are going to be racing legitimately for this championship at Homestead.  Hopefully we’re one of those groups.  That’s a really good track for us.  I just don’t see anyone really running away with it this year.  The competition’s just too strong.” What does it mean to have Joey Logano finish third in today’s race? “I’d like to acquire his (Joey Logano) feel.  He’s got a great feel for this race track.  It’s something that we can learn.  I like it when Joey runs good because that’s more information that we can tap into for our 11 team.  When the 20 team doesn’t run good or the 18 (Kyle Busch) team doesn’t run good, it does not help us one bit.  We need all of our cars running competitively for that information exchange to work right.  So the better that 20 runs, and hopefully if he keeps that momentum up, keeps running good, then he’s going to be a guy that’s hopefully in between us Chasers when I need him for a point or two.  I think that’s going to be important.”

    REED SORENSON, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Finishing Position:  16th

    MARCOS AMBROSE, No. 47 Bush’s Baked Beans/Scott Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing Finishing Position:  20th

    CASEY MEARS, No. 13 GEICO Toyota Camry, Germain Racing Finishing Position:  29th

    SCOTT SPEED, No. 82 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Finishing Position:  32nd

    MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finishing Position:  34th

    DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finishing Position:  35th

    KEVIN CONWAY, No. 7 Extenze Toyota Camry, Robby Gordon Motorsports Finishing Position:  37th

    MIKE BLISS, No. 55 Toyota Camry, PRISM Motorsports Finishing Position:  40th

    JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 Heat Redefined.com Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Finishing Position:  41st

  • CHEVY NSCS AT DOVER TWO: Team Chevy Race Notes & Quotes

    NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

    AAA 400

    DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

    TEAM CHEVY DRIVER RACE NOTES & QUOTES

    SEPTEMBER 26, 2010

    JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/KOBALT TOOLS CHEVROLET – RACE WINNER:

    AFTER LAST WEEK, HOW DOES IT FEEL TO WIN THE POLE AND THEN WIN THE RACE THIS WEEK?

    “It feels great. Last week didn’t turn out how we’d want but that’s racing and it’s going to happen in the Chase. I just can’t thank everybody at Hendrick Motorsports enough for working as hard as they do. It just never quits. It never stops. And I’m so thankful for the engine shop, the chassis shop and all the great guys who work on this Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools car and all the great people at Lowe’s and KOBALT Tools for their support; the fans and everything. I may not look a lot excited right now, but there’s this huge weight off my shoulders that we were able to win a race in the Chase, rebound from last weekend, and we’re in the middle of this thing and I’m really, really excited.”

    YOU’RE ONLY 35 POINTS BACK IN SECOND PLACE NOW

    “Yeah, that’s good. I knew it would be close. I’m excited about what we have ahead. Last weekend; anything can happen. I know Talladega is out there. We did a great job today. We’re in the right position but we’ve got to keep this Impala fast and be there after Talladega. That’s the goal. So we did the best thing possible. I’ve very, very excited about today. At some point hopefully my wife and my daughter will show up; I thought they might be here now and I can’t wait to celebrate this moment with them too.”

    AND SPEAKING OF FACES IN VICTORY LANE, WHAT IS IT LIKE TO ROLL IN AND SEE MR. HENDRICK’S SMILING FACE?

    “There’s nothing better. We’ve had a few frowns on recently because we’ve been getting our butts kicked, but this is a great track for us and today we got the job done and it’s because of Rick’s (Hendrick) dedication to this race team and all the tools that he gives us.”

    YOU TOLD US BEFORE THE RACE THAT YOU THOUGHT THIS WAS THE TIME YOU GUYS COULD HIT YOUR STRIDE, LET’S GO BACK TO THE LAST RESTART, ABOUT 295 TO ABOUT 320, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU STARTED REELING KYLE BUSCH IN, WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE THERE? “Truthfully, we lost some spot on pit road and I didn’t have control of the restart. Once we got going, I ended up third. I have my daughter here in a car carrier here and I don’t know what to do with her yet. (LAUGHS) First time in victory lane for her. We came up third on that restart and I just fought really hard to get back into position behind the No. 18. (Kyle Busch)  It took me a while to get by the No. 20 (Joey Logano).  I knew we had a lot of laps on our side and I didn’t want to do something stupid and throw it away. So, I took my time and made sure I got to the front when it was time.”

    HOW MUCH DIFFERENCE DID THE WEATHER MAKE WHEN IT COOLED DOWN? “Today it was easier to drive the car than yesterday. We did make some changes to help that but I think today with the cooler temperatures helped out a little bit.”

    IT HAS BEEN 10 RACES SINCE YOU HAVE WON, WHAT IS IT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE IN THE CHASE? ARE YOU DOING ANYTHING DIFFERENT? “No, we are not doing anything different. Today is a great day for us because it shows us what we are capable of and the fact that we can win races and be competitive in this Chase. This summer was hard on us. There is no way around that. We had bad races and finished bad. We had good races and finished bad. So it is nice today to do things start to finish all weekend long on the right foot.”

    SECOND IN POINTS, ONLY 35 BACK: “A lot of racing left.”

    CHAD KNAUS, CREW CHIEF NO. 48 LOWE’S/KOBALTOOLS CHEVROLET, RACE WINNER: TALK ABOUT YOUR DAY, PRETTY GOOD: “Yes, it was an awesome. Guess he wanted to put some smoke up here for our interview (referring to Johnson’s burnout). Man what a great job. We showed up and we were a little bit off. We had to work on the car pretty hard. We really relied on Jimmie awfully hard for qualifying and he did a fantastic job qualifying. We had to work hard on the KOBALT Chevrolet to get it where we needed it to be but man it was fast all day today.

    “It wasn’t easy on Friday and Saturday. It looked like it was pretty fast today, but we were pretty far off when we got here. A lot of hard work by all the guys. Can’t say enough about all the guys at the shop, prep and everything, so we had the information we needed when we got here. I am glad Mr. Hendrick came here. I wish his Mom was here with us. I sent her some flowers a couple of weeks ago, so I hope she is still enjoying those. Just couldn’t be prouder of this whole team.”

    RICK HENDRICK, TEAM OWNER, HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS, RACE WINNER: TALK ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE OF THE NO. 48 TEAM TODAY: “I think a lot of people were counting them out. Boy, we were counting on Loudon and this race to really give us that spring board we needed. The man (Jimmie Johnson) knows this place really well. It is a great day, great day. I’m so proud of them. Good job!”

    JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET, FINISHED 2ND: ARE YOU LOOKING AT THE POINT STANDINGS AFTER TODAY’S GREAT RUN? “Well, everybody is looking at the point standings for sure. Our goal at this point is just to keep going. We’re not going to leave a race in the next few weeks with the points lead. We started far enough behind where that is just not going to happen. Last week was really, really frustrating. We had a great car, well we didn’t have a great car, we had a really good car last week and we weren’t able to capitalize and ran out of gas with two to go. We got lucky to finish 15th. Today, we did a good job. The No. 48 (Jimmie Johnson) was a little stronger. I thought he had the class of the field. But we put some pressure on him.”

    HOW MUCH DID THE TRACK CHANGE DURING THE RACE? “It changes a lot. This track, it is crazy how much this track changes. We really struggled for grip early in the race and by the time the race was over, we were just way too tight. The track always does that. You see a lot of people early here, they can’t run well late because they got their cars tight enough so it drives good and then later in the race they can’t go any good. We kind of sacrificed a little bit at the start of the race. A little more than we wanted to. None-the-less, it was a good day for us, we got right at the right time.”

    HE HAS SOME BLISTERS ON HIS LEFT HAND BUT HE HELD ON AND DID A HECK OF A JOB: “Just really proud of everybody. We had a good car all weekend. I just didn’t do a good job qualifying. I just cannot get qualified. Here especially for some reason. But we will keep working on it. Proud of everybody. Proud of Caterpillar and SKF and Prilosec OTC, just everybody that helps us. It has been one of those years where we have been really good but haven’t been able to capitalize. We have eight more chances and hopefully we can start pulling the trigger.”

    A DIFFERENT LINE WORKED FOR YOU TODAY, TALK ABOUT THAT: “You know, at one point there, I started driving the car like straight in the corner and running right at the race track. Just diamonding the corner really weird, I’ve never done that before here and that got us going. When we were at our best, I could arc the corner like I needed to.

    “The No. 48 was just really really fast, he was the class of the field today. We put some pressure on them, we could match them but that wasn’t good enough from where we were.”

     

    JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT/LAW ENFORCEMENT MUSEUM CHEVROLET – FINISHED 11TH

    “You can’t give up those positions; especially when you come to a place like this where most of the Chase guys are going to be up front, really at most places, the Chase guys are going to be up front. The first half of the race went pretty good. The second half, when the rubber laid down, man we just really struggled. It was everything I could do to just hang on to it, let alone finish 11th. So things didn’t go our way there at the end. We lost some extra positions and just held on for 11th. That’s all we can do.”

    ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO KANSAS?

    “Definitely; I love Kansas. We knew coming in here that this was going to be a struggle for us. But we were up there in the top five and we were maybe about a 7th place car and we were wanting to at least maintain that, but we didn’t. So now we go to Kansas and some other places that I think are much better tracks for us and we’ve got to capitalize on that.”

    KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 SHELL/PENNZOIL CHEVROLET – FINISHED 15TH:

    “We drove up to the top 10 nicely, but our Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet just went too loose on the last three runs, and we couldn’t get it dialed in.  We will regroup and be ready for them next week at Kansas.”

    GIL MARTIN, CREW CHIEF, NO. 29 SHELL/PENNZOIL CHEVROLET – FINISHED 15TH:

    WHAT HAS HAPPENED THE LAST TWO RACES, IS THAT INDICATIVE OF WHAT YOU WILL SEE THE REST OF THE CHASE?

    “I think all the guys in the Chase are going to run up front obviously.  We had a pretty good day going there.  We got up to ninth and on the last two runs something didn’t agree with us on those last two runs and we got very loose.   But I don’t see anything that is going to change going into the next few races.   Same guys are going to run up front each week and its going to be difficult for everybody every single week.”

    YOU GUYS WORKED YOUR WAY UP PRETTY GOOD.  CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT HAPPENED THERE AT THE END?

    “Well we thought we had a pretty good drive.  We drove from 33rd up to ninth I think and then we just kind of……the last two runs I don’t know what happened.  We just lost the handle on the car.  I don’t know if something went wrong with the car itself and we will just have to get back to the shop and look at it but up until that point we had a pretty good drive going.”

    About Chevrolet: Chevrolet is a global automotive brand, with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars, such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including the Cruze Eco and Volt, both arriving in late 2010. Cruze Eco will offer up to 40 mpg highway while the Chevrolet Volt will offer up to 40 miles of electric, gas-free driving and an additional 300 miles of extended range (based on GM testing; official EPA estimates not yet available). Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security, and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions, and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com.