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Paul Menard stretches fuel to win Brickyard 400

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(July 31, 2011)

INDIANAPOLIS — Years ago, as a garage rat at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Paul Menard dreamed of winning a race at the vaunted Brickyard.

On Sunday, the dream came true. In a season full of improbable first-time winners in NASCAR’s foremost races, Menard, 30, stretched his fuel mileage and held off charging Jeff Gordon to win the Brickyard 400 at the 2.5-mile track.

The victory was Menard’s first as a Sprint Cup driver, and it catapulted him into the conversation for a wild-card berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Gordon, who closed rapidly over the final five laps, crossed the finish line .725 seconds behind the season’s fourth first-time winner.

“My first year here was 1989, that I can remember anyway—I think I was here when I was 3 or 4 years old, too,” said Menard, whose father, John Menard, has fielded IndyCars for a variety of drivers. “I just spent a lot of time in the garage area. I didn’t miss an Indy 500 from 1989 to 2003.

Continue reading “Paul Menard Gets First Career Cup Win, At Indy”

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Brad Keselowski rallies to win Indianapolis Nationwide race

By Jim Pedley
Special to the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(July 30, 2011)

CLERMONT, Ind.—Calm, droning racing wasn’t getting it done for Brad Keselowski in Saturday night’s Kroger 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Lucas Oil Raceway. The defending series champion needed a bit of mayhem, and when he got that late in the race, it resulted in his second victory of the season.

Keselowski, a non-factor through the middle portion of an atypically unremarkable race at the .686-mile track, jumped ahead of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on a green-white-checkered restart and cruised to a .987-second victory. The race went four laps beyond its scheduled 200.

“It’s a very special win being from Michigan,” Keselowski said. “I’ve been coming to this racetrack for years. I’ve been to victory lane as a team guy and a mechanic but never a driver. It’s so special to win here and win here in a Dodge.”

The battle for second place was so close that NASCAR officials had to review video. Several minutes after the race ended, second place was taken from Stenhouse and given to James Buescher, who had finished second in Friday night’s Camping World Truck Series race at the track.

Continue reading “Stenhouse Dominates, Keselowski Wins Indy Nationwide Race”