U.S. CELLULAR 250 - IOWA SPEEDWAY
Nationwide Series Race #21 of 35 for the 2010 season
Last Race - ORP
Next Race - Watkins Glen
Busch wins at Iowa: #18-Kyle Busch won the U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway for his second consecutive win and his 9th of the season. #33-Kevin Harvick finished second. The rest of the top 10: #38-Jason Leffler, #22-Brad Keselowski, #99-Trevor Bayne, #66-Steve Wallace, #15-Michael Annett, #12-Justin Allgaier, #20-Matt Dibenedetto, and #60-Carl Edwards. There were 6 cautions for 27 laps (and 2 red flags) and 7 lead changes among 3 leaders. The race had an estimated attendance of 56,000. Complete results are posted on the Iowa race results page.(7-24-2010)
Iowa Race Fast Facts:
Kyle Busch won the U.S. Cellular 250, his 39th victory in 190 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his ninth victory and 14th top-10 finish in 2010.
This is his first victory and second top-10 finish in two races at Iowa Speedway.
Kevin Harvick (second) posted his first top-10 finish in two races at Iowa Speedway. It is his 15th top-10 finish in 2010.
Jason Leffler (third) posted his second top-10 finish in two races at Iowa Speedway.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (14th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Brad Keselowski leads the point standings by 231 points over Carl Edwards.(NASCAR Statistics)(7-31-2010)
Driver standings following Iowa:
1) #22-Brad Keselowski 3349
2) #60-Carl Edwards 3118, -231
3) #18-Kyle Busch 2876, -473
4) #12-Justin Allgaier 2833, -516
5) #98-Paul Menard 2620, -729
6) #33- Kevin Harvick 2609, -740
7) #66-Steve Wallace 2488, -861
8) #99-Trevor Bayne 2365, -984
9) #62-Brendan Gaughan 2347, -1002
10) #38-Jason Leffler 2326, -1023
Complete standings are posted on the driver standings page.(7-31-2010)
Owner Standings following Iowa are posted. The top 30 are now locked in the race at Watkins Glen. The #43 Baker-Curb team falls out of the top 30 and into 33rd. The #70-Shelby Howard/ML Motorsports team moves into the top 30. The #05-Day Enterprises team is in 31st, 21 points behind #35-Jason Keller/TriStar Motorsports. (7-31-2010)
Bayne on pole at Iowa: #99-Trevor Bayne won the pole for the U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway with a speed of 133.266mph. It is his 3rd consecutive pole and the 4th of his career. He is the 3rd driver in the history of the series to win 3 poles in a row, matching Sam Ard, Jeff Gordon, and Michael Waltrip. #18-Kyle Busch will start second, followed by: #11-Brian Scott, #22-Brad Keselowski, #66-Steve Wallace, #38-Jason Leffler, #33-Kevin Harvick, #12-Justin Allgaier, #20-Matt Dibenedetto, and #56-Kevin Lepage. #16-Colin Braun & #6-Stenhouse wrecked and both will go to backup cars. Stenhouse will be in Carl Edwards backup car since he had wrecked in practice. #70-Shelby Howard spun on his lap but still made the race. Did Not Qualify: #24-Eric McClure, #02-Darryl Harr, #89-Johnny Champman. The starting lineup is posted on the Iowa starting lineup page.(7-31-2010)
Iowa Qualifying Notes:
Trevor Bayne won the 21 Means 21 Pole Award for the U.S. Cellular 250 with a lap of 23.637 seconds, 133.266 mph.
This is his fourth pole in 36 NASCAR Nationwide Series races. He is the youngest and first driver in 18 years to post three consecutive poles in the NASCAR Nationwide Series since Jeff Gordon did it in 02/29/1992.
This is his third pole and 10th top-10 start in 2010.
This is his first pole in two races at Iowa Speedway.
Kyle Busch (second) posted his 16th top-10 start of 2010 and his first in two races at Iowa Speedway.
Brian Scott (third) posted his first top-10 start at Iowa Speedway. It is his sixth in 21 races this season.
Brian Scott (third) was the fastest qualifying rookie.(NASCAR Statistics)(7-31-2010)
Dibenedetto fastest in practice: #20-Matt Dibenedetto was the fastest in the only practice session for the U.S. Cellular 250. His top speed was 132.247mph. #66-Steve Wallace was second, followed by #11-Brian Scott, #38-Jason Leffler, #27-Drew Herring, #56-Kevin Lepage, #99-Trevor Bayne, #91-Chase Miller, #70-Shelby Howard, and #88-Steve Arpin. #6-Stenhouse wrecked and will go to a backup car. Complete results are posted on the Iowa practice results page.(7-30-2010)
Practice cancelled: Rain has washed out both practice sessions at Iowa Speedway. There will be one practice session held Saturday morning from 9:00-10:30 am/ct. The rest of Saturday's schedule remains unchanged.(7-30-2010)
Entry List: There are 47 cars on the preliminary entry list for Friday's U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway.
Some notes:
Daryl Harr is listed in the #02 Chevy [this is a new team, not affiliated with the #02 Corrie Stott Racing team];
Blake Koch is in the Wayne Day #05;
The RAB #09 is TBA;
Tayler Malsam returns to the Braun #10;
Clint Bowyer is listed as the the driver of the RCR #21;
Drew Herring will drive the Baker Curb #27;
Jeff Green returns to the TriStar #36;
Brad Baker is back in the Baker Curb #43;
Tim Schendel returns to the Jimmy Means #52;
The Specialty Racing #61 is entered, but hasn't been at the track the last couple weeks;
John Bornemann returns in his #83.(7-26-2010)
UPDATE: John Wes Townley will drive the #09 for RAB Racing.(7-27-2010)
UPDATE 2: The #61 team again withdrew. There are 46 cars at the track.(7-30-2010)
See the complete list on the Iowa entry list page.
If qualifying is rained out or canceled the teams making the race would be:
#36-Jeff Green [past champion], #70-Shelby Howard [31st in owner points, 20 attempts], #05-Blake Koch [32nd, 20], #24-Eric McClure [33rd, 20], #81-McDowell [34th, 20], #26-Brian Keselowski [35th, 20], #89-Johnny Chapman [36th, 20], #92-Dennis Setzer [43rd, 19], #56-Kevin Lepage [40th, 18], #90-Danny O'Quinn [39th, 17], #61-Matt Carter [38th, 16], #91-Chase Miller [44th, 16], #04-Jeremy Clements [41st, 14]
4 missing the race would be: #49-Mark Green [45th, 12], #52-Tim Schendel [51st, 9], #83-John Borneman [49, 5], #02-Darryl Harr [0,0]
Owner Standings following ORP are posted. The top 30 are now locked in the race at Iowa. There were no changes in the top 30, but the #70 ML Motorsports team is now 31st, 9 points behind the #43 Baker Curb team. (7-24-2010)
Nationwide Series in Prime Time from Iowa: ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series this weekend with live, prime time racing on Saturday night, July 31, from Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. The race airs on ESPN2 beginning at 7 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown, with the race telecast at 7:30 p.m. and the green flag at 7:44 p.m. ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season, with selected races on ESPN and ABC. Vince Welch will be lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN's coverage, with analysis by three-time Ray Evernham and Ricky Craven. Reporting from the pits will be Rick DeBruhl, Shannon Spake and Jim Noble. The Iowa event is the third of four races in the Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash. Created in 2009 and designed to increase the on-track excitement for the drivers and the fans, the bonus program was implemented to develop and support NASCAR Nationwide Series regulars, up-and-comers and those who compete part time in the Series. NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers must also compete full time in the Nationwide Series to be eligible. There is a $25,000 cash bonus awarded to the eligible race winner of the four Dash 4 Cash races but should the winner not be eligible, the prize money will roll over to next Dash 4 Cash race. There also is a $75,000 year-end bonus awarded at the end of the season to the NASCAR Nationwide Series-only driver with the highest number of cumulative points from the four races. NASCAR drivers who compete in more than seven Sprint Cup races during the season are not eligible for the end of season bonus, even if they run all Nationwide Series races.(ESPN)(7-26-2010)
Times listed are local to the track (Centrl Time).
Friday, July 30th
10:00 AM NNS HAULERS ENTER
11:00 AM NNS REGISTRATION OPENS
11:30 AM NNS GARAGE OPENS
3:30 PM NNS ROOKIE & SPOTTER’S MEETING, DRAWING FOR
QUALIFYING ORDER
4:30 PM-5:30 PM NNS PRACTICE
6:00 PM-7:30 PM NNS FINAL PRACTICE
7:00 PM NNS REGISTRATION CLOSES
9:00 PM NNS GARAGE CLOSES
Saturday, July 31st
11:00 AM NASCAR FOUNTADATION Track Walk
12:00 PM NNS GARAGE & REGISTRATION OPENS
1:30 PM-2:30 PM NNS Autograph Session
3:05 PM (4:05 PM/ET) NNS QUALIFYING (TWO LAPS, ALL POSITIONS)
4:30 PM NNS DRIVER/CREW CHIEF MEETING (DRIVERS MEETING
ROOM)
6:00 PM NNS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS-SECURITY
6:30 PM (7:30 PM/ET) NNS RACE (250 LAPS, 218.75 MILES)
7:00 PM NNS REGISTRATION CLOSES
Elephant In The Room: Busch Hasn’t Forgotten Last Year
The term “double-duty” was coined to describe drivers who run in multiple NASCAR series, usually on
the same weekend. Reigning series champion Kyle Busch (#18 Z-Line Designs Toyota) and two-time series champion (and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings leader) Kevin Harvick (#33 Jimmy John’s Chevy) are in that category.
It also fits when tagging drivers who run fulltime in both NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide, like the latter’s points leader, Brad Keselowski (#22 Discount Tire Dodge), Carl Edwards (#60 Fastenal Ford), who’s second, and Paul Menard (#98 Mastercraft/Menards Ford), who’s sixth.
Saturday night at Iowa Speedway, “double-duty” takes on another meaning; as in a two-way rivalry.
The dispute between Keselowski and Edwards is well known. But after the finish at the inaugural series race at Iowa last year, tack on a contentious Keselowski-Busch relationship heading into this one, too.
Busch and Keselowski traded the lead at various points after Lap 105 of last year’s 250-lap event. Following a late-race caution, Busch, who was leading, opted for two tires. Keselowski stayed out, bulled his way by Busch with eight to go, and went on to win.
It’s probably safe to assume Busch hasn’t forgotten.
With Busch coming off a win last week at O’Reilly Raceway Park, it should make for an exciting evening.
Busch has won eight of the 16 series races he’s entered this year, and is two wins shy of tying the mark for most wins in a season. He already shares that record with two-time series champion Sam Ard, who set the record in 1983. Busch tied the standard in 2008.
He’s also edging closer to Mark Martin’s all-time series record of 48. Busch has 38 wins in 189 career starts. Martin has 231 NASCAR Nationwide Series starts.
There’s one other rivalry note between Busch and Keselowski. It comes in the form of the owner championship.
Although Busch isn’t defending his series title, he’s the main reason the #18 team is in the hunt for its third owner title. Keselowski’s Penske Racing team is one point ahead of the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing team. Busch has been aided this year — when not running in the #18 — by Brad Coleman, who will be his substitute driver this weekend. Parker Kligerman takes that role for Keselowski.
Standing Down On Stand-Alone Season
Saturday night’s event at Iowa Speedway marks the last of three consecutive stand-alone races for the
NASCAR Nationwide Series. Since June 5’s second visit to Nashville Superspeedway, the series will have run six stand-alone races, including two groups of three consecutive races that weren't combination events with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
There are nine stand-alone events on the 2010 schedule. Two remain after this weekend – Aug. 31 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal and a second visit to Gateway International Raceway on Oct. 23.
Stand-alone season has given series-only regulars and other young up-and-comers subbing for double -duty drivers an opportunity to showcase their talent. Take Matt DiBenedetto. He’s the driver charged with handling the bulk of stand-alone races in the #20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. But even then, he’s still shared a few stand-alones with Joey Logano, making every race for the 19-year-old (his birthday was July 27) carry that much more importance.
Entering Iowa, half of the standings’ top-10 drivers are series-only regulars, led by Justin Allgaier (No.
12 Verizon Wireless Dodge) in third. An average of 5.3 “regular guys” have finished in the top 10 in the
previous six stand-alone races this year, while three have captured Coors Light poles. Trevor Bayne (#99 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota) has won the last two poles at Gateway and ORP.
Allgaier Hopes To Turn The Tide At Iowa
Justin Allgaier’s 2010 season has been one of ebbs and flows.
Fortunately for the youngster, it looks like this portion could be one of success. Considering the trends from this season, it seems Allgaier, 24, is due for a few good runs in a row.
Here’s the sequence:
Allgaier’s first five races were tremendous. He earned top-five finishes in each, including his first NASCAR national series win at Bristol Motor Speedway. Over that five-race stretch, Allgaier averaged a finish of 5.0, a Driver Rating of 104.1, an Average Running Position of 9.4 and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 82.6%. He averaged a robust 160 points per race in the first five.
Then the dip came, and fears of a sophomore slump surfaced. Allgaier had six consecutive finishes outside the top 10. His numbers: an average finish of 14.5, a Driver Rating of 92.9, an Average Running Position of 11.2 and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 75.8%. His points per race average was 120.3 – a 40 point drop from the first five.
Then there was a short uptick. After those six subpar finishes, Allgaier ripped off two top fives and three top 10s in three races. He averaged a Driver Rating of 115.0, an Average Running Position of 6.4 and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 92.1%. His points per race average launched back to 157 per event.
But a disastrous race at Road America (he finished 35th) gave way to a rough patch of five races, three of which were finishes outside the top 15. In that particular segment, Allgaier had an average finish of 18.6, a Driver Rating of 82.4 and an Average Running Position of 15.2. He averaged 110.4 points per race.
But the 2009 Raybestos Rookie of the Year rebounded last week at O’Reilly Raceway Park, finishing seventh with a Driver Rating of 104.6.
Now he heads to Iowa, where he ran extremely well last year despite a finish outside the top 10. In the inaugural NASCAR Nationwide Series race there, Allgaier started second, led 35 laps, posted a Driver Rating of 116.4 and had an Average Running Position of 3.9. Still, he finished 15th.
It was a case of horrible luck – a double dose of it, actually. First, in the closing laps, Allgaier got hit by Brendan Gaughan (#62 South Point Hotel & Casino Toyota) after pulling out of his pit box and suffered some right front damage. Then, on the ensuing restart with 15 to go, Allgaier, Steve Wallace (#66 5-Hour Energy Toyota) and Erik Darnell wrecked on the backstretch.
“Dash 4 Cash” Bonus At $50,000 For Eligible Winner At Iowa
The U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway is the third of four “Dash 4 Cash” races, an incentive program designed by series sponsor Nationwide Insurance where full-time, part-time and limited-schedule series-only drivers along with full-time double-duty drivers have the opportunity to pocket an extra $50,000 with a win.
Otherwise, the pot — which would be $25,000 heftier at $75,000 — rolls over to the final “Dash 4 Cash” event, Nov. 6 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Kevin Harvick, who at the time was a full-time driver in the series, won $25,000 in the first “Dash 4 Cash” race of the 2010 season at Nashville Superspeedway in April.
Joey Logano wasn’t eligible for the bonus when he won at Kentucky Speedway on June 12, the second “Dash 4 Cash” race. So the $25,000 bonus rolled over to its current $50,000 at Iowa.
Brad Keselowski won the bonus last year at Iowa, which was $75,000. As one of the three 2010 fulltime double-duty drivers this year, he’s eligible once again.
Since they both gave up their full-time double-duty status at various points this season, Harvick and Kyle Busch aren’t eligible at Iowa. That should make for an even more spirited race, with the eligible drivers vying for the bonus and two top contenders in Busch and Harvick doing what they can to deny that opportunity.
Hawkeye Heaven: Annett Races In His Backyard
Talk about circling a date on your calendar.
Michael Annett (#15 Northland Oil Toyota) has worn his pen down doing just that.
Annett is native of Des Moines, Iowa, about 20 minutes west of Iowa Speedway. He’s currently 14th in the driver standings, and looking to catch some second-half lighting in order to match or better his 10th-place finish in the points last year as a Raybestos Rookie. Annett was 11th at his home track in this event one year ago.
“I’ve been looking forward to this race all season,” he said. “I got an amazing feeling during last year’s race when I circled the track and the stands were packed with fans from my home state. Having the support of all those fans makes our sport what it is today, and I’m really excited to see how well NASCAR is being embraced by the fans at Iowa Speedway. I can’t wait (for) Saturday.”
Annett already holds a prestigious record at Iowa as the driver with the most laps of competitive racing there. Following a semi-pro hockey career, Annett turned to racing and honed his skills at Iowa Speedway in ARCA competition and in the ASA Late Model Series Challenge Division. He made his ARCA debut at Iowa in 2007, when he won the pole, led eight laps and finished third.
"I take a lot of pride in my home track,” he said. It’s one of the nicest facilities we visit, and a fun track to compete on. Heading into race week at Iowa, I’ll spend the whole week making appearances in the area and catching up with those who have been there for me since the start of my racing career. My family, friends, fan base and many of my sponsors are here in the Midwest, so it’s a fun week leading into race day at Iowa Speedway."
Appropriately, Annett also is the Nationwide Insurance “Driver of The Week.”
The first-year initiative by series sponsor Nationwide Insurance is a program designed to increase driver awareness, with emphasis on series-only regulars.
Annett will participate in a live web chat with fans on Wednesday, July 28 at 12 p.m. ET on NASCARnationwideseries.com. He also will be ESPN2’s in-race reporter at Iowa.
NNS Etc.: Iowa Edition
► Hot Weather Favors Steve Wallace
The dog days of summer don’t seem to bother Steve Wallace. On the contrary, he enjoys his role as of the hottest drivers in the series.
Following his outside pole and second consecutive top-10 finish last week at ORP, he comes to Iowa riding streaks of eight straight top- 15 finishes. Both are the third-longest such streaks in the series, behind Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski, respectively.
Last year, his 10th place finish at ORP was his ninth top-10 result, matching his personal best for top 10s in a single season (set in 2009).
Wallace, 22, is one of the few series drivers who has visited Victory Lane at Iowa. At the inaugural ARCA event there in 2006, he overtook Juan Pablo Montoya for the pole position and rode that momentum to win at the track designed by his famous father, Rusty Wallace.
Wallace is seventh in the driver standings, second among series-only regulars. He’s been ranked among the top 10 in the points following each of the last eight events. His Rusty Wallace Racing teammate, Brendan Gaughan, is seventh in the driver standings.
►Summer School For “Regular Guys”
Steve Wallace is just one of many series-only regulars who have shown improvement over the summer months.
In addition to his two consecutive poles, Trevor Bayne has improved from 15th to ninth in the driver standings after collecting two consecutive top-five finishes.
Bayne and Wallace are two of five series-only regulars ranked in the top 10 this week.
From the races at Kentucky in early June to ORP last week, Bayne, 19, has the following stat line: Three top-five qualifying positions, four top-10 finishes, three top-five finishes, 74 laps led, an average starting position of 9.5 and an average finish of 13.1. Included in those numbers is his career-best finish, third, at Gateway.
Following his 12th-place finish at ORP, Colin Braun (# 16 3M Ford) now owns three top-10 and six top-12 finishes in his last seven starts. Braun’s Roush Fenway Racing teammate, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (#6 CitiFinancial Ford) won his first career pole in the series at Iowa last year.
Robert Richardson Jr. (#23 R3 Motorsports Chevy) posted his career-best finish of 15th at ORP. As a result, his R3 Motorsports team moved up one position in owner points to 26th, marking two consecutive weeks of gains in the standings. Richardson will be making his track debut at Iowa.
►Baker Curb Debuts Herring At Iowa
Drew Herring will make his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at Iowa in the # 27 Ford for Baker Curb Racing.
Herring, 23, captured the pole for the 2009 USAR race at Iowa and led 128 of 200 laps before settling for a second-place finish. He also was the rookie of the year in the series in 2008.
In 2009, the Benson, N.C., native captured his first USAR win along with seven top-fives and nine
top 10s in 14 starts. He also made two ARCA starts that season. His resume also includes late model titles at Southern National Raceway Park (2007) and South Boston Speedway (2006).
►Raybestos Rookie Standings
Driver Team Points
1. Brian Scott Braun 189
2. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. RFR 169
3. Colin Braun RFR 152
4. James Buescher N/A 97
5. Parker Kligerman SPR 46
►Up Next: The Glen
The second of three road-course events on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule is at Watkins Glen International on Saturday, Aug. 7.
Marcos Ambrose has owned the Zippo 200 the last two years, one of the few road courses where “aces”
have had success.
Ron Fellows has three wins and two poles in series competition there. Dario Franchitti won the pole in 2008, Scott Pruett did so in 2001, as did Boris Said in 1998.
ESPN will carry the race beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Fast Facts
Next Race: U.S. Cellular 250 presented by Northland Oil & John Deere
The Place: Iowa Speedway (0.875-mile oval)
The Date: Saturday, July 31
The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
The Distance: 250 laps/218.75 miles
TV: ESPN2, 7:00 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio (Local-KXIA-FM 101.1, KWQW-FM 98.3)
2009 Winner: Brad Keselowski
2009 Pole Winner: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Schedule prior to race day (times CT): Friday: Practice, 4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.; Final Practice, 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m.; Qualifying, 3:05 p.m.
Track Contact:
2010 Driver Standingsints
1 Brad Keselowski 3,189
2 Carl Edwards 2,984
3 Justin Allgaier 2,691
4 Kyle Busch 2,681
5 Paul Menard 2,505
6 Kevin Harvick 2,434
7 Steve Wallace 2,338
8 Brendan Gaughan 2,277
9 Trevor Bayne 2,205
10 Jason Leffler 2,161
Tire: Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials
Number of Tires: Left-side -- 575; Right-side -- 575
Tire Codes: Left-side -- D-4178; Right-side -- D-4160
Tire Circumference: Left-side -- 87.4 in.; Right-side -- 88.6 in.
Technical Inspection Inflation:
Left Front -- 26 psi; Left Rear -- 26 psi;
Right Front -- 40 psi; Right Rear -- 38 psi
Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front -- 18 psi; Left Rear -- 18 psi;
Right Front -- 36 psi; Right Rear -- 34 psi
Notes: This is the same combination of left- and right-side tires that NASCAR Nationwide Series teams ran at Iowa last season . . . Nationwide teams have run each of these two Goodyear tire codes individually at other tracks as well -- this left-side code (D-4178) at Bristol this season and at Gateway last season; and this right-side code (D-4160) at Bristol last season . . . as on most NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, teams will not run inner liners in their tires at Iowa.
