DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. — It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

Matt Kenseth, winless a year ago, added the biggest jewel in NASCAR to his trophy collection Sunday, winning a dramatic, rain-shortened Daytona 500 before a capacity crowd of some 200,000 at Daytona International Speedway, plus a Fox national television audience.

Photo: CIA Stock Photo

Daytona 500 Full Results

Kenseth somehow dodged a huge pileup shortly after lap 125 that easily could have sent him to the scrap-pile like it did young sensation Kyle Busch.

Busch, who had led 88 laps to clearly establish himself as the race favorite, was a victim in a 10-car wreck that had cars sliding through the backstretch infield apron and down the end of the backstretch straightaway in a huge cloud of smoke and debris.

The accident was triggered when Brian Vickers moved over to block Dale Earnhardt, Jr. near the end of the backstretch. Earnhardt was forced off the track onto the apron and into the grass. When Earnhardt tried to steer his sliding car back on the track, he clipped the rear end of Vickers’ Toyota, sending Vickers shooting across the track directly in front of the oncoming field of 200-mph stock cars. At that point, it was pure havoc.  No one was injured, but the accident sent a number of cars to the junk heap.

Continue reading “Daytona 500 Winner: Matt Kenseth”

NNS Recap: Tony Stewart Wins Camping World 300

Tony Stewart celebrates winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World 300 on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway. (Photo Credit: CIA STOCK PHOTO)
DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. – A nudge here, a bump there.

Here-a-bump, there-a-bump, bumpity-bump everywhere.

That’s how Tony Stewart survived a last-lap duel with Kyle Busch to win Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World 300 at Daytona International Speedway.

Stewart, who ran at or near the front most of the 200-lap race, came off the last turn sideways after Busch did everything but wreck Stewart and himself through Turns 3 and 4.

While Stewart was blocking and Busch was bumping, Carl Edwards shot through the smoke and sparks to finish second. Clint Bowyer stayed on the throttle while the lead cars slid every which way and wound up third, just ahead of Busch.

Greg Biffle was fifth in a race that has to go down as one of the best Saturday races in Daytona history.

It was nip and tuck most of the way with a slew of different leaders and plenty of hard-racing action.

Continue reading “Race Recap: Tony Stewart wins Nationwide Series at Daytona”

The union of two families with passionate racing backgrounds has led Rusty Wallace to seriously consider a 2009 Cup Series debut with his own team, and a possible full-time venture in the near future.

Tony Stewart driving for Hendrick Motorsports (http://www.hendrickcars.com)held off a charging Kyle Busch to win the first Nationwide Series race of the year at Daytona. Kyle Busch tried to draft in that closing lap, got Tony loose but it didn’t work out for the #18. Tony Stewart said about Kyle Busch “If I’d a spun or crashed I was going to have it out with him”

Top 10 Results
1 Tony Stewart
2 Carl Edwards
3 Clint Bowyer
4 Kyle Busch
5 Greg Biffle
6 Brian Vickers
7 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
8 David Ragan
9 Jason Keller
10 Matt Kenseth

Continue reading “Exciting Nationwide Series Finish: Stewart Wins”

Stewart – Haas wiped out both cars in final practice and will go to backups.

With the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet and the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet both being involved in an on-track accident during today’s final practice session for the Daytona 500, both Stewart-Haas Racing teams have gone to a backup racecar for the season-opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

PHOTOS: CIA Stock Photo

Tony Stewart is now driving Chassis No. 14-454, which is the car he drove to a third-place finish in last Saturday’s non-point Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. It is a carryover chassis from the former Haas CNC team, as it made its debut at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in October 2007 with driver Johnny Sauter, who qualified 39th and led two laps before finishing 12th. It participated in winter testing at Daytona in 2008 before Scott Riggs piloted the car in the 50th running of the Daytona 500, where he qualified 27th and finished 21st. The No. 14 team was able to get some track time during final practice with Chassis No. 14-454. It will now be wrapped in Office Depot/Old Spice colors for the Daytona 500.

Ryan Newman is now driving Chassis No. 39-452. Its history consists of three restrictor-plate track tests in 2007, three Talladega races (fall 2007, spring and fall 2008) and one Daytona attempt. This car was tentatively slated as the backup for the No. 14 team if its Budweiser Shootout car was damaged in the race, hence the red paint. Once the No. 14 team’s Budweiser Shootout car emerged from the race unscathed, Chassis No. 39-452 was designated as a communal backup racecar for both the Nos. 14 and 39 teams should anything happen to either team during the remainder of Daytona Speedweeks. The No. 39 team was already using its designated backup car during final practice after crashing its primary racecar in the Gatorade Duel. The No. 39 team was unable to get Chassis No. 39-452 on the track during final practice. It will now be wrapped in U.S. Army colors for the Daytona 500.

Continue reading “Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart wreck at Daytona practice”