May 9, 2009
- Mark Martin wins at Darlington: #5-Mark Martin won the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway for his 2nd win of 2009 and the 37th of his career. Martin wins his 2nd race after turning 50 years old, only the 2nd driver ever to have more then one win after turning 50 years of age. Harry Gant won 8 times after the age of 50 including at Darlington [age 51], so Martin is not the oldest driver to win a race at Darlington. #48-Jimmie Johnson finished 2nd, after starting 42nd in a backup car with no laps on it. #14-Tony Stewart finished 3rd, for his best ever finish at Darlington, followed by #39-Newman, #24-Gordon, #1-Truex Jr., #25-Keselowski, #16-Biffle, #20-Logano and #17-Kenseth [the pole sitter]. #33-Bowyer wrecked and his Did Not Finish streak of 83 falls one short of the all-time record that Harold Beam holds at 84. Stewart and #19-Sadler have the longest current consecutive DNF at 34 races. #78-Regan Smith is at 47 but has not run all the races and have never had a DNF. There were 17 cautions (a new track record) for 73 laps and 23 lead changes among 13 leaders.
For race results, awards and more on the Darlington Race Results Page.(5-9-2009) - UNOFFICIAL Driver Points Standings [after Darlington, race 11 of 36]:
1) #24-Jeff Gordon 1601 [1 win]
2) #14-Tony Stewart 1572, -29
3) #2-Kurt Busch 1546, -55 [1 win]
4) #48-Jimmie Johnson 1465, -136 [1 win]
5) #11-Denny Hamlin 1445, -156
6) #31-Jeff Burton 1384, -217
7) #18-Kyle Busch 1380, -221 [3 wins]
8) #39-Ryan Newman 1363, -238
9) #16-Greg Biffle 1345, -256
10) #17-Matt Kenseth 1326, -275 [2 wins]
11) #5-Mark Martin 1316, -285 [2 wins]
12) #99-Carl Edwards 1271, -330
Contenders for the top-12/chase:
13) #33-Clint Bowyer 1264, 7 points out of 12th
14) #42-Juan Montoya 1255, -16
15) #00-David Reutimann 1232, -39
For drivers and owners points standings, see the Drivers/Owners Points Standings.(5-9-2009) - Race Fast Facts – Darlington Raceway
Mark Martin won the Southern 500, his 37th victory in 733 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his second victory and sixth top-10 finish in 2009.
This is his second victory and 26th top-10 finish in 43 races at Darlington Raceway.
Jimmie Johnson (second) posted his ninth top-10 finish in 11 races at Darlington Raceway. It is his seventh top-10 finish in 2009.
Tony Stewart (third) posted his ninth top-10 finish in 17 races at Darlington Raceway.
Joey Logano (ninth) was the highest finishing rookie.
Jeff Gordon leads the point standings by 29 points over Tony Stewart.(NASCAR Statistics)(5-9-2009) - Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Charlotte [Coke 600]:
No teams jumped into the top 35, #34-Raines and #7-Gordon increased their leads over 36th
34) #7-Gordon/Robby Gordon: 847, +120
35) #34-Raines/Earnhardt Ganassi: 831, 104 points ahead of 36th
these teams/ drivers must qualify by speed but are close to the top-35:
36) #82-Speed/Red Bull: 727, 104 points out of 35th
37) #71-Gilliland/TRG: 674, -157
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 Drivers/Owners Points Standings page.(5-9-2009) - Penalty Report – Darlington
Car#, Lap, Reason, Penalty
#48, Pre-Race, to the rear, Tail End, Back Up
#43, Pre-Race, to the rear, Tail End, Engine Change
#87, Pre-Race, to the rear, Tail End, Drivers Change to Scott Speed
#7, 23, Excessive speed EXITING the pits, Tail End
#99, 31, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#47, 31, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#07, 31, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#44, 32, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#7, 32, Pitting before pit road is open/Too Many Men over the wall, Tail End
#55, 76, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#11, 81, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#77, 120, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#11, 161, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#13, 161, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#7, 162, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#34, 163, Lug nut(s) not installed, Must Come In
#7, 186, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#6, 197, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#47, 197, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#7, 198, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#12, 199, Safety violation / Passing Safety vehicles at an unsafe speed, 1 Lap
#34, 199, Excessive speed EXITING the pits, Tail End
#07, 215, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#9, 216, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#7, 217, Too many crewmember(s) in contact with pit service area, Tail End
#9, 223, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#87, 223, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#88, 223, Outside half of the pit box tire violation/Team member not in contact with the outside tires, Tail End
#00, 250, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#87, 270, Excessive speed EXITING the pits, Tail End
#00, 277, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#44, 277, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#9, 277, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail End
#26, 279, Excessive speed EXITING the pits, Tail End
#31, 297, Lug nut(s) not installed, Must Come In
#00, 298, Excessive speed EXITING the pits, Tail End
(NASCAR Statistics)(5-9-2009) - Lucky Dogs – Who got a lap back on each caution at Darlington: (and their finish)
Caution 1: no driver down a lap
Caution 2: no driver down a lap that is on the track
Caution 3: #55-Waltrip, 40th DNF
Caution 4: #98-Menard, 15th
Caution 5: #48-Johnson, 2nd
Caution 6: #19-Sadler, 14th
Caution 7: #83-Vickers, 31st
Caution 8: #12-Stremme, 24th
Caution 9: #24-Gordon, 5th
Caution 10: #12-Stremme(2), 24th
Caution 11: #77-Hornish Jr., 30th
Caution 12: #11-Hamlin, 13th
Caution 13: #98-Menard(2), 15th
Caution 14: #31-Burton, 12th
Caution 15: #96-Labonte, 18th
Caution 16: #44-Allmendinger, 17th
Caution 17: #9-Kahne, 23rd
(5-9-2009) - Pit Stall Selections – Darlington: The selections for pit stalls of the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway have been made. Pole sitter #17-Kenseth chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters], while outside pole sitter #24-Gordon took pit stall 7, and first stall with an opening behind it. #7-Gordon, who starts 28th, chose the final pit stall. See the pit selection chart on the Darlington Pit Stall Selection chart.(5-9-2009)
- Did Not Finish Streak and stats: #33-Bowyer HAD been running at the finish in 83 consecutive races, which is a modern era record but fell ONE short of the all-time record. #14-Stewart and #19-Sadler have the longest current streak of finishing races at 34. #78-Regan Smith is at 47 but has not run all the races. The all-time record for the longest streak of NOT having an DNF is 84 races held by Herman Beam from April 30, 1961 thru March 10, 1963 [Beam didn’t run all the races, but didn’t DNF in 84 straight consecutive races that he ran]. Clint Bowyer holds the modern day (1972-present) at 83, next is Kevin Harvick at 81 and 58, then Jeff Gordon at 56 and Dale Earnhardt at 53.(5-9-2009)
- Top-5’s, Top-10’s: #24-Jeff Gordon leads all drivers after 11 races in 2009 with 6 Top-5 finishes, #14-Stewart and #48-Johnson are next with 5. #24-Gordon also has the most Top-10’s after 11 races with 8 as does #14-Stewart, followed by #48-Johnson with 7.
Three drivers have run all 11 races in 2009 and have not scored a top-10 finish: #12-Stremme, #98-Menard and #7-Gordon. Twelve drivers have not scored a Top-5 and ran all 11 races: #7-Gordon, #98-Menard, #12-Stremme, #07-Mears, #42-Montoya, #1-Truex Jr., #43-Sorenson, #55-Waltrip, #26-McMurray, #6-Ragan, #77-Hornish Jr., and #20-Logano.(5-9-2009) - Mayfield, others suspended after violating substance abuse policy: Jeremy Mayfield, driver of the #41 Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Tony Martin, a licensed crew member with the #34 team in the Sprint Cup Series and Ben Williams, a licensed crew member with the #16 team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, have been indefinitely suspended from NASCAR for violating the sanctioning body’s substance abuse policy. All three were found to have violated Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 7-5 (violation of the NASCAR substance abuse policy) of the 2009 NASCAR rule book.[was not alcohol due to SPEED](NASCAR PR)
AND NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield has been suspended indefinitely after failing a random drug test. The result stems from a test last weekend at Richmond International Raceway. NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter will not reveal what banned drug Mayfield used. Hunter said it was not an alcohol-related offense. Mayfield failed to qualify for Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race at Darlington Speedway. He is driving this season in a car he owns himself. Although he raced it into the season-opening Daytona 500, he has failed to qualify for six of the 11 other Sprint Cup events this season. Mayfield is the first driver suspended under NASCAR’s improved substance abuse policy, which went into effect this season.(Associated Press)(5-9-2009) - Speed to run #87 for Nemechek: Scott Speed will drive Nemco Motorsports’ #87 Toyota tonight in the Southern 500, a Red Bull Racing spokeswoman confirmed Saturday afternoon. Speed failed to qualify his #82 Toyota for the Sprint Cup race on Friday at Darlington after crashing in practice and going to a backup car. Red Bull worked out an arrangement with Nemco to have Speed replace driver Joe Nemechek. Speed already seemed to rebound well from not qualifying for the Sprint Cup race, as he finished 13th in the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 Nationwide Series race Friday night at Darlington. Speed is driving a part-time schedule for Michael Waltrip Racing in that series. By putting Speed in the car, which will keep its regular logos, Red Bull will get the rookie valuable experience and Speed will earn the driver points. Team owner Joe Nemechek will get to keep the owners points. Depending on the financial arrangement, Nemechek also likely got some money for his unsponsored team to continue to go to races.(SceneDaily)(5-9-2009)
- added a bunch of schemes from Darlington: #43 Valvoline Crew Chief Tribute, #11 Farm Bureau Insurance, #88 Mountain Dew, #99 Aflac ‘Up’ the movie, #44 Best Buy, #7 Quaker Stater
- Gordon to have treatment on his back: #24-Jeff Gordon said that he will have some treatment on his back on May 18, two days after the all-star race. Here’s what he said about his back and how it’s impacted him.
“(The treatment) is nothing invasive. it’s just some injections that are going to do deal with the pain. They say it’s sort of like an arthritis and it’s excessive because of some of the trauma that my back has gone through, maybe through some wrecks or something. So that’s what we’re going to do. That’s the plan.”
Q: What is the back pain you’ve been feeling?
GORDON: “I can’t stand up for long periods of time. I can’t sit. It’s not like an excruciating pain. People have disc problems. I’m not one of those people. Mine is more nerves and muscular that when I’m in the car and really pulling Gs and using the steering wheel a lot and using the brake pedal a lot, it just really aggrevates the muscle. There are a couple of tracks, like Martinsville and Bristol that have been really tough. I was actually pretty good last week. So far it’s been good here this week. It’s there but the things that I’m doing, the training, the massage, the stretching, those things right now are starting to pay off for me and right now I’m not having as much issues as I had at Bristol.
Q: With your treatment is this still something you’re going to have to live with for the rest of your life or will the treatment eliminate it?
GORDON: “They say sometimes it eliminates it and sometimes it lasts six months. Everybody is different, so I won’t really know.
Q: How long have you been feeling this pain?
GORDON: “I think I ignored it over the last couple of years. It’s been building and getting worse. Last year, it really started aggravating me and I just didn’t get on it soon enough. I tried differnet things but they just weren’t working. It needed a whole routine, a whole different lifestyle for me. So I started to go to work on that over the offseason because I felt it was affecting me in the car late in the season and I didn’t want to have any excuses, so I went to work on it. I was surprised over the offseason not doing any driving how bad it was just starting the season off at Daytona. That’s when I really knew that I’ve got to get something done.”(Virginia Pilot)(5-9-2009) - Changes coming for Daytona/Talladega? NASCAR officials, in response to #99-Carl Edwards’ flip at Daytona, are now studying that slight aerodynamic rear spoiler [wing] change suggested by Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, according to one top Sprint Cup team manager privy to the technical debate. In fact that change might have been tested at Daytona within the past few days, during the 10-team Goodyear tire test for the tour’s next restrictor plate race, at Daytona July 4th. Despite the high publicity surrounding the Talladega issue, crews here [Darlington] this week have so far been reluctant to discuss any possible NASCAR changes at the tour’s two restrictor plate tracks. Goodyear officials said the Daytona tire testing was to improve stability in the draft.(mikemulhern.net)(5-9-2009)
- Bill Elliott to attempt to topple NASCAR speed record: The current NASCAR top speed record sits at 212.089 and was set by Bill Elliot at Talladega Superspeedway in a 1987 Ford Thunderbird. Brent Hajek apparently figures it’s about time that 22-year-old record is topped. Next Wednesday, May 13th, Hajek will once again put Bill Elliot behind the wheel of a Ford at the famed Talladega oval in Alabama, only this time, the vehicle in question will be a Mustang FR500C modified to run on E85. This particular Mustang Cobra Jet has already managed to clock a 252 mile per hour top speed at the Salt Flats in Bonneville. On Wednesday, May 13, Hajek Motorsports will embark on its next challenge, with technical support from Ford Racing, when they attempt to break the 22-year-old NASCAR speed record held by Bill Elliott. Elliott himself will pilot Hajek’s E-85 Mustang FR500C, which has been reconfigured to NASCAR specs, at Talladega in an attempt to break his 212.089 mph qualifying lap from 1987 at the same track. FIA officials will be on site to verify the attempt and to validate the record. The Hajek Motorsports E-85 Mustang is currently at Bill Elliott’s race shop in Dawsonville, Georgia, going through final preparations. Early next week, the team will scrub tires and do initial testing, in anticipation of breaking the record on Wednesday afternoon.( autobloggreen.com)(5-9-2009)
- Montoya to Sport Helmet Design in Support of Target House: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates driver #42-Juan Pablo Montoya through the Target partnership will sport a new helmet design this weekend at Darlington Raceway in support of Target House’s 10th Anniversary. Funded by Target and its vendor and celebrity partners, Target House is a unique long-term housing facility, a home away from home, for families with children receiving lifesaving treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Montoya had the opportunity to select a helmet designed by St. Jude patients who reside at Target House. Montoya: “I couldn’t be more honored to have a paint scheme that represents both Target House and St. Jude. This will definitely add to the race this weekend because it pushes you that much harder when you’re driving for these children, and a special cause such as this.”(EGR PR)(5-9-2009)
- Goodyear tests at Daytona: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company continued its summer testing program with a visit to Daytona International Speedway this past week. The tire manufacturer was at the famed speedway with 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup teams on Monday and Tuesday, testing several tire combinations that will help the cars drive with more stability while jockeying around in the draft. Participating in this week’s two-day tests were Chrevrolet drivers Aric Almirola. Mark Martin and Clint Bowyer; Dodge driver A.J. Allmendinger and Sam Hornish; Ford drivers Jamie McMurray and Paul Menard; and Toyota drivers Marcos Ambrose, Joey Logano and Scott Speed. “We tested at Daytona this week because we’re continually trying to improve the tire package there,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s Director of Race Tire Sales. “Even though its a superspeedway of two-and-a-half miles, it requires a good handling package. Now that we have more of a history with the COT at Daytona, we felt like we could give the drivers some more grip and enhance the cars’ stability in the multi-car packs. The test went very well, and we accomplished a lot over the two days. The teams worked through all the tire combinations we brought, and I believe we’ve got some good options to review in determining the final tire set-up for July.” Goodyear will finalize it’s tire recommendation this coming week for Daytona’s Coke Zero 400 scheduled for July 3-4.(Goodyear PR)(5-9-2009)
- Smith calls on former track owners to drop lawsuit: The owner of Kentucky Motor Speedway called on the track’s founding group to drop the antitrust lawsuit that’s preventing him from adding the facility to next year’s Sprint Cup Series schedule. “They have a moral obligation to their state to get out of the way,” Bruton Smith said Friday. “NASCAR understands that I will bring them an event from another speedway, but these people need to get out of the way. They have an obligation to Kentucky to do that.” Speedway Motorsports Inc. recently asked NASCAR to consider Kentucky for the 2010 Cup schedule, but the sanctioning body will not consider any proposals until the former owners drop their antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and International Speedway Corp., its sister company. The 2005 suit stemmed from the group’s unsuccessful bid to bring a coveted Cup race to Kentucky. The suit was dismissed in early 2008, but the case is on appeal. Smith traveled to the Kentucky Derby last weekend to urge the group to drop the appeal, but said “nothing much was accomplished” because there are two staunch holdouts. Smith identified the two holdouts as Richard Duchossios and Richard Farmer, two of the five listed principals in the original ownership group. Duchossios is the chairman at Arlington Park, a horse racing track near Chicago, while Farmer is the chairman of Cintas Corp. Because the original ownership group sold the Sparta track to Smith last year for $78.3 million, it stands to gain nothing if the track finally does get on the Cup schedule. The group spent $152 million to build the facility, which opened in 2000 and hosts an annual second-tier NASCAR Nationwide Series event. At seating for 68,000 fans, it’s currently the largest venue that hosts a Nationwide race but doesn’t have a Cup date. Smith said he has roughly two to three weeks to resolve the lawsuit conflict and give NASCAR a 2010 proposal for Kentucky. NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said earlier this week the sanctioning body has an approaching deadline in mind for beginning next year’s scheduling process.(Associated Press)(5-9-2009)
- Nationwide crew member suspended: UPDATE: Jeremy Mayfield, driver of the #41 car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Tony Martin, a licensed crew member with the #34 team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Ben Williams, a licensed crew member with the #16 team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, have been indefinitely suspended from NASCAR for violating the sanctioning body’s substance abuse policy. All three were found to have violated Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 7-5 (violation of the NASCAR substance abuse policy) of the 2009 NASCAR rule book.(NASCAR PR)(5-9-2009)
UPDATE: Roush Fenway Racing says Ben Williams, who was suspended by NASCAR last week for violating its substance-abuse policy, has resigned and is no longer with the team. Williams served as gas man on Roush Fenway’s #16 NASCAR Nationwide Series team, but a team spokesperson said he has resigned. The team had no other comment.(Scene Daily)(5-11-2009) - Carpentier hoping for more races: Patrick Carpentier was back in a NASCAR stock car this weekend, and he hopes he can return for some more races. Carpentier was a last-minute replacement for David Green in SK Motorsports’ #07 Nationwide Series Toyota at Darlington Raceway, making his first start of 2009. He does have at least one more race scheduled, at Montreal for Michael Waltrip Racing. Carpentier said he’s talking to some other Nationwide teams, including the first-year SK Motorsports team. “We’re talking, we’re pushing. And we’re talking to a couple more teams also,” he said. “We’ll see, but just being here and being in a car – finally – always helps.”(Scene Daily)(5-9-2009)
- Busch, Ard meet in Darlington: Kyle Busch got to visit with a fellow Nationwide Series record holder Saturday at Darlington Raceway. And Jo Ard finally got to tell the NASCAR star how much he’s meant to her husband of 48 years, former Natiowide driver Sam Ard. “Thank you so much,” Jo said, hugging Busch when the Ards met him by his motorhome before the Southern 500. After Busch tied Ard’s 1983 series mark with 10 victories in a season last November, the 24-year-old Sprint Cup driver donated $100,000 to help the struggling Ard and his family. The 69-year-old Ard has Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. He sat quietly in his wheelchair for most of the 15-minute visit.(Associated Press)(5-9-2009)
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