Race 15: Lifelock 400 at Michigan

THE STARTING GRID:





THE WINNER:
With a car that was never fast enough at the beginning of a run, but had great fuel mileage, #88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finally broke through and won first Sprint Cup points event in 76 races, dating back to the 2006 Crown Royal 400 at Richmond. The win came in dramatic fashion when the final 50 laps turned into a fuel-mileage race, Earnhardt, Jr. finding himself in the lead with 6 laps to go, but only with enough fuel to get him to lap 198. It was on that very lap when #77-Sam Hornish, Jr. spun off turn four, forcing a green-white-checkered finish. Earnhardt, Jr. was then forced to coast around the track, riding the apron and flicking his ignition on and off to save fuel. When the race finally restarted on lap 201, Earnhardt, Jr. leapt to a huge lead and received the white flag seconds before a wreck involving #10-Patrick Carpentier and #55-Michael Waltrip froze the field. Earnhardt, Jr. then needed to only glide on the apron the remaining half-lap and, as the crowd went wild, took the checkered flag under caution. Earnhardt, Jr. led 14 laps en route to the popular victory.

RESULTS:
1) #88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr. THE WINNER!
2) #9-Kasey Kahne Was about an eighth place car for most of the day, then struggled around 15th with handling problems in the middle stages before his crew decided to take a fuel mileage gamble, joining teammate #19-E. Sadler on pit road to top off their fuel.
3) #17-Matt Kenseth Was an early climber, riding from his 15th place starting spot to 5th on lap 25. He was up to 2nd and closing in on leader #83-Vickers before the second round of green flag stops began on lap 78. He gained the lead from #83-Vickers after the second round of green-flag stops on lap 83 as he was able to get on pit road much faster than anyone else. He was behind teammate #99-Edwards after the second caution, then slid up in front of him on lap 114. Still in the top 5 behind the gambling #48-Johnson and #77-Hornish, Jr., he pitted from the lead with 13 to go, but had a slow 9.3 second two-tire stop when one of his crewmen had trouble removing his right-front tire. He also lost time in the pits when a NASCAR official failed to get out of his way fast enough during a late two-tire stop. Led 41 laps.
4) #83-Brian Vickers Riding the momentum from his strong runner-up finish at Pocono, he rocketed toward the front in the early stages, climbing from his 18th starting position to 4th on lap 17, to 2nd on lap 25, and to the lead by passing #48-Johnson on lap 33. He lost the lead to #17-Kenseth on lap 83 after the second round of green-flag stops, but remained at or around the top 5. Retook the lead from #48-Johnson during the final stops with 18 to go, then pitted himself with 14 to go. Was frustrated after the finish of the race due to what he believed was a botched call by NASCAR after the caution came out when he was ahead of #8-Martin, but wound up restarting behind him. Led 44 laps.
5) #20-Tony Stewart Pledged his winnings to the American Red Cross to assist the victims of the flooding in the midwest. Led 1 lap.
6) #48-Jimmie Johnson Just like at Pocono, he led several laps in the early stages, this time taking it from #18-Ky. Busch, losing it to #83-Vickers, then regaining it when he and #77-Hornish, Jr. did not pit under the fourth caution brought out by #43-B. Labonte on lap 147. Still leading after the fifth caution a few laps later, he then worried that he had lost the first two gears in his transmission, but nevertheless had a good restart. What ensued in the laps following was a great battle with rookie #77-Hornish, Jr. in which #77-Hornish, Jr. edged ahead of him on the inside to lead with 37 to go. He pitted from the lead with 18 to go and, as #83-Vickers took the top spot, waited for the stops to cycle through. Led a race-high 65 laps.
7) #99-Carl Edwards Remained in the top 10 after starting 4th and, despite being the only car to take only two tires under the second caution, managed to remain in the second spot even after #17-Kenseth passed him for the lead a full 15 laps later on lap 114. Supposedly, several spotters said that he had enough fuel to make it the rest of the way in the final fuel run, but he still pitted with 12 to go in a stop that was about as slow as teammate #17-Kenseth’s. Led 21 laps.
8) #6-David Ragan Regaining the form he had attained for much of this season, he raced up into the top 10 around lap 112, but nearly wrecked three laps later when he got very loose coming off turn two. On lap 151, he sustained some minor damage to the front bumper of his car when he bumped #7-R. Gordon going down the backstretch, turning him into the outside wall and bringing out the fifth caution of the race. Regardless, he led briefly during the final fuel run, taking the lead with 12 laps to go when teammate #99-Edwards pitted and holding it until he pitted five laps later. Led 6 laps.
9) #19-Elliott Sadler The decision to top off his fuel tank along with teammate #9-Kahne during the fifth caution on lap 151 turned out to pay big dividends when the final fuel scramble shook out.
10) #26-Jamie McMurray Received the Lucky Dog under the second caution of the race (which was brought out by debris) to be the 22nd and final car on the lead lap at that time. He proceeded to capitalize on the resulting track position by running a smart fuel economy race in the final laps and found himself racing hard with #88-Earnhardt, Jr. with 6 laps to go while, at the same time, both cars were trying to run slow enough to save fuel. When the sixth caution came out with 2 laps to go, he unfortunately had to pit, but since it was under yellow, he still secured a strong finish. Led 1 lap.
11) #15-Paul Menard Forced to start in the back after changing engines, he received the Lucky Dog under the third caution of the race brought out by #2-Ku. Busch and went on to quietly score his best finish of the season.
12) #29-Kevin Harvick Struggled with his car’s handling all weekend long.
13) #18-Kyle Busch Running the extreme low line around the track, he led in the opening laps after securing the top spot due to his owner point ranking after qualifying was rained out, but was never quite able to contend for the lead once #48-Johnson passed him some laps later. Under the fifth caution, his crew failed to fill his tank completely, forcing him to pit for the final time with 16 to go. Led 5 laps.
14) #11-Denny Hamlin Stayed out an extra lap during the second caution of the race in an effort to lead a lap. Led 1 lap.
15) #31-Jeff Burton Started on the outside pole due to the owner point rankings, but tumbled back to the fringe of the top 10 soon after the start, where he remained for the remainder of the race due to handling problems.
16) #28-Travis Kvapil NO NOTES
17) #1-Martin Truex, Jr. NO NOTES
18) #24-Jeff Gordon On the first Father’s Day he was able to celebrate as a father, he had a lot of trouble with his ill-handling car, then his water gauge stopped working on lap 72. He then gambled for track position by staying out during the third caution of the race, but the decision was ill-timed and he slid from 8th to 20th in the 20 laps after the restart. When he did finally pit under the fifth caution of the race brought out by #7-R. Gordon on lap 151, he was caught speeding off pit road and was sent to the tail end of the longest line.
19) #84-A.J. Allmendinger Continuing to ride high from his own strong run at Pocono, he climbed up 20 spots from the 39th starting spot in the first 68 laps, but lost a lot of time during the third round of green-flag stops when he overshot his pit box on lap 142, forcing him to back up. The fuel scramble brought him up to the second spot with 12 to go, but he pitted from there with 7 to go and found himself much farther down the running order. Led 1 lap.
20) #16-Greg Biffle The fastest of the eleven cars who qualified on Friday before rain washed out the session, he was again a fixture in the top 10 before yet again succumbing to bad luck in the closing stages. He, like many others, had trouble with debris on his grille, but was able to cool down his engine on lap 72. His bad luck in this race came at the worst possible time when, while pitting for the final time with 15 to go, an effort to fuel his car on the jack backfired when he left too soon, snagging his air hose, which brought about a penalty that forced him to return to pit road.
21) #2-Kurt Busch For the second straight week, he spun by himself on the backstretch at a speedway when he brought out the third caution of the race on lap 102, his ill-handling Dodge looping off turn two but, fortunately, not hitting anything. Unfortunately, despite receiving the Lucky Dog under the fourth caution brought out by #43-B. Labonte, his team was unable to rally from this incident as well as they had at Pocono.
22) #77-Sam Hornish, Jr. (R) The highest-finishing rookie for the series-leading seventh time this season found himself locked in a race with #55-Waltrip for the top 35. He gained 20 spots from his 35th place starting spot to get up to the 15th spot on lap 68. He was 14th seven laps later, just two positions behind #55-Waltrip in 12th. Like #55-Waltrip, he used pit strategy to get up to the front, running up to 2nd when he stayed out with #48-Johnson during the fourth caution brought out by #43-Labonte on lap 147. After the fifth caution a few laps later, he raced #48-Johnson hard for the lead and even edged ahead to get his own five bonus points at the stripe with 37 to go. An overheating problem as well as his fuel gamble forced him to pit with 22 laps to go, making him one of the first drivers to make his final stop. He still looked like he was going to best his career-best finish in the Coca-Cola 600 until he brought out the sixth caution with 2 laps to go when he spun by himself off turn four and slid through the grass. Led 2 laps.
23) #55-Michael Waltrip After having to start at the back of the field due to an engine change, he became one of the biggest climbers through the field as he fought to get back into the top 35. As one of the handful of tail-end of the field cars who pitted under the first caution on lap 3, he stayed out a few extra laps during the first round of green flag stops to get his five bonus points before pitting on lap 42. On lap 75, he was 12th, just two positions ahead of 14th place competitor #77-Hornish, Jr. Unfortunately, like #77-Hornish, Jr., his good run went away in the final laps when, during the seventh and final caution, he spun through the frontstretch grass to avoid the wrecking #10-Carpentier. Still, he managed to race back into the top 35, bumping #66-Riggs. Led 1 lap.
24) #10-Patrick Carpentier (R) Received the Lucky Dog under the fifth caution brought out by #7-R. Gordon, but then brought out the seventh and final caution that halted the green-white-checkered finish on the final lap when a scramble back in the pack sent him spinning head-on into the outside wall near the start/finish line. Fortunately, he was okay.
25) #8-Mark Martin Silently crept up to 10th on lap 112 and started to position himself for another solid finish at one of his best tracks. He attempted a similar fuel gamble to former teammate #88-Earnhardt, Jr. in the final laps, staying out in the sixth caution to restart in 3rd, but he ran out of gas as the field entered turn one for the first time on the restart, dropping him from contention and holding up a frustrated #83-Vickers.
26) #07-Clint Bowyer NO NOTES
27) #38-David Gilliland NO NOTES
28) #78-Joe Nemechek NO NOTES
29) #45-Terry Labonte NO NOTES
30) #5-Casey Mears NO NOTES
31) #43-Bobby Labonte Signed a contract extension with Petty Enterprises to drive the 43 next season. Brought out the fourth caution of the race on lap 147 when he spun by himself off turn two and, despite spinning at a greater speed than #2-Ku. Busch, also managed to not hit anything.
32) #01-Regan Smith (R) NO NOTES
33) #66-Scott Riggs Was penalized for too fast exiting pit road around the time of the fourth caution on lap 147. This, combined with the strong runs of #55-Waltrip and #77-Hornish, Jr., knocked him back out of the top 35 in owners points.
34) #41-Reed Sorenson NO NOTES
35) #44-David Reutimann Had a hair-raising moment on lap 12 when he bounced between #77-Hornish, Jr. and #38-Gilliland during a three-wide battle off turn four, but managed to keep his car from spinning.
36) #21-Bill Elliott NO NOTES
37) #00-Michael McDowell (R) NO NOTES
38) #42-Juan Pablo Montoya NO NOTES
39) #22-Dave Blaney Brought out the first caution of the race on lap 3 when he spun by himself coming off turn two. The spin turned out to be caused by a broken left-rear axle, a problem which took more than 20 laps to repair in the garage before he got back on the track.
40) #7-Robby Gordon Despite having one of the fastest cars on Friday, the rained-out qualifying session mired him in the back of the pack to be lapped early, then wind up getting turned hard into the outside wall by #6-Ragan on the backstretch on lap 151, bringing out the race’s fifth caution just after a restart. While nursing his crippled car around the track, he then veered into the outside wall before finally being able to get to the garage area.
41) #96-J.J. Yeley Mechanical problems first sent him to the garage around lap 121, after which he returned to the track only to come in once more smoking heavily as he followed the damaged #7-R. Gordon onto pit road on lap 151. His car was undamaged, hinting that he was not involved in #7-R. Gordon’s wreck, but rather succumbed to the same mechanical problem.
42) #12-Ryan Newman Was reported to be spraying water due to debris on the grille of his car on lap 38 and, though that was attended to soon after under a the first round of green-flag stops, he then picked up a vibration and was forced to pit on lap 76 just before the next round of green-flag stops. Fearing a drive train problem, the crew lifted the hood on his car and then pushed him to the garage. He returned to the track many laps down after the fourth caution of the race on lap 147.
43) #40-Dario Franchitti Shared #7-R. Gordon’s bad luck by having one of the fastest cars on Friday only to have to start back in the pack and fall prey to bad luck. Had a short day when engine troubles forced him to make an unscheduled stop under green on lap 23. Though the crew diagnosed it as a broken valve spring, they sent him back onto the track only to return three laps later with a blown engine.

DID NOT QUALIFY:
#34-Tony Raines
#70-Jason Leffler

Race 14: Pocono 500 at Pocono

THE STARTING GRID:






THE WINNER:
After winning his first pole of the season in the same car that wrecked at Phoenix in April, #9-Kasey Kahne successfully rebounded from a pit miscue to fly through the pack and win his second points race of the season. After battling for the lead with #48-Jimmie Johnson, Kahne dropped to 38th under the fourth caution of the race on lap 57 when an audible by crew chief Kenny Francis to switch from a four tire change to a two tire change left him with three missing lugnuts, forcing him to pit a second time. Calmly, Kahne and his well-handling Dodge were able to gain most of those spots on the racetrack, avoiding disaster during a tight battle with #11-Denny Hamlin through turn three on lap 111 to take the lead by lap 129, relinquishing it only during pit stops before making the winning pass on #83-Brian Vickers with 15 laps to go. Kahne led a race-high 69 laps en route to a victory at a track where he had only once ever finished in the top five.

RESULTS:
1) #9-Kasey Kahne THE WINNER!
2) #83-Brian Vickers First became a factor in the race when he did not pit under the fourth caution of the race, giving him the lead for a brief time after the lap 64 restart before #48-Johnson passed him once again. He remained in the top 10 for much of the rest of the race despite the rear bumper of his car being caved-in from bump-drafting cars near the halfway mark. During the round of green-flag stops which preceded the tenth caution of the race, he remained on the track a few laps longer in a car that was very loose off the corners before finally pitting with 36 to go along with #24-J. Gordon and #88-Earnhardt, Jr. He had the lead on #9-Kahne after the tenth caution and, though he lost it soon after the restart, he held firm to the second spot and even held off #11-Hamlin as he closed. Led 18 laps.
3) #11-Denny Hamlin Successfully bounced back from his last-place finish at Dover with a solid top-five run. His car actually drove better after contact with #70-Leffler coming off pit road during the third caution crushed his right-front fender and he was third by lap 55. The crew made repairs to the fender under the fifth caution just before the red flag for a brief rainstorm on lap 71. As one of the six cars who stayed out under the sixth caution of the race, he took the lead from #19-E. Sadler on lap 90. Pit stops put him back to the fourth position after that, yet his rally toward the front in the closing stages lost steam when he could not get past #83-Vickers. Led 17 laps.
4) #88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Found his way toward the front around the halfway mark when a two-tire stop under the seventh caution moved him up to the fifth position, but then slipped back when the handling started to go away. Pit stops under the tenth caution of the race again allowed him to make his way up to second for the restart and, though he slipped back to fourth, he waged a spirited battle with #31-J. Burton for that position with a turn three crossover move in the final laps.
5) #31-Jeff Burton Strong top five run came from another mid-pack qualifying effort. He and #6-Ragan made contact coming off pit road under the third caution of the race, to which he responded by swerving toward the car of #6-Ragan. Another fixture in the top 10 late in the going, he fought #88-Earnhardt, Jr. for the fourth position and nearly had it until his pass in turn two was responded to in the next turn with a daring crossover move by #88-Earnhardt, Jr.
6) #48-Jimmie Johnson Took the lead from polesitter #9-Kahne on the first lap and presented himself as #9-Kahne’s biggest competition. However, his attempts to get off-sequence with teammate #24-J. Gordon and #88-Earnhardt, Jr. turned out to not quite be the best strategy as the tenth caution brought out by #18-Ky. Busch prevented him from gaining an advantage on the field. Led 59 laps.
7) #17-Matt Kenseth Had the lead for a moment when #99-Edwards chose not to pit at the last moment when the tenth caution came out on lap 177. Led 2 laps.
8) #2-Kurt Busch Brought out the second caution of the day on lap 40 when he spun by himself off turn two and slid through the grass. As he bounced off the bumps in the grass, he damaged his splitter and broke a few of its braces, but didn’t lose a lap when the crews repaired it and he even managed to claw his way up the field, reaching 9th place on lap 94.
9) #99-Carl Edwards Made his way to the front in the late stages, moving up to third with 31 to go and taking the lead during green-flag stops. He was about to pit right when the tenth caution of the race came out on lap 177 and thought better of it, swerving back onto the track before he could reach the commitment cone. The move was well-timed as pit road was closed at that moment, but the maneuver also allowed #17-Kenseth to slip by him for the lead. Then, after narrowly avoiding that disaster, he wound up pitting under the caution anyway with a flat left-rear tire. Led 2 laps.
10) #8-Mark Martin NO NOTES
11) #43-Bobby Labonte Found his way up near the front when he stayed out with #19-E. Sadler under the sixth caution of the race and managed to remain in the top 10 for much of the race afterwards before scraping the wall off turn two with laps to go slipped him out of the top 10.
12) #84-A.J. Allmendinger Had a stellar run all day long from his eighth-place starting spot, fighting tooth and nail with the leaders as he hovered between 5th and 10th. He was still in the 8th position on lap 136 and only fell back to 12th after the final round of pit stops.
13) #29-Kevin Harvick Was forced to give up his 28th-place starting spot when his team left the ignition switch on in his car, forcing them to change the battery while the car was on the grid.
14) #24-Jeff Gordon Struggles in qualifying forced crew chief Steve Letarte to be more creative with pit strategy, putting him on the same sequence as teammates #48-Johnson and #88-Earnhardt, Jr. for much of the race. Unable to find enough speed to be competitive, this resulted in a roller-coaster ride for the 24 team where he oscillated from the top 10 to the middle of the pack.
15) #16-Greg Biffle Competed in his 200th consecutive Cup start along with fellow 2003 rookie #26-McMurray by first fighting his way from a 33rd place starting spot. By the second half of the race, he was solidly with the leaders, then had an eventful pit stop under the eighth caution when one of his tire changers had to jump over the hood of his car, then #00-McDowell made contact with the right-rear of his car. Still remaining with the leaders by pitting with #9-Kahne and the others, he thought he had a right-rear tire going down and pitted with 36 laps to go. There, his bad luck bit him again with a pit road speeding penalty for too fast exiting that dropped him from contention. Led 4 laps.
16) #38-David Gilliland Spun through the grass to avoid the spinning #10-Carpentier and #77-Hornish, Jr. during the fifth caution on lap 68, then brought out the eighth caution when he made contact with #40-Franchitti as the two vied for racing on the same narrow patch in turn three, his car on the outside hooking #40-Franchitti into the wall and forcing him to check up.
17) #1-Martin Truex, Jr. Early struggles on pit road prevented him from securing a strong run, falling back early under the first caution when his catch can man failed to keep the can inserted for the entire stop. He fell back after not pitting under the second caution of the race brought out by #2-Ku. Busch, then benefitted by pitting just before the seventh caution brought out by #55-Waltrip. Led 2 laps.
18) #12-Ryan Newman NO NOTES
19) #44-David Reutimann NO NOTES
20) #26-Jamie McMurray Competed in his 200th consecutive Cup start along with fellow 2003 rookie #16-Biffle and suffered some minor damage to his car in the third caution of the race when #18-Ky. Busch hooked himself off the front of his car as they raced down the frontstretch on lap 46.
21) #66-Scott Riggs After falling out of the top 35 at Dover, luck smiled on his team early in the race when the first caution for debris came out just after he pitted to clear debris from his grille, the move putting him in the lead. Though #9-Kahne did pass him for the top spot a few laps after the restart, he remained near the front for some time before being shaken out in the second half of the race. Made his way back up into the top 35, moving to 34th ahead of #77-Hornish, Jr. and bumping out #55-Waltrip. Led 6 laps.
22) #22-Dave Blaney Was penalized for too fast entering the pits during the round of green-flag stops which preceded the tenth caution of the race, then was black-flagged when he didn’t immediately serve his pass-through penalty. Led 1 lap.
23) #28-Travis Kvapil Raced his way up to tenth place on lap 80, but slipped back in the late stages.
24) #6-David Ragan Though he and his crew did not panic when he missed his pit stall under the first caution of the race, forcing him to stop and back up into his stall, he was unable to gain valuable track position. Mired in the back of the pack, he made contact with #31-J. Burton as the two came off the tight exit of pit road, #31-J. Burton responding by swerving toward him.
25) #15-Paul Menard NO NOTES
26) #5-Casey Mears NO NOTES
27) #00-Michael McDowell (R) As he came down pit road under the eighth caution of the race, his left-front was hit by the right-rear of the exiting #16-Biffle. Was the highest-finishing rookie for the second time this season.
28) #01-Regan Smith (R) Turned in a career-best qualifying effort by starting fourth.
29) #78-Joe Nemechek Turned in his best qualifying effort since his pole at Talladega with a fifth-place starting spot.
30) #45-Terry Labonte Making his first Sprint Cup start since filling in for Michael Waltrip last summer, he narrowly avoided involvement in the fifth caution of the race involving #10-Carpentier and #77-Hornish, Jr. when he cut through the grass and stopped behind the spinning cars. Went a lap down around that time and then received the Lucky Dog under the seventh caution brought out by #55-Waltrip.
31) #21-Bill Elliott Solidly made the field on his first qualifying lap, but damaged the right side of his car when he got loose off turn one when he tried to best that speed on his second lap, forcing him to a backup car.
32) #10-Patrick Carpentier (R) Turbulent run began when contact from #77-Hornish, Jr. sent him spinning through the grass on lap 57, bringing out the fourth caution of the race. Just four laps after the lap 64 restart following that caution, the roles were reversed when he got loose in turn one and saved it, only to slip up into #77-Hornish, Jr. and send the two spinning off the wall and into the grass in the same spot. To add insult to injury, he was docked for too fast exiting the pits during the green flag stops which preceded the tenth caution of the race.
33) #41-Reed Sorenson NO NOTES
34) #19-Elliott Sadler Led briefly after the sixth caution when he and five other cars did not pit, but lost it when #11-Hamlin passed him soon after on lap 90. Led 6 laps.
35) #20-Tony Stewart Was in the top 10 for much of the day, running up to fourth on lap 80 in a car that became more and more loose as the day wore on. His good day turned bad during a late round of green-flag stops when he was docked for too fast exiting pit road just before the tenth and final caution of the race, trapping him as one of the few cars one lap down. Led 14 laps.
36) #7-Robby Gordon NO NOTES
37) #55-Michael Waltrip Brought out the seventh caution on lap 105 when he drove too high into turn one, spun around backwards, and tagged the outside wall. Though the damage was not severe enough to keep him from driving away, it did knock him out of the top 35.
38) #42-Juan Pablo Montoya Had nowhere to go when #07-Bowyer spun in front of him coming off turn three on lap 81 and became involved in that sixth caution of the race. After slamming into the side of #07-Bowyer’s car, he limped down the inside of the frontstretch with flames sputtering from beneath his crippled Dodge. Fortunately, he climbed out when he reached the end of pit road and, a few moments later, fire crews extinguished his car. Incredibly, he returned to the race several laps later and even got the Lucky Dog for one of his 42 laps he lost under the ninth caution of the race. He parked his car after running 157 laps.
39) #07-Clint Bowyer Was taken out in the sixth caution of the race when he broke loose racing under #15-Menard coming off turn three on lap 81, sending him spinning directly into the path of #42-Montoya, who had nowhere to go. The resulting contact sent him spinning into the outside pit road wall, tearing up the back of his car badly. Still finished the race running.
40) #70-Jason Leffler Making his first Sprint Cup race since the 2005 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, his was the car hit by #11-Hamlin during pit stops under the third caution of the race. He also suffered damage to the left-rear from an undisclosed incident sometime during the eighth caution brought out by #40-Franchitti on lap 122.
41) #40-Dario Franchitti (R) Returned to Sprint Cup competition for the first time in more than a month with a stellar 14th-place qualifying effort. Unfortunately, he was first damaged in the eighth caution of the race when #38-Gilliland raced to his outside coming into turn three, sending him backing into the outside wall. His car was finished off in the ninth caution when, while racing #77-Hornish, Jr., #77-Hornish, Jr. spun him again in turn one on lap 130.
42) #77-Sam Hornish, Jr. (R) Had a rough day through the event in his backup car after he wrecked his primary during Happy Hour. He brought out the fourth caution of the race on lap 57 when he clipped the right-rear of #10-Carpentier and spun through the grass. He was on the receiving end of the fifth caution, again involving #10-Carpentier in turn one, and then brought out the ninth caution on lap 130 when he spun #40-Franchitti and then hit the wall himself before driving through the turn one grass yet again.
43) #18-Kyle Busch While pulling triple-duty with the truck race in Texas and the Nationwide event in Nashville, Kyle’s promising 10th-place starting spot proved to be the only highlight. He wrecked his primary car coming onto pit road during practice on Saturday, then wrecked the secondary just 46 laps into the race itself, bringing out the third caution when he merged up into #26-McMurray on the frontstretch and slammed into the outside wall. The crew got his car back onto the track more than 80 laps down, at which time he brought out the tenth and final caution of the race when he spun by himself off turn two on lap 177. With #31-J. Burton’s strong run, his point lead was cut to just 21 points.

DID NOT QUALIFY:
#96-J.J. Yeley