May 1, 2010
- Kyle Busch wins at Richmond: #18-Kyle Busch led the most laps [226] and made a late race pass of #24-Gordon on a restart and won the Crown Royal Presents The Heath Calhoun 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway for his 1st race of 2010, his first win in 21 races and 17th of his career. It was the first Sprint Cup Series win for crew chief Dave Rogers. Busch is the first pole sitter to win a race in 2010. #24-Gordon hel on to 2nd, followed by #29-Harvick, #31-Burton, #99-Edwards, #42-Montoya, #56-Truex Jr., #39-Newman, #47-Ambrose and #48-Johnson. Harvick takes the points lead by 10 points over Johnson. There were 13 lead changes among 8 drivers and 6 cautions for 37 yellow flag laps.
See race results, awards, laps led and more on Jayski’s Richmond Race Results/Awards page.(5-1-2010) - Race Fast Facts – Richmond:
#18-Kyle Busch won the CROWN ROYAL Presents The Heath Calhoun 400, his 17th victory in 196 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his first victory and fifth top-10 finish in 2010.
This is his second victory and ninth top-10 finish in 11 races at Richmond International Raceway.
Jeff Gordon (second) posted his 23rd top-10 finish in 35 races at Richmond International Raceway. It is his fourth top-10 finish in 2010.
Kevin Harvick (third) posted his 12th top-10 finish in 19 races at Richmond International Raceway.
Kevin Conway (37th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Kevin Harvick leads the point standings by 10 points over Jimmie Johnson.(NASCAR Statistics)(5-1-2010) - 2010 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings:
[after Richmond, race 10 of 36]:
rank, car#, driver, points, behind
1) #29-Kevin Harvick [1 win], 1467
2) #48-Jimmie Johnson [3 wins] 1457, -10
3) #18-Kyle Busch [1 win], 1358, -109
4) #17-Matt Kenseth, 1348, -119
5) #16-Greg Biffle, 1334, -133
6) #24-Jeff Gordon, 1305, -162
7) #11-Denny Hamlin [2 wins], 1268, -199
8) #2-Kurt Busch [1 win], 1255, -212
9) #31-Jeff Burton, 1247, -220
10) #5-Mark Martin, 1242, -225
11) #99-Carl Edwards, 1227, -240
12) #33-Clint Bowyer, 1213, -254
Chase for the Sprint Cup – Contenders:
13) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 1209, 4 points out of the chase
14) #56-Martin Truex Jr, 1196, -17
15) #14-Tony Stewart, 1160, -53
2009 Chase Drivers not in top 15
16) #39-Ryan Newman [1 win], 1142, 71 points out of the chase
18) #42-Juan Pablo Montoya, 1109, -104
22) #9-Kasey Kahne, 1026, -187
24) #83-Brian Vickers, 1019, -194
See standings on Jayski’s Drivers Points Standings page.(5-1-2010) - Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Darlington:
Changes: #38-Conway drops out of the top35 and #37-Gilliland moves back in and has a guaranteed spot at Darlington. so do the drivers swap rides again to make sure Conway will run the race?
32) #78-Smith/Furniture Row: 807, +85
33) #7-Gordon/RGM/BAM: 800, +47
34) #34-Kvapil/Front Row: 792, +39
35) #37-Gilliland/Front Row: 769, 16 points ahead of 36th
these teams/ drivers must qualify by speed:
36) #38-Conway/Front Row: 753, 16 points out of 35th
37) #26-Stremme/Latitude43: 615, -154
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(5-1-2010) - Race Coverage of the Crown Royal Presents The Heath Calhoun 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway is scheduled for Saturday, May 1, 2010.
Television (TV): FOX at 7:30 pm/et; pre-race show at 7:00 pm/et; green flag approx 7:44pm/et
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 128
Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
SPEED, Wednesday, April 21 at 12:00pm/et - Pit Stall Selections – Richmond: The selections of pit stalls for the Crown Royal Presents The Heath Calhoun 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway have been made. Pole sitter #18-Busch chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #00-Reutimann took pit stall 17, the first with an opening in front of it [after the 1st stall of course].
#48-Johnson, who starts 3rd took the 30th pit stall, the next stall with an opening in front of it.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #78-Smith, who starts 29th.
To see where all the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Richmond Pit Stall Selection chart.(5-1-2010) - Active Winless streaks: Many drivers are coming to Richmond International Race in the throes of some very serious winless streaks. #39-Ryan Newman recently ended a run of 0-for-77 and #29-Kevin Harvick ended an 0-for-115 streak. The active driver who has made the most starts and not won a race is #66-Dave Blaney, who is 0-for-341 and counting. Longest winless Cup streaks:
Driver, Winless Streak, Last Win
Michael Waltrip, 232, Talladega, 9/28/2003
Bobby Labonte. 225, Homestead. 11/16/2003
Elliott Sadler, 200, California, 9/5/2004
Martin Truex Jr. 104, Dover, 6/4/2007
Juan Pablo Montoya, 101, Sonoma, 6/24/2007
Clint Bowyer, 71, Richmond, 5/3/2008
Dale Earnhardt Jr., 66, Michigan, 6/15/2008
Greg Biffle, 53 Dover, 9/21/2008
Jeff Burton, 50, Charlotte, 10/11/2008
Carl Edwards, 45, Homestead, 11/16/2008
Matt Kenseth, 43, Fontana, 2/22/2009
Jeff Gordon, 38, Texas, 4/5/2009
see a longer list and no win streaks on my All-time winners list page.(5-1-2010) - added many Richmond schemes to my Paint Scheme Gallery, #5-Hendrickcars.com, #33-BB&T, #36-TBR Chevy, #42-Target/Cottonale, #43-Valvoline, #64-Toyota, #66-Toyota, #71-Chevy, #87-Toyota, #98-Schrock/Menard’s, #19 Reynolds Wrap, #39 U.S. Army Medicine, #9 Reto Budweiser, #37 Taco Bell, #38 Extenze, #7 VIP / Warner Music, #99 Scott]s Ez Seed and #47 Bush’s Beans / Kingsford.
- What’s up with Bud?: Brian Dunlap, Anheuser Busch Manger of Sports Marketing, said Friday that Budweiser hasn’t even begun discussions about the future of one of the sport’s most iconic sponsors. “Our focus is on Kasey Kahne and 2010,” Dunlap said. “Until we have those discussions, there’s really no comment on our part.”(USA Today)(5-1-2010)
- Falk wins Denny Hamlin’s 250-lap charity race: Denny Hamlin has the household name, a multimillion-dollar contract with Joe Gibbs Racing and 10 career victories on NASCAR’s top touring series. C.E. Falk III is a 22-year-old Norfolk native who’s two weeks shy of graduating from Charlotte. Falk has racing in his blood, though, and the son of former Busch Series driver Eddie Falk wasn’t about to back down when he got a rare opportunity to trade sheet metal with Hamlin last night at Southside Speedway. Falk qualified third behind local favorite Hamlin and Tony Stewart for the third annual Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown, a 250-lap Late Model race to benefit Hamlin’s charitable foundation. Stewart was second, followed by Eddie Johnson. Hamlin settled for a disappointing fourth-place finish after dominating the race.(Richmond Times Dispatch)(5-1-2010)
- M&M’S Most Colorful Fans driver chat: The M&M’s Most Colorful Fans Facebook Page is scheduled to host a live video chat with Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano on Monday, May 3rd. Fans will have the chance to submit questions for the drivers during the chat. The live chat kicks off the launch of the all-new M&M’S Most Colorful Fan Virtual Tailgate Zone for exclusive, fan-focused content including news, tailgate recipes and opportunities for fans to connect and share their passion for NASCAR with each other via posts, photos and videos. In addition, 2010 marks the third year of the M&M’S The Most Colorful Fan of NASCAR Contest, giving fans the opportunity to show their colors starting on Memorial Day. More info on my Racing Contest page.(5-1-2010)
- Gustafson, Knaus sign extensions with Hendrick Motorsports: Crew chiefs Alan Gustafson [four-year extension through 2014] and Chad Knaus [five-year extension through 2015] have signed multi-year contract extensions with Hendrick Motorsports, the organization confirmed Friday. Gustafson, 34, is in his sixth season as crew chief of the #5 Chevy and has nine wins heading into Saturday night’s event at Richmond International Raceway. The Ormond Beach, Fla., native joined Hendrick Motorsports 11 years ago as a chassis shop employee before being moved to the #5 team in 2000. He served as the shock specialist for two years and was named the lead engineer of the #5 car driven by Terry Labonte in 2002. In 2005, Gustafson took over as crew chief. “I’m extremely happy,” Gustafson said of the extension. “I love this company. I love working for Hendrick Motorsports. I love Rick Hendrick (team owner) — everything he has done for me in my career — and to continue that on into the future is everything I’ve wanted. I truly love what I do.”Now in his ninth season, Knaus is continuing his record-setting run as crew chief the #48 Chevy. With four consecutive Sprint Cup championships under his belt, the 38-year-old Rockford, Ill., native has etched his name in NASCAR’s history books. Like Gustafson, Knaus’ NASCAR career began with Hendrick Motorsports. Knaus took his first job with Hendrick in 1993 working with the #24 Chevy and crew chief Ray Evernham. Knaus did everything from fabricating pieces to changing tires prior to leaving the organization in 1997. He became crew chief for driver Stacy Compton in 2001 before returning to Hendrick Motorsports the following year to establish the #48 team with then-rookie Jimmie Johnson. Since partnering in 2002, Knaus and Johnson have turned into a dynamic duo, winning the most prestigious events on the NASCAR circuit, including the 2006 Daytona 500 [Darian Grubb served as the crew chief, 1st 4 races of 2006] and three Brickyard 400s (2006, 2008 and 2009) at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “I’m pretty pleased, obviously,” Knaus said. “I’ve spent the majority of my life at Hendrick Motorsports, since 1993, and I’d have a hard time thinking I would ever go anywhere else. This (No.) 24 team and this (No.) 48 team are very important to me, and I’m glad to be a part of it. I hope I’m here for a long time to come.”(HMS Site)(5-1-2010)
- C3i Sports to sponsor Efland at Darlington: C3i Sports, a Columbia South Carolina company will be on the hood of the #07-Danny Efland Racing Chevy for the Darlington Nationwide Race on Friday May 7, 2010. C3i Sports creates computerized systems for tracking performance, conditioning, and progress of professional athletes. Also on board for the Royal Purple 200 will be Americans Honoring Americans. It is a Dover Delaware based organization devoted to helping America’s disabled veterans. Two of these heroes will be honorary crew members of the Danny Efland team.(Efland PR)(5-1-2010)
- Coleman to replace Busch at standalone races: Kyle Busch may not like it, but Brad Coleman will drive the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Nashville Superspeedway next month. Busch, third in the Nationwide points standings after Friday’s race at Richmond, has said he wants to try to defend his Nationwide championship, but JGR team principals Joe and J.D. Gibbs are against that idea. Steve DeSouza, vice president of the team’s Nationwide Series operations, said Friday at Richmond that Coleman will drive the #18 in the remaining standalone races. “Brad’s going to do about seven races in the 18 car,” DeSouza said, “and Matt (DiBenedetto) going to run six in the 20 car.”(NNS Racing)(5-1-2010)
- NASCAR recinds Edward’s penalty at end of race: NASCAR didn’t have Roush Fenway Racing’s #60-Carl Edwards in its top five as the checkered flag flew Friday night on the Bubba Burger 250 Nationwide Series race at Richmond International Raceway, but Edwards parked his car with the rest of the top five on pit road. And 10 minutes later, NASCAR had ruled that Edwards had, in fact, finished fifth. Edwards was flabbergasted about the black flag NASCAR initially issued him for passing on the restart of the green-white-checkered finish. Justin Allgaier, running second, spun his wheels on the double-file restart. As he did, Brad Keselowski, in fourth, moved to the inside to keep from hitting him from behind. Edwards, in sixth, went to the outside and made it three-wide. Going into Turn 1, Edwards gave Keselowski his position back because he had gotten next to him on the restart. NASCAR initially black-flagged Edwards for getting up next to Keselowski on the restart but then rescinded the penalty after the event because Edwards had given Keselowski his position back.(Scene Daily)(5-1-2010)
- Contractors say Kyle Busch owes them: A subcontractor who helped build NASCAR driver Kyle Busch’s new multi-million-dollar headquarters has filed a lien against the project, and four others also say they’re owed money. Collectively, the contractors say they are owed hundreds of thousands of dollars by the building’s owner and general contractor. As small business owners, they said, they can’t afford to go for months without being paid. Paul Davis of Creative Carpets LLC said he filed a mechanic’s lien against the general contractor Friday. Davis said he is owed $60,000 for installing roughly 18,000 square feet of carpet and flooring. “As a business, I can’t function,” he said, adding his suppliers won’t give him more materials until he pays them. “I’m spending more of my time chasing my money than making it. And in this economy, I can’t do that.” Davis said he filed the lien because he’d grown worried that he might not get paid the full amount he is owed. He said Busch’s attorney told him “one group was going to walk away unhappy.” The building is owned by L.B. Builders Construction Group, which also is overseeing construction. It is being built for KB Investments, a Kyle Busch-related entity. The subcontractors said they’ve been told by L.B. Builders that they haven’t been paid because Kyle Busch owes nearly $3 million. On Friday, a blue tarp was taped over a sign outside the building that says KBM. Attorneys representing Busch and L.B. Builders confirmed a “construction dispute” over the building’s cost, and said the groups are working to resolve it. A meeting to discuss the issue is set for mid-May, they said.(See full story at the Charlotte Observer)(5-1-2010)
- New track for Dillon: Excerpt from Austin Dillon’s Diary: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has been off for a solid month and I think every single driver and crew member is ready to get back on the track this weekend at Kansas Speedway. I know I am. Kansas is our first stop and it will be a learning experience for the #3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Silverado team. Richard Childress Racing never has fielded a Truck team at Kansas, so we don’t have a notebook for this track specific to our series. That will be tough on the Bass Pro Shops team, but RCR has a lot of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series experience under its belt and we’ll lean on the Cup guys for information. My crew chief, Danny Stockman, has been to Kansas the past two years, as well, and should be a huge help to me. Atlanta was our first top-10 finish of the year and probably is the track closest in characteristics to Atlanta that I’ve run this season. They’re both fast but Kansas has its own character. There is a lot more room coming off of turn four at Kansas and it’s wider but without the banking you find at Atlanta. Kansas seems to be a cool and fast speedway and we’re hoping I adapt quickly when I get some laps under my belt. (Read entire Diary on SPEEDtv,com)(5-1-2010)
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