Moments that changed the course of the 13th race of the 2014 season
JOHNSON HOLDS OFF KESELOWSKI FOR WIN
Jimmie Johnson had yet another a strong performance, and he held off Brad Keselowski on a late restart to win for a record ninth time at the track on Sunday at Dover International Speedway.
It was a strong performance that came one week after Johnson earned his first win of the season at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion led 272 laps to win for the second straight week.
Polesitter Keselowski struggled early but rallied during the middle portion of the race to earn a runner-up finish.
Matt Kenseth used a third-place finish to take over the points lead from Jeff Gordon. Kenseth’s 10 top-10 finishes are the most in the series this season.
Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five.
KYLE BUSCH’S SWEEP DREAMS END EARLY
Kyle Busch‘s chances at a tripleheader sweep ended on Lap 125 on Sunday as Clint Bowyer moved up into his line, sending the No. 18 into the outside wall.
Busch had won Friday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race and Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Dover International Speedway.
Following the wreck, the 29-year-old driver wouldn’t respond to his team on the radio, prompting crew chief Dave Rogers to ask if he was OK.
“I know you’re pissed,” Rogers said over the radio. “Talk to me — I can’t see you, can’t hear you.”
Busch again wouldn’t respond, but appeared to try and catch up with Bowyer — perhaps to give him a bump — under the caution flag before Rogers called him off.
“Be smart here Kyle,” he said, then went on to tell the driver to “just stop.” Busch was running third when the accident happened, and he was later told that the wreck wasn’t Bowyer’s fault — the driver was cleared by his spotter.
Bowyer’s spotter, Brett Griffin, confirmed that on his team’s radio. “I feel like (expletive),” he said.
Earlier in the race, Busch became the 15th driver in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history with 10,000 career laps led. He led 81 on Sunday to reach the career milestone.
Busch didn’t speak to anyone other than his crew chief as he walked back to his motorhome, with his wife Samantha Busch and team owner Joe Gibbs following behind him in a cart. Rogers also declined comment.
TWO RED FLAGS COSTLY TO TEAMS
Two red flags were thrown during the first half of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Dover International Speedway.
The first came from damage during a big wreck on Lap 134 at involving Roush Fenway Racing teammates Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Greg Biffle brought out the red flag temporarily at Dover. At the time, Jimmie Johnson led the race. AJ Allmendinger, Ryan Truex and Landon Cassill were also involved in the wreck.
The second red flag came out at Lap 161 and lasted 22 minutes and 22 seconds, following a caution that came out at Lap 158 when Jamie McMurray got into the wall in Turn 2. Track officials came out because a sizable piece of the concrete track came loose and necessitated track repairs. At the time of second red flag, Kevin Harvick led the race.
A crew was immediately dispatched to repair the hole — which according to photographs from television was approximately six-inches by eight-inches and about two-inches deep. They poured Quik-Rok into the area to fill the area. McMurray’s Chevrolet would require some work also to repair significant damage to its front splitter. Ironically, there was a pothole in Turn 4 of Daytona International Speedway in 2010 — a race won by McMurray.
McMurray told his team over the radio that he believed he may have cut a right front tire from a piece of the track.
NASCAR News Wire contributed to this story.