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RACE RECAP | GATORADE DUEL #2

On lap 6 JJ Yeley hit the apron having trouble with his 49 machine

Kenny Wallace lost the draft with 29 laps to go and later had fuel problems on the #09 car

Kurt Busch got busted with speeding on pit road

Transferring into the Daytona 500: Joe Nemechek and Dave Blaney

5 Greg Biffle
4 Elliott Sadler
3 Jimmie Johnson
2 Regan Smith

1 Victory Lane – Greg Biffle led most of this race, which was pretty uneventful until the final lap, but it was teammate Matt Kenseth who took the checkered flag first.

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1 7 17 Matt Kenseth Best Buy Ford
2 18 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row/CSX Play It Safe Chevrolet
3 6 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet
4 16 33 Elliott Sadler(i) General Mills/Kroger Chevrolet
5 1 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford
6 9 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota
7 12 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Brown Toyota
8 3 24 Jeff Gordon Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet
9 8 39 Ryan Newman U.S. ARMY/Quicken Loans Chevrolet
10 10 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Insurance Chevrolet
11 5 55 Mark Martin Aaron’s Toyota
12 14 36 * Dave Blaney Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Chevrolet
13 4 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
14 15 51 Kurt Busch Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet
15 24 15 Clint Bowyer 5-hour Energy Toyota
16 19 47 Bobby Labonte Kroger Toyota
17 17 87 * Joe Nemechek(i) AM FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Toyota
18 2 13 Casey Mears GEICO Ford
19 22 23 * Robert Richardson Jr.(i) North Texas Pipe Toyota
20 20 97 * Bill Elliott AM FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Toyota
21 13 09 * Kenny Wallace(i) American Ethanol Toyota
22 11 26 *Tony Raines Front Row Motorsports Ford
23 21 93 David Reutimann Burger King Toyota
24 23 49 * JJ Yeley America Israel Racing Toyota

Day Two: NASCAR Preseason Thunder At Daytona International Speedway
Second Day Features Adjustments To Rules Package

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 13, 2012) — As with any test, especially one as important as 2012 Preseason Thunder at Daytona, getting it right and being open to make adjustments is key.

After the late afternoon practice session on Thursday, NASCAR announced changes for today’s test session with an increase in the diameter of restrictor-plate openings from 1/32nd of an inch to 15/16ths inches, adding an estimated 26 horsepower to the engines.

In addition, they lowered the pressure relief valve settings from 30 pounds per square inch to 25 psi and narrowed the grille openings of the cars, thereby decreasing airflow to the engine. Both measures were designed to decrease the number of laps one car can push another without overheating.

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FYI WIRZ: NASCAR’s top Chasers ready to catch a win at Loudon

The Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire presented by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the second of the 10-race playoffs—The Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Author: Dwight Drum racetake.com

Fans not in the stands can view the race on the 1.058-mile oval at 2.p.m. Sunday on ESPN.

When NASCAR reset the points this time for the Chase, the new point system which is stingy with numbers seemed to have a meager effect on the top 12 positions. Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick landed at the top each with four wins in the regular season. Jeff Gordon with two wins in third place was only three points out and the last place held by Denny Hamlin with one win was only 12 points back.

Ryan Newman summed up the numbers.

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Brad has been pretty active on his Twitter account today (@Keselowski), after this vicious crash testing at Road Atlanta. This photo was posted as part of an exchange with Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) on Twitter.

Related Links: http://twitpic.com/60h7qo
Brad Keselowski on Twitter @Keselowski
Jimmie Johnson on Twitter @JimmieJohnson
The Final Lap on Twitter @thefinallap