Granny Grump

So I will give a short run down here on the racin’ events, but, there are other pressin’ matters to discuss to my way of thinkin’.

First off, the Truck race went off without a hitch on Friday. 4 wheels Now Carmichael started on the pole. Good for him I say! Bowyer was drivin’ for Happy Man this time and he started 2nd followed by Buescher, Kligerman and Flyin’ Ryan as the top 5. For those who want to know Handsome Hornaday started 17th, WOG started 8th and Rock’em Sock’em started 12th. The rest you can look up. So, Duck and I stood up and cheered and quacked as the green flag waved!

Bowyer really was the class of the field leadin’ 97 of the 130 laps. But we all know that best durin’ a race isn’t always the best at the end. Sometimes it takes a driver with a lot of experience and caginess to pull off what seems to be the impossible and that is exactly what happened. But let me back up for a spell and tell ya that It was an excitin’ race. Yessirree! Rock’em Sock’em entered this race as the points leader but had one problem after another. He wound up finishin’ 29th, 22 laps down and lost the points lead to Buescher. Handsome Hornaday planned ahead and conserved fuel from the get go and with a well planned pit strategy which gave him the edge he needed at the end, he won the race even with a damaged truck. Amazin’ and good for him I say! Yessirree that man knows his drivin’ and it was just wonderful to see him in Victory Lane again. This was owner Happy Man’s 4th win in a row with the 3 previous races bein’ his own wins as the driver. So good for him I say, too! Since Duck’s idol wasn’t runnin’ this race he was cheerin’ for Ron right along with me. Bowyer finished 2nd followed by Rowdy Boy, Blake Feese (we hadn’t seen that boy run in quite some time so good for him I say!), and Flyin’ Ryan. For those who want to know WOG finished 6th. You can read all about the race pert near anywhere so if ya want to know more you can look it up.

Next up was the Nationwide race on Saturday. This race was 195 laps. Yessirree Duck and I were excited. Flippin’ Carl was competin’ in this here event and started on the pole followed by Good Bad Brad, Rowdy Boy, Ryan Truex and Stenhouse, Jr. For those who want to know Happy Man started 8th , Kutie Kasey started 7th and Curly Sadler started 9th. The rest you can look up.

So of course with Flippin’ Carl leadin’ the pack we cheered and quacked real loud like as the green flag flew. Flippin’ Carl was amazin’, but after the first caution and pit stops he had to go back in cause he left the pit stall draggin’ the air hose and gun. Duck was fit to be tied, I can tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Course he restarted back in the field but after several different leaders he was back in the lead by lap 94. It was back and forth for various leaders but in the end Flippin’ Carl won. Good for him I say! Why Duck was so doggone happy he took to quackin’ and jumped up on the crates and tried to do a flip like his idol. He didn’t make it and hit his cute little duck head on the corner of the crate. Oh that scared me right out of my socks, let me tell ya that one big somethin’ right now. Duck was a bit dazed but quickly recovered thank our good and gracious LORD. After the Victory Lane speech I chewed Duck up one side and down the other. Crazy fool Duck! Why that best not happen ever again! Anyway Rowdy Boy finished 2nd followed by Stenhouse, Jr, Happy Man and Kutie Kahne. Good for all of them I say! Stenhouse, Jr is now the points leader by 15 over Curly Sadler. The rest you can look up.

Next up was the Cup race which was supposed to be run on Sunday but all that rain and storms that had caused so much sufferin’ and destruction out that way made it to Atlanta and after tryin’ and waitin’ hours to get that race underway they called it and rescheduled the race for Tuesday so everyone could enjoy the Monday holiday. Good for the Daytona powers that be but so sad for the race fans who couldn’t stick around til then.

Anyway the skies did look a little forbodin’ as the race got underway. In fact the tack had to be dried to get the race started. Kasey Kahne landed the pole with Bowyer, Rowdy Boy, Vickers and Jeffie roundin’ out the top 5. For those who want to know Robo started 6th, Flippin’ Carl started 7th, JR started 29th and same champ Jimmie started 17th. The rest you can look up. So as the the green flag waved Duck and I quacked and cheered bein’ so glad the race was finally underway for 325 laps of excitement. Yessirree we had ourselves a race goin’ on!. Oh the jostlin’ that was goin’ on for 1st place. We had Kahne, Rowdy Boy, Bowyer, Vickers and by lap 47 Jeffie took the lead. Flippin’ Carl faded some much to Duck’s dismay but he was still excited over Saturday’s win for his idol. Oh he had the lead at one point but it didn’t last. Followin’ pit stops others lead but Jeffie was the one to beat. Yessirre and after 9 cautions and a red flag for rain Jeffie beat same champ Jimmie after an amazin’ fight to keep the lead. Why it was as excitin’ as it gets let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Same champ just couldn’t get it done. Even Duck was quackin’ up a storm for Jeff. I was right proud of him! That win made Jeffie’s 85th career win and his 3rd this season. Good for him I say! Jimmie finished a hard fought 2nd followed by Smoke, Big Brother Busch and Flippin’ Carl. For those who want to know JR finished 19th and the rest you can look up includin’ the points standin’s which got interestin’..

Next up, the Trucks have an off weekend and the Nationwide and Cup drivers head to Richmond. That’s gonna be fun with a BIG Ol’ F! Yessirree.

Now I know this here race report isn’t as thorough as usual but I feel I need to take some space here regardin’ the 10th anniversary of 911 on Friday, the worst attack on our beloved country’s soil. All over the country people will be rememberin’ those who lost their lives on that horrible day and those who fought to save lives. Nearly 3000 people it was that died between the 3 crash sites! And then I read where that Bozo Bloomberg didn’t invite the fire fighters and first responders to the ceremony cause there was no room for ‘em. What in blazes has that man been drinkin’ for heavens sakes? What? That has got to be the biggest slap to the faces of New York’s finest! I read that 72 first responders died that day and so many more are comin’ down with serious and life threatenin’ diseases regularly. Forgive my language but that’s a hell of a way to show appreciation and respect. They weren’t invited to go to the Twin Towers that day either but what would have happened if they hadn’t? Oh my good and gracious LORD I shutter to think about it. I’m as mad as a dry duck to hear all this ridiculous nonsense. Why I can’t believe that mayor’s ridiculous way of thinkin’. Anyway, I know everyone else has more respect for those heroes than that Bozo! He may be in a position of authority but he is a small, small man in my eyes. Duck agrees with me. What do you think?.

There have been reports of potential attacks in this country on that day. God forbid that city needin’ more help on that day from those who have been slighted and disrespected, but they would be there if needed and I bet there would be room for them then. I’m just real upset by all this. How about you?

Stay safe and well loyal readers and other folks. Email, comment or don’t. You know the rest. Granny Grump over and out.

Toyota Motorsports Logo

RAIN DELAY REPLAY:

CAMRY CHASE CHANCES: With just one race remaining before the cutoff for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship playoff, two Camry drivers look to be in a good position to make the Chase field following Atlanta. Busch is locked into the Chase field and currently sits second in the point standings, trailing current leader and five-time champion Jimmie Johnson by 21 points. Hamlin’s eighth-place finish at Atlanta moved him up one spot into 12th-place in the standings and he is 42 points out of the 10th and final Chase spot via points. However, the 30-year-old Chesterfield, Va. native has recorded one win (at Michigan in June) this year and currently holds the second ‘wild card’ spot heading into the deciding race at Richmond.

ANALYZING ATLANTA: The NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) also competed at Atlanta Motor Speedway last weekend. Busch was the highest finishing Toyota driver in both races with a second-place result in the NNS event and a third-place finish in the NCWTS race. Camry drivers Ryan Truex (11th), Brian Scott (12th) and Steve Wallace (13th) also earned top-15 finishes in Saturday night’s NNS event. Tundra drivers Todd Bodine (ninth) and Max Papis (14th) finished in the top-15 in Friday’s NCWTS race.

VIRGINIA VICTORIES: Camry drivers have earned five straight NSCS wins at Richmond International Raceway. Busch has three victories with wins in the spring races in 2009, 2010 and 2011. The 26-year-old Las Vegas native most recently led four times for 235 laps (of 400) in April and was followed to the finish line by fellow Camry drivers Hamlin and Kasey Kahne to give Toyota its first one-two-three finish since joining series competition in 2007. Chesterfield, Va. native Hamlin earned the other two wins in the fall races in 2009 and 2010. The Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammates have combined to pace the field for 1,250 of a possible 2,000 circuits in Sprint Cup Series action, leading more than 60 percent of the laps in the last five races at the three-quarter-mile short track.

HOMETOWN TIES: Curtis Markham returns to his birthplace of Richmond, Va., as the spotter for Hamlin and the No. 11 FedEx Camry. Markham, who calls Fredericksburg, Va., his home, is responsible for the partnership between Richmond- native Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing. When JGR planned a program to help minority drivers get involved in NASCAR, it was Markham who was sent to a Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina where he discovered Hamlin test driving and preparing vehicles for the program with record-setting times. Markham, who has competed in all three NASCAR premier series, immediately contacted his bosses at JGR and within days Hamlin was signed to a developmental contract with the organization in 2004.

RICHMOND REWIND: The NNS will be in action Friday night at Richmond International Raceway, where Camry drivers have registered three NNS race wins. Hamlin most recently won the spring race earlier this year at his home track and also finished first in a Camry in the spring 2008 race. Busch crossed the finish line first in the spring 2009 race at the Virginia short track.

NOTES, QUOTES & NUMBERS

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS): Since the start of the 2011 season, Toyota drivers have combined for five victories, 29 top-five results, 55 top-10 finishes and have led 2,063 laps … After 25 races, Kyle Busch is currently second in the series point standings and Denny Hamlin sits in 12th-place … Martin Truex Jr. (16th), Kasey Kahne (17th) and Joey Logano (18th) are also in the top-20 in points … Hamlin (May 2008), Brian Vickers (May 2009) and Busch (April 2010) have earned NSCS poles at Richmond … Brad Donaghy, a front tire carrier for the No. 18 Toyota, is a native of Orange County, Va., located 50 miles northwest of Richmond.

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

What do you like about racing at Richmond? “I enjoy going to Richmond. It’s been a fun place and a great place for me with results lately. For myself, the short track appeal to it — I think it relates to a lot of fans and relates to a lot of us drivers. It’s kind of where we come from — the Saturday night under the lights kind of local short track deal. Richmond is a tough little place though. You’ve got to have good brakes and have to get it slowed down, have to be able to roll the center really well and get the power down, especially off turn two as well as turn four. With the way the track kind of is laid out, it lends itself to some good racing. Being able to get a run off the top side when the top is good and keeping the momentum through the inside lane as well and not letting yourself get bogged down too much racing side-by-side with somebody.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Is there a better track than Richmond for you to race at next week? “No, not really. It seems like here lately with giving so much information to our teammate, he’s (Kyle Busch) been the guy we’ve had to kind of harness lately at that track. Regardless of whether we win or whether we run top-five or whatever, we know we’re going to go there and we’re going to be competitive. We feel like we will be. We always look at the schedule and luckily for us some of our best race tracks are the three to four that lead into the Chase. That part of it has been good. The negative part is that it seems like the first three races of the Chase are typically our worst race tracks. It’s kind of a double-edged sword. We’re never short of momentum when it comes to the Chase. It’s just when we get to those first three races that has been our struggle.”

Would a win at Richmond give your team momentum for the Chase? “I think so. You look at the years where we won Richmond — the last two years that we’ve won Richmond leading into the Chase — it’s been a huge momentum boost for us. It’s like that win came just in a time for us when we thought that we didn’t know if we were going to be going into the Chase with good momentum or bad and we up and win that race and the next thing we know, we run well in the Chase from that point forward. I think that Richmond is very important in that aspect and I know it’s worked very well for us as far as being a springboard for running well in the Chase.”

NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS): During the 2011 season, Toyota drivers have combined for nine wins, 29 top-five results, 68 top-10 finishes and have led 1,499 laps … Kenny Wallace (seventh) is the top Toyota driver in the NNS point standings … Steve Wallace (eighth), Brian Scott (ninth) and Michael Annett (10th) are also in the top-10… Ryan Truex will make his second start for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) in Richmond, following an 11th-place finish in his first start with the team last weekend at Atlanta … Camry drivers have earned two NNS poles at Richmond … Denny Hamlin won the pole in Sept. 2009 and Kyle Busch earned the pole position in April 2010 … Kevin Kidd, crew chief for the No. 11 Camry is from Tazewell, Va., and the No. 20 team’s shock specialist, Joel Wiedman, hails from Richmond.

RYAN TRUEX, No. 20 Schick Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How excited are you to be with Joe Gibbs Racing for six races this season? “It’s awesome. I’m having a lot of fun with it. It’s a really big opportunity for me to be with one of the best teams in the garage area in the Nationwide Series. I’m just trying to do all I can to go out there and be fast and hopefully impress some people and attract some sponsors.”

Are you looking forward to racing at Richmond? “I’m looking forward to Richmond. The 20 team won there last time they were there so that helps out with my confidence. I know they’ve got a good car and I think I can get around there alright so combine the two and hopefully we’ll have a good run.”

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS): Since the start of the 2011 NCWTS season, Tundra drivers have registered eight wins, 28 top-five results, 51 top-10 finishes and have led 809 laps … After 17 races, Timothy Peters (third) is the top Toyota driver in the NCWTS points standings and sits just 14 points behind leader James Buescher … Tundra drivers Todd Bodine (10th), Brendan Gaughan (13th) and Max Papis (15th) are also in the top-15 in the points … Richie Williams, jackman on the Germain Racing No. 9 Tundra, will be inducted into the Appalachian State Athletics Hall of Fame during this Saturday’s home football game … In his senior season as the starting quarterback on the Appalachian State football team, Williams led the team to their first ever NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship and a 12-3 record in 2005.

- Toyota Motorsports, Press Release

Jeff Gordon Holds of Hendrick Motorsports Teammate Jimmie Johnson to win the AdvoCare 550 and his 85th Series Career Victory - Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

Gordon, who qualified fifth, had the car to beat from the drop of the green flag, leading a race-high seven times for a total of 146 laps in the 325-lap/500.5-mile race. He sits fifth in the standings, firmly locked into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup (Chase).

Despite the delay from the original Sunday evening start to 11:00 a.m. this morning and then 25-minute red flag today for rain, plus numerous caution laps for dampness, Team Chevy drivers showed their strength and claimed the top-three finishing positions.

In a battle that had the fans on their feet for almost the final 40 laps of the race, five-time defending NSCS champion Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, came across the finish line just 0.598 seconds behind Gordon. With the runner-up finish, Johnson heads to Richmond International Raceway, the final race before the start of the Chase as the points leader with one victory to his credit thus far this year.

Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, completed the Team Chevy podium sweep after fighting back from some pit road issues that dropped him deep in the running order to finish third. The two-time NSCS champion is 10th in the standings.

Kevin Harvick, No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet, who was locked in the Chase heading into the Atlanta race, finished seventh to give Team Chevy four of the top-10 in the final order. Harvick is sixth in the points order with three wins this season.

Ryan Newman, No. 39 Army Reserve Chevrolet, is now officially locked into the 2011 Chase field. Newman was plagued with handling issues throughout the race and had to settle for a 20th place finish, but it was good enough to lock him in eighth in the standings.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 National Guard Military Intelligence/AMP Energy Chevrolet, continues ninth in the points order after finishing 19th in today’s race.

The Good Pistachios 400, race 26 of the season, will set the stage for the 2011 Chase on Saturday, September 10, 2011 at Richmond International Raceway.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

ADVOCARE 500

ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

SEPTEMBER 6, 2011

JEFF GORDON and ALAN GUSTAFSON (crew chief), NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET – RACE WINNER:

THE MODERATOR: We welcome at this time Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet. Winner of today’s AdvoCare 500. This is his 85th victory in 642 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, placing him solely in third place on the All Time Wins list, also his third victory of 2011 and fifth victory here at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Talk about the race today. I know you’re full of emotion and a little bit about the special presentation in Victory Lane as well.

JEFF GORDON: Yeah, everybody knows when Mike Helton speaks, he has a way with words. So to be up there, get presented that beautiful plaque that they put together with all the victories, just looking back on all the people that have contributed to it from Hendrick Motorsports, different crew chiefs and crew members and guys in the engine shop. I mean, it’s a team effort.

To win 85, you know, is unbelievable. And to do it here at Atlanta. I’m not sure really to kind of rank everything, because the significance of this win today, the timing of it, doing it here in Atlanta on such a tough racetrack, battling with Jimmie, the bonus points, the 85th win, the momentum that this team has got right now and the race cars we’re taking to the racetrack. Man, this is cool.

THE MODERATOR: Alan, from your perspective, obviously with this win and the finish here today, Jeff clinched a top 10 spot in The Chase. Your thoughts being with this team this year and being part of such memorable finishes and a memorable year for Jeff Gordon?

ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yes, this was one of the racetracks that we felt, like Jeff alluded to, we had a lot of momentum; but we felt like we struggled on the mile and a half high banked tracks, Texas and Charlotte. This is one of the tracks we felt like to be an elite team and contend to win the championship, we’ll have to do well on these style of racetracks.

So really pleased to do that. Had a really fast car. Jeff did a great job. And it was a lot of emotions today. There was times where I felt like, man, we were going to win the race and there was times where we were tenth, like it was going to ring out. So it was up and down and a long time coming. But a great day, nonetheless.

And Jeff alluded to it about the 85 wins, it’s awesome accomplishment for him. I think he’s super deserving of all the accolades he gets throughout his career, not only for a race car driver but for being a great person, and it’s a big deal for Hendrick Motorsports also to have Jeff solely in that third position. It’s a real great accomplishment for our company.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Jeff, how important do you think it was to sort of deliver a message to the 48 team that you guys are in championship form and we can beat you by holding them off here in those last few laps?

JEFF GORDON: I think everybody recognizes how strong they are, and that you can never count them out and those guys are running really strong right now as well. And I think the last couple of weeks we’ve been able to send a great message to all our competitors of how strong this team is, how good our race cars are.

I love the fact we go to at Bristol I felt we had a car that could win there. Then we come to a big mile and a half track like this and we do win.

Certainly a great battle between me and Jimmie. A lot of fun out there racing him. Man, I was sliding around. This track really, really freed up as it laid rubber down.

And I’m kind of glad we had that break, because it tightened up after that, and we needed that.

So had we needed to run and make one more run, I don’t know if we could have gotten it tight enough. But when you’ve got a five time champion and I have a lot of respect for Jimmie and that team and when we pulled out after that last stop and we pulled away from him, I was like I felt pretty good. Pretty comfortable. The car was driving perfect. And then all of a sudden, with about 15 to go, it started to really loosen up. And I was hoping to look up and see him loosening up as well.

If he was, he wasn’t showing it, because he was coming hard. And I made a few mistakes trying to search around and try to figure out if I could get my car to drive a little bit tighter. And I just had to go back to what I was doing. I had to get to the bottom in 3 and 4 and the top in 1 and 2. So that kind of maintained a little bit, but he was a little bit better than me at 1 and 2. And he had a couple runs at me.

And I think when he got underneath me and didn’t complete the pass, to me that’s what allowed me to go, okay, we still are going to win this race. I just can’t make mistakes.

So I know that it was a great message. But I think that we’re having a lot of fun right now. The race cars are awesome. And we’ve got a lot of momentum. So we can’t wait to get to next week, Richmond, as well as get this Chase started.

Q. Jeff, you alluded to this just now. But just if we can backtrack a little bit. Just when did you think you pretty much had this thing in the bag when, as you said, he couldn’t quite get by you, at what point? Because there was about 10 laps or so it was very much of a dogfight?

JEFF GORDON: Listen, my emotions I can’t imagine what these guys were going through on pit road, but mine were going up and down. I made a comment about, man, we’re done, the thing’s just got too loose. Alan was encouraging me: We can get it done. My spotter, Jeff Dickerson, did a great job as well. So Jimmie got underneath me off of 2. It was probably like five or six to go.

And I kind of cleared him. Then we got into 3 and he got right up on me got real loose and got underneath me. But when he didn’t complete the pass, you know, gave me a little bit of hope. But I didn’t I mean, it was a nail-biter all the way to the end. He got real loose off of 4 coming to take the white. And I think that was the turning point. I really do. I think had he gotten underneath me off of 2, I was getting so loose over there, and if he could have got to the bottom into 3, I don’t know if I could have held him off, off of 4. It would have been a great battle either way. But he got real loose off of 2.

When that happened, it gave me a little bit breathing room where I could go down to the 3 and drive the car straight and not push the issue and not get the car real sideways. Every time I stood in the gas off of 2 the car would step out and lose momentum. That’s where he was gaining on me. I was able to drive it straight when he got loose off of 4.

Q. Today we heard stuff about tires lasting, but also wearing out. Tony talked about the character of the track, touching it, repave it. We saw side by side racing at the end by you and Jimmie. What were the ingredients you think that added up to what turned out to be a really good race from start to finish?

JEFF GORDON: I mean, I think that any racetrack that we go to that has a pavement that is of this consistency, that has worn, has aged, that is abrasive like this, and as long as Goodyear can find a tire that can hold up in these kinds of conditions, then this is the ultimate track and ultimate place.

When you’ve got a track that cars are running on the bottom, the middle, the top, both ends of the racetrack, you know, and the drop off in speed from the beginning to the end of the run, that to me is what you want to see in a racetrack.

So I think that if you look at Kansas and Chicago and these tracks that now have some age on them, those are the best tracks that we go to. They’re finding a little bit better ways doing the progressive banking on new paves. But I think all of us prefer these older surfaces.

We understand that they’ve got to stay together, the foundation and everything. These start seeing the seams and the cracks. Obviously it’s tough to hold these high banked tracks together like this. Sometimes they have to do what they have to do like Phoenix did. But for all of us as competitors we prefer to keep it like this.

Q. Jeff, do you recall how long it’s been since you won a race in a car that was that loose and might that be a little part of the rejuvenation you feel that you were talking about on TV a while ago?

JEFF GORDON: Well, the car wasn’t loose the whole run. It was just loose there at the end. And that’s why Jimmie caught us, just because we got too loose. But I gotta say that right now the rejuvenation is going to the racetrack and having race cars that are driving as good as the ones that I’m driving.

To me, it’s not about being loose or tight it’s about having a fast race car that you can lean on it. You can maneuver around the track. You can pass with. You know, and you can adjust.

When I can give information to Alan that we’re not panicking, we’re not way off, he can make those great adjustments that keep us in the game and keep us improving as the race goes on.

So I credit Alan and his group. These guys have been just unbelievable this year in how they listen to the comments that I say, the belief that they have in me, and now the confidence that I have in them in what they’re bringing to the racetrack.

Q. And also, just again specifically talking about those last 10 or 12 laps, but I asked Jimmie if he was surprised or disappointed to lose a duel of loose race cars considering he’s so notorious for that. And he said, well, I know what his setup is and it was a ton tighter than mine. The last 10 or 12 laps, were you as loose as he was from what you could see?

JEFF GORDON: Well, I mean, I think his car would just roll the middle a little bit better. So he could kind of roll into the corner and keep the momentum. But he was pretty loose off as well.

My car was a little bit tighter through the center. But it was as loose up off the corner, for sure. But I think that at the end there, as hard as we were all pushing, you know, I think that we had about the same amount of grip.

Q. Alan, you mentioned that you said you guys felt like you had struggled on the mile and a halfs. After today’s run, do you feel like you guys have solved your problems on the mile and a halfs are is there still a lot of work to be done?

ALAN GUSTAFSON: I don’t think you ever solve your problems. I think we’ve improved a lot. Obviously our performance today shows that. And we tried some different directions and I feel like that we’re getting some good validation on the things we’re trying. And so we can understand how to take that a step further and improve.

So this gives us it’s very encouraging for Charlotte and Texas. Two very similar racetracks, even though they’re not near as rough. But we feel like we’ve learned some pretty good stuff today. And we’re excited about bringing that stuff back to these other racetracks and being able to perform this well at Charlotte and Texas.

Q. Jeff, I’m sure if you’ve been around Bobby Allison very much lately. He claims 85 wins as well. A lot of historians agree with him. I’m just wondering what you consider on that issue?

JEFF GORDON: You know, that’s what’s encouraging to try to get to 86. As far as I’m concerned I’m probably still tied with Bobby. And as long as it’s in Bobby’s head that we are tied, then that’s still a great thing.

So it’s to be debated for sure. I started getting a little bit more of the story last week at Bristol from his brother and talking about how I guess there was Grand National cars against Cup cars or whatever it was back then. And so it’s interesting when you hear the story and the debate of why they feel like they’re at 85. But listen I’m just thrilled to be at 85 in the company that I’m with. Bobby and Darryl, and you look at being behind David and Richard, it’s something very significant. Something I’m very proud of. And with the kind of racing that we have right now, though, I gotta say I think we can get free and clear of Bobby, if we have a few more things go our way.

Q. (Off microphone).

JEFF GORDON: The way things are going, the way the team has rejuvenated me and the confidence they have in me and the confidence I have in what I’m doing now, anything is possible when you’ve got this guy as a crew chief.

Q. Where do those final 20 laps rank in your own personal memory?

JEFF GORDON: It’s going to rank way up there because we won. You gotta understand from where I was sitting it was very frustrating and intense. I mean, I felt like I was swatting flies inside there. I was so loose. And I was just trying to squeeze the throttle down to get a little bit of an edge, and when I did that, the whole back end would slide out.

One time I brushed the wall off at 2. You know, I really to me it’s going to stand out in your mind as a great one and a great battle, because of the victory.

And certainly when you’re battling with a guy as talented as Jimmie is and that team as good as they are, definitely it’s going to be one that’s going to be significant. And I gotta say, I mean, that’s the kind of race team we have right now. We’ve not been able to do battle with those guys like we have been able to this year. Especially the last several weeks. And that’s what’s got me extremely excited.

It’s not just them, it’s the 17, the 99, a lot of guys that I think we’re going to have to do battle with in this championship when it starts. That just feels awesome.

Q. I remember in Vegas last December somebody mentioned you hadn’t won a championship in a while. You kind of joked about it a little bit. But you talk about the rejuvenation process. Did any of that start a little bit in the off season get you forward thinking, you’re going to hit 40, a lot of milestones coming up, 10 years since you won a championship, were you thinking more, not that you’ll be less focused, but time to step it up a little bit this season, given some of the dynamics you’re working with?

JEFF GORDON: I’ve been trying to step it up for 10 years. I think that The Chase format is definitely more challenging. Those ten tracks are significant ones.

I feel like we’ve had good years, and even when I go back to what was it? ’07 when we battled with Jimmie and won races in The Chase and everything else but we still couldn’t get it done.

To me, it was more about how can I play a role as a driver and give the feedback to Alan and his group and get myself settled in with this team and make sure that I’m doing the job that I’m capable of doing and that I feel like they think that I’m capable of doing.

And so it’s been a new relationship. And there’s excitement that comes along with that and kind of you can sort of start over. And that felt really good in a way because I saw the excitement in the guy’s eyes in the shop when I walked in there the first couple of times.

Now to be able to build on that and show those results has only made us a stronger team. So it all comes down to it’s not about me just deciding one day I’m going to step it up or not step it up. It’s that I gotta do my job and they’ve gotta do their job and we’ve gotta come together and build chemistry and connect and just be on the same page when it comes to running races. And that’s what I love about this group, and Alan and these guys.

It kind of leads back to the earlier question, where it’s like driving a loose race car. It’s not about driving a loose race car, it’s about getting the car right for each driver. And Alan went from Mark Martin who does drive a very loose race car to me. And yet we’re still having results because they say what do you need, Jeff. And here’s what we think we need to do to allow you to do what you need to do.

And that to me is what makes up a great team. And they’ve been able to find the tools to do that for me.

Q. About this time 19 years ago you make your debut on the Sprint Cup Series here at Atlanta since then this racetrack has weaved itself in and out of your career as far as highlights. Can you talk about that? You clinched championships here and have this fantastic finish here today. You’ve won here five times. No. 85 here. Could you talk about how this racetrack has intertwined itself into some of the career highlights for you?

JEFF GORDON: I’ve always enjoyed this racetrack. To throw another one in there, my first Busch or Nationwide win came in here. That’s where Rick Hendrick recognized me and where we kind of connected.

And then running my first race here, winning some big races here, kind of clinching the championship or celebrating the championships here. So this place has always been a place I’ve enjoyed going to. Plus I just think it’s a great racetrack.

The surface and the slipping and the sliding around and having to run up against the wall in 1 and 2 and down at the bottom 3 and 4. And it’s a challenging racetrack. And it can be your best friend or your worst enemy. And it’s been a good track for me over the years for the performances as well as the memories.

Q. You talked about this rejuvenation. You talked a little bit about it before. But when you look at the stats, after 25 races last year, you had nine top 5s and 13 top 10s I mean, you had ten top 5s and 13 top 10s, nine top 5s, 13 top 10s this year. The difference obviously the three wins from this year to 0 from last year. But looking at the numbers, other than the wins, it’s almost the same. So what

JEFF GORDON: Are you looking at laps led?

Q. Obviously that’s another factor. But what do you see and how do you do that because just looking at those numbers people could say in some ways

JEFF GORDON: This is why winning is big. You know, winning is huge. It might only be worth a few more points, and it might only be one number there in the stats, but it is huge for the momentum and confidence in team building and heading into The Chase.

Yeah, you know, we had a strong season last year. But because we didn’t win, you know, it just kind of took the wind out of our sails. We were like, gosh, we’re good, but we’re not great.

And right now we’re great. That’s what we have to try to maintain when The Chase starts. We’re going to be tested on that for sure because the competitors will all step up, and we have to step up as well.

So that’s the real difference there, is that it’s the fact that we have won. We’ve proven that we can win. I think you have to win to be able to win the championship and you also have to send a message to your competitors that they know you can win.

And also the laps led. To me it’s like getting top 5s is important because if you can get top 5s it shows you can win.

If you get enough top 5s, usually you’ll find yourself into Victory Lane. The same thing with leading laps. You lead enough laps, you’re probably going to find yourself getting to Victory Lane.

And so I think those two things are very significant right now the laps led and the fact that we’re pulling off the wins when we’re strong.

Q. Based off of that, how do you compare with where you’ve been the last few years; is this the strongest you’ve been at this point going toward The Chase since when?

JEFF GORDON: I mean, this is to me the strongest that I mean ’07 we were strong. But you know the difference in ’07 was I dreaded going to Phoenix in ’07. And I know that the track has changed you know since earlier this year where we won there. But I’m looking forward to going to Phoenix, because Alan is, he’s really good there. And they build great race cars for that type of racetrack.

We’ve had to work really hard this year at the mile and a half stuff. That’s what I love. Right now our momentum has shifted to make us better at those tracks. They’re going to be significant in The Chase. I feel like when you go into the debriefs and you’re talking to the team in the meetings and you look at how we’re planning, you know, how we’re improving and the areas that we can get better in and how we’re addressing it, to me this is the best that we’ve been since I can remember. Certainly since The Chase has started.

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET – FINISHED 2^ND

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 OFFICE DEPOT/MOBILE 1 CHEVROLET – FINISHED 3^RD

THE MODERATOR: We’re joined by Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot Mobil 1 Chevrolet, who finished third in today’s race. We also welcome Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet who finished second in today’s race.

Jimmie, we’ll start with you. Talk a little bit about the race today. You took over the points lead. You’re leading by 21 points over Kyle Busch. Could you talk about your run out there?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: We’re just having a terrible lead out there. Glad to be leading in the points. Haha, nobody? All of our regulars are gone already. (Laughter) there’s a laughter. Perfect.

We had a great day today. The first two runs the car was pretty bad. And Chad made some great adjustments on pit road to get the car in the track to where I could carry any speed in and through the center and then use the throttle off. Before that I was on ice and couldn’t drive the car.

At that point we worked our way through traffic which was very difficult to do and raced the top four, top six off and on. Had the lead a little bit. And at the end Jeff caught me and passed me at the run before and I felt I ran the tires off the car.

So I took my time and knew we had a 38 lap run or something like that, Chad mentioned to me once we got rolling after that last caution. And I just felt like I should take care of my stuff until the end. And sure enough I started catching them.

But I just didn’t have enough to get by. I got inside of him a couple times. Got to the outside once. And just didn’t have enough regroup to kind of get there and stay there. And the time I got to be outside of him, I felt I was going to be in good shape. But I think we had a lap car get in the way there and use me as a pick a little bit, couldn’t complete the pass.

Awesome day. Happy to see a Hendrick car in Victory Lane and a great day for the Lowe’s team.

THE MODERATOR: Tony, finishing third. Could you talk about Atlanta and going into Richmond in a few days.

TONY STEWART: Really happy. I will say this: If Ed Clark decides to repave this racetrack, I’ll personally shoot him myself.

This place is so racy, so much fun. Like Jimmie said, here more so than anywhere we go to, you actually have to take care of your tires and budget them for your run. And that’s what makes it fun here because guys overdrive run their cars, run too hard on the front and then they fall off the last half.

But, man, we had an awesome car at the end, especially, gaining eight and a half seconds on the leader there was definitely an awesome run. And we had a lot of guys we got back in those last ten laps.

So helped us out going into next week, obviously. And like Jimmie said, just I’m really proud of everybody at Stewart Haas Racing for their dedication. They keep persevering and pushing it to make it better each week. It’s been a tough last couple of months. But I appreciate everybody in our shop, the road crews. And Ryan (Newman) making The Chase, getting locked in today, and just all of our partners and sponsors.

And like Jimmie said, we are really glad to have three Hendrick cars in the top three in engine. So really appreciative of that.

THE MODERATOR: Questions here in the media center.

Q. Tony, is it better that you kind of gain points and maybe solidified more your position as far as The Chase goes, or the fact that you ran well and maybe things look a little brighter as far as The Chase goes in a couple of weeks?

TONY STEWART: I would say probably the first more so than the second. I mean, once we leave here, what we get here doesn’t mean anything next week as far as performance. But those points are big going into next week for sure.

So I wish what we did here transferred over to Richmond next week, but it doesn’t. But I’m really proud of the effort that everybody gave this week. And I don’t know whether we’re 23 or 24 points ahead of the 2 car now. But we definitely gained a couple on him today. And it may come down to one point.

So having the strong finish that we had may be the difference of making it or not making it next week.

Q. Jimmie, you joked about you’ve done terrible this year. But does this have any feel like last year, last year all the talk was about Benny, and this year maybe there’s not as much talk about you. Again, you have to feel good, I assume, about where you are right now?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, I do. And truthfully, from a driver’s perspective, a team’s perspective, our viewpoint is just the reality inside of our race team. And very little outside discussion or talk influences what’s going on in our minds.

I mean, we know the reality of our race team and if we’re a contender or not. And I feel we’re building in that direction and we’re getting stronger each week. We still have weak points. We still are not qualifying like we need to.

And at some point in the race we seem to have the car pretty far off. But the good side of that is Chad and Greg find a way to fix it.

They did today within two pit stops. Got the car. I was going to go a lap down, the first car in front of the 24 going a lap down and drove away from them. I was able to race my way back up there and actually fight them for the win. So there is a lot of, in the reality inside, is we know we’ve got a very good chance of winning the championship.

It comes along that’s what I was trying to get you guys to laugh a little bit about, the bad year and all that as time goes on and I have more experience and go through this more, certainly having more fun along the way, too.

Q. Jimmie, it seemed pretty clear the last several years that you’ve been more willing and able to drive a loose race car than Jeff has. How long has it been since you’ve seen him win when his car was that loose, and did it kind of surprise you that he was so willing and able and that you actually lost a battle of sideways to Jeff?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: I hadn’t put a ton of thought into it. His car didn’t look I mean, every car around here, and I know what the setup was, and it was much tighter than mine. But through it all, I mean to race that hard for a win is what we all wake up and are excited to do each and every time we get in a race car.

I wish I could have won, but I have a lot of satisfaction in racing my friend and teammate. And it’s Jeff Gordon that hard for a win.

May not have had the dominance that we’d seen before in recent years, but it’s still Jeff Gordon. And it’s so cool to race that hard with him. And even if I did come in second, it’s okay. I’d much rather have won. But we left it all out there on the track. And he got it done today.

Q. Jimmie, was the rain going on on Sunday, how was the grip at the beginning of the race? Was the speedway very green or

JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah the track was definitely green. And I know the way that we anticipated the track to start was far different than the reality.

We worked on our cars and submitted them for inspection on Sunday and obviously didn’t have a chance to work on them coming in today’s race. And the balance and grip level changed dramatically on the track.

It would take our car, after the delay, everybody picking up rubber, especially the start of the race, it took a couple of runs for our car’s balance to get close to where we set the vehicle up to be and what we expected.

So it was a different racetrack today and the temperatures being low put a lot of grip in the racetrack.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 RHEEM CHEVROLET, FINISHED 7^TH: ON HIS RACE: “The No. 29 Rheem Chevrolet team had a solid race today. We had damage to the splitter that got the car too tight for the last 100 laps or so, but we were a top-five car before that. The guys did a great job on pit road, too.”

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com .

- Team Chevy, Press Release

2011 Tony Stewart in car - Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR

With a thundering charge late in the race, Tony Stewart gained five spots in the final 10 laps to score a remarkable third-place finish in Tuesday’s rain-postponed AdvoCare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

It was Stewart’s 15th top-10 finish in 25 career Sprint Cup starts at the 1.54-mile oval and his 10th top-10 finish this season.

“We had an awesome car at the end,” Stewart said. “We gained 8.5 seconds on the leader. It was definitely an awesome run.”

After starting 20th in the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), Stewart knew early on he had a machine good enough to earn a strong finish, and he spent much of the first 425 miles of the 325-lap race working with crew chief Darian Grubb to massage the car’s handling.

Through a series of small track bar, wedge and tire pressure adjustments, Stewart’s car went from a little loose to nearly perfect for the final sprint to the checkered flag.

On lap 296, Stewart passed Matt Kenseth for eighth and remained there for the next several laps. While a top-10 finish would’ve been a nice result for the Office Depot/Mobil 1 team, Stewart had other ideas.

He remained in eighth place until lap 318 when suddenly he went on a tear, picking off nearly one car per lap. He was quickly up to seventh and then got by Kevin Harvick for sixth.

With three laps remaining, he moved past Brad Keselowski and one lap later shot by Carl Edwards and into fourth place. After the white flag was displayed signaling the final lap, he drove past the machine of Kurt Busch and into his finishing position of third.

It was an incredible drive and gave Stewart his best result since his runner-up finish in July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.

“It was just a really good Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy,” Stewart said. “I’m really proud of Darian Grubb and all these guys. It was a long day, for sure, and we battled a lot of adversity to get back up there. But I’m really proud. They say we gained eight-and-a-half seconds on the leaders on the last run there. You look at this thing (the racecar) and look at the front of it and look at how beat up it is. I’m very proud of these guys. They gave me a great racecar.”

The great racecar also helped Kacie Howard, owner of HuckleBerry Pets in Daytona Beach, Fla., win this year’s “Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot” sweepstakes. Office Depot, the Official Office Products Partner of NASCAR, partnered with 3M for this national promotion, and Howard was one of two finalists.

Stewart featured the HuckleBerry Pets logo on his car during the AdvoCare 500, while fellow driver Greg Biffle featured the small business logo of sweepstakes finalist Sara Mortensen, owner of Bales Mold Service, Inc., in Downers Grove, Ill., on his No. 16 3M Ford.

Biffle finished 12th to Stewart’s third-place run, and as the small business featured on the highest-finishing driver’s car at the end of the race, Howard’s HuckleBerry Pets was crowned the 2011 “Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot” and will receive the use of the “Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot” logo for one year.

Stewart’s SHR teammate, Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Reserve Chevrolet Impala, finished 20th. With the top-20 effort, Newman clinched a spot in the 12-driver Chase for the Championship with one race remaining before the cutoff for the 10-race Chase. This marks Newman’s fourth appearance in the Chase since NASCAR’s playoff system began in 2004 and his second Chase appearance since joining SHR in 2009.

With round 25 of 36 complete, Newman continues to lead the SHR duo in the championship point standings. He fell one spot to eighth and now has 786 points, 87 markers back of new series leader Jimmie Johnson and 58 points ahead of 11th-place Keselowski. Stewart remained 10th and now has 751 points, which puts him 122 points behind Johnson while giving him a 23-point cushion over Keselowski.

Stewart can earn a spot in the Chase for the seventh time of his career with a finish of 18th or better in the series’ next race Sept. 10 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

“I’m really proud of everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing for their dedication,” Stewart said. “They keep persevering and pushing it to make it better each week. It’s been a tough last couple of months, but I appreciate everybody in our shop, the road crews, and we got Ryan in the Chase today and I’m really proud of him and his U.S. Army/Tornados/Haas Automation Chevy.”

Jeff Gordon won the AdvoCare 500 to score his 85th career Sprint Cup victory, his third of the season and his fifth at Atlanta. Gordon is now third on the all-time Sprint Cup win list behind only Richard Petty (200 wins) and David Pearson (105 wins).

Johnson finished .598 of a second behind Gordon in the runner-up spot, while Stewart, Busch and Edwards rounded out the top-five. Keselowski, Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Kenseth and A.J. Allmendinger comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were nine caution periods for 64 laps with 11 drivers failing to finish the 500-mile race.

The Sept. 10 Wonderful Pistachios 400 at Richmond gets underway at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ABC beginning with its pre-race show at 7 p.m.

- True Speed Communication for Stewart-Haas Racing, Press Release

2011 NSCS Casey Mears - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR

Hampton, GA (September 6, 2011) –

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice provided little hope, as Mears landed 36th and 44th on the chart in the respective sessions. Qualifying also left the team scratching their heads when the #13 GEICO Camry turned a lap of 30.757-seconds, placing Mears 38th on Sunday’s starting grid.

Mears and the GEICO team’s next challenge would come in the form of Mother Nature.

While Mears shows up each week to compete against the biggest names in auto racing, it was a name of a different sort that would halt the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series field over the weekend. Tropical Storm Lee placed NASCAR on hold while barreling it’s way through the Atlanta area, delivering an unforgiving blow and leaving significant damage in its path. While the fans and race teams remained at Atlanta Motor Speedway late into the night on Sunday, it was seemingly impossible to get the race started, leading NASCAR to postpone the event. Given that the storm was picking up steam, NASCAR’s brass made a wise call in moving the race to Tuesday morning, removing fans and teams from potential danger on Monday.

Gray skies, cool temperatures and a light mist greeted Mears and his #13 GEICO Camry when they arrived on pit road ready to race on Tuesday morning. Jet driers hit the track early, putting NASCAR on target for an 11:00 AM (ET) start. The green flag waved on time and turned the field loose in front of a grandstand filled with dedicated race fans wrapped tightly in their jackets and blankets.

Though Mears and the #13 GEICO Camry began to struggle immediately, Mears approached the 500-mile race with the stature of a heavyweight fighter, intent on going the distance. Despite battling an ill-handling racecar, Mears picked up four positions in the opening four laps, landing the #13 GEICO Camry in 34th as the GEICO team seemed to have a renewal of hope. While NASCAR originally scheduled a competition caution for Lap 30, Bobby Labonte thought he would get the yellow flag waving early when he went for a spin on Lap 11, bringing out the event’s first caution of the day.

Mears restarted the 325-lap race in the 32nd position on Lap 16 and continued his progress, arriving in the 30th position on Lap 25. The competition caution would wave as scheduled on Lap 30, allowing Mears to bring his GEICO Camry to the attention of the Germain Racing pit crew, where they would provide him with four fresh Goodyear racing tires, a tank of Sunoco racing fuel and adjustments.

On Lap 39, Mears radioed to crew chief Bootie Barker: “I’m tight all the way off.” Lap 50 also found Mears talking to Barker: “I’m getting real loose now; can’t get in, can’t get off. This thing is crazy loose. It is bad sideways.”

While under caution for a Lap 93 Bobby Labonte crash, Mears once again alerted Barker to his troubles: “I need way more rear grip. It drives like something is broken; like there is a flat tire.” Barker ordered the #13 GEICO Camry down pit road for service. The Germain Racing pit crew refreshed Mears with four new tires, fuel and adjustments.

Mears would toil away, doing his best to make up lost ground. On Lap 147, Mears said to Barker: “Bootie, when we get home let’s make sure to cut this car in half,” to which Barker responded, “We will, Casey, we will.” Mears comment drew the expected laughter and lightened an otherwise tense mood in the pit area.

Mears and the GEICO Camry had moved into 32nd before rain began falling on the high-banked racing facility on Lap 175. The jet driers hit the track quickly and just ten laps later NASCAR returned the field to green flag conditions. Rain would once again put a damper on things on Lap 201, but the jet driers attacked the track and allowed the fans in attendance to witness a full 325 laps of racing.

As the race wore on, Mears and the #13 GEICO Camry began picking up positions and soon found themselves turning respectable lap times. Given the problems faced by the team, Barker decided to go off-strategy and change the pit cycle. Barker’s decision proved fruitful, as Mears would gain positions and ultimately record a 28th place finish in a race that was otherwise a colossal challenge. While they initially were struggling for survival, Mears and the GEICO team transformed a bad day into a productive race where they picked up ten positions from where they started and further solidified their 32nd spot in the Owner Point standings.

“It was just one of those days,” Mears said with a smirk when he climbed from behind the wheel of the #13 GEICO Camry. “It happens to every team and every driver, but you never want it to happen to you. This is a race where you are thrilled to see the checkered flag so you can move on to the next race. All things considered, we had a decent day. We started off really rough, but Bootie made some good calls and the GEICO pit crew did a good job of making adjustments, so we were able to make up some ground and finish 28th.” Mears continued, “We’re really looking forward to getting to Richmond next week because it sits in the Gecko’s backyard, so to speak. GEICO is just 100-miles away, so we always enjoy going there.”

Next on tap for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is Richmond, VA.

Mears and the #13 GEICO Toyota Camry will hit the 3/4-mile D-shaped oval of Richmond International Raceway for the opening practice session at 12:10 PM (EDT) on Friday, September 9th. Qualifying will follow at 5:35 PM (EDT).

The Wonderful Pistachios 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is on Saturday, September 10th, and it will be televised live on ABC beginning at 7:30 PM (EDT). The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast.

To learn more about the GEICO Racing program, please visit: www.geicogarage.com

You can also follow GEICO Racing on Twitter: www.twitter.com/geicoracing

Please visit the Casey Mears Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/caseymearsracing

- Players Management International, Inc., for GEICO Racing, Press Release

Tommy Baldwin Racing Logo

Blaney drove the No. 36 Collective Soul/Golden Corral Chevrolet to the 29th-fastest time in first practice and 36th-quickest in final practice. He qualified the No. 36 in the 35th with a lap of 30.556 seconds. Rain showers postponed the AdvoCare 500 until Tuesday morning. Late Monday night, Blaney experienced pain. After going to the emergency room, doctors concluded that he had kidney stones. Unsure if Blaney could drive the entirety of the race, the TBR team swapped drivers with the No. 60. Mike Skinner got behind the wheel of the No. 36 Collective Soul/Golden Corral machine, while Blaney piloted the No. 60 Big Red entry.

Skinner took the green flag from the back of the field due to the swap and drove up to the 35th position by the first yellow on lap 13 for the No. 47 spinning on the frontstretch. During the caution period, Skinner radioed that the No. 36 was extremely loose, especially on the gas. The TBR team made a four-tire pit stop and adjustments.

The Collective Soul/Golden Corral car restarted in the 37th position on lap 17. Skinner drove into the 33rd position when the competition caution was called on lap 32. Skinner explained that the car was loose in the center and off the corner. The TBR team made another four-tire pit stop, made a wedge and trackbar adjustment and added fuel.

Skinner restarted 31st on lap 35 and fell to 37th by lap 53. He told the crew that the No. 36 Collective Soul/Golden Corral machine did not have any forward bite and was loose everywhere. By lap 61, he told the crew that the right rear felt like it was going down. Crew Chief Philippe Lopez elected to call his driver down pit road on lap 62 for a four-tire stop and adjustments. Skinner returned to the track and, by lap 76, ran in the 36th position, two laps down. He commented that the car was now tighter in the center of the corner than it was before but snapping loose off the corner.

A lap 94 caution for an incident with the No. 47 on the backstretch allowed the TBR team to pit for more adjustments and four tires. The Collective Soul/Golden Corral machine restarted in lap 99 from the 31st position, one lap down but fell to 32nd by the fourth caution on lap 130. He radioed that the car was better at the beginning of the run but became loose in and really loose off the corner. The TBR crew made another four-tire pit stop and made adjustments, including cutting off the rear bar.

The No. 36 Collective Soul/Golden Corral car restarted 32nd, one lap down, on lap 135 and worked his way up to 30th in the next run. Skinner commented that the drive of the car was better and that he just needed help turning in the corner. The No. 34 spun on the frontstretch and brought out the caution on lap 177. The team pit once again for four tires and an air pressure adjustment.

Skinner restarted 30th, three laps down, on lap 186. A red flag was shown on lap 202 for rain. When the field went back to yellow, the TBR team got the Lucky Dog and restarted 29th, two laps down. Weather brought out another caution on lap 222. The Collective Soul/Golden Corral machine received the Lucky Dog once again and restarted 29th, one lap down. The team continued to make four-tire pit stops and adjustments to help the tight in the center, loose in and off the corner condition.

An incident with the No. 33 and No. 42 brought out the eighth caution on lap 243. Skinner radioed that the car was bouncing on the left front. Lopez called the No. 36 down pit road for four tires and a wedge adjustment. The field restarted on lap 248 and three laps later another yellow flag waved for an incident with the No. 5 and No. 78. Skinner told the crew that the last set of tires was really bad and felt like they had 20 laps on them. Lopez elected to pit on lap 251 and put on four sticker tires.

The field restarted on lap 255 with the Collective Soul/Golden Corral machine in the 23rd position. Green flag pit stops began and Lopez waited to call Skinner down pit road until he led a lap. The No. 36 Collective Soul/Golden Corral car led two laps on 286 and 287, and then the team elected to pit for four tires. Still struggling with a loose racecar and finding grip on the track, Skinner fell to 27th, two laps down, during the last green flag run. When the checkered flag dropped on lap 325, Jeff Gordon collected his 85th career-win, and Skinner crossed the start/finish line in the 27th position, two laps down.

The 27th finish allowed the TBR team to hold onto the 33rd position in the NSCS Owner Point Standings. The No. 36 is five points behind the No. 13 in 32nd, seven points ahead of the No. 32 in 34th, and 62 points inside the top-35. Despite a 43rd-place finish, Blaney held onto the 32nd position in NSCS Driver Points. He is 36 points behind Casey Mears in 31st and three points ahead of Andy Lally in 33rd.

“Tommy and I are good friends, have been friends for a long time,” commented Skinner. “I hate that Dave was having kidney stone problems. I know that it has got to be a horrid pain for anyone to go through. It may me feel awfully good that Tommy called me and asked me to sit in for him. I knew the agenda going in. We needed to keep the fenders on and get the best finish we could. We didn’t get the run that I wanted to get. With no practice and no laps in the car, it was like we were driving blindfolded. I think Tommy, Philippe and the whole team did a great job working on the car today, and hopefully, we had a good showing for Golden Corral and Collective Soul as well.”

Blaney will get treated this week for his kidney stones and return to the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet at Richmond International Raceway for the Wonderful Pistachio 400 on Saturday, September 10th.

About Golden Corral:
Founded in 1973, privately held Golden Corral Corp. is headquartered in Raleigh, N.C. Golden Corral currently has 485 restaurants in 41 states. The company’s vision is to be the leader in the family restaurant segment by making pleasurable dining affordable for every guest, at every restaurant, every day. Golden Corral restaurants nationwide have long been strong supporters of the U.S. Military and the Disabled American Veterans (DAV). Golden Corral helped raise more than $1,000,000 for the DAV in 2010 as part of its annual “Military Appreciation Monday” initiative.

For more information on Golden Corral, visit www.goldencorral.net or join the Golden Corral Community.

About Tommy Baldwin Racing:
Tommy Baldwin Racing was formed in 2009 by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crew Chief Tommy Baldwin. Baldwin utilized a slumping economy to open a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team with a stringent budget. The team competed in two full seasons with multiple drivers behind the wheel of the No. 36 Chevrolet and improved in the standings each year.

Based in Mooresville, N.C., TBR will compete in the full NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule in 2011 with NASCAR veteran Dave Blaney piloting the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet. Looking to improve on-track performance, TBR found success early in the 2011 season with partners Golden Corral, Big Red and Accell Construction. TBR’s driver development program, Heinke-Baldwin Racing, will also compete in various NASCAR series in 2011.

For more information on Tommy Baldwin Racing, visit tommybaldwinracing.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

- Tommy Baldwin Racing, Press Release

Regan Smith - Photo Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR

He got turned by the No. 5 car (Mark Martin) on Lap 250, spun and crashed hard into the inside retaining wall. Smith was not hurt in the incident, but his car suffered major damage and was driven to the garage for repairs. The costly accident relegated Smith to a 33rd-place finish.

“At this point I don’t know why I got hit, but it shouldn’t have happened,” said a disappointed Smith. “I was riding along and feeling good about how our Furniture Row Chevrolet was improving and then I got smacked by the (No.) 5 car. There was not any reason for it and it did cost us a finish someplace in the teens. Very disappointing to say the least.”

Smith started the race from the 26th position and quickly bolted to the front, running in ninth place by Lap 20.

“We didn’t have a perfect car, but it was getting better as the race wore on,” stated Smith. “Pete (Rondeau, crew chief) made some good adjustments and I felt we were in good position for the finishing laps. But we never got that opportunity, which is very frustrating.”

Smith did return to action after spending 41 laps in the garage while his crew made repairs to the heavily damaged Furniture Row car.

The finish dropped Smith one position in the standings — from 25th to 26th. Jamie McMurray passed him and is now 16 points ahead.

“Those finishes in the 30s really set you back,” said Smith. “With the new point system, it’s much harder to gain ground. We have had too many races where we became the victim because of someone else’s problems or mistakes. We can’t keep on being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

The next race for Smith and the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team is this coming Saturday night at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

- DMF Communications for Furniture Row Racing, Press Release

2011 NSCS Ryan Newman - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR

HAMPTON, Ga. (Sept. 6, 2011) –

Newman is one of nine drivers who already have qualified for the 10-race, 12-driver Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, which commences on Sept. 18 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. The remaining three Chase drivers will be determined following Saturday night’s race (Sept. 10) at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. (see below for qualified Chase drivers)

This will be the fourth time and second in the last three years that Newman has qualified for the Chase since the playoff championship format began in 2004. Last year he missed the Chase by one position, finishing 13th in the pre-Chase points.

“We’re not proud of our performance today, but we’re proud of what we accomplished,” said Newman. “We got the Soldiers’ car in the Chase, a credit to our Stewart-Haas Racing organization. The opportunity to make the Chase is what we’ve been striving for all year long. This accomplishment is for our Army Strong Soldiers who give this No. 39 team an immense amount of pride and inspiration.”

Though he clinched a Chase berth with one race to spare, Newman did have mixed feelings when he exited his Army Chevrolet after the 325-lap, 500-mile race, which included a 22-minute red flag stoppage for rain.

“I saw a lot of bumpers all day long, it seemed like we never really got good track position,” explained Newman. “We did not have the best race car but we did what we needed to do. We’re going to Richmond with a freebie and hopefully get some momentum for the last 10 races. We just can’t have days like today in the Chase.”

Newman started the Atlanta race from the ninth position, but ran the majority of the event in the high teens and low 20s.

“With the iffy weather and the opportunity to clinch a spot in the Chase, we did play it safe today, but that’s not an excuse for our overall performance,” noted Newman.

Newman dropped one spot in the driver standings and is currently eighth.

Newman’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, Tony Stewart, boosted his chances of making the Chase with an impressive third-place finish. He enters the final pre-Chase race 10th in driver points.

The race winner was Jeff Gordon. Rounding out the top-five in order were: Jimmie Johnson, Stewart, Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards.

Drivers who already have qualified for the Chase according to points:

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Kyle Busch
3. Carl Edwards
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Jeff Gordon
6. Kevin Harvick
7. Kurt Busch
8. Ryan Newman
9. Brad Keselowski (currently as a wild card selection)

- DMF Communications for U.S. Army Racing, Press Release

Toyota Motorsports Logo

The finish marked Hamlin’s second-straight top-10 finish. Camry drivers Brian Vickers (11th) and Martin Truex Jr. (14th) also recorded a top-15 finishes in Georgia.

Four Camry drivers led laps in the 325-lap race — Hamlin (six), Kyle Busch (19), Truex (three) and Kasey Kahne (15).

Camry driver Kahne started from the pole and led the first 15 laps before a mechanical situation forced Kahne to the garage for repairs. Kahne would return to the track to finish 34th.

Other Toyota drivers in the field included Busch (23rd), Joey Logano (24th), Casey Mears (28th), David Reutimann (31st), Bobby Labonte (38th), Joe Nemechek (40th) and Michael McDowell (41st).

Busch currently sits second in the unofficial NSCS point standings and trails leader Jimmie Johnson by 21 points. Hamlin ranks 12th in the standings and is currently 42 points behind 10th-place. Other Toyota drivers in the top-25 in the unofficial point standings after 25 of 36 races include Truex (16th), Kahne (17th) and Logano (18th).

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Charter Communications Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 8th How was today’s race? “It was a solid run. I was really just buying my time coming in and when we did have to right there we just got too loose at the end. It was a great day for our Charter Communications Toyota and I feel like it’s a step in the right direction. We’re taking baby steps at this point.”

Do you think you benefited from Clint Bowyers’ misfortune today? “They’re (Clint Bowyer and the No. 33 team) good too. They’re a good team and they’ve won there (Richmond) before also. You never know in this sport. You never know what can happen. We need to go out there next week and get a solid finish and try to win. We know we’re in if we win.”

What is your confidence heading to Richmond? “Better than what we were going into this week, but we still just would have liked to get a win today. Our car just faded there a little bit at the end and just fought track position. Those Hendrick guys could really just take off and really not pay too bad of a price it looked like. Overall, a good day for us.”

BRIAN VICKERS, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Finishing Position: 11th

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finishing Position: 14th How was your race? “It was rather interesting from my seat. You never like to have them deals where you have got to stop and go, stop and go and all the rain delays. They threw us a little bit of a curve. The rain getting on the track and then the jet dryers coming out, it really affected our race car quite a good deal. We were probably at our best right before that first time that we had to stop. And we just, for some reason, we never really got the balance back after that. We were tight in. We were loose, but we just never hit it right after that. I felt like we were better than the 14th-place car where we finished, but overall it was a decent day for our NAPA Toyota. We had a few little troubles on pit road, but the guys came back at the end and made it happen. We got some spots back and made a decent day out of it. We still got to get a little better on these mile and a halfs.”

How did the decision to take two tires impact the outcome? “We still probably ended up where we would have. We needed a caution to come out a little bit earlier. We hung on for a little while and then after about 20 laps the tires really started to hurt and we dropped back. We were lucky we got a caution when we did, but it would have been nice to get one a little bit earlier.”

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Pedigree Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 23rd

JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 24th

CASEY MEARS, No. 13 GEICO Toyota Camry, Germain Racing Finishing Position: 28th

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finishing Position: 31st

KASEY KAHNE, No. 4 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Finishing Position: 34th

BOBBY LABONTE, No. 47 Bush’s Best Baked Beans Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing Finishing Position: 38th

What happened to you car? “We weren’t that happy with it on Friday or Saturday. Made some changes on it and I think we went the wrong way a little bit. The car was really, really tight in the center and it was so loose off and so loose on entry and the grip level went away like a light switch going off in about seven laps. The guys worked really hard and we tried to do everything we could do. This Bush’s Baked Beans Toyota wasn’t what we wanted it to be, but ended our day quickly today. Excited about next weekend at Richmond and feel like we have a better program there than we do here. We were just trying some stuff today and it didn’t work out for us like we wanted it to.”

Did the start time negatively impact your setup? “We were really loose throughout the corner and we tried to fix it. We were trying a few things different, but not a whole, but a few things different. The track kind of got us today where we needed to be a little bit different. It wouldn’t have mattered if it was Sunday night or today, it probably would have been the same thing.”

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 NEMCO Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Finishing Position: 40th

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 66 HP RACING Toyota Camry, Gunselman Motorsports Finishing Position: 41st

- Toyota Motorsports, Press Release

Team Chevy Logo

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET, RACE WINNER:

I CAN TELL THIS MEANS A LOT TO YOU. IS IT THE THIRD WIN, THE BONUS POINTS FOR THE CHASE, OR THE WAY IT ALL HAPPENED? “YES ( laughs) it’s just the timing. This race team is unbelievable right now. Those last two pit stops were as good as it can possibly get on pit road. The racecar today was as good of a race car today as you could have asked for. The stuff that we are doing Drive to End Hunger, text 50555, just all of our sponsors, Quaker State , DuPONT, Pepsi, Chevy, were having a blast out here right now. I’m just excited to go to the race track. It doesn’t matter where we go, our cars are competitive, were having a blast out there and I think we have more to come when this chase starts.

ON HIS RACE: “We used it up there in the end and I was slipping and sliding. The track really changed a lot after that rain delay. Our car was real, real tight and we had to free it up. I tell you what, that was a lot of fun racing with him (Jimmie Johnson). I was slipping and he was slipping. The throttle control was very tough there at the end. There were a couple of moments where I really thought he got us. But what an incredible victory for this Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet. And I know we spoiled the Sprint Summer Showdown, so I didn’t mind sitting back there for a while waiting to get over here to Victory Lane because it was just an incredible day. This team is on a roll. I don’t care if it’s Sunday or Monday or Tuesday; the NASCAR fans coming out like this to support us and to have a race like that, man, that’s awesome. It feels awesome. Again, I’ve got to thank Drive to End Hunger and DuPont and Pepsi and all of our sponsors. We’re just so thankful and what an incredible day.”

YOU HAD YOUR HANDS FULL BUT AT THE END, JIMMIE JOHNSON WAS JUST AS SIDEWAYS AS YOU WERE TRYING TO HANG ON AND GET A RUN ON YOU “Yeah, when I saw him get real loose off of (Turn) 4, coming to take the white, I could breathe a little sigh of relief because I could kind of maintain down there in (Turns) 3 and 4. I just got so, so loose. And he was rolling a little bit better than me through the middle down in (Turns) 1 and 2. I could maintain the outside, but all he had to do was to get to my inside off of (Turn) 2 and it would have been hard to beat him back to the line because we just lost so much grip there. So, it gave me a little breathing room there and I was able to just be real smooth and easy with it through (Turns) 1 and 2, which wasn’t easy, and then just baby-it through 3 and 4. So he had one or two shots at me that I really thought we were done. I got so loose. But once he got to me and we were able to maintain, I said okay we’ve just got to fight him to the checkered flag.”

PEOPLE HAVE SAID THEY HAVE NOT SEEN YOU THIS CONFIDENT AND THIS AGGRESSIVE SINCE 2001, YOUR LAST CHAMPIONSHIP YEAR. DO YOU FEEL THIS IS THE YEAR FOR FIVE?

“I think this is turning out to be a great year. Alan Gustafson (crew chief) and all the engineers and all the guys that work so hard; the awesome pit crew, man we’re having a lot of fun right now. And when you can drive a race car that drives like that one, it makes me look like a hero but they’re the heroes in my mind.”

YOU ARE THIRD IN ALL-TIME WINS IN NASCAR RIGHT NOW WITH RICHARD PETTY AND DAVID PEARSON AND JEFF GORDON. “I totally forgot about that. I got so excited with the whole win and Jon Edwards (PR) didn’t do his job back there telling me I won 85. I can’t do anything without him. And I’ve got to say hi to Ingrid and Leo and Ella, Ella, I hope you had a good day at school today, baby; it was her first day. And I know how excited they are and I can’t wait to get home and see you guys. But 85, wow, that is unbelievable. I’m just blown away at the kind of day we had and the kind of year that we’re having. I just feel rejuvenated in such a big way. It’s because of this race team and the race cars I get to drive. 85 yeah! I can’t wait to get home and celebrate with these guys and my family. 85…wow!”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET – FINISHED 2ND: WHAT ABOUT THAT BATTLE WITH JEFF GORDON? “Man, that is what racing is all about. That was a lot of fun. I am grateful that I got to grow up racing off-road trucks and buggies because I was dead sideways those last probably 10 or 15 laps there trying to get by him. Just great hard racing. The run before I took off and I think burned my tires off the cars and he caught me and passed me and went on. So that run I tried not to run my tires off at the beginning. I was slowly catching him, but getting by him was a different thing. He was really strong all day long so I have him a ton of credit and his team. Happy to see a Hendrick car in victory lane. My Lowe’s boys did an awesome job though. We just started off pretty bad and made some great adjustments on the car and made it very competitive and almost had a shot at winning this thing.”

RIGHT NOW YOU ARE FIRST IN THE POINTS, 21 OVER KYLE BUSCH: SMILES AND LAUGHS “Yeh, we’re just having a terrible year. So hopefully we can pick things up a little bit. (CONTINUES TO LAUGH AND SMILE).”

I SEE YOUR HANDS TREMBLING A LITTLE BIT. WAS IT AS EXCITING BEHIND THE WHEEL AS IT WAS FOR US WATCHING? “I’m so glad I grew up racing in the dirt (laughs). If I didn’t grow up racing around all those deserts and all those stadium tracks, I think I would have spun out four or five times there at the end. It was just a great effort for this Lowe’s team. We started off the race really bad and made some great adjustments on pit road and the car came to life. We got ourselves up there in the mix and had a little bit more speed on Jeff (Gordon) there in the long haul, but I just couldn’t get my Impala past his. So it was one of those deals. I’m very happy for Hendrick Motorsports and thankful that the fans stuck around some and the ones that watched at home. We’ll go on to the next one.”

IT’S NOT OFTEN WE SEE TWO DRIVERS BATTLING AS HARD AS YOU GUYS WERE FOR SO MANY LAPS. WHAT IS IT LIKE WHEN YOU’RE FOLLOWING HIM (JEFF GORDON)? WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND AS HE WAS JUMPING AROUND TRYING TO BLOCK WHERE YOU’RE GOING TO RUN? “Well, a little bit earlier, the run before, we were racing each other. He ran me down and I got a good feel for where he was fast and I felt like I may have driven the tires off the car trying to get a big lead on that last run. So, when Jeff took off there, I just took my time and hoped that he would run the tires off of his car and I could catch him. And it kind of worked out, but I couldn’t get by him in the end (laughs). So what a lot of fun. Really, to race that hard and to get out sideways at 180 mph lap after lap is a good time. I wish we could have gotten this Lowe’s Impala in Victory Lane but we’ll take second and go on to Richmond.”

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 OFFICE DEPOT/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET, FINISHED 3RD: ON HIS RACE: “Man what a day, I’m really proud of Darian Grub (Crew Chief) and everybody. The Office Depot/Mobil One Chevy was a long day for sure. I am glad the weather stuck around, I want to thank all the fans that stuck around, we know the weather has been crap for you guys for the past two days and you guys stuck it out and we appreciate that.

““It was great to get Huckleberry Pets the “Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot” title today. I wish we could have gotten Kacie two more spots and won her a $1 million, but we did the best we could. We raced a lot with Greg today, so there was a race within a race most of the day.”

MAN, YOU WERE CHARGING IN THE END TO GET THAT THIRD PLACE. HOW DID YOU DO THAT?

“It was just a really good Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy. I’m just really proud of these guys. It was a long day, for sure; and we battled a lot of adversity to get back up there. But I’m really proud. They say we gained eight and a half seconds on the leaders on the last run there. You look at this thing (the race car) and look at the front of it and look at how beat up it is. I’m very proud of these guys; they gave me a great race car.”

HOW BIG IS IT FROM A MOMENTUM STANDPOINT TO HAVE THE KIND OF DAY YOU’VE HAD AFTER WHAT YOU’VE BEEN THROUGH OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST FEW WEEKS? “We looked at today as a day we could gain some momentum back. It’s big, especially going into a week where anything can happen next week. So I’m just proud of everybody at SHR and Hendrick chassis and engines and all the fans that have stood by us. We’ve been working hard at it and this organization never gives up. And we got Ryan (Newman) in today (clinched a spot in the Chase) and I’m really proud of him and his U.S. Army/Tornados/Haas-Automation Chevy. I’m really proud of those guys.”

DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD MILITARY INTELLIGENCE/AMP ENERGY CHEVROLET – FINISHED 19th: TALK ABOUT YOUR DAY: “It was not a good day. We didn’t have a good car we worked on it a little bit and had a couple decent runs where we were competitive, but just fought the car all day long and just couldn’t make anything happen. We lost a little bit of ground (in the Chase standings) and it’s a little bit tighter going into Richmond but we still feel pretty good. But it doesn’t matter if we can’t figure out how to make the car run……it don’t matter where we are.”

TALK ABOUT RICHMOND. IT’S A PRETTY GOOD TRACK FOR YOU GUYS: “I mean we are 26 ahead of Brad (Keselowski) I think. With all the start-and-parks and stuff it makes it a little bit easier on us but we should be able to go in there and make that happen. Seems like we can finish in the top-20 pretty good but that isn’t good enough and I am not happy about that and not satisfied. We have to figure out what it is that we need to do better. This track itself, I will say, is an anomaly. It’s not like the other 1.5 tracks and it’s worn out, rough and you can’t run….I don’t think, the same stuff. You have to run a little bit different stuff to get the car to work more mechanically than you do aero-wise. And we just didn’t do a good job of that I don’t think.

“I am not sure about the points and I still think we are relatively comfortable and doable. You know Brad has been running great and the 14 is always stout so we will just try to go in there and run better, and do better and I am not really worried about it. I don’t have room to worry about it as bad as we have been running. We need to get our crap together and get to running good. Or it doesn’t matter where we are in the Chase and doesn’t matter if we are in or not.”

WAS THAT FINISH ABOUT WHAT YOU THOUGHT YOU WOULD DO FROM WHEN YOU STARTED? “Well, yeah. I don’t know if you guys watched the whole race, but we were a lap down there and we were the first car one lap down and we drove up to 15^th spot. The car was good and then we loosened it up too much and I couldn’t drive it. Then we tightened it up too much and then we backed off a little bit and we were all over the place but obviously we have to do something man. We have two cars running really good, and we have two cars not running really good and we have to get four cars running good. That is the job we got, so we will try. I feel confident and you don’t stop trying until it’s over.”

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 U.S. ARMY RESERVE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 20^th: CLINCHED A SPOT IN THE CHASE

“We’re not proud of our finish, but we’re proud of what we accomplished with that finish. I’ve just really got to thank U.S. Army, Tornados, and Haas-Automation and all the people that jumped on board this year. We’ve got 11 more races to go; a free one in Richmond, but that opportunity to get into the Chase is what we’ve been striving for all year. So I’m really proud of everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing.”

LAST YEAR WHEN YOU DIDN’T MAKE THE CHASE, YOU SCORED MORE POINTS THAN ANYBODY OUT THERE, SO LOOKING FORWARD WITH RICHMOND NEXT, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?

“I like Richmond. We’ve done really well at Richmond before and that’s a stepping stone for the next 10 and we can build a little more momentum after our 20^th place finish today.”

CLINT BOWYER, NO. 33 CHEERIOS/HAMBURGER HELPER CHEVROLET – SIDELINED IN ACCIDENT TELL US WHAT HAPPENED

“Oh, I was tight up off the corner and we fought tight the whole run. You can’t race around the jackass. You never can. Anybody in this sport knows what you’re up against when the No. 42 (Juan Pablo Montoya) comes up. He dive-bombs the starts and bullies his way up in there and before you know it, he’s in the way and wrecking with somebody; and unfortunately I was the victim this week. It’s just a shame. We’re out here racing for a spot in the Chase. He’s out here racing for nothing. I’m tired of it. Everybody in the garage area fights him. He’s just an idiot.

“He (Juan Pablo Montoya) races everybody that way, that is why he sucks. You can’t race that way in this sport, plain and simple and I’ll call him out for it. I think that is how about everybody in the garage knows what they are up against anytime that 42 is around. He is like a pinball out there because he is a bully. There has got to be some give and take. You are out there racing for nothing. He dive bombs the restarts and then before you know it he’s in the way and wrecking somebody. It is just frustrating. I knew what I was up against anytime you are racing against him. It doesn’t help my situation.”

ARE YOU GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET BACK OUT?

“I don’t even care.”

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com .

- Team Chevy, Press Release

Sprint Summer Showdown Logo

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C.

“One of the things that made the Sprint Summer Showdown promotion so unique was the opportunity for a driver to win a $1 million donation for their chosen charity,” said Tim Considine, director of sports marketing for Sprint. “Although we’re disappointed that didn’t happen, we hope this promotion helped bring additional attention and awareness to these worthy organizations, and we’re happy to make a donation to each of them to help them continue their missions.”

The four finalists and their designated charities are: 

Brad Keselowski – Brad Keselowski’s Checkered Flag Foundation

Paul Menard – Habitat for Humanity

Kyle Busch – Kyle Busch Foundation

Marcos Ambrose – Victory Junction

For more information about these organizations, please visit:

www.checkeredflagfoundation.org

www.habitat.org

www.kylebuschfoundation.org

www.victoryjunction.org

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 52 million customers at the end of 2Q 2011 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 6 in its 2010 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

- Sprint Nextel, Press Release

Dodge Motorsports

STEVE ADDINGTON (crew chief, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T) CONGRATULATIONS ON MAKING THE CHASE?

HOW MUCH DID THIS RACE TRACK CHANGE SINCE WHEN YOU WERE ON IT ON SATURDAY? “It was unbelievable. The change the track went through today was incredible. How the car changed and the phases that it went through was really incredible. We just kept working on it trying to make it better as the race went on. I think that our race car got pretty good after the halfway point of the race. I have to thank everybody that supports us. Dodge gives us incredible support and everything that we ask out of them. We really appreciate those guys doing all the work behind the scenes and working with our engineering group to give us what we need to go racing. A great effort by everyone involved.”

KURT BUSCH (No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T) “A great day for Penske and the Shell/Pennzoil Dodge team today. It was a great run, a Chase-type effort. To come home fourth, Tony (Stewart) was coming out of nowhere. We somewhat surprised ourselves. We made great adjustments as the race went on. Good adjustments during the race and solid a pit stops during the race. A great run for our Shell/Pennzoil Dodge. It’s great to be locked into the Chase. Just all of our sponsors, AAA, Lennox, Snap-On, and Coca-Cola. A good, solid season. Now it’s go time. We’ve got Richmond as a buffer, but we’ve got 10 weeks ahead of us that are the most important 10 weeks of the season.”

NOW THAT YOU’RE LOCKED IN, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? “Richmond was fun race last May, it was well documented. I can’t have people not stop talking about it. Maybe we can bounce back and get that behind us and go and attack Chicago, one of my favorite race tracks, and go and get in the groove of the Chase. Every position counts. Everyone needs to click on all eight cylinders on our team. Just our Dodge’s right now, Keselowski’s in. We’re in. We’re a two-team effort for our Dodge’s and here we are with our Dodge Chargers running with the big boys. We’re right in this mix. I feel really proud of my guys today.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T): “We were just a little off all weekend. The run next to last I felt like we were close. We were a second or third-place car there and just kind of got stuck behind some track position. I think we were running fourth or fifth and got back off on the last pit stop. All in all it’s good to come out of a race where we felt like we were off all weekend and get a sixth out of it, that’s what we need to do. That’s what we need to do going into the Chase, bring home cars without scratches on ‘em and get solid finishes when we’re not at our best. I’m proud of my guys and everyone on the Miller Lite Dodge team.”

A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO YOU GUYS WERE TRYING TO BE A TOP 15 TEAM EACH WEEK. NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU’RE A CHASE CHAMPTIONSHIP CONTENDER. HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU THAT YOU CAN WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP? “Well today was a huge confidence booster because we took a bad day and got a good finish out of it. That’s exactly what you’ve got to do in the Chase and today was a huge confidence booster, as big as any of the other races.”

YOU HAD A SOLID RUN TODAY. “Yeah we were just a little bit off all day. It seemed like we got really close the next to last run and drove up to fourth there and then that last run got back off and ended up sixth. It was just really good to have solid finish like we did in sixth. I wanted another top-five and it would have been great but I’m just really proud of my guys.”

DO YOU FEEL REALLY GOOD ABOUT YOUR CHASE CHANCES TODAY? “Yeah really good. I think this locked us in today. We’ve got something to look forward to. I think days like today are what you’ve got to have. You’ve got to have days where [when] you’re not as fast as you want to be and you’re off all weekend but you still get a solid finish out of it. It’s going to be weekends like this, like we had today with the 2 team, that make our break you in the Chase. That’s a good feeling.”

CAN YOU PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AND YOUR CAREER TO HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP? “It’s amazing. I was thinking about it this week. I’ve lived my whole life wanting to have a shot at a Cup championship and here I am. I’ve got a legitimate shot at it. I’ve got a team that’s firing on all eight, so to speak, and now a Chase birth here today. It’s a very amazing feeling. Just want to make sure that I’m ready to go for that Chase. We felt confident about it [clinching a spot in the Chase] but still you can blow up our first lap the next two races or do something dumb and put it in the fence. The actual clinch is still a good feeling.”

WHEN DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU WERE CHASE MATERIAL? “You know it’s hard to say. I felt like we had strong runs that we just weren’t able to execute. It’s got to be the last few weeks. I’d hate to say it’s been anywhere than that.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ABLE TO USE YOUR BONUS POINTS IN THE CHASE? YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO PUT YOURSELF IN EVEN BETTER POSITION. “I think we’ve got to make up 23 points on the 14 [Tony Stewart]. I haven’t seen where the 88 is in points. I’m sure we gained a bunch on him because I don’t see him on the board so it’ll be interesting. It’s going to be tough on us. We’re still 20-some points back but we’ll just have to see how Richmond plays out. Richmond was not very kind to us in the spring. But a lot of these tracks we’ve been successful at we’ve been successful because we’re going back to ‘em for the second time. And we’re coming back to Richmond for the second time so I have a fair amount of confidence going there.”

HOW DIFFICULT WAS THIS RACE FOR YOU TODAY? “The starting and stopping makes it hell on everybody and it’s no different in the seat. You just want to go, like c’mon, make this thing happen. There were a couple of times I was ready to race in the rain just to get going. That’s the way it is but glad that we’re all able to survive out a long week. Really happy and proud to get this race done for all the work everybody has put in from the track to the teams to the fans that came back.”

DESPITE THE CHALLENGING CONDITIONS YOU MADE YOUR CAR BETTER DURING THE RACE. “We did a great job all up until the last stop. We were backwards on the last stop. Like I said that’s what you’ve got to do to be a Chase caliber team or at least a championship contending team in the Chase. You’ve got to take your days when you’re a 10th to 15th-place car, made good adjustments and get solid finishes. We still ended up sixth but that’s not a bad day.”

- Darnell Communications for Dodge Motorsports, Press Release

On Top Of Modern Era (1972-Present) List

2011 Jeff Gordon Celebrates his 85th NSCS Career Victory with Win in the AdvoCare 500 at AMS - Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

“I have always liked him as a driver,” said Pearson, next on Gordon’s march up the wins list. “He is smart, takes care of his equipment and when it is time to go, he gets right up there with them. Reminds me some of the way I drove. … He has been the ‘head honcho’ for a long time in NASCAR. He was good out of the box and has been very good ever since.”

Gordon also became the Modern Era (1972-Present) wins leader, breaking a tie with Darrell Waltrip. (Note: “Modern Era” refers to the period in NASCAR Sprint Cup history when NASCAR shortened the schedule from as many as 62 races in 1964 to the 31-race schedule of 1972. Race numbers fluctuated between 28 and 36 since 1972.)

To commemorate the milestone, NASCAR President Mike Helton presented Gordon with an “85” mosaic featuring images from each of the four-time champion’s victories. Additionally, special commemorative “85” hats were worn by Gordon and his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team in Victory Lane.

During a career that began on the final race of 1992, Gordon assembled a list of accomplishments fit for a future NASCAR Hall of Famer: Four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships, three Daytona 500 victories, four Brickyard 400 victories, most road-course wins all-time (nine) and most restrictor plate wins all-time (12).

Still only 40 years of age, the highlight reel can only grow.

Below is a timeline of Gordon’s notable victories on his way to 85:

1 – On May 29, 1994 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Gordon won his first race. It was in one of NASCAR’s biggest events – the Coca-Cola 600.

2 – Gordon won the inaugural NASCAR race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Aug. 6, 1994. He would go on to win three other IMS races, in 1998, 2001 and 2004.

8 – Won another “crown jewel” race, the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, on Sept. 3, 1995.

19 – On Sept. 29, 1996, won his only race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, the final race at the North Carolina short track.

20 – At the time, became the youngest winner in Daytona 500 history at 25 years, six months, 12 days on Feb. 16, 1997. His record was later broken in 2011 by Trevor Bayne (20 years, one day). Gordon also won the Daytona 500 in 1999 and 2005.

28 – On Aug. 31, 1997, won his second Southern 500, capturing a $1 million bonus in what was known as The Winston Million. The Winston Million was given to any driver to win three of the following four races: the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600, the Southern 500 and the first Talladega race.

42 – In the season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Nov. 8, 1998, won his 13th race of the season, tying a Modern Era record first set by Richard Petty in 1975.

74 – On June 25, 2006, won at Infineon Raceway, his record ninth victory at a road course.

76 – With a win at Phoenix International Raceway on April 21, 2007, Gordon tied Dale Earnhardt for sixth on the all-time wins list. Gordon memorably took a victory lap with a massive No. 3 flag waving out his driver-side window, a tribute to his long-time rival.

80 – On Oct. 7, 2007 at Talladega Superspeedway, Gordon captured his record 12th restrictor-plate victory.

85 – In a race delayed two days because of inclement weather, Gordon captures historic win No. 85 on Sept. 6, 2011 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

- NASCAR, Press Release

Ford Racing

DAVID RAGAN – No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion –

WHAT ABOUT YOUR CHASE CHANCES NOW? “We’d have to look at the points and see how it’s gonna shake out. I bet there’s still a mathematical chance that we could win Richmond and get into the Top 20 and make the Chase, and that’s certainly the mindset we’re gonna have. We’re not gonna give up no matter what. We can still have a great season. There are five or six tracks coming up where we’ll be a threat to win at, but this is gonna make it a lot harder. The month of August was really tough for us. We had some speed in our car. We had a car that could have won the race in the right position, but you can’t do that win no engine.”

WHAT WAS THE STOPPING AND STARTING LIKE? “It was frustrating. I feel bad for the fans coming out again. They were probably playing hooky off of work to come out and watch a race and it was gonna be a great race. I’m proud of our UPS team. Our car was good. Our engines have been great all year, so nothing against those guys. We’re just doing all we can to try and win races.”

WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT THE RACING ON THIS TRACK? “This race track is so much fun. This is the most fun that I’ve had in a couple of months. The race track races so well. Goodyear brought a great tire. I don’t know what the difference is in years past, but the tire doesn’t fall off a lot. You can run extremely hard, so everything was just right for a good ending, we’re just not gonna be a part of it.”

DAVID GILLILAND – No. 34 A&W All-American Food Ford Fusion – “We were racing for the lucky dog with the 38 and I was just trying to get all I could getting onto pit road. I stayed on the race track and when I dropped down onto the apron it started to wheel-hop a little bit and it ended up breaking the driveshaft. I’ve never done that, but I guess there’s a first time for everything. It’s unfortunate. We had A&A All-American Food on our car this weekend. I felt like we had a good car. We didn’t start out well. We had a plug wire fall off at the beginning and some other stuff happened, but I felt like we were going in the right direction and getting our car to drive the way we wanted, but it’s not the kind of day we were looking.”

CARL EDWARDS – No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion – “First of all, I’ve got to thank all of the fans for coming out here on a Tuesday. I’m glad we got the race in in its entirety. At one point I was really hoping it would rain, but I’m glad we got to finish the race. There was a lot of hard driving out there. I don’t know what it looked like from outside the car, but from inside the car it was a lot of work. It’s one of the most fun race tracks we go to, I wish we were coming back here next week.”

DO YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOUR CAR ON MILE-AND-A-HALF TRACKS WITH THE CHASE COMING UP? “I feel pretty good about it. We still need to get a little bit better, but we had great strategy. We did a good job on pit road. The balance went away a little bit, but we appreciate Aflac being on board with the Aflac Cancer Center. It’s Aflac.com/friends if you want to help these kids out. These are great kids. We wish we would have gotten a win for them, but it was a good run.”

WAS IT JUST A CASE OF TRACK POSITION THAT PUT YOU BEHIND AT THE END? “We got a little loose at the end. I don’t know if the track loosened up or our set of tires was looser or something, but we were just a little too loose. The sun was coming out and the track was changing, but the car overall was really good all day. There were times when I felt like we had the car to beat, but timing-wise if the conditions would have been different at the end, I think we would have had a really good shot at the end.”

MATT KENSETH – No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion – “After the rain we didn’t do anything to the car. We just put a set of tires on it and it was junk. We adjusted on it a little bit and put another set on, but we got really loose at the end and couldn’t keep up. I don’t really know what happened. We had a lot of speed and it was pretty fast the first half of the race, but I don’t know what happened after that one rain delay. We just struggled after that.”

GREG BIFFLE – No. 16 3M Ford Fusion – “It wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t where I wanted to be. I’ve struggled here the last couple races with getting the car to be balanced from the beginning of the run to the end of the run. It’s like I’ll be too tight at the beginning of the run and then I’ll free it up and I’ll just smoke them on the restart, but then on lap 15 it’s like I can’t find a place I can drive it. We’ve got to work on that some more and look at our teammates’ notes and see what we can do. But we finished 12th and that’s not bad. It’s not the end of the world.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion – “I felt like we were a solid top five or top six car early in the going and we just got pounded on that restart. I’m not sure what happened. Clint just ran into the back of us. I don’t know if I was spinning the tires and he was ready to go or not, but I got hooked and we got door-slammed by somebody and then from there it was just kind of a fight to get back on it. The whole left side was crushed in, so the guys did a good job of getting the fenders pushed back out. The crush panel in the rear was destroyed. The car wasn’t the same, but to fight back with 100 to go being 28th and to get back to 10th, I was impressed with the whole day.”

THERE IS STILL A SLIM CHANCE A WIN COULD GET YOU A WILD CARD. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS GOING TO RICHMOND? “We know the chances are still there. It’s still wide-open when it comes to having a chance to go win and anything can happen after that, but, for me, like I said from the beginning, the Chase, for me, doesn’t define the season. I’d love to get in the Chase, that’s the ultimate goal, but as a race team we keep getting better. If we can go into these last 11 races that we have and get to Homestead and be far better than where we started, that, to me, is a great season. We’re getting there. We still have a little ways to go, but every week I feel like we improve.”

YOU’VE HAD FOUR SOLID RACES FINISHING BETWEEN 8TH-12TH. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WHERE YOU’RE AT RIGHT NOW AS A TEAM? “That’s right where we are as a race team right now. I felt like we legitimately had a top-five car and then when we got the damage that’s what makes a good race team because we fought back. At Michigan we didn’t have a good car, we got an 11th out of it, so it’s things like that where we can go and keep finishing well. That’s where we are as a team right now. We’re about an eighth to a 12th or 13th-place race team, but that’s better than where we had been, so that’s the improvement I’m looking for. If we can just keep getting there, whether we make the Chase or not, if we can go into those last 10 races and be a legitimate car every weekend that’s running inside the top-10 or top-five – maybe go to a couple tracks like Loudon or Dover and have a chance to win – then I’ll be really happy with the season.”

- PCGCampbell for Ford Racing, Press Release

Jeff Gordon in Victory Lane - Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR

It was Jeff Gordon, who had already clinched a wild-card berth in the “chase for the championship,” holding off his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jimmie Johnson (who now leads Kyle Busch by 21 points in the point standing) by 0.598 seconds at the drop of the checkered flag.

Gordon, who led the most laps with 146 laps of the 325 laps that were run, received his 3rd series win of the season, his 85th series career win and his 5th series win at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Tony Stewart, who started 20th, came in third, while Kurt Busch finished fourth, Carl Edwards fifth, Brad Keselowski sixth, Kevin Harvick seventh, Denny Hamlin eighth, Matt Kenseth ninth and AJ Allmendinger rounds out the top-ten finishing positions.

RACE NOTES:

Average Speed: 124.623 MPH
Time of Race: 4 Hrs, 00 Mins, 58 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.598 Seconds
Lead Changes: 35 among 14 drivers
Cautions: 9 for 64 laps
Attendance: 29,700

Unofficial Top-Ten in the Point Standings: 1. Jimmie Johnson – 873 (Leader) 2. Kyle Busch – 852 (-21 Points Behind the Leader) 3. Carl Edwards – 835 (-38) 4. Matt Kenseth –  834 (-39) 5. Jeff Gordon – 830 (-43) 6. Kevin Harvick – 819 (-54) 7. Kurt Busch –  789 (-84) 8. Ryan Newman – 786 (-87) 9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. –  753 (-120) 10. Tony Stewart – 751 (-122).

Next Up: The last race of the “regular” season before the “chase,” the Wonderful Pistachios 400 at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night, September 10th, with ABC beginning their (pre-race) coverage at 7:00 PM (EDT).

2011 NSCS AdvoCare 500 Race Results

(i) Ineligible for Points in this Series
# Denotes Rookie