Tired of doing all the work the last few races, only to finish out of first place, Kyle Busch decided to take a different route to victory in Saturday’s Camping World RV Sales 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. Instead of jumping out in front and setting the pace at the Magic Mile, Kyle Busch decided he didn’t need to lead the majority of the laps to win the race. Kyle Busch has lead the majority of the laps in his last eight races, but only managed to win two. In fact, all he really had to do was be the first over the finish line, and if he saved his finishing surge until the right moment he might have a better chance of being the first to the line.

Kyle Busch wins the Camping World RV Sales 200

Staying back in the pack and letting others set the pace turned out to be the recipe for success, as he waited for the last green flag to make his attack. Slipping in behind his Joe Gibbs team mate Joey Logano, he waited for his chance and then made his pass for the lead on Lap 165 of the scheduled 200. Staying in front of Logano in the corners and out of the straight stretches, Busch was able to put a little road between him and Logano, until the final ten laps. Pulling up behind Busch’s No. 18 Toyota as he was trying to fight his way through lapped traffic, Logano was able to stay on Busch’s bumper until the final lap, when Busch was able to pull away, and eventually beat his team mate to the line by 0.617 seconds. The win was Kyle Busch’s 26^th career win in the series, which puts him fifth best all-time, just behind Jeff Burton.

Brad Keselowski finished strong and took third place; Mike Bliss was right on Keselowski’s bumper, while Kevin Harvick drove home in fifth in his own No. 33 Chevrolet. Carl Edwards had a tough day but managed sixth, Greg Biffle was steady and finished seventh, Scott Speed finished eighth, Erik Darnell took ninth, and the top ten was rounded out by Jason Leffler.

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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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Spencer Pratt, Randy Moss, the character of Amanda from Melrose Place (the old version), and Kyle Busch…. what do all these people (fictional and otherwise) have in common? Answer? They are all people we love to hate. Kyle Busch doesn’t seem to have a problem with that.

He told one source that “People are obsessed with everything I do. I enjoy it. I’m not here to be vanilla. What’s the ice cream flavor all green and purple? That’s me! Colorful.”

All I could say after that quote was: Purple and green ice cream? Is this a new flavor? Am I missing something?

Goofy comparisons aside, Kyle is having a good time being the bad boy of NASCAR. One source says:

When he’s stomping away without comment after crushing defeats, smashing guitars in a victory celebrations (as he did with the trophy at a Nationwide race in Nashville two weeks ago in what he called a tribute to his crew and the spirit of rock and roll) or opining about Earnhardt’s career-worst slump, Internet message boards and talk-show phone lines are lighting up — and so, apparently, are the cash registers.

People are buying his merchandise right and left. When he won over 20 NASCAR races his sales went up “more than 500%.” Hundred of new members have been added to his official fan club in the last few weeks alone.

How about you? Are you a Kyle Busch fan?

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Joe Gibbs Racing’s Joey Logano became the first NASCAR racer to be victorious in the Meijer 300 Nationwide Series race two consecutive years at the Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, on Sunday. An achievement that had Joey Logano smiling when he learned the facts and who could blame him considering the difficulty of such a feat of racing.

Joey Lagano looks cool, clean, and ready to race

Logano had become the first NASCAR driver to take the pole position two years in a row at the 1.5 mile venue in Kentucky, earlier in the day. The Kentucky Speedway seems to suit Logano’s driving style and car and we’re sure he would love to race on this track every week. Logano managed to pull ahead of team mate Kyle Busch with only 10 laps left in the 300 mile competition and then stayed in front long enough to take the win. This gives him and his team mates two poles and two victories in two tries at the Kentucky Speedway, a perfect record that’s going to be hard to continue in the future.

The victory was a battle that saw Kyle Busch take the lead six different times during the competition and he was in front for the most laps of the race for the seventh consecutive race in a row. Kyle Busch lead for 162 laps of the 300 scheduled laps around the Kentucky Speedway but would in the end he couldn’t hold off a faster car. Kyle Busch didn’t have too much time to ponder his second place finish as he had to leave immediately after the race to compete in Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race.

Speeding on pit road was a common theme in the Meijer 300 as NASCAR handed out 27 pit road speed penalties during the race, including one to Logano on lap 71 that had him restarting 15^th, but his car was strong and he worked his way up through the field to second place with just 93 laps left. The red flag came out with 15 laps remaining, which allowed Logano to close ground on Busch following the restart, and then slip past him moving into Turn 3 of lap 190.

Brad Keselowski held on to finish third, Brendan Gaughan was satisfied with his fourth place finish, and Justin Allgaier took fifth. Jason Leffler finished sixth, Michael Annett seventh, Burney Lamar eighth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. came ninth, and the top ten was rounded out by Kelly Bires.

The next Nationwide race is the Milwaukee Mile on June 20 in the Northern Tool.com 250. Check information below on times to watch or listen to the race.

ESPN 2, 7:30 PM

Radio MRN, 8 PM

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Kyle Busch just wants to race and win, and he did it again on Saturday night in the Federated Auto Parts 300 held at the Nashville Superspeedway. The fourth time in a row appeared to be the charm as he once again was in the lead for the most laps in the race, only this race starting from the pole position on the grid. This time Lady Luck didn’t show up to ruin his final run to the line and he was able to stay out in front for the final 24 laps. Busch’s ninth NASCAR win of the season and fourth in the Nationwide Series, he also has two Camping World Trucks wins and three Sprint Cup victories this season.

Kyle Busch grabs fourth Nationwide win of season

The beginning of the race saw Busch running in front for the first 67 laps with Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski on his bumper. The mid-part of the race was the exciting part of the race as several accidents resulted in several green flag pit stops but the three were still running in the same race order after the race started again on lap 104. Busch stopped for a final time during a green flag stop with 35 laps to go, his crew serviced his Toyota race car in a reserved 14.3 seconds, and after getting under way again was back in front by lap 202. In the end Busch lead four times for a total of 173 laps around the 1.33 mile Nashville Superspeedway and only trailed during his pit stops.

Brad Keselowski finished the race in second, only 0.891 seconds off Busch’s time, and Carl Edwards managed to hang on for third, but still lost ground to Busch in the overall and now trails Busch by 65 points. Mike bliss was able to keep his Chevrolet in one piece until he reached the line and finished fourth, while Jason Leffler seemed to have a problematic Toyota but was able to overcome his problems and finish fifth. Stephen Leicht had a good showing this time and his car ran pretty fast and he finished sixth, while Steve Wallace had a slow start but managed to avoid several close calls to finish seventh. Michael McDowell finished eighth in his Toyota, Erik Darnell took ninth, and Brad Coleman rounded out the top ten in the Federated Auto Parts 300.

The entertainment continued after the race also, as Busch tried to do his best rock and roll impression by breaking the Gibson Les Paul Guitar that was presented to him after the win. He explained later that he wanted to break it up to give a piece to every one on the team, so they could all feel a part of the win. He wasn’t really successful in his attempts, but we’re sure once he gets the trophy back to the shop, he’ll do a better job.

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Never let a good thing go by not grabbing on for the ride! On Saturday night in the Carquest Auto Parts 300 Nationwide Series race on Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. Mike Bliss used this idea to take advantage of superior fuel management and mileage to take the lead and then Mother Nature did the rest. As three short laps after Bliss took the lead the rain began to fall and NASCAR officials decided to pull the red flag out, making Bliss the official winner with thirty laps remaining in the scheduled 200.

Mike Bliss takes his second NASCAR victory

This is Mike Bliss’s second victory in the Nationwide series, his first win also happened at Charlotte on October 15, 2004. Bliss managed to keep his car in one piece along with Gaughan and stay out on the track longer than the other drivers and this turned out to be the deciding factor. His fuel management and track management skills allowed him to give team owner James Finch his second win of the month, Brad Keselowski drove to victory for him in the Sprint Cup race at Talladega in April, and will certainly give him and the team confidence heading into the main part of the Nationwide season.

This result is probably a surprise to the other drivers, and many may think he kind of stole the race, but good timing and car management are important and essential to winning in NASCAR. Bliss actually had a pretty good car during practice runs and he managed to work his way into the top ten, so fuel mileage was only a significant element in the win, not the only determining factor.

The fastest cars and hottest drivers lately, Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers, finished third and fourth respectfully, and Kyle Busch was even heard commenting that Bliss definitely stole one today. Mike Bliss after hearing the comments of Busch, mentioned that this was interesting coming from a driver who wins all the time, and who the other drivers tend to shy away from.

What will happen next in the Nationwide series? You can find out on Saturday at 2 PM on CBC or MRN radio as the NASCAR pulls into the Dover International Speedway to run the Heluva 200. Kyle Busch will certainly be there to defend his points lead and the field will be gunning for him as always, and I am sure Mike Bliss will be hoping for Lady Luck to smile on him again.

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Business as usual is the cry at Penske Racing this week as they access the results of their last race and prepare for the race this week at Richmond International Raceway amid Chrysler filing for bankruptcy protection Thursday and rumors of Dodge being forced to pull their support for their NASCAR efforts.

Dodge support is rumoured to be in trouble in NASCAR

It seems weird that these events would be occurring at a time when a Dodge driver stands triumphant in the lead of NASCAR’s premier series point’s standings after over a year of absence, the last driver to do so was Ryan Newman after victory in the 2008 Daytona 500 in a Penske-powered vehicle.

The negative tone a bankruptcy proceeding creates in the minds of many people hearing of these events is usually warranted, but in this case probably not likely to be true. In fact, a bankruptcy for a troubled company with viable assets and the ability to make the company financially viable in the current economic climate, like Chrysler certainly can, might in the long run make Chrysler much stronger and able to handle a future with new economic truths.

Richard Petty Motorsports, which has 4 Dodge cars in the Sprint Cup Series, has stated recently that they have been assured that Dodge will continue its NASCAR interests, that Dodge’s involvement in NASCAR is important to their overall marketing program, and an essential element to their future plans.

The bankruptcy proceedings are merely a chance to reorganize Chrysler’s balance sheet and the financial structure of the company as a whole. The employees apparently still show up for work at Chrysler and daily operations continue as before the bankruptcywas  announcement, accept for a few holiday announcements and the like.

All this has probably let the air out of the balloon that was poised above Busch’s head. Finally in the points lead after 149 races, a length of time that spans from the Las Vegas race in March 2005 to the present, and with three cars running in NASCAR’s premier series, he was probably expecting to see that balloon burst.

Busch and Penske Racing for their part have stated they feel confident in the strength of their relationship with Dodge despite the bad news for Chrysler and that they fully expect everything to continue as normal. That they really have no choice but to keep going as if nothing has changed and hope that Dodge is able to keep their end of the bargain, and that they will continue their relationship through-out the remaining years of their contract with Dodge.

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Avondale, Arizona was the place to be Saturday night as racing fans were treated to a entertainment feast that was Kyle Busch loose the race by a mere fraction of a mile per hour, a spectacular and gladly ultimately painless crash by Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Mark Martin managed to make it out of the pit in time to beat everybody to the checkered flag and take the trophy and check.

First out of pit lane wins

Dale Earnhardt’s downfall brought on the final caution flag of the Subway Fresh Fit 500 with a mere 12 laps to the finish line, with the race order standing as Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, and Kyle Busch. They all new the final pit would be the telling tale of the race and that the team that got their car out of the pit first would likely win the race.

All four pulled away from the pace car and turned up pit road, and pulled into their assigned slots, with Mark Martin being just out of view of the other drivers around the bend. The pit crews went to work for thirteen or so seconds to top up the gas and attach four fresh tires, and then they all pulled out of the pit lane, with Kyle Busch seemingly in the lead in the race to the line at the end of pit road.

Kyle’s excitement was short lived though, as time-lapse video recorded Martin as beating Kyle Busch to the line by the smallest of margins, and pit road officials notified Kyle Busch’s team that Kyle had been recorded as being just over the pit road speed limit and would therefore be penalized by being dropped back behind the lead cars, leaving him in 17^th position.

Instead of being in the lead and possibly winning the Subway Fresh Fit 500 he ended up in 17^th place, the position his penalty placed him in after the last pit. NASCAR and all racing are often called a sport of split second victories or disappointments, and after Saturday night Kyle Busch would surely agree.

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The Cup Series moves its vans to the one-mile tri-oval of Phoenix International Raceway this weekend after a much needed weeks rest over Easter to recharge batteries and prepare mentally for the grind to come during the rest of the Cup Series season. It’s time to tune the engines and get the cars set up for a track that is unique as far as tracks go on the circuit. The Phoenix International Raceway is in disguise, it’s actually a short track dressed up as an intermediate oval.

The track designers have produced a track that has an irregular D shape and moderately flat banking in the corners while retained that short track feel in a one mile form. The statistical history of the Phoenix race can tell you quite a bit about the possible rankings at the end of the Phoenix race, but then you always have to figure in the driving history of teams and racers into the equations. These two variables have helped me in my calculated guesses for the final standings at Phoenix. The following is our race rankings for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway which you can catch on Fox at 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Kyle Busch will win again

•1. Kyle Busch

Kyle has consistency shown to have the fastest car, even though he hasn’t always driven as well as he can.

•2. Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie would probably like to race at this Arizona oval every week, considering he’s won the last three races at this venue, and he’s already won on a short track this season.

•3. Jeff Gordon

Expect Gordon to run fast and provide competition to Kyle through out the race, he’s always run pretty good here over the years and I think he’s ready to let his little devil loose.

•4. Mark Martin

Mark started pretty slow early in the season, but he got his race in order on the short tracks of Bristol and Martinsville, so expect him to be ready to rock and roll at Phoenix.

•5. Denny Hamlin

Hamlin has raced hard and fast on the circuit’s short tracks so far in 2009 and he’s finished in the top five four times before at Phoenix.

•6. Jeff Burton

•7. Kevin Harvick

•8. Tony Stewart

•9. Ryan Newman

•10. Clint Bowyer

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Joey Logano finally got the first victory of the year he’s been dreaming of for awhile as he moved by teammate Kyle Busch with only nine laps left go to the finish line as millions of fans looked on around the world and then fought off all challengers to take the trophy and title in the Pepsi 300 Nationwide Series race at Nashville Superspeedway at Nashville.

The Nationwide Series Pepsi 300

The win is also the first Nationwide Series victory for the JGR No.20 team and first for crew chief Dave Rogers, since he was suspended last year.

For Joey Logano this is only the second victory of his budding career, he drove to victory for the first time one year ago on the Kentucky Speedway, and was running pretty good last year in the Pepsi 300 Nationwide Series race at Nashville Superspeedway, before lady-luck turned against him, and he was involved in another cars crash. Logano showed great style and emotion during the win and held his trophy triumphantly above his head with the brightest of smiles before putting it in its case after the race, a Sam-Bass Les Paul Guitar which is a unique trophy awarded to the winner of the Pepsi 300 Nationwide Series race.

The Pepsi 300 turned out to be mainly a battle between Gibbs teammates as Busch and Logano jockeyed back and forth through out the race, leading a total of 172 of 225 of the races laps, which says a lot for the cars, drivers and mechanics of Gibbs racing. Joey Logano and Busch certainly had the most consistent and fastest cars on the track, but Logano’s car ran faster on the short runs, which was a major advantage, while Busch’s car ran a little better on the long runs.

The second place finish allowed Busch to move to within 23 points of the Points Leader on the Nationwide Series, Carl Edwards, who just kept his car between the lines and never really challenged for the lead. The Pepsi 300 was also a good race for Brad Keselowski who was able to keep his car together and be consistent enough to finish third, Kelly Bires finished ahead of Carl Edwards (the current points leader on the Nationwide Series) for fourth. The final six places on the final grid were taken by Jason Leffler, David Ragan, Mike Bliss, Steve Wallace, and Scott Lagasse Jr.

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