Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway

TALLADEGA, Ala. –

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with the largest infield party in NASCAR.  Two-day tickets start at just $49 in the Allison Grandstands.  And as always, free camping is available so there’s no reason to miss a minute of the action.

“It’s going to be a weekend full of great racing and unforgettable memories,” said Talladega Superspeedway’s Chairman Grant Lynch.  “You have to experience a race at Talladega Superspeedway in person to truly understand how exciting it is.  From the infield to the grandstands, nothing compares to a ‘DEGA weekend.”

The most competitive racing in NASCAR combined with a mix of southern hospitality returns to Talladega Superspeedway May 4-6 for the Aaron’s Dream Weekend.  Experience the excitement as the superstars of NASCAR attempt to tackle the high-banks of ‘DEGA at 200 mph.  Secure your tickets atwww.talladegasuperspeedway.com or by calling 877-Go2-DEGA.  This is more than a race…This is Talladega!

Source: Talladega Superspeedway, Press Release

Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway

TALLADEGA, AL –

“We’re excited to welcome back O’Reilly Auto Parts to the Talladega Superspeedway team of sponsors,” said Talladega Superspeedway Chairman Grant Lynch.  “Having worked together in the past, it’s extremely rewarding to do business with a company that has a deep understanding of our sport and the best way to leverage their exposure.  We look forward to sharing their brand with the thousands of loyal Talladega Superspeedway fans.” 

The most competitive racing in NASCAR combined with a mix of southern hospitality returns to Talladega Superspeedway May 4-6, 2012 for the Aaron’s Dream Weekend.  For tickets and information visitwww.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call 1-877-Go2-DEGA.

Source: Talladega Superspeedway, Press Release

JTG-Daugherty Racing

JTG Daugherty Racing Statement in Response to Penalties Assessed by NASCAR to the No. 47 team as a result of rule infractions discovered during opening day inspection Oct. 21 at Talladega Superspeedway:

“We are very disappointed in this entire situation and we will not appeal NASCAR’s ruling,” JTG Daugherty Racing co-owner Brad Daugherty said. “We look forward to racing at Martinsville Speedway this weekend and getting ready for next season.”

Team chief race engineer Brian Burns will assume the role as crew chief for the No. 47 Toyota Camry replacing Frank Kerr and Bob Bechstein has been named car chief replacing Raymond Fox following penalties assessed by NASCAR.

- JTG Daugherty Racing, Press Release

Michael Waltrip Racing Logo

STATEMENT FROM MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING:

“Michael Waltrip Racing is ultra-sensitive and very serious about working within the guidelines of NASCAR policy. We do not condone this type of activity and as such we will take appropriate internal corrective action immediately. We thank NASCAR for providing a fair and equitable platform for all of its competitors and respect its decisions; therefore, we will not appeal.”

The following team personnel moves will take effect until NASCAR reinstates the suspended crew members:

No. 56 Team

- Veteran crew chief Pat Tryson will serve as interim crew chief in place of suspended crew chief Chad Johnston at Martinsville

- Allen Mincey, No. 56 race mechanic, will serve as interim car chief in place of suspended car chief Tony Lunders

No. 00 Team

- Bobby Kennedy, executive vice president of race operations, will serve as interim crew chief in place of Rodney Childers

- Chris Hall, No. 00 race mechanic, will serve as interim car chief in place of suspended car chief Steve Channing

Both crew and car chiefs will return to their positions following their suspensions.

 Michael Waltrip Racing, Press Release

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Logo

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 25, 2011)

All three cars were found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20 of the rule book, or has not been approved by NASCAR prior to the event); and 20-3.2.1A (unapproved modification to an approved windshield) of the 2011 NASCAR rule book.

Crew chiefs Rodney Childers (No. 00), Frank Kerr (No. 47) and Chad Johnston (No. 56) have each been fined $50,000 and have been suspended from the next four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship events and suspended from NASCAR until Nov. 23. Car chiefs Steve Channing (No. 00), Raymond Fox (No. 47) and Anthony Lunders (No. 56) have likewise been suspended from the next four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship events and suspended from NASCAR until Nov. 23. Additionally, Bobby Kennedy, director of competition for Michael Waltrip Racing, has been placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.

Car owners Rob Kauffman (No. 00), Tad Geschickter (No. 47), and Michael Waltrip (No. 56) have each been penalized with the loss of 25 championship owner points. Drivers David Reutimann (No. 00), Bobby Labonte (No. 47), and Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56) have each been penalized with the loss of 25 championship driver points.

- NASCAR, Press Release

Jack Roush - Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

Oct. 25, 2011- Statement from Jack Roush, co-owner Roush Fenway Racing regarding Sunday’s Sprint Cup Race at Talladega:

“At Roush Fenway Racing we expect our individual drivers to make decisions that put themselves in the best position to win each and every race. That is a philosophy that we have lived by for over two decades, and one that we will continue to abide by going forward.

“Of course, as in any team, we would prefer for our drivers to work together when possible. However, to be clear, we did not micromanage or dictate to any of our drivers, nor any other Ford drivers, how to race with other drivers at Talladega last Sunday. There are unique codes that all drivers establish and have to live by on the track. How they manage their code is up to our drivers as individuals. This weekend, there were no team orders, from myself or anyone at Roush Fenway, given to any of our drivers as to whom they could or could not choose to run with or assist, nor did I give similar directions or suggestion to any of the other Ford drivers.

“I’ve spoken with Trevor (Bayne) and understand that he was put in a situation requiring a split-second decision on the track and in his response to questions justifying his actions afterwards, where it was almost certain that not everyone was going to be satisfied. Trevor is extremely talented, but it is still very early in his career. Over time he will grow to understand that in such a high-paced, competitive and hostile environment it is unlikely that all of his decisions will make everyone happy. I’m confident in his decision making, his ability and actions on the track, and I’m excited as we continue to move forward with his development.”

Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR’s largest team operating in both the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series with drivers Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, David Ragan, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Trevor Bayne. Celebrating 25 winning years in 2012, Roush Fenway is the leader in NASCAR marketing solutions with its exclusive RoushFenwayOnTrack sponsorship measurement services, motorsport’s only team-focused TV show, and its social marketing channel RickyvsTrevor.com bringing unmatched brand opportunities to sponsors. Visit www.RoushFenway.com, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/roushfenway and follow on Twitter at @roushfenway. For sponsorship inquiries call John Younger at 704.720.4620.

- Roush Fenway Racing, Press Release

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

Talladega, AL (October 23, 2011)

While Mears and the #13 GEICO Camry entered Talladega with high hopes, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice sessions did little to stoke the team’s enthusiasm. Mears ended up 40th on the board once first practice was complete, and then he chose to join Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and a host of others in sitting out the final practice session altogether.

As life sometimes imitates art, qualifying imitated practice for Mears and the GEICO team. Mears pedaled around the 2.66-mile tri-oval in 54.262 seconds, making him the slowest car on the racetrack at the conclusion of Sprint Cup Series qualifying. Despite his misfortune, Mears’ demeanor left people scratching their heads, as the Bakersfield, CA, native strolled the garage area with a quiet confidence that would leave people thinking he knew something they didn’t.

When race day arrived, Mears and the GEICO team seemed strangely confident and tended to the #13 GEICO Camry on pit road while chatting and sharing laughs before the pre-race ceremony got underway. Everyone would soon learn that their laid back demeanor before the race was for good reason; their driver had a plan.

When the green flag turned the field loose in front of a large crowd and clear, blue skies, Mears launched a full-out assault on the field. Before the race had logged even a single lap, the #13 GEICO Camry had moved from its 42nd starting position into 26th.

By the third lap, Mears was running in the 18th position and found his drafting buddy from Daytona, Landon Cassill. The pair were able to lead the Daytona race in July before succumbing to a final lap crash that collected the car of Mears and relegated him to a 32nd place finish. Today would be different and the duo picked up where they left off on that hot summer evening in July.

Lap five saw Mears and the GEICO Camry move into 10th place, netting 32 positions from his starting spot in just the opening laps of a 188 lap event. Throughout the day, Mears would act as Cassill’s spotter, notifying him of all activities in front of the pair, as Cassill had limited visibility of what was ahead while acting as the pusher.

Mears and the #13 GEICO Camry continued their hard charge to the front and found themselves eyeing the leader on lap 40 when they moved into the third position. They spent the bulk of their afternoon in the Top 5 and Top 10 until lap 174 saw them lose their drafting partner when Cassill was collected in a turn two crash involving Bobby Labonte and Kurt Busch. Mears’ spotter Jason Jarrett quickly turned into a politician, lobbying other spotters around him to partner with the GEICO Camry on the restart. He ultimately secured a commitment from the #78 car of Regan Smith.

When the race returned to green flag conditions with just 10 laps left of the advertised 188, Mears restarted from the 20th position. While Casill no longer appeared in his rearview mirror, the #78 car of Smith did and the pair quickly made a mad dash for the front of the field, landing the #13 GEICO Camry in the Top 10 on the restart lap.

Unfortunately, just three laps later, the #78 car also fell victim to a crash when Denny Hamlin got into Mark Martin, causing a chain reaction that sent Smith hard into the outside retaining wall. This marked the second time that Mears narrowly avoided peril and was able to continue on.

Just two laps remained and Mears would be forced to take the final green flag of the afternoon without a drafting partner. The #13 GEICO Camry restarted 8th and fought a losing battle in the closing laps. Despite being forced to dance alone, Mears managed to fight to a 17th place finish when the checkered flag concluded 500-miles of racing on Sunday afternoon.

Upon crossing the finish line, an enthusiastic Mears radioed to his crew: “Boys! We survived Talladega!”

“We had a great run in the GEICO Camry and I’m really glad we were able to run up front all day,” Mears said with a smile as he stood outside his hauler debriefing with crew chief Bootie Barker. “We were really fortunate to survive both of those crashes that took out our partners today. I can’t thank Landon Cassill and Regan Smith enough for working with us. Landon and I were able to be up front most of the race and I was hoping that me and Regan would have a shot at the win towards the end. We ended up alone with two to go and that is never good here, but I drove as hard as I could and we’re happy with 17th. I’m thankful for the guys on this GEICO pit crew who worked hard to keep me up front all day.”

Mears, a teammate of Dan Wheldon when they won the 2006 Rolex 24 at Daytona, reflected on a tough week.

“Dan and I were teammates at Daytona in 2006 and we got to spend a lot of time together. He was a good guy and I have a lot of great memories of winning the Rolex 24 Hour race with him. We are keeping his wife Susie and their two sons in our thoughts and prayers.”

Aside from recording a Top 20 finish, the Germain Racing team jumped a notch from 34th to 33rd in the Owner Point standings, further solidifying their status in the Top 35.

Next week, Mears and the GEICO team travel to Martinsville, VA, for race number 33 of 36 on the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule.

Mears and the #13 GEICO Toyota Camry will hit the 1/2-mile paperclip-shaped oval of Martinsville Speedway for the opening practice session on Friday, October 28th, at 12:30 PM (ET). Qualifying will follow on Saturday, October 29th, at 12:10 PM (ET).

The Tums Fast Relief 500 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race is on Sunday, October 30th, and it will be televised live on ESPN beginning at 1:30 PM (ET). 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

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

Richard Childress Racing (RCR)

RCR Post Race Report — Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

RACE: Good Sam Club 500

TRACK: Talladega Superspeedway

DATE: October 23, 2011

Race Highlights:

• Richard Childress Racing teammates finished first (Clint Bowyer), second (Jeff Burton), 12th (Paul Menard) and 32nd (Kevin Harvick) at Talladega Superspeedway.
• Bowyer’s win in Sunday’s Good Sam Club 500 gave team owner Richard Childress his 100th career victory in NASCAR’s elite division.
• RCR has won a series-high of 12 times at Talladega Superspeedway, taking home three of the last four trophies at the famed 2.66-mile track.
• The win is Bowyer’s first of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and fifth in his NSCS career.
• RCR teammates Bowyer and Burton combined to lead 15 times for 51 laps.
• Bowyer led all 43 drivers entered in the race with 125.0 driver rating and gained 24 positions in the final 10 percent (19 laps) of Saturday which was best in the NASCAR Loop Data category of “Closers.”
• Bowyer spent 173 laps, or 92 percent, of 188 laps running in the top 15 (second-only to RCR teammate Jeff Burton’s 174-lap total) and made 307 green-flag passes during the race according to NASCAR Loop Data Statistics (259 of those passes were while running in the top 15).
• Bowyer’s average running position of 6.750 was also second to Burton’s 6.596.
• Burton led seven times for a total of 26 laps and earned a 122.3 Driver Rating, ranking him second only to RCR teammate Bowyer in that category, according to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics
• Burton posted his 14th top-10 finish in 36 races at Talladega Superspeedway.
• The Caterpillar driver led all drivers by spending 92.6 percent of the laps (174 of 188) running in the top-15 and moved up 22 positions in the final 10 percent of the race, ranking Burton fourth among all drivers in the ‘Closers’ category
• Menard ran as high as second and as low as 38th, maintaining the eighth-highest average running position (13.803) of all drivers according to NASCAR Loop Data statistics.
• Menard spent 121 out of 188 contested laps running in the top 15 (64.4 percent), ranking him eighth out of all drivers according to NASCAR Loop Data statistics.
• Harvick led six times for a total of 13 laps, ranking him sixth of all drivers according to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics.
• Despite being involved in an accident, making a trip to the garage for repairs and ultimately finishing in the 32nd position, Harvick maintained an average running position of 23.186, better than six of the other Chase for the Sprint Cup contending drivers.
• The next NSCS race is the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, October 30 and will be televised live on ESPN beginning at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio beginning at 12 Noon EDT.

Menard and the Serta/Menards Team Finish 12th at Talladega Superspeedway

Paul Menard knows every lap at Talladega Superspeedway is a gamble and Sunday’s Good Sam Club 500 proved no different as he finished 12th in the No. 27 Serta/Menards Chevrolet at the Alabama-based race track after a late-race restart left the field scrambled. Following a solid qualifying effort on Saturday, Menard lined up in the seventh position to start the 188-lap race. Menard and Richard Childress Racing teammate Kevin Harvick paired up for the two-car tandem-style racing which has become common at the superspeedways, and were a dominating force for more than 100 laps, proving they could drop back to avoid trouble and power to the front on a number of occasions. Finding the best result with the No. 27 Serta/Menards entry pushing the No. 29 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet, the duo led the field with Harvick in front on six occasions for 13 laps around the 2.66-mile superspeedway. On lap 104, trouble found the RCR pair with the No. 29 car receiving heavy damage by contact with a competitor’s spinning car. With Harvick requiring repairs first in the pits and ultimately in the garage, Menard found himself looking for a new “dancing partner” as the race returned to green-flag conditions. The No. 27 Chevrolet restarted seventh on lap 110 and then plummeted through the field before finally hooking up with the No. 9 machine of Marcos Ambrose. The Eau Claire, Wis., native and the Aussie methodically worked their way into the top 15 by lap 143 and then into the top 10 only a few laps later. A lap-163 caution allowed the Slugger Labbe-led team to service the signature Menards yellow Chevrolet with right-side tires and fuel. Restarting 10th on lap 167, Menard partnered with Tony Stewart, pushing the No. 14 Chevrolet to the lead in only two circuits. With eight laps remaining, Regan Smith made hard contact with the outside retaining wall, slowing the field for the ninth caution period of the afternoon and setting the stage for a two-lap dash to the checkered flag. Restarting sixth on lap 186, Menard quickly paired with Stewart once again but in the mad scramble to the finish, lost ground and took the checkers in 12th.

Start – 7th Finish – 12th Laps Led – 0 Points – 21

PAUL MENARD QUOTE:

“We had a really fast Serta/Menards Chevrolet all weekend. We brought a brand new car this weekend and the team did a great job building it. We didn’t require any adjustments for handling and the pit stops were solid. I thought we had a good shot at the win, especially drafting with (Tony) Stewart and restarting sixth after the last caution. I’m not exactly sure what happened in the big pack, but Superspeedway racing is always a crapshoot and I think we can be thankful that we are at least loading our car up in one piece.”

Harvick and the No. 29 Team Finish 32nd at Talladega after Mid-Race Accident

Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Jimmy Johns team’s plan for the Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway unraveled at lap 104 when Harvick was caught up in another driver’s accident. After making several trips to pit road and eventually going to the garage for repairs, Harvick finished the race in the 32nd position. Due to the need to race in pairs at the superspeedway, the No. 29 Jimmy Johns team went into Sunday’s race with a plan to work with Richard Childress Racing teammate Paul Menard and the No. 27 Serta/Menards team throughout the 500-mile race. The plan worked early as Harvick and Menard hooked up and drove to the lead at lap 16 where they stayed for three laps before settling into a comfortable pace. The Harvick-Menard tandem worked together during the next several circuits around the track when things started heating up and getting dicey at the front of the field, so the duo drifted back a little in the running order after the first 50 laps of the race. Not wanting to get too far behind the leaders, Harvick and Menard started moving closer to the front of the field prior to the third caution at lap 79. Harvick was racing in the top 20 with Menard close behind when disaster struck at lap 104. Another drafting duo triggered an incident which sent cars spinning and across the hood of cars in front of Harvick. With nowhere to go, the Bakersfield, Calif. native was caught up in the accident and eventually came to a stop on the apron of the track. Harvick drove the No. 29 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet back to the pits where the team went to work on the front end of the car in an attempt to fix the damage. Harvick lost a lap in the midst of the work and would lose another when, after returning to the track, the No. 29 car started smoking as the field came out of turn four to take the green, requiring a return trip to pit road to try to determine the source of the smoke. When Harvick returned to the track he was two laps down to the leader and in 37th place. The smoking problem persisted on the No. 29 Chevrolet, causing NASCAR to black-flag the team at lap 128, forcing Harvick to take the car to the garage so the team could fix the issue. After quickly assessing and fixing the problem with assistance from member of all four RCR teams, the No. 29 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet returned to the race, in the 37th position, eight laps down to the leaders. As the laps wound down and the attrition rate continued to build, Harvick was able to pick up five positions before the checkered flag waved to finish the race in 32nd place. The 32nd-place finish cost Harvick valuable points and positions in the championship point standings. He now sits in fifth place, 26 points out of the lead.

Start – 13 Finish – 32 Laps Led – 13 Points – 5

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:

“It is a little bit frustrating. You do what you think is right at this particular race track and you hope for the best. We had a lot of great runs in the weeks leading up to this and I guess the odds were against us coming into this one. Obviously, that wasn’t the day we wanted. But, but the way the rest of those guys raced, it didn’t devastate us. We wanted to be in the front. We thought that was the safer place to be in case the thing went green. I thought I was around a pretty good group of cars there. I don’t know what happened. It is just one of those deals.”

Burton & Caterpillar Racing Team Finish Second After Strong Day at Talladega

Jeff Burton and the No. 31 Caterpillar Racing team led seven times for 26 laps in the Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway but were passed by Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer coming to the checkered flag were narrowly passed to earn a season-best second-place finish. Burton qualified 25th early Saturday afternoon with a second-lap run of 53.318 seconds at an average speed of 179.602 mph on the 2.66-mile tri-oval. The green flag waved below a clear blue sky at 1:23 p.m. Central Time on Sunday and Burton took the lead on laps four and six with tandem-drafting partner Bowyer in tow. The first of the race’s nine caution flags slowed the field on lap 26. The drafting partners changed places soon after, with Bowyer leading four times for 13 laps between laps 30 and 75. Burton was back in the lead for two circuits beginning on lap 84 and then four more laps beginning on lap 102. The duo stayed hooked up throughout the race and periodically exchanged the lead. Burton assumed the lead again on lap 146 (for three laps) and again on lap 158 (for six laps). Cautions late in the race allowed for pit stop strategy to play a role, with crew chief Luke Lambert calling for two tires on lap 165. Burton pushed his teammate to the front one lap later, took the lead for his own on lap 179 after the next-to-last caution led the field coming off turn 4 on the final lap. Bowyer made a last-second move while coming to the line and beat the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet to the finish line by 0.018-of-a-second.

Start – 25 Finish – 2 Laps Led – 26 Points – 24

JEFF BURTON QUOTE:

“That’s (restrictor) plate racing. The Caterpillar Team was in position to win the race and Clint (Bowyer) did a great job. I thought he made his move a little too early and, as it turned out, he did it perfect. We had a great day. Part of me wants to cry and part of me wants to cheer. Any time you leave (Talladega Superspeedway) and the car is in one piece you should be happy, but to come that close after the year we have had is pretty disappointing.”

Bowyer Gives RCR 100th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Victory with Win at Talladega

Clint Bowyer, driving a special No. 33 Chevrolet paint scheme to celebrate the Chevrolet Centennial, edged out Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton in a photo finish to win the Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, giving team owner Richard Childress his 100th career victory in NASCAR’s elite division. The now five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winner started the 188-lap event in the third position and, following the original team plan instituted during Friday’s practice session, immediately found his RCR stablemate Burton to draft as a two-car tandem, which has become the norm at restrictor-plate facilities such as Talladega and Daytona International Speedway. Once the two RCR entries began drafting together, it was apparent that both Chevrolets would be considered among the favorites to take the checkered flag in the end. Throughout the first half of the event, the Bowyer and Burton combo never fell out of the top 15 in the running order, showcasing the strong horsepower of Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines while taking turns pushing each other to the front and using different lines on the race track to build a strategy for the final 10-lap sprint to the finish. Under a caution-flag period on lap 130, the two RCR drivers decided it was faster if Bowyer pushed Burton to the end of the race. That specific strategy continued until the two Chevrolet Impalas were separated on pit road during the final two-tire pit stop of the day on lap 165. On the ensuing restart, the Emporia, Kan., native dropped back through the field to hookup again with Burton and once lined up the two cars were scored in the 24th and 25th positions, respectively. The caution flag was displayed again with 13 laps to go, giving Bowyer and Burton the opportunity to carry out the plan they originally decided to use while planning strategy during the middle part of the race. Once gain, they immediately went to the front of the lead pack and were running one-two when the final caution flag of the day was displayed, setting up a two-lap dash to the finish. After taking the green flag, Bowyer and Burton pulled away from every other competitor on the track running single file. While exiting turn four, the 32-year-old driver made his move to the inside of the No. 31 Chevrolet and the two drivers battled each other in a drag race down the frontstretch to the finish line, rubbing fenders and bringing the crowd of more than 105,000 to their feet. Bowyer beat Burton to the finish line by a mere 0.018 seconds, the 11th-closest finish in NSCS history as both RCR drivers combined to lead a total of 15 times for 51 laps. Bowyer also remains 13th in NSCS driver championship point standings.

Start – 3 Finish – 1 Laps Led – 25 Points – 13

CLINT BOWYER QUOTE:

“I told him Richard (Childress), ‘this is Chevrolet’s 100th Anniversary, what an awesome paint scheme.’ I am so proud of the paint scheme and the fact this is Richard’s 100th race that he has won in the (NASCAR) Sprint Cup Series. So I told him ‘congratulations and I guess I’m going to have to race my ass for the 101st (laughs).’ But just thank you to Cheerios, Hamburger Helper, everybody involved with this car. BB&T too, they’ve been a long supporter of ours and it meant a lot to me to get all these guys back in victory lane before we cap off this season. It was a good day. I need to thank my teammate Jeff Burton. We were really good together. We thought about it, talked about it a lot before the race and things really did play out just how we planned. We were really good on the restarts and kept getting together before the other cars and I think that is what ultimately won the race.”

TAKE US THROUGH THE LAST LAP:

“It was pretty calm day to be honest with you. It was methodical and I wanted to stay up front. I told Jeff (Burton) that we needed to stay up front and stay racing with these guys. That way, when the time comes we would have practiced, were ready for it and could race like the end of the race needs to be raced. That restart we got bunched up before everybody else and I was really worried about the Nos.14 and 27 Chevys, the Nos. 4 and 83 cars were also hooked up too. I didn’t think it was going to happen like that, but sure glad it did. Obviously, I was trying to figure out where to pass him and I said, ‘aww, I’m at least going to give him a shot at it.’ I decided to try it early and knew it was going to be a drag race to the finish.”

CREW CHIEF SHANE WILSON QUOTE:

“This deal is really good. We’ve worked hard and been close so here and there. We missed the Chase (for the NASCAR Sprint Cup) this year, but this group is a good group and it is a shame that it is going to end, but that is just the way it is. I’m proud of everybody today across the board at RCR and ECR. We all had really good cars today and I’m just happy.”

WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT THE NO. 31 TEAM AND JEFF BURTON? THOSE TWO NEVER LOST EACH OTHER ON THE TRACK:

“We were good all day and those guys did a great job. They did their tandem deal there very well and track position was worth a little bit, especially at the end. I think it made us better for the end running up there all day.”

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

RACE: Coca-Cola 250 presented by Fred’s

TRACK: Talladega Superspeedway

DATE: October 22, 2011

Race Highlights:

• RCR teammates finished seventh (Austin Dillon) and 20th (Joey Coulter).
• Dillon’s average running position was 4.128, ranked first among all drivers according to NASCAR’s Loop Data statistics.
• Dillon spent 97.9 percent of the race running in the top 15 and led 14 laps.
• Coulter started seventh and ran as high as fourth.
• Coulter ranked sixth in NASCAR’s Loop Data Category for green-flag passes, with 123.
• Coulter is second in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings.
• Dillon leads the NCWTS standings by three points over James Buescher with three races remaining in the 2011 season.
• Coulter remains ninth in the NCWTS standings, seven markers outside of eighth.
• Mike Wallace earned his first NCWTS victory since 2000 and was followed to the finish line by Kevin Harvick, Incorporated teammate Ron Hornaday, James Buescher, Ricky Carmichael and Jason White.
• The next scheduled NCWTS race is the Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, October 29 which will be televised live on SPEED beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio beginning at 1:45 p.m.

Austin Dillon Goes from 18th to Seventh in Final Two Laps at Talladega Superspeedway to Maintain Series Points Lead

Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet team finished seventh and maintained their points lead in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship standings despite a late-race penalty in Saturday afternoon’s Coca-Cola 250 at Talladega Superspeedway. Dillon started the 94-lap race from the third position and spent the early portions of the race running in the top five as a two-car tandem consisting of Kevin Harvick, Incorporated teammates Mike Wallace and Ron Hornaday occupied the top-two positions on the racetrack. Realizing that speeds increased significantly in the two-truck draft, Dillon partnered with veteran NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch late in the race to make a run at Wallace and Hornaday. Once in the tandem position, Dillon and Busch drove to the front of the field with Dillon scored as the race leader when the final caution flag of the race was displayed on lap 88. With fuel mileage a concern, Dillon slowed under caution and drove to the apron of the track to increase fuel pickup but the truck shut off when the sophomore driver was trying to shift into fourth gear. NASCAR officials penalized the driver for not maintaining minimum speed and sent him back to the 18th position for the lap-92 restart. When green-flag racing resumed, Dillon partnered with the No. 62 truck driven by Brendon Gaughan to draft his way forward in the running order, gaining 11 positions in the final two laps to finish seventh. He maintained his lead in the championship standings by a narrow, three-point margin over James Buescher.

Start – 3 Finish – 7 Laps Led – 14 Points – 1

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:

“We had plenty of fuel to make it to the end of the race but I was trying to be conservative, saving fuel by shutting the truck off during that caution and releasing the clutch. When I released the clutch the truck never came back to me and it stalled. I was able to get the truck restarted and gained my positions back before I got to the start-finish line so I was definitely surprised to find out that I had to restart so far back in the field. It’s all right. We’ll just make it a fun points race. We fought back from 18th to seventh in two laps, so I think we can do anything if we can do that.”

Rookie Joey Coulter Brings Home 20th-Place Finish at Talladega Superspeedway

After running in the top 10 for a majority of the 94-lap event, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie Joey Coulter finished 20th in the Coca-Cola 250 at Talladega Superspeedway. The Miami Springs, Fla., native started the race in the seventh position and fell back through the field trying to find a drafting partner for the two-truck tandem, which has become the norm at restrictor-plate facilities like Talladega and Daytona International Speedway. The 21-year-old driver finally found another competitor to draft with and began his ascent through the field, working his way up to the 12th position on lap 50. By lap 70, Coulter was running consistently in the top 10, but was unable to maneuver to the front of the field and draft with Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon as originally planned. For the next 20 laps, Coulter ran in the eighth position until the caution flag was displayed with four laps to go, setting up a green-white-checkered finish at he 2.66-mile superspeedway. On the ensuing restart, Coulter lined up in the sixth position and was ready to push his No. 22 Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet Silverado to the front of the field. However, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate was unable to find a drafting partner and was shuffled back through the field, crossing the finish line in the 20th position. He now sits ninth in the NCWTS driver championship point standings.

Start -7 Finish – 20 Laps Led – 0 Points – 9

JOEY COULTER QUOTE:

“I just need to go to drafting school or something. It was very frustrating for me, especially in the end when we got hung out to dry and didn’t get the finish we deserved. We ran this No. 22 Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet in the top 10 for most of the day, but I really wanted to get them in Victory Lane. They’ve been a big supporter of me throughout my career.”

- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release

Granny Grump

Since the race started late afternoon Duck and I ate our main meal of the day early so with our tummies full we settled in on the divan with some hot chocolate for refreshment and cheered and quacked as the green flag waved for 94 laps and James Buescher as he led them to the line followed by Piquet, Jr., WOG, 3 Wheels Now, Handsome Hornaday and Middle Wallace. For those who want to know Crafty Matt started 12th, Rock’em Sock’em started 20th, Rowdy Boy started 17th and Jeffery Earnhardt, Kerry’s boy started 34th. It was good to see that boy racin’ again. Anyway, the rest you can look up.

It was excitin’ from the get go let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Handsome was drivin’ the #2 truck again and Middle Wallace was behind the wheel of the #33. Duck and I thought that was interestin’ for Mike to be drivin’ that truck cause Curly Sadler usually drives it but his wife is expectin’ their 2nd baby so Duck and I were pleased to see Middle get this chance. Duck and I like those Wallace boys and we hadn’t seen him in a truck race in quite a long spell. Handsome and Middle worked real well together. Two veterans like that? Yep we were excited to see it and those boys worked right well together. No learnin’ curve there, nossirree.

No lap by lap deal here but 23 trucks finished on the lead lap. There was a wreck or two but nothin’ too major in the grand scheme of it all. Course you wouldn’t feel that way if you were one of those involved in an accident, but I’m just sayin’. And what a choice Happy Man and wifey made in stickin’ Middle Wallace behind the wheel. He, with Handsome pushin’ him, won the race! Oh my good and gracious LORD it was so good to see him win after all this time. This was Middle’s 5 overall victory and 1st since he won the mid season race at Daytona in 2004. GOOD for him I say! So instead of him and his wife celebratin’ their anniversary on some exotic island somewhere they were whoppin’ it up in victory lane. Handsome seemed real happy for him, too, congratulatin’ him in Victory Lane. Anyway Handsome finished 2nd followed by Buescher, 4 Wheels Now and White. For those who want to know WOG finished 7th after NASCAR penalized him with 5 laps to go and sent him packin’ to the back after he was shuttin’ the engine on and off to conserve fuel and couldn’t maintain speed. He was not a happy camper let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now, but ya can’t fight those powers that be. Know what I mean? Anyway Rowdy Boy finished 9th, Rock’em Sock’em finished 15th. WOG is still the points leader but only by 3 points followed by Buescher, Rock’em Sock’em down 14 points and Handsome Hornaday now only 16 points behind WOG. The rest you can look up.

Now for the Cup race yesterday. Once again Duck and I were wonderin’ how the dancin’ duet deal was gonna work. Lots of racefans, Duck and I included, have been critical of this lately type race happenin’s at Daytona and Talladega. But again we decided to wait and see. Course this late in the race season and with so much on the line for so many, we figured there would be some who would look at the “big picture” more than earlier in the season and go for safe, no problems finishes which appears to have happened. Can’t say we blame ‘em none, more or less if ya know what I mean. Anyhow Cutie Mark Martin landed the pole followed by Same Champ Jimmie, Bowyer, Baby Face, Jeffie G and JR. For those who want to know Flippin’ Carl started 9th, Good Bad Brad started 16th, Rowdy Boy started 34th and Big Brother Busch started 14th. The rest you can look up.

Course Duck was excited to be cheering for his idol but I warned that boy to be mindful of that “big picture” deal we have discussed since the chase started. He said he would so with lunch on the crates and us on our usual ends of the divan we quacked and cheered as the field took the green go ahead for 188 laps of the unknown.

Course everybody knows how the drivers have to pick a draftin’ partner before they start the race. For those with teammates it’s usually an easy choice but for those without such it can be difficult if not impossible. Duck and I expected Same Champ and JR to do the usual and draft together with Jeffie and Markie doin’ the same and they did. Smoke and Flyin’ Ryan tried it this time, too, but that changed up when Ryan got banged up. That’s one of the bad sides of this 2 by 2 deal as y’all know. Anyway with no lap by lap report on NASCAR’s website I can’t give ya one even if I wanted to, which I don’t and can’t remember it all anyway, but I can tell ya that the jostlin’ up front was impressive and constant. When JR pushed Same Champ to the lead the roar in the grandstands was amazin’ but when Same Champ pushed JR to the lead the roar was deafenin’, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Duck and I were woohooin’ all over the place. I was hopin’ for this to be JR’s day to win and Duck was hopin’ his idol would win. Neither one of our wishes came true, sadly for us and those drivers. Course everyone on every lap was expectin’ the “big” one and while there were a few wrecks nothin’ on the scale of years past happened thank out good and gracious LORD. Bobby LaBonte had a pretty nasty hit front, back on the inside wall and then finally on the side when Big Brother Busch couldn’t slow down in time fairly late in thw race. Sad for both of ‘em I say. That sweet Bobby hurt his foot and came out of the infield care center with no shoes and only one sock on.

Jeff Burton teamed up with teammate Bowyer and that was a match made for Victory Lane. Except for the last lap Bowyer was the pusher but as we have all seen so many times each driver wants that win and if the timin’ is just right it can work out to pull out and go for the win. That is exactly what happened and Clint was the winner with Burton in tow. GOOD for him I say. That is a great partin’ of the ways gift he gave himself right there wasn’t it now? Anyway Blaney finished 3rd followed by Good Bad, Vickers, Kutie Kahne, Smoke, Hamlin after all his problems, Mikey (so good for him I say) and Truex, Jr. For those who want to know Flippin’ Carl finished 11th, Markie finished 20th, Baby Face in the Woods Bros #21 finished 15th, Robo finished 18th after leadin’ a spell, JR came home 25th with Same Champ followin’ and Jeffie followin’ Same Champ. The rest you can look up. I was able to keep Duck in emotional check by tellin’ him his idol is still leader by 15 over Robo. Good Bad moved up 3 places to 3rd 18 points behind the leader with Smoke in 4th up 1 spot and Happy Man in 5th down 3 spots. The rest you can look up.

Now for the other stuff. I read where Brad Daugherty’s team is leavin’ his affiliation with Mikey. He has got some good people goin’ with him and Duck and I hope all goes well with all those involved.

And did y’all see that smoke comin’ from the hauler in the garage area after the race? Seems some crew members were dumpin’ unused fuel into a storage can and somehow, someway it caught fire. The back of the Truck itself was damaged with hoses melted and what not but noone was hurt thank our good and gracious LORD and the fire was put out real quick like by some crew members. The truck and hauler have now become the haulees, if ya know what I mean.

And finally I have to say the calls for JR and Same Champ Jimmie to hang back in the pack were just like the last restrictor plate race and that was WRONG. They waited too long then and they waited too long yesterday to get their keesters headin’ up front. I kept tellin’ Duck they were waitin’ too long cause it was gettin’ too late and sure enough even JR said he thought they had. Well JR was right and so was this granny. Sure seems unlike Knaus to not learn from his past booboos. Maybe that boy is just tired or somethin’ but when do the drivers take control and do what they think is right? Oh yeah, they are just the ones drivin’. Maybe there is some “big picture” reason goin’ on but WHATEVER this granny says. What do y’all think?

Anyway there ya have it ’til next time. Next week Cup and the Trucks head to Martinsville and Nationwide is off for another weekend so email, comment or don’t. Either way is fine cause I’m a very busy woman and even more so with Freezie May back in these parts. That’s one needy baby sister if ya know what I mean. I’m not tryin’ to complain ya understand, I’m just sayin’. Anyway, Granny Grump over and out.

Top Ten Kids Eat Free on the rear of the Tommy Baldwin Racing No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet

TALLADEGA, ALA. (October 24, 2011) –

• Free kids buffet with an adult buffet purchase at regular price.
• Limit of 2 free kid’s meals per adult buffet purchased.
• Requires a printed copy of official race results from a newspaper or website.
• This special promotional offer only redeemable on Monday, October 24, 2011.

“The entire TBR team is thrilled to feed America’s families Monday,” explained Blaney. “We have been working hard all year to get that top-10. Talladega was definitely a race we had circled on our calendar since we did so well there in the spring. Thanks to teaming up with Brad Keselowski, we were able to strategize all race and make sure we were there at the end. This is extra special since it is my birthday on Monday. You bet I’ll be at Golden Corral celebrating with all the kids at the Chocolate Wonderfall!”

Tommy Baldwin Racing, Golden Corral and Blaney will compete for America’s families again next weekend at Martinsville Speedway and for the remainder of the 2011 season. For each top-10 finish, Golden Corral will open their doors to America’s families and give kid’s free meals.

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

Kasey Kahne Giving Teammate Brian Vickers Drafting Assistance at Talladega

TALLADEGA, Ala. — There was no Tango or Mambo. No Samba or Rumba. Rather, Brian Vickers and Kasey Kahne danced the Talladega Two Step all the way to Red Bull Racing Team’s best combined finish in the organization’s fiveyear history.

Vickers finished fifth and Kahne sixth in Sunday’s Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Before the combined total of 11, the team had two 13’s to show for itself — the most recent coming last April when Kahne finished third and Vickers 10th at Richmond.

Restrictor-plate racing at NASCAR’s biggest and fastest track has evolved into mini two-car packs — a 180 from the one mega pack that made Talladega famous and infamous at the same time. These days, a single dancing partner is the fastest way around the 2.66-mile layout.

Naturally, the two Red Bull Toyotas were partners from the very start. Kahne started 26th, Vickers 30th, and the two pulled and pushed each other into the top five within 10 laps. They were inseparable and at one point — with 59 laps to go — became too close.

Kahne made a move for the lead to the outside of the Robby Gordon-Trevor Bayne tandem. Vickers followed, but his No. 83 tagged the team car, sending Kahne’s No. 4 spinning down the frontstretch. “Sorry about that, Kasey,” Vickers radioed to Kahne. “You pulled out so quick, I just turned you around.”

No harm. Kahne didn’t hit anything and kept the car straight. Both cars pitted and reconnected soon after under green. They restarted in the back, but were back in the top five within 17 laps. Their final pit stop, under the race’s seventh caution, put them back in 30th and 32nd and within eight laps were the third tandem in line.

After a five-car accident in turn two, the ninth and final yellow flag waved with seven laps to go set up a green-whitecheckered finish. Vickers and Kahne restarted third and fourth, but had nothing for the lead tandem of race winner Clint Bowyer and teammate Jeff Burton. And a second tandem — Dave Blaney and Brad Keselowski — stole third and fourth.

“This racing is nerve-wracking. Takes about two hours to go to sleep after this. Your mind is going 100 miles per hour,” said Vickers, a former Talladega winner who earned his third top five of the season and fourth at the track.

“The Red Bull team did a great job working together. Either Kasey was the leader or I was in the lead. We had to go to the back like four or five times and always made it back to the front. We just didn’t have enough at the end. Guys got on our door and the 33 (Bowyer) and 31 (Burton) got away. They were strong all day. So we knew they were going to be tough at the end.”

For Kahne, it was his 13th top 10 of the season and fifth consecutive finish of sixth or better. Never in his eight-year Sprint Cup career (284 races) has Kahne put together so many solid showings in a row.

“We worked well all day with Brian. Great communication between both Red Bull teams,” Kahne said. “Once we got together we could work our way up front. This team continues to work hard, and we have been so close the last few weekends. Just needed a little more for one of us to win, but this momentum is good for us and for the entire Red Bull organization.”

The Red Bull Toyotas combined to lead five times for seven laps, a mere footnote as there were 72 lead changes among 26 drivers.

Kahne improved to 14th in the driver standings. He’s 19 points behind Bowyer in 13th — the highest position a non- Chaser can achieve. Vickers remained 25th in points with four races remaining.

UP NEXT: Tums Fast Relief 500, Sunday, Oct. 30, Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Va.

- Red Bull Racing Team, Press Release

2011 NSCS Stewart in Car - Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

Date: Oct. 23, 2011
Event: Good Sam Club 500 (Round 32 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (2.66-mile oval)
Start/Finish: 12th/7th (Running, completed 188 of 188 laps)
Winner: Clint Bowyer of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)

Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway was dubbed the wild-card track in the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup for its ability to wreak havoc among the 12 drivers competing for this year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

Tony Stewart dodged the calamity Talladega offers up – tandem racing where a driver has to rely on another driver to push him around the vast 2.66-mile oval at speeds approaching 200 mph – to finish seventh and move up to fourth in the championship standings.

Stewart’s No. 14 El Monterey/Office Depot Chevrolet Impala for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) was strong throughout the 188-lap contest, as he led five times for a race-high 30 laps en route to his 16th top-10 result of 2011 and his 13th top-10 in 26 career Sprint Cup starts at Talladega.

But the run to the front didn’t come without some hairy moments, the most notable of which involved his teammate, Ryan Newman.

Newman and Stewart showed their strength early, with Stewart pushing Newman to the lead four times for five laps. But the tandem racing that allowed them to move to the front bit them on lap 81. While racing through the tri-oval, Newman and Stewart came upon David Reutimann, and as the pair passed him low, aerodynamics and a bump-draft from Stewart sent Newman sideways.

The momentary loss of downforce caused when Newman slipped past Reutimann, combined with the nose of Stewart’s car tapping the rear bumper of Newman’s No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet, sent Newman spinning onto the infield grass, whereupon the splitter was ripped from beneath the front bumper. It was damage Newman was never able to overcome, and he wound up 16 laps down in 38th.

Making matters worse was that Stewart was left without a drafting partner. The banged-up car of Joey Logano, who lost his left-front fender when a cut tire earlier in the race tore apart the sheetmetal, was Stewart’s only hope. Amazingly, with Logano pushing Stewart, the duo drove through the field, ultimately running 1-2 from laps 136-145 and again from laps 149-156.

As successful as the pairing was, it was broken up with less than 25 laps remaining. Logano, employed by Joe Gibbs Racing, was instructed to assist his teammate, Denny Hamlin.

Exit Logano, enter Paul Menard. The winner of this year’s Brickyard 400 attached himself to Stewart’s rear bumper beginning with a restart on lap 168. The duo proved just as strong as the Logano pairing, with Menard pushing Stewart back into the lead for laps 169-178.

But with Menard’s Richard Childress Racing (RCR) teammates, Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton, posing as Stewart’s biggest challengers for the win, Menard got his instructions to not push Stewart past his RCR brethren. And in the race’s final restart on lap 187, Bowyer and Burton shot forward while Stewart and Menard dropped back, as Stewart’s pusher was suddenly not as strong as he’d been just a few laps earlier.

When the checkered flag dropped, Bowyer had his fifth career Sprint Cup victory, his first of the season and his second at Talladega, with Burton .018 of a second behind him in the runner-up spot. Stewart was seventh.

“I screwed up and got out of sync with Ryan (Newman) and crashed him, and after that you just had to pick up whoever you could pick up,” said Stewart, who has one Sprint Cup victory at Talladega, earned in October 2008. “We had a good run with Joey (Logano) there for a long time and were lucky enough to pick Paul Menard up. I had good partners to push with. Paul and Joey both did a great job and Ryan did a great job. I let Ryan down today.”

Dave Blaney, Brad Keselowski and Brian Vickers rounded out the top-five. Kasey Kahne, Stewart, Hamlin, Michael Waltrip and Martin Truex Jr., comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were nine caution periods for 38 laps, with nine drivers failing to finish.

Stewart and Newman are both in this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup and came into Talladega fifth and 10th, respectively, in the Chase standings. Stewart was 24 points behind Chase leader Carl Edwards while Newman was 61 points out of the top spot. Stewart leaves Talladega fourth in points, 19 markers behind Edwards. Newman fell two spots to 12th in the standings and is now 88 points out of first.

With only four races remaining before a champion is crowned following the season finale Nov. 20 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the top-12 drivers competing for the title rank as follows:

1. Carl Edwards (2,237 points)

2. Matt Kenseth (2,223 points, -14)

3. Brad Keselowski (2,219 points, -18)

4. Tony Stewart (2,218 points, -19)

5. Kevin Harvick (2,211 points, -26)

6. Kyle Busch (2,197 points, -40)

7. Jimmie Johnson (2,187 points, -50)

8. Kurt Busch (2,185 points, -52)

9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2,163 points, -74)

10. Jeff Gordon (2,155 points, -82)

11. Denny Hamlin (2,153 points, -84)

12. Ryan Newman (2,149 points, -88)

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule – the seventh race of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup – is the Oct. 30 Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The race begins at 1:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with a pre-race show at 1 p.m.

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

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

TALLADEGA, Ala. (Oct. 23, 2011) –

The Furniture Row Racing driver was credited with a 30th-place finish in the Good Sam Club 500.

Before crashing hard into the concrete wall on the high speed, 2.66-mile oval, Smith suffered a major blow when his drafting partner Kurt Busch was involved in a race-ending incident on Lap 176 of 188.

With Busch on the sidelines, Smith was able to hook up with Casey Mears and moved from 24th to the top-10 in only a few laps. But on Lap 182, Denny Hamlin’s car got into Mark Martin’s car, who swerved uncontrollably into Smith’s car, sending the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet into a violent spin and then into the wall.

“Yea that was not a fun hit — but thanks to all the safety equipment and innovations we’ve had over the years,” said Smith, who was evaluated and released from the infield care center. “But it is what we do at the restrictor plate tracks and unfortunately get caught up in other people’s messes. I don’t know what happened. I was hoping we were going to have a good day. My partner, Kurt Busch, got wrecked earlier and it was not his fault either, but that is how it goes.”

Smith and Busch, who became a forceful tandem back in February at the Daytona 500, were strong all day, running with the leaders on the 2.66-mile oval.

“We had it going, but when Kurt crashed, I was lucky to get Casey (Mears) as a partner,” noted Smith. “We were moving forward until I got clipped by the No. 5 car (Mark Martin). We just haven’t had good luck this year on the restrictor-plate tracks.”

The race winner was Clint Bowyer. Rounding out the top-five in order were: Jeff Burton, Dave Blaney, Brad Keselowski and Brian Vickers.

The next Sprint Cup race is Sunday (Oct. 30) at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

- DMF Communications for Furniture Row Racing, Press Release

Ryan Newman in Car - Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images

Accident Relegates Army Driver to 38th-Place Finish

TALLADEGA, Ala. (Oct. 23, 2011) – It’s been a wacky superspeedway year for Ryan Newman, and Sunday’s Sprint Cup race provided the same scenario for the U.S. Army driver, whose potentially winning car was once again a magnet for trouble.

For the first 80 laps at Talladega Superspeedway, Newman and his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, Tony Stewart, were a force to be reckoned with as the two drafting partners ran up front on the high-speed, 2.66-mile oval.

But on Lap 81 of 188, Newman became the victim of the two-car draft as he was accidentally spun by Stewart, causing major front-end damage to the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet. The severe spin in the grass tore off Newman’s front-bumper assembly and left him with a heavily damaged race car and a 38th-place finish in the Good Sam Club 500.

Newman eventually drove his car to the garage for repairs and when he returned to action he was 16 laps down.

“Up until the spin, I felt we had a car that would be challenging for the win,” said a disappointed Newman, who led four times for five laps. “I am not really sure what happened. All I know is that we’ve had really good cars this year at the superspeedways but zero luck.”

Stewart, who was pushing Newman’s car at the time of the spin, did not have any damage to his car and went on to post a seventh-place finish.

Regarding the incident with Newman, Stewart said, “I screwed up and got out of sync with Ryan and crashed him.”

Newman led late in the two Daytona International Speedway restrictor-plate races this season but got crashed in each. He basically suffered the same fate in the April Talladega race where he was a front runner before being spun out a couple of times and shoved to the back of the field.

“We’ll keep on fighting with our Army spirit and grit, ” said Newman. “Hopefully it will all come together for us at the next superspeedway race, which will be next year’s first race, the Daytona 500.”

The 38th-place finish dropped Newman from 10th to 12th in the Chase point standings. Stewart moved up one spot to fourth and is 19 points behind leader Carl Edwards with four races remaining.

The next Sprint Cup race is Sunday (Oct. 30) at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

###

Chase Point Standings, Oct. 23, 2011
1. Carl Edwards, 2237 points
2. Matt Kenseth, -14
3. Brad Keselowski, -18
4. Tony Stewart, -19
5. Kevin Harvick, -26
6. Kyle Busch, -40
7. Jimmie Johnson, -50
8. Kurt Busch, -52
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr., -74
10. Jeff Gordon, -82
11. Denny Hamlin, -84
12. Ryan Newman, -88

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

Clint Bowyer celebrates winning the Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, his second straight fall win at the track. - Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

Team Chevy Captures Top-Three Finishing Positions in the Good Sam Club 500

TALLADEGA, Ala – (October 23, 2011) – With his win of the Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, Clint Bowyer in his No. 33 Chevrolet 100 Years Chevrolet collected the 100th Owner win for Richard Childress in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Childress formed Richard Childress Racing (RCR) in 1961 and his first series victory came in 1983 at Riverside (Calif.) International Speedway with Ricky Rudd behind the wheel of the No. 3 Piedmont Airlines Chevrolet. A NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver himself from 1969 – 1981, Childress recorded six top-five and 76 top-10 finishes in 285 starts. He retired as a driver in mid-1981. RCR became synonymous with success and championships with the legendary Dale Earnhardt and the famed black No. 3 Chevrolet.

A Chevy guy since his days of racing Modifieds at Bowman-Gray Stadium back in the 1960’s, Childress has been a key partner with Chevrolet for over 40 years.

“On behalf of everyone at Chevrolet, I am extremely pleased to offer our sincere congratulations to Richard and the entire Richard Childress Racing family for reaching the major milestone of 100 race wins in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “This tremendous accomplishment is the result of years of dedication to excellence. And with Richard’s long standing loyalty to the red bowtie, we are very proud of the fact that all 100 of Richard Childress Racing’s wins have been in Chevrolets. We truly value our time-honored relationship with Richard and everyone at Richard Childress Racing; and look forward to many more Victory Lane celebrations.”

With his Chevy race car carrying the logo in celebration of the Chevrolet Centennial, Bowyer notched his second victory at Talladega and his fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) career win.

Jeff Burton, No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, also fielded by RCR, finished second in the 188-lap/500-mile race.

Making it a Team Chevy one-two-three finish was Dave Blaney behind the wheel of the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet.

The top-finishing Team Chevy driver in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in the sixth race of the 10-race championship battle was Tony Stewart. The two-time NSCS champion finished seventh in the No. 14 El Monterey/Office Depot Chevrolet and moved up to fourth in the standings, 19 points behind the leader.

For the remaining five Team Chevy drivers vying for the 2011 NSCS driver’s championship, it was a day of disappointments in the race considered to be the wild card in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, was involved in a multi-car accident on the 104th lap of today’s race. The crew worked feverishly on the car to get Harvick back on track to collect valuable championship points. He finished 32nd, nine laps down to the winner and now sits fifth in points, 26 points out of the lead with four races remaining in the season.

Five-time, defending NSCS champion Jimmie Johnson who worked the entire race with his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. brought his No. 48 MyLowe’s Chevrolet to the checkered flag in 26th place and now sits seventh in the standings, 50 points out of the top spot.

Earnhardt, Jr., remains ninth in points, 74 points out of the lead, after bringing his No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Paint the 88/National Guard Chevrolet, to the finish in 25th place.

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, finished 27th as the result of a a late-race restart on lap 187 that jumbled the running order. He is 10th in points, 82 points down to the leader.

Ryan Newman was involved in a two-car accident on the 80th lap. After time in the garage for repairs, Newman returned to action in the No. 39 US Army Chevrolet and was scored in the 38th finishing position. He is 12th in points, 88 points behind the leader.

Brad Keselowski (Dodge) and Brian Vickers (Toyota) completed the top-five finishers. Carl Edwards (Ford) continues as the series points leader.

The Series moves to short track action at Martinsville Speedway on October 30, 2011.

CLINT BOWYER, NO. 33 CHEVROLET 100 YEARS CHEVROLET – RACE WINNER

SHANE WILSON, CREW CHIEF; AND RICHARD CHILDRESS, TEAM OWNER, RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:

KERRY THARP: Let’s roll into our race winner’s press conference for today’s race. Our race winner is Clint Bowyer. He’s joined on the podium by his owner Richard Childress. Today was the hundredth career Sprint Cup Series victory for Richard Childress Racing. Congratulations on that monumental win. This is your 12th win at Talladega, all time best in NASCAR series history. He’s joined by crew chief Shane Wilson as well. Clint Bowyer wins for the fifth time in his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career, the second time here at Talladega.

Clint, take us through that final part of that lap when you made the move, got past Burton, got to the checkered flag.

CLINT BOWYER: Yeah, the last lap, really to tell you the truth, going down the back straightaway, I wasn’t even looking at him. I already felt bad for him. I knew we had a 12 , 14 car lead. I was looking in the mirror, waiting for the smoke to fly, move ahead of him before the caution came out.

That’s kind of what was on your mind. We had a moment. He told me, Bet you were thinking you were going to pass me on the front straightaway. I was chuckling. That’s exactly what I was thinking. He kind of moved up off of four. I knew it was too early to go, but it was going to be a drag race, give us both a shot at it. I felt like it did.

He worked so well with me all day long. You hate that it comes down to that. It is what it is. You owe it to your team, to your sponsors to go out and win the race. Unfortunately it came down to that situation.

But trust me, I was prepared to push him to the win no matter what the cost was if we would have had people breathing down or necks, too. Just wasn’t meant to be for him. He’s been a great teammate. Learned a lot from him. He’s already won a lot of races. I think he’s won like 20 some races, I’ve only won five.

KERRY THARP: This win today also gets you in next year’s Sprint All Star Race.

CLINT BOWYER: I want to thank Richard for helping me out next year, that’s a big race for us. Thank you, Richard. Thank you, Shane.

It’s just so important to me to be able to cap off such a good relationship with Richard. Everybody at RCR, it’s like family over there. Meant a lot for me to be able to win before we end this deal. The stars were lined up today with having the hundredth anniversary of Chevrolet on the racecar. If I won the race, it was going to be Richard’s hundredth win. Too many things meant to be for it not to be. I’m excited that it was.

KERRY THARP: Crew chief Shane Wilson, talk about the victory here today.

SHANE WILSON: Just means a lot for our team. We worked so hard. Everyone in the garage works hard. We’re a team that we expect to win. We expected to be in the Chase. It’s good to get the win. It’s big for our team. All the guys work so hard. We’ve been so close this year and let it slip away, so it was nice to seal the deal.

KERRY THARP: Richard, congratulations not only on today’s win but also the hundredth win for your racing organization. Talk about the win here today, but also talk about a hundred wins as a team owner.

RICHARD CHILDRESS: It was a great win. Once I seen the gap they had, Clint and Jeff, I knew there was going to be a move. They did what they were supposed to. All of us hate it for Jeff. But when you’re in this business, you got to do what you got to do for yourself and the team.

I was really proud of RCR cars all day. These fans pay a lot of money. I hate it for Kevin, but he was doing what he was supposed to be doing. All of our RCR cars race to give these fans a show. We didn’t sit in the back and ride till the last minute. Our cars ran all day long. We don’t get paid to ride in the back. I’m proud of every one of ‘em. I’m proud of Clint getting the win. Clint, thanks for getting us on winner’s circle next year.

KERRY THARP: We’ll take questions.

Q. Richard, could you reflect in two ways on a hundred wins. 30 plus years ago when you were an independent driver, you used to talk about plowing your money back in the operation, put somebody in the car, make something out of that team. Can you talk about whether back then in your wildest dreams you expected to win a hundred races? Can you also talk about winning this hundredth one with a guy everybody thought you were going to half bake it on the rest of this season when he’s leaving, yet getting that win with a guy even when he’s leaving?

RICHARD CHILDRESS: It all started here for RCR in 1969. It’s nice to come back where I got my big break, 1969 when they boycotted. I went ahead and ran the race and I got money on Saturday, got money on Sunday, got deal money from Mr. Bill France, Sr., more money than I’d ever seen in my life. We went back, built the shop started racing.

That was a big break for me in Talladega. Today to get our hundredth win with Clint, only in America could a kid with a $20 racecar do what I’ve been able to do, myself and my people working with me. It started with an old $20 racecar and a dream.

Q. Where was the first win?

RICHARD CHILDRESS: Riverside, California, with Ricky Rudd, 1983.

Q. Clint, what was the key in you and Jeff moving away from everybody else so quick those last couple laps?

CLINT BOWYER: We talked right before the race. Right after the drivers meeting we talked. Just had a game plan what we wanted to do, what we were strong at, what we needed to improve on. One of those was the restarts, being able to bunch up and get together, make that connection before the rest of them, get up through the gearbox better than the rest. I think that’s what ultimately won us the race. We were able to do that on virtually every restart.

I was really, really worried. You’re looking in the mirror. I know I’ve got to let him down, then get back together. I knew that the Red Bull cars were already going to be together as soon as the rag dropped. 27 and 14 formed a partnership. I didn’t think never in a million years we’d come off of two with a lead.

As luck would have it, and I’m telling you luck has a lot to do with these races, it always does, right at the split second I touched his bumper, one of the Red Bull cars hit me in the butt. It just launched us out there. The rest was history. I was able to get up through the gearbox, shove him. It got us away. At that split second, they came to a halt and split up and were racing two and three wide. We were able to drive off into the sunset.

Q. Richard, you’ve won a lot of races here, I think 12, with a variety of different guys. Why are you so good as a team here and why are you always one of the cars to beat here?

RICHARD CHILDRESS: I don’t know. We just got great people working for us. We plan for this. We work hard for the restrictor plate races. Daytona, we had some good shots to win there, we’ve won there, and racing here. I think it goes back to some of the philosophy that Dale and I planned many years ago. We still use that same philosophy. That’s race as hard as you can, run up front all day.

Q. Clint, when you make that move coming off of four, did you have a little sense of relief knowing that it was Jeff, that he was going to race you hard, but it was going to be clean?

CLINT BOWYER: I was going to make sure it was clean. I wasn’t going to put him in a situation where we were going to wreck. We’ve been through too much. I’m telling you, I have a ton of respect for Jeff Burton. He was still going to have a shot at it. If you waited till the tri oval and snookered him at the end, there wasn’t going to be a shot at it. You would have been able to pull by him, the rest would have been history. Starting the move that early was going to enable him to have a shot. I knew we were far away ahead and nobody was going to be able to catch us and it was going to be a drag race till the end. It pretty much was. Glad it worked out. Probably a pretty risky move on my part.

Like I said, he wasn’t expecting it. I know he was expecting for me to wait for the tri oval because we talked about it. I felt like it was an opportunity to catch him off guard. It did, but it about bit me in the butt, too.

Q. Richard, you don’t like to sit back. How disappointed would you have been if those two had been that far out and decided to ride? How disappointed would you have been in him if he hadn’t tried?

RICHARD CHILDRESS: I knew going down the backstretch, once you seen they had the lead they had, that he was going to. Paul was racing with the 14. I told him on the radio, I said, Win the race. You can’t just push somebody, you got to go up there and try to win the race. He did just what I told Paul to do. That’s what you’re in this business for, race hard, put on a show for the fans.

Q. Clint, did you ever think about riding in the back? Did you ever talk about, Maybe we should? Is that not even a thought?

CLINT BOWYER: No. Two things. First and foremost, I think Richard is right. These fans pay a ton of money to watch these races and we owe it to them to put a show on them from rag to rag.

Second thing is it’s great practice. We don’t get a lot of practice. Used to be you’d come to these tracks, you’d have tons of practice, working on the drafting, working on cowling, air cleaners, so many different things to see if your car would pull up to the next car better or worse, headers. Now you got what you got. You come here, run three or four laps in practice. As long as nothing falls off the thing, you’re not just completely slow, you go on to the race.

So I feel like it gives you an advantage being able to race up there, slice and dice all race long, that you’re not caught off guard, go up there and make a mistake. I don’t mean to say anything bad, but when those guys come up there on that one run, I looked in the mirror, I knew they were going to wreck, and they did. It just puts you in a situation that’s unfamiliar territory, and they wreck every time. It happens every single time.

Q. Richard, what were you thinking when Harvick was told he had to go to the garage to fix the smoke? What do you think of his championship chances being 26 points out with four to go?

RICHARD CHILDRESS: I mean, we’re not done. I told him a while ago, Don’t stick a fork us yet. We’re definitely not done. We’re going to race, take no prisoners, do a deal, race as hard as we can.

It’s unfortunate that Kevin got in that crash. He was doing what we all talked about doing, running up front. It just happened he got hung up in it. It may have cost us the championship. We may have been able to ride in the back and wait it out. But that wasn’t what Kevin wanted to do. We had all of our sponsors here today. That just isn’t what we wanted to do.

It may bite us, but I’m proud of him getting the car fixed anyway.

Q. RC, there was a lot made about Ford didn’t want to work with Chevrolets, something with the 21 and the 24. The 27 was working with the 14. Did you tell him to back off because you got the points? Is there something about the points deal that makes Talladega a little more difficult for a car owner to deal with if he has a lot of teams?

RICHARD CHILDRESS: No, actually all the teams know they’re supposed to come here and try to win the race, never wreck each other. They know that.

I went on Paul’s radio and told him go up there and push Tony and try to win the race. I wanted him to win the race but I also wanted him to push Tony. That was just the way it was. He knew what he was going to do. If he came down to the end, he would have tried to make a move like Clint did on Jeff.

Q. Would you have gone with a Ford, too, if you had a chance?

CLINT BOWYER: I know the answer to that. He wouldn’t have opted for that option, no.

RICHARD CHILDRESS: We were going to help Chevy try to win. I’ve been Chevy all my life. We’ve been GM for 40 some years, I think 45 years now. It’s kind of hard to change an old dog.

KERRY THARP: Congratulations to the No. 33 team, Clint Bowyer, Shane Wilson, and Richard Childress Racing.

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JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET – FINISHED 2ND

DAVE BLANEY, NO. 36 GOLDEN CORRAL CHEVROLET – FINISHED 3^RD:

KERRY THARP: We welcome Jeff Burton. Jeff, talk about your run out there today. Certainly you were on the verge of getting a victory, but runner up finish here this afternoon.

JEFF BURTON: Well, I don’t know whether to be excited or upset. After the year we’ve had, it’s good to be in position to win a race. Obviously Clint and I worked really well together the whole race. Had some good luck along the way. Whenever you leave here not wrecked, you ought to be happy. At the same time I’m heartbroke we didn’t win the race. It would have been a big deal for us to get a win, would have been a great deal to Caterpillar, all our supporters.

Having said all that, I don’t know what I would have done different. Clint and I finished first and second in one of the Duel races in Daytona. I won that one. It was really close. Then honestly I thought he made his move a little too early. I kind of gave him the bottom because you tend to be able to pull them back better. He made his move really early.

I thought I’d be able to pull back to him. He had a lot of momentum when he made the move. His car was a little quicker throughout the day, that’s why we ended up with him pushing me. When I was pushing him, we weren’t as good together.

Nonetheless, it was a good finish for us. Again, I’d be interested in watching the replay, see what I could have done different. These races, it’s really hard to hold that guy off when he’s coming. We’ve seen that every time. I thought I did what I needed to give myself a shot to win and at the end of the day it didn’t work out.

KERRY THARP: We’ll take questions for Jeff Burton.

Q. Jeff, you and Clint seemed to take the strategy of, Let’s go ahead and run up front as much as we can today, while so many other tandems laid way back. Did you expect to see them sooner or later? Were you surprised not to see some of the Chasers who had been laying back?

JEFF BURTON: I thought they waited too long. That next to last caution came out I thought that saved them. I thought that gave them a chance.

Having said that, that’s all in retrospect. I wasn’t thinking during the race, They’re waiting too long. When that caution came out, Clint and I were where we wanted to be to win the race. I didn’t think any of those guys were going to be a factor. You’re always looking at what’s coming behind you.

At the end of the day, that strategy didn’t work today. I’ve seen it work. It worked here in the spring. I’ve seen it work. I’m much happier when it doesn’t work because I prefer to run in the front. I’m not being critical of anybody. I don’t blame them, especially when it works. We’ve seen races won here by people pulling that strategy. It just didn’t work out today. But I’ve seen it work both ways.

Q. On the last lap, did you pretty much figure when y’all broke away for the last lap that he was going to make a move?

JEFF BURTON: I was going down the back straightaway, talking on the radio: I bet you’re thinking about what you’re going to do right now. I was going to ask him to give an old man a break, but I knew better than that.

But, yeah, I knew he was going to make a move. He was supposed to make a move. He ain’t supposed to push me to the win. He’s supposed to go and try to win. That’s what you get here. If there’s those two cars leading everybody, you’re going to get that move. Like we saw in the Truck race yesterday, a guy with nowhere to go, he’s going to push somebody to win because that gives him the best chance to get a good finish. The way this worked out we have broken off from everybody.

Q. When you appeared to get into him a little bit there, was that a matter of trying to hold position or purely accidental?

JEFF BURTON: I was trying to get my left front fender to his right rear quarter panel to slow him up. We all do that. I got a little closer than I wanted to and knocked him around a little bit.

That wouldn’t have been good if he would have wrecked, would it? I was trying to get as close to him as I could get his momentum slowed down. I got him slowed down, but a little too late.

KERRY THARP: Let’s also hear from the other drivers here on the podium. Our third place finisher Dave Blaney. Dave, you showed you were very strong out there this afternoon.

DAVE BLANEY: It was a great run. Obviously we have to thank Brad Keselowski, stayed with us all day long every lap. When you get somebody committed to you no matter what, it makes it a lot easier. Then it’s just timing at the end. Worked out pretty good. We were in the right place at the right time, squeezed through a couple holes, there you are.

But still a solid day. We had a really solid day going here in the spring, too. Didn’t quite make it to the end. Really fun day for Tommy Baldwin Racing, Golden Corral.

KERRY THARP: We’ll continue with questions.

Q. You said you did everything that you could coming off of turn four. Would you have done anything different if that hadn’t been your teammate? Would you maybe not have been as nice?

JEFF BURTON: Hell, I didn’t think I was nice.

No. I mean, obviously I’d do something different now if I knew it wasn’t going to work. But I did everything I thought I needed to do. It just didn’t work out.

I try really hard to race everybody the same. I don’t know what else I could have done, whether it was a teammate or not. I actually ended up getting into him. So I don’t think there was anything different I could have done.

Q. Jeff, will you reflect on RC’s hundredth win?

JEFF BURTON: Driving for Richard has been a pleasure. I have a lot of respect for Richard. I’ve only had three car owners in my Cup career. All three of them I have a lot of respect for. To be able to be at Richard’s has meant a lot to me.

When I came in, it was a struggle. They were struggling. It’s been built back up to be able to contend for championships. We haven’t won any, but we’ve been contending for them.

He’s a good man. I like him. I’m comfortable with him. You can say anything about him as far as a competitor. He is a supreme competitor. The main thing is he’s a good person. He’s got a good heart. He’s honest. He represents our sport. He doesn’t always do the right thing. None of us always do the right thing. But he generally has a care and a passion for the sport. It’s an honor to drive for him.

Q. It may be a case of a lesser of two evils, but what in y’all’s minds is the ideal package? The one you have now, the one in the past? What would make the racing better?

JEFF BURTON: I don’t think anybody wants to answer that.

I personally think that there is an advantage to the tandem thing. There’s some disadvantages to it. The one thing it does do is it does separate the field a little bit. That’s not all bad. I’ve come here for a long time. Every time I come here, I’m pretty sure I’m going to get in a wreck. That’s a little odd way to race.

To me the tandem thing creates wrecks. But overall I think there’s less cars wrecked because of the tandem thing versus not having it. So I think overall it’s better. It does spread the pack out a little bit. But it doesn’t do it in a way that’s boring. The other way to spread the pack out is to make the cars drive bad and the fans aren’t going to like that.

To me this accomplishes a little bit of spreading the pack out without making the racing boring. Because of that I think they ought to keep it the way it is and not hamper our ability to tandem draft because it doesn’t hurt the quality of racing.

I was fortunate to run in the front all day. There was a lot going on in the front. I don’t know why, if you watched that race, how any part of that race was boring. That’s just my opinion.

Q. Jeff, been a tough year, really tough year.

JEFF BURTON: For you or me (laughter)?

Q. When you’re leading coming to the checkered like that, you got a guy behind you that’s your teammate, are you happy to be sitting in here with a good finish, not stuffed in a wall? Are you livid that you lost? Is it any worse because of who beat you and how?

JEFF BURTON: Well, I’m pissed off and I’m happy all at the same time if there is such a thing. Anytime you come here and you can get a top 10, have a car that’s not torn up, you have to at least be somewhat happy with that.

However, to come that close and to lose it is disheartening. It’s always worse to lose ‘em close. But it’s a lot better being in a position. To be perfectly frank about it, since the first race at Phoenix, we haven’t been in position to win a race. We haven’t sniffed it. That is awful. It’s terrible to come to the racetrack week in, week out. You come optimistic, you leave dejected.

At least today the dejection is about having a good finish and not finishing it off. Of course, I’m going to go home and watch the video a thousand times and wonder what I could have done different. But I’m heartbroken, but at the same time I’m happy if there is such a thing.

Q. Dave, could you talk a little bit about what that means for Tommy Baldwin Racing, what it means for you going forward with this finish?

DAVE BLANEY: Well, it’s huge for a race team. It’s a tiny little team. This racecar we’ve got, it was a Bill Davis car 2007, 2008. It’s not a killer. It’s a big, big accomplishment for us to come out.

This is a track you can do this. You can’t hang in all day. With Brad Keselowski’s help we could hang in all day and took advantage of getting a big push at the right time. That’s what it comes down to here, having a car that will roll the last couple laps to do that. It all just worked out.

Q. Dave, with this tandem racing, it does get strung out a little bit. Were you surprised that Clint and Jeff were able to scoot away as big as they did in that one lap? How did that happen? You were the closest one that could have possibly seen them.

DAVE BLANEY: I don’t really know how it happened. I believe I started 14th and Brad was 15th on that green white checkered. I didn’t see how the top five, what happened to them in the first corner. I have no idea. But that was odd to see them get that far away that quick. That is obviously what made it a different kind of race. Like Jeff said, exciting racing, whether it’s tandem or packs, stressful on the drivers, exciting for the fans.

Q. Dave, do you feel any better after the April race here? You also were in a position for a nice day and didn’t get it in the end through no fault of your own.

DAVE BLANEY: I was happy how we ran that day. Didn’t work out, didn’t get the finish. Performed well. Hung in there all day. Same thing today. Yeah, you feel great when you get the finish out of it.

But, again, just really happy for Golden Corral. I think the spring race here might have been the first or second race, they just started up with us. Stayed with us all year. Lets us race more than we could without them. Just legitimizes Tommy Baldwin’s team more and more, see where we can go.

KERRY THARP: Dave, Jeff, congratulations on an outstanding performance here this afternoon.

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