Category: RC NASCAR Cup

Carl Edwards scored his first win of the season, first with Joe Gibbs Racing and first points race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, winning the 56th running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Sunday night. Edwards outdistanced Greg Biffle and third place Dale Earnhardt Jr., in a fuel mileage race to the checkered flag.

Edwards inherited the lead when Martin Truex Jr. and others were forced  to make green flag pit stops during the final 20 laps.  Truex, who led a race-high 131 laps, raced back to fifth place just behind fourth-place finisher and pole sitter Matt Kenseth.

“What a big day of racing,” said Edwards. “I can’t believe this. I’m going to have a Coke with my Subway sandwich. This is pretty big to me. I don’t think it has sunk in yet.”

Rounding out the Top 10 were Ryan Newman, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch.

Coca-Cola 600 Post Race Notes

Winner – Carl Edwards (No.19 Subway Toyota) “What a big day of racing. I can’t believe this. It’s the 300th victory for Toyota. I’m going to have a Coke with my Subway sandwich. This does not feel like one of my 24 wins. This is pretty big to me. I just cannot thank Joe Gibbs, and everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing, enough. Everyone took a big chance on making this fourth team happen. Up to this point in the year, we had just basically done a good job of pulling it all together and we have not delivered the results we wanted. But to get this win, and put ourselves in a position to be in the Chase, to be able now to take a deep breath, step back and work on all the little things to be a championship level team. This is just a huge opportunity. I don’t think it has sunk in yet.”

Darian Grubb – Crew Chief (No. 19 Subway Toyota) “It was a struggle of a day for us. We qualified pretty well and just kind of fell back there. We started working our way back up through after a couple of adjustments we made. Two runs from the end, we realized this had the potential to be a fuel mileage race. That next-to-last caution came out 12 laps before our fuel window. Everybody pitted there and just basically had enough fuel in it. When the last caution came out we were really surprised a lot of people didn’t come down and pit. We took four (tires) and filled up and were good to go.”

Joe Gibbs  – Team owner “That was awesome. I was so focused on Denny (Hamlin) at that point and he was sick. So, I kind of lost track of everything. I looked at Darian (Grubb) and said ‘we can’t make it can we?’ He made an awesome call.”

Second Place – Greg Biffle (No. 16 Ortho Ford) “I’m really excited for the team and the organization. They have been working really, really hard on our cars. It’s been well documented how bad we have been running. So, it feels good. The car was good and had a lot of speed. That was a big improvement. We hadn’t had that in probably a year. So, I’m super excited about that. Because of that and where we were running, it gave us the opportunity to try and stretch the fuel window and make it. With two to go, the fuel light came on. I had to start shutting it off trying to preserve what we had. I was excited to see the checkered flag.”

Third Place – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet) “It was tough, but we (already) got a win, so it didn’t really matter. I had to hope the guys in front of me would run out of gas. We got beat as far as speed. We just had to try to go for a win there. We didn’t have a fast enough car to beat the 41 (Kurt Busch) or the 78 (Martin Truex Jr.). We just had to do something different. We had to gamble. We’ll work on it and try and get some more wins.”

May 24, 2015

By Reid Spencer

CONCORD, N.C. – Will the mystery winner of Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 enter and sign in please?

Hint: It’s the guy who does back flips every time he takes the checkered flag.

But for the first 370 of 400 laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway, no one would have picked Carl Edwards or his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota as the likely winner of the season’s 12th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin had spent the lion’s share of time at the head of the field, but none of that mattered when Edwards got 62 laps out of his last tank of fuel and took the checkered flag 4.785 seconds ahead of Greg Biffle, who also was on a fuel-saving strategy.

In fact, the top four finishers all stretched their gas mileage after pit stops under caution on Lap 337. Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran third, followed by polesitter Matt Kenseth and Truex, who led a race-high 131 laps.

Ryan Newman, Brad Keselowski, Hamlin (53 laps led), Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch (118 laps led) completed the top 10. Kyle Busch came home 11th in his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points race of the season, after missing the first 11 races of the season because of injuries sustained Feb. 21 at Daytona.

The victory was Edwards first of the season, his first for Joe Gibbs Racing, his first at Charlotte and the 24th of his career.

“It’s so cool to get this win—we’ve had such bad luck,” said Edwards, who joined Joe Gibbs Racing as the organization’s fourth Sprint Cup driver after the 2014 season. “And we were the slowest of the (JGR cars) tonight, but we had (crew chief) Darian (Grubb) on the box. He made the right call, he put us in a position to win, and it worked. …

“This is truly a gift. I took advantage of it to win, and we’ll get better.”

In all likelihood, the victory will propel Edwards into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. It was also Toyota’s 300th national series victory in the manufacturer’s 300th Sprint Cup start.

But after the very early stages of the race, Edwards wasn’t a factor until fuel strategy came into play in the closing laps.

Soon after Jimmie Johnson spun off Turn 4 on Lap 90 to cause the second caution of the afternoon, the race evolved into a two-car contest between the Chevrolets of Kurt Busch and Truex.

Within two laps of a restart on Lap 95, Busch drove from ninth to the lead, passing Joey Logano for the top spot on lap 97. From that point, Busch and Truex swapped stints at the head of the field, and by the time Johnson spun off Turn 4 and smacked the inside wall on Lap 273 to bring out the caution flag for the fifth time, Busch had racked up 118 laps led and Truex 59.

But another quick yellow flag on Lap 282 for Ryan Blaney’s blown engine created the opportunity for divergent strategies and scrambled the running order. Truex was one of nine drivers who stayed out under the caution, but both Harvick and Kurt Busch came to pit road for fresh rubber and restarted 10th and 11th, respectively, on lap 292.

Gradually, methodically, Harvick and Kurt Busch drove back toward the front, but the contrarian strategies introduced another major player into the mix. Denny Hamlin surged to the front of the field and led 53 laps before pitting with a loose wheel on Lap 363 and giving up the lead.

That put Truex back in front, with Harvick chasing, and both drivers needing one more pit stop to get to the end of the race.

Edwards, Biffle, Earnhardt and Kenseth, on the other hand, stopped with 62 laps left, and the decision to come to pit road and gamble on fuel proved decisive—and stole a victory from Truex’s dominant car.

Biffle put pressure on Edwards in the closing laps, until he momentarily lost fuel pressure with two circuits left.

“Running where we were running, it gave us the opportunity to try and stretch the fuel window and make it,” Biffle said. “I was putting a lot of pressure on Carl there. I started going with about 10 laps to go. The crew chief (Matt Puccia) told me ‘Save all you can, just stay in front of the 88 (Earnhardt),’ and I made a decision that I was going to try and beat Carl. I got pretty close to him there, and then with two to go, the fuel light came on that the fuel pressure was low, and so I came around and had to start pushing the clutch in and shutting it off and coasting and try and preserve what fuel I had to make it back.

“So excited to see the checkered flag. I wasn’t sure I was going to stretch two laps of gas out of it. But it was probably on the straightaway it sucked some air and started flashing the fuel pressure. I was able to run it around the corners and didn’t have any more issues, but stayed in front of the 88, finished second, big boost for the team, but probably a bigger boost for the team was how we ran tonight on the race track.”

If Biffle had mixed feelings about finishing second, Truex was disconsolate.

“Hell, I didn’t even know guys could make it on gas,” Truex said. I didn’t know what was going on. Just can’t catch a break there. I’m proud of the guys for an awesome race car. All my guys in Denver (where Furniture Row Racing is based) are putting a great car together. I don’t know what to do about that.

“We had a great car. Had a chance at it and it stinks to come up short like that on fuel mileage. I’ve never once in my whole career gained positions on a fuel mileage deal. I don’t know what I have to do to catch a break on them deals. It is what it is. Just proud of my guys for what they brought–we will get one.”

Note: Late in the race, Hamlin reported feeling ill in his car and complained of a severe headache. He was taken to the infield care center after the race, and team owner Joe Gibbs said his driver was dehydrated, was given an IV and was feeling better after the treatment.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – Coca-Cola 600

Charlotte Motor Speedway

Concord, North Carolina

Sunday, May 24, 2015

               1. (3) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 400, $363390.

               2. (4) Greg Biffle, Ford, 400, $277263.

               3. (15) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 400, $217255.

               4. (1) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 400, $252716.

               5. (10) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 400, $182350.

               6. (19) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 400, $166570.

               7. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 400, $172911.

               8. (5) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 400, $143720.

               9. (8) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 400, $174045.

               10. (14) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 400, $140045.

               11. (17) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 400, $157301.

               12. (33) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 400, $128685.

               13. (2) Joey Logano, Ford, 400, $161793.

               14. (23) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 400, $120735.

               15. (18) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 400, $156371.

               16. (11) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 400, $147271.

               17. (21) Aric Almirola, Ford, 399, $146046.

               18. (28) Chase Elliott(i), Chevrolet, 399, $103910.

               19. (22) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 399, $136826.

               20. (24) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 399, $140368.

               21. (12) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 399, $132399.

              22. (20) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 398, $111760.

               23. (34) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 398, $128993.

               24. (26) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 398, $128305.

               25. (9) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 398, $129468.

               26. (31) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 397, $116518.

              27. (27) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 397, $141210.

               28. (37) Cole Whitt, Ford, 396, $113343.

               29. (30) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 395, $125618.

               30. (25) Michael McDowell, Ford, 394, $97335.

               31. (40) Brett Moffitt #, Ford, 393, $97185.

               32. (36) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 393, $95560.

               33. (39) David Gilliland, Ford, 392, $115957.

               34. (42) Matt DiBenedetto #, Toyota, 392, $95285.

               35. (38) Josh Wise, Ford, 392, $98135.

               36. (43) Alex Kennedy #, Chevrolet, 389, $97535.

               37. (29) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 382, $102761.

               38. (41) JJ Yeley(i), Toyota, Engine, 377, $89413.

               39. (32) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 375, $85350.

               40. (13) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 370, $129286.

               41. (7) David Ragan, Toyota, Engine, 353, $105164.

               42. (16) Ryan Blaney(i), Ford, Engine, 281, $73350.

               43. (35) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, Accident, 135, $77850.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  147.803 mph.

Time of Race:  04 Hrs, 03 Mins, 34 Secs. Margin of Victory:  4.785 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  8 for 39 laps.

Lead Changes:  22 among 9 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   M. Kenseth 0; C. Edwards 1-2; M. Kenseth 3-27; D. Gilliland 28; M. Kenseth 29; J. Logano 30-43; D. Hamlin 44-63; K. Harvick 64-78; Kurt Busch 79; B. Keselowski 80; K. Harvick 81-90; M. Truex Jr. 91; B. Keselowski 92-93; J. Logano 94-96; Kurt Busch 97-189; C. Edwards 190-191; M. Truex Jr. 192-236; Kurt Busch 237-260; M. Truex Jr. 261-329; D. Hamlin 330-362; M. Truex Jr. 363-378; K. Harvick 379; C. Edwards 380-400.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  M. Truex Jr. 4 times for 131 laps; Kurt Busch 3 times for 118 laps; D. Hamlin 2 times for 53 laps; M. Kenseth 2 times for 26 laps; K. Harvick 3 times for 26 laps; C. Edwards 3 times for 25 laps; J. Logano 2 times for 17 laps; B. Keselowski 2 times for 3 laps; D. Gilliland 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 16 in Points: K. Harvick – 473; M. Truex Jr. – 432; J. Logano – 407; D. Earnhardt Jr. – 401; J. Johnson – 393; B. Keselowski – 381; M. Kenseth – 372; J. Mcmurray – 353; J. Gordon – 346; K. Kahne – 345; R. Newman – 343; A. Almirola – 339; P. Menard – 336; Kurt Busch – 327; D. Hamlin – 321; C. Edwards – 312.

Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

CONCORD, N.C. – After powering to his second pole of the season on Thursday night,Matt Kenseth will start NASCAR’s longest race from the most advantageous position—with his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota getting serviced in the most advantageous pit stall.

Kenseth ran his fastest lap of the night (194.252 mph) in the third and final round of knockout qualifying at Charlotte Motor Speedway and secured the top spot on the grid for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM), the 12th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the season.

The Coors Light Pole Award was Kenseth’s first at Charlotte and the 15th of his career. Kenseth, who covered the 1.5-mile distance in 27.799 seconds, was a whopping .204 seconds faster thanJoey Logano (192.836 mph), whose No. 22 Team Penske Ford will start beside Kenseth’s Camry on the front row.

“I think starting up front is important at this track,” Kenseth said. “It typically goes through a lot of changes here, especially if the sun is out for the beginning of the race. You want to have good track position, good pit selection—all those things—so if you get a little bit off and you’re chasing the setup or the track changes, you have a little bit of a buffer being toward the front, hopefully…

“All the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas had some speed tonight, and that was encouraging.”

Carl Edwards (192.733 mph) was third in his No. 19 JGR Toyota, followed by Greg Biffle in his No. 16 Roush Fenway Ford (192.226 mph) and NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race winner Denny Hamlin in his No. 11 JGR Toyota (192.007 mph).

Surprisingly, in consecutive seasons that have seen domination of the intermediate speedways by the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Chevrolet of reigning series champion Kevin Harvick and the No. 48 Chevy of six-time champ Jimmie Johnson, Toyotas and Fords claimed the top seven qualifying positions for the 600.

To Logano, however, the absence of a Chevrolet from the top five spots on the grid for the first time this season isn’t hugely significant.

“Those guys have been fast in the race—that’s where their speed really shines,” Logano said. “They qualify good–don’t get me wrong—but in the race they shine a little bit more. You’re talking about the 4, the 41 (Kurt Busch) and the 48. Those are the ones that stand out.

“And I’m sure they’ll be fast when it comes to race time. Qualifying’s a different animal. You use a completely different setup, and qualifying can kind of mask over some issues you have in race trim a lot of times. … I wouldn’t (read) too much into it.”

Notes: All four Hendrick Motorsports entries failed to advance to the final round of knockout qualifying, but Kasey Kahne had a valid excuse. A cut tire prevented him from posting a quick qualifying laps. As a result, the three-time winner of the Coca-Cola 600 will start 33rd on Sunday …Jeb Burton, Mike Bliss, Travis Kvapil, Jeff Green and Brendan Gaughan failed to make the 43-car field. The 48-car turnout for qualifying was the largest since 49 entries showed up for the season-opening Daytona 500.