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  • What Went Down In The 5 Hour Energy 500 at Pocono Raceway

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”227″][/media-credit]On a day where one Jacques Debris reigned supreme, Jeff Gordon was able to win the 5 Hour Energy 500 at the Pocono Raceway. It was Gordon’s 84th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win, which places him in a tie on the all time wins list with Hall Fame inductee, Bobby Allison, and 2012 class nominee, Darrell Waltrip. It was the second win of the 2011 season for Gordon which just about guarantees him a wild card spot in the chase.

    Denny Hamlin once again looked as though he was going to make the Pocono Raceway his personal playground early on in the race. That all came to an end after the 11 team suffered a flat tire coming off of pit road. Denny was able to nurse the car back to the pits without doing too much damage to his race car. His day was a different story however. Denny was never able to recover from the flat as he then lost his brakes and finished the day in the 19th position. The day wasn’t a total lose though, Denny now moves into the 12th spot in the point standings, which currently qualifies him for the elusive wild card birth.

    For the second straight week, both of the Penske entries were solid. Kurt Busch started on the pole for the second consecutive week and ran strong in his Pennzoil Dodge. Kurt finished in the second position after running up front and leading laps throughout the day. His teammate however, wasn’t as lucky. Brad Keselowski’s day started out well. For a moment, he had his blue deuce just outside of the top ten. The team then had to make an extra pit stop for a vibration thought to be caused by a loose wheel. That was not the case. The problems wound up being much more severe for last weeks winner as he was forced to limp the car around for the remainder of the race and finish in the 23rd position. It may not sound like a good day, but the team is making improvements every week. Look for both Penske machines to be weekly contenders in the coming weeks.

    After how dominant Juan Pablo Montoya has been at Indianapolis, it was only a matter of time before he got his arms around the Pocono Raceway. Montoya ran most of the race in the top 5 and at one point had a lead that wasn’t even worth Denny Hamlin chasing down. The Target team made some interesting calls by taking two tires on numerous pit stops which left a lot of people scratching their heads. When the black flag with white squares flew, Montoya was in the seventh position. It’s only a matter of time before Juan picks up a win on an oval.

    Two drivers that you rarely see run well at Pocono did just that on Sunday. Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. This is just the run these drivers needed as they further their case as championship contenders. By running good at a “weak track”, they and their team prove that they are “in it to win it”. Look for this to be the case from not only them, but all of our title contenders this season.

    Speaking of Harvick, he and Kyle Busch come of their probation next weekend in Michigan. But in the beginning of the race, they sure didn’t race like it. Harvick was seen running Busch down to the water on the front stretch and beating on his bumper. Harvick said after the race, “He’s got one comin’”. “It says a lot about his character” said Busch when asked about Harvick. I know all you fans, including myself, can not wait to see what transpires between the two in the coming weeks.

    With Pocono now in the books, the eyes of the NASCAR world look towards the Irish Hills of Michigan. Will we see the fuel mileage battle that is so common at MIS and lately in NASCAR? Will the Harvick and Busch fued resume? All these questions and more will be answered next Sunday.

    Next Race- Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400
    Sunday on TNT at 12pm EST. MRN Radio

  • HOORAHS AND WAZZUPS: THE MULTIPLE SIDES OF A TRICKY TRIANGLE

    HOORAHS AND WAZZUPS: THE MULTIPLE SIDES OF A TRICKY TRIANGLE

    [media-credit name=”Kirk Schroll” align=”alignright” width=”246″][/media-credit]During the previous NASCAR weekend, at the Pocono Raceway, we saw multiple sides, ie: story lines, from a famed speedway that is known as the tricky triangle because of its unique three turn shape. We watched a four time Sprint Cup champion put on a sterling performance that could very well guarantee his place in the 2011 Chase. We watched an expected Pocono race winner, and Chase contender, experience more bad luck from a bizarre tire and brake incident. We also watched the interesting saga of Childress versus Busch take new twists that ranged from monetary donations from fans to an expensive post race inspection. With those thoughts in mind, let’s begin with:

    HOORAH to Jeff Gordon for winning the 5 Hour Energy 500 at Pocono. Gordon and his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet cruised under the checkers a full three seconds ahead of runner up Kurt Busch. It also marked the four time champion’s 84th career win which ties him at third, with Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison, on NASCAR’s all time win list.

    However, of more importance to the current racing season, the Pocono win moved Gordon to 11th in the standings and only six points away from the coveted top ten which determines the final line up of Chase contenders in September. Gordon also bought himself a Chase insurance policy as well. Pocono was his second win of the season and that may make him eligible for one of the two wild card berths in the Chase system if he falls out of the top ten in points. That wild card system will place the drivers with the most wins, in points positions 11 through 20, into the Chase. Before the season even began there were theories that said any driver with at least two wins was likely going to become a championship contender.

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

    WAZZUP with that tough break suffered by Denny Hamlin and his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Hamlin virtually owns the driver stats at Pocono and was heavily favored to finally get his first win of the season there. For that matter Hamlin was also heavily favored to win the 2011 Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship. After a surprisingly slow start to the 2011 season, Hamlin slowly but surely worked his way back to 11th in the points standings prior to the Pocono race.

    But, after leading a race high 76 laps, the high expectations hit a sudden low in the race when a flat tire forced unscheduled time on pit road. This was followed by the flat tire somehow completely shearing off the brake line connected to the left rear wheel. Between the loss of track position in the pits, combined with virtually no brakes on a track like Pocono, the best Hamlin could do was limp home to a 19th place finish and a drop to 12th in the points. In other words: another round of bad luck for this team.

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

    On the topic of unexpected problems for Joe Gibbs Racing, WAZZUP with Kyle Busch’s Toyota failing to pass post race inspection? After finishing third at Pocono, NASCAR officials discovered an irregularity with the car and ran it through inspection three time. The final result determined that the the left front of the car was too low but only by a mere one-sixteenth of an inch outside of NASCAR’s accepted tolerances. The car was transported to NASCAR’s Research and Development Center, in Concord-North Carolina, for further inspection.

    On Monday afternoon NASCAR announced that crew chief Dave Rogers had been fined $25,000. They also docked Kyle Busch six championship points and Joe Gibbs six owner’s points.

    Now I’m wondering if any fans of Kyle Busch and/or Joe Gibbs are going to send money to help pay the crew chief’s fine.

    (Oh yeah, you know where I’m going next.)

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

    HOORAH to the fans of Richard Childress who actually sent the veteran NASCAR team owner money to help him pay the massive $150,000 levied against him by NASCAR officials last week. This was, of course, the aftermath from the physical altercation between Childress and Kyle Busch following the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Kansas. On Friday Childress announced that he would be paying the fine from his personal account and, as far as he’s concerned, the matter is now a closed issue.

    But Childress did admit that he was completely overwhelmed by the show of fan support. He deserves a HOORAH for announcing that the fan money will be donated to the Childress Institute For Pediatric Trauma. It’s yet another reason why everyone thinks Richard Childress is a class act.

    HOORAH to Kevin Harvick for injecting a little humor into this situation via “Twitter”. Harvick has been taking the credit for teaching his team owner how to use his very own brand new “Twitter” account. Harvick, updating us all on that progress, wrote: “RChildress3 gained almost 2,500 followers in a couple of hours. I had is watch timing it,” a reference to Childress removing his wrist watch prior to the altercation with Busch,

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

    Whether or not this next item is a HOORAH or a WAZZUP I suppose depends on how you feel about the drivers involved and their recent personal dealings with each other. This item is about Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch referencing their pit road altercation following the Darlington race, that resulted in a four race probation period levied on each driver.

    That probation period ended at the conclusion of the Pocono race. But Harvick apparently decided to have some fun and surprise Busch with some early race tactics that included a little pushing while in the process of trying to make a pass. Meanwhile, in the control tower, NASCAR officials were not exactly amused over what they were watching and made quick work of sending radio messages to tell both drivers to settle down and “just race.”

    Kyle Busch wasn’t that amused either and, over the radio, said “apparently he thinks probation is over so he’s back to wrecking me.” After the race Busch said “it seems like he was trying to make it awfully difficult on me. There were a couple of times I had to back off and wait, (to complete a pass), It’s not my fight, he’s trying to turn it into one.”

    With that famous faint half smile on his face, Harvick said “I was just playing with him. He hasn’t seen the last of it yet. He knows he’s got one coming, I just wanted him to think about it.”

    I have to give Harvick a somewhat reluctant WAZZUP for pushing that envelope during the final race of his probation. He had to know NASCAR was watching every time he and Busch got close to each other. In one more week the probation would have been over and he would be fully reinstated in the “have at it boys” club again.

    At the same time I also have to give Harvick a HOORAH for his Pocono prank because I was enjoying watching it way too much.

    A reluctant WAZZUP also goes to Kyle Busch for finding himself in the middle of most NASCAR major stories lately despite trying to behave himself even to the point of seemingly choosing his words very carefully during interviews. Ever since his extreme embarrassment of getting a speeding ticket, for doing 128 MPH in a 45 zone, Busch has had to deal with the backlash of his Darlington incident with Harvick, getting pummeled by a 65 year old team owner in Kansas, the surprise tactics of a race rival during the Pocono race followed by his car’s failure to pass technical inspection. It’s enough to make the leaves of any shrub fall off.

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

    The final HOORAH of the week goes to the SPEED Channel’s Kenny Wallace for an on air comment made following the Pocono race. When asked if he felt the Harvick-Busch feud would continue after their probation was over, Wallace replied “they must continue, simply because it’s awesome.”

    There’s two final WAZZUPS for you to consider this week. The first goes to Carl Edwards. Heavily favored as a Pocono race winner, a very rare engine failure, reported to be a faulty valve, sidelined that effort on lap 56. He still maintains his status as the points leader but the 37th place finish has slashed his lead to six points over Jimmie Johnson and ten points over Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    The final WAZZUP goes to Johnny Sauter for literally giving away a win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the Texas Motor Speedway. Lined up against Ron Hornaday Jr, for a green-white-checker double file restart, Sauter changed lanes prior to crossing the start-finish line. That’s against NASCAR’s restart rules and they made quick work of showing Sauter the black flag. He was regulated to a 22nd place finish while a surprised Hornaday went to victory lane.

  • Jeff Gordon Improves Chase Chances With Second Win of the Season

    Jeff Gordon Improves Chase Chances With Second Win of the Season

    [media-credit name=”Kirk Schroll” align=”alignright” width=”240″][/media-credit]Jeff Gordon, sporting the familiar No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet colors, scored his second win of the 2011 season, moving ever closer to Chase contention. This is Gordon’s fifth top-10 finish in 2011 and his fifth victory in 37 races at Pocono Raceway.

    Gordon also reached another significant milestone with his win in the 5-Hour Energy 500. The victory ties Gordon with Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip for third on the all-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win list.

    “It certainly helps us,” Gordon said of his Chase chances. “Our focus has to be the same all the time, try to win races, to lock ourselves in.”

    “I’m just more excited about the momentum coming toward us,” Gordon continued. “The things that we believe in are starting to come true.”

    “You question that at times,” Gordon said. “Days like today show how serious we are. At this point in the season, to get our program turned around, the timing couldn’t be better and hopefully we can keep that going.”

    “This is a tough place to win.”

    Gordon’s crew chief, Alan Gustafson, could not agree more with his driver.

    “There are a lot of things at a track like this that are so difficult,” Gustafson said. “We were a little nervous. To win in this sport, you have to have everything on the edge.”

    The Busch brothers, Kurt and Kyle, gave Gordon a run for his money, scoring second and third respectively. Kurt Busch posted his 11th top-10 finish in 21 races and Kyle Busch posted his fourth top-10 finish in 13 races at the ‘Tricky Triangle.’

    “It was a great, hard fought battle for us on the No. 22 car today,” pole sitter and second place finisher Kurt Busch. “It was a nice, steady run and we were able to have smooth pit stops and we had a great handling car.”

    “It was a great genuine day for our team to run in the top five all day,” Busch continued. “It’s pleasing to see that result.”

    “I was giving it all I had and I just couldn’t quite close the gap.”

    Busch admitted that there were many things to balance in the race, especially as he engaged in the heated battle with race winner Gordon.

    “It was an interesting day with shifting,” Busch said. “We shifted quite a bit today and had to keep track of the temperatures and the revs on the engine and fuel mileage as well. There was a lot to balance inside the car today.”

    Baby brother Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota, was also pleased with his third place finish.

    “For us, we had a long way to come from since we started deep in the field,” Busch said. “We worked our way towards the front steadily and methodically for most of the race.”

    “We had good pit stops all day and the guys did a good job giving me the right adjustments,” Busch continued. “The restarts played in our favor and we passed a few cars there. That last restart is where we got most of our track position.”

    “Kurt was so much faster than I was that last run of the race that it wasn’t going to do me much to hold him up,” Busch said “So, I tried to let him go and see if he couldn’t catch the 24 and make a race out of it.”

    “We just tried to bring home a solid third.”

    Unfortunately, Kyle Busch’s car failed post-race inspection due to a height issue, too high on the left. “Being a parent, it means more to experience that with them,” Gordon said of having daughter Ella in Victory Lane. His car is being transported back to NASCAR’s R&D center for a more-in-depth look.

    In contrast to Gordon and the Busch boys, the point’s leader coming into the race, Carl Edwards had a miserable day. The driver of the No. 99 Kellogg/Cheez-It Ford finished 37th after he broke a valve in the engine.

    Even with that bad finish, Edwards did, however, maintain the points lead with the narrowest of margins. He is now just six points ahead of Jimmie Johnson, who finished the race in the fourth spot.

    In a somewhat bizarre turn of events, Edwards joined the broadcast booth to provide commentary while his team worked furiously on his car in the garage. He was able to turn one last lap to avoid the DNF.

    “I was very careful not to overdrive,” Edwards said. “One of the valves got in an argument with something in the engine and lost.”

    Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Okuma Chevrolet, had an eventful day but still managed to finish fifth in the 5-Hour Energy 500. Harvick survived problems early when his crew did not get all the fuel in and he then got off the sequence of pit stops.

    Dale Earnhardt, Jr., in the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet, Juan Pablo Montoya, piloting the No. 42 Target Chevrolet, Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Affliction Clothing Live Fast Ford, Ryan Newman, behind the wheel of the of the Haas Automation Chevrolet, and Martin Truex, Jr., in his No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, rounded out the top ten.

    Unofficial Race Results
    5-Hour Energy 500, Pocono Raceway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/race.php?race=14
    =========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 3 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 47
    2 1 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 43
    3 34 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 42
    4 14 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 41
    5 32 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 39
    6 21 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 38
    7 16 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 38
    8 27 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 36
    9 8 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 35
    10 31 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 34
    11 19 20 Joey Logano Toyota 33
    12 17 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 32
    13 9 0 David Reutimann Toyota 31
    14 2 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 30
    15 5 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 29
    16 12 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 28
    17 11 6 David Ragan Ford 27
    18 10 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 26
    19 4 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 27
    20 33 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 24
    21 15 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 24
    22 23 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 22
    23 20 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 21
    24 25 51 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 0
    25 28 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 19
    26 40 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 18
    27 37 16 Greg Biffle Ford 17
    28 18 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 16
    29 30 34 David Gilliland Ford 15
    30 35 13 Casey Mears Toyota 14
    31 41 32 Mike Bliss Ford 0
    32 24 71 Andy Lally * Ford 12
    33 13 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 11
    34 7 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 10
    35 26 38 Sam Hornish Jr. Ford 0
    36 38 37 Tony Raines Ford 8
    37 6 99 Carl Edwards Ford 7
    38 42 7 Scott Wimmer Dodge 0
    39 43 150 T.J. Bell * Toyota 0
    40 29 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 0
    41 36 66 Michael McDowell Toyota 4
    42 22 46 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 2
    43 39 181 Scott Riggs Chevrolet 0

  • The Top Five things I’ve learned about NASCAR Penalties

    Fans are always complaining about penalties. They see no consistency in the rulings and are tired of the secrecy.

    However, after much study and thought, I think I’ve finally figured it out. To understand the system, you simply have to understand the masterminds behind NASCAR.

    1) It’s okay for drivers to curse on their in-car radio. Fans are encouraged to listen by renting scanners so that they can tune in to their favorite driver.

    But don’t let that driver make the mistake of using colorful language on national television during a post race interview. Even NASCAR’s favorite son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. couldn’t get away with that one.

    NASCAR is a family sport and families don’t use four letter words.

    2) If drivers are really angry, the best place to express it is in the NASCAR hauler. What happens in the hauler stays in the hauler. If the public doesn’t see it, it didn’t happen, including all those secret fines we’re not supposed to know about.

    3) Drivers are encouraged to be themselves but don’t knock NASCAR in the process or you might get hit with one of those secret fines. NASCAR is very touchy about protecting its “brand.” Just ask Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman.

    4) A little bump between drivers on the cool down lap is allowed. You can get in a retaliatory “Don’t think I’ve forgotten what you did” tap, disguised as a congratulatory tap, as long as you don’t bring it onto pit road.

    5) In the spirit of “have at it boys,” it is permissible for drivers to throw helmets and exchange a few blows. Just don’t announce what you’re going to do beforehand by removing your watch. Passion is good, premeditation is frowned upon.

    It really boils down to one thing. NASCAR is not to be confused with a democracy. They wrote the rule book and when all else fails, they have one rule that covers everything.

    Section 12-1 Actions detrimental to stock car racing. Cross this line and they will issue the appropriate penalty.

    What constitutes actions detrimental to stock car racing? That’s for them to know and you to find out.

  • Lap-by-lap: 5-Hour Energy 500 powers Jeff Gordon for fifth win

    Lap-by-lap: 5-Hour Energy 500 powers Jeff Gordon for fifth win

    Jeff Gordon captured his second win of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season at Pocono Raceway on Sunday.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”245″][/media-credit]With this win, Gordon closed in on securing a top-10 position in the Chase and is also only 6 points out of 10th place that is held by Tony Stewart and teammate Ryan Newman.

    “This is just an amazing experience, to experience this (Win) with my family,” Gordon said as he celebrated with his wife Ingrid and daughter Ella in victory lane.

    Gordon started third and to lead 39 laps in route to his 84th career Sprint Cup Series win and his fifth top ten finish of the season.

    Gordon also ties Bill Elliott for the most wins at five.

    Carl Edwards had a real tough day as his car engine would fail to see the driver return to the track with 4 to go after sitting in the garage for 141 laps. Leaving this race, Edwards has only a six point advantage of Jimmie Johnson (4th in the race), halfway to the Chase.

    “One of the valves got in an argument with something in the engine and lost. We broke one valve. We don’t think it is from an over rev or anything, we just think it was a parts failure. This is a great car and a great engine. We were running really well and I was babying the engine a little bit and not shifting too much. It is just one of those things.” Edwards said.

    Pole setter Kurt Busch dropped back in the field during the race but had a resurgence to finish second.

     

    LAP BY LAP breakdown

    GREEN FLAG as Kurt Busch and Paul Menard bring the 43 engines to life. Between turns one and two some of the field spreads out to four wide, but as it quickly grew it shrinks back to two wide as the drivers enter the tunnel turn.

    Denny Hamlin, four time winner at Pocono takes the lead. Lap 3 a few early movers see Juan Pablo Montoya move up three positions from 16th to 13th.

    We see an “Early Move” on the front stretch between Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch as Harvick on the outside of Busch, “Gets Loose” where Harvick’s car “Drifts” down towards Busch’s where the two are almost on the apron all the way to turn one.

    Lap 6 Hamlin in clean air pulls away from Menard by 1.7 seconds and Kurt Busch 2 seconds. Jamie McMurray is an early mover into 9th from his 13th place start. We hear reports that Tony Raines’ car is breaking off the side skirt of his car, but has not fully come off yet.

    YELLOW FLAG lap 8 as the side skirt comes off Raines’ car in turn one, no lucky dog. Rain had hit the track last night, so NASCAR will have a competition caution on lap 20 so the teams will not be allowed to refuel until that time.

    The field splits in half on who is coming in and who stays out. Menard and Hamlin remain in front.

    GREEN FLAG lap 12 as it’s three wide between Menard, Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch. Lap 14 Jimmie Johnson started his day 14th where he currently runs 14th. Other movers on the track from the back of the pack see Matt Kenseth running 13th (up 14) from his start of the day.

    Lap 17 the head games between Harvick and Kyle Busch continue where NASCAR asks that they get into the race and have a nice day.

    YELLOW FLAG lap 18 for debris in turn three. No lucky dog yet. This will be also the competition yellow. Scott Riggs takes his car to the garage. Everyone heads to pit road. The first five driver back to the track see Montoya, Brad Keselowski, Brian Vickers, Hamlin and Kasey Kahne. A big move on pit road for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team takes only two tires to move him into sixth.

    Scott Wimmer did not pit and is on the front row.

    GREEN FLAG lap 22 for Montoya and Wimmer. By turn two Hamlin is the leader. With the last stop we have a shakeup in the top ten. Lap 25 your top ten drivers are Hamlin, Montoya, Kurt Busch, Vickers, Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards, Kahne, Harvick and Johnson.

    Lap 27 Kyle Busch started 34th where is currently scored in 13th. Hamlin is 2.3 seconds in front of the field and Montoya. Jeff Burton started 33rd and is 14th. Lap 33 Jeff Gordon passes Keselowski for 7th. Lap 35 Hamlin is now 3 seconds in front of Montoya, 3.8 in front of 3rd place Kurt Busch, 5.9 in front of 4th place Edwards and 7.9 in front of 5th place Earnhardt Jr.

    Lap 38 we see a 13th place battle between Ryan Newman and Kyle Busch where Newman takes the position. We hear that around ten laps until pit stops, but we are hearing talk of rain or mist in turn 1. Lap 40 Harvick heads to pit road early as the team did not get all the fuel in the car, so he may be in early for the weather as well.

    Lap 41 more talk of rain, but this is Pocono and a usual item is to have red flags for a rain delay, but we usually get the race in. On the lap down list we see Scott Riggs down 24 in the garage, J.J. Yeley in the garage and 19 down, Michael McDowell down 13 along with Joe Nemechek, T.J. Bell down 9, Wimmer down 7, Raines down 6, Sam Hornish Jr. 2 down.

    Lap 44 pit stops begin. Lap 46 leader Hamlin is in for his stop allowing Johnson to take the lead. Johnson has not pitted yet. It looks like Johnson may have run out of fuel as he ran through turn three. Lap 49 pit cycles are complete for the leaders leaving Hamlin in the lead over Montoya by 2.5 seconds.

    Lap 50 your top twenty drivers are Hamlin, Montoya, Edwards, Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Harvick, Kahne, Keselowski, Earnhardt Jr., Johnson, Newman, Burton, Kyle Busch, Vickers, Marcos Ambrose, David Ragan, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer.

    Lap 57 this round of green flag laps Hamlin has not gained the distance on Montoya like his last run. Hamlin is 2.7 seconds in front of Montoya. Johnson moved past Earnhardt Jr. to take 5th a few laps ago.

    Lap 59 some drivers that have fallen off pace are Reutimann down to 20th from his start of 9th, Regan Smith running 22nd from his start of 5th.

    Lap 60 Edwards takes his car to the garage for some reason, this will be a change in points for the overall chase. We hear that Edwards lost a cylinder in his motor. Lap 65 the gap between Hamlin and Montoya has not changed however they both have left the field behind where 3rd place Kurt Busch is 9.2 seconds back, 4th place Jeff Gordon is 9.3 seconds back and challenging for 3rd with 5th place Johnson 13.9 seconds back.

    Lap 67 Jeff Gordon takes third from Kurt Busch. Lap 67 into 68 pit stops begin as Reutimann, Truex Jr. and a few others are in. Lap 69 Ragan, Vickers and Martin are in. This is followed by Stewart, Burton, Biffle and Ambrose are in.

    Lap 70 Newman, Kyle Busch and six others are in. Lap 72 Kahne, Joey Logano are in with Johnson, Earnhardt Jr., Montoya. Trouble for Johnson as the team is hung up on the front right tire. Lap 74 Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch are in.

    Lap 75 Hamlin is getting great fuel mileage and not pitted yet. Lap 77 Hamlin is in with Montoya 36 seconds back. Hamlin’s team has issues with the stop allowing Montoya to take the lead an battle with Jeff Gordon for second place.

    Lap 78 the current top ten see Montoya, Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Johnson, Kahne, Earnhardt Jr., Harvick, Newman and Kyle Busch holding those spots. Lap 81 Keselowski is in with a reported loose rear wheel.

    Lap 87 Montoya leads Hamlin by 3.8 seconds. 27 drivers remain on the lead lap. Paul Menard who started 2nd has fallen 20 positions at this point in the race. On the lap down list we see Keselowski with the reported vibration which has not left his car, Dave Blaney, Landon Cassill, Casey Mears, and David Gilliland.

    Two laps down on lap 90 we see Mike Bliss, 3 laps down is Andy Lally. Raines is 13 laps down.

    Edwards is in the garage 13 laps down, but the team works on tearing apart his engine to get him back in the race.

    Lap 93 trouble for Burton as he drives on the access road in turn three where he reports he may be out of fuel. Seeing this issue Mark Martin, Vickers and a few others are in which kicks off a new round of pit stops.

    Vickers is busted for speeding coming out of pit road.

    Lap 103 (97 to go) after stops are completed, we see as the current top twenty drivers as Montoya back in the lead followed by Hamlin 5 seconds back, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Johnson, Kahne, Earnhardt Jr., Harvick, Kyle Busch, Newman, Stewart, Greg Biffle, Kenseth, Bowyer, Keselowski, Ragan, Reutimann, Logano, Truex Jr. and Smith.

    So far we have seen 9 lead changes among 6 leaders and 2 cautions.

    Lap 106 we are hearing reports that Truex Jr., may have some kind of leak from his car.

    YELLOW FLAG lap 110 and A.J. Allmendinger is the lucky dog. All the leaders head to pit road. Montoya is back in front followed by Jeff Gordon, Hamlin, Kurt Busch and Kahne.

    GREEN FLAG lap 117 as Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon pass Montoya for the lead. By turn three Hamlin passes Montoya for third. Montoya took only two tires while the rest took four.

    Lap 121 Kurt Busch runs a half second in front of Jeff Gordon. Lap 122 battle for 9th as Earnhardt Jr. passes Kahne. Allmendinger passed Smith for 19th. Lap 123 it’s Biffle versus Kenseth for 14th, but while they are working on that, Menard is passed by both drivers.

    Lap 124 Ambrose is having issues as the transmission fails in his car where he makes it to pit road. Lap 125 your top ten drivers are Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Hamlin, Montoya, Stewart, Johnson, Kyle Busch, Newman, Earnhardt Jr. and Harvick.

    Lap 132 Kurt Busch leads Jeff Gordon by 1.2 seconds now. Biffle and Kenseth have moved up 11th and 12th as well as Biffle passing Kenseth. Menard has slipped back to 16th. Lap 133 we hear that Stewart has lost third gear.

    Lap 139 Kurt Busch has gained and additional second on Jeff Gordon to make it 2.1 seconds. Hamlin in third is 4.3 seconds back. Lap 140 pit stops are underway once again.

    Lap 143 as stops are complete Kurt Busch is back in the lead followed by Jeff Gordon 1.8 seconds back in second.

    Lap 145 the drivers are spread out pretty far with the biggest battle on the track is Ragan versus Reutimann for 15th and Logano is now in the mix in between both drivers running 16th.

    Lap 150 your top twenty drivers are Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Hamlin, Montoya, Johnson, Kyle Busch, Newman, Kenseth, Harvick, Earnhardt Jr., Stewart, Biffle, Truex Jr., Kahne, Ragan, Logano, Reutimann, Menard, Smith and Keselowski.

    Lap 151 the Ragan Logano battle continues as the two jockey back and forth for 15th. Reutimann has dropped out of the picture. In fact on lap 152 Menard may pass Reutimann for 17th.

    YELLOW FLAG lap 155 for debris. Martin is the lucky dog. This was an issue from Hamlin losing a rear tire.

    GREEN FLAG lap 159 (41 to go) as the familiar drivers of Montoya once again with the two tire stop and Jeff Gordon lead the drivers racing into turn one. Gordon has big help from Johnson to take the lead. We almost see three wide as Kurt Busch passes Montoya and Johnson.

    39 to go we see Hamlin smoking from the left rear tire. Someone must have tagged the fender to cause the issue. 38 to go lots of action on the track as Earnhardt Jr. battles with Kahne for 13th and takes the position.

    37 to go Gordon leads Kurt Busch by 1 second and Kyle Busch in third by 2.7 seconds. 36 to go Earnhardt Jr. is challenged by Reutimann who passes Kahne for the 13th spot. Logano is now in the mix after passing both Kahne and Reutimann.

    35 to go Hamlin and Bowyer enter the action by passing Reutimann and closing in on Kahne.

    34 to go as Biffle spins out at the entrance to pit road and out of the racing area where the race remains green. Earnhardt moves up to 12th. 33 to go Earnhardt slips past Smith to take over 11th.

    30 to go as we see the start of green flag stops. 28 to go Montoya is in for a four tire stop. 27 to go Burton and Menard are in. 26 to go Harvick head in along with Logano, Kahne, Ragan, Martin and a few others.

    25 to go Hamlin is in along with Earnhardt Jr. and Johnson. 24 to go Kyle Busch is in along with Newman and Kenseth. Truex Jr. is in.

    24 to go Gordon and Kurt Busch are in. 23 to go we still have Cassill and Keselowski who need to pit, after that Gordon will be the leader with Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch in his tracks. Gordon is three seconds in front of the two brothers.

    20 to go as Gordon passes Keselowski for 2nd place and closes in on Cassill. Your top ten at the moment are Cassill, Gordon, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Keselowski, Montoya, Johnson, Harvick, Earnhardt Jr. and Kenseth.

    18 to go Gordon take the lead as Kurt Busch closes in on Cassill to take it in turn two. 17 to go Newman has lost his third gear. We hear the McMurray lost his third gear a while back as well.

    16 to go Gordon in front of Kurt Busch by 1.9 seconds and Kyle Busch by 3.2 seconds.

    13 to go as Cassill heads to pit road Harvick closes in on Montoya for 5th place.

    12 to go Keselowski heads to pit road. Harvick challenges Montoya for 5th on the inside. 11 to go Earnhardt Jr. is in the mix for 5th.

    10 to go Earnhardt Jr. passes Montoya for 6th.

    9 to go Biffle is in for his last stop. Gordon leads Kurt Busch by 2 seconds.

    8 to go Earnhardt Jr. works on Harvick for 5th.

    7 to go Gordon over Kurt Busch by 2.4 seconds and third place Kyle Busch by 6 seconds.

    5 to go as Gordon crosses the stripe. If there are no issues Gordon looks to be the winner.

    4 to go as Edwards is back in the race after helping the TNT broadcast for 30 laps.

    3 to go Gordon over Kurt Busch by 2.6 seconds.

    2 to go for Gordon as Kenseth is challenging Montoya for 7th place.

    WHITE FLAG for Gordon and the race is his unless he makes any mistakes. Turn one looks good. The tunnel turn is clean. The last corner has no issues and chalk up win number 84 for Jeff Gordon.

    CHECKERED FLAG for Jeff Gordon.

    The rest of the top ten is Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Johnson, Harvick, Earnhardt Jr., Montoya, Kenseth, Newman and Truex Jr.

    The race lasted for three and a half hours. We saw 18 lead changes among 10 leaders. 4 cautions occurred in the race.

    Unofficial Race Results
    5-Hour Energy 500, Pocono Raceway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/race.php?race=14
    =========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 3 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 47
    2 1 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 43
    3 34 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 42
    4 14 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 41
    5 32 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 39
    6 21 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 38
    7 16 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 38
    8 27 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 36
    9 8 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 35
    10 31 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 34
    11 19 20 Joey Logano Toyota 33
    12 17 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 32
    13 9 0 David Reutimann Toyota 31
    14 2 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 30
    15 5 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 29
    16 12 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 28
    17 11 6 David Ragan Ford 27
    18 10 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 26
    19 4 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 27
    20 33 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 24
    21 15 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 24
    22 23 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 22
    23 20 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 21
    24 25 51 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 0
    25 28 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 19
    26 40 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 18
    27 37 16 Greg Biffle Ford 17
    28 18 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 16
    29 30 34 David Gilliland Ford 15
    30 35 13 Casey Mears Toyota 14
    31 41 32 Mike Bliss Ford 0
    32 24 71 Andy Lally * Ford 12
    33 13 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 11
    34 7 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 10
    35 26 38 Sam Hornish Jr. Ford 0
    36 38 37 Tony Raines Ford 8
    37 6 99 Carl Edwards Ford 7
    38 42 7 Scott Wimmer Dodge 0
    39 43 150 T.J. Bell * Toyota 0
    40 29 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 0
    41 36 66 Michael McDowell Toyota 4
    42 22 46 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 2
    43 39 181 Scott Riggs Chevrolet 0
  • Martin Truex Jr.: Same Old Jersey Boy With Brand New Crew Chief

    Martin Truex Jr.: Same Old Jersey Boy With Brand New Crew Chief

    [media-credit name=”Ed Coombs” align=”alignright” width=”235″][/media-credit]Prior to the race at Pocono, one of two tracks closest to his home state of New Jersey, Martin Truex, Jr. got the news that he would have a new crew chief, Chad Johnston, atop his pit box.

    And even though this self-proclaimed Jersey boy is glad to be ‘home’, he is still a bit disconcerted from the news of the change.

    “I mean it’s a tough deal,” Truex said. “It’s a tough situation to be involved in. This is obviously the first time I’ve ever been in this position where we’ve changed crew chiefs during the season.”

    Truex seemed to feel most badly for his former crew chief Pat Tryson, who was relieved of that duty and will be reassigned within the Michael Waltrip Racing organization. Yet after 49 races together, while Truex feels a bit badly about how it all came down, he is still looking forward to working with Tryson in a different capacity.

    “I feel bad for Pat (Tryson) obviously,” Truex said. “Hopefully we can keep Pat and hopefully he will stay around and help us make our race cars better because that’s the things he’s really good at.”

    Truex, Jr. is looking forward to continuing to work with his new crew chief, a 31 year old engineer from Indiana. Truex’s new boss atop the pit box, Chad Johnston, grew up racing himself on the paved and dirt short tracks the heartland, driving open wheel midget cars.

    “It’s not a big transition for the team though because Chad’s had a lot of responsibilities on the team up until now,” Truex said. “He was already in charge of the race car and the changes that went with it.”

    “So far, things haven’t been a whole lot different,” Truex continued. “Most of the interaction about the race car has been between me and him for the past six months. So, that’s not a big transition.”

    Because Johnston is so familiar with the team, the major new responsibilities include tech, taking charge of the team, and calling his first race, the 5-Hour Energy 500 at Pocono, atop the pit box.

    “The biggest things different for him is going through tech and making sure everybody’s doing what they’re supposed to,” Truex said. “And of course his job on Sunday will be different with him calling the race.”

    “Towards the end of last year when we gave Chad more of a responsibility as far as overseeing all of the set up on the car and the interaction on the race car going between me and him, we’d already seen big benefits from doing that,” Truex, Jr. said. “It’s not that Pat wasn’t getting it done but it was more that Chad was really stepping up and it was time to promote him.”

    “He’s really doing a great job and all the things that we’ve given him to do, he’s really taken them on his shoulders and done a great job,” Truex continued. “He’s worked hard for this and he deserves it.”

    Truex, Jr. is also hoping that the crew chief change will position him to somehow get back into Chase contention. He also definitely wants to return to his on-track performance of earlier in the season, especially on the bigger tracks.

    “We’ve had a shot to win a few races and if we just could have closed the deal, we could be in the Chase,” Truex said. “The biggest thing that I’m worried about right now is that our performance hasn’t been as good as earlier in the year.”

    “We were running really strong, leading laps and running up front for a while but the past month, it’s been kind of tough,” Truex continued. “It’s really just the bigger tracks.”

    “Right now some of these races, we’re just going to have to get through and get the best we can until we get our cars better,” Truex said. “If we could go and win a couple races, we could make a deal out of it. So, that would be good.”

    The new driver/crew chief combo will be first tested as they try to get back on track at the ‘Tricky Triangle’ this weekend. The challenges at Pocono Raceway will no doubt include managing the fuel, as well as the challenge of shifting for the first time in many years at the track.

    “It’s quite a bit different,” Truex said. “We were doing a bit of shifting just to see what it would be like and it’s different.”

    “I don’t know how much it will affect the fuel mileage and it usually comes down to a fuel mileage race,” Truex said. “I did shift the whole entire time in Happy Hour just to get a good read on it and see where we stand on it.”

    As the Michael Waltrip team heads into the summer months, the Jersey driver also acknowledged that keeping cool, both in the car physically as well as emotionally, will become more and more important. And no doubt, Truex will lean on his young crew chief to assist in both regards.

    “These cars are hot,” Truex said. “They put a lot of effort into keeping them as cool as possible but at the end of the day, it’s just hot.”

    “You just have to be prepared for it,” Truex continued. “You just have to suck it up.”

    “I started to train this year but I don’t think it’s all it’s cracked up to be, to be honest,” Truex said. “I think it’s a situation that when you do this, you get trained for it. It’s kind of like an experience thing.”

    “You get used to the heat and you don’t worry about it anymore,” Truex continued. “I sometimes don’t know how we do it but we’re able to make it through.”

    With a new face atop the pit box, Martin Truex, Jr. will be looking to his roots for some familiarity. His family is not able to be with him this weekend, however, his girlfriend and dog are keeping him company.

    “Yes, I am a Jersey boy,” Truex said. “I haven’t lived there in a long time and I don’t get back there as much as I’d like to but yeah , I never forgot where I came from.”

    “I still love it there,” Truex continued. “All my friends are there and my family still lives there.”

    “It’s nice to get back there and I’d like to get back more often,” Truex said. “Someday I’ll be able to spend more time there.”

  • Pocono Raceway – Saturday update

    Pocono Raceway – Saturday update

    [media-credit name=”Ed Coombs” align=”alignright” width=”230″][/media-credit]Saturday at the Pocono Raceway we got off to a very wet start to the day as heavy storms pounded us early Saturday morning. Things cleared up long enough to get Coors Light qualifying completed for the Sprint Cup Series but a persistent fog plagued the ARCA series race and it was called shortly after the halfway mark due to the misty weather and the fact the spotters could not even see turn 1 from the tower!

    Sprint Cup qualifying was somewhat surprising to me as Kurt Busch won the pole with Paul Menard rounding out the front row. Jeff Gordon will start third.

    Busch, who wrecked his primary car during practice Friday said, “Quite a bit of emotions today, especially after having to burst out the backup car after yesterday’s mishap. To go out there today, if it was raining, we would be starting last. And now, luckily the weather held out and we’re on the pole. An amazing swing of events. An honest thank you to my guys, especially the ones back at the shop preparing the cars. To pull a backup out that’s a pole-winning car, that’s something you really wouldn’t hear about back in the day. It would be all-right, we’re going to have to struggle through the weekend; it’s not the best piece (car). It’s great that we have that quality control in our system.”

    Busch also made comments about how the Penske organization has changed since his tirades in Richmond and other tracks over the radio. “We haven’t changed a lot of things since Richmond,” Busch said. “It’s just been some procedures, some processes and maybe just looking at the data a little bit differently. It’s great to come back out and be on the pole again.”

    Carl Edwards, who was fastest in happy hour qualified sixth. He said, “It was an okay run but I was just telling Bob and the guys that that is the fastest our car has been through three and four. I knew we got through one and two really well. The timing was a little shaky and we got a little loose. All I could think was, ‘man, this is a screaming lap and don’t overdrive three.’ I drove in there a little bit soft and this thing stuck. It had so much grip and I knew right then that I gave something up. I tried to get into third gear and get on the gas as early as I could. That is a pole winning car right there. I just needed to drive a pole winning three and four. I am excited about the race. It is nice to be disappointed about a sixth place qualifying position. It should be a really good run for us.”

    One driver who was real happy was one of my dark horse picks for the weekend Marcos Ambrose. The affable Australian said, ““That was huge pickup for us. You think that one lap won’t make or break your season but Pocono is really tough. We had a tough Kansas and a tough practice yesterday and our team just dug deep. The car was fantastic. I guessed the shift points correctly and here we are. I am really proud of my guys. I have to thank Stanley and DeWalt and everybody for believing in me. Richard Petty too. He is my boss and I have to make him happy.”

    Mike Skinner had a vicious wreck off turn 1 in qualifying slamming into the second generation SAFER barrier wall. Skinner was OK after the wreck but the clean up some time and it looked like the weather could close in on qualifying session but instead it impacted the ARCA race.

  • Kurt Busch Snags 14th Career Pole at Pocono; Paul Menard Scores Second

    Kurt Busch Snags 14th Career Pole at Pocono; Paul Menard Scores Second

    [media-credit name=”Ed Coombs” align=”alignright” width=”209″][/media-credit]After crashing his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge in practice and having to pull out a backup car, Kurt Busch was despondent, especially thinking that if qualifying was rained out, he would start the 5-Hour Energy 500 at Pocono Raceway dead last.

    But the racing gods were with him, the weather held, and Busch snagged his 14th career pole, with a speed of 171.579 mph and a time of 52.454 seconds. This was Busch’s first pole in 21 races at the ‘Tricky Triangle.’

    “There were quite a bit of different emotions out there today, especially after having to bust out the backup car from yesterday’s  mishap,” Busch said. “If it were raining today, we’d be starting last.”

    “Now luckily the weather held out and we’re on the pole,” Busch said. “It’s an amazing swing of events and an honest thank you to my guys. To pull the backup out as a pole winning car is really something you wouldn’t hear about back in the day.”

    Busch’s pole also signified the third straight pole for Penkse Racing and his teammate Brad Keselowski was the winner of last weekend’s event at Kansas Speedway. Busch admitted in the media center after his pole run that Penske Racing has indeed turned a corner.

    “We haven’t changed a lot of things since Richmond and it’s just been some procedures and processes and maybe looking at the data a bit differently,” Busch said. “It’s great to come back out and get on the pole again.”

    Busch also referenced his superstition, feeling that he was stuck on the ‘unlucky 13’ pole.

    “To be number 14 already, really feels good,” Busch said.

    Busch’s crew chief, Steve Addington, echoed his driver’s feelings about the pole run.

    “I want to thank everybody on this Shell/Pennzoil Dodge,” Addington said. “The work they did to get this car ready was awesome.”

    “To lay down a lap like that is pretty impressive,” Addington continued. “And that guy that sits behind the steering wheel isn’t too damn bad either.”

    Paul Menard, driver of the No. 27 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet, scored the outside pole, with a speed of 171.422 mph and a time of 52.502 seconds. This was Menard’s fifth top-10 start of 2011 and his first such start in nine races at Pocono.

    “We definitely thought it would rain out qualifying today,” Menard said. “So, we tried to post a good time early in practice and felt that would be our qualifying run.”

    “We were hoping for rain, honestly,” Menard continued. “To qualify second and actually put a lap down was pretty cool. It was much more meaningful that way.”

    Four-time champion Jeff Gordon posted his 22nd top-10 start at Pocono Raceway. He qualified third in his No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, with a speed of 171.350 mph and a time of 52.524 seconds.

    “I’ll be honest, prior to that run, I was kind of hoping it was going to rain,” Gordon said with a laugh. “We made a couple of qualifying runs yesterday and we weren’t really thrilled with the pace.”

    “The track was definitely a lot different as it was hot and slick,” Gordon continued. “We did our fastest laps in race trim and so we weren’t really sure what to expect today.”

    “We looked at the lap times and seeing just how fast the track was today, it gets you anxious when you ran a 54.10 and guys were running in the 52s,” Gordon said. “It was interesting because right before I left the truck I told Alan (Gustafson), ‘It looks like half a second per corner’ and as a driver, a half a second a corner just isn’t fathomable.”

    “As a driver, to go out there and do that and put up a good lap and be third, I’m thrilled,” Gordon said. “I’m very, very happy.”

    Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota and past master of Pocono Raceway, qualified fourth with a speed of 171.174 mph and a time of 52.578 seconds.

    Regan Smith, behind the wheel of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet, continued his hot qualifying hand and rounded out the top five, with a speed of 171.164 mph and a time of 52.581 seconds.

    Starting Lineup
    5-Hour Energy 500, Pocono Raceway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/qual.php?race=14
    Pos. No. Driver Make Speed Time
    1 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 171.579 52.454
    2 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 171.422 52.502
    3 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 171.35 52.524
    4 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 171.174 52.578
    5 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 171.165 52.581
    6 99 Carl Edwards Ford 171.057 52.614
    7 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 170.836 52.682
    8 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 170.532 52.776
    9 0 David Reutimann Toyota 170.348 52.833
    10 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 170.2 52.879
    11 6 David Ragan Ford 170.177 52.886
    12 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 170.126 52.902
    13 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 169.908 52.97
    14 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 169.872 52.981
    15 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 169.856 52.986
    16 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 169.702 53.034
    17 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 169.671 53.044
    18 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 169.607 53.064
    19 20 Joey Logano Toyota 169.52 53.091
    20 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 169.501 53.097
    21 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 169.447 53.114
    22 46 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 169.444 53.115
    23 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 169.441 53.116
    24 71 Andy Lally* Ford 169.37 53.138
    25 51 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 169.307 53.158
    26 38 Sam Hornish Jr. Ford 169.278 53.167
    27 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 169.224 53.184
    28 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 169.176 53.199
    29 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 169.17 53.201
    30 34 David Gilliland Ford 169.119 53.217
    31 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 169.113 53.219
    32 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 169.084 53.228
    33 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 168.932 53.276
    34 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 168.89 53.289
    35 13 Casey Mears Toyota 168.666 53.36
    36 66 Michael McDowell Toyota 168.218 53.502
    37 16 Greg Biffle Ford 167.773 53.644
    38 37 Tony Raines Ford 167.395 53.765
    39 181 Scott Riggs Chevrolet 167.264 53.807
    40 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 167.057 53.874
    41 32 Mike Bliss Ford 166.867 53.935
    42 7 Scott Wimmer+ Dodge 162.414 55.414
    43 150 T.J. Bell* Toyota 166.633 54.011
  • Brian Vickers Hopes Exhilaration of Daytona Skydive Carries Over to Pocono Win

    Brian Vickers Hopes Exhilaration of Daytona Skydive Carries Over to Pocono Win

    [media-credit name=”Ed Coombs” align=”alignright” width=”236″][/media-credit]Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, is still flying high after skydiving into Daytona International Speedway. He is now hoping that the exhilaration will just continue right into one of his better tracks Pocono Raceway.

    “It was incredible,” Vickers said. “To be able to jump into Daytona was amazing.”

    “Jumping into any other track would have been incredible but Daytona is the biggest event and the biggest track,” Vickers continued. “I thought it would be pretty appropriate and pretty cool to jump in there first.”

    “To be able to see the track from that height was cool and it was beautiful,” Vickers said. “That picture is just burned in my mind for sure.”

    Not only was the Daytona jump exhilarating for Vickers, but it was also a piece of unfinished business for the young driver. Finishing the Dover race this year also fell into that category as well.

    “We had this scheduled last year and it got cancelled due to my health reasons,” Vickers said of his skydive. “So to be able to come back and finish it and to finish what we started meant a lot.”

    “Jumping into Daytona and then finishing Dover were two very important things to me personally,” Vickers said. “Dover was the first race I missed so to finish that race and finish it well was important to me.  Skydiving at Daytona was something we started in 2010 and to go back and finish that was very special.”

    Vickers is counting on that exhilarating feeling from his jump carrying right over into his run at Pocono Raceway, one of his favorite tracks. In fact, Pocono is one of Vickers better tracks, having spent 73.4 percent of the laps in the top 15 in his last ten starts at the ‘Tricky Triangle.’

    Vickers has started in the top ten in eight of his twelve starts at Pocono and he has had four top-five and five top-10 finishes. Pocono Raceway ranks second as far as top average-finish tracks for Vickers, with an average finish of 14.3 there.

    “Pocono has been a good track for me,” Vickers said. “We’ve run well. I’ve sat on poles, we’ve been fast and I’ve finished second but we haven’t won here so there is unfinished business here too for sure.”

    Vickers acknowledges that, as good as he is at Pocono, he along with all of the other drivers, will face some significant challenges. Among those are facing yet another potential fuel mileage race, as well as the new ability to shift.

    “This race has been fuel strategy before but sometimes it’s just been a battle at the end,” Vickers said. “It just depends.”

    “You can’t just plan on doing fuel strategy because it just depends on when the last caution falls,” Vickers continued. “It just depends on how the race plays out.”

    “The shifting is going to be power shifting again and I think it’s better for the racing,” Vickers said. “We’ll see more passing.”

    “I never understood why they stopped us from shifting,” Vickers continued. “It didn’t save anything or serve any purpose to my knowledge and it was harder to pass. It was a great decision to start shifting again.”

    Another issue making the Triangle tricky in Vickers’ opinion is the heat, which is a bit of a carryover from the Kansas inferno of last weekend. Yet, Vickers definitely feels that plays right into his hands.

    “It’s been very hot lately and the last couple of races have been very hot,” Vickers said. “I love it because I’m in the best shape of my life. It’s just an advantage that I have.”

    Vickers also admitted that the heat not only makes the drivers miserably physically but can also lead to some heated emotions as well.

    “There have been a lot of hot tempers lately,” Vickers said. “That’s just the emotional part of our sport.”

    “It’s also just the personalities of each individual,” Vickers continued. “The hot head or temper has never been my thing.”

    Vickers also acknowledged that the length of the race, the Five Hour Energy 500, can also take its toll, physically and emotionally.

    “It’s a very long race and it’s actually too long,” Vickers said. “I love Pocono and I want to see them keep their race dates but I think to do that, they’re going to have to shorten the race.”

    “The fans here are amazing and they almost always fill the stands,” Vickers continued. “I really enjoy racing on the track, but it’s too long. But it is what it is for now.”

    Vickers’ final challenge at the ‘Tricky Triangle’ is figuring out his qualifying order strategy.

    “You want to go out early for qualifying so you have to sandbag a little bit,” Vickers said. “But if it rains, you want to be in the front. So, it’s tough.”

    “A lot of it is just going to be playing the weather and whoever makes the best guess for the weather will have that advantage,” Vickers continued. “If it looks like it’s going to rain, they’ll go as fast as they can to qualify late.  But if it looks sunny and hot, you’ll see some guys lay off in practice.”

    “It’s hard because you want to go fast,” Vickers said. “But there’s ways to do it without compromising the performance of the set up or the car.”

    Vickers is also hoping, very earnestly, that Pocono will not only yield a good finish but will also help him continue to climb in the point standings. And, of course, he too has his eye on making the Chase, currently sitting 26th in the point standings, just 29 points shy of the 20th spot.

    “We need to keep climbing,” Vickers said. “We got in a hole at the beginning of the year and we got into some wrecks early in the season. So, we need to get out of this hole.”

    “I still think we can get there,” Vickers continued. “A win or two would put us in the Chase for the wild card and hopefully we can climb our way back up the hard way. But either way, I still think we have a shot at it.”

    What was truly amazing to Vickers, however, was that he actually skydived into Daytona at 5,000 feet, which is just slightly longer than the front stretch of the Pocono Raceway at 3,740 feet.

    “That’s crazy,” Vickers said. “It was exhilarating.”

     

  • Ron Hornaday Wins the WinStar World Casino 400k at Texas Motor Speedway

    Ron Hornaday Wins the WinStar World Casino 400k at Texas Motor Speedway

    In a race that had a record number of leaders and lead changes, it was Ron Hornaday winning the WinStar World Casino 400k after a controversial call on the last lap.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”272″][/media-credit]On the final green white checkered finish, Johnny Sauter had the lead and chose to start on the outside. Before crossing the start finish line, Sauter came down in front of Hornaday, which is a no-no as according to the NASCAR rulebook. Rules states clearly that you must stay in your lane until you cross the line. As a result, Sauter was black flagged, handing the win over to Hornaday.

    “I’m not going to go down that way and judge,” he said. “I saw him sliding down and once he figured it out, he went back up there. I kind of saved my stuff just in case that happened there. It’s just an unbelievable day. I’ll take it.”

    The win marks the 48th career win for Hornaday and his third win at Texas Motor Speedway.

    “The way our year has been going, we’re gaining on them, but we’re still not right yet,” he added. “These guys never lay back. Thanks to Kevin and Delana for believing in me.”

    Sauter, meanwhile, was credited with a 22nd place finish as the last truck on the lead lap.

    “He’s got a lane to race down there,” Sauter said of NASCAR’s call. “We both spun the tires. I was just trying to save the truck.”

    Parker Kligermann, meanwhile, came home second as he scored his best career finish in 10 starts.

    “I just wanna thank these guys right here,” Kligermann said. “We don’t go to the wind tunnel; we don’t do shake-rig testing. They gave me an awesome truck and its about making the best of these opportunities. I owe to them since Phoenix and to know that we’re one spot away from right there (victory lane), is good.”

    David Mayhew also scored his best career finish in five starts as he finished third in his first start with Kevin Harvick Incorporated.

    “We had a really good truck,” Mayhew said. “I gotta thank Kevin and Delana Harvick and all these guys at KHI. Without this opportunity, you won’t be able to run like guys like that. Those guys made awesome adjustments on pit road and kept working on it.”

    For Brian Ickler, he was able to rebound to finish fourth after spinning out on lap 50 after contact with Todd Bodine.

    “We had a good truck all weekend,” Ickler said. “Bodine and I got into it in there and we spun out but we came back up there. I gotta thank Kyle and Samantha for the opportunity. I get to this one more time at Iowa and can’t wait.”

    Joey Coulter rounded out the top-five in fifth, matching the fifth place finish last week at Kansas. Ricky Carmichael finished sixth, followed by Ryan Sieg, Miguel Paludo, Justin Lofton and pole sitter James Buescher. Buescher came back to finish 10th after getting frontend damage midway through the race.

    Buescher started the race from the pole, though on lap four, Austin Dillon took the lead before the first caution for oil on the track at lap five. The restart would come at lap 10 and Buescher would jump back to first, till lap 15 when Dillon grabbed it back.

    The second caution came out on lap 23 for Chase Mattiolli going for a spin and all the leaders pitted with Steve Arpin, who was making his first ever Camping World Truck Series start, coming off pit road first. The restart came at lap 27 and by lap 31, Dillon was already back in the lead.

    The third caution came out at lap 51 for Brian Ickler spinning and the leaders would pit again, though Dillon would hold serve. The restart came at lap 56, though another caution would come out at lap 59 for Ryan Sieg spinning. The restart would come at lap 63 and on lap 64, Johnny Sauter jumped into the lead.

    The fifth caution came out at lap 66 for David Starr and Todd Bodine making contact.

    “I shouldn’t had been back there racing them,” Bodine said. “I could’ve stayed behind him or went under and I chose the wrong one of the two.”

    Some of the lead trucks pitted while nine didn’t, which handed the lead to Nelson Piquet Jr. when the restart came at lap 72. He was able to hold the lead till lap 75 when Miguel Paludo would take over the top spot, till he got passed by Joey Coulter at lap 83.

    The sixth caution would come at lap 90 when Austin Dillon and Matt Crafton made contact as Crafton tried to slide up in front of Dillon, thinking he was clear.

    “I guess he just got a run there the last second,” Crafton said. “He wasn’t there, he wasn’t there and then he was there and I tried to back off and tried to turn left, but couldn’t cause I was free and then I got hooked on the front straightaway. Kind of a hard way to go down.”

    Once again, some drivers pitted while others stayed out, which handed the lead over to Ron Hornaday for the lap 95 restart, though he’d only hold it till lap 100 when Sauter would once again take it over.

    The seventh caution would come out when Cole Whitt would blow up and everybody pitted, except Ryan Sieg who stayed out. The restart came with 55 to go and the race would only stay green for five laps as the eighth caution would fly when Justin Marks would go for a spin. Sieg pitted under the caution, giving the lead back to Hornaday. The restart came with 45 to go and with 37 to go, Sauter would go back to the front.

    The ninth caution came out with 30 to go with Steve Arpin would get loose, making contact with Austin Dillon, sending them both into the grass. The restart came five laps later and Sauter would lead all the way to the final caution with seven to go when Clay Rogers got into the wall.

    The race would go back to green with the green-white-checkered, which is where the call was made against Sauter. On the final lap, Travis Kvapil and Johanna Long made heavy contact with the wall as Kvapil got loose coming off of turn four.

    Sauter now leads Whitt in the point standings by 12 points as they’re followed by Dillon, Crafton and Timothy Peters.

    The next race for the Camping World Truck Series is on Thursday July 7th at Kentucky Speedway.