May 10, 2015
- Mears hopes to return to Germain Racing next year: Casey Mears’ status is uncertain for next season. While the 37-year-old driver of the #13 Geico Chevrolet remains optimistic, Mears expected to have his next contract signed by now. “Honestly, I really don’t know yet,” Mears told motorsport.com on Friday. “We’ve had a lot more speed this year. Obviously, our stuff has gotten better. As far as I know, everything is really positive. We haven’t really dove into those conversations yet. All indications are that we’re moving forward into next year. But some point, we need to have that conversation for sure. I’m surprised that it took so long for someone to mention it because in this day and age, everything happens so early. Definitely, we need to start having conversations and find out when that’s going to be.” Mears has piloted the No. 13 Geico Sprint Cup car for Germain Racing since the Bristol August race in 2010. The team changed manufacturers before last season from Ford to Chevy – along with a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing. While there were rumors that Ty Dillon could end up with the ride next season, it’s more likely that Richard Childress’ grandson would drive the #33 Chevy with support from Bass Pro Shops. Germain Racing declined comment on Mears’ status.(Motorsport)(5-10-2015)
- Hamlin questions NASCAR’s delay in throwing caution: Joe Gibbs Racing’s #11-Denny Hamlin had a rough couple of laps late in Saturday night’s SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas Speedway. Hamlin was caught in the middle of a four-wide battle off Turn 2 and was pinched between #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Sam Hornish Jr. Contact with the left rear of Hornish’s #9 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford cut Hamlin’s right front tire and caused him to slow dramatically on the track. With cars racing at full speed under him, Hamlin was unable to make it to pit road initially and had to limp his #11 JGR Toyota around for another lap before hitting pit road for four fresh tires. Once back on track, Hamlin saw his night get worse on Lap 207 when he cut a tire off Turn 4 and slid down the frontstretch before hitting the outside wall. While Hamlin was able to drive his car to the garage, he was not too pleased with NASCAR’s timing on the caution flag. “There was no caution there (on the first incident) and then we cut a left rear, blew it off of turn four and spun out, hit the wall at the start finish line. I keep spinning out, I keep hitting the wall and I can’t figure out why everyone is still coming at 200 (miles per hour) and I look and the green light is still on,” Hamlin said of NASCAR while standing in the Sprint Cup garage. “They didn’t throw a caution until seven seconds after I wrecked. Luckily nobody hit us. They’ll continue to monitor the situation, I’m guessing is what they’ll say.” Last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, Hamlin’s JGR teammates #19-Carl Edwards and #20-Matt Kenseth both questioned NASCAR’s decision not to throw a caution flag when Edwards wrecked on the final lap of the race.(FoxSports)(5-10-2015)
- Baldwin happy to be back as crew chief: Career back-pedaling appeared to agree with Tommy Baldwin Jr. on Saturday afternoon. Sitting on a director’s chair behind his Tommy Baldwin Racing hauler in the infield of Kansas Speedway, Baldwin smiled and even laughed as he talked about his return to the role of crew chief for the evening’s SpongeBob SquarePants 400. “It feels good,” Baldwin said. “Obviously there are a lot of things going on (within his Sprint Cup team) but I’m really enjoying being back to calling the shots” from the top of the pit box. Baldwin spent a hefty chunk of his racing career on pit boxes. In 2009, Baldwin launched Tommy Baldwin Racing. The team, underfunded by today’s standards, has had mixed results over the years but true racers push on and Baldwin is a true racer. Earlier this week, Baldwin lost his crew chief, Kevin “Bono” Manion, who moved to Richard Petty Motorsports to become crew chief for Sam Hornish Jr. Rather than rush out and try to find another veteran crew chief to call the shots for driver #7-Alex Bowman in the SpongeBob SquarePants 400, Baldwin opted to use a veteran crew chief who was already on the payroll; himself. “Like riding a bike,” he said of re-mounting the pit box stairs.(NASCAR Wire Service)(5-10-2015)
- Coca-Cola 600 Salute to the Troops Pre-Race Festivities: As part of the biggest Memorial Day Weekend celebration on the planet, Charlotte Motor Speedway will honor Taya Kyle with the coveted Stonewall Jackson Award and will welcome Gen. Mark Milley to offer the State of Freedom address during the Coca-Cola 600 pre-race Salute to the Troops on Sunday, May 24. Given annually since 1992, the Stonewall Jackson Award recognizes recipients who have demonstrated, by example, the highest standards of patriotism through personal support of the military and/or by personal service to sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty. Kyle is the widow of the legendary U.S. Navy SEAL and author of the bestsellers American Sniper and American Gun, Chris Kyle, whose story of service and sacrifice was told in Clint Eastwood’s critically acclaimed blockbuster film American Sniper.
Milley, a decorated veteran with more than three decades of service in the U.S. Army, will offer a moving State of Freedom speech as part of the Coca-Cola 600 pre-race Salute to the Troops. A 1980 graduate of Princeton University, Milley has served in the 82nd Airborne Division and the 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; the 7th Infantry Division at Fort Ord, California; the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York; the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea; the Joint Readiness Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana; the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; and the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.(CMS)(5-10-2015) - Johnson wins at Kansas: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the SpongeBob SquarePants 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway for his 3rd win of the season, 3rd win at Kansas and his 73rd career win. It is also his 200th top-5 and 300th top-10 career finish.
#4-Harvick finished 2nd followed by #88-Earnhardt, Jr., #24-Gordon, #22-Logano, #20-Kenseth, #2-Keselowski, #41-Busch, #78-Truex, Jr., and #31-Newman.
#18-Erik Jones, running his first full Sprint Cup race, ran near the front for much of the race, but spun out and hit the wall with 73 laps to go. He finished 40th.
Rain fell at the track on lap 98, causing a 2 hour and 16 minute red flag.
Harvick maintains the points lead with 437, 46 points over Truex, Jr. Johnson has the Chase lead, with 3 wins to Harvick’s 2.
There were 16 lead changes among 10 drivers. There were 9 cautions for 49 yellow flag laps.
The average speed was 125.265mph.
See unofficial race results, awards, money won, laps led, cautions and more on the Unofficial Race Results page (pdf) and check out the Penalty Report (pdf) and Lap Summary Report (pdf).
(5-10-2015) - Race Fast Facts – Kansas:
Jimmie Johnson won the 5th Annual SpongeBob SquarePants 400, his 73rd victory in 482 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his third victory and eighth top-10 finish in 2015.
This is his third victory and 15th top-10 finish in 18 races at Kansas Speedway.
Kevin Harvick (second) posted his ninth top-10 finish in 19 races at Kansas Speedway. It is his 10th top-10 finish in 2015.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (third) posted his ninth top-10 finish in 18 races at Kansas Speedway.
Matt DiBenedetto (25th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Kevin Harvick leads the point standings by 46 points over Martin Truex Jr.
(NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(5-10-2015) - 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup CHASE Standings:
[after Kansas, race 11 of 36]
(by wins, then by points standings)
1) #48-Jimmie Johnson [3 wins], 389, -48 (3rd in driver points)
2) #4-Kevin Harvick [2 wins], 437 (1st in driver points)
3) #22-Joey Logano [1 win], 375, -62 (4th)
4) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [1 win], 360, -77 (5th)
5) #2-Brad Keselowski [1 win], 343, -94 (6th)
6) #20-Matt Kenseth [1 win], 331, -106 (7th)
7) #41-Kurt Busch [1 win], 292, -145 (14th)
8) #11-Denny Hamlin [1 win], 284, -153 (15th)
9) #78-Martin Truex Jr., 391, -46 (2nd in drivers pts)
10) #1-Jamie McMurray, 328, -109 (8th)
11) #24-Jeff Gordon, 317, -120 (9th)
12) #5-Kasey Kahne, 313, -124 (10th)
13) #43-Aric Almirola, 312, -125 (11th)
14) #27-Paul Menard, 306, -131 (12th)
15) #31-Ryan Newman, 305, -132 (13th)
16) #15-Clint Bowyer, 272, -165 (16th)
(ties are broken by wins, 2nds, 3rds, etc)
See the Unofficial Drivers Points Standings page (pdf) and Unofficial Owners Points Standings page (pdf).
(5-10-2015)
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