Sprint Cup Series entry list for Kansas

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Staff Report

The Sprint Cup Series makes its first of two stops at Kansas Speedway

Entry	#	Driver	Owner	Crew chief	Manufacturer	Sponsor
1	1	Jamie McMurray	Felix Sabates	Keith Rodden	14 Chevrolet	McDonald’s
2	2	Brad Keselowski	Roger Penske	Paul Wolfe	14 Ford	Wurth
3	3	Austin Dillon	Richard Childress	Gil Martin	14 Chevrolet	Dow
4	4	Kevin Harvick	Tony Stewart	Rodney Childers	14 Chevrolet	Jimmy John’s
5	5	Kasey Kahne	Linda Hendrick	Kenny Francis	14 Chevrolet	Farmers Insurance/Thankamillionteachers.com
6	7	Michael Annett	Tommy Baldwin	Kevin Manion	14 Chevrolet	Accell Construction
7	9	Marcos Ambrose	Richard Petty	Drew Blickensderfer	14 Ford	DeWALT
8	10	Danica Patrick	Tony Stewart	Tony Gibson	13 Chevrolet	GoDaddy
9	11	Denny Hamlin	J D Gibbs	Darian Grubb	14 Toyota	FedEx Freight
10	12	Ryan Blaney(i)	Roger Penske	Greg Erwin	14 Ford	SKF
11	13	Casey Mears	Bob Germain	Bootie Barker III	14 Chevrolet	No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS
12	14	Tony Stewart	Margaret Haas	Chad Johnston	14 Chevrolet	Bass Pro Shops-Mobil 1 Chevrolet
13	15	Clint Bowyer	Rob Kauffman	Brian Pattie	14 Toyota	Cherry 5-Hour ENERGY for Special Ops Warrior Foundation
14	16	Greg Biffle	Jack Roush	Matt Puccia	14 Ford	3M Novec
15	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr	John Henry	Michael Kelley	14 Ford	Zest
16	18	Kyle Busch	Joe Gibbs	Dave Rogers	14 Toyota	Snickers
17	20	Matt Kenseth	Joe Gibbs	Jason Ratcliff	14 Toyota	Dollar General
18	22	Joey Logano	Walter Czarnecki	Todd Gordon	14 Ford	AAA Insurance
19	23	Alex Bowman	Ron Devine	Dave Winston	14 Toyota	Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry
20	24	Jeff Gordon	Rick Hendrick	Alan Gustafson	14 Chevrolet	Axalta Coatings
21	26	Cole Whitt	Anthony Marlowe	Randy Cox	14 Toyota	Iowa Chop House
22	27	Paul Menard	Richard Childress	Slugger Labbe	14 Chevrolet	Shrock / Menards
23	31	Ryan Newman	Richard Childress	Luke Lambert	14 Chevrolet	Kwikset
24	32	Travis Kvapil	Frank Stoddard Jr	Daniel Stillman	14 Ford	TBA
25	33	David Stremme	Joe Falk	Mark Hillman	14 Chevrolet	Little Joe’s Autos
26	34	David Ragan	Bob Jenkins	Jay Guy	14 Ford	TACO BELL
27	36	Reed Sorenson	Allan Heinke	Todd Parrott	14 Chevrolet	TBA
28	38	David Gilliland	Brad Jenkins	Frank Kerr	14 Ford	LONG JOHN SILVER’S
29	40	Landon Cassill(i)	Michael Hillman	Mike Abner	14 Chevrolet	Carsforsale.com
30	41	Kurt Busch	Gene Haas	Daniel Knost	14 Chevrolet	Haas Automation
31	42	Kyle Larson	Chip Ganassi	Chris Heroy	14 Chevrolet	Target
32	43	Aric Almirola	Richard Petty	Trent Owens	14 Ford	Farmland
33	144	J J Yeley(i)	John Cohen	Steve Lane	14 Chevrolet	TBA
34	47	A J Allmendinger	Tad Geschickter	Brian Burns	14 Chevrolet	Kingsford Charcoal
35	48	Jimmie Johnson	Jeff Gordon	Chad Knaus	14 Chevrolet	Lowe’s
36	51	Justin Allgaier	Harry Scott Jr	Steve Addington	14 Chevrolet	BRANDT Professional Agriculture
37	55	Brian Vickers	Michael Waltrip	Billy Scott	14 Toyota	Aaron’s Dream Machine
38	66	Joe Nemechek(i)	Jay Robinson	Scott Eggleston	14 Toyota	Land Castle Title
39	77	Dave Blaney	Randy Humphrey	Peter Sospenzo	14 Ford	TBA
40	78	Martin Truex Jr	Barney Visser	Todd Berrier	14 Chevrolet	Furniture Row
41	83	Ryan Truex	Ron Devine	Doug Richert	14 Toyota	TBA
42	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr	Rick Hendrick	Steve Letarte	14 Chevrolet	National Guard
43	98	Josh Wise	Mike Curb	Gene Nead	14 Chevrolet	Phil Parsons Racing
44	99	Carl Edwards	Jack Roush	James Fennig	14 Ford	Aflac

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Posted on May 5, 2014 by Staff Report

A statistical lookahead to the first of two Sprint Cup Series stops at Kansas

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Below is a look at some of the top statistical
performers at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., going into
the 5-Hour Energy 400 Benefiting Special Operations Warrior Foundation on May 10.

KANSAS-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Novec Ford)
·         Two wins, seven top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
·         Average finish of 10.3
·         Average Running Position of 9.1, second-best
·         Driver Rating of 106.9, third-best
·         205 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
·         Average Green Flag Speed of 165.911 mph, fourth-fastest
·         2,574 Laps in the Top 15 (81.7%), third-most
·         472 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), third-most

Clint Bowyer (No. 15 Cherry 5-Hour ENERGY for Special Ops Warrior Foundation Toyota)
·         Two top fives, five top 10s
·         Average finish of 13.2
·         Driver Rating of 90.1, 10th-best

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet)
·         One top five, seven top 10s; one pole
·         Average finish of 15.9
·         Driver Rating of 89.9, 11th-best
·         773 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
·         Average Green Flag Speed of 165.549 mph, ninth-fastest
·         1,738 Laps in the Top 15 (60.2%), 12th-most
·         366 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)
·         Five top fives, nine top 10s
·         Average finish of 10.8
·         Average Running Position of 12.3, seventh-best
·         Driver Rating of 96.6, sixth-best
·         125 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
·         820 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
·         Average Green Flag Speed of 165.678 mph, fifth-fastest
·         2,166 Laps in the Top 15 (68.7%), sixth-most
·         457 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Axalta Coatings Chevrolet)
·         Two wins, nine top fives, 11 top 10s
·         Average finish of 10.6
·         Average Running Position of 9.8, fourth-best
·         Driver Rating of 99.6, fourth-best
·         109 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
·         735 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
·         Average Green Flag Speed of 165.943 mph, third-fastest
·         2,669 Laps in the Top 15 (84.7%), second-most
·         474 Quality Passes, second-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota)
·         One win, three top fives, three top 10s
·         Average finish of 14.8
·         Average Running Position of 14.1, 11th-best
·         Driver Rating of 89.2, 12th-best
·         69 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most
·         1,942 Laps in the Top 15 (67.3%), ninth-most
·         378 Quality Passes, 11th-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet)
·         One win, two top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
·         Average finish of 12.1
·         Average Running Position of 12.2, sixth-best
·         Driver Rating of 95.9, seventh-best
·         140 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
·         Series-high 900 Green Flag Passes
·         Average Green Flag Speed of 165.653 mph, sixth-fastest
·         2,208 Laps in the Top 15 (70.1%), fifth-most
·         424 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
·         Two wins, six top fives, 13 top 10s; three poles
·         Average finish of 7.5
·         Series-best Average Running Position of 7.4
·         Series-best Driver Rating of 118.9
·         Series-high 470 Fastest Laps Run
·         853 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
·         Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 166.603 mph
·         Series-high 2,812 Laps in the Top 15 (89.2%)
·         Series-high 566 Quality Passes

Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Farmers Insurance/Thankamillionteachers.com Chevrolet)
·         Three top fives, six top 10s; three poles
·         Average finish of 14.0
·         Average Running Position of 14.0, 10th-best
·         Driver Rating of 91.1, ninth-best
·         133 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
·         856 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
·         Average Green Flag Speed of 165.547 mph, 10th-fastest
·         1,990 Laps in the Top 15 (63.1%), seventh-most
·         397 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)
·         Two wins, six top fives, nine top 10s; two poles
·         Average finish of 14.6
·         Average Running Position of 9.6, third-best
·         Driver Rating of 109.6, second-best
·         232 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
·         Average Green Flag Speed of 165.946 mph, second-fastest
·         2,564 Laps in the Top 15 (81.3%), fourth-most
·         400 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet)
·         Two wins, six top fives, nine top 10s
·         Average finish of 12.3
·         Average Running Position of 11.3, fifth-best
·         Driver Rating of 97.5, fifth-best
·         137 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
·         Average Green Flag Speed of 165.625 mph, eighth-fastest
·         1,984 Laps in the Top 15 (68.8%), eighth-most
·         401 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Martin Truex Jr. (No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet)
·         Three top fives, three top 10s
·         Average finish of 19.2
·         Average Running Position of 13.8, eighth-best
·         Driver Rating of 91.5, eighth-best
·         131 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
·         Average Green Flag Speed of 165.627 mph, seventh-fastest
·         1,791 Laps in the Top 15 (62.1%), 11th-most

Kansas Speedway Data
Season Race #: 11 of 36 (05-10-14)
Track Size: 1.5-miles
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 17 to 20 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 17 to 20 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 10 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 2,685 feet
Backstretch Length: 2,207 feet
Race Length: 267 laps / 400 miles

Top 10 Driver Ratings at Kansas
Jimmie Johnson …………………….. 118.9
Matt Kenseth …………………………. 109.6
Greg Biffle …………………………….. 106.9
Jeff Gordon …………………………….. 99.6
Tony Stewart …………………………… 97.5
Carl Edwards…………………………… 96.6
Kevin Harvick ………………………….. 95.9
Martin Truex Jr ………………………… 91.5
Kasey Kahne …………………………… 91.1
Clint Bowyer ……………………………. 90.1
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2013
races (12 total) among active drivers at Kansas
Speedway.

Qualifying/Race Data
2013 pole winner: Matt Kenseth, Toyota
191.864 mph, 28.145 secs. 04-21-13

2013 race winner: Matt Kenseth, Toyota
133.611 mph, (02:59:51), 04-21-13

Track qualifying record: Matt Kenseth, Toyota
191.864 mph, 28.145 secs. 04-19-13

Track race record: Denny Hamlin, Toyota
133.611 mph, (02:59:51), 04-22-12

Kansas Speedway:
History
·         Groundbreaking was held on May 25, 1999.
·         The official opening of Kansas Speedway was in 2001, with the first events being an ARCA race and a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race on the same day – June 2.
·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was on Sept. 30, 2001 – won by Jeff Gordon.
·         During the 2012 season, between the April and October events the 1.5-mile track underwent a repave adding variable banking in the corners.

Notebook
·         There have been 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway, one NSCS event from 2001 – 2010 and two races per year since 2011.
·         111 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas; 83 in more than one.
·         Seven drivers have started all 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway – Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth and Ryan Newman.
·         Jason Leffler won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Kansas Speedway in 2001 with a speed of 176.499 mph.
·         11 drivers have Coors Light poles at Kansas, led by Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne with three each.
·         Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to win consecutive Coors Light poles at Kansas Speedway (2007 and 2008).
·         Youngest Kansas pole winner: Jason Leffler (09/30/2001 – 26 years, 0 months, 14 days).
·         Oldest Kansas pole winner: Mark Martin (10/04/2009 – 50 years, 8 months, 25 days).
·         11 different drivers have won at Kansas Speedway, led by Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson with two each.
·         Roush Fenway Racing and Hendrick Motorsports are tied for the most wins at Kansas in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with four each.
·         Chevrolet leads the series in wins at Kansas with eight victories; followed by Ford with four wins.
·         Four of the 16 (25%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway have been won from the Coors Light pole; Joe Nemechek (2004), Jimmie Johnson (2008), Matt Kenseth (spring 2013), Kevin Harvick (fall 2013).
·         Five of the 16 (31.2%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway have been won from the front row: four from the pole and one from second-place.
·         10 of the 16 (62.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Kansas Speedway have been won from a top-10 starting position.
·         Two of the 16 (12.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Kansas Speedway was 25th, by Brad Keselowski in the spring of 2011.
·         Youngest Kansas winner: Ryan Newman (10/05/2003 – 25 years, 9 months, 27 days).
·         Oldest Kansas winner: Mark Martin (10/09/2005 – 46 years, 9 months, 0 days).
·         Martin Truex Jr., Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman are tied for the series most runner-up finishes at Kansas Speedway with two each.
·         Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at Kansas Speedway with nine; followed by Greg Biffle with seven.
·         Jimmie Johnson leads the series in top-10 finishes at Kansas Speedway with 13; followed by Jeff Gordon (11), Edwards, Biffle, Kenseth and Stewart each have nine.
·         Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Kansas Speedway with a 10.800.
·         Jimmie Johnson (7.533) leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Kansas Speedway – he is the only driver with an average finish in the top-10 at Kansas.
·         There has been one NSCS race resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Kansas Speedway: fall of 2011 (267/272).
·         Only one of the 16 races at Kansas Speedway has been shortened due to weather conditions: fall of 2007.
·         Qualifying has never been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas Speedway.
·         Denny Hamlin has participated in the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway without posting a DNF (11).
·         Jason Leffler (09/30/2001) is the only driver to post his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Kansas Speedway.
·         2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion and 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Austin Dillon (10/09/2011) and Denny Hamlin (10/09/2005) made their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career starts at Kansas Speedway.
·         Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth are the only two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers that have posted consecutive wins at Kansas Speedway: Gordon (2001 and 2002 – the first two NSCS events at Kansas) and Kenseth (fall of 2012, spring of 2013).
·         Nine of the 10 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Kansas Speedway participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Jeff Gordon won at Kansas in his first appearance.
·         Kevin Harvick competed at Kansas Speedway 15 times before winning last fall; the longest span of any the 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Kansas.
·         Kevin Harvick (15) and Matt Kenseth (13) have made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Kansas Speedway.
·         Kurt Busch leads the series with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway without visiting Victory Lane at 16.
·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas Speedway was the (10/10/2004) race won by Joe Nemechek with a MOV of 0.081 second.
·         Jimmie Johnson leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Kansas Speedway with 562 laps led in 15 starts.
·         Danica Patrick is the only female driver that has competed at Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:

Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Date
Danica Patrick	29	43	10/6/2013
Danica Patrick	25	25	4/21/2013
Danica Patrick	40	32	10/21/2012

NASCAR in Kansas

There have been 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Kansas.

17 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Kansas.

Two drivers from Kansas have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series; both have won in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Clint Bowyer	8	8	3
Jim Roper	1	0	0

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Posted on May 5, 2014 by Staff Report

Plan your NASCAR weekend with these on-track times for Kansas

All times ET

TV LISTINGS / BUY TICKETS / WEEKEND TRACK EVENTS

SATURDAY, MAY 10

PRE-RACE SCHEDULE
— 5:30:00 p.m.: Driver/Crew Chief Meeting (NCWTS Garage & on Sprint Vision)
— 6:41:30 p.m.: Official Welcome by: Pat Warren, President of Kansas Speedway (remarks)
— 6:47:00 p.m.: Intro Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award Recipient: Don Post
— 6:47:30 p.m.: Intro Honorary Pace Car Driver: Jordy Nelson, Former Kansas State player & Current Wide Receiver for Green Bay Packers
— 6:48:00 p.m.: Intro Honorary Race Official: Bruce Weber, Men’s Basketball Coach, Kansas State
— 6:48:30 p.m.: Intro Honorary Starter: Jana Bowyer, Mother of 5-Hour Energy Driver, Clint Bowyer
— 6:49:00 p.m.: Intro Grand Marshal: Retired Army Colonel Roger Donlon, 1st Recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor in Vietnam; First member of Special Forces to be honored
— 6:49:30 p.m.: Intro Miss Sprint Cup: Madison Martin
— 6:50:00 p.m.: NSCS Drivers Introductions with NASCAR Special Awards
— 7:30:00 p.m.: Presentation of Colors by: Kansas Army National Guard
— 7:30:20 p.m.: Invocation by: Chaplain David Jenkins, State Chaplain of the Kansas National Guard
— 7:30:45 p.m.: Intro National Anthem
— 7:31:00 p.m.: National Anthem: Father Meinrad Miller, Benedictine Monk & Priest; Theology Professor at Benedictine College in Atchison, KS
— 7:32:20 p.m.: Flyover TOT by: 10 RVs from the KC Flight Team (Turn 3 to Turn 2)
— 7:37:30 p.m.: "Drivers, Start Your Engines" by: Retired Army Colonel Roger Donlon, 1st Recipient of a Congressional Medal of Honor in Vietnam; First member of Special Forces to be honored
— 7:46:30 p.m.: Start of the 5-hour Energy 400 (267 Laps, 400 Miles)

ON TRACK
— 7:30
p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 5-Hour Energy 400 benefiting Special
Operations Warrior Foundation (267 laps, 400.5 miles), FOX (Follow live)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 10:45 p.m. approx.: Post-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 5-Hour Energy 400

THURSDAY, MAY 8:

ON TRACK
— 3:15-4:15 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, No TV (Get results)
— 4:45-5:45 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, No TV (Get results)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 1:45 p.m.: Ryan Blaney
— 2 p.m.: Matt Crafton

FRIDAY, MAY 9:

ON TRACK
— Noon-1:30 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FOX Sports 1 (Get results)
— 2:30-3:20 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, FOX Sports 1 (Get results)
— 4:40 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FOX Sports 1 (Get results)
— 6:40 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FOX Sports 1 (Get results)
— 8:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series SFP 250 (167 laps, 250.5 miles), FOX Sports 1 (Get results)

GARAGECAM (Watch live)
— 11:30 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 10:45 a.m.: Kansas Speedway and Kansas Lottery
— 11 a.m.: Jimmie Johnson
— 11:15 a.m.: Clint Bowyer
— 3:30 p.m.: Carl Edwards
— 3:45 p.m.: Ryan Newman
— 7:40 p.m. approx.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying
— 11 p.m. approx.: Post-NASCAR Camping World Truck Series SFP 250

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Posted on May 4, 2014 by

Crowds flock to former football star, bringing awareness to cause

TUCSON, Ariz. — At 52 years old, Herschel Walker still looks like he could pound through almost any defensive line for at least a few yards.

Instead, this week it’s mileage on the mind of the former Heisman Trophy winner. He’s participating for the ninth straight year in the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America, and he’s easily the most physically fit rider among the 200 on the road from California to Florida.

Seventeen years after retiring from professional football, the former University of Georgia star running back maintains a daily fitness regimen that keeps his body in peak condition. He has participated in Mixed Martial Arts matches and says he might have one more in him before leaving that sport.

Day 2 recap

Started: Tucson, Arizona.
Finished: Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Miles traveled: 360.3.

Since being introduced to the Petty Ride about a decade ago, Walker has been one of the ride’s main attractions. He signs autographs at every stop along the way, records a string of television interviews and smiles for photographs with young kids who have no clue about the power with which he once roamed football fields.

"I’m sort of like a crazy football player all the time," Walker said. "If I’m going to do anything, I’m going to try to do it well. I don’t care what it is. Since I want to be on this ride, I think I have to help see what I could do."

Walker, who operates several businesses, participates in the ride as a sponsor and has brought several other riders into the fold.

"I had followed Richard Petty — I call him Mr. Petty — racing and watched Kyle race, but I only got to know them about 10 years ago," he said. "I fell in love with them and what they’re doing. They’re so real. I’ve been all over the world and met all types of people, but I haven’t forgotten who I am, and that’s important. The Pettys are special people in that way."

Walker has visited the Victory Junction Gang Camp and seen what people describe as the magic there.

"I see the young kids there who have been with their parents 24/7," he said. "The parents have never left that child. You see the parents leave their child there, and when they come back, the kid doesn’t want to go home. They have such a great time. Kyle has really put something special together through honoring his son (Adam), and I think I have to help see what I can do."

An ultimate athlete, Walker has no problem deciding where he stands on the occasional debate concerning whether race car drivers are athletes.

"There’s no doubt that they are," he said. "You get in that car, you better be in shape. Conditioning is so important, no matter what sport you’re in, as to how you finish. Sometimes you get exhausted and start losing it. It can play tricks on you.

"I’ve driven a car at about 170 on a track almost alone. You put more cars out there, inches apart. That requires an athlete."

Day 2 recap

Started: Tucson, Arizona.
Finished: Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Miles traveled: 360.3.

Notes: The second day of the ride, across the Desert Southwest, brought more soaring temperatures and calls from ride organizers for participants to stay hydrated. Saturday’s high of 103 degrees along the route in Arizona forced some riders into air-conditioned vehicles. Their bikes were placed into trucks temporarily. … A highlight of Sunday’s run was a stop in Tombstone, Arizona, an infamous Old West town that was the site of the historic shootout at the OK Corral.

Monday’s route: Las Cruces, New Mexico to Cloudcroft, New Mexico; to Carlsbad, New Mexico; to Midland, Texas.

Donate: The Kyle Petty Charity Ride raises money for the Victory Junction Gang Camp, a summer camp for chronically ill children. To donate, victoryjunction.org.

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Posted on May 4, 2014 by

JGR driver avoids ‘Big One’ to become eighth different winner in ’14

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Aaron’s 499 info: Results | Updated standings

TALLADEGA, Ala. — In his 300th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start, Denny Hamlin overtook Kevin Harvick coming to the white flag to win the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.

The 45th annual spring event at the 2.66-mile superspeedway finished under caution, as a multicar incident initiated behind the leaders as the white flag waved. As the final lap continued, debris sat on the frontstretch forcing NASCAR to throw the yellow and halt Hamlin’s challengers.

The win awarded the 33-year-old driver his first points-paying triumph at a restrictor-plate track and virtually ensured him a berth into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

"We really just want to win races — regardless of what implications this means for the Chase," Hamlin said. "It feels good to be back in Victory Lane. (We) just strategically saw that things were getting a little heavy there in the middle part of the race … and we were able to avoid (a wreck) and just play our cards right and make the right strategy."

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Greg Biffle stormed to a second-place finish behind Hamlin, with Clint Bowyer, Brian Vickers and AJ Allmendinger rounding out the top five.

Brian Scott earned his first career Coors Light Pole Award in the Cup Series on Saturday, but never led a lap as Paul Menard, who started second, grabbed the lead for the first five laps before Danica Patrick in her No. 10 Chevrolet roared from her seventh starting spot to lead for two laps.

Brad Keselowski would eventually pass Patrick, but his time at the front would be short-lived as he made contact with Patrick racing for the lead, sending his No. 2 Miller Lite Ford for a wild slide before coming back onto the track in Turn 1, yielding the first caution on Lap 15.

The race was incident-free through a long stretch in the middle, but that simply set up a dramatic conclusion.

While leading late, Dale Earnhardt Jr. decided to pit on Lap 152 and never contended again. Meanwhile, Biffle had one of his strongest runs of the year to lead the field back to green ahead of Harvick and Kyle Larson.

"The last few restarts were actually really good for us," said Biffle, who exits Talladega eighth in the driver standings.

The second "Big One" of the afternoon came on Lap 175 when Jimmie Johnson lost control of his Chevrolet in Turn 4 and collected seven cars, Austin Dillon and Joey Logano among them.

On the restart, Hamlin and Harvick put on a show utilizing help from their peers, exchanging control of the race for the next two laps before Carl Edwards spun, collecting Ryan Newman and Cole Whitt to bring out the yellow yet again on Lap 184.

Hamlin, though, with help from Biffle and Bowyer, would execute his move on leader Harvick on the restart. With Biffle and Bowyer in-toe, Hamlin came to the white flag when a crash started from behind. The field remained under green, but when debris landed in the racing groove near the start/finish line, the eighth caution of the race was flown, immediately freezing the field and earning Hamlin his 24th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory.

"These cars are just so hard to pass believe it or not that you get bottled up, you get where you can’t make any moves," Hamlin said. "You have to be in those top two lines to do anything. I knew once we were in the top three in those last 20 laps that we were going to be in good shape."

Menard finished sixth, Harvick wound up seventh, Kasey Kahne was eighth, Larson ninth and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. comprised the top-10.

The Sprint Cup Series returns to the track Saturday night for the 5-Hour Energy 400 at Kansas Speedway.

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Posted on May 4, 2014 by Holly Cain

Five-time Talladega winner led 26 laps but finishes 26th in Aaron’s 499

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TALLADEGA, Ala. — The cheers from the Talladega Superspeedway grandstands were audible even over the roar of the cars whenever ‘Dega’s favorite son Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead in Sunday’s Aaron’s 499.

It was noticeably quieter in the final laps however, when Earnhardt — a five-time Talladega winner — was shuffled toward the rear of the field after leading three times for 26 laps on the afternoon and never got to challenge for the win.

The television announcers wondered if perhaps he was just biding his time and avoiding one of Talladega’s typical late race "Big Ones." Caution played into it, but Earnhardt said after the race that it was simpler than that.

His No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet got mired in traffic and he just ran out of time.

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"You have to have that track position in the end and we just didn’t have it," Earnhardt said. "I knew we were going to be sitting there in 15th at the end and get boxed in or wrecked.

"We missed a lot of guys that crashed and didn’t tear up our car, so we will go to Daytona with this car and try to manage a strategy where we are not giving up 25 positions in the last 30 laps of the race."

After the race, Earnhardt posted a message to his fans on Twitter:

Stuck in the back with no where to go. Disappointed in myself for not figuring out what to do the last 30 laps.

— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) May 4, 2014

Only runner-up Greg Biffle (58 laps) spent more time out front Sunday, but Earnhardt’s 26th-place finish was his worst at Talladega in four years. Considering the garage around him was filled with torn-up equipment, the Daytona 500 winner considers his intact race car a consolation prize.

"We already got a win," he said. "And I’ve been in too many late-race wrecks. I didn’t want to be no part of it. And there were three or four there we dodged good."

A late race pit stop for gas initially moved Earnhardt from the lead pack to the back group and a big move forward never materialized — his best shot at making his way forward was thwarted by driver Josh Wise.

"I didn’t know how close we were on fuel," Earnhardt explained. "(Crew chief) Steve (Letarte) didn’t think we could make it so we came in and got fuel, but we come out too far behind.

"It’s hard to drive up through there. The track is three-wide forever. You know they’re going to crash and I can’t afford to wreck anymore here. So, you’ve just got to pick your battles.

"I felt like we were better off not getting in a wreck and trying to stay back there. And if we had an opportunity to get a run, we took it. But that one we had just got blocked by the No. 98 (Wise) and with two to go, you’re not going to get another run."

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Posted on May 4, 2014 by Holly Cain

Gordon, Kenseth among former series champions involved in ‘Big One’

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TALLADEGA, Ala. — After an accident-free mid-race stretch — calm racing by Talladega Superspeedway standards — a rash of big accidents claimed NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions left and right.

A massive 14-car crash was triggered by the lapped car of 2012 Cup champ Brad Keselowski with 50 laps remaining in Sunday’s Aaron’s 499.

Front-runners Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart and pole-winner Brian Scott were among the drivers collected in the mess. Many cars suffered cosmetic damage but Gordon, Kenseth and Stewart were forced to the garage for repairs.

Three-time champ Stewart was unable to return to the track and ended up being scored last.

Kenseth and championship points leader Gordon, in particular, were less than pleased with Keselowski’s aggressive driving style considering he was six laps down at the time of the accident.

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"Well, I will say one thing, if it was the other way around and it was anybody else except for him (Keselowski) we’d all be getting lectured,” Kenseth said. "I didn’t know he was that many laps down, honestly.

"He came down across the front of Danica’s car early (in the race) and spun in front of the field and thankfully didn’t collect any cars. This time we weren’t so lucky. He was driving really, really, really aggressively to try to get back up there."

Keselowski went down laps initially after making contact with Patrick and spinning in front of the entire field on Lap 14, a miscue Kenseth called "mind-boggling" — the same words a frustrated Keselowski used to describe a late race move by Kenseth last week at Richmond International Raceway.

Keselowski took responsibility for the accident, explaining that he was driving aggressively because he needed to make up laps. After the race he posted an apology on Twitter.

Hate causing the big one @TalladegaSuperS today. Been on the other side of the shoe and it stinks. #MyBad

— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) May 4, 2014

In the garage after the accident, Keselowski explained what happened as his crew worked on his Penske Racing Ford.

"I just obviously spun out in front of the field,” he said. "It just broke loose and spun out on me. I don’t know if I ran over something or just busted my rear end, but I feel bad for the guys that got caught up in it. We were just trying really hard to get our lap back there, and we couldn’t catch any yellows or any breaks so I had to be really aggressive and hope for something to happen our way.

"And I had to be running up toward the front so I feel bad that we got cars torn up and we were laps down when we did it. But we’re trying to race, too, and it just didn’t work out for us."

Or for several other contenders.

"I had seen him for several laps driving over his head being pretty aggressive I guess trying to get his lap back,” said Gordon, who finished 39th and claims a mere three-point edge over Kenseth (who finished 37th) in the standings.

"I knew he (Keselowski) was laps down, but he wasn’t doing anybody any favors, nor himself. Then ultimately that was a wreck. I would like to see the video to know exactly what happened. Somebody might not have given him an inch there, but he was certainly taking probably more than he should have been in the situation he was in."

While Gordon’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Johnson was able to continue after his Chevy was damaged in the first accident, he spun out with 14 laps remaining.

"I got caught-up in the first wreck and that did some damage; and I don’t know what happened when I spun out. I just went out in front of everybody," Johnson said. "The car just got real loose going into Turn 3 and turned around and collected a bunch of guys, unfortunately. And then after that, I think I got in two more wrecks and somehow still came home in the 20s."

Asked about the day — the aggressive driving, the costly accidents — Johnson was philosophic, if not resigned.

"It’s ‘Dega. Stuff happens," Johnson said.

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Posted on May 4, 2014 by Staff Report

Moments that changed the course of the 10th race of the season

PATRICK, KESELOWSKI MAKE CONTACT FOR THE LEAD
A three-wide battle for the lead early in Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway resulted in Brad Keselowski wrecking onto the apron after a nudge from the No. 10 of Danica Patrick.

Keselowski found a line in the middle and had just pulled ahead of Patrick past the start/finish line. He attempted to maneuver his No. 2 Ford into the low line heading into Turn 1 when the two cars made contact, sending Keselowski spinning wildly onto the oversized apron.

The Team Penske driver saved his car from further damage by regaining control just as his Ford slid back up onto the track, bringing out the caution on Lap 14.

Patrick, who became the first woman to lead a Cup race at Talladega, was told over the radio that the incident was not her fault. "I was looking in my mirror," said Patrick, who was leading a Cup race for just the third time in her career. "I was trying to slide in between the 2 and the 24 (of Jeff Gordon)."

Keselowski’s crew chief Paul Wolfe agreed.

"We weren’t clear enough to make that," Wolfe said over the radio. "I’ll just call it at that. We weren’t clear enough to make that move."

Keselowski took his car into pit road for an extensive stop. He returned to the track seven laps down.

KESELOWSKI CAUSES ‘THE BIG ONE’

After an accident-free mid-race stretch — calm racing by Talladega Superspeedway standards — a massive 14-car crash was triggered by the lapped car of Brad Keselowski with 50 laps remaining in Sunday’s Aaron’s 499.

Frontrunners Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart and pole-winner Brian Scott were among the drivers collected in the mess — many with cosmetic damage but Gordon, Kenseth and Stewart were forced to the garage for repairs.

Kenseth and Gordon, in particular, were less than impressed with Keselowski’s aggressive driving style considering he was six laps down to the field.

"Well, I will say one thing, if it was the other way around and it was anybody else except for him (Keselowski) we’d all be getting lectured," Kenseth said. "I didn’t know he was that many laps down honestly."

HAMLIN MAKES WINNING MOVE FOR VICTORY UNDER CAUTION

Denny Hamlin won for the first time this season, holding off Greg Biffle to claim Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway under caution.

Since placing second in the season-opening Daytona 500, Hamlin had just one other top-12 finish (sixth at Bristol) in the first nine Sprint Cup Series races of the year.

Biffle finished second, while Clint Bowyer, Brian Vickers and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top five.