STOCK CAR NEWS: 2008

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Shutting Down

Until further notice Stock Car News Blog will be suspending any updates. This will only be temporary. Please check back often for news on when we will start up again.

Thank you

Monday, October 6, 2008

NASCAR Newscast: Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Race 4 Recap

NSCS Recap: Stewart Emerges Wild Talladega Race With First Victory At Track

ALLADEGA, ALA-- Tony Stewart survived a couple of huge wrecks and a record number of leaders to win the AMP Energy 500 here Sunday at a track that produces excitement by the barrel.

Stewart held off hard-charging rookie Regan Smith, who made a last-lap daredevil pass below the yellow line in trying to beat the two-time champion.

NASCAR rules prohibit passing below the yellow line that separates the racing track from the apron.

It was Stewart's first win ever at Talladega Superspeedway and came at the end of a wham-bam day in which many of the top contenders were knocked from contention in a wild and wooly wreck just 14 laps from the end.

The accident was triggered when Carl Edwards' Ford lost grip, creating a chain reaction that had cars spinning all over the place, including Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship contenders Edwards, teammate Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and a host of others not involved in the Chase.

Sidelined or seriously damaged in the accident also were race contenders Juan Pablo Montoya, Travis Kvapil, Dave Blaney, Michael Waltrip, and Reed Sorensen.

The race produced an all-time record number of leaders with 27.

Smith's teammate Paul Menard was second. Smith was moved back to 18th for his rule violation after officials reviewed the finish.

David Ragan was third, Burton was fourth, Bowyer fifth, Bobby Labonte finished six, Scott Riggs seventh, Robby Gordon eighth, Jimmie Johnson ninth and Elliott Sadler tenth.

Johnson's finish was unusual since he lost a lap early and was never fully competitive, even though he did lead at one point.

Kyle Busch, another leader, was 15th but never ultra-competitive. Harvick wound up 20th after being a serious contender.

Before a cheering Talladega crowd which typically watches on its tiptoes, NASCAR's best drivers gave them what they came for, side-by-side, bumper-to-bumper action right from the git-go.

Pole winner Kvapil led a lap, then Vickers led, then Edwards, back and forth, forwards, backwards, race cars jockeying for position like Big Brown down the stretch at the Kentucky Derby.

For example, Montoya was running second on Lap 11 and dropped to 24th by the 13th lap. Rookie Aric Almirola jumped up front to lead lap 15. Just a lap or two later, Ragan took the lead with a shove from Kvapil.

The crowd erupted with cheering and shouting on Lap 25 when Earnhardt took the lead for the first time. "Junior Nation" roared its approval. Johnson's day was not going nearly so well as he lost a lap when his Chevy had possible engine problems. Kvapil went back in front on Lap 30. The lead was changing so fast, it was hard to keep up with who was leading when. The first caution of the beautiful afternoon fell on Lap 34 with Earnhardt out front. The crowd was still on its feet.

Following pit stops, Gordon was the first car back on track, leader of the snarling pack with 37 of 188 laps complete. Truex, Jr., was second, Burton third, Mike Wallace fourth, Earnhardt fifth and Busch sixth.

Burton quickly went to the front but was passed by Kenseth. Vickers got a huge shove from Johnson, fighting to get his lap back, and the Toyota driver led for a lap. Sadler roared to the front and then Mears led a lap.

Another debris caution slowed the field on Lap 45 with Mears ahead. The crowd was still standing.

Sadler was the leader when the green flag fell at Lap 49. Ryan Newman's afternoon ended with a sick engine at this point and Kyle Busch streaked to the front with a push from teammate Hamlin.

Kurt Busch went out just before Gordon and David Reutimann spun on the 52nd lap. Jon Wood was also in the accident on the backstretch. Johnson's luck might have turned better during the accident as he barely missed this one after getting back on the lead lap by virtue of the "lucky dog" award.

During this caution period, Kurt Busch's crew raised the hood on his car and eventually took the Penske Dodge behind the wall.

Reutimann apparently cut a tire that triggered the accident.

Vickers went back out front on the 59th lap restart with Kvapil, Mike Skinner, Kyle Busch and Sorensen behind.

Kahne went to the front with McMurray in tow, then, lined up three abreast, Sorensen led, then Truex, Jr., tried to lead before Jamie McMurray took the top spot.

All of a sudden it was McMurray all alone before Earnhardt shoved Truex ahead.

If anyone took their eyes off the pack, you ran the risk of missing a lead change. Earnhardt went ahead, then Montoya and before you could blink an eye,

Talladega mayhem took over on Lap 68. Vickers cut a tire, sending his Toyota sideways into McMurray and triggering a domino-effect wreck that damaged several cars besides Vickers’ and McMurray's. Terry Labonte was involved, as was Almirola, Truex, Skinner, Kahne, Tony Raines and David Gilliland.

NASCAR officials red-flagged the race to clean up the debris.

After a 20-minute delay, action continued with Earnhardt leading, Paul Menard second and Burton third when the green flag waved on Lap 71.

On the next lap, Hamlin took the front spot. Once again, the lead changed hands several times each lap. Johnson led for the first time before Earnhardt returned to the front. Then, it was Johnson again. Stewart went out front on Lap 80 with Mike Wallace in his draft.

Another tire problem, this time for a failure on Mike Wallace's right rear, brought out the caution on Lap 81. Pieces of Wallace's tire tore up the front of Michael Waltrip's NAPA Toyota and his crew had to make repairs before he continued.

When the green waved on Lap 86, it was Kyle Busch ahead of Earnhardt and Montoya up front.

Busch and Stewart maintained the lead. before Earnhardt was pushed to the front by Almirola.

It was probably the best lap-by-lap race in the history of this 2.6-mile superspeedway.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

NASCAR Newscast: Chase Race 4 Talladega Preview

NSCS Recap: Johnson holds off Edwards' charge to take Chase lead

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- It was probably one of the most spectacular finishes in NASCAR history.

Carl Edwards made a suicide run into the third turn underneath race leader Jimmie Johnson. He was determined to win.

Unfortunately, Edwards ran out of track before running into the wall, struggled to maintain control and watched Johnson go back by him for the victory at Kansas Speedway.

A sellout crowd stood, cheering the last-lap, do-or-die antics of the hard-driving Edwards, even though his banzai run tactics didn't work.

Greg Biffle made a last-lap pass of Jeff Gordon for third position. Matt Kenseth was fifth after a day of struggles, and Kevin Harvick finished sixth. Jeff Burton was seventh, David Ragan eighth, AJ Allmendinger ninth and Elliott Sadler 10th.

It was another sad day for Kyle Busch, who encountered mechanical problems again and wound up 28th. Busch was never a factor.

It was Johnson who led most of the way. Edwards, however, was a contender throughout the race, having to fight his way back from 25th spot after a pit road accident sent him back in the field for a restart.

Johnson's win establishes him as the man to beat in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship since he has two Sprint Cups in his possession already, but Edwards and Biffle plan to give him all the competition he could ask for in the remaining seven races.

The three up-on-the-wheel drivers -- Johnson, Edwards and Biffle -- will wear out the gas pedal at Talladega next weekend if Sunday's race was an indication of what to expect.

Talladega is a wide-open, 2.6-mile, high-banked speed palace where drivers draft together in a 40-car swarm.

Sunday in Kansas, popular driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr., once again finished poorly in 13th position.

Under a steaming sun on a tacky track, two-time defending champion Johnson took the lead in his Lowe's Chevy and raced away from the field at the start.

Kenseth's yellow DeWalt Ford took over near the 20-lap mark with Martin Truex Jr. just behind. The rest of the field fanned out around the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway.

Truex passed Johnson at 30 laps for second spot. For the third race in a row, regular-season points leader Busch encountered some type of engine problem, dropping out of contention before 50 laps had been completed.

Busch established his Joe Gibbs Racing team as the favorite to win the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship with eight wins during the regular season. He started the Chase atop the standings but fell to 12th out of 12 after the Dover race last weekend. At the 60-lap point in Sunday's race, no relief seemed to be in sight as both Kyle and brother Kurt struggled near the back of the pack.

Once the first round of green-flag, pit stops were complete, Kenseth was back out front with Truex and Johnson behind. Rounding out the top 10 were Casey Mears, Gordon, Sadler, Allmendinger, Brian Vickers, Biffle and Ragan.

Vickers lost several positions due to a run-in with Edwards during the pit stops. Edwards clipped the rear of Vickers' Toyota as he entered his pit while Vickers was exiting his. Both cars suffered minor damage. The incident shuffled Edwards back to 25th.

Ryan Newman slid into the wall on the 74th lap bringing out the first caution flag of the day.

During this pit stop, several cars banged together when Dave Blaney pulled in front of others leaving his pit. Allmendinger's crew let a tire roll across pit road, costing him a bunch of track positions.

On the restart at lap 79, it was Mears, Truex, Gordon, Johnson, Biffle, Earnhardt, Sadler, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Sadler and Mark Martin.

Kyle Petty brought out a caution on lap 94, spinning off the track in Turn 3. After a restart with Mears in the lead, Johnson charged back to the front on lap 110.

Much-heralded rookie Joey Logano brought out a caution at lap 117 when he brushed the wall.

Once the green waved again, Truex was in front, Johnson, Bowyer, Biffle, Gordon, Jeff Burton, Earnhardt, Harvick, Sadler and Mears. Shortly after the restart, Kenseth lost control and spun but did not make contact with anything. Again on the restart, a spin brought the caution back out. Tony Stewart spun off the track after a brief on-track exchange with Vickers.

At the halfway point (134 laps), Johnson led with Truex and Biffle in tow. Gordon was fourth, Edwards fifth and Bowyer sixth. Earnhardt, Burton, Harvick and Mears were seventh through 10th.

Monday, September 22, 2008

NSCS Recap: Biffle stays unbeaten in Chase

Nascar Media.com:

DOVER, Del. -- Greg Biffle is up on the wheel. For the second consecutive week, Biffle outraced the field down the stretch and won the Camping World RV 400 Presented by AAA at Dover International Speedway.

Biffle, who ran with the leaders most of the day, turned up the adrenaline with 24 laps to go and dogged teammate Matt Kenseth for 15 laps before finally passing Kenseth with a eight laps remaining.

It was no-holds-barred, bare-knuckle racing at its best as Biffle tried to pass Kenseth lap after lap on the low side of the track. Kenseth kept fighting him off, and Biffle slipped to the outside lane. The two cars touched momentarily, and Biffle came out of the corner sideways, but in the lead.

Carl Edwards, who joined the free-for-all for several laps, eventually had to settle for third place. It was a 1-2-3 finish for Roush Fenway Racing.

Mark Martin was fourth in a Chevy, and two-time champion Jimmie Johnson was fifth.

Rounding out the top 10 were Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton and Michael Waltrip.

Eight of the top 10 finishers are competing in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship, excluding Martin and Waltrip.

Tony Stewart, another Chase contender, was 11th. Denny Hamlin wound up 38t,h and the favorite coming into the final 10-race Sprint Showdown, Kyle Busch, had another dismal day, finishing dead last, 43rd.

A splendid day for racing with balmy, tropical weather turned stormy for former champion Kurt Busch just a lap into the race. David Gilliland barely brushed the left rear of Busch, causing Busch's Dodge to slam the outside retaining wall. The action on the high-banked Dover Downs track -- dubbed the "Monster Mile" -- continued shortly after the restart.

Patrick Carpentier lost control of his Dodge in Turn 1, spinning out of control and nicking the fender of Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup contender Carl Edwards. Both cars, as well as Kurt Busch and Gilliland, were able to continue.

Jeff Gordon showed his pole speed out front with Hamlin, Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., David Reutimann, Bowyer, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. in tow.

On lap 31, McMurray sped past Gordon for the lead and put a comfortable distance between himself and the rest of the field.

Joe Nemechek brought out another caution on lap 64 when his Chevy cut a right front tire and slammed the outside wall.

On the restart at lap 69, excellent pit work by his crew put Kenseth on the point, followed by Gordon, Martin, McMurray and Edwards. Rounding out the top 10 at the time were Reutimann, Johnson, Bowyer, Burton and Biffle.

McMurray chased Gordon down and passed him again on lap 83 for second place. Gordon dropped to fifth behind Kenseth, McMurray, Martin and Edwards.

Several notables had moved into contention shortly after 100 laps with Tony Stewart leading the way. Stewart raced from 33rd to 15th at 130 laps and Juan Pablo Montoya had moved from 35th to 17th.

Earnhardt brought out a caution on lap 141 when he lost control of what he termed "a loose race car" and did a solo spin down the front straightaway. Almost simultaneously, Kyle Busch's Toyota started spewing smoke, signaling the possibility of a rear end gear problem. When the green flag started them again on lap 148, it was Kenseth and Edwards up front, Martin, Gordon and Biffle just behind. Earnhardt and Kyle Busch were limping around the track in 22nd and 36th spots, respectively.

AJ Allmendinger's Toyota brought out another caution just a few laps later when he scraped the wall.

The fireworks continued shortly after the green flag when Robby Gordon slipped up into McMurray, who was passing Gordon's No. 7, a lap down, on the outside in Turns 3 and 4. The two cars made contact and spun. The accident ended McMurray's chances to win even though he continued in the race.

The top five remained the same with Kenseth on the point.

Sam Hornish Jr. brought out the seventh caution of the action-packed afternoon when he cracked the wall after being bumped from behind by another car.

The "Monster Mile" was certainly living up to its ugly reputation for wrecking cars.

During this caution period, Kyle Busch's car returned to the garage area to figure out what the problem was with his machine. Busch was the hottest driver on the circuit in the first two-thirds of the season, winning eight times to become the odds-on favorite in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. He had problems at New Hampshire last week and fell out of the race. Sunday's problem put him in 12th place in the Chase standings, from first to last in two races.

Hornish, who had returned to the track, spun again on lap 187 to bring out another caution, the eighth of the race.

Johnson went to the front shortly before halfway when some teams stopped and some didn't during the flurry of caution-flag stops.

Ryan Newman was second with Dave Blaney third. Gordon was next with Montoya on his bumper, followed by Reutimann, Allmendinger, Hamlin, Edwards and David Gilliland. Kenseth had dropped back to 11th with Biffle 12th. The complexion of the race changed completely at this point, but Johnson and company still had 200 laps remaining.