June 27, 2009

IRL: Ganassi guys finish 1-2

Scott Dixon beat Dario Franchitti off pit road in the final pit stop and that was all it took. Dixon held onto the lead and beat his teammate to the checkered flag by mere car-lengths.

Our View: Earlier in the day, Gibbs' guys Kyle Busch and Joey Logano finished first and second, but it wasn't all rosy for teammates. Both Penske drivers crashed out of the IRL race.

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Trucks: Hornaday dominates and wins Memphis

Last month's troubles are a distant memory. Ron Hornaday Jr. has won back-to-back races at the Milwaukee Mile and Memphis Motorsports Park.

Our View: He made this one look easy and best of all, he gets to savor it for two weeks before the series returns to Kentucky Speedway on July 18.

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N'Wide: Camping World RV Sales 200 Results

One of the most amazing records in NASCAR was extended this week when Kyle Busch became the 23rd different winner of a Nationwide race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. If he stumbled, teammate Joey Logano was on his bumper ready to strike and he was also looking for his first victory on this track.

That Joe Gibbs Racing would win was never in question. Logano led the most laps even though Busch led the last one. These two drivers were the class of the field.

The remainder of the drivers was left to fight for third on back and Brad Keselowski was best in class. With a third in the Camping World RV Sales 200, he posted his fifth consecutive finish of third or better and that makes him the hottest driver on the circuit. Mike Bliss and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top five.

Jason Leffler has his own streak going and he barely extended it this week. With a 10th-place finish at New Hampshire, he posted his 11th consecutive top-10 finish. He almost saw that streak end, however. On the final lap teammates Brian Vickers and Scott Speed got into a tangle that saw Vickers fall out of the top-10 on the final lap.

Results, with average finish

FinishStartDriverLapsStatusAvg Fin
19Kyle Busch200Running11.25
21Joey Logano200Running2.00
37Brad Keselowski200Running6.50
410Mike Bliss200Running18.00
55Kevin Harvick200Running5.22
62Carl Edwards200Running3.20
76Greg Biffle200Running18.25
84Scott Speed200Running8.00
911Erik Darnell200Running9.00
1012Jason Leffler200Running17.71
1124Steve Wallace200Running15.67
128Brian Vickers200Running8.00
1313Justin Allgaier200Running13.00
143Clint Bowyer200Running10.00
1516Michael McDowell200Running15.00
1614Scott Lagasse Jr200Running28.00
1720Scott Wimmer200Running11.71
1828Elliott Sadler200Running20.00
1931Michael Annett200Running19.00
2021Kenny Wallace199Running19.06
2138Brendan Gaughan199Running21.00
2243Sean Caisse198Running22.00
2323Jason Keller198Running17.94
2435Matt Carter196Running24.00
2530Ken Butler III196Running25.00
2639Danny O'Quinn Jr196Running25.67
2718Joe Nemechek196Running18.75
2836John Wes Townley196Running28.00
2925Bobby Hamilton Jr196Running12.38
3040Tony Raines196Running21.00
3134Benny Gordon196Running31.00
3242Chase Mattioli192Running32.00
3341Eric McClure176Engine32.33
3426Brian Keselowski92Overheating34.00
3515Paul Menard50Engine16.00
3632Mark Green23Start and Park27.43
3733Derrike Cope19Start and Park29.71
3829Travis Kittleson13Start and Park38.00
3927Kevin Lepage13Start and Park20.00
4022Casey Atwood8Start and Park23.14
4119Kelly Bires4Start and Park29.00
4237Willie Allen3Start and Park42.00
4317Johnny Chapman2Start and Park37.00
44
Justin Hobgood0DNQ
45
Morgan Shepherd0DNQ32.50
46
Kertus Davis0DNQ34.67
47
Mike Wallace0DNQ17.63

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N'Wide: Gibbs guys finish 1-2

Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Joey Logano dominated the Camping World RV Sales 200 and finished first and second. Logano led the most laps, but Busch led the one that mattered most and won.

Our View: The last time these two drivers finished one two, it was Logano winning at Kentucky, so turnabout is fair play.

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Newman, Kahne crash in NASCAR Modifieds

The foray into the NASCAR Modified series ended in accidents for both Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne. Finishing 34th, Newman crashed on lap 64 while running second; Kahne crashed on lap 72 and finished 31st. Donny Lia won.

Our View: Both drivers spent time in the top 10, so hopefully they enjoyed the experiment.

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Truex announcement coming in two weeks

According to a tweet from @BobPockrass, Martin Truex Jr. expects to make an announcement about his future in two weeks. That is the same time Michael Waltrip has an announcement scheduled about the future driver of the No. 55.

Our View: Two plus two equals four. Michael Waltrip Racing is on the uptick with strong showings by Marcos Ambrose and David Reutimann. Truex will raise the bar even higher.

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Trucks: Hornaday on Memphis pole

Ron Hornaday Jr. has won the pole for the MemphisTravel.com 200 and will lead the field to the green Saturday night.

Our View: After three tough weeks in which he earned only one top-10, Hornaday was back on track last week with a victory at the Milwaukee Mile. That makes him one of the favorites for this week's race as well.

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New Hampshire pit stall selections

Jayski.com has published the pit stall selections. As expected, Tony Stewart took the pit closest to the exit. Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson have the only other three pits with an opening in front of them.

Our View: New Hampshire can develop a tendency in which it is hard to pass, so these four drivers have improved their odds considerably with their selections.

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Harvick wins New Hampshire Happy Hour

Kevin Harvick posted the quickest average speed in New Hampshire's Happy Hour with a speed of 126.350 during 43 laps.

Our View: That should make him a compelling dark horse and he ran strong at Martinsville earlier in the year, but so much has gone wrong this year that it's hard to recommend him.

Truex posts single fastest lap in Happy Hour

Martin Truex Jr. posted the fastest single lap in Happy Hour with a speed of 128.186. His average speed was not bad either. At 126.253 during 43 laps, he was fifth best on average.

Our View: Truex was one of our dark horses at the beginning of the week and he's solidified his position as a strong mid-cap driver. A top-10 in well within his reach.

N'Wide: Logano on New Hampshire pole

Joey Logano has figured out qualification in the Nationwide Series. He earned his third consecutive pole at New Hampshire on the heels of the same feat at Dover and Kentucky.

Our View: In the two previous races, Logano finished second at Dover (and would have won if he teammate Kyle Busch had communicated better) and he won at Kentucky.

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Sorenson posts single fast lap in NH Sat. am practice

Reed Sorenson posted the single fastest lap in the Saturday morning practice session with a top speed of 128.472 mph. He also had the quickest average speed of 126.921 during 29 laps. That certainly makes him a driver to watch in Happy Hour.

Our View: Sorenson has been uneven on the short, flat tracks, but so far this year he's finished 17th at Martinsville and 12th at Phoenix.

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