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  • Jeb Burton leads Ford EcoBoost 200 practice at Homestead

    Jeb Burton leads Ford EcoBoost 200 practice at Homestead

    Turner-Scott Motorsports driver Jeb Burton would lead the only practice for the Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a lap of 32.267 seconds. The driver of the No. 4 Arrowhead Chevrolet is looking for his second win of the season after winning at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this year.

    Richard Childress Racing driver Ty Dillon was second quickest in his No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet as he looks to move to the NASCAR Natiownwide Series in 2014.

    Burton’s Turner teammate and 2012 series champion James Buescher was third quickest behind the wheel of his No. 31 Rheem Chevrolet, followed by teammate Ron Hornaday. Hornaday is piloting the No. 34 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Chevrolet for Turner-Scott Motorsports after he was released from NTS Motorsports following last weekend’s race.

    Brad Keselowski Racing teammates Ryan Blaney and Ross Chastain were fifth and sixth quickest.

    Max Gresham was seventh followed by Nelson Piquet Jr., German Quiroga and Matt Crafton. All Crafton has to do tonight to win the NCWTS title is start the race. Once he takes the green flag, he will have officially clinched the championship.

    The Owner’s championship is still up for grabs though as the No. 88 ThorSport Racing truck leads the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports truck by 29 points. Kyle Busch, driving the No. 51 ToyotaCare Toyota Tundra, was 22nd quickest.

  • Johnson salvages third-place finish as Harvick repeats at Phoenix

    Johnson salvages third-place finish as Harvick repeats at Phoenix

    Jimmie Johnson has been tested throughout his NASCAR career, but the five-time champion survived one of his toughest test yet today at the Advocare 500.

    Johnson started the race on pole for today’s race, but nearly wrecked on the first lap when the 22 of Joey Logano tapped Johnson going into Turn 3, causing Johnson to fall backwards. Johnson said that he had to use “some of his dirt racing skills out in the desert in Arizona”, to earn a third-place finish. Johnson made those comments reflecting on the fact that races at Phoenix International Raceway are considered to be short races. “This is in no way a short race,” Johnson said.

    That was not the only close call for the 48 this afternoon. Johnson was on the outside of Carl Edwards when eventual race-winner Kevin Harvick took it three-wide into Turn 1 and did not touch Edwards, but Edwards subsequently got loose under the 48, nearly causing him to crash. “There was a point in the middle of saving it that the tail-end was pointing towards the fence and I thought I was going to hit. I’m very thankful.”

    Matt Kenseth struggled all afternoon, finishing a lap down in 23rd. When asked if Johnson was surprised at how badly Kenseth struggled this afternoon Johnson said, “I was very surprised, but I went through the same thing last year.” Kenseth said on his day, “I can’t say I was overly confident about what we had.” Kenseth wasn’t dazzling in practice. However, an average practice position of 6th isn’t bad, but Kenseth was not even close to that mark during the race. At times Kenseth didn’t even know what to fix on the race car. “I don’t even know how to fix it,” Kenseth said.

    The race was marred with eight cautions, including a late debris call on lap 183 to set up a final dash to the finish with interesting strategies put into play. Carl Edwards appeared to be on his way to sweep the races here at Phoenix International Raceway this season, but ran out of fuel coming to the white flag, giving the win to Kevin Harvick. Harvick celebrates his fourth win of 2013 and as a repeat winner of the fall event here in Phoenix.

    Jimmie Johnson enters Homestead with a commanding 28 point lead over Matt Kenseth, but it doesn’t mean that it’s all over. Johnson looked like he could pull off the incredible last season to defeat Brad Keselowski, but suffered a broken rear gear. The same can happen to any of the drivers still with a mathematical shot at earning the Sprint Cup Series championship. With that being said, it’s going to be an amazing champions week at the Homestead-Miami Speedway next weekend. For those fans that follow the old system, Jimmie Johnson would have clinched his third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship today.

  • Lap by Lap: Avocare 500 won by Kevin Harvick

    Lap by Lap: Avocare 500 won by Kevin Harvick

    When Carl Edwards ran out of gas on the last lap, it was Kevin Harvick grabbing the win at Phoenix International Raceway for his second win of the 2013 Chase for the Championship.

     

    Lap 1 Three-wide for the lead between Logano, Johnson and Hamlin for the lead. Hamlin grabs the lead as Logano nips the bumper but Johnson hangs on to it

    Lap 4 Hamlin leads Gordon KuBusch Harvick Logano Johnson Kahne KyBusch Keselowski Earnhardt Jr.

    Lap 5 Kenseth passes Bowyer for 11th

    Lap 9 Earnhardt Jr. by Keselowski for ninth

    Lap 16 Hamlin leads Gordon KuBusch Harvick Logano Johnson Kahne Earnhardt Jr. Keselowski KyBusch Kenseth

    Lap 19 Gordon passes Hamlin for the lead

    Lap 26 Johnson by Logano for fifth

    Lap 28 Gordon leads Harvick Johnson Hamlin KuBusch Logano Kahne Earnhardt Jr. Keselowski KyBusch Kenseth

    Lap 36 Gordon leads Harvick Johnson KuBusch Logano Earnhardt Jr. Kahne Keselowski Kenseth Bowyer

    Lap 44 Logano and Earnhardt Jr. both by KuBusch

    Lap 47 Gordon leads Harvick Johnson Logano Earnhardt Kahne KuBusch Keselowski Kenseth Bowyer

    Caution lap 49 Hamlin goes around. Leaders head down pit road. Gordon leads Harvick Johnson KuBusch Earnhardt Logano Keselowski Kahne Kenseth and Menard off pit road

    Restart lap 56 Harvick and Gordon side-by-side for the lead. Harvick grabs the lead off of corner four

    Lap 57 Harvick leads Gordon Johnson KuBusch Logano Earnhardt Jr. Keselowski

    Lap 59 Harvick leads Johnson Gordon KuBush Logano Earnhardt Jr. Keselowski Kahne Menard Montoya Kenseth

    Lap 64 Earnhardt Jr. makes an unscheduled pit stop – loose wheel.

    Lap 66 Harvick leads Johnson Gordon KuBusch Logano Kahne Keselowski Menard Montoya Kenseth

    Lap 83 Harvick leads Johnson Gordon KuBusch Logano Kahne Keselowski Menard Montoya Truex Edwards Kenseth

    Lap 96 Johnson by Gordon for second. Edwards by Truex for 10th

    Lap 99 Logano by Kahne; Edwards by Montoya for ninth

    Caution lap 100. Nemechek pancaked wall – or not; just scared the wall. Leaders head down pit road. Kahne leads Keselowski Edwards Menard Johnson Gordon off pit road.

    Restart lap 106 Kahne and Keselowski side-by-side for the lead. Kahne clears Keselowski off of turn four.

    Lap 109 Kahne leads Keselowski Edwards Menard Harvick Gordon Johnson Bowyer KuBusch Biffle

    Lap 114 Harvick and Gordon by Menard. KuBusch, Biffle, Truex and Montoya round out the top 11

    Lap 115 Johnson by Menard.

    Caution lap 117 Timmy Hill into the wall. Hamlin gets the lucky dog. Back half of the field pits.

    Restart lap 120 Keselowski grabs the lead

    Lap 124 Keselowski leads Kahne Harvick Edwards KuBusch Johnson Truex KyBusch Menard

    Lap 127 Harvick passes Kahne for second; Gordon and Montoya by Menard; Gordon by KyBusch

    Lap 130 Keselowski leads Harvick Kahne Edwards Johnson KuBusch Truex Gordon KyBusch Montoya

    Caution lap 131 Kvapil smoking as Blaney goes around. Earnhardt gets the lucky dog.

    Restart lap 137. Keselowski to the point ahead of Harvick

    Lap 140 Keselowski leads Harvick Edwards Johnson Kahne KuBusch Gordon Montoya Truex KyBusch

    Lap 144 Gordon by KuBusch for sixth

    Caution lap 145 Cole Witt wrecks in turn four along with Danica Patrick. Reuitmann got damage as well. Most of the leaders pit under the caution. Top 13 stayed out. Gordon leads McMurray and Newman.

    Restart lap 158. McMurray and Gordon side-by-side for the lead

    Lap 160 Gordon takes the lead.

    Lap 162 Gordon leads McMurray Newman Logano Biffle Bowyer Gilliland Kenseth Hamlin Almirola…..Edwards with a slide into Johnson…..Johnson stays off the wall with a save. Yeley spins behind and the caution flies. Some people head down pit road.

    Restart lap 166 Newman pulls ahead of Logano off of turn two

    Lap 171 Newman leads Logano Biffle Bowyer Gilliland Ambrose Earnhardt Hamin Keselowski Harvick

    Lap 175 Earnhardt by Ambrose; Harvick by Keselowski

    Lap 176 Earnhardt by Gilliland

    Lap 184 Newman leads Logano Biffle Bowyer Earnhardt Harvick Gilliland Ambrose KyBusch Hamlin

    Lap 186 KyBusch by Ambrose for eighth; Montoya by Hamlin for 10th

    Caution lap 190 Reuitmann shortens the car. Leaders head down pit road. Newman and Earnhardt the first two off pit road. Logano leads Kahne and Keselowski

    Restart lap 200 Logano clears Keselowski in the first turn

    Lap 201 Kahne by Keselowski for second

    Lap 202 Johnson alongside Keselowski for third

    Lap 204 Johnson clears Keselowski for third

    Lap 206 Logano leads Kahne Johnson Edwards Keselowski Gordon Truex Martin Stenhouse Harvick

    Lap 210 Gordon by Keselowski for fifth

    93 to go Logano leads Kahne Johnson Edwards Gordon Keselowski Truex Martin Harvick Stenhouse

    88 to go Kahne by Logano for the lead

    85 to go Johnson moves to second as Logano heads down pit road for fuel and tires

    84 to go Kahne leads Johnson Edwards Gordon Keselowski Truex Harvick Martin Stenhouse and Earnhardt

    76 to go Harvick by Truex while Earnhardt runs eighth followed by KyBusch

    74 to go Keselowski pits out of fifth for tires and fuel

    73 to go Kahne leads Johnson Edwards Gordon Harvick Truex Earnhardt KyBusch Menard Bowyer

    70 to go Kenseth makes his green flag pit stop

    69 to go Truex pits, giving up sixth

    67 to go Gordon pits

    66 to go Kahne pits, handing the lead to Johnson

    65 to go Johnson pits, handing the lead to Edwards

    64 to go Edwards pits, handing the lead to Harvick

    52 to go Bowyer pits

    49 to go Hamlin pits – speeding

    45 to go Harvick pits as he is out of gas. Earnhardt Jr. to the pits.

    42 to go KuBusch and KyBusch pit……Earnhardt pits. Newman leads.

    36 to go Newman runs out of gas and pits. Edwards cycles back to the lead.

    Caution 32 to go debris in turn three. Top five stay out as Keselowski is first to pit

    Restart 26 to go Edwards pulls out ahead of Kahne

    22 to go Edwards leads Kahne Harvick Johnson Earnhardt KuBusch Montoya KyBusch Truex Newman

    18 to go Harvick passes Kahne for second

    13 to go Logano by Newman for 10th

    2 to go Edwards runs out of gas on the last lap. Harvick takes the lead off of turn four.

    Kevin Harvick wins. Kahne. Johnson. Earnhardt. KuBusch. Montoya. KyBusch. Truex. Logano. Newman.

  • Kyle Busch wins 12th NNS race of season

    Kyle Busch wins 12th NNS race of season

    Kyle Busch has won the most NASCAR Nationwide Series races in history and further extended his legacy with another dominant showing at the ServiceMaster 200. Busch edged Austin Dillon for the pole earlier in the morning and didn’t hesitate to get off to a good start, leading the first 79 laps of the event.

    Busch was entirely in a different class today. Green flag pit stops prevented Kyle Busch from leading more of the first-half. Trevor Bayne led two laps during the initial set of green flag stops. Kyle Busch cycled back to lead the next 29 laps before the first debris caution came out on Lap 106, and subsequently lost the lead on the following restart to Brad Keselowski.

    Keselowski did a slide job on Kyle Busch to take the lead, causing Busch to lose several positions as he checked up, but Busch was able to recover to overtake Keselowski on Lap 120. Busch said, “It was definitely different being in third because of the flat aero deficiencies here in Phoenix, but I knew we had a really good car.” Busch also noted that the frequent amount of cautions after the first-half made it difficult to pass, despite leading 84.5% of the race. “We would pick off one or two cars and then a yellow, then we would pick off another two cars and another yellow.”

    The victory was the 12th victory of the season for Kyle Busch, and it marked a season sweep at Phoenix International Raceway. Busch has a busy weekend ahead of him as teammate Matt Kenseth possibly could win the Sprint Cup Series championship as long as he beats Jimmie Johnson, and Busch could win the owners title for Joe Gibbs if he can hold off Roger Penske’s entourage. With Kyle Busch’s track record in the Nationwide Series, it will be difficult for the Penske clan to hold off Kyle Busch, but anything can happen in NASCAR.

    The surface at Phoenix has come under scrutiny. Denny Hamlin suggested on Twitter that the surface should be grinded, but Kyle Busch disagreed saying, “I don’t think we should grind it. Jeff Gordon said that it takes about 8 years of the track weathering to see good racing.” Phoenix was repaved following the spring race in 2011 and we are still seeing mixed reactions. I asked Busch about his initial reaction. Busch replied, “I came here for the tire test.” “Our initial reaction was literally omg and wtf.” Busch noted that that tends to happen when you are used to one thing and it all of a sudden changes. “It’s hard to get used to, but it is what it is.”

  • Erik Jones wins Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway

    Erik Jones wins Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway

    What were you doing at the age of 17? For Erik Jones, he was winning races.

    Erik Jones would become the youngest NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winner on Friday night at Phoenix International Raceway when he picked up the win in the Lucas Oil 150.

    “Its unbelievable,” Jones said in victory lane. “Like I told Rudy on the radio – this is the best feeling ever. It’s all I wanted – was to be a winner in NASCAR. To get this win, its really unbelievable and hard to put in words. Just couldn’t be happier to get in victory lane.”

    Pole sitter Ross Chastain restarted as the leader with 10 laps to go and was able to clear Jones heading into turn three. However, the lead wouldn’t last long as Jones was able to get a good run off of turn two and got underneath Chastain through the dog led and by him to take the lead. From there, Jones checked out and headed to victory lane.

    “I had been taking the top all day and when he got me there, I wasn’t able to hold him down,” Jones commented. “So I got a run off of two and was able to get under him there.”

    Jones got the opportunity to run the No. 51 “Wake Up Narcolepsy ” Awake at the Wheel Toyota in five races this year after beating Kyle Busch last year to win the Snowball Derby.

    “I want to thank KBM for this opportunity – thanks to Kyle, Samantha for the opportunity and giving me a chance to prove myself in NASCAR,” Jones said.

    Ross Chastain came home second for his sixth top 10 finish of 2013 for Brad Keselowski Racing. Chastain stated after the race that he will not be with BKR for 2014.

    “Erik drove a great race and he had a great truck,” Chastain commented. “He showed that in practice. We were not that good in practice and got it so close. I want to thank this BKR team. I don’t know what we could do better. I tried to hold him down, dived bomb there but just couldn’t hold them off. It’s disheartening with the fact that next weekend will be my last weekend in the truck.”

    Brendan Gaughan finished third after running in the top five throughout the whole night. Ty Dillon and Matt Crafton rounded out the top five. Heading into the final race of the season, Crafton now leads Dillon by 46 points and just has to start to the Ford 200 to clinch the 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship.

    “We’d run about 15 laps and I’d lose about 90 percent of my brake pedal,” Crafton commented after the race. “I had to pump the pedal like 10 times to just get it to slow don. They  were thinking of bringing me down pit road and drilling a hole – but I didn’t want to lose track position.

    “Then when someone blew a tire there right in front of us and I ran over a piece of debris. I didn’t say anything. I was like, ‘I hope that isn’t a piece of metal’. It was a tough day.”

    Cale Gale finished sixth followed by Ryan Blaney, Johnny Sauter, James Buescher and Chase Elliott.

    The 150 lap race would feature seven caution flags for various incidents, including a hard wreck for Ron Hornaday at lap 85 for hitting the wall hard after a flat right front tire.

    “I knew I was using a lot of brake,” Hornaday said afterwards. “I had been tight in, loose off and been working on it. I think I just melted a bead. Hate it for all of these guys.”

    Hornaday announced that he will not be in the No. 9 Smokey Mountain Chevrolet for NTS Motorsports next weekend, but instead in a truck for Turner-Scott Motorsports.

    “I contacted Nelson and found out that I would not be in the truck,” Hornaday said. “Mr. Turner then came by and offered me a ride for Homestead. Richard came by, Turner came by. I’ll be racing a sixth truck for Mr. Turner. Can’t say enough about the opportunity. I just love this series.”

  • Jimmie Johnson on pole at Phoenix International Raceway

    Jimmie Johnson on pole at Phoenix International Raceway

    Points leader Jimmie Johnson was clutch once again as he scored a crutial pole for Sunday’s Advocare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

    It was Johnson’s third pole of 2013, the 32nd of his career, and his 2nd at Phoenix.

    Today marked the 19th time that the Generation-6 car has set a new track record. Johnson said, “Track records are awesome, but we still have to come out here Saturday morning and work on our race car.”

    There have been many fans counting Matt Kenseth out already as we come to Phoenix. Johnson was quick to drop the notion that Kenseth didn’t have a shot at the championship. “Matt isn’t known as a great qualifier, but he’s always there when the checkered falls. We’ve got to expect that to happen here.”

    The rest of the top 10 is filled mostly with Chase drivers. Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Joey Logano all broke the track record, before Johnson put the rest of the competition to rest. Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, and Kevin Harvick round out the rest of the top 10 qualifiers in the Chase field, with Martin Truex Jr. taking the 10th position.

    Three of Johnson’s four victories have come in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Can he do it again on Sunday? Kenseth may need Johnson to have an off day to make any ground. According to Denny Hamlin, he’ll need Johnson to have an off day, but an off day for Johnson according to Hamlin is “around fifth.” Hamlin has had a rough 2013 season, but will be on the front row for the chance of scoring another Phoenix win. He said, “Passing will very very difficult. We need to figure out what will keep us up front on Sunday.”

  • Lap by Lap: Lucas Oil 150 won by Erik Jones

    Lap by Lap: Lucas Oil 150 won by Erik Jones

    17-year-old Erik Jones would become the youngest NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winner when he took the checkered flag in the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway.

     

    Lap 1 Chastain takes the early lead ahead of Gaughan and Jones as caution flies for D.J. Kennington getting into the wall; Newberry gets damage

    Restart lap 6. Chastain pulls ahead of Gaughan off turn one

    Lap 7 Gaughan and Jones side-by-side for second behind Chastain

    Lap 8 Buescher makes it three-wide, Jones backs off. Gaughan stays second ahead of Buescher and Jones

    Lap 10 Chastain leads Gaughan Buescher Jones Sauter Gale Crafton Gresham Sieg Dillon

    Lap 23 Buescher by Gaughan for second; Dillon by Sieg for position

    Lap 24 Chastain leads Buescher Gaughan Jones Sauter Gale Crafton Dillon Gresham Sieg

    Lap 35 Caution Miguel Paludo into the outside wall with flat right front tire. Steve Wallace also has a flat left front tire. Leaders head down pit road. Gaughan leads Jones Gale Dillon Chastain off pit road. Some take two tires; some take four tires.

    Restart lap 41 as Guaghan and Jones battle for the lead as the caution flies for Elliott spinning around off of turn one after contact from Gresham. Jones has lead as the caution flies.

    Restart lap 46 Jones clears Gaughan off of turn two ahead of Dillon and Gale

    Lap 48 Dillon takes second from Gaughan

    Lap 50 Jones leads Dillon Gaughan Gale Chastain Crafton Coulter Burton Blaney Wallace

    Lap 64 Jones leads Dillon Gaughan Chastain Gale Crafton Coulter Burton Blaney Wallace

    Lap 80 Jones leads Dillon Gaughan Chastain Gale Crafton Coulter Burton Blaney Wallace

    Caution lap 85 Ron Hornaday has a flat tire and hits the wall. Chastain leads Jones Dillon Peters off of pit road.

    Restart 57 to go Jones takes the lead off of turn two from Chastain

    56 to go Jones leads Chastain Dillon Gaughan Peters Wallace Coulter Crafton Burton and Blaney. Back half of the top 10 are running two, three-wide

    53 to go Gale passes Blaney for 10th

    Caution 40 to go Coulter with mechanical issues

    Restart 31 to go Chastain takes the lead off of turn two as Townley gets into the wall for the caution.

    Restart 23 to go Chastain clears Jones for the lead in turn one. Dillon and Jones side-by-side for second off turn four.

    22 to go Jones clears Dillon off of turn four

    21 to go Chastain leads Jones, Dillon, Gaughan, Wallace, Crafton, Blaney, Peters, Gale and Buescher. Nemechek spins – no caution – Nemechek gets it going and the field stays green

    20 to go Crafton passes Wallace for fifth

    19 to go Blaney passes Wallace for sixth. Peters went to follow Blaney through, though Wallace and Peters make contact, resulting in both spinning and a caution

    Restart 10 to go Chastain and Jones side-by-side at the finish line. Chastain clears Jones BARELY inturn three.

    9 to go Jones passes Chastain throughout the dog leg

    7 to go Jones leads Chastain Gaughan Dillon Crafton Gale Blaney Sauter Buescher Elliott

    Erik Jones wins! Chastian. Gaughan. Dillon. Crafton. Gale. Blaney. Sauter. Buescher. Elliott.

  • Keselowski Wins NNS O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge

    Keselowski Wins NNS O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge

    FORT WORTH, Texas (November 2, 2013) – Brad Keselowski, the reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion moonlighting in the Nationwide Series, won for the sixth time in his last eight NNS starts with a victory Saturday in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway.

    Keselowski (No. 22 Discount Tire Ford) led six times for a race-high 106 laps en route to a xx-second victory over runner-up Denny Hamlin (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota) for his sixth win in just 14 starts this season in the Penske Racing entry.

    It was Keselowski’s 26th career Nationwide Series win, but first at Texas Motor Speedway. His previous best finish at Texas was second on two occasions, both of which came in the spring NNS race (2011, ’13).

    “I really wanted a cowboy hat,” said Keselowski, referring to the Texas gift given to the race winner in Victory Lane. “We have been really close (at Texas) but never finished it off, but today we had the car to do it and the guys did a great job executing, We had a good battle with Denny Hamlin and finished out front.”

    Keselowski had to fend off the Joe Gibbs Racing duo of Hamlin, who was subbing for Brian Vickers, and Matt Kenseth (No. 18 GameStop/Battlefield 4 Toyota) throughout the race to secure the victory. Hamlin and Kenseth combined to lead seven times for 87 laps, with Hamlin leading the way with 45, and were in contention and running up front throughout the race. Kenseth held the lead as late as Lap 155 of the 200-lap, 300-mile event while Hamlin was leading as late as 15 laps remaining.

    The JGR duo had one last opportunity for a possible victory when the fourth and final caution came out on Lap 179 for a spin by Travis Pastrana (No. 60 KMC Wheels Ford) exiting Turn 2 after slight contact with Eric McClure (No. Hefty Ultimate/Reynolds Toyota).

    Hamlin took the restart as the leader with Keselowski and Kenseth, respectively, in tow with 18 laps to go.  Hamlin and Keselowski swapped the lead over the next few laps before Keselowski regained the lead on Lap 186 and took control as he led the final 15 with no late charges by Hamlin or Kenseth, who faded to fourth.

    In the Nationwide Series championship battle, Sam Hornish Jr. (No. 12 Wurth Ford) finished third to cut his deficit from eight to six points on the leader Austin Dillon (No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet), who finished fifth. Hornish Jr. battled back from a pit lane pass-through penalty for a commitment line violation early in the race that dropped him from the top five to 17th and a lap down.

  • Lap-by-Lap: O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge won by Brad Keselowski

    Lap-by-Lap: O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge won by Brad Keselowski

    Brad Keselowski would take the lead with 15 laps to go and never looked back as he held off Denny Hamlin to grab the win at Texas Motor Speedway.

    Lap 1 – Alex Bowman leads

    Lap 4 – Bowman leads Hornish Keselowski Busch ADillon Stenhouse Scott Smith Bayne TDillon

    Lap 5 – Hornish takes the lead with Keselowski up to second

    Lap 6 – Keselowski takes the lead ahead of Hornish

    Lap 7 – Keselowski leads Hornish Busch Dillon Bowman Stenhouse Scott Smith Bayne Dillon

    Lap 16 – Stenhouse by Bowman; Kenseth up to ninth with Bayne 10th and TDillon 11th

    Lap 18 – Scott by Bowman

    Lap 19 – Kenseth by both Bayne and Smith; Keselowski leads Hornish Busch Dillon Stenhouse Scott Kenseth Smith Bowman and Bayne

    Lap 32 – Keselowski leads Hornish Busch Dillon Kenseth Stenhouse Scott Smith Bayne and Hamlin. Scott passes Stenhouse.

    Lap 35 – Smith by Stenhouse

    Lap 37 – Bayne by Stenhouse; Hamlin by Stenhouse. Thins get tight around the lap car of Jeff Green with Hamlin and Bayne but Hamlin gives Bayne room

    Lap 39 – Larson by Stenhouse

    Lap 46 – Keselowski leads Busch Hornish Dillon Kenseth Scott Smith Bayne Hamlin Larson

    Lap 50 – Clements, Sweet, Bell and Allgaier head down pit road to kick off green flag pit stops.

    Lap 51 – Bowman and Ty Dillon pit.

    Lap 52 – Kenseth and Busch pit. Keselowski and Hornish also pit. Dillon to the lead. Hornish hit the commitment cone coming in for his stop – will have to come in for a penalty.

    Lap 54 – Dillon finishes off pit stops. Keselowski goes back to the points lead.

    Lap 64 – Keselowski leads Busch Kenseth ADillon Smith Scott Hamlin Bayne TDillon Larson

    Caution lap 71 debris in turn two. Leaders head down pit road. Keselowski leads the field off ahead of Busch

    Restart lap 76 Keselowski and Busch side-by-side for the lead. Keselowski with the advantage off of turn four ahead of Busch

    Lap 77 – Keselowski leads ahead of Busch and Hamlin

    Lap 78 – Hamlin by Busch for second. Keselowski leads Hamlin Busch Scot Larson Kenseth TDillon Sadler Bayne Smith.

    Lap 80 – Hamlin and Keselowski side-by-side for the lead

    Lap 81 – Hamlin to the lead while Kenseth-Scott-Keselowski three-wide for second. Kenseth to second ahead of Scott and Keselowski

    Lap 83 – Hamlin leads Kenseth Scott Larson TDillon Keselwoski Sadler Busch Kligerman and Smith. Sadler by Keselowski for positon.

    Lap 85 – Kenseth and Hamlin side-by-side for the lead. Hamlin holds Kenseth off for time being

    Lap 88 – Hornish by Smith for 10th

    Lap 95 – Hamlin leads Kenseth Scott Larson TDillon Sadler Kligerman Keselowski Busch Hornish

    Lap 96 – Kenseth passes Hamlin for the lead

    Lap 103 – Allgaier pits

    Caution lap 105 Kyle Busch gets into the wall as the right rear tire blows out. Leaders head down pit road. Hamlin leads Kenseth Scott Larson TDillon Sadler Keselowski Kligerman off pit road.

    Restart lap 117 as Hamlin pulls ahead of the whole field

    Lap 118 – Hamlin leads as Scott and Kenseth run side-by-side for second

    Lap 119 – Hamlin leads Kenseth Scott Larson TDillon Sadler Keselowski Hornish Smith Kligerman

    Lap 122 – Keselowski passes TDillon and Sadler. Smith by Hornish for eighth.

    Lap 124 – Keselowski passes Larson; Dillon passes Kligerman for 10th

    Lap 126 – Hamlin leads Kenseth Scott Keselowski Larson Sadler TDillon Hornish ADillon Kligerman

    Lap 128- Keselowski by Scott for third

    Lap 131 – Hamlin and Kenseth side-by-side for the lead and Kenseth with the lead off of turn two. Sadler by Larson for fifth.

    Lap 157 – Keselowski to the lead

    Lap 160 – Keselowski leads Kenseth Hamlin Hornish Scott Sadler Dillon Larson Smith Kligerman

    Lap 162 – Bowman and Bayne pit

    Lap 163 – Allgaier and Stenhouse pit. Smith by Larson for eighth.

    Lap 165 – Ty Dillon pits

    Lap 166 – Larson pits as Dillon passes Sadler. Dillon then passes Scott for fifth.

    Lap 167 – Kligerman pits

    Lap 169 – Sadler pits

    Lap 170 – Kenseth, Hamlin, Keselowski, Dillon, Hornish and Smith pit. Hamlin cycles through to the lead.

    Caution lap 171 Nemechek spins on the backstretch.

    Restart lap 177 Hamlin and Keselowski side-by-side. Hamlin grabs the lead.

    Caution lap 178 Pastrana spun and into the wall after racing side-by-side with Green

    Restart lap 183 Hamlin grabs the lead off of turn two while Keselowski and Kenseth side-by-side for second. Keselowski grabs second and gets to the outside of Hamlin

    17 to go Hamlin pulls ahead of Keselowski through turns three and four. Hornish runs third.

    15 to go Keselowski passes Hamlin for the lead as Hornish runs third

    13 to go Keselowski leads Hamlin Hornish Kenseth Dillon Scott Smith Sadler Kligerman Larson

    12 to go Larson grabs ninth from Kligerman

    10 to go Smith passes Scott

    3 to go Sweet Bayne and TDillon pass Kligerman for position

    Brad Keselowski wins! Hamlin. Hornish. Kenseth. Dillon. Smith. Sadler. Scott. Larson. Sweet.

  • Ty Dillon gets his cowboy hat with domination at Texas

    Ty Dillon gets his cowboy hat with domination at Texas

    “I wasn’t going to lose this race and not get that cowboy hat.”

    Ty Dillon came into this weekend wanting to win and get the cowboy hat that comes with winning. He did just that as he would dominate, leading the most laps, on the way to scoring the victory in the WinStar World Casino 350 at Texas Motor Speedway.

    On a restart with 41 laps to go, Dillon would fall back to fourth after Ryan Blaney grabbed the lead with James Buescher second and Johnny Sauter third. Dillon would climb his way back through the traffic, taking the lead for the final time with 29 laps to go and never looking back. It marks his second victory of 2013 and third victory of his Camping World Truck Series career.

    “I’ve wanted to win at Texas and glad that we were able to,” Dillon said. “We should’ve won more races this year, but it’s nice to be here in victory lane this weekend.”

    On multiple occasions this year, Dillon has come close to victory, but has come up short.

    “The sad thing is we should have more wins this year than this, we should be right there in the championship fight,” Marcus Richmond, Dillon’s crew chief said. “We’ve had flawless trucks all year long, just have had things go wrong at the end of the race. Ty did a great job tonight stepping it up.”

    The win marks a comeback for the 21-year-old following controversy last week at Martinsville Speedway in the form of a fight with Kevin Harvick. The two crossed paths on track, resulting in Harvick going around. Then under caution, Harvick would make contact with Dillon, resulting in more damage. Post-race, Harvick called Dillon a “spoiled little kid” saying that Dillon has gotten everything as a result of being Richard Childress’ grandson.

    “On the flight down here, our strength and conditioning coach has podcasts and I was listening to them. It spoke to my heart and you can’t worry about the small things,” Dillon said. “These are my guys and they have my back no matter what.

    “This is the 100th win for the no. 3. I wish it was Dale Earnhardt getting that win. I wish he was still here with us.”

    Johnny Sauter finished second for his 13th top 10 of the season.

    “We got it right there in the end but came up short,” Sauter said. “Great night for us. Solid night for us. Proud of everybody. Great stops tonight.”

    Ron Hornaday would finish third despite getting damage early due to contact with Migue Paludo.

    “I thought we were done when the 32 got sideways there and punched a hole in the front end,” he commented.” But we were able to come back and almost had Johnny at the end, but he was able to get by there and run off.”

    Brendan Gaughan and Justin Lofton rounded out the top five. Lofton was driving with a broken thumb following the wreck at Talladega Superspeedway a couple weeks ago.

    James Buescher finished sixth followed by Darrell Wallace Jr., Miguel Paludo, John Wes Townley and Matt Crafton. Points leader Crafton struggled most of the night, though was able to crack the top 10 in the final couple of laps.

    “That was horrendously bad, honestly,” Crafton said. “Last night we were so happy with our truck. My god when we started the race, we were so tight from the center off. We kept making changes and got better as the night went on and did well. We started like 29th on that run and came all the way up to 10th, which is pretty dang good.”

    Crafton now leads Buescher by 46 points and by finishing 18th or better in the final two races, he will clinch the championship.

    Pole sitter and spring race winner Jeb Burton was running inside of the top 10 most of the night when his truck would run out of fuel, resulting in him having to come down pit road with six laps to go.

    Sprint Cup Series regulars Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch both struggled throughout the night after looking strong early.

    While underneath Lofton at lap 24, Keselowski would get loose and spin. He was then trapped a lap down for the rest of the night.

    Meanwhile, Busch came down pit road at lap 49 for the truck overheating. The overheating caused it’s damaged before Busch could take care of it, as he would blow the motor later on in the event. The result was a poor finish for Busch and Crafton being able to extend his points lead in the owner’s standings.