On Track - Saturday 4/25

Juan Pablo Montoya won the Coors Light Pole Award for the Aaron's 499. It's his 1st pole in 82 Sprint Cup Series races. There has now been a first-time pole winner for 23 consecutive cup seasons.

Greg Biffle will start on the outside of the front row alongside Montoya. Martin Truex Jr qualified 3rd followed by Sam Hornish Jr, Clint Bowyer, Regan Smith, Mark Martin, Scott Speed, Brad Keselowski and David Ragan - top 10 starting spots.

Dale Jr starts 11th. Jeff Gordon starts 14th. Tony Stewart will start 29th.

For the complete starting grid, click here.

David Ragan gets his 1st Nationwide Series win @ Talladega! On a green, white, checkered finish, all eyes were on leader Ryan Newman with Dale Earnhardt Jr riding second. Newman blocked a last lap pass attempt from Earnhardt which shuffled the drivers directly behind them. Ragan went 3 wide to go for the win. It's his 1 win in 85 Nationwide Series races.

“I was kind of content with a top five,” said Ragan, who restarted fourth for the final two laps. “I just kind of saw beating and banging there with first and second and said, ‘What the heck? Let’s jump to the outside and see what we can make of it.’ ”

Ragan had a somewhat of an eventful day. On lap 106, Ragan got into the back bumper of his Roush-Fenway Racing teammate, Matt Kenseth - who then went for a wild ride:



Matt Kenseth: “Kyle had a run, and I tried to block the top, but I couldn’t get up there in time. I pulled to the bottom, and I saw David there, but I was well clear, and David hit me as I was turning back down—to bump-draft me. You just can’t hit somebody when they’re turning. The cars aren’t stable enough for that.”

David Ragan: “It looked like Matt was going up the hill. They had a good run, and I thought that I had a good run on the bottom. He came back down about the time that I was there at his left-rear quarter. Certainly I feel bad for the No. 16 team and for (owner) Jack Roush. It cost them a good finish. We’ll chat a little bit, and I’m sure that we’ll move on.”

Ragan crossed the finish .030 seconds ahead of Newman.

Ryan Newman finished 2nd followed by Joey Logano, Tony Raines, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jason Leffler, Jason Keller, Scott Lagasse Jr, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch.

For unofficial race results, click here.

There wasn't the proverbial "big one". Unbelievably, the race ran caution-free for the first 54 laps - a record for a green-flag run for the Series @ Talladega.

There were 6 cautions for 20 laps and 34 lead changes among 15 drivers:
R. Newman 0; B. Vickers 1; S. Lagasse Jr. # 2-3; D. Earnhardt Jr. 4; S. Lagasse Jr. # 5-6; C. Edwards 7-16; M. Waltrip 17; C. Edwards 18-23; J. Logano 24; R. Newman 25-28; C. Edwards 29-31; D. Earnhardt Jr. 32; R. Newman 33; K. Busch 34; C. Edwards 35; M. Waltrip 36; D. Earnhardt Jr. 37-39; Brad Keselowski 40; M. Shepherd 41-43; M. Kenseth 44-46; K. Busch 47; C. Bowyer 48-49; K. Busch 50; B. Vickers 51; K. Busch 52-54; M. Wallace 55; K. Busch 56-74; Brad Keselowski 75-88; Brian Keselowski 89; Brad Keselowski 90-93; K. Busch 94-99; D. Earnhardt Jr. 100-102; M. Kenseth 103; R. Newman 104-119; D. Ragan 120

Kyle Busch leads the point standings by 62 points over Carl Edwards.


The Camping World Truck Series O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 @ Kansas Speedway was called due to stormy weather after 52 of the scheduled 167 laps. The race will resume at 11 am on Monday.


From Nascar.com: About 30 minutes after the race was called, tornado sirens went off at the track and a local TV station showed a twister on the ground to the southwest. Most of the fans had already left by then.

For more on the story, click here: www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-story-severe-weather-042509,0,6642167.story

On Track - Friday 4/24

As the Talladega Superspeedway celebrates their 40th anniversary, a lot has already been going on at the track by even just Friday afternoon.

Friday morning, Tony Stewart announced details on this year's Prelude to a Dream at his Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. The 5th Annual Prelude to a Dream will take place on Wednesday, June 3rd with Pay-Per-View proceeds going towards 4 military-themed charities: Wounded Warrior Project, Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Operation Homefront and Fisher House. The all-star dirt Late Model race will be Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer and more.

If you've never been to one and would like to attend, I say get your tickets now! This event has sold out every year. Even in this current economic climate, I have to think it will do so again this year.

For more, click here: Eldora Speedway Website.

Friday morning, Richard Petty announced the Daytona International Speedway will celebrate the 25th anniversary of his 200th win over this year's 4th of July race weekend @ Daytona. He captured his 200th win @ Daytona on July 4, 1984. President Ronald Reagan was in attendance. Interesting enough it was the first time a sitting President attended a NASCAR race and the final time Petty won a NASCAR race. Petty will also drive the pace car.

For all the details, click here: Daytona International Speedway.

Ryan Newman won the pole for the Nationwide Series - Aaron's 312. It's his 12th pole in 41 Nationwide Series races. His 1st pole and 1st top-10 start this season. Look for him in the #33 Rheem Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc.

Brian Vickers qualified 2nd followed by Matt Kenseth.

Robby Gordon posted the fastest speed speed during the first Sprint Cup practice session.
2. David Reutimann
3. Jeff Burton
4. Jamie McMurray
5. Kyle Busch

Dale Jr was 9th. Mark Martin - 16th. Jeff Gordon - 28th.

Carl Edwards was fastest during Happy Hour practice. It's an impound weekend.
2. David Gilliland
3. Tony Stewart
4. Joey Logano
5. Ryan Newman

Mark Martin - 13th. Jeff Gordon - 14th.

Talladega's 40th Anniversary

Originally known as Alabama International Speedway, the Talladega Superspeedway opened in 1969. The layout was designed by engineer Charles Moneypenny who also designed Daytona International Speedway. The concept was one step beyond DIS. The track was longer at 2.66 miles (compared to 2.5) and higher-banked at 33 degrees in the turns (compared to 31 degrees).

Looking back at the some of the track's suggested highlights:

May 23, 1968: Construction begins

Sept. 14, 1969: The track holds its first NASCAR Sprint Cup event, the Talladega 500, won by Richard Brickhouse.

March 24, 1970: Buddy Baker becomes the first driver to post a test-run speed in excess of 200 mph in a stock car. His Dodge Daytona ran a lap at 200.447.

May 16, 1971: Brothers Donnie and Bobby Allison, charter members of the “Alabama Gang,” finish 1-2 in the Winston 500.

May 2, 1976: Buddy Baker takes a third consecutive Talladega win, a record that goes unbroken until 2003. (by Dale Earnhardt Jr.)

May 6, 1984: The Winston 500 features 75 lead changes — still a record for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

April 30, 1987: Bill Elliott sets a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying record at 212.809 mph. Due to the advent of carburetor restrictor plates at Talladega and Daytona, the record has never been broken.

May 10, 1997: Mark Martin’s victory in the Winston Select 500 comes in a race without a single caution flag. Martin sets a track and series record for fastest race average speed — 188.354 mph — which still stands today.

Oct. 25, 2000: Dale Earnhardt wins the final race of his career, coming from 18th place in the final laps.

April 6, 2003: Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins his fourth consecutive race at Talladega, breaking Buddy Baker’s record of three straight.

Sept. 19, 2006: The track’s latest repaving project is completed, marking the fourth time the tri-oval has been repaved.

Oct. 5, 2008: The AMP Energy 500 has 28 different leaders — a Sprint Cup Series race record.

Are there any highlights you would like to add on the list?

Need For Speed Race Preview: Talladega

The start of this racin' season may have a slightly different look and feel from recent years, but we've heard similar story lines before. Hendrick Domination, Kyle Busch and the cream always rises to the top.

Hendrick Domination - Hendrick drivers have won the past 3 consecutive races. Jimmie Johnson took his first win of the season @ Martinsville followed by Gordon's first ever win @ Texas and Mark Martin's 1st Cup Series win for Hendrick last week @ Phoenix. It's the third time that Hendrick Motorsports has won three consecutive Cup races with three different drivers. The feat was last achieved in '07 with Johnson, Gordon and Casey Mears. Darrell Waltrip, Ken Schrader and Geoff Bodine won three races in a row for Hendrick Motorsports in 1989. Hendrick Motorsports is the only team in NASCAR's modern era to be able to boast this stat.

Could Hendrick Domination continue yet again this weekend at Talladega?
Gordon is the all-time leader in restrictor plate wins with 12. Gordon has 6 wins @ Talladega.
Dale Jr. has won 5 times @ Talladega including four in a row (from '01-'03) and has led laps in 16 of his 18 Talladega races.
Mark Martin has won twice in Cup events @ Talladega and has also posted 22 top-10 finishes.
Gordon, Earnhardt Jr and Martin are the only active drivers with multiple wins @ Talladega.
Not to leave Johnson out. He's posted 1 win and 2 runner-up finishes @ Talladega.

Kyle Busch is the defending race winner. Kyle already has a combined 6 wins among NASCAR's top 3 national touring series. Kyle's currently 7th in the Sprint Cup Series point standings, but leads both the Nationwide & Camping World Truck Series point standings. Although Kyle's average Talladega (cup) finish is 25.750, this is after all - Talladega. He'll pull double duty again this weekend @ Talladega, but will be unable to compete in Saturday's Truck Series race @ Kansas.

The first 4 drivers currently holding down the top 4 positions in the standings are all past champions with a combined 10 championships between them.

Tony Stewart moved up one spot to 4th with his 2nd place finish last weekend @ Phoenix. Is he on the verge of his first win as a driver-owner? You have to go back over a decade to find the last time a driver-owner won a cup race. Ricky Rudd won @ Martinsville on September 27, 1998.

“This is the best start to the season that I’ve ever had in my career,” Tony Stewart recently stated. “The last three weeks have just been amazing. I mean, it’s been so much fun. We’ve been in contention. We’ve led laps. We’re doing everything right. It’s just a matter of time."

Stewart finally got his first Talladega win last fall after 6 previous runner-up finishes there.

There's 2 practice sessions on Friday. Qualifying will be held Saturday morning at 11:15. TV coverage for the Aaron's 499 begins Sunday afternoon at 1 on FOX.

13 Cup drivers are entered in Saturday's Nationwide Series race @ Talladega. TV Coverage begins at 2:30 on ABC.

The Camping World Truck Series will run @ Kansas on Saturday. Coverage begins at 5:30 on SPEED.

Phoenix Penalties

It might not be much of a surprise.

NASCAR announced on Tuesday that Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Casey Mears have been placed on probation for the next 6 races due to an on-track incident at the conclusion of last Saturday night's race @ Phoenix.



Hard racin' and hot tempers? What's your take on it?

NSCS - Subway Fresh Fit 500 4/18

Mark Martin returns to victory lane! Everyone from Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Jack Roush and NASCAR president Mike Helton pushed through a very crowded victory lane to pay their respects.

"The thought went through my mind -- 1989 with Jack Roush (Martin's former car owner) -- when I got my first win at Rockingham, I said, 'My life is fulfilled,'" Martin said in victory lane. "I thought about saying that again tonight, but I'll stop short of that. But it means that much. It means just as much as getting that first one to me. We made a couple of early adjustments, but after that we never made adjustments. There were cars better than us in the middle of the race, but it came to us. At the end, nobody could run with us."

At 50, Mark Martin becomes the oldest driver to win in the series since March 20, 1993 when Morgan Shepherd won @ Atlanta at the age of 51. Martin becomes the fourth different over-50 driver to win a NSCS race.

"I feel fine right now, I tell you" Martin said post-race. "I told the guys in victory lane when they asked something about that, it was like, you know, I don't have any problem keeping up with a 25 year old, at least not for the next 15 minutes, because I have got the biggest shot of adrenaline that you've ever seen."

Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR

Martin started from the pole and dominated from the start. He would go on to lead five times for the race high 157 laps.

"There's nobody that dislikes Mark", said Tony Stewart who lead 19 laps himself and is seeking his first win as an owner-driver. "Mark has taught us all a lot about what it takes to be not only a good driver in this series, but a good competitor and somebody that everybody respects."

Tony Stewart finished second followed by Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle. Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., David Reutimann, Sam Hornish Jr. and Carl Edwards completed the top 10, as a late caution for an accident involving Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Casey Mears scrambled the finishing order.

There were 6 cautions for 29 laps and 14 lead changes among 10 drivers:
M. Martin 1-55; M. Waltrip 56; M. Martin 57-103; B. Labonte 104; Kurt Busch 105-167; D. Earnhardt Jr. 168-219; T. Stewart 220-238; M. Martin 239-240; D. Reutimann 241; J. Johnson 242; B. Vickers 243-244; D. Earnhardt Jr. 245-255; M. Martin 256-302; R. Newman 303-306; M. Martin 307-312.

NNS - Bashas Supermarkets 200 4/17

The gamble paid off big for Greg Biffle! He scores his 20th victory in 224 Nationwide Series races.


He stayed out on the track as his competitors came in to pit for fresh tires. Track position was key but Biffle was able to hold on during a series of late race cautions and challenges for the lead from Jason Leffler. Biffle took the lead on lap 98 and held it for the race high 106 laps.

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

"Man I was really worried" Biffle said in victory lane. "I thought we were sitting ducks, but these tires are so good."

It marks Biffle's 2nd win in the series this season. Biffle ended a 76 race winless streak @ Vegas last month, the last NNS race he was entered in.

The victory was win 100 in the series for team owner, Jack Roush.

Nationwide Series regulars Jason Leffler finished 2nd followed by Brad Keselowski.

Biffle's Roush teammate Carl Edwards led early on for 79 laps before car problems (broken valve spring in motor) ended his night. Edwards finished 33rd. Needless to say, it was a bad points night for him. Edwards dropped to 2nd in the series standings. Kyle Busch also had issues during the night but was able to come back for a 10th place finish. Kyle now leads the standings by 47 points over Edwards.

There were 9 caution for 43 laps and 6 lead changes among 5 drivers: C. Edwards 0; J. Logano 1-6; C. Edwards 7-23; M. Waltrip 24-27; K. Busch 28-35; C. Edwards 36-97; G. Biffle 98-203.

18 cars finished on the lead lap.

Need For Speed Race Preview: Phoenix

Back from an off weekend for Saturday Night racin' at Phoenix!

We left off with Jeff Gordon ending his 47 race winless streak @ Texas. Gordon is currently on top of the point standings - 162 points ahead of his teammate Jimmie Johnson.

Between the two of them they've won the past 4 cup races @ Phoenix with Johnson winning the past 3 consecutive races @ Phoenix. We know he will be going for a 4th win in a row on Saturday night.

Johnson was the fastest during practice earlier today. Because of the time difference, final practice is currently in progress followed by qualifying at 7 tonight leading into the Nationwide Series race at 9.