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.

“Image: Zuma Press”

Post from: EveryJoe

Edwards Wins the Napa Auto Parts 200

Kyle Busch didn't like the way Ambrose made his pass

Ambrose’s made the pass on Lap 64 in his No. 47 Toyota and then he held on for the last 19 laps at Watkins Glen International for the win. Busch obviously wasn’t happy with the way things went down in this race and he had a few uncomplimentary comments for Ambrose after the race. Commenting that if he had tried the pass that Ambrose achieved, he would have wrecked if the other driver didn’t do what Busch did and pull back and let Ambrose have the line.

Ambrose for his part stated that his move was something most drivers would attempt and he didn’t think there was anything wrong with his move. He didn’t have the top-end speed to make the classic pass on Busch, so he decided to go for broke and ended up winning his only start in the Nationwide Series so far this year. This is Kyle Busch he was racing and we have all noted how Busch hates coming second, so we have to make considerations for Busch’s competitiveness. All the racers are racing to win and Ambrose is really only guilty of wanting to win, as they are trained to do.

Despite being upset by Ambrose’s pass, Busch was able to rally after his three second penalty that put him behind Ambrose to finish second, a record 10^th consecutive time Busch has finished second or first in a Nationwide Series race.

Carl Edwards had a good race and was able to finish third after Busch passed him on the outside of Turn 1 during the last few laps. Pole-sitter Kevin Harvick finished the race in fourth place; Ron Fellows took fifth, while Jeff Burton finished in sixth. Greg Biffle managed to finish seventh, David Ragan was eighth, Brad Keselowski was ninth, and Scott Speed rounded out the top ten.

“Image: Zuma Press”

Post from: EveryJoe

Ambrose Wins the Zippo 200 at The Glen

Tony Stewart's win keeps him in front of Jimmie Johnson in the Cup Series standings

This win at Watkins Glen International is a record fifth in Stewart’s NASCAR career, his third victory of the 2009 season and the 36^th victory of his Sprint Cup career. Tony Stewart must like road courses, as this is also his seventh win on a road course in his racing career, which puts him second in the record books to Jeff Gordon’s record nine road-course victories. This victory improves Stewart’s lead over the pole-sitter for this race, Jimmie Johnson, who managed to finish 12^th after going off the course in Turn 1 in the later laps of the competition.

Carl Edwards finished third in the Heluva Good! at The Glen after a fast and tactical run from 33^rd position. Kyle Busch decreased the points he needs to catch the driver in 12^th position in the competition to make the Chase with a fourth place finish. Busch is just 58 points behind Matt Kenseth in the race for the Chase, who finished 14^th in this race.

“Image: Zuma Press”

Post from: EveryJoe

Tony Stewart Wins Heluva Good! at The Glen

Sunday's Toyota/SaveMart 350

Kahne had to fight off early challenges by the field, but once he got up to speed the quality of his ride and driving skill started to take over. He had to fight-off a late charge by road-course guru Tony Stewart through a series of double-file restarts at the end of the race, the last time due to Scott Speed’s disastrous spin during Lap 108, and just beat Stewart to the line to take the win. This was just one of seven caution flags of the day that was filled with bangs and crashes on the track and a few off the track as well. This was Kasey’s first win of the 2009 Sprint Cup NASCAR season and the tenth in his short career, but certainly not his last.

Marcos Ambrose had a good run, he had difficulty in the opening laps, but after beginning at the rear due to the changing of an engine, he was able to chase down the leaders for third, and if the race had been a few more laps the ending might have been a little different.

Jimmie Johnson had a difficult day, he had to recover from a speeding penalty in pit lane that put him behind but after battling through to the end, he was able to take fourth place. Denny Hamlin lead in Sunday’s Toyota/SaveMart 350 for 33 laps of the race, which was second to Kasey Kahne’s 37 laps in the lead, but had a few problems near the end of the race and finished fifth. Juan Montoya had a difficult day but managed to finish sixth, A. J. Allmendinger ran at a steady speed to take seventh, Clint Bowyer managed eighth. Jeff Gordon had a few problems getting through the field and finished ninth, while Elliot Sadler finished up the top ten in the Toyota/SaveMart 350 held at Infineon Raceway on Sunday afternoon.

“Image: Zuma Press”

Post from: EveryJoe

Kasey Kahne Wins the Toyota/SaveMart 350

Ambrose will drive the No. 47 Toyota Camry, co-owned by Tad and Jodi Geschickter and former NBA All-Star Brad Daugherty.

Ambrose won his first NASCAR victory earlier this season at Watkins Glen.

Post from: EveryJoe

Marcos Ambrose makes NASCAR history

“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I literally could not believe it. I was just praying the car was gonna hold together and I wasn’t gonna get a late caution. But, we got the job done. I feel really good about it, and it’s just a big lift for our team and it feels like everything’s worth it today.”

Marcos didn’t have much time for celebration, though, because the following day served an even much taller task for the Australian native. He was to return once again to Watkins Glen and step behind the wheel of the Wood Brothers Racing no. 21 Ford to make his third Cup Series start, but after qualifying was washed out on Friday, Ambrose would have to start all the way in the back of the field in 43rd at a track where no driver had ever come from deeper than a 16th starting position to win.

Ambrose quickly made people forget that the team he was driving for on Sunday was a team on the verge of obscurity as he climbed his way into the top-15 by the halfway point. Then, with one of the fastest cars on the track, he dashed up inside the top-5 and was sitting in 3rd after Ryan Newman spun with just 13 laps to go. Even with two restarts to try and get it done, though, Ambrose was never able to get around the 2nd place car of Tony Stewart to try and press Kyle Busch for the lead, but if you ask Marcos, he’ll take his top-five Cup finish anyday of the week.

“It’s a big, bad world out here in NASCAR world, and I’m just pleased that I’m able to have a weekend like this to remember,” said Ambrose. “When it’s all said and done, I’ll be able to go home back to Tasmania and tell them how good I was at Watkins Glen on one year.”

It was certainly a well deserved weekend for Ambrose and his team(s). Ambrose has 5 more races remaining on his schedule driving the no. 21 Wood Bros. car before he competes full-time in the Cup Series next year with JTG Dougherty Racing.

Post from: EveryJoe

Ambrose Celebrates a Career Weekend at the Glen

After rain canceled Friday’s qualifying session, the field lined up based on their order in the car owner’s points standings, setting Kyle Busch out on the pole position for the start of the race. Kyle led the first lap before handing it over to Dale Earnhardt Jr, who started on the outside of the front row. As Busch dropped back to third in the running order, Earnhardt gradually expanded his lead through the next 28 laps, but found himself in 6th after the field completed their first round of green flag pit stops.

Kyle Busch once again took the race lead on lap 30, and was still in charge when the first caution of the day came out on lap 47. NASCAR made the decision to waive the yellow due to debris on the track that was a result of some loose gravel that had been kicked up on the track. The caution was a huge break for Jimmie Johnson who had just pitted a few laps earlier when he had a rear left tire going down, but because he was running up in the top-five at the time, he was able to make his stop without losing a lap. Once pit road opened up, 14 cars remained on the track, including Johnson. Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart – running 1st and 2nd at the time – also elected to stay out.

Kyle Busch was still the race leader when the field went back to green, but the most impressive story to this point was Marcos Ambrose, who was driving the no. 21 Wood Brothers Ford. He was forced to start dead last due to the car’s position in owner points, but had worked his way all the way up inside the top-15 for the restart.

Kyle Busch moved to the side to allow his teammate, Tony Stewart, to lead a lap and pickup the 5 extra bonus points on lap 53, but Tony returned the favor and let Kyle go back by the following lap, and that was the only movement up front until the leaders again came into pit on lap 56. Juan Pablo Montoya and Jimmie Johnson each led a lap during the exchange of green flag stops. Johnson came into pit on lap 58, which handed the lead back over to Dale Earnhardt Jr.

With more than a 25 second lead, Earnhardt was the only car still out on the track that had not yet made his final pit stop. Despite continuing to lose a second per lap to the 2nd and 3rd place cars, Tony Eury Jr. – crew chief for the no. 88 team – elected to keep Earnhardt out on the track, but the call completely backfired when NASCAR waived the second caution flag on lap 64. The caution was again for loose gravel that Travis Kvapil kicked onto the track when he ran off the track. Earnhardt was forced to pit while the other race leaders remained out on the track, and with just 25 laps remaining, he lined up 37th for the restart.

Kyle Busch was once again deemed the race leader by virtue of Earnhardt’s misfortunes with Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman chasing him. With the laps dwindling down, it almost looked as though we might have another caution when Sam Hornish Jr. spun PJ Jones on lap 70, but both cars were able to get going again, and NASCAR saw no reason to bring out the yellow.

The complexity of the race changed on lap 77 when Ryan Newman got into the corner too hard, resulting in a single car spin in Turn 9. Unable to get his car restarted, he had several close cars as the rest of the field tried to avoid the stalled car as it rolled back out onto the track. NASCAR eventually brought out the third caution, and luckily, the entire field was able to get around Newman without hitting him.

The fourth and final caution came with just 8 laps to go when Michael McDowell spun David Gilliland, setting off a huge multi-car crash that involved 9 cars right near the pit road entrance. Michael Waltrip, Bobby LaBonte, Sam Hornish Jr, Reed Sorenson, Max Papis, Dave Blaney, and Joe Nemechek all got caught up in the mess, and LaBonte appeared to be mildly injured as he was seen limping back to the infield care center.

After NASCAR stopped the race under red flag conditions for more than 40 minutes, they finally got the race restarted with Kyle Busch still in the lead, and behind him were Tony Stewart, Marcos Ambrose, Juan Pablo Montoya, Martin Truex Jr, and Kevin Harvick. Busch took the green flag with just five laps to go with Stewart keeping within a couple car lengths for the first few laps. With about 2 to go, though, Busch started to pull away, and Stewart’s new task became keeping the no. 21 of Ambrose in his rearview mirror. Busch went onto take the checkers, and Stewart was able to fend off Ambrose to give Joe Gibbs Racing a 1-2 finish.

Marcos Ambrose fought off Juan Pablo Montoya to hang onto third, and JPM finished 4th. Martin Truex Jr. held onto 5th to earn his first-ever top-five finish at Watkins Glen. He was followed by the 2006 winner of this event, Kevin Harvick, in 6th. 7th place went to Denny Hamlin, who capped off a solid run inside the top-ten for most of the day. Jimmie Johnson rebounded from his cut tire earlier in the race to finish in 8th. AJ Allmendinger walked away with the best NSCS finish of his career in 9th, also giving him his second top-ten in the last 3 races. Carl Edwards completed the top-ten.

Other Notables:
Matt Kenseth had a pretty quiet day, but finished 12th ….. Kasey Kahne matched his best Watkins Glen finish with a 14th place run ….. Dale Earnhardt Jr. wound up 22nd after his team’s race strategy put him in the back of the field with just over 20 laps to go ….. Jeff Gordon had an eventful day. His team had to have NASCAR black flag him to get him into the pits for the first round of stops after the team’s radio became disconnected. Gordon’s car, unfortunately, handled much like the radio, as his struggles throughout the day led to a 25th place finish ….. Robby Gordon started near the back of the pack and never was able to find his way to the front, finishing with a very disappointing 27th place finish ….. Ryan Newman’s spin on lap 77 led to a 28th place effort, as that team continues to watch their Chase hopes keep slipping away.

Kyle Busch now holds a 242 point lead on 1st in the standings, while Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson both moved past Earnhardt Jr. to take over the 2nd and 3rd spots. Tony Stewart’s back-to-back 2nd place efforts have also moved him up to 7th overall, and he now has a 138 point cushion in the Chase standings. Matt Kenseth also moved up a spot to take over the 12th and final spot in the Chase, moving Clint Bowyer back down to 13th. He’s now 22 points out of the Chase.

Grades:
the Race: 75%
Drama: 74%
Coverage: 90%
Pre-Race: 81%

Overall Grade: 78.4%

Complete Results (from nascar.com):

Sprint Cup Series Standings (from nascar.com):

Post from: EveryJoe

Rating the Race: Centurion Boats at the Glen at Watkins Glen

Lock of the Week – Tony Stewart – Top Five – 10 points
Sleeper Pick – Marcos Ambrose – Top Five – 10 points
Steer Clear of – Greg Biffle – Outside Top Fifteen – No points lost

Roc’s Picks (Watkins Glen):
1. Kyle Busch – 1st – 43 points
2. Tony Stewart – 2nd – 42 points
3. Denny Hamlin – 7th – 39 points
4. Carl Edwards – 10th – 37 points
5. Jeff Gordon – 25th – No points
6. Robby Gordon – 27th – No points

Lock of the Week – Jeff Gordon – Outside Top Fifteen – No points
Sleeper Pick – Robby Gordon – Outside Top Fifteen – No points
Steer Clear of – Kasey Kahne – Top Fifteen – (Minus) 10 points

Head-to-Head:
TZ – 219.5 points (3,597.5 cumulative)
Roc – 151 points (3,476 cumulative)

Do You NASCAR Fantasy League
Standings After Watkins Glen:
1. Dalli’s Mom
2. Vanilla Thrillaz
3. Bruce’s Team of Bits
4. TMAX Racing
5. Super Smokers
6. Team Legacy
7. raracing
8. AlexRyan
9. Jimmie’s Rockets
10. do you nascar

Post from: EveryJoe

Fantasy Follow-Up: Watkins Glen

Though they may not admit it, several drivers in the Sprint Cup garage area were probably a bit smitten when NASCAR was forced to cancel qualifying for the Centurion Boats at the Glen at Watkins Glen International on Friday. The simple fact of the matter is that several drivers near the top at points are going to receive a better starting position that they likely would have, and while it still may not exactly give them a shot at winning Sunday’s race, it obviously provides a good path towards a better finish. That would be the guys like Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne who historically get left in a position where they have to work just a little harder to keep their Chase hopes alive after a long day of racing at Watkins Glen. And, as for guys like Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, and Kevin Harvick – drivers that are typically considered to be among the favorites to win anytime we go road course racing – they should be just as happy that there was no qualifying on Friday – or, at least they almost were.

Per the NASCAR rulebook, no qualifying means that the field will be set based on car owner points from top to bottom with the small caveat of the past champions provisional to be taken into account. Now, that was almost enough to keep the road course ringers from making their way into the show, but because Ron Fellows is replacing Regan Smith for DEI and PJ Jones is driving the no. 96 HOF Racing entry this weekend, both drivers had enough owner points to receive the opportunity to run on Sunday. Max Papis and Marcos Ambrose almost missed the cut as well, but with only 45 entries, they managed to squeeze by as well.

The two cars that failed to “qualify” were Brian Simo and Boris Said, both considered to be road course specialists. This marked the second year in a row that Said showed up at Watkins Glen only to watch Mother Nature end his weekend before he ever even started the engine ….. and, it was also the second year in a row that a veteran driver climbed out of their car to make room for Said’s talents and expertise. Last year it was Bill Elliott stepping out while Boris drove the no. 21 Wood Brothers car to a 14th place finish. This year, it was Kyle Petty sacraficing his no. 45 Petty Enterprises car – 40th in owner points – to give Boris yet another break.

“Boris is known around the world as one of the premier road-course racers,” said Robbie Loomis, vice president of operations at Petty Enterprises. “He’ll give us another great opportunity to assess our program. Everyone at Petty Enterprises is grateful to Boris for helping us out.”

Post from: EveryJoe

Cup Qualifying Canceled; Said in the Show Despite the Rain

Teams Without an Assigned 2009 Driver:
- Dale Earnhardt Inc. – No. 01 car
- Penske Racing – No. 12 car
- Stewart Haas Racing – No. 4 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

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

Post from: EveryJoe

Silly Season Tracker – Updated 8/8