Carl Edwards Removes Himself From Nationwide Series Race At Road America

Instead of traveling far distances between the Sprint Cup Series track of Infineon Raceway in California and the Nationwide Series track of Road America in Wisconsin, Carl Edwards has chosen to only focus on the Sprint Cup Series race this weekend.

The decision comes very late in the week - Friday to be exact - following the first practices of the weekend for both of NASCAR's top two series.

Since NASCAR does not score Nationwide Series points for the Sprint Cup Series regulars, there has been much discussion of whether it is truly worth it for Sprint Cup drivers to run the full Nationwide schedule.

Billy Johnson, who was scheduled to practice the car for Edwards in the first place, will be the driver of the number 60 car for Saturday's Nationwide race. Johnson was first fastest in the opening practice for the Nationwide Series this weekend.

"I think Billy will do a great job," said Edwards. "In the end, this puts us in the best position with both teams to perform well, so I'm grateful to be able to make the change and I feel like we are doing the right thing. I think this shows you just how much our sponsors and our team are able to work together and change things on the fly," Edwards stated. "The original plan was for me to miss all of practice in our Sprint Cup car in Sonoma on Saturday, but literally as we finished practice today we found out that Billy Johnson was P1 in the Fastenal Ford Mustang at Road America. We also felt like as a team that we needed more practice on the Cup side, so I called the (President and) CEO of Fastenal - Will Oberton - and without any hesitation, he said do what you need to do to have the best result and we are behind you 100 percent. It just shows that Fastenal is truly behind our whole Roush Fenway team, and we have a great relationship to be able to make this change."

This will be the first Nationwide race without Edwards since June 12, 2005 at Nashville, according to Sporting News.




Quotes from Roush Fenway Racing

NASCAR Changes Pit Road, Caution Speed For Road Courses

NASCAR has announced this weekend that the caution speeds for all four road courses on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series circuit will be increased by five miles per hour.

The change comes from elevation changes on these specific tracks. As a result of the elevation changes, the cars would overheat under the caution flag, thus creating this rule change.

Caution speed this weekend at Sonoma and Road America will be 45 miles per hour. Pit road speed is 40 miles per hour at Sonoma and will be 35 miles per hour at Road America

NASCAR has also increased the pit road speed of the two Sprint Cup Series road courses - Watkins Glen and Infineon.

While this may not seem like much, these road course events tend to turn into fuel mileage races. In that case, five miles per hour faster on a yellow flag can drastically change the fuel mileage game, therefore having a great impact on strategy, and possible the outcome race.

Unofficial Results Of Southern 500 at Darlington

1 Regan Smith
2 Carl Edwards
3 Brad Keselowski
4 Kasey Kahne
5 Ryan Newman
6 Denny Hamlin
7 Tony Stewart
8 Greg Biffle
9 Jamie McMurray
10 Martin Truex Jr.
11 Kyle Busch
12 Jeff Gordon
13 Marcos Ambrose
14 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
15 Jimmie Johnson
16 David Reutimann
17 Kevin Harvick
18 Bobby Labonte
19 Mark Martin
20 A.J. Allmendinger
21 David Ragan
22 Paul Menard
23 Juan Montoya
24 Dave Blaney
25 Matt Kenseth
26 Travis Kvapil
27 Kurt Busch
28 Ken Schrader
29 Landon Cassill
30 Casey Mears
31 Clint Bowyer
32 David Gilliland
33 Jeff Burton
34 Brian Vickers
35 Joey Logano
36 Tony Raines
37 Robby Gordon
38 T.J. Bell
39 J.J. Yeley
40 Mike Skinner
41 David Stremme
42 Joe Nemechek
43 Michael McDowell

Darlington Sprint Cup Series Lineup

Qualifying is in the books for the Southern 500 at Darlington. Kasey Kahne, with a time of 27.131 seconds and a speed of 181.254 mph, has earned the pole position for Saturday night's race. Kahne held off Ryan Newman, who was the fastest car in the only practice session. Scott Riggs, Andy Lally, and Brian Keselowski failed to qualify. Here is the unofficial lineup:

1 Kasey Kahne
2 Ryan Newman
3 Denny Hamlin
4 Carl Edwards
5 Jeff Gordon
6 Marcos Ambrose
7 A.J. Allmendinger
8 Brian Vickers
9 Tony Stewart
10 Brad Keselowski
11 David Ragan
12 Jamie McMurray
13 Kevin Harvick
14 Kyle Busch
15 Bobby Labonte
16 Juan Montoya
17 Joey Logano
18 Paul Menard
19 Jimmie Johnson
20 Matt Kenseth
21 Travis Kvapil
22 Greg Biffle
23 Regan Smith
24 Jeff Burton
25 Kurt Busch
26 Clint Bowyer
27 Landon Cassill
28 Mark Martin
29 Martin Truex Jr.
30 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
31 J.J. Yeley
32 Casey Mears
33 T.J. Bell
34 Mike Skinner
35 Tony Raines
36 David Reutimann
37 David Gilliland
38 David Stremme
39 Michael McDowell
40 Ken Schrader
41 Joe Nemechek
42 Dave Blaney
43 Robby Gordon

Starting Lineup For Sprint Cup Series Richmond Race

Juan Pablo Montoya has won the pole for the Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond. Montoya had the fastest lap in final practice as well. He put down a lap of 128.639 mph and 20.989 seconds. Brian Keselowski failed to make the race on time.

Here is the unofficial lineup for Saturday's race:

1- Juan Montoya
2- Regan Smith
3- Clint Bowyer
4- Kasey Kahne
5- Mark Martin
6- Jeff Gordon
7- Brad Keselowski
8- Carl Edwards
9- Joey Logano
10- Paul Menard
11- Denny Hamlin
12- Kevin Harvick
13- Ryan Newman
14- Bobby Labonte
15- Casey Mears
16- David Stremme
17- Jamie McMurray
18- David Reutimann
19- A.J. Allmendinger
20- Kyle Busch
21- Martin Truex Jr.
22- Michael McDowell
23- Greg Biffle
24- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
25- Jeff Burton
26- Joe Nemechek
27- David Ragan
28- Travis Kvapil
29- Dave Blaney
30- Jimmie Johnson
31- Tony Stewart
32- Mike Skinner
33- Matt Kenseth
34- Landon Cassill
35- Marcos Ambrose
36- Kurt Busch
37- Brian Vickers
38- Ken Schrader
39- David Gilliland
40- J.J. Yeley
41- Tony Raines
42- Andy Lally*
43- Robby Gordon
44- Brian Keselowski*

New Form Of Plate Racing Makes Teamwork A Must

The close finish at Talladega has produced multiple highlights on TV, the Internet, and newspapers. There is much talk over the way the finish went down, how Jimmie Johnson took the lead from being so far back a few laps earlier, and even if the pass was legal.

Taking yet another look at the finish of the race is even more interesting. Notice that all the cars in the photo finish have their teammate with them - pushing them from behind.

Jimmie Johnson of course had Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon had Mark Martin, Clint Bowyer had Kevin Harvick, and making their way into the picture, but just a little too late, was Carl Edwards getting pushed by Greg Biffle.

All those pairings were teammates - and all of them finished in the top eight.

With the new two car drafting affect taking over how drivers race at the restrictor plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega, teammates are necessary in order to win the race.

Take a look at Jimmie Johnson, the winner of the Aaron's 499. He had Dale Earnhardt Jr. push him across the line in the closing feet of the race, however, they were not just hooked up at the end. The two drivers were paired together at the start of the race, by turn one, and kept working together on the same radio with the same spotter for the entire race. They had the plan since before they hit the racetrack, and therefore committed to one another the entire race, never leaving the other behind for any reason - even if the two drivers did not line up anywhere near each other on the restarts.

This commitment to have one of them win the race led the teams to a great finish for Earnhardt and a win for Johnson.

With the competition as close as ever at restrictor plate races, the best way to gain an edge is by working with someone who has the same equipment as you and the same desire to get a team car to victory lane. If nothing else changes as far as the restrictor plate rule package is concerned, when the Daytona July race comes around, you can expect everyone paired up with a teammate of theirs.

Starting Lineup For Aaron's 499

Hendrick Motorsports continues to show the strength of their race cars and motors. Today, all four Hendrick drivers qualified near the front - the top four to be exact. Jeff Gordon took the pole with a speed of 178.248 mph followed by Johnson, Martin, and Earnhardt Jr.

The overall speeds were down from what the usual qualifying speeds are at Talladega, a result from a smaller restrictor plate in order to slow the cars down.

Sam Hornish Jr. qualified for Robby Gordon, but was disqualified due to failing post qualifying inspection. The car will start in the rear. Mike Skinner, Tony Raines, and Michael McDowell failed to qualify on time.

Here is the full unofficial lineup for the Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega.


1.Jeff Gordon
2.Jimmie Johnson
3.Mark Martin
4.Dale Earnhardt Jr.
5.Paul Menard
6.Landon Cassill
7.David Ragan
8.Kurt Busch
9.Brian Vickers
10.Clint Bowyer
11.Trevor Bayne
12.Michael Waltrip
13.Juan Pablo Montoya
14.David Reutimann
15.Bobby Labonte
16.AJ Allmendinger
17.Greg Biffle
18.Regan Smith
19.Brad Keselowski
20.Carl Edwards
21.Jamie McMurray
22.Joe Nemechek
23.Ryan Newman
24.Marcos Ambrose
25.Matt Kenseth
26.Martin Truex Jr.
27.Jeff Burton
28.Travis Kvapil
29.Denny Hamlin
30.Tony Stewart
31.Kasey Kahne
32.Kevin Conway
33.Steve Park
34.Kyle Busch
35.Dave Blaney
36.Joey Logano
37.Andy Lally
38.Kevin Harvick
39.David Gilliland
40.Casey Mears
41.Terry Labonte
42.Bill Elliott
43.Sam Hornish Jr.

Texas Motor Speedway Lineup: Ragan Gets The Pole

David Ragan, the last driver of the top 35 drivers to qualify, took the pole position for Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. Ragan had a speed of 189.820 mph and 28.448 seconds. Carl Edwards qualified second, two tenths behind his pole sitting teammate. There was only one driver to fail to qualify - Travis Kvapil. The race coverage will begin at 7 PM ET on FOX tomorrow. Here is the complete unofficial lineup for the 500 mile race.

1)David Ragan
2)Carl Edwards
3)Clint Bowyer
4)Matt Kenseth
5)Regan Smith
6)Jimmie Johnson
7)Marcos Ambrose
8)Joey Logano
9)Greg Biffle
10)Kurt Busch
11)Kyle Busch
12)Jeff Burton
13)Kasey Kahne
14)Juan Pablo Montoya
15)AJ Allmendinger
16)Ryan Newman
17)Jamie McMurray
18)Trevor Bayne
19)Paul Menard
20)Michael McDowell
21)Mark Martin
22)Casey Mears
23)Denny Hamlin
24)Landon Cassill
25)David Reutimann
26)Tony Stewart
27)Brad Keselowski
28)Dale Earnhardt Jr.
29)Kevin Harvick
30)Brian Vickers
31)Martin Truex Jr.
32)Jeff Gordon
33)David Starr
34)Bobby Labonte
35)JJ Yeley
36)Mike Skinner
37)Joe Nemechek
38)Dave Blaney
39)Andy Lally
40)Robby Gordon
41)David Gilliland
42)Ken Schrader
43)Tony Raines

Results From Martinsville: Harvick Gets By Earnhardt Late In Race

Kevin Harvick has won his second consecutive race of the 2011 season. After passing Dale Earnhardt Jr. with a few laps to go, Harvick was able to take the checkered flag, followed by Earnhardt Jr., who held off Kyle Busch by a nose. There were a record 31 lead changes among 12 drivers and attendance was up to 60,000 from 68,000.

1.Kevin Harvick
2.Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3.Kyle Busch
4.Juan Pablo Montoya
5.Jeff Gordon
6.Matt Kenseth
7.Jamie McMurray
8.David Ragan
9.Clint Bowyer
10.Mark Martin
11.Jimmie Johnson
12.Denny Hamlin
13.Joey Logano
14.A.J. Allmendinger
15.David Reutimann
16.Kurt Busch
17.Brian Vickers
18.Carl Edwards
19.Brad Keselowski
20.Ryan Newman
21.Greg Biffle
22.Ken Schrader
23.Robby Gordon
24.Jeff Burton
25.Tony Raines
26.Landon Cassill
27.Bobby Labonte
28.Hermie Sadler
29.Marcos Ambrose
30.Dave Blaney
31.Regan Smith
32.Michael McDowell
33.David Gilliland
34.Tony Stewart
35.Trevor Bayne
36.Casey Mears
37.Travis Kvapil
38.Tony Menard
39.Kasey Kahne
40.Martin Truex Jr.
41.J.J. Yeley
42.Mike Skinner
43.Joe Nemechek

Jamie McMurray Wins Goody's Fast Relief 500 Pole

Jamie McMurray has won the pole for Sunday's race at Martinsville with a speed of 96.509 mph a lap time of 19.62 seconds. Track Position is key at this short track and may even be more important due to the tire issues. The excess "marbles" at the top of the track has made the racing groove very narrow making it more difficult to pass. Here is the unofficial lineup for Sunday's race.

1)Jamie McMurray
2)Ryan Newman
3)Kasey Kahne
4)Joey Logano
5)Denny Hamlin
6)AJ Allmendinger
7)Bobby Labonte
8)David Reutimann
9)Kevin Harvick
10)Regan SMith
11)Kyle Busch
12)Mark Martin
13)Brian Vickers
14)David Ragan
15)Clint Bowyer
16)Paul Menard
17)Jimmie Johnson
18)Martin Truex Jr.
19)Marcos Ambrose
20)Kurt Busch
21)Jeff Gordon
22)Brad Keselowski
23)Carl Edwards
24)Matt Kenseth
25)Trevor Bayne
26)Dale Earnhardt Jr.
27)Juan Pablo Montoya
28)Tony Stewart
29)Dave Blaney
30)Casey Mears
31)Travis Kvapil
32)Jeff Burton
33)Greg Biffle
34)Robby Gordon
35)Michael McDowell
36)David Gilliland
37)Joe Nemechek
38)Landon Cassil
39)Mike Skinner
40)Ken Schrader
41)Tony Raines
42)JJ Yeley
43)Hermie Sadler

Sprint Cup Results From Fontana

After close racing in the final laps of the Auto Club 500, Kevin Harvick slipped by Jimmie Johnson in the final corner of the event, taking the victory. Kyle Busch led the way with just a few laps remaining until Jimmie Johnson got by him, then Kevin Harvick.

There were 18 lead changes among 10 drivers and 4 cautions for 16 yellow flag laps. Attendance was up to 88,000 from the event last year. Note that they speedway only has one Sprint Cup event per season compared to two events last year.

Here are the full unofficial results following the race.

1.Kevin Harvick
2.Jimmie Johnson
3.Kyle Busch
4.Matt Kenseth
5.Ryan Newman
6.Carl Edwards
7.Clint Bowyer
8.Brian Vickers
9.Kasey Khane
10.Juan Pablo Montoya
11.Greg Biffle
12.Dale Earnhardt Jr.
13.Tony Stewart
14.AJ Allmendinger
15.Jeff Burton
16.Paul Menard
17.Kurt Busch
18.Jeff Gordon
19.David Reutimann
20.Mark Martin
21.Martin Truex Jr.
22.David Ragan
23.Jamie McMurray
24.Landon Cassill
25.Joey Logano
26.Brad Keselowski
27.Regan Smith
28.Marcos Ambrose
29.Casey Mears
30.Trevor Bayne
31.David Gilliland
32.Andy Lally
33.Ken Schrader
34.Robby Gordon
35.Travis Kvapil
36.Tony Raines
37.Dave Blaney
38.Bobby Labonte
39.Denny Hamlin
40.Todd Bodine
41.JJ Yeley
42.Joe Nemechek
43.Michael McDowell

Juan Pablo Montoya Wins Auto Club 400 Pole

After a crazy day at Auto Club Speedway with rainy weather and track seepage issues, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was finally able to get to practice and qualifying after a delay. Juan Pablo Montoya took the Sprint Cup pole for the event with a speed of 184.653 and a time of 38.992. There were no cars that did not make the race due to only a 43 car entry list. Here is the unofficial starting lineup for Sunday's race.

1)Juan Pablo Montoya
2)Denny Hamlin
3)Joey Logano
4)Regan Smith
5)Tony Stewart
6)David Ragan
7)Jeff Burton
8)Kyle Busch
9)Ryan Newman
10)Mark Martin
11)Matt Kenseth
12)Jamie McMurray
13)Marcos Ambrose
14)David Reutimann
15)Paul Menard
16)Jimmie Johnson
17)Clint Bowyer
18)Carl Edwards
19)Brian Vickers
20)AJ Allmendinger
21)Brad Keselowski
22)Kasey Kahne
23)Kurt Busch
24)Kevin Harvick
25)Martin Truex Jr.
26)Casey Mears
27)Trevor Bayne
28)Landon Cassill
29)Jeff Gordon
30)Dale Earnhardt Jr.
31)Greg Biffle
32)Dave Blaney
33)Bobby Labonte
34)Michael McDowell
35)Robby Gordon
36)Travis Kvapil
37)David Gilliland
38)Andy Lally
39)Ken Schrader
40)Joe Nemechek
41)Todd Bodine
42)Tony Raines
43)JJ Yeley

Kyle Busch Wins At Bristol

Kyle Busch has won yet again at Bristol - winning 5 races in a row in the Camping World Truck, Nationwide, and Sprint Cup Series combined.

After a race that was led by multiple different drivers who had come and gone, Kyle Busch was able to hold of Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson in the closing laps.

There were 19 lead changes with 8 drivers and 10 cautions for 57 yellow flag laps.

Here are the unofficial results:

1.Kyle Busch
2.Carl Edwards
3.Jimmie Johnson
4.Matt Kenseth
5.Paul Menard
6.Kevin Harvick
7.Kurt Busch
8.Greg Biffle
9.Kasey Kahne
10.Ryan Newman
11.Dale Earnhardt Jr.
12.Mark Martin
13.Bobby Labonte
14.Jeff Gordon
15.Marcos Ambrose
16.David Ragan
17.Martin Truex Jr.
18.Brad Keselowski
19.Tony Stewart
20.Jeff Burton
21.Jamie McMurray
22.Regan Smith
23.Joey Logano
24.Juan Pablo Montoya
25.Dave Blaney
26.Travis Kvapil
27.David Gilliland
28.Tony Raines
29.Bill Elliott
30.David Reutimann
31.A.J. Allmendinger
32.Andy Lally
33.Denny Hamlin
34.Trevor Bayne
35.Clint Bowyer
36.Brian Vickers
37.Casey Mears
38.Dennis Setzer
39.Robby Gordon
40.J.J. Yeley
41.Joe Nemecheck
42.Landon Cassill
43.Michael McDowell

NASCAR, Goodyear To Make Weekend Tire Change

Based upon the fact that the Bristol Motor Speedway is not gaining tire rubber on the surface during NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series practices, NASCAR will switch the tire compound for the teams this weekend. The tires will arrive later Friday night, so the Sprint Cup Series teams will qualify on the old tires and will practice on the new ones in practice on Saturday. The Nationwide Series will run the old tires in qualifying and the start of the race and will switch the tires on a competition caution during the race.

The move comes after the tires were laying down a powdery substance.

NASCAR 2010 = The Best Racing

Forget low TV ratings and lower track attendance. NASCAR 2010 has been one of the best years, if not the best as far as racing goes. The competition has been greater than ever, in every single race weekend. And if that continues, you can count on fans coming back to see more.

Not only was the season known for its "have at it boys" slogan, but it was known for its tight battle in the championship. Yes, Jimmie Johnson won, but it was one of the closest and best Chases NASCAR has ever seen.

Not to mention the other races.

There was more lead changes than ever before during the Sprint Cup races, averaging 25.4 changes.

There was an average high of 11.4 leaders in each event, the highest in history. Also adding to the great year, 55 drivers led a lap. Not to mention the 1,299 green flag passes for the lead, as well as 116,327 green flag passes in general.

Imagine being in charge of counting that.

So what does this all mean?

It means NASCAR may be in a slump as far as viewership goes, but the racing, which is really what matters, is the finest ever. If there continues to be a good show like there has been, then expect more people buying tickets.

So next time you say the racing is boring, think again. It could be a whole lot worse.


Thanks to Jayski.com for supplying the stats.