A few … dozen pics from the truck race at Bristol

It helps if you start at the bottom and then go up.

Toyota dominates O'Reilly 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway

By Jerry Jordan

News/Motorsports Editor

The Examiner Newspaper

After two days of no sleep, I decided after last night’s Craftsman Truck Series O’Reilly 200 race that I would just go to sleep. Sorry, I didn’t update the site but I was exhausted.

By now, most NASCAR fans know that Kyle Busch continued his dominance and on the race with ease. For a while, I thought Jimmie Johnson was going to give his former teammate a run for his money but Johnson lost it on the backstretch. In the end, it was an all-Toyota Top 4.

As I expected the racing was incredible. You couldn’t ask for better action and standing down in Turn 1, you could see the drivers banging their trucks into one another.

As for Busch, he stayed out of the fray for the most part — only getting into one driver that he could remember. But then again, it is easy to stay out of trouble when you are at the head o the field and no one can catch you.

This is what Busch had to say after the race.

“"We just had a great race tonight. It's a lot of fun with Billy Ballew (owner), Richie (Wauters, crew chief) and all these guys. This thing was pretty good when we unloaded it. We just kind of fine-tuned on it a little bit.

“We got into it a little bit with Johnny (Benson) there.  Sorry about that.  I

didn’t even see him come down there.  I got my nose in there, and he was trying to miss a lapped truck, I guess.  Overall, we just wanted to stay up front up all night and keep our nose clean.  To bring this Miccosukee Resorts and NOS Energy Drink Toyota to victory lane is awesome.”

It’s not like this guy needs anymore help but Busch said he learned a little bit from the race that he hopes to use in the Sprint Cup Series Sharpie 500 on Saturday night, as well.

“Some of those guys started off pretty tight and just got tighter.  I started off loose and got a little tight.  I was just a little freer than those guys.  I was a little bit more able to carry my speed better through the corners than they were, and that helped me.  I just got some good restarts and was able to hold them off.

Coming in second behind Busch was Toyota driver Todd Bodine, who admitted that there was no way he could have caught Busch.

“No.  His truck would roll in the center and that’s where he would beat me.  We had that problem in practice.  Unfortunately, it was still there in the race -- we didn’t get it fixed.  I could run with him everywhere except through the middle.  At Bristol, that’s what you have to do -- you have to roll through the middle good.

And the big surprise of the night was former Formula 1 driver Scott Speed, who climbed into the No. 22 Red Bull Toyota Tundra for in his first-ever appearance at Bristol Motor Speedway and came home with a third place finish.

Speed, who takes everything in stride, wasn’t phased by the Roman Coliseum atmosphere of Bristol. He just got in the truck and went out with 35 other driving gladiators and did his job. By the way, he started on the pole. It was cool.  The racing was a lot more difficult than driving in qualifying.  It was great.  Honestly, definitely one of the more

fun tracks, like Michigan, where you can really run two-wide, there are two grooves here.  For short track stuff, this is easily my favorite. I’ve seen it (Bristol) on TV.  Being here is a lot different when you take the car on the track in person.  The banking is more aggressive in person.  It’s just two corners though.  They give me a good truck, like they always do.”

Johnny Benson brought his Toyota Tundra across the finish line in fourth place.

Tonight is an off-night at the track but the action gets started at 8 a.m. CST on Friday and then the Nationwide Series takes to the track that night. The Cup race is on Saturday and everyone is telling me that it is going to be incredible.

That’s about it for now. In a little while, I will be uploading a few photos and a video of the final few laps of last night’s race, so check them out.

Bristol Motor Speedway!!! Enough said

That's right, I am sitting inside the communications center in the infield at the greatest short track on this planet. In about an hour and a half, the Craftsman Truck Series will take to the track and kickoff the triple-header August night racing events here.

I will be posting photos, stories and maybe even some video throughout the weekend, so be sure to keep checking back.

I know i haven't updated for a couple of weeks but to make a long story short — they raced two events at Michigan and Carl Edwards won both of them. The No. 18 and No. 20 teams got caught cheating in the Nationwide Series and seven people have been sent home indefinitely. The schedule came out on Tuesday and there was an alignment shift that took Texas Motor Speedway off of the opening weekend for hunting season. It took the Atlanta race out of the Chase for the Championship and put it on Labor Day. And then Talladega took the seventh spot in the final 10 races while California took the second.

That's it. I want to go walk around and see what this place is all about. I will update later tonight.

Weekly column: Edwards takes checkers at Pocono

I am not sure how he managed to pull it off, but Tony Stewart finished in second place this weekend at Pocono behind Carl Edwards.

Edwards and Jimmie Johnson had dominated the race all day, so to see Stewart at the front was a surprise. Another surprise was that Stewart’s teammate Kyle Busch finished the race so poorly.

Apparently, that team was trying some new stuff on the car and ran really well until the last lap when Busch sped into the pits and stalled his car while trying to leave. He got a penalty for his entry, which cost him a lap, and he was relegated to 36th position. Did I mention that he came into the pits in fifth place?

The blunder cost the Sprint Cup Championship leader a ton of points over second-place contender Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Honestly, while the racing was OK at Pocono this past weekend, I really enjoyed watching the Nationwide Series race from Canada. The rain tires were awesome, and it added a dimension to the sport that has only once before been seen. Would I want to see the guys run in the rain every week? No. But that would be impractical anyway. The fact that NASCAR actually allowed it to happen was a shock. Overall, I think it was an excellent experiment for the Nationwide guys. But don’t go expecting to see rain tires in the Sprint Cup garage this weekend at Watkin’s Glen.

As the top series heads to the final road course event of the season, NASCAR has already said that racing in the rain is only a consideration for the Nationwide Series.

Oh, yeah. Say adios to Mexico. After this year’s dismal attendance and the extreme cost associated with taking the Nationwide Series teams to Mexico, NASCAR is saying hasta-la-bye-bye to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Honestly, I think it had something to do with the professionals at NASCAR being outnumbered by the professionals at the host hotels. You figure it out.

So, what do we expect this weekend? Well, if there is rain expect the race to be run on Monday or Tuesday.

Oh, yeah. Since it is a road coarse you can also expect to see some less-than-familiar names behind the wheel. Ron Fellows will drive the No. 01 DEI car — Regan Smith will jump to the No. 81 and continue his quest for the Rookie of the Year title. J.J. Yeley will sit out of the No. 96 Toyota this weekend as P.J. Jones takes over the wheel. Brian Simo will pilot the No. 34 machine for Front Row Motorsports. Max Papis will drive the No. 70 Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet and Boris Said will be in the Mark Simo-owned Ford.

I am hearing that Ryan Newman is the shoo-in to race with Stewart at the newly created Stewart-Haas Racing next season. There has been much speculation about who would be Tony’s teammate and Newman was always at the top of that list. Now, rumors are starting to spread that it is a done deal. I think Newman and Stewart would make a great team. The fact that Stewart is the most recent past champion’s provisional helps him make the first six races. Add to that the ability of Newman to get his car on the pole more than any other driver and you have a pretty good shot of getting both Stewart-Haas cars in the race.

In case you missed it last week’s big story was Goodyear’ screw-up at Indianapolis. Well, a week after providing NASCAR teams with the worst tires imaginable for one of the biggest races of the year, the company is promising to do better. Goodyear released a laundry list of things that it will do in the future to ensure that tires are safe and provide for good racing, but will they live up to it? I mean, think about it. How many times have we heard this in the past?

At least once a year Goodyear’s race tires suck. They affect the outcome of the race and, in some cases, put the drivers in harm’s way. That was certainly the case at Indianapolis, where NASCAR had to throw a caution flag every 12 laps to keep drivers from blowing tires. This should be a no-brainer. It is time for Goodyear to put up or shut up. If they can’t provide a tire that can handle the racing action, then they need to get out of the sport. I am a big proponent of buying from companies that sponsor NASCAR, but my car doesn’t have Goodyear tires on it. Does yours? If they can’t get it right for guys whose lives depend on having the ultimate in quality and safety, what makes anyone think that their street tires are any better? When Goodyear proves that it can go an entire season without a tire issue, then maybe they will sell an extra set of Eagles.

That’s it for this week. If you like road course action then definitely watch this week’s race from Watkin’s Glen. And check www.kickinthetires.net for updates all weekend.

Busy with Tropical Storm Edouard

Sorry, I have not posted. I have been busy monitoring Tropical Storm Edouard. I will have something up later in the week.

Racing in the rain … in Canada

The Nationwide Series is in Canada and it's raining. I will post more info when I get it.

I'm still burned up about tires

I just can't help it. I am still ticked off beyond words about the pitiful situation that NASCAR and Goodyear tried to call racing this past weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As I stated previously, next to Daytona and maybe Talladega, Indy is like the Holy Grail of NASCAR racing.

The track has so much history and it's sad that the tires used for this year's Brickyard 400 ruined the race.

I will say this, NASCAR has been very contrite and apologetic regarding the tire problem but I have yet to hear a single word from Goodyear. An apology would be nice and if you can't figure out what to say you could always take notes from NASCAR's Robin Pemberton. This is what he had to say:

What a joke - Goodyear sucks

Photo by CIA Stock Photo - Thanks guys!

The race at Indianapolis is one of the Top 5 events of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season and Goodyear ruined it. Start, stop, start, stop … what the hell? The idea behind racing is to go fast, not having to worry about NASCAR throwing a competition caution every 12 laps.

It was just pointed out to me, this race is all about pit stops. And it was pointed out by someone who hates NASCAR, so you can only imagine how I felt watching the race.

I am a race fan and this year's Brickyard 400 was pitiful.

If NASCAR thinks that what we watched on Sunday was RACING then they need to see a shrink. The tires literally disintegrated as the cars went around the track.

This was a big disappointment — the only saving grace was that I wasn't spending my budget by attending the race. Thankfully, I traded this year's Brickyard for the Sharpie 500 at Bristol in August.

No Cup race but Edwards upsets phenom at Gateway

A special thanks to the guys at Sporting News NASCAR. I use their coverage when I can't make it to the race. It's a rare off-weekend for the Sprint Cup Series but next week we are headed to Indianapolis for the Brickyard 400.

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

 

(July 19, 2008)

 

MADISON, Ill. -- It took three days for Carl Edwards to get to Gateway International Speedway from his home in Columbia, Mo. -- on a bicycle.

 

Once at the track, however, Edwards picked up his pace considerably for Saturday night’s Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 Nationwide Series race. In the final 55-lap green-flag run, Edwards’ No. 60 Ford streaked away from the No. 20 Toyota of Joey Logano, taking the checkered flag 6.877 seconds ahead of the 18-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing phenom.

 

“That was unbelievable,” said Edwards, who picked up his second win of the season and the 15th of his career to the delight of a strong contingent of supporters in the grandstands. “It’s unreal. There won’t be a guy tomorrow who has a better day than me. Thank you everybody up in the grandstands. Thanks a lot.”

 

“The 20 car has been great this year. Racing with them has been a challenge, but a fun one.”

 

The No. 20 Camry has nine victories this season with four drivers behind the wheel. Logano accounted for one of the wins, at Kentucky.

 

Jason Keller was third Saturday, posting his best finish since running second at Chicagoland in 2004. Jason Leffler was fourth, followed by Brad Keselowski, who recovered from a late-race accident to finish fifth. Rookie Landon Cassill ran sixth, a career best in the series.

 

Edwards was third for a restart on Lap 146 of the 200-lap race, chasing Leffler and seventh-place finisher James Buescher, both of whom had taken two tires under a caution caused by a wreck involving Keselowski and David Reutimann, who entered the race second and third, respectively, in the series standings.

 

With four new tires, however, Edwards soon ran down the two cars, passing Leffler for the lead on Lap 152. From that point he pulled away.

 

A pileup moments after a restart on Lap 116 wiped out a handful of strong cars and stopped the race for nearly 25 minutes. Scott Wimmer’s No. 29 Chevrolet spun into the Turn 2 wall after a tap from Cassill. The chain-reaction crash that followed also eliminated the cars of defending race winner Reed Sorenson, Mike Bliss and Steve Wallace.

 

“I think I saw the 5 (Cassill) get into somebody,” Bliss said after climbing from his car. “I was just hoping to get through it, but I didn’t.”

 

Cassill, whose Chevy survived the wreck with minimal damage, said side-by-side racing between Wimmer and Sorenson might have been responsible for the accident.

 

“I think the 29 (Wimmer) got a little loose with the 40 (Sorenson) outside of him,” Cassill said. “I didn’t mean to hit him.”

 

Notes: A partial power failure at a neighboring substation in East St. Louis, Ill., caused a brown-out at the speedway, knocking out power to infield facilities and the caution lights surrounding the track. Stadium lights were powered by a backup generator, and the race started on time, but a subsequent partial failure of inside lighting in Turns 1 and 2 prompted NASCAR to call a competition caution on Lap 71 to make sure conditions were safe. ... Series points leader Clint Bowyer finished eighth. ... Polesitter Jamie McMurray fell out with engine trouble after completing 152 laps and finished 27th.

Busch edges by Johnson for seventh win

Here's a race report form Reid Spencer at the Sporting News. 

By Reid Spencer

Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

 

JOLIET, Ill. (July 12, 2008) -- Kyle Busch needs to take a lesson from Yogi Berra.

 

As Busch's crew chief Steve Addington and spotter Jeff Dickerson told their driver on the radio at the end of Saturday night's Lifelock.com 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway, a race, like a baseball game, truly isn't over till it's over -- even if the driver thinks it is.

 

On a restart with two laps remaining in the 267-lap event at the 1.5 mile speedway, Busch roared to the outside of leader Jimmie Johnson and cleared the No. 48 Chevrolet through Turns 3 and 4. On the final lap, Johnson made a run up to the bumper of Busch's No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota but could get no closer, as Busch held off the Lowe's Chevy by .159 seconds at the finish.

 

For Busch, who had radioed, "Race over," after Johnson passed him for the lead under green on Lap 251, the victory was the seventh of the season and the 11th of Busch's Cup career. It also marked the first time since Tim and Fonty Flock strung together four wins in 1955 that brothers have accounted for four straight victories.

 

Kyle won at Infineon Raceway on June 22 to start the streak, with brother Kurt Busch's triumph at New Hampshire preceding Kyle's victories at Daytona and Chicagoland.

 

Kevin Harvick finished third Saturday night, followed by Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart. Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth, David Ragan, Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Newman completed the top 10.

 

"I gave up on it," said Kyle Busch, who doubled up on his Nationwide Series victory from the night before. "I didn't think I could do it. I don't know how I did that. This is just an amazing season. I can't believe it.

 

"I pushed Jimmie Johnson to go (on the restart). I had to go to the outside, because he was going to block the bottom in (Turns) 1 and 2 -- and it stuck up there."

 

Johnson was shocked that Busch was able to overtake him on the restart.

 

"There's no way I thought I couldn't get away from him through (Turns) 1 and 2," Johnson said. "But as soon as he broke the plane of my bumper, I knew I was in trouble, and sure enough, I was. I really wasn't thinking defense. But on a two-lap shootout, the outside always wins."

 

After a restart on Lap 231, Busch, who stretched his Cup points lead to 262 over 16th-place finisher Dale Earnhardt Jr., pulled away to a two-second lead when Newman's Dodge and the lapped car of Travis Kvapil impeded the progress of Johnson and Harvick.

 

Four laps into the run, however, Paul Menard's Chevrolet knocked the bumper cover off Jason Leffler's Chevy to cause the seventh caution of the race, and Johnson stayed with Busch on the restart on Lap 241. Before Johnson could overtake his former Hendrick Motorsports teammate, however, Bobby Labonte's spin off Turn 2 forced NASCAR to throw the yellow flag.

 

Less than three laps into the subsequent restart, Johnson cleared Busch's No. 18 Toyota through Turn 2 and began to pull away.

 

"Race over," Busch radioed to his crew. A few laps later he added, "Anyone ever seen Jimmie Johnson give one up? No."

 

But when David Gilliland's Ford blew its engine on the frontstretch on Lap 262, the field was bunched for a restart on Lap 266, with two laps remaining.

 

Dickerson told Busch before the restart, "You don't have a hair on your ass if you don't go to the outside and pass this guy."

 

And as Busch proved with victory, the race wasn't over after all.

Stewart gets ownership in team, now making charge at Biffle

Just a couple of day ago Tony Stewart was announcing what most everyone in teh sport already knew, that he was leaving Joe Gibbs Racing and taking over half-ownership of Haas CNC Racing. The new team will be known as Stewart Haas Racing and will get its engines from an existing contract with Hendrick Motorsports.

Now, as I write this column, Stewart is just one-second behind race leader Greg Biffle — correct that, Stewart has taken over the lead. After a two-tire pit stop, Stewart got out in the lead pack and is taking a gamble that his left sides will hold up.

The caution came out a couple of laps ago and now we are green with 85 laps to go.

I will tell yo this, Kyle Busch is putting a schooling on the field this season. He is out front again and his car is fast. It's my personal hope that Stewart will get ahead of his teammate and take the lead.

Looking ahead, Stewart will be the highest paid driver in NASCAR under his new deal and he will likely team with Ryan Newman.

Check back later and I will update with race results. And let me know what you think about the new Tony Stewart/Haas Racing deal. I would like to know if all the Stewart fans out there think he has a chance of having a good 2009 season.

Another of NASCAR's worst-kept secrets

As I told you a few weeks ago, Mark Martin was looking to go to Hendrick Motorsports next season. No, I didn't have the inside scoop on some major story, it was all over the NASCAR garage. Now, Rick Hendrick is making it public and was in good spirits about the lack of secrecy of his and Martin's future plans. Here are a couple of comments from the press conference announcing what most of us already knew would happen. What I find even more hilarious is that these two old guys did most of the negotiating via TEXT MESSAGE. 

RICK HENDRICK (RH):  “Well since this has been a well kept secret (laughter) we appreciate the opportunity to see you folks. This is a real special day for me. It’s been 15 years that I’ve tried to do this; that we’ve tried to do this. It’s a pleasure to be able to announce Mark Martin coming on board to run for the championship next year in the No. 5 car. That car means a lot to me because that was my first number. And when Harry Hyde and I got started, Mark and I reminisce a lot about meeting Mark early on and then watching him and then watching him flog us in the Busch (now Nationwide) Series and then racing against him in the Cup Series and seeing him come so close to championships, I think four times he finished second, and just to have him come on board with our organization and our drivers and our crew chiefs and everybody is really exciting. Everybody is excited. We’re honored to have a guy of his caliber and again, we’ve talked from time to time, but now to be able to go out in the ’09 season and go for the championship (is special). I want to thank (Martin’s wife) Arlene. I think she is here. Where is she? Thank you for letting him run all the races. We appreciate that. But this is a very special day for me.” 

MARK MARTIN (MM): “Well first of all, I don’t know why it was such a bad kept secret unless people are snooping on our text messages because I’d say 50 percent of this deal was done by text between Rick and I. I think that’s pretty cool because I just learned how to text myself.” 

RH: “I did too (laughter). Junior and Jimmie Johnson, they’re both here, now they are the ones that taught me how to text. I had to learn how to do that Mark, because they won’t return your phone call (laughter).” 

MM: “Yeah, so golly. When I think about being a part of the status organization in NASCAR and being a member of the team with Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. and working with Alan Gustafson and all the folks there and the relationship that I’ve had and the opportunity I had to go there a year ago and pour an insert for the seat of the No. 24 car, was really the first time that opened my eyes. We did that in case Jeff needed me to fill in at Sears Point (now Infineon Raceway) last year when they were having their baby. I really saw and got a taste of Hendrick Motorsports from the inside. It’s just an opportunity that I absolutely could not let pass by at this point in my life. I was very concerned about regretting that decision for the rest of my life. And so I got my arms wrapped around the scheduling situation and here we go. I’m incredibly excited and honored and I know that most people can’t comprehend what an honor it is for me to be invited to be a part of this organization, especially at this stage of my career. After two years of catching my breath, I’ve enjoyed it, it has been very meaningful to my family and to myself. But I’ve also learned; and rekindled my passion for racing and what it means to me and also given me a taste of what it would be like to not have that in my life. And so all those things played in this decision.” 

Am I surprised, "No!" Hamlin puts #20 in Victory Lane

Here is Reid Spencer's coverage of the Winn-Dixie 250 at Daytona. A special thanks to the folks at Sporting News. I think this is like the ninth time of the season for the No. 20 car to get a win in the Nationwide Series.

By Reid Spencer

Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 4, 2008) -- Same car. Same racetrack. Different driver.

 

The cast of characters in Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 20 Toyota is such a successful game of musical chairs that even Dale Earnhardt Jr. got confused.

 

Tony Stewart took the No. 20 Camry to victory lane to open the NASCAR Nationwide Series season at Daytona International Speedway in February. The car, sans Stewart, returned to the winner's circle in Friday night's Winn-Dixie 250 with Denny Hamlin behind the wheel.

 

Hamlin held off teammate Kyle Busch, Earnhardt Jr. and Clint Bowyer in a green-white-checkered-flag finish -- the seventh of the season in the series -- to win his second Nationwide race in the No. 20 car and his third of the season overall. In his final appearance this season in the car, which has won nine races with four different drivers, Hamlin notched the eighth Nationwide victory of his career.

 

Busch stayed in line behind his teammate over the final two laps and came home second, followed by Earnhardt, Bowyer and Brad Keselowski. Kasey Kahne, Scott Wimmer, David Stremme, David Ragan and Mike Bliss completed the top 10.

 

"I thought Tony was in the 20 all night," Earnhardt said. "I didn't know Denny was in it -- so congratulations, Denny."

 

The confusion carried over into Earnhardt's post-race interview.

 

"It was hard to beat those guys," Earnhardt said. "Kyle and Tony were both really fast."

 

"I think the reason for the confusion was that the colors (on the car) are the ones (Tony) usually runs," Hamlin said of the candy-apple-red No. 20 machine. "But my head's a lot smaller than his."

 

Earnhardt was third, closing on Hamlin and Busch when Colin Braun's spin off Turn 2 caused the third caution of the race on Lap 99, setting up the two-lap sprint to the finish and turning a three-car race for the win into a free-for-all. Even though Earnhardt hung back on the restart on Lap 104, however, the top three positions didn't change during the final two laps, which sent the race five laps beyond its scheduled distance.

 

Hamlin was grateful for his teammate's help in getting to the finish line without a challenge.

 

"It feels good to do this in my final ride in the 20 car," Hamlin said. "I've got to thank Kyle for sticking with me there at the end. The only way we don't win this is if Kyle goes for the win. I knew Kyle could go for the win and maybe not succeed, but I knew, as long as he stuck on my bumper, we'd have a 1-2 finish."

 

Notes: Hamlin led 29 of the 105 laps, one more than Keselowski. . . Bowyer expanded his points lead to 202 over second-place Keselowski and to 218 over third-place Carl Edwards, the defending series champion. . . Kerry Earnhardt qualified 10th and finished 17th in his first Nationwide Series start since the same race last year. . . Polesitter Bryan Clauson, a part-time Nationwide driver for Chip Ganassi Racing, came home 19th.