NASCAR News March 22
March 22, 2010
Monday Rundown: Where JJ’s concerned, the points don’t add up by Terry Blount;
With JJ’s win, NASCAR back to normal by David Newton
Jimmie Johnson wins for 1st time at Bristol by Jenna Fryer
Four Tires and 50 Wins: Johnson takes first Bristol victory by Matt Taliaferro
Johnson and Busch: A rivalry in the making and
Rogers admits frustration, refuses to be rattled by Jay W. Pennell
NASCAR: Empty Seat Syndrome Even at Bristol by Sandra MacWatters;
For Sam Hornish, Jr., The Pressure to Perform Comes From Within by Mary Jo Buchanan;
Extinction Of The Wing Won’t Solve Everything But Nice to See It Go by Kelly Crandall;
Women in Motorsports: Shop Talk with Racing’s Leading Females (Part Two) by Rob Tiongson
Race React: There’s A Shark In The “48” by Jim McCoy
As if he needed it, questions are extra motivation for J.J. by Pete Pistone
Jimmie Johnson finally cracks Bristol’s victory lane and
Bristol Rewind: Kurt Busch regrets missed opportunity and
Kyle Busch rallies after wreck to finish 9th by Jim Utter
Lawyers Need To Stay Out Of On-Track Incidents by John Close
Several Take a Beating at Bristol and
Earnhardt Jr. Shows Steady Climb At Bristol and
Bristol Turns Out To be Confidence Builder For Kurt Busch by by Sarah Farlee
Your Turn: Sprint Cup Series From Bristol On Fox by John Daly
Local Stuff: Skinners, Big Ben & The AMA by Godwin Kelly;
Questions & attitude, rankings and picks
Ford Teams Enjoy Emerging Strength
Tough love leads to improved results for Earnhardt and
Johnson enjoys mentally beating rivals by Lee Spencer
Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: Bristol Race Recap by Matt McLaughlin;
Bristol Singalong: What Drivers SHOULD Have Chosen by Amy Henderson;
The Cool-Down Lap: A Johnson Win We Can Finally Stomach? by Doug Turnbull;
Bubble Breakdown: Conway On The Hot Seat While Gordon Gets Burned by Brock Beard;
Running Their Mouth: Food City 500 by Summer Dreyer
Finally, The Wing is Gone by Matthew Pizzolato;
Kurt Busch Bitterly Disappointed In Loss To Johnson by Ron Felix
Vegas’ Busch Brothers at Bristol by Farrah Kaye
Jimmie Johnson finally wins at Bristol by Mike Smith
Maybe NASCAR should change the name of this thing to The Jimmie Johnson Stock Car Tour and
Another Jimmie Johnson win….and his rivals are beyond frustration with his 3-for-5 start and
So just how far have NASCAR safety specialists and Detroit engineers gotten in keeping these stock cars from flying
NASCAR Retaliation: It’s not just Edwards vs Keselowski, they moved on by Dwight Drum
Is Jimmie Johnson The Best Ever? by Drew Hierwarter
For Johnson, even small victories can mean a lot by David Caraviello;
[Kyle] Busch bounces back from tire woes, hitting wall by Joe Menzer Listen Now
Jimmy Johnson on Speed Control..Wins at Bristol
March 22, 2010
By Nate Ryan, USA TODAY
BRISTOL, Tenn. — For the past four Sprint Cup seasons, Jimmie Johnson has been driving like some of stock car racing’s all-time greats.
Now he’s talking like them, too.
On Sunday, the four-time defending series champion conquered Bristol Motor Speedway for the first time, zooming from sixth to first in the final 10 laps for his 50th victory. After tying Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett for 10th on NASCAR’s career win list, Johnson borrowed some of the boundless swagger and nonchalant confidence that marked legends such as Dale Earnhardt and David Pearson.
“When we’re winning at places we’re not supposed to,” he said, “you better watch out.”
With Johnson having won three of the first five races in 2010, his rivals need few reminders that the No. 48 Chevrolet is the car to beat. Their mounting frustration (points leader Kevin Harvick suggested last month that Johnson had a golden horseshoe lodged in his posterior) was evident Sunday with third-place finisher Kurt Busch, who led a race-high 278 laps. Listen Now
NASCAR Results Food City 500
March 22, 2010
NASCAR Sprint Cup
Food City 500
Sunday, March 21st
Site: Bristol Motor Speedway (1960) — Bristol, Tennessee
Rank Start Name Make Laps Completed Leading Laps Points Money Won
1 4 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 500 84 190 $199,978
2 11 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 500 1 175 $161,323
3 2 Kurt Busch Dodge 500 278 175 $167,523
4 25 Greg Biffle Ford 500 78 165 $123,175
5 7 Matt Kenseth Ford 500 0 155 $143,951
6 8 Carl Edwards Ford 500 0 150 $130,173
7 18 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 500 0 146 $101,175
8 17 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 500 0 142 $124,604
9 38 Kyle Busch Toyota 500 0 138 $139,631
10 14 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 500 2 139 $131,515
11 33 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 500 0 130 $128,501
12 19 Martin Truex, Jr. Toyota 500 0 127 $89,475
13 36 Brad Keselowski Dodge 500 26 129 $121,210
14 5 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 500 0 121 $133,026 Listen Now
NASCAR News March 21st
March 21, 2010
Inevitably, drivers end up getting along by David Newton
Keselowski doesn’t mind the extra attention Edwards is giving him and
Justin Allgaier races to Nationwide Series win at Bristol by Allen Gregory;
Grounds around BMS emptier than normal by Michael Owens;
Two becomes three in the case of the half-mile hotbox by Jim Sacco;
Fan: ‘It’s still Bristol Motor Speedway, and there’s no place like that’ and
Christmas in March for Santa Pal families at BMS by Roger Brown;
Scary moments in old-timers’ race as legends return to high banks of Bristol by Nate Hubbard
A Confident Kid, A “Confidence Man” & Shrub Struggles by Jim McCoy
Edwards, Keselowski smiling after meeting by Lee Spencer
Kurt Busch – Yes, Kurt Busch – Offering Example On Maturity For Keselowski by Jay Pennell
Explaining The New Spoiler and It’s Use At Talladega by Kim Roberson
Johnson Eyeing First Bristol Win by Pete Pistone
Changes coming to NASCAR autos by Roger Diez
What’s Up With NASCAR’s Crazy Schedule? by Andy Cagle
Crazy Days At Bristol and
Zipadelli Toasts Sliced Bread and
Allgaier Breaks Through At Bristol and
Two Drivers Hurt In Bristol Exhibition by Mike Hembree
Allgaier wins the Scotts Turf Builder 300 – by Larry Taylor;
Edwards vs. Keselowski: ‘We laughed. We cried. It’s good.’ - by Mary Jo Buchanan;
Bristol Motor Speedway Promises to Deliver as Rivalries Heat Up – by Angela Campbell
Kissing the wing goodbye, Bristol race predictions by Lars Anderson
Storylines: Will Keselowski bring the noise? by Jay Hart
NASCAR Today Food City 500 1 PM on Fox
March 21, 2010
1 PM on FOX
Justin Allgaier hold off his Penske Racing teammate for the first NASCAR victory of his career
March 21, 2010
BRISTOL, Tenn.— Roger Penske casually leaned against the railing along the spotter stand at Bristol Motor Speedway, showing no emotion as he watched his two young drivers race each other for a win.
If he was nervous, he didn’t show it. He asked Brad Keselowski to take care of his equipment, then settled in to watch Justin Allgaier hold off his Penske Racing teammate for the first NASCAR victory of his career.
“It’s out of my hands,” Penske said.
Allgaier passed Keselowski on a restart with 27 laps remaining in Saturday’s race, then held him off over the closing laps to give Penske Racing its first 1-2 finish in the Nationwide Series. It was Dodge’s first win at Bristol since August 2007.
Allgaier, last year’s Nationwide Series rookie of the year, had to hold his line over the final 27 laps to keep Keselowski from passing.
“That battle with Brad at the end was awesome, and I couldn’t have been happier at the end to see two Penske cars up there running for the win,” Allgaier said in his first visit to Victory Lane.
Crew chief Chad Walter believed the win is the first of many for the 23-year-old Allgaier.
“I think the sky is the limit for this kid, and we just unleashed a monster,” Walter said. “He’s got a little confidence in him, and that’s a great thing. Look out. This kid can win.” Listen Now
Results Nationwide Series Bristol
March 21, 2010
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Scotts Turf Builder 300
Saturday, March 20th
Bristol Motor Speedway…Bristol, Tennessee
Rank Start Name Make Laps Completed Leading Laps Points Money Won
1 30 Justin Allgaier Dodge 300 27 190 $49,938
2 1 Brad Keselowski Dodge 300 72 180 $44,518
3 6 Kyle Busch Toyota 300 59 170 $44,250
4 4 Carl Edwards Ford 300 24 165 $33,300
5 13 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 300 0 155 $29,500
6 5 Greg Biffle Ford 300 44 155 $27,200
7 8 Reed Sorenson Toyota 300 0 146 $24,360
8 41 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 300 0 142 $30,688
9 10 Jason Leffler Toyota 300 6 143 $30,493
10 19 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 300 21 139 $31,093
11 28 Paul Menard Ford 300 0 130 $23,475
12 3 Kelly Bires Chevrolet 300 0 127 $32,043
13 27 Scott Lagasse Jr. Ford 300 0 124 $30,893
14 2 Joey Logano Toyota 300 21 126 $23,225
15 17 Willie Allen Chevrolet 300 0 118 $24,200 Listen Now
Bartow Floridas Rick Wilson Wins Legonds Race at Bristol Motor Speedway
March 21, 2010
BRISTOL, Tenn.— Rick Wilson passed Phil Parsons with two laps to go to outlast 11 other retired NASCAR drivers Saturday in a non-sanctioned exhibition race organized by Bristol Motor Speedway.
Wilson, best known as the driver who took over the No. 43 following Richard Petty’s 1992 retirement, dominated the race but lost the lead late to Parsons. Wilson passed Parsons shortly after a restart following a lengthy red-flag for a frightening accident between Charlie Glotzbach and Larry Pearson.
A track spokesman said Pearson, the son of three-time NASCAR champion David Pearson, was awake and alert at Bristol Regional Medical Center and that his family confirmed he broke his lower left ankle, pelvis and right hand. He was set to have surgery Saturday night on his ankle.
Glotzbach was listed in good condition.
Pearson spun into the outside wall with five laps remaining. As his car slid down the banking, Glotzbach rounded Turn 2 and ran directly into Pearson’s driver-side door. Listen Now
Edwards, Keselowski smiling after NASCAR meeting
March 21, 2010
BRISTOL, Tenn.— It took roughly 40 minutes with NASCAR for Carl Edwards (FSY) and Brad Keselowski (FSY) to put their long-simmering feud to rest.At least that’s how it appeared as the two smiling drivers exited their highly anticipated Saturday meeting at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“We laughed. We cried. In the end, I think it’s going to be good,” said Edwards, who playfully slapped at Keselowski’s shoulder as the drivers hustled to their cars after the meeting.
NASCAR president Mike Helton summoned Edwards, Keselowski and their car owners into his at-track office to discuss a long-running feud between the drivers that exploded when Edwards intentionally wrecked Keselowski two weeks ago in Atlanta. The accident caused Keselowski’s car to sail into the air before bouncing on its hood.
Although Edwards wrecked earlier in the race after contact with Keselowski, he’s maintained his deliberate retaliation stemmed from animosity created from several past incidents with the young driver. Aggressive and ultra-confident, Keselowski has gone bumper-to-bumper with several veterans the past two years and refused to back down.
“This meeting wasn’t about Atlanta,” Helton said. “(It) wasn’t about trying to fix Brad. It was about Brad and Carl’s relationship. A conversation that we’ve had with other drivers in the past.” Listen Now
Peugeot takes top two spots in 12 Hours of Sebring
March 21, 2010
SEBRING, Fla. — Alexander Wurz teamed with Marc Gene and Anthony Davidson to give Peugeot its first victory in the Twelve Hours of Sebring, leading the French manufacturer’s sweep Saturday night in the endurance race.
Wurz drove the diesel-powered Peugeot 908 HDi FAP to a 13.817-second victory over the sister Peugeot driven by Sebastien Bourdais, Nicolas Minassian and Pedro Lamy. The Peugeots completed 367 laps on the road course.
Wurz and Gene also teamed for Peugeot’s victory in June in the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Greg Pickett, Klaus Graf and Sascha Maassen won in LMP2 in a Porsche RS Spyder, and Jaime Melo, Gimmi Bruni and Pierre Kaffer topped the GT2 class in a Ferrari F430 GT to give Risi Competizione its sixth straight victory in a major endurance race.
In the new LMPC class, Level 5 Motorsports’ Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut and Mark Wilkins won handily in their ORECA FLM09 prototype.
Alex Job Racing swept the GT Challenge podium, with Butch Leitzinger, Juan Gonzalez and Leh Keen beating Bill Sweedler, Romeo Kapudija and Jan-Dirk Lueders.
