Lead Lap's NASCAR News » Ryan Newman

Mobil 1 To Stewart Haas Racing Looks Increasingly Likely

Michael J Smith — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:36:45 +0000

Jayski is reporting that Stewart Haas Racing’s No. 14 car has emerged as the likely candidate to land Mobil 1 as a sponsor for 2011. If Mobil 1 signs with SHR to sponsor Tony Stewart and the No. 14 car, it will replace Old Spice, which announced it would be leaving the team at season’s end.

Mobil 1 was left looking for another team to sponsor after Penske Racing signed a deal with Shell Pennzoil to sponsor Kurt Busch next season.

SHR’s No. 39 will have the US Army and Tornado’s back on the car with part time schedules next season. They are currently in talks with Wix Filters about a partial sponsorship schedule next season.

Harvick Clinches Chase Spot With Michigan Win

Michael J Smith — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:21:49 +0000

A late tire gamble paid off for Kevin Harvick, helping him win the Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The win locked him into this year’s Chase.

Harvick stayed out on old tires under the final caution, and he was able to pass then-leader Denny Hamlin with about 10 laps to go. He crossed the finish line nearly two seconds ahead of Hamlin to capture his third victory this season.

Top 5: Harvick, Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, and Matt Kenseth.

Tony Stewart, Juan Montoya, Martin Truex Jr, Elliott Sadler, and Joey Logano rounded out the top 10.

Notables: David Ragan (11th), Jimmie Johnson (12th), Clint Bowyer (13th), Kasey Kahne (14th), David Reutimann (16th), Kyle Busch (18th), Dale Earnhardt Jr (19th), Jamie McMurray (20th), Ryan Newman (23rd), Jeff Burton (24th), Jeff Gordon (27th), Mark Martin (28th), and Kurt Busch (40th).

Kurt Busch lost an engine on lap 32. He finished 40th and fell six positions in points to 10th.

On lap 148, Joey Logano got loose inside of Ryan Newman in Turn 4. Logano bobbled and drifted up the track into Newman’s left read quarter panel. Newman went around but managed to keep it off the wall.

After the race, Newman confronted Logano. The discussion didn’t appeared heated, but Newman was not pleased with Logano’s actions on the track. Newman said that he was “racing for points,” indicating that Logano should have more respect.

Logano lightly touched Newman. Newman gave Logano a light shove telling him, “Don’t touch me.”

After the exchange Logano said:

I tried to talk to him about it. But, I don’t know. I didn’t get [anywhere].

Jeff Gordon cut a tire around lap 153 and hit the wall. He damaged his race car and finished 27th.

Mark Martin also had problems. He scraped the wall while racing with Carl Edwards and damaged his race car, leading to handling problems. He finished 28th and fell out of the Chase.

Frequently Asked Questions About NASCAR’s Fines

Michael J Smith — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 04:40:12 +0000

I’ve held out all week – trying not to write a posting on NASCAR’s “secret” fines. I didn’t want to add fuel to the story; I didn’t want to beat this long-dead horse. Over and over again, I told myself I would not write anything on NASCAR’s “secret” fines.

So, I am here – with great disdain – doing exactly what I said I wouldn’t do. But, at least I decided to break my thoughts and opinions into a frequently asked questions format.

1. Why is NASCAR fining drivers for voicing their opinions? Drivers are entitled to their opinions, right?

Drivers are certainly entitled to their opinions. And, I don’t think NASCAR is fining drivers because of what they said, as much as for the venues in which they chose to say it. This is a sport of men (and women), not boys (or girls). If a driver has an issue with NASCAR, they should take it up with NASCAR, in the hauler; not in front of cameras or through Tweets, or any other form of public forum. It’s disrespectful, and ultimately hurts the sport because, as Toby Christie, from RubbingsRacing.com, put it, some fans take what the drivers say as gospel.

We’re all aware of the problems NASCAR is facing. But, when we hear about them week in and week out, it diminishes the good things NASCAR is trying to do to improve the racing product. By fining the drivers, NASCAR is attempting to send a message that they’d rather have the drivers working with them, instead of against them.

And, as the drivers are agents for NASCAR, the sanctioning body is well within its rights to fine them for making disparaging remarks. A year or so ago, a Philadelphia Eagles employee criticized the team for letting go of Brian Dawkins on his Facebook page. He was fired. You can’t criticize your employer in a public forum and expect to continue working for them without punishment. NASCAR is a business, and therefore should not be any different.

2. Don’t fines amount to violating their First Amendment rights?

Not really – if my research and interpretation are correct. Being a NASCAR driver is a privilege, and to enjoy that privilege, one must follow the rules. One of those rules – the one that is almost always violated – is not to commit actions that are detrimental to stock car racing (Section 12-1 of the NASCAR Rule Book.)

If NASCAR determines that comments are detrimental to NASCAR, they can, and now will, levy fines. This is done to protect the brand. In order to remain profitable, NASCAR has to get fans to buy into the fact that they are providing a superior product. And if, through comments, their credibility is called into question by drivers (claiming that the races are rigged) the product no longer appears superior. (It gets compared to WWE, which makes it lose credibility as a sport.) If that happens, NASCAR loses fans, which translates into lost money and lost profits. To ensure that this does not happen, NASCAR must be in control of their employees (drivers), just like any other business.

If a driver chooses to sue NASCAR, claiming their First Amendment rights were violated, Korb v. Raytheon (1991) seems to indicate that that driver would lose. In Korb, a man was fired from Raytheon after complaints were received of the man’s involvement with an anti-nuclear proliferation nonprofit. The man was critical of increased defense spending, which drew complaints to Raytheon from military committees that they were working with.

After being fired, the man sued claiming his rights to free speech were violated. The court ruled that the man was free to speak out, and he had the right to disagree with Raytheon, but he did not have the right to do so at Raytheon’s expense. Because the man was an at-will employee, Raytheon had the right to terminate him with or without cause, so long as they did not violate public policy, which they did not.

If we flip that to NASCAR, a driver has the right to speak out. But, in doing so, NASCAR has the right to fine and/or fire him because, as is my understanding, drivers are essentially at-will employees. NASCAR can fire (not let them race) them for any reason, without cause so long as it does not violate public policy.

Note: The team may not be able to fire him. It depends on what is stated in the contract between him and the team. But since drivers don’t have contracts with NASCAR, they would have to prove that there is something in the NASCAR handbook – if one exists – indicating that an employee will not be fired without good cause. And, the burden of proof would fall on the driver.

Knowing that, a driver could still try to sue. But, if you were a driver, would you risk the millions you make year after year from racing for a potential settlement (that might be a few hundred thousand dollars) that you may not even get? (Do you think NASCAR would let you back in after you sue them? Ask Jeremy Mayfield.)

3. Isn’t that censorship?

Yep. But the culture in professional sports in this country is such that censorship not only occurs, it is expected.

2. What justification could there be for keeping the drivers’ identities private?

Christie makes two very good points on this subject. First, he notes that if the drivers identities were made public right off the bat, news outlets would have pulled out what they think are the quotes/actions that got the drivers fined, and they would replay them over and over and over. That would only serve to increase the harm cause by their statements. So, they tried to keep them quiet.

The second reason for keeping them quiet, Christie says, is that unlike failed drug tests or illegal parts, they do not affect the racing on the track. When penalties are assessed, NASCAR has to publicize them to explain why a driver is suspended or why they were docked points. With fines for making disparaging remarks, there isn’t usually a penalty beyond the fine, therefore it’s not as imperative that NASCAR divulge that information.

Also, by publicizing the drivers involved, the possibilities of what comments drew the fine are narrowed down, which could lead some drivers to think that if they don’t go as far as Denny Hamlin or Ryan Newman, they might not get fined. I think by leaving the drivers’ identities out of it, others would have taken a “better safe than sorry” approach, and that would have effectively ended the negative, public comments.

By making the identities public, and virtually exposing what comments drew the fines, now that drivers know, some may be more willing to push the envelope, leading to more fines.

3. What’s next, fining the media?

I can’t imagine a scenario – and I’m sure NASCAR feels this way, too – where NASCAR would feel like it would be a good idea to fine the media. They would lose all credibility for that.

Drivers are agents for the sport. They are representatives. The media is the watchdog of the sport. They are there to report the facts and expose all information, positive or negative. They are not agents of the sport. They are not representatives of the sport. They are representatives of their news outlets.

Drivers are paid to drive and to be ambassadors of the sport. Journalists are paid to report – regardless of whether or not NASCAR likes what they are reporting. That’s what helps NASCAR stay on the up and up.

A prime example of this would be the fact that the drivers’ identities were leaked. Let’s say, hypothetically, NASCAR was able to keep the identities private. Wouldn’t that mean NASCAR can fine whomever they want, whatever amount they want, for whatever they feel is disparaging?

At the end of the day, it was probably silly for NASCAR – one of the leakiest businesses I’ve ever seen – to believe they could keep the identities private. (It could be that they didn’t want to “release” the names, but knew eventually it would get out. If that’s the case, they may have just underestimated the PR hit they would take.) But, we all knew that eventually, through the media’s persistence, they would be identified. Without the media, we all wouldn’t have known, which would have allowed NASCAR to operate in the dark. But, the media was there to shine light on it.

4. What justification can be made for not disclosing what comments drew fines?

As I said earlier, I believe NASCAR hoped that by leaving drivers in the dark, they would force the drivers to take a “better safe than sorry” approach, which would curtail all negative comments. By telling drivers exactly what was said, it gives them a little more confidence to push the envelope.

The fines also shine a little more light on the fact that a lot of the non-technical actions that draw fines and penalties are subject to interpretation, which I’m sure is something NASCAR wants to downplay (remember what I said about credibility and protecting the brand earlier).

It makes fans wonder why one comment warrants a fine when another doesn’t? Why does one retaliatory action on the track garner a penalty while another doesn’t?

5. Won’t this make drivers bland, PR machines who don’t speak their minds? Should we believe anything they say?

I think initially, it will. If you watched this week’s driver press conferences, all of the drivers stuck to generic responses. But, I think that in the heat of the moment, drivers will be as candid as they are now. Most of the best quotes from drivers come from right after they get out of the car while adrenaline is flowing and the emotions are high.

If drivers could control their emotions, we wouldn’t have seen Brad Keselowski flip at Atlanta. We wouldn’t have seen Jeff Burton yelling at Kyle Busch. We wouldn’t know that DeLana Harvick wears the firesuit in the family.

That hasn’t changed, and there’s no reason to think fines for negative comments will change that.

I think NASCAR was well within their rights to fine Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman for their comments. I even believe they had the right to try to keep it quiet, if they wanted to. It was silly to think they could, but I don’t have a problem with them trying to. As a matter of fact, the only thing I do have a problem with is the amount of coverage this story is getting. So, with that, I’ll end.

Let’s hope I never write anything on this topic again.

Newman, Hamlin Identified As Fined Drivers

Michael J Smith — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:28:47 +0000

Sources told ESPN that the two drivers who were fined for making disparaging remarks about NASCAR were Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin.

Earlier this week, the Associated Press reported that NASCAR secretly fined two drivers for making negative comments about the sport; prompting backlash from media and fans about the decision not to name the drivers.

With this news, hopefully this story can be put to rest.

Update: Ryan Newman confirmed that he was one of the drivers fined by NASCAR. He did not disclose the amount of the fine or what he said to trigger it.

Harvick Wins Wreck-Filled Coke Zero 400 At Daytona

Michael J Smith — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 23:40:24 +0000

Kevin Harvick, polesitter for the Coke Zero 400 due to qualifying being rained out, won the wreck-filled restrictor plate race at Daytona International Speedway. On a green-white-checkered finish, Harvick drove by teammate Clint Bowyer for the lead, then held off Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne to win.

Top 5: Harvick, Kahne, Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Jeff Burton.

Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, Reed Sorenson, Mike Bliss, and Scott Speed rounded out the top 10.

Notables: David Reutimann (11th), Robby Gordon (12th), Steve Park (13th), Kevin Conway (14th), Matt Kenseth (15th), Bobby Labonte (16th), Clint Bowyer (17th), Greg Biffle (20th), Denny Hamlin (24th), Tony Stewart (25th), Ryan Newman (26th), Juan Montoya (27th), Mark Martin (28th), Joey Logano (29th), Jimmie Johnson (31st), Marcos Ambrose (32nd), Martin Truex Jr (35th), Jamie McMurray (39th), and Kyle Busch (40th).

Early in the race, Kyle Busch and AJ Allmendinger made contact, sending Allmendinger sliding towards the inside wall. He spun and hit the wall with his rear. Allemdinger finished 36th. Busch continued on. Afterwards, he had a heated exchange with team owner Richard Petty, an incident that was downplayed later.

About 60 laps later, Busch was racing past Juan Montoya, who was going a lap down due to pitting under green. As Busch passed him, Montoya came down while Busch moved up the track. The two made contact, and Busch was hooked into the wall. He suffered heavy damage and finished 40th.

Afterwards, Busch gave a sarcastic interview taking blame for the incident. He explained side-drafting and how Montoya hooked him before making contact due to the air.

On lap 116, David Ragan got loose and spun. He overcorrected and hit the wall. He then slid down the into Jamie McMurray and Martin Truex Jr. McMurray and Ragan could not continue, but Truex was able to continued on. They finished 39th, 38th, and 35th respectively.

On lap 148, Kurt Busch bumped Jeff Burton, loosening him up and sending him into Sam Hornish Jr on the outside. Burton bounced off of Hornish and slid back into Busch. Busch slid across the grass.

The cars started checking up. Juan Montoya got into the back of Brad Keselowski turning him into the wall. Keselowki got into Reed Sorenson spinning him into Jimmie Johnson, who turned into the wall.

Keselowski and Sorenson blocked the track, collecting several cars who had nowhere to go. About 12 cars were involved, including Sorenson, Montoya, Ryan Newman, Johnson, Elliott Sadler, Greg Biffle, Bobby Labonte, Joey Logano, Mark Martin, Regan Smith, Marcos Ambrose, and Travis Kvapil .

The race was red flagged for 20 minutes.

About 11 laps later, Hornish was running three-wide in the middle of Sadler and David Reutimann when he got loose. He hit teammate Kurt Busch, then bounced off of Sadler and slid back into Busch. Busch was turned to the inside and slid across the track while Hornish and Sadler turned to the outside and made contact with the wall.

With his fourth place finish, Dale Earnhardt Jr climbed back into the top 12 in the standings.

Hamlin Earns Fourth Win Of Season At Pocono

Michael J Smith — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 04:40:59 +0000

Denny Hamlin won a rain-delayed Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 at Pocono Raceway when the caution flew for an eight-car pileup occured on the Long Pond straightaway during a green-white-checkered finish. The win is Hamlin’s fourth of the year, the most in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this season.

Top 5: Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, and Jimmie Johnson.

Kurt Busch, Jeff Burton, Juan Montoya, Clint Bowyer, and AJ Allmendinger finished sixth through 10th.

Notables: Sam Hornish (11th), Carl Edwards (12th), Joey Logano (13th), Ryan Newman (14th), David Reutimann (15th), Matt Kenseth (17th), Dale Earnhardt Jr (19th), Martin Truex Jr (25th), Kasey Kahne (27th), Greg Biffle (28th), Mark Martin (29th), Jeff Gordon (32nd), and Jamie McMurray (36th).

While Hamlin and Busch completed a Joe Gibbs Racing 1-2, their teammate Joey Logano had issues with Kevin Harvick on lap 199. Logano passed Harvick on the outside. When they reached the corner, Harvick kept on the gas and the two made contact.

Logano slid through the corner before eventually spinning out. After the race, Logano attempted to confront Harvick on pit road. Crew members kept them apart.

After the incident, Logano said:

[I was] racing the No. 29 and he let me go in the middle of the straightaway and decided to dump me in the next turn. I don’t know what his problem is with me but it’s probably not his fault. His wife wears the fire suit in the family and tells him what to do. It’s probably not his fault.

Harvick said:

I got into him here going into [Turn] 3 and he just races with not giving people any respect and not much room. So we just wound up getting together. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the way it goes.

Logano finished 13th while Harvick finished fourth.

During the green-white-checkered finish for the Logano-Harvick incident, Kasey Kahne attempted to get to the inside of his Richard Petty Motorsports teammate AJ Allmendinger. Allmendinger moved down to block him, sending Kahne into the grass.

Kahne hit a puddle and then began to spin up towards the outside wall. He slid in front of Mark Martin and Greg Biffle, and the three cars made contact. Sending Kahne up into the air. Martin Truex Jr, who was behind Martin and Biffle, had nowhere to go and he hit the three crashed cars. Jeff Gordon, who was a little ways behind the incident couldn’t get slowed before driving into Kahne.

Marcos Ambrose turned to avoid the crashed cars and he hit Ryan Newman. The two went into the grass and they spun, though Newman quickly recovered and drove away with damage.

Elliott Sadler also got into the grass to avoid the wreck and he spun back onto the track into Biffle. At the same time, David Ragan and David Stremme attempted to avoid the crashing cars of Kahne and Jeff Gordon but drove into Salder and Biffle. The wreck ended the race, as Hamlin took the white flag before it happened.

Afterwards, Kahne said:

I don’t know what A.J. was doing there. I don’t ever really talk to him much, but you can bet I’ll be talking to him this week.

Allmendinger took responsibility for the wreck, saying:

I’m not really sure what happened. Kasey had such a run on me, and I went to defend. By the time I defended, he was in the grass. That’s my bad. I feel bad about that — I really do. It is what it is, though.

Tony Stewart also wasn’t happy with the restarts at Pocono. He said:

I’ve seen some of the worst driving I’ve ever seen in my life in a professional series right here [Sunday]. So for anybody that’s looking for drama for the next couple races, start looking because I can promise I’m going to start making the highlight reel the next couple weeks.

Who Will Miss The Chase And Who Will Make It?

Michael J Smith — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:51:53 +0000

Since 2007, when NASCAR moved to the current Chase format (allowing 12 drivers into the Chase instead of 10), only one driver — on average — in the Chase after the 13th race of the season has fallen out by the time the Chase has started. That means that after last weekend’s Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, 11 out of 12 Chase spots are probably statistically decided.

If that ends up being the case, who drops out? Which driver currently in the top 12 is the most likely one to drop out? Conversely, which driver currently outside of the top 12 is most likely to get in? Lead-Lap.com set out to find out, based on statistics.

In 2009, three drivers in the Chase after the 13th race fell out before the Chase began. Kyle Busch was in the Chase after the 13th race but lost a 67-point advantage over the next 13 to drop out. Matt Kenseth lost a 58-point advantage over the 13 races leading into the Chase to drop out. And, Jeff Burton lost a 20-point advantage over the 13 races leading into the Chase to drop out.

Kasey Kahne was 66 points out of the Chase after the 13th race, Brian Vickers was 131 points out, and Juan Montoya was 92 points out. All three overcame their deficits to make the Chase.

In 2008, Kahne was in the Chase after the 13th race but he lost an eight-point advantage and fell out 13 races later. Meanwhile, Kenseth made up a 95-point deficit over those 13 races to earn his way in the Chase.

In 2007, Mark Martin was in the Chase after the 13th race. He lost a 26-point advantage over the next 13 races to fall out. That allowed Kurt Busch to make his way into the Chase; he overcame his 88-point deficit. Over those 13 races, though, Martin missed four races because he was racing a part time schedule and sharing his car with Aric Almirola.

In the last three years, Busch’s 67 points is the largest advantage a driver who didn’t make the Chase has had after the 13th race. And, Vickers’ 131-point deficit was the largest to be made up before the Chase.

Applying those numbers to the current Sprint Cup Series points’ standings, this means that Carl Edwards at 59 points ahead of 13th place and Ryan Newman at four points ahead of 13th place could be in danger of falling out of the Chase.

It also means that Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr, Jamie McMurray, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Joey Logano, and David Reutimann are in contention for the one Chase spot that is likely to change because they are each within 125 points of 12th place.

But, who’s likely to overcome their current deficit to earn that spot? Let’s look at the stats from the last three seasons to find out.

Over the next 13 Sprint Cup races, Tony Stewart has the best average finish (10th) of those currently outside looking in. Clint Bowyer is the second best with an average finish of 15th in those races. The remaining drivers in contention are: Dale Earnhardt Jr, Joey Logano, and Martin Truex Jr (each with an 18th-place average), Jamie McMurray (22nd-place average), and David Reutimann (23rd-place average).

Carl Edwards and Ryan Newman are the two drivers in the danger zone (less than 67 points ahead of 13th place.) Edwards has an average finish of 11th over the next 13 races, while Newman has a 17th-place average.

Using the current points standings, that means that Stewart will earn roughly 1,795 points. Edwards will earn 1,746; Bowyer will earn 1,566; Newman will earn 1,461; Logano will earn 1,437*; Earnhardt Jr will earn 1,427*; Truex Jr will earn 1,399*; McMurray will earn 1,250; and Reutimann will earn 1,237.

* Logano, Earnhardt Jr, and Truex have the same average finish over the next 13 but will earn a different number of points because of rounding of their average finishes.

If you factor in wins, Stewart, Edwards, and Logano* are the only ones whose average number of wins over the next 13 is greater than one. In other words, they’re the only ones who have averaged one win per season in the last three seasons over the next 13 races.

* Logano only has stats from last year, but he did win one of the next 13 (New Hampshire Motor Speedway).

Over the next 13 races, Stewart has averaged at least 5 bonus points nearly two-thirds of the time. That means, statistically, he’s likely to get bonus points in nine of the next 13 races. That will give him an additional 45 points. Edwards earns bonus points nearly 60% of the time over the next 13, which is roughly seven races, or 35 points.

Earnhardt Jr earns bonus points nearly half the time, though most of those were in 2007 and 2008. Still that will translate to roughly 30 bonus points in six of the next 13 races. Applying these stats across the board means that Truex will earn 20 bonus points; Newman will earn 15, Bowyer and McMurray will earn 10 apiece; and Logano and Reutimann will each earn 5.

That means that over the next 13 races Edwards will earn 1,781 points, including bonus points. Newman will earn 1,476; Bowyer will earn 1,576; Truex will earn 1,419; McMurray will earn 1,260; Stewart will earn 1,840; Earnhardt Jr will earn 1,457; Logano will earn 1,442; and Reutimann will earn 1,242.

If you take those totals and add them to the current standings, you’ll find that Edwards will hold onto 11th-place in the standings with 3,383 points. Stewart will move up four positions from 16th to 12th, and the final Chase spot with 3,360 points.

Newman, who is currently in the Chase, will drop two spots to 14th, out of the Chase with 3,023 points.

Of course, this is assuming that all drivers keep consistent with their averages, which any fan of NASCAR knows rarely happens.

Kahne To Phoenix Racing?

Michael J Smith — Wed, 12 May 2010 13:34:09 +0000

Tom Bowles, of Frontstretch.com, pointed out that Ryan Newman, a Hendrick Motorsports-affiliated driver is running the No. 1 in the Nationwide Series for Phoenix Racing at Dover. He implied that this could indicate that Kasey Kahne, who will join HMS in 2012, could drive for PR in 2011.

Newman To Drive PR’s No. 1 At Dover

Michael J Smith — Wed, 12 May 2010 04:59:49 +0000

Phoenix Racing and James Buescher have reportedly parted ways effective immediately. Buescher will compete full time in the Camping World Truck Series driving the No. 31 for Turner Motorsports. Ryan Newman will take over driving duties of the No. 1 Nationwide Series car at Dover. No word on who will drive the car after that. Phoenix Racing is reported to be for sale.

Busch Wins Crown Royal 400

Michael J Smith — Mon, 03 May 2010 03:37:34 +0000

Jeff Gordon saw his 2.5 second lead in the closing laps of the Crown Royal 400 at Richmond International Raceway evaporate when Elliott Sadler blew a tire and slid across the track. He limped around to pit road, but left debris on the track, forcing a caution.

Gordon, Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Juan Montoya, and Ryan Newman stayed out because green flag pit stops had been completed right before Sadler’s spin. Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr, and others came down pit road for fresh tires.

Busch methodically made his way up to second behind Gordon before the caution flew when David Ragan and Sam Hornish Jr got together, sending Hornish spinning into the inside wall. On the restart, Gordon chose the inside lane, with Busch starting inside the outside lane.

Busch surged passed Gordon on the restart, and cleared him in turns 3 and 4. He drove away from Gordon, and won the race by 0.755 seconds.

Top 5: Busch, Gordon, Harvick, Burton, and Carl Edwards.

Juan Montoya, Martin Truex Jr, Ryan Newman, Marcos Ambrose, and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top 10.

Notables: Denny Hamlin (11th), Clint Bowyer (12th), Matt Kenseth (13th), Kurt Busch (18th), Jamie McMurray (19th), Brian Vickers (20th), Kasey Kahne (21st), Greg Biffle (22nd), Tony Stewart (23rd), Mark Martin (25th), and Dale Earnhardt Jr (32nd).

Dale Earnhardt Jr seemed to have a strong car early in the race. He passed cars and was running in the top 15 before the first round of pit stops. But after, he started to struggle and was lapped. Shortly after that, he made contact with Paul Menard and Bobby Labonte, which cut down his tire. He lost three laps and was never able to make them up. He finished 32nd.

Mark Martin had a very quiet day. He ran mid-pack early, but managed to recover. But, a late pit road speeding penality killed any chance of posting a decent finish. He wound up 25th at the end of the day.