NASCAR Talk

This past weekend, NASCAR traveled to Richmond, VA for the Russ Friedman 400. This weekend turned out to be twice as good for Kyle Busch. Not only was it Kyle’s birthday, but he also took victory lane!

Here are the unofficial results of the Russ Friedman 400:

1. Kyle Busch
2. Tony Stewart
3. Jeff Burton
4. Ryan Newman
5. Mark Martin
6. Sam Hornish Jr.
7. Jamie McMurray
8. Jeff Gordon
9. Casey Mears
10. Juan Montoya
11. Marcos Ambrose
12. Kurt Busch
13. Matt Kenseth
14. Denny Hamlin
15. Brian Vickers
16. Robby Gordon
17. Greg Biffle
18. Clint Bowyer
19. Joey Logano
20. Reed Sorenson

I knew Tony would show up near the top soon, and he had a great race and worked hard, and it paid off as he took second place. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished in 27th place, just in case you wanted to know.

Here are the unofficial standings after the Russ Friedman 400:

1. Jeff Gordon
2. Kurt Busch
3. Tony Stewart
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Kyle Busch
6. Jimmie Johnson
7. Jeff Burton
8. Clint Bowyer
9. Carl Edwards
10. Ryan Newman
11. Greg Biffle
12. Matt Kenseth
13. David Reutimann
14. Juan Montoya
15. Mark Martin
16. Brian Vickers
17. Kasey Kahne
18. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
19. Marcos Ambrose
20. Casey Mears

Well it seems that Jeff Gordon was able to battle his way back up to the #1 spot on the chase to the cup. After Kyle’s victory, he gained one spot as well!

Stay tuned for next week to see how the standings change after the Southern 500 located in Darlington, SC.

Wow what a race! This past weekend was the Aaron’s 499 located at Talladega, AL. There was a new face in the winner’s circle this weekend! It was also good to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. finish strong and manage to claim second place!

Here are the unofficial results of the Aaron’s 499:

1. Brad Keselowski
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3. Ryan Newman
4. Marcos Ambrose
5. Scott Speed
6. Kurt Busch
7. Greg Biffle
8. Brian Vickers
9. Joey Logano
10. Jeff Burton
11. Reed Sorenson
12. David Ragan
13. Paul Menard
14. Joe Nemechek
15. Regan Smith
16. Casey Mears
17. Matt Kenseth
18. Max Papis
19. Elliot Sadler
20. Juan Montoya

Jeff Gordon finished this race in 37th and started in 14th. After saying that, was that good enough to hold on to the Sprint Cup points lead? Well let’s see…

Here are the unofficial standings after the Aaron’s 499:

1. Kurt Busch
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Jimmie Johnson
4. Tony Stewart
5. Denny Hamlin
6. Kyle Busch
7. Carl Edwards
8. Clint Bowyer
9. Jeff Burton
10. Greg Biffle
11. David Reutimann
12. Matt Kenseth
13. Ryan Newman
14. Kasey Kahne
15. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
16. Juan Montoya
17. Brian Vickers
18. Mark Martin
19. Marcos Ambrose
20. Kevin Harvick

It looks like after NASCAR traveled to Talladega, Jeff Gordon could not hold on to the points lead. Stay tuned for the next race to see if Jeff can manage to get the lead back!

The next race is at the Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, VA, the Russ Friedman 400. Don’t miss it!

Okay, so if you missed the race on Saturday night, then I am sorry because it was a great one! The track was definitely lit up, not only with lights, but with many talented drivers, who gave the winner a race for his money.

The winner of the Subway Fresh Fit 500 was Mark Martin! I knew there was going to be a new name in the winner’s circle, but never knew it would be Mark Martin. Mark Martin is an extremely talented and consistent driver, maybe he will continue his winning streak this season.

Here are the results of the Subway Fresh Fit 500:

1. Mark Martin
2. Tony Stewart
3. Kurt Busch
4. Jimmie Johnson
5. Greg Biffle
6. Denny Hamlin
7. Martin Truex Jr.
8. David Reutimann
9. Sam Hornish Jr.
10. Carl Edwards

Here are the points standings after the Subway Fresh Fit 500:

1. Jeff Gordon
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Kurt Busch
4. Tony Stewart
5. Denny Hamlin
6. Clint Bowyer
7. Kyle Busch
8. Carl Edwards
9. David Reutimann
10. Kasey Kahne

Just in case you Jeff Gordon fans are wondering what place he finished, he finished 25th!

Stay tuned for next weeks race to see how the standings change!

Next weeks race is the Aaron’s 499 located in Talladega, AL.

The Subway Fresh Fit 500 is sure to be a dark race. The race does not begin until 8pm on Saturday night! Hope the lights are bright, hehe! It seems, as I look at the schedule, more and more races each season are raced on Saturdays at night, instead of the Sunday at noon races!

Here is the NASCAR schedule for the next several races:

• Saturday, April 18 - Phoenix, AZ - 8pm EST
• Sunday, April 26 - Talladega, AL - 1pm EST
• Saturday, May 2 - Richmond, VA - 7pm EST
• Saturday, May 9 - Darlington, SC - 7pm EST

Then on May 16th, NASCAR has 2 special races: The NASCAR Sprint Showdown and the Sprint All-Star Race. These events start at 7pm EST.

Continuation of the schedule…

• Sunday, May 24 - Charlotte, NC - 5pm EST
• Sunday, May 31 - Dover, DE - 1:30pm EST

This schedule takes us all the way through May! Don’t forget about tomorrow nights race!

I will post the results as well as a few highlights from the race on Saturday as soon as the race is over, which will be pretty late! Hehe.

Well have a great weekend and enjoy the sunshine and the race!

This coming up weekend is the Subway Fresh Fit 500 located in Phoenix, AZ. This race is sure to be a hot one. The number 24 car is running strong, but so are a lot of others!

I have noticed that each race Tony Stewart is getting stronger and faster. If you ask me, his ride to victory lane is coming soon! I think it is time, that we will start seeing different drivers heading to victory lane. I believe that there are several drivers that have a great shot at it. Who knows, this weekend in Arizona might be their shot!

This up coming race is going to be on Saturday, April 18th, instead of the usual Sunday races.

Maybe we will see a NEW name on the winner’s list. So far out of the first 7 races, there have only been 5 different drivers including:

• Matt Kenseth
• Kyle Busch
• Kurt Busch
• Jimmie Johnson
• Jeff Gordon

Like I said, I think it is about time for Tony Stewart’s victory lane experience for the 2009 season! Don’t you agree?

Stay tuned this Saturday to see who the winner is!

When I hear the words “NASCAR legends,” many drivers come into my mind. The first two that popped into my mind were Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Richard Petty, both of which qualify as legends in my book!

Dale Earnhardt: Dale Earnhardt was known as “The Intimidator” for most of his racing career, although he had many nick names, “The Intimidator” was the most used. He won 7 championships in his career. His career lasted from 1975 until 2001. Daytona, FL 2001, is the place Dale Earnhardt lost his life on the final lap as he crashed into the wall which resulted, sadly, in his death. While Dale was racing, he started Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, which is now ran by his wife, Teresa Earnhardt. Even though Dale is no longer with us, I believe that he had a huge role in making NASCAR what it is today!

Richard Petty: Richard Petty was known as “The King.” His career lasted from 1972 until he retired in 1992. He won many races throughout his career with NASCAR. He started Petty Enterprises and now runs it along side Kyle Petty. I do believe that Richard Petty had a great impact on NASCAR and through his bloodline, still does!

There are so many NASCAR drivers that would fall under the category of legends! I know of quite a few drivers that have recently retired or that are currently still driving that are true legends to the sport of NASCAR!

Hi! I am the new writer taking over this site and I know I will enjoy it, so I hope you do as well! I am a bog fan of NASCAR and what better way to display that love, than blog about it! I will tell you a little bit about myself:

My favorite driver was Dale Earnhardt Sr. and he still is my favorite to this day, even though he is no longer with us. My favorite current driver is probably Tony Stewart, although I admire a lot of drivers. I have been to a few races (all being the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis, IN). I have had the privilege to meet many NASCAR drivers, which was way better than actually watching the race itself! Some of the drivers that I have met have been: Tony Stewart, Dale Jr., Bobby Labonte, Michael Waltrip, and a few others. Actually seeing the drivers up close and personal was a blast!

Well that is enough about me, now let’s get to NASCAR!

The next race will be on Saturday, April 18th in Phoenix, AZ at the Subway Fresh Fit 500! Don’t miss it!

Just to update all of you NASCAR fans out there…

Here are the top 20 drivers of the Sprint Cup:

1. Jeff Gordon
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Kurt Busch
4. Clint Bowyer
5. Tony Stewart
6. Denny Hamlin
7. Kyle Busch
8. Carl Edwards
9. Matt Kenseth
10. Kasey Kahne
11. David Reutimann
12. Jeff Burton
13. Juan Montoya
14. Kevin Harvick
15. Greg Biffle
16. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
17. Ryan Newman
18. Mark Martin
19. Brian Vickers
20. A.J. Allmendinger

Hello, my dear NASCAR Talk Online readers!

It is with a heavy heart that I post this farewell note to you all. My life has gotten insanely busy and I’ve had to downsize a couple of my blogs, and unfortunately, this is one of them. I’ve really enjoyed blogging about what I love, but I needed to cut ties and just didn’t have time to give this site the attention it deserves.

Thanks for reading all of these months and I’m sure the new writer that takes over this blog will be fabulous, so keep coming back and support whoever that might be, okay?

I’m still going to be around (somewhat) over at Country Music Herald, so you can still get a hold of me over there to chat or talk about the latest NASCAR controversies and races.

Thanks again!

Heather

Now is the time when the NASCAR Point Standings kick in for the 2008 race season. Up until now, the field has been set on qualifying day as a result of the top 35 from the 2007 season. Bristol was the fifth race of the season, so all races from here on out will use the 2008 point standings to determine the top 35 cars.

To see where the drivers stand in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series (there was no Craftsman Truck race this week), keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Sprint Cup Point Standings, Nationwide Series Point Standings

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Richard Childress Racing sure had a great weekend. First, Clint Bowyer wins a rain shortened Nationwide Series race on Saturday and then his cars finish 1, 2, 3 in the Sprint Cup race on Sunday. Looks like that team has the Bristol race track figured out. This time, veteran Jeff Burton took the checkered flag with his teammates Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer close behind. It just wouldn’t have been Bristol without a big crash, and sure enough there was one about midway through the race, taking out 6 cars in the process. Yes, it was indeed a typical Bristol race with a unique ending.

To see where all drivers finished, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Sprint Cup Race Results Bristol

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Well, it may have been a short race (that darn rain just needs to go away when there is racing to be done, don’t you think?) but Clint Bowyer isn’t complaining. Bowyer managed to hold off Kasey Kahne and David Reutimann until the rain came and the race was called early at only 171 laps. Nationwide Series regular Brad Keselowski showed with a very strong finish in 4th place.

To see where all drivers finished, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Nationwide Race Results Bristol

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Sometimes I don’t think Mother Nature is a NASCAR fan. Last week it was snowing, this week it’s rain. In fact, qualifying for the Sprint Cup race this weekend in Bristol was rained out. According to the NASCAR rule book, the starting grid will be set by the point standings. However, since this is only the fifth race of the season, that means last years’ point standings will be used to set the starting line up. That’s good news for Jimmie Johnson considering his 2008 has been off to a less than spectacular start. Since he’s the reigning Sprint Cup Champion, he gets to sit on the pole for the race.

To see the entire starting line up, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Sprint Cup Starting Grid Bristol

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Ah, Bristol. Short track racing, or even short track banging, at its finest. “The World’s Fastest Half Mile” will try to take out both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series drivers this week as they bump and run to the finish line. The Craftsman Truck Series has a couple of weeks off, so let’s take a look at what to watch for this weekend in Bristol. Keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Weekend Race Preview Bristol, Sprint Cup Bristol Preview, Nationwide Series Bristol Preview

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Kyle Busch is having a great week. First, he won both the Craftsman Truck and Sprint Cup races in Atlanta, and that means he was able to increase his overall points lead in both series as well. Carl Edwards, on the other hand, is having a bad week and went from the top of the points because of a penalty, all the way down to 17th after a 42nd place finish with a blown engine in the Sprint Cup race.

Kevin Harvick managed to take the points lead in the Nationwide Series, with last year’s Busch Series Champion Carl Edwards right on his heels.

To see the point standings for the Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Craftsman Truck Series, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, NASCAR Point Standings, Sprint Cup Point Standings, Nationwide Point Standings, Craftsman Truck Point Standings

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Well, Toyota has finally won their first Sprint Cup race. In fact, it’s the first time in more than 40 years that a foreign manufacturer has won a Cup Series race. Kyle Busch piloted his Joe Gibbs Racing Snickers Toyota to the checkered flag on Sunday. Carl Edwards, who was looking for his third win in a row, looked very strong until he had an engine leak and ended up 42nd overall. Kyle’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Tony Stewart managed to hold off Dale Earnhardt Jr. for a 2nd place finish.

To see where all drivers finished, keep reading after the jump.

NASCAR, Sprint Cup Race Results Atlanta

Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

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