All Systems Go For Furniture Row Racing
Following Major Accident Involving Team Transporter, Motor Coach

DENVER (Nov. 16, 2010) — One day after the transporter and motor coach for Furniture Row Racing were heavily damaged in a major accident on northbound Interstate 25 in Colorado, team general manager Joe Garone said that all systems are in place for this weekend’s Sprint Cup season finale in Homestead, Fla.

The accident, which involved 34 vehicles on the icy highway, occurred Monday at approximately 8:40 a.m. near Larkspur, Colo., 40 miles south of the team’s race shop in Denver. The Furniture Row vehicles were returning from Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Phoenix.

The two Furniture Row race cars for this weekend’s Cup event will be transported from the race shop to south Florida in the team’s test transporter. Once the test transporter arrives at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Richard Childress Racing will provide the No. 78 Furniture Row team with a fully-loaded racing transporter.

“Words cannot describe how grateful we are to Richard Childress Racing for immediately stepping up and offering its support,” said Garone. “Furniture Row Racing also wants to extend a sincere thank you to the NASCAR community for the outpouring of support we have received since the accident. It has been overwhelming and truly shows the spirit of brotherhood that embodies our sport.”

The team’s transportation drivers — John Slingerland, Dennis LaCroix and Gary Miller — escaped serious injuries and all have returned to the Denver area. The damaged motor coach and transporter, which housed the two Phoenix race cars and racing equipment, have been towed to an impound lot.

Garone added that he was extremely proud of the team’s transportation drivers for how they navigated their vehicles to avoid serious incidents under adverse weather and road conditions.

“Our tractor/trailer averted head-on collisions and our motor coach driver — Gary Miller — put his life on the line when he made a split-second decision to ram into the back end of the team’s trailer instead of running over cars,” explained Garone. “It was a brave move that most likely avoided serious injuries to others. If you saw the aftermath of the motor coach, you would know what I mean.”

Carl Edwards takes his first win since 2008, snapping a 70 race winless streak, and doubles up the weekend with a Nationwide Series win as well. Denny Hamlin dominated the race but came up short on fuel, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick both gained in the points.

Photo Credits: Used with permission from NASCARMedia

1 1 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
2 18 39 Ryan Newman U.S. ARMY Chevrolet
3 10 20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota
4 4 16 Greg Biffle 3M Scotch Ford
5 21 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet
6 29 29 Kevin Harvick Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet
7 15 17 Matt Kenseth Valvoline Ford
8 28 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
9 3 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge
10 5 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s Chevrolet
11 22 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet
12 17 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota
13 7 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota
14 31 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Diet Mountain Dew Paint the 88/National Guard
15 11 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Toyota
16 35 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
17 20 14 Tony Stewart Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet
18 2 43 A J Allmendinger Insignia HDTV Ford
19 40 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
20 26 09 Bobby Labonte C & J Energy Chevrolet
21 14 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
22 13 47 Marcos Ambrose Little Debbie/Safeway Toyota
23 8 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
24 24 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota
25 12 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
26 6 00 David Reutimann TUMS Toyota
27 9 9 Aric Almirola Budweiser Ford
28 23 19 Elliott Sadler Paralyzed Veterans Of America Ford
29 19 98 Paul Menard Peak/Menards Ford
30 25 83 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
31 33 26 JJ Yeley Air Guard Ford
32 16 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Mobil 1 Dodge
33 34 7 Robby Gordon Polaris Toyota
34 38 38 Travis Kvapil Long John Silver’s Ford
35 27 82 Scott Speed Red Bull Toyota
36 42 34 Tony Raines A&W All American Food Ford
37 32 36 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
38 37 37 David Gilliland Taco Bell Ford
39 36 55 Mike Bliss PRISM Motorsports Toyota
40 39 64 Landon Cassill Empire Steel Toyota
41 43 81 Terry Labonte Red Line Oil Dodge
42 30 12 Brad Keselowski No. 12 Penske Dodge Dodge
43 41 71 Brendan Gaughan South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet

1 30 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota
2 19 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Black Ford
3 9 5 Mark Martin CARQUEST / GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
4 20 20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota
5 2 16 Greg Biffle American Red Cross Ford
6 26 29 Kevin Harvick Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet
7 7 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
8 5 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
9 17 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet
10 12 98 Paul Menard Quaker State / Menards Ford
11 11 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot / Old Spice Chevrolet
12 32 47 Marcos Ambrose Tom Thumb Toyota
13 24 83 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
14 10 43 A J Allmendinger Valvoline Ford
15 18 00 David Reutimann Aaron’s Outdoors Toyota
16 25 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops / Arctic Cat Chevrolet
17 28 21 Trevor Bayne Motorcraft / Quick Lane Ford
18 27 77 Sam Hornish Jr. AAA Dodge
19 3 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
20 14 39 Ryan Newman Tornados Chevrolet
21 13 9 Aric Almirola Budweiser Ford
22 8 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
23 1 19 Elliott Sadler Stanley Ford
24 6 2 Kurt Busch Operation Home Front / Miller Lite Dodge
25 22 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard / AMP Energy Chevrolet
26 35 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota
27 23 82 Scott Speed Red Bull Toyota
28 4 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Lysol Chevrolet
29 33 38 David Gilliland Taco Bell Ford
30 31 10 Bobby Labonte Gander Mountain Outdoors Chevrolet
31 37 26 Patrick Carpentier Air Guard Ford
32 29 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota
33 36 12 Brad Keselowski No. 12 Penske Dodge
34 40 71 Andy Lally TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet
35 39 7 Robby Gordon MAPEI / Menards Toyota
36 16 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
37 15 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet
38 21 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts / Susan G. Komen Signature Toyota
39 38 66 Mike Bliss PRISM Motorsports Toyota
40 43 09 Landon Cassill Phoenix Racing Chevrolet
41 41 34 Travis Kvapil Long John Silver’s Ford
42 42 37 Dave Blaney A&W All American Food Ford
43 34 87 Joe Nemechek HostGator.com Toyota

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photo

AVONDALE, Ariz.(Nov. 14, 2010) — Jimmie Johnson didn’t have the fastest car in Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway — at the end of the day, race winner and polesitter Carl Edwards did.

Johnson, the four-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, didn’t lead a lap. Denny Hamlin, ahead in the points and seeking his first title, led a race-high 190 laps.

CUP SERIES POINT STANDINGS

Ultimately, none of that mattered. Short on fuel at the end of a race he had dominated, Hamlin short-pitted with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch on Lap 298 of 312, while Edwards, Johnson and Kevin Harvick were conserving fuel after pit stops under caution on Lap 224.

All three won their gambles, and Hamlin, who finished 12th, saw his lead over second-place Johnson shrink from 33 points to 15 entering next Sunday’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Harvick is third in the standings, 46 points behind Hamlin.

Edwards crossed the finish line 4.77 seconds ahead of runner-up Ryan Newman to break a winless streak of 70 races, dating to Homestead in November 2008. Edwards squeezed 88 laps out of his last tank of gas to win for the 17th time in his career, completing a sweep of a weekend that also included a victory in Saturday’s Nationwide Series race.

Joey Logano and Greg Biffle, finished third and fourth, respectively, followed by Johnson and Harvick. Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray completed the top 10.

“Everybody made it on fuel — is that what you’re telling me?” Hamlin radioed to crew chief Mike Ford after learning he had finished 12th.

“Good job today, man,” Ford replied. “I know that was ugly. That’s something we’ve got to work on.”

“What do we have to work on?” Hamlin asked.

“Mileage was awful,” Ford told him.

Indeed it was. Ford told Hamlin he was 12 laps short on fuel after the pit stop on Lap 224. Contrast that to Edwards, who raced Hamlin hard and passed him for the lead on Lap 266 and made it to the end of the race despite conserving fuel for only half of the last green-flag run.

“I wasn’t sure exactly what our status was,” Edwards said. “I don’t think (crew chief) Bob (Osborne) wanted to say it over the radio, or he just didn’t want to tell me, but I didn’t know what was going on. I thought we were 12 (laps) short, and the caution came out (on Lap 234), so I thought we were maybe six short or something like that.

“So when they dropped the green (on Lap 240), I started racing pretty hard, and I felt like I was a little faster than Denny, but then I realized, ‘Maybe he’s saving a little fuel, so I better save some.’ So I was saving. And then Kyle was falling back even farther behind me, and I thought, ‘OK, these guys are all saving fuel,’ and then Bob started telling me lap times, so I thought, ‘Why is he telling me lap times? Maybe he wants me to race here.’

“We had to establish the fact that he wanted me to race them, so that’s when I drove by Denny. … I only saved fuel for about half of that last run.”

Even as he was in gas-conservation mode inside his car, Johnson recognized the magnitude of his gamble. Failure meant the end to his hopes for a fifth title.

“If we ran out, yeah, we would have lost the chance to be the champions,” Johnson said. “But that kind of left my mind, and I really started focusing on what I needed to do to save gas. Really tried to eliminate my thoughts, any negative thoughts in my mind. Just save fuel … what I needed to do on the racetrack to save fuel.

“Before I knew it, the laps went by pretty quick. Worked themselves down to the white flag. Once I came off of Turn 2 and down the back, I felt pretty good I’d make it to the start/finish line ahead of the 11 (Hamlin).

“My emotions tried to get the best of me. I was on the edge of my seat, but I kept talking myself off the ledge.”