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Edwards Looks To Defend Michigan Title
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Roush Fenway Racing Enjoys Michigan Success
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Kahne Riding Hot Streak Into Summer Stretch
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Ragan Nearing Chase Berth; Several Drivers In Contention
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NASCAR CAM: Kurt Busch Appears On Video Teleconference
Michigan Win In 2007 Puts Edwards Back On Fast Track
It started as a joke at the end of a breakout season.
After Carl Edwards' (No. 99 Office Depot Ford) win at Texas Motor Speedway in Nov. 2005, Edwards' motor coach driver and longtime friend Tom Giacchi, famously declared that he wouldn't shave until Edwards' next victory.
For a driver that won four races in his first full season -- and two consecutively in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup -- the wait wasn't supposed to be long.
However, a sophomore slump left Edwards without a win in 2006, and Giacchi with an ever-growing beard.
It took 15 races the following season, but Edwards finally returned to Victory Lane. The win came at Michigan International Speedway in June 2007, the same track at which Edwards finished 10th in his series debut in 2004.
While the win was nice for Giacchi, it has helped put Edwards and the No. 99 team back where they were the previous season--winning races. Edwards won two more races last season (Bristol and Dover) and has already won three through 14 races in 2008. He trails only Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet) (seven) in wins in the past year.
Roush Dominates Michigan
There is nowhere that Roush Fenway Racing performs better than Michigan International Speedway. And team owner Jack Roush, who lives in nearby Livonia, Mich., wouldn't have it any other way.
"We have two-thirds of our activities and two-thirds of our people located in southeast Michigan," said Roush, referring to Roush Industries. "So we've got great support and great exposure for our employees and all the things that means moral-wise.
"We were able to win on the 100th anniversary of Ford Motor Company, I had my 200th win there with Mark Martin and on average we have won more there in all three series than we have at any other track."
Of Roush's 105 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins, 10 have come at Michigan. He also has three NASCAR Nationwide Series wins and three NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins.
"I keep waiting for the bubble to burst," Roush said. "I go to Michigan and think we've had way more than our share of good fortune here, when do we start giving it back.
I sure hope it's not this weekend."
Kahne Hopes To Continue Momentum At Michigan
The day before the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, a frustrated Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge) confessed to the media, "to me it's just (our) cars aren't where they need to be to go fast."
The next day, his car was still not where it needed to be to win the Sprint Open. Thanks to a fan vote, Kahne made the all-star race, where his fortunes changed.
Kahne won the race -- his first victory since October 2006 at Lowe's Motor Speedway -- and followed it with a Coca-Cola 600 win the next weekend.
Two weeks later, Kahne added another at Pocono Raceway.
He knows the team is building up to something big that can carry them through the season.
"Momentum is so big in this sport," Kahne said. "The excitement, the confidence and everything; you go to Gillett Evernham right now and everybody is walking around there with a smile on their face, and that's not how it was a month and a half ago. But that's probably how it was in '06. It's just good. Everybody is excited."
This weekend, the team has another chance to add back-to-back wins at a track Kahne has already conquered.
"Michigan has always been a strong track for us and we're looking forward to keeping the momentum going. Everything is clicking for this team right now, it would be great to get back-to-back wins for Gillett Evernham."
Ragan Closing In On 12th Place; Other Chase Hopefuls Hang Tight
The start to David Ragan's (No. 6 AAA Insurance Ford) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career wasn't exactly a fairy tale, but signs are starting to point to a happy ending.
Ragan was thrust into NASCAR's top series after being named as Mark Martin's replacement in the famous No. 6 Ford in late 2006. After a slow start, during which Ragan was labeled a "dart without feathers", the second-generation driver is starting to come around, displaying the talent that earned him his coveted ride.
Just over halfway towards the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Ragan has put together a solid season and sits seven points out of 12th place -- the cutoff point for Chase eligibility.
"I've been making fewer mistakes on the track," Ragan said. "We've been qualifying better and just overall have had better cars every weekend. I also have been making better decisions throughout the whole weekend when it comes down to practice, qualifying and the race. All of these things combined have definitely helped us get to where we currently are in the points."
Ragan isn't the only driver in position to make a run at a Chase berth. Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman (No. 12 Alltel Dodge) is 14th, 10 points behind 12th, Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Carhartt Ford) is 15th, 34 back, Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) is 16th, 56 back and Brian Vickers (No. 83 Red Bull Toyota) used a second-place finish at Pocono to climb to 17th, 112 back.
That's not to say that others aren't still in the hunt for the Chase. Kenseth was in 24th place, 308 points out of Chase contention in 2005 at this point of the season, and roared back to make the Chase.
NASCAR CAM: Kurt Busch Video, Transcript Available On NASCARMedia.com
Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) was this week's guest on the NASCAR CAM Video Teleconference. For the complete transcript and downloadable video, visit NASCARMedia.com
On the importance of winning at Michigan
"Well, it's the manufacturer's backyard and everybody gets excited to carry their nameplate to Victory Lane at Michigan. I've had the chance to do it for Dodge, and of course Roger Penske's headquarters are up there. It seems like a second home race for everybody. You've got Charlotte, of course, and then you've got Michigan, which are two very pride-filled racetracks, and any driver that goes to Victory Lane at Michigan feels that for their manufacturer, it's a proud day and a proud moment for Dodge when we get to win there."
On younger brother Kyle Busch
"He seems to be doing real well. He hasn't asked for any type of advice, and you know, the thing is that we're both racers and we both love to try to win. He's got everything going for him right now, so he's grabbing life by the horns, as you would say in Dodge Land, and he's going for it."
On his team's struggles this season
"You know, when you're 21st you want to be first, and when you're first it can be real easy to get smacked down to 21st. So you have the good times and you have the bad, and you try to even them all out. We're working real hard to get ourselves back up in this points mix and see if we can't make the Chase."
Top 35: No. 66 Chevrolet Leaps Into Locked-In Position
Scott Riggs (No. 66 State Water Heaters Chevrolet) finished 21st at Pocono, bringing his Joe Custer-owned Chevrolet to 34th in the owner standings and a secured spot in Sunday's race. The Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet had previously fallen out of the top 35 after being docked 100 points for improper wing mounting locations.
Riggs' rise came at the expense of Michael Waltrip (No. 55 NAPA Toyota), who fell out of the final locked-in position after a 37th-place finish at Pocono. Waltrip, who is also the car's owner, will be required to qualify for a position in the race at Michigan.
Sam Hornish Jr. (No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge) holds the final locked-in position for car owner Roger Penske. Hornish is guaranteed to make the race at the track Penske used to own.
Forty-six cars are expected this weekend, meaning there will be 11 cars vying for the final eight positions in the race. Two of those cars -- the No. 21 Motorcraft Ford (Bill Elliott) and the No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge (Terry Labonte) are driven by former champions, leaving each another opportunity to make the race if their qualifying speeds aren't quick enough.
Loop Data: Roush Teams Top Charts
Roger Penske may have once owned Michigan International Speedway, but statistically this is the track that Jack Roush built.
Three Roush Fenway Racing drivers rank in the top five in Driver Rating: Carl Edwards (first), Greg Biffle (third) and Matt Kenseth (fifth).
But one Roush Fenway driver in particular is king of the two-mile MIS oval layout: Edwards.
Edwards, who broke a 52-race winless drought with last season's Michigan win, ranks first in a number of statistical categories over the past six races.
Edwards, who has finished in the top 10 in five of the last six races, leads the series in Michigan Driver Rating (112.3), Average Running Position (7.9), Average Green Flag Speed (175.550 mph), Laps in the Top 15 percentage (88.2%) and Quality Passes (329). Additionally, he's tied for third in Fastest Laps Run with 81.
Teammate Biffle, who has run strong lately this season, is a definite threat for his first victory of 2008. Biffle won back-to-back races at Michigan (the second race of 2004 and first of 2005) that began a streak of five consecutive top-10 finishes. Last season, though, Biffle struggled there, with finishes of 38th and 19th.
Still, over the last six Michigan races, Biffle has a third-best Driver Rating (105.4), a third-best Average Running Position (9.7) and the second-most Fastest Laps Run (88).
Kenseth looks as if he's shaken of any bad vibes from his early-season struggles. After finishes of 38th (Phoenix), 41st (Talladega) and 38th (Richmond), Kenseth sat 22nd in the point standings. Since then, he has enjoyed four consecutive top-10 finishes and is up to 15th in the standings, only 34 points behind 12th-place Tony Stewart.
This Sunday, he can continue his march. Kenseth has two wins there, and finished fourth the last time the series raced at Michigan. Since 2005, Kenseth has a Driver Rating of 104.1, an Average Running Position of 13.1 and has run 72.55 of the Laps in the Top 15.
Raybestos Rookie Of The Year Standings
Rookie Pts
Regan Smith 137
Sam Hornish Jr. 134
Patrick Carpentier 99
Michael McDowell 84
Dario Franchitti 80
Regan Smith (No. 01 Principal Financial Group/DEI Chevrolet) finished ahead of Sam Hornish Jr. in the Pocono 500 to regain the lead in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings. The two were tied heading into Pocono.
Michael McDowell (No. 00 MWR Toyota) finished 27th, the highest of the five rookies, for his second Raybestos Rookie of the Race award of the season.
Manufacturers' Standings
Kasey Kahne's Pocono win put Dodge in Victory Lane for the third time in 2008, tying Chevrolet and Ford. Toyota leads all manufacturers with five wins.
Ford hopes a trip to Michigan will end its 'winless streak'. A Ford driver has not won a race since Carl Edwards' win in Texas on April 6, but the manufacturer has won seven of the last 12 Michigan races. Dodge has won the remaining five races.
NSCS, Etc: Hornish Excited For First Father's Day At Home Track
Hornish Set For Homecoming
Sunday's LifeLock 400 will have special meaning for Sam Hornish Jr. Not only does Hornish consider Michigan International Speedway his home track, but it will also mark his first Father's Day. Hornish and wife Crystal welcomed daughter Addison Faith to the world on Feb. 4.
In addition to celebrating his own Father's Day, Hornish, from Defiance, Ohio, is excited to spend time with his own father.
"I'm really looking forward to this weekend in Michigan," Hornish said. "To spend Father's Day close to home with my family and my dad is very special to me. I remember going to Michigan International Speedway as a child with my dad and some of my fondest memories are from there."
Hornish finished 25th in the 2007 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Michigan, his only NASCAR start at the track. He has four top fives and six top 10s in six Michigan starts in the IRL and ARCA.
Special Birthday Wishes
Mark Martin (No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet) will deliver a special birthday gift to the United States Army at Michigan this weekend. The Army will be celebrating its 233rd birthday on Saturday, June 14 and Martin and Army officials will take part in a cake-cutting ceremony prior to Sunday's race.
"The only birthday gift I have in mind is a trip to Victory Lane with the U.S. Army Chevrolet," Martin said.
Special Honor For Greg and Nicole Biffle
Greg Biffle (No. 16 Dish Network Ford) and wife Nicole will be honored by the North Shore Animal League America for their life saving efforts on behalf of homeless animals on Wednesday. The couple run the Greg Biffle Foundation which "creates awareness and serves as advocates to improve the well-being of animals by engaging the power and passion of the motor-sports industry."
The Biffles will be recognized during the North Shore Animal League America's seventh annual Lewyt Humane Awards Luncheon which honors individuals and organizations who have helped to save lives and sustain the Animal League's mission to rescue, nurture and adopt.
On The Right Track
Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell Pennzoil Chevrolet) has been running at the finish in 58 consecutive races � tying his all-time record of 58 for consecutive completed races. Herman Beam completed 84 consecutive races that he competed in (1961-63) but, he did not compete in all of the races during his personal streak.
Martin Truex Jr. was the runner-up finisher in both Michigan races last year. The first came two weeks after his first career win at Dover last June. He finished third at Pocono in between the two. This year Truex finished sixth at Dover and 17th at Pocono.
Patrick Carpentier (No. 10 LifeLock Dodge) will be attempting his stock car debut at Michigan, but the former open-wheel star has plenty of experience on the two-mile track. Carpentier has six career open wheel starts at Michigan and won the final CART-sanctioned race at the track.
Up Next: Toyota/SaveMart 350 at Infineon Raceway
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will visit Infineon Raceway next weekend, the first of two road courses on the schedule.
Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Big Red Slim Pack Dodge) started 32nd in last year's race and worked his way through the field before taking the lead for the first time on Lap 104 of the 110-lap race. Montoya led the final seven laps of the race for his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory. It was also the first win for Dodge at the Northern California track. Jamie McMurray (No. 26 Crown Royal Ford) started on the pole.
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) leads all drivers with five wins and five poles at Infineon.
The Race: LifeLock 400
The Place: Michigan International Speedway
The Date: Sunday, June 15
The Time: 2 p.m. (ET)
The Track: 2-mile oval
The Distance: 400 miles/200 laps
TV: TNT, 12:30 p.m. (ET)
Radio: MRN, SIRIUS Satellite Radio
2007 Winner: Carl Edwards
2007 Polesitter: J.J. Yeley
Series Standings
Driver Points
1 Kyle Busch 2,084
2 Jeff Burton 2,063
3 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1,939
4 Carl Edwards 1,856
5 Denny Hamlin 1,800
6 Jimmie Johnson 1,799
7 Greg Biffle 1,781
8 Jeff Gordon 1,767
9 Kasey Kahne 1,719
10 Kevin Harvick 1,690
11 Clint Bowyer 1,679
12 Tony Stewart 1,614
Pre-Race Schedule: Friday -- Practice, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.; Qualifying, 3:10 p.m. Saturday -- Practice, 12-12:45 and1:20-2:20 p.m
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
News&Notes for Kentucky
Kentucky Boasts Seven Different Race, Pole Winners
Keselowski�s Win Throws Standings Battle Into Full Gear
In The Loop: Coleman Returns To Kentucky With Stout Stats
Is Kentucky In Store For Another Surprise Party?
Another first-time winner or an eighth different winner in eight races?
Either way, Saturday night�s Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway promises to bring more surprises for the usual packed house at the 1.5-mile track.
Over the last two years, this race has produced a surprise winner. Last season, Stephen Leicht held off his best friend, Brad Coleman (No. 27 Cottonelle Ford) for his first career victory.
One year earlier, David Gilliland, a relatively unknown driver running for a part-time team, shocked the racing world with a win that completely turned his life � and career � around. Gilliland now competes full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Leicht currently runs a limited schedule for Richard Childress Racing and will be the all-important substitute for double-duty driver and series standings leader Clint Bowyer (No. 2 Camping World/RVs.com Chevrolet) this weekend.
Kentucky is one of only three tracks in the NASCAR Nationwide Series that has yet to produce a multiple race and multiple pole winner. Four other tracks share Kentucky�s distinction of different winners for each race while three have yet to award a pole to a driver more than once.
Three former winners of this race � Bobby Hamilton Jr. (No. 25 Curly�s/John Morrell Ford), reigning series champion Carl Edwards (No. 60 CitiFinancial Ford) and Kyle Busch (No. 18 Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota) � are entered and will attempt to break the one-winner string. Edwards is the lone former pole winner entered who also has a shot to become the first to double in that category.
Keselowski�s First Win Creates Havoc In Standings
Brad Keselowski�s (No. 88 U.S. NAVY Chevrolet) first career win last week at Nashville Superspeedway has not only increased the buzz around the young series-only driver, but has also thrown the standings into that same hot-topic category for the first time in three years.
Clint Bowyer continues to lead with a 166-point margin over David Reutimann (No. 99 Aaron�s Dream Machine Toyota). That difference between first and second place is the closest at this stage of the season since Reed Sorenson led Martin Truex Jr. by 51 points in 2005.
Bowyer�s lead is comfortable, but so was Kyle Busch�s on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series side prior to last weekend�s race at Pocono Raceway. He finished 43rd and coughed up a 142-point lead that now stands at 21.
Keselowski�s victory resulted in positions 2-5 being separated by only 26 points. Reutimann leads third-place Busch � who will again run all three national series races this weekend (also the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup at Michigan International Speedway) � by 22 points.
Carl Edwards is fourth, 24 points behind Reutimann, while fifth-place Keselowski lurks only two points in back of Edwards.
Keselowski is aiming for his 50th career start in the series Saturday.
Bluegrass State Goes Green
Mark Green (No. 70 Foretravel Chevrolet) returns to his old Kentucky home this weekend on an upswing.
Green, from Owensboro, Ky., moved to the Mooresville, N.C., area in 2000 but still has close ties to the Bluegrass State. "(It) will be special," said Green, who hasn't raced at the 1.5-mile oval with his Indiana-based ML Motorsports organization. "I have a lot of family and friends there, and its close for the team, too. It's always fun to show off in front of the people you grew up with.�
The veteran of 238 series starts has been a perfect fit for the part-time team that plans to compete in 21 races this season. At Talladega Superspeedway, Green drove the mother-daughter-owned car to a fifth-place finish, tying his career best set in 1997. A week later, he qualified fourth at Richmond International Raceway, his best start since 2002 and in his last outing, he finished 14th at Nashville. Green has had to qualify the No. 70 on time in each of the eight team�s races, including five at combination events where as many as 16 double-duty drivers were entered.
Clauson, A Year Later
Last year at this time, Bryan Clauson (No. 40 Fastenal Dodge) was at Kentucky Speedway, but not to race.
He was there to observe his then-Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates teammate David Stremme (now driving the No. 64 Atreus Homes & Communities Chevrolet) and also be greeted with a cake celebrating his 18th birthday (June 15). He would make his first series start three months later at Richmond.
A year later, Clauson is one of the top up-and-comers in the series. He finished sixth at Daytona International Speedway to start the season and following last Saturday�s race at Nashville, moved past his GCRFS teammate Dario Franchitti to claim first place in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings.
RCR Makes Headway In Owner Points
It�s taken six weeks but Richard Childress Racing�s No. 2 Chevrolet has crept back into the owner standings race.
Joe Gibbs Racing�s No. 20 Toyota had a season-high 159-point lead prior to the race at Nashville, but a 31st-place finish by the JGR car coupled with a fourth-place result from the RCR entry lowered the deficit to 64 points, the closest since a 55-point spread after JGR first took the lead from RCR following Talladega.
In The Loop: Coleman Hopes To Go One Position Better This Year At Kentucky
Kentucky Speedway has earned its identity as the track that makes careers.
Can it happen again?
If it does, look for the honor to go to Brad Coleman. He almost won last season finishing second in a hotly contested late-race battle.
Coleman�s statistics that day speak for themselves. He had a Driver Rating of 124.8, an Average Running Position of 4.3, 23 Fastest Laps Run and ran all 200 Laps in the Top 15.
If not Coleman, Marcos Ambrose (No. 59 Kingsford Ford) may be the guy.
Ambrose finished just outside the top 10 (11th) last year, his first trip to the track. His stats, though, were some of the best with a Driver Rating of 103.6, an Average Running Position of 7.3 and all 200 Laps in the Top 15.
Also watch for a strong performance from Steve Wallace (No. 66 Atreus Homes & Communities Chevrolet), who also is looking for his first series win. Unlike Coleman and Ambrose, Wallace has run two races at Kentucky � with finishes of 11th and 22nd, respectively.
His stats there are solid with a Driver Rating of 94.4, an Average Running Position of 8.8, 73 Green Flag Passes and 86.5% of the Laps in the Top 15.
Who can end the reign of the �newbies?� Clint Bowyer will certainly give it a go � and could very well succeed.
In Bowyer�s two races since 2005, he has a Driver Rating of 108.8, an Average Running Position of 9.4, 20 Fastest Laps Run and has run 87.8% of the Laps in the Top 15.
Bowyer also has momentum on his side. He is coming off a Nashville race in which he scored a Driver Rating of 129.4, second only to race winner Brad Keselowski.
For the record, Keselowski has yet to compete in a series race at Kentucky, but finished 18th and 30th there in 2005 and 2006 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. His Driver Rating over those two races was 64.6.
Keselowski Gets The Honors As In-Race Reporter At Kentucky
ESPN2s season-long coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series continues with a live telecast from Kentucky Saturday beginning at 8 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.
The race also airs in high definition on ESPN2 HD and will be simulcast on ESPN360.com, ESPN MobileTV and ESPN Deportes.
Marty Reid is the lead announcer, joined in the booth for analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Andy Petree. Jamie Little, Mike Massaro, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch will report from the pits, while two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Tim Brewer will be in the ESPN DISH Tech Center.
Fresh from his breakthrough win last week in Nashville, Brad Keselowski joins ESPN�s coverage team as In-Race Reporter. He will talk to Wallace on the races pace laps and during caution periods.
Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown with analysis by Wallace and Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, in the ESPN pit studio.
ESPN2 also airs coverage of final practice for the event Friday at 7 p.m., and qualifying Saturday at 5 p.m.
Additionally, ESPN has announced that two NASCAR Nationwide Series races originally scheduled to air on ESPN2 have been moved to ESPN.
The July 26 race at O�Reilly Raceway Park and the August 22 event at Bristol Motor Speedway will now be broadcast on ESPN.
The Director�s Take: Series-Only Teams Look For Third Straight Win
Joe Balash, the NASCAR Nationwide Series director, isn�t just a nuts and bolts guy. He understands where stats have a place in his garage. �Is this the weekend that another full time series driver completes a �Kentucky trifecta� with another first win?,� he asked.
�With as many full time series regulars posting some of their best finishes in recent weeks, the race at Kentucky is shaping up to be one of the best of the season,� he said.
�A very tight points battle will force the crew chiefs to double- and triple-check their notes for this 1-5 mile track.
�Every week, series-only regulars are battling for every point they can get and this is another opportunity for them to distance themselves from some of the double-duty drivers.
�We talk about development as one of the key elements of the NASCAR Nationwide Series and at this point in the season, it shows how strong that development is with the number of drivers who have scored points and are in the running for the top 10 positions.�
Kentucky Speedway
Most Wins: Seven drivers with one win
Most Poles: Seven drivers with one pole
Quick Fact: Brad Coleman won his first ARCA race at Kentucky in 2006 with current crew chief Shawn Parker in that same position.
NNS Etc.
In addition to Stephen Leicht for Clint Bowyer, other substitute drivers this weekend at Kentucky are scheduled to be: Jeremy Clements for Kyle Busch; Jason Hedlesky for Carl Edwards (Hedlesky normally serves as Edwards� spotter); Chad Blount for Jason Leffler (Leffler seeks his second consecutive start in the No. 70 Haas Automation Chevrolet); Auggie Vidovich for David Ragan (No. 6 Discount Tire Ford) and Josh Wise for David Reutimann. Wise will handle Friday�s first practice and Reutimann is expected for final practice and qualifying. Wise will then move to the No. 22 Supercuts Dodge for the race.
Standings leader Clint Bowyer looks to collect his 125th career NASCAR Nationwide Series start Saturday. In his first 124 starts, Bowyer has accumulated six wins, six poles, 47 top fives and 77 top 10s.
Landon Cassill (No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet), will make his first series start at Kentucky but has experience there having tested for Hendrick Motorsports� R&D team in 2007-08. He has added experience with Owensboro�s own David Green, the 1994 series champion, who will spot for Cassill. Cassill, 18, registered his first career top 10 finish at Nashville. He�ll pull his own version of double duty Sunday at a dirt race in his home state of Iowa.
Nationwide Insurance hosts another of its �Driving While Distracted� programs Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Meijer store on Houston Road in in Florence, Ky.
Brad Keselowski and Eric McClure (No. 24 Hefty Brands Chevrolet) will speak to the community on the dangers of driving while distracted.
The race is a �home� event for Nationwide; its headquarters is located in Columbus, Ohio.
Raybestos Rookie Of The Year
Rank Driver Points
1 Bryan Clauson 101
2 Dario Franchitti 100
3 Cale Gale 63
4 Landon Cassill 60
5 Chase Miller 53
6 Brian Keselowski 48
7 Patrick Carpentier 31
Results following the Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway.
Bill France Performance Cup
With its win at Nashville last weekend, Chevrolet completed a season sweep at the track and also did what no manufacturer had been able to do in the pervious eight races � defeat Toyota.
Chevrolet (four wins) and Ford (three wins and defending race winner) are the only two manufacturers to post victories at Kentucky. Dodge had two cars among the top 10 finishers last year; Toyota�s best finish was 14th.
Up Next: Camping World RV Rental 250 at The Milwaukee Mile
The NASCAR Nationwide Series moves on to West Allis, Wis., for the Camping World RV Rental 250 at The Milwaukee Mile on June 21.
Aric Almirola won last year after starting the race, but teammate Denny Hamlin took over on Lap 58 and actually crossed the finish line.
Almirola also won his second consecutive pole there last year.
For more information, contact:
Tracey Judd, NASCAR Public Relations, (386) 947-6733 or tjudd@nascar.com
Fast Facts
The Race: Meijer 300 presented by Oreo
The Place: Kentucky Speedway
The Date: Saturday, June 14
The Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
The Distance: 300 miles / 200 laps
Track Size: 1.5-mile oval
TV: ESPN2, 8 p.m. ET
2007 Winner: Stephen Leicht
2007 Pole: Regan Smith
2008 Standings
1 Clint Bowyer 2,198
2 David Reutimann 2,032
3 Kyle Busch 2,010
4 Carl Edwards 2,008
5 Brad Keselowski 2,006
6 Mike Bliss 1,899
7 David Ragan 1,895
8 David Stremme 1,789
9 Mike Wallace 1,779
10 Jason Leffler 1,719
Schedule (Times local�ET)
Friday�Practice 5-6:15 p.m.;
Final Practice 6:45-8 p.m.
Saturday�Qualifying, 5:10 p.m.
Keselowski�s Win Throws Standings Battle Into Full Gear
In The Loop: Coleman Returns To Kentucky With Stout Stats
Is Kentucky In Store For Another Surprise Party?
Another first-time winner or an eighth different winner in eight races?
Either way, Saturday night�s Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway promises to bring more surprises for the usual packed house at the 1.5-mile track.
Over the last two years, this race has produced a surprise winner. Last season, Stephen Leicht held off his best friend, Brad Coleman (No. 27 Cottonelle Ford) for his first career victory.
One year earlier, David Gilliland, a relatively unknown driver running for a part-time team, shocked the racing world with a win that completely turned his life � and career � around. Gilliland now competes full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Leicht currently runs a limited schedule for Richard Childress Racing and will be the all-important substitute for double-duty driver and series standings leader Clint Bowyer (No. 2 Camping World/RVs.com Chevrolet) this weekend.
Kentucky is one of only three tracks in the NASCAR Nationwide Series that has yet to produce a multiple race and multiple pole winner. Four other tracks share Kentucky�s distinction of different winners for each race while three have yet to award a pole to a driver more than once.
Three former winners of this race � Bobby Hamilton Jr. (No. 25 Curly�s/John Morrell Ford), reigning series champion Carl Edwards (No. 60 CitiFinancial Ford) and Kyle Busch (No. 18 Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota) � are entered and will attempt to break the one-winner string. Edwards is the lone former pole winner entered who also has a shot to become the first to double in that category.
Keselowski�s First Win Creates Havoc In Standings
Brad Keselowski�s (No. 88 U.S. NAVY Chevrolet) first career win last week at Nashville Superspeedway has not only increased the buzz around the young series-only driver, but has also thrown the standings into that same hot-topic category for the first time in three years.
Clint Bowyer continues to lead with a 166-point margin over David Reutimann (No. 99 Aaron�s Dream Machine Toyota). That difference between first and second place is the closest at this stage of the season since Reed Sorenson led Martin Truex Jr. by 51 points in 2005.
Bowyer�s lead is comfortable, but so was Kyle Busch�s on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series side prior to last weekend�s race at Pocono Raceway. He finished 43rd and coughed up a 142-point lead that now stands at 21.
Keselowski�s victory resulted in positions 2-5 being separated by only 26 points. Reutimann leads third-place Busch � who will again run all three national series races this weekend (also the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup at Michigan International Speedway) � by 22 points.
Carl Edwards is fourth, 24 points behind Reutimann, while fifth-place Keselowski lurks only two points in back of Edwards.
Keselowski is aiming for his 50th career start in the series Saturday.
Bluegrass State Goes Green
Mark Green (No. 70 Foretravel Chevrolet) returns to his old Kentucky home this weekend on an upswing.
Green, from Owensboro, Ky., moved to the Mooresville, N.C., area in 2000 but still has close ties to the Bluegrass State. "(It) will be special," said Green, who hasn't raced at the 1.5-mile oval with his Indiana-based ML Motorsports organization. "I have a lot of family and friends there, and its close for the team, too. It's always fun to show off in front of the people you grew up with.�
The veteran of 238 series starts has been a perfect fit for the part-time team that plans to compete in 21 races this season. At Talladega Superspeedway, Green drove the mother-daughter-owned car to a fifth-place finish, tying his career best set in 1997. A week later, he qualified fourth at Richmond International Raceway, his best start since 2002 and in his last outing, he finished 14th at Nashville. Green has had to qualify the No. 70 on time in each of the eight team�s races, including five at combination events where as many as 16 double-duty drivers were entered.
Clauson, A Year Later
Last year at this time, Bryan Clauson (No. 40 Fastenal Dodge) was at Kentucky Speedway, but not to race.
He was there to observe his then-Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates teammate David Stremme (now driving the No. 64 Atreus Homes & Communities Chevrolet) and also be greeted with a cake celebrating his 18th birthday (June 15). He would make his first series start three months later at Richmond.
A year later, Clauson is one of the top up-and-comers in the series. He finished sixth at Daytona International Speedway to start the season and following last Saturday�s race at Nashville, moved past his GCRFS teammate Dario Franchitti to claim first place in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings.
RCR Makes Headway In Owner Points
It�s taken six weeks but Richard Childress Racing�s No. 2 Chevrolet has crept back into the owner standings race.
Joe Gibbs Racing�s No. 20 Toyota had a season-high 159-point lead prior to the race at Nashville, but a 31st-place finish by the JGR car coupled with a fourth-place result from the RCR entry lowered the deficit to 64 points, the closest since a 55-point spread after JGR first took the lead from RCR following Talladega.
In The Loop: Coleman Hopes To Go One Position Better This Year At Kentucky
Kentucky Speedway has earned its identity as the track that makes careers.
Can it happen again?
If it does, look for the honor to go to Brad Coleman. He almost won last season finishing second in a hotly contested late-race battle.
Coleman�s statistics that day speak for themselves. He had a Driver Rating of 124.8, an Average Running Position of 4.3, 23 Fastest Laps Run and ran all 200 Laps in the Top 15.
If not Coleman, Marcos Ambrose (No. 59 Kingsford Ford) may be the guy.
Ambrose finished just outside the top 10 (11th) last year, his first trip to the track. His stats, though, were some of the best with a Driver Rating of 103.6, an Average Running Position of 7.3 and all 200 Laps in the Top 15.
Also watch for a strong performance from Steve Wallace (No. 66 Atreus Homes & Communities Chevrolet), who also is looking for his first series win. Unlike Coleman and Ambrose, Wallace has run two races at Kentucky � with finishes of 11th and 22nd, respectively.
His stats there are solid with a Driver Rating of 94.4, an Average Running Position of 8.8, 73 Green Flag Passes and 86.5% of the Laps in the Top 15.
Who can end the reign of the �newbies?� Clint Bowyer will certainly give it a go � and could very well succeed.
In Bowyer�s two races since 2005, he has a Driver Rating of 108.8, an Average Running Position of 9.4, 20 Fastest Laps Run and has run 87.8% of the Laps in the Top 15.
Bowyer also has momentum on his side. He is coming off a Nashville race in which he scored a Driver Rating of 129.4, second only to race winner Brad Keselowski.
For the record, Keselowski has yet to compete in a series race at Kentucky, but finished 18th and 30th there in 2005 and 2006 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. His Driver Rating over those two races was 64.6.
Keselowski Gets The Honors As In-Race Reporter At Kentucky
ESPN2s season-long coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series continues with a live telecast from Kentucky Saturday beginning at 8 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.
The race also airs in high definition on ESPN2 HD and will be simulcast on ESPN360.com, ESPN MobileTV and ESPN Deportes.
Marty Reid is the lead announcer, joined in the booth for analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Andy Petree. Jamie Little, Mike Massaro, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch will report from the pits, while two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Tim Brewer will be in the ESPN DISH Tech Center.
Fresh from his breakthrough win last week in Nashville, Brad Keselowski joins ESPN�s coverage team as In-Race Reporter. He will talk to Wallace on the races pace laps and during caution periods.
Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown with analysis by Wallace and Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, in the ESPN pit studio.
ESPN2 also airs coverage of final practice for the event Friday at 7 p.m., and qualifying Saturday at 5 p.m.
Additionally, ESPN has announced that two NASCAR Nationwide Series races originally scheduled to air on ESPN2 have been moved to ESPN.
The July 26 race at O�Reilly Raceway Park and the August 22 event at Bristol Motor Speedway will now be broadcast on ESPN.
The Director�s Take: Series-Only Teams Look For Third Straight Win
Joe Balash, the NASCAR Nationwide Series director, isn�t just a nuts and bolts guy. He understands where stats have a place in his garage. �Is this the weekend that another full time series driver completes a �Kentucky trifecta� with another first win?,� he asked.
�With as many full time series regulars posting some of their best finishes in recent weeks, the race at Kentucky is shaping up to be one of the best of the season,� he said.
�A very tight points battle will force the crew chiefs to double- and triple-check their notes for this 1-5 mile track.
�Every week, series-only regulars are battling for every point they can get and this is another opportunity for them to distance themselves from some of the double-duty drivers.
�We talk about development as one of the key elements of the NASCAR Nationwide Series and at this point in the season, it shows how strong that development is with the number of drivers who have scored points and are in the running for the top 10 positions.�
Kentucky Speedway
Most Wins: Seven drivers with one win
Most Poles: Seven drivers with one pole
Quick Fact: Brad Coleman won his first ARCA race at Kentucky in 2006 with current crew chief Shawn Parker in that same position.
NNS Etc.
In addition to Stephen Leicht for Clint Bowyer, other substitute drivers this weekend at Kentucky are scheduled to be: Jeremy Clements for Kyle Busch; Jason Hedlesky for Carl Edwards (Hedlesky normally serves as Edwards� spotter); Chad Blount for Jason Leffler (Leffler seeks his second consecutive start in the No. 70 Haas Automation Chevrolet); Auggie Vidovich for David Ragan (No. 6 Discount Tire Ford) and Josh Wise for David Reutimann. Wise will handle Friday�s first practice and Reutimann is expected for final practice and qualifying. Wise will then move to the No. 22 Supercuts Dodge for the race.
Standings leader Clint Bowyer looks to collect his 125th career NASCAR Nationwide Series start Saturday. In his first 124 starts, Bowyer has accumulated six wins, six poles, 47 top fives and 77 top 10s.
Landon Cassill (No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet), will make his first series start at Kentucky but has experience there having tested for Hendrick Motorsports� R&D team in 2007-08. He has added experience with Owensboro�s own David Green, the 1994 series champion, who will spot for Cassill. Cassill, 18, registered his first career top 10 finish at Nashville. He�ll pull his own version of double duty Sunday at a dirt race in his home state of Iowa.
Nationwide Insurance hosts another of its �Driving While Distracted� programs Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Meijer store on Houston Road in in Florence, Ky.
Brad Keselowski and Eric McClure (No. 24 Hefty Brands Chevrolet) will speak to the community on the dangers of driving while distracted.
The race is a �home� event for Nationwide; its headquarters is located in Columbus, Ohio.
Raybestos Rookie Of The Year
Rank Driver Points
1 Bryan Clauson 101
2 Dario Franchitti 100
3 Cale Gale 63
4 Landon Cassill 60
5 Chase Miller 53
6 Brian Keselowski 48
7 Patrick Carpentier 31
Results following the Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway.
Bill France Performance Cup
With its win at Nashville last weekend, Chevrolet completed a season sweep at the track and also did what no manufacturer had been able to do in the pervious eight races � defeat Toyota.
Chevrolet (four wins) and Ford (three wins and defending race winner) are the only two manufacturers to post victories at Kentucky. Dodge had two cars among the top 10 finishers last year; Toyota�s best finish was 14th.
Up Next: Camping World RV Rental 250 at The Milwaukee Mile
The NASCAR Nationwide Series moves on to West Allis, Wis., for the Camping World RV Rental 250 at The Milwaukee Mile on June 21.
Aric Almirola won last year after starting the race, but teammate Denny Hamlin took over on Lap 58 and actually crossed the finish line.
Almirola also won his second consecutive pole there last year.
For more information, contact:
Tracey Judd, NASCAR Public Relations, (386) 947-6733 or tjudd@nascar.com
Fast Facts
The Race: Meijer 300 presented by Oreo
The Place: Kentucky Speedway
The Date: Saturday, June 14
The Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
The Distance: 300 miles / 200 laps
Track Size: 1.5-mile oval
TV: ESPN2, 8 p.m. ET
2007 Winner: Stephen Leicht
2007 Pole: Regan Smith
2008 Standings
1 Clint Bowyer 2,198
2 David Reutimann 2,032
3 Kyle Busch 2,010
4 Carl Edwards 2,008
5 Brad Keselowski 2,006
6 Mike Bliss 1,899
7 David Ragan 1,895
8 David Stremme 1,789
9 Mike Wallace 1,779
10 Jason Leffler 1,719
Schedule (Times local�ET)
Friday�Practice 5-6:15 p.m.;
Final Practice 6:45-8 p.m.
Saturday�Qualifying, 5:10 p.m.
Statistical Advance: Analyzing The LifeLock 400 At Michigan International Speedway
It’s no secret Carl Edwards loves running the 1.5- and 2-mile tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule.
Here’s why:
• Of his 10 career NASCAR Sprint Cup wins, seven have come at tracks measuring 1.5 or 2 miles (the other three came at Bristol, Dover and Pocono).
• Edwards has three wins this season, all at 1.5 or 2-mile tracks.
• Edwards has scored a Driver Rating over 100.0 in eight races this season. Four of those were at 1.5- or 2-mile tracks (the only 1.5-mile track this season that Edwards has not scored at least a 100.0 Driver Rating was Lowe’s Motor Speedway. He had an 86.1.)
• His top three Driver Ratings came at tracks of that length (139.8 at Texas; 135.4 at Auto Club Speedway; 134.5 at Atlanta).
Now, the series heads to another 2-mile track, Michigan International Speedway, which clearly is good news for Edwards.
He is excellent there. In the past six races, Edwards has four top fives and five top 10s, including a win in last season’s spring race.
Edwards has also notched a Driver Rating of at least 100.0 in five of the last six Michigan races. His lowest rating over that span was 98.5 after a 22nd-place finish in August 2006. His race was still a strong one that day – he had an Average Running Position of 9.4 and 16 Fastest Laps Run.
Also, last season, Michigan was a slump buster for Edwards. He ended a 52-race winless drought with his victory there last season.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top 12 at Michigan International Speedway
Driver
Races
Poles
Wins
Top Fives
Top 10s
DNFs
Average Finish
Driver Rating
1
Kyle Busch
6
0
0
0
2
1
20.7
88.1
2
Jeff Burton
28
2
0
4
8
1
16.0
72.0
3
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
17
2
0
2
5
2
17.2
98.3
4
Carl Edwards
7
0
1
4
6
0
7.3
112.3
5
Denny Hamlin
4
0
0
1
2
0
10.0
97.1
6
Jimmie Johnson
12
0
0
2
5
1
14.8
104.7
7
Greg Biffle
10
0
2
4
6
0
13.4
105.4
8
Jeff Gordon
30
5
2
15
20
3
10.5
97.0
9
Kasey Kahne
8
1
1
4
4
0
15.3
81.5
10
Kevin Harvick
14
0
0
2
5
1
16.0
75.9
11
Clint Bowyer
4
0
0
0
0
1
26.3
73.0
12
Tony Stewart
18
0
1
8
12
3
12.9
95.7
Selected Driver Highlights
Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Michigan International Speedway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – in this release, however, cover the last six races at Michigan. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.
Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
• Two wins, four top five, six top 10s
• Average finish of 13.4
• Average Running Position of 9.7, third-best
• Driver Rating of 105.4, third-best
• 88 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• 424 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.329 mph, third-fastest
• 908 (80.2%) Laps in the Top 15, third-most
• 279 Quality Passes, third-most
Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
• Two wins, six top fives
• Average finish of 18.9
• Average Running Position of 10.7, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 106.8, second-best
• Series-high 93 Fastest Laps Run
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.275 mph, fourth-fastest
• 876 (77.4%) Laps in the Top 15, fourth-most
• 244 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet)
• Two top fives, five top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 17.2
• Average Running Position of 11.7, seventh-best
• Driver Rating of 98.3, sixth-best
• 56 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
• 421 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
• 792 (70.0%) Laps in the Top 15, eighth-most
• 281 Quality Passes, second-most
Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford)
• One win, four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 7.3
• Series-best Average Running Position of 7.9
• Series-best Driver Rating of 112.3
• 81 Fastest Laps Run, tied for third-best
• Series-fastest Average Green Flag Speed of 175.550 mph
• Series-high 998 (88.2%) Laps in the Top 15
• Series-high 329 Quality Passes
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Two wins, 15 top fives, 20 top 10s; five poles
• Average finish of 10.5
• Average Running Position of 11.3, fifth-best
• Driver Rating of 97.0, eighth-best
• 60 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
• 811 (71.6%) Laps in the Top 15, sixth-most
• 216 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 10.0
• Average Running Position of 11.3
• Driver Rating of 97.1, seventh-best
• Average Green Flag Speed of 174.926 mph, seventh-best
• 74.3% (544 total) Laps in the Top 15, fifth-best
• 184 Quality Passes (average of 46.0 per race), fourth-best average
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 14.8
• Average Running Position of 8.8, second-best
• Driver Rating of 104.7, fourth-best
• 81 Fastest Laps Run, tied for third-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.349 mph, second-fastest
• 932 (82.3%) Laps in the Top 15, second-most
• 254 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford)
• Two wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s
• Average finish of 9.7
• Average Running Position of 13.1, ninth-best
• Driver Rating of 104.1, fifth-best
• 48 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.272 mph, fifth-fastest
• 821 (72.5%) Laps in the Top 15, fifth-most
Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota)
• One win, eight top fives, 12 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.9
• Average Running Position of 14.9, 10th-best
• Driver Rating of 95.7, ninth-best
• 43 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 174.926 mph, eighth-fastest
• 793 (70.1%) Laps in the Top 15, seventh-most
• 226 Quality Passes, sixth-most
At Michigan International Speedway:
History
• Groundbreaking took place on Sept. 28, 1967.
• The track has had 77 NASCAR Sprint Cup races. Other than 1973, which had just one race, there have been two races each season since 1969.
• The first race was 500 miles in length; the second was scheduled for 600. The track was re-measured to 2.04-miles for the last race in 1970 and both races in 1971 – with the race distance being 402 miles. All other races have been scheduled for 400 miles.
Notebook
• Donnie Allison won the first pole at Michigan.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan was won by Cale Yarborough.
• There have been 38 different pole winners; 18 drivers have more than one.
• 29 different drivers have won races, led by David Pearson (nine); 17 drivers have more than one victory there.
• The race winner has started from the pole 15 times, the most productive starting position.
• 61 of 77 races have been won from a top-10 starting position, including 44 from the first four spots. However, five of the past seven race winners started outside the top 10.
• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 28th by Tony Stewart in 2000.
• The Wood Brothers have won 11 races – more than any other organization. Their last victory was in 1991 with Dale Jarrett as the driver.
• There have been five different Coors Light Pole winners and five different race winners in the past five races.
• Carl Edwards has finished on the lead lap in all seven of his Michigan races.
NASCAR in the State of Michigan
• There have been 82 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Michigan:
• 94 NASCAR drivers (all-time) have their home state recorded as Michigan.
• There have been seven race winners from Michigan in NASCAR three national series:
Driver
NSCS
NNS
NCTS
Paul Goldsmith
9
0
0
Johnny Benson
1
3
9
Tim Fedewa
0
4
0
Butch Miller
0
2
1
Jack Sprague
0
1
28
Tracy Leslie
0
1
0
Bob Keselowski
0
0
1
Michigan International Speedway Data
Race #: 15 of 36 (6-15-08)
Track Size: 2 miles
• Race Length: 400 miles
• Banking/Corners: 18 degrees
• Banking/Frontstretch: 12 degrees
• Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees
Driver Rating at Michigan
Carl Edwards 112.3
Kurt Busch 106.8
Greg Biffle 105.4
Jimmie Johnson 104.7
Matt Kenseth 104.1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 98.3
Denny Hamlin 97.1
Jeff Gordon 97.0
Tony Stewart 95.7
Martin Truex Jr. 93.9
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2007 races (6 total) at Michigan.
Qualifying/Race Data
2007 pole winner: J.J. Yeley (187.505 mph, 38.399 seconds)
2007 race winner: Carl Edwards, 148.072 mph, 6-17-07)
Track qualifying record: Ryan Newman (194.232 mph, 37.069 seconds, (6-18-05)
Track race record: Dale Jarrett (173.997 mph, 6-13-99)
Estimated Pit Window: Every 40-44 laps, based on fuel mileage.
Here’s why:
• Of his 10 career NASCAR Sprint Cup wins, seven have come at tracks measuring 1.5 or 2 miles (the other three came at Bristol, Dover and Pocono).
• Edwards has three wins this season, all at 1.5 or 2-mile tracks.
• Edwards has scored a Driver Rating over 100.0 in eight races this season. Four of those were at 1.5- or 2-mile tracks (the only 1.5-mile track this season that Edwards has not scored at least a 100.0 Driver Rating was Lowe’s Motor Speedway. He had an 86.1.)
• His top three Driver Ratings came at tracks of that length (139.8 at Texas; 135.4 at Auto Club Speedway; 134.5 at Atlanta).
Now, the series heads to another 2-mile track, Michigan International Speedway, which clearly is good news for Edwards.
He is excellent there. In the past six races, Edwards has four top fives and five top 10s, including a win in last season’s spring race.
Edwards has also notched a Driver Rating of at least 100.0 in five of the last six Michigan races. His lowest rating over that span was 98.5 after a 22nd-place finish in August 2006. His race was still a strong one that day – he had an Average Running Position of 9.4 and 16 Fastest Laps Run.
Also, last season, Michigan was a slump buster for Edwards. He ended a 52-race winless drought with his victory there last season.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top 12 at Michigan International Speedway
Driver
Races
Poles
Wins
Top Fives
Top 10s
DNFs
Average Finish
Driver Rating
1
Kyle Busch
6
0
0
0
2
1
20.7
88.1
2
Jeff Burton
28
2
0
4
8
1
16.0
72.0
3
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
17
2
0
2
5
2
17.2
98.3
4
Carl Edwards
7
0
1
4
6
0
7.3
112.3
5
Denny Hamlin
4
0
0
1
2
0
10.0
97.1
6
Jimmie Johnson
12
0
0
2
5
1
14.8
104.7
7
Greg Biffle
10
0
2
4
6
0
13.4
105.4
8
Jeff Gordon
30
5
2
15
20
3
10.5
97.0
9
Kasey Kahne
8
1
1
4
4
0
15.3
81.5
10
Kevin Harvick
14
0
0
2
5
1
16.0
75.9
11
Clint Bowyer
4
0
0
0
0
1
26.3
73.0
12
Tony Stewart
18
0
1
8
12
3
12.9
95.7
Selected Driver Highlights
Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Michigan International Speedway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – in this release, however, cover the last six races at Michigan. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.
Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
• Two wins, four top five, six top 10s
• Average finish of 13.4
• Average Running Position of 9.7, third-best
• Driver Rating of 105.4, third-best
• 88 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• 424 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.329 mph, third-fastest
• 908 (80.2%) Laps in the Top 15, third-most
• 279 Quality Passes, third-most
Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
• Two wins, six top fives
• Average finish of 18.9
• Average Running Position of 10.7, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 106.8, second-best
• Series-high 93 Fastest Laps Run
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.275 mph, fourth-fastest
• 876 (77.4%) Laps in the Top 15, fourth-most
• 244 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet)
• Two top fives, five top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 17.2
• Average Running Position of 11.7, seventh-best
• Driver Rating of 98.3, sixth-best
• 56 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
• 421 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
• 792 (70.0%) Laps in the Top 15, eighth-most
• 281 Quality Passes, second-most
Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford)
• One win, four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 7.3
• Series-best Average Running Position of 7.9
• Series-best Driver Rating of 112.3
• 81 Fastest Laps Run, tied for third-best
• Series-fastest Average Green Flag Speed of 175.550 mph
• Series-high 998 (88.2%) Laps in the Top 15
• Series-high 329 Quality Passes
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Two wins, 15 top fives, 20 top 10s; five poles
• Average finish of 10.5
• Average Running Position of 11.3, fifth-best
• Driver Rating of 97.0, eighth-best
• 60 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
• 811 (71.6%) Laps in the Top 15, sixth-most
• 216 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 10.0
• Average Running Position of 11.3
• Driver Rating of 97.1, seventh-best
• Average Green Flag Speed of 174.926 mph, seventh-best
• 74.3% (544 total) Laps in the Top 15, fifth-best
• 184 Quality Passes (average of 46.0 per race), fourth-best average
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 14.8
• Average Running Position of 8.8, second-best
• Driver Rating of 104.7, fourth-best
• 81 Fastest Laps Run, tied for third-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.349 mph, second-fastest
• 932 (82.3%) Laps in the Top 15, second-most
• 254 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford)
• Two wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s
• Average finish of 9.7
• Average Running Position of 13.1, ninth-best
• Driver Rating of 104.1, fifth-best
• 48 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.272 mph, fifth-fastest
• 821 (72.5%) Laps in the Top 15, fifth-most
Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota)
• One win, eight top fives, 12 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.9
• Average Running Position of 14.9, 10th-best
• Driver Rating of 95.7, ninth-best
• 43 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 174.926 mph, eighth-fastest
• 793 (70.1%) Laps in the Top 15, seventh-most
• 226 Quality Passes, sixth-most
At Michigan International Speedway:
History
• Groundbreaking took place on Sept. 28, 1967.
• The track has had 77 NASCAR Sprint Cup races. Other than 1973, which had just one race, there have been two races each season since 1969.
• The first race was 500 miles in length; the second was scheduled for 600. The track was re-measured to 2.04-miles for the last race in 1970 and both races in 1971 – with the race distance being 402 miles. All other races have been scheduled for 400 miles.
Notebook
• Donnie Allison won the first pole at Michigan.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan was won by Cale Yarborough.
• There have been 38 different pole winners; 18 drivers have more than one.
• 29 different drivers have won races, led by David Pearson (nine); 17 drivers have more than one victory there.
• The race winner has started from the pole 15 times, the most productive starting position.
• 61 of 77 races have been won from a top-10 starting position, including 44 from the first four spots. However, five of the past seven race winners started outside the top 10.
• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 28th by Tony Stewart in 2000.
• The Wood Brothers have won 11 races – more than any other organization. Their last victory was in 1991 with Dale Jarrett as the driver.
• There have been five different Coors Light Pole winners and five different race winners in the past five races.
• Carl Edwards has finished on the lead lap in all seven of his Michigan races.
NASCAR in the State of Michigan
• There have been 82 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Michigan:
• 94 NASCAR drivers (all-time) have their home state recorded as Michigan.
• There have been seven race winners from Michigan in NASCAR three national series:
Driver
NSCS
NNS
NCTS
Paul Goldsmith
9
0
0
Johnny Benson
1
3
9
Tim Fedewa
0
4
0
Butch Miller
0
2
1
Jack Sprague
0
1
28
Tracy Leslie
0
1
0
Bob Keselowski
0
0
1
Michigan International Speedway Data
Race #: 15 of 36 (6-15-08)
Track Size: 2 miles
• Race Length: 400 miles
• Banking/Corners: 18 degrees
• Banking/Frontstretch: 12 degrees
• Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees
Driver Rating at Michigan
Carl Edwards 112.3
Kurt Busch 106.8
Greg Biffle 105.4
Jimmie Johnson 104.7
Matt Kenseth 104.1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 98.3
Denny Hamlin 97.1
Jeff Gordon 97.0
Tony Stewart 95.7
Martin Truex Jr. 93.9
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2007 races (6 total) at Michigan.
Qualifying/Race Data
2007 pole winner: J.J. Yeley (187.505 mph, 38.399 seconds)
2007 race winner: Carl Edwards, 148.072 mph, 6-17-07)
Track qualifying record: Ryan Newman (194.232 mph, 37.069 seconds, (6-18-05)
Track race record: Dale Jarrett (173.997 mph, 6-13-99)
Estimated Pit Window: Every 40-44 laps, based on fuel mileage.
Monday, June 9, 2008
News & Notes Truck series Michegan
Benson Looks For Homecoming To Continue Standings Rebound
Hornaday’s Texas Victory Shakes Up Points Yet Again
Michigan Competitors Made Impact On Series From Race No. 1
Grand Rapids, Mich., native Johnny Benson (No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota) rides a wave of momentum following his third-place finish in Friday’s Sam’s Town 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.
The past five races have produced a steady climb up the point chart from ninth to third.
Saturday’s Cool City Customs 200 may be the spark that carries the 44-year-old Benson to the No. 1 position in the standings.
Benson got his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory at Michigan International Speedway in 2006. He finished ninth last year — his third top-10 performance in four visits to the two-mile superspeedway.
“We are slowly moving up in the points and hopefully that will continue this weekend,” said Benson. “We started the season out strong and then got into a string of bad luck, but it looks like this Tundra is back on track now."
Benson started the season with a pair of third-place finishes but slowly has been digging out of the hole created by a 30th in Atlanta and a 25th at Martinsville.
Historically speaking, Benson should be a solid favorite this week. Michigan has a pair of repeat winners. And, Benson is the only driver to get his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck win at MIS.
"I love going home to race at Michigan. It's always fun to race in front of my family and friends,” he said. “Plus, MIS is just a great track to run on anyway."
Michigan By The Numbers:
1 — Number of races won from the pole (2007)
3 — Roush Fenway Racing’s track-best win total
6 — Most top-10 finishes, by Dennis Setzer
13 — Most leaders (2005)
18 — Most lead changes (2004)
30 — Most finishers on the lead lap (2006)
154.004 — Fastest series race (July 26, 2003)
Hornaday Wins In Texas; Point Lead Changes Fourth Straight Time
Have a good race, the elevator goes up.
Have a bad one and it’s definitely a trip to the bargain basement.
And so it goes with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2008.
Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet) won Friday’s Sam’s Town 400 in his 11th try and finally checked off Texas Motor Speedway from his “to-do” list.
Hornaday now has won on all but one of the schedule’s 1.5-mile speedways and can finish the job in September at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
It was an express ride down for Rick Crawford (No. 14 Power Stroke Diesel Ford), who found the Lone Star state anything but hospitable.
Crawford, the point leader going in, fell all the way to sixth following a finish of 21st.
The race marked the fourth consecutive time the point lead has changed.
Kevin Harvick Inc., Ballew Motorsports Top Owners’ Points
With more than a third of the season complete, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series owners’ championship standings continue to shift.
A week ago, Tom Mitchell’s No. 14 team held the top spot. Mitchell’s time in front, like that of his driver Rick Crawford, was short-lived.
Kevin Harvick Inc. and Billy Ballew Motorsports bypassed both Mitchell and the No. 88 ThorSport Racing team to rank one-two entering week 10 of the 2008 season.
Their lead, however, hardly is comfortable.
DeLana Harvick, with Hornaday in the seat, is 34 points ahead of Ballew’s multiple driver effort spearheaded by Busch, with Rhonda Thorson’s Menards Chevrolet, driven by Matt Crafton, 45 out.
Just 71 points separate KHI and Mitchell, who slipped all the way to seventh after Crawford’s potential top-five performance was doomed by an accident caused by a cut tire.
KHI (first and sixth) and Bill Davis Racing (fourth and eighth) are the only teams boasting two trucks in the current top 10.
Michigan Had Immediate Impact on Craftsman Trucks
It didn’t take long for drivers from the state of Michigan to make an impact on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series — even though Michigan International Speedway didn’t become part of the schedule until 1999.
Two competitors — Butch Miller (No. 0 ASI Limited Chevrolet) and Jack Sprague (No. 2 American Commercial Lines Chevrolet) — were in the field for the Feb. 5, 1995 series debut at Phoenix International Raceway.
Sprague finished sixth in an unsponsored Chevrolet with Miller’s Jim Herrick-owned Ford seventh.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Later in the year, Miller edged Mike Skinner (No. 5 Toyota Tundra Toyota) at Colorado National Speedway. His only series victory — confirmed by rerunning CBS’ videotape — remains closest in series history at .001 seconds.
“My first question,” said Miller, a partner in SS Green Light Racing, “was, ‘did I win?’”
Sprague, meanwhile, caught the eye of Rick Hendrick, who put him in a Budweiser-backed Chevrolet after the driver’s original owner folded his operation.
Sprague, of course, has gone on to win three championships and 28 races. He returns to his home track this week fifth in points.
“It would mean so much for me to win at Michigan International Speedway,” said Sprague. “I think it would bring things full circle; winning here locally when I first started and now being able to win at one of the highest levels of NASCAR competition would be pretty cool.”
Etc. And Quotable
* Case Of Déjà Vu — Sort Of … Texas fans got what they came for as Kyle Busch (No. 51 Miccosukee/NOS Toyota) charged from the rear to challenge Hornaday in Texas Motor Speedway’s fifth consecutive green-white-checker finish. It reversed March’s order in Atlanta where Busch prevailed over Hornaday in a similar shoot-out. “We finished second for Billy Ballew and that’s what matters most,” said Busch before jetting back to Pocono Raceway.
* First-Time Winner Hex Continues … Scott Speed (No. 22 Red Bull Toyota) became the third first-time winner to finish outside the top 10 in his next start. Speed, who flew from Pocono with Busch, was involved in a pair of accidents and finished 26th. Lowe’s winner Crafton was 12th at Mansfield while Mansfield victor Donny Lia (No. 71 NationRide.com/Zurich Chevrolet) ranked 17th at Dover.
* Texas And The Long And Short Of It … It took Ted Musgrave (No. 59 Team ASE/Harris Trucking Toyota) 14 attempts to finally get a win at Texas Motor Speedway — most by any driver at a series track. Hornaday’s 11 starts ranks No. 3 behind Musgrave and Sprague, who picked up a victory at Martinsville Speedway in his 13th attempt. Yet, drivers Todd Bodine (No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota), Kenny Irwin Jr. and Clint Bowyer won at TMS in their first appearances. So it goes.
* No Defense This Week … Defending winner Travis Kvapil, who also won in 2004, won’t be in the field at Michigan. Bobby East will drive the No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford following an eighth-place finish in Texas. Previous winners Benson, Brendan Gaughan (No. 10 International MAXXFORCE Diesel Ford) and Dennis Setzer (No. 18 Dodge) will compete.
Marks Breaks Pole Drought
Justin Marks (No. 9 Construct Corps Toyota) won the Keystone Light Pole at Texas Motor Speedway with a fast lap of 176.951 mph to become the first Raybestos candidate to grab the No. 1 spot since Erik Darnell (No. 99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford) at Nashville in 2006.
Marks wound up 14th in the Sam’s Town 400 to rank second to Colin Braun (No. 6 Con-way Freight Ford) after nine rounds of competition.
Marc Mitchell (No. 15 Hyprene Ergon Inc. Toyota) led all rookies in Texas with a 12th-place effort, the best of his short NASCAR Craftsman Truck career. He is scheduled to parachute with the U.S. Army “Golden Knight” team on Tuesday.
Brian Scott (No. 16 Albertsons Chevrolet) was 13th — his best performance since taking ninth in the season opener in Daytona Beach.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings after nine races of the 2008 season:
1. Colin Braun 92
2. Justin Marks 81
3. Donny Lia 80
4. Brian Scott 71
5. Andy Lally 62
6. Marc Mitchell 53
7. Scott Speed 42
8. Phillip McGilton 38
Up Next:
The series returns to another track that’s been on the schedule each year since 1995 — The Milwaukee Mile. There have been 13 races and two multiple winners.
Ted Musgrave won in 2001 and 2004. Johnny Benson goes for three wins in a row on Friday, June 20. Eight previous winners are expected to compete.
In The Loop:
Could one race relegate Rick Crawford to “afterthought” status?
Crawford, the points leader going into last Friday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, suffered a 21st-place finish at Texas and dropped like a stone in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings.
Now, Crawford’s mired in sixth, 71 points behind leader Ron Hornaday Jr.
But all is not lost.
Crawford’s strong at Michigan. He’s finished in the top 10 in each of the last three races – all sixth-place finishes – and overall has five top-10 finishes in eight career races at the two-mile track.
Over those last three top-10 finishes, Crawford has an average Driver Rating of 99.2, an Average Running Position of 10.4, nine Fastest Laps Run, 158 Green Flag Passes, and had a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 80.8 percent.
Also watch for hometown favorite Johnny Benson. Benson finds his name near the top of a number of statistical categories.
Thanks to a win in 2006 and a ninth-place finish last season, Benson earned an average Michigan Driver Rating of 93.2, an Average Running Position of 11.8, 10 Fastest Laps Run and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 70.5 percent.
And, as usual, Kyle Busch should be a factor. Busch, again pulling triple duty, finished second in both of his trips to Michigan (2005 and 2007).
He has a Driver Rating of 119.5, an Average Running Position of 6.0 and 22 Fastest Laps Run – all of which are best among those competing in this weekend’s race.
This Week’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Leaders
(Through nine races of the 25-race season)
Points leader – Ron Hornaday Jr. (1,302)
Driver Rating – Kyle Busch (121.3)
Laps led – Ron Hornaday Jr. (414)
Victories – Kyle Busch, Ron Hornaday Jr. (2)
Keystone Light Poles – Ron Hornaday Jr. (2)
Top-five finishes – Ron Hornaday Jr. with three
Top-10 finishes – Mike Skinner with seven
Raybestos Rookie Leader – Colin Braun
Races led – Ron Hornaday Jr. (9)
Weeks in Top 10 – Three drivers with nine
Director’s Take: Wayne’s Words
“No one is going to mistake Brooklyn, Mich., for Daytona Beach, Fla. – after all, they’re about 900 miles apart – but in 2004, when we had a record 18 lead changes, a couple of crew chiefs came over after the race and said they looked up and could have sworn there must have been palm trees growing in the infield.
“Michigan International Speedway is Daytona North as far as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is concerned. It’s fast, wide and offers great drafting opportunities, just like the speedway in Florida.
“The 18-degree banking allows drivers to try different lines and not just hug the bottom groove. A fast exit from Turn 2 launches a truck down a more than 2,000-foot backstretch where the slingshot definitely comes into the picture.
“We’ve frequently seen three and even four-wide packs come out of Turn 4. The start-finish line camera is a definite must to be sure the right leader is called at the stripe.
“A rookie driver never has won at Michigan but the track is wide enough to give the first-time drivers the opportunity to get up to speed. A small mistake isn’t as critical here as it might be someplace else.” — Wayne Auton, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Director.
Michigan Rewind: Gaughan Sets Record
Brendan Gaughan was red-hot in 2003, winning six times including the Cool City Customs 200 at a record average speed of 154.004 mph.
The battle that day was between Gaughan and veteran Robert Pressley, who’d won the race the previous year.
“I was on the high side; he was on the bottom,” said Gaughan. “The tough thing was to know if you were clear or unclear.
“I said I’d follow him and not block him into the wall. We charged our way through the field.”
After a final, green flag stop, Gaughan emerged with a 12-second lead and ultimately the victory.
Gaughan is winless in 85 starts and hopes this is the week it ends.
“We’ll get back to Victory Lane and we’ll cherish it all the more having gone through a lot of bad spots,” he said.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series 2008 Manufacturers' Championship Point Standings following Race 8 of 25:
Chevrolet 63
Toyota 59
Ford 42
Dodge 34
This Week’s Milestones:
Three drivers reach series career milestones this week in Michigan:
Todd Bodine — 100th start
David Starr — 200th start
Terry Cook — 275th start
FAST FACTS
The Race: Cool City Customs 200
The Place: Michigan International Speedway
The Date: June 14, 2008
The Time: 3 p.m. ET
Race Distance: 200 miles / 100 laps
TV: SPEED, 2:30 p.m. ET
Track Layout: 2-mile speedway
2007 Winner: Travis Kvapil
2007 Pole: Travis Kvapil
2008 Standings:
Rk Driver Points
1 R. Hornaday Jr. 1,302
2 M. Crafton 1,257
3 J. Benson 1,247
4 T. Bodine 1,237
5 J. Sprague 1,231
6 R. Crawford 1,231
7 M. Skinner 1,202
8 C. McCumbee 1,176
9 T. Cook 1,164
10 D. Starr 1,145
Schedule: Friday: Practice, 10:15–11:25 a.m. and 1:30-3 p.m.; Saturday: Qualifying, 10:35 a.m.
Hornaday’s Texas Victory Shakes Up Points Yet Again
Michigan Competitors Made Impact On Series From Race No. 1
Grand Rapids, Mich., native Johnny Benson (No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota) rides a wave of momentum following his third-place finish in Friday’s Sam’s Town 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.
The past five races have produced a steady climb up the point chart from ninth to third.
Saturday’s Cool City Customs 200 may be the spark that carries the 44-year-old Benson to the No. 1 position in the standings.
Benson got his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory at Michigan International Speedway in 2006. He finished ninth last year — his third top-10 performance in four visits to the two-mile superspeedway.
“We are slowly moving up in the points and hopefully that will continue this weekend,” said Benson. “We started the season out strong and then got into a string of bad luck, but it looks like this Tundra is back on track now."
Benson started the season with a pair of third-place finishes but slowly has been digging out of the hole created by a 30th in Atlanta and a 25th at Martinsville.
Historically speaking, Benson should be a solid favorite this week. Michigan has a pair of repeat winners. And, Benson is the only driver to get his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck win at MIS.
"I love going home to race at Michigan. It's always fun to race in front of my family and friends,” he said. “Plus, MIS is just a great track to run on anyway."
Michigan By The Numbers:
1 — Number of races won from the pole (2007)
3 — Roush Fenway Racing’s track-best win total
6 — Most top-10 finishes, by Dennis Setzer
13 — Most leaders (2005)
18 — Most lead changes (2004)
30 — Most finishers on the lead lap (2006)
154.004 — Fastest series race (July 26, 2003)
Hornaday Wins In Texas; Point Lead Changes Fourth Straight Time
Have a good race, the elevator goes up.
Have a bad one and it’s definitely a trip to the bargain basement.
And so it goes with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2008.
Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet) won Friday’s Sam’s Town 400 in his 11th try and finally checked off Texas Motor Speedway from his “to-do” list.
Hornaday now has won on all but one of the schedule’s 1.5-mile speedways and can finish the job in September at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
It was an express ride down for Rick Crawford (No. 14 Power Stroke Diesel Ford), who found the Lone Star state anything but hospitable.
Crawford, the point leader going in, fell all the way to sixth following a finish of 21st.
The race marked the fourth consecutive time the point lead has changed.
Kevin Harvick Inc., Ballew Motorsports Top Owners’ Points
With more than a third of the season complete, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series owners’ championship standings continue to shift.
A week ago, Tom Mitchell’s No. 14 team held the top spot. Mitchell’s time in front, like that of his driver Rick Crawford, was short-lived.
Kevin Harvick Inc. and Billy Ballew Motorsports bypassed both Mitchell and the No. 88 ThorSport Racing team to rank one-two entering week 10 of the 2008 season.
Their lead, however, hardly is comfortable.
DeLana Harvick, with Hornaday in the seat, is 34 points ahead of Ballew’s multiple driver effort spearheaded by Busch, with Rhonda Thorson’s Menards Chevrolet, driven by Matt Crafton, 45 out.
Just 71 points separate KHI and Mitchell, who slipped all the way to seventh after Crawford’s potential top-five performance was doomed by an accident caused by a cut tire.
KHI (first and sixth) and Bill Davis Racing (fourth and eighth) are the only teams boasting two trucks in the current top 10.
Michigan Had Immediate Impact on Craftsman Trucks
It didn’t take long for drivers from the state of Michigan to make an impact on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series — even though Michigan International Speedway didn’t become part of the schedule until 1999.
Two competitors — Butch Miller (No. 0 ASI Limited Chevrolet) and Jack Sprague (No. 2 American Commercial Lines Chevrolet) — were in the field for the Feb. 5, 1995 series debut at Phoenix International Raceway.
Sprague finished sixth in an unsponsored Chevrolet with Miller’s Jim Herrick-owned Ford seventh.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Later in the year, Miller edged Mike Skinner (No. 5 Toyota Tundra Toyota) at Colorado National Speedway. His only series victory — confirmed by rerunning CBS’ videotape — remains closest in series history at .001 seconds.
“My first question,” said Miller, a partner in SS Green Light Racing, “was, ‘did I win?’”
Sprague, meanwhile, caught the eye of Rick Hendrick, who put him in a Budweiser-backed Chevrolet after the driver’s original owner folded his operation.
Sprague, of course, has gone on to win three championships and 28 races. He returns to his home track this week fifth in points.
“It would mean so much for me to win at Michigan International Speedway,” said Sprague. “I think it would bring things full circle; winning here locally when I first started and now being able to win at one of the highest levels of NASCAR competition would be pretty cool.”
Etc. And Quotable
* Case Of Déjà Vu — Sort Of … Texas fans got what they came for as Kyle Busch (No. 51 Miccosukee/NOS Toyota) charged from the rear to challenge Hornaday in Texas Motor Speedway’s fifth consecutive green-white-checker finish. It reversed March’s order in Atlanta where Busch prevailed over Hornaday in a similar shoot-out. “We finished second for Billy Ballew and that’s what matters most,” said Busch before jetting back to Pocono Raceway.
* First-Time Winner Hex Continues … Scott Speed (No. 22 Red Bull Toyota) became the third first-time winner to finish outside the top 10 in his next start. Speed, who flew from Pocono with Busch, was involved in a pair of accidents and finished 26th. Lowe’s winner Crafton was 12th at Mansfield while Mansfield victor Donny Lia (No. 71 NationRide.com/Zurich Chevrolet) ranked 17th at Dover.
* Texas And The Long And Short Of It … It took Ted Musgrave (No. 59 Team ASE/Harris Trucking Toyota) 14 attempts to finally get a win at Texas Motor Speedway — most by any driver at a series track. Hornaday’s 11 starts ranks No. 3 behind Musgrave and Sprague, who picked up a victory at Martinsville Speedway in his 13th attempt. Yet, drivers Todd Bodine (No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota), Kenny Irwin Jr. and Clint Bowyer won at TMS in their first appearances. So it goes.
* No Defense This Week … Defending winner Travis Kvapil, who also won in 2004, won’t be in the field at Michigan. Bobby East will drive the No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford following an eighth-place finish in Texas. Previous winners Benson, Brendan Gaughan (No. 10 International MAXXFORCE Diesel Ford) and Dennis Setzer (No. 18 Dodge) will compete.
Marks Breaks Pole Drought
Justin Marks (No. 9 Construct Corps Toyota) won the Keystone Light Pole at Texas Motor Speedway with a fast lap of 176.951 mph to become the first Raybestos candidate to grab the No. 1 spot since Erik Darnell (No. 99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford) at Nashville in 2006.
Marks wound up 14th in the Sam’s Town 400 to rank second to Colin Braun (No. 6 Con-way Freight Ford) after nine rounds of competition.
Marc Mitchell (No. 15 Hyprene Ergon Inc. Toyota) led all rookies in Texas with a 12th-place effort, the best of his short NASCAR Craftsman Truck career. He is scheduled to parachute with the U.S. Army “Golden Knight” team on Tuesday.
Brian Scott (No. 16 Albertsons Chevrolet) was 13th — his best performance since taking ninth in the season opener in Daytona Beach.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings after nine races of the 2008 season:
1. Colin Braun 92
2. Justin Marks 81
3. Donny Lia 80
4. Brian Scott 71
5. Andy Lally 62
6. Marc Mitchell 53
7. Scott Speed 42
8. Phillip McGilton 38
Up Next:
The series returns to another track that’s been on the schedule each year since 1995 — The Milwaukee Mile. There have been 13 races and two multiple winners.
Ted Musgrave won in 2001 and 2004. Johnny Benson goes for three wins in a row on Friday, June 20. Eight previous winners are expected to compete.
In The Loop:
Could one race relegate Rick Crawford to “afterthought” status?
Crawford, the points leader going into last Friday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, suffered a 21st-place finish at Texas and dropped like a stone in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings.
Now, Crawford’s mired in sixth, 71 points behind leader Ron Hornaday Jr.
But all is not lost.
Crawford’s strong at Michigan. He’s finished in the top 10 in each of the last three races – all sixth-place finishes – and overall has five top-10 finishes in eight career races at the two-mile track.
Over those last three top-10 finishes, Crawford has an average Driver Rating of 99.2, an Average Running Position of 10.4, nine Fastest Laps Run, 158 Green Flag Passes, and had a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 80.8 percent.
Also watch for hometown favorite Johnny Benson. Benson finds his name near the top of a number of statistical categories.
Thanks to a win in 2006 and a ninth-place finish last season, Benson earned an average Michigan Driver Rating of 93.2, an Average Running Position of 11.8, 10 Fastest Laps Run and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 70.5 percent.
And, as usual, Kyle Busch should be a factor. Busch, again pulling triple duty, finished second in both of his trips to Michigan (2005 and 2007).
He has a Driver Rating of 119.5, an Average Running Position of 6.0 and 22 Fastest Laps Run – all of which are best among those competing in this weekend’s race.
This Week’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Leaders
(Through nine races of the 25-race season)
Points leader – Ron Hornaday Jr. (1,302)
Driver Rating – Kyle Busch (121.3)
Laps led – Ron Hornaday Jr. (414)
Victories – Kyle Busch, Ron Hornaday Jr. (2)
Keystone Light Poles – Ron Hornaday Jr. (2)
Top-five finishes – Ron Hornaday Jr. with three
Top-10 finishes – Mike Skinner with seven
Raybestos Rookie Leader – Colin Braun
Races led – Ron Hornaday Jr. (9)
Weeks in Top 10 – Three drivers with nine
Director’s Take: Wayne’s Words
“No one is going to mistake Brooklyn, Mich., for Daytona Beach, Fla. – after all, they’re about 900 miles apart – but in 2004, when we had a record 18 lead changes, a couple of crew chiefs came over after the race and said they looked up and could have sworn there must have been palm trees growing in the infield.
“Michigan International Speedway is Daytona North as far as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is concerned. It’s fast, wide and offers great drafting opportunities, just like the speedway in Florida.
“The 18-degree banking allows drivers to try different lines and not just hug the bottom groove. A fast exit from Turn 2 launches a truck down a more than 2,000-foot backstretch where the slingshot definitely comes into the picture.
“We’ve frequently seen three and even four-wide packs come out of Turn 4. The start-finish line camera is a definite must to be sure the right leader is called at the stripe.
“A rookie driver never has won at Michigan but the track is wide enough to give the first-time drivers the opportunity to get up to speed. A small mistake isn’t as critical here as it might be someplace else.” — Wayne Auton, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Director.
Michigan Rewind: Gaughan Sets Record
Brendan Gaughan was red-hot in 2003, winning six times including the Cool City Customs 200 at a record average speed of 154.004 mph.
The battle that day was between Gaughan and veteran Robert Pressley, who’d won the race the previous year.
“I was on the high side; he was on the bottom,” said Gaughan. “The tough thing was to know if you were clear or unclear.
“I said I’d follow him and not block him into the wall. We charged our way through the field.”
After a final, green flag stop, Gaughan emerged with a 12-second lead and ultimately the victory.
Gaughan is winless in 85 starts and hopes this is the week it ends.
“We’ll get back to Victory Lane and we’ll cherish it all the more having gone through a lot of bad spots,” he said.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series 2008 Manufacturers' Championship Point Standings following Race 8 of 25:
Chevrolet 63
Toyota 59
Ford 42
Dodge 34
This Week’s Milestones:
Three drivers reach series career milestones this week in Michigan:
Todd Bodine — 100th start
David Starr — 200th start
Terry Cook — 275th start
FAST FACTS
The Race: Cool City Customs 200
The Place: Michigan International Speedway
The Date: June 14, 2008
The Time: 3 p.m. ET
Race Distance: 200 miles / 100 laps
TV: SPEED, 2:30 p.m. ET
Track Layout: 2-mile speedway
2007 Winner: Travis Kvapil
2007 Pole: Travis Kvapil
2008 Standings:
Rk Driver Points
1 R. Hornaday Jr. 1,302
2 M. Crafton 1,257
3 J. Benson 1,247
4 T. Bodine 1,237
5 J. Sprague 1,231
6 R. Crawford 1,231
7 M. Skinner 1,202
8 C. McCumbee 1,176
9 T. Cook 1,164
10 D. Starr 1,145
Schedule: Friday: Practice, 10:15–11:25 a.m. and 1:30-3 p.m.; Saturday: Qualifying, 10:35 a.m.
Top 12 and beyond
Below is a look at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top 12 along with other notable drivers, going into the LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 15 (Note: Drivers listed below who are outside the top 12 are chosen based on past performances at the upcoming track and/or those within striking distance of the top 12).
1– Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 108.4
2008 Rundown
• Four wins, nine top fives, 10 top 10s
• Average finish of 9.9
• Led 10 races for 786 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two top 10s
• Average finish of 20.7
• Finished 13th in August’s Michigan race
• Led three of six races for 40 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Series-high Average Running Position of 10.2
2 – Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.4
2008 Rundown
• One win, four top fives, 10 top 10s
• Average finish of 7.7
• Led seven races for 62 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Four top fives, eight top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 16.0
• Finished 14th in August
• Led seven of 28 races for 74 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 716 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), second-most
3– Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 104.8
2008 Rundown
• Six top fives, 10 top 10s
• Average finish of 11.2
• Led 10 races for 527 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two top fives, five top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 17.2
• Finished 12th in August
• Led 10 of 17 races for 110 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 331 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
4 – Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 104.6
2008 Rundown
• Three wins, six top fives, 10 top 10s
• Average finish of 11.6
• Led six races for 372 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• One win, four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 7.3
• Finished seventh in August
• Led four of seven races for 137 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Series-high 468 Fastest Laps Run
5 – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.3
2008 Rundown
• One win, five top fives, eight top 10s
• Average finish of 14.4
• Led eight races for 663 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 10.0
• Finished fifth in August
• Led one of four races for one lap
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Series-high 725 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green)
6 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.1
2008 Rundown
• One win, four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 14.6
• Led 10 races for 508 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 14.8
• Finished third in August
• Led six of 12 races for 154 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Average Running Position of 11.2, fourth-most
7 – Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.7
2008 Rundown
• Five top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 14.2
• Led seven races for 282 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 13.4
• Finished 19th in August
• Led seven of 10 races for 190 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 249 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
8 – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.3
2008 Rundown
• Six top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 14.6
• Led eight races for 211 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, 15 top fives, 20 top 10s; five poles
• Average finish of 10.5
• Finished 27th in August
• Led 21 of 30 races for 899 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 175 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
9 – Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 87.7
2008 Rundown
• Two wins, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 17.1
• Led six races for 71 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• One win, four top fives; one pole
• Average finish of 15.3
• Finished 31st in August
• Led three of eight races for 40 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 177 Fastest Laps Run, seventh -most
10 – Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 84.4
2008 Rundown
• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 15.2
• Led three races for 34 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 16.0
• Finished 15th in August
• Led two of 14 races for 88 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 10th-fastest Green Flag Speed
11 – Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 80.7
2008 Rundown
• One win, three top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 16.2
• Led four races for 150 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Average finish of 26.3
• Finished 17th in August
• Led one of four races for six laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 144 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
12 – Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.1
2008 Rundown
• Four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 18.0
• Led six races for 387 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• One win, eight top fives, 12 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.9
• Finished 10th in August
• Led five of 18 races for 167 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 3,297 Laps in the Top 15 (70.7%), eighth-most
15 – Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 84.5
2008 Rundown
• Two top fives, eight top 10s
• Average finish of 18.5
• Led eight races for 150 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s
• Average finish of 9.7
• Finished fourth in August
• Led seven of 17 races for 181 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 137 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
21 – Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 73.8
2008 Rundown
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 20.9
• Led three races for 74 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, six top fives
• Average finish of 18.9
• Won last August’s Michigan race
• Led 10 of 14 races for 290 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 1,165 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
Chase Contenders
The Top 12 … And Beyond Following Race 14 of 36
Weeks Rank Season
In Last Driver
Driver Points Wins Top 12 Week Rating
1. Kyle Busch 2,084 4 14 1 108.4
2. Jeff Burton 2,063 1 14 2 94.4
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1,939 0 13 3 104.8
4. Carl Edwards 1,856 3 10 4 104.6
5. Denny Hamlin 1,800 1 9 9 97.3
6. Jimmie Johnson 1,799 1 10 7 98.1
7. Greg Biffle 1,781 2 14 5 94.7
8. Jeff Gordon 1,767 2 5 6 94.3
9. Kasey Kahne 1,719 1 12 12 87.7
10. Kevin Harvick 1,690 0 13 10 84.4
11. Clint Bowyer 1,679 0 10 8 80.7
12. Tony Stewart 1,614 0 14 11 91.1
ADDITIONAL DRIVERS
13. David Ragan 1,607
14. Ryan Newman 1,604
15. Matt Kenseth 1,580
16. Martin Truex Jr. 1,558
17. Brian Vickers 1,502
18. Travis Kvapil 1,464
19. Bobby Labonte 1,455
20. J.P. Montoya 1,439
21. Kurt Busch 1,437
22. Jamie McMurray 1,368
23. David Gilliland 1,361
24. Mark Martin 1,349
25. David Reutimann 1,289
26. Casey Mears 1,278
27. Paul Menard 1,252
28. Elliott Sadler 1,222
29. Dave Blaney 1,150
30. Robby Gordon 1,141
31. Regan Smith 1,120
32. Reed Sorenson 1,118
33. Scott Riggs 1,086
34. Sam Hornish Jr. 1,076
35. Michael Waltrip 1,064
36. J.J. Yeley 842
37. Joe Nemechek 680
38. Patrick Carpentier 667
39. Michael McDowell 644
40. Jeremy Mayfield 578
41. Kyle Petty 540
42. Dario Franchitti 523
43. AJ Allmendinger 493
44 Bill Elliott 484
45. Mike Skinner 423
46. Dale Jarrett 367
47. Ken Schrader 298
48. Aric Almirola 243
49. Sterling Marlin 228
50. John Andretti 149
51. David Stremme 84
52. Terry Labonte 73
53. Jon Wood 55
54. Tony Raines 43
55. Jason Leffler 43
56. Kenny Wallace 34
57. Johnny Sauter 24
Note: The first 26 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season determine which 12 drivers qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, contested over the final 10 races of the season.
1– Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 108.4
2008 Rundown
• Four wins, nine top fives, 10 top 10s
• Average finish of 9.9
• Led 10 races for 786 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two top 10s
• Average finish of 20.7
• Finished 13th in August’s Michigan race
• Led three of six races for 40 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Series-high Average Running Position of 10.2
2 – Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.4
2008 Rundown
• One win, four top fives, 10 top 10s
• Average finish of 7.7
• Led seven races for 62 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Four top fives, eight top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 16.0
• Finished 14th in August
• Led seven of 28 races for 74 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 716 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), second-most
3– Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 104.8
2008 Rundown
• Six top fives, 10 top 10s
• Average finish of 11.2
• Led 10 races for 527 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two top fives, five top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 17.2
• Finished 12th in August
• Led 10 of 17 races for 110 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 331 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
4 – Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 104.6
2008 Rundown
• Three wins, six top fives, 10 top 10s
• Average finish of 11.6
• Led six races for 372 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• One win, four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 7.3
• Finished seventh in August
• Led four of seven races for 137 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Series-high 468 Fastest Laps Run
5 – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.3
2008 Rundown
• One win, five top fives, eight top 10s
• Average finish of 14.4
• Led eight races for 663 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 10.0
• Finished fifth in August
• Led one of four races for one lap
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Series-high 725 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green)
6 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.1
2008 Rundown
• One win, four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 14.6
• Led 10 races for 508 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 14.8
• Finished third in August
• Led six of 12 races for 154 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Average Running Position of 11.2, fourth-most
7 – Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.7
2008 Rundown
• Five top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 14.2
• Led seven races for 282 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 13.4
• Finished 19th in August
• Led seven of 10 races for 190 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 249 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
8 – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.3
2008 Rundown
• Six top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 14.6
• Led eight races for 211 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, 15 top fives, 20 top 10s; five poles
• Average finish of 10.5
• Finished 27th in August
• Led 21 of 30 races for 899 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 175 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
9 – Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 87.7
2008 Rundown
• Two wins, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 17.1
• Led six races for 71 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• One win, four top fives; one pole
• Average finish of 15.3
• Finished 31st in August
• Led three of eight races for 40 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 177 Fastest Laps Run, seventh -most
10 – Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 84.4
2008 Rundown
• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 15.2
• Led three races for 34 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 16.0
• Finished 15th in August
• Led two of 14 races for 88 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 10th-fastest Green Flag Speed
11 – Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 80.7
2008 Rundown
• One win, three top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 16.2
• Led four races for 150 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Average finish of 26.3
• Finished 17th in August
• Led one of four races for six laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 144 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
12 – Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.1
2008 Rundown
• Four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 18.0
• Led six races for 387 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• One win, eight top fives, 12 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.9
• Finished 10th in August
• Led five of 18 races for 167 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 3,297 Laps in the Top 15 (70.7%), eighth-most
15 – Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 84.5
2008 Rundown
• Two top fives, eight top 10s
• Average finish of 18.5
• Led eight races for 150 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s
• Average finish of 9.7
• Finished fourth in August
• Led seven of 17 races for 181 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 137 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
21 – Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 73.8
2008 Rundown
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 20.9
• Led three races for 74 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, six top fives
• Average finish of 18.9
• Won last August’s Michigan race
• Led 10 of 14 races for 290 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 1,165 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
Chase Contenders
The Top 12 … And Beyond Following Race 14 of 36
Weeks Rank Season
In Last Driver
Driver Points Wins Top 12 Week Rating
1. Kyle Busch 2,084 4 14 1 108.4
2. Jeff Burton 2,063 1 14 2 94.4
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1,939 0 13 3 104.8
4. Carl Edwards 1,856 3 10 4 104.6
5. Denny Hamlin 1,800 1 9 9 97.3
6. Jimmie Johnson 1,799 1 10 7 98.1
7. Greg Biffle 1,781 2 14 5 94.7
8. Jeff Gordon 1,767 2 5 6 94.3
9. Kasey Kahne 1,719 1 12 12 87.7
10. Kevin Harvick 1,690 0 13 10 84.4
11. Clint Bowyer 1,679 0 10 8 80.7
12. Tony Stewart 1,614 0 14 11 91.1
ADDITIONAL DRIVERS
13. David Ragan 1,607
14. Ryan Newman 1,604
15. Matt Kenseth 1,580
16. Martin Truex Jr. 1,558
17. Brian Vickers 1,502
18. Travis Kvapil 1,464
19. Bobby Labonte 1,455
20. J.P. Montoya 1,439
21. Kurt Busch 1,437
22. Jamie McMurray 1,368
23. David Gilliland 1,361
24. Mark Martin 1,349
25. David Reutimann 1,289
26. Casey Mears 1,278
27. Paul Menard 1,252
28. Elliott Sadler 1,222
29. Dave Blaney 1,150
30. Robby Gordon 1,141
31. Regan Smith 1,120
32. Reed Sorenson 1,118
33. Scott Riggs 1,086
34. Sam Hornish Jr. 1,076
35. Michael Waltrip 1,064
36. J.J. Yeley 842
37. Joe Nemechek 680
38. Patrick Carpentier 667
39. Michael McDowell 644
40. Jeremy Mayfield 578
41. Kyle Petty 540
42. Dario Franchitti 523
43. AJ Allmendinger 493
44 Bill Elliott 484
45. Mike Skinner 423
46. Dale Jarrett 367
47. Ken Schrader 298
48. Aric Almirola 243
49. Sterling Marlin 228
50. John Andretti 149
51. David Stremme 84
52. Terry Labonte 73
53. Jon Wood 55
54. Tony Raines 43
55. Jason Leffler 43
56. Kenny Wallace 34
57. Johnny Sauter 24
Note: The first 26 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season determine which 12 drivers qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, contested over the final 10 races of the season.
STORYLINES: Michigan/Kentucky Week
NASCAR's three national series will have their races divided between two tracks this weekend. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will visit Michigan International Speedway; the NASCAR Nationwide Series goes to Kentucky Speedway.
And for the second consecutive week, Kyle Busch plans on running in all three events. At least the travel logistics won't be quite as challenging as this past weekend when the three series were divided between Pocono, Pa., Nashville, Tenn. and Fort Worth, Texas.
Busch is coming off a somewhat disappointing weekend. He may have raced a trifecta, but certainly didn't win one.
His runner-up finish in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck race was followed by a 20th-place effort in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event and a last-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Pocono. He started at the rear of the field at Pocono after crashing his primary car during a practice session, necessitating the switch to a back-up car.
On the upside, he continues to lead the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings.
In addition to Busch's travelogue, here are some other potential storylines for this weekend, starting with a rundown of "in the garage" competitors with local/regional ties to Michigan and Kentucky.
In The Garage – And From The Area: The Local Angles
Michigan natives in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:
• Kevin Hamlin (Kalamazoo) – No. 83 crew chief
• Jeff Meendering (Grand Rapids) – No. 43 crew chief
• David Elenz (Gaylord) – No. 77 engineer
• Greg Ives (Bark River) – No. 48 engineer
• Bill Byrne (Marne) – No. 20 tire specialist
• Brian Larson (Escanaba) – No. 20 catch can man
• Eric Bilyeu (Waterford) – No. 42 tire carrier
• Andrew Turner (Coloma) – No. 84 jack man
• Jake Brzozowki (Sterling Heights) – No. 83 rear tire carrier
• Jonathan Billy (Detroit) – No. 10 rear tire changer
• Steve Poniatowski (Clarkson) – No. 96 front tire changer
• Brian Wilson (Detroit) – No. 2 engineer
Michigan Natives in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series:
• Gary Cogswell (Eaton Rapids) – No. 20 crew chief
• Rick Golombeski (Eaton Rapids) – No. 07 mechanic
• Jon Cohen (East Lansing) – No. 28 gas man
• Andrew Emrick (Riga) – No. 5 rear tire carrier
• Jon Bernal (Holland) – No. 6 rear tire carrier
• Chad Raniey (Linden) – No. 5 rear tire changer
Kentucky Natives in the NASCAR Nationwide Series:
• Rob Tracy (Frankfort) – No. 32 mechanic
• Patrick McGarey (Prestonberg) – No. 32 transport driver
• David Colognesi (Owensboro) – No. 27 front tire carrier
• Buddy Jarvis (Central City) – No. 27 rear tire carrier
• David Green (Owensboro) – No. 5 spotter
• Bryan Horseman (Louisville) – No. 27 pit support
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
The Other Busch Brother: Kurt Looking For Rebound
Kurt Busch is a former (2004) NASCAR Sprint Cup champion but comes into Michigan mired in 21st, in series points. His struggles this season contrast sharply with the 2008 success of his younger brother Kyle, who leads the series standings.
Michigan looks like a place where the elder Busch might recapture his form, especially coming off an encouraging eighth-place run at Pocono. Busch has two MIS victories, including last August's event
There's also an intangible to consider, when assessing the chances of Busch or his Penske Racing South teammates at MIS. Read on.
Penske Connection Always To Be Considered At Michigan
There is no more appropriate track for Penske Racing to win at, than Michigan International Speedway. After all, team owner Roger Penske used to be the track's owner.
In recent years, the "Penske Connection" has surfaced. Kurt Busch won last August at MIS; Ryan Newman won in 2003 and '04. Now-retired Rusty Wallace won three times in Penske cars. The total of six victories is fourth all-time for owners at MIS (tied with Robert Yates)
Roush Rules at Michigan
Roush Fenway Racing drivers have won six times this decade at Michigan, in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. Overall, owner Jack Roush has 10 wins at MIS, second-all-time, behind only the legendary Wood Brothers.
Roush Fenway's Carl Edwards is the defending champion in Sunday's event.
Chase Contention: Point Battles Throughout the Top 15
This past Sunday's race at Pocono made things pretty interesting, so say the least.
First, the battle for the overall point lead tightened up. Point leader Kyle Busch finished last at Pocono, and saw his lead over second-place Jeff Burton cut from 142 points to only 21 points.
Then, there's the battle for the coveted 12th-place spot in the series standings, a fight that's become a three-driver battle royal.
Tony Stewart (12th), David Ragan (13th) and Ryan Newman (14th) are all within 10 points of each other. Two-time series champion Stewart dropped a position after a 35th place finish at Pocono – and suddenly seems in danger of missing the Chase.
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES
Close Competition Personified
Brad Keselowski's win at Nashville was the first of his career in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and made him the second series regular (joining Scott Wimmer) to win this season.
The point battle is tighter than ever. Second through fourth – David Reutimann through Keselowski – are separated by only 24 points.
Kentucky Has Reputation For Surprises
Kentucky is becoming known as a track where names are made. Two years ago David Gilliland launched his national series career with an improbable victory. Last year, Stephen Leicht won his first career race in the series, holding off another young up-and-coming driver, Brad Coleman. The track has never had a repeat winner or repeat pole winner so another new name could come to the forefront.
Green Helps New Team Grow
Veteran Mark Green, a native of Owensboro, Ky., is known for using his expertise to assist in driver and organization growth. From spotting to practicing and qualifying as he did last year at Memphis for race winner David Reutimann – who credited Green for the win – to working with his current team, ML Motorsports in its planning for full-time status, Green is an integral piece of the puzzle.
ML Motorsports is based in Warsaw, Ind., and owned by the mother-daughter tandem of Mary Louis Miller and Stephany Mullen. Green has registered the team's best results of its three-year series history. He was fifth at Talladega – tying his career-best finish set in 1997; he started fourth at Richmond – his best start since 2002 – and logged a top-15 finish last week at Nashville. He's had to qualify on time in each of his seven races this year and will have to do the same in six of the next seven events that the team will enter.
Up-And-Comers Showing Their Mettle
Ten drivers age 24 and under are entered at Kentucky and nearly all have registered career-bests this season. Brad Keselowski captured his first win. Kelly Bires, 23, posted his first top five while Cale Gale, also 23, landed his first top 10. Chase Miller, 21, running a limited schedule, was eighth at Darlington. Steve Wallace, 21, had consecutive top fives at Richmond and Darlington. Joey Logano, 18, won his first pole last week and has a top-10 finish in his first two races. Landon Cassill, 18, had his first top 10 last week. Bryan Clauson, 18 (who turns 19 on Sunday) was sixth at Daytona. James Buescher, 18, was 15th in his first career start at Phoenix. Only Brad Coleman, 20, has yet to better any of his career numbers yet this year but he does have one top-10 finish along with four top-10 starting positions; Coleman's career-best finish came last year where he was second.
Series-Only Regulars Have History of Stand-Alone Success
Despite the experience of numerous double-duty drivers, series-only regulars often make the most of their opportunities during stand-alone season.
At Nashville, Joey Logano won his first pole in only his second race while Brad Keselowski won his first career race. Last year at Kentucky, Regan Smith (pole) and Stephen Leicht (race) turned the trick while at the final stand-alone of 2007 at Memphis, Marcos Ambrose captured his first series pole and David Reutimann won the first race of his series career. In 2006, it was Aric Almirola (pole) and Paul Menard (race) at Milwaukee and in 2005 Reed Sorenson won his first race and first pole at the spring Nashville event.
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
Classic Battle For Championship Ongoing
The 2008 season could be the series' most competitive ever. The championship lead has changed four times in the most recent four races. The past three races have seen three different leaders. Ron Hornaday Jr. moved from third to first with his win last week at Texas. Previous leader Rick Crawford dropped from first to sixth.
Michigan Native Benson Is Back Home – And Back In Contention
Johnny Benson scored his first series victory at Michigan International Speedway in 2006. He's quietly moved into title contention – from ninth to third – in the past five races. This week's Cool City Customs 200 might be the key to the Grand Rapids native's rise to No. 1.
Another Michigan Native, Sprague, Chasing Fourth Series Title
Jack Sprague also is a solid championship contender as the new member of Kevin Harvick Inc.'s two-champion team. Sprague, from Spring Lake, stands fifth after his fourth-place finish in Texas and only 71 points behind teammate Ron Hornaday Jr. who leads the points battle. Sprague finished 10th in his past two Michigan starts. Having finished second to Hornaday in Kansas and to first time winner Scott Speed at Dover, he's hungry to put his team in Victory Lane for the first time in 2008.
Former Champions At The Front
As the season's longest stretch of races on consecutive weeks rolls on (this is number five of seven), veterans appear to be taking charge. Four former series champions, led by Hornaday, are among the top seven in current point standings. History says the Michigan winner will be a veteran. The track has yet to produce a rookie winner.
And for the second consecutive week, Kyle Busch plans on running in all three events. At least the travel logistics won't be quite as challenging as this past weekend when the three series were divided between Pocono, Pa., Nashville, Tenn. and Fort Worth, Texas.
Busch is coming off a somewhat disappointing weekend. He may have raced a trifecta, but certainly didn't win one.
His runner-up finish in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck race was followed by a 20th-place effort in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event and a last-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Pocono. He started at the rear of the field at Pocono after crashing his primary car during a practice session, necessitating the switch to a back-up car.
On the upside, he continues to lead the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings.
In addition to Busch's travelogue, here are some other potential storylines for this weekend, starting with a rundown of "in the garage" competitors with local/regional ties to Michigan and Kentucky.
In The Garage – And From The Area: The Local Angles
Michigan natives in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:
• Kevin Hamlin (Kalamazoo) – No. 83 crew chief
• Jeff Meendering (Grand Rapids) – No. 43 crew chief
• David Elenz (Gaylord) – No. 77 engineer
• Greg Ives (Bark River) – No. 48 engineer
• Bill Byrne (Marne) – No. 20 tire specialist
• Brian Larson (Escanaba) – No. 20 catch can man
• Eric Bilyeu (Waterford) – No. 42 tire carrier
• Andrew Turner (Coloma) – No. 84 jack man
• Jake Brzozowki (Sterling Heights) – No. 83 rear tire carrier
• Jonathan Billy (Detroit) – No. 10 rear tire changer
• Steve Poniatowski (Clarkson) – No. 96 front tire changer
• Brian Wilson (Detroit) – No. 2 engineer
Michigan Natives in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series:
• Gary Cogswell (Eaton Rapids) – No. 20 crew chief
• Rick Golombeski (Eaton Rapids) – No. 07 mechanic
• Jon Cohen (East Lansing) – No. 28 gas man
• Andrew Emrick (Riga) – No. 5 rear tire carrier
• Jon Bernal (Holland) – No. 6 rear tire carrier
• Chad Raniey (Linden) – No. 5 rear tire changer
Kentucky Natives in the NASCAR Nationwide Series:
• Rob Tracy (Frankfort) – No. 32 mechanic
• Patrick McGarey (Prestonberg) – No. 32 transport driver
• David Colognesi (Owensboro) – No. 27 front tire carrier
• Buddy Jarvis (Central City) – No. 27 rear tire carrier
• David Green (Owensboro) – No. 5 spotter
• Bryan Horseman (Louisville) – No. 27 pit support
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
The Other Busch Brother: Kurt Looking For Rebound
Kurt Busch is a former (2004) NASCAR Sprint Cup champion but comes into Michigan mired in 21st, in series points. His struggles this season contrast sharply with the 2008 success of his younger brother Kyle, who leads the series standings.
Michigan looks like a place where the elder Busch might recapture his form, especially coming off an encouraging eighth-place run at Pocono. Busch has two MIS victories, including last August's event
There's also an intangible to consider, when assessing the chances of Busch or his Penske Racing South teammates at MIS. Read on.
Penske Connection Always To Be Considered At Michigan
There is no more appropriate track for Penske Racing to win at, than Michigan International Speedway. After all, team owner Roger Penske used to be the track's owner.
In recent years, the "Penske Connection" has surfaced. Kurt Busch won last August at MIS; Ryan Newman won in 2003 and '04. Now-retired Rusty Wallace won three times in Penske cars. The total of six victories is fourth all-time for owners at MIS (tied with Robert Yates)
Roush Rules at Michigan
Roush Fenway Racing drivers have won six times this decade at Michigan, in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. Overall, owner Jack Roush has 10 wins at MIS, second-all-time, behind only the legendary Wood Brothers.
Roush Fenway's Carl Edwards is the defending champion in Sunday's event.
Chase Contention: Point Battles Throughout the Top 15
This past Sunday's race at Pocono made things pretty interesting, so say the least.
First, the battle for the overall point lead tightened up. Point leader Kyle Busch finished last at Pocono, and saw his lead over second-place Jeff Burton cut from 142 points to only 21 points.
Then, there's the battle for the coveted 12th-place spot in the series standings, a fight that's become a three-driver battle royal.
Tony Stewart (12th), David Ragan (13th) and Ryan Newman (14th) are all within 10 points of each other. Two-time series champion Stewart dropped a position after a 35th place finish at Pocono – and suddenly seems in danger of missing the Chase.
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES
Close Competition Personified
Brad Keselowski's win at Nashville was the first of his career in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and made him the second series regular (joining Scott Wimmer) to win this season.
The point battle is tighter than ever. Second through fourth – David Reutimann through Keselowski – are separated by only 24 points.
Kentucky Has Reputation For Surprises
Kentucky is becoming known as a track where names are made. Two years ago David Gilliland launched his national series career with an improbable victory. Last year, Stephen Leicht won his first career race in the series, holding off another young up-and-coming driver, Brad Coleman. The track has never had a repeat winner or repeat pole winner so another new name could come to the forefront.
Green Helps New Team Grow
Veteran Mark Green, a native of Owensboro, Ky., is known for using his expertise to assist in driver and organization growth. From spotting to practicing and qualifying as he did last year at Memphis for race winner David Reutimann – who credited Green for the win – to working with his current team, ML Motorsports in its planning for full-time status, Green is an integral piece of the puzzle.
ML Motorsports is based in Warsaw, Ind., and owned by the mother-daughter tandem of Mary Louis Miller and Stephany Mullen. Green has registered the team's best results of its three-year series history. He was fifth at Talladega – tying his career-best finish set in 1997; he started fourth at Richmond – his best start since 2002 – and logged a top-15 finish last week at Nashville. He's had to qualify on time in each of his seven races this year and will have to do the same in six of the next seven events that the team will enter.
Up-And-Comers Showing Their Mettle
Ten drivers age 24 and under are entered at Kentucky and nearly all have registered career-bests this season. Brad Keselowski captured his first win. Kelly Bires, 23, posted his first top five while Cale Gale, also 23, landed his first top 10. Chase Miller, 21, running a limited schedule, was eighth at Darlington. Steve Wallace, 21, had consecutive top fives at Richmond and Darlington. Joey Logano, 18, won his first pole last week and has a top-10 finish in his first two races. Landon Cassill, 18, had his first top 10 last week. Bryan Clauson, 18 (who turns 19 on Sunday) was sixth at Daytona. James Buescher, 18, was 15th in his first career start at Phoenix. Only Brad Coleman, 20, has yet to better any of his career numbers yet this year but he does have one top-10 finish along with four top-10 starting positions; Coleman's career-best finish came last year where he was second.
Series-Only Regulars Have History of Stand-Alone Success
Despite the experience of numerous double-duty drivers, series-only regulars often make the most of their opportunities during stand-alone season.
At Nashville, Joey Logano won his first pole in only his second race while Brad Keselowski won his first career race. Last year at Kentucky, Regan Smith (pole) and Stephen Leicht (race) turned the trick while at the final stand-alone of 2007 at Memphis, Marcos Ambrose captured his first series pole and David Reutimann won the first race of his series career. In 2006, it was Aric Almirola (pole) and Paul Menard (race) at Milwaukee and in 2005 Reed Sorenson won his first race and first pole at the spring Nashville event.
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
Classic Battle For Championship Ongoing
The 2008 season could be the series' most competitive ever. The championship lead has changed four times in the most recent four races. The past three races have seen three different leaders. Ron Hornaday Jr. moved from third to first with his win last week at Texas. Previous leader Rick Crawford dropped from first to sixth.
Michigan Native Benson Is Back Home – And Back In Contention
Johnny Benson scored his first series victory at Michigan International Speedway in 2006. He's quietly moved into title contention – from ninth to third – in the past five races. This week's Cool City Customs 200 might be the key to the Grand Rapids native's rise to No. 1.
Another Michigan Native, Sprague, Chasing Fourth Series Title
Jack Sprague also is a solid championship contender as the new member of Kevin Harvick Inc.'s two-champion team. Sprague, from Spring Lake, stands fifth after his fourth-place finish in Texas and only 71 points behind teammate Ron Hornaday Jr. who leads the points battle. Sprague finished 10th in his past two Michigan starts. Having finished second to Hornaday in Kansas and to first time winner Scott Speed at Dover, he's hungry to put his team in Victory Lane for the first time in 2008.
Former Champions At The Front
As the season's longest stretch of races on consecutive weeks rolls on (this is number five of seven), veterans appear to be taking charge. Four former series champions, led by Hornaday, are among the top seven in current point standings. History says the Michigan winner will be a veteran. The track has yet to produce a rookie winner.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Race Recap: Kahne Wins Pocono 500
Polesitter Kasey Kahne recovered from missing lug nuts that dropped him to the back of the field -- and weathered myriad strategic ploys from his rivals -- to win Sunday's Pocono 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway.
The victory was Kahne's second of the season and the ninth of his career in 158 starts, but it wasn't as easy as Kahne's 3.702-second margin of victory over Brian Vickers might suggest.
After a restart on Lap 182 of the 200-lap event, Kahne passed Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Lap 183 and Vickers on Lap 185 to take the lead for the final time.
Denny Hamlin ran third, followed by Earnhardt and Jeff Burton, who trimmed the series points lead of 43rd-place finisher Kyle Busch to 21 points. Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and Mark Martin completed the top 10.
Kahne is riding a wave of momentum that dates to the May 17 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. After Kahne failed to qualify for the event, fans voted him in. Kahne made the most of the opportunity and won the race. Eight days later he won his first points race of the season, the Coca-Cola 600.
"The fans gave (momentum) to us in the all-star race when they gave us that boost," Kahne said. "It's done a tremendous amount for our confidence in the last month."
It gave Kahne and his No. 9 Dodge crew enough presence of mind to recover from a snafu in the pits on Lap 58. Crew chief Kenny Francis changed his call from a four-tire to a two-tire pit stop under caution, but the front tire changer didn’t pick up on the change and removed three lug nuts from the left front before Kahne left the pits.
Kahne had to pit again a lap later to replace the lug nuts and fell to 38th in the running order for a restart on Lap 64. With the race's dominant car and excellent subsequent performance in the pits, Kahne worked his way back to sixth by the halfway point. On Lap 116, he passed teammate Elliott Sadler for third.
With both Earnhardt and Vickers on fuel-mileage strategies, Francis kept Kahne on a normal cycle of pit stops and let the strength of the No. 9 car make the difference.
Because of the fuel-mileage ploy, Vickers' tires were 10 laps older than Kahne's at the finish, and Vickers thought that was the critical issue.
"I'm so proud of our guys," said Vickers, who gave Red Bull Racing its best finish in the Cup series. "We needed tires. He (Kahne) had a lot newer tires, and that’s all we needed. We had a great car."
Hamlin, who won both Pocono races from the pole in 2006, had a run on Vickers soon after the final restart but couldn’t make the pass.
"I got to the 83 (Vickers), but as soon as we got there, he moved down into our line, and we couldn't make any headway," Hamlin said.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Brad Kelslowki wins the Federated autoparts 200 his first NASCAR Nationwide win
After narrowly missing victories on multiple occasions this season, Brad Keselowski claimed his first career NASCAR Nationwide Series win on Saturday night at Nashville Superspeedway, taking the lead from points leader Clint Bowyer with five laps remaining in the Federated Auto Parts 300.
Keselowski led early in the event, staying on track on Lap 79 when then-leader Joey Logano led other lead-lap cars down pit road. That set the stage for the evening, putting Keselowski on a different pit strategy than most of the leaders. With his counterparts opting to make their final stop of the night with 77 laps remaining, Keselowski, under the guidance of crew chief Tony Eury Sr., made his final stop of the night 41 laps from the finish.
It initially appeared that David Reutimann would run away with the race (though he was pushing it on fuel mileage), but a caution flag fell with just 10 laps remaining after Brad Teague spun off of Turn 2. That bunched the field back up behind Reutimann for a restart on Lap 217 of 225.
On that restart, Reutimann was ambushed by Bowyer and Kyle Busch. Bowyer took the lead after contact with Reutimann but only temporarily, as Keselowski dropped his No. 88 Chevrolet to the inside of Bowyer's No. 2, taking the position.
"That's what we needed to catch back up to the 99 (Reutimann)," Keselowski said. "For some reason, David didn't go. I got behind him, took the air off of him and the next thing I knew I got by David and next was taking on Clint," Keselowski said.
"I feel like I paid some dues," he added after hoisting his first NASCAR Nationwide Series trophy, which came in the form of a Gibson Guitar.
"To catch that break like I did with Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. and this Navy Chevrolet, it vindicates it. I've got a team that just keeps getting better every week, and I keep getting better every week. I felt like this was just a matter of time."
As Keselowski drove towards the checkered flag, things got dicey behind him. Reutimann continued to get pushed around, as he dropped back to third as David Stremme slid into the second position.
Bowyer also had contact with Stremme, dropping him to fourth at the finish.
David Ragan closed out the top five finishers.
Reutimann, Bowyer, Ragan, Busch, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Jason Leffler all flew to Nashville to compete in Saturday's race after taking part in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa. Busch finished the second leg of his historic attempt at a “triple,” competing in his second national series race in as many days. Pocono represents the third and final segment.
Polesitter Logano led 64 laps in what marked his second series event. The early favorite to win, the 18-year-old was the victim of a four-wide race through Turn 4 on Lap 89. His No. 20 Toyota got clipped by Greg Biffle's Ford, sending him sideways into Busch's machine before shooting up track and into the outside wall. He ended the event 31st.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Race Recap: Ron Hornaday Jr. Beats Texas Jinx, Wins Sam's Town 400
Texas (June 6, 2008) -- Ron Hornaday Jr. made one of his trademark masterful restarts on a green-white-checkered flag restart and kept Kyle Busch in his mirrors for the final two laps to win the Sam's Town 400 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Friday at Texas Motor Speedway.
Busch started at the back of the 35-truck field after missing Thursday's qualifying and practice sessions. He flew to Fort Worth after qualifying Friday for the Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa.
For the next-to-last restart on Lap 157, Busch was fourth, the highest he'd been to that point in the race. He darted to the inside to pass Jack Sprague's Chevrolet in Turn 1 and went past Johnny Benson's Toyota on the backstretch to move up to second.
Hornaday had a comfortable lead over Busch, but an accident involving Scott Speed and Marc Mitchell sent the race, scheduled for 167 laps on the 1.5-mile track, into overtime.
"I wanted to win this race so bad and Kyle got up there," Hornaday said.
On the final restart, Hornaday's Chevrolet hugged the inside, as the driver of the No. 33 put his left-front wheel next to the grass exiting Turn 4, to take away the move Busch had used to overtake Sprague.
"I think maybe he (Busch) spun the tires," Hornaday said. "We were having some problems in Turn 2 and we got the truck up on the high side to get through there."
Busch's Toyota closed up on Hornaday's bumper on the backstretch, but never was able to get alongside.
Hornaday won by .283 seconds, about two truck lengths.
“I drove my heart out,” Hornaday said. “I wanted to win this race bad. I won Texas, woo-hoo! But it was a team victory.”
It was Hornaday's first win at Texas in 11 starts, his second of the season and the 35th of his CTS career. Hornaday moved into the points lead by 45 over Matt Crafton, who finished seventh.
Hornaday led 140 of 172 laps, including the last 57.
Busch climbed into the top 10 in 70 laps, but needed another 50 to get into the top five.
"The truck was terrible at the beginning," Busch said. "It was absolute junk. We had about an 11th place truck at the start and got it to about an eighth-place truck."
J.R. Norris practiced and qualified Busch's Toyota.
"J.R. and the guys did what they could do, but nobody drives like I do," Busch said. "It's hard to find a guy to set it up how I like it. We finished second for (owner) Billy Ballew. That's what matters most."
Benson finished third, followed by Sprague and Todd Bodine. Hornaday reclaimed the points lead by 45 over Matt Crafton, who finished seventh
This weekend's picks!
Here we go!!!! For the Truck race winner will be Chad Mcumbee for the first time in his career. In the Nationwide series Brad Kelslowki will be the winner for the first time in his career. And in the cup series the winner for the 18th time in his career will be DALE EARNHARDT JR!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
‘In The Loop’ At Pocono Raceway
Frequent Flyer: Busch Attempts Unprecedented Triple Duty
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 4, 2008) – Kyle Busch looks to make NASCAR history this weekend.
Busch, the points leader in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, will attempt a NASCAR first – racing in three national series, at three different tracks, in the same weekend.
His busy itinerary will take him to Texas Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, Nashville Superspeedway for the NASCAR Nationwide Series race and Pocono Raceway for the NASCAR Sprint Cup event.
The next question – can he be the first to sweep all three races in the same weekend?
If Busch did win all three, he’d be the first to do so – period. It’s never been done at the same track on a companion weekend, let alone three different tracks.
The driver to come the closest – Kyle Busch, himself. Last season, during the November Phoenix weekend, Busch won both the NASCAR Craftsman Truck race and the NASCAR Nationwide race, and finished eighth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
There’s certainly a chance. Across the three series, Busch has run 33 races. He has been in first place at some point in the race during 28 of them (though he’s led a lap in 26 of them)
Busch ranks in the top 10 in all key statistical categories in each series:
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Category Stat (Rank)
Avg. Running Pos. 7.8 (1st)
Driver Rating 115.2 (1st)
Fastest Laps Run 351 (2nd)
Laps in the Top 15% 81.9% (1st)
Quality Passes 632 (5th)
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Category Stat (Rank)
Avg. Running Pos. 10.9 (4th)
Driver Rating 110.9 (1st)
Fastest Laps Run 398 (1st)
Laps in the Top 15% 68.4% (7th)
Quality Passes 349 (T 6th)
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Category Stat (Rank)
Avg. Running Pos. 6.8 (1st)
Driver Rating 124.9 (1st)
Fastest Laps Run 213 (1st)
Laps in the Top 15% 85.2% (1st)
Quality Passes 172 (6th)
Across the three series, Busch has a Driver Rating of 117.0. Combining the second-place ratings for each series – which belong to Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer and Ron Hornaday Jr. – the Driver Rating would be 107.2, almost 10 points lower than Busch alone.
One problem, Busch has not enjoyed the best of success at the tracks he’ll race this weekend – he does not have a series win at any of them. Below are his race logs at each track since 2005:
Busch at Pocono in the NSCS (2005-2007)
Date Finish ARP FLR LT15% DR
6/05 4 13.6 3 59.7% 96.8
7/05 39 18 0 57.6% 71.5
6/06 22 12.3 3 83.0% 85.8
7/06 12 22.8 1 34.0% 83.6
6/07 8 6.8 1 96.2% 106.8
8/07 12 21.4 8 20.0% 77.2
Total 16.2 15.8 16 55.2% 87.0
ARP: Average Running Position
FLR: Fastest Laps Run
LT15%: Percentage of Laps in the Top 15
DR: Driver Rating
Busch at Nashville in the NNS (2006-2007)
Date Finish ARP FLR LT15% DR
4/06 30 13.6 2 64% 80.1
6/06 31 29.5 1 0.4% 53.2
3/08 16 6.3 68 73.3% 128.6
Total 25.7 16.5 71 45.9% 87.3
Busch at Texas in the NCTS (2005-2007)
Date Finish ARP FLR LT15% DR
11/05 3 3.2 13 98.6% 122.6
11/06 2 6.5 5 99.3% 113
11/07 29 16.5 18 46.3% 108.7
Total 11.3 8.7 36 81.3% 114.8
Loop Data Defined: NASCAR statistics generated from electronic scoring loops embedded around each track hosting races in NASCAR’s three national series – the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 4, 2008) – Kyle Busch looks to make NASCAR history this weekend.
Busch, the points leader in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, will attempt a NASCAR first – racing in three national series, at three different tracks, in the same weekend.
His busy itinerary will take him to Texas Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, Nashville Superspeedway for the NASCAR Nationwide Series race and Pocono Raceway for the NASCAR Sprint Cup event.
The next question – can he be the first to sweep all three races in the same weekend?
If Busch did win all three, he’d be the first to do so – period. It’s never been done at the same track on a companion weekend, let alone three different tracks.
The driver to come the closest – Kyle Busch, himself. Last season, during the November Phoenix weekend, Busch won both the NASCAR Craftsman Truck race and the NASCAR Nationwide race, and finished eighth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
There’s certainly a chance. Across the three series, Busch has run 33 races. He has been in first place at some point in the race during 28 of them (though he’s led a lap in 26 of them)
Busch ranks in the top 10 in all key statistical categories in each series:
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Category Stat (Rank)
Avg. Running Pos. 7.8 (1st)
Driver Rating 115.2 (1st)
Fastest Laps Run 351 (2nd)
Laps in the Top 15% 81.9% (1st)
Quality Passes 632 (5th)
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Category Stat (Rank)
Avg. Running Pos. 10.9 (4th)
Driver Rating 110.9 (1st)
Fastest Laps Run 398 (1st)
Laps in the Top 15% 68.4% (7th)
Quality Passes 349 (T 6th)
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Category Stat (Rank)
Avg. Running Pos. 6.8 (1st)
Driver Rating 124.9 (1st)
Fastest Laps Run 213 (1st)
Laps in the Top 15% 85.2% (1st)
Quality Passes 172 (6th)
Across the three series, Busch has a Driver Rating of 117.0. Combining the second-place ratings for each series – which belong to Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer and Ron Hornaday Jr. – the Driver Rating would be 107.2, almost 10 points lower than Busch alone.
One problem, Busch has not enjoyed the best of success at the tracks he’ll race this weekend – he does not have a series win at any of them. Below are his race logs at each track since 2005:
Busch at Pocono in the NSCS (2005-2007)
Date Finish ARP FLR LT15% DR
6/05 4 13.6 3 59.7% 96.8
7/05 39 18 0 57.6% 71.5
6/06 22 12.3 3 83.0% 85.8
7/06 12 22.8 1 34.0% 83.6
6/07 8 6.8 1 96.2% 106.8
8/07 12 21.4 8 20.0% 77.2
Total 16.2 15.8 16 55.2% 87.0
ARP: Average Running Position
FLR: Fastest Laps Run
LT15%: Percentage of Laps in the Top 15
DR: Driver Rating
Busch at Nashville in the NNS (2006-2007)
Date Finish ARP FLR LT15% DR
4/06 30 13.6 2 64% 80.1
6/06 31 29.5 1 0.4% 53.2
3/08 16 6.3 68 73.3% 128.6
Total 25.7 16.5 71 45.9% 87.3
Busch at Texas in the NCTS (2005-2007)
Date Finish ARP FLR LT15% DR
11/05 3 3.2 13 98.6% 122.6
11/06 2 6.5 5 99.3% 113
11/07 29 16.5 18 46.3% 108.7
Total 11.3 8.7 36 81.3% 114.8
Loop Data Defined: NASCAR statistics generated from electronic scoring loops embedded around each track hosting races in NASCAR’s three national series – the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series News and Notes - Pocono
Momentum Means All: Expect Gordon In The Mix At Pocono
While the first four months of the 2007 and 2008 season may be known The Tale Of Two Starts for Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet), Sunday’s Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway could find the four-time series champion in the same place — Victory Lane.
A year ago, Gordon arrived at Pocono having led the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings for nine consecutive weeks. He departed with his fourth victory of 2007, still firmly out front.
This year has been anything except a continuation.
Gordon began 2008 with a 39th-place finish in the Daytona 500 and has yet to win, clawing through the standings toward Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup eligibility (the top 12 in series points).
But recent performances may portend big things.
Gordon has jumped from 14th to sixth in the last four weeks. He returns to Pocono as the defending race champion and with momentum after last week’s fifth-place finish at Dover International Speedway.
Gordon has four wins, two poles, 15 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes in 30 career starts at Pocono. He also ranks third in NASCAR Loop Data’s pre-race Driver Rating for Pocono (97.5) behind Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota) at 133.1 and Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota) at 103.2.
Historic Triple: Kyle Busch Ready For Three Races, Three Tracks
Three tracks. Three states. Three national series.
In three days. With three different teams.
That’s Kyle Busch’s (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota) assignment as he prepares to compete in Friday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Texas Motor Speedway, Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide event at Nashville Superspeedway and Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Pocono Raceway.
Assuming no travel or weather gremlins, Busch will become the first driver to compete in all three NASCAR national series on the same weekend at different tracks.
And that’s after participating in Wednesday’s fourth annual Old Spice Prelude to the Dream at Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway — a Victory Junction Gang Camp fundraiser hosted by track owner and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Tony Stewart.
And a Thursday sponsor appearance.
At Nashville, Busch will drive the No. 32 Toyota for Braun Racing. At Texas, he’ll drive the No. 51 Toyota for Billy Ballew Motorsports. Due to travel, he’ll participate in only one qualifying session, Friday at Pocono. Tennessee native Willie Allen will sub for him at Nashville and J.R. Norris will step in at Texas, both taking Busch’s seat during qualifying and practices for those series’ events.
In The Loop: Hamlin The One To Catch At Pocono
Denny Hamlin loves Pocono Raceway.
Right off the bat, he had the track figured out – not an easy accomplishment, considering Pocono’s degree of difficulty and the unique layout.
In Hamlin’s rookie year of 2006, he won the pole and the race in each of his visits to the 2.5-mile track. In his second race there, he scored a near-perfect Driver Rating of 149.0 (a perfect rating is 150.0).
In his four races, Hamlin holds series-highs in a number of statistical categories: Driver Rating (133.1), Average Running Position (4.6) and Laps in the Top 15 percentage (93.9%). He also ranks second in Fastest Laps Run with 172.
But lately, if it hasn’t been Hamlin at Pocono, it’s been Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge).
Busch has two wins and two second-place finishes over his last five Pocono races. In both his wins, Busch scored a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0.
In his previous six Pocono races, Busch has notched a Driver Rating of 116.6 (second-best), an Average Running Position of 7.4 (second), a series-high 207 Fastest Laps Run and has spent 82.9% of the Laps in the Top 15.
Also watch for Tony Stewart’s luck to change.
His chances of victory were destroyed early at Dover, but Pocono has treated him kinder in recent years. Over the past six races there, Stewart has a Driver Rating of 103.2 (third-best), an Average Running Position of 10.5 (fourth), 36 Fastest Laps Run (tied for sixth), a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 79.2% (fourth) and a series-high 266 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green).
One wild card this weekend is also a driver who is aiming to get back into the top 12.
Ryan Newman (No. 12 Kodak Dodge), currently in 14th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, could charge into the top 12 with a win at Pocono – a feat that’s not out of the question.
Since 2005 at Pocono, Newman has a Driver Rating of 101.9 (fourth) and an Average Running Position of 8.6 (third).
Chasing The Chase: Kahne Clings to 12th, Surging Ragan and Kenseth Not Far Behind
A strenuous summer schedule stands between NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers and the Sept. 6 cut-off event for Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup eligibility, but it’s never too early to tally points.
Three drivers in particular cling to momentum as the series heads for Sunday’s Pocono 500, the season’s 14th event (the cut-off race at Richmond International Raceway is the 26th).
Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge) currently is 12th, in the final Chase-eligible spot. He leads 13th-place David Ragan (No. 6 AAA Insurance Ford) by only eight points.
Former series champion Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford) remains 16th for a second consecutive week, but trails 15th-place Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) by only 12 points, as opposed to 27 last week.
Kenseth has climbed from 22nd to 16th in three weeks, helped by three consecutive top-10 finishes (the latest, a fourth, last Sunday at Dover). Attempting to rebound from a difficult start, he’s one of only two drivers to compete in every Chase since the format’s 2004 inception.
He trails the 12th-place Kahne by 95 points.
Ragan, a second-year driver, broke into the top 12 for the first time three weeks ago, following the season’s 11th event, at Darlington Raceway. He’s fallen back a spot since, but remains on Kahne’s trail. Kahne, who spent the season’s first eight weeks in the top 12 before falling out during the month of May, re-entered the top 12 after his May 25 victory in the Coca-Cola 600.
Carl Edwards The Guest On This Week’s NASCAR Teleconference
On The Line: Carl Edwards, fielded media questions during Tuesday’s weekly session:
On Racing At Eldora Speedway: “Last year I don't think anybody expected Kyle Busch to run as well as he did. And I think a lot of people were nervous that Jeff (Gordon) wasn't going to run that well. But then those two guys ended up being the guys that I had to beat to win the thing.”
On Last Week’s Pocono Test: “I went into that Pocono test with a pretty open mind. I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't think this new car would run that well through all the different types of corners. I just thought it would be a lot tougher to drive than it was.
“So I was pleased with how well the car ran. The one thing that I didn't expect and that I think everyone is going to work with all day at the racetrack will be in the last corner, they paved a big strip around that corner. Everybody was trying running on the new pavement, which was way up high, versus the low line where generally we run.”
On Kyle Busch’s Historic “Triple”: “It is just fun. To show up at a race track and jump out of a jet and fly in a helicopter and then jump in a screaming-fast race car, that's every racer's dream to have a reason to go do all that stuff. It is really neat. It is just a really fun time.
"Logistically it is tougher. But physically it is not any tougher than running a regular weekend. It is mostly just added fun.”
For the complete transcript, visit www.nascarmedia.com.
The Top 35: Waltrip Holds On To 35th; The No. 22 Continues Its Climb
For the second consecutive week, the No. 55 NAPA Toyota owned and driven by Michael Waltrip is 35th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner standings.
Each week, the top 35 teams are guaranteed starting spots, with those outside the top 35 required to qualify on time
This week, the No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge owned by Roger Penske and driven by Sam Hornish Jr., made the biggest jump forward — from 36th to 33rd thanks to an 18th-place finish at Dover.
At the other end of the spectrum, another Michael Waltrip Racing car, the No. 00 Waltrip Racing Toyota owned by Rob Kauffman and driven by Michael McDowell, dropped three spots to 34th in the owner standings thanks to McDowell’s 30th-place finish at Dover.
In 36th is the No. 66 State Water Heaters Chevrolet owned by Joe Custer and driven by Scott Riggs. It dropped two spots, and out of top-35 eligibility, after Sunday’s 39th-place finish. Earlier last week, the No. 66 and its sister team, the No. 70 Haas Automation Chevrolet, were penalized 150 owner points each for inspection infractions two weeks ago at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. That penalty dropped the No. 66 from 24th to 34th prior to last Sunday at Dover.
Meanwhile, the No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota owned by Bill Davis and driven by Dave Blaney continues its top-35 success story.
Five points events and six weeks ago, the No. 22 was 39th in the owner standings following the season’s ninth race, at Talladega Superspeedway.
But Blaney’s second top-10 finish in three weeks (he was ninth last Sunday at Dover) helped him gain three more spots in the owner standings. The No. 22 now is 30th heading to Pocono — a gain of nine spots over the past month and a half.
Pennsylvania Natives In The Garage
Three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew chiefs lead a sizeable group of team members who will return to their home state this weekend.
They are: Pat Tryson, who hails from Malvern and oversees the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, Greg Erwin, who hails from Hatboro and oversees the No. 16 3M Ford and Bob Osborne, who hails from Chester and oversees the No. 99 AFLAC Ford.
Other Pennsylvanians include:
Darin Nestlerode (Jersey Shore) – No. 31 car chief; Billy Curwood (Shickshinny) – No. 42 engineer; Travis Geisler (Pittsburgh) – No. 12 engineer and Dave Littau (Pottsville) – No. 2 front-tire carrier.
Several teams boast multiple Pennsylvania natives, including the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet with engine tuner Danny Emerick (Byrn Mawr) and tire specialist Sean Kerlin (Marysville).
The No. 19 Stanley Tools Dodge has three, with engine tuner Stephen Ritchie (Jonestown), tire specialist Toby Mellott (Needmore) and front-tire changer Terry Spaulding (Troy).
The No. 88 Natonal Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet has four — No. 88 transporter driver Dave Radney (Canton), spotter T.J. Majors (Wampum) and gas man Chris Fasulka (Wilkes-Barre) and front-tire carrier Matt Myers (Ford City).
The No. 41 Target Dodge has two — pit-crew coach Lance Munksgard (Warre) and tire specialist Mike Motil (Hazelton).
The No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota also has two — spotter Tom Mayerchek (Sharon) and scorer Gina Mayerchek (Sharon).
Other Pennsylvania natives: Jason Seitzinger (Shartlesville) – No. 24 shock specialist; Jim Bender (Duryea) – No. 9 tire specialist; Mike Harrold (York) – No. 10 tire specialist; Steve Brown (Honesdale) – No. 29 tire specialist; Kevin Hebert (New Holland) – No. 77 rear-tire changer; Troy Welty (Manchester) – No. 07 windshield/driver support; Brad Little (New Kensington) – No. 99 driver support; Josh Kirk (Chambersburg) – No. 5 mechanic/rear-tire changer and Scott Crowell (Towanda) – No. 20 second gas man.
Up Next: The LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway
Next on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule is the LifeLock 400 on Sunday, June 15 at Michigan International Speedway. It’s the 15th of 36 races on the 2008 schedule.
Carl Edwards won last June at Michigan, snapping what was then a 52-race winless streak.
J.J. Yeley (No. 96 DLP HDTV Toyota) is the defending pole winner.
Three-time series champion David Pearson leads all drivers with nine victories and 10 poles at Michigan. Two-time series champion Bill Elliott (No. 21 U.S. Air Force Ford) leads all active drivers with seven wins and six poles there.
The Race: Pocono 500
The Place: Pocono Raceway
The Date: Sunday, June 8
The Time: 2 p.m. (ET)
The Track: 2.5-mile triangle
The Distance: 500 miles/200 laps
TV: TNT, 12:30 p.m. (ET)
Radio: MRN, SIRIUS Satellite Radio
2007 Winner: Jeff Gordon
2007 Polesitter: Ryan Newman
2008 Points
Rk Driver Points
1 Kyle Busch 2,050
2 Jeff Burton 1,908
3 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1,779
4 Carl Edwards 1,713
5 Greg Biffle 1,658
6 Jeff Gordon 1,646
7 Jimmie Johnson 1,644
8 Clint Bowyer 1,633
9 Denny Hamlin 1,630
10 Kevin Harvick 1,566
11 Tony Stewart 1,551
12 Kasey Kahne 1,524
Pre-Race Schedule: Friday—Practice, noon-1:30 p.m.; Qualifying, 3:40 p.m.; Saturday — Practice, 10-10:45 a.m., Final Practice, 11:20 a.m.-12:20 p.m.
Track Contact: Bob Pleban, (570) 646-2300; bpleban@poconoraceway.com
While the first four months of the 2007 and 2008 season may be known The Tale Of Two Starts for Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet), Sunday’s Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway could find the four-time series champion in the same place — Victory Lane.
A year ago, Gordon arrived at Pocono having led the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings for nine consecutive weeks. He departed with his fourth victory of 2007, still firmly out front.
This year has been anything except a continuation.
Gordon began 2008 with a 39th-place finish in the Daytona 500 and has yet to win, clawing through the standings toward Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup eligibility (the top 12 in series points).
But recent performances may portend big things.
Gordon has jumped from 14th to sixth in the last four weeks. He returns to Pocono as the defending race champion and with momentum after last week’s fifth-place finish at Dover International Speedway.
Gordon has four wins, two poles, 15 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes in 30 career starts at Pocono. He also ranks third in NASCAR Loop Data’s pre-race Driver Rating for Pocono (97.5) behind Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota) at 133.1 and Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota) at 103.2.
Historic Triple: Kyle Busch Ready For Three Races, Three Tracks
Three tracks. Three states. Three national series.
In three days. With three different teams.
That’s Kyle Busch’s (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota) assignment as he prepares to compete in Friday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Texas Motor Speedway, Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide event at Nashville Superspeedway and Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Pocono Raceway.
Assuming no travel or weather gremlins, Busch will become the first driver to compete in all three NASCAR national series on the same weekend at different tracks.
And that’s after participating in Wednesday’s fourth annual Old Spice Prelude to the Dream at Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway — a Victory Junction Gang Camp fundraiser hosted by track owner and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Tony Stewart.
And a Thursday sponsor appearance.
At Nashville, Busch will drive the No. 32 Toyota for Braun Racing. At Texas, he’ll drive the No. 51 Toyota for Billy Ballew Motorsports. Due to travel, he’ll participate in only one qualifying session, Friday at Pocono. Tennessee native Willie Allen will sub for him at Nashville and J.R. Norris will step in at Texas, both taking Busch’s seat during qualifying and practices for those series’ events.
In The Loop: Hamlin The One To Catch At Pocono
Denny Hamlin loves Pocono Raceway.
Right off the bat, he had the track figured out – not an easy accomplishment, considering Pocono’s degree of difficulty and the unique layout.
In Hamlin’s rookie year of 2006, he won the pole and the race in each of his visits to the 2.5-mile track. In his second race there, he scored a near-perfect Driver Rating of 149.0 (a perfect rating is 150.0).
In his four races, Hamlin holds series-highs in a number of statistical categories: Driver Rating (133.1), Average Running Position (4.6) and Laps in the Top 15 percentage (93.9%). He also ranks second in Fastest Laps Run with 172.
But lately, if it hasn’t been Hamlin at Pocono, it’s been Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge).
Busch has two wins and two second-place finishes over his last five Pocono races. In both his wins, Busch scored a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0.
In his previous six Pocono races, Busch has notched a Driver Rating of 116.6 (second-best), an Average Running Position of 7.4 (second), a series-high 207 Fastest Laps Run and has spent 82.9% of the Laps in the Top 15.
Also watch for Tony Stewart’s luck to change.
His chances of victory were destroyed early at Dover, but Pocono has treated him kinder in recent years. Over the past six races there, Stewart has a Driver Rating of 103.2 (third-best), an Average Running Position of 10.5 (fourth), 36 Fastest Laps Run (tied for sixth), a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 79.2% (fourth) and a series-high 266 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green).
One wild card this weekend is also a driver who is aiming to get back into the top 12.
Ryan Newman (No. 12 Kodak Dodge), currently in 14th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, could charge into the top 12 with a win at Pocono – a feat that’s not out of the question.
Since 2005 at Pocono, Newman has a Driver Rating of 101.9 (fourth) and an Average Running Position of 8.6 (third).
Chasing The Chase: Kahne Clings to 12th, Surging Ragan and Kenseth Not Far Behind
A strenuous summer schedule stands between NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers and the Sept. 6 cut-off event for Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup eligibility, but it’s never too early to tally points.
Three drivers in particular cling to momentum as the series heads for Sunday’s Pocono 500, the season’s 14th event (the cut-off race at Richmond International Raceway is the 26th).
Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge) currently is 12th, in the final Chase-eligible spot. He leads 13th-place David Ragan (No. 6 AAA Insurance Ford) by only eight points.
Former series champion Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford) remains 16th for a second consecutive week, but trails 15th-place Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) by only 12 points, as opposed to 27 last week.
Kenseth has climbed from 22nd to 16th in three weeks, helped by three consecutive top-10 finishes (the latest, a fourth, last Sunday at Dover). Attempting to rebound from a difficult start, he’s one of only two drivers to compete in every Chase since the format’s 2004 inception.
He trails the 12th-place Kahne by 95 points.
Ragan, a second-year driver, broke into the top 12 for the first time three weeks ago, following the season’s 11th event, at Darlington Raceway. He’s fallen back a spot since, but remains on Kahne’s trail. Kahne, who spent the season’s first eight weeks in the top 12 before falling out during the month of May, re-entered the top 12 after his May 25 victory in the Coca-Cola 600.
Carl Edwards The Guest On This Week’s NASCAR Teleconference
On The Line: Carl Edwards, fielded media questions during Tuesday’s weekly session:
On Racing At Eldora Speedway: “Last year I don't think anybody expected Kyle Busch to run as well as he did. And I think a lot of people were nervous that Jeff (Gordon) wasn't going to run that well. But then those two guys ended up being the guys that I had to beat to win the thing.”
On Last Week’s Pocono Test: “I went into that Pocono test with a pretty open mind. I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't think this new car would run that well through all the different types of corners. I just thought it would be a lot tougher to drive than it was.
“So I was pleased with how well the car ran. The one thing that I didn't expect and that I think everyone is going to work with all day at the racetrack will be in the last corner, they paved a big strip around that corner. Everybody was trying running on the new pavement, which was way up high, versus the low line where generally we run.”
On Kyle Busch’s Historic “Triple”: “It is just fun. To show up at a race track and jump out of a jet and fly in a helicopter and then jump in a screaming-fast race car, that's every racer's dream to have a reason to go do all that stuff. It is really neat. It is just a really fun time.
"Logistically it is tougher. But physically it is not any tougher than running a regular weekend. It is mostly just added fun.”
For the complete transcript, visit www.nascarmedia.com.
The Top 35: Waltrip Holds On To 35th; The No. 22 Continues Its Climb
For the second consecutive week, the No. 55 NAPA Toyota owned and driven by Michael Waltrip is 35th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner standings.
Each week, the top 35 teams are guaranteed starting spots, with those outside the top 35 required to qualify on time
This week, the No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge owned by Roger Penske and driven by Sam Hornish Jr., made the biggest jump forward — from 36th to 33rd thanks to an 18th-place finish at Dover.
At the other end of the spectrum, another Michael Waltrip Racing car, the No. 00 Waltrip Racing Toyota owned by Rob Kauffman and driven by Michael McDowell, dropped three spots to 34th in the owner standings thanks to McDowell’s 30th-place finish at Dover.
In 36th is the No. 66 State Water Heaters Chevrolet owned by Joe Custer and driven by Scott Riggs. It dropped two spots, and out of top-35 eligibility, after Sunday’s 39th-place finish. Earlier last week, the No. 66 and its sister team, the No. 70 Haas Automation Chevrolet, were penalized 150 owner points each for inspection infractions two weeks ago at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. That penalty dropped the No. 66 from 24th to 34th prior to last Sunday at Dover.
Meanwhile, the No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota owned by Bill Davis and driven by Dave Blaney continues its top-35 success story.
Five points events and six weeks ago, the No. 22 was 39th in the owner standings following the season’s ninth race, at Talladega Superspeedway.
But Blaney’s second top-10 finish in three weeks (he was ninth last Sunday at Dover) helped him gain three more spots in the owner standings. The No. 22 now is 30th heading to Pocono — a gain of nine spots over the past month and a half.
Pennsylvania Natives In The Garage
Three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew chiefs lead a sizeable group of team members who will return to their home state this weekend.
They are: Pat Tryson, who hails from Malvern and oversees the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, Greg Erwin, who hails from Hatboro and oversees the No. 16 3M Ford and Bob Osborne, who hails from Chester and oversees the No. 99 AFLAC Ford.
Other Pennsylvanians include:
Darin Nestlerode (Jersey Shore) – No. 31 car chief; Billy Curwood (Shickshinny) – No. 42 engineer; Travis Geisler (Pittsburgh) – No. 12 engineer and Dave Littau (Pottsville) – No. 2 front-tire carrier.
Several teams boast multiple Pennsylvania natives, including the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet with engine tuner Danny Emerick (Byrn Mawr) and tire specialist Sean Kerlin (Marysville).
The No. 19 Stanley Tools Dodge has three, with engine tuner Stephen Ritchie (Jonestown), tire specialist Toby Mellott (Needmore) and front-tire changer Terry Spaulding (Troy).
The No. 88 Natonal Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet has four — No. 88 transporter driver Dave Radney (Canton), spotter T.J. Majors (Wampum) and gas man Chris Fasulka (Wilkes-Barre) and front-tire carrier Matt Myers (Ford City).
The No. 41 Target Dodge has two — pit-crew coach Lance Munksgard (Warre) and tire specialist Mike Motil (Hazelton).
The No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota also has two — spotter Tom Mayerchek (Sharon) and scorer Gina Mayerchek (Sharon).
Other Pennsylvania natives: Jason Seitzinger (Shartlesville) – No. 24 shock specialist; Jim Bender (Duryea) – No. 9 tire specialist; Mike Harrold (York) – No. 10 tire specialist; Steve Brown (Honesdale) – No. 29 tire specialist; Kevin Hebert (New Holland) – No. 77 rear-tire changer; Troy Welty (Manchester) – No. 07 windshield/driver support; Brad Little (New Kensington) – No. 99 driver support; Josh Kirk (Chambersburg) – No. 5 mechanic/rear-tire changer and Scott Crowell (Towanda) – No. 20 second gas man.
Up Next: The LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway
Next on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule is the LifeLock 400 on Sunday, June 15 at Michigan International Speedway. It’s the 15th of 36 races on the 2008 schedule.
Carl Edwards won last June at Michigan, snapping what was then a 52-race winless streak.
J.J. Yeley (No. 96 DLP HDTV Toyota) is the defending pole winner.
Three-time series champion David Pearson leads all drivers with nine victories and 10 poles at Michigan. Two-time series champion Bill Elliott (No. 21 U.S. Air Force Ford) leads all active drivers with seven wins and six poles there.
The Race: Pocono 500
The Place: Pocono Raceway
The Date: Sunday, June 8
The Time: 2 p.m. (ET)
The Track: 2.5-mile triangle
The Distance: 500 miles/200 laps
TV: TNT, 12:30 p.m. (ET)
Radio: MRN, SIRIUS Satellite Radio
2007 Winner: Jeff Gordon
2007 Polesitter: Ryan Newman
2008 Points
Rk Driver Points
1 Kyle Busch 2,050
2 Jeff Burton 1,908
3 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1,779
4 Carl Edwards 1,713
5 Greg Biffle 1,658
6 Jeff Gordon 1,646
7 Jimmie Johnson 1,644
8 Clint Bowyer 1,633
9 Denny Hamlin 1,630
10 Kevin Harvick 1,566
11 Tony Stewart 1,551
12 Kasey Kahne 1,524
Pre-Race Schedule: Friday—Practice, noon-1:30 p.m.; Qualifying, 3:40 p.m.; Saturday — Practice, 10-10:45 a.m., Final Practice, 11:20 a.m.-12:20 p.m.
Track Contact: Bob Pleban, (570) 646-2300; bpleban@poconoraceway.com
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