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