Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career has caught a second-wind after horrid seasons in 2009 and 2010 where he finished outside the top-20 in the point standings. Last season Earnhardt began building a foundation with his new crew chief Steve Letarte. The two gelled nearly to perfection, and Earnhardt returned to the Chase for the first time since 2008.
This season Earnhardt is on fire. Through the first seven races he has racked up five top-ten finishes, and he has yet to finish outside of the top-15 in any event. Coincidentally now that Earnhardt has things turned around, the rest of Hendrick Motorsports seems to be struggling to find their way as the organization sits at 199 wins in the Sprint Cup Series.
Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne can’t seem to buy good luck, while Jimmie Johnson was mired in a cheating scandal during the early stages of the season.
1 19 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet
2 5 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
3 12 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
4 4 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
5 2 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
6 14 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet
7 24 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
8 1 16 Greg Biffle Sherwin-Williams Ford
9 21 9 Marcos Ambrose DeWalt Ford
10 9 5 Mark Martin CARQUEST / GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
11 3 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota
12 6 27 Paul Menard Schrock / Menards Chevrolet
13 17 22 Kurt Busch Shell Pennzoil Dodge
14 18 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard / AMP Energy Chevrolet
15 23 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot / Mobil 1 Chevrolet
16 7 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Freight Toyota
17 41 51 Landon Cassill(i) Security Benefits / Thank A Teacher Today Chevrolet
18 11 39 Ryan Newman HAAS Automation Chevrolet
19 15 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
20 13 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
KANSAS CITY, Kan.—Driving a No. 22 Dodge that felt as if it was on rails, Brad Keselowski dominated Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway to win his fourth Nationwide Series race of the year and the 16th of his career.
The reigning series champion passed runner-up Carl Edwards with just over 13 laps left and pulled away to win by 2.795 seconds. Elliott Sadler ran third, followed by Paul Menard and Nationwide points leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
1 16 Greg Biffle Sherwin-Williams Ford 30.877 174.887
2 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford 30.933 174.571
3 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota 30.955 174.447
4 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford 30.957 174.436
5 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota 30.961 174.413
6 27 Paul Menard Schrock / Menards Chevrolet 30.978 174.317
7 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Freight Toyota 30.995 174.222
8 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota 31.012 174.126
9 5 Mark Martin CARQUEST / GoDaddy.com Chevrolet 31.018 174.092
10 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet 31.026 174.048
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