Kevin Harvick Takes the Win In Overtime at Richmond

         After an action packed race and one green-white-checkered overtime session, Kevin Harvick came out on top at Richmond. In total, Harvick only led three laps in the race, but that was all he needed to grab the win. Harvick had the better car at the end, but Juan Pablo Montoya had him beat at the end. With a few laps to go, a caution waved and that was all Harvick needed to grab the lead and run away from the field. It was a great victory for Harvick, but the action throughout the race and afterwards was just as great.

         Matt Kenseth, who had an emotional week filled with all kinds of suspensions and penalties from the race at Kansas, started on the pole. Last week at Kansas, Kenseth started on the pole and was able to cruise to victory. He was able to lead the first lap of the race and immediately showed that he was going to be a contender in the race. The drivers started the race very friendly and allowed faster cars to go by, but that changed quickly. The first caution of the race came out on lap 42. Landon Cassill went under Josh Wise coming into turn 3 and they made contact. Wise went for a slide, but he was able to save it and avoid the wall. David Reutimann received his first of four lucky dogs in the race. The race went back green and continued on until the second caution of the race on lap 111. Marcos Ambrose stopped on the backstretch due to no oil pressure in the engine. The problem was terminal and Ambrose was not able to return to the race. Landon Cassill received the lucky dog. At this point, the track had just begun the change from day to night and the drivers hoped that they had the right setup for the rest of the race.

        The race went back green and continued on until the third caution of the race on lap 147. Michael McDowell dropped some fluid on the backstretch. David Reutimann received his second lucky dog of the race. The race went back green and it was a short time before the fourth caution of the race came out on lap 159. Brad Keselowski blew a tire in turn 1 and slammed into the outside wall. He was able to avoid receiving catastrophic damage and was able to continue on after some minor repair. Oddly enough, the sprinkler system in the infield cut on during the caution. Even more odd, FOX stated that the sprinkler system was the reason for the caution. Nonetheless, Josh Wise received the lucky dog. The race went back green and continued on until the fifth caution of the race on lap 233. Greg Biffle, who had been fighting his car all night long, got loose coming out of turn 4 and went for a spin down the frontstretch. He was able to keep it out of the wall and avoid receiving damage. David Ragan received the lucky dog. The race went back green and the rash of cautions that led to the end of the race began.

         The sixth caution of the race came out on lap 293. Travis Kvapil made contact with the wall in turn 2 and was slow. He could not get down to pit road and made contact with the wall in turn 4 causing the caution flag to wave. It was a good caution for most drivers, but one driver in particular did not want to see it wave. Brad Keselowski had just made his routine pit stop under green. He came out of the pits and on that lap the caution flag waved. He was a lap down, but he was able to get the lucky dog and return to the lead lap. The race went back green and continued on until the seventh caution on lap 309. Travis Kvapil blew an engine in turn 4 and was unable to make it back it around before the caution flag waved. David Reutimann received his third lucky dog of the race. The race went back green and a few contenders in the race fell out.

          On lap 328, Tony Stewart got loose coming into turn 1 under Jimmie Johnson. Stewart slid up the track into Johnson. Both drivers went for a spin and slid down the banking. Kyle Busch had moved to the apron of the track and Johnson slid right down in front of him. Busch had no choice but to plow into Johnson. All three drivers had a little damage, with Johnson and Busch receiving the most. This resulted in the eighth caution of the race. David Reutimann received his fourth and final lucky dog of the race. The race went back green and it was a short time before the ninth caution of the race came out on lap 340. Kasey Kahne and Mark Martin made contact coming out of turn 2 and both drivers went for a spin. Brian Vickers ran into Martin and Martin and Kahne both made contact with the wall. Jimmie Johnson also received some slight damage. Kyle Busch received the lucky dog. The race went back green once again and it was a short time before the tenth caution of the race came out on lap 347. Kurt Busch bumped Martin Truex Jr. in turn 3 and Truex went for a spin. Truex was able to keep the car out of the wall and continue on without damage. David Gilliland received the lucky dog. Now, the drivers prepared for the last fifty laps.

          The race went back green and Juan Pablo Montoya jumped out to a quick lead. Kevin Harvick, who was on fresher tires at the time, made his way up to second place. For about thirty laps, Harvick would get closer to Montoya and then Montoya would begin to pull away. With only a few laps to go, it looked like Montoya had his first ever win on a NASCAR oval. But one caution would change all that. On lap 397, Brian Vickers made contact with the turn 1 wall, but was able to keep going. He went into turn 3 and the car went up the track and made hard contact with the outside wall. This resulted in the eleventh and final caution of the race. Kyle Busch received the lucky dog. Because of this caution, drivers on old tires were able to pit and get new ones, but a few drivers stayed out and made sure it going to be a mad dash to the finish. 

         The race went green and it looked like Jeff Burton, who had stayed out, could get ahead and get away. But coming into turn 1 after the restart, all the drivers would did not stop slowed the field up and Kevin Harvick was able to get by and grab the lead. He didn't look back and grabbed his twenty career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory. But the action was very far from over.

         Coming out of turn 4 to get the white flag, Kurt Busch got behind Tony Stewart and bumped him out of the groove. Stewart lost a few spots, but did not wreck. The race continued on and Matt Kenseth bumped Busch coming to the checkered flag and Busch lost a few spots. But it didn't end there. Busch drove up on Kenseth on the cool down lap and bumped him in the back. As this was happening, Stewart drove up next to Busch and shoved him up the banking until the two started smoking from the contact. Busch made sure to get the last word by bumping Stewart as they got onto pit road. Ironically, their haulers were parked next to each other and they shared words after they got out of their cars, but no altercation occurred. Now, the action had settled down and Harvick celebrated in style.

         What a race, what a win for Harvick, and what a show afterwards. I think this was up there with California as one of the best races of the season. Hopefully, this momentum keeps Harvick in the winning groove and leads him to a championship as he leaves Richard Childress Racing. Plus, the feud between Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart could heat up in the next two races. Next week the Sprint Cup Series heads to the always exciting Talladega Superspeedway. Then, they head to the track “Too Tough To Tame”, Darlington Raceway, for a Saturday night showdown. The action should pick up in the next two weeks and I hope you guys are ready because I am.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 42- Landon Cassill made contact with Josh Wise in turn 3 and Wise went for a slide.

2nd Caution: Lap 111- Marcos Ambrose stopped on the backstretch.

3rd Caution: Lap 147- Michael McDowell dropped some fluid on the backstretch.

4th Caution: Lap 159- Brad Keselowski blew a tire in turn 1 and slammed into the wall.

5th Caution: Lap 233- Greg Biffle got loose in turn 4 and spun on the frontstretch.

6th Caution: Lap 293- Travis Kvapil made contact with the wall in turn 4.

7th Caution: Lap 309- Travis Kvapil blew an engine in turn 4 and couldn't make it back around to the pits.

8th Caution: Lap 328- Tony Stewart got loose in turn 1 and went up into Jimmie Johnson. The two spun out and slid down the track. Kyle Busch could not avoid and slammed into Johnson.

9th Caution: Lap 340- Kasey Kahne and Mark Martin made contact coming out of turn 2. The two went for a spin and Brian Vickers slammed into Martin. 

10th Caution: Lap 347- Kurt Busch bumped Martin Truex Jr. in turn 3 and Truex went for a spin.

11th Caution: Lap 397- Brian Vickers went up the track in turn 3 and hit the wall.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: David Reutimann
2nd Caution: Landon Cassill
3rd Caution: David Reutimann
4th Caution: Josh Wise
5th Caution: David Ragan
6th Caution: Brad Keselowski
7th Caution: David Reutimann
8th Caution: David Reutimann
9th Caution: Kyle Busch
10th Caution: David Gilliland
11th Caution: Kyle Busch

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Kevin Harvick
2nd: Clint Bowyer
3rd: Joey Logano 
4th: Juan Pablo Montoya
5th: Jeff Burton

Notables Not in Top 5:
10th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
11th: Jeff Gordon
12th: Jimmie Johnson
18th: Tony Stewart
21st: Kasey Kahne
24th: Kyle Busch
29th: Danica Patrick
33rd: Brad Keselowski



Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://racing-reference.info/race/2013_Toyota_Owners_400/W
-Image:
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/USATODAY/USATODAY/2013/04/27/usp-nascar-sprint-cup-series_-toyota-owners-400-4_3_r536_c534.jpg?1b79b3da202957124496e3768cfb7b67cdb10c81

Matt Kenseth Grabs His Second Win of 2013 at Kansas

        After dominating the entire race at Kansas, Matt Kenseth was able to hold off a late charge from Kasey Kahne to grab his second victory of the season. It was his twenty sixth career win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. To add to that, he started on the pole and it was the first time since 1985 that three straight winners had won from the pole. But it was not an easy victory for Kenseth. Strategy had out him out of the picture for part of the race and he had to contend with cautions that could happen at the wrong time. As well as these things, Kasey Kahne was breathing down his neck from the time the final green flag waved on the final restart until the checkered flag waved. All in all, it was a great fight for the win and a great race as well.

        Matt Kenseth started on the pole and he immediately proved his dominance. He jumped out to lead the first lap and led all but one of the first one hundred and eleven laps. The race had just begun when the first caution of the race came out on lap 4. Kyle Busch got loose coming out of turn 2 and went for a spin down the backstretch. He was able to keep the car out of the wall and continue on. No drivers received the lucky dog. Before the race could even go back green, one of the would be contenders in the race had trouble.

        Brad Keselowski had received a little bit of damage at the start of the race. He went down pit road twice on the first caution and had a very lengthy second pit stop. Apparently, the damage had made it difficult to get fuel into the car and his crew had to fix the problem. They held him in the pits until the cars were coming out of turn 4 for the restart, but he was able to leave the pits and make it out before the restart. Subsequently, he was not able to stay in front of the leaders and quickly went a lap down. The race continued on until the second caution of the day on lap 37. Dave Blaney blew a tire in turn 2 and slammed into the outside wall. He received a good amount of damage and retired from the race. Josh Wise received the lucky dog. The race continued on until the third caution of the race came out on lap 72. Debris was spotted on the track in turn 2. Josh Wise received the lucky dog. Soon after this restart, the action began to pick up. 

        On lap 79, Greg Biffle and Mark Martin made contact and Martin went up into the wall. The caution flag did not wave, but we knew the action would start to pick up. A short time after this the fourth caution of the race came out on lap 86. Elliott Sadler got loose in turn 2 and made significant contact with the back of his car in the outside wall. His car was pretty damaged and he was forced to retire from the race. Timmy Hill received the lucky dog. The race went back green and the worst accident of the race occurred.

        It was the fifth caution of the race and happened on lap 103. Kyle Busch had been fighting loose conditions all day including a spin early in the race. He once again lost the car in turn 3 and went up the track into the wall. Joey Logano, who assumed Busch would stay up the track, went down to the apron. But Busch went down the track and onto the apron. Logano could not avoid and slammed into the front of Busch's car. Both cars were immediately destroyed beyond repair. Landon Cassill received the lucky dog. The race went back green and Mark Martin had more trouble. On the restart, he and Jamie McMurray went down to the apron, but Martin was a bit faster. He bumped McMurray and McMurray almost spun down the apron, but he was able to save it and keep going. Both drivers lost a ton of spots, but both drivers were able to recover. The race continued on until the first round of green flag pit stops of the day on lap 155. Drivers were able to stop and the strategy for the rest of the race was set in place. Some drivers would have to make only one more stop, but others would have to make two. It was setting up for a mad dash to the finish.

         The race continued on until the sixth caution of the race on lap 173. Brian Vickers got into the wall in turn 2 and went for a spin down the backstretch. He was able to keep going, but he had a good bit of damage. Bobby Labonte received the lucky dog. The race went back green and continued on until the seventh caution on lap 181. Marcos Ambrose got loose coming out of turn 2 and Sam Hornish Jr. had nowhere to go. He slammed into Ambrose's door and slid down the track into the inside wall. Casey Mears got bumped by David Gilliland and Mears ran into Hornish, leaving both with significant damage. Regan Smith received the lucky dog. The race went back green and the eighth and final caution came out on lap 217. Debris from Brad Keselowski's car was spotted in turns 3 and 4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. received the lucky dog. Now, the stage was set for a mad dash to the finish with every driver having a chance to win and all of them wanting it.

        The green flag waved for the restart and Matt Kenseth jumped out to a quick lead. Kasey Kahne was able to get into second and the chase began. The two would get closer to each other and then get farther away. Finally, Kahne made it extremely close with about fifteen to go. He made a final attempt to pass on the final two laps, but he was unable and Matt Kenseth grabbed his second win of the season. It was a mad dash that kept you on the edge of your seat and definitely did not disappoint in the end.

        The end actually turned out to be some crazy déjà vu from Kenseth and Kahne's battle at Las Vegas, but it was still worth watching. The new repaved Kansas definitely did not disappoint from last year's caution fest. The Sprint Cup drivers and teams will head to Richmond International Raceway for a show under the lights. Will Kasey Kahne grab redemption from this race, will Denny Hamlin return from injury to the track he has dominated in the past, or will Kyle Busch repeat at Richmond? We will find out this Saturday.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 4- Kyle Busch got loose coming out of turn 2 and went for a spin.

2nd Caution: Lap 37- Dave Blaney blew a tire in turn 2 and slammed into the wall.

3rd Caution: Lap 72- Debris was spotted in turn 2.

4th Caution: Lap 86- Elliott Sadler got loose in turn 2 and backed into the outside wall.

5th Caution: Lap 103- Kyle Busch got loose in turn 3 and went up the track. He slid down the track and Joey Logano was there and they made huge contact. Both cars were destroyed.

6th Caution: Lap 173- Brian Vickers got into the wall in turn 2 and went for a spin.

7th Caution: Lap 181- Marcos Ambrose got loose coming out of turn 2. Sam Hornish Jr. slammed into Ambrose and slid down the track. David Gilliland bumped Casey Mears and Mears went down the track and hit Hornish.

8th Caution: Lap 217- Debris from Brad Keselowski's car was spotted in turns 3 and 4.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: None
2nd Caution: Josh Wise
3rd Caution: Josh Wise
4th Caution: Timmy Hill 
5th Caution: Landon Cassill
6th Caution: Bobby Labonte
7th Caution: Regan Smith
8th Caution: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Matt Kenseth
2nd: Kasey Kahne
3rd: Jimmie Johnson
4th: Martin Truex Jr.
5th: Clint Bowyer

Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Brad Keselowski
12th: Kevin Harvick
13th: Jeff Gordon
16th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
25th: Danica Patrick
38th: Kyle Busch



Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://racing-reference.info/race/2013-08/W
-Image:
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/USATODAY/USATODAY/2013/04/21/usp-nascar_-stp-400_002-4_3_r536_c534.jpg?1b79b3da202957124496e3768cfb7b67cdb10c81

Kyle Busch Continues His Domination of the NASCAR Nationwide Series With a Win at Texas

        With his fourth win in six starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this season, Kyle Busch continued his domination of the series. After going winless with his own team last year, Kyle switched to run for Joe Gibbs Racing and it has paid off completely. But Busch had one factor that could have become a road block for his fourth win: strategy. Throughout the night, drivers were running different strategies from others. These strategies include not pitting, getting gas only, getting two tires and fuel, and getting four tires and fuel. With only four sets of tires in the pits, the teams had to make good decisions to ensure a win. All these factors provided for an action packed showdown in Texas.

       Alex Bowman started on the pole for the race. He quickly jumped out to the lead at the start, but he lost the lead to Sam Hornish Jr. on lap 5. It was a short time before Brad Keselowski took the lead from his teammate, Sam Hornish. The race was interrupted by the first caution of the day on lap 24. Robert Richardson Jr. got loose in turn 2 and went for a spin. He kept the car out of the wall and did not receive any damage. Jamie Dick received the lucky dog. The race went  back green and continued on until the second caution of the night on lap 42. Kyle Larson got loose in turn 4 and went for a spin. His car slid into the grass on the frontstretch and went back up the track on the frontstretch. Somehow, he kept the car out of the wall and no cars hit him. He was able to get going with no damage. But his save went from good to bad in a very short time.

        Larson was able to get his car around to make a pit stop to change tires. The decision was made to change only right side tires to make sure he did not go a lap down. He would come back around and the crew would change left sides. Coming down the backstretch after making his stop to change right sides, Larson's left front tire blew and he immediately went down the track. But a safety truck was at the bottom of the track. Larson made a daring move and hit the wall to avoid running into the truck. Now he had a lot of damage from the blown tire and a little damage from the wall, but a huge incident was avoided with the safety truck. Josh Wise received the lucky dog from the caution. At this point the strategy began. A few drivers had three sets of tires left, but some had two left. From this point on, every team would be concerned with how much equipment they had left and how they could use strategy to win. 

        The race went back green and continued on until the third caution on lap 64. Debris was spotted on the track in turn 3. Dexter Stacey received the lucky dog. The race went back green and continued on until the fourth caution on lap 93. Debris was once again spotted in turn 3. Jeffrey Earnhardt received the lucky dog. The race went back green once again and continued on until the fifth caution on lap 120. Robert Richardson Jr. got loose in turn 4 and went for a spin across the frontstretch grass. He did not receive any damage and continued on. Nelson Piquet Jr. received the lucky dog. This caution is where the strategy of  the race split in a couple of different directions. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had three sets of tires and was expecting a few cautions to end the race, most drivers had two sets and were expecting to be on sequence with the rest of the race, and Kasey Kahne had one set of tires and was expecting the race to go green for the rest of the race. Only time would tell who had the right strategy.

        The race went back green and continued on until the sixth caution on lap 134. Dexter Stacey got loose in turn 3 and tried to save it. He tried to, but the car went up the track. He was able to keep it out of the wall and go for a simple spin and continue on. Robert Richardson Jr. went for a spin trying to avoid, but he did not receive any damage. Jeffrey Earnhardt received the lucky dog. The race went back green once again and one of the contenders in the race fell out.

        Sam Hornish Jr. had been running well all night and in a sequence of pit stops had taken tires because he was on sequence. This put him near the back and he would have to run up through the field. Coming out of turn 4 on lap 141, Hornish made contact with Jeremy Clements. Both drivers slammed into the wall and Clements went for a spin in the frontstretch grass. This resulted in the seventh caution of the night. Hornish had a good amount of damage and would go down a good many laps and end his chance for a good finish. Dexter Stacey received the lucky dog. The race went back green once again and another contender would lose some laps and fall out of contention.

       Trevor Bayne was running up near the front on lap 160. But he began to communicate to his team that the car was extremely overheating. Steam poured out and he had to make an unscheduled pit stop. Subsequently, his team found out that he had grass on the grill which caused the overheating. His crew replaced the water, but he lost a few laps and a chance at winning the race. Shortly after this, the eighth and final caution of the race came out on lap 166. Debris was once again spotted in turn 3. Dexter Stacey received the lucky dog. Now, the drivers hoped that their strategy worked and they could grab the win.

       The race went back green and Kyle Busch jumped out to an immediate lead. Brad Keselowski jumped into second and hoped that Busch would wear out his tires and a caution would come out. Busch probably wore out his tires, but no caution came out and Kyle cruised to the win. It was his fifty fifth win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and his fourth of 2013. He looked strong and continues to show how good he can run.

        The race provided excitement at every corner. Whether it be through strategy or hard Texas racing, there were twists and turns that kept the viewer on the edge of their seat. The NASCAR Nationwide Series will take a week off and then head to the always exciting Richmond International Raceway. Last year, Kurt Busch got the first win for Kyle Busch Motorsports in an exciting finish with Denny Hamlin. Will Kyle Busch get his fifth win of the season or will another driver claim a win for themselves? We will have to find out in two weeks.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 24- Robert Richardson Jr. got loose in turn 2 and went for a spin.

2nd Caution: Lap 42- Kyle Larson got loose in turn 4 and went for a spin on the frontstretch grass and went back up the track, but was not hit. 

3rd Caution: Lap 64- Debris was spotted in turn 3. 

4th Caution: Lap 93- Debris was spotted in turn 3.

5th Caution: Lap 120- Robert Richardson Jr. got loose in turn 4 and went for a spin across the frontstretch grass.

6th Caution: Lap 134- Dexter Stacey got loose in turn 3 and went for a spin trying to save it. Robert Richardson Jr. went for a spin trying to avoid.

7th Caution: Lap 141- Jeremy Clements and Sam Hornish Jr. got into each other in turn 4. Both drivers hit the wall and Clements went for a spin in the frontstretch grass. 

8th Caution: Lap 166- Debris was spotted in turn 3.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: Jamie Dick
2nd Caution: Josh Wise
3rd Caution: Dexter Stacey
4th Caution: Jeffrey Earnhardt
5th Caution: Nelson Piquet Jr.
6th Caution: Jeffrey Earnhardt
7th Caution: Dexter Stacey
8th Caution: Dexter Stacey

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Kyle Busch
2nd: Brad Keselowski
3rd: Austin Dillon
4th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
5th: Kevin Harvick

Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Matt Kenseth
7th: Regan Smith
8th: Kasey Kahne
26th: Trevor Bayne
33rd: Travis Pastrana
34th: Sam Hornish Jr.

Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nationwide-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://racing-reference.info/race/2013_OReilly_Auto_Parts_300/B
-Image:
http://static.foxsports.com/content/fscom/img/2013/04/13/041213-10-NASCAR-Kyle-Busch-OB-PI_20130413000924575_660_320.JPG

Alex Bowman Grabs His First Career NASCAR Nationwide Series Pole at Texas

       With a time of 29.441 seconds (183.418 mph), Alex Bowman was able to grab the pole for the O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas. It was his first career NASCAR Nationwide Series pole. Many people were shocked at how fast he was and the competition he had to beat. Not only did he have to surpass Kyle Busch, but he had to beat Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, and many others. It was definitely a record setting qualifying session that was one for the ages. 

        The first driver out on the track was Juan Carlos Blum. He ran the slowest lap of the day, but he was locked into the race. The first change in the qualifying order was with Blake Koch. His crew had trouble getting the car through inspection, but they were able to get it through and he made a qualifying run. The second change in the qualifying order was with Austin Dillon. His crew also had trouble getting his car through inspection, but he was able to make a qualifying run and grab the temporary pole. Up to that point the pole had been switching back and forth between drivers, but Dillon ended that. Kyle Busch was the first to unseat him and it looked like Busch would start on the pole. But Alex Bowman changed all that. With only one driver left to go after him, Bowman laid down the quickest lap and Regan Smith, the last driver out, was not able to out-do him. Just like that, Alex Bowman had his first career NASCAR Nationwide Series pole. 

         Bowman has been doing extremely well this year with a top 5, but this pole will definitely let the fans and other drivers know that Alex Bowman is a serious contender. With this pole, Bowman will hope he can grab his first career NASCAR Nationwide Series victory. He has the tools, but thirty nine other drivers hope they end up in victory lane. It will be a good show tonight at the Texas Motor Speedway.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Top 5 Qualifiers (With Times):
1st: Alex Bowman    29.441 (183.418 mph)
2nd: Kyle Busch    29.478 (183.187 mph)
3rd: Austin Dillon    29.483 (183.156 mph)
4th: Sam Hornish Jr.    29.519 (182.933 mph)
5th: Brad Keselowski    29.526 (182.890 mph)

Notables Not in Top 5 (With Times):
7th: Kevin Harvick    29.572 (182.605 mph)
9th: Matt Kenseth    29.598 (182.445 mph)
11th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.    29.614 (182.346 mph)
13th: Brian Vickers    29.710 (181.757 mph)
16th: Kasey Kahne    29.812 (181.135 mph)
21st: Travis Pastrana    30.046 (179.724 mph)

Go-or-Go Homers (With Times):
9th: Matt Kenseth    29.598 (182.445 mph)
11th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.    29.614 (182.346 mph)
17th: Kevin Swindell    29.850 (180.905 mph)
23rd: Chris Buescher    30.125 (179.253 mph)
24th: Johanna Long    30.147 (179.122 mph)
26th: Landon Cassill    30.280 (178.336 mph)
28th: Mike Wallace    30.314 (178.136 mph)
29th: Jeff Green    30.325 (178.071 mph)
31st: Jamie Dick    30.498 (177.061 mph)
40th: J.J. Yeley    30.641 (176.234 mph)
41st: Scott Riggs    30.772 (175.484 mph)
42nd: Joey Gase    30.828 (175.165 mph)
43rd: Chase Miller    30.942 (174.520 mph)
44th: Jason White    31.232 (172.900 mph)
45th: Michael McDowell    31.607 (170.848 mph)

DNQs: Michael McDowell, Jason White, Chase Miller, Joey Gase, and Scott Riggs

Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nationwide-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-qualification.html
-Image:
https://twitter.com/NASCAR

Jimmie Johnson Dominates at Martinsville and Wins His Second Race of the Year

       After leading three hundred and forty six of the laps at Martinsville, Jimmie Johnson was able to grab the win. It was his sixty second career win in the NASCAR Sprint Sup Series. He also became the seventh driver to lead over two thousand laps at Martinsville in their careers. Amid all this history and domination, there was a lot of bumping and banging, torn sheetmetal, barebond, and tempers flaring. Today, there weren't any fights, but that didn't mean using cars was off limits. These things led to a great one at Martinsville.

       Jimmie Johnson started on the pole and it was obvious he was going to be a contender to start. Marcos Ambrose was able to lead the first lap, but Johnson quickly grabbed the lead back. The race  stopped quickly for the first caution of the day on lap 15. Danica Patrick went into turn 3 under Ken Schrader and Patrick spun to avoid running into Schrader. Danica was able to keep it out of the wall and keep it going. No drivers received the lucky dog. The race went back green and continued on until the second caution on lap 68. Scott Speed pulled a David Reutimann and stopped on the frontstretch. Mike Joy jumped all over that reference and proved how much he actually cares about the little guy.   Anyway, the caution came out and Juan Pablo Montoya received the lucky dog. The race went back green and continued on until the third caution on lap 171. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. lost a grill, leaving debris on the track. This was one of those weird debris cautions where we saw the debris and what happened. Not that it really matters, but credit to FOX for catching that. Tony Stewart received the lucky dog. The race went back green and the biggest stack up of the race occurred. 

         In turn 2 on lap 180, Dale Earnhardt Jr. slowed down. Drivers behind him like Marcos Ambrose, Brian Vickers, Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Joey Logano, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. stacked up and received a good bit of damage. The caution waved and Jimmie Johnson immediately slowed down. Clint Bowyer spun out trying to avoid him and drivers like Jamie McMurray, Martin Truex Jr., and Travis Kvapil received a lot of damage. This caused the fourth caution of the day to come out. Carl Edwards received the lucky dog. The race went back green and continued on until the fifth caution on lap 240. Regan Smith spun out David Reutimann in turn 4. Reutimann was able to keep the car out of the wall and continue on. Greg Biffle received the lucky dog. The race went back green and continued for a short time until the sixth caution on lap 253. Carl Edwards cut down a tire and went for a spin in turn 4. He did not receive any damage and continued on. Paul Menard received the lucky dog. This brought the race to the halfway point and the tempers were sure to start flaring.

         The race went back green and it was a short time before the seventh caution on lap 279. Martin Truex Jr. went for a simple spin in turn 3 and was able to keep going. Casey Mears received the lucky dog. The race went back green and continued on until the eighth caution of the race on lap 293. David Gilliland got into Kurt Busch coming into turn 3 and Busch went for a spin. He did not receive any damage and was able to continue on. Bobby Labonte received the lucky dog. The race went back green and continued on until the ninth caution on lap 360. Ryan Newman blew a tire and stopped on the track. He would receive a penalty from NASCAR because they determined that he had an opportunity to make it to pit road and did not. This cost him a few laps and ended his chance to repeat with a win. Regan Smith received the lucky dog. The race went back green and continued on until the tenth caution of the race on lap 447. Brian Vickers blew a tire in turn 2 and went for a spin. Paul Menard received the lucky dog. Now, the race had  moved into the last fifty laps and tempers were sure to start flaring.

         The race went back green and continued on until the eleventh caution of the race on lap 464. Brian Vickers bumped Danica Patrick in turn 3 and sent her up into Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt went for a spin, but he did not receive any damage. Brian Vickers, the actual cause of the caution, received the lucky dog. The race went back green for the final time and continued on until the twelfth caution of the race on lap 485. Kurt Busch lost his brakes in turn 1 and the car burst into flames. Kurt had the presence of mind to make an immediate left because the lack of brakes would have led to a harder impact further in the corner. After he reached a stop, he began to exit and used the fire extinguisher and was able to put the fire out. Kurt handled the situation well and was able to get out unharmed. NASCAR waved the red flag so the safety crews could clean up the accident area. Aric Almirola received the lucky dog. After the crew cleaned up the area, the drivers got ready for what was going to be a great restart.

        The green flag waved and Jimmie Johnson immediately jumped out to a lead. He would not surrender the lead and would go on to win the race. It was his eighth career win at Martinsville, which move him up to third all time. Before he could celebrate, though, a little spinning occurred after the race. On the white flag lap, Brian Vickers was racing Danica Patrick extremely hard. He was bouncing off of her and the bumping allowed Kevin Harvick to make it three wide coming to the line. Vickers was able to finish ahead of the two, but coming into turn 1 of the cool down lap Harvick took an immediate right and sent Vickers spinning. Vickers spun out and got it straightened out. Coming into the garage, Vickers bumped Harvick and let him know he was not pleased. An altercation did not occur and Johnson was able to celebrate without fists flying.

          It was a quite a first Martinsville race for the new gen-6 car. Not only was Johnson able to secure his eighth win at the track, but Danica Patrick finished in twelfth position. Well, granted if you haven't heard that yet you probably live under a rock. Nonetheless, it was an impressive performance for her and many of the other drivers. I expected nothing less and next week's race at Texas should be one for the books. I hope you can tune in and see an all out shout-out in “The Lone Star State”.
(More Stats Down Below!)



Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 15- Danica Patrick went for a spin in turn 3.

2nd Caution: Lap 68- Scott Speed stopped on the frontstretch.

3rd Caution: Lap 171- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. lost a grill, leaving debris on the track.

4th Caution: Lap 180- Dale Earnhardt Jr. slowed down coming out of turn 2 and drivers like Marcos Ambrose, Brian Vickers, Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, and Joey Logano piled in. Jimmie Johnson slowed down on the frontstretch and drivers like Clint Bowyer, Jamie McMurray, Martin Truex Jr., Travis Kvapil, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. piled in.

5th Caution: Lap 240- David Reutimann went for a spin in turn 3.

6th Caution: Lap 253- Carl Edwards cut down a tire and went for a spin in turn 4.

7th Caution: Lap 279- Martin Truex Jr. went for a spin in turn 3.

8th Caution: Lap 293- Kurt Busch went for a spin in turn 3.

9th Caution: Lap 360- Ryan Newman blew a tire and stopped on the track.
10th Caution: Lap 447- Brian Vickers blew a tire and went for a spin in turn 2.

11th Caution: Lap 464- Dale Earnhardt Jr. went for a spin in turn 3 after contact with Danica Patrick and Brian Vickers.

12th Caution: Lap 485- Kurt Busch lost his brakes in turn 1 and went up into the wall and burst into flames.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: None
2nd Caution: Juan Pablo Montoya
3rd Caution: Tony Stewart
4th Caution: Carl Edwards
5th Caution: Greg Biffle
6th Caution: Paul Menard
7th Caution: Casey Mears
8th Caution: Bobby Labonte
9th Caution: Regan Smith
10th Caution: Paul Menard
11th Caution: Brian Vickers
12th Caution: Aric Almirola

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Jimmie Johnson
2nd: Clint Bowyer
3rd: Jeff Gordon
4th: Kasey Kahne
5th: Kyle Busch

Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Brad Keselowski
10th: Mark Martin
12th: Danica Patrick
13th: Kevin Harvick
17th: Tony Stewart
24th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.



Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://racing-reference.info/race/2013_STP_Gas_Booster_500/W
-Image:
http://www.trbimg.com/img-5161f716/turbine/la-sp-sn-nascar-jimmie-johnson-wins-at-martins-001/600

Johnny Sauter Wins Back to Back Races to Start the Season

       After winning the season opening race at Daytona, Johnny Sauter went to Martinsville and was able to win the race. Sauter had to hold off the charge of his teammate, Matt Crafton, late in the race and he had to continually hold back one of the fiery drivers of the day, Jeb Burton. Also, the race had its fair share of spins, wrecks, bumps, bangs, bent sheetmetal, and, of course, tempers flying. Plus, one driver spun out four times. Yes, four times. It was another Martinsville Truck race that did not fail to disappoint.

       The race started out with Jeb Burton on the pole. It was his first career pole in NASCAR. He took the green flag and it was obvious he was going to be one of the contenders on the day. He led until the first caution of the day came out on lap 58. Coming into turn 1, Dakoda Armstrong got into Grant Galloway and Galloway went sliding up the track. He was able to keep it out of the wall and drive away with no damage. Ryan Sieg, who would later make it all the way up to fifth position, received the lucky dog. The race went back green and it was a short time before one of the early contenders in the race fell out. 

       Coming out of turn 2 on lap 69, debris shot out of the back of German Quiroga's truck and he immediately began to slow for pit road. The second caution flag of the day waved and we were able to diagnose the problem. Quiroga lost a dust cap, which broke an axle and put fluid and debris on the track. He was able to eventually return to the race, but he was a good many laps down. Ryan Blaney received the lucky dog. The race went back green and continued on until the third caution of the day on lap 85. Robert Bruce got into Grant Galloway and Galloway went spinning for the second time of the race. Galloway did not receive any damage and was once again able to continue on. David Starr received the lucky dog. The race went back green and the tempers started to flare.

        After the restart, Ron Hornaday was able to get by Jeb Burton for the lead and Burton fell all the way back to seventh spot. Burton began to quickly move up the leaderboard and make it all the way to second. Once he got by Kevin Harvick for second, he set his sights on Ron Hornaday. Coming into turn 3 on lap 104, Jeb Burton dove into the corner and bumped Hornaday. Hornaday went for a spin and backed into the outside wall. He received a good bit of damage and would not contend for the win again. This resulted in the fourth caution of the day. Immediately, it was obvious that Harvick, Hornaday's teammate for the race, was not happy and let Burton know with a hand out the window.  Joey Coulter received the lucky dog. The race went green and it was a short time before the fifth caution on lap 111. Debris was spotted on the backstretch. Dakoda Armstrong, who battled for a top 5 spot late in the race, received the lucky dog. After the restart, the greatest save of the day and possibly the season occurred. 

        Coming out of turn 2 on lap 127, Ross Chastain was above Johnny Sauter, the eventual race winner. Chastain did not realize that he was not past Sauter and went down the track. Sauter could not get out of the way and Chastain hooked on Sauter's nose. Without letting out of the gas, Chastain was able to get off of Sauter's nose and power the truck into turn 3 while almost hitting Chase Elliott. Somehow no trucks spun and the race continued on. Three laps after this the sixth caution of the race occurred on lap 130. Robert Bruce went for a spin in turn 2. He did not receive any damage and continued on. Ron Hornaday, who wrecked earlier in the race, received the lucky dog. The race went back green once again and continued on until the seventh caution on lap 145. Kenny Habul got into Grant Galloway coming into turn 3. Galloway went for his third spin of the day, but was able to keep it out of the wall and keep it going. Devin Jones received the lucky dog. The race went a short time until the eighth caution of the day on lap 155. Ron Hornaday got spun in turn 2 near the pit exit. Most cars were able to avoid, but Tim George Jr. and, of course, Grant Galloway went spinning. None of the drivers received any damage and they were able to continue on. No drivers received the lucky dog. Another close call occurred after this caution.

         German Quiroga hit the curb coming into turn 3 on lap 167. His truck went up the track and he got into Devin Jones and Jones went for a spin. Jones blew a tire and he was somehow able to leg the truck around to make it to pit road. The caution did not wave and the race continued on. It went on until the ninth caution on lap 195. Max Gresham got into turn 2 a little hot while trying to pass Dakoda Armstrong. Gresham went for a spin, but he did not receive any damage. Dakoda Armstrong, who just avoided the wreck, received the lucky dog. The race went back green and continued on until the tenth caution on lap 206. Matt Crafton bumped John Wes Townley in turn 4 and Townley went for a spin. He tried to save it, but the truck went up into the wall and received a lot of damage. Ron Hornaday received his second lucky dog of the race. The race went back green and continued on until the eleventh and final caution on lap 228. Kevin Harvick bumped Todd Bodine in turn 3 and Bodine went for a spin. Bodine barely got into the wall and continued on. This set up the field for the final restart of the race.

        Jeb Burton started in the lead on the restart and he went side by side with Johnny Sauter into turn 1. Sauter was able to get by Burton and he never looked back. Johnny Sauter easily sailed to his second career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory at Martinsville. It was the second time in the history of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series that a driver won back to back races to start the year. Now, Sauter looks like a legitimate contender for this year's championship.

        After holding off drivers like Jeb Burton and Matt Crafton the whole race, it was obvious that Johnny Sauter was fighting hard for the win. This left him with the sacred Grandfather Clock that is given to the winner of the race. Sauter looks to take this momentum to a third straight win to start the season at Rockingham. Will he be able to do this or will Kasey Kahne come back and win back to back races at “The Rock”? We will find out this and more at Rockingham next Sunday.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 58- Dakoda Armstrong got into Grant Galloway in turn 1 and Galloway went for a spin.

2nd Caution: Lap 69- Debris was spotted on the track in turn 2.

3rd Caution: Lap 85- Grant Galloway spun out for the second time of the race in turn 2.

4th Caution: Lap 104- Jeb Burton bumped Ron Hornaday while looking for the lead. Hornaday went for a spin and hit the wall.

5th Caution: Lap 111- Debris was spotted on the backstretch.

6th Caution: Lap 130- Robert Bruce spun out in turn 2. 

7th Caution: Lap 145- Kenny Habul got into Grant Galloway in turn 3 and Galloway went for the his third spin of the race.

8th Caution: Lap 155- Ron Hornaday got spun in turn 2 near pit exit. Tim George Jr. and Grant Galloway also spun out.

9th Caution: Lap 195- Max Gresham went for a spin in turn 2.

10th Caution: Lap 206- Matt Crafton bumped John Wes Townley and Townley went for a spin. He was unable to keep the truck out of the wall and received a lot of damage.

11th Caution: Lap 228- Kevin Harvick bumped Todd Bodine in turn 3 and Bodine went for a spin.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: Ryan Sieg
2nd Caution: Ryan Blaney
3rd Caution: David Starr
4th Caution: Joey Coulter 
5th Caution: Dakoda Armstrong
6th Caution: Ron Hornaday 
7th Caution: Devin Jones
8th Caution: None
9th Caution: Dakoda Armstrong
10th Caution: Ron Hornaday 
11th Caution: David Starr

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Johnny Sauter
2nd: Matt Crafton
3rd: Jeb Burton
4th: Timothy Peters
5th: Darrell Wallace Jr.

Notables Not in Top 5:
10th: Ron Hornaday 
11th: Todd Bodine
14th: James Buescher
15th: Joey Coulter
18th: Ty Dillon
25th: Kevin Harvick




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://racing-reference.info/race/2013-02/C
http://www.nascar.com/content/nascar/en_us/camping-world-truck-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
-Image:
http://assets.speedtv.com/images/article_assets/112/1127071/1127071_article_img_xlarge2.jpg