| randy zimmer | 03-05-2007 04:23 PM |
Scott is so mad because he was goofing around treating him like a teammate instead of a competitor.
Now he knows.
This is all good for JPM.
He's getting the intimidation factor working for him.
Now he knows.
This is all good for JPM.
He's getting the intimidation factor working for him.
| Mykl | 03-05-2007 06:39 PM |
[QUOTE=Ferg;17261633]Staged? :huh:
Must have been a pretty big check written to Pruett then...[/QUOTE]
Just a feeling I get when I watch Nascar. It isn't just exclusive to this one event.
Must have been a pretty big check written to Pruett then...[/QUOTE]
Just a feeling I get when I watch Nascar. It isn't just exclusive to this one event.
| Mykl | 03-05-2007 06:42 PM |
[QUOTE=randy zimmer;17264715]This is all good for JPM.
He's getting the intimidation factor working for him.[/QUOTE]
That's not necessarily a good thing. Because if he pisses everybody off, when he pulls out to pass on a roundy round track and nobody pulls out to help push him through... his Nascar career is going to sink almost as fast as he falls to the back of the field.
He's getting the intimidation factor working for him.[/QUOTE]
That's not necessarily a good thing. Because if he pisses everybody off, when he pulls out to pass on a roundy round track and nobody pulls out to help push him through... his Nascar career is going to sink almost as fast as he falls to the back of the field.
| fliz | 03-05-2007 06:55 PM |
[QUOTE=Mykl;17266315]That's not necessarily a good thing. Because if he pisses everybody off, when he pulls out to pass on a roundy round track and nobody pulls out to help push him through... his Nascar career is going to sink almost as fast as he falls to the back of the field.[/QUOTE]
Yep. I expect to see him turned into the wall at least ten times this season.
Rookies aren't allowed to bump like that.
Although, to be fair, I think Montoya's description of what happened is spot on. You could even see him lock up the front wheels when Pruett turned in.
Yep. I expect to see him turned into the wall at least ten times this season.
Rookies aren't allowed to bump like that.
Although, to be fair, I think Montoya's description of what happened is spot on. You could even see him lock up the front wheels when Pruett turned in.
| Mykl | 03-05-2007 07:14 PM |
[QUOTE=fliz;17266488]Yep. I expect to see him turned into the wall at least ten times this season.
Rookies aren't allowed to bump like that.
Although, to be fair, I think Montoya's description of what happened is spot on. You could even see him lock up the front wheels when Pruett turned in.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, after watching the replay over and over again it doesn't look like Pruett was completely innocent. But this really isn't a good way for Montoya to get a win.
Rookies aren't allowed to bump like that.
Although, to be fair, I think Montoya's description of what happened is spot on. You could even see him lock up the front wheels when Pruett turned in.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, after watching the replay over and over again it doesn't look like Pruett was completely innocent. But this really isn't a good way for Montoya to get a win.
| cooleyjb | 03-05-2007 07:24 PM |
[QUOTE=fliz;17266488]Yep. I expect to see him turned into the wall at least ten times this season.
.[/QUOTE]
If he wasn't the new bigtime F1 driver turned Nascar and just a snotnosed new kid I'd believe it but I have to imagine that the powers that be at Nascar aren't going to be lenient on those who do such things. I just have a feeling there will be a double-standard.
.[/QUOTE]
If he wasn't the new bigtime F1 driver turned Nascar and just a snotnosed new kid I'd believe it but I have to imagine that the powers that be at Nascar aren't going to be lenient on those who do such things. I just have a feeling there will be a double-standard.
| Scoob5555 | 03-05-2007 08:06 PM |
I'm finding it a little hard to believe no one is defending Scott's driving line. If you have the race recorded, go back and look at the line people were taking on turn 1. Pruett's line was spot on for setting up for turns 2 and 3. If you take an inside line on 1, you're out of shape for 2 and consequently 3. So [i]maybe[/i] JPM thought SP was letting him by, but I think he should have figured it out before the end of the long straight. If he's gonna let you pass, he'll make the intention known well before the 90* turn at the end of it.
Remember that Pruett races road courses a lot and he knows how to preserve his tires. That means sticking to your lines and hitting your apexes. He's possibly guilty of not realizing how stupid his teammate was, but not closing the door on him.
Remember that Pruett races road courses a lot and he knows how to preserve his tires. That means sticking to your lines and hitting your apexes. He's possibly guilty of not realizing how stupid his teammate was, but not closing the door on him.
| cooleyjb | 03-05-2007 09:16 PM |
JPM didn't show for an inside line until VERY late. All the other times he went inside into Turn 1 he had been staying inside of the normal line.
They both did some odd stuff. If Pruett didn't want JPM coming up his inside he should have driven a more defensive line. However it would have been prudent for JPM to wait or at least show his intentions a bit earlier on the strait.
They both did some odd stuff. If Pruett didn't want JPM coming up his inside he should have driven a more defensive line. However it would have been prudent for JPM to wait or at least show his intentions a bit earlier on the strait.
| silver arrow | 03-05-2007 10:18 PM |
Enough blame for both. Pruett knew he was faster and with that many laps left, had to know JPM was going to get past him.
JPM should have been more patient, he had plenty of time.
Pruett tried to slam the door, JPM should have been watching for him to shut the door.
Pruett shouldn't have left the door open and protected the inside line, if you aren't going to then you have to watch for the move inside.
If Pruett give him a little move room, they don't touch and JPM is now on the outside of turn 2 and really wasn't close enough to carry it off.
I do agree that it isn't the way JPM should be looking to win races. I think most people were hands off and weren't really treating him like a rookie, but they may start now.
JPM should have been more patient, he had plenty of time.
Pruett tried to slam the door, JPM should have been watching for him to shut the door.
Pruett shouldn't have left the door open and protected the inside line, if you aren't going to then you have to watch for the move inside.
If Pruett give him a little move room, they don't touch and JPM is now on the outside of turn 2 and really wasn't close enough to carry it off.
I do agree that it isn't the way JPM should be looking to win races. I think most people were hands off and weren't really treating him like a rookie, but they may start now.
| silver arrow | 03-05-2007 10:19 PM |
[QUOTE=cooleyjb;17268122]JPM didn't show for an inside line until VERY late. All the other times he went inside into Turn 1 he had been staying inside of the normal line.
They both did some odd stuff. If Pruett didn't want JPM coming up his inside he should have driven a more defensive line. However it would have been prudent for JPM to wait or at least show his intentions a bit earlier on the strait.[/QUOTE]
+1000000
They both did some odd stuff. If Pruett didn't want JPM coming up his inside he should have driven a more defensive line. However it would have been prudent for JPM to wait or at least show his intentions a bit earlier on the strait.[/QUOTE]
+1000000
| Ferg | 03-09-2007 11:42 PM |
I'm starting to see a bit of a trend developing with JPM's quali efforts...
[QUOTE]
[B][U]UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
[/U][/B]
Qualifying times:
Pos Driver Make Speed Time
1. Kasey Kahne Dodge 184.855 29.212
2. David Stremme Dodge 184.193 29.317 + 0.105
3. Elliott Sadler Dodge 183.874 29.368 + 0.156
[B]4. Juan Montoya Dodge 183.188 29.478 + 0.266[/B]
5. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 182.976 29.512 + 0.300
6. Scott Riggs Dodge 182.865 29.530 + 0.318
7. Reed Sorenson Dodge 182.822 29.537 + 0.325
8. Sterling Marlin Chevrolet 182.525 29.585 + 0.373
9. Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 182.266 29.627 + 0.415
10. Kurt Busch Dodge 182.020 29.667 + 0.455
11. Dave Blaney Toyota 181.775 29.707 + 0.495
12. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 181.763 29.709 + 0.497
13. Carl Edwards Ford 181.568 29.741 + 0.529
14. Mark Martin Chevrolet 181.494 29.753 + 0.541
15. Kenny Wallace Chevrolet 181.378 29.772 + 0.560
16. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 181.293 29.786 + 0.574
17. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 181.074 29.822 + 0.610
18. Greg Biffle Ford 181.032 29.829 + 0.617
19. Paul Menard Chevrolet 180.953 29.842 + 0.630
20. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 180.904 29.850 + 0.638
21. David Gilliland Ford 180.892 29.852 + 0.640
22. Kyle Petty Dodge 180.886 29.853 + 0.641
23. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 180.820 29.864 + 0.652
24. J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 180.802 29.867 + 0.655
25. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 180.596 29.901 + 0.689
26. Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 180.542 29.910 + 0.698
27. Tony Raines Chevrolet 180.487 29.919 + 0.707
28. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 180.409 29.932 + 0.720
29. Jeff Green Chevrolet 180.307 29.949 + 0.737
30. Ward Burton Chevrolet 180.258 29.957 + 0.745
31. Aric Almirola Chevrolet 180.174 29.971 + 0.759
32. Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 180.156 29.974 + 0.762
33. Jamie McMurray Ford 180.090 29.985 + 0.773
34. Casey Mears Chevrolet 180.060 29.990 + 0.778
35. A.J. Allmendinger Toyota 179.964 30.006 + 0.794
36. David Ragan Ford 179.826 30.029 + 0.817
37. Mike Bliss Dodge 179.778 30.037 + 0.825
38. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 179.635 30.061 + 0.849
39. Matt Kenseth Ford 179.462 30.090 + 0.878
40. Robby Gordon Ford 179.342 30.110 + 0.898
41. John Andretti Dodge 179.223 30.130 + 0.918
42. Ryan Newman Dodge 179.217 30.131 + 0.919
43. Ricky Rudd Ford 179.051 30.159 + 0.947
44. Brian Vickers Toyota 179.003 30.167 + 0.955
45. David Reutimann Toyota 178.571 30.240 + 1.028
46. Jeremy Mayfield Toyota 177.258 30.464 + 1.252
47. Dale Jarrett Toyota 176.869 30.531 + 1.319
48. Brandon Whitt Chevrolet 176.523 30.591 + 1.379
49. Jon Wood Ford 175.873 30.704 + 1.492
50. Kevin Lepage Dodge 175.393 30.788 + 1.576
51. Michael Waltrip Toyota 173.421 31.138 + 1.926
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]
[B][U]UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
[/U][/B]
Qualifying times:
Pos Driver Make Speed Time
1. Kasey Kahne Dodge 184.855 29.212
2. David Stremme Dodge 184.193 29.317 + 0.105
3. Elliott Sadler Dodge 183.874 29.368 + 0.156
[B]4. Juan Montoya Dodge 183.188 29.478 + 0.266[/B]
5. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 182.976 29.512 + 0.300
6. Scott Riggs Dodge 182.865 29.530 + 0.318
7. Reed Sorenson Dodge 182.822 29.537 + 0.325
8. Sterling Marlin Chevrolet 182.525 29.585 + 0.373
9. Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 182.266 29.627 + 0.415
10. Kurt Busch Dodge 182.020 29.667 + 0.455
11. Dave Blaney Toyota 181.775 29.707 + 0.495
12. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 181.763 29.709 + 0.497
13. Carl Edwards Ford 181.568 29.741 + 0.529
14. Mark Martin Chevrolet 181.494 29.753 + 0.541
15. Kenny Wallace Chevrolet 181.378 29.772 + 0.560
16. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 181.293 29.786 + 0.574
17. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 181.074 29.822 + 0.610
18. Greg Biffle Ford 181.032 29.829 + 0.617
19. Paul Menard Chevrolet 180.953 29.842 + 0.630
20. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 180.904 29.850 + 0.638
21. David Gilliland Ford 180.892 29.852 + 0.640
22. Kyle Petty Dodge 180.886 29.853 + 0.641
23. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 180.820 29.864 + 0.652
24. J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 180.802 29.867 + 0.655
25. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 180.596 29.901 + 0.689
26. Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 180.542 29.910 + 0.698
27. Tony Raines Chevrolet 180.487 29.919 + 0.707
28. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 180.409 29.932 + 0.720
29. Jeff Green Chevrolet 180.307 29.949 + 0.737
30. Ward Burton Chevrolet 180.258 29.957 + 0.745
31. Aric Almirola Chevrolet 180.174 29.971 + 0.759
32. Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 180.156 29.974 + 0.762
33. Jamie McMurray Ford 180.090 29.985 + 0.773
34. Casey Mears Chevrolet 180.060 29.990 + 0.778
35. A.J. Allmendinger Toyota 179.964 30.006 + 0.794
36. David Ragan Ford 179.826 30.029 + 0.817
37. Mike Bliss Dodge 179.778 30.037 + 0.825
38. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 179.635 30.061 + 0.849
39. Matt Kenseth Ford 179.462 30.090 + 0.878
40. Robby Gordon Ford 179.342 30.110 + 0.898
41. John Andretti Dodge 179.223 30.130 + 0.918
42. Ryan Newman Dodge 179.217 30.131 + 0.919
43. Ricky Rudd Ford 179.051 30.159 + 0.947
44. Brian Vickers Toyota 179.003 30.167 + 0.955
45. David Reutimann Toyota 178.571 30.240 + 1.028
46. Jeremy Mayfield Toyota 177.258 30.464 + 1.252
47. Dale Jarrett Toyota 176.869 30.531 + 1.319
48. Brandon Whitt Chevrolet 176.523 30.591 + 1.379
49. Jon Wood Ford 175.873 30.704 + 1.492
50. Kevin Lepage Dodge 175.393 30.788 + 1.576
51. Michael Waltrip Toyota 173.421 31.138 + 1.926
[/QUOTE]
| Hotrodguru | 03-10-2007 01:30 AM |
[QUOTE=REX8;17259403]Again, this implies intent. Arrogant? Stupid, fine...but how do you get arrogant?[/QUOTE]
I was going to respond back with some elaborate explanation but I've came to the conclusion that you obviously don't know anything about JPM.
I was going to respond back with some elaborate explanation but I've came to the conclusion that you obviously don't know anything about JPM.
| Ferg | 03-10-2007 11:21 AM |
All racing driver's are arrogant [I]when they put on their helmet[/I], it's part of their DNA.
If they didn't feel entitled to whatever part of track they happen to be fighting over they wouldn't be very effective. Show me one that isn't and I'll show you one who hasn't won a lot of races.
Now, enough of this already! If Pruett and JPM can make up and move on so can the rest of us. :D
[QUOTE]Montoya and Pruett settle on incident
By Diego Mejia Wednesday, March 7th 2007, 16:37 GMT
Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Juan Pablo Montoya and Scott Pruett have settled their differences on their incident in Sunday's Mexico Busch Series Race.
According to a team statement, Montoya and Pruett have already spoken about their clash and despite being still angry, the American claims he has moved on from the issue.
"Sunday's race brought out a wide range of emotions from me. Although I am still upset that I did not win the race in Mexico City or finish 1-2, I do feel a lot better," Pruett said in the statement.
"I spoke to Juan Pablo and he apologized and I do know that what happened was not intentional on Juan's part. He and I have worked great together in the past - winning the 24 Hours - and I know we will work together in the future.
"Racing is an emotional sport and that is part of its beauty. I have been in racing for a long time and sometimes these things happen. I have moved on and now just look forward to getting back to racing."
On his part, Montoya insisted he is regretful of what happened on the track and claims he fully understands Pruett's frustration.
"As I said for the last couple of days, I am very sorry about what happened with Scott and I am really disappointed that we did not finish 1-2," Montoya said in the statement.
"I think that we had the best cars in the field and I know Scott, Brian and the whole 41 team deserved better. I feel bad that the whole situation happened and told Scott that I was sorry about it.
"I completely understand Scott's frustration as I would feel the same way. I am now just looking forward to Las Vegas."
Montoya and Pruett will probably race together again later this year in the third road-course event of the Busch Series at Watkins Glen in August.[/QUOTE]
If they didn't feel entitled to whatever part of track they happen to be fighting over they wouldn't be very effective. Show me one that isn't and I'll show you one who hasn't won a lot of races.
Now, enough of this already! If Pruett and JPM can make up and move on so can the rest of us. :D
[QUOTE]Montoya and Pruett settle on incident
By Diego Mejia Wednesday, March 7th 2007, 16:37 GMT
Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Juan Pablo Montoya and Scott Pruett have settled their differences on their incident in Sunday's Mexico Busch Series Race.
According to a team statement, Montoya and Pruett have already spoken about their clash and despite being still angry, the American claims he has moved on from the issue.
"Sunday's race brought out a wide range of emotions from me. Although I am still upset that I did not win the race in Mexico City or finish 1-2, I do feel a lot better," Pruett said in the statement.
"I spoke to Juan Pablo and he apologized and I do know that what happened was not intentional on Juan's part. He and I have worked great together in the past - winning the 24 Hours - and I know we will work together in the future.
"Racing is an emotional sport and that is part of its beauty. I have been in racing for a long time and sometimes these things happen. I have moved on and now just look forward to getting back to racing."
On his part, Montoya insisted he is regretful of what happened on the track and claims he fully understands Pruett's frustration.
"As I said for the last couple of days, I am very sorry about what happened with Scott and I am really disappointed that we did not finish 1-2," Montoya said in the statement.
"I think that we had the best cars in the field and I know Scott, Brian and the whole 41 team deserved better. I feel bad that the whole situation happened and told Scott that I was sorry about it.
"I completely understand Scott's frustration as I would feel the same way. I am now just looking forward to Las Vegas."
Montoya and Pruett will probably race together again later this year in the third road-course event of the Busch Series at Watkins Glen in August.[/QUOTE]
| cooleyjb | 03-10-2007 12:15 PM |
[QUOTE]According to a team statement, Montoya and Pruett have already spoken about their clash and despite being still angry, [B]the American claims he has moved on from the [/B]issue.[/QUOTE]
I don't believe it.
However I caught a bit of qualifying and everyone one of hte ex-drivers said they'd "wreck their mama" to get their first win.
I don't believe it.
However I caught a bit of qualifying and everyone one of hte ex-drivers said they'd "wreck their mama" to get their first win.
| fliz | 03-10-2007 01:05 PM |
[quote]44. Brian Vickers Toyota 179.003 30.167 + 0.955
45. David Reutimann Toyota 178.571 30.240 + 1.028
46. Jeremy Mayfield Toyota 177.258 30.464 + 1.252
47. Dale Jarrett Toyota 176.869 30.531 + 1.319
...
51. Michael Waltrip Toyota 173.421 31.138 + 1.926[/quote]
Not looking so good for Toyota this week...
45. David Reutimann Toyota 178.571 30.240 + 1.028
46. Jeremy Mayfield Toyota 177.258 30.464 + 1.252
47. Dale Jarrett Toyota 176.869 30.531 + 1.319
...
51. Michael Waltrip Toyota 173.421 31.138 + 1.926[/quote]
Not looking so good for Toyota this week...
| REX8 | 03-10-2007 01:23 PM |
[QUOTE=Hotrodguru;17307119]I was going to respond back with some elaborate explanation but I've came to the conclusion that you obviously don't know anything about JPM.[/QUOTE]
:lol:
Followed him his whole career, from the barber series. Making a stupid move on track makes you a prick???? Again, your posts imply intent...not stupidity/cockiness/etc. You need to seperate the two. His interviews post race also weren't anything arrogant. In fact, he hasn't shown that side of him for about a year now...
Wanna battle on JPM's history...I'm pretty sure covered. I've also talked to him, for about 3 minutes in downtown Montreal...he struct me as very personable and didn't blow us off when we approached. Actually talked about his qualifying effort and said how much he loved the city.
:lol:
Followed him his whole career, from the barber series. Making a stupid move on track makes you a prick???? Again, your posts imply intent...not stupidity/cockiness/etc. You need to seperate the two. His interviews post race also weren't anything arrogant. In fact, he hasn't shown that side of him for about a year now...
Wanna battle on JPM's history...I'm pretty sure covered. I've also talked to him, for about 3 minutes in downtown Montreal...he struct me as very personable and didn't blow us off when we approached. Actually talked about his qualifying effort and said how much he loved the city.
| REX8 | 03-10-2007 01:25 PM |
[QUOTE=Ferg;17306495]I'm starting to see a bit of a trend developing with JPM's quali efforts...[/QUOTE]
He's had that trend for about a decade now :D
Maybe the one areas he's never lacked in...
He's had that trend for about a decade now :D
Maybe the one areas he's never lacked in...
| Hotrodguru | 03-10-2007 02:26 PM |
[QUOTE=Ferg;17308929]All racing driver's are arrogant [I]when they put on their helmet[/I], it's part of their DNA.[/QUOTE]
Well I think we can all agree on that.
[QUOTE=REX8;17309618]In fact, he hasn't shown that side of him for about a year now...[/QUOTE]
He has walked a tighter line since coming over to the states. Like you I've met him quite a few times. When I myself was racing Formula Renault and doing some running in Atlantic. Not only that but I know his dad pretty well and talked to him a few times about a kart track in Florida they have. I have always thought he is one of the most naturally talented drivers out there and that was never been a question.
Him being more arrogant than others is true and that's what I can't stand. Could have been an F1 champ but not when he never takes the blame for anything. It was the car, the tires, the pit strategy, yada yada. Michael cut me off, etc.... The day I quit liking him as a driver was when a group of friends put all their money together to make the trek from Columbia to see him race CHAMP cars in Houston. His own countrymen stood in front of his pits for like an hour and he couldn't even come by and say hi. As a Latin driver that's just something that doesn't happen.
Anyway like Ferg said...if Pruett can move on so can others ;). I also want to see him succeed in NASCAR because he comes from open wheel/karting.
Well I think we can all agree on that.
[QUOTE=REX8;17309618]In fact, he hasn't shown that side of him for about a year now...[/QUOTE]
He has walked a tighter line since coming over to the states. Like you I've met him quite a few times. When I myself was racing Formula Renault and doing some running in Atlantic. Not only that but I know his dad pretty well and talked to him a few times about a kart track in Florida they have. I have always thought he is one of the most naturally talented drivers out there and that was never been a question.
Him being more arrogant than others is true and that's what I can't stand. Could have been an F1 champ but not when he never takes the blame for anything. It was the car, the tires, the pit strategy, yada yada. Michael cut me off, etc.... The day I quit liking him as a driver was when a group of friends put all their money together to make the trek from Columbia to see him race CHAMP cars in Houston. His own countrymen stood in front of his pits for like an hour and he couldn't even come by and say hi. As a Latin driver that's just something that doesn't happen.
Anyway like Ferg said...if Pruett can move on so can others ;). I also want to see him succeed in NASCAR because he comes from open wheel/karting.
| silver arrow | 03-10-2007 03:00 PM |
[QUOTE=fliz;17309508]Not looking so good for Toyota this week...[/QUOTE]
Dodge is certainly on their game early in the season.
Dodge is certainly on their game early in the season.
| lil'redwagon | 03-11-2007 08:55 PM |
is it just that they don't work well in traffic? obviously, jpm can drive the car, but he keeps finishing in the <20's. maybe it's that his team can't keep up with changing track conditions. i gotta say, it's becoming more and more of a chore to tune in to nascar, and only see jpm when the leaders are lapping him!
| Ferg | 03-12-2007 12:20 PM |
Report from Vegas.
[QUOTE][B][U]Johnson earns another Vegas victory[/U][/B]
By Diego Mejia Monday, March 12th 2007, 01:41 GMT
Defending Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson took his third consecutive victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and his first race win of the season in the UAW Daimler Chrylser 400 on Sunday.
Johnson led a total of 88 laps and was the man to beat all day, recovering from a penalty halfway through the distance to comfortably beat his Hendrick Motorsports teammate and car-owner Jeff Gordon.
"Man, there was a lot of great competition on the track," said Johnson, who scored his 24th career victory in the Nextel Cup.
"It was obviously a good day for us. We had some issues. We had a tyre roll away on a pit stop that caused us some trouble.
"Over the long haul, I don't think I really had the speed to run with Jeff Gordon or Jeff Burton. But at the end, we put right side tyres on and made a tyre pressure adjustment that really brought the comfort back to the car.
"I had that edge I could lean on and push hard to get by Gordon and Burton, and then hold off Gordon at the end. It was a great day for us."
After the 'Demolition Derby' that was the Busch Series race on Saturday it was expected that the Nextel Cup race would see just as many wrecks, especially as the track reached more than 40 degrees celsius, putting yet more stress on the very hard Goodyear tyres.
But despite many crashes taking place during the 267 laps, the race was a lot less dramatic than had been feared. In the first 20 laps however, it looked like it was going to be a very long afternoon for the Nextel Cup drivers on the resurfaced 1.5-mile oval, as three cautions came out during that period.
Rookie David Ragan brought out the first one after spinning out of Turn 2, while a few laps later it was Casey Mears who took the worst part in an incident caused by Robby Gordon and Ward Burton into Turn 3. Dave Blaney and Joe Nemechek were also in trouble on lap 18 and had to pack up early.
Johnson grabbed the lead of the race for the first time on lap 22 and kept it until he was forced to go to the back of the field due to a pit violation during his stop in the fifth caution of the race on lap 107.
The left rear tyre that was changed on his car rolled out of Johnson's pitbox and his crew only realised when it was too late. Johnson was consequently moved to the tail of the cars on the lead lap.
Gordon took over the lead from lap 109 in his No. 24 Nicorette Chevrolet, leading his first laps at the track since 2003. At the back, Johnson started to quickly recover and by lap 203 he was already up to second and catching Gordon.
After Clint Bowyer crashed on Turn 4 on lap 227 the eighth caution of the day came out, allowing eveybody to pit for fuel and gas under yellow. Gordon emerged from the pit road ahead and led the field with 35 laps to go with Johonson and Burton battling for second behind him.
Burton ran the high line through the banking just as he did during the Busch Series race which he won on Saturday. He took the lead on lap 236, overtaking Gordon on the outside with Johnson following closely behind, running a lower line.
A few laps later Johnson took to the front and Gordon later went by as well. Burton gradually started to lose speed with a misfire as the battle between the two Hendrick drivers started to build ahead of him, only to be freezed for a while as the ninth caution of the race came out when Kasey Kahne crashed in Turn 1 on lap 250.
With 12 laps to go the green waved for the final time in the afternoon and there was nothing Gordon could do to stay in touch with Johnson, who went on to take another victory at Las Vegas.
Mark Martin was unable to hold off a recovering Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth in the final laps but still finished fifth and stayed in the lead of the points standings.
Meanwhile Burton and Dale Earnhard Jr. went into the pits during the last caution when the pit road was closed, picking up late penalties that dropped both of them down the order.
Earnhardt however was able to recover to eleventh and score enough points to put himself in the top 35 in the owner standings after two consecutive DNFs.
Juan Pablo Montoya had another disapointing race despite the speed he showed in qualifying and in the first half of the race.
The Colombian started running strongly in the top five until he pitted for fuel and tyres during the second caution. He got blocked coming out of his pit-box and lost several places.
Later in the race the front grill on his car was broken by debris, which caused his car to lose downforce. He finished 22nd, two laps down on the winner, but was still the best placed Ganassi driver and the top rookie finisher.
UAW Daimler Chrysler 400 results:
Pos Driver Make Laps
1. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 267
2. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 267
3. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 267
4. Matt Kenseth Ford 267
5. Mark Martin Chevrolet 267
6. Carl Edwards Ford 267
7. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 267
8. Ryan Newman Dodge 267
9. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 267
10. Jamie McMurray Ford 267
11. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 267
12. Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 267
13. Bobby Labonte Dodge 267
14. Elliott Sadler Dodge 267
15. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 267
16. Greg Biffle Ford 266
17. Robby Gordon Ford 266
18. J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 266
19. David Stremme Dodge 266
20. Tony Raines Chevrolet 266
21. David Gilliland Ford 265
[B]22. Juan Montoya Dodge 265[/B]
23. Scott Riggs Dodge 265
24. Kenny Wallace Chevrolet 265
25. Jeff Green Chevrolet 265
26. Kurt Busch Dodge 265
27. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 265
28. Kyle Petty Dodge 265
29. Jon Wood Ford 264
30. Ricky Rudd Ford 264
31. Reed Sorenson Dodge 263
32. Paul Menard Chevrolet 263
33. Dale Jarrett Toyota 263
34. Sterling Marlin Chevrolet 251
35. Kasey Kahne Dodge 251
36. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 239
37. David Ragan Ford 236
38. Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 156
39. Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 147
40. Casey Mears Chevrolet 141
41. Aric Almirola Chevrolet 46
42. Dave Blaney Toyota 17
43. Ward Burton Chevrolet 15[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE][B][U]Johnson earns another Vegas victory[/U][/B]
By Diego Mejia Monday, March 12th 2007, 01:41 GMT
Defending Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson took his third consecutive victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and his first race win of the season in the UAW Daimler Chrylser 400 on Sunday.
Johnson led a total of 88 laps and was the man to beat all day, recovering from a penalty halfway through the distance to comfortably beat his Hendrick Motorsports teammate and car-owner Jeff Gordon.
"Man, there was a lot of great competition on the track," said Johnson, who scored his 24th career victory in the Nextel Cup.
"It was obviously a good day for us. We had some issues. We had a tyre roll away on a pit stop that caused us some trouble.
"Over the long haul, I don't think I really had the speed to run with Jeff Gordon or Jeff Burton. But at the end, we put right side tyres on and made a tyre pressure adjustment that really brought the comfort back to the car.
"I had that edge I could lean on and push hard to get by Gordon and Burton, and then hold off Gordon at the end. It was a great day for us."
After the 'Demolition Derby' that was the Busch Series race on Saturday it was expected that the Nextel Cup race would see just as many wrecks, especially as the track reached more than 40 degrees celsius, putting yet more stress on the very hard Goodyear tyres.
But despite many crashes taking place during the 267 laps, the race was a lot less dramatic than had been feared. In the first 20 laps however, it looked like it was going to be a very long afternoon for the Nextel Cup drivers on the resurfaced 1.5-mile oval, as three cautions came out during that period.
Rookie David Ragan brought out the first one after spinning out of Turn 2, while a few laps later it was Casey Mears who took the worst part in an incident caused by Robby Gordon and Ward Burton into Turn 3. Dave Blaney and Joe Nemechek were also in trouble on lap 18 and had to pack up early.
Johnson grabbed the lead of the race for the first time on lap 22 and kept it until he was forced to go to the back of the field due to a pit violation during his stop in the fifth caution of the race on lap 107.
The left rear tyre that was changed on his car rolled out of Johnson's pitbox and his crew only realised when it was too late. Johnson was consequently moved to the tail of the cars on the lead lap.
Gordon took over the lead from lap 109 in his No. 24 Nicorette Chevrolet, leading his first laps at the track since 2003. At the back, Johnson started to quickly recover and by lap 203 he was already up to second and catching Gordon.
After Clint Bowyer crashed on Turn 4 on lap 227 the eighth caution of the day came out, allowing eveybody to pit for fuel and gas under yellow. Gordon emerged from the pit road ahead and led the field with 35 laps to go with Johonson and Burton battling for second behind him.
Burton ran the high line through the banking just as he did during the Busch Series race which he won on Saturday. He took the lead on lap 236, overtaking Gordon on the outside with Johnson following closely behind, running a lower line.
A few laps later Johnson took to the front and Gordon later went by as well. Burton gradually started to lose speed with a misfire as the battle between the two Hendrick drivers started to build ahead of him, only to be freezed for a while as the ninth caution of the race came out when Kasey Kahne crashed in Turn 1 on lap 250.
With 12 laps to go the green waved for the final time in the afternoon and there was nothing Gordon could do to stay in touch with Johnson, who went on to take another victory at Las Vegas.
Mark Martin was unable to hold off a recovering Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth in the final laps but still finished fifth and stayed in the lead of the points standings.
Meanwhile Burton and Dale Earnhard Jr. went into the pits during the last caution when the pit road was closed, picking up late penalties that dropped both of them down the order.
Earnhardt however was able to recover to eleventh and score enough points to put himself in the top 35 in the owner standings after two consecutive DNFs.
Juan Pablo Montoya had another disapointing race despite the speed he showed in qualifying and in the first half of the race.
The Colombian started running strongly in the top five until he pitted for fuel and tyres during the second caution. He got blocked coming out of his pit-box and lost several places.
Later in the race the front grill on his car was broken by debris, which caused his car to lose downforce. He finished 22nd, two laps down on the winner, but was still the best placed Ganassi driver and the top rookie finisher.
UAW Daimler Chrysler 400 results:
Pos Driver Make Laps
1. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 267
2. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 267
3. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 267
4. Matt Kenseth Ford 267
5. Mark Martin Chevrolet 267
6. Carl Edwards Ford 267
7. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 267
8. Ryan Newman Dodge 267
9. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 267
10. Jamie McMurray Ford 267
11. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 267
12. Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 267
13. Bobby Labonte Dodge 267
14. Elliott Sadler Dodge 267
15. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 267
16. Greg Biffle Ford 266
17. Robby Gordon Ford 266
18. J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 266
19. David Stremme Dodge 266
20. Tony Raines Chevrolet 266
21. David Gilliland Ford 265
[B]22. Juan Montoya Dodge 265[/B]
23. Scott Riggs Dodge 265
24. Kenny Wallace Chevrolet 265
25. Jeff Green Chevrolet 265
26. Kurt Busch Dodge 265
27. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 265
28. Kyle Petty Dodge 265
29. Jon Wood Ford 264
30. Ricky Rudd Ford 264
31. Reed Sorenson Dodge 263
32. Paul Menard Chevrolet 263
33. Dale Jarrett Toyota 263
34. Sterling Marlin Chevrolet 251
35. Kasey Kahne Dodge 251
36. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 239
37. David Ragan Ford 236
38. Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 156
39. Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 147
40. Casey Mears Chevrolet 141
41. Aric Almirola Chevrolet 46
42. Dave Blaney Toyota 17
43. Ward Burton Chevrolet 15[/QUOTE]
| silver arrow | 03-12-2007 01:46 PM |
[QUOTE=lil'redwagon;17319370]is it just that they don't work well in traffic? obviously, jpm can drive the car, but he keeps finishing in the <20's. maybe it's that his team can't keep up with changing track conditions. i gotta say, it's becoming more and more of a chore to tune in to nascar, and only see jpm when the leaders are lapping him![/QUOTE]
I quit watching. Sad. Can't wait till Watkins and Sears.
I quit watching. Sad. Can't wait till Watkins and Sears.
| REX8 | 03-18-2007 05:49 PM |
Montoya 5th!
...Was fighting for 3rd with 8 to go, pulled a Cole Trickle going high and brushed the wall
(8th in Bush)
Good weekend...
...Was fighting for 3rd with 8 to go, pulled a Cole Trickle going high and brushed the wall
(8th in Bush)
Good weekend...
| Ferg | 03-18-2007 05:58 PM |
He's going to need a good memory to get him through the next race...Bristol. :eek:
| Ferg | 03-19-2007 10:27 AM |
Race recap and JPM's comments.
With this finish he's moved into 15th in the overall Cup standings.
[QUOTE][B][U]Johnson wins again in Atlanta[/U][/B]
By Diego Mejia Sunday, March 18th 2007, 22:08 GMT
Reigning Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson won his second race in a row today at Atlanta Motor Speedway, overtaking Tony Stewart with three laps to go to claim his second career win at the track.
Johnson led a race-high 134 laps - 13 more than Stewart, his closest rival all afternoon. His win in the Kobalt Tools 500 puts him now only 28 points away from leader Mark Martin, who is scheduled to skip the next race at Bristol.
"We had a great race car all day long," Johnson said after taking his 25th career victory in the Nextel Cup.
"There were a few guys which were better than us in the short run but Chad (Knaus, crew chief) made some great adjustments for that sprint in the end and they were spot on.
"It is so much fun racing with the best in the business and Tony Stewart is certainly that. They got so much speed and I was shocked that was able hang with him. I started to race with him and put on a great race. Tony Stewart is a great race car driver."
Stewart wasn't as forthcoming to his rival, taking objection to Johnson's overtaking manoeuvre for the lead out of Turn 2.
"I got an awful crowd there in Turn 2," Stewart said. "But I'm really happy for my whole team. We fought ourselves after a bad pitstop there all the way back to the lead. But we didn't have enough evidently."
Far behind the pair, Matt Kenseth grabbed third from Jeff Burton and an impressive Juan Pablo Montoya, who ran the second half of the race in the top ten and moved up to the top five in the last 100 laps to take his best finish of the season to date.
"Oh, I loved it!", Montoya said. "The team did a great job with the pitstops and the Dodge was amazing today. It's nice to get a top-five here, there were a lot of Colombian flags and it's just nice.
"We're getting the hang of it. In the high line I'm really comfortable but now I need to run a little bit more comfortable running at the bottom of the track."
The race was a very clean one with six cautions coming out but only one due to an incident on lap 231 when David Reutimann hit the back of Greg Biffle, who was running on his inside out of turn two.
Biffle got loose and turned into Brian Vickers who was passing him on the outside. Kasey Kahne was an innocent victim of the wreck, crashing also into the back of Reutimann and having his third consecutive crash in as many races.
Jimmie Johnson showed he was going to be the man to beat since the first laps leading the field at the start. Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon looked capable of running his pace for a while but both men hit trouble later.
Busch was forced to pit for the first time under green, earlier than planned with a suspected tyre problem, dropping a lap down.
Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart also looked quick early on leading a number of laps, but were not able to stay up front during the pitstops while the Hendrick crews of Johnson and Gordon delivered their usual best to allow both men to lead half of the first 163 laps between them.
Stewart had a very lengthy pitstop halfway through the distance, which dropped him out of the top-ten. However he had the speed to recover and take the lead of the race once again on lap 239.
The last few laps however were when the action unfolded. Some of the front runners were tight on fuel nearing the end of the race but a caution with 15 laps to go allowed all of them to pit for fuel and tyres for the final sprint.
Racing out of the pits Tony Stewart was able to stay on the lead, followed by Johnson, Kenseth and Montoya.
With 11 to go the green flag waved for the final time. Montoya went on the outside of Kenseth and Johnson but got squeezed and rubbed the right side of his car against the wall, losing momentum and 4th place to Jeff Burton.
Ahead of him, Johnson closed on Stewart diving on his inside with 5 laps remaining but not being able to make the pass. The current Cup champion finally got a good run on the 20 car and grabbed the lead passing Stewart on the inside with 3 to go, squeezing him going out of turn 2.
Stewart touched the wall while Johnson drove away to take his second win in as many weeks.
Mark Martin had a quiet though effective run to finish tenth and lead the points standing leaving everyone wondering if he will really stick to his plan of skipping the next round at Bristol.
Toyota achieved a milestone in a debut season in the Nextel Cup, leading their first laps with Red Bull's Brian Vickers heading the field from laps 89 to 91 after staying out longer while most drivers pitted.
Dave Blaney was the top Camry at the end of the race finishing 27th and two laps down on the winner.
Next weekend's race will be the first Car of Tomorrow race of the season.
Pos Driver Make Laps
1. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 325
2. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 325
3. Matt Kenseth Ford 325
4. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 325
[B]5. Juan Montoya Dodge 325[/B]
6. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 325
7. Carl Edwards Ford 325
8. Martin Truex Jr Chevrolet 325
9. Reed Sorenson Dodge 325
10. Mark Martin Chevrolet 325
11. Kurt Busch Dodge 325
12. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 325
13. David Stremme Dodge 325
14. Dale Earnhardt Jr Chevrolet 325
15. Jamie McMurray Ford 325
16. Bobby Labonte Dodge 325
17. Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 325
18. Elliott Sadler Dodge 325
19. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 324
20. Robby Gordon Ford 324
21. Mike Bliss Dodge 324
22. JJ Yeley Chevrolet 324
23. Ryan Newman Dodge 324
24. Sterling Marlin Chevrolet 324
25. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 324
26. Ricky Rudd Ford 323
27. Dave Blaney Toyota 323
28. Casey Mears Chevrolet 323
29. Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 323
30. David Gilliland Ford 323
31. Paul Menard Chevrolet 323
32. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 322
33. David Ragan Ford 322
34. Kyle Petty Dodge 322
35. Jeff Green Chevrolet 322
36. Dale Jarrett Toyota 320
37. Ken Schrader Ford 318
38. Tony Raines Chevrolet 318
39. Kasey Kahne Dodge 306
40. David Reutimann Toyota 295
41. Greg Biffle Ford 280
42. Brian Vickers Toyota 227
43. Scott Riggs Dodge 221[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE][B][U]Montoya shines on Atlanta oval[/U][/B]
By Diego Mejia Monday, March 19th 2007, 05:43 GMT
Juan Pablo Montoya is clearly getting to grips with the 1.5-mile ovals as he showed Sunday by finishing fifth in the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and eighth in the Busch Series race on Saturday.
The Colombian ran 184 of the 325 laps of the Cup race in the top ten and moved into the top five in the last 100 laps. He was the fastest driver on track at various stages of the race and looked very confident running a higher line on the banking than all of his rivals.
He ran as high as fourth and looked a contender for victory in the last restart until he brushed the wall trying to overtake eventual winner Jimmie Johnson on the outside of Turn 2.
"The last restart, I thought I had Jimmie and I went for the outside, had a great run and just ran out of room," Montoya said after the race.
"It's just one of those things where you go to the wall, wheel on, just wide open hoping you can make it and just run out of road. I damaged the fender and Jeff passed me but it's good. The best result before this is like 19th. I think we're going in the right direction."
Montoya had never run before at the Atlanta Motor Speedway but confessed he likes the track more than all the others he has raced at so far, because it allows for close racing.
"I totally love this track. You can really race. I was really comfortable when the car was moving. That's one of the biggest things for me.
"The way the car was stepping out before with the harder tyres was just a lot more unpredictable and I wasn't that comfortable with it, where here, you just put wheel and you keep going with it."
Before the last caution of the race came out, Montoya was raced by Jeff Gordon who was a lap down and trying to get it back. The former F1 driver was critical of Gordon, claiming that their battle hampered his chances of an even better result.
"I thought we were catching Matt [Kenseth] a little bit and Jeff caught me and started running behind me and it was getting me really loose in. I started losing the whole momentum and he was starting to run beside me every straight.
"I don't know what he was doing. I don't know if he was racing with the 5 to try to get the Lucky Dog. That kind of screwed us a little bit but I guess he's trying to do his own race as well."
Jeff Burton, who finished fourth ahead of Montoya, overtaking him after he brushed the wall, went to congratulate the Ganassi driver immediately after the race. Montoya appreciated the gesture.
"I think it's been great. I've been very respectful of them. I think they are great drivers. They are making my life tough. It's hard work.
"Something that's amazing is how clean they race. It's great. You get a run, they'll give you room. They get a run on you, you've got to give them room and you learn to play that way and it just makes the racing awesome."
Asked if he had watched the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, Montoya said he didn't watch the whole race.
"No. You watch the start, by lap 3 Kimi [Raikkonen] had like six seconds. What else are you going to watch? I could predict the end of the race."[/QUOTE]
With this finish he's moved into 15th in the overall Cup standings.
[QUOTE][B][U]Johnson wins again in Atlanta[/U][/B]
By Diego Mejia Sunday, March 18th 2007, 22:08 GMT
Reigning Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson won his second race in a row today at Atlanta Motor Speedway, overtaking Tony Stewart with three laps to go to claim his second career win at the track.
Johnson led a race-high 134 laps - 13 more than Stewart, his closest rival all afternoon. His win in the Kobalt Tools 500 puts him now only 28 points away from leader Mark Martin, who is scheduled to skip the next race at Bristol.
"We had a great race car all day long," Johnson said after taking his 25th career victory in the Nextel Cup.
"There were a few guys which were better than us in the short run but Chad (Knaus, crew chief) made some great adjustments for that sprint in the end and they were spot on.
"It is so much fun racing with the best in the business and Tony Stewart is certainly that. They got so much speed and I was shocked that was able hang with him. I started to race with him and put on a great race. Tony Stewart is a great race car driver."
Stewart wasn't as forthcoming to his rival, taking objection to Johnson's overtaking manoeuvre for the lead out of Turn 2.
"I got an awful crowd there in Turn 2," Stewart said. "But I'm really happy for my whole team. We fought ourselves after a bad pitstop there all the way back to the lead. But we didn't have enough evidently."
Far behind the pair, Matt Kenseth grabbed third from Jeff Burton and an impressive Juan Pablo Montoya, who ran the second half of the race in the top ten and moved up to the top five in the last 100 laps to take his best finish of the season to date.
"Oh, I loved it!", Montoya said. "The team did a great job with the pitstops and the Dodge was amazing today. It's nice to get a top-five here, there were a lot of Colombian flags and it's just nice.
"We're getting the hang of it. In the high line I'm really comfortable but now I need to run a little bit more comfortable running at the bottom of the track."
The race was a very clean one with six cautions coming out but only one due to an incident on lap 231 when David Reutimann hit the back of Greg Biffle, who was running on his inside out of turn two.
Biffle got loose and turned into Brian Vickers who was passing him on the outside. Kasey Kahne was an innocent victim of the wreck, crashing also into the back of Reutimann and having his third consecutive crash in as many races.
Jimmie Johnson showed he was going to be the man to beat since the first laps leading the field at the start. Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon looked capable of running his pace for a while but both men hit trouble later.
Busch was forced to pit for the first time under green, earlier than planned with a suspected tyre problem, dropping a lap down.
Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart also looked quick early on leading a number of laps, but were not able to stay up front during the pitstops while the Hendrick crews of Johnson and Gordon delivered their usual best to allow both men to lead half of the first 163 laps between them.
Stewart had a very lengthy pitstop halfway through the distance, which dropped him out of the top-ten. However he had the speed to recover and take the lead of the race once again on lap 239.
The last few laps however were when the action unfolded. Some of the front runners were tight on fuel nearing the end of the race but a caution with 15 laps to go allowed all of them to pit for fuel and tyres for the final sprint.
Racing out of the pits Tony Stewart was able to stay on the lead, followed by Johnson, Kenseth and Montoya.
With 11 to go the green flag waved for the final time. Montoya went on the outside of Kenseth and Johnson but got squeezed and rubbed the right side of his car against the wall, losing momentum and 4th place to Jeff Burton.
Ahead of him, Johnson closed on Stewart diving on his inside with 5 laps remaining but not being able to make the pass. The current Cup champion finally got a good run on the 20 car and grabbed the lead passing Stewart on the inside with 3 to go, squeezing him going out of turn 2.
Stewart touched the wall while Johnson drove away to take his second win in as many weeks.
Mark Martin had a quiet though effective run to finish tenth and lead the points standing leaving everyone wondering if he will really stick to his plan of skipping the next round at Bristol.
Toyota achieved a milestone in a debut season in the Nextel Cup, leading their first laps with Red Bull's Brian Vickers heading the field from laps 89 to 91 after staying out longer while most drivers pitted.
Dave Blaney was the top Camry at the end of the race finishing 27th and two laps down on the winner.
Next weekend's race will be the first Car of Tomorrow race of the season.
Pos Driver Make Laps
1. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 325
2. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 325
3. Matt Kenseth Ford 325
4. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 325
[B]5. Juan Montoya Dodge 325[/B]
6. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 325
7. Carl Edwards Ford 325
8. Martin Truex Jr Chevrolet 325
9. Reed Sorenson Dodge 325
10. Mark Martin Chevrolet 325
11. Kurt Busch Dodge 325
12. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 325
13. David Stremme Dodge 325
14. Dale Earnhardt Jr Chevrolet 325
15. Jamie McMurray Ford 325
16. Bobby Labonte Dodge 325
17. Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 325
18. Elliott Sadler Dodge 325
19. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 324
20. Robby Gordon Ford 324
21. Mike Bliss Dodge 324
22. JJ Yeley Chevrolet 324
23. Ryan Newman Dodge 324
24. Sterling Marlin Chevrolet 324
25. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 324
26. Ricky Rudd Ford 323
27. Dave Blaney Toyota 323
28. Casey Mears Chevrolet 323
29. Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 323
30. David Gilliland Ford 323
31. Paul Menard Chevrolet 323
32. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 322
33. David Ragan Ford 322
34. Kyle Petty Dodge 322
35. Jeff Green Chevrolet 322
36. Dale Jarrett Toyota 320
37. Ken Schrader Ford 318
38. Tony Raines Chevrolet 318
39. Kasey Kahne Dodge 306
40. David Reutimann Toyota 295
41. Greg Biffle Ford 280
42. Brian Vickers Toyota 227
43. Scott Riggs Dodge 221[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE][B][U]Montoya shines on Atlanta oval[/U][/B]
By Diego Mejia Monday, March 19th 2007, 05:43 GMT
Juan Pablo Montoya is clearly getting to grips with the 1.5-mile ovals as he showed Sunday by finishing fifth in the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and eighth in the Busch Series race on Saturday.
The Colombian ran 184 of the 325 laps of the Cup race in the top ten and moved into the top five in the last 100 laps. He was the fastest driver on track at various stages of the race and looked very confident running a higher line on the banking than all of his rivals.
He ran as high as fourth and looked a contender for victory in the last restart until he brushed the wall trying to overtake eventual winner Jimmie Johnson on the outside of Turn 2.
"The last restart, I thought I had Jimmie and I went for the outside, had a great run and just ran out of room," Montoya said after the race.
"It's just one of those things where you go to the wall, wheel on, just wide open hoping you can make it and just run out of road. I damaged the fender and Jeff passed me but it's good. The best result before this is like 19th. I think we're going in the right direction."
Montoya had never run before at the Atlanta Motor Speedway but confessed he likes the track more than all the others he has raced at so far, because it allows for close racing.
"I totally love this track. You can really race. I was really comfortable when the car was moving. That's one of the biggest things for me.
"The way the car was stepping out before with the harder tyres was just a lot more unpredictable and I wasn't that comfortable with it, where here, you just put wheel and you keep going with it."
Before the last caution of the race came out, Montoya was raced by Jeff Gordon who was a lap down and trying to get it back. The former F1 driver was critical of Gordon, claiming that their battle hampered his chances of an even better result.
"I thought we were catching Matt [Kenseth] a little bit and Jeff caught me and started running behind me and it was getting me really loose in. I started losing the whole momentum and he was starting to run beside me every straight.
"I don't know what he was doing. I don't know if he was racing with the 5 to try to get the Lucky Dog. That kind of screwed us a little bit but I guess he's trying to do his own race as well."
Jeff Burton, who finished fourth ahead of Montoya, overtaking him after he brushed the wall, went to congratulate the Ganassi driver immediately after the race. Montoya appreciated the gesture.
"I think it's been great. I've been very respectful of them. I think they are great drivers. They are making my life tough. It's hard work.
"Something that's amazing is how clean they race. It's great. You get a run, they'll give you room. They get a run on you, you've got to give them room and you learn to play that way and it just makes the racing awesome."
Asked if he had watched the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, Montoya said he didn't watch the whole race.
"No. You watch the start, by lap 3 Kimi [Raikkonen] had like six seconds. What else are you going to watch? I could predict the end of the race."[/QUOTE]
| Rice & Gravy | 03-19-2007 10:41 AM |
It was interesting watching him cope with Jeff Gordon there for a while.
About this.
[B]"The last few laps however were when the action unfolded. Some of the front runners were tight on fuel nearing the end of the race but a caution with 15 laps to go allowed all of them to pit for fuel and tyres for the final sprint.
Racing out of the pits Tony Stewart was able to stay on the lead, followed by Johnson, Kenseth and Montoya.
With 11 to go the green flag waved for the final time." [/B]
Amazingly, there is a caution for "debris" just as it is determined that Johnson, who is sponsored by Kobalt the race sponsor, will run out of gas on the last lap. I saw no indication of what the debris was or video of anything on track. So everyone goes in for gas and tires under caution and Johnson goes on to win the race.
From what my Dad was telling me this sort of stuff happens all the time in NASCAR, especially when Dale Jr. is involved. I guess it made for a good finish, but damn that sure was convenient and seemed bogus. JPM seemed to run worse after pitting at the end.
About this.
[B]"The last few laps however were when the action unfolded. Some of the front runners were tight on fuel nearing the end of the race but a caution with 15 laps to go allowed all of them to pit for fuel and tyres for the final sprint.
Racing out of the pits Tony Stewart was able to stay on the lead, followed by Johnson, Kenseth and Montoya.
With 11 to go the green flag waved for the final time." [/B]
Amazingly, there is a caution for "debris" just as it is determined that Johnson, who is sponsored by Kobalt the race sponsor, will run out of gas on the last lap. I saw no indication of what the debris was or video of anything on track. So everyone goes in for gas and tires under caution and Johnson goes on to win the race.
From what my Dad was telling me this sort of stuff happens all the time in NASCAR, especially when Dale Jr. is involved. I guess it made for a good finish, but damn that sure was convenient and seemed bogus. JPM seemed to run worse after pitting at the end.
| fliz | 03-19-2007 12:17 PM |
[QUOTE=Rice & Gravy;17404269]JPM seemed to run worse after pitting at the end.[/QUOTE]
JPM ran worse because he hit the wall on the restart. Probably screwed up the car.
JPM ran worse because he hit the wall on the restart. Probably screwed up the car.
| REX8 | 03-19-2007 12:20 PM |
[QUOTE=fliz;17405407]JPM ran worse because he hit the wall on the restart. Probably screwed up the car.[/QUOTE]
Yeah...
There was only a few laps left. It takes a couple to get back to pace even if the car was ok (apparently).
Yeah...
There was only a few laps left. It takes a couple to get back to pace even if the car was ok (apparently).
| Rice & Gravy | 03-19-2007 12:23 PM |
[QUOTE=fliz;17405407]JPM ran worse because he hit the wall on the restart. Probably screwed up the car.[/QUOTE]
I must have missed that.
I must have missed that.
| REX8 | 03-19-2007 12:42 PM |
[QUOTE=Rice & Gravy;17405489]I must have missed that.[/QUOTE]
He had a run on JJ to take over 3rd place. He ran a little wide...
He had a run on JJ to take over 3rd place. He ran a little wide...
| Ferg | 03-25-2007 12:06 AM |
JPM shows well in his first race at Bristol. If you don't know Bristol just staying out of trouble and on the lead lap is extremely impressive for a regular NASCAR driver, more so for a first timer.
[QUOTE][B][U]Edwards wins Bristol Busch race
[/U][/B]
By Diego Mejia Saturday, March 24th 2007, 23:42 GMT
Carl Edwards took his first victory of the season in the Sharpie Mini 300 Busch Series round at Bristol Motor Speedway, holding off a late attack from Roush Racing teammate Matt Kenseth.
Edwards led 147 out of 300 laps of what was a very eventful race.
More than one third of the distance - 103 laps exactly - were run under yellow flag due to the number of incidents. A record twelve cautions came out during the race, most of them in the first half of it.
The points-leader, who now extends his margin at the front of the standings to 197 points over reigning champion Kevin Harvick, was the most consistent of the top runners, battling for the lead with Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman in the early part of the race and then having his mirrors filled with Kenseth in the last few laps.
"I just can't thank Matt Kenseth enough for racing me that clean," said Edwards, who performed his trademark back flip jump from his car to celebrate his first victory at Bristol and his tenth in the Busch Series.
"The end of the race was great. To be able to hold off somebody as great as Matt Kenseth at a place like this meant a lot to me. That made the win a very special one.
"It was fun. It was a lot of nerves in that car. Five to go and he was a car-length from my bumper. It was exciting. That's what make it so much fun to me."
Kyle Busch, who was again a contender for the win, came third and was trying to get in touch with the leading duo of Edwards and Kenseth in the final laps, but was unable to get around backmarkers quick enough to put himself in contention.
Busch led 85 laps but spun twice during the race, the first time after getting loose in Turn 2, the second one after being bumped by Edwards with 69 laps to go, while running second.
Both times he was able to keep his car off the wall and quickly recovered on the restarts to move up the field. However, he was denied victory once more despite being the driver who has led the most laps over the last three races.
Both Edwards and Busch were in the middle of a strange situation during the ninth caution of the race, when NASCAR officials gave the pit-road open command through the radio, but the green light on the pit entry did not turn to green.
Neither of the leaders pitted but rivals behind them did as the green light came on seconds afterwards. NASCAR admitted there was a mistake on their part and reverted the race order to the one before the pitstops, allowing Busch and Edwards to lead the field on the restart.
Newman, who was the inital beneficiary of the pit-road light mishap, led 27 laps and looked a contender for victory early on but could not keep up with the pace of Edwards and Kenseth in the last third of the distance.
[B]Juan Pablo Montoya had a respectable race debut at Bristol to finish 14th after spending the first half of the race trying to stay on the lead lap. He actualy got lapped but got the free pass on lap 112 when the fifth caution came out.
He was able to move through the field to run some laps in the top ten, pitting for tyres in the penultimate caution hoping to make up some places in the last 30 laps of the race. However, the traffic and a very loose car in the last stint, kept him from getting a topten finish.
"We had a chance [to be in the top ten]. I got really loose coming into [turn one] at the end and I lost like three or four places there. But I think we had a car for the top 10 today. We kept in one piece and that was the most important thing," said Montoya who runs now sixth in the points standings.[/B]
Steve Wallace, who had started from pole and led the first 32 laps of the race, was involved in a number of incidents after giving the lead away to Edwards.
Results:
Pos Driver Make Laps
1. Carl Edwards Ford 300
2. Matt Kenseth Ford 300
3. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 300
4. Ryan Newman Dodge 300
5. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 300
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 300
7. Greg Biffle Ford 300
8. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 300
9. Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 300
10. Mike Bliss Dodge 300
11. Bobby Labonte Chevrolet 300
12. Todd Kluever Ford 300
13. David Ragan Ford 300
[B]14. Juan Montoya Dodge 300[/B]
15. Jay Sauter Chevrolet 300
16. Reed Sorenson Dodge 298
17. Stanton Barrett Chevrolet 298
18. Bobby Hamilton Jr. Ford 298
19. Kasey Kahne Dodge 298
20. Stephen Leicht Ford 298
21. Danny O'Quinn Jr. Chevrolet 298
22. J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 296
23. Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 295
24. Eric McClure Chevrolet 294
25. Timothy Peters Chevrolet 292
26. Kevin Conway Chevrolet 292
27. Ward Burton Ford 281
28. Marcos Ambrose Ford 271
29. Mike Wallace Chevrolet 267
30. Dave Blaney Toyota 267
31. Steve Wallace Dodge 261
32. Aric Almirola Chevrolet 258
33. David Reutimann Toyota 237
34. Jason Leffler Toyota 194
35. David Gilliland Ford 177
36. Regan Smith Chevrolet 157
37. Brent Sherman Chevrolet 134
38. Shane Huffman Chevrolet 131
39. Kyle Krisiloff Ford 77
40. Brad Teague Ford 53
41. Brad Keselowski Chevrolet 36
42. Caleb Holman Chevrolet 35
43. Jon Wood Ford 6[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE][B][U]Edwards wins Bristol Busch race
[/U][/B]
By Diego Mejia Saturday, March 24th 2007, 23:42 GMT
Carl Edwards took his first victory of the season in the Sharpie Mini 300 Busch Series round at Bristol Motor Speedway, holding off a late attack from Roush Racing teammate Matt Kenseth.
Edwards led 147 out of 300 laps of what was a very eventful race.
More than one third of the distance - 103 laps exactly - were run under yellow flag due to the number of incidents. A record twelve cautions came out during the race, most of them in the first half of it.
The points-leader, who now extends his margin at the front of the standings to 197 points over reigning champion Kevin Harvick, was the most consistent of the top runners, battling for the lead with Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman in the early part of the race and then having his mirrors filled with Kenseth in the last few laps.
"I just can't thank Matt Kenseth enough for racing me that clean," said Edwards, who performed his trademark back flip jump from his car to celebrate his first victory at Bristol and his tenth in the Busch Series.
"The end of the race was great. To be able to hold off somebody as great as Matt Kenseth at a place like this meant a lot to me. That made the win a very special one.
"It was fun. It was a lot of nerves in that car. Five to go and he was a car-length from my bumper. It was exciting. That's what make it so much fun to me."
Kyle Busch, who was again a contender for the win, came third and was trying to get in touch with the leading duo of Edwards and Kenseth in the final laps, but was unable to get around backmarkers quick enough to put himself in contention.
Busch led 85 laps but spun twice during the race, the first time after getting loose in Turn 2, the second one after being bumped by Edwards with 69 laps to go, while running second.
Both times he was able to keep his car off the wall and quickly recovered on the restarts to move up the field. However, he was denied victory once more despite being the driver who has led the most laps over the last three races.
Both Edwards and Busch were in the middle of a strange situation during the ninth caution of the race, when NASCAR officials gave the pit-road open command through the radio, but the green light on the pit entry did not turn to green.
Neither of the leaders pitted but rivals behind them did as the green light came on seconds afterwards. NASCAR admitted there was a mistake on their part and reverted the race order to the one before the pitstops, allowing Busch and Edwards to lead the field on the restart.
Newman, who was the inital beneficiary of the pit-road light mishap, led 27 laps and looked a contender for victory early on but could not keep up with the pace of Edwards and Kenseth in the last third of the distance.
[B]Juan Pablo Montoya had a respectable race debut at Bristol to finish 14th after spending the first half of the race trying to stay on the lead lap. He actualy got lapped but got the free pass on lap 112 when the fifth caution came out.
He was able to move through the field to run some laps in the top ten, pitting for tyres in the penultimate caution hoping to make up some places in the last 30 laps of the race. However, the traffic and a very loose car in the last stint, kept him from getting a topten finish.
"We had a chance [to be in the top ten]. I got really loose coming into [turn one] at the end and I lost like three or four places there. But I think we had a car for the top 10 today. We kept in one piece and that was the most important thing," said Montoya who runs now sixth in the points standings.[/B]
Steve Wallace, who had started from pole and led the first 32 laps of the race, was involved in a number of incidents after giving the lead away to Edwards.
Results:
Pos Driver Make Laps
1. Carl Edwards Ford 300
2. Matt Kenseth Ford 300
3. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 300
4. Ryan Newman Dodge 300
5. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 300
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 300
7. Greg Biffle Ford 300
8. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 300
9. Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 300
10. Mike Bliss Dodge 300
11. Bobby Labonte Chevrolet 300
12. Todd Kluever Ford 300
13. David Ragan Ford 300
[B]14. Juan Montoya Dodge 300[/B]
15. Jay Sauter Chevrolet 300
16. Reed Sorenson Dodge 298
17. Stanton Barrett Chevrolet 298
18. Bobby Hamilton Jr. Ford 298
19. Kasey Kahne Dodge 298
20. Stephen Leicht Ford 298
21. Danny O'Quinn Jr. Chevrolet 298
22. J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 296
23. Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 295
24. Eric McClure Chevrolet 294
25. Timothy Peters Chevrolet 292
26. Kevin Conway Chevrolet 292
27. Ward Burton Ford 281
28. Marcos Ambrose Ford 271
29. Mike Wallace Chevrolet 267
30. Dave Blaney Toyota 267
31. Steve Wallace Dodge 261
32. Aric Almirola Chevrolet 258
33. David Reutimann Toyota 237
34. Jason Leffler Toyota 194
35. David Gilliland Ford 177
36. Regan Smith Chevrolet 157
37. Brent Sherman Chevrolet 134
38. Shane Huffman Chevrolet 131
39. Kyle Krisiloff Ford 77
40. Brad Teague Ford 53
41. Brad Keselowski Chevrolet 36
42. Caleb Holman Chevrolet 35
43. Jon Wood Ford 6[/QUOTE]
| Ferg | 03-25-2007 09:47 PM |
Much harder slog in the Cup race.
[QUOTE]Kyle Busch wins first ever COT race
By Diego Mejia Sunday, March 25th 2007, 22:09 GMT
Kyle Busch became the first Nextel Cup race winner in the new Car of Tomorrow era by taking victory in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway after fending off Jeff Burton in the last lap of the race.
Busch achieved further milestones with his win, taking victory number 200 for Hendrick Motorsports in NASCAR and the 600th win for Chevrolet in the Nextel Cup on the debut of the Impala SS.
The race ended dramatically with a two-lap sprint to the chequered flag, after a caution came out with four laps to go for a spinning David Ragan on the front straight.
Burton overtook Jeff Gordon on the outside on the final restart and then chased Busch - accelerating on his inside out of the last corner. Busch however was able to cross the start-finish line ahead by half a car length to take his first Cup win at Bristol.
"It's definitely a great feeling to be able to get here to victory lane, specialy in the first Car of Today of Car of Tomorrow race, however you want to call it," Busch said after taking victory in front of an estimated sell-out crowd of 160,000 fans at the half-mile oval.
"Tony Stewart had a great car today and he probably could have won the race, Denny Hamlin as well too. Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton there at the end really gave me a lot of room and I really want to give them my appreciation and thanks for letting me race. They gave it to me clean, so that's cool.
"I'm glad we could come out of here with a victory, but I still can't stand to drive these things. They're terrible," Busch added.
Many other drivers also struggled to get their cars to handle properly as teams were getting their first experience of the Car of Tomorrow in race conditions.
A good example was pole-sitter Jeff Gordon, who struggled first with a very loose car, which then turned into a very tight one after being adjusted during his early pit stops.
Gordon got his car sorted in the second half of the race and was able to move up the field and battle for victory in the end, eventually finishing third to claim the points lead.
"Oh my goodness! What a fight for us this was and a great fight. We had our troubles," said Gordon. "We started from pole but went backwards pretty fast. We were fortunate not to go a lap down a couple of times and right at the end we had a really good race car.
"What an incredible day. What a roll Hedrick Motorsports is on. I'm looking forward to the whole year."
But despite two Hendrick drivers finishing in the top three, it was Joe Gibbs Racing who dominated most of the race as Kyle Busch admitted. Between Stewart and Hamlin, they led 434 of the 500 laps, leaving most teams worried about their potential form in future COT races.
Stewart was arguably the driver to beat all afternoon, leading 257 of the first 300 laps until his car experienced fuel pressure problems. He pitted for repairs and fell 23 laps down, losing the chance to get his first victory of the season.
Meanwhile Hamlin, who led 177 laps and took over as Stewart hit trouble, struggled with engine problems in the last ten laps and could only managed to finish 14th.
Regning champion Jimmie Johnson, who had won the last two races, finished 16th after having to pit with 15 laps to go due to a shredded tyre. He was being lapped when he hit trouble but did not loose much ground as the caution came out immediately.
Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle rounded up the top five, while Brian Vickers was the best-placed Toyota in 15th. He enjoyed a good race by Bristol standards, staying out trouble to finish as the last car on the lead lap.
[B]Juan Pablo Montoya had a bumpy ride in his first Cup start at Bristol. He got a lap down early on and then spun after being tapped from behind on lap 138. He struggled to restart his car quickly and fell three laps down while trying to do so.
"We didn't have a really fast car but we had a decent car," Montoya said. "We were running the bottom and one of the guys came down on me and spun me completely.
"I lost like two laps trying just to get it started and then we had a vibration in one of the tires but no, we're good. We got the car home and scored some more points and just go to the next one."[/B]
A.J Allmendinger, who was making his Nextel Cup debut had a tough afternoon, crashing on lap 151. He went behind the wall for repairs and returned to the track to finish his first Cup race in 40th.
Jeremy Mayfield, who was also doing his first race of the season, had an incident on lap 227 which forced him to go to behind the wall as well. Like Allmendinger however, he rejoined the race later to finish 34th.
Mark Martin's replacement in the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet, had a difficult afternoon, too. During the second caution he picked-up a penalty when his car was serviced out of his pit-box, dropping a lap down.
He eventually finished 25th while Martin slid down to seventh in the points stadings after missing the race. He is also expected to miss the Martinsville event next week.
Results:
Pos Driver Make Laps
1. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 504
2. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 504
3. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 504
4. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 504
5. Greg Biffle Ford 504
6. Jeff Green Chevrolet 504
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 504
8. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 504
9. Jamie McMurray Ford 504
10. Casey Mears Chevrolet 504
11. Matt Kenseth Ford 504
12. Carl Edwards Ford 504
13. David Stremme Dodge 504
14. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 504
15. Brian Vickers Toyota 504
16. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 503
17. Mike Bliss Dodge 503
18. Ward Burton Chevrolet 502
19. Kasey Kahne Dodge 501
20. Kyle Petty Dodge 501
21. Kenny Wallace Chevrolet 501
22. Bobby Labonte Dodge 501
23. Dave Blaney Toyota 501
24. Tony Raines Chevrolet 501
25. Regan Smith Chevrolet 501
26. David Ragan Ford 501
27. Elliott Sadler Dodge 500
28. Ken Schrader Ford 500
29. Kurt Busch Dodge 499
30. Sterling Marlin Chevrolet 499
31. Scott Riggs Dodge 498
[B]32. Juan Montoya Dodge 497[/B]
33. Robby Gordon Ford 493
34. Jeremy Mayfield Toyota 486
35. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 479
36. J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 475
37. Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 475
38. Ricky Rudd Ford 454
39. Ryan Newman Dodge 450
40. A.J. Allmendinger Toyota 413
41. David Gilliland Ford 49
42. Dale Jarrett Toyota 43
43. Reed Sorenson Dodge 22
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]Kyle Busch wins first ever COT race
By Diego Mejia Sunday, March 25th 2007, 22:09 GMT
Kyle Busch became the first Nextel Cup race winner in the new Car of Tomorrow era by taking victory in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway after fending off Jeff Burton in the last lap of the race.
Busch achieved further milestones with his win, taking victory number 200 for Hendrick Motorsports in NASCAR and the 600th win for Chevrolet in the Nextel Cup on the debut of the Impala SS.
The race ended dramatically with a two-lap sprint to the chequered flag, after a caution came out with four laps to go for a spinning David Ragan on the front straight.
Burton overtook Jeff Gordon on the outside on the final restart and then chased Busch - accelerating on his inside out of the last corner. Busch however was able to cross the start-finish line ahead by half a car length to take his first Cup win at Bristol.
"It's definitely a great feeling to be able to get here to victory lane, specialy in the first Car of Today of Car of Tomorrow race, however you want to call it," Busch said after taking victory in front of an estimated sell-out crowd of 160,000 fans at the half-mile oval.
"Tony Stewart had a great car today and he probably could have won the race, Denny Hamlin as well too. Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton there at the end really gave me a lot of room and I really want to give them my appreciation and thanks for letting me race. They gave it to me clean, so that's cool.
"I'm glad we could come out of here with a victory, but I still can't stand to drive these things. They're terrible," Busch added.
Many other drivers also struggled to get their cars to handle properly as teams were getting their first experience of the Car of Tomorrow in race conditions.
A good example was pole-sitter Jeff Gordon, who struggled first with a very loose car, which then turned into a very tight one after being adjusted during his early pit stops.
Gordon got his car sorted in the second half of the race and was able to move up the field and battle for victory in the end, eventually finishing third to claim the points lead.
"Oh my goodness! What a fight for us this was and a great fight. We had our troubles," said Gordon. "We started from pole but went backwards pretty fast. We were fortunate not to go a lap down a couple of times and right at the end we had a really good race car.
"What an incredible day. What a roll Hedrick Motorsports is on. I'm looking forward to the whole year."
But despite two Hendrick drivers finishing in the top three, it was Joe Gibbs Racing who dominated most of the race as Kyle Busch admitted. Between Stewart and Hamlin, they led 434 of the 500 laps, leaving most teams worried about their potential form in future COT races.
Stewart was arguably the driver to beat all afternoon, leading 257 of the first 300 laps until his car experienced fuel pressure problems. He pitted for repairs and fell 23 laps down, losing the chance to get his first victory of the season.
Meanwhile Hamlin, who led 177 laps and took over as Stewart hit trouble, struggled with engine problems in the last ten laps and could only managed to finish 14th.
Regning champion Jimmie Johnson, who had won the last two races, finished 16th after having to pit with 15 laps to go due to a shredded tyre. He was being lapped when he hit trouble but did not loose much ground as the caution came out immediately.
Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle rounded up the top five, while Brian Vickers was the best-placed Toyota in 15th. He enjoyed a good race by Bristol standards, staying out trouble to finish as the last car on the lead lap.
[B]Juan Pablo Montoya had a bumpy ride in his first Cup start at Bristol. He got a lap down early on and then spun after being tapped from behind on lap 138. He struggled to restart his car quickly and fell three laps down while trying to do so.
"We didn't have a really fast car but we had a decent car," Montoya said. "We were running the bottom and one of the guys came down on me and spun me completely.
"I lost like two laps trying just to get it started and then we had a vibration in one of the tires but no, we're good. We got the car home and scored some more points and just go to the next one."[/B]
A.J Allmendinger, who was making his Nextel Cup debut had a tough afternoon, crashing on lap 151. He went behind the wall for repairs and returned to the track to finish his first Cup race in 40th.
Jeremy Mayfield, who was also doing his first race of the season, had an incident on lap 227 which forced him to go to behind the wall as well. Like Allmendinger however, he rejoined the race later to finish 34th.
Mark Martin's replacement in the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet, had a difficult afternoon, too. During the second caution he picked-up a penalty when his car was serviced out of his pit-box, dropping a lap down.
He eventually finished 25th while Martin slid down to seventh in the points stadings after missing the race. He is also expected to miss the Martinsville event next week.
Results:
Pos Driver Make Laps
1. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 504
2. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 504
3. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 504
4. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 504
5. Greg Biffle Ford 504
6. Jeff Green Chevrolet 504
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 504
8. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 504
9. Jamie McMurray Ford 504
10. Casey Mears Chevrolet 504
11. Matt Kenseth Ford 504
12. Carl Edwards Ford 504
13. David Stremme Dodge 504
14. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 504
15. Brian Vickers Toyota 504
16. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 503
17. Mike Bliss Dodge 503
18. Ward Burton Chevrolet 502
19. Kasey Kahne Dodge 501
20. Kyle Petty Dodge 501
21. Kenny Wallace Chevrolet 501
22. Bobby Labonte Dodge 501
23. Dave Blaney Toyota 501
24. Tony Raines Chevrolet 501
25. Regan Smith Chevrolet 501
26. David Ragan Ford 501
27. Elliott Sadler Dodge 500
28. Ken Schrader Ford 500
29. Kurt Busch Dodge 499
30. Sterling Marlin Chevrolet 499
31. Scott Riggs Dodge 498
[B]32. Juan Montoya Dodge 497[/B]
33. Robby Gordon Ford 493
34. Jeremy Mayfield Toyota 486
35. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 479
36. J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 475
37. Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 475
38. Ricky Rudd Ford 454
39. Ryan Newman Dodge 450
40. A.J. Allmendinger Toyota 413
41. David Gilliland Ford 49
42. Dale Jarrett Toyota 43
43. Reed Sorenson Dodge 22
[/QUOTE]
| Ferg | 03-30-2007 07:44 PM |
Montoya qualified 23rd for Martinsville. :)
| Ferg | 04-01-2007 09:56 PM |
Martinsville report...
[QUOTE]Johnson wins at Martinsville
By Diego Mejia Sunday, April 1st 2007, 23:05 GMT
Reigning NASCAR Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson edged teammate Jeff Gordon in a spectacular late battle to take victory in a rain-interrupted Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
Johnson led the last 113 laps of the race and fended off a massive attack from Gordon in the closing stages - the two Hendrick Chevrolets coming out of the last corner of the race side-by-side rubbing fenders against each other.
Fresher tyres were the key to Gordon's advantage in the last part of the race. Johnson did the last 139 laps on the same set of tyres, running out of pit sequence just before the race was red-flagged for nearly a half hour due to rain with 143 laps remaining to the finish.
With 50 laps to go Gordon caught Johnson and battled him cleanly without making any contact, but after the last restart with 17 to go, he bumped the rear of his teammate's car several times while Johnson tried to give him just enough space to avoid an accident.
"I always wanted to race Jeff here at Martinsville and to win a race and beat him here means the world to me," Johnson said after claiming his third win of the season, also his third at Martinsville.
"Jeff definitely was a little faster through the centre of the turn but we've got the same cars, so in braking zones and other areas on the track our cars were pretty equal.
"I wanted to be on the bottom and just had to defend it, stay down there. He tried to get me off from the bottom but with the bumpers on these cars it's so forgiving. You can really hit hard without doing any damage."
Gordon, a seven-time winner at Martinsville, did everything in his power short of wrecking Johnson to take the win away.
"It was a heck of a race. Jimmie did exactly what he needed to do, make his car really, really wide. It was a great race and I basically had to wreck him to win it and I'm not going to wreck my teammate for a win," Gordon said.
"I tried to move him several times, but he's tough here and ran his line the way he needed to do. We had a much faster race car but the fastest car doesn't always win and they played a good pit strategy.
"I really thought we should've won this one and I'm pretty disappointed that we didn't."
It seemed like there were two different races at Martinsville, both being split by the rain interruption on lap 358. The first part saw early dominance by pole-sitter Denny Hamlin, who had a good battle for the lead with Gordon in the early laps.
Tony Stewart, one of the favourites to take victory, led laps in the first part of the race as well although it was Dale Earnhardt Jr who looked like the man to beat as the race approached its second half.
Earnhardt led the race twice for a total of 137 laps to claim an extra five points. He was in the lead when the race was red-flagged but his strategy didn't pay off in the end as he got a bit held up by the omnipresent traffic on the 0.5-mile oval. He eventually finished fifth.
Third was Hamlin, who recovered from a delayed pit stop that dropped him from the lead down to tenth during the sixth of 13 cautions.
Bristol race-winner Kyle Busch was one of the fastest cars in the last few laps, initially running the same strategy as Johnson but pitting under caution with 76 to go.
The second Car of Tomorrow race saw no major dramas with the new cars, although Kevin Harvick, who spent the first 288 laps running in the top-five, was hit by fuel pressure problems and a burning padding on the right-hand-side of his Chevrolet.
[B]Juan Pablo Montoya had a respectable run in his first trip to Martinsville, running in the top-ten just before the rain interruption. He had an incident with Tony Raines on lap 377 - spinning Raines into the wall while trying to get back a position he had lost a lap before.
"It's okay. Our car there at the end after the rain, it wasn't the same," Montoya said after finishing 16th and on the lead lap.
"It was a little loose off the corners so we lost a little drive. Before that, it was pretty good. I just couldn't get the power down. It's okay. We got some points."
[/B]
For the Toyota drivers it was yet another difficult race. All five Camrys that took the start hit some kind of trouble. The best-placed Toyota was Dale Jarrett who finished 28th and four laps down.
The Nextel Cup standings continue to be led by Gordon, who now has a gap of 28 points over Jeff Burton and 60 over Johnson.
Results
Pos Driver Make Laps
1. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 500
2. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 500
3. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 500
4. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 500
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 500
6. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 500
7. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 500
8. Scott Riggs Dodge 500
9. Jamie McMurray Ford 500
10. Matt Kenseth Ford 500
11. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 500
12. Kurt Busch Dodge 500
13. Ricky Rudd Ford 500
14. Ryan Newman Dodge 500
15. David Ragan Ford 500
[B]16. Juan Montoya Dodge 500[/B]
17. Carl Edwards Ford 500
18. Reed Sorenson Dodge 500
19. Ken Schrader Ford 500
20. Tony Raines Chevrolet 500
21. Sterling Marlin Chevrolet 500
22. Kyle Petty Dodge 499
23. J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 499
24. Elliott Sadler Dodge 498
25. Kasey Kahne Dodge 498
26. Regan Smith Chevrolet 498
27. Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 497
28. Dale Jarrett Toyota 496
29. Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 496
30. Mike Bliss Dodge 493
31. Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 493
32. Greg Biffle Ford 492
33. David Reutimann Toyota 491
34. Robby Gordon Ford 490
35. David Stremme Dodge 490
36. Jeff Green Chevrolet 487
37. Dave Blaney Toyota 485
38. A.J. Allmendinger Toyota 483
39. David Gilliland Ford 469
40. Jeremy Mayfield Toyota 451
41. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 445
42. Casey Mears Chevrolet 371
43. Bobby Labonte Dodge 265[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]Johnson wins at Martinsville
By Diego Mejia Sunday, April 1st 2007, 23:05 GMT
Reigning NASCAR Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson edged teammate Jeff Gordon in a spectacular late battle to take victory in a rain-interrupted Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
Johnson led the last 113 laps of the race and fended off a massive attack from Gordon in the closing stages - the two Hendrick Chevrolets coming out of the last corner of the race side-by-side rubbing fenders against each other.
Fresher tyres were the key to Gordon's advantage in the last part of the race. Johnson did the last 139 laps on the same set of tyres, running out of pit sequence just before the race was red-flagged for nearly a half hour due to rain with 143 laps remaining to the finish.
With 50 laps to go Gordon caught Johnson and battled him cleanly without making any contact, but after the last restart with 17 to go, he bumped the rear of his teammate's car several times while Johnson tried to give him just enough space to avoid an accident.
"I always wanted to race Jeff here at Martinsville and to win a race and beat him here means the world to me," Johnson said after claiming his third win of the season, also his third at Martinsville.
"Jeff definitely was a little faster through the centre of the turn but we've got the same cars, so in braking zones and other areas on the track our cars were pretty equal.
"I wanted to be on the bottom and just had to defend it, stay down there. He tried to get me off from the bottom but with the bumpers on these cars it's so forgiving. You can really hit hard without doing any damage."
Gordon, a seven-time winner at Martinsville, did everything in his power short of wrecking Johnson to take the win away.
"It was a heck of a race. Jimmie did exactly what he needed to do, make his car really, really wide. It was a great race and I basically had to wreck him to win it and I'm not going to wreck my teammate for a win," Gordon said.
"I tried to move him several times, but he's tough here and ran his line the way he needed to do. We had a much faster race car but the fastest car doesn't always win and they played a good pit strategy.
"I really thought we should've won this one and I'm pretty disappointed that we didn't."
It seemed like there were two different races at Martinsville, both being split by the rain interruption on lap 358. The first part saw early dominance by pole-sitter Denny Hamlin, who had a good battle for the lead with Gordon in the early laps.
Tony Stewart, one of the favourites to take victory, led laps in the first part of the race as well although it was Dale Earnhardt Jr who looked like the man to beat as the race approached its second half.
Earnhardt led the race twice for a total of 137 laps to claim an extra five points. He was in the lead when the race was red-flagged but his strategy didn't pay off in the end as he got a bit held up by the omnipresent traffic on the 0.5-mile oval. He eventually finished fifth.
Third was Hamlin, who recovered from a delayed pit stop that dropped him from the lead down to tenth during the sixth of 13 cautions.
Bristol race-winner Kyle Busch was one of the fastest cars in the last few laps, initially running the same strategy as Johnson but pitting under caution with 76 to go.
The second Car of Tomorrow race saw no major dramas with the new cars, although Kevin Harvick, who spent the first 288 laps running in the top-five, was hit by fuel pressure problems and a burning padding on the right-hand-side of his Chevrolet.
[B]Juan Pablo Montoya had a respectable run in his first trip to Martinsville, running in the top-ten just before the rain interruption. He had an incident with Tony Raines on lap 377 - spinning Raines into the wall while trying to get back a position he had lost a lap before.
"It's okay. Our car there at the end after the rain, it wasn't the same," Montoya said after finishing 16th and on the lead lap.
"It was a little loose off the corners so we lost a little drive. Before that, it was pretty good. I just couldn't get the power down. It's okay. We got some points."
[/B]
For the Toyota drivers it was yet another difficult race. All five Camrys that took the start hit some kind of trouble. The best-placed Toyota was Dale Jarrett who finished 28th and four laps down.
The Nextel Cup standings continue to be led by Gordon, who now has a gap of 28 points over Jeff Burton and 60 over Johnson.
Results
Pos Driver Make Laps
1. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 500
2. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 500
3. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 500
4. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 500
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 500
6. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 500
7. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 500
8. Scott Riggs Dodge 500
9. Jamie McMurray Ford 500
10. Matt Kenseth Ford 500
11. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 500
12. Kurt Busch Dodge 500
13. Ricky Rudd Ford 500
14. Ryan Newman Dodge 500
15. David Ragan Ford 500
[B]16. Juan Montoya Dodge 500[/B]
17. Carl Edwards Ford 500
18. Reed Sorenson Dodge 500
19. Ken Schrader Ford 500
20. Tony Raines Chevrolet 500
21. Sterling Marlin Chevrolet 500
22. Kyle Petty Dodge 499
23. J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 499
24. Elliott Sadler Dodge 498
25. Kasey Kahne Dodge 498
26. Regan Smith Chevrolet 498
27. Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 497
28. Dale Jarrett Toyota 496
29. Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 496
30. Mike Bliss Dodge 493
31. Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 493
32. Greg Biffle Ford 492
33. David Reutimann Toyota 491
34. Robby Gordon Ford 490
35. David Stremme Dodge 490
36. Jeff Green Chevrolet 487
37. Dave Blaney Toyota 485
38. A.J. Allmendinger Toyota 483
39. David Gilliland Ford 469
40. Jeremy Mayfield Toyota 451
41. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 445
42. Casey Mears Chevrolet 371
43. Bobby Labonte Dodge 265[/QUOTE]
| Ferg | 04-15-2007 12:23 AM |
Busch race from Texas...
[QUOTE]Kenseth takes Texas Busch win
By Diego Mejia Saturday, April 14th 2007, 22:32 GMT
Matt Kenseth took his second victory of the season in the Busch Series beating Denny Hamlin in a close late battle to win the O'Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Kenseth recovered from being a lap down after an early spin, timing his pitstops perfectly to get back on the lead lap and move up the field to challenge for victory.
Coming from fifth at the penultimate restart, Kenseth overtook Carl Edwards and then Casey Mears, both on the outside. He then got ahead of leader Denny Hamlin with nine laps remaining after the Joe Gibbs driver got loose out of turn four.
Hamlin came back on Kenseth's bumper with five laps to go but could not find a way through to beat the Roush Fenway driver.
"It was a heck of a race. Denny is a great competitor, a great driver, and I was able to barely hold him off," Kenseth said.
"My car was working really good on the high side, he got loose and got around him. I couldn't get away from him so fortunately we were able to hang on."
Kenseth could not explain his spin on lap 55 where he was able to keep his car in one piece despite blowing a tyre.
"We don't know exactly what happened but we blew up a tyre," he said. "I think we must have run over something. Luckily we were able to recover from that."
Hamlin was disappointed to lose the race so close to the end by his own mistake, which he claimed was a result of his car's balance being right on the edge in the closing laps.
"Up front our car was really good but it was on the edge," he said. "We just got loose right there and opened up the door and gave one away. On the top Matt just got a better run than us there at the end."
Kyle Busch was also left hoping for what might have been once again. He led almost every lap in the first half of the race, but was one of several top runners who got caught out by the fourth caution which came out on lap 126 just after he had pitted under green.
Hamlin, Casey Mears and eventual winner Kenseth had not pitted when the yellow flags came out for a crash involving Regan Smith and they were able to improve their track position as a consequence.
[B]Juan Pablo Montoya was also a beneficiary of the situation as he moved up from 15th to fifth.
The Colombian overtook David Reutimann on the next restart to take fourth and when a further caution came in time for the next round of pitstops, he had only two tyres changed instead of four to take the lead.
However, NASCAR officials called him back into the pits a lap later to have one of his wheel nuts put back on.
"We screwed up on one of the pit stops. One of the lug nuts came off so they brought us back in. That was that," Montoya said.
He rejoined on the lead lap and was recovering until he brushed the wall going out of turn two while trying to overtake slower cars on the outside.
"It was the 37 (Jamie McMurray), I went to the outside of him," the Colombian added. "I think he went to the middle of the racetrack and it just pushed me up a little bit. It was just too loose."
Montoya immediately pitted for repairs which put him a lap down. A few laps later, when he was running on the outside of Marcos Ambrose, the Australian got loose and put him out of the race for good.
"We were running okay but behind traffic there, if a car came across and got the side of you, you lost the whole nose and that's really what happened," Ambrose said after apologising to Montoya.
"I feel bad for Juan. I wasn't trying to take him out. We were just trying to finish the race."
[/B]
Rookie David Ragan, who had started from pole, completed a solid performance finishing fifth behind Mears who also led the race briefly.
Carl Edwards finished third and increased his lead in the standings to 403 points over Dave Blaney.
David Reutimann was the best-placed Toyota in sixth, showing clear signs of improvement for Michael Waltrip Racing.
Results:
Pos Driver Car Laps
1. Matt Kenseth Ford 200
2. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 200
3. Carl Edwards Ford 200
4. Casey Mears Chevrolet 200
5. David Ragan Ford 200
6. David Reutimann Toyota 200
7. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 200
8. Kurt Busch Dodge 200
9. Paul Menard Chevrolet 200
10. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 200
11. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 200
12. Mark Martin Ford 200
13. Jason Leffler Toyota 200
14. Bobby Hamilton Jr Ford 200
15. Mike Wallace Chevrolet 200
16. Brad Coleman Chevrolet 200
17. Jamie McMurray Ford 200
18. J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 199
19. David Stremme Dodge 198
20. Stephen Leicht Ford 198
21. Ward Burton Ford 198
22. Bobby Labonte Chevrolet 198
23. Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 198
24. Justin Diercks Chevrolet 198
25. Dave Blaney Toyota 197
26. David Gilliland Ford 197
27. Kyle Krisiloff Ford 197
28. Kasey Kahne Dodge 197
29. Eric McClure Chevrolet 195
[B]30. Juan Montoya Dodge 179[/B]
31. Marcos Ambrose Ford 179
32. Steve Wallace Dodge 141
33. Stanton Barrett Chevrolet 132
34. Regan Smith Chevrolet 129
35. Reed Sorenson Dodge 127
36. Greg Biffle Ford 115
37. Brent Sherman Chevrolet 112
38. Jon Wood Ford 111
39. Shane Huffman Chevrolet 69
40. Brett Rowe Chevrolet 57
41. Timothy Peters Chevrolet 17
42. Kevin Lepage Ford 15
43. Brad Keselowski Chevrolet 6[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]Kenseth takes Texas Busch win
By Diego Mejia Saturday, April 14th 2007, 22:32 GMT
Matt Kenseth took his second victory of the season in the Busch Series beating Denny Hamlin in a close late battle to win the O'Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Kenseth recovered from being a lap down after an early spin, timing his pitstops perfectly to get back on the lead lap and move up the field to challenge for victory.
Coming from fifth at the penultimate restart, Kenseth overtook Carl Edwards and then Casey Mears, both on the outside. He then got ahead of leader Denny Hamlin with nine laps remaining after the Joe Gibbs driver got loose out of turn four.
Hamlin came back on Kenseth's bumper with five laps to go but could not find a way through to beat the Roush Fenway driver.
"It was a heck of a race. Denny is a great competitor, a great driver, and I was able to barely hold him off," Kenseth said.
"My car was working really good on the high side, he got loose and got around him. I couldn't get away from him so fortunately we were able to hang on."
Kenseth could not explain his spin on lap 55 where he was able to keep his car in one piece despite blowing a tyre.
"We don't know exactly what happened but we blew up a tyre," he said. "I think we must have run over something. Luckily we were able to recover from that."
Hamlin was disappointed to lose the race so close to the end by his own mistake, which he claimed was a result of his car's balance being right on the edge in the closing laps.
"Up front our car was really good but it was on the edge," he said. "We just got loose right there and opened up the door and gave one away. On the top Matt just got a better run than us there at the end."
Kyle Busch was also left hoping for what might have been once again. He led almost every lap in the first half of the race, but was one of several top runners who got caught out by the fourth caution which came out on lap 126 just after he had pitted under green.
Hamlin, Casey Mears and eventual winner Kenseth had not pitted when the yellow flags came out for a crash involving Regan Smith and they were able to improve their track position as a consequence.
[B]Juan Pablo Montoya was also a beneficiary of the situation as he moved up from 15th to fifth.
The Colombian overtook David Reutimann on the next restart to take fourth and when a further caution came in time for the next round of pitstops, he had only two tyres changed instead of four to take the lead.
However, NASCAR officials called him back into the pits a lap later to have one of his wheel nuts put back on.
"We screwed up on one of the pit stops. One of the lug nuts came off so they brought us back in. That was that," Montoya said.
He rejoined on the lead lap and was recovering until he brushed the wall going out of turn two while trying to overtake slower cars on the outside.
"It was the 37 (Jamie McMurray), I went to the outside of him," the Colombian added. "I think he went to the middle of the racetrack and it just pushed me up a little bit. It was just too loose."
Montoya immediately pitted for repairs which put him a lap down. A few laps later, when he was running on the outside of Marcos Ambrose, the Australian got loose and put him out of the race for good.
"We were running okay but behind traffic there, if a car came across and got the side of you, you lost the whole nose and that's really what happened," Ambrose said after apologising to Montoya.
"I feel bad for Juan. I wasn't trying to take him out. We were just trying to finish the race."
[/B]
Rookie David Ragan, who had started from pole, completed a solid performance finishing fifth behind Mears who also led the race briefly.
Carl Edwards finished third and increased his lead in the standings to 403 points over Dave Blaney.
David Reutimann was the best-placed Toyota in sixth, showing clear signs of improvement for Michael Waltrip Racing.
Results:
Pos Driver Car Laps
1. Matt Kenseth Ford 200
2. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 200
3. Carl Edwards Ford 200
4. Casey Mears Chevrolet 200
5. David Ragan Ford 200
6. David Reutimann Toyota 200
7. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 200
8. Kurt Busch Dodge 200
9. Paul Menard Chevrolet 200
10. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 200
11. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 200
12. Mark Martin Ford 200
13. Jason Leffler Toyota 200
14. Bobby Hamilton Jr Ford 200
15. Mike Wallace Chevrolet 200
16. Brad Coleman Chevrolet 200
17. Jamie McMurray Ford 200
18. J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 199
19. David Stremme Dodge 198
20. Stephen Leicht Ford 198
21. Ward Burton Ford 198
22. Bobby Labonte Chevrolet 198
23. Johnny Sauter Chevrolet 198
24. Justin Diercks Chevrolet 198
25. Dave Blaney Toyota 197
26. David Gilliland Ford 197
27. Kyle Krisiloff Ford 197
28. Kasey Kahne Dodge 197
29. Eric McClure Chevrolet 195
[B]30. Juan Montoya Dodge 179[/B]
31. Marcos Ambrose Ford 179
32. Steve Wallace Dodge 141
33. Stanton Barrett Chevrolet 132
34. Regan Smith Chevrolet 129
35. Reed Sorenson Dodge 127
36. Greg Biffle Ford 115
37. Brent Sherman Chevrolet 112
38. Jon Wood Ford 111
39. Shane Huffman Chevrolet 69
40. Brett Rowe Chevrolet 57
41. Timothy Peters Chevrolet 17
42. Kevin Lepage Ford 15
43. Brad Keselowski Chevrolet 6[/QUOTE]
| Ferg | 04-25-2007 12:08 PM |
Oops!
[QUOTE][B]Montoya fined for giving the finger[/B]
By Diego Mejia Wednesday, April 25th 2007, 15:32 GMT
Juan Pablo Montoya says he understands NASCAR's decision to fine him and place him on probation for the rest of the year for making an inappropriate gesture during a Busch Series practice at Phoenix last Thursday.
Montoya was caught by his in-car camera gesturing with his right hand to someone to the right hand side of his car while he was in the pits.
Unfortunately for the Ganassi driver, the shots were going live on television as SpeedTV was broadcasting the session.
"I really feel bad that the incident happened." Montoya said in a statement from the team. "It was only meant as a joke to one of my friends. I completely understand NASCAR's point of view and their decision."
Montoya was in violation of Section 12-4-A, actions detrimental to stock car racing, of the NASCAR Busch Series rulebook. His team will not appeal the decision, which will have the Colombian under probation until December 31.
It's the first time the former Formula One racer is penalized as a NASCAR driver. [/QUOTE]
[QUOTE][B]Montoya fined for giving the finger[/B]
By Diego Mejia Wednesday, April 25th 2007, 15:32 GMT
Juan Pablo Montoya says he understands NASCAR's decision to fine him and place him on probation for the rest of the year for making an inappropriate gesture during a Busch Series practice at Phoenix last Thursday.
Montoya was caught by his in-car camera gesturing with his right hand to someone to the right hand side of his car while he was in the pits.
Unfortunately for the Ganassi driver, the shots were going live on television as SpeedTV was broadcasting the session.
"I really feel bad that the incident happened." Montoya said in a statement from the team. "It was only meant as a joke to one of my friends. I completely understand NASCAR's point of view and their decision."
Montoya was in violation of Section 12-4-A, actions detrimental to stock car racing, of the NASCAR Busch Series rulebook. His team will not appeal the decision, which will have the Colombian under probation until December 31.
It's the first time the former Formula One racer is penalized as a NASCAR driver. [/QUOTE]
| wvallwheeldrive | 04-25-2007 12:25 PM |
[quote=Ferg;17849174]Oops!
[QUOTE]It's the first time the former Formula One racer is penalized as a NASCAR driver.[/QUOTE] [/quote]
No really
[QUOTE]It's the first time the former Formula One racer is penalized as a NASCAR driver.[/QUOTE] [/quote]
No really
| Ferg | 05-03-2007 10:54 AM |
Sweet!
[QUOTE][B]Montoya to race on dirt oval event
[/B]
By Diego Mejia Thursday, May 3rd 2007, 09:05 GMT
Juan Pablo Montoya will try his hand at dirt-oval racing for the first time on June 6 when he takes part in a charity event at the half-mile Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.
The former Formula One driver will be among other NASCAR drivers competing in the Nextel Prelude to the Dream presented by Old Spice, staged by two-time Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart.
Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin and Bobby Labonte are part of the 25-driver field who will race 2,300-pound dirt late model stock cars capable of pulling out over 800 horsepower.
It will be Montoya's first taste of the kind of racing that most of his current rivals experienced for years before getting to NASCAR. In fact, some of them like Jeff Gordon return to Eldora after many years of success in the Nextel Cup.
"Nextel has returned to partner with us, and with some of the best race car drivers in the world competing on the hallowed dirt of Eldora," said Stewart. "It promises to be another memorable night."
Stewart owns the Eldora Speedway since 2004 and won the event last year. This year marks the third consecutive running of the charity event which will be televised live in the US by HBO on Pay-Per-View.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE][B]Montoya to race on dirt oval event
[/B]
By Diego Mejia Thursday, May 3rd 2007, 09:05 GMT
Juan Pablo Montoya will try his hand at dirt-oval racing for the first time on June 6 when he takes part in a charity event at the half-mile Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.
The former Formula One driver will be among other NASCAR drivers competing in the Nextel Prelude to the Dream presented by Old Spice, staged by two-time Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart.
Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin and Bobby Labonte are part of the 25-driver field who will race 2,300-pound dirt late model stock cars capable of pulling out over 800 horsepower.
It will be Montoya's first taste of the kind of racing that most of his current rivals experienced for years before getting to NASCAR. In fact, some of them like Jeff Gordon return to Eldora after many years of success in the Nextel Cup.
"Nextel has returned to partner with us, and with some of the best race car drivers in the world competing on the hallowed dirt of Eldora," said Stewart. "It promises to be another memorable night."
Stewart owns the Eldora Speedway since 2004 and won the event last year. This year marks the third consecutive running of the charity event which will be televised live in the US by HBO on Pay-Per-View.[/QUOTE]
| Androoos | 05-03-2007 11:32 AM |
I am impressed with JPM so far. He's going to be the focal point of a lot of crap from other more established NASCAR drivers and he's held up well. Can't wait to see him in Richmond...that will be the third venue I've seen him at, following Montreal about 6 times and Indianapolis twice.
| Ferg | 08-08-2010 05:54 PM |
Well he finally won his second NASCAR race today :)
| REX8 | 08-09-2010 07:19 AM |
:ritz::ritz:
| Ferg | 09-16-2013 06:56 PM |
Well.... looks like the Grand Adventure is moving from NASCAR and Ganassi to IndyCar and Penske.
[quote]Juan Pablo Montoya to return to IndyCar with Penske in 2014
By Matt Beer Monday, September 16th 2013, 15:27 GMT
Juan Pablo Montoya will return to IndyCar to race for Penske in a third car next season.
The ex-Formula 1 driver and 1999 CART champion has spent the last six and a half years in NASCAR, but will split with his Earnhardt Ganassi team at the end of 2013.
Montoya will join Helio Castroneves and Will Power as Penske returns to a full-time three-car line-up after fielding AJ Allmendinger in an occasional extra car this year.
"I am really excited to join this legendary team beginning next year," said Montoya.
"I have had the opportunity to drive for some of the best racing teams in the world and I have always admired Roger Penske and his organisation.
"I consider it an honour to be offered the opportunity to drive for Team Penske."
The 37-year-old Colombian won the CART title at the first attempt when he came to America as a Williams F1 protege and Formula 3000 champion in 1999.
He then added an Indianapolis 500 triumph the following year (pictured) before starting his F1 career with Williams in 2001.
Team owner Roger Penske said Montoya's career achievements - which include challenging for the 2003 F1 title, winning seven grands prix and two Daytona 24 Hour races - proved he would be a contender back in single-seaters.
"Juan is a proven winner at all levels of motorsport," said Penske.
"He has won a lot of races and championships and he has an extremely passionate fan base.
"We look forward to building on his successes together and we believe he will be a great addition to Team Penske."[/quote]
[quote]Juan Pablo Montoya to return to IndyCar with Penske in 2014
By Matt Beer Monday, September 16th 2013, 15:27 GMT
Juan Pablo Montoya will return to IndyCar to race for Penske in a third car next season.
The ex-Formula 1 driver and 1999 CART champion has spent the last six and a half years in NASCAR, but will split with his Earnhardt Ganassi team at the end of 2013.
Montoya will join Helio Castroneves and Will Power as Penske returns to a full-time three-car line-up after fielding AJ Allmendinger in an occasional extra car this year.
"I am really excited to join this legendary team beginning next year," said Montoya.
"I have had the opportunity to drive for some of the best racing teams in the world and I have always admired Roger Penske and his organisation.
"I consider it an honour to be offered the opportunity to drive for Team Penske."
The 37-year-old Colombian won the CART title at the first attempt when he came to America as a Williams F1 protege and Formula 3000 champion in 1999.
He then added an Indianapolis 500 triumph the following year (pictured) before starting his F1 career with Williams in 2001.
Team owner Roger Penske said Montoya's career achievements - which include challenging for the 2003 F1 title, winning seven grands prix and two Daytona 24 Hour races - proved he would be a contender back in single-seaters.
"Juan is a proven winner at all levels of motorsport," said Penske.
"He has won a lot of races and championships and he has an extremely passionate fan base.
"We look forward to building on his successes together and we believe he will be a great addition to Team Penske."[/quote]
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