September 2011

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By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(September 17, 2011)

JOLIET, Ill.—A full schedule of double-duty driving didn’t hurt Brad Keselowski, who won Saturday’s Dollar General 300 Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway in a prelude to his debut Sunday in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Keselowski won his third Nationwide race of the season and the 15th of his career, cruising to a decisive victory over Carl Edwards, whose chances at a victory evaporated when his No. 60 Ford ran out of fuel moments before a scheduled pit stop on Lap 124 of 200.

Polesitter Brian Scott came home third, followed by Aric Almirola and Sam Hornish Jr. in a race that saw 10 cars finish on the lead lap. Series points leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr. held the top spot in the standings with an eighth-place finish.

Continue reading “Brad Keselowski Visits Chicagoland NNS Victory Lane”

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1 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford 29.469 183.243
2 27 Paul Menard ZECOL / Menards Chevrolet 29.488 183.125
3 22 Kurt Busch Shell Pennzoil Dodge 29.503 183.032
4 39 Ryan Newman US Army Medicine Chevrolet 29.507 183.007
5 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford 29.522 182.914
6 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge 29.531 182.859
7 16 Greg Biffle 3M Filtrete Ford 29.565 182.648
8 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota 29.575 182.587
9 18 Kyle Busch Wrigley Doublemint Toyota 29.615 182.340
10 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota 29.620 182.309
11 47 Bobby Labonte Kleenex Cool Touch / Clorox Toyota 29.634 182.223
12 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s / Kobalt Tools Chevrolet 29.667 182.020
13 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 29.690 181.879
14 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s Chevrolet 29.696 181.843
15 6 David Ragan UPS Ford 29.729 181.641

Continue reading “Cup Series Chicago Starting Lineup – Kenseth on the Pole”

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By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(September 16, 2011)

JOLIET, Ill.—With a two-tire call on a late-race pit stop, Austin Dillon stole Friday night’s Fast Five 225 Camping World Truck Series race at Chicagoland Speedway from Kevin Harvick, who had dominated the event until the last round of stops.

Dillon won his second race of the season and the fourth of his career. Harvick came home second, almost five seconds back. Nelson Piquet Jr., Parker Kligerman and Kyle Busch completed the top five.

Continue reading “Austin Dillon Grabs 4th Career Victory at Chicagoland”

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FYI WIRZ: NASCAR’s truck teams shed jobs as Kevin Harvick shutters KHI

Author: Dwight Drum racetake.com

Kevin Harvick nixed summer rumors when he announced the merger of KHI and RCR in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, a new two-car team, and shuttered his Camping World Truck Series team for 2012. Many suspected lurid causes, but Harvick was specific about his thoughts and reasons.

“The reactions have just been crazy as far as the way the rumors have spun out of control. DeLana and I have just kind of sat back and laughed at a lot of them. But I feel like as a couple, and as a group at KHI, we’ve made a lot of good business decisions over the course of the years. And it’s going to allow us time to explore other business opportunities as well.”

KHI is not the only team to notify crew members that they will be cutting back. Germain Racing minority owners Mike Hillman, Sr., and Mike Hillman, Jr., informed their NASCAR Camping World Truck Series employees of shutdowns. Team members, like many at KHI, are free to pursue options for the 2012 season.

Continue reading “FYI WIRZ: NASCAR’s truck teams shed jobs as Kevin Harvick shutters KHI”

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Michael Waltrip: “I can confirm we have had very productive conversations with Clint and a quality sponsor. Today, however, we don’t have anything finalized and we’re not in a position to make any formal announcements. Our goal has never changed. Rob (Kauffman) and I want to continue to improve the competitiveness of our team and be a consistent winner at NASCAR’s highest level. Pursuing Chase-proven personnel, including drivers, has been a priority. As soon as we have more information to share, we will.”