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  • Aaron’s 499 Review: Talladega Puts On a Show

    Aaron’s 499 Review: Talladega Puts On a Show

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photography, Inc.” align=”alignright” width=”228″][/media-credit]When NASCAR comes to Talladega it’s almost like playing the lottery; you never know who is going to win, but it’s still fun to gamble. Jeff Gordon started on the pole with last year’s champion Tony Stewart on the outside pole. The race was delayed for about 30 minutes due to rain that flooded the track overnight, but once the race got started it was an entertaining show.

    Overheating started out early on Lap 16 when Regan Smith blew an engine to bring out the caution flag. Tony Stewart, who was leading when the caution came out, got off pit road second to Matt Kenseth. Kenseth was able to hold the lead until Lap 26 when Michael Waltrip took his No. 55 Toyota to the lead.

    The overheating woes continued on Lap 44 when Ryan Newman took his car to the garage when water began to pour out of his windshield. The top three drivers under this caution were Waltrip, Kenseth, and Stewart. At Talladega a driver can go from the rear of the field to the front instantly with the help of the two car tandem and that’s exactly what Jimmie Johnson did on Lap 46 with the help of his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kurt Busch.

    Kenseth took the lead in his Best Buy Ford on Lap 53 with Jeff Gordon in tow. Around this time is when Johnson reported to the team that his engine was blowing up due to overheating.  After green-flag pit stops on Lap 58 Earnhardt took over the lead from Kenseth for about 20 laps, until Earnhardt lost the draft and dropped back to 15th position. Approximately 50 laps into the race Kasey Kahne was forced to make a spotter change. His interim spotter Kevin Hamlin was suffering from laryngitis at the time and eventually lost his voice. The No. 5 team replaced Hamlin with Joe Nemecheck’s spotter to finish the race.

    From 80 laps to go on, the leader of the race changed almost every ten laps. The drivers exchanging the lead were Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne, Kenseth, Casey Mears, Brad Keselowski, and Kurt Busch.  Busch caught a big break on Lap 141 when his car ran out of fuel just as caution flew on the race track. In Turns 3 and 4 the big one struck involving Landon Cassill, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Juan Montoya, Terry Labonte, Aric Almirola, and Dave Blaney. Under this caution Kenseth and Ambrose were penalized for pitting too soon. Kurt Busch and Bobby Labonte also pitted too soon after running out of fuel.

    Paul Menard led the restart with Keselowski on his outside. Keselowski took the lead with 39 to go. Mears spun his race car in Turn 3 to bring out a caution with 15 laps to go. During this caution Stewart brought his car down pit road for overheating issues. The cautions continued when former teammates Keselowski and Kurt Busch got together, sending Busch spinning through the infield.

    As the field attempted to restart, another caution flew once again. Hamlin jumped out of line to try and make it three wide down the middle. Allmendinger blocked Hamlin and started another big wreck. Menard, Kevin Harvick, and Waltrip were also involved. Just before the restart Hamlin blew a tire causing the caution to be extended for debris on the track.

    The race was settled by a green-white-checkered finish between Kenseth, Keselowski, and Kyle Busch. Keselowski pulled ahead by three car-lengths over the field to win his second race at Talladega.

     

    [media-credit name=”articles.boston.com” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Kurt Busch, or Should I Say “Ricky Bobby”?

    Kurt Busch’s paint scheme for Talladega looked very familiar to race fans, and even non-race fans. Busch ran the colors of “ME” from the popular movie “Talladega Nights”. Not only did he run Ricky Bobby’s paint scheme, his entire team took this role to a whole different level. The team referred to Busch as “Ricky” over the radio and quoted the movie throughout the entire race. The team even carried a stuffed animal cougar named “Karen” in the racecar with them.

    Busch’s race was going very well until Lap 181 when Keselowski and Busch got together, sending Busch sliding across the start-finish line. With limited damage to his race car, it looked as if Busch would be able to get back on track and continue racing. However, when Busch drove his car down pit road backwards in attempt to get to his pit stall, he was forced to pit again. This is when the fun and games ended between the team and driver, and the No. 51 car finished in 20th place, one lap down.

     

    Fresh Faces Finish in the Top-20

    After losing his Cup ride at Roush Racing last season, it was nice to see David Ragan finish in 7th position. Ragan ran a clean race and was able to stay out of trouble to keep his No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford in the Top-10. Trevor Bayne is running a part-time NASCAR schedule this season due to lack of sponsorship with Wood Brother’s Racing. Bayne is known for being a good plate-track racer and he finished in 8th position in the Aaron’s 499. Aric Almirola is another driver who we don’t normally see at the top of the field, but was able to finish in 12th position. David Gilliland, who is Ragan’s teammate at Front Row Motorsports, finished in 13th position. Travis Kvapil, who is running a par-time schedule, finished in 16th position.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Aaron’s 499 at Talladega

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Aaron’s 499 at Talladega

    [media-credit name=”Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”243″][/media-credit]From a rain-delayed beginning to the green, white, checkered finish, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the 43rd annual Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.

    Surprising:  It was surprising that it took nearly 36 years for a Dodge to return to Victory Lane, with the last one being the Dodge win of Dave Marcos on August 8, 1976.

    And thanks to Brad Keselowski, in the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge for Penske Racing, the long winless streak for the manufacturer was finally been broken.

    “At Talladega you don’t have a plan,” Keselowski said. “You go up front and you race your butt off all day.”

    “You either get to the front or you don’t,” Keselowski continued. “That’s what we did.”

    “Man it feels good to win here in Talladega,” Keselowski declared from Victory Lane. “I’m glad to come out on top with the Miller Lite Dodge.”

    This was Keselowski’s sixth victory in 99 Cup races and his second victory and fifth top-10 finish in 2012. The driver has won twice before at Talladega as well.

    Not Surprising:  Since it was Talladega, as well as Super Moon and Cinco de Mayo weekend, it was not surprising that crazy things happened, including many drivers watching the remainder of the race from the sidelines, due to everything from engine woes to multiple car pileups.

    Even the most influential athlete and five-time champ Jimmie Johnson was not immune, succumbing to engine failure and officially retiring on Lap 110 with a 35th place finish.

    Johnson spent the remainder of the race on his teammate Dale Earnhardt Junior’s pit box, rooting for that elusive 200th win for Hendrick Motorsports, which again was not meant to be.

    “We lost the oil pressure there,” the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet said. “We don’t know exactly what happened.”

    Surprising:  In spite of celebrating his 20 year sponsorship with Dupont and 20 straight years with a pole, Jeff Gordon was NASCAR’s surprising biggest point’s loser. The four-time champion battled overheating all race long and was caught up in the ‘big one’ on Lap 141.

    Gordon fell six spots, from 17th to 23rd, in the point standings. The driver of the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet finished the race in the 33rd position.

    “That was not fun,” Gordon said. “I didn’t like hitting the wall.”

    “Man, this is just one of the most bizarre years that this Dupont Chevrolet and Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet team has ever gone through,” Gordon continued. “I mean, it’s almost comical at this point.”

    Not Surprising:  As high as his teammate was for winning, it was not surprising that the other Penske Dodge competitor, A.J. Allmendinger was about as low as he could go.

    The driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil-AAA Dodge went to block Denny Hamlin and the wreck was on. Allmendinger finished 15th after starting from the outside pole.

    “My guys did a good job, fast motor, fast race car,” Allmendinger said. “I had a chance to win the race until it all went down the drain.”

    “We had a chance to win,” Dinger said with abject disappointment. “I’m happy the 2 car won.”

    Surprising:  At a track where the spotter is essential, it was surprising that the driver of the No. 5 Farmer’s Insurance Chevrolet was able to rebound for a good finish after losing his spotter Kevin Hamlin to laryngitis.

    Kasey Kahne, dodging at least three wrecks, finished fourth. He was the highest Hendrick Motorsports finisher.

    “We survived, that was the biggest thing,” Kahne said. “We missed the wrecks and got a good push there at the end.”

    “We were catching the guys in front of us, but it was just too late.”

    Not Surprising:   With the new rules changes by NASCAR designed to decrease the tandem racing and increase the pack racing, it was not surprising that many drivers were concerned about the cars overheating and the temperatures of the water and oil in the engines.

    The unofficial ‘Mayor’ of the NASCAR garage, Jeff Burton, weighed in on the issue. The driver of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet was none too happy in spite of his tenth place finish.

    “Not being able to race the way we want to race is frustrating,” Burton said. “Every time we would get in the pack, our water pressure would get real high.”

    “We didn’t want to push water and that wasn’t a lot of fun,” Burton continued. “But we caught a lucky break when the caution came out and fortunately that helped us a lot.”

    Surprising:  Kurt Busch, channeling his inner Ricky Bobby, had a surprisingly good run in his No. 51 Talladega Nights ME car. In fact, it was even surprisingly pleasant to listen to his radio chatter as he rattled off strings of dialogue from the movie.

    Unfortunately, Busch was caught up in one of the late race crashes, relegating him to a 20th place finish.

    “It was a good effort all day by the team,” Busch said. “It’s pretty disappointing to come to one of the places we have circled on the schedule, run well all day, and then have it end like this.”

    “But that’s a part of it.”

    Not Surprising:  Fresh off his second place finish in the Nationwide race, it was not surprising to see Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota, finish in the runner up spot in the Cup race.

    “For me, whatever Talladega and Daytona is, it’s a restrictor plate race,” Busch said. “That’s what we all know going into the weekend.”

    “Some of us love coming here, some of us dread it,” Busch continued. “You don’t have control of your own destiny, I don’t feel like.”

    Surprising:  When asked if he preferred the pack racing to the tandem drafting, Tony Stewart had a surprisingly ‘interesting’ idea for what he thought might just make the racing even better.

    “I think we ought to make it a figure eight,” the driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet said. “If we could make it a figure eight, it would be perfect here.”

    “We can stop at the half way mark, take a break and turn around and go backwards the rest of the way,” Smoke continued. “Then with ten to go, we split the field in half and half go the regular direction and half of them go backwards.”

    Not Surprising:  NASCAR’s most popular driver gained a new moniker, ‘Mr. Consistent’, that is not at all surprising given the good start to his season. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had another solid run, finishing ninth in his No. 88 National Guard/Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet.

    “This is definitely the most consistent we’ve ever been, or I’ve ever been,” Junior said. “I have a great team and they give me great cars.”

    “It worked out and we ended up getting a finish, and not tore up and on the hook,” Junior continued. “I hope we can go to Darlington and keep our consistency going.”

     

  • Capital City 400 Review: Virginia is for Drama

    Capital City 400 Review: Virginia is for Drama

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]For the first half of the race, it looked like Carl Edwards would be the man in victory lane at the end of the Capitol City 400. However, after a late race penalty Edwards was put to the rear of the field, giving the lead up for grabs.

    After leading for 206 laps, Edwards was black flagged for jumping the restart on Lap 320. He was forced to make a pass through penalty on pit road, which dropped him back to 15th place. The No. 99 team was very irate about the situation, but NASCAR wasn’t hearing it. Edwards’ team was confused about the situation and wanted to know if they received the penalty for jumping the restart, or for beating Stewart to the line.

    Edwards may have jumped the restart however, the situation looked worse when Stewart spun his tires on the start – this bunched up the rest of the field and caused Edwards’ to jump out about three car lengths over the rest of the field.

    Either way you look at it, this penalty gave Stewart the lead of the race.  Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne, and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the Top 5. Stewart and Busch led the field with seven seconds over Earnhardt. It looked as if Stewart would drive to his third victory lane of the season until caution for debris flew once again with 14 laps to go. Edwards received the lucky dog during this caution and was back on the lead lap.

    After problems on pit road for Stewart, Busch won the race off of pit road. Stewart spun his tires once again on the restart, allowing Earnhardt to take over second position and give the fans something to yell about. Earnhardt trailed Busch by half a second but wasn’t able to catch him when the checkered flag waved. Finishing second has moved Earnhardt to second position in point’s standings, just five points from the leader.

    Busch took Richmond by storm, winning the Nationwide race as the car owner of Kyle Busch Motorsports, and winning as a driver for Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch has been flying under the radar this season and is lower in points than we normally see him. Winning at Richmond gained him two positions in points, moving him to 11th position.

     

    What’s On the Horizon for Talladega?

    The good thing about Talladega is: it’s anybody’s race! It doesn’t matter where you start, because it only takes one lap for a driver to move from last to first position, or vice versa. Talladega is the biggest and wildest track on the circuit and it never fails to put on a good show.  Jimmie Johnson won the Aaron’s 499 last year, and he could very well do it again. However, I’m looking at Michael Waltrip Racing in Talladega.

    I believe that MWR will be a force to reckon with at the Superspeedway. Owner Michael Waltrip will get behind the wheel of the No. 55 to race at a track that he has won before. Everyone knows that Waltrip is a master at superspeedways and his drivers, Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer, aren’t too shabby either.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”319″][/media-credit]Bowyer has two career wins at Talladega, along with six top 10 finishes. Although Truex hasn’t won at Talladega in the Cup series, he has won the Aaron’s 312 Nationwide race three years in a row. Truex has been oh so close to reaching victory lane this season and I think Talladega will be where he gets his first win of 2012.

  • STP 400 Review: Close, But No Cigar

    STP 400 Review: Close, But No Cigar

    Martin Truex Jr. has been on his game this season, with six Top 10 and three Top 5 finishes, including winning the pole award at Texas Motor Speedway. He has been oh so close to victory lane, but just hasn’t been able to get his second Sprint Cup career win.

    [media-credit name=”Jamie Squire/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”308″][/media-credit]It looked as if Sunday would be the day Truex would drive his No. 55 Napa Chevrolet to victory lane, after leading 173 laps and dominating the field all day. However, late in the race, his car got loose as the sun began to shine on the cold track. This caused Truex to lose speed, allowing fellow Toyota driver Denny Hamlin to steal the top position from him. Truex gave it all he had in the closing laps, pushing his car to the edge, but he couldn’t catch Hamlin’s fast FedEx Toyota.

    Truex’s runner-up finish has gained him two positions in points, moving him to second place, just 15 points out of the lead. Heading to Richmond International Speedway, Truex has one Top 5 and two Top 10 finishes.

    I think Truex’s next best chance of winning his first race of the season will be at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coca Cola 600. He has good statistics on intermediate tracks, with 12 Top 5 finishes. He has also won two non-points races at Charlotte Motor Speedway – the All-star showdown race in 2007 and 2010.

    Kahne’s Season Continues to Look Up

    Kasey Kahne started the STP 400 in ninth position and remained in the Top 10 for most of the race. His eighth place finish at Kansas is only his second Top 10 of the season. Kahne’s back-to-back Top 10 finishes, at Texas Motor Speedway and Kansas, have moved him from 31st to 26th in the standings.

    Kasey Kahne used a new spotter on Sunday – Kevin Hamlin, who is a former driver and a Richard Childress Racing employee. Kahne will use Hamlin for the upcoming races at Richmond International Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway while he searches for a solution to his spotter woes. Jeff Gordon’s former spotter, Shannon McGlammery, replaced Kole Kahne at Martinsville Speedway after confusion that led to a wreck at Bristol Motor Speedway. Kahne has been weighing out his options since, trying to decide which spotter he feels most comfortable with.

    This week Kahne heads to the track where he won his first Sprint Cup Series race in 2005. He has three Top 5 and six Top 10 finishes at Richmond International Raceway. Although the season is still young, Kahne will need to get the ball rolling if he wants to make the Chase this year. With the wild-card Chase format, Kahne could also make the Chase simply by winning a race.

    Earnhardt Currently Leads Hendrick Motorsports

    If you would have asked me at the beginning of the season which driver of Hendrick Motorsports would be the most competitive this season, I wouldn’t have chosen Dale Earnhardt Jr. However, Earnhardt has regained his competitive nature that he seemed to have lost the past few seasons and his consistency is impeccable. So far in 2012, Earnhardt has six Top 10 finishes, including a second place finish in the Daytona 500. It seems as if his No. 88 team has finally found that chemistry they have been looking for and are ready to be competitive every week.

    What’s most shocking about this season for HMS is not the fact that Earnhardt is running so well, but that the rest of HMS has had a less than mediocre year. As previously stated, Kahne is just starting to get his season rolling after struggling for the first part of the season – while Kahne’s teammates, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, have been flying under the radar.

    Gordon has an average finish this season of 20th position and is 18th in points standings. His dissapointment after Kansas was evident after suffering engine issues and finishing in 21st position. Johnson has yet to win a race this season, but seems to be okay with just consistent finishes. So far Johnson has six Top 10 finishes this season.  It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out among the HMS team.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Kansas STP 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Kansas STP 400

    [media-credit name=”Credit: Tyler Barrick/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]From the command to start engine from Victory Junction Gang campers to Brad Keselowski manning the tank to rip up the Kansas track after the race ended, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the 2nd Annual STP 400.

    Surprising:  While Kansas may be known as the Land of Oz, it was more like the land of highs and lows for this race day, with an extremely high number of engine failures and pit errors to a record low number of cautions.

    Dale Earnhardt, Jr., driver of the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard, was one of the first to struggle on pit road, missing it completely as he attempted to pit early in the race. Other drivers, such as Kasey Kahne and Kevin Harvick barely made it to the pits after running short on fuel. And even five-time champion Jimmie Johnson had his own set of pit woes with his team struggling with a loose lug nut.

    There were also an extremely high number of engine problems, affecting  drivers from Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin to four-time champion Jeff Gordon, all of whose engines either sputtered or just plain blew up completely.

    And as for cautions, there were only three, the lowest ever for a Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway. Although there was the lowest number of cautions, on the flip side, the average speed was surprisingly the highest at Kansas, 144.126 mph, a new track record.

    Not Surprising:  On the rough surface of the Kansas Speedway, it was not surprising that tires made all the difference in the outcome of the race. Just ask Martin Truex, Jr. whose tires fell off after leading 173 laps, costing him the race win and handing it to Denny Hamlin with just 31 laps to go.

    “We put that last set of tires on and it wasn’t anything like it had been all day long – just bad, bad loose,” the driver of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry said. “We had them. I don’t know what happened with that last set of tires but they were terrible.”

    With Truex’s tire troubles, Denny Hamlin capitalized, scoring his 19th victory in 231 Cup Series races. This was the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota driver’s second victory and fourth top-10 finish in the 2012 season. It was also the first time his manufacturer, Toyota, was in victory lane at Kansas.

    “I knew that he was driving his heart out as well as I was driving mine,” Hamlin said. “What got me the lead was driving hard and that’s kind of where we were able to stretch it out.”

    Surprising:  After scoring the pole position, it was surprisingly heartbreaking that the troubles that have been omnipresent for A.J. Allmendinger continued. The driver of the No. 22 AAA Dodge for Penske Racing went from race leader to a 32nd place finish because of engine troubles.

    “Man, it’s just starting to feel like ‘Ground Hog’s Day’,” Allmendinger said. “We were off to such a great start and then the gremlins hit us.”

    “Not sure how to explain it other than you’re on the pole one minute riding around leading laps and then the next thing you know your car isn’t right,” Dinger continued. “I just couldn’t believe it. Like I said, ‘Ground Hog Day.’

    Not Surprising:  With his confidence growing, it was not surprising to see fellow Penske racer Sam Hornish Jr. have a respectable run in his one off deal for the team. The driver of the No. 12 SKF Penske Dodge scored a 19th place finish.

    “We had a decent day,” Hornish Jr. said. “We led some laps and made a very respectable effort.”

    “It was good to get back in a Cup car again.”

    Surprising:  Since everyone wants to win in front of their friends and family, it was surprising that no home town heroes were in victory lane at Kansas Speedway. Carl Edwards, who was able to drive to the track from his home, finished ninth and Clint Bowyer, fellow Kansas native, had engine troubles, finishing in the 36th spot.

    “It was just a major bummer,” Clint Bowyer, the driver of the No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota, said. “I just wish it wouldn’t have happened here.”

    “It wasn’t a great result but a really good effort,” Edwards said of his run in the No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion. “I wanted to win here more than anything but we get to come back.”

    “It’s humbling and I can’t wait to come back,” Edwards continued. “We’ll do it.”

    Not Surprising:   The quest for the 200th win for Hendrick Motorsports is not surprisingly beginning to resemble the streak that Susan Lucci experienced with her Daytime Emmy awards. While Hendrick Motorsports had a fairly good day, with the exception of Jeff Gordon, the 200th victory still remains elusive.

    “It just didn’t happen,” the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger said. “As a group, we know it’s coming.”

    “It’s just when you have a target, it always makes it more challenging,” Gordon continued. “We’re trying not to put too much pressure on us with that and just trying to go out and do our thing and do our job.”

    Surprising:  While Hendrick Motorsports struggled to reach their 200th win marker at Kansas, it was surprising to note that there is another quest for a 200th victory. The race winning No. 11 car in fact now has 199 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories, breaking a tie for most wins all-time with the No. 43.

    Other drivers who have won in the No. 11 car include Cale Yarborough with 55 wins, Ned Jarrett with 49, Darrell Waltrip with 43, Denny Hamlin with 19, Junior Johnson with 11, Bill Elliott with 6, Geoff Bodine with 4, Terry Labonte with 4, Bobby Allison with 3, Buddy Baker with 2, A.J. Foyt with 1, Mario Andretti with 1 and Parnelli Jones with 1.

    Not Surprising:  Greg Biffle, to no one’s surprise, has continued his consistently good runs. The driver of the No. 16 3M Ford finished fifth and more important maintained his points lead.

    “It’s not a disappointing day for a fifth-place finish,” Biffle said. “But it’s probably a disappointing day for how the car ran.”

    “It feels good to be disappointed with a fifth-place finish,” Biff continued. “Fifth is OK but we wanted to compete better on the race track.”

     

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Texas

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Texas

    [media-credit name=”Chris Graythen/Getty Images” align=”alignnone” width=”250″][/media-credit]Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Greg Biffle: Biffle passed Jimmie Johnson with 30 laps to go at Texas, and pulled away to win the Samsung Mobile 500, his first win in 49 races. Biffle extended his lead in the Sprint Cup point standings, and now leads Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Matt Kenseth by 19.

    “That’s one winless streak over,” Biffle said. “Pity poor Jimmie Johnson. He’s got his own winless streak to contend with—he hasn’t won a championship in 43 races.

    “Winning in Texas is always a thrill. It’s not often I get to put on a cowboy hat and wave guns around, while still clothed.”

    2. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished fifth at Texas on a strong day for Roush Fenway Racing, as Greg Biffle took the victory and Carl Edwards finished eighth. Kenseth now sits in a tie for second in the point standings, 19 behind Biffle.

    “That was the shortest race in Texas history,” Kenseth said, “and most boring. They say everything is bigger in Texas, and apparently, that includes fan disappointment.

    “But I’m glad to see Biffle finally win one. He’s always solid at Texas, and the same goes for Kansas, where he’s won twice in his career. So it looks like we could see much of the same at Kansas Speedway—-a Biffle win, and monotony.”

    3. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt posted his fifth top-10 finish of the year, scoring a 10th in the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. He is second in the Sprint Cup point standings, still looking for his first win in 136 races.

    “I’m still searching for that elusive next win,” Earnhardt said. “Luckily, I have legions of Junior Nation fans supporting me. So, every week, the Nation hosts the world’s greatest ‘search’ party. Of course, they’re lucky if they can find their keys come race’s end.”

    4. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson led a race-high 156 laps at Texas, but was outclassed by the Ford of Greg Biffle, who slipped by Johnson with 30 laps to go and never looked back. Johnson is now eighth in the point standings, 40 out of first.

    “It was quite a windy day at Texas Motor Speedway,” Johnson said. “You could say there was more ‘drafting’ on Saturday in Texas that any day at Talladega or Daytona. Finishing second to Biffle? That blows, too. I felt good after hearing the pre-race weather forecast, which called for ‘just wind, baby.’

    But when I needed a caution, NASCAR wouldn’t give me one. Normally in NASCAR races, it doesn’t take wind to make the yellow flag wave. Two cautions in a race that boring was simply not enough. It’s time for NASCAR to institute a companion rule to the ‘competition caution’ and call it the ‘repetition caution.’”

    5. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex came home sixth in the Samsung Mobile 500, posting his fifth top 10 of the year to continue his strong start to the season. He is now fourth in the point standings, 20 behind Greg Biffle.

    “’Martin Truex, Jr.’ and ‘championship contender’ are not two words one would normally associate,” Truex said. “Much like ‘Michael Waltrip’ and ‘masculinity.’

    “But the Truex fan base is growing in droves. My fan club, appropriately known as the ‘Soul Patch,’ is probably the 20th most-influential in NASCAR.”

    6. Tony Stewart: Stewart finished a disappointing 24th at Texas, finishing two laps down for his worst result of the year. He tumbled four places in the point standings to seventh, and trails Greg Biffle by 39.

    “One race I’m invincible,” Stewart said, “and the next, I’m anything but invincible. Some say there are two Tony’s. Those who claim I’m overweight say there’s enough there for two Tony’s.”

    7. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished ninth at Texas, piloting his No. 29 Budweiser Chevy to his fourth top-10 result of the year. He is now fifth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 24 out of first.

    “It was a windy day at Texas Motor Speedway,” Harvick said. “You may have seen a $100 bill stuck to my car’s grill during the race. That’s a sure sign of one of two things: either one of NASCAR’s rinky-dink race teams ‘blew’ their entire budget, or Delana and I should name our son ‘Benjamin Franklin.’”

    8. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin came home 12th in the Samsung Mobile 500, one spot behind Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch. Hamlin moved up one spot to sixth in the point standings, 31 out of first.

    “We needed to make adjustments,” Hamlin said, “but the long green flag runs wouldn’t allow it. There were only two cautions the entire race, making it a ‘Texas two stop.’

    “I spent my off-week caddying for Bubba Watson in the Masters par 3 contest. He was the only player to use a ‘driver’ on a par 3.”

    9. Jeff Gordon: After a dismal qualifying effort of 34th, Gordon quickly zoomed towards the front and finished fourth, leading two laps and posting his first top-5 finish of the year. Gordon has led a lap in all seven races this year.

    “All four Hendrick Motorsports cars placed in the top 10,” Gordon said, “even Kasey Kahne. That was by far Kasey’s best finish of the year. Mostly, he’s struggled. It seems Kasey’s taken the switch from a Camry to an Impala a little too seriously, because he’s been driving that Chevy ‘like a rock’ so far.

    “And speaking of ‘Rock,’ Kasey won the Craftsman Truck series race at Rockingham on Sunday. Apparently, a Hendrick driver can win on a Sunday.”

    10. Carl Edwards: Edwards joined Roush Fenway teammates Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth in the top 10, posting an eighth in the Samsung Mobile 500. Edwards is now 11th in the point standings, 58 out of first.

    “My former girlfriend, Amanda Beard, just released a tell-all biography,” Edwards said, “and had few good things to say about me. Apparently, she just wasn’t into the NASCAR lifestyle. I think the final straw was when I plugged a sponsor while sweet-talking her.

    “Otherwise, I have no comment. I’ve been told that if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. That explains the silent treatment Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle have been giving me all these years.”

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Texas Samsung Mobile 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Texas Samsung Mobile 500

    [media-credit name=”Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”254″][/media-credit]Deep in the heart of Texas Motor Speedway, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 16th running of the Samsung Mobile 500.

    Surprising:  In spite of Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tool Chevrolet, leading over 150 laps, it was surprising that his team owner will have to wait yet another race to secure the 200th win for Hendrick Motorsports.

    Johnson, who finished second, was the highest ranking HMS driver for the night. This was Johnson’s 13th top-10 finish in 18 races at Texas and his fifth top-10 finish for the year.

    “I’m definitely disappointed, but we had a great race car and there’s a lot to be proud of here today,” Johnson said. “Certainly wish we were there in Victory Lane but everybody knows we’re here.”

    “We’re awfully close to it with this KOBALT Tools Chevrolet.”

    Although still at the 199 win mark, all of the Hendrick drivers had surprisingly good nights, even Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne, who finished fourth and seventh respectively. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the final HMS pilot, finished tenth.

    This was the first time since the 2011 spring race at Talladega that Hendrick Motorsports had all four of its cars in the top-10 at the finish.

    Not Surprising:  At a track where Roush Fenway Racing traditionally dominates, it was not surprising to see one Roushketeer, Greg Biffle, in the winner’s circle with his cowboy hat and guns. This was Biff’s first win of the 2012 season and ended a 49 race winless streak.

    The win was the company’s ninth win at Texas, the most of any other racing entity.

    “I just dug deep,” Biffle said about his hard fought win. “I knew I had to do it and I kept trying and trying and trying.”

    “I knew the team would forgive me if I wrecked it trying to beat him,” Biffle continued. “So, I just gave it all I had.”

    Surprising:  It was surprising that the fire was extinguished and there was no smoke at Texas this weekend. Tony Stewart, reigning past champion, finished 24th, two laps down.

    “We just couldn’t get the handle on this thing tonight,” Stewart said. “We chased it all night.”

    “We’ll go back to the shop, tear it apart, and see what the deal is.”

    Surprisingly, his teammate Ryan Newman was right there with him, finishing a bit better at 21st, yet also two laps down.

    “Things didn’t go our way today,” the driver of the No. 39 US Army Chevrolet said. “But we’ll be back stronger next week to complete the mission, which is winning the race.”

    Not Surprising:  Martin Truex, Jr., to no one’s surprise, continued tearing up the track for Michael Waltrip Racing. The driver of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota started from the pole position and finished top ten, in sixth place to be exact.

    Truex, Jr. has finished top-10 in nine of the last twelve races.

    “It was a lot of fun out there running up front with the NAPA Toyota,” Truex, Jr. said. “I can’t say enough about everybody on this NAPA team and everybody at MWR.”

    “Hopefully we can keep this thing going.”

    His MWR teammate Mark Martin also had a great run at Texas, a track where he was rated 12th in the driver rankings. Martin, behind the wheel of the No. 55 Aaron’s 2000 Best of the Best Toyota, finished third.

    This was Martin’s 13th top-10 finish in 23 races at Texas Motor Speedway.

    “Mark Martin is so enthusiastic,” team owner Michael Waltrip said. “He has pumped all of the drivers up.”

    “We are very happy with our team’s performance.”

    Surprising:  It was most surprising that at a race where there are on average eight to nine restarts, there were only two caution flags thrown, one for debris and one for Trevor Bayne’s encounter with the wall.

    The yellow flag flew just twice within the first 100 laps of the race, leaving the rest of the race to be run under green flag conditions. This was the first time in history that a superspeedway race had that many green flag laps without a caution.

    Not Surprising:   Unfortunately but not surprisingly, there was no Bubba Watson moment for Denny Hamlin at Texas, a track at which he traditionally runs well. The driver of the No. 11 FedEx Office/March of Dimes Toyota had a decent day, finishing 12th, but was the last car on the lead lap at race end.

    Surprising:  At a track where he sat out last year’s fall race because of the Truck race incident with Ron Hornaday and where this year he had an issue in the pits with his air hose getting stuck under the car, Kyle Busch had a surprising good day after all.

    The driver brought his No. 18 Toyota Interstate Batteries Toyota to the checkered flag in the 11th spot.

    Not Surprising:  Since Chassis No. 665 scored a good finish for Landon Cassill at Michigan last year, it was not surprising that new driver Kurt Busch gave it a whirl for a good run at Texas. The driver of the No. 51 Phoenix Construction Chevrolet finished 13th.

    “It was a good night and finish for us,” Busch said. “We had little struggles but were able to overcome those.”

    “This was a good night and a nice top-15 finish for us.”

    Surprising:  The struggles of the Penske Dodge teams surprisingly continued and both drivers ended up just plain frustrated.

    AJ Allmendinger, in the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, finished 15th but his teammate Brad Keselowski, behind the wheel of the Blue Deuce, had all kinds of problems that sent him off to the garage, finishing in the frustratingly low position of 36th spot.

    “The race tonight was frustrating,” Dinger said. “We had a fast Shell/Pennzoil Dodge and we just didn’t make it happen tonight.”

    “This has been a very frustrating weekend to say the least,” Keselowski said. “We just need to clean some things up so that the potential of this team can shine.”

    “Right now, we aren’t doing that.”

    Not Surprising:  As predicted, especially given the wicked weather in the area, the wind most certainly did wreak havoc throughout the race. And while it affected most drivers equally, there were still some drivers that felt the high wind added to the frustrations of their day.

    “Between the wind, the changing race track and the handling, it was a long night for the Target team,” Juan Pablo Montoya said. “We didn’t have much of a chance to work on the car like we had hoped to.”

    JPM finished 16th in his No. 42 Target Chevrolet, one lap down at race end.

  • Kahne Wins Inaugural Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 at Rockingham Speedway

    Kahne Wins Inaugural Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 at Rockingham Speedway

    Kasey Kahne was in the lead heading into the final 20 laps at Rockingham Speedway. He never relinquished that lead, scoring the victory in the inaugural Camping World Truck Series race at Rockingham Speedway. This was Kahne’s first victory in of 2012.

    Kahne described this as “the best weekend I have had in a long time.” He drove in three races this weekend with three impressive finishes; third place in the Nationwide Series in Texas, seventh place in the Cup race, and the win at Rockingham.

    [media-credit name=”Credit: Rainer Ehrhardt/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”253″][/media-credit]He went on to explain how happy he was to be a part of the event.

    “When I heard they were putting a race on here at Rockingham, as soon as I heard about it, I was trying to figure out whom I would race for and how I would make it here,” he said.

    He only got about 4 ½ hours sleep the previous night but that did not dampen his enthusiasm.

    “Coming to ‘The Rock’ I was so excited that I woke up early. My alarm was supposed to go off at nine this morning and I woke up at 7:30 and couldn’t go back to sleep.”

    Sunday marked NASCAR’s first return to Rockingham Speedway since February 2004.

    ‘The Rock,’ under the guidance of Andy Hillenburg, opened its arms to the fans allowing them access to the infield and pit road, areas that are normally out of bounds for most ticket holders. Golf cart shuttles were available to take fans to their seats. They were limited but if you didn’t mind waiting, you could catch a ride. The atmosphere was more like a family reunion than a sporting event.

    Everyone from the staff to the fans to the drivers was excited to be a part of the track’s return to NASCAR.

    Nelson Piquet Jr. led the field to green on a sunny Sunday afternoon in the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200. He led a total of 107 laps during the race and was dominant most of the race.

    Points leader John King spun out on lap four, hit the inside wall and brought out the first caution.

    Piquet continued to lead the field and had just lapped the tenth place car when a debris caution was called.

    Matt Crafton took the lead shortly after the restart, leaving Piquet Jr. in second place.

    Kasey Kahne started in the rear of the field but quickly worked his way into the top three battling with Matt Crafton and Nelson Piquet Jr. for the lead. Kahne took over the lead on lap 155.

    On the final pit stop Piquet Jr. was caught too fast exiting and had to go to the back of the field, ending his bid for a win. He fought his way back to finish the race in seventh position.

    James Buescher finished the race in second place position earning him his second top ten finish of 2012. Matt Crafton finished third followed by Johnny Sauter. Timothy Peters rounded out the top five.

    Peter’s fifth place pushed him to a six point lead in the point standings over Justin Lofton. Ty Dillon is third, followed by James Buescher and Parker Kligerman.

    Ty Dillon finished in eighth place and was the highest finishing rookie.

    The next Camping World Truck Series race will be April 21, 2012 at Kansas Speedway.

    Unofficial Race Results
    Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200, Rockingham Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/truckseries/race.php?race=3
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 5 4 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 0
    2 16 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 42
    3 8 88 Matt Crafton Toyota 42
    4 10 13 Johnny Sauter Toyota 40
    5 3 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 40
    6 17 22 Joey Coulter Chevrolet 38
    7 1 30 Nelson Piquet Jr. Chevrolet 39
    8 12 3 Ty Dillon * Chevrolet 36
    9 6 29 Parker Kligerman Ram 35
    10 19 6 Justin Lofton Chevrolet 34
    11 27 27 Jeb Burton * Chevrolet 33
    12 22 9 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 32
    13 21 81 David Starr Toyota 31
    14 11 98 Dakoda Armstrong * Toyota 30
    15 23 32 Miguel Paludo Chevrolet 29
    16 29 2 Tim George Jr. Chevrolet 28
    17 13 33 Cale Gale * Chevrolet 27
    18 15 24 Max Gresham * Chevrolet 26
    19 18 92 David Reutimann Chevrolet 0
    20 20 9 John Wes Townley * Toyota 24
    21 24 275 Caleb Holman* Chevrolet 23
    22 32 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 22
    23 30 214 Brennan Newberry Chevrolet 21
    24 28 23 Jason White Ford 20
    25 14 8 Ross Chastain * Toyota 19
    26 2 5 Paulie Harraka * Ford 18
    27 36 170 Jeff Agnew Chevrolet 17
    28 26 202 Tyler Young Chevrolet 16
    29 33 93 Chris Cockrum Chevrolet 15
    30 35 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet 14
    31 7 11 Todd Bodine Toyota 13
    32 31 99 Bryan Silas * Ford 12
    33 25 7 John King * Toyota 11
    34 4 18 Jason Leffler Toyota 10
    35 34 7 Johnny Chapman Toyota 9
    36 9 60 Grant Enfinger Chevrolet 8
  • Lap by Lap: Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 won by Kasey Kahne

    Lap by Lap: Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 won by Kasey Kahne

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]With 46 laps to go, Kahne passed Matt Crafton for the lead and didn’t look back as he led the field off pit road with 26 laps to go after a caution for debris.

    Green flag as Nelson Piquet Jr. gets a solid start

    Lap 3 Nelson Piquet Jr. leads Jason Leftler, Paulie Harraka, Parker Kligerman, Timothy Peters, Matt Crafton, Todd Bodine

    Caution Lap 5 Points Leader John King gets into the inside wall. Got loose off of turn two and gets into the inside wall.

    Restart Lap 9 as Nelson Piquet Jr. gets a good restart and pulls ahead

    Lap 10 Ross Chastain bounced off the wall in turn two

    Lap 11 Piquet Jr. leads Leftler, Crafton, Kligerman, Bodine, Harraka, Peters, Ty Dillon, Johnny Sauter, James Buescher

    Lap 15 Sauter passes Dillon for eighth

    Lap 16 Buescher passes Dillon for ninth

    Lap 19 Peters, Sauter and Buescher pass Haraka

    Lap 19 Crafton passes Leftler for second as Leftler heads down pit road with motor problems

    Lap 21 Piquet Jr. leads Crafton, Kligerman, Bodine, Peters, Sauter, Buescher, Dillon, Justin Lofton and Harraka

    Lap 29 Piquet Jr. leads Crafton, Kligerman, Peters, Sauter, Buescher, Bodine, Dillon, Lofton and Joey Coulter

    Lap 31 Kasey Kahne passes Coulter for 10th after starting in the rear

    Lap 36 Dillon, Lofton and Kahne pass Bodine for position

    Lap 39 Coulter passes Bodine for 10th

    Lap 47 Piquet Jr. leads Crafton, Kligerman, Peters, Buescher, Sauter, Kahne, Dillon, Lofton and Coulter

    Lap 50 Piquet Jr. puts Cale Gale a lap down. Only the top 13 are on the lead lap

    Lap 52 Lofton passes Dillon for eighth

    Lap 54 Dillon passes Lofton back for eighth

    Lap 55 Coulter passes Lofton for ninth

    Lap 58 Piquet Jr. has a half a lap lead on second place Crafton

    Lap 60 Caution for debris……Piquet Jr. leads Peters, Kligerman, Crafton, Buescher, Kahne, and Sauter off pit road……Jeb Burton got the lucky dog….

    Restart Lap 66 as Piquet Jr. gets another strong start

    Lap 68 Crafton takes the lead from Piquet Jr as they lead Peters, Kahne, Dillon, Sauter, Buescher, Kligerman, Lofton and Coulter.

    Lap 70 Problems for Todd Bodine as he hit the wall off of turn two

    Lap 71 Bodine brings the truck down pit road. No caution

    Lap 73 Crafton leads Piquet Jr., Kahne, Peters, Sauter, Buescher, Dillon, Kligerman, Lofton and Coulter

    Lap 87 Piquet Jr. now leads Crafton, Kahne, Peters, Sauter, Buescher, Dillon, Kligerman, Lofton, Coulter

    Lap 94 Peters passes Kahne for third

    Lap 95 Sauter passes Kahne for fourth

    Lap 100 Coulter passes Lofton for ninth

    HALFWAY as only 11 trucks are on the lead lap as Piquet Jr. leads Crafton, Peters, Sauter, Kahne, Buescher, Dillon, Kligerman, Coulter, Lofton and Jeb Burton

    Lap 108 Kligerman passes Dillon for seventh

    Lap 109 Crafton and Piquet Jr. battle side-by-side for the lead

    Lap 110 Piquet Jr. holds Crafton off

    Lap 111 Buescher passes Kahne for fifth

    Lap 112 Piquet Jr. leads Crafton, Peters, Sauter, Buescher, Kahne, Kligerman, Dillon, Coulter, Lofton and Burton

    Lap 113 Kahne, Kligerman and Dillon pass Buescher as Burton passes Lofton

    Lap 116 Ron Hornaday runs in the lucky dog spot.

    Lap 117 Jason White hits pit road

    Lap 118 Piquet Jr. leads Crafton, Peters, Sauter, Kahne, Kligerman, Dillon, Busecher, Coulter, Burton, Lofton and Hornaday

    Lap 121 David Reuitmann brings out the caution as he goes for a spin, collecting Bryan Silas…..Pit stops…..Peters leads Crafton, Sauter, Kahne, Piquet Jr., Dillon, Buescher and Kligermann off pit road. Sauter had to come back down pit road as they did not get it full of fuel. He’ll restart 11th. Ron Hornaday gets the lucky dog to make it 12 trucks on the lead lap.

    Restart Lap 131 as Crafton gets a good restart and takes the lead from Peters

    Lap 133 Crafton leads Peters, Kahne, Dillon, Buescher, Piquet Jr., Kligerman, Coulter, Lofton, Burton, Sauter and Hornaday. Starr runs in the lucky dog position.

    Lap 136 Piquet Jr. passes Buescher for fifth

    Lap 139 Lofton passes Coulter while Sauter passes Burton

    Lap 140 Buescher passes Piquet Jr. back while Kahne passes Peters

    Lap 141 Crafton leads Kahne, Peters, Dillon, Buescher, Piquet Jr., Kligerman, Lofton, Coulter, Sauter, Burton and Hornaday. Starr still runs in the lucky dog position.

    Lap 142 Sauter passes Coulter for ninth

    Lap 143 Sauter passes Coulter for eighth; Piquet Jr. passes Buescher for fifth

    Lap 144 Coulter passes Lofton for ninth

    Lap 146 Piquet Jr. passes Dillon for fourth

    Lap 148 Buescher passes Dillon for fifth; Sauter passes Kligermann for seventh

    Lap 150 Crafton leads Kahne, Peters, Piquet Jr., Buescher, Dillon, Sauter, Kligerman, Coulter, Lofton, Burton and Hornaday. Starr still runs in the lucky dog position.

    46 to go Kasey Kahne passes Matt Crafton for the lead

    40 to go Kahne leads Crafton, Piquet Jr., Peters, Buescher, Dillon, Sauter, Kligerman, Coulter, Burton, Lofton, Hornaday. Starr still runs in the lucky dog position

    35 to go Piquet Jr. passes Crafton for second

    33 to go Kahne leads Piquet Jr., Crafton, Buescher and Peters

    Caution 26 laps to go for debris. David Starr gets the lucky dog to put 13 trucks on the lead lap…..Pit stops…….Kahne leads Piquet Jr., Buescher, Peters, Crafton, Dillon, Sauter, Coulter, Kligerman and Burton off pit road. Piquet Jr. too fast exiting pit road so will need to go to the tail end of the longest line.

    Restart 20 to go as Kahne keeps the lead from Buescher

    14 to go Kahne leads Buescher, Crafton, Sauter, Peters, Coulter, Kligerman, Dillon, Lofton, Burton, Hornaday, Piquet Jr., Starr. Daykota Armstrong is in position for the lucky dog.

    12 to go Dillon passes Kligerman for seventh

    10 to go Piquet Jr. passes Hornaday 11th

    9 to go Piquet Jr. passes Burton for 10th

    8 to go Piquet Jr. passes Lofton for ninth

    7 to go Piquet Jr. passes Kligerman for eighth

    Kasey Kahne wins over Buescher, Crafton, Saute, Peters, Coulter, Piquet Jr., Dillon, Kligerman, Lofton, Burton.

    Unofficial Race Results
    Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200, Rockingham Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/truckseries/race.php?race=3
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 5 4 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 0
    2 16 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 42
    3 8 88 Matt Crafton Toyota 42
    4 10 13 Johnny Sauter Toyota 40
    5 3 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 40
    6 17 22 Joey Coulter Chevrolet 38
    7 1 30 Nelson Piquet Jr. Chevrolet 39
    8 12 3 Ty Dillon * Chevrolet 36
    9 6 29 Parker Kligerman Ram 35
    10 19 6 Justin Lofton Chevrolet 34
    11 27 27 Jeb Burton * Chevrolet 33
    12 22 9 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 32
    13 21 81 David Starr Toyota 31
    14 11 98 Dakoda Armstrong * Toyota 30
    15 23 32 Miguel Paludo Chevrolet 29
    16 29 2 Tim George Jr. Chevrolet 28
    17 13 33 Cale Gale * Chevrolet 27
    18 15 24 Max Gresham * Chevrolet 26
    19 18 92 David Reutimann Chevrolet 0
    20 20 9 John Wes Townley * Toyota 24
    21 24 275 Caleb Holman* Chevrolet 23
    22 32 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 22
    23 30 214 Brennan Newberry Chevrolet 21
    24 28 23 Jason White Ford 20
    25 14 8 Ross Chastain * Toyota 19
    26 2 5 Paulie Harraka * Ford 18
    27 36 170 Jeff Agnew Chevrolet 17
    28 26 202 Tyler Young Chevrolet 16
    29 33 93 Chris Cockrum Chevrolet 15
    30 35 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet 14
    31 7 11 Todd Bodine Toyota 13
    32 31 99 Bryan Silas * Ford 12
    33 25 7 John King * Toyota 11
    34 4 18 Jason Leffler Toyota 10
    35 34 7 Johnny Chapman Toyota 9
    36 9 60 Grant Enfinger Chevrolet 8
  • Nelson Piquet Jr. Wins the Camping World Truck Series Pole at Rockingham Speedway

    Nelson Piquet Jr. Wins the Camping World Truck Series Pole at Rockingham Speedway

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photography” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]After four practice sessions, the trucks took to the track Saturday afternoon to qualify at ‘The Rock.’ Nelson Piquet Jr. captured the pole driving his No. 30 Chevrolet Silverado. It was his first pole in 33 career starts.

    He described the track as difficult and said the last couple of days have been tough. He doesn’t necessarily expect the pole position to translate into a win because of the unpredictability of tire wear at the track.

    Paulie Harraka qualified in the second position, calling it a “solid” run. Timothy Peters will start the race in third position after fighting “a tight condition.”

    Jason Leffler and Brad Sweet (qualifying for Kasey Kahne) round out the top five.  Kahne, who will compete in the Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday, will start the truck race from the back of the field Sunday afternoon.

    The Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 begins at 1:00 pm Sunday and will be televised live on Speed. Speed coverage will begin at 12:30pm with ‘NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Setup.’  It will mark NASCAR’s first return to the track since 2004.

     

    Starting Lineup
    Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200, Rockingham Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/qual.php?race=3
    ===========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Speed Time
    ===========================================
    1 30 Nelson Piquet Jr. Chevrolet 144.387 24.933
    2 5 Paulie Harraka* Ford 144.381 24.934
    3 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 143.937 25.011
    4 18 Jason Leffler Toyota 143.73 25.047
    5 4 Brad Sweet Chevrolet 143.392 25.106
    6 29 Parker Kligerman Ram 143.147 25.149
    7 11 Todd Bodine Toyota 143.033 25.169
    8 88 Matt Crafton Toyota 142.976 25.179
    9 60 Grant Enfinger Chevrolet 142.885 25.195
    10 13 Johnny Sauter Toyota 142.693 25.229
    11 98 Dakoda Armstrong* Toyota 142.642 25.238
    12 3 Ty Dillon* Chevrolet 142.535 25.257
    13 33 Cale Gale* Chevrolet 142.349 25.29
    14 8 Ross Chastain* Toyota 142.298 25.299
    15 24 Max Gresham* Chevrolet 142.259 25.306
    16 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 142.158 25.324
    17 22 Joey Coulter Chevrolet 142.034 25.346
    18 92 Chad McCumbee Chevrolet 141.989 25.354
    19 6 Justin Lofton Chevrolet 141.766 25.394
    20 9 John Wes Townley* Toyota 141.682 25.409
    21 81 David Starr Toyota 141.06 25.521
    22 9 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 140.658 25.594
    23 32 Miguel Paludo Chevrolet 140.488 25.625
    24 275 Caleb Holman* Chevrolet 140.455 25.631
    25 7 John King* Toyota 140.384 25.644
    26 202 Tyler Young Chevrolet 140.362 25.648
    27 27 Jeb Burton* Chevrolet 140.203 25.677
    28 23 Jason White Ford 139.969 25.72
    29 2 Tim George Jr. Chevrolet 139.654 25.778
    30 214 Brennan Newberry Chevrolet 139.373 25.83
    31 99 Bryan Silas* Ford 138.648 25.965
    32 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 138.206 26.048
    33 93 Chris Cockrum+ Chevrolet 134.133 26.839
    34 7 Johnny Chapman+ Toyota 131.536 27.369
    35 57 Norm Benning+ Chevrolet 131.411 27.395
    36 170 Jeff Agnew Chevrolet 139.346 25.835