NCWTS - Memphistravel.com 200

Ron Hornaday Jr wins 2 in-a-row! Hornaday dominated the Memphistravel.com 200 for his 2nd consecutive win and back-to-back wins @ Memphis.

Hornaday started on the pole, jumped out in front of the field immediately and would go on to lead a race-high 175 of 201 laps, but the race wasn't without drama. With 5 laps to go, an accident between Dennis Setzer and Tayler Malsam brought out the 6th and final caution to set up a green white checker finish. Hornaday Jr had to hold off a hard charging Brian Scott to get the win.

(Photo Credit: John Sommers II/Getty Images)

Last week, Hornaday led 180 of 200 laps @ Milwaukee to score a win on his 51st birthday. This marks his 3rd victory and 2nd consecutive @ Memphis - the first time a driver has ever won 2 in a row there. It's Hornaday's 3rd win of the season and 42nd career.

Scott finished second followed by David Starr and Aric Almirola.

For the (unofficial) race results, click here.

There were 6 cautions for 29 laps and 6 lead changes among 5 drivers:

R. Hornaday Jr. 1-53; T. Bell 54-57; R. Hornaday Jr. 58-112; A. Almirola 113; S. Compton 114; B. Scott 115-134; R. Hornaday Jr. 135-201.

On Track - Saturday @ NHMS

On track activities started early today @ NHMS.

There were 2 Sprint Cup Series practice sessions held with little or no incidents. Reed Sorenson was fastest during the 1st and 4th quickest during Happy Hour. Martin Truex Jr was on top of the speed chart for that final practice round.

(Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

There are 11 drivers pulling double duty this weekend.

Joey Logano won the pole for the Nationwide Series race with a speed of 128.109 mph. It's his 3rd pole this season. Carl Edwards will start 2nd followed by Clint Bowyer, Scott Speed, Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Brad Keselowski, Brian Vickers, Kyle Busch and Mike Bliss - in the top 10. For the starting line-up, click here.

Nationwide drivers were able to get some practice in yesterday, but their final "Happy Hour" practice was canceled due to rain. The forecast calls for a chance of rain tonight and fog overnight.

There's been a lot of talk in the garage this weekend about the state of NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series. It had been reported that the Truck tour could possibly be severely cut next season. Economic woes have hit the Camping World and Nationwide Series rough. GM, Ford and Dodge have withdrawn financial support in both series with Toyota possibly doing the same. NASCAR VP Steve O'Donnell said the truck series is "really strong" during an interview on SPEED.Word has it that he may have addressed this during the drivers meeting before the truck race in Memphis.

The Nationwide Series race, Camping World RV Sales 200 starts at 2:30 on ABC.

TV coverage begins at 12:30 on TNT for tomorrow's Sprint Cup Series race, Lenox Industrial Tools 301.

NNS - Camping World RV Sales 200

After 2 straight runner-up finishes, Kyle Busch gets the job done today @ New Hampshire Motor Speedway!

Kyle didn't lead the most laps as we've seen him do over the past couple of races, but he was able to pass his JGR team-mate Joey Logano with 35 laps to go. Busch held off another charge by Logano in the closing laps to collect his 26th Nationwide series win.

(Photo Credit: Drew Hallowell/Getty Images for NASCAR)

"I wanted to be (up front) -- I just couldn't get there," said Busch, who started 9th. "These flat tracks, you just can't do stuff like that. You don't have the room to do stuff like that. Texas, Charlotte, Atlanta -- all those big tracks -- Kansas, Chicago, you've got room. You can go way up to the wall and run around the outside and pass guys, and you've got the whole racetrack to use. Here, Milwaukee, Phoenix, you've got one, one-and-a-half lanes to use in order to get through guys and make it up towards the front. So you've got to be methodical about it, think about it and try not to get into anybody."

Busch started 9th. It's his 5th win and 13th top-10 finish in 16 races this year. Here's an interesting stat: Busch has led 1,486 of the 2,787 laps he had completed so far this season.

It might not be much of a surprise that a Joe Gibbs Toyota still dominated the race. Joey Logano started from the pole and stayed up front all day. He led six times for a race-high 108 laps.

"I guess this is how Kyle feels lately -- leading the most laps and not winning," said Logano.

Brad Keselowski finished 3rd, his 4th consecutive top-5 finish. Mike Bliss finished 4th. Kevin Harvick was 5th.

For the (unofficial) race results, click here.

Carl Edwards is chasing after Busch in the standings. Edwards led twice for 51 laps and wound up with a 6th place finish. Busch extends his lead in the point standings by 162 points over Edwards.

There 3 cautions for 15 laps and 11 lead changes among 5 drivers:
J. Logano 1-3; C. Edwards 4-6; J. Logano 7-53; M. Annett # 54; J. Logano 55-59; C. Edwards 60-107; J. Logano 108-146; K. Busch 147; J. Logano 148-158; M. Bliss 159-161; J. Logano 162-164; K. Busch 165-200.

On Track - Friday @ NHMS

It was a rough start to the race weekend in Loudon and an even rougher start for some.

Mark Martin and Tony Stewart crashed during their first practice session less than 2 hours before rain moved through the area. Sprint Cup Series qualifying was washed out. The weekend schedule has been revised.

Points leader Tony Stewart crashed in turn 2 after running 29 laps in practice midday Friday.






“I just got loose going in the corner,” said Stewart. “Goodyear came down and was worried, but it wasn’t a tire problem. Once I got out of the groove, I just ran out of room. I was staying right with it and I just needed another 50 feet to get it gathered up. I just ran out of racetrack."

The team was able to get Stewart back out on the track in the back-up for some important seat time. Stewart was able to complete 16 laps before practice ended and improved his speed from 127.304 mph to 127.316.

"By going out, we made sure that the package we had on the other car worked on this car," Stewart explained. "I do feel like it's a car that's very comparable to the one we started with, which was very, very good."

Shades of Pocono? Stewart had to start the Pocono race in a back-up in the back of the field. He went on to win that one. This time, the crash and consequential switch to the back-up happened before time trials so he won't be penalized. Since qualifying was rained out, the starting line-up will be set on owner points - giving Stewart the #1 starting position.

Mark Martin scuffed the wall and took into the infield at the same time Stewart crashed. Martin suffered minor damage on his #5.

Defending race winner Kurt Busch laid down the fastest speed during that practice session at 130.667 mph.
2. David Reutimann 130.011
3. Juan Pablo Montoya 129.967
4. Jimmie Johnson 129.927
5. Reed Sorenson 129.900

It's a double header weekend with the Nationwide Series also @ NHMS. There have been 22 different race winners in 22 Nationwide Series races @ NHMS.

First Practice:
1. Clint Bowyer 128.628
2. Scott Speed 127.902
3. Elliott Sadler 127.291
4. Kevin Harvick 127.291
5. Kenny Wallace 127.214

Final Practice:
1. Justin Allgaier 126.787
2. Kevin Harvick 126.715
3. Paul Menard 126.707
4. Carl Edwards 126.686
5. Kyle Busch 126.547

Unfortunately, rain is in the forecast throughout the race weekend.

Double-File Restarts for the Nationwide Series

A press release from NASCAR:

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 26, 2009) – The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) today announced the addition of “Double-File Restarts – Shootout Style” throughout each race for the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Beginning next weekend at Daytona International Speedway, the first- and second-place cars will line up side-by-side as the green flag is displayed for each restart.

Double-file restarts were introduced at the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race in May and the change was fully instituted for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series earlier this month at Pocono Raceway. Under the previous format, cars on the lead lap would restart in a single-file line while lapped cars would start in a line next to them.

Drivers and fans have been enthusiastic about the new format, which has been showcased on three different track types thus far in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. NASCAR officials chose to gauge the format on various configurations before instituting double-file restarts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

"This is going to be extremely exciting for the NASCAR Nationwide Series," said Joe Balash, the NASCAR Nationwide Series director. "As they have done in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, double-file restarts – shootout style will add to even more close competition in our series and offer more excitement for our fans. The format will also help give us more standard restarts every time."

NASCAR Nationwide Series regular Jason Leffler is supportive of the move. “Double-file restarts are going to add a lot of excitement to the [NASCAR] Nationwide races. It’s going to allow us the opportunity to race for position on the restarts instead of wasting valuable time trying to get by a lapped car,” Leffler said. “There are going to be times it hurts you, but I think more often than not, it is going to be a benefit. I’m looking forward to it and I think the fans are going to love it!”
The NASCAR Nationwide Series will use the same double-file restart format as NASCAR Sprint Cup. The race leader will have the option to restart on the inside or outside lane. The second-place car then restarts next to the leader. Regardless of the leader’s starting position, cars in odd-number positions (3rd, 5th, 7th places, etc.) will restart on the inside lane, while those in even-number positions (4th, 6th, 8th places, etc.) will restart on the outside. All restarts will use the same format regardless of the number of laps remaining in the race.

The first-place car will continue to control the timing of restarts in a designated zone on the track, while the rest of the cars are to stay in line until they reach the start/finish line. The first eligible car a lap or more down will continue to earn one lap back following a caution, which is known as the “free pass.” Also, the “free pass” will remain in effect the entire race instead of being eliminated with 10 or fewer laps to go in the event. Lapped cars choosing to remain on the track will be “waved around” the caution car and will restart the race in respective track position, thereby picking up a lap on the leader, provided the leader also pits. This will also remove lapped cars from behind the pace car, allowing the leaders to take the green without interference.

Need For Speed Race Preview: Loudon

(June 26, 2009) The Race to the Chase begins this Sunday at "The Magic Mile" in Loudon, New Hampshire. It's a 10 race countdown until the Chase for the Championship starts.

Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon sit 1-2 in the standings. They're tied with 8 top-5 finishes this season and 1 points race each. They'll both line up on the front row for Sunday's race as qualifying has been rained out.

They are definitely 2 to watch for @ The Magic Mile.

Tony Stewart has scored 2 wins, 10 top-5 and 12 top-10 finishes @ NHMS. He led a race-high 132 laps in the rain-shortened race last year. Currently, Stewart has an 84 point lead over Gordon in the standings.

"You know, I think we are in a situation now in the point standings where we kind of have that opportunity, because of the bonus system, to sit there and take a couple of extra chances," Stewart explained. "If we feel like we might be able to get a win and pick up those 10 bonus points going into the fall, it's definitely a situation that we're able to utilize at this point. I mean, because we are where we're at in the point standings, it really doesn't matter where you're at as long as you get locked into those 12. Those bonus points are going to be important, so if you have to go from 1st to 6th in the point standings - taking chances to gain those extra 10 bonus points, it's really not a penalty."

(Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Jeff Gordon has 3 wins, 12 top-5 and 15 top-10 finishes @ NHMS. He has led the most laps there - 1,141; more than any other driver.

“Our goal is to make it into the Chase,” Gordon said. “But you can't help but keep an eye on the bonus points. Right now, I know we're 20 points behind those with three wins, so I'd like to cut – or possibly eliminate – that gap before The Chase begins. The first race of the Chase is at New Hampshire, and that's a confidence boost when you return as the track's previous race winner.”

Kurt Busch is the defending race winner. He scored his 3rd win at the track after the race was called on lap 284 of 300 due to rain. Kurt's currently 4th in the standings - 280 points behind Stewart.

Jeff Burton leads all drivers with the most wins @ NHMS - 4. We can't forget he led all 300 laps in the September race in 2000. He's also posted 8 top-5s and 13 top-10s there.

In all, there have been 8 different race winners in the past 8 races @ NHMS.

TV coverage for the Lenox Industrial Tool 301 begins at 12:30 ET on Sunday (TNT, PRN)

The Nationwide Series will race on Saturday @ NHMS (ABC)

The Camping World Truck Series will race on Saturday @ Memphis (SPEED)


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NSCS - Toyota/SaveMart 350

Kasey Kahne held off Tony Stewart on a green-white-checker finish to put his #9 and his boss man, Richard Petty in victory lane @ Sonoma!

"It feels great," Kahne said. "With myself, I've had issues here in the past with finishing anywhere on this course ... and then race really strong today was the first time that I've been able to pull that off. Working with Kenny Francis (crew chief), Keith Rodden (engineer) and our whole Budweiser team did just a perfect job today. Our car felt great. It turned awesome, it had great forward drive, and I was able to race with some of the fastest guys throughout the race, and we were able to win. I'm excited as can be to win a race at Infineon."

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)

The King greeted Kahne in victory lane. It's the first time in a decade that a Petty-owned car has been in the winner's circle; since John Andretti won the spring race @ Martinsville in '99.

"You know, after watching today and watching the guys run and having two other cars in the Top 10, this just really made us feel good because we've run good enough to win a couple or three races, but circumstances just haven't been on our side," Petty said. "Today it really looked bad to begin with because we got two of our cars, one of them had trouble and they had to come in the garage area, and the other two got a lap down, not no fault of their own, but it just happened. They was able to catch it back up and run 7th and 10th. So from Richard Petty Motorsports it was really a good day. I think going in on Monday morning, I think all of us will be welcomed home a little bit more than what we have been for the last few weeks."

"To see Richard Petty in the winner's circle with us today, that was big," Kahne explained. "That was a neat deal, and excited to see him up there. I don't think coming in today he expected the 9 to win. I don't know if anybody did. You know, I think that was really cool to see Richard in victory lane with us, and it's a big deal. Richard Petty Motorsports is a great company, and we keep building and trying to make it better and stronger, and Kenny Francis is a huge part of that. So I'm happy driving cars that Kenny works on, that's for sure."

Kahne led the race high 37 laps. He had to hold on to the lead and fend off Tony Stewart through 4 restarts. It's Kahne's first win since Pocono last June, a 37 race stretch. His best previous finish @ Infineon was 23rd in '07.

Tony Stewart lead twice for 11 laps, but settled in to run 2nd behind Kahne through the closing laps of the race. He held on for a runner up finish and his 8th top-5 this season.

"We weren't getting the fuel mileage we wanted, and that changed our strategy a little bit. Instead of being a two stop race it turned into a three stop race for us," Stewart said. "Kasey just never made a mistake at the end. He did an awesome job those last 20 laps and just never slipped a wheel, never missed a corner and made a mistake. He made one mistake the whole time in the closing laps there and we were able to get a run on him, but couldn't do anything when we got there. He was just better than we were."

Marcos Ambrose finished 3rd followed by Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Juan Pablo Montoya, A.J. Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Gordon and Elliott Sadler.

For the (unofficial) race results, click here.

There were 7 cautions for 20 laps and 10 lead changes among 8 drivers:
B. Vickers 1-16; Kyle Busch 17-26; T. Stewart 27-29; K. Kahne 30-32; D. Hamlin 33-36; Kurt Busch 37; D. Hamlin 38-66; T. Stewart 67-74; R. Gordon 75-77; S. Speed 78-79; K. Kahne 80-113

Tony Stewart is now 84 points ahead of Jeff Gordon in the point standings.

Around The Track: Infineon

NNS - Northerntool.com 250

From last to first, Carl Edwards won @ Milwaukee Mile - 2 years in a row. And yes, he celebrated with his signature back flip.

Edwards was unable to make it in time to qualify @ Milwaukee, so he was forced to the back for the start. He traveled over 2,000 miles from Sonoma to race in the series.Jack Roush, himself, flew the plane from California to Wisconsin.

(Photo Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images for NASCAR)

"It seems like almost every week, we're getting faster and faster," Edwards said. "It's really cool to get that first win. Hopefully, it kicks off the rest of the season like it did last year."

Kyle Busch led the race high 80 laps. He lost the lead to Edwards with 44 laps to go. "It's what we do," Busch said during his post-race interview. "We came here to finish 2nd."

Brad Keselowski finished 3rd followed by Erik Darnell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Steve Wallace, Mike Bliss, Stephen Leicht, Ron Hornaday Jr and Jason Leffler in the top-10.

The race was slowed by 4 cautions for 15 laps and 12 lead changes among 7 drivers: E. Darnell 1-14; B. Coleman 15; E. Darnell # 16-20; B. Coleman 21-49; S. Leicht 50; B. Coleman 51-55; R. Stenhouse Jr. 56-79; Brad Keselowski 80-81; C. Edwards 82; R. Stenhouse Jr. 83-104; Brad Keselowski 105-125; K. Busch 126-205; C. Edwards 206-250.

For the (unofficial) race results, click here.

NCWTS - Copart 200

Birthday win for Ron Hornaday Jr

"It's a cool day," Hornaday said. "What'd they (say), 'How old are you?' I don't know. I'm in my 50s, now, I guess."

51 to be precise.

Hornaday is the only series drivers to win a race on their birthday. A feat he has actually accomplished twice. He won the truck race @ Bristol on June 20, 1998.

Driving the #33 Copart Chevrolet Silverado for KHI, Hornaday dominated the Copart 200 from the start. He took the lead for the first time on lap 3 and would go on to lead 180 of the 200 lap race.

It's his 2nd win and 8th top-10 finish this season. It's career win #41 in the series. Hornaday moved up to the top of the standings by 36 points over 2nd place Matt Crafton. Crafton finished 16th.

(Photo Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Hornaday skipped doing a burnout. As GM recently announced cut backs across the board in NASCAR, Hornaday didn't want to risk damage to the truck. "We're saving dimes right now," he said. "I think Kevin and DeLana (owners) were ready for this and we're all buckling down."

There were 5 cautions for 23 laps and 8 lead changes among 6 drivers: B. Ickler # 1; M. Crafton 2; R. Hornaday Jr. 3-40; C. McCumbee 41; T. Bodine 42-48; R. Hornaday Jr. 49-120; M. Skinner 121-122; T. Bodine 123-130; R. Hornaday Jr. 131-200.

Dennis Setzer finished 2nd followed by Brian Scott, Todd Bodine and James Buescher.

For the (unofficial) race results, click here.

On Track - Saturday

There were a couple of incidents during the first practice session @ Sonoma earlier today.



David Gilliland ran into the back of John Andretti at the end of pit road. There was some damage done to the back of Andretti's car, but Gilliland will have to go to a back-up.



Marcos Ambrose's engine blew in his #47 ride about 15 minutes into the first practice. After qualifying 3rd, his best qualifying effort, Ambrose will now have to start the race in the back of the field. He posted the fastest speed during that practice session.

(Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)



First Practice:

1.Marcos Ambrose 92.490
2.Juan Pablo Montoya 92.293
3.Clint Bowyer 92.144
4.Jamie McMurray 92.123
5.Robby Gordon 92.085


Happy Hour Practice:
1. AJ Allmendinger 92.525
2. Ron Fellows 92.480
3. Robby Gordon 92.348
4. Juan Pablo Montoya 92.307
5. Kasey Kahne 92.220

On Track - Friday

Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr and David Reutimann spun during their first practice session early in the afternoon.

Fastest during first practice:
1. Marcos Ambrose 93.404
2. Jeff Gordon 93.368
3. Boris Said 93.336
4. Jimmie Johnson 93.116
5. Brian Vickers 92.883

2 in a row for Brian Vickers. He won his ninth career pole and fourth of the season. It's his first pole in his 5 races @ Infineon.

Kyle Busch qualified 2nd and Marcos Ambrose 3rd. It's the first time this season that Toyotas have claimed the top 3 qualifying positions.

For the starting line-up, click here.

(Photo Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)

47 drivers qualified for Sunday's race. Scott Speed, Tom Hubert, Chris Cook and Brian Simo failed to qualify.

Vickers' teammate, rookie Scott Speed is currently 36th in the point standings and needed to qualify on time. After Speed failed to make it in, Red Bull Racing worked out a deal with Joe Nemechek to put Speed in the race in his place. "I came here to race," Nemechek said. "But I told them - Hey, whatever you need me to do."

And what would be a racin' weekend without a little bit of rain. The Camping World Truck Series race @ Milwaukee was washed out. The race has been resheduled for tomorrow afternoon at 1:30 (our time).

Need For Speed Race Preview: Sonoma

Change of scenery this weekend as the Cup drivers have already set up shop in the Sonoma wine country for the first of 2 road course races on the current schedule. Are you a fan of road course racin'? Some are; some aren't; and there's those that would rather a road course be featured in the Chase.

Infineon Raceway will celebrate 21 years of cup racin' this Sunday.
Breaking down the stats:

In 20 years, there's only been 5 repeat winners: Jeff Gordon (5), Ernie Irvan (2), Ricky Rudd (2), Tony Stewart (2) and Rusty Wallace (2).

Gordon & Stewart are the only active repeat winners in the race on Sunday. As a matter of fact, those are the 2 names that we can mention the most @ Infineon. Stewart and Gordon are 1-2 on top of the point standings.

Jeff Gordon has the most wins there with 5. In the past 5 races, he has been the only repeat winner (2004, 2006). 5 races have been won from the pole. Gordon was the last to do so on June 27, 2004. Gordon leads all active drivers with the most laps led @ Infineon with 437 combined in the 9 races he has led there. He's also the all-time leader in the series with 9 road course wins between Infineon and Watkins Glen with 5 @ Infineon and 4 @ Watkins Glen.

Current points leader Tony Stewart has 6 combined road course wins - 2 @ Infineon and 4 @ Watkins Glen. Stewart's 47 points ahead of Gordon in the standings heading into Sunday's race.

Kyle Busch is the defending race winner.

Road course "ringers" will be much in the vocabulary over the weekend. Boris Said, Ron Fellows, Brian Simo, Tom Hubert, Max Papis and Patrick Carpentier are on the entry list. The last time a "road course ace" won a cup event dates back to 1973. Mark Donohue won that year @ Riverside Raceway.

Some drivers run great on the road courses and there are some that hope they can just last through it. There very well could be a shake up in the points. One thing is for certain, our race weekend is about to begin.

Qualifying gets underway at 6:30 our time on Friday. TV coverage for the 112 lap race on the 12-turn 1.99 mile circuit starts at 4:30 this Sunday.

There's night racin' on the schedule for both the Camping World Truck & Nationwide Series @ Milwaukee.

NCWTS - Friday at 8:30 SPEED
NNS - Saturday at 8 ESPN2

NSCS - Lifelock 400

Out of gas but not out of luck! Mark Martin wins one on fuel mileage.



"You know, everybody knows that we have had some horrendous luck this year, and it's put us pretty far back," Martin said. "We are on the outside looking in to the Chase. We had a great racecar, but for me, I always, always come up short on the gas mileage thing. I always have. If you look at the stats, you know, I've lost 25 and won two probably on it. You know, I just don't have the luck for it."

It was Martin's 5th win @ MIS and 1st in a Chevy. The victory also makes it his 3rd this season - tying Kyle Busch for the most in the series this year. Martin jumps 5 spots in the standings to 8th. The last time Martin posted 3 or more wins in a season dates back to 1998. He won his career best 7 wins that year and went on to finish 2nd in the standings.

Jimmie Johnson was the one to beat. He dominated the race - leading 146 of 200 laps. Greg Biffle led 42 laps; ran 2nd to Johnson much of the day and was the only other driver to lead laps in the double digits.

Johnson ran out of gas with 2 to go. Biffle's tank ran dry on the final lap. Martin was running 3rd and able to capitalize, although he too, ran out of gas. "After the race was over, I shut it off at the start/finish line, coasted all the way around. I was gonna try to fire it up just to get it in Victory Lane. It wouldn't even spin over. So it ran exactly as far as it was gonna run. We had our hands full if we were going to try to go another lap or another mile. That was cool!"

Johnson wound up 22nd. Biffle finished 5th. Both Biffle and Johnson agreed during their post-race interviews, the outcome would (probably) have been a different had they not challenged each other so hard for the lead with 6 laps to go.

"On the bright side of things, I'm really happy with the performance we had here," Johnson said. "We'll take our lumps and go to the next one."

Biffle said, "Pretty frustrating. It was our first win for the season. I watched it slip away there. Fuel mileage 2 weeks in a row." He finished 11th last week @ Pocono.

Jeff Gordon finished 2nd followed by Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards.

For the unofficial race results, click here.

There were just 3 cautions for 14 laps. There were 11 lead changes among 6 drivers:

Kyle Busch 1-8; J. Johnson 9-73; Kyle Busch 74; J. Johnson 75-117; C. Edwards 118; J. Johnson 119-152; D. Hamlin 153; G. Biffle 154-194; J. Johnson 195-198; G. Biffle 199; M. Martin 200

NNS - Meijer 300

2 in a row from the pole - Joey Logano won under the lights @ Kentucky Speedway!

"It's really cool", Logano said. "This place is one of my favorite racetracks. It's one of those places that just suits you. To win two for two here, that's really cool for me and the whole team."

Logano also becomes the first repeat race winner at the track.

John Sommers II/Getty Images

A red flag with 15 laps to go seemed to change the complexion of the race. Kyle Busch dominated beforehand leading a total of 162 of the 200 scheduled laps. Once the race resumed, Logano jumped ahead of Busch and held on for the win.

"I'm used to it. It always happens that way," Busch said in his post-race interview. "We always lose at the end." Busch also finished 2nd earlier in the day in the truck race @ Michigan.

Of the red flag, Logano said, "You're sitting in there. You're thinking about it, 'What can I do to beat Kyle Busch? One of the best in NASCAR'. The opportunity was just right. I knew I had to have a run and I knew he had to slip out a little bit."

Busch and Logano started the race 1-2 for the first time for Joe Gibbs Racing in the series.

Brad Keselowski turns in a 3rd place finish with Brendan Gaughan, Justin Allgaier, Jason Leffler, Michael Annett, Burney Lamar, Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Kelly Bires rounding out the top 10.

For unofficial race results, click here.

There were 8 cautions for 31 laps and 16 lead changes among 7 drivers:

J. Logano 0; K. Busch 1-14; J. Logano 15-24; K. Hamlin 25-26; J. Allgaier 27-28; K. Busch 29-30; J. Allgaier 31-32; K. Busch 33; J. Allgaier 34; K. Busch 35-138; B. Gaughan 139-141; C. Edwards 142-145; S. Wimmer 146; K. Busch 147-165; B. Gaughan 166-168; K. Busch 169-190; J. Logano 191-200.

Kyle Busch extends his points lead and is now 137 points ahead of Carl Edwards.

Edwards suffered 3 pit-road speeding violations and an ill-handling race car. He finished 20th.

NCWTS - Michigan 200

Colin Braun passed a dominate Kyle Busch for the lead and held on for the final 24 laps on the way to his first truck win.

"What an awesome truck... You poured your hearts into this," Braun told his crew. "It was cool to beat Kyle, and it was also cool to beat Toyotas here." By 'here' meaning Michigan International Speedway's close location to Ford's homebase and near Jack Roush's Roush Enterprises and Roush Performance Livonia-based headquarters, located about 45 minutes away.

It's the first win for Braun in 35 Camping World Truck Series races. It also marks win #50 for owner Jack Roush in the series.

Kyle Busch led four times for 62 of 100 laps. “It was unfortunate,” Busch said. “I had a lapped truck that couldn't hold his line. I tried to go low and when we went into the corner, the hole closed up. My fault there. That was a pass for the lead, that was the win. Whoever got out front, it seemed, was able to hold it.”

Pole sitter Brian Ickler finished 3rd followed by Matt Crafton and Mike Skinner.

For unofficial race results, click here.

5 cautions for 20 laps and 10 lead changes among 6 drivers:

T. Bodine 1-6; R. Hornaday Jr. 7; K. Busch 8-10; M. Gosselin 11-12; K. Busch 13-29; R. Hackett 30-32; K. Busch 33-61; C. Braun 62-63; K. Busch 64-76; C. Braun 77-100.

Matt Crafton extends his lead in the standings by 39 points over Ron Hornaday Jr.

On Track - Saturday

It's never a good sign to wake up early on race day with rain pouring down, but then again, it was early. I was up and moving by 6:30. Showers moved out of the area early enough for the tough trucks to make it out for time trails by 10.

First up was an interview with the #17 crew chief, Drew Blickensderfer. The Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Competition 2009 National Finals will be held from June 14-16 in Dearborn. The grand prize for the two-person team that wins is the opportunity to spend the week leading up to the Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway with the #17 team to observe and “job shadow”. They will also get to serve as honorary pit crew members during the race weekend.

Check out more details, here - www.autoskills.com/about.html


Brian Ickler won the pole for the Michigan 200. Points leader Matt Crafton qualified 2nd followed by Todd Bodine, Kyle Busch, Ron Hornaday Jr, Johnny Sauter, Mike Skinner, JR Fitzpatrick, James Buescher and Rick Crawford.


Cup drivers made it out on the track immediately following truck qualifying for their second over-all practice.

Denny Hamlin posted the fastest speed with Mark Martin, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle in the top 5.

Jimmie Johnson took a spin coming off of turn 4. He didn't hit anything and was able to get back out on the track without spending too much time in the garage. He was 8th fastest and 11th during their final practice.


After a short 15 minute break, Happy Hour started. Mark Martin was fastest for this one. Dale Earnhardt Jr – 2nd. Brian Vickers, Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer were also among the top 5 fastest.

It was overcast, cloudy and cool throughout the day, but we lucked out on this one. The rain held off.

Need For Speed Race Preview: Michigan

There was already a lot of activity at the track as early as Wednesday in preparation for this weekend's races @ Michigan International Speedway.

Traditionally, we know the June race is held on Father's Day, but not this year. It's the first time since the summer of 2001 that it hasn't been. And that's just due to the way the days fall on the calendar this year with the NASCAR schedule.

It might be hard to believe but the 2 names we've been hearing the most this season have yet to win @ Michigan - Kyle Busch & Jimmie Johnson.

Jimmie Johnson has led laps in the past 4 races at the track and he has scored 2 wins so far this season. In 14 starts @ MIS, he's posted 2 top-5 and 6 top-10 finishes. Johnson's driver rating of 106.9 is 2nd best there. His average finish @ MIS = 14.4

Kyle Busch leads the series with 3 wins this season. He's posted just 1 top-5 and 3 top-10 finishes in his 8 races @ MIS, but finished 2nd to Carl Edwards last August - his best finish at the track. His average finish @ MIS = 17.4

Roush Fenway Racing drivers have won 5 of the past 9 races @ MIS. Jack Roush's 11 car owner wins is tied with the Wood Brothers for the most all-time wins @ MIS.

Carl Edwards has racked up 687 points in his past 4 MIS races with two wins and two 7th-place finishes. He won the last cup race there in August. Edwards average finish @ MIS is 6.6 - the best among drivers with at least 5 cup starts. He's finished out of the top-10 just once in his 9 races @ MIS. Carl is also coming off a runner-up finish last weekend @ Pocono.

Matt Kenseth is another RFR driver that analysts will more than likely talk about this weekend. Kenseth has scored 2 wins @ MIS and has finished in the top-5 in 4 of his past 5 races there.

Gates open to the public at 9 on Friday and Saturday. Gates will open at 8 am on Sunday.

Get tickets now by calling 800-354-1010 or mispeedway.com

ARCA RE/MAX SERIES

ARCA RE/MAX Series Qualifying presented by Ansell Michigan International Speedway, has been cancelled due to rain. The starting grid for Friday’s race will be set based on current car owner points.

On a brighter note, the forecast calls for sunny skies with high's around 80 throughout the race weekend. Ideal racin' weather.

In a press release from the track: Officials are still hopeful that ARCA RE/MAX Series race teams will be able to practice at the 2-mile speedway later today, pending the cooperation of Mother Nature. Rain showers have plagued Brooklyn, Michigan and the surrounding area for much of the day. Menards Pole Qualifying has been washed out due to uncooperative weather for the last four consecutive races (Kentucky, Toledo, Pocono, Michigan), marking the first time in the 57-year history of the ARCA RE/MAX Series that four consecutive qualifying sessions have been cancelled.

The Racing for Wildlife 200, race eight of the 21-race ARCA RE/MAX Series, is scheduled to roll off at 5 p.m. on Friday live on SPEED. Arcaracing.com will provide live timing and scoring and audio coverage of the race.

Double-File Restarts

NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said the excitement created by double-file restarts at last month's All-Star race at Lowe's Motor Speedway helped to determine the new format change.



Jeff Burton: "I'm shocked that we are doing this this year. I have become very used to the ship liner analogy about how it is hard to turn a ship real quick. (I) believed we would do it in the Nationwide and Truck Series and do it in Cup Series in 2010, I'm shocked that they made the decision and are doing it this year... For the fans, I think the double-file restart is great. For us, I think it is going to increase the workload quite a bit. A lot of guys complain about having to race the lapped cars but there is an advantage of doing that, too. … As hectic as restarts are now, it is going to increase that two-fold because the people you are going to be racing are faster."

David Reutimann: "So it's this weekend? I thought we were going to get farther down the road than that."

Jimmie Johnson: "The leader is going to have control and that's a good thing. I think another very positive aspect to it is that you're going to be racing cars that you need to be racing with. Lead-lap cars will be racing lead-lap cars. Guys fighting for Lucky Dog (a lap down) will be racing against themselves."

Mark Martin: "From a competitor's standpoint there are winners and loser in a double-file restart. You just have to hope that balances out equally. Sometime a double-file restart will put you in a less-desirable lane. Hopefully it balances out to 50/50 over the long haul and you gain some and you lose some and the fans gain every time."

Ryan Newman: "It's just another step to keep delivering to the fans what they want. It's something that I think will make the racing better from an excitement standpoint and that's what we're here for. We're delivering entertainment. If the fans say they want us to start the third restart in reverse … we're probably going to do it."

Kyle Busch: "If you're at Martinsville, Darlington, Indianapolis, then you're not going to be able to do much. Places like Texas, Atlanta, Michigan, here at Pocono — areas where you might have a little more room it won't be so bad. If you're stuck in the outside lane and the inside lane boxes you up against the wall then you can't go anywhere."

What do you think of the new double file restart - shootout style rule change. Thoughts?

NSCS - Pocono 500

Tony Stewart's dream season! He sits on top of the point standings and is winning races in his first year as an owner/driver.

Stewart won the Pocono 500 for his first official points-paying race win as an owner/driver. Defeat was not in his vocabulary. He started in the back of the field in a back-up car after wrecking his primary in a practice accident. With an average fuel window of 33-39 laps, Stewart chose not to pit for gas during a late race caution. Instead, he pulled out on the restart to lead the final 36 laps. The gamble paid off.

"It's just a little different when you're the one that's got to be accountable," Stewart said.

John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

Stewart is the first owner/driver to win a cup race since Ricky Rudd on September 27, 1998 @ Martinsville.

"I think it's just preparation and having a group of guys that have the confidence that no matter what the challenge is, they are not going to panic. They are not going to freak out. They just know that you are going to have situations like that," Stewart said. "Nobody got upset. Nobody lost their heads yesterday when I crashed the primary car, and you know, they just do their job and they are efficient at it. It that's half the battle is just having a group of guys that have the same confidence that I have behind the wheel. They have that same confidence as crew members, and the preparation at the shop before we come here, it's not like they all of a sudden had to roll a backup car out and try to set it up from scratch. It was basically ready to go when it came off the trailer."

It was a slight flashback to last week's event @ Dover. In the closing laps, it came down to Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and a Roush driver, in this case it was Carl Edwards. This time around, Stewart was able to distance himself seconds ahead of Edwards and Johnson. With 2 laps to go, the #48 and #99 were in a heated battle for 2nd position forgetting their need to also conserve fuel. Johnson ran out of gas coming out of turn 2 on the last lap. He finished 7th.

Carl Edwards led the race-high 103 laps and was able to hang on for a runner-up finish. David Reutimann, Jeff Gordon and Stewart's driver, Ryan Newman round out the top 5.

There were 5 cautions for 20 laps and 22 lead changes among 12 drivers:

T. Stewart 0; J. Gordon 1-5; J. Johnson 6-13; R. Newman 14; J. Johnson 15-37; C. Edwards 38-44; M. Martin 45; Kurt Busch 46-47; C. Edwards 48-76; T. Stewart 77-78; C. Edwards 79-100; G. Biffle 101-104; M. Kenseth 105; C. Edwards 106-117; M. Kenseth 118-120; C. Edwards 121-136; M. Kenseth 137-138; J. McMurray 139; E. Sadler 140-141; C. Mears 142; C. Edwards 143-159; J. Gordon 160-163; T. Stewart 164-200.

For the (unofficial) results, click here.

NNS - Federated Auto Parts 300

Kyle Busch scores a smashing win in Saturday night's Federated Auto Parts 300 Nationwide Series race @ Nashville Superspeedway.

After leading the most laps in the past 3 series races without a win to show for it, things finally went Busch's way. He led 4 times for 173 of the 225 laps around, giving up the lead only for pit stops. He led the final 24 laps and beat Keselowski by 0.891 seconds.

Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR

To the surprise of many, he slammed the special trophy given to Nashville race winners, a Sam Bass-designed Gibson Les Paul guitar.

"Pete Townsend?" Busch wondered. "I think Ozzy's done it, too. I think Kiss has even done it. Everybody's done it, expect race car drivers. All them sorry saps, they take it home in one piece and put it on their shelf, man. I break that thing up and spread it within the team so everybody's got a piece."

Busch said he made a promise to his team members last year that if he ever won a race @ Nashville, he would give them each a piece of the guitar. However, the guitar didn't break into too many pieces.

"It didn't break according to plan," Busch said. "I was actually hoping to get more pieces for the guys on the team. We'll go back to the shop and cut it up, and they can have nice, smooth pieces of it."



Sam Bass was in attendance @ Nashville. He too was surprised by Kyle's actions. "Just like everybody else in victory lane, I was stunned when it happened," said Bass. "When I took a picture with Kyle as I traditionally do, the first thing he said to me was that there was no disrespect to me or the trophy or the speedway or any of the sponsors. He just said that he told his guys that he was going to give each one of them a piece of the trophy whenever he won the guitar." Bass continued, "That was his way, in the spirit of rock and roll to break the guitar like a Kiss concert and share it with all the guys on the team. That made me feel a lot better. As a person that loves rock and roll the way I do and appreciates a good show, Kyle Busch put on as great show in victory lane and shocked the world."

There were 4 cautions for 24 laps including a 13 minute and 7 second red flag for an accident on lap 126 involving the 2, 16, 27, 33 and 99 in turn 4.

There were 12 lead changes among 8 drivers:

K. Busch 1-67; C. Edwards 68; Brad Keselowski 69-72; J. Leffler 73-93; K. Wallace 94-100; K. Busch 101-115; J. Leffler 116-120; K. Busch 121-187; Brad Keselowski 188-193; M. Bliss 194-199; M. McDowell # 200; E. Darnell 201; K. Busch 202-225.

For (unofficial) results, click here.