Michael Waltrip Strikes Again

(file photo)

We all enjoy Michael Waltrip.  He's rather personable, is easy to chat up. (I proved that the other year at Sonoma) And has great insights to the on-track action when he's in the commentary booth.  (That is, when his race team isn't committing huge "alleged" cheating infractions.)

But now we can add one more tidbit to the fire, and that's his inability to keep up with the times.

This last weekend Michael was doing some work for Fox Sports at the Fontana, CA track, when he thought he spotted someone he admires greatly.

While on camera, he rushed over to her and said this -- "Hi Donna how are you? Enjoy the races today, I love your music. You’ve got a great body of work that you’ve put together!”

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Sigh.

The person he was greeting, he thought, was Donna Summer.

For those of you up on current affairs, Ms. Summer passed away back in 2012.

I know that if I were a fan of the woman's to the extent that Michael made it sound, I would think he'd be up on the huge gap of "latest updates" on the now deceased singer.  Or at least, having known she passed.

So Michael strikes up one for the team.

As if NASCAR needs more image issues for those "not in the know."

The source and video is up on TMZ if you're interested.

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RIP Lynda Petty

With great sadness, NASCAR has lost one of its royal family.

Lynda Petty lost her long battle with cancer and passed away today at the age of 72.

Our condolences to her family and peers.

A press release from NASCAR:

"“On behalf of the France Family and everyone at NASCAR, I want to offer sincere condolences to the Petty Family regarding the loss of their beloved matriarch, Lynda Petty,” said Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO. “Through the years, Lynda became an integral part of the NASCAR landscape. We have lost a true friend, who will be missed each and every day. Our thoughts and prayers will be with the Pettys throughout this difficult time.”"

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Official Race Results From Auto Club Speedway

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES OFFICIAL RACE REPORT No. 5
18TH ANNUAL AUTO CLUB "400"
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY

Fontana, CA - March 23, 2014
2-Mile Oval
200 Laps - 400 Miles Purse: $5,956,154

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When it came down to Kyle Busch and rookie Kyle Larson, for a moment I thought we were going to see a rookied sweep the CA weekend out at Auto Club Speedway.  But it may seem that Kyle Busch learned a thing or two about Larson the day prior, when Larson won his first Nationwide race by a narrow margin, beating out Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch.

Plus, this now puts Kyle Busch pretty much in the Chase for the Cup at the end of the year.

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Race Comments: Kyle Busch won the Auto Club 400 his 29th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory. Prior to the green flag to start the event, the following car(s) will drop to the rear of the field for the reasons indicated: #78, 22 - back-up car; #27, 11 - driver change.

TIME OF RACE:3 hours, 5 minutes, 53 seconds AVERAGE SPEED:132.987 mph MARGIN OF VICTORY:0.214 second(s)

COORS LIGHT POLE AWARD: Matt Kenseth (187.315 mph. 38.438 secs.)

3M LAP LEADER: Jimmie Johnson (104 Laps)

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Caution Flags: 9 cautions for 42 laps. [Beneficiary in Brackets]
20-23 (Debris For #4 (Frontstetch) [None]);
44-47 (Car #88 Accident (Turn 2) [None]);
58-60 (Car #14 Spinout (Backstretch) [None]);
71-74 (Car #33, 43 Accident (Frontstretch) [14]);
87-90 (Car #30 Accident (Turn 4) [35]);
119-122 (Car #99 Spinout (Turn 2) [34]);
142-148 (Debris (Turn 3) [99]);
168-173 (Car #38, 98 Accident (Turn 4) [78]);
199-204 (Car #15 Spinout (Turn 4) [31]).

Lap Leaders: 35 lead changes among 15 drivers.
Kenseth-pole, Keselowski 1-9, Bowyer 10, Keselowski 11-20, Ragan 21,
Keselowski 22, Ky. Busch 23-26, Keselowski 27-43, Gilliland 44, Cassill 45,
Johnson 46, Vickers 47, Johnson 48-57, Bowyer 58, Keselowski 59,
Johnson 60-70, Newman 71-73, Kenseth 74-83, Johnson 84-86, Kenseth 87,
Nemechek 88, Kenseth 89-90, Johnson 91-105, J. Gordon 106-119,
Sorenson 120, Kenseth 121-126, Johnson 127-142, J. Gordon 143, Reutimann 144,
Johnson 145-167, J. Gordon 168, Johnson 169-193, J. Gordon 194-200,
Cassill 201-203, Ku. Busch 204-205, Ky. Busch 206.

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With Kyle being the fifth driver to win in five races, this is how the Chase Field is starting to shape up:

POS	Driver	Points	Wins
1	CARL EDWARDS	186	1
2	DALE EARNHARDT JR.	185	1
4	BRAD KESELOWSKI	182	1
7	KYLE BUSCH	158	1
25	KEVIN HARVICK	97	1

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Official Results From California:

Pos	No	Driver	Laps	Points	B. Pts	Status	Laps Led
1	18	Kyle Busch	206	47	4	Running	5
2	42	Kyle Larson #	206	42	0	Running
3	41	Kurt Busch	206	42	1	Running	2
4	20	Matt Kenseth	206	41	1	Running	19
5	14	Tony Stewart	206	39	0	Running
6	1	Jamie McMurray	206	38	0	Running
7	55	Brian Vickers	206	38	1	Running	1
8	47	AJ Allmendinger	206	36	0	Running
9	27	Paul Menard	206	35	0	Running
10	99	Carl Edwards	206	34	0	Running
11	3	Austin Dillon #	206	33	0	Running
12	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr	206	32	0	Running
13	24	Jeff Gordon	206	32	1	Running	23
14	10	Danica Patrick	206	30	0	Running
15	13	Casey Mears	206	29	0	Running
16	15	Clint Bowyer	206	29	1	Running	2
17	11	Sam Hornish Jr	206	0	0	Running
18	26	Cole Whitt #	206	26	0	Running
19	7	Michael Annett #	206	25	0	Running
20	31	Ryan Newman	206	25	1	Running	3
21	36	Reed Sorenson	206	24	1	Running	1
22	23	Alex Bowman #	206	22	0	Running
23	78	Martin Truex Jr	206	21	0	Running
24	48	Jimmie Johnson	206	22	2	Running	104
25	40	Landon Cassill	205	0	0	Running	4
26	2	Brad Keselowski	205	19	1	Running	38
27	34	David Ragan	205	18	1	Running	1
28	51	Justin Allgaier #	205	16	0	Running
29	35	David Reutimann	205	16	1	Running	1
30	9	Marcos Ambrose	205	14	0	Running
31	83	Ryan Truex #	205	13	0	Running
32	66	Joe Nemechek	205	0	0	Running	1
33	32	Travis Kvapil	205	11	0	Running
34	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr	204	10	0	Running
35	33	Brian Scott	204	0	0	Running
36	4	Kevin Harvick	204	8	0	Running
37	98	Josh Wise	204	7	0	Running
38	38	David Gilliland	202	7	1	Running	1
39	22	Joey Logano	195	5	0	Running
40	16	Greg Biffle	193	4	0	Running
41	5	Kasey Kahne	180	3	0	Running
42	30	Parker Kligerman #	85	2	0	Accident
43	43	Aric Almirola	68	1	0	Accident

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NEXT RACE EVENT:

March 30, 2014 - 65th Annual STP 500, Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway, VA (263 Miles) (500 Laps)

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Hornish Jr replaces Hamlin at the Auto Club 400

It was just reported that Denny Hamlin will have Sam Hornish Jr drive his No. 11 Fed Ex Car in the Auto Club 400 due to vision issues resulting from an eye infection.

He headed to a local hospital out there in Fontana, California, to have himself checked out.

Which, in looking at it, sort of kills all the marketing focused on the potential feud or issues that Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano might have had, coming from the wreck that put Hamlin in the wall, causing that back injury that kept him out of the car for an extended period of time.

So if you're wondering why you aren't seeing his name, Hornish Jr replaces Hamlin in the No. 11 Fed Ex Car at Fontana.

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Which Miss Sprint Cup Is Leaving The Team?

News on the street is that that Miss Sprint Cup crew is losing a member, that member being Brooke Werner.

It was her second season being on the team and in her statement on her exiting the team, she was very vague, but said she was leaving for good, personal reasons.

Her exit was announced on Miss Sprint Cup's Facebook page.

Maybe we'll find out more later on after she gets where she goes. I wonder if she's going back to some other work related to her earlier career moves?  Or on to a broadcasting job somewhere?  The ladies leave this job for better pastures usually.

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Food City 500 Official Results

Was the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway a crazy kind of race, or what?  We had weather, a "trophy dash," more weather, almost a race, more weather, then racing, with a side of human error on that last lap.

But apparently the human error in triggering the caution lights didn't upset the apple cart too much, with only three drivers getting a position changed.

To be honest, I'd rather have a caution light "oops" rather than a process that takes too long to engage.  And aside from that, how many times have we ever seen errant caution flags?

With that said, Carl Edwards is now, more than likely, in The Chase.  Well, I'd rather see him get in early, than get desperate and start plowing through folks to get a berth in the race-offs.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES OFFICIAL RACE REPORT No. 4
54TH ANNUAL FOOD CITY "500"
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Bristol, TN - March 16, 2014
.533-Mile Oval
500 Laps - 266.50 Miles Purse: $5,630,559

Race Comments: Carl Edwards won the Food City 500, his 22nd NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory. Prior to the green flag to start the event, the following car(s) will drop to the rear of the field for the reasons indicated: #27, 30 (Engine Change); #40 (backup car); #98 (pitting before green).

TIME OF RACE:3 hours, 11 minutes, 23 seconds       AVERAGE SPEED:84.051 mph      MARGIN OF VICTORY:Under Caution

COORS LIGHT POLE AWARD:  Denny Hamlin (129.991 mph. 14.761 secs.)

3M LAP LEADER:  Matt Kenseth (165 Laps)

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				Fin	Bon.
Pos	No	Driver	Laps	Pts	Pts	Status	Laps Led
1	99	Carl Edwards	503	47	4	Running	78
2	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr	503	42	0	Running
3	43	Aric Almirola	503	41	0	Running
4	14	Tony Stewart	503	40	0	Running
5	9	Marcos Ambrose	503	39	0	Running
6	11	Denny Hamlin	503	39	1	Running	4
7	24	Jeff Gordon	503	37	0	Running
8	5	Kasey Kahne	503	37	1	Running	16
9	55	Brian Vickers	503	35	0	Running
10	42	Kyle Larson #	503	34	0	Running
11	3	Austin Dillon #	503	33	0	Running
12	16	Greg Biffle	503	32	0	Running
13	20	Matt Kenseth	503	33	2	Running	165
14	2	Brad Keselowski	503	31	1	Running	40
15	15	Clint Bowyer	503	30	1	Running	5
16	31	Ryan Newman	503	28	0	Running
17	51	Justin Allgaier #	502	27	0	Running
18	10	Danica Patrick	502	26	0	Running
19	48	Jimmie Johnson	501	26	1	Running	44
20	22	Joey Logano	500	25	1	Running	12
21	27	Paul Menard	500	23	0	Running
22	38	David Gilliland	500	22	0	Running
23	98	Josh Wise	499	21	0	Running
24	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr	499	20	0	Running
25	47	AJ Allmendinger	498	19	0	Running
26	7	Michael Annett #	497	18	0	Running
27	13	Casey Mears	497	17	0	Running
28	36	Reed Sorenson	497	16	0	Running
29	18	Kyle Busch	496	16	1	Running	73
30	40	Landon Cassill	496	0	0	Running
31	34	David Ragan	495	13	0	Running
32	23	Alex Bowman #	493	12	0	Running
33	32	Travis Kvapil	491	11	0	Running
34	30	Parker Kligerman #	487	10	0	Running
35	41	Kurt Busch	473	10	1	Running	28
36	78	Martin Truex Jr	471	8	0	Running
37	95	Michael McDowell	469	7	0	Running
38	1	Jamie McMurray	453	7	1	Accident	10
39	4	Kevin Harvick	450	6	1	Accident	28
40	26	Cole Whitt #	430	4	0	Running
41	66	Joe Nemechek	322	0	0	Rear Gear
42	83	Ryan Truex #	271	2	0	Accident
43	33	Timmy Hill	160	1	0	Accident

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Caution Flags: 12 cautions for 95 laps. [Beneficiary in Brackets]
52-57 (Competition [36]);
61-64 (Debris Turn 2 [7]);
67-75 (Debris Backstretch [98]);
119-136 (Precipitation [Red Flag: Lap 125, 3:18:58] [22]);
157-166 (Car #10, 26 Accident Turn 1 [16]);
188-192 (Competition [98]);
277-284 (Car #83 Accident Backstretch [16]);
333-338 (Car #34, 95 Accident Frontstretch [41]);
395-403 (Car #18 Accident Turn 4 [9]);
424-429 (Car #78 Accident Turn 2 [3]);
452-461 (Car #4 Accident Turn 1 [15]);
500-503 (Track Caution Lights Triggered [31]).

Lap Leaders:  20 lead changes among 12 drivers.
Hamlin 1,
Keselowski 2-41,
Logano 42-53,
Johnson 54-97,
Kenseth 98-119,
Ku. Busch 120,
Kenseth 121-152,
Ku. Busch 153-178,
McMurray 179-188,
Ku. Busch 189,
Bowyer 190-194,
Ky. Busch 195-267,
Kahne 268-277,
Hamlin 278,
Kahne 279-284,
Kenseth 285-333,
Hamlin 334,
Kenseth 335-396,
Hamlin 397,
Harvick 398-425,
Edwards 426-503.

Failed to qualify: (2) #35 David Reutimann; #77 Dave Blaney

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NEXT EVENT: March 23, 2014 - 18th Annual Auto Club 400, Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, CA (400 Miles) (200 Laps)

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Do Power Rankings Mean Anything To You?

Every week, we see "power rankings" (or power rating) of drivers, as they compete, week in and week out, on the various tracks in the NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

This week, Fox Sports' power ranking list looks like this:

Brad Keselowski,
Dale Earnhardt Jr.,
Jeff Gordon,
Carl Edwards,
Joey Logano,
Jimmie Johnson,
Denny Hamlin,
Kevin Harvick,
Matt Kenseth,
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

But then you look at the points standings, which are now more of a milestone marker than a critical list of contention for The Chase, and it looks like this:

1     Brad Keselowski
2     Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3     Carl Edwards
4     Jeff Gordon
5     Jimmie Johnson
6     Joey Logano
7     Denny Hamlin
8     Matt Kenseth
9     Ryan Newman
10     Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

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But how are power rankings different from the general consensus of the points standings?

True, a power ranking is one more yard stick used to measure the driver/team's performances.  But to what end?

Normally "power rankings" in other sports are used to compare players/teams in the same division or league within the larger canopy of a sport.  This keeps it real when divisional opponents face off with each other.  But in NASCAR, Sprint Cup is Sprint Cup, and all the drivers are in the same league or category.  They're already segregated out from the other national series of NASCAR.

Sure, it's a catchy new term that captures the imagination of fans, but for me, the only way a power ranking could merit any value, is if it were to take combined stats from the overall season, combined with a driver's personal record at the specific track, and the specific track type.

Combined with how they practice and qualify in the days leading up to the race, to me, is the best way to handicap a driver for the big event on Sunday or whenever it happens.  (And has worked phenomenally with picking fantasy drivers for the weekend.)

Yet there are times, I swear, the "power ranking" charts that come out, just don't seem focused on the correct criteria at times.

So what do you think? Do power rankings help you?

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Bristol's Goofed Caution Hilights The Hazard of the Chase

Last Sunday's race at Bristol was a whacky one indeed.  From the rain and quickie first round, to the second bout of rain, to that crazy 'caution flag' ending, I think something rather telling took place after the fact.

First off, now Carl Edwards is now in the Chase with his Bristol win, and there's no question that he would have taken the win at Bristol.  But in an MRN article, something came to light that I have been concerned about with the new process for qualifying for The Chase.

Since wins are now what gets a driver in the Chase, I was wondering when it will come down to a bumper being used to get one of those coveted Chase slots?  And to be honest, Carl Edwards was my prime suspect, considering how he used his front bumper liberally a few seasons back.  But I felt a bumper was an inevitable event.

But in a word bite from Ricky Stenhouse Jr., here's that telling quote from the MRN article:

"Stenhouse was ready to make his move on the restart.

“I was thinking that I would use the bumper if the opportunity was there,’’ Stenhouse said, laughing. “If you get the win, you’re in the Chase and you can let the rest take care of itself later. That’s what I was really thinking if we went back to green."

And that's what I am concerned about throughout the rest of this season.  Who will use an opportunity to get themselves into the Chase, and eliminate others from their moment?

Heck, even Edwards felt that neither he or Stenhouse were going to make it to the checkered flag if they had to race back to it.

As it stands, NASCAR is looking at how this simple human mistake that caused the premature caution to fly, can be prevented in the future.  Obviously this wasn't something that happens often (that we know of) but I'm sure it will be heavily addressed this week in the various online and TV and radio telecast shows throughout the upcoming week.

Here's the great article over on MRN.

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NASCAR Modifies Qualifying Procedures

As you all know, NASCAR instituted their new group qualifying process for their National race series.

As they've watched the process over the last few races, they've decided to make some changes to the process, one of those is eiminating cool down laps to get cars out of the way in a more timely fashion.

They are, as follows:

· One cool down unit connected through either the left side or right side hood flap/cowl flap is allowed to cool the engine

· The hood must continue to remain closed

· Plugging in the generator will not be allowed

· Two crew members will be allowed over the wall to support the car and driver

· No cool down laps will be permitted

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NASCAR says that the new format for qualifying "has been well-received by fans, competitors, race tracks and other key stakeholders."

I'm extremely curious who "key stakeholders" are from that list of critics.

NASCAR believes that these new modifications will "improve what has demonstrated to be an exciting form of qualifying for our fans, competitors and others involved with the sport."

Again, that "and others involved with the sport."

My guess, "key stakeholders" and "others involved" include NASCAR's network masters who pull the purse strings with the sport for creating better ratings to make a profit on their investment in the sport.  And that makes perfect sense, considering how much they're paying for the rights to telecast the sport.  All they want to do is help make it a better television product.  If it's a better television product, it attracts advertisers that aren't Viagra!  Considering advertisers drop TEN BILLION dollars per season on ads with basic networks, they want a piece of that action.

But that's just a guess on my part.

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LVMS 17TH ANNUAL KOBALT "400" Official Race Results and Notes

Las Vegas proved to be another gamble gone flat for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who had a commanding car to lead the pack with, but in the end, came up short on fuel for the checkered flag, finishing second.  And it was a masterful move on Brad Keselowksi's part to come at him hard in the last 20 laps, forcing him to use a splash more fuel than he might have if Dale Jr. wasn't pressed like that.

Be it as it may, Brad Keselowski used good race tactics and got himself the win, making himself the 3rd driver to earn himself a berth in the Chase with a win.  Dale Jr still managed a second place finish, showing that early on in this 2014 season, he's a force to be reckoned with.

Brad Keselowski won the KOBALT 400, his 11th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory. Prior to the green flag to start the event, the following car(s) will drop to the rear of the field for the reasons indicated: #9, 30 (Engine Change) and #26 (Back-up Car).

NEXT EVENT: March 16, 2014 - 54th Annual Food City 500, Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, TN (266.50 Miles) (500 Laps)

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Official Results

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES OFFICIAL RACE REPORT No. 3
17TH ANNUAL KOBALT "400"
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Las Vegas, NV - March 9, 2014
1.5-Mile Oval
267 Laps - 400.5 Miles Purse: $6,496,304

Pos		Driver	Laps	Points	Status	Laps Led
1	-	Brad Keselowski	267	48	Running	53
2	-	Dale Earnhardt Jr	267	43	Running	51
3	-	Paul Menard	267	42	Running	6
4	-	Joey Logano	267	41	Running	44
5	-	Carl Edwards	267	40	Running	1
6	-	Jimmie Johnson	267	39	Running	34
7	-	Ryan Newman	267	37	Running
8	-	Kasey Kahne	267	36	Running
9	-	Jeff Gordon	267	35	Running
10	-	Matt Kenseth	267	35	Running	2
11	-	Kyle Busch	267	34	Running	52
12	-	Denny Hamlin	267	33	Running	1
13	-	Brian Vickers	267	31	Running
14	-	Martin Truex Jr	267	30	Running
15	-	Jamie McMurray	267	29	Running
16	-	Austin Dillon #	267	28	Running
17	-	Jeff Burton	267	27	Running
18	-	AJ Allmendinger	267	26	Running
19	-	Kyle Larson #	266	25	Running
20	-	Trevor Bayne	266	0	Running
21	-	Danica Patrick	266	23	Running
22	-	Greg Biffle	266	22	Running
23	-	Clint Bowyer	266	21	Running
24	-	Marcos Ambrose	266	20	Running
25	-	Aric Almirola	264	19	Running
26	-	Kurt Busch	264	18	Running
27	-	Ricky Stenhouse Jr	264	17	Running
28	-	Casey Mears	264	16	Running
29	-	Michael Annett #	264	15	Running
30	-	David Gilliland	264	14	Running
31	-	Justin Allgaier #	264	13	Running
32	-	David Ragan	263	12	Running
33	-	Tony Stewart	263	11	Running
34	-	Reed Sorenson	262	10	Running
35	-	Ryan Truex #	261	9	Running
36	-	Cole Whitt #	261	8	Running
37	-	Alex Bowman #	259	7	Running
38	-	Timmy Hill	258	6	Running
39	-	Travis Kvapil	253	5	Running
40	-	Parker Kligerman #	240	4	Running
41	-	Kevin Harvick	237	4	Running	23
42	-	Josh Wise	212	2	Running
43	-	Michael McDowell	141	1	Engine

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Failed to qualify: (5) #35 Blake Koch; #40 Landon Cassill; #77 Dave Blaney; #87 Joe Nemechek; #44 J.J. Yeley

TIME OF RACE:2 hours, 35 minutes, 24 seconds       AVERAGE SPEED:154.633 mph      MARGIN OF VICTORY:1.53 second(s)

COORS LIGHT POLE AWARD:  Joey Logano (193.278 mph. 27.939 secs.)

SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE RACE:  Austin Dillon

Caution Flags: 4 cautions for 18 laps. [Beneficiary in Brackets]
18-22 (Fluid On The Track [30]);
46-49 (Debris Turn 3 [83]);
156-160 (Debris Backstretch [1]);
222-225 (Debris Frontstretch [47]).

Lap Leaders:  21 lead changes among 10 drivers.
Logano 1-19, Keselowski 20-21, Logano 22-46,
Johnson 47-76, Ky. Busch 77-95, Earnhardt Jr 96-97,
Ky. Busch 98-129, Harvick 130-139, Ky. Busch 140,
Keselowski 141, Kenseth 142-143, Harvick 144-156,
Keselowski 157-195, Johnson 196-198, Menard 199-204,
Johnson 205, Earnhardt Jr 206-210, Edwards 211,
Hamlin 212, Keselowski 213-222, Earnhardt Jr 223-266, Keselowski 267.

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