Backstretch Motorsports

“Do not go gentle into that good night” .. I doubt Dylan Thomas could’ve ever imagined his words would be used as a racer’s mantra for making the NASCAR playoff series.

But they work.

In truth, nearly all of the top finishers in the Sharpie 500 race at Bristol Motor Speedway could lay claim to the sentiments expressed in that poetic phrase. [read more...]

JOLIET, Ill. –A gutsy call, or a mistake in judgement. You could’ve hung your hat on either opinion if you had been sitting in the stands at Chicagoland Speedway for the close of Friday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

It’s all point of view.. neither really matters now, Dave Rogers sold his concept to his driver on a final restart that led to Victory Lane.

“This guy (Dave Rogers, crew chief) is a heck of a motivator.” race winner Joey Logano told reporters in the post-race presser. “I don’t know if you’ve ever heard him on the radio, that guy will make you drive harder than anyone out there. You can have a ninth-place car and he’ll make you think you have a first-place car. Always being confident on the radio helps me a lot as a driver. I was going off what he said. At first I thought this was going to be bad and then he made me think 50-50 of what it was going to be. Either way, I just drove my brains out.” [read more...]

LOUDON, N.H. — Kyle Busch has been in a holding pattern of frustration lately, leading the most laps in a NASCAR Nationwide Series race, and not getting the victory. He changed that today by winning Saturday’s Camping World RV Sales 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.

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. [read more...]

Qualifying Fast Facts
Infineon Raceway
Toyota/Save Mart 350

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

Qualifying Fast Facts
Michigan International Speedway
LifeLock 400

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

RICHMOND, Va.—Kyle Busch celebrated his 24th birthday in the best possible fashion, winning Saturday night’s Crown Royal Russ Friedman 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway and completing a weekend sweep of NASCAR events there.

Busch and Cale Yarborough are the only drivers to win NASCAR Sprint Cup races on their birthdays. [read more...]

Qualifying Fast Facts
Texas Motor Speedway
O’Reilly 300

Coors Light Pole Winner: Kyle Busch
Age: 23
Team : No. 18 - NOS Energy Drink Toyota
Owner: Joe Gibbs
Crew Chief: Jason Ratcliff

[read more...]

Martinsville, VA – Three-time and defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) champion Jimmie Johnson scored his first victory of the 2009 season in the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Johnson’s victory came on the 25th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports first-ever NSCS win, also at Martinsville Speedway with driver Geoff Bodine.

An aggressive pass of Denny Hamlin on Lap 485 of the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 gave Johnson the lead Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, and he pulled away to beat Hamlin by .774 seconds. The victory was Johnson’s first of the season and the 41st of his career; he now has six wins at Martinsville—five in the past six races. It was Hendrick’s 18th win at the .526-mile track.

[read more...]

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Snickers Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), led five times for a race-high 378 laps en route to a winning performance in Sunday’s Food City 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“This thing really came to life today,” said Busch, who scored his second Sprint Cup win of the season after winning three weeks ago at his home track of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. “Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter where you start here. You have to bide your time and take it easy when you have a car that’s good.”

[read more...]