The Passing of Dan Wheldon: One Year Ago Today

         
         October 16, 2011. It started off as a simple Sunday for me. I woke up, ate breakfast, and then went to church. I came home at noon and sat down to eat. The race had been on Saturday night, so, instead, I watched some NFL games. Around 3 o'clock, I saw something on the bottomline about the IndyCar Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. I planned on watching the race, but I got sidetracked and forgot about it. Even though I was unable to catch the race, what happened in it forever changed my life.

          The race started off normally with Marty Reid giving his introduction for the event. It was the last race of the 2011 season and the title was on the line. Dario Franchitti and Will Power were going for the championship and we were expecting a shootout from beginning to end. Dan Wheldon was also trying to win the race because he would receive 2.5 million dollars and one lucky fan would also receive 2.5 million dollars. The field contained 34 cars, which was an enormous amount for an IndyCar event. Even with drivers complaints of safety, the command was given and the engines were fired. 

          On the warm-up laps, Scott Goodyear, former IndyCar driver and announcer in the booth, talked to Dan Wheldon on the radio. Wheldon was confident in his ability to win the race. His team members and many others were as well. After this conversation, the green flag waved and the cars shot into turn 1. The cars were already three-wide by the time they reached turn 2 and the speeds continued to grow. In turn 3 on lap 10, an on-board shot of Dan Wheldon was shown and the mayhem began. As the cars went into turn 1, a flash of smoke popped up in front of Wheldon. Cars went sliding across the track and Dan, along with Will Power, J.R. Hildebrand, and others, went flying. Dan hit the catchfence and careened down across the track and onto the backstretch. Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, and Eddie Cheever, the announcers in the booth, were alarmed by the magnitude of the incident. In total, 15 cars were involved. After some drivers were released from the medical center, they were interviewed along with some of the drivers left running. The ones released were keeping their thoughts with Dan Wheldon and the drivers still running were keeping their thoughts with all the drivers involved. Shortly after Dario Franchitti was interviewed, a medical helicopter was shown leaving the track, but nobody knew who was in it. A few minutes passed before Marty Reid went down to Jamie Little, who confirmed that Dan Wheldon was the driver who had been lifted by the helicopter. After a two hour red flag situation, Dan Wheldon was confirmed dead by IndyCar officials. Because of this, the drivers held a five lap salute to honor Wheldon. On that day in 2011, the life of Dan Wheldon ended right before our eyes.

         When Dan Wheldon won the 2011 Indianapolis 500, I was ecstatic. He put a lot of hard work into it and deserved to win it. I was behind him then and wish that he was still alive to continue winning in the IndyCar Series. Looking back on the events of his career, I'm glad I am able to say that I watched Dan Wheldon race an IndyCar. Marty Reid ended that day perfectly. "People ask me why, when I sign off I say 'until we meet again'. Because goodbye is always so final. Goodbye Dan Wheldon."



Credits:
-Full Race:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAYIbAvKTdI&feature=my_liked_videos&list=LLoJuXstqkLuCW91eAlI6j5g
-Stats and Information:
indycar.com



       

Time Traveling to the 1959 Daytona 500

         Before I put this story down, I want to give a little backstory to it. In my English II class, we read "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury. It was an excellent story about dinosaur hunting in the past. If you have not read it, I definitely recommend it. After we finished reading the story, my teacher asked us to write a paper about what we would do if we traveled back in time and why. After sorting through five topics, I decided to write about going back and seeing the 1959 Daytona 500. Here is the story for you guys.

       Many people talk about time travel. Whether it be a great period in history, a gone, but not forgotten time, or somebody they wish they knew, time travel interests everybody. I had the same dreams, but it wasn't for the same thing that most people dreamed about. I wished that I could see and relive one of the greatest NASCAR races ever, the 1959 Daytona 500. Using time travel, I was able to achieve this dream.


I time traveled to February 22, 1959, the day of the race. When I arrived, it was early morning and a cool breeze was blowing across the track. My adventure began in the infield of the track. Instead of being a fan in the stands, I decided to be a fan and a part of the race. My part in the race was working for Lee Petty as a tire changer. Lee Petty, who is the father of Richard Petty, was one of the best drivers at the time. As my job in the infield finished, I moved along to the pit wall to get ready to change tires for the event.

I sat along the pit wall and made two goals for the race. My first goal was to lead Lee Petty to a win in the race. Even though he had won the race in the time I had left from, there was no guarantee that he would win in the time I was in. My second goal was to watch the entire race. While I was not changing tires, I sat and vigorously cheered on my driver. As the race neared the end, I realized that both of my goals might reach fruition.

With 50 laps to go, Lee took the lead for the first time. From there on out, Lee and fellow competitor  Johnny Beauchamp, would battle it out for the win. On the last lap, Petty and Beauchamp raced close and it was a dead heat at the line. No one knew who had won the race, which forced NASCAR to find evidence of the finish. A few days later, NASCAR received a picture of the finish. Because of this picture, NASCAR was able to prove that Lee won the race. All the guys got together and celebrated our win in the first Daytona 500. I traveled back to the present after the celebration and, in retrospect, I wouldn't change anything about one of the greatest finishes in NASCAR history.

The idea and use of time travel chases some people away. I used to be chased away by the thought of it, but now I realize that time travel helped me achieve one of my dreams. The 1959 Daytona 500 still lingers in most peoples' thoughts. Now, I can say that I was part of the beginning of a legend that is now known as the Daytona International Speedway.

Sorry About My Long Hiatus

          Hey guys. Just wanted to let you know that I am back from my very extended hiatus and wanted to let you know some things. I have a couple posts planned for the next couple of days. They should be uploaded in the afternoon. One will be uploaded on Monday and the other on Tuesday, but I will let you know if things change. The next thing is that I am going to work on some special projects during the NASCAR offseason. These include biographies, old race recaps, predictions for next year, and maybe some other things that I think of. These will be posted randomly throughout the offseason. Also, I plan to do at least one more Nationwide race recap and Camping World Truck Series recap this year. This should at least partially suffice for my hiatus. If it doesn't, let me know and I will do one more Nationwide or Truck recap of your choice.

           That was all I wanted to let you guys know. Remember to check out my Youtube channel and have a nice day.

                                                                                             -Sincerely,
                                                                                              HarvickKevin29
                                                                                              Ralph Greene

Matt Crafton Captures the Pole for the UNOH 225 at Kentucky

        After finishing second at Texas two weeks ago, Matt Crafton grabbed his 7th career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole. He went out 32nd of the 39 trucks that attempted a qualifying run. The hardest thing about qualifying for the drivers was the hot temperature at the track. With the track temperature hovering in the 130s, drivers had to battle slick conditions and tough track conditions. If you think it was easy to run a fast time, just ask Justin Lofton.

  The first truck to go out on the track was Norm Benning, who was a go-or-go homer. He had a very difficult time with the track and was only able to grab a 34 and a half second lap. The first change in the qualifying order was with Chris Lafferty. He had engine troubles and the team decided not to run a lap and that meant, also, that he would not race because he was a go-or-go homer. The second change in qualifying order was with C.E. Falk. He wrecked in practice, which meant that they had to get a back-up car ready. He could not qualify in his scheduled spot, so he was the last car out. Justin Lofton probably had the most memorable run of the session. Coming into turn 2 on his second lap, Lofton got loose and spun in the corner, but he was able to make a great save and avoid the wall.

  Matt Crafton went out with only 8 trucks left to qualify. He ran a pretty respectable first lap, but his second lap was the most memorable. He was able to gain almost 2 tenths of a second and run a time of 31.16 seconds (173.288 mph). That lap was a tenth of a second faster than the lap that Nelson Piquet Jr. ran to start second. With his first pole of the season, Matt Crafton will also look to grab his first win of the season.
(More Stats Down Below!)

Go-or-Go Homers (With Times and Positions):
17th: Brad Keselowski    31.86 (169.507 mph)
20th: Jake Crum    32.15 (167.989 mph)
21st:Clay Greenfield    32.26 (167.390 mph)
25th: Kyle Larson    32.41 (166.626 mph)
27th: Dennis Setzer    32.51 (166.093 mph)
30th: Jeff Agnew    32.63 (165.492 mph)
31st: Brennan Newberry    32.71 (165.097 mph)
32nd: Scott Riggs    32.72 (165.062 mph)
33rd: Caleb Holman    32.79 (164.674 mph)
34th: Tyler Young    33.00 (163.661 mph)
36th: Chris Fontaine    33.01 (163.587 mph)
37th: Jennifer Jo Cobb    33.19 (162.705 mph)
38th: Johnny Chapman    33.52 (161.122 mph)
39th: Norm Benning    34.55 (156.300 mph)
40th: Chris Lafferty    No Time*

(*: Chris Lafferty did not attempt a qualifying run.)

Top 5 Qualifiers (With Times):
1st: Matt Crafton    31.16 (173.288 mph)
2nd: Nelson Piquet Jr.    31.29 (172.574 mph)
3rd: James Buescher    31.34 (172.326 mph)
4th: Ty Dillon    31.43 (171.816 mph)
5th: Miguel Paludo    31.45 (171.723 mph)
Notables Not in Top 5 (With Times):
6th: Johnny Sauter    31.47 (171.570 mph)
7th: Timothy Peters    31.48 (171.527 mph)
8th: Parker Kligerman    31.50 (171.439 mph)
10th: Justin Lofton    31.57 (171.048 mph)
11th: Ron Hornaday Jr.    31.69 (170.401 mph)

DNQs: Jennifer Jo Cobb, Johnny Chapman, Norm Benning, and Chris Lafferty

Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.jayski.com/cts/next/2012/lineup/cts08kentucky-lineup.pdf
http://racing-reference.info/driver/Matt_Crafton
http://www.jayski.com/cts/next/2012/qualifying/cts08kentucky-order.pdf
-Photo:
http://www.ovalzone.com/tag/mexico-fest-200/#.T-3_k7We5IE

Nelson Piquet Jr. Captures His First Career NASCAR Victory

     

         After earning his first career NASCAR Nationwide Series pole, Nelson Piquet Jr. was able to capture his first win in NASCAR at Road America. After a hard-fought 50 laps, he was able to stand tall with the Brazilian flag in Victory Lane. It was not an easy victory at all. With all the wrecks, all the surprises, and all the drivers being dumped in the corners, this race was one for the books.

        Nelson Piquet Jr. started on the pole for the Sargento 200. As usual at the road courses in the Nationwide Series, the qualifying rules were different than normal, but that did not bother Piquet as he won the pole. Piquet was able to lead the first two laps before being passed by Michael McDowell on the third lap. The oddest thing at the beginning of the race did not involve the racing.

       Based on the qualifying rules, drivers could not put tires on their cars or refuel their cars after qualifying. Because of this, the majority of the drivers decided to stop in the first ten laps of the race. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael Annett pulled into pit road on lap 1, Sam Hornish Jr. pitted on lap 2, Jacques Villeneuve and Kurt Busch pitted on lap 4, and Michael McDowell, Nelson Piquet Jr., Max Papis, Elliott Sadler, and Austin Dillon pitted on lap 5. Those were the more notable drivers who pitted, but a vast majority of other drivers pitted before lap 10.


The first caution came out on lap 13 when T.J. Bell spun out in turn 14. Matthew Bell, who finished 34th, received the lucky dog. After a two lap green flag run, debris was spotted on the frontstretch on lap 18. This resulted in the second caution of the race. T.J. Bell, who brought out the first caution, received the lucky dog. After the longest green flag run of the race, 13 laps, Kenny Habul ran off track and hit the tire barrels in turn 5 on lap 32. Eric McClure, who was making his return to the series after a hard crash at Talladega in May, received the lucky dog. At this point in the race, most drivers felt that they could stop and go the rest of the way, but nobody knew for sure. Would anybody run out of fuel?


After one circuit around the road course, T.J. Bell went off track and got stuck in the gravel trap in “The Carousel” on lap 34. Kenny Habul, who brought out the third caution of the race, received the lucky dog. The fifth and final caution came out on lap 38 when Justin Allgaier ran off track in turn 5 because of a locked-up tire. Bill Prietzel, who finished 27th, received the final lucky dog of the race. This set up a 12 lap run to the finish that was filled with surprises, shocks, and very close calls.


With three laps to go, the race looked like it would finish under green, but John Young almost changed all that. As Young was driving along, he began to slow and realized that he had ran out of fuel. He had to coast the car across a straightway and make it to the turn 3 turnoff before the car completely stopped. He was able to make it and NASCAR did not have to throw a caution. The next incident shocked the NASCAR world.


On the final lap of the race, Jacques Villeneuve got into turn 5 hard and dumped Danica Patrick.  Patrick slid off the racetrack and into the gravel trap. She was able to get the car going again, but the damage had already been done. Patrick went from a sure top 5 finish to a 12th place finish. It did not seem like a major loss, but Patrick is running for a championship unlike Villeneuve, who was running to win the race. Through all of these things, Nelson Piquet Jr. was able to get away and win the race. It was his first win in 3 starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He also led 19 of the 50 laps, the most of the race.


To mention it once again, Nelson Piquet Jr. was able to earn the pole for and win the Sargento 200 at Road America. The NASCAR Nationwide Series heads to Kentucky next week for the Feed The Children 300. Tune in to ESPN 2 at 7:00 P.M. on June 29th for complete coverage of the race.
(More Stats Down Below!)


Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 13- T.J. Bell spun out in turn 14.


2nd Caution: Lap 18- Debris was spotted on the frontstretch.


3rd Caution: Lap 32- Kenny Habul ran off track and hit the tire barrels in turn 5.


4th Caution: Lap 34- T.J. Bell went off track and got stuck in the gravel trap in “The Carousel”.


5th Caution: Lap 38- Justin Allgaier ran off track in turn 5 because of a locked-up tire.


Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: Matthew Bell
2nd Caution: T.J. Bell
3rd Caution: Eric McClure
4th Caution: Kenny Habul
5th Caution: Bill Prietzel


Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Nelson Piquet Jr.
2nd: Michael McDowell
3rd: Ron Fellows
4th: Max Papis
5th: Sam Hornish Jr.


Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Jacques Villeneuve
8th: Kurt Busch
11th: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
12th: Danica Patrick
15th: Elliott Sadler
18th: Austin Dillon

Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics: http://racing-reference.info/race/2012_Sargento_200/B
-Photo: http://www.nationwide.nascar.com/nationwide-series/news/120623/npiquetjr-wins-road-america/index.html

Nelson Piquet Jr. Takes the Pole for the Sargento 200 at Road America

        Nelson Piquet Jr. earned his first pole in the Nationwide Series at Road America. He beat the track record with a time of 2:13.07 (109.516 mph). With a few different qualifying rules, it was not an easy pole to gain, but Piquet is going to look for his first win to go along with the first pole of his career.
   
        Like all road course races for the NASCAR Nationwide Series, the qualifying rules are way different. There are six groups of cars. The first group has 8 cars in it and the next five have six cars in them. The first cars to go out on the track are the slowest cars from practice and it continues on until the fastest cars from practice go out. Each driver also has a chance to run three laps to get the best time they can get, unlike ovals where the driver only gets two laps. The only similar thing is that each driver wants the fastest time and only one can get it. On this day, that was Nelson Piquet Jr.


  Nelson Piquet Jr. went out in the last group of the day. He had to compete with the fastest drivers at the track to get the pole. He was able to do that with ease. The second place driver, Michael McDowell, was 3 tenths behind Piquet in time. After all was said and done, the last group swept the top 5 spots for the race, but other teams were left scratching their heads. Thanks to all of these things and more, the race should be one of the best of the year. 
(More stats down below!)


Groups:
1st Group: Matt Frahm, Tim Schendel, Chase Miller, T.J. Bell*, Casey Roderick, Ryan Ellis, Jeff Green, and Kyle Kelley


2nd Group: Timmy Hill, Matthew Bell, Josh Richards, Bill Prietzel, Tony Raines,  Morgan Shepherd, and Erik Darnell


3rd Group: Alex Kennedy, Matt DiBenedetto, John Young, Kenny Habul, Mike Wallace, Eric McClure, and Tayler Malsam


4th Group: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Elliott Sadler, Mike Bliss, Jeremy Clements, Kurt Busch, Austin Dillon, and Victor Gonzalez Jr.


5th Group: Justin Allgaier, Brian Scott, Jason Bowles, Brad Sweet, Danica Patrick, Cole Whitt, and Michael Annett


6th Group: Jacques Villeneuve, Nelson Piquet Jr., Max Papis, Michael McDowell, Ron Fellows, Sam Hornish Jr., and Miguel Paludo


(*: T.J. Bell did not pass through inspection in time to make a qualifying run.)


Fastest Driver From Each Group:
1st Group: Kyle Kelley    2:16.73 (106.584 mph)
2nd Group: Timmy Hill    2:17.64 (105.875 mph)
3rd Group: Alex Kennedy    2:16.19 (107.000 mph)
4th Group: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.    2:14.70 (108.185 mph)
5th Group: Brian Scott    2:14.19 (108.596 mph)
6th Group: Nelson Piquet Jr.    2:13.07 (109.516 mph)


Top 5 Qualifiers (With Times):
1st: Nelson Piquet Jr.    2:13.07 (109.516 mph)
2nd: Michael McDowell    2:13.38 (109.258 mph)
3rd: Ron Fellows    2:13.64 (109.044 mph)
4th: Jacques Villeneuve    2:13.67 (109.020 mph)
5th: Miguel Paludo    2:13.80 (108.916 mph)


Notables Not in Top 5 (With Times):
10th: Danica Patrick    2:14.68 (108.207 mph)
11th: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.    2:14.70 (108.185 mph)
13th: Elliott Sadler    2:14.96 (107.977 mph)
22nd: Kurt Busch    2:16.82 (106.509 mph)
23rd: Austin Dillon    2:17.00 (106.368 mph)


DNQs: None

Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nationwide.nascar.com/nationwide-series/races/2012/qual_order/14/
http://www.jayski.com/nationwide/2012/pdfs/nns-14roadamerica2012lineup.pdf
-Photo:
http://www.nascarbrasil.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/nascar-brasil.jpg

Todd Bodine Wins a Rain Shortened NCWTS Lucas Oil 200 at Dover

        Todd Bodine was able to end a 37 race drought and win the Lucas Oil 200 at Dover. The race was shortened to 147 laps after rain began to move into the area. After he stayed out on a late race caution, Bodine was able to hold off drivers like Parker Kligerman, Nelson Piquet Jr., and the dominator of the race, Kevin Harvick, to pull off the victory. The race was filled with cautions and resulted in a mad dash to outwit Mother Nature.


       Kevin Harvick started on the pole for the race and began to show his dominance early. After only a few laps, Harvick was able to jump out to a one second lead ahead of Johnny Sauter. On lap 13, the first caution came out due to Jason White blowing an engine coming into turn 1. Jennifer Jo Cobb, who finished 26th, received the lucky dog. After a six lap green flag run, the second caution of the evening came out. John Wes Townley spun out in turn 2, but received no damage. Norm Benning, who finished 25th, recived the lucky dog. On the first lap after the restart, the third caution of the race came out and it involved a total of 5 cars.


  As the trucks came into turn 3, Jeb Burton got loose and spun Cale Gale. Gale was able to spin and receive no damage, but Burton backed into the wall and received a lot of damage. Parker Kligerman, who was trying to avoid the wreck, barely hit Burton as he passed by Burton's truck that was sliding across the outside wall. In front of those incidents, Brian Scott, who had made it through the wreck, was spun by Max Gresham, who could not see where he was going due to the smoke and cars trying to get by.. Neither driver received any damage and no driver received the lucky dog. 


  After the longest green flag run of the race, 36 laps, Todd Bodine got loose in turn 3 and spun out in turn 4 on lap 69. It was the fourth caution of the race. David Starr, who received two lucky dogs in the race, recived his first lucky dog of the race. After the second longest green flag run of the race, 24 laps, Ryan Sieg got loose coming out of turn 4 and hit the inside wall on the frontstretch on lap 97. It was the fifth caution of the race. David Starr, who finished 14th, received his secong lucky dog of the race. After a short eleven lap green flag run, Wes Burton got loose in turn 3 and spun out, resulting in a very hard hit into the inside wall on lap 112. It was the fifth caution of the race. John Wes Townley, who spun out earlier in the race, received the lucky dog. This caution led to the first red flag of the day.


On lap 120, NASCAR decided that the rain coming down at the track was too much for the trucks to continue racing. The first red flag of the race was waved and the pace car pulled the trucks onto pit road. The rain began to diminish and NASCAR told the drivers to put their helmets on. After about a ten minute delay, the trucks began to roll off of pit road. Some trucks decided to pit before the restart, but Todd Bodine, among other drivers, decided to stay out since they had newer tires on their trucks and more fuel. As Robert Frost said, “I have taken the road less traveled and it has made all the difference for me.” and for Todd Bodine and the other drivers, this reigned true. 

When the green flag waved once again, trucks that had not been out front for the entire race were now in contention for the victory. After a short 5 lap green flag run, Max Gresham came out of turn 4 and slapped the outside wall on the frontstretch on lap 129. It was the seventh caution of the race. Paulie Harraka, who finished 17th, received the lucky dog. After a very short green flag run, 2 laps, Ron Hornaday got loose coming out of turn 2 and almost wrecked Justin Lofton, but Hornaday was able to avoid hitting Lofton and spin towards the inside wall and tap the wall, resulting in a crushed front end. It was the eighth caution of the race. Caleb Holman, who finished 18th, received the lucky dog. After the final green flag run of the race, rain began to fall on the racetrack on lap 144. It was the ninth caution of the race. NASCAR once again felt that the rain was too much for the drivers to continue racing.


The second red flag of the race was waved and the pace car once again pulled the cars onto pit road. The rain began to pour and NASCAR was forced to end the race after only 147 laps of the 200 laps. Todd Bodine was declared the winner of the race because he had stayed out after the first red flag and passed the rest of the cars that hadn't stopped either. Other drivers that stayed out and earned great finishes were Parker Kligerman, Nelson Piquet Jr., and Cale Gale. For Kevin Harvick, Mother Nature managed to rip a win out of his hands after he dominated the entire race.


       Once again, Todd Bodine won the 2012 Lucas Oil 200 at Dover thanks to Mother Nature. He led 20 of the 147 laps, which was third to Justin Lofton's 22 laps led and Kevin Harvick's 96 laps led. It was his 22nd win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, which is the 5th most all-time. The rest of the top 5 were Parker Kligerman in 2nd, Kevin Harvick in 3rd, Nelson Piquet Jr. in 4th, and Cale Gale in 5th. The Camping World Truck Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway next week for the seventh race of the season, the 2012 Winstar World Casino 400. Ron Hornaday Jr. won the 2011 Winstar World Casino 400 after Johnny Sauter was black-flagged on the final restart of the race. Will Hornaday be able to repeat, will a new driver win this season, or will Johnny Sauter get his revenge? Tune to SPEED on June 8th at 8:30 P.M. to see if these questions will be answered.


Credits:
-My own notes
-Statistics:
http://racing-reference.info/race/2012_Lucas_Oil_200/C
-Race Videos (Crashes and Finish):
http://www.youtube.com/user/mkwrockers0099/videos
-Todd Bodine Statistics:
http://racing-reference.info/driver/Todd_Bodine
-Photo:
http://www.nascar.com/news/120601/tbodine-wins-dover/index.html

Joey Logano Wins the NNS Aaron's 312 at Talladega Thanks To a Last Lap Pass

          After two green-white-checkereds, a 9 car crash, a driver airlifted to the hospital, a last lap pass, and before a confrontation between two former open-wheel drivers, Joey Logano won the Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway. He passed Kyle Busch in the trioval on the last lap to win the race. In the end, the most memorable thing about this race might not even be the finish or who won.

             Elliott Sadler started on the pole after qualifying was rained out. The race stayed green for the first 20 laps before the first caution came out on lap 21. Johanna Long's engine blew up and left oil on the track. No driver received the lucky dog. There was a short green flag run before the first of many large wrecks occurred on lap 29. Kurt Busch turned Brian Scott into Jason Bowles on the frontstretch. After Scott hit Bowles, he went hard into the outside wall. Other drivers involved were Morgan Shepherd, T.J. Bell, and Josh Richards. For the second caution in a row, no driver received the lucky dog. The longest green flag run of the race, 29 laps to be exact, began after the restart and ended with the third caution of the race on lap 63. The wreck began when Brad Sweet got loose in front of his drafting partner at the time, Mike Wallace, and went straight into the outside wall. While trying to avoid the wreck, John Wes Townley spun Eric McClure towards the inside wall, but McClure did not hit the wall. The other driver involved was Timmy Hill. Josh Richards, who was involved in the first wreck, received the lucky dog. A 15 lap green flag run ended on lap 81 when Josh Richards blew a tire in turn 2, causing him to spin out. This incident brought out the 4th caution of the race. During pit stops, a driver change occurred. Timmy Hill, who was suffering from an intestinal flu, was replaced by Blake Koch. John Wes Townley, who was involved in the third caution, received the lucky dog. Another long green flag run, 22 laps, ended on lap 110 when the 5th caution came out. Elliott Sadler, who had damage on the front of his car that was said to have caused the wreck, turned Mike Bliss in turn 3. Kurt Busch, who received two lucky dogs in the race, received the lucky dog.  As the cars came around to complete the first lap after the restart, Mike Wallace got loose in turn 4 and tapped Danny Efland. Efland received no damage, but Mike Wallace had to retire from the race. Kurt Busch received his second lucky dog of the race. This led to the first of two green-white-checkereds and I will never, I mean never, forget what happened on the first green-white-checkered.

With 2 laps to go, the cars left in contention to win the race crusied down the backstretch looking for a drafting partner to pull off the victory. As they were nearing the end of the backstretch, Michael Annett got a run, but had nowhere to go. As Annett tried to find a lane, he made contact with Kevin Harvick and turned Harvick into Brad Keselowski. Keselowski went down the track into Annett and Austin Dillon while Harvick was hit hard by Tayler Malsam. Behind them, Elliott Sadler attempted to dodge Malsam, but he went down too far and turned Danica Patrick. The worst part of the wreck was when Kurt Busch tried to get into a lane to dodge Malsam and Harvick. When Busch went down, he hit Eric McClure and McClure went down on Jeffrey Earnhardt. Earnhardt turned McClure towards the wall and McClure flew into the wall with tremendous force. Earnhardt hit the wall as well, but not nearly as hard.  Robert Richardson Jr., who was trying to avoid the wreck, hit Harvick on the driver's side and then Richardson ran into Jeffery Earnhardt. The only two drivers that appeared to be injured were Richardson and McClure. Richardson was able to get out of his car after a few minutes, but still looked shaken up. McClure had to be cut out of his car and was airlifted to a hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. As of the time this is posted, he was released with a concussion and mild internal bruising. After the wreck, there was a fifteen minute red flag that allowed the track crew to clean up the wreck and get McClure out of his car. Blake Koch, who had replaced Timmy Hill, received the lucky dog. The cars began rolling when the red flag was lifted and the final dash to the finish was set up. 

The green flag came out once again and the cars barely kept it clean. As they were coming down the backstretch, Justin Allgaier turned Sam Hornish Jr into Joe Nemechek. They were able to save it, but Nemechek received a lot of damage. Because the cars had to slow down to avoid Nemechek, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Cole Whitt, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr were able to run away from the pack. The white flag waved and I, along with many others, were on the edge of their seat, wondering who would make the move to win the race. Cole Whitt, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr pushing, was not able to get a run to pass Kyle Busch, who was being pushed by Joey Logano, on the last lap to win the race. Joey Logano, on the other hand, was able to get a run on Kyle Busch and passed him in the trioval to win his 11th Nationwide Series race. In my opinion, it was probably one of the best finishes so far this year, but the race was far from being over.

Sam Hornish Jr, a former winner in the Nationwide Series, had a confrontation with Danica Patrick after the race. Hornish blew a tire in turn 4, but he could not slow down or get to pit road because he was still being pushed by Eliott Sadler. In the trioval, Danica Patrick attempted to pass Hornish, but couldn't and ran into him. Since Hornish had blown a tire, he couldn't turn his car and forced Patrick into the outside wall. Patrick didn't take too kindly to, in her mind, his actions. As they came into turn 1 for their cool-down lap, Patrick went in the corner hard and shoved Hornish into the wall. When both drivers made it to pit road, they patched things up and everything should be clean for the race at Darlington. Well, not really, but at least they can try.

Once again, in case it was undermentioned due to all the action in this race, Joey Logano won the race on a last lap pass over Kyle Busch. The Nationwide Series heads to Darlington next week where the action is sure to pick up. Coverage begins at 6:30 PM on ESPN2.

Credits:

-My own notes

-Caution Laps and Lucky Dog Winners: 

http://www.racing-reference.info/race/2012_Aarons_312/B 

-Eric McClure Crash Video: 

http://www.nascar.com/video/post-race/highlights/120505/nns-tal-high-four/index.html 

-Final Green-White-Checkered: 

http://www.nascar.com/video/post-race/final-laps/120505/nns-tal-high-final/index.html 

-Photo: http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/05/joey_logano_passes_kyle_busch.html

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Wins the NNS O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas

        After 200 laps of fast night racing on Friday the 13th, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, who won the NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship in 2011, was shooting the symbolic guns in Victory Lane. After a restart with six laps to go, he was able to hold off Denny Hamlin and Paul Menard to win his first race at Texas. The race was not without its fair share of surprises and light problems.
        The race began with Paul Menard as the polesitter. He was able to lead the first three laps, but was passed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr on lap 4. Brad Keselowski had engine problems right before the caution on lap 48, but he was able to continue on in the race. The first caution came out on lap 48 for debris on the track in turn 1. Jason Bowles, who received two lucky dogs in the race, received the lucky dog. Paul Menard was able to win the race off pit road and led until the green flag came out. Kasey Kahne was able to lead a lap after the green flag came out, but Paul Menard was able to take the lead back. On lap 61, Brian Scott blew a motor, but no caution came out. On lap 91, Brad Keselowski spun coming off turn 4 and brought out the second caution. Jason Bowles, who finished 18th, received his second lucky dog of the race. The green flag came out on lap 95 and immediately on the backstretch, Blake Koch was turned by Kurt Busch and Koch hit the inside wall. This resulted in the third caution of the race. Mike Bliss, who finished 16th, received the lucky dog. A 59 lap green flag run began after the caution and the only round of green flag pit stops during the race began on lap 146. Shortly after the green flag stops, on lap 163 to be exact, the lights on the backstretch blew out. It resulted in the 4th caution and a short red flag. Austin Dillon stayed out and gained the lead and led 13 laps in the process. Danica Patrick, who finished 8th, received the lucky dog. The caution came out again on lap 189 when Kurt Busch blew an engine and left oil on the track. It was the fifth and final caution of the evening. Joey Logano, who finished 15th, received the lucky dog. The restart came with six laps to go and Ricky Stenhouse Jr was able to hold off Denny Hamlin and Paul Menard to cruise to his second victory of the year.
         Stenhouse was able to lead a total of 68 laps. Paul Menard led the most laps with 100 and finished second. The rest of the top 5 were Kasey Kahne in 3rd, Denny Hamlin in 4th, and Austin Dillon in 5th. David Ragan was able to finish sixth with GC Motorsports, an underfunded team out off Ontario, Canada. Elliott Sadler, who finished 12th, still held the points lead by 4 points over Stenhouse. The NASCAR Nationwide Series will take another week off and then head to Richmond on April 27th where the action is sure to heat up.

Credits:
-Statistics: http://www.racing-reference.info/race/2012_OReilly_Auto_Parts_300/B
-Picture: http://www.nascar.com/nationwide-series/news/120413/rstenhousejr-wins-texas/index.html

Finally, The Rock Has Come Back To... NASCAR?

  "Can you smell what The Rock is cooking?" has turned into "Can you believe The Rock is coming back to NASCAR?" Since 2004, Rockingham Speedway, better know as "The Rock", has been away from the top three series of NASCAR.  Throughout its absence, Rockingham Speedway has been waiting for a comeback to bring it back to its former glory that began in 1965.
         Opened on October 31st, 1965, North Carolina Motor Speedway was built by history. It was the project of Harold Brasington, a land developer who built Darlington Raceway, and Bill Land, who owned the land that the speedway was built on. The track was built as a 1 mile oval, but, over time, it became a 1.017 mile speedway. Most of the funding for the track was provided by a local lawyer named Elsie Webb, who gathered a group of backers to back the track with funding. Brasington and Land also sold 1 dollar shares and they had about 1,000 shareholders at a certain time.
         The first race was held on October 31st, 1965 and had an attendance of 35,000. The American 500, which was the name of the race, was a 500 lap, 500 mile race. It was also the 54th race of the 55 race 1965 season. Curtis Turner, who led 239 laps, won the race. The race included NASCAR legends like Cale Yarborough, Ned Jarrett, Buddy Baker, David Pearson, Junior Johnson, and Richard Petty. In 1966, the speedway was given two dates and that tradition continued until 2004. 
         The demise of North Carolina Motor Speedway began in 1997. North Carolina Motor Speedway merged with Penske Motorsports and was renamed North Carolina Speedway. In 1999, North Carolina Speedway was sold to International Speedway Corporation, or ISC. After 38 years of having two races, North Carolina Speedway was only given one date in 2004. Some people believed that it was due to low attendance, but most people believed it was due to ISC giving it to a newer track that they felt would be better fit for NASCAR racing. NASCAR's best wanted to make the only race at North Carolina Speedway a one to remember. Boy, did they ever.
         The 2004 Subway 400 was full of surprises and controversy. The major surprise in the race occurred on lap 265. As the cars were coming down the backstretch, Brendan Gaughan bumped Joe Nemechek, which caused Nemechek to turn Carl Long into the wall. Long then began to flip wildly along the backstretch and flipped 5 or 6 times before landing on his wheels. Long was okay after the crash. The controversy began on lap 350. Matt Kenseth, who was in the lead, pulled into the pits with second place at the time, Kasey Kahne, on lap 350. Jamie McMurray, who was in third, stayed out and took the lead. As Jamie McMurray went down the backstretch and into turn 3, Robby Gordon got loose coming out of turn 2 and went up into Jeff Green. Gordon got on his side, but didn't flip. Jamie McMurray inherited the lead and Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne were in trouble. Well, the actually weren't.
         When Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne came out of the pits, NASCAR ruled that they were still on the lead lap. According to NASCAR, Kahne and Kenseth had, and I quote, "completed routine stops." McMurray and his owner, Chip Ganassi, could not believe what NASCAR had said. After pit road was opened, all the lead lap cars in front of Kahne and Kenseth pitted. It gave Kenseth the lead and Kahne second. McMurray came out of the pits first and assumed third place, but he was not happy.
         The restart came out with thirty laps to go and the controversy still wasn't finished. On the restart, Mark Martin, who was Kenseth's teammate and two laps down at the time, let Kenseth by and slid up in front of Kahne. After the race, Martin said that he thought he was "racing and wasn't in anybody's way." Eventually, Kahne and McMurray got by Martin and chased down Kenseth. On the last lap, Matt Kenseth decided to block the outside line, Kahne's preferred line. Kahne used the bottom and coming out of turns 3 and 4, Kahne was able to inch closer to Kenseth. At the line, the margin of victory was .01 second with Kenseth pulling out the win. With arguably one of the best finishes in NASCAR history, North Carolina Speedway went out with a bang.
        After three and a half years without any type of action whatsoever, North Carolina Speedway was put up for sale on October 2nd, 2007. Andy Hillenburg, a car owner in the ARCA RE/MAX Racing Series, bought the track for 4.4 million dollars. Immediately after he bought it, he gathered some sanctioning bodies to set dates for the speedway and changed the official name of the track to Rockingham Speedway. They also set up a 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series date for May 4th. The event was named the Carolina 500 and it featured a field of fifty cars. Joey Logano, an up and coming NASCAR driver, won the pole for the race, dominated the race, lead the most laps, and passed Ken Schrader with 5 laps to go to win the race. After that race, Rockingham held two ARCA Series races until the series left the track after the 2010 season. Rockingham also held series such as the UARA and CARS Series.
        After 7 years without a NASCAR event, ESPN released a story on September 2nd, 2011 that Rockingham Speedway would receive a date in the 2012 Camping World Truck Series schedule. On September 7th, 2011, Andy Hillenburg held a press conference that confirmed Rockingham had received a Camping World Truck Series date for April 15th, 2012. Finally, after years of turmoil, NASCAR returns to "The Rock."
        Throughout its history, Rockingham Speedway has had to overcome lows and become glorified during the highs. When the Camping World Truck Series comes in 2012, veterans like Kasey Kahne, Todd Bodine, Ron Hornaday Jr. and rookies like Tyler Young, Brennan Newberry, and Caleb Holman will attempt to bring Rockingham back to its former glory. I have no doubts that they will do that and some. Boy, its going to be a good show. 

Credits:
-History:
http://www.nascar.com/news/120405/maumann-retro-kkahne-mkenseth-rockingham-2004/index.html        
http://premium.nascar.com/TRACKS/northcarolina/
-Statistics:
http://www.racing-reference.info/race/2004_Subway_400/W
http://www.racing-reference.info/race/1965_American_500/W
-Video of Gordon crash(Used to determine NASCAR's ruling):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzMtAgYofTI
-Picture:
http://a.espncdn.com/media/motion/2012/0410/dm_120410_nascar_rockingham.jpg      

Kevin Harvick Dominates In the NCWTS Kroger 250 at Martinsville

     After qualifying on the pole, Kevin Harvick dominated the Kroger 250 at Martinsville. He led 248 of the 250 laps, but not without a challenge from rookie driver, Ty Dillon. The race was not without its share of surprises and thrills.
      On Lap 22, Ron Hornaday spun out on the frontstretch bringing out the first caution. Jake Crum, who finished 18th, received the lucky dog. After a stretch of about 50 green flag laps, Joey Coulter blew a right front tire and slammed hard into the turn 3 wall bringing out the second caution. John King, the first time winner from Daytona, received the lucky dog. After a short stretch of 11 green flag laps, John Wes Townley got loose in turn 3 and bumped into J.R. Fitzpatrick, causing him to spin. Clay Greenfield had to check up to avoid the wreck, which caused Dakoda Armstrong to run into the back of him and caused Jeff Agnew to run into the back of Armstrong. This accident brought out the third caution. Ryan Sieg, who finished 32nd, recevied the lucky dog. After another short green flag run, twelve laps to be exact, Dusty Davis stalled his truck on the frontstretch. Matt Crafton, who finished 24th, received the lucky dog. After a 37 lap green flag run, David Starr spun in turn 2. Ron Hornaday, who caused the first caution, received the lucky dog. After the longest green flag run, 63 laps, David Reutimann wrecked in turn 1. Oddly enough, he caused a caution in the Sprint Cup Series race for stalling out on the track due to two blown tires. J.R. Fitzpatrick, who was also involved in a wreck, received the lucky dog. On the restart, the trucks became stacked up in turn 3. Miguel Paludo got loose and bumped into Max Gresham, causing him to spin out. John King, who was behind the two, had to slow down and that caused Parker Kligerman to run into the back of King. David Starr was able to slow down and avoid Kligerman, but Brennan Newberry ran into the back of Starr. David Starr, who got hit in the back during the accident, received the last lucky dog of the race. The final dash to the checkers was set.
      With Kevin Harvick starting on the outside, the green flag came out with six laps to go. Kevin Harvick was able to secure his lead coming into turn 1 and he never looked back. It was his 14th win the Camping World Truck Series and it was his 3rd at Martinsville.
Ty Dillon was able to come home in second in front of James Buescher in 3rd, Justin Lofton in 4th, and Timothy Peters in 5th. John King still held the points lead after the race.

Credits:
-Statistics: http://www.racing-reference.info/race/2012_Kroger_250/C
-Photo: http://www.nascar.com/news/120331/kharvick-win-martinsville-truck/index.html