The Winning Edge Compiled by Dwight Drum
Images by Drum Web work by Drum & Larsen
NASCAR Reports
Winners: [Sprint Cup, Nationwide, Camping World Trucks]
Kyle Busch, Kyle Busch, Kyle Busch
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
NSCS Race Recap: By Reid Spencer Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
Busch completes Bristol triple with Sprint Cup win
Check off a major accomplishment from Kyle Busch’s bucket list.
Busch fended off strong challenges from David Reutimann and Jamie McMurray to win Saturday’s Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway and complete his unprecedented sweep of three NASCAR national touring events at the same track in the same week.
On Lap 429 of 500, Busch nosed past Reutimann after an intense 15-lap battle and pulled away to a Sprint Cup victory that fit quite nicely with his Wednesday win in the Camping World Truck Series and his Friday triumph in the Nationwide Series.
“Oh, Dave, thank you, guys,” Busch radioed to crew chief Dave Rogers moments before crossing the finish line. “I can’t believe it—swept the weekend at Bristol!”
The victory was Busch’s fourth at the .533-mile track, his third of the season and the 19th of his career. McMurray came home third, followed by Clint Bowyer and Kasey Kahne.
It was a statement race for Bowyer, who separated himself from Mark Martin in the battle for the final berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Bowyer overcame a pit-road speeding penalty to finish in the top five while Martin foundered to a 23rd-place result in a car that didn’t handle to his liking.
With two races left before the Chase field is set Sept. 11 at Richmond, Bowyer, 12th in the standings, leads McMurray, who supplanted Martin in 13th place, by 100 points. Martin is 14th, 101 points back.
The two drivers who are guaranteed at least a tie for top seeding when the Chase begins—Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin—had major issues in Saturday’s race.
After leading 175 laps, Johnson was fighting for position on Lap 262 when contact from Juan Pablo Montoya’s Chevrolet sent Johnson’s Chevy spinning down the backstretch and into the Turn 3 wall. The polesitter lost 66 laps during repairs and finished 35th.
Hamlin snapped a drive shaft near the midpoint of the race and lost 26 laps in the garage while his crew replaced it. He finished 34th. The only consolation for Johnson and Hamlin is that each has a series-best five victories, good for 50 bonus points to start the Chase.
NASCAR Nationwide Series [NNS]
NNS Race Recap: By Reid Spencer Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
Said Edges Papis In Photo Finish At Montreal
At long last, road-course ace Boris Said is a winner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Said won Sunday’s NAPA Auto Parts 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve when—with the two strongest cars out of contention—the always unpredictable event ended with Said beating Max Papis in a drag race to the finish line.
After leader Robby Gordon ran out of gas on a green-white-checkered-flag finish that sent the race three laps past its scheduled distance of 74 laps, Said lost the lead to Papis at the entrance to the final two corners. But Papis’ momentum sent him wide in Turn 14, and Said drew alongside at the top of the final straightaway.
Papis lost a fraction of a second when he hit the rev limiter in second gear but still had enough to race side by side with Said all the way to the finish line.
Said’s .012-second margin of victory was the closest ever on a road course in the Nationwide Series, the fifth closest overall in series history and the closest since 1998 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The victory was more than just a first for Said, 47. It was the first Nationwide win for car owner Robby Benton and the first for the new pairing of Said and crew chief Scott Zipadelli.
“I don’t think we had the fastest car today,” Said admitted, “but we definitely had the smartest race strategy with Scott Zipadelli as the crew chief—the first time I ever worked with him. We had great communication, he called a great race, and it was really about managing the racetrack, managing your brakes.
“I’m shocked … overwhelmed. I thought I was going to cry, but I didn’t. My wife would have made fun of me. But I was pretty happy.”
Local hero Jacques Villeneuve finished third, followed by Brad Keselowski, who extended his series lead to 365 points over hard-luck 20th-place finisher Carl Edwards. Paul Menard ran fifth, with Joey Logano, J.R. Fitzpatrick, Parker Kligerman, Justin Allgaier and Trevor Bayne completing the top 10.
The race that gave polesitter Marcos Ambrose another heartbreak (he retired with an electrical problem after leading 25 laps) turned on a bad break—literally—for defending winner Edwards, who led a race-high 29 laps before breaking the track bar on his No. 60 Ford as caution flew with eight laps left in regulation.
Edwards held a lead of almost three seconds over Gordon when Michael Annett slid into the Turn 4 wall to cause the fifth caution of the race, ending a green-flag run of 42 laps.
Two more late cautions forced overtime and prolonged the race enough to empty Gordon’s fuel tank. Gordon led the field to the green flag for a restart on Lap 76 but coasted to a stop before completing the circuit. He finished 14th.
But it was the drag race to the finish between Said and Papis that had the more than 70,000 fans on their feet.
“I was ahead, I was behind, I was ahead,” said Papis, who was driving Kevin Harvick’s No. 33 Chevrolet. “At the end of the day, this was an amazing race. I had a blast. It came down to a green-white-checker, and the thing I’m the most proud of … this is maybe the first time I’ve had the chance to really sit in a car that legitimately can win, and it came down to the last corner.
“For me, I’m really proud. I know it’s a second-place finish, but it’s equal to one of my best wins.”
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series [NCWTS]
NCWTS Recap: By Lee Montgomery Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
KKyle Busch extends winning streak at Chicagoland
What can slow down Kyle Busch? Perhaps only the checkered flag.
Busch won his second consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race and his fourth national series race in a row by dominating the EnjoyIllinois.com 225 on Friday night at Chicagoland Speedway.
Busch swept all three NASCAR national series races at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend and continued his winning ways at Chicagoland. He led three times for 121 laps for his fourth truck series win in nine starts in 2010.
Busch now has 17 wins across the Sprint Cup (three wins), Nationwide (10) and truck series this year.
The only drama for Busch came on pit road under two separate caution flags. On Lap 81, Busch’s gasman had trouble with the second gas can, and Busch lost four spots for the restart. But he charged to the lead on Lap 98 after another caution slowed the race.
On Lap 126, Busch changed four tires on his No. 18 Toyota, with several other drivers taking two. Busch restarted sixth but passed three cars on the first green-flag lap and got the lead on Lap 131.
Busch also survived a late-race thrust from Todd Bodine, who made an inside move on Busch with six laps to go but slipped and lost ground. Busch then held off Bodine on a green-white-checkered finish after Timothy Peters blew an engine. The race went four laps beyond the scheduled 150 on the 1.5-mile track.
Bodine ended up second, with Ron Hornaday Jr. third, Johnny Sauter fourth and rookie Justin Lofton fifth. Aric Almirola, Matt Crafton, Rick Crawford, Austin Dillon and David Starr completed the top 10.
The victory was Toyota’s 75th in the truck series since 2004, when it entered NASCAR competition.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
NSCS Point Standings
[After Race 24 of 36]
Includes Points Behind Leader
1. Kevin Harvick [Leader] [3521]
2. Jeff Gordon [-279]
3. Kyle Busch [-351]
4. Carl Edwards [-408]
5. Denny Hamlin [-413]
6. Tony Stewart [-414]
7. Jeff Burton [-420]
8. Matt Kenseth [-426]
9. Jimmie Johnson [-444]
10. Kurt Busch [-448]
11. Greg Biffle [-466]
12. Clint Bowyer [-601]
NASCAR Nationwide Series
NNS Point Standings
[After 25 of 35 races]
Includes Points Behind Leader
1. Brad Keselowski [Leader] [3995 points]
2. Carl Edwards [-365]
3. Kyle Busch [-599]
4. Justin Allgaier [-734]
5. Paul Menard [824]
6. Kevin Harvick [-1087]
7. Steve Wallace [-1138]
8. Trevor Bayne [-1140]
9. Joey Logano [-1273]
10. Jason Leffler [-1275]
11. Brendan Gaughan [-1326]
12. Michael Annett [-1352]
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
2010 NCWTS Point Standings
[After 17 of 25 races]
Includes Points Behind Leader
1. Todd Bodine [Leader] [2708 points]
2. Aric Almirola [-236]
3. Johnny Sauter [-303]
4. Timothy Peters [-325]
5. Ron Hornaday Jr. [-328]
6. Matt Crafton [-384]
7. Austin Dillon [-393]
8. Mike Skinner [-498]
9. David Starr [-575]
10. Justin Lofton [-731]
11. Jason White [-735]
12. Ricky Carmichael [-766]
Top Ten Most Popular NASCAR Drivers
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Tony Stewart
4. Kasey Kahne
5. Matt Kenseth
6. Bobby Labonte
7. Michael Waltrip
8. Jimmie Johnson
9. Carl Edwards
10. Kevin Harvick
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