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  • Lap by Lap: Subway Fresh Fit 500 won by Carl Edwards

    Lap by Lap: Subway Fresh Fit 500 won by Carl Edwards

    Carl Edwards would break a 70-race losing streak at Phoenix International Raceway by winning the Subway Fresh Fit 500 in the No. 99 Subway Ford Fusion.

     

    Lap 1 Mark Martin pulls to the early lead ahead of Kahne. Stenhouse Jr. gets into the wall, continues without too much damage

    Lap 4 Martin Kahne Johnson Gordon Stewart Harvick Kenseth Newman Menard and Keselowski

    Lap 6 Bowyer passes Keselowski for 10th

    Lap 16 Menard passes Newman for eighth

    Lap 18 Keselowski passes Bowyer for 10th

    Lap 20 Martin Kahne Johnson Gordon Stewart Harvick Kenseth Menard Newman Keselowski

    Caution lap 21 Scott Riggs blows a tire and hits the wall. Drivers outside of the top 10 pit.

    Restart lap 28 Mark Martin jumps out to the lead with Kahne and Johnson racing side-by-side for second.

    Lap 29 Johnson passes Kahne for second.

    Lap 30 Martin Johnson Kahne Gordon Harvick Stewart Kenseth Menard Keselowski Newman

    Lap 31 Harvick passes Gordon for fourth

    Lap 32 Kenseth passes Stewart; Kurt Busch passes Newman for 10th

    Lap 36 Kurt Busch says all the gauges are red. May have an engine problem, or an electrical problem

    Lap 40 Martin Johnson Kahne Harvick Gordon Kenseth Stewart Menard Keselowski Ku Busch

    Lap 42 Keselowski and Ku Busch pass Menard for eighth

    Caution lap 48 Kyle Busch spins in turn two after getting out of the groove while racing Edwards for 15th. Busch had made his way up to 15th following starting in the back. Leaders pit while nine cars stayed out. Kahne led Mark Martin off pit road. Bowyer hit Kvapil coming off pit road. Busch goes at least one lap down while getting repairs. Martin Truex Jr. stalled on pit road after a rear axle problem.  lap 54 … Biffle Montoya Almirola Stenhouse Yeley Gilliland Martin Kahne Gordon Harvick Kenseth Burton.

    Restart lap 56 Biffle and Montoya side-by-side for the lead

    Lap 57 Montoya wiggles, allowing Biffle to head out to the lead

    Lap 58 Biffle Montoya Stenhouse Almirola Gilliland Kahne Harvick Kenseth Martin Gordon

    Lap 59 Kahne passes Gilliland for fifth

    Lap 60 Biffle Montoya Stenhouse Almirola Kahne Gilliland Harvick Kenseth Martin Gordon

    Lap 62 Harvick passes Gilliland

    Lap 64 Mark Martin pits for right side tires due to a loose wheel. Montoya passes Biffle for the lead. Caution as Dave Blaney hits the wall virtue of David Stremme. Mark Martin gets the lucky dog. Some cars pit.

    Lap 69 Montoya leads Biffle Stenhouse Almirola Kahne

    Restart lap 70 as Biffle grabs the lead ahead of Montoya and Almirola

    Lap 71 Biffle Almirola Montoya Harvick Stenhouse Kahne Kenseth Gilliland Edwards Gordon…..Harvick looking for a way around Montoya for third

    Lap 73 Harvick clears Montoya for third; Kahne and Kenseth pass Stenhouse

    Lap 75 Biffle Almirola Harvick Montoya Kahne Kenseth Stenhouse Edwards Gordon Gilliland

    Lap 78 Burton and Keselowski pass Gilliland; Edwards passes Stenhouse

    Lap 79 Kahne passes Montoya

    Lap 80 Biffle Almirola Harvick Kahne Montoya Kenseth Edwards Gordon Stenhouse Burton

    Caution lap 98 Ryan Newman slaps the wall after tire went flat due to melted bead as a result of excessive brake heat. Joe Nemechek gets the free pass. Leaders head down pit road. Edwards leads Keselowski Stewart Johnson Smith Bowyer Earnhardt off pit road. Mark Martin stays out to take the lead

    Restart lap 104 Mark Martin grabs the lead ahead of Keselowski

    Lap 105 Martin leads Keselowski Edwards Stewart Johnson Ku Busch Bowyer Earnhardt Harvick Almirola

    Lap 111 Bowyer passes Busch

    Lap 115 Stewart passes Edwards

    Lap 127 Martin Keselowski Stewart Edwards Johnson Bowyer Ku Busch Earnhardt Jr Harvick Almirola….Keselowski passes Martin for the lead

    Lap 139 Keselowski leads Martin Stewart Edwards Johnson Ku Busch Bowyer Earnhardt Harvick Almirola

    Caution lap 141 Newman gets into the wall in turn one. Another melted bead. Leaders pit. Edwards leads Johnson Earnhardt Harvick Hamlin Almirola Kenseth off pit road.

    Restart lap 147 Edwards pull ahead with Johnson and Earnhardt side-by-side for second. Johnson clears Earnhard through the dog leg.

    Lap 149 Edwards leads Johnson Earnhardt Harvick Hamlin Almirola Kahne Kenseth Biffle Ku Busch. Kenseth passes Kahne through turns three and four.

    Lap 156 Ku Busch passes Biffle for ninth

    Lap 158 Edwards leads Johnson Earnhardt Jr Harvick Hamin Kenseth Almirola Kahne Ku Busch Biffle

    Lap 161 Kahne passes Almirola

    Lap 165 Logano passes Biffle

    Lap 166 Kenseth passes Hamlin

    Lap 176 Edwards Johnson Earnhardt Harvick Kenseth Hamlin Kahne Ku Busch Almirola Keselowski

    Lap 177 Ku Busch passes Kahne for seventh

    Lap 180 Keselowski passes Almirola so its now Edwards leading Johnson Earnhardt Harvick Kenseth Hamlin Ku Busch Kahne Keselowski Almirola…..Kahne went up the track quickly, overshooting the corner. He falls back to 11th

    Lap 182 Edwards leads Johnson Earnhardt Jr Harvick Kenseth Hamlin Ku Busch Keselowski Almirola Logano

    Caution lap 184 Danica Harvick destroys her car after blowing a right front. She hits the wall, and then makes contact with David Regan. Danica: “I’m OK, but it was a huge, huge hit.” Tony Gibson: “Just as long as you’re OK.” Leaders pit. Earnhardt Jr. first off pit road ahead of Edwards Johnson Kenseth Hamlin Keselowski Ku Busch Harvick Bowyer and McMurray.

    Restart lap 194 Earnhardt Jr. clear out in front as Johnson grabs second from Edwards

    Lap 199 Kenseth passes Edwards for fourth

    Lap 203 Earnhardt leads Johnson Kenseth Edwards Keselowski Bowyer Harvick Ku Busch Gordon

    97 to go Earnhardt leads Johnson Kenseth Edwards Keselowski Hamlin Bowyer Harvick Gordon Ku Busch

    79 to go Earnhardt leads Johnson Kenseth Edwards Keselowski Hamlin Bowyer Harvick Gordon Stewart

    Caution 76 to go David Gilliland has a right front go down. Kyle Busch gets the lucky dog. Leaders pit. Edwards leads Earnhardt Jr. Johnson Hamlin Bowyer Keselowski off of pit road.

    Restart 70 to go Earnhardt spins the tires, Edwards scoots away. Johnson grabs second from Earnhardt

    68 to go Edwards leads Johnson Earnhardt Hamlin Bowyer Keselowski Harvick Kenseth Stewart Gordon

    67 to go Stewart passes Kenseth for eighth

    66 to go Logano passes Gordon for 10th

    65 to go Kyle Busch gets up into the wall, keeps going, no caution.

    60 to go Edwards leads Johnson Earnhardt Hamlin Bowyer Keselowski Harvick Stewart Kenseth Logano

    54 to go Keselowski passes Bowyer. Kenseth passes Stewart.

    50 to go Edwards leads Johnson Earnhardt Hamlin Keselowski Bowyer Harvick Kenseth Stewart Logano

    49 to go Kenseth passes Harvick for seventh

    48 to go Stewart passes Harvick for eighth

    47 to go Edwards leads Johnson Earnhardt Hamlin Keselowski Bowyer Kenseth Stewart Harvick Logano

    42 to go Edwards leads Johnson Earnhardt Keselowski Hamlin Bowyer Kenseth Stewart Harvick Gordon

    39 to go Keselowski passes Earnhardt for third

    30 to go Edwards leads Johnson Keselowski Earnhardt Hamlin Bowyer Kenseth Stewart Gordon Burton

    5 to go Logano is off the pace – out of gas.

    Caution 3 to go Ken Schrader blew a right front. Leaders stay out. Landon Cassil stalls on the backstretch, out of gas.

    Restart. Edwards goes, Keselowski on the bumper with the shove. Edwards to the lead, Keselowski side-by-side with Johnson. Hamlin down the short cut, gets up to side-by-side with Johnson for second. Johnson barely beats Edwards to the line.

    Edwards. Johnson. Hamlin. Keselowski. Earnhardt. Bowyer, Kenseth. Stewart. Gordon. Burton.

  • Busch dominates the NNS Dollar General 200 at Phoenix

    Busch dominates the NNS Dollar General 200 at Phoenix

    Kyle Busch dominated the Dollar General 200 to win his first NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race of the 2013 season and his first NNS since 2011 at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) on Saturday.

    Busch had to do it the hard way. After Dexter Stacey spun to bring out the second yellow flag of the afternoon, Busch was too fast entering pit road.  After restarting 25th, Busch made it to 15th within three laps and would later take the lead from Brad Keselowski en route to a dominating victory for Busch and the No.54 Monster Energy Toyota team.

    Busch led 142 of the 200 laps and could capture his second Sprint Cup Series victory tomorrow at PIR.

    “We put on a show. I had to be patient a few times and aggressive a few times (to get through the field). The car was phenomenal all day.” Busch said.

    Brad Keselowski finished second, Justin Allgaier third, Trevor Bayne fourth and Elliott Sadler finished fifth.

    “I knew I had a shot if something happened to Kyle, but you’ve got to put yourself in a position for good things to happen to you. Kyle’s car was so fast that I could have probably had four tires and he could have had none and it wouldn’t have mattered, he would have still drove through the field.” Keselowski said.

    On lap 1, an accident involved Johanna Long, Jamie Dick, JC Blum, Travis Pastrana, Alex Bowman, and Sam Hornish Jr.  Long went up the track and tapped Hornish going into turn-3.  Hornish moved up the track and then lost traction and hit the outside wall.  Long was clearly disappointed and said that the car, “Just got away from her.” Hornish stayed in the race and despite battling water and oil pressure issues, he took his No.12 car home damaged, but in the 7th position.

    “We came back in after I spun and put four tires on it and the car was pretty good, so to be able to come back the way we did just says a lot about this team and the hard work they’re putting into it. First off, I feel really blessed you can go through an accident like we got into on lap two and not put a big hole in the radiator and have our day be done.” Hornish said.

    The bead on Kevin Harvick’s tire melted on lap 101 and Harvick pounded the wall coming out off turn-2.

    While battling for second place with Brad Keselowski, Brian Vickers collided with the slow car of Mike Harmon. Vickers  finished a lap down in 17th place.

    Five-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson finished 12th in his first Nationwide Series race since 2011.

    Unofficial Race Results
    Dollar General 200, Phoenix Int’l Raceway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/n2s/race.php?race=2
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 1 54 Kyle Busch(i) Toyota 0
    2 9 22 Brad Keselowski(i) Ford 0
    3 5 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 41
    4 4 6 Trevor Bayne Ford 40
    5 15 11 Elliott Sadler Toyota 39
    6 6 3 Austin Dillon Chevrolet 38
    7 19 12 Sam Hornish Jr. Ford 37
    8 3 18 Matt Kenseth(i) Toyota 0
    9 8 43 Aric Almirola(i) Ford 0
    10 21 2 Brian Scott Chevrolet 34
    11 13 7 Regan Smith Chevrolet 33
    12 7 5 Jimmie Johnson(i) Chevrolet 0
    13 14 32 Kyle Larson # Chevrolet 31
    14 22 19 Mike Bliss Toyota 30
    15 23 30 Nelson Piquet Jr. # Chevrolet 29
    16 30 24 Blake Koch Toyota 28
    17 2 20 Brian Vickers Toyota 28
    18 36 40 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet 26
    19 11 77 Parker Kligerman Toyota 25
    20 27 79 Jeffrey Earnhardt # Ford 24
    21 35 51 Ryan Sieg(i) Chevrolet 0
    22 32 0 Jason White Toyota 22
    23 24 44 Hal Martin # Toyota 21
    24 28 92 Dexter Stacey # Ford 20
    25 33 23 Harrison Rhodes(i) Ford 0
    26 38 15 Juan Carlos Blum # Ford 18
    27 40 74 Mike Harmon Chevrolet 17
    28 12 60 Travis Pastrana Ford 16
    29 20 14 Eric McClure Toyota 15
    30 37 52 Joey Gase Chevrolet 14
    31 18 99 Alex Bowman # Toyota 13
    32 25 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 12
    33 10 33 Kevin Harvick(i) Chevrolet 0
    34 39 4 Daryl Harr Chevrolet 10
    35 17 55 Jamie Dick Chevrolet 9
    36 29 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 8
    37 26 10 Jeff Green Toyota 7
    38 31 42 Josh Wise Chevrolet 6
    39 34 46 Chase Miller Chevrolet 5
    40 16 70 Johanna Long Chevrolet 4
  • Busch Captures The NNS Dollar General 200 Pole

    Busch Captures The NNS Dollar General 200 Pole

    Kyle Busch made his debut at the Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) back in the year 2004 and he finished second in his very first start. Now, shift your focus to 2013 and he now has four wins at this track and earned his fifth pole position in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Busch is also a winner here in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series when he scored his second career victory here in 2005.

    Brian Vickers will start on the outside of the front row. Today will be Vickers’ fifth career start here at the PIR in a Nationwide Series car. In half of those races thus far, Vickers has two top-3 finishes. Can he put the No.20 car in victory lane today?

    Vickers teammate Matt Kenseth will start in the third spot. Kenseth is a former winner here in the Sprint Cup Series. He won the Checker Auto Parts 500 back in 2002 when he won five races during the course of the season en route to an 8th place finish in the standings.

    The Toyota’s have shown their power this season, but will they be there in the end? That is a big question. The Toyota’s have the power, but they have had issues with engines similar to 2011.

    Denny Hamlin just had to give up his 8th starting position because of an engine change and will start from the rear of the field during the Subway Fresh Fit 500 tomorrow afternoon.

    Trevor Bayne, Justin Allgaier, Austin Dillon, Jimmie Johnson, Aric Almirola, Brad Keselowski, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top-10.

    Almirola is filling in for the injured Michael Annett who suffered a fractured sternum following a crash last weekend at Daytona.  The injury was completely unrelated to the accident that involved Kyle Larson that injured 33 race fans. Senior Vice President of NASCAR Steve O’Donnell confirmed to us today that all but two fans have been released from Halifax Medical Center following the accident.

    My pick to win today is Kyle Busch. He is due for a victory.

    Starting Lineup
    Dollar General 200, Phoenix Int’l Raceway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/n2s/qual.php?race=2
    ===========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Speed Time
    ===========================================
    1 54 Kyle Busch(i) Toyota 133.057 27.056
    2 20 Brian Vickers Toyota 132.188 27.234
    3 18 Matt Kenseth(i) Toyota 132.1 27.252
    4 6 Trevor Bayne Ford 131.921 27.289
    5 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 131.868 27.3
    6 3 Austin Dillon Chevrolet 131.844 27.305
    7 5 Jimmie Johnson(i) Chevrolet 131.709 27.333
    8 43 Aric Almirola(i) Ford 131.666 27.342
    9 22 Brad Keselowski(i) Ford 131.483 27.38
    10 33 Kevin Harvick(i) Chevrolet 131.416 27.394
    11 77 Parker Kligerman Toyota 131.334 27.411
    12 60 Travis Pastrana Ford 131.2 27.439
    13 7 Regan Smith Chevrolet 130.866 27.509
    14 32 Kyle Larson # Chevrolet 130.847 27.513
    15 11 Elliott Sadler Toyota 130.819 27.519
    16 70 Johanna Long Chevrolet 130.251 27.639
    17 55 Jamie Dick Chevrolet 129.987 27.695
    18 99 Alex Bowman # Toyota 129.936 27.706
    19 12 Sam Hornish Jr. Ford 129.898 27.714
    20 14 Eric McClure Toyota 129.744 27.747
    21 2 Brian Scott Chevrolet 129.725 27.751
    22 19 Mike Bliss Toyota 129.552 27.788
    23 30 Nelson Piquet Jr. # Chevrolet 129.255 27.852
    24 44 Hal Martin # Toyota 129.097 27.886
    25 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 129.055 27.895
    26 10 Jeff Green Toyota 129.023 27.902
    27 79 Jeffrey Earnhardt # Ford 128.036 28.117
    28 92 Dexter Stacey # Ford 127.936 28.139
    29 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 127.891 28.149
    30 24 Blake Koch Toyota 127.75 28.18
    31 42 Josh Wise Chevrolet 127.425 28.252
    32 0 Jason White Toyota 127.303 28.279
    33 23 Harrison Rhodes(i) Ford 127.303 28.279
    34 46 Chase Miller Chevrolet 127.289 28.282
    35 51 Ryan Sieg(i) Chevrolet 127.087 28.327
    36 40 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet 126.863 28.377
    37 52 Joey Gase Chevrolet 125.98 28.576
    38 15 Juan Carlos Blum # Ford 125.799 28.617
    39 4 Daryl Harr Chevrolet 125.427 28.702
    40 74 Mike Harmon Chevrolet 112.247 32.072
  • Martin Scores Third Career Pole at Phoenix, Now 7th on All-Time List

    Martin Scores Third Career Pole at Phoenix, Now 7th on All-Time List

    Mark Martin captured his third career pole at the Phoenix International Raceway and this is his 20th career top-10 start dating back to his debut here in 1988. At 54 years old, Martin still shocks guys like the young Kasey Kahne, who will start on the front row for the first time at Phoenix.

    Phoenix used to be a tough track for Kahne and when I asked him, “What has changed for you at this race track?”, Kahne said, “This track had always been a struggle for me even in open wheel cars and quarter midgets. The banking was just so tough.”

    Since the 2011 season, Kahne has had three top-10 finishes out of the last four races ran and it was in the spring event in 2011 when Kahne got loose and hit the wall early in the race while running in second. If he didn’t hit the wall, I bet Kahne would have been a threat at the end. Look for the 5 car to be the biggest threat out of the Hendrick stable. Out of the top-5, all five at some point have had a history with Hendrick Motorsports.

    Kyle Busch will start from third, Jimmie Johnson will start in fourth, and Jeff Gordon will start in fifth.

    Matt Kenseth fell off from his quick practice run and he will start the race from the ninth position. Denny Hamlin was one of the favorites to win the pole, but he had a very early qualifying lap and wound up in the eighth position. Danica Patrick had a rough start to the weekend and she will start in 40th.

    I asked Mark Martin, “You started on the pole last year and led the first lap of the race and wound up in ninth, how do you ensure you are there at the end of the race and not just the beginning?” Mark said that he and the team, “Just need to make this car the best out of the entire field and it starts with the two hours of practice we have tomorrow.”

    Martin is a two-time winner here at Phoenix with his first victory coming in 1993 and his most recent coming in 2009.

    Starting Lineup – SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500, Phoenix Int’l Raceway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/cup/qual.php?race=2
    ==========================================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Speed Time
    ==========================================================
    1 55 Mark Martin Toyota 138.074 26.073
    2 5 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 137.862 26.113
    3 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 137.804 26.124
    4 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 137.673 26.149
    5 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 137.164 26.246
    6 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 137.143 26.25
    7 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 137.075 26.263
    8 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 136.924 26.292
    9 20 Matt Kenseth Toyota 136.882 26.3
    10 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 136.861 26.304
    11 2 Brad Keselowski Ford 136.835 26.309
    12 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. # Ford 136.731 26.329
    13 15 Clint Bowyer Toyota 136.654 26.344
    14 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 136.602 26.354
    15 99 Carl Edwards Ford 136.483 26.377
    16 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 136.364 26.4
    17 16 Greg Biffle Ford 136.291 26.414
    18 43 Aric Almirola Ford 136.266 26.419
    19 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 135.936 26.483
    20 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 135.89 26.492
    21 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 135.87 26.496
    22 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 135.44 26.58
    23 51 AJ Allmendinger Chevrolet 135.44 26.58
    24 34 David Ragan Ford 135.267 26.614
    25 78 Kurt Busch Chevrolet 135.247 26.618
    26 7 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 135.1 26.647
    27 36 JJ Yeley Chevrolet 135.064 26.654
    28 95 Scott Speed Ford 134.917 26.683
    29 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Chevrolet 134.821 26.702
    30 93 Travis Kvapil Toyota 134.705 26.725
    31 38 David Gilliland Ford 134.695 26.727
    32 22 Joey Logano Ford 134.373 26.791
    33 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 134.343 26.797
    34 83 David Reutimann Toyota 133.814 26.903
    35 19 Mike Bliss(i) Toyota 133.774 26.911
    36 35 Josh Wise(i) Ford 133.591 26.948
    37 30 David Stremme Toyota 133.571 Owner Points
    38 33 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 133.383 Owner Points
    39 44 Scott Riggs(i) Ford 132.92 Owner Points
    40 10 Danica Patrick # Chevrolet 132.89 Owner Points
    41 87 Joe Nemechek(i) Toyota 132.023 Owner Points
    42 32 Ken Schrader Ford 131.747 Owner Points
    43 13 Casey Mears Ford 131.286 Owner Points
  • Earnhardt Jr. comes up short again in bid for second Daytona 500 win

    Earnhardt Jr. comes up short again in bid for second Daytona 500 win

    For the second straight year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. found himself the bridesmaid in the biggest race of the year. His frantic charge on the last lap that came up short, ending in a second place finish in the Daytona 500 behind teammate Jimmie Johnson.

    “I couldn’t really do much without Mark [Martin] helping me at the end. I was hoping he was thinking what I was thinking as we came off of turn on the last lap,” said Earnhardt Jr. of his team’s performance. “I felt like we needed to make the move a little earlier than off of [turn] four and I kept backing up, backing up trying not to let guys get to racing behind us too much.”

    The plan, at least from Earnhardt Jr.’s perspective was for he and Martin to have enough of a gap that if those behind them started to get lined up, they could take off. When not having to worry about the others, Earnhardt Jr. said he just mashed the gas and began his run down the backstretch, Martin following behind.

    “Once we come to turn four, we kind of run out of steam, didn’t have enough to get a run on Jimmie,” he said. “But real happy with the way the car run all day. You couldn’t pass much. But when I was bale to really see what my car could do, it was plenty capable of winning the race.”

    The 1-2 finish for Hendrick Motorsports, specifically the shop that houses the teams of Earnhardt Jr. and Johnson, is now home to Johnson’s second win in the Daytona 500 while Earnhardt Jr., who won the event in 2004, finished second for the third time in last four races. He was fourth heading into the final lap before charging forward with the help of Martin.

    Struck by how long those in front of him waited to make a move, Earnhardt Jr. looked for his opening and took it. But knew, having the same equipment as Johnson it would be hard to get around him. The two will head to Phoenix the top two in points.

    For much of the 500-mile race, the field took a conservative approach. Quickly getting single file and logging laps, but numerous times Earnhardt Jr. told his team that he wasn’t even running full throttle and was pondering how the end of the race was going to play out. With not much passing or pack racing taking place, drivers were unable to gage what they could and couldn’t do.

    What Earnhardt Jr. knew however, was that his car was much better than it had been just days earlier. In his Budweiser Duel race he complained about how it handled and said the team had a lot of work to do ahead of the 500. But then, in final practice on Saturday the speed showed up and crew chief Steve Letarte fixed the bugs that plagued the No. 88 National Guard team.

    Sunday they ran a safe race, avoided the wrecks and were in contention at the end. But it wasn’t enough for Earnhardt Jr. to find victory lane at Daytona again.

    “It’s like a drug, I assume. It’s such a high. You just don’t know when you’ll ever get that opportunity again or if you’ll ever get that opportunity again,” said Earnhardt Jr. about trying to win a second Daytona 500. “I knew before I won in 2004, I was reserved to the idea I may be trying to win this race my entire career because I knew all too well how that was for my father.

    “I felt so much relief when I did win it. I’m ready to do it again. It’s been too long. Running second over and over is great and all for our team, a good start to the season, but I would love – even having to go through all the hassle that Jimmie is about to go through this week [as Daytona 500 champion] – it’s worth it.”

  • Lap by Lap: Daytona 500 won by Jimmie Johnson

    Lap by Lap: Daytona 500 won by Jimmie Johnson

    When the caution came out with nine to go, Jimmie Johnson was just a nose ahead of Brad Keselowski, able to choose his line on the restart. He would choose the outside lane and would hold the field off to win the 2013 Daytona 500.

     

    Green flag

    Lap 1 Gordon uses the side draft and goes up in front of Patrick

    Lap 2 Gordon leads Patrick and Ky Busch

    Lap 5 Gordon leads Patrick Ky Busch Kahne and Dillon

    Lap 6 Gordon and Patrick while Harvick and Busch are side-by-side for third

    Lap 7 Gordon Patrick Ky Busch and Kahne single-file while Dillon and Harvick are side-by-side for fifth

    Lap 11 Most of the field runs single-file. Gordon leads Patrick Busch Kahne Dillon Bowyer Johnson Harvick Biffle and Kenseth

    Lap 14 Gilliland down a cylinder

    Lap 15 the whole field is a single-file train

    Lap 20 Waltrip and Bayne have both lost the draft.

    Caution lap 27 debris. Joe Nemechek gets the lucky dog. Leaders pit. Gordon leads Dillon Kahne Ky Busch Patrick Johnson Biffle. Busch made dive for the grass as he almost got into McMurray as he was pitting.

    Restart lap 31 Gordon leads as Kahne and Johnson are side-by-side

    Lap 32 Johnson to the lead out of turn two ahead……Kenseth jumps to the top in front of Gordon, Johnson jumps up in front of him

    Caution lap 33 Ku Busch, Montoya McMurray Mears Keselowski Stewart Harvick Kahne ……..Kyle Busch caught the left rear corner of Kahne, collecting the rest. Pit stops for some

    Restart lap 37. Johnson gets a good start on the bottom with Kenseth, both quickly pulling up to the top line. Kenseth dives under Johnson through turns three and four. Kenseth to the lead.

    Lap 38 Kenseth and Johnsin side-by-side for first……..Kenseth pulls up to top lae ahead of Johnson out of turn four.

    Lap 39 Kenseth leads while Johnson and Bowyer are side-by-side for second

    Lap 41 Kenseth leads Johnson and Patrick

    Lap 43 Kenseth leads Johnson Patrick Gordon Ky Busch Logano and Dillon single-file

    Lap 70 Dillon pits

    Lap 71 Brad Keselowski pits

    Lap 72 48 24 10 2 16 43 95 9 17 83 93 21 78 among those who pitted

    Lap 73 20 18 56 11 15 31 88 47 36 34 55 99 among those who pitted. Jack falls during 18 pit stop. Newman and Mark Martin lead. They haven’t pitted yet

    Lap 74 Menard pits. Almirola too fast exiting pit road in section 7.

    Lap 78 Newman and Martin pitted. Hamlin to the lead ahead of Truex and Kenseth

    Lap 79 Hamlin leads Truex Kenseth Johnson Gordon Biffle Logano Patrick Earnhardt Bowyer

    Lap 85 Caution debris. Pit stops. Fuel only for the leaders. Patrick Bowyer Truex Hamlin Biffle Logano Gordon Johnson Earnhardt Jr. off pit road. Waltrip stays out to take the lead.

    Restart lap 90 Patrick edges ahead for the lead with help from Bowyer. Both go from bottom to top.

    Lap 92 Patrick leads as Bowyer and Hamlin are side-by-side for second…….Hamlin and Patrick side-by-side for the lead

    Lap 93 Hamlin jumped up to the outside, Patrick sideways saves it

    Lap 94 Kenseth jumps to the outside ahead of Hamlin and Patrick

    Lap 102 Kenseth Hamlin Patrick Bowyer Johnson as the field is single file

    74 to go Logano, Hamlin, Bowyer, Truex, Stenhouse, Newman, Bayne, Edwards among others pit, handing the lead to Patrick

    71 to go Patrick, Biffle, Earnhardt Jr., Johnson, Gordon, among others pit. Logano to the lead

    70 to go Logano, Ambrose and Keselowski pit.

    69 to go Kenseth leads Hamlin Bowyer Busch Martin

    64 to go top 10 are pulling away from the field. Caution. Wise, Edwards, Dillon, Bayne, Labonte, Regan, Gilliland, Keselowski……….Keselowski got sideways after contact from Bayne, and then the accordion effect behind

    Restart 54 to go Kenseth grabs the lead off the jump

    53 to go Kenseth leads Hamlin and Kyle Busch.

    51 to go Kenseth gives up the lead as he has a vibration and smoke trialing. Hamlin leads Kyle Busch. “It’s a gear or something. It’s shaking in the shifter.”

    50 to go Hamlin leads Kyle Busch, Truex, Biffle, Johnson, Gordon, B. Labonte, Ambrose, Bowyer, Patrick. All single-file, top 13 trying to escape the rest of the field.

    49 to go Busch blew up. Hamlin leads Truex, Biffle, Johnson, Gordon, B. Labonte, Ambrose, Bowyer, Patrick.

    27 to go top nine pit, Smith grabs the lead ahead of Earnhardt Jr.

    26 to go Smith, Earnhardt Jr, Martin pit. Keselowski to the lead

    25 to go Truex Jr. blowing up. Penske racing teammates pit. Stenhouse pits. Scott Speed leads

    Caution 24 to go Burton got into the outside wall. Speed pits. Keselowski to the lead, ahead of Johnson, Ambrose, Biffle, Hamlin Patrick Bowyer Gordon Newman Martin Almirola DaleJr

    Restart 19 to go as Keselowski and Johnson are side-by-side for the lead

    18 to go Keselowski leads Biffle, Patrick and Gordon

    17 to go Keselowski leads Biffle, Patrick, Gordon, Martin and Earnhardt Jr.

    16 to go Keselowski leads Biffle and Patrick while Gordon and Johnson are side-by-side for fourth

    15 to go Keselowski to the bottom to block as Johnson and Biffle were side-by-side…..Keselowski back to the top, Johnson alongside Keselowski for the lead

    11 to go Keselowski leads while Biffle and Johnson are side-by-side for second

    9 to go Keselowski and Johnson side-by-side for the lead. Caution debris in turn two

    The top 10: Johnson, BradK, Hamlin, Biffle, Bowyer, Danica, Logano, Dale Jr., Gordon, Martin

    Restart 6 to go Johnson to the lead in turn two, ahead of Biffle and Keselowski.

    5 to go Johnson leads Biffle and Patrick while Johnson and Earnhardt Jr. are side-by-side for fourth

    4 to go Johnson, Biffle, Patrick, Earnhardt Jr., Martin single-file

    Final lap. Wreck in turns one and two. 93 got into the wall. Logano also got damage. No caution.

    Johnson. Earnhardt Jr. Martin. Keselowski. Newman. Biffle. Smith. Patrick. McDowell. Yeley. Bowyer. Stenhouse.

  • Johnson wins the Daytona 500

    Johnson wins the Daytona 500

    Jimmie Johnson won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway on Sunday.  Johnson, making his 400th career start, held off teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin after the final restart with six laps remaining.

    Johnson took the outside line, which had been faster for the entire race and it was enough for the 5-time champion to capture his second Daytona 500 win (2006) and his first win of the 2013 season.

    “You have to race all day long and fight for track position. And this race car, this Lowe’s Chevrolet, was so good. Chad Knaus and all of Hendrick Motorsports gave me a fast car and I could really stay up front all day long. I had a lot of confidence those final few laps leading the train because I knew just how fast this car was. It’s a big credit for everybody at Hendrick Motorsports.” Johnson said.

    Earnhardt Jr. finished second.

    “We just had a lot of help from Mark Martin at the end. We were able to lay back until the last lap on the backstretch there to get enough of a run. We got by a couple of them, but I looked up in the mirror off of four and Mark was back there racing those guys and I lost my help. So when we got to Jimmie (Johnson) we didn’t have enough steam.” Earnhardt Jr. said.

    “We have a hard time finishing these races, boy, to run one-two man what a day. I’m so proud of Jimmie, Dale what a great move by Dale there at the end.  I’m glad.” team owner Rick Hendrick said.

    Martin finished third, Brad Keselowski fourth and Ryan Newman finished fifth.

    “The high lane just had all the speed. It doesn’t mean we weren’t trying. It just wouldn’t go down there eon the bottom and it made it real hard to pass. It wasn’t for lack of effort. I would rather make that effort, and I did, but I kept going to the back.” Keselowski said.

    Danica Patrick started from the pole but dropped to second place after Jeff Gordon got a better start and was able to pull around Patrick before the first lap was complete.  Patrick ran strong all day long and finished 8th.  Patrick led a total of five laps and became the first woman ever to lead a lap under green at the Daytona 500 and also tied Janet Guthrie’s career mark for a woman in Sprint Cup competition.

    “Ran up front all day long and we led a little. We stayed in the top-10 all day pretty much. Had nice pit stops by the GoDaddy crew, the car was fast and it’s always a little frustrating when you come through and your top three on that last lap. I will learn more for next time. I really didn’t feel like I had a great grasp as to ‘how do you go win this race’”. Patrick said.

    On lap 33, Kasey Kahne was spun around after contact from behind with Kyle Busch.  Kahne spun sideways into oncoming traffic.  Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick were also collected and sent to the garage for repairs.

    “Oh, it’s crazy. I can’t believe it.  I mean, I wanted to race. I didn’t want to run single-file by the wall. That’s what we were doing and you still got caught in something.” Kahne said.

    Carl Edwards’ Daytona Speedweeks bad luck continued.  He was collected in another accident.

    “It’s so frustrating. This has not been fun.  My guys, they’re not quitting and are working hard. They’ve already told me they’re ready to go to Phoenix and dominate. We’re not getting held down this year. It doesn’t matter how many cars we wrecked here. We’re fighting to the very end.” Edwards said.

    Matt Kenseth led a race-high 86 laps.  While leading the race, Kenseth he had to bring his car to the garage after a vibration was felt and smoke from the front of the car on lap 149.

    “I’m not sure if it’s an engine or a transmission — if it’s a transmission we’ll get out, but if it’s an engine then obviously we won’t.  Disappointing end to a great day.” Kenseth said.

    Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch also went to the garage with engine problems.

    “Just broke an engine for some reason.  Just unfortunate that this whole team has got to go through this stuff.  We got bottled up back in traffic a little bit there.  I hate it that I wrecked the 5 and the rest of those guys that were racing around us.  But, unfortunate for us we broke pieces.” Busch said.

    The Sprint Cup Series heads to Phoenix International Raceway next weekend for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at 3:00 pm est.

    Unofficial Race Results
    Daytona 500, Daytona Int’l Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/cup/race.php?race=1
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 9 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 47
    2 19 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 42
    3 14 55 Mark Martin Toyota 41
    4 15 2 Brad Keselowski Ford 41
    5 34 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 40
    6 5 16 Greg Biffle Ford 38
    7 40 51 Regan Smith(i) Chevrolet 0
    8 1 10 Danica Patrick # Chevrolet 37
    9 38 98 Michael McDowell Ford 35
    10 41 36 JJ Yeley Chevrolet 34
    11 10 15 Clint Bowyer Toyota 34
    12 28 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. # Ford 32
    13 26 43 Aric Almirola Ford 31
    14 35 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 31
    15 23 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 29
    16 42 83 David Reutimann Toyota 28
    17 30 7 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 27
    18 24 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 26
    19 21 22 Joey Logano Ford 26
    20 2 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 25
    21 16 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 24
    22 29 26 Michael Waltrip Toyota 23
    23 31 95 Scott Speed Ford 22
    24 37 56 Martin Truex Jr Toyota 20
    25 43 93 Travis Kvapil Toyota 20
    26 39 32 Terry Labonte Ford 18
    27 33 21 Trevor Bayne(i) Ford 0
    28 11 78 Kurt Busch Chevrolet 16
    29 17 13 Casey Mears Ford 15
    30 18 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 14
    31 8 33 Austin Dillon(i) Chevrolet 0
    32 20 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 12
    33 36 99 Carl Edwards Ford 11
    34 4 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 10
    35 22 34 David Ragan Ford 9
    36 6 5 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 8
    37 12 20 Matt Kenseth Toyota 9
    38 25 38 David Gilliland Ford 6
    39 7 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Chevrolet 5
    40 32 35 Josh Wise(i) Ford 0
    41 13 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 3
    42 3 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 2
    43 27 87 Joe Nemechek(i) Toyota 0
  • Tony Stewart wins the DRIVE4COPD 300 after last lap wreck

    Tony Stewart wins the DRIVE4COPD 300 after last lap wreck

    After the lead cars made contact triggering the 11 car wreck, Tony Stewart would make his way through, emerging as the winner of the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway. It marks his seventh victory and 10th top-10 finish in 14 races at Daytona International Speedway.

    Stewart would not celebrate in victory after the crash sent Kyle Larson’s car up against the catchfence, ripping it apart, sending debris into the grandstands. There were 14 fans treated at the track, while another 14 were transferred to hospitals in the surrounding area. 12 of the 14 were transported to Halifax Medical Centre, including one minor. Seven were admitted to Halifax with trauma related injuries, while five were admitted with non-trauma injuries. Two of them are in critical condition, but all 12 are stable.

    “The important thing is what is going on the frontstretch right now,” Stewart said. “We’ve always known since racing started that this is a dangerous sport. We assume that risk, and it’s hard when the fans get caught up in it. As much as we want to celebrate and as much as this is a big deal to us, we are concerned about the fans and drivers on the front stretch.”

    The wreck started when Regan Smith threw a block on Brad Keselowski in the tri-oval on the 2.5-mile oval.

    “Well, watching the replay, my reaction is the same as everyone is hoping all the fans in the grandstands are okay,” Keselowski said. “It was a long race, we seen a lot of action – lot of chances for winning and passing. We were in a good position with Regan at the end of the race. When it came down, I felt like I was in the spot. I wanted to make the winning move, and he made a block on it. That’s his right and it started the chaos.”

    “Tried to throw a block off of turn four,” Smith said. “I knew Brad was going to make a move. But that’s what you do at Daytona – you do what you can do for the win……You’re coming to the checkered at Daytona and you want to win here whether it’s Cup, Nationwide or ARCA.  I was not willing to concede second place. If I’m in second tomorrow, I will make the same move again.”

    11 cars were all involved in the wreck, including Justin Allgaier, Brian Scott, Sam Hornish Jr., Eric McClure, Parker Kligerman, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Robert Richardson Jr., Travis Pastrana and Alex Bowman. None of the drivers were injured. An entire separate article talking about the wreck has been posted. You can view it by clicking here.

    Despite being involved, Hornish Jr. would cross the finish line second for his second top-10 finish in five races at Daytona. Bowman would cross the line third to be the highest finishing rookie in the event. Earnhardt Jr. and Kligerman rounded out the top five.

    “We had a pretty good car all day and just right there at the end, trying to get the best finish, and thought we were going to get to the end without tearing anything else,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I saw the 7 (Smith) spinning across the track and he caught my left front and I couldn’t steer from there. I was trying to cross the finish and got hit by someone coming across the track.”

    Scott would finish sixth in his first start with Richard Childress Racing after moving over from Joe Gibbs Racing. Allgaier finished seventh, followed by McClure, Richardson Jr. and Pastrana.

    In total, there’d be seven cautions throughout the course of the 300 mile race at Daytona.

    The first caution came out on lap eight for Scott Lagasse Jr. spinning out as he tried to slide down in front of Trevor Bayne.

    The second caution followed on lap 34 after Smith spun, after some slight contact from Elliott Sadler; Juan Carlos Blum would hit the inside wall. Danica Patrick would go behind the wall after experiencing electrical problems.

    “Well, I guess before I just shut down and lost power, I was slowing down,” she said. “It felt like the revs were right but when I was lost the pack, couldn’t catch back up. I couldn’t keep up with Tony back there; I knew something was wrong. It’s fun doing these Nationwide races. It’s a bummer for Turner Scott Motorsports.”

    The third caution came out on lap 65 when Mike Wallace would get turned sideways in the tri-oval, collecting Michael Annett, Joe Nemechek and Kurt Busch.

    Trevor Bayne would then bring out the fourth caution at lap 85 after he broke a driveshaft. He wouldn’t be the only one with mechanical problems, as Kyle Busch brought out the fifth caution after blowing a motor with 22 laps to go.

    The final caution came out with five laps to go when Austin Dillon would get turned by Annett after Annett got loose while pushing Sadler. Also collected in the wreck were Kasey Kahne, Johanna Long, Jamie Dick, Mike Bliss, Jason White, Danny Efland, Jeffery Earnhardt, Hal Martin and Matt Kenseth. Michael Annett is being transferred to Halifax Medical Centre for further evaluation. Annett will be kept at hospital overnight for observation and is being treated for bruising on his chest.

    As we end this off, from all of us at SpeedwayMedia.com, our thoughts and prayers are with the fans that were injured today at the speedway.

  • Last lap Nationwide Series crash sends debris up into grandstands

    Last lap Nationwide Series crash sends debris up into grandstands

    A crash on the last lap in the DRIVE4COPD 300 would send Kyle Larson up into the catchfence, sending debris into the grandstands. Larson’s engine was on the fans’ side of the catchfence, while one of his tires would land a couple rows up in the stands.

    “We are currently assessing the situation, taking care of those involved,” Kerry Tharp, PR for NASCAR said. “Once we do, we will have someone from NASCAR and someone from the track with an update. Till then, there is no timetable about this.”

    There was obviously some intrusion in the fence, and fortunately, there were a lot of emergency folks ready to help,” Mike Helton, President of NASCAR, said during ESPN’s broadcast. “Right now, we were just tryng to see what the damage is that has been done and moving folks to care centres, Halifax Medical Centre.”

    Helton added that they try to make the races as safe as possible for both the drivers and fans, however there is always things that can happen they can’t be prepared for.

    “We know a lot and we know what we know, but the biggest thing we know is that we don’t know everything we need to know,” he said. “There are moments we haven’t seen before and we can’t plan for them.”

    ESPN has since reported that 15 spectators have been transported to hospitals in the area, with one in surgery for head trauma.

    Wendy Venturini reported on SPEED that the 11 admitted to Halifax Medical Centre are stable; six of those spectators were admitted with trauma related symptoms.

    None of the drivers were injured in the wreck.

    The wreck started when Regan Smith threw a block on Brad Keselowski in the tri-oval on the 2.5-mile oval.

    “Well, watching the replay, my reaction is the same as everyone is hoping all the fans in the grandstands are okay,” Keselowski said. “It was a long race, we seen a lot of action – lot of chances for winning and passing. We were in a good position with Regan at the end of the race. When it came down, I felt like I was in the spot. I wanted to make the winning move, and he made a block on it. That’s his right and it started the chaos.”

    “Tried to throw a block off of turn four,” Smith said. “I knew Brad was going to make a move. But that’s what you do at Daytona – you do what you can do for the win……You’re coming to the checkered at Daytona and you want to win here whether it’s Cup, Nationwide or ARCA.  I was not willing to concede second place. If I’m in second tomorrow, I will make the same move again.”

    “I feel good,” Larson said. “Just not sure where everything ended up on the race track. Just hope all the drivers and fans are okay. Just disappointed. Looks like they got 13th on the board. We had a stronger car than that. We were running up front all day.”

    11 cars were all involved in the wreck, including Justin Allgaier, Brian Scott, Sam Hornish Jr., Eric McClure, Parker Kligerman, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Robert Richardson Jr., Travis Pastrana and Alex Bowman.

    “We were on the outside behind Brian Scott,” Allgaier said. “They started wrecking in front of us and unfortunately, it was too late. I’m okay and all the drivers I’ve talked to in the infield care center seem to be okay. Hope all the fans are okay that were hit in debris. It’s a violent wreck. Just seeing the carnage on the race track. It’s really unbelievable.”

    “We had a pretty good car all day and just right there at the end, trying to get the best finish, and thought we were going to get to the end without tearing anything else,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I saw the 7 (Smith) spinning across the track and he caught my left front and I couldn’t steer from there. I was trying to cross the finish and got hit by someone coming across the track.”

    “The biggest thing is trying to keep the cars on the ground,” Hornish Jr. “You can get these cars at different angles and soon enough, you’re going to get them off the ground. The white car there got sideways and then another car got into him, wedging him up into the fence. The only way you can absolutely keep these cars on the ground is by bolting them down.”

    Tony Stewart would take the victory, ahead of Hornish Jr., Bowman, Earnhardt Jr. and Kligerman. Scott finished sixth, followed by Allgaier, McClure, Richardson Jr. and Pastrana.

    “The important thing is what is going on the frontstretch right now,” Stewart said. “We’ve always known since racing started that this is a dangerous sport. We assume that risk, and it’s hard when the fans get caught up in it. As much as we want to celebrate and as much as this is a big deal to us, we are concerned about the fans and drivers on the front stretch.”

    NASCAR will have a press conference sometime this evening with more details about the incident.

  • Lap by Lap: DRIVE4COPD 300 won by Tony Stewart

    Lap by Lap: DRIVE4COPD 300 won by Tony Stewart

    Tony Stewart would take the victory in the DRIVE4COPD 300 at a wreck ensued on the last lap, which included the front end of Kyle Larson’s car landing on the fans’ side of the catch fence. More details on the wreck, as well as the race, will be posted shortly.

     

    Green flag as Kligerman pushes Bayne out to early lead into turn one

    Lap 3 Bayne-Kligerman leads as Busch-Kenseth look for a way around, with Stewart-Patrick in toe

    Lap 4 Bayne-Kligerman lead as Stewart and Patrick follow…..Stewart to the lead down the back, Busch to the lead into three.

    Lap 5 Busch-Kenseth lead as Stewart and Patrick run side-by-side for third

    Lap 6 Busch-Kenseth lead as Stewart-Dillon look for the lead……..Stewart-Dillon to the lead through turn two. Patrick up to third.

    Lap 7 Stewart-Dillon lead as Patrick and Sadler are side-by-side for third. Earnhardt Jr. hooked on the back of Patrick, looking for the lead

    Lap 8 Patrick grabbed the lead as she disconnects from Earnhardt Jr., three-wide for the lead with Patrick, Earnhardt Jr and Sadler. Caution…..Scott Lagasse Jr. spins out of the pack as he tries to slide down in front of Bayne. Top four stay out; everybody else pits for fuel only stops. Stewart leads Keselowski, Earnhardt Jr., Busch, Annett off pit road.

    Restart lap 11 Patrick-Ku Busch side-by-side with Sadler-Vickers for the lead. Patrick gets separated from Busch, hands lead to Sadler-Vickers

    Lap 13 Sadler-Vickers leads Ky Busch followed by Nemechek-Bayne

    Lap 15 Sadler-Vickers lead as Nemechek-Bayne went to go to the lead, however Bayne bailed out on him.

    Lap 16 Sadler-Vickers lead as Kurt Busch and Patrick are side-by-side for third

    Lap 17 Sadler-Vickers-Ky Busch pulling away followed by Bayne-Nemechek.

    Lap 18 Vickers and Sadler switch, keeping the lead so it’s Sadler leading

    Lap 23 Vickers leads Sadler, Ky Busch, Allgaier, Nemechek

    Lap 24 Vickers suffled in rotation, Sadler to the lead followed by Ky Busch, Vickers and Earnhardt Jr

    Lap 25 Sadler, Ky Busch, Vickers Allgaier, Nemechek

    Lap 27 top four have broken away – Sadler, Ky Busch, Vickers, Allgaier, Nemechek

    Lap 28 Sadler-Ky Busch leading as Keselowski-Hornish make a run to the outside.

    Lap 29 Keselowski-Hornish take the lead ahead of Sadler-Ky Busch

    Lap 30 Hornish-Keselowski make the switch through turns one and two, three-wide for the lead through turns three-four

    Lap 31 Ky Busch-Earnhardt Jr. to the lead ahead of Annett, Bayne and Mike Wallace

    Caution Lap 34 Sadler barely gets into Smith, sending him for a spin. Juan Carlos Blum spins behind, hits inside wall. Patrick to the pits with a blown motor. Leaders pit. Ky Busch Bayne Annett Kenseth Nemechek Hornish Keselowski Scott Dillon Earnhardt Jr. Jeremy Clements gets the lucky dog.

    Restart lap 36

    Lap 38 Ky-Busch leads with help from Kenseth lead ahead of Sadler-Vickers

    Lap 40 Ky Busch-Kenseth lead ahead of Vickers-Sadler. Hornish-Keselowski next in line.

    Lap 41 Ky Busch-Kenseth leads Vickers-Sadler while it’s three-wide behind them. Sorenson and Nemechek side-by-side for fifth.

    Lap 43 Ky Busch, Kenseth, Vickers, Sadler and Sorenson

    Lap 48 Kenseth and Ky Busch do the swap, so Kenseth to the lead

    Lap 50 Allgaier-Annett to the lead by Kenseth-Ky Busch

    Lap 51 Kenseth-Ky Busch grab the lead back through turn one.

    Lap 58 Earnhardt Jr. to the lead with help from Kasey Kahne

    Lap 61 Ky Busch-Kenseth back to the lead as Earnhardt Jr. falls back after losing his drafting partner.

    Lap 64 Kahne-Smith to the lead

    Caution lap 65 Mike Wallace gets turned in the tri-oval, collecting Annett, Nemechek and Kurt Busch. Leaders head down pit road. Sadler and Vickers gets a lengthy stop after adding more water in. Kasey Kahne missed his pit stall, he will have to come back down pit road.

    Restart lap 71 Smith and Earnhardt Jr. lead them to the green

    Lap 72 Earnhardt-Larson side-by-side for the lead with Smith-Ky Busch

    Lap 73 Smith leads Busch, Earnhardt Jr., Kenseth, Kligerman and Larson

    Lap 75 Smith Busch Earnhardt Jr. Kenseth and Bayne make up the lead draft

    Photo Credit: Jared Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR
    Photo Credit: Jared Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR

    Lap 80 Vickers had to make unscheduled pit stop as oil temps were pegged

    Lap 81 Smith-Ky Busch lead…..Keselowski-Bayne to the lead through turn two…….Smith-Ky Busch back to the lead into three ahead of Bowman-Kligerman.

    Lap 83 Smith-Ky Busch lead Keselowski and Bayne

    Caution lap 85 Bayne broken in turn one, thinks it’s a driveshaft. Leaders pit. Keselowski leads Larson Bowman Kligerman Earnhardt Kenseth Ky Busch Kahne.

    Restart 31 to go Keselowski pulls ahead with help from Bowman ahead of Kenseth-Ky Busch

    30 to go Kenseth-Ky Busch to the lead

    28 to go Scott-Hornish side-by-side with Kenseth-Ky Busch for the lead

    27 laps to go Scott-Hornish pull ahead of Kenseth-Ky Busch ahead of Keselowski-Bowman……..Kenseth-Ky Busch to the lead through turn three

    23 to go Scott-Hornish lose the lead in turns one and two as Larson-Kligerman take the lead, Kligerman makes the swap on the backstraight and pulls up in front of Larson…..Smith grabs the lead down the back straight.

    22 to go McClure makes the pass on Smith for the lead……Kligerman to the lead out of turn two with help from Larson. Caution. Kyle Busch blew a motor. Elliott Sadler pits for four tires and to clean the grill to avoid a problem like Kyle’s. Reed Sorenson blows a motor under caution.

    Restart 14 to go Kligerman and Larson lead the field to the flag…..Larson drops down behind Kligerman before turn one……..McClure to the outside of Kligerman for the lead…….Kligerman and Larson pull ahead into turn three

    13 to go Kligerman-Larson lead ahead of Hornish-Keselowski

    12 to go McClure-Piquet pass Hornish-Keselowski as Keselowski and Hornish do the switch…..Annett-Vickers up to third and fourth.

    11 to go Kligerman-Larson lead Sadler-Vickers ahead of Kenseth-Pastrana……….Kligerman and Sadler side-by-side for the lead.

    10 to go Sadler-Vickers to the lead ahead of Kenseth and its three-wide behind them

    9 to go Sadler-Vickers side-by-side with Smith-Keselowski for the lead…….Smith-Keselowski grab the lead ahead of Sadler-Vickers and Bowman-Dillon

    8 to go Smith-Keselowski lead Sadler-Vickers as the rest of the field is two, three-wide

    7 to go Smith-Keselowski, Sadler-Vickers, Stewart-Hornish breaking away from the rest of the field.

    6 to go Smith-Keselowski lead ahead of Stewart-Hornish ahead of Pastrana……..Stewart-Hornish side by side for the lead with Smith-Keselowski

    5 to go Caution THE BIG ONE strikes as Dillon gets turned by Annett after Annett gets loose while pushing Sadler, collecting Kahne, Long, Dick, Bliss, White, Efland, J. Earnhardt, H. Martin, Kenseth. Michael Annett is being transferred to Halifax Medical Centre for further evaluation.

    Red flag has been thrown to clean up the wreck. Yellow flag put back out. Joe Gibbs Racing cars of Vickers and Sadler pit for tires.

    Restart 2 to go Smith-Keselowski and Stewart-Hornish side-by-side for the lead……Stewart-Hornish ahead of the field in turn three

    White flag……Smith-Keselowski to the outside of Stewart-Hornish…..Smith-Keselowski to the lead down the back……Smith and Keselowski make contact, trigging wreck no. 2, sending Larson up into the catch fence. Bowman, Earnhardt Jr., Allgaier, Sadler, Scott,

    Stewart wins the DRIVE4COPD 400. Sam Hornish Jr. Alex Bowman. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Parker Kligerman. Brian Scott. Justin Allgaier. Eric McClure. Robert Richardson Jr. Travis Pastrana.