Flashback Friday 5 Stages of Analysis: Newman Starts First and Finishes First in Fuel Mileage Battle at Pocono

(Author’s Note: Since this is my first Flashback Friday using my new article format, I was unsure of how to write this piece. I could have either wrote from the 2017 perspective and known all the outcomes of each one of my topics like when Ricky Rudd’s streak ends. Or I could write it from the July 27, 2003, perspective where everything is based on speculation and anticipation of the remainder of the season. I decided to write from the 2003 perspective because, to me, it is so cool to think about how people placed this race into its proper context back in 2003. Another Ryan Newman win, Matt Kenseth’s continued hold of the Winston Cup points lead, cheers for Jeff Gordon wrecking, and so many other moments that just make living in the 2003 mindset spectacular. So, let’s hop in and view the 2003 Pennsylvania 500 like it just happened a couple of hours ago.)


        Ryan Newman and his team managed to play the strategy perfectly at Pocono to take the team’s fourth win of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Like usual at Pocono, teams were prepared to save fuel and see if they could steal a win. The fuel mileage games began early in this race with green flag pit stops on lap 107. Newman’s team brought him down pit road early and he looked to be on a two-stop strategy at that point. On the other side of the spectrum, Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammates, Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr., managed to stay out until lap 117, which put them in the window to make only one more stop. As the caution waved a lap later, the strategy was shaken up even more as Waltrip and Earnhardt inherited the lead while Newman was mired deep in the pack. The sixth caution on lap 153 brought everyone to pit road with hopes of making it to the end as Newman took two tires and grabbed the lead. As drivers continued to pit under green and during cautions following the lap 153 caution, Newman and others stayed on the race track. Caution laps secured that the drivers who had stayed out since the sixth caution would make it to the end. Finally, after the eighth caution waved and set up a twelve-lap dash, the battle would be solely about who had the best car. In that late fight, Kurt Busch stayed right on Newman’s back bumper through all three of Pocono’s turns, but he could not pass him as Newman took his first checkered flag at Pocono Raceway. On paper, Newman’s 88 laps led and first place starting spot make it look like it was an easy race to win for the 2002 NWCS Rookie of the Year. However, the race was filled with passes for the lead, handling problems for all drivers, stressful strategy calls, and interesting restarts that made the winner anything but predictable. These five stages of analysis show that Pocono deserves the moniker as “The Tricky Triangle.”

Stage 1:
Driver of the Day: Newman Dominates and Manages to Win the Race

        Coming into today at Pocono, Ryan Newman was tied with Kurt Busch for the most wins on the season with three. In addition to that, he was leading the pack in poles after grabbing his fifth for today’s Pennsylvania 500. At the end of the day, Newman was not satisfied with being tied for Busch in wins as he held him off to put himself in first on the season with four wins. And it was a dominating performance for Newman. He led 88 of the 200 laps and played the strategy game perfectly, despite a bevy of potential ways the strategy could have went awry. However, Newman had several opportunities to throw away the win. On lap 33, he made an evasive move to pit road from the lead as he reported to his crew chief, Matt Borland, that a tire was going down. His team serviced the car and returned him to the track, still on the lead lap. Fortunately for Newman, the stop came at the beginning of the window for green flag stops and as the rest of the field pitted in the next few laps, he cycled back to the lead. Just laps later, the first caution waved on lap 49 and added the first layer of strategy to the race. As most of the lead lap drivers took two tires, Newman and Borland decided on four tires, which put the early leader of the race back in the pack. After the restart, it became obvious that his car was not prepared for battling in traffic as he was unable to pass or move on the track. The strategy came back to Newman with a two tire stop during the second caution that put him back towards the front. From there, his team made all the right strategy calls to keep him out front and with a final pit stop under the sixth caution, Newman stayed in the lead for the remainder of the event despite concerns that he would run out of fuel. Ultimately, Newman and Borland worked as a perfect duo to take a fuel mileage gamble to win the race at Pocono.

Stage 2:
Historic Occurrence: Rudd Becomes the First NASCAR Driver to Make 700 Consecutive Starts

        Since January 11, 1981, there has been one consistency in NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing: Ricky Rudd. Today, Rudd made his 700th consecutive start in NASCAR’s premier series, a streak that began twenty-years ago in the 1981 season opener at Riverside. While the streak is impressive on its own, he is also first driver in NASCAR history to make it to the 700-consecutive start mark. Along the way, it has not been easy for Rudd to make every event. During the 1984 Busch Clash, he wrecked violently and walked away with a lot of bruises, including two severely blackened eyes. He refused to miss the Daytona 500 a week later, even going as far as taping his eyes open to complete the event. Even more impressively, he won at Richmond with those black eyes taped open a week after the 500. In 1998, Rudd won the Cup race at Martinsville while battling a broken cooling system that allowed exhaust fumes to enter his helmet for nearly the entire race. Yet, Rudd battled through all those tough moments to make it to Pocono with his consecutive start streak intact. However, the 700th start was one to forget. Driving a paint scheme designed by his son, Landon, Rudd seemed to be making progress from his 27th place starting spot throughout the early portion of the race. After the halfway point of the race, he was running around the middle of the pack when his day went downhill quickly. During the fourth caution, his car stalled on track due to a broken oil pump belt that caused the engine to overheat and blow up. He ended up 39th when the checkered flag waved, but that did not take away from the significance of the race. Rudd proved that he is one of NASCAR’s most courageous competitors by running through injuries to make 700 starts in a row. While 700 is astonishing, 701 will be even more impressive when he attempts to add to his streak at the Brickyard next week.

Stage 3:
Terrible Luck: Joe Gibbs Racing Loses Two Engines in Last Fifty Laps

        After leading laps early in the race and competing for the win, Joe Gibbs Racing was left with two destroyed engines and two finishes outside the Top 30 when today’s race was over. The team’s two drivers, Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte, looked to be competitive and poised for great finishes. Stewart, the reigning Winston Cup Series champion, started 33rd and methodically worked his way towards the front before taking the lead from Jeff Burton on lap 98. Labonte was right with his teammate at the front of the field and things were looking up for the team. Stewart’s championship defense had not been going well through 2003 as he had four DNF’s in the first nineteen races of the season. It looked like he was on the verge of reversing his luck at Pocono, but the same bad luck came back to bite him. On lap 153, while running second, Stewart’s car began to smoke going towards turn 2 and the engine problem was terminal. In just a couple of seconds, his second place run evaporated and his race was over. However, Joe Gibbs Racing still had hope that Labonte could contend for a great finish. However, thirty laps later, he began to report that something was wrong with his Chevrolet powerplant. Three laps later, Labonte’s engine expired heading into turn 3 and the oil from his motor caused him to spin hard into the outside wall. Just like that, a promising race turned into a disappointing finish for the entire organization. While Pocono ended in frustration, the team heads to Indianapolis next week where Labonte has a previous win and Stewart feels right at home as an Indiana kid with hopes of changing the tide on a struggling season.

Stage 4:
Underdogs of the Race: Bodine, Blaney, and Raines Use Fuel Mileage Gamble to Take Impressive Finishes

        When fuel mileage races are over, the winner is usually remembered the most because of how impressive it is to win a high-speed race while saving fuel. Plus, fuel mileage races often deliver surprise wins for middle of the pack drivers and teams. While today’s race at Pocono didn’t deliver a surprise winner, it did deliver some great finishes for some underdog organizations. Driving for Travis Carter’s team, Todd Bodine grabbed an eighth-place finish in his National Guard Ford Taurus, which is the best finish for the team in 2003. Dave Blaney secured a ninth-place finish for his Jasper Motorsports team, which is his third best finish of the season. Finally, Tony Raines took an unsponsored BACE Motorsports car to a 16th place finish, which is tied for his second-best finish of the season. However, while the finishes might be surprising, all three drivers were battling at the middle of the pack for the entire race before strategy came into play. The trio came to pit road after the sixth caution and all three topped off with fuel before the race went back green, setting the stage for their fuel saving finish. From there, they stayed out and battled drivers like Kevin Harvick, Rusty Wallace, Jimmie Johnson, and Bill Elliott for great finishes. One of the joys of NASCAR racing is watching unnoticed drivers sneak into the Top 20 and give their teams a great boost of confidence. As the NWCS heads to Indianapolis, the trio of Bodine, Blaney, and Raines have excellent finishes from Pocono to use as momentum at a track with similar characteristics.

Stage 5:
Comeback of the Race: Dale Earnhardt Inc. Teammates Go from Early Crash to Top 5 Finishes

        On lap 74, it seemed like Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were going to join Jeff Green, who had engine troubles earlier, in the garage with poor finishes for all Dale Earnhardt Inc. teams. Earnhardt Jr. drove into turn 2 around the middle of the pack with Mark Martin just in front of him. Earnhardt made an aggressive move and slammed into Martin’s left side entering the turn. Martin began to slide and looked to save his car before Waltrip came along and bumped him. The bump lifted Martin off the ground and sent him spinning hard into the outside wall, which ended his day before the halfway mark and brought out the third caution. While the two DEI drivers were not done, repairs were needed on their cars. Waltrip had a large hole in the hood of his car from the contact and Earnhardt’s right side was flattened due to the initial contact with Martin. Both drivers made several stops during the caution period, but they returned to the track deep in the field for the restart. In the laps following the restart, both drivers moved slowly through the traffic before strategy went in their favor. As the drivers in front of them pitted for green flag stops around lap 110, Waltrip and Earnhardt stayed out longer due to pitting during the third caution. Fortunately for them, Ricky Craven’s car slowed on track and with an impending caution, the two drivers shot to pit road on lap 117 and returned to the track just as the caution waved. Due to Pocono’s size, Waltrip and Earnhardt stayed on the lead lap and as the field pitted under the caution, DEI took the first two positions. Throughout the rest of the race, Tony Eury Sr., Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief, and Slugger Labbe, Michael Waltrip’s crew chief, played the strategy game perfectly and gave the two drivers Top 5 finishes despite crash damage. Plus, Earnhardt Jr. capitalized on Jeff Gordon’s crash to move to second place in the points behind Matt Kenseth, who he battled for Rookie of the Year in 2000. Overall, Dale Earnhardt Inc. turned a potential disaster into a positive finish for two of its teams.

        While today’s race has not been over for long, the discussion has already turned to the 21st race of the 2003 season next Sunday at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For the tenth time, NASCAR’s best drivers will invade IMS to see which driver can make it to the yard of bricks first. Like usual, there is a plethora of storylines heading into the Brickyard 400. After a huge hit to the outside wall in turn 3 today, hometown driver Jeff Gordon heads to his favorite race track for a chance to win his fourth Brickyard 400 and grab back his second-place points position. Ryan Newman will look to win consecutive races on the season at his home track and continue his impressive season thus far. He might be leading the points, but Matt Kenseth needs a rebound after his team missed the strategy calls in today’s race. Finally, Joe Gibbs Racing needs to bounce back from engine failures that ended promising runs for Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte. The tenth running of the Brickyard 400 is filled with anticipation and excitement for the NWCS. Like usual, fuel mileage was the story of the day at Pocono as Ryan Newman took his fourth victory of the 2003 season. Indianapolis has the same potential for a fuel saving battle, but the high speeds and limited passing at IMS make staying out front the most important aspect of the race.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions:

1st Caution: Lap 50- Jeff Green dropped oil in turn 1 and NASCAR waved the caution to clean the track.

2nd Caution: Lap 68- Robby Gordon turned Jeremy Mayfield exiting turn 1 after Mayfield came up the track. He ended up slamming the outside wall hard while Gordon drove away with only slight damage.

3rd Caution: Lap 74- Dale Earnhardt Jr. slammed into Mark Martin entering turn 2, which caused Martin to slide up the track. He almost saved his car until Michael Waltrip bumped into his rear end. Martin spun up the track and slammed the outside wall hard, which ended his race.

4th Caution: Lap 118- Ricky Craven stalled on the track in turn 3 after having problems in turn 1.

5th Caution: Lap 124- Jeff Gordon slid up the track in turn 3 after the field stacked up. Dave Blaney bumped him and sent him spinning towards the outside wall. He slammed it hard with the right side of his car and ended his day.

6th Caution: Lap 154- Tony Stewart had an engine blow up heading towards turn 2 while running second, which ended his day.

7th Caution: Lap 166- Casey Mears broke loose exiting turn 1 and slammed the outside wall hard with his right side, which ended a hard-fought day for the rookie. 

8th Caution: Lap 183- Bobby Labonte had an engine expire entering turn 3, which caused him to slide up the track. He spun towards the outside wall and slammed it hard to end his day with considerable damage and a blown motor.

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Ryan Newman
2nd: Kurt Busch
3rd: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4th: Michael Waltrip
5th: Terry Labonte

Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Jeff Burton
11th: Rusty Wallace
12th: Kevin Harvick
13th: Matt Kenseth
15th: Jimmie Johnson
17th: Bill Elliott
21st: Dale Jarrett
30th: Bobby Labonte
36th: Jeff Gordon
37th: Tony Stewart
39th: Ricky Rudd
41st: Mark Martin




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://racing-reference.info/race/2003_Pennsylvania_500/W
-Image:
http://cache4.asset-cache.net/xr/2339945.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=3&d=77BFBA49EF878921F7C3FC3F69D929FD1577E5EC72F4184A61411E52AB5088703FE56FC43A0DF8F7
-Full Race:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URd9HuwDnm0

My Thoughts: 2014 Indianapolis

         Since 1911, Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been the host of one of the most famous races in motorsports: the Indianapolis 500. The race is known worldwide and from 1911 until 1993, the only race on the track was the historic 500 mile event. All that changed when it was announced that NASCAR would head to the Brickyard in 1994. Some fans were appalled at the idea while some were excited for the race, but all that didn't matter as the green flag waved on the race in 1994. Jeff Gordon was the winner that day and since then, the Brickyard 400 has become a piece that adds to the history of Indianapolis Motor Speedway every year. Just look at some of the best races there in the past few years.  In 2011, Paul Menard found himself in the lead in the last five laps at a track where he had grown up. He managed to save enough fuel and hold off Jeff Gordon to win his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Last year's race is another that pops into mind. Ryan Newman, who had just found out he wouldn't return to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, stole the pole from Jimmie Johnson in qualifying and Newman was able to take the win after a strategy call late. One key thing between both of those races: pit strategy. Fuel and tires will be key late in the event and all the drivers will be looking to get fuel and fresh rubber late in the event. But don't expect every driver to take four tires. Newman took two tires last year while Johnson took four and this propelled Newman to the win. Strategy will be interesting to follow in the event and it will provide us with a winner today. With that, I have a few topics I want to discuss with you guys. Topics include a discussion of the recent week off for the top series, a discussion of last year's winner, a discussion of Kurt Busch, a discussion of Brad Keselowski, and, of course, my pick to win at the Brickyard. I am excited to write about these topics so let us go ahead and jump into them.

1. NASCAR Takes Week Off: Who Do This Help the Most?
         Like usual for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the week before the annual Brickyard 400 was one that the teams had off. Today will be two weeks since the drivers were racing at New Hampshire and this track poses a different battle. The track is two and a half miles long and it is one of the flattest on the schedule. Drivers and teams have been preparing for it for two weeks now and they have also received some nice down time. In fact, they won't have another week long break until the checkered flag waves in November at Homestead and they will have a whole offseason in front of them. This off weekend brings one single question to my mind. Who does this off weekend help the most? I think this off weekend helps the drivers the most. Listen, I have never driven a race car, but I know it is tough to race thirty eight weeks a year, let alone most of those weeks consecutively. They needed this week to refresh their minds and bodies and I think all will come back ready to race. Another thing about this week off is that we are now into Chase mode. There are only seven races remaining until we start the Chase. That means drivers can take that week off and use it as a push towards the Chase. It could very well mean one position gained on track and a chance to win a race before the final ten race stretch of the year. Now, the real race to the end of the season starts and all the drivers will be prepared thanks to this week off.

2. Ryan Newman: Can He Repeat at Indianapolis?
          The story of last year's Brickyard 400 turned out to be about Ryan Newman. Coming into the race, the stories were about him as well. Stewart-Haas Racing had recently announced that Newman would not be with the team in 2014 and a lot of media attention was brought to this story. Even in Indianapolis on pole day, the discussions were surrounding this move. Ryan Newman quickly silenced all the talk as he bested Jimmie Johnson to take the pole as the final driver out. Then, he used a little opposite strategy than Johnson to win his first Brickyard 400 in his home state. All this brings one question to my mind. Can Ryan Newman repeat at Indianapolis and jump into the Chase? I really think he has a chance to repeat today. The main reason is how fast he has been this weekend. He was top twenty in both practice sessions held at the track and he qualified in fourth position with great drivers behind him. That means Newman will be a contender and he will be in perfect position to jump into the lead early in the event. A final reason is just Newman's win last year. Usually, when a driver wins at a track, he easily becomes the favorite on the next trip to the speedway. To me, Newman looks like a favorite considering his run last year. Don't expect Newman to dominate the entire event, but if he gets a chance to run a different strategy, he could take that opportunity and grab a win for his Richard Childress Racing team.

3. Kurt Busch: Will His Indianapolis 500 Experience Help Him This Weekend?
         In May, the story of the Coca-Cola 600 was Kurt Busch attempting the Double for the afternoon. That means he would run the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. It would be quite the feat if Busch could do it and it started off well with a sixth place finish in the 500 in his first attempt at running the race. It seemed like his chances in the Coca-Cola 600 would be much better considering he had been in the race before, but engine trouble brought his night and his Double to an end. Still, Busch was fast at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is headed to the track today. I have one question for Busch this afternoon. Will his Indianapolis 500 experience from two months ago help him today? I, honestly, don't think it will. One thing it will help is his confidence at the track. Knowing he has raced on this track already this year means he will have an upper hand on some of his competitors. That could give him some advantage over his fellow drivers in the field and he could take the win. Still, the differences between an IndyCar and a stock car are numerous. Weight, nimbleness, tires, fuel mileage, aerodynamics, and so many other things are different, which means that there is really no comparison between the two types of cars. Still, Busch's confidence will be high heading into this event and his fast stock car could just hand him the win at the Brickyard.

4. Brad Keselowski: Will His Momentum Continue at the Brickyard?
         Brad Keselowski has been, arguably, one of the best drivers in the Cup Series over the last three weeks. He has won two races at Kentucky and New Hampshire with an okay finish at Daytona. In fact, he has been one of the hottest drivers since Dover on the first week of June. He has finished inside in the top 3 in every single race except for Daytona and Sonoma, which are both unpredictable tracks. That means Keselowski has been in championship form and he is certainly a contender for the title. I have one question for Keselowski. Will his momentum continue today at Indianapolis Motor Speedway? I think his momentum will continue today. The main reason is the fact that he has a fast Team Penske Ford Fusion again. I believe Keselowski's fast Fords in recent weeks have been the reason why he has been a contender for the win at every single race. He was fast in qualifying yesterday with a third place starting spot and his car has seemingly been fast in all practice sessions. Another reason is just how well he has been performing recently. Keselowski doesn't have stellar numbers at the Brickyard, but that hasn't meant anything in the past few weeks with how dominant he has been. Keselowski is definitely going to be a contender today and his momentum this season should continue this afternoon at Indianapolis.

5. My Pick to Win
         The Brickyard 400 has been home to the typical winners like Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson, but it has also been home to some rather unexpected winners in the past few years. Look at Paul Menard, Jamie McMurray, and Ryan Newman in the past few years. All of those drivers did not come into the Brickyard as the favorite or as possible winners of the event, but they walked out of Indianapolis with a trophy and they were able to kiss the bricks. I have discussed this already in this edition, but strategy will be a key part of this four hundred mile race this afternoon. The last pit stop for all the drivers will end up deciding who wins the race in the end. Plus, it will possibly steal a win from a dominant driver for the entire event. I have a good many picks for today's race. Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, Matt Kenseth, and Tony Stewart are good picks for today's race at Indianapolis. Paul Menard, Brian Vickers, Jamie McMurray, and Juan Pablo Montoya, yes Montoya, are underdog picks that could win this afternoon's event. I am excited for this year's Brickyard 400 and I am ready to write about it. I hope some great moments occur and we see a good race. Well, that is all for me today and until we meet again.




Credits:
-Image:
http://static.nascar.com/content/dam/nascar/articles/2013/07/22/main/2002-Bill-Elliott-NASCAR-Brickyard-400-kissing-bricks-922x520.jpg/jcr:content/renditions/original

Kyle Busch Dominates And Takes the Win at The Brickyard

        Kyle Busch once again proved his dominance of the NASCAR Nationwide Series with a dominating win at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Busch led 92 of the 100 laps en route to his eighth victory of 2013 and fifth when he started on the pole. But this race almost ended badly for Busch. He struggled on the final restart and almost gave Brian Scott the win. In stellar fashion, Busch charged his way back up to Scott and took the victory. One story line to follow in the race was the struggles for some NASCAR Nationwide Series championship contenders. Regan Smith and Sam Hornish Jr. both had similar problems at the same time which gave the points lead after the event to Austin Dillon. A final story line to follow was the strategy in the race. Kyle Busch used a lot of strategy to work his way to the win and had a caution fall his way. All in all, it was a pretty good race at Indianapolis with a pretty amazing final few laps.

        Kyle Busch started on the pole. Earlier in the day, he had bested the track record and become the all time winningest pole winner in the history of the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Before the race could even start, Justin Allgaier had some trouble. His engine was not running right and his team decided to bring him down pit road on the pace laps. They decided they would change the carburetor, but this cost him a lot of time and a good finish. It was really bad because I, along with many others, wanted him to win in his tribute car to the late and great Jason Leffler. The race finally got started and a possible contender in the race would have trouble. Kasey Kahne entered turn 2 on lap 1 and his car got loose causing him to enter a slide. Somehow, he was able to keep the car from going in the grass and avoid all the other drivers. He lost a lot of time, but he still had a car to race. After an eventual few pace laps and first lap, Kyle Busch was able to finally cross the start/finish line to lead the first lap.

        The race continued on until the first round of green flag pit stops began on lap 28. Kyle Busch took the lead back after the stops and continued his domination of the event. The race continued on until the first caution at the halfway point on lap 50. Debris was spotted on the track in turn 4. Kyle Larson received the lucky dog. This is where strategy began to take shape in the race. Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, and Brian Scott decided to stay out on the track. Michael Annett decided to only take two tires on his stop. It would be interesting to see whose strategy would work. On the restart, it was obvious Annett's strategy did not work as he fell way back, but the drivers who stayed out during the stops stayed near the front of the field. In fact, Kyle Busch was half a second faster than the drivers who had taken tires. Shortly after the restart, two race and championship contenders would have trouble.

       Sam Hornish Jr., who had been running real well all race, pulled down pit road with a lot of water shooting out of the overflow. The car had begun to overheat after grass had become stuck in the grille. His team tried to put water in the car, but it did not help. At the same time, Regan Smith pitted because his car had begun to overheat after grass was stuck in his grille as well. Smith would be able to continue on in the race, but Hornish's problem would affect him soon. A short time later on lap 64, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, and Brian Scott made their scheduled stops after they had not pitted on the previous caution. At the same time, Joey Logano decided to pit and replace right side tires to see if he could catch a caution and get a little track position. Luckily for him, the second caution of the race waved on lap 66. Sam Hornish Jr., who had just been in for his overheating problem, lost an engine in the entrance to turn 3 and deposited oil on the track. Kevin Swindell received the lucky dog. Even more strategy was used on this caution. Busch, Kenseth, Logano, and Scott decided to stay out since they had just pitted. Most of the top 10 took two tires with Elliott Sadler and Michael Annett taking four tires. It would be interesting once again to see which strategy would result in the win.

        The race went back green and continued on until the third caution on lap 84. Debris was spotted in turn 2 of the track. Just as the caution waved, Joe Nemechek lost a right rear tire after running over a piece of the debris. He reported to pit road and the tire was replaced. Travis Pastrana received the lucky dog. A final bit of strategy was used by some of the drivers. The top 7 on track stayed out while the drivers behind them decided to pit. The race went back green once again and there would be trouble fairly quick. In turn 2, Parker Kligerman got loose while Trevor Bayne was running behind him. Bayne slowed a little to allow Kligerman to save it. Kasey Kahne, who had a major run behind them, decided to make a move below Bayne, but Kahne did not have enough room to get by and slammed into the grass. A piece of his splitter crumpled up and his tire blew as grass and debris flew on the track. This resulted in the the fourth and final caution of the race on lap 89. David Starr received the lucky dog. Now, there would be one final mad dash to the finish and Kyle Busch would have to hold off the field one more time.

        The race restarted and Joey Logano stayed right next to Busch as they went into turn 1. This caused Busch to lose a lot of grip and go up the track on Logano. Both drivers avoided each other and the wall, but Brian Scott sneaked by for the lead. Scott did everything he could to hold Busch off while he charged at him for the win, but it was not enough as Busch passed Scott with three laps to go for the lead. Busch held onto the lead and cruised to the victory. Brian Scott was so close to his first career NASCAR Nationwide Series victory, but he will have to try again next week. Brian Vickers was able to win the final Dash 4 Cash of the season over Sam Hornish Jr., Austin Dillon, and Elliott Sadler for a 100,000 dollar bonus. It was a dominating performance for Kyle Busch, but he almost had it taken away in the final stages.

         It is hard at times to watch the NASCAR Nationwide Series when Kyle Busch is dominating, but you have to admit that the man can drive the absolute wheels off any vehicle he jumps in. Whether it be a Sprint Cup car, a Nationwide car, a Camping World truck, or even a late model, he gets the job done. It has definitely been a memorable week for Austin Dillon. He went to Eldora on Wednesday and was able to win the inaugural Mudsummer Classic. Even though he could only muster a twelfth place finish in the Nationwide event at Indianapolis, Dillon still gained the points lead from Sam Hornish Jr. His week could get even better if he has a good run in the Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 tomorrow at Indianapolis. The NASCAR Nationwide Series championship race could get really interesting with the top 8 drivers within a race of the points lead. This could really be a factor as the Nationwide Series heads to the always action packed Iowa Speedway. With mostly Nationwide regulars in the event, it could be a really good chance to gain some points. Will Trevor Bayne capture both wins at Iowa in 2013, will Austin Dillon grab a win after dominating the previous race, or will Elliott Sadler win his second race at Iowa? We will have to wait until next Saturday night to find out.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 50- Debris was spotted on the track in turn 4.

2nd Caution: Lap 66- Sam Hornish Jr. lost an engine in the entrance to turn 3 and dropped oil on the track.

3rd Caution: Lap 84- Debris was spotted on the track in turn 2.

4th Caution: Lap 89- Debris and grass was on track after Kasey Kahne drove through the grassy part of turn 2.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: Kyle Larson
2nd Caution: Kevin Swindell 
3rd Caution: Travis Pastrana
4th Caution: David Starr

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Kyle Busch
2nd: Brian Scott
3rd: Joey Logano
4th: Brian Vickers
5th: Kevin Harvick

Notables Not in Top 5:
7th: Matt Kenseth
10th: Travis Pastrana
12th: Austin Dillon
13th: Elliott Sadler
19th: Regan Smith
26th: Kasey Kahne
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_Indiana_250/B
-Image:
http://www.trbimg.com/img-51f457f7/turbine/la-sp-kyle-busch-20130727/600

Kyle Busch Destroys the Track Record En Route To the Pole at The Brickyard

         With a time of 50.099 seconds (179.644 mph), Kyle Busch demolished the track record at Indianapolis and grabbed the pole. It was a very historic day for Busch. He grabbed his thirty first career NASCAR Nationwide Series pole, which breaks the all time record previously held by Mark Martin. It was also a very interesting session for most of the drivers. Three cars ended up wrecking and not being able to run a qualifying lap. Two of these guys were Travis Pastrana and Alex Bowman, who have had very good seasons so far. Another story line to follow is the amount of drivers who beat the previous track record. In total, seventeen cars beat the previous track record with their run. It was a very fast session at one of the most famous race tracks in the world.

       Morgan Shepherd was the first driver out on the track. He picked up a lot of speed from practice, but he did not have enough to make the field. The first driver to have trouble in the session was Joey Gase. Coming out of turn 1 on his first lap, his left side tires left the racing surface and he got loose. He slid up the track and slammed the outside wall with the rear end of his car. Since he had to make the race on time, he will not be in the race this afternoon. The second driver to have trouble in the session was Alex Bowman. Coming out of turn 4 on lap 1, Bowman got loose and tried to save his car, but his car went up the track and slammed the outside wall. He is in the race, but he will probably have to go to a back-up car. The third and final driver to have trouble in the session was Travis Pastrana. Coming out of turn 1 on lap 1, Pastrana got loose and slid down the track. He made hard contact with the inside wall and then went back up the track and hit the outside wall. He is in the race, but he will have to go to a back-up car. Parker Kligerman went out a few drivers after Pastrana and was able to take the provisional pole with a time that was the first to beat the track record. Sam Hornish Jr. was the next to take the provisional pole with a time that beat Kligerman by three tenths. It seemed like Hornish would walk away with the pole and the track record, but Kyle Busch had something to say about that. Busch went out and bested Hornish by two tenths and the previous track record by a second to grab the pole. The last four drivers were unable to best Busch and he walked away with his fifth pole of the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series season.

        It seems like Kyle Busch is unbeatable this year when he starts up front. In the four races he has started on the pole this year, Busch has walked away with the win after pretty much dominating the race. This race has a little bit more prowess and could prove a challenge to Busch. Even winning at The Brickyard in a series like the Nationwide Series is a great accomplishment and many will be looking to take the victory. Plus, a few of the contenders are starting outside the top 10 and they will look to move up and challenge for the win. It will also be interesting to see if Alex Bowman and Travis Pastrana can move from the back to the front of the field. All in all, it should be a very awesome race at the prestigious Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
(More Stats Down Below!)





Top 5 Qualifiers (With Times):
1st: Kyle Busch    50.099 (179.644 mph)
2nd: Sam Hornish Jr.     50.288 (178.969 mph)
3rd: Trevor Bayne     50.457 (178.370 mph)
4th: Elliott Sadler     50.562 (177.999 mph)
5th: Parker Kligerman     50.578 (177.943 mph)

Notables Not in Top 5 (With Times):
6th: Brian Vickers    50.622 (177.788 mph)
7th: Austin Dillon     50.633 (177.750 mph)
9th: Matt Kenseth     50.665 (177.637 mph)
12th: Kasey Kahne     50.718 (177.452 mph)
13th: Joey Logano     50.725 (177.427 mph)
15th: Kevin Harvick    50.940 (176.678 mph)

Go-or-Go Homers (With Times):
9th: Matt Kenseth     50.665 (177.637 mph)
15th: Kevin Harvick    50.940 (176.678 mph)
18th: Kevin Swindell     51.105 (176.108 mph)
20th: David Starr     51.533 (174.645 mph)
25th: Ryan Sieg     51.911 (173.374 mph)
27th: Tanner Berryhill     52.218 (172.354 mph)
32nd: Josh Wise     52.779 (170.522 mph)
33rd: Jeff Green     52.918 (170.074 mph)
34th: J.J. Yeley    52.918 (170.074 mph)
40th: David Green    55.032 (163.541 mph)#
41st: Matt Dibenedetto    53.096 (169.504 mph)
42nd: Carl Long     53.835 (167.177 mph)
43rd: Morgan Shepherd     53.980 (166.728 mph)
44th: Joey Gase     No Time*
(#: David Green used his past champion provisional to make the race.)
(*: Joey Gase wrecked when he was on his run.)

DNQs: Matt Dibenedetto, Carl Long, Morgan Shepherd, and Joey Gase




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nationwide-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-qualification.html
-Image:
https://twitter.com/NASCAR_NNS/status/361194343052238848/photo/1