By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

DOVER, Del.—Victory in Friday’s Lucas Oil 200 wasn’t the only thing Kyle Busch gained at Dover International Speedway.

He also gained a healthy dose of respect for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie and second-place finisher Cole Whitt.

Pulling away from Whitt’s No. 60 Red Bull Chevrolet after a restart on Lap 198 of 200, Busch won the race under caution when Nelson Piquet Jr. and Timothy Peters wrecked on the final lap.

Busch picked up his third truck series victory in five starts this season. Busch won for the second time at Dover—becoming the first repeat winner here—and for the 27th time in the series.

Matt Crafton came home third and claimed the series points lead. Austin Dillon and Kevin Harvick ran fourth and fifth, respectively.

“Cole Whitt did a really nice job,” Busch said in victory lane. “I think he’s got something going on over there. The guys do a really nice job, and he’s fast. He’s quick week in and week out, and this is the first one he’s really contended for—that I’ve been in, anyway.”

After a long cycle of green-flag pit stops, Busch held a lead of nearly 12 seconds over Ron Hornaday Jr. when NASCAR called the fifth caution of the race for debris on the backstretch. Jason White and Whitt, who took two tires to Busch’s four under the yellow, took the green flag side-by-side on Lap 161.

Whitt powered his No. 60 Chevrolet into the lead after the restart, with Busch in pursuit. Whitt opened an advantage of roughly one second before Justin Lofton’s spin on the backstretch on Lap 178 brought out caution No. 6 and bunched the field for a restart on Lap 184.

Busch charged into the lead from the inside lane on the restart and held it for a lap before Craig Goess’ wreck caused the seventh caution. Not surprisingly, Busch chose the bottom lane for the restart on Lap 192 and quickly pulled away.

“I snookered him (Whitt) on the second-to-last restart, and I got him a little bit there, but on that last restart, he was right with me. We ran down into Turn 1 side-by-side. I chose the bottom because I felt like, running through (Turns) 1 and 2 wide open, it was the faster way around.”

But Parker Kligerman, who had run in the top 10 for most of the race, spun and tagged the outside wall under close racing with Whitt on Lap 193. The resulting caution forced the final restart on Lap 198.

Though his first win eluded him, Whitt had much to celebrate.

“Running second to Kyle—a good points day for us—it’s like winning the points for us,” Whitt said. “We’ll take that and move on and go to Charlotte (May 20) and try to win one there.”

Busch and Harvick, both on probation for an altercation at last Saturday’s Sprint Cup race at Darlington, competed without incident on Friday. The drivers raced for the lead after a restart on Lap 81, with Busch getting the advantage, but a subsequent pit-road speeding penalty to Harvick separated them for the rest of the race.

SHOW #156 – We chat with Darlington winner Regan Smith and Roush/Fenway driver Greg Biffle. We also welcome guest host Toby Christie from rubbingsracing.com and preview Dover. Hosted by Kerry Murphey and Paul Northrop

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CREDITS:
Hosts: Kerry Murphey & Paul Northrop
Production: Kerry Murphey
Music: Radium Sound
Voice Over: Thomas Moog

Charlotte Motor Speedway unveiled the worlds largest HD TV screen with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Charlotte Motor Speedway President and General Manager Marcus Smith on hand.

We like the giant remote control, will they pass that around the crowd on the front stretch?

####

PREVIOUS PRESS RELEASE WITH ALL THE STATS

CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 21, 2010) – Continuing a tradition of
innovation and fabulous firsts, Speedway Motorsports Inc. (NYSE: TRK)
Chairman Bruton Smith and Charlotte Motor Speedway officials announced a
partnership with Panasonic to revolutionize the fan experience at sporting
events with the creation of the world’s largest high-definition video board.
Panasonic will also become the founding sponsor of the video board
and a Speedway Motorsports Inc. alliance partner around its broad portfolio
of advanced technologies.

[nggallery id=48]

At an incredible length of 200 feet wide, standing 80 feet tall and
weighing 165,000 pounds, the video board will cover an expansive 16,000
square feet and be located between Turns 2 and 3 along the backstretch of
the legendary superspeedway. Fans seated throughout the frontstretch from
Turn 4 to Turn 1 will have clear viewing angles of the gigantic board that
will feature 720P high-definition visuals illuminated by more than nine
million light emitting diode, or LED, lamps.

“Charlotte Motor Speedway continually establishes itself as a
pioneer when it comes to one-of-a-kind, over-the-top facility enhancements
that change the game for motorsports fans,” said Smith. “Fans will see this
like a gigantic television that will elevate the NASCAR experience in ways
they have never dreamed. It will give them a view of the on-track action on
the world’s largest high-definition screen. The fans will feel closer than
ever before to the cars and stars of NASCAR at each event.”
In addition to the live race coverage, the video board will provide
fans with interactive entertainment, continuous leaderboard updates, sponsor
information and instant replays.

“Panasonic is proud of our efforts to bring this spectacular new
high-definition scoreboard to Charlotte Motor Speedway,” said James Doyle,
president, Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Company. “This amazing example of
industry-leading technology and engineering speaks volumes about our strong
relationship with Charlotte Motor Speedway as we work together to bring
innovative concepts to life and enhance the fan experience.
“Panasonic worked closely with Charlotte Motor Speedway to design
the end-to-end system from the control room to this massive HD video board,”
Doyle added. “We are confident that the new Panasonic HD video board system
will leave fans awestruck and make their entire Charlotte Motor Speedway
experience that much more enjoyable and memorable. “

Construction will begin on the video board following the Oct. 13-16
Bank of America 500 Week at Charlotte Motor Speedway and is scheduled to be
complete by April, 2011.
Panasonic is now the exclusive audio/video provider of Charlotte
Motor Speedway with category exclusivity inclusive of camera, camcorder,
television, display and Blu-ray.

The creation of the video board is the latest in a tradition of
trend-setting innovations and fabulous firsts at Charlotte Motor Speedway
during its 51-year history. Other notable firsts include:

– 600-Mile Race. In 1960, Charlotte Motor Speedway became the first
and only track to host a 600-mile NASCAR-sanctioned event. Now known as the
Coca-Cola 600, the race is still the longest and one of the most prestigious
on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule.

– Spectacular Pre-Race Shows. Starting in 1977, Charlotte Motor
Speedway became the first track to host elaborate pre-race shows. Through
the years, fans have enjoyed a reenactment of the Battle of Grenada; a
three-ring circus; numerous world-record automobile stunts and concerts; a
5,000 member marching band and an assemblage of 5,000 firefighters honoring
the heroes of Sept. 11, 2001.

– Luxury Condominiums. Charlotte Motor Speedway became the first
sports facility in America to offer year-round living accommodations in 1984
when it released 40 condominiums for sale high above Turn 1. Twelve
additional condominiums were added in 1990.

– The Speedway Club. Opened in 1988, The Speedway Club was the first
exclusive members-only private club to be constructed at a motorsports
facility. The club features restaurant seating for 240 people overlooking
the frontstretch and expansive ballroom and boardroom banquet facilities.
Members enjoy a champagne toast with the race winner after each Coca-Cola
600 and Bank of America 500.

– Night Racing. Charlotte Motor Speedway became the first modern
speedway to offer night racing in 1992 after installing a $1.7-million,
1,200-fixture permanent lighting system. The system was different from any
installed at other tracks in that it used a system of adjustable mirrors
surrounding the inside of the track to moderate the light aimed at the
drivers.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 10, 2011) – NASCAR has penalized NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick as a result of rules infractions committed at last weekend’s event at Darlington Raceway.

VIDEO: CLOSING LAPS AT DARLINGTON, HARVICK & BUSCH SCUFFLE

Busch, driver of the No. 18 car, and Harvick, driver of the No. 29 car, have each been fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation for the next four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events until June 15 for violating Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing – involved in an altercation on pit road after the conclusion of the race).

“These penalties are a result of what occurred on pit road after the race was over,” said Kerry Tharp, senior director for communications, competition. “They are about maintaining a safe environment on pit road.”

By Dwight Drum

Darlington Raceway is nicknamed the “Lady in Black” and is also known as the track “Too Tough to Tame” for good reason— walls often win and cars lose.

The “Lady in Black” hosted the annual Mother’s Day weekend races with the Nationwide Series Royal Purple 200 and the Sprint Cup SHOWTIME Southern 500 with an abundance of crashes and frayed tempers.

Surviving Darlington depends a lot on whether a driver’s car just kisses the wall or hammers it. Multi-car crashes are common which gives the statement—no way to treat a lady—a new a new twist. This lady has no mercy, but every driver dares to challenge her with speeds at 170 plus mph. Still it may be a surprise to many that drivers love this track.

PHOTO CREDIT: Dwight Drum @ Racetake.com

Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman are two NASCAR stars that enjoy Darlington.

“This has been one of my favorites ever since I started NASCAR,” Gordon said. “It is a track you have to attack. You have to respect. You are on the edge. Those are ingredients that drivers look to and it has suited me and our team well over the years. We recognize that this is definitely an important track for us and it is a good one for us as well.”

Newman probably doesn’t like it better than Gordon who has won seven times at Darlington, but he was quick to share his thoughts.

“I’ve always said this is one of my favorite racetracks,” Newman said. “I really look forward to it, just racing the racetrack and the competition. I always have, from the very first lap I came here with the Buddy Baker. On the racetrack and off, I like the area, I like the people, I like the places, I like the history of NASCAR. The racetrack just makes it that much more icing on the top of the cake, and I like icing.”

The 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval was one of the first of the superspeedway NASCAR tracks and was fashioned after the builder Harold Brasington visited the 1933 Indianapolis 500. It has 25 degrees banking in Turns 1 and 2 and 23 degrees banking in Turns 3 and 4.

The racetrack’s odd egg-shaped design was designed to satisfy Sherman Ramsey, the landowner, who did not want his nearby minnow pond disturbed. The first race was Labor Day 1950, and Darlington had two races a year as NASCAR popularity rose, but economic hardships in the area eliminated one race and created the popular Mother’s Day race in May.

But even though the track is constantly tough, one driver in one car still wins each race. Kyle Busch won the Nationwide Series Royal Purple 200 race that preceded the popular Saturday night Southern 500.

Crews re-paint the tire scarred walls after the Nationwide race so the track gets spruced up for the many mothers in attendance the following night. Painters work nearly into morning using more than 100 gallons of paint and nearly six long hours before the job is acceptable.

After all, mothers deserve the best.

This year’s main event of 500 intense laps produced a first-time winner, Regan Smith, in the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet. Smith’s unexpected accomplishment was met with great enthusiasm.

The weekend began with the simmering rivalry by Ryan Newman and Juan Pablo Montoya and ended in a spat between Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch that escalated into a controversial car shove on pit road by an escaping Busch.

The have-at-it policy may have been breached with an angry and aggressive Harvick sparked a maneuver that Busch claimed was necessary owing to failed brakes. Harvick was out of his car on pit road attempting to punch or grab Busch through the car window when Busch may have unnecessarily endangered another driver by ramming Harvick’s driverless car into the pit wall.

NASCAR will sort that out, but some penalties are likely.

So Darlington’s Sprint Cup race is past for another season, while seething memories for some drivers might well linger for many races to come.

Ironically the 2010 crash-feud between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski seemed tame as both raced cleanly into second and third place. Edwards commented on their finish.

“I told him after the race that I thought he did a really good job,” Edwards said.

Edwards also explained Darlington.

“I think the reason we race car drivers like this track is because it’s so difficult that the driver can make a difference in the outcome,” Edwards said. “It seems like it’s a real driver’s race track, and if you really dig down deep and do your best, you can make something happen here and that’s really fun. As a race car driver, that’s as good as it gets.”

It’s suspected that every lady would accept a compliment like that.

FYI WIRZ is the select presentation of motorsports topics by Dwight Drum @ Racetake.com. Information derived from motorsports industry press releases and media guides.