Martin Back in Top 12; Tied Atop Bonus Points Lead
Mark Martin continues his revival at Hendrick Motorsports, fresh off his third victory of 2009 (last Sunday at Michigan). The win vaulted him back in the top 12 in the series standings – and back into Chase eligibility.

Martin is now eighth heading to Infineon, a gain of five spots.

His three wins thus far are the most since he won seven races in 1998. It also ties him with Kyle Busch for the most wins this season; again, crucial because of the 10 bonus points Chase-eligible drivers receive for each win, for Chase seeding purposes.

Continue reading “Mark Martin Rockets into Top 10”

Timing Is Perfect For Juan Pablo Montoya To Return To The Roads

The timing may be right for the perfect storm for Juan Pablo Montoya. On the outside looking in at NASCAR’s top 12 contenders throughout the 2009 season, Montoya has gained to the point where he is only 43 points away from a berth in NASCAR’s elite top 12.

Now, with only 11 races remaining before the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Montoya will be in his element when he gets behind the wheel of the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates No. 42 Target Chevrolet in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway.

Continue reading “Is Juan Montoya Ready to repeat as Cup Winner?”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 15, 2009) – Three-time Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series with Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Daytona Prototype champions Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) will field a second entry for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Kyle Busch and Scott Speed in the July 4 Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

The race will take the green flag at 2 p.m. ET, and will be televised live on SPEED.

The duo will make their Grand-Am Rolex Series debut piloting the No.02 Waste Management Lexus Riley alongside defending Grand-Am series champions Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas in the No.01 TELMEX Lexus Riley. The team is the defending winner of the Brumos Porsche 250, with Pruett executing a last-lap pass in the trioval to beat Alex Gurney to the checkered flag last July. Pruett and Rojas won their first race of 2009 at Watkins Glen International last weekend to capture a share of the Daytona Prototype point lead.

Continue reading “Kyle Busch/Scott Speed to drive for Ganassi”

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The Final Lap CHAT Show #68 – New Intro/Outro – Tue, 16 Jun 2009
We unveil new show intro/outro, Is Kyle Busch leaving for another series?, GM exits NNS and Trucks, double-file restarts should make Infineon interesting, and more! Hosted by Kerry Murphey and Paul Northrop

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Jeff Gordon Says “Tire Issue Has Been Resolved” For July 26 Event

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 16, 2009) – Goodyear concluded its tire testing for next month’s (July 26) running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Tuesday, and the consensus among the drivers is: Mission accomplished.

Since last year’s event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Goodyear has conducted seven tests at IMS, totaling more than 13,000 miles of on-track laps, featuring more than 30 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers. That’s the equivalent of each driver who participated in the tests running more than 400 miles on the 2.5-mile track. Jeff Gordon, a four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and four-time winner of the 400, gave the recommended tire a resounding thumbs-up Tuesday morning during a press conference at the track.

“Goodyear has done an excellent job and they obviously deserve a lot of credit for all of the hard work, effort, time, and money that’s been spent to get it right, but obviously a lot of teams have contributed, to put in a lot of laps to get it where it is today,” said Gordon.

Continue reading “Drivers Pleased With Goodyear Tire Test Results At Indy”