 | | Dale Earnhardt Jr. celebrates his 16th career Cup victory. Credit: Autostock |
July 10, 2005
07:35 PM EDT (23:35 GMT)
• Lap 267 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. withstands the charge from Matt Kenseth to win the USG Sheetrock 400 by 0.291 seconds. • Lap 265 -- With three laps to go, Matt Kenseth is 0.5 seconds behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. • Lap 262 -- Matt Kenseth passes Brian Vickers for second place and sets his sights on Dale Earnhardt Jr. with five laps to go. • Lap 258 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads Brian Vickers and Jimmie Johnson. • Lap 256 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. passes Scott Wimmer for the lead -- and then Wimmer surges ahead. • Lap 255 -- Scott Wimmer brings the field to the restart followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brian Vickers, Jimmie Johnson and Jeremy Mayfield in the top five. The rest of the top 10: Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Kurt Busch and Ricky Rudd. • Lap 254 -- Sterling Marlin's No. 40 Dodge is smoking badly as he goes behind the wall. • Lap 250 -- CAUTION: Mike Bliss gets into Jeff Gordon -- both end up against the wall -- to bring out the yellow. ... Anyone remember The Fixx's Saved by Zero? Neither do we. • Lap 249 -- And they're off (again) with Scott Wimmer (who did not pit) Dale Earnhardt Jr. (on two new tires), Jeremy Mayfield, Brian Vickers and Mark Martin in the top five. • Lap 245 -- Leaders come en masse to pit road. Matt Kenseth makes a four-tire stop in 11.7 seconds, while Tony Stewart (13.7) and Greg Biffle (14.1) also take four tires. • Lap 243 -- CAUTION: Debris on the track. • Lap 232 -- Kevin Harvick makes an unscheduled pit stop. • Lap 221 -- Green-flag racing resumes with Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick and Rusty Wallace in the top five. • Lap 216 -- Leaders come to pit road. ... Matt Kenseth again turns in a sub-14-seconds stop -- 13.8 -- while Tony Stewart is in and out in 14 seconds and Greg Biffle in 15.3. ... Ricky Rudd is penalized for speeding on pit road. • Lap 215 -- CAUTION: Michael Waltrip is the latest to cut a tire and crash. ... Kevin Lepage again gets the "lucky dog" pass. • Lap 210 -- Stop us if you've heard this one, but Matt Kenseth is the race leader. He's now led 140 of 210 laps (66 percent of the race). • Lap 200 -- The top 10: Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Ricky Rudd, Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, David Stremme, Rusty Wallace, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Joe Nemechek. • Lap 189 -- Ryan Newman slaps the wall and begins dropping back. ... He tries to get down to the inside lane, but is stuck high with traffic to his left. ... As Newman approaches pit road, he's going to fast and has to pull back onto the track and make another lap before finally pitting on Lap 193. • Lap 188 -- Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart lead the pack to the green flag for the restart. The rest of the top five: Ricky Rudd, David Stremme and Ryan Newman. • Lap 184 -- Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart stay on the track, but most of the front-runners -- including Kyle Busch and Greg Biffle -- duck onto pit road. • Lap 183 -- CAUTION: Kasey Kahne's day goes from bad to worse; he blows the engine. ... Jimmie Johnson gets the "lucky dog" pass. • Lap 180 -- Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle and Brian Vickers are running Nos. 1-5. • Lap 171 -- Green-flag racing resumes with Matt Kenseth, Brian Vickers, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick in the top five. The rest of the top 10: Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, Kurt Busch and Rusty Wallace. • Lap 165 -- Leaders come to pit road. ... Tony Stewart again is fastest at 13.0 seconds, while Matt Kenseth checks in at 13.5 and wins the race back to the track. ... Jeremy Mayfield is penalized for speeding on pit road. • Lap 163 -- CAUTION: Elliott Sadler blows a tire and slams into the wall. ... Mike Wallace gets the "lucky dog" pass. • Lap 157 -- Jimmie Johnson to pit road for four tires and fuel. He falls one lap down. • Lap 150 -- Three drivers have led at least 10 laps: Matt Kenseth (81), Greg Biffle (34) and Jimmie Johnson (21). Other leaders: Ryan Newman (9), Mike Wallace (1), Kevin Lepage (1), Ken Schrader (1) and Bobby Hamilton Jr. (1).  |
| Inside the Numbers |
| Chase standings as of Lap 147 |
| No. |
Driver |
Pts. |
Behind |
| 1. |
J. Johnson |
2538 |
-- |
| 2. |
G. Biffle |
2,452 |
-86 |
| 3. |
T. Stewart |
2,402 |
-136 |
| 4. |
R. Wallace |
2,303 |
-235 |
| 5. |
E. Sadler |
2,284 |
-254 |
| 6. |
R. Newman |
2,214 |
-324 |
| 7. |
M. Martin |
2,206 |
-332 |
| 8. |
J. McMurray |
2,181 |
-357 |
| 9. |
K. Busch |
2,176 |
-362 |
| 10. |
J. Mayfield |
2,147 |
-391 |
|
|
• Lap 140 -- Matt Kenseth continues to lead, while back in the pack: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 11th, Michael Waltrip is 14th, Elliott Sadler is 19th and Jeff Gordon is 20th. • Lap 133.5 -- Somewhere between Turns 2 and 3 ... we're officially halfway through the season; Race 18 of 36 has 267 laps. • Lap 130 -- Matt Kenseth leads the field back to green-flag racing. • Lap 126 -- CAUTION: Kasey Kahne slows and is bumped from behind by Jamie McMurray, sending the No. 9 into the wall. • Lap 125 -- Green-flag racing resumes with Matt Kenseth's Ford leading a five-car parade of Chevys: Brian Vickers, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick. Nos. 7-10 are the Fords of Kurt Busch and Mark Martin and the Dodges of Casey Mears and Rusty Wallace. • Lap 119 -- Pit road is open and the leaders come in for four tires and fuel. Matt Kenseth's stop is 14.5 seconds and he wins the race back to the track. Tony Stewart is in and out in 13.5 seconds (about the time it'll take you to read this paragraph). • Lap 118 -- CAUTION: Dave Blaney cuts a tire, skirts the wall, but is driving the car to the garage. • Lap 115 -- Three cars are not on the lead lap: Carl Long (-4), Jeff Burton (-6) and Stuart Kirby (-8). ... Three cars are out of the race: Travis Kvapil, Terry Labonte and Carl Edwards. • Lap 105 -- It's follow the leader out front, so back in the pack: retirees Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace are just outside the top 10, running in 11th and 12th, while David Stremme is 26th in his Cup debut. • Lap 100 -- The top 10: Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers, Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Casey Mears and Dale Earnhardt Jr. • Lap 95 -- Racing resumes with Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Brian Vickers and Greg Biffle in the top five. ... Defending race winner Tony Stewart, who started 43rd, is up to seventh place. • Lap 89 -- CAUTION: Jeff Burton, after making contact with Jamie McMurray, blows a left-side tire and scatters debris. ... Mike Wallace gets the "lucky dog" pass. • Lap 87 -- Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick are jockeying for position behind Matt Kenseth, who now has a 1.253-seconds lead. • Lap 86 -- Green-flag racing resumes with Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Brian Vickers and Kevin Harvick in the top five. |
| Inside the Numbers |
| Chase standings as of Lap 82 |
| No. |
Driver |
Pts. |
Behind |
| 1. |
J. Johnson |
2,543 |
-- |
| 2. |
G. Biffle |
2,470 |
-73 |
| 3. |
T. Stewart |
2,366 |
-177 |
| 4. |
E. Sadler |
2,293 |
-250 |
| 5. |
R. Wallace |
2,276 |
-267 |
| 6. |
R. Newman |
2,226 |
-317 |
| 7. |
M. Martin |
2,202 |
-341 |
| 8. |
J. McMurray |
2,175 |
-368 |
| 9. |
Ku. Busch |
2,168 |
-375 |
| 10. |
J. Mayfield |
2,141 |
-402 |
|
|
• Lap 81 -- Leaders to pit road. ... Matt Kenseth makes a 14.8-second stop and wins the race back to the track. Jimmie Johnson is second (13.2 seconds) and Greg Biffle (15.4). • Lap 79 -- CAUTION: Carl Edwards cuts a right-front tire and goes into the wall. ... Kevin Lepage gets the "lucky dog" pass. • Lap 77 -- Terry Labonte to the garage with a broken shock. • Lap 75 -- The top 10: Nos. 1-5 -- Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson; Nos. 6-10 -- Brian Vickers, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Casey Mears and Joe Nemechek. • Lap 66 -- Matt Kenseth again passes Greg Biffle for the lead. • Lap 63 -- Carl Edwards is reeling in the leaders, now running fourth behind Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick. • Lap 56 -- Jeff Gordon continues to fall, now running 27th. Two laps later, he's 37th. • Lap 50 -- It's shaping up as another dominating run by Roush Racing: Greg Biffle (first), Matt Kenseth (third), Carl Edwards (fourth) Kurt Busch (seventh) and Mark Martin (11th). • Lap 42 -- DEI's Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are on the inside lane and marching into the top 15. • Lap 40 -- Greg Biffle leads Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Brian Vickers and Jimmie Johnson. The rest of the top 10: Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Dale Jarrett, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch. • Lap 32 -- Matt Kenseth surges past Greg Biffle for the lead -- and five bonus points -- and then Biffle resumes the point. • Lap 31 -- Greg Biffle passes Jimmie Johnson for the lead -- and Matt Kenseth follows into second place. • Lap 30 -- Green-flag racing resumes. • Lap 27 -- The field heads to pit road. ... Ryan Newman gets into Stuart Kirby; minimal damage. ... Greg Biffle is in and out in 14.2 seconds, Matt Kenseth in 14.8 and Jimmie Johnson in 14.1 to win the race back to the track. • Lap 26 -- CAUTION: NASCAR throws the yellow to give teams the opportunity to check their car. The top five: Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman and Kevin Harvick. • Lap 20 -- Jimmie Johnson is holding off a hard-charging Matt Kenseth. Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle and Casey Mears are running 3-5. The rest of the top 10: Kevin Harvick, Brian Vickers, Scott Riggs, Mike Bliss and Carl Edwards. • Lap 14 -- Travis Kvapil has dropped a cylinder and is off the pace. • Lap 12 -- Jimmie Johnson passes Ryan Newman to regain the lead. • Lap 10 -- Ryan Newman continues to lead, with Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Casey Mears and Greg Biffle rounding out the top five. • Lap 7 -- Tony Stewart has moved from 43rd place to 33rd. • Greg Biffle has an oil temp gauge that may be bad. • Lap 3 -- Ryan Newman passes Jimmie Johnson for the lead. • 3:48 p.m. -- Green-flag racing begins with Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman brining the field to the stripe. • A'ight, strap in for 267 laps in the USG Sheetrock 400. ... Well, actually it's 400.5 miles, but who's counting. (Elliott Sadler says NASCAR may throw the caution about Lap 25 to give teams the chance to check out their cars.) Pre-race TV coverage ... • 3:39 p.m. -- Grand marshal and Cubs great Ryne Sandberg gives the command: "Here's to a World Series in Chicago. ... Gentlemen, start your engines." • 3:34 p.m. -- Bill Weber mentions Bears, Bulls, White Sox and Cubs fans. ... What, no Blackhawks fans? Yeah, hockey is that irrelevant. • 3:32 p.m. -- Toni Braxton sings the national anthem. • 3:31 p.m. -- Kenny Crosswhite delivers the prayer. • Allen Bestwick chasing Jamie McMurray, who walked away to talk with crew members before the interview began ... folks, that's live TV! • Is anyone looking forward to the Dukes of Hazzard movie? C'mon, wasn't there a better script in the pile, like a sequel to Howard the Duck or Stop! or My Mom Will Shoot? • Greg Biffle on Kevin Harvick: "It's all behind us." ... Well, there's another burgeoning rivalry. • Hey, did you hear? Benny Parsons recommended that Jack Roush take a chance on Greg Biffle. File it away; you'll hear it at least once more before Homestead. • Kevin Harvick on Greg Biffle: "Hope he can come to his senses on what he said." ... If you missed it, Biffle called Harvick a "punk" after Saturday's Busch Series race. • Six minutes -- that's how long it took to get the first plug, from Tony Stewart, for Home Depot helping Hurricane Dennis victims. ... One minute later, Jimmie Johnson got in a sponsor mention for Lowe's. Hope the on-track racing is as enthralling. • Who dressed Bill Weber today, some guy named Guido? • Stop the presses! Bill Weber's "Countdown to Green" intro did not include a rhyme. ... What's next? Greg Biffle inviting Kevin Harvick to dinner? • Jeff Gordon welcomes everyone to "Chicagoland Raceway." • TrackPass | Live Point Standings | Chat Room | 
