The Truck Series returns to action at Kentucky Speedway

Entry # Driver Owner Crew chief Manufacturer Sponsor

1

0

Ryan Ellis(i)

Kenneth Grimes

Joe Cobb

14 Chevrolet

Koma Unwind Relaxation Drink

2

02

Tyler Young

Randy Young

Bryan Berry

14 Chevrolet

Randco/Young’s Building Systems

3

5

John Wes Townley

Richard Wauters

Richard Wauters

14 Toyota

Zaxbys

4

07

Todd Shafer

Ken Smith

Doug Weddle

14 Chevrolet

Thunder Exhaust

5

08

Jimmy Weller

Bobby Dotter

Jason Miller

14 Chevrolet

Geneva Liberty Steel/Integrated Metal Products

6

8

Joe Nemechek

Sidney Mauldin

Jerry Babb

14 Toyota

smokeandsear.com

7

9

Chase Pistone

Joe Denette

Ryan McKinney

14 Chevrolet

NTS Motorsports

8

10

Jennifer Jo Cobb

Jennifer Jo Cobb

Steve Kuykendall

14 Chevrolet

Koma Unwind Relaxation Drink

9

13

Jeb Burton

Duke Thorson

Jeriod Prince

14 Toyota

Estes-Carolina Nut

10

17

Timothy Peters

Tom Deloach

Marcus Richmond II

14 Toyota

Red Horse Racing

11

19

Brad Keselowski(i)

Brad Keselowski

Doug Randolph

14 Ford

DrawTite

12

20

Austin Dillon(i)

Bob Newberry

Jeff Hensley

14 Chevrolet

Ranch Hand

13

21

Joey Coulter

Maurice Gallagher Jr

Jeff Stankiewicz

14 Chevrolet

TBA

14

23

Max Gresham

Maurice Gallagher Jr

Ryan London

14 Chevrolet

AmWins Group, Inc.

15

29

Ryan Blaney

Brad Keselowski

Chad Kendrick

14 Ford

Cooper Standard Careers for Vets

16

30

Ron Hornaday Jr

Steve Turner

Doug George

14 Chevrolet

Rheem

17

31

Ben Kennedy

Steve Turner

Michael Shelton

14 Chevrolet

TBD

18

32

Tayler Malsam

Harry Scott Jr

Mike Hillman Jr

14 Chevrolet

Outerwall

19

35

Mason Mingus

Kevin Cywinski

Mark Rette

14 Toyota

Call 811

20

142

Charles Lewandoski

Rebecca Young

William Sandlin

13 Chevrolet

Randco/Young’s Building Systems

21

50

T J Bell

Mark Beaver

Randy Dean II

14 Chevrolet

Electrical Linemen

22

51

Kyle Busch(i)

Kyle Busch

Eric Phillips

14 Toyota

Dollar General

23

54

Darrell Wallace Jr

Kyle Busch

Jerry Baxter

14 Toyota

Make IN America

24

57

Norm Benning

Norm Benning

Kevin Dargie

14 Chevrolet

TBA

25

63

Justin Jennings

Michael Mittler

Michael Mittler

14 Chevrolet

MBM&T

26

175

Caleb Holman

Charles Henderson

Butch Miller

14 Chevrolet

Food Country USA-Morning Fresh Farms-Lopez Wealth Mgmt.

27

77

German Quiroga

Tom Deloach

Butch Hylton

14 Toyota

OtterBox

28

88

Matt Crafton

Rhonda Thorson

Carl Joiner

14 Toyota

Ideal Door-Menards

29

92

Corey Lajoie

Ricky Benton

Trip Bruce III

14 Ford

BTS Tire/ Goodyear Fleet HQ/ Wynns/ Tim Cooksey

30

98

Johnny Sauter

Mike Curb

Dennis Connor

14 Toyota

Nextant-Curb Records

31

99

Bryan Silas

Chris Baluch

Cal Boprey

14 Chevrolet

TBA

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The Nationwide Series hits Kentucky for its 15th race of the season

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Entry # Driver Owner Crew chief Manufacturer Sponsor

1

01

Landon Cassill

Johnny Davis

Dave Fuge

14 Chevrolet

teamjdmotorsports.com

2

2

Brian Scott

Richard Childress

Phil Gould

14 Chevrolet

Shore Lodge

3

3

Ty Dillon

Richard Childress

Danny Stockman Jr

14 Chevrolet

Red Kap / Alsco

4

4

Jeffrey Earnhardt

Gary Keller

Gary Cogswell

14 Chevrolet

teamjdmotorsports.com

5

5

Kevin Harvick(i)

Rick Hendrick

Ernie Cope

14 Chevrolet

Kroger/P&G

6

6

Trevor Bayne

Jack Roush

Chad Norris

14 Ford

AdvoCare

7

7

Regan Smith

Kelley Earnhardt-Miller

Ryan Pemberton

14 Chevrolet

AmericasPower.org

8

9

Chase Elliott

Dale Earnhardt Jr

Greg Ives

14 Chevrolet

NAPA AUTO PARTS

9

10

Jeff Green

Mark Smith

Todd Myers

14 Toyota

Supportmilitary.org

10

11

Elliott Sadler

J D Gibbs

Chris Gayle

14 Toyota

OneMain Financial

11

12

Ryan Blaney(i)

Roger Penske

Greg Erwin

14 Ford

Snap-On

12

13

Carl Long

Derek White

Kevin Eagle

14 Toyota

Headrush

13

14

Eric McClure

Mark Smith

Wes Ward

14 Toyota

Hefty Ultimate / Reynolds Wrap

14

16

Ryan Reed

Jack Roush

Seth Barbour

14 Ford

ADA Drive to Stop Diabetes presented by Lilly Diabetes

15

17

Tanner Berryhill

Adrian Berryhill

Daniel Stillman

14 Dodge

NationalCashLenders.com

16

19

Mike Bliss

Mark Smith

Paul Clapprood

14 Toyota

Trane

17

20

Matt Kenseth(i)

Joe Gibbs

Kevin Kidd

14 Toyota

Resers

18

22

Brad Keselowski(i)

Roger Penske

Jeremy Bullins

14 Ford

Discount Tire

19

23

Robert Richardson Jr

Robert Richardson Sr

George Church

14 Chevrolet

Rick Ware racing

20

25

John Wes Townley(i)

Tony Townley

Mike Beam

14 Toyota

Zaxby’s

21

28

J J Yeley

James Whitener

Steve Plattenberger

13 Dodge

Texas 28 Spirits Stage

22

31

Dylan Kwasniewski

Steve Turner

Patrick Tryson

14 Chevrolet

Rockstar

23

33

Paul Menard(i)

Richard Childress

Nick Harrison

14 Chevrolet

Libman / Menards

24

39

Ryan Sieg

Rod Sieg

Kevin Starland

14 Chevrolet

RSS Racing

25

40

Josh Wise(i)

Curtis Key Sr

Gary Showalter

14 Chevrolet

Curtis Key Plumbing

26

42

Kyle Larson(i)

Harry Scott Jr

Scott Zipadelli

14 Chevrolet

Cartwheel by Target

27

43

Dakoda Armstrong

Richard Petty

Philippe Lopez

14 Ford

WinField

28

44

Blake Koch

Mark Smith

Greg Conner

14 Toyota

TriStar Motorsports

29

46

Matt Dibenedetto

Curtis Key Sr

Kyle Symington

14 Chevrolet

Curtis Key Plumbing

30

51

Jeremy Clements

Tony Clements

Ricky Pearson

14 Chevrolet

Allsouthelectric.com-RepairableVehicles.com

31

52

Joey Gase

Jimmy Means

Tim Brown

14 Chevrolet

TBA

32

54

Kyle Busch(i)

J D Gibbs

Adam Stevens

14 Toyota

Monster Energy

33

55

Jamie Dick

Jimmy Dick

William Henderson

14 Chevrolet

Viva Auto Group

34

60

Chris Buescher

Jack Roush

Scott Graves

14 Ford

Ford EcoBoost

35

62

Brendan Gaughan

Richard Childress

Shane Wilson

14 Chevrolet

South Point

36

70

Derrike Cope

Mary Louise Miller

Fred Wanke

14 Chevrolet

YOUTHEORY

37

172

Matthew Carter

James Carter

Richard Garcia

14 Chevrolet

TBA

38

74

Kevin Lepage

Mike Harmon

Gary Ritter

14 Chevrolet

TBA

39

76

Tommy Joe Martins

Tommy Joe Martins

Joey Jones

13 Dodge

Cross Concrete Construction

40

184

Chad Boat

Billy Boat

Dan Deeringhoff

14 Chevrolet

CorvetteParts.net

41

86

TBA

Scott Deware

Rick Markle

14 Chevrolet

Bubba Burger

42

87

Joe Nemechek(i)

Andrea Nemechek

James Cooley

14 Chevrolet

JD Motorsports

43

89

Morgan Shepherd

Morgan Shepherd

Mike Malamphy

14 Chevrolet

King’s Tire

44

190

Martin Roy

Michelle Gosselin

Mario Gosselin

14 Chevrolet

TBA

45

93

Mike Wallace

Gregg Mixon

David Goulet

13 Dodge

JGL Racing

46

98

Corey Lajoie(i)

Fred Biagi

Jon Hanson

14 Ford

Fazoli’s-Kelvinator Commercial

47

99

James Buescher

Robby Benton

Matthew Lucas

14 Toyota

Rheem

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The Sprint Cup Series will run its 17th race of the season at Kentucky

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Entry # Driver Owner Crew chief Manufacturer Sponsor

1

1

Jamie McMurray

Felix Sabates

Keith Rodden

14 Chevrolet

LEXAR

2

2

Brad Keselowski

Roger Penske

Paul Wolfe

14 Ford

Miller Lite

3

3

Austin Dillon

Richard Childress

Gil Martin

14 Chevrolet

Cheerios Protein

4

4

Kevin Harvick

Tony Stewart

Rodney Childers

14 Chevrolet

Budweiser

5

5

Kasey Kahne

Linda Hendrick

Kenny Francis

14 Chevrolet

Great Clips

6

7

Michael Annett

Tommy Baldwin

Kevin Manion

14 Chevrolet

Pilot/Flying J Chevrolet

7

9

Marcos Ambrose

Richard Petty

Drew Blickensderfer

14 Ford

Black & Decker

8

10

Danica Patrick

Tony Stewart

Tony Gibson

14 Chevrolet

GoDaddy

9

11

Denny Hamlin

J D Gibbs

Darian Grubb

14 Toyota

FedEx Office

10

13

Casey Mears

Bob Germain

Bootie Barker III

14 Chevrolet

No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS

11

14

Tony Stewart

Margaret Haas

Chad Johnston

14 Chevrolet

Rush Truck Centers

12

15

Clint Bowyer

Rob Kauffman

Brian Pattie

14 Toyota

5-Hour Energy

13

16

Greg Biffle

Jack Roush

Matt Puccia

14 Ford

No. 16 3M ACE Bandage Ford Fusion

14

17

Ricky Stenhouse Jr

John Henry

Michael Kelley

14 Ford

Fifth Third Bank Ford

15

18

Kyle Busch

Joe Gibbs

Dave Rogers

14 Toyota

M&M’s

16

20

Matt Kenseth

Joe Gibbs

Jason Ratcliff

14 Toyota

DOLLAR GENERAL

17

22

Joey Logano

Walter Czarnecki

Todd Gordon

14 Ford

Shell Pennzoil

18

23

Alex Bowman

Ron Devine

Dave Winston

14 Toyota

Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry

19

24

Jeff Gordon

Rick Hendrick

Alan Gustafson

14 Chevrolet

Drive to End Hunger

20

26

Cole Whitt

Anthony Marlowe

Randy Cox

14 Toyota

Speed Stick Gear Toyota

21

27

Paul Menard

Richard Childress

Slugger Labbe

14 Chevrolet

Quaker State / Menards

22

31

Ryan Newman

Richard Childress

Luke Lambert

14 Chevrolet

Caterpillar

23

32

Travis Kvapil

Frank Stoddard Jr

Ben Leslie

14 Ford

Corvetteparts.net

24

33

David Stremme

Joe Falk

Mark Hillman

14 Chevrolet

Little Joe’s Autos

25

34

David Ragan

Bob Jenkins

Jay Guy

14 Ford

Taco Bell

26

36

Reed Sorenson

Allan Heinke

Todd Parrott

14 Chevrolet

Theme Park Connection

27

38

David Gilliland

Brad Jenkins

Frank Kerr

14 Ford

Love’s Travel Stops

28

40

Landon Cassill(i)

Michael Hillman

Mike Abner

14 Chevrolet

Hillman Racing

29

41

Kurt Busch

Gene Haas

Daniel Knost

14 Chevrolet

Haas Automation

30

42

Kyle Larson

Chip Ganassi

Chris Heroy

14 Chevrolet

Target

31

43

Aric Almirola

Richard Petty

Trent Owens

14 Ford

Eckrich

32

144

J J Yeley(i)

John Cohen

Steve Lane

14 Chevrolet

All City Leasing

33

47

A J Allmendinger

Tad Geschickter

Brian Burns

14 Chevrolet

Scott Products

34

48

Jimmie Johnson

Jeff Gordon

Chad Knaus

14 Chevrolet

Lowe’s

35

51

Justin Allgaier

Harry Scott Jr

Steve Addington

14 Chevrolet

BRANDT Professional Agriculture

36

55

Brian Vickers

Michael Waltrip

Billy Scott

14 Toyota

Aaron’s Dream Machine

37

66

Joe Nemechek(i)

Jay Robinson

Scott Eggleston

14 Toyota

Land Castle Title

38

78

Martin Truex Jr

Barney Visser

Todd Berrier

14 Chevrolet

Furniture Row

39

83

Ryan Truex

Ron Devine

Joe Williams

14 Toyota

Burger King Toyota Camry

40

88

Dale Earnhardt Jr

Rick Hendrick

Steve Letarte

14 Chevrolet

National Guard

41

98

Josh Wise

Mike Curb

Gene Nead

14 Chevrolet

Phil Parsons Racing

42

99

Carl Edwards

Jack Roush

James Fennig

14 Ford

UPS

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Joe Gibbs Racing driver won first Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway in 2011

There have been three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kentucky Speedway, and Kyle Busch has led the most laps at the 1.5-mile track. He won the first Cup race at the venue in 2011, leading 125 circuits en route the victory.

Overall, he has led 243 laps at Kentucky and posted a win, two top-five finishes and three top-10 finishes. He also has the best average starting position (2.3) among active drivers — the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has never started outside of Row 2 at Kentucky.

 

Roush Fenway Racing driver holds off hard-charging Gordon

MORE: Full race results | Updated series standings

SONOMA, Calif. — A well-timed caution helped get Carl Edwards to the front of the field, and the driver of the No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford did the rest. 

Edwards passed Marcos Ambrose for the lead moments after a restart on Lap 86 and subsequently held off a charging Jeff Gordon to win Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.

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The victory was Edwards’ second of the season — guaranteeing him a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, provided he finishes in the top 30 in points after race No. 26 and attempts to qualify for every race. It was the 23rd win of his career, and first Sprint Cup win on a road course.

Gordon finished second, .591 seconds behind Edwards. The runner-up result was Gordon’s fifth at Sonoma, matching his number of victories at the 1.99-mile road course. 

The triumph had special meaning for Edwards precisely because it was Gordon who was chasing him to the finish line. 

"That’s a moment I’ll never forget, to be standing in Victory Lane and to have held off Jeff Gordon, with all the success he’s had here and in our sport," Edwards said after climbing from his car. "It’s just really, really special.

"I’m living proof right here that, whatever it is you’re doing, just keep doing it, and don’t ever give up, because somehow things can work out. I’m just very fortunate." 

Long before he made his Sprint Cup debut in 2004, Edwards had watched Gordon dominate road races at the tricky, technical track in wine country. 

"Literally, I’m a fan of this sport, and I grew up watching Jeff Gordon go through those esses and watching how he drove his car, so to be able to hold him off like that means a lot," Edwards said. 

"I’m glad there wasn’t one or two more laps in the race, because I don’t know if it would have worked that way, but it definitely meant a lot to have Jeff Gordon in my mirror."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran third, his best-ever road course result, followed by pole winner Jamie McMurray and Paul Menard. Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson, Marcos Ambrose, Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer completed the top 10. 

Bowyer and Ambrose led the field to green on Lap 80, after Matt Kenseth’s brutal contact with the tire barriers in the esses brought out the fourth caution of the afternoon. 

Kenseth’s No. 20 Toyota spun out of control from contact with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 Chevrolet, which bounced off the curbing and into the side of Kenseth’s car. 

"My bad — I hit the curb and ran into him," Earnhardt said on his radio.

What happened before the previous caution, however, was the crux of the race. Edwards, Ambrose and Bowyer all came to pit road right before NASCAR called a caution for debris in Turn 10 on Lap 71. That enabled them to stay out under the yellow and propelled them to the front of the field.

Edwards was able to stay there, despite heavy pressure from Gordon in the closing laps.

In fact, Gordon said a mistake in Turn 4 six laps before the finish may have cost him the race.

"Gosh, I wish I could have had those last five or six laps to do over again," Gordon said. "I started overdriving it a little bit trying to catch him and making a few mistakes, and I made one in particular that really cost me. 

"I think if I had just stayed smooth and stuck with it — looked like his car really started falling off those last couple laps, and I might have had a shot at least putting more pressure on Carl to force him to make a mistake or maybe get a run inside of him."

There were significant fireworks, however, before that final run. Bowyer started losing positions after the restart on Lap 80 as Edwards surged into second place. Johnson passed the No. 15 Toyota entering Turn 11 on Lap 81, and Bowyer, who had a tire going down, spun after contact from the front bumper of McMurray’s Chevy.

With nowhere to go on the inside of the corner, Kevin Harvick slammed into Bowyer. Harvick had one of the fastest cars on Sunday but had gotten mired in traffic because of a slow stop on pit road before a restart on Lap 75.

The wreck dropped Harvick to 20th at the finish, but Bowyer rallied for his 10th-place result.

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Earnhardt Jr. earns career-best finish at Sonoma

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SONOMA, Calif. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. climbed out of his well-used No. 88 Kelley Blue Book Chevy on Sonoma Raceway pit road, surveyed the random dents and "new" paint job, and told a couple of his Hendrick Motorsports crewmen that this third-place finish here actually felt more like a win.

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It was Earnhardt’s career-best effort on the 1.99-mile road course overlooking Northern California’s vineyards and dramatically bettered his previous top finish of 11th. And while Earnhardt humbly credited much of the result to good strategy and fresh tires, it was also one of his more skillful driving exhibitions on a track that most often has befuddled and bewildered him.

"I told (crew chief) Steve (Letarte) I think I figured out what the trick is to being a really, really good crew chief is to call the season like it’s your last because his strategy is aggressive and a little bit out of the box, and that pays off in most cases because if you do everything everybody else is doing, you’re racing a lot more people trying to do everything else they’re doing," Earnhardt said, of his "lame duck" crew chief who is off to the NBC television booth next season.

"When you do something different and get off the pattern pit‑wise, get off the strategy and stuff, it allows you to be a lot more aggressive."

It was a trait Earnhardt used effectively on the track as well. And had to.

Earnhardt started 17th — none of the Hendrick Motorsports cars advanced beyond the first session of qualifying  — and doggedly made his way through the field — sometimes participating in the bump-and-bang that has increasingly characterized NASCAR’s brand of road racing.

He collided in Turn 7 with one of his good friends, Matt Kenseth, just past the race’s midpoint, sending Kenseth’s car hard into a tire wall and the former series champ home early and dejected.

"My car had the tires and I was able to drive by those guys at the end, but I had an eventful race, and I tore Matt Kenseth’s car up pretty bad jumping that curb," Earnhardt said. "I was racing him a little hard there coming out of Turn 7.  He probably had the preferred line and I probably should have yielded to him, but I thought I was a little bit faster than him and didn’t want to be stuck behind him.

"I straddled a curb, and it just lost my car in the air right into his car. I hope he’s not too sore today."

Kenseth, who like Earnhardt has never won at Sonoma, was obviously frustrated and disappointed, but not angry.

" I knew he (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) was on my right side," Kenseth said. "On the restart we were side-by-side and I got him going into (turn) seven and left him plenty of room when we were racing side-by-side. 

"He tapped me on my right rear and wrecked me. I don’t know if he got out of the groove with his car — I don’t really know what happened and it doesn’t matter at this point. Unfortunately it ended our day.”

Earnhardt also had a little run-in — literally — with AJ Allmendinger with a handful of laps remaining. Allmendinger’s No. 47 Kingsford Chevy got the worse end of the deal ricocheting off cars while the front-running group raced hard out of the track’s famed hairpin turn.

"We led a lot of laps today and we were good enough to win the thing no doubt," said Allmendinger, who led a race best 35 of the 110 laps. "It’s just disappointing the way our day ended and to leave Sonoma with a car that’s tore up."

Earnhardt saw the incident as just a typical racing situation.

"He wheel-hopped my left rear tire and that spun him out. Other than that we beat and banged a little bit, everything that you normally see here.

"I had a lot of fun other than the deal with Matt made me pretty sick. But other than that it was a fun day."

He later posted on his Twitter account, "That’s the only people I probably pissed off today. I think. Hard to run @RaceSonoma and not have that effect on a few people. #NoIntention."

Beyond the usual mea culpa and explanations, Earnhardt will surely feel more good than woeful about his afternoon.

He answered more critics than he created.

"Aside from holding a trophy, this is like a win for us," Earnhardt said. "We came in here and knew we had a good car throughout practice. I’ve been in the top-10 in a lot of these races with two or three laps to go but we’ve just never been able to finish.

"So to be clear of the mess and just have an advantage with the tires at the end, there was a lot of confidence. Knowing we were going to be able to wrap it up or feel like we were in good position to wrap it up felt really good."

On his way to the airport from the race track, Earnhardt posted this on his Twitter account: ".@DaleJr ran 3rd @sonoma. Said no one ever. Till today. Proud of the #88 team. Great car. Great effort. Cold one in my future."

And well deserved.

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Go inside the strategy that led to Carl Edwards’ first Sprint Cup road course win

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Carl Edwards earned his second win of the season and first at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday. It was a team effort for the No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing driver and crew, and RaceView Audio subscribers heard all of their communications.

See how the day played out for the team, and subscribe to RaceView Audio to listen to every team in every national series race. Click here for more information.

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Lap 5
Edwards: Getting real tight.
Crew chief Jimmy Fennig: Both ways?
Edwards: Mostly on these right handers. It feels like there’s no left front tire on it.

Lap 15
Edwards: Just a little tighter everywhere… Feels like my fronts need a little air out of ’em.
Fennig: That’s what we were thinking.

Lap 28

Fennig:
5 more laps, Carl.
Edwards: Who’s the fastest car?
Fennig: The 4 car, (Kevin Harvick) and the 48 (Jimmie Johnson).

Lap 33 (After the first caution at Lap 31 brought the No. 99 in early)
Fennig: A lot of ’em are on 3 stops. If the yellow hadn’t come out, everything would have worked out.

Lap 33
Edwards:
How are my tires looking with that lock up?
Fennig: Tires look good, no cords.

Lap 60 (As the leaders come to pit road for green-flag pit stops)
Edwards:) Should we stop now?
Fennig: It ain’t going to help us.

Lap 62 (During the second caution)
Fennig:
We’re going to stay out and stay with our game plan so we have clean air when we get our good tires.

Lap 67 (As the No. 99 gets caught in traffic)
Edwards:
We’re getting really screwed up here.

Lap 68
Edwards to spotter Jason Hedlesky: Jason, you’re doing a good job. Let’s just not get it wrecked here.

Lap 70 (A lap before the third caution)
Fennig:
Pit this time.
Edwards: Pull fenders and everything

Lap 81 (Racing with Marcos Ambrose before taking the lead at Lap 85)
Hedlesky:
You’re the man now. Take him to school. Pick him apart.

Lap 86 (After the No. 9 team questioned Edwards’ restart)
Edwards:
The green flag was waving before I went.

Lap 89
Hedlesky: Good job taking it away. Stay focused.

Lap 103
Hedlesky:
Opening it up again. Good work.

Lap 106
Hedlesky:
Make (Jeff Gordon) over drive his stuff. Front lock up right there.

Lap 107
Hedlesky:
Still no pressure out back. Run your race. Perfect Turn 7.

Lap 108
Hedlesky:
Heavy right front (tire) smoke. Get your rhythm.

Lap 109
Hedlesky:
Right front again. Closed to five (car lengths). You’ll open it back up again.

Lap 110 (Final lap, next-to-last turn)
Hedlesky:
Protect your (Turn) 11 here.

Checkered flag
Edwards:
Whooo. Yeah! Awesome!

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Moments that changed the course of the 16th race of the 2014 season

EDWARDS HOLDS OFF GORDON FOR WIN 
A well-timed caution helped get Carl Edwards to the front of the field, and the driver of the No. 99 Roush Fenway Ford did the rest.
 
Edwards passed Marcos Ambrose for the lead moments after a restart on Lap 86 and subsequently held off a charging Jeff Gordon to win Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.
 
The victory was Edwards second of the season — guaranteeing him a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, provided he finishes in the top 30 in points after race No. 26 and attempts to qualify for every race. It was the 23rd win of his career, and first Sprint Cup win on a road course.
 
Gordon finished second, .591 seconds behind Edwards. The runner-up result was Gordon’s fifth at Sonoma, matching his number of victories at the 1.99-mile road course.
 
The triumph had special meaning for Edwards precisely because it was Gordon who was chasing him to the finish line.
 
"That’s a moment I’ll never forget, to be standing in Victory Lane and to have held off Jeff Gordon, with all the success he’s had here and in our sport," Edwards said after climbing from his car. "It’s just really, really special.
 
"I’m living proof right here that, whatever it is you’re doing, just keep doing it, and don’t ever give up, because somehow things can work out. I’m just very fortunate."
 
Long before he made his Sprint Cup debut in 2004, Edwards had watched Gordon dominate road races at the tricky, technical track in wine country.
 
"Literally, I’m a fan of this sport, and I grew up watching Jeff Gordon go through those esses and watching how he drove his car, so to be able to hold him off like that means a lot," Edwards said.
 
"I’m glad there wasn’t one or two more laps in the race, because I don’t know if it would have worked that way, but it definitely meant a lot to have Jeff Gordon in my mirror."

UPS


EARNHARDT, KENSETH MAKE CONTACT
Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran third, his best-ever road course result, followed by pole winner Jamie McMurray and Paul Menard. Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson, Marcos Ambrose, Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer completed the top 10.
 
Bowyer and Ambrose led the field to green on Lap 80, after Matt Kenseth‘s brutal contact with the tire barriers in the esses brought out the fourth caution of the afternoon.
 
Kenseth’s No. 20 Toyota spun out of control from contact with Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 Chevrolet, which bounced off the curbing and into the side of Kenseth’s car.
 
"My bad — I hit the curb and ran into him," Earnhardt said on his radio.

GREEN-FLAG PIT STOP ELEVATES EDWARDS 
What happened before the previous caution, however, was the crux of the race. Edwards, Ambrose and Bowyer all came to pit road right before NASCAR called a caution for debris in Turn 10 on Lap 71. That enabled them to stay out under the yellow and propelled them to the front of the field.
 
Edwards was able to stay there, despite heavy pressure from Gordon in the closing laps.
 
In fact, Gordon said a mistake in Turn 4 six laps before the finish may have cost him the race.
 
"Gosh, I wish I could have had those last five or six laps to do over again," Gordon said. "I started overdriving it a little bit trying to catch him and making a few mistakes, and I made one in particular that really cost me.
 
"I think if I had just stayed smooth and stuck with it — looked like his car really started falling off those last couple laps, and I might have had a shot at least putting more pressure on Carl to force him to make a mistake or maybe get a run inside of him."

The NASCAR Wire Service contributed to this story.

2003 champion sees day end early after Lap 74 accident

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Matt Kenseth‘s day at Sonoma Raceway came to an early end on Sunday following contact from Dale Earnhardt Jr. that led to the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to head off the track and into a tire barrier.

Kenseth’s car took a hard hit, but the 2003 premier series champion walked away from the wreck just fine.

The accident came on Lap 74 and brought out a caution. At the time, Kenseth was running in the middle of the pack at 17th place.

The DNF is Kenseth’s first in 15 races at Sonoma. He has just one top-10 finish at the road course. He finished 42nd.

Kenseth told TNT after the accident that "I knew (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) was on my right side. On restarts, you have to run side-by-side. He got under me going into (Turn) 7, but I left him plenty of room. We ran through side-by-side earlier too. He just plowed into my right rear and wrecked me so I don’t know if he got into the curb and moved his car. I don’t know what happened. It really doesn’t matter at this point. Unfortunately, (it) ended out day."

Earnhardt took responsibility for the incident over his radio, saying, "My bad, I came off the curb and came right into him."

He later sent out this tweet:

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Jumps up to third in standings with first-ever win at Sonoma

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Carl Edwards‘ first win at Sonoma Raceway and second win of the season allowed him to jump up from seventh to third in the Chase Grid standings. He’s the fifth multi-race winner of 2014 on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit. He also won at Bristol Motor Speedway in March.

Ten drivers have combined to win the first 16 races of the year, and 10 races remain in the Sprint Cup Series before the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup begins. After the 16th points race of NASCAR’s regular season, here is how the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings look:

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