Tag: nationwide series

Kevin Harvick Dominates the Great Clips 300 With Decisive Win at Atlanta

Atlanta Motor Speedway is good to Kevin Harvick as he takes his third Nationwide Series win of the year in the Great Clips 300 to Benefit Feed the Children. He started the race in eighth place but quickly took over the lead from pole winner Chase Elliott on lap 37 and he was gone, leading an incredible 159 laps out of the 195 lap race.

He is now tied with Mark Martin for all-time Nationwide Series wins at Atlanta. Harvick gave JR Motorsports their eighth win of the year. There were only two minor cautions, both for debris but a light rain extended the second caution to a total of 13 laps. At the restart it was clear that Harvick was the man to beat.

“This thing was bad fast from the drop of the green flag,” Harvick said. “This is just one of those race tracks where I like the challenge of everything you get to do here. Ernie (crew chief Ernie Cope) and I have found a great setup over the years back into the trucks (NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), and it’s still working today.”

Joey Logano started fourth in his No. 22 and brought home second place, but by the time he got his car handling to where he could gain on Harvick, it was too late.

“I just ran out of time,” he said. “I wish there were five or seven more laps, and I could have got to him and tried to do something with him. We were catching him two or three tenths (of a second) a lap there at the end and having some fun with it, but it was too little, too late.”

Kyle Larson, driving the No. 42 Chevrolet started the race in second and finished in third place. Larson was running up in the high groove, but clearly the bottom was where you needed to be.

“Here at Atlanta for whatever reason; it’s a really wore out track but the bottom seems to be a little faster,” stated Larson. “I tried to learn to run the bottom but you have to have your left sides on the paint and it’s really narrow down there so it’s hard, but Kevin is really good at it for whatever reason.”

Kyle Busch brought his No. 54 car home in fourth place while the series points leader Chase Elliott came home in fifth place, retaining the points lead.

Regan Smith finished in sixth followed by Brian Scott in seventh place and David Ragan in eighth. Rounding out the top ten finishing order were Ty Dillon and Elliott Sadler, in ninth and 10th respectively.

Your top five in the points standings are as follows:

1) Chase Elliott 874 2) Regan Smith -15 3) Ty Dillon -35 4) Elliott Sadler -48 5) Brian Scott- 54

The Nationwide Series’ next race will be the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Speedway on September 5th.

Complete Finishing Order:

Position	Car No.	Driver
1	5	Kevin Harvick
2	22	Joey Logano
3	42	Kyle Larson
4	54	Kyle Busch
5	9	Chase Elliott
6	7	Regan Smith
7	2	Brian Scott
8	98	David Ragan
9	3	Ty Dillon
10	11	Elliott Sadler
11	20	Matt Kenseth
12	6	Trevor Bayne
13	60	Chris Buescher
14	62	Brendan Gaughan
15	01	Landon Cassill
16	28	JJ Yeley
17	19	Mike Bliss
18	16	Ryan Reed
19	99	James Buescher
20	39	Ryan Sieg
21	31	Dylan Kwasniewsk
22	51	Jeremy Clements
23	17	Tanner Berryhill
24	14	Eric McClure
25	4	Jeffrey Earnhardt
26	40	Matt DiBenedetto
27	55	Jamie Dick
28	44	Blake Koch
29	87	Chris Cockrum
30	52	Joey Gase
31	70	Derrike Cope
32	25	John Wes Townley
33	43	Dakoda Armstrong
34	74	Mike Harmon
35	89	Morgan Shepherd
36	82	Kevin Swindell
37	23	Carlos Contreras
38	72	John Jackson
39	46	Carl Long
40	10	Jeff Green

August 30, 2014

NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: New Hampshire

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski dominated the Nationwide race on Saturday and duplicated that feat on Sunday, leading 138 of 301 laps to win at New Hampshire.

“Once again,” Keselowski said, “It’s time for the celebratory champagne. But there’s a big difference in breaking out the champagne and breaking open the champagne.

“The No. 2 Penske Ford featured the Redd’s Apple Ale paint scheme. So, at least for one race, I bleed ‘Redd.’”

2. Jeff Gordon: Gordon led late at New Hampshire but ran out of gas, settling for a 26th. He remains on top of the Sprint Cup points standings with a 12-point lead over Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“This win really solidified Brad Keselowski’s status as a title contender,” Gordon said. “Of course, that was also evident at Kentucky a few weeks back, where Brad sliced his hand open before declaring his readiness for the playoffs by saying, ‘Let’s cut to the Chase.’”

3. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson suffered two flat tires early in the Camping World RV Sales 301, the last of which sent him into the wall, ending his day after just 11 laps. He finished 42nd and is now fifth in the points standings, 72 behind Jeff Gordon.

“Goodyear says we had our tires underinflated,” Johnson said. “I say Goodyear has their egos overinflated.

“Obviously, there were a lot of tire changes in Sunday’s race. But nobody needs to ‘re-tire’ more than Morgan Shepherd.”

4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt placed 10th at New Hampshire in a race dominated by Brad Keselowski. Earnhardt was the only Hendrick Motorsports driver in the top 10, and is now second in the Sprint Cup points standings, 12 behind Jeff Gordon.

“Brad Keselowski was awarded a New England lobster for the win,” Earnhardt said. “What has claws, a tail, and horns? Teresa Earnhardt.”

5. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished 13th at New Hampshire as Roush Fenway teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. took ninth. Edwards is sixth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 96 out of first.

“You’ve probably heard about the formation of the Race Team Alliance,” Edwards said. “For heaven’s sake, don’t call it a ‘union.’ If you dare say ‘union’ at most NASCAR events, you may find yourself choked by a Confederate flag.”

6. Matt Kenseth: Still in search of his first win this season, Kenseth took fourth at New Hampshire, leading 12 laps. He is fourth in the points standings, 49 out of first.

“After Hendrick Motorsports won four straight races,” Kenseth said, “Ford has now won the last four. Toyota hasn’t won a race since Talladega back in May. I’m not sure what Toyota’s are searching more for, speed, or answers.”

7. Joey Logano: Logano was running second with less than 100 laps to go when 72-year-old Morgan Shepherd made contact with Logan’s No. 22 Penske Chevy. Logano finished 40th, 90 laps down, while Shepherd took 39th.

“I don’t think Shepherd even knew I was there,” Logano said. “Heck, I’m not sure he even knows where he is. That must be why they call him the ‘Ageless Wander.’

“Shepherd is old enough to be my grandfather, and dumb enough to be my father.”

8. Kyle Busch: Busch started on the pole, setting a Loudon track record of 138.130 miles per hour in Friday’s qualifying. He was fast on Sunday as well, finishing second behind Brad Keselowski. Busch is eighth in the points standings, 103 out of first.

“I finished as runner-up to Brad Keselowski twice at New Hampshire,” Busch said. “And there’s nothing wrong with that. Let me put that into perspective by quoting my brother Kurt when I say, “It’s okay to be second-best.”

9. Ryan Newman: Newman posted his second top-five finish of the year with a fifth at New Hampshire. He is seventh in the points standings, 97 behind Jeff Gordon.

“I’m not so sure about the formation of this ‘RTA’ deal,” Newman said. “I’ll say the same thing about that as I did to Rusty Wallace when I begrudgingly became his teammate: ‘I want no part of this race team alliance.’”

10. Kyle Larson: Larson came home third in the Camping World RV Sales 301 at New Hampshire, posting his fourth top-five result of the year.

“Some say Morgan Shepherd is too old to be racing,” Larson said. “I think I’m in agreement. Shepherd made his Sprint Cup debut back in 1970, and although his age has increased, his speed hasn’t. So, when Shepherd takes to the track in 2014, it’s just like ‘old times.’”

July 16, 2014
Keselowski Dominates Nationwide Series Race at New Hampshire

NNS Recap by NASCAR – July 12, 2014

LOUDON, N.H. – Taking a deep breath at the winner’s podium, Brad Keselowski took a second to savor his dominant Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Keselowski captured the pole, then led 152 of 200 laps to win the NASCAR Nationwide Series Sta-Green 200. In addition, he posted the fastest times in both NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice sessions in preparation for Sunday’s Camping World RV Sales 301.

“One helluva Saturday,” said Keselowski, who recorded a perfect driver rating for the sixth time in his Nationwide career and has finished no worse than third in any of his six Nationwide Series starts this season. “Sometimes on these really busy days you get so caught up in the action that you really can’t appreciate all that’s transpired.

“We have so much to be proud of there and, obviously, we’re looking forward to tomorrow and the opportunity we have. Our Cup car was fast this morning. Our Nationwide car in qualifying had a lot of adversity but we fought through that and got the pole. In the Nationwide race the car was really fast.”

In addition, Keselowski’s Penske-prepared Hertz Mustang became the first Nationwide Series car to win from the pole position in 17 races this season. He also won the March 8 race at Las Vegas and now has 29 victories in 211 Nationwide races.

Kyle Busch, the pole-sitter for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race, was Keselowski’s primary competition and finished second ahead of Matt Kenseth, Kyle Larson and rookie Chris Buescher.

“It was a bit of a dogfight – one of the most challenging races I’ve ever ran, knowing that you have Kyle Busch behind you and he’s just a tiny bit faster,” said Keselowski, whose only mistake was accidentally dropping the American flag during his victory lap. “You have to fight through a line of cars and it seemed like there was always something coming at us.”

Busch pulled to within a car length of Keselowski’s rear bumper with 29 laps to go, but got loose on Lap 173, slid up the track and dropped nearly a second off the pace with 25 laps left. Taking advantage of lap traffic in the final 20 laps, Keselowski’s eventual winning margin was 1.8 seconds.

“It was actually very hard-fought there at the end,” Keselowski said. “He (Busch) was really good at making adjustments. I didn’t think I was going to be able to hold him off.”

Busch led the first 34 laps but never led again in falling just short of his fifth win in nine Nationwide Series starts at New Hampshire.

“We got what we could out of our Monster Energy Camry,” Busch said. “We had the best run there at the end but just not quite enough. We had to fight hard to get by a few guys, got to second but didn’t have quite enough to chase (Keselowski) down.

“If it was clean and green all the way to the end I don’t know if I could have got to him. I was hoping for a couple opportunities there in traffic.”

Keselowski asserted his car as the one to beat, leading 66 of the first 100 laps. By Lap 66, only Busch (2.88) and Kenseth (9.25) were within 10 seconds of Keselowski’s yellow No. 22 Mustang.

True to its name, the Sta-Green 200 stayed caution-free for 76 laps prior to a yellow flag for debris on Lap 93 that tightened the field.

Busch struggled after the restart while Larson seized the opportunity and tucked in second behind Keselowski. And he wasn’t second for long.

When Brian Scott got into the back of third-place Elliott Sadler, it touched off a spin that involved seven cars, enabling Larson to seize the lead.

Larson led the race twice for 11 laps. But when things settled down after the race’s fourth caution, Keselowski regained the top spot and went on to dominate the final 56 laps.

Series points leader Regan Smith didn’t have a top-five car but was the big bonus winner, capturing the $100,000 payoff in the first of four Dash 4 Cash races courtesy of Nationwide Insurance. Smith finished ahead of championship-eligible Nationwide Series drivers Ryan Reed (11th), Ryan Sieg (18th) and Jeremy Clements (20th), each of whom qualified for the Dash last week at Daytona International Speedway.

Smith was in control of the Dash for most of the race but had trouble during a four-tire change in the pits with 55 laps left. Although Reed restarted in seventh and Smith ninth, Smith regained command on his fresh rubber and maintained his advantage the rest of the way.

“The race was difficult for us,” Smith said. “We didn’t have the speed I thought we were going to have. The last pit stop we decided to go for four (tires), had a little hiccup, and it cost us some positions. At that point, you kind of know the situation for the day and it’s ‘OK, let’s take the silver lining and get out of here with the money. This means a lot to our team.”

Smith, Buescher, Sadler and Scott emerged as qualifiers for the second of four Dash 4 Cash races next Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway. Smith also became the only driver eligible for a $600,000 bonus – which will translate to $1 million in total prize money should he win the Dash 4 Cash at Chicagoland and Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 26), then win the Aug. 2 race at Iowa Speedway outright.

Smith retained the series points lead by eight points over Sadler, who finished sixth, and 13 over Chase Elliott, who finished eighth.

July 12, 2014
Kevin Harvick is a Nationwide Series Winner at Kentucky Speedway

Kevin Harvick, driving for JR Motorsports, passed Kyle Busch for the lead on the final restart with only five laps remaining, to earn his 42nd career win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Brad Keselowski dominated most of the race, leading 138 laps but a speeding penalty on pit road on lap 148 put him at the back of the field and Harvick seized the opportunity. Keselowski was able to drive back up to the front leading to a three-way battle between Harvick, Busch and Keselowski at the end of the race.

After the race, Harvick called it “a very strange night.” He went on to say, “In the beginning our car wasn’t that bad, we needed some adjustments, had some things happen on some pit stops, so we pitted and put four tires on and everything kind of fell our way. We were able to get a little bit of a tire advantage there at the end and Ernie (Cope, crew chief) made a really good adjustment to the race car that allowed us to really take off and run the best we had all night.”

Keselowski started from the pole for the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign 300 presented by Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over NASCAR Nationwide Race and Kyle Busch started second in the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota.

Keselowski led early and often leading the first 43 laps until the first of seven cautions of the night came out for debris on the back stretch. Paul Menard in the No. 33 Libman/Menards Chevrolet assumed the lead after pit stops followed by Keselowski in second. Keselowski would only let Menard lead four laps before regaining the lead.

Caution two came out on lap 83 for debris while at the same time the No.39 of Ryan Sieg spun. Sieg then spun out the No. 51 of Jeremy Clements as he thought that Clements had spun him out. Replays showed there was no initial contact between the two and Sieg and his crew chief were summoned to the NASCAR hauler following the race.

On lap 103 Matt Kenseth in the No. 20 Resers Toyota, who was running in the fifth spot at the time, spun coming off of turn two and slid down the track crashing nose first into the infield wall ending his night.

On lap 138 green flag pit stops began. After the field cycled through Keselowski found himself penalized for speeding while exiting pit road, resulting in a pass thru penalty and handing the lead to Kevin Harvick in the #5 Kroger/P & G Chevrolet.

After Keselowski served his penalty, caution for debris came out again on lap 157. After the race’s fourth caution and the resulting pit stops had cycled through, Kyle Busch found himself leading the race. Keselowski was able to take the wave around and get back onto the lead lap, although he was running in 17th place.

Regan Smith, driver of the No. 7 AmericasPower.org Chevrolet and the current series championship points leader, continued his string of bad luck at Kentucky Speedway by hitting the wall on lap 170 after contact with the No. 16 of Ryan Reed on the back stretch bringing out the fifth caution of the night. Smith finished the night in 28th place and dropped two positions in the overall point standings.

On the restart with 27 to go Busch led Harvick and Brian Scott. Keselowski restarted in seventh place. The No. 43 of Dakoda Armstrong spun in what looked like fluid between turns three and four with 25 laps to go. Following this sixth caution of the night, Keselowski was back up to the fifth position and would recover from his speeding penalty to finish the race in the second spot.

“We had a great day going and I got us behind there with a pit road speeding penalty. I just made a little mistake, but the Discount Tire team did a great job,” said Keselowski following the race.

Lap 193 saw the seventh and final caution of the night after the No. 6 of Trevor Bayne and the No. 9 of Chase Elliott got together in turn four. The race restarted on lap 196 and Harvick passed Busch for the lead. Busch finished third, followed by Menard, Ryan Blaney, and last week’s winner, Brendan Gaughan, finished in sixth place.

The top five in the Nationwide Series driver standings following the race are:

Elliott Sadler (541), Chase Elliott (537), Regan Smith (533), Ty Dillon (512), Brian Scott (494).

June 28, 2014
Jeremy Clements Scores Big Finish for Small Team

Jeremy Clements drove his No. 51 Chevrolet to a career best sixth place finish Saturday afternoon in the Nationwide Series race at Road America. For a team that is underfunded and often overlooked, it was a reminder of what the Nationwide Series was designed to be; a learning ground to showcase the talent of drivers hoping to make it to the premier Sprint Cup level.

Clements’ determination to succeed in the face of what sometimes seems like insurmountable odds has made him a fan favorite. The engines in his cars are not the most current and the team often has to cut corners when it comes to new tires, parts and equipment. Some might call him an underdog but for many he is “The Fan’s Man.”

On days like Saturday, it’s all worth it.

Clements expressed his joy and appreciation on his twitter page, saying, “So excited for our small team for our 6th place @roadamerica! What an awesome finish at a super fun track! Appreciate all the support.”

After practice and qualifying, he was confident that he had a competitive car.

“I knew we had a good car,” he told me. “We were 14th in practice and qualified 13th so I knew we had a car capable of a top-10 and that was my plan going into the race.”

The race was not without its challenges. His pit crew was understaffed, he had a couple of inexperienced spotters and then there was the rain.

“I’ve never driven in the rain in this type of car before,” he said. “Plus, our defogger wasn’t working right and it was hard to see.”

Clements also had to overcome an on-track incident with the No. 6 car of Trevor Bayne which cost him valuable track position. He was able to drive through the field and regain most of the positions but feels that it may have cost him a top-five. Despite the obstacles, they found the perfect balance between car, driver, strategy and luck.

“On these road courses, the driver can make up a lot of positions and we had a good car, good strategy and we just put it all together.”

The sixth place finish was his sixth top-10 in 148 Nationwide Series starts and his first top-10 this season. Clements is currently 15th in the series point standings.

He’s encouraged by last weekend’s performance but is looking forward to the remainder of the season, hoping to add more top-10 finishes to his resume.

“I believe in momentum. It was a big morale boost for everyone but,” he explained, “the next track we go to is very different. We’re always aiming for top-ten finishes so every week we keep plugging away.”

This week the team travels to Kentucky for the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign 300 presented by Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over race where they will attempt to take advantage of that momentum and make this season one to remember.

June 24, 2014
Gaughan Wins in Thrilling Finish at Road America

Nationwide Series Race Recap by NASCAR

June 21, 2014

ELKHART LAKE, Wisconsin – Brendan Gaughan survived two early off-track excursions and a race in which much of the second half was contested in rain as cars rode on wet weather tires to win Saturday’s Gardner Denver 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Road America.

It was the third time in NASCAR history – all on road courses and all on the NNS circuit – that a race has been run in rain. The other two were in Montreal in 2008 and 2010, also on a road course (Circuit Gilles Villeneuve).

Racing in the rain ignited something in Gaughan that helped overcome and forget his early misfortune and go on to earn his first career win on the Nationwide circuit in 98 starts (he also has eight career wins in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series).

“I love racing in the rain, it’s fun,” said Gaughan, who was in the 2010 Montreal race, and has driven in rain several other times in other series. “And when you’re good at it, it makes it even more fun.

“I haven’t smelled blood in a long time, that’s something I’ve been lacking lately, that killer attitude. When it started to rain, even without the wiper blade (was broken), I started to smell blood and said, ‘I’m coming.’

“It’s fun to watch guys who haven’t done it in the rain. They don’t understand the rain line, and fortunately for me, I did.”

Gaughan passed Chase Elliott for the lead on Lap 51 and held on for the two remaining laps to win.

Gaughan beat runner-up Alex Tagliani by .820 seconds in a green-white-checkered finish that took the race to 53 laps, three more than the scheduled 50. It appeared it would be Tagliani’s race to win, as he was leading in the closing laps when he ran out of fuel on lap 49.

Just seconds before, a caution flag was thrown when Justin Marks also ran out of fuel. Just past the pit entrance when his car stopped, Tagliani was able to roll his car down the downward sloping frontstretch, his crew pushed him into his pit stall, he took on fuel and switched from rain tires back to slicks and proceeded to roar through the field, restarting 23rd and ending up second three extra laps later.

Such a tough defeat might be hard for some drivers to swallow, but Tagliani took the loss in stride.

“It was pretty intense,” Tagliani said. “The wet was tricky, but obviously we were good. Maybe I threw a bad spell on myself because I said it was impossible that I was going to win this race, like something’s going to happen, and then on the white flag, something happened (ran out of gas).

“It’s what it is. It’s not in the cards. You have to be quick, you have to have a good car and it has to be in the cards, and if it’s not, you just have to take whatever comes to you.”

Tagliani came into the race hoping to be the fourth driver to win from the pole in the last five NNS races at Road America, but came up one spot short.

The race was put under caution on Lap 25 and NASCAR mandated all cars switch to wet weather tires two laps later. They remained on rain tires until the final four laps, when teams had the option to switch back to slicks after Marks brought out the caution.

Kevin O’Connell finished third, followed by Chase Elliott and J.J. Yeley.

Sixth through 10th were Jeremy Clements, Andy Lally, Landon Cassill, Elliott Sadler and Mike Bliss.

Of note about Cassill: Not only did he compete in Saturday’s race, he hopped a plane afterward to the west coast to be in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Sonoma Raceway.

NOTES: Regan Smith, who finished 13th, retained his lead in the NNS points standings. Elliott Sadler (finished ninth) is second in the points, 10 points behind Smith, while Chase Elliott remains in third place (11 points back). The only drivers to make upward movement in the points in the top-10 were Brian Scott (sixth to fifth) and Cassill (11th to 10th).

June 21, 2014
Kyle Busch Unfulfilled With Outcome in Charlotte

Kyle Busch’s expectations of cruising to a 66th victory in the NASCAR Nationwide Series were diminished after finishing third in the History 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon.

Busch, who won last season’s Nationwide Series event at Charlotte, entered this weekend determined to duplicate, his driver, Sam Hornish Jr.’s win at Iowa Speedway last weekend.

However, a loose racecar and glum track conditions prevented him from achieving the intended objective – winning.

“A little disappointed,” Busch expressed post-race. “Thought we were better than that, but apparently we’re not. We need practice. Just wrecking loose all day out on the race track — no grip.”

Busch, 29, also credited the dismal finish on the grip-level prohibiting competitors from passing and gaining positions.

“You just can’t pass — you can’t go anywhere,” Busch explained. “The race today was just all around the bottom. There’s no speed anywhere else — you couldn’t get anything going on.”

“Just a one-lane racetrack today. Unfortunately, with the sun (the track) didn’t levee itself to any options, the fastest way was around the bottom, you could never make any time up (when) on the outside. Frustrating when you can’t make anything happen.”

Yet, the main reason for Busch’s gloomy attitude was one thing – he’s not competing for points in the Nationwide Series so he’s focusing his full attention on winning, making a third place result unacceptable.

“We struggled real bad and come home with a third,” Busch commented. “All things considered, we should be happy, but we’re only here for wins — nothing else matters.”

Busch, who wrecked in both Nationwide Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice earlier this weekend, felt fortunate to complete the race due to the cars conditions, lap traffic and limited track-position.

“Just (was) wrecking loose the whole race — just lucky to finish I guess,” Busch said. “The Monster Energy Camry was okay — fell back to sixth or seventh at one point, but was able to rally back.

“And the (lap traffic) was a little more off the pace than usual. It was (especially) difficult when they were zig-zagging all over the place. I don’t know if it was, but it seemed like (lap traffic) was worse today.”

Joe Gibbs Racing, Busch and the Nationwide Series horde travel into Delaware to compete at Dover International Raceway – a facility that Busch has dominated the past few seasons, giving him a chance for sweet redemption.

May 24, 2014
The History 300 is History, Larson Comes Out on Top

Kyle Larson ran the entire 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series season without a win but he now has two in 2014. Larson scored his first career win at California in March and he backed that up Saturday with an impressive win at Charlotte in the History 300.

Though he now competes full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, he also still competes in most of the Nationwide Series events. The 2014 season has been much better for Larson.

Larson led 82 laps en route to victory. Larson only led 102 laps for the entire 2013 season. Saturday’s win also gave him nine top-10 finishes in just ten starts.

“It was nice looking in the rear-view mirror and seeing them get smaller and smaller each lap. It’s not very often that you see the 22 and the 54 get smaller in your mirror. So it just shows how great of a car we had. The pit crew did an awesome job every stop we had. We had a great green-flag stop too, so hats off to everyone on the team for making this win possible,” Larson said.

Kyle Busch, who often seems unbeatable in the Nationwide Series, dominated practices, qualifying and the early portion of the race leading the first 25 laps. After an early yellow for a spin in turn two, Busch’s car just was not the same. When the No. 54 was in dirty air, the handling just wasn’t the same.

Busch was asked about the handling problem after the race, “Just been wrecking loose the whole race – just lucky to finish I guess. The Monster Energy Camry was okay – fell back to sixth or seventh at one point, but was able to rally back,” he said.

After Busch faded, Matt Kenseth took his turn out front. Kenseth was the car to beat for the next 55 laps until Brad Keselowski challenged him for the top spot. Keselowski was at the helm for a 21 lap stint, then came Larson.

Kenseth talked about how the handing of the car changed during the race, “I honestly have no idea. We were pretty comfortable and just got a little off. Then we just got real loose and not sure what happened or what we adjusted after that, but it seemed like we probably under-adjusted and the track got away from us.”

Larson put his No. 42 ENEOS Chevrolet out front for the next 26 laps. A late race yellow gave veterans, Keselowski and Busch, a chance to catch Larson. Larson, however, was too strong. He held the lead and didn’t look back. Keselowski, when asked about Larson responded, “He had a fast car. That’s the reality of it. He had a fast car that was very versatile and could run the top and the bottom. That’s what you dream of as a driver.”

Keselowski ended up second, with Busch in third place. Kevin Harvick and Brian Scott rounded out the top-five.

Chase Elliott came into the History 300 with the series points lead. A broken right front suspension part sent him into the outside retaining wall and to the garage for repairs. Elliott ended the day 26 laps down in 37th position. He now sits third in the points, 28 points out of the lead.

Regan Smith, who finished seventh, now leads the series points standings, followed by Elliott Sadler.

The Nationwide series now heads to Dover International Speedway on Saturday May 31, for the Buckle Up 200 presented by Click It or Ticket.

May 24, 2014
Sam Hornish Jr. Wins Decisive Victory at Iowa Speedway

Sam Hornish Jr. claimed his third career Nationwide Series victory in 101 starts at Iowa Speedway. The turning point came on a restart with 21 laps to go when Hornish pulled ahead of Ryan Blaney to take the lead.

Blaney, who won the pole, and Sam Hornish Jr. who started on the outside pole, had the two fastest cars heading into the Get to Know Newton 250 at Iowa. But in the end, Blaney was no match for Hornish Jr. who led 167 of 250 laps.

Hornish, driving the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on a part-time schedule was elated with the result.

“I’m so blessed and thankful that this opportunity came around,” he said. “I was really hoping and praying that I got something good to get into. It’s pretty darn awesome.” Hornish continued saying, I thank God that I got a great opportunity and I got really good people around me and really good people in my life.”

Hornish will run five more races for JGR this season and in the meantime is taking advantage of his part-time schedule to spend quality time with his wife Crystal and their children.

“She wanted two kids, I wanted more than that and we’re at three now,” Hornish said. “So I’ve got to be there to help out. I look at it as, each time I get in the race car is a blessing, but on the same hand, each day I get to be at home and do things with them — I think yesterday, my three-year-old cut a big hole in her mom’s shirt, so I was glad I wasn’t at home. But on the same thing, I know that those are moments that you don’t get back.”

Blaney gave Hornish a run for his money, leading 80 laps in his Team Penske Ford, but his car was strongest on long runs and Blaney simply ran out of time.

“I felt like if we had maybe 15 more laps I might have been able to get to him, but it would be tough to get around him,” he explained. “But like I said, we just needed to have a little more short-run speed and we might have had something.”

Regan Smith finished third followed by Chase Elliott in fourth and Elliott Sadler in fifth place. Chase Elliott retains the series points lead by two points over Elliott Sadler and Regan Smith.

The next stop for the Nationwide Series is May 24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the History 300 race.

May 18, 2014
Daniel Suarez Establishing Career; Making Debut at Richmond International Raceway

Joe Gibbs Racing announced on Tuesday that Daniel Suarez, K&N East and Mexico Toyota Series (MTS) competitor, will make his debut in the No. 20 Toyota at Richmond International Raceway this weekend.

“I think it will be a good weekend for us,” Suarez explained during the press conference held this afternoon. “I’m really looking forward to it.  I’m very excited.  I’m excited to be, you know, (with) strong teams in every single series.”

Suarez, who has already captured four wins in both the K&N East and MTS this season alone, is apart of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program, which ensures that international drivers still receive opportunities that American competitors are guaranteed. He also was inducted into the NASCAR NEXT class last season, and is likely to be re-elected at Richmond this weekend.

This weekend, Suarez will compete in the BlueOx 100 and the ToyotaCare 250 on Friday night at Richmond, and then travel to his hometown, Monterrey, Mexico, for the Regia 240 on Sunday afternoon.

“It’s probably one of the busiest weekends in the year for us, doing our debut in the Nationwide Series,” Suarez expressed about doing triple duty this weekend in two different countries.  “A couple minutes later we need to get ready for the K&N race.  After the race is over, we need to get ready to get in the airport and leave to Monterrey, Mexico, (for the) NASCAR Toyota Series race.”

“So we’ve (decided) to drive away exactly when the race of the K&N is over (back) to Charlotte, take a flight at 6:00 a.m. to get into Monterrey, Mexico for practice and qualify for the NASCAR Toyota Series deal.”

Suarez is also excited to close out the biggest weekend of his career in front of his hometown crowd on Sunday.

“Probably (to) get that victory in front of your family, friends, all these people that have been watching me growing up since I was 11 years old, definitely means something big for me,” Suarez furthered explained.

Suarez, 22, admitted during the conference that he and Joe Gibbs had not signed for anymore races then Richmond; however, he’s still expressed his thankfulness.

“For now we just signed a Richmond race,” Suarez explained about the current contract with Gibbs.  “To be honest, we have been talking about (this) since last year (on) how to do something good.  I’m really happy to be in this position right now, to have everyone in Mexico, like Escuderia Telmex and Telcel Racing, helping me in my career.”

“Right now, Joe Gibbs Racing, is an amazing project.  We were talking about (doing) something in the second half of (the season).   For now, (though), it’s just Richmond, but I’m really looking forward to do something good in the future. I’m just focused to do well in this race (at Richmond).  I’m pretty sure that after that race we are going to have something for the second half of the year.”

Suarez did, shyly, express that he’s never driven a Nationwide Series machine, or even tested, however, he’s hoping the K&N and MTS experience will pay huge dividends in helping him adapt quickly.

“It’s going to be a new experience for me.” Suarez alluded to after being questioned about past experience.  “The Nationwide car already is something different for me.  I never have been in a Nationwide car. But to be honest, I have a lot of confidence on myself and also in Joe Gibbs Racing to learn about everything. The first point and the most important point is to try to learn about everything and then be competitive.  I think I can say that I love to be competitive in everything I drive, even video games.”

“For now so far we have been trying to practice the pit stops in the shop, trying to get the communication better with my crew chief and with everyone in the team.  I think in a couple days, Thursday afternoon, is going to be interesting, my first couple laps in the Nationwide car in Richmond.  So let’s see.”

Suarez finished his statements with a strong goal, to finish in the top-10 at Richmond and beyond despite be inexperienced and still developing.

“Finish competitive, finish in the top 10, learn about everything.  I think this is the most important point,” Suarez explained about his expectations for his first NASCAR Touring Series start. “But it’s going to be difficult.  I think I need to take this step by step, learn about the first practice, try to get the communication better with my crew chief, get a fast adaptation with the car, with the tires, with the horsepower, with the racetrack.  After that I think I can start getting my expectation better.”

Kevin Kidd will stand atop the pit box for Suarez this weekend, and while the two have never worked together before, it appears both have a lot of respect and confidence in each other.

“Kevin Kidd is a personal crew chief, that he has a lot of experience in the Nationwide Series, and not just in the Nationwide Series, but racing in general.” Suarez expressed about working with Kidd this weekend. “I think he’s going to help me a lot (this weekend).”

“Like I said last year, I think the communication with my crew chief helped me a lot to get better the second half of (last season).  But, you know, it’s kind of difficult because we have been working a lot with the communication with the K&N team, and the Mexico team, but right now the Nationwide Series is something different.  Definitely communication is a very, very important point.

Suarez has surprised folks before with his abilities; so, don’t be astonished if the talented up and coming superstar etches his way into the top-10 for a solid debut finish.

“I think my crew chief and my whole team, they are going to try to help me a lot to be as fast as possible, as the same level as them, to try to be competitive and be in a good position for the race,” Suarez concluded with, confidently.

April 22, 2014