The drivers in or out of the critical top 35 in the Sprint Cup owners’ standings didn’t change following Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

NSCS Recap: Kyle Busch dominates in Bristol victory

Kyle Busch celebrates winning the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The win was Busch’s 14th in his career and second at Bristol. (Photo credit: CIA STOCK PHOTO)
By Reid Spencer, Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

BRISTOL, Tenn. (March 22, 2009) — You couldn’t blame Kyle Busch for believing Bristol Motor Speedway owed him a win in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series.

After all, the driver of the No. 18 Toyota led 415 of 500 laps last August, only to finish second.

Busch didn’t wait for the .533-mile short track to take its time paying him back. Instead, he seized control of Sunday’s Food City 500, leading 378 laps en route to his second victory of the season.

Busch held off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin by .391 seconds in a green-white-checkered-flag finish that took the race to 503 laps, three beyond its scheduled distance. The win was Busch’s 14th in the Cup series and his 10th since joining JGR to start the 2008 season.

“It was just an overall great day,” said Busch, whose second victory at Bristol broke a streak of 13 wins at 13 different racetracks. “This place probably owes me a few, but you can never ask the racetrack to pay you back. You’ve just got to go out there and keep working at it. … Fortunately, we had a good enough car today.”

Continue reading “Kyle Busch Dominates Bristol Half Mile”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. can handle the criticism. If you want to blame someone for his rather underwhelming first 40 races at Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR’s most popular driver urges you to point the finger squarely at him. But attacking his crew chief? That’s going a little too far.

RACE RECAP | BRISTOL
10 Marcos Ambrose ran top 5 most of the day until a dropped cylinder
9 Juan Pablo Montoya
8 Jeff Burton
7 Ryan Newman safe for next weeks qualifying
6 Mark Martin also safe for next weeks qualifying
5 Kasey Kahne in the top 10 in points
4 Jeff Gordon keeps the points lead
3 Jimmie Johnson back in the top 10 in points, figured out Bristol
2 Denny Hamlin a JGR 1-2 finish

VICTORY LANE

1 For the 3rd week in a row a Busch has won, Kyle Busch goes to victory lane for the first time in his career he has multiple wins at a track. It’s Kyle’s second win of the season.

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OTHER STORIES ON THE DAY

-John Andretti wrecks for caution number 1

-Todd Bodine wrecked by Waltrip, 8, 2, 29, 12, 20 involved

-McMurray spins a couple times

Greg Biffle cylinder down in his engine (DNF)

-Vickers cuts down a tire

Hendrick had 3 cars in top 6. Only one not is Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 14th.
(Jr. sped on pit road saying jr: yall som b***** are fatiguing on me, yall aint got the same spunk. 3 lucky dogs)

-Harvick blows a tire, hits the wall

Ambrose running top 5 all day, dropped a cylinder salvages a 10th place

Joey Logano pounded the wall, and a few laps later, blows a motor with under 10 races to go

Scott Speed will need to qualify in on time next week in Martinsville

Continue reading “Bristol Cup Series Results”

NNS Recap: Harvick Wins at Bristol in His Own Car

Kevin Harvick celebrates winning the Scotts Turf Builder 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway, his first NASCAR Nationwide Series victory for Kevin Harvick Inc. (Photo credit: CIA Stock Photo)
By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

BRISTOL, Tenn. — At age 33, Kevin Harvick won his 33rd Nationwide Series race in the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet — but the number that really mattered to Harvick at Bristol Motor Speedway was “one.”

A former series champion, Harvick won for the first time in a Nationwide car he owns when he took the checkered flag in Saturday’s Scott’s Turf Builder 300 at the .533-mile high-banked short track, beating Carl Edwards to the finish line by .798 seconds.

“Finally, we got this out of the way,” Harvick said. “The alternator went out today — it was kind of hot in there — but everybody did a great job…

“There’s been a tremendous amount of pressure that I’ve put on myself — probably more pressure than any of the guys want to see at the shop over the last year, but it’s been well worth the reward today. And I guess it’s kind of fitting that it comes on what’s been my most successful track in the Nationwide Series here at Bristol, and I’m just glad it all finally came together.”

Continue reading “Kevin Harvick wins first race in his own car”