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  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Phoenix Kobalt Tools 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Phoenix Kobalt Tools 500

    In the “Valley of the Sun” the track was slick and the desire, especially among the three Chase contenders, was even thicker.   Here are the surprising and not surprising moments from the Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway:

    Surprising:  After leading the most laps, dominating the majority of the race, and securing those precious championship bonus points for doing so, Denny Hamlin maintained his points lead but failed to bring home the race win.  Hamlin ended up being short on fuel and had to pit with just a few laps to go, valiantly fighting his way back to a 12th place finish.  A dejected Hamlin, now ahead of Jimmie Johnson by just 15 points, could only say after the race, “It’s pretty disappointing.  It’s tough to not be happy having the points lead.”

    Not Surprising:  Carl Edwards, who was dominant throughout the weekend at Phoenix, including a Nationwide win, back flipped his way into Victory Lane, taking the checkered flag and slamming the door on his almost two year winless streak.  Edwards, who celebrated the win by creating a victory mosh pit in the midst of the crowd, also pulled off his first double.  Edwards summed it up succinctly saying, “We had a fast car, we got good gas mileage, and whew, we won.  Man, this is unreal.”

    Surprising:  It was most surprising that a mistake on pit road actually benefitted Chase contender Kevin Harvick.  Although Harvick had to come back down pit road late in the race to address a missing lug nut, he and his crew topped off on fuel, which served them well and led to a sixth place finish.  Harvick, now 46 points behind points leader Denny Hamlin, pronounced himself “just lucky” while his crew chief Gil Martin made it abundantly clear there would be no crew changes on his team, in spite of the pit road miscue.

    Not Surprising:  Speaking of crew swaps, the one that was made permanent between Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, worked beautifully and, to no one’s surprise, garnered Johnson a fifth place finish.  Gordon’s former crew did a phenomenal job on Johnson’s car, while Gordon, with Johnson’s former crew, finished 11th.  Johnson also did a fine job himself behind the wheel, feathering the throttle to make it to the checkered flag with just enough gas to spare.  “Today showed that it’s not over until the last lap,” said the four-time champion.

    Surprising:   After a most eventful race, it was most surprising to see Jamie McMurray bring his No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet to the checkered flag for a top ten finish.  About 100 laps into the race, McMurray hit the wall hard, severely damaging the back of his car, including major damage to his spoiler.  In desperation, McMurray threw his water bottle out of his car, which exploded all over Jimmie Johnson’s windshield, bringing out the third caution of the day.  While McMurray was the ‘lucky dog’, he was penalized and held one lap by the NASCAR officials for intentionally bringing out the caution.  All of the drama did benefit McMurray, especially in a fuel mileage race and he finished in the tenth position.

    Not Surprising:  With 500 faces of veterans gracing his race car, it was not surprising that Ryan Newman had the motivation and determination to do them all proud.  Newman was able to bring home his No. 39 US Army Veteran’s Day Tribute Chevrolet in the runner up position, proving that he too was ‘Army Strong.”  He also managed to finish the entire race in spite of being on baby watch, with his wife Krissie scheduled to deliver their baby girl at any time now.

    Surprising:   Joey Logano had a surprisingly solid day, starting tenth and finishing 3rd in his No. 20 Home Depot Toyota.  This was the youngster’s third straight top-5 finish, a record which Logano fully intends to continue to build on for next year.

    Not Surprising:   Mark Martin, who has one of the best performance records at Phoenix International Raceway, had a solid day, finishing in the top ten.  Although he had to battle his way through the field, qualifying 28th, Martin was the highest Hendrick finisher next to his teammate Jimmie Johnson, bringing home the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in the eighth spot.

    Surprising:  While Kasey Kahne is undoubtedly still getting used to his new Red Bull Racing team, it was surprising just how discombobulated he and his crew seemed to be.  In one of the early rounds of pit stops, Kahne completely missed his pit stall and had to circle back around, costing him dearly as far as track position.  In one of the more bizarre moments of the race, Kahne’s crew left one of the Sunoco fuel cans on the back of his car.  When Kahne pulled out of his pit stall, the can hooked the spoiler pulling it upright and making for a most unusual sight as Kahne drove around the race track.  Kahne eventually finished in the 30th position.

    Not Surprising:  Although unfortunate, it was not surprising how miserable Kahne’s Red Bull teammate Scott Speed was throughout the race.  With his future uncertain, Speed was absolutely irate with his crew as he battled an ill-handling race car throughout the day.  Speed finished 35th, several laps down, soldiering on to the end of a very disappointing season and an even more unsettling future.

    With the championship still up for grabs, the Cup Series will head south to Homestead for the last race of the 2010 season and the crowning of the Sprint Cup Champion.  The Ford 500 will run at 1:00 PM ET at Homestead-Miami Speedway in celebration of Ford Championship weekend.

  • Danica Patrick and Cole Whitt: A Tale of Two Phoenix Rookies

    Danica Patrick and Cole Whitt: A Tale of Two Phoenix Rookies

    Patrick, straddling both IndyCar and the NASCAR Nationwide Series, has been trying to gain seat time and experience in her No. 7 GoDaddy JR Motorsports stock car. She was especially looking forward to racing for the first time at the track in the Valley of the Sun, a home game for her.

    “I remember at Charlotte last month everyone was thrilled to be racing close to home,” Patrick said prior to the race. “Now I get my turn for a hometown race.”

    While Patrick has raced her IndyCar at Phoenix, the Wypall 200 served as her stock car debut at her home track.

    “It’s a place I thought was cool in an Indy Car, and I’m sure it will be a handful in a stock car,” Patrick said. “It’s challenging, and I’m sure it will be even more so in a stock car with less grip.”

    Patrick’s words proved prophetic as the race was full of challenges for her. She started the race in the 28th position and remained in that position, logging laps as she familiarized herself with the track.

    Patrick made little progress forward, however, and that is how her trouble began. At least twice, she had close contact with other race cars back in the pack, once with Tony Raines which resulted in a tire problem, and another time with Alex Kennedy, against whom she later took retaliatory action.

    Her troubles intensified when she lost control and hit the wall hard, sending her to the attention of her pit crew for repairs. Patrick, who had set a goal of finishing in the top 15 prior to the race, finished 32nd, seven laps down to race winner Carl Edwards.

    In stark contrast to Patrick’s much heralded and intensely scrutinized Phoenix Nationwide start, Cole Whitt and his Red Bull Racing team took to the track, both making their Nationwide debuts. Whitt, who is just 19 years old, has raced primarily in the K&N Pro Series, where he finished fourth in the point standings and runner up for rookie of the year honors for the 2010 season.

    “It’s going to be fun and cool to see how we stack up against some of the bigger guys,” Whitt said prior to the race. “I have all the confidence in the world in my team, my cars and everything that we are putting together, so I have no doubt that we will go out there and run good.”

    “I approach every race in attack mode,” Whitt said. “I’ll do everything I can to make sure we are as fast as we can be.”

    Although Witt had never raced Phoenix in a Nationwide car, he has had experience at Phoenix International Raceway. Whitt raced twice in USAC midgets, winning the USAC Silver Crown portion of the 2009 Copper World Classic for his first victory on pavement.

    Prior to the race, Whitt also got some coaching from Red Bull Racing’s Cup stars, Brian Vickers and Scott Speed. Vickers particularly cautioned the youngster to “pick his battles wisely.”

    Both Vickers and Speed urged their rookie driver to understand the fine balance between standing your ground against the veterans, while also not letting them push you around.

    “You don’t want to make enemies on your first day,” Vickers told Whitt prior to the race. “The veterans can make your life miserable.”

    For his Nationwide debut at PIR, Whitt, behind the wheel of the No. 84 Red Bull car, had to qualify his way into the race with no owner’s points available. He not only made the show, starting in the 21st position, but also turned heads by being the fastest car in Nationwide happy hour practice at 130.496 mph.

    For his part, Whitt heeded all of his teammates’ advice. He kept his nose clean, stayed out of trouble, and brought the car home for a top-15 finish.

    “I’ve got to thank Red Bull, Toyota and everybody that came together to make this thing happen,” Whitt said after the race. “We really didn’t mess up a whole lot. I think it was a track position race and we just couldn’t quite get up front where we needed to be.”

    “Everything went good,” Whitt continued. “We came out here to prove ourselves and I think we did pretty decent. We came out for a top-15 and that’s what we had.”

    For Whitt and Patrick, the tale of the two Phoenix Nationwide rookies could not have played out more differently. While Patrick struggled, beating and banging to finish laps down, Whitt managed to move ahead, keeping his nose clean and achieving that top-15 finish that has eluded Patrick throughout her Nationwide season.

    The other tale of these two Phoenix Nationwide rookies, however, is even more divergent. Patrick will finish up her Nationwide rookie season at Homestead and is set to race again next year, while Whitt’s plans for the future remain uncertain.

  • Edwards wins NNS race at Phoenix

    Edwards wins NNS race at Phoenix

    With two racing remaining in the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series some teams and drivers were searching for solution for 2011. Entering the Wypall 200 at Phoenix International Raceway Brad Keselowski and the Penske/ Discount Tire #22 team already have the driver’s championship locked up. The only other top fight is between that #22 team and the Joe Gibbs Racing #18 team for the owners championship. Gibbs was leading entering this race.

    From the drop of the green flag, and even before, it was obvious that Carl Edwards wanted this win bad. He battled early in the race with Joey Logano, who led 23 laps early in the race. Up front for the first 100 laps it was Edwards, Kyle Bush, Kevin Harvick, Justin Allgaier and Logano.

    With 50 laps remaining in the race the top 5 battling were Edwards, Bush, Harvick, Keselowski and Logano. With 30 laps to go Bush was forced to pit for a cut rear tire change, no caution came out and he went down a lap to the leaders. Although he fought hard to regain ground and made his way to the first cart none lap down, the needed caution was not forthcoming. Kyle did manage to get past the leader to finish on the lead lap, but at 16th place, the last car on the lead lap, the hopes of the owners championship for Joe Gibbs Racing is all but a memory.

    In the closing laps it was Edwards out front with a commanding 4.5 second lead over second place Kevin Harvick. Carl would come home the winner once again, followed across the line by Harvick, Logano, Keselowski and Sorenson in fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were Almirola, Stenhouse Jr., Allgaier, Braun and Steven Wallace 10th.

    Trevor Bayne, who had to qualify on speed in the RFR unsponsored #17 car started 9th and remained in the top 15 most of the day. His intention is to turn laps as he hopes to maintain his championship points position after being released by Diamond-Waltrip Racing. Racing smart, with no real points battle in sight, Bayne brought the #17 home in 14th place, giving Roush Fenway racing five cars in the top 15 for the day.

    The fight on the other end of the spectrum included a few teams with their eyes on the top 30 points position. That’s the elusive number to get your car locked into the first five races of 2011. Those teams in the battle include the #70 of ML Motorsports and driver’s Shelby Howard and Mark Green. Howard only runs a 22 race schedule, but a partnership agreement between ML Motorsports and Jay Robinson Racing provides the 70 car with more equipment and a second driver in David Green. It’s a strange situation since Howard replaced Green as the primary driver for ML after 4 races in 2009. The 70 came to PIR in 30th, 101 points ahead of the 81 team. The 35 of Mark Smith and the 23 of Robert Richardson were only 41 points ahead of the 70.

    The tension for that coveted 30 spot heated up on lap 20 of this race as Mark Green and the #70 car headed for the garage with a ‘blowed up’ transmission and engine. The folks back at ML Motorsports got a sigh of relief as the #81 car finished 26th keeping the #70 locked in the field going into the final race at Homestead.

    For Indycar star, Danica Patrick this was another day of over exaggerated media coverage, a bit of almost racing, a bit of beating and banging and of course the obligatory whining. The final result for Danica was in line with her previous 10 races, finishing seven laps down in 32nd place.

    Unofficial Race Results

    WYPALL 200 powered by Kimberly-Clark Professional

    November 13, 2010 | Race 34 of 35

    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps Status
    1 – 60 Carl Edwards Ford 195 10 200 Running
    2 – 33 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 170 0 200 Running
    3 – 20 Joey Logano Toyota 170 5 200 Running
    4 – 22 Brad Keselowski Dodge 160 0 200 Running
    5 – 32 Reed Sorenson Toyota 155 0 200 Running
    6 – 88 Aric Almirola Chevrolet 155 5 200 Running
    7 – 16 Colin Braun * Ford 146 0 200 Running
    8 – 12 Justin Allgaier Dodge 142 0 200 Running
    9 – 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. * Ford 138 0 200 Running
    10 – 66 Steve Wallace Toyota 134 0 200 Running
    11 – 9 Brian Scott * Toyota 130 0 200 Running
    12 – 40 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 127 0 200 Running
    13 – 98 Paul Menard Ford 124 0 200 Running
    14 – 17 Trevor Bayne Ford 121 0 200 Running
    15 – 184 Cole Whitt Toyota 118 0 200 Running
    16 – 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 120 5 200 Running
    17 – 23 Coleman Pressley Chevrolet 112 0 200 Running
    18 – 15 Michael Annett Toyota 109 0 200 Running
    19 – 35 Tony Raines Chevrolet 111 5 200 Running
    20 – 28 Kenny Wallace Chevrolet 103 0 200 Running
    21 – 10 Ricky Carmichael Toyota 100 0 200 Running
    22 – 11 James Buescher * Toyota 97 0 200 Running
    23 – 99 Ryan Truex Toyota 94 0 198 Running
    24 – 27 Alex Kennedy Ford 91 0 198 Running
    25 – 5 David Starr Chevrolet 88 0 198 Running
    26 – 81 Michael McDowell Dodge 85 0 198 Running
    27 – 62 Brendan Gaughan Toyota 82 0 197 Running
    28 – 87 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 79 0 197 Running
    29 – 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 76 0 197 Running
    30 – 183 John Borneman III Ford 73 0 197 Running
    31 – 21 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 70 0 195 Running
    32 – 7 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 67 0 193 Running
    33 – 38 Jason Leffler Toyota 64 0 119 Out
    34 – 100 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 61 0 115 Running
    35 – 179 Tim Andrews Ford 58 0 36 Running
    36 – 49 David Green Chevrolet 55 0 31 Running
    37 – 90 Danny O’Quinn Jr. Chevrolet 52 0 27 Running
    38 – 70 Mark Green Chevrolet 49 0 20 Out
    39 – 91 David Gilliland Chevrolet 46 0 20 Out
    40 – 34 Charles Lewandoski Chevrolet 43 0 15 Running
  • On Pit Road: 2010 winding down looking gloomy

    On Pit Road: 2010 winding down looking gloomy

    As teams and driver’s in NASCAR’s number two and three series arrive at Phoenix looking past the final two races, things are not looking rosy.

    I caught up with some of the players in the garage at PIR to ask how they see 2011 shaping up. In the NASCAR Nationwide Series there is a lot of uncertainty for sure. Kenny Wallace announced earlier in the year that depending on how he performs in 2011, it may be his final curtain for NASCAR as a driver. I had heard earlier in the month of changes coming to Jay Robinson Racing for next year, including the possible shuttering of the #28 team. When I spoke with Kenny at PIR he was pretty blunt. “ I am embarrassed, I can’t run another season in cars with no power. I don’t know right now what the answer is, but we can’t keep doing this.”

    If Kenny is looking for another ride for 2011, the pickings are slim. RCR announced earlier that they will not return to the series in 2011 and have an arrangement to turn the #21 over to Morgan Shepherd. But folks inside the Shepherd camp admit that it is getting harder and harder to keep showing up at the track week in and week out with little to no sponsorship money. Add that sponsor problem to the cost of building all new cars for next year, combined with the ‘purse’ cuts in 2010 and more cuts in line for 2011, and it spells more doom and gloom. The day of the single car teams is looking dim and could provide little more than start and park teams.

    While the larger operations, such as Roush Fenway, Joe Gibbs, and Hendrick/JR Motorsports have room to work with Cup revenue and sponsor exposure with their Cup drivers, these smaller one and two car teams are in a real bind. ML Motorsports, out of Indiana is another single car team that could be promising with driver Shelby Howard. For 2010, they teamed up in a partnership with Jay Robinson Racing and driver Mark Green to fill in for the races other than the 22 Howard runs. This effort has pushed the #70 team into the top 30 and a guaranteed starting spot each week, and will lock them in for the first five races of 2011. But the uncertainty at Jay Robinson Racing may put that program in jeopardy for next year.

    A few weeks back Diamond Waltrip Racing released promising developmental driver Trevor Bayne. Wasting no time, RFR signed the talented young Knoxville, TN driver and placed him in a spare car in the NNS for the final races. In a surprise move, RFR made a deal to put Bayne in the legendary Wood Brothers #21 Sprint Cup car at Texas Motor Speedway. An impressive Bayne finished on the lead lap consistently running along side seasoned veterans in the series. That race earned Bayne NASCAR’s approval to attempt the 2011 Daytona 500. Now NS or will this signal the release of Ricky Stenhouse of Colin Braun?

    At about the same time, leading rookie of the year contender Brian Scott was released from his ride after Braun Racing sold out to Turner Racing. Scott managed to stay running and continue to compete for the ROTY honors. He is driving in the 09 RAB racing car now but has signed on with Joe Gibbs Racing for 2011. When Scott moved into the 09 car the team had gone through a myriad of drivers and musical crew members. With Scott came the switch to Toyota and the question now becomes, will the 09 team become part of JGR, with RAB leaving the series?

    The Nationwide teams are not alone as the Camping World Truck Series also has a lot of teams in financial straights. Danny Gill, who started to the season with two trucks in the opening race at Daytona, both finishing in the top 10. He had kept both teams in the top 25 in points until the lack of sponsorship forced him to pull the #95 truck from contention. Struggling each week, Gill managed to keep his #46 team locked in, but he was running out of money. A few weeks ago Eddie Sharp Racing made a deal for the #46 team for some of their developmental drivers. The Sharp deal brought in new Toyota Trucks to use. NASCAR veteran Steve Park took the wheel of the #46 truck at PIR.

    When I spoke with Gill On Pit Road at Phoenix, he confided that he simply ran out of money. He has sold the #46 ‘team’ to ESR who be buying all new Toyota trucks from Kyle Bush Motorsports in 2011. The physical assets of the #46 team have been sold to another individual and the Gill Motosports shop in Murfreesboro, TN will be closed by the end of November.

    Truck Series Rookie contender Jennifer Jo Cobb who entered the series this year with financing from her own clothing line told me that she is uncertain at this point what the future holds. She attempted a handful of Nationwide races this year with the intention to go full time in 2011 in that series, but wrecked cars and no sponsor money ended that quest. “ There will be no idea of a full time Nationwide run next year” she told me Friday night before her truck race. “ At this point, I don’t know what we will be doing next year, except that I will tell you that I will be at Daytona. After that, it depends on sponsorship.”

  • Bodine Locks Up Truck Series Championship; Bowyer Wins Lucas Oil 150

    Bodine Locks Up Truck Series Championship; Bowyer Wins Lucas Oil 150

    Following a pit stop with 50 laps to go, Clint Bowyer beat Kyle Busch off pit road and never looked back as he won the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway.

    “When Kyle got up there, I had to get back up on the wheel and fight for it,” Bowyer said after the race. “I knew he’d get the truck fixed and be up there.”

    The caution came out with 50 to go, following an incident involving Austin Dillon and Ron Hornaday. Dillon was trying to pass Hornaday when he got loose and tagged Hornaday.

    Hornaday, who just signed a multi-year contract with Kevin Harvick Incorporated, hasn’t had the year he’s wanted as a result of bad luck.

    “We just keep wrecking,” Hornaday of his sixth DNF of the year. “Its not because of bad trucks. I just got to put myself in better situations.”

    “I was getting under Ron there and got loose,” Dillon said. “Appologies to Ron, KHI and all the guys that work on those trucks.”

    Bowyer became the fourth different driver to win for Kevin Harvick Incorporated this year, with the other three being Hornaday, Kevin Harvick and Elliott Sadler.

    Busch finished second, extending his team’s lead in the owner’s championship standings to 120 points over Germain Racing.

    “We were racing for the win but there in the beginning, we didn’t have the tundra we were looking for,” Busch said afterwards. “But there in the middle, Eric got to where we were competitive and could run up there. There at the end, couldn’t get up there. Bowyer had the field covered.

    “Second is disappointing, however looking at the overall picture, we’re doing good.”

    Johnny Sauter finished third followed by Matt Crafton and Aric Almirola.

    “Consistancy is the key for sure,” Sauter said aftwards. “I’m just proud of all the guys at Thorsport…..They say consistancy will lead to wins. Had things gone differently at the beginning of the year, we could’ve made a run for the championship but congrats to Todd.”

    “It was really good on the long run, but for some reason, we just got on the splitter really hard,” Crafton said. “Very disappointing considering how good the truck was in practice and the fact that we thought we could win the race.”

    The spotlight for the night shined on Todd Bodine though as with his 12th-place finish, he clinched the 2010 Camping World Truck Series Driver’s Championship.

    “It’s pretty awesome,” Bodine said afterwards. “It’s a little disappointing due to our performance tonight., But it shows the performance of this team due to how good we were all year. Yes, we got four wins yet the top five are what matter and that consistancy that that we had.”

    “With the way we were able to run all year, it allowed us to be able to clinch this championshp early so I can’t thank these guys enough,” Crew Chief Mike Hillman Jr. said after the race. “We went from not knowing if we’d make every race to becoming champions.”

    “I’m just really proud of Germain Racing,” General Manager Mike Hillman Sr. said. “Great to have my son excel the way he has. Great to see him and Todd jell like they have. I’m just really proud of everything the Germain Brothers have done with this team.”

    Bodine and Germain Racing have experienced their share of struggles, including the lack of sponsorship for this season.

    “We did this without a sponsor,” Bodine said. “We’ve got Germain Racing on the side but that’s three guys who really care about this team. They funded this all year and knew that they’d do it whether able to get a sponsorship or not.”

    “I’m excited to be representing all of our employees and Germain Racing,” owner Steve Germain said. “A lot of things have gone our way, though a lot has not.”

    A couple different sponsors jumped on board, though for the majority of the year, it was the Germain brothers paying to run the race team out of their own pockets.

    “For those guys who have been here more than one year, thank you for sticking with us,” Hillman Jr. said to his guys on the radio after the race. “Thank you for the great year. That’s why these guys have worked this hard all year long. I can’t thank everybody on this Germain Racing team enough.”

    With the championship, Bodine becomes only the third driver in series history to hold multiple championships. The other two drivers being Hornaday with four and Jack Sprague with three.

    Bodine will look to become the first series back-to-back champion next year as he looks towards defending the title.

    Almirola looks to finish second in the points, sitting 202 points behind Bodine after Phoenix.

    “I’m proud of everything we’ve done this year with Billy Ballew Racing; they’ve done a good job,” Almirola said. “We’ve just got out run every weekend.”

    There is still one more race left on the schedule – next Friday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway is the Ford 200 at 7:30pm EST. Look for the owner’s championship to be decided between Kyle Busch Motorsports and Germain Racing.

  • Edwards captures Kobalt Tools 500 pole at Phoenix

    Edwards captures Kobalt Tools 500 pole at Phoenix

    [media-credit name=”Mike Finnegan” align=”alignleft” width=”250″][/media-credit]Carl Edwards captured the pole for Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway with a track-record lap of 136.389 MPH (26.395 secs).

    “That was a really good lap.  Bob did a really good job.  We were fastest in practice, but it was a 27.65, I think, and that lap was a 27.30 something, so the track picked up so much.  I was really nervous that the handling would be different. ”  Edwards said.

    AJ Allmendinger qualified second, Kurt Busch third, Greg Biffle fourth and Jamie McMurray qualified fifth.  The top three positions all broke the track record.

    The three championship contenders will start near each other.  Denny Hamlin qualified 17th, Jimmie Johnson 21st and Kevin Harvick qualified 29th.

    “We wanted the pole. That is what we worked on all day was to have a car that could do that. Had a really good balance in practice and certainly hoped to pick up enough to get the pole here today. The further forward you can start, everything is just so much better for you. It is a short race. Track position helps there. Pit road pick. The better we qualify, the happier we are going to be.” Johnson said.

    “I wish I would have been a little further to the front.  But, it looked like I might have got on the splitter a little bit hard.” Hamlin said.

    RACE LINEUP

    Kobalt Tools 500, Phoenix International Raceway

    November 14, 2010 – Race 35 of 36

    Pos. No. Driver Make Speed Time Behind
    1 99 Carl Edwards Ford 136.389 26.395 0
    2 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 136.25 26.422 -0.027
    3 2 Kurt Busch Dodge 136.24 26.424 -0.029
    4 16 Greg Biffle Ford 135.742 26.521 -0.126
    5 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 135.665 26.536 -0.141
    6 0 David Reutimann Toyota 135.547 26.559 -0.164
    7 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 135.527 26.563 -0.168
    8 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 135.303 26.607 -0.212
    9 9 Aric Almirola Ford 135.227 26.622 -0.227
    10 20 Joey Logano Toyota 135.206 26.626 -0.231
    11 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 135.206 26.626 -0.231
    12 6 David Ragan Ford 135.176 26.632 -0.237
    13 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota 135.15 26.637 -0.242
    14 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 135.089 26.649 -0.254
    15 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 135.084 26.65 -0.255
    16 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 135.039 26.659 -0.264
    17 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 134.938 26.679 -0.284
    18 98 Paul Menard Ford 134.917 26.683 -0.288
    19 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 134.917 26.683 -0.288
    20 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 134.821 26.702 -0.307
    21 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 134.816 26.703 -0.308
    22 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 134.801 26.706 -0.311
    23 19 Elliott Sadler Ford 134.801 26.706 -0.311
    24 13 Casey Mears Toyota 134.766 26.713 -0.318
    25 83 Kasey Kahne Toyota 134.756 26.715 -0.32
    26 9 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet 134.494 26.767 -0.372
    27 82 Scott Speed Toyota 134.429 26.78 -0.385
    28 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 134.393 26.787 -0.392
    29 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 134.353 26.795 -0.4
    30 12 Brad Keselowski Dodge 134.273 26.811 -0.416
    31 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 134.163 26.833 -0.438
    32 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 134.013 26.863 -0.468
    33 26 J.J. Yeley Ford 133.943 26.877 -0.482
    34 7 Robby Gordon Toyota 133.65 26.936 -0.541
    35 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 133.625 26.941 -0.546
    36 55 Mike Bliss Toyota 133.611 26.944 -0.549
    37 37 David Gilliland Ford 133.492 26.968 -0.573
    38 38 Travis Kvapil Ford 133.383 26.99 -0.595
    39 164 Landon Cassill Toyota 133.343 26.998 -0.603
    40 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 133.318 27.003 -0.608
    41 71 Brendan Gaughan+ Chevrolet 132.197 27.232 -0.837
    42 34 Tony Raines+ Ford 130.938 27.494 -1.099
    43 81 Terry Labonte Dodge 0 0 0
  • Busch, Dollar General Team Up for Five Races in 2011

    Busch, Dollar General Team Up for Five Races in 2011

    Dollar General, the nation’s largest small-box retailer, will sponsor Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) Toyota Tundra in five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races in 2011.

    The famous yellow-and-black paint scheme will adorn the No. 18 Toyota with Busch behind the wheel at the season-opening event on Feb. 18 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, April 22 at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon Tenn., July 7 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Sept. 16 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., and at the Nov. 18 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    Dollar General was the primary sponsor on Busch’s No. 18 Toyota when he won the April 2 Nashville 200 Camping World Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. The win was the first for KBM in just its fourth-ever race, and took place just 30 miles from Dollar General’s headquarters in Goodlettsville, Tenn.

    “Dollar General is excited to partner with Kyle and Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2011,” said Rick Dreiling, chairman and CEO of Dollar General. “We enjoyed being the sponsor for Kyle’s first win with Kyle Busch Motorsports at Nashville Superspeedway in 2010, and we look forward to seeing him in victory lane in 2011.”

    Beyond their win together at Nashville in April, Dollar General and Busch have plenty of history together as Busch drove Braun Racing’s No. 32 Dollar General Toyota to victory in the May 2008 Nationwide Series race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The Las Vegas native has more than 80 wins in NASCAR’s top three divisions, including four Nationwide Series races in which Dollar General served as race sponsor (July 2008 at Chicagoland, October 2008 at Charlotte, October 2009 at Charlotte, and July 2010 at Chicagoland).

    “We’re extremely happy that Dollar General has decided to partner with Kyle Busch Motorsports for five races next year,” said Busch, who has 23 career victories in the Camping World Truck Series. “They were on our Tundra for our first win at KBM and that’s one of the biggest victories in my entire career. We’re going to do everything we can to put them in victory lane again next year.”

    Busch’s No. 18 Toyota is competing for the 2010 Camping World Truck Series owner’s title and leads the championship standings by 72 points over the No. 30 truck of Germain Racing.

    “We’ve got a great organization at KBM,” said Busch, who will drive in the two remaining Truck Series events in 2010 at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz., and Homestead. “Getting Dollar General to come on board this early for next season is huge.. We still need partners and sponsors for next year and we feel like we are a championship-caliber organization that can provide a great platform for companies to get their message out. I’m hopeful that we have big things coming up in 2011.”

  • Chasing Denny Hamlin: NASCAR’s Six Million Dollar Man

    Chasing Denny Hamlin: NASCAR’s Six Million Dollar Man

    Denny Hamlin, race car driver. A man barely cracking the top-20. Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to rebuild a race car driver’s ACL and get him back on the track in Chase contender form. Denny Hamlin will be that man. Better than he was before. Better, stronger faster. 

    When the 2010 NASCAR season kicked into gear, speculation and conspiracy theories ran rampant that this would be the year that we saw Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet win his fifth consecutive championship title.

    With an unheard of 35th place finish in Daytona for the No. 48 team, we secretly breathed a sigh of relief that maybe; just maybe, we’d see someone dethrone the Johnson Empire.

    Not so fast.

    Johnson quickly proved that Daytona was just a fluke by winning three of the next four races.

    Sigh, here we go again.

    Quietly waiting in the wings was the walking wounded, Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Fed Ex Toyota, ready but unable to make his move.

    Hamlin had torn his left ACL on Jan. 22 playing basketball, leaving the driver and his fans unsure of how his injury would affect his performance on the track.

    Knowing that this type of injury was one that doctors recommended an immediate surgical intervention, Hamlin opted to wait until the off-season, but with lack-luster results in the first five races, Hamlin’s injured knee proved too problematic and the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota made the decision to have it operated on and during the Sprint Cup’s long Easter bye-week.

    Was this to be a new start or would it be the end of any hopes to make the Chase?

    Post-surgical time would tell, but Hamlin proved to the world that he wasn’t going down without a fight by winning a rain delayed race in Martinsville that had been postponed until Monday, Mar. 29, the same day that his procedure was scheduled to take place.

    Hamlin got behind the wheel for the first time after his surgery in Phoenix on Apr.10.  Despite being in pain and having Casey Mears standing by as his relief driver, he opted not to use him, work through his torment and finish the race in the 30th position.

    Prior to his surgery, Hamlin stated,  “Trust me, when I come back, I’m going to come back strong.”

    OK then, prove it!

    Hamlin did just that by winning the very next week in Texas and four more times during the regular season. When the Chase started on Sep. 19, Hamlin sat pretty in the no. one position, 33 points ahead of Jimmie Johnson.

    We fans know that in NASCAR Sprint Cup racing, anything can and will happen.

    The No. 11 team maintained a comfortable lead until Kansas and just like that, with seven races left in the Chase, Johnson and his team took the lead by just eight points.

    Johnson’s lead grew to 36 points over Hamlin in Fontana; then to 41 in Charlotte, The man dubbed “Superman” was making his triumphant return.

    Hamlin’s fight returned once again in Martinsville, where the Virginia native proved that one victory at that track just wasn’t enough. He closed the gap between he and Johnson, trailing the former champ by six measly points.

    Talladega gave Johnson a seventh place finish and Hamlin a ninth, increasing Johnson’s lead to 14 points.

    Heading into Texas, some would say that even though Johnson’s lead was just 14 points, it was a lead none-the-less.  Chad Knaus would do anything in his power to ensure that his driver would stay ahead of the rest of the pack.

    He demonstrated that “anything goes” mentality by dismissing his No. 48 over-the-wall crew after a series of horrific pit stops, replacing them with Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 crew; but it was a little too little too late, the damage had already been done.  Johnson’s loss in track position during the race snatched away his lead, replacing it with a 33-point deficit with just two crucial races to go.

    Hamlin started the Chase 33 points ahead of Johnson and has come full circle to maintain that lead once again.

    Who will cross the finish line the victor in Homestead? Unlike years past, thankfully we won’t know until the nail-biting, bitter end.

    While Hamlin and Johnson are swapping headlines week after week, don’t count out Kevin Harvick, who lies in wait a mere 59 points back.  One thing is guaranteed, it’s going to be one hell of a three-ring circus and undoubtedly the most exciting Chase for the Sprint Cup since it’s introduction in 2004.

    So, in the end was Hamlin’s surgery the fix he needed to put him on top? Indeed it was; with a series-best total of eight victories this season and estimated winnings of $5,432,645 so far, after the next two races Hamlin could easily emerge the 2010 Sprint Cup champion and NASCAR’s six million dollar man.

  • Kyle Busch Can Be a Butt Pain, However NASCAR Needs Him For Debate

    Kyle Busch Can Be a Butt Pain, However NASCAR Needs Him For Debate

    Last weekend, Kyle Busch had an eventful weekend.

    Last Friday, Kyle Busch won the Camping World Truck Series race to take over the owner’s points championship standings for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

    Then on Saturday, Busch finished second to Carl Edwards in the Nationwide Series race, though was unhappy about it as he thought Edwards jumped the start.

    “Does it f—- matter?” Busch said afterwards. “Race is over, guy’s in Victory Lane.”

    Lastly on Sunday, Busch stirred up controversy again, following repairs that he had to make on pit road after a wreck.

    Under caution, Busch sped off pit road to try to beat the pace car and stay on the lead lap. He caught up, but NASCAR penalized him one lap for speeding.

    Busch then went on a rant on the radio against NASCAR and showed the officials the middle finger on pit road, which incurred a penalty of two laps for driver misconduct.

    “I’m the only one who will stand up to ’em, and they’re gonna show me how far I can stand up,” Busch said on the radio after the penalty. He then added that it was freedom of speech, going against the constitutional rights of everybody.

    NASCAR announced on Tuesday they were penalizing Busch $25,000 and putting him on probation till December 31st for “actions dentimental to the sport of stock car racing”.

    In all sports, there are teams that you love and then teams you hate. The same theory applies in NASCAR, as there are drivers you love and then those you hate. A simple poll of the fans easily shows that one of the drivers that seems to be on everybody’s list is Kyle Busch. In simply asking a group of fans as to why, you quickly get the sense it has to do with attitude and actions like the above.

    “He just gives off this vibe that he is better then everybody else and it’s all about him,” Evan Towle said. “Sort of like a young Tony Stewart used to be. Tony used to get on my nerves when he first started in NASCAR, but now he has matured and I like him.”

    “I tend to agree with a lot that the way Kyle Busch acts,” Kyle Sedan said. “Sometimes it’s rather annoying.”

    “Arrogant attitude, expects respect on the track but doesn’t give it back, whines about others when he is doing the same thing, fake.” One fan commented.

    “His attitude.” Cathy Gamble Costigan simply puts it.

    If you take his attitude out of the equation, then a lot of people seem to have respect for him.

    “I am, personally, a Tony Stewart fan, but for Kyle, love him or hate him, he is a damn good driver,” Mike Hearty said. “Race wins don’t lie.”

    “I do really like his support/involvement and commitment to short-track racing.” Sedan added.

    A lot of people have been debating that he needs to change, which has come with mixed reactions.

    Towle says, “We don’t need him, as the sport is doing fine without his babyish acts.”

    In some ways, there are certain things that Busch has to become better at, such as some of the things that we saw this past weekend.

    However overall, the sport needs somebody like Busch. His actions spruce things up and add something different to the sport are needed to invoke discussion and rivalry. If everybody was the same cut, wouldn’t it get boring after awhile?

    As Mike Hearty and Kyle Sedan both say, it adds to the sport.

    “I personally love Kyle’s attitude myself,” Hearty said. “NASCAR is entertainment and Kyle entertains in any way he can. Each sport needs a stand out person the fans can have a choice to love or hate and he is the one. I do believe, though, when he matures more, his attitude will die down. I think he is young and is a star and living in the moment right now.”

    “People either ‘love him’ or ‘love to hate him’,” Sedan says. “So he most definitely adds to the sport, and it is good for it.”

    This is something that you always see around the short tracks, as every short track has that one driver that fans would love to see win or lose.

    For my local short track, Sunset Speedway, it’s Tom Walters and people take it as “love or hate him, he puts fans in the stands.” There were even some that went as far to say that they were just pure “ABW: Anybody But Walters.” For Walters, it deals with his aggressive on-track style in how he likes to use his bumper.

    At the end of the season, yes, he did frustrate some of us through the year, though he made the late model competition interesting this year with debates over some of his moves. Evidence of that can be seen on both Canadian Racing Online (http://www.canadianracingonline.com) and Inside Track Motorsports News’ Pit Board (http://www.insidetracknews.com) where fans have proceeded to debate whether Walters was in the right or the wrong with his moves.

    Discussion like that or discussion over Busch’s latest antic on or off the track is what keeps the discussion lively with debate for everybody. It’s also what brings out most fans’ colors, showing what they truly believe in.

    If you’re looking back at the NASCAR season, recall that controversy, whether it be Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer’s penalty, or the Jeff-and-Jeff show is what got the fans most riled up in saying what they had to say. Busch is just a piece of that, as there were moments this year when he did certain things that got fans either right angry or happy.

    So, the next time you come to the point where you’re wishing that Busch would just go away or that you could wave a magic wand over him to change him, think about the fun discussions you’ve got to have due to him.

  • NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: A show down in the valley of the sun

    NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: A show down in the valley of the sun

    NASCAR’s vision for their 2010 Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship has turned into everything they were hoping for when the program began many years ago. As the series heads into the next to the last race of the 2010 season, the current version of the Chase is a three way shoot out heading towards a racing environment where anything can happen. When the checkers falls on Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500, some one’s going to leave the Phoenix International Raceway all smiles and full of confidence and some one’s going to head home wondering if their championship run is now over.

    THE STORY BREAKDOWN

    There are plenty of story lines to look at heading into Sunday’s race at Phoenix. Many of them are leftovers from last weekend’s wild west show at Texas. But the focal point is, and must be, the Chase. Denny Hamlin goes into the Phoenix race 33 points ahead of Jimmie Johnson and 59 ahead of third place Kevin Harvick.

    Adding to the intensity of these numbers are the facts that Phoenix is a very challenging, and sometime troublesome, speedway. It’s one mile oval qualifies it for short track status. The fact that it’s virtually flat as a pancake in the turns makes it challenging for the drivers to pull off a clean pass. The Phoenix International Raceway is short track racing on steroids and anything could happen to impact the latest Chase numbers.

    Of the three championship contenders, Denny Hamlin’s numbers at this race track could use some work. He’s still searching for his first win in ten previous starts. But he does have five top five finishes, six top tens with an average finish ratio of 11.6.

    But it’s this team’s mental focus that is outstanding. When Hamlin crossed under the checkers last Sunday, after winning the Texas race, he came over the radio and said “it’s on.” That’s probably the best two line definition of the 2010 Chase anyone could possibly come up with. Later in the week Hamlin said he would approaching the Phoenix race like he was 33 points down instead of 33 points in the lead.

    Then there’s the matter of four time consecutive champion Jimmie Johnson and his highly potent drive for five campaign. When it comes to numbers compiled at Phoenix the #48 team rules the valley of the sun. They’ve won four of their last six races there. Johnson in 14 previous starts has also compiled nine top fives, 12 top fens and has an amazing average finish ratio of 4.9 at this track. If there is a race track on the entire NASCAR schedule where Johnson can make up 33 points and re establish his points lead, then Phoenix is that place.

    Don’t expect last Sunday’s surprise crew swap, between the Johnson and Jeff Gordon teams, to be any form of distraction during the Phoenix race. Last Wednesday Chad Knaus, crew chief for the #48 team emphasized that before the decision was made to keep the swap permanent for the final two races of the year everyone involved signed off on it. That included the two drivers, team owner Rick Hendrick and Marshall Carlson, President of Hendrick Motorsports. Next Knaus presented the idea to the pit crew members.”We got the guys together and we discussed it with them and they all bought into it one hundred percent,” Knaus said adding “there’s a lot of positive in it to be honest.”

    Kevin Harvick’s numbers at Phoenix includes three wins in 15 starts along with three top five finishes, six top tens along with an average finish ratio of 15.0.

    Harvick, however, does have an advantage over his fellow Chase contenders: laps and experience at this race track. With his career stemming from his native Bakersfield-California, Phoenix was a frequent touring point for Harvick. He has raced there in late models, the former NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour Series, the NASCAR Winston West Series and of course all three of NASCAR’s national touring series. He’s also considered to be a master of flat track racing.

    He will need that experience this Sunday. To coin a phrase from the world of professional poker, Harvick’s Chase aspirations have hit “all in” status. He needs to eradicate a large share of the 59 point lead that Hamlin has on him this Sunday so he can make an all out assault on the title during the final championship weekend.

    The truth be known, Harvick probably longs for the days of yesteryear when the old points system was still in place. Under that old system he would be first in the championship standings, 300 points ahead of Jimmie Johnson and the official engraver of NASCAR would have received instructions to start placing his name on the champion’s trophy.

    What’s the great equalizer here? It could turn out to be qualifying positions and the pit stall selections that come with it.

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    At this point of the week we have already seen the video of the Jeff Gordon-Jeff Burton dust up, from last week’s Texas race, so many times we can practically recite their post fight comments. You can expect to see an encore presentation of that piece of video many more times during the Phoenix weekend. But that’s all you should expect from the moment. It appears that the two drivers have talked it out, they are fine, and we should not be looking for any reason to expect round two.

    In fact, on Wednesday night, the incident between these two drivers hit a comical note. Gordon was in Nashville to make a special appearance on the annual Country Music Association’s award show. Country music superstar, and show co-host, Brad Paisley assigned a new nickname to Gordon: “Scrappy.”

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    The other piece of video you will see a lot this weekend will be the sight of the four Richard Petty Motorsports car and equipment haulers sitting in the parking lot of the Texas Motor Speedway where they spent stranded from Sunday night to late Wednesday afternoon. The RPM haulers were joined in the wait by a fifth hauler belonging to Roush Fenway Racing, Inside of that hauler were the eight race cars RPM needed for the Phoenix race. The Petty organization leases their cars from Roush Fenway and their power plants from Roush Yates Engines. The Roush truck driver was under strict orders not to load the race cars into the Petty haulers until he received a call informing him that the RPM check was cleared and fully funded.

    This is of course the latest saga in the struggle for RPM financial solvency. It’s also the third race in a row where delivery of race cars and engines were momentarily delayed until the vendor received payment. The funding for the Phoenix cars were expected to be in place my Monday but, for unspecified reasons, that deadline could not be met. It was late Wednesday afternoon before the matter was resolved and the cars were loaded into the four RPM haulers so they could begin the long 18 hour drive from Texas to Phoenix.

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    The one piece of video that we hope is shown a lot is connected with Ryan Newman’s #39 U.S. Army, Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet. This special edition Sprint Cup car has over 500 faces of military veterans incorporated into the paint job in honor of the recently observed Veterans Day. The Newman team will also have a honored guest on pit road with them on Sunday. 85 year old U.S Army and World War Two veteran Luis Rodriquez Jr, from Sahuarita-Arizona will spend Sunday as an honorary member of the Newman team.

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    For those you whose schedules allow you to be home on Monday mornings, then check out the NASCAR edition of “The Price Is Right”. The November 15th episode will feature NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Clint Bowyer and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Austin Dillon. The drivers will be present two NASCAR themed showcases: a North Carolina trip to the Hall Of Fame, a trip to Miami to attend the season ending events for all three of NASCAR’s national touring series and a Chevrolet Impala SS. The show will air on CBS at 11 am eastern time.

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    THE VEGAS BREAKDOWN

    To no real surprise the Las Vegas based World Sports Exchange, WSE, has four time Phoenix winner Jimmie Johnson on top of their of their weekly rankings at 7 to 2 odds. Also, to no surprise, the WSE has Denny Hamlin right behind Johnson at 9 to 2. The recently subdued Kyle Busch is ranked at five to 1. Kevin Harvick, at 10 to 1 odds, could turn out to be a potentially lucrative wager.

    In the middle section of this week’s WSE rankings you will find previous Phoenix winners Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon at 12 to 1. At 15 to 1 odds you will find Mark Martin who could turn out to be an interesting long shot bet this week. After a dismal roller coaster of a season, Martin’s team has been in resurgence mode lately. He’s a two time winner at Phoenix and also holds the track records for most top five and most top ten finishes. At 18 to 1 is a trio of drivers that includes race winner Kurt Busch along with Clint Bowyer and Carl Edwards.

    In the lower tier of this week’s rankings you will find two time Phoenix winner Jeff Burton at 20 to 1 which, like Martin, could make an interesting long shot wager. Also in the 20 to 1 group are Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle. At 25 to 1 is a quartet of drivers featuring Joey Logano, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jamie McMurray and former winner Ryan Newman. The list closes with drivers Martin Truex Jr and Kasey Kahne at 30 to 1 odds.

    Now for the disclaimer. NASCAR wants us to remind you that these numbers are for entertainment and informational numbers only. They neither encourage nor condone the placing of wagers on their races.

    Instead you may want to consider sending some money to Jimmy Spencer, in care of the SPEED Channel’s “NASCAR Race Hub” program. Spencer has been spending a lot of money on those crying towels he issues here lately.

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    THE RACE BREAKDOWN

    The Kobalt Tools 500K is 312 laps-312 miles-500 kilometers around the Phoenix International Raceway’s one mile oval.

    The race has 46 entries. 11 of the entries are on the go or go home list. That means these teams are not guaranteed a starting berth because they are currently outside of NASCAR’s top 35 in owner’s points. These teams will have to earn a starting berth based on their qualifying speeds.

    The defending race champion, from last November, is Jimmie Johnson. Ryan Newman won the spring Phoenix event this past April.

    Good track position, established by qualifying, is very important at Phoenix. Ryan Newman holds the track qualifying record, 135.854 MPH, set back in November of 2004. He also holds the track record for winning the most poles at four.

    Construction began on the Phoenix International Raceway in 1964. The result was a one mile oval with a connecting 2.5 mile road course.

    The late Alan Kulwicki won the first Sprint Cup race at Phoenix in November of 1988. Since that time there has been 28 Sprint Cup races there that has sent 20 different winners to victory lane.

    The Phoenix International Raceway is a basically flat track with only 11 degrees of banking in turns one and two and just nine degrees in turns three and four. The front stretch measures 1,179 feet with three degrees banking and the backstretch measures 1,551 feet with nine degrees of banking.

    The pit road speed is 45 MPH.

    The track presently has grandstand seating for 76,812 fans.

    The weather forecast for Sunday race day in Phoenix calls for sunny skies and a daytime high of 71 degrees.

    The Kobalt Tools 500K will be broadcast live by the ESPN Network beginning at 2 pm eastern time. The re airs will be Monday morning, 230 am et and again on Wednesday, 12 pm et on SPEED.