The No. 71 Circle B Motorcars Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 GT (Courtesy TRG)

The Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR 722 GT is an exotic race car that features a supercharged Mercedes V-8 engine capable of producing 680 horsepower, but will run in the World Challenge GT series with a restricted 550 HP V-8 engine developed by RML (Ray Mallock Limited) in England. The car was designed and built by RML, in accordance with McLaren Technology, and is a limited edition racer, with only 15 in existence. The name SLR stands for “Sport, Leicht, Rennsport” (Sport, Light, Racing).

TRG and RML are currently homologating the SLR 722 GT to comply with the SCCA World Challenge GT specifications. The project is being headed by Bill Rader, No. 71 SLR GT project manager, at TRG Motorsports’ facility in Mooresville, North Carolina.

TRG sports car ace Spencer Pumpelly has performed an initial shake-down at Virginia International Raceway earlier this month. Pumpelly will pilot the car in four races this season.

“Considering the amazing performance of the street car versions and the history of both Mercedes-Benz and McLaren I could not imagine this won’t be a rocket ship,” Pumpelly said. “From what I have seen so far I think racing drivers and fans alike have a lot to be excited about with this car. World Challenge is tough racing. The format is a pure sprint with a daunting standing start to kick it all off. The expectations going into it can only be that the car is going to be a powerhouse and the team backing it, TRG - one of the best in the business.”

Owner of the No. 71 Circle B Motorcars SLR 722 GT, Peter Blom, is anxious to see the car on the track.

“Bearing in mind that these cars have a racing history in Europe dating back to 2008, we are excited to see what it can do in U.S. trim,” Blom said. “We decided to race the 2009 version of the car here in the states to see if we can draw out the street versions of the cars that are currently in North America. Some people buy these cars to add to a collection, I bought mine to race. Together with TRG, we will see exactly what this great car is capable of in competition. It looks like it is going 200 mph standing still and I can’t wait to see it on a U.S. race track.”

TRG owner Kevin Buckler is looking to the team’s first foray into the SPEED World Challenge.

“We want to showcase the performance of this awesome car here in the states as well as our team’s capabilities,” Kevin Buckler, TRG owner said. “TRG will be making its debut as a team in the series as well. It will be the car’s first competitive laps in North America and we hope that some of the owners that have the street version in this country will also want to bring their cars out to race, or simply do some track days. TRG and our awesome Mooresville facility will be prepping the SLR’s for clients to run in a variety of events, not just in full blown race trim. We want the owners that purchased these vehicles to experience the thrill of learning to push the car to its limits, whether that is in stock trim or at a driver’s education event. We can prep the cars in a variety of racing trims and we offer upgrade kits that will be available through TRG Motorsports.

“Spencer is going to drive the car for us in four races this season at Autobahn, Mid-Ohio, Road America and Road Atlanta to showcase the car and the team’s abilities. We are looking forward to seeing what exactly this car can do against the established competition in the World Challenge GT Series. TRG has the full capability to race and service customer SLRs as well.”

TRG was founded in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of motor racing ever since. The team has the most wins of any team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series with 26, including the 2005 and 2006 Rolex Series GT Championship trophy to go along with wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

TRG is a manufacturer and distributor of high-performance racing parts. The group specializes in engine and chassis tuning as well as full service professional race car preparation. The company also provides electrical and mechanical engineering services, driver development and arrive-and-drive opportunities. TRG is based in Petaluma, Calif., near its home track of Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. The company’s NASCAR operation is based in Mooresville, North Carolina and a new state-of-the-art facility is coming on-line at New Jersey Motorsports Park in late 2009. Detailed team info can be viewed at www.trgmotorsports.com or www.theracersgroup.com.

SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Championships

Consisting of two separate categories that race independently (GT and Touring Car), the World Challenge Championships are America’s top production car-based series. Races are a maximum of 50 minutes in length, feature standing starts and showcase cars from the world’s leading manufacturers racing head-to-head. www.world-challenge.com

Joey Logano gets congratulations from No. 20 JGR crew chief Greg Zipadelli on his first ever Sprint Cup win in the rain-shortened LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (CIA Stock photo)

Ask young Joey Logano. A late-race rainstorm stopped the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 after 273 of the scheduled 301 laps, giving Logano his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory.

The 19-year-old rookie, who turned 19 on May 24, was probably the only happy driver when NASCAR announced the race official, but veterans of the sport would quickly tell the youngster to enjoy his win because “there’s no telling how long it might be before he wins another one.”

Crew chief Greg Zipadelli, Logano’s mentor and crew chief on the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota, a veteran of this sport’s tremendous emotional peaks and valleys, probably told his rosy-cheeked driver, “You take em any way you can get ‘em, kid.”

Even though Logano never challenged any of the race leaders, he raced his way back into contention after a blown tire and an untimely pit stop put him a lap down.

He eventually was the “Lucky Dog,” which put him back on the lead lap and in position to gamble on fuel mileage as reports of impending rain rolled through the pit area like tumbleweeds.

Actually, Logano’s car was the last in a group of cars who rolled the dice on fuel. Ryan Newman was the leader with some 50 laps to go but had to pit.

Bobby Labonte had a turn out front before his thirsty Ask.com Ford asked for fuel.

Logano’s victory makes him the youngest driver ever to win a Sprint Cup race. That in itself came as no surprise to fans at this one-mile oval a couple hours from Boston. This track is Logano’s “home” track since he grew up not too far from here in Middletown, Conn.

He has been pegged as the “next” Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson with his past success in other NASCAR series. He won the championship in the developmental Camping World East Series in 2007 and moved to the Nationwide Series last year, where he has won three times.

He has struggled at times this season but has also shown signs of tremendous potential. Sunday’s win was a windfall of luck, which follows the wind and the rain from time to time.

Jeff Gordon was second after running up front all afternoon, and Kurt Busch was next.

They were followed by David Reutimann, Tony Stewart, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Sam Hornish Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne.

Casey Mears was 11th and Juan Pablo Montoya was 12th, just ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Mark Martin.

An overcast New England sky cast an ominous shadow over the 43-car starting field for Sunday’s race. The crowd of over 100,000 had the same thoughts as the drivers… would the New England weather allow the race to be run? As the field took the green flag, they were racing against another green, the rainy green of weather radar that lurked off the coast as a potential threat.

Gordon jumped out front early for the lead and then the older Busch Brother, Kurt, took the top spot. Greg Biffle passed Gordon for second, and Johnson was fourth. They were followed by Newman, Carl Edwards, Stewart, Montoya, the younger Busch brother, Kyle, and Reutimann.

Patrick Carpentier hit the retaining wall in turn two at lap 15 to bring out the first caution of the afternoon. Busch maintained the lead on the restart at lap 19. Two laps later, Jamie McMurray lost control between turns two and three and slammed the outside retaining wall. Gordon was ahead on the restart at lap 25 this time around.

They made just three laps this time before AJ Allmendinger spun in turn three. It was the third caution period in just a few laps, but the laps that were run were dandies.

Under NASCAR’s new double-file, shootout-style restart procedure, Gordon, Busch, Biffle, Montoya and others were two-abreast around the track.

Gordon still led when the race resumed at lap 31, but Busch quickly went back out front.

NASCAR added a competition caution at lap 47 to allow the teams to check tire wear. A hard rain Saturday night washed away the rubber put down during several preliminary races.

On the restart at lap 50, Johnson took the lead for the first time with teammate Gordon next and young Busch third, then brother Kurt, Martin, Biffle, Stewart, Clint Bowyer, Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr. and Matt Kenseth.

Another caution slowed the field when Michael Waltrip was turned by Scott Speed at lap 59.

Johnson led on the restart at lap 64. He moved ahead of teammate Gordon by about one second, but at this point in the race, he certainly appeared to be the dominant car.

Another caution fell at the halfway point of the race, 151 laps completed of the 301 to be run, and a few drops of rain showed up on windshields. Johnson had led to this point, but both Gordon and Kurt Busch took two tires to beat Johnson back on the track while he took four tires.

The race started again on lap 157 with Gordon in front. He was followed by Busch, Johnson, Stewart, Earnhardt, Kyle Busch, Truex, Edwards, Martin and Reutimann.

NASCAR Race Number 17
Unofficial Race Results for the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 - Sunday, June 28, 2009
New Hampshire Motor Speedway - Loudon, NH - 1.058 Mile Paved
Total Race Length - 273 Laps - 288.834 Miles - Purse: $5,423,189

Leader
Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Pts Bns Driver Rating Winnings Status Tms Laps
1 24 20 Joey Logano # Home Depot Toyota 273 190 5 84.8 $276,201 Running 1 10
2 2 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet 273 175 5 130.9 $207,226 Running 6 64
3 4 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge 273 170 5 123.2 $146,675 Running 2 28
4 14 00 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 273 160 94.1 $146,423 Running
5 1 14 Tony Stewart Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet 273 160 5 117.5 $134,548 Running 1 40
6 36 09 Brad Keselowski Miccosukee Indian Gaming & Resort Chevrolet 273 150 67.9 $100,350 Running
7 9 18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota 273 146 108.4 $140,673 Running
8 26 77 Sam Hornish Jr. AAA/Penske Truck Rental Dodge 273 142 93.8 $113,510 Running
9 3 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet 273 148 10 125.0 $142,751 Running 2 93
10 13 9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser Dodge 273 134 100.0 $126,848 Running
11 21 07 Casey Mears Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet 273 130 73.4 $99,400 Running
12 12 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet 273 132 5 97.9 $119,073 Running 1 6
13 20 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet 273 124 98.4 $97,950 Running
14 11 5 Mark Martin CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevrolet 273 126 5 98.7 $90,000 Running 1 1
15 7 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota 273 123 5 79.0 $96,150 Running 1 1
16 35 34 John Andretti Taco Bell Chevrolet 273 115 50.6 $89,150 Running
17 27 43 Reed Sorenson McDonald’s McCafe Dodge 273 117 5 73.5 $117,476 Running 1 1
18 8 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 273 114 5 79.3 $96,075 Running 1 1
19 5 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford 273 106 82.8 $125,131 Running
20 16 33 Clint Bowyer The Hartford Chevrolet 273 103 77.6 $89,175 Running
21 28 96 Bobby Labonte Ask.com Ford 273 105 5 66.9 $106,704 Running 1 9
22 10 17 Matt Kenseth DeWalt Ford 273 97 78.6 $121,490 Running
23 18 47 Marcos Ambrose Little Debbie/Kingsford/Clorox Toyota 273 94 64.1 $94,073 Running
24 29 55 Michael Waltrip NAPA Toyota 273 91 53.7 $86,250 Running
25 34 7 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Toyota 272 93 5 54.1 $97,210 Running 1 1
26 23 19 Elliott Sadler Best Buy Dodge 272 90 5 51.2 $85,650 Running 1 1
27 43 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet 272 82 45.6 $77,325 Running
28 32 12 David Stremme No. 12 Penske Dodge Dodge 272 79 55.4 $109,515 Running
29 6 39 Ryan Newman Haas Automation Chevrolet 270 81 5 71.1 $104,379 Running 1 17
30 33 98 Paul Menard Moen/Menards Ford 267 73 42.7 $106,906 Running
31 15 31 Jeff Burton LENOX Tools Chevrolet 251 70 61.1 $120,106 Running
32 30 44 A J Allmendinger Berlin City Auto Group Dodge 238 67 35.3 $73,050 Running
33 19 26 Jamie McMurray IRWIN Vise-Grip Ford 237 64 34.6 $81,800 Running
34 25 29 Kevin Harvick Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet 231 61 55.2 $110,003 Running
35 17 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota 190 58 61.0 $100,773 Accident
36 37 82 Scott Speed # Red Bull Toyota 189 55 36.6 $84,298 Accident
37 22 1 Martin Truex Jr. TomTom Chevrolet 174 52 77.2 $107,015 Accident
38 31 6 David Ragan UPS Ford 174 49 38.3 $79,825 Accident
39 39 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 67 46 32.5 $72,700 Transmission
40 38 71 David Gilliland TRG Motorsports Chevrolet 48 43 34.0 $71,550 Electrical
41 42 37 Tony Raines Long John Silver’s Dodge 30 40 31.8 $71,375 Electrical
42 40 66 Dave Blaney PRISM Motorsports Toyota 29 37 33.4 $71,250 Overheating
43 41 36 Patrick Carpentier Tommy Baldwin Racing Toyota 14 34 30.4 $71,618 Accident
Race Comments: Before an estimated crowd of 101,000+ - Joey Logano won the LENOX Industrial Tools 301, his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory. Prior to the green flag no driver(s) dropped to the rear.
Failed to Qualify: (2) 51, 27.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 57 Mins, 45 Secs. Average Speed: 97.497 MPH Margin of Victory: Caution
Caution Flags: 11 for 47 laps: Laps: 17-19 (#36 Accident Turn 4 [None]); 22-25 (#26 Accident Turn 4 [None]); 28-31 (#44 Spun Turn 2 [26]); 47-49 (Competition [None]); 61-63 (#7, 19, 55, 82, 98 Accident Turn 2 [None]); 153-158 (Debris [39]); 171-174 (#98 Accident Turn 4 [20]); 176-180 (#00, 1, 6, 07, 18, 29, 31, 83 Accident Turn 1 [Red Flag 12 Min. 48 Sec.] [12]); 184-187 (#20 Spun Turn 4 [55]); 191-195 (#82 Accident Turn 1 [20]); 268-273 (Weather [55]).
Lead Changes: 21 among 14 drivers: T. Stewart 0; J. Gordon 1-6; Kurt Busch 7-19; J. Gordon 20-31; Kurt Busch 32-46; J. Gordon 47; E. Sadler 48; J. Gordon 49; J. Johnson 50-122; J. Gordon 123; J. Montoya 124-129; D. Hamlin 130; R. Sorenson 131; R. Gordon 132; J. Johnson 133-152; J. Gordon 153-195; T. Stewart 196-235; M. Martin 236; G. Biffle 237; B. Labonte 238-246; R. Newman 247-263; J. Logano # 264-273.
Top 12 Driver Points: (1) T. Stewart 2,524;(2) J. Gordon 2,455;(3) J. Johnson 2,355;(4) Kurt Busch 2,254;(5) C. Edwards 2,157;(6) D. Hamlin 2,132;(7) R. Newman 2,127;(8) Kyle Busch 2,108;(9) G. Biffle 2,106;(10) M. Kenseth 2,054;(11) M. Martin 2,052;(12) J. Montoya 2,049.
DIRECTV Crew Chief of the Race : Tony Stewart, #14 DOW Automotive Strategic Call of the Race : Joey Logano, #20
EA Sports Move of the Race : Joey Logano, #20 Goodyear Gatorback Fastest Lap : Jeff Gordon, #24 (127.748 mph, Lap 58)
Mahle Clevite Engine Builder : Joey Logano, #20 Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Race : Kurt Busch, #2
Moog Chassis Parts Problem Solver of the Race : Sam Hornish, #77 (.188 sec ) O’Reilly People, Service and Performance Award : Kyle Busch, #18
Raybestos Rookie of the Race : Joey Logano, #20 Sunoco Diamond Performance : Joey Logano, #20
Tissot Pit Road Precision Award : Jimmie Johnson, #48 WIX Lap Leader : Tony Stewart, #14 (40 Laps)
Next Race: Jul. 4, 2009 - Daytona International Speedway

Scott Dixon with the SunTrust Indy Challenge trophy (Shawn Payne/IRL)

Scott Dixon, who started next to pole sitter Dario Franchitti, won the SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway by 0.3109 of a second over his Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate.

The victory - his third of the season and second at Richmond - was the 19th of Dixon’s career to tie Hornish for the most in IndyCar Series history. Dixon, driving the No. 9 entry, matched the record in his 104th race - one less than Hornish, who totaled 116 starts.

“Fantastic night for Team Target,” said Dixon, who led a field-high 161 of 300 laps. “Obviously 1-2 in points, too. And to gain over the Penske cars was a big night for us.”

Franchitti assumes the IndyCar Series championship points lead by one point over Dixon, who picked up two bonus points for leading the most laps in addition to the 50 for winning the race. The open-wheelers are headed next to Watkins Glen.

Dixon claimed the lead for good after Franchitti had to pit for a splash of fuel on Lap 139 under yellow (brought out by the No. 24 Charter/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing car of Mike Conway bouncing off the Turn 4 SAFER Barrier).

“Ultimately, I was trying to put some gap between Scott and I (at that point) in the race, trying to put some cars between us.” said Franchitti, last week’s Iowa Speedway winner. “And ultimately that hurt us, because we had to pit when the pits were closed on that yellow. Literally had come off the track just about to go into the pit lane and the yellow came out, so pit lane was closed. And that was really all there was.

“Once Scott got ahead, we did our best. And we were pushing like hell to pass him, but we couldn’t get it done.”

Third and final podium spot belonged to NHLR’s Graham Rahal, who started fifth, and had a previous best oval finish of fourth at Milwaukee on May 31.

“It shows how hard the McDonald’s guys worked because honestly at the start of this weekend we weren’t where we wanted to be and we were struggling,” he said. “We just kept working through it. It’s great to be on the podium. We’ve been good on the short ovals but we just need to find some more speed on the mile-and-a-halfs. This was like a win for us.”

Andretti Green Racing’s Hideki Mutoh finished in fourth place, backing up his career high third-place podium finish at Iowa.

We had a great car tonight.” said the driver of the No. 27 Formula Dream D/H/F. “We worked really hard to make some changes to the car after practice yesterday and our hard work paid off. The Formula Dream guys did a fantastic job in the pits and I’m really pleased with our finish. I think we could’ve been in position to win if the last yellow hadn’t come out. I’m looking forward to Watkins Glen and hope to have a keep the momentum going.”

Penske’s Ryan Briscoe was running in the top five when the No. 6 Team Penske car did a half-spin exiting Turn 2 of the 14-degree banked racetrack and made left-side contact with the SAFER Barrier.

“Wow, it was totally unexpected,” he said. “The car just snapped on me and caught me by surprise. It’s obviously very disappointing and hopefully we can start catching back up next week in Watkins Glen. I feel bad for the Team Penske guys, they worked hard all weekend and it’s a shame we ended the race they way we did.”

It’s going to be tougher for Briscoe, who suffered his first DNF since July at Nashville Superspeedway (mechanical; finishing 23rd) and dropped to third in the standings. He was the only driver to complete every lap this season, and was far and away the lap leader (paced the field in the past three oval events in laps led).

Briscoe was credited with 19th place and enters the Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen with 253 points. That’s 26 points behind Dario Franchitti, who finished second at Richmond. Franchitti has a one-point lead over teammate Scott Dixon (278), who picked up two bonus points for leading the most laps in addition to the 50 for winning the race.

Richmond International Raceway Race Results
Race Date: Sat, 27 Jun 2009
Key:
No: Car Number C/E/T: Chassis/Engine/Tire
S: Starting Position F: Finishing Position
XL: Times Led LL: Laps Led
Pts: Points

Pos. Driver/Car No C/E/T S Qual
Speed Laps XL LL Status Pts

1 Scott Dixon
Target Chip Ganassi Racing 9 D/H/F 2 166.638 300 1 161 Running 52

2 Dario Franchitti
Target Chip Ganassi Racing 10 D/H/F 1 167.315 300 2 65 Running 41

3 Graham Rahal
McDonald’s Racing Team 02 D/H/F 5 165.218 300 0 0 Running 35

4 Hideki Mutoh
Formula Dream 27 D/H/F 8 164.575 300 1 74 Running 32

5 Danica Patrick
Boost Mobile/Motorola 7 D/H/F 10 164.197 300 0 0 Running 30

6 Tony Kanaan
Team 7-Eleven 11 D/H/F 17 162.634 299 0 0 Running 28

7 Marco Andretti
Team Venom Energy 26 D/H/F 16 162.780 299 0 0 Running 26

8 Raphael Matos
US Marines Luczo Dragon Racing 2 D/H/F 6 164.928 299 0 0 Running 24

9 Robert Doornbos
Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing 06 D/H/F 12 164.071 299 0 0 Running 22

10 Dan Wheldon
National Guard Panther Racing 4 D/H/F 13 163.843 299 0 0 Running 20

11 Tomas Scheckter
Mona Vie/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 23 D/H/F 9 164.441 299 0 0 Running 19

12 E.J. Viso
PDVSA HVM Racing 13 D/H/F 7 164.629 299 0 0 Running 18

13 Ed Carpenter
Menards/Vision Racing 20 D/H/F 14 163.824 299 0 0 Running 17

14 Justin Wilson
Z-Line Designs 18 D/H/F 15 163.506 298 0 0 Running 16

15 Ryan Hunter-Reay
ABC Supply Co. AJ Foyt Racing 14 D/H/F 18 162.506 298 0 0 Running 15

16 Mario Moraes
KV Racing Technology/Votorantim 5 D/H/F 19 160.895 297 0 0 Running 14

17 Helio Castroneves
Team Penske 3 D/H/F 3 165.931 245 0 0 Contact 13

18 Mike Conway
Charter/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 24 D/H/F 11 164.129 135 0 0 Contact 12

19 Ryan Briscoe
Team Penske 6 D/H/F 4 165.749 26 0 0 Running 12

20 Jaques Lazier
Novicomm LED Light Technology 98 D/H/F 20 153.176 0 0 0 Contact 12

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota, celebrates after winning the Camping World RV Sales 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race Saturday in New Hampshire Motor Speedway's Victory Lane, the 23rd different driver in 23 NASCAR Nationwide Series races to win at the track. (CIA Stock photo)

In a trade of fortunes. the driver of the No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) earned the win by beating his teammate, Joey Logano, to the stripe by .617 of a second. It was Busch’s fifth Nationwide Series win of the season and his first since taking the checkered flag three weeks ago at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.

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.

Busch collected the 26th Nationwide victory of his career, fifth-best all-time and one behind fourth-place Jeff Burton. The win further extended Busch’s lead in the championship point standings, as he now carries a 162-point advantage over his nearest pursuer, Carl Edwards, with 19 races still remaining.

“Today we didn’t have the winning car, we made the winning car,” said Busch, who now has 26 career Nationwide Series victories in 154 starts. “Sometimes when we’re out front we’re content with what we’ve got and we end up getting beat in the end. The show is stolen from us. But this is great. (Jason) Ratcliff (crew chief) and myself talked this past week about what we needed to do in order to get better, in order to take this team to victory lane instead of finishing second week in and week out. This is a good step in the right direction. I’m really proud of Jason and all of these guys here.

“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.

Finishing third behind Busch and Logano was Brad Keselowski, while Mike Bliss and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top-five. Edwards, Greg Biffle, Scott Speed, rookie Erik Darnell and Jason Leffler comprised the remainder of the top-10.

The race featured three caution periods for 15 laps, with 10 drivers failing to finish the race.

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)!”

NASCAR Race Number 16
Unofficial Race Results for the Camping World Rv Sales 200 Presented By
Turtle Wax - Saturday, June 27, 2009
New Hampshire Motor Speedway - Loudon, NH - 1.058 Mile Paved
Total Race Length - 200 Laps - 211.6 Miles - Purse: $
Leader
Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Pts Bns Driver Rating Winnings Status Tms Laps
1 9 18 Kyle Busch Z-Line Designs Toyota 200 190 5 129.5 $44,120 Running 2 37
2 1 20 Joey Logano GameStop/Singularity Toyota 200 180 10 141.6 $39,675 Running 6 108
3 7 88 Brad Keselowski GoDaddy Chevrolet 200 165 106.9 $32,743 Running
4 10 1 Mike Bliss Miccosukee Championship Chevrolet 200 165 5 103.7 $37,043 Running 1 3
5 5 33 Kevin Harvick Copart Chevrolet 200 155 112.6 $21,475 Running
6 2 60 Carl Edwards Scotts/Ortho Ford 200 155 5 116.3 $20,200 Running 2 51
7 6 16 Greg Biffle CitiFinancial Ford 200 146 94.6 $18,650 Running
8 4 99 Scott Speed Red Bull Toyota 200 142 111.4 $18,150 Running
9 11 6 Erik Darnell # Northern Tool + Equipment Ford 200 138 92.9 $25,193 Running
10 12 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota 200 134 97.7 $24,818 Running
11 24 66 Steve Wallace USfidelis Chevrolet 200 130 89.0 $23,943 Running
12 8 32 Brian Vickers Dollar General Stores Toyota 200 127 112.5 $17,350 Running
13 13 12 Justin Allgaier # Verizon Wireless Dodge 200 124 85.1 $23,668 Running
14 3 29 Clint Bowyer Holiday Inn Chevrolet 200 121 90.9 $18,930 Running
15 16 47 Michael McDowell # Tom’s Toyota 200 118 80.4 $24,118 Running
16 14 11 Scott Lagasse Jr. # America’s Incredible Pizza Company Toyota 200 115 77.3 $23,543 Running
17 20 40 Scott Wimmer stoprepairbills.com Chevrolet 200 112 76.4 $23,118 Running
18 28 10 Elliott Sadler Auto Value Bumper to Bumper Toyota 200 109 73.0 $16,500 Running
19 31 15 Michael Annett # Pilot Travel Centers Toyota 200 111 5 72.6 $22,918 Running 1 1
20 21 28 Kenny Wallace U.S. Border Patrol Chevrolet 199 103 70.1 $25,818 Running
21 38 62 Brendan Gaughan # 5-hour Energy ES Chevrolet 199 100 64.1 $22,793 Running
22 43 2 Sean Caisse RCR Chevrolet 198 97 59.0 $16,275 Running
23 23 27 Jason Keller Scott Products/Walmart Ford 198 94 66.8 $23,093 Running
24 35 61 Matthew Carter Shoffner Racing Ford 196 91 56.2 $22,653 Running
25 30 23 Ken Butler # Aaron’s Chevrolet 196 88 51.0 $22,768 Running
26 39 01 Danny O’Quinn Jr. sponsordavis.com Chevrolet 196 85 46.9 $22,583 Running
27 18 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 196 82 58.2 $22,548 Running
28 36 09 John Wes Townley # Zaxby’s Ford 196 79 44.1 $22,513 Running
29 25 81 Bobby Hamilton Jr. DH Griffin Dodge 196 76 58.4 $22,478 Running
30 40 34 Tony Raines Long John Silver’s Chevrolet 196 73 44.5 $22,743 Running
31 34 72 Benny Gordon Samuel & Sons Ford 196 70 45.4 $15,940 Running
32 42 07 Chase Mattioli Qik Joe Chevrolet 192 67 33.0 $22,373 Running
33 41 24 Eric McClure Hefty Ford 176 64 37.2 $22,348 Engine
34 26 26 Brian Keselowski Fisher Honda Dodge 92 61 47.2 $22,328 Overheating
35 15 98 Paul Menard Richmond/Menards Ford 50 58 66.8 $15,840 Engine
36 32 49 Mark Green GetMoreVacations.com Chevrolet 23 55 41.1 $15,820 Brakes
37 33 73 Derrike Cope Derrike Cope Inc. Dodge 19 52 37.0 $15,800 Overheating
38 29 31 Travis Kittleson Bob Steele Chevrolet Chevrolet 13 49 35.1 $22,248 Overheating
39 27 52 Kevin Lepage Means Racing Chevrolet 13 46 36.1 $15,760 Ignition
40 22 05 Casey Atwood 31-W Insulation Chevrolet 8 43 40.3 $22,158 Rear End
41 19 91 Kelly Bires MSRP Motorsports Chevrolet 4 40 34.9 $15,670 Brakes
42 37 96 Willie Allen ConelyAuto.com Dodge 3 37 30.8 $15,650 Parked
43 17 90 Johnny Chapman MSRP Motorsports Chevrolet 2 34 33.4 $15,599 Brakes
Race Comments: Before an estimated crowd of 37,000 - Kyle Busch won the Camping World RV Sales 200 presented by Turtle Wax, his 26th NASCAR Nationwide Series victory and first at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Prior to the green flag no driver(s) dropped to the rear.
Failed to Qualify: (4) 41 Justin Hobgood, 89 Morgan Shepherd, 04 Kertus Davis, 0 Mike Wallace.
Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 53 Mins, 26 Secs. Average Speed: 111.925 MPH Margin of Victory: 0.617 Seconds
Caution Flags: 3 for 15 laps: Laps: 52-58 (Debris [10]); 107-110 (#81 Spun Turn 2 [11]); 158-161 (Debris [29]).
Lead Changes: 11 among 5 drivers: J. Logano 1-3; C. Edwards 4-6; J. Logano 7-53; M. Annett # 54; J. Logano 55-59; C. Edwards 60-107; J. Logano 108-146; K. Busch 147; J. Logano 148-158; M. Bliss 159-161; J. Logano 162-164; K. Busch 165-200.
Top 10 Driver Points: (1) K. Busch 2,581;(2) C. Edwards 2,419;(3) Brad Keselowski 2,338;(4) J. Leffler 2,261;(5) J. Logano 2,040;(6) M. Bliss 1,910;(7) J. Allgaier # 1,864;(8) B. Gaughan # 1,844;(9) S. Wallace 1,823;(10) J. Keller 1,810.
Featherlite Most Improved Driver : Kenny Wallace, #28 (13 Places) Mahle Clevite Engine Builder : Joey Logano, #20
Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Race : Mike Bliss, #1 Pole Award : Joey Logano, #20 (128.902 mph)
Raybestos Rookie of the Race : Erik Darnell, #6 Reigning Champion/Next Highest : Clint Bowyer, #29
Sunoco Diamond Performance : Kyle Busch, #18 WIX Lap Leader : Mike Bliss, #1 (3 Laps)
Next Race: Jul. 3, 2009 - Daytona International Speedway

Juan Pablo Montoya (Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

Montoya’s statistics have dramatically improved since his 2007 rookie season. Below are his numbers over the first 16 races, in the last three seasons:

Juan Pablo Montoya After 16 Races (Career)
Avg.
Year Rk Finish ARP FLR LT15% Led DR
2007 21 23.9 22.8 55 19.7 7 62.5
2008 19 22.8 20.7 21 36.0 1 69.4
2009 12 17.6 15.2 70 48.5 11 84.1
ARP: Average Running Position
FLR: Fastest Laps Run
LT15%: Percentage of Laps in the Top 15
DR: Driver Rating

Quality Passes

Driver QP
1. Kurt Busch 917
2. Jimmie Johnson 855
3. Juan Pablo Montoya 840
4. Matt Kenseth 804
5. Denny Hamlin

Whether the success continues will decide whether Montoya makes his first Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The series has moved into the vital “Race to the Chase” phase of its season. Ten more races – and 10 more tracks – remain in the “regular season.” Over those 10 tracks, Montoya has a Driver Rating of 68.3 and an Average Running Position of 21.9. Among the current top 15 drivers, those two marks rank 14th.

First in each of those Loop Data categories is current points leader Tony Stewart, who now needs to start concentrating on potential Chase bonus points. When the Chase starts, the top 12 drivers will have their points reset to 5,000. Then, 10 bonus points will be added to that total for each victory in the first 26 races.

Stewart, with one victory this season, has 10 bonus points. Another 10 could be added this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, a track at with he owns a series-high Driver Rating of 115.6.
Below is Stewart’s driver log at New Hampshire since 2005

Tony Stewart at New Hampshire (2005-08)
Date Finish ARP FLR LT15% DR Led
7/05 1 2.2 80 100 149.2 232
9/05 2 2.9 71 97.7 143 173
7/06 37 29.2 8 29.2 89.9 28
9/06 2 9.2 9 85.3 109.5 0
7/07 12 10.4 5 87 92.9 0
9/07 3 3.7 16 99.3 122.8 39
6/08 13 6.5 34 84.5 123.2 132
9/08 8 15.4 12 48.3 94.3 1
Total 9.8 9.9 235 78.7 115.6 605
ARP: Average Running Position
FLR: Fastest Laps Run
LT15%: Percentage of Laps in the Top 15
DR: Driver Rating

Kasey Kahne proved one thing on Sunday at Sonoma.. it ain’t over till it’s over, and the fight goes on to fall of the checkers.

But the season takes a definite turn in pressures come this Sunday. The one-mile flat oval of New Hampshire Motor Speedway takes center stage.

It marks the start of the summer stretch of ten races leading to the absolute 10-race Chase for NASCAR’s top prize, the Sprint Cup.

NHMS is in the enviable position of setting the Chase pace in two unique ways. Fronting the 10 before and fronting the Chase itself.

As the points currently stand, four drivers inside the top 12 are within 50 points of being bounced out of the top 12: Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin and Juan Pablo Montoya. And three drivers outside the top 12 are 50 points from vaulting into the top 12: Kasey Kahne, David Reutimann and Jeff Burton.

1 Tony Stewart 2364
2 Jeff Gordon 2280
3 Jimmie Johnson 2207
4 Kurt Busch 2084
5 Carl Edwards 2051
6 Ryan Newman 2046
7 Denny Hamlin 2009
8 Greg Biffle 1992
9 Kyle Busch 1962
10 Matt Kenseth 1957
11 Mark Martin 1926
12 Juan Montoya 1917

And those that are on the outside:

13 Kasey Kahne 1914
14 David Reutimann 1877
15 Jeff Burton 1871
16 Clint Bowyer 1852
17 Brian Vickers 1794
18 Marcos Ambrose 1704
19 Jamie McMurray 1669
20 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1640

In a matter of simple mathematics, a strong summer stretch could close the gap to ninth place to fifteenth, all vying for the top 12 Chase positions, where Kyle Busch and Mark Martin, both with top season wins at 3 each, but both are close to the bubble. Factor in Matt Kenseth, with the strong season start, but not much else to boast about. Kenseth has 5 Top 10’s at Loudon, Martin has a virtual basket full top tens and fives, Juan Pablo has an average finish of 22nd at the flat-track.

The statistics suggest Busch is the safest of those inside the top 12. He has a 48-point cushion to the Chase cutoff, and has the fifth-best average Driver Rating at the next 10 tracks (96.9).

Of those on the outside looking in, Burton seems most likely to make the comeback. At the next 10 tracks, he has a Driver Rating of 86.4 and Average Running Position of 15.2. His NHMS stats: average finish of 12.8 with four wins, eight top fives, 13 top 10s.

Roush Fenway Racing has won seven races at NHMS, more than any other organization, however Biffle has the only victory in the current stable of drivers.

The 12 drivers who do make the Chase will have their points reset to 5,000 – with 10 bonus points added to that total for each win prior to the Chase.

Only 100 points remain, meaning those comfortably inside the top 12 are aiming at one target – Victory Lane.

As I’ve said often in the past, stay tuned, the proverbial barns are about to be set alight.

Kasey Kahne celebrates in Victory Lane at Infineon Raceway (CIA Stock photo)

The driver of the No. 9 Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge had to ask his crew chief for directions to victory lane after taking the checkered flag in a green-white-checkered finish in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway.

Kahne held off road-course ace Tony Stewart through a succession of four late-race double-file restarts, the final time after Scott Speed’s spin on Lap 108 caused the seventh caution of the day. After starting from the rear because of an engine change, Marcos Ambrose chased the top two finishers to the line to claim third place, matching the best result of his Sprint Cup Series career.

“Awesome—not too bad for a dirt-tracker from Washington!” Kenny Francis, Kahne’s crew chief, radioed after his driver crossed the stripe on Lap 113, three laps beyond the scheduled distance at the 1.99-mile road course.

“Unreal,” replied Kahne, who gave owner Richard Petty his first victory since John Andretti in 1999. “Gosh, we had to hold him (Stewart) off for a while. We won a road-course race! Oh, my God, I can’t believe this.”

Jimmie Johnson recovered from a pit-road speeding penalty to finish fourth. Denny Hamlin, who led 33 laps—second only to Kahne’s 37—came home fifth. Juan Pablo Montoya, AJ Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Gordon and Elliott Sadler completed the top 10.

The victory was Kahne’s first of the season and the 10th of his NASCAR Sprint Cup career. Before Sunday’s race, his highest finish on a road course was 14th at Watkins Glen.

“It was crazy,” Kahne said, after following Francis’ directions to victory lane. “Stewart’s as good as they get out there, and I had to restart beside him about four times. Cautions kept coming out, and we were having to hold him off. He was giving me tons of room … which is normal Stewart. The guy’s an awesome racer.”

After Kahne took the lead from Speed on a restart on Lap 80, he stayed out front the rest of the way. Stewart’s attempts to pressure Kahne into a mistake failed to produce the desired result.

Another race, another top-five finish for Tony Stewart and the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet team.

The Columbus, Ind. native finished second in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350k NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., to score his fourth runner-up and eighth top-five finish of 2009.

“We had a great day with our Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy,” said Stewart, who is in his first year as a driver/owner with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). “I’m happy with it compared to where we were yesterday in both the race practices. We were a little disappointed and discouraged when we left the racetrack. But man, it just makes me so proud of Darian Grubb (crew chief) and Jeff Meendering, our car chief. Man, they worked so hard yesterday. I stayed here until the garage closed with them, and everybody in every department of the race car had to make changes. We basically tore everything apart and we changed about six major things between yesterday and today.”

Ambrose, who suffered a blown engine in Saturday morning’s practice session, got to the front through a combination of pit strategy and talent.

“It was just a great recovery for our team,” said the Australian driver, who duplicated last year’s third-place finish at Watkins Glen, where he also started at the back of the field. “We kept the car fairly straight. Up there, when you’re in that rare air with those drivers, you don’t want to slip up when you’re around them—when you’ve got the chance to run well.

“We would have liked to have won the race, and I feel like I disadvantaged (us) Saturday, blowing up that motor, but it feels like a win.”

Notes: Stewart expanded his lead in the Cup standings to 84 points over second-place Gordon. … Montoya moved up two spots into 12th, the last position eligible for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Kahne also gained two places to 13th and trails Montoya by three points. … Jeff Burton finished 34th and dropped from 12th to 15th. … Stewart finished second for a season-high fourth time. … A late-race accident dropped Dale Earnhardt Jr. to 26th at the finish.

NASCAR Race Number 16
Unofficial Race Results for the Toyota Save Mart 350 - Sunday, June 21, 2009
Infineon Raceway - Sonoma, CA - 1.99 Mile Road
Total Race Length - 113 Laps - 224.87 Miles - Purse: $5,635,918

Leader
Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Pts Bns Winnings Status Times Laps Rating
1 5 9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser Dodge 113 195 10 $345,071 Running 2 37 132.4
2 4 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot / Old Spice Chevrolet 113 175 5 $211,096 Running 2 11 128.1
3 3 47 Marcos Ambrose Little Debbie / Kingsford / Clorox Toyota 113 165 $175,496 Running 113.6
4 11 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet 113 160 $175,274 Running 101.1
5 24 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota 113 160 5 $128,325 Running 2 33 119.2
6 17 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet 113 150 $142,896 Running 107.6
7 20 44 A J Allmendinger Best Buy Dodge 113 146 $98,700 Running 88.7
8 26 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet 113 142 $103,900 Running 85.2
9 13 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet 113 138 $131,149 Running 85.4
10 8 19 Elliott Sadler Stanley Tools Dodge 113 134 $100,425 Running 83.3
11 38 55 Patrick Carpentier NAPA Auto Parts Toyota 113 130 $96,800 Running 71.1
12 33 13 Max Papis # GEICO Toyota 113 127 $85,400 Running 75.4
13 34 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford 113 124 $136,054 Running 87.2
14 23 26 Jamie McMurray IRWIN Vice-Grip Ford 113 121 $95,050 Running 77.0
15 27 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge 113 123 5 $100,000 Running 1 1 96.5
16 1 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota 113 120 5 $119,621 Running 1 16 92.6
17 7 39 Ryan Newman Haas Automation Chevrolet 113 112 $112,902 Running 86.3
18 10 17 Matt Kenseth DeWalt Ford 113 109 $126,663 Running 84.4
19 12 20 Joey Logano # The Home Depot Toyota 113 106 $126,699 Running 86.2
20 25 96 Bobby Labonte Ask.com Ford 113 103 $112,052 Running 61.6
21 30 98 Paul Menard Johns Manville /Menards Ford 113 100 $112,429 Running 52.9
22 2 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s / Transformers Toyota 113 102 5 $126,546 Running 1 10 90.4
23 21 07 Casey Mears Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet 113 94 $95,600 Running 53.0
24 9 08 Boris Said Ford 113 91 $76,100 Running 87.3
25 6 1 Martin Truex Jr. GE reveal Chevrolet 113 88 $114,913 Running 53.6
26 35 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Amp Energy / National Guard / Mtn Dew Chevrolet 113 85 $93,050 Running 61.2
27 29 09 Ron Fellows Miccosukee Indian Gaming & Resort Chevrolet 113 82 $77,700 Running 58.3
28 15 16 Greg Biffle 3M / Post-it Ford 113 79 $93,525 Running 53.9
29 16 29 Kevin Harvick Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet 113 76 $114,818 Running 59.8
30 41 34 John Andretti Taco Bell Chevrolet 113 73 $86,175 Running 40.2
31 42 00 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 113 70 $99,621 Running 35.5
32 32 71 David Gilliland Adobe Road Winery Chevrolet 113 67 $75,855 Running 35.2
33 40 6 David Ragan UPS Ford 113 64 $82,195 Running 59.9
34 36 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet 113 61 $120,484 Running 45.7
35 14 5 Mark Martin CARQUEST / Kellogg’s Chevrolet 113 58 $80,995 Running 51.8
36 22 7 Robby Gordon Menards / Jim Beam Toyota 113 60 5 $92,193 Running 1 3 64.3
37 31 87 Scott Speed # Nemco Motorsports Toyota 112 57 5 $72,750 Running 1 2 32.6
38 18 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Mobil 1 Dodge 106 49 $91,943 Running 52.3
39 39 12 David Stremme No. 12 Penske Dodge 101 46 $105,563 Overheati 35.7
40 28 43 Reed Sorenson Valvoline Dodge 99 43 $110,274 Running 36.5
41 43 02 Brandon Ash Efusjon Energy Club Dodge 94 40 $72,225 Accident 28.0
42 19 66 Dave Blaney PRISM Motorsports Toyota 3 37 $72,130 Rear End 26.9
43 37 04 P J Jones Jim Beam / Menards Toyota 2 0 $72,490 Power 27.8
Race Comments: Before an estimated crowd of 93,500, Kasey Kahne won the Toyota/Save Mart 350, his 10th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win. Prior to the race, the following cars dropped to the rear of the field for reasons indicated: No. 47 (engine change), No. 71 (backup car), No. 87 (driver change).
Failed to Qualify: (4) 82 Scott Speed #, 27 Tom Hubert, 37 Chris Cook, 36 Brian Simo.
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 10 Mins, 00 Secs. Average Speed: 71.012 MPH Margin of Victory: 0.748 Seconds
Caution Flags: 7 for 20 laps: Laps: 22-24 (#31 spin Turn 11 [13]); 54-56 (Debris [44]); 77-79 (#96 spin Turn 2 [02]); 84-87 (#71, 77 accident Turn 11 [18]); 91-93 (#2 accident Turn 8 [17]); 98-99 (Debris [77]); 110-111 (#87 spin Turn 7 [77]).
Lead Changes: 10 among 8 drivers: B. Vickers 1-16; Kyle Busch 17-26; T. Stewart 27-29; K. Kahne 30-32; D. Hamlin 33-36; Kurt Busch 37; D. Hamlin 38-66; T. Stewart 67-74; R. Gordon 75-77; S. Speed 78-79; K. Kahne 80-113.
Top 12 Driver Points: (1) T. Stewart 2,364;(2) J. Gordon 2,280;(3) J. Johnson 2,207;(4) Kurt Busch 2,084;(5) C. Edwards 2,051;(6) R. Newman 2,046;(7) D. Hamlin 2,009;(8) G. Biffle 1,992;(9) Kyle Busch 1,962;(10) M. Kenseth 1,957;(11) M. Martin 1,926;(12) J. Montoya 1,917.
Coors Light Pole Award : Brian Vickers, #83 (93.678 mph) DIRECTV Crew Chief of the Race : Kasey Kahne, #9
DOW Automotive Strategic Call of the Race : Kasey Kahne, #9 EA Sports Move of the Race : Kasey Kahne, #9
Goodyear Gatorback Fastest Lap : Kasey Kahne, #9 (91.086 mph, Lap 89) Mahle Clevite Engine Builder : Kasey Kahne, #9
Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Race : Marcos Ambrose, #47 Moog Chassis Parts Problem Solver of the Race : Kasey Kahne, #9 (.174 sec )
O’Reilly People, Service and Performance Award : Denny Hamlin, #11 Raybestos Rookie of the Race : Max Papis, #13
Sunoco Diamond Performance : Kasey Kahne, #9 Tissot Pit Road Precision Award : Juan Pablo Montoya, #42
WIX Lap Leader : Kasey Kahne, #9 (37 Laps)
Next Race: Jun. 28, 2009 - New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Dario Franchitti celebrates in Victory Lane at Iowa Speedway )Steve Snoddy/IRL)

Franchitti gave the credit to his Target Chip Ganassi Racing crew, which turned in a quick pit stop on Lap 196 of 250 as the leaders cycled through green flag stops.

Franchitti trailed Briscoe by less than a second as the stops began and led by more than a second when they were completed. As the drivers worked through lapped traffic over the final 50 laps, Franchitti was able to build his lead to a comfortable margin.

Franchitti’s second victory of the season moved him within three points of Briscoe, who remains the IndyCar Series points leader. For the third consecutive race, Briscoe led the most laps but finished second.

Andretti Green Racing’s Hideki Mutoh finished third, one spot lower than his career-best finish at the track last year, and Panther Racing’s Dan Wheldon finished fourth as the top four finishers came from different teams.

Helio Castroneves, who started on the pole based on entrant points after qualifying was cancelled due to water seepage on the track, finished seventh. He made contact with Scott Dixon early in the race, forcing both cars to pit for repairs. Dixon finished fifth.

The race got off to a rough start with four caution periods in the first 55 laps but finished with stints of 56 and 127 consecutive green-flag laps.

Iowa Speedway Race Results
Race Date: Sun, 21 Jun 2009

Key:
No: Car Number C/E/T: Chassis/Engine/Tire
S: Starting Position F: Finishing Position
XL: Times Led LL: Laps Led
Pts: Points

Pos. Driver/Car No C/E/T S Qual
Speed Laps XL LL Status Pts

1 Dario Franchitti
TOM TOM 10 D/H/F 4 0.000 250 4 68 Running 50

2 Ryan Briscoe
Team Penske 6 D/H/F 2 0.000 250 3 85 Running 42

3 Hideki Mutoh
Formula Dream 27 D/H/F 11 0.000 250 0 0 Running 35

4 Dan Wheldon
National Guard Panther Racing 4 D/H/F 6 0.000 250 1 8 Running 32

5 Scott Dixon
Target Chip Ganassi Racing 9 D/H/F 3 0.000 249 1 1 Running 30

6 Tomas Scheckter
Mona Vie/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 23 D/H/F 16 0.000 249 0 0 Running 28

7 Helio Castroneves
Team Penske 3 D/H/F 1 0.000 249 1 16 Running 26

8 Mike Conway
Dad’s Root Beer Dreyer & Reinbold 24 D/H/F 19 0.000 249 0 0 Running 24

9 Danica Patrick
Boost Mobile/Motorola 7 D/H/F 5 0.000 249 2 24 Running 22

10 Ed Carpenter
Menards/Vision Racing 20 D/H/F 13 0.000 248 0 0 Running 20

11 Graham Rahal
McDonald’s Racing Team 02 D/H/F 9 0.000 245 0 0 Running 19

12 Marco Andretti
Team Venom Energy 26 D/H/F 8 0.000 244 0 0 Running 18

13 Jaques Lazier
CURB/Agajanian/Team 3G 98 D/H/F 20 0.000 237 0 0 Running 17

14 Tony Kanaan
Team 7-Eleven 11 D/H/F 7 0.000 108 1 48 Contact 16

15 Robert Doornbos
Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing 06 D/H/F 14 0.000 58 0 0 Handling 15

16 Raphael Matos
US Marines Luczo Dragon Racing 2 D/H/F 12 0.000 53 0 0 Contact 14

17 Mario Moraes
KV Racing Technology/Votorantim 5 D/H/F 15 0.000 52 0 0 Contact 13

18 Justin Wilson
Z-Line Designs 18 D/H/F 10 0.000 33 0 0 Contact 12

19 Ryan Hunter-Reay
ABC Supply Co. AJ Foyt Racing 14 D/H/F 17 0.000 2 0 0 Contact 12

20 E.J. Viso
PDVSA HVM Racing

INDYCAR SERIES POST-RACE NOTES:

· Dario Franchitti earns his 10th career victory and his second victory of the season. He also won at Long Beach.

· Franchitti has won both of his starts at Iowa Speedway. He also won the race in 2007.

· This is the 28th IndyCar Series victory for Target Chip Ganassi Racing. This is the team’s fourth win of the season.

· The top four finishers came from four different teams. The top six finishers came from five teams.

· Ryan Briscoe finished second for the third consecutive race. Briscoe has led the most laps in each of those races (Milwaukee, Texas, Iowa).

· Briscoe remains the points leader and is the first driver to hold the points lead for two consecutive races this season.

· Hideki Mutoh finished a season-best third. His career-best finish of second came at Iowa last year.

· Dan Wheldon finished fourth, his sixth consecutive top-10 finish.

· Scott Dixon finished fifth, his fourth top-five finish of the season.

· Tomas Scheckter finished sixth, his best finish since fifth at Kentucky in 2007. It is the best finish for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing since a fourth last year at Watkins Glen with driver Buddy Rice.

· Mike Conway finished a career-best eighth. It’s also his first top-10 finish of his career.

· The last time Dreyer & Reinbold had two cars finish in the top 10 was at last year’s Indianapolis 500 when Buddy Rice finished eighth and Townsend Bell finished 10th.

· Danica Patrick finished ninth. She and Dan Wheldon lead all drivers with six consecutive top-10 finishes. Patrick led her first laps since Kentucky 2008.

***

INDYCAR SERIES POST-RACE QUOTES:

DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 TOM TOM, first): “I like driving here. We tested at Iowa last Wednesday. The Target guys did a really, really good job coming up with a setup, and they were awesome in the pits. I just went out, did my job and hung on, made some good moves in traffic and here we are. More than anywhere, today is a team win because those pit stops moved us up in track position.”

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske, second): “It was a great day for Team Penske. Dario (Franchitti) had a bit more than us when on cold tires. On the restarts, he was a bit better than us. We were quickest throughout the middle of the stint. I was hoping I would be able to catch him in traffic, but he just got a bit more luck with those guys and actually opened up the gap. It was a tough one but a great day. The car was awesome. We had to make a bit of changes on the first pit stop, but from there the car was great.”

HIDEKI MUTOH (No. 27 Formula Dream, third): “I was hoping to be one step up on the podium. This is one step down. But it’s still a podium finish, so I’m happy. The Formula Dream team gave me a very good car.” (On recording his best finishes at Iowa): “It seems like Iowa is my favorite track because of the results. Maybe it should be.”

Brian Vickers celebrates winning the Coors Light Pole Award for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway (CIA Stock photo)

Coors Light Pole Winner: Brian Vickers
Age: 25
Team : No. 83 - Red Bull Toyota
Owner: Dietrich Mateschitz
Crew Chief: Ryan Pemberton

Brian Vickers won the Coors Light Pole Award for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 with a lap of 76.475 seconds, 93.678 mph.
This is his ninth pole in 188 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his fourth pole and eighth top-10 start in 2009.
This is his first pole in five races at Infineon Raceway. Vickers’ best previous start at Infineon Raceway was 18th. His best previous road race start was 17th at Watkins Glen International.

How was your qualifying lap?

“We had a really good car. I just went out there and qualifying has never been my best here.” explained Vickers. “I’ve always tried to attack the curbs and use the curbs and you always make a mistake. You make a mistake at a road course and you leave a lot on the table. The Red Bull Toyota guys did a tremendous job coming here and practicing and we wanted to make no mistakes. I think I left something on the table, but maybe I didn’t. I was just really cautious and hit my marks and not hit the curbs and it paid off.”

This is the first time in 2009 that Toyotas have qualified one-two-three. The only other time the manufacturer claimed the top three qualifying positions was at Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 7, 2007.

Kyle Busch (second) posted his 12th top-10 start of 2009 and his first in five races at Infineon Raceway.

How have you turned into such a great road course racer?

“The racing part is okay, the qualifying part was the problem.” says Busch. “I thought that was a really good lap, I wasn’t expecting it to get beat. I know practice times were a little faster but with the way the track is a little greased up, I didn’t expect it to go that fast. I thought it was a good lap and we got beat. We’ll take that and it’ll be a good starting spot for us. Hopefully we can keep it up front all day.”

Marcos Ambrose (third) posted his second top-10 start at Infineon Raceway. It is his third in 16 races this season.

How do you think the double file restarts will be here on Sunday?

“It’s going to spice it up, there’s no doubt about that.” grinned the affable Aussie. “I think there’s going to be a clear outside groove that is going to be more traction off the line. I think it’s going to make it very interesting going into the first corner. I’m sure as the race goes on there are going to be a few cautions as the restarts are coming everyone will start to jostle for position late in the race. That being said, I’ve had a lot of races where we do start two-by-two. You can do it, but it’s going to be entertaining for the fans. I’m sure guys are going to have an advantage on the inside. We’ll see how it all plays out. I think we are always waiting to see how it looks and feels before we make any strong comments on it.”

Joey Logano (12th) was the fastest qualifying rookie.

Starting Line Up by Row
Infineon Raceway
Toyota/Save Mart 350

Driver Date Time Speed
Track Race Record: Ernie Irvan 06/07/92 02:17:26 81.413
Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed
Row 1: 1 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota 76.475 93.678
2 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s / Transformers Toyota 76.690 93.415
Row 2: 3 47 Marcos Ambrose Little Debbie / Kingsford / Clorox Toyota 76.918 93.138
4 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot / Old Spice Chevrolet 77.000 93.039
Row 3: 5 9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser Dodge 77.040 92.991
6 1 Martin Truex Jr. GE reveal Chevrolet 77.048 92.981
Row 4: 7 39 Ryan Newman Haas Automation Chevrolet 77.076 92.947
8 19 Elliott Sadler Stanley Tools Dodge 77.081 92.941
Row 5: 9 08 Boris Said Ford 77.084 92.938
10 17 Matt Kenseth DeWalt Ford 77.097 92.922
Row 6: 11 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet 77.108 92.909
12 20 Joey Logano # The Home Depot Toyota 77.144 92.865
Row 7: 13 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet 77.174 92.829
14 5 Mark Martin CARQUEST / Kellogg’s Chevrolet 77.202 92.796
Row 8: 15 16 Greg Biffle 3M / Post-it Ford 77.248 92.740
16 29 Kevin Harvick Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet 77.254 92.733
Row 9: 17 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet 77.319 92.655
18 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Mobil 1 Dodge 77.325 92.648
Row 10: 19 66 Dave Blaney PRISM Motorsports Toyota 77.450 92.498
20 44 A J Allmendinger Best Buy Dodge 77.462 92.484
Row 11: 21 07 Casey Mears Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet 77.505 92.433
22 7 Robby Gordon Menards / Jim Beam Toyota 77.506 92.432
Row 12: 23 26 Jamie McMurray IRWIN Vice-Grip Ford 77.556 92.372
24 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota 77.568 92.358
Row 13: 25 96 Bobby Labonte Ask.com Ford 77.570 92.355
26 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet 77.612 92.305
Row 14: 27 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge 77.615 92.302
28 43 Reed Sorenson Valvoline Dodge 77.824 92.054
Row 15: 29 09 Ron Fellows Miccosukee Indian Gaming & Resort 77.833 92.043
30 98 Paul Menard Johns Manville /Menards Ford 77.880 91.988
Row 16: 31 87 Joe Nemechek Nemco Motorsports Toyota 77.926 91.933
32 71 David Gilliland Adobe Road Winery Chevrolet 77.997 91.850
Row 17: 33 13 Max Papis # GEICO Toyota 78.059 91.777
34 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford 78.082 91.750
Row 18: 35 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Amp Energy / National Guard / Mtn Dew 78.287 91.509
36 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet 78.350 91.436
Row 19: 37 04 P J Jones Jim Beam / Menards Toyota 78.359 91.425
38 55 Patrick Carpentier NAPA Auto Parts Toyota 78.806 90.907
Row 20: 39 12 David Stremme No. 12 Penske Dodge 78.811 90.901
40 6 David Ragan UPS Ford Owner Points
Row 21: 41 34 John Andretti Taco Bell Chevrolet Owner Points
42 00 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Owner Points
Row 22: 43 02 Brandon Ash Efusjon Energy Club Dodge 78.641 91.098
Did Not Qualify: # 82 Scott Speed #; # 27 Tom Hubert; # 37 Chris Cook; # 36 Brian Simo.
Manufacturer Starting Lineup DNQs
Chevrolet 15 0 Ford 8 0
Dodge 8 1 Toyota 12 3

24 Hours of Le Mans (ACO Nikon)

The 77th race took place in front of a crowd of 234 800 spectators, down from the 2008 figure by around 9% (which set a record-beating figure of 258 500 spectators).

This slight reduction is due to a decrease in ticket sales because of public relations activities by companies, but overall the number of tickets sold to the general public remains stable.

Countless others watch on Eurosport TV, SPEED TV, and dozens of other internet outlets.

The weekend was blessed with fine weather, a festive ambience and the overall level of commercial operations and entertainment was more than satisfactory.

The international crowd saw a thrilling race, which ended in a double for Peugeot putting an end to ten years of Audi domination. The first five places were filled by four different teams (three major manufacturers Peugeot, Audi and Lola-Aston Martin and ORECA a private entrant).

Audi’s new R15 TDI finished third overall and seven laps behind. Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen and Dindo Capello lost time with an electrical problem late. The trio had beaten Peugeot at Sebring with its new diesel racer.

The problems experienced by Audi this year could have been avoided … by racing. The decision in the corporate board rooms to not participate in American Le Mans Series events had an effect. Nothing beats the experience of the competition proving ground, learning what can go wrong and finding the prevetion measure.

Peugeot driving squadron drivers Australian David Brabham, Spaniard Marc Gene and Austrian Alexander Wurz led the French maunufacturer’s No. 9 Peugeot 908 Hdi FAP to a stunning victory over the German Audi R15 TDI

While the Porsche RS Spyder is just a memory in North America, it was certainly alive and racing at the checkered flag for the 24 Hours of Le Mans as the iconic LMP2 sports prototype captured its second Le Mans class win in two tries thanks to the Danish customer team of Casper Elgaard, Kristian Poulsen, and Porsche factory driver Emmanuel Collard.

The Team Essex, which came in second in LMP2 a year ago, beat its Lola Judd rival by more than 14 laps, as well as capturing the energy efficiency classification “Michelin Green X Challenge” as the car with the best overall efficiency, calculated by the ratio between lap times and fuel consumption.

Americans and the American Le Mans Series were very well represented again, with winning results and heartbreak.

Corvette Racing, Risi Competizione and Patrón Highcroft Racing’s David Brabham were the big winners from the American Le Mans Series at the Le Mans endurance classic. Corvette ended its GT1 reign with a sixth class win, Risi repeated in GT2 and took two podium spots, and Brabham scored a long-awaited overall victory in the world’s greatest race.

“When you look at the Americans who have won here multiple times, they’re all important figures in motorsports history,” Corvette driver Johnny O’Connell said. “To achieve my fourth win with Corvette Racing, driving a sports car that’s an American icon, it’s hard to put that into words. There is nothing more difficult and more rewarding than winning here, and sharing it with two awesome drivers like Jan and Antonio.”The sister Corvette of Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Marcel Fässler were on the same lap through 22 hours before losing drive and grinding to a halt just shy of pit lane. The car still finished third in class.

Corvette Racing will move to GT2 in August at the Mid-Ohio round of the American Le Mans Series.

Risi became the first GT2 team in a decade to repeat in class. Jaime Melo and Mika Salo won their second straight race, and Pierre Kaffer was a winner for the first time. The red Ferrari F430 GT led since the sixth hour; prior to that it was part of a five-car scrap for the class lead including the Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Jörg Bergmeister, Darren Law and Seth Neiman. It retired following a crash in the 17th hour while running fourth.

“To be honest I didn’t expect to see the Porsches out of the challenge from the first few hours,” said Melo, who has been with Risi since the beginning of 2006 when the F430 GT was introduced. “Before the race we all thought they were really strong, but I think Risi Competizione has really prepared well for this race in the past year as well as more recently. Pierre, Mika and I were able to do really consistent lap times, and it was a really easy car to drive so that helped us to do our job. Like Mika said we had no problems. Tire changes were perfect every time so we need to say thanks to Risi Competizione for those and to Michelin as well as we could triple stint the tires from quite early on. “

Tracy Krohn, Nic Jonsson and Eric van de Poele finished third in class in the second Risi entry in partnership with Krohn Racing. The green F430 also finished on the class podium in 2007. So this makes three straight GT2/GT podium finishes for the same entrant, a rarity at Le Mans.

“This is a very special day; winning this again after what we did last year makes it even more so,” said team principal Giuseppe Risi. “To have 10 Ferraris here and have two of our cars placed in the top-three is a simply magnificent result. These are the best teams in the world who race here so it is extremely special to have achieved this outcome, and to have entered the history books as part of Ferrari’s racing folklore. I can’t say enough about it.”

At the head of the grid, Brabham won overall at Le Mans in his 16th appearance but first in a Peugeot 908 HDi. Son of three-time F1 World Champion Jack, Brabham teamed with Marc Gene and Alexander Wurz for a one-lap victory over the team car of Stephane Sarrazin, Sebastien Bourdais and Franck Montagny.

Brabham’s car led for the better part of the final two-thirds of the event. Coincidentally, the last time Peugeot won Le Mans was in 1993. Brabham’s older brother Geoff was part of the lineup in the Peugeot 905. Father Jack won the 1968 French Grand Prix on the Le Mans Bugatti circuit.

“I think it might take a few days for this to sink in. It’s all quite unbelievable,” Brabham said. “Our strategy was really to take care of the car; the tires, the brakes - particularly the front brakes which were wearing a bit more than we would have liked. We just agreed to adjust our driving styles and keep within a consistent lap time target. We were running at a restricted pace but other cars were having problems, so it worked out OK. We didn’t make one mistake and that’s what it takes to win this race.”

But most of all, Le Mans again provided what the intent of the founders of the event desired most. Racing that means something, endurance, manufacturers finding what works in the most greuling of scenarios, technology and innovation in both performance and safety, that will find its way to the street versions of their cars in short time, be they top-of-line sports cars or everyday driving sedans. There is a relevance to the competition that seems to elude other forms of racing.

From Mulsanne stretch to Dunlop Bridge, Playstation chicane to Porsche corners, benefits of exciting racing to cheer for, and the unseen benefits of learning by those that create and build… provided.