Kyle Busch Motorsports Race Reports from Chicago and Iowa

For the Kyle Busch Motorsports fan, here are the team race reports for the NASCAR Nationwide series at Chicagoland and the Truck Series at Iowa:

Kyle managed a 2nd place finish at Chicago while Drew Herring mustered a 7th in Iowa.

Read on for race details.

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via press release(s):

Kyle Busch Second in Chicagoland Return

No. 54 Monster Energy Program Records 10th Top-Five Finish of the Season

Date:                                 September 15, 2012
Event:                               Dollar General 300 (Race 26 of 33)
Series:                              NASCAR Nationwide Series
Location:                        Chicagoland (Ill.) Speedway in Joliet (1.5-mile oval)
Start/Finish:                 6th /2nd (Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Winner:                            Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of Roush Fenway Racing (Ford)



Kyle Busch piloted the No. 54 Monster Energy Camry to a second-place finish at Chicagoland (Ill.) Speedway in Joliet Saturday afternoon, collecting his fifth top-10 finish on the 1.5-mile oval across nine starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. It was Busch's 16th time piloting his own Toyota in NASCAR's second series, resulting in the company's 15th top-10 and 10th top-five finish of their inaugural season. 

The Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) team was anxious for a Chicago return, having raced there with Kyle earlier in the year, without a good result. In the spring race, Busch had a top-five starting position but struggled with car handling and then a late-race accident that didn't allow the team to finish. Coming back to Chicagoland this time, the KBM group brought a new chassis, one that was proven to perform well. 

The weekend started off right, when Busch and team ran successful laps over two practice sessions on Friday. The veteran driver felt comfortable with the car setup, telling his crew at one point, "car's good, we could park it now." They proceeded to make slight adjustments, trying different setups that provided Busch with the speed he needed to top the charts. Busch's Saturday morning qualifying effort was fast and the No. 54 team earned a sixth-place qualifying spot, their 13th top-ten starting position of the year. 

The green flag dropped under warm sunny conditions Saturday afternoon and Busch made quick work of the field, moving into the fourth position by lap two. An early event caution waved and the team chose to remain on the racetrack, saving pit strategy for a future stop. Busch felt the car was, "tight, all the way through" and he and crew chief Mike Beam discussed ways to loosen up the car's handling, which they addressed during a second event caution, visiting pit road on lap 41. 

The car adjustments worked well and during the next portion of the race, Busch drove his way from fourth to first place, taking the lead on lap 61 of the 200-lap event. Once in the lead, the team owner-driver battled for position with the No. 3 car of Austin Dillon, swapping between first and second place over 10 laps. 

A green-flag pit stop at lap 96, from the third position, offered the Toyota team another chance to make adjustments to the tire pressures for better car handling. Busch was recorded in the third spot at the event's halfway point, lap 100, while crew chief Mike Beam called out circuit times to his driver. Busch was running 31.95- second lap times compared to the leaders running 32.00-second lap times. The team was encouraged and Busch felt the car was finally coming to him. 

The fourth yellow-flag caution period waved at lap 124, which gave Busch the opportunity to discuss what he needed for adjustments with the team. "Just need front turn, entry to center, and I'm money!" commented Busch. He continued, "the car is good." A subsequent visit to pit road on lap 125 provided the opportunity to take four fresh tires and Sunoco fuel. Busch restarted in third on lap 129 and by lap 135 once again was scored in the first position. Busch would lead the race for 33 more laps until he made one final visit to pit road, under yellow-flag conditions. 

The team made a few more adjustments to free up the No. 54 machine for their owner-driver, who led the race until lap 180. In the closing laps of the race, however, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. overtook the No. 54 Camry and remained in the lead until the finish. Busch and team would finish in second place. 

"We had a really good car. It ran well throughout the race. It was fast. I thought that there wasn't anybody back there that we had to deal with -- and then the No. 6 (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.) came out of nowhere there at the end. I don't know where he came from, but he had a fast race car. I'm really excited about that run. The Monster Energy Camry did great. The guys did a really good job at preparing it for me - Mike Beam (crew chief) and everybody at KBM Chassis, they gave us a good piece today. Today we just came up a little bit short."

Stenhouse Jr. recorded his seventh victory in 99 NASCAR Nationwide Series races. Busch finished in the second spot, while Dillon, Brad Keselowski and Paul Menard completed the top-five finishers. There were five caution periods for 20 laps of the race along with 17 lead changes across nine drivers, including Busch who led four times for 50 laps. The No. 54 Monster Energy team remains ninth in the Owner's Point standings, 125 points from the leader.

The Nationwide Series continues action Sept. 22 at the Kentucky 300 from Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. The television broadcast will start at 3:30pm EST on ESPN2 and on the PRN radio broadcast. Kurt Busch will make his 11th start of the season behind the wheel of the KBM No. 54 Monster Energy Camry.

-KBM-


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NASCAR Camping World

HERRING BRINGS TOYOTA/DOLLAR GENERAL TUNDRA HOME SEVENTH IN IMPRESSIVE DEBUT

Young Driver Paces Field for 19 Laps in First Truck Series Start

Date:                           Sept. 15, 2012
Event:                         American Ethanol 200 (Race 15 of 22)
Series:                         NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Location:                    Iowa Speedway in Newton (.875-mile oval)
Start/Finish:               17th / 7th (Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Winner:                       Ryan Blaney of Brad Keselowski Racing (Dodge)



Drew Herring had an impressive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut, leading 19 laps and bringing the No. 18 Toyota/Dollar General Tundra home seventh in the American Ethanol 200 at Iowa Speedway in Newton. The 25-year-old driver, making his first start in any series in 2012, started from the 17th spot and slowly worked his way forward, as he became more and more comfortable with the feel of his Toyota in the opening stages of the race. With several teams on different fuel strategies, Herring found himself just outside the top 10 in the closing stages of the race, but maneuvered his way as high as fifth before being relegated a top-10 finish after communicating to the crew that his Toyota was too tight in traffic on the final two restarts.

"Pretty solid run tonight," said Herring who had made his first laps in a truck when practice began Friday night. "Man, I can't thank all of these guys -- Eric Phillips (crew chief) and everybody on this No. 18 Dollar General Toyota tonight, especially all of the other affiliates of KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports), M&M's and Flexco. Man, it was an up and down night.  I put us behind the 8-ball tonight in qualifying and it was just all about track position and we just couldn't fight it and make it back up.  We had a really fast truck on long runs and we just couldn't get anything tonight - it was all short runs Gotta' thank everybody at KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports) - Kyle (Busch, team owner), Rick Ren (general manager) and Eric Phillips and everybody for giving me this opportunity.  I really enjoyed it and hopefully I'll get to go back and do it again."

The North Carolina native finished both practice sessions inside the top 10 and displayed increased confidence with every lap he turned at the .875-mile oval. In Saturday evening's qualifying session, the young driver failed to turn in the lap he was looking for and was relegated to a 17th starting spot for the 200-lap race.

Early in the race, Herring settled in near the top 15 relaying to his crew that he was setting a cautious pace as he continued to familiarize himself with the feel of his Toyota and intricacies of racing in the Truck Series compared to the Nationwide Series, where his eight prior NASCAR starts were made. The No. 18 Toyota/Dollar General Tundra was scored in the 14th position when the first caution of the race occurred on lap 23 and had improved to the 12th position when the field was slowed again on lap 35.

While the top-13 trucks came down pit road when it opened, executing various pit strategies, crew chief Eric Phillips elected to keep his young driver on the track in and effort to stick to his pre-race strategy of breaking the race into thirds. Herring elected to take the inside lane for the lap-41 restart and by the time exited Turn 2 had opened up a two-truck length lead on the field. By lap 50, he had stretched his lead to nearly a second and remained on point until John Wes Townley spun on lap 54 bringing out the race's third caution.

Herring communicated to Phillips that his Tundra was just a "touch" tight from the center of the corner off before bringing it down pit road. The KBM crew completed a four-tire and fuel stop, making an air pressure adjustment in an attempt to tighten the truck for their young driver. Many teams had already taken tires on a previous pit stop and needed just fuel this time around, leaving the No. 18 scored in the 13th position for the restart on lap 60.

By the time the next caution slowed the field on lap 68, the Toyota/Dollar General Tundra had maneuvered its way back inside the top 10. Herring communicated that the adjustments had improved the handling of his truck, but was still trying to get accustomed to it being "really aero-sensitive in traffic."

When the field went back green, Herring got caught on the outside lane and slipped just outside the top 10. As the race reached the halfway mark, he had returned to the top 10 and communicated to his crew that his Toyota's handling improved as the green-flag run continued.

Herring had worked his way up to the seventh spot when leader Parker Kligerman came down pit road for his final scheduled pit stop on lap 140. Over the next 10 laps, other front-running teams also visited pit road, including the No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports entry - which surrendered the third position to make final adjustments.

With two trucks still waiting to make their final stop, the Toyota/Dollar General Tundra returned to the track scored one lap down in the 17th position on lap 155 despite taking just right-side tires and one can of fuel. A debris caution occurred on lap 164, leaving just two trucks on the lead lap. Those trucks came down pit road for their final stop when pit road opened, enabling several drivers - including Herring - to take advantage of the wave-around rule and return to the lead lap.

The No. 18 Toyota was scored in the 11th position when the race restarted on lap 173 and four laps later returned to the top 10. The field was slowed for the seventh time when leader Parker Kligerman spun in oil that was laid down on the track from another competitors expired engine. Herring communicated to Phillips that his Tundra was a "little free on entry."

On the lap-188 restart, Herring took advantage of three trucks getting bottled up in front of him, improving from ninth to sixth by the time that the field made its way back to the start-finish line. To the dismay of KBM's pilot, who was stronger on long green-flag runs, two more cautions slowed the field over the final 10 laps. The Toyota/Dollar General Tundra took the final restart from the sixth position, but surrendered a spot before the field took the checkered flag.

Eighteen-year-old Ryan Blaney picked up his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win, becoming the youngest driver in series history to register a victory - a record previously held by KBM owner Kyle Busch. Rookie Ty Dillon finished 0.168-seconds behind Blaney in the runner-up spot. Todd Bodine and Johnny Sauter finished third and fourth, respectively. Cale Gale rounded out the top-five finishers.

There were 9 caution periods for 54 laps and 7 lead changes among 6 drivers, including Herring who led once for 19 laps. Ten drivers failed to finish the race.

With 16 of 22 races complete, the No. 18 Tundra team remains ninth in Truck Series Owner's point standings, 76 points behind the series-leading No. 3 team.

Brian Scott returns to the seat of the Dollar General Tundra next Friday, Sept. 22, when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series travels to Kentucky Speedway in Sparta for the Kentucky 201. The race begins at 7:30 p.m. ET, with SPEED's live coverage commencing with the NCWTS Setup Show at 7 p.m. ET.

-KBM-

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KBM Race Report: 54 Monster Energy Camry Third at Sept Richmond Night Race

Check out Kyle Busch Motorsports race report from the Nationwide Richmond night race.

via press release

Kurt Busch and KBM Team Third in Richmond Return.  No. 54 Monster Energy Program Records Ninth Top-Five Finish of the Season

Date:                                 September 8, 2012
Event:                               Virginia 529 College Savings 250 (Race 25 of 33)
Series:                              NASCAR Nationwide Series
Location:                         Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (.75-mile oval)
Start/Finish:                 17th / 3rd (Running, completed 250 of 250 laps)
Winner:                            Kevin Harvick of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)

Five months ago, Kurt Busch and his younger brother's Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) NASCAR Nationwide Series team enjoyed the thrill of victory for the first time together at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. Last night, at the same short-track oval, Busch and the No. 54 Monster Energy crew attempted to repeat the thrill of visiting victory lane. Busch and team had worked their way to the front and appeared on track for a win, until a late-race caution waved bringing the field back together again. A strong effort on the last restart kept the Toyota team amongst the frontrunners, completing the night with a third-place finish.

The one-day show started with a morning practice session during which the team tried different setups in order to find the best grip for Busch to manage the turns. Busch posted lap times amongst the top-10 competitors, then ultimately Crew Chief Mike Beam transitioned the car into a 'package' that was similar to what they ran in the April race, the one this team won. Practice was followed by a 17th-place qualifying effort for the 250-lap night race.

After taking the green flag, the team was off to a strong start, reaching the top-10 by lap 19. At the first race caution on lap 36, Beam brought his veteran driver down pit road and made adjustments to the car. Initial feedback relayed by Busch was that the car's handling was "loose" and there was a brake vibration occurring. Once back on track, Busch drove his black Monster Energy machine up to fifth-place by lap 62, maintaining that position for 35 laps. When asked if the pit-stop changes helped the car, Busch encouraged the crew to, "keep working to help us in Turns 1 and 2, that is where we were strong in the April race."

Close to the event's halfway point and in fourth place, the team visited pit road for a second time under a yellow-flag caution period and reversed most of the changes made from the first stop. At the lap 117 restart, Busch wheeled his Toyota from fifth place to fourth, within one lap, and to third place on the next lap, positioning himself behind race leaders Kevin Harvick and Elliott Sadler. Despite battling a continued loose-handling car, Busch and the No. 54 were posting faster lap times than the No. 33 of Harvick.

A third caution period occurred at lap 143 and the KBM team visited pit road for the third time of the evening to replace tires and fuel. That green-flag restart was productive for Busch, as he drove the Monster Energy car back to third place, when a hard two-car accident on track brought the caution flag out once again. NASCAR would slow the drivers to avoid a large debris field. Busch and team chose not to pit, maintaining a second-place position for the restart at lap 163.

Two more yellow-flag caution periods and one more visit to pit road offered the team time to make further changes to their Camry. While the brake vibration was still present, Beam and crew were hopeful a final round of adjustments would give their veteran driver what he needed to charge the front of the field.

Younger brother and team owner, Kyle Busch watched his brother's progression from Turn 1, staying in touch with Busch on the radio, encouraging him through the final portion of the race. "Back it up, roll nice down to the bottom, smooth," said the car owner to his sibling driver. "Be patient, keep the front tires on it, you're fine and stretching it out," the younger Busch continued.

Full of desire to take his brother's team to victory lane once again, Busch took the race lead at lap 201 and maintained the front position for 25 laps. It was a difficult task, fending off the hard-charging cars of Harvick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., but one that Busch was well prepared for. The NASCAR champion dug in and prepared to lead his team to the finish line, until one last event caution occurred at lap 227.

Although Busch was leading the race at the time of the final caution, due to his position at the scoring line when the yellow-flag occurred, NASCAR scored the Monster Energy machine in second place behind Harvick for the restart. With less than 25 laps remaining in the race, the No. 54 team chose not to visit pit road in order to maintain track position. Busch fought hard on lap 233, at the final green-flag restart, staying close to the race leader and fending off Stenhouse Jr., until time ran out for him to make his last charge, ultimately bringing the black machine home in third place.

"It was a solid night," commented Busch post race. He continued, "We were close, but not perfect. It's a lot of fun racing with Monster Energy as a sponsor.  They want to see us win and we pushed hard tonight and we just couldn't get the car settled down into the corner.  Had a brake vibration -- fighting it all night.  Made it a little bit too tight, so when I was holding the lead with (Kevin) Harvick right behind us, I think I might have been holding Harvick up a little bit.  He had a strong car last week.  He came back and got it this week.  Those guys are strong and we just didn't want that one to slip through our fingers, but Kevin Harvick was the better car tonight.  Thanks to Monster Energy, Toyota, Triad engines - these guys work really hard.  This is the hardest working group of guys on pit road and I'm glad they're on my team."

Harvick recorded his 38th victory in 288 NASCAR Nationwide Series races. Stenhouse, Jr. finished in the second spot, while Busch, Denny Hamlin and Michael Annett completed the top-five finishers. There were seven caution periods for 45 laps of the race along with eight lead changes across six drivers, including Busch who led one time for 25 laps. The No. 54 Monster Energy team remains ninth in the Owner's Point standings, 131 points from the leader.

The Nationwide Series continues action Sept.15 at the Dollar General 300 from Chicagoland (Ill.) Speedway. The television broadcast will start at 3:00pm EST on ESPN2 and on the MRN radio broadcast. Kurt Busch will make his 11th start of the season behind the wheel of the KBM No. 54 Monster Energy Camry.

-KBM-

Kyle Busch Motorsports Nationwide Series Race Report from Atlanta

via press release

Hot Atlanta Night Yields Seventh-Place Finish for KBM

No. 54 Team Records First Pole Position of Season

Date:                                September 1, 2012
Event:                               NRA American Warrior 300 (Race 24 of 33)
Series:                              NASCAR Nationwide Series
Location:                           Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway (1.54-mile oval)
Start/Finish:                      1st / 7th (Running, completed 195 of 195 laps)
Winner:                             Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of Roush Fenway Racing (Ford)

Kyle Busch and the No. 54 Monster Energy team battled "Hot-Lanta" Saturday night hoping to claim victory on the 1.54-mile oval, famous for challenging drivers and crew chiefs. While they didn't achieve the win they were pursuing, the young Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) team did accomplish their first pole position of the season with a fast lap of 176.280 mph. The Toyota group led two laps at the start of the event, and then battled a loose-handling car throughout the night, ultimately finishing the race in the seventh position. It was the new team's 14th top-10 finish of the year.

The day began early, with one practice session for the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway. Busch and crew conducted seven runs over 40 laps, practicing various tire and shock setups to give the veteran driver the feel he was searching for. While early lap times showed the No. 54 car within the top-10 most of the session, by the end of the practice, the team and driver felt they hit on a setup that would allow them flexibility in the race.

An afternoon qualifying session gave the KBM team a chance to showcase their abilities. With only 24 starts to their record, the Nationwide Series group with owner-driver Busch recorded their initial career pole position with a 31.45-second lap. While the lead starting position would be a first for the team, the record marked nine straight years of pole position starts for Busch, across his series career.

The green flag dropped and the No. 54 team enjoyed two laps with the lead, until lap three when Ricky Stenhouse overcame Busch for the first position. Although the car had been strong during the qualifying effort earlier in the day, race trim during cooler night temperatures felt too loose for the series veteran, and adjustments were discussed in preparation for the team's first pit stop. That opportunity came on lap 49, when the Monster Energy crew serviced their No. 54 machine from the third position. Tires were exchanged and fuel was replenished while adjustments were made to better the loose-car condition.

The crew's first attempt at making adjustments to better the car didn't produce the results Busch and his team were looking for. Four subsequent pit stops were made throughout the course of the race, with changes such as tire pressure adjustments, track bar and wedge changes to encourage more grip on the raceway.  At one point Busch affirmed the team's efforts with feedback from their third pit road visit, "good job" he described. Busch's continued search for a tighter handling race car, however, plagued the team the rest of the race.

Upon the final restart at lap 192, the KBM team was positioned for a top-five finish. Within the final three laps, Busch encountered lapped-car traffic and battled to maintain position, ultimately crossing the finish line in seventh place.

General Manager for the KBM race team, Rick Ren, commented afterwards, "We saw tonight some of the same traits that we saw last night in the Truck race. We thought we had adjusted for it today from what we saw Friday and we didn't quite adjust enough and we kind of had to chase it during the race. We finally hit on something he (Kyle Busch) liked, but it was too late in the race. We kind of danced around trying to tighten it up for him in different parts of the corner and we finally hit on something right there at the end, but we were just out of time. When you're running three-wide off into the corner on restarts where everybody is trying to make sure that you don't run into the other guy -- the guy out front is just going to drive away. I think all in all it's not the night we hoped for, but it wasn't all that bad. We sat on the pole and finished seventh and that's not always what you want to do. It was just funny how this race played out tonight."

Stenhouse Jr. recorded his sixth-career win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Brad Keselowski finished in the second spot, while Kevin Harvick, Elliott Sadler and Justin Allgaier completed the top-five finishers. There were eight caution periods for 43 laps of the race along with nine lead changes across six drivers. The No. 54 Monster Energy team jumped to ninth in the Owner's Point standings, 133 points from the leader.

The Nationwide Series continues action Sept. 7 at the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 from Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. The television broadcast will start at 7:00pm EST on ESPN and on the MRN radio broadcast. Kurt Busch will make his 10th start of the season behind the wheel of the KBM No. 54 Monster Energy Camry, returning to the site where he made KBM's first NNS victory in April.

-KBM-

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Joe Gibbs Racing Race Report fr Bristol: Denny Hamlin Wins

via press release

It was an impressive night for Joe Gibbs Racing with Denny Hamlin capturing his third win of the season and all three teams starting and finishing in the top ten for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Denny Hamlin led the way with his first career victory at the half-mile track, while Kyle Busch battled to an impressive sixth-place finish and Joey Logano led the most laps before coming home in eighth.
Hamlin started the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota in eighth and was able to move into the top five shortly after the drop of the green flag. Hamlin's Camry was fast through the early going as he took over fourth on lap 76. Hamlin would have some trouble during the first round of stops when the No. 83 car made contact with the FedEx Toyota on pit road. Hamlin would restart sixth on lap 89 and managed to remain inside the top ten despite the mishap. He would restart sixth on lap 130 and managed to re-enter the top five take over fourth just a few laps later. Crew chief Darian Grubb would make the call to bring Hamlin down pit road under the next caution on lap 148 and with various pit strategies at play he would restart the race on lap 159 in the 21st position. Hamlin would regain several spots on the track but with various pit strategies he was able to remain out when the next caution flew and that allowed him to restart second on lap 200. Hamlin lost a couple of spots on the restart, but all allowed was the opportunity to display just how fast his FedEx Camry could deliver. By lap 207 Hamlin had taken his place at the front of the field and he would lead until the next round of pit stops. With various pit strategies at play Hamlin would shuffle track position several times. With 100 laps to go Hamlin would be racing in second just behind the leader and eight laps later he would retake the lead. The FedEx team would give up the lead to hit pit road a final time following another caution on lap 413. That would leave Hamlin to restart eighth with 81 laps to go. He would manage to drive up to fourth with 60 to go. He would be racing in third with 50 laps to go and second with 40 laps to go before taking the lead in an intense battle with the 99 car with 38 laps remaining. Once back at the front he never looked back and led the rest of the way to earn his third victory of the season.
Busch, who has five career victories at Bristol Motor Speedway, started the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota in 10th and would find it difficult to pass through the first quarter of the race on the newly re-figured half-mile track. Busch would get hit with a pit road speeding penalty while make his first stop of the night on lap 84. Then penalty left him to start at the end of the lead lap cars when the race restarted. That left Busch back in 30th place, but by the time the next caution came out on lap 123 he had already raced his way into the 21st position. He was able to restart 16th on lap 130 and gained a couple additional spots just a few laps later. Another caution would come out on lap 148 and crew chief Dave Rogers would make the call not to pit but remain out on the track for additional track position. That allowed Busch to restart sixth on lap 159. The various pit strategies would work in the other direction when a caution on lap 193 sent the 18 car to pit road while many others remained out on the track. That would drop Busch back outside the top 15 to restart on lap 200. The various pit strategies at play would shuffle the field several times over the next portion of the race. The M&Ms team would make the decision to pit following a lap 322 caution for four tires and fuel in hopes that they could make a quicker two-tire stop later in the race when others would be taking four. Busch was racing in third when another caution on lap 413 would set up that final stop for Busch. That would line him up 10th with 81 laps to go. He would drive his way up to seventh with 50 laps remaining and would go on to finish the night in sixth-place. The solid finish put Busch back in the second of the two wild-card spots for The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship.
Logano, who won the Nationwide Series race in his Dollar General Toyota on Friday night, started Saturday evening fourth in his No. 20 Dollar General Toyota. Logano quickly moved into the second position and patiently waited for the opportunity to take the lead which he would do on lap 27. He would lead the next 80 laps before finally turning over the spot to the No. 5 car on lap 107. He would regain the top spot just forty laps later when crew chief Jason Ratcliff made the decision to remain on the track and not pit after the night's next caution on lap 148. That allowed Logano to restart first again on lap 159 and he would lead until coming to pit road under caution on lap 193. With various pit strategies at play Logano would go back and forth with track position over the next several pit stops. He would retake the lead on lap 333 while running third when the leaders wrecked into each other. Logano would lead until the team would pit following the next caution on lap 346. When another caution came out on lap 413, the Dollar General team would make the call to remain on the track and restart sixth with 81 laps to go. Logano would manage to bring his No. 20 Camry home with an impressive eighth-place finish which included leading the most laps on the night at 139.
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Jimmie Johnson was second behind Hamlin, while Jeff Gordon was third, Brian Vickers fourth and Marcos Ambrose rounded out the top five. There were 13 cautions for a total of 88 laps with 27 lead changes among 18 different drivers.
Two races remain before the field for The Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship is set. The Series moves south to Atlanta for a special Sunday night battle under the lights. The race will be held next Sunday, September 2 at 7:30 PM ET. ESPN will provide live high-definition coverage of the race starting at 7 PM ET. Sirius NASCAR radio channel 90 and MRN Radio will also provide live coverage.

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Kevin Harvick Sprint Cup Series Race Report from Bristol

via press release

Kevin Harvick drove Richard Childress Racing's No. 29 Rheem Chevrolet to a 15th-place finish Saturday night in the IRWIN Tools Night Race under the lights of Bristol Motor Speedway.

After rain showers cancelled qualifying Friday evening and NASCAR officals set the starting lineup according to practice speeds, Harvick started the 500-lap event from the 13th position and worked his way into the top 10 by lap 52. Harvick maintained a position in the top 10 until crew chief Gil Martin called him to pit road on lap 149 under caution for right-side tires and fuel. The remaining top-15 cars elected to stay on track during the yellow-flag laps, placing Harvick in the 18th position for the ensuing restart. The Bakersfield, Calif., native worked his way back toward the front of the field settling into the top five on lap 193. Harvick remained a fixture near the front of the field until making a final pit stop under caution on lap 415 in order to avoid running short on fuel at the end of the race. Harvick returned to the track in the 11th position for the lap-419 restart and was shuffled back in the pack after being held on the bottom line, ultimately crossing the finish line in the 15th position. Following the 24th points paying event of the 2012 season, Harvick fell one position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings, to ninth, 82 points behind the leader.


KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:
"The Rheem crew did a great job tonight. The car was good all weekend long, it just came down to fuel mileage. We couldn't make it until the end and were forced to make an extra pit stop." 

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Irwin Tools Bristol Race Report: The High Line Came In!

The verdict is in and after a few nights of rubber getting put down, the new high line at Bristol Motor Speedway that Bruton Smith modified came in just fine.  The Nationwide race didn't use the high groove too much.  The cars that ended up there were usually already a bit out of shape before they got there, so it was hard to judge.

But in the NASCAR Cup series, the gang was finding the outside line coming to them as it rubbered up.  And it rubbered up nicely as the field slowly but surely inched up the track.  In fact by lap 300, they were getting pretty close to the outside wall and using it aggressively.

The 13 cautions tonight were more than the number of cautions in the last 2 races at Bristol. 

Fenders started getting twisted up as the night went on.

Ken Schrader spun off of Jason Leffler's nose;

Kurt Busch rubbed up against Sam Hornish Jr.'s car, and Busch's deck lid popped up, becoming an air brake.

Ryan Newman tagged Montoya and spun himself into the wall, collecting innocent bystander Jeff Burton.

Almirola and Gilliland traded paint.

Brad Keselowski crunched his tribute Miller Lite paint scheme nose into the inside wall after spinning off of Bobby Labonte's nose.  (Not really Bobby's fault)

Regan Smith and Kurt Busch had a synchronized moment, wrecking together.

Then Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth were racing for the same spot for the lead and wrecked.  Tony later told the media he'll be wrecking Kenseth every chance he gets for the rest of the year.  (At least the man has a goal now.)

Dave Blaney's engine "blowed" up!

Casey Mears graced turn 2 wall.

Danica Patrick finished off her car off of Regan Smiths's nose.  I think she came down on him. (This was the 13th caution of the evening.)

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Aside from the carnage that erupted, like the Bristol of old, sort of, there was some great tactics being deployed by various teams.  The last 20 to 30 laps was pure racing and Denny Hamlin won the night.  The upper line turned out to be the fun line by the time the night was over.

In fact Jeff Gordon was saying after the race that Bruton Smith should grind the entire track because this night of racing reminded him of the old Bristol.  Nice.

Top-10 finishers were:  D. Hamlin, J. Johnson, J. Gordon, B. Vickers, M. Ambrose, Ky. Busch, C. Bowyer, J. Logano, K. Kahne, & P. Menard.

And with that, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are locked into the chase.  Nine spots to go.

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Moment of Levity:  In other news, Bruton Smith gets on the phone to find out what his track grinder go-to man is doing next week!

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| Results | Standings

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Brian Scott - No. 18 Dollar General Tundra UNOH 200 Post Race Report

So how did Kyle Busch Motorsports do in the Truck Series race?  I was hoping for some word on the track surface myself.  But as it is, here's a behind the scenes look at the night, from the perspective of Brian Scott's team...

via press release

SCOTT BRINGS DOLLAR GENERAL TUNDRA HOME 17TH IN UNOH 200
Date:                           Aug. 22, 2012
Event:                         UNOH 200 (Race 13 of 22)
Series:                         NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Location:                    Bristol Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)
Start/Finish:               22nd/17th (Running, completed 204 of 204 laps)
Winner:                      Timothy Peters of Red Horse Racing (Toyota)

After qualifying 22nd for Wednesday night's UNOH 200 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Brian Scott had maneuvered his way into the top 10 by the halfway point of the 200-lap race until he lost several positions when his lane got bottled up on a lap-169 restart. By the time the next caution occurred on lap 189, the Dollar General Tundra had fallen all the way back to the 19th position. Scott was scored in the 18th position for the green-white-checkered finish, but was able to gain one more position over the race's final two laps to register a 17th-place finish in his second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) this season.

"We dug ourselves in a little hole in qualifying, but we battled back and thanks to a great stop by the guys had worked our way into the top 10," Scott said. "Then, we gave it all back when my lane got bottled up on one of the last restarts and I lost a bunch of spots. It was a tough night, but  I have to thank KBM for the opportunity and all the sponsors who made it possible -- Dollar General, Shore Lodge, Toyota, M&M's, Flexco and Advanced Payment Services"

Scott got out of the gates quickly - improving six spots by the time the field had completed 10 circuits around the .533-mile oval. As the race continued under green-flag conditions, he had settled just inside the top 20 when he communicated to crew chief Eric Phillips that his Dollar General Tundra was "really loose."

The Idaho native was scored in the 17th position on lap 81, when a single-car accident brought out the first caution of the race. When pit road opened, the KBM over-the-wall crew administered a four-tire stop, added wedge to the left rear of the truck, filled it with fuel and returned their driver to the track scored in the 12th position.

The race restarted on lap 87, and two laps later Scott had maneuvered the No. 18 Toyota into the top 10. He communicated to Phillips that the adjustment had provided his truck with more stability, but possibly too much as he was now experiencing a tight-handling Dollar General Tundra.

The Nationwide Series regular settled into the top 10, where he ran until Todd Bodine collected the wall in Turn 3 on lap 160 and brought out the race's fourth caution. Already having enough fuel to make it to the end of the race, and with track position at a premium, Scott was ordered to remain on the track.

Shortly after the lap-169 restart, Scott found himself in the wrong lane, as things got bottled up and he began losing positions.  Three laps later he was scored in the 13th position, and by the time the next caution occurred on lap 187, the Dollar General Tundra had fallen back to the 19th spot.

With only three lead-lap cars behind them, the team elected to come down pit road for a four-tire stop - with an air pressure adjustment - and returned to the track scored in the 19th position. After going back green on lap193, another caution slowed the field two laps later and set up a green-white-checkered finish. Scott was scored in the 18th position on the restart, but was able to improve one spot by the time the field took the checkered flag.

Timothy Peters led all 204 laps en route to his second Truck Series win of 2012. Peter's Red Horse Racing teammate Parker Kligerman finished 0.465 seconds behind him in the runner-up spot. Ross Chastain and Joey Coulter finished third and fourth, respectively, and Brendan Gaughan rounded out the top-five finishers.

There were six caution periods for 43 laps.  Nine drivers failed to finish the race.

With 13 of 22 races complete, the No. 18 Tundra team remains 11th in Truck Series Owner's point standings.

The Dollar General Racing team will be back in action Friday Aug. 31, when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series travels to Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. for the Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 200. The race begins at 8:00 p.m. ET, with SPEED's live coverage commencing with the NCWTS Setup Show at 7:30 p.m. ET.

-KBM-