Nascar Blog

Jimmie Johnson won at his hometrack this past weekend, making up for the bad start at Daytona. He caught a break on the caution and definitely took advantage of it. Harvick had the best quote after the race, and Johnson seemed to get a little touchy in his.

“They’re really good, but they’re also really, really lucky,” Harvick said. “They have a golden horseshoe stuck up their a** — there’s no getting around that.”

“I’m not going to lie — the fact that we were on pit road gave us track position, and I drove my butt off. We finally got the car turning — it was just a little too loose. The 29 [Harvick] was coming, but then he hit the wall and let us get it.

“Yes, we were lucky [Sunday], but you don’t get lucky and win four championships and 48 races.”
Source: Nascar.com

Here is how they finished:
1 7 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s / Kobalt Tools
2 6 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil
3 14 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar
4 10 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet GoDaddy.com
5 19 20 Joey Logano Toyota The Home Depot
6 12 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite
7 20 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Crown Royal
8 3 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Cheerios / Hamburger Helper
9 16 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Old Spice / Office Depot
10 35 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M
11 13 82 Scott Speed Toyota Red Bull
12 23 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull
13 31 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac “You don’t know quack”
14 9 18 Kyle Busch Toyota Interstate Batteries
15 11 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine
16 8 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Auto Club
17 1 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker
18 36 98 Paul Menard Ford Energizer / Menards
19 22 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet Furniture Row Companies
20 28 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont
21 21 12 Brad Keselowski Dodge AAA Insurance
22 17 36 Mike Bliss Chevrolet Wave Energy Drink
23 15 6 David Ragan Ford UPS
24 37 19 Elliott Sadler Ford Stanley
25 29 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford Best Buy
26 41 38 David Gilliland Ford Taco Bell
27 33 71 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet TaxSlayer.com
28 43 13 Max Papis Toyota GEICO
29 25 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Freight
30 39 34 Travis Kvapil Ford Long John Silver’s
31 38 37 Kevin Conway Ford Extenze
32 27 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Amp Energy Juice / National Guard
33 40 7 Robby Gordon Toyota Warner Music Nashville / Whitney Duncan
34 4 9 Kasey Kahne Ford Budweiser / Team USA
35 26 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota Armor All
36 18 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet Haas Automation
37 2 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Target
38 42 26 Boris Said Ford Sacred Power / Southern Pride Trucking
39 34 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota NAPA Auto Parts
40 32 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota FrontRowJoe.com
41 5 66 Dave Blaney Toyota Prism Motorsports
42 30 55 Michael McDowell Toyota Prism Motorsports
43 24 09 Aric Almirola Chevrolet Phoenix Racing

I didn’t get to watch the Duel’s today, watching the replay of the second one right now, but it looks like the racing is better than it has been.

Here is how they finished in the first Duel:
1 - 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s
2 - 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell/Pennzoil
3 - 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M’s
4 - 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Cheerios/Hamburger Helper
5 - 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet Furniture Row Companies
6 - 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops/Tracker
7 - 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford Best Buy
8 - 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet U.S. Army
9 - 6 David Ragan Ford UPS
10 - 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont
11 - 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M
12 - 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Express
13 - 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac
14 - 55 Michael McDowell Toyota Prism Motorsports
15 - 13 Max Papis Toyota GEICO
16 - 34 John Andretti Ford Window World Cares
17 - 127 Todd Bodine Toyota Kirk Shelmerdine Racing
18 - 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota NEMCO Motorsports
19 - 37 Travis Kvapil Ford Extenze
20 - 46 Terry Cook* Dodge Whitney Motorsports
21 - 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet GoDaddy.com
22 - 21 Bill Elliott Ford Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center
23 - 38 Robert Richardson Jr. Ford Mahindra Tractors
24 - 132 Reed Sorenson Toyota Dollar General
25 - 151 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA Auto Parts
26 - 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar
27 - 197 Jeff Fuller Toyota FrontRowJoe.com

Here is how they finished in the second Duel:
1 14 9 Kasey Kahne Ford Budweiser
2 11 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Office Depot/Old Spice
3 2 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Target
4 3 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite
5 19 19 Elliott Sadler Ford Stanley
6 17 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota NAPA Auto Parts
7 9 20 Joey Logano Toyota The Home Depot
8 7 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota Kroger Floral
9 12 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine
10 18 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull
11 4 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Crown Royal
12 8 12 Brad Keselowski Dodge Penske Racing
13 15 36 Mike Bliss Chevrolet Wave Energy Drink
14 6 82 Scott Speed Toyota Red Bull
15 13 98 Paul Menard Ford Peak/Menards
16 20 190 Casey Mears Chevrolet Keyed-Up Motorsports
17 10 71 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet TaxSlayer.com
18 21 49 David Gilliland Toyota Warner Music Nashville/Larry the Cable Guy
19 16 7 Robby Gordon Toyota Monster Energy
20 25 175 Derrike Cope Dodge Asset Protect/Strutmasterspro.com
21 1 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Amp Energy/National Guard
22 22 09 Aric Almirola Chevrolet Phoenix Racing
23 24 66 Dave Blaney Toyota Prism Motorsports
24 26 192 Mike Wallace Dodge K-Automotive Motorsports
25 27 157 Norm Benning Chevrolet Norm Benning Racing
26 5 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Mobil 1
27 23 26 Boris Said Ford Window World Cares

That is what Nascar has become, No Action Sprint Cup Auto Racing. Has anyone ever watched a more boring race at Talladega? I don’t think so. Now, I’m not just talking about the wrecks, Ryan Newman had a pretty scary flip and wreck, I’m talking about the lack of racing. How long did they race single file tonight? I’m not sure, but I found myself doing other stuff and not just watching the race. They may as well just run 20 laps and call it a race. Nascar is going to make it easy for me to quit watching the race when Jeff Gordon retires, and I’ll be able to go back to watching the NFL like I used to every Sunday.

Oh, and the Chase is pretty much over now, it looked like it was really going to tighten up, until the end when Ryan flipped his car and they red flagged it, cars were running out of gas, Johnson and them topped off first because they were in the back, so they benefitted with all the cars running out of gas, and then the second wreck made sure no one else was going to pass him. Johnson finished 6th, ahead of Martin and Gordon instead of finishing 26th and losing a bunch of points to everyone. They may as well rename this Chase for the Cup to the Chase for the Johnson.

Here is how they finished:
1 22 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Irwin Marathon Saw Blades 195/10 191 Running
2 11 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser 175/5 191 Running
3 20 20 Joey Logano Toyota Home Depot 170/5 191 Running
4 8 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M Filtrete 160/0 191 Running
5 18 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar 160/5 191 Running
6 1 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s 150/0 191 Running
7 33 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA Auto Parts 151/5 191 Running
8 36 09 Brad Keselowski Chevrolet Miccosukee Resort & Gaming 147/5 191 Running
9 26 19 Elliott Sadler Ford Stanley 143/5 191 Running
10 37 171 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet TaxSlayer.com 134/0 191 Running
11 24 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Amp Energy “Get on the 88″ / National Guard 135/5 191 Running
12 15 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet BB&T 127/0 191 Running
13 12 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 129/5 191 Running
14 10 99 Carl Edwards Ford Subway 126/5 191 Running
15 13 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M’s 123/5 191 Running
16 29 43 Reed Sorenson Dodge Liberty Medical 115/0 191 Running
17 28 6 David Ragan Ford UPS 112/0 191 Running
18 41 36 Robert Richardson Jr. Toyota Mahindra Tractors 109/0 191 Running
19 5 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Target 111/5 191 Running
20 3 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 108/5 191 Running
21 21 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 105/5 191 Running
22 30 12 David Stremme Dodge Penske Racing 102/5 191 Running
23 35 34 John Andretti Chevrolet Window World 99/5 191 Running
24 14 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Dewalt 91/0 191 Running
25 19 07 Casey Mears Chevrolet Jack Daniel’s 93/5 191 Running
26 16 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine 90/5 191 Running
27 38 82 Scott Speed Toyota Red Bull 82/0 190 Accident
28 2 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet Pop-Tarts / Carquest 84/5 190 Accident
29 42 113 Max Papis Toyota GEICO 76/0 190 Running
30 6 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 78/5 189 Accident
31 23 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 75/5 189 Accident
32 34 7 Robby Gordon Toyota Jim Beam 72/5 189 Accident
33 25 44 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge Hunt Brothers Pizza 64/0 189 Running
34 17 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota Clorox / Kingsford / Little Debbie 66/5 188 Running
35 4 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Office Depot / Old Spice 63/5 183 Accident
36 7 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet U.S. Army 60/5 183 Accident
37 31 96 Erik Darnell Ford Academy Sports + Outdoors 52/0 167 Running
38 9 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Express 54/5 137 Engine
39 43 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet Furniture Row Companies 46/0 99 Engine
40 27 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Mobil 1 43/0 44 Engine
41 40 66 Dave Blaney Toyota Prism Motorsports 40/0 12 Vibration
42 32 98 Paul Menard Ford Zecol / Menards 37/0 4 Accident
43 39 187 Joe Nemechek Toyota NEMCO Motorsports 34/0 4 Accident

Here are the standings in the Chase:
1 — Jimmie Johnson 6248 Leader
2 — Mark Martin 6064 -184
3 — Jeff Gordon 6056 -192
4 +1 Juan Montoya 6009 -239
5 -1 Tony Stewart 5969 -279
6 — Kurt Busch 5936 -312
7 +1 Greg Biffle 5908 -340
8 -1 Ryan Newman 5846 -402
9 +2 Kasey Kahne 5834 -414
10 — Carl Edwards 5811 -437
11 -2 Denny Hamlin 5800 -448
12 — Brian Vickers 5697 -551

The bad guy won. No, I’m not talking about Jimmie Johnson just yet, in the battle of the Transformers, Megatron, Jeff Gordon, beat Optimus Prime, Ryan Newman, with Jeff finishing 4th to Ryan’s 11th. I’m sure there are lots of people who see Jimmie as the bad guy, as he has won 3 of the first five Chase races, and this week, he was fastest in both practices, won the pole and won the race. Not much you can do against a performance like that, Jeff Gordon has certainly been trying, but it looks like it is going to come down to whether Johnson makes a big mistake or has a mechanical failure. There’s always Talladega.

Mark Martin and Juan Montoya both lost a lot of ground, both because of an incident on a restart in which Martin ran into the back of Montoya, and Jeff Gordon is now in the third spot, 45 points behind Martin and 135 behind Johnson. While I still think it’s possible for Stewart, Busch or Montoya to win the Cup, I think it is more likely that Johnson, Martin or Gordon will win it. Things will become clearer after Martinsville next week, with the big question mark of Talladega coming up the next week.

My little boy has already requested the Jeff Gordon Megatron diecast car when it comes out, so, at least we have one present figured out.

Here is how they finished:
1 1 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s 195/10 334 Running
2 4 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Carhartt 175/5 334 Running
3 3 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser 170/5 334 Running
4 9 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen / DuPont 165/5 334 Running
5 12 20 Joey Logano Toyota The Home Depot 155/0 334 Running
6 11 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Scary Fast Count Chocula 150/0 334 Running
7 42 07 Casey Mears Chevrolet Jack Daniel’s 146/0 334 Running
8 10 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M’s / Susan G Komen for the Cure 142/0 334 Running
9 25 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet DJ Hero 138/0 334 Running
10 15 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 139/5 334 Running
11 6 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen / U.S. Army 130/0 334 Running
12 8 25 Brad Keselowski Chevrolet GoDaddy.com 127/0 334 Running
13 5 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Old Spice / Office Depot 124/0 334 Running
14 34 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar 121/0 334 Running
15 21 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine 118/0 334 Running
16 23 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M / Industrial Distribution Group 115/0 334 Running
17 2 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet Pop-Tarts / Carquest 117/5 334 Running
18 32 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 109/0 334 Running
19 27 12 David Stremme Dodge Penske Racing 106/0 334 Running
20 29 6 David Ragan Ford UPS 103/0 334 Running
21 37 43 Reed Sorenson Dodge Super 8 100/0 334 Running
22 13 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota Clorox / Kingsford / Bush’s Beans 97/0 334 Running
23 26 44 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge Best Buy 94/0 334 Running
24 7 171 Mike Bliss Chevrolet TaxSlayer.com 91/0 334 Running
25 14 202 David Gilliland Toyota Farm Bureau Insurance 88/0 334 Running
26 38 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Stanley / Susan G Komen for the Cure 85/0 332 Running
27 31 98 Paul Menard Ford Johns Manville / Menards 82/0 332 Running
28 16 82 Scott Speed Toyota Red Bull 79/0 332 Running
29 36 21 Bill Elliott Ford Warriors in Pink Powered by Ford 76/0 332 Running
30 19 7 Robby Gordon Toyota Freightliner Trucks 73/0 332 Running
31 24 96 Bobby Labonte Ford Ask.com / Search for the Cure 70/0 331 Running
32 33 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA / Susan G Komen for the Cure 72/5 331 Running
33 20 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Jeremiah Weed Southern Style Sweet Tea Vodka 64/0 331 Running
34 30 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 61/0 330 Running
35 18 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Lysol 58/0 330 Running
36 41 34 John Andretti Chevrolet Taco Bell 55/0 330 Running
37 43 08 Terry Labonte Toyota Carter / Simo Racing 57/5 329 Running
38 39 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Amp Energy / National Guard 49/0 304 Running
39 28 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac 46/0 301 Out of Race
40 22 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Mobil 1 43/0 298 Running
41 40 113 Max Papis Toyota GEICO 40/0 286 In Pit
42 17 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Office 42/5 192 Out of Race
43 35 187 Joe Nemechek Toyota NEMCO Motorsports 34/0 26 In Pit

Here are the Chase points standings:
1 — Jimmie Johnson 5923
2 — Mark Martin 5833 -90
3 +2 Jeff Gordon 5788 -135
4 — Tony Stewart 5768 -155
5 +1 Kurt Busch 5746 -177
6 -3 Juan Montoya 5728 -195
7 — Greg Biffle 5655 -268
8 +2 Ryan Newman 5635 -288
9 +2 Kasey Kahne 5592 -331
10 -2 Carl Edwards 5582 -341
11 -2 Denny Hamlin 5551 -372
12 — Brian Vickers 5438 -485

Blah blah blah, Jimmie Johnson on the pole, blah blah blah. Hehe

1 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s 157.356 22.878 Leader
2 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Polaroid 156.699 22.974 -0.096
3 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet U.S. Army 156.393 23.019 -0.141
4 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M 156.284 23.035 -0.157
5 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine 155.979 23.080 -0.202
6 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser 155.871 23.096 -0.218
7 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 155.777 23.110 -0.232
8 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet BB&T 155.555 23.143 -0.265
9 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Mobil 1 155.494 23.152 -0.274
10 98 Paul Menard Ford Energizer / Menards 155.434 23.161 -0.283
11 20 Joey Logano Toyota The Home Depot 155.373 23.170 -0.292
12 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 155.353 23.173 -0.295
13 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Ground 155.193 23.197 -0.319
14 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet Kellogg’s / Carquest 155.045 23.219 -0.341
15 18 Kyle Busch Toyota Interstate Batteries 154.992 23.227 -0.349
16 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 154.905 23.240 -0.362
17 12 David Stremme Dodge Penske Racing 154.832 23.251 -0.373
18 171 David Gilliland Chevrolet TRG Motorsports 154.639 23.280 -0.402
19 44 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge Super 8 154.633 23.281 -0.403
20 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 154.606 23.285 -0.407
21 6 David Ragan Ford UPS 154.573 23.290 -0.412
22 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Burger King 154.533 23.296 -0.418
23 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Dewalt 154.480 23.304 -0.426
24 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet National Guard / Amp Energy 154.407 23.315 -0.437
25 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Crown Royal 154.288 23.333 -0.455
26 43 Reed Sorenson Dodge Valvoline 154.136 23.356 -0.478
27 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota Little Debbie / Kingsford / Clorox 154.070 23.366 -0.488
28 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar 153.879 23.395 -0.517
29 07 Casey Mears Chevrolet Jack Daniel’s 153.807 23.406 -0.528
30 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac 153.557 23.444 -0.566
31 7 Robby Gordon Toyota Camping World 153.440 23.462 -0.584
32 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Vaseline Men Body Lotion 153.387 23.470 -0.592
33 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet Furniture Row Companies 153.211 23.497 -0.619
34 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Best Buy’s Geek Squad 153.107 23.513 -0.635
35 66 Dave Blaney Toyota Prism Motorsports 153.074 23.518 -0.640
36 09 Mike Bliss Dodge Miccosukee Resort & Gaming 153.029 23.525 -0.647
37 34 John Andretti Chevrolet Taco Bell 152.938 23.539 -0.661
38 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA Auto Parts 152.873 23.549 -0.671
39 82 Scott Speed Toyota Red Bull 152.620 23.588 -0.710
40 187 Joe Nemechek Toyota NEMCO Motorsports 152.046 23.677 -0.799
41 96 Bobby Labonte Ford DLP 152.001 23.684 -0.806
42 37 Tony Raines Dodge Long John Silver’s 151.547 23.755 -0.877
43 36 Michael McDowell Toyota Wave Energy Drink 151.388 23.780 -0.902

Did Not Qualify
44 4 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Morgan McClure Motorsports 149.247 24.121 -1.243

The field is set and ready to go for Loudon this weekend.

1 Mark Martin 5040
2 Tony Stewart 5030
3 Jimmie Johnson 5030
4 Denny Hamlin 5020
5 Kasey Kahne 5020
6 Jeff Gordon 5010
7 Kurt Busch 5010
8 Brian Vickers 5010
9 Carl Edwards 5000
10 Ryan Newman 5000
11 Juan Montoya 5000
12 Greg Biffle 5000

Whose your pick and why?

I’m going with Gordon of course, he has been pretty consistent this year, the chase races aren’t typically his best but I think they can do it this year. He would be going for his 7th title under the old point system, but I guess I’ll get over that one day. All he needs is to run up front the first few races and return to dominating at Fontana, Charlotte, Martinsville and Talladega, that’s not much to ask, is it?

Looked like Tony Stewart might get his first win on Sunday, but a hard charging Jimmie Johnson had a different ending in mind.

Jimmie Johnson won the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway this past Sunday and even though he dominated most of the race, a bad pit stop forced him to restart in eighth and race his way past Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart and others to take the lead with only a couple or three laps to go. I wasn’t really rooting for anyone at the end, but it was some good racing, Jimmie was coming like a rocket ship and Tony kept trying to keep him out of his groove to slow his momentum, but there was only so much Tony could do. Once Jimmie was past him, there was no way Tony was going to catch him to lay the bumper on him, so it was all over but the celebrating.

Tony did take the points lead from Jeff Gordon, who finished in 26th a couple laps down, but the points lead doesn’t really matter anymore, Gordon has dominated all year long during the chase before and still not won the championship. All Gordon needs to do now is win more races and get some bonus points to start off good in the chase and keep running good the rest of the way. Of course, that’s all everyone needs to do and it’s always easier said than done.

After the big story this past week of Dale Earnhardt Jr. being separated from his cousin Tony Eury Jr., they managed a respectable 12th place finish, but I believe Dale averages at least a mid pack finish at this track, and he has 7 out of 18 top tens here with one win, so there’s nothing for Jr. nation to celebrate about yet. There was also mention of a little conversation between Dale and Kyle Busch because Kyle had told the media Dale’s problems never seem to be his, always the crew chief. No one knows what they said to each other, but I bet Dale would clean his clock if Kyle got too mouthy with him.

Here is how they finished:

1 8 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s / Kobalt Tools 195/10 400 Running
2 31 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Office Depot / Old Spice 175/5 400 Running
3 5 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M Nexcare 170/5 400 Running
4 14 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Dewalt 165/5 400 Running
5 19 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 155/0 400 Running
6 2 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser 150/0 400 Running
7 13 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac 151/5 400 Running
8 11 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet U.S. Army 142/0 400 Running
9 17 07 Casey Mears Chevrolet Jack Daniel’s 138/0 400 Running
10 28 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet Kellogg’s / Carquest 139/5 400 Running
11 25 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet The Hartford 130/0 400 Running
12 22 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Amp Energy / National Guard 127/0 400 Running
13 12 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Mobil 1 124/0 400 Running
14 18 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Crown Royal 121/0 400 Running
15 21 20 Joey Logano Toyota The Home Depot 118/0 400 Running
16 32 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar 115/0 400 Running
17 35 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 112/0 400 Running
18 1 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine 114/5 400 Running
19 4 43 Reed Sorenson Dodge U.S. Air Force 111/5 400 Running
20 20 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota RaceSavers.com 103/0 400 Running
21 15 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 100/0 399 Running
22 33 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet Furniture Row Companies 97/0 399 Running
23 6 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M’s 94/0 399 Running
24 26 6 David Ragan Ford UPS 91/0 399 Running
25 9 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 88/0 399 Running
26 42 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 85/0 398 Running
27 10 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Stanley Tools 87/5 398 Running
28 27 96 Bobby Labonte Ford Ask.com / AutismSpeaks.com 79/0 397 Running
29 7 44 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge Auto Value / Bumper to Bumper 76/0 396 Running
30 3 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Target 78/5 395 Running
31 30 12 David Stremme Dodge Penske Racing 70/0 370 Accident
32 36 98 Paul Menard Ford Pittsburgh Paints / Menards 67/0 363 Running
33 40 7 Robby Gordon Toyota Richmond Water Heaters 64/0 282 Accident
34 43 34 John Andretti Chevrolet Taco Bell 61/0 253 Accident
35 29 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA 58/0 250 Engine
36 16 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Office 55/0 232 Accident
37 23 82 Scott Speed Toyota Red Bull 52/0 118 Engine
38 38 187 Joe Nemechek Toyota G.P.’s Enterprises / Huckleberry’s BBQ / LubePro’s 49/0 67 Drive Shaft
39 39 66 Dave Blaney Toyota Prism Motorsports 46/0 66 Transmission
40 37 09 Mike Bliss Dodge Phoenix Racing 43/0 56 Electrical
41 34 36 Mike Skinner Toyota Tommy Baldwin Racing 40/0 51 Engine
42 41 37 Tony Raines Chevrolet Long John Silver’s 37/0 42 Accident
43 24 171 David Gilliland Chevrolet CompUSA 39/5 38 Engine

And here are the current chase for the cup point standings:
1. +1 Tony Stewart 1,853 —
2. -1 Jeff Gordon 1,807 -46
3. +1 Jimmie Johnson 1,789 -64
4. -1 Kurt Busch 1,762 -91
5. +2 Ryan Newman 1,680 -173
6. — Kyle Busch 1,634 -219
7. -2 Denny Hamlin 1,630 -223
8. +1 Matt Kenseth 1,625 -228
9. +1 Greg Biffle 1,618 -235
10. -2 Jeff Burton 1,587 -266
11. — Carl Edwards 1,582 -271
12. — Mark Martin 1,567 -286

Shop for Jeff Gordon Gear

I think it was my fault Jeff Gordon hadn’t broken the winless streak until today, I had picked him to win almost every race this year, and he could’ve one most of them, so, sorry about that Jeff, maybe I’ll no longer make any predictions.

Jeff Gordon was not the most dominant car all day, for sure, but he was when it counted, running some of his fastest laps and at one point, the announcers said he had just run the fastest lap of anyone that day, and that was in the last run with about 26 laps to go. It looked like Jimmie Johnson was coming up fast a couple times, but both times he faded back a bit and looked as though he was just pushing it to the limit to try to catch him. He might’ve been able to do it if it was the Samsung 510 or so, but just ran out of time today.

For you Carl Edwards fans, I know it sure helped Gordon out that they had trouble in the pits, not sure if he could’ve beat Gordon at the end, but it would’ve been fun to watch him and Jimmie both trying to get him. Biffle also had some trouble and could’ve possible won this race as well, but, I guess that’s why they go ahead and race the race instead of just guessing who’s going to win, just like football, that’s why they play the game.

Now, if Gordon can win at Homestead and the title, I think this year would be complete.

Here is how they finished:
1 - 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet National Guard GED Plus / DuPont 195/10 334 Running
2 - 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s / Kobalt “Tough Tools for Cool Schools” 175/5 334 Running
3 - 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M 170/5 334 Running
4 - 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Old Spice / Office Depot 165/5 334 Running
5 - 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Dewalt 160/5 334 Running
6 - 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet Cheez-It / Carquest 155/5 334 Running
7 - 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Target 146/0 334 Running
8 - 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 147/5 334 Running
9 - 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar 138/0 334 Running
10 - 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac 139/5 334 Running
11 - 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine 135/5 334 Running
12 - 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Ground 127/0 334 Running
13 - 98 Paul Menard Ford Quaker State / Menards 129/5 334 Running
14 - 12 David Stremme Dodge Penske Racing 121/0 334 Running
15 - 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet U.S. Army 118/0 334 Running
16 - 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 120/5 334 Running
17 - 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Mobil 1 112/0 334 Running
18 - 18 Kyle Busch Toyota Interstate Batteries 114/5 334 Running
19 - 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser 106/0 334 Running
20 - 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Amp Energy / National Guard 108/5 334 Running
21 - 07 Casey Mears Chevrolet Jack Daniel’s 100/0 334 Running
22 - 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Cheerios / Hamburger Helper 97/0 334 Running
23 - 25 Brad Keselowski Chevrolet GoDaddy.com 94/0 332 Running
24 - 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA 91/0 332 Running
25 - 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 88/0 332 Running
26 - 34 John Andretti Chevrolet MyAutoLoan.com 85/0 332 Running
27 - 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 82/0 331 Running
28 - 21 Bill Elliott Ford Motorcraft 79/0 331 Running
29 - 171 David Gilliland Chevrolet Capital Window 76/0 330 Running
30 - 20 Joey Logano Toyota The Home Depot 73/0 330 Running
31 - 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet Furniture Row Companies 70/0 330 Running
32 - 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Best Buy 67/0 329 Running
33 - 8 Aric Almirola Chevrolet Guitar Hero 64/0 328 Running
34 - 44 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge Super 8 61/0 328 Running
35 - 113 Max Papis Toyota GEICO 58/0 326 Running
36 - 43 Reed Sorenson Dodge McDonald’s 55/0 315 Running
37 - 6 David Ragan Ford UPS 57/5 293 Out of Race
38 - 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Sears Auto Center / Valvoline 49/0 255 Running
39 - 7 Robby Gordon Toyota Jim Beam 46/0 249 Out of Race
40 - 96 Bobby Labonte Ford Ask.com 43/0 229 In Pit
41 - 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota Clorox / Kingsford / Little Debbie 40/0 216 Out of Race
42 - 09 Mike Bliss Dodge Phoenix Racing 37/0 76 In Pit
43 - 66 Dave Blaney Toyota Prism Motorsports 34/0 48 In Pit

Here are the top 12 in points as of Texas:
1. Jeff Gordon 1154
2. Jimmie Johnson 992 -162
3. Kurt Busch 974 -180
4. Clint Bowyer 967 -187
5. Tony Stewart 963 -191
6. Denny Hamlin 938 -216
7. Kyle Busch 914 -240
8. Carl Edwards 889 -265
9. Matt Kenseth 864 -290
10. Kasey Kahne 851 -303
11. David Reutimann 845 -309
12. Jeff Burton 835 -319

Here are the uploaded videos from the latest race in Martinsville, the 2009 Goody’s Fast Relief 500.

The caution fest is over; Kevin Harvick gets the win about a half a lap early in the 2009 Sprint Cup Budweiser Shootout.

This was a pretty good start to the 2009 season, as always, more crashes makes for a more interesting race, unless your driver is one that gets put out. One of the best things about the new car is that it can take so much damage and still run at the front of the field, I doubt we will see many races with new looking cars in winner’s circle.

How about Jeff Gordon? Driving around two big crashes and pushing eventual winner Kevin Harvick to the front of the field. It looked like he was going to do something until Johnson got loose beside him, causing Gordon to slow up, and then he was pushed to the middle and almost to the back of the field. He finished fourth, but he looked good enough tonight for me to feel good about picking him to win the 500 next week. I think we’ll get more of the same during the twin 125’s this week.

Here is how they finished:

1 27 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil
2 15 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Crown Royal
3 6 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Old Spice / Office Depot
4 28 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont
5 18 44 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge Valvoline
6 14 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser
7 11 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac
8 12 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite
9 25 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Dewalt
10 10 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M’s
11 1 98 Paul Menard Ford Quaker State / Menards
12 7 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull
13 5 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Express
14 21 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s
15 24 07 Casey Mears Chevrolet Jack Daniel’s
16 20 12 David Stremme Dodge Penske Racing
17 26 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M
18 9 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet National Guard / Amp Energy
19 8 96 Bobby Labonte Ford Ask.com
20 22 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine
21 2 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Stanley
22 17 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA
23 3 43 Reed Sorenson Dodge McDonald’s
24 23 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar
25 4 82 Scott Speed Toyota Red Bull
26 16 6 David Ragan Ford UPS
27 13 7 Robby Gordon Dodge Jim Beam
28 19 20 Joey Logano Toyota The Home Depot