Race Review: NASCAR Banking 500

Welcome race fans! The NASCAR Banking 500 brought to you by Bank of America is the 31st race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and the fifth race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Weather was a factor on Thursday. Practice for Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series were shortened, but they managed to get qualifying in on Thursday night.

Jimmy Johnson qualified on the pole with a speed of 192.376, setting a new track record. The 48 team was also the fastest in both practices. 5 Mark Martin starts second. This race is the only race in the Chase held on Saturday night under the stars.

71 this race is Mike Bliss, who also raced in the Nationwide race Friday night. 02 is David Gilliland in an extra Joe Gibbs Racing car. 21 is Bill Elliott, running a partial schedule. He got in on speed. 08 is former Champion Terry Labonte, who had to use his provisional to get into the race. 36 Michael McDowell, 09 Sterling Marlin, 66 Dave Blaney and 37 Travis Kvapil failed to qualify.

47 Marcos Ambrose is the in-race reporter. Brian France, Theresa Earnhardt, Richard Petty and Junior Johnson started the engines. If you’ll recall, this past Wednesday, the first five inductees to the NASCAR Hall of Fame were decided upon. The five were Bill France, Sr. and Jr., Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Junior Johnson. (See previous post) Thus they started the race. The race is 334 laps for 500 miles on this 1.5 mile track, at Lowes Motor Speedway in Concord, NC.During the pre-race festivities the blowers were out drying the track. But they got underway on time.

So, here we go! 5 Mark Martin leads the first lap. The first caution comes out on lap three when 77 Sam Hornish, Jr. bottoms out with sparks flying and spins out. Luckily, no one gets into him. 5 chooses the outside for the restart. 48 Johnson takes the lead. 18 Kyle Busch, in pink for breast cancer awareness month, tries to get by 25 Brad Keselowski, but can’t do it.

The second caution comes out again for 77 who slides into pit road. He comes out ahead of the pace car with right rear damage, but stays on the lead lap. 48 chooses the inside and stays in the lead. 39 Ryan Newman and 9 Kasey Kahne battle side by side for third. 20 Joey Logano joins in, but 9 pulls away. 20 and 42 Juan Pablo Montoya (in a blue Lysol car) battle for sixth, but 42 can’t get by. 20 finally gets by 39 after racing side by side for several laps. There is precipitation in the area. 39 and 11 Denny Hamlin battle for sixth. 17 Matt Kenseth gets into the battle.

The third caution comes out for rain. It’s just a drizzle, and they stay on the track. When they pit, 17 takes two tires to lead the race. 20 follows 9 onto pit road, gets too close and slides past his pit stall. They have to back him up. 55 Michael Waltrip stays on the track to lead a lap, then pits. 08 T. Labonte stays out to lead, and pits just before the Green Flag. 17 and 48 battle for the lead. 48 gets loose and 17 stays in the lead. 5 and 48 battle for second. 83 Brian Vickers and 9 race side by side. 48 takes the lead.

39 in a Transformers car with Optimus Prime on the hood battles 24 Jeff Gordon in another Transformers car with Mega Tron on his hood. 11 gets by 17 for third. 11 takes the lead while the broadcasters show us 07 Casey Mears and 42 battling. The Transformers cars are racing each other hard. 18 and 48 battle, with 18 getting by. 42 drives around 48. 42 flies by 18. 48 gets by 18. 07 and 42 battle and 18 goes between them to take the position.

17 starts Green Flag Pitting. 39 fumbles the lug nuts. And 17 is back in the lead after all the pitting. 48 and 18 battle, with 48 getting by. 42 drives by 18, with 18 nearly getting into the wall. The fourth caution comes out for 18 getting sideways in front of 9. 7 Robby Gordon is the Lucky Dog and gets back on the lead lap. 24 takes two tires to lead. Five cars get waved around before the Green Flag. 5 and 42 battle. 88 dale Earnhardt, Jr. is slowing down with transmission problems. 6 David Ragan pushes 42 past 5. 11 and 16 Greg Biffle battle for second, with 16 getting by. 11 gets back by 16. At the restart, 42 gets into 33 Clint Bowyer and 5 gets into 42 with 83 also having damage. 83 comes into the pits to fix the car. 42 falls way back. 5 has a hole in his nose. 33 can live with back bumper damage. 9 and 17 battle for fifth, with 9 taking the spot. 9 gets by 16 for fourth. 42 goes a lap down. 2 Kurt Busch gets by 1 Martin Truex, Jr. for ninth. 5 is falling back. 42 is way too loose and many cars drive by him.

The fifth caution comes out for 42 spinning into the pits. He was to be the Lucky Dog, but he caused the caution. Instead, he looses two laps. 42 comes back into the pits to put a red Target quarter panel on the car. 11 comes out of the pits first to lead, and chooses the outside. 24 takes the lead. 17 gets by 11 for second. 33 a black car with Count Chocula on the hood, 47 and 6 David Ragan are three wide, and 47 tucks in behind 6.

The sixth caution comes out when the Target patch falls off 42. 02 David Gilliland gets the free pass and stays on the lead lap. In the pits, the 5 team is using a blow torch on the nose patch. 11 drops a valve and has to head to the garage. 17 comes out of the pits first and chooses the inside. 24, in third pushes 17. 2 and 9 both get around 33 in the middle. 99 Carl Edwards is pitting with a loose wheel. 24 and 9 battle for third, with 9 getting by.

48, leading, has trash on the grill. 9 gets by 48, to take the lead but pulls away before the trash can fly off. 48 gets behind lapped car, 42 to get the trash off. 00 David Reutimann pits with a vibration. 31 Jeff Burton drives around 14 Tony Stewart. 18, 1 and 48 start Green Flag Pitting once again, with 9 leading. 2 leads when 9 pits. After it all, 9 is back in the lead. 08 and 7 were too fast.

48 gets by 17 for second during the commercial. 2 and 20 get by 24. 2 and 20 battle for  fifth. 16 is fighting leader 9 to stay on the lead lap. The seventh caution caution comes out when 13 Max Papis blows the engine. 12 David Stremme had gotten by 5, and is the first car a lap down. 16 stayed ahead of the leader and stays on the lead lap. 48 chooses the inside for the restart. 17 dives below 24 and they battle for third. 24 takes the spot.

The eighth caution comes out when 02 gets loose and gets hard into the wall. 5 Mark Martin is the Lucky Dog, and back on the lead lap. There is a quickie pit stop, where all cars may pit at the same time. The leaders stay out. The ninth caution comes out when 99 blows up, dropping fluid on the track, with 31 laps to go. 24 got by 9 for second. 25 and 20 battle with 25 taking the spot. 9 gets by 17 for third. They are racing four wide! 12, 16, 39 were three wide. 14 makes it four wide. 39 backs off.

The tenth caution comes out when 12 gets into the wall and into 16, who spins into the grass. 48 and 24 battle for the lead. 48 gets loose, but saves it. 24 takes the lead. 9 goes by 17 for third. 48 and 24 battle for the lead. 9 goes by 24 on the top for second. 17 gets by 24 for third. 33 and 20 battle for fifth. 9 and 17 battle for second. 17 finally gets by. 20 and 24 battle for  fifth, with 24 keeping the position.

And 48 Jimmy Johnson wins the NASCAR Banking 500. This race is the last one with Lowes as the sponsor of the track. And Jimmy wins with Lowes on his hood. No winner of this race has gone on to win the Championship. Let’s see of Jimmy can be the first and claim his fourth Title in a row!

Brought to you by Sheila Hawley

Race Review: The Coca-Cola 600

Welcome race fans to the longest race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season. It turned out to be a whole day longer than planned. And still ended because of rain before the 600 miles were completed! I call it the Coke 340.5 because only 227 laps were completed. Rain was on the Lowes Motor Speedway the whole weekend, including Memorial Day.

12 Ryan Newman started on the pole with a speed of 188.475. 18 Kyle Busch started second. The race was scheduled for 5:00 PM on Sunday to cap off a great day of racing. But Mother Nature didn’t want the race to be the last race of the day. It rained all night and the cars never did take to the track. It was postponed to Monday, Memorial Day at noon.

09  Mike Bliss, who won the rain-shortened NASCAR Nationwide race, qualified in the top ten. As did 21 former Champion Bill Elliott. 87 Joe Nemecheck starts eleventh. 66 Dave Blaney, 71 David Gilliland, 13 Max Papis and 36 Scott Riggs also made the race. 36 Riggs will start last. Failing to qualify were: 41 J. J. Yeley, 73 Mike Garvey, 64 Todd Bodine and 06 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver David Starr.

Rain is still in the area, so everyone is discussing whether or not the race will go all 600 miles. 39 Newman elects to start from the outside pole. 39 leads from the pole. And 18 takes the lead. 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has an ill-handling car and drops back.

The first caution comes out while 20 Joey Logano and 87 Nemecheck battle for position for rain, on lap 8. The sun comes back out and they go back to Green on lap 12, with several drivers electing to pit first. 29 Kevin Harvick and 77 Sam Hornish, Jr. get together, causing damage to 29. The second caution comes out for the tire of 29 coming off the car. Kevin made it to the pits, but the tire didn’t.

The restart is on lap 20. 20 Joey Logano gets by 24 Jeff Gordon. 39 and 5 Mark Martin battle for second. 9 Kasey Kahne battle for position. 2 Kurt Busch battles with 20. The third caution is the “Competition Caution”, since it rained all day and night and some this morning. NASCAR decided it would come out on lap 40. 29 pits before pit road was opened so he could make some repairs. He will start from the rear. 39 Newman had to come back in for loose lug nuts. 34 Tony Raines, substituting for John Andretti, who was in the Indy 500 on Sunday, stays out to lead.

The Green Flag comes out on lap 45. 19 Elliott Sadler, 21 Elliott, 82 Scott Speed and 14 Tony Stewart are four-wide. We go to commercial with 18 and 5 catching the leader, 48 Jimmy Johnson. 18 gets by 48 and 5 gets by 48 during the commercial. 48 is loose and falls to sixth. 96 Bobby Labonte and 24 battle for fifteenth. 96 gets by. 48 gets loose. 83 Brian Vickers gets by 2 for third.

The fourth caution is for sprinkles. 18, 99 Carl Edwards, 00 David Reutimann and 26 Jamie McMurray come out of the pits first. A tire from 5 gets loose into the infield. And the race is Red Flagged for 56 minutes and 36 seconds. 7 Robby Gordon, 55 Michael Waltrip and 36 Riggs each led  laps. 83 Vickers leads and Green Flag Pitting begins. 34 may be out of gas. 20 Logano leads, 66 Blaney also leads before pitting. When it all cycles out, 18 is back in the lead. He had a better pit than 83. 9 drives by 48 for fourth. 83 catches up to leader 18, and takes the lead.

14 gets by 99 for ninth. 48 and 9 battle for fourth. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya and 18 battle for second. 42 gets by. They battle again, but 42 won’t let 18 by. The fifth caution comes out on lap 165. It is 3:00 and time to honor the Vets with a moment of silence.  God Bless America. 6 David Ragan is the Lucky Dog and gets his lap back. They all pit and stay under caution for rain. On lap 177 they go to the pits for the Red Flag because of rain. This Red Flag lasts 20 minutes and 30 seconds.

20 and 42 battle for position, and 48 and 9 battle. 2 and 00 get together. 42 and 17 Matt Kenseth battle for sixth. 17 gets by. 14 gets by 83 for tenth. 99 gets by 9. 2 gets a vibration and pits for a loose wheel. 24 and 42 battle for seventh. And they make it to half-way. 9 gets by 48 for second. 99 gets by 48 for third. 20 gets by 48 for fourth.

9Kahne is catching 18 for the lead when the sixth caution comes out on lap 221 for rain. Before 9 could take the lead. 47 Marcos Ambrose is the Lucky Dog. 00 Reutimann stays out to lead. 39 Newman and 7 R. Gordon also stay out. 71 Gilliland  stays out to be on the tail end of the lead lap. The Red flag comes out on lap 227. And the rain just doesn’t let up. After 2 hours, 3 minutes and 44 seconds, NASCAR declares the race is over.

00 David Reutimann wins his first race, the Coca-Cola 600. He took a gamble that it would keep on raining, and it did. Mother Nature just didn’t want to cooperate.

Brought to you by Sheila Hawley

Hope you enjoyed  my review.

Race Review: NASCAR Nationwide Series @ LMS

The NASCAR Nationwide Series ran their race at Lowes Motor Speedway Saturday night. In the race were fifteen drivers doing the double-duty. That is, they raced on Saturday night and will race again on Sunday for the C0ca-Cola 600. So there were only 28 ragular Nationwide drivers in the race. That seams a little much, in my opinion.

Rain delayed the start. They had to dry off the track before the cars could race. They went around the track single-file for several laps to help with the drying. They were also under Green/Yellow for five laps before the race went Green. Kyle Busch changed an engine and had to start in the rear. But I also want to point out that Mike Bliss also had to start from the rear.

Carl Edwards (Cup) started from the pole position. There was a caution for 15 Michael Annett getting hard into the wall. Kyle Busch comes from behind to lead after less than 50 laps. The third caution is for 12 Justin Allgaier spinning, after Green Flag Pitting was completed.  42 David Gilliland is the Lucky Dog and gets his lap back.

32 Brian Vickers (Cup) takes the lead, but the announcers don’t show that. More Green Flag pitting happens and 38 Jason Leffler leads. The fourth caution comes out when 81 Kevin Harmon spins into the wall. Before Green Flag Pitting is complete, leaving 1 Mike Bliss in the lead and the only car on the lead lap. 62 Brendan Gaughan gets the Lucky Dog, leaving only two Nationwide drivers on the lead lap.

They restart with nine drivers ahead of the leader. Gaughan takes the lead. And Bliss takes it back. With 31 laps to go, rain stops the race. Those ahead of the leader stay on the lead lap. 5 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is the Lucky Dog and also is on the lead lap. They throw the Red Flag for rain and the race stops with 30 to go. The rain doesn’t stop.

And Nationwide driver, Mike Bliss wins the rain-shortened race. With Brendan Gaughan finishing second. A Nationwide driver finally wins a Nationwide race! And Kyle Busch doesn’t win this rain-shortened race.

In my opinion, this was the best NASCAR Nationwide Series race of the year. Because a Nationwide driver actually won a Nationwide race. Let’s see what happens on Sunday for the Coca-Cola 600, the longest race of the Season.

Brought to you by Sheila Hawley

Coca-Cola 600 Race Preview

Welcome, race fans, to the twelfth race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. This race is at Lowes Motor Speedway outside of Charlotte, NC. in Concord. It’s the longest race of the year, and caps off a day of racing. The Indy 500 comes on earlier in the day, so race fans can continue to watch racing into the night.

Qualifying for the race was Thursday evening. Rocket Man, Ryan Newman will start from the pole position with a speed of 188.475. It is his eighth pole at LMS and his 44th career pole. Kyle Busch, who came out last of the top 35, when the track was faster, will start second. The crowd cheered. Not because he will start second, but because he did not get the pole.

Points leader, Jeff Gordon, who had the pole until Ryan came along, will start third. Mark Martin qualified fourth. And Hendrick team mate to Mark and Jeff, Jimmy Johnson, will start fifth. Defending race Champion, Kasey Kahne, who brushed the wall while qualifying, will start sixth. Mike Bliss, not in the top 35 in owner points, qualified seventh, followed by Brian Vickers, Juan Pablo Montoya and former Champion, Bill Elliott, who did not have to use his Champion privisional.

Scott Riggs will start last. Tony Raines will be substituting for John Andretti in the #34 car. John is driving in the Indy 500 for Richard Petty. Joe Nemecheck, Rookie contender, Scott Speed, Dave Blaney, David Gilliland, part timer, Max Papis and A J Almendinger also made the race.

Those going home were JJ Yeley, in for Jeremy Mayfield, Mike Garvey and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers Todd Bodine and David Starr.

Brought to you by Sheila Hawley

I’ll see you all after the race.

Sprint All-Star Weekend

Welcome race fans. This is the All-Star weekend. A No Points race  for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The winners race this weekend in an all-out, no points dash for one million dollars. The winners from last year and any winners this year will compete. But first the non-winners will race each other to get into the Sprint All-Star race in the Sprint Showdown. The top two in that race will get into the Sprint All-Star race. And the fans will vote in another driver. Last year the fans voted in Kasey Kahne and he went on to win the Sprint All-Star race.

The festivities began on Thursday with the Pit Crew Challenge. Jeff Burton’s #31 team won, with Reed Sorenson’s #43 team second. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is also here at Lowes Motor Speedway. So there are three short races this weekend. The Trucks got to practice for their Friday night race. And the winners and non-winners each got in a practice session. But weather was a factor in the festivities.

The Camping World Trucks started qualifying and got half-way through before the rain came and washed it out. So they lined up according to owner points for their race. Next came the non-winners to qualify. The race they are in is the Sprint Showdown. But the rain was still there, so they will line up according to how they drew for qualifying. See, they pick a ping-pong ball with a number on it. And that decides what order they will qualify. In this case they will line up according to their draw.

Qualifying for The All-Star Race is different than regular qualifying. Normally they run two laps around the track and line up according to speed. But since this is the Sprint All-Star race, they do things different. Qualifying is three laps with a pit stop in there for four tires. This challenges the pit crew as well as the driver. There is a 20 second penalty for speeding into the pits, but none out of the pits. After the qualifying run, Officials check lug nuts to make sure they are on tight. If they aren’t, they get a 5 second penalty.

Also included in the Sprint All-Star race, are past Champions in the last ten years who did not win, and past Sprint All-Star winners from the last ten years. Bobby Labonte is the 2000 Cup Champion and qualifies for the Sprint All-Star race in his #96 car.

16 Greg Biffle had loose lug nuts and was penalized. 11 Denny Hamlin broke a drive shaft exiting the pits and posted no time. 14 Tony Stewart left the pits after changing only two tires and had to back up into the pit stall to get the other two tires on. 5 Mark Martin got loose out of the pits from the transition between concrete in the pits and asphalt on pit road. 99 Carl Edwards had loose lug nuts, as did 18 Kyle Busch. 31 Jeff Burton was caught for speeding into the pits.

After all was said and done, 48 Jimmy Johnson will sit on the pole for the Sprint All-Star race. He completed three laps and a four-tire pit stop in just over two minutes. 2:01.41, to be exact. 31 Burton, winner of the Pit Crew Challenge had the fastest pit. Too bad he was caught speeding.

Last night the Camping World Trucks competed in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200. There was a spectacular crash with 5 Mike Skinner colliding with the SAFER barrier and 11 T. J. Bell at the same time. That vaulted him onto his side and he slid like that across the track. He did land on the tires. Mike was the Points leader heading into the race. Officials had to repair the SAFER barrier. 51 Cup driver Kyle Busch knocked the leader 6 Colin Braun out of the way to send him spinning and was penalized for rough driving. Last year’s winner of this race 88 Matt Crafton took the lead after 51 was penalized. But 33 Ron Hornaday won the race. Kyle, in a Toyota, later said he couldn’t win because Chevys had more power than Toyotas. But at least he didn’t storm off this time because he didn’t win.

Brought to you by Sheila Hawley. I’ll see you after the Sprint All-Star race.