Cup / Nationwide / Truck News

Jimmie Johnson finally collected Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports its 200th victory with his victory at Darlington Raceway by maintaining the lead through multiple caution flags and a green white checkered restart in the Bojangles’ Southern 500.  The pit call by Chad Knauss to save fuel while maintaining the lead turned out to be a winning strategy in combination with Johnson’s driving skill.  Denny Hamlin moved from fourth to second position on the final restart for the green-white-checkered finish.

DARLINGTON, SC - RIS - Race results 30th Annual VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200

Darlington, SC – RIS -  Joey Logano won the 30th Annual VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway after wrecking race leader Elliott Sadler on the restart after caution five with five laps remaining and then passing the race dominating car of Denny Hamlin on the final restart of the green-white-checkered finish.

Starting Line Up by Row Darlington Nationwide race

MARTINSVILLE, VA – RIS –  Ryan Newman emerged the surprise victor of the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway after two green-white-checker restarts relegated the previously leading cars of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson to finishes of fourteenth and twelfth respectively.  Newman celebrated a sixteenth career victory while AJ Allmendinger was happy with a second place finish after squeezing through the melee of the first green-white-checker when Clint Bowyer with fresh tires on his #15 5 Hour Energy Toyota blasted under Johnson and Gordon as the field approached turn on and the field stacked up behind them. 

MARTINSVILLE, VA - RIS - Unofficial Driver Points Report Kroger 250 Martinsville Speedway

MARTINSVILLE, VA - RIS -

MARTINSVILLE, VA – RIS – Kevin Harvick started from the pole and lead 248 of the 250 laps in the #2 Tide/Kroger Chevrolet to dominate the Kroger 250, take home the grandfather clock winner’s trophy and claim bragging rights for setting a new NASCAR Camping World Truck Series record for laps led.

Starting Line Up by Row Martinsville Speedway Kroger 250

Greg Biffle beat A.J. Allmendinger for pole at Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Food City 500 by only a thousandth of a second.

LAS VEGAS, NV – RIS – Tony Stewart, in redemption for last year's disappointment at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, opened up a gap over the chasing pack to win a race for the fourteenth consecutive year in NASCAR Sprint Cup racing.

LAS VEGAS, NV – RIS – In the end it came down to two drivers who were very familiar to long-time team owner Jack Roush.  Both had driven a No. 6 car for Roush and both had Roush’s respect.  On this day, defending Nationwide Series champion Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. finished 5.904 seconds ahead of second=place Mark Martin to win the Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The starting lineup for Saturday's Nationwide Series race from Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Kasey Kahne headed a double handful of  entrants who broke the old track qualifying record at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, grabbing pole position for the Kobalt Tools 400.

AVONDALE, AZ – RIS – Back in 2010, Denny Hamlin was challenging Jimmie Johnson for the Sprint Cup championship.  And then it happened.  He had to pit for fuel while in the front of the pack and had a bad finish.  One could say that it cost him that championship.  In a turn of fortune, Hamlin won the Subway Fit Fresh 500 because someone else ran out of gas.

AVONDALE, AZ - RIS - Denny Hamlin held off Kevin Harvick and went on to win the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.  The battle ended when Harvick ran out of gas.  Harvick continued on to finish second with Greg Biffle in third.  Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski made up the top five finishers.

AVONDALE, AZ – RIS – Elliott Sadler ended a 14-year win doubt by finishing first in the Basha’s Supermarket 200 NASCAR Natonwide Series race at Phoenix International Raceway.  Sadler’s last win came at Rockingham Speedway, known as North Carolina Speedway in those days, in 1998.  PIR has also been a frustrating spot for Sadler.  Last season, in a battle with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. for the Nationwide Series championship, a racing accident took him out of the running.  The track owed him one.

AVONDALE, AZ - RIS - Mark Martin went out late and recorded a lap of 136.814 mph to win the pole for Sunday's Subway Fresh Fit 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway.  His speed was almost 0.700 faster than his closest competition, Tony Stewart, but Stewart ran his qualifying laps so close until the final few feet,  Stewart's fast lap was 136.126 mph. Greg Biffle also had a pole-winning lap until he slipped just past the fourth turn.  Martin will start on the inside of the first row with Stewart beside him.

AVONDALE, AZ - RIS - Denny Hamlin, driving the car that Kyle Busch piloted to so many NASCAR Nationwide Series races, will sit on the pole for today's Basha's Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway.  Defending champ Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. will start alongside him on the front row with Keny Wallace, Kasey Kahne, and Trevor Bayne making up the top five qualifiers.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – RIS – It took 33 hours, but finally a winner was crowned the Daytona 500 champion, and that champion was Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Best Buy Ford.  It wasn’t easy, and the winner had to endure a day of rain and a burst of fire to get there.  It was the first time prime time Daytona 500 and it lasted over five hours, but it was what it was—a great show and a victory for a guy who flies behind the radar and one who has only won a championship and what I call the creator of the Chase.  Let’s look back at history.

(DAYTONA BEACH, FLA - FEB 28, 2012) Matt Kenseth became the first repeat Daytona 500 winner in seven years by using a push from fellow Roush-Fenway Racing driver Greg Biffle to capture the first NASCAR Sprint Cup points race of 2012 In a night to remember, the first rain-delayed Daytona 500 in the race's history started off with a bang as Jimmie Johnson got spun just beyond the start-finish line on the second lap of the race, setting the stage for the evening.

(DAYTONA BEACH, FLA - FEB 27, 2012) In one of the oddest Daytona 500s ever, Juan Pablo Montoya's car broke as the Colombian racer drove to catch the field under caution on lap 160, slamming the No. 42 Target Chevy into the back of a jet-dryer and igniting a fire that melted parts of the trailer and truck.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - RIS - Rain has once again posponed the start of the Daytona 500.  Persistent rain has caused NASCAR to delay the start of the Great American Race until 7:00 PM tonight.  since Daytona International has lights, it wil be the first night race in Daytona 500 history.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - RIS - Constant rain all day has made history in Daytona Beach.  For the first time in the 54-year history of the Great American Race, the Daytona 500 will be run on Monday at 12:00 PM, weather permitting.  Crews attempted to dry the track over several occasions, but a cell of rain storms continued to pellet the track.  the last drying was almost finished when it began to rain once more.  Since it takes over two hours to dry the track and a break in the rain was scheduled to be late tonight, NASCAR made the decision shortly after 5:00 PM.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - RIS –A relative unknown wins the NASCAR Nationwide Series event named the Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway. James Buescher driving the #30 Fraternal Order of Eagles.com  Chevrolet. It was also his first win in the series. It appears that this may be the year of the rookie at Daytona. On Friday evening John King won the Camping World Truck race after surviving late race accidents, and coming out of nowhere for the win. Like Friday’s wreck fest  James Buescher avoided a last lap wreck that took out most of the leaders to win the Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - RIS - James Buescher avoided a lap lap wreck that took out most of the leaders and won theDrive4 COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway.  The 21-year old racer was running 11th when the the incident started.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. –RIS - Danica Patrick becomes only the second woman to take Pole Position for a NASCAR Nationwide Series event. She also makes history at Daytona International Speedway by being the first female to capture a Pole in any event held there.

Daytona International Speedway, FL – RIS – For at least one half of a lap the fans were screaming above the din at Daytona, why, Dale Earnhardt Jr. pushed the Diet Mountain Dew #88 Chevrolet in front of race leader Tony Stewart. This was not a flash in the pan, it clearly shows that Earnhardt considers himself a contender for the 2012 season. In the first of the Gatorade Duels Tony Stewart driving the Office Depot #14 Chevrolet was the show.

Starting Lineup for the 2012 Daytona 500:

1. Carl Edwards, Roush Fenway Racing No. 99 Ford

2. Greg Biffle, Roush Fenway Racing No. 16 Ford

3. Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 Chevrolet

4. Matt Kenseth, Roush Fenway Racing No. 17 Ford

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet

6. Regan Smith, Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Chevrolet

7. Marcos Ambrose, Richard Petty Motorsports No. 9 Ford

8. Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet

9. Jeff Burton, Richard Childress Racing No. 31 Chevrolet

10. Elliott Sadler, Richard Childress Racing No. 33 Chevrolet

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - RIS  - Matt Kenseth passed teammate Greg Biffle on the final lap of the second Gatorade Duel qualifying race and went on to win.  He will start in the second row for Sunday's great American Race.  Biffle had led most of the race until he saw Kenseth on the outside and attempted to move up in front of him, but it stopped his momentum.  Kenseth moved low and around him with Jimmie Johnson in tow. As Kenseth, Johnson, Regan Smith, and Clint Bowyer came down to the checkers, Smith moved alongside Johnson, nearly touching him.  That gave Kenseth the momentum he needed to stay out front and win the race.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - RIS - Tony Stewart held off a charging Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to win the first of two Gatorade Duels at Daytona International Speedway. The unique qualifying races determine the starting lineup for the Daytona 500. Earnhardt finished second, Marcos Ambrose third, Michael McDowell fourth, and Robby Gordon fifth.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – RIS – It will be an all-Ford front row when the Daytona 500 takes the green flag next Sunday.  Carl Edwards went out early and won the pole for the coveted race.  Greg baffle had the second fastest time and will start alongside Edwards.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – RIS – Kyle Busch won a wild Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway after spinning out several times. Busch won the exhibition race that once was for the previous year’s pole sitters in an improbable way, passing Tony Stewart at the start-finish line for the win.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - RIS - Martin Truex Jr. will lead the 25-car field to the green flag in the 34th annual Budweiser Shootout at Daytona on Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway. Truex secured the top starting position through the random selection process that took place Friday night at the SPEED Stage. The starting lineup was determined at the annual Budweiser Shootout Draw Party during which the participating drivers selected a Budweiser bottle featuring a number behind the Budweiser label. The number serves as the driver's starting position. Truex was the 18th driver to participate in the annual raw party and will make his second start in the Budweiser Shootout on Saturday night.

Small fire breaks out at Joe Gibbs Racing's machine shop.

THIRTIETH MEDIA TOUR LAUNCHES FOR 2012
(CONCORD, NC - JAN 23, 2012 - RIS) Media from across the globe and nation descended on Concord, NC and the

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - RIS -  It looks like the Daytona Pre-Season Thunder event pushed teams to make decisions on 2012.  If you remember, David Ragan, David Reutimann, Kurt Busch, and Clint Bowyer were dismissed or left their rides following the 2011 season.  One by one, they found employment, but the changes were substantial. 

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - RIS - Two Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas were the fastest in Day 1 of NASCAR Sprint Cup testing at Daytona International Speedway.  Both Busch and teammate Joey Logano ran speeds in excess of 202 mph while drafting in the afternoon session.  Brad Keselowski, A.J. Allmendinger, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. were second through fifth fastest. 

CONCORD, NC - RIS - Richard Petty Motorsports announced today that Aric Almirola will drive the No. 43 Ford Fusion during the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.  With David Reutimann heading to Tommy Baldwin Racing and the hiring of Almirola, it left only former Roush-Fenway driver David Ragan and Red Bull's Brian Vickers among major drivers without a ride for the new season.