Backstretch Motorsports

TALLADEGA, Ala.—For David Ragan, his first victory in one of NASCAR’s top three touring series took a long time coming—196 races combined.

When it came, there was a bittersweet aspect to the win.

In a wild scramble at the finish, Ragan beat polesitter Ryan Newman to the stripe to win Saturday’s Aaron’s 312 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, but the victory came at the expense of teammate Matt Kenseth, who barrel-rolled and slid on the roof of his No. 16 Ford after contact from Ragan’s No. 6 sent him out of control on Lap 105.

In a green-white-checkered-flag finish that took the race three laps past its scheduled distance of 117 laps, Newman led Dale Earnhardt Jr. with one lap remaining. Contact between those two cars as they came off Turn 4 gave Ragan his opportunity, and a push from third-place finisher Joey Logano sealed the win.

“I was kind of content with a top five,” said Ragan, who restarted fourth for the final two laps. “No one seemed to be able to really run on the outside and really push hard. I’ve got to give credit to Joey Logano. He helped me out—an old Legends Car buddy.

“I just kind of saw beating and banging there with first and second and said, ‘What the heck? Let’s jump to the outside and see what we can make of it.’ ”

Ragan and Newman rubbed fenders right before the finish line, and Ragan’s No. 6 Ford crossed the stripe .030 seconds ahead of Newman’s No. 33 Chevrolet.

“I knew Junior was coming,” Newman said of the final half-mile. “I blocked, and he got me sideways. I really didn’t expect the 6 to come that fast, but I guess he had someone pushing him.”

Tony Raines ran fourth to post his best Nationwide finish since 2005. Earnhardt came home fifth, followed by Jason Leffler, Jason Keller, rookie Scott Lagasse Jr., Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch.

Busch was involved in the Lap 115 wreck that caused the final caution and forced the race to overtime. Contact from Busch’s No. 18 Toyota turned Justin Allgaier’s Dodge into the Chevrolet of Bobby Gerhart.

The crash that dulled some of the luster of Ragan’s win came 10 laps earlier, as Kenseth moved up the track on the backstretch to block Busch and then returned to the inside line in front of Ragan, who bumped Kenseth and started his teammate rolling and sliding toward Turn 3. Kenseth’s car burst into flames but righted itself, and Kenseth escaped unharmed.

“Kyle had a run, and I tried to block the top, but I couldn’t get up there in time,” Kenseth said. “I pulled to the bottom, and I saw David there, but I was well clear, and David hit me as I was turning back down—to bump-draft me. You just can’t hit somebody when they’re turning. The cars aren’t stable enough for that.”

Ragan shared his view of the accident in victory lane.

“It looked like Matt was going up the hill,” Ragan said. “They had a good run, and I thought that I had a good run on the bottom. He came back down about the time that I was there at his left-rear quarter. Certainly I feel bad for the No. 16 team and for (owner) Jack Roush. It cost them a good finish. We’ll chat a little bit, and I’m sure that we’ll move on.”

The race ran caution-free for the first 54 laps—a record for a green-flag run in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Talladega—until Logano bumped Michael Waltrip’s Toyota and sent it spinning into the Chevrolet of Clint Bowyer. Hard contact with the inside backstretch wall knocked Waltrip out of the race.

“Same guy—every damn time,” Bowyer radioed, reprising a refrain he had started during the March race at Bristol, where he called Waltrip “the worst driver in all of NASCAR” after an incident there. “How’d I wreck? What happened?” Bowyer continued, mimicking Waltrip.

Replays of the crash, however, showed clearly that Logano had turned Waltrip, who had some choice words for Bowyer after being told of his rival’s remarks.

“If he wants to continue to be an idiot, we can play that game,” Waltrip said after a visit to the infield care center.

Logano backed up Waltrip’s version of events and apologized profusely after the race.

Notes: Busch retained the series lead by 62 points over 13th-place finisher Carl Edwards. … The eighth-place finish was a career-best for Lagasse. … There were 34 lead changes, two short of the track record for the NASCAR Nationwide Series. … Newman’s finish lifted the No. 33 KHI Chevrolet to the top of the owner standings.

Race Fast Facts
Talladega Superspeedway
Aaron’s 312

Race Winner: David Ragan
Age: 23
Team : No. 6 - Discount Tire Ford
Owner: Jack Roush
Crew Chief: Mike Kelley
David Ragan won the Aaron’s 312, his first victory in 85 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his first victory and sixth top-10 finish in 2009.
This is his first victory and second top-10 finish in three races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Ryan Newman (second) posted his first top-10 finish in one races at Talladega Superspeedway. It is his first top-10 finish in 2009.
Joey Logano (third) posted his first top-10 finish in one races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Scott Lagasse Jr. (eighth) was the highest finishing rookie.
Kyle Busch leads the point standings by 62 points over Carl Edwards.

NASCAR Race Number 8
Unofficial Race Results for the Aaron’s 312 - Saturday, April 25, 2009
Talladega Superspeedway - Talladega, AL - 2.66 Mile Paved
Total Race Length - 120 Laps - 319.2 Miles - Purse: $1,358,703

Leader
Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Pts Bns Winnings Status Times Laps Rating
1 14 6 David Ragan Discount Tire Ford 120 190 5 $51,245 Running 1 1
2 1 33 Ryan Newman Rheem Chevrolet 120 175 5 $43,025 Running 3 21
3 16 20 Joey Logano GameStop Toyota 120 170 5 $32,200 Running 1 1
4 23 34 Tony Raines Long John Silver’s Chevrolet 120 160 $37,968 Running
5 12 5 Dale Earnhardt Jr. GoDaddy.com Chevrolet 120 160 5 $25,150 Running 4 8
6 4 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota 120 150 $31,593 Running
7 21 27 Jason Keller Scott Shop Towels / Walmart Ford 120 146 $29,193 Running
8 8 11 Scott Lagasse Jr. # America’s Incredible Pizza Company Toyota 120 147 5 $31,643 Running 2 4
9 10 88 Brad Keselowski Klondike Chevrolet 120 143 5 $27,918 Running 3 19
10 9 18 Kyle Busch Z-Line Designs Toyota 120 144 10 $21,975 Running 6 31
11 19 87 Joe Nemechek MAUI Shower Company Chevrolet 120 130 $27,768 Running
12 20 31 Kerry Earnhardt Fastwax.com Chevrolet 120 127 $21,075 Running
13 6 60 Carl Edwards Save-a-Lot Ford 120 129 5 $21,475 Running 4 20
14 17 26 Brian Keselowski Schweitzer Title Dodge 120 126 5 $27,243 Running 1 1
15 41 47 Michael McDowell # Tom’s Snacks Toyota 120 118 $27,868 Running
16 39 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Mahindra Tractors Chevrolet 120 115 $27,293 Running
17 30 28 Kenny Wallace US Border Patrol Chevrolet 120 112 $26,868 Running
18 31 09 John Wes Townley # Zaxby’s Ford 120 109 $26,718 Running
19 11 81 D J Kennington D.H. Griffin Companies Dodge 120 106 $26,593 Running
20 2 32 Brian Vickers Dollar General Toyota 120 108 5 $21,400 Running 2 2
21 22 15 Michael Annett # Pilot Travel Centers Toyota 120 100 $26,293 Running
22 27 49 Kertus Davis GetMoreVacations.com Chevrolet 120 97 $19,675 Running
23 34 89 Morgan Shepherd Eldora Speedway / Lagina Plumbing Chevrolet 120 99 5 $28,493 Running 1 3
24 37 07 David Green PMCLife.com Toyota 120 91 $26,268 Running
25 36 24 Eric McClure Hefty Ford 120 88 $25,868 Running
26 32 83 John Borneman III Borneman Plast./Twisted X Boots/Rd Ln Oil Ford 120 85 $19,100 Running
27 26 70 Shelby Howard ForeTravel Motorcoach Chevrolet 120 82 $18,975 Running
28 33 52 Donnie Neuenberger Quaker City Castings Chevrolet 119 79 $25,318 Running
29 24 10 David Reutimann Copart.com Toyota 118 76 $18,725 Running
30 42 61 Brandon Whitt Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash Ford 118 73 $25,268 Running
31 7 29 Clint Bowyer Holiday Inn Chevrolet 117 75 5 $19,450 Running 1 2
32 28 12 Justin Allgaier # Verizon Wireless Dodge 114 67 $24,843 Accident
33 5 75 Bobby Gerhart Lucas Oil Chevrolet 114 64 $18,560 Accident
34 35 66 Steve Wallace US fidelis Chevrolet 109 61 $24,768 Suspensio
35 3 16 Matt Kenseth CitiFinancial Ford 104 63 5 $18,615 Accident 2 4
36 43 05 Jeff Green 31W Insulation Chevrolet 104 55 $24,673 Running
37 38 01 Danny O’Quinn Jr. SalonWish.com Chevrolet 86 52 $24,638 Engine
38 18 62 Brendan Gaughan # 5-Hour Energy Drink Chevrolet 73 49 $24,603 Overheati
39 25 0 Mike Wallace Fishburne Military School Chevrolet 58 51 5 $18,100 Engine 1 1
40 13 99 Michael Waltrip Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 52 48 5 $18,015 Accident 2 2
41 40 1 Mike Bliss Miccosukee Indian Gaming & Resort Chevrolet 41 40 $24,448 Overheati
42 15 42 Kenny Hendrick Big Oak Ranch Dodge 19 37 $24,413 Overheati
43 29 04 Mark Green Randolph Trucking Chevrolet 2 34 $17,873 Vibration
Race Comments: Before an estimated crowd of 70,000, David Ragan won the Aaron’s 312, his first NNS victory. Prior to the green flag, the following drivers dropped to
the rear of the field for the reasons indicated: #42 Kenny Hendrick (missing drivers’ meeting); #01 Danny O’Quinn Jr.
(adjustments outside of impound); #49 Kertus Davis (adjustments outside of impound); #75 Bobby Gerhart (adjustments outside
of impound).
Failed to Qualify: (4) 90 Johnny Chapman, 91 Justin Hobgood, 40 Scott Wimmer, 84 Mike Harmon.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 08 Mins, 32 Secs. Average Speed: 149.004 MPH Margin of Victory: 0.030 Seconds
Caution Flags: 6 for 20 laps: Laps: 55-58 (# 20, 29, 99 accident Turn 2 [75]); 88-92 (Debris [81]); 96-98 (# 61 accident Turn 2 [23]); 106-108 (# 6, 16, 18 accident backstretch [83]); 111-112 (# 66 accident Turn 2 [None]); 116-118 (# 12, 18, 75 accident backstretch [None]).
Lead Changes: 34 among 15 drivers: R. Newman 0; B. Vickers 1; S. Lagasse Jr. # 2-3; D. Earnhardt Jr. 4; S. Lagasse Jr. # 5-6; C. Edwards 7-16; M. Waltrip 17; C. Edwards 18-23; J. Logano 24; R. Newman 25-28; C. Edwards 29-31; D. Earnhardt Jr. 32; R. Newman 33; K. Busch 34; C. Edwards 35; M. Waltrip 36; D. Earnhardt Jr. 37-39; Brad Keselowski 40; M. Shepherd 41-43; M. Kenseth 44-46; K. Busch 47; C. Bowyer 48-49; K. Busch 50; B. Vickers 51; K. Busch 52-54; M. Wallace 55; K. Busch 56-74; Brad Keselowski 75-88; Brian Keselowski 89; Brad Keselowski 90-93; K. Busch 94-99; D. Earnhardt Jr. 100-102; M. Kenseth 103; R. Newman 104-119; D. Ragan 120;
Top 10 Driver Points: 1. Kyle Busch 1,219. 2. Carl Edwards 1,157. 3. David Ragan 1,139. 4. Jason Leffler 1,082. 5. Joey Logano 1,063. 6. Brad Keselowski 1,041. 7. Jason Keller 925. 8. Scott Lagasse Jr. 886. 9. Justin Allgaier 885. 10. Michael McDowell 879.
Next Race: May. 1, 2009 - Richmond International Raceway