Backstretch Motorsports

Last Sunday at Talladega, Jamie McMurray (No. 26 Crown Royal Ford) ended quite a few droughts.

First, he ended a personal 86-race winless drought that dated back to July 2007.

Second, he ended a Roush Fenway Racing drought that dated back to this year’s first Auto Club Speedway race, won by teammate Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford). That was 30 races long. [read more...]

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings started with drivers bunched closely together points-wise. Three races into the Chase, some are thinking it’s just not going to happen for the ones that seemed so strong coming in.

Going into Sunday’s Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway, the man everyone is trying to catch continues to be Mark Martin (No. 5 CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevrolet), as he is 18 points ahead of second-place, Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet), the three-time defending series champion. Martin has posted a series-leading and career-high seven poles plus five victories.

But don’t be fooled, the rest of the top 12 are not letting Martin just walk away with the title. [read more...]

Feeling the moods at Dover.. nobody, either from team or driver perspective, is in actual desperation mode, at least from the outward appearance.

“You know, with only 10 races in the Chase, there is a little bit of urgency, but it’s still 10 races.” says Carl Edwards, No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing driver, “Last week, for instance, wasn’t exactly what we wanted, but it wasn’t a disaster, either. We have to run well every race, and there’s still a lot that can happen. It’s a relatively short time, but a lot can happen in two or three races, you know?” [read more...]

Starting from the rear of the field under a penalty for adjustments outside of impound, Carl Edwards methodically weaved his way through tight quarters Richmond International Raceway traffic to win tonight’s Virginia 529 College Savings 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

After his Dan Stillman led crew got his No. 60 Ford off pit road in the top spot under caution, Edwards ran away from Kevin Harvick over the final 20-lap green-flag run.

This is his fourth victory, 22nd top-10 finish in 2009 and his 24th victory in 168 NASCAR Nationwide Series races, three of those coming here at the classic .75 mile venue. [read more...]

David Ragan, of whom Roush Fenway Racing teammate Carl Edwards characterizes as “wise beyond his years” won the NASCAR Nationwide Series Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway last night.

The victory was win number 2 in the second-tier series for the Unadilla, Ga. native, the first coming at Talladega earlier this season.

The No. 6 Discount Tire Ford Fusion driver managed a strong restart on a green-white-checkered-flag finish and held off RFR teammate Edwards in what proved to be a relatively quiet final shootout by Bristol standards.
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup cut-off bubble is as tight as ever. One single point is the difference between competing for a championship and missing out altogether.
Mark Martin is 13th, one point behind Denny Hamlin in 12th. Only once in the Chase era (2004-Present) have the standings been this close at this juncture. After 14 races in 2005, when the Chase was a 10-driver field, 11th-place Kurt Busch trailed 10th-place Tony Stewart by a point. [read more...]

LONG POND, PA - Tony Stewart has accomplished what many deemed impossible for a first-year owner-driver. Winning the Sprint Cup All-Star race, leading the Sprint Cup points standings before the half-way point in the regular season, seeing his teammate car and driver in the top five standings, and now capturing a victory on one the tougher tracks and races on the circuit, the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway - doing it by fuel milage gamble. Something Stewart is not known for, saving gas and keeping out of the throttle.

“I didn’t think Tony could save that much fuel, but he did a really good job.” said runner-up Carl Edwards. [read more...]

LEBANON, Tenn. -– If nothing else, Kyle Busch is spectacular. After winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday night, Busch smoked his tires so much they caught on fire. And then he celebrated.

An overjoyed Busch slammed the unique Nashville trophy –- a Gibson Les Paul guitar –- to the ground much like guitarist Pete Townsend of the legendary rock band The Who. [read more...]

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 26, 2009) – With expectations high coming into the season, merely putting three drivers in the top 12 through 12 races isn’t enough for Roush Fenway Racing.

After starting off the season with back-to-back wins by Matt Kenseth, Roush Fenway has gone winless over the last 10 races.

All that seems likely to change, as nearly the entire stable excels at Dover – a track at which Roush Fenway finished 1-2-3 the last time the series raced there. [read more...]

DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 8, 2009) — Maybe Matt Kenseth’s luck has turned again.

On Friday afternoon, Kenseth was the surprise pole winner for Saturday’s Southern 500 Sprint Cup race at Darlington Raceway.

On Friday night, he completed the daily double with a victory in the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 Nationwide Series race at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped track, after misfortune struck the dominant car of Kyle Busch in the closing circuits.

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