Kyle Busch wins Nationwide title

It was a tough race for Busch, but he won with his usual flare and was the best car on the track again. He should buy his team a dinner tonight and thank them all for giving him the car to compete and win. Kyle Busch never would have accomplished this without the little people surrounding this affair doing their jobs and making it possible.

The day was exciting as Brad Keselowski took Denny Hamlin’s purposeful spinning of Keselowski’s No. 88 Chevrolet, before the excitement had even started. This scene played second fiddle to Kyle Busch and his championship though and it’s certainly a good thing. Keselowski should be sanctioned for his actions and he needs to keep control of his emotions and show some maturity in his actions on the track. There’s no place for such choices and actions on a track where the possibility of death or serious injury is always present. Two laps after a restart on Lap 163 and pitting for new tires, Kyle Busch passed Edwards and pulled into the lead and then held on for the win.

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Kyle Busch Wins Nationwide Title

Brad keselowski was able to pull away from Kyle Busch during this restart to win

Keselowski was able to leap into the lead after he went past the front row racers Michael Annett and Tony Raines during a restart on Lap 238 of 250 scheduled for the day. Keselowski just had to keep the Nationwide Series leader, Kyle Busch behind him during a restart to win and that’s just what he did.

The day was eventful for other reasons as Steve Wallace ran into Kenseth’s car after the race and it looked purposeful. The two races did exchange compliments after the race and something tells me they weren’t exactly happy with the way the other races. There’s a lot of money and pride on the line and these two gentlemen are very competitive and hate to loose. Keselowski picked up $75,000 through the Nationwide Series Dash 4 Cash program, $25,000 for the win and $50,000 for being the point’s leader in the four Dash 4 Cash races of the 2009 Nationwide Series season. His most prized possession for the victory has to be the Elvis trophy that is presented to the winner of this race, he never let go of it during the whole winning ceremony and carried it with him as he left. If we were able to see into his bedroom, we might see him sleeping soundly with his arms around the trophy and a big smile satisfied smile on his face.

Kyle Busch finished second in the Kroger For The Cure 250, Jason Leffler finished third, just ahead of Mike Bliss in fourth and Brendan Gaughan in fifth position. Carl Edwards held on for sixth place, Scott Wimmer finished seventh, just in front of David Reutimann in eighth, Stephen Leicht in ninth and Landon Cassill who rounded out the top ten.

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Brad Keselowski Wins Nationwide Series Race

Brad Keselowski will be racing in the 2010 Sprint Cup Series

Penske racing has recently made note of Brad Keselowski on the track and they have made their move by signing Keselowski to a multi-year contract that will see Keselowski race for Penske Racing in the 2010 NASCAR season. This deal will put Keselowski behind the wheel of Roger Penske’s no. 12 Sprint Cup car for the upcoming season, where he’ll take the place of the current driver David Stremme. In addition, Penske Racing has decided to put Keselowski behind the wheel of a new Nationwide Series ride that will see him complete as a teammate for Justin Allgaier.

This opens up the way for Keselowski to try to get Penske their first NASCAR championship in the coming years and with what we have seen from this young racer he’s very capable of achieving this goal.

The decision to take Penske Racing’s offer and step away from Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports Nationwide team wasn’t an easy one for Keselowski. He felt a certain bond with the team that had him trying to work out away for him to achieve his racing dreams and still keep his ties to Hendrick Motorsports. Unfortunately, his wait turned out to be in vain and he eventually decided to take the offer from Penske Racing.

He apparently reached out to Dale Earnhardt to tell him of his torn decision and has received the backing of this classy organization and its owner to go ahead and follow his dreams. Penske Racing’s courtship of Keselowski certainly hasn’t been a well-kept secret around the industry and it certainly isn’t a surprise to Earnhardt that Keselowski was talking with other parties interested in putting him behind the wheel of their race car.

The 2010 NASCAR season is going to be an exciting one with all the new and fast drivers coming onto the NASCAR-scene and Brad Keselowski is definitely one to be on the look out, if you’re on a race track.

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Brad Keselowski Moves to Penske Racing

Brad Keselowski wins the Carfax 250 at Michigan International Speedway

Vickers was ahead of Busch as the two went into Turn 3 on second-to-last-lap of the competition and slipped in just ahead of Kyle. Busch went to the inside of Vickers and was starting to pull ahead but Vickers side-drafted off of Busch’s No. 18 Toyota and was able to force him down onto the apron on the race track as the two were approaching Turn 4. Keselowski went high with momentum the other two had been losing during their battle as he went around Turn 4.  The three racers were stacked three-high on the track as they approached the white flag signaling the final lap, but Keselowski’s momentum pulled him out in front of the other two and into the lead. Keselowski’s momentum and intelligent driving allowed him to have enough extra speed to beat his closest two competitors to the line by just 0.199 seconds but it was more than enough on this day.

Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers were both pretty hot and their battle continued on after the race but hopefully it’s nothing personal between these two fiery competitors. Kyle was probably just blowing off steam after he not only didn’t beat Vickers to the line but ended up in third after Keselowski’s brilliant display of intelligent racing. Busch still leads the series rankings by 339 points over Carl Edwards, so I expect him to cool off and just go back to racing.

This win is the third of the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series for Keselowski and he must be on cloud nine after winning in front of his home fans. Is there anything sweeter for a sports athlete than feeling the joy of winning in front of his friends, family and hometown fans?

David Ragan finished fourth in the Carfax 250, just ahead of Kevin Harvick in fifth, Ryan Newman in sixth and Justin Allgaier in seventh. Greg Biffle finished eighth; Jeff Burton had problems handling his car and finished ninth, while Paul Menard rounded out the top ten.

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Keselowski Wins Carfax 250

Kyle hates finishing second again, but he did tie a record that has stood for two decades

Brad Keselowski was steady and calm behind the wheel of his No. 88 Chevrolet until there were only eight laps left in the competition. He made his move on the outside, passing Kyle Busch in a sprint to the corner and then went on to take the win in this first race on the pavement of the Iowa Speedway. Just a few laps before Keselowski passed Busch, while under the tenth caution of the race, Busch decided to pit for some new rubber while Keselowski decided to stay on the track and try to win with the fuel and rubber he had. The choice turned out to be the right on as his rubber was already hot and he was able to manage the fuel he had left and take the victory.

Kyle Busch hates to finish second and he was noticeably upset coming second which isn’t necessarily a bad thing for the team and their future. In his defense he has been racing an awful lot lately; in fact he spent the morning before this race practicing for the Sprint Cup race that ran on Sunday at Pocono. With this win Kyle Busch did tied a record that has first set in 1983 by legendary racer Jack Ingram by finishing in the top two in a series race for the ninth consecutive time.

Jason Leffler had a strong race and finished third, Carl Edwards fell a little farther behind Kyle Busch in the standings despite finishing fourth, while Kelly Bires grabbed fifth. Jason Keller had a good race and finished sixth, Kenny Wallace ran strong to take seventh, Michael McDowell took eighty, and Scott Lagasse Jr. was ninth, while the top ten was completed by Stephen Leicht.

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Keselowski Wins on Iowa Speedway

Kyle Busch beat Carl Edwards to the line again

The yearly competition to see which steed and driver combination is the fastest over a series of races which we call the Nationwide Series championship seems to be a two man race so far this season. Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards have both maneuvered back and forth into the over all championship at times like they were conducting their own personal two-man race.

While it’s certainly too early to hand either of them the trophy, Friday night at the Richmond International Raceway Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards continued their two-man race for the Nationwide Series championship.

Friday night in a five lap race to the line after the 10^th caution of the night, Busch managed to beat Edwards to the finish line by .584 seconds to take the Lipton Tea 250 and increase his points lead in the Nationwide Series by 82 points over his nemesis, Carl Edwards.

The win was Busch’s third of the year in the Nationwide Series, his third at Richmond International Raceway, 24^th victory in the illustrious Nationwide Series, and certainly one of many more to come for a racer who has shown outstanding driving skill and a love for the sport.

The difference in the race seemed to be the difference in the way each driver, car and team handled the restarts, and Busch, his team, and especially his car were just faster off the line. On this day Carl Edwards was just in the unfortunate position of having the second fastest car, but he still managed a pretty good points total and managed to keep Busch from extending his lead with skillful driving and car management.

The field was a few seconds behind the leaders, with Matt Kenseth taking third place, followed by Brad Keselowski in fourth, Kevin Harvick managed fifth, and Joey Logano out-raced Mark Martin for sixth. Rookie driver Michael McDowell had a good showing in eighth place, just ahead of Jason Keller who finished ninth, and Jason Leffler rounded out the top ten places.

The tenth caution of the night turned out to tell the difference, as Kenny Wallace’s unfortunate spin on Lap 243 resulted in a restart and a final race to the line, which Kyle Busch won.

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Kyle Busch Wins Lipton Tea 250

Saturday’s running of the NAPA Auto Parts 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal was an historic night for the Nationwide Series, and NASCAR in general. As the rainy weather crept its way onto the tracks, the race was red flagged, and for the first time ever in a NASCAR points race, the teams switched over to grooved tires to run the remainder of the race.

The rain was eventually stopped 26 laps short due to poor visibility, and in the end, it was Canadian native, Ron Fellows, out in front of the pack when the race was officially called. Throughout the majority of the race it appeared as though Marcos Ambrose was going to run away with things, leading a race high 27 laps, but a late pit road speeding penalty cost him, and Fellows was there to take advantage.

For Fellows, who was driving the no. 5 entry for the Dale Earnhardt Jr. owned JR Motorsports, it was his fourth career road course victory in 13 Nationwide Series starts, and he also became the first Canadian to ever win a major NASCAR event in Canada.

Fellows was followed to the line by another Canadian native, Patrick Carpentier, who finished 2nd. Ambrose was able to recover from his earlier mistakes on pit road and came back to finish 3rd. 4th place went to Ron Hornaday, and 5th was Boris Said.

Carl Edwards – now 2nd in points – finished 6th, while the series points leader, Clint Bowyer, crossed the finish line in 9th. Brad Keselowski dropped the 2nd position in the points race to Edwards with a 12th place run, dropping Brad down to 3rd overall.

Jacques Villeneuve and Joey Logano dropped about 10 positions in the running order each when they wrecked into other cars during the final caution period.

“I hit a lapped car with no brake lights. I have no idea who it was,” Logano said. “I couldn’t see 5 feet in front of me down the straightaway, under caution. Somebody stopped. I locked up all four and boom! … It’s just not right.”

They each went onto finish 16th and 17th respectively.

It should be noted, however, that the accidents during the final caution were caused by poor visibility, and were not tire-related. In fact, there were really no tire issues the whole race, which should serve as a huge pick-me-up for Goodyear after the debacle that they went through last week at Indy.

Complete Results of the NAPA Auto Parts 200     /     Current Nationwide Series Points Standings

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Ron Fellows Beats the Rain in Canada

Earlier in the week NASCAR implimented new rules restricting the horsepower output in the Nationwide Series engines, specifically targeting Toyota, as they were the only manufacturer running the effected engine packages. But, even that couldn’t stop Kyle Busch from dominating Saturday night at O’Reilly Raceway Park.

Busch started the race from the outside pole, and then ran away with the race, leading 197 of the 200 laps. The victory is Busch’s sixth NNS win of the season, and his 15th between NASCAR’s three premier series, surpassing the previous record set by Kevin Harvick. Colin Braun, in search of his first NASCAR victory for Roush-Fenway Racing, settled for 2nd, and Mike Bliss, Scott Wimmer, and Josh Wise completed the top-five.

Following the race, Busch sarcastically commented, “I was kind of disappointed because I feel like that 15 horsepower cost me the pole. I really got to thank my competitors for doing the complaining they did, because we were able to have good traction control all night long. I feel like that was important, to get off the corners a little bit better than everybody.”

Rookies Landon Cassill and Joey Logano continued to impress, as they finished 7th and 8th, respectively. Series points leader, Clint Bowyer, found his struggles throughout the evening, as he finished 18th. Second place, Brad Keselowski, didn’t do any better, though, and he finished 19th. Third place, Carl Edwards, made up a little bit of ground with his 11th place finish. There were no changes with the top-ten in points, though.

Kroger 200 Complete Results

Nationwide Series Standings (from nascar.com):

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What, Toyota Lost Their Horsepower? Kyle Busch Didn’t Notice

Image details: Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 served by picapp.com

Even with the Sprint Cup Series taking the week off, it was still a busy weekend for Missouri native, Carl Edwards …. particularly because he decided to commit to a three-day bicycle trip from his hometown of Columbia, MO to the track that lies in Madison, IL – just outside of the St. Louis metro-area.

Edwards made the trip and got to the track in time to qualify third for the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 at Gateway International Raceway, and then passed Jason Leffler with 48 laps remaining en route to picking up the win Saturday night. The win gave Edwards his second Nationwide Series win of the season, and the second of his career at Gateway.

Driving the dominant no. 20 car for Joe Gibbs Racing in just his fifth NNS start, Joey Logano started the race fourth and finished second, as he was unable to track down Edwards in the closing laps of the race. Jason Keller, Jason Leffler, and Brad Keselowski completed the top-five finishers, with rookie driver, Landon Cassill, running in 6th.

An incident involving David Reutimann and Brad Keselowski brought out the final caution of the day. The restart came on lap 146 with Edwards running third behined Jason Leffler and eventual 7th place finisher, James Buescher. The top two cars, however, took only two tires under the caution period, with Edwards taking four, which ultimately made all the difference in the world, passing Leffler for the lead just six laps later.

Earlier on a lap 116 restart, Landon Cassill got into the back of Scott Wimmer, setting off a chain reaction that eliminated the cars of Mike Bliss, Steve Wallace, and defending race winner, Reed Sorenson. Polesitter, Jamie McMurray, was in the lead at the time, but later retired with engine problems after lap 152.

Points leader, Clint Bowyer, finished 8th; David Ragan was 10th; and Marcos Ambrose ran in 15th. The hometown favorites of Mike, Kenny, and Steve Wallace finished 11th, 18th, and 26th respectively. Kenny was the only one of the three to lead any laps during the race.

Clint Bowyer and Brad Keselowski maintained the top two spots in the Nationwide standings, while Carl Edwards jumped up a spot to #3, where he now sits 201 points out of first.

Complete Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 Results.

Nationwide Series Standings (from nascar.com):

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Edwards the Hometown Victor at Gateway

Teams Without an Assigned 2009 Driver:
- Dale Earnhardt Inc. – No. 01 car
- Penske Racing – No. 12 car
- Dale Earnhardt Inc. – No. 15 car
- Joe Gibbs Racing – No. 20 car
- Wood Brothers Racing – No. 21 car
- Bill Davis Racing – No. 22 car
- Yates Racing – No. 28 car
- Richard Childress Racing – No. 33 car
- Furniture Row Motorsports – No. 34 car
- Chip Ganassi Racing – No. 41 car
- Stewart Haas Racing - No. 66 or No. 70 car

Drivers Without a Definitive 2009 Ride:
- Regan Smith
- Casey Mears
- Ryan Newman
- Paul Menard
- Dave Blaney
- Marcos Ambrose
- Travis Kvapil
- Tony Raines
- Reed Sorenson
- Scott Riggs
- Johnny Sauter
- Jeremy Mayfield
- Brad Keselowski
- David Stremme
- Jacques Villeneuve
- Kenny Wallace
- Ken Schrader
- Ward Burton
- Dario Franchitti

Other Potential Rides & Drivers that Could Become Available
(Pending variable circumstances):
- Dale Earnhardt Inc. – No. 1 Car – Current Driver: Martin Truex Jr.
- Gillette-Evernham Motorsports – No. 10 Car – Current Driver: Patrick Carpentier
- Roush Fenway Racing - No. 26 Car – Current Driver: Jamie McMurray
- Penske Racing – No. 77 Car – Current Driver: Sam Hornish Jr.

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2009 Silly Season Tracker – Updated 7/14