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*

Nationwide Series Results From Nashville

Carl Edwards dominated the Nationiwde race from Nashville Superspeedway, pulling away from Kyle Busch at the end of the race. Kyle Busch stayed close to the 60 of Edwards, however did not have the speed to pull off a pass and get away. The top four drivers consisted of Sprint Cup drivers, further sparking the discussion of whether Cup drivers should be involved in the Nationwide Series. Here are the unofficial results from Nashville:



1. Carl Edwards
2. Kyle Busch
3. Brad Keselowski
4. Joey Logano
5. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
6. Trevor Bayne
7. Austin Dillon
8. Reed Sorenson
9. Josh Wise
10. Aric Almirola
11. Justin Allgaier
12. Kenny Wallace
13. Elliott Sadler
14. David Reutimann
15. Jason Leffler
16. Ryan Truex
17. Steve Wallace
18. Mike Wallace
19. Michael Annett
20. David Stremme
21. Scott Wimmer
22. Brian Scott
23. Jeremy Clements
24. Kevin Conway
25. Blake Koch
26. Danny O'Quinn Jr.
27. J.R. Fitzpatrick
28. Morgan Shepherd
29. Mikey Kile
30. Derrike Cope
31. Mike Bliss
32. Eric McClure
33. Timmy Hill
34. Robert Richardson Jr.
35. Tim Schendel
36. Tim Andrews
37. Dennis Setzer
38. Mike Harmon
39. Matthew Carter
40. Carl Long
41. Willie Allen
42. Jeff Green
43. Johnny Chapman

Unofficial Starting Lineup For Nashville Nationwide Race

1. Joey Logano
2. Trevor Bayne
3. Austin Dillon
4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
5. David Reutimann
6. Kyle Busch
7. Carl Edwards
8. Elliott Sadler
9. Brad Keselowski
10. Brian Scott
11. Kenny Wallace
12. Josh Wise
13. Reed Sorenson
14. Justin Allgaier
15. Steve Wallace
16. Aric Almirola
17. Michael Annett
18. Mike Bliss
19. Jason Leffler
20. Ryan Truex*
21. J.R. Fitzpatrick
22. Mikey Kile
23. Danny O'Quinn Jr.
24. Kevin Conway
25. Shelby Howard
26. Mike Wallace
27. Timmy Hill
28. Jeremy Clements
29. Scott Wimmer
30. Blake Koch
31. Tim Andrews
32. Matthew Carter
33. Jeff Green
34. Eric McClure
35. Tim Schendel
36. Derrike Cope
37. Morgan Shepherd
38. Johnny Chapman
39. Carl Long
40. Dennis Setzer
41. Willie Allen
42. Robert Richardson Jr.
43. Mike Harmon

Final Panel Put Into Place For The World's Largest HD Video Board

(Image From Charlotte Motor Speedway's Facebook page)

Charlotte Motor Speedway finished a very big project recently. According to the speedway's Facebook page, the final panel for the largest HD video board has been put into place.

The picture, above, most likely does not do the size of this board justice. Here are some facts about the video board:

* There are more than nine million LED lamps

* The board is 200 feet wide and 80 feet tall

* The actual screen is 16,000 square feet

* The video board weighs 165,000 pounds

More facts about this board can be found at the Speedway's website, along with other information about the record breaking project.

The board will be functional by the NASCAR races next month.

Nashville On Track Schedule

It may be Easter weekend, and there may be no Sprint Cup Series race, however that doesn't stop the guys and girls of the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series. The two will be in Nashville Tennessee today and tomorrow for some racing action before heading back home to their families for the holiday.

Here is a rundown of the events taking place at Nashville, along with the TV schedule.


(ALL TIMES EASTERN)

Friday, April 22, 2011:
11:00 am - Truck Series Practice (Not on TV)

12:30 pm - Truck Series Practice (Not on TV)

3:30 pm - Nationwide Series Practice (Not on TV, but can be followed by NASCAR.com's live leaderboard)

5:00 pm - Truck Series qualifying (SPEED, trucks will hit the track at approximately 5:10)

6:30 pm - Nationwide Series final practice (ESPN2)

8:00 Pm - Truck Series race (SPEED)


Saturday, April 23, 2011:
Noon - Nationwide Qualifying (ESPN)

3:00 pm - Nationwide Race (ESPN)

Is it time for change in the Nationwide Series?

A few weeks ago, I was quick to defend the current NASCAR Nationwide Series points situation. With Sprint Cup competitors winning in NASCAR's minor league level, many were skeptical of Sprint Cup Series drivers running in the Nationwide Series.

Many said that the Sprint Cup Series drivers were taking the spotlight away from the Nationwide regulars - the drivers who were chasing the championship. So far, a Nationwide regular has not won this season.

The other side of the argument says that Sprint Cup Series drivers are needed to sell tickets and boost ratings, not to mention the attraction of major sponsors. The Cup drivers also help the Nationwide regulars learn more efficiently - after all they would be racing the competitors of NASCAR's top level.

As the season progresses, there is more reason for concern that a Nationwide regular will not win a single race in the season, but yet will win the championship. Personally, I do not believe this will be the case, however, since thinking more into this, I believe there is still a need for some concern.

NASCAR will not be able to satisfy everyone with this points rule, however, they can attempt to by compromising the two issues.

My idea is to allow Sprint Cup drivers to race in the series, but on a limited schedule. If NASCAR were to limit the amount of races one Sprint Cup Series driver can enter, perhaps to a number around ten, fans would be able to enjoy their favorite drivers racing at the more popular races - such as the restrictor plate races and others popular venues.

This would create an opening for championship contenders for many races - after all, the Cup drivers don't like certain tracks and therefore would not chose them.

This rule - in my opinion - would be perfect for the series. NASCAR's top stars could contend for wins and attract fans and sponsors, Nationwide drivers can win races and prove themselves, and NASCAR Nation will be happy.....right?

Well, at least it seems good in theory.

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.