NASCAR: Last Race Of The Season

Welcome race fans. This Ford Champion weekend closes the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. That means there will be no more racing this year. And I, for one am truly saddened. The Ford 400 today will be the last race.

So, before I get into the race itself, let’s see what else happened this last weekend. Jimmy Johnson captured the Coors Light pole with a speed of 173.919. That is the first step to getting his unprecedented fourth Title in a row. Rookie Scott Speed starts next to him in second. 36 is Michael McDowell. 71 is Bobby Labonte. He will be in this TRG (The Racing Group) car next year, hoping to help them get better. 12 is Brad Keselowski in his new ride for next year with Penske Racing. Brad finished the NASCAR Nationwide Series  third in points racing for JR Motorsports. 37 this week is Travis Kvapil. 7 is Matt Crafton, who finished the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season in second. He practiced and qualified the Robby Gordon car while Robby was off racing off-road. He is leading in the points there. He may race the car today from the rear if he gets back to Homestead.

Michael Waltrip is making his last race in his #55 car for full time racing. He will compete in several races in 2010. Martin Truex, Jr. will take over for him in the #56 car.

Kevin Harvick won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, the Ford 200 on Friday, with his driver Ron Hornaday capturing his fourth Series Championship. Saturday, in the Ford 300 Nationwide race, Kyle Busch won the race and the Championship.

08 is Terry Labonte in the Ford 400. He had to use his past Champion provisional to get into the race. Failing to qualify were, 87 Joe Nemecheck, 66 Dave Blaney, 70 Mike Skinner (he finished third in points in the Camping World Truck series.), 13 Max Papis and 09 David Stremme.

There was a bit of excitement in the Ford 300 Nationwide race last night. Denny Hamlin vowed to take out Brad Keselowski, a Nationwide regular, because he felt Brad was taking out many Nationwide cars. Brad stayed away from Denny and gave him room, but Denny deliberately spun Brad out during the race. Brad didn’t hit anything, but did a 360 and had some fun with the spin. So, Denny didn’t actually take him out. He just made him spin. Brad’s contention is when Denny spins him, he can continue, but when Brad spins Denny, Denny doesn’t recover. NASCAR held Denny for a lap for rough driving. In a past race, Jason Leffler was held five laps for rough driving, when NASCAR felt he did it on purpose. Denny announced he was going to do it, but NASCAR only held him one lap. He got a Lucky Dog free pass and went on to finish fifth.

My question is, did they penalize Jason more because he was a Nationwide driver who took someone out? Or did they penalize Denny less because he’s a Sprint Cup regular?  Jason didn’t announce he was taking anyone out, yet he got a much bigger penalty. NASCAR needs to be more consistent in their penalties. Denny shouldn’t have been allowed to get that good of a finish. That’s just my opinion. The two of them will race each other in the Ford 400 today.

I’ll see you after the race and let you know what happened. It should be a great race. If only because it is the last one.

Brought to you by Sheila Hawley

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NASCAR Championship Weekend

Welcome, race fans to Ford Champion weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida. These are the final races of the NASCAR season. NASCAR Camping World Series Champion Ron Hornaday clinched his Trophy last week at Phoenix, with Owner Kevin Harvick winning that race.

On Friday, the trucks raced the Ford 200, with Kevin again winning the race in his new 2010 truck. Ron Hornaday in his KHI truck was racing against Kyle Busch in his Billy Ballew Toyota truck for the Owner Championship. Ron finished in the top 10, but Kyle didn’t have a very good night. KHI wins the owner championship, and Chevrolet wins the manufacture championship. Harvick and Hornaday did side by side burn-outs again, with Harvick turning his into donuts and smoke. A great ending to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season.

On Saturday, in the Ford 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race, Kyle Busch needs only to start the car to win his first NASCAR Championship. Carl Edwards will start on the pole, with Ryan Newman starting second in the KHI #33 car. 52 cars and teams showed up for this last race. Sadly, nine teams went home.

On Sunday, Jimmy Johnson hopes to make history by being the only driver in NASCAR history to win four Championships in a row. Johnson starts the Ford 400 from the pole, starting first with a speed of 173.919. Rookies, Scott Speed and Marcos Ambrose are starting second and third. But don’t look for them to interfere with Johnson’s bid on history making. The Chase for the Sprint Cup is twelve drivers in the last ten races, that have a shot at the Championship. In this final race, only Johnson and Mark Martin have a shot at the trophy. Jeff Gordon, in third will be officially eliminated as soon as Johnson starts the race. But it will be a Hendrick Championship, as his three drivers are first, second and third in points. This will be his eighth championship.

I’m looking forward to this rest of the Ford Champion Weekend with the Ford 300 on Saturday and the Ford 400 on Sunday. I’ll see you later, dear NASCAR fans.

Brought to you by Sheila Hawley

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Race Review: Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500

Welcome, race fans to my version of the 35th race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and the 9th race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. The Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 takes place at the Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, AZ. The race is 312 laps, for 500 kilometers. PIR is a one mile track called the “Jewel of the Desert”. It is also the penultimate race of the year.

Qualifying was on Friday, with Martin Truex, Jr. capturing the Coors Light Pole Award with a speed of 135.12. The great thing about it is that Kurt Busch starts second. This is the first time in NASCAR history that the #1 and #2 cars have started first and second. 71 is Bobby Labonte. He will be in that ride next year. 12 is Brad Keselowski in his new ride for 2010. 09 is David Gilliland, who is out of the 71 ride. 36 is Michael McDowell. 96 is Erik Darnell. Failing to qualify are 78 Regan Smith, 70 Kevin Conway (from the NASCAR Nationwide Series, who also raced in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Phoenix) and 02 Brandon Ash.

Three drivers were going for the trifecta at this track. Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Kevin Conway. Harvick won the Truck race, but Carl Edwards won the NNS race and Conway failed to qualify for the Sprint Cup race. Tyrese Gibson sang the National Anthem and Senator John McCain started the engines, as he was the Grand Marshall for the race. 14 Tony Stewart is the in-race reporter.

So, here we go. 2 Kurt Busch starts on the outside and leads the first lap. 07 Casey Mears locks up his breaks in front of 5 Mark Martin and gets into 14 Tony Stewart. 5 drives under 77 Sam Hornish, Jr. for seventh. 1 Truex, Jr. and 48 Jimmy Johnson battle for second, with 48 taking the spot. 5 gets by 24 Jeff Gordon for fifth. 2 starts lapping cars, and 48 catches him in traffic. 48 leads at the Line, but 2 stays ahead. 48 is persistent and takes the lead. 1 wiggles and 5 gets by for fourth. 24 gets by 1 for fifth.

16 Greg Biffle pits on lap 70 to start Green Flag Pitting. 77 gets into his pit stall sideways. 11 Denny Hamlin had a lug nut issue for a long pit stop. 39 Ryan Newman leads, then pits. 2 has a faster pit stop than 48 and leads after all the pitting. 48 takes the lead. 7 Robby Gordon and 20 Joey Logano aren’t making it easy for the leader to put them a lap down.

The first caution comes out on lap 116 for debris in turns one and two. 07 Casey Mears gets the free pass and is back on the lead lap. Everyone pits and 2 has a long stop, coming out fifth. The second caution comes out at the restart. 16 slowed down for 18 Kyle Busch spinning his tires and there is  chain reaction crashing. Involved are 96 Darnell, 55 Michael Waltrip, who got the worst of it, 7, 19 Elliott Sadler, 12, 6 David Ragan, 09 and 34 John Andretti.

For the restart, 48 chooses the outside, as there is speedy-dry on the track on the bottom. 48 pulls away. 11 drives on the outside past 5 for second. 18 gets into 24. 24 bumps 18 and gets by. 9 Kasey Kahne and 42 Juan Pablo Montoya battle for position, with 42 getting by. 44 A. J. Allmendinger and 00 David Reutimann battle side by side with 44 finally getting by. 31 Jeff Burton and 39 battle, with 31 taking the spot. 42 and 18 battle for eighth, with 42 sneaking by. 31 gets by 00. 14 Tony Stewart is very inconsistent. He started eighth and is back to 22nd.

The third caution comes out on lap 163 for debris in turn one. I think 7 Robby Gordon gets the free pass. 48 comes out of the pits first and chooses the outside. 33 Clint Bowyer is second, 11 is third. 2 takes over second. 11 gets by 33 for third. 24 and 18 battle again.

The fourth caution comes out when 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. gets sideways and they all stack up behind him. He had an oil leak that got onto his tires. Those involved are 14, 12, 20, 83 Brian Vickers, 71, 39, 17 Matt Kenseth, 82 Scott Speed and 77. 07 slides by and 29 Kevin Harvick stops. 48 chooses the outside again. 31 shuts the door on 5. 24 gets by 1. 18, 42 and 1 battle for seventh. 88 goes to the garage to see what happened. 5 finally gets by 31. 42 gets by 18. 55 is back out in a modified car. 33 and 11 battle for third. 5 catches them and drives under 33. 11 and 5 get by 2. 47 Marcos Ambrose gets by 18. 31 gets by 2 for fourth.

29 Kevin Harvick starts Green Flag Pitting once again. 17 leads, then pits. When it’s all over, 48 is back in the lead. 18 and 00 battle for eleventh, with 00 getting by. 11 is catching 48 in traffic. 31 gets by 11 for second. 16 and 9 battle for fourteenth, with 16 getting by. 1 and 33 battle for fifth, with 1 taking the position. 47 and 00 battle for tenth, with 00 taking the spot.

And points leader, 48 Jimmy Johnson wins the Checker O’Reilley Auto Parts 500. If you’ll recall, the last race in Texas saw Jimmy loose a lot of points in the Chase by being taken out on the third lap. The points leader is back in contention. He leads Mark Martin by 108 points going into the final race at Homestead-Miami next weekend. Johnson is looking to be the first driver to win four Championships in a row.

Brought to you by Sheila Hawley

NASCAR Racing: History Made

Welcome, race fans. This weekend NASCAR is at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. This is the penultimate race of all three series. And history was made on Friday. Twice.

Coors Light Pole qualifying took place for the Camping World Truck Series, with Johnny Sauter in the 13 truck capturing the pole with a speed of 131.019. Kevin Harvick, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular and truck and NASCAR Nationwide Series owner started second in his own #4 truck. Mike Bliss, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch have a chance to win in all three series this weekend.

The Lucas Oil 150 took place Friday night. Kevin Harvick won the race in his own #4 truck. His driver, Ron Hornaday in the #33 only had to finish ahead of #88 Matt Crafton in this race to become the Series Champion. And he did that. Hornaday becomes the oldest champion and one of only a few to win more than three championships. This was his fourth Truck championship. The others who have four or more are Richard Petty (7), Dale Earnhardt (7) and Jeff Gordon (4). So, Harvick wins the race and his driver Hornaday wins the championship on the same night. They did simultaneous burn outs.

The Coors Light qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series also took place on Friday, with Martin Truex, Jr. capturing the pole award with a speed of 135.120. The historic part of it is that Kurt Busch starts second, making it the first time in NASCAR history that the numbers 1 and 2 start first and second.

Qualifying and racing for the NASCAR Nationwide Series takes place on Saturday. If nothing goes wrong for Kyle Busch, he will clinch the Nationwide title in the race. Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski are 20 points apart for second place. We’ll see what happens.

In the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the race on Sunday will be the penultimate race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. But the Championship will not be decided in Phoenix. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion will be crowned in the final race at Homestead-Miami.

Brought to you by Sheila Hawley

 

Race Review: Dickies 500

Welcome race fans to the Dickies 500 coming to you from the Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, Texas. This race is the 34th race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and the 8th race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Texas Motor Speedway was busy this weekend, with races on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Thursday there was a tragedy at nearby Fort Hood. The flag is at half-mast and prayers are said for the victims and their families.

The Coors Lite Pole Award for qualifying took place on Friday, with Jeff Gordon grabbing the pole with a speed of 191.117. 02 David Gilliland made the race in the JGR fourth car. 71 is Bobby Labonte. 70 is Mike Skinner from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. 12 is Brad Keselowski in his new ride for 2010. He will be in his new ride for the last three races. 36 is Michael McDowell. 96 is Erik Darnell. 21 Bill Elliott got into the race with his former champion provisional. Not making the race are: 37 Tony Raines, 66 Dave Blaney, 13 Max Papis and 09 Mike Bliss from the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

On Friday night, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series raced. 51 Kyle Busch won that race, with 88 Matt Crafton coming in  second. Saturday, the NASCAR Nationwide Series raced, with Kyle Busch winning that race also. He’s going for the trifecta, hoping to win all three races in a weekend at one track. He tried it at Auto Club Speedway in California earlier this year, but fell short on Sunday, finishing third. He will be the first one to do so, if he can pull it off. Jeff Gordon won at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this year. Can he make a sweep?

Jimmy Johnson leads Mark Martin by 181 points heading into this race. This is the last 500 mile race of the year. The Texas Christian University marching band did an excellent job with the National Anthem. 29 Kevin Harvick is the in-race reporter. 9 Kasey Kahne starts second.

So, here we go. 24 Jeff Gordon and 9 Kahne are side by side at the start of the race. 24 leads the first lap from the pole. 2 Kurt Busch gets by 9 for second. 2 takes the lead.

The first caution comes out on lap three. 00 David Reutimann, 77 Sam Hornish, Jr. and 48 Jimmy Johnson were three wide. 00 bumped 77, which got him loose. He went up the track, into 48. 48 gets into the outside wall, down the track, into 77, spinning him, and then into the inside wall. 48 has massive damage and heads to the garage, where they will rebuild the car. The crowd cheers because the points leader is no longer invincible.

18 Kyle Busch gets by 9 for third. 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. gets by 9 for fourth. 14 Tony Stewart gets by 9 for fifth. 16 Greg Biffle gets by 9 for sixth. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya drives around on the top of the track around 5 Mark Martin and they continue to battle. 5 gets back by 42. 6 David Ragan and 9 battle for thirteenth. 6 and 47 Marcos Ambrose battle side by side. 99 Carl Edwards gets by team mate 16. The leader 2 is lapping cars.

00 David Reutimann and 24 battle for third, with 00 taking the spot. 14 gets by 24 for fourth. 33 Clint Bowyer, 5 and 11 Denny Hamlin get by 16. 16 and 47 battle. 19 Elliott Sadler gets lapped and pits, starting Green Flag Pitting. 2 stays out the longest on old tires, and 18 leads after all the pitting is done. 77 gets sideways, but catches it. In the pits, 24 dropped a lug nut and had a long pit. 12 tries to stay on the lead lap, racing leader 18.

The second caution comes out on lap 87 when 77 spins out. 12 Brad Keselowski is the Lucky Dog and gets back on the lead lap. 18 chooses the outside for the restart. 14 and 2 battle for second. 26 Jamie McMurray gets loose, almost into 6. 5 and 17 Matt Kenseth battle. 42 and 24 battle for ninth, with 42 getting by. 00 and 47 battle for fourth, with 47  getting by. 5, 44 A. J. Allmendinger and 9 are three-wide. They end up 5, 44, 9. 17 gets by 9. 17 and 44 battle. 42 gets by 33 for eighth. 5 gets by 24.

48 is back on the track after one hour and eight minutes in the garage, 114 laps down. They rebuilt the car. He comes back into the pits to correct a tire rub. 47 catches second place, 2. And there is Green Flag Pitting once again. 11 leads when 18 pits. After it all, 18 is back in the lead. 24 and 99 battle. 24 and 1 Martin Truex, Jr. battle.

The third caution comes out as 1 and 24 were about to be lapped, for debris. 31 Jeff Burton gets the free pass. 47 had to back up in his pit stall to get by 39 Ryan Newman, who was gone by the time 47 backed up. The fourth caution comes out just past halfway, when 42 gets loose into 99. 99 gets into the wall. 24 gets loose and slides, trying to avoid them. 12 got into 42 to get him loose. 24 heads to the pits before they are open to fix the splitter brace.

2 chooses the outside for the restart. 18 spins the tires. 29 Kevin Harvick gets by 44. 31 gets by 16. The fifth caution comes out on lap 207. A tire goes down on 43 Reed Sorenson and he gets into the outside wall and down the track, into the inside wall. 43 heads for the garage. 6 David Ragan gets the free pass. Everyone comes to pit road. Smoke is coming from 02. 18 comes out first and chooses the inside. 47 gets by 33 for ninth. 42 is back on the track, smoking.

Once again, there is Green Flag Pitting. 18 pits and 2 leads. 2 stays out two more laps before he pits. After all the pitting, 18 is back in the lead. 18 laps 24, but 24 drives back by. 2 gets by 00 for second. Fuel is a factor in this race, with the leaders saving fuel, and not really racing, but just driving. 24 pits for fuel. 88 pits for fuel and stalls the car, loosing two laps. 18 runs out of fuel… 47 runs out of fuel.

And 2 Kurt Busch wins the Dickies 500 on fuel mileage. Kyle didn’t win the trifecta again. Kurt drives the car around the track in reverse. A lucky fan wins $1M as a result of 2 winning the race. There were only four different leaders this race.

Brought to you by Sheila Hawley

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