Bleacher Report - Articles by Kyle Ocker

Dover Camping World Truck Series Race Postponed Until Saturday

Kyle Ocker — Fri, 29 May 2009 20:15:39 -0400

NASCAR officials were forced to postpone the AAA Insurance 200 Camping World Truck Series race, scheduled for Friday night, after rain moved into Dover International Speedway.

Drivers were already inside their trucks and the engines had been fired just before the rain started to fall.

Since Dover does not have lights at the track, NASCAR deemed that they would not have enough time to race the full distance before dark.

Therefore, the race has been rescheduled to Saturday at 6 PM EST, immediately following the completion of the Nationwide Series race.

Ron Hornaday Jr. qualified on the pole and will lead the field to green on Saturday. The remaining drivers in the top 10 are Colin Braun, Brian Scott, Johnny Sauter, Chad McCumbee, Terry Cook, Johnny Benson, Todd Bodine, Brian Ickler, and Kyle Busch.

Martin Truex Jr. Mum On Future

Kyle Ocker — Fri, 29 May 2009 20:06:08 -0400

Silly Season is slowly beginning in the Sprint Cup Series and the first "driver up for bids" appears to be Martin Truex Jr.

Truex Jr., currently the driver for Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, has been a heavily rumored candidate for a ride at Michael Waltrip Racing.

When asked why a driver would look at Michael Waltrip Racing as an organization they would want to drive for, Truex Jr. responded, "They seem like a great organization. They have come a long way. I think they have a lot going for them. We will just have to see what happens.”

Truex Jr. said that he knows where he is probably going to go, but it's going to be a few weeks before he tells anyone.

"The picture is pretty clear for me right now,” said Truex Jr. “I am in a good place. I am pretty happy with the way things have gone and I have been having fun at the race track and things are going well right now.

"I think in the next few weeks, everybody will know what is going on. I have just been concentrating on racing because the picture is kind of clear, so I am not really worried too much about it.”

Truex Jr., who agreed to a one-year deal with Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing for the 2009 season last year, said that his new contract will be long-term.

“Yeah, this time around it’s going to have to be,” said Truex Jr.

Another part of moving teams is making sure you will have sponsorship to be able to run every race. Truex Jr. said that he does not know if his current sponsor, Bass Pro Shops, will stay with him when he makes his decision.

“That’s something we’ll have to look at down the road once we figure everything out,” said Truex Jr. “Bass Pro has been such a great fit for me. It’s a no brainer. It would be easy for me to go to their stores and meet their customer because I’m a customer of theirs and I have been. I think it’s important to do that with your fans. To promote the sponsor and put 100 percent into it you need to be connected.”

David Reutimann, the driver who gave Michael Waltrip Racing's first win at Charlotte, jokingly said that he is the reason to come to Michael Waltrip Racing.

Reutimann then added the true reason to want to come to Michael Waltrip Racing.

"In all honesty, I thought you guys would enjoy that,” said Reutimann. “I actually got that out with a straight face, too, if you can believe."

With many top-drivers closing in on free-agency and Roush Fenway Racing needs to slim their team down to four drivers for the 2010 season. It looks like we are going to be in for another dramatic Silly Season.

Ken Butler III Ready for First Race As a Dad

Kyle Ocker — Tue, 26 May 2009 22:04:17 -0400

Ken Butler III, driver of the No. 23 Aaron’s Chevrolet at R3 Motorsports, has had many career firsts so far in his young NASCAR career.

However, as the series heads into Dover International Speedway, it will not only be his first start at Dover, it will also be his first NASCAR start since the birth of his first child.

Butler III and his wife, Jaime, welcomed their new baby girl, Piper Shay Butler, into the world last Saturday at 2:32 p.m.

“Man, this is very cool,” Butler III said. “I’ve been waiting for this day ever since we found out Piper was on the way. I can’t believe it; I’m a dad. I hope she likes racing. Then again, she was born on the 23rd and our Aaron’s car is No. 23.”

Butler III will have to learn quickly this weekend, as he will be visiting Dover for the first time in his career. He says the first thing he wants to do is learn the track.

“The first thing I want do is learn how to drive that track,” commented Butler III. “I’ve talked to and heard from everyone how tough Dover can be to figure out. Once I can get comfortable with the tendencies of the track, then I can start to relay that information to the team. From there, Walter [Giles, crew chief] and I can start to figure out how to get the car better each run we make in practice. After that, it’s all about having a good qualifying run and backing that up with a good race.

“I’m going to do what I did last time once I get in the No. 23 Aaron’s Dream Machine Chevrolet at Richmond. I’m going to make a few laps on my own and see how it feels and how the car reacts when I dive off into turns 1 and 3. Then, I’m going to see how it feels when I get back on the gas out of turns 2 and 4. My best way to learn faster is to follow some veterans around the track and see their braking and acceleration points. The most important things to work on are finding out how your car handles through the turns and getting back on the gas.”

Butler III has made five starts so far in his first year of competition, posting an average finish of 24.7, calling his 17th place finish at Las Vegas his career best.

Butler III also has two starts in the Camping World Truck Series back in 2007 for Darrell Waltrip. He brought home 33rd and 36th place finishes in those two starts.

The Heluva Good! 200 will take place Saturday, May 30 at 7 p.m. ET, live on ESPN2, MRN and SIRIUS-XM NASCAR Radio.

Logano's Nationwide Series Career Is Officially One Year Old

Kyle Ocker — Tue, 26 May 2009 22:02:11 -0400

It was May 31, 2008 when Joey Logano, nicknamed “Sliced Bread,” made his NASCAR career debut at Dover International Speedway.

Logano was just one week over the age of 18 and was finally allowed to enter NASCAR's national touring series.

It was a highly anticipated debut, after Mark Martin called Logano the next NASCAR superstar after discovering him at the age of 15.

Since that special debut for Logano, he has collected two Nationwide Series wins and is currently racing full-time in the Sprint Cup Series for Joe Gibbs Racing.

“There was a lot of hype surrounding my first Nationwide Series start,” said Logano. “I wasn’t immune to it, but pressure is something that has never bothered me. We are in a pressure sport and if you can’t take it you probably need to find something else to do.

"I had raced in some Camping World East Series races at Dover, so I knew my way around the track. I was confident when I woke up that day and really thought we had a chance to win. In the end we were just a little bit off and finished sixth. As much as I want to win every race, I knew I was still learning and sixth was a solid finish for my first start.”

Logano describes Dover International Speedway as a bigger version of Bristol.

“Dover promotes some of the best racing on the circuit,” Logano continued. “It’s exciting and competitive. A bigger version of Bristol is a good description.

"As a driver, you are always busy, there is no time to rest and you are just flying around that joint. You will see guys running on the bottom or up at the top of the track. Any time you can do that the drivers are going to enjoy it.”

Logano, despite running only a partial schedule, sits fourth in Nationwide Series driver points. So far, Logano has missed only one race, however, at Las Vegas earlier this season.

The team has selected the oldest chassis at the No. 20 team and is the same chassis that Tony Stewart took to Victory Lane in the 2008 California spring race its last time out.

Logano finished sixth from his ninth-place starting position in his career debut at Dover last year.

Logano also started the fall Dover race and finished 14th from a ninth-place starting position.

NASCAR Shows True Honor, Stops Race To Honor Troops

Kyle Ocker — Mon, 25 May 2009 23:08:17 -0400

NASCAR showed its true blue-collar appeal during Monday’s Coca-Cola 600, moving away from the corporate view they had taken on in the past few years to honor the fine men and women who serve our country.

It may just be the first time any sport has stopped an event at 3 p.m. ET to honor the troops with a moment of silence.

On lap 164, NASCAR threw the caution and radioed to all the drivers to park their cars on the front stretch and have all of the crew members come to the edge of their pit boxes while all of the flags at their track were lowered to half-mast as everyone joined in a moment of silence.

The gesture was apart of the National Moment of Remembrance that asks everyone in America to stop whatever they are doing and honor our brave men and women fighting overseas at 3 p.m. each Memorial Day.

It was an emotional time for everyone involved.

It came unannounced, unexpected, but is sure to be greatly appreciated by those fighting for our country around the world.

It is listed as a competition caution on NASCAR’s official race report, but it was much more then that. It was a caution that showed NASCAR’s true colors. It showed what NASCAR was all about.

It was a gesture that took only a few moments, but will leave a permanent impression for NASCAR that will forever show their great commitment and support of our armed forces.

NASCAR ignored the fact that rain was fast approaching and they still needed to make it to half way. But, that’s just a small price to pay to honor those that pay a much greater price just so we can be free.

Kasey Kahne extended his support of the memorial after the race.

“I thought that it was really cool,” said Kasey Kahne. “To honor the men and women who have served our country, and be able to participate in such a really special deal was great. During the moment of silence, I just sat in my car and thought about what the men and women of the Armed Services have done for our country. I’m proud of NASCAR and all the drivers and crews for such a great moment.”

It's moments like we experienced today that make everyone proud to be involved in this great sport.

Tony Stewart: A Good Guy Won The Race

Kyle Ocker — Mon, 25 May 2009 23:04:30 -0400

No one likes to lose, but Tony Stewart said after the Coca-Cola 600 that a good guy won the race.

That good guy was David Reutimann.

Reutimann, who benefited from persistent rain during the Coca-Cola 600, won his first career race in his 75th start after a strategic call to stay out with rain fast approaching.

Reutimann led the final five laps of the event before NASCAR called the cars to pit road on lap 227, before calling the race just over two hours later.

Despite a small, verbal altercation on pit road during the second rain delay between Stewart and a pit crew member of Reutimann’s team, Stewart still remained positive after the race was called, calling Reutimann a good guy.

“A good guy [David Reutimann] won the race and they won it because they made the right call at the end,” said Stewart. “They put themselves in that position and you can’t take anything away from that. It won’t win you races consistently, but you’re going to get something that way. It’s good for David to get his first win and congratulations to him and his guys.”

“He’s doing his job,” Reutimann said of the exchange between his pit crew member and Stewart. ”I don’t want anybody to fault him for that. I wish it hadn’t gone down like that. But in the end, you know, crew guys stick up for their drivers. At least when you got a good crew they do. Like I said, I’ve had guys stick up for me even when they knew a hundred percent I was wrong, they still stood right there with me and made sure I didn’t get beat up.”

Reutimann moved up to 13th in Sprint Cup Series driver points, trailing 12th place driver Mark Martin by only six points as the series heads into Dover this Sunday.

NASCAR Confiscates Robby Gordon's Rear Axle Housing

Kyle Ocker — Mon, 25 May 2009 23:02:22 -0400

During post-race inspection, NASCAR found a possible issue with the rear axle housing on the No. 7 Jim Beam/Operation Home Front Toyota driven by Robby Gordon, who finished third in the Coca-Cola 600.

NASCAR will take the housing to their Research and Development Center for further examination this weekend.

If NASCAR finds a violation, forthcoming penalties will be announced later this week.

Gordon used pit strategy and stayed out on the final caution of the day before NASCAR called the event.

“Didn’t know how many people were going to stay out,” Gordon said of his race. “Obviously, Ryan’s crew was on their game, so was Reutimann, on theirs. We were probably a 15th place car. Ran with Kyle for a long time on that one long run."

“When you start back in the back, it’s just hard to pass. We worked our way, like I said, up to 18th at one point. We were running 20th when that caution came out.”

Traditionally, NASCAR announces penalties on Tuesday. However, since the race was not run until Monday and NASCAR is holding a special driver and team only meeting on Tuesday, the penalties may not come until later on in the week.

Charlotte Race Postponement Easier Than Most Postponements

Kyle Ocker — Sun, 24 May 2009 21:48:00 -0400

Lowe's Motor Speedway is probably the only track that team owners don't dread a rain out, mostly because the track is located only a few miles from many of the teams's headquarters.

Elton Sawyer, Competition Director at Red Bull Racing, said on Sunday that the postponement of the Coca-Cola 600 won't hurt their plans of getting to Dover next weekend.

"We can run tomorrow and still be able to meet our schedule, our truck be out of there Wednesday and be ready for Dover and not be a real problem," commented Sawyer. "The worst part is tomorrow is a holiday and everyone wants to be on the lake. You can't do anything about the weather so we'll do what we have to do."

The race conditions will also change because not only will teams have a "green" race track, they will also be racing in the afternoon instead of at night, as originally scheduled.

"We'll be dealing with the heat so you won't have as much grip," added Sawyer. "The characteristics of the handling is definitely going to be different. It's the same for everybody but it will be different."

Because of the close proximity between the race tracks and the race teams homes, it also won't put the financial burden teams could face after a race postponement at other race tracks.

"Financially it's not a big deal because we're here, it's local and everybody is staying at home anyway," Sawyer said.

The Coca-Cola 600 is scheduled to begin at Noon ET on Monday.

Rain Postpones Coca-Cola 600 to Monday

Kyle Ocker — Sun, 24 May 2009 20:41:24 -0400

Rain showers in the area that have been on and off since 6:00 PM ET have forced NASCAR officials to postpone the Coca-Cola 600 until Monday at Noon ET.

Even though the rain had stopped at Lowe's Motor Speedway, it would have taken NASCAR at least two hours to dry the track, meaning a start time no earlier then 10:30 PM ET.

None of the 400 laps scheduled for the event have been run.

A 60 percent chance of rain is forecast for Monday in Charlotte.

The race will still be broadcast live on FOX and PRN Radio.

Mike Bliss Wins Rain Shortened Nationwide Race

Kyle Ocker — Sun, 24 May 2009 00:22:43 -0400

It wasn't exactly the exciting finish we have come to expect from Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Unless you're Mike Bliss.

Bliss, who came from the rear of the field after an engine change on Thursday, benefited when rain started to fall at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, NC, with 33 laps remaining in the event.

NASCAR brought the cars down pit road and threw the red flag with 30 laps remaining. NASCAR made repeated attempts to dry the track, but lost the track after persistent rains continued.

Bliss calls the first rain shortened Nationwide Series event at Lowe's Motor Speedway his second career win in the series.

Bliss and the No. 1 Miccosukee Indian Gaming & Resort Chevrolet team used fuel strategy and a carefully placed caution during green-flag pit stops to catch most of the field a lap down.

“We started at the back, we changed a motor,” said Bliss after the race in his post-race press conference. "We stayed out as long as we could, and it paid off. I knew we had a pretty good car in practice and kind of worked our way into the top 10. We stretched our fuel mileage quite a bit, and that's why I'm here, I guess."

Brendan Gaughan finished the race second as the highest finishing rookie of the race. Gaughan and Bliss battled back-and-forth for the lead just a few laps before the rain showers moved into the area. This is Gaughan's career best finish, improving his series career record to one top-five and four top-10s.

“I don't know how we did it," Gaughan said. "We had a decent 5-Hour Energy Chevy to start the race. I think we got into like 12th or 14th, in that range somewhere, and pitted and everything was fine. And came onto pit road under green and caught the caution while we were there, so we still stay on the lead lap.

“I'm not going to say we were a second-place Chevrolet tonight. I'm going to say we were an eighth to 12th-place race car. But you know what? It doesn't matter what we think it would have been. That board [the scoring pylon] shows that the 5-Hour Energy finished second.”

Kyle Busch, who also was sent to the rear of the field for the start of the race after changing an engine early on Thursday, finished third.

“It was very disappointing that the guys aren't able to get to a win and celebrate themselves in Victory Lane for putting together the fastest car out there,” said Busch. “The Nos Energy Drink Toyota was good, it was fast. Circumstances just didn't hit our way tonight.”

Busch didn't take long to progress up through the field, taking the lead from Carl Edwards on lap 41, leading a field-most 98 laps in the event.

Brian Vickers finished fourth, with rookie Joey Logano rounding out the top-five.

Jason Leffler, David Ragan, Brad Keselowski, Jeff Burton, and Edwards rounded out the top-10.

The third car turned out to be a charm for Keselowski, who raced back from going to the rear of the field in his third car of the weekend, after wrecking the previous two on Thursday. The car was originally prepared for a short track.

Notes:

Busch extended his lead from 43 to 73 points over Edwards.
The race finished with 17 cars on the lead lap.
The race contained five cautions for 26 laps.
The race ran six laps under a green/yellow start after the start of the race was delayed for more than an hour due to rain.
Eight cars did not finish the event.

Scott Riggs Gets Sponsor For Coca-Cola 600

Kyle Ocker — Sat, 23 May 2009 18:15:03 -0400

Scott Riggs and the No. 36 Tommy Baldwin Racing team has signed Cooter’s Backyard Bar & Grill as a primary sponsor for Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

“I am excited for Cooter’s to be on the hood this weekend,” said Tommy Baldwin, owner and crew chief of Riggs. “Edward Williams, owner of Cooter’s, races late model stocks and knows what sponsorship means to the success of a team. I hope we bring home a solid finish for Cooter’s Bar & Grill.”

Cooter's Backyard Bar & Grill is located in Murrellls Inlet, S.C., and is the home of their “world famous atomic buffalo turds.” Items on their menu include assorted BBQ items, seafood, pasta, chicken, steak, and more.

Riggs, in 10 Sprint Cup Series starts at Lowe's, has posted five top-20 finishes, calling his 13th-place finish in the 2006 Coca-Cola 600 his best career finish at the track in Sprint Cup Series competition. Riggs also owns two top-five finishes in the Nationwide Series at the track.

The Coca-Cola 600 is scheduled to begin Sunday at 5:45 PM ET and will be televised on FOX with radio coverage on PRN and SIRIUS-XM NASCAR Radio.

Edwards Wins Nationwide Pole at Charlotte

Kyle Ocker — Sat, 23 May 2009 18:00:10 -0400

Carl Edwards earned his fourth Nationwide Series pole, and 15th career Nationwide Series pole, Saturday afternoon at Lowe's Motor Speedway for Saturday night's Carquest Auto Parts 300.

Edwards won the pole by 0.037 seconds, running a time of 29.480 seconds.

Kyle Busch, who is the series points leader, ran a lap of --- seconds for his 10th top-10 start of the season.

Busch's only start not in the top-10 came at Daytona, where he qualified 13th. However, Busch will have to start the race in the back of the field after an engine change after the first Nationwide Series practice on Thursday.

Greg Biffle qualified third with a time of 29.592 seconds for his fifth top-10 start this season.

David Ragan and Brian Vickers joined Michael McDowell, David Gilliland, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Mike Bliss to round out the top-10 qualifiers.

The qualifying record set by Jimmie Johnson on Oct. 14, 2005 of 28.7639 seconds was untouched during the session.

Morgan Shepherd, Casey Atwood, John Wes Townley, 52 Kevin Lepage, Kertus Davis, Marc Davis, and 84 Mike Harmon were the drivers who failed to qualify.

There will be 20 Chevrolets, 10 Toyotas, seven Fords, and six Dodges in the starting field.

The Carquest Auto Parts 300 is scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM ET and to be televised on ESPN2 with radio coverage on PRN and SIRIUS-XM NASCAR Radio.

Denny Hamlin Fastest In Second Coca-Cola 600 Practice

Kyle Ocker — Sat, 23 May 2009 15:53:01 -0400

Denny Hamlin turned in the fastest lap of the field after Saturday morning's Sprint Cup Series practice.

Hamlin recorded a lap of 29.294 seconds, 0.031 seconds faster than Greg Biffle, who was second on the speed charts.

Casey Mears, Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers, Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr., AJ Allmendinger, and David Reutimann rounded out the top-10 quickest drivers.

The top-35 fastest drivers in the session recorded their fastest lap time within their first three laps on the track.

Vickers ran the most laps in the session, running 38 laps in the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota.

The slowest driver in the sessions was Tony Raines, who recorded his fastest lap of 30.228 seconds, almost a second off of the leader's fastest time.

Final practice is set to begin at 6 PM ET. The Coca-Cola 600 will be run Sunday at 5:45 PM ET, live on FOX.

Bill Elliott Qualifies for 800th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Start

Kyle Ocker — Thu, 21 May 2009 23:23:59 -0400

Fans witnessed another moment of history Thursday night during pole qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600.

Bill Elliott, more popularly known as "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville," will join the exclusive club of drivers that have made 800 career starts this weekend in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford.

This feat has only been achieved by six other drivers; Richard Petty, Ricky Rudd, Dave Marcis, Terry Labonte, Kyle Petty, and Darrell Waltrip.

“Wherever we end up I’m just proud it’s over with,” said Elliott after his qualifying lap.

“I’m so glad we came here and ran last week. They weren’t planning on doing it and I sat down and talked to Len, Eddie and Hyder at Texas and I said, ‘Look guys, if there’s anyway, we need to try to run the All-Star weekend. We can learn so much,’ and we came over here and made some changes and that was good.

"We came with kind of a whole different deal than we had last week and it really paid off. I’ve been out of the car for awhile and you need to do this stuff every week and it just makes you better, and what we changed from last week to tonight really helped a lot.”

Elliott will start from the tenth position on Sunday after turning in a lap of 28.851 seconds during the qualifying session. Elliott is running a part-time schedule this year with Wood Brothers Racing.

Elliott began racing for the No. 21 team in the 2007 Coca-Cola 600, and has raced with the team ever since.

Kyle Busch "Very Disappointed" in Qualifying Attempt

Kyle Ocker — Thu, 21 May 2009 23:09:45 -0400

Most drivers would be overjoyed with a second-place qualifying effort at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Not Kyle Busch.

After Busch's qualifying lap, he said that he was very disappointed in the effort, and that the lap wasn't what he and his team wanted.

"I'm very disappointed,” Busch said. “It really just wasn't what we expected. I had a great [turns] one and two. The car really stuck down there well. We messed up [turns] three and four trying to make sure I got down to the bottom of the race track.

"I got down there too soon and had to pinch the car in the center and slowed it down. I didn't get to keep my momentum through the corners. All in all, it was a good run for the M&M's Toyota. I just wish we could've been a little bit better."

Busch, who turned in a lap of 28.684 seconds, said that it's hard to beat Ryan Newman, who recorded his 44th-career pole and eighth at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

“It's hard to beat 'Flying Ryan' [Newman],” continued Busch. “We'll take that I guess and see what we can get in practice on Saturday for the 600."

Busch was 10th on the speed charts after the first practice session of the weekend Thursday afternoon. He will take to the track again at 2:45 p.m. EST and 6 p.m. EST for the remaining practice sessions on Saturday.

A Historical Thing: The Coca-Cola 600

Kyle Ocker — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:28:42 -0400

After 50 years, it comes to no surprise of the amount of history that has transpired since the track’s inaugural event in 1960.

The inaugural event was originally scheduled to run on Memorial Day. However, it was delayed three weeks while construction crews building the track finished their work.

Joe Lee Johnson won the inaugural event, becoming one of 14 drivers to win the 600-mile race, his second and final win of his 56-race career.

Several drivers have set milestones of their own at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Casey Mears won the 2007 Coca-Cola 600 for his first career victory. The team took a gamble at the end of the race on fuel to score the win.

“We had a top-five race car the year we won the race,” Mears said of his first Cup Series victory. “We ran in the top five for pretty much the whole race and, at the end, made the call to win. Sometimes, I think a little bit gets taken away from us on that win because it turned out to be fuel mileage. But, it wasn’t like we were running 20th and made a call to try and steal one. We were running in the top five with a lot of guys who had the opportunity to make the same call and didn’t. We made the right call and it was fun.”

Other drivers who have collected their first career Cup Series victory at Charlotte include Bobby Labonte, Jeff Gordon, and Matt Kenseth.

Many drivers have recorded their first career Cup Series start at the Coca-Cola 600. Drivers such as Dale Earnhardt Sr., Michael Waltrip, Elliott Sadler, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. call their Lowe’s Motor Speedway start their first Cup Series start.

However, one of the most notable debuts at Lowe’s Motor Speedway is Janet Guthrie. Guthrie not only made her series debut at Lowe’s, she also became the first female to race at a superspeedway in the Cup Series.

The Coca-Cola 600 also serves as the longest race on the schedule. It provides a unique challenge the the drivers and crews, who switch from a normal 400-500 mile race, to this one-of-a-kind 600-mile event.

“It’s long,” said Dale Earnhardt, Jr. of the Coca-Cola 600. “We run 500 miles, and your body gets used to it. You think you wouldn’t notice another 100 miles added, but mentally you do. That last 100 miles is really tough mentally. Trying to stay focused and trying to stay devoted to what you’re doing because it’s so easy just to kind of go, ‘I’m tired.’ Physically it’s not a problem, but mentally your brain is just worked after it’s over with. I like it. I love this racetrack. I love this area. I’m glad to be home these two weeks. I think it’s awesome we run a 600-mile race at Charlotte.”

Tony Stewart, who won last weekend’s All-Star Race, fell just five laps short of his second career points-paying victory at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and his first Coca-Cola 600 victory when he blew a right-front tire with more then a five second lead, relegating him to an 18th place finish.

Joey Logano, who is celebrating his 19th birthday on Sunday, will making his Coca-Cola 600 debut. Like several drivers who come to the race for their first time, Logano says he doesn’t know what to expect.

“I’m not sure what to think about 600 miles,” commented Logano. “That’s a lot of miles and a long race.”

Quote This:

Scott Riggs on the Coca-Cola 600: “I enjoy it but it’s a long race and it takes a lot out of you physically. I think you have to pace yourself through the 600 miles. You can get too aggressive at the beginning of the race. You have to take care of your equipment during the first 500 miles and race the last 100 miles.”

Tony Stewart on the difference between the All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600: “We go from the shortest race of the year to the longest race of the year. The main difference, besides the distance, is that the Coke 600 starts in the daytime and ends at night, whereas the All-Star Race started at night. We go from a sprint race to an endurance race.”

Kyle Busch on why Lowe’s Motor Speedway is his favorite track: “Charlotte is my favorite racetrack for a lot of reasons. Just growing up watching races on TV, I loved watching the All-Star race under the lights and the 600 with all the sparks flying and all the guys going after hard-fought, hard-racing wins. The Nationwide Series has been good to me there. The Truck Series has been pretty good to me there, too. But a Cup Series win has eluded me there.”

More Weekend Headlines:

If Bill Elliott, who is outside of the top-35 in owner’s points, qualifies for the event, he will make his 800th career start in the Sprint Cup Series.

Fans from all 50 states as well as Canada, Australia, Belguim, Bermuda, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom will be at the Coca-Cola 600, according to track officials, on Sunday.

Lowe’s Motor Speedway will be selecting, at random, a total of 47 fans to wave the green flag during Sprint Cup Series qualifying on Thursday night.

Fourteen drivers will be racing in both the Nationwide and Cup Series races this weekend. These drivers are Dale Earnhardt, Jr., David Ragan, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Jeff Burton, Brian Vickers, Kevin Harvick, Tony Raines, David Gilliland, Carl Edwards, Joe Nemechek, Paul Menard, and Scott Speed.

Weekend at a Glance:

What: The 50th Coca-Cola 600
Where: Lowe’s Motor Speedway (Charlotte, NC)
When: Sunday, May 24 at 5:45 p.m. ET
Length: 400 laps, 600 miles
TV: FOX, DirecTv NASCAR Hotpass (Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr.)
Radio: PRN, SIRIUS-XM NASCAR Radio
2008 Winner: Kasey Kahne
2008 Polesitter: Kyle Busch

Weekend Schedule:

Practice 1–Thursday at 4:30 p.m. ET
Qualifying–Thursday at 7:10 p.m. ET
Practice 2–Saturday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Final Practice–Saturday at 6 p.m. ET

Comin’ Up:

Up next on the Sprint Cup Series schedule is Dover International Spedway for the Autism Speaks 400 presented by Heluva Good Sour Cream Dups & Cheese on Sunday, May 31. Kyle Busch will come in as the defending winner of the event.

No. 46 Cup Team Gets Suspensions, Fines for Engine Violation

Kyle Ocker — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:16:29 -0400

NASCAR announced today that Carl Long, driver of the No. 46 car in the Sprint Cup Series; and Danielle Long, owner of the No. 46 car in the Sprint Cup Series, have been fined 200 driver and owner points respectively, and have received a 12 race suspension from all NASCAR sanctioned events.

Charles Swing, crew chief of the No. 46 team in the Sprint Cup Series, has also been suspended for 12 races and fined $200,000.

The infraction, found during the All-Star Race weekend at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, was found after their engine exceeded the 358.000 cubic inch maximum.

All parties have also been placed on probation until December 31, 2009.

The team was not on the preliminary entry list for this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600.

Jeff Burton Making Nationwide History With 300th Start At Lowe's

Kyle Ocker — Tue, 19 May 2009 20:48:12 -0400

Jeff Burton has come a long way since he made his first start in the Nationwide Series. That race wasn't a fair indicator of the Nationwide Series success that has brought him 27 wins, 88 top-fives, and 147 top-10s heading into what will become his 300th Nationwide Series career start.

Burton's Nationwide Series debut came in 1988 at the Martinsville race in the No. 64 car owned by his father, John. Burton went two laps into the race after qualifying 16th, before an engine failure sent him to a last place finish in then what was a 28 car field.

Burton's history in the Nationwide Series is just as spectacular as his career at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Burton holds six career victories at the track, three each of the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series.

Burton also holds 14 top-10s, which is the most in Nationwide Series competition, in his 30 career starts at the track.

“We’ve definitely run well at Charlotte in the Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express Chevrolet,” Burton said of his past runs in the Holiday Inn Chevrolet at Lowe's Motor Speedway. “We’re bringing a brand new car with us this weekend and I’m excited to see how it performs.

"Our season has not gone the way we have wanted it to thus far, but Charlotte is a place where we can get back to where we need to be. Everyone in the Nationwide shop is working hard and we’ve been improving our program week by week.”

Burton and the No. 29 team will be working with their new crew chief Doug Randolph for the first time. Randolph is taking over for former crew chief Dan Deeringhoff who has moved over to Richard Childress Racing's developmental driver program to become the crew chief for Austin Dillion.

Randolph has spent nine years in NASCAR as a crew chief, most recently at Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing with Aric Almirola. His career also includes stints at Chip Ganassi Racing, ppc Racing, MB2 Motorsports, Petty Enterprises, and Dale Earnhardt Inc.

“I’m excited to be working with our new crew chief Doug Randolph this weekend and I feel he will play a major role in helping us run consistently the rest of the season,” Burton said of the new crew chief.

“I’m honored to be a part of Richard Childress Racing and their No. 29 program,” said Randolf of his new opportunity at RCR. “This organization has a history of performing well in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and I definitely have big shoes to fill.

"I’m excited to get to the track this weekend and work with our team. I feel with the data we acquired from wind tunnel testing and the information Jeff (Burton) will give us in practice, we should have a strong showing in qualifying and during the race.”

Brad Keselowski, who is starting his fourth Nationwide Series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway for JR Motorsports this weekend, earned some respect from the entire Nationwide Series field after standing up to Denny Hamlin in the last year's Carquest Auto Parts 300.

During the race, Hamlin felt that Keselowski didn't give him enough racing room, especially in the closing laps.

Keselowski held his ground firm, saying that, “I race one day a week, not two. I have 200 laps to prove myself, not 400. I have to make the most of every lap.”

That comment, which proved to be one of the most memorable quotes of the season, seemed to spring board Keselowski into a more competitive status for the remainder of the season.

After his third-place finish in the race at Lowe's, Keselowski earned two wins, 13 top-fives, and 21 top-10s in the 2008 Nationwide Series season.

Keselowski says that between the spring race at Lowe's and this season's Talladega Cup race, he has shown that neither he or his team will back down to anybody.

“The spring race at Lowe’s last year was a race that stands out in my mind for a few different reasons,” Keselowski said. “For one, it proved to a lot of people that my team and I were not going to back down to anyone—Cup driver, Nationwide driver or otherwise—and I think that was evident during the race.

“I knew my team and team owner, who was also my teammate that night, were behind me. It was kind of the same situation as this year at Talladega, with me holding my ground against Carl [Edwards] to win the race. In both situations, I feel that I made the right decision.”

Quote This:

Choice USA, holding company of Sun Drop, President Jay Falls on the return of Sun Drop as a sponsor in NASCAR. “This is a great opportunity for Sun Drop to get back in racing. We loved racing and teaming up with Dale Sr., but JD Motorsports and Danny will represent our brand well. We couldn’t be more excited about it.”
Justin Allgaier said about driving at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. “I am excited about this weekend. We are racing the same car that ran really well at Bristol in March. We know we have a package that can get around these kinds of tracks, we just have to fine tune it. [Crew chief] Chad [Walter] and all the guys on the Verizon Wireless team have been busting their tails trying to find that bit of speed that will take us to Victory Lane. How cool would it be to win our back yard? We just need to keep riding this wave of momentum. We had a great run two weeks ago in Darlington and now we just need to continue to make good decisions.”

More Weekend Headlines:

Kyle Busch is going for his third consecutive Nationwide Series win at Lowe's Motor Speedway this weekend at the Carquest 300. Busch, who holds four career wins at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Nationwide Series competition, is just two wins away of tying Mark Martin's record of six wins in the Nationwide Series.
A total of 14 drivers will be performing "double-duty" this weekend. The list is composed of Greg Biffle, Mike Bliss, Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Paul Menard, Joe Nemechek, David Ragan, Tony Raines, Scott Speed, and Brian Vickers.
The No. 19 Stellar-Quest Racing team will attempt their season debut this weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The team, a purely volunteer team, will partner with J.C. Stout to qualify for one of the 43 spots, out of the 51 cars that have entered this weekend's race. Stout has two Nationwide Series starts this season for Johnny Davis.
Brandon Knupp, driving the No. 75 Schacht Motorsports Chevrolet, will be making his Nationwide Series debut this weekend. He has nine starts in the Camping World Truck Series since the 2007 season, earning a career best finish of 23rd. Knupp raced in his fifth start of the year last weekend at this track in the Camping World Truck Series, coming home to a 28th place finish.

Weekend at a Glance:

What: CARQUEST 300

Where: Lowe’s Motor Speedway

When: Saturday, May 23 at 7:30 PM ET

Length: 300 miles / 200 laps

TV: ESPN2, 7 PM ET

Radio: PRN / Sirius-XM NASCAR Radio

2008 Winner: Kyle Busch

2008 Pole: Brian Vickers

Comin' Up Next:

Next up for the Nationwide Series drivers is Dover International Speedway on May 30. Last season, Joey Logano finished sixth in his career debut in NASCAR's top-three national touring series.

Jeffrey Earnhardt is also scheduled to make his series debut for Rick Ware Racing. The Heluva Good! 200 will be broadcast on ABC beginning at 2 PM ET for the network's third race of four this season.

Good Finish Gives Matt Kenseth More Confidence For the Coca-Cola 600

Kyle Ocker — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:24:30 -0400

They always say that finishing first is the only thing that matters at the All-Star Race. However, second-place is pretty good when it comes to earning confidence as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series gets ready for the longest race of the season, the Coca-Cola 600.

With NASCAR's new-testing ban imposed at the start of the season, teams only have the All-Star Race as a true test session for the race.

Matt Kenseth, who finished second in the All-Star Race, says he and his team can be more confident at what they have for the Coca-Cola 600.

“Yeah, I mean I feel better about next week because our car was really fast on the long run tonight and we just had to go crazy and tighten it up to try to make it good on the short run there at the end and was just trying to crutch it too much, but 30- and 40-lap runs it was really fast, so I feel pretty good about the 600,” commented Kenseth after the race on Saturday night.

Carl Edwards: I Learned Tons Of Stuff

Kyle Ocker — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:22:25 -0400

Despite being an All-Star Race, many teams use Saturday’s race as a testing session for the upcoming Coca-Cola 600 Sunday night at the same track.

Most teams come into the All-Star Race with two things on their agenda: Cashing in a check worth $1 million, and gathering precious data for the Coca-Cola 600.

That was on the minds of Carl Edwards, who finished fifth in Saturday night’s All-Star Race. After the race, Edwards said he not only had fun, but he learned a lot that the team can now apply to the Coca-Cola 600.

“Oh yeah, I learned tons of stuff,” said Edwards. “I learned lots of things and I really did have a good time there at the end. We just needed some more laps and we won’t need more laps in the 600. There will be plenty."

“I was back there running fifth just hoping Matt would bring it home. Our Aflac Fusion just wasn’t that great all night, but the last run we were actually pretty good passing people and moving to the front."

"I think we’ve got something to build on for the 600, but I’d like to know what it feels like to be over there in Victory Lane at this All-Star race sometime.”

NASCAR Rookie Logano Thanks Fans, Learns A Lot at All-Star Race

Kyle Ocker — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:19:37 -0400

Rookie Joey Logano, who finished ninth after leading 19 laps two weeks ago at the Southern 500 at Darlington, appeared to be on a momentum-gaining streak as he headed into the All-Star weekend.

And that streak only gained steam as Logano won the fan vote to advance into the All-Star Race on Saturday, leading him to an eighth-place, lead lap finish.

That’s an additional 140 laps that Logano earned this weekend. Logano, who had to rely on the fans to vote him into the All-Star Race after failing to finish in the top-two of the Showdown, said he was very thankful that the fans voted him into the race.

“I had a blast...I thought it was a ton of fun,” said an elated Logano after he race. “I was so thankful to get in the race by the fans, that was really cool to have that. I’m just excited. That was probably the most fun I’ve had in a race car in a while. Certain things I do and certain things I don’t, but that was a really fun race.”

The additional seat time also provided Logano and valuable learning experience as well.

“I learned a lot about restarts and I was giving up a lot on restarts so I figured out what I was doing wrong there,” Logano said. “I think those last 10 laps were crazy. It was just so much fun and I thought there was going to be big junk everywhere. There wasn’t but there was still some hitting and stuff and it was fun.”

Logano, who still sits 30th in Sprint Cup Series owner points after the non-points weekend, is starting to fight his way back up out of the danger zone, and is beginning to become a contender each weekend.

That could spell problems down the road for the Sprint Cup Series’s finest drivers.

Jeff Burton's No. 31 Team Wins NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge

Kyle Ocker — Fri, 15 May 2009 00:21:27 -0400

The No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet team, driven by Jeff Burton, won the pit crew challenge after defeating the No. 43 Air Force Dodge team, driven by Reed Sorenson, in the final round of Thursday’s Sprint Pit Crew Challenge.

“I’m really proud of them,” said Burton. “They put so much effort into the pit stops, and they take this very seriously. They truly are athletes, and they work very hard at it.”

The No. 31 team’s night began in the seeding round when the team had a total time of 25.910-seconds after a three-second penalty, which ranked them 13th out of the 24 teams that entered.

The team then defeated the No. 42 Target Chevrolet team, driven by Juan Pablo Montoya, in the first round by 6.163-seconds after a penalty-free pit stop.

In the quarter-final round, the team beat the No. 99 AFLAC Ford team, driven by Carl Edwards, 4.615-seconds after their second penalty-free pit stop.

The team beat the No. 11 FedEx Ford team, driven by Denny Hamlin, in the semi-final round with their third-consecutive penalty-free pit stop for a 2.863-second margin-of-victory.