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Kyle Busch started on the pole. It was his first pole of 2014 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The race went green and Busch was able to lead the first lap of the race. The race didn't remain green long as the first caution of the race waved on lap 2. The field stacked up in front of Parker Kligerman and he couldn't slow down. Kligerman hit David Gilliland in turn 3 and Kligerman spun into the grass on the inside of the track. He made slight contact with the inside wall and had heavy front end damage. Kligerman's chances for a good finish were over early. None of the drivers received the lucky dog. The race went back green after clean-up and Kyle Busch was able to hold onto the lead on the restart. Busch didn't hold onto the lead long as teammate, Matt Kenseth took it away on lap 17. Kenseth looked to run away, but Jimmie Johnson chased him down and took the lead on lap 21. Johnson was able to stretch his lead and he began to move through a little bit of lap traffic as the second caution waved on lap 40. NASCAR waved a competition caution due to rain at Martinsville throughout the weekend. Michael Annett received the lucky dog. The caution brought the first pit stops of the race and they would be very important for the outcome of the race.
All the leaders came down for four tires and Jimmie Johnson was able to come out as the leader. Another important moment occurred during the stops. Brad Keselowski was leaving his pit box just as Kasey Kahne was moving into his, which was a few boxes in front of Keselowski. Keselowski bumped into Kahne and the two were sitting stopped on pit road. Kurt Busch tried to slide by Keselowski, but he slammed into his door and Keselowski would have to head to the garage for heavy repairs. The field lined up once again and the race went green with Jimmie Johnson holding onto the lead. Johnson held the lead for a few laps before Matt Kenseth made the move to the front and took the lead on lap 56. Kenseth wouldn't remain out front long as Kyle Busch took the lead on lap 59. The lead changes continued as Joey Logano passed Busch on lap 65 for the lead. Logano looked to finally be in control of the lead as he made his way to the back of the lead lap, but Jimmie Johnson powered to the front and took the lead on lap 82. Johnson began to lap a good many drivers as the laps clicked down. After about twenty laps out front, the third caution of the race waved on lap 103.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drove hard into turn 1 and he couldn't slow down enough. He went up the track and made slight contact with the outside wall, but he was able to continue on. Ryan Truex received the lucky dog. All the lead lap drivers came down pit road for four tires with Matt Kenseth coming out as the leader ahead of Johnson. The race went back green and Kenseth was able to hold onto the lead. Kenseth didn't stay out front long as Joey Logano took the lead on lap 111. The race went a few more laps before the fourth caution waved on lap 114. Travis Kvapil bumped Michael Annett entering turn 3. Annett went around and slightly bumped David Gilliland while spinning. The two performed synchronized spins and came to a stop in the turn. Both drivers were able to drive away without damage. Martin Truex Jr. received the lucky dog. The field was lined back up and the race went back green. Joey Logano was able to hold onto the lead as the field battled behind him. Logano looked to be in control, but Jimmie Johnson was coming. Johnson powered his way to the front and took the lead on lap 133. Johnson held onto the lead as he made his way to lap traffic as Greg Biffle began his charge through the field. He made it to Johnson and took the lead on lap 154. Biffle held onto the lead until the fifth caution waved on lap 170.
David Gilliland shoved Casey Mears in turn 2. Mears spun around and up the track. Mears was able to stop his car and avoid the wall. He continued on after straightening out his car. Ryan Truex received the lucky dog. All the drivers came down pit road for four tires with Marcos Ambrose coming out as the leader. The race went back green and Marcos Ambrose was able to hold onto the lead. Ambrose looked to run away and hold onto the lead, but Matt Kenseth was able to power his way past Ambrose for the lead on lap 195. Kenseth held the lead a few short laps before the sixth caution of the race waved on lap 200. Dale Earnhardt Jr. made contact with Jamie McMurray in turn 2. McMurray's tire went down and he spun out. His car sailed around and he backed hard into the outside wall. McMurray drove away, but he had heavy damage and he would need repairs. Alex Bowman received the lucky dog. The caution brought all the drivers down pit road for four tires with Matt Kenseth coming out as the leader. The field was lined up once again and Matt Kenseth was able to hold the lead on the restart. He wouldn't be able to hold onto the lead long as Jimmie Johnson took the lead once again on lap 213. Shortly after Johnson taking the lead, the seventh caution waved on lap 219.
David Gilliland bumped into Alex Bowman in turn 3. Bowman slid up the track and made contact with the outside wall. He was able to drive away with slightly more damage on his car. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. received the lucky dog. The caution brought some pit stop strategy. Dale Earnhardt Jr., A.J. Allmendinger, Kurt Busch, and others stayed out while the rest of the drivers took four tires. It would be interesting to see how the strategy worked for each of these drivers. The race went back green and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was able to hold onto the lead on worn tires. He held on a few laps until the eighth caution waved on lap 232. Debris was spotted on the track in turn 1. Kasey Kahne received the lucky dog. The field was lined back up and the race went back green with Dale Earnhardt Jr. able to hold onto the lead. Earnhardt's tires began to slip a little after the restart and Kurt Busch was able to take the lead on 243. Busch wouldn't hold on long as Jimmie Johnson jumped to the front of the pack on lap 245. Johnson held onto the lead for a few short laps before the ninth caution waved on lap 251. Ryan Truex went up the track in turn 4 after contact with Cole Whitt. Truex slid into the outside wall and his car lifted slightly off the ground. Truex drove away with slight damage. Casey Mears received the lucky dog. The caution brought some more pit stop strategy.
Matt Kenseth stayed on the race track while the rest of the lead lap drivers came down pit road for four tires. Kenseth looked like a sitting duck, but he did have a decent car. The race went back green and Kenseth was able to hold onto the lead for a few short laps before Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the top spot on lap 261. Earnhardt wouldn't hold the lead long as teammate, Jimmie Johnson, propelled to the front on lap 264. Johnson looked to be in control once again, but he wouldn't run away from the field as Clint Bowyer took the lead on lap 284. Johnson wouldn't stay out of the lead long as he surpassed Bowyer on lap 288. Johnson fell into a slight rhythm as he began to lap some cars at the back of the field. He held the lead until the tenth caution waved on lap 315. Joe Nemechek drove into turn 3 and he had brake problems. His car sailed up the track and piled into the outside wall. Nemechek came to a stop, but he was able to drive away with heavy race ending damage. Tony Stewart received the lucky dog. All the leaders came down pit road for four tires with Jimmie Johnson coming out as the leader. Now, the race only had a few hundred laps left and it would certainly be a battle.
The race went back green and Jimmie Johnson was able to hold onto the lead over the field. Johnson ran away slightly and the race looked to be moving into a long green flag run before the eleventh caution waved on lap 340. Kyle Larson broke loose exiting turn 2 and went around. He slid to the bottom of the track and made slight contact with the inside wall. Larson was able to drive away without too much damage. Matt Kenseth received the lucky dog. All the lead lap drivers filed down pit road for four more fresh tires with Jimmie Johnson returning to the lead. The race returned to green flag conditions and Johnson stayed in front of the field. A quick spurt of action was cut short as the twelfth caution waved on lap 349. Debris was spotted on the backstretch of the track. Ryan Truex received the lucky dog. The lead lap drivers stayed on track and the race went back green with Jimmie Johnson still in command of the lead. The race entered a green flag rhythm with Jimmie Johnson still maintaining a torrid pace. It looked like green flag stops were approaching, but the thirteenth caution waved on lap 411.
Brad Keselowski bumped Martin Truex Jr. in turn 2. Truex went around and into the grass on the inside of the track. Truex was able to fire his car back up and drive away without damage. Justin Allgaier received the lucky dog. The caution brought the next to last pit stops of the race. All the lead lap drivers came down pit road for four tires with Jimmie Johnson once again coming out as the leader. The field was set back up for the restart and Jimmie Johnson was able to hold onto the lead as the green flag waved once again. Johnson was driving away slightly, but the field was coming behind him. Clint Bowyer was able to make his way up to the lead and he took the lead from Jimmie Johnson on lap 450. Bowyer held the lead until the fourteenth and final caution of the race waved on lap 459. Carl Edwards broke loose in turn 2. His car slid up the track and he went for a spin. He was able to save it and keep going without damage. David Gilliland received the lucky dog. This caution brought the final pit stops of the race and the most important of the race.
All the lead lap drivers made the move to pit road and each took four fresh tires. Jimmie Johnson came out as the leader for the final restart. Clint Bowyer, who came down in the lead, had a problem on his stop and he fell out of contention all the way back in tenth. The field was lined up one final time and Jimmie Johnson was able to hold onto the lead as the green waved. Johnson looked to be in complete control for another dominating Martinsville victory, but one driver was coming: Kurt Busch. Busch powered his way to the front and took the lead on lap 473, but the battle had just begun. Johnson would not submit to Busch and he took the lead from his fierce competitor on lap 483. Busch didn't want to let down and he propelled himself to the front on lap 489. He only needed to hold off Johnson for ten more laps. The laps clicked down and Busch was still in control with two laps to go. Busch maneuvered through the turns and took the white flag just ahead of Johnson. Busch made it through the first two turns and hit turn 3. He made it through 3 and out of turn 4 to take the checkered flag and his first win since October of 2011. Busch finally made it back to the top of the mountain and he is now a title contender.
Kurt Busch's temper and attitude lost him his ride three years ago at Penske Racing. Constant yelling and cussing put him in a testy situation in 2012. He went to Phoenix Racing in 2012 and ran decent for the equipment. Then, he went to Furniture Row Racing in 2013 where he led the team to its first Chase berth. Along the road, Busch's attitude changed and Gene Haas offered him a ride at Stewart-Haas Racing. Busch made the most of it by taking a win only six races into a new deal. Busch is now legitimate once again and he will be a force to reckon with. Jimmie Johnson led more than half of the race at Martinsville, but even Johnson doesn't win races after leading the most laps. Still, Johnson walked away second and without a win in the early part of the season. Dale Earnhardt Jr. continued to impress and he came away with a respectable third place finish. Joey Logano stayed consistent the entire race and walked away fourth. Marcos Ambrose continued his great finishes on the short tracks in 2014 with a fifth place finish. Matt Kenseth fought his way back from a bad strategy call and a lost lap to finish sixth. Kevin Harvick came back from a tire problem to a steal a seventh place finish. The rest of the field was mixed with some of the better drivers. Brad Keselowski walked away with a terrible finish after a pit road battle with Kurt Busch. Jamie McMurray wasn't able to gain many laps back after a wreck before halfway and he came away with a horrendous finish. Carl Edwards struggled the entire day and suffered a late spin, but managed to sneak away from Martinsville with a thirteenth place finish. Earnhardt's third place finish handed him the points lead heading into Texas where he won his first race in 2000. Will Earnhardt take another win at Texas, will Kyle Busch repeat in the spring race at Texas, will Jimmie Johnson go back-to-back at Texas, or will another driver take away the win? We will have to wait until Sunday to find these answers out and a whole lot more.
(More Stats Down Below!)
Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 2- Parker Kligerman got stuck in the grass in turn 3 and slammed the inside wall after the field stacked up in front of him.
2nd Caution: Lap 40- Competition caution due to rain throughout the weekend.
3rd Caution: Lap 103- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. went up the track in turn 1 and made contact with the outside wall.
4th Caution: Lap 114- Michael Annett and David Gilliland went for simultaneous spins in turn 3 after Travis Kvapil bumped Annett.
5th Caution: Lap 170- Casey Mears spun in turn 2 after contact from David Gilliland.
6th Caution: Lap 200- Jamie McMurray went for a spin in turn 2 and slammed the outside wall after Dale Earnhardt Jr. cut down his tire.
7th Caution: Lap 219- Alex Bowman went for a spin in turn 3 and hit the wall slightly after contact with David Gilliland.
8th Caution: Lap 232- Debris was spotted on the track in turn 1.
9th Caution: Lap 251- Ryan Truex went up the track in turn 4 and slammed the outside wall after contact with Cole Whitt.
10th Caution: Lap 315- Joe Nemechek had a brake problem entering turn 3 and he slammed the outside wall hard.
11th Caution: Lap 340- Kyle Larson broke loose in turn 2 and went for a spin.
12th Caution: Lap 349- Debris was spotted on the backstretch of the track.
13th Caution: Lap 411- Martin Truex Jr. went for a spin in turn 2 after contact with Brad Keselowski.
14th Caution: Lap 459- Carl Edwards broke loose in turn 2 and went for a spin.
Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: None
2nd Caution: Michael Annett
3rd Caution: Ryan Truex
4th Caution: Martin Truex Jr.
5th Caution: Ryan Truex
6th Caution: Alex Bowman
7th Caution: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
8th Caution: Kasey Kahne
9th Caution: Casey Mears
10th Caution: Tony Stewart
11th Caution: Matt Kenseth
12th Caution: Ryan Truex
13th Caution: Justin Allgaier
14th Caution: David Gilliland
Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Kurt Busch
2nd: Jimmie Johnson
3rd: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4th: Joey Logano
5th: Marcos Ambrose
Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Matt Kenseth
7th: Kevin Harvick
12th: Jeff Gordon
13th: Carl Edwards
14th: Kyle Busch
17th: Tony Stewart
22nd: Kasey Kahne
32nd: Danica Patrick
38th: Brad Keselowski
Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/lapbylap/view-all-laps.html?intid=lapbylap_lapbylapleaderboard_08292013
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/live-standings.html
http://racing-reference.info/race/2014_STP_500/W
-Image:
http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/30905769/20140330_jcd_aw3_225.0_standard_730.0.jpg
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