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Before the race could get started, possible thunder storms and lightning came around to the track. The cars were quickly covered up and the drivers began the wait before the start of the event. The delay only lasted about thirty minutes before the covers were taken off the cars and the command was given. Kevin Harvick started on the pole. Harvick took his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole of 2014, which brought the streak of nine different pole winners to a halt. The race went green and Harvick was able to lead the first lap as the field fanned out behind him. The race began to move into a rhythm as the laps began to click away. The field was staying calm and the race looked to be in the middle of a long green flag run. Harvick continued to lead as the first round of green flag pit stops of the night began on lap 40. Harvick and the rest of the field began to file down as the stops clicked by. Brad Keselowski remained on the track and he was the only driver on the lead lap as the first caution waved on lap 47. Clint Bowyer broke loose exiting turn 2 outside of Marcos Ambrose. Bowyer began to spin and he began to swish back and forth to save the car. He couldn't and he slid down the track. He managed to straighten out his car and continued on without damage. Kevin Harvick, who had just pitted, received the lucky dog. Brad Keselowski was the only driver on the lead lap after not coming down during green flag pit stops. He came down for four tires and returned to the lead as the rest of the field lined up behind him after taking the wave around. The field had experienced their first stops of the night and the real action would begin to unfold.
The race went back green and Kevin Harvick was able to take the lead from Brad Keselowski. Harvick looked to be in control once again and he moved into a rhythm just as the second caution waved on lap 60. David Ragan broke loose exiting turn 4. He slid up the track right in front of Ryan Truex. Truex slid down into Landon Cassill, which sent both for spins on track. Michael Annett spun in the grass while the other three continued to spin and wreck. Cassill and Ragan went to the garage with heavy damage while Truex sat stopped on the frontstretch. Austin Dillon received the lucky dog. The caution brought a little bit of strategy. Joey Logano, Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, and others came down pit road while Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, and other leaders stayed on track. It would be interesting to see how this move worked out for the drivers who came down pit road. The race went back green and Kevin Harvick once again remained the leader. He moved into another rhythm as the third caution waved on lap 71. Denny Hamlin broke loose exiting turn 2. His car began to slide and he spun down the track. He managed to slow his car down before hitting the wall. Hamlin drove away without damage and continued on. Paul Menard received the lucky dog. The caution brought a little more strategy. Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, and a few others came down pit road while Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, and others continued to stay on track. It had been a while since these few drivers went to pit road and it seemed like they needed to come, but only time would tell how long they would stay out.
The race went back green and Kevin Harvick continued to dominate as he held onto the lead. As Harvick began to run away from the field, green flag pit stops approached for the drivers who had stayed out the previous two cautions. The laps clicked down and the race was approaching lap 100 and the few drivers out front who had stayed out were contemplating a move to pit road. On lap 101, Jeff Gordon made the first move to pit road for four tires. A lap later, Kevin Harvick followed Gordon down pit road for four. Edwards followed Harvick another lap later and Brad Keselowski hit the pit lane on lap 109. All four drivers went a lap down and their race would take a turn with the fourth caution on lap 110. Marcos Ambrose broke loose exiting turn 4. His car slid straight down the frontstretch. He came into the grass and slid into pit lane. Ambrose drove away with only little damage from the grass. Kevin Harvick received the lucky dog as the rest of the drivers who pitted just before the caution took the wave around. Still, they were at the back of the lead lap and they would need to make a charge. Meanwhile, pit stops occurred for the leaders. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brian Vickers, and Jimmie Johnson took two tires while Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano, and the rest of the leaders took four tires. Now, the major contenders in the race were back in the pack and the rest of the drivers would be able to battle for the lead.
Around this time, the lights on the backstretch actually cut off. The drivers were polled and they decided to continue racing without the lights because the darkness wasn't too bad. The race went back green and Dale Earnhardt Jr. held onto the lead with only two tires. Joey Logano began to put some pressure on Earnhardt and he took the lead from Earnhardt on lap 122. Earnhardt's teammate, Kasey Kahne, began to make a charge as he approached the lead after passing his teammate. Kahne began to battle Logano hard and took the lead on lap 139 with ease. Kahne looked to run away and blister the field, but the fifth caution waved in just a few laps on lap 150. Jamie McMurray drove into turn 3 and had a tire problem. He pointed straight towards the outside wall and slammed into it hard. Flames erupted from the car as McMurray pulled down pit road. He came to a stop on pit road and his team pulled him out while the fire was put out. McMurray was okay, but his car was destroyed. Kyle Busch received the lucky dog. The caution brought the leaders back down pit road. Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, and others took two tires while Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano, and the rest of the lead lap drivers took four tires. Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, and Brad Keselowski remained at the back for most of that run. It would be interesting to see if they could make their way up to the front to contend once again.
The race went back green and Kasey Kahne was able to hold onto the lead after taking two tires on his stop. Joey Logano, who took four, began to charge at Kahne. He managed to fly past him in only a few laps and take the lead on lap 162. Logano began to cruise away as Harvick and the others drivers at the back of the lead lap began their charge to the front. Logano held onto the lead until the sixth caution waved on lap 180. Kurt Busch broke loose exiting turn 4. His car slid down the frontstretch and into the grass. Busch spun around in the grass and tore it up a little bit as he exited onto the frontstretch. Busch had a little damage, but he would continue on. Matt Kenseth received the lucky dog. The caution brought a little bit more strategy. Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch stayed on track while the rest of the lead lap drivers came to pit road. The race went back green and Johnson stayed out front even with drivers with fresh tires behind. The run wouldn't last long as the seventh caution waved on lap 187. A.J. Allmendinger broke loose in turn 4 underneath Paul Menard. Allmendinger spun down the track on the frontstretch towards Justin Allgaier and Casey Mears. Allmendinger bumped Allgaier as Mears hit the grass. Allgaier slid up the track and David Gilliland slammed into him. Both drivers had heavy damage as both rolled to a stop. Mears and Allmendinger drove away with damage while the other two drivers were done for the night, but they were okay. Martin Truex Jr. received the lucky dog. The caution brought some more pit stops. Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, and others came down pit road while the leaders stayed on track. The race went back green and Joey Logano was able to take the lead from Jimmie Johnson. Logano wouldn't be able to run away as the eighth and final caution waved on lap 203. Kurt Busch broke loose exiting turn 2. His car went for a slide down the backstretch and down towards the inside wall. Busch came to a stop before hitting the wall. He would continue on after replacing his tires. Ryan Blaney received the lucky dog. The caution brought some more pit stops. Jimmie Johnson and a few other drivers came down pit road while the leaders stayed on track. The race would have a final green flag run and the final stops of the event, which would decide the winner.
The race went back green and Kevin Harvick made his return to the front of the field as he took the lead from Joey Logano. Harvick began to run away, but he knew stops were approaching. The laps began to click away as Harvick maintained the advantage. Kyle Busch, who hadn't pitted in around seventy laps, made the move to pit road on lap 221. The rest of the drivers were able to stay out longer as the laps clicked down. In only a few laps, the second and final round of green flag pit stops began on lap 235. Jeff Gordon hit the pit road within a lap or so and Kevin Harvick followed in a couple more. Because he pitted earlier, Gordon came out first ahead of Harvick, but it was a narrow margin. Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski, and others remained on the track as they had more fuel to continue for a longer amount of time. Johnson was leading and hoping he could catch some other drivers a lap down to take the lead and, possibly, the win. The laps continued to click down and Johnson stayed out as the twenty lap to go mark came around. Gordon still remained in front of Harvick, but Harvick was still flying. The fifteen lap to go mark approached and Johnson still ran on track. With about eleven laps to go, Johnson finally gave up and hit the pit road. Brad Keselowski remained on track in the lead, but he would definitely have to come down. Keselowski remained the only driver left to pit and he finally surrendered the lead with eight laps to go. Jeff Gordon inherited the lead and he would just have to wish against a caution and hold off Harvick. Five laps remained and Gordon still had a decent margin, but Harvick was just waiting. Gordon made it through all corners cleanly and he made it to the white flag with a comfortable margin, but Harvick hit the gas. As Gordon watched his mirror, Harvick began to close in turns 1 and 2. He narrowed the margin down the backstretch and it was only two car lengths through the final two turns. Gordon moved into Harvick's lane coming down the frontstretch and he was barely able to hold onto the lead and the win. Gordon received a scare late, but he held onto the lead and took his first win of the year in the Cup Series.
Jeff Gordon has been very good to start off 2014. He was leading the points before the Kansas race and he had finished well all year, but he was still without a win. He came within a lap of winning at Texas, but he was unable to hold off Joey Logano on only two fresh tires. Gordon had other chances throughout the early part of the year, but he couldn't take advantage of them. He finally took advantage of great pit stop strategy late to take the win at Kansas and most likely guarantee himself a Chase spot along with holding onto the points lead. It could be the year of Gordon's fifth title, but the four time champion still has a few more races to battle with. Kevin Harvick had the best car the entire night, but his team couldn't master the strategy and his last lap run only mustered a second place finish. Kasey Kahne had the third best car all night and he used some late race strategy to take a deserved and needed third place finish. Joey Logano also struggled with the strategy, but he still took a fourth place finish. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a very consistent night and took a fifth place finish to continue his good runs to start the year in the series. One unusual driver in the top ten was Danica Patrick. Patrick stayed quiet and clean the whole night, but she ran really well and took a seventh place finish, which is her best career finish in NASCAR's highest series. Patrick's career looks to be trending up, but time will tell if she actually does begin to pick up her race results. Some other drivers finished good in the top ten and continued to battle well at the start of the year while others finished terribly after wrecks. The race turned out to be very unpredictable like a Saturday night race is expected to be. The series will run a fast paced exhibition race on Saturday known as the All-Star Race at Charlotte before the points paying Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte two weeks from Saturday. Charlotte always provides interesting story lines during the longest race of the year and it should be a very key event on the season. Will Jeff Gordon go back to back on the year, will Kevin Harvick win two straight Coca-Cola 600 races, will Kasey Kahne seek revenge after two straight second place finishes at Charlotte, will Kurt Busch do the double and take a win in either race, or will another driver make it to victory lane? We will have to wait two weeks to find out these answers and a whole lot more.
(More Stats Down Below!)
Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 47- Clint Bowyer broke loose exiting turn 2 and went for a spin down the backstretch.
2nd Caution: Lap 60- David Ragan broke loose exiting turn 4 and Ryan Truex had nowhere to go as he slammed into him. Landon Cassill made contact with Truex and the three went for spins on the frontstretch. Michael Annett also spun in the grass.
3rd Caution: Lap 71- Denny Hamlin broke loose exiting turn 2 and went for a spin down the track.
4th Caution: Lap 110- Marcos Ambrose broke loose exiting turn 4 and went for a spin down the frontstretch grass.
5th Caution: Lap 150- Jamie McMurray blew a tire entering turn 3 and slammed the outside wall hard, which resulted in his car catching on fire.
6th Caution: Lap 180- Kurt Busch broke loose exiting turn 4 and went for a spin through the frontstretch grass.
7th Caution: Lap 187- A.J. Allmendinger broke loose in turn 4 underneath Paul Menard and went for a spin down the frontstretch. He clipped Justin Allgaier while Casey Mears went spinning in the grass. Allgaier went up the track and David Gilliland slammed into him.
8th Caution: Lap 203- Kurt Busch broke loose exiting turn 2 and went for a slide down the backstretch of the track.
Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: Kevin Harvick
2nd Caution: Austin Dillon
3rd Caution: Paul Menard
4th Caution: Kevin Harvick
5th Caution: Kyle Busch
6th Caution: Matt Kenseth
7th Caution: Martin Truex Jr.
8th Caution: Ryan Blaney
Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Jeff Gordon
2nd: Kevin Harvick
3rd: Kasey Kahne
4th: Joey Logano
5th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Carl Edwards
7th: Danica Patrick
9th: Jimmie Johnson
10th: Matt Kenseth
13th: Brad Keselowski
15th: Kyle Busch
18th: Denny Hamlin
20th: Tony Stewart
23rd: Clint Bowyer
29th: Kurt Busch
Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/standings/results/2014/5hour-energy-400-benefiting-special-operations-warrior-foundation.html
http://racing-reference.info/race/2014_5-Hour_Energy_400/W
-Image:
http://a.espncdn.com/media/motion/2014/0512/dm_140512_NN_Moment/dm_140512_NN_Moment.jpg
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