Kasey Kahne Redeems Himself From Las Vegas With a Win at Bristol

        After dominating at Las Vegas and not capturing the win, Kasey Kahne redeemed himself with a win at Bristol. A threat at the front all day, Kahne made sure that he was there when the moment was right. From being at the front on the last restart to getting away from the leaders who were wrecking with the lead, everything seemed to go his way. Instead of having just problems with lapped cars, the field had trouble with blowing tires. In fact, five drivers blew tires and got into the wall. These are just a few of the storylines that made this one of the most interesting races of the year so far.

        Kyle Busch, who won the Nationwide Series race the day before, started on the pole. When the race went green, he jumped out to a quick lead and was able to lead the first lap. The race had just begun when the first caution of the day came out on lap 8. Tony Stewart drifted up the track in turn 3 and it was apparent that he had a tire going down. Coming into turn 1, the tire blew and Stewart went into the wall. He received some damage and went twelve laps down fixing the damage. Michael McDowell also spun, but he did not receive any damage. No drivers received the lucky dog. The race went back green and continued on until the second caution on lap 54. On the frontstretch, David Gilliland got into Casey Mears and Mears got loose. The cars began to stack up and Jeff Burton could not stop and hit Juan Pablo Montoya in the back. Carl Edwards bumped Burton into the wall in turn 1. Marcos Ambrose, Aric Almirola, and Joe Nemechek also got involved. Burton received the majority of the damage from the wreck. Danica Patrick received the lucky dog. The major thing that happened during this caution was on the pit stops.

        Kyle Busch came into the pits and had a very routine stop. But what happened afterwards changed his race. NASCAR penalized him for speeding in three segments of pit road. He had to move to the back of the lead lap, which put him deep in the field. The race went back green and went a short time before the third caution of the race on lap 70. Jamie McMurray, who was running in third at the time, got up a little too high in turn 3 and went for a spin. He barely tapped the wall and was able to continue on. Terry Labonte received the lucky dog. The race went back green and the second longest green flag run of the race ended with the fourth caution on lap 151. David Gilliland got into the wall in turn 2. He was able to continue, but with some damage. David Ragan, Gilliland's teammate, received the lucky dog. The race went back green and three drivers had terminal problems.

        After the restart, Bobby Labonte's car puffed out a huge billow of smoke, which is typically a sign that the engine has let go. He was able to get the car to pit road and no caution came out. Then, David Reutimann began to slow down on the top side and showed signs of a blown engine as well. He was also able to get it to pit road and not cause a caution. Finally, Scott Speed began to slow on the track and he also showed signs of a motor letting go. He was able to pull it down pit road and avoid a caution. All three drivers dropped out of the race. The race continued on until Kurt Busch, who was running up front, had to make an unscheduled pit stop on lap 224. He thought that he had a flat tire, which was a good reason to stop with all the tire problems. Right after this, the fifth caution of the race  ended the longest green flag run of the day on lap 236. Landon Cassill blew a tire in turn 4 and hit the wall. Jamie McMurray, who was involved in a previous incident, received the lucky dog. The race went back green and one of the contenders in the race fell out.

        Aric Almirola had a tire go down, but he was able to make it into the pits to change it. He came back on the track and ran a couple of laps. When he was going into turn 3 on lap 249, he got loose and slammed into the wall. His car was destroyed and the chances he had of getting a good finish completely went away. This brought out the sixth caution of the day. Brian Vickers received his first of two lucky dogs on the day. The race went green and it continued until the seventh caution on lap 320. Dave Blaney blew a tire in turn 1 and slammed into the wall. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. received his first of two lucky dogs on the day. The race went back green and the incident that caused a confrontation, yes, a confrontation to occur happened.

        Coming out of turn 4, Joey Logano put a slide job on Denny Hamlin on lap 347 to grab the second spot. Denny did not take too kindly to this and going into turn 1, he retaliated. He tapped Logano and Logano went into the wall. Logano's bumper ripped off, but he received no other damage. Logano was not happy with Hamlin and it showed for the rest of the race. This caused the eighth caution of the day to come out on lap 348. Brian Vickers received his final lucky dog of the race. The race went back green and continued on until the two leaders got involved in an accident.

         Jeff Gordon had been with the same set of right side tires for a while. His car had begun to start handling bad and Matt Kenseth was there and ready to pounce. But something unlucky happened to both drivers. Going into turn 3, Jeff Gordon blew a right front tire on the bottom of the track and drifted up. Kenseth was there and he could not avoid. Kenseth plowed into the back of Gordon, which caused Kenseth's hood to be completely ripped off the car. Both cars were destroyed beyond repair. This caused the ninth caution of the race to come out on lap 390. Casey Mears received the lucky dog. The race went back green and continued on until the tenth and final caution of the race on lap 455. Jimmie Johnson, the fifth and final driver to blow a tire and wreck, blew a tire in turn 3 and slammed into the wall. This led to the final restart of the race and the move to win the race. 

         Kasey Kahne started on the bottom with Brad Keselowski to his outside. They began to take off and Keselowski spun the tires. Hamlin, who had Logano behind waiting to wreck him, pushed Keselowski and he got extremely loose. Kasey Kahne pulled away and never looked back, but Hamlin did have a moment that could have brought out a caution. Hamlin had what appeared to be a tire going down with six laps to go. He stayed on the track and was able to finish, but he hit ever wall in those six laps. With the end of the race, Kasey Kahne won his first Bristol race and captured his fifteenth career victory. The race was not over yet, though. After the race, Joey Logano walked up to Denny Hamlin, who was still in his car. Logano began talking to Hamlin and Hamlin's crew pushed him away. The two crews started a shoving match, but no fighting ensued and the thoughts went back to Kasey Kahne's win.

         What a finish, what a race, and what a win for Kasey Kahne. I was absolutely stoked. In case you guys did not know, Kasey Kahne is my favorite driver along with Kevin Harvick. If you would have been in my room, you would have heard me yelling at the television to push Kasey on and urge him on. It was one of those moments that I will always cherish and remember as being one of Kasey's coolest wins. Enough reminiscing for me. I was glad that the race turned out the way it was with all the excitement. Hopefully, this tells the tale for the rest of the season and we will be constantly filled with excitement.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 8- Tony Stewart blew a tire in turn 1 and slid up into the wall.

2nd Caution: Lap 54- David Gilliland bumped into Casey Mears on the frontstretch and Mears got loose. Cars started stacking up and Jeff Burton could not avoid running into Juan Pablo Montoya. Carl Edwards bumped into Burton and pushed him into the wall in turn 1. Marcos Ambrose, Aric Almirola, and Joe Nemechek also got involved.

3rd Caution: Lap 70- Jamie McMurray got a little too high in turn 3 and went for a spin.

4th Caution: Lap 151- David Gilliland got into the wall in turn 2.

5th Caution: Lap 236- Landon Cassill blew a tire in turn 4 and hit the wall.

6th Caution: Lap 249- Aric Almirola got loose in turn 3 and slammed into the wall.

7th Caution: Lap 320- Dave Blaney blew a tire in turn 1 and slammed into the wall.

8th Caution: Lap 348- Denny Hamlin bumped Joey Logano in turn 1 and put Logano into the wall.

9th Caution: Lap 390- Jeff Gordon blew a tire on the bottom of the track in turn 3. He slid up the track and Matt Kenseth could not avoid, damaging both cars. 

10th Caution: Lap 455- Jimmie Johnson blew a tire in turn 3 and slammed into the wall.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: None
2nd Caution: Danica Patrick
3rd Caution: Terry Labonte
4th Caution: David Ragan
5th Caution: Jamie McMurray
6th Caution: Brian Vickers
7th Caution: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
8th Caution: Brian Vickers
9th Caution: Casey Mears
10th Caution: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Kasey Kahne
2nd: Kyle Busch
3rd: Brad Keselowski
4th: Kurt Busch
5th: Clint Bowyer

Notables Not in Top 5:
14th: Kevin Harvick
22nd: Jimmie Johnson
23rd: Denny Hamlin
28th: Danica Patrick
31st: Tony Stewart
34th: Jeff Gordon
35th: Matt Kenseth



Credits:
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://racing-reference.info/race/2013_Food_City_500/W
-Image:
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/USATODAY/USATODAY/2013/03/17/3-17-13-kasey-kahne-bristol1-x-large.jpg

Kyle Busch Holds Off a Late Charge From Kyle Larson To Win at Bristol

        After a stellar race at Bristol, Kyle Busch was able to barely hold off Kyle Larson to win his second NASCAR Nationwide Series race of the year. In this case, barely means barely. The eventual margin of victory was twenty three hundredths of a second. It was the second closest finish in Bristol Nationwide Series History behind the 2011 Food City 250 finish between Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin, which had a margin of victory of nineteen hundredths The other story behind the race was the way that lapped cars affected the picture of the race. From causing tremendous battles to occur to causing the leader to have an incident, the lapped cars affected every aspect of the race. If you aren't interested yet, you might want to check your pulse.

        Qualifying had occurred a couple of hours before the race and Justin Allgaier grabbed the pole position. The race began and he was able to lead the first lap. From the drop of the green flag, the top ten were getting very dicey. Brad Keselowski and Austin Dillon traded a little paint early, but it did not affect anything that happened in the race. The first caution of the race came out on lap 27. Mike Harmon, one of the lapped cars who affected the race, was going very slow in turn 3. Sam Hornish Jr. tried to pass him, but Hornish got tapped while he was going by. Hornish saved his car, but he was forced up into Jamie Dick. Jamie spun harmlessly and continued on. Brad Sweet, who was involved in a nasty wreck in practice on Friday, received the lucky dog. The race went back green and continued on until the second caution of the afternoon on lap 59. Brad Sweet got loose in turn 2 and went for a spin. He was able to keep the car from receiving major damage and he continued on. No drivers received the lucky dog. After the caution, one of the contenders to begin the race had trouble.

         When the green flag waved after the second caution, Elliott Sadler had trouble. He began to slow down and he reported to his crew that he had no fuel pressure. This meant that the fuel was not reaching the engine like it should be. This caused the car to run slow and he lost two laps. He was running so slow, in fact, that NASCAR had to black flag him for not reaching the minimum speed. He went into the pits and his crew sent him to the garage, ending his day. Shortly after this, the third caution of the day came out on lap 105. Coming out of turn 4, Brian Vickers had no room and Jamie Dick came down on him. Jamie slid down the frontstretch and slammed in to the inside wall, but the worst was yet to come. Nelson Piquet Jr. was attempting to slow down, but Parker Kligerman bumped him. Piquet slid down the track in turn 1 and plowed into Jamie. Both cars were destroyed beyond repair. Josh Wise received the lucky dog. The race went back green and it continued on until the fourth caution of the day on lap 121. Allen Bestwick and the guys in the booth were talking about Jeremy Clements, who was in twelfth position at the time. As they were talking about him, Clements blew a tire and went into the wall and brought out a caution for debris. Hal Martin received the lucky dog, but his race went bad right after this.

         The race went back green and continued on until the fifth caution on lap 159. Hal Martin went up on Brad Teague, another lapped car who affected the race, coming out of turn 4. Martin slid down the frontstretch and pounded into the inside wall. Martin went up the track and Jeffrey Earnhardt could not avoid. He hit Martin and received a good bit of damage. Reed Sorenson and Austin Dillon also got involved. No drivers received the lucky dog. The race went back green once again and it was a short time before the sixth caution of the day came out on lap 177. Debris was spotted on the track in turn 4. Austin Dillon, who was in the previous wreck, received the lucky dog. The green flag went back out and it got dicey for the leaders on lap 189. Brad Keselowski and Regan Smith were running side by side and they were catching the lapped car of Dexter Stacey. Both drivers were deciding what line to use and when Stacey got close, Smith began to get loose. He was able to save it, but he had to use Keselowski's car to do it. Keselowski began to experience a tire rub and the tire eventually blew out. This resulted in the seventh caution of the day on lap 195 for debris from his tire. John Wes Townley received the lucky dog. The race went green once again and the longest green flag run of the day ended with the eighth and final caution on lap 264. Jason White got loose in turn 2 and went up into the wall. Alex Bowman received the lucky dog. Now, the final dash to the finish was set and it was one for the books.

        Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, and Brian Vickers started out as the top three on the restart. Kyle Larson was able to stay ahead of Vickers and make it a race between him and Busch. The two stayed on the top side just waiting to see what moves they should make. In a flash, the white flag was out and Larson had only two chances to get by Busch. Larson didn't make the move in turn 1, but he got ready for turn 3. But Kyle Busch did something that could have possibly taken the win out of his hands. He moved to the inside line in turn 3 and Larson had the top side, the preferred groove, to make the pass. Little did we know, Kyle Busch knew what he was doing. Two lapped cars, Reed Sorenson and Brad Teague, were battling in front of the two leaders. Sorenson, the faster of the two cars, was on the bottom. Thus, the quicker lane was the bottom. All four drivers shot out of turn 4 and the two Kyles began to beat and bang. It was close, twenty three hundredths to be exact, but Kyle Busch was able to win. It was by far one of the most interesting finishes this season and, like usual, “The World's Fastest Half-Mile” did not disappoint.

        The racing was great and we saw the present and future of the sport battle for a win at one of the most exciting circuits in the sport. You couldn't ask for a better race or a greater finish. Well, unless you wanted Kyle Larson to win, but that is not the point. With this win, Kyle Busch now has two awards from the weekend: the winning trophy from the Nationwide Series and the pole award for tomorrow's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Busch hopes to pull the sweep at Bristol tomorrow and I hope you can tune in to see it. Let me tell you, it won't disappoint and I have never been so sure of that.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 27- Sam Hornish got up into Jamie Dick in turn 3 and Jamie spun harmlessly.

2nd Caution: Lap 59- Brad Sweet got loose in turn 2 and spun out.

3rd Caution: Lap 105- Jamie Dick came down on Brian Vickers. Jamie slid down the frontstretch and slammed into the wall. Nelson Piquet Jr. piled into Jamie, destroying both cars.

4th Caution: Lap 121- Jeremy Clements blew a tire and hit the wall, leaving debris on the track.

5th Caution: Lap 159- Hal Martin went up the track on Brad Teague coming out of turn 4. Martin slid down the frontstretch and slammed into the wall. Jeffrey Earnhardt ran into him and received some damage. Reed Sorenson and Austin Dillon also got involved. 

6th Caution: Lap 177- Debris was spotted in turn 4.

7th Caution: Lap 195- Debris from Brad Keselowski's tire was spotted on the track.

8th Caution: Lap 264- Jason White got loose in turn 2 and went up into the wall.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: Brad Sweet
2nd Caution: None
3rd Caution: Josh Wise
4th Caution: Hal Martin
5th Caution: None
6th Caution: Austin Dillon
7th Caution: John Wes Townley
8th Caution: Alex Bowman

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Kyle Busch
2nd: Kyle Larson
3rd: Brian Vickers
4th: Sam Hornish Jr.
5th: Kevin Harvick

Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Regan Smith
11th: Austin Dillon
12th: Trevor Bayne
15th: Brad Keselowski 
16th: Travis Pastrana
36th: Elliott Sadler



Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://racing-reference.info/race/2013_Jeff_Foxworthys_Grit_Chips_300/B
-Image:
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/si/dam/assets/130316173322-kyle-busch-single-image-cut.jpg

Kyle Busch Smashes the Track Record and Grabs the Pole at Bristol

        With a time of 14.813 seconds (129.535 mph), Kyle Busch set the track qualifying record for Bristol and grabbed the pole. In fact, two other drivers, Kasey Kahne and Denny Hamlin, bested the previous track record. Plus, six more drivers bested the fourteen second mark. One more thing, the top thirty six qualifiers bested last year's qualifying time. In case you haven't figured out, the new cars are really fast at Bristol. Now back to Kyle Busch's pole position. He went out early and set the fast time, but he had to dodge a lot of bullets throughout the session.

         The qualifying rules were once again changed. The 2012 Owner Points are no longer being used and the top 35 rule has been eliminated completely. Now, the thirty six fastest drivers are locked in and the final spots are based on provisionals for this year's owner points along with the past champion's provisional. The first driver out on the track was Mike Bliss. He immediately set the tone for the session by laying down a lap quicker than Greg Biffle's pole run at Bristol last year. The pole position switched back and forth between drivers to begin the session. This all changed when Kyle Busch, the ninth driver out, ran the first sub-fourteen second lap and beat the track record. One by one, the drivers attempted to beat his time, but they were unsuccessful. Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch's teammate, beat the track record, but came up short and had to settle for second. Well, before Kasey Kahne was able to surpass Hamlin's time. But even Kahne was unable to surpass Kyle Busch's time. With Casey Mears' run, Kyle Busch grabbed the pole and set his own track record at Bristol.

          Based on qualifying, the race should be filled with beating and banging and shear speed. Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, and Denny Hamlin showed today that they are serious about winning at “The World's Fastest Half Mile”, Bristol Motor Speedway. Not only that, but it is Bristol. Usually, some drivers reach the breaking point and there anger seeps out into a confrontation and objects start flying. Just ask Matt Kenseth where Tony Stewart's helmet landed at Bristol last year. I can't wait for Sunday's Food City 500 and I hope you are as anxious as I am.
(More Stats Down Below!)



Top 5 Qualifiers (With Times):
1st: Kyle Busch    14.813 (129.535 mph) *
2nd: Kasey Kahne    14.875 (128.995 mph) *
3rd: Denny Hamlin    14.879 (128.960 mph) *
4th: Brian Vickers    14.929 (128.528 mph)
5th: Paul Menard    14.949 (128.356 mph)
(*: Faster than the previous track qualifying record.)

Notables Not in Top 5 (With Times):
7th: Brad Keselowski    14.966 (128.211 mph)
11th: Jeff Gordon    15.006 (127.869 mph)
13th: Jimmie Johnson    15.010 (127.835 mph)
18th: Kevin Harvick    15.055 (127.453 mph)
32nd: Dale Earnhardt Jr.    15.235 (125.947 mph)
41st: Danica Patrick    15.395 (124.638 mph)

Provisional Starters (With Times): *
37th: Travis Kvapil    15.333 (125.142 mph)
38th: Joe Nemechek    15.363 (124.897 mph)
39th: Bobby Labonte    15.382 (124.743 mph)
40th: Josh Wise    15.386 (124.711 mph)
41st: Danica Patrick    15.395 (124.638 mph)
42nd: Landon Cassill    15.427 (124.379 mph)
43rd: Terry Labonte    15.560 (123.316 mph) 
(*: Based on 2013 Owner Points; ordered by qualifying speeds)

DNQ (With Time):
44th: Scott Riggs 15.418 (124.452 mph)



Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-qualification.html
http://www.jayski.com/news/stats/2013/story/_/page/04-Bristol-2013-Qualifying-Lineup
-Image:
http://www.autoweek.com/storyimage/CW/20130315/NASCAR01/130319860/AR/0/Kyle-Busch-wins-pole-for-Bristol.jpg

Sam Hornish Jr. Dominates the 2013 Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas

       Sam Hornish Jr. was the class of the field in the 2013 Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas. He was able to dominate and out run everybody in the field. Not only was he able to stay at the front, but he was able to move back into the lead when he lost it on a round of pit stops. In the end, Sam Hornish Jr. was unable to be beaten. But he did have to fight some burdens to win the race.


       Qualifying that had been scheduled for right before the race was canceled due to rain that had taken away practice time from the drivers on Friday. This meant that the line-up would be based on 2012 Owner Points. Because of this, Brian Vickers started on the pole. He was able to lead the first few laps before the first caution of the day came out on lap 4. Coming into turn 2, Eric McClure's car began to pour out smoke and he had, for sure, blown an engine. No drivers received the lucky dog. The race went back green and continued until the second caution of the day on lap 36. Because the drivers had limited practice due to the rain, NASCAR decided to throw a competition caution for teams to check their tires. Scott Lagasse Jr. received the lucky dog. After the confirmation that everything seemed all right with the tires, the drivers pulled their belts tight and got ready for the rest of the race.

        The race went green and it continued until the third caution of the race on lap 54. In turn 2, Mike Wallace got loose and went up the track. Joe Nemechek was above him and could not avoid. Nemechek spun down the backstretch, but he was able to keep it off the wall and avoid any damage. Mike Bliss, who was in Eric McClure's back-up car due to a practice crash, received the lucky dog. The race went back green once again. The longest green flag run to that point ended on lap 81 due to the fourth caution of the day. Robert Richardson Jr. got loose in turn 2 and went spinning down the backstretch. Somehow, he was able to keep it off of the wall and receive no damage. Ryan Sieg, who was filling in for the suspended Jeremy Clements, received the lucky dog. But one major thing happened during this caution.

         To gain track position, Trevor Bayne and Kyle Larson decided to only take two tires. Because of this, both of them ended up being at the front of the pack. The race went back green and the two of them raced around the track. The second time they went around the track was when it got ugly. In turn 4, Kyle Larson got loose and went up on Trevor Bayne, possibly due to bad tires. Larson hooked Bayne and they both went into the wall. Luckily for Bayne, Larson took the blunt of the incident and received the most damage. This caused the fifth caution of the day to come out on lap 87. Hal Martin received the lucky dog. The green flag went out once again and right after that, one of the contenders in the race would fall out of the picture. 

         For most of the day, Brad Keselowski had been experiencing a vibration. On lap 117, it came to a point where it was absolutely unbearable. Plus, Keselowski's car had been overheating. Because of this, he was forced to to come to pit road. He lost a couple of laps, but his trouble was far from over. On lap 135, he was forced to pit once again. The shocks on his car had allowed the splitter to drag the ground and it had broken off. Now, Brad Keselowski was in a deep hole. Right after this, the sixth caution of the day came out on lap 138. Parker Kligerman had just pulled into the garage because he thought his engine was gone. Actually, he had blown a left front tire. His blown tire left some debris on the track and NASCAR was forced to throw a caution. Travis Pastrana received the lucky dog. This caution allowed the leaders to pit, but it caused the race to switch to thoughts of fuel mileage and saving fuel.

        The race went back green and went fairly smoothly. Most of the thoughts were surrounded by thoughts of saving fuel and staying out front. Sam Hornish Jr. was leading and he was saving fuel, but it was nearly impossible with Kyle Busch right in his tracks. Luckily for the leaders, they wouldn't have to worry because the seventh caution of the day came out on lap 182. Scott Lagasse Jr. became the third victim of turn 2. He got loose coming out of the turn and spun out. He was able to avoid the wall and keep going with no damage. Brad Sweet received the lucky dog. The drivers got buckled in for the end of the race and hoped that the caution laps had saved them enough fuel.

       The race went back green and it was a short time before the eighth caution of the day came out on lap 187. Joey Gase, who was running slow coming out of turn 2, got ran over by Ryan Sieg. Gase went up the track and piled into Kyle Larson, with both drivers plowing into the wall. Larson rode down the backstretch, pouring out smoke and a small fire. He would turn out to be okay. Dale Earnhardt Jr. received the lucky dog. The weird part of this was what Kyle Larson did before his car reached a stop. Coming to the inside wall, ESPN caught a video of Kyle Larson pulling off his steering wheel before the car had even come to a halt. Definitely not a smart thing to do with the car on fire and heading to the wall. Nonetheless, Kyle Larson was all right and it was time for the final restart of the race. 

       The green flag waved for the final time and Sam Hornish Jr. and Kyle Busch were ready for a fight. They ran next to each for the next couple of laps, but Kyle could not out-do Sam Hornish. Hornish was able to cruise across the line and grab his second career NASCAR Nationwide Series victory. What a race it was and what a win for Sam Hornish Jr.

      The first installment of Las Vegas action of the weekend was great. The cars were able to run well and we saw somebody new solidify his standing as a championship contender. Not only that, but  Hornish is still points leader after three races. In the end, Hornish also led the most laps, 114 to be exact, gaining him even more points. Now the NASCAR Nationwide Series will head to Bristol Motor Speedway for what should be a race full of fast speeds, beat-up race cars, and, of course, hotter drivers than their cars can ever dream of. In case you don't know what that means, some drivers are going to pretty angry. I hope you get a chance to catch it because it will be one for the ages.
(More Stats Down Below!)



Cautions:
1st Caution: Eric McClure blew an engine in turn 2.

2nd Caution: Competition caution waved by NASCAR.

3rd Caution: Mike Wallace got loose in turn 2 and spun Joe Nemechek.

4th Caution: Robert Richardson Jr. got loose in turn 2 and spun.

5th Caution: Kyle Larson went down on Trevor Bayne in turn 4 and both drivers went into the wall with Larson receiving most of the damage.

6th Caution: Debris from Parker Kligerman's tire was spotted on the track.

7th Caution: Scott Lagasse Jr. got loose in turn 2 and spun.

8th Caution: Joey Gase got spun from behind by Ryan Sieg. Gase went up into Kyle Larson and both drivers piled into the outside wall with major damage.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: None 
2nd Caution: Scott Lagasse Jr.
3rd Caution: Mike Bliss 
4th Caution: Ryan Sieg 
5th Caution: Hal Martin 
6th Caution: Travis Pastrana 
7th Caution: Brad Sweet
8th Caution: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Sam Hornish Jr. 
2nd: Kyle Busch
3rd: Brian Vickers
4th: Trevor Bayne
5th: Elliott Sadler

Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Austin Dillon
7th: Regan Smith
10th: Travis Pastrana
11th: Ty Dillon
14th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
37th: Brad Keselowski

Credits:
-Statistics:
http://racing-reference.info/race/2013_Sams_Town_300/B
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nationwide-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
-Image:
http://mng-lang.smugmug.com/02-SPORTS/Sam-Hornish-Jr-wins-NASCAR/i-5gzWrHV/0/L/BS10-NASCARNATIONWIDE-37-WL-L.jpg

Qualifying Canceled for the 2013 Sam's Town 300; Vickers To Start On The Pole

         The second qualifying session in Las Vegas was canceled due to inclement weather. This time it was for the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Once again, the line-up was decided based on 2012 Owner Points. Because of this, Brian Vickers will start on the pole with Trevor Bayne on his outside. The rain-out will force Dale Earnhardt Jr., Travis Pastrana, and Kyle Busch to fight their way through the field from the back. Other drivers like Reed Sorenson, Hal Martin, and Joe Nemechek will have a spot up front to contend for the win. There were forty-three drivers that were going to attempt to qualify, so Chase Miller, Brendan Gaughan, and Kevin Swindell missed the race. We will have to wait until tomorrow to see if the drivers from the back can make it to the front and if some underdogs can come through with their up front starting spots.
(More Stats Down Below!)



Top 5 Starters:
1st: Brian Vickers
2nd: Trevor Bayne
3rd: Brian Scott
4th: Austin Dillon 
5th: Ty Dillon

Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Brad Keselowski
12th: Regan Smith
15th: Elliott Sadler
23rd: Kyle Busch
31st: Travis Pastrana
32nd: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

DNQs: Chase Miller, Brendan Gaughan, and Kevin Swindell
(If you read this earlier, it said there were no DNQs. I did not check any other sources, so I apologize for that.)


Credits:
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nationwide-series/standings/results/2013/sams-town-300.html
http://www.jayski.com/nationwide/2013/pdfs/nns-03lasvegas2013lineup.pdf
-Image:
http://images.athlonsports.com/d/37168-1/BrianVickers.jpg

Qualifying Canceled for the 2013 Kobalt Tools 400; Keselowski To Start On the Pole

         Due to inclement weather at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 400 was canceled. Since there are not times, the line-up will be set by 2012 Owner Points. Because of this, Brad Keselowski will start on the pole with Clint Bowyer starting right beside him. The rain-out caused drivers like Kurt Busch, Austin Dillon, and Aric Almirola, who had good practice runs, to start deep in the field. Others like Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, and Denny Hamlin were helped by it and will start at the front. There were forty-four cars on the entry list, so only Mike Bliss will miss the race. We will have to see Sunday who will be affected by starting at the back or the front and who can win the third race of the 2013 season.
(More Stats Down Below!) 



Top 5 Starters:
1st: Brad Keselowski
2nd: Clint Bowyer
3rd: Jimmie Johnson
4th: Kasey Kahne
5th: Greg Biffle

Notables Not in Top 5:
9th: Tony Stewart
10th: Jeff Gordon
12th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
13th: Kyle Busch
18th: Matt Kenseth
37th: Danica Patrick

DNQs: Mike Bliss

Credits:
-Statistics
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/standings/results/2013/kobalt-tools-400.html
http://www.jayski.com/stats/2013/pdfs/03lvms2013prac2.pdf
-Image

Mark Martin Grabs the Pole for the Subway Fresh Fit 500

       With a time of 26.073 seconds (138.074 mph), Mark Martin captured the pole for the 2013 Subway Fresh Fit 500. He became the second oldest driver to win a pole in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series behind Harry Gant's pole win at Bristol in August 1994. With his 56th pole of his career, Mark Martin passed Bill Elliott for seventh all-time in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history for pole wins. It may seem like his pole win came easy, but Mark Martin had to dodge a lot of bullets.


Once again, the qualifying order was decided by a random draw. Ken Schrader drew the first spot in qualifying. He was not fast and ran the second slowest lap of the day, but he still made the race because only 43 cars attempted a run. It wasn't long before the first incident in qualifying occurred to Kurt Busch. On his second lap, he got loose coming into turn 1 and slid up the track. He was able to save it, but his tire began to rub. As he went into turn 3, he got loose once again, but this time he could not save it and slammed into the wall. He had minimal damage on the side and shouldn't have to go to a back-up car.  The session continued on and the pole continued to move back and forth between drivers until Kasey Kahne ran his lap. He took the top spot and held it until the eventual polesitter, Mark Martin, grabbed the pole from the nineteenth spot out. To win the pole, he had to dodge such bullets as Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, and Ryan Newman. The session continued smoothly until two drivers had the same problems getting onto the track for their run. Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Burton both had trouble getting through the new laser part of inspection. Both drivers were able to get their cars through inspection and make their runs before the five minute clock ran out. In fact, Johnson was able to lay down a quick lap that almost put him on the front row. 

With Jeff Burton's run, Mark Martin was awarded his pole and his spot for next year's Sprint Unlimited. Well, that is way away from now. The only thing on all the drivers' minds is to race on Sunday. With this pole, Mark Martin hopes that his momentum is high enough to carry him to a win on Sunday.
(More Stats Down Below!)



Top 5 Qualifiers (With Times):
1st: Mark Martin    26.073 (138.074 mph)
2nd: Kasey Kahne    26.113 (137.862 mph)
3rd: Jimmie Johnson    26.124 (137.804 mph)
4th: Kyle Busch    26.149 (137.673 mph)
5th: Jeff Gordon    26.246 (137.164 mph)

Notables Not in Top 5 (With Times):
6th: Tony Stewart    26.250 (137.143 mph)
7th: Kevin Harvick    26.263 (137.075 mph)
9th: Matt Kenseth    26.300 (136.882 mph)
11th: Brad Keselowski    26.309 (136.835 mph)
21st: Dale Earnhardt Jr.    26.496 (135.870 mph)
40th: Danica Patrick    27.090 (132.890 mph)

DNQs: None



Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-qualification.html
http://www.jayski.com/stats/polewinners.htm
-Image
https://twitter.com/NASCAR