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Race Recap: Keselowski wins Michigan

Kerry Murphey — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 04:12:51 +0000

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(August 14, 2010)

BROOKLYN, Mich. Despite clutch problems that plagued him on pit road, Brad Keselowski dominated Saturday’s Carfax 250 Nationwide Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

“I don’t need no stinking clutch,” Keselowski said shortly after crossing the finish line 3.179 seconds ahead of second-place Carl Edwards.

No, he didn’t. Clutch or no clutch, Keselowski’s No. 22 Penske Racing Dodge was the class of the field, starting from the pole and leading 89 of the 125 laps, in the first race for NASCAR’s new Nationwide Series car on a downforce track.

Keselowski pulled away from Edwards after a Lap 117 restart, necessitated by the second caution of the race. Slow leaving the pits after a green-flag stop on Lap 105, Keselowski was running second, 3.4 seconds behind Edwards and closing, when the caution flag flew.

The caution bunched the field and gave Keselowski the opportunity to pass Edwards on the restart. Keselowski now leads second-place Edwards by 347 points in the series standings.

“The clutch problems just affect our pit stops, and at the end, it affected my (celebratory) burnout,” Keselowski said. “It still was an awesome racecar. When you’ve got cars this good, man, life is a lot easier.”

Kyle Busch finished third, followed by Justin Allgaier and Paul Menard. Joey Logano, Elliott Sadler, Reed Sorenson, rookie Colin Braun and Kevin Harvick completed the top 10. Danica Patrick came home 27th, four laps down, in her sixth race in the series and her first in the new car.

The Nationwide Series will use the new car in upcoming races at Richmond and Charlotte before its introduction as the full-time car in 2011. Saturday’s race dramatically increased Keselowski’s comfort level with his new Dodge Challenger.

“For me, I was nervous about this car for a lot of reasons,” Keselowski said. “I was nervous because, quite honestly, I haven’t run that well on the (Sprint) Cup side, and this chassis is based off the Cup car. I looked at it and thought, ‘Geez, if I haven’t run that well in the Cup car, what am I going to do when they bring it to the Nationwide side?’

“I was a little bit nervous about it from that standpoint, and obviously, the reliability of anything that’s new. So to be able to go out and win in that car, knowing it’s the same chassis as the Cup car—with some very subtle differences—is a huge boost of momentum that, hopefully I can carry over to (Sunday’s Cup race) as well.”

Edwards was aware that the second caution had deprived him of his best opportunity to win the race.

“Until that last caution, I thought, ‘Man, we might win this thing,’ ” Edwards said. “Then we had the caution, and Brad was able to just launch out front on that last run. It was just a battle for second then.

“But I could taste victory. I thought, ‘Man, this is going to work out—we’re going to steal one here today.’ But the best car ended up winning. Those guys did a good job.”

Keselowski and Edwards have a history of violent confrontations on the racetrack. In fact, both are on probation until the end of the year after a massive wreck on the last lap of a Nationwide race at Gateway International Raceway in July, where Edwards retaliated after Keselowski bumped him.

At Michigan, however, they raced hard but without contact. The ingredients were there for another melee, Keselowski said, but on Saturday it didn’t happen.

“The cake didn’t bake,” Keselowski said.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes the Wrangler 3 car to Victory Lane

admin — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 04:06:07 +0000

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR ire Service

(July 2, 2010)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Driving the No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet in honor of his late father, Dale Earnhardt Jr. broke a NASCAR Nationwide Series drought of almost four years in winning Friday night’s Subway Jalapeno 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

Earnhardt’s emotional win was the result of a collaboration between owner Richard Childress, Teresa Earnhardt, JR Motorsports and Hendrick Motorsports, which supplied the engine for the No. 3 car.

PHOTO CREDIT: CIA STOCK PHOTO

The victory, the 23rd of Earnhardt’s career, was his first in the series since Aug. 19, 2006, when he took the checkered flag at Michigan. It was his first points win in any of NASCAR’s top three series since June 15, 2008, when Earnhardt captured the Lifelock 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race, again at Michigan.

In a race that saw the debut of NASCAR’s new Nationwide Series car, Earnhardt held off runner-up Joey Logano and third-place finisher Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in a green-white-checkered-flag finish that took the race two laps beyond its scheduled distance of 100 laps.

“I was so worried that I wasn’t going to win, ’cause nothing but a win would get it—for everybody,” Earnhardt said after getting hugs from Childress, crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and a multitude of others in victory lane. “If we didn’t win, what a waste of time. …

“I worked hard to try to win, not only for daddy—I’m proud of him going to the Hall of Fame, and he would be proud of this, I’m sure—but just all these fans. I hope they enjoyed this. This is it—no more ’3′ for me. That’s it.”

With a push from Justin Allgaier, Earnhardt took the lead for the first time on Lap 70, surging past Kyle Busch through Turns 1 and 2. On that same lap, NASCAR called a caution for debris on the backstretch. Pitting under the caution, Earnhardt retained his lead, thanks to a quick, problem-free stop by Earnhardt’s No. 88 Sprint Cup crew, which volunteered for the race.

Earnhardt held the top spot through Lap 96, when NASCAR threw a debris caution that set up a two-lap run to the finish. Earnhardt stayed out on old tires, as did seven other contending cars, but Busch, Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, Trevor Bayne and Ryan Newman came to the pits for tires under the yellow.

The strategy didn’t work for those drivers, as track position proved more beneficial that fresh rubber. Points leader Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick ran fourth and fifth, respectively, on old tires. Keselowski extended his margin in the standings to 277 points over second-place Edwards, who finished 11th Saturday.

But the day belonged to Earnhardt.

“It’s emotional,” he said. “I’m proud of myself. I’m proud to have done what I did with this group.”

Childress, who won six Sprint Cup championships as Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s car owner, told Earnhardt Jr. his father would have been proud.

“He just said that daddy would have been happy, real happy,” Earnhardt said. “And who would know better than him?”

An all Penske front row for Daytona Nationwide Series

admin — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 20:01:01 +0000

1 22 Brad Keselowski Discount Tire Dodge
2 26 Parker Kligerman # Discount Tire Dodge
3 3 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Wrangler Chevrolet
4 12 Justin Allgaier Verizon Wireless Dodge
5 18 Kyle Busch NOS Loaded Cherry Toyota
6 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. # Blackwell Angus Beef Ford
7 88 Greg Sacks GT Vodka Chevrolet
8 1 Ryan Newman Komatsu Chevrolet
9 33 Kevin Harvick Rheem Swimming Pool Heaters Chevrolet
10 20 Joey Logano SportClips Toyota
11 60 Carl Edwards Copart Ford
12 99 Trevor Bayne Out! Toyota
13 21 Clint Bowyer Zaxby’s Chevrolet
14 98 Paul Menard Libman/Menards Ford
15 7 Steve Arpin WOW! Foods Chevrolet
16 70 Shelby Howard Foretravel Chevrolet
17 15 Michael Annett Germain.com Toyota
18 16 Brian Ickler Con-way Ford
19 62 Brendan Gaughan South Point Hotel & Casino Toyota
20 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota
21 09 Ken Schrader RAB Racing Ford
22 56 Kevin Lepage Race Day Sponsor Toyota
23 11 Brian Scott # Great Clips Toyota
24 05 David Starr Cash America/31W Insulation Chevrolet
25 10 Tayler Malsam Iron Horse Jeans Toyota
26 01 Mike Wallace G&K Services Chevrolet
27 66 Steve Wallace 5-hour Energy Toyota
28 40 Mike Bliss Westerman Companies Chevrolet
29 24 Eric McClure Hefty Odor Block Ford
30 07 Danny Efland Proactiv Chevrolet
31 81 Michael McDowell MacDonald Motorsports Dodge
32 32 Reed Sorenson Dollar General Stores Toyota
33 73 Derrike Cope Hell Yeah/Charter Dodge
34 35 Jason Keller TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet
35 87 Joe Nemechek HostGator.com Chevrolet
36 04 Jeremy Clements Boudreaux’s Butt Paste Chevrolet
37 89 Morgan Shepherd Victory in Jesus Racing Chevrolet
38 34 Tony Raines Long John Silver’s Chevrolet
39 23 Robert Richardson Jr. R3 Motorsports Chevrolet
40 43 Johnny Chapman Baker Curb Racing Chevrolet
41 27 Jennifer Jo Cobb Driver Boutique Ford
42 28 Kenny Wallace Outshyne Chevrolet
43 49 Mark Green Numblets Chevrolet

Audio Podcast: The New Nationwide Series Car

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:18:52 +0000

SHOW #116 – We recap the New Hampshire weekend, Preview Daytona, and discuss the all new Nationwide Series car for its debut this weekend. Hosted by Kerry Murphey and Paul Northrop.

LINKS: Nationwide Series New Car Photo Gallery
Nationwide Series New Car Specs

LISTEN HERE (About 48 mins)

Download audio file (tfl_chat_show116_10.mp3)

SUBSCRIBE HERE

DOWNLOAD HERE

SUBSCRIBE FROM iTUNES: Take us with you! Subscribe to our audio shows from iTunes, and they will automatically show up on your computer as soon as we post fresh shows..it’s easy, FREE, and we take no information. It’s like a DVR for audio so you can take us with you anywhere and listen on your schedule!

NOTE: Also HEARD on Stitcher Radio

CREDITS:
Hosts: Kerry Murphey & Paul Northrop
Production: Kerry Murphey
Music: Radium Sound
Voice Over: Thomas Moog

The New NASCAR Nationwide Series Car

admin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 22:15:02 +0000

Learn all about the new Nationwide Series cars making their debut at Daytona this weekend. What cars will take to the track, the specs, look, details and more. Click each graphic for a larger view

Photos: Nationwide Series New Car Practice

admin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:43:01 +0000

On Friday night, the NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES will debut their new car at Daytona International Speedway. The Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger will also debut in NASCAR to bring some ‘muscle’ into the series, sadly Chevrolet has decided not to field their hot looking Camaro to make this truly a muscle car showdown, they’ll be racing the Impala, and Toyota brings their Camry.

PHOTO CREDIT: NASCAR MEDIA

Nationwide Series New Car Test at Daytona

admin — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:56:43 +0000

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 19, 2010) – The temperature hovered near 90 degrees Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway, and there were plenty of drafts in the air.
But not the Atlantic Ocean variety.
Instead, it was drafting among NASCAR Nationwide Series new cars, the second day of a two-day test in preparation for its inaugural points race there on July 2 – the Subway Jalapeno 250 powered by Coca-Cola.
That event is the first of four points races for the new car in 2010. The others are at Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 14, Richmond International Raceway on Sept. 10 and Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 15.
When teams return to Daytona in July, they’ll have a full day on track on Wednesday, June 30 prior to the first official practice on Thursday, July 1.
“This afternoon, most of the teams came out to do a large drafting run,” said Joe Balash, NASCAR Nationwide Series director. “We had most of the cars that were here go out and take turns leading the pack, running the inside lane and outside lane, trying to work their way up through the field.”
On Tuesday, teams spent most of the day in single-car runs, making adjustments to prepare for their first drafting opportunity late in the afternoon.
Some cars began Wednesday with single-car runs while others continued to draft. Following the lunch break, Balash and other NASCAR officials on site asked teams to be prepared to draft as a large pack for just over 15 minutes.
“I think we’ve got a lot of adjustments left in the car,” Balash said. “We had differing comments from the drivers as I walked through the garage and talked to them. To some drivers, the cars are loose and to some, they were tight during the drafting session.”
Carl Edwards (No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford) had his first opportunity in the new car at Daytona on Wednesday and agreed with Balash, specific to further adjustments. “If we can get the cars tuned a little better, (get) the balance better and then maybe that practice day on Wednesday before we come and work on the cars a little more, hopefully they’ll be a little bit more predictable,” the 2007 series champion said.
Overall, Balash gave the test a positive review. “I think we’re headed in the right direction with everything we’ve had going on in the test session,” he said. “We’ll be ready when we get back down here in July.”
Reed Sorenson (No. 32 Braun Racing Toyota) posted the fastest lap of the two-day test in the Wednesday afternoon session with a time of 47.919 seconds/187.817 mph. Joey Logano (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) was the fastest in the morning drafting session with a lap of 48.328 seconds/186.227 mph, while Sorenson alsoturned the quickest single-car lap in that session at 49.846 seconds/180.556 mph.
Testing speeds can be found on https://www.NASCARMedia.com.
NASCAR Nationwide Series racing resumes May 29 with the Tech-Net Auto Service 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The race will be broadcast on ABC beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

Photos: Nationwide Series New Car Test at Daytona

admin — Tue, 18 May 2010 22:41:12 +0000

The all new Nationwide Series car hits the track this week at Daytona for some testing. This is their version of the Car of Tomorrow which features better safety, longer wheelbase, roomier driver cockpit, and a ton more. This new car will race for the first time in July at Daytona, then Michigan, Richmond, and Charlotte in October before running the entire 2011 season.

DRIVERS SCHEDULED TO PARTICIPATE: Joey Logano (May 19 only); Kyle Busch; Steve Wallace; Brendan Gaughan; Kevin Harvick; Brad Keselowski; Justin Allgaier; Ricky Stenhouse Jr.; Paul Menard; Carl Edwards (May 19 only); Erik Darnell (May 18 only);Michael Annett; Trevor Bayne; Shelby Howard; Reed Sorenson; Brian Scott; Jason Leffler; Clint Bowyer (May 19 only); Austin Dillon (May 18 only); Scott Wimmer; Landon Cassill; Steve Arpin; Tony Raines; Jason Keller (tentative).

Photo Credit: NASCAR Media

Testing: Tue Morning Nationwide Speeds from Daytona

admin — Tue, 18 May 2010 21:28:13 +0000

Pos No. Name Car Best Tm Best Speed
1 33A Kevin Harvick Chv 49.560 181.598
2 99Trevor Bayne Tyt 49.979 180.076
3 15Michael Annett Tyt 50.019 179.932
4 32 Reed Sorenson Tyt 50.097 179.651
5 21B Scott Wimmer Chv 50.099 179.644
6 1Mike Bliss Chv 50.145 179.480
7 11Brian Scott Tyt 50.151 179.458
8 88Greg Sacks Chv 50.232 179.169
9 70Shelby Howard Chv 50.265 179.051
10 5 Landon Cassill Chv 50.279 179.001
11 66 Steve Wallace Tyt 50.297 178.937
12 62 Brendan Gaughan Tyt 50.308 178.898
13 7 Steve Arpin Chv 50.316 178.870
14 60 Erik Darnell Frd 50.420 178.501
15 38 Jason Leffler Tyt 50.425 178.483
16 98 Paul Menard Frd 50.433 178.455
17 34 Tony Raines Chv 50.442 178.423
18 18B Kyle Busch Tyt 50.490 178.253
19 20A Scott Riggs Tyt 50.586 177.915
20 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Frd 50.683 177.574
21 22A Brad Keselowski Dge 50.725 177.427
22 16 Colin Braun Frd 50.758 177.312
23 12A Justin Allgaier Dge 51.017 176.412
24 o1 Mike Wallace Chv 52.678 170.849

NNS tests new car this week at Daytona

admin — Mon, 17 May 2010 17:21:48 +0000

NASCAR Nationwide Series New Car Test
Daytona International Speedway May 18-19

WHEN:
Tuesday, May 18 and Wednesday, May 19. Rain date is Thursday, May 20. Driver and track schedule subject to change.

Graphic Credit: NASCAR Media (Click for Larger)