NASCAR + Pro Rac'in Updates 9/9/09
#1
09-09-2009 | 07:16 AM
NASCAR + Pro Rac'in Updates 9/9/09
THE BIG STORY
Drag racing's most important event, the 55th Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, was full of history and controversy. In Monday's final eliminations at O'Reilly Raceway Park, near Indianapolis, Tony Schumacher, Ashley Force Hood, Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Hector Arana were the pro class winners. Schumacher tied Don Garlits with a record eighth Top Fuel win in the "Big Go." Force Hood became the first female to win in nitro Funny Cars as she beat her teammate and brother-in-law, Robert Hight, in the finals. Tony Pedregon accused John Force of manipulating the competition when Hight defeated Force in the semifinals. That was key because it put Hight into NHRA's Countdown playoffs and eliminated defending class champion Cruz Pedregon. John Force and Tony Pedregon got into a shouting match at the top end and had to be restrained.
Kasey Kahne won Sunday night's Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. With one race to go before the Chase, Matt Kenseth has the last spot, 20 points ahead of Brian Vickers, and 37 clear of Kyle Busch.
Also: Carl Edwards broke his right foot playing Frisbee with friends but drove at Atlanta… Brad Keselowski will drive Roger Penske's No. 12 for a full Cup schedule in 2010 and also will contest the full Nationwide Series for Penske… Sponsorship issues took Bobby Labonte out of the No. 96 Ford at Atlanta and will for six more races. Erik Darnell also will run the car at New Hampshire, Kansas, Talladega, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead. Labonte was in the No. 71 at Atlanta in place of David Gilliland, who got in the No. 21 Ford… Scott Miller, Jeff Burton's crew chief, was named Richard Childress Racing's competition director. He'll continue as Burton's crew chief until a replacement is chosen. Mike Dillon continues as competition vice president, with revised duties… The Force India Formula One team will allow Giancarlo Fisichella to drive for Ferrari the rest of the season… Five Grand-Am Daytona Prototype and four GT cars tested two different road-course configurations at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway… Don Prudhomme said he needs a new sponsor or an investor to continue his NHRA team next season. Kenny Bernstein will continue his Top Fuel team after signing a new sponsor.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Martin Truex Jr. earned the Atlanta pole with a 184.149 mph lap. He led until Sam Hornish Jr. spun on lap 36. Kasey Kahne came out of the pits first, but Truex soon repassed him. Hornish spun again on lap 60 and Kyle Busch got out of the pits in front. Jimmie Johnson then took the lead. On lap 83, Carl Edwards went to the garage with a punctured oil cooler. Busch again came out of the pits ahead, but Truex went back to the front. On lap 104, Max Papis crashed. Busch led off pit road but Denny Hamlin took the lead. Johnson went P1 on lap 128. There was a debris caution on lap 131 and Jeff Gordon topped the pack exiting the pits. On lap 168, Kevin Harvick took the lead from Hamlin. On lap 180, Harvick lapped struggling Truex. On lap 201, Johnson spun. Tony Stewart had to make an extra pit stop because of a loose wheel. Kahne, then Harvick, went to the front. Kurt Busch and Reed Sorenson tangled. Johnson broke an axle trying to leave the pits. Brian Vickers narrowly avoided the same problem as his crew made repairs on pit road. With 57 laps left, Joey Logano spun. With 50 laps remaining, Juan Pablo Montoya took the lead. Harvick passed him with 21 laps to go. With 16 laps left, Clint Bowyer spun and all the leaders pitted for four new tires and fuel. The restart order was Harvick-Kahne, with Kasey taking first place with 11 laps left. He won by 1.7 seconds over Harvick after 325 laps. Montoya was third, followed by David Reutimann and Mark Martin. Vickers wound up seventh, Gordon eighth, Stewart 11th, Kenseth 12th, Busch 13th, Dale Earnhardt Jr. 17th, Truex 26th, and Johnson 36th. Kahne averaged 134.033 mph with nine yellows for 42 laps. Stewart tops Gordon by 237 points.
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Kevin Harvick passed Dale Earnhardt Jr. with two laps to go and won Saturday's Degree V12 300 at Atlanta. Harvick's Chevrolet led 131 of the 195 laps. Harvick and Kyle Busch both pitted for gas and four tires with about 14 laps remaining, while Earnhardt and Brad Keselowski stayed out, slowed down, and tried to stretch their fuel to the end. But Harvick and Busch were too fast. Harvick beat Busch by 1.1 seconds. Earnhardt was third with Keselowski fourth. Harvick averaged 145.228 mph with three yellows for 14 laps. Busch tops Carl Edwards (seventh) by 221 points.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Mike Skinner's Toyota dominated the first truck race at Iowa Speedway, winning the Lucas 200 Saturday night by 1.3 seconds over Aric Almirola's Tundra. Skinner led all but 20 of the 200 laps. He was easily in front when a debris yellow came out with seven laps left. The restart came with four to go. Skinner averaged 99.181 mph with seven cautions for 33 laps. Colin Braun was third in a Ford. Ron Hornaday Jr. (fourth) leads Matt Crafton (sixth) by 225 points.
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series
Tony Schumacher won the U.S. Nationals for the fourth consecutive year and brought his Top Fuel class wins record to 60 on Monday. In the Army dragster, Schumacher went 3.861 seconds, 314.17 mph vs. Larry Dixon's 4.208, 228.58 mph. In Funny Car, Ashley Force Hood was matched against the team Ford Mustang of No. 1 qualifier Robert Hight in the finals. Force Hood clocked 4.170, 294.75 mph to Hight's 4.217, 271.19 mph. Austin Coil, John Force's crew chief, missed the event as he was hospitalized with internal bleeding. Coil's absence caused John Force to put Hight back into his usual Jimmy Prock-tuned chassis after a one-race switch. Jack Beckman qualified 14th in the Valvoline/MTS Dodge Charger but lost in the first round. Dickie Venables replaced Aaron Brooks as Del Worsham's Funny Car crew chief. Venables, formerly with Tony Pedregon, brought Kurt Elliott as his assistant. In Pro Stock, Jeg Coughlin Jr. won for the seventh time this season. His Chevrolet Cobalt ran 6.689, 206.48 mph to Greg Stanfield's 6.691, 206.35 mph in a Pontiac GXP. Ron Krisher qualified seventh in the Valvoline Chevrolet Cobalt and lost in the first round. Warren and Kurt Johnson didn't qualify. In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Hector Arana got his first Indy victory. His Buell had a 7.026, 189.10 mph pass to Michael Phillips' 7.086, 185.84 mph on a Suzuki. Andrew Hines won the $25,000 Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle when Arana fouled at the start. Indy marked the end of NHRA's regular season. For the six-race Countdown to One, the points in all four pro classes are now reset, with Antron Brown, Tony Pedregon, Coughlin and Eddie Krawiec the points leaders. Four Top Fuel and four Funny Cars will race four-wide in a pair of special exhibitions before the final round of the Sept. 20 Carolinas Nationals. Pro Stock bike rider Matt Guidera was disqualified from Indy, suspended for one year and fined for an NHRA drug-testing violation. Guidera did not submit to a test within the required 24 hours after notification. He said he will appeal. NHRA will award 1,000-foot national ET record bonus points during the Countdown, plus 3-2-1 points for the top three in each qualifying session.
Racer of the Week
Tony Schumacher. Ties Big Daddy Don Garlits' record of eight U.S. Nationals Top Fuel wins.
Winners Last Weekend
Kasey Kahne, NASCAR Sprint Cup series, Atlanta. Tony Schumacher, NHRA Top Fuel class, U.S. Nationals.
Yes, He REALLY Said That
Dario Franchitti, on his dining plans in Sonoma, Calif. "I'll have some pasta before the race, but I'll head to In-N-Out on the way to the airport after the race."
Return to Top
This Weekend
It's the last chance for Sprint Cup drivers to make the Chase, Saturday night, at Richmond. Nationwide cars run there Friday night. Trucks try Gateway Sunday. Formula One roars in Monza.
Drag racing's most important event, the 55th Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, was full of history and controversy. In Monday's final eliminations at O'Reilly Raceway Park, near Indianapolis, Tony Schumacher, Ashley Force Hood, Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Hector Arana were the pro class winners. Schumacher tied Don Garlits with a record eighth Top Fuel win in the "Big Go." Force Hood became the first female to win in nitro Funny Cars as she beat her teammate and brother-in-law, Robert Hight, in the finals. Tony Pedregon accused John Force of manipulating the competition when Hight defeated Force in the semifinals. That was key because it put Hight into NHRA's Countdown playoffs and eliminated defending class champion Cruz Pedregon. John Force and Tony Pedregon got into a shouting match at the top end and had to be restrained.
Kasey Kahne won Sunday night's Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. With one race to go before the Chase, Matt Kenseth has the last spot, 20 points ahead of Brian Vickers, and 37 clear of Kyle Busch.
Also: Carl Edwards broke his right foot playing Frisbee with friends but drove at Atlanta… Brad Keselowski will drive Roger Penske's No. 12 for a full Cup schedule in 2010 and also will contest the full Nationwide Series for Penske… Sponsorship issues took Bobby Labonte out of the No. 96 Ford at Atlanta and will for six more races. Erik Darnell also will run the car at New Hampshire, Kansas, Talladega, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead. Labonte was in the No. 71 at Atlanta in place of David Gilliland, who got in the No. 21 Ford… Scott Miller, Jeff Burton's crew chief, was named Richard Childress Racing's competition director. He'll continue as Burton's crew chief until a replacement is chosen. Mike Dillon continues as competition vice president, with revised duties… The Force India Formula One team will allow Giancarlo Fisichella to drive for Ferrari the rest of the season… Five Grand-Am Daytona Prototype and four GT cars tested two different road-course configurations at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway… Don Prudhomme said he needs a new sponsor or an investor to continue his NHRA team next season. Kenny Bernstein will continue his Top Fuel team after signing a new sponsor.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Martin Truex Jr. earned the Atlanta pole with a 184.149 mph lap. He led until Sam Hornish Jr. spun on lap 36. Kasey Kahne came out of the pits first, but Truex soon repassed him. Hornish spun again on lap 60 and Kyle Busch got out of the pits in front. Jimmie Johnson then took the lead. On lap 83, Carl Edwards went to the garage with a punctured oil cooler. Busch again came out of the pits ahead, but Truex went back to the front. On lap 104, Max Papis crashed. Busch led off pit road but Denny Hamlin took the lead. Johnson went P1 on lap 128. There was a debris caution on lap 131 and Jeff Gordon topped the pack exiting the pits. On lap 168, Kevin Harvick took the lead from Hamlin. On lap 180, Harvick lapped struggling Truex. On lap 201, Johnson spun. Tony Stewart had to make an extra pit stop because of a loose wheel. Kahne, then Harvick, went to the front. Kurt Busch and Reed Sorenson tangled. Johnson broke an axle trying to leave the pits. Brian Vickers narrowly avoided the same problem as his crew made repairs on pit road. With 57 laps left, Joey Logano spun. With 50 laps remaining, Juan Pablo Montoya took the lead. Harvick passed him with 21 laps to go. With 16 laps left, Clint Bowyer spun and all the leaders pitted for four new tires and fuel. The restart order was Harvick-Kahne, with Kasey taking first place with 11 laps left. He won by 1.7 seconds over Harvick after 325 laps. Montoya was third, followed by David Reutimann and Mark Martin. Vickers wound up seventh, Gordon eighth, Stewart 11th, Kenseth 12th, Busch 13th, Dale Earnhardt Jr. 17th, Truex 26th, and Johnson 36th. Kahne averaged 134.033 mph with nine yellows for 42 laps. Stewart tops Gordon by 237 points.
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Kevin Harvick passed Dale Earnhardt Jr. with two laps to go and won Saturday's Degree V12 300 at Atlanta. Harvick's Chevrolet led 131 of the 195 laps. Harvick and Kyle Busch both pitted for gas and four tires with about 14 laps remaining, while Earnhardt and Brad Keselowski stayed out, slowed down, and tried to stretch their fuel to the end. But Harvick and Busch were too fast. Harvick beat Busch by 1.1 seconds. Earnhardt was third with Keselowski fourth. Harvick averaged 145.228 mph with three yellows for 14 laps. Busch tops Carl Edwards (seventh) by 221 points.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Mike Skinner's Toyota dominated the first truck race at Iowa Speedway, winning the Lucas 200 Saturday night by 1.3 seconds over Aric Almirola's Tundra. Skinner led all but 20 of the 200 laps. He was easily in front when a debris yellow came out with seven laps left. The restart came with four to go. Skinner averaged 99.181 mph with seven cautions for 33 laps. Colin Braun was third in a Ford. Ron Hornaday Jr. (fourth) leads Matt Crafton (sixth) by 225 points.
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series
Tony Schumacher won the U.S. Nationals for the fourth consecutive year and brought his Top Fuel class wins record to 60 on Monday. In the Army dragster, Schumacher went 3.861 seconds, 314.17 mph vs. Larry Dixon's 4.208, 228.58 mph. In Funny Car, Ashley Force Hood was matched against the team Ford Mustang of No. 1 qualifier Robert Hight in the finals. Force Hood clocked 4.170, 294.75 mph to Hight's 4.217, 271.19 mph. Austin Coil, John Force's crew chief, missed the event as he was hospitalized with internal bleeding. Coil's absence caused John Force to put Hight back into his usual Jimmy Prock-tuned chassis after a one-race switch. Jack Beckman qualified 14th in the Valvoline/MTS Dodge Charger but lost in the first round. Dickie Venables replaced Aaron Brooks as Del Worsham's Funny Car crew chief. Venables, formerly with Tony Pedregon, brought Kurt Elliott as his assistant. In Pro Stock, Jeg Coughlin Jr. won for the seventh time this season. His Chevrolet Cobalt ran 6.689, 206.48 mph to Greg Stanfield's 6.691, 206.35 mph in a Pontiac GXP. Ron Krisher qualified seventh in the Valvoline Chevrolet Cobalt and lost in the first round. Warren and Kurt Johnson didn't qualify. In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Hector Arana got his first Indy victory. His Buell had a 7.026, 189.10 mph pass to Michael Phillips' 7.086, 185.84 mph on a Suzuki. Andrew Hines won the $25,000 Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle when Arana fouled at the start. Indy marked the end of NHRA's regular season. For the six-race Countdown to One, the points in all four pro classes are now reset, with Antron Brown, Tony Pedregon, Coughlin and Eddie Krawiec the points leaders. Four Top Fuel and four Funny Cars will race four-wide in a pair of special exhibitions before the final round of the Sept. 20 Carolinas Nationals. Pro Stock bike rider Matt Guidera was disqualified from Indy, suspended for one year and fined for an NHRA drug-testing violation. Guidera did not submit to a test within the required 24 hours after notification. He said he will appeal. NHRA will award 1,000-foot national ET record bonus points during the Countdown, plus 3-2-1 points for the top three in each qualifying session.
Racer of the Week
Tony Schumacher. Ties Big Daddy Don Garlits' record of eight U.S. Nationals Top Fuel wins.
Winners Last Weekend
Kasey Kahne, NASCAR Sprint Cup series, Atlanta. Tony Schumacher, NHRA Top Fuel class, U.S. Nationals.
Yes, He REALLY Said That
Dario Franchitti, on his dining plans in Sonoma, Calif. "I'll have some pasta before the race, but I'll head to In-N-Out on the way to the airport after the race."
Return to Top
This Weekend
It's the last chance for Sprint Cup drivers to make the Chase, Saturday night, at Richmond. Nationwide cars run there Friday night. Trucks try Gateway Sunday. Formula One roars in Monza.
#2
09-11-2009 | 05:29 PM
Monte Of The Month -- February 2008
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 4,286
From: Born in East LA
Dario Franchitti, on his dining plans in Sonoma, Calif. "I'll have some pasta before the race, but I'll head to In-N-Out on the way to the airport after the race."
Return to Top
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