NASCAR + More 4/20/10
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04-21-2010, 09:01 AM
NASCAR + More 4/20/10
THE BIG STORYDenny Hamlin won on a Monday for the second time in three weeks - and just 19 days after major left-knee surgery - in the rain delayed Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Hamlin's Toyota took the lead with 12 laps to go and beat Jimmie Johnson by .152 second. Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne completed the top five. Johnson leads Matt Kenseth (20th; flat tire in the closing laps) by 108 points.
Also: Kasey Kahne will not return to Richard Petty Motorsports in 2011. He will take over the No. 5 for Hendrick Motorsports starting in 2012, but his specific plans for 2011 were not announced. Mark Martin said he'll drive the No. 5 in 2011 and will continue to race in 2012 but didn't specify his plans . . . JR Motorsports released Nationwide No. 88 driver Kelly Bires and will use Jamie McMurray for nine races . . . Gil de Ferran, Brian Barnhart, Tony Purnell, Eddie Gossage, Neil Ressler, Tony Cotman and Rick Long will serve on the panel which will make recommendations on the new generation Indy Car . . . The new Indy 500 pole format: The top 24 spots will be set in the first five hours, with the fastest nine advancing to a 90-minute session for the final run to set the order. The pole winner will earn $175,000. The balance of the field will be determined the next day . . . Paul Tracy will drive for KV Racing at Indianapolis . . . NHRA will again race four-wide next season at Charlotte . . . Joey Saldana won in the World of Outlaws Saturday night at I-55 Raceway in Missouri . . . Jimmy Vasser won the Toyota Pro-Celebrity race in Long Beach.
NASCAR Sprint Cup SeriesTony Stewart won the pole Friday at Texas with a 191.327 mph lap, his first since 2005. All-day rain Sunday postponed the event until Monday. Stewart led the early portion of the race. A Brian Vickers spin on lap 78 caused pit stops and, taking just two new tires, Dale Earnhardt Jr. went to the front. Jeff Gordon took the lead on lap 182, and after some exchanges, again on 226 and he seemed dominant. Juan Pablo Montoya bounced off the wall. On a lap 238 restart, Gordon got Jimmie Johnson loose and then they had contact. Johnson wound up pitting on lap 274 with a flat tire from the incident. On lap 312, top-10 runner David Reutimann had an engine go and it caused a flash fire. The leaders pitted, with Johnson and Gordon coming out seventh and eighth with four new tires, while Stewart, Kyle Busch and others took only two new tires. On a lap 318 restart, Stewart got loose and was hit by Carl Edwards and it triggered a nine-car wreck and included Gordon. It forced a red flag. Jeff Burton led the restart but got loose and Hamlin passed for the lead. Johnson, with the tire advantage, closed in the last few laps. Hamlin averaged 146.230 mph with seven yellows for 32 of the 334 laps.
NASCAR Nationwide SeriesKyle Busch tied a series record with his fifth consecutive victory at Texas in Monday's rain delayed O'Reilly 300. He led 153 of the 200 laps and finished .688 second ahead of Gibbs' teammate Joey Logano. Reed Sorenson was third. It was Busch's third series win of the year. He averaged 140.748 mph with four yellows for 24 laps. Busch is 20 points ahead of Brad Keselowski (fourth)./
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing SeriesLarry Dixon, John Force and Mike Edwards made it to the winner's circle in Sunday's SummitRacing.com Nationals at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In Top Fuel, Dixon earned his 51st career W, powering to a 4.016 second, 313.37 mph triumph over Cory McClenathan's 5.113, 158.41 mph tire-smoking run. Dixon is one point ahead of McClenathan. In Funny Car, Force's Ford Mustang went 4.334, 284.93 mph vs. Tony Pedregon's 5.630, 138.34 mph. Pedregon's Chevy Impala had an engine fire in winning the semis. Jack Beckman qualified 12th in the Valvoline/MTS Dodge Charger and lost in the second round. Force leads Matt Hagan by 120 points. In Pro Stock, Edwards' Pontiac GXP clocked 6.751, 205.51 mph to best Greg Stanfield's 6.813, 203.12 mph in a GXP. Ron Krisher qualified second in the Valvoline Chevrolet Cobalt and lost in the semifinals. Edwards tops Allen Johnson by 261 points.
Izod IndyCar SeriesRyan Hunter-Reay won Sunday's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the first American driver to take a series victory since he did so at Watkins Glen in 2008. Pole winner and early leader Will Power accidentally activated his pit-lane speed limiter coming off turn 11 and that enabled Hunter-Reay to take the lead. Power recovered to be third. Justin Wilson was runner-up by 5.6 seconds after pitting to replace a damaged front wing after contact with Alex Lloyd. Hunter-Reay led 64 of the 85 laps. He averaged 93.619 mph with one yellow for five laps. Power, winner of the season's first three races, is 42 points ahead of Helio Castroneves (seventh).
American Le Mans SeriesSimon Pagenaud, teamed with David Brabham in an Acura, passed Adrian Fernandez on the last lap to win Saturday's 67-lap race in Long Beach. Fernandez' Lola-Aston Martin finished .353 second behind. The winners were penalized early for avoidable contact with Fernandez' teammate, Harold Primat. Fernandez had taken the lead with six minutes to go. Greg Pickett and Klaus Graf were third in a Porsche RS Spyder. In LMPC, Elton Julian and Gunnar Jeannette won. In GT, Patrick Long, teamed with Jörg Bergmeister, won in a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.
Formula OneTire choice helped Jenson Button win Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai and take the world championship lead. McLaren-Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton finished second, minus 1.5. Rain started just before the race but all drivers began with slick tires. Leaders changed to rain tires after just a few laps. Button stayed out. Some drivers made as many as four pit stops while Button did only two. Button went off-track with five laps to go but held on. Nico Rosberg was third for Mercedes. Fernando Alonso led at the green light but was penalized for jumping the start. He finished fourth. Pole winner Sebastian Vettel was sixth. Button is 10 points ahead of Rosberg.
Racer of the WeekRyan Hunter-Reay. Not yet confirmed for the full season, he wins the IndyCar prestige race in Long Beach.
Yes, He REALLY Said ThatKurt Busch, on conversation with brother Kyle when considering hiring Steve Addington as his crew chief. "He said, 'He'd be a great addition, but you've got to find his phone number on your own.'"
Valvoline Winners Last WeekendLarry Dixon, NHRA Top Fuel class, Las Vegas.
This WeekendNASCAR goes fast at Talladega, with Saturday Nationwide and Sunday Cup racing. Grand-Am races in Virginia.
Source: Valvoline Track Talk
Also: Kasey Kahne will not return to Richard Petty Motorsports in 2011. He will take over the No. 5 for Hendrick Motorsports starting in 2012, but his specific plans for 2011 were not announced. Mark Martin said he'll drive the No. 5 in 2011 and will continue to race in 2012 but didn't specify his plans . . . JR Motorsports released Nationwide No. 88 driver Kelly Bires and will use Jamie McMurray for nine races . . . Gil de Ferran, Brian Barnhart, Tony Purnell, Eddie Gossage, Neil Ressler, Tony Cotman and Rick Long will serve on the panel which will make recommendations on the new generation Indy Car . . . The new Indy 500 pole format: The top 24 spots will be set in the first five hours, with the fastest nine advancing to a 90-minute session for the final run to set the order. The pole winner will earn $175,000. The balance of the field will be determined the next day . . . Paul Tracy will drive for KV Racing at Indianapolis . . . NHRA will again race four-wide next season at Charlotte . . . Joey Saldana won in the World of Outlaws Saturday night at I-55 Raceway in Missouri . . . Jimmy Vasser won the Toyota Pro-Celebrity race in Long Beach.
NASCAR Sprint Cup SeriesTony Stewart won the pole Friday at Texas with a 191.327 mph lap, his first since 2005. All-day rain Sunday postponed the event until Monday. Stewart led the early portion of the race. A Brian Vickers spin on lap 78 caused pit stops and, taking just two new tires, Dale Earnhardt Jr. went to the front. Jeff Gordon took the lead on lap 182, and after some exchanges, again on 226 and he seemed dominant. Juan Pablo Montoya bounced off the wall. On a lap 238 restart, Gordon got Jimmie Johnson loose and then they had contact. Johnson wound up pitting on lap 274 with a flat tire from the incident. On lap 312, top-10 runner David Reutimann had an engine go and it caused a flash fire. The leaders pitted, with Johnson and Gordon coming out seventh and eighth with four new tires, while Stewart, Kyle Busch and others took only two new tires. On a lap 318 restart, Stewart got loose and was hit by Carl Edwards and it triggered a nine-car wreck and included Gordon. It forced a red flag. Jeff Burton led the restart but got loose and Hamlin passed for the lead. Johnson, with the tire advantage, closed in the last few laps. Hamlin averaged 146.230 mph with seven yellows for 32 of the 334 laps.
NASCAR Nationwide SeriesKyle Busch tied a series record with his fifth consecutive victory at Texas in Monday's rain delayed O'Reilly 300. He led 153 of the 200 laps and finished .688 second ahead of Gibbs' teammate Joey Logano. Reed Sorenson was third. It was Busch's third series win of the year. He averaged 140.748 mph with four yellows for 24 laps. Busch is 20 points ahead of Brad Keselowski (fourth)./
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing SeriesLarry Dixon, John Force and Mike Edwards made it to the winner's circle in Sunday's SummitRacing.com Nationals at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In Top Fuel, Dixon earned his 51st career W, powering to a 4.016 second, 313.37 mph triumph over Cory McClenathan's 5.113, 158.41 mph tire-smoking run. Dixon is one point ahead of McClenathan. In Funny Car, Force's Ford Mustang went 4.334, 284.93 mph vs. Tony Pedregon's 5.630, 138.34 mph. Pedregon's Chevy Impala had an engine fire in winning the semis. Jack Beckman qualified 12th in the Valvoline/MTS Dodge Charger and lost in the second round. Force leads Matt Hagan by 120 points. In Pro Stock, Edwards' Pontiac GXP clocked 6.751, 205.51 mph to best Greg Stanfield's 6.813, 203.12 mph in a GXP. Ron Krisher qualified second in the Valvoline Chevrolet Cobalt and lost in the semifinals. Edwards tops Allen Johnson by 261 points.
Izod IndyCar SeriesRyan Hunter-Reay won Sunday's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the first American driver to take a series victory since he did so at Watkins Glen in 2008. Pole winner and early leader Will Power accidentally activated his pit-lane speed limiter coming off turn 11 and that enabled Hunter-Reay to take the lead. Power recovered to be third. Justin Wilson was runner-up by 5.6 seconds after pitting to replace a damaged front wing after contact with Alex Lloyd. Hunter-Reay led 64 of the 85 laps. He averaged 93.619 mph with one yellow for five laps. Power, winner of the season's first three races, is 42 points ahead of Helio Castroneves (seventh).
American Le Mans SeriesSimon Pagenaud, teamed with David Brabham in an Acura, passed Adrian Fernandez on the last lap to win Saturday's 67-lap race in Long Beach. Fernandez' Lola-Aston Martin finished .353 second behind. The winners were penalized early for avoidable contact with Fernandez' teammate, Harold Primat. Fernandez had taken the lead with six minutes to go. Greg Pickett and Klaus Graf were third in a Porsche RS Spyder. In LMPC, Elton Julian and Gunnar Jeannette won. In GT, Patrick Long, teamed with Jörg Bergmeister, won in a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.
Formula OneTire choice helped Jenson Button win Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai and take the world championship lead. McLaren-Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton finished second, minus 1.5. Rain started just before the race but all drivers began with slick tires. Leaders changed to rain tires after just a few laps. Button stayed out. Some drivers made as many as four pit stops while Button did only two. Button went off-track with five laps to go but held on. Nico Rosberg was third for Mercedes. Fernando Alonso led at the green light but was penalized for jumping the start. He finished fourth. Pole winner Sebastian Vettel was sixth. Button is 10 points ahead of Rosberg.
Racer of the WeekRyan Hunter-Reay. Not yet confirmed for the full season, he wins the IndyCar prestige race in Long Beach.
Yes, He REALLY Said ThatKurt Busch, on conversation with brother Kyle when considering hiring Steve Addington as his crew chief. "He said, 'He'd be a great addition, but you've got to find his phone number on your own.'"
Valvoline Winners Last WeekendLarry Dixon, NHRA Top Fuel class, Las Vegas.
This WeekendNASCAR goes fast at Talladega, with Saturday Nationwide and Sunday Cup racing. Grand-Am races in Virginia.
Source: Valvoline Track Talk
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