Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: NASCAR Nationwide Series

  • Nationwide Series Bahas’ Supermarkets 200 Lap by Lap

    Nationwide Series Bahas’ Supermarkets 200 Lap by Lap

    [media-credit name=”www.phoenixraceway.com” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Lap 1 – Pole Sitter Denny Hamlin leads early

    Lap 6 – Trevor Bayne passes Denny Hamlin for the lead in turn one

    Lap 7 – Brad Keselowski passes Sam Hornish Jr. while Bayne continues to lead Hamlin

    Lap 9 – Hamlin takes the lead back in turn three from Bayne as Keselowski chases them

    Lap 11 – Hamlin leads Bayne, Keselowski, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick and Austin Dillon

    Lap 18 – Kahne passes Keselowski for second while Hamlin leads

    Lap 20 – Hamlin leads Kahne, Keselowski, Bayne, Harvick, Dillon and Hornish Jr.

    Lap 23 – Harvick passes Bayne for fourth as Hamlin leads Kahne

    Lap 26 – Morgan Shephard heads to the garage

    Lap 35 – Hamlin leads Kahne, Keselowski, Harvick, Bayne, Hornish Jr., Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Joey Logano, Sadler and Dillon

    Lap 40 – Top five are the same though Stenhouse has passed Hornish for sixth

    Lap 42 Caution for debris………pit stops for fuel and tires, Hamlin wins the race off pit road. Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Dillon got two tires while the rest of the field took four

    Restart Lap 48

    Lap  50 Dillon slid up big time coming out of turn four, kept it off the wall, falls deep in the field

    Lap 53 Harvick takes the lead from Hamlin, over Kyle Busch, Logano, Stenhouse, Sadler, Keselowski, Bayne, Justin Allgaier and Kahne

    Lap 56 Busch gets into the wall slightly off of turn two while battling Logano for position. Logano and Sadler pass him for position.

    Lap 59 Keselowski passes Busch for eighth as Harvick continues to lead

    Lap 60 Harvick leads Hamlin, Logano, Stenhouse Jr. and Bayne.

    Lap 72 Harvick leads Hamlin, Stenhouse, Keselowski, Logano, Kahne, Bayne, Sadler, Busch and Allgaier.

    Lap 82 Harvick leads Hamlin, Stenhouse, Keselowski, Logano, Kahne, Bayne, Sadler, Busch and Dillon

    Lap 88 Kahne passes Logano in turn one for fifth

    Lap 97 Dillon passes Busch for ninth

    HALFWAY Lap 100 Harvick leads Hamlin, Stenhouse, Keselowski, Kahne, Logano, Bayne, Sadler, Dillon, Busch

    Caution 104 Kenny Wallace hits the turn three wall after blowing a right front tire…..Everybody pits for fuel and tires: Denny Hamlin leads Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, Trevor Bayne, Elliott Sadler, Justin Allgaier and Kyle Busch off pit road

    Restart Lap 111 as Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin run side-by-side for the lead. Harvick gets the lead off of turn four to take the lead

    Lap 112 Contact between Bayne and Keselowksi while battling for fourth

    Lap 113 Stenhouse makes slight contact with Sadler and Allgaier as they run three-wide

    Lap 115 Michael Annett gets into the turn three wall after getting loose off the turn

    Lap 117 Harvick leads Hamlin, Logano, Keselowski, Bayne and Kahne

    Lap 125 Harvick leads Hamlin, Keselowski, Kahne, Sadler, Logano, Bayne, Allgaier and Dillon while Stenhouse battles with Hornish Jr. for 10th. Stenhouse gets the position off of turn three.

    Lap 137 Harvick leads Hamlin, Keselowski, Kahne, Sadler, Logano, Dillon, Bayne, Stenhouse and Allgaier

    Lap 148 Harvick leads Hamlin, Kahne, Keselowski, Sadler, Dillon, Logano, Stenhouse, Bayne and Allgaier

    50 laps to go Stenhouse passes Logano for seventh

    Caution 38 to go for debris in turn four…….Everybody will come down pit road as they can make it on gas from here, some take two, some take four……..Hamlin leads Keselowski, Stenhouse, Sadler, Dillon, Hornish, Harvick and Bayne off pit road

    Restart with 33 to go as Keselowski gets the lead on the restart while Mike Wallace is off the pace.

    32 to go Sadler and Hamlin battle for second behind Keselowski

    31 to go Kahne gets into the wall hard, making contact with Bayne, sending Harvick for a ride down through the inside paved area but he saves it

    30 to go Kahne is off the pace

    26 laps to go Sadler takes the lead from Keselowski off of turn three

    25 laps to go Harvick passes Dillon for fifth so now Sadler leads Keselowski, Hamlin, Stenhouse, Harvick, Dillon, Hornish, Bayne, Logano and Annett

    15 laps to go Sadler leads Keselowski, Stenhouse, Harvick, Dillon, Hornish, Bayne, Logano, Hamlin and Annett

    Elliott Sadler leads the final 15 laps and wins

  • Danica Patrick Suffers Crashes During Speedweeks, But Continues to Learn

    Danica Patrick Suffers Crashes During Speedweeks, But Continues to Learn

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignnone” width=”270″][/media-credit]Coming into Speedweeks 2012, things were looking up for Danica Patrick as it was supposed to be a weekend of learning and a weekend where she could do well. Instead, the weekend became one that ended in a headach as in each of the three races she ran, she was involved in a wreck.

    The crashes began on last Thursday afternoon with the Gatorade Duel. For the majority of the race, Patrick had stayed out of trouble, testing the waters and running as high as sixth at one point.

    However, she wouldn’t make it to the finish. On the last lap, she hit the inside wall hard after contact from Aric Almirola on the final lap.

    “I got valuable practice time,” she said afterwards. “But it is never a good feeling for me to not be able to drive the car back to the pits and something about me feels guilty when I see that Go Daddy is all broken up along the side.”

    Patrick didn’t let that bring her down for long as the next day, she won the pole for the Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300. She wanted to win the pole for crew chief Tony Eury Jr., as it meant the first Nationwide Series Daytona pole for him despite all the success he had with cousin Dale Earnhardt Jr. in that series.

    “Tony builds really good cars and the guys that helped him do that, did a really good job,” she says “I’m really thrilled for Tony Jr.; this is something that he wanted. So for me to push the pedal and give that to him, it feels really good.”

    The race wouldn’t go as planned as despite leading laps early, she would be taken out on lap 49 after contact from her teammate Cole Whitt.

    “I don’t think it’s ever great when teammates come together,” Patrick said. “We’ll have to figure out what happened and move forward.”

    Patrick quickly displayed her displeasure with Whitt over the radio, which Whitt responded by saying, “I wouldn’t expect her to be happy about it. I wouldn’t be happy about it either. I don’t know why anyone would expect her to be like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s great.’ ”

    After her wreck in the Gatorade Duel, she would have to start at the back of the Daytona 500. Her race wouldn’t last long as she would be collected in a second lap incident that started when Elliot Sadler got into Jimmie Johnson. Her team would get the car fixed and she would go back out to run some laps.

    “Any lap that I turn is progression,” she said. “That’s why I was proud of them for getting me on the track. Was there much to gain for me to get back on track? No. But there was experience as I got back up in pack.”

    Patrick would finish in 38th in her cup debut, but picked up valuable knowledge.

    “I honestly I think I picked up a lot of tips and honestly, I wish the race would’ve been a single file line at the beginning like it was when I got back up there,” she said.

    As the weekend went, Patrick learned more about the draft and that was most evident in the Nationwide Series. Before the incident with Whitt, she had led a portion of the race, first with help from Earnhardt Jr., and then with help from Tony Stewart.

    The success she did have within the wrecks shows that she has picked up lessons since beginning in NASCAR in 2010. When she first started, she was barely running at a competitive pace.

    “I’m pleased with some of the stuff that’s gotten better over the year – I can think of the first race here where I was struggling to keep up,” she said. “Then now you can drop the green flag in a Cup race and I’m just hanging out. I know the rules are different, but the level of comfort and proximity of cars next to each other and front and back, and obviously has been improved.”

    Her improvement had Elliott Sadler call her the most improved driver in NASCAR’s top three divisions from the beginning of 2011 till now.

    “That’s appreciated and I have worked really hard and I’m lucky I drive for a good team that has good resources,” she said when told that. “Tony Jr. is a really, good accomplished crew chief. On the Cup side, we haven’t seen a lot of the great people around me there too, and some really good experience teammates.

    “That’s a nice pat on the back; I appreciated that. I still recognize that I have a lot to learn, but I’ve been able to do this in a nice way. I’ve had the backing from the beginning from Go Daddy and it’s been nice because instead of having to go out and show what I’m made of every week, got the most amount spots possible and be desperate. I’ve never had to feel like that. I’ve been able to sit back and observe, not step outside of my comfort zone, because I’ve had a plan since the beginning and so few drivers get that ability to plan long-term and have someone that’s there for them who will follow them wherever they go.”

    One of the keys to Patrick being able to pick up as many as lessons as she has is that she doesn’t rest on her laurels. She knows that there is lots that she is going to have to learn.

    Going into the Nationwide race, despite winning the pole, she knew it was going to be a challenge.

    “It’s going to come down to bump drafting, and being good at that,” she says. “Good at swapping, good at keeping the engine cool, good at keeping in a pack, good at keeping connected, good at strategy so when you pit, you pit with your partner and you don’t get left alone at any point. There’s a lot of stuff that’s going to happen during the race that we’re going to have to manage, so it doesn’t change our strategy.”

    Next week at Phoenix International Raceway marks her next challenge. She won’t be running the Sprint Cup race, but the Nationwide race will have its own challenges. Patrick has made three starts at Phoenix, with her best finish being 17th, which she scored last spring.

    This year is all about learning and getting ready for the full Sprint Cup schedule in 2013. Certainly the tricky oval in the dessert will teach her some more.

  • James Buescher wins DRIVE4COPD 300 after Last Lap Crash

    James Buescher wins DRIVE4COPD 300 after Last Lap Crash

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”231″][/media-credit]Going into the final corner, it looked as if Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, or Joey Logano would find themselves in victory lane. However, coming out of turn four, Kurt Busch would slide up, getting into Logano, who would get into Stewart, wrecking the entire front of the field. As the mess sorted out, James Buescher would find himself as the first driver crossing the finish line to win the DRIVE4COPD 300.

    “Nobody wanted to work with us at the end,” Buescher said in victory lane. “We just got the best draft we could after everybody. I saw everybody wrecking there, I just went to the bottom and tried to get by all of it. We didn’t have a lot of track position there, but we stuck with it and we won.”

    The victory marked the first victory for Buescher in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

    “Anytime you win a race, it means a lot,” car owner Steve Turner said. “But with our goal of working with young drivers, gives us a good shot and makes me feel comfortable that we’ve put the right guys in the right place. We’ve really changed our organization over the off-season to cater to the young drivers.”

    Buescher hadn’t escaped trouble all day long as he was involved in the caution on lap 75. Michael Annett got into Brian Scott, turning him into the side of Buescher before Scott hit the wall. The team worked on fixing the damage and were trying to work their way up at the end.

    Brad Keselowski, who had fallen back in the pack with Buescher, would be credited with finishing second.

    “I don’t know how we brought the Discount Tire Dodge home; lots of squirming around there,” Keselowski said. “If we could’ve got through without that minor damage, we could’ve won.”

    Sadler, who was pushing Stewart at the time of the incident, would escape being wrecked to finish third and be the highest driver in the finishing order that’s running the full Nationwide Series schedule.

    “It felt like the leader came up and tried to block, and blocked too late, and pinched the 20 into the wall in front of us,” Sadler said. “We had a run there and a good shot to win the race. It’s so fun running with Tony Stewart as he always knows how to use the right lane.”

    Rookie Cole Whitt would find his way around the incident to finish in the fourth place position. Whitt had a rough day himself. On lap 49, he got into the back of Danica Patrick to push her at the wrong time in the middle of the corner, turning her into the wall.

    “I don’t think it’s ever great when teammates come together,” Patrick, who finished 38th, said. “We’ll have to figure out what happened and move forward.”

    “We’re teammates,” Whitt said. “We want our team to win. I mean, that’s why we were pushing each other anyways – we want to get our team up front together.”

    Patrick quickly displayed her displeasure with Whitt, which Whitt said, “I wouldn’t expect her to be happy about it. I wouldn’t be happy about it either. I don’t know why anyone would expect her to be like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s great.’ ”

    Then once on pit road after the incident, Whitt would get turned around backwards on pit road as he was coming into his pit while Kyle Busch was leaving his.

    Rookie Austin Dillon would survive the last lap scramble to come home in the fifth position.

    “We didn’t get to stick to our game plan like we wanted to at the beginning of the race,” Dillon said. “Changed up, got dropped to the back.  Had to work our way back to the front.  Got hooked up with Elliott at one point in time.  Got back up to a decent stop.  Got some track position. Then we got faded back again.  Hooked up with Jr.  Drove to the front.  That one run felt really good pushing with him and Elliott, too.  It was fun.  It was difficult to tandem through the pack.  You had to fish your way through the pack.  When you had a gap to push, you could push.

    “My car was really good at pushing today.  The Advocare Chevrolet was fast enough to get to the front.  Ended up in the front.  Doesn’t matter how you get there, as long as you finish up there, so it was fun.”

    Tayler Malsam and Timmy Hill sneak by the wreck to finish sixth and seventh, while Tony Stewart would finish eighth, going for his fifth consecutive Daytona victory.

    “I don’t know that we even made it to turn four,” Stewart said. “We got a big run on the outside and all of a sudden the door got slammed on us. I don’t know why whoever it was turned right, but it wasn’t a very good time to either try blocking or moving. It was definitely not the finish we wanted for sure. We had an awesome (car) today.”

    Kasey Kahne would finish ninth with Kurt Busch rounding out the top 10.

    “We were up front, leading laps and doing exactly what James Finch would have wanted,” he said. “We took the white leading and had the lead halfway down the back. Everybody was side drafting and we got separated.

    “I went to crowd the outside lane, didn’t know that there were two cars up there. I thought it was just a single lane. I was trying to side draft to get the best finish I could at the end. Everybody was racing to the end. Man, a lot of tore up cars. That’s just everybody full throttle at the end.”

    This wouldn’t be the only incident of the afternoon that Busch would receive the blame for as with 17 to go, he would try to squeeze through a hole three-wide that wasn’t there. The result would be a 20-car wreck that included Robert Richardson Jr., Denny Hamlin, Justin Allgaier, Kenny Wallace, Casey Roderick, Reed Sorenson, Johanna Long, Ryan Truex, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dillon, Mike Wallace and TJ Bell.

    “I quickly reminded myself why I don’t run these races,” Hamlin said. “It’s hard to control your fate in these races….had been running up front, was up front there, and just a chain reaction. Looked like Kyle and Kurt got a run up through the middle there and scared some people.”

    The middle part of the wreck saw Sorenson drive partly under Allgaier’s car.

    “I saw guys spinning in front of me and tried to get around them, but got caught up with another guys,” he said. “With having the two-car tandems and pack racing, guys are getting runs there that shouldn’t be.”

    The next race for the Nationwide Series is next weekend at Phoenix Raceway.

  • Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300 Lap-By-Lap

    Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300 Lap-By-Lap

    [media-credit name=”daytonainternationalspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”272″][/media-credit]After a wreck on the final lap, James Buescher would be crowned the winner of the DRIVE4COPD 300.

    Green flag as Dale Earnhardt Jr. quickly gets on Danica Patrick’s bumper to push her ahead

    Lap 1 – Patrick leads with Earnhardt Jr. as Bayne/Sadler try to run them down

    Lap 2 – Bayne to the lead around the outside with help from Sadler, putting Patrick/Earnhardt Jr. behind them

    Lap 5 – Sadler and Bayne swap so Sadler leads, but Tony Stewart/Sam Hornish Jr. go by them and take the lead

    Lap 7 – Patrick brushes the wall and falls back as her partner Earnhardt Jr. goes looking for.

    Lap 9 – Stewart and Kurt Busch become the newest team as Hornish tried to get his car cool.

    Lap 11 – Kahne/Earnhardt Jr. to the lead as they go to the outside of Stewart/Busch while Bayne/Sadler chase them.

    Lap 13 – Bayne/Sadler leading

    Lap 14 – Hornish/Brad Keselowski takes the lead through turn 4 as Bayne/Sadler fall back

    Lap 18 Hornish/Keselowski, Mike Bliss/Joe Nemechek, Michael Annett/Kurt Busch, Kenny Wallace/Mike Wallace

    Lap 20 Hornish/Keselowski still hold the lead as Bliss/Nemechek try to chase them down. Annett/Busch battle side-by-side with the Wallaces for the next position

    Lap 22 Bliss/Nemechek pass Hornish/Keselowski for the lead

    Lap 26 Earnhardt Jr/Kurt Busch to the lead past Bliss/Nemechek

    Lap 27 Bliss/Nemechek take the lead as Busch/Earnhardt Jr. swap positions in their tandem

    Lap 28 Bliss, Nemechek, Kurt Busch, Earnhardt Jr., Joey Logano, Kahne, Stewart, Patrick, Hornish Jr., Mike Wallace

    Lap 29 Busch/Earnhardt Jr. back to the lead in the tri-oval, ast Bliss/Nemechek as Logano/Kahne try to chase them down

    Lap 30 Earnhardt Jr./Busch swap as Earnhardt Jr. keeps the lead through the lap traffic

    Caution Lap 31 Debris on the track as Jason Bowles has an engine problem. Pit stops as some take two tires, some take four tires. Kurt Busch leads Tony Stewart, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, Cole Whitt and Michael Annett off pit road. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has issues getting into his pit, but solved the problem by using his cup sign for the rest of the day. Kyle Busch had the right rear window vibrating so they sealed it.

    Restart Lap 36 as Kurt Busch pulls slightly ahead through turns ½ with help from Kasey Kahne

    Lap 37 Tony Stewart/Joey Logano side-by-side with Kurt Busch/Kasey Kahne for the lead

    Lap 38 Stewart/Logano pull ahead to the lead with Busch/Kahne in toe followed by Danica Patrick

    Lap 40 Stewart leads Logano, Busch, Kahne and Sam Hornish Jr. as Patrick falls back through the field

    Lap 44 Logano/Stewart make the swap, allowing Busch/Nemechek to take the lead.

    Lap 45 J.J Yeley has smoke trailing from his car, quickly gets outta line.

    Lap 46 Busch/Nemechek lead as Dale Earnhardt Jr./Kyle Busch chase them down, followed by Hornish Jr.

    Lap 48 Richardson Jr. makes a big save in the middle of three-wide to prevent a wreck

    Lap 49 Kurt Busch leads Nemechek, Earnahrdt Jr., Kyle Busch, Hornish Jr., Hamlin, Logano, Ryan Truex, Kenny Wallace

    Caution Lap 49 as Danica Patrick gets into the wall after contact from teammate Cole Whitt. Patrick has enough damage to send her behind the wall. Sadler got some damage after running down off the track to the apron to avoid Patrick, fixed it on pit road. Reed Sorenson gets the lucky dog……Pit stops: Cole Whitt gets turned around backwards on pit road, after contact from Kyle Busch. Cole was coming in as Kyle was going out.

    Restart Lap 54 as Denny Hamlin leads the field to the green, but Kurt Busch quickly goes back to the points with help from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    Lap 55 Busch/Earnhardt Jr. have spaced themselves from the field as Kenny Wallace/Mike Wallace are next in line, followed by Brad Keselowski/Kasey Kahne

    Lap 58 Trevor Bayne has a flat tire as he brings the car to pit road. This came after contact with Brian Scott.

    Lap 59 Busch/Earnhardt Jr. lead Hamlin/Logano as they have separated themselves from the pack

    Caution Lap 60 Mike Bliss has wrecked at the halfway mark. He backed off and Joe Nemechek got into the back of him. Pit stops: Some choose to pit while others stay out. Kurt Busch now leads Earnhardt Jr. as they both stayed on track

    Restart with 56 laps to go as Kurt Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. run side-by-side for the lead through turn 2. Earnhardt Jr. is able to get by Busch, but it is Elliott Sadler/Austin Dillon driving by him in a two-car tandem.

    55 to go Sadler/Dillon pull out to a pretty sizable lead as the pack runs three-wide all the way back.

    50 to go Sadler/Dillon continue to lead, in front of Kurt Busch, Nemechek, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Hornish Jr.,

    Caution Lap 75 Brian Scott wrecks in the tri-oval. Michael Annett got into Scott, turning him into James Buescher, and then Scott hit the wall. Kurt Busch leading…..Pit Stops as most can make it from this point: Joe Nemechek leads Hornish Jr. and Mike Wallace off pit road…..Trevor Bayne took the wave around so he’s only one lap down now.

    Restart 42 laps to go as Nemechek and Hornish Jr. are side-by-side through turns 1 and 2.

    41 laps to go Hornish Jr. leads with help from Mike Wallace.

    40 laps to go Hornish Jr. leads Wallace, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch as they’ve separated themselves from the pack

    39 laps to go Hornish Jr. and Wallace get separated, allowing the Busch brothers to go by on the outside.

    38 laps to go Stewart/Sadler go by the Busch brothers for the lead with Stenhouse/Hamlin in toe.

    37 laps to go Stewart/Sadler lead the Busch brothers and then Stenhouse/Hamlin

    30 laps to go Hamlin/Stenhouse to the lead coming across the finish line but its Earnhardt Jr./Austin Dillon taking the lead coming out of turn two.

    29 laps to go Earnhardt Jr./Dillon and Stewart/Sadler are side-by-side for the lead

    28 laps to go Stewart/Sadler surge ahead

    27 laps to go Joey Gase blows the motor, bringing out the caution, which puts Trevor Bayne back on the lead lap…..Pit stops as mostly everyone gets a splash of gas. Hamlin leads Stewart and Earnhardt Jr. off pit road. Timmy Hill stayed out so he’s the leader

    Restart 22 laps to go. Kenny Wallace takes the lead down the back straightaway with help from Robert Richardson Jr.

    21 laps to go three-wide for the lead as Denny Hamlin now leads with help from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    20 laps to go Hamlin/Earnhardt Jr. have left the field as the rest of the pack battles side-by-side.

    19 laps to go Sam Hornish Jr. brushes the wall, Brian Scott gets into the wall hard – no caution. Tony Stewart takes the lead with Elliott Sadler’s help as Denny Hamlin/Earnhardt Jr. run behind them. This marks lead change no. 36 to break the record for the most lead change.

    17 laps to go big wreck including Robert Richardson Jr., Denny Hamlin, Justin Allgaier, Kenny Wallace, Casey Roderick, Reed Sorenson, Johanna Long, Ryan Truex, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Austin Dillon, Mike Wallace, TJ Bell……Kurt Busch tries to squeeze through a hole that wasn’t there, and everybody started back off – Trevor Bayne got sideways once he slowed up and went up towards the wall, collecting the others…..Red flag…..

    Restart 9 laps to go as Kurt Busch goes to the lead with help from Kyle Busch.

    8 laps to go Stenhouse/Hornish battle three-wide for the race lead with Stewart/Sadler and Busch brother combo.

    Caution with 7 to go as three-wide does not work out as Sam Hornish Jr. goes around, collecting Michael Annett, David Ragan, Joe Nemechek, Dale Earnhardt Jr……Ragan got a push from behind, causing him to get into the back of Hornish and spinning him in front of Earnhardt Jr., collecting others.

    Restart 2 to go as Kurt/Kyle get the run off the top, go to the bottom and lead the field.

    White flag as Kurt/Kyle pull to the lead with Logano/Bayne in toe, trying to pass.

    Coming out of turn 4, Kurt Busch got into Joey Logano, sending him up into Tony Stewart, collecting the rest of the leaders.

    WRECKED: Stewart, Bayne, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Whitt, Logano,

    James Buescher misses the wreck and is scored the winner after coming through turn four in 11th.

  • Danica Patrick wins the DRIVE4COPD 300 Pole Following Duel Crash

    Danica Patrick wins the DRIVE4COPD 300 Pole Following Duel Crash

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photography, Inc.” align=”alignright” width=”229″][/media-credit]Following a nasty crash yesterday during the Gatorade Duels, Danica Patrick came back in full force and won the pole for the Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300, which is set to be run on Saturday afternoon.

    With a speed of 182.741 mph, this marked the first pole of her career in 26 starts. She also became the first women to win a pole in the Nationwide Series since 1994 when Shawna Robinson won the pole at Atlanta.

    For the 29-year-old, she wanted to win the pole not only for herself, but for crew chief Tony Eury Jr.

    “Tony builds really good cars and the guys that helped him do that, did a really good job,” she says “I’m really thrilled for Tony Jr.; this is something that he wanted. So for me to push the pedal and give that to him, it feels really good.”

    This marks the first Daytona Nationwide series pole for Eury Jr., despite the number of wins at Daytona with his cousin Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    Just yesterday, Patrick found himself at the tail end of a bad deal as she hit the inside wall hard after contact from Aric Almirola on the last lap. For most of the event, Patrick had done well, keeping herself in the thick of the action, running as high as sixth.

    “I got valuable practice time,” she says. “But it is never a good feeling for me to not be able to drive the car back to the pits and something about me feels guilty when I see that Go Daddy is all broken up along the side.”

    The wrecks are a part of the learning curve, no doubt, and Patrick says that she does have lots to learn. After qualifying, she was continuing to pick up tips from her team owner, Earnhardt Jr., by talking with him about side drafting and running the inside line versus the outside line.

    Patrick has been working hard at learning everything that she can, which has shown on track. Last year near the end of the year, she was capable of consistently running in the top 15. Elliott Sadler says with what she’s learned, she has become the most improved driver in all of the three series.

    “That’s appreciated and I have worked really hard and I’m lucky I drive for a good team that has good resources,” she says. “Tony Jr. is a really, good accomplished crew chief. On the Cup side, we haven’t seen a lot of the great people around me there too, and some really good experience teammates.

    “That’s a nice pat on the back; I appreciated that. I still recognize that I have a lot to learn, but I’ve been able to do this in a nice way. I’ve had the backing from the beginning from Go Daddy and it’s been nice because instead of having to go out and show what I’m made of every week, got the most amount spots possible and be desperate. I’ve never had to feel like that. I’ve been able to sit back and observe, not step outside of my comfort zone, because I’ve had a plan since the beginning and so few drivers get that ability to plan long-term and have someone that’s there for them who will follow them wherever they go.”

    In looking back to her first ever NASCAR start, Patrick recognizes how far she has come, though.

    “I’m pleased with some of the stuff that’s gotten better over the year – I can think of the first race here where I was struggling to keep up,” she says. “Then now you can drop the green flag in a Cup race and I’m just hanging out. I know the rules are different, but the level of comfort and proximity of cars next to each other and front and back, and obviously has been improved.”

    With her winning the pole for the Nationwide race, it show strength in the learning curve, but also marks a confidence boost.

    “Its always good to have something that brings your spirits up,” she says. “I think when you’re fast like this, it also gives someone an incentive to work with you, if I’m in a position without a teammate or without someone who has talked it over with me. Hopefully it will open up some deals.”

    Patrick says that beyond making her feel better, it also gives her some respect and credibility as people will want to work with her. However, she knows that her success tomorrow will all depend on how well she runs.

    “It’s going to come down to bump drafting, and being good at that,” she says. “Good at swapping, good at keeping the engine cool, good at keeping in a pack, good at keeping connected, good at strategy so when you pit, you pit with your partner and you don’t get left alone at any point. There’s a lot of stuff that’s going to happen during the race that we’re going to have to manage, so it doesn’t change our strategy. But we do get the first pit box if we want it, which I like that. Not having to wander through a sea of signs looking for my pit box.”

  • Ron Fellows and Scott Steckly To Appear at Canadian Motorsports Expo

    Ron Fellows and Scott Steckly To Appear at Canadian Motorsports Expo

    [media-credit id=4 align=”alignleft” width=”200″][/media-credit]

    NASCAR fans will get their good dosage worth of content at this year’s Canadian Motorsports Expo as both Ron Fellows’ No. 88 Canadian Tire NASCAR Nationwide Series Show car and Scott Steckly’s No. 22 Canadian Tire/Motomaster Dodge will be on display.

    Both Fellows and Steckly will also be on hand to sign autographs throughout the weekend.

    This will be part of Canadian Tire’s 5,000 square foot display.

    “We’re thrilled to be part of the 6th Annual Canadian Motorsport Expo and to connect with Canadians that share our passion for auto racing,” Allan McDonald, Senior Vice President of Automotive at Canadian Tire, says. “As title sponsors of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series we’ve been blown away by the support and enthusiasm of Canadian fans. We’re committed to fostering the growth of auto racing in Canada through our support of the series and are looking forward to an exciting 2012 season.”

    The display will also include Canadian Tire’s 53-foot racing hauler, a pit stop challenge and a money machine. The money machine, which resembles a glass phone booth, has Canadian Tire Money that swirls around and contestants can keep all the money they grab in 20 seconds. Canadian Tire will also be giving out samples of products during the weekend.

    “We are very proud to welcome Canadian Tire as a major exhibitor at the 6th Annual Canadian Motorsports Expo Powered by Inside Track,” CME Co-promoter Rob Morton says. “From the company’s long-running support of some of Canada’s top racers and events, to their current sponsorship of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, Scott Steckly, Ron Fellows and others, Canadian Tire is an undisputed leader in Canadian motorsports. Racers and fans appreciate Canadian Tire’s commitment to their sport and their dedication to offering the best service, expertise and products – many of them race and track-tested.”

    The Sixth Annual Canadian Motorsports Expo will be happening February 10th to 12th at Toronto’s International Centre.

    Ron Fellow is a legendary road racer and the new owner of Mosport, while Scott Steckly won his second NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Championship last season.

  • Joey Logano Goes From Spinning to Winning the Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona

    Joey Logano Goes From Spinning to Winning the Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona

    Joey Logano finally found victory lane in a restrictor plate race after being the man who pushed the eventual winners the last few plate races. His victory in the 10th annual Subway Jalapeño 250 at Daytona International Speedway came after a wild race in which he had to start in the rear of the field.

    The green flag flew Friday night over four Kevin Harvick Inc. cars who qualified in the first four positions. The race though wasn’t about big packs as it quickly became a race of two-by-two with drivers finding partners and pairing up.

    It took only 27 laps for the first caution to come out as Logano spun in turn three following the first bump drafting gone bad incident of the night. He would restart at the rear of the field after pitting before pit road was open, Logano would also have to battle back from a loose wheel.

    Throughout the middle portion of the race an interesting leader emerged. Working with Tony Stewart the bright green No. 7 of Danica Patrick repeatedly found her way to the front of the field. Patrick led the field on five different occasions for 13 laps.

    The second caution

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”254″][/media-credit]of the night flew after Ricky Carmichael lost a left rear tire and hit the backstretch wall. Carmichael would be done for the evening but Danny Efland who also spun was able to continue on.

     

    In what is quickly becoming a trend this season, Kenny Wallace became the newest driver penalized for changing lanes before the start/finish line. Wallace would serve a pass through penalty but recovered for a seventh place finish.

    The third caution of the night came from a hard hit by Eric McClure. Drafting with his teammate Mike Bliss, McClure was hooked heading into turn one and hit the wall head on. McClure was taken to a local hospital for tests but is said to be doing fine.

    As drivers like Patrick, Stewart and others flexed their muscles, a driver who could have been a contender for the win wouldn’t be around to see it. With less than 25 laps to go Clint Bowyer was hooked by his team owner/teammate Kevin Harvick, sending him head on into the backstretch wall. His race was done for the evening.

    As the race for the win started to heat up the sixth and final caution of the night gave everyone a breather after teammates Joe Nemechek and Kevin Conway scraped the turn three wall. It would set up a seven-lap fight to the finish.

    Sadler and Stewart would lead on the restart but with five laps to go it was Patrick back out in front with her drafting partner Aric Almirola. Looking to pull off an improbable win, Patrick and Almirola started driving away but were swallowed up by the field with three laps to go.

    As the white flag flew though it would be the Joe Gibbs Racing duo of Logano and Kyle Busch who charged through the field. Logano and Busch fought to the checkered flag with the Turner Motorsports teammates of Jason Leffler and Reed Sorenson jumping in between. Logano held off Leffler, Sorenson and Busch for his ninth career Nationwide Series win.

    But behind him carnage was breaking out. Patrick, Stewart, Steven Wallace, Mike Wallace and others wrecked coming to the finish line. All would be OK but lost their top five finishes.

    The night though, belonged to Joey Logano and the Joe Gibbs Racing team. Logano captured his first win of the 2011 season and his first at Daytona. He only led one lap. Reed Sorenson remains the point leader as his lead increased over Elliott Sadler. Sorenson also captured an extra $100,000 in the “Dash 4 Cash” program.

  • Kevin Harvick Incorporated Goes All-In For Nationwide Series Race at Daytona

    Kevin Harvick Incorporated Goes All-In For Nationwide Series Race at Daytona

    With the idea of the two-car dance coming into play at the restrictor plate track, it’s no surprise that some teams are putting their forces together to make sure that they’ve got it set up.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”227″][/media-credit]One of those teams is Kevin Harvick Incorporated as they’ll be entering four cars instead of their typical three for a restrictor plate.

    Driving the No. 2 Chevrolet will be Elliott Sadler, who has driven the car all year long.

    “At Daytona, it’s either feast of famine for me,” Sadler said. “We had a really fast car there in February, but got caught up in a wreck early and finished 38th. Of course, my team owner Kevin Harvick will be in another OneMain Financial car, so I’m sure that we will find each other and help each other throughout the whole race. I’m thrilled for the opportunity to help OneMain Financial to celebrate their brand launch this weekend, and I hope that we can bring home a victory for everyone! Daytona is a special place to a lot of people because it is the France family’s birthplace and where the roots of NASCAR started. I always look forward to going down there on the Fourth of July weekend. It’s a special race that kind of marks the middle of the season. When you leave Daytona, you have a feeling of how the rest of the season will go. It’s going to be a great race.”

    The Emporia, Virgina native has had the least success of the group at Daytona as he has competed in the Nationwide Series there four times with a best finish of 15th in 1997. Though he’s not inexperienced by any means following 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Daytona with four top-fives and nine top-10s.

    Sadler is hoping to dance with his experienced teammates to jump from second to first in points as he sits second, five points behind Reed Sorenson.

    Driving the No. 4 will be team owner Kevin Harvick, who is looking for more success in his own equipment. Harvick has captured two poles, one victory, 12 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes in his previous 17 starts at the 2.5-mile oval.

    “It’s is going to be interesting heading into the race at Daytona because there are so many factors that play into your success at this track,” he said. “Racing Daytona in July is a lot different than racing there in February. The track gets hot and slick and the handling characteristics become exaggerated. With the new racing surface you also need a good drafting partner. KHI is fielding four cars for this race, so finding a partner shouldn’t be too difficult. I’m excited about our chances of success at this race, not only as a driver but as a team owner.”

    Driving the No. 9 will be Tony Stewart, who returns back to the seat of a Kevin Harvick Incorporated car after his win back in February at Daytona.

    “It’s a small team size-wise,” Stewart said. “But as far as equipment and everything, Kevin and DeLana [Harvick] prepare cars that are some of the best cars in the Nationwide Series.”

    Stewart is the secret to KHI’s Daytona success it may seem as he has scored them all four of their wins.

    “I think it’s because of the attention to detail that Kevin and DeLana put into their racecars. You see it in their Truck Series program,” he added. “You see it in their Nationwide Series program. They just do everything first class. I always have the confidence when I get in one of their cars that I’m in just as competitive a car as I could be with any other organization out there. They’re first class, and that’s the kind of group that you want to be with when you do a one-off race like this. You have that confidence. You don’t worry about anything. You know that they’re giving you the best equipment that you can get in that series. It’s always fun. It’s fun to drive for one of your good friends like Kevin and DeLana, but at the same time knowing that they’ve got really good racecars just tops it all off.”

    Lastly, driving the No. 33 will be Clint Bowyer, who has also ran some races in the past with KHI. Back in February, it was Bowyer who finished second to Stewart’s win, only by the third closest margin in the series at 0.007 seconds.

    “Daytona is what NASCAR is all about,” he said. “It started there, and it means so much to be able to go and compete and it’s just such an awesome race track. We were so close to winning in February with this No. 33 KHI team. We had some tough breaks and got involved in accidents while running up front at Talladega [Superspeedway] in April, and then at Dover [International Speedway] in May. I’m looking forward to being back with the KHI guys, and I really want to get this Menards Chevy in victory lane and get another win at Daytona.”

    Bowyer is not a driver to underestimate as he has eight top-five and 10 top-10 finishes and won the race in 2009 after leading 48 laps for Richard Childress Racing.

    Kevin Harvick Incorporated’s success at Daytona International Speedway is impressive as since 2005, KHI has four wins, two poles, eight top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. So as the race nears conclusion, don’t be surprised if one of the two KHI pairs are fighting their way for the lead.

  • Max Papis Leads Final Nationwide Series Practice at Road America

    Max Papis Leads Final Nationwide Series Practice at Road America

    As the same as the first practice, it was another Nationwide Series practice with the charts dominated by the road course ringers.

    Max Papis, driving the No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Incorporated, was first at a speed of 108.991mph (133.707 seconds). Joe Gibbs Racing’s Michael McDowell (108.707mph) followed in second.

    Jacques Villeneuve, driving the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge for Pense Racing was third with a speed of 108.509 mph, followed by Ron Fellows, who is driving the No. 7 AER Manufacturing Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, in fourth (107.893).

    Series regular Steve Wallace rounded out the top five in fifth (107.853), followed by Andrew Ranger, Ricky Carmichael, Elliott Sadler, Brian Scott and Reed Sorenson.

    Series points leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr. did not practice, nor did his teammate Billy Johnson, who led the first practice.

  • Road Course Veterans Lead First Nationwide Series Practice at Road America

    Road Course Veterans Lead First Nationwide Series Practice at Road America

    At the end of the first Nationwide Series practice at Road America, it was a bunch of road course ringers leading the charts.

    [media-credit name=”roadamerica.com” align=”alignright” width=”215″][/media-credit]Billy Johnson, driving the No. 60 for Roush-Fenway Racing, was at the top with a speed of 108.050 mph (134.871 seconds). RFR brought Johnson over from the Roush Racing Grand-Am Sport team, where he competes in the No. 61 Ford Boss 302R Mustang with Jack Roush Jr. The last race ran was at Walkins Glen, where they led 30 laps in route to victory.

    Jacques Villeneuve, driving the No. 22 for Penske Racing, was second with a speed of 107.996 mph (134.938). Villeneuve has driven road course in a variety of different cars, including F1, Le Mans Series, Speedcar and TRV6. He has also raced in NASCAR before, as he has made a total of five Nationwide Series starts, dating back to 2006.

    “Road America is one of my favorite tracks and I’m super excited to be returning there this weekend to race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series,” Villeneuve said coming into the weekend. “I was fighting for the win in last year’s race so I have some unfinished business at this event, for sure. This will be my first event both in the No. 22 Discount Tire/Ruby Tuesday Dodge Challenger, and with Penske Racing, so I’m really looking forward to getting in the car and seeing what we can achieve together. It’s a track I know and love, having won the Indy car races there in ’94 and ’95, so we should be very competitive.”

    During those past five starts, he has three top-five starts and three top-10 finishes.

    “Road America is the longest track on our schedule with long straights and big braking zones that give one of the best road racers, Jacque Villeneuve, lots of opportunities to get the Discount Tire Dodge out front,” crew chief Todd Gordon said. “We have tested with Jacques a couple of times and had good speeds as a result of the testing. We feel we have a good package to unload with and build from for this circuit. The challenges of having to turn both ways and stop well are something this whole No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge team looks forward to.”

    Sprint Cup Series driver and past road course expert Michael McDowell (driving the No. 18 for Joe Gibbs Racing) was third (107.972 mph, 134.968 seconds) with Max Papis fourth (107.641 mph, 135.384 seconds).

    Papis will driving the No. 33 for Kevin Harvick Incorporated. They teamed up last year for Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, where Papis qualified ninth and second. Papis has previous experience at Road America through the Champ Car Series, where he collected several podium finishes.

    “I am really looking forward to racing this weekend at Road America,” Papis said in the team preview. “This will be my first NASCAR race there so I will be considered a rookie, but it will not be my first race at the track. I spent a lot of time at Road America and in the Milwaukee and Green Bay area when I raced in the Champ Car Series. It is a great track and the area is beautiful. They have awesome fans. I can’t wait to get there and race.”

    Elliott Sadler was the highest series regular in fifth (107.566 mph, 135.478 seconds), followed by Ron Fellows, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Jason Leftler, Trevor Bayne and Justin Allgaier.

    The Nationwide Series has another practice at 4:30pm EST today with qualifying slated for Saturday at 3:05pm EST. The race will follow on Saturday at 5:30pm EST.