NASCAR notes

2013 NASCAR All-Star Race Practice Notes and Final Driver Ratings

2013-05-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

All-Star race should produce some fun racing Saturday night

There wasn’t anything that occurred during Friday’s lone All-Star race practice session or qualifying to deter or enhance any opinion we had coming into this race. Kyle Busch was fastest during practice, running 23 laps with a top-speed at 190.127 mph in preparation for Saturday’s All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Right behind him with the third fastest lap was teammate Matt Kenseth at 188.042 mph.

The qualifying session that put Carl Edwards on the pole was more about having speed in and out of the pits with a quick four-tire change under the fun All-Star qualifying format, than it was about a car actually being fast. However, starting up front at least gives the first few drivers an early edge in the first segment.

Busch and Kenseth were considered the two drivers to beat based on combining to win on all 1.5-mile tracks this season, along with the 2-mile tri-oval at Fontana and the difficult 1.336-mile layout at Darlington. The Joe Gibbs drivers are batting 1.000 on all the tracks that require the most horsepower and Charlotte’s 1.5-mile high banked layout doesn’t figure to be much different.

Plain and simply, the Joe Gibbs organization is the team that has the Gen-6 car figured out the most on these type of tracks, the type that are essentially a gateway to a season championship.

Busch starts fifth, while Kenseth begins 14th. It shouldn’t take more than 10 laps for Busch to find his way to the lead in the first segment.

The one difference that could be argued for the 20 other drivers competing is that $1 million is at stake. For that kind of cash, people -- even drivers -- can do some out of the ordinary things. No points are on the line for this race, which also allows the drivers to run full-throttle for the big prize with little regard for how they finish, or what type of shape their car returns to the garage in.

A driver we made made special considerations for -- based on practice -- that we didn't expect was 2010 All-Star race winner Kurt Busch, who ended up having the second fastest single lap during practice and had the best 10-consecutive laps average. Busch wasn’t great at Las Vegas or Texas, but did finish fifth at Fontana and was 15th at Kansas. With this race being all about short runs, it’s possible that Busch could average a good enough finish in the first four 20-lap segments to have a favorable start position in the final 10-lap sprint. And then anything is possible.

If a Joe Gibbs car, including Denny Hamlin, doesn’t win Saturday night, it would be a surprise.

While rooting your bet in Saturday night, it would also serve the bettor well to pay close attention to some details of what transpires during the race that will help get a jump start in next week’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. Seven drivers have swept the two races in the same year with three drivers doing it in the past 10 seasons, the last being Kurt Busch in 2010.

Micah Roberts‘ Top-10 Driver Ratings
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Saturday, May 18, 2013 - 4:30 p.m. PT

Rating Driver Odds Practice 1 Qualified Las Vegas* Texas*

1. Kyle Busch 5/1 1st 5th 4th 1st
Four DNF’s in seven career starts, with two top-5 finishes, but has one of the fastest cars of race.
2. Matt Kenseth 6/1 3rd 14th 1st 12th
2004 winner with the best average finish (6.3) among active drivers over his 12 starts.
3. Jimmie Johnson 5/1 6th 19th 6th 6th
Three-time winner, including last season; second fastest 10-consecutive lap average in practice using third-place Kansas chassis.
4. Kasey Kahne 8/1 13th 10th 2nd 11th
2008 winner with four other wins in Charlotte point races; using ninth-place Kansas chassis.
5. Carl Edwards 12/1 7th 1st 5th 3rd
2011 winner with an 11.3 average finish; using fourth-place Fontana chassis.
6. Brad Keselowski 12/1 4th 13th 3rd 9th
Just on notch below Busch and Kenseth on these type of tracks; using third-place Bristol chassis.
7. Denny Hamlin 8/1 9th 18th 15th 8th (Vickers)
Two top-5 finishes with 12.5 career average; should be almost as good as teammates Busch and Kenseth.
8. Martin Truex Jr. 20/1 6th N/A 8th 2nd
Has to race his way in by finishing first or second in Sprint Showdown; eighth or better on all three 1.5-mile tracks in ’13.
9. Clint Bowyer 20/1 8th 7th 27th 15th
No top-10 finishes in four career starts; using brand new chassis this week.
10. Kurt Busch 30/1 2nd 3rd 20th 37th
2010 winner with three other top-5 finishes; had fastest 10-consecutive laps average in practice.

Note: The All-Star race is a non-points race consisting of five segments totaling 90 laps. The first four segments are 20-lap dashes followed by a final 10-lap sprint for a $1 million prize.

* Results from the March 10 Las Vegas race and April 13 Texas race, the most recent races run on tracks that are most similar to Charlotte’s 1.5-mile high banked layout.

Odds courtesy of the LVH Super Book.

Micah Roberts, a former sports book director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. For more Roberts insights on the race, go to The Linemakers on SportingNews.com or follow on Twitter: MicahRoberts7.

Kyle Busch Expecting Payback from Kahne, Maybe Even in All-Star Race

2013-05-17T16:33:00.000-07:00

CONCORD, N.C. — Kyle Busch is prepared for some payback. Not that he expects it from the typically respectful Kasey Kahne, but he knows it could happen.

Busch has wrecked Kahne three times this year, including twice in the last three weeks.

The wreck at Darlington Raceway last week came after Kahne passed Busch for the lead with 23 laps remaining.

“I’m sure there would be a moment where it would come back on me,” Busch said Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “I expect it. It’s fine.

“I just told Kasey, ‘Don’t make it hurt too bad.’ … I said it as a joke. I don’t think Kasey is that kind of guy but if it happens, I understand.”

At Darlington, Kahne had just passed Busch and Busch tried to pass him back on the inside. Busch’s car moved up the track in Turn 1 and he either clipped Kahne’s car or caused Kahne to lose control and smack the wall.

“We were racing as hard as we could,” Busch said. “He pulled a huge slide job on me in Turn 3 and I got back to his inside.

Read More Here.....Sporting News

Driver Chassis Selections for 2013 NASCAR All-Star Race

2013-05-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

Carl Edwards in the crowd following his 2011 All-Star race win

#2-Brad Keselowski: Primary Chassis for the All-Star race at Charlotte is PRS-845, which finished 3rd at Bristol in March. Backup Chassis is PRS-847, which has been a backup in a few races, but not raced.

#5-Kasey Kahne: Crew chief Kenny Francis has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-763 for Saturday's event. Most recently, Kahne drove this chassis at Auto Club Speedway on March 24, and he finished ninth. He also tested this chassis at Charlotte in December 2012 and January 2013.

#9-Marcos Ambrose: The #9 DeWalt team has prepared chassis No. 804 for the All-Star Race. The team tested this chassis at Charlotte Motor Speedway in January where they posted the fourth fastest speed of the day.

#10-Danica Patrick will pilot chassis 10-751 was first used by Patrick in March at Auto Club Speedway, where she started 40th and finished 26th. She then drove this car in April at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, where she started 25th and finished 25th.

#15-Clint Bowyer: primary chassis No. 773 is brand new for the Sprint All-Star Race. Backup chassis No. 724 served backup duty at Las Vegas, Fontana, Texas, Kansas and Darlington, but has yet to see the track this season.

#16-Greg Biffle: and the Matt Puccia led #16 3M Filtrete Ford team will bring primary chassis RK-817 to the All-Star race at Charlotte, which last raced at Kansas and earned a 19th-place finish. RK-817 is the same car that Biffle won Michigan with in the fall of 2012.

#17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: and the #17 Best Buy Racing team will be using primary chassis RK- 811 which raced numerous times by #99 in 2012. Backup chassis RK-791 raced numerous times by #99 in 2012.

#22-Joey Logano: Primary Chassis for the All-Star race at Charlotte is PRS-855 which is a new chassis. Backup Chassis is PRS-844, which has been a backup in a few races, but not raced.

#27-Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 386 in the Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This #27 Menards / Serta Chevrolet SS raced at Texas Motor Speedway in 2012, but has not previously run this season.

#29-Kevin Harvick: will pilot chassis No. 378 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race under the lights of Charlotte Motor Speedway. Harvick last drove this RCR Rheem/Budweiser machine to a 13th-place result at Auto Club Speedway in March.

#31-Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 393 this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This #31 Caterpillar Chevy was utilized five times during the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season at Auto Club Speedway, Darlington, Michigan, Atlanta and Kansas. Burton also piloted this machine earlier this season at Las Vegas and Kansas.

#39-Ryan Newman Chassis No. 39-727 debuted at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2012, when Newman finished 14th. The chassis made its last start of the 2012 season at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where Newman and the #39 team recorded a third-place finish. Chassis No. 39-727 was outfitted with a Chevrolet SS body over the winter, and it was wind-tunnel tested last week in preparation for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

#43-Aric Almirola:: The #43 Smithfield team has prepared chassis No. 742 for the Sprint Showdown. Almirola drove the chassis at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March where he drove from a 22nd starting spot to finish 16th.

#48-Jimmie Johnson: will drive chassis No. 784 for the Sprint All-Star Race last ran at Kansas in April finishing 3rd, before that was at Auto Club Speedway, finishing 12th. Chassis No. 720 serves as the backup.

#55-Mark Martin: is running Chassis 722 finished eighth at Bristol with Brian Vickers behind wheel. Backup chassis is 720.

#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.:crew chief Steve Letarte and the #88 crew will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-716. Earnhardt most recently raced this chassis to a 16th-place finish at Kansas Speedway in April.

#99-Carl Edwards the #99 Fastenal team will be bringing chassis RK-821 for the Sprint All-Star race weekend at Charlotte which last ran at Auto Club Speedway in April -- finishing fourth. Chassis RK-831 is the backup that was also the backup at Darlington last week. Carl Edwards will make his eighth appearance in the Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend. In his previous starts he has one win, three top-five and four top-10 finishes. Fastenal returns to the track in their primary paint scheme featuring suppliers GearWrench, Greenfield Industries, Port-a-cool and Blackstone on the hood, TV panel, deck-lid and B-post.

- compiled by Jayski.com

Johnson and Busch 5-to-1 Favorites to Win 2013 NASCAR All-Star Race

2013-05-15T09:43:00.001-07:00

3-time All-Star race winner Jimmie Johnson is 5/1 this week

LAS VEGAS -- Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch are 5-to-1 co-favorites to win Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, according to odds posted by the LVH SuperBook. Johnson, who leads the NASCAR points standings by a 44-point margin over Carl Edwards, is a three-time All-Star race winner. In 11 All-Star races, Johnson has finished in the top five seven times, including last season's victory.

If it weren't for Busch's terrible All-Star race history, he would have been closer to a 4-to-1 favorite due to his dominance on big-horsepower tracks this season. Busch won last month at Charlotte's sister track, Texas Motor Speedway, a high-banked 1.5-mile oval that closely resembles Charlotte. Busch also won at Fontana's two-mile track, which is wider and flatter than Charlotte, but allows drivers to generate the same type of power.

On the negative side for Busch are four DNFs in seven career All-Star events. In the three races he actually finished, he ended up in the top five twice. One of those DNFs was a battle he and his brother, Kurt, got into that ruined both of their days. They didn't speak to each other until Thanksgiving – six months later – after their grandmother intervened.

The younger Busch is going to be tough to beat Saturday night, but the most likely candidate to do so is teammate Matt Kenseth, who is listed at 6-to-1 odds. Kenseth has three first-place finishes on the season, all of which came at tracks that require big power, much like Busch's victories. Kenseth won at the 1.5-mile tracks at Las Vegas and Kansas, and then took the checkers last week on Darlington's 1.336-mile layout.

Kenseth, the 2004 All-Star race winner, has a 6.3 average finish in 12 career All-Star races, the best average among all active drivers, just ahead of Johnson's 6.6 average. Kenseth is also a two-time point-race winner at Charlotte, the latest victory coming in 2011. Incidentally, Kenseth became eligible for his first All-Star race after winning his first career race as a rookie in the 2000 Coca-Cola 600.

Read More Here........LVH All-Star Odds

2013 NASCAR All-Star Race Preview: Any Reason to Look Outside of Gibbs?

2013-05-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

The NASCAR Sprint Cup teams won’t have to do any traveling over the next two weeks, because their next two races will be at Charlotte, North Carolina, where most every driver and crew member live. Saturday night is the All-Star race where $1 million will be on the line for the winner to take home, and then the following week will be season’s longest race of the year, the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend.

Charlotte’s 1.5-mile high banked layout gives all the Cup teams another chance to see if they can beat anyone from the Joe Gibbs Racing stable. Between Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth, they have won at all three 1.5-mile tracks this season. The duo also won at California’s two-mile track and Darlington’s 1.336-mile track. That’s five tracks that require the most horsepower to get around than any other run so far, and five wins total for team Gibbs.

They might be batting 1.000 on the season, but when $1 million is up for grabs and there are no points involved like Saturday’s All-Star race, things figure to get very interesting. Busch, Kenseth and now with Denny Hamlin back in the mix, will all be the drivers to beat, but their competitors will not think twice about knocking them around.

Unlike other All-Star events in sports where they go through the motions, and don’t play any defense, making their event look nothing like the sport they play, NASCAR’s All-Star event usually produces better racing than we’ll see all season just because no one has to play it safe and no points are involved. And then they have that dangling carrot of $1 million to chase.

To be eligible for the All-Star race, a driver has to have won a points race in either 2012 or 2013, won an All-Star race within the last 10 years, or won a Sprint Cup title within the last 10 years. For all others who don’t meet the criteria, they can race themselves in by finishing first or second in the Sprint Showdown, a 40-lap qualifying race prior to the All-Star race. The final way a driver can get in is by fan voting.

Read More Here......Showdown and All-Star Predictions

Denny Hamlin in Good Shape to Compete with Gibbs Teammates Saturday Night

2013-05-14T15:17:00.002-07:00

Hamlin in great situation; his teammates have owned 1.5-mile tracks in '13

DENNY HAMLIN

Event: Sprint All-Star Race
Date/Time: May 18/9 p.m. ET
2012 winner: Jimmie Johnson
2012 polesitter: Kyle Busch
Distance: 90 laps/135 miles
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Banking: 24 degrees
Track Shape: Quad-Oval

EXPRESS NOTES:

All-Star Race Preview: Denny Hamlin will climb into the #11 FedEx Express Toyota in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the seventh start for Hamlin in the non-points exhibition event. One year ago, Hamlin started third and led 16 laps in the five segment, 90-lap race, but fell to 20th in the final 10-lap run won by Jimmie Johnson. Hamlin has recorded three top-10 finishes in six previous All-Star races, including career-best fourth-place runs in 2009 and 2010.

He has qualified for the All-Star Race in every season after his 2006 rookie campaign (2007-2012) by virtue of race wins. This year’s field will again compete for the $1 million first place prize, with an additional $1 million up for grabs if a driver can win all five segments in the race. Qualifying on Friday night will be comprised of three laps on the track as well as a mandatory four-tire pit stop by the FedEx Racing crew.

Darlington Recap: Hamlin finished second in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in his first full event since suffering a back injury on March 24, crossing the finish line 3.155 seconds behind teammate Matt Kenseth in the #11 Sport Clips Toyota. Hamlin qualified sixth and ran among the leaders throughout the 367-lap event on the 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval. Long green flag runs tested the FedEx Racing crew on pit road, and crew chief Darian Grubb made changes to the car to keep up with the track conditions after nightfall. In the end, the car was at its best for the final 30-lap run, with Hamlin following Kenseth to the checkered flag for the 1-2 Joe Gibbs Racing finish. Hamlin moved up four spots to 27th in the NASCAR standings following Darlington, 61 points behind Jeff Burton in 20th after 11 of 26 regular season races.

Charlotte Team Along for the Ride at the All-Star Race: This weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the #11 FedEx Express Toyota will carry the letters ‘CLTR’ on the b-posts to recognize the Air Ground & Freight Services operations teams in the Charlotte market.

FEDEX RACING CONVERSATION — DENNY HAMLIN:

What are your goals for the All-Star Race?
“Obviously, the All-Star Race is a great event for the fans and one that the drivers can hang it all on the line. The All-Star Race this year, for me, is another chance to get back into racing shape after missing a month or so. Last weekend at Darlington, it felt good to just be competitive again. Watching the races from the sidelines for really five weeks, it was tough. You know you can change things. You can do things to change your outcome. But you’re not in the race car. My back held up good, but I was more sore in the shoulders and neck, things like that. I have to get back in racing shape. It will take time to get back to where I need to be, and the All-Star Race will help that.”

- Weber Shandwick Worldwide for FedEx Racing

Kyle Busch Still Looking For First All-Star Race Win

2013-05-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

Kyle Busch has had four DNF's in seven All-Star race starts

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (May 14, 2013) – If there was one person who best described the attitude of everyone involved in Saturday night’s NASCARSprint All-Star Race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, it would be former track President H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler, who once called it a race in which the owner of the car tells the driver, “Bring me back the trophy or the steering wheel.”

While it’s uncertain whether team owner Joe Gibbs has said this to KyleBusch, driver of the No. 18 SNICKERS Bites Toyota Camry in the NASCARSprint Cup Series, the talented young driver certainly would be expected to do just that, even without the urging of the man who cuts his paycheck.

Busch locked in his spot for this year’s All-Star event – comprised primarily of 2012 and 2013 Sprint Cup race winners, plus past All-Star Race winners and past series champions – via his one series win in 2012 and two wins in NASCAR’s top series thus far in 2013. This year’s wins came at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., in March and Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth in April.

The Las Vegas native not only has earned the title of All-Star, he’s become one of the dominant forces in the elite Sprint Cup Series. His win at Texas last month was the 26th of his Sprint Cup career, and Busch now has 112 career wins in NASCAR’s top three divisions – Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck.

Busch was regarded as a potential star when he entered the Sprint Cup ranks full-time in 2005 as a raw 18-year-old, but he’s quickly transformed that star potential into bonafide all-star status since joining JGR at the beginning of 2008. And he’s continued to shine well into what is now his sixth season with JGR.

As a competitor who has tried to focus on racing smart during points-paying events week in and week out,Busch views Saturday’s non-points-paying All-Star Race as his annual opportunity to throw patience out the window at his own discretion.

Busch will debut a new scheme he hopes to find in victory lane on Saturday night with SNICKERS Bites. The brand new hunger-satisfying innovation that offers the trademark SNICKERS combination of chocolate, peanuts, caramel and nougat shrunk down into small, no fuss, “pop ’em in your mouth” milk chocolate cubes. The unwrapped treats are ideal for sharing, whether while watching a movie, attending a gathering, or for fans cheering Busch to victory lane.

So, as fans keep an eye out for the SNICKERS Bites Toyota come Saturday night, there’s nothing more than money and pride on the line. Whether Busch brings back the trophy or the steering wheel, it’s a safe bet he’ll be exciting to watch.

KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:

What driving style does it take to succeed in the All-Star race?
“I think just being aggressive and knowing when to be aggressive and how to be aggressive is the biggest thing. It’s a race where you have to get to the front and you have to get out there and get yourself, more importantly, in clean air in order to keep yourself out front and on your own.”

What skills have you used to find success in the All-Star race?
“I’ve been aggressive and I’ve been maybe too aggressive at points and not aggressive enough at other points. Last year, we just ran a clean race and didn’t really do much aggressive driving or anything and we ended up fourth. Maybe there was a little bit more that needed to be done but, overall, it was a good week there for us last year and also our second-place run in 2011.”

To what do you attribute the early season success for Joe Gibbs Racing? Do you expect much of the same the next two weekends at Charlotte?
“It’s a combination of a lot of hard work by everyone at JGR. It starts with Joe (Gibbs) and our sponsors being able to give those guys the resources they need to have fast racecars. All three teams have been fast this year and I expect, with Denny (Hamlin) back, we should be strong with communication between the three of us. It really comes down to everyone at the shop working hard and working together and they’ve given us cars fast off the truck every week. I think it’s motivated those guys even more and I’m sure we’ll be strong again the next couple of weekends. I’ve never won a Cup race at Charlotte, so it would be pretty awesome if we could be the guys at JGR to keep our momentum up and win oneSaturday night with our SNICKERS Bites Camry.”

What does it mean to be a part of the All-Star Race in this sport?
“It matters, especially with who your fellow competitors are. For us, being an all-star and being in the All-Star Race is one of the most fun things we get to do each year. I’d say the Sprint Unlimited is another one of those and, with the All-Star Race, they are certainly two fun races where we get a chance to go after just a win and bring home the checkered or the wrecker. It’s an exciting night and there’s a lot of energy there. Charlotte does a great job. I think it’s an awesome venue for that race. It gives you the opportunity to run, whether it’s a 40-lap segment, 25-lap segment, 10-lap segment – it gives you the opportunity to run that many qualifying laps in a row. That’s all you’re doing – you’re giving it all you’ve got every single lap. You’re definitely up on top of the wheel and your guys do the best they can to give you a good car and to make it as lightweight as possible and throw away the air conditioning unit and keep all the front fans away from you – no radiator fan. All that stuff, just try to lighten that baby up and make it fast.”

What drivers do you think are best suited for the All-Star Race?
“You look at the guys who are really good who qualify well. I think qualifying well can always lend itself to racing the All-Star Race well because you’re running however many laps that segment is. You’re running that many qualifying laps in a row. You’re just trying to get the most you can out of your car there. It’s sometimes hard to pass because the guy in front of you is trying to get the most out of his car and so are you, so you just can’t get there.”

- True Speed Communication for Mars USA/Joe Gibbs Racing

Martin Truex Jr. a Prohibitive Favorite to Win Sprint Showdown

2013-05-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

Martin Truex Jr. finished second at Texas, the sister track of Charlotte.

LAS VEGAS -- The LVH SuperBook has installed Martin Truex Jr. as the overwhelming 9-to-5 favorite to win Saturday's Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Showdown is a 40-lap qualifying event that gives the top two finishers a chance to compete for $1 million in the Sprint All-Star Race that follows.

The runner-up advances to the big race, but does not cash at the sports books; only the winner gets the money.

You could make a good argument that Truex Jr. should be listed as one of the favorites to win the All-Star race should he advance. Charlotte's 1.5-mile high-banked track is similar to Texas, where Truex Jr. finished second to Kyle Busch in April. You can throw the other 1.5-mile tracks into the equation as well and see that he finished eighth in Las Vegas and fourth at Kansas. Only Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson have finished eighth or better on all three 1.5-mile tracks run on this season.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya are all listed next at 9-to-2, followed by Paul Menard at 5-to-1 and Aric Almirola at 8-to-1.

The Earnhardt-Ganassi duo of McMurray and Montoya seems to have made major strides in the Gen-6 car over the past four races. They have found some speed, and it's showing not only in practice, but on race day as well. Menard finished 10th at both Las Vegas and Kansas, while Almirola was seventh at Texas.

An interesting look at 20-to-1 is Jeff Burton. He doesn't have a quality finish in any of the three 1.5-mile tracks this season, but he does have the Richard Childress resources backing him. Burton's teammates, Menard and Kevin Harvick, have run very consistently on this type of track this year. Burton also has three wins at Charlotte over his career, the last coming in the 2008 Coca-Cola 600.

Read More Here.......Sprint Showdown Odds

Kevin Harvick is 15-to-1 to Win His Second All-Star Race

2013-05-14T13:09:00.001-07:00

Kevin Harvick is 15-to-1 to win All-Star race

Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Rheem/Budweiser Chevrolet SS
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race Event Preview Fact Sheet

This Week’s Rheem/Budweiser Chevrolet SS at Charlotte Motor Speedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot chassis No. 378 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race under the lights of Charlotte Motor Speedway. Harvick last drove this RCR machine to a 13th-place result at Auto Club Speedway in March.

Proven Winner … Saturday night’s event marks Harvick’s 13thappearance in the NASCAR exhibition race, dating back to 2001. In 2007, the RCR veteran visited Victory Lane following the marquee event. Harvick has collected a total of two top-five and seven top-10 finishes throughout the years, and is credited with 62 lap led.

Gotta Have a Rheem … Rheem Manufacturing Company (www.rheem.com) is privately held with headquarters in Atlanta and U.S. operations in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Indiana, North Carolina and Texas. In its 88th year of operation, the company manufactures a full-line of eco-friendly, technologically advanced residential and commercial heating and cooling systems; tank, tankless, solar and hybrid heat pump water heaters; whole-home standby generators, controls, swimming pool and spa heaters; indoor air-purification products; and commercial boilers throughout North America and world markets. The company’s premium brands, including Rheem, Raypak, Ruud and Richmond have been recognized with countless industry and consumer awards for reliability, innovative design and high quality. Rheem is the official heating, cooling and water heating supplier to Richard Childress Racing, and is a primary sponsor of RCR’s No. 29 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and RCR’s No. 33 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

New BUD 360° App … As the Sprint Cup Series teams compete at Charlotte Motor Speedway the next two weekends, fans can experience what it’s like to hit speeds of up to 190 mph at the speedway with the new interactive BUD 360° app. The King of Beers’ innovative new app utilizes surround video technology to provide users with a 360-degree look inside Harvick’s Sprint Cup Series ride as the driver completes several laps around the 1.5-mile track. While Harvick controls the wheel, the consumer controls the view, allowing them to experience the sensation of speed in never-before-seen angles. The app is available for free in the Apple App Store for both iPhone and iPad users. The Budweiser Racing 360° video also is accessible on desktop computers at www.budweiser.com.

Champion Chat … Harvick will participate in his monthly Champion Chat on Tuesday, May 14, at 7 p.m. Eastern Time answering fan questions via Twitter and TweetChat.com. To ask a question, simply log on to TweetChat.com or Federal-Mogul’s @ChampionParts Twitter feed and add the #ChampionChat hashtag to the end of each tweet. Harvick’s video “Touts” will be available through the @ChampionParts Twitter feed as well as www.Tout.com (search for “#TeamChampion”).

Race Rewind … Harvick and the No. 29 team captured a sixth-place finish during the 2012 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, after battling a tight-handling condition throughout the non-points event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:

Share your thoughts on participating in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.
“I was fortunate enough to win this race back in 2007. You definitely would rather win the All-Star race, than not. It’s one of the marquee races in our sport that you want to win. Charlotte (Motor Speedway) hasn’t been a great track for us, but we have had some success there throughout the years. The All-Star race was one of our successes; it was definitely a cool race to win.”

What are your thoughts on the new format for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race this season?
“Anytime they put that much money in front of anybody it’s going to cause things to rise to another level. Take the points away from that and you really have some unique scenarios that come up. I think adding the bonus for winning all five segments is really going to add a twist to the event as well, especially for the driver who wins the first segment. They’re going to be giving it all they have to try and win the remaining segments to collect the additional $1 million bonus. It’s always fun when you know there is really nothing on the line but to win. If you do, then usually there is a big check waiting for you at the end so that gives you some bragging rights and a lot of money.”

How much does the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race help to prepare you and the team for the Coca-Cola 600?
“Usually, we can get a glimpse into the future, primarily in the engine department. They’ll test out a few different things to try to see what we might be able to utilize the following weekend. We also get to be on the race track under conditions similar to those we’ll see during the Coca-Cola 600. The extra track time will really help us determine how these new cars are going to handle under the lights at Charlotte (Motor Speedway).”

- Richard Childress Racing

LVH Super Book Odds to Win 97th Indianapolis 500

2013-05-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

Marco Andretti posted fastest lap of month at Indy

INDIANAPOLIS 500
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, MAY 26, 2013

SCOTT DIXON 5
DARIO FRANCHITTI 6
JAMES HINCHCLIFFE 7
HELIO CASTRONEVES 7
RYAN HUNTER-REAY 10
TONY KANAAN 10
RYAN BRISCOE 10
MARCO ANDRETTI 15
WILL POWER 15
GRAHAM RAHAL 15
ORIOL SERVIA 25
AJ ALLMENDINGER 15
ED CARPENTER 30
TAKUMA SATO 30
ALEX TAGLIANI 40
JUSTIN WILSON 40
JR HILDEBRAND 40
SIMON PAGENAUD 50
TOWNSEND BELL 75
JAMES JAKES 75
CHARLIE KIMBALL 75
MIKE CONWAY 100
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS 100
CONOR DALY 100
SIMONA DE SILVESTRO 100
CARLOS MUNOZ 100
BUDDY RICE 200
EJ VISO 100
JOSEF NEWGARDEN 200
FIELD 30

LVH Super Book Updated Odds to Win 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Title

2013-05-13T14:31:00.002-07:00

Matt Kenseth is 5/1 to win Cup Championship after Darlington win

2013 SPRINT CUP CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS FOLLOWING DARLINGTON

JIMMIE JOHNSON 5-2
BRAD KESELOWSKI 10
DENNY HAMLIN 12
KYLE BUSCH 7
KASEY KAHNE 8
MATT KENSETH 5
JEFF GORDON 15
TONY STEWART 50
CLINT BOWYER 12
GREG BIFFLE 25
CARL EDWARDS 12
MARTIN TRUEX JR 30
DALE EARNHARDT JR 15
KEVIN HARVICK 18
JOEY LOGANO 60
RYAN NEWMAN 200
KURT BUSCH 100
MARCOS AMBROSE 200
PAUL MENARD 100
JEFF BURTON 300
JAMIE McMURRAY 60
JUAN MONTOYA 60
RICKY STENHOUSE JR 100
ARIC ALMIROLA 100
DANICA PATRICK 5000
FIELD 500

2013 NASCAR All-Star Race Facts

2013-05-13T14:23:00.001-07:00

NASCAR Sprint All-Star Wins List

Year Driver Year Driver

1985 Darrell Waltrip 1999 Terry Labonte

1986 Bill Elliott 2000 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

1987 Dale Earnhardt 2001 Jeff Gordon

1988 Terry Labonte 2002 Ryan Newman

1989 Rusty Wallace 2003 Jimmie Johnson

1990 Dale Earnhardt 2004 Matt Kenseth

1991 Davey Allison 2005 Mark Martin

1992 Davey Allison 2006 Jimmie Johnson

1993 Dale Earnhardt 2007 Kevin Harvick

1994 Geoff Bodine 2008 Kasey Kahne

1995 Jeff Gordon 2009 Tony Stewart

1996 Michael Waltrip 2010 Kurt Busch

1997 Jeff Gordon 2011 Carl Edwards

1998 Mark Martin 2012 Jimmie Johnson

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2013 Top 12 at Charlotte Motor Speedway In the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race

	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Jimmie Johnson	11	1	3	7	7	1	6.6	104.9
2	Carl Edwards	7	0	1	3	4	3	11.3	83.6
3	Matt Kenseth	12	2	1	5	9	1	6.3	91.1
4	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	13	0	1	4	10	1	8.4	76.3
5	Clint Bowyer	4	0	0	0	0	0	15.0	47.3
6	Kasey Kahne	9	1	1	1	3	4	12.3	76.1
7	Brad Keselowski	4	0	0	1	2	0	11.0	57.8
8	Kyle Busch	7	3	0	2	3	4	12.4	106.7
9	Aric Almirola	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	-
10	Kevin Harvick	12	0	1	2	7	3	10.5	79.8
11	Paul Menard	1	0	0	0	0	0	16.0	58.1
12	Jeff Gordon	19	0	3	6	9	4	9.5	84.0

NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race:

Notebook

· There have been 28 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Races.

· The first NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race was in 1985.

· 27 have been held at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In 1986, the event was held at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and won by Bill Elliott. That season was also the first year for what is now known as the Sprint Showdown.

· 89 drivers have run in at least one NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, with 75 competing in more than one.

· There have been 19 different winners of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

· NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip won the inaugural NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race in 1985 at 161.184 mph.

· Mark Martin has participated in 23 races, more than any other driver. Terry Labonte has participated in 20, followed by Jeff Gordon with 19.

· The race has featured a field that ranged from 10 drivers in 1986 to 27 in 2002. Last season’s field had 23 participants.

· Dale Earnhardt (1987, 1990 and 1993), Jeff Gordon (1995, 1997 and 2001) and Jimmie Johnson (2003, 2006 and 2012) are the only three-time winners of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race.

· Davey Allison (1991 and 1992), Terry Labonte (1988 and 1999) and Mark Martin (1998 and 2005) are the only other drivers to post multiple victories in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Allison is the only driver to ever win consecutive All-Star events.

· Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000) and Ryan Newman (2002) are the only drivers to win the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race in their rookie season.

· Jeff Gordon is the youngest winner of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at 23 years, 9 months and 18 days (1995). Mark Martin is the oldest at 46 years, 4 months and 12 days (2005).

· In two starts Joey Logano leads the series with an average finish of 5.5 in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

· Eight drivers including Joey Logano, have an average finish in the top 10 for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race:Matt Kenseth (6.2), Jimmie Johnson (6.6), Marcos Ambrose (7.0), Tony Stewart (7.7), Dale Earnhardt Jr.(8.3), Ryan Newman (9.2) and Jeff Gordon (9.5).

· Terry Labonte won the inaugural Coors Light pole for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race in 1985.

· 15 drivers have won Coors Light poles at Charlotte for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, led by Bill Elliott with five. Kyle Busch leads all active drivers with three.

· Three drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race: Davey Allison(1991, 1992) Bill Elliott (1997, 1998) and Kyle Busch (2011, 2012).

· The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race has been won from the pole position four times; the first three came in consecutive years: Dale Earnhardt (1990) and Davey Allison (1991 and 1992). Kurt Busch posted the fourth win from the pole in 2010.

· The front row starting positions are the two most proficient starting positions in the field, producing more winners (four each) than any other starting positions in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

· Eight of the 28 (28.5%) NASCAR Sprint All-Star Races have been won from the front row: four from the pole and four from second-place.

· 21 of the 28 (75.0%) NASCAR Sprint All-Star Races have been won from a top-10 starting position.

· Two of the 28 (7.1%) NASCAR Sprint All-Star Races have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

· The deepest in the field a NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race winner has started was 27th, by Ryan Newman in 2002.

· Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won seven NASCAR Sprint All-Star Races: Jeff Gordon (three), Jimmie Johnson (three) and Terry Labonte (one).

· NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the series in top-five finishes in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race with nine; followed by Tony Stewart (eight) and Jimmie Johnson (seven).

· Bill Elliott leads the series in top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race with 13; followed by Dale Earnhardt with 12. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin lead all active drivers with 10 each.

· Five drivers have won the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in the same year: Darrell Waltrip (1985), Dale Earnhardt (1987, 1990, 1993), Rusty Wallace (1989), Jeff Gordon (1995, 1997, 2001) and Jimmie Johnson (2006).

· In 2008, Kasey Kahne became the first driver to get into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race by the Sprint Fan Vote and go on to win the event.

· Seven times from seven different drivers has the winner of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race gone on to win the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway the following weekend: Darrell Waltrip (1985), Davey Allison(1991), Dale Earnhardt (1993), Jeff Gordon (1997), Jimmie Johnson (2003), Kasey Kahne (2008) and Kurt Busch (2010).

· The record for lead changes in a NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race is 10 in 2004.

· The record for different leaders in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race is nine in 2002.

· The series best Driver Rating performance by a NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race winner was Carl Edwardsposting a 141.7 in 2011.

Charlotte Motor Speedway Data

Track Size: 1.5 miles

· Banking Turns: 24 degrees

· Banking/Frontstretch: 5 degrees

· Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees

· Frontstretch: 1,980 feet

· Backstretch: 1,500 feet

Top 12 Driver Rating at Charlotte

List consists of drivers with more than one NASCAR Sprint All-Star race start

Kyle Busch............................... 106.7

Jimmie Johnson........................ 104.9

Matt Kenseth............................. 91.1

Jeff Gordon................................ 84.0

Carl Edwards............................. 83.6

Ryan Newman........................... 82.4

Kurt Busch................................ 81.9

Mark Martin............................... 80.6

Joey Logano.............................. 80.5

Greg Biffle.................................. 80.5

Kevin Harvick............................. 79.8

Brian Vickers............................. 79.6

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2012 NASCAR Sprint All-Star races (eight total).

2013 NASCAR All-Star Race Storylines

2013-05-13T14:13:00.003-07:00

Johnson grabbed the $1 million check in 2012

No points. No problem. Just follow the money.

That’s the easiest way to describe Saturday night’s 29th NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Twenty-two drivers will battle for a winner’s payout of more than $1 million without worrying that failure might damage their Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ chances.

The strategy is simple enough: Checkers or wreckers. Just bring back the steering wheel – as long as you’re carrying it to Victory Lane.

The odds favor defending All-Star Race winner Jimmie Johnson, a three-time event winner. He shares the all-time victory record Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt.

Parity, however, has been the watchword in recent All-Star races: 12 different winners in the most recent 14 events, six of them NASCAR Sprint Cup champions.

A surprise is who hasn’t won the event, starting with Joe Gibbs Racing. That may change this year as JGR’s lineup contains two of the season’s hottest competitors. Matt Kenseth, the 2004 All-Star winner, counts three victories. Kyle Busch has won twice. The pair has led a combined 1,521 laps during the season’s first 11 races.

Three All-Star berths remain up for grabs. The top-two finishers of the Sprint Showdown will transfer. The winner of the Sprint Fan Vote gets the final starting slot. Among those on the outside looking in are Sunoco Rookie of the Year rivals Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

The NASCAR Nationwide Series takes a one-week breather in advance of the May 25 History 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch won his fifth race of the season at Darlington Raceway, adding to the lustrous resume of crew chief Adam Stevens. The former JGR NASCAR Sprint Cup engineer has won 14 times with Busch and Joey Logano during the past two seasons. The Stevens-led No. 54 JGR Toyota team holds a 20-point NNS owner championship lead.

Matt Crafton, a former North Carolina Education Lottery 200 winner, attempts to add to his championship lead as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway Friday night. Kyle Busch chases Charlotte truck win No. 5 while reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski – second a year ago – wants to join his father, Bob Keselowski, as the only father-son winners in the series record book.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES – SPRINT ALL-STAR RACE, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 7:30 P.M. EDT ON SPEED

Parity Reigns In NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
No surprise; five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson has won three NASCAR Sprint All-Star Races, tied for most among active competitors with teammate Jeff Gordon. But he’s the only driver to have won more than once in the most recent 14 editions of Saturday night’s non-points event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It speaks to the depth of NASCAR’s premier series but also the quality of the All-Star’s winners – six NASCAR Sprint Cup champions claiming eight victories in the event beginning in 1999.

Gibbs Drivers ‘No Shows’ In Sprint All-Star Victory Lanes
Seven different organizations have won NASCAR Sprint All-Star Races since 1997. Amazingly enough, Joe Gibbs Racing is not among them. It’s a small sample – one game in 1987 – but Gibbs also is 0-for-1 as a National Football League Pro Bowl coach. This could be the week that JGR ends the drought based upon its performance this season to date. JGR drivers – led by 2004 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race winner Matt Kenseth – have won five of the schedule’s first 11 races and led nearly 50% of the laps contested.

Hard-Charging Busch Still Chasing All-Star Victory
With more than $1 million to win and no points awarded, little wonder that most drivers approach the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race with a checkers or wreckers mentality. For Kyle Busch, the strategy leans heavily toward the latter result – four failures to finish in seven All-Star appearances, three of the DNFs due to accident. The race format, five segments ending with a 10-lap "trophy dash" would appear tailor-made for the hard-charging Busch – especially this year in which he’s won twice and led seven of 11 races for 740 laps.

Sprint All-Star Field Has 19 Qualifiers; Three More To Come
The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race field of 19 drivers is comprised of 2012-13 NASCAR Sprint Cup winners; the past 10 NASCAR Sprint All-Star winners; the past 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup champions; the top-two finishers from the Sprint Showdown and the winner of the Sprint Fan Vote. Among those attempting to race their way into the All-Star race are Jeff Burton, Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard, Juan Pablo Montoya, Martin Truex Jr., and rookie contenders Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Sprint Fan Voting continues through 5 p.m. EDT, May 18 viaNASCAR.com/SprintFanVote. Votes cast on NASCAR Mobile ’13 count twice.

Being In It Means You’ve Got A Chance To Win It
Qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race via the Sprint Showdown or Fan Vote is akin to winning the lottery: You have a potential $1 million winning ticket but the odds against you are long. Still, being in it means you can win it. Three non-automatic qualifiers have won the big prize in the 28-year history of the event. Kasey Kahne was the most recent to defy the odds, punching his winning NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race ticket via the ballot box. Two "transfer" drivers went on to win – Ryan Newman in 2002 and Michael Waltrip in 1996.

Johnson Holds Standings Serve But Kenseth Closes
NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers take a one-week breather from the points wars but Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race will provide crucial data for how their Gen-6 cars will perform in the season’s longest event – the May 25 Coca-Cola 600. Jimmie Johnson continues as the standings leader by 44 points over Carl Edwards. Darlington winner Matt Kenseth gained a spot, from fourth to third, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Clint Bowyer completing the top five. Kenseth’s three victories – potentially worth nine Chase bonus points – lead all winners.

- NASCAR Media Services

Matt Kenseth Wins First Career Race at Darlington

2013-05-13T14:07:00.003-07:00

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

DARLINGTON, S.C.—Unsinkable.

Unsinkable Matt Kenseth capped a banner week for unsinkable Joe Gibbs Racing with a victory in Saturday night's Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway with a substitute crew chief on his pit box—the unsinkable Wally Brown.

The past four days could hardly have been better for JGR, with Wednesday bringing a substantial reduction in penalties on appeal for an engine infraction Apr, 21 at Kansas. On Friday, Gibbs cars ran 1-2-3 in the Nationwide Series race at Darlington, and the organization followed that Saturday with a 1-2 finish from Kenseth and Denny Hamlin in the 11th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the season.

Kenseth took the lead from JGR teammate Kyle Busch on Lap 355 of 367 and pulled away to win by 3.155 seconds over Hamlin, as Busch faded to sixth. Hamlin also had much to celebrate in his first full race back from a compression fracture to his first lumbar vertebra, sustained during a last-lap crash at Fontana, Calif., in late March.

It was a race of significant numbers. Jeff Gordon finished third in his 700th Cup start, all consecutive. Jimmie Johnson ran fourth and extended his series lead to a massive 44 points over seventh-place finisher Carl Edwards. In a race that saw just four drivers pace the field, Kyle Busch led 265 laps but faded to sixth at the finish, thanks to a cut tire on the final 30-lap green-flag run.

Journeyman Brown won his first race as a Cup crew chief, after serving with four different drivers before his one-week shot on the pit box with Kenseth, who will get regular crew chief Jason Ratcliff back next week at Charlotte after Ratcliff's six-race suspension for an underweight connecting rod was reduced to one event on appeal.

But the day belonged to Kenseth, whose resilience under trying circumstances was emblematic of the organization he joined this season.

"Honestly, I've only dreamed about winning the Southern 500," said Kenseth, who notched his first victory at Darlington, his third of the season and the 27th of his career. "This to me probably feels bigger than any win in my career. I really feel bad that Jason isn't here. This is obviously his team and his effort, but Wally did a great job filling in.

"We had a fifth- or sixth-place car, fighting loose, (and) those last two adjustments (on pit road) were just awesome."

For Hamlin, second place was the best he could have hoped for, given the strength of Kenseth's car in the closing laps.

"For me, we kept grinding away," Hamlin said, clearly tired from the effort of his first race back at one of NASCAR racing's most demanding tracks. "Pit crew picked us up some spots, obviously, throughout the night.

"It was one of those days where we got our car better, pit crew picked us up positions, took us to the most optimum spot we could get to—and that was second."

From a physical standpoint, Hamlin admitted the race took its toll.

"Really, it's just like starting your season over," he said. "To start it back over at Darlington for 500 miles, there's some muscles that have gotten weak. I've gotten pretty sore and tired, mentally tired as well. We'll have a couple of weeks really to rest until the next long event (Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte), and we'll be good to go then."

A caution for Regan Smith's spin off Turn 2 on Lap 302 of 367—only the second yellow of the race—interrupted a cycle of green-flag pit stops. After Juan Pablo Montoya took a free pass as the highest scored lap car, and Harvick availed himself of a wave-around, there were 11 cars on the lead lap for a restart on Lap 309.

By then, Kyle Busch had led 218 laps and had dominated the race ever since he wrested the lead from his brother, polesitter Kurt Busch on Lap 74. But the pit stops on Lap 303 put the lead-lap cars on the edge of their fuel windows.

They need not have worried. On Lap 311, Casey Mears tangled with Kurt Busch and reigning series champion Brad Keselowski off Turn 4 to cause the third caution. All but the top-four cars came to pit road for fuel under the yellow, leaving Kyle Busch, Kenseth, Kasey Kahne and Gordon out front on slightly older tires.

Johnson was first off pit road with new tires and quickly moved to third. Busch fended off a challenge from Kahne right after the restart and held a lead of .850 seconds when an accident involving David Reutimann and Josh Wise brought out the fourth caution and gave the lead-lappers a chance to pit for tires.

Kahne briefly took the lead after a restart on Lap 333, but one lap later, Kahne's Chevy slapped the wall near the apex of Turns 1 and 2 and the race went yellow for the fifth time.

The result was the same. Busch pulled away after the restart and opened a comfortable advantage, this time over Kenseth, only to have Kenseth run him down and pass him on Lap 355.

Darlington Post-Practice Betting Notes and Final Driver Ratings

2013-05-11T08:54:00.000-07:00

Kurt Busch on pole at Darlington

It would only seem fitting that Kurt Busch would be the pole sitter for Saturday night's Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Not only is Busch reliving 10-year anniversary memories from his classic runner-up finish to Ricky Craven from 2003, but he's also driving a car with some historical significance. Significant, at least to the people in Las Vegas.

When Regan Smith drove the No. 78 to a stunning upset win at Darlington in 2011, it was the highest payout ever for a NASCAR race in Las Vegas. A few lucky bettors who had the foresight to believe Smith had a chance in that race got paid out at 500-to-1 odds.

This week, Busch's odds are listed at only 40-to-1, but he's shown over the course of 2013 that his underfunded Denver Mattress team can compete with the elite teams on a regular basis. On Friday, he was fastest in the final practice session -- while in qualifying trim -- and then laid down the fastest lap in qualifying at 181.918 to set a new track record.

We're not quite sure if Busch can recreate some of that magic from 2003 -- still his best finish at Darlington -- or match what Smith did in 2011, but he did crack our top-10 list of drivers this week for the first time all season. His quality practices this season haven't just been in qualifying trim, either. He's transferred all of his good practices over into great race-day performances.

Of the two practice sessions run on Friday afternoon, the first session should be considered the most important when trying to identify who might be the winner Saturday night. The final session was run with lots of mock-qualifying runs where only four drivers attempted 10-consecutive laps or more. But in the early session, 18 drivers ran 10-consecutive laps.

Read More Here......Final Driver Ratings for Darlington

Updated LVH Super Book Odds to Win 2013 Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington

2013-05-10T16:47:00.003-07:00

Earnhardt Jr practiced well Friday and is 20/1 to win first race at Darlington

BOJANGLES SOUTHERN 500
DARLINGTON RACEWAY
SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2013

JIMMIE JOHNSON 9-2
KYLE BUSCH 9-2
MATT KENSETH 7
KASEY KAHNE 8
DENNY HAMLIN 8
BRAD KESELOWSKI 18
CARL EDWARDS 10
GREG BIFFLE 12
JEFF GORDON 12
DALE EARNHARDT JR 20
CLINT BOWYER 20
KEVIN HARVICK 18
MARTIN TRUEX JR 10
TONY STEWART 30
JOEY LOGANO 35
MARK MARTIN 60
RICKY STENHOUSE JR 60
KURT BUSCH 25
RYAN NEWMAN 100
JUAN MONTOYA 60
JAMIE McMURRAY 75
PAUL MENARD 200
MARCOS AMBROSE 200
ARIC ALMIROLA 150
JEFF BURTON 150
TREVOR BAYNE xxxx
REGAN SMITH 500
DANICA PATRICK 1000
DAVID RAGAN 1000
FIELD 300

Final Darlington Driver Ratings: 2013 Bojangles Southern 500

2013-05-10T16:42:00.002-07:00

Micah Roberts‘ Top-10 Driver Ratings
Bojangles Southern 500
Darlington Raceway
Saturday, May 11, 2013 - 4:05 p.m. PT

Rating Driver Odds Practice 1 Practice 2 Qualified Darlington ‘12*

1. Kyle Busch 5/1 6th 10th 3rd 4th
2008 winner with a 15.5 average finish; gets high marks because power on 1.5-mile tracks.
2. Jeff Gordon 12/1 26th 8th 8th 35th
Seven-time winner, including four straight Southern 500’s from 1995-98; making 700th career Cup start.
3. Jimmie Johnson 6/1 16th 15th 2nd 1st
Three-time winner, including last fall, with 9.1 average finish --second best among active drivers.
4. Clint Bowyer 18/1 2nd 19th 13th 11th
Best finish of ninth of 2007, but had a strong showing in practices with good average speeds
5. Brad Keselowski 12/1 22nd 31st 26th 15th
Career best third-place in 2011 with a 9.3 average finish; using fourth-place Phoenix chassis.
6. Martin Truex Jr. 12/1 7th 9th 5th 5th
Had best career finish last season; 11.3 average finish one of his best; practiced very well.
7. Greg Biffle 12/1 10th 6th 9th 12th
Two-time winner, his only top5 finishes in 12 starts; using 10th-place Texas chassis.
8. Carl Edwards 10/1 5th 3rd 17th 7th
Two-time runner-up, 2008 and 2011, with 13.1 average finish; using Bristol chassis.
9. Kurt Busch 40/1 19th 1st 1st 21st
10th anniversary of memorable runner-up finish to Ricky Craven, which remains his best career finish.
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 20/1 4th 11th 16th 17th
Second best 10-consecutive lap average during practice 1; using sixth-place Bristol chassis.

* Because there are no other similar tracks to Darlington Raceway‘s 1.336-mile layout, results from race run last season (May 12, 2012) serve as the best reference.

Odds courtesy of the LVH Super Book.

Micah Roberts, a former sports book director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. For more Roberts insights on the race, go to The Linemakers on SportingNews.com or follow on Twitter: MicahRoberts7.

Driver Chassis Selections for Darlington's Bojangles Southern 500

2013-05-09T14:19:00.000-07:00

Harvick using Phoenix chassis that won last fall. Finished 13th in March

#2-Brad Keselowski: Primary Chassis: PRS-838 - Last Raced - Phoenix (finished fourth); Backup Chassis: PRS-847 - Last Raced: Richmond backup (not yet raced)

#5-Kasey Kahne: Crew chief Kenny Francis will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-739 for Saturday night's event at Darlington. This is a new chassis.

#9-Marcos Ambrose: The No. 9 team has prepared chassis No. 842 for Darlington. Ambrose previously drove this chassis at Auto Club Speedway earlier this year.

#10-Danica Patrick Chassis No. 10-751: Chassis No. 10-751 was first used by Patrick in October 2012 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City when Patrick started 40th and finished 32nd after an accident ended her day after just 154 of 267 laps. Patrick then tested the car in the Sprint Cup Series open test in January at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The last time chassis 10-751 was used was in March at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where Patrick started 37th and finished 33rd.

#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-708: This car debuted in last year's Southern 500 at Darlington where Stewart rallied Chassis No. 14-708 from its 17th-place starting spot to finish third. Its second start came in June at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. It endured a much different outing, qualifying 29th and finishing 25th, 69 laps down after getting caught up in a 12-car accident on lap 10 of the 400-lap race around the 1-mile, concrete oval. With new sheetmetal all around, Chassis No. 14-708 returned to the concrete for its third career start in August for the night race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. There, the car rallied from being a lap down in 34th place early in the race to vying for the lead with Matt Kenseth on lap 333. Stewart and Kenseth banged fenders and crashed, whereupon Stewart threw his helmet with pinpoint accuracy at Kenseth's car. The resulting 27th-place finish was at least offset by the "10" Stewart received from the Bristol crowd. Chassis No. 14-708 made its fourth career start and second at Dover in the AAA 400 in September. Its struggles on concrete persisted, as it qualified 24th and finished three laps down in 20th. With 2013 Chevrolet SS bodywork covering it, Chassis No. 14-708 returned to racing in March at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., for the Auto Club 400. With 10 laps remaining, Stewart was third and in prime position for his best finish of the season. But a block by Joey Logano on the lap-190 restart forced Stewart to make an evasive move to the inside of the tri-oval, thwarting his forward momentum. A freight train of cars passed Stewart, jettisoning him to a disappointing 22nd-place finish. Chassis No. 14-708 will make it sixth career start and second this season in the Southern 500 at Darlington.

#16-Greg Biffle: Primary Chassis: RK-809 Last ran Texas in 2012 finished 10th. Backup Chassis: RK-822 Last ran Martinsville finished 9th.

#17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: Chassis RK-815 is the same chassis that the No.17 team ran at Fontana finishing a respectable 20th. The backup Chassis RK-811 was a chassis that the No. 99 ran numerous times in 2012.

#22-Joey Logano: Primary Chassis: PRS-839 - Last Raced - Phoenix (finished 26th); Backup Chassis: PRS-844 - Last Raced: Backup at several races (not yet raced)

#27-Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 414 at Darlington Raceway. This No. 27 Chevrolet SS was previously run this season at Auto Club Speedway finishing eighth.

#29-Kevin Harvick: will pilot chassis No. 383 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the Southern 500. This is the same Chevrolet the Bakersfield, Calif., native drove to Victory Lane at Phoenix International Raceway last November and a 13th-place result in March.

#31-Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 416 this weekend at Darlington Raceway. This No. 31 Chevrolet has been utilized twice this season, at Auto Club Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.

#39-Ryan Newman Chassis No. 39-733: Chassis No. 39-733 debuted at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July 2012, when Newman and his team overcame ill handling and used quick pit work to help engineer a run into the top-10. The crew turned the car around in just a couple of days and took it to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, where it finished sixth. Two weeks later, the chassis was back on track at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, where it finished eighth. The chassis earned its first top-five finish at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. The chassis next raced three weeks later at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. The chassis made its last start of the 2012 season at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City in October, when Newman was involved in an incident that forced him to retire from the event prematurely. Chassis No. 39-733 was outfitted with a new front clip and a Chevrolet SS body, and saw its first laps of the 2013 season at Kansas last month, where Newman finished 14th.

#43-Aric Almirola:: The No. 43 team has prepared chassis No. 839 for Darlington. Almirola drove chassis No. 839 at Auto Club Speedway in March where he drove from a 23rd starting spot to finish 14th.

#48-Jimmie Johnson: will drive chassis No. 728 at Darlington. Chassis No. 720 serves as the backup.

#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: This weekend, crew chief Steve Letarte will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-745. Earnhardt last raced this chassis to a sixth-place finish at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in March.

#99-Carl Edwards RK - 806 last ran in Bristol. RK 831 backup - last taken to Kansas as backup chassis

- compiled by Jayski.com

Jimmie Johnson Goes for Fourth Darlington Win Saturday Night

2013-05-08T08:56:00.002-07:00

Johnson won Hendrick Motorsports 200th win at Darlington last year

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (May 8, 2013) – Darlington (S.C.) Raceway is an uncharacteristic track with some uncharacteristic nicknames. One of the more famous references to the 1.366-mile track is “Lady in Black.” The moniker supposedly comes from the walls surrounding the track, which are painted white but are often black by the end of the race due to drivers making contact with their tires. Or, in some cases, the paint from their car is left on the wall after making contact, also known as a “Darlington Stripe”.

Jimmie Johnson has his own stripes this weekend, albeit of a different hue but, in either case, he hopes the color doesn’t show up on the Darlington walls. Johnson’s No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS will sport emerald stripes this weekend. The color was chosen as the 2013 PANTONE® Color of the Year, which is featured in the new PANTONE UNIVERSE™ Paint Collection by Valspar. (The PANTONE® name is the standard language for color communication, from designer to manufacturer to retailer to customer.)

Johnson enjoys the quirky, egg-shaped Darlington track, having won there three times, including a sweep in 2004 and last year’s historic 200th win for Hendrick Motorsports. Despite the fact the five-time NASCAR SprintCup Series champion has never won a pole at the track, he notes that getting a good starting position is important for a solid finish. The statistics back this up. In 36 of the 109 races run at Darlington, the winner has come from the front row, including Johnson’s 2012 win from the outside pole position.

In addition to his three wins, Johnson’s Darlington resume includes seven top-five finishes in 14 races run. Those finishes are a pretty safe indicator that Johnson has kept his Lowe’s blue paint color on his car instead of the walls. He hopes to do it again Saturday night because, even though emerald happens to be in fashion right now, Johnson would prefer that the lady be wearing any color other than emerald at the end of Saturday’s 367-lap event.

Johnson’s Darlington Quick Stats:
· Three wins (March and November 2004, May 2012) in 14 starts.
· Seven top-five finishes (50 percent) and 10 top-10s (71.4 percent) in 14 starts.
· Completed 4,733 of 4,923 laps (96.1 percent) and led 543.
· Average start of 12.5. Average finish of 9.1.
· One DNF (did not finish) – May 2010.
· Sprint Cup’s fourth-best driver rating (105.7 average of a possible 150 points).

Driver, Team and Sponsor Notes
* Jimmie Johnson will drive the No. 48 Lowe’s “Emerald Green” Chevrolet SS at Darlington Raceway.

* The green stripes are to celebrate “Emerald” as the 2013 PANTONE® Color of the Year, which is featured in the new PANTONE UNIVERSE™ Paint Collection by Valspar, available exclusively at Lowe’s.

* Lowe’s Racing fans voted on what hashtag would appear on the TV panel of this week’s car. After more than 1,200 votes,#Emerald48 was selected and will be seen on-track this weekend in Darlington.

* Johnson will draw two more charities for the Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope program Friday at Darlington. Eight charities – Against Abuse, Inc., Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Chelsea’s Hope, Me Fine Foundation, Denver Kids, Inc., Miracle League of Pensacola, International FOP Association, Inc., and Ruth’s Reusable Resources – have been selected thus far.

* This year’s campaign runs during six Sprint Cup race weekends. It began April 12 at Texas Motor Speedwayin Fort Worth andculminates May 26 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Johnson draws two charities each week to be included on the helmet, for a total of 13 charities. At the kickoff announcement, Make-A-Wish Iowa was selected as the first charity.

* The Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope program, which began in 2008, allows fans, consumers and media members across the country to nominate their favorite charity to receive a $10,000 grant, a Blue Bunny ice cream party, and special recognition on Johnson’s race helmet. Nominations are currently being accepted at www.HelmetOfHope.org.

* To date, the program has contributed more than $430,000 to 61 different charities.

JIMMIE JOHNSON QUOTES:

Talk about racing at Darlington.
“I love tracks with character and Darlington certainly has it. Tire wear used to be a big deal there, but not so much now with the track trying to come back in. It’s aging slowly. It’s still not quite like the old track. Track position and strategy will be very important. It actually has the highest sensation of speed. It was built in the ’40s and ’50s for cars to go 120 mph, and we are going 200. It’s also very narrow. I’m looking forward to it. It’s one of my favorite tracks.”

How cool is it going back to Darlington knowing you got the 200th win for Hendrick Motorsports there?
“Very cool to go back. I know we were all trying very hard to get that 200th win for Rick. And all our teams were close multiple times. Martinsville would have been extremely fitting, obviously, but Darlington has a great feel to it, too. And, to understand some of Rick’s early memories and the first race he ever went to watch being there at Darlington, it ties it all in. The history that track has in our sport, and that of Hendrick Motorsports and the history of NASCAR, it fits very well. It’s a tough, tough racetrack to get around. I’m proud of every win I have there, and especially that 200th win.”

- True Speed Communication for Team Lowe’s Racing

Denny Hamlin to race full-time at Darlington this week

2013-05-08T08:50:00.003-07:00

Hamlin's 5.9 average Darlington finish is best among all active drivers

Denny Hamlin / No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota Preview
Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway
No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota News and Notes:

BACK ON POINT: BACK ON POINT: This weekend Denny Hamlin is expected to return to the No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota for his first full race since being sidelined after a late-race accident at Auto Club (Calif.) on March 24, 2013. Hamlin returned to the driver’s seat last weekend at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, but made a driver switch under the first caution.

LOOKING FOR NO. 1: Denny Hamlin will make his eighth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) start at the track ‘Too Tough Too Tame’ on Saturday night when he climbs back into the No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota. In his previous seven NSCS starts at the 1.366-mile asphalt track, Hamlin has scored one win (2010) with three top-five and six top-10 finishes. His worst finish in seven starts is 13th in 2009. Last year Hamlin finished second in the Bojangles’ 500 driving a retro Sport Clips paint scheme honoring Cale Yarborough and his induction in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. This year Hamlin is back looking to finish one position stronger and earn his first win of the 2013 season for the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team.

VFW SPORT CLIPS HELP A HERO 200: This weekend Sport Clips Haircuts and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) continue their longtime partnership to sponsor the Friday night NASCAR Nationwide Series VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on May 10, 2013. The NASCAR partnership between Sport Clips and VFW will help to raise awareness about the struggles many military families are facing and the VFW’s mission to support active-duty military, veterans and their families. As the “Official Haircutter” of the VFW, Sport Clips has donated almost $2 million since 2007 through its annual “Help a Hero” campaign. Since its initial contribution of $80,000 in 2007, Sport Clips’ Help a Hero program has made possible over 2 million calls home between U.S. service members and their loved ones through the VFW’s Operation Uplink Free Call Days program. Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Elliott Sadler will pilot the No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota during Friday night’s VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 Nationwide Series race.

NNS GRAND MARSHAL: Sport Clips Founder and CEO Gordon Logan along with VFW Foundation Manager Richard Freiburghouse will serve as the Co-Grand Marshals for the Nationwide Series VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Friday, May 10, 2013.

RACE INFO: The Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway is scheduled for Saturday, May 11, 2013 at 6:45 p.m. ET. Watch and listen live on Fox, Sirius XM Channel 90 and MRN Radio beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET.

HAMLIN QUOTE:

Denny Hamlin: “Last week was all about just going through the motions and getting the process of making a comeback — getting that started. We executed that and now this week in Darlington it’s about completing all the laps and being there at the end to have a shot at the win. We know what we have to do if we want to make the Chase, and this week is the first step, first race in that comeback. I’m ready to get to Darlington in the No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota and compete for the win Saturday night.”

About Sport Clips Haircuts:
Sport Clips Haircuts is headquartered in Georgetown, Texas and was established in 1993 by founder and CEO Gordon Logan. The sports-themed haircutting franchise, which specializes in haircuts for men and boys, is ranked by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the top 20 “Fastest-Growing Franchises,” and in the top 10percent of the “Franchise 500.” Sport Clips is the “Official Haircutter” of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), offers veterans preferential pricing on haircuts and franchises, and was named as one of the “Top Franchises for Veterans” by Franchise Business Review. Our “Help A Hero” program has raised almost $2 million to help deployed and hospitalized U.S. service members call home through the VFW’s Operation Uplink. Sport Clips is a proud sponsor of Joe Gibbs Racing’s NASCAR drivers Denny Hamlin and Elliott Sadler, and partners with numerous NCAA and professional sports teams. To learn more about Sport Clips, visit www.sportclips.com.

- Joe Gibbs Racing

Kyle Busch Going for Weekend Sweep at Darlington Raceway

2013-05-07T14:59:00.000-07:00

Busch will be looking for his third win of the season

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (May 7, 2013) – Kyle Busch has proven he knows a thing or two about doubling up on a race weekend.

So it might be appropriate that the driver of the No. 18 Doublemint® Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) will have the iconic Doublemint gum brand adorn his racecar as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to historic Darlington (S.C.) Raceway for Saturday night’s Bojangles Southern 500.

Busch has already recorded two Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series “doubles” thus far in 2013. Those Sprint Cup and Nationwide wins on the same weekends at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., in March, and Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth in April upped his total to eight career Sprint Cup-Nationwide doubles.

Las Vegas native Busch conquered Darlington – the “Track Too Tough To Tame” – in May 2008, scoring his first victory at the 1.33-mile, egg-shaped oval and earning the distinction of being the youngest Sprint Cup winner in the storied history of Darlington, at 23 years of age. While not on the same weekend, Busch also has one Nationwide Series win at Darlington, scoring that one in May 2011.

This weekend’s event will mark the first of four races in 2012 that Doublemint will serve as primary sponsor for Busch, as the iconic chewing gum brand’s mint paint scheme will also adorn Busch’s No. 18 Toyota at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta in June, Atlanta Motor Speedway in August, and the first race of the Chase for the SprintCup at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., in September.

Busch would like nothing more than to kick off the Doublemint slate of races with a win as the brand nears its 100th anniversary next year. So as he wheels his No. 18 Doublemint® Toyota Camry around the Darlington oval this weekend, Busch will focus on “doubling up” for the ninth time in his career while at the same time doubling his win total at the always-challenging racetrack that’s also known as “The Lady in Black.”

KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:

What are your thoughts heading back to Darlington this weekend?
“Going back to Darlington, it’s a place that’s really tough, really challenging. I won there the first year it was repaved, and it’s been really fast. Last couple of years there, we had a really good car. We ended up with a solid finish with our Doublemint Camry there last year and, after the three week stretch we’ve had, I hope we can bring home a solid finish this weekend. But, I’m looking forward to going back there and seeing what Darlington has got in store for us again. I’m hearing that the track color has changed a little bit more with another year for the surface to mature, so maybe the grip level is not going to be old Darlington, but something similar.”

What makes Darlington a track that is too tough to tame?
“It’s a very narrow and challenging racetrack, especially for the speeds that we carry around there, now. We’re looking forward to the challenge with our Doublemint Camry this weekend. You’ve really got to be able to get as close as you can to the wall in order to carry your momentum through the corners because you’ve got to make the straightaways as long as you can. The track is very narrow on entries and exits, so you’re always trying to round the place as much as you can. It’s very one-groovish. You can’t really run side-by-side there. Any time you get alongside somebody, you basically have to let them go. It’s a very big give-and-take-type track. It’s a lot harder to pass now, with the fresh asphalt, than it used to be. It’s really aero-sensitive now, to where it used to be more about mechanical grip and getting your car to handle well and handle over the bumps well and keep the tires on it. Now you’re restricted off the car in front of you and are trying to find some air, basically.”

What do drivers mean when they say you have to “race the track” at Darlington?
“You can’t really pass there. It’s so difficult. So you run your laps until you get to a pit stop and try to get your guys to have a good stop for you so you can jump a couple of guys. Pit stops become really important there, and track position and trying to stay up front.”

You have eight career Sprint Cup-Nationwide weekend sweeps, two of which have come this year. How much do you feel like the experience from the Nationwide Series race helps you the next day for the Sprint Cup race?
“The Nationwide Series certainly helps me for the Sprint Cup race the next day. I feel like it helps me, anyway, just being able to get that extra seat time, being able to get that feel of what the racetrack transitions like and what the car does throughout the run and everything, and where you have to move around to. I did a lot of things at Fontana and Texas the next day that I did in the Nationwide race. But people can say, ‘Oh, well, it’s just as easy to watch the race on TV and watch what the winner does.’ But I don’t really want to sit there for three hours and watch it. I’d rather be out there feeling everything and participating in it, and of course it’s always cool when you can win both races. But we’re trying to put everything together, and this year I feel like it’s a little bit better bonus for me to race Joe Gibbs Racing cars on Saturday as it is on Sunday.”

Being a former winner, what does it take to win at Darlington?
“I won the first year there with the new car and I think it was just because everyone was new to the car. I’m hoping that gives us an advantage with this new Gen-6 2013 Toyota Camry since we’ve been fast pretty much everywhere we’ve gone so far. In 2009, a lot of people got a lot smarter. And for us, we fell a little bit behind. You just have to bide your time, and I wasn’t very good at that in 2009, but much better the last three years or so. You’ve got to make sure you keep working on your car and be very patient and be there toward the end.”

- True Speed Communication for Joe Gibbs Racing

Darlington Preview: 2013 Bojangles Southern 500

2013-05-07T14:39:00.002-07:00

Smith's 2011 win at 500-to-1 odds is highest ever NASCAR payout in Vegas

We may not see a 100-to-1 payout this week at Darlington Raceway like we saw Sunday at Talladega when the low budget car driven by David Ragan beat all the heavyweights, but precedent has been set before that gives some semblance of hope that there could be. Two seasons ago, Regan Smith shocked the NASCAR world with a Darlington win that paid out 500-to-1 at the LVH Super Book.

If looking at who's win was more shocking, its easily Smith's simply because restrictor-plate racing at places like Talladega allow for up to 35 drivers to have a legitimate shot. At Darlington, the track "Too Tough to Tame" called "The Lady in Black", we go back to racing where the elite teams are supposed to have a considerable edge. In Smith's case, he ran the perfect race and "The Lady" was in a forgiving mood.

Darlington is the oldest track on the NASCAR circuit, running races annually since 1950. It's the toughest track on tour for the drivers to navigate because of it's 1.366 mile configuration with four drastically different turns. There is no other track to compare it to, which makes it not only hard for the drivers to adapt to each time out, but also for the crew chiefs to set up their cars properly.

Whoever makes the proper adjustment during the Friday practice sessions and during Saturday night's race, will have an edge. Coming into this race with the new Gen-6 car, there are up to 16 drivers that have a legitimate shot at winning. Smith proved a long-shot can win, and we have seen drivers like Ricky Craven (40/1) and Ward Burton (25/1) win there among giants, but Darlington wins are usually reserved for the elite.

From a horsepower and handling standpoint, you could look at the top performers from the races already run on 1.5-mile tracks at Las Vegas, Kansas and Texas to get a head start on handicapping the race, which immediately takes us to the Joe Gibbs drivers.

Read More Here...Top-5 Prediction

LVH Super Book Installs Kyle Busch as 5-to-1 Favorite at Darlington

2013-05-07T14:22:00.000-07:00

Busch's relationship with the "Lady" has been give and take

The LVH Super Book has installed Kyle Busch as the 5-to-1 favorite to win the Bojangles Southern 500 Saturday night at Darlington Raceway, the 1.336-mile track known as “Too Tough to Tame” and called the “Lady in Black”. The Lady has been kind to Busch over his career, offering him a 2008 win, but she’s also made Busch feel her wrath with a couple finishes 34th or worse.

Darlington is NASCAR’s oldest track. Johnny Mantz won the first race in 1950 and it’s been running strong ever since, challenging drivers to the highest degree among any current track. Superstarrs like Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth have never won at Darlington over their careers, which should give some kind of example of how tough the Lady is.

This weeks race will be the 220th Sprint Cup race run during its history. Jimmie Johnson won for the third time of his career at Darlington in the last race run there in 2012. Johnson is 6-to-1 to win this week.

The thing that makes the Lady so tough is due to two vastly different ends of the track where the banking is steep, but also at different degrees. All four of the turns present separate challenges for the drivers, and Busch says the track is getting closer to the way it used to be.

"I’m hearing that the track color has changed a little bit more with another year for the surface to mature," said Busch in his weekly press release, "so maybe the grip level is not going to be old Darlington, but something similar.”

Jeff Gordon has had one of the more storied careers in Darlingtion history with seven wins, and he‘ll be making his 700th Cup start this week.

“I’ve been fortunate to race this long and have the type of career I’ve had,” said Gordon. “It’s really cool to see that this will be my 700th start, but it’s not something I really paid attention to.

“It’s hard to believe I’ve run that many – especially consecutively.”

It's also hard to believe that Gordon hasn't won since 2007 because he and the Lady have got along better than most. She let Gordon win four straight Southern 500's from 1995-98 when the Southern 500 run on Labor Day weekend was considered one of the biggest wins in NASCAR. He's finished fifth or better in seven of his past nine Darlington races.

Read More Here.........LVH Darlington odds

Jeff Gordon to make 700th Cup Start at Darlington, Where He's Won Seven Times

2013-05-06T15:12:00.001-07:00

Jeff Gordon won four straight Southern 500's from 1995-98

DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 6, 2013) - It may not be tame or the same, but respect is what Jeff Gordon will give Darlington Raceway as he prepares for his 700th career NASCAR SprintCup Series start this Saturday night in the Bojangles’ Southern 500.

Darlington Raceway has earned a few monikers since it opened in 1950. “The Track Too Tough to Tame” and “The Lady In Black” are two of those, and drivers tend to use the term “respect” when describing how they attack the 1.366-mile South Carolina track. A new element – the Generation-6 car – will be added to the mix this weekend, but a winning recipe will still include respect.

“The Chevy SS will be fast and have a lot of grip,” said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Cromax® Pro Chevrolet. “But racing the track while working traffic will be as tough as ever.

“I always look forward to racing here. It’s a great track that is fast and exciting, but it’s one you must respect. We’ve run well here the last couple of times, so I’m looking forward to the event.”

Saturday’s race marks Gordon’s 700th start – all consecutively – in NASCAR’s premier series. The four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion comprehends the milestone, but does not focus on it.

“I’ve been fortunate to race this long and have the type of career I’ve had,” said Gordon. “It’s really cool to see that this will be my 700th start, but it’s not something I really paid attention to.

“It’s hard to believe I’ve run that many – especially consecutively.”

In 32 starts at the egg-shaped oval, Gordon has three poles and 21 top-10′s. He is also tops among activedrivers in the following statistical categories: seven wins, 18 top-fives and 1,720 laps led – 903 laps more than any other driver (nearly the equivalent of 2.5 races). But those statistics have occurred over the course of a 21-year career when many things change.

“They repaved Darlington a few years back, so it’s not the same track it used to be 10 years ago,” said Gordon. “But it’s still one of those tracks where you have to push hard but be patient.

“And it’s still one of those tracks you must respect.”

- Performance PR Plus

Video: Roberts Talks Darlington Drivers to Win

Darlington Raceway Storylines: 2013 Bojangles Southern 500

2013-05-06T15:06:00.005-07:00

10th anniversary of epic battle between Kurt Busch and Ricky Craven

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers, after a weekend of white-knuckle, heart-pounding racing at Talladega Superspeedway, could use a breather. Darlington Raceway, on deck, won’t provide it. Not a chance.

Known for its unique egg-shaped layout, cars come to the South Carolina track clean – and leave with the infamous Darlington Stripe after rubbing or smacking the red-and-white wall.

The Stripe is part of history, one that goes all the way back to 1950 when Darlington hosted its first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. It was the first paved superspeedway on the series schedule, and the Southern 500 remains one of NASCAR’s crown jewels.

The title "Southern 500 Champion" guarantees a coveted place in NASCAR history books. From the first winner – Johnny Mantz – to the most recent – Jimmie Johnson – some of NASCAR’s all-time greats have won the Southern 500. Among that all-sport list: Herb Thomas, Curtis Turner, Fireball Roberts, Richard Petty, David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. And there are, of course, surprise winners who etch their name in the illustrious Darlington history, most recently Regan Smith who won his first – and thus far only – NASCAR Sprint Cup race there in 2011.

Another win by seven-time Darlington winner Gordon would inch him closer to the top of the track’s stacked wins list. And it would come in his 700th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start. Read more about that, along with a number of other key storylines, below.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES, SATURDAY, MAY 11 AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON FOX

Gordon To Make Milestone Start; Aims To Continue Climb
On Saturday night at Darlington, Jeff Gordon will make his 700th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start, becoming the 15th driver to reach that milestone. The setting is appropriate, and Gordon’s seven wins at Darlington puts him third on the track’s all-time wins list. He’s not far from the top; David Pearson has 10 wins and Dale Earnhardt has nine.

Surprise, Surprise: Careers Defined By Darlington Win
With his victory in 2011, Regan Smith joined an exclusive list of drivers who earned their first career win at Darlington Raceway. In all, six drivers have done it: Smith, inaugural winner Johnny Mantz, Nelson Stacy, Larry Frank, Terry Labonte and Lake Speed. The unfortunate part about that list: Only Labonte and Stacy went on to win more races. Who could threaten to win their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race this weekend? Maybe Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who had three starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Darlington, with two top-10 finishes.

Ragan Latest To Join All-Star Foray
With his stunning win in at Talladega on Sunday (his second career win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series), David Ragan punched his ticket to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. With the annual non-points event two weeks away, this Saturday night is the last opportunity of the "win and get in" variety. Some big names – Danica Patrick, Juan Pablo Montoya, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Martin Truex Jr. and Jeff Burton – are still on the outside looking in. If those not already locked in don’t win at Darlington, they can still earn a berth in the race via the Sprint Showdown or the Sprint Fan Vote on NASCAR.com and NASCAR Mobile ’13.

Hamlin Becomes "Full Time" Driver Again
Denny Hamlin officially re-entered the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series last Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, starting the race and then giving up the seat to Brian Vickers. But this weekend, he’ll race the entire event, signaling the end of a five-week recovery from back injury. Hamlin officially missed four races. In his absence, Mark Martin raced his No. 11 Toyota to a 10th-place finish at Martinsville, and Brian Vickers finished eighth, 31st and 35th at Texas, Kansas and Richmond, respectively. Hamlin’s absence dropped him to 31st in the points, 125 points behind 10th and 76 points behind 20th. Hamlin’s hopes to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup aren’t completely dashed. If he wins some races and sneaks back into the top 20, he could qualify for a Wild Card berth.

Take 2: Danica Patrick Makes Second Trip To Darlington
Danica Patrick took on an ambitious schedule last year, her first foray into NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition. Darlington was part of that challenging part-time slate. Last year, she finished 31st at Darlington, in only her second NASCAR Sprint Cup start. Now a full-time competitor in NASCAR’s premier series, Patrick has a top finish of eighth at Daytona and is 27th in points.

Happy Anniversary: Ten Years Pass Since Closest Finish
The number alone – .002 – evokes memories of beating and banging at one of NASCAR’s most historic tracks. That was the difference in seconds between winner Ricky Craven and second-place finisher Kurt Busch at the finish line on March 16, 2003, still the closest finish since the advent of electronic timing and scoring in 1993. That number has been matched since then, at Talladega on April 17, 2011, when Jimmie Johnson edged Clint Bowyer.

- NASCAR Media Services