1 7 00 David Reutimann TUMS Toyota
2 11 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Silver Ford
3 6 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet
4 15 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
5 1 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s Chevrolet
6 12 9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser Ford
7 14 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
8 17 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota
9 3 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot Chevrolet
10 9 98 Paul Menard Moen / Menards Ford
11 8 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
12 26 6 David Ragan UPS Freight Ford
13 34 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Black Ford
14 13 43 A J Allmendinger Geek Squad / Best Buy Ford
15 21 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
16 10 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
17 33 18 Kyle Busch Snickers Toyota
18 30 12 Brad Keselowski Penske Dodge
19 18 20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota
20 41 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
21 16 19 Elliott Sadler Stanley Ford
22 19 39 Ryan Newman Haas Automation Chevrolet
23 25 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy / National Guard Chevrolet
24 5 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Mobil 1 Dodge
25 2 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet
26 22 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge
27 24 83 Reed Sorenson Red Bull Toyota
28 23 47 Marcos Ambrose Clorox / Kleenex Toyota
29 20 09 Bobby Labonte Phoenix Construction Chevrolet
30 39 82 Scott Speed Red Bull Toyota
31 43 38 Travis Kvapil Long John Silver’s Ford
32 40 37 David Gilliland Taco Bell Ford
33 42 34 Kevin Conway # Extenze Ford
34 27 29 Kevin Harvick Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet
35 4 16 Greg Biffle 3M Filtrete Ford
36 36 26 David Stremme Air Guard / gtwgps.com Ford
37 29 21 Bill Elliott Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
38 38 7 Robby Gordon MAPEI / Menards Toyota
39 32 71 Landon Cassill TRG Motorsports Chevrolet
40 35 36 Casey Mears Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
41 37 32 Mike Bliss Braun Racing Toyota
42 31 13 Max Papis GEICO Toyota
43 28 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota

Chicagoland | Recap
10 Paul Menard
9 Tony Stewart
8 Denny Hamlin
7 Jeff Burton
6 Kasey Kahne
5 Jamie McMurray the pole sitter
4 Clint Bower
3 Jeff Gordon 5th straight top 5
2 Carl Edwards came up just short
1 David Reutimann takes home his second career win, first of the season

Other Stories on the day

-Points leader Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch went a lap down. Kevin had fuel pump problems. Kurt it was handling.

-Jimmie Johnson missed pit road while leading, and later spun from contact from Martin Truex Jr but there was no damage to the 48. He later hit the wall with tire issues and went multiple laps down. He led 92 laps

-A hard wreck when Bill Elliott spun and Robby Gordon T-Boned the 21

-Greg Biffle started losing his engine around lap 190. It finally gave way.

Guest Column by Cathy Elliott

There are many things I like and admire about Dale Earnhardt Jr., but one particular item that keeps popping up is the fact that just when you’re a little bit tempted to give up on the guy, he saves it. Junior definitely knows how to come through in the clutch.

The ability to be productive in a “clutch” situation is one of the characteristics that sets a good athlete apart in his or her individual sports. The term is generally applied to someone who succeeds in pressure situations, who does well with the game on the line.

It can also refer to someone who, when it really counts, manages to overcome any related stress and live up to his own hype. At Daytona International Speedway on the Fourth of July weekend, Dale Earnhardt Jr. put to rest once and for all any doubt about his ability to rise to an occasion.

And what an occasion it was.

The decision for Junior to drive the No. 3 Chevrolet, complete with a retro Wrangler paint scheme made famous by his father, wasn’t exactly a publicity stunt; he’s driven the “3” a couple of times before. It was more of a marketing promotion, a cooperative effort between Richard Childress Racing, which holds the rights to the No. 3, JR Motorsports, the company owned by Earnhardt Jr., and Dale Sr.’s widow, Teresa Earnhardt.

The collaboration celebrated the new NASCAR Hall of Fame’s May 2010 induction ceremony and served as a tribute to Earnhardt Sr., a member of the HOF’s inaugural class.

Fans didn’t care too terribly much about the many wonderful reasons why the No. 3 would be competing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona. They just rejoiced in the fact that the car, a beloved and even revered NASCAR icon in its own right, would once again be making its way around DIS.

After the initial hype settled down, the speculative frenzy began. Surely, Junior would win the race; he HAD to win the race. This is no mean feat at Daytona, where the smallest ill-timed movement can result in a double-digit attrition rate. On-track incidents don’t discriminate. Last names or car numbers doesn’t impress them. To them, all drivers are created equal.

Stories of celebrities’ kids who have tried without much success to follow in their famous parents’ footsteps aren’t uncommon. Can you even begin to imagine being the son of Joe Montana? Or Michael Jordan? Or Dale Earnhardt?

It’s hard to go out and make a name for yourself in the world when someone else has already spectacularly done that for you. In fact, it’s close to impossible. Even if his blood is running through your own veins, how can you compete with a legend?

The answer, of course, is that you can’t. All you can do is try your hardest, and be yourself. That, or move to South America and change your name, which seems to be a much less popular option. Why these guys don’t all have ulcers is beyond me.

Back to Daytona. On the plus side we had Dale Earnhardt Jr. coming to race at a track where he performs exceptionally well, driving some of the sport’s best equipment.

On the minus side we had the inherent vagaries of a NASCAR race, 42 other drivers all anxious to get to Victory Lane, and millions of fans not only hoping for, but actually expecting, the driver of the No. 3 Wrangler car to bring it home.

How did Dale Earnhardt Jr. respond?

He hit it out of the park. For the first time in over two years, he won a points-paying race. In the No. 3 Wrangler car. At Daytona. On the Fourth of July weekend. With his father’s dear friend and car owner Richard Childress standing by his side, telling him his dad would be proud.

It was one of the most magnificent clutch plays I have ever witnessed, in any sport. I have never been more touched by an individual driver’s accomplishment on the track. Anyone who wants to talk about the determination, tenacity and sheer grit of Dale Sr., well, carry on, because you’re absolutely right.

But did you get a load of his kid?

Junior came back the next night and wrapped up the weekend by finishing fourth in the Coke Zero 400, racing his way into the current Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field. Not too shabby.

As far as the big picture goes, Junior’s Nationwide Series crew chief and cousin Tony Eury Jr. probably said it best — “To come back with that number and do this, it means everything.”

There will be no repeat performance of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Nationwide Series triumph, at Daytona or anywhere else. “This is it. No more 3 for me,” he said in Victory Lane after the race.

Disappointing? Perhaps, but that’s OK. Because no doubt everyone would agree that on this one night, he did it all, and it was more than enough.

The opinions expressed in this articles are solely those of the author and not this website.

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

JOLIET, Ill. (July 9, 2010) — Kyle Busch beat Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Joey Logano in a green-white-checkered-flag finish to win Friday night’s Dollar General 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.

Busch got a break when series points leader Brad Keselowski ran out of fuel on the final caution lap before the last green-flag run, which began with a restart on Lap 202. Keselowski’s misfortune allowed Busch to move to the front of the outside line, beside his teammate.

Busch was able to pin Logano to the bottom of the track and clear his teammate for the win. The race ended under caution because of a wreck on the frontstretch after Busch took the while flag to begin the final lap.

The victory was Busch’s seventh of the season and 37th all time, breaking a tie for second with Kevin Harvick on the all-time list. Braun Racing’s Brian Scott, David Reutimann and Jason Leffler finished third through fifth, respectively, as Toyotas swept the top five positions.

Danica Patrick finished a career-best 24th in her fifth series start.

Busch, who led a race-high 110 laps, took the lead for the first time on Lap 10 and dominated the race—despite a pit-road speeding call that required a pass-through penalty under green—until NASCAR threw a caution for debris in Turn 2 on Lap 141.

Logano took the lead on the subsequent restart on Lap 148 and remained out front in clean air.

“It’s over,” Busch moaned on Lap 172, trailing Logano by nearly a second. “There ain’t going to be another caution. The freakin’ race is over.”

As it turned out, Busch was wrong. NASCAR called a caution for debris on Lap 185, and Busch pitted for four tires and a track bar adjustment designed to loosen the handling of his Toyota. He got his chance to win the race when Trevor Bayne slammed the Turn 1 wall on Lap 196.

1 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s Chevrolet
2 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet
3 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot Chevrolet
4 16 Greg Biffle 3M Filtrete Ford
5 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Mobil 1 Dodge
6 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet
7 00 David Reutimann TUMS Toyota
8 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
9 98 Paul Menard Moen / Menards Ford
10 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
11 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Silver Ford
12 9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser Ford
13 43 A J Allmendinger Geek Squad / Best Buy Ford
14 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
15 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
16 19 Elliott Sadler Stanley Ford
17 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota
18 20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota
19 39 Ryan Newman Haas Automation Chevrolet
20 09 Bobby Labonte Phoenix Construction Chevrolet
21 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
22 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge
23 47 Marcos Ambrose Clorox / Kleenex Toyota
24 83 Reed Sorenson Red Bull Toyota
25 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy / National Guard Chevrolet
26 6 David Ragan UPS Freight Ford
27 29 Kevin Harvick Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet
28 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota
29 21 Bill Elliott Motorcraft/QuickLaneTire&AutoCenter Ford
30 12 Brad Keselowski Penske Dodge
31 13 Max Papis GEICO Toyota
32 71 Landon Cassill TRG Motorsports Chevrolet
33 18 Kyle Busch Snickers Toyota
34 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Black Ford
35 36 Casey Mears Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
36 26 David Stremme Air Guard / gtwgps.com Ford
37 32 Mike Bliss Braun Racing Toyota
38 7 Robby Gordon MAPEI / Menards Toyota
39 82 Scott Speed Red Bull Toyota
40 37 David Gilliland Taco Bell Ford
41 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
42 34 Kevin Conway # Extenze Ford
43 38 Travis Kvapil Long John Silver’s Ford