SHOW #192 – Guests: Kenny Wallace and Kyle Petty. We recap the Phoenix Weekend, Preview the Las Vegas Weekend, discuss Penske’s move to Ford, and Elliott Sadler NOT going to Michael Waltrip Racing. Hosted by Kerry Murphey and Toby Christie
(About 48 mins)
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PHOTO CREDIT: NASCARMEDIA
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
AVONDALE, Ariz. — At the racetrack that dashed his championship hopes in 2010, Denny Hamlin found redemption in Sunday’s Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.
In his second race with 2011 Sprint Cup championship crew chief Darian Grubb on his pit box, Hamlin held off Kevin Harvick in a 53-lap green-flag run to finish the 312-lap race at the one-mile track and took over the series points lead for the first time since surrendering it in the final race of 2010 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Harvick lost fuel pressure with fewer than two laps left but had enough momentum to retain the second position, 7.315 seconds behind the race winner.
Greg Biffle came home third, followed by Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski. Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon, pole-sitter Mark Martin and Joey Logano completed the top 10.
1 13 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota
2 8 29 Kevin Harvick Rheem Chevrolet
3 7 16 Greg Biffle 3MWraps.com Ford
4 4 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s / Kobalt Tools Chevrolet
5 28 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
6 12 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Brown Toyota
7 25 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Filters Toyota
8 30 24 Jeff Gordon Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet
9 1 55 Mark Martin Aaron’s Toyota
10 9 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota
RACE RECAP | PHOENIX
10 Joey Logano
9 Mark Martin (pole sitter)
8 Jeff Gordon
7 Martin Truex Jr.
6 Kyle Busch
5 Brad Keselowski
4 Jimmie Johnson
3 Greg Biffle
2 Kevin Harvick
VICTORY LANE
1 Denny Hamlin takes home his 18th career win, first at Phoenix, with the help of his new crew chief Darian Grubb. Oh and by the way, is now the points leader.
March 3, 2012
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Elliott Sadler got some well-deserved payback at Phoenix International Raceway.
At the one-mile venue where a wreck in Turn 3 effectively knocked him out of the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship last November, Sadler took the lead with 25 laps left in the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 and held off hard-charging Brad Keselowski for the win.
J.J. Yeley hopes some home cooking helps salve the disappointment of failing to qualify for the Daytona 500.
Michael McDowell returns home having made the Great American Race the hard way, through last week’s Gatorade Duel.
Both are from Phoenix. And each should have plenty of hometown fans in the grandstands.
Yeley finished 37th in last year’s spring race. His best finish at his home track is 14th in November 2007, when he started fourth.
McDowell has yet to finish inside the top 30 at Phoenix but looks for significantly improved results from what’s now the No. 98 team co-owned by Phil Parsons and recording executive Mike Curb.
Kahne’s Able At Phoenix International Raceway
With virtually every eye in the packed house focused on the battle for second place between championship rivals Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne sort of got lost in the shuffle as the laps wound down in November’s Kobalt Tools 500 at the newly configured Phoenix International Raceway.
Kahne obviously didn’t care – especially with Edwards and Stewart, as they say, otherwise occupied.
He took the lead on the 299th lap, when Brad Keselowski pitted, then headed the remaining 13 times around the one-mile oval to nicely cap what amounted to a lame-duck season with Team Red Bull. He posted a solid Driver Rating of 112.3.
NASCAR News Wire The Final Lap Podcast
