EveryJoe » Carl Edwards

Kyle Busch Wins the Dollar General 300

Warren Hayashi — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:51:12 +0000

Kyle Busch got over a recent bout with a body under attack by a virus that doctors diagnosed as pneumonia, just in time to get in his car and do what he does best, win. Even better he returned to Lowe’s Motor Speedway, a track he likes and has success on. This was a welcome change after eleven straight races in second place or worse on the race track for the talented and successful Joe Gibbs Racing driver. Kyle Busch celebrated his return to his car by leading for 137 laps of 200 on his way to taking the chequered flag in the Dollar General 300 on the pavement of Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The victory pushes Busch’s lead in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series to 195 points on his nearest competitor Carl Edwards, who finished fifth in the Dollar General 300. The Nationwide Series only has four races remaining in the schedule and Busch is starting to look like he’s going to be hard to catch in the four races remaining in the year.

Kyle Busch was in front for most of the Dollar General 300

Kyle Busch beat Mike Bliss to the line by 1.712 seconds in a 21-lap race at the end that was run under a green flag to grab his seventh win of the 2009 Nationwide Series season, fifth at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and the 28^th of his NASCAR career. His car was fast all night and his skill was on display as he raced to victory against a field of racers known for their competitive desire to win.

On another note, Steve Wallace had a bad showing and was overtaken by Justin Allgaier, after a competition between these two races that has been fun to watch. Justin moved into fifth place in the standings, just ahead of Wallace, which could mean that it will be Steve Wallace and not Justin Allgaier who makes it to the awards banquet in Florida at the end of the Nationwide Series season.

Dave Blaney finished third in the Dollar General 300, just ahead of Brian Vickers, Carl Edwards in fifth and Brad Keselowski in sixth. Ryan Newman finished in seventh place, Kasey Kahne in eighth, Jeff Burton in ninth and the top ten was completed by Tony Raines.

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Kyle Busch Wins the Dollar General 300

Chevy Rock Roll 400 Runs This Saturday

Warren Hayashi — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:27:23 +0000

Saturday night at Richmond the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 will run on the pavement of Richmond International Raceway (7 p.m. ET, ABC). Twelve NASCAR drivers will make the Chase, which ones won’t be determined for most until after Richmond. Below we’ll discuss some of them and their chances and previous results at Richmond.

Kasey Kahne is ready to race

Carl Edwards has a winless record at Richmond and just three top ten finishes in 10 races at this tough and challenging track. Carl has had a rough ride in his car lately, finishing 37^th at Atlanta, but before that he had finished in the top 20 in 13 consecutive races. Edwards needs to finish 24^th or better at Richmond to make the Chase, but in three previous races at Richmond, he has failed to do so.

Kasey Kahne has been running fast and confidently on a NASCAR track lately, but with only four top ten finishes at Richmond, in eight starts, this might be a tall order for this confident racer. Kahne needs to finish 21^st or better at Richmond, and he has failed to do so in five of his 11 career races at this venue, which includes a 29^th place finish during the spring competition.

Kurt Busch should have a good race at Richmond, if the lady luck doesn’t burn him. Busch has one victory, two top-five finishes, and has finished in the top ten five times in 17 races at Richmond. He has had a good time at this venue in his past five starts, with four top twelve finishes, including finishing fifth and ninth. Kurt Busch needs to finish 2oth or better at Richmond to make the Chase, and he has done this 10 times during the 17 times he has raced at Richmond.

Juan Montoya‘s average finish at Richmond is 28^th, but he only has five starts at this venue, so we probably don’t have enough information to give us a good idea of his chances. He only has one top ten finish during his five starts at Richmond, so he still needs to figure out how to race and drive at Richmond. Montoya needs to finish at least 18^th at Richmond but he has only done this once.

Ryan Newman has an average finish of 12^th at Richmond and this is his third best track statistically. In his 15 starts at Richmond, Newman has one victory, five top five finishes, and nine top ten finishes. Expect him to have a good day, if Lady Luck gives him a hand along the way, and he can stay out of trouble.

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Chevy Rock Roll 400 Runs This Saturday

Race for the Chase is About to Boil Over

Warren Hayashi — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:03:31 +0000

The 25 competitions, 214 cautions, 9,706 miles, 468 lead changes and 6,936 laps of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint cup Series have been a barn burner with the energy and pace NASCAR had hoped they would have when they implemented the Chase. All of the work comes down to one last race for many racers just outside the results they need to make NASCAR’s playoffs. Four NASCAR drivers have punched their tickets to the Chase and are sitting pretty, although they have work to do as they use the time to get prepare for the final race, and just to build confidence they need to do well in Richmond. This group includes Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, and Denny Hamlin. The numbers never lie if you learn how to read them and for at least ten drivers Saturday night has implications that are going to determine the result of all the work they and the team did during the 2009 Sprint Cup Series season. There are only eight spots left in the Chase and 122 points separating the closest ten racers and their dreams of a berth in the Chase. Currently. Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Juan Montoya, Ryan Newman, Mark Martin, Greg Biffle, and Matt kenseth can all get a lock on a place in the Chase with a good result in Richmond.

Kasey Kahne will need to have another good result in Richmond to make the Chase

Carl Edwards needs to finish at least 24^th at Richmond to make the Chase but he had a 216 point lead over 13^th place racer Brian Vickers three races ago and this has dwindled to 105 points. Kasey Kahne must finish at least 21^st Saturday night at Richmond or he’ll be watching from the stands. This is despite just winning his second race of the Sprint Cup Series season and jumping five spots in the race for the Chase. The rest are in similar positions, but they don’t need to finish as well as these two gentlemen, who are sitting on the edge, looking down at the rocks.

The last race before the Chase, the Chevy Rock and Roll 400, runs this Saturday night on the pavement of Richmond International Raceway (7 p.m. ET, ABC). This competition is going to be one of the most important and pivotal races of the 2009 Sprint Cup Series and will help determine all the stops as NASCAR gets ready for the Chase.

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Race for the Chase is About to Boil Over

Edwards Wins the Napa Auto Parts 200

Warren Hayashi — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:53:39 +0000

NASCAR’s Nationwide Series returned to the road on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Sunday for the third time in the Napa Auto Parts 200. The first two races on the 2.709-mile road course in Montreal were entertaining affairs that brought out thousands of race fans. Sunday’s road race was no different as Carl Edwards passed Marcos Ambrose on the last corner of the race to win the Nationwide Series Napa Auto Parts 200 by a margin of 0.393 seconds. Carl was able to stay close enough to Ambrose to take advantage of the only lapse in concentration Ambrose had all day to win his and Roush Fenway Racing’s first road race in one of NASCAR’s top three divisions. Ambrose had to apply the brakes when Carl got position on him and that was the end of the story. This victory is also his third Nationwide Series win of the 2009 season and the 23^rd of his career.

Jacques Villeneuve finished fourth on a course named for him

Marcos Ambrose was disappointed after leading 60 laps of the scheduled 76 laps of a race that was affected by the rain that fell on the track at times. The field ran the last part of the race on rain tires after a mandatory change for the entire field on Lap 61. Ambrose has raced on the road course at Montreal three previous times, finishing seventh, third and second and he was certainly hoping to add a win to his record.

The third Nationwide Series race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was notable for a couple of different reasons. At 3 hours and 49 minutes in length, it’s the longest race in Nationwide Series history, eclipsing the 1997 Gateway 300. This race produced 11 cautions for 31 laps, more than doubling the previous high totals of 5 and 14 respectively.

Andrew Ranger had a great race and finished third, just ahead of hometown hero Jacques Villeneuve who thrilled the partisan Quebecers in the grandstands with a fourth place finish. Brad Keselowski tightened his hold on third place in the standings by coming home in fifth place. Tony Raines had a difficult race but still managed to finish sixth, while Jean-Francois Dumoulin finished seventh, ahead of Stephen Leict in eighth place. Brendan Gaughan kept his car on the road and managed to finish ninth, while the top ten was rounded out by Kyle Busch, the Nationwide Series leader.

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Edwards Wins the Napa Auto Parts 200

David Ragan Wins the Food City 250

Warren Hayashi — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:14:43 +0000

The lights were shining above David Ragan on Friday night as he held off Roush Fenway Racing teammate Carl Edwards during green-white-checkered-flag finish to take the win in the Food City 250 Nationwide Series race held at Bristol Motor Speedway outside of Bristol, Tennessee.

David Ragan beats Carl Edwards and the rest of the pack to the line

Ragan was in the front of the pack for the last 56 laps of the scheduled 250 mile race on the .533-mile surface of Bristol Motor Speedway. He was able to hold off Carl Edwards during the last few laps and pulled ahead of Edwards to stay in the final few corners. Edwards has a lot to be happy about as he reduced Kyle Busch’s lead in the Nationwide Series standings from 339 to 248 points. Kyle Busch on the other hand had a hard day and finished 28^th,59 laps down, after his chances to win the Food City 250 was ruined by an early accident that left him running slower and behind.

Ragan’s smile was apparent as he came to the podium and he obviously had a lot of fun winning and racing in such a fast car. He raced on the outside line for the final restart that saw the race go 4 laps beyond the scheduled 250 miles. The inside lane of the track was slower all day long and the racers quickly figured this out and it was a battle to see who had the top line. It actually looked like Carl had the faster car with just four laps remaining but Ragan was able to pin Carl behind a lapped car. The race actually ended under caution due to an accident on the final lap that froze the running order in place with Ragan still in the lead.

Ragan played out the scene as he should have and he deserves credit for being able to win despite having a slower car. Ragan first passed Edwards for the lead on Lap 199 of the 254 they raced and he held the lead through a caution on Lap 243, which set up the two lap race to the finish.

Pole-sitter Brad Keselowski finished third, Kevin Harvick was fourth, and Matt Kenseth finished fifth, while Jason Leffler finished sixth. Clint Bowyer was seventh, Michael Annett eighth, Paul Menard ninth, while Michael McDowell rounded out the top ten.

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David Ragan Wins the Food City 250

Carl Edwards Wins the Kroger 200

Warren Hayashi — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:30:34 +0000

The roar of power filled Saturday night in Indianapolis, Indiana this week as the thrill and energy of NASCAR once again brought thousands of fanatical fans to O’Reilly Raceway Park to witness the Nationwide Series Kroger 200.

They weren’t disappointed as Carl Edwards passed Kyle Busch on Lap 179 and then put his foot down and never looked back until he crossed the finish line. The race didn’t start as well for Edwards, who had to start from the rear of the grid because he wasn’t able to make qualifying due to participation in a practice session for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race. This didn’t seem to matter, his car was still the fastest car, and he was able to quickly make up the difference to take the lead. In fact, Edwards was able to take the lead twice and led for a total of 72 of the scheduled 200 laps in the Nationwide Series Kroger 200. He originally lost the lead on Lap 170 due to a mistake in pit row that allowed Busch to take the lead under caution. Busch was in the lead as the cars ran toward a green flag on Lap 174, but Edwards used his driving skill and faster car to take the lead on Lap 179, and then went on to take the win.

Kyle Busch did finish second, the eighth consecutive time he has finished first or second in a Nationwide Series race, one less than the current record holder Jack Ingram’s record set in 1983. Busch currently leads Edwards by 192 points on the Nationwide Series standings with just 15 races remaining in the schedule. Matt Kenseth finished third, Brad Keselowski had another good showing in a race by finishing fourth, and Steve Wallace was fifth, while Ron Hornaday moved from trucks for this race and took sixth. Pole-sitter Trevor Bayne was able to hang on for seventh, Jason Leffler took eighth, and Scott Wimmer was ninth, while Kenny Wallace rounded out the top ten in the Kroger 200.

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Carl Edwards Wins the Kroger 200

NASCAR 2009 Mid-Term Report Card

Warren Hayashi — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:06:11 +0000

The 2009 NASCAR season is on its one week break that traditionally happens every year, so to mark this occasion, we’ve decided to do go over the report card for the 2009 season. We’ll go over a few of the surprises and disappointments on NASCAR’s national levels so far this year.

NASCAR has reached its half way point for the 2009 season

The biggest disappointment of the year for many will be the disappointing year of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Expectations were high for Dale but he has had a hard time getting his car up to speed all year, but hopefully these are just growing pains and he’ll find his wheels next year.

The drivers at Roush have had a less than stellar year, with Carl Edwards yet to win and David Ragan with only one top ten finish so far this year, after it was predicted he would be in the Chase this year.

Tony Stewart and Stewart-Haas Racing have had an excellent year and get an A on their mid-term report card. Mark Martin stalled a bit coming off the line but in recent races he has been running fast and hot, and currently has four wins on the series, the best of all the drivers competing this year.

Kevin Harvick is likely going to miss the Chase by a country mile after making it three years in a row, while Jeff Burton has been plagued with accidents week after week. Clint Bowyer started the year real strong, but has tailed off lately, and hasn’t been able to get his speed back. Casey Mears has been one of the slower drivers all year. Harvick’s winless streak is currently up to 89, his last win was actually the Daytona 500, so there has been a trend developing.

Kyle Busch would certainly tell you his year has been somewhat of a disappointment for him, this is despite having three wins, and definitely making the Chase. A large percentage of drivers would be happy with three wins and making the Chase, but then Busch is aware of the potential of the people he works with and the car he drives week to week. Busch is a real competitor and lately he has been pushing his team to improve his car. Apparently even he isn’t aware of how well he has been doing and the speed of his car, but then maybe the car isn’t as good as we think and he’s a better driver than we realize. Either way, Busch’s desire to win every week has been noticeable lately.

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NASCAR 2009 Mid-Term Report Card

Joey Logano Wins the Dollar General 300

Warren Hayashi — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 07:45:10 +0000

A critical choice by crew chief Dave Rogers at the right time propelled NASCAR racer Joey Logano to victory Friday night in the Dollar General 300 Nationwide race held at Chicago’s Chicagoland Speedway. Staying out on the track during the second caution of the Dollar General 300 on Lap 185, Logano was able to pull away from teammate Kyle Busch after the restart on Lap 192 on his old tires and the choice turned out to be the right one. Kyle Busch for his part had taken two fresh tires during the restart and was astonished when Logano was able to pull away on his old rubber, exclaiming over his radio after the restart, “He’s driving away from me!”

Carl Edwards had to settle for sixth in the Dollar General 300 Nationwide Series race

In fact, Logano was running so good he was able to increase his lead and crossed the finish line almost three seconds ahead of Busch, who always seems disappointed when he doesn’t win. Despite finishing second Kyle Busch increased his lead in the Nationwide Series to 192 points over Carl Edwards, who finished sixth in the Dollar General 300. This win is the third of 2009 for Logano on the Nationwide Series and his first on the 1.5 mile oval of Chicagoland Speedway. Logano’s Toyota was definitely handling a little tighter in the corners than his teammates, which allowed him to come off the corners with more speed and keep it through the stretches.

The day was a troublesome one for JR Motorsports as both Brad Keselowski and Ryan Newman ran out of fuel before pitting on Lap 57. Keselowski lost two laps trying to restart his car and ended up finishing 18^th after rallying near the end, while Newman lost a lap because of his fuel problems and finished 22^nd.

Brian Vickers had a good race and was able to finish third; Jason Leffler tried to rally for fourth but had to settle for fifth, while Kevin Harvick held off a late charging Carl Edwards for fifth. Greg Biffle had a pretty fast car all day but had a few pit problems and settled for seventh, David Reutimann took eighth, Mike Bliss finished ninth, and Justin Allgaier rounded out the top ten.

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Joey Logano Wins the Dollar General 300

NASCAR Pulls Into Chicagoland Speedway

Warren Hayashi — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:42:23 +0000

The sparks will be flying and the wheels screaming again on Saturday night in Joliet, Illinois as the Sprint Cup Series rolls back to Chicago’s Chicagoland Speedway this week for the running of NASCAR’s LifeLock.com 400. Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5 mile intermediate oval track that’s similar in requirements and construction to the other tracks of this type in NASCAR, which do make up the majority of the tracks currently used for Sprint Cup Series competitions at present. Chicagoland Speedway does have one twist that the other tracks of this type don’t have, it’s closer to being one continuous circle due to its backstretch, which has a noticeable bend to it, rather than the perfectly straight backstretches of the other 1.5 mile ovals used in the Sprint Cup Series. This fact means that the racers will always be turning the wheel as they go around Chicagoland Speedway and the cars will be setup to provide the racers with greater handling sensitivity as compared to the other 1.5 mile oval tracks.

LifeLock.com 400 this Saturday

The history of NASCAR at this track isn’t as long and noteworthy as many of the tracks that have been raced on by NASCAR competitors over the years, but the LifeLock.com 400 in years to come should become one of the iconic races in NASCAR. Last year’s race saw Kyle Busch win the pole and lead for 165 of 267 laps in the LifeLock.com 400. This year we might see more of the same, but Kyle has gotten a little smarter lately, and come to realize he doesn’t have to win every lap, just the last one. Expect Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch to once again duel it out Saturday night for the victory in the LifeLock.com 400. Throw in a few wild cards like Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards into the mix and the possibilities for an entertaining race increase geometrically.

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NASCAR Pulls Into Chicagoland Speedway

Carl Edwards Wins the Northern Tool.com 250

Warren Hayashi — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 03:25:50 +0000

Drivers in NASCAR often finish one race and then jump in a plane and head off to another NASCAR competition at another track. They burn their candle on both ends, trying to race and win as much as possible, and are often very successful at this kind of endeavour.

Carl Edwards wins the Northern Tool.com 250

This is just the scenario that allowed Roush Fenway Racing’s Carl Edwards to drive to victory Saturday night in the Nationwide Series Northern Tool.com 250 held at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin. Edwards had earlier in the day competed and practiced with his Cup Series car at Infineon Raceway but was able to fight off fatigue and the field to eventually grab the lead from Joe Gibb’s Racing’s Kyle Busch with a pass on Lap 205 to take the win.

Kyle Busch started the race strong, and was able to stay in front for the majority of the race, but wasn’t able to hold the fast-running Edwards off, and gave the lead up with just fifty laps remaining. It looked like the field might get a chance to catch up to Edwards after the second of two cautions during the last 50 laps of the race. But he was able to stay in front of his chasers, and eventually pulled away near the end to easily take the flag in his first Nationwide win of the 2009 season, just ahead of Busch.

Edwards was seen to be extremely energized by the win and stated that “It’s really cool to get that first win. Hopefully, it kicks off the rest of his season like it did last year.”

Edward’s comment is referring to his win at the Milwaukee Mile in 2008, which kicked off a truly impressive second half run for Edwards, with him winning seven times in the last 19 races of the year. The question now is, can he achieve this again or better it?

Brad Keselowski finished third in the Northern Tool.com 250, Erik Darnell took fourth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished fifth, while Steve Wallace took sixth. Mike Bliss finished seventh, Stephen Leicht eighth, Ron Hornaday took ninth, and the top ten was rounded out by Jason Leffler.

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Carl Edwards Wins the Northern Tool.com 250