Weekend NASCAR Television Times All Times Eastern * Subject To Change
Nationwide Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying Friday, Jul 03 01:00 PM ESPN2
Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying Friday, Jul 03 04:00 PM SPEED
Nationwide Series Countdown to Green Friday, Jul 03 07:30 PM ESPN
Nationwide Series Subway Jalapeño 250 Friday, Jul 03 08:00 PM ESPN
Sprint Cup Series Countdown to Green Saturday, Jul 04 07:30 PM TNT
Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 Saturday, Jul 04 08:00 PM TNT
Hall Nominees Announced
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) announced today a history-rich list of 25 nominees for the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame induction class. From that list, five inductees will be chosen via a process that includes a nationwide fan vote on NASCAR.COM; the inductees will be announced in October and honored next May at the new Hall of Fame facility in Charlotte, N.C. --The nominees, which include many of the sport's legendary names, were selected by a 21-person nominating committee consisting of representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame and track owners from both major facilities and historic short tracks.
"This first list of potential inductees is impressive, to say the least," said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. "Now comes the hard part -- choosing only five to be inducted. Every single person on this list is worthy to be in the NASCAR Hall of Fame." -- The HOF's first inductees will be determined by the Voting Panel, which has 50 members -- the entire Nominating Committee, 14 media members, four manufacturer representatives and nine retired competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs -- three each) and two recognized industry leaders. In addition, the fan vote will result in the Voting Panel's 51st and final ballot.
Following are the 25 individuals who have been nominated:
Bobby Allison, 1983 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and winner of 84 races
Buck Baker, the first driver to win consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championships
Red Byron, first NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, in 1949
Richard Childress, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series
Dale Earnhardt, won record seven NASCAR Sprint Cup championships
Richie Evans, nine-time NASCAR Modified champion
Tim Flock, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion
Bill France Jr., NASCAR president, chairman and CEO (1972-2003)
Bill France Sr., NASCAR founder and first president (1948-1972)
Rick Hendrick, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series
Ned Jarrett, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion
Junior Johnson, 50 wins as a driver, 132 wins and six championships as an owner
Bud Moore, 63 wins and two NASCAR Sprint Cup titles as a car owner
Raymond Parks, NASCAR's first champion car owner
Benny Parsons, 1973 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion
David Pearson, 105 victories and three NASCAR Sprint Cup championships
Lee Petty, winner of the first Daytona 500 and first three-time series champion
Richard Petty, 200 wins and seven NASCAR Sprint Cup titles -- both records
Fireball Roberts, won 33 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the 1962 Daytona 500
Herb Thomas, first two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, 1951 and '53
Curtis Turner, first to win Daytona 500, Southern 500, Coca-Cola 600 in same year
Darrell Waltrip, winner of 84 races and three NASCAR Sprint Cup championships
Joe Weatherly, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion
Glen Wood, as driver, laid foundation for Wood Brothers' future team success
Cale Yarborough, winner of three consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup titles, 1976-78 ...Daily Headlines
Mayfield Won't Make Daytona
Despite winning a court injunction that allows him to race this weekend at Daytona, Jeremy Mayfield won't be in the Coke Zero 400 on Saturday night. He missed the deadline to enter. And that's not all that big a surprise. Mayfield is already strapped for cash and is being sued for money owed by his Cup team. Putting together a car and crew in such a short time would have been difficult at best. His other option was to drive for someone else, but apparently nobody else is interested. (blog.al.com/blogoftomorrow).... ...Daily Headlines
Drivers Talk About Mayfield Ruling
At Daytona International Speedway on Thursday, some drivers were asked to speak on the subject of the court ruling that will allow Jeremy Mayfield to return to the tracK. Below are just a few samples of those conversations....
Jeff Burton..“I think it’s important to understand what the ruling is -- I think once the ruling was made, there’s been a lot of jumping to conclusions that what the judge said was that NASCAR’s wrong, end of story. That’s not the case at all. What the judge said was, or the way I viewed it, was that it is in question, the result can be questioned, but the judge did not say the result was wrong. The judge said it could be questioned and while it’s being questioned, what do we do about it. The way I view it is that if and when he comes back NASCAR has every right to test him as many times as they would like to make sure that things are being done correctly and there’s no drug problem on the race track. The only problem with that is that it’s not an instant test. ...More
Mark Martin..“I’m comfortable with being on the racetrack with Jeremy Mayfield. One-hundred percent. I feel that NASCAR needs to have the authority to say whether or not that you drive. I don’t know anything about judges. I don’t know anything about laws and I don’t know anything about anything else, but I do believe that NASCAR needs to have the authority to make that call. And they need to be responsible with it and careful with it. I think that somebody is wrong. Either Jeremy or NASCAR is wrong, and I don’t know which one, but whichever one is wrong is really hurting the other. I don’t know. That is about all my thoughts on that matter.” ...More
Jeff Gordon..
Jeff Gordon..“I never said that I didn’t want to be on the track with Jeremy Mayfield. When all that comes out then I will be happy to answer that, but at this point right now, I signed something saying that I would not want to be on the track with somebody that tested positive or that positively had drugs in their system. I don’t think there’s anybody in this garage area that wouldn’t feel that way. I didn’t have any issues with Jeremy (Mayfield) on the track prior to all this going on and I don’t think that would change if he was out on the track anytime soon.” ...More
Jimmie Johnson..“You would think that the sanctioning body would be able to run their sport and do what is right for their sport. The way I understand it is that still at the end of the day, when Jeremy comes back to the track he can be tested at that point and if he passes the test then he can be on the track. And that is really the bottom line that they want to have people on the track that are sober and not under the influence of anything. It is very confusing to understand what or if took place or any of this. It’s been hard to really follow and the rumors have been wild. But at the end of the day we just want forty-three sober drivers on that race track. And I know when he comes back he will have to go through a testing policy then and a procedure then and if he is clean then he will be on the race track and there is no issues. So it’s been a tough process for everyone and it’s been hard to follow and I look forward to the day that it’s behind all of us in this sport and we can continue one and get back to racing and stop worrying about this stuff.” ...More
Kasey Kahne..“I like NASCAR’s drug policy. I like what they’ve done there. I’ve been tested a few times this year and early in the year, I would go and get tested and it was kind of in and out. I got tested at Sonoma and it’s a process now. Every little step you have to sign your name or initial… work with the person that is taken the sample. To me, that’s because of the whole (Jeremy) Mayfield incident and just clarifying everything and making sure that everything is…the driver and the person taking the sample are on the same page. I’m totally behind NASCAR. So if he’s on the track, you have to race with him.” ...More
Ryan Newman.. “I’ve read a couple of small things. I couldn’t tell you exactly whose articles I read. The bottom line is I don’t quite understand some of it. I will say that some people that don’t understand motorsports, some people that don’t understand sports in general and the situation that we had when somebody tests positive is something to be seriously considered and there is a lot of responsibility that goes along with that. As a federal judge when you release somebody to go back and do that without necessarily in my eyes clarifying everything that’s not cool. People make mistakes. I just hope the judge didn’t make one.”
Mayfield Wins Injunction
Jeremy Mayfield is a NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and owner again after U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen granted Mayfield’s motion Wednesday for a preliminary injunction to force the sanctioning body to lift his indefinite suspension for a test that NASCAR says was positive for methamphetamines. After nearly two hours of testimony by NASCAR and Mayfield attorneys, Mullen found that the financial harm Mayfield is suffering by not driving is more than the potential harm to NASCAR and that Mayfield has a likelihood of success on the merits of his case. “This is huge for us,” Mayfield said outside the courthouse. “This means more to me than any race I’ve won or anything. Thanks to all the attorneys, who worked tirelessly and endlessly.” Mayfield, who must comply with any requests from NASCAR to drug-test him, said that he hopes to race either his own Mayfield Motorsports Inc. car or a car for another team this weekend at Daytona International Speedway. Practice for the Coke Zero 400 starts Thursday. ...More
The Daily Planet Blogspot is reporting that Bill Weber is gone from the NASCAR on TNT coverage for the final two Sprint Cup Series events on the network. TNT confirmed this with The Daly Planet on Wednesday morning. Weber was scheduled to call the Wide-Open coverage for the network from Daytona on Saturday night. The summer race in Daytona is TNT's showcase event for the network's six race TV package. Ralph Sheheen will handle the play-by-play duties for Daytona and Chicago with Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach alongside. TV ratings for the Sprint Cup Series race from Loudon, NH were up slightly and that may have played a role in this decision. Weber was involved in a late night incident last Friday night at the TNT hotel in Manchester, NH. It spilled-over into Weber being sent home by TNT executives on Saturday and now his release from the TV package. TNT has been tight-lipped about the issue and gave no indication whether or not Weber would continue with the network in 2010. ...Daily Headlines
Is The Truck Series In Trouble?
This is a very delicate subject for NASCAR, which has gained notoriety with the number of start and parks increasing while attendance levels dwindle. However, despite reports from independent blogger Mike Mulhern, NASCAR Vice President of Communications Jim Hunter says emphatically that there is no validity to a story circulating that the series will shut down.
"There's no truth to it whatsoever," Hunter said. "It's total B.S. The demise of the truck series is the figment of one person's imagination. (Mulhern) has a history of fabricating false stories and this is another example of it. "We're very aware that (the Camping World Truck Series) is affected the hardest during this economic recession. We're currently looking at options. We've never given up on a series and we're not going to start now." ...Daily Headlines
Kyle Petty: Grand Marshal At Daytona
Kyle Petty will serve as Grand Marshal for the 51st annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Saturday, July 4 at Daytona International Speedway. Petty, who is currently serving as an analyst for TNT, will give the command “Gentlemen, start your engines” to the 43-car field and to his father Richard Petty, who will pace the field in a replica 200th-winning No. 43 car. Petty’s father Richard will be honored throughout the weekend during the 25th anniversary celebration of his historic 200th win, which took place July 4, 1984 with President Ronald Reagan in attendance. ...More
TNT Sunday Ratings Up
TNT's telecast Sunday of the Sprint Cup Series' Lenox Industrial Tools 301 from New Hampshire Motor Speedway earned a 4.1 cable rating and 5.555 million viewers from 1:59-5:45pm ET, the Sports Business Journal reported Tuesday. The telecast marks the first Cup Series race this season to see both year-over-year ratings and viewership gains, up 2.5 percent and 1.1 percent from last year's 4.0 cable rating and 5.495 million viewers. The race also was the ninth most-viewed telecast on all of cable for the week of June 22-28. For four Cup Series races to date, TNT is averaging a 4.0 cable rating and 5.502 million viewers, down 4.8 percent and 3.7 percent from a 4.2 rating and 5.715 million viewers last year. ...Daily Headlines
NASCAR Uses Second Lab For Mayfield Sample
Court documents show that NASCAR has had suspended owner/driver Jeremy Mayfield’s urine sample tested at a second lab in addition to the one that allegedly found initial evidence of an illegal substance. According to documents filed in Mayfield’s lawsuit seeking to have his suspension lifted, NASCAR sent Mayfield’s urine sample to MedTox Laboratories, which completed an analysis Thursday morning of two specimens. The results of the analysis, as well as the name of the person whose urine was tested, are blacked out or not listed, but it would be highly unlikely that NASCAR would submit a test result to the court that didn’t back up its previous assertion that Mayfield had an illegal drug in his system when tested May 1. ...Daily Headlines
Johnson’s Team Captures Tissot Pit Crew Award in New Hampshire
Jimmie Johnson’s crew grabbed the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award in Sunday’s (June 28) NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It was the second Tissot victory of the season for the No. 48 crew, which also won at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in March. The win lifted Johnson’s crew to sole possession of third place in the Tissot standings. The crews for Jeff Gordon and Greg Biffle lead the weekly competition with three wins each. The No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet Impala SS spent the least amount of time on pit road – 136.490 seconds -- during the New Hampshire rain-shortened event. The pit crew effort helped Johnson to a top-10 finish (ninth). ...More
DirecTV Hotpass Lineup
NASCAR HOTPASS™ on DIRECTV is free to all DIRECTV customers. Four dedicated driver channels offering viewers multiple camera angles, real-time statistics and audio of the network broadcast augmented by live communication between the drivers and their pit crews are available for all 36 point-paying races during the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. The NASCAR HOTPASS lineup for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway is as follows:
DIRECTV Channel 795: Tony Stewart and the No. 14 Burger King Chevrolet team of Stewart-Haas Racing
DIRECTV Channel 796: Kyle Busch and the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota team of Joe Gibbs Racing
DIRECTV Channel 797: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 National Guard “Serving America” / AMP Energy Chevrolet team of Hendrick Racing
DIRECTV Channel 798: Carl Edwards and the No. 99 Subway Ford team of Roush Fenway Racing
Greg Zipadelli Named Best Crew Chief
Greg Zipadelli, crew chief for the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota driven by Joey Logano, has been named the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Race following Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Running mid-pack for most of the afternoon, Logano's left rear tire went down around Lap 180, sending him spinning and bringing out the caution. The No. 20 crew fixed the car and sent him back onto the track, one lap down. Shortly after restarting the race, the yellow came out once again on Lap 190, giving Logano the free pass. While the other lead contenders stayed out, Logano took the opportunity to come to pit road, get fresh tires and fuel, and head out at the tail end of the field. With rain in the area, crew chief Greg Zipadelli decided to gamble and leave his 19-year-old driver on track, saving fuel and hoping for a good finish. Because Zippy had brought his driver in just 80 laps earlier, Logano, who had plenty of gas, stayed out on Lap 273 while all the other lead-lap cars pitted under green, and was in the lead when the rains came and the red flag came out on. Shortly after, the race was made official and Zipadelli's daring pit call helped the No. 20 team score its first victory with rookie Joey Logano. ...More
No. 3 At Goodwood Festival of Speed
The Richard Childress Racing No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet Monte Carlo that seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt earned his 76th and final victory in will participate in this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in England on July 3-5, 2009. Taylor Earnhardt, 20, Earnhardt’s youngest child, will drive the car in demonstration runs during the three-day festival. It is her inaugural turn behind the wheel of a stock car. She will be accompanied by her mother, Teresa Earnhardt, president and CEO of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., founded in 1980 with her legendary husband. The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an annual event held since 1993 at the Goodwood House in West Sussex, a place of great British motorsports history. Race cars old and new will participate in both demonstration and competition runs up the nine-turn 1.16-mile hillclimb circuit. This year’s gathering will include a number of NASCAR stock cars in honor of the 50th anniversary of Daytona International Speedway. ...More
Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC
NASCAR Nationwide Series on ESPN in Prime Time from Daytona
A high-speed, Friday night shootout in prime time is expected when the NASCAR Nationwide Series makes its second visit of the season to Daytona International Speedway this weekend. ESPN will have a live, high definition telecast of the Subway Jalapeno 250 on Friday, July 3, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season, with selected races on ESPN and ABC. The race re-airs Saturday, July 4, at 3 a.m. on ESPN2 and again at noon on ESPN Classic. Also this weekend, live coverage of NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying airs Friday at 1 p.m. on ESPN2, while coverage of final practice airs Thursday, July 2, at 5:30 p.m. Dr. Jerry Punch will be lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN on ABC’s coverage, with analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Reporting from the pits will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake, with two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer in the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage. ...More
Next Nationwide Series Race * Daytona International Speedway * Daytona Beach, Florida * Friday, July 3, 2009
Bryan Berry Penalty Revised
NASCAR announced Tuesday that it has revised the penalty for Bryan Berry, crew chief of the No. 62 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Berry had been indefinitely suspended earlier this month for a rule violation (Section 12-1: actions detrimental to stock car racing; involved in an altercation with another team) he committed at the event held at Nashville Superspeedway on June 6. Berry’s suspension will be lifted effective July 7, while his NASCAR probation will continue until Dec. 31. Berry must also perform community service as directed by NASCAR. ...Daily Headlines
Kyle Busch Wins At Loudon
Photo Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR
Busch Celebrates With Crew
Apparently tired of his recent pattern of leading the most laps and finishing somewhere other than first, Kyle Busch took a different tack in Saturday's Camping World RV Sales 200. Busch saved his surge to the front for the final green-flag run in the Nationwide Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. After passing Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Joey Logano for the lead on Lap 165 of 200, Busch stayed in front the rest of the way. In the final 10 laps, Logano closed up to the rear bumper of Busch's No. 18 Toyota in lapped traffic, but Busch eventually pulled away to win his fifth race of the season by .617 seconds over his teammate. Brad Keselowski finished third at the Magic Mile, followed by Mike Bliss, who stayed out on old tires during the third and final caution and led the field to a restart on Lap 162. Kevin Harvick came home fifth in his own No. 33 Chevrolet. Busch collected the 26th Nationwide victory of his career, fifth-best all-time and one behind fourth-place Jeff Burton. In posting his 13th top 10 in 16 starts this season, Busch extended his lead over sixth-place finisher Carl Edwards to 162 points in the series standings.
Though Busch talked with crew chief Jason Ratcliff about being patient and taking his time during the first 51-lap green-flag run, he said his methodical approach was a matter of necessity, not choice. "I wanted to be (up front), I just couldn't get there," said Busch, who started from the ninth position and became the 23rd different winner in 23 Nationwide races at NHMS. "These flat tracks, you just can't do stuff like that. You don't have the room to do stuff like that. Texas, Charlotte, Atlanta, all those big tracks, Kansas, Chicago, you've got room. You can go way up to the wall and run around the outside and pass guys, and you've got the whole racetrack to use. Here, Milwaukee, Phoenix, you've got one, one-and-a-half lanes to use in order to get through guys and make it up towards the front. So you've got to be methodical about it, think about it and try not to get into anybody."
Logano, on the other hand, got a taste of the frustration that has haunted Busch, who had led 1,486 of the 2,787 laps he had completed in the first 15 races this season. "I guess this is how Kyle feels lately, leading the most laps and not winning," said Logano, who led a race-high 108 laps. Sprint Cup teammates Scott Speed and Brian Vickers, driving cars for different Nationwide owners, tangled in Turn 3 on the final lap and lost chances for top-five finishes. As the cars entered pit road following the race, Vickers (who came home 12th) bumped his Red Bull Racing teammate (who ran eighth). Speed explained that he had carried more speed than the cars ahead of him into the final set of corners. "He said I slowed down going into the corner," Vickers said. "No (kidding)!" -- The Nationwide Series moves to Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida on Friday, July 3, 2009. ...Daily Headlines For Final Results...Camping World RV Sales 200 Final Results Point Standings...Point Standings After Camping World RV Sales 200
Fellows In Nationwide Road Course Races
JR Motorsports officials said Thursday that veteran road racer Ron Fellows will drive the team’s No. 5 Chevrolet in NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Watkins Glen International Speedway on Aug. 8 and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Aug. 30. The team said Fastenal will serve as the primary sponsor in both races. Fellows is the defending race winner at Montreal, going to victory lane in NASCAR’s first race on rain tires in one of its three national series. Fellows also has three wins in the series at Watkins Glen. ...Daily Headlines
Matt Carter Replaces Brandon Whitt
Specialty Racing says that Matt Carter will immediately take over the driving duties of the organization's No. 61 Ford in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, replacing Brandon Whitt. Carter, the son of former NASCAR team owner Travis Carter, will debut with the team this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. ...More
Burney Lamar Loses Ride
Braun Racing officials have released Burney Lamar from his role as a part-time driver with the NASCAR Nationwide Series team, effective immediately. Sprint Cup driver Brian Vickers is already scheduled to compete in the next three races in the team's No. 32 Toyota. Officials hope to name a driver or drivers for the remaining races at a later date. “Burney Lamar is truly a standout guy who has great potential to be successful in this sport,” team owner Todd Braun said in a news release. “I wish the best for him in his future endeavors.” Lamar drove in nine races this season for Braun, with a best finish of eighth at Kentucky two weeks ago. He finished 22nd last weekend at Milwaukee. ...Daily Headlines
Double-File Restarts For Nationwide Cars
Sirius Speedway has learned that NASCAR will implement the new, double-file, shootout-style restart procedure on the NASCAR Nationwide Series, beginning at Daytona International Speedway on Friday night, July 3. The new system has been used without issue in the last three Sprint Cup races at Pocono, Michigan and Infineon, and NASCAR officials are now ready to roll it out for Nationwide competition. It is expected that double-file restarts will be utilized soon in the Camping World Truck Series, as well. ...Daily Headlines
Next Camping World Truck Series Race * Kentucky Speedway * Sparta, Kentucky * Saturday, July 18, 2009
Ron Hornaday Wins At Memphis
CIA Stock Photo
Hornaday Dominates Truck Race
Ron Hornaday Jr. took home his second straight Elvis trophy with an overpowering victory Saturday in the MemphisTravel.com 200 presented by O'Reilly Auto Parts NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Memphis Motorsports Park. Hornaday led 175 of 201 laps on the .75-mile track. The driver of the Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet had a commanding lead over Brian Scott's Toyota before a late-race caution forced a green-white-checkered finish. Hornaday pulled away on the final restart and won by .653 seconds over Scott. It was the second straight week Hornaday has led almost from start to finish. Hornaday led 180 of 200 laps at Milwaukee, where he took the points lead. Hornaday expanded it to 76 over Matt Crafton at Memphis with his third victory of the season and 42nd of his career, tops in the history of the series.
Hornaday also won at Memphis in 1998, but the track didn't begin giving the Elvis trophy until 2005. This was the last year for it to be presented. -- "The last Elvis trophy at Memphis, that's pretty cool," Hornaday said. "It was pretty awesome to come here and win the last Elvis trophy. That means a lot." -- Hornaday started from pole and led 108 of the initial 114 laps, and never was passed on the track. He made his final pit stop and restarted second behind Scott, who successfully used a different pit-stop strategy to take the lead.
Scott managed to hold off Hornaday for 18 green-flag laps. On Lap 135, Hornaday cleanly got inside Scott in Turn 1 and they raced almost side-by-side to Turn 3. Hornaday had the advantage and went to the inside of a lapped truck. Scott went to the outside and Hornaday emerged with a solid advantage. The race stayed green for the next 61 laps and Hornaday steadily built up a sizeable lead. Scott continued his strong second full season in trucks, moving up to sixth in the points. He finished third at Milwaukee last week and had his first victory at Dover. David Starr was third, equaling his best finish of the season. Aric Almirola finished fourth and Crafton was fifth. Rounding out the top ten were Mike Skinner, Timothy Peters, Johnny Sauter, Colin Braun and Todd Bodine. -- The Camping World Truck Series moves to Kentucky Speedway at Sparta, Kentucky on Saturday, July 18, 2009. ...Daily Headlines Final Race Results...(MemphisTravel.com 200 Results) Point Standings...Points After MemphisTravel.com 200
Ron Hornaday Jr. Wins Truck Race - Happy Birthday
The Kevin Harvick Inc. driver dominated Saturday's rescheduled Copart 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, at The Milwaukee Mike, winning on his 51st birthday. Someone asked him how old he was now and Hornaday replied..."I don't know. I'm in my 50s, now, I guess." -- Hornaday led 189 of the race's 200 laps and easily beat MRD Motorsports' Dennis Setzer. The race was postponed from Friday night after heavy rain struck the Milwaukee area. -- "I hate to tell you but I don't think the truck was that good," Hornaday said. "I think we were just that much better than the rest of them," Hornaday said. Whatever the case, Hornaday was the class of the field, as crew chief Rick Ren made numerous adjustments after Friday's practice to propel Hornaday to dominance. "You just can't expect to be as good as we were today," Ren said. "But it sure is a darn nice feeling."
Hornaday took control of the race early, passing Matt Crafton on the third lap and pulling away. Disaster nearly struck later in the race, when a caution came out for Aric Almirola's spin after Hornaday had pitted his No. 33 Chevrolet. But Hornaday was fast enough to remain on the lead lap, and after the other seven trucks on the lead lap pitted, Hornaday was back in the lead. Setzer finished second, one second behind Hornaday. Xpress Motorsports driver Brian Scott finished third with a broken right wrist, with Germain Racing's Todd Bodine fourth and Circle Bar Racing's James Buescher fifth.
Sixth through 10th were Stacy Compton (Wyler Racing), Tayler Malsam (Randy Moss Motorsports), Colin Braun (Roush Fenway Racing), David Starr (HT Motorsports) and Terry Cook (HT). Hornaday dedicated the victory to his wife's mother, who has been in the hospital all week. "This is probably the eighth race in 30-some years me and my wife's been married that she's missed," Hornaday said. "Her mom is really deathly sick, and she's been in the hospital all week long. ... all she wanted to know was when I was going to race, and she kept calling. Hopefully this will boost her up a little bit."
Final Race Results...(Copart 200 Results) Point Standings...Points After Copart 200
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