Kasey Kahne - WINNER
#5 Rockwell Tools Chevrolet
·         Three top fives, three top 10s; four poles
·         Average finish of 14.6
·         Average Running Position of 11.8, sixth-best
·         Driver Rating of 96.7, seventh-best
·         165 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
·         Average Green Flag Speed of 158.943 mph, ninth-fastest
·         1,620 Laps in the Top 15 (62.9%), 11th-most

Greg Biffle
#16 3M / OH / ES Ford
·         Two wins, two top fives, five top 10s; one pole
·         Average finish of 14.2
·         Average Running Position of 10.6, third-best
·         Driver Rating of 109.7, second-best
·         Series-high 254 Fastest Laps Run
·         310 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most
·         Average Green Flag Speed of 159.342 mph, fourth-fastest
·         1,802 Laps in the Top 15 (70.0%), fourth-most
·         194 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), seventh-most
 

 
Denny Hamlin
#11 Sport Clips Toyota
·         One win, two top fives, five top 10s
·         Average finish of 6.5
·         Average Running Position of 9.5, second-best
·         Driver Rating of 108.3, third-best
·         151 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
·         Average Green Flag Speed of 159.407 mph, second-fastest
·         1,755 Laps in the Top 15 (79.6%), seventh-most
·         197 Quality Passes, fifth-most
 

Jimmie Johnson
# 48 Lowe's / KOBALT Tools Chevrolet
·         Two wins, six top fives, nine top 10s
·         Average finish of 9.8
·         Average Running Position of 11.9, seventh-best
·         Driver Rating of 100.6, fourth-best
·         155 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
·         410 Green Flag Passes, second-most
·         Average Green Flag Speed of 159.372 mph, third-fastest
·         1,769 Laps in the Top 15 (68.7%), fifth-most
·         192 Quality Passes, eighth-most
 
 
 
Ryan Newman
#39 WIX Chevrolet
·         Seven top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
·         Average finish of 11.6
·         Average Running Position of 10.7, fourth-best
·         Driver Rating of 100.2, fifth-best
·         60 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most
·         Average Green Flag Speed of 159.277 mph, sixth-fastest
·         2,073 Laps in the Top 15 (80.5%), second-most
 

SLEEPER
BOBBY LABONTE

Darlington Raceway
Race #: 11 of 36
Track Size: 1.366 miles
Race Length: 501.322 miles
Banking Turns 1 & 2: 25 degrees
Banking Turns 3 & 4: 23 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 6 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 6 degrees
Frontstretch: 1,229 feet
Backstretch: 1,229 feet

Qualifying/Race Data
2011 pole winner: Kasey Kahne (181.254 mph, 27.131 seconds, 05-06-11)
2011 race winner: Regan Smith (129.678 mph, 05-07-11)
Track qualifying record: Kasey Kahne (181.254 mph, 27.131 seconds, 05-06-11)
Track race record: Kyle Busch (140.350 mph, 05-10-08)

At Darlington Raceway:
History
·         Built as a 1.25-mile paved superspeedway in 1949-50, Darlington Raceway hosted the first 500-mile race in NASCAR history and the first on asphalt on Sept. 4, 1950.
·         The track was re-measured to 1.375 miles in 1953.
·         The track was re-configured to 1.366 miles following the spring race in 1970.
·         The track was repaved in 1995.
·         The 2005 race was the first Saturday night race at Darlington.
·         The track was repaved again prior to the 2008 season.
Notebook
·         There have been 108 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Darlington Raceway since the track opened in 1950.
·         There was one race per year in 1950, 1951, from 1953-1959, and again every year since 2005. Darlington held two races a season in all other years.
·         Curtis Turner won the first pole, in 1950.
·         Johnny Mantz won the first race, in 1950.
·         47 drivers have posted poles at Darlington.
·         David Pearson leads all drivers with 12 poles at Darlington.
·         45 drivers have won races at Darlington; 25 drivers have won more than once there.
·         David Pearson leads all drivers with 10 victories, followed by Dale Earnhardt with nine.
·         Jeff Gordon is third overall and leads all active drivers with seven victories.
·         Hendrick Motorsports has won 13 races at Darlington, more than any other organization.
·         19 races at Darlington have been won from the pole, the most productive starting position. Dale Jarrett was the last driver to win from the pole in 1997.
·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 43rd, in the track’s inaugural race in 1950 by Johnny Mantz. That race had a 75-car field.
·         Darlington is the site of one of the closest race finishes in NASCAR history. Ricky Craven edged Kurt Busch by 0.002 seconds on March 16, 2003 – which is tied with Talladega (April 17, 2011) as the two smallest margins of victory since NASCAR instituted electronic timing in 1993.
·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Darlington Raceway winner: Kyle Busch (05/10/2008 – 23 years, 0 months, 8 days).
·         Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Darlington Raceway winner: Harry Gant (05/06/1991 – 51 years, 7 months, 22 days)
 

 
Top 12 Driver Rating at Darlington
Jeff Gordon.............................. 116.2
Greg Biffle............................... 109.7
Denny Hamlin.......................... 108.3
Jimmie Johnson....................... 100.6
Ryan Newman......................... 100.2
Kyle Busch............................... 99.6
Kasey Kahne............................ 96.7
Dale Earnhardt Jr...................... 92.5
Carl Edwards............................ 92.4
Martin Truex Jr.......................... 91.5
Tony Stewart............................ 88.1
Brad Keselowski....................... 87.3
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (seven total) at Darlington.
 

At Darlington, Trouble Lurks Around Every Corner

From any angle, whether you’ve been there once or 20 times, Darlington Raceway is a challenge.

The racing line is narrow, the asphalt aged and the chassis set-up that works well in one set of turns is a compromise – at best – in the other.
Competitors in Saturday’s 63rd Bojangles’ Southern 500 will be racing at speeds of more than 180 mph on a track where the pole speed was 85 mph for 1950’s inaugural event.

A Darlington Stripe – the ubiquitous scrape on the ‘passenger’s’ side – can be a badge of honor or the beginning of abject horror. A split-second’s inattention can produce a slide into SAFER barrier, another competitor or both. The last seven races have seen the caution wave an average of 10.7 times. The record, 17, was set in 2009.

Denny Hamlin, with two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories this season, won his first Southern 500 in 2010 and can’t wait to roll his No. 11 Toyota onto the 1.366-mile layout. "I just strive on harder race tracks to try to figure out – the Poconos, the Martinsvilles – tracks that just some people love and hate," said Hamlin, whose Joe Gibbs Racing team has won two of the past four Darlington races and three overall. "It just seems like we have adapted to it and found a way to get around the track." For others, well:

Brad Keselowski has both momentum and a pleasant Darlington history. Keselowski won at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, his second victory of the year. He finished third at Darlington a year ago and seventh in 2009. Owner Roger Penske hasn’t been to the South Carolina track’s Victory Lane since 1975, when NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison swept both races in an AMC Matador.

A year ago, Regan Smith became the sixth driver to post his first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory at Darlington, joining inaugural winner Johnny Mantz, two-time champion Terry Labonte, Larry Frank, Lake Speed and Nelson Stacy. Smith needs a pick-me-up. He’s finished among the top 15 just once in this season’s first 10 races.

Danica Patrick hasn’t seen NSCS racing until she’s witnessed firsthand the perils of Daytona. She’ll do that this weekend, also competing in Friday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race. She’s locked into the race based on Tommy Baldwin Racing’s No. 10 Chevrolet ranked 33rd in Owners’ Championship points.

Kurt Busch and Phoenix Racing need a good showing in a home state race. James Finch’s team is based in Spartanburg, S.C., the hometown of NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson, whose 10 victories are the most by any driver at Darlington.

Darlington Raceway was NASCAR’s first paved superspeedway. Its construction in a cotton field by Harold Brasington presaged the organization’s path to national prominence. By the beginning of the next decade, similar tracks were built in Daytona Beach, Fla., Atlanta and Charlotte.

Eight NASCAR Hall of Fame members – Pearson, Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty, Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson – won a combined 39 Darlington races.

Not So Sweet 16: Can Hendrick Quench Drought At Darlington?

More than a decade has passed since Hendrick Motorsports slogged through this kind of drought.

Back in 2001, Hendrick went the final eight races without a win. Then in 2002, the squad went the first nine winless. That 17-race drought ranks as the team’s sixth-longest in an NSCS history that began in 1984.

The seventh longest? This one. Right here, right now.

Sixteen races have passed since Hendrick’s last win, but one of its top tracks awaits – Darlington Raceway. Hendrick has 13 victories at The Track Too Tough To Tame, most by any owner all-time. On Hendrick’s personal wins list, Darlington ranks tied for third with Dover behind only Martinsville (18) and Charlotte (16).

So, is this the week? As was the case every race since the team’s most recent win last October, the chances certainly seem solid.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., third in points, comes off his sixth straight top-10 finish – matching a career-long stretch.

Jeff Gordon, whose "when it rains, it pours" season continued in Talladega, leads all active drivers in Darlington wins with seven. Jimmie Johnson swept Darlington in 2004, but hasn’t finished in the top 10 since 2008.

Kasey Kahne finished fourth last year at Darlington, but prior to that race stumbled through five consecutive finishes of 20th or worse.

Last Call: Darlington Final Opportunity (Sort Of) To Make All-Star Field

This is it. Kind of.

Saturday night’s race at Darlington Speedway marks the final points race before the May 19 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. That means it’s the final opportunity for drivers not already locked into the field to do so. In a way.

In actuality, after this weekend’s race, those not already locked into the all-star field can do so by finishing either first or second in the Sprint Showdown or winning the Sprint Fan Vote (click here to vote: http://nas.cr/a32m).

But no driver wants that kind of pressure. The Sprint Showdown is blink-of-an-eye quick (two 20-lap segments), so anything but a fast start likely spells trouble. And with some fan-favorite names on the Sprint Fan Vote ballot (i.e. Dale Earnhardt Jr.), it’s not wise to rely on that. So, Darlington it is.

Those thoughts swirl in the heads of some huge names, namely Earnhardt, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jeff Burton and AJ Allmendinger.

All sit in the top 20 of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings, and all are currently without an all-star nod.

Who among that group fares the best at Darlington? Burton owns the top average finish, with a 12.1. Coming off his first top-10 finish in six races, he boasts two Darlington victories (both in 1999).

Tops in Driver Rating at Darlington: Earnhardt. With four top 10s in the last seven races, he owns an eighth-best Darlington Driver Rating of 92.5.

Points Leader Biffle Counts Pair Of Darlington Victories

Greg Biffle didn’t just dodge a bullet at Talladega. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader fired the gun.

Fifth-place wasn’t a win but it offers further proof that the standings leader since after race No. 3 in Las Vegas won’t relinquish his advantage easily. Not even to Roush Fenway Racing teammate and Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth, who jumped from fourth to second in the standings to trail by seven points as the series moves to Darlington.

Biffle and Talladega haven’t always been the best of friends. Biffle needed 13 trips to the 2.66-mile track to gather his first top-10. He crashed out of four of five races in 2006-08.

Things have changed – and how. Beginning with 2007, when he finished seventh and fourth, Biffle has finished seven consecutive races on the lead lap.

Darlington, where Biffle won consecutive Bojangles’ Southern 500s in 2005-06, is an opportunity to solidify the championship lead. Biffle finished eighth a year ago and has but a single DNF – engine failure in 2008 – in 11 Darlington starts. His Driver Rating of 109.7 ranks second.

Still, Biffle takes nothing for granted. "If you make a little mistake or your car gets away from you a little bit, you've got a Darlington Stripe, and hopefully just a Darlington Stripe because you're going so fast, it can damage the car quickly," he said.

Victory Eludes Stewart At Darlington Speedway

For Tony Stewart, it’s one track down and two to go.

The three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion entered the 2012 season winless at just three tracks on the current schedule: Darlington Raceway; Kentucky Speedway, which ran its inaugural event in 2011, and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Scratch Las Vegas; Stewart won there in March leading a race-high 127 laps.

Darlington remains an uphill climb. Stewart owns just three top-five finishes in 19 previous starts. His Driver Rating of 88.1 is 11th best. He finished seventh, however, a year ago.

Stewart remains well ahead of last year’s title pace but his No. 14 Chevrolet team, with Spartanburg, S.C., native Steve Addington handling crew chief duties for the first time, continues to seek consistency. Two victories and a points ranking of seventh make Stewart pretty much a lock for this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™.

"If you can say you won a race at Darlington – that’s a feather in your cap," said Stewart. "That’s something to be proud of, knowing that you’re in a group of drivers with names like Pearson and Petty – the pioneers of our sport who you hear stories about the races they ran there and the races they won there."

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Etc.

Milestone Markers: Ryan Newman aims, yet again, to become the ninth driver to reach 50 career Coors Light Poles. He has one pole at Darlington, in 2003. … Greg Biffle’s next lap led will be his 5,000th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series lap led. … On Saturday night, Brad Keselowski becomes the 189th driver to reach 100 career NSCS starts. Six drivers have won their 100th start: Lee Petty, Herb Thomas, Junior Johnson, Rex White, Joe Weatherly and Carl Edwards. … With his next top-five finish, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will become the 34th driver with 100 top fives. … With Danica Patrick piloting the No. 10 Chevrolet, David Reutimann will run the No. 93 BK Racing Toyota.

Can’t Keep Reigning Champ Stenhouse Down For Long

After a tumultuous beginning to his 2012 season, the reigning NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has fought back from ninth in the standings following Daytona to retake the No. 1 position five points ahead of second-place Elliott Sadler. 

Consistency has been the key to success for Stenhouse. While Sadler and Stenhouse both have two wins, Stenhouse has the upper hand with his series-leading six top-five finishes compared to Sadler’s four.

The tide may turn back in Sadler’s favor after Darlington. While both Sadler (third) and Stenhouse (10th) posted their best series career finishes at Darlington last season, Sadler’s experience might give him the edge. Sadler has made eight starts at Darlington, posting one pole, two top fives, three top 10s and an average finish of 18.7, compared to Stenhouse’s two starts, posting one top 10 and an average finish of 23.5. Several key pre-race Loop Data categories give Sadler the edge heading into Darlington: Driver Rating - Sadler (120.8), Stenhouse (85.5); and Average Running Position - Sadler (4.2), Stenhouse (16.3).

Blaney Showed Veteran Experience In Debut; Can He Back It Up At Darlington?

Among the glitz and glamour that followed the big-name drivers of the series around two weeks ago at Richmond, one driver, Ryan Blaney, let his driving speak for itself.
Blaney, 18, the son of NASCAR veteran Dave Blaney, made his series debut at Richmond, starting eighth and finishing seventh. But Blaney’s race was no cakewalk.
After experiencing a penalty on pit road that dropped him outside of the top 10, Blaney kept his resolve and fought his way back to seventh place. In the process, he made 40 Quality Passes (passes made during green flag conditions while running in the Top 15), the most of any driver in the event.  

"Anything that Ryan does is not a surprise," said two-time NNS champion Kevin Harvick. "He is a tremendous talent." (Click for Harvick’s audio)
In just four starts in the K&N Pro Series East and West, Blaney has a win – last November at Phoenix – a second and two other top-10 results. Blaney is running for Tommy Baldwin Racing, a team with a limited schedule that also includes drivers Ryan Truex and Bobby Santos.

Star-Studded Field Provides Plenty For The Fans To See

The storied history of Darlington Raceway has caused many of NASCAR’s top drivers to sign up for this Friday’s VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 under the lights. Not only will the field have the likes of NSCS drivers Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin, but also NNS standouts Travis Pastrana and Danica Patrick. Patrick will be pulling double duty, driving the No. 10 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet in the NSCS race Saturday night. The weekend will be Patrick’s and Pastrana’s NASCAR national series track debut at Darlington Raceway.  

"I know it is going to be hard, and I know there will be some frustrating moments, and that I am probably going to feel a little embarrassed. But I am there to get my Darlington stripes and move along," Patrick said. 

Pastrana took advantage of the opportunity to meet with NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee David Pearson on March 31. Pearson holds the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at Darlington (10) and most poles (12).

"I’m still learning the sport of NASCAR, so to get some great advice from a legend like Mr. Pearson will be extremely beneficial for me when I get to Darlington," Pastrana said.

NASCAR Nationwide Series, Etc.

Kyle Busch, the 2009 series champion, is the defending winner at Darlington. He will play the role of team owner this weekend, overseeing brother Kurt Busch in the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota. Kurt delivered Kyle’s first NNS win as an owner two weeks ago at Richmond. ... It’s homecoming week for Jeremy Clements (Spartanburg), Danny Efland (Irmo) and the JD Motorsports team (Gaffney). Clements is currently 14th in the driver standings. He was as high as 11th three times earlier this season. Efland, a graduate of the University of South Carolina, will make his third start of the season at his home track. It will be a welcome week at home for JDM after scrambling to get to Talladega following a hauler fire at their shop on April 29. The team’s driver, Mike Wallace, will attempt to make his 425th series start (third on all-time NNS starts list). … Plenty of young talent has forced its way into the top 10 in the current series standings, but veterans Mike Bliss and Joe Nemechek are ninth and 10th, respectively. Bliss finished 12th in the final rankings last year for his TriStar Motorsports team. Nemechek, the 1992 series champion, also was ranked 10th following Phoenix in March. ... Due to a late-race incident that cost him an almost certain top10, Michael Annett‘s string of six consecutive top-15 finishes was snapped at Talladega. Despite the 23rd place, Annett is sixth in the standings. … Brian Scott will be among the current and former NASCAR drivers participating in the skid plate race Thursday night at Myrtle Beach Speedway’s "NASCAR Celebrity Night." Proceeds benefit the Victory Junction Gang Camp.

Keselowski Pursues Pair Of NASCAR Truck Goals

Job 1 for Brad Keselowski Racing is backing Parker Kligerman to the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship. So far, so good as Kligerman – coming off an eighth-place finish last month at Kansas Speedway – ranks sixth in the standings.

"We’re solidly knocking off finishes, picking up valuable points and bringing home clean trucks," said Kligerman, who’s competing in his second full season in the series. "We’ve got good speed in our Ram [truck]. We’ve got what it takes. We just have to execute better."

The team owner, however, has some unfinished business. Brad Keselowski competed in only one full season before climbing the ladder to Penske Racing, a NASCAR Nationwide Series championship and six NASCAR Sprint Cup victories. He still lacks a truck win.

"I’m just motivated; I want to make that happen," said Keselowski after finishing third in Kansas. A victory in the May 18 Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway would make him the 24th different driver to win in all three national series. He also would join his father, Bob Keselowski, as a NCWTS winner – an unprecedented achievement.

The elder Keselowski, whose family team was a charter member of the series in 1995, won at Richmond in 1997. Brad’s NASCAR career, as crew member, team engineer and later driver, grew with the Michigan operated organization.

"I know we’ve had some seconds and thirds in this deal. It’s a lot harder when you do it with your own team versus a Cup-affiliated team, that’s for sure. It makes it that much more worthwhile," he said.

Charlotte Meister Wauters Hopes To Work Magic With Rookie

Richie Wauters’ debut as a NCWTS owner has been bumpy, to say the least. Unaccustomed, as a crew chief, to seeing his driver outside Victory Lane, the top five and top 10, Wauters No. 5 Ford driven by Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Paulie Harraka has yet to experience success.
Charlotte, where Wauters is a magician, could be a great reset for the first-year team and driver, who stands 20th in points after four races.
In seven starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway with three different drivers – Kyle Busch, Aric Almirola and Shane Hmiel – Wauters counts two wins, three top fives and six top 10s.

"We’ve been fortunate to have some awesome drivers that have helped with that success," said Wauters, who wears both owner and crew chief hats in 2012. "Coming into Charlotte with a rookie driver is a bit more challenging, but with seat time and laps logged, Paulie will adapt quickly," he said. "Charlotte is the fastest track we’ve run other than Daytona."

Sunday will be a big day for Harraka, who will receive his bachelor’s degree in Markets and Managements at Duke University’s Wallace Wade Stadium. "Graduating from Duke is an amazing milestone in my life. It's taken a lot of hard work, but I'd do it all again if I had the chance," Harraka said.

Ty Dillon Holds Solid Rookie Lead – For Now

Ty Dillon’s got a great jump on a NCWTS first: joining his older brother and 2011 champion Austin Dillon as the Sunoco Rookie of the Year.

With four of 22 races down, Dillon is the top-ranked of 13 freshman candidates. He leads Daytona winner John King by 16 points with Cale Gale third. Dillon has been the top-finishing rookie contender in three consecutive races.

History suggests the double-digit lead will shrink. Although Dillon continues to rank fourth in overall series standings, the rookie award – which Austin Dillon won in 2010 – is based upon a candidate’s 17 best finishes.

Rookies placed two finishers among the top 10 in last year’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200: Cole Whitt (third) and Parker Kligerman (eighth).

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Etc.

Cale Gale returns to his home state Saturday to compete in late model racing at Montgomery (Ala.) Motor Speedway. … James Buescher goes to Darlington Raceway on Friday for NNS action, having finished seventh at Talladega Superspeedway on May 5. … Jason Leffler, with a car recently purchased from Rockingham winner Kasey Kahne, will drive in sprint car events at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, Ind., Saturday and Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway Sunday. … Justin Lofton and his father, Bob Lofton, finished seventh in 1500 P class and 13th overall in last weekend’s off-road racing Best in the Desert Silver State 300 near Las Vegas.

There’s no time for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitors to exhale as arguably the toughest two back-to-back weekends on the 2012 schedule continue this week at Darlington Raceway. The track “Too Tough to Tame” plays host to the 63rd running of Bojangles’ Southern 500 on Saturday night (FOX, live 7 p.m. ET). NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway event follows Sunday’s nail-biting Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway, won by Brad Keselowski.
 
Darlington dates to 1950 and as the series’ first asphalt oval over a ½-mile in length ushered in the sport’s future. A couple of facts looking back on the track’s first race, won by Californian Johnny Mantz in a six-cylinder Plymouth: gas, leaded of course, cost 18 cents a gallon, the average price of a new automobile was $1,510 and the average wages were $3,210.
 
Regan Smith was the surprise winner of last year’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 – the second of three, first time winners of NASCAR’s biggest events. Trevor Bayne had won the Daytona 500 and Paul Menard scored a Brickyard 400 victory later in the summer.
 
Greg Biffle, Darlington winner in 2005-06, continues to head the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings by seven points over Roush Fenway Racing teammate Matt Kenseth.
 
Hendrick Motorsports’ quest for a 200th victory continues at Darlington where the organization has the most victories (13) and Jeff Gordon boasts the most wins (seven) among active drivers. Dale Earnhardt Jr. can set a career record for consecutive top 10 finishes. Earnhardt’s sixth straight top 10 (ninth) at Talladega matched his 2004 streak.
 
NASCAR Nationwide Series kicks off the weekend’s action, with a new – yet familiar – points leader, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Stenhouse will attempt to fend of previous points leader Elliott Sadler in Friday night’s VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 at 7:15 p.m. on ESPN2.
 
There is one more week off the track for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams. They continue to prepare for the May 18 North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
 
Tough Accurately Describes Darlington Competition

Darlington Raceway, built in a South Carolina cotton field, is tough for several reasons. The racing line is narrow, an abrasive track surface quickly takes the “new” off a set of Goodyear tires and the track’s two sets of turns are dramatically different.
 
Greg Biffle, who shows no sign of abdicating his throne as the NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader, looks for his third Darlington victory. Yet Biffle is under no illusion he’s got Darlington’s number. “There's no opportunity to correct or to gather it back up when you're that close to the wall, but you've got to run there because that's where all the speed is and the grip,” he said.” So if you make a little mistake or your car gets away from you a little bit, you've got a Darlington Stripe, and hopefully just a Darlington Stripe because you're going so fast, it can damage the car quickly.”
 
Virtually every car will show damage to varying degrees when the checkered flag falls – even the winner. Last year’s race saw the caution flag wave 11 times over the course of nearly four hours of competition.
 
Smith Looks To Southern 500 For 2012 Turnaround
Regan Smith caught lightning in a bottle at Darlington Raceway in 2011 winning his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Smith would like to duplicate that victory to turn around what’s been a dismal start to this season in which the New York native has finished among the top 15 just once in 10 starts.
 
’Dega Victory Gives Keselowski Much-Needed Momentum
Don’t expect Talladega winner Brad Keselowski to slow down at Darlington Raceway. He finished third in last year’s Bojangles’ Southern 500, 12th in 2010 and seventh in 2009 – his first NASCAR Sprint Cup start at the 1.366-mile track. Keselowski’s second victory of the season was good news for his Penske Racing team, which had been plagued by early season mechanical problems. That’s the biggest reason Keselowski remains outside the top 10 in points – but not far out of a qualifying spot for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™. He gained one position to 12th and trails 10th-place Clint Bowyer by just three points. Keselowski stands first in line for one of the Chase’s two Wild Card qualifiers. Penske’s two Darlington wins came in 1975 with NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison at the wheel of the organization’s AMC Matador.
 
Only Tony Stewart has won more races (seven) in 2011-12 than Keselowski, who shares second on the two-season victory list with Kyle Busch at five wins apiece.
 
Junior Must Regain Darlington Edge To Continue Top-10 Streak
Dale Earnhardt Jr. must reverse his recent Darlington trend – two finishes outside the top 15 in his past three starts – to add to a career-matching top-10 streak that reached six races on Sunday at Talladega. Earnhardt finished 14th in last year’s Darlington race. He was fourth in his first start with Hendrick Motorsports in 2008, his fourth consecutive top 10 at the South Carolina track. Earnhardt stands third in NASCAR Sprint Cup points.
 
Hendrick Motorsports’ quest for its 200th victory could end at Darlington. Jeff Gordon’s seven victories include three consecutive wins in 1995-96. Gordon produced HMS’ most recent Darlington win in 2007. Jimmie Johnson swept both races in 2004, the last time the track scheduled two races in the same season.
 
JGR Good At Darlington As Kyle Busch’s Fortunes Improve
Joe Gibbs Racing owns victories in two of the past four Bojangles’ Southern 500s and three wins overall. Kyle Busch gave Toyota its first Darlington victory in 2008 while teammate Denny Hamlin won in 2010. JGR’s other win, by Bobby Labonte, came in 2000. Hamlin and Busch have combined for three victories this season. Busch won at Richmond on April 28 and finished second to Keselowski at Talladega to join partner Hamlin in the top 10 in the points standings.
 
One Win Down, To Remain On Stewart’s ‘To-Do’ List
Three-time series champion Tony Stewart has failed to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup race on just two tracks on the current schedule: Darlington and Kentucky Speedway, which staged its inaugural race in 2012. Stewart erased Las Vegas Motor Speedway from his “to-do” list in March. Stewart’s Darlington record is so-so: three top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in 19 starts. His best finish, third, came in 2009. Stewart finished seventh in last year’s Bojangles’ Southern 500.
 
Patrick Returns To Series To Face Biggest NASCAR Challenge
Danica Patrick faces her greatest challenge since coming to NASCAR as she competes in her second Sprint Cup race on Saturday. Her No. 10 Chevrolet, prepared by Stewart-Haas Racing, has a guaranteed starting position by virtue of owner Tommy Baldwin’s 33rd ranking in Owners Championship standings. Patrick finished 38th in her series debut at Daytona in February. She will do double duty also competing in Friday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race.
 
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Berth On Line At Darlington
Saturday’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 is a last-chance race for automatic admission to the May 19 Sprint All-Star Race. Drivers yet to qualify include Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Burton and former NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Bobby Labonte. Absent a Darlington win, a driver still can qualify via fan vote or transfer from the Sprint Showdown race.
 
Mother’s Day Special To NASCAR Competitors
NASCARMedia.com has a photo gallery of drivers with their mothers, including a picture of Denny Hamlin with his mom in Darlington’s Victory Lane with the Southern 500 trophy: http://bit.ly/nascar-moms-photos 
 
Here are several comments from drivers about Mother’s Day and their moms:
Denny Hamlin: "She was very critical to me getting where I'm at for sure. If it wasn't her arguing with my dad all the time saying we had to keep going, then we probably wouldn't have been. It's a great weekend for her.”
Jeff Gordon: “It’s a very special time around our house and with my family and my mom and my dad. We give thanks to them because they sit there and watch us with our kids and laugh at us and say, ‘Yeah, see? You didn’t know we went through all this, did you?’”
 
NASCAR Sprint Awards Returns To Vegas
NASCAR announced Monday that the annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards – and all of Champion’s Week – will return to Las Vegas, Nev., and remain there for the next three years. For the fourth-consecutive season, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards will take place at Wynn Las Vegas on Friday, Nov. 30, a culmination of a week-long celebration for the series champion – and NASCAR fans. As in past years, fans can expect the traditionally exciting and interactive week of activities.
 
NSCS Etc.
Phoenix Racing, which fields Chevrolets for Kurt Busch, is based in Spartanburg, S.C. … Spartanburg also is the home of Stewart-Haas Racing crew chief Steve Addington, as well as NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson, a 10-time Darlington Raceway winner. … NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough, Timmonsville, S.C., will serve as Saturday’s grand marshal.
 
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES
 
Full Circle – Stenhouse Jr. New Points Leader
Following the first seven races of this season, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was in an unfamiliar spot. The reigning NASCAR Nationwide Series champion – who had been in first place the final 14 races of 2011 – had bounced around from ninth to fifth to third to second in the standings.

Finally, after Race No. 8 at Talladega, Stenhouse finds himself in familiar territory. Thanks to a third-place finish – his series-best, sixth top-five in his last seven races – and a 10th-place result by previous points leader Elliott Sadler, Stenhouse is back atop the rankings. He heads to Darlington five points to the good ahead of Sadler, his closest rival.

The tables were turned last year at Darlington, the series’ next stop. Sadler finished third while Stenhouse was 10th. Kyle Busch, the 2009 series champion, is the defending winner at Darlington. Kyle Busch will play the part of team owner this weekend, overseeing brother Kurt in the No. 54 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota. Kurt delivered Kyle’s first Nationwide Series win as an owner two weeks ago at Richmond.
Sadler had been the 2012 points leader since Daytona. Looking up at Stenhouse isn’t new to him; he was in that position for 11 of those final 14 races last season. He also didn’t panic while in that position, producing a spirited comeback that came down to the final race of the year at Homestead-Miami.
 
Star Struck? Not Blaney

Friday night’s Darlington field (7:15 p.m. EDT, live ESPN2) will be packed with star power. Danica Patrick, who also will run in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, will be there. So will action sports icon Travis Pastrana, set to make his second Nationwide Series start after his series debut at Richmond. Popular Sunoco rookies Austin Dillon and Cole Whitt also are readying for their first series shot at Darlington.

Last week’s Talladega winner Joey Logano is entered, along with Denny Hamlin, a three-time winner at “The Track Too Tough to Tame.” The names Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne and Brad Keselowski also resonate on the entry list.

Then there’s this entry: Ryan Blaney.

If you’re saying “Who?,” listen up. And watch closely. Blaney, 18, the son of NASCAR veteran Dave Blaney, made his series debut at Richmond along with Pastrana. He also raced against Patrick. And Kurt Busch. And Kahne, Dillon, Whitt, Keselowski, Logano, Hamlin, Stenhouse Jr., Sadler, et al.

Blaney finished seventh at Richmond, bettering the likes of Dillon, Kahne, Keselowski and Logano. In just four starts in the K&N Pro Series East and West, Blaney has a win – last November at Phoenix – a second and two other top-10 results. Blaney is running for Tommy Baldwin Racing, a team with a limited schedule that also includes drivers Ryan Truex and Bobby Santos.
 
NNS Darlington ETC

It’s homecoming week for Jeremy Clements (Spartanburg), Danny Efland (Irmo) and the JD Motorsports team (Gaffney). Clements is having a solid season, currently 14th in the driver standings – he was as high as 11th three times earlier this season. Efland, a graduate of the University of South Carolina, will make his third start of the season at his home track. And it will be a welcome week at home for JDM after scrambling to get to Talladega following a hauler fire at their shop April 29. The team’s driver, Mike Wallace, is 13th in the points. … Plenty of young talent has forced its way into the top 10 in the current series standings, but veterans Mike Bliss and Joe Nemechek are ninth and 10th, respectively. Bliss finished 12th in the final rankings last year for his TriStar Motorsports team. Nemechek, the 1992 series champion, also was ranked 10th following Phoenix in March. ... Due to a late-race incident that cost him an almost certain top-10 – if not higher – result, Michael Annett‘s string of six consecutive top-15 finishes was snapped at Talladega. Despite the 23rd place, Annett is sixth in the standings. … Tayler Maslam, who visited Capitol Hill this week representing groups promoting Global Youth Traffic Safety Month, remains one of the surprises of 2012. In his first full season in the series, Malsam is currently eighth in the standings and has been ranked in the top 10 following each race this year.
 
 
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
 
Harraka Captures Duke Diploma

While most of his classmates will look for work following their graduation from Duke University, Paulie Harraka will continue his full-time job in NASCAR, one that he started even before his enrollment. Harraka – who pilots the No. 5 Wauters Motorsports Ford in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series - will graduate with a degree in Markets and Managements on Sunday, May 13 at Wallace Wade Stadium.

"Graduating from Duke is an amazing milestone in my life. It's taken a lot of hard work, but I'd do it all again if I had the chance," said Harraka.
The New Jersey native will return to the track on Friday, May18 at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the N.C. Education Lottery 200. He sits 20th in the series championship standings.
 
Up Next: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action on Friday, May18 at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the N.C. Education Lottery 200 after three open weekends on the schedule.

Timothy Peters leads the championship standings by four points over James Buescher. Justin Lofton, Ty Dillon and Nelson Piquet Jr. round out the top five. - SOURCE - NASCAR MEDIA

Is it time to realize that today’s races are not going to be full of crashes? 

When I read or hear that fans didn’t like a race I always wonder why.  I can see how some fans could get discouraged if they go to a race, or, watch a race looking for crashes and look for every segment of the race to be full of some type of drama.  In my opinion, it is time for race fans to be able to follow the races with a little more of a technical understanding of the races. 

There are various amounts of gadgets and technologies fans can use to follow the progress of their favorite driver or follow the entire field of drivers.  With all of the information streams available fans have the ability to know more and more about what each driver and team are trying to accomplish throughout the races.  The races with multiple crashes is now the exception and not the rule.
  
Baseball comes to my mind when I hear these complaints.  Maybe it is time for the fans to realize that teams and sponsors realize the value of being able to complete every lap of every race.  It doesn’t benefit anyone involved to tear up the race cars.  I believe one reason that we are seeing fewer crashes is because the drivers and crew chiefs know it is faster to just find your own lane on the track (in clean air) and run as many laps as fast and as uninterrupted as possible. 

When we see the cars spread out to different lanes at Texas Motor Speedway, or, any of the 1.5 mile tracks, we are basically watching the drivers search for grip and search for clean air.  Anything the driver can do to get clean laps he will do.  We can blame it on the cars or whatever our complaint may be but simply put, the drivers know it is faster to run the most consistent laps as possible.  This eliminates a lot of the factors that cause crashes. 

Everyone knows it is slower to race side by side so they don’t run lap after lap that way.  Everyone knows it increases your chances of being in a crash to run two and three wide and it slows every driver’s momentum to be in packs.  It even extends to the point in the races when drivers are making green flag pit stops.  The crew chief will start counting down the laps so the drivers know how many laps before they need to be on pit road.  Sure, crew chiefs have been doing this for a long time, but the difference I see is, the drivers start working on getting in the best position to get onto pit road as smooth as possible and without having to break their momentum until it is absolutely necessary. 

There isn’t necessarily more communication than there used to be, but there is an overall understanding between driver and team to provide each other with as much information as possible to get the timing right. To me, the talent of the drivers gets lost in all of the complaints.  The drivers make running over 200 laps, without a caution, look easy.  The teams make the cars so durable that there are very few failures, therefore, we add another reason for having fewer cautions. 

I wanted to try and connect my baseball game reference.  Not every baseball game is going to be filled with homeruns and strikeouts.  Most baseball wins are a result of slowly grinding away at the competition using the athletes’ precision to win the games.  There are the occasional games with home runs, strike outs, and bench clearing brawls, but most of the time it comes down to everyone on the winning team doing their particular jobs at a very high level, without mistakes.

My opinion is probably not the popular opinion.  My main objective is to inform everyone watching that NASCAR racing is more technical than perceived.  Take a little time during each race to break down the objectives of the drivers and teams.  If you can do this you will learn something from the race every week.  You will learn just how hard these teams work on perfecting each scenario they are faced with.  You will learn how they work through the continuously moving targets they must hit during each event to have the best race possible.  Mainly, you will learn how the drivers and teams that win, make the fewest mistakes. - By Jason Jarrett - @JasonAjarrett TWITTER - for www.CaptainThunderRacing,com

photo credit - getty images

Roush Fenway Racing has announced a press conference next Monday at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. RFR will be announcing their new sponsor for long time RFR driver Matt Kenseth.

Announcing a new sponsor has become a fairly common task among NASCAR teams, but changing a more than decade long driver's car number - that doesn't happen every day.

According to RFR, Kenseth's car will no longer be the #17 car. The new sponsor obviously has a tie to a certain number, so Kenseth will be changing from the number he has had on his car since 1997 to a soon to be announced number.

Team owner Jack Roush, Kenseth, and reps from the new sponsor will unveil the new car number and sponsor on Monday, so until then...let the guessing begin! - Captain Thunder - www.CaptainThunderRacing.com

photo credit:  getty images

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Executing perfectly a move he had saved for the right occasion, Brad Keselowski pulled away from Kyle Busch on the final lap to win Sunday's Aaron's 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at at Talladega Superspeedway in a green-white-checkered-flag finish.

Busch had pushed Keselowski to the lead on Lap 193 of 194 in a race that went six laps past its scheduled distance at the 2.66-mile track. The two cars ran bumper-to-bumper until Turn 3 of the final lap, when Keselowski entered the corner high and dived to the bottom of the track, separating his No. 2 Dodge from Busch's No. 18 Toyota.

After he ditched his dancing partner, Keselowski pulled away to win by .304 seconds, a relative whipping at a track where wins typically are measured in thousandths of seconds.
 
The victory was Keselowski's second of the season, second at the 2.66-mile track, the sixth of his Sprint Cup career and the first for Dodge at Talladega since Dave Marcis took the checkered flag 36 years ago.
 
Matt Kenseth, who led the field to the final restart on Lap 193, came home third, followed by Kasey Kahne and series leader Greg Biffle. Clint Bowyer, David Ragan, Trevor Bayne, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton completed the top 10.
 
Conventional wisdom says that the driver running second on the final lap has a much better chance to win a restrictor-plate race than the driver who is leading, but Keselowski had thought long and hard about what he would do.
 
"I had this whole plan if I ever got in that situation where I was leading," Keselowski said. "I thought about it and thought about it -- dreamed about what to do -- and sure enough, going into (Turn) 3, it was just me and Busch. And I knew the move I wanted to pull.
 
". . . I went into Turn 3 high and pulled down off of Kyle and broke the tandem up. That allowed me to drive untouched to the checkered flag. It wasn't easy to convince myself to do that, but it was the right move. I'm glad it worked."
 
After the race, Busch wasn't quite sure what had happened.
 
"I got to Turn 3, and I got disconnected from him, got unhooked," Busch said. "I hated that happened -- thought we had a shot to win that thing. I'm not sure he (Kesleowski) did anything.
 
"If he did, he's pretty smart, but I think our stuff just came unplugged."
 
Keselowski's victory ended a wild final quarter of the race, which produced four cautions in the final 45 laps.
 
As the field began a round of green-flag pit stops on Lap 143, a massive chain-reaction wreck in Turn 3 eliminated a handful of contending cars, including the No. 24 Chevrolet of pole-sitter Jeff Gordon.
 
Contact between the Ford of Aric Almirola and the Chevrolet of Dave Blaney triggered the crash, which also collected Martin Truex's Toyota, Carl Edwards' Ford and Juan Pablo Montoya's Chevrolet, among others.
 
"It was like a wreck at a stoplight," Edwards said. "Everybody started checking up and hitting each other."
 
With the herd thinned considerably, Paul Menard led the field to a restart on Lap 151. Hamlin, who had regained a lost lap as the highest scored lapped car when NASCAR called the caution on Lap 143, surged to the front, where he swapped the top spot with Brad Keselowski.
 
Kenseth restarted at the back of the field under a penalty for pitting too soon under the Lap 143 caution, but he quickly worked his way forward, wresting the lead from Denny Hamlin on Lap 167, with the Dodges of Keselowski and AJ Allmendinger lined up behind him.
 
Five laps later, Hamlin found an opening between Kenseth and Keselowski and took second, but a Lap 175 wreck that started when Casey Mears cut a tire, scrambled the field for a restart with nine laps left in regulation.
 
As the field crossed the finish line on Lap 181, contact from Keselowski's Dodge sent the Chevrolet of Kurt Busch spinning into the inside wall at the entry to Turn 1. Kenseth led the field to a restart on Lap 185.
 
The green flag lasted only moments. As soon as the cars crossed he start/finish line, Hamlin ducked to the inside, and Allmendinger tried to block the middle lane. The nose of Hamlin's car, however, was already inside Allmendinger's bumper, and contact between the two cars started a wreck that ruined the chances of Hamlin, Menard, Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart and Michael Waltrip.
 
Note: Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman both exited the race with oil pump problems and finished 35th and 36th, respectively.

 RACE STATISTICS
 
Average Speed of Race Winner: 160.192 mph.

   Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 13 Mins, 17 Secs.

   Margin of Victory:  0.304 Seconds.

   Caution Flags: 5 for 24 laps.

   Lead Changes: 34 among 17 drivers.

   Lap Leaders: T. Stewart 1-16; P. Menard 17; T. Kvapil 18; M. Kenseth 19-24; M. Waltrip 25-45; J. Johnson 46-50; M. Kenseth 51-59; J. Burton 60-61; D. Earnhardt Jr. 62-71; M. Kenseth 72-86; K. Kahne 87-94; J. Montoya 95; K. Kahne 96-98; J. Montoya 99-100; G. Biffle 101; K. Harvick 102; P. Menard 103-104; G. Biffle 105-111; J. Burton 112; G. Biffle 113-119; Kurt Busch 120-121; M. Kenseth 122-133; Kurt Busch 134-135; M. Kenseth 136-142; Kyle Busch 143; P. Menard 144-150; B. Keselowski 151-158; D. Hamlin 159-161; C. Mears 162-163; D. Hamlin 164-166; M. Kenseth 167-174; D. Hamlin 175-176; M. Kenseth 177-192; B. Keselowski 193-194.

   Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  M. Kenseth 7 times for 73 laps; M. Waltrip 1 time for 21 laps; T. Stewart 1 time for 16 laps; G. Biffle 3 times for 15 laps; K. Kahne 2 times for 11 laps; D. Earnhardt Jr. 1 time for 10 laps; B. Keselowski 2 times for 10 laps; P. Menard 3 times for 10 laps; D. Hamlin 3 times for 8 laps; J. Johnson 1 time for 5 laps; Kurt Busch 2 times for 4 laps; J. Burton 2 times for 3 laps; J. Montoya 2 times for 3 laps; C. Mears 1 time for 2 laps; K. Harvick 1 time for 1 lap; Kyle Busch 1 time for 1 lap; T. Kvapil 1 time for 1 lap.

   Top 12 in Points: G. Biffle - 378; M. Kenseth - 371; D. Earnhardt Jr. - 369; D. Hamlin - 351; K. Harvick - 333; M. Truex Jr. - 332; T. Stewart - 328; J. Johnson - 324; Kyle Busch - 308; C. Bowyer - 302; C. Edwards - 300; B. Keselowski - 299. - Reid Spencer - NASCAR Wire Service

photo credit:  getty images

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- With a slingshot move past Sprint Cup teammate Kyle Busch five laps into overtime, Joey Logano won Saturday afternoon's Aaron's 312 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

In a race that saw Eric McClure injured and Danica Patrick using her Chevrolet for payback, Logano beat Busch to the finish line by .034 seconds to win his second NNS race of the season and the 11th of his career.

Defending series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ran third and took over the points lead from Elliott Sadler. Cole Whitt came home fourth, followed by his JR Motorsports teammate and boss Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"Kyle and I have worked together in the past, obviously, being teammates on the Cup side," Logano said. "We've got that chemistry there that we know what we've got to do . . .

"I know he's thinking the same thing as me. He knows I'm going to make to make something happen here, and I got him there at the line. It's super exciting to win 'em that way, because you don't know you've got it until you're at the line."

Busch knew that, as the leader off Turn 4 being pushed by Logano, his chances of winning the race were minimal.

"When you're in tandem like that, there's not much that the front car can do," Busch said. "I probably could have blocked Joey up the track a little bit more and then turned down to the bottom to try to get him away from me.

"The rear car has so much momentum ready to go. As soon as you pull out of line, it seems like you're able to move forward on (the leading) car."

Whitt was pushing Stenhouse after a restart on Lap 121, but that tandem couldn't pull up beside Logano and Busch as they raced for the finish line. As a consequence, Logano had the time and the room to make the winning move.

"I was staring in the mirror, because I didn't want to have that other group (Stenhouse and Whitt) beat us to the line," Logano said. "That was going to be the real kicker. I wanted to make sure I had enough room behind me to do this.

"He (Stenhouse) was about three car-lengths back, maybe four. You know how much you're going to slow down when you make the move, so you've got to do it late enough. I did it and I was like, 'Oh, my God -- too early!'

"And then I looked up in the mirror and (said), ''Oh, maybe I'll be all right,' and then we won the race."

Patrick finished 13th, but after the checkered flag, she exacted revenge on Sam Hornish Jr. for crowding her into the wall as they approached the finish line, knocking Hornish into the outside wall in Turn 1.

Hornish said he was unable to turn his No. 12 Dodge because of a flat tire.

"The 2 (Sadler) was pushing me, which I appreciate, but at that time I didn't need it," Hornish said. "I was trying to get out from in front of him, but the car wouldn't turn anymore.

"Then, after the race was over, we got rear-ended by the 7 car (Patrick). I don't know what she had in her head, but she decided to right-rear us, wreck the car after the race was over."

Patrick didn't elaborate about punting Hornish in Turn 1, but after the race she talked about the incident that was the catalyst for the retaliation.

"I don't know what happened," Patrick said. "Sam came up to me after the race and apologized, so I'm not sure what was wrong with his car, but he came across the track at the front of the start/finish line."

After the incident, there's little doubt that there's a difference of opinion between Patrick and Hornish about what constitutes an apology.

The race was red-flagged for a nine-car wreck that interrupted the first attempt at a green-white-checkered-flag finish on Lap 117. McClure got the worst of the collision, taking a jarring hit against the SAFER barrier on the inside of the backstretch approaching Turn 3.

McClure was awake and talking to safety workers after the crash but was airlifted to the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital for further evaluation and treatment of unspecified injuries.

After a stoppage of 19 minutes, the race resumed with the second attempt at a green-white-checker finish.

The wild wreck on Lap 117 was emblematic of an action-filled race.

Contact from Kurt Busch's No. 1 Chevrolet sent Brian Scott's No. 11 Toyota spinning on Lap 29, triggering a wreck that also involved Josh Richards, Morgan Shepherd and Jason Bowles.

Busch was charging from the back of the field after serving a penalty for dragging a fuel can from his pit stall under caution for Johanna Long's blown engine on Lap 22.

Under yellow for the Lap 29 wreck, Austin Dillon ran into the back of John Wes Townley's No. 24 Toyota, which was blocking Dillon's egress from the pit box.

Dillon's car, however, sustained only cosmetic damage, and the reigning Camping World Truck Series champion soon worked his way back to the front of the field. But Dillon was a victim of the Lap 117 melee that started when Michael Annett tried to make a run up the middle and collided with Kevin Harvick's Chevy. Dillon finished 17th and is third in the standings, 30 points behind Stenhouse.

Earnhardt had led 19 laps before a multicar wreck on the frontstretch slowed the action for the third time, moments after the field had completed Lap 62. Brad Sweet spun off the front bumper of Mike Wallace's Chevrolet and slammed nose-first into the outside wall.

Josh Richards' spin on Lap 81 caused the fourth caution, providing the opportunity for fuel stops inside the window to the finish.

RACE STATISTICS
 
  Average Speed of Race Winner: 136.258 mph.

  Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 22 Mins, 54 Secs.

  Margin of Victory:  0.034 Seconds.

  Caution Flags: 7 for 27 laps.

  Lead Changes: 37 among 18 drivers.

  Lap Leaders: E. Sadler 1-4; K. Harvick 5; A. Dillon 6-7; J. Buescher 8-13; Kurt Busch 14; J. Logano 15; E. Sadler 16-17; Kyle Busch 18; J. Buescher 19-21; R. Stenhouse Jr. 22; T. Andrews 23; Kyle Busch 24-25; D. Earnhardt Jr. 26; J. Logano 27-30; D. Earnhardt Jr. 31-34; J. Logano 35-41; M. Bliss 42-43; J. Logano 44-46; D. Earnhardt Jr. 47-51; J. Nemechek 52; M. Wallace 53; D. Earnhardt Jr. 54-63; K. Harvick 64-65; A. Dillon 66-67; C. Whitt 68-70; K. Wallace 71; D. Earnhardt Jr. 72; E. Sadler 73-74; R. Truex 75; D. Earnhardt Jr. 76-77; D. Patrick 78; D. Earnhardt Jr. 79-80; K. Harvick 81-82; S. Hornish Jr. 83-84; K. Harvick 85-87; J. Logano 88; Kyle Busch 89-121; J. Logano 122;.

  Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Kyle Busch 3 times for 36 laps; D. Earnhardt Jr. 7 times for 25 laps; J. Logano 6 times for 17 laps; J. Buescher 2 times for 9 laps; K. Harvick 4 times for 8 laps; E. Sadler 3 times for 8 laps; A. Dillon 2 times for 4 laps; C. Whitt 1 time for 3 laps; S. Hornish Jr. 1 time for 2 laps; M. Bliss 1 time for 2 laps; R. Truex 1 time for 1 lap; M. Wallace 1 time for 1 lap; T. Andrews 1 time for 1 lap; Kurt Busch 1 time for 1 lap; K. Wallace 1 time for 1 lap; R. Stenhouse Jr. 1 time for 1 lap; D. Patrick 1 time for 1 lap; J. Nemechek 1 time for 1 lap.

  Top 10 in Points: R. Stenhouse Jr. - 325; E. Sadler - 320; A. Dillon - 290; S. Hornish Jr. - 265; C. Whitt - 248; M. Annett - 241; J. Allgaier - 228; T. Malsam - 202; M. Bliss - 201; J. Nemechek - 189. - source nascar media

At Talladega Superspeedway:
History
·         Construction began on what was then known as the Alabama International Motor Speedway on May 23, 1968.
·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on Sept. 14, 1969.
·         The name changed to Talladega Superspeedway in 1989.
·         Fourth repaving completed on Sept. 19, 2006.
 
Notebook
·         There have been 85 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Talladega Superspeedway since the track opened in 1969; two a year every year except the inaugural season, which had just one.
·         Richard Brickhouse won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
·         Bobby Isaac won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole in September 1969. Isaac won the first three poles there.
·         35 different drivers have won poles. Bill Elliott leads all drivers with eight poles.
·         41 different drivers have posted victories, led by Dale Earnhardt Sr. (10). Twenty drivers have won more than once.
·         Jeff Gordon leads all other active drivers in victories, with six. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is second among active drivers in victories with five.
·         Richard Childress Racing has won more than any other organization at Talladega with 12 wins.
·         33 of 85 races have been won from a top-two starting positions, including 13 from the pole; 23 have been won from a starting position outside the top 10. The most recent driver to win from the pole was Jeff Gordon in 2007 (spring).
·         The furthest back in the field a race winner started was 36th, by Jeff Gordon in 2000.
·         Mark Martin’s pace in the 1997 spring race set an all-time NASCAR Sprint Cup record for the fastest race ever. He won the caution-free race with an average speed of 188.354 mph and covered the 500-mile distance in two hours, 39 minutes and 18 seconds.
·         The 2010 spring race set the all-time and track records for lead changes (88) and lap leaders (29). Last season’s spring race tied the 2010 record for most lead changes with 88 (amongst 26 lap leaders). The previous highs were 75 lead changes (set on May 6, 1984) and 28 lap leaders (set on Oct. 5, 2008). Both previous records also were set at Talladega.
·         Dale Earnhardt Jr. had four consecutive victories (October 2001 through April 2003), the most ever by a driver there. Buddy Baker (three – May 1975 through May 1976) is the only other driver to win more than two consecutive races there.
·         Since the inception of electronic scoring in 1993, every race that has ended under green has had a margin of victory under half a second.
·         The 2011 spring race tied the 03/16/2003 Darlington race won by Ricky Craven for the all-time record of the closest series finish (0.002 seconds) since the inception of electronic scoring.
·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Talladega Superspeedway winner: Bobby Hillin Jr. (07/27/1986 – 22 years, 1 month, 22 days).
·         Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Talladega Superspeedway winner: Harry Gant (05/06/1991 – 51 years, 3 months, 26 days)
Talladega Superspeedway Data
Race #: 10 of 36 (05-06-12)
Track Size: 2.66 miles
Race Length: 500 miles
·     Banking/corners: 33 degrees
·     Banking/Frontstretch: 16.5 degrees
·     Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees
·     Frontstretch: 4,300 feet
·     Backstretch: 4,000 feet

Top 12 Driver Rating at Talladega
Jeff Burton 91.3
Dale Earnhardt Jr 90.2
Denny Hamlin 88.7
Joey Logano 88.6
Brian Vickers 87.3
David Ragan 87.1
Kurt Busch 86.2
Tony Stewart 84.3
Matt Kenseth 83.7
Jeff Gordon 82.6
Jimmie Johnson 81.9
Juan Pablo Montoya 81.8

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (14 total) at Talladega.
 
Qualifying/Race Data
2011 pole winner: Jeff Gordon, 178.248 mph, 53.723 seconds
2011 race winner: Jimmie Johnson, (156.261 mph, 04-17-11)
Track qualifying record: Bill Elliott (212.809 mph, 44.998 seconds, 04-30-87)
Track race record: Mark Martin (188.354 mph, 05-10-97)

 
NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Racing continue on the sport’s biggest stage – 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway – this weekend. Aerodynamic and other procedural changes returned traditional pack racing to Daytona International Speedway in February and should have a similar effect at Talladega.
 
Still, last year’s Aaron’s 499 was statistically compelling with a record number of lead changes and a margin of victory – 0.002-seconds between winner Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer – that matched the NASCAR Sprint Cup record.
 
Five-time Talladega winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. could bag two birds with the same slingshot on Sunday – giving Hendrick Motorsports its 200th victory and in the process snap a 138-race winless streak dating to June 2008. HMS has won 11 times at Talladega, one fewer victory than Richard Childress Racing. RCR has won three of the last four Talladega races.
 
Saturday’s Aaron’s 312 is the Nationwide Series’ only 2012 visit to Talladega Superspeedway. Kyle Busch, the defending winner, climbs back into his No. 54 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota. Older brother Kurt Busch gave the team its first series victory last weekend in Richmond. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. continues his bid for a second consecutive championship. He’ll need to better last year’s 38th-place finish, one of just two DNFs in his title season.
 
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series continues on hiatus as teams prepare for the May 18 North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Several drivers – Justin Lofton in a Nevada off-road race and James Buescher in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Talladega – will step outside their trucks for racing this Saturday.

Pack Is Back At Talladega After Successful Return Of Pack Racing At Daytona
Traditional pack racing returned to Daytona International Speedway in February making this year’s Daytona 500 one of the memorable in history. Look for more of the same in Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway, at 2.66 miles in length the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ longest track. Talladega equals excitement: Last year’s Aaron’s 499 matched series records for lead changes (88) and closest margin of victory (0.002 seconds). Fact: every Talladega race finishing under the green flag since introduction of electonic scoring in 1993 has recorded an MOV of under a half second.

Daytona 500 Winner Matt Kenseth On Pack Racing:
 “I think you will see racing similar to Daytona. I don’t know why it would be much different. Daytona has the new pavement and a lot of grip just like Talladega. It is the same rules package so I think you will see racing like you did during Speedweeks.”

AJ Allmendinger On Pack Racing:
 “I’m excited to get back and hopefully have that big pack racing again. Hopefully, that kind of stays the same as Daytona. To me, to get back in the big packs and getting back to that will be a lot better than over the last couple of years. Hopefully, it continues the same way it was at Daytona. Daytona, to me, was great racing throughout the whole race. I wouldn’t say that I’m ever excited to go to Talladega, but I look forward to getting back to how big pack racing used to be there.”

Denny Hamlin On Pack Racing:
 “I think that the pack-racing that we had at Daytona was amazing. I thought it was great racing. The two car tandem didn't win the race -- that's a good thing. Really, they got us to where we were running a fast enough speed that handling became somewhat of an issue. So, all those things I think will equal good racing at Talladega if they keep everything the way that it was."
 
May Day for June Bug?
Dale Earnhardt Jr. last led the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings after his fifth and last win at Talladega in October 2004. He has four top-10 finishes in the last five spring races at Talladega and a 13th-place finish in the fifth, two years ago.
 
Following his second runner-up finish of the season at Richmond last weekend, Dale Jr. said: “The team is confident, we're feeling good. We feel like we're competing well. Really close to winning a race. We ain't really raced for a win yet and lost one, so I wouldn't count tonight. But we're getting better at running the top 5 and top 10s. We'll just try to keep doing that. There's too many variables going into races at Talladega whether you feel confident winning or not. There's just too much going on there.”
 
RCR On A Roll At Talladega
Richard Childress Racing has won three of the last four races at Talladega Superspeedway, and Childress has more wins (12) than any other owner at the track. Childress began his driving career at the track in 1969, and on Thursday, the NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee will be inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame by NASCAR President Mike Helton.

Kevin Harvick had this to say about his team’s success at Talladega: “I think if you really look a little deeper into that, there’s some days where we just finish the last few laps and run probably slower than we need to run. But that’s always been something that Richard (Childress) has pushed on the guys is to make sure that when you start something, you do your best to not have that DNF on the chart. So, they do a good job at fixing things and getting them back out on the race track. We’ve definitely torn-up our share of stuff at Talladega as well. But it has been a good place for us. Hopefully we can keep putting ourselves in the right spot and keep that record intact.”
 
Harvick and fellow RCR drivers Jeff Burton and Paul Menard have yet to win in 2012. Harvick ranks seventh in points.
 
Bowyer Hopes To Carry Dega Success To MWR
Clint Bowyer has several reasons to be excited about racing at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend. Bowyer finished second in last year’s Aaron’s 499 and won the track’s fall race in 2011. He’s also fighting to a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ having just missed qualifying for NASCAR’s post season a year ago. Bowyer, 12th in the standings but just 14 points out of 10th-place, left Richard Childress Racing at season’s end and bids to carry his Talladega success to Michael Waltrip Racing. Teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Michael Waltrip logged top-10 finishes in last year’s fall race. MWR has a single top-five finish at Talladega: David Reutimann’s fourth in the fall of 2010.
 
Hendrick #200wins Watch
In addition to reaching the 200-win mark in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Rick Hendrick is a win away from tying Richard Childress for most wins at Talladega with 12. Jeff Gordon has the most wins among active drivers with 6 while teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. has 5. The all-time winner is Dale Earnhardt with 10. Gordon’s last Talladega victory came in 2007 when he swept both spring and fall races. Five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson is the defending winner of the Aarons 499.
 
Newman Coors Light Pole Watch
A Coors Light Pole away from 50, Ryan Newman heads to Talladega, where he has no poles and a 14.3 starting position.
 
Shaking Out The Points
With nine races in the books, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has passed the one-third mark of the 26-race regular season. Just two who didn’t qualify for the Chase a year ago – leader Greg Biffle and Martin Truex Jr. – appear in the top 10 of the standings following the April 28 Capital City 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Ten of the current top 13 qualified for last year’s Chase either via top 10 or Wild Card route. Jeff Gordon (17th) and Kurt Busch (26th) are pretty much consigned to seeking Wild Card berths if they are contend for this year’s championship.
 
This Date In Talladega History
The Aaron's 499 has been run on May 6 four times. In 1973, David Pearson won against the biggest field in the track's history (60 cars). In 1979, another NASCAR Hall of Famer and a member of the Alabama Gang, Bobby Allison, won. In 1984, a third NASCAR Hall of Famer, Cale Yarborough went to Victory Lane. All three won from the pole. In 1990, Dale Earnhardt claimed his third of a record 10 wins.
Bill Elliott will be appearing at Oxford and Pell City Walmarts on Saturday as part of Walmart’s 50th anniversary Legends of Racing initiative. Saturday, May 5 is the 27th anniversary of overcoming nearly a two-lap deficit under green-flag conditions to claim the win on his way to becoming “Million Dollar Bill” at Darlington later that year.
 
Bowtie Brigade Savors Talladega Competition
Since 1999, Chevrolet has won at least one race every year at Talladega except 2008. Chevy has won the last four races at the track and four of the last five. Jamie McMurray hopes to repeat his victory of fall 2009 and snap a 48-race winless streak. Teresa Earnhardt – part of the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates ownership – won five consecutive Talladega races from 2001-2003.
 
Kyle Busch Celebrates 27th Birthday This Wednesday
Busch, who recorded his 24th Sprint Cup victory at Richmond last weekend, said: “To go to Talladega next week, anything can unfold there. I think I've been crashed all but one time, and that time I didn't crash I almost crashed and won the race, so that was cool.” Busch joined older brother Kurt in 26th on the series’ all-time victory roster and with his 105th NASCAR national series victory stands one win behind second-place David Pearson.
 
NSCS Etc.
Spring’s short track season ended at Richmond with three drivers (Brad Keselowski, Ryan Newman and Kyle Busch), three teams (Penske Racing, Stewart Haas Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing) and three manufacturers (Dodge, Chevrolet and Toyota) picking up victories at Bristol, Martinsville and Richmond, respectively. Fall’s three-race segment begins Aug. 25 at Bristol where owner Bruton Smith announced last week he would reconfigure the track’s compound banking in use since 2007. … Mike Ford, who guided Denny Hamlin to a second-place championship finish in 2010, has been named crew chief for Aric Almirola’s No. 43 Ford. He replaces Greg Irwin at Richard Petty Motorsports.
 
NASCAR Nationwide Series
 
It’s On
If finishing 19th at Daytona due to a last lap wreck to put him 15 points behind Elliott Sadler for the NASCAR Nationwide Series points lead wasn’t enough to light up Ricky Stenhouse Jr. right out of the 2012 box, being 25 points down to the leader after the event at Bristol certainly was.
 
Add to that Stenhouse’s 38th-place finish at Talladega last year as a result of a Lap 67 wreck – one of only two DNFs on the season – plus Sadler’s fifth-place effort, and you have a recipe for a patented Stenhouse charge.
 
Since Bristol, Stenhouse has one win and two other top fives bringing the reigning series champion to within two points of Sadler’s lead heading to ‘Dega.
 
There’s also a manufacturer challenge to go along with the Sadler-Stenhouse clash. Chevrolet, despite being the series’ all-time winner (12) at Talladega – hasn’t won at there since 2007. Ford last won in 2009.
 
For Long, Sweet Home Alabama
Although she’ll be making her NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at Talladega, Johanna Long might very well feel at home.
 
Long, at 19 the youngest female to compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and a current Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate, is from Pensacola, Fla., and cut her racing teeth racing in Legends, Pro Late Models and Super Late Models at Alabama at tracks in Mobile and Opp.
 
She more than held her own in her NASCAR debut at Talladega last October, starting eighth and finishing 16th in the NASCAR Camping World Series race. Long drives for ML Motorsports in the Nationwide Series and the team collected its only top five to date at ‘Dega in 2008.
 
Beware The Shrub
Have the floodgates opened for Kyle Busch?
 
After an inauspicious – and somewhat unlucky – start to the inaugural Kyle Busch Motorsports season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, the team won its first race in exhilarating fashion last Friday night at Richmond. Kurt Busch delivered the historic victory for his little bro, banging side-by-side with hometown favorite Denny Hamlin to the tune of a .062-second margin of victory. That was the closest MOV in series history at RIR.
 
Kyle Busch, the 2009 series champion, won the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at RIR the following night.
 
With that kind of momentum – as well as being the defending winner of the Aaron’s 312 at Talladega – is it time for other series drivers to watch out for Kyle, who’s driving his own No. 54 Toyota this weekend?
 
The answer: perhaps. A NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championship contender hasn’t won at Talladega since 2005, when two-time series champion Martin Truex Jr. won the second of three consecutive races at the 2.66-mile superspeedway. Kyle also will have to deal with Kurt, who’s also entered in the Nationwide race, for Phoenix Racing.
 
NNS ‘Dega ETC:
Sam Hornish Jr. isn’t flying under the radar anymore. A three-time IndyCar Series champion and 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner, he’s found his second NASCAR wind. In his first full-time season in the Nationwide Series, Hornish is fourth in the points and comes off a season-best fifth-place result last week at Richmond. … Danica Patrick will be making her series debut at Talladega. She won her first career Nationwide Series pole in February at Daytona. … With the Truck Series in an open week, James Buescher, the Nationwide Series winner at Daytona, is entered at Talladega. … 1992 series champion Joe Nemechek – the all-time series pole winner (5) and two-time race winner at Talladega – nearly made it three wins with help from Mike Wallace last year. With Wallace as the pusher, Nemechek finished third. He may return the favor this year after Wallace’s JD Motorsports team went through adversity earlier this week. The team’s No. 01 hauler and majority of equipment was lost in a hauler fire at the JD Motorsports Gaffney, S.C., shop on Sunday. However the teams’ primary and backup cars were not on the hauler. RAB Racing has offered its Truck Series hauler for use by the JDM team at Talladega. … The No. 3 Chevrolet will make its first series run at Talladega since 2000 this weekend with driver Austin Dillon. … Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his nephew Jeffrey Earnhardt are entered in the event.
 
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
 
Impressive Start To The Season For Lofton
The award for the most impressive turnaround since last season goes to third place contender, Justin Lofton.
The 2011 season left Lofton with only three finishes inside the top-10, a feat he has already surpassed this season with four straight top-10 finishes.
The California native sits third in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship standings only 11 points out of the lead.
Following a two-day test in Nashville, Lofton will fly to Las Vegas to compete in the Canidae Tap Silver State 300 off-road event in the Best in the Dessert Racing Association.
Changing of the Guard Continues in the NCWTS
Just four races into the 2012 season, the young guns continue to outshine the veterans in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship standings.
The top-six have never won a series championship.
Timothy Peters currently leads the standings by four points over Kansas winner James Buescher.
Justin Lofton – 11 points back in third - continues his impressive start to the season with four straight top-10 finishes. 
Rookie standout Ty Dillon – who finished second at Martinsville last month – and Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jr. complete the top five followed by Parker Kligerman in sixth.

Crafton Excited About Repaving Of Pocono Raceway
Matt Crafton was one of seven NASCAR Sprint Cup and Camping World drivers to participate in last week’s Goodyear Tire test at Pocono Raceway. The track was repaved following last August’s Sprint Cup/truck weekend. “They outdid themselves on the pavement. It’s definitely one groove right now, but I’m sure, as you get more race cars on the track, they’ll be running side-by-side, and it’ll be interesting to see,” said Crafton, who finished third and eighth in his two trips to the “Tricky Triangle.”

Up Next: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action on Friday, May18 at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the N.C. Education Lottery 200.

GRAND-AM Racing To Benefit Susan G. Komen Foundation
GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series will be racing to assist breast cancer research in Round 4 of the 2012 season, the Global Barter 250 presented by Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
 
The Central and South Jersey Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure will have family activities at the circuit throughout the Mother’s Day weekend. Breast cancer survivors are invited to participate in the “Start your engines” command on Saturday and Sunday. The Central and South Jersey Affiliate is also sponsoring an on-line charity auction for opportunities to wave the green flag or to participate in VIP experiences with several of the leading Rolex Series and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge teams.
 
Philadelphia Native Segal Helps New Ferrari 458 To First Victory
Jeff Segal returns to his home track on a winning roll. The Philadelphia native joined co-driver Emil Assentato in winning the recent Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead-Miami Speedway, giving the Ferrari 458 Italia Grand Am its first victory.
 
Segal and Assentato also finished second in the recent Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park in the No. 69 AIM Autosport Team FXDD Ferrari, and hold a three-point lead in the Rolex Series GT point standings over Rolex 24 winners Andy Lally and John Potter.
 
Segal and Assentato scored their best New Jersey finish during their 2010 GT championship season when they finished third in a SpeedSource Mazda RX-8.
 
Defending NJMP Winners Pruett, Rojas Take Championship Lead
Three-time Daytona Prototype champions Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas got off to a slow start to the current season with a sixth-place finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. A runner-up finish in the recent Grand Prix of Miami elevated the drivers of the No. 01 TELMEX BMW/Riley to familiar territory atop the point standings.
 
The TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates drivers scored their first victory at New Jersey Motorsports Park in 2011 – their fifth triumph of the season. Pruett and Rojas enter the Global Barter 250 presented by Susan G. Komen for the Cure with a two-point lead in the DP standings over Starworks Motorsport driver pairings Ryan Dalziel/Enzo Potolicchio and Alex Popow/Lucas Luhr.
 
New Jersey’s Donohue Has Momentum On His Side In Action Corvette DP
David Donohue has plenty of momentum on his side when he returns to New Jersey Motorsports Park in the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP. The Malvern, N.J. driver joined Darren Law in finishing third in the recent Grand Prix of Miami, and are looking to bring the new Corvette DP its third consecutive victory in the Global Barter 250 presented by Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
 
Richard Westbrook and Antonio Garcia gave the Corvette DP its first victory at Barber Motorsports Park in March, while Ricky Taylor and Max Angelelli won the recent race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
 
The son of Mark Donohue – racing legend and 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner – Donohue moved up to sixth in the DP championship standings with his strong showing in the rain-soaked race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
 
Rum Bum Racing On Winning Roll
The No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche Carrera is undefeated in Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition. Matt Plumb – a native of Chesapeake City, Del., and Nick Longhi won at both Barber Motorsports Park and Homestead-Miami Speedway, and look to make it three in a row at the B+ Heroes 200 presented by BCKSTGR at New Jersey Motorsports Park on Saturday, May 12.
 
Plumb and Longhi won six races for Rum Bum Racing in a BMW M3, finishing second at NJMP in 2010. They switched to Porsche after finishing fifth in their BMW in the 2012 season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway.
 
Roush, Johnson Look For New Jersey Hat Trick
Jack Roush Jr. and Billy Johnson will be looking for their third consecutive victory at New Jersey Motorsports Park when they pilot the No. 61 Roush Performance Ford Mustang Boss 302R in the B+ Heroes 200 presented by BCKSTGR. The pair opened 2012 with a victory at Daytona, and are currently fifth in the Grand Sports standings.
 
Roush Performance will field a second Mustang at NJMP, the No. 51 for Daytona pole winner Shelby Blackstock and Jade Buford. Blackstock is the son of popular singer/actress Reba McEntire.

SOURCE- NASCAR MEDIA